Module 4 

Lesson 1

If you are happy, write about it!

Different systems of writings and different styles of writing

Before you start

Look at the photos.

1  2.3. 

4.   5. 

 

 

Do you know any languages that use these alphabets?

Answers

1. Ancient Chinese ideograms

2. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics

3. A welcome sign for tourists in different languages (Arabic: أهلاً وسهلاً; French: Bienvenue; English: Welcome; Spanish: Bienvenidos; German: Willkommen, etc.)

4. Old Russian typewriter

5. Arabic calligraphy 

 

In which countries are these languages used?

Students’ own answers

 

Audioscript

It took primitive man thousands of years to invent writing. All over the world, different civilisations developed their own languages and their own writing systems. The more efficient the written language was, the faster the civilisation developed. The Egyptian civilisation, the Sumerian civilisation (ancestors of the Iraqis), the Indus Valley civilisation and the Chinese civilisation were the first to communicate by writing. This is why they are considered the most developed ancient civilisations. Samples of writing from these civilisations have survived. They are about 5,500 years old. Hieroglyphics were one of the first modes of graphic communication. Hieroglyphic writing was the picture writing that Egyptians and the Mayans used. Nowadays, systems for writing are based on symbols for sounds not on pictures. We call these systems alphabets. The first alphabet was invented in Ugarit – a town on the northern coast of Syria – in the 14th century BCE.

 

 

1 Listen to a specialist talking about the origin of writing. Take notes. Then, put these questions in the same order as their answers appear in the text.

1. What are hieroglyphics and who used them?

2. What did civilisations do to develop faster in the past?

3. What are the new systems for writing?

4. Which civilisations were the first to communicate by writing?

Answers 2; 4; 1; 3

 

2 Listen again and check your answers in pairs.

 

4 Following the Listening Strategies, listen to the words below in context. Try to guess their meanings.

primitive, efficient, Sumerian, ancestor,  to communicate, hieroglyphics, mode

Answers

1. The primitive technology in that town just doesn’t work.

2. I’m very efficient at work – I don’t waste any time.

3. The Sumerian civilisation was in modern-day Iraq.

4. An ancestor of mine, my great-great grandfather, was a captain.

5. Communicate with me more! Let me know what you are thinking!

6. One of the first forms of writing was Egyptian hieroglyphics.

7. I love travelling by train. It’s my favourite mode of transport.

 

5 In a group, make a list of the languages you can speak and write. Which is the most difficult? Which is the easiest? Language Spoken Written

Answers

Students’ own answers

 

Lesson 2

A short history of written communication

 

When people talk about the most important developments of civilisation, they usually mention writing. Writing makes it possible for people to send messages over long distances and across time.

 Imagine living on Earth 30,000 years ago. If you are good at drawing, you will cover the walls of your cave with paintings of your hands. If you are a good hunter, you will draw the animals you’ve hunted to show people. Such drawings are among the earliest examples of ‘writing’.

Thousands of years pass, and writing moves from drawings to hieroglyphics and then alphabets. As written language develops, people realise they can communicate with other people further away. They want to send letters. But if you want to send a letter, you should use a postal service.

The earliest example of a postal service comes from ancient Egypt – a clay letter nearly 4,000 years old. The first government postal service began in China about 3,000 years ago, but people still needed something suitable to write on.

Then, 2,500 years ago, the Egyptians discovered a light, portable writing material: papyrus. Soon afterwards, messengers on foot or horseback carried messages in Egypt and China. During the reign of Augustus Caesar (27 BCE–14 CE), the Romans organised Europe’s first postal service, but after the Roman Empire collapsed, the service stopped.

In the late Middle Ages, private postal systems carried personal and business mail. People still send letters today, but if they want others to get their news right away, they send an email.

 

Before you start

What do you do if you want to post a letter?

Students' own answers

 

1.Read the text. Which came first: the alphabet, hieroglyphics or cave painting? How do you think people will communicate in twenty years' time?

 Cave painting came first. Students’ own answers

 

2 Listen to the words below in context. Try to guess their meanings.

1. Bricks made out of clay have a lovely red colour.

2. The government is doing a good job of running the country.

3. Cotton is suitable to make everyday clothes.

4. These running shoes are really light – they make lifting my feet for every step so much easier!

5. I can carry my portable radio with me everywhere.

6. Papyrus was one of the earliest materials that people wrote on.

7. Don’t hurt the messenger! He’s just bringing the news!

8. The country’s economy collapsed and led to many problems.

9. Private companies are not run by the government.

 

3.Read the text on page 38 again. Then answer the following questions.

1. How do you think cave painting helped us understand the lifestyle of the civilisations in the past?

2. In your opinion, how did the post office help people in the 60s communicate better? What's the role of the post office nowadays?

Suggested answers

1. Painting was a way for people in the past to communicate with each other and to tell about their lifestyle: how they hunted for food, the animals they used to hunt, etc.

2. The post office used to send, sort and transport mail, also redirecting wrongly-addressed mail. People could make telephone calls, send telegrams (a way of sending a printed message through a telephone) and speak to an ‘operator’ who would search for a specifi c person if the caller did not have their number. Nowadays, the post offi ce is in charge of sending letters and parcels around a country. Other methods of communication have been taken over by other companies, or replaced by the Internet.

 

 

Activity Book 

Page 30

First section

 

1 Match words and phrases from each column to find the definitions of the words in the first column. Then, write the definitions.

■ primitive ■ clay ■ efficient ■ messenger ■ to communicate

1. being effective 2. to exchange 3. relating to 4. soft wet earth 5. a person

a. information or ideas b. used for making pottery c. who delivers messages as a job d. the earliest times in history e. without wasting time or effort

Primitive means relating to the earliest times in history.

 

First Conditional

2 Choose the correct answer to complete these sentences.

1. Mum won’t drive us to school if ………….

a. we don’t ask her.

b. we won’t ask her.

 

2. If you hurry up, you

a. come with us.

b. will come with us.

 

3. I will travel abroad this summer if I …………….

a. pass all my exams.

b. will pass all my exams.

 

4. If you finish your homework, …………….

a. you go to the theatre.

b. you may go to the theatre.

 

5. If you want to succeed in life, ………………..

a. you should listen to your parents.

b. you will listen to your parents.

 

 

First section answers, page 30

1. Clay is soft wet earth that is used for making pottery.

Efficient means being effective without wasting time or effort.

A messenger is a person who delivers messages as a job.

To communicate is to exchange information or ideas.

 

 

2.       1. a       2.b       3. a          4. b       5. a