Exercise 17. Work in pairs. Make up sentences based on the information in the graphs above using phrases from A and B

Some advice on describing (orally or in writing) diagrams/charts/graphs

· first answer the question: what does the diagram/chart/graph represent?

· interpret the data accurately;

· point out overall trends rather than details;

· include in your description only relevant information;

· use appropriate vocabulary;

· you should “describe” the information in the diagram (on the chart/on the graph), you should not “speculate” about the reasons for the data or give reasons for it if it is not necessary;

· you should look carefully at the labels;

· compare and contrast any of the data;

· think of how best to group information in the diagram (on the chart/on the graph);

· make sure that you cover in your summary (report) all the important poins;

· check that you have linked your points together well (using such linkers as: in accordance with, however, in spite of, despite, although, consequently, first, second, third, next, in conclusion, in addition to, on the one hand, on the other hand, etc.).

INDEPENDENT READING

TEXT 1

Read the following article. Present its contents in the form of a written summary when tested on your progress in independent reading. Keep your summary to 200–250 words. Make use of some statistics in your summary.

Introductory Note

A summary is a brief restatement in your own words of the main idea of a passage, article or entire book. When you summarize a text, you should be careful not to leave out important points or misrepresent an author’s intention. Before giving your summary make sure that you thoroughly understand your source. As you re-read a source, pay careful attention to your understanding topic sentences, headings, or key words that will help clarify the source’s meaning. Your summary should present the important ideas of the original without using the exact language or phrasing. Make use of some of the following standard phrases and expressions while writing your summary:

1) the article is called... = the title of the article is...

2) the article is published in... = is printed in...

3) the article is about/ on... is devoted to... is concerned with..

deals with... touches upon the problem of...

4) in the introductory part of the

article the author points out...

5 the following facts are stressed

in the article

6) the article contains useful information on...

7) in concluding paragraphs it is pointed out...

8) the article contains statistics about...

9) the reader’s attention is drawn to...

10) I find the article interesting/easy to understand/ hard to understand

11) TRANSITIONAL WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS: first of all/ at first/secondly/ then/ besides that/ next/ in conclusion/ finally.