quinta-feira, 10 de novembro de 2016

Black Friday and Bogof

Studeeeeeents.Hi!!!
Here we are again.
This time you have a very interesting task.
Go through it and do it well.
Hugs

 English activities____ Teacher Valderez____  Reading Comprehension 2016
N°___________ Name_____________________ Group___________
 (            )Funny really but whenever I hear the word 'trolley' I think of those buses that ran on electricity with long poles coming out of the top, which were supposed to link to overhead electrical wires and invariably became disconnected. And by the way there is an expression 'off your trolley' meaning mad or crazy. But back to the supermarket. As you wander up and down the aisles (the pathways between the shelves), it is easy to be seduced into buying more than you want. There are so many offers like - Buy three for the price of two (but you really only want one) Buy two and get a third one half price (but honestly you really only want one). Special offer today only!

(          )I expect you are wondering what on earth is the meaning of the title I've given this newsletter. Well, you'll have to be patient because I'm not going to tell you what it means until the end of the essay. Nowadays we have to rely on advertising to pay for our television programmes.. Every so often there is a break in the programme and up pop what we call the 'commercials' (advertisements), which sponsor any particular show we're watching. Invariably there are products advertised for losing weight... Young women are seen gorging (eating excessively) even stuffing themselves with the sort of food we all hanker after(want). But unlike the rest of us, these waif like (very thin) young women remain ridiculously slim. Of course in the old days you just bought what was available in the shop and there wasn't much choice.

(          ) Special price for all these -when they are gone, they are gone! Well that's obvious, isn't it? Once near where I live a giant sized supermarket opened that had previously been just a big supermarket. The owners thought that people might be confused at the changes ( I certainly was!) and so to help guide the shoppers, they employed extra staff who carried bright blue sashes across their front announcing: 'I am your aisle guide'. Finally the time has come to pay and you go to join a queue for one of the checkouts, carefully examining who has the most items, the biggest basket or who looks the brightest and most nimble (quick) fingered check out operator.

(          )And now I have to explain, as promised, the meaning of BOGOF. It is an acronym whereby the first letter of each word is used to create another word and it means: Buy One and Get One Free.
(           ) Today you go into a supermarket no, it's grander than that, you enter it. Invariably at the entrance you are attacked by a draught of hot air as you see before you the bright lights, the hustle and bustle (people moving this way and that) and hear the noise of people talking and machines buzzing. It's like a world out of Dante's Inferno or Milton's Paradise Lost. Then you are faced with a dilemma. Should you stride in without bag or basket as you only want one or two things? Should you pick up a wire basket and risk that it might get overloaded with things you didn't think you were going to buy and then end up with one arm longer than the other as you stagger round the store? Or should you go for a trolley (the basket on wheels). Then which size trolley? The sports model that is more manoeuvrable or the heavy weight 4 wheel drive variety?

 Questions about the text
1. You must choose a title to the text. – The author is Alan Townend.

2.Find in the text:
2.1. the meaning of the expressions:
a) Off your trolley-
b)  What on Earth

2.2  a sinonym for
Aisles-
Rely on-
Wonder
From time to time /now and them /once in a while
Support -
Stuffing-
Wish-
Hire-
PIN-

3.Answer to the questions:
3.1. What makes a person to be seduced into buying more than what it is needed?
3.2. Why should one rely on ads ?
3.3 What did the owners of a big supermarket do to avoid people to be confused?
3.4 What does PIN stand for? Is it an anacronym or an abbreviation (sigla)?
3.5 Which are the doubts in step into the place?
3.6. Can you give a current  example of a Bogof . It must be your own idea.

4. Now put the text in the correct order