Unit 6 /page 48+49
Speaking: page 48, exercise 1
1 Many students choose to go on an exchange to study in another country. Why do you think they do this? Work in pairs to answer, listing as many reasons as you can.
In my opinion, I think that many students choose to go on an exchange to study in another country because studying abroad can open many career paths for them. In addition, they can make new friends and get introduced to new cultures. They can also learn a new language.
Listening:page 48, exercise 2
2 Listen to a lecture about an international student exchange programme. Does the speaker mention any of the reasons you discussed in exercise 1? Take notes on the content of the lecture, concentrating on reasons for studying abroad.
(The purpose of the lecture is to increase awareness of and promote an exchange programme.)
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Audioscript Have you ever thought about studying in another country? Our student exchange programme can take you to all corners of the globe. Here are the top five ways that studying abroad can help your degree mean more: 1 You can increase your employment prospects by graduating with an international degree – employers are increasingly placing a high value on international experience. 2 In our experience, 84% of participating students felt that studying abroad helped them to build valuable job skills, such as language proficiency, cultural training and communication skills. 3 You will have the chance to study at some of the top universities for teaching and research around the world. 4 You will develop a greater understanding of your own culture and that of others, as well as meeting new people and developing lifelong friendships around the world. 5 Finally, most exchange students really grow in self-confidence and become more independent, while learning more about themselves at the same time. So if you want to get more from your degree, then consider an international exchange or overseas study programme. It’s your passport to experiencing a truly global education.
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Reasons for studying abroad mentioned in the lecture:
1 increasing employment prospects
2 building valuable job skills
3 studying at top universities
4 understanding own and other cultures; make friends
5 being self-confident, independent; learn about ourselves
Vocabulary: page 48, exercise 3
3 Listen again and check the meaning of the words in the yellow box from the recording. Then, complete this paragraph with the appropriate words.
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increasingly prospects global proficiency lifelong abroad |
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Words |
Meanings in English |
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proficiency |
a good standard of ability and skill |
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global |
relating to the entire world |
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lifelong |
continuing or existing throughout your life |
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prospects |
chances of being successful |
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abroad |
out of the country |
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increasingly |
in an increasing way |
Complete this paragraph with the appropriate words.
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If you do a degree in Medicine or Law, you will find that your job (1)prospects are better than if you do a more general degree. However, language (2)proficiency is becoming (3)increasingly important for anyone who wants to travel or work(4)abroad for a large (5)global company or organisation. Remember, it’s never too late to study or change career direction. Studying is a (6)lifelong activity - you’re never too old to start! |
Speaking: page 48, exercise 4
What do you know about the German-Jordanian University? Work in pairs and guess the correct answers.
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The German-Jordanian University (GJU) is a (1) private / public university near (2) Madaba / Petra. It opened in (3) 1995 / 2005 CE. The university enrolls (4) less / more than 5,000 students, who come from Jordan and (5) many other countries / Germany. About (6) 40 / 14 per cent of all students are non-Jordanian. The university differs from other universities by offering (7) German / French language courses in preparation for the fourth year, which most students spend working or studying in Germany. The university also has a very good reputation for English and Arabic language courses. |
Speaking: page 48, exercise 6
6 Imagine that you are talking to foreign students studying at the German-Jordanian University. What do you think their experience of studying and living in Jordan has been like? Work in pairs.
Answers
Stayed with a wonderful family; found Arabic classes challenging; studied hard; met like-minded students; enjoyed the culture of Jordan; improved my skills in Arabic.
Reading
7 Read a visiting student’s blog post and check your answers to exercise 6.
Two summers ago, I spent five months studying Arabic at the German-Jordanian University near Madaba. As my father is originally from Jordan, I grew up speaking Arabic as well as German. However, I had never studied Arabic formally, and when the opportunity came up for me to spend a year in Jordan studying Arabic, I didn’t hesitate for one moment.
I have relatives in Jordan and they arranged for me to stay with a wonderful family who live just outside Madaba. I was amazed by the number of international students there, who were not only from Germany, but from all over the world. Most of them had studied Arabic to a high level. I’m very familiar with colloquial Arabic, which is what my family speaks and understands. The Arabic class, in Modern Standard Arabic, was challenging, especially the grammar.
Every week, we had to learn a vocabulary list of around 50 words. We covered many topics. Living with a family helped to improve my Arabic-speaking skills because, while all the students heard Arabic in the classroom and streets, I could also practise it at home. I really put my back into it, and I earned an A on the course.
What impressed me most about students in Jordan was their behaviour and their attitude to studying. All the students who I met appreciated the importance of their university education and
the opportunities it would give them to contribute to their country’s prosperity. They also showed extremely positive values. Everybody was honest, and people discussed problems rather than getting angry if they disagreed with each other.
As someone who enjoys delicious food, beautiful places and friendly, hospitable people, studying in Jordan was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I made many new friends. I also improved my Arabic speaking, writing and reading skills. My dream is to be fluent in Arabic one day – and as I intend to return to Jordan as often as I can, I know I’m going to make this dream a reality.
Keywords
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Words |
Meanings in English |
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Put (my) back into it |
To put a lot of effort into something |
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Colloquial |
(adjective) (of language or words) used mainly in informal conversations rather than in writing or formal speech |
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Fluently |
Speaking a language very well, like a native speaker |
A visiting student's blog post
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Two summers ago, I spent five months studying Arabic at the German-Jordanian University near Madaba. As my father is originally from Jordan, I grew up speaking Arabic as well as German. However, I had never studied Arabic formally, and when the opportunity came up for me to spend a year in Jordan studying Arabic, I didn’t hesitate for one moment. I have relatives in Jordan and they arranged for me to stay with a wonderful family who live just outside Madaba. I was amazed by the number of international students there, who were not only from Germany, but from all over the world. Most of them had studied Arabic to a high level. I’m very familiar with colloquial Arabic, which is what my family speaks and understands. The Arabic class, in Modern Standard Arabic, was challenging, especially the grammar. |
The reasons why Anita was so willing to study Arabic in Jordan are:
- Her father is originally from Jordan
- She has always spoken Arabic at home, but she had never studied it formally
- She has relatives in Jordan
-Anita can speak two languages: Arabic and German
-Anita's relatives arranged for her to stay with a family who live just outside Madaba.
-Many students from all over the world come to study at German-Jordanian University.
-The underlined relative pronoun 'who' refers to a wonderful family.
The underlined pronoun there refers to 'The Geman-Jordanian University'.
The underlined pronoun 'them' refers to International students.
The underlined relative pronoun 'which' refers to colloquial Arabic.
-The Arabic class was in Modern Standard Arabic.
The most challenging thing in the course was the grammar.
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Every week, we had to learn a vocabulary list of around 50 words. We covered many topics. Living with a family helped to improve my Arabic-speaking skills because, while all the students heard Arabic in the classroom and streets, I could also practise it at home. I really put my back into it, and I earned an A on the course. What impressed me most about students in Jordan was their behaviour and their attitude to studying. All the students who I met appreciated the importance of their university education and the opportunities it would give them to contribute to their country’s prosperity. They also showed extremely positive values. Everybody was honest, and people discussed problems rather than getting angry if they disagreed with each other. |
-The number of words that students had to learn every week is 50 words
-The benefit of living with a family for Anita is that it helped her to improve her Arabic-speaking skills.
- Anita tried very hard in the course and she could earn an 'A' on the course.
- The underlined pronoun 'it' refers to Arabic.
- The underlined pronoun 'it' refers to learning Arabic language.
-Several aspects of the Jordanian students impressed Anita including:
- Their behaviour
- Their attitude to studying.
- The underlined pronoun (their x2) refers to Jordanian students'.
-Anita is impressed about:
- How Jordanian students appreciated the importance of their university and the opportunities it would give them to contribute to the prosperity of Jordan.
- How they showed high positive values such as honesty and discussing issues rather than getting angry.
-The underlined relative pronoun who refers to students.
- The underlined pronoun their refers to Jordanian students'.
The underlined pronoun 'it' refers to university education.
The underlined pronoun 'them' refers to Jordanian students.
The underlined pronoun(their x2) refers to Jordanian students'
| As someone who enjoys delicious food, beautiful places and friendly, hospitable people, studying in Jordan was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I made many new friends. I also improved my Arabic speaking, writing and reading skills. My dream is to be fluent in Arabic one day – and as I intend to return to Jordan as often as I can, I know I’m going to make this dream a reality. |
Anita has got many benefits from studying in Jordan such as:
- Making new friends
- Improving her Arabic writing, reading and speaking skills
Anita's dream is to be fluent in Arabic.
Anita is going to achieve her dream by returning to Jordan as often as she can.
The underlined relative pronoun 'who' refers to Anita.
The underlined pronoun 'this' refers to becoming fluent in Arabic.
Body idioms
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Body Idioms |
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put(my) back into it |
To put a lot of effort into something |
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get it off your chest |
To tell someone about something that has been worrying about |
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get cold feet |
To lose your confidence in something at the last minute |
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keep your chin up |
To remain cheerful in difficult situations |
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play it by ear |
To decide how to deal with a situation as it develops |
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have ahead for figures |
To have a natural mental ability for math / numbers |