LESSON 6B

LISTENING COMPREHENSION
FACTS AND FIGURES
EXERCISE 1 – LOOK FOR THE MEANING OF THE FOLLOWING WORDS.

WORD MEANING WORD MEANING

goods to cross
waterway commercial
kilometres trade
ship canal
ocean

EXERCISE 2- PUT THE VOCABULARY WORDS IN THE CORRECT GROUPS

WATER ECONOMY AND INDUSTRY TRAVEL AND TRANSPORT

LISTENING COMPREHENSION EXERCISE 1

Put the topics in order:
Who controls the Panama Canal ____
How many ships cross the Panama Canal ____
Lenght of the Panama Canal _____
History of the construction of the canal ____

LISTENING COMPREHENSION EXERCISE 2

Complete the sentences with the correct numbers.

2 8 to 10 25,000 1881 15,000

82 40,000 99 2000 1914

1- The Panama Canal connects ____oceans.

2- It is ____ kilometres long.
3- It is _____ kilometres to travel around South America.
4- It takes ____ hours to cross the canal.
 5- The canal was started in ____.
6- It was finished in _____.
7- Almost _____ people died while they were building the canal.
8- The control of the canal returned to Panama in _____.
9- Every year, about ______ ships come through the canal.
10- Now the canal is bigger, and _______ per cent of ships can pass through it.
TRANSCRIPT
… and the next part of this talk is on the Panama Canal. It's amazing how this one
small section of a small country can be so important to the world. Let's learn a little
bit about the canal itself, before we look at how it connects to everything else.

The Panama Canal is an artificial waterway in the Central American country of

Panama that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. It is only 82 kilometres long. If
you go around South America by ship then you need to travel another 15,000
kilometres. So the canal saves a lot of travel time. It takes around 8 to 10 hours to
cross the canal.

The French started building the canal in 1881, but they couldn't finish it. The project
was started again in 1904 by the United States and the canal was finally finished in
1914. Many people died while they were building the canal, some say up to 25,000.
For the rest of the 20th century, the United States controlled the canal, but gave
control back to Panama in 2000.

Every year, around 40,000 ships come through the canal. These are mostly
commercial ships. They transport goods for trade between Asia and America, or
Europe. In 2016 the government of Panama made the canal bigger, so that now 99
per cent of ships can pass through it.

Let's now turn to the role of the Panama Canal in the global economy …

GRAMMAR LESSON 1- SO / NEITHER / TOO / EITHER

'So do I' and 'neither do I'

I use 'so do I' to say that a positive sentence is also true for me, and I use 'neither do I'
to say that a negative sentence is also true for me:

 John: I hate mushrooms.

 Me: So do I (=I also hate mushrooms).

 Lucy: I don't live in London.

 Me: Neither do I (=I also don't live in London. For example, maybe Lucy and I both live
in Paris).

This is often used as a reply to someone else in a conversation, but both sentences can
also be said by the same person, and even joined together:

 Me: Elizabeth loves coffee. So do I.

 Me: Harry doesn't play the piano and neither do I.

In my examples above, I use 'do' because the first sentence is in the present simple
tense. The verb after 'so' or 'neither' changes depending on the tense of the verb in
the first sentence.

Present simple: use 'do / does' Lucy likes coffee. So do I.

Lucy doesn't like coffee. Neither do I.
Present simple with 'be': use 'am / is / John's at the office. So am I.
are' John isn't at the office. Neither am I.
Present progressive: use 'am / is / are' Luke's going out tonight. So am I.
Luke isn't going out tonight. Neither am I.
Past Simple: use 'did' Jill went to the cinema yesterday. So did I.
Jill didn't go to the cinema yesterday.
Neither did I.
Past simple with 'be': use 'was / were' She was at the library. So was I.
She wasn't at the library. Neither was I.
Present perfect: use 'have / has' They've been to Colombia. So have I.
They haven't been to Colombia. Neither
have I.
Future simple: use 'will' Edward will be at the cafe later. So will I.
Edward won't be at the cafe later. Neither
will I.
Modal verbs: repeat the modal verb He would like a cup of tea. So would I.
He wouldn't like a cup of tea. Neither would
I.
Emma can speak Russian. So can I.
Emma can't speak Russian. Neither can I.
 'Too' and 'either'
We can also use 'I do too' and 'I don't either', which mean the same as 'so do I' and
'neither do I':

 John: I hate mushrooms.

 Me: I do too (=I also hate mushrooms).

 Lucy: I don't live in London.

 Me: I don't either (=I also don't live in London).

The verb changes in the same way as with 'so do I' and 'neither do I' (remember you
need a negative verb with 'either'):

 Present simple: John's at the office. I am too.

 Present progressive: Luke isn't going out tonight. I'm not either.
 Past simple: Paula didn`t go to school yesterday. I didn`t either.
 Present perfect: They've been to Colombia. I have too.
 Modal verbs: Emma can't speak Russian. I can't either.

'Me too' and 'me neither':

The easiest way to agree in English is to say “Me too” (to agree with a positive
statement) or “Me neither” (to agree with a negative statement):

 John: “I love strawberry ice cream.”

 Me: “Me too!”

 Lucy: “I don’t go to the gym very often.”

 Me: “Me neither.”

'Me too' has the same meaning as 'so + auxiliary verb + I'

 John: “I am from New York City”.

 Me: “So am I”. / “Me too”.

'Me neither' has the same meaning as 'neither + auxiliary verb + I'.

 Lucy: I don`t like spicy food.

 Me: Neither do I. / Me neither.

'Me too' and 'me neither' are very informal:

 Subjects other than 'I':

Of course, we can also use these expressions to talk about what's true for other
people, not just ourselves:

 John: I hate mushrooms.

 Me: So does Laura / Laura does too / Laura too.

 Lucy: I don't live in London.

 Me: Neither does David / David doesn't either / David neither.

Some more examples:

 We live in London and so do they.

 Emma loves tennis. Jill and Laura do too.
 My parents don't come here often. Neither does Alex.
 She isn't French and neither is he.
 You don't like cold weather. Neither do we.

EXERCISE 1

Imagine you're having a conversation with Jenny. What she says is also true for you.
Write 'so --- I' or 'neither ---I', choosing the correct auxiliary verb.

1) Jenny: I can't play the piano.

YOU:_______________________

2) Jenny: Catherine is English.

YOU:______________________

3) Jenny: She isn't coming to the party.

YOU:______________________

4) Jenny: Lucy will come early tomorrow.

YOU:____________________________

5) Jenny: I have to study this weekend.

YOU:__________________________

6) Jenny: Dan lives in Madrid.

YOU:__________________________
7) Jenny: She doesn't have any brothers or sisters.

YOU:__________________________

8) Jenny: I've been to Mexico.

YOU:__________________________

9) Jenny: I'm going home now.

YOU:__________________________

10) Jenny: I didn't pass the exam.

YOU:__________________________

11) Jenny: She hasn't brought her laptop.

YOU: ______________________
12) Jenny: David is living in Mumbai.
YOU:___________________________
13) Jenny: I won't have a cake just now.
YOU:__________________________
14) Jenny: I'm not an engineer.
YOU:_________________________
15) Jenny: John went to the lecture yesterday.
You:________________________

EXERCISE 2
Choose the correct answer to each question.
1- "I'm not going to the conference."
a) "Me neither."
b) "Me too."
c) "Neither do I."
d) "So am I."

2- "I'm thirsty."
a) "I too."
b) "Me neither"
c) "Me too."
 d) "So do I."

3- "I don't know anything about politics."

a) "Neither can I."
b) "Neither do I."
c) "Neither have I."
d) "So do I."

4- "I'm thinking about getting out of the city this weekend."

a) "So am I."
b) "So do I."
c) "So can I."
d) "So will I."

5- "I had long hair when I was younger."

a) "So have I."
b) "Neither did I."
c) "So did I."
d) "Neither had I."

6- "I wasn't interested in any of the new classes that were introduced this semester."
a) "Neither did I."
b) "Me too."
c) "Neither was I."
d) "Neither would I."

7- "I haven't met the new teacher yet."

a) "Neither was I."
b) "Neither had I."
c) "I neither."
d) "Neither have I."

8- "I'll be on vacation next week."

a) "So am I."
b) "So can I."
c) "So will I."
d) "So would I."

9- "It's too dark. I can't see anything."

a) "Neither can I."
b) "Neither can't I."
c) "Neither do I."
d) "Neither did I."
10- "I'd love to live near the ocean someday."
a) "So will I."
b) "So did I."
c) "So do I."
d) "So would I."

WRITING SKILLS
A PERSONAL PROFILE

PREPARATION : Choose the three correct answers.

What information would you include in a personal profile?
___ Your address
___ Your hobbies
___ Your job
___ How much money you earn
___ Your personality
READ THE TEXT

My profile

About me
By day I'm a regular guy and by night a superhero … How tiring is that?!
Just joking! I'm a regular guy all the time, good job, close to my family, just bought my
own flat with a cat. Actually, my cat thinks I'm a hero because I saved her from the
street. I'm a talkative person and I believe communication is the most important thing
in a relationship.

Likes and dislikes

I love pizza if it's Italian, wine if it's white, and football if it's the World Cup. I read a
lot, especially true life stories, but most of my books live on my phone.

Hobbies
I love to travel and I'm always planning my next trip. I prefer an active holiday like
hiking, skiing or watersports and I get bored lying on the beach. I post lots of photos
on Instagram as I'm a good photographer but I'd really love to share the holiday with
someone. Maybe you'll take the photos on the next trip.
WRITING SKILLS EXERCISE 1
Put the sentences in the correct box.
1. I’ m a superhero.
2. I prefer an active holiday.
3. I’ m a good photographer.
4. My cat thinks I’m a hero.
5. I believe communication is the most important thing.
6. I’ d really love to share the holiday with someone.
7. Maybe you’ll take the photos on the next trip.

FACTS FUNNY THINGS TO SAY

WRITING SKILLS EXERCISE 2

Complete the sentences with words from the box.
Share prefer

talkative bored

especially love to

1. I’ m a _____person.
2. I read a lot, ______true life stories.
3. I______travel to other countries.
4. I _____ an active holiday.
5. I get ____ lying on the beach.
6. I’ d really love to ____ the holiday with someone.
WRITING SKILLS EXERCISE 3
Are the sentences true or false?

1. It’s OK to mention your hobbies. TRUE FALSE

2. You don’t need to check your spelling. TRUE FALSE
3. You should use emojis in every sentence. TRUE FALSE
4. You should keep your profile true and positive. TRUE FALSE
5. It’s important not to share personal information like your phone TRUE FALSE
number.
6. You should give a lot of detail about all of your hobbies TRUE FALSE

WRITING SKILLS EXERCISE 4

Write a personal profile for a social app or website as in the example above.
TIPS
1. Write about your good points, not your bad points.
2. Don’t include every single thing. Choose a few points and focus on them.
3. Don’t add your contact details (e.g. address, phone number). You could get
unwanted messages.
4. Check your spelling and punctuation before you post.

5. You can use punctuation and emojis when you’re joking, e.g. ?! and😉😉