What made one firm of publishers refuse to accept Dominic’ s first book?W: With us in the studio today is Dominic Austin—a science fiction writer who has delighted readers of all ages. Dominic. I read somewhere that you found it very easy to get published. M: It’s true. I was very lucky. But with Return to Nothing—my first book, I had a problem. I sent it to a firm of publishers and they kept them for about 6 months. They finally sent it back to me. Saying the way with written was very original and the story was amazing. But they were unwilling to publish it because it was rather a large book and they were a tiny company. They advised me to contact another publisher who they knew was looking for science fiction writers. I had no trouble after that. W: In Return to Nothing, the three central characters are completely imaginary, aren’ t they? M: That’ s right. My characters are different from real people. The main thing is that in a good adventure story, the characters must have some sort of evolution, for example, they come to have knowledge that they lack to begin with. And it doesn’ t mean they always go from being bad to being good at the end of the story. I don’ t believe in that. My heroes are not particularly lovable. W: After Return to Nothing, you went on to write a series of three other books with the same central characters. Why? M: I started Return to Nothing with one book in mind. It’ s sort of progress from there. And it went to another book then it went to a third book. The publishers knew they would be an instance success but writing a good series of books has one unwelcome consequence. I got a lot of requests from readers for more books in that series. I love the fact that they bother to write to me about it. But I also need to do something different and recharge my batteries. W: Your success has not yet led to any literary prizes. Do you regret that? M: Not in the least. I’ m a story-teller and story-tellers want an audience. The more people who read me, the happier I am. So, all the other stuff to me has no meaning. I’ve always believed that when writers win prizes, their careers are over. But everyone seems to think I’ m dying to win awards. I read a lot of fictions too and sometimes I wish I had written some of that. But I know I’ m just as good, only different. W: I understand your regret having allowed your book series to be made into a film. M: Most definitely. It was a moment of foolishness when I thought there was no one in the science fiction field who has ever been offered this chance. I somehow knew I was making a mistake, but my pride got in the way and then it was too late. It was a difficult experience because the director was asking me to change parts of the book all the time. I knew from the beginning there’ll be little money anyway. Maybe the only advantage is that was an experience I could use in my writing. W: That’ s very interesting. Its subject. Its style. Its length.

A: Will you need a car when you arrive? We have a special rate at the moment. B: Yeah, a car would be convenient. A: What type of car will you need? Q: What is the man going to do? Rent a car. Buy a car. Sell his car.

A: I have a pain in my lower back. It really hurts when I stand up for a long period of time. B: I’ ll give a prescription for the pain. But I want you to make another appointment this week, so I can take X-rays. A: Do you have any openings on Thursday? Q: Where is the woman? At the dentist’s. At a doctor’s surgery. In a teacher’s office.

What is the new discovery about?O type blood can be transfused safely into humans of any blood type without medical risk. The problem is that it’s not always readily available for those who desperately need blood. Now an international team of scientists believe they have found a way to convert A, B and AB blood types into O type, making it safe to transfusions. Professor Orson of Long University Hospital in Sweden is one of report’ s authors. Converting A, B and AB blood types into type O blood. A safe way of transfusing blood. An important use of type O blood.

Shaka ______ power and became the king of the Zulus upon the death of his father. assumed resumed consumed presumed

Astronomy has to deal with the largest bodies and the greatest distances in the universe; ______, chemistry has to deal with the smallest particles and the shortest distances in the universe. likewise consequently on the other hand so

If you took more than your share of the money, you should at once ______ by returning the extra. give up make amends feel ashamed get punished

In this experiment, they are wakened several times during the night, and asked to report what they ______. had just been dreaming had just dreamt are just dreaming have just been dreaming

______ is the core leadership committee of the British government. Parliament Privy council Central government The Cabinet

In the 1960s, pop music underwent a revolution when ______ became world famous and turned their home town of Liverpool into a place of pilgrimage. the Beach Boys the Rolling Stone the Animals the Beatles

Halliday’s writing leaned very much back to the left. He was the only pupil in the class who wrote in this way. He was a nuisance in poetry lessons as he would giggle and make faces and could never be persuaded to read aloud. His silly behaviour made me believe that he didn’t like poetry. However, When I gave the class a test in which they had to write down some poetry they had learned by heart, Halliday seemed to know the most. Halliday had a special dislike for art and I allowed him to read during this period. He never volunteered for drama and refused to make a speech. Football was the one thing at which he excelled, but the sports teacher decided that he did not assert himself enough and he made another boy captain. This boy, named John Jones, could hardly read or write. All attempts to make him work failed, but he captained the team with amazing skill. I remember an occasion when he led our school eleven out of the changing rooms for a cup match against our fiercest rivals, the team from nearby Winterton School. The Winterton girls’ hockey team had already beaten our own girls’ team and this—plus their excellent start to the season—had raised their morale to a fearsome level. Even so, John played like a true professional. Our only scorer, he made good use of Halliday’s passes and scored a goal for every two that the Winterton players could manage between them. Though Kingston lost, the match was a triumph for Captain Jones! In spite of all this, the pupil who impressed me most in the end was David Halliday. He gained my admiration on a day when I had his class for art. They came into the hut shouting and pushing and I sent them out again and told them they would not have a lesson until they walked in properly. They thought it was fun to waste as much time as possible, and they jeered and cheered outside the hut. I let them go on for a minute. Suddenly the noise stopped and in marched Halliday. ’They’ re all right now,’ he said. ’I’ve got them lined up.’ I looked outside and sure enough the pupils of class 2D were arranged like well drilled soldiers; they were in order of size and in perfect line and so still I could see them shivering in the chilly air. ’Walk in quietly,’ Halliday commanded. They obeyed their superior officer and the lesson began. Halliday himself, as usual, refused to work. ’Can I just sit and have a nap?’ he asked. After the help he had given me, I could hardly refuse.

How to find true love? As a writer of romance novels, I create exotic fantasies. My heroines are beautiful, my heroes gilded with a touch of the legendary, my plots larger than life. Fans sometimes think of me as an ’expert’ on love, but my children never ask my advice. When I try to give it anyway, they roll their eyes. (86) To them, I’m just Morn—too impossibly old-fashioned and ordinary to understand the winds of their times. Since they have reached their teens, however, their often painful searches for that special someone have left me sleepless many a night. There are so many things I wish for them that I am utterly powerless to provide. Sometimes I imagine a little scene, Robby and Johanna ask me, ’Morn, how do I find true love?’ here is what I say: 1. Understand that love is a state of mind and heart. It is not dependent on beauty, physical strength or the romantic settings I use in my books. Though it may begin with infatuation, it moves from physical attraction in a golden curve, often involving sacrifice, to the deepest bond between two people. 2. Settle for nothing less than total commitment. (87) A marriage certificate won’t solve all your problems, but until you have the guarantee of one, you can’t begin the struggle to forge yourselves into one unit against the world—the ultimate goal. A mate is the post you lean on, the person who, when you’ve really screwed up, loves you anyway. The only way to get that kind of mate is to make the dreadful leap of trust and be that kind of mate. 3. Talk about everything—except divorce. I was not a talker when I met your dad. In my childhood, I’d learned that it was best to remain silent around my alcoholic father, who could twist any statement into a weapon. But Robert stubbornly refused to accept my silence. It was my first intimation of tile strength of his love. Your father and I learned this the hard way. During a trying period years ago, I found myself calmly saying, ’Maybe we should get a divorce.’ He answered, ’Maybe we should.’ The day we frankly confronted the divorce option, we were not terribly angry with each other, but we had gradually let divorce become a real choice in our thinking. We made a pact, then and there, never again to mention the word ’divorce’ in association with us. We haven’t dared break the pact in 17 years. 4. Want the best for each other. Being married doesn’t mean that you are glued together. One of the wonderful things about love is that it binds without crippling. Remember not all your activities, friends or enthusiasm will be the same as your mate’ s. When your father went back to college for his teaching degree, it meant starting over, but I wanted him to fulfill his potential. When I decided to abandon paramedical training and become a writer, he encouraged me. (88) Loving someone doesn’t mean your goals are always identical. But if you want something then your mate wants it for you too. 5. Only one person can be crazy at a time. Life is seldom a smooth highway of cooperation. You get angry. Your mate becomes obsessed. Either one of you can become totally obnoxious. But you can’t both go wild at the same time. One of you has to stay in adult mode. The real thing has to do with love. And it isn’t always glamorous-or easy. Love helps you get to the bathroom when you’re sick. Love agrees to disagree on serious subjects. When you walk out the door in a rage, love trails after you, shouting, ’You can’t get away from me! I love you, and I’ll follow you wherever you go !’ (89) And so in my sleepless hours, Robby and Johanna, I wish for you that moment when you look up and find someone watching you as if you were a candle—as if you were the only light in a world of darkness.

Replace the dots with a word to make five new words.(...) SURFER/SHIELD/SOCK/MILL/PIPE

You have made an email appointment with your foreign language teacher, Peter Brown, but failed to keep it. Write an email to your teacher to apologize for your failure to keep the appointment, explain your reason, express your wish to make another appointment. Write an email between 100 and 120 words in an appropriate style on the Answer Sheet. Do not write your name or address.

What made one firm of publishers refuse to accept Dominic’ s first book?W: With us in the studio today is Dominic Austin—a science fiction writer who has delighted readers of all ages. Dominic. I read somewhere that you found it very easy to get published. M: It’s true. I was very lucky. But with Return to Nothing—my first book, I had a problem. I sent it to a firm of publishers and they kept them for about 6 months. They finally sent it back to me. Saying the way with written was very original and the story was amazing. But they were unwilling to publish it because it was rather a large book and they were a tiny company. They advised me to contact another publisher who they knew was looking for science fiction writers. I had no trouble after that. W: In Return to Nothing, the three central characters are completely imaginary, aren’ t they? M: That’ s right. My characters are different from real people. The main thing is that in a good adventure story, the characters must have some sort of evolution, for example, they come to have knowledge that they lack to begin with. And it doesn’ t mean they always go from being bad to being good at the end of the story. I don’ t believe in that. My heroes are not particularly lovable. W: After Return to Nothing, you went on to write a series of three other books with the same central characters. Why? M: I started Return to Nothing with one book in mind. It’ s sort of progress from there. And it went to another book then it went to a third book. The publishers knew they would be an instance success but writing a good series of books has one unwelcome consequence. I got a lot of requests from readers for more books in that series. I love the fact that they bother to write to me about it. But I also need to do something different and recharge my batteries. W: Your success has not yet led to any literary prizes. Do you regret that? M: Not in the least. I’ m a story-teller and story-tellers want an audience. The more people who read me, the happier I am. So, all the other stuff to me has no meaning. I’ve always believed that when writers win prizes, their careers are over. But everyone seems to think I’ m dying to win awards. I read a lot of fictions too and sometimes I wish I had written some of that. But I know I’ m just as good, only different. W: I understand your regret having allowed your book series to be made into a film. M: Most definitely. It was a moment of foolishness when I thought there was no one in the science fiction field who has ever been offered this chance. I somehow knew I was making a mistake, but my pride got in the way and then it was too late. It was a difficult experience because the director was asking me to change parts of the book all the time. I knew from the beginning there’ll be little money anyway. Maybe the only advantage is that was an experience I could use in my writing. W: That’ s very interesting. Its subject. Its style. Its length.

To say that a soldier fought in battle like a lion may be a good descriptive ______, but it does not mean that he was on all fours, roaring and wagging his tail! anecdote analogue analogy analysis

Many people living around the stadium ______ about the violent behaviour of the Soccer fans. complain disapprove criticize object

After a whole day’s heavy work, the old worker returned home, ______. being hungry and exhausting hungry and exhausted being hungry and exhausted hungry and exhausting

Salesperson: Can I help you, sir? Customer: Yes, I bought this watch from you last week and I’ve been having a few problems with it. Salesperson: ______ Customer: When I bought this you said it was waterproof, but when I wore it in the swimming pool it filled with water. That’s impossible. I’m sure it’s all right. Did you buy it here? What’s the trouble?

Who was the leader of the Federalists in the early history of the United States? Jefferson Hamilton Washington Lincoln

The period ranging from 1865 to 1914 has been referred to as ______ in American literature. the Age of Colonialism the Age of Romanticism the Age of Realism the Age of Modernism

What did Dominic want from the characters in his books?

What happened after Dominic finished writing his series of books?

What is Dominic’s ambition at the moment?

Why did Dominic agree to have his book series made into a film?