Episode 257

EPISODE 257
LEVEL A1.2/A2.1

 

READING COMPREHENSION 

 

CHARACTER

When John was asked to describe his character, he said:

„I think I am rather optimistic and easy-going ( = I am relaxed, calm). I am also honest ( = I always tell the truth) and generous ( = I am happy to give) and I am broad-minded ( = I am tolerant) because I work with Mark, who is rather lazy ( = he doesn’t like to work hard) and tense ( = he is nervous). It is also difficult to work with him because he is stubborn ( = he doesn’t want to change his opinion) so you have to be tolerant if you want to do your job well.”
You can imagine that John wasn’t very happy when he met Mark who said: „I thought you were my friend, but now I know how two-faced ( = you say one thing to me and another when you talk to other people) you are.” John was especially surprised to hear that he was Mark’s friend.

 

More contexts for the new words: 

• He is narrow-minded. ( = he is not tolerant, doesn’t accept new ideas) 
• He is mean. ( = he doesn’t like to give) 
• He is dishonest. ( = He doesn’t tell the truth) 

 

EXERCISE 1 

Match the words to definitions.

 

1. two-faced
2. stubborn
3. tense
4. lazy
5. broad-minded
6. generous
7. honest
8. easy-going

a)  nervous
b) tolerant
c)always tells the truth
d) doesn’t like to work hard
e) doesn’t want to change his opinion
f) happy to give
g) relaxed, calm
h) says one thing to me and another when he talks to other people

 

EXERCISE 2 

Use the adjectives from today’s lesson to describe:

 

1. your best friend
2. your worst enemy
3. yourself

 

 

ENGLISH IN USE

 

Let’s look at the following example:

I thought you were my friend.

When we want to use ‘to be’ in the past with „you, we, they”, we must use „were”.

Look at some more examples:

You were a very happy child.
They were at work last week.

 

IDIOM CLOSE-UP 

 

 

A/ John and George have such different characters, and I thought they were brothers!

B/ Yes, they are, but they’re LIKE CHALK AND CHEESE.  

 

Two people who are like chalk and cheese are completely  different from each other.

 

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

 

1. If you TAKE AFTER someone, you are similar to your parents (or grandparents, or other older relatives) in appearance or behavior.

 

Sue is so generous, and her mother has also always liked to give. Sue really takes after her.

In looks she takes after her father.

 

2. When you CHILL OUT, you relax and stop being angry or nervous, or to spend time relaxing.

 

I think Peter manages to be so easy-going because he spends an our every day just chilling out.

I’m just going to chill out this weekend.

 

EXERCISE 3 

Match the sentence halves.

 

1. She is hard-working and he is lazy – 
2. I’m exhausted and I need 
3. Joanna is beautiful, like her mother. Shea) a few minutes to chill out.
   b) really takes after her.
   c) they are like chalk and cheese.

 

 

NEWS

  

 

DESIGNER BABIES

 

Would you like your child to be compassionate and tolerant, or maybe ambitious and relentless? Do you want your daughter to have blond curly hair, or maybe straight dark one? Should your son be tall and muscular, or handsome in a different sort of way? It isn’t very long before asking such questions will be more than just wishful thinking, for geneticists are on the verge of discovering the precise way to engineer babies. You will be able to design your child in every aspect, be it their personality or appearance. The only question is: do we really want it?

 

GLOSSARY 

– compassionate – feeling sorry when others have problems

– relentless – never giving up

– wishful thinking – a belief that something that you want to be true is true

– on the verge of – will soon (do something)

 

download lesson (pdf)