Read the underlined conditionals in the texts. Say if they are Zero Conditional, First or Second Conditional. Match them with their meanings.

a. A rule, something that’s always true

b. A piece of advice

c. A future situation that is unlikely to happen

d. A future situation that is possible

e. A present situation that is impossible

f. An event that is possible if it’s not stopped by something

MY INSPIRATION

Graham Lawrence, 29, science author and TV presenter went to Overton Comprehensive, 186-94

I haven’t seen Mr. Jenkins since I left school but he was my inspiration. I wasn’t very good at most school subjects. I didn’t make an effort, especially in history and languages. If I’d taken part in my French lessons, I might actually have learnt some French. And I wouldn’t have had to take evening classes!

Now I tell my own kids: ‘If I were you, I’d try to learn as much as you can. It might be useful in future.’

Anyway, I remember that when I went into Mr. Jenkins science class, I became interested in a subject for the first time. Mr. Jenkins was full of enthusiasm and he got everybody interested. He used to demonstrate things with lots of practical examples. One day he took us outside and we built a rocket and actually launched it! His lessons were great fun.

I wasn’t a particularly willing and cooperative student at school, probably because I was lazy and lacked confidence but Mr. Jenkins made me feel that I could do things. I was interested in astronomy and he asked me to give a presentation to the class. That was really the first time I ever tried to explain science to an audience. If I hadn’t had that experience, I honestly don’t think I would have become a TV presenter. You know, you can’t stand in front of millions of people unless you have confidence.

When I’m preparing a program, I often think about how Mr. Jenkins would have done it. Now I know he’s still at the school, I think I’ll get in touch with him if I need some new ideas!

What would I have done if I hadn’t had a science teacher like Dr. Jenkins? It’s difficult to say but all I know is that if he hadn’t taught me, my life would probably have been very different.

I don’t think any school would risk having me as a full time teacher but if I got an interesting offer I could do some science teaching myself.

MY PUPIL

Brian Jenkins, science teacher at Overton Comprehensive

When Graham came into my class he was a bit ‘difficult’. But when he got interested, it all changed. He was extremely bright and if he’d studied, he could have done much better in all his other subjects. I’ve seen him a couple of times on TV and I say to my wife, ‘Oh look, I used to teach him!’ students like Graham certainly make my job worthwhile. It’s difficult teaching nowadays – there are more discipline problems and not enough money. Unless you are a dedicated teacher, you won’t stay in teaching long. Class sizes have gone up and it’s difficult doing lessons in laboratories with big groups. But if you’re a teacher, you have to cope with all sorts of problems.

Anyway, I love teaching. I think I’d be very unhappy if I did some other kind of job. It’s a great feeling when you know you’ve taught something well. It also makes me proud when I see my pupils doing well, like Graham. I feel that I’ve achieved something.

MIXED CONDITIONALS

Read the sentences in italics in the text and match them with the types of conditionals

1. Zero Conditional

2. First Conditional

3. Second Conditional for the Present

4. Second Conditional for the Past

Metres in 8 seconds

Many contemporary amateur athletes and swimmers would have broken world records if they had taken part in the first Olympic Games. Since then, records have tumbled in track, field and swimming events as performance has improved dramatically.

If records fall, it is usually due to better equipment, training and diet but recently improvements have begun to slow down. In Sydney, only three runners achieved Olympic bests with no world records. Some experts predict a ceiling for many events, such as 9.5 seconds for the 100 metres – Maurice Green’s current record is 9.79 seconds.

However, past predictions are nearly always wrong. All the levels of performance predicted in the 1930s has been reached by the 1970s. Ron Maughan, from Aberdeen university, believes that if more people around the world took part in organized sport, more records would have fallen.

One factor is the use of performance-enhancing drugs, or ‘doping’. Ben Johnson would still be the 100 metres world record holder if he had not been caught taking drugs. Other records remain dubious, like Florence Griffith’s 100 metres record back in 1998. Did she take drugs? If current Olympic champion, Marion Jones, took such drugs, she would probably have broken that record more than once.

Unless we are careful, ‘gene-doping’ will be the next big threat.

For medical purposes, scientists have already found ways to build muscle and increase stamina through gene therapy. If gene therapy were used now, it would be almost impossible to detect. In the future, genetically-modified athletes might be able to run the 100 metres in 8 seconds or the marathon in under two hours. However, if a generation of genetic monsters were created, it would show that the whole point of point of sport has been lost. It would be much better to forget the records and return to the original Olympic spirit – taking part is more important than wining.