Change

Describing trends Understanding questions

Using nouns to summarize Expressing solutions
Understanding data Using linking devices
Using trigger words

TASK 1 Describing trends

1 Name items 1-4 above.
2 The sales of items can rise and fall. List four other verbs you know for rise
andfall.
Rise
Fall

3 The graphs a-h relate to sales of media technology.

Which graph do you think shows sales for each item in the photos 1-4?

4 Match each graph (a-h) with the most appropriate description (1-10) below.
Some graphs will be used more than once.
1 Sales of audio cassettes fell steadily.
2 iPod sales rose gradually.
3 Plasma TV sales fluctuated wildly, but the trend was upward.
4 Sales of video cassettes fluctuated wildly and the trend was downward.

5 Total digital camera sales dropped slightly.

6 Sales of audio cassettes fell and then levelled off.
7 The sales of tablets rose gradually and then climbed sharply
8 Purchases of video cassette recorders declined dramatically.
9 Sales of games consoles decreased and then levelled off.
10 CD sales dropped suddenly.

5 Underline all the verbs in exercise 4 used to describe trends.

Example
1 Sales of audio cassettes a steadily.
g
6 In the sentences in exercise 4, adverbs such as steadily describe the verbs.
Find the adverbs and decide whether they mean slow or fast changes.
h aNN Complete the lists below.
Slow
Fast
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 Change and consequences
Using nouns to summarize

1 Provide the noun form of the verbs below.

•
fall • rise s increase • decline u drop a fluctuate • improve • reduce re grow—I

Technique
Use nouns instead of verbs to summarize information and add variety to your writing. You can often rewrite sentences
containing verb phrases such as fell steadily by using the correct form of there is/are and the correct use of the
appropriate noun.
Examples
The consumption of chocolate fell steadily. (verb + adverb)
There was a steady fall in the consumption of chocolate. (there was a + adjective + noun)
There has been a dramatic rise in the production of films. (there has been a + adjective + noun)
The production of films has risen dramatically. (verb + adverb)

2 Read the examples in the Technique box. Then rewrite sentences a-j below.
a Spice exports from Africa fluctuated wildly over the period.
There were
b The development of new products fell gradually.
There was
c There has been a noticeable decrease in research investment.
Research investment
d The purchases of tickets dropped significantly last month.
There was
On the Internet, the number of sites rose dramatically.
There was
There was a sudden decrease in the sale of mangos.
The sale
At the theme park, there were very slight fluctuations in the number of visitors.
The number
There was a gradual decline in sugar imports.
Sugar imports
The quality of food in supermarkets has increased slowly.
There has
The number of air travellers fluctuated remarkably.
There

3 Phrases such as the consumption of chocolate can often be rewritten as just Technique
two or three nouns. Read the examples below. Then find and rewrite eight
Include a variety of
other examples in exercise 2.
structures in your writing:
Examples noun + noun (sugar imports)
The consumption of chocolate can become Chocolate consumption. and the noun + of + noun
The production offilms can become Film production. (not Films production) (the import of sugar).

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 Unit 1
Understanding data

• 1 Look at the graph below and the Task I question.

What was the income in dollars for
a The Tea Room in January?
b Internet Express in July?
In which month did:
f Café Cool earn the most money?
g Wi-fl Café earn the least money?
c WWI Café in November?
Café Cool in December?
The Tea Room in February?

Task 1
Changing trends in café income
You should spend about 20 minutes on 200
this task.
180
The graph shows the income of four 160
cafés in New York over last year. 140
000s Dollars

Summarize the information by selecting 120

and reporting the main features. 100
Make comparisons where relevant.
80
Write at least 150 words. 60
40
The Tea Room — Wi-fl Café
20
Internet Express Café Cool 0
J F M A M J A I S I O I N I D

2 Answer these questions about the graph. Technique

a What do the letters J, F, M, etc, along the bottom of the graph mean?
Write the names of the
b What does 000s mean? cafés at the end of each
c What patterns can you see9 line to help you read the
What comparisons can you make? Walt
3 Read the text below and decide whether each of the seven missing phrases is a
verb, a noun or an adverb.
Example
1 adverb

The graph provides information about the income trends of four cafes over The last year

Overall, although the income for all four cafes showed some fluctuation from month to month, we can
identify some general upward and downward trends. As regards the earnings for The Tea Room, they
wem down over the year falling 1 tom almost tI60,000 earnings a month to around
t50,000 in December

By contrast the income for the other three cafes went up by varying degrees. There was 2
in Cafe' Coors sales over the first ten months, followed by a sudden increase to t120,000. Furthermore,
the income for both Internet Express and the Wi-fi Caft3 in December The former
experienced 4 to June but, after that income rose 5 , ending the year at
approximately ti3Q000 Licewise the trend forW - Cafe was upward Between January and July, earnings
6 from t5Q000 to nearly t100000 and 7 to around tlq0,000.

It is noticeable that the income for The Tea Room is lower in the winter months than for the other three cafes.

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 Change and consequences
4 Match options a-g with gaps 1-7 in the text. Use the graph to help you.
a
b
c
d
steadily
then rocketed
doubled
significantly
e also went up
f a steady fall
g a rise

5 Find the following in the text in exercise 3.

•
a A phrase to introduce a new item on the graph.
b A phrase to show you are going to talk about a different trend from the one in the
previous sentence.
c Two phrases to show you are going to talk about a similar trend to the one in the
previous sentence.

TASK 2 Understanding questions

Technique
1In each group a-d below, which general noun has Learn to analyse Task 2 questions. They contain
a different meaning from the other two? a general subject and often include a general
a advantages drawbacks benefits noun or nouns to help you organize your essay,
e.g. The world is changing rapidly (general
b measures steps reasons subject). What are the causes (general noun to
c causes effects consequences help you organize your answer) of this?
disadvantages drawbacks solutions

2 Complete each Task 2 question below with the general nouns and verbs from the box.
You may use each item more than once.

agree or disagree • advantages • disadvantages • causes

solutions 6 measures s views benefits

a What are the intuit of learning skills in the modern world?

b Any attempts to preserve the natural world will always hinder economic
development. However the benefits of helping the environment will always far
outweigh the . Do you
c Some young people take a year off between school and university. What are the
and of taking such time off?
Students should be trained on how to cope with changes in the modern world.
How far do you 9

Volunteer work with disadvantaged groups like underprivileged children is the

best way for young people to learn about the real world. To what extent do you
9 What other could be effective?

Every day, animals are becoming extinct throughout the world. What do you think the
of this are? What can you suggest to deal with this?
Some people think overcrowding in large cities can be reduced by building
skyscrapers, while others think the problem .can be solved by
encouraging people to move to the countryside. Discuss
both these and give your own opinion. Technique
Number the parts of the task and
3 How many parts are there in each question in exercise 2? For example, tick them as you do them.
(a) has one part. If there are two or three parts, how are they related?

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 Change and consequences

Task 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The graph below shows the changing patterns of access to modern technology in homes in the
UK (expressed in percentage terms).
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main — CD player
features and make comparisons where relevant. DVD player
Mobile phone
Write at least 150 words.
Internet connection

United Kingdom
100

80 _

___,------
to
cp 60
o)
2
c
cu
(V)
a, 40

20

0 I

1994/95 1996/97 1998/99 2000/01 2002/03 2004/05 2006/07 2008

Task 1 Checklist

1 Paraphrase the rubric in the introduction, i.e, change the 5 Use nouns and verbs to describe the trends.
words and the structure where possible. 6 Write at least 150 words.
2 Write an overview after your introduction or at the end. 7 Use at least three paragraphs.
3 Include all the data at the beginning and ends of lines. 8 Check your answer for mistakes.
4 Use linking devices.

Task 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
People often find it difficult to adapt to new situations in their lives.
Why do you think this is? What measures can you suggest to make it easier?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge
or experience.
Write at least 250 words.

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