Freshers’ Week – answers, vocabulary and notes

Key: F B E I A G C H D

F THIS CAN BE A DAUNTING EXPERIENCE
B MEETING PEOPLE USUALLY HELPS YOU TO FEEL MORE AT HOME
E HOW DO I KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN AND WHAT TO DO?
I YOU ARE NOT ALONE
A THERE’S NO NEED TO HURRY
G THESE PEOPLE KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE AND CAN GIVE YOU SOME POINTS OF ADVICE
C FOOD AND DRINKS CAN HELP TO BREAK THE ICE
H MAKE SURE YOU LOOK AND ARE APPROACHABLE
D YOU’LL SOON FEEL LIKE AN OLD HAND
daunting – adj – making you feel slightly frightened or worried about your ability to achieve something
to break the ice – INFORMAL – to make initial contact with people relaxed
to feel like an old hand – to consider yourself someone who is very experienced and skilled in a particular area of activity

well-respected – admired, considered to be very good
overwhelming – adj – putting you under a lot of pressure, very difficult to cope with
academic calendar – a period from one October to the next October when all the lectures, seminars, assignments, exams and extra-curricular activities (i.e. activities which are not part of the usual college course) that a student’s life is made up of take place
newcomers – here, first year students. New students just arriving at universities are called freshers.
settle into – become familiar with and start feeling comfortable and happy about
Correction: However, having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind, the prospect of meeting lots of strangers in big halls can be nerve-wracking.
This sentence is incorrect. In order to use the ‘having done sth + a new clause structure, both clauses must have the same subject. Here ‘you‘ or ‘the student(s)’ is the implied subject of the first clause – you / they have / (s) he has left home, while ‘the prospect’ is the subject in the second clause.
A correct version of this could read: However, having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind, you might find the prospect of meeting lots of strangers in big halls (is = optional) nerve-wracking.
or However, having just left the comfort of home and friends behind, students may just find the prospect of meeting lots of strangers in big halls (is) nerve-wracking.
nerve-wracking – causing great anxiety or distress
in the same boat – in the same difficult or worrying situation
on the right foot – successfully, in the right / best way
take it all in – understand and get used to the new environment
blend in – look or seem the same as people around you, fit in with others
social etiquette – rules of behaviour that are accepted by a certain group of people
handy – ready to give out, ready to hand out; handy can also mean practical, or useful
housemates – people with whom you share accommodation such as a flat, house, or hall of residence
give you a head start in making friends – help you make new friends more easily and quickly
passing on your wisdom – (here) explaining and / or teaching the rules of university life

If you’d like to read a text version of this

Reading bank
Grammar bank
Another listening exercise
Home