CHƯƠNG TRÌNH TIẾNG ANH TOÀN DIỆN THCS

KHỐI LỚP 8
HANDOUT 1

Preparation task

Write the words and phrases in the correct group.

Let’s see Rea Umm

Right. No way! … lly? …
An I mean
d? … Well … I know.

When you show the other person

When you’re thinking of something to say you are
listening (5
(4 expressions) expressions)

Tasks

Task 1

Match the topics (1–4) with the conversations (a–d).

Topic Conversation
1 a. Conversation
. …… An old photo A

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 2 b. Conversation
. …… A university project B
3 c. Conversation
. …… A holiday C
4 d. Conversation
. …… A work interview D

Task 2

Are the sentences true or false?

Answe
r
1
. (Conversation A) The woman was in the interview for 15 minutes. True False
2
. (Conversation A) The woman thinks she is going to get the job. True False
3
. (Conversation B) The woman was trying to look at art. True False
4 (Conversation B) The woman is thinking about not taking photos
. on True False
holiday any more.
5 (Conversation C) The man and the woman grew up in the same
. family. True False
6
. (Conversation C) The girl had an older boyfriend at school. True False
7 (Conversation D) The man is not in the group because the others
. don’t True False
like his work.

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. (Conversation D) The man needs to find another group. True False

Discussion

Have you ever had a similar conversation? What new phrases did you
learn in these conversations?

Transcript

Man: How did it go?

Woman: Umm, I think it went quite well. I did a lot of research and prepared a
lot. I was in there for ... I don’t know ... half an hour?

Man: And? What did they say?

Woman: Nothing much. At the end I asked them, ‘What happens now?’, and the
woman said, ‘We’ll call you back with news in three or four days.’

Man: Really?

Woman: Yeah, I think I’ve got the job. There weren’t a lot of other people there. I
was the only interview that day, you know?

Man: Well, good luck with it.

Man: Anyway, you were saying ...

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Woman: Oh, yeah, um ... let’s see. Yes, so I was in the museum and there were, I
don’t know, a hundred people waiting to get into the room. Finally, I got in, and I tried
to see the Mona Lisa but I couldn’t look at it.

Man: Why not?

Woman: Because the room was filled with people taking photographs of it!

Man: Oh, right.

Woman: Yes! And selfies.

Man: Wait a minute. You can take photos while you’re in there?

Woman: Yes, but you can’t use flash. I don’t know ... Why do we take photos of
everything we see when we travel?

Man: I know. And we never look at the photos after.

Woman: Exactly! I’m tired of always taking photos. I don’t feel I’m enjoying things.

Man: Who took this?

Woman: I can’t remember. Hmmm ...

Man: What am I doing?

Woman: You’re sitting on the sofa, watching TV and eating chocolates. Nothing
changes!

Man: Ha! Very funny. You look very young, though.

Woman: I know. Look at my hair – it was so long!

Man: Mine too, look at me! Hey … I think I know who took this photo.

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Woman: Umm … who? Was it Dad?

Man: No, it wasn’t Dad or Mum. Do you remember Barry?

Woman: No.

Man: Yes, YES! You do remember. Barry, your boyfriend at high school. You were
seventeen

and he was sixteen and he was so very polite: ‘Hello, I’m Barry. It’s very nice to meet
you ...’

Woman: Stop it! He was nice.

Man: Yeah, well, he took the photo.

Woman: Let’s see. OK. I’m glad we could talk about this. It’s not easy to say.

Man: What?

Woman: Well, you’re not in our group – for the class project.

Man: What do you mean? You know I’m always in a group with you.

Woman: I know. It’s just that this time … this time we made the group differently and
because you were late ...

Man: I see. You don’t want me in the group?

Woman: No, no. It isn’t that. It’s that we’ve already made the group, see? There’s
four of us already.

Man: So? We can’t be a group of five?

Woman: Well, the teacher said four people per group.

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Man: Oh.

Woman: It’s not about you or your work or anything like that. It’s ... errrr ... well,
we already have the group.

Man: So I have to find another group.

Woman: I’m sorry.

Answers

Preparation task

When you show the other person

When you’re thinking of something to say you are
(4 expressions) listening (5 expressions)

Let’s see … Right.

Umm … No way!

I mean … Really?

Well … And?

I know.

Task 1

1. c

2. d

3. b

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 4. a

Task 2

1. False

2. True

3. True

4. True

5. True

6. False

7. False

8. True

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READING PRACTICE

More Cavities Needed

Bluebirds live in cavities, but they can't make their own cavities. Like woodpeckers,
bluebirds prefer trees in open areas. The best habitat for bluebirds is an open area
with scattered trees such as an old garden. By clearing sections of forest to create
more fields, early settlers happened to improve bluebird habitat. Bluebirds feed on
insects on the ground, and insects were abundant in the fields.

In the early 1900s, eastern bluebirds were one of the most common songbirds, but
by 1969 fewer than 100 bluebirds nested in Minnesota. Other states also reported
severe declines in the populations of all three bluebird species.

Why did the populations decline? One factor may have been the widespread use of
insecticides, but the most important factor was probably the loss of habitat. At first,
fences were built with wooden posts, and wooden posts develop cavities. While
bluebirds like fence posts with cavities, farmers do not. Cavities make the fence
posts weak, and cattle escape through weak fences. After World War II, most
farmers replaced wooden posts with new posts made of steel.

With less suitable habitat, the bluebirds were forced to compete with other birds for
the few remaining nesting sites. More aggressive birds such as the tree swallow and
the house wren often drive the bluebirds from their nests. Starlings and house
sparrows – both introduced to this country from Europe - also compete with the
bluebirds for nesting sites.

All three bluebird populations – eastern, western, and mountain - declined nearly 90
percent between 1935 and 1985. The North American Bluebird Society and others
are working to increase the number of bluebirds. The most successful method is to
improve the habitat by providing the bluebirds with boxes as living places.
Thousands of boxes are placed and being managed by individuals interested in
helping the little bird.

If placed in the right environment, the boxes do attract bluebirds. Bluebirds prefer
boxes placed next to open areas. If placed near a brushy area, the boxes are more
likely to attract house wrens. Tree swallows would compete for isolated sites in open
areas. Competition from tree swallows will decrease if the boxes are placed in pairs,

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less than three feet apart. Boxes for mountain and western bluebirds must have
slightly larger holes than those for eastern bluebirds, but if the holes are too large,
starlings will take the boxes.

Another cavity programme helped the wood duck population. When seeking for
houses, the female wood duck looks for a cavity in a tree that is in or near the water.
Often she chooses a cavity with a hole too small for a raccoon to enter. Human
activities – logging mature trees and hunting - threaten the wood duck population. In
1918, the United States and Canadian governments banned the hunting of this
species. Groups of citizens and conservation organisations built living boxes and
placed them on poles or in trees that are in or near the water. Today the wood duck
population is greater than one million, and hunting is once again permitted.

Exercise 1 Word Use

Decide which of the following choices is closest in meaning to the underlined word in
the sentence and write down the corresponding letter.

1. The best habitat for bluebirds is an open area with scattered trees such as an old
garden.

A. closely planted

B. carefully trimmed

C. widely separated

2. Why did the populations decline? One factor may have been the widespread use of

insecticides.

A. chemical substances made to kill insects

B. chemical substances made to help insects

C. chemical substances made to strengthen insects

3. More aggressive birds such as the tree swallow and the house wren often drive
the bluebirds from their nests.

A. always ready to escape

B. always ready to sing

C. always ready to attack

4. Boxes for mountain and western bluebirds must have slightly larger holes than
those for eastern bluebirds, but if the holes are too large, starlings will take the
boxes.

A. a few

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B. a bit

C. a lot

5. In 1918, the United States and Canadian governments banned the hunting of this
species.

A. controlled

B. forbade

C. encouraged

Exercise 2 Short-Answer Questions

Refer to the passage More Cavities Needed and answer the following questions with
NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from the passage.

6. What place is given as an example of the best habitat for bluebirds?

7. According to the passage, who accidentally helped with improving bluebird

habitat?

8. How many species do bluebirds have?

9. What is the most important reason for the severe decline in the population of
bluebirds?

10. Which material do most farmers prefer when they made fences?

11. Among the bluebirds species, which one prefers boxes with smaller holes than
the other bluebirds do?

Exercise 3 Classification

Look at the following list of nesting sites for birds and use the information in the
reading passage More Cavities Needed to answer the questions. Write

A. if they are likely to attract bluebirds;

B. if they are likely to attract tree swallows;

C. if they are likely to attract starlings;

D. if they are likely to attract wood ducks.

12. boxes with very large holes

13. boxes on poles by the river

14. fence posts with holes

15. boxes next to an open area

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16. trees with cavities in the pond

17. a single box in an open area

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