Cambridge English Empower C1 READING PLUS

n it 4
UConsciousness
1 SPEAKING VOCABULARY SUPPORT
stump – the part of something such as a tree, tooth, arm,
a Tell students about a dream / nightmare you had
or leg that is left after most of it has been removed
(make up one if you can’t remember any!) and ask them
what they think it might mean. Put students into pairs to coax – to persuade someone gently to do something or go
discuss questions 1–3. somewhere, by being kind and patient, or by appearing
to be
2 VOCABULARY raft – a flat floating structure for travelling across water,
often made of pieces of wood tied roughly together and
a Individually, students read the sentences and definitions
before matching them. Check answers as a class. moved along with a paddle
tow – to pull a car, boat, etc. along, fastened behind
Answers
another vehicle or boat
1 d  2 f  3 e  4 a  5 c  6 b
fins – flat pieces of rubber you put on your feet to help you
swim more quickly
3 READING to no avail – to no use, purpose, advantage, or profit
inexplicable – unable to be explained or understood
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Precognition is the supposed ability to see events in the future. recoil – to move back because of fear or disgust
There is no scientific proof that people can see into the future coffin – a long box in which the body of a dead person is
through dreams or other visions, but the subject has been buried or burned
widely discussed through history. For example, Aristotle wrote sinister – making you feel that something bad or evil might
a text arguing that most such dreams are just coincidences. happen
The Lord Dufferin story is the most famous of the three here.
involuntary – not done by choice; done unwillingly, or
Dufferin, a very important public figure, claimed he saw the
without the decision or intention of the person involved
ghost in 1849 and there was a real accident in a lift in Paris.
However, several journalists have investigated the details of c Give students a time limit and tell them to answer the
the story and questioned its reliability. questions in their own words, not just copying the text.
Take feedback as a class.
a Tell students to read the text quickly. Set a time limit
suitable for your class. Ask a few students to share their Answers
answers with the class. 1 Her fingers were not the right shape.
2 Betty-Ann Fischer’s violin broke and she couldn’t keep playing.
b Read out this statement about the first text: Betty-Ann 3 She was sunbathing.
Fischer was very good at music from a young age. Ask 4 The current was too strong.
students, Is it true or false? (True). Ask, How do you know? 5 He was very tired and couldn’t speak.
(She is a “child prodigy”). Give students a time limit and 6 Duncan didn’t have a compass.
tell them to answer the true/false statements. If necessary, 7 He sensed that something bad was going to happen.
pre-teach the vocabulary (or use it as a vocabulary focus 8 He had a coffin.
9 He was shocked and horrified.
after the reading). Take feedback as a class and ask
10 He wasn’t a regular employee.
students to tell you what information in the text shows
that each statement is true or false.
Answers
1 false
2 true
3 true
4 false
5 true
6 false
7 false
8 false
9 true
10 true

Cambridge English Empower C1 © Cambridge University Press PHOTOCOPIABLE 1

 Unit 4

BETTER READING: L INKING READING AND 4 SPEAKING

PRONUNCIATION a Put students into groups to answer the questions. As
Write these two words on the board: consciousness feedback, ask students, Have you ever had a real dream like
remarkably. Ask students how many syllables each word has any of these? If so, how did you react?
and which syllable has the stress (consciousness, 3 syllables),
(remarkably, 4 syllables). Tell students that knowing the
pronunciation of a word helps you read more fluently
because you are more likely to recall the word as you read.
Tell students to mark the stressed syllable on all the words
underlined in the text. Take feedback as a class then drill all
the words.

Answers
technique premonition inflatable avail ordeal, 
inexplicable  elevator involuntarily

OPTIONAL LANGUAGE FOCUS:

VERBLESS CLAUSES
Please note: There are no instructions on the worksheet for this
activity.
Write on the board this sentence from the text and underline
the verbless clause:
That might have spelled the end of the concert if not for Mario
De Soto, a local violinist.
Elicit that the verbless clause is equivalent to “if it wasn’t
for Mario De Soto”. Elicit that we can use verbless clauses
in writing to be more concise and formal. Dictate these
sentences with verbless clauses. Students must underline
the verbless clauses and rewrite them with verbs.
Coffin on his shoulders, he entered the house.
Whether fiction or fantasy, it is an incredible story.
Your story, even if true, proves nothing.
I shivered, frightened by what I heard.
If well told, a story can convince anyone.

Answers
Coffin on his shoulders, he entered the house. (Carrying a coffin on
his shoulders…)
Whether fiction or fantasy, it is an incredible story. (Whether it is…
Your story, even if true, proves nothing. (even if it is true)
I shivered, frightened by what I heard. (feeling frightened…)
If well told, a story can convince anyone. (If it is…)

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