4.09 Lesson 9E, Exercise 2
Marvin
How do I help round the house? I’m afraid I don’t do much
housework, actually. I occasionally do the hoovering, but I
have to do a lot of homework every evening. It takes ages,
so I haven’t got time for much housework.
Harriet
My mum is a single parent, so my sister Emma and I try to
help her with the housework. We
make our beds every
morning. Then after we’ve had breakfast, I usually do the
washing up. At the weekend, Emma often does the cleaning
while mum and I take the bus into town and do the
shopping.
James
I do my best to help with the housework, but it’s difficult to
find the time. I tidy my bedroom once a week and I
sometimes take the rubbish out or help mum to make the
dinner. My brother, Max, has
a lot of arguments with our
parents about housework. He does nothing to help.
4.10 Lesson 9F
Island home
It is one of the hardest places in the world to visit. First, you
have to fly to Tahiti, an island in the South Pacific Ocean.
Then you have to travel by boat – for nine days! During that
time, you hardly ever see another boat or plane. And the
final part of the journey is the most dangerous, because of
the rocks. Over the years, they have caused hundreds of
boats to sink. You can still see some of the wrecks on the
beaches. But finally, you arrive at the tiny tropical island of
Palmerston, part of the Cook Islands. When you get there,
you will get a very warm welcome. The islanders love
visitors and look after them well.
The
island is very beautiful, with white sandy beaches and
clear blue water. There are no cars. The main road in
Palmerston is only about a hundred metres long and is
made of sand, with only about six buildings. There is a small
school, but there are no shops. The families on Palmerston
don't use money in their daily lives. They work together, look
after each other and share. When you run out of rice, you
ask your next-door neighbour. They only use money to buy
things from other countries.
A ship visits the island twice a year and brings basic
supplies, like rice and fuel. The islanders need money to pay
for this, so they catch and freeze fish.
They then sell them to
the ship and buy the things they need. But sometimes the
ship doesn’t come. Recently, eighteen months passed
without a visit from the ship. But that wasn’t a problem: they
could eat coconuts and fish.
These days, the islanders access the internet for one or two
hours a day and they can even get a mobile phone signal –
sometimes. But everyday experiences, like a visit to the
dentist, can be a problem because the island is so remote.
The nearest dentist is on Rarotonga, the capital of the Cook
Islands. It takes four days to reach it by boat. And when the
dentist has finished, you sometimes
have to wait six months
for a boat home!
Some of the islanders love the remoteness and think their
home is paradise, but others have decided to leave. In the
past 50 years, the population of Palmerston has dropped
from 300 to just 62. About twenty of these are children. Their
life is very happy and relaxed. But as they get older, some of
them want a university education. This means going abroad
to study. They often plan to come home again after their
studies – but in reality, they rarely return.
But, for the people who stay on the island, daily life is easy.
Nobody works very hard and there is a lot of free time. In the
evenings, children swim in the beautiful blue
ocean or play
volleyball on the beach. The adults watch TV (there is one
TV on the island) or chat. There is a policeman on
Palmerston, but there isn’t any crime, so he makes musical
instruments instead!
4.11 Lesson 9G, Exercises 3 and 4
1
Both photos show bedrooms, and you can see teenagers in
both photos. The bedroom in the first photo is quite large
and bright, and there are two teenage boys in it. I can see
a bed, a desk and a bookcase. There’s a laptop on the desk.
The two boys are sitting in front of the desk. The boy on the
left is playing the guitar and looking at the laptop. Perhaps
he’s reading some music on the screen. The
boy in the
white T-shirt is looking at the laptop and smiling. It looks as if
they’re having a good time. In the second photo, the
bedroom looks smaller. I can see a bed, a lamp and a rug.
There’s a laptop on the rug. In the first photo, the boys are
using the laptop, but in the second photo, the girl isn’t using
it. She’s using her phone. She’s probably listening to music.
I would say that she’s got some homework, but she isn’t
doing it!
2
Both photos show teenagers. The first photo shows two
boys in a bedroom, whereas the
second photo shows a girl
in a bedroom. In the first photo, a boy is playing the guitar
and his friend is listening. In the second photo, a girl is using
a laptop and listening to music on her phone at the same
time. In both photos, the teenagers are smiling. In the first
photo, the teenagers are sitting on chairs, but in the second
photo, the girl is sitting on the floor. I like both bedrooms,
but I think I prefer the second one. It looks cosier
and warmer.
Solutions Third Edition Elementary
3
Audio scripts