Unit 04

Unit 4 Page 38 READING Exercise 5 A big change for artists The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square in London has a collection of paintings that stretches from hundreds of years ago right up to the present day. You can plan a walk that goes chronologically through the centuries – 16th, 17th, 18th century and so on. As you go through the first rooms, you get used to seeing paintings in dark, heavy colours of brown and black, deep reds and blues, with subjects that are indoors, or else in huge landscapes that were created by imaginative painters. But something happens when you go from Room 41 to Room 42 in the middle of the 19 century. Suddenly, after about 1845, you start to see paintings with dazzling, bright colours and with vivid outdoor settings. How can this remarkable change be explained? The answer is twofold. First of all, after the Industrial Revolution, artificial pigments had now begun to be used in paint, meaning the range of colours available to artists increased dramatically. The second reason was the work of a man almost no one has heard of: John Goffe Rand. Rand was an American, born in 1801 in New Hampshire, but he moved to London when he got married. He was a practical but also a creative man: an inventor and an enthusiastic, competent painter. Like all other painters at the time, he worked mainly with oil paints. The problem with oil paint was how to store it and stop it from drying out. Painters used to keep the paint in animal bladders, which they could pierce to get the paint out, but these were fragile and short-lived containers. It was almost impossible to move the paint from one place to another or to store it for a long time, and so painters mostly worked indoors, in studios. Most artists were used to dealing with this situation, but Rand thought he could do something to improve it. And so in 1841 he invented ... the metal tube. Taking very thin layers of tin (a metal which would not react with the oil paint) he made small tubes into which the paint could be poured. The tube could then be squeezed gently to get out as much paint as the artist needed, and closed again to stop the rest from drying out. And they were small and light, so they could be taken wherever the painter wanted. These tubes changed everything for artists. Suddenly, they could go out into wide open spaces, fields, gardens and streets, taking their paint with them and painting what they saw, not worrying about the paint itself. The art movement known as 'impressionism' partly owes its existence to Rand and his tube. One of the greatest impressionist painters, Renoir, told his son: " ... without colours in tubes, there would have been no Cezanne, no Monet, no Sisley or Pissarro, nothing of what people were to call impressionism." John Rand patented his invention, but never became especially wealthy because of it, even though the tube that he invented went on to be used in many other ways, transforming various aspects of life forever.

Page 41 LISTENING Exercise 12 & 14 What are you reading, Lewis? Oh, hi Phoebe. It's a challenge thing in this magazine. 'How imaginative are you?' You have to think of things to do with old CDs. They want you to think of six. Oh that's easy. I mean, you can use them as coasters – you know, put glasses on them. Oh, yes, that's right. What things have you thought of? Well, none, to be honest. Let's have a think. Well, you could put one under a candle and then the wax won't drip onto the table. But most candles these days don't drip, do they? No idea, but it's only a game, right? Let's see – oh, you could use it to draw a perfect circle – in fact, two perfect circles, because there's the hole in the middle too. Well, that's three things – I guess. Yes, three. So far, so good. But I'm not sure I can think of three more! Hang on – you could use them like Frisbees, throw them and get your dog to bring them back. I haven't got a dog. Oh, you know what I mean. This is getting boring. Don't be so impatient Lewis! Let's try the other one. Come on, Phoebe, help me with this picture. You have to find lots of different things. I've been looking at it for ages, but it's no good, I can't see anything at all. Seriously? I mean, there's a tree ... Well yes, of course there's a tree!! I mean, I can't see anything else. Well, look at the trunk, there are two faces, looking at each other. Oh yes! Aren't you clever!? Anything else? Umm ... Oh, oh! A piece of broccoli ... OK ... hmm, yes, OK, I think I can see that. I think! Oh, come on Phoebe, give me a break, it's the only thing I've managed to see! OK, I'll accept broccoli, if you'll accept ... a human brain. A brain? What? Oh, hang on, yes. The top bit. Well done Phoebe. What else? Nothing else! I'm getting bored now. Who makes these things up? Are they supposed to tell you something about yourself? Well they're supposed to show you how imaginative you are. And I'm not very good at them, so I guess I'm not very imaginative! No, don't be so hard on yourself. What's so creative about thinking of things to do with an old CD? You've got a point, I guess. It's a good thing there aren't any tests on creative thinking, isn't it? That's true! And you know what? I don't like this magazine now. I'm going to stop buying it for good. .

Page 42 READING Exercise 4 I had a problem recently, so I asked a friend to help me. She immediately said, 'Think outside the box.' I've heard that expression so many times, but what does it really mean? And how can you learn to do it? Thanks! Hi Jake, Great question! To understand 'thinking outside the box', we need to start by asking what the 'box' is. We can demonstrate this in an interesting way by looking at the puzzle here. You have to join all nine points, using only four lines and not lifting the pen from the paper. In the answer, the idea of 'outside the box' is illustrated nicely. No one said you have to stay inside the 'box' of the nine points, but if you do, you can't solve the problem. Go 'out of the box' and you can solve it easily. So, thinking outside the box means moving away from your usual way of thinking. It means thinking creatively, thinking in a different way. Now, what about tips on how to do it? Changing your way of thinking isn't easy; you have to work hard at it. But it can be done. My first tip is, if you're a bit stuck – get out of your box, physically. Leave the room, go for a walk, take a shower, run – anything that takes you away from that paper or screen in front of you. Steve Jobs did it, so did Tchaikovsky, and most likely many other successful people. Secondly: try brainstorming, i.e. thinking of as many alternatives as you can without judging or evaluating them. Imagine you want to earn some money – you'll probably think of things you could do like washing cars or working in people's gardens. But sit down and make a list of other things people do that can make money – write articles for online publications, make lemonade and sell it to passers-by, whatever. Open your mind completely, and you could find some great answers. Thirdly, in order to think creatively, you need to do a lot of, well ... thinking! Play word games, do puzzles like Sudoku, anagrams, crosswords, whatever you prefer. Like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger your brain becomes. You can also give yourself challenges like thinking of different uses for household objects (books, old shoes, plates you don't want any more): it trains you to look at things from a different angle. So, make sure you train your brain! Last but not least – talk to a lot of people, including kids. Older people have experience that could help you think of something you would never think of. Kids can think outside the box because they're too young to know what the box is. Have fun! Page 42 PRONUNCIATION Exercise 1 At first I thought it wouldn't be a problem – but now I'm scared I'll only get through it with great difficulty. Actually, the real problem is the way we've been brought up to see problems. Try to stop seeing things as 'right' or 'wrong'. If you try an idea and other people laugh at it, that's their problem, not yours. Anyway, enough from me. I hope these ideas help! Page 42 PRONUNCIATION Exercise 2 At first I thought it wouldn't be a problem – but now I'm scared I'll only get through it with great difficulty. Actually, the real problem is the way we've been brought up to see problems. Try to stop seeing things as 'right' or 'wrong'. If you try an idea and other people laugh at it, that's their problem, not yours. Anyway, enough from me. I hope these ideas help!

Page 44 DEVELOPING SPEAKING Exercise 1 & 2 This is terrible. The teacher told us she wants us to write something creative! 'A poem about the natural world.' How am I going to do that? And she wants it by Tuesday! No chance! Calm down, Paulo! All you need is one idea. That's just it – I don't have any ideas. Not one! I'm hopeless at this kind of thing. I could sit and think for days, but it's pointless. I'll never come up with anything. Oh, give it a rest Paulo! You're always putting yourself down. 'I can't do this, I'm no good at that!' It's really boring! Hang on, Alex. That's a bit out of order. We're supposed to be helping him, not making him feel worse. It would be nice if you could be a bit more supportive! No, he's right. I am being boring. And bad-tempered, too. Whatever. Let's think. You've got to write a poem about ... what was it again? 'The natural world.' But listen, guys, it's my problem, not yours. You don't have to help me. But we want to! Well, I want to, at least. Look, I always think it's useful to try to think outside the box. Oh, Sarah! 'Think outside the box?' That's such a cliché. No, she might be right. I mean, perhaps ... instead of writing a poem about nature, I could write something from nature's point of view. Like, a poem written by the ocean, about having plastic bags floating around inside it. Oh, no! You can't be serious, Sarah! It's a good idea! I'll call it: 'I am the ocean'. Good luck Paulo – you're going to need it!

Unit 3 & 4 Page 46 CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH B2 First for Schools LISTENING Part 1 Exercise 1 You will hear people talking in eight different situations. For questions 1-8, choose the best answer (A, B or C). One Seriously? This is the first time you've ever been to the theatre? Yes! I'm not sure why you're so surprised though. Sorry, it just seems odd that well, I guess I| thought everyone has been to the theatre at least once. Well, growing up, apart from seeing student productions, I never really had the opportunity as we lived so far from a theatre. I wasn't that bothered anyway because I became obsessed with cinema in my early teens. Well, I hope you enjoy this! I'm sure I will – it's really nice of you to invite me. I hope the tickets didn't cost too much. Two Hi, Sally. It's Julia here. How are you? Sorry I missed you. The reason I'm calling is, um, you know the new guy at school, Ralf, he's from Germany? Well his parents are having a kind of party at their place, this Friday, so they' re having over new friends they've made since they arrived here. Ralf was wondering if you'd like to go but he hasn't got your number. So can you get back to him? His number's 07913 656 009. OK? If you call him, then he'll have your number too. Right, that's it. Bye! Three So, last night we went to that Indian restaurant you recommended. The Taj Experience? Did you like it? The food's fabulous, isn't it? Yes, we had a really nice meal. My curry was one of the best I've ever eaten! Brilliant. I'm glad you liked it. Quite expensive though, isn't it? Well, not cheap, but not too bad. I have to say, though, that if we go back, I hope the service is a bit better. We waited too long for the food, and the bill! Oh? I guess we were luckier than you, then. No complaints about the waiters when we went. Four It was exciting to be invited to be in this film. The fact is, erm, I was worried that people didn't remember who I was, or had started to think that I could only play characters that are basically evil. You know, in my last three films I played that kind of part, but I do actually have more range than that! So to be asked this time to take on the part of someone sympathetic, like Jed, the character I play in the film, was a relief and now hopefully people will see that I can be nice as well as nasty! Five I've been looking at how prices can vary around shops, and it's remarkable how things differ. Take for example a simple healthy cereal bar, with honey and oats. Now, I went into one shop in the high street and bought one for 60p. Another shop, I bought exactly the same bar but paid 65p. But, if you go to the supermarket just outside the town, you can buy five for two pounds fifty – that's 50p each. Of course, the supermarket can only sell so cheaply because they can afford just to make a very small profit, or indeed no profit at all. But town centre shops can't do that, so they have to sell at a higher price. Six Our next caller is James Wood. What are you calling about, James? Good morning. I'd like to talk about all the potholes around where we live. They're everywhere and last month someone in my street had to buy a new tyre for his car after it went through one. Every time it rains the holes get worse and sometimes new ones start to appear. Have you complained to the council? Certainly, and more than once. But they just give excuses about not having enough money. Typical – you pay the city council, but you get nothing back. Well, perhaps they're listening and will do something soon. Seven Jean Scott, congratulations on your team's performance today. You must be happy. Overall, yes. 2-1 isn't a bad result for us, but it could easily have been one all if our last goal hadn't been allowed. To be honest, I think we might have got a couple more goals, in fact, we really should have, some good chances missed, so that's something we'll have to work on. But we were lucky there weren't any injuries given the poor condition of the pitch after all the rain we had last week. There's a big game next week as you know, and everyone's fit for it. So, I'm happy and relieved at the same time! <laughs> Eight So it sounds like your holiday was a good one. Best ever. So good I was really annoyed when I had to come back. What was so great about it? Where to start? It was such a peaceful place, you know? During the night I never heard a sound – and you know what it's like at my flat with the traffic! Yes I do. And even during the day there was only birdsong and the sound of wind in the trees. So I could sit and read – and I put my phone on silent almost all the time too. Page 46 PRONUNCIATION CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH B2 First for Schools LISTENING Part 3 Exercise 2 You will hear five short extracts in which people are talking about an after-school art club. Choose from the list (A-H) what each speaker likes most about the club. Use the letters only once. There are three extra letters which you do not need to use. Speaker 1 I've been into art as long as I can remember. When I was a little kid, I was always colouring in and cutting out and making things. It's my favourite subject at school by a long way, and I know that when I leave school, I'm definitely going to art college. So this club was always going to be for me. It's been really interesting and a good chance to learn about different ways of doing things. The teacher is absolutely amazing and he really brings out the best in me. I've made a massive improvement and it's all thanks to him. Speaker 2 There's a huge emphasis at our school on sport and we're really encouraged to get involved. There are clubs for loads of different sports and most kids want to get into at least one team. Being into art is most definitely not cool so if you're creative like me, you usually don't talk too much about it. When I heard our art teacher was starting an art club after school, I got really excited because it was my chance to find out if there were any other secret artists like myself at school. It turns out there are and I've made loads of new friends. Speaker 3 I'd always thought of myself as a bit of a maths geek. I mean, I already know that I want to work in IT when I leave school. I never really thought of myself as having much imagination, so I've been really surprised at how much I actually like drawing and that I'm actually quite good at it. I'm really proud of some of the work I've produced. In truth, I only went to art club because I wanted to make new friends, not because I was particularly interested in art. I've met some really nice people, but what has surprised me most is how much I'm enjoying being creative. Speaker 4 I consider myself to be a really creative person and I love painting and drawing so this was the perfect after-school club for me. It's run by the new art teacher, who's really young and friendly, so it's fun. What's really great is that we don't just do painting and drawing, which I've never been any good at. We've done sculpture, photography – we've even made a short film too and we're encouraged to experiment. I can't wait to see what we do next. I really enjoy the class; even the short lectures about famous artists aren't too bad. Speaker 5 If I'm honest, I didn't really want to do extra art classes but my parents made me because they didn't want me in the house on my own after school. I'd rather have gone to a history club, but there isn't one. But it's not as bad as I thought it would be, because the teacher gives us quite a bit of art history too. It's good to learn about which famous artists were doing what and when. I'm not really a very creative kind of person so I don't really enjoy the practical side of the lessons, although we do do different stuff, which makes it less boring.