THIS UNIT INCLUDES:
Vocabulary

Skills

Life in the countryside

•
•
•
•

Pronunciation

Sounds: /a/ and /1/
Grammar

Comparative forms
of adverbs

Reading about different aspects of a Vietnamese village
Talking about the village or town where someone lives
Listening to someone's opinion about life in the countryside
Writing a paragraph about what someone likes or dislikes
about life in the countryside

Everyday English

Giving and responding to compliments

GETTING STARTED 2

o

Last summer holiday
Listen and read. Q*
Nick:You look great with a tan, Mai!

Nick: Were they friendly?

Mai: Thank you. I've just come back
from a very enjoyable summer holiday.

Mai: Yes, they were. They took me to
the paddy fields to fly kites. And in the
evening, we played traditional games
like bamboo dancing and dragon-snake.

Nick: Really? Where did you stay?
Mai: I stayed at my uncle's house in a
small village in Bac Giang Province.

Nick: What did you do there?

Mai: h lot of things. It was harvest time.
The villagers were harvesting rice with a
combine harvester. I helped them load
the rice onto a truck. Then we unloaded
the rice and dried it.

Nick: Oh, I envy you!

Mai: Things move more slowly there
than in our city, but people seem to
have a healthier life.

Nick: Sounds great!

/Via/: And sometimes I went with the
village children to herd the buffaloes
and cows. I made friends with them on
my first day.

18 Tiếng Anh 8

www.minh-pham.info

Read the conversation again and
choose the correct answer to each
question.
1.

How does Mai feel about her summer
holiday?
A. She likes it.

4. A place in which people grow rice is
called a____ .
5.

4

B. She doesn't like it.

A busy time when people cut and gather
their crops is called____ .

Match the activities (1 - 6) that
people living in the countryside
often do with the pictures (a - f).

c. She thinks it was fine.

2. Where did she stay during her summer
holiday?
A. At her friend's house.
B. At her uncle's house.

c. At her grandparents' house.

3. During harvest time, people harvest rice
■
by
A. themselves

B. using a truck

c. using a combine harvester

4. Mai thinks people in the countryside
lead__
A. a healthy life

B. an exciting life

c. an interesting life

Complete the sentences with the
words and phrases from the box.
paddy field
harvest time

load
herd
combine harvester

1.

It took them an hour to_______ all the
goods onto the truck.

2.

Nowadays, people in my village use
a____ to harvest their rice and
separate the grains from the rest of
the plant.

3. Today it is my turn to______ the cows.

Can you add some more activities?

5

Work in pairs. Ask and answer
about the pictures in 4.
Example:
A: What are they doing in picture a?
6:They're ploughing a field.
Unit 2 - Life in the Countryside 19

1

A CLOSER LOOK 1
Vocabulary
Circle the correct words to complete
the sentences.

1.

We helped the farmers herd cattle /
poultry.

2. They are helping their parents pick plants/
fruit in the orchard.
3. At harvest time farmers are busy cutting
and collecting food / crops.
4. The driver loaded / unloaded the rice
from the back of the truck.

3. While travelling up the mountain, people
always stop and take photos of the
_____ scenery.

4. The Sahara is a______ desert that
covers parts of eleven countries in
northern Africa.
5. The lake is______ by a lot of trees.

Pronunciation

5. People here live by catching / holding
fish from nearby lakes and ponds.

Match the following adjectives
with their definitions.
1. vast

2. hospitable

3. well-trained

4. surrounded

/3/ and /l/

4

a. pretty, especially in a way
that looks old-fashioned

/3/

b. having something near
or around
c. extremely large in area,
size, amount, etc.

d. pleased to welcome
guests; generous and
friendly to visitors

5. picturesque e. having received good
orthorough training

Listen and repeat the words.
Pay attention to the sounds
/3/ and /I/. i 81

5

1.

/I/

activity

pick

hospitable

village

garden

harvest

picturesque

busy

collect

cottage

Listen and practise the sentences.
Underline the bold words with /3/,
and circle the bold words with /I/. <91
There is a lot of water in the bottle.

2. The farmers here are hard-working.

Complete the sentences with the
words from 2.
1.

The local people are kind and
to visitors.

2. Our factory needs a lot of
workers.

20 Tiếng Anh 8

3. They are picking fruits in the orchard.

4. People in my village usually gather at
weekends.

5. Please buy some milk and pasta at
the supermarket.

A CLOSER LOOK 2

2

Grammar
Comparative adverbs

Remember!
- For most adverbs (often with two or
more syllables), we make comparative
forms by adding more.

Example:

Complete the sentences with the
comparative forms of the adverbs
in brackets.
1.

slowly -> more slowly

Mai dances (beautifully)_______ than
Hoa does.

2. Please write (clearly)_______ . I can't read it.

carefully -> more carefully
- For adverbs that have the same forms
as adjectives like fast, hard, soon, etc.,
we make comparative forms by adding
-er.

Example:

fast -» faster

hard -> harder
- Some irregular adverbs:

3. Life in the city seems to move (fast)
than that in the countryside.

4

5. Today it's raining (heavily)______ than it
was yesterday.

3

well -> better
badly -» worse

long
high

late
quickly

Comparative forms

Complete the sentences with
suitable comparative forms of the
adverbs from the box.
early
carefully

Write the comparative forms of
the adverbs in the table below.
Adverbs

If you want to get better marks, you must
work much (hard)____ .

1.

longer

soundly
quietly

fast

After his accident last month, he is driving
now.

2. A horse can run______ than a buffalo.
3. You're too loud. Can you speak a bit
?

frequently

4. After working hard all day on the farm,
we slept____ than ever before.

early

5.

much

little

The farmers started harvesting their crops
than expected.

4

1.

Read the situations and
complete the sentences using the
comparative forms of the adverbs
in brackets.

^COMMUNICATION
Everyday English
Giving and responding to
compliments

The red car can run 200 km/h while the
black car can run 160 km/h.

I Ệ Listen and read the conversations.

The red car can run

Pay attention to the highlighted
sentences. ỀÌ0»

. (fast)
2.

Nick can jump 1.5 m high while Tom can
jump only 1.3 m.
(T)

Nick can jump

. (high)
3.

Mai and Hoa both did well on the exam.
Hoa got 80% of the answers correct and
Mai got 90%.

Tom: What a beautiful kite you have, Mai!

Mai: Thank you, Tom. My dad made it
for me last weekend.

<_________________ J
\£)

Nick:You really have a nice dress, Hoa.

Hoa: I'm glad you like it, Nick. I think
its colour really suits me.

Mai did

. (well)
4.

My dad expected the workers to arrive
at 7 a.m., but they arrived at 6:30 a.m.
The workers arrived
____________________________ . (early)

Work in pairs. Make similar
conversations to practise giving
and responding to compliments,
using the cues below.
- a shirt

5.

The buses run every 15 minutes.
The trains run every 30 minutes.
The buses run
________________________. (frequently)

5

Work in pairs. Ask and answer to
find out who:
- can run faster
- can jump higher
- stays up later at night
- gets up earlier in the morning
Example:
A:

How fast can you run?

B:

I can run 15 kilometres an hour.

A: OK, you can run faster than me.

Report your results to the class.

22 Tiếng Anh 8

- a bicycle
- a school bag

Adverts for beautiful
villages

3

Statements

,

Duong
Hollum

1. It's an ancient village.

Read the adverts for the two
beautiful villages. Tick (S) the
boxes to show which village the
statements describe. Sometimes
both boxes need to be ticked.

2. We can visit an ancient
pagoda, traditional houses,
and temples in this village.
3. We can get there by plane
or ferry.

'Làm, Village

4. We can go there by car, bus,
or bike.

5. It has a lighthouse.

4
Duong Lam, one of the most ancient
villages in Ha Noi, is situated in Son Tay.
Visitors can get there from the centre of

Ha Noi by car, bus or even by bicycle. It is
famous for its ancient pagoda, traditional
houses, and temples. Besides these,
visitors can observe the locals making
specialities, such as keo doi, che lam, etc.
and then try them.

JloUiutt Village

Work in groups. Take turns to talk
about the similarities and differences
between Duong Lam and Hollum.
Example:
Duong Lam and Hollum are both ancient
villages,...

r __

5

h.J

Work in pairs. Which village in
would you like to visit for a holiday?
Explain your choice to your partner.
Example:

Which village would you like to
visit for a holiday?
Duong Lam, of course!

Hollum is one of the ancient villages on
the island of Ameland, the Netherlands.
Many visitors come to the village because
of its historical and cultural values. It is full

Because I love
watching the locals
making specialities
and ...

of fascinating sights, such as traditional
houses, a museum, a church, a lighthouse,
etc. Besides sightseeing, visitors can
also take part in sports like kite-flying,
surfing, etc. Visitors can reach the village
by air or ferry.
Unit 2 - Life in the Countryside 23

SKILLS 1

1. stretching

a. small passages used for
carrying water to fields,
crops, etc.

2. canals

b. places where people grow
fruit trees

3. cultivate

c. covering a large area of land

4. orchards

d. to grow plants or crops

Reading
Work in pairs. Look at the picture
and discuss the following questions.

3

Read the text again and tick('T)
T (True) or F (False) for each sentence.
F

1.

What can you see in it?

2. Which of the following adjectives
describe the picture?
peaceful
picturesque

vast
noisy

1. Life in the author's village is very
peaceful.

2. The people in the village work
very hard.

crowded

Villagers live only by catching
fish in lakes, ponds, and canals.

Read the text about life in a village
in Viet Nam. Match the highlighted
words in the text with their
meanings.
I feel fortunate that I am living in a
peaceful village in southern Viet Nam. The
scenery here is beautiful and picturesque
with vast fields stretching long distances.
The houses are surrounded by green
trees. There are lakes, ponds, and canals
here and there. The air is fresh and cool.

4. The children are always busy
helping their parents.
. The villagers get along well.

Speaking

4

Name
Location

Life here seems to move more slowly
than in cities. The people work very hard.
They grow vegetables, cultivate rice,
and raise cattle. At harvest time, they
use combine harvesters to harvest their
crops. Many families live by growing
fruit trees in the orchards. Others live by
fishing in lakes, ponds, and canals.
Life in the village is very comfortable for
children. They play traditional games.
Sometimes they help their parents pick
fruit and herd cattle.
People in my village know each other
well. They are friendly and hospitable.
They often meet each other in the
evening, eating fruit, playing chess,
singing folk songs, and chatting about
everyday activities.
24 Tiếng Anh 8

Make notes about the village or town
where you live or which you know.

Scenery

How people live

Activities adults or
children often do
The relationships
among the people

Special features

_5

Work in groups. Take turns to talk
about the village or town where
you live or which you know. Use the
information in 4.
Example:
I live in Duong Lam. It's an old village
outside Ha Noi. It has ...

SKILLS 2
Listening

3. In speaker 2's opinion,_______is a big
problem in the countryside.
A. the cost of living

Work in pairs. Discuss the
following question.
What do you like or dislike about life
in the countryside?

Listen to three people talking
about life in the countryside.
Choose the opinion (A - C) that
each speaker (1 - 3) expresses. *11Í
Speaker 1

B. safety

c. transportation

4. Speaker 2 says that they should
in the countryside.
A. improve the lives of people

B. prevent crime
c. protect nature

5. According to speaker 3, life in the
countryside is peaceful and____ .
B. simple

A. slow

Speaker 2
Speaker 3

c. safe

Writing

4

Opinions

L.____.

A. I don't like rural life because there are not
many good schools and colleges. And
entertainment and means of transport
are very poor.

Work in groups. Discuss and write
what you like or dislike about life in
the countryside.
LIKE

DISLIKE

- low cost of living
- many cheap
things

B. I like rural life because the people here
are close to each other.

- not many entertainment
places, such as theatres,
cinemas, etc.
- poor means of transport

c. I want to live in the countryside because
there are many things I can't easily do in
the city.

I l Listen again and choose the
correct answer A, B, orC.iùt
1.

5

Write a paragraph (80 -100 words)
about what you like OR dislike
about life in the countryside.

According to speaker 1, there is a great
sense of___ in his village.
A. security

B. duty

c. community

2. Speaker 1 says that people in his village
■
are very
A. supportive

B. unsociable

c. well-trained

Unit 2 - Life in the Countryside 25

LOOKING BACK

3. The development of cities destroys
areas of countryside.

A. vast

Vocabulary

B. much

c. stretching

Write a phrase from the box under
the correct picture.
unloading rice
milking cows
catching fish

ploughing fields
feeding pigs
drying rice

4. The workers in our factory are very
because they took a lot of good
training courses.
A. hospitable

B. kind

c. well-trained
5. The area around the village is famous for
its____ landscape.

A. picturesque

B. boring

c. dull

Grammar

1.

Complete the sentences with the
comparative forms of the adverbs
in brackets.

2.

1.

Every morning Nick gets up ten minutes
(early)
than his sister.

2. I speak French (fluently)_______now
than I did last year.
3.

You'll find your way around the village
(easily)____ if you have a good map.

4. It rained (heavily)______ today than it
did yesterday.

5. If you work (hard)______ , you will do
(well)_______ in your exam.

k4
5.

6.

1.

2
1.

Choose the correct answer A, B, or c.
There is a huge cloud_______ as far as
the eye can see.
A. surrounded

B. stretching

c. vast
2. People in my village are really_______ ;
they are always generous and friendly to
visitors.
A. well-trained

c. hospitable

26 Tiếng Anh 8

B. funny

Underline the mistakes in the
sentences and correct them.
I run faster as my brother does.

2. People in the city seem to react quicklier
to changes than those in the country.
3. We need to work more hardly, especially
at exam time.
4. You must finish harvesting the rice the
earlier this year than you did last year.

5. As they climbed more highly up the
mountain, the air became cooler.

PROJECT

MVFSVOURHE

uiuflài

Work in groups.

1

Search for a village in Viet Nam or
a foreign country that you would
like to visit.
Design a poster about that village,
including:
- name
- location
- scenery
- people and their activities

3

Present your poster to the class.

Now 1 can...
♦
•

•
•
•
•
•
♦

z

//

///

use the words about life in the countryside.
pronounce the sounds /a/ and /ì/ correctly in words
and sentences.
recognise and use comparative forms of adverbs.
give and respond to compliments.
read about different aspects of a Vietnamese village.
talk about the village or town where someone lives.
listen to someone's opinion about life in the countryside.
write a paragraph about what someone likes or dislikes
about life in the countryside.

Unit 2 - Life in the Countryside 27