Class

By Pamela Linwood

in

The Internet Movie Database

[A2 PRE-INTERMEDIATE]

GETTING STARTED

A - Before you start

Answer the questions with a partner.
1) Do you often go to the cinema?
2) What kind of films do you like?
3) Where do you look for information if you cant
remember the names of the actors or the director
of a film?
4) Have you ever used the Internet Movie Database
(IMDb)?
READING

B Read and answer

Read these statements and write T (true) or F (false).
1) The IMDb contains information about all the films
that have ever been made.
2) The information on IMDb is nearly always accurate.
3) The website was first started in Hollywood.
4) Its founder, Col Needham, lives near Bristol.
5) Nick Park and Col Needham both moved to
Bristol from the north of England.
6) Needham started the film database in his
spare time.
7) He isnt the boss of IMDb any more.
8) Needham saw his first film when he was
a teenager.
C Read and answer
Read the article again and answer the questions.
1) Who uses the database, besides film fans?
2) What does the article say about the popularity
of the IMDb website?
3) What kind of films are the Wallace and
Gromit films?
4) Where did Needham move to Bristol from?
5) Why did he move to Bristol?
6) Who did he sell the company to?
7) How does the website make money?

8) What effect did seeing the movie Jaws have

on Needham?
D Learn it! Use it!
Complete these sentences with words from the
glossary. (You may have to adapt the word(s)
in some way, e.g. change the verb tense.)
1) At the job interview, they asked me if I had
________ worked while I was a student.
2) Sarah is a graphic designer who works for an
________ company.
3) A _______ _______ is a person who writes the
script of a film.

Answers on page 6

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4) Jacks children are an embarrassment because

they always ________ badly.
5) I have a ________ to my favourite newspaper so
I can read it online.
6) I found Charlottes phone number in the telephone
________.
7) Thomas has never been to the USA because
hes ________ of flying.
8) Our dog looks ferocious but ______________ hes
very friendly.
KET EXAM PRACTICE

E Ready for KET? (Paper 1, Part 5)

Choose the best word for each space.
Wallace and Gromit are characters in a series of
animated films. They were created 1________ (from/
by/of) Nick Park of Ardman Animations. Wallace
is 2_________ (an/a/one) absent-minded inventor
who is very fond 3________ (for/about/of) cheese.
He has various jobs, but in his 4________ (busy/
open/spare) time, he builds complicated machines
5
________ (who/that/they) often dont work. Gromit
is Wallaces pet dog and his 6________ (best/
better/worse) friend. He is generally more intelligent
7
________ (of/than/that) his owner, Wallace. Gromit
doesnt 8________ (never/rarely/usually) speak.

Instead he communicates through his facial

expressions and body language.
The Wallace and Gromit films are popular all over
the world and have been translated into over 20
languages.
AFTER YOU READ

F Write about it
Write about a cartoon character that you particularly like.
Mention:
- who/what the character represents;
- the characters personality;
- what he/she/it usually does;
- where the cartoons are popular;
- why you like this character.

Gabrielle Zevin A Letter to the Editor

[C1 ADVANCED]

GETTING STARTED

A - Before you start

Answer the questions with a partner.
1) What was the title of the last book you read?
2) Did you read it on paper or as an e-book?
3) What changes has the arrival of digital books
brought about for authors, publishers and
booksellers?
4) If you wanted to become a writer, what would
be the best way to start, in your opinion?
LISTENING

GTres

B Listen and answer

Read these statements. Then listen (without reading)
and write T (true) or F (false).
1) Gabrielle Zevin is a well-known screenwriter who
has written a novel.
2) Zevin says she went out with Lyle just because
they were both fans of Guns NRoses.
2 two

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3) After the Guns NRoses concert, she sent an

angry letter to a newspaper to complain that the
concert had been a great disappointment.
4) As a result, an editor of the newspaper phoned
to ask her to contribute to it.
5) At the time, he didnt know how old she was.
6) She thinks writing to newspapers is still a good
way to become a writer.
7) Its impossible to predict whether a particular
book will be successful because there are too
many factors involved.
8) The number of books that are self-published is
about the same as the number that are published
conventionally.
READING

C Read and answer

Read the article and answer the questions.
1) Why did Zevin leave her boyfriend, Lyle, the
morning after the concert?
2) What two phrases indicate that she didnt enjoy
Lyles company at all?
3) Why did she think it natural to express her
annoyance at the review of the concert by writing
to the newspaper?
4) Why isnt it necessary to write angry letters to
newspapers any more?
5) What connection does Gabrielle Zevin make
between letter-writing and writing books?
6) What do writers have to come to terms with,
according to Zevin?
D Learn it! Use it!
Complete these sentences with words from the
glossary. (You may have to adapt the word(s)
in some way, e.g. change the verb tense or change
from singular to plural.)
1) The Times ________ a series of articles about
historic pubs this month.
2) We were ________ when we found out that our
flight had been cancelled because there werent
many passengers.
3) James picked up the letter and ________ it to
Karen to read.
4) That crossword puzzle was difficult but ________
I managed to solve it.
5) The children loved the film, although the _______
_______ was rather difficult for them.
6) The meetings probably going to last for several hours
because there are quite a few ________ to discuss.

CAE EXAM PRACTICE

E - Ready for CAE? (Paper 3: Use of English, 5)

Complete the second sentence so that it has a
similar meaning to the first sentence, using the
word given. Do not change the word given. Use
between 3 and 6 words including the word given.
Example: Gabrielle Zevin has written some books
which are best-sellers.
IS
Gabrielle Zevin is a best-selling author.
1) Editorial Lumen has made a Spanish
translation of her latest book.
TRANSLATED
Her latest book _________________________
Editorial Lumen.
2) The car was mainly what attracted me to this
boyfriend at the time.
MAIN
The car _________________________ this
boyfriend at the time.
3) We had decided on going to see Guns
NRoses.
ARRANGEMENT
We had _________________________ to see Guns
NRoses.
three 3

4) It was arranged that Lyle would drive me.

SUPPOSED
Lyle _________________________ drive me.
5) My age wasnt mentioned in the conversation.
UP
My age _________________________ in the
conversation.
6) Nobody knows your identity when you write
something.
WHO
Nobody knows _________________________ when
you write something.
7) Thats how I happened to get my first writing job.
ENDED
Thats how I _________________________ my first
writing job.
8) Some of it is a matter of kismet.
HAS
Some of it ___________________________ with
kismet.

Call an Ambulance

F Talk about it
In pairs or groups.
1) Have you ever protested about something on a
social media site? If so, what?
2) Have you ever written a letter to a newspaper?
If so, what was it about? Was it a letter of
complaint? Was your letter published?
3) Would you like to become a writer? If so, what
would you like to write about?
G Write about it
Imagine that you bought something and werent satisfied
with it. Write a letter of complaint to the company.
Begin your letter with Dear Sirs and end it with Yours
faithfully.
Explain in the letter:
- where and when you bought the item;
- whats wrong with it;
- what you would like the company to do about it.

[B1 INTERMEDIATE]

GETTING STARTED

A Before you start

Answer the questions with a partner.
1) Do you know what number to dial to call an
ambulance?
2) Have you ever called one? What for?
3) What kind of person do you have to be to work
for an ambulance service?

4 four

AFTER YOU READ AND LISTEN

LISTENING

B Listen and answer

Listen to the main article (without reading) and write
T (true) or F (false) beside these statements.
1) You can practise summer and winter sports in
New York Citys Central Park.
2) The Central Park Medical Unit provides
emergency medical treatment all week.

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3) Most of the employees of the CPMU are

volunteers.
4) They use several different types of vehicles
to respond to emergency calls.
5) The CPMU only operate within Central Park.
C Listen to the interview (Optional)
N.B. This interview is graded as C1, so dont be
discouraged if you find it difficult. Try to understand
the main points.
Read these statements. Then listen to the interview
with Brennon Jones, without reading, and write
T (true) or F (false).
1) Brennon Jones is almost 60.
2) Because of his experience as a journalist in war
zones, hes never been afraid of the sight of blood.
3) Brennon isnt affected by what he sees because
he has to concentrate on following procedures.
4) Even before he became an EMT, he had a strong
sense of being part of the community.
5) The CPMU is one of many volunteer ambulance
corps in the USA.
6) Many of the CPMU volunteers are young people
who want to study medicine.
D Listen, read and check your answers
Listen to the interview while reading the text.(If you did
Exercise D, check your answers while reading.)
READING

E Read and answer

Read the main article and answer the questions.
1) Why is Central Park a good place for cycling,
jogging and skating at weekends?
2) Who should you call in an emergency on
weekdays?
3) Why is it difficult for normal ambulances to get
to people needing help in Central Park?
4) Whats special about the CPMU ambulances?
5) Which vehicles are used when theres snow
on the ground?
6) Which disasters did CPMU volunteers respond to?
F Learn it! Use it!
Complete these sentences with words from the
glossary. (You may have to adapt the word(s) in some
way, e.g. change the verb tense or change from plural
to singular.)
1) Anne didnt see the bags on the floor and she
________ and hit her head on a chair.

2) This hotel isnt suitable for ________ people.

Theres no lift.
3) The company received so many orders for their
new product that they couldnt ________ them.
4) After his vaccination, Tom felt dizzy and thought
he was going to ________.
5) At the end of the garden, there was a small
________ with frogs living in it.
6) I couldnt ride my bike up the hill because it was
too ________.
PET EXAM PRACTICE

G Ready for PET? (Paper 1, Writing: Part 1)

Complete the second sentence with 1 to 3 words
so that it means the same as the first. (They are
constructions used in the article.)
1) On weekends you cant drive through the park.
On weekends the roads through the park are
________________ cars.
2) None of the employees working at the CPMU are
paid.
The CMPU has ____________ employees.
3) In 1975, an ambulance often arrived 45 to 90
minutes after the call.
In 1975, it ________________ 45 to 90 minutes for
an ambulance to arrive.
five 5

4) Brennon Jones became a member of the CPMU

20 years ago.
Brennon Jones ________________ a member of the
CPMU for 20 years.
5) Working for the CPMU, you meet all the ER staff,
the nurses and doctors.
Working for the CPMU, you ________________
know all the ER staff, the nurses and doctors.
6) I am responsible for anyone in the community
who is hurt.
Anyone in the community who is hurt is
________________.
AFTER YOU READ AND LISTEN

H Talk about it
In pairs or groups.
1) What do you know about the voluntary
organisations in your area? What do they do?
Who are they organised by? Do you or any of your
friends belong to them?
2) Are there any volunteer ambulance services?
If so, what are they called?
3) Are you the kind of person who can keep calm
in an emergency?
4) Would you be the right kind of person to work
for an ambulance service? Why (not)?

Answers
THE INTERNET MOVIE
DATABASE
B Read and answer

1) T
2) F Its always accurate.
3) F It was first started in Bristol.
4) T
5) T
6) T
7) F He sold the company but
he is still the boss.
8) F He saw his first film when
he was eight years old.
C Read and answer
1) Journalists and people in the film
industry (actors, directors, etc.).
2) Its one of the worlds 50 most
visited websites. It has 160 million
6 six

unique users per month.

3) They are animated films.
(Theyre about life in the industrial
north of England.)
4) From Manchester.
5) To work as an engineer at Hewlett Packard.
6) He sold it to Amazon.
7) It makes money from advertising
and from its subscription service,
IMDb Pro.
8) It made him scared of both the
sea and swimming pools.
D Learn it! Use it!

1)
2)
3)
4)

ever
advertising
screenplay writer
behave

5)
6)
7)
8)

subscription
directory
scared
actually

E Ready for KET?

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)

by
an
of
spare
that
best
than
usually

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GABRIELLE ZEVIN
A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
B Listen and answer

1) F She is a novelist who has

also written a screenplay.
2) F She went out with him
because he had a car.
3) F She complained because
she didnt agree with their review
of the concert.
4) T
5) T
6) F She doesnt recommend it.
7) T
8) T
C Read and answer
1) Because she wasnt in love with
him. She had only needed him to
drive her to the concert.
2) She says she toughed it out

CALL AN AMBULANCE
B Listen and answer

1) T
2) F It provides it at weekends.
3) F They are all volunteers.
4) T
5) F - If needed, they operate
outside the park, too.

D Learn it! Use it!

while she was waiting for the concert, and shed suffered a lot to
go to the concert.
3) Because she comes from a
family of angry letter writers.
4) Because there are so many
other places where you can express your anger, like Facebook,
Amazon, and other social media
outlets.
5) She says that writing a book is
like writing a letter to someone.
6) They have to accept the fact
that most books are failures

he was consistently frightened by

the sight of blood.
3) T
4) F He says he wasnt really a
part of his community.
5) T
6) T
E Read and answer

C Listen, read and check your

answers
1) F Hes in his 60s.
2) F When he was in war zones,

1) Because its roads are closed

to traffic.
2) You should call the New York
Fire Department.

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)

ran
outraged
handed
eventually
subject matter
issues

E Ready for CAE?

1) has been translated into

Spanish by
2) was the main attraction of
3) made an arrangement to go
4) was supposed to
5) didnt come up
6) who you are
7) ended up getting
8) has to do

3) Because there are steep hills,

curvy paths, ravines and lots of
steps.
4) They fit all the bridges and
tunnels in the park.
5) Polaris Rangers are used.
6) They responded to two airplane
crashes, to the 9/11 attacks on
the World Trade Center and to
the Hurricane Sandy disaster.
F Learn it! Use it!

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)

tripped
elderly
handle
faint
pond
steep

G Ready for PET?

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)

closed to
no paid
often took
has been
get to
my responsibility
seven 7