Unit 1 Culture Studying Overseas -Studying overseas

Discuss these questions with another student.

Why do students go overseas to study?
What are the benefits of living and studying in another country?
What are the difficulties that students experience?

2 Check the meaning of the following words and phrases.

Which ones are benefits for living abroad?
Which ones are difficult and which ones are both?
Experiencing a difficult lifestyle
A different climate being independent and
A new culture missing friends and family
Meeting new people
Feeling lonely
Language barrier
Feeling homesick
A change in diet

3 When people first arrive in any country, they can suffer from culture shock.
What do you think this means?

4 Read the first paragraph of the text and see if you are right.
Which of the difficulties exercise above are mentioned?
2 min fast reading

5 What is culture shock?

It is the impact of moving from a familiar culture to one that is unfamiliar.
This is an experience described by people who have travelled abroad to work to live in water study.
This can be felt to a certain extent when you're on holiday.

It includes a shock of the new environment, making lots of new people and learning the ways of a different
country.
It also includes a shock of being separated from the important people in your life.
These may include family, friends, and colleagues.
Or even teachers - people you would normally talk to at times of uncertainty, people give you support and
guidance.
When the familiar sights, sounds, smells or tastes exist no longer, then you can miss them very much.
If you are tired and in a foreign land when you arrive, small things can be upsetting and out of all
proportion to the real significance.

5 According to the author there are many different causes and culture shock.
Underline any you can find in the text.
Telstra shop describes the impact of moving from a familiar culture to another which is unfamiliar. It is an
experience described by people who have travelled abroad to work, live or study; it can be felt to a certain
extent by Evan Nguyen and Broad on holiday. It includes the shock of a new environment, meeting lots of
new people and learning the ways of a different country. It also includes the shock of being separated from
the important people in your life. These may include family, friends, colleagues or teachers ; people you
would normally talk to at times of uncertainty, people who give you support and guidance. When familiar
sights, sounds, smells or taste I know longer there you can miss them very much. If you are tired and
jetlagged when you arrive, small things can be upsetting and out of all proportion to the real significance.

6 What do you know about climate, food, language dress and rules of behaviour in Britain?
What about in Australia?

7 Now read the rest of the article and compare your ideas with the author’s.

Climate
Many students find that the British climate affects them a lot. You may be used to a much warmer climate,
or you may just find the greyness and dampness and especially during the winter months difficult to get
used to.
Food
You may find British food strange. It may taste different, will be cooked differently or it may seem lighter or
heavier than what you are used to.
Language
Constantly listening and speaking in a foreign language is tiring. Although you may have learned English
very thoroughly, it is common that the regional accents you discover when you arrive in the UK make the
language harder to understand and then you might otherwise have thought. People may also speak
quickly, and you may feel too embarrassed to ask them to repeat what they have said.
Dress
If you come from a warm climate, you may find it uncomfortable to wear heavy winter clothing. Not all
students will find the style of dress different, but for other people stress may seem modest, unattractive
comical or simply drab.

“Rules” of behaviour
Every culture has unspoken rules which affect the way people treat each other. For example, the British
generally have a reputation for punctuality. In business and academic life keeping to time is important. You
should always be on time for lectures, classes and meetings with Academic and administrative staff. Social
life is a little more complicated. Arranging to meet and see the Film at 8 pm and arriving at 8 pm. But if
you’re invited to visit someone’s home for dinner at 8 pm you should probably aim to arrive about 8:10 but
no later than 8:20. When going toa student party an invitation for 8pm probably means any time from 9:30
onwards!

GLOSSARY
Dampness
Immodest
Comical
Drab
Reputation
Punctuality
8 Are these aspects of culture similar or different in your country?

9 The adjectives and definition – match

1 relaxed a) calm and not worried
2 confused b) behaving in a very unfriendly or threatening way.
3 confident c) wanting to find out about something.
4 excited d) certain about your abilities and not nervous.
5 frustrated e) and able to understand something
6 curious f) very happy and enthusiastic because something good is going to happen
7 hostile g) feeling annoyed because you are prevented from achieving something

10 Look at the diagram showing the stages of culture shock and match the paragraphs.

A Differences and similarities are accepted. You may feel relaxed and confident, and you
become more familiar with situations and feel well able to cope with new situations based
on your growing experience.
B When you find you have just arrived in a new place the new culture is intriguing and you
may feel excited stimulated and even curious. At this stage you are still protected by the
close of memory of your own home culture
C Differences and similarities are valued and important. You may feel full of potential and able
to trust yourself in all kinds of situations. My situations become enjoyable and you are able
to make choices according to your preferences and values.
D A little later, differences create an impact and you may feel confused, isolated or inadequate
as you start to notice more and more cultural differences and family and friends are not
immediately available for support.
E Next you may reject the differences you encounter. You may feel angry or frustrated, or
hostile to the new culture. At this stage you may feel you may be conscious mainly of how
much you dislike it compared to your home. Don’t worry at this is quite a healthy reaction.
You’re reconnecting with what you value about yourself and your own culture

MULTIPLE CHOICE
11 Choose the correct letter
1 According to the writer, you may feel positive when you first arrived in a new culture because …
A - You have no experience with this culture yet.
B - You are thinking about your own culture.
C - Your family and friends are not with you.
D - You do not notice any differences to your own culture

2 According to the writer, in stage three it is normal to feel ..

A - Negative about the new culture.
B - Frightened of asking for help.
C - Worried about your health.
D - Negative about your own culture

3 This text was written to advise international students ..

A – To return home.
B - To advise international students to study from around the world.
C - To warn international students of the dangers of living abroad.
D - To help international students who have just arrived in a new country.

12 work in pairs and discuss which country you would like to live in..

ADJECTIVE ENDINGS -ing and -ed

1 Underline the correct alternative.
E.g. Have you ever had an embarrassing / embarrassed moment?
1 What is the most excited / exciting thing about living abroad.
2 What do you find frustrated / frustrating about learning new language.
3 Do you think trying if you are just an interested / interesting experience.
4 What makes you feel relaxed / relaxing ?
5 Which makes you feel more confused / confusing English spelling or English grammar?
6 Do you find visiting new places fascinated / fascinating?

2 Ask your partner..

I had a very embarrassing experience on my first day in England. I got lost and was late for my first class. I was so
embarrassed.

3 Respond to the situation using ED or ING adjective.

I felt so annoyed.
She was so disappointed.
I felt exhausted.
I felt frightened.
I was satisfied.
She was shocked.
They were surprised.

1 You watched a horror film and felt very frightened.

2 You finish painting your bedroom is not very satisfied.
3 You did a 5 km walk and felt very exhausted.
4 You passed an exam that you had been expecting to fail so felt very relieved.
5 Your bus was late, so you felt very annoyed.
6 You saw a child smoking and felt very surprised.

4 Tell your partner about the phone. Try to use both types ED and ING adjectives.
A disappointing experience.
Something you were frightened of.
Something that you find annoying.
A time when you’re exhausted.
Something you find shocking.

IELTS LISTENING – section 1

Predicting answers

You are going to hear a conversation between a student Lea and a university admissions officer. Look at the form
and answer these questions.
What are the speakers talking about?
What type of answers to expect 1-3?
what type of answer to expect 4 and 7-10?
NAME LI CHA
TUTOR Stephen Ennis
Age 1) Class 2)
Start 14 Feb Finish 3)
Lives in 4) Mobile number
5)
Years of studying English 6)
Hobbies 7) Emailing friends
8)
University choice 9)
Future Plans Work with 10)

Forming Questions
1 Look at the form and write the answers.
Name 1)
Age 2)
nationality 3)
Years of studying English 4)
Hobbies 5)
Reasons for taking IELTS 6)
Future plans 7)

IELTS Speaking 1
1 Correct the mistakes in these questions.
Eg - Are you working or studying?
1 Where do you live?
2 How often do you speak English?
3 What do you do in your free time?
4 Do you speak any other languages?
5 How are you travelling to work or school?
6 When did you come to this country?
7 Do you have any brothers or sisters?
8 Can you tell me about your hometown?
2 Interview your partner by asking questions.

Expanding Answers
3 Do you work or study?
I am a student. I’m doing a business foundation course I start at Melbourne University and October..

4 Look at the short answers and match.

a) in Birmingham.
b) Yes three.
c)Yes, brother and sister.
d) In September.

5 Choose is the most suitable extra information.

1) I have a younger brother who is still at school and my sister is studying law in the USA.
2) When I first arrived, I was very nervous. I didn't understand anything, but I soon made friends and settle down.
3) I share that with some friends. It's great because it’s near the city.
4) I speak Arabic with my friends, but I had to learn French at school, and I also speak a little Spanish.

Giving reasons and examples

6 Ask your partner the following questions.
Why are you learning English?
1) Because it will give me the chance to speak more to people from other countries.
2) As it will help me to get a better job in the future.
3) So that I can go to university in the United Kingdom.
4) The reason I am studying English is that I really enjoy learning other languages.

7 How can you expand your answers?

1) I really want to work in business.
2) I also speak Arabic and Urdu.
3) It will help me communicate wherever I go.
4) At the moment I’m doing one Foundation IELTS.

Practise
Do you prefer arts or science subjects?
Do you think your country is expensive to live in?
Do you like the climate in this country?
Which country would you most likely live in, Australia or the United Kingdom?
Which sports do you like playing the most?
What other activities do you enjoy doing during your free time?
IELTS Writing Task 1
1 Discuss these questions in small groups
1) Which are the most popular countries for students to study?
2) Which countries do most of the students go to?
3) Which subjects do you think will be the most popular to study at university?
4) Have numbers of applications to Australian universities increased or decreased recently?

Understanding Visual information

2 Look at the diagram

3 Look at diagrams wonderful and identify which one
- a pie chart
- line graph
- bar chart
- a table
Track 1.3

COUNTRY POSITIVE POINT DIFFICULTY

Indonesia 5) Looking different/being tall
6 --- Extreme heat
Finland Cross-country skiing 7
8 Could speak the 9 couldn’t
language
China Satisfying job 10 couldn’t

FIND THE MISTAKES

0) A lot of students likes playing table tennis.
1) The students spend much time watching football/
2) Majority of students prefer watching football to playing it.
3) Some of the students like playing basketball.
4) The students don’t spend many time playing basketball.
5) A number of student who play table tennis is larger than a number who play football.
6) The large number of students enjoyed watching football.
7) Several of the students don’t play any sports.
8) Most of the students prefer playing habitants to watching

Practice
5 In groups, carry a class survey to find out information about your classmates.
SUBJECT NUMBER of STUDENTs
Business 9
 Law 2
Medical related 3
Engineering 5

3 Use one of the words in the box to complete the sentence

1) Living overseas can be an exciting ____.
2) We would like to ___ some time with You to attend an interview next week.
3) I am not sure whether to study at home or overseas. It is a difficult decision.
4) When you first ___ in a new country, it is common to suffer from culture shock.
5 To apply for new job we need to complete this form.
6) Most parents want to give their child a good ___.
7) Your tutor will ___ you on how to write this assignment.
8) We’re pleased to ____ you that you have passed the course

Full time student

part-time student
official language
undergraduate education
host country

5
1) My ___ is Hindi but I also speak English and Urdu.
2) When living overseas you should respect the customers of your ___.
3) Most __ gain a degree after three years study.
4) The English exam is an exam taken bastions you want to enter ___.