این وبلاگ اصلی آموزشگاه زبانسرا پاکدشت است.

‘Television is doing irreparable harm’

‘Yes, but what did we use to do before there was television?’ How often we hear statements like this! Television hasn’t been with us all that long, but we are already beginning to forget what the world was like without it. Before we admitted the one-eyed monster into our homes, we never found 5 it difficult to occupy our spare time. We used to enjoy civilized pleasures. For instance, we used to have hobbies, we used to entertain our friends and be entertained by them, we used to go outside for our amusements to theatres, cinemas, restaurants and sporting events. We even used to read books and listen to music and broadcast talks occasionally. All that belongs 10 to the past. Now all our free time is regulated by the ‘goggle box’. We rush home or gulp down our meals to be in time for this or that programme. We have even given up sitting at table and having a leisurely evening meal, exchanging the news of the day. A sandwich and a glass of beer will do — anything, providing it doesn’t interfere with the programme. The monster 15 demands and obtains absolute silence and attention. If any member of the family dares to open his mouth during a programme, he is quickly silenced.

Whole generations are growing up addicted to the telly. food is left uneaten, homework

undone and sleep is lost. The telly is a universal pacifier. It is now standard practice for

mother to keep the children quiet

20 by putting them in the living-room and turning on the set. It doesn’t matter that the children

will watch rubbishy commercials or spectacles of sadism and violence — so long as they

are quiet.

There is a limit to the amount of creative talent available in the world. Every day, television consumes vast quantities of creative work. That is 25 why most of the programmes are so bad: it is impossible to keep pace with the demand and maintain high standards as well. When millions watch the same programmes, the whole world becomes a village, and society is reduced to the conditions which obtain in pre-literate communities. We become utterly dependent on the two most primitive media of communi 30 cation: pictures and the spoken word.

Television  encourages  passive  enjoyment.  We  become  content   with  second—hand experiences. It is so easy to sit in our armchairs watching others working. Little by little, television cuts us off from the real world. We get so lazy, we choose to spend a fine day in semi-darkness, glued to 35 our sets, rather than go out into the world itself. Television may be a splendid medium of communication, but it prevents us from communicating with each other. We only become aware how totally irrelevant television is to real living when we spend a holiday by the sea or in the mountains, far away from civilization. In quiet, natural surroundings, we 40 quickly discover how little we miss the hypnotic tyranny of King Telly.

:: موضوعات مرتبط: Topics، Speaking، American. File. 3. A، American. File. 3. B، American. File. 3. C، American. File. 3. D، American. File. 3. E، American. File. 4. A، American. File. 4. B، American. File. 4. C، American. File. 4. D، American. File. 4. E، American. File. 4. F، American. File. 4. G، Ready For FCE، FCE Result، Ready For CAE، CAE Result، IELTS، ،

 

If you smoke and you still don’t believe that there’s a definite link between smoking and bronchial troubles, heart disease and lung cancer, then you are certainly deceiving yourself. No one will accuse you of hypocrisy. Let us just say that you are suffering from a bad case of wishful thinking.

     This needn’t make you too uncomfortable because you are in good company. Whenever the subject of smoking and health is raised, the governments of most countries hear no evil, see no evil and smell no evil. Admittedly, a few governments have taken timid measures. In Britain, for instance, cigarette advertising has been banned on television. The

   conscience of the nation is appeased, while the population continues to puff its way to smoky, cancerous death.

You don’t have to look very far to find out why the official reactions to medical findings have been so luke-warm. The answer is simply money. Tobacco is a wonderful commodity to tax. It’s almost like a tax on our

   daily bread. In tax revenue alone, the government of Britain collects enough from smokers to pay for its entire educational facilities. So while the authorities point out ever so discreetly that smoking may, conceivably, be harmful, it doesn’t do to shout too loudly about it.

This is surely the most short-sighted policy you could imagine. While 20 money is eagerly collected in vast sums with one hand, it is paid out in

increasingly vaster sums with the other. Enormous amounts are spent on cancer research and on efforts to cure people suffering from the disease. Countless valuable lives are lost. In the long run, there is no doubt that everybody would be much better-off if smoking were banned altogether.

  Of course, we are not ready for such drastic action. But if the governments of the world were honestly concerned about the welfare of their peoples, you’d think they’d conduct aggressive anti-smoking campaigns. Far from it! The tobacco industry is allowed to spend staggering sums on advertising. Its advertising is as insidious as it is dishonest. We are never

  shown pictures of real smokers coughing up their lungs early in the morning. That would never do. The advertisements always depict virile, clean-shaven young men. They suggest it is manly to smoke, even positively healthy! Smoking is associated with the great open-air life, with beautiful girls, true love and togetherness. What utter nonsense!

   For a start, governments could begin by banning all cigarette and tobacco advertising and should then conduct anti-smoking advertising campaigns of their own. Smoking should be banned in all public places like theatres, cinemas and restaurants. Great efforts should be made to inform young people especially of the dire consequences of taking up the

   habit. A horrific warning — say, a picture of a death’s head — should be included in every packet of cigarettes that is sold. As individuals we are certainly weak, but if governments acted honestly and courageously, they could protect us from ourselves.

:: موضوعات مرتبط: Topics، Speaking، American. File. 2. C، American. File. 2. D، American. File. 3. A، American. File. 3. B، American. File. 3. C، American. File. 3. D، American. File. 3. E، American. File. 4. A، American. File. 4. B، American. File. 4. C، American. File. 4. D، American. File. 4. E، American. File. 4. F، American. File. 4. G، Ready For FCE، FCE Result، Ready For CAE، CAE Result، ،

I’m sorry, I’m late = I’m sorry for being late.

I’m sorry, but I have to miss the next session

I’m sorry I don’t get it

I’m awfully sorry but I haven’t done my homework/assignment.

I’m sorry I’ve left my home work at home

I’m doneè we’re done

We are on page 20

We’ve done the book up to page 15

I was 15 minutes late. Did you mark me absent?

I was 15 minutes late. Are you going to mark me absent?

Will you mark me absent if I’m ten minutes late?

This class doesn’t suit my time.

My English class coincides with my university class

It’s on the tip of my tongue

The bell has gone

The bell hasn’t gone

May I have word with you?

Could you explain it a little more?

Would you mind writing it on the board?

Can I have your idea about my topic?

Should I hand in my paper / homework now?

Shall I read / continue?

What does _______ mean?

What’s _________ called in English?

How do pronounce it?

How do you spell ______?

May I go out?

May I come in?

May I leave the class?

May I go home early?

May I take some water?

Excuse me for being late.

Stand / step aside, please.

Yes, sir

Excuse me sir

Excuse me /Sorry - could you repeat that?

Can you repeat your question?

Pardon me

May I ask you a question?

I have a question!

Nice job/ Good job

I’m sorry sir, I’m not ready, please, don’t ask me.

I’m afraid, sir, I’m not ready yet. Please ask me later.

Got it = understandèYes I / we got it. èI’m sorry I don’t get it.

Repeat after me= pardon me= again

Shall I clean the board? è Hold the phone please

Are you ready / setè yes I’m readyà I’m afraid I’m not ready

Why are you (so) late?

Open up your book to page 20

Turn page over=turn to next page

Learn it by heart=memorize it

Sit up please

Sit properly

I’ll explain it to you later

Read it out loud

What page are we on? We are on age 10

Are you all set/ ready?

Are you done=have you finished?

No talking please.

I want to ask you some question.

Could you repeat it?

I’m sorry, I’m late? = I’m sorry for being late.

I’m, sorry for being absent last session.

What does _______ mean?

What’s _________ called in English?

How do pronounce it?

How do you spell ______?

May I go out?

May I come in?

May I leave the class?

May I go home early?

May I take some water?

Excuse me for being late.

Stand / step aside, please.

Yes, sir

Excuse me sir

Excuse me /Sorry - could you repeat that?

Can you repeat your question?

Pardon me

May I ask you a question?

I have a question!

Nice job/ Good job

I’m sorry sir, I’m not ready, please, don’t ask me.

I’m afraid, sir, I’m not ready yet. Please ask me later.

Got it = understandèYes I / we got it. èI’m sorry I don’t get it.

Repeat after me= pardon me= again

Shall I clean the board? è Hold the phone please

Are you ready / setè yes I’m readyà I’m afraid I’m not ready

Why are you (so) late?

Open up your book to page 20

Turn page over=turn to next page

Learn it by heart=memorize it

Sit up please

Sit properly

I’ll explain it to you later

Read it out loud

What page are we on? We are on age 10

Are you all ser/ ready?

Are you done=have you finished?

No talking please.

I want to ask you some question.

Could you repeat it?

I’m sorry, I’m late? = I’m sorry for being late.

I’m, sorry for being absent last session.

 

:: موضوعات مرتبط: Starter. A، Starter. B، Starter. C، Starter. D، Starter. Conversation، American. File. 1. A، American. File. 1. B، American. File. 1. C، American. File. 1. D، American. File. 1. Conversation، American. File. 2. A، American. File. 2. B، American. File. 2. C، American. File. 2. D، American. File. 2. Conversation، American. File. 3. A، American. File. 3. B، American. File. 3. C، American. File. 3. D، American. File. 3. E، American. File. 4. A، ،

0). He’s sentimental.       او احساساتی است.

1). He’s spoiled.            او لوس است.

2). He’s curious (nosy / nosey).     او کنجکاو (فضول) است.

3). He’s quick- tempered / he loses his temper very quickly.    او زود از کوره در می رود.

4). He’s always talking behind (my) back.    همیشه پشت سر من حرف می زند.

5). He lacks self-confidence.      او اعتماد به نفس ندارد.

6). He’s rather sensitive to criticism.      نسبت به انتقاد حساسیت دارد.

7). He never backbites.          او غیبت نمی کند.

8). He always teases his friends.   او همیشه سر به سر دوستانش می گذارد.     

9). He doesn’t usually mix with others.             معمولا با دیگران قاطی نمی شود.

10). He’s sensitive (touchy)      او حساس است.

 

:: موضوعات مرتبط: Starter. C، Starter. D، Starter. Conversation، American. File. 1. A، American. File. 1. B، American. File. 1. C، American. File. 1. D، American. File. 1. Conversation، American. File. 2. B، American. File. 2. C، American. File. 2. D، American. File. 2. Conversation، American. File. 3. A، American. File. 3. B، American. File. 3. C، American. File. 3. D، American. File. 3. E، Vocabulary، ،

1). He’s flexible / stubborn.     او انعطاف پذیر / لجباز است.

2). He’s real gentleman.       او یک آقای به تمام معناست.  

3). She's real lady.     او یک خانم به تمام معناست.

4). He’s lively and energetic.    او با نشاط و پرانرژی است.  

5). He’s innovative and creative.      او مبتکر و خلاق است. 

6). He’s thoughtful and open-minded.     او متفکر و آزاد اندیش است.

7). He’s self-made and independent.    او خود ساخته و متکی به نفس است.

8). He’s knowledgeable and well-read.       او با سواد و با مطالعه است.

9). He’s dignified and respectable.       او با شخصیت و قابل احترام است.

10). He’s generous and hospitable.     او سخاوتمند و مهماننواز است.

11). He’s hard-work and studious.        او سخت کوش و درس خوان است.

12). He’s showy (a show –off).       او متظاهر است.

13). He’s stingy (a miser).     او خسیس است. 

14). He’s jealous.               او حسود است.

15). He’s two – faced.      او دو رو است.

:: موضوعات مرتبط: American. File. 3. A، American. File. 3. B، American. File. 3. C، American. File. 3. D، American. File. 3. E، Vocabulary، ،

:: موضوعات مرتبط: Grammar، American. File. 2. D، American. File. 2. Conversation، American. File. 3. C، American. File. 3. D، American. File. 4. D، American. File. 4. E، ،

Defining relative clauses

As the name suggests, defining relative clauses give essential information to define or identify the person or thing we are talking about. Take for example the sentence: Dogs that like cats are very unusual. In this sentence we understand that there are many dogs in the world, but we are only talking about the ones that like cats. The defining relative clause gives us that information. If the defining relative clause were removed from the sentence, the sentence would still be grammatically correct, but its meaning would have changed significantly.

Defining relative clauses are composed of a relative pronoun (sometimes omitted), a verb, and optional other elements such as the subject or object of the verb. Commas are not used to separate defining relative clauses from the rest of the sentence. Commas or parentheses are used to separate non-defining relative clauses from the rest of the sentence.

Examples

• Children who hate chocolate are uncommon.
• They live in a house whose roof is full of holes.
• An elephant is an animal that lives in hot countries.
• Let's go to a country where the sun always shines.
• The reason why I came here today is not important.

Relative pronouns

The following relative pronouns are used in defining relative clauses. These relative pronouns appear at the start of the defining relative clause and refer to a noun that appears earlier in the sentence.

	Person	Thing	Place	Time	Reason
Subject	who/that	which/that
Object	who/whom/that	which/that	where	when	why
Possessive	whose	whose

Replacing with "that" in spoken English

The pronouns who, whom, and which are often replaced by that in spoken English. Whom is very formal and is only used in written English. You can use who or that instead, or omit the pronoun completely. In the examples below, the common usage is given with the defining relative clause highlighted. The pronoun that would be used in more formal written English instead of that is given in parentheses.

Examples

• The dish that I ordered was delicious. (which)
• The man that came with her has already left. (who)
• The doctor that I was hoping to see wasn't on duty. (whom)

Including or omitting the relative pronoun

The relative pronoun can only be omitted when it is the object of the clause. When the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause, it cannot be omitted. You can usually tell when a relative pronoun is the object of the clause because it is followed by another subject + verb. See below, in the first sentence the relative pronoun cannot be ommitted because it is the subject of the relative clause ("the woman spoke"). In the second sentence, the pronoun can be omitted because "the woman" is the object of the verb "loved".

Noun, subject of the main clause	Relative pronoun	Verb + rest of relative clause	Verb + rest of main clause
The woman	that	spoke at the meeting	was very knowledgeable.
The woman	(that)	the man loved	was living in New York.

Other uses of "that"

'That' is often used to introduce defining relative clauses when they follow the words something, anything, everything, nothing, all or a superlative. It may be omitted when it is not the subject of the clause.

Examples

• There's something (that) you should know.
• It was the best film (that) I've ever seen.
• Do you have anything that will help my throat?
• Everything (that) you say seems silly to me.
• Nothing (that) anyone does can replace my lost bag.
• I'm sorry, but that is all (that) I saw.

Non-defining relative clauses

As the name suggests, non-defining relative clauses tell us more about someone or something, but the information in these clauses does not help us to define what we are talking about.Take for example the sentence: Gorillas, which are large and originate in Africa, can sometimes be found in zoos. In this sentence we are talking about all gorillas, not just some of them. The information in the non-defining relative clause tells us something more about gorillas in general. It does not define a small group of gorillas or an individual gorilla. If the non-defining relative clause were removed from the sentence, the sentence would still be gramatically correct and the meaning would not have changed, although we would have less detail.

Non-defining relative clauses are composed of a relative pronoun, a verb, and optional other elements such as the subject or object of the verb. Commas or parentheses are always used to separate non-defining relative clauses from the rest of the sentence.

Examples

• John's mother, who lives in Scotland, has 6 grandchildren.
• My friend John, who went to the same school as me, has just written a best-selling novel.
• My grandmother, who is dead now, came from the North of England.
• We stopped at the museum, which we had never visited before.
• I've just come back from London, where John lives..
• Yesterday I met a woman named Susan, whose husband works in London.

Relative pronouns

The following relative pronouns are used in non-defining relative clauses. These relative pronouns appear at the start of the non-defining relative clause and refer to a noun that appears earlier in the sentence.

	Person	Thing	Place
Subject	who	which
Object	who/whom	which	where
Possessive	whose

Differences with defining relative clauses

In defining relative clauses, the pronouns who, whom, and which are often replaced by that in spoken English. In non-defining relative clauses, you cannot replace other pronouns with that. You also cannot leave out the relative pronoun in non-defining relative clauses, in the way you sometimes can in defining relative clauses. The pronoun is required, even when it is the object of the verb in the relative clause. Finally, non-defining relative clauses are always separated from the rest of the sentence by commas, unlike defining relative clauses, which have no punctuation.

Examples

• He gave me the letter, which was in a blue envelope. (non-defining clause: There was only one letter, it happened to be blue. You must use which)
• He gave me the letter which/that was in a blue envelope. (defining clause: There were several letters of different colors and he gave me the blue one. Which may be replaced by that. The commas are removed.)
• He gave me the letter, which I read immediately. (non-defining clause: There was only one letter. which is the object of read, but it still must be included in the sentence.)
• Stratford-on-Avon, which many people have written about, is Shakespeare's birthplace. (Any preposition that appears is normally placed at the end of the clause.)
• Stratford-on-Avon, about which many people have written, is Shakespeare's birthplace. (In formal written English, you can also put the preposition before the pronoun.)

Introductory expressions in non-defining clauses

Non-defining clauses can be introduced by expressions like all of or many of followed by the relative pronoun.

	Person	Thing
all of, any of, some of, a few of, both of, each of, either of, half of, many of, most of, much of, none of, one of, two of, etc.	whom	which

Examples

• There were a lot of people at the party, many of whom I had known for years.
• There are 14 girls in my class, a few of whom are my friends.
• He was carrying his belongings, many of which were broken.
• He had thousands of books, most of which he had read.
• He picked up a handful of stones, one of which was sharp.

Using "which" to refer to another clause

The relative pronoun which at the beginning of a non-defining relative clause can refer to all the information contained in the previous part of the sentence, rather than to just one word.

Examples

• Chris did really well in his exams, which is quite a surprise.
• My friends were all hiding in my apartment, which isn't what I'd expected.
• She's studying to become a doctor, which is difficult.

 

:: موضوعات مرتبط: Grammar، American. File. 3. C، American. File. 3. D، ،

:: موضوعات مرتبط: ، Grammar، American. File. 1. A، American. File. 1. B، American. File. 1. C، American. File. 2. A، American. File. 2. C، American. File. 3. C، American. File. 3. D، American. File. 3. E، Vocabulary، ،

:: موضوعات مرتبط: Grammar، American. File. 2. C، American. File. 3. B، American. File. 3. C، Vocabulary، ،