In the President’s Chair

Every week we ask someone what they would do if hey were a president. This week it is a turn of Heather Pearce, university lecturer.

I would import more high technology for our industries and transport systems instead of relying on cheap labour. I would pay for this by exporting more of our agricultural produce and cutting down on our food imports. I would work hard for international peace instead of making aggressive speeches, and at home I would put more money into our health and social services instead of cutting taxes.

Task 1

Which of the following would Heather Pearce choose to do if she was president?

1. import high technology;

2. rely on cheap labour;

3. export more agricultural produce;

4. cut down on food imports;

5. work hard for international peace;

6. make aggressive speeches;

7. put more money into health and social services;

8. cut taxes.

Task 2

Write your own version of “In the President’s Chair”. What would you do if you were the president of your country?

Exercise 80

Work in small groups and discuss these questions.

If you …

1. …could be anywhere in the world for the next 24 hours, where would you go?

2. …were on a five year space mission and could take one of your possessions what would it be?

3. …could have the answer to any one question, what would you want to know?

4. …could change one thing about your country, what would it be?

5. …could have one day with someone from history, who would it be?

6. …won $1 million on the lottery next week, what would you do with the money?

7. …could relieve one week of your life, which week would it be?

8. …could change sex for one year, what would you do with the time?

9. …could be transported into the future, when and where would you like to go to?

10. …could be any animal, what would you be?

Exercise 81

Match the sentence halves (a-f and 1-6) to make six questions.

2. If you could spend a year on a desert island with another person, …

3. Assuming you could have the answer to any one question, …

4. Imagine you could relive any one experience of your life, …

5. Supposing you would never be caught, …

6. If you could be any famous person’s partner, …

7. Imagine you had to spend $1 million before the end of the day, …

1. … what serious crime might you consider committing?

2. … what would you ask?

3. … who would you most like to spend the time with?

4. … what would you spend it on?

5. … whose would you like to be?

6. … which experience would you choose?

Work in small groups, discuss all these questions.

Exercise 82

Translate from Ukrainian into English.

1. Що б ви сказали, якби я запросив його провести з нами суботу і неділю?

2. Які ліки ви б запропонували, якщо у хлопчика заболить горло?

3. Хлопчик не тремтів би, якби ж йому не було холодно. Дайте йому випити гарячого чаю.

4. Ми б із задоволенням посиділи ще годину, якби не було так пізно.

5. Якби ви вчасно приймали ліки, які вам виписав лікар, ви б почувалися зараз набагато краще.

6. Якби ми почали працювати рано вранці, ми б вже все закінчили.

7. На вашому місці я б не сперечалась з ними. Те, що вони говорять, має сенс.

8. Якби все було до ладу, він не виглядав би таким стурбованим.

9. Я б заздалегідь зробила це, якби знала, що це так важливо.

10. Я б, можливо, залишилась, якби мені дозволили.

11. На вашому місці я б не пішов туди без запрошення.

12. Якби ви зателефонували мені вчора, я б із задоволенням завітав до вас.

Exercise 83

Read the text, choose the answers to the given questions and then try to find out who the shipwrecked man was.

The Shipwrecked Man

There are three men on an island. They all look the same but one of them is not a native of the island. The one who is not a native was shipwrecked years before. One day a ship comes to look for the shipwrecked man. They can ask the three men only two questions. They know that the shipwrecked man always tells the truth and the natives always tell lies. They ask the first man, “Are you the shipwrecked man?” But the answer blows away on the wind and they do not hear it. They ask the second man: “Did the first man say “yes”?” He answers: “Yes”. From just this much information they are able to find their man. How?

1. If the first man is the shipwrecked man, what must his answer to their question been?

   1. Yes, I am.

   2. No, I am not.

   3. People are always asking me stupid questions.

2. If the first man is not a shipwrecked man, then what must his answer have been?

   1. Yes, I am.

   2. No, I am not.

   3. Get away from my island!

3. Can we tell only from the first man’s answer whether or not he is lying?

   1. Yes, because the first man looks the same as the others.

   2. Yes, because the first man has such a nice face.

   3. No, because he first man’s answer must be the same in either case – ‘yes”.

4. Is the second man truthfully reporting what the first man said?

   1. Of course not.

   2. Who knows.

   3. Yes, he is.

5. How many of them can be telling the truth?

   1. One of them.

   2. Two of them.

   3. Three of them.

6. You know whether the second man is telling the truth or not?

   1. He doesn’t care.

   2. He is telling the truth.

   3. He must be lying.

7. So which man is the real shipwrecked man?

   1. The first man.

   2. The second man.

   3. The third man.

Answers:

1. a) – if the first man is the shipwrecked, he must have told the truth and said he was.

2. a) – if the first man is not the shipwrecked man, he must have lied and said he was.

3. c) – No, we can’t tell if the first man is lying or not because he must answer “yes” in either case.

4. c) – if the first man says “yes” in either case, then the second man is trustfully reporting what he said. If the second man were a liar, he would have to say “no”.

5. a) – only one of them can be telling the truth.

6. c) – since the second man is telling the truth, he first man must be lying.

7. b) – the second man is the real shipwrecked man.

*** The third man was not asked because he would have been the shipwrecked man if the other two had been lying.

Exercise 84

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT YOURSELF?

Put “+” or “-“ in front of each question (put “v” if you don’t know the answer), then count all the positive and negative answers.