FIRST  CERTIFICATE  PRACTICE ACTIVITIES  Do you use your computer to play games? Why do people like computer games? Are they just a waste of time? Are the effects of computer games all bad or can they be good for us? Our ideas: Computer games are the fastest growing part of the computer software market. Millions of dollars go into their research and development. While some argue they have a detrimental effect on us, there are many psychologists who say that we are using and developing important skills while playing games. In the text above  a topic has been suggested and three sentences  on this topic  have been produced Can you do the same  with the following topics : Packaged vs independent holidays Moving house Going slim You are going to read an article about computer games. Before you read, join these words commonly used with computer games with the correct definition. 1. strategy (a) the ability to physically manipulate something well 2. agility (b) facts that someone has learnt about something 2. agility (c) the other player in a competitive game 4. skill (d) requiring thought and planning rather than quick reflexes 5. opponent (e) knowing how to do something e.g. kick a ball, read quickly Answers: 1.Strategy D. Requiring thought and planning rather than quick reflexes 2.Agility B. Facts that someone has learnt about something 3.Agility A. The ability to physically manipulate something well 4. Skill E. Knowing how to do something… 5. Opponent C.The other player in a competitive game Read this article from a recent issue of ‘Internet Gamers’ magazine. The writer reviews some recently released computer games. Choose the most suitable headings from the list A - G below for each review paragraph. There is one extra heading you do not need to use. Matching headings When matching the headings to paragraphs you should look for key words or phrases which give the overall meaning of the paragraph. Underline the words or phrases in the paragraph which link it directly to the heading. Title Paragraph number A. Beat your opponents in this strategy game B. High speed skills C. Search and destroy D. A test of agility E. You need a sense of humour for this game F. Show off your knowledge and beat your opponents G. Don’t waste your money on this game Answers: A.   Beat your opponents in this strategy game  B.   High speed skills C.   Search and destroy D.  A test of agility E.   I did´t find a paragraph for this one. F.   Show off your Knowledge and beat your opponents G.    Don´t waste your money on this game 1. This game is great if you’ve had a hard day at the office. This is an action game set far in the future in outer space. The story begins after a nuclear holocaust where most of the world has been destroyed in a war between the superpowers. The plot is rather illogical. The only people to survive are you (because you were in your spaceship when the explosion hit Earth) and a group of vicious aliens, who seem determined to find and kill you. The action takes place in an underground world of tunnels and caves deep under the Earth’s surface. This is a first-person game where you have to first find the aliens and then try to shoot them with your laser gun. It’s not a very original idea and the graphics tend to be poor quality in places. However, the action is exciting and the scenery is unusual for a game like this. I would recommend it for those days when you want to relax after a hard day's work. 2. This is the latest release from Star games. It’s called ‘Wall Street Madness’ and it is all about the world of corporate finance. This is one you will enjoy playing with your friends or against the computer-controlled players. Each player starts the game with $500,000 to invest in fictitious companies on the stock market. Be careful, as the value of stocks and shares seems to rise and fall unpredictably depending on the day’s trading. You have to think carefully what to invest in and when to sell your shares. The bottom of the screen has a complicated menu where you can read economic forecasts or get conflicting advice from your team of experts. The object of the game is to buy up all your opponents' stock and sell it for the highest prices before the market crashes. Great fun and a very interesting game if you like strategy games. It’s definitely not for you if you don’t have a lot of patience as you might find it rather slow. In my opinion this is the best of this month’s new releases. Cont'd over Cont'd from previous page: 3. I’d recommend this one for young children. You have to guide Dino, the baby dinosaur, out of his cave and along a path to eventually meet up with his mother at the end. There are no end of obstacles along the way, such as heavy fruit falling from the trees, and ditches and rivers, which you have to try to cross safely. I found it a bit boring because you soon learn how to manoeuvre the dinosaur and when you’ve played it a few times the obstacles become very easy to predict. The graphics are great fun, though, and I’m sure it will delight the children as a Christmas present. 4. This is another racing simulation game in the series. You are strapped in to the front seat of a high-powered rally car. There are lots of different skill levels from beginner to expert. You gain points at each stage of the rally and the overall winner is the driver with most points at the end of all the races. If you like racing simulations, you’ll like this game a lot. There are lots of different cars to choose from and the sound effects and graphics are extremely realistic. ‘Rally Car 2’ is a lot better than the earlier version. 5. The object of this game is to score as many points as possible by answering questions about world geography. It is a multi-player game and you move from country to country until you have answered all the questions correctly. If you get the answer wrong you are moved back to the previous location. The feature I most liked was the links section, which automatically connected to a relevant web site whenever you answered the question wrongly. The only drawback was having to disconnect from the web to get back to the game. As an educational game it is superb and I’m sure it will be popular with geography teachers and parents everywhere. However, it does feel a bit like being in school. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are ready to do some serious thinking. 6. This is yet another football simulation game, ‘Soccer 2001’. The problem is it feels very dated now. The way players move is totally unrealistic. They are difficult to control and I found it almost impossible to score a goal. The graphics are very bad, too. I dislike the way the players all look like robots and the crowd are all wearing the same clothes! Worst of all, the game makers are not allowed to use the names of real players so they have made up lots of really stupid names. This is the worst game to be released this month. I would say that it’s better to save your money and go and kick a real ball around instead. Now read the article from ‘Internet Gamers’ magazine carefully to find the answers to the questions below. Write the appropriate paragraph number or numbers after the question. The games may be chosen more than once. Which game: Paragraph number(s) 1. does the writer think is the best? 2. does the writer recommend specifically for children? 3. has poor graphics? 4. is an improvement on a previous version of the same game? 5. does the writer think is predictable? 6. would the writer not recommend for tired, busy people? 7. can be played with friends? 8. does the writer not recommend at all? 9. has good graphics? 10. is the most educational?  Answers: 1.    Does the writer think is the best? 2.    Does the writer recommend specifically for children? 3.    Has poor graphics? 4.    Is an improvement on a previous version of the same game? 5.    Does the writer think is predictable? 6.    Would the writer not recommend for tired, busy people? 7.    Can be played with friends? 8.    Does the writer not recommend at all? 9.    Has good graphics? Is the most educational? In the article the writer says that: “Each player starts the game with $500,000 to invest in fictitious companies on the stock market.” The word 'fictitious' is the opposite of ‘real’, in this context. Can you find the opposites of these words in the article? Write the correct word in the space opposite. 1 boring 2 advantage 3 beginner 4 unoriginal 5 unpopular 6 incorrectly 7 like 8 logical When paragraphs have headings, these headings should summarise the main idea of each paragraph, not the details. Here is part of an article about vegetarian food. For each paragraph decide which is the best heading from choices below and circle it. Paragraph 1 a) First reactions b) No more meat c) Becoming vegetarian Paragraph 2 a) Vegetarians around the world b) Lots of choice c) Vegetarian cookery Paragraph 3 a) Still vegetarian b) Surprisingly good c) Try it out first Paragraph 1 When my daughter announced that she had decided to become a vegetarian, my immediate thought was that she'd be eating boring food from now on. She had already left home, so I would only be cooking for her when she visited, but I couldn't imagine that there would be a wide variety of dishes for her to live on. Food would not be a pleasure, just a necessary fuel. My husband agreed. He couldn't contemplate life without meat or fish. Paragraph 2 When I voiced my concerns to my daughter, she just laughed. Then she pointed out that I already cooked several vegetarian dishes on a regular basis; I just didn't think of them as vegetarian. And that many of the world's great cuisines include plenty of non-meat dishes, so she would still be able to eat a good, varied diet. She didn't intend to live on lettuce for the rest of her life! Paragraph 3 That was a couple of years ago, and my daughter is still vegetarian. When she visits us I take great delight in preparing something special to eat and I've found that I really enjoy cooking vegetarian food. I often try out the recipe in advance, and my husband, who was very sceptical about it at first, agrees that they are very tasty and satisfying. In fact we find, to our surprise, that we are eating vegetarian food a lot of the time now, out of choice. Having said that, though, I don't think I would be prepared to give up meat for ever. It is important that you understand what each paragraph is talking about. Read the text and think of the answers to the following questions about the numbered paragraphs. Write your ideas under each sentence. 1. What are you doing if you contemplate, mentally prepare yourself, or consider something? 2. Is this paragraph talking about how to make a change, or when to make a change? 3. What are you doing if you make a list or get something down on paper? 4. Is this paragraph talking about preventing failure, or the consequences of failure? Changing your life Have you ever tried to make a major change in your life, like giving up smoking, only to fail after a few days or weeks? Don't assume it's because you have no willpower. It may be that you're taking the wrong approach. Psychologists maintain that you need to follow certain steps if you are to succeed. 1 The first stage is to contemplate the changes you want to make. You know that you are unhappy about something in your life, but are not yet ready to change it. Mentally prepare yourself for the things you will find difficult. Consider what the consequences of the change will be. Don't tell other people until you feel you are ready. 2 For many people, the start of a New Year is the time when they make resolutions. But this may not be the best day to make a change. You may have tried before and failed, and associate the New Year with failure. Similarly, don't try to give up a bad habit at the same time as starting a new job or moving to a new area. You will be under enough stress at that time, without adding to it. 3 Make a list of the things you want to achieve, then think about why you want to achieve them. If you want to stop smoking, this may be because you don't feel fit, and you want to take up some form of exercise. Getting it down on paper helps to clarify your goals, and you have something to remind you why you're doing it if the going gets tough. 4 There will be times when you find it hard to carry out your resolution, when your goal doesn't seem achievable. Think of something unpleasant or embarrassing, and tell yourself you'll do it if you give up on your commitment. Decide you'll give your favourite clothes to charity if you start smoking again. Make sure there will be a negative consequence if you fail, and you are more likely to succeed. Now read the text again and choose an appropriate heading for each paragraph. Write the number after the heading. There is one heading that you don't need to use. Title Paragraph number Make it hard to fail Think about it Write it down Ask yourself questions Timing is everything You are going to read a newspaper article about Hollywood award ceremonies. Write the most suitable heading in each part of the article. There is one extra heading which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0). Good for the industry Too many awards Influencing people The award season The world is watching What are awards really for? Actors love them too Who else benefits? 0. The award season While the rest of America is putting away the party frocks and recovering from the festivities, Hollywood is gearing up to its main party time. The first three months of every year are crammed with award ceremonies and by the time the last Oscar acceptance speech is applauded there will have been nearly 30 of them. 1. ___________________________________ The Oscars are of course the best known awards, attracting TV viewers in their hundreds of millions around the world, but many other ceremonies are getting world-wide attention. The Golden Globes ceremony, held early on in the season, is being shown on more and more screens. It seems we can't get enough of them. Cont'd Cont'd. 2. __________________________________ The film studios love award ceremonies. All that positive publicity gives the impression that they are turning out quality products, not mindless entertainment. And it's not just the Oscars they want to win. Earlier ceremonies, like the Golden Globes, are seen as an indication of who will take away the Oscars, and so can be just as important. 3. __________________________________ The American Academy, who hand out the Oscars, frowns on blatant campaigning for votes, but other organisations may have fewer scruples. Some awards are voted for by quite a small number of people, and can be easily influenced. The Golden Globes are awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), a group of about 90 journalists from around the world. Studios put pressure on them by giving them chances to meet the stars personally and be photographed with them, a great opportunity for a star-struck scribbler from some small European newspaper. 4. ____________________________________ The stars are quite happy to take part in all this. After all, winning an award can show that what they make is art, not mere entertainment. They'll gladly turn up to receive any old award, and then react as if it's the greatest thing that's ever happened to them. 5. ___________________________________ With all this fuss going on, it's easy to forget what the purpose of film awards is meant to be. They are supposed to be given for examples of excellence, films and performances that move us and make us think. Nowadays it often seems that a decision is made as to what is the big blockbuster film of the year, which then goes on to clean up at the major awards. The leading actors are automatically rewarded, with little thought about whether they really gave the best performances of the year. 6. _________________________________ We may be cynical about the decision-making process, but we should remember that there is a positive side to all this, and it isn't only the big film studios that do well. The promise of big audiences means that television companies will pay large sums for the rights to cover award ceremonies. The award-giving organisations decide what to do with the money, which includes donating to charities. The Golden Globes is a good example. As it becomes better known, it generates more income, and over the past few years the HFPA has given millions of dollars to film-related charities.