OContentsUnit Reading strategy Vocabulary Listening strategy Grammar

Writing/Speaking

strategyFun break Page

Friends Noting references

Informal email

Vocabulary about

personality traits

Listening for specific

information

Simple present tense

Present continuous tense

Countable and uncountable

nouns

Writing an informal email

Using informal language

Phrasal verbs relating to

friendship

2

Camping Paraphrasing

Review

Vocabulary about

campsite facilities

Listening for directions Simple past tense

Past continuous tense

Order of adjectives

Writing a review

Using positive and negative

language

Idioms relating to feelings 14

Pets Identifying the writer’s

tone, mood and views

Letter to the editor

Vocabulary about the

SPCA’s aims

Listening for appearance

and size

Yes/No questions

Wh-questions

Imperatives

Making use of the mind map Riddle game about pets 26

Festivals Identifying the

sequence of events

Drama script

Vocabulary about

different festivals

Identifying facts and

opinions

Simple future tense

Future tense with be going

to

Personal and possessive

pronouns

Writing a drama script

Writing stage directions and

emotions

Board game about how

different countries celebrate

New Year

38

Shopping Making inferences

Story

Vocabulary about a

department store

Listening for colours and

patterns

Adverbs of manner and

degree

How many and How much

Some and any

Writing a story

Recounting events

Word search puzzle about

items at a department store

50

Nature and the

environment

Working out the

meaning of unfamiliar

words

Speech

Vocabulary about natural

disasters

Listening and making

changes to information

Prepositions of location and

movement

Modal verbs: can, could,

should

Conjunctions: and, but, or

Making suggestions Matching the highest

mountains with the places

where they are located

62

Appendices 74

• Popular Culture •

• Popular Culture •

• Debating •

• Drama •

• Drama •

• Popular Culture • • Short Stories •

• Short Stories •

• Social Issues •

• Debating •

1

5

4

3

2

6

Sample

Unit Reading strategy Vocabulary Listening strategy GrammarWriting/Speaking

strategyFun break Page

Friends Noting references

Informal email

Vocabulary about

personality traits

Listening for specific

information

Simple present tense

Present continuous tense

Countable and uncountable

nouns

Writing an informal email

Using informal language

Phrasal verbs relating to

friendship

2

Camping Paraphrasing

Review

Vocabulary about

campsite facilities

Listening for directions Simple past tense

Past continuous tense

Order of adjectives

Writing a review

Using positive and negative

language

Idioms relating to feelings 14

Pets Identifying the writer’s

tone, mood and views

Letter to the editor

Vocabulary about the

SPCA’s aims

Listening for appearance

and size

Yes/No questions

Wh-questions

Imperatives

Making use of the mind map Riddle game about pets 26

Festivals Identifying the

sequence of events

Drama script

Vocabulary about

different festivals

Identifying facts and

opinions

Simple future tense

Future tense with be going

to

Personal and possessive

pronouns

Writing a drama script

Writing stage directions and

emotions

Board game about how

different countries celebrate

New Year

38

Shopping Making inferences

Story

Vocabulary about a

department store

Listening for colours and

patterns

Adverbs of manner and

degree

How many and How much

Some and any

Writing a story

Recounting events

Word search puzzle about

items at a department store

50

Nature and the

environment

Working out the

meaning of unfamiliar

words

Speech

Vocabulary about natural

disasters

Listening and making

changes to information

Prepositions of location and

movement

Modal verbs: can, could,

should

Conjunctions: and, but, or

Making suggestions Matching the highest

mountains with the places

where they are located

62

Appendices 74

• Popular Culture •

• Popular Culture •

• Debating •

• Drama •

• Drama •

• Popular Culture • • Short Stories •

• Short Stories •

• Social Issues •

• Debating •

Sample

O Discovering English in Summer • Book 2 •50

ShoppingO5 • Popular Culture •

ODid you know?id you know?

PMQ

Before revitalisation, PMQ was built in 1951 as the

Police Married Quarters. In November 2010, the

HKSAR government announced the plan to preserve

the site for the use of creative industries. PMQ

was officially opened on 21 June 2014. It is a

creative hub and heritage site. You can find

fashion and household design, food & dining,

furniture, jewellery and watches, etc. there. If you

want to find something unique, check out PMQ and you

will be surprised.

Making inferences

Making inferences is to read between the lines to find the extra information that is not

directly stated in the text. You can infer the meaning of words, attitude, mood and tone

of the writer. The following steps will help you to do this:

Look at the writer’s choice of words. Ask yourself questions like ‘What does the

writer want me to believe?’ or ‘What does the writer say about…?’

Look for clues or keywords that give hints, e.g. modal verbs, adverbs or adjectives.

Use your prior knowledge to evaluate the hints and identify the extra information.

Your turnYour turn

Read the text and answer the question below.

This morning, Betty sneezed. She sneezed again and couldn’t stop. She felt very

warm and her head was heavy. She tried very hard to leave her bed and called her

friend, Cathy. She told Cathy that she wasn’t able to go shopping with her that day.

Why couldn’t Betty go shopping with Cathy?

Reading strategyeading strategy

Useful website

O O

Check the following

website to know more

about PMQ:

www.pmq.org.hk

Sample

Unit 5 • Shopping • O51

Read the following story.

OReading comprehensioneading comprehension

Answer the following questions.

1. David and Cindy wanted to buy a jade ring because it was .

A. their father’s birthday

B. their mother’s birthday

C. their grandmother’s birthday A B C D

D. their parents’ wedding anniversary

TSA

• Short Stories •

Jade market in Temple Street

David and his sister Cindy wanted to buy a jade ring for their mother’s birthday.

They set off to the local jade market in Temple Street and had a look.

They entered a small store. Mr Wong came over and greeted David and Cindy.

‘How may I help you?’ asked Mr Wong. ‘We would like to buy a jade ring for our

mum’s birthday,’ said David.

‘As this is a small shop, we don’t actually have many options,’ Mr Wong said to

them. ‘But we have two fabulous rings here.’

Mr Wong took them to the safe where the two rings were kept. One of them was

very big and the other was very tiny.

Cindy wanted to buy the tiny ring while David liked the big one. They walked a

few steps away from Mr Wong to discuss it.

They couldn’t make a decision. Cindy suggested having a race by running to the

park. The fastest could decide which ring to buy. David agreed.

When they were about to start, David told Cindy that her shoelace was untied.

When Cindy looked down, David started to run.

David ran very fast and Cindy was running behind him. Finally, David won so they

would buy the big ring.

However, when they went back to the shop, the big ring had gone. They asked Mr

Wong where it was. ‘A couple bought it a few minutes ago,’ explained Mr Wong.

David looked at Cindy and sighed. He then turned to Mr Wong and said, ‘Winning

the race doesn’t mean winning the prize!’ David smiled sadly. ‘We’ll now take the

tiny ring please.’

Sample

O Discovering English in Summer • Book 2 •52

2. Who is Mr Wong?

3. Use ONE word to fill in each blank.

David wanted a (i) ring while Cindy wanted a

(ii) ring.

4. Why did David tell Cindy that her shoelace was untied?

A. Because it was dangerous for Cindy when she ran.

B. Because David was cheating.

C. Because David wanted to remind Cindy. A B C D

D. Because Cindy ran too fast.

5. What does the underlined word mean?

safe /seɪf/adjective

1. free from danger or harm

My parents don’t feel safe letting me go out alone.

2. (of a place) where someone/something is not likely to be lost

Remember to keep your personal belongings in a safe place.

3. not involving any risk; sure

It’s safer to shop at bigger shops as most of them offer a money-back

guarantee.

noun

4. a metal container with a lock, used for storing valuable things in

My grandfather has a safe at home to keep all his favourite collections.

A. 1

B. 2

C. 3 A B C D

D. 4

6. Find a word from the story which is the opposite in meaning to each of the following.

(i) foreign

(ii) ordinary

7. What present would you buy for your mother’s or father’s birthday? Why?

HKDSE

TSA

TSA

HKDSE

Sample

Unit 1 • Friends • O5

generous arrogant

easy-going lazy considerate

cheerful indecisive

impatient trustworthy emotional

Your turnYour turn

A. Put the vocabulary above in the appropriate categories.

Good personality traits Bad personality traits

B. Fill in the blanks using the vocabulary above.

OVocabularyocabulary OO

Howard is my good friend. He is (1) . He is

always in a good mood. He is quite (2) . He

doesn’t mind if we have any new ideas in group projects. He is also

a (3) person. I can share everything in my

life with him.

However, I don’t like doing projects with Kitty. She is

(4) and doesn’t do any work. She doesn’t

have many friends because she is (5) . She

may cry now but laugh like crazy later. Many of my classmates find

her difficult to work with because she is (6) .

She doesn’t show any thought for other people.

Sample

O Discovering English in Summer • Book 2 •30

Listening for appearance and size

Sometimes you may be asked to distinguish people or pets by listening to the

description of their appearance and size. You should pay attention to the words

or phrases which give you hints. Here are some common words and phrases to

describe appearance and size.

Appearance

big mouth chubby furry long tail

round eyes sharp ears skinny small nose

Size

big mini small tiny

Your turnYour turn

A. Read the description and put a tick (✔) to the correct picture.

I have a dog called George. George is furry and has long white hair. His eyes are

big and he has pointed ears. George has a lovely short tail.

B. Listen to the conversation and put a tick (✔) to the picture if it is John’s cat. Put

the name of his cat(s) in the spaces provided.

Listening strategyistening strategy

(i) (iii)(ii)

Track 5

(i)

(iv)

(iii)

(vi)

(ii)

(v)

Sample

Unit 3 • Pets • O31

Situation

You are Jessica Lai, a volunteer at the Puppy Adoption Centre. You receive a phone call

from Mr Wong reporting a stray dog. Listen to the conversation. As you listen you can

make notes on the note-taking sheet.

Listening note-taking sheet

Data File

Study the Data File for relevant information to be included in the writing task.

1. Email from the manager to Jessica 2. Memo from Irene to Jessica

Your turnYour turn

Complete the letter using information from the Data File and your notes.

Dear Sir/Madam,

There is a dog waiting for adoption.

We hope someone can adopt the dog.

Yours faithfully,

Puppy Adoption Centre

OIntegrated skillsntegrated skillsTrack 6

Sex: Fur colour:Hair: Height:Weight:Special features: 1. 2.

Dear Jessica,

Thanks so much for helping to write a

letter to invite adoption. Please include

these two main points in your letter.

• Owners must be responsible.

• We will visit the dog regularly.

Regards,

Manager, Puppy Adoption Centre

Hi Jessica,

Please remember to include your contact information at the end of the letter. People can contact us if they have any questions or want more information. Our hotline is 2644 5928.

Thanks,Irene

Sample

O Discovering English in Summer • Book 2 •56

Adverbs of manner and degree

Adverbs can be used with verbs, adjectives and other adverbs to tell you more about them.

There are different kinds of adverbs.

Adverbs of manner

Adverbs of manner tell you how something happens. They are usually put after a verb or

the object of a verb.

e.g. Salespeople should speak politely to customers.

We go shopping crazily.

Adverbs of degree

Adverbs of degree are used in front of adjectives. They can be used in front of adverbs of

manner to make them stronger or weaker. Sometimes two adverbs of degree can be used

together. Here are some common adverbs of degree.

a bit absolutely almost completely extremely fairly hardly

highly just nearly quite rather really slightly too very

e.g. My aunt is very upset because she could not buy the limited-edition handbag, while my

mum is a bit upset about that.

Katy is running very fast so that she can reach the shop before it opens.

The discounted items were almost completely sold out.

Your turnYour turn

A. Read the text and underline the correct adverbs.

Hong Kong people work very (1) ( hard / hardly ). Shopping has become one of the

activities for them to relax. My brother is no exception. He is (2) ( extremely / a bit )

happy about shopping. Last Sunday, he went to different places for shopping. First,

he went to Sham Shui Po. He was (3) ( rather / really ) excited when he saw all the

electronic gadgets in the computer mall. He couldn’t stop himself from looking at every

one of them (4) ( eagerly / easily ). He stayed in the computer mall for (5) ( slightly /

nearly ) three hours. Next, he wanted to buy some clothes in Mong Kok. After he went

out of the MTR station, he had to walk (6) ( very / too ) (7) ( slowly / slow ) because

there were so many people. He found it difficult to shop

in these (8) ( almost / absolutely ) crowded streets at the

weekend. Therefore, he gave up and decided to go there

again on a weekday.

OG rammarrammar

Adverbs of manner

are usually formed

by adding ly to an

adjective. Note that

some adjectives also

end in -ly, e.g. friendly,

lively and silly.

O OUseful tip

Sample

Unit 4 • Festivals • O45

Future tense with be going to

You can also use be going to + bare infinitive to talk about the future.

It is used to talk about events that you are sure will happen soon.

e.g. We are going to have fun at the Easter party.

The luncheon is going to begin at half past twelve.

It can describe planned decisions.

e.g. John and Henry are going to take part in the dragon boat race this Sunday.

Mum is not going to buy the cake I mentioned yesterday because she is going to make

one herself.

Your turnYour turn

B. Read the conversation and fill in the blanks using the simple future tense or future tense

with be going to.

: Santa Claus, (1) you (give)

me a gift at Christmas?

: Sure. Are you a good girl?

: How can I be a good girl?

: You need to help your mum do housework.

: OK, I (2) (help) my mum with housework next week.

: What about homework?

: I promise I (3) (not submit) my homework late.

: Do you love your brothers and sisters?

: Yes, I do. We (4) (love) each other more this year.

: Good girl! You (5) (get) a gift from me if you do all

these things.

: Thanks Santa Claus. I (6) (be) a good girl.

Sample

Unit 1 • Friends • O11

Informal email: Using informal language

is written to your family, friends or classmates.

adopts a friendly style by using informal language, so contractions, colloquial language

and exclamation marks showing emotions are always used.

What should be included in an informal email?

An informal email should include the following:

Writing strategyriting strategy

Your turnYour turn

You are Polly Fung. You have received an email from your best friend, Mandy Wong, who

is going to study at a new school. Write a reply to her in about 150 words.

Salutation/Greeting

Address the recipient by his/her first name, e.g. ‘Hi Leo’, ‘Dear Leo’.

Opening

State the purpose of writing. Thank the sender if you are replying to his/her email.

Body paragraphs

Make suggestions or present and sequence different aspects in different paragraphs.

Closing paragraph

Summarise your points, call for action or simply express your hope that he/she is

doing well.

Complimentary closing

Include an appropriate complimentary closing, e.g. ‘Love’, ‘Cheers’, ‘Best wishes’.

To: Polly

From: Mandy

Subject: Any advice?

Dear Polly,

How are you? I’m writing to ask for your advice.

You know I’m going to study at a new school in September. I’m very nervous

now because I don’t know if I can make any new friends there.

I haven’t slept these past few days. What should I do? Help!

Best,

Mandy

Sample

O Discovering English in Summer • Book 2 •12

Step 1: Planning — guiding questions

1. Who is the recipient of this informal email?

2. What is its main purpose?

3. What suggestions will you make?

Step 2: WritingO OUseful tip

You can use modal

verbs, e.g. can/may/

should + bare infinitive,

or expressions like ‘You

had better’ and ‘Why

don’t you…?’ when

giving advice.

Sample

Unit 6 • Nature and the environment • O71

Making suggestions

Whether in an individual presentation or a group discussion, you may make suggestions

about something.

When you are making suggestions, make sure your suggestions are relevant to the topic

and are feasible.

How should you make suggestions?

There are two ways to make suggestions:

Speaking strategypeaking strategy

Giving reasons

You can use because, as and since to show reasons for your suggestions.

e.g. Let’s join the ‘Clean the Beach’ campaign because we can help make our Earth

clean and we can play on the beach afterwards.

Describing the good points

You can use positive adjectives to describe the good points of your suggestions.

e.g. I’m going to list ten simple things we can do to save our world while living a

happier and healthier life.

There are a number of expressions you may use to make suggestions.

Does it matter…? Don’t you think…?

Let’s… Shall we…?

What about…? Why don’t…?

You can use modal verbs could and should to make suggestions.

e.g. You could go hiking to learn more about the beauties of nature.

We should switch off the light when we are not using it.

Here is an example. When there is an earthquake, first,

we should stay calm. Then, let’s hide

under a table because it can protect

us from falling things. We could also

stay wherever we feel safe. Why

don’t we wait there until the firemen

or rescue team save us?

What should we do when

there is an earthquake?

Sample

O Discovering English in Summer • Book 2 •72

Your turnYour turn

You are going to give a presentation. The topic is ‘How can we, as students, protect the

environment?’ Complete the mind map and write a 150-word script in the space below.

Track 14

Useful vocabulary

O O

carbon dioxide

emission, greenhouse

effect, incineration,

organic/eco-friendly

products, save

electricity/water, public

transportation

Sample

Unit 1 • Friends • O13

The underlined phrasal verbs in the left column are used in the context of friendship. Match

each phrasal verb with the correct meaning in the right column.

OFun breakun break

Below is a list of items you have learnt in this unit. How well do you understand each of

them? Put a tick (✔) in the appropriate box.

OSelf-evaluationelf-evaluation

1. You can decide if you want to accept his

suggestion as the ball is in your court now.

1. Peter got on with George very quickly

because they have many common interests.

MeaningMeaning

C. run out of time B. to be good friends

C. run out of time D. to tolerate

D. try your bestA. to make someone

feel bored or not

interested

3. Give it your best shot and you’ll surely

score the highest marks in the Maths test.

3. We have to put up with different people

because we all have different personalities.

2. You will blow the competition away if you

wear this necklace to the party.

2. James fell out with Danny because they

always had arguments.

4. It should be no sweat if we have to handle

all household chores together!

4. Yuki doesn’t cooperate in the project. She

turns me off.

4. It should be no sweat if we have to handle

all household chores together!

5. Fiona is a helpful girl. You can turn to her if

you need help.

Fully understand Don’t understand at all

3 2 1 0Four types of friends

Reading strategy — Noting references

Vocabulary about personality traits

Listening strategy — Listening for specific

information

Simple present tense

Present continuous tense

Countable and uncountable nouns

Writing strategy — Informal email

Phrasal verbs relating to friendship

IdiomPhrasal verb

E. win easilyC. to ask someone

for help

E. win easilyE. not to be friends

any more

Sample