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II. LANGUAGE
Pronunciation
Diphthongs /e/ and /u/
1. Listen and repeat. Then practise saying the words. 🎧
| /ei/ | /ǝʊ/ |
| age | soldier |
| saved | wrote |
| translated | hero |
| against | shows |
2. Work in pairs. Underline the words that contain the /ex/ and /ǝʊ/ sounds. Listen and check. Then practise reading the whole text aloud. 🎧
In the first year when The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram was published, more than 300,000 copies were sold. The book was also translated into more than 16 different languages. A film based on the diary was made in 2009. Its name is Don't burn.
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Vocabulary
Life stories
1. Match the words/phrases (15) with the words/preposition (a-e) to make phrases with the meanings below.
| 1. (to) attend | achievement | something amazing a person does successfully |
| 2. (to) have a happy/difficult | for (something) | to be respected because of something |
| 3. (to be) admired | school/college | to go to school/college |
| 4. (to) have a long | childhood | to have a happy/difficult time when one is small |
| 5. impressive | marriage | to be married to someone for many years |
2. Complete the following sentences using the correct forms of the phrases in 1.
1. My father _____ in Ha Noi between the ages of 19 and 21.
2. Like so many people in their generation, my grandparents _____. They were together for 60 years.
3. My friend _____ because his mother died when he was very small.
4. Thomas Edison's _____ in science include the invention of the phonograph and the development of the light bulb.
5. Uncle Ho was _____ his simple lifestyle.
Grammar
Past simple vs. Past continuous
💡 Remember!
| Past simple | Past continuous |
| We use the past simple to describe: • a completed action in the past. Example: I read a good book last night. • main events in a story. Example: Mary read a few pages of her book and went to bed. | We use the past continuous to describe: • an action which was happening at a specific point of time in the past. Example: I was reading a good book at 10 p.m. last night. • the settings of a story. Example: It was raining heavily outside. Mary read a few pages of her book and went to bed. |
| • When one action in the past happens in the middle of another, we use the past simple to talk about the shorter action, and the past continuous for the longer action. Example: I was reading a book when the phone rang. • When two or more actions in the past are happening at the same time, we use the past continuous for both/all. Example: While I was reading a book, my mother was watching TV |
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1. Circle the correct answer to complete each of the following sentences.
1. My dad watched / was watching a documentary about war heroes at 9 p.m. on 30 April.
2. It snowed/was snowing heavily, and icy winds were blowing / blew across the city. We lit a fire in the fireplace and sat next to it to keep warm.
3. She finished / was finishing school and applied/was applying to college at the age of 18.
4. My father started / was starting his own business in his youth and became/was becoming very successful.
2. Work in pairs. Tell the life stories of people you know and admire. Use the past simple and past continuous.
Example: My grandfather joined the army when he was 24. While he was fighting in the war, my grandmother was taking care of the whole family. ...
