Task a Complete the phrases with the words in the box

Task 2

1 make a decision,get a degree,take a exam,graduate a university,get good marks ,make a mistake,take notes,make a progress,do some research,pass/fail a subject,make a suggestion,go to a lecture,go to class,do your best,do well at.

Task 2

Task 5. a) Complete the phrases with the words in the box.

crash heart picking steep thrown

1. That was one thing that I had to learn by heart

2. I was amazed how quickly I started picking it up.

3. An occasion where I had really thrown learning curve was ….

4. I was just steep into everything.

5. I took a one-day crash course in parachuting.

b) Match the phrases in bold in task 5 a with the definitions.

a) a short learning programme in which you study a subject very quickly= steep into

b) to memorise something so you can do or say it without referring to anything written down=pick up

c) made to deal with something difficult without being prepared for it. We also say “someone was in at the deep end”.=thrown a curve

d) when you had to learn something really quickly to succeed =crash crouse

e) learning something without really trying = learn by heart

Task 6. What do you think is the connection between light bulbs, crisps, bread and post-it notes? Read the article to find out.

MISTAKES THAT WORK …..

People who don’t speak mistakes are unlikely to learn anything.

The best way to learn something is to make mistakes first. Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb, told his colleagues: “Of the 200 light bulbs that didn’t work, every failure told me something I was able to incorporate into the next attempt”. Benjamin Franklin, the US statesman and scientist once said: “I haven’t failed, I have had 10,000 ideas that didn’t work”.

Both these people understood that failures and false starts are the condition of success. In fact, surprising number of everyday objects had their beginnings in a mistake or a misunderstanding. Post-it notes, packets of crisps and even bread are all unexpected inventions. In 2600 BC, a tired Egyptian slave invented bread when the dough rose during his sleep. And crisps were first cooked by a chef in the USA when a customer complained that his fried potatoes were not thin enough.

In 1968 Spencer Silver was trying to develop a strong adhesive when he accidentally invented a very weak glue instead. His colleague, Art Fry, decided to use it six years later, in 1974, to hold his bookmarks in his books and the post-it note was invented.

Successful business people have often made big, expensive mistakes in their past. When an employee of IBM made a mistake that cost the company $600,000, Thomas Watson, the chairman, was asked if he would fire the man. “Of course not” he replied. “I have just spent $600,000 training him. I am not going to let another company benefit from his experience”.

The important thing to remember is that you need to learn from your mistakes. If you don’t, then there is no sense in making them.

Task 7. Write the questions for the following answers.

Example: 200 – How many of Edison’s lightbulbs didn’t work?

1. 10,000= Benjamin Franklin, the US statesman and scientist once said: “I haven’t failed, I have had 10,000 ideas that didn’t work”.

2. 2600= In 2600 BC, a tired Egyptian slave invented bread when the dough rose during his sleep.

3. 1968= In 1968 Spencer Silver was trying to develop a strong adhesive when he accidentally invented a very weak glue instead

4. 1974= His colleague, Art Fry, decided to use it six years later, in 1974, to hold his bookmarks in his books and the post-it note was invented.

5. 600,000= Thomas Watson, the chairman, was asked if he would fire the man. “Of course not” he replied. “I have just spent $600,000 training him. I am not going to let another company benefit from his experience