| Full name: ………………………………………………………. | |
| Lesson 1 Topic: Urban and rural life | WID: IELTS6.0_01_R QR code: |
| Skills | ……. pts/10 |
| – understand the meaning of prefixes | |
| – matching heading tasks | |
| – identify the main idea of a paragraph |
Exercise 1. [Meaning of prefixes] Read the groups of words that begin with the same prefix. Match the meanings with the prefixes.
from one thing / place to another future make the opposite of
too much under / less than wrongly / incorrectly
1 over- (overweight, overpaid, overestimate) _________________________
2 mis- (misuse, misunderstand, mispronounce) _________________________
3 sub- (substandard, sub-zero, submarine) _________________________
4 fore- (foresee, forethought, forecast) _________________________
5 de- (deodorant, defrost, demystify) _________________________
6 trans- (transfer, transform, transcribe) _________________________
Exercise 2. [Meaning of prefixes] Read the comments made by different speakers. Match the descriptions of what the speakers are doing with the comments.
a. complaining that something isn’t good enough
b. describing someone’s stage of life
c. talking about the advantages of being prepared for what is going to happen
d. criticising someone’s lifestyle and health
e. complaining about inaccurate information
f. explaining what someone approves and disapproves of
g. suggesting how to describe something’s history
‘He’s overweight because he overeats.’
‘The service I’ve received today has been substandard.’
‘I was misquoted and my views were misrepresented.’
‘She’s always been pro-trade and anti-capitalist at the same time.’
‘If you want to sell your old bike, don’t call it “used”. Call it “pre-owned and pre-loved”.’
‘My grandparents are enjoying their post-retirement years.’
‘Forewarned is forearmed. That’s always been a favourite idiom of mine.’
Exercise 3. [Identify main ideas of the paragraph] Read the information. Then read the topic sentences. Choose the correct descriptions of what the paragraphs will be about.
The first sentence in a paragraph is called the topic sentence. This usually contains clues as to what the rest of the paragraph will be about. In this exercise, you will see five topic sentences (from a five-paragraph text, which you will read later) and predict what the topic of the paragraph is likely to be about.
1. Topic sentence A
One of the key challenges facing the world is going to be coping with the hundreds of millions of people who will flock to the growing number of overpopulated megacities, especially in developing countries.
The rest of paragraph A is likely to tell us about:
A. another challenge that needs to be addressed
B. consequences of falling populations
C. examples of cities where this has happened
D. reasons why falling populations fall further
E. the lives of people living in the countryside
2. Topic sentence B
A drop in a city’s population usually leads to a few empty or boarded-up and unoccupied homes, hardly enough to make the headlines or raise eyebrows.
The rest of paragraph B is likely to tell us about:
A. another challenge that needs to be addressed
B. consequences of falling populations
C. examples of cities where this has happened
D. reasons why falling populations fall further
E. the lives of people living in the countryside
3. Topic sentence C
That’s just the thing: once a population starts going down, that decline tends to continue.
The rest of paragraph C is likely to tell us about:
A. another challenge that needs to be addressed
B. consequences of falling populations
C. examples of cities where this has happened
D. reasons why falling populations fall further
E. the lives of people living in the countryside
4. Topic sentence D
Many cities that are now declining relied heavily on a specific industry for employment of a large portion of the workforce.
The rest of paragraph D is likely to tell us about:
A. another challenge that needs to be addressed
B. consequences of falling populations
C. examples of cities where this has happened
D. reasons why falling populations fall further
E. the lives of people living in the countryside
5. Topic sentence E
It’s this desire to enjoy many of the aspects of an imagined utopia that is prompting many urban dwellers to pack up and move out to the country.
The rest of paragraph E is likely to tell us about:
A. another challenge that needs to be addressed
B. consequences of falling populations
C. examples of cities where this has happened
D. reasons why falling populations fall further
E. the lives of people living in the countryside
Exercise 4. [Reading] In Exercise 5, you will complete an IELTS Reading matching headings task. First, read the descriptions and choose the correct answers to complete the sentences.
One of the heading options is The perks of rural life. A paragraph with this heading is likely to be about …
A. statistics concerning numbers of people living in the countryside.
B. the benefits of living in the countryside.
Another heading option is A widely publicised phenomenon. This paragraph probably focuses on something that people …
A. do a lot.
B. know about.
Divided generations is another option. A paragraph with this heading is likely to focus on reasons why …
A. people of different ages spend less time together.
B. younger and older people behave differently from each other.
A paragraph with the heading More common than you might think about …
A. something that happens a lot.
B. something that people think about a lot.
The heading The reasons why populations fall could be used with a paragraph looking at …
A. the causes of falling populations.
B. the results of falling populations.
A paragraph headed The impact of migration on rural infrastructure will focus on …
A. the causes of migration.
B. the effects of migration.
The heading The effects of economic downturn suggests that the accompanying paragraph will be about …
A. what happens when a town gets poorer.
B. why some towns are poor and others are rich.
Exercise 5. [IELTS Reading: Matching headings] The article has five paragraphs, A–E. Read the article and match the paragraphs with the headings. There are two extra headings.
A One of the key challenges facing the world is going to be coping with the hundreds of millions of people who will flock to the growing number of overpopulated megacities, especially in developing countries. This has received a great deal of media attention; books have been written, conferences organised and committees established to debate the causes of urbanisation, and more importantly, what can be done to improve the fate of those making the move into these
