Exercise 4C, page 1 - English File Studetn's book, pre-intermediate, Oxford

1 READING

a Read four tweets about weekends. Which two do you think are true?

b Read the article A boring weekend?. Then read the tweets again. Which do you think are probably not true? Why?

c Read the article again. Correct the wrong information.

1 One in ten people sometimes lie about their lives on social media.

2 When people read about what their friends are doing, they are happy for them.

3 People invent stories about their weekend because they want their families to think they have exciting lives.

4 Some people put on fake tan on Sundays so that people at work think they look good.

5 Young women are the biggest liars.

6 People's online lives are the same as their real lives.

d Talk to a partner.

1 What do you usually answer when people ask you 'Did you have a good weekend?' Is it always true?

2 When was the last time you had a really exciting weekend? What did you do?

Bob1972 @Bob1972
New York for the weekend, amazing!
#greatweekend #nosleep

UrbanJ @UrbanJ
Spent all day Sunday at work, then
in bed at 9.00. #terribleweekend

Topsy @TopsyReal
Husband took me to Paris for lunch
on Saturday! #bestdayout

Betty @BettyM
Sunday in the park with the family,
picnic and games. #ilovesummer

A boring weekend?

Don't tell anybody!

A new survey has shown that
20% of British people tell lies about
their weekend on social media.

The survey, by a travel website, shows that people invent stories to make their lives appear more interesting than they really are. Psychologist Judi James, one of the organizers of the survey, said, 'When some people read their friends' posts and see their photos on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, they begin to feel jealous of them. They think that their friends are having a much more exciting life. So they invent details about their own weekend.'

One of the main reasons people give for inventing these stories is to have something to talk about on Monday morning at work or at school. This is because they don't want other people to think that they have a boring life. The most popular lies people tell are that they went to a party or went away for the weekend, and 3% of people even put on fake tan on Sunday night to make their colleagues think they've had a weekend away in the sun. One person in ten invents a romantic break with their partner.

People aged 18 to 24 are the ones who most often tell lies on social media and men lie more often than women. Only 20% of people interviewed said that they always told the truth in posts.

Judi James said: 'Social media is becoming increasingly important in our lives, and it seems we're living one life online and another in reality.'

So when you are feeling jealous on a Saturday night because your best friend is having a romantic dinner with her boyfriend in Venice, stop and ask yourself, 'Is she really there, or is she just sitting at home feeling bored like me?'

Adapted from the British press

а. Прочитайте четыре твита о выходных. Какие два, по вашему мнению, являются правдой?

Ответ:

I think the tweets from UrbanJ and Betty are true. (Я думаю, что твиты от UrbanJ и Betty правдивы.)

б. Прочитайте статью "Скучные выходные?". Затем снова прочитайте твиты. Какие из них, по вашему мнению, вероятно, не являются правдой? Почему?

Ответ:

The tweets from Bob1972 and Topsy are probably not true. (Твиты от Bob1972 и Topsy, вероятно, не являются правдой.)

The article says that people invent exciting stories about their weekend to make their lives seem more interesting. A trip to New York for the weekend and lunch in Paris sound like these kinds of invented stories. (В статье говорится, что люди придумывают захватывающие истории о своих выходных, чтобы их жизнь казалась интереснее. Поездка в Нью-Йорк на выходные и обед в Париже звучат как раз как такие выдуманные истории.)

в. Прочитайте статью еще раз. Исправьте неверную информацию.

Ответ:

1 Wrong: One in ten people sometimes lie about their lives on social media. (Неверно: Каждый десятый человек иногда врет о своей жизни в социальных сетях.)

Correct: One in five (20%) people lie about their weekend on social media. (Верно: Каждый пятый (20%) человек врет о своих выходных в социальных сетях.)

2 Wrong: When people read about what their friends are doing, they are happy for them. (Неверно: Когда люди читают о том, что делают их друзья, они за них радуются.)

Correct: When people read about what their friends are doing, they begin to feel jealous. (Верно: Когда люди читают о том, что делают их друзья, они начинают им завидовать.)

3 Wrong: People invent stories about their weekend because they want their families to think they have exciting lives. (Неверно: Люди придумывают истории о своих выходных, потому что хотят, чтобы их семьи думали, что у них захватывающая жизнь.)

Correct: People invent stories about their weekend to have something to talk about at work or school. (Верно: Люди придумывают истории о своих выходных, чтобы было о чем поговорить на работе или в школе.)

4 Wrong: Some people put on fake tan on Sundays so that people at work think they look good. (Неверно: Некоторые люди наносят искусственный загар по воскресеньям, чтобы на работе думали, что они хорошо выглядят.)

Correct: Some people put on fake tan on Sundays to make their colleagues think they've had a weekend away in the sun. (Верно: Некоторые люди наносят искусственный загар по воскресеньям, чтобы их коллеги думали, что они провели выходные на солнце.)

5 Wrong: Young women are the biggest liars. (Неверно: Молодые женщины — самые большие лжецы.)

Correct: People aged 18 to 24 and men lie most often. (Верно: Чаще всего лгут люди в возрасте от 18 до 24 лет и мужчины.)

6 Wrong: People's online lives are the same as their real lives. (Неверно: Жизнь людей в интернете такая же, как и их реальная жизнь.)

Correct: People's online lives are not the same as their real lives. (Верно: Жизнь людей в интернете не такая же, как их реальная жизнь.)

г. Поговорите с партнером.

1. Что вы обычно отвечаете, когда вас спрашивают: "Хорошо провел(а) выходные?" Это всегда правда?

Ответ:

I usually just say, 'It was good, thanks.' It's not always 100% true. Sometimes I just did homework all weekend, but I say it was good because it's easier than explaining that it was boring. (Я обычно просто говорю: "Хорошо, спасибо". Это не всегда на 100% правда. Иногда я все выходные просто делал домашнее задание, но говорю, что все было хорошо, потому что это проще, чем объяснять, что было скучно.)

2. Когда в последний раз у вас были действительно захватывающие выходные? Что вы делали?

Ответ:

Last month, my friends and I went to an amusement park. We rode all the roller coasters and ate a lot of cotton candy. It was a really fun and exciting day. (В прошлом месяце мы с друзьями ходили в парк развлечений. Мы покатались на всех американских горках и съели много сахарной ваты. Это был очень веселый и захватывающий день.)