UNIT

01 Great idea!

objectives
Grammar
past continuous
1 Read and listen
n E past continuous vs. past simple
when / while
Readd and listen to the text
text. What
W do you
y think
t each p person

objec
Vocabulary
invented? Choose from the objects
o you
yo u ca
cann se
seee below.
bellow.
be phrases with get
ph
music
Functions
F nctions
Fu

What did
MP3
describing
desc
scribing past acti
activities
tivi
v ties

they invent?
On a rainy day in 1903,
Mary Anderson was going to New York
with a friend. Mary was watching other people
driving their cars when suddenly she got an idea. They had
to open their car windows and put their heads out to see better.
She invented a moving arm made of metal with a piece of rubber on it.
The driver could operate it from inside the car without opening the window
w.
In 1869, Thomas Adams was trying to produce rubber out of the juice he got
from Mexican sapodilla trees. He wanted to produce toys, rain boots and bicyclee
tyres. The experiment didn’t work. While he was thinking about why his experiment nts
failed, he took a piece of the rubber he was working on and put it in his mouth.
IIn 1897, the British inventor, James Henry Atkinson, was in the basement of his hohous
ue
l oking at the family’s supply of potatoes. While he was looking at the potatoess,
lo
h noticed that some mice had eaten quite a few and decided to stop them. Soo he
he
i vented something that he called ‘Little Nipper’.
in
I 1886, Josephine Cochran was standing in front of a mountain of dishhes
In
i her kitchen in Illinois, USA. The family lunch was finished, and he
in herr
h sband and children were resting. She got quite angry thinkkin
hu ingg
a out how she had to do the washing-up every day. ‘Iff
ab
n body else is going to invent a machine for this, I’lll
no
d it myself,’ she thought. And then suddenlyy sh
do s e
had an idea.
In the middle of the summer, at thhe
beginning of the 18th century, aann
unknown Dutchman was looki looking
kinng
at one of the many canals in LLearner
earner tip!
2 Comprehension
p Holland. H
Holland He was thinking
hi kingngg
about how he oftenn ttra
about travelled
rave
v lledd A pe
person
erson who
ho coo
cooks
okks is
01:06 Listen to the complete a ong the frozen canals
al a cook.
co
ook. (Not:
(No
ot: a cooker)
co
ookker
ker)
r
stories and answer the questions. on ice skates in the
1 Why did drivers like Mary winter He
winter. H gott a little
littl
Anderson’s invention? impatient.
impa
mpatient
atient. ‘II don’t
don t rain boots = large rubber
want to wait for
wa boots that you wear
2 What did Thomas Adams invent? winter!’
w inter!’’ he thought when the ground is wet
3 What did James Henry ttoo hi
him
himself.
himse and dirty
Atkinson’s invention do? tyres = thick rubber rings
around the outer edge
4 What was the name of Josephine of a wheel of a vehicle
Cochran’s invention? failed = was unsuccessful
5 What did the inventor do with supply = an amount of
the wooden wheels he made? something

14
3 Grammar past continuous
a Look at the examples.
Mary Anderson was going to New York. Her husband and children were resting.
b Underline other examples of the past continuous in the text on page 14.
c Complete the table. Then read the rule.

Positive Negative Questions Short answers

rule
We use the past continuous to
I/he/she/it I/he/she/it Was Yes, I/he/she/it talk about actions in progress
I/he/she/it .. at a certain time in the past.
resting (was not) resting? No, I/he/she/it
resting (was not).
Learner tip!
you/we/they you/we/ Yes, you/we/they
I met Jane at a party. She was
they weren’t you/we/they .
wearing her new jeans.
resting (were not) resting? No, you/we/they
(Not: She wore her new jeans.)
resting (were not).

d Yesterday, Tom’s maths teacher was late. What

were the students doing when she got to the class?
5 Listen
Complete the sentences with the verbs in the box. a Read the beginning of a science
fiction story. Think of the answers to
send do sit play daydream these questions.
1 Who or what was in the spaceships?
2 What do you think happened after
the spaceship landed?
3 What do you think happened after
Olivia finished writing her story?

Olivia’s story
Olivia was sitting at her desk,
writing one of her stories. It was
a story about a far away planet,
XRO17. Too many people were
1 Lucy a handstand.
living on the planet and there
2 Daniel and Sophie table tennis. wasn’t enough space for everyone,
3 Samuel on the teacher’s desk. so the President of XR017 sent
4 Ken a text message. five spaceships to find out more
about the Earth. As they were
5 Lisa about a day on the beach.
approaching the Earth, four of the
spaceships caught fire. Only one of
4 Speak E them got to the Earth and landed
safely, and in it was ...
Work in groups.
Student A: You are a famous film star, sportsperson
or politician. b 01:08 Listen to the rest of
Students B–E: You are journalists. Find out what Student the story and check your ideas in
A was doing at a certain point of time in the past. Exercise 5a.
Student A: Invent answers.

What
Whatt were you doing
doiing
6 Write
Oh I wa
Oh, wass on a ppla
plane.
lane
ne.
last
last Sunday
Sun
S dayy at 7 pm?
unda pm? Write the ending of the story.
I was
was flying
ying from
ffro
romm … to … .
Include dialogue where necessary.

Pronunciation p126 CD1 T07 Extra Practice Workbook

15
 7 Read E
Try to answer the questions. Then read the text quickly to find the answers.
1 What did the Wright brothers invent? 2 Do inventions always come from older people?

You could be an inventor too!

The biggest secret about inventing is that anybody can do it! Perhaps this Wrong idea number 3:
i ng
sounds crazy, but it’s true. Many people have the wrong idea about inventing.ng.. Inventions always come
Maybe you’re one of those people, so read on to discover the truth. from older people.
It is true that most inventors create
Wrong idea number 1: Wrong idea number 2: their inventions later in their lives.
An invention has to be Inventors are born, not made. But there are also examples of
something completely new. Researchers have found there is often a wide range young inventors. Here are two:
Well, inventing means creating of factors that make innovation possible. Some of Louis Braille went blind when
something ‘new’, but ‘new’ these factors are under the control of inventors, and he was a child. When he was 15, he
does not mean that it has to be others are not. Take Mozart, for example. He was born invented a system of reading and
something completely different with a unique talent for musical composition. But writing for blind people that is still
to anything the world has ever other factors were also important for his creativity. used in most languages today.
seen. The Wright brothers, for His father was a music teacher, and Mozart had to As a young man, George Nissen
example, got the idea of building practise for hours every day from a very young age. was watching trapeze artists in
a ‘flying machine’ from watching Thomas Edison said that being an inventor was ‘99% a circus. He observed how they
birds. Many inventors have hard work and 1% inspiration’! This also means that dropped into the safety net and
started from ideas that they saw very successful creators don’t give up when they get then bounced back up again.
somewhere else before. something wrong. As one inventor said: ‘A failure is This gave him an idea and he
the right answer to the wrong question!’ invented the trampoline.

this sounds crazy = this seems a mad idea when you hear about it
range = choice

8 Comprehension E 10 Vocabulary
Look at the sentences and decide if each phrases with get
one is correct or incorrect. If it is correct,
Get can mean arrive, receive, have or become.
write A. If it is incorrect, write B.
Complete the sentences with the correct form
1 You have to be crazy to be an inventor. of get and the words in the box. Use the past
2 Many inventors get their ideas from simple or past continuous.
things that already exist and are similar.
r.
3 Many inventors have to work very hard wet a good mark to school an email
before they invent something. angry home the feeling
4 According to Edison, inspiration is the
most important factor for an inventor. 0 I got an email from Mandy yesterday.
She says she’s coming to Italy in the summer.
5 Inventors usually get their ideas when
they are young. 1 I woke up late and missed the bus this morning.
I until 9 o’clock!
6 George Nissen got his idea when he
was at a circus. 2 We had to stop playing tennis yesterday because
it was raining and we .
3 Guido was amazed when he
9 Speak E in his Maths test.
Work in small groups. Think of something 4 My parents with my sister
you would like to invent to make daily life last weekend. She until
easier or more fun. Draw a diagram or midnight.
a picture of it. Choose someone from the 5 I was sitting in the park reading a book, when
group to tell the class about it. Vote on suddenly I that someone
the best invention. was watching me.

16
Into grammar
1 Past continuous c Circle the correct words.
Are the sentences correct or incorrect? 0 The ticket inspector was checking /
Tick (✔) the box if the sentence is correct. If it is checked my ticket when suddenly I was
incorrect, cross out the verb and correct it. hearing / heard a scream.
1 My parents were living / lived in London
0 A: What were you doing when I saw you
✔ when they were meeting / met in 1989.
yesterday?
2 I didn’t know what the teacher was talking
B: I waited for my sister. was waiting
/ talked about, but everyone else was
1 A: Who did you talk to when I phoned you? seeming / seemed to understand.
B: My brother. He was telling me about 3 Laura was wanting / wanted to go to the
a film he saw on TV. Olympics. Everything was going / went well
2 A: Were Pierre’s parents living in England for her until suddenly she was getting / got
when he was born? meningitis.
B: Yes. At the time his father worked for 4 The plane was landing / landed when the
an English bank. engine was catching / caught fire.
3 A: Did you watch TV when I called last night??
B: No, I didn’t. I was reading a magazine. 3 when / while
4 A: Who did you have lunch with when I saw
you yesterday? a Look at the sentences from the story in
Exercise 5, page 15. Then complete the rule.
B: I was with Jane, a friend of mine.
5 A: Were you playing tennis yesterday Olivia was writing the last sentence of her
afternoon when it started to rain? story, when suddenly she heard a noise
B: No, I did my homework. behind her.
6 A: What did they wear on the school trip While he was smiling, he got a shock.
yesterday? Their school uniform?
rule

B: No, they were wearing jeans and a T-shirt.. We often use when with the past
and while with the past
.
2 Past continuous vs. past
simple b There is one mistake in each sentence.
a Look at the example from the story in Exercise Find the mistake and correct it.
5, page 15. Underline the past continuous verb 0 I was writing an email when the phone
and circle the past simple verb. was ringing. rang
As they were approaching the Earth, four of the 1 While Harry was running to school, he was
spaceships caught fire. falling and hurt his leg.
2 Lucy arrived while Alex and Sue played
b Look at the diagram. Which sentence tells us tennis.
the background action? Which sentence tells us
3 Antonio had breakfast, when he had
what happened at one particular moment? Then a great idea.
complete the rule.
4 The whole city slept peacefully when the
As they were approaching the Earth first house caught fire.

c Rewrite the sentences in Exercise 3b with

when instead of while, and while instead
ships caught fire.
four of the spaceships
of when.
0 While I was writing an email, the phone rang.
rule

We use the for a background

action or description. 1 Harry .
We use the for an action that 2
happened at one particular moment. 3
4

17
 1 Read
a Work with a partner. Ask and answer the
th
he
questions.
1 Do you like listening to music? Why? / Why not?
2 How do you most often listen to music? On the radio,
a CD player or an Mp3 player?
3 When do you most often listen to music? When you re
doing your homework? When you re doing sport? When
you re travelling?

b Read the article. Choose the best title.

1 Isn t music wo
wonderful?
w nd
nderfu
nd ul?
l
2 The history of listening
listeni
ing to
to music
mu
musi
usi
ic
3 Listening to
o music
music
i 100
0 years
yea
years ago

MP3 orld love ning to music

listening
e llisten c, and mostt
music,
ver the w
People all over world
o gs which
on
avourite ssongs
have their favourite ey especially like and
they
ch the
often listen to. Butt how did it a
al
alll start? W h
When en could pe ople start
peop
d people
to choose the music wante
ic they wanted ten to?
iste
ed to lillisten at
What
W
Wh were
the first inventions which allowed them to do so?
o do

1900s: The player er piano 2 19

1 20
20–19
1920–19
19 940s:
94
9 0s:: G
40s:
4 am
ram
Gramop
Gr mo
m op
oph
op ho
hones
ho
pho
ph
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a record
and rec
re co layers
pla
ord players
pianos became veryy popular and quite Grrammopho
Gramoph ne were simi
nes
ne
ones
o a to
ar
ilar
similar o
a few families boughtht ‘player pianos’. p hon
phonogra
ph raphs, but the music
ographs,
nog mus was
usicc was
recoord
rde
recorded ed on fl at yl
vinyl d isc
is
discs c
css and
a not
no ot
A player piano is a piano that plays
er
er cylinde ers.. The discs
cylinders dis w en
iscss went
wen ound,
e t rround, and
a first
music programmed on perforated paper pape
ith holes in them – b ut
ut
but a steel n edle
needle,
need en later
then
le, th
the lateer a small d iamond
diamond, d,
nd
rolls – paper rolls with
piaano. Inn ook’
too k
‘took’
‘t the
t h
hee m
music off he
the ecoo
record.
rec rd. Some music
mu speci a
specialistlis
li s t
sts s
you can also play it like a ‘normal’ piano.
yer pianos beg
the mid 1920s, player gan
eg
began n to di sappea
sa
disappea
disa ar – DJs still use vinyl
and DJs
and viny
vi records today.
nyl records
mainly because thee radio (it w s
as
was e
le
called
calle d h
the
th e w ire
ire less’
‘wireless’
‘w cassetttes s and the Walk
e Walkma
Wa lkkman n®
960–198
1960–19
19 0s:: cassette
80s:
980s
pu
in those days) got more popular.
popu ular. n the
In 960
e 1960s,
1196 assette
cassette
0s, the first ca cor d rs
rde
orde
recorders
te rrec rs b became popular,
1910s: The first phonographs although it wasn’t th
’ untilil the 970
he 1970s
197
1970 0s that
th t people
pe le started
star
As early as 1877, Thomas A. Edison had started to to use them at home ass well w as for professio
profefessional nal reasons.
A big step towards modern dern technologyy w was invven
as the invention ntitioon
on
make phonographs to play music on, and by the
of the first personal ereo,
stereo, or Walkman
Walkm m a
ann , by the
t e
he ap
Jap anese
apan
Japanese
J
1910s, many families had one. The music was on
‘records’ made of aluminium foil. People could only company Sony in 1979.. The Walkman Walkma ma an became
beca
be cam me very
listen to them a few times before the foil broke. popular because for the e first tim
ti me, people
time
rst time, pe could listen to
Edison and other producers later used wax cylinders their music while travelling ng,, doing
ng
liling do sport or going for walks.
to record the music. They could hold longer You probably know the rest of the story, don’t you?
recordings (2–4 minutes), and people could play CDs Mp3 and Mp4 players are.
You know what audio CDs, are
them more often. But do you know what will be next?

18
 Into exams
1 Spea
Speak E
Work in groups.
g Discuss the questions.
1 Some people pay a lot of money to buy an
gramophone or record player.
old gr
Would you do that too? Why? / Why not?
2 Do you
yo think that music videos can make you
enjoy music more?
3 What’
What’s your favourite pop / rock music video?
Describe it.
Descr
4 What will listening to music be like in the future?
Make serious or fun suggestions.

2 W
Write
Writ E
a R
Read Alis
Alison’s essay about an invention.
Answer the questions.
A
1 What’ the name of the invention and who invented it?
What’s
2 Why is it a good invention?
3 When and how did the inventor get the idea?

2 Comprehension A I’m going to write about

the plaster called Band-Aid®.
01:09 Now read and
The man who invented
listen to the text again. it was Earle Dickson
Answer the questions. from
fr New Jersey.
om N
1 When and why did families not B Dickson got the idea
want player pianos any more? when he married Josephine
2 What was the problem with Knight in 1917. He noticed
the first records? that she was always having
3 What was the main difference accidents while she was
between phonographs and using knives in the kitchen. He thought that the
gramophones? bandages she used to treat her cuts were too big, so
4 What were personal stereos? he cut some sterilised cotton gauze into strips and
What did people like stuck the strips onto the centre of some adhesive
about them? tape. In this way, his wife could easily dress her cuts
by herself. He was working for a company that made
bandages at the time, and he was able to interest the
3 Vocabulary C
management
mana
ma na in producing his invention.
I think Band-Aids
Find words in the are very useful
text that mean: for treating and
1 that many people like protecting small cuts
(para. 2) and burns because
2 not be seen (any more) they’re easy and quick
(para. 2) to use.
3 not many times (para. 3) b Match the questions
4 a person who makes in Exercise 2a with the
something, e.g. a song paragraphs. Write 1–3
or a film (para. 3)
in the boxes.
5 not very different from
(para. 4) c Write a story about an invention. Use the underlined
words and expressions in Alison’s story to help you.

19