3 The kindness of strangers

Introduction to the unit Everyday English

The unit title is the title of an autobiography by the
• Using reply and echo questions to show interest or
surprise. (SB p38)
journalist Kate Adie, who is featured in Listening and
speaking. Kindness is one of the themes of the unit,
together with news stories, books, films and theatre. Skills development
The Language focus is on narrative tenses, namely Past
Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect Simple and Past Reading
Perfect Continuous. Students encounter and practise
using these tenses in both active and passive forms. Bees, Cheese and Refugees! SB p30

The text used in this initial grammar section is an uplifting • An article about Dr Ryad Alsous, ‘Professor of Bees’, and his
article about a Syrian professor who moved to England as life before and after becoming a refugee.
a refugee and started an interesting business there. Other
positive ‘heart-warming’ news stories form the basis for Writers and reviews SB p33

further practice of the narrative tenses. • A profile of an author and some short reviews of her work.
Moving on to the theme of books, the main Reading The Clinging Woman SB p34
section is about the author Ruth Rendell. Students learn
about her and then read and listen to one of her short
• A short story by Ruth Rendell, in several parts.
stories, broken down into several parts. They make
predictions, complete a synopsis, answer comprehension Listening
questions, and finally discuss the ending and their Book at bedtime SB p34
reactions to it.
• Listening to excerpts of a short story by Ruth Rendell.
The Listening and speaking section is an authentic
interview with Kate Adie, a foreign correspondent who is An interview with a BBC journalist SB p37
used to working in dangerous situations. Students hear • Listening to a long interview with Kate Adie, journalist.
a number of her stories, answer questions, and learn
new vocabulary. They discuss her experiences and her Speaking
philosophy, supporting their opinions with information
from the interview.
• Giving and reacting to news. (SB p32)
The main Vocabulary focus is books, films and theatre.
• Discussing a story review and speculating about the story.
(SB p33)
Students sort words into categories and use them to talk
about their own viewing and reading experiences. • Discussing Ruth Rendell’s short story. (SB p35)
The Everyday English section focuses on how to show • Talking about books, films and theatre. (SB p36)
surprise and interest in conversation. There’s also a Spoken • Discussing an interview with Kate Adie. (SB p37)
English focus on giving and reacting to news. • Paraphrasing one of Kate Adie’s stories. (SB p37)
In the Writing section, students work on using adverbs
effectively in written narratives. They are presented with Writing
a range of adverbs and adverbial phrases and practise
placing them in sentences and noticing where there is Using adverbs in narratives SB p132

more than one possible position. Students complete • Practising the correct placement of adverbs and adverbial
a news story about a dangerous rescue in the Alps, phrases in narratives.
adding adverbs appropriately. Finally, they write their
own narrative about a dangerous situation they’ve Additional material
experienced.
Workbook
Unit 3 focuses on a review of all narrative tenses in context,
Language aims both simple and continuous forms. The vocabulary section
focuses on descriptive adjectives used in film, theatre and
book reviews, time expressions and type 1 phrasal verbs
Language focus SB p30
with no object. The pronunciation section focuses on the
Narrative tenses spelling variations of diphthongs.
• Past Simple and Continuous and Past Perfect Simple and Photocopiable activities
Continuous in both active and passive forms. There are photocopiable activities to review grammar (In
the newsroom), vocabulary (Film and book crossword) and
Vocabulary communication (Really?). These can be found at the back
• Talking about books, films and theatre. (SB p36) of this Teacher’s Guide as well as on the Teacher’s Resource
Centre. There is also a worksheet to accompany the video on
the Teacher’s Resource Centre.
42 Unit 3 • The kindness of strangers – Overview Headway 5th edition © Oxford University Press
 Notes on the unit The bee professor!

About the text

Unit opener page
This article is about Syrian university professor Dr Ryad
Choose from these activities to engage your students with
Alsous /ælˈsʊs/, who is an expert in bees. It describes
the topic and target language of this unit:
aspects of his life in Syria and as a refugee in Huddersfield,
• Talk about the title Yorkshire in the UK. It also talks about his daughter, Razan
• Talk about the unit goals (Grammar, Vocabulary, …) /rəˈzæn/, and her business, making cheese.
• Talk about the photo You’ll need to pre-teach beekeeper and hive using the
• Talk about the quote photos on the page. Also teach refugee (a person who has
• Watch the video been forced to leave their country in order to escape war,
• Look at the bottom banner persecution or natural disaster) if necessary.
• Do the activity 1 Give students time to read the captions and look at the
Point to the title of the unit The kindness of strangers. Focus photos (but don’t let them read the article yet!). Elicit what
students’ attention on the photo and elicit some ideas about they think the article is about.
what it shows.
Put students in pairs to think of questions they have about
Video introduction (6 minutes approximately): Before the article. With a weaker group, put pairs together to
beginning the unit, you could ask the students to watch the share their questions if they haven’t thought of very many.
video introduction, which can be found on the Teacher’s
Resource Centre at headwayonline.com. The video Answer
features speakers from a variety of countries expressing their It’s about a university professor called Dr Ryad Alsous who came
opinions about the unit theme. to England as a refugee.
You could ask your students to answer the same questions 2 Students read the article and answer the question. Elicit
themselves in class to engage with the unit topic, or you could this answer and any questions that they thought of in
choose to use the video either within or at the end of the unit. exercise 1 which they have found an answer to.
Don’t forget that there are many exercises to consolidate
and practise the target language of the unit in the Workbook Answer
The title refers to the bees that Dr Alsous keeps, the cheese
as well as online. There are links to these exercises on the
connects with the Yorkshire Dama Cheese company that his
relevant pages of the Student’s Book and they can be done daughter set up in England, and refugees refers to the fact that
in class time or you can set them for homework. both Dr Alsous and Razan were Syrian refugees who came to
Summary: If you don’t have time to watch the video, use England to make a new life.
the title and the photo to help students understand and
engage with the topic, and then move straight on to the 3 Now students use a set of prompts in order to create
activity so that they can discuss the theme in more detail. more questions. Give them time to write the questions
Notes for activity: individually. Remind them that the focus of the lesson is
past tense forms. Monitor and encourage them to self-
1 Put students into pairs and ask them to discuss the
correct any errors where possible.
questions. Check answers with the class.
In pairs, students take turns to ask and answer the
2 Ask students to read the quote by Holly Branson
questions.
(daughter of Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin
group). Put students into pairs to discuss the questions. e 3.1 Play the recording for students to listen and check
Elicit interesting answers in feedback. both questions and answers.
You could elicit that the Buzz Project is so called because
Language focus SB p30 buzz is the sound made by bees.
Answers and audioscript
Narrative tenses
e 3.1 The bee professor!
TEST YOUR GRAMMAR 1 Q Why did Dr Alsous leave his country?
Use this section to check whether your students can A Because war broke out.
identify the narrative tenses which they are going to 2 Q What had he been doing at Damascus University?
be focusing on. Ask them to do the matching task A He’d been researching bees.
3 Q What happened to his beehives?
individually.
A They were all destroyed.
Check the answers without lengthy explanation at this 4 Q Why did he go to England?
stage. You could point out or elicit that perfect and A Because his daughter, Razan, had already moved there.
passive forms contain past participles and that continuous 5 Q Where was Razan living when he arrived?
tenses contain verbs ending in -ing. A In Huddersfield in the north-west.
6 Q Why couldn’t he find a job as a beekeeper?
Answers
A Because he was overqualified.
It was raining … = Past Continuous
7 Q How was he helped to start a business?
I was soaked to the skin … = Past Simple Passive
A A lady from Manchester gave him a beehive.
I’d missed my bus … = Past Perfect Simple
8 Q When and why did he launch the Buzz Project?
I’d been walking for an hour … = Past Perfect Continuous
A He launched it last year to train refugees and the
A kind passer-by gave me an umbrella … = Past Simple
unemployed in beekeeping.

Headway 5th edition © Oxford University Press Unit 3 • The kindness of strangers 43
 4 Give students time to read the beginnings and endings of In stories, verbs in the Past Simple give the events
sentences in columns A and B. Elicit the first answer as an in chronological order. By using the Past Perfect, the
example for the class if necessary. speaker can give the events in a different order, e.g.
Students do the matching task individually. Put them in  I had breakfast. Then I cleaned my teeth. / I cleaned my
pairs to share their answers and to label the past tenses. teeth when I’d had breakfast. Without the Past Perfect
Refer them back to the Test your grammar section if they in the second example, the order of events could be
can’t remember the names. misunderstood, with bizarre results – eating breakfast
e 3.2 Play the recording to listen and check. and cleaning teeth at the same time!
Elicit the names of the tenses in each sentence (given in Note that when we use time sequencers such as after
brackets below). If students have difficulty understanding and before, the sequence of events is clear and the use
the sequence of events in the article, you could draw of the Past Perfect is optional, e.g. I cleaned my teeth
timelines to illustrate them. after I had breakfast. / I cleaned my teeth after I’d had
breakfast.
Answers and audioscript 3 Pronunciation. Students may have problems with the
e 3.2 Bees, Cheese and Refugees! sentence stress and weak forms on the auxiliaries was,
1 Dr Alsous left his home after war broke out. (Past Simple, Past were, had and been. In normal pronunciation, was,
Simple) were and had are weak forms with the sound /ə/:
2 His daughter had moved to England a few years before him. I was /wəz/ waiting for ages.
(Past Perfect) They were /wə/ driving home.
3 When he arrived to join her, she was just starting her cheese He had /həd/ promised to call.
company. (Past Simple, Past Continuous)
It’s also common to reduce He had to He’d. /hiːd/.
4 Posting on Facebook didn’t help him find any work. (Past
Simple)
In the Past Perfect Simple and Continuous, been
5 He was helped by a kind lady who gave him a beehive. (Past usually has weak pronunciation /bɪn/: They’d been
Simple Passive, Past Simple) /bɪn/ away.
6 He launched the Buzz Project because he wanted to help 1 Give students time to read the two paragraphs and
people like himself. (Past Simple, Past Simple) think about their answers. Put them in pairs to compare
7 He was interviewed by the BBC because of the project. (Past and then check answers with the class.
Simple Passive)
8 Razan won the World Cheese Award in 2017. (Past Simple) Answers
Paragraph b is better because it flows more and is less disjointed.
It’s more coherent due to the use of relative clauses and linkers.
LANGUAGE FOCUS 2 Remind students to look for both active and passive
Possible problems forms of the past tenses and then give them a few
The tenses covered here are Past Simple active and minutes to find and underline them. Elicit answers from
passive, Past Continuous, Past Perfect Simple, and Past the class.
Perfect Continuous. Students are likely to be familiar Answers
with all of the tenses in this section, but may still make arrived, was wearing, worked, was known, had, had been
mistakes in use when switching between them. They researching, broke out, were destroyed, had already left, had
may also make form mistakes in the more complex verb moved, were living, was setting up, has since become, won, told,
forms. had been, came, needed, had left, was wearing, posted, was,
gave, started, built, launched, was interviewed
1 Past Simple vs Past Continuous. If the students’ own
language does not have a direct equivalent of the Past Refer students to Grammar reference 3. 1–3. 2 on SB
Continuous, students may misuse it in English. The pp153–4.
two main areas of confusion are as follows:
• I got back home at three in the afternoon. *The sun
shone. *The trees blew in the breeze.
Writing SB p132

The Past Simple is correct in the first sentence Narrative writing (1) – Using adverbs in narratives
for a finished past action. In the second and third This section focuses on using adverbs referring to time, place
sentences, the Past Continuous is needed to describe and manner in narrative writing. Students work at sentence
longer ‘background’ actions or situations: The sun was and text level to position adverbs correctly. They analyse a
shining. The trees were blowing in the breeze. model text and distinguish background information from
• *I was working in a factory for 15 years when I was a the main story, before planning and writing their own
young man. stories. The lesson finishes with a storytelling session in
Here the Past Simple, rather than the Continuous, is which students share their stories.
needed to describe a routine in the finished past. We
would only use the Past Continuous here if the action NOTE
were ‘temporary’, e.g. I was working in a factory for a
Students at this level will be familiar with the formation
few weeks last summer. (But note that the Past Simple
of adverbs from adjectives with the addition of -ly or -ily.
would also be correct here.)
They should also have no difficulty in using common time
2 Past Simple vs Past Perfect. The Past Perfect is used to
adverbials such as ago, then, yet, etc. They may still make
look back to a time in the past and refer to an action
mistakes in positioning adverbs of different types correctly
that happened before it (the ‘past in the past’).
in a sentence. There are no fixed rules on word order, but the
following is an overview of basic guidelines.
44 Unit 3 • The kindness of strangers Headway 5th edition © Oxford University Press
 There are three basic positions for an adverb: Answers
1 initial position (before the subject): Linking adverbs, 1 I frequently used to go skiing in winter.
which join a clause to what was said before, always come at I used to go skiing frequently in winter.
the start of a clause or sentence, e.g. The house was meant to 2 I especially enjoyed going to Colorado with my family.
be haunted. However, nobody has ever seen a ghost there. I enjoyed going to Colorado, especially with my family.
Time adverbs can come at the start when contrasting with 3 Then, two years ago, I had a really bad accident.
Then I had a really bad accident two years ago.
a previous time reference, e.g. She didn’t hear anything from
4 I skied headfirst into a tree.
him on Saturday. The following day, her mobile rang at 6 a.m. 5 Unfortunately, I broke my leg in three places.
Comment and opinion adverbs can also come here when 6 I’d definitely like to go skiing again one day.
emphasizing what we are about to say, e.g. It was very rainy. One day, I’d definitely like to go skiing again.
Fortunately, we had packed our waterproof coats. 7 But I don’t feel confident enough yet.
2 mid position (between the subject and verb or 8 However, my family still go skiing every February.
immediately after be): Just, even, adverbs of frequency (e.g. My family, however, still go skiing every February.
Every February, however, my family still go skiing.
often, always, never) and adverbs of certainty and degree (e.g.
probably, obviously, clearly, completely, quite, almost) often 3 Pre-teach/check summit, strike (struck), ledge, descent,
come in this position, e.g. She takes her Kindle everywhere – she’s awake, rub (v), heli (short for helicopter), ridge.
even used it in the bath! / I never buy newspapers. I always check
Also check the silent letter in the pronunciation of climb
the news online. / It’s clearly a bonus to be able to download
and words formed from it /klaɪm/, /ˈklaɪmə/, /ˈklaɪmɪŋ/.
books.
Give students time to read the story. Deal with any other
When an auxiliary verb is used (e.g. is, has, will, was), the
vocabulary queries. Check students understand that Piz
adverb normally goes between the auxiliary verb and the
Badile is a mountain in the Swiss Alps. The north ridge is
main verb, e.g. He’s just finished his first novel.
one of the most challenging climbs in the Alps.
3 end position (at the end of the clause): Adverbs of time
Students answers the questions. Let them discuss their
and definite frequency (e.g. last week, every year), adverbs of
answers in pairs before checking with the class.
manner that show how something is done (e.g. well, slowly)
and adverbs of place (e.g. in the jungle, at the door) usually go Answers
in end position, e.g. We would follow exactly the same routine Where were they? On Piz Badile – a mountain in the Swiss Alps.
every week. / She turned the old key slowly. / They noticed him What went wrong? The weather changed. There was an electric
sitting quietly in the corner. storm and it started to snow, so they couldn’t climb down safely.
How were they saved? Rachel sent a text to a friend in London,
When more than one of this type of adverb is used, the order
who called the emergency services in Switzerland.
is normally: manner, place, time, e.g. They had lived happily What does the text message mean? It means that they need to
in the same street for 50 years. be rescued by helicopter from the north ridge of the mountain.
4 adverb + adjective: When adverbs modify adjectives,
they are placed immediately before them. The exception is 4 Elicit the position of the adverbs in the first two lines as
enough, which comes after the adjective or adverb, e.g. The examples. Students work in pairs to complete the task.
climb was incredibly challenging. / I’m not good enough to be Monitor and help as necessary. Remind students that
a professional writer. some of the sentences have more than one possible
position for the adverbs and that students may need to
1 Lead in by telling a brief story of your own first, e.g. a real change the punctuation. Monitor and help as necessary.
(or imaginary) account of a dangerous sport you have Check the answers with the class.
tried or a frightening travel experience.
Answers
Students prepare notes about a dangerous situation they
On a mid-September day several years ago, (or Several years
have been in. Monitor and help as necessary, feeding in ago, on a mid-September day,) British climbers Rachel Kelsey
vocabulary and focusing on ideas rather than accuracy at and Jeremy Colenso were climbing high in the Swiss Alps with
this stage. Stress that students need to keep these notes great confidence (or were climbing with great confidence
to hand as they will develop them later into a full story. high in the Swiss Alps).
Put students in pairs to discuss their notes and compare They were both relatively experienced climbers. They left
the situations in their stories. their base and the weather was good. They easily reached the
summit (or reached the summit easily), but as they started the
2 Look at number 1 together and point out that in winter
climb down, suddenly an electric storm (or an electric storm
is an adverbial phrase and frequently is an adverb. Elicit suddenly) struck the mountain. Snow began to fall heavily,
possible options for the wording of number 1 as an making it extremely difficult to see where they could safely
example. Students work in pairs to complete the task. put their hands and feet (or put their hands and feet safely) on
Monitor and help as necessary. Remind students that the rock. After several frightening minutes, they found a narrow
most of the sentences have more than one possible ledge and gratefully climbed (or climbed gratefully) on to it,
position for the adverbs. desperately hoping (or hoping desperately) the snow would
Check the answers with the class. Students read the stop and they could continue their descent.
However, the snow did not stop (or The snow did not stop,
completed story of My skiing disaster aloud in pairs.
however,) and the temperature dropped dangerously to
–10ºC. ‘We had to stay awake,’ said Rachel afterwards, ‘because
it was so cold that, we would undoubtedly have died (or
undoubtedly we would have died). So we told stories, and
rubbed our fingers and toes continuously to keep them warm.’

Headway 5th edition © Oxford University Press Unit 3 • The kindness of strangers 45
 Eventually, they decided that they had to get help. But what Let students compare their answers in pairs before
could they possibly do? Fortunately, Rachel had brought her checking with the class. (Note that the answers here give
mobile phone with her, but unfortunately the only number contracted forms in the Past Perfect, but students may
contacts she had were in London (or were unfortunately in also give the full form had.) If students had problems,
London; or in London, unfortunately). She sent a text message go over selected sentences on the board with the class,
at 1.30 a.m. to get help. In fact, she sent the same text to five highlighting the time reference at the start of each
friends in the UK. It read: ‘Urgently need heli rescue (or Need heli sentence and working back to the Past Perfect. If you
rescue urgently) off north ridge of Piz Badile, Switz’. They were all enjoy using timelines, these can be very helpful.
asleep, so for hours nothing happened (or nothing happened
for hours). Then at 5.00 a.m., one friend, Avery Cunliffe, got Answers
the message. He jumped into action immediately (or He 2 Last night Sally was celebrating because she’d won £2,000 in a
immediately jumped into action), called the rescue services competition.
in Switzerland, and then called Rachel to tell her that help was 3 Peter was tired when he arrived home because he’d got up at
coming. dawn, and had been driving for ten hours.
For the next 24 hours, the weather was too bad (or The 4 I went to get my car, but it wasn’t there because I’d parked it
weather was too bad for the next 24 hours) for the helicopters on a yellow line, and it had been towed away.
to operate, but Avery kept sending text messages to the 5 Jane and Dan were broke because they’d been shopping all
climbers. Finally, at about 10.00 p.m. they were safely lifted day, and they’d spent all their money on clothes.
(or lifted safely) off the mountain (or they were finally lifted 6 Last week John moved to the house he bought in Scotland
off the mountain safely). ‘We owe our lives to Avery’, they said which he’d first seen while he’d been driving there on holiday.
exhaustedly when they were back at base.

5 Discuss the questions as a class. Discussing grammar

2 Elicit the answer to number 1 as a class example by asking
Answers students to think about when the speaker started and
What background information are you given in the article? The finished making the cake in relation to Alice’s arrival. The
date, the people involved, the place, the weather.
main aim of this exercise is to discuss how the narrative
When does the actual story of what happened start? It starts
tenses aid understanding of the sequence of past events.
with the line, ‘as they started the climb down, suddenly an
electric storm struck the mountain’. Put students in pairs to discuss the task. Monitor and
assist if any are confused. Go through the answers with
6 Read through the three bullet points given with the the class, using concept questions to ensure they fully
class carefully. Elicit the tenses students are most likely understand how the tenses are used (see Answers below).
to need (Past Simple, Past Continuous and possibly Past
Answers
Perfect). Get students to plan their story carefully, using
1 I made a cake (Past Simple – the cake was started upon Alice’s
their notes from exercise 1, ideally in class, so that you can arrival)
monitor and help with planning and vocabulary. Remind I was making a cake. (Past Continuous – the cake making
them to plan the background information first, and then started before Alice arrived and was in progress)
make notes on the events of the story in the order they I had made a cake. (Past Perfect – the cake making was
happened. completed before Alice’s arrival)
Give students time to write their story in class or set the Concept questions: Where was Alice when I started making the
task for homework. Remind them to use plenty of adverbs cake? Where was she when I finished making it?
to describe people’s feelings and actions. 2 The film started (Past Simple for a series of completed actions –
the next action soon after our arrival)
If you check the students’ work, mark up errors using the The film had started (Past Perfect Simple for an action that
correction code on SB p130, but allow students to correct happened before another action in the Past – the film started
the errors themselves. In your marking, focus first on before we arrived)
mistakes with the target language, i.e. the wrong position Concept question: In which sentence did they miss the start of
of adverbs. the film?
Students can share some of their stories with the class or 3 he had stolen some money (Past Perfect Simple for an action
in groups in a subsequent lesson. that happened before another action in the past – a theft
resulted in him being sacked)
Additional material he had been stealing money for years (Past Perfect
Continuous for a repeated activity that happened before
For students another action in the past – a series of thefts that resulted in
Online Practice – Practice him being sacked)
Concept question: In which sentence did he steal repeatedly over
a period of time?
Practice SB p31 4 was being repaired (Past Continuous Passive for a process that
1 Read the example as a class. Point out that the example is ongoing in the past – the repair wasn’t finished)
links the ideas in a meaningful and interesting way. This had been repaired (Past Perfect Passive for a process that has
type of complex sentence is characteristic of narrative been finished before another action in the past)
writing. With weaker students, go through the changes Concept question: In which sentence is the car repair finished?
5 I read (Past Simple for a completed action in the past)
in tenses needed (a shift to Past Perfect because we are
I was reading (Past Continuous for an incomplete activity in
looking at a time before Mick became a beggar). the past – the novel or report is not finished)
Students rewrite the sentences, working individually. Concept question: In which sentence did the reader finish
Remind them that some of the forms are passive. reading what is referred to?

46 Unit 3 • The kindness of strangers Headway 5th edition © Oxford University Press
 Heart-warming stories It says here that … This shows that the speaker is relaying
news from a written source (newspaper, Internet, etc.).
About the text
Apparently … We often use this adverb when giving news.
There are four short news items and what is similar about
It means according to what I’ve heard/read or It seems
them is that they are all good news stories in which people
that …
show kindness, generosity and bravery. Tasks include
predicting content, answering comprehension questions Anyway, … This is often used to return to the main
and completing gaps with narrative tenses. storyline when you’ve gone slightly off topic.
These words may be new to some students: anonymous, You’re kidding! = You’re joking!
discharged (from hospital), a parking ticket, commuter. That’s such a shame. = Responding to negative news –
agreement and sympathy. (It does not mean something is
3 Give students time to look at all the photos and headlines shameful.) We also sometimes use pity instead of shame.
of the different stories. Put them in pairs to discuss their Answers
ideas. Monitor carefully and assist if necessary.
Giving news
Elicit ideas from the class, but don’t confirm if they are Did you hear about …?
correct yet. Check they understand why these stories are The incredible thing was that …
described with the adjective heart-warming. Apparently, …
4 Students can read all four texts now and find out if their It says here that …
predictions about the stories were right. They also need to What happened was …
answer the questions. Reacting to news
Go through the answers together. Really?
That’s amazing!
Answers You’re kidding!
1 He had kept her paints. That’s such a shame.
2 He bought sandwiches and drinks for some homeless people. I don’t believe it.
3 Because someone else had paid it for her.
4 Because a cyclist was trapped under it. Asking for more information
How did it happen?
5 Give students time to read lines a–h and check the Did he die?
meaning of browsing if necessary. Elicit which of the lines Who called the police?
Then what happened … ?
goes in the first gap as an example with the whole class.
Where did this happen?
Students then work on the task individually.
6 e 3.3 Play the recording for students to check their 7 e 3.4 Make sure students understand that they need to
answers. You could also elicit the names of the tenses and identify the story and tick the expressions used from the
why they are used in each case. table in Spoken English. Play the recording.
Elicit the person who was the kind stranger in each story. Check answers together. If students have caught the
expressions I bet he is and Good for them, you could elicit
Answers
1 f  2 g  3 a  4 e  5 d  6 b  7 h  8 c when these are used/what they mean.
The kind strangers are: Story 1 – airport security officer, Story 2 – Answers
anonymous person who left £5 in a book in a bookshop, Story They’re talking about the story, Bus lifted by 100 Londoners. They
3 – a lady called Laura who paid the new mum’s parking ticket, use the following expressions from Spoken English:
Story 4 – a crowd of around 100 Londoners Did you hear about … ? What happened was …
… apparently … Did he die?
e 3.3 See SB p32.0 You’re kidding. It says here …
That’s amazing!

SPOKEN ENGLISH Giving and reacting to news

e 3.4 Giving and reacting to news
Focus students’ attention on the three columns in the A Did you hear about those amazing London commuters?
table and the examples given. Point out that the first B No, what did they do?
column is the speaker who is telling the news and the A Well, apparently, they lifted a double-decker bus.
two columns to the right are the person who is listening B They did what?! You’re kidding.
to the news. A No, they really did.
B That’s amazing! But why? Was it a competition?
Give students time to categorize the expressions. Put A No, no, not at all. What happened was, a cyclist had been knocked
students in pairs to share their answers. off his bike and he’d fallen under the bus!
Go through the expressions with the class, making B Oh no! Was he injured? Did he die?
A He was badly injured, but he survived. He’s very grateful.
sure they’ve categorized them correctly. Drill all the B I bet he is! What number bus was it?
expressions, helping students to mark the sentence A Why’s that important? If you must know – it was the 212.
stresses (see Answers). It is particularly important to drill B Well, it’s nice to know there are a lot of kind people in the world.
the reacting to news expressions with a wide range of How many were there?
intonation – we don’t say these with a flat tone. A It says here about 100.
B Good for them!
Check students’ understanding of the expressions:
The incredible thing was that … Here incredible could have
positive or negative meaning.
Headway 5th edition © Oxford University Press Unit 3 • The kindness of strangers 47
 8 Put students in pairs. Ask them to make conversations about Answers
two more stories. Don’t let them write the conversations Words used to describe her work: haunting, with unexpected
down, but monitor and check they are using phrases from twists, shocking conclusions, spine-chilling, page-turner. A ‘page-
Spoken English. turner’ is a book you can’t put down – you have to keep reading.
Invite some students to act the conversations out for
the class. If your class is very big, you could put two pairs 3 When students have read about The Clinging Woman,
together so they can perform their conversations to check the following: attempted suicide, prompt action.
each other. Monitor and note any points for correction, Read the questions with the class. Put them in pairs to
particularly with the use of narrative tenses. think of answers to the two questions. Elicit ideas from
some of the pairs, but don’t confirm or correct any of
Additional material them yet as they are going to read the story.
For teachers Additional material
Photocopiable activity – Grammar: In the newsroom
For students
pp180–1
Online Practice – Practice
For students
Online Practice – Look again
Workbook pp18–21, exercises 1–5 Reading and listening SB p34

Book at bedtime
Reading and speaking SB p33
About the text
Writers and reviews This section is part of the story The Clinging Woman by Ruth
Rendell. There are three extracts from the story and they are
About the text presented as they would be on a radio programme called
This section is about the British crime writer Ruth Rendell Book at Bedtime, which has been popular for many years in
/ruːθ renˈdel/. She was born in London in 1930 and died the UK.
in 2015 aged 85. There are two texts: a profile of the author Stories of this type are often told in episodes, sometimes
and a selection of positive comments from reviews of one of late at night to add to the atmosphere of the reading.
her books. The book reviewed is a collection of short stories The structure of the text is typical of a crime story. We are
called The Fallen Curtain. First published in 1976, the title presented with a mystery at the start, and information about
story won an award and is one of 11 stories. the situation and the characters unfolds as they read the
Don’t pre-teach any unknown vocabulary as some of the different extracts.
comprehension questions require students to work out what Part 2 includes a reference to St George. This refers to the
new words mean (prolific, pen name, a page-turner). legend of St George who killed a dragon and saved a
Note that extracts from one of the stories from The Fallen princess. In the context of the story, it means the neighbours
Curtain appear in the Reading and listening section on p34. see the man as some sort of hero.
This section prepares students for the Reading and listening There are exercises which require speculation and then
pages. If you don’t have time to do the two lessons on the listening and reading simultaneously to complete a synopsis
same day, remember to start the next session with a quick and answer questions. Finally, the last part is purely a
brainstorm of what the students remember about Ruth listening exercise (without the text to read) and students
Rendell and the reviews they read. answer questions about what they hear.
1 Tell students they are going to read about the author in Don’t pre-teach the highlighted vocabulary as students will
the photo and give them time to read the profile and be working on this in the Vocabulary section, which asks
answer the questions. them to find synonyms.
Check answers with the class. Help them with the word 1 Focus students’ attention on the picture and check
stress in prolific if necessary. comprehension of clinging (literally ‘holding on tightly’).
Answers Point out that clinging can also refer to a person’s
• She wrote psychological thrillers. character to mean ‘emotionally dependent’. Put students
• She wasn’t just famous in Britain – she was famous in America. in pairs to discuss the questions. Elicit answers and don’t
• The word prolific tells us that she wrote a lot of books. confirm or reject students’ predictions at this stage.
• Barbara Vine is Ruth Rendell – it’s the pen name that she
sometimes used. Answers
1 The woman is hanging by her arms from a balcony on a block
2 Give students time to read the reviews and answer the of flats. The man is looking out of the window of his flat, up at
questions. the woman.
2 She could be thinking, ‘Somebody help me.’/‘I can’t go on
Go through the answers together.
living.’/‘I can’t hold on much longer.’ He could be thinking,
The Daily Telegraph reviewer compares Ruth Rendell to ‘What’s happening up there?’/‘I can’t believe my eyes!’/‘I must
Agatha Christie, who was another famous British female be dreaming.’
crime writer (1890–1976). She was also very prolific and 3 Students’ own answers.
her books are still popular today.

48 Unit 3 • The kindness of strangers Headway 5th edition © Oxford University Press
 2 e 3.5 Play the presenter’s introduction as far as the Answers
music to set the scene. Then play Part 1 and get students 1 He is extremely embarrassed. He says it isn’t necessary to
to follow the text in their books. thank him.
Put students in pairs or small groups to complete the 2 He wants her to either come into the flat or go away.
synopsis. Check the answers with the class. 3 He doesn’t want his neighbours to hear them talking and to
start calling him a hero again.
Answers 4 He feels relief when she goes. She seems calm but intense.
• There are two characters – a girl and a man.
• She lives on the twelfth floor of a block of flats next to
the man. e 3.7 The Clinging Woman: Part 3
• He lives on the sixth floor of a high-rise block of flats next P = Presenter N = Narrator
to the girl’s block. N She said, ‘I’m Lydia Simpson. You saved my life. I’ve come to
• It is half-past six in the morning. thank you.’
His embarrassment was acute. ‘You shouldn’t have,’ he said with
• He has been woken by the sound of some kind of low-
a nervous smile. ‘You really shouldn’t. That’s not necessary. I only
flying aircraft. did what anyone would have done.’
• The weather is good/clear. She was calm and tranquil, not at all his idea of a failed suicide.
• Suddenly he notices the girl hanging by her hands from ‘But no one else did,’ she said.
the railing of her balcony. ‘Won’t you come in? Have a drink or something?’
‘Oh, no, I couldn’t think of it. I can see you’re just going out. I only
wanted to say thank you very, very much.’
e 3.5 The Clinging Woman: Part 1 ‘It was nothing.’
P = Presenter N = Narrator ‘Nothing to save someone’s life? I’ll always be grateful to you.’
P It’s five to midnight. And tonight we begin our new bedtime He wished she would either come in or go away. If this went on
story. It’s by that famous crime writer and author of many much longer, the people in the other two flats on his floor would
psychological thrillers, Ruth Rendell. One of her best-known short hear, would come out, and another of those bravest-deeds-of-
stories … The Clinging Woman! the-year committee meetings would be convened. ‘Nothing at all,’
N The Clinging Woman – Part 1 he said desperately. ‘Really, I’ve almost forgotten it.’
The girl was hanging by her hands from the railings of a balcony. ‘I shall never forget, never.’
The balcony was on the twelfth floor of the high-rise block next Her manner, calm yet intense, made him feel uncomfortable
to his. His flat was on the sixth floor and he had to look up to see and he watched her retreat into the lift – smiling pensively with
her. It was half-past six in the morning. He had been awakened by profound relief. Luckily, they weren’t likely to meet again. The
the sound of an aircraft flying dangerously low overhead, and had curious thing was that they did, the next morning at the bus stop.
got out of bed to look. His sleepy gaze, descending from the blue P And there we leave the story for today. Tune in tomorrow at
sky which was empty of clouds, empty of anything but the bright the same time to find out what happens next. In the meantime,
vanishing arrow of the aircraft, alighted – at first with disbelief – goodnight to you all.
on the hanging figure.

3 e 3.6 Focus on Part 2. Give students time to read the Vocabulary

questions. Check they know the words interpretation 5 Focus attention on the first highlighted word, awakened.
and tenant. Play the recording and let students follow Elicit the near synonym from the box and then get
the text in their books. Elicit the answer to number 1 students to continue the task, working individually. Put
as an example. Students complete the task, working students in pairs to share their answers.
individually. Monitor and help as necessary. Let students Check the answers with the class.
compare their answers in pairs or small groups before
checking with the class. Check students understand the Answers
awakened – woken up nerve – courage
reference to St. George (see About the text).
gaze – look gossip – chat
Answers vanishing – disappearing alerted – informed
1 He thinks he must be dreaming. a stunt – a dangerous act limelight - attention
2 He thinks it’s a stunt for a film and that the girl is a dummy. He a dummy – a model wore off – faded
realizes he’s wrong when he sees one of her hands move. deserted – empty
3 The girl was trying to kill herself. He calls the police. clutching – holding tightly
4 They gossip about what happened and they call the man
a hero. What do you think?
5 He dislikes the attention and is relieved when people stop
talking about what happened. He is modest and quiet. Put students in pairs or small groups to discuss the first three
6 He was getting ready to go out when someone rang his bullet pointed questions. Then go through these as a class
doorbell. and elicit the students’ answers.
7 He didn’t recognize that it was the same girl who had tried to Focus on the lines in question 4. Pre-teach/check stench,
kill herself because he had never seen her face. dully, pale (v), feebly.
Answers
e 3.6 See SB p35. • The man thought that it was unlikely they would meet again.
• Students’ own answers.
4 e 3.7 Give students time to read the questions. Play the • The man’s character is quiet and modest. He doesn’t like
recording. Let students check their answers in pairs and being with other people very much. Not giving him a name
then check them with the class. emphasizes these aspects of his character.

Headway 5th edition © Oxford University Press Unit 3 • The kindness of strangers 49
 6 In their small groups, students discuss the lines and complex one and you might need to write it on the board
predict the rest of the story. Monitor and help as to ensure students have used and understood the Present
necessary. Perfect passive form.
Elicit a few ideas in a brief class feedback session.
Answers
Pre-teach/check, neat, self-reliant, rebuff (n), confess, 2 What kind of book is it?
determined, contemplate, trapped, suffocating, overdose (n). 3 What’s it about?
Refer students to the synopsis on SB p165 and give them 4 Where and when is it set?
time to read it. If you’re not sure students understand the 5 Who are the main characters?
synopsis, ask some comprehension questions. 6 Has it been made into a film?
7 How does it end?
Ask them for the answer to the question about the story
8 Would you recommend it?
title. Students discuss who made the most accurate
9 What were the reviews like?
predictions. Encourage them to expand on their opinions
of the story overall.
e 3.8 Asking about a book
Possible answer 1 A Who wrote it?
The Clinging Woman is a clever title because it refers to how we B Ruth Rendell. Her books are really thrilling. Have you read any
first encounter her – physically clinging to a balcony – and it also of them?
refers to her relationship with her husband (and indeed other 2 A What kind of book is it?
previous boyfriends). She isn’t capable of letting her husband B It’s a psychological thriller. I love thrillers and all crime fiction.
have personal space or do anything which takes him away from What’s your favourite kind of book?
3 A What’s it about?
her or which she isn’t involved in. Any of these things cause her
B It’s about a psychologically disturbed young girl and her
to attempt suicide again. This is another way in which she is
relationship with a shy young man who saves her life. It’s quite
clinging. scary. I think you’d like it!
4 A Where and when is it set?
VIDEO In this unit students can watch a video about B It’s set in modern-day London – it’s very up-to-date. I like books
a children’s author who talks about how she gets ideas or films set in places I know.
for her stories and how kindness has played a large part 5 A Who are the main characters?
B A girl called Lydia, and a young man. He’s her neighbour, and
in her life. You can play the video clip on the Classroom it’s strange because he’s never named. I think this makes the
Presentation Tool or download it from the Teacher’s Resource story even more scary and fascinating.
Centre together with the video script, video worksheet 6 A Has it been made into a film?
and accompanying teacher’s notes. These notes give full B No, it hasn’t. But other stories by the same author have been
guidance on how to use the worksheets and include a adapted both for film and TV. She had a whole series called
Ruth Rendell Mysteries on ITV.
comprehensive answer key to the exercises and activities. 7 A How does it end?
B It has quite a shocking end. This quiet, shy young man does
Additional material something quite out of character. I’m not going to say what.
For teachers Read it and find out!
8 A Would you recommend it?
Photocopiable activity – Video worksheet: Courage to B Yes, I would – absolutely. It’s a real page-turner. I couldn’t put it
be kind down. You’d love it. It’s a good holiday read.
For students 9 A What were the reviews like?
B Most said that it was a great read. The Daily Telegraph critic said
Online Practice – Practice that Rendell’s a better writer than Agatha Christie.

2 In their pairs, students decide which questions also relate

Vocabulary and speaking SB p36
to films and brainstorm extra film questions. Elicit what
Talking about books and films other questions they could ask.
1 With books closed, lead in to the topic by drawing two Possible answers
columns on the board labelled books and films. Put Questions 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9 could also be asked about a film.
students in pairs or small groups to quickly brainstorm Other questions you could ask about a film:
vocabulary in these categories. Elicit students’ ideas and Who’s in it? / Which famous actors are in it?
collate them on the board, checking pronunciation as you Who’s the director?
go. Don’t spend too long on this – they will get plenty of How long is it?
vocabulary practice in exercise 3. What certificate rating is it?

Give students time to read through the answers and deal 3 This exercise is similar to the lead-in brainstorm, but
with any vocabulary queries. If necessary, pre-teach/check includes a further category of theatre. Students categorize
be set in (a time/place), character, critic. the vocabulary individually. Then ask them to work in
Focus on the example. Point out that students will need pairs to discuss any words they are unsure of and use
passive forms in some of the questions and that they will translators or dictionaries to check the meanings and
need a range of tenses. categorize them.
Students write the questions, working individually. Then Go through the answers, highlighting words which
let them check their answers in pairs. belong in more than one category. Drill pronunciation
e 3.8 Play the recording so they can check their and encourage students to mark the word stress on multi-
answers. NB There is more information in the answers in syllable words. Point out that even some native speakers
the recording than on the page. Question 6 is the most

50 Unit 3 • The kindness of strangers Headway 5th edition © Oxford University Press
 might think that playwright should end with the spelling Troubles is another way to refer to the Northern Ireland Conflict
write – but in fact the old-fashioned suffix wright is used which occurred between the 1960s and 1998. It was a period
for a person who creates something. of great unrest and violence between people with opposing
views (Protestant v Catholic). There were bombings and riots,
Answers attacks by paramilitary groups such as the Provisional IRA (Irish
Films: act (verb), plot, critic, director, trailer, rehearsal, script,
Republican Army) and UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) and over
review, musical, starring role, sequel, documentary, screen,
blockbuster, animation, whodunnit, thriller, performance 3,500 people died. The conflict affected Northern Ireland and
Theatre: act (noun and verb), plot, stalls, critic, director, also Great Britain and The Republic of Ireland (see also Answers
backstage, rehearsal, script, review, musical, starring role, in the What do you think? section).
matinée, interval, programme, whodunnit, thriller, dressing room,
playwright, full house, performance 1 e 3.9 Focus students’ attention on the photos. Tell them
Books: storyline, chapter, critic, review, novelist, sequel, fairy tale, that the woman pictured is Kate Adie and they’re going to
whodunnit, hardback, thriller, autobiography, paperback read and listen about her and later hear an interview with
her. Give them a moment to read questions 1–3. Play the
Talking about you recording so students can listen and read simultaneously
4 Put students in groups of three or four. Allow plenty of to find the answers.
time for natural discussions about films, plays and books. Confirm answers with the class.
Monitor and ensure all students have a good opportunity Answers
to speak. Note any pronunciation, vocabulary or grammar 1 She’s a journalist and currently presents a radio programme
mistakes that you can correct later. With a weaker group, called From Our Own Correspondent, for BBC Radio 4.
give them some thinking/preparation time before they 2 She was a war/foreign correspondent.
start speaking. Invite feedback from some students on 3 She was one of the first British women journalists to face
books, plays and films they discussed in their groups. Do extreme danger in war zones around the world.
delayed error correction at the end if you wish.
Additional material e 3.9 See SB p37.
For teachers 2 Go through the questions as a class, eliciting ideas from
Photocopiable activity – Vocabulary: Film and book the students. The aim is to make predictions based on
crossword pp182–3 what they know so far and then they will discover if they
For students were correct when they listen to the interview.
Online Practice – Look again 3 e 3.10 Play the recording so students can see whether
Workbook pp21–3, exercises 1–7 their predictions were correct. You may wish to tell them
that it is quite a long interview.
Encourage class discussion about which ideas were
Listening and speaking SB p37
correct and what Kate Adie actually said. Respond to any
An interview with a BBC journalist queries students have about vocabulary or content, but
reassure them that you’re going to play it again.
About the text
e 3.10 Interview with Kate Adie
This section consists of a short text which gives information K = Kate Adie I = Interviewer
about Kate Adie, who is a famous British journalist. Students K I think a lot of people think the world is an alien and rather
both read and listen to this text, answer questions, and make frightening place. I could even say that perhaps the kind of
predictions about the journalist. This is followed by quite reporting I’ve done has reinforced that, having been to quite a
a long recording of an interview with Kate Adie in which lot of the difficult, violent, and sometimes rather risky situations,
which I’m afraid human life throws up. But I take the opposite
she talks about her work and her ideas about the world. view: even in the worst of situations people show extraordinary
Students discover whether their predictions about her were resources of concern, friendliness and kindness. In the middle of
correct and listen for specific detail. a riot someone will help you, in a strange place where you don’t
The section finishes off with an opportunity for students to even know a word of the language a kind person will give you
a helping hand. I’m an optimist, I’m someone who believes that
share their own opinions and knowledge. They also practise there’s more good than bad in the world.
the skill of paraphrasing by relating one story that Kate Adie I That’s very refreshing to hear, especially these days with every
told in their own words. single thing you ever hear is a down and about ghastliness and
Some of the vocabulary may be new, so be prepared to horrible people.
K One of the biggest stories I did was a massacre, where an army
pre-teach/check the following items depending on your opened fire on unarmed people, students and ordinary citizens,
students’ level: war zone, reinforce, riot (n), refreshing to without good reason – purely because the old regime disliked
hear, ghastliness, massacre, the old regime, beckon, shield protest and terrible things happened on the night in June. I
(v), frontline troops, misogynistic, privet hedge, entwined, was there as a reporter alongside a lot of others, but the night it
bureaucracy, a common thread, hard-headed, territorial happened, the midnight when the tanks came in, we went out,
my crew and I, and we saw people shot round us. How we weren’t
battles, philosopher, have your fingers crossed (= British people shot is a matter of pure luck, and time and again, people grabbed
sometimes cross their middle finger over their index finger hold of our arm(s), waved to us, beckoned, hid us behind a wall,
and this gesture indicates a wish or hope for good luck). shouted warnings, which we didn’t understand, but knew the
One of the stories Kate Adie describes is in Belfast, the capital secret police were after us or there was a tank coming. And these
people shielded us, helped us. And on two occasions actually
of Northern Ireland and she talks about The Troubles. The beat off the police, from attacking us and taking our cameras.

Headway 5th edition © Oxford University Press Unit 3 • The kindness of strangers 51
 I owe my lives to these unknown people. I mean, that is the
extreme of kindness. So you get this kind of behaviour and it’s Answers
happened to me in all the worst of places. 1 Because everything we hear now is negative and about
I So give us … give us another example, of … of some kindness of ghastliness and horrible people. She is an optimist and
strangers during your career. has experienced friendliness and kindness in the worst of
K I was in the Gulf War. I was with 48,000 men of 7th Armoured situations.
Brigade and the British Army in the middle of a desert and I was 2 People grabbed hold of them, waved and beckoned to them,
the only woman, and they were great towards me, tolerating the hid them behind a wall, and shouted warnings. These people
only woman who was in the frontline troops. And there was a shielded them and helped them and on two occasions
lot of pressure and a lot of extraordinarily vicious, misogynistic actually beat off the police, from attacking them and taking
press at home about ‘What’s that woman doing there?’ – so I felt
their cameras.
quite a lot of responsibility. I found myself in a tent one day and
they were throwing gas at us and … I was very bothered and an 3 She was in the middle of the desert in the Gulf War. She was
older officer came up to me and he just said very quietly, ‘Don’t with 48,000 men of 7th Armoured Brigade and the British
worry, we’ll get you through it, you’re not going to fail. We’re Army – she was the only woman there.
going to make sure you can do it.’ It was wonderful – it was just 4 When she fell in a privet bush in Belfast during a major riot
what I needed. I thought, ‘oh, I’m not on my own’ and – and it was and a voice from a window above her offered her a cup of tea.
wonderful and it’s that sort of little remark that got me through. 5 That people all over the world have a common thread, despite
I Fantastic! differences of language, climate, etc. … and that is kindness.
K And another moment I remember – at three one morning, I was 6 She’s referring to people becoming more tolerant.
in Belfast during a major riot during The Troubles – and there 7 No – because she has her fingers crossed … and also she says
was everything coming downing the road – sticks, rocks, bricks,
that we’ve got to work at it.
rubber bullets, and everybody was very bad-tempered. And I
stepped backwards and I fell in a hedge, in the dark! And – never
fall in a privet hedge, in the dark, because you can’t get out – I What do you think?
completely panicked and I entwined with the privet hedge and
was stuck there – and I heard a window above me, above the Give students time to read the questions. Check they
sound of everything that was going on, squeak open, and there understand the meaning of ‘anti-Kate’. Put students in groups
was a habit sometimes of attacking people, by pouring boiling of three or four to discuss the questions. Monitor carefully
water on them, that happened sometimes in the midst of The and encourage quieter students to participate. Students
Troubles and I thought, ‘What next?’ I was frozen, and a voice from
may not have any knowledge of The Troubles – in this case,
the window said ‘You’ze down there, you want a cup of tea?’
I Have you encountered the kindness of strangers outside your tell the class that you’ll go over that question together and
professional life? move them on to the final question instead.
K If a correspondent is resident in a particular country for a long Bring the class back together and elicit ideas from a few
time, they become much more conscious of what everyday life is
different groups in answer to the questions. Give information
like and people are just like them – have trouble paying their bills,
complain about the bus service, and cannot, cannot get through where they found it difficult to answer. For the last question,
the bureaucracy of their government. We all go through so many encourage broad sharing of current stories of conflict around
of the same things and underneath the weirdness, the difference, the world, but remember to be aware of the sensitivities and
the language, the climate, all of this – there’s a very common cultural backgrounds of your students. Avoid getting into
thread and often it’s kindness.
heated political debate.
I Hmm, that’s so lovely to hear. And tell me, – since writing that
book, is your optimism still there, do you still feel that you Answers
are surrounded by the kindness of strangers, or do you have
a pessimism about the way that mankind is going in their
• Parts were anti-Kate because she was a woman reporting in
relationships with each other?
war zones and this was traditionally seen as a man’s world.
K I’m afraid I have a hard-headed, historical view of that, and that is • She is an optimist and seems resilient and able to cope with
that war and conflict have been part of humankind and nature. frightening and stressful situations.
There are major wars and territorial battles happen with almost • The Troubles were conflict in Northern Ireland in the late 20th
every creature on this earth – so, you have to be an optimist that century (late 60s till late 90s), caused by sectarian conflict
we can find a way through it. I’m not a pessimist about it, I’m – Unionists/Loyalist – mostly Protestant – (who wanted
still very hopeful. I’m aware that smart philosophers will tell you Northern Ireland to remain within the UK) and Nationalists/
today that the idea of us all getting more tolerant is probably not Republicans – mostly Catholic, who wanted Northern Ireland
entirely natural. That we go two steps forward and one step back. to leave the UK and join a united Ireland.
If you look back to two thousand years or more, you hope that
we have the brains and education and technology now to keep it
getting better for the large number of people. But you’ve got to In your own words
have your fingers crossed and you’ve got to work at it.
I Well, on that optimistic and kind note, Kate Adie, thank you very
This task requires students to retell part of the interview
much indeed. in their own words. Put students in pairs to build the story
K Thank you. of what happened to Kate in Belfast. With a weaker group,
put key words in order on the board to help them. (Belfast,
4 With a strong group, students could work in pairs to see Troubles, riot, rocks, rubber bullets, fall backwards, hedge, get
how much of the task they can do from memory before out, panicked, window open, boiling water, voice, cup of tea)
listening again. Otherwise, give students time to read the Alternatively, you could set this task as a written homework
questions and deal with any vocabulary queries. exercise. In this case, ask students to bring their stories to
e 3.10 Play the recording again. Put them in pairs the next lesson and put students in small groups to read
afterwards to share their answers. Finally, check them with and compare how they retold the story. It is interesting to
the class. Encourage students to support their answers see, even for a fairly simple story such as this, how different
with the words they heard, even if they aren’t confident people interpret or relay it.
that they caught everything perfectly.

52 Unit 3 • The kindness of strangers Headway 5th edition © Oxford University Press
 of questions. Let students check with a partner before you
Additional material
play the recording. Point out that they may have made
For students different choices about whether to use a reply or echo
Online Practice – Practice question and that’s OK. The problem would be if they are
only using one kind as this can sound unnatural.
e 3.12 Play the recording and let students compare their
Everyday English SB p38
answers.
Showing interest and surprise Put students in pairs to practise the conversations.
The aim of this section is to introduce and practise ways of Monitor and check for good intonation. If students have
showing interest and surprise. This includes the use of echo problems or sound ‘flat’, play selected lines again as a
questions and reply questions, which need accurate stress model and get students to repeat. It may be helpful to
and intonation, with a good voice range. Be prepared to model some of the lines yourself, exaggerating the voice
work fairly intensively with students, especially if they use a range if students still have problems. Students can act out
fairly flat intonation at first. You will need to prepare some some of the conversations for the class as consolidation.
statements about yourself for students to respond to in Answers and audioscript
exercise 4. Ideally, have these ready before the class.
e 3.12 Echo and reply questions
1 Focus attention on the title of this Everyday English section
1 A Sam wants to apologize.
and on the photo and ask students to suggest interesting B Does he? Why?
and surprising things the women might be talking about. A Well, he’s broken your mother’s Chinese vase.
e 3.11 Play the first two lines and elicit B’s answer as an B My mother’s Chinese vase? Oh, no!
example. Play the rest of the recording. Students write in 2 A We had a terrible holiday.
B’s answers. Check the answers. B Did you?
A Yes. It rained all the time.
Answers and audioscript B Did it? How awful!
e 3.11 Showing interest and surprise A Yes. And the food was disgusting!
A Jade’s got a new boyfriend. B Was it? What a disaster!
B Has she? Good for her! 3 A I’m broke.
A Apparently, he lives in a castle. B Are you? How come?
B A castle? How amazing! A Well, I had a £500 vet’s bill for my dog.
A Yes. She met him in Slovenia. B £500? Poor Ziggy! What happened?
B Did she? That’s interesting. A He was attacked by another dog in the park.
A Unfortunately, he can’t speak much English. B Another dog? Where was the owner?
B Can’t he? Well, as long as he can say ‘I love you’! 4 A It took me three hours to get here.
B Three hours? But it’s only ten miles.
2 Refer students back to exercise 1. Ask students to identify A Yes, but there was a huge traffic jam on the motorway.
the echo questions and the reply questions. Check they B Was there? That’s awful!
A We didn’t move at all for two hours.
understand the difference.
B Didn’t you? I bet you were really fed up.
If necessary, quickly go over the grammar of the reply 5 A I’m on a mountain, watching the sun set.
questions, i.e. the auxiliary verb must agree with the B Are you? How lovely.
tense of the auxiliary verb in the preceding statement. If A It is. And I’ve got something to ask you.
there isn’t an auxiliary (e.g. She met him in Slovenia) then B Have you? Is it important?
the reply question uses do (Did she?). This is the same as A Yes, you see … I’d like to marry you.
in question tags, which they’ve probably studied before B Marry me? Wow! How romantic!
(but in reply questions the auxiliary verb does not change
4 Give students an example of your own by telling them
positive to negative, negative to positive). Stress the
something surprising about you. Encourage them to
importance of correct rising intonation on both types of
respond. With a weaker group, continue with one or
question. Play the recording again or model the questions
two more examples about you, encouraging more
yourself. Students repeat chorally and individually.
responses to practise the two types of questions. Give
Put students in pairs to practise the conversation. Make them a moment to think of a surprising sentence about
sure that they use enough rising intonation on the echo themselves which they can say to the class to get a
and reply questions. Drill the pronunciation if students surprised or interested response. Make sure all students
sound ‘flat’ or lacking in interest. get a chance to say their sentence and encourage a range
Answers of students to practise responding.
Echo questions are when words from the other person are
repeated with questioning intonation, e.g. A castle?
Additional material
Reply questions use the grammar from the sentence of the other For teachers
person, to check the information, e.g. Has she? Did she? Can’t he? Photocopiable activity – Communication: Really?
pp184–5
3 Focus attention on the photos and elicit what the situation
is and who the speakers might be in each conversation. For students
Elicit a reply question for number 1 as an example. Online Practice – Look again
Students complete the conversations, working Workbook p23, Pronunciation exercises 1–2
individually. Monitor and check they are using both kinds Online Practice – Check your progress

Headway 5th edition © Oxford University Press Unit 3 • The kindness of strangers 53