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2024, 23:11 Ready For C2 Proficiency Workbook Classroom Presentation Kit

WORKBOOK WITHOUT KEY

WITH DIGITAL WORKBOOK & ACCESS TO AUDIO

JEREMY DAY
C2
PROFICIENCY

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Macmillan Education Limited Louise Wise, ‘Why everything you thought about contemporary art is wrong’,
4 Crinan Street Telegraph, (March 2020) www.telegraph.co.uk, p68
London N1 9XW Susannah Goldsborough, ‘Gen Z has nothing to be ashamed of – ‘bad’
Companies and representatives throughout the world punctuation leads to great literature’, Telegraph, (August 2020)
www.telegraph.co.uk, p76
Ready for C2 Proficiency Workbook without Key ISBN 978-1-035-12030-7
Ready for C2 Proficiency Workbook without Key with Digital Workbook & Access Amanda Hyde, ‘The never-ending quest for the perfect city’, Telegraph,
to Audio ISBN 978-1-035-12027-7 (May 2023) www.telegraph.co.uk, p85
Text, design and illustration © Macmillan Education Limited 2024 Katie Spicer, ‘Why we are spending £1.26trillion in a bid to feel better’, Telegraph,
Written by Jeremy Day 2024 (January 2023), www.telegraph.co.uk, p92

The authors have asserted their right to be identified as the authors of this work These materials may contain links for third party websites. We have no control
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. over, and are not responsible for, the contents of such third party websites.
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First published 2024 The inclusion of any specific companies, commercial products, trade names or
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored otherwise does not constitute or imply its endorsement or recommendation by
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Original design by EMC Design Ltd competence.
Page make-up by Straive
Cover design by The Restless
Cover photograph by Getty Images/DieterMeyrl, Getty Images/Vernonwiley Printed and bound in Spain
Picture research by Emily Taylor
Author’s acknowledgements 2028 2027 2026 2025 2024
Jeremy Day would like to thank his amazing Macmillan Education Limited 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
editorial team for their hard work, insights and support.
The authors and publishers would like to thank the following for permission to
reproduce their photographs:
Alamy Stock Photo/AF Fotografie p58, Alamy Stock Photo/Art Collection 2
p80, Alamy Stock Photo/Mark Andrews p26, Alamy Stock Photo/Associated
Press p21(bcr, br), Alamy Stock Photo/Yefim Bam p72, Alamy Stock Photo/
HONOURS/Bayliss p21(tr), Alamy Stock Photo/Sergi Boixader p89, Alamy Stock
Photo/Serhii Chrucky p91, Alamy Stock Photo/LANDMARK MEDIA p52, Alamy
Stock Photo/Stu Porter p65, Alamy Stock Photo/Ian Rutherford p59, Alamy
Stock Photo/Septemberlegs p86, Alamy Stock Photo/Haraldur Stefansson p66,
Alamy Stock Photo/TravelSnapper p61(forest), Alamy Stock Photo/Algirdas
Urbonavicius p36(background);
© 2024 John Bramblitt p73;
Celtic languages distribution map by Shikk*6 is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) p81;
Getty Images/10’000 Hours pp28, 50, Getty Images/Luis Alvarez p44, Getty
Images/AzmanL p57, Getty Images/Catherine Falls Commercial p39, Getty
Images/De Agostini p85, Getty Images/Laurence Dutton p37, Getty Images/
Electravk p8, Getty Images/Grant Faint p70, Getty Images/Fizkes p49, Getty
Images/HadelProductions p13, Getty Images/Karl Hendon p71(b), Getty
Images/Mike Hill pp61(leaf), 63, Getty Images/Andrew Howe p61(bird), Getty
Images/ljubaphoto p82, Getty Images/iStockphoto pp15, 17, 22, 31, 32, 46,
56, Getty Images/Johner RF p74, Getty Images/Oleksandr Khoma p48, Getty
Images/John Lamb p36, Getty Images/LUVLIMAGE p69, Getty Images/
Christopher Malcolm p97, Getty Images/Maskot pp34, 96, Getty Images/Abel
Mitj/Varela p9, Getty Images/Nico_blue p24(t), Getty Images/Stephanie Noritz
p10, Getty Images/Olezzo p40, Getty Images/James Pauls/eyecrave LLC p41,
Getty Images/Jose Luis Pelaez Inc p6, Getty Images/Joe Daniel Price p88,
Getty Images/Richard Kellett Photography p54, Getty Images/Chris Ryan p45,
Getty Images/Jordan Siemens p98, Getty Images/Sutipond Somnam p93, Getty
Images/South_agency p43, Getty Images/Stewart Cohen Pictures p24(b), Getty
Images/Fred TANNEAU/AFP p64, Getty Images/Tibor13 p94, Getty Images/
Klaus Vedfelt p33, Getty Images/Westend61 p42, Getty Images/Gary Yeowell
p18;
Saima Mir p4;
Shutterstock p77(background), Shutterstock/Stephan Dost p90, Shutterstock/
Joeprachatree p78, Shutterstock/Pressmaster p7, Shutterstock/Takayuki p16;
Public Domain: The Washington Times. (Washington [D.C.]), 22 Oct. 1906.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. https://
chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1906-10-22/ed-1/seq-1/
p21(tcr).
The authors and publishers are grateful for permission to reprint the following
copyright material:
Saima Mir, ‘My children don’t speak my mother tongue – as a second-generation
migrant, it fills me with sadness’, The Guardian (February 2023), © Guardian
News & Media Ltd 2023 www.theguardian.com/uk, p4
Elle Hunt, ‘What four years at sea taught me about our relationship to the ocean’,
The Guardian (February 2020), © Guardian News & Media Ltd 2023
www.theguardian.com, p12
Sophie Smith, ‘Trevor Baylis and four other inventors who didn’t get rich from
their creations’, Telegraph (March 2018), www.telegraph.co.uk, p20
Boudicca Fox-Leonard, ‘I learnt to argue less – here’s why you should try it too’,
Telegraph (August 2022), www.telegraph.co.uk, p28
Bobby Duffy, ‘The biggest fake news of all is that we are more gullible and less
trusting than ever before’, Telegraph (September 2022), www.telegraph.co.uk, p36
Joe Curtis,’, Telegraph (September 2022), www.telegraph.co.uk, p44
Joe Curtis,Good leaders are not born — they are the result of serious self-
reflection’, Telegraph (September 2022), www.telegraph.co.uk, p44
Ed Power, ‘Who was the clumsy Stormtrooper? One fan’s quest to solve
Star Wars’ most enduring mystery’, Telegraph (December 2019),
www.telegraph.co.uk, p52
Marianna Hunt, ‘I went in search of Britain’s last rainforests - this is what I found’,
Telegraph, (January 2023), www.telegraph.co.uk, p60

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CONTENTS
1 This is us 4

2 Wanderlust 12

3 Ahead of the curve 20

4 Meeting in the middle 28

5 News travels fast 36

6 Highs and lows 44

7 Working it out 52

8 Human impact 60

9 By design 68

10 Adaptation 76

11 Talk of the town 84

12 On the right track 92

Idioms wordlist 100

Student’s Book wordlists 106

Word formation list 112

Audioscripts 118

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THIS IS US
Reading and Use of English Part 6 Gapped text
You are going to read an extract from a newspaper article. Seven paragraphs have been
removed from the extract. Choose from the paragraphs A – H the one which fits each
gap (1–7). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.

My children don’t speak my mother tongue

– as a second-generation migrant, it fills me with sadness
As a second-generation British Pakistani growing 3
up in Bradford, I was surrounded by Urdu and The nine-year-old recently announced that he’d like to

smatterings of Punjabi. English came later, and I can learn, so that he can converse with his Nani and Nana

remember not being able to understand my teacher Abu (my parents). They live 200 miles away in Yorkshire,

on the first day of nursery. and on a phone screen is where he sees them most. While

they do speak English, age-related hearing loss means it’s

tricky for them to maintain the patience it takes to have a

1 meaningful conversation with my high-energy sons in a

There have been countless debates over the years about language that they learnt as adults.

which language immigrant parents should speak to their

children, and the impact of that on their studies. I’ve never

4
been convinced of the benefit of dropping one language

In these moments, I mourn the loss of my mother

in favour of the other. Because of my parents’ decision, I’m

tongue for my children. I wonder how they will connect

able to speak both languages fluently.

with their heritage, and what it will mean to them as

adults. They have the features and skin tone of Pakistanis

2 but their sensibilities, their tongue and their body

Whether it’s ordering cuts of meat in the butcher’s, placing language are of English children.

an order in a restaurant or discussing designs in a clothing

shop, it adds joy to my life, allows me to weave in and out

5
of communities, and frees me from the constraints of any
‘Do you understand that?’ my son asks, as he catches me
one group. And yet, despite my love for my mother tongue,
on my phone watching the trailer for a new Bollywood
my children don’t yet speak Urdu. It wasn’t intentional – 13
epic. He stares at me in wonder, as if I have magical
years ago, when I got married and moved to London, it just
powers. My husband and I have taken to speaking in
took a back seat.
Urdu to hide our conversations from the boys, using

‘chota vala’, ‘beech vala’ and ‘bara vala’ – which roughly

translate as ‘little one’, ‘the middle one’ and ‘the older one’

– instead of their names.

6
They may still pick it up yet. Even if they don’t, my sister

reminds us that our nani used to say that despite being

of Kashmiri heritage, none of us spoke the language,

and that this was a natural part of the passing of time.

7
On hearing of the passing of a cousin last year, I took

myself off for a long walk and ended up in a curry

house. Sitting on the brown leather seats, waiting for

my order, hearing the waiters speak the language of

my parents soothed me. I wanted to curl up on the sofa

the way I used to at family dinner parties, falling asleep

and being carried to my room, the sound of laughter

still ringing in my ears.

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THIS IS US

A She was right, of course, but still I teach my sons the things I can. I fill them with a love
of their heritage, a respect for the future and a hope they will find a way to learn the
things they will need to sustain them in their lives. Urdu will always be the sound of
my childhood. It is songs playing on Sunrise Radio on a summer’s day. It’s gossip at
weddings, stories over dinner, theological tales on Eid.
B Every conversation is the same: ‘Salaam. How are you, beta?’ ‘Salaam, I’m good.’ Then
they look at each longingly through the screen of my phone, nodding and smiling,
desperate to connect to their grandchildren somehow. Until finally, my mum says: ‘I love
you, baita.’ My son nods.
C This wasn’t an easy decision. Indeed, we did attempt to teach the boys the basics of
Urdu when they were little. But it was clear at the time that their hearts weren’t in it –
and, if we were brutally honest with ourselves, neither were ours. Gradually, the Urdu
lessons became less frequent as we followed the line of least resistance and stuck
increasingly to English.
D This was all part of my parents’ plan: to speak in Urdu to my siblings and me because
they knew we would learn English at school. They were right.
E They may never understand Urdu poetry – the words of Faiz, Ghalib and Mir are lost
to them, at least in their original texts. They don’t have a secret language to use with
each other the way my siblings and I do, and they’ll have to watch Indian cinema
with subtitles.
F My husband, like me, was born in England, and although we came from similar
households, he wasn’t as fluent as I was in our shared mother tongue. Urdu has brought
me so much, but I worry that it is closed off to my three children.
G They think it’s hilarious and have cottoned on to which one is which, the middle one
having renamed himself as the ‘beach bum vala’, which feels apt.
H I write for a living and worked as a journalist for the BBC, and this multilingualism has
only enhanced my life. It gives me access to other worlds, stories, film and poetry.

How to go about it
• Read the gapped text first, without worrying about the missing paragraphs at this
stage. Try to get a general impression of what it’s about.
• When you’re matching the missing paragraphs, pay close attention to pronouns (e.g.
she), demonstratives (e.g. this) and other words that refer back to things or people
mentioned earlier.
• Check that the paragraphs fit in terms of both meaning and grammar.
• When you’re left with just one paragraph, check again that it doesn’t fit anywhere.

Language focus The present

1 Read the sentences and answer the questions.
1 Lucy is such a messy eater! I always find / I’m always finding bits of food under
her chair!
Which version suggests the speaker is annoyed?
2 The views were stunning, but the photos don’t do it justice. You must have seen /
have to have seen it in real life.
Which version suggests it’s a shame that the listener hasn’t seen the view?
3 I understand / I’m understanding a lot more idiomatic language than before.
Which version suggests a process or trend in the speaker’s level of understanding?
4 There’ll be a charity raffle and we hope / we’re hoping you’ll be generous enough to
donate a prize.
Which version is more indirect/polite?

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THIS IS US

2 Complete each gap with the most suitable present form of the verb in brackets.
1 Richardson (step) onto the high diving board. She
(watch) by millions of people around the world live on TV, but she needs to put
that out of her mind. The medal is within her grasp if she can just pull off this final
dive. I (wonder) what (go) through her mind as she
(stand) up there and (focus) on the task ahead of her. She
(take) a deep breath and (leap). She (twist )
once, twice, three times and … (mess) up sher landing completely. She
knows she’s blown it.
2 You (wait) until the engine is completely cool. Then you
(open) the bonnet and (pull) out the oil dipstick. You (take)
a clean tissue and you (wipe) all the oil off it. Then you
(put) it back into the hole – all the way to the bottom. Now you (remove)
it again and you (check) the oil level against the gauge. If it’s too low,
you (add) some more oil and then you (check) the level
again. If you find you (top) up the oil all the time, it (mean)
too much oil (use) and you need to get the car serviced.
3 So the other day I (go) to the doctor, run into her surgery and
say, ‘Hey, Doc, I (shrink)! You gotta help me!’ ‘Not right now,’ she
(say). She (examine) another patient at the time,
you see. ‘But I (get) smaller and smaller! Hurry up!’ I
(yell ). I (get ) really stressed by now, as you can imagine. ‘Well,’ she
(say), ‘you’ll just have to be a little patient.’
3 For each pair of sentences, match the beginnings to the correct endings.
1 I imagine … 5 They appreciate …
2 I’m imagining … 6 They are appreciating …
a you’ll want to stay the night, a in value every year, and are
won’t you? now worth twice the original price.
b a sunny beach on a hot b all of your efforts, and promise to
summer’s day. return the favour soon.
3 Denise realises … 7 The dog smells …
4 Denise is realising … 8 The dog is smelling …
a her dream to become an engineer. a awful. Has she rolled in something?
b she made a mistake, and she’s sorry. b the tree stump to identify which
other dogs have passed this way.
4 Complete the sentences with a suitable performative verb from the box in each gap.
acknowledge authorise bet challenge declare
forgive guarantee quit refuse second warn

1 I know it was just a foolish mistake, so I you this time. But

I you: if it happens again, you’ll be in serious trouble!
2 To whom it may concern: I hereby Dan Hart to access my financial
records and to act on my behalf in financial matters.
3 Ladies and gentlemen. With great pleasure, I this supermarket open.
4 I’ve had enough of this job and the horrible people who work here. I !
5 A: I that you will get your money back.
B: And I that. You can count on us to do the right thing.
6 We that our instructions could have been somewhat clearer, but we
to accept liability for your misunderstanding.
7 I you to name, within one minute, 50 words that don't contain the letters
A, B, C, D, J, K, M, P, Q or Z. I you can’t do it!

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THIS IS US

Vocabulary Feelings and emotions

1 Rewrite the sentences to make them more powerful. Use words and phrases from the boxes.
You can use words from the left-hand box more than once. Add prepositions where necessary.
a bit absolutely completely hopelessly besotted despondent dumbfounded elated engrossed
literally utterly visibly wholly flabbergasted glued grossed out petrified repulsed

1 They looked very happy. → They were .

2 The filthy kitchen made me lose my appetite. → I was the
filthy kitchen.
3 I couldn’t believe it! → I was .
4 I couldn’t stop reading the article. → I was the article.
5 We were very scared. → We were .
6 I was shocked and unable to speak. → I was .
7 They were deeply in love. → They were one another.
8 Ruby was 100% focused on the film. → Ruby was the film.
9 Joseph was feeling rather sad. → Joseph was feeling .
10 It was so disgusting it made me feel sick. → I was .
2 Complete the story with one word in each space. What do you notice about the
middle paragraph?

A JOKE TOO FAR

Me and my mates are always playing pranks on each other. I guess it’s a kind of male-

bonding thing – it makes us feel like a close-knit group. A few weeks ago, we noticed that

one of the guys, Adam, seemed a bit (1) in the dumps, so we decided

to cheer him up with a prank. We considered sending him a message from an attractive

stranger claiming to have fallen head over (2) in love with him, but

figured he’d see through that in no time. We wanted something more dramatic.

So, when we spot him sitting alone in the park, deeply engrossed (3)
something on his phone, we spring into action. We sneak up behind him, throw a blanket

over his head and start carrying him away. He’s scared (4) of his

wits – he genuinely believes he’s being kidnapped. And of course, we’re chuffed to

(5) , because our plan’s worked. We’ve even caught it on camera.

When he heard us all laughing, he quickly twigged what had happened, but instead of

seeing the funny side, he actually (6) ballistic. I mean, he wasn’t just

a bit angry; he was absolutely apoplectic with (7) . Our prank had

backfired and we all felt deeply embarrassed. I was convinced our pranking days were

over … until last week, when Adam got his revenge on us …

Adjectives and nouns with self

1 Match the definition beginnings (1–8) to the endings (a–h).
1 If somebody wallows in self-pity, a they do things to make themself more powerful or important.
2 Self-righteousness b they do what’s best for themself (regardless of the impact on
3 If somebody acts out of self-interest, others).
4 If somebody uses self-deprecating c they don’t take themself too seriously.
humour, d they stay calm in stressful situations.
5 If somebody has low self-esteem, e they feel very sorry for themself.
6 If somebody is guilty of f involves thinking (and acting as if) you’re morally superior
self-aggrandisement, to others.
7 Self-preservation g they don’t have a good opinion of themself.
8 If somebody is self-possessed, h involves keeping yourself safe, even at the expense of others.

2 Mark the words in the box with + or -, depending on whether they have a generally
positive or negative connotation.
self-actualisation self-assurance self-deception self-delusion self-indulgent
self-made self-reliance self-respecting self-sacrificing self-worth
7

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THIS IS US

Reading and Use of English Part 1 Multiple-choice cloze

For questions 1–8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits
each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Don’t forget! 0 A mundane B compelling C uncanny D quirky
This part of the
exam focuses
ME AND MY DOPPELGANGER
on vocabulary,
including phrasal
verbs, idioms, linking As I took my seat on the plane, I was struck by a rather (0) C feeling about the stranger

expressions. The next to me. Hoping not to draw attention to my curiosity, I sneaked a (1) glance at his

best way to prepare face while (2) in my bag for my phone. Immediately, I realised what was so unsettling

for it is to learn about him: he had my nose, my eyes, even my bone structure. To all intents and purposes,

thousands of words he was me, (3) a slightly scruffier version, like a vision of what I might become should I

and phrases! (4) to a greater extent than I already do.

Read the whole text Doppelgangers – people who look (5) similar to others – have long been a source of

quickly first to get a ‘

fascination and terror, as if representing a peek into parallel universes, the big What if …? ’
general idea of what Historically, they were seen as (6) of doom, as if meeting yourself might bring about a

it’s about. terrible catastrophe. Of course, cold logic tells us that there are finite variations of a human

face, so occasionally we’re bound to stumble across others with more than a (7)
When you’re resemblance to ourselves. But try as we might to put a rational (8) on things, coming

choosing from the face to face with your own doppelganger can still challenge your sense of self-identity to

four options, pay the very core.

attention to the
words before and
after the gap to 1 A sheepish B stealthy C furtive D covert
identify collocations 2 A clutching B fumbling C snatching D grappling
and grammatical
3 A albeit B notwithstanding C nevertheless D hitherto
structures that
can only go with 4 A give myself up B set myself apart C put myself down D let myself go
certain words. 5 A eerily B inscrutably C cryptically D notoriously
6 A harbingers B portents C precursors D heralds
7 A hinting B spotting C passing D bearing
8 A twist B spin C curl D roll

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THIS IS US

Listening Part 1 Three-option multiple choice

1 You will hear three different extracts. For questions 1–6, choose the answer Don’t forget!
(A, B or C) which fits best according to what you hear. There are two questions for
each extract. At C2 level,
comprehension
Extract 1 questions tend to
You hear a talk by a toy designer. focus on things
1 What is her main point about her collection of dolls? like gist, feeling,
A Their outfits reflected outdated stereotypes of women’s clothing. function, purpose,
specific detail, topic,
B Despite superficial differences, they were far from representative.
agreement and the
C They were inappropriate because their body shapes were inauthentic. speakers’ attitudes
2 How does she feel about her childhood experiences today? or opinions. That
A aggrieved at the injustice means you’ll often
need to ‘get into the
B impassioned to drive changes
speakers’ heads’,
C reassured by recent improvements rather than simply
Extract 2 pick out key words
and facts.
You hear a conversation between two friends.
Read the questions
3 Paolo is concerned that he was promoted
and options carefully
A in spite of his lack of appropriate skills. before you listen.
B solely because he deceived his employer. You will hear the
C as a result of a misunderstanding. recording twice. Use
4 Helena implies that imposter syndrome the second time to
A can be overcome by asking for others’ opinions. check your answers.
B makes sufferers insufficiently self-critical.
C is considerably less prevalent than Paolo imagines.
Extract 3
You hear part of a radio news report.
5 What first alerted hospital employees to the woman’s fraud?
A spurious references from previous employers
B forged documents from a higher education institution
C variability in the vocabulary she employed
6 What does the presenter suggest was a matter of luck?
A finding documentary proof of her prior fraudulent activity
B the hospital’s decision not to terminate the woman’s contract
C the woman’s ability to escape justice for so long

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