BOOKLET

NIVEL 2 INTERMEDIATE
Curso de preparación para rendir el examen
Linguaskill de la Universidad de Cambridge

Supervisora:
Lic. Gabriela Encina Cross
Profesora:
Lic. Trad. Fátima Monzón

Clases sincrónicas: Lunes y miércoles de 18:00 a 20:00

Clase asincrónica: Viernes 19:00

 COMPETENCIAS POR NIVELES
Fuente: https://www.britishcouncil.es/ingles/niveles/a1

Competencias nivel A2

Es capaz de comprender frases y expresiones de uso frecuente relacionadas con

áreas de experiencia que le son especialmente relevantes (información básica sobre
sí mismo y su familia, compras, lugares de interés, ocupaciones, etc.).
Sabe comunicarse a la hora de llevar a cabo tareas simples y cotidianas que no
requieran más que intercambios sencillos y directos de información sobre cuestiones
que le son conocidas o habituales.
Sabe describir en términos sencillos aspectos de su pasado y su entorno, así como
cuestiones relacionadas con sus necesidades inmediatas

Competencias nivel B1
Es capaz de comprender los puntos principales de textos claros y en lengua estándar
si tratan sobre cuestiones que le son conocidas, ya sea en situaciones de trabajo, de
estudio o de ocio.
Sabe desenvolverse en la mayor parte de las situaciones que pueden surgir durante
un viaje por zonas donde se utiliza la lengua.
Es capaz de producir textos sencillos y coherentes sobre temas que le son familiares
o en los que tiene un interés personal.
Puede describir experiencias, acontecimientos, deseos y aspiraciones, así como
justificar brevemente sus opiniones o explicar sus planes

CONTENIDOS A DESARROLLAR:

UNIDAD 1 – WORKING IN IT
Presente Simple: Jobs in IT and their duties______________________________P.5
Adverbios de frecuencia: Frequency of hardware and software problems_______P.8
Much/many ______________________________________________________P.12
Vocabulario: tiempo libre, tecnología __________________________________P.13
Formación de palabras: adjectives and nouns to talk about technology________P.15
Presente continuo: Temporary situations at your workplace_________________P.18

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UNIDAD 2 – HOW DID I BECOME A PROGRAMMER?
Pasado Simple: My career in programming / Basic IT problems and solutions____P.21
Formas comparativa y superlativa: Comparing products and services_________P.24
Pasado continuo (formas: afirmativa, negativa e interrogativa) ______________P. 27
Pasado Simple vs. Continuo ________________________________________P. 27
Vocabulario: Educación y entretenimiento_______________________________P.30
UNIDAD 3 – WHAT’S NEXT IN CODING?
Going to/ will/: Making plans and predictions about technology and companies___P.34
Presente continuo con sentido de futuro ________________________________P. 38
Vocabulario: viajes, medios de transporte ______________________________P. 39
UNIDAD 4 – IT WORKPLACE RULES
Habilidad y posibilidad con el verbo modal CAN __________________________P.41
Obligación con los verbos modales HAVE TO y MUST _____________________P.41
Vocabulario: deportes ______________________________________________P.44
UNIDAD 5 – HAVE YOU TRIED TURNING IT OFF AND ON AGAIN?
Presente Perfecto: Basic Software Repair_______________________________P.45
Vocabulario: naturaleza y el clima _____________________________________P.49
UNIDAD 6 – IT DO’S AND DON’TS
Condicionales tipos 0 y 1: Logical consequences of computer tasks__________P.51
SHOULD: Safe computer use________________________________________P. 55
Vocabulario: comida y salud _________________________________________P.57
UNIDAD 7 – I LOVE THIS APP!
Presente continuo y presente simple con stative verbs _____________________P.57
UNIDAD 8 – I HAVEN’T FINISHED THE PROGRAMMING YET
Presente perfecto simple y pasado simple ______________________________P.59
Artículos definidos e indefinidos y zero article: Email Guidelines at work_______P.60
Presente perfecto continuo y presente perfecto simple _____________________P.62
Used to (hábitos en el pasado) _______________________________________P.63
Sustantivos contables e incontables: I buy a lot of books online _____________P.65

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UNIDAD 9 – YOU WROTE THIS ALGORITHM, DIDN’T YOU?
Was/were going to ________________________________________________P.66
Past perfect ______________________________________________________P.67
Question tags ____________________________________________________P.69
Be able to, be allowed to ____________________________________________P.70
UNIDAD 10 – A HACKER HAS BEEN SENT TO JAIL
Oraciones condicionales Tipo 2 y 3 ____________________________________P.72
Formación de la voz pasiva __________________________________________P.75
Oraciones relativas: Describing hardware, software and apps ______________P.78
Estilo indirecto ___________________________________________________P. 79
REFERENCES ___________________________________________________P.80
EXTRA PRACTICE – NEWS ARTICLES, VIDEO ANALYSIS, POPULAR CODING
MEMES AND TWEETS____________________________________________P.82

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 UNIT 1
SIMPLE PRESENT
Link:https://www.slideshare.net/sebanavarro/present-
simpleaffirmativenegative-and-interrogative-form

Grammar Practice:
1. Complete the sentences with the correct Present Simple forms of the verbs in
brackets:
a. I __________ (love) this app. A friend of mine created it!
b. My classmates always __________ (pay) attention in our English lessons.
c. She __________ (be) interested in becoming a grey-hat hacker.
d. He __________ (study) hard to become an expert programmer.
e. We __________ (spend) a lot of time on social media!

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2. Write the negative form of the following sentences:

1. Complete the questions with “do” or “does”:

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 2. Put the words in order to ask questions.

Speaking Practice:
Answer these questions using Present Simple:
1. How do you use IT? Think about work, study and fun.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

2. What devices do you use?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

3. What software do you use? Choose the most important ones.

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

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Listening Practice:

Listen to six people introducing themselves. What jobs do they do? Complete the
sentences.

database administrator (DBA) – helpdesk supervisor – project manager – software

developer – support technician – systems analyst

FREQUENCY ADVERBS
Source: https://teacherdeingles.wordpress.com/2020/03/25/frequency-adverbs/

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Writing Practice:

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___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

Speaking Practice:
Choose two jobs from the list. Write three questions about them and answer the
questions. E.g., What are your duties? How often do you...?

database administrator (DBA) – helpdesk supervisor – project manager – software

developer – support technician – systems analyst

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

Reading Practice: IT Organisations

1. Choose a technology company and list activities the company carries out.

2. Vocabulary Work: Read the company profiles and find words that match these
definitions:

- A company or companies that sell things (Futachiba): _________,

_________.
- Companies that make things to sell (Futachiba):_________.
- Factories (Futachiba): _________.
- Things a company sells (Futachiba): _________.
- Using software that runs and stores information on the Internet (IBGroup):
_________.
- Customers (IBGroup): _________.
- Start selling a new product (Digital World): _________.

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3. Read the company profiles in 2 again and answer these questions:
Which company or companies:
a. is getting bigger? _____________.
b. develops software? _____________, _____________.
c. makes things in more than one country? _____________.
d. has a new product to launch? _____________.
e. sells software for use on the Internet? _____________.

4. Underline five types of software in the company profiles in exercise 2. Then

think of examples of each. What might people use them for?

Speaking Practice: Think of real IT organisations such as Apple and Google.

Which would you prefer to work for? Why?

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 Listening Practice:
Complete this conversation between two people from different IT companies
using the words in brackets. Then listen and check your answers.

MUCH/MANY
Source: https://micursodeinglesblog.wordpress.com/2020/02/21/how-much-
how-many-cuanto/

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Grammar Practice:
1. Complete the questions and sentences with “many” or “much”:
a. How ________ people visit your website?
b. Most users spend too ________ time on social media.
c. How ________ information can be stored on the Edge Diskgo model?
d. How ________ users download your app every month?
e. There are too ________ new hackers nowadays.
f. How ________ data does a flash memory card hold?
g. How ________ does the Iomega eGo drive cost?
h. How ________ is one gigahertz?
i. How ________ Gigabytes are there in a Terabyte?
j. He has ________ new followers on Instagram.

VOCABULARY: FREE TIME AND TECHNOLOGY

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Writing Practice:

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WORD FORMATION

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16
17
 PRESENT CONTINUOUS
Link: https://www.slideshare.net/norellyserna/present-continuous-5617949

Listening Practice:

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Grammar Practice:

Look at the pictures and write sentences to describe them using Present
Continuous.

A. ____________________________________________________.

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 B. ____________________________________________________.
C. ____________________________________________________.
D. ____________________________________________________.
E. ____________________________________________________.
F. ____________________________________________________.

Vocabulary Practice:

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 UNIT 2
PAST SIMPLE
Link: https://www.slideshare.net/MyStudentsLearning/past-simple-ok

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Reading Practice:

Grammar Practice:
1. Write the negative form of the verbs in brackets.

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 2. Write the positive form of the sentences in the previous exercise.

3. Put the words in order to ask questions.

Listening Practice:

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Speaking Practice:

COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES

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Vocabulary Practice:

Listening Practice:

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More examples of Comparative Structures:

More Grammar
Practice:
Choose the correct
adjective. Then fill
in the gaps with the
correct form of the
adjective.

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 PAST CONTINUOUS
Link: https://www.slideshare.net/vida_velvet/past-continuous-13284027

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Grammar Practice:
1. Complete the sentences with the Past Continuous form of the verbs in
brackets:

2. Write the negative form of these sentences:

3. Use the words

given to write
questions using
Past Continuous:

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4. Multiple Choice Exercise: Past Simple or Past Continuous?

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VOCABULARY: EDUCATION

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VOCABULARY: ENTERTAINMENT

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32
33
 UNIT 3
FUTURE FORMS: BE + GOING TO
Link: https://www.slideshare.net/fmtzcarmona/going-to-46300388

1. Use be + going to to write sentences with these words:

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2. Write the negative form of the sentences in exercise 1.

FUTURE FORMS: WILL

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Reading Practice:

Grammar Practice:

1. ___________________________________________________________.
2. ___________________________________________________________.
3. ___________________________________________________________.
4. ___________________________________________________________.
5. ___________________________________________________________.
6. ___________________________________________________________.
7. ___________________________________________________________.
8. ___________________________________________________________.
9. ___________________________________________________________.
10. ___________________________________________________________.

Speaking Practice:

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Will or Going to?

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 FUTURE FORMS: PRESENT CONTINUOUS
Link: https://www.slideshare.net/joseluiscaro/present-continuous-with-future-
meaning

Practice:
Choose the most appropriate future form to complete the dialogues. Choose the
Present Continuous where possible.

1. A: Mom, could you take me to the city centre this afternoon?

B: Of course! I will drive / ‘m going to drive / ‘m driving you there after
lunch if you want. I also need to go downtown because I ‘m going to meet /
‘ll meet / ‘m meeting a client at 3. Where do you need to go?
A: To the library. I ‘m borrowing / ‘m going to borrow / ‘ll borrow a couple
of books that I need for university.
B: No problem, I ‘m leaving / ‘ll leave / ‘m going to leave you there on my
way to the office.

2. Rita: What time are you leaving / are you going to leave / will you leave
tomorrow?
Vincent: Very early. I ‘ll take / ‘m taking / ‘m going to take the 6.20 train.
R: Do you have the ticket?
V: Not yet, because I ‘ll buy / ‘m going to buy / ‘m buying it online when I
arrive home.

3. Roy: I ‘m going out / ‘ll go out / ‘m going to go out for a drink with Liam
tonight. Would you like to join us?
Sam: No, I will finish / ‘m finishing / ‘m going to finish the novel I’m
reading. I need to finish it before Monday.
R: Why do you need to finish it so soon?
S: Because I ‘m meeting / will meet / ‘m going to meet my friends from the
reading club on Monday afternoon.

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VOCABULARY: TRAVELLING AND MEANS OF TRANSPORT

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40
 UNIT 4
MODAL VERBS: MUST, CAN & HAVE TO

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Speaking Practice:
Make a list of computer usage where you work or study.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

Speaking Practice:

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Writing Practice:

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

Listening Practice:
Listen to two people talking about workplace rules and complete this table:

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VOCABULARY: SPORTS

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 UNIT 5
PRESENT PERFECT
Link: https://www.slideshare.net/Carolinaupn/present-perfect-7302472

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Grammar Practice:
1. Complete these questions with have or has and the correct form of the
verbs in brackets.

2. Use the Present Perfect to write positive or negative sentences.

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

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3. Use these words to ask questions in the Present Perfect:
-. you / ever / play / Fortnite
Have you ever played Fortnite?
a. Messi / ever / win / World Cup
__________________________________?
b. she / make / a mistake
__________________________________?
c. they / ever / be / to Disney
__________________________________?
d. you / ever / create / an app?
__________________________________?
e. we / miss / a class
__________________________________?

4. Choose the correct option:

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Listening Practice:

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 VOCABULARY: NATURE AND THE WEATHER

Match the words with the pictures. Then complete the sentences with the most
suitable words.

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50
 UNIT 6
ZERO AND FIRST CONDITIONALS
Link (Zero Conditional): https://www.slideshare.net/Levilei/zero-conditional-
46619298

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Complete these zero conditional sentences.

Speaking Practice:

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

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Link (First Conditional): https://www.slideshare.net/givenchyatbara/first-
conditional-32766310

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1._______________________________________________________________.
2. _______________________________________________________________.
3. _______________________________________________________________.
4. _______________________________________________________________.
5. _______________________________________________________________.

Choose the best option to complete the sentences.

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 ‘SHOULD’ TO GIVE ADVICE
Speaking Practice: Make a list of computer health and safety problems.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Vocabulary Practice:
Label this diagram with the tips 1-8.

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Reading and Grammar Practice:
Read this vintage list of rules for using a company computer. Which ones are outdated
(old)? Which ones do you follow?

Now it’s your turn! Write three sentences with should and three with shouldn’t to give
advice for safe computer use.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

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 VOCABULARY: FOOD AND HEALTH

Nouns Verbs Adjectives

 meat  to eat  hungry ± full up

 fish  to feed  thirsty
 vegetables  to have a bite  light ± substantial
 fruit  to have a drink  healthy ± unhealthy
 herbs  to nibble ± to gulp down  fatty ± lean
 spices  to have an appetite  tasty ± tasteless
 drinks  to eat out  appetizing = mouth-
 fast food  to treat someone to a meal watering
 appetizers  to buy someone a drink  disgusting = sickening
 main course  to put on ± to lose weight  edible = eatable
 desert  to be overweight  plain ± sparkling water
 leftovers  to go on a diet  sugar-free
 overeating ± malnutrition  to lack something  fat-free
 to be addicted to something  a balanced diet
Phrases:

 We should try to have a balanced diet and eat as many vegetables as we can.
 My favourite dish is fish and chips.
 I love going to McDonalds from time to time although I know fast food is unhealthy
 You shouldn't eat too much salt, it's bad for your health!
 I love cooking foreign meals and making exotic cakes
UNIT 7
PRESENT SIMPLE AND PRESENT CONTINUOUS WITH STATIVE VERBS
Link: https://www.slideshare.net/migrane/state-verbs-5249194

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58
 UNIT 8
PRESENT PERFECT VS. PAST SIMPLE

Listening Practice: Put these sentences in the correct order. Then listen and check
your answers.

Grammar Practice:

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 1. _________________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________________

3. _________________________________________________________

4. _________________________________________________________

5. _________________________________________________________

ARTICLES: DEFINING AND NON-DEFINING; ZERO ARTICLE

Link: https://www.slideshare.net/aideenmarie/articles-34893290

Complete this post about email guidelines with a, an or the.

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Complete this text with a, an, the or zero article (-).

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 PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE VS. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Link: https://www.slideshare.net/carol-escobar/present-perfect-versus-present-
perfect-continuous

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C. Make questions using these prompts. In pairs, ask and answer the questions.

1. ever / live or work in another country?

2. ever / have a bad job interview?
3. ever / do a job you hated?
4. how long / study English?
5. how long / use computers?
6. how many emails / receive today?
7. how many jobs / apply for this year?

USED TO: PAST HABITS

Link: https://www.slideshare.net/Amna30/used-to-12203432

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64
 COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS

Listening Practice:

Grammar Practice:

Speaking Practice:
Use the word in the language box “Talking about quantity” to talk about your own
shopping habits (what you buy, where you buy it from, etc).
Example: I buy a lot of books online but I get few clothes.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

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___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

UNIT 9
WAS / WERE GOING TO: CHANGING PLANS

We use “S + was / were going to + V” to talk about a change of plans. Sometimes

people make plans but something happens and they have to change them.
Examples: I was going to travel this weekend but I got sick.
They were going to stay at my house but they decided to stay at a hotel.

1. Match the sentence halves.

2. Look at the pictures to see what happened to these people and how they
changed their plans. Then, complete the missing part in the sentences.

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 PAST PERFECT
Link: https://www.slideshare.net/MMoussaK/past-perfect-49867620

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1. Join the sentence halves.

2. Complete the sentences using the Past Perfect form of the verbs in
brackets.

3. Write a sentence for each pair of events. Use Past Perfect for action (1)
and Past Simple for action (2)

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 QUESTION TAGS
Link: https://www.slideshare.net/IleniaCichello/question-tags-2

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MODAL VERBS: BE ABLE TO, BE ALLOWED TO

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Choose the right option.
1. I didn’t go to the party. I not able to go / wasn’t allowed to go.
2. I can’t speak German well, but I know I will be able to / will can in a couple of
years.
3. Can she / she is able to fly a plane?
4. They can won / have been able to win the match.
5. I’m studying hard to can create / to be able to create a popular app one day.

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 6. At the moment, they can’t travel to China but they ‘re going to can go / ‘re
going to be able to go when they get permission.
7. You won’t can / won’t be allowed to enter the country without a visa.
8. To pass the test you must be able to speak / must can speak English
independently.
9. Your website looks amazing! You ‘ve been able to design / ‘ve can design it
beautifully!
10. Students can’t able to / aren’t allowed to use their phones at school without
teachers’ permission.

UNIT 10
SECOND AND THIRD CONDITIONALS
Link (Second Conditional): https://www.slideshare.net/maypulido/second-
conditional-7775307

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1. Use these words to write sentences in the Second Conditional.

2. Write Second Conditional Sentences.

3. First or Second
Conditional?
Complete with
the correct form
of the verb.

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Link (Third Conditional): https://www.slideshare.net/daliacalvarez/the-third-
conditional

1. Match the sentence halves.

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 2. Complete the third conditional sentences with the correct form of the
verbs.

PASSIVE VOICE
Link: https://www.slideshare.net/PatryWolf/passive-voice-38307994

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Reading Practice:
Read the following case study about a website development project. Was the project
successful? How do you know?

Vocabulary Work:
Find words in the case study that match these definitions:

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Grammar Practice:
1. Read the article and underline all the examples of Passive Voice. What tenses
are they?

___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

2. Rewrite these sentences using the Passive.

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

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 3. Complete these sentences with the passive form of the verbs in brackets.

RELATIVE CLAUSES

Explain items 1-6 using the nouns and verbs in the box and a relative pronoun.

Listening Practice:
A) Listen to a sales representative explaining a new service to a client. Answer these
questions:
1. How secure is the current system?
2. How secure is a VPN?
3. Compared with the current system, how easy is a VPN to use?
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B) Listen again and take notes on these items. Then write a definition for each using
relative clauses.
1. dongle:
2. wi-fi:
3. VPN:

REPORTED SPEECH

Link: https://www.slideshare.net/jyalta/reported-speech-29917187

1. Choose the correct option.

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 2. Complete using Reported Speech.

REFERENCE LIST

Hill, D. (2012). English for Information Technology 2. England: Pearson Education

Limited.
Glendinning, E. et. al. (2002). Basic English for Computing. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Latham-Koenig, K. et. al. (2019). English File Pre-Intermediate Student’s Book.
Fourth Edition. UK: Oxford University Press.
Latham-Koenig, K. et. al. (2013). English File Intermediate Student’s Book. Third
Edition. UK: Oxford University Press.

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Olejniczak, M. (2011). English for Information Technology 1. England: Pearson
Education Limited.
Remacha Esteras, S. (2008). Infotech English for Computer Users. UK: Cambridge.
Visñovezky, J. (2020). Inglés para desesperados. Santiago del Estero: Editorial
MCA.
Consulted Websites:
https://www.elt-els.com/2014/09/present-perfect-tense-multiple-choice.html
https://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=past-simple-past-continuous
https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/can.htm
https://www.eslprintables.com
https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b1
https://www.slideshare.net/

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 EXTRA PRACTICE: AUTHENTIC MATERIAL

Reading Practice N° 1

Before you read the news article, answer these questions:

1. Do you use TikTok? If your answer is “YES”, how often do you use it?
___________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
2. What is your favourite thing about the app?
___________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
3. Is there anything you don’t like about it? Is your answer is YES, what is it?
___________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
4. Do you share content on TikTok? If your answer is YES, say what kind of
videos you upload. If your answer is NO, why?
___________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

The Creepy TikTok Algorithm Doesn’t Know You

The uncanny, addictive AI has turned math into a mystical force—and flattened humanity
into a series of codes.

By Eleanor Cummins

[Excerpt] – Full Text in: https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-algorithm-mental-

health-psychology/

Jan 3, 2022 7:00 AM

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that “the algorithm” knows you better than you
know yourself. A computer can supposedly predict whether you’ll quit your job or
break up with your partner. And no algorithm seems closer to omniscience than
TikTok’s, which is reportedly helping users discover their sexuality and unpack their
childhood trauma.

As ever, there’s a dark side. Most users will be sucked into WitchTok and gardening
how-to’s, but others will end up in an infinite scroll about ADHD, Tourette’s
syndrome, or autism (#mentalhealth, for example, has garnered almost 21 billion
views). This information can be extremely liberating, especially for conditions usually
shrouded in stigma. But some are concerned about the deference given to the
platform’s pseudo-psychiatric content. “Once [the algorithm] puts you on a side, it

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keeps you there,” says psychology professor Inna Kanevsky, “and it starts seeming
like you’re diagnosed.”

TikTok can feel as if it’s showing you who you’ve always been. In the process, we
are opening ourselves to the peril and promise of “outsourcing self-awareness to AI.”
While this new relationship to computing may offer new opportunities for personal
growth, it’s also started to sort us into ever more rigid identities.

Like any algorithm, TikTok’s divinatory properties are just the end result of a series of
repeated steps. When someone creates a new account, the algorithm targets them
with a variety of popular videos designed to test their response to broad categories
of content, from viral dances to home repairs.

Although TikTok seems to uncover things about users that they didn’t necessarily
know about themselves, in reality it’s more accurate to say that TikTok shows you
where your attention already goes—or would go, if you were freed from the social
norms that keep your curiosity corralled offline. While Joho wrote in Mashable that
“algorithms knew I was bi before I did,” she ultimately concluded her breakthrough
was less about the algorithm’s ability to reveal her desires and more about the power
of heteronormativity to conceal them.

In case it wasn’t clear, TikTok’s real motivation isn’t psychoanalysis, it’s profit. The
algorithm “is trying to differentiate you from … the vanilla user” to keep your attention
(and keep earning money), says Johannes Eichstaedt, a computational social
scientist at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI. “So any deviation you give
it, it will go and explore.” Obviously, companies are riding these near-invisible
distinctions straight to the bank.

What started out feeling like endless possibility can quickly become calcifying, as
digital identities on TikTok and other platforms slowly “entomb [a person] as an ever-
more stable image of what I like and why,” writes visual artist Jenny Odell. The more
the self is reduced to “a consistent and recognizable pattern of habits, desires, and
drives that can be more easily advertised to and appropriated, like units of capital,”
Odell wrote, the easier it is to market to you—whoever that is anymore.

There are countless proposed solutions for the problems posed by these algorithms,
running the gamut from going deeper into the Metaverse to retreating entirely into
the woods. But discarding broken metaphors for the brain—and embracing the true
chaos of human experience—is a good place to start.

To truly know a person (or oneself) is less about their favorite Taylor Swift song than
their life story, their goals for the future, their defense mechanisms and coping
strategies, their skills and weaknesses, how they see themselves, and more. It’s a lot
more data to crunch, but instead of flattening ourselves into a series of ones and
zeros, our complexity is something to protect.

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 A) Multiple Choice

1. In paragraph 1 TikTok’s algorithm is described as:

a) The best
b) The worst
c) The most dangerous

2. In paragraph 2 TikTok psychiatric content is seen as:

a) An advantage
b) The result of academic studies
c) A potential problem

3. The quote “algorithms knew I was bi before I did” is used as:

a) A metaphor
b) An example
c) An anecdote

4. The problem with the identities TikTok gives to its users is that they are:
a) Extremely specific
b) Unstable
c) Limited and inflexible

5. According to the author, TikTok’s motivation is:

a) Money
b) Status
c) Political Power

6. The article concludes that users must:

a) Believe in nothing they see on TikTok
b) Stop using TikTok
c) Appreciate their own complexity

B) Vocabulary Work:
Match the highlighted words in the text with their definitions.
a) All the information that exists about a person in digital form:_digital identity_
b) Simulation of human intelligence in machines:_______________
c) A guide that gives advice to do something:_______________
d) A list of steps to finish a task:_______________
e) A virtual-reality space in which users interact:_______________
f) Plain, simple person who uses an app or software:_______________

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 Reading Practice N° 2

Study Reveals Important Link

Between Digitalization and
Sustainability
February 8, 2022 by Emily Holbrook

Source: https://www.environmentalleader.com/2022/02/study-reveals-important-link-
between-digitalization-and-sustainability/

(Credit: Pixabay)

ABB today released the findings of a new global study of international business and
technology leaders on industrial transformation, looking at the intersection of
digitalization and sustainability. The study, “Billions of better decisions: industrial
transformation’s new imperative,” examines the current take-up of the Industrial
Internet of Things (IoT) and its potential for improving energy efficiency, lowering
greenhouse gas emissions, and driving change. The goal of the new ABB research
is to spur discussion within industry regarding opportunities to leverage the Industrial
IoT and empower companies and workers to make better decisions that can benefit
both sustainability and the bottom line.

The study found that an organization’s “future competitiveness” is the single greatest
factor – cited by 46% of respondents – in industrial companies’ increased focus on
sustainability. Yet while 96% of global decision-makers view digitalization as
“essential to sustainability,” only 35% of surveyed firms have implemented Industrial
IoT solutions at scale. This gap shows that while many of today’s industrial leaders
recognize the important relationship between digitalization and sustainability, the
adoption of relevant digital solutions to enable better decisions and achieve
sustainability goals needs to accelerate in sectors like manufacturing, energy,
buildings, and transport.

Further key learnings from the study

 71% of respondents reported greater priority given to sustainability objectives

as a result of the pandemic
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  72% said they are “somewhat” or “significantly” increasing spending on
Industrial IoT due to sustainability
 94% of respondents agreed the Industrial IoT “enables better decisions,
improving overall sustainability”
 57% of respondents indicated the Industrial IoT has had a “significant positive
effect” on operational decision-making
 Perceived cybersecurity vulnerabilities are the #1 barrier to improving
sustainability through the Industrial IoT

Win-win scenarios with Industrial IoT

With 63% of executives surveyed strongly agreeing that sustainability is good for
their company’s bottom line, and 58% also strongly agreeing it delivers immediate
business value, it’s clear that sustainability and traditional priorities of Industry 4.0
efforts – speed, innovation, productivity, efficiency, customer-centricity – are
increasingly intertwined, opening up win-win scenarios for companies looking to
drive efficiency and productivity while making strides on climate change.

Let’s read the text in pairs and answer these questions:

1) What is digitalization?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

2) What environmental aspects can digitalization help improve?

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

3) Why do organizations focus on sustainability?

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

4) What other benefits does digitalization bring to companies?

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

Now it’s time to use your phone and do some research!

1) What is the “Internet of Things” (IoT)?
______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2) What examples of IoT objects and technologies do you have at home?
______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3) What IoT objects and technologies would you like to have at home? Draw
them and name them here:
______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
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 Reading Practice N° 3

What is a digital mindset? 6

dimensions that define a digital
mindset
What lies behind the buzzword "digital mindset"
By Julian Knorr On Feb 24, 2022
Source: https://morethandigital.info/en/what-is-a-digital-mindset-6-dimensions-that-
define-a-digital-mindset/

“It’s no longer enough to get up to speed with the latest technology. The way of
working and thinking also needs to change. Digitalization offers new rules of the
game and opportunities. Those who understand the new environment will win the
race.”

This was recently said by Nick Jue, CEO of ING Germany, in an interview. With this
statement from the field, he underscores what has been emphasized in many articles
for some time now: For the digital transformation, a pure focus on new
technology and the learning of new technological skills (so-called hard skills)
is no longer sufficient, but it is primarily the mindset, the so-called digital
mindset that matters.

Digital Mindset – Personality Dispositions

With a view to the requirements of digital transformation, six personality dispositions

critical to success can be identified that describe a digital mindset, particularly in a
work-related context:

 Openness and agility

 Proactivity
 Creativity and design motivation
 Customer centricity
 Critical faculties
 Open-mindedness in dealing with failure“

The six dimensions of the digital mindset

Below are the six dimensions of the digital mindset with a brief explanation:

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  Openness and agility vs. persistence: This digital mindset dimension
describes how people behave when confronted with new or unfamiliar digital
development opportunities.
 Proactivity and entrepreneurial action orientation vs. reactivity and
situation orientation: This digital mindset dimension describes the extent to
which people are motivated to proactively drive the enterprise forward with a
view to the overall context of the organization.
 Creativity and design motivation vs. process loyalty: This digital mindset
dimension describes the extent to which people are able to create and initiate
meaningful innovations.
 Customer-centeredness vs. task- and organization-centeredness: This
digital mindset dimension describes the extent to which the customer’s
perspective is integrated in finding a new solution.
 Criticism vs. harmony orientation: This digital mindset dimension describes
the extent to which people can take a critical look at their own actions and
those of others in order to initiate constructive optimization.
 Dealing openly with failure vs. avoiding failure: This digital mindset
dimension describes the extent to which people are prepared to deal openly
with failure.

There is no one right digital mindset, but there are different manifestations of the
digital mindset, all of which have strengths and values and which are needed to
different degrees in different organizations and roles.

Economic potentials of the digital mindset

Digital mindset is not just “nice to have” in the digital transformation, but the
foundation for a sustainably successful digital transformation. In a meta-study in the
summer of 2020, the economic and entrepreneurial potential of the individual
dimensions of the digital mindset were examined and the results were clear:

For example, the Digital Mindset dimension Proactivity & Entrepreneurial Action
Orientation has €6.8 billion in value creation potential for German SMEs in 8 years.
In addition, this dimension alone has the potential to increase corporate success by
up to 12.5%.

However, factors such as job satisfaction are also positively influenced by the digital
mindset dimensions. Research has shown that the mindset dimensions Creativity &
Design Motivation and Dealing Openly with Failure can increase job satisfaction by
20%.

These figures clearly show that digital mindset is an economically important

influencing factor for a successful digital transformation. Nick Jue’s statement from
the practice of digital transformation is thus also scientifically supported and proven.

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True or False?

1) Learning technological skills is enough to adapt to the digital transformation

era. ____

2) There are twelve personality traits that describe a digital mindset at work.
____

3) No studies have been carried out about the digital mindset and its economic
effects. ____

4) Having a digital mindset can help people feel happy about their jobs. ____

Now about you...

1) Which digital mindset personality disposition(s) do you think you already

have? Explain briefly.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2) Which one(s) would you like to have?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
3) Write a short and informal definition of digital mindset (in Spanish, as if
talking to a friend).
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

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 Reading Practice N° 4
Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

Bridging Wikipedia’s gender gap,

one article at a time
By Alina Ladyzhensky.

Source: https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/annenberg-bridging-wikipedias-gender-
gap-one-article-time

As the world’s largest and most-used information resource, Wikipedia is home to 6.4
million articles and counting. But despite how comprehensive it seems, 90% of the
site’s editors are men, and women are vastly underrepresented as subjects in the
encyclopedia. The problem is particularly glaring when it comes to biographical
information. Of the 1.5 million biographical articles on the site, less than 20% are
about women.

A new study co-authored by Isabelle Langrock, a Ph.D. candidate at the Annenberg

School for Communication, and Annenberg associate professor Sandra González-
Bailón evaluates the work of two prominent feminist movements, finding that while
these movements have been effective in adding a large volume of biographical
content about women to Wikipedia, such content remains more difficult to find due to
structural biases.

When it comes to research on gender gaps in digital information projects like

Wikipedia, many studies focus on measuring and mapping the problem, in order to
understand its extent and severity. But Langrock, who studies how groups work to
create equitable public information online, wants not only to spotlight the problem,
but also to offer solutions—including how to make existing feminist efforts more
successful.

Langrock and González-Bailón’s study in the Journal of Communication, “The

Gender Divide in Wikipedia: Quantifying and Assessing the Impact of Two Feminist
Interventions,” looks at two nonprofit groups with similar missions: Art+Feminism is
dedicated to adding content about women and nonbinary artists to Wikipedia, while
500 Women Scientists, a nonprofit that aims to improve representation and
inclusivity in STEM, creates and edits Wikipedia pages for women scientists as part
of its public outreach. Both groups add and update Wikipedia content through “edit-
a-thon” events held in library and museum archives, universities, and similar spaces,
enabling them to gather as much information as possible from both digital and
physical reference materials.

In the study, the researchers measured the outcomes of this work by analyzing more
than 11,000 biographical articles, including 3,000 articles that were edited or created
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at the “edit-a-thons.” In order to measure the interventions’ impact, they compared
these articles with 8,000 biographical entries not connected with the edit-a-thons,
including profiles of men in professions covered by the interventions (artists and
scientists), and women and men in professions with no associated feminist
intervention (athletes and politicians).

What they found was that the interventions were successful both in creating new
articles about women and increasing article views.

Multiple Choice

1) Most Wikipedia editors are:

a. Men. ____
b. Women. ____
c. Non-binary. ____

2) The problem is more obvious in:

a. Academic articles. ____
b. Art-related articles. ____
c. Biographies. ____

3) Less than 20% of biographies are:

a. Written by women. ____
b. About women. ____
c. About men. ____

4) Langrock and González-Bailón’s study is about:

a. Adding biographies about women in Wikipedia. ____
b. The impact of feminist groups on growing biographies about
women. ____
c. Feminism hacking biographies about men. ____

5) “Edit-a-thons” are
a. Events held in public places where biographies about important
women are uploaded to Wikipedia. ____
b. Private interventions that create entries about 500 women
scientists. ____
c. Art and feminism meetings. ____

Would you like to be an editor in Wikipedia? If your answer is YES,

what kind of entries would you like to write?

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

91
 Video Analysis: “Cybersecurity Expert Answers
Hacking Questions from Twitter”

Click HERE to watch the video and complete the exercises.

A) True or False? Complete with T or F.

1. A white hat hacker is a “good” hacker. ____

2. Grey hat hackers work as black hat hackers almost exclusively. ____
3. A penetration tester needs to check openings in users’ networks. ____
4. Becoming a pen-tester is hard because there is little information available.
____
5. Malware is always the same. ____
6. Hacking attacks to celebrities are generally motivated by money, reputation
and espionage. ____
7. Bot account followers on social media are not always spam. ____
8. To start debugging you have to know the debugger well first. ____
9. SFW is used as an acronym for software in a tweet the expert reads. ____
10. Not all cybercriminals are hackers. ____
11. According to Amanda, Mac is not as safe as Linux. ____
12. Some cybercriminals see spam emails as a business. ____
13. The expert says design skills can be helpful to communicate content. ____
14. An expert can always upgrade a server fast. ____

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15. All hackers need to wear sunglasses to protect themselves from cameras.
____

B) Answer:
1. What is the most interesting question the expert has answered? Why?
______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
2. Write a hacking question you would like Amanda Rousseau to answer.
______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

93
Comprehension Exercise: Coding Memes and Tweets

A) Look at the memes and tweets and choose the correct

option:
1.
Solutions to bugs often come
when:
a) We need them the
most.
b) We’re busy.
c) We don’t expect them
(or need them).

2.

This tweet represents coding as:

a) Exhausting and time-consuming. b) A failure. c) Easy.

94
3. This tweet / joke points out at:
a) The dangers of being
electrocuted at home.
b) The dangers of
technology stealing
personal information
and using it against
you.
c) The dangers of having
a gun at home.

4.

The person in the meme:

a) Became interested in
programming for work.
b) Played terrible
videogames at work.
c) Lost interest in the
videogame industry but
still enjoys
programming.

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5.

This meme shows that:

a) It’s difficult to code.
b) It’s difficult to trace who created a code.
c) All programmers look very similar.

6.

Will the book ever arrive?

a) Yes. b) No. c) Maybe.

96
 7. The programmer:
a) Bought
everything his
wife asked him.
b) Made a
mistake
because he
was too literal.
c) his wife made a
mistake.

B) Answer the questions:

1. What does this meme

say about Internet
Explorer? Use at
least two adjectives to
describe it.

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2.
What does this meme
say about Javascript?
Use at least two
adjectives to describe
it.

3.

What does this meme say about Excel? Use at least two adjectives to describe it.

98