U n i t

Balancing Your Life

Construction workers balance on beams at the

top of the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas.

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 Unit Outcomes Look at the photo and
answer the questions.
Analyze and create schedules
1. What do you think the
Identify goals and obstacles
people are doing?
and suggest solutions
2. What activities do you do
Write about a personal goal every day?
Analyze study habits 3. What do you want to do
in the future?
Manage time

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 L e s s o n 1 Everyday life
GOAL  Analyze and create schedules

A. ANALYZE  Look at Luisa’s schedule. What are her routines?

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
5:45 5:45 5:45 6:00 5:45
5 a.m. –
Run Run Run Yoga Run
7 a.m.

7:00 7:00 7:00 7:00 7:00 7:00 7:00

Walk the Walk the Walk the dog Walk the Walk the Walk the Walk the
7 a.m. – dog dog 8:00 dog dog dog dog
9 a.m. Breakfast 8:00
with Work
co-workers
9:00 9:00 9:00 9:00 9:00 10:00
9 a.m. –
Work Grocery Work Run errands Work Shopping
11 a.m. shopping

11 a.m. –
1 p.m.

1:00 1:00 2:00 1:00

1 p.m. –
Work Work Meet Meet
3 p.m. friends friends

3 p.m. –
5 p.m.

5:00
5 p.m. –
Family
7 p.m. dinner

7:00 8:00 7:00 8:00 7:00

7 p.m. –
ESL class Computer ESL class Computer Watch a
9 p.m. class class movie

B. Ask questions about Luisa’s schedule. Use the conversation below as a model.
Student A: What time does Luisa start work?
Student B: She starts work at 9:00 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Student A: When does she have ESL class?
Student B: She has ESL class on Mondays and Wednesdays at 7.00 p.m.

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 C. INTERPRET  Ask questions about Luisa’s schedule again. This time, use How
often . . . ? Answer the questions using the frequency expressions from the box.

once a week twice a week three times a week every Saturday

every morning every weekday every other day every Sunday

EXAMPLE: Student A: How often does Luisa have dinner with her family?
Student B: Luisa has dinner with her family every Sunday.
Or Luisa has dinner with her family once a week.

D. Where do frequency adverbs go in a sentence? Study the charts below.

0% 50% 100%

never rarely sometimes usually always

Placement rules for frequency adverbs Examples

Before the main verb Luisa always/usually/often goes running.
She sometimes/rarely/never does yoga.
After the main verb be She is usually busy on the weekends.

Sometimes/usually/often can come at the Usually/sometimes Luisa starts work

beginning or at the end of a sentence in the morning.
Luisa starts work in the morning
sometimes/usually.
Between the subject and the verb in short answers Yes, she always does./No, she usually isn’t.

Rarely and never are negative words. Do not use not Correct: She never plays tennis.
and never in the same sentence. Incorrect: She doesn’t never play tennis.

E. Write the frequency adverb in parentheses in the correct place. Remember,

sometimes the adverb can go in more than one place.
rarely
1. Roberto^finishes his homework before class. (rarely)
2. Jerry comes to class on time. (always)
3. Sue eats lunch with her husband. (sometimes)
4. Our teacher sits at her desk while she is teaching. (never)
5. Elia goes running in the morning before school. (often)
6. Hugo works at night. (usually)

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 F. Use frequency adverbs to write sentences about Luisa. Look back at her schedule
in Exercise A.
1. Luisa usually starts work in the morning.

2.

3.

4.

G. Practice reading the sentences you wrote in Exercise F. Which words are the most
important in each sentence?

H. CREATE  Make a schedule of everything you STRESS

do in one week. Tell your partner about your In a phrase or sentence, certain words get
schedule. the most stress. In the sentences below, the
words with the most stress are in CAPITAL
EXAMPLE: I NEVER cook on my day off because letters.
I’m a cook in a restaurant! Luisa OFTEN goes RUNNING.
She is NEVER HOME on the weekends.
SOMETIMES I go to the MOVIES.
He RARELY studies in the MORNING.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

5 a.m. –
7 a.m.

7 a.m. –
9 a.m.

9 a.m. –
11 a.m.

11 a.m. –
1 p.m.

1 p.m. –
3 p.m.

3 p.m. –
5 p.m.

5 p.m. –
7 p.m.

7 p.m. –
9 p.m.

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 L e s s o n 2 Goals, obstacles, and solutions
GOAL  Identify goals and obstacles and suggest solutions

A. Look at the picture. Zhou is worried about the future. What is he thinking about?

B. Read about Zhou.

Zhou’s life is going to change very soon. His wife, Huixen, is going to have twins in July.
His parents are going to come from China to live in the United States. He’s happy, but his
apartment will to be too small for everyone. He needs a better job, but his boss won’t
promote him because he doesn’t have a college degree.
Zhou has three goals. When his parents come to the United States, he will buy a house
large enough for two families. His father will work and help pay for the house. His mother
will help take care of the children. Then, Zhou plans to go to night school and get his
bachelor’s degree. When he graduates, he will apply for a new position at work. He will
work hard to achieve his goals.
*won’t = will not

C. A goal is something you would like to achieve in the future. What are Zhou’s three goals?
1.

2.

3.

D. An obstacle is a problem; something that gets in the way of your goal.

Zhou has two obstacles. What are they?
1.

2.
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 E. Review vocabulary and write about Zhou’s solutions.
1. What is a goal?

2. What is an obstacle?

3. What is a solution? A solution is a way to solve a problem.

4. Zhou’s apartment is too small. What is his solution?

5. Zhou needs a better job. What is his solution?

F. IDENTIFY  Listen to Tuba and Lam. Identify their goals, obstacles, and solutions
CD 1
TR 3 and write them in the spaces.
1. Goal:  Tuba wants to get a job to help her husband .

Obstacle:  Her obstacle is .

Solutions:

a. She can  .

b. Her mother can  .

2. Goal:  Lam wants to  .

Obstacle:  His obstacle is  .

Solutions:

a. His grandchildren can  .

b. His grandchildren can  .

G. Read how to use when to talk about goals.

1. When Zhou graduates, he will apply for a new position at work.
This sentence means: First, he will graduate. Then, he will apply for a new position at work.
2. When his parents come to the United States, he will buy a house.
This sentence means: First, his parents will come to the United States. Then, he will buy a house.

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 H. Study the chart.

Future Time Clauses with When

When Present tense Will Base verb
When Zhou graduates, he will apply for a new position at work.*

When his parents come to the United States, he will buy a house.

*Note: The order of the clauses does not matter. You can also say, Zhou will apply for a new position
at work when he graduates.

I. Complete the sentences below with your own ideas.

1. When Zhou’s parents come to the United States, his
 house will be too small .

2. When , they will buy a bigger house.

3. When Zhou’s mother comes to stay, .

4. When , his boss will promote him.

5. When Zhou gets a better job, .

J. Classify  Zhou has a personal goal (buy a new home), an educational goal
(graduate from college), and an occupational goal (get a new position at work).
What are your goals? Write them in the table below.

Personal Educational Occupational

1. 1. 1.

2. 2. 2.

3. 3. 3.

K. In groups, discuss your goals for the future.

EXAMPLE: When I graduate, I will get a new job.

L. APPLY  Write your goals on a separate piece of paper. Hang it up in the classroom
where you can read your goals each day.

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 L e s s o n 3 The future
GOAL  Write about a personal goal

A. Complete the paragraph below with obstacles and solutions.

In the previous lesson, you wrote about your goals. Goals are things you want to
achieve. Sometimes we can have problems achieving them. These problems are called
. When we figure out how to solve these problems, we
have .

B. ANALYZE  Choose one of the goals you wrote in the table on page 19. Think of one
obstacle to reaching your goal and two possible solutions.
Goal:

Obstacle:

Solutions:

1.

2.

C. Share your ideas with a partner. Can your partner suggest other solutions?

D. What is a paragraph? Discuss the following terms with your teacher.

• A paragraph is a group of sentences about the same topic.
• A topic sentence is usually the first sentence in a paragraph and it introduces the topic
or main idea.
• S upport sentences are the sentences that follow the topic sentence and they give details
about the topic.
• A conclusion sentence is the final sentence of the paragraph and it gives a summary of the
paragraph.

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 E. Read the paragraph Tuba wrote about her goal.

topic My Goal title

indent sentence

My goal is to get a job to help my husband with money. I have

an obstacle—time. It will be difficult to work because I have to
take care of the children and the house. One solution is to work
part-time while my children are in school. Another solution is to
have my mother help take care of the children. If we all work
support
together, we will achieve our goal. conclusion sentences
sentence

Malala Yousafzai’s
personal goal is
to give children
and young people
around the world
equal rights.
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 F. ANALYZE  Look again at Tuba’s paragraph in Exercise E and answer the questions.
Then, write ideas for your own paragraph about the goal you chose in Exercise B.

1. What is Tuba’s topic sentence? 1. Write your topic sentence.

2. Tuba’s support sentences are about her 2. Write your three support sentences.
obstacle and her two possible solutions.
What are her support sentences? a. 

b. 

c. 

3. What is Tuba’s conclusion sentence? 3. Write your conclusion sentence.

 

 

 

 

 

G. On a separate piece of paper, write a paragraph about your goal using correct
paragraph formatting.

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 L e s s o n 4 Study habits
GOAL  Analyze study habits

A. Answer the following questions. Then, compare your answers with a partner.
1. Where do you like to study?

2. When do you usually study?

3. How long do you study for?

4. Do you listen to music when you study? Why or why not?

B. COMPARE  Look at the first picture. What is Luisa doing? Do you think she is
learning anything? Why or why not? Look at the second picture. What is Michel
doing? Is he learning anything? Discuss your ideas with a partner.

C. Listen to the information about study habits and take notes. What are good and
CD 1
TR 4 bad study habits?



Lesson 4  23

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 D. Read about study habits below.

Good study habits can be very beneficial to you and your education. On the
other hand, bad study habits can be harmful to your educational goals. First, let’s
talk about bad study habits.
Many people have very busy schedules and it is difficult for them to find time
to study. One bad study habit is not studying before class. Another bad study
habit is studying with distractions around, such as television, people talking, or
loud music. A third bad study habit is copying a friend’s homework. These are
just a few bad study habits, but you can easily change them into good study
habits.
There are many ways that you can improve your study habits. First, set a time
every day to study and try to study at the same time every day. Do not make ap-
pointments at this time. This is your special study time. Second, find a good place
to study, a place that is quiet and comfortable so you can concentrate. Finally, do
your homework on your own. Afterwards, you can find a friend to help you go
over your work and check your answers.

E. INTERPRET  According to the reading, what are some bad study habits? Add one
more idea.
not
 studying before class

F. INTERPRET  According to the reading, what are some good study habits? Add one
more idea.
studying at the same time every day

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 G. Match each word or phrase with its correct definition. Write the letter.
1. beneficial a. bad for you

2. harmful b. get better

3. distractions c. review or check again

4. b improve d. good for you

5. concentrate e. think hard about something

6. go over f. things that disturb your study

H. Fill in the blanks with a word or phrase from Exercise G.

1. My English will if I practice every day.

2. Please be quiet. I can’t on my homework.

3. Studying with a friend can be because you can help each other.

4. When you finish taking a test, your answers again.

5. It’s hard to study when there are . Turn off the TV!

6. Bad study habits can be to your educational goals.

I. Choose three words or phrases from Exercise G and write sentences about your
study habits on a separate piece of paper. Share your sentences with a partner.
J. Think about your study habits. Fill in the table below.

Good study habits Bad study habits

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

K. Compare  Share your answers with a partner. Which study habits are the same?
Which study habits are different?

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 L e s s o n 5 Time management
GOAL  Manage time

A. Read about Lara’s problem. 5% Free time

Lara doesn’t spend enough time with her

family. The pie chart shows how Lara spends

ily
m
her time. She rarely has any free time to relax.

Fa
%
Lara wants to find a way to balance her time, so

10
she has decided to attend a lecture at school to
learn better time-management strategies. 55% Work 30% School

B. Answer the questions about Lara.

1. What is Lara’s goal? Lara’s Day

2. What is her obstacle?

3. What is her solution?

C. Listen to the lecture about time management. Listen for the main ideas.
CD 1
TR 5

Drivers in Los Angeles spend a lot of

time going to and coming home from
work because of traffic.

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 D. Discuss  When you listen to a lecture, you can use an outline to help record
important information. Look at the outline below and discuss it with your teacher.
1. Why is time management important?
a. You stay organized.
b. You accomplish everything that needs to get done.
c. You .
2. How do you keep a schedule?
a. Write down everything you need to do in a week.
b. Put each task in a time slot.
c. .
d. Check off things that have been completed.
3. How can you add more time to your day?
a. You can wake up earlier.
b. You can ask .
c. You can try doing tasks at once.
4. What are other important things to consider about time management?
a. Remember the important people in your life.
b.
c. You are the boss of your schedule.
5. What are the benefits of managing your time?
a. You will have more time.
b. You will feel less .
c. You will have time to .

E. Listen to the lecture on time management again and complete the outline
CD 1
TR 5 above.

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 F. A pie chart is a circle, like a pie, and is divided up into parts that equal 100%. Look at the
pie chart, fill in the percentages below, and add them up. Do they equal 100%?
5%
Entertainment

My
Schedule 10%
Exercise
35%
10%
Work
Family
Work: %
School: %
40% Family: %
School Exercise: %
Entertainment: %

TOTAL %

G. On a separate piece of paper, create a pie chart to show how you spend your time. Make
sure your chart equals 100%!
H. REFLECT  Answer the following questions about your own time-management
strategies.
1. What problems do you have with time?

I work ten hours a day, and I don’t have time to study.

2. How could you add more time to your day? (Think about what you learned from the lecture.)

3. What are some time-management skills you learned that you would like to use in your life?

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 L I F ES K I L L S My schedule is crazy

Before You Watch

A. Look at the picture and answer the
questions.
1. What’s wrong with Hector?
2. What do you think Naomi is saying
to Hector?

While You Watch

B. Watch the video and complete the dialog.
Naomi: . . . you wouldn’t skip a day of work, either. Treat your studies in the same way,
and your grades will (1) improve .
Hector: That’s a great (2) , thanks.
Naomi: Well, now you know what you have to do. So go do it! If you get
(3) , you’ll feel more productive. Trust me!
Hector: (4) give it a try. What have I got to lose, right?
Naomi: Good luck. Tell me how it’s (5) later on.
Hector: I (6) . Talk to you later.

Check Your Understanding

C. Circle the correct word to complete each sentence.
1. There’s too much noise and it’s difficult for Hector to (communicate/concentrate).
2. Hector says his (schedule/organization) is crazy and he has no time to study.
3. Naomi suggests that Hector (make time/write down) where and when he going to study.
4. A schedule will help Hector to (get organized/spend time with friends).
5. Naomi tells Hector a schedule will make him (productive/smarter).

Lifeskills Video  29

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 Learner Log
Review I can analyze and create schedules.
Yes  No  Maybe

A. Exchange books with a partner. Have your partner complete the schedule.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

morning

afternoon

evening

B. Write sentences about your partner’s schedule using the frequency adverbs.
1. (always)

2. (usually)

3. (often)

4. (sometimes)

5. (rarely)

6. (never)

C. Now share your sentences with your partner and see if he or she agrees. Use the
conversation below as a model.
Student A: You always work in the evenings.
Student B: Yes, I do.

D. Complete the sentences with the correct verb form.

1. When Jason (get) a better job, he

(buy) a new house.
2. Lilia (join) her sister at college when she
(finish) her ESL class.
3. We (run) a marathon when we
(complete) our training program.
4. When Maria (get) her bachelor’s degree, she
(ask) her boss for a raise.

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 Learner Log
I can identify goals and obstacles and suggest solutions. I can write about a personal goal.
Yes  No  Maybe Yes  No  Maybe

E. What are your goals for the future? Write sentences about your future goals
using when.
1. When I finish this course, I will take the GED exam.

2.

3.

4.

5.

F. Think of one obstacle and one solution for each goal you wrote in Exercise E.
Complete the chart.

Goal Obstacle Solution

1.

2.

3.

4.

G. Match each word or phrase to its correct meaning. Draw a line.

1. paragraph a. introduces your topic, or main idea
2. topic sentence b. give details about your topic
3. support sentences c. gives a summary of everything you wrote
4. conclusion sentence d. a group of sentences about the same topic

Review  31

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 Learner Log Learner Log
I can analyze study habits. I can manage time. I can make a schedule.
Yes  No  Maybe Yes  No  Maybe Yes  No  Maybe

H. Read the following sentences that make up a paragraph. Label each as a topic
sentence (T), a support sentence (S), or a conclusion sentence (C). Remember, there
can only be one topic sentence and one conclusion sentence.
1. I will buy books to study with and I will study very hard.

2. Within the next two years, I hope to have my license.

3. When I’m ready, I will register for the test.

4. My goal for the future is to get my real estate license.

5. When I am close to taking the test, I will ask my friend to help me.

I. On a separate piece of paper, rewrite the sentences above in the correct order using
correct paragraph formatting.

J. 
Write two good study habits.
1.

2.

K. Write two good time-management strategies.

1.

2.

L. Write the correct word or phrase from the box for each definition.

beneficial concentrate distractions go over

goal harmful improve obstacle

1. bad for you

2. when you get better at something

3. good for you

4. think hard about something

5. something you want to achieve

6. a problem
7. review something or check it again

8. things that bother you when you are studying

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 TE A M P R O J E C T Make a schedule

With a team, you will design a weekly schedule that includes your class and study time.
You will identify good study habits and time-management strategies.

1. COLLABORATE  Form a team with four or five students. Choose a position for each member
of your team.

Position Job description Student name

Student 1: Check that everyone speaks English
Leader and participates.
Student 2: Take notes on study habits
Secretary and time-management strategies.
Student 3:
Design a weekly schedule.
Designer
Students 4/5: Help the secretary and the designer
Assistants with their work.

2. Design a weekly schedule. On your schedule, write in the days and times you
have English class.

3. Decide on a goal that is related to learning English. Then, think of one obstacle to your goal and
two solutions.

4. Make a list of good study habits and a list of time-management strategies you would like to use.

5. Make a poster with all of the information from above: weekly schedule, goal, obstacle,
solutions, good study habits, and time-management strategies.

6. Present your poster to the class.

Public libraries, such as the New York Public Library,

often have resources like free English conversation
groups once a week to support the local community.
Team Project  33

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 Reading Challenge
eXplorer  Kira Salak

The Real-Life
Tomb Raider

“When someone tells me

that I can’t do something,
it just empowers me all
the more.”
—Kira Salak

A. Predict  Answer the questions before you read.

1. Read the title. What do you think the article will be about?
2. Look at the picture and read the quote. Do you think Kira has goals? Why?
3.  Look at the picture again. Where do you think Kira is?
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 B. What do you think these words mean? Work with a partner.

adventurer continent document (v) doubt

empower escape exotic kayak (v)
kidnap resolve superficial terrifying

C. Read about Kira Salak.

Kira Salak is an adventurer. She was the first known person to kayak down the Niger River
in West Africa by herself. Kira is a traveler. She has traveled alone to almost every continent.
Kira is a writer. She documents her travels by writing about the people she has met and the
places she has seen. How did she become all of these things?
Kira wrote her first short story at the age of six. Her imagination always took her to wild
and exotic places. At age 19, she took her first solo trip, hoping to have new and unique ex-
periences. At age 20, while backpacking through Africa, she was kidnapped by soldiers and
forced to “make a terrifying escape.” But this experience didn’t stop her. In fact, since then,
she has purposely traveled to more dangerous countries so she can tell the world about the
people who live there.
Kira’s experiences empower her. Even though she has seen some terrible things, she is
still hopeful. Her goal is to find common ground with other people. “When you get beyond
politics and superficial cultural differences, people all want the same things: peace, happi-
ness, success for their children, and the best standard of life.” Kira is a writer, a traveler, and
an adventurer. But above all else, she is a human being. “When someone tells me I can't do
something, it just empowers me all the more. People's doubts in my ability only strengthen
my resolve. When they say I can't accomplish a challenge, I just eat that up.”

D. Support  Underline the answers to the questions below in the reading. Write the
question number next to the evidence.
1. How do we know that Kira wanted to travel from a young age?
2. When did she first travel alone?
3. What empowers Kira?
4. Where was she kidnapped?

E. Summarize  Without looking at the reading, tell your partner about Kira’s goal, an
obstacle, and a solution.

Reading Challenge  35

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