Solutions – Upper-Intermediate

Unit 2: For what it’s worth

2A

Exercise 2

1. A 3. D 5. E
2. F 4. C

Exercise 3

1. fortune 6. bargain
2. precious 7. profit
3. overpriced 8. well-off
4. credit 9. financial, worthless
5. debt 10. priceless

Exercise 4

1. economical 5. worthy
2. earnings 6. pricey
3. costly 7. economic
4. valuable 8. profitable

2B

Exercise 2

1. – 4. the 7. a
2. a 5. – 8. the
3. The 6. a

Exercise 3

a. a, the (answers 2 and 3) e. a (6)

b. the (4) f. a (7)
c. – (5) g. the (8)
d. – (1)

Exercise 4

1. – 2. of 3. –
 4. of 5. – 6. of

Exercise 5

1. both, neither, much 3. all, any

2. another, few 4. all, a few

Exercise 6

1. b 4. d 7. i
2. g 5. h 8. c
3. e 6. a 9. f

2C

Exercise 1

a. a barn conversion
b. a furnished studio apartment
c. a period cottage
d. an unfurnished warehouse conversion
e. a basement flat

Exercise 2

1. detached 6. pets
2. mains 7. top
3. block 8. open-plan
4. cable 9. garden
5. character 10. lease

Exercise 4

Sep. = September GCH = Gas Central Heating

n/s = non smoker Oct. = October

pcm = per calendar month sat = satellite

inc. = including min = minimum

Exercise 5

1. London
2. less than 6m2
3. £135

Exercise 6

1. T 3. F 5. F
2. F 4. T 6. F

2D

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

1. b 3. d 5. f
2. e 4. a 6. c

Exercise 4

1. D 3. F 5. A
2. B 4. G 6. E

Exercise 5

1. laundress 4. baker
2. tobacconist 5. greengrocer
3. barber

Exercise 6

The secrecy…, you dare not admit it…, to keep up appearances…, you slink out of the shop and can
never go there again.

Exercise 7
 1. perhaps he thought it would make him a better, more ‘noble’ person, or that it’s important
to understand what it’s like to be poor in order to appreciate being wealthy. Or he might
have thought it’s important to prepare himself for poverty because as he says in the first
paragraph he knew it would happen sooner or later, or perhaps he wanted to ‘confront his
fear of poverty.’
2. He probably learned that it can make you feel ashamed and you have to invent lies to
disguise the poverty, you have to make unexpected sacrifies e.g. soap, you discover what it’s
like tob e really hungry, etc.

2E

Exercise 1

The restaurant is unusual in that diners payt what they think the meal is worth.

Exercise 3

1. feel like, suggest, consider

2. seem, expect, refuse, want, decide
3. allow
4. make, let
5. have

Exercise 4

1. going, talking 4. borrow, to give

2. to work, change 5. repaired, to get
3. to visit, looking

Exercise 5

1. 3.

a. visiting a. to study
b. to visit b. studying

2. 4.

a. to open a. saying
b. opening b. to say

Exercise 6

1. to have 2. allow
 3. make 6. allowed
4. let 7. have
5. had

Activity 2.2

1. copy 6. living
2. getting up 7. getting
3. to be 8. dieting
4. laugh 9. cut
5. studying 10. sitting

2F

Exercise 1

The article tells us what people’s desire to consume things can get so out of control that it becomes
dangerous and destructive and can even, as in this case, lead to death.

The photo shows someone with disability begging in the street. All around him people are continuing
with their business. It might suggest that we give shopping a higher importantce than human
suffering.

The graph shows that people in the UK are borrowing more and more money to pay for things that
they can’t afford and are falling further and further into debt.

Exercise 3

1. agree 4. way
2. surely 5. deny
3. have 6. think

Exercise 5

Pros: One positive aspect of … is (that) …

Cons: One disadvantage of … is (that)… / another drawback is (that) … / …is not a good idea because
…

Exercise 6

Possible answers
Pros: it encourages an enterprising spirit which leads to higher living standards as people work
harder to get what they want; there’s a wider range of products available; shopping can provide an
enjoyable recreational activity for a family.

Cons: crime rates may rise because some people will steal in order to get what they want; people
may get further and further into debt; the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer; advertising
makes people want things they don’t need; people become greedy; consumption creates extra waste
and pollution; workers in developing countries are exploited in order that companies can keep up
with demand.

2G: Writing Analysis

Exercise 2

1. D
2. C
3. B
4. A

Exercise 3

B. 3 and 8

C. 2 and 6 (6 is followed by the example: for example, if you are feeling…)

Exercise 4

1 and 5 could belong to B

4 and 7 could belong to C

Exercise 5

1. deny 4. hand
2. extent 5. more
3. clear 6. sum, would

Exercise 6

Possible answer:
It is hard to deny that society often judges people according to how much money they have, so
money equals status. On the other hand, rich people often fin dit harder to make genuine friends.

2G: Writing Task

Exercise 1

A possible approach to the essay is to state, in favour of the argument, that important things like
relationships (family, friends and partners), health, a clean environment, nature are free but the
other side of the argument is that for some people these are not the best things in life. For others the
best things in life are material objects, fine food and wine, exotic holidays, etc.
Grammar Builder 2.1

1.

1. an 6. the, the
2. -, the, the 7. The, the
3. a, the , - 8. the
4. -, the 9. -, -
5. a 10. -, -

2.

1. any 4. no
2. a few, little, the whole 5. any
3. both
3.

1. – 4. of
2. of 5. –
3. – 6. of

Grammar Builder 2.2

1. to stay on
2. sing/singing
3. getting/to start
4. to be
5. to buy
6. to phone
7. interrupting
8. cut
9. wanting, to ask
10. to go, promise, to be

Vocabulary Builder 2.1

1.

a. 10 e. 3 i. 8
b. 7 f. 2 j. 9
c. 1 g. 4
d. 6 h. 5
2.

1. spalshed out, tighten our belts 5. will be hard up

2. paid through the nose 6. ripped (me) off
3. putting aside 7. made a killing
4. are (very) well off 8. dirt cheap

Vocabulary Buillder 2.2

1. yards 5. pints
2. miles 6. tons
3. ounces 7. miles, gallons
4. feet, inches 8. pounds, stone

Vocabulary Builder 2.3

1. in spite of 6. on the contrary,

2. although 7. nevertheless,
3. despite the fact that / even though 8. but / whereas
4. however, 9. despite the fact
5. in contrast,