2.1. TOLERANCE

 

2.1.1 Introduction

What do you understand by the expression ‘It takes all  sorts to make a world’?

 

2.1.2  Listening

Listen to descriptions of three people. Make notes on  what is strange about them.

 

2.1.3 Definition

A

Match the multi-word verbs and their definitions.

 

1. to be getting on for something	a. to begin to do something as a regular habit
2. to take to doing something	b. to be noticeable, conspicuous
3. to liven (something) up	c. to defend oneself against the attacks or demandsof someone more powerful
4. to go on about someone / something	d. to try to impress people by making one’s abilitiesvery obvious, usually from pride or vanity
5. to pick on someone	e. to select someone repeatedly forcriticism, punishment or blame
6. to stand up to someone	f. to be nearly a certain age or time,to be growing old
7. to show off	g. to make something more interesting,exciting or lively
8. to stand out	h. to stop participating in a course of study,a competition or society
9. to drop out (of something)	i. to keep talking about the same thing,usually to an annoying extent

 

Drills

B

Listen to the sentences. Use the prompts you hear to make sentences with the same meaning.

 

2.1.4  Word Use

A

Complete the sentences, using multi-word verbs from this unit.

 

a. The party was very dull so we tried to _____ by getting everyone to dance.

b. He started a three-year drama course, but he ______ after two months and found a job in a hotel.

c. I don’t like him because he is so vain. He’s always _____ in front of other people.

d. He decided to _____ his boss and refuse to accept his demands.

e. Although my grandmother _____ eighty, she still goes for a three-mile walk every morning before breakfast.

f. She believed the boss was _____ her because he never criticized anyone else in the office.

g. Her way of dressing made her ______ in a crowd.

h. He never used to touch alcohol, but recently he has _____ drinking in the pub all night.

i. She kept _____ her operation. It was very boring because we had heard it all before.

  

Correction

B

One of the sentences below is correct. All the others  have one mistake in them. Correct them.

 

a. She tried to live up the discussion by saying something controversial.

b. If he’s always picking on you, you should stand up for him.

c. She gets on for ninety.

d. He makes himself stand up in a crowd by showing off.

e. He shouldn’t have made the mistake of dropping out of college.

f. They’re always going about the state of the economy.

g. She’s taken to golf at the weekends.

 

Interaction

C

Work in pairs. Discuss the statements and questions below. Use the multi-word verbs from this unit.

 

1. How old is your oldest relative?
2. What would you do if someone was always selecting you for criticism or punishment?
3. How would you make a party more interesting and lively?
4. Have you ever felt you didn’t want to complete a particular course? If so, why? What happened?
5. Think of someone who is always trying to draw attention to themselves in an obvious way. What do you think of this person?
6. Think of someone who is always talking about something in an annoying way.
7. Have you adopted any new habits recently? If yes, what are they?

 

2.1.5 Idiom

A

Read your own star sign description, and those of other people you know. Try to guess which star signs belong to other people in your class.

 

Aquarius    You are practical and realistic about what is important in life – you have your feet firmly on the ground. You are intelligent and love thinking up new ideas, but you sometimes have a memory like a sieve. Once you have made a promise, you never go back on it. You like change, and often wear outrageous clothes that make you stand out in a crowd.

 

Pisces    You are sensitive, imaginative and creative, but also very emotional – your heart rules your head. You are not ambitious or materialistic and often have your head in the clouds. You are indecisive because you don’t always know your own mind, but you are good at putting yourself in other people’s shoes.

 

Aries    You are a born leader and like to dominate people. You are very active and rather impulsive, so you tend to do things on the spur of the moment. You lose your temper very easily, but you get over it quickly and can be quite charming. You’re not good at following other people’s advice, but you’re quick to give advice to them.

 

Taurus    You are practical, reliable, and determined. You have a mind of your own so it is very difficult to make you do something you don’t want to. This means you can be stubborn at times. You like the security that comes from routine so you don’t like change. You are loyal and generous to your friends and will stand by them whenever possible.

 

Gemini    You are intelligent, interested in everything, and have an excellent general knowledge. You think and talk fast and you are full of restless energy. You are versatile and good at doing several things at the same time. You have a strong sense of humour and often have your friends in stitches. You are sociable, get bored easily and love change.

 

Cancer    You are very sensitive and easily hurt. If someone says an unkind word to you, you take it to heart, but you are also very forgiving. Your family life is very important to you. You are sincere in love, but often take things too seriously. You are a loyal friend and have a good memory, but you can be moody sometimes.

 

Leo    You have a confident and attractive personality, but you tend to be proud. You like to be in the public eye and you are easily flattered. You love the sun and are very generous – indeed, you have a heart of gold. You like to organize other people, and you are quick to stand up for someone who you think is being attacked.

 

Virgo    You are quiet and shy and don’t like crowds. You tend to be a loner and keep yourself to yourself. You are a perfectionist – you want everybody and everything to be perfect and this makes it difficult for people to live up to your high standards. You prefer to play a supporting role at work and in relationships.

 

Libra    You are sympathetic, tolerant and a good listener, so when a friend needs a shoulder to cry on, they turn to you. Love is important for you and you are always falling for people. However, you are indecisive. You spend a long time weighing up all the possibilities before you make up your mind.

 

Scorpio    You have strong likes and dislikes and tend to see things in black and white. As a result, you tend to make instant judgements and rarely change your mind about things or people. You are ambitious, but love is more important to you than success. You are very secretive and hide your true feelings. If you are hurt you always take revenge.

 

Sagittarius    You are friendly, extrovert, and outspoken. You rebel against authority, and have a tendency to speak your mind when it would be better to remain silent. You hate pretence and deception. You are intelligent and like to show off your knowledge to other people. You love travel and danger and you have a hot temper.

 

Capricorn    You are a strong-minded person who takes life and work very seriously. Your talent and determination make you successful and you usually get to the top. In your relationships you are faithful and loyal, but you are also possessive and like to be in control. You are very cautious and tend to bottle up your feelings rather than release them.

 

Opinion

B

Using expressions in italics from the text above, say whether horoscope descriptions prove true.

 

2.1.6 Activate

A

Work with your partner. Discuss the points below.

 

1. Name three people who are often in the public eye.

2. Name three people who have got to the top in their profession.

3. Name someone who is not afraid to speak their mind.

4. When was the last time someone had you in stitches?

5. What have you done on the spur of the moment recently?

6. Do you have a shoulder to cry on when you are upset? If yes, who is it?

 

Into

B

How multi-word verbs work What is the general meaning of the particle into in the examples below?

 

1. When she heard the news she burst into tears.

2. One moment he was calm and reasonable, and the next moment he flew into a rage and started shouting at everyone.

3. He used to be a charming man but in later life he turned into a very unpleasant person.

4. She settled into the routine of her new job very quickly.

5. He got into the habit of watching TV every afternoon.

 

C           What are the two different meanings of to take to

in these sentences?

                                         

a. I took to him immediately.

b. I took to playing golf every Saturday morning.

 

2.1.7 Check Yourself

Can you, with the help of the main verb given on the right,   and the context provided by the sentences, complete the phrasal verbs?

                                     

1. Do stop ___  ___ - it’s embarrassing.                                                                  2. She’s just ___  ___  ___ her boyfriend.                                                               3. She ___  ___ all the letters he had sent her.                                                       4. Can you ___ me ___ ___ what has been happening.                                            5. I ___  ___ and missed the end of the film.                                                          6. The pressure of work is beginning to ___  ___ him.                                              7. She ___  ___  the perfect title for her new novel.                                                8. This table ___  ___ too much room.                                                                   9. It’s a holiday tomorrow, so you can ___  ___.                                                       10. Nobody ___  ___  ___ breaking the window.                                                      11. Our plans ___  ___ because of a sudden death in the family.                                 12. I’m afraid she ___ us ___ badly.                                                                         13. I ___  ___  ___ the flu and was unable to go to work.                                          14. The police ___  ___ and arrested the gang.                                                         15. She ___  ___ a letter to her mother.                                                                  16. Don’t ___  ___ a salary increase this year.                                                            17. It was ten o’clock when he finally ___  ___ .                                                        18. She spent her time in Paris ___  ___ in cafes and bars.                                           19. The details were supposed to be secret but they ___  ___ somehow.                    20. He hates the job but he’s determined to ___  ___  ___ because he needs the money.

show break tear fill drop get hit take lie own fall let come burst dash count turn hang leak stick

 

2.1.8 Word Choice

Choose the right variant to complete each sentence. Use these words and the phrasal verbs from exercise 2.1.7 in situations on the topic.

 

1. It’s _____ that he never mentioned our argument; I wonder why he didn’t.

a. special      b. rare    c. curious     d. eccentric

2. The programme examines what _____ people feel about fashion.

a. average      b. typical       c. standard     d. ordinary

3. It’s _____ for people to get depressed if they’re out of work.

a. normal      b. everyday      c. representative    d. typical

4. Opportunities as good as that are ____ .

a. scarce      b. peculiar     c. weird      d. unconventional

5. It’s _____ of her to refuse to admit that she’s wrong; she’s very stubborn.

a. characteristic     b. ordinary      c. average      d. representative

6. It’s _____ for me to get so upset about such a small problem; I normally don’t let such things worry me.

a. eccentric        b. unusual         c. remarkable       d. scarce

7. What a(n) _____ thing to say! What gave you that idea?

a. unique      b. peculiar     c. unreal       d. scarce

8. He’s not crazy, he’s just a bit _____, that’s all.

a. uncharacteristic       b. unreal        c. eccentric       d. unique

9. Because she doesn’t behave in a very _____ way, people think that she’s rather strange.

a. usual       b. conventional        c. standard        d. average

10. Is it _____ for people to behave like that in this country?

a. representative     b. usual       c. average       d. everyday

11. There were some very _____ people at that party last night. They scared me a bit, actually.

a. unreal      b. remarkable      c. weird       d. uncharacteristic

12. He’s got into trouble at work on several occasions because of his ____ way of dealing with clients.

a. unconventional     b. rare     c. uncharacteristic      d. remarkable

13. That’s _____ - I’m sure I left my watch on the table but it doesn’t seem to be there any more.

a. funny      b. unique       c. rare      d. scarce

14. We were given the _____ opportunity of seeing inside BuckinghamPalace.

a. peculiar     b. unique       c. scarce      d. odd

 

2.1.9 Translation

Read and translate the text describing the girl, Mo by  name. Speak about Mo. How do you think other people  react to her appearance? Guess at the girl’s age and  background, education and occupation, character and ways of life.

 

Mo had a small gold chain running from her left nostril to her left ear. You found yourself staring at it, unable to look away. Mo was wearing very white pancake make-up with very thick black lines around her eyes. Her purple hair stood up in sharp spikes. She had a thin leather jacket with a collar turned up around her studded ears, she had a tight black miniskirt worn over bicycling shorts, worn over purple tights.

Her voice had an authentic working-class south London twang, which marked her at once as a girl who had been carefully reared in the nicer parts of Hove. She grinned, showing one carefully blackened tooth in a white smile: “Very cool.”

 

2.1.10 Speaking

Read the following extracts from newspaper articles and   tell your own short story about strange events or people.

 

1. … A man, alleged to have been caught stealing six chickens

from a butcher’s shop, was said to have told the police: ‘I was

taking them home to throw at the wife. We’ve had a row. (From

The News of the World)

 

2. … Before going to sleep at night I read in bed for twenty minutes. During that time I warm my feet by breathing in through my nose and out through a length of rubber tubing reaching from my mouth to my feet. Within five minutes I am glowing with heat. (From The Daily Mail) 

                       

3. … A woman who had a passport picture taken in a ‘While-you-wait’ photographer’s in the West End was told to call back next day for the print. She said she wanted to wait for it. The reply was: ‘We only take the photograph while you wait.’ (From The Evening Standard)

     

4. Bologna, December 13.   Umberto Montanari was unable to get rid of a mouse, which chewed holes in his car’s carpet, so he put a pot of water inside the vehicle and dropped a block of carbide into it. The method succeeded. An explosion destroyed the mouse – and the car. (From Reuter)

 

5. Moinesti, Romania, Wednesday.   Mourners of the burial of Ann Bochinsky were astonished to see the ‘dead’ woman jump out of her coffin while it was being carried with the lid open – as is the custom in Romania – from the cemetery to the grave. She ran into the road and was run over and killed by a motorcar. (From The Daily Express)

            

6.   … I’ll never forget my first kiss. I was 65 at the time and was having a snooze on the Fish Hoek beach when I got kissed. I looked up and saw a large dog running away. (From Cape Times Weekend Magazine)

 

7.   … A man I know locks up his alarm clock in a tin medicine chest (for extra noise) every night before retiring. To reach the key to open the chest to turn off the alarm he has to plunge his arm into a deep jug full of icy water where he dropped the key the night before. This is the only way he knows to be certain of waking up. (From The Sunday Graphic)

 

8. … An elderly German decided to commit suicide, took a lot of sleeping pills, tied a briefcase full of stones around his neck, rowed out to the middle of the Rhine – and was found sound asleep in his boat. (From The Buffalo News)

 

9. … ‘Nothing annoys me more than finding a few stray maggots under the grill when I am about to do the toast for breakfast,’ says Mrs V.M.Hart of West Drayton, whose husband is a keen fisherman. Mr Hart, according to his wife, likes to keep a tin of maggots handy in the refrigerator. This, she says, is bad enough, but sometimes when the cold has made them lethargic, he warms them up under the grill. (From The Daily Telegraph)

                 

10. … In Oklahoma, 54-year-old Charlie Smith was driving steadily enough and at a moderate pace when police stopped him – because there was a horse sitting in the back seat of his car. He explained: ‘The poor old thing was looking so bored out there in the country I thought I’d bring him to town.’ He was charged with being drunk while in control of a car and with stealing a horse. (From Weekend)

 

11. … U.S.Air Force General Don Flickinger said last night that all chimpanzees used in space flights would be volunteers. He was asked how chimpanzees could volunteer. He replied: ‘We hold an apple in one hand and a banana in the other. If they choose the banana, they are judged to have volunteered. They almost always choose the banana. (From The Daily Express)

                                    

2.1.11 Discussion

Here are some state regulations in Unusualtopia – an imaginary country, where everything differs from what seems normal to us. Discuss how clever such  organization of life can be. Suggest your own list of principles for Unusualtopia.

 

a. Women speak one language, men another.

b. Buildings are all built underground.

c. There is no private transport.

d. All governmental decisions are taken by a computer.

e. Everyone is paid the same salary.

f. There are no teachers in schools.

g. All books and newspapers are in disk format.

h. Everyone writes down the dreams they have at night.

i. No one above the age of 18 can live with the same person / people for more than five years.

k. There are no doctors and no police force.

                                        

2.1.12 Writing

* More than ambition, more than ability, it is rules that limit contribution; rules are the lowest common denominator of human behaviour. They are a substitute for rational thought.

                                                                                                    (Hyman G.Rickover)

What is considered strange, and what is the norm?

Who establishes the norms?

Write about your views on normality and eccentricity.