3.6 Precise frequency

Presentation and practice

The Earth rotates on its axis		once a day. every 24 hours. 365 times a year.
	Mrs Smith phones her daughter		once a fortnight. every two weeks. twice a month.

How often:

1. do leap years occur ?

2. do you have elections in your country ?

3. does a normal heart beat ?

4. do you have an English lesson ?

5. do you wash your hair ?

6. do you clean your teeth ?

7. do you go on holiday ?

8. do you have your hair cut ?

Practice

A: I really take good care of my teeth. I brush them twice a day.

В: That's nothing. I clean my teeth at least three times a day ... And I go to the dentist every six months.

A: Is that all ? I go to the dentist at least every four months ... And I use dental floss once a week.

B: Only once? I...

Work in pairs. Have more conversations like this, beginning with the remarks below. Continue each conversation for as long as you can.

1. I like to keep in touch with my parents.

2. I keep my house spotlessly clean.

3. I have a fantastic social life.

4. My boss treats his employees very well.

5. I'm very keen on keeping fit.

3.7 All in a day's work: the passive

P resentation

Ron Glib is a successful journalist. His newspaper pays him a huge salary, and they publish all his articles. They send him all over the world, and ask him to cover major world events. 'Only I don't like covering big demonstrations,' he says. 'Sometimes the police mistake me for a demonstrator, and arrest me.'

Instead of saying 'His newspaper pays him a huge salary', we can say:

He

is gets

paid a huge salary.

What other things happen to Ron Glib? Use these verbs in the Passive:

1 publish

2. send

3 ask

4 mistake

5 arrest

Practice

Now talk about these people, using the Passive. What good and bad things do you think happen to them ?

1. a pop star

2. a doctor

3. a policeman

4 a politician

5 you

3.8 A life in the day of... Reading

In this passage, Janet Thompson and Warren Maxwell describe a typical working day.

Janet: The alarm goes off at 4.30.1 get up and go and wake Warren. Then I go downstairs, make some tea, and take a cup up to Warren. He has lived with us ever since he came over here from New Zealand ten years ago, and we are like brother and sister now.

Warren: It takes us about 45 minutes to wake up and get ready. We always leave the house at exactly a quarter past five. I drive us in Janet's dad's car, and we arrive at the ice rink at exactly twenty past five. The cleaner arrives just in time to let us in. We get changed and we're on the ice by twenty to six.

Janet: At a quarter past eight, we get changed and go off for breakfast in a little Italian cafe round the corner. I have toast and tea, and Warren usually has something like sausages, eggs and tea. We both eat terribly fattening foods, but neither of us seems to get fat, which is very lucky. At nine, we go back to the rink and work through until twelve. Then we go for a run in Hyde Park for about half an hour.

Warren: Yes, it's quite nice in the park, except when you get chased by dogs. After our run we just buy a sandwich and eat it at work. Janet works in a department store and I work in a betting office. They're very good to us: they let us have as much time off as we need for skating - although of course we don't get paid. In the evening we meet up again just before six in the Dance Centre, for a modern dance class. We get back to Janet's parents' flat by about eight, have dinner and a bath and go straight to bed. Although it's a very long day for us, I never really feel we are missing out on anything. We sometimes see friends at weekends: they're married, they've got ordinary jobs and they go out in the evenings, but they're envious of what we do, rather than the other way round.

(from The Sunday Times (adapted))

1. a) What is Janet and Warren's main occupation?

b) What do they do to earn a living?

• 2. Choose the correct answer. Are they:

1. married?

2. boyfriend and girlfriend ?

3. brother and sister ?

4. friends?

   3. a) Where do Janet and Warren live ?

b) Why do you think they live together ?

3. Exactly when do they skate ?

4. What problems are involved in:

   1. running in Hyde Park?

   2. taking time off work ?

3. Write T (true) or F (false) against these statements:

   1. The rink is closed when they arrive.

   2. They live a well-organised life.

   3. They don't think they have enough free time.

   4. Their employers let them skate during working hours.

   5. They envy their friends.

4. Make brief notes about Janet and Warren's daily routine. Use these times as a guide:

4.30	12.00
5.15	12.30
5.20	1.00-5.30?
5.40	6.00
8.15	8.00
9.00	9.00?