Intermediate 2 Unit 7

Unit 7
Politics

News
a. Do you remember the computer lesson? What did you listen to? Mark the correct answer.

An interview with a political candidate

A weekend weather report
✔ A news update on local election results
A live report from a press conference

b. Read the two radio items below. Decide what each one is. Choose from the box.

a news update on election results • a commercial for the Liberal Party

a soap opera • a live report from a press conference

1. “The latest election results are in. It is now official. The Conservative Party has lost the
election. The announcement was made a few minutes ago.”
a news update on election results
______________________________________________________________________
2. “We are here in the Liberal Party headquarters. The room is packed with reporters from all
the newspapers. The Liberal candidate is now answering a question about the crime law.”
a live report from a press conference
______________________________________________________________________

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Intermediate 2 Unit 7

c. Who is who? Mark the name that matches the information.

TED NANCY ROSA

1. Is the Liberal candidate

2. Is the Conservative candidate

3. Interviewed Schmidt before the election results were in

4. Was defeated in the local elections

5. Reported that Schmidt thought he would win

6. Had been against the crime laws

7. Had promised to propose a new crime law

8. Held a press conference after winning the local elections

9. Believed Schmidt probably lost because of the crime law

10. Had been in favor of the crime law

d. Write a short newspaper report about each of the two candidates in the election. Use the
sentences from activity c.

e. Rewrite the sentences, replacing the underlined phrases with the phrases below.

an important topic • even though he had voted • suggested

who people think committed • was defeated in

1. He lost the election.

was defeated in
______________________________________________________________________
2. The crime law was a key issue in the election.
an important topic ？
______________________________________________________________________
3. She proposed a new crime law.
suggested
______________________________________________________________________
4. She wants to investigate politicians suspected of crimes.
who people think committed
______________________________________________________________________
5. He thought he would win in spite of his vote agains the crime law.
even though he had voted
______________________________________________________________________

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 Intermediate 2 Unit 7

Brown’s Campaign Problems

a. A
 nswer these questions about “Brown’s Campaign Problems”.

1. Who is Mr. Brown?

The Liberal candidate (for Northwood)
_________________________________________________________________
2. What happened in his office yesterday?
A fire started/was reported. / There was a fire.
_________________________________________________________________
3. Why is he so nervous?
He thinks that someone tried to kill him/wants him out of the election
_________________________________________________________________

b. Fill in the blanks to complete this description of the situation. Use the words below.

arson • campaign • candidate • defeat • elected • fight • improve • murder

resign • suspect • threats • voters

candidate
Mr. Brown is the (1) _______________ of the Liberal party in this election. In his election
campaign
(2) ______________ elected
he has said that if he is (3) _____________, fight
he will (4) ____________
improve
crime and (5) ____________ voters
education. After the recent fire, he spoke to (6) ___________
resign
and said that he would not (7) ___________________ from politics, despite the personal
threats
(8) __________________ against him, such as the fire in his office.

suspect
Both Mr. Brown and the police (9) ___________________ that the fire was a case of
arson
(10) __________________. Mr. Brown believes that it was more than that. He thinks that
murder
someone wanted to (11) _______________ defeat
him and in that way to (12) ________________
the Liberal Party in the election.

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Intermediate 2 Unit 7

c. Read the notes that the reporter took when he went to the scene of the crime. Then write
a short report of the event. Use the connectors: because, however.

Event: fire
Time: Yesterday - 2 o’clock
Location: office of the Liberal candidate, Mr. Brown
Result: no one hurt – out to lunch at the time
Reason: police not sure - Brown worried – someone
wants to kill him - election campaign

d. Read this script of a TV news report to find out what happened. Then answer the
questions below.

This is Jack Cage with an update on the Brown case.

This morning, while they were keeping a close watch on the building in which Liberal
candidate, James Brown, is now working, two policemen noticed a man who was wearing a
long gray jacket despite the extremely hot weather. The police became even more suspicious
when the man started to look nervously around him. When they stopped him and asked him
to open his jacket, they discovered that he was concealing a small bomb. After the bomb
squad had safely dealt with the bomb, the man was taken in for questioning.
The man, Joe Lynch, admitted that he had set fire to Brown’s office the day before. He
claimed that he had never wanted to hurt anyone, but had just wanted to stop the Liberals
from winning the election. Yes / No
1. Were the police right that someone had set fire to the office?
2. Was Mr. Brown right that someone was trying to kill him?
3. Was Mr. Brown right that someone was trying to defeat the Liberal party? Yes / No

e. Fill in a suitable connecting word or phrase in each space. Choose from the words below.
Use capital letters when necessary.

because • despite • fortunately • however • in my opinion

1. A reporter interviewed Mr. Brown after Joe Lynch was arrested and asked him what he
thought. Mr. Brown answered, “____________________,
In my opinion he is guilty.”
2. Mr. Brown was afraid that someone was trying to kill him. _________________
Despite his fear,
Mr. Brown continued working.
3. ____________________,
Fortunately no one was hurt in the fire. This was ____________________
because
Mr. Brown and his staff weren’t in the office at the time.
4. The police didn’t have any evidence that someone was attempting to murder Mr. Brown.
_______________________,
However they still sent policemen to keep a close watch on the
building where he was working.

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 Intermediate 2 Unit 7

New Manager
a. Do you remember the dialogue, “New Manager”? What were they talking about? Mark the
correct answers.

✔ 1. Office politics

2. Somebody being fired

✔ 3. Somebody being hired

b. The speakers were not pleased about the situation. Copy two sentences from the dialogue
in which they express their displeasure.

________________________________________________________________________
I’m surprised he would to that without duscussing it with me first
________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________
I don’t like the idea of his hiring someone new from outsi
________________________________________________________________________

c. Complete these sentences that express displeasure by filling in the missing word in each
one. Use the words below.

unhappy • believe • don’t like • pleased

1. I can’t _________________
believe that the boss has hired someone else instead of me!

2. I’m really ________________

unhappy about what he did.

3. I’m not _______________

pleased with the way he did it – why didn’t he discuss it with me first?

4. I _____________________________
don’t like the idea of hiring outside people.

d. Which of the sentences express displeasure?

✔ 1. I’m surprised that you didn’t get the job.

2. I was surprised when I got the new job.

✔ 3. I didn’t like the way that the new manager spoke at the meeting.

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Intermediate 2 Unit 7

e. Read the dialogue and underline the expressions of displeasure. Then answer the
questions that follow.

Dave: Did you hear the news? The boss promoted Johnson to the position of sales manager.
Sergei: Of course I heard. And I’m not very happy about it.
Dave: Yeah, I’m sure. Didn’t he promise you that job?
Sergei: Yes, he did. I’m really surprised that he did something like that.
Dave: I’m not pleased about it either. You’d be a better manager.
Sergei: Thanks. But why didn’t the boss didn’t tell me about it first? Why did I have to hear

about it from Johnson?

1. Who got the job of sales manager? ____________________________________

Johnson

2. Who thought he was going to get that job? _

Sergei
___________________________________
3. Who told Sergei about the promotion? ____________________________________
Johnson

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 Intermediate 2 Unit 7

Reported Speech: Review

a. What might people say in an election campaign office? Match the speech bubbles to the
correct pictures.

THE CAMPAIGN OFFICE

They asked me how
much food we wanted
for the post-election
party tonight.

a.
1
Bob warned us The police said he’d
that we would lose been stealing from
the election. the campaign funds.

d.
c.

b.
The boss said I had to
give out all these flyers
by lunchtime!
2

I would like to know

why you are not
working!

e.

3 4
5

1. d 2. e 3. c 4. b 5. a

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Intermediate 2 Unit 7

b. Complete the dialogue. Use the words below.

chances are good • his speech was successful • our party is going to win
spoke well about all the key issues • the election campaign is going
the public thinks of our candidate’s last speech • who will win

Jessie: I wonder how (1) ___________________________________________________.

the election campaign is going

Do you think (2) ____________________________________________________?

our party is going to win

Lucy: I can’t say (3) ___________________________________.

who will win The campaign manager

thinks our (4) ________________________________.

chances are good He says it depends on what

(5) ______________________________________________________________.
the public thinks of our candidate's last speech

What did you think of his speech? Do you think (6) _________________________?
his speech was successful

Jessie: I believe he (7) _____________________________________________________.

spoke well about all the key issues

c. Read what Liberal candidate James Brown said after he won the election. Then write a
report of his statements.

1. “A few weeks ago I was not sure I would win the election.”

2. “Somebody tried to murder me by starting a fire in my office.”

3. “I will fight for free education for all children.”

4. “Are you ready for the changes?”

1. Mr. Brown admitted that _________________________________________________.

Mr. Brown admitted that a few weeks before/earlier he had not been sure hewould win the election.

2. He claimed that ________________________________________________________.

He claimed that somebody had tried to murder him by starting a fire in his office.

3. He promised that _______________________________________________________.

He promised that the would fight for free education for all children.

4. Then he asked the audience ______________________________________________.

Then he asked the audience if/whether they ready for the changes.

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