28 © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLEEnglish plus Pre-Intermediate Extra fast finishers • Units 4–6

4–6 Extra fast finishers

What is pop music?Pop music is one of the most popular genres of music in the 21st century. But, have you ever thought about how the music of today came about?

Pop music came from the rock ’n’ roll movement of the early 1950s, when record companies recorded singles that they thought that teenagers wanted to listen to on the radio. Many different styles of music have become pop music since the 1950s. Often, music companies create new pop music styles by taking a style of music that only a small number of people were listening to, and then making that music more popular by marketing it to teenagers and young adults.

In the 1950s, recording companies took traditional rock ’n’ roll, for example Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, and rockabilly, for example Carl Perkins and Buddy Holly, and promoted them as the first pop music. In the 1960s, record companies started to create rock music, which was a mix of rock ’n’ roll, blues and folk. From this came the softer and more psychedelic style of bands such as The Doors and Pink Floyd and the harder, louder, ‘heavier’ type of rock bands such as Led Zeppelin and Metallica.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a type of dance music popular in nightclubs in New York, called disco, turned into a popular type of pop music. Major disco groups include the Bee Gees and Earth, Wind and Fire. Around the same time, and again centred in New York, record companies took an experimental, strange-sounding type of music called new wave and turned it into pop groups such as Blondie and Talking Heads. Punk bands such as the Sex Pistols played a harder and usually faster version of new wave. In the 1990s record companies promoted an underground type of punk-influenced hard rock called grunge, for example Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

Along the way, there have been many other styles and sub-genres of pop music, and there may be many more in the future as pop music continues to reinvent itself.

Reading P 1 Read the article about pop music and put the following music genres (a–f)

in order of when they were invented (1–6).

a new wave d hard/heavy rockb rock ’n’ roll e discoc grunge f punk

2 For questions 1–6 choose the correct answer, A, B, C or D.

Bo Diddley

The Bee Gees

Kurt Cobain, Nirvana

1 Pop music started because… A the radio became popular. B teenagers wanted their own music. C record companies started to record singles. D record companies became popular.2 A lot of new pop music styles come from… A bands which are famous at the time. B marketing companies. C less popular musical styles. D teenagers and adults.3 The first pop music was rock ’n’ roll and… A blues. B folk. C disco. D rockabilly.

4 Rock music started in the… A 1950s. B 1960s. C 1970s. D 1980s.5 New York was the origin of… A disco and rock. B disco and new wave. C new wave and rock. D new wave and grunge.6 Punk music is… A a type of dance music. B a hard and fast version of new wave. C an experimental type of music. D an underground type of hard rock.

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29© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE English plus Pre-Intermediate Extra fast finishers • Units 4–6

4–6Extra fast finishers

Reading P 1 Read the text about a famous school in England

and choose the best ending for each sentence, a or b.

1 Alex… a enjoyed his time at Eton. b didn’t enjoy his time at Eton.2 To go to Eton… a you have to be from a rich family. b you don’t have to be from a rich family.

2 True, false or doesn’t say? Write T, F or DS.

1 Boys and girls go to Eton. 2 Eton is over six hundred years old. 3 Eton was not like Alex expected it to be. 4 Alex didn’t have to work hard. 5 Alex played the Eton Wall Game. 6 Tourists often took photos of Eton students. 7 Alex’s family paid about £30,000 a year for

him to go to Eton. 8 Most Eton students become politicians or

businessmen.

My time at EtonEton College is a world-famous British private school for boys. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI. Famous ex-students include Princes William and Harry, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, actor Hugh Laurie and writer George Orwell. A more recent Old Etonian is 18-year-old Alex Gardiner from Manchester, who left only a few weeks ago. Here he tells of his experience at the £30,000-a-year school.

‘I found the first term at Eton very challenging. It was a culture shock. It was nothing like I expected it to be. On a typical day, I was in lessons from 8.30 a.m. until 6 p.m. Then I had three hours of homework each night.’

‘I also discovered that sport is a big part of life at Eton. The school is famous for the Eton Wall Game, which is like a mixture of football and rugby and is played next to a brick wall. It usually ends with a score of 0-0!’

‘I also had to get used to having my photograph taken by tourists when I was walking around the town dressed in the formal Eton uniform, which is very traditional and old-fashioned. We had to wear a long black coat and a white tie. Even the teachers have to wear a uniform!’

But did Alex’s parents have to pay the £30,000-a-year fees? Alex won the place at Eton through the King’s Scholarship, which was started by Henry VI in 1440. There are 130 scholarship places a year and Alex was awarded a fee-free scholarship.

Alex said, ‘Most people think Eton is full of people who want to be Prime Ministers or business tycoons, but it isn’t like that. I was with people from all over the world, who all had different backgrounds. Everyone accepts everyone else. It was an amazing experience. I will never forget my time at Eton – the people I met and the friends I made.’

Alex gained three A grades in Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry and is going on to study Medicine at Barts Medical School in London. Good luck to him!

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30 © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLEEnglish plus Pre-Intermediate Extra fast finishers • Units 4–6

4–6 Extra fast finishers

Writing P T

1 Read Jake’s email. Number the things you read about (a–i) in the correct order (1–9).

a uniform b homework c school clubs d type of school e the year Jake’s in f the number of lessons g the subjects Jake’s studying h when school starts and finishes i what Jake’s doing at the moment

2 Write an email (150–200 words) in reply, describing what school life is like for you. Answer these questions:

What school/year are you in? What subjects are you studying? What time do you start and finish school? What do you wear to school? What do you like/dislike about school?

School

Hi Paolo,

How are you? I hope you’re well. In your last email, you asked me about school life in the UK.

Well, I go to a comprehensive school. I’m in Year 11 and I’ve got my GCSE exams at the end of this year, so we’re spending most of the time at the moment preparing for the exams. GCSEs are the exams that everyone takes when they’re sixteen. They’re quite soon, so we’re doing lots and lots of practice papers at the moment. I also have to do exam questions for homework every evening. I’m doing GCSEs in ten subjects – the usual subjects like Maths, English, Geography, History and Science (Chemistry, Biology and Physics) and I’m also doing Music, French and Drama.

The school day starts at 8.30 and finishes at 3.30 and consists of six 45-minute lessons. Some subjects are a double lesson, so we usually have three or four different subjects each day. We finish school early on Wednesday. We’re supposed to go to a Sports or Drama or Art club on Wednesday afternoon, but most students just go home early!

We have to wear a uniform at my school. It’s not too bad though and we have a bit of freedom about what exactly to wear. It has to be black trousers, or a skirt for the girls, a white shirt with a collar and the school blazer, which is horrible and has the school badge on it. Girls don’t have to wear a blazer, which I think is really unfair!

School’s OK, but I’ll be happy when the exams are over and we’re on holiday!

So, tell me what school life is like for you.

Jake

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31© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE English plus Pre-Intermediate Extra fast finishers • Units 4–6

4–6Extra fast finishers

Writing T

1 Look at the photos below and answer the questions.

a Who are the paparazzi? b How do they make a living? c Where do we usually see paparazzi

photographs?

2 Look at notes A and B about the paparazzi. Which set of notes are for and which are against the paparazzi?

3 Are you in favour of the paparazzi or are you against them? Use the notes in Exs.1 & 2 to help you write an essay (150–200 words). Include this information:

Paragraph 1: IntroductionParagraph 2: For the paparazziParagraph 3: Against the paparazziParagraph 4: Conclusion

A

no career of their own, make a living from other people’s careers

no skill needed to wait outside hotel/nightclub, take photographs, then sell to magazine/newspaper

celebrities should be protected by same privacy laws as general public

celebrities have private lives too magazines want ‘negative’ pictures,

e.g. crying, looking scruffy, tired, in swimwear etc

paparazzi provoke celebrities, get ‘negative’ reaction

B

24/7 job, can’t choose when and when not to be a celebrity

need and like publicity, keeps them in the spotlight, makes them bigger stars

the saying: ‘all publicity is good publicity’

the public make celebrities famous, should give something in return

celebrities inform paparazzi in advance where they will be

some celebrities only famous because of paparazzi, no career of their own

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32 © OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLEEnglish plus Pre-Intermediate Extra fast finishers • Units 4–6

4–6 Extra fast finishers

Speaking T

✁

Student A

1 Read the problems (1–3) below and choose the option you think is the best advice, A, B, C or D.

1

A Stay at home. B Go to school in her own clothes. C Go to school in wet clothes. D Dry her uniform and go to school late.

2

A Say nothing. B Tell the teacher he didn’t do it. C Tell the teacher about his friend. D Speak to his friend after the lesson.

3

A Run out of the classroom. B Tell the other students to be quiet. C Try to answer another question. D Ignore them – everyone makes mistakes.

2 In pairs. Tell Student B your problems and say what you think the people should(n’t)/must(n’t)/ have to do in each case, and explain your reasons why. Does Student B agree with you?

Useful languageI (don’t) think he/she should… In my opinion, he/she must(n’t)/should(n’t)/has to…What do you think?I agree./I disagree because…Should he/she…?Does he/she have to…?

Student B

1 Read the problems (1–3) below and choose the option you think is the best advice, A, B, C or D.

1

A Miss school. B Tell his mum the truth. C Go to school and do the exam. D Go to school and tell the teacher how he feels.

2

A Tell his brother about the bully. B Continue to do what the bully wants. C Tell his parents or a teacher. D Do something bad to the bully.

3

A Talk to her parents about it. B Tell the teachers she’s unhappy. C Continue playing truant until the situation

improves. D Go back to school.

2 In pairs. Tell Student A your problems and say what you think the people should(n’t)/must(n’t)/ have to do in each case, and explain your reasons why. Does Student A agree with you?

Useful languageI (don’t) think he/she should…In my opinion, he/she must(n’t)/should(n’t)/has to…What do you think?I agree./I disagree because…Should he/she…?Does he/she have to…?

Olivia’s school uniform was washed at the weekend and is still wet on Monday morning. Her school has very strict rules about school uniforms. What should she do?

Dan’s friend wrote something rude on the whiteboard while the teacher was outside the classroom. The teacher has seen the word and is very angry. But she thinks that Dan wrote it! What should Dan do?

Jasmine has just given the wrong answer to a Maths question and the whole class is laughing at her. She feels really embarrassed and is worried that everybody thinks she’s stupid. What should she do?

Mark is very nervous about an important Maths exam today. He’s revised for it but he doesn’t want to go to school. He’s told his mum that he feels ill. What should he do?

Liam is having problems with a bully in his class. He has to do the bully’s homework and give him money. Liam has a younger brother at the school and he is worried that the bully will cause problems for him too. What should he do?

Lucy’s best friend is very unhappy at school and has started playing truant. She often goes to the park instead of going to school. What should Lucy tell her friend to do?

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33© OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS • PHOTOCOPIABLE English plus Pre-Intermediate Extra fast finishers • Units 4–6

4–6Extra fast finishers

Speaking T

✁

Student A

1 a Imagine you are waiting to audition for a talent

show live on TV. Student B is a TV presenter and wants to interview you for the programme. Prepare your answers to the questions below (1–6). Use the Present perfect simple or continuous and write complete answers.

1 Have you auditioned yet?2 Have you been waiting for a long time?3 Have you seen some of the other acts?4 How far have you travelled to get here?5 Have you practised a lot for this audition?6 Have you been on TV before?

b In pairs. Answer Student B’s questions. Answer with complete sentences and give extra information.

2 a Now imagine you are a journalist for a

magazine. Student B is the lead singer in a pop band. You are interviewing him or her. Write complete interview questions (1–6) using the Present perfect simple or continuous.

1 you/do/a lot of interviews? 2 how many albums/you/release? 3 you/have/a number one album yet? 4 how long/you/work/on your new album? 5 you/shoot/a video for your new single

yet? 6 how long/the band/be/together?

b In pairs. Ask Student B the above questions.

Useful languageHave you … yet? No, I haven’t … yet. I’m quite nervous, but…Have you been (-ing)…?I’ve been waiting to audition all day so…

Student B

1a Imagine you are a presenter for a talent show

live on TV. Student A is a participant and is waiting to audition. You are interviewing him or her. Write complete interview questions (1–6) using the Present perfect simple or continuous.

1 you/audition/yet? 2 you/wait/for a long time? 3 you/see/some of the other acts? 4 how far/you/travel/to get here? 5 you/practise/a lot for this audition? 6 you/be/on TV before?

b In pairs. Ask Student A the above questions.

2 a Now imagine you are the lead singer in a pop

band. Student A is a journalist and wants to interview you for a magazine. Prepare your answers to the questions below (1–6). Use the Present perfect simple or continuous and write complete answers.

1 Have you done a lot of interviews?2 How many albums have you released? 3 Have you had a number one album yet?4 How long have you been working on

your new album?5 Have you shot a video for your new

single yet?6 How long has the band been together?

b In pairs. Answer Student A’s questions. Answer with complete sentences and give extra information.

Useful languageHave you … yet?No, we haven’t … yet. But we hope…How long have you been (-ing)…?We’ve been working on the album for…

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