Spectrum-II Unit One

Functions/Themes  Ask for and give an opinion  Express surprise  Give an opinion  Agree or disagree with an opinion  Confirm information

Forms  The superlative of adjectives with the present perfect  Rejoinders showing interest or surprise  Tag questions

Ask for and give an opinion  How was it?  It was one of the nicest vacations I’ve ever taken.

Express surprise  I’m not working at the camera store anymore.  You aren’t? / You’re not?

Give an opinion Agree or disagree with an opinion  Soccer is a really exciting game, isn’t it?  Yes, it really is.  To tell you the truth, I don’t think it’s that exciting.  Soccer isn’t very exciting game, is it?  No, it really isn’t.  Actually, I think it’s very exciting.

Confirm information  You’re from Tokyo, aren’t you?

Study the postcard on P.1 and try to describe a place you’ve been recently, using the structures and expressions provided in the card. Tell us your opinion of what you did.

P. 1  Peru is such a fascinating country. We spent the first week with Pablo’s family, getting used to the altitude, and then a few days hiking in the Andes. The scenery is beautiful. Now we’re back in Cuzco again, and our feet are getting the vacation they need.

 Last year I went to Tibet with my friend. I was shocked when I reached there. The sky was so blue and the clouds so white, and the scenery was so attracting! I thought it was the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to. Although the air was very thin, I soon got used to it. For a few days, we visited several places of interest there, among which the Potala palace gave me the deepest impression. I still remember clearly the day we went to the Palace. It was cloaked in a mantle of sunlight, which made it more splendid. It cost us almost three hours to visit the palace, but there still left somewhere we did not have enough time to have a look. It is a great pity in my trip to Tibet.

Please read Lesson 2, and try to find sentences with superlative of adj. & those with rejoinders showing interest or surprise.

Well, let’s look at the text of Lesson 2 carefully.

A  Just fine, thanks. What’s new (with sb.)?  -Well, I’m not working at the bank anymore. -You aren’t?  I’ve decided to go back to school to get my master’s degree in economics.

A  Did you do anything special over the summer?  I’ll really got to run, but I’d like to hear more about your plans.

B  -We visited …-You did? How was it?  It was one of the nicest vacations we’ve ever taken.  -You’ve never been to…, haven’t you? - No, but I’ve always wanted to go.

C  As a matter of fact, …  -Oh, I’ve read Clancy’s latest book, the one that just came out as a movie. -You have? That’s the one I’m reading now.

C  I thought it was O.K., but to tell you the truth, I didn’t think it was that exciting.

Find another way to say it.  What did you think of it?  I think it’s exciting, don’t you?  I agree that it’s exciting.

Find another way to say it.  I’m surprised you’re not.  It was a great vacation.  I have to go now.

Lesson 2-A  Group work 1:  Carry out a conversation which is similar, using the questions in the box, sentences in Ex.5 and your own ideas. You are to talk about the places you’ve been to or things you’ve done during the winter vacation.

Lesson 2-B  Pair work 1:  Study the dialogue in Ex. 6, and then talk about your favourite and least favourite things, using the pictures in the book, or the ones provided.

Lesson 2-C  Act our similar conversations in class, using your own ideas. Keep the conversations going by asking additional questions.

Lesson 4  Group work 2:  Act out similar conversations, using the information provided under the pictures in the lesson, or any topic that are interesting to you.

Lesson 5-A  You know, I think –ing is going to seem like a…  Yeah, it was a relief to…  -What’s new at the office? -Nothing much. It was a pretty routine day.

Lesson 5 -B  …get a chance…  …invite sb. over  …get together with sb.

Act out similar conversations:  -Say, I was wondering if you’d like to take a break and go out to …? I mean, I’d like to …, but I don’t know how long it would take to …!  -sounds good to me. Let’s go!

Lesson 6  Pair work 2:  Carry out conversations with the help of the questions provided in the text, using the superlative and rejoinders if possible.

Questions  What’s the hottest place you’ve been to? The coldest?  What’s the most interesting city, country, or place you’ve ever visited?  Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met or seen in person?  What was the best day you’ve ever had.

Lesson 7  Inca Art Inca  These pictures show artifacts used in ceremonial sacrifices of some pre Inca cultures in the Peruvian Coastal Region. They can be attributed to the Mochica- Chimu cultures, and they are not exactly Inca.

What makes the Inca Trail a magnet for hikers from all over the world?  Many countries have mountain ranges with beautiful scenery and Peru itself is richly blessed in this respect with many other areas for hiking. However the scenery is only one of the elements responsible for the magic of the Inca Trail. Can there be any walk anywhere in the world with such a combination of natural beauty, history and sheer mystery and with such an awe-inspiring destination? The various ruins along the way serve to heighten the hiker's sense of anticipation as he or she approaches what would surely find a place in any new list of archaeological wonders of the world - Machu Picchu

We weren't the only ones who wanted to be there early. Spending the night in Aguas Calientes, we were able to arrive at Machu Picchu before the throngs of tourists arrived from Cuzco.

Daybreak