Unit 1

Active reading (1)

Catching crabs

Language points

1 … and we all started to get our heads down … (Para 1)

To get one’s head down means to concentrate and focus on studying. In other British informal contexts,

it can mean to sleep. Note also, to keep one’s head down means to continue to do something quietly,

especially when there is trouble happening around you.

Unit 1 Discovering yourself

2 Most important of course were the final exams in April and May in the following year. (Para 1)

This is a conversational elliptical sentence. A standard way of saying this is: The most important things,

of course, were the final exams in April and May in the following year.

3 No one wanted the humiliation of finishing last in class, so the peer group pressure to work hard

was strong. (Para 1)

Peer group pressure is the pressure to conform that people, especially children and young people, often

feel from the immediate group of those around them who are of the same age or status.

4 Libraries ... were standing room only until the early hours of the morning, and guys wore the bags

under their eyes and their pale, sleepy faces with pride, like medals proving their diligence. (Para 1)

The expression standing room only means there are no more seats available because the place is crowded.

This expression is often used in public performances, for sports events and on public transport to mean

that you have to stand because the place is packed with people.

that you have to stand because the place is packed with people.

Bags under their eyes refer to loose dark areas of skin that you get when you have not had enough sleep.

The expression guys wore the bags under their eyes with pride means that the students were proud that

their tired appearance showed how hard they had been studying, and the bags under their eyes were like