NAME

CLASS
American
ENGLISH FILE
8 Grammar, Vocabulary, and Pronunciation   B Starter

GRAMMAR 5 It’s ______________ today! It’s cold outside, but

it’s beautiful.
1 Write the present continuous form of the verb
5
in parentheses.
Example: Noah is reading (read) a book in his room.
4 Underline the correct word to complete the email.
1 Mark ___________________ (make) lunch for us.
Hi Dad,
2 Cindy and Pat ________________ (do) their
homework. I’m 1 taking / having a great time in Singapore. I’m
3 We __________________ (have) a great time in
2
paying / staying in a nice hotel. I can see a lot of
Mexico City. shopping malls from my room! Every morning I wake
up and 3 enjoy / carry fresh fruit for breakfast. I’m
4 Helen __________________ (stay) in a hotel 4
meeting / learning a lot of new people here, too. One of
downtown.
my new friends is 5 staying / waiting for me downstairs.
5 I can’t talk right now. I _________________ (drive) Talk to you later!
to school.
Love,
5 Diana

5
2 Underline the correct verb form.
Example: I usually read / am reading the newspaper Vocabulary total 10
in the evenings.
PRONUNCIATION
1 Kelly and Mike usually eat / are eating lunch
at home. 5 Underline the stressed syllable.
2 Rachel works / is working at a clothing store on Example: En|glish
the weekends.
1 win|dy
3 Phil writes / is writing an email to his mother.
2 tra|ve|ling
4 That’s my sister over there. She wears / is wearing
3 u|su|a|lly
a green T-shirt.
4 va|ca|tion
5 Kerry sleeps / is sleeping right now.
5 en|joy|ing
5
5

Grammar total 10
6 Match the words with the same sound.
VOCABULARY
woman  you  singer  walk  snowing    take
3 Complete the sentences with the words from
the box. Example: email  take
1 always ________
cloudy  hot  raining  snowing  sunny  windy
2 eating ________
Example:  I like winter. I don’t really like hot weather. 3 book ________
1 It’s ______________ and hot today. Let’s go to 4 student ________
the beach! 5 cold ________
2 It’s ______________ today. I can’t see the sun. 5
3 We can’t play tennis today. It’s windy and it’s
______________. Pronunciation total 10
4 Please wear a jacket. It’s not cold, but it’s very
______________ today. Grammar, Vocabulary, and Pronunciation total 30

American English File Starter Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2013 1

 NAME CLASS
American
ENGLISH FILE
8  Reading and Writing   B Starter

READING 7 All the members are raising money in the park today.

1 Read the message and check (✓) true or false.

True  ■  False ■  
8 It’s easy to raise $600 in one day.
True  ■  False ■  
Raising money for the 9 It takes about an hour to draw a person’s picture.
art club True  ■  False ■  
Our university art club is raising money for our activities this 9
year. We need money for trips to museums. We usually go to
art museums four times a year. We choose a different
museum each time, and we see a lot of different kinds of
2 Read the text again and complete the answers to
the questions.
art. It’s really interesting.
Today is one of our big fundraising days. Members of our Example: A Which club is raising money?
club are doing different things to raise money. The B The art club is raising money.
first-year students are washing cars in the park downtown. 1 What’s the weather like today?
People pay us ten dollars for each car. It’s nice and sunny
It’s ________.
today, so they’re having fun!
2 Which students are working at the student center?
The second-year students are selling muffins, brownies,
The ___________ students are working at the
and cookies in the student center at the university. Cookies
student center.
and brownies are two dollars each, and muffins are three
dollars. Oh, and they’re selling coffee, too. I think it only
3 How much does a car wash cost?
costs one dollar. It costs ________.
Third-year and fourth-year students are raising money in the 4 How much does a brownie cost?
park, too. They’re drawing pictures of people. It only takes It costs ________.
about fifteen minutes to draw a person’s picture. For twenty 5 How much money do they usually raise?
dollars, you can have a black-and-white picture. Or for They usually raise _________________.
twenty-five dollars, you can get a picture in color.
6 How much does a color picture cost?
We usually raise about six hundred dollars on our fundraising It costs ________.
day. Raising money is hard work, but it’s fun, too.
6

Example: Students in the art club are raising Reading total 15

money today.
True  ■
✓   False ■  
WRITING
1 The club is selling coffee for three dollars.
1 Answer the questions about the weather.
True  ■  False ■  
1 What’s the weather like today?
2 It’s raining and windy today.
__________________________________________
True  ■  False ■  
2 Is it sunny today?
3 First-year students are washing cars.
__________________________________________
True  ■  False ■  
3 Is it raining now?
4 Second-year students are selling sandwiches.
__________________________________________
True  ■  False ■  
4 Is it windy outside?
5 Third-year and fourth-year students are
taking pictures. __________________________________________
True  ■  False ■   5 Is it cold today?
6 The art club visits a different museum every month. __________________________________________
True  ■  False ■   5

American English File Starter Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2013 2

 NAME CLASS
American
ENGLISH FILE
8  Reading and Writing   B Starter

2 Now answer the questions about you.

1 What are you doing now?
__________________________________________
2 What are you studying?
__________________________________________
3 What is your teacher doing?
__________________________________________
4 What do you usually do before class?
__________________________________________
5 What do you usually do after class?
__________________________________________

Writing total 10

Reading and Writing total 25

American English File Starter Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2013 3

 NAME CLASS
American
ENGLISH FILE
8  Listening and Speaking   B Starter

LISTENING SPEAKING
1 Listen to Kelsey and her roomate Beth talking 1 Answer your partner’s questions about you.
about changes in Kelsey’s life. Put a check (✓) if
2 Now ask your partner these questions.
the information is correct. Write an X if the
information is incorrect. 1 Is it hot and sunny today?
2 What’s the weather usually like in July?
1 Kelsey usually makes dinner at home.
3 What is the teacher doing now?
2 Kelsey is making a fresh, green salad for dinner. 4 What do you usually do in the evenings?
3 Kelsey eats pasta every night near her university. 5 What do you usually do on the weekends?
4 It’s raining outside.
3 Read the information. Answer your partner’s
5 Kelsey wants to play tennis tonight. questions.
5
Hotel:  New Orleans Mardi Gras Hotel
2 Listen to five conversations and answer the Today’s weather:  Hot and sunny
questions. Check (✓) A or B. Breakfast:  We are serving breakfast in our
1 What is Allan doing now? downstairs dining room from 7:00–11:00 a.m.
A  He’s going to Haley’s office.  ■   Activities:  French Quarter tour leaves at 2:00 p.m.
B  He’s talking on the phone.  ■  
2 What’s the weather like in Seattle now? 4 Your partner has information about a hotel.
A  It’s cloudy.  ■  B It’s raining. ■   Ask your partner questions and complete
3 Why isn’t Erika watching the soccer game? the information.
A  She doesn’t usually watch soccer.  ■  
B  Her TV isn’t working.  ■   Hotel:  _________________________________
4 What is Carla doing now? Today’s weather:  _______________________
A  She’s studying for a test.  ■   Breakfast:  _____________________________
B  She’s walking on the beach.  ■  
Activities:  ______________________________
5 What does Marissa want to do?
A  She wants to play her game.  ■  
B  She wants to play in the snow.  ■   Speaking total 15

5
Listening and Speaking total 25

Listening total 10

American English File Starter Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2013 4