Lesson 1: Vocabulary and Reading

A. Reading
I. Choose phrases that describe characteristics of a good learner.
1. Always want to know about something
2. Use mobile phones during class
3. Complete homework on time
4. Late to class
5. Help other learners to do better
6. Connect new knowledge with old knowledge
II. Answer the following questions.
1. Do you have characteristics of a good learner?
2. Do all good learners share particular characteristics?
III. Read the passage “Who makes a good learner?” quickly and choose the correct answers.
1. What is the purpose of the passage?
A. to give instructions
B. to give an opinion
C. to give advice
2. Who wrote the passage?
A. a student
B. a psychologist
C. a teacher
Who makes a good learner?
An experienced university teacher has put together a list of the psychological
characteristics that good learners have.
A Good learners are curious. They wonder about all sorts of things. They love the discovery
part of learning. Finding out about something gives them an intense satisfaction. But their
curiosity is addictive, so they always want to find out more.
B Good learners work hard. A few things may come easily to learners, but most knowledge
requires effort and good learners are willing to put in the time. They talk with others, read
more, study more and carry around what they do not understand, thinking about it before
 they go to sleep, at the gym, on the bus. Good learners are persistent. When they fail, they
carry on, confident that they will figure it out eventually. In the meantime, they learn from
their mistakes.
C Good learners recognise that learning is not always fun. But that does not change how
much they love it. Understanding the topic, when they finally get there, makes it all worth
doing. But the journey to understanding is not generally all that exciting. Some learning
tasks require boring repetition; others a mind-numbing attention to detail; still others
involve periods of intense mental focus.
D Good learners make knowledge their own. This is about making the new knowledge fit
with what the learner already knows. Good learners have to change and adapt their
knowledge structures in order to make room for what they are learning. In the process,
they build a bigger and better knowledge structure. It is not enough to just take in new
knowledge. It has to make sense, to connect in meaningful ways with what the learner
already knows.
E Good learners share what they have learned. Unless knowledge is passed on, it is lost.
Good learners love sharing what they have learned. They write about it and talk about it.
Good learners can explain what they know in ways that make sense to others. They are
not trapped by specialised language. They can find examples that make what they know
meaningful to other learners.
IV.1. Read the passage again. Match these key ideas (1 – 5) with the paragraphs (A – E).
1. Good language skills are important. ………
2. Study can sometimes be boring. ………
3. Good learners always have new questions. ………
4. Good learners think about their studies in their free time. ………
5. Good learners realise there is a link between new and old knowledge ………
2. Read these questions about the passage and underline the key words.
1. What do good learners never stop trying to do?
2. How do good learners feel about their chances of finding the answer to a study problem?
3. What makes doing boring learning tasks worthwhile?
4. What do good learners modify as they learn more?
5. Who can good learners explain new knowledge to in an appropriate way?
3. Match each question in exercise IV.2 with the kind of information you need to find.
A a person or people ………
B an activity or a thing ……… ……… ………
C a feeling ………
4. Look at question 1 in Exercise IV.2 and follow these steps to answer it. Use no more than
three words in your answer.
a. Which part of the passage contains the answer? ……………………
b. What is the correct answer? ……………………
c. Which words in the passage reflect the words
in the question (never stop trying to do)? ……………………
d. Check the number of words. If there are more
than three words, what can you leave out? ……………………
V. Answer questions 2–5 in Exercise 3b. Follow the steps in Exercise 3d for each question.
Remember that you should:
• use no more than three words in each answer.
• use only words from the passage.
2. How do good learners feel about their chances of finding the answer to a study problem?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. What makes doing boring learning tasks worthwhile?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. What do good learners modify as they learn more?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
5. Who can good learners explain new knowledge to in an appropriate way?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
VI. Discuss the questions.
a. How did reading the whole passage first help you to find where the answers were?
b. Did the questions follow the order of the passage?
c. Which words in the questions helped you understand what to look for?
d. Do the key words in the questions repeat the words in the passage?
B. Test practice
I. 1. Underline the keywords in the question set.
Questions 1–6
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each
answer.
1. What do most business students expect to get after graduating?
2. What do students on an MBA course need?
3. Which aspect of a business degree do students prefer?
4. How long do most business students usually spend on a work placement?
5. What type of business department do most students plan to work in?
6. Who thinks business graduates have good presentation skills?
2. What kind of information do you think the answer to each question will be (e.g. a person,
a time, a quality)?
Question 1: ………………………………
Question 2: ………………………………
Question 3: ………………………………
Question 4: ………………………………
Question 5: ………………………………
Question 6: ………………………………
3. Read the passage. Complete the test task with some extra help.
1. What do most business students expect to get after graduating?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. What do students on an MBA course need?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3. Which aspect of a business degree do students prefer?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. How long do most business students usually spend on a work placement?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
5. What type of business department do most students plan to work in?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
6. Who thinks business graduates have good presentation skills?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
International survey of business courses
A recent international survey of business degrees shows that business and related subjects
– such as accounting and economics – are among the most popular courses at universities
worldwide. Students say that they choose these courses because business has an impact on almost
every aspect of modern society. They also believe that a business degree makes it easy to find a
job. Business graduates often earn a good salary although very few of the students in the survey
give that as their reason for studying business.
The term 'business degrees' includes a wide variety of courses; some are specialised and
others are more general; some are very academic and others focus on practical professional
development. There are also different levels of degree. Most business students are undergraduates.
However, there are also large numbers of business students on post-graduate courses. Professional
qualifications such as MBAs are only for people who already have some business experience.
The study shows that all types of business degree look at both theory and practice. Of these
two parts of a course, the theoretical aspect is less popular with most students although all agree
that it is an essential part of a good degree course. Students look at practice through case studies,
problem-solving tasks and project work. They also often have the chance during their course to
spend a period of time —typically three months but it can be up to one year —actually working in
a company.
The survey also shows that the majority of students plan to go into a career in business.
There are, of course, many different types of business career. Only a relatively small percentage
of students plan to set up their own business. Some aim to work in finance departments, others in
advertising and still more in sales. Human resources and business consultancy are also options
which some graduates consider.
A few students who study business decide that it is not after all the career for them.
However, their degree is still a very useful qualification. The international survey also reports on
interviews with a range of employers. These say they like the fact that business graduates are
excellent team workers and can present information well both in writing and in front of an
audience. These are valuable skills in all workplaces. The survey concludes that choosing to study
business can be a very good decision.
C. Vocabulary
I. Look back at the second passage “International survey of business courses”. Fill in the
table. Two examples have been done for you.
Words that go before Words that go after “business”
“business”
study degree(s)

business

II. Choose the options in italics which cannot be used with the nouns in bold.
1. For your next piece of work, you need to write / do / carry out some research.
2. I'm going to do / make / give a presentation on my home country.
3. How many exams do you have to take / make / do this year?
4. I need to get / do / have very good grades to do a medical degree.
5. In the exam, we have to write / do / carry out two essays before the end of term.
6. Can you finish / complete / make your assignment by the end of this week?
7. It's difficult to produce / make / write the report without the necessary information.
8. You need to work together in order to complete / carry out/ have this project.
III. Choose the correct options in italics to complete the questions.
1. What do you do if you pass / miss a lesson?
2. How do you feel when you make / do a mistake when speaking English?
3. Would you like to do / get a course in a language apart from English? If so, which one?
4. What's the best way to make / do progress when learning a language?
5. How many lessons or lectures do you go / attend every week?
6. What do you find difficult about making / doing assignments?
7. Have you ever failed / lost an exam?
8. What was the last exam you wrote / passed?