Unit 1

Task 1 Describing trends

1. The graphs relate to sales of media technology. Which graph a- h do you think shows
sales for each item in the photos 1-4?
Answer : Students’ own answer. Graphs associated with iPod and DVD may be expected
to be rising (c or f), whereas graphs associated with audio and video cassettes may be
expected to be falling (a,e, or h).

2. Match each graph (a-h) with the most appropriate description below (1-10).
1. Sales of audio cassettes fell steadily. (g)
2. iPod sales rose gradually. (c)
3. Plasma TV sales fluctuated wildly, but the trend was upward. (d)
4. Sales of video cassettes fluctuated wildly, and the trend was downward. (a)
5. Total digital camera sales dropped slightly. (b)
6. Sales of audio cassettes fell and then levelled off. (h)
7. The sales of MP3-players rose gradually and then climbed sharply. (f)
8. Purchases of video cassette recorders declined dramatically. (e)
9. Sales of games consoles decreased and then levelled off. (h)
10. CD sales dropped suddenly. (e)

3. Underline the verbs in 2 used to describe trends.

1. fell
2. rose
3. fluctuated
4. fluctuated
5. dropped
6. fell, levelled off
7. rose, climbed
8. declined
9. decreased, levelled of
10. dropped

4. The verbs in 2 are modified by adverb such as steadily. Find the adverbs and decide
whether they mean slow or fast changes. Complete the lists below.
Slow : steadily, gradually, slightly
Fast : wildly, sharply, dramatically, suddenly
6. a. African spice exports.
b. new product development
d. ticket purchases
e. internet sites
f. mango sales
g. theme park visitor
i. supermarket food quality

7. a. The Tea Room in January? $160,000

b. Internet Express in July? $85,000
c. Wi-fi Cafe in November? $125,000
d. Cafe CooI in December? $120,000
e. The Tea Room in February? $130,000

8. Answer these questions about the pagraph.

a. What do the letters J, F, M, etc along the bottom of the pagraph mean?
Answer : months of the year
b. What does 000s mean?
Answer : thousands of dollars
c. What patterns can you see?
Answer : sales went up for internet express, Wi-Fi but down for the tea room
d. What comparisons can you make?
Answer : between different cafes and between different months

9. 1. adverb
2. noun
3. verb
4. noun
5. adverb
6. verb
7. verb

10. 1) d. Significantly
2) g. a rise
3) e. also ended the year up
4) f. a steady fall
5) a. Steadily
6) c. doubled
7) b. then rocketed
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