Answer — Exercise 3
2 - Mixed messages·Outcomes Advanced - Student's Book
Question
Work in pairs. Check you understand the phrases in bold, then discuss the questions. Listen! again and check your ideas.
Answer
- mixed messages → dad (and grandmother) strict / mother soft when he was punished
- get back on the straight and narrow → proper punishment (treat him severely)
- ridiculous confrontation → he wouldn’t change desks
- unwilling to back down → he didn’t want to sit next to a particular girl / used to getting his own way / didn’t like the teacher / unhappy at home
- come as a shock → he has conducted himself well / he has taken things in his stride
- confide to his coach → his parents were unhappy (going through a rough patch) and issues at school
- remarkably good health → because of his age and because he suffered severe blows
- who came to his aid → a young man / Toby
- when it came down to it, why did they split up → Toby wasn’t committed enough to her and he was totally committed to football
- where was there a scene and what do you think caused it → a friend’s party – Toby was unhappy to see his ex- girlfriend, and was perhaps jealous of the people she was with