英伦学堂

Activity 1

Before you read， match the word or phrase to a de fi nition.

1.characteristic 2.combination 3.cross 4.depend on 5. fi ctional

a. an element or action that is typical for the thing being described

b. describes something that has been invented or is not real

c. mix one thing with another to create something new

d. need something to be able to work properly

e. the result of mixing two or more things

Activity 2

Now complete the sentences using words and phrases from the text. Make any changes to the words that are necessary.

1. If you (____) a male lion with a female tiger， you get a new animal—a liger.

2. James Bond is one of the most famous (____) characters I can think of.

3. One of the most obvious (____) of giraffes is their long necks， which enable them to eat from tall trees.

4. The word brunch (a meal you eat in the middle of the morning) is a (____) of the words‘breakfast’ and ‘lunch’.

5. Your success in learning English (____) many things， including how much practice you do.

Activity 3

Reorder these words to make true sentences about the text.

Example:

combination / you / be / funny / your / If / use / can / jokes / imagination / very

If you use your imagination, combination jokes can be very funny.

1. often / meanings / jokes / These / use / that / similar / words / have

2. that / noises / and / Animal / also / words / are / sound /common / alike

3. jokes / actions / and / Typical / are / in / characteristics / used / combination

4. too / Famous / and / characters / people / feature / events

Activity 4

Look at this example of a passive sentence:

Jam is often made from strawberries.

The active version is:

People often make jam from strawberries.

Can you change these sentences from the active into the passive?

1. People make jumpers from wool.

2. Chickens make clucking noises.

3. My alarm clock woke me up.

4. People base jokes on words that sound alike.

5. People sometimes use fi ctional characters to make jokes.

Activity 5 What do you think of combination jokes? How easy are they to understand? Are they popular in your language?