Intermediate 2 - Week 23 – White Lies
I)
Reading
1)
Which of the following 'white lies' did you hear
when you were a child?
a) If you write to Father
Christmas, he'll bring you presents.
b) If you put your tooth
under your pillow, the tooth fairy will take it.
c) If you eat your
crusts, your hair will curl.
d) If you eat carrots,
you'll be able to see in the dark.
e) If the wind changes,
the expression on your face will stay forever.
£) If you tell a lie,
your nose will grow.
g) If you sit too near
the television, you'll get square eyes.
2)
2 Which of these two statements do you agree
with?
a) It's wrong to tell
children a lie under any circumstances. They won't trust you later in life.
b) It's OK to tell
children a white lie if it protects their innocence or stimulates their
imagination.
3)
Read the article
Lies, white lies and
psychologists
I Lie to my
four-year-old child, and not just about Father Christmas and the tooth fairy. I
started when he was about two years old, and now I can't help myself. If he wants
to watch television, and I think he's already watched enough for one day, I
tell him that he'll get square eyes. I tell him that, unless he eats his
carrots, he'll have to wear glasses, and that if he eats his crusts, he'll have
lovely curly hair.
Most parents tell their children lies, and they're
usually the same lies that their parents told them. But is there anything wrong
with it?
Yes, say a group of parents who feel that unless you're
100% truthful with your children, you can't expect the same in return. They
think that it's better to try to make a child understand the real reasons why
it's bad for him or her to watch another hour of television or eat too many
sweets than to take the easy route and tell a lie.
No, say busy parents
who think it's ridiculous to explain the detrimental effects of too much television
or the Lack of nutritious value of a sweet to a four-year-old.
It depends, say psychologists.
White Lies that protect a child's innocence or stimulate their imagination are
good for them.
Psychologists believe
that many of these white lies may actually benefit children by stimulating
their brains, helping them develop Language skills and making them more
creative. The story of the tooth fairy, for example, aims
to make the word a more magical place for children, and to help them through a
stage in their Life. Father Christmas comes into the same category: he's part
of the magic of Christmas, and parents enjoy the fun and excitement he brings
to their children.
Other white Lies originate from the need to encourage children
to eat properly. If a child thinks that carrots will improve their eyesight,
they're more likely to eat up their
vegetables. Crusts may
not have anything to do with the curls in their hair, but if the story helps to
get a child to finish their Lunch, then the white Lie is worth telling.
Some myths were created to improve children's behaviour. They
warn them to stop pulling stupid faces or stop telling lies. Others are
designed to avoid unpleasant or
awkward truths, such as where babies come from and why
great grandma doesn't come to Lunch any more.
So should parents feel guilty for not being 100% truthful
with their children? In my opinion, no, because most white lies are fun or
educational.
But make sure you know
the difference between a serious lie and a white Lie - you don't want your nose
to grow in front of your children!
4)
Find out which statement the psychologists agree
with.
5) According
to the article what are the potential benefits of telling white lies? Match a verb
from box A with a noun from box B and write sentences to explain the benefits.
A: avoid protect develop eat up stimulate
B: awkward truths language
skills imagination innocence vegetables
What common white lies
are children told? What things did your parents use to say to you?
II)
Grammar: Real conditionals
Real conditional sentences – sometimes called ‘first
conditional’ sentences – consist of an if-clause and a main clause. They are
used to talk about present or future situations that are real or possible. These
include promises, warnings and threats.
Tenses
|
If-clause
|
Main clause
|
Present simple
|
If you arrive early,
|
wait for me in the station café.
|
Present continuous
|
If you’re spending any time in London
|
I can recommend a great hotel.
|
Present perfect
|
If you haven’t finished by ten,
|
you’ll miss the post.
|
Going to
|
If you’re going to talk to me like that,
|
I’m leaving!
|
Modal auxiliary
|
If you can do it,
|
ask Tom for help.
|
Exercise: Read the
following sentences said by a parent to a child and
discuss the meanings.
Underline the correct alternatives.
a) If you're / you'll
be very good, I might buy you an ice cream.
b) If you fall off /
you'll fall off that wall, don't come crying to me.
c) If you'll phone /
you're phoning your friends this evening, don't stay on the line too long.
d) If / Unless you
hurry up, you'll be late for school.
e) If you haven't
finished / you've finished your homework, you can't watch TV.
£) If you've finished
/ you are finishing your dinner, you can leave the table.
g) If / Unless
you're going to stay out late, take a front door key.
h) If you're going to
play / you'll play that awful music, shut your bedroom door.
What age (0-18) do you
think the child would be if a parent was saying these things?
III)
Homework:
Correct the statements
(a-f).
a) If the boss will be
away, nobody will do any work.
b) If you will get
something easily, you won't be sorry to lose it.
c) Unless you will
consider something carefully, you might fail.
d) Unless you will
concentrate, you won't succeed.
e) If you will fail the
first time, you might not want to try again.
f) Unless you will make
an effort, you won't succeed.
Match each statement (a-f)
to a common English proverb (1-6).
1 You snooze, you lose.
2 No pain, no gain.
3 Once bitten, twice shy.
4 Easy come, easy go.
S Look before you leap.
6 When the cat's away, the
mice will play.
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