Speaking

Task 15 (A). Read the text “History of glassmaking” of Task 4 again and make notes under the following headings. You may add some more useful information based on your general knowledge.

• Glass as a physical state of matter

• Glass made by nature

• Chemical quality of glass

• Core forming as one of the earliest methods for making glass containers

• Casting as another ancient method of making glass

• Glassblowing technology

Task 15 (B). Use your notes to speak about glassmaking. You may use the following linking words given in the chart.

Enumeration (indicates a cataloguing of what is being said)	First …, furthermore …, finally …; First(ly) …, second(ly) …, third(ly) …; To begin/start with …, in the second place …, moreover …, to conclude …
Addition (to what has been previously indicated)	Above all …, indeed …, actually …, in addition …, again …, not only … but also …, notably …, as well (as) …, obviously …, besides …, also …, particularly …, especially …, further …, then …, furthermore …., what is more …
Comparison (similarity to what has preceded):	In the same way …, both ... and ..., likewise…, correspondingly …, similarly …, equally …, too …
Transition (can lead to a new stage in the sequence of thought)	Now …, regarding …, turning to …, with respect / regard to …, as for …, as to …
Reference (refers back to previous sentences)	And …, mainly …, as follows …, mostly …, namely …, for instance …, notably …, for example …, or …, in other words …, particularly …, in particular …, such as …, including …, that is …
Time	After a while …, now…, afterwards …, once …, at last …, presently …, at that time …, previously …, at the same time …, shortly …., before …, simultaneously …, currently …, since …, earlier …, soon …, eventually …, then …, formerly …, in the meantime …, until …, in the past …, until now …, initially …, whenever …, later …, meanwhile …
Replacement (expresses an alternative to what has preceded)	Again …, alternatively …, another possibility would be better/worse …, still …, on the other hand …, rather …, the alternative is …
Contrast	By (way of) contrast …, conversely …, in comparison …, in fact …, in reality …, instead …, on the contrary …, on the other hand …
Summary (a generalisation or summing up of what has preceded)	Altogether …, then …, hence …, therefore …, in brief …, thus …, in conclusion …, to conclude …, in short …, to sum up …, overall …, to summarise …

Writing

Task 16 (A). Imagine that you have visited a workshop on glassmaking. You saw the experiments with glass, listened to the interesting information from a professional glassmaker and made some written notes on glassmaking. You wanted to have more detailed information on some notes but didn't manage to ask questions during the workshop. Think over and write possible questions you’ll ask to satisfy your curiosity when visiting the workshop next time. The notes and the points to be clarified are given below. For linking phrases on expressing curiosity consult Appendix 2.

1. The first glass was formed from molten volcanic rock that cooled down extremely quickly. – (You would like to know where the first glass was formed that way).

2. It was not until 1500 BC that the first hollow glass container was made by covering a sand core with a layer of molten glass. – (You would like to know where the first hollow glass container was made that way).

3. Glassblowing was developed along the Mediterranean coast of Syria and Palestine and then brought to Roman Italy during the 1st century BC. – (You would like to know what kinds of glassware were mostly used during that period).

4. The glass industry was very secretive about their skills and knowledge and in 1291, all the glassmakers in Venice were forced to move their workshops to the island of Murano. – (You would like to know if all the secrets of Murano glassmaking are revealed today).

5. In the Bohemian factories of what is now the Czech Republic, diamond point engraving was becoming popular as a method of decorating and with the invention of a glass that was easy to cut, as well as being perfectly clear, people were soon using it all over the continent. – (You would like to know in what glassware such method of decorating is commonly used).

6. Historically, glass was produced by rolling clay molds in molten glass, waiting for it to cool, and then breaking up the mold to remove it and leave the finished glass vessel behind. – (You would like to know what influences the fineness of finished product by using such method of glassmaking).

7. During blowing, thinner layers of glass cool faster than thicker ones and become more viscous than the thicker layers. This effect allows production of blown glass with uniform thickness, instead of causing blow-through of the thinned layers. – (You would like to know if glassware made by using such method is brittle or strong enough).

8. By introducing bubbles of various shapes and sizes along with colours of different hues into the molten glass, designers can create stunning designs with eye-catching light effects. – (You would like to know how different hues into the molten glass can be reached).

Task 16(B). You may try to find out the answers to your questions on the specialized sites. Using the information obtained write down a short story about the development of glassmaking.

APpendix 1