With Japanese translations
2 | Orbits: 1st Edition
Orbits, 1st Edition
Copyright © 2017 by Andrew Blyth
https://winjeel.com
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the
prior permission of the author.
Nagoya, Japan.
Cover image: Mareeniv, https://www.fiverr.com/mareeniv
Cover design: Andrew Blyth
Diagrams: Prasanta Biswas (Graphic Harvest), https://www.fiverr.com/graphicharvest
Japanese translations: Goldman001, https://www.fiverr.com/goldman001
Voice actors: Umida Ashurova, Amanda Blevins, Andrew Blyth, Carynn Jansz-Ch’ng, Samuel Poots,
and Tommy (Dohwan) Yi.
ISBN 978-0-9954040-1-4
Orbits | 3
With Japanese translations
4 | Orbits: 1st Edition
Key to symbols � Computer, smartphone, or internet access required
� Listen
� Look (don’t spend much time reading)
� Read & think
� Speak
� Think & discuss
� Write
Introduction When I went to junior and senior high school, we were given only one textbook; it was the Maths
textbook. No other subjects gave us a textbook. Today, I’m terrible at maths, but great at everything
else. So it seems, textbooks are terrible. Are they? So, why did I write this book? Actually, in the
other subjects we did things. For instance, in Biology, we made DNA models with paper cut-outs
based on handouts our teacher gave us. In the Engineering Science, we designed and made things
ourselves. In English, we read poems and novels, and talked about them, then wrote our own. In
Geography, after spending time in the school library we made posters about the things we learnt. In
short, in Maths we focused on the textbook, but in all other subjects we did things. The most famous
educational psychologist Lev Vygotsky in 1933 said that education works best when we learn by
doing.
This book was written to help you learn and use communication skills, especially listening,
pronunciation, and conversations. You are not going to read this book to get knowledge about
English, you are going to use English with your classmates to learn to listen and to communicate. This
book took more than twelve years of research, study, and writing to produce. The main principles
included in the design of this book come from Educational Psychology (especially from Lev Vygotsky),
behaviourism, cognitive science, psycholinguistics, ELT pedagogy, listening theory, motivation
research, philosophy (especially moral relativism), and more.
Unlike most English language books, this book was designed to represent how people actually speak.
A lot of real English uses idioms, phrasal verbs, and humour. Translations for key vocabulary and
phrases are provided so that students can quickly understand keywords, and accurately learn
language that is important to them. Translations for other languages will be provided in the future.
This book also includes examples of social problems, and how to communicate through them.
Communication situations in this book include normal daily life situations, friendship problems,
romance, loss of family members, and more. I hope this book will be valuable to all students.
Finally, this is the first edition of this book. Later editions will include updates, improvements, and
more skills.
Best of luck and have fun.
Andrew
January, 2017
Nagoya, Japan.
Orbits | 5
Table of Contents
Key to symbols ........................................................................................................................................ 4
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 4
Unit 0, First lesson: the classroom .......................................................................................................... 6
Unit 1, Meeting ..................................................................................................................................... 15
Unit 2, Interests ..................................................................................................................................... 20
Unit 3, Wombats! .................................................................................................................................. 25
Unit 4, Part-time work ........................................................................................................................... 30
Unit 5, Coffee ........................................................................................................................................ 34
Unit 6, It’s fashionable! ......................................................................................................................... 39
Unit 7, Just friends ................................................................................................................................. 44
Unit 8, Who was that? ........................................................................................................................... 49
Unit 9, He might be loaded ................................................................................................................... 54
Unit 10, I’ll seeya’ then .......................................................................................................................... 59
Unit 11, Whoa there cowboy ................................................................................................................ 64
Unit 12, Is it nice there? ........................................................................................................................ 69
Unit 13, What would you like? .............................................................................................................. 74
Unit 14, I did that “Whoa cowboy” thing .............................................................................................. 79
Unit 15, Sort of ...................................................................................................................................... 84
Unit 16, Back off .................................................................................................................................... 88
Unit 17, The grapevine .......................................................................................................................... 93
Unit 18, Food is food ............................................................................................................................. 98
Unit 19, Heard it on the grapevine ...................................................................................................... 103
Unit 20, The conniving type ................................................................................................................ 108
Unit 21, What are you into? ................................................................................................................ 113
Unit 22, Off on the right foot .............................................................................................................. 118
Unit 23, Study buddies ........................................................................................................................ 123
Unit 24, And so cheap! ........................................................................................................................ 128
Unit 25, I won’t tell a soul ................................................................................................................... 133
Unit 26, You know, I don’t care ........................................................................................................... 138
Unit 27, What?! ................................................................................................................................... 142
Unit 28, She’s in hospital, and it’s serious ........................................................................................... 147
Unit 29, I thought you should know .................................................................................................... 152
Unit 30, Out of my league ................................................................................................................... 157
Answers ............................................................................................................................................... 162
IPA Key ................................................................................................................................................. 173
6 | Orbits: 1st Edition
Unit 0, First lesson: the classroom
Pronunciation & listening skills: Local & English names
� When Japanese people say their names, they use Japanese pronunciation style, which is almost
impossible for a regular English speaker to understand. You should use English phonology to make it
easier for other English speakers to understand you.
� Example:
A: Hi, I’ve not met you before.�
B: Hi, I’m /murʌkʌmihʌɾuki/ �
A: Eh? Sorry? What? �
B: Oh, it’s /.hʌˡru.ki/� /.mu.rʌˡka:.mi/ �
A: /.hʌˡru.ki/? It’s nice to meet you.
B: Yes. It’s good meeting you too.
a. � What is the difference between the two ways to say the Japanese name?
b. � What do these symbols below mean? There is an IPA guide in the back of this book.
1. ˡ 2. . 3. / / 4. ʌ
5. ɾ 6. r 7. : 8. �
9. ə 10. ʤ 11. � 12. tʃ
13. f 14. ɸ 15. j
c. � Draw lines to match the IPA to the correct word
1. Fumika a. /ɸutɔn/
2. ふみか b./ˡfu.mi.kʌ/
3. futon c. /ˡæn.ʤru:/
4. ふとん d. /ɸumikʌ/
5. Takashi e. /ʌn:dɔɾju:/
6. たかし f. /tʌkʌʃ:/
7. Andrew g. /ˡfu:.tɔn/
8. アンドリュー h. /.tʌˡkæ.shi:/
d. � Now practice the dialogue with a partner using your own names.
e. � Now practice again, but with names of celebrities you like.
f. � Now stand up, and meet your classmates. Use the dialogue above.
Culture Note
In Europe, first names (or Christian names) are always said and written first, whilst surnames (second
or family names) are written second. For instance, Andrew Blyth, and Haruki Murakami. However, in
Japanese, Korean, and Chinese, names are written in the opposite order, like ブライス アンドリュ
ー (Blyth Andrew), and 村上 春樹 (Murakami Haruki).
Orbits | 7
Conversation Structure
Do this small talk at the start of every class with a
classmate. Catch up with two of your classmates. Also,
during class do this each time you have a new partner.
Maximum 1 or 2 minutes per person.
1. Meet & greet
A: Err… shall we chat? B: Sure. | Sorry, I’m about to talk to him/her there. A: Great / ok. A&B: Morning / Afternoon / Hello / Hi
2. Small talk
A: How are you? / How are you doing/going? | B: Yourself? A&B: I’m ________. / I’m doing / going __________.
fine, good, great, alright, ok, sleepy, tired, exhausted… A: That’s a nice [shirt you’re wearing]. B: Thanks. I got it [from Gap]. And those are nice [ear rings] A: …
Monday: Q. How was your weekend? A. (tell a story of all the interesting things you did) Any day: What’s new(s)? A. Well, ______. (tell about anything new in your life) Afternoons: How is your day so far? A. It’s ______. (How is your day from morning to now) Tues, Wed, Thur: How’s your week going? A. It’s going _______. (tell a story of all the interesting things you did) Thur, Fri: How was your week? A. (tell a story of all the interesting things you did) Fri: Do you have any plans for the weekend? A. (tell a story of the things you hope to do)
3. Transition to the main topic (choose one)
A: Moving on. Have you heard about… (article in this book, a news story, or event, etc) B: Yeah. What do you think? | I saw something about it on Twitter. | No, what’s that about? A: [explain/discuss > main topic] A: Changing the topic. Have you read the article in this book about [theme]? B: Yeah, I did, but I don’t quite understand it. What did you get from it? A: [explain/discuss > main topic] A: Anyway, let’s get on with the topic. Do you know anything about [topic]? B: Not really. What? | Yeah, I know something about it. Why? A: [explain/discuss > main topic]
4. Main topic discussion
Key roles of person B: student, doubter, advocate, devil’s advocate (opponent). Why? Always agreeing makes a conversation boring. Have a more interesting conversation by offering your own opinion, even if it’s a little or really different to your partner’s.
5. Wrap up (end)
Excuse: Sorry, I have to get going. | Hey, I think the teacher wants us to stop/change partner. | Time’s getting on, let’s change partners.
Respond: It was nice talking to you. | It was nice catching up with you. | Catch you later.
6. New partner
Q. Err… excuse me. Can we chat? A. Sure (go to No.1).
Compliment
8 | Orbits: 1st Edition
Key words & gambits
� Listen to the sample small talk.
� Talk with your partner, and remind each other what you heard.
� Now practice with your partner small talk parts: 1 Meet & greet; 2 small talk; and then 5 Wrap
up; and 6 New partner. Change partners a few times, and meet the other members of your class.
Orbits | 9
Key vocabulary for the Meet Your Classmates Bingo
� Listen and repeat the pronunciation of these words
Cricket
/ˡkrɪ.kəʔ/
Yoga
/ˡjoʊ.gə/
Overseas / abroad
/ˌoʊ·vərˈsiz/ /.əˈbrɔd/
Traditional ladies clothing:
Kimono, hanbok, ao dai
/kəˈmoʊ.noʊ /, /ˡhʌn.bɔk/, /ʔǎːw zâːj/
Ice skating
/aɪskeɪtɪŋ/
Order something on the internet
Vocabulary check
� What are these words in the V3 (past participle) form? See the example.
Write > Wrote > Written
Drink >
Draw >
Sing >
Read >
Eat > Ate > Eaten
Make >
Ride >
Go >
Wear >
Speak > Spoke >
Fly >
See >
Meet >
Be >
10 | Orbits: 1st Edition
Meet your classmates bingo
� � Listen to the sample of the game below. � Meet your classmates and make some notes about them. Try to get two lines to win bingo. First, stand up, and make eye contact with someone, and start the small talk dialogue. Do parts: 1 Meet & greet; 2 Small talk; 3 Transition to main topic; 4 Main topic (this game below); 5 Wrap up; and 6 New partner. A: Have you…* ? B: � Yes, I have (+ extra info) � � write name in box ( 名前書きます )
?? Oh… umm… I don’t remember � don’t write name ( 名前書きません )
½ ? I don’t think I have, but… � don’t write name ( 名前書きません )
x No, I haven’t, but… (I want to…) � don’t write name ( 名前書きません )
A: How do you spell your name? B: T-A-N-A-K-A A: ‘p’ or ‘d’? B: No, ‘t’ for ‘tomato’
A: Thank you. (+ a question about his/her answer) B: No problem.
Write a story in English * write > written
Eat Vietnamese noodles * eat > eaten
Speak to a person from Europe
Drink coffee Speak to a person from New Zealand
Make pizza Fly in a helicopter
Draw pictures on a computer
Ride a motorbike
Use a computer
See a game of cricket
Sing an song from another country
Go hiking Meet a famous person
Make a fruit salad
Drink Korean green tea.
Read English news
Study English pronunciation
Read English novel
Be overseas
Dance in a disco Wear a kimono, hanbok, or ao dai
Do yoga Order something from the internet
Go ice skating
Discussion
� Talk with your partner about who you met, and what you learnt about your classmates.
“Who did you meet? What question did you ask him/her? What did they say? How about you,
have you ever…?”
Orbits | 11
Classroom language
� These words and phrases below are frequently used in classes. Please study these.
� � Listen and repeat the pronunciation of these words.
Absent / absence. (adj/n) /'æb.sənt/ Not be in class, miss a class.
Anything else? (question) /'e.nɪ'Ɵɪƞ 'els/ Any more to say or ask?
Can I have your attention please? (phrase) Listen to me.
Catch up with sb. (phrase) Meet and talk with an old friend.
Check with your partner; what did I say? (question) The teacher wants you to talk with your partner,
and confirm that you both understand his/her message or instructions.
Come back to sth. (phrase) Return to something that was started, but unfinished.
Clear sth up. (phrasal verb) /kliəˈsʌm.Ɵıŋˈʌp/ Explain something, so people can understand a
problem. “Excuse me teacher, could you clear something up for me? How do we do this homework?”
Excused. (adj) /.eks'kjuzd/ Wasn’t in class, but the teacher records the absence as “excused”, so it
will not affect the student’s attendance record. Usually only for medical reasons. “Mr Blyth, I have a
note from my doctor for when I was sick last week. Can you mark me as excused?”
Get to work. (phrase) Start doing the task the teacher explained.
Go through sth. (phrasal verb) /ˈgəʊ.Ɵru: ˈsʌm.Ɵıŋ/ To work systematically through a document.
“Class, we will go through these dialogues every week”.
Excuse me / Pardon me. (phrase) Say this when moving through the class so people know you would
like them to move a little. Or, say this to get someone’s attention before speaking to him/her.
Hand in. (phrasal verb) /ˈhænd.ɪn/ To submit something to your teacher.
Handout. (n) /ˈhænd.aʊt/ A paper with information on it, given to a class by the teacher. “Please
write the answers on this handout”.
Look sth up. (phrasal verb) /.lʊkˈsʌm.Ɵıŋˈʌp/ To use a dictionary or information book to learn about
something. “What does this mean? Well, I’ll look it up in the dictionary for us”.
Sorry, what? (idiom) /ˈsɒ.rıˈwɒʔ/ Requesting the other person to repeat or clarify a statement they
just said. “A: And there were so many woxxx there. B: Sorry, what? A: Oh. There were so many
wombats there”.
Swap places. (phrasal verb) /ˈswɒpˈpleı.səz/ Exchange seats with someone. “Can we swap places?
Sure”.
Take it in turns. (phrasal verb) /ıteık.ət.ınˈtə:nz/ Exchange roles on a task, usually each person
performs a duty. “Let’s take it in turns to buy coffee. You first today”.
That’s it for today / Let’s call it a day. (idiom) /ˈðæt.s:ıt.fə.təˈdeı/ Announcement of the end of the
class. “Ok class, I think we’re finished. That’s it for today. Enjoy your day”.
12 | Orbits: 1st Edition
Note, most of these phrasal verbs below are breakable. That means, you can put a pronoun or
proper noun in the middle. See the examples below.
Bless you
Said after someone has sneezed.
Cross it out
“Cross that word out”
Fill it in
“Could you fill in this form?”
Hand it in
“When do we hand the homework in?”
Hand it out
“Could you hand this out to the class?”
Leave it out
“Don’t worry. Leave this bit out”
Orbits | 13
Print it out
“You need to print out your final report”
Put it away
“Sorry, I’ll put my phone away”
Turn it over
“Please turn this handout over”.
Excuse me. Pardon me.
To politely move through a crowded place.
Hey, err… excuse me.
To get someone’s attention, so you can talk to them.
� With a friend or classmate:
1. Practice pronouncing these words together. 2. Practice saying the example sentences
together. 3. Test each other:
A: What does … mean?
B: � Hmm. I think it means…
? I have no idea. Without looking, what does it mean?
A: � That’s right. Well done!
x Nope, try again. / Sorry. It is…
B: My turn. What does … mean?
A: …
14 | Orbits: 1st Edition
Discussion
� Read the Introduction to this book, which is before this unit.
� Discuss these questions
1. What did you learn from the Introduction?
2. Was this book designed for students in Europe? Which type of book would you prefer, one
designed for Europe, or one designed for Asia?
3. How do you feel about vocabulary being translated? What other languages should be
included in the future? What other language groups are there in this country?
4. The introduction is short. What more information would you like?
5. Have you looked through the book yet? What did you think? Did you find anything
interesting? What looks interesting? What do you like?
6. What do these symbols mean? � � � What other symbols are there? Why are these
used? Is it good for this book to use these symbols?
7. Any question you want.
Study Skills
The best way to study vocabulary, is to study at least once a day for about 10 to 15 minutes, for
about 5 or 6 days a week. When you study vocabulary, you must study not only the translation of the
word, but other important information. The information must include:
1. The word
2. Part of speech (eg: noun, verb, adjective, etc)
3. Pronunciation IPA (eg: /ˈhænd.aʊt/)
4. Meaning in simple English
5. Example of the word in use
6. Translation into your language, and
7. Where you found the word.
Handout. (n) /ˈhænd.aʊt/ A paper with information on it, given to a class by the teacher. “Please write the answers on this
handout”. プリント. Unit 0 of Orbits.
Get a little notebook and write in key vocabulary, and keep it up to date.
Homework
Homework for each unit is usually the same:
� Review vocabulary from this unit
� Review the pronunciation task from this unit
� Review conversation structure / small talk questions
� Preview vocabulary for the next units dialogue and article
� Read the article & culture note for the next unit
� Do the research task
� Enjoy life ☺
Orbits | 15
Unit 1, Meeting
Vocabulary
� Learn and study the vocabulary and pronunciation before class. Add the IPA (pronunciation
symbols) for each of the words below.
Dialogue
� � Track 2: Listen and repeat these words and phrases.
English Japanese
Is this seat taken? /ˡɪzˡðɪsi: ˡteɪ.kən/ ここに座ってもいいですか
I’m [name] by the way 「名前」ですが
Queue キュー
Philosophy 哲学
Mind (brain) 思い・脳・心
Sold/sell out 売り切れた
Help ^ out 助け合う
Course webpage コースのウェブページ
Look(ed) ^ through ざっと調べる
Edition ~版・エディション
Kinda Kind of
Lecturer 講師
^ A noun or pronoun can be inserted into this breakable phrasal verb. Eg: “Can you help me out?”.
Article
� Study and check the pronunciation of each word below.
Communicate, communication, communicating 通じる
Abstract 抽象
Make calls: (animal alerting sounds) 鳴く
Represent 代表する
What we mean 意味は~
Verbal 口頭
Right in front of 間っ正面に・すぐ目の前に
Engage, engagement 出会う
Comments コメント
Empathy エンパシー・共感
Ask … about 聞く
Bond 結束・契約
Dive into ~に飛び込む
Explain 説明する
Gestures 手振り
Facial Expressions 表情
Posture 姿勢・体位
Distress 困難
Replace 交換する・取り替える
16 | Orbits: 1st Edition
Pronunciation & listening skills: IPA Practice dot-to-dot
IPA is the special alphabet used for showing the pronunciation of words. The back of this book shows
the IPA chart and symbols used here.
� � � Listen and practice the pronunciation of the words in the box below. Then, draw a line
around the picture following the words in order.
1. /help/ � /taım/ � /sʌʧ/ � /bʊk/ � /gʊd/ � /ment/ � /fə:st/ � /laık/ � /ʃæl/
2. /a:t/ � /kæn/ � /gɒt/ � /ɔ:Ɵə/ � /wə:k/ � /red/ � /lɒst/ � /hə:d/
Dialogue
� Instructions � � �
1. Listen to the dialogue, and then summarise with your partner what you heard.
2. Listen again and fill in the blanks.
3. Check your answers with your partner.
4. Listen again and check your answers.
5. Check your answers in the back of the book.
6. Summarise with your partner, what you understand.
7. Listen and shadow the dialogue.
8. Practice the dialogue with your partner
9. Discuss with your partner what you think will happen next in the story.
� Track 3:
Peter: Err… excuse me. Is this __________ taken?
Mei: Err, no. It isn’t.
Peter: Thanks. __________ weather outside.
Mei: [laughs] It’s raining! __________! I’m Mei by the way.
Peter: Nice to meet you. I’m Peter. I like your __________. They’re __________.
Mei: Thanks. Err… have you __________ the books for this class yet?
Peter: No I haven’t. The __________ at the bookshop are really long. I think I’ll go next week. You?
Orbits | 17
Mei: I got only one of them last week, Philosophy of Mind. They __________ of the other.
Peter: Really? My sister gave me her old one, Human Society; it’s an old __________, though.
Mei: Really? Great, I think we can help each other out. [pause] I saw on the course webpage that we
should have read chapter one of Human Society before the first class. Have you?
Peter: Oh really? I didn’t know that. I kinda __________ the book. Mostly at the pictures though.
[laughs]
Mei: [laugh] I had a look at the first chapter of my book, and I have some really, really bad news.
Peter: What?
Mei: There’s no pictures.
Both: [laugh]
Lecturer: Alright class, __________.
Culture Note
� It is normal to introduce yourself to strangers when you’re new. The best way to ‘break the ice’,
which means to make a cold situation into a warm friendly one, is to make a joke. The best ice
breakers relate to things about the environment that you both see or experience.
Conversation Strategies: Classroom language
� Listen and repeat the gambits below
Err… excuse me. Is this seat taken? Could you please move your bag so I can sit there? Excuse me,
could I get through? [between seats and tables] Have you got ____? I’m [name], by the way.
Example
� Practice asking to borrow something, and introducing yourself. Try to make a joke. Example:
A: Err… excuse me. Have you got a pen I could borrow?
B: Sure. Here you are.
A: Thanks. I’m Akira, by the way.
B: I’m Risa. That pen will cost two thousand yen. It’s a bargain.
A: [laughs] I’ll pay you next week.
Speaking Practice
� In pairs, practice introducing yourself to another classmate. Ask about the class, textbooks, or
anything, and try to make a simple joke.
Article: About English articles
Basic Communication
Humans are the only species that can communicate abstract ideas verbally. Chimpanzees and other
animals do make simple calls to each other, but only humans can discuss subjects like art, religion,
politics, and even communication. However, language is not perfect. At best, we put together words
to represent our ideas, we speak them, and hope the listener understands what we mean. Often, the
listener’s thoughts are not the same as the speakers (Stephen, Silbert, Hasson, 2010). So, how can we
improve verbal communication? It takes practice, so follow these simple pointers.
1. Eye contact
Turn your body so are facing your conversation partner. Research shows that the listener will think
you are interested in them. The listener will listen to you more, and will engage with you more.
‘Engage’ means listening, thinking, asking questions, and adding comments.
2. Smile
18 | Orbits: 1st Edition
Researchers have found that listeners are more interested in people who smile. Having a ‘poker face’
makes the listener think you are boring, have no emotions, and no empathy (Nolen-Hoeksema,
Fredrickson, Loftus, and Lutz, 2014; Surakka & Hietanan, 1998).
3. Small talk
Ask your conversation partner about their lives; just talk for about two minutes. Share something
personal, and then get on with the work you need to do. Small talk creates a bond between people,
and they become more interested in working together.
4. Explain
Often, English students dive into their dictionary to find a
single English word to explain everything. However, it is
normal to use many simple sentences to explain your
thoughts.
5. Body language
Visual cues communicate a lot about your ideas; use your
hands, gestures, facial expressions, and even posture. The
picture shows a lady in distress. She is not in distress now;
she is visually communicating her feelings she had during
the event. Using body language makes it easier for the
listener to understand her feelings (Nolen-Hoeksema et al,
2014; Gelder, 2006).
If you can do these five things, you will be a better communicator. [327 words]
References Gelder, B. (2006) Towards the neurobiology of emotional body language. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 7/3, p242-249.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Fredrickson, B., Loftus, G., and Lutz, C. (2014) Atkinson & Hilgard’s Introduction to Psychology, 16th
edition. Cengage Learning.
Stephens, G., Silbert, L., & Hasson, U. (2010) Speaker–listener neural coupling underlies successful communication. PNAS,
107/32, p14425-14430.
Surakka, V., & Hietanan, J. (1998) Facial and emotional reactions to Duchenne and non-Duchenne smiles. International
Journal of Psychophysiology, 29/1, p23-33.
Discussion
� � � Work with a partner and discuss the following questions. Say,
A: “For question 1, I think it’s [answer]”.
B: “Yeah, I think so too”, or “I’m not sure. I reckon…”, or “I think the answer is here [point to line in
book]”, or “I’m not sure”.
1. What type of article was it? (information, opinion, academic, news, story, advertisement, reaction,
etc)
2. What kind of structure did it have? (descriptive, persuasive, narrative, classification, compare and
contrast, pro & con, cause & effect, or other)
3. Summarise the article with your partner.
4. Discuss any problems you had, and help each other understand the grammar and vocabulary.
5. What new things did you learn from this?
6. What interesting information was there?
7. This article is short, what information seemed to be missing?
8. Do you normally use these five pointers when you talk with your friends? Which seem to be the most
helpful to you?
9. Do you understand how body language and showing emotion can help communication? How?
10. If you had to make your own list of five items for effective communication, what would be in your list?
Orbits | 19
11. Look at the references used in the article. Do you trust the sources of information? Is there an
opposite point of view for anything from the article?
12. Overall, what do you think? Do you agree with the point of view of the author?
Research task
Following on from the article in this unit, find your own article on this or a similar topic. You can find
this in the library, in magazines, on the internet, anywhere. When searching for your own article,
there are four rules: it should be:
1. Short
2. Simple
3. Interesting, and
4. Relevant.
Then do the following:
• Print it out
• Prepare a vocabulary list of 5 to 10 words to teach your classmates.
• Prepare a one minute summary
• Prepare three comprehension questions to test your classmate’s understanding of your summary
• Prepare two discussion questions to start a conversation about your article.
You will present this to a classmate and discuss it. You will then listen to your classmate’s own
summary and learn from him/her. You will then change partners and repeat this several times during
class.
Self-reflection
� � Discuss with a classmate what new things you learnt in this unit, and write down the
highlights.
20 | Orbits: 1st Edition
Unit 2, Interests
Vocabulary
� Learn and study the vocabulary and pronunciation before class. Add the IPA (pronunciation
symbols) for each of the words below.
Dialogue
� � Track 4: Listen and repeat these words and phrases.
English Japanese
Get to work /ˡgetə.wə:k/ はじめ!・働き始めよう
Partner 相手
…what he mean(t)? 意味・意図した意味
Kind of ほとんど
Got/get lost わからない
Fiction フィクション
Geek おたく
Likewise ぼくもそうです。
Surrealist 超現実主義
Fascinating 魅力的な・おもしろい
Author 著者・作家
Heard of 知っている・聞いたことある
Nominated for the Nobel Prize ノーベル賞授与に推薦された
Get to work はじめ!・働き始めよう
Article
� Study and check the pronunciation of each word below.
Educational Psychologist 教育心理学者
Principle 規則
Concept 概念
Study abroad 留学
Effective, effectively 効果的な・効果的に
Random ランダム
Tedious 退屈な
Adventure アドベンチャー・冒険
Biology 生物学
Sentence structures 文構造
Familiar よく知っている・~に精通している
Orbits | 21
Pronunciation & listening skills: Phoneme practice /æ/
� � Follow all the words that have the /æ/ sound. Then listen and practice the pronunciation of
the words in the answers. You may need to check http://dictionary.cambridge.org for help.
Start
Cat Fall Pizza Paul Pen
Bat Far Cup Walk Up
Lack Wrap Laptop Back Again
Any Pull Water Andrew What
Example Vocabulary Need Animal Many
Happen Actually Application Handsome Start
Map Red All Asia Clock
Accident Potato Random Fascinate Answer
Saturday Aeroplane Shall Banana Practice
Hamburger Language Chapter Today And
Finish
Dialogue
� Instructions � � �
1. Review what happened in the story last week.
2. Listen to the dialogue, and then summarise with your partner what you heard.
3. Listen again and fill in the blanks.
4. Check your answers with your partner.
5. Listen again and check your answers.
6. Check your answers in the back of the book.
7. Summarise with your partner, what you understand.
8. Listen and shadow the dialogue.
22 | Orbits: 1st Edition
9. Practice the dialogue with your partner
10. Discuss with your partner what you think will happen next in the story.
� Track 5:
Lecturer: Alright. Any questions? Let’s get to work. Find a _________ and talk about questions 1 to 5.
Peter: Err… shall we work together?
Mei: Sure.
Peter: Now I wish I had read the first chapter. Did you __________ what he meant?
Mei: I __________ got lost. Can you open your book?
Peter: Of course. So you read the first chapter of the other book already?
Mei: Yep. But it’s no help today.
Peter: You __________ read?
Mei: Well, yeah. Mostly fiction. I’m not a university __________, yet.
Peter: [laughs] __________. What kind of fiction?
Mei: Oh, err… almost everything. Recently I finished a surrealist book by a Japanese __________. It
was my first time to read such a thing. It was sooo fascinating.
Peter: Oh yeah? Who’s the author?
Mei: Haruki Murakami. Heard of him?
Peter: No. Is he any good?
Mei: Actually, he’s really good. He was __________ for a Nobel prize for literature once.
Peter: Wow. He must be good. Anyway, let’s get started on the first __________.
Mei: Sure. Can you read it?
Peter: Err Question one. __________ that art has no actual use, what is the purpose of it? [fade]
Culture Note
� Most people usually do a little bit of small talk before they start an activity. The small talk can be
related to the topic, or totally unrelated. This is a common habit of Anglophones (English speakers).
You should also do a little bit of small talk each time you get a new partner during the class.
Conversation Strategies: Teacher talk
� Listen and repeat the gambits below
Looking here,… Any questions? Alright, let’s get started. Work with the person next to you. Talk
with your partner. I’ll give you five minutes. Do questions one to eight.
Example
� Person A play teacher give your ‘student’ instructions, and person B play student. Example:
A: Alright. Any questions?
B: No.
A: Work with your partner, and do questions one to one hundred.
B: Huh?!
A: I’ll give you five minutes. Let’s get started.
Speaking Practice
� In pairs, do some small talk, then get to know your partner more. Ask about their favourite books,
movies, music, etcetera.
Article: Extensive Reading
There are many ways to learn and improve your foreign language skills. Lev Vygotsky, an Educational
Psychologist in the 1920’s said that practice makes perfect (McInernney & McInernney, 1997). That
means, the more you do something, the better you get. This basic principle is how modern languages
are taught in many countries. The more you practice listening and speaking, the better you will get.
Orbits | 23
However, there is a problem. In countries like Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and others, students learning
English can only practice speaking with other students who are also learning English. How can they
learn to speak like a native speaker if they cannot talk to one? The answer is: read.
A famous professor Stephen Krashen made Extensive Reading (ER) popular. The concept is simple.
Read as much as you can, and only read things that interest you. It is much cheaper than doing a
study abroad, and a lot more effective and interesting than taking grammar classes (Mason &
Krashen, 1997). Students learn new vocabulary (Kweon & Kim, 2008), sentence structures, learn new
ways to use familiar vocabulary, learn how native speakers say things, do better on exams (Mason &
Krashen, 1997), and are better communicators. There are many advantages of doing ER, but also
there is too for extensive listening (Renandya & Farrell, 2011). However, many students do not do ER
effectively.
There are some simple rules to follow for ER. Firstly, choose a simple book. You should know at least
98% of the words on the page (Nation & Webb, 2011). Find a random page, count 100 words, and
see if there is only one or two you do not know. If there is more, then the book is too tedious for you,
and you will lose interest in it, so find an easier one. Secondly, choose books that look interesting to
you. If you like adventure stories, choose those. If you like to read about biology, find simple biology
books. Finally, read lots. There are graded readers, which are simple books for English language
learners. There are many titles, and most students read between 3,000 to 7,000 words a week. [359
words]
References Kweon, S., & Kim, H. (2008) Beyond raw frequency: Incidental vocabulary acquisition in extensive reading. Reading in a
Foreign Language, 20/2, p191-225.
McInernney & McInernney (1998) Educational Psychology: Constructing learning. Prentice Hall,
Mason, B., & Krashen, S. (1997) Extensive reading in English as a foreign language. System, 25/1, p91-102.
Nation, I.S.P., and Webb, S. (2011) Researching and analysing vocabulary. Boston, USA: Heinle, Cengage Learning.
Renandya, W. and Farrell, T. (2011) “Teacher, the tape is too fast!” Extensive listening in ELT. ELT Journal, 65/1, p52-9.
Discussion
� � � Work with a partner and discuss the following questions. Say,
A: “For question 1, I think it’s [answer]”.
B: “Yeah, I think so too”, or “I’m not sure. I reckon…”, or “I think the answer is here [point to line in
book]”, or “I’m not sure”.
1. What type of article was it? (information, opinion, academic, news, story, advertisement, reaction,
etc)
2. What kind of structure did it have? (descriptive, persuasive, narrative, classification, compare and
contrast, pro & con, cause & effect, or other)
3. Summarise the article with your partner.
4. Discuss any problems you had, and help each other understand the grammar and vocabulary.
5. What new things did you learn from this?
6. What interesting information was there?
7. This article is short, what information seemed to be missing?
8. Have you do much reading in English before? Do you read for leisure? Can reading in English be for
leisure?
9. Do you remember the rules for extensive reading?
10. Which is better, doing a study abroad or spending time in a library reading in English?
11. Check out Extensive Listening at http://winjeel.com/blog/english-classes/listening/ Is there anything
you might like to use regularly?
12. Look at the references used in the article. Do you trust the sources of information? Is there an
opposite point of view for anything from the article?
13. Overall, what do you think? Do you agree with the point of view of the author?
24 | Orbits: 1st Edition
Research task
Following on from the article in this unit, find your own article on this or a similar topic. You can find
this in the library, in magazines, on the internet, anywhere. When searching for your own article,
there are four rules: it should be 1. Short, 2. Simple, 3. Interesting, and 4. Relevant. Then do the
following:
• Print it out
• Prepare a vocabulary list of 5 to 10 words to teach your classmates.
• Prepare a one minute summary
• Prepare three comprehension questions to test your classmate’s understanding of your summary
• Prepare two discussion questions to start a conversation about your article.
You will present this to a classmate and discuss it. You will then listen to your classmate’s own
summary and learn from him/her. You will then change partners and repeat this several times during
class.
Self-reflection
� � Discuss with a classmate what new things you learnt in this unit, and write down the
highlights.
Orbits | 25
Unit 3, Wombats!
Vocabulary
� Learn and study the vocabulary and pronunciation before class. Add the IPA (pronunciation
symbols) for each of the words below.
Dialogue
� � Track 6: Listen and repeat these words and phrases.
English Japanese
If there’s no more questions (final invite) 質問がなければ
Call it a day /ˡkɔ:lɪtə.ˡdeɪ/ 終わり
Left ^ behind 置き忘れた
Pencil case 筆箱
Precious 大切な
Head(ing) off to ~に行ってくる。
I’m … as well 私も!
Sausage dog (dachshund) ダックスフント
Wombat ウォンバット
Burrow(ing) 穴を掘る
Pouch 育児嚢
Pendant ペンダント
Crazy about ~に夢中・~が好き
(be) into (hobby / interest) 趣味・~に興味がる
^ A noun or pronoun can be inserted into this breakable phrasal verb. Eg: “The group left me behind
at the classroom”.
Article
� Study and check the pronunciation of each word below.
Unique, uniqueness ユニークな・独特な
Placenta, placental 胎盤
Echidna エキドナ
Platypus カモノハシ
Aspect 様相・~面
Key point 主要点 ・根拠
Herbivore 草食動物
Vegetarian ベジタリアン
Burrow 巣穴
Pouch 育児嚢
Backwards 逆の・前後逆
Metabolism 代謝
Digest 消化する
Predator 捕食者
Photogenic フォトジェニック
Conservation park 国立公園・ナショナルパーク
Stuffed (toy) ぬいぐるみ
All manner of あらゆる種類の~
Souvenir お土産
26 | Orbits: 1st Edition
Pronunciation & listening skills: IPA practice dot-to-dot
IPA is the special alphabet used for showing the pronunciation of words. The back of this book shows
the IPA chart and symbols used here.
� � � Listen and practice the pronunciation of the words in the box below. Then, draw a line
around the picture following the words in order.
/kʌt/ � /nekst/ � /fɪlm/ � /nekst/ � /kju:t/ � /sʌmə/ � /ʃɔ:t/ � /sʌmə/ � /sɔ:t/ � /sʌm/ � /wel/ � /weə/ � /lets/ � /kɔ:l/ � /deɪ/ � /left/ � /weə/ � /wel/ � /wɒt/ � /wɔ:k/ � /rɪəlɪ/ � /sʌm/
Dialogue
� Instructions � � �
1. Review what happened in the story last week.
2. Listen to the dialogue, and then summarise with your partner what you heard.
3. Listen again and fill in the blanks.
4. Check your answers with your partner.
5. Listen again and check your answers.
6. Check your answers in the back of the book.
7. Summarise with your partner, what you understand.
8. Listen and shadow the dialogue.
9. Practice the dialogue with your partner
10. Discuss with your partner what you think will happen next in the story.
Orbits | 27
� Track 7:
Lecturer: So, if there’s no more questions let’s __________.
[People leave]
Peter: Oh? Hey, err… Mei?
Mei: Yeah?
Peter: Mei, isn’t it?
Mei: Yes it is.
Peter: You left your pencil case behind. It looked precious, so __________.
Mei: Thanks. Actually, it is really precious.
Peter: I’m heading __________ next class in Building R. Where are you going?
Mei: I’m going to Building R as well.
Peter: Great! So, err… __________, actually? Your pencil case. __________ some sort of sausage-dog
bear?
Mei: What? No! It’s not a bear; it’s a wombat! I love wombats. They’re so cute, __________?
Peter: It’s a what?
Mei: Wombat! It’s a kind of burrowing animal from Australia. __________ pouch and everything.
Peter: Is that pendant __________ wombat?
Mei: [laughs] Yes, I’m kinda crazy about wombats. I’ve __________ picture of one on my phone here.
Look!
Peter: [laughs] Very cute.
Mei: What __________ things are __________?
Peter: Well, erm, I like __________ and graphic design. I’ve designed some album covers __________
friend’s music CD.
Culture Note
� Peter sees that Mei left her pencil case behind. Some people would leave it, but Peter takes it to
her, possibly for two reasons. What do you think are the two reasons? What things can you do to
make the class a happier, friendlier place? What other nice things can you do to make friends in the
class?
Conversation Strategies: Immediate future plans
� Listen and repeat the gambits below
I’m heading to… I’m about to… I’m going to… | Would you like to …? Do you wanna …?
Example
� Like how Peter returned Mei’s pencil case, practice returning your classmate’s lost items to them.
Example:
A: Hey, Maki. You left your phone behind.
B: Oh! Thanks. Where are you going?
A: I’m about to go to lunch. Would you like to join me?
B: Sure. Where are you going?
A: I’m heading to café over there. Let’s go.
Speaking Practice
� Practice the conversation again without the book. This time, use your own ideas. Don’t say
‘wombat’, but use your own favourite thing, like a cartoon character, pet, a book, anything. Also, ask
your partner what he or she is into.
Article: Wombats
Wombats are regarded as an iconic Australian animal. Wombats are common in Australia, and are
found almost nationwide. They are slow and lazy looking animals, so they are distinct from other
28 | Orbits: 1st Edition
Australian animals. This article will first explain their uniqueness, their biology, and their cultural
popularity.
There are many types of animals, including molluscs, insects, mammals, and more. Molluscs include
the snails, octopuses, squids, and other such animals. Insects include beetles, cockroaches, flies, bees,
and others. However, there are three types of mammals. There are placentals, marsupials, and
monotremes. Placental mammals include humans, dogs, elephants, and dolphins. All these animals
have their babies grow inside of the mother’s placenta, and they give birth to live young.
Monotremes, like the echidna and platypus lay eggs, and the babies grow inside of the eggs before
hatching (Griffiths, 2012). Marsupials, like the kangaroos, koalas, and wombats, give birth to small
babies, which move into a pouch, and continue to grow (de Silva, 2013). There are other aspects of
biology that make these three groups of mammals different.
Wombats are quite similar to most other marsupials, except a few key points. They are herbivores,
they eat grass and other vegetation. They live in burrows under the ground, with many other
wombats in like an underground city (de Silva, 2013). This is a safe place to rest and sleep. They have
digging claws. Consequently, their pouches are backwards, otherwise dirt will get onto their young as
they dig. They have a very slow metabolism, so they take 14 days to digest their food. Consequently,
they are appear slow and lazy. However, they can run up to 40km/h to escape predators.
Every Australian knows about wombats, perhaps because they are so photogenic. Australians learn
about them in primary school. Wombats commonly appear on Australian children’s TV shows, and
are a standard feature of Australian zoos and conservation parks. Many foreign tourists can buy
stuffed kangaroos, penguins, koalas and of course, wombats at airports before they leave. There are
of course postcards, books, and all manner of souvenirs for these marsupials.
In summary, wombats are a part of a unique class of animals. They are a mammal, within the
marsupial group. They are herbivores, and live in burrows. Wombats are photogenic, slow, and lazy,
which may have made them popular among Australians and foreign visitors. [388 words]
References de Silva, K. (2013) Marsupials: Amazing Pictures & Fun Facts of Animals in Nature (Our Amazing World Series Book 13).
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
Griffiths, M. (2012) The Biology of the Monotremes. Academic Press.
Discussion
� � � Work with a partner and discuss the following questions. Say,
A: “For question 1, I think it’s [answer]”.
B: “Yeah, I think so too”, or “I’m not sure. I reckon…”, or “I think the answer is here [point to line in
book]”, or “I’m not sure”.
1. What type of article was it? (information, opinion, academic, news, story, advertisement, reaction,
etc)
2. What kind of structure did it have? (descriptive, persuasive, narrative, classification, compare and
contrast, pro & con, cause & effect, or other)
3. Summarise the article with your partner.
4. Discuss any problems you had, and help each other understand the grammar and vocabulary.
5. What new things did you learn from this?
6. What interesting information was there?
7. This article is short, what information seemed to be missing?
8. Have you heard of wombats before? What kind of animals do you like?
9. What are the biological differences between a dog and a wombat? Which would you rather as a
pet, and why?
10. Did you learn about monotremes and marsupials in school?
Orbits | 29
11. There are only two species of monotremes left, being the echidna and platypus. How would you
feel if one or both of these species went extinct? Should these animals have any special
protection?
12. Are dolphins really mammals? How are they different to fish?
13. Look at the references used in the article. Do you trust the sources of information? Is there an
opposite point of view for anything from the article?
14. Overall, what do you think? Do you agree with the point of view of the author?
Research task
Following on from the article in this unit, find your own article on this or a similar topic. You can find
this in the library, in magazines, on the internet, anywhere. When searching for your own article,
there are four rules: it should be 1. Short, 2. Simple, 3. Interesting, and 4. Relevant. Then do the
following:
• Print it out
• Prepare a vocabulary list of 5 to 10 words to teach your classmates.
• Prepare a one minute summary
• Prepare three comprehension questions to test your classmate’s understanding of your summary
• Prepare two discussion questions to start a conversation about your article.
You will present this to a classmate and discuss it. You will then listen to your classmate’s own
summary and learn from him/her. You will then change partners and repeat this several times during
class.
Self-reflection
� � Discuss with a classmate what new things you learnt in this unit, and write down the
highlights.
162 | Orbits: 1st Edition
Answers
Pronunciation & listening skills
Unit 1: IPA practice: dot-to-dot
Help, time, such, book, good, meant, first, like, shall. Art, can, got, author, work, read, lost, heard.
Unit 2: Phoneme practice /æ/
Cat, bat, lack, wrap, laptop, back, Andrew, animal, handsome, application, actually, vocabulary, example, happen, map, accident, Saturday, hamburger, language, chapter, shall, random, fascinate, answer, practice, and.
Unit 3: IPA practice dot-to-dot
Cut, next, film, next, cute, summer, short, summer, sort, some, well, where, lets, call, day, left, where, well, what, walk, really, some.
Unit 4: IPA Crossword 0. ə 1.ə 10.p a: t 12.m ə 13.n t
4.f ɔ: eə a: aɪ 15.ɜ:
ɔ: 2.s k r u: ʤ 3. s i: n
d e
9.h n 11.m 5.əʊ n 14.l ɪ
6.n e k s t ʌ n aɪ
L 7.s aʊ n d z k
8.ɵ ɪ ƞ ɵ
Unit 5: Linking words
1. What do you want to do tomorrow?, 2. Did you have breakfast? 3. What did you do yesterday? 4. Where do you want to go now? 5. What sizes would you like? 6. Where were you last week? 7. Do you know what you are getting? 8. Do you want to join me for a coffee? 9. Enjoy your week.
Unit 6: Letters & numbers
“Go from K50 to H50, then from H50 to F19, from F19 to E10,…” E10, G19, H18, J17, M16, P16, Q12, Q9, R8, T8, U10, Y11, S13, P40, K50, K90, M80, M90, J90.
Unit 7: Letters & numbers
“Go from E80 to E17, then from E17 to D20, from D20 to E15, …” E15, F14, N12, P14, Q16, P60, O60, O50, P18, O17, O18, S40, T40, N16, N80, L80, L30, J40, I40, G20, G80, E80.
Orbits | 163
Unit 12: Stress patterns (2 syllable)
Really, zero, Europe, hundred, second, pretty, going, power, litre, engine, city, Mazda, harbour, table, menu, getting, buddy, homework, order, morning, email, happen, boring, final, finish.
Unit 14: Stress patterns (3 syllables)
Saturday, actual, beautiful, fantasy, possible, lecturer, meditate, literal, evening, overtime, accident, everything, excellent, certainly, microwave, broccoli, studying, hamburger, yesterday, telephone, recognise, hospital, aeroplane, cinema, photograph, holiday, regular.
Unit 19: Glottal stops & middle consonant deletion
Last night, it was, just had, alright, that bench, about that, B that great, just friends, just heard, heard it on, that person, don’t seem, E
Unit 20: Glottal stops & middle consonant deletion (review)
Just friends, just heard, about that, last night, don’t seem, that person, got caught, that great, A it was, that bench, alright, heard it on, C
Unit 22: Vowel linking /w/
Blue eyes, to on, to up, do it, to eat, no and, no it, you are, how about, you as, Two up, so are, to exam, B. Now on, so I, to England, go again, E.
Unit 23: Vowel linking /r/ & /j/
Me [j] again, for [r] up, day [j] again, coffee [j] at, answer [r] a, way [j] of, Mei [j] and, for [r] us, saw [r] a, be [j] a,
Saw [r] another, more [r] again, four [r] and, try [j] again, law [r] and, me [j] ok, three [j] and, where [r] is, saw [r] another, B.
I[j]am,finally[j]able, for[r]us, be[j]a, there[r]is, D.
Unit 29: Blending sounds 0. That girl > /ˡðæʔיgə:l/ 1. …kissed him /ˡkɪs.dɪm/ 2. What the… /ˡwɒʔ.ðə/ 3. Moving in with him /ˡwɪ.ðɪm/ or /ˡwɪ.vɪm/ 4. Girl a few… /ˡgə:.ləˡfju:/ 5. Don’t ask me how /ˡdəʊʔ.a:s.mɪˡhaʊ/
6. Topic came up and he told me… /.tɒˡpɪיkæˡmʌp/ 7. … that you two never… /ˡðæʔ.ju: ˡtu:/ 8. I saw him a few… /ˡsɔ:.rɪ.məˡfju:/ 9. He’s seeing someone… /ˡhi: ˡsi:.jɪƞ/ 10. But it seems /.bʌ.dəʔˡsi:mz/ 11. …in with him. /ˡwɪ.ðɪm/ or /ˡwɪ.vɪm/
Unit 30: Blending sounds 0. That girl > /ˡðæʔˡgə:l/ 1. M: What’s with her? /.wɪ.ðɜ:/ 2. P: Hey I promised… /ˡheɪ.jaɪ/ 3. P: but how about /bəʔhaʊwəbaʊʔ/ 4. M: Know of a place /ˡnəʊ.wə.vʌ/ 5. P: Won’t be here /ˡwəʊnʔ.bɪ.
hɪjə/
6. P: …tomorrow or next week /.təˡmɒ.rəʊ.wɔ: ˡneks.wi:k/ 7. P: …uni admin and they say /ˡædˡmɪ.nənˡðeɪ/ 8. P: …so I have to fly /.səʊ.waɪˡhæv.təˡflaɪ/ 9. M: …just let me know /ˡjʌs.leʔ.mɪˡnəʊ/ 10. M: …go out with her /.gəʊˡwaʊʔ.wɪˡðɜ:/ 11. M: … will be ok with /ˡbɪ.jəʊ.keɪ/
164 | Orbits: 1st Edition
Dialogues
Unit 1, Meeting
Peter: Err… excuse me. Is this seat taken?
Mei: Err, no. It isn’t. Peter: Thanks. Beautiful
weather outside. Mei: [laughs] It’s raining! Hard!
I’m Mei by the way. Peter: Nice to meet you. I’m
Peter. I like your earrings. They’re pretty.
Mei: Thanks. Err… have you bought the books for this class yet?
Peter: No I haven’t. The queues at the bookshop are really long. I think I’ll go next week. You?
Mei: I got only one of them last week, Philosophy of Mind. They sold out of the other.
Peter: Really? My sister gave me her old one, Human
Society; it’s an old edition, though.
Mei: Really? Great, I think we can help each other out. [pause] I saw on the course webpage that we should have read chapter one of Human Society before the first class. Have you?
Peter: Oh really? I didn’t know that. I kinda looked through the book. Mostly at the pictures though. [laughs]
Mei: [laugh] I had a look at the first chapter of my book, and I have some really, really bad news.
Peter: What? Mei: There’s no pictures. Both: [laugh] Lecturer: Alright class, let’s
begin.
Unit 2, Interests
Lecturer: Alright. Any questions? Let’s get to work. Find a partner and talk about questions 1 to 5.
Peter: Err… shall we work together?
Mei: Sure. Peter: Now I wish I had read
the first chapter. Did you understand what he meant?
Mei: I kind of got lost. Can you open your book?
Peter: Of course. So you read the first chapter of the other book already?
Mei: Yep. But it’s no help today. Peter: You like to read? Mei: Well, yeah. Mostly fiction.
I’m not a university geek, yet. Peter: [laughs] Likewise. What
kind of fiction? Mei: Oh, err… almost
everything. Recently I finished a surrealist book by a Japanese author. It was my first time to read such a thing. It was sooo fascinating.
Peter: Oh yeah? Who’s the author?
Mei: Haruki Murakami. Heard of him?
Peter: No. Is he any good? Mei: Actually, he’s really good.
He was nominated for a Nobel prize for literature once.
Peter: Wow. He must be good. Anyway, let’s get started on the first question.
Mei: Sure. Can you read it? Peter: Err Question one.
Considering that art has no actual use, what is the purpose of it? [fade]
Unit 3, Wombats!
Lecturer: So, if there’s no more questions let’s call it a day.
[people leave] Peter: Oh? [quick footsteps]
Hey, err… Mei? Mei: Yeah? Peter: Mei, isn’t it? Mei: Yes it is. Peter: You left your pencil case
behind. It looked precious, so here it is.
Mei: Thanks. Actually, it is really precious.
Peter: I’m heading off to my next class in Building R. Where are you going?
Mei: I’m going to Building R as well.
Peter: Great! So, err… what is it, actually? Your pencil case.
Is it some sort of sausage-dog bear?
Mei: What? No! It’s not a bear; it’s a wombat! I love wombats. They’re so cute, don’t you think?
Peter: It’s a what? Mei: Wombat! It’s a kind of
burrowing animal from Australia. It has a pouch and everything.
Peter: Is that pendant also a wombat?
Mei: [laughs] Yes, I’m kinda crazy about wombats. I’ve got a picture of one on my phone here. Look!
Peter: [laughs] Very cute. Mei: What sort of things are
you into? Peter: Well, erm, I like
photography and graphic design. I’ve designed some album covers for a friend’s music CD.
Unit 4, Part-time work
Mei: Thanks for sitting with me for lunch. I didn’t want to sit alone today.
Jane: No problem. I was looking for a lunch buddy as well. That guy you were talking to was cute.
Mei: Peter? Yeah. He’s nice. He’s also an international student, like me [pause]
Jane: What’s that you’re having?
Mei: A health food bar. It’s the only thing I can afford. I kind of over spent moving to a new country, and setting up my apartment last month. But don’t worry! My parents will send me money later this week, but I will need to earn local money. Do you know what I mean?
Jane: Yeah. I work at a Ma & Pa restaurant myself. They’re nice people. Oh! The bookstore next to where I work is always looking for new staff.
Mei: Why’s that?
Orbits | 173
IPA Key IPA is the alphabet used to describe the pronunciation of words. IPA stands for the International
Phonetics Association. IPA is the most common system used in dictionaries around the world.
Vowels (Monophthongs)
1. Feel 2. Fit 3. Book 4. Boot
i: ɪ ʊ u:
5. Bed 6. Mother 7. Learn 8. For
e ə ə: / ɜ: ɔ:
9. Cat 10. Pup 11. Far 12. Dog
æ ʌ a: ɒ
: long sound
Vowels (Diphthongs)
13. Dear 14. Pain
ɪə eɪ
15. Pure 16. Toys 17. Home
ʊə ɔɪ əʊ (UK) / oʊ (US)
18. There 19. My 20. House
eə aɪ aʊ
ˡ stressed syllable / . unstressed syllable. Eg: /ˈbrʌ.ðə/ (brother)
Consonants
21. Pot 22. Blue 23. Two 24. Dog
p b t d
25. Church 26. Judge 27. Kick 28. Great
ʧ ʤ k g
29. Fifteen 30. Very 31. Thin 32. That
f v Ɵ ð
33. Six 34. Zoo 35. Shape 36. Television
s z ʃ ʒ
37. Money 38. Nut 39. Hotel 40. Sing
m n h ŋ
41. Light 42. Red 43. When 44. Yellow
l r w j
� unvoiced / � voiced
Orbits, 1st Edition
Andrew Blyth, 2017
https://winjeel.com
ISBN: 978-0-9954040-1-4
Key Features
� Written for young adults
� Provides rehearsal for real-world social situations
� Genuine language & authentic-like dialogues
� Contemporary vocabulary
� Key idioms, phrasal verbs, and vocabulary are translated
� Audio materials available
� Notional-functional syllabus
� Flexibly designed for communicative language teaching
� Great for conversation, listening, and pronunciation classes.
� Teaches communicative and social competence for a range of social settings
� Intriguing story with an exciting conclusion
� Opportunities to discuss topics including philosophy, business ethics, art, psychology,
and social issues including worker’s rights, gender issues, romance, and more
� Develops information literacy
� Develops thinking and analytical skills
� Promotes autonomous learning
� And a lot more
� Updates and more information at https://winjeel.com
ISBN 978-0-9954040-1-4