Unit 7: Lifelong Learning
Student's book, page 50
Before you begin
1 Work in pairs. How do you think the students in the photographs feel?
How do you revise for exams? Can you share any tips with the class?
I think that the students feel a bit stressed because during exams students feel that time is not enough or that the questions are difficult. However, some students may feel motivated because they are fully prepared for their exams.
Tips to revise well for exams:
• Draw up a revision timetable.
• Work out when you are going to work on each subject.
• The earlier you start in the morning the better and take frequent breaks.
• Exercise and eat healthy food.
2 DW Read the words in the box. Which are connected with the body, eating and drinking, or the mind? Check the meaning of any word(s) that you do not know in the Glossary on pages 93–95 or in a dictionary.
circulation concentration dehydration diet memory nutrition |
Answers
The body: circulation, dehydration
Eating and drinking: diet, nutrition
The mind: concentration, memory
Keywords
Words |
Meanings in English |
circulation |
The movement of blood around the body when it is pumped by the heart; also air circulation, the movement of air |
Concentration |
Attention, or attention span |
Dehydration |
The state of having drunk too little water |
Diet |
The kind of food that a person or animal eats each day |
Memory |
Someone’s ability to remember things, places and experiences |
Nutrition |
The process of getting the right kind of food for good health and growth |
Beneficial | Useful |
3 This online article is about revising for exams. Listen and read. Check your answers to exercise 1.
A: Do you know if it's too late to start revising now? No, it’s never too late to start revising! The first thing I would do is to draw up a revision timetable. |
B: Do you mind telling me how I should draw up a timetable? Look at all the subjects you have to do, and work out when you are going to work on each one. It’s a good idea to change the order of the subjects in your timetable for each day. Try doing a little English, followed by some Maths, then Biology, and so on. This way, by changing the focus of your revision you keep your mind fresh. |
C: Do you know whether it's best o get up early, or to revise late at night? The earlier you start in the morning, the more beneficial your revision will be, because that’s when you feel most awake and your memory is at its best. I’d also recommend studying for 30-minute periods, and then taking a break. It’s been proved that concentration starts to decrease after half an hour, so frequent breaks will help the brain recover and concentration to return. |
D: Could you tell me what you mean by frequent breaks? By a break, I mean any change of activity from studying. It could be something as simple as just getting up from your desk and listening to some music, or walking around for ten minutes. |
E: Could you tell me how much exercise I need? Physical activity is very important, of course, especially when you are studying. Exercise will make a huge difference to the way you feel. The physical activity will increase your heart rate and, in turn, that will increase your blood circulation. It also sends more oxygen to the brain, which makes you revise more efficiently! |
F: Do you mind giving me some advice about diet? Nutrition is very important. You should try to eat as much fresh fruit and vegetables as you can. It’s essential not to become dehydrated, so drink lots of water. |
Comprehension
4 Read the online article again. Match these questions with their answers in the article. Listen and check.
1 Could you tell me how much exercise I need?
2 Do you mind telling me how I should draw up a timetable?
3 Could you explain what you mean by frequent breaks?
4 Do you know if it’s too late to start revising now?
5 Do you mind giving me some advice about diet?
6 Do you know whether it’s best to get up early, or to revise late at night?
Answers
A 4 / B 2 / C 6 / D 3/ E 1/ F 5
A: Do you know if it's too late to start revising now? No, it’s never too late to start revising! The first thing I would do is to draw up a revision timetable. |
B: Do you mind telling me how I should draw up a timetable? Look at all the subjects you have to do, and work out when you are going to work on each one. It’s a good idea to change the order of the subjects in your timetable for each day. Try doing a little English, followed by some Maths, then Biology, and so on. This way, by changing the focus of your revision you keep your mind fresh. |
- Drawing a timetable is the first step if someone feels that it's late to start revising for an exam.
-To draw a timetable you need to:
- Look at the subjects you have to study and work out when you are going to work on each one.
- Change the order of the subjects in your timetable for each day.
The benefit of changing the order of the subject is that by changing the focus of your revision you keep your mind fresh.
C: Do you know whether it's best o get up early, or to revise late at night? The earlier you start in the morning, the more beneficial your revision will be, because that’s when you feel most awake and your memory is at its best. I’d also recommend studying for 30-minute periods, and then taking a break. It’s been proved that concentration starts to decrease after half an hour, so frequent breaks will help the brain recover and concentration to return. |
D: Could you tell me what you mean by frequent breaks? By a break, I mean any change of activity from studying. It could be something as simple as just getting up from your desk and listening to some music, or walking around for ten minutes. |
-The best time to start revising is in the early morning.
-The best time to revise is early in the morning because:
- You feel most awake in the early morning.
- The memory is at its best.
-The underlined pronoun its refers to memory's.
-It is recommended to take a break after studying for 30-minutes periods.
-Taking frequent breaks is important because it's been proved that concentration starts to decrease after half an hour.
Taking frequent breaks helps the brain to recover and concentration to return.
-A break is any change of activity from studying.
Examples of things one can do during breaks are:
- Getting up from your desk and listening to music
- Walking around for ten minutes.
The underlined pronoun it refers to a change of activity. (a break)
E: Could you tell me how much exercise I need? Physical activity is very important, of course, especially when you are studying. Exercise will make a huge difference to the way you feel. The physical activity will increase your heart rate and, in turn, that will increase your blood circulation. It also sends more oxygen to the brain, which makes you revise more efficiently! |
F: Do you mind giving me some advice about diet? Nutrition is very important. You should try to eat as much fresh fruit and vegetables as you can. It’s essential not to become dehydrated, so drink lots of water. |
-Physical activity is very important because:
- It affects the way you feel
- It increases your heart rate and your blood circulation.
- It sends more oxygen to the brain which makes you revise more efficiently.
-Nutrition is very important.
-A good diet should include eating fresh fruit and vegetables.
-It is important to drink a lot of water while revising to avoid dehydration.
Collocations
Collocation |
Meaning |
Do exercise |
keep fit |
Do a subject |
study |
Draw a timetable |
write a schedule |
Make a start |
begin |
Make a difference |
change something |
Take a break |
relax |