Choose the correct word(s).

1. Provided Mel brought / brings his guitar tomorrow, we’re going to have a sing-along.

Choose the correct word(s).

2. If we have / had two more people, we’d have enough to play a proper football match.

Choose the correct word(s).

3. I would call / have called to say I was going to be late if I hadn’t lost my mobile.

Choose the correct word(s).

4. Suppose / Supposing you got lost and couldn’t find your way home. What would you do?

Choose the correct word(s).

5. Had I known it was your birthday, I would have made / made a cake.

Choose the correct word(s).

6. I’ll tell you everything as long as you will promise / promise not to laugh at me.

Choose the correct word(s).

7. Even if / Provided that I win the lottery, I will still go to work every day.

Complete the sentences with the gerund or the infinitive form of the verbs in brackets.

Complete the sentences with the gerund or the infinitive form of the verbs in brackets.

Complete the sentences with the gerund or the infinitive form of the verbs in brackets.

Complete the sentences with the gerund or the infinitive form of the verbs in brackets.

Complete the sentences with the gerund or the infinitive form of the verbs in brackets.

Complete the sentences with the gerund or the infinitive form of the verbs in brackets.

Complete the sentences with the gerund or the infinitive form of the verbs in brackets.

Choose the correct answer.

1. I’d like you to send me a confirmation email for this transaction. __________________

Choose the correct answer.

2. He has advised to us to keep the party a secret. __________________

Choose the correct answer.

3. I would hate for you to think that we’d forgotten you. __________________

Choose the correct answer.

4. We’ve arranged for you departing at 5.00 tonight. __________________

Choose the correct answer.

5. I dislike people to make decisions for me when I can make them myself. __________________

Choose the correct answer.

6. He warned us to watch out for internet scams. I guess we should have listened. _______________

Choose the correct word.

1. You often find that if you’re driving through an area with lots of trees, your ________ will be very poor.

Choose the correct word.

2. It’s frustrating when you call a number and it’s constantly________!

Choose the correct word.

3. You could try the ________, but it’s unlikely that anyone’s at home at this time of day.

Choose the correct word.

4. Oh no! I’ve left my mobile at home – I forgot to ________ it before I left this morning.

Choose the correct word.

5. There must be some issue at work. I have six ________ calls from the office.

Choose the correct word.

6. Hang on – the ________ isn’t great here. I’ll just move to another room.

Complete the sentences with the correct preposition.

Complete the sentences with the correct preposition.

Complete the sentences with the correct preposition.

Complete the sentences with the correct preposition.

Complete the sentences with the correct preposition.

Choose one word to form a compound adjective with the word in italics.

1. heeled    sighted    eyed                   blue- ___________

Choose one word to form a compound adjective with the word in italics.

2. conditioned   behaved   minded    air- ___________

Choose one word to form a compound adjective with the word in italics.

3. hand   minute   term                     last- ___________

Choose one word to form a compound adjective with the word in italics.

4. behaved    made   minded            narrow- ___________

Choose one word to form a compound adjective with the word in italics.

5. term    out    free                          long- ___________

Choose one word to form a compound adjective with the word in italics.

6. hearted    handed    heeled            kind- ___________

Choose one word to form a compound adjective with the word in italics.

7. heeled    minded    produced         absent-___________

Choose one word to form a compound adjective with the word in italics.

8. hearted    free    going                  easy-___________

Match the words to the same sound.

1. records ________, ________

Match the words to the same sound.

2. tedious ________

Match the words to the same sound.

3. device ________, ________

Choose the stressed syllable.

1. con|tac|ta|ble

Choose the stressed syllable.

2. glam|or|ous

Choose the stressed syllable.

3. per|cep|tion

Choose the stressed syllable.

4. sub|stan|tial

Choose the stressed syllable.

5. plau|si|bil|i|ty

Read the article and choose the correct answer.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

HELP YOURSELF

In the last couple of decades, self-help books have been a publishing phenomenon, often topping the best-seller lists. Readers have lapped up their advice on how to do a wide variety of things, from becoming successful and rich to improving their relationships. If you’re facing a particular problem in your life, there’s a host of self-help books for you. If you have the idea that you want to improve yourself in some way, there are any number of self-help titles just waiting to advise you. If you want a successful career, no problem – step-by-step guides will tell you exactly what to do. But, despite their enormous success, there’s a question many people ask: do these books actually do what they claim to?

Obviously, as in any field of publishing, some self-help books are better than others. Some may be based on actual research and case studies – there’s some substance to them that suggests they can, at least to some extent, be taken seriously. Others, however, amount to little more than psychobabble – empty nonsense dressed up as serious psychological insight. These books bombard the reader with a mass of meaningless jargon, disguising the fact that they have nothing to say beyond the obvious that you would not need to buy a book to know. It’s the latter category that has given self-help books a bad name among critics of the genre.

The kind of advice given in self-help books is often more or less the same. What really amounts to pretty standard statements are made in many of them, but does this advice stand up to scrutiny? Psychologists who have studied a range of self-help books connected with happiness say the answer to this is ‘not always.’ They say that although the emphasis the books place on aiming for good relationships with families, friends, and colleagues has, in some ways, some scientific basis in terms of what does actually lead to personal happiness, in other ways the advice given is actually false.

For example, the books commonly tell you that it is good to express your anger; the psychologists say this simply causes you to remain angry. You are often told to try to think happy thoughts when you are sad; the psychologists say that attempting to do this simply emphasizes your unhappiness for you. The books tell you to focus entirely on your aims in life, looking only at the desired outcome; psychologists say you need to focus just as much on the problems you have to overcome in order to reach your goals. The books tell you to keep praising yourself to increase and maintain a high level of self-belief; the psychologists say that actually this doesn’t work because you need praise from other people in order to increase your self-esteem.

Perhaps the key question on self-help books is: do they work? Do people feel they have directly helped them? Whatever critics may say, do the people who buy and read them get real results from them? The answer to this question appears to be ‘sometimes’. Research indicates that the kind of book that deals with a particular problem can be effective in helping people with that problem, particularly if the problem in question isn’t a severe one, for example mild depression or anxiety. The situation is less clear with books dealing with personal growth or development. Some people do say that these books have helped them but it is by no means certain, and hard to measure, whether this is really the case.

What is clear about all self-help books, however, is that they offer people hope. The actual advice they give and whether or not this is accurate or effective is probably less important than the fact that they tell the reader that change is possible, that there is hope of a better life, that people can overcome difficulties and improve themselves and their situation. While this may sound like a good thing, there is, however, a downside to it. To get people to buy them, these books often make exaggerated claims about what they will do for people. They can raise unrealistic expectations in the reader, suggesting that a better life can quite easily be achieved, that anyone can get what they want out of life. The truth is, of course, that changing yourself and your life may be very difficult indeed and require an immense amount of effort, if it is even achievable at all. So self-help books are open to the claim that they present a false picture that can only lead to disappointment in the end.

Question:

1. In the first paragraph, what does the writer emphasize about self-help books?

Read the article and choose the correct answer.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

HELP YOURSELF

In the last couple of decades, self-help books have been a publishing phenomenon, often topping the best-seller lists. Readers have lapped up their advice on how to do a wide variety of things, from becoming successful and rich to improving their relationships. If you’re facing a particular problem in your life, there’s a host of self-help books for you. If you have the idea that you want to improve yourself in some way, there are any number of self-help titles just waiting to advise you. If you want a successful career, no problem – step-by-step guides will tell you exactly what to do. But, despite their enormous success, there’s a question many people ask: do these books actually do what they claim to?

Obviously, as in any field of publishing, some self-help books are better than others. Some may be based on actual research and case studies – there’s some substance to them that suggests they can, at least to some extent, be taken seriously. Others, however, amount to little more than psychobabble – empty nonsense dressed up as serious psychological insight. These books bombard the reader with a mass of meaningless jargon, disguising the fact that they have nothing to say beyond the obvious that you would not need to buy a book to know. It’s the latter category that has given self-help books a bad name among critics of the genre.

The kind of advice given in self-help books is often more or less the same. What really amounts to pretty standard statements are made in many of them, but does this advice stand up to scrutiny? Psychologists who have studied a range of self-help books connected with happiness say the answer to this is ‘not always.’ They say that although the emphasis the books place on aiming for good relationships with families, friends, and colleagues has, in some ways, some scientific basis in terms of what does actually lead to personal happiness, in other ways the advice given is actually false.

For example, the books commonly tell you that it is good to express your anger; the psychologists say this simply causes you to remain angry. You are often told to try to think happy thoughts when you are sad; the psychologists say that attempting to do this simply emphasizes your unhappiness for you. The books tell you to focus entirely on your aims in life, looking only at the desired outcome; psychologists say you need to focus just as much on the problems you have to overcome in order to reach your goals. The books tell you to keep praising yourself to increase and maintain a high level of self-belief; the psychologists say that actually this doesn’t work because you need praise from other people in order to increase your self-esteem.

Perhaps the key question on self-help books is: do they work? Do people feel they have directly helped them? Whatever critics may say, do the people who buy and read them get real results from them? The answer to this question appears to be ‘sometimes’. Research indicates that the kind of book that deals with a particular problem can be effective in helping people with that problem, particularly if the problem in question isn’t a severe one, for example mild depression or anxiety. The situation is less clear with books dealing with personal growth or development. Some people do say that these books have helped them but it is by no means certain, and hard to measure, whether this is really the case.

What is clear about all self-help books, however, is that they offer people hope. The actual advice they give and whether or not this is accurate or effective is probably less important than the fact that they tell the reader that change is possible, that there is hope of a better life, that people can overcome difficulties and improve themselves and their situation. While this may sound like a good thing, there is, however, a downside to it. To get people to buy them, these books often make exaggerated claims about what they will do for people. They can raise unrealistic expectations in the reader, suggesting that a better life can quite easily be achieved, that anyone can get what they want out of life. The truth is, of course, that changing yourself and your life may be very difficult indeed and require an immense amount of effort, if it is even achievable at all. So self-help books are open to the claim that they present a false picture that can only lead to disappointment in the end.

2. Question:

In the second paragraph, the writer expresses a preference for self-help books which ________.

Read the article and choose the correct answer.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

HELP YOURSELF

In the last couple of decades, self-help books have been a publishing phenomenon, often topping the best-seller lists. Readers have lapped up their advice on how to do a wide variety of things, from becoming successful and rich to improving their relationships. If you’re facing a particular problem in your life, there’s a host of self-help books for you. If you have the idea that you want to improve yourself in some way, there are any number of self-help titles just waiting to advise you. If you want a successful career, no problem – step-by-step guides will tell you exactly what to do. But, despite their enormous success, there’s a question many people ask: do these books actually do what they claim to?

Obviously, as in any field of publishing, some self-help books are better than others. Some may be based on actual research and case studies – there’s some substance to them that suggests they can, at least to some extent, be taken seriously. Others, however, amount to little more than psychobabble – empty nonsense dressed up as serious psychological insight. These books bombard the reader with a mass of meaningless jargon, disguising the fact that they have nothing to say beyond the obvious that you would not need to buy a book to know. It’s the latter category that has given self-help books a bad name among critics of the genre.

The kind of advice given in self-help books is often more or less the same. What really amounts to pretty standard statements are made in many of them, but does this advice stand up to scrutiny? Psychologists who have studied a range of self-help books connected with happiness say the answer to this is ‘not always.’ They say that although the emphasis the books place on aiming for good relationships with families, friends, and colleagues has, in some ways, some scientific basis in terms of what does actually lead to personal happiness, in other ways the advice given is actually false.

For example, the books commonly tell you that it is good to express your anger; the psychologists say this simply causes you to remain angry. You are often told to try to think happy thoughts when you are sad; the psychologists say that attempting to do this simply emphasizes your unhappiness for you. The books tell you to focus entirely on your aims in life, looking only at the desired outcome; psychologists say you need to focus just as much on the problems you have to overcome in order to reach your goals. The books tell you to keep praising yourself to increase and maintain a high level of self-belief; the psychologists say that actually this doesn’t work because you need praise from other people in order to increase your self-esteem.

Perhaps the key question on self-help books is: do they work? Do people feel they have directly helped them? Whatever critics may say, do the people who buy and read them get real results from them? The answer to this question appears to be ‘sometimes’. Research indicates that the kind of book that deals with a particular problem can be effective in helping people with that problem, particularly if the problem in question isn’t a severe one, for example mild depression or anxiety. The situation is less clear with books dealing with personal growth or development. Some people do say that these books have helped them but it is by no means certain, and hard to measure, whether this is really the case.

What is clear about all self-help books, however, is that they offer people hope. The actual advice they give and whether or not this is accurate or effective is probably less important than the fact that they tell the reader that change is possible, that there is hope of a better life, that people can overcome difficulties and improve themselves and their situation. While this may sound like a good thing, there is, however, a downside to it. To get people to buy them, these books often make exaggerated claims about what they will do for people. They can raise unrealistic expectations in the reader, suggesting that a better life can quite easily be achieved, that anyone can get what they want out of life. The truth is, of course, that changing yourself and your life may be very difficult indeed and require an immense amount of effort, if it is even achievable at all. So self-help books are open to the claim that they present a false picture that can only lead to disappointment in the end.

3. Question:

The writer says that self-help books containing a lot of ‘psychobabble’ ________.

Read the article and choose the correct answer.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

HELP YOURSELF

In the last couple of decades, self-help books have been a publishing phenomenon, often topping the best-seller lists. Readers have lapped up their advice on how to do a wide variety of things, from becoming successful and rich to improving their relationships. If you’re facing a particular problem in your life, there’s a host of self-help books for you. If you have the idea that you want to improve yourself in some way, there are any number of self-help titles just waiting to advise you. If you want a successful career, no problem – step-by-step guides will tell you exactly what to do. But, despite their enormous success, there’s a question many people ask: do these books actually do what they claim to?

Obviously, as in any field of publishing, some self-help books are better than others. Some may be based on actual research and case studies – there’s some substance to them that suggests they can, at least to some extent, be taken seriously. Others, however, amount to little more than psychobabble – empty nonsense dressed up as serious psychological insight. These books bombard the reader with a mass of meaningless jargon, disguising the fact that they have nothing to say beyond the obvious that you would not need to buy a book to know. It’s the latter category that has given self-help books a bad name among critics of the genre.

The kind of advice given in self-help books is often more or less the same. What really amounts to pretty standard statements are made in many of them, but does this advice stand up to scrutiny? Psychologists who have studied a range of self-help books connected with happiness say the answer to this is ‘not always.’ They say that although the emphasis the books place on aiming for good relationships with families, friends, and colleagues has, in some ways, some scientific basis in terms of what does actually lead to personal happiness, in other ways the advice given is actually false.

For example, the books commonly tell you that it is good to express your anger; the psychologists say this simply causes you to remain angry. You are often told to try to think happy thoughts when you are sad; the psychologists say that attempting to do this simply emphasizes your unhappiness for you. The books tell you to focus entirely on your aims in life, looking only at the desired outcome; psychologists say you need to focus just as much on the problems you have to overcome in order to reach your goals. The books tell you to keep praising yourself to increase and maintain a high level of self-belief; the psychologists say that actually this doesn’t work because you need praise from other people in order to increase your self-esteem.

Perhaps the key question on self-help books is: do they work? Do people feel they have directly helped them? Whatever critics may say, do the people who buy and read them get real results from them? The answer to this question appears to be ‘sometimes’. Research indicates that the kind of book that deals with a particular problem can be effective in helping people with that problem, particularly if the problem in question isn’t a severe one, for example mild depression or anxiety. The situation is less clear with books dealing with personal growth or development. Some people do say that these books have helped them but it is by no means certain, and hard to measure, whether this is really the case.

What is clear about all self-help books, however, is that they offer people hope. The actual advice they give and whether or not this is accurate or effective is probably less important than the fact that they tell the reader that change is possible, that there is hope of a better life, that people can overcome difficulties and improve themselves and their situation. While this may sound like a good thing, there is, however, a downside to it. To get people to buy them, these books often make exaggerated claims about what they will do for people. They can raise unrealistic expectations in the reader, suggesting that a better life can quite easily be achieved, that anyone can get what they want out of life. The truth is, of course, that changing yourself and your life may be very difficult indeed and require an immense amount of effort, if it is even achievable at all. So self-help books are open to the claim that they present a false picture that can only lead to disappointment in the end.

4. Question:

What does the writer say about self-help books connected with happiness?

Read the article and choose the correct answer.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

HELP YOURSELF

In the last couple of decades, self-help books have been a publishing phenomenon, often topping the best-seller lists. Readers have lapped up their advice on how to do a wide variety of things, from becoming successful and rich to improving their relationships. If you’re facing a particular problem in your life, there’s a host of self-help books for you. If you have the idea that you want to improve yourself in some way, there are any number of self-help titles just waiting to advise you. If you want a successful career, no problem – step-by-step guides will tell you exactly what to do. But, despite their enormous success, there’s a question many people ask: do these books actually do what they claim to?

Obviously, as in any field of publishing, some self-help books are better than others. Some may be based on actual research and case studies – there’s some substance to them that suggests they can, at least to some extent, be taken seriously. Others, however, amount to little more than psychobabble – empty nonsense dressed up as serious psychological insight. These books bombard the reader with a mass of meaningless jargon, disguising the fact that they have nothing to say beyond the obvious that you would not need to buy a book to know. It’s the latter category that has given self-help books a bad name among critics of the genre.

The kind of advice given in self-help books is often more or less the same. What really amounts to pretty standard statements are made in many of them, but does this advice stand up to scrutiny? Psychologists who have studied a range of self-help books connected with happiness say the answer to this is ‘not always.’ They say that although the emphasis the books place on aiming for good relationships with families, friends, and colleagues has, in some ways, some scientific basis in terms of what does actually lead to personal happiness, in other ways the advice given is actually false.

For example, the books commonly tell you that it is good to express your anger; the psychologists say this simply causes you to remain angry. You are often told to try to think happy thoughts when you are sad; the psychologists say that attempting to do this simply emphasizes your unhappiness for you. The books tell you to focus entirely on your aims in life, looking only at the desired outcome; psychologists say you need to focus just as much on the problems you have to overcome in order to reach your goals. The books tell you to keep praising yourself to increase and maintain a high level of self-belief; the psychologists say that actually this doesn’t work because you need praise from other people in order to increase your self-esteem.

Perhaps the key question on self-help books is: do they work? Do people feel they have directly helped them? Whatever critics may say, do the people who buy and read them get real results from them? The answer to this question appears to be ‘sometimes’. Research indicates that the kind of book that deals with a particular problem can be effective in helping people with that problem, particularly if the problem in question isn’t a severe one, for example mild depression or anxiety. The situation is less clear with books dealing with personal growth or development. Some people do say that these books have helped them but it is by no means certain, and hard to measure, whether this is really the case.

What is clear about all self-help books, however, is that they offer people hope. The actual advice they give and whether or not this is accurate or effective is probably less important than the fact that they tell the reader that change is possible, that there is hope of a better life, that people can overcome difficulties and improve themselves and their situation. While this may sound like a good thing, there is, however, a downside to it. To get people to buy them, these books often make exaggerated claims about what they will do for people. They can raise unrealistic expectations in the reader, suggesting that a better life can quite easily be achieved, that anyone can get what they want out of life. The truth is, of course, that changing yourself and your life may be very difficult indeed and require an immense amount of effort, if it is even achievable at all. So self-help books are open to the claim that they present a false picture that can only lead to disappointment in the end.

5. Question:

Psychologists say that some advice in books about happiness ________.

Read the article and choose the correct answer.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

HELP YOURSELF

In the last couple of decades, self-help books have been a publishing phenomenon, often topping the best-seller lists. Readers have lapped up their advice on how to do a wide variety of things, from becoming successful and rich to improving their relationships. If you’re facing a particular problem in your life, there’s a host of self-help books for you. If you have the idea that you want to improve yourself in some way, there are any number of self-help titles just waiting to advise you. If you want a successful career, no problem – step-by-step guides will tell you exactly what to do. But, despite their enormous success, there’s a question many people ask: do these books actually do what they claim to?

Obviously, as in any field of publishing, some self-help books are better than others. Some may be based on actual research and case studies – there’s some substance to them that suggests they can, at least to some extent, be taken seriously. Others, however, amount to little more than psychobabble – empty nonsense dressed up as serious psychological insight. These books bombard the reader with a mass of meaningless jargon, disguising the fact that they have nothing to say beyond the obvious that you would not need to buy a book to know. It’s the latter category that has given self-help books a bad name among critics of the genre.

The kind of advice given in self-help books is often more or less the same. What really amounts to pretty standard statements are made in many of them, but does this advice stand up to scrutiny? Psychologists who have studied a range of self-help books connected with happiness say the answer to this is ‘not always.’ They say that although the emphasis the books place on aiming for good relationships with families, friends, and colleagues has, in some ways, some scientific basis in terms of what does actually lead to personal happiness, in other ways the advice given is actually false.

For example, the books commonly tell you that it is good to express your anger; the psychologists say this simply causes you to remain angry. You are often told to try to think happy thoughts when you are sad; the psychologists say that attempting to do this simply emphasizes your unhappiness for you. The books tell you to focus entirely on your aims in life, looking only at the desired outcome; psychologists say you need to focus just as much on the problems you have to overcome in order to reach your goals. The books tell you to keep praising yourself to increase and maintain a high level of self-belief; the psychologists say that actually this doesn’t work because you need praise from other people in order to increase your self-esteem.

Perhaps the key question on self-help books is: do they work? Do people feel they have directly helped them? Whatever critics may say, do the people who buy and read them get real results from them? The answer to this question appears to be ‘sometimes’. Research indicates that the kind of book that deals with a particular problem can be effective in helping people with that problem, particularly if the problem in question isn’t a severe one, for example mild depression or anxiety. The situation is less clear with books dealing with personal growth or development. Some people do say that these books have helped them but it is by no means certain, and hard to measure, whether this is really the case.

What is clear about all self-help books, however, is that they offer people hope. The actual advice they give and whether or not this is accurate or effective is probably less important than the fact that they tell the reader that change is possible, that there is hope of a better life, that people can overcome difficulties and improve themselves and their situation. While this may sound like a good thing, there is, however, a downside to it. To get people to buy them, these books often make exaggerated claims about what they will do for people. They can raise unrealistic expectations in the reader, suggesting that a better life can quite easily be achieved, that anyone can get what they want out of life. The truth is, of course, that changing yourself and your life may be very difficult indeed and require an immense amount of effort, if it is even achievable at all. So self-help books are open to the claim that they present a false picture that can only lead to disappointment in the end.

6. Question:

Which of the following do psychologists believe?

Read the article and choose the correct answer.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

HELP YOURSELF

In the last couple of decades, self-help books have been a publishing phenomenon, often topping the best-seller lists. Readers have lapped up their advice on how to do a wide variety of things, from becoming successful and rich to improving their relationships. If you’re facing a particular problem in your life, there’s a host of self-help books for you. If you have the idea that you want to improve yourself in some way, there are any number of self-help titles just waiting to advise you. If you want a successful career, no problem – step-by-step guides will tell you exactly what to do. But, despite their enormous success, there’s a question many people ask: do these books actually do what they claim to?

Obviously, as in any field of publishing, some self-help books are better than others. Some may be based on actual research and case studies – there’s some substance to them that suggests they can, at least to some extent, be taken seriously. Others, however, amount to little more than psychobabble – empty nonsense dressed up as serious psychological insight. These books bombard the reader with a mass of meaningless jargon, disguising the fact that they have nothing to say beyond the obvious that you would not need to buy a book to know. It’s the latter category that has given self-help books a bad name among critics of the genre.

The kind of advice given in self-help books is often more or less the same. What really amounts to pretty standard statements are made in many of them, but does this advice stand up to scrutiny? Psychologists who have studied a range of self-help books connected with happiness say the answer to this is ‘not always.’ They say that although the emphasis the books place on aiming for good relationships with families, friends, and colleagues has, in some ways, some scientific basis in terms of what does actually lead to personal happiness, in other ways the advice given is actually false.

For example, the books commonly tell you that it is good to express your anger; the psychologists say this simply causes you to remain angry. You are often told to try to think happy thoughts when you are sad; the psychologists say that attempting to do this simply emphasizes your unhappiness for you. The books tell you to focus entirely on your aims in life, looking only at the desired outcome; psychologists say you need to focus just as much on the problems you have to overcome in order to reach your goals. The books tell you to keep praising yourself to increase and maintain a high level of self-belief; the psychologists say that actually this doesn’t work because you need praise from other people in order to increase your self-esteem.

Perhaps the key question on self-help books is: do they work? Do people feel they have directly helped them? Whatever critics may say, do the people who buy and read them get real results from them? The answer to this question appears to be ‘sometimes’. Research indicates that the kind of book that deals with a particular problem can be effective in helping people with that problem, particularly if the problem in question isn’t a severe one, for example mild depression or anxiety. The situation is less clear with books dealing with personal growth or development. Some people do say that these books have helped them but it is by no means certain, and hard to measure, whether this is really the case.

What is clear about all self-help books, however, is that they offer people hope. The actual advice they give and whether or not this is accurate or effective is probably less important than the fact that they tell the reader that change is possible, that there is hope of a better life, that people can overcome difficulties and improve themselves and their situation. While this may sound like a good thing, there is, however, a downside to it. To get people to buy them, these books often make exaggerated claims about what they will do for people. They can raise unrealistic expectations in the reader, suggesting that a better life can quite easily be achieved, that anyone can get what they want out of life. The truth is, of course, that changing yourself and your life may be very difficult indeed and require an immense amount of effort, if it is even achievable at all. So self-help books are open to the claim that they present a false picture that can only lead to disappointment in the end.

7. Question:

Research into whether self-help books really help people suggests that ________.

Read the article and choose the correct answer.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

HELP YOURSELF

In the last couple of decades, self-help books have been a publishing phenomenon, often topping the best-seller lists. Readers have lapped up their advice on how to do a wide variety of things, from becoming successful and rich to improving their relationships. If you’re facing a particular problem in your life, there’s a host of self-help books for you. If you have the idea that you want to improve yourself in some way, there are any number of self-help titles just waiting to advise you. If you want a successful career, no problem – step-by-step guides will tell you exactly what to do. But, despite their enormous success, there’s a question many people ask: do these books actually do what they claim to?

Obviously, as in any field of publishing, some self-help books are better than others. Some may be based on actual research and case studies – there’s some substance to them that suggests they can, at least to some extent, be taken seriously. Others, however, amount to little more than psychobabble – empty nonsense dressed up as serious psychological insight. These books bombard the reader with a mass of meaningless jargon, disguising the fact that they have nothing to say beyond the obvious that you would not need to buy a book to know. It’s the latter category that has given self-help books a bad name among critics of the genre.

The kind of advice given in self-help books is often more or less the same. What really amounts to pretty standard statements are made in many of them, but does this advice stand up to scrutiny? Psychologists who have studied a range of self-help books connected with happiness say the answer to this is ‘not always.’ They say that although the emphasis the books place on aiming for good relationships with families, friends, and colleagues has, in some ways, some scientific basis in terms of what does actually lead to personal happiness, in other ways the advice given is actually false.

For example, the books commonly tell you that it is good to express your anger; the psychologists say this simply causes you to remain angry. You are often told to try to think happy thoughts when you are sad; the psychologists say that attempting to do this simply emphasizes your unhappiness for you. The books tell you to focus entirely on your aims in life, looking only at the desired outcome; psychologists say you need to focus just as much on the problems you have to overcome in order to reach your goals. The books tell you to keep praising yourself to increase and maintain a high level of self-belief; the psychologists say that actually this doesn’t work because you need praise from other people in order to increase your self-esteem.

Perhaps the key question on self-help books is: do they work? Do people feel they have directly helped them? Whatever critics may say, do the people who buy and read them get real results from them? The answer to this question appears to be ‘sometimes’. Research indicates that the kind of book that deals with a particular problem can be effective in helping people with that problem, particularly if the problem in question isn’t a severe one, for example mild depression or anxiety. The situation is less clear with books dealing with personal growth or development. Some people do say that these books have helped them but it is by no means certain, and hard to measure, whether this is really the case.

What is clear about all self-help books, however, is that they offer people hope. The actual advice they give and whether or not this is accurate or effective is probably less important than the fact that they tell the reader that change is possible, that there is hope of a better life, that people can overcome difficulties and improve themselves and their situation. While this may sound like a good thing, there is, however, a downside to it. To get people to buy them, these books often make exaggerated claims about what they will do for people. They can raise unrealistic expectations in the reader, suggesting that a better life can quite easily be achieved, that anyone can get what they want out of life. The truth is, of course, that changing yourself and your life may be very difficult indeed and require an immense amount of effort, if it is even achievable at all. So self-help books are open to the claim that they present a false picture that can only lead to disappointment in the end.

8. Question:

What do all self-help books have in common, according to the writer?

Read the article and choose the correct answer.

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HELP YOURSELF

In the last couple of decades, self-help books have been a publishing phenomenon, often topping the best-seller lists. Readers have lapped up their advice on how to do a wide variety of things, from becoming successful and rich to improving their relationships. If you’re facing a particular problem in your life, there’s a host of self-help books for you. If you have the idea that you want to improve yourself in some way, there are any number of self-help titles just waiting to advise you. If you want a successful career, no problem – step-by-step guides will tell you exactly what to do. But, despite their enormous success, there’s a question many people ask: do these books actually do what they claim to?

Obviously, as in any field of publishing, some self-help books are better than others. Some may be based on actual research and case studies – there’s some substance to them that suggests they can, at least to some extent, be taken seriously. Others, however, amount to little more than psychobabble – empty nonsense dressed up as serious psychological insight. These books bombard the reader with a mass of meaningless jargon, disguising the fact that they have nothing to say beyond the obvious that you would not need to buy a book to know. It’s the latter category that has given self-help books a bad name among critics of the genre.

The kind of advice given in self-help books is often more or less the same. What really amounts to pretty standard statements are made in many of them, but does this advice stand up to scrutiny? Psychologists who have studied a range of self-help books connected with happiness say the answer to this is ‘not always.’ They say that although the emphasis the books place on aiming for good relationships with families, friends, and colleagues has, in some ways, some scientific basis in terms of what does actually lead to personal happiness, in other ways the advice given is actually false.

For example, the books commonly tell you that it is good to express your anger; the psychologists say this simply causes you to remain angry. You are often told to try to think happy thoughts when you are sad; the psychologists say that attempting to do this simply emphasizes your unhappiness for you. The books tell you to focus entirely on your aims in life, looking only at the desired outcome; psychologists say you need to focus just as much on the problems you have to overcome in order to reach your goals. The books tell you to keep praising yourself to increase and maintain a high level of self-belief; the psychologists say that actually this doesn’t work because you need praise from other people in order to increase your self-esteem.

Perhaps the key question on self-help books is: do they work? Do people feel they have directly helped them? Whatever critics may say, do the people who buy and read them get real results from them? The answer to this question appears to be ‘sometimes’. Research indicates that the kind of book that deals with a particular problem can be effective in helping people with that problem, particularly if the problem in question isn’t a severe one, for example mild depression or anxiety. The situation is less clear with books dealing with personal growth or development. Some people do say that these books have helped them but it is by no means certain, and hard to measure, whether this is really the case.

What is clear about all self-help books, however, is that they offer people hope. The actual advice they give and whether or not this is accurate or effective is probably less important than the fact that they tell the reader that change is possible, that there is hope of a better life, that people can overcome difficulties and improve themselves and their situation. While this may sound like a good thing, there is, however, a downside to it. To get people to buy them, these books often make exaggerated claims about what they will do for people. They can raise unrealistic expectations in the reader, suggesting that a better life can quite easily be achieved, that anyone can get what they want out of life. The truth is, of course, that changing yourself and your life may be very difficult indeed and require an immense amount of effort, if it is even achievable at all. So self-help books are open to the claim that they present a false picture that can only lead to disappointment in the end.

9. Question:

When asking whether self-help books work, the writer suggests that ________.

Read the article and choose the correct answer.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

HELP YOURSELF

In the last couple of decades, self-help books have been a publishing phenomenon, often topping the best-seller lists. Readers have lapped up their advice on how to do a wide variety of things, from becoming successful and rich to improving their relationships. If you’re facing a particular problem in your life, there’s a host of self-help books for you. If you have the idea that you want to improve yourself in some way, there are any number of self-help titles just waiting to advise you. If you want a successful career, no problem – step-by-step guides will tell you exactly what to do. But, despite their enormous success, there’s a question many people ask: do these books actually do what they claim to?

Obviously, as in any field of publishing, some self-help books are better than others. Some may be based on actual research and case studies – there’s some substance to them that suggests they can, at least to some extent, be taken seriously. Others, however, amount to little more than psychobabble – empty nonsense dressed up as serious psychological insight. These books bombard the reader with a mass of meaningless jargon, disguising the fact that they have nothing to say beyond the obvious that you would not need to buy a book to know. It’s the latter category that has given self-help books a bad name among critics of the genre.

The kind of advice given in self-help books is often more or less the same. What really amounts to pretty standard statements are made in many of them, but does this advice stand up to scrutiny? Psychologists who have studied a range of self-help books connected with happiness say the answer to this is ‘not always.’ They say that although the emphasis the books place on aiming for good relationships with families, friends, and colleagues has, in some ways, some scientific basis in terms of what does actually lead to personal happiness, in other ways the advice given is actually false.

For example, the books commonly tell you that it is good to express your anger; the psychologists say this simply causes you to remain angry. You are often told to try to think happy thoughts when you are sad; the psychologists say that attempting to do this simply emphasizes your unhappiness for you. The books tell you to focus entirely on your aims in life, looking only at the desired outcome; psychologists say you need to focus just as much on the problems you have to overcome in order to reach your goals. The books tell you to keep praising yourself to increase and maintain a high level of self-belief; the psychologists say that actually this doesn’t work because you need praise from other people in order to increase your self-esteem.

Perhaps the key question on self-help books is: do they work? Do people feel they have directly helped them? Whatever critics may say, do the people who buy and read them get real results from them? The answer to this question appears to be ‘sometimes’. Research indicates that the kind of book that deals with a particular problem can be effective in helping people with that problem, particularly if the problem in question isn’t a severe one, for example mild depression or anxiety. The situation is less clear with books dealing with personal growth or development. Some people do say that these books have helped them but it is by no means certain, and hard to measure, whether this is really the case.

What is clear about all self-help books, however, is that they offer people hope. The actual advice they give and whether or not this is accurate or effective is probably less important than the fact that they tell the reader that change is possible, that there is hope of a better life, that people can overcome difficulties and improve themselves and their situation. While this may sound like a good thing, there is, however, a downside to it. To get people to buy them, these books often make exaggerated claims about what they will do for people. They can raise unrealistic expectations in the reader, suggesting that a better life can quite easily be achieved, that anyone can get what they want out of life. The truth is, of course, that changing yourself and your life may be very difficult indeed and require an immense amount of effort, if it is even achievable at all. So self-help books are open to the claim that they present a false picture that can only lead to disappointment in the end.

10. Question:

The writer concludes in that last paragraph that self-help books ________.

Listen to an interview about computer addiction. Choose the correct answer.

Listen to a teenager called Zak talking about a social experiment called ‘Digital Detox’ that he did with his friends. Choose the correct answer.