Listening. Task 1. What do you know about Moscow and Hong Kong?

Task 1. What do you know about Moscow and Hong Kong?

a) Listen to Michael and Irina. Mark the things in the box they mention, I for Irina and M for Michael.

economic problems	street names
tourists	language(s) spoken
how clean/dirty the city is	pace of life
new shops and buildings	traffic and driving
standard of living, prices, etc.

Michael Tang is from Hong Kong. In 1997, the city changed from British to Chinese rule. He talks about the changes.

b) Which changes do both Michael and Irina mention? Do they feel generally happy or unhappy about these changes?

Irina Solokova is from Moscow. She talks about how 'Perestroika' (the changes after Communism) has changed her city.

с) Choose the correct alternative. Then listen again and check.

Hong Kong

a Daily life in Hong Kong feels very different from / more or less the same as how it was before.

b Michael thinks Hong Kong seems more / less Chinese now.

с The standard of living in Hong Kong is very similar / very different.

d The streets look slightly / completely different from before.

Moscow

e The streets of Moscow look slightly / completely different from the old days.

f Irina thinks Moscow feels more / less Russian,

g The traffic in Moscow is much worse than / more or less the same as before.

h Prices in Moscow are very similar to / very different from before.

d) Match the adjectives on the left with the prepositions on the right.

different	than
worse	as
the same	to
similar	from

e) Put the phrases in the best place on the line.

very different from very similar to exactly the same as slightly different from about the same as completely different from

samea _________ b the same as с _________ d__________ e similar to f _________ g different from h _________ different i__________

Task 2. a) Look at the two pictures. Then listen and say whether the statements

about the pictures are true or false.

b) Work in pairs. Find six more similarities and differences between the pictures. Tell other students about them using comparative phrases.

c) Think about your town now and at some point in the past. Make sentences using comparative phrases. Then compare with other students.

Example:

The shops and restaurants are much better than before.

shops and restaurants	traffic
public transport	street names
cost of living	climate
how the place looks	daily life

(taken from Sarah Cunningham and Peter Moor New Cutting Edge Intermediate Student’s book. pp. 30-31)

Task 3. Study the table

as... (positive degree)... as not so/as... (positive degree)... as such a(n)/so...as	For hair as soft as silk try this new shampoo. The service isn't as good as it used to It's not such a long way as we thought.
twice/three times etc/half as... (positive degree)... as	She earns twice as much as me. She's only half as well-qualified as her sister.
the same as	The Orion costs the same as the Golf.
look, sound, smell, taste + like	That sounds like a good idea.
less... (positive degree)... than the least... (positive degree)... of/in	I have less free time than Cathy but Laura has the least free time of all.
the +comparative..., the+comparative	The busier the roads are, the longer it will take to get there. The less you sleep, the more tired you get.
comparative + and + comparative	Jobs are getting harder and harder to find.
prefer+ -ing form or noun + to + -ing form or noun (general preference)	She prefers living for the moment to thinking about the future. Most people prefer summer to winter.
would prefer + to-inf + rather than + inf without to (specific preference)	I would prefer to book our tickets now rather than wait until the last minute.
would rather/sooner + inf without to + than + inf without to	He'd sooner go alone than go with Edward.
clause + whereas/while + clause (comparison by contrast)	Carole enjoys adventure while/whereas her sister prefers peace and quiet.

(taken from Virginia Evans FCE Use of English. For the Revised Cambridge Examination 1. p. 83)

Task 4. Study the following examples and rephrase the sentences, as in the examples.

1 Going parachuting is more dangerous than playing basketball.

...a) Playing basketball is less dangerous than going parachuting....

...b) Playing basketball isn't half as dangerous as going parachuting....

2 The antique desk is more expensive than the iron bed.

3 Tom's car is safer than Danny's.

4 The yellow skirt is not as elegant as the grey one.

5 The action film was more exciting than the comedy.

6 Travelling by plane is more comfortable than travelling by bus.

7 Your apple pie was more delicious than my sister's.

8 He spends more money on CDs than his friend.

(taken from Virginia Evans and Jenny Dooley Enterprise Grammar 4. p. 120)

Task 5. Fill In: as, so…as, different from, whereas, more, than, like or same.

This year the Jones family decided not to go to the 1) same holiday destination 2)______ last year. Their hotel, the Hotel Astoria, was 3) ______ expensive 4) ______ the last one, the Pueblo, but they didn't mind because the Astoria was exactly 5) ______the brochure said: luxurious, with a breathtaking view. It was completely 6) __________ the Pueblo. It looked just 7) ________a palace. 8) ________ the Pueblo resembled a prison. Furthermore. the owners of the Pueblo were not 9)__________hospitable 10)_________those of the Astoria.

Task 6. Fill In with: the sooner...the sooner, like, less...than, would prefer...rather than, three times as...as, such a.

When Trevor saw his neighbours’ new car, he decided that he had to have one just 1) ...like... theirs. He had never seen 2)_________ beautiful machine “3) __________ I get down to the car showroom, __________ I'll have a car like theirs." he thought. But when he got there, it turned out the car was 4) ____________ expensive he had expected. "Haven't you got anything a little 5) _______ expensive ________ that?^” he asked the salesman. “Perhaps sir, you 6) _________ to invest m a small motorcycle 7) ____________ such an... erm... exclusive vehicle,” he replied.

(taken from Virginia Evans Round up 6. p. 62)

Task 7. Compare the following jobs (taxi driver, teacher, doctor) using the adjectives from the list, as in the examples.

exciting, imaginative, rewarding, tiring, stressful

e.g..Being a taxi driver is not as I so exciting as being a teacher,...

...Being a teacher is twice as exciting as being a taxi driver....

...Being a doctor is by far the most exciting job of all....

(taken from Virginia Evans and Jenny Dooley Enterprise Grammar 4. p. 119)

Describing towns and cities

Task 8. a) Check the words in bold below in your dictionary. Then choose a place you know well and answer the questions.

o Is it a village, town or city? How big is it? Describe its location, using some of the phrases below to help you.

o It's in the west / southeast / centre. It's near the border with... It's on the river X. It's famous for...It's about 50 km from...

o Which of the following things does the place have?

an industrial area

a carnival, festival or other events

a beautiful scenery nearby

an underground system or trams

sandy beaches

docks or a harbour

spectacular views

shopping malls or street markets

o Does it have any other important things not on this list?

o Which of the following adjectives would you choose to describe the place?

cosmopolitan crowded exciting historical

industrial noisy peaceful

ugly old-fashioned polluted

popular with tourists romantic

Which is your favourite area or place? Which place do you like least? What are the best and worst things about it?

b) Work in pairs. If you have chosen the same place, compare answers. Do you agree? If you have chosen different places, close your book and describe the place to your partner. Answer any questions your partner has.

c) Write a description of the place you have chosen, including answers to the questions in exercise a).

(taken from Sarah Cunningham and Peter Moor New Cutting Edge Intermediate Student’s book. p. 31)

Home task 5.

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