Outcomes Advanced p 49. Going out, Staying in. Extra Speaking












1. Conversation: Talk about the following questions with your partner for about 5 minutes. The pictures are there to help you.

  1. What impact has the advent of new technologies, the internet and AI had on the younger generations? Do they socialize in the same way as their parents did? Where do they hang out? Do you have a favourite haunt?
  2. What's your idea of fun? Is it a foam party? Family get-togethers? Staying in on your own? Do you sometimes enjoy painting the town red? Or are you a culture vulture? What are the pluses and minuses of each situation? What gives you a real buzz?
  3. Why has the burgeoning no-frills travel market soared? Do you think this is a good thing? Why have all-inclusive hotels been so controversial? Should free booze be banned on all-inclusive deals?
  4. Should there be a crack down on lager louts? Should young revellers be allowed to roam the streets performing scenes of debauchery? Should fines be introduced? Should the resorts beef up police and CCTV presence during the popular summer months? What would you do?



2. Below there are some issues related to the topic. You must talk about at least two of them for 3 minutes approx. you may be asked further questions about the topic when you have finished.

Partner A                        

  • Have you ever joined a conversation club to practise your English? Can you describe how the sessions developed? Have you joined other clubs? Would you recommend any of them? What are the benefits and drawbacks of joining a club? What other activities have you done to improve your English?
  • Are you an intrepid traveller? Do you enjoy going off the beaten track and visit secluded coves and unspoiled beaches? Or do you prefer going on package holidays? What are the pros and cons of either way of travelling?
  • Do you like surprise parties? Have you ever been to one? How was it? Who was the life and soul of the party? Where there any party animals or party poopers? Are there any wet blankets among your group of friends? Have you ever been to a stag or hen do?

Partner B                 

  • Are you an inveterate traveller? Do you enjoy going gallivanting? Do you prefer to travel with friends or single-handedly? What are the swings and roundabouts of solo travel?
  • Have you ever visited a place or attended an event that didn't live up to the hype? Have you ever had to lodge a complaint or a compensation claim?
  • What's your opinion about the following overgeneralizations: "young people avoid interaction," "young British holiday makers are all beer-swilling lager louts," "no-frills airlines can have a nasty sting in the tail", "there is a new generation of couch potatoes who spend all day on the sofa looking at their smart phones and eating ready meals", "young people don't dress up for special occasions anymore." What other stereotypes can you think of? Are any of these stereotypes positive? How fair do you think they are?



1. Pictures

traditional/folk /fəʊk/ dance takes place in the streets throughout the year and everybody joins in.

go clubbing (informal) to spend time dancing and drinking in nightclubs.

Alexa: a virtual digital assistant developed by Amazon.

1. Questions

the advent of something/somebody the coming of an important event, person, invention, etc. E.g. the advent of new technology.

AI: /ˌeɪ ˈaɪ/ artificial intelligence.

hang out: to spend a lot of time in a place. E.g. The local kids hang out at the mall.

haunt: /hɔːnt/ a place that somebody visits often or where they spend a lot of time. E.g. The pub is a favourite haunt of artists. We’ve been back to some of our old haunts. Is this one of your usual haunts?

paint the town red (informal) to go to a lot of different bars, clubs, etc. and enjoy yourself. E.g. After our exams finished, we all decided to get dressed up and paint the town red.

culture vulture: /ˈkʌltʃə vʌltʃə(r)/ a person who is very interested in serious art, music, literature, etc.

buzz: a strong feeling of pleasure, excitement or achievement. E.g. a buzz of excitement/ expectation. She gets a buzz out of her work. Flying gives me a real buzz. You can sense the creative buzz in the city.

burgeoning: /ˈbɜːdʒənɪŋ/ beginning to grow or develop rapidly. E.g. a burgeoning population. burgeoning demand.

no-frills: /ˌnəʊ ˈfrɪlz/ (especially of a service or product) including only the basic features, without anything that is unnecessary, especially things added to make something more attractive or comfortable. E.g. a no-frills airline.

soar: /sɔː(r)/ if the value, amount or level of something soars, it rises very quickly. E.g. soaring costs/ prices/ temperatures. Air pollution will soon soar above safety levels. Unemployment has soared to 18%.

booze: /buːz/ alcoholic drink. E.g. Now he’s off the booze (= he has given up drinking alcohol), he’s a different person.

crack down (on somebody/something) to try harder to prevent an illegal activity and deal more severely with those who are caught doing it. E.g. Police are cracking down on drug dealers.

lager lout: /ˈlɑːɡə laʊt/ a young man who drinks too much alcohol and then behaves in a noisy and unpleasant way.

reveller: /ˈrevələ(r)/ a person who is having fun in a noisy way, usually with a group of other people and often after drinking.

roam: /rəʊm/ to walk or travel around an area without any definite aim or direction. E.g. The sheep are allowed to roam freely on this land. to roam the countryside/the streets, etc.

debauchery: /dɪˈbɔːtʃəri/ immoral behaviour involving sex, alcohol or drugs. E.g. a life of debauchery.

beef something up (informal) to make something bigger, better, more interesting, etc. E.g. Security has been beefed up for the royal visit. They’re taking on more workers to beef up production.

CCTV: /ˌsiː siː tiː ˈviː/ closed-circuit television.

2. Questions A/B

intrepid: /ɪnˈtrepɪd/ very brave; not afraid of danger or difficulties. E.g. an intrepid explorer.

off the beaten track: far away from other people, houses, etc. E.g. They live miles off the beaten track.

secluded: /sɪˈkluːdɪd/ (of a place) quiet and private; not used or disturbed by other people. E.g. a secluded garden/ beach/ spot, etc. We managed to find a fairly secluded spot for our picnic.

cove: /kəʊv/ a small bay (= an area of sea that is partly surrounded by land). E.g. a secluded cove.

unspoiled: /ˌʌnˈspɔɪld/ also unspoilt /ˌʌnˈspɔɪlt/: (of a place) beautiful because it has not been changed or built on. E.g. unspoiled countryside. It’s a country of stunning landscapes and unspoiled beaches.

the life and soul the party, etc. the most amusing and interesting person at a party, etc.

party animal: someone who enjoys parties and party activities very much and goes to as many as possible. E.g. Sarah's a real party animal - she likes to dance all night.

party pooper: /ˈpɑːti puːpə(r)/ a person who does not want to take part in an enjoyable activity and spoils the fun for other people.

wet blanket: /ˌwet ˈblæŋkɪt/ a person who is not enthusiastic about anything and who stops other people from enjoying themselves.

stag/hen party/do: a party that a man/woman has with his male/ her female friends just before he/ she gets married, often the night before.

inveterate: /ɪnˈvetərət/ (of a person) always doing something or enjoying something, and unlikely to stop. E.g. an inveterate liar. He was an inveterate traveller.

go gallivanting: to go from place to place enjoying yourself. E.g. You're too old to go gallivanting around Europe.

single-handedly: on your own with nobody helping you. E.g. She single-handedly saved the town from disaster.

swings and roundabouts: used to say that there are advantages and disadvantages whatever decision you make. E.g. If you earn more, you pay more in tax, so it's all swings and roundabouts. What you gain on the swings you may lose on the roundabouts.

hype: /haɪp/ advertisements and discussion on television, radio, etc. telling the public about a product and about how good or important it is. E.g. marketing/ media hype. Don't believe all the hype—the book isn't that good.

lodge something (with somebody) (against somebody/something) (formal) to make a formal statement about something to a public organization or authority. Submit. E.g. They lodged a compensation claim against the factory. Portugal has lodged a complaint with the International Court of Justice.

claim (for something) a request for a sum of money that you believe you have a right to, especially from a company, the government, etc. You can make a claim on your insurance policy. to put in a claim for an allowance. a claim for £2 000. Make sure your claims for expenses are submitted by the end of the month. Complete a claim form (= an official document which you must use in order to request money from an organization).

swill something (down) (informal) to drink something, especially alcohol, quickly and/or in large quantities.

sting in the tail: an unpleasant feature that comes at the end of a story, an event, etc. and spoils it. E.g. the Budget comes with a sting in the tail—future tax increases.

couch potato: /ˈkaʊtʃ pəteɪtəʊ/ a person who spends a lot of time sitting and watching television.

ready meals: a meal that you buy already prepared and which only needs to be heated before you eat it.

Outcomes Advanced p 47. Performance Task Assessment List For a Blog Entry. Writing

Your Task
Your class has been asked to create a travel blog about hidden places and off-the-beaten-track sights for travel enthusiasts. This blog may contain culture, traditions, celebrations, myths, politics, religion, stories, food specialities, places to eat and drink, where to stay, hidden places to visit, off-the-beaten-track sights, languages spoken, free time activities, arts and crafts, transport, shopping, sports...For this task, your contribution will be to write a blog post about a place you have recently visited or you know well. You may use 180-200 words.

                                                                                           ASSESSMENT POINTS
                                                                                        Points possible           Earned assessment
Element______________________________________________________Self_______Teacher

1. APPROPRIACY                                                                 5                     _____              _____
a. The content is dealt with appropriately.
b. It contains an attention-grabbing headline.
c. The introduction clearly introduces the main ideas.
d. Each paragraph has appropriate and accurate details
to support each main idea.
e. All of the main ideas are clearly related to the topic.
f. The conclusion sums up the points made in an
interesting, thoughtful, and unique manner.
g. Register and format are consistently
appropriate to the task and target audience.
h. The writing fully achieves the desired effect
on the target reader. The writer communicates
well with its intended audience.
i. The writing is neat and presentable.
j. It has approximately the right number of words.
k. Visuals are used in an appropriate way to
add information and interest.

2. COHESION AND COHERENCE                                      5                     _____              _____
a. Information and ideas are skilfully organised through a
range of linking devices.
b. The main ideas are organized into a logical sequence.
c. The transitions from one main idea to the next are smooth.
d. The text is a pleasure to read and poses no difficulty
to the reader.

3. RANGE OF VOCABULARY AND STRUCTURES        5                      _____              _____
a. The choice of words and grammatical structures is
appropriate, varied, and creates a natural voice.
b. There is a wide range of vocabulary and structures.
b. Good use of idiomatic expressions.
c. Good command of collocations.
d. Good command of grammatical structures.

4. ACCURACY                                                                      5                      _____              _____
a. Contains correct spelling, grammar, and vocabulary.


                                                                       Total                20                    _____              _____

                                                                       Mark               10                    _____              _____

Outcomes Advanced p 45. A Music Festival. Extra MC Cloze


1 For questions 1–12, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.

The thing I like most about the summer is the Zodiac Folk Music Festival. (1) _____ beats listening to acoustic music in the sun and this family-friendly festival doesn’t (2) _____ the earth either. The moment we arrived we (3) _____ on the little camping area they have so we could (4) _____ our tents and then go for a wander. We soon found a great spot. I got out my funky new tent. (5) _____ I’d bought it was because I thought its bright green leafy design would blend in with nature and it certainly did. It was so easy to put up too and in no time all the pieces were slotted in place. Once the tents were up, we (6) _____ the direction of the music. All we wanted to do now was dance, and dance we would. The first band’s singer had a really lovely (7) _____ voice and really got the crowd going, but (8) _____ the next artist that we were (9) _____ by. Her voice was simply amazing. Being a small and (10) _____ music festival, it was easy to speak to her after her set and we somehow ended up tagging (11) _____ with her. We were so taken by her Texan drawl and bubbly personality that we soon became (12) _____ to everyone else.


1 A Something                        B Anything      C Nowhere      D Nothing
2 A cost                      B pay              C earn                         D cut
3 A keyed on              B poured in     C homed in     D knuckled down
4 A plant                     B make            C pitch            D build
5 A It’s only because B The thing that C The reason for D The reason why
6 A meandered for      B drifted in      C strayed off   D lingered in
7 A piercing                B shrill            C shrieky        D high-pitched
8 A it was                    B it will be       C it was being D being
9 A knocked down     B bowled away C startled over           D blown away
10 A loose                  B low-key       C restrained     D soothing
11 A by                       B on                C along           D in
12 Aoblivious                         B engrossed     C distracted     D absorbed




KEYS

1
1 D 



2 A 



3 C 



4 C 



5 D 



6 B 



7 D 



8 A 



9 D 



10 B 



11 C 



12 A