Unit 1 Language for studying

Task 1 Speaking

Discuss these questions.

1.      Which of these subjects have you studied? At what age did you study them? Which  subjects
are/ were you good at? Which of them do you consider relevant to you future career? Which would you
like to study further?


mathematics           history              psychology               chemistry            sociology

philosophy             languages          physics        economics          statistics
biology





2.      What is a person called who specialises in the subject? Which is the stressed syllable in
the word?


Task 2 Vocabulary

1.      Complete the sentences with one of these verbs in the correct form.

skip     attend     revise      re-sit     do    apply      get     study      fail      pass
pay

a)      I hated maths at school. I didn´t do any of the homework, never …………… attention to the
teacher and ……………….. classes whenever I could. Of course, the first time round I ………… my exams and
had to ………… them the following year. The second time round I ……………, which I was really pleased
about. It really boosted my confidence and I decided to ………….  to one of the better universities.
To my amazement, I got in and I´m there now – studying maths!

b)      Marc´s a very bright student. He always …………….. very well when he was at school. I´m sure
he´ll ………… a good degree, even though he doesn´t …………… hard. Of course, he hardly ever …………..
lectures or ………… the things we´ve done. I sometimes resent the fact he´s so clever!

What sort of student are you? What are the good and bad things about your studies?


2.      What is the one word all these expressions collocate with?

intensive – introductory – intermediate – advanced – refresher – do – take – enrol on – sign up for
– withdraw from – drop out of –  complete – pass – fail




Task 3  Idioms

Can you spot idioms about learning in the sentences below?

Can you guess their meaning?


a)      "I got very drunk once and was really sick. I won't do it again, I learnt my lesson."


b)      "I learnt all the vocabulary off by heart."


c)       "She's new here and is still learning the ropes."


d)      "He could never learn how to use the Internet. Just shows you can't teach an old dog new
tricks."


e)      "She got into the university of her choice, because she passed all her exams with flying
colours."


f)       “Other countries could teach us a lesson or two on educational policy.”


g)      "I studied at the University of Life."


h)      "I never knew that she was married. Oh well, you live and learn."


i)        “A new computer simulator teaches drivers how to handle a skid before they end up
learning the hard way.”



(For more, go to http://www.english-at-home.com/vocabulary/english-studying-vocabulary/)