A A GENERAL ISSUES Lesson code: 9ZE5-BCIA-GKHS INTERMEDIATE + 1 Warm-up Which sports do you enjoy playing or watching? Why? 2 Key words Match the following words with their correct definition: 1. an opponent a. a person who has the highest level of skill at playing chess 2. focus b. a person who you compete against in a sports event or other contest 3. a Grandmaster c. a person, especially a child, with an exceptional talent 4. hesitant d. concentration 5. join e. energetic interest in a particular subject or activity 6. upset f. nervous or uncertain (about doing something) 7. a prodigy g. to become a member of (a team, etc.) 8. enthusiasm h. to choose someone (e.g. for a team) 9. pick somebody i. worried, unhappy or angry 3 Find the information Read the article below and find the following information: 1. How old is Shane Melaugh? 2. Which country does he represent? 3. When did he learn to play chess? 4. How many Irish Grandmasters are there? 5. How many young people in Ireland are involved in chess? 6. At what age do pupils usually join the chess club at Shane s school? 7. How often does Shane play chess? 8. How old was Shane when he learnt how to set up a chess board? You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex 1/5
Ireland s youngest king of chess takes on the world A player so young he cannot read or write is shocking the chess scene in Ireland. 1 At the age of five, Shane Melaugh has already become the youngest person to represent Ireland as a member of the under-12s team. 2 Shane, who has just finished his first year at primary school, has attracted a lot of attention for his exceptional talent for playing chess. 3 The boy, who was taught to play at the age of three by his grandfather, quickly showed both a passion for the game and a natural talent. Experts who have observed him predict he will become very successful in the future. 4 According to his chess coach, Alan Turnbull: "Shane is very talented for his age and has beaten much older pupils. In terms of his talent, he is very much above anyone I have taught." 5 Mark Quinn of the Irish Chess Union said that the boy had exceptional focus and concentration. "He s a completely normal five-year-old," he said. "But he s completely obsessed with the game at the moment. He loves it." 6 An Irish chess prodigy is very unusual because the country has produced no internationally-known players and is normally associated with physical sports such as rugby and football. 7 The only Grandmaster in Ireland is a Russian who moved to the country some years ago. But chess is popular at school level, where about 10,000 young people are involved in the game. 8 Shane s mother Linda said: "He s very, very smart. He learnt to play quite fast, he has a natural talent. He s just a normal kid, but as soon as you put the chessboard in front of him he s a genius." 9 His primary school was at first hesitant about accepting him into the chess club because he was so young, and players generally join at around the age of eight. But after a few games, teachers noticed his talent. 10 His mother says he is not upset at losing a game. "He s very competitive. If he loses the first thing out of his mouth is - I ll play you again. 11 "He doesn t want to play all day every day but he won t go to bed until he has a game of chess. He can beat me easily, and now he can beat his father. He can t even read or write and he has been picked to play chess for Ireland." 12 Mrs Melaugh recalled: "When Shane was a baby he used to pick up chess pieces and play with them. And then when Shane was about three my dad taught him how to set up the board and he learnt how to play." 13 According to chess experts, the careers of young prodigies are difficult to predict, and some talented players may lose enthusiasm after some years. 14 At the moment, however, Shane shows no signs of losing interest. According to his grandfather, Peter Mc Grath: "I never force him to play - he is always forcing me to get the board out. Instead of his breakfast, he wants a game." 15 Shane himself, when asked why he plays chess, replies, "I just do. I love it up to heaven." Adapted from The Independent, 18 June 2007 You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex 2/5
4 Checking understanding Choose the best answer according to the text: 1. A chess talent from Ireland is surprising because... a. chess is not popular in Ireland b. Ireland is associated with other sports c. there was a Russian player in Ireland 2. Shane learnt so fast because... a. he has a natural talent b. his father coached him well c. he joined a chess club 3. Shane s school didn t want to accept him into the chess club at first because... a. he was a normal kid b. he was too young c. he was a genius 4. When Shane loses a game, he... a. wants to play again b. becomes upset c. goes to bed 5. Careers of young chess prodigies are unpredictable because... a. they can lose their talent as they become older b. they can start to lose interest in the game c. they can become too obsessed 6. According to his grandfather, Shane hasn t lost interest in playing chess because... a. he always wins b. he doesn t eat breakfast c. nobody forces him to play 5 Prepositions Complete the phrases from the text with a preposition and write a sentence for each expression: 1. obsessed something 2. associated something 3. involved an activity 4. hesitant doing something 5. upset losing a game 6 Talking point Are there any young sporting talents in your country? Who is your country s greatest sportsman or sportswoman? You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex 3/5
7 Grammar - Tense review Look at the following underlined structures and match them to the correct tenses and rules below: 1. He doesn t want to play all day every day. 2. The country has produced no internationally-known players. 3. When Shane was a baby he used to pick up the chess pieces and play with them. 4. My dad taught him how to set up the board and he learnt how to play. 5. Shane, who has just finished his first year at primary school, has attracted a lot of attention for his exceptional talent for playing chess. a. We use used to + infinitive to talk about a past routine or state that doesn t happen or exist now. b. We use the past simple to talk about completed events in the past. c. We use the present perfect simple to talk about recently-completed events or changes that have a connection with the present. d. We use the present perfect simple to talk about something that happened or didn t happen at an unspecified time before now. e. We use the present simple to talk about a present routine or state. What is the negative form of used to? How do we form questions with used to? 8 Practice Complete the sentences below with the past simple or present perfect simple. 1. He (go) to the party a few minutes ago. 2. The film (not/start) yet. 3. I (be) ill since Monday. 4. I (visit) Hong Kong last year. 5. This is my friend Michael. (you/ever/meet) him? 6. I (give up) smoking last year. 7. I (not/see) you for ages. How are you? 8. I (go) to the cinema last night. 9. I (just/finish) my work. I m coming home. 10. He (die) during the war. 11. She (find) a new job last week. 12. Silvio (go) to France five times in his life. You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex 4/5
Now do the same with the present simple or used to + infinitive. 1. I m a university student. I (attend) lectures every day. 2. I (attend) lectures every day during my student years. 3. I (travel) to Rome every month. It s part of my job. 4. I (travel) Rome every month. It was part of my job. 5. Peter lives a very healthy lifestyle now. He (smoke) every day. 6. Peter lives a very unhealthy lifestyle. He (smoke) 40 cigarettes a day. 7. I (go) to the cinema all the time. I don t have much time for that these days. 8. I (go) to the cinema all the time. I have a lot of free time. 9. I (not/eat out) very often these days. 10. I (not/eat out) very often. I preferred to cook at home. 11. Joanne is a musician. Which instrument (play)? 12. (you/play) an instrument in your childhood? Work in pairs. Tell your partner four things about yourself using the present simple, present perfect simple, past simple and used to + infinitive, for example: I used to get up at 6am every morning. Four years ago, I changed my job. I have been to Italy five times. I don t go out very often these days. You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex 5/5
- Key 2- Key words 1. b 2. d 3. a 4. f 5. g 6. i 7. c 8. e 9. h 3- Find the information 1. five (P1) 2. Ireland (P1) 3. three (P3) 4. none (P7) 5. 10,000 (P7) 6. eight (P9) 7. every day (P11) 8. three (P12) 4- Checking understanding 1. b 2. a 3. b 4. a 5. b 6. c 5- Prepositions 1. with 2. with 3. in 4. about 5. at 7- Grammar - Tense review 1. e 2. d 3. a 4. b 5. c didn t use to, did... use to? 8- Practice Past simple v. Present perfect: 1. went 2. hasn t started 3. ve been 4. visited 5. Have you ever met 6. gave up 7. haven t seen 8. went 9. ve just finished 10. died 11. found 12. has been Used to v. Present simple: 1. attend 2. used to attend 3. travel 4. used to travel 5. used to smoke 6. smokes 7. used to 8. go 9. don t eat out 10. didn t use to eat out 11. does she play 12. Did you use to play You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex i