By Pamela Linwood

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Bats! [A2 PRE-INTERMEDIATE]

GETTING STARTED
A - Before you start
Answer the questions with a partner.
1) What do you know about bats?
2) Do you ever see bats near your house?
3) Are they a protected species in Spain?

READING
B Read and answer
Read these statements and write T (true)
or F (false).
1) The bats of Austin fly out in the evening and return
to the bridge in the morning.
2) The bats are mostly females.
3) There were no bats in Austin before 1980.
4) The show lasts for hours.
5) The bats cause damage to agriculture.
6) Visitors to the bridge can buy souvenirs with
pictures of bats on them.
7) You need an umbrella because it often rains
in Austin.
8) The bats fly out at exactly the same time
every evening.

C Read and answer D Learn it! Use it!

Read the article and the fact file and answer the Complete these sentences with words from the
questions. glossary. (You may have to adapt the word in some
1) What are the bats looking for when they fly way, e.g. change the verb tense.)
out every evening? 1) I think its going to rain. Look at those dark
2) Where do they arrive from in spring? ________ in the sky.
3) Where do the females make their nests? 2) Youll never manage to lose ________ if you keep
4) Why did the number of bats increase after 1980? eating chocolate bars.
5) What wrong ideas did people have about bats 3) These cut flowers are already dead. They didnt
in the past? ________ very long.
6) What financial advantages do the bats bring to 4) Our dog wont hurt you. He looks ferocious but
the countryside and the town? hes really ________.
7) When do baby bats become independent? 5) Theres no room for a table and chairs in this
8) What unpleasant characteristic do bats have? kitchen. Its too ________.

Answers on page 6 one 1

6) You cant wear those socks. Theyre full of ________. take an umbrella with 9________. I expect you can
7) My cats very old but hes still able to ________ imagine 10________!
mice.
8) Female gorillas usually ________ ________ to one AFTER YOU READ

baby gorilla. Twins are rare. F Check your pronunciation

One of the four words in each group has a different
KET EXAM PRACTICE vowel sound. Which one?
E Ready for KET? (Paper 1, Reading and 1) fly time bridge buy
Writing: Part 7) 2) search farmer return birth
Complete this email. Write one word for each space. 3) hair there their near
Hi Karen, 4) people live eat deep
Im 1________ you this email from Austin, Texas. 5) habitat save sale dangerous
We arrived here at 10.30 2_________ night. This
morning we walked around 3________ town and H Talk about it
visited a couple of museums. Then we 4________ In pairs or groups.
lunch in a great Tex-Mex restaurant. This evening 1) Are you afraid of bats? If so, why?
were going to Congress Avenue Bridge 5________ 2) What would you do if you found a bat flying
see the famous bats. They say 6________ are around in your house?
millions of them. My little brother isnt very happy 3) What other animals or insects are many
about going because he 7________ frightened of people afraid of?
bats. At the tourist office, they 8________ us to 4) Can you think of any reasons why?

The Garden of Ireland [B2 UPPER INTERMEDIATE]

GETTING STARTED

A - Before you start

Answer the questions with a partner.
1) There are many famous European garden designs
of the 16th century. Do you know any of them? What
did they contain besides plants?
2) Are there any formal gardens in your region?
3) If so, have you ever visited them?

READING

B Read and answer

Read the main article and answer the questions
1) Where is Powerscourt?
2) What can you see there, apart from trees and plants.
3) What natural landmark can you see from
Powerscourt? LISTENING

4) What was there on this site in medieval times? C Listen and answer (Optional)
5) Who became the owner of Powerscourt in the N.B. This interview is graded as C1, so dont
17th century? How? be discouraged if you find it difficult. Try to
6) When did Daniel Robertson design the present understand the main points.
gardens? Read these statements. Then listen to the interview
7) Why wasnt Powerscourt opened to visitors in with Michael Byrne, without reading, and write T
the 1970s? (true) or F (false).
8) When was it eventually opened to the public? 1) There are few beautiful gardens in Ireland.

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2) It took over 30 years to complete the gardens
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at Powerscourt.
3) The Italian garden was modelled on the garden
of a villa in Rome.
4) Machines were used for the heavy work of
digging out the gardens.
5) Lord Powerscourt wanted to see the Sugar Loaf
Mountain while he was having breakfast.
6) Tinks Trail is designed to help children explore
the gardens.
7) Michael Byrne studied Agriculture at university
in England.
8) His first job was in a bank.

D Listen, read and check your answers

Listen to the interview while reading the text.(If you
did Exercise C, check your answers while reading.)

E Learn it! Use it!

Complete these sentences with words from the
glossary. (You may have to adapt the word in some
way; e.g. change the verb tense or change from
plural to singular.)
1) Last year, during a storm, lightning ________ the
tower and damaged it.
2) The outdoor swimming pool is open from June
________.
3) Our dog often ________ holes in the garden to
bury his bones.
4) If you follow this ________ through the forest, youll
get to a little village.
5) Lees tortoise fell down the garden steps and prove/do). There are historic sites and houses to
broke its ________. visit and lots of outdoor activities, 7_________ (as/
6) The owner of the lost bag is offering a ________ to like/such/how) horseriding, golf and hillwalking.
anyone who finds it. 8
_________ (Little/Much/No/Few) people know
that County Wicklow 9_________ (is/was /has/did)
FCE EXAM PRACTICE often been used as a film location. Excalibur and
F Ready for PET? (Paper 1, Reading: Part 5) Braveheart are just two of the movies 10_________
Choose the correct word in brackets for each (who/than/that/what) were filmed there.
space
If you are going to Ireland this summer, make AFTER YOU READ AND LISTEN

sure you dont 1_________ (lose/catch /miss/drop) G Talk about it

visiting County Wicklow. The county is 2_________ In pairs or groups.
(thought/known /called/named) as the garden of 1) Do you like visiting gardens? Why (not)?
Ireland 3_________ (for/because /cause/instead) 2) Have you ever done any gardening or grown any
of its beautiful scenery. There are hills, lakes, and plants?
waterfalls, as well 4_________ (as/for/with/too) large 3) If so, have you got green fingers? (Are you good
sandy beaches. at looking after plants?)
There are also 5_________ (many/much /plenty/ 4) What are the advantages/disadvantages of
very) of things for visitors to 6_________ (make/go/ working in the open air?

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Toms Guide to London [B1 INTERMEDIATE]

GETTING STARTED
A - Before you start
Answer the questions with a partner.
1) Do you like sightseeing? Why (not)?
2) When youre visiting a place, how do you decide
what to go and see?
3) What are the main tourist attractions in your
own area?

READING

B Read and answer

Read the main article and answer the questions.
1) What is the purpose of Tom Joness blog?
2) What did it lead to?
3) What made Tom start the blog?
4) What does he think of London?
5) Who did the research for the blog?
6) In what way is the blog different from a travel guide?
a) True.
LISTENING b) False.
C Listen and answer (Optional) c) He doesnt say.
N.B. This interview is graded as C1, so dont 6) London isnt an easy city for people who
be discouraged if you find it difficult. Try to dont want to spend a lot.
understand the main points. a) True.
Read these statements. Then listen to the interview b) False.
with Tom Jones, without reading, and choose the c) Tom doesnt say.
correct option.
1) The saying When a man is tired of London, D Listen, read and check your answers
he is tired of life was first pronounced by Listen to the interview while reading the text.(If you
a) Tom Jones. did Exercise C, check your answers while reading.)
b) James Boswell.
c) Samuel Johnson. E Learn it! Use it!
2) Tom Joness book contains Complete these sentences with words from the
a) 356 suggestions. glossary. (You may have to adapt the word in some
b) 365 suggestions. way; e.g. change the verb tense.)
c) 366 suggestions. 1) People born on 29th February, only have a
3) The suggestions are organised according to birthday during a _______ _______.
how much they cost. 2) Our cat ________ to the top of a tree in the
a) True. garden and couldnt get down again.
b) False. 3) There are ________ people waiting at the bus
c) Tom doesnt say. stop. Dont they know theres a bus strike?
4) Tom says choosing one thing to do in London is 4) Jacks very ________. He doesnt spend much.
a) very difficult. He puts most of his money in the bank.
b) very easy. 5) That caf is ________ to be the best in town, but
c) quite easy. we thought the service was awful.
5) He intentionally chose things that dont cost 6) Although this candidate hasnt had much
very much. experience, I think we should give him a ________.

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 PET EXAM PRACTICE
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F Ready for PET? (Paper 1: Reading, Part 5)

Choose the correct word in brackets for each space.
Samuel Johnson, often 1_________ (called/known/ In 1763, Johnson met James Boswell, a young
named/calls) simply as Dr Johnson, was an English Scottish lawyer and they spent a lot of time travelling
writer and critic who lived in the 18th century. He is together. After Johnsons 9_________ (died/dead/
2
_________ (very/much/highly/best) known for his dying/death) in 1784, Boswell wrote his famous
Dictionary of the English Language. biography, Life of Samuel Johnson, 10_________
Johnson was the son of a bookseller. He was an (which/what/who/whose) was published in 1791
intelligent child and was sent to a grammar school, and became the most famous biography in the
where he was very good 3_________ (at/in/for/ English language.
about) Latin. Later he went to Oxford University, but
he 4_________ (did/could/was/is) not able to finish AFTER YOU READ AND LISTEN

his course because his parents couldnt continue to G Talk about it

pay for his 5_________ (instruction/education/study/ In pairs or groups.
lesson). 1) Are you tired of living in your home town? If so,
After working 6_________ (like/as/to/at) a teacher why?
for a short time, he went to London and began 2) Do you know your town or region very well?
writing articles for magazines. In 1747, a group of 3) If you had to write a travel blog about your town
printers 7_________ (asked/told/made/required) him or region, what would you include in it?
to write a dictionary. It 8_________ (spent/needed/ 4) What things can a tourist do there without
took/got) him eight years to complete it. spending a lot of money?

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Answers habitat for the bats.
5) They thought they were pests
and that they were dangerous
BATS! and flew into peoples hair.
B Read and answer 6) The farmers save money on
1) T pesticides because the bats eat
2) T 5,000 to 10,000 kilos of insects
3) F- There have always been bats every night. The town makes $10
in Austin. million every year from the tour-
4) F It lasts for an hour. ists that come to see the bats.
5) F Its the insects that damage 7) When they are five weeks old.
crops, not the bats. 8) They smell.
6) T
7) F You need an umbrella, but D Learn it! Use it!
not for the rain: it is to protect you 1) clouds
from bat excrement. 2) weight 5) to
8) F The Bat Hotline will tell 3) last 6) there
you what time the bats will come 4) harmless 7) is
out. 5) narrow 8) told/advised
6) holes 9) us
C Read and answer 7) catch 10) why
1) They are looking for food. 8) give birth
2) They arrive from Mexico. F Check your pronunciation
3) In the holes or deep openings E Ready for KET? 1) bridge
in the bridge. 1) writing/sending 2) farmer
4) Because they restored the 2) last 3) near
bridge in 1980 and made deep 3) the 4) live
openings which were a perfect 4) had/ate 5) habitat

THE GARDEN OF IRELAND E Learn it! Use it!

B Read and answer 1) struck
1) Its in County Wicklow. 2) onwards
2) There are sculptures in stone and 3) digs
metal, lakes, and a Pets Cemetery. 4) path
3) You can see the Sugar Loaf 5) shell
Mountain. 6) reward
4) There was a castle.
5) Richard Wingfield. Queen Eliza- F Ready for PET?
beth I gave it to him as a reward 1) miss
after a victorious battle. 2) known
6) In the 19th century. 2) T 3) because
7) A fire destroyed the house. 3) F It was modelled on the gar- 4) as
8) In 1997. den of a villa in Sicily. 5) plenty
4) F It was all done by hand. 6) do
D Listen, read and check your 5) T 7) like
answers 6) T 8) Few
1) F There are plenty of beauti- 7) F He studied finance. 9) has
ful gardens in Ireland. 8) T 10) that

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TOMS GUIDE 4) a
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TO LONDON 5) b
B Read and answer 6) b
1) Its purpose is to make its read-
ers appreciate all that London has E Learn it! Use it!
to offer. 1) leap year
2) It led to a book, which was pub- 2) climbed
lished last year. 3) several
3) He felt that he was doing the 4) thrifty
same thing every day and decided 5) supposed
he wanted to get the most out of 6) chance
London.
4) He thinks its the greatest city on F Ready for PET?
earth. 1) known
5) He did it himself. 2) best
6) It doesnt talk about the stand- 3) at
ard tourist attractions. 4) was
5) education
D Listen, read and check your 6) as
answers 7) asked
1) c 8) took
2) c 9) death
3) b 10) which

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