Introduction
Ss practice listening to and speaking about the news, using reported speech and reporting verbs. They also learn to use linkers of contrast and write a discursive essay.
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS Resource Bank: p. 180
Warm Up
Tell S s to close their books and write on the board the title The Camera Never Lies. Brainstorm some ideas with the class about what the phrase means. If Ss mention the idea of someone trying to make people believe a picture that isn’t true, pre-teach hoax.
LISTENING
1A Check that Ss understand the idea of a hoax and a composite picture , i.e., when two or more pictures are combined.
Discuss the pictures with the whole class or put Ss into pairs to discuss them.
B Tell Ss just to listen for whether the picture is a hoax or not and play the recording.
Answers: A real B hoax C hoax Unit 7 Recording S7.2
I = Interviewer H = Hoaxer
I: Welcome to Insight , where the topic for the day is hoaxes, specifi cally picture hoaxes. It was extremely diffi cult to get someone who produces hoax pictures, a hoaxer, to agree to appear on the show, and it was only on condition that we promise to keep his identity secret. So, I’d like to welcome my guest to the show.
H: Thank you.
I: For starters, can you explain why you want to remain anonymous?
H: Two reasons, really. I suppose, one is mystery. What I mean is a good hoax picture is more powerful if people don’t know where it came from. If people knew I’d produced the picture, the effect would be lost.
I: Fair enough. And the other reason?
H: Well, it’s a fact that hoaxers often use photographs taken by someone else, and often without permission, and the original photographer could sue us.
I: So, basically, you’re playing it safe then.
H: Yeah, you could put it that way.
I: OK. Now I asked you before the show if you’d ever earned money for your hoax work, and you said that you often work with the police and detectives. What exactly do you do for the police?
H: Well, when a politician, for example, appears in a published photograph in any … embarrassing situation, say accepting money … sometimes the police ask me to look at it. Then, if I decide that the photograph is a hoax, they see if they can fi nd out who did it.
I: Right. OK, well, let’s look at some photographs that we found on the Internet—some hoaxes; some not. Talk us through the photographs if you would.
H: So, this picture of a bike in a tree looks like a hoax simply because it’s such an unusual image. Also, it looks a bit like a composite picture …
I: What’s a composite picture?
H: When you combine two or more pictures, that’s a composite. In this case, it would be very easy to put a picture of the two halves of the bike over a picture of a tree. In fact, this would be a very easy hoax picture to put together.
I: So, what you’re saying is, it isn’t real.
S7.2
H: No, it actually is real. I wasn’t sure myself, but I found out it was near Seattle, Washington. So I asked a friend who lives there, and he told me he’d seen it with his own eyes a number of years before. Apparently, there are many different legends about how it got there.
I: Well, I thought that one was defi nitely a hoax. Let’s look at the next one. This one could be real. A man hanging on the landing gear of a jet plane is such an extraordinary sight, maybe that’s why it looks a bit fake.
H: Well, even if you’d never seen such a thing, common sense would tell you that a man couldn’t survive even the landing.
The wind would pull him off.
I: Then it IS a hoax picture.
H: Yes, a classic composite picture. Not badly put together, though.
I: Remarkable. Now this next one could be real, sharks swimming through a fl ooded suburb. I remember seeing this on the Internet, after one of those big hurricanes.
H: Ha, you’ve probably seen lots of pictures like this, and maybe this exact one.
I: Why? Why’s it funny?
H: I’m ninety-nine percent sure this is a hoax simply because it’s a cliché—yet another picture of sharks swimming where they shouldn’t be! Look on the Internet and you’ll fi nd plenty of hoax pictures of sharks.
I: And that’s it? Is there a technical reason why you know its a hoax?
H: Well, yes. The water next to the fi ns isn’t right. The surface of the water would break differently if there really were sharks there. Look closely.
I: I see. You know, it seems like a lot of work. Why do people do it? It can’t be for the money.
H: I dunno. I can only speak for myself, and, to be honest, I’m thrilled when people believe one of my pictures.
I: Because they want to believe it?
H: Well, yes. Maybe we all like to believe something really unusual could be true.
C Give Ss a minute or two to look at the statements and see if they know any of the answers, from listening the fi rst time.
Make sure Ss understand that, in some cases, both options may be correct. Play the recording again, then Ss compare their answers in pairs. Vocabulary to check: sue (to make a legal claim against someone, especially for a sum of money, because you have been harmed in some way).
Answers: 1 a) and b) 2 a) 3 a) 4 b) 5 a) and b) 6 b) D Ss check the statements they agree with and discuss their opinions in pairs for a couple of minutes, then share their opinions as a class.
Optional Extra Activity
Bring in some descriptions of famous hoaxes for Ss to read. These can be found on the Internet, e.g., at
http://hoaxes.org/aprilfool—Top 100 April Fool’s Day hoaxes (correct at the time of going to press). Ss discuss which hoax they liked best, which was the most unbelievable, etc.
GRAMMAR REPORTED SPEECH
2A This should be review for Ss, so you could go through these sentences with the whole class.
Answers: a) 2, 3 b) 4 c) 1 B Ss could work in pairs on this.
Answers:
1 “Have you ever earned money for your hoax work?”
2 “I saw it with my own eyes a number of years ago.”
3 “I often work with the police.”
4 “Could you look at it?”
TEACHER’S NOTES
101
7.2
C You could look at the fi rst rule with the whole class then put Ss into pairs.
Answers:
Rule 1: past
Rule 2: sentence 3, still true Rule 3: an affi rmative statement Rule 4: infi nitive with to
Optional Extra Activity
Put some more sentences from the interview on the board or on a handout and ask Ss to change them from direct to reported speech, or vice versa, e.g.:
1 Hoaxers often use photographs taken by someone else.
He said that hoaxers often use photographs taken by someone else.
2 I asked a friend who lives there, and he told me he’d seen it with his own eyes.
I saw it with my own eyes.
3 Why’s it funny?
She asked him why it was funny.
LANGUAGEBANK 7.2 pp. 140–141 If Ss seemed unsure of the rules in Ex. 2C, give them time to read through the Language Bank in class. Otherwise, tell them to read the section for homework. You could give Ss Ex. B for extra practice in class. Stronger classes could do it as a race in pairs or as a “listen and stop me” activity, where you read the story aloud and Ss stop you when they hear a mistake and correct it.
Answers:
A 1 where I’d been all day
2 what I’d been watching on TV the night before 3 if I’d washed my hands for dinner
4 if I’d got any homework for the next day
5 if I was going to help her with the housework that weekend B I was eighteen when I went for my fi rst job interview, at a
picture laboratory. The manager asked me to take a seat and then asked (me) what my name was. I was so nervous that I told him I didn’t understand the question. Then he wanted to know if I had any plant experience; I told him that/said that I had done some work in my grandmother’s garden. He laughed and said that by “plant” he had meant “factory,” not
“trees and fl owers.” I felt terribly embarrassed and simply told him that I had never worked in a factory. He had my fi le of pictures, and he asked me to talk about them. I was so nervous that I dropped them all on the fl oor! Then he asked me if I had any references to give him; I thought he meant movie references, so I asked him, “references to which movie?” I’m hadn’t been to movies for months but that I could give give references of the last movie I saw. I was sure that I’d messed up the interview, but then he inquired when I could start! He wanted me to start the following Monday!
3A In pairs, Ss should match the sentences to the interviewer or the hoaxer. Afterwards, Ss can check their answers against the audio script.
Answers: 1 P 2 I 3 I 4 H 5 I 6 H
B Give Ss time to write out the sentences in their notebooks, before putting them in pairs to compare answers.
Answers:
1 She asked him to explain why he wanted to remain anonymous.
2 She asked him what exactly he did for the police.
3 She asked him to talk them through the pictures.
4 He said he hadn’t been sure himself, but he found out it was near Seattle, Washington.
5 She asked if there was a technical reason why he knew it was a hoax.
6 He said he was thrilled when people believed one of his pictures.
VOCABULARY REPORTING VERBS
4A Give Ss a minute or two to read the news story or ask one of the Ss to read it out loud. Then ask Ss to discuss with a partner whether they think Les Brown is telling the truth or not. Hold a vote to decide and elicit one or two reasons.
B Ask Ss to check their predictions against the update. Ask Ss whether they have heard of any similar stories and elicit any details Ss remember.
C Display the texts and underline the fi rst reporting verb as an example. Give Ss a minute to underline the rest. Check the answers as a class.
Answers: accused, denies, promised, refused, admitted, persuaded, warned, apologized, agreed
D Ask Ss to fi nd a verb in one of the texts that is followed by the -ing form . Put Ss into pairs to complete the rest of the table.
Answers:
1 -ing form: deny, admit
2 preposition + -ing form: apologize for doing sth 3 object + preposition + -ing form: accuse sb of doing sth 4 infi nitive: promise, refuse, agree
5 object + infi nitive : persuade sb to do sth, warn sb to do sth
5A Do the fi rst one as an example with the class and then assign the task as individual work. Ask Ss to compare their answers in pairs and then check as a class.
Answers:
1 -ing form: suggest 4 infi nitive: threaten, offer
5 object + infi nitive: tell sb to do sth, invite sb to do sth, advise sb to do sth, remind sb to do sth
B Ask Ss to mark where they think the stress is on each word and then play the recording for Ss to check. Drill the correct stress with the class.
Answers:
Stress on the fi rst syllable: pro mise, threa ten, o ffer, warn, tell Stress on the second syllable: de ny , ad mit , su ggest , a po logize, ac cuse , re fuse , a gree, per suade , in vite , ad vise , re mind
C Complete the fi rst one as an example on the board. Assign the rest as individual work to be checked in pairs.
Answers: 1 of not taking 2 not to talk 3 not to lie 4 for not telling ( for not having told is also possible) 5 not to do
S7.3
TEACHER’S NOTES
102
7.2
6A Ask Ss to read through the situations quickly and decide which they would fi nd the most diffi cult to deal with.
Discuss their answers briefl y as a class and put them in pairs to complete the questions. Vocabulary to check: betray (hurt someone who trusts you), bonus (extra money above your basic salary—usually for good work) and take credit for (accept praise for something, even if it wasn’t your hard work).
Answers:
1 a) to pay b) doing ( having done is also possible) c) for acting ( for having acted is also possible) 2 a) of betraying b) to believe c) writing, never to do 3 a) to take b) to go c) for not keeping
4 a) to do b) asking c) to report
B Ss should note each other’s answers and see where they agree. You could also encourage Ss to write an extra answer for any of the situations where they would react differently and share these with the class in feedback.
SPEAKING
7A Ask Ss to read the statements and explain any diffi cult words. Vocabulary to check: manipulation (a change to something), idealized (perfect) and public fi gures (not ordinary members of the public but well-known people). Ss choose two statements and, for each one, write down a reason for and a reason against with a partner and think of examples to support their ideas.
B After Ss work in groups, elicit a reason for and against each statement from the class.
WRITING A DISCURSIVE ESSAY; LEARN TO USE LINKERS OF CONTRAST
8A If there are any stories concerning celebrities currently in the news, you could bring in some news headlines and/
or pictures and put them on the board for Ss to discuss what they know about the story, what they think of the celebrity involved, etc. Ss then read the essay and discuss their reactions in small groups.
Answer: The essay is about topic 3: “The media should be free to examine the lives of public fi gures.”
B Before Ss underline the correct alternatives, you could ask them to decide on the purpose of each paragraph with a partner. Then they can do the exercise to check their ideas.
Answers: 1 explains why the topic is of interest 2 for 3 against 4 gives the writer’s
9A While Ss circle the linkers, write the four sentences on the board so you can highlight them in the next stage.
Answers: 1 despite 2 While 3 Although 4 However B Give Ss a few minutes to discuss the questions. You could also ask them which of the linkers can go at the beginning or in the middle of the sentence.
Answers:
1 a comma
2 an - ing form (e.g., despite knowing ) 3 The main clauses are:
sentence 1—Celebrities invite publicity … sentence 2—… others never want or plan for it.
sentence 3— … often they are more interested in selling a sensational story.
4 the subordinate clause
C Ss work on this alone and compare answers in pairs.
Answers:
1 Some celebrities are good role models for young people.
However, others set a negative example. / Although some celebrities are good role models for young people, others set a negative example.
2 Despite the fact that anonymously published Internet news is unreliable, many people rely on it as a main source of information. OR Despite anonymously published Internet news being unreliable, … OR Despite the unreliability of anonymously published Internet news, … / While anonymously published Internet news is unreliable, many people rely on it as a main source of information.
3 While false reports of celebrity deaths are common, some people still believe them. / False reports of celebrity deaths are common.
However, some people still believe them.
4 Although the scandal damaged his reputation, he still has millions of fans. / Despite the scandal damaging his reputation, he still has millions of fans. OR Despite the fact that the scandal damaged his reputation, … OR Despite the damage that the scandal did to his reputation, …
10A Ss could decide on a topic in pairs and brainstorm some ideas, then work alone to write notes for each paragraph.
B Ss write a fi rst draft in class, then read their partners’
work and give them some feedback. Ss write a fi nal draft for homework.
Homework Ideas
• Language Bank: 7.2 Ex. A–B, p. 141 • Workbook: Ex. 1–5, pp. 48–49
Though tabloids are still popular, most people watch entertainment programs or morning shows on television.
The E! Channel is entirely dedicated to celebrity news and gossip.
TEACHER’S NOTES
103
7.3