Unit 1
Active reading (1) Catching crabs Language points
1 ? and we all started to get our heads down ? (Para 1) To get one’s head down means to concentrate and focus on studying. In other British informal contexts,
it can mean to sleep. Note also, to keep one’s head down means to continue to do something quietly,
especially when there is trouble happening around you. Unit 1 Discovering yourself
2 Most important of course were the final exams in April and May in the following year. (Para 1)
This is a conversational elliptical sentence. A standard way of saying this is: The most important things, of course, were the final exams in April and May in the following year. 3 No one wanted the humiliation of finishing last in class, so the peer group pressure to work hard was strong. (Para 1)
Peer group pressure is the pressure to conform that people,
especially children and young people, often
feel from the immediate group of those around them who are of the same age or status.
4 Libraries ... were standing room only until the early hours of the morning, and guys wore the bags
under their eyes and their pale, sleepy faces with pride, like medals proving their diligence. (Para 1)
The expression standing room only means there are no more seats available because the place is crowded.
This expression is often used in public performances, for sports events and on public transport to mean
that you have to stand because the place is packed with people.
Bags under their eyes refer to loose dark areas of skin that
you get when you have not had enough sleep.
The expression guys wore the bags under their eyes with pride means that the students were proud that
their tired appearance showed how hard they had been studying, and the bags under their eyes were like medals.
5 It wasn’t always the high flyers with the top grades who knew what they were going to do. (Para 2)
A high flyer refers to someone who has achieved a lot and has the ability and determination to continue to
be successful in their studies or job. In university, a high flyer is a top student.
6 Quite often it was the quieter, less impressive students who had the next stages of their life mapped out. (Para 2)
To have something mapped out means to have something that will happen planned in detail.
7 One had landed a job in his brother’s advertising firm in Madison Avenue, another had got a script
under provisional acceptance in Hollywood. (Para 2) To land a job means to get a job that you wanted.
Provisional acceptance refers to an acceptance which is
arranged (in principle), but is not yet definite. It is temporary and could be changed.
8 The most ambitious student among us was going to work as a party activist at a local level. (Para 2)
A party activist is someone who takes part in activities that are intended to achieve political change,
someone who is a member of a political organization. 9 We all saw him ending up in the Senate or in Congress one day. (Para 2)
To end up somewhere means to be in a particular place or state
after doing something or because of it.
Here, a party activist might end up in Congress, as a result of making career progress.
10 But most people were either looking to continue their studies ? and then settle down with a family, a mortgage and some hope of promotion. (Para 2)
To look to continue their studies here means to hope or expect to continue their studies – whether they
can do so would probably depend on their exam results and grades. You can also look to someone for help, advice or support. Discovering yourself Unit 1
A mortgage is a legal agreement in which you borrow money from a bank or financial organization in
order to buy a house. You pay back your mortgage by making monthly payments, plus interest. Thus,
getting a mortgage for many young people means getting a flat or house of their own.
11 I braced myself for some resistance to the idea. (Para 10) A brace is a piece of wood or metal which supports an object so that it does not fall down. So to brace oneself means to hold oneself together in readiness for
something difficult or unpleasant.
12 You don’t need to go into a career which pays well just at the moment. (Para 16)
To go into a career means to start working in a particular job, business or career.
13 Several times the crab tried to defy his fellow captives, without luck. (Para 25)
The crab tried to defy the others as it resisted others or refused to obey them when it tried to escape.
The expression without luck means without success, being unable to do what you want. Reading and understanding
3 Choose the best summary of what happened in the crab cage. 3 The cage was full of crabs. One of them was trying to escape, but each time it reached the top the other
crabs pulled it back. In the end it gave up trying and started to prevent other crabs from escaping. 4 Choose the best answer to the questions.
1 What happened to the students in the fall of the final year? (a) They became more relaxed. (b) They became more serious. (c) They spent more time outside.