2

speakout Intermediate
UNIT 2

TALES

Overview
Watch the video podcast. Which opinions do you most agree with?

1 Read and complete the text with the prepositions from the box. Then watch the video podcast from

0:11-0:29 and check your answers.

Val

in (x2) about (x2) of (x2) for (x2) from

Hi, Im Val and I work 1for the BBC here 2
London. I read a lot 3
4
5
news stories
my job and I get my news
lots 6
different
7
sources. Today, Im going to be asking people
the media and
8
truth. How do you find out whats happening 9
the world?
Glossary: source = the place something comes from; the media = TV, radio and newspapers

2 How do you find out whats happening in the world? Look at the people and the responses they give.

Then watch the video podcast from 0:25-1:07 and match the responses to the speakers.

A
Mairi

Adrian

A
TV
the radio
the newspapers
Twitter
other people
the internet
news programmes

Joanne

Dorra

Binisa

John

3 Do you always believe what you see or read in the news? Look at the people and read the opinions
below. Then watch the video podcast from 1:08-2:06 and match the opinions to the people. There is
ONE extra answer that you do not need.

A
Mairi

B
Adrian

C
Joanne

Tamara

John

Who
1 thinks its important to distinguish between fact and opinion?
2 doesnt always believe that news sources are being honest?

3 often finds that news headlines are quite misleading?

4 doesnt ever believe what she reads in the news?
5 thinks health stories in the news are very honest?
6 thinks its a risk to believe everything you see and hear on television?
Glossary: to distinguish = recognise or understand the difference; misleading = give incorrect information

Pearson Education Limited 2011

page 1

speakout Intermediate
UNIT 2

TALES

4 When is it OK to tell a lie? Read the possible answers a and b for each person. Then watch the video

podcast from 2:07-2:44 and tick () which is true.

Joanne

Dorra

1a Its OK to lie sometimes to protect yourself.

1b Its OK to lie sometimes to protect another
persons feelings.

2a You dont want to tell the truth to a kid and

scare them.
2b You should tell lies to a kid to scare them.
3a There are some lies that are nasty.
3b There are some lies that are necessary.

John

Binisa

4a In general, telling lies destroys relationships.

4b In general, telling white lies destroys your
relations.

6a Its OK to tell lies when it doesnt harm anyone.

6b Its not OK to tell lies even when it doesnt
harm anyone.

5a Hes always honest about his wifes new

clothes.
5b Hes not always honest about his wifes new
clothes.
Glossary: a kid = a child (slang); to scare = to frighten; to destroy = damage something very badly; to harm
= to damage or hurt somebody

Pearson Education Limited 2011

page 2

speakout Intermediate
UNIT 2

TALES

The way we speak

5 Do you always believe what you see or read in the news? Read Tamara and Johns views below. Then

watch the video podcast from 1:39-2:06 and complete what they say.

Tamara

John

I come from Africa so I 1dont because depending

2
what the news is, sometimes it 3
be
4
a little
biased, sometimes it can be tinged
with self-interest. So no, I 5
. I dont believe
6
I read.

I work as a doctor and I 7

that quite a
lot of the health stories, which are very big in
8
media and often get headline-grabbing
attention, turn out to be actually not. Theyre often
9
misleading, so I 10
Im a fairly critical
consumer.

6 Tell me about a time you told a lie. Look at the people and read the two summaries of their responses
A and B. Then watch the video podcast from 2:45-3:28 and decide which summary is correct for
each person.

1a Tamaras husband cooked a meal that she didnt like but she told him she liked
it because hed made an effort to do it and she didnt want to hurt his feelings.
1b Tamaras husband cooked a salty meal for her one evening but she told him
she liked it and she ate it all even though she had already eaten dinner at a
restaurant.

Tamara

2a When Joannes late for a class or a meeting at university, she usually tells her
tutor that she should have left home earlier.
2b When Joannes late for a class or a meeting at university, she sometimes
blames the transport.
B
Joanne

3a When Adrian was in China, he said the food was delicious, but it was to his
detriment because it made him feel unwell.
3b When Adrian was in China, he said the food was delicious even though it
wasn't. He was sorry later because they gave him even more food.
C
Adrian

Glossary: make an effort = try very hard; detrimental = not good for you; delayed = late

Pearson Education Limited 2011

page 3

TALES

speakout Intermediate
UNIT 2

Vocabulary
7 Find the words in italics in Ex. 6 and match them to the definitions.
1 show a small amount of
2 designed to attract your attention

3 a person who buys products and services and says what is bad or wrong about them
4 preferring one thing rather than another in an unfair way
5 happen in a certain way that you often dont expect
6 wanting what is best for you, not for others

tinged

Personalisation
8 Write your answers to the questions.
1 How do you find out whats happening in the world?
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
2 Do you always believe what you see or read in the news? Why/Why not?
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
3 Do you agree with what the people in the podcasts say about telling lies?
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
4 Have you ever told a lie that you feel bad about?
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________

BBC LINK
A recent study shows that British men tell more lies than British women.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8689010.stm

Pearson Education Limited 2011

page 4

Intermediate Unit 2 Video Podcast Script

V = Val
B = Binisa

M = Mairi
Jo = John

A = Adrian J = Joana
T = Tamara

D = Dorra

V:

Hi, Im Val and I work for the BBC here in London. I read a lot of news
stories for my job and I get my news from lots of different sources.
Today, Im going to be asking people about the media and about truth.
How do you find out whats happening in the world?

M:

I find out about whats happening by reading the news on the internet.
Um, I use Twitter a lot for quite a fast look at all of the latest news.

A:

I listen to the radio, watch the TV and read the newspapers.

J:

I mainly find out through the internet. Er, and also speaking with
people.

D:

It can be from my neighbours, or it can be from newspapers, or

internet.

B:

Just general day-to-day talk, I suppose.

Jo:

Well, I usually listen to the radio in the morning and I often listen to
news programmes and then I frequently go on the internet and look at
a range of web sites.

V:

Do you always believe what you see or read in the news?

M:

No, not always. Um, I think the news in Britains quite good for giving
you as much honesty as they have, but I dont always believe that their
sources are being honest.

A:

I think it would be a very risky business to believe everything that you,

that you read or saw on television, for example.

J:

No. I think you have to distinguish between whats fact and whats
opinion.

T:

Absolutely not. I come from Africa so I dont because depending on

what the news is sometimes it can be a little bit biased; sometimes it
can be tinged with self-interest. So, no I dont, I dont believe what I
read.

PHOTOCOPIABLE 2011 Pearson Longman

Intermediate Unit 2 Video Podcast Script

Jo:

I work as a doctor and I know that quite a lot of the health stories,
which are very big in the media and often get headline-grabbing
attention, turn out to be actually not theyre often quite misleading, so
I suppose Im a fairly critical consumer.

V:

When is it OK to tell a lie?

J:

I think its OK to lie sometimes to protect the feelings of another

person.

D:

You dont want to tell the truth to a kid about something wrong that
happened you dont want to scare a kid. Um, there are some lies that
are necessary, I think.

Jo:

Well, in general I think its not a good idea telling lies because it
destroys relationships, but I suppose telling white lies: when my wife
says, What do I look like in this new dress? Sometimes Im not going
to be strictly honest.

B:

I think its OK to tell a lie when its not harming anyone directly.

V:

Tell me about a time you told a lie.

T:

My husband made a dish that I didnt really like, and, I just thought, you
know, Im not going to say, This isnt nice, its salty because hed
made an effort.

J:

If Im late for a class, or a meeting with a supervisor, I might blame it on

the transport: say the train was delayed when, actually, I should have
left earlier.

A:

I remember on one occasion, um, in China being asked whether I

enjoyed the food and, of course, I said, Yes, I thought it was
delicious. when it actually was not. And that was to my detriment
because, of course, in China they then serve you with even more food.

PHOTOCOPIABLE 2011 Pearson Longman