A community is not easy to define. In this essay, I will examine what transforms individuals into a community and discuss some different types. I will also look at what all communities have in common, the benefits they offer and draw conclusions about their increasing importance.
The word 'community' may trigger images of traditional communities in the developing world, where large families live together. Elderly parents live with their children and grandchildren in one house. Parents have relative freedom: for example, if they leave the house, there is always someone left behind to look after their children. We may also imagine the neighbours as people who are happy to help out whenever it is needed. The stereotypical view is that of a village, where people have little but can feel very rich.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are ultramodern communities, where the members are unlikely to have met each other. These are online communities, where people blog or chat about issues that are important to them. They come across others on websites and may develop a relationship with like
minded people. The view is often that these are artificial bonds between people who are still isolated strangers.
In reality, this is not true as the connections are real. Moreover, there are many types of communities in between these extremes:
for example, people who join sports and leisure clubs, who sign up with voluntary, political, religious or other organizations, or who take part in group discussions in their local area. They may be campaigning about issues or simply getting together for companionship and support.
Human beings are social by nature, so it should not be a surprise that we organize ourselves in groups. However, there is more going on: these groups provide something that we cannot achieve on our own. The main benefit of being part of a larger group is strength in numbers. For example, we can access and share more information, we can take part in team sports, we can complain and campaign more effectively and feel supported in whatever we do.
The stereotypical views of the happy village and the isolated computer users may not be completely true, but what we do know is that what defines them is the sense of identity and security that they provide for their members: the knowledge that there are people who we have something in common with and who can be relied on to be there when we need each other.
labelling maps and flow charts • answering short-answer questions • �ompleting sentences
Develop your exam skills
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In the exam you may have to complete some sentences. You will use the exact words you hear in the recording, but it is important to make sure your answers are grammatically correct. You will lose points if they are not.IJ
Complete the sentences with the words below.the corner the right to the lake straight ahead of you opposite Medical Centre 1 Take the lift up to the twelfth floor; the tutor's office is the third door on ... · 2 To get to the bank, cross the road at the library and turn left at ... · 3 Go down the footpath to the main road and the station's right ... · 4 Turn left at the top of the stairs, go along to the end of the corridor and you'll see the seminar room 5 Take the second road on the right, then first left, and you'll find the physics building next to the
6 Go along the main path as far as the canteen and then follow it round to the left until you get
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You will hear six short conversations where one person is explaining to another how to find different places on campus. Think about some of the expressions you expect to hear. Then listen and complete the sentences. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS in each sentence. Pay attention to your spelling and grammar.1 The Sports Centre is on the other side ... . 2 The lecture theatre in the Law School is on ... ·
3 To reach the Business School, you take the footpath ... · 4 The theatre is ... .
5 The nearest bus stop is opposite the ... · 6 The bank is ... to the shop.
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In another type of question you may be asked to answer questions using short answers. You will hear .the words you should use on the recording. You do not need to change them but it is very important to P?Y attention to the n4mber of words you write. You will be told how many words to us·. e. This is US\Jally no more than th� words and/or a number. Your answer will be m�ed incorrect if you us� too many words.
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You will hear Sandra �nd Tom talking a�out the facilities on campus. Listen and answer the questions. Write NO MORE THAN TWO, WORDS.1 Which floor is the library coffee shop on? ... . 2 What does Sandra like to do there? ... . 3 Where is the silent zone? ... .
4 Where does Tom live? ... .
S \-\o'N many people live in Sandra's house? ... . 6 What does Tom often do near Sandra's house? ... .
Exam tip
fn some questions you may be asked to label a map or a plan.
You will always hear the information in the same order as the numbered questions.
Before you listen, look at the plan and pay attention to the information you have been gi\len. This will help you focus on the context and predict what you may hear.
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You will hear two students talking about the different food outlets on a university campus. Label the plan below.0
A Fast food hall B Snack bar
C Mexican restaurant
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D College dining room E Italian restaurant
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Students' UnionI
� Bus stop
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(l) ...1 I
ShopsPractice for the test Section 1
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Questions 1-4You wm · hear Lily explaining to Chen how to use the library. Label the plan of the library.
A PCZone
(2) ...
B Library cafe Ground floor
North door Lobby (1) ... ..
South
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Questions 5-7C Cookbooks D Travel E Silent zone First floor
(3)... .
Lift Lift
Stairs Stairs
(4) ... ..
Now listen to the next part of the recording and complete the sentences.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.
5 First look up the title in the ... .' ... ·
6 The class mark is one or two letters and ... . 7 The ... shows you where to look for the books.
� Questions 8-10
Now listen to the last part of the recording �nd answer the questions. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS.
8 What do you need to scan first? ... .
9 What does the scanner do when you scan a book? ... . 10 What does the system do at the end? ... .
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