1 READING
A soccer legend who made his name as a forward with Ajax and
a. Look at the nine photos and read the
introduction. How many people can you
name? Go to the Answer Key and check.
THE YEAR OUR HEROES DIED
Many people think that 2016 was one of the worst years
in history for deaths of influential people. They were
people who entertained us and educated us, people we
loved and people we hated, but all of them were icons…
b. Now read about the people. Which ones did you
already know most about?
1. __________________ Died January 10, 2016 aged 69.
His death came as a shock to many, including his friends, and
in the hour after his death was made public, 20,000 tweets a
minute were posted about him. He had released his album
Blackstar only two days before he died. It went on to win five
Grammys in 2017.
2. __________________ Died January 14, 2016 aged 69.
From Shakespeare to Severus Snape in the Harry Potter
movies, his voice was memorable in every role he played. He
was 41 when he made his breakthrough movie performance,
playing opposite Bruce Willis in Die Hard. When he died, J.K.
Rowling tweeted, "There are no words to express how shocked
and devastated I am to hear of his death. He was a magnificent
actor & a wonderful man."
3. __________________ Died February 19, 2016 aged 89.
She wrote one of the worlds' best-loved novels, To Kill a
Mockingbird, which is considered a classic of modern literature
and has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. After its
publication in 1960, she retreated from public life and became
an object of curiosity in the modern media age. Her only other
novel, Go Set a Watchman, was written before To Kill a
Mockingbird, but not published until July 2014, 54 years later.
4. ________________________ Died March 24, 2016 aged 68.
Barcelona, he was European Soccer Player of the Year three times
and later became a successful coach. The Dutch FA described him
as the "greatest Dutch soccer player of all time and one of the
world's best ever."
5. ________________________ Died March 31, 2016 aged 65.
Born in Iraq, she was a world-famous architect, whose Aquatics
Centre at the 2012 London Olympics was probably her best-known
work in the UK. Her buildings were modern and futuristic, with
sensuous lines, and she was the first woman to receive the Royal
Institute of British Architects Gold Medal.
6. _________________________ Died April 21, 2016 aged 57.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he was a child prodigy and a self-
taught multi-instrumentalist, best known for hits including Purple
Rain, When Doves Cry, and Alphabet St. In addition to making 39
studio albums himself, he also wrote many songs for other artists.
7. __________________________ Died June 3, 2016 aged 74.
Born Cassius Clay and nicknamed "The Greatest," he was widely
considered to be the best heavyweight boxer of all time. He was
famous for his comments both before and after matches almost as
much as for his boxing skills. He also became a prominent civil
rights figure, who campaigned for black equality and refused to fight
in the Vietnam War.
8. _____________________ Died November 7, 2016 aged 82.
A Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, and novelist, his most famous
song was probably Hallelujah, recorded more than 300 different
artists. At the age of 60, he moved to California, where he lived as a
Buddhist monk for five years. One of his muses was Marianne
Jensen, the Norwegian woman who he lived with on the Greek
island of Hydra and for whom he wrote the song So Long, Marianne.
Her death in early 2016 inspired his final album, You Want It
Darker.
9. _____________________ Died December 27, 2016 aged 60.
She was the daughter of actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie
Fisher, and it was the role of Princess Leia in the first Star Wars
movie that made her famous. From 1977 to 1983, she dated
musician Paul Simon, who she met on the set of Star Wars, and she
was later very close friends with the singer James Blunt.
c. Read questions 1-9 and find the answers in the texts.
Write the initials of the person.
According to the texts, who...?
1 _____ was the youngest when he / she died
2 _____ changed jobs but did equally well in both
3 _____ was child, friend, and partner of famous
singers
4 _____ had a connection with the Olympic Games
5 _____ changed his / her name completely, and
had a famous nickname
6 _____ became famous for the first time when
he / she was middle-aged
7 _____ did not want any publicity or recognition in
later life
8 _____ spent time following a particular religion
9 _____ was awarded prizes for something he /
she did shortly before dying
d. Do you particularly admire any of these people?
What other famous people do you admire?
2 GRAMMAR relative clauses
a. Cover the text. Complete the relative clauses with who,
whose, that, or where. Who are the extracts about?
1. She wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, __________ is
considered a classic of modern literature.
2. At the age of 60, he moved to California,
__________ he lived as a Buddhist monk for five
years. One of his muses was Marianne Jensen,
the Norwegian woman __________ he lived with
on the Greek island of Hydra.
3. It was the role of Princess Leia in the first Star
Wars movie __________ made her famous.
4. He also became a prominent civil rights figure,
__________ campaigned for black equality.
5. She was a world-famous architect, __________
Aquatics Centre at the 2012 London Olympics
was probably her best-known work in the UK.
GRAMMAR BANK
defining relative clauses (giving essential information)
• We use a defining relative clause (= a relative
pronoun + (subject) + verb) to give essential
information about a person, place or thing.
1. We use the relative pronouns who / that for people,
that / which for things / animals, and where for places.
• That is more common than which in defining clauses.
1. Harper Lee is the woman who (that)
worked To Kill a Mockingbird.
2. I'm looking for a book that (which)
teaches you how to relax.
3. That's the house where I was born.
• You cannot omit who / which / that / where in this kind of
clause. NOT Julia’s the woman works in the office with me.
2. We use whose to mean “of who” or “of which”.
1. Is Mike the man whose brother plays for the Lakers?
2. It’s a tree whose leaves change colors in the fall.
3. In some relative clauses, the verb after who, which,
or that has a different subject, e.g., She’s the girl
who I met on the train (the subject of met is I.) In
these clauses, who, which, or that can be omitted.
She’s the girl I meet on the train.
1. I just got a text from the girl (who / that) I met
on the flight to Paris.
2. This is the phone (that / which) I bought yesterday.
• where and whose can never be omitted.
NOT Is that the woman dog barks
• We can't omit who / which / that / where if it's the
same subject in both clauses. NOT Julia's the
woman works in the office with me.
non-defining relative clauses (giving extra
non-essential information)
• We use a nondefining relative clause to give extra
(often nonessential information) in a sentence. If this
clause is omitted, the sentence still makes sense.
This painting, which was painted in 1860, is
worth millions of dollars.
1. This painting, which was painted in 1860, is
worth millions of dollars.
2. Last week I visited my aunt, who’s 90 years old.
3. Burford, where my grandfather was born,
is a beautiful little town.
4. My neighbour, whose son goes to my
son’s school, has just remarried.
• Nondefining relative clauses must go between
commas (or a comma and a period).
• In these clauses, you can’t leave out the
relative pronoun (who, which, etc.)
• In these clauses, we can’t use that instead of
who / which. NOT This painting, that was
painted in 1860, is worth millions of dollars
b. Complete with who, which, that, where, or whose.
Minneapolis is the city where Prince was born.
1. Rob and Corinna, ______________ have twins, often
need a babysitter.
2. The White House, ______________ the president of
the US lives, is in Washington, D.C.
3. The sandwich ______________ you made me for
lunch was delicious.
4. The woman ____________ lived here before us was a
writer.
5. David Bowie, ______________ songs inspired us for
nearly 50 years, died in 2016.
6. My computer is a lot faster than the one
______________ I used to have.
7. The Mona Lisa, ______________ has been damaged
several times, is now displayed behind glass.
8. Look! That's the woman ______________ dog bit me
last week.
9. On our last vacation we visited Stratford-Upon-Avon,
______________ Shakespeare was born.
10. We all went to the game except Miu, ______________
doesn't like basketball.
11. That man ______________ you saw at the party was
my boyfriend!
12. That's the park ____________ I learned to ride a bike.
c. Look at the sentences in a. Check (✓) the ones where
you could leave out the relative pronoun.
d. Add commas (,) where necessary.
Caroline, who lives next door to me, is beautiful.
1. This is the place where John crashed his car.
2. The museum that we visited yesterday was amazing.
3. Beijing which is one of the world's biggest cities has
a population of over 25 million.
4. Adele’s 25 which was release in 2015 is one of the
best-selling albums of the last ten years.
5. These are the shoes that I'm wearing to the wedding
tomorrow.
6. Sally and Joe who got married last year are
expecting their first baby.
10A GRAMMAR  relative clauses: defining and nondefining
 a Complete the article with who, which, where, or whose.

We asked students to tell us about their favorite things in life.

This week, Elena, a student from Brazil, tells us about hers.
A place
My favorite place in the world is the town 1 where I was born. I’ve traveled all over
the world, but it’s still the place 2 I love the most.
A song
A song…that’s an easy one! It’s Yellow by Coldplay, for two reasons. First, it was the
color of the dress 3 I was wearing the night I met my husband.
Second, it was the song 4 the DJ played as we danced.
A number
The number 5 I’ve chosen is the number nine. My grandmother,
6
used to live with us when I was a child, always asked me to get her
a lottery ticket with this number. I think that’s why I like it so much.
A photo
I’ve chosen a black and white photo of my parents, 7 I’ve had for
about 20 years. Every time I look at it, I can see two happy people in their early twenties,
8
lives were about to change forever. Why? Well, because my
mom was pregnant with me in the photo!
A person
My English teacher in school was the woman 9 inspired me to
love languages. So, I’ve chosen her to be my favorite person.
An animal
Animals? No question about it! The animals 10 I like most are dogs.
A store
The store 11 I could spend all day would be one selling perfumes and cosmetics.
An object
Finally, an object 12 is very special to me is my engagement ring
because it used to belong to my husband’s grandmother. It’s beautiful.

 b In which sentences could you also use that? In which sentences could you leave out who or which?

 c Combine the two sentences using a nondefining relative clause.

1 Our neighbors have lived next door to us for 15 years. They’re both teachers.
Our neighbours, who are both teachers, have lived next door to us for 15 years.
2 Sydney is well known for its Opera House and Harbor Bridge. Many people think it’s the capital
of Australia.
Sydney, , is well known for its Opera House and Harbor Bridge.
3 Our local post office has closed down. My grandmother used to work there.
Our local post office, , has closed down.
4 Pablo Picasso was one of the world’s most famous artists. His best known painting is Guernica.
Pablo Picasso, , was one of the world’s most famous artists.
5 The hurricane was the worst storm for over a century. It hit the city of New Orleans.
The hurricane, , was the worst storm for over a century.
6 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an extremely talented composer. He died when he was 35.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, , was an extremely talented composer.

ACTIVATION
Read the article in a again. Write a paragraph about your favorite things in life.
American English File third edition Teacher Gerald Briceño Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2023 GBA
3 GRAMMAR .EXTRA. 3. Mona Simpson ____ introduce her brother to her
friends when she was growing up.
a. Make one sentence from two. Use who, that, which. a. wasn't able to
1. A girl was injured in the accident. She is now in b. didn't want to
hospital. The girl who was injured in the accident c. was afraid to
is now in hospital. 4. The Mountain View area is famous for ____.
2. A waiter served us. He was impolite and impatient. a. electronics
The _________________________________________. b. silicon
3. A building was destroyed in the fire. It has now c. manufacturing
been rebuilt.
The _________________________________________. 5. When Steve Jobs died, Jonathan Mak designed a
4. Some people were arrested. They have now been special ____ as a tribute.
released. a. version of the Apple logo
The _________________________________________. b. new Apple logo
5. A bus goes to the airport. It runs every half hour. c. silhouette of Steve
The _________________________________________.

b. Read the information and complete the sentences. 1. The Macintosh

Use defining and non-defining relative clauses. Use
commas where necessary.
1. My brother is an architect. (He lives in Hong Kong.)
My brother, who lives in Hong Kong, is an architect.
2. The strike at the factory has now ended. (The strike
began ten days ago.)
The strike at the factory _______________________
____________________________________________.
3. I was looking for a book this morning. (I’ve found it now.)
I’ve found ___________________________________
____________________________________________.
4. I’ve had my car for 15 years. (This car has never
broken down.)
My car ______________________________________
____________________________________________.
5. A lot of people applied for the job. (Few of them had
the necessary qualifications.)
Few of ______________________________________
____________________________________________.
6. Amy showed me a picture of her son. (Her son is a
police officer.)
Amy showed me _____________________________
_______________________________.
4 READING
What do you know about
Steve Jobs?
a. Look at the photos. Can you guess what the
connection is between the pictures and Steve Jobs?
b. Read about him and Apple and choose the best answer.
1. The Macintosh Classic was successful because it
was cheaper and ____ than other Apple computers.
a. bigger
b. more user friendly
c. more powerful
2. Stephen Wozniak and Steve jobs had been friends,
colleagues and ____ together.
a. entrepreneurs
b. students
c. designers
Classic was the
personal computer
that was made by
Apple in 1990. It had
a 9-inch monochrome
screen and a 4 MB
memory. It was
cheaper than earlier
Apple computers
and very easy to use.
It was their first
commercially
successful computer.
2. Stephen Wozniak is the
American computer
engineer and programmer
whose computer designs
became the original Apple I
and Apple II computers. He and Steve Jobs became
friends when they were both working at Hewlett Packard.
They started making computers in Jobs's parents' garage,
and together they founded Apple Computers (now Apple
Inc.) in 1976.
3. Mona Simpson is Steve Jobs's sister. Jobs was adopted
when he was born, but in the 1980s he found his biological
mother, who told him that he had a sister. Mona and Steve
met for the first time in 1985 (when she was 25 and he was
30) and they became very close. They kept their relationship
secret for a year until Mona introduced Steve as her brother
at the party that she gave to celebrate the publication of her
first novel, Anywhere But Here.
4. Mountain View is the city in California where Steve Jobs
grew up. He was born in San Francisco and was adopted by
Paul and Clara Jobs. When he was six years old the family
moved to Mountain View, which was becoming a center for
electronics. People began to call the area "Silicon Valley"
because silicon is used to manufacture electronic parts.
5. This is the logo that was designed by Jonathan Mak, a
Chinese design student from Hong Kong, as a tribute to
Steve Jobs when he died. The design, which used Jobs's
silhouette incorporated into the "bite" of a white Apple logo,
became a worldwide Internet sensation. The teenager said
that Jobs had inspired him to become a designer.
5 LISTENING
a. Look at four famous examples of American
design that featured on stamps. Do you have, or have
you seen, any of these things? In which decade do you
think they were created? Listen and check.
b. Now listen to an audio guide for an exhibition
about American design. Make notes about these things.
1 Tiffany lamp
Louis Comfort Tiffany
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
George Inness and Samuel Colman
_____________________________
_____________________________
_________________________________
the White House
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
the Chicago World’s Fair
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
the Art Nouveau Movement
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
2 The Ford F-Series pick-up truck
new innovations and features
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
popular with Americans
__________________________
__________________________
______________________________________________
13 redesigns
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
Lightweight aluminum
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
1986
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
3 The Barbie doll
American girls in the 1950s
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
Ruth Handler’s daughter
____________________________
____________________________
______________________________________________
Germany
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
Jack Ryan
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
1959
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
4 The Love sculpture
Robert Indiana’s idea
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
break the world “love” up
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
the Museum of Modern Art and the US Postal Service
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
Early 1970s sculptures
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
copyright
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
c. Listen again and add more information. What facts
can you remember about them?
d. Which of the four do you think has the most
attractive design? What would you consider to
be examples of iconic design in your country?
6 SPEAKING .TASK.
In pair or small groups, write about your people, things,
and places. Explain why you like or admire them.
• a famous dead person (who) you admire
________________________
• a famous living person (that) you admire
________________________
• an iconic landmark (that) you really like
________________________
• a company whose design you love
________________________
• an object you think has a pretty design
________________________
• an object (that) you would like to own
whose design you love
________________________
• a CD cover, movie poster, or book cover
(that) you think has a great design
________________________
Talk about someone you admire
Talk about a person who has influenced
you (your country or the world). Who is
he or she? What characteristics does
this person have? How has this person
influenced you? How would your life
have been different without this person?
Speak for at least 5 minutes.
Useful phrases
• A person I admire(d) is…
• Because of him/her, I…
• She showed me how to…
• I really admire him/her for…
• If it hadn’t been for him/her, I wouldn’t have…
• I wouldn’t have learned so much about…
7 VOCABULARY & PRONUNCIATION 2. They live on the ____________________, so they
have a great view of the city.
compound nouns, word stress 3. I love the ____________________ of the latest Star
a. Match a noun from column A with a noun from Wars movie – I listen to it all the time.
column B to make compound nouns. 4. My brother is taking a ____________________ to
learn about health and safety.
A B 5. Do you get along well with your __________________
soccer picture _____________________ or do you argue about paying the bills?
speed case _____________________ 6. The first year of ____________________ in the US is
usually ninth grade.
sun hall _____________________
7. Bike riders should use the ____________________ to
town field _____________________ keep away from traffic.
book mate _____________________ 8. Commuters usually travel to work during
class glasses _____________________ ____________________.
9. All the drivers are slowing down because there’s a
profile camera _____________________ ____________________ up ahead.
10. I really like fantasy movies, but my favorite genre is
b. Listen and check. Which three are written ____________________.
as one word? Is the first or second noun usually
stressed? Practice saying the compound nouns in
a with the correct stress. 8 SPEAKING
c. In pairs, try to answer all the questions in three a. Look at the quiz questions. How many can you answer?
minutes with compound nouns from Files 1-10.
What do you call...?
COMPOUND NOUNS RACE 1. a person who appears in crowd scenes in movies
2. the places with stripes where you cross the road
1. What do you call part of a road that only bicycle can 3. the part of the body you use to taste
use? ________________ 4. the thing that covers the top of a house
2. What do you call the busy time of day when many
5. a man who a woman is going to marry
people are going to work or going home? ___________
3. What might you have to pay if you park in a place
b. Communication Relative clauses quiz A & B.
where you shouldn't? ________________
Interview your partner with your questionnaire.
4. What do you need to book if you want to play tennis
with someone? ________________
5. What do you call a long line of cars that can't move? 9 LISTENING
________________ Watch a video about Albert Einstein. For questions 1 to 7,
6. What should you put on when you get into a car?
decide if the statements are TRUE or FALSE.
________________
7. Where do people go if they want to watch a basketball
or a tennis game? ________________
8. What do you call the music in a movie?
___________________
9. What kind of books or movies are about the
future, and often outer space? _____________
10. What can you use to transfer files from
one computer to another if the
internet isn’t working? _____________
11. If you are in an elevator and
you press 2, where do you
want to go? ________________
12. What do you call a school which
is paid for by tax dollars? _____________ 1. Albert Einstein invented lasers and satellites. _____
2. Albert Einstein was born in Munich in 1879. _____
d. Match a word from A with a word from B to make 3. After graduating, it was difficult for Einstein to find a job
compound nouns. Then complete the sentences. because of a recommendation letter. _____
4. Einstein's first job was in an office. _____
bank ― bicycle ― high ― room ― rush ―
A 5. Einstein explained relativity comparing how fast or slow
science ― sound ― speed ―top ―training
time seemed to pass in different situations. _____
account ― camera ― course ― fiction ― floor ―
B 6. Einstein's general theory of relativity was
hour ― lane ― mate ― school ― track
proven in 1915. _____
1. My salary is deposited directly into my 7. Einstein was offered to be president of
___bank account___ every month. Israel and didn't accept. _____