GRADE 8

Grade 8
1) It's eight o'clock now. Anna ______________(eat) her breakfast .
2) The bus _________ now ____________(turn) left into Queens Street.
3) What _____ you _______ (do)? I_______________ (listen) to you.
4) Why ___________ (you smell) the milk? Is it sour?
5) My father __________ (make) excuses when I feel like going to the cinema.
6) Scientists ____________(work) on a vaccine against cancer these days.
7) We ____________(look for) new members for our football group before the new season starts.
8) Why_________(you eat) only fruit and vegetables these days? Are you on a diet?
9) Anna ____________(cook) today. I think she _____________(make) something completely new-
curry.
10) I'd hate to live in London because it _______ (rain) all the time.
11) Time ____________(pass) quickly.
12) Plants __________ (grow) in soil.
13) People _________ (speak) English all over the world.
14) Snakes __________ (change) their skins regularly.
15) I____________ (learn) to dance this summer.
16) I___________(stay) with my family in Paris this holiday. I want to see a new place this year.
17) What sort of things ___________(your brother learn) this week?
18) We ____________(train) every day this week to prepare for our next match.
19) What ________________(you work) on at the moment?
20) I feel a bit lost. I've just finished a really good novel and now I__________(not read) anything.
21) Elisabeth _______ (currently write) a children's book titled ‘I Am the World.’
22) ____________still__________(you/work) in London?
23) She ________________________( constantly complain) about everything!
24) John _____________________(always ask) stupid questions! That’s really annoying.
25) My boss _____________________________ (continually criticise) me! I hate it.
26) She _________________ (always come) to the office late.
27) I_______________ (not meet) Katie tomorrow evening.
28) He _______________ (fly) to Rome in September
29) On Monday morning I___________(take) my grandma for a walk regularly.
30) ______you________ (leave) this morning?
31) What time___________(you/leave) tomorrow?
32) Today, an international company ___________(use) that building for a conference.
33) ________dogs ________ (bark) at strangers?
34) I ____________ (think) about visiting Jane this afternoon.
35) The police _______________ (still look) for fingerprints.
36) I ____________ (see) that the situation is out of control.

Past Simple

Grade 8
1) 1 A: I lived in Milan when I was younger. B: Really? How long _____you ____ there? (live)
2) 2 The picture was too low, so we _______ it a little. (raise)
3) 3 'What time ______Lisa_______?' 'About an hour ago.' (phone)
4) 4 Mozart ___________ more than 600 pieces of music. (write)
5) I _____________well last night and I ____________very tired in the morning. (not sleep / be)
6)
7) We ___________ to have lunch, so we _________ to the cafe on the corner. (want /go)
8) When I arrived home I ________ down on the sofa and _______ the TV. (sit / turn on)
9) When Frank ______ the policeman, he _____the pen back. (see / put)

Past Continuous

1) Sandy is watching television in the living room. At this time yesterday, she________ television.
That's all she ever does! (watch)

2) ______it still ________when you came home? (snow)

3) Who _____ you ______ to all evening? I tried to call you ten times and the line was busy. (talk)

4) "What _____you ______between 5 and 7 yesterday afternoon? " (do)

" I _________ in the Red Lion Pub with a lot of other people." (sit)
5) What _____James______ while his wife _______ the house? (do / clean)
6) While I __________for my English test yesterday, my brother _________fun with his friends.
(study / have)
7) While the children _________ for school, their mother _________ sandwiches for them. (get
ready / make)
8) When I walked into the busy office, the secretary ________ on the phone with a customer, several
clerks _________ at their desks, and two managers ______ were methods to customer service. (talk /
work / discuss)

Sentences emphasising the distinction between the use of past simple and past continuous.
(Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets)
9) Ena ________ while she ________ a book. (fall asleep / read)
10) Mr. Carlson___________ to another man when I __________ him today. (talk / see)
11) _____ you ________ television when I phoned you? (watch)
12) I __________ breakfast when the phone ______. (have / ring)

Present Perfect Simple

Complete the sentences with the correct present perfect simple form of the verbs in brackets
1) I __________ my leg and now I can’t walk. ( break )
2) We _________ the new sci-fi film. ( not see )
3) Sally and Emma __________ some money in the street. (find)
4) 4.Peter __________ his ankle and it is still bad. (injure)
5) _________ you ________ your driving test? ( pass )
6) I ________ her several times. ( meet )
7) Mark and Dave are good friends. They __________ each other for long time. (know)
8) _________ Lina _________ the new Spiderman film? ( see)

9) I ___________ sky diving. (try)

10) Bill __________ a new house. (buy)
11) The bus _______ down. (break)
12) Susan __________ two pieces of cake. (eat)
13) I'm not hungry. I ____________ a whole steak. (eat)
14) The doctor _____________ a book about disease prevention. (write)
15) The florist _____________ the flowers for the wedding. They are beautiful. (arrange)
16) We __________________ your invitation! (receive)
17) Mike ___________ ill for a long time. (be)
18) That boy _____________face for sometime. (wash)
19) _________ you _________ my boyfriend Bob lately? (see)
20) Poor old Henry _________________ a holiday since the year before last. (have)
21) How many countries ________ you ______ to? (be)
22) I'm ready to go. ______ you _______ getting ready? (finish)
23) Susie isn't here. She __________ to the shops for some bread. (go)
24) You have a great suntan, Sally. ______ you _______ on holiday? (be)

COMPLETE THE SENTENCES WITH THE APPROPRIATE TIME ADVERBIALS: just, yet, already, since,
for, ever, never!

1) You've __________ drunk three cups of coffee.

2) I've written ten letters ________ breakfast.
3) She hasn't bought a new hat _________ 9 months.
4) They've been very busy ________ the last week.

"used to " and "would"

Complete the sentences with the correct form of used to or would
Grade 8
1) I ________ smoke, but I don’t any more
2) Where ________ you _________ live
3) I ________ eat a large breakfast but I do now.
4) As he grew old, he _________ often __________ talk about his war experiences.
5) We _________ play tennis every day when we were young.
6) He __________ do a lot of exercise, but now he only goes swimming.
7) She __________ always tell us a story before we went to bed.
8) I ___________ watch cartoons every Saturday morning when I was very little. Now I rarely watch TV.
Future time
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets (will + infinitive, going to for fu-
ture, present simple)
1) „ Did you call Tim ?“ „ Oh no, I forgot. I ______(do) it now.“
2) Many scientists think that the Earth's temperature _________(rise) by 2-3 C in the next 50 years.
3) If you come to the club, you__________(have) a great time.
4) I suppose we __________(see) Sue at the party.
5) _______you _________( hold ) this box for a moment while I unpack it?
6) I hear Ann has won a lot of money. I wonder what ____ she _____________( do ) with it?
7) He ______________________(not/tell) how much he spent on his new computer. We'd be shocked!
8) Julia looks very pale.She ____________________(faint).
9) The restaurant _____________(open) at 19.30 tonight.
10) Hurry up ! The shop _____________(close) in 15 minutes and we still haven't bought all the food we
neeed.
11) She __________(have ) a yoga class tomorrow morning.
12) The sale __________ (end ) next week.
13) Don't lift that. You ____________ (hurt) yourself.
14) Kelly's sister ______________ (have) a baby. It's due next month.
15) The plane _______________ (take off) at 5 p.m.

Time clauses
Grade 8
Complete the sentences with the correct forms of the verbs in brackets
1) We_______( go out) when the shops open.
2) You drive first and when you are tired, I_____________(take over).
3) You can't go out before you ____________(finish) your homework!
4) As soon as I get my exam results, we ______________(go) on holiday.
5) When he ___________ (return) I'll give him the key.

Conditionals
1st conditional
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets

1 Water ____________ (boil) if you ____________ (heat) it.

2 Plants _____________ (die) if you _____________ (not water) them.
3 Ice __________ (turn) to water if you _____________ (heat) it.
4 Sarah _____________ (not come) to the party if Tom ______________ (not call) her.
5 If the police ______________ (find) the car, you ____________ (have) to prove that it is yours.
6 He ___________ (be) late for the train if he____________ (not start) at once.
7 We ____________ (have to) move upstairs if the river ____________(rise) any higher.
8 They ______________ (stay) at home if the weather ___________ (not be) good.
9 I _______________ (be) sad if my friends _____________ (not remember) my birthday.

2nd conditional
Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets
Grade 8
1 If he ________ (work) more slowly he _____(not make) so many mistakes.
2 More tourists (come) to this country if it _________(have) a better climate.
3 I __________ (buy) shares in that company if I ________ (have) some money.
4 If he ______ (clean) his windscreen he______ ( be able to) see where he was going.
5 If I ___________(win) a big prize in a lottery I________ (give up) my job.
6 Mark __________ (can) tell you what this means if he _________(know) Greek.
7 If everybody (give) 1 we _________ (have) enough.
8 He might get fat if he __________ (stop) smoking.
9 If you _____ (paint) the walls white the room _______ (be) much brighter.
10 I ___________ (be) ruined if I ________ (buy) her everything she asked for.

Phrasal and prepositional verbs

Complete the sentences with the following phrases:
get on with somebody; run into; get over something; look after somebody; bring about; shout at; look
up to somebody; take over; blow up; catch up with somebody; make something up; pass out; run into
somebody; involve in; cycle down; be famous for; look something up; put something out
1) John was a fussy person and difficult to _____________.
2) It took Beth months to _____________ her father's death.
3) He _____________ his ill brother for months.
4) They were a quiet, down-to-earth family that everybody _____________.

5) Even though he was injured during the race, he managed to _____________ the other runners.
6) It was the craziest story ever. I think he _____________.
7) He _____________ when he saw the thief. Later he called the police.
8) You won't believe who I _____________ yesterday. We went for a cup of coffee to _____________.
9) We cycled very fast _____________ the hill.
10) China is _____________ the Great Wall.
11) What does this word mean? –You can _____________ in a dictionary.
12) Firefighters _____________ fires and save people's lives.
13) We _______________ some friends yesterday. They were on their way back from school.
14) Don’t _________________ me. I can hear you very well.
15) On 5th November 1605, Guy Fawkes tried to _______ the Houses of Parliament in London.
16) He's __________ a number of research projects.
17) It can be very difficult to _______political change because people generally like things that are famil-
iar.
18) Up until midnight, one group of soldiers were keeping watch, then another group _________.
Modal Verbs

Complete the sentences with the correct form of either can, could, must, have to, may or might
(sometimes more than one answer is possible).
1. They ___________ be evacuated from the building last night. It was extremely dangerous to leave
them there.
2. Why _________ they __________ to leave our home as they could stay another two weeks?
3. When I was a student, we ____________________ wear the school uniforms at all, but we
___________ obey the school rules and dress politely.
4. This bag ____________ be yours, right?
5. There ____________ be a lot of tourists here! Look at the beaches! They're awesome!
6. We haven't walked far. You ________ be tired yet.
7. I _______lift this box - it's too heavy! Would you help me?
8. Lucy ____________make it to our meeting after all. She's stuck in traffic.
9. Gill _______play the piano. She has never studied it.
10. James _________speak Japanese when he lived in Japan, but he's forgotten most of it now.
11. I _________understand the chapter we had to read for homework. It was so difficult.
12. My grandmother _________use a computer until last month. Since then she's been taking lessons at
the library.
13. You ____ smoke anywhere on the train.
14. You ____ use my dictionary if you want.
15. You _______ sit here. The seat is free.
16. 5. This is the non-smoking section. You _________ smoke here.
17. You _______ cigarettes in British Columbia unless you are 19 years of age. That is the law.
18. You ___________smoke in a petrol station.
19. You _________ cheat if you are at the exam.

Complete the following sentences using the modals – have to, must or don't have to!
1) I ___________follow the procedures because I don’t want to be wrong.

2) I __________ follow the procedures because it’s my duty.

3) There's no heating on. You ___________ be freezing.

4) I _____________ arrive at work at 9 sharp. My boss is very strict.
5) The weather is fantastic in California. It _____________be a lot of fun to live there.
6) It has rained all day; it _____________be very wet outside.
7) You _______________ be so rude! Why don't you try saying "please" once in a while?
8) If you are over 18 in California, you _______________ take a driver training course to get a
driver's license. You can have a friend or a family member teach you instead.
9) You ____________be worried that she is so late coming home.
10) I _______________ go. Only if I want to.
Nouns
Grades 7, 8 and 9
What are the plural forms of the following groups of nouns?
1) Sheep – sky – half

2) Wife – penny – wolf

3) Ox – louse – self

4) Deer – life – berry

5) Scarf – church – stomach

6) Spoof – deer – daisy

7) Chief – leaf – elf

8) Avocado – louse – elf

9) Zero – ox – life

10) Medium – life – daisy

11) Penny – sister-in-law – oasis

12) Analysis – fungus – elf

13) Crisis – deer – species

14) Thesis – tax – fungus

15) Zero – avocado – medium

16) Medium – zero – epoch

17) Stomach – aircraft – ox

18) Studio – hero – she-wolf

19) Domino – gas – tax

20) Chef – lorry – auto

21) Embargo – alga – zero

22) Larva – matr9 – avocado

23) Marsh – crisis – chef

24) Chief – basis – veto

25) Ray – marsh – blitz

26) Kangaroo – memo – hoof

27) Barracks – curriculum – cactus

28) Index – matrix – diagnosis

29) Axis – criterion - ski

30) Thesis –syllabus – passer-by

Classify the following nouns as countable or uncountable ones!
1) Watch, information, water, box, love

2) Advice, information, desk, man, mouse

3) Experience, juice, sand, bus, candle

4) Luggage, chocolate, help, ball, rice

5) Tea, knowledge, painting, restaurant, ceiling

6) Hotel, sugar, air, fork, pen

7) Photograph, experience, taxi, progress, flour

8) Intelligence, money, poem, song, assistance

9) Wood, wine, toe, city, humor

10) Rain, homework, metal, car, subject

11) Education, weather, bread, house, shop

12) Garbage, fear, evidence, owner, cousin

13) Progress, trouble, pasta, tomato, uncle, family

14) Tea, rice, anger, berry, vegetable

15) Humor, love, fear, grape, room, finger

16) Safety, research, olive, body, friend

17) Peace, milk, meat, teacher, sand, classroom

18) Music, art, furniture, spoon, can

19) Butter, power, fork, table, napkin

20) Happiness, gas, salt, plate, knife

21) Travel, work, potato, movie, park

22) Permission, democracy, hall, garage, chimney

Articles
(a/an/the/zero article)
1) There was ___ collision between ___ car and ___ cyclist at ____ crossroads near ___ my house
early in ___ morning. ____cyclist was taken to ____ hospital.
2) I went to ____ school to talk to _____ headmistress.
3) He was sent to ____ prison for _____ s9 months for ____ shop-lifting. Do you go to . _____prison
to visit him?
4) Do you take ____ sugar in ____ coffee? I used to, but now I'm on ____ diet. I'm trying to lose
_____ weight.
5) My mum doesn't like ____ dogs. She thinks they are noisy.
6) This is _____ only cinema in this area.
7) _________________ Nile is a long river in ______ Africa.
8) We went snorkeling in ______ Adriatic Sea
9) ____ Nile is ____ longest river and ____ Lake Baikal is ____ deepest lake.
10) ____ Lake Titicaca is in _____ Peru.
11) ____ Thames, which flows through Oxford and London, is one of the longest rivers in ____ UK.
12) ____Danube is _____ beautiful river that flows through ____ Budapest.
13) ____ London stands on ____ Thames.
14) We visited ____ Lake Edward last month.
15) There are many poems about _______________Volga.
16) ______ Loch Ness is in ______ Scotland.
17) We didn’t have time to visit _____ Egyptian Museum of _____ Berlin.
18) ___ capital of ___ United Arab Emirates is ___ Abu Dhabi and not ___ Dubai.
19) _____ Moon goes around ____ Earth every 27 days.
20) I hate ______ violence.
21) They got married but ____ marriage wasn’t very successful.
22) Jim doesn’t go to _____ church.
23) I like _____ apples.
24) ___ Rio Grande separates ____ Mexico from ____ United States.
25) ___ Amazon starts from ______ Andes and enters ____ Atlantic Ocean at the equator.
26) ____ Indian Ocean has an amazing wildlife.
27) _____ Andes are very beautiful.
28) That's ___ last gas station for twenty miles.
29) I have ____ hour and _____ half for lunch.

30) ‘I would have to say that _____ pandas are my favourite animal.’
Pronouns and determiners
Compounds with every –
1) __________ has their faults. Nobody is perfect.
2) Nothing has changed. ____________ is the same as it was.
3) Kate told me __________ about her new job. It sounds quite interesting.
4) Can __________ write their names on a piece of paper, please?
5) It was a good party __________ enjoyed it.
6) ___________I've eaten today is a sandwich.
7) Why are you always thinking about money? Money isn’t __________.
8) I didn't have much money with me. __________ I had was ten pounds.
9) When the fire alarm rang _________ left the building immediately.
10) Sue didn't say where she was going ___________ she said was that she was going away.
11) We have completely different opinions. I disagree with ___________ she says.
12) We all did well in the examination _____________ in our class passed.
13) We all did well in the examination _____________ of us passed.
14) Why are you so lazy? Why do you expect me to do _____________ for you?
Fill in: all, some, all the, some of the, none of the
1) _________ children have to go to school in this country by law.
2) The classroom was empty because _______ the children had gone home.
3) We couldn't buy anything because_______ shops in the area were closed.
4) A: Where were you at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon?
5) B: I was at home. I was at ________ home afternoon. I didn't go out until the evening.
6) We went to a restaurant last night. _______ food was lovely, but I didn't like the soup or the dessert.
7) _________ people say that he's the best tennis player in the world, but a lot of others don't agree.
8) It was a very boring day. __________ places that we visited were interesting.
9) He spent ________ morning reading the newspaper, so he didn't do any work.
10) _________ phones in the station worked, so I couldn't phone you.
11) We left the hotel at 9 o'clock in the morning, and we didn't go back to the hotel until the evening.
We walked round the city, looking at the sights, _______ day.
12) __________ jackets fitted me, so I didn't buy one.
13) __________ passengers must buy a ticket before they travel.
14) She was ill. She stayed in bed from Monday to Saturday. She didn't go to work ________ week.
15) The teacher asked a question, but __________ students knew the answer, so the teacher told them.
16) ________course was difficult for me, but most of it was easy.

Adjectivesand adverbs
Complete the sentences with too or enough.
Grade 8
1) She doesn't live close _____ to walk to work.
2) Quite honestly, I thought the news was ______ good to be true.
3) I couldn’t make it to the school athletics team because I wasn’t fast _____
4) She's ______ young to go to discos.
5) They wouldn’t let Dave into the club because he didn’t look old _____ .
6) Is there ______ milk in your coffee?
7) Joe is _____ nice and has ______ beautiful children.

Complete the sentences with -ed or –ing adjectives from brackets.

Grade 8
1) Julia is ____ in politics. (interested/interesting)
2) That Dracula film was absolutely ______. (terrified/terrifying)
3) He works very hard. lt's not ______ that he's always tired. (surprised/surprising)
4) Fortunately the surgeon was able to perform a ______ operation. (life-saved/life-saving)
5) Do you easily get _______? (embarrassed/embarrasing)

Comparison

1. Our ___________ research should prove it. (far)

2. At home, mother is always ________ than father. (busy)
3. Andrew seems to be ________ than he was two months ago. (slim)
4. Her sister is _________ than Susan. (pretty)
5. She's a lot _________in the new job than she was in the previous one. (happy)
6. I think she is still ill. She looks even _______ than last week. (bad)
7. This is ______________ story I have ever heard. (sad)
8. In my opinion, Napoleon was ___________ commander in history. (great)
9. Yesterday was _______ day of the year. I almost froze to death walking home from school! (cold)
10. That was ____________ movie I’ve ever seen. I almost walked out in the middle. (bad)
11. Please give me your recipe. That is ___________________ cake I’ve ever eaten. (delicious)

12. Jerry is ____________ student in our class. He gets the top grades in every course. (smart)

Choose the correct answer

1. She is _______________ her brother. She is slimmer.

a) as fat as
b) not as fat as
c) fat as
d) fatter than
2. The film is ________________ I expected. I really enjoyed it.
a) not as interesting as
b) as interesting as
c) interesting
d) more interesting
3. This exercise is ______________ the other one. It's very simple.
a) easier
b) not as easy as
c) as easy as
d) the most easiest

4. His DVD player was ________________ mine. We paid the same price.
a) expensive
b) more expensive
c) not cheap as
d) as cheap as

5. She is _________________ her brother. He is really intelligent.

a) not as smart as
b) smarter
c) the smartest
d) as smartest as

6. Vocabulary exercises are generally ____________ grammar exercises.

a) not as difficult as
b) difficultier
c) not difficultier
d) the difficultiest
7. The whole team played ________, so

There is only one correct place for each time expression given in the bracket.
Grade 8
1) _1_ It's _2_ very quiet. There aren't _3_ many people here _4_ . (today)
2) She _1_ is _2_ worried _3_ about _4_ school. (always)
3) He _1_ works _2_ in _3_ Hollywood _4_ . (usually)
4) I _1_ have _2_ coffee for breakfast _3_ in the kitchen _4_. (never)
5) What _1_ time _2_ are you meeting _3_ Pete _4_ ? (tomorrow)
6) _1_ They didn't play _2_ very well _3_ so they lost the match _4_. (yesterday)
7) That's probably _1_ the worst _2_ film I've_3_ seen _4_. (ever)
8) Europeans saw potatoes _1_ for the first time _2_ about five hundred _3_ years _4_. (ago)

Choose the correct form

Can you be there at 5 o'clock ........?

a) sharply b) sharp c) punctualy d) punctual
Which part of the movie did you like ........?
a) mostly b) the most c) more d) most
It serves you ........ .
a) good b) the best c) right d) righty
A ........ car goes ......... .
a) fast/fastly b) fastly/fastly c) fastly/fast d) fast/fast
The baby is sleeping ........ .
a) soundly b) sound c) sounded d) soundingly
That arrangement suits me ........ .
a) good b) really c) fine d) finely
She was ........ injured in the accident.
a) deadly b) fatally c) hard d) totally
We haven't gathered ........ enough flowers.
a) most b) mostly c) near d) nearly

Relative clauses
Fill in the correct relative pronoun.
Grade 8
1) 1.Do you know _________ that man standing near Tom is?
2) 2.That boy, ___________ father is a footballer, is very good at sports.
3) This is the street_________my friend lives.
4) 4.They are the policemen __________ caught the thief.
5) Here are the letters _________ arrived this morning.
6) I bought the coat __________ was in the shop window.
7) 7.I sent all the letters _________ you gave me.

1. FILL IN THE CORRECT PREPOSITIONS

About ( 2x ) – On ( 3x ) – Without - Of – At ( 2x ) – Against – Around – Into – To - Among
– For – In - With

1) The travel agency sells many different types of trips. It all depends _______ what you want.
2) It's ________ time you told him the truth.
3) The soccer player was ejected because he had done something that was
a. _________________ the rules.
4) The river Rhine flows _______ the North Sea.
5) Why are you always late, Mark? Can't you ever arrive ______ time?
6) The animal hospital? It's somewhere ________ that big blue building.
7) Being a nurse is hard work, especially if you're _______ call all the time.
8) She is, ________ a doubt, the best student in the class.
9) Don’t be impatient _____ us. We are trying!
10) This is the book I was telling you ________ .
11) I'm very grateful ______ Mr. Smith for his timely help.
12) They are ______ the best hockey players in the world.
13) I get paid ______ the end of the month.
14) I was talking so much _____ lunch that my food went cold.
15) Almost all politicians were involved _____ the scandal.
16) You should be ashamed _____ yourself _____ coming in with dirty boots.

Passive
Grade 8
Rewrite these sentences in passive. Sometimes there is more than one option.
1 Oh no! They have already sold all the sandwiches!
2 The headquarters distributed the food parcels to the soldiers.
3 They give a bar of soap to each prisoner.
4 Some people in Far East eat dogs.
5 People produced glass first time in Egypt 2500 years BC.
6 They built this house 100 years ago.

7 Over 60% of Americans wear lenses.

8 The teacher is telling the children a scary story.
9 A few minutes later, someone found fire in the school kitchen.
10 They are checking the school to make sure no one is still inside.
11 This company hired a lot of people last year.
12 I can't use my office at the moment. They are painting it.
13 They haven't invited me to the party.
14 Chocolate doesn’t cause spots.
15 I'm afraid a car hit your cat.
16 Someone has left their wallet on the floor.

Reading

1 -STUCK IN THE DESERT BY SAEED AL-QAMZI

Three years ago on the last day of January, I had a big problem. I can't forget this day forever. The
story began when my uncle, my cousin, and I went to the desert. My uncle was the oldest at 72 years
old, but he was still strong. My cousin at that time was 10 years old, and I was 25 years old. All of us
liked hunting. Usually we went hunting on the weekend, especially in winter, because winter is the
hunting season. On the 25th of January, we decided to go hunting. All things were ready in the car, a
Range Rover with four-wheel drive. We began on Thursday afternoon, and it took us three hours by
car. We reached the place we were looking for at 5:15 P.M. First, we fixed the tent, then we made
coffee and had a few minutes of rest. After that, we left to go on the hunt. We hunted using a falcon.
Often, we hunt birds and rabbits. We spent two hours without finding anything. We decided to go
back to the camp. On our way back, my cousin saw a rabbit. He cried, "Rabbit!! Rabbit! Quick!" I
took the falcon's head cover and flung it off aggressively. When the rabbit saw the falcon, it ran fast,
but my falcon was a professional hunter. He flew up and came down to trick the rabbit. After two
minutes, the rabbit was caught. We took it and went back to the camp where we started to cook our
dinner. We ate the delicious food, drank Arabic coffee, and sat around the fire talking until 10:30
P.M. Then we went to bed. We left camp the next day at 7 o'clock in the morning. We went north
and found two kinds of birds and caught them. However, we faced trouble at 10:00A.M. because the
car got stuck in the sand! We spent about three hours trying to pull out the car without any progress.
Finally, we decided to walk. I talked with my uncle about how hard it is for an old man or a young
boy to walk more than 40 km. in the desert. He agreed with me. So I took a bottle of water with me
and started to walk south alone. I knew the way well, but it was a long way in the sand. I walked
more than four hours without stopping. I felt tired and thirsty. I drank all the water which was in the
bottle. I stopped to rest, sleeping around two hours. When I got up, darkness had covered the area.
"What should I do?" I asked myself. I continued to walk south. I was worried about my uncle and
cousin, and they were worried about me also. Suddenly, I met a Bedouin man who was riding his
camel. He took me to his house. When I had had enough rest, I asked him to take me to the road and
he did. After that, I found a car which took me to the city to get help. I had one day to get back to my
uncle and cousin. When I got back to them, they were so happy because I had gotten help and they
were able to see me again. Eventually, I learned a lesson from this story, which was that the desert is
very dangerous. Next time, when we go hunting, we must go in groups with two or more cars. If we
go together, we can keep each other safe. We know the desert is dangerous, but we will never quit
hunting.
1 Which of the following is NOT true?
A Saeed's uncle was over 70 years old.
B Saeed was younger than his uncle and his cousin.
C Three males went hunting.
D Winter is the hunting season, so they went hunting in January.
E Saeed's uncle was an old, but strong man.

2 - CAVE DRAWINGS
When another old cave is discovered in the south of France, it is not usually news. Rather, it
is an ordinary event. Such discoveries are so frequent these days that hardly anybody pays heed to
them. However, when the Lascaux cave complex was discovered in 1940, the world was amazed.
Painted directly on its walls were hundreds of scenes showing how people lived thousands of years ago.
The scenes show people hunting animals, such as bison or wild cats. Other images depict birds and,
most noticeably, horses, which appear in more than 300 wall images, by far outnumbering all other ani-
mals. Early artists drawing these animals accomplished a monumental and difficult task. They did not
limit themselves to the easily accessible walls but carried their painting materials to spaces that required
climbing steep walls or crawling into narrow passages in the
Lascaux complex. Unfortunately, the paintings have been exposed to the destructive action of water and
temperature changes, which easily wear the images away. Because the Lascaux caves have
many entrances, air movement has also damaged the images inside. Although they are not out in the
open air, where natural light would have destroyed them long ago, many of the images have deterio-
rated and are barely recognizable. To prevent further damage, the site was closed to tourists in 1963, 23
years after it was discovered.
 Which title best summarizes the main idea of the passage?
A. Wild Animals in Art
B. Hidden Prehistoric Paintings
C. Exploring Caves Respectfully
D. Determining the Age of French Caves
3 - Dirty Britain
Before the grass has thickened on the roadside verges and leaves have started growing on the trees is
a perfect time to look around and see just how dirty Britain has become. The pavements are stained
with chewing gum that has been spat out and the gutters are full of discarded fast food cartons. Years
ago I remember travelling abroad and being saddened by the plastic bags, discarded bottles and
soiled nappies at the edge of every road. Nowadays, Britain seems to look at least as bad. What has
gone wrong?
The problem is that the rubbish created by our increasingly mobile lives lasts a lot longer than before.
If it is not cleared up and properly thrown away, it stays in the undergrowth for years; a semi-perma-
nent reminder of what a tatty little country we have now.
Firstly, it is estimated that 10 billion plastic bags have been given to shoppers. These will take any-
thing from 100 to 1,000 years to rot. However, it is not as if there is no solution to this. A few years
ago, the Irish government introduced a tax on non-recyclable carrier bags and in three months re-
duced their use by 90%. When he was a minister, Michael Meacher attempted to introduce a similar
arrangement in Britain. The plastics industry protested, of course. However, they need not have both-
ered; the idea was killed before it could draw breath, leaving supermarkets free to give away plastic
bags.
What is clearly necessary right now is some sort of combined initiative, both individual and collec-
tive, before it is too late. The alternative is to continue sliding downhill until we have a country that
looks like a vast municipal rubbish tip. We may well be at the tipping point. Yet we know that people
respond to their environment. If things around them are clean and tidy, people behave cleanly and
tidily. If they are surrounded by squalor, they behave squalidly. Now, much of Britain looks pretty
squalid. What will it look like in five years?
Q1 - The writer says that it is a good time to see Britain before the trees have leaves because
A Britain looks perfect.
B you can see Britain at its dirtiest.
C you can see how dirty Britain is now.
D the grass has thickened on the verges.

4 - The value of friendship

Recent research into the world of teenagers has suggested that they value friendship above everything
else. Children aged between 12 and 15 were asked what was important to them. Their answers included
possessions such as money and computer gadgets but also relationships with people. The teenagers
questioned said that friends were the most important to them, more even than family, or boyfriends
and girlfriends.
We waited to find out more about the results of this research so we asked our readers what they
thought about the value of friendship. Here are some examples of what they said about their friends.
Ben, 15
Every time have a fight with my parents I need some time on my own. But after that, the first thing l do
is meet up with my friends. After playing football for a while, or skateboarding, I usually feel much hap-
pier again.
Rory, 13
When I moved to a village in the countryside, I thought that it would be the end of mv friendships. But
my old friends have kept in touch and they come and visit m the holidays. There's a lake nearby, so we
often go sailing, water-skiing or windsurfing. And I have made some new friends here, too, at school,
and since joined the rugby club
Carlos, 11
Last year I broke my arm on a skiing holiday. Unfortunately, it was my left arm and I am left handed. My
school friends all helped and copied their notes for me
It seems that out readers value their friendships very highly. From what they told us they spend a lot of
time with their friends, just, hanging out, or sharing hobbies and interests they seem to need their
friends for advice, help, chats, and for having fun. Clearly friends make each other feel better. Looking at
what our readers told us, the results of the recent research are not really surprising.
1 Why are Ben, Rory and Carlos mentioned in the article?
a They know why teenagers value friendship.
b They gave information about themselves.
c They read magazines
d They are teenage boys

5 - KAYAKING HOLIDAY
Would you like to see amazing wildlife and breathtaking scenery? Do you want to learn about a unique
culture? If your answer is yes then you should follow in the footsteps of Mike Smith and take a trip to
the state of Georgia in America.
Every year my wife and I go on a camping holiday in France. Although this is something we both really
enjoy, this year I wanted to go somewhere I’d never been before and do something exciting. We did
some research and came up with the idea of going to the US. We chose a kayaking holiday in the south-
ern state of Georgia. Neither of us had ever been kayaking before, but we managed to find a package
which included lessons for beginners.
Georgia is an amazing place; it’s a crossroad of different cultures and it has had a fascinating and at
times violent past. It is also a place of untouched natural beauty, with nature parks and an unspoilt
coastline. We went to Cathead Creek, an area rich in wildlife and scenery. Our kayaking instructor was a
friendly local called Frank. As my wife and I had never been kayaking before, we found the first few
lessons a bit challenging. In spite of this, Frank was always very patient and he would constantly offer
words of encouragement. After some practice, we became more confident and realised it wasn’t that
difficult. We also did a safety course and Frank made us aware of any potential dangers, including the al-
ligators in the swamp! After completing the course, we felt ready for adventure and we decided to go
further out along the Darien River. As we glided down the river, I felt a delicious shiver of fear run up my
spine as I recalled Frank’s words of advice before we left, ‘Watch out for the alligators.’
We quietly slipped past a huge alligator, its unblinking eyes staring at us with mild interest. We paddled
on and watched brightly coloured birds fly over the water. We stopped to have some bread and cheese
and admire the view. We saw fishing boats returning with their catch of Georgian shrimp, which is the
region’s culinary speciality and is definitely worth trying if you visit Georgia. We also spent a few days on
Cumberland Island, which is one of the many islands off Georgia’s coast. Cumberland Island is a pro-
tected paradise, which makes it both secluded and peaceful. We rented bicycles and followed a trail
which led to a beautiful beach. On the following day, we took a tour of the island and this gave us the
opportunity to see all kinds of amazing wildlife. It was a wonderful experience and, without a doubt,
Cumberland Island is a place of unbelievable beauty.
As my wife is interested in history, we also dedicated some time to visiting various museums. I particu-
larly enjoyed the Geechee Kunda Visitor’s Centre, which some locals had recommended - here we learnt
about the first Africans that had been brought to the region in slave ships. A huge cotton and rice empire
was built in Georgia using the Africans as workers. The Africans had been taken from different parts of
West Africa and each group had their own culture, language, knowledge and music which they brought
into their everyday life. After the Civil War the rice and cotton plantations were burnt down and the
owners left, leaving the slaves behind. As a result, a unique culture was created known as Geechee. The
Geechee people spoke their own language, which was a mix of various West African languages. In the
present day, the Geechee Visitor’s Centre has made a huge effort to record the history and culture of
these unique people. It was a fascinating experience and something that enriched our visit to Georgia.
We returned from our holiday feeling happy and relaxed and we plan to go back to Georgia next year!
1. The writer
a. wanted to go camping somewhere else.
b. had previous experience of kayaking.
c. had been to the US before.
d. wanted to do something exciting during his holiday.

6
Elizabeth I was the queen of England from 1533 until 1603. Elizabeth ruled very differently from
other kings and queens before her. She asked experts for advice instead of making decisions by her-
self. She was also more tolerant of religious differences instead of attacking people with different
faiths. While most kings and queens usually married and had children at a young age, Elizabeth did
not marry nor have children during her life although she did have romantic relationships.
In Ireland, there was a rebellion against England mostly because of religious differences. Elizabeth
used her armies in an attempt to stop it. Most historians agree that her fight against the rebelling Irish
was very brutal and many thousands of them died. Most of the Irish rebellions were stopped but
some fighting continued even after Elizabeth’s death in 1603.
Philip II, the king of Spain was growing more confident after his armies won a series of battles
against England in other parts of the world. He eventually decided to attack England itself. In 1588,
the Spanish armada set sail for England. Greatly outnumbered by the Spanish ships, it seemed all
hope was lost for England. The English navy attempted a desperate tactic by setting eight of its own
ships on fire and sailing them towards the Spanish armada. The Spanish captains panicked at the
sight of the fiery ships and retreated.
Elizabethan England had many problems. The price of food was very high due to inadequate crops.
The war versus Spain and in Ireland and Scotland cost a very large amount of money. Instead of ask-
ing the government for more money, she gave land to the very rich and gave them too much control
over business. Historians disagree about whether Elizabeth was a good leader but most people agree
that she was very interesting and made some very important decisions as a ruler.
1 According to the article, how was Elizabeth different to previous kings and queens?
A She didn't get married or have any romantic relationships
B She listened to recommendations from others and was more open-minded
C She listened to recommendations from others and made her own decisions
D She didn't mind showing her disapproval of people with different faiths

7
It is said that most people have no more than 30 friends a any given time and 400 over the whole of
their lives However on social networking sites most users have about 150 fiends If these numbers are
correct then friendship means different things in different situations
One of the reasons for having more online friends than real friends at a certain point in time .s that on-
line friendships do not require much time and energy; it is easy to accept friendships and keep them for-
ever Another possibility is that it is difficult to say no when somebody asks us to be their friend online
even if we feel we don’t really know them. The fact that they ask us suggests that they do consider us a
friend, which is a nice feeling. Alternatively they may be collectors of online friends and just want to use
us to get a higher number of friends and appear to be popular
Online friendships are quite easy, but in the real world decisions about friendships are harder to make.
There are no rules about friendship. There are no guidelines about how to make friends how to keep
friendships going and how to finish friendships if we want to move on. People have very different opin-
ions about this some people would die for their friends and they value them more than family. Others
say that friends are temporary, only there to help each other until they are no longer needed. If people
with such different views become friends, this can lead to problems
Because of these different definitions of friendship it is easy to be unhappy about our friendships. We
may want them to be deeper or closer or we may want to nave more friends in our lives. Sometimes we
simply do not have the time to develop our friendships. or we fear we have left it too late in life to start.
If we move to another country or city we have to find ways to make new friends again.
This dissatisfaction snows us how important friendships are for most of us. We should not think that it
could be too late to build friendships. We also need to understand that me need to be around other
people is one that is shared by many. Therefore, we should not be too frightened about starting to talk
to people who in the future may become our friends it is likely that they too would like to get closer to
us. Remember what people say, ‘Strangers are friends we have not met yet.’
1 How many friends do the majority of people probably have?
a 30 real friends or fewer.
b A minimum of 30 real friends.
c 150 internet friends
d 400 internet friends over the course of their lives.
8
My family have always been huge fans of New Zealand - my mum comes from the capital - so we saved
up and went for a holiday there. We started with a week in the city she grew up in. After that, we toured
around for a while before ending up by chance in Kaikoura, a small town on the coast. The first evening
it seemed a rather dull place, but the next day I remembered what I'd read about it - that it was often
possible to see dolphins and whales there! I'll always think of Kaikoura as the place where I finally
achieved my lifelong ambition - to swim with wild dolphins.
My family and I set off on a dolphin trip on a cold, grey day with a number of other people on a small
boat. However, the sky soon turned blue, and we raced across the waves in the sunshine until we finally
reached the place where we were supposed to go swimming. To my surprise, this was more than 40 km
from land. I was quite cold by this time, and really starting to wonder why my family had made me come
all the way out there, when suddenly someone shouted Dolphins!’.
All I could see were fins everywhere - there were more than a hundred dolphins, all swimming towards
our boat! Many of them were jumping around in the water as if they were asking us to come and play. I
put on my snorkel and jumped into the sea. Everywhere I looked, all I could see was dolphins, swimming
under me and round me. Then I remembered the guide had told us to make sounds in the water to at-
tract them. So I did and actually heard them making similar sounds, as if they were trying to answer me.
I even made eye contact with one dolphin, and watched it carefully as I swam round in a circle. Amaz-
ingly, the dolphin almost followed me, but then changed its mind, although it kept eye contact with me
all the time. It really made me realize how intelligent and beautiful these creatures are.
Then after an hour of swimming the guides called us to get back onto the boat. Although I had enjoyed
myself, I was keen to leave the water by then as I was very cold. As I got dry I noticed that everyone on
board was smiling and I realized what a very special moment we'd had.
I'll never forget that experience, and Kaikoura will always have a special place in my heart.
True or false
1. Paul has family connections with the place he first visited in New Zealand.

9 Merriwether Mall
Gatesbridge’s new Merriwether Mall is opening this September. With an area of 320,000 square
metres, the Merriweather Mall will be the biggest mall in the south west. It’s located close to the
motorway, has its own bus station and 2000 car parking spaces, so it is convenient for everyone.
The mall has five areas, all under cover. The largest, Main Street, is a shopping area on three floors.
Here, you’ll find all the major chain stores and department stores. You can buy fashion items and all
the famous brand names. There is also a large chemist`s.
Situated on two levels, the market square is where you can find traditional market stalls. On the
lower floor, there are food stalls, including a butcher’s, baker’s, a fishmonger’s, greengrocer’s and
delicatessen. On the upper floor, you will find stalls selling hardware and haberdashery.
Bohemia is at the rear of the mall. Here, you’ll find quirky, independent shops selling everything
from second hand music and books to clothes and handicrafts.
The Palisade is more upmarket. Here you will find fashion boutiques, jewellers, antiques and furni-
ture. There are also two banks and a post office located along The Palisade.
The Showground is the entertainment centre of the mall. On the ground floor, there is a food court
where you’ll find cuisine from around the world, including Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Italian food.
There is a large arena where events will take place through the year.
There is also an eight-screen cinema, a night club and a bowling alley.
And if that is not enough, we are offering you a voucher which will give you £10 off any purchase
over £40 that you make in the Merriwether Mall between 10th and 16th September. You can’t af-
ford to miss it!
1. Where is the best place in the mall to buy an expensive necklace?
a) Main Street
b) Market Square
c) Bohemia
d) Pallisade
e) The Showground

10 - Why the sky is so far away?

Ramon looked at the food on his tray and made a face. "Macaroni and cheese again," he said to his
friend Brian. "They never serve anything good for lunch." Brian gave his own lunch a critical look
and frowned. "You think that’s bad," he said, "I’ve got peanut butter and jelly again. It’s the third
time this week!" They pushed the food aside. "We can get something at the burger place after
school," Ramon said. They concentrated on studying for their English test instead of eating. English
was next period, and Mr. Friedman had a reputation for giving difficult tests. When the bell rang,
they dropped their uneaten lunches into the garbage. Mr. Friedman was standing nearby. "Not hun-
gry, guys?" he asked. They shook their heads and hurried off to class. When the test was over, there
were still ten minutes left in the period. Mr. Friedman stood at the front of the class. "Before you
leave today," he said, leaning against the desk, "I’d like to share an old African folktale with you. I
think you’ll find this one interesting. It’s called ‘Why the Sky Is Far Away’":Long ago the sky was close
to the Earth. Men and women did not have to plant their own food. Instead, when they were hungry,
they just reached up and broke off a piece of the sky to eat. Sometimes the sky tasted like ripe bananas.
Other times it tasted like roasted potatoes. The sky was always delicious.
People spent their time making beautiful cloth. They painted beautiful pictures and sang songs at night.
The grand king, Oba, had a wonderful palace. His servants made beautiful shapes out of pieces of sky.
Many people in the kingdom did not use the gift of the sky wisely. When they took more than they could
eat, the sky became angry. Some people threw the extra pieces into the garbage.
Early one morning the angry sky turned dark. Black clouds hung over the land, and a great sky voice said
to all the people, "You are wasting my gift of food. Do not take more than you can eat. I don’t want to
see pieces of me in the garbage anymore or I will take my gift away."
The king and the people trembled with fear. King Oba said, "Let’s be careful about how much food we
take." For a long time, all the people were careful.
But one man named Adami wasn’t careful. At festival time, he took so many delicious pieces of sky that
he couldn’t eat them all. He knew he must not throw them away.
He tried to give the pieces to his wife. "Here, wife," Adami said. "You eat the rest."
The king and the people trembled with fear. King Oba said, "Let’s be careful about how much food we
take." For a long time, all the people were careful.
But one man named Adami wasn’t careful. At festival time, he took so many delicious pieces of sky that
he couldn’t eat them all. He knew he must not throw them away.
He tried to give the pieces to his wife. "Here, wife," Adami said. "You eat the rest."
"I can’t," Adami’s wife said. "I’m too full."
Adami asked all his children to help him eat the delicious pieces of sky, but the children couldn’t eat one
more bite. So Adami decided to try to hide the pieces at the bottom of the garbage pile.
Suddenly, the sky became angry and the clouds turned black. "You have wasted my gift of food again,"
yelled the sky. "This time I will go away so you cannot waste me anymore."
All of the people cried, "What will we eat? We might starve!"
The sky said, "You will have to learn how to plant crops in the ground and hunt in the forests. If you
work hard, you may learn not to waste the gifts of nature."
Everyone watched as the sky sailed away. From that time on, they worked hard to grow their food and
cook their meals. They always tried to remember not to waste the gifts of nature. The bell rang for the
next period. "That’s the end," Mr. Friedman said, smiling. He looked at Ramon and Brian. "What did you
think of the story?" he asked. They slouched in their chairs and looked apologetic. "We get the mes-
sage," they said, smiling. "No more lunches in the garbage!"
1. According to the folktale, Adami is
a) thankful
b) honest
c) obedient
d) greedy

11 –
Ada Lovelace was the daughter of the poet Lord Byron. She was taught by Mary Somerville, a well-
known researcher and scientific author, who introduced her to Charles Babbage in June 1833. Babbage
was an English mathematician, who first had the idea for a programmable computer.
In 1842 and 1843, Ada translated the work of an Italian mathematician, Luigi Menabrea, on Babbage's
Analytical Engine. Though mechanical, this machine was an important step in the history of computers;
it was the design of a mechanical general-purpose computer. Babbage worked on it for many years until
his death in 1871. However, because of financial, political, and legal issues, the engine was never built.
The design of the machine was very modern; it anticipated the first completed general-purpose comput-
ers by about 100 years.
When Ada translated the article, she added a set of notes which specified in complete detail a method
for calculating certain numbers with the Analytical Engine, which have since been recognized by histori-
ans as the world's first computer program. She also saw possibilities in it that Babbage hadn't: she re-
alised that the machine could compose pieces of music. The computer programming language 'Ada',
used in some aviation and military programs, is named after her.
Q1 - Ada Lovelace's teacher introduced her to Charles Babbage.
True / False

12 - Sixteen - What now?

You’re 16 and finally you can leave school! By now, you’re probably sick of teachers, desks, tests
and exams. But don’t just run for the exit. You need to think carefully about what to do next. If you
want a professional career, you will need to go to university and get a degree. To do that, you need
to stay at high school for another two years. But you needn’t stay at the same place. There are sev-
eral options in the district of Northacre. St. Leopold’s School has the best pass rate of all the high
schools in the district. It offers a wide range of subjects in the humanities and sciences. St Leopold’s
is, of course, a private school, so may be too expensive for you. But don’t worry, there are several
other options if you want to follow the academic route. Knowle Grammar School is a state school,
so there are no fees, and it has excellent tuition and facilities. It is a boys’ school from the ages of
11-16, but from 16-18 it is co-educational. But it is selective, so you’ll have to pass an exam to get
in. If you’re interested in going into Business, check out Wyle River Academy. This school specialises
in subjects like Business Studies, Management and Economics. If you prefer the arts, look at the
courses on offer at Northacre College. Here you can study woodwork, art, textiles and much more.
Northacre College also offers a wide range of vocational qualifications. You can do a 1-year certifi-
cate or a 2-year diploma in subjects like electrics, plumbing, roofing and hairdressing.
If you’d prefer to work outdoors, look at Milldown College, where there are courses in Farm Me-
chanics, Land Management, Animal Management and much more. A final option is to get an ap-
prenticeship with a local or national company. You will get on-the-job training, gain certificates or
diplomas and start earning straight away. But be warned - places are limited! Find out more at the
Jobs Fair on 26th May at Northacre College.
1. The aim of the article is to…
a) advise young people about how to get to university.
b) tell young people about the options available.
c) advise young people to stay in education.

13
Cyber-bullying is a form of online harassment of a person. This problem was almost unheard of only
15 years ago. However, more and more people are now using the Internet. This is creating new prob-
lems for society. On the Internet, it is easier for people to hide their identity. This can encourage bul-
lies to use the Internet to engage in this kind of harmful behavior. There are many ways that cyber-
bullies use the Internet to hurt their victim.
Cyber-bullies might use social media sites like Facebook or Twitter to make hurtful comments about
another person. They may spread rumors or lies about someone, which can damage the victim’s rep-
utation. Cyber-bullies often pose as another person in order to try and make their victim say some-
thing embarrassing. They might also try to trick their victim into believing they are in a romantic re-
lationship or friendship that is not real. Another form of cyber-bullying is to post embarrassing pho-
tographs or videos of the victim without asking permission. These can remain on the Internet for
years so they are very distressing for victims.
This type of bullying is becoming more common, especially among young people. A 2010 CBS
News report showed that 42% of young Americans have been the victim of cyber-bullying. Some
victims of cyber-bullying have even committed suicide. Many governments are trying to make online
harassment illegal. Forty-five states in America have passed laws to prevent online bullying. Canada
is currently considering passing a strict law against cyber-bullying. It will take some time before so-
ciety learns how to cope with the potential drawbacks of this new technology.
1 According to the article, what is cyber-bullying?
A when someone hides their identity online
B when someone encourages a person to post content online
C when someone uses the internet to harm or frighten another person
D when someone hurts or frightens someone who is smaller or less powerful

14 - Hot dog eating champion retains title after tiebreaker

For the second year in a row, American competitive eater Joey Chestnut defeated his Japanese rival
Takeru Kobayashi at the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City, after a tie forced a
five-hot-dog eat-off to be held.
After ten minutes of hot dog eating, two shorter than in previous years, Chestnut and Kobayashi were
tied at 59 frankfurters. But after the rare tiebreaker, 24-year-old Chestnut emerged as the winner; claim-
ing a $10,000 prize and a mustard-yellow belt. "It was crazy," he said. "I'm just a normal guy eating hot
dogs on the Fourth. You can't overcomplicate it."
Kobayashi, whose loss last year shattered a six-year winning streak, said that a sore jaw and a tooth
problem may have altered his performance. "If I put one more mouthful in, I could have won", the 30-
year-old Nagano native said through a translator. "I lost because I wasn't quick enough in the rematch."
This year, the 22 competitors were under a 10-minute time limit, unlike the 12 minutes used for previ-
ous contests. The reason for this, according to Nathan's, was the discovery of a document from 1916,
which revealed that the original competition was 10 minutes long.
Thousands gathered at Coney Island to watch the annual event, which has become one of the more col-
orful traditions of America's Independence Day.
1 Who won the contest last year?
A Takeru Kobayashi
B Joey Chestnut
C First there was a tie, then Chestnut won
D The text does not say

15 - Scottish Independence
The majority of people in Scotland are in favour breaking away from the rest of the UK and becom-
ing independent, according to a poll taken just before the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union,
which united Scotland and England.
A pair of Acts of Parliament, passed in 1706 and 1707 that came into effect on May 1, 1707, created
Great Britain. The parliaments of both countries were dissolved, and replaced by a new Parliament of
Great Britain in Westminster, London.
The poll showed support for independence for Scotland is running at 51%. This is the first time since
1998 that support for separation has passed 50%, and the first time since devolution gave power to
the country in 1999. Six months before elections for the Scottish Parliament, these poll results come
as good news to the Scottish Nationalist Party, who are hoping to make progress against Labour and
further the cause of an independent Scotland.
Many people have become disillusioned with devolution, and believe that the Scottish Parliament has
failed to deliver what they had hoped it would; only a tenth have no opinion. In fact, only 39% of
those polled want to keep things as they are.
Q1 - Scotland and England
A have always been united.
B want to break up the union.
C have been united for a long time.
D were united by war.

Vocabulary

Choose the correct answer:

1. You need a passport to cross the ________ between Mexico and the United States.

A- edge B- line C- border D- rim

2. The hotel where we are ________ is quite luxurious.
A- living B- remaining C- existing D- staying

3. When you ______ your destination, your tour guide will meet you at the airport.
A- arrive B- get C- reach D- achieve

4. It can be quite busy here during the tourist _________ .

A- season B- period C- phase D- stage

5. David ______ me to the train station every morning.

A- goes B- takes C- has D- makes

6. I always enjoy our school ______ to France.

A- excursion B- journey C- trip D- travel

7. Hurry up, or we'll _____ the bus!

A- avoid B- miss C- drop D- lose

8. The brochure says that the hotel has a great _____ of the sea.
A- appearance B- look C- sight D- view
9. I must remember to _____ a souvenir back from Spain for my grandmother.
A- go B- take C- bring D- keep

10. The _____ from London to Berlin is about 919 kilometres.

A- measure B- length C- gap D- distance

11. Make sure you _____ a hotel before you come to our island, especially in the summer.
A- book B- keep C- put D- take

12. I live in Barcelona, but my _____ town is Madrid.

A- birth B- home C- native D- origin

13. Three people were captured at the _____ today trying to get into the country.
A- line B- equator C- border D- edge

14. There's a fantastic _____ from the top of the Empire State Building.
A- view B- sight C- appearance D- look

15. Once we get to the hotel, let's just _____ quickly and then do a bit of sightseeing.
A- set down B- make up C- check in D- turn up

16. I'm going to ask for directions because I think we've _____ our way.
A- missed B- misplaced C- mistaken D- lost

17. We usually do go by train, even though the car _____ is a lot quicker.
A- travel B- journey C- trip D- voyage

18. Passengers requiring a special meal during the flight should inform the airline in ____ .
A- ahead B- front C- advance D- forward

19. The _____ in the stadium all cheered the athletes.

A- viewers B- witnesses C- spectators D- onlookers

20. I got a new baseball _____ yesterday.

A- stick B- club C- racket D- bat

21. After a hard match, United managed to _____ with City, 1-1.
A- equal B- exact C- draw D- score

22. In this game, the players _____ it in turns to throw the dice.
A- take B- do C- make D- have

23. It's nice to win, but the important thing is to _____ your best.
A- make B- take C- have D- do

24. Just ask them if you can play and I'm sure they'll let you _____ .
A- take up B- join in C- go off D- take to

25. Everyone expects Johnson to _____ Smith in today's final.

A- Beat B- score C- win D- champion

26. Do you know who _____ the fact that sound travels in waves?
A- invented B- developed C- discovered D- found

27. I'm thinking of getting a fax _____ .

A- machine B- engine C- motor D- instrument

28. The _____ of the outbreak of the disease is still unknown.

A- aim B- reason C- cause D- motive

29. Ten million text messages are sent on _____ every minute.
A- normal B- common C- general D- average

30. Once they've finished the extension to the _____ , there'll be room for them to take on a lot more
workers.
A- manufacturing B- trade C- industry D- factory

31. Shannen doesn't dye her hair; it's _____ blonde.

A- physically B- naturally C- logically D- organically

32. I've _____ it in at the mains but it still doesn't seem to work.
A- worked B- turned C- narrowed D- plugged

33. Everyone said they had _____ themselves at the wedding.

A- enjoyed B- impressed C- pleased D- excited

34. Mary seems to go out with a different _____ of friends almost every night.
A- group B- band C- company D- collection

35. People can become very _____ when they are stuck in traffic for a long time.
A- Nervous B- bad-tempered C- stressful D- pressed

36. More and more people are living into _____ age and it's a serious social problem.
A- high B- ancient C- far D- old

37. Stephanie seems to be very _____ with her classmates.

A- likeable B- famous C- known D- popular

38. Most _____ people have no idea what it's like to be famous.
A- usual B- ordinary C- typical D- medium

39. When my parents got divorced, my best friend was very _____ and listened to all my problems.
A- likeable B- amusing C- sympathetic D- enjoyable

40. Rita's very _____ and easily gets upset when people criticise her.
A- level-headed B- sensitive C- sensible D- open-minded

41. Police were called in when the _____ of people began to get violent.
A- crowd B- company C- audience D- herd

42. My dad says he once met Robbie Williams when he was still _____ .
A- unknown B- hidden C- infamous D- unrelated

43. This fascinating book covers some of the most _____ crimes of the twentieth century.
A- unknown B- hidden C- covered D- infamous

44. The government should do more for _____ people.

A- Usual B- ordinary C- everyday D- typical

45. Ivan tells me he really _____ himself at your barbecue last week.
A- pleased B- played C- enjoyed D- interested

46. I know we had an argument, but now I'd quite like to _____ .
A- look down B- make up C- fall out D- bring up

47. Harry and Sam both denied that the fight was their _____ .
A- blame B- cause C- criticism D- fault

48. The curtain went up, the _____ grew silent and the actors on stage began to speak.
A- crowd B- congregation C- jury D- audience

49. The doctor _____ the cut on my knee and said it had completely healed up.
A- investigated B- researched C- examined D- looked into

50. Dr Parker gave my mum a lovely _____ for spaghetti carbonara.

A- recipe B- prescription C- receipt D- paper

51. My feet are _____ . I guess my new shoes are a bit tight.
A- hurt B- pain C- ache D- sore

52. I was shocked when I crashed the car, but at least I wasn't _____ .
A- Injured B- damaged C- broken D- spoilt

53. Diana looks terribly _____ . You don't think she's ill, do you?
A- slim B- thin C- slender D- slight

54. Some drugs produce bad side _____ .

A- consequences B- products C- results D- effects
55. I was very sad when the vet said he'd have to _____ Gertie, our labrador.
A- put down B- pull through C- feel up to D- wear off

56. Going on this diet has really _____ me good. I've lost weight and I feel fantastic.
A- made B- taken C- done D- had

57. I was very proud when I was told that I'd been made into a _____ .
A- pupil B- student C- prefect D- classmate

58. With a little hard work, I'm sure you'll _____ a lot this year.
A- reach B- succeed C- achieve D- qualify

59. Who _____ you know to cook so well?

A- taught B- learned C- made D- explained

60. Lee didn't do so well in the test because he hadn't _____ .

A- written B- studied C- read D- learned

61. I think you need to _____ your ideas more clearly so that the reader doesn't get confused.
A- dawn on B- get on with C- set out D- give in

62. Oh, no! We've got a double maths _____ next!

A- subject B- interval C- lesson D- task

63. There's been a _____ in Germany and a village was completely destroyed.
A- flood B- drizzle C- shower D- smog

64. Do you know what CFC _____?

A- sets in B- does up C- stands for D- gets down

65. Dinosaurs have been _____ for millions of years.

A- endangered B- extinct C- threatened D- disappeared

66. It's sunny, but there's a very cold _____ so don't forget your coat.
A- blowing B- air C- wind D- gas

67. If you ask me, _____ waste is a much bigger problem than ordinary household waste.
A- industrial B- business C- working D- employer

68. As towns grow, they tend to destroy the surrounding _____ areas.
A- urban B- commercial C- land D- rural

69. Jill put her wellington boots on and, as soon as it stopped raining, went out
to play in the _____ .
A- reservoirs B- lakes C- puddles D- ponds

70. This car is very _____ as it goes so far on one tank of petrol.
A- financial B- economical C- costly D- endless

71. I can't believe how cheap these shorts were. They were a real _____!
A- bargain B- sale C- discount D- offer

72. What _____ of car does your mum drive?

A- name B- brand C- make D- form

73. Could you tell me who's in _____ here, please?

A- charge B- responsibility C- rule D- organisation

74. I paid the assistant and took the books but then stupidly left the bookshop without waiting for my
_____ .
A- cash B- fee C- refund D- change

75. I think she _____ her fortune in the shipping industry.

A- took B- made C- won D- saved

76. I didn't find a new top but at _____ I got some new jeans.
A- less B- the less C- least D- the least

77. I've got a/an _____ for the school play tomorrow. I really hope I get a main part!
A- rehearsal B- practice C- audition D- performance

78. Did you read that _____ of the new Lloyd-Rice musical? It said it was awful!
A- review B- criticism C- report D- summary

79. I'm going to stay in and _____ TV tonight.

A- see B- watch C- look at D- view

80. We really _____ ourselves at the party! Thanks so much for inviting us!
A- entertained B- had fun C- enjoyed D- occupied

81. Ellie does a-an _____ each week for the local newspaper. It's usually quite funny.
A- comic B- comedian C- animation D- cartoon

82. The water park we went to yesterday was fantastic, but the entrance _____ was a bit expensive.
A- ticket B- fee C- charge D- cost

83. Vanilla Sky _____ Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz.
A- acts B- plays C- stars D- contains

84. When you're learning to play a musical instrument, it's important to _____ for an hour or two every
day.
A- rehearse B- practise C- perform D- train

85. The play wasn't supposed to be a comedy, but everyone started laughing when some of the _____
fell over and hit one of the actors.
A- scenery B- scenes C- stages D- acts

86. Louis de Bernieres' _____ Captain Corelli's Mandolin, which is set on the Greek island of Cephallonia
during the Second World War, was an international bestseller.
A- fiction B- account C- anecdote D- novel

87. Have you _____ the joke about the guy who fell off a 20-metre-high ladder? He was fine- he fell of
the bottom rung!
A- listened to B- overheard C- heard D- paid attention to

88. Being the conductor of a large _____ is an extremely demanding job. You have to make sure about a
hundred musicians are playing in time.

A- group B- band C- company D- orchestra

89. Could you _____ in the paper and see what's on TV tonight?
A- see B- watch C- look D- examine

90. I'm reading a _____ set in Greece during the Second World War.
A- novel B- fiction C- literature D- writing

91. Harry kept us _____ throughout the journey with his non-stop jokes.
A- enjoyed B- entertained C- laughed D- pleasured

92. I never read _____ of films as I don't trust the critics' opinions.
A- reviews B- criticisms C- articles D- investigations

93. How did your _____ go? Do you think you'll be offered the main part?
A- audit B- auditorium C- audience D- audition

94. I'd love to work in show _____ . It's so glamorous!

A- industry B- business C- commerce D- trade

95. Joe told me a joke today but I didn't _____ it at all.

A- get B- bring C- fetch D- collect

96. I didn't like this album at first but it's really starting to ____ on me now.
A- grow B- raise C- develop D- increase

97. Could you wipe the table with a damp _____ , please!
A- clothe B- clothing C- cloth D- clothes

98. I've decided to _____ my hair green for the party.

A- dye B- paint C- sketch D- draw
99. The top doesn't _____ me; it's just not my style.
A- fit B- suit C- match D- go with
100. That's the most incredible _____ of art I've ever seen!
A- job B- creation C- brand D- work

101. Jeans and T-shirts will never go out of _____ .

A- trend B- image C- fashion D- tendency

102. I need a funny _____ for the fancy-dress party. Any ideas!
A- dress B- uniform C- suit D- costume

103. Tim forgot to use clothes _____ and all his clean clothes fell off the line into the mud.
A- pegs B- clips C- hooks D- pins

104. The _____ for this position starts at thirty thousand euros per year.
A- wage B- payment C- salary D- tip

105. After working at the same factory for thirty years, my grandfather was looking forward to his _____
.

A- overtime B- pension C- charity D- allowance

106. Some people _____ to London every day from as far away as Leeds
A- connect B- commute C- correspond D- commence

107. Most governments tax people on the amount they _____ each year.
A- win B- gain C- earn D- benefit

108. Shelley disagreed with the board's decision and so she _____ and went to work for another com-
pany.
A- retired B- fired C- sacked D- resigned

109. When the factory closed, over a hundred people were _____ redundant.
A- done B- taken C- given D- made

110. Here at Weatherby's , we provide all our _____ members, from senior management down, with
regular training.
A- staff B- crew C- crowd D- firm

111. Ed _____ at the clock and realised he was late for the meeting.
A- glimpsed B- observed C- glanced D- watched

112. What's the entrance _____ for the outdoor music festival?
A- ticket B- fare C- price D- fee

113. Don't _____ the potatoes in oil; that's so unhealthy.

A- fry B- boil C- bakel D- grill
114. I want to take these jeans back because they're too small but I can't find the
_____ anywhere.
A- recipe B- receipt C- receiver D- reception

115. I'll pick up a _____ on the way home and then we won't have to cook.
A- takeaway B- fast food C- delivery D- microwave

116. Certificates provide proof of your _____ .

A- qualities B- diplomas C- qualifications D- ambitions

117. Living on a farm in the middle of nowhere, ours is about the most _____ lifestyle you can have!
A- urban B- suburban C- rural D- municipal

118. Will was made _____ three months ago and is still looking for a job.
A- sacked B- fired C- retired D- redundant

119. The audience showed their _____ by giving the orchestra a standing ovation.
A- entertainment B- review C- appreciation D- audition

120. I'd like to speak to the person in ____, please!

A- charge B- responsibility C- duty D- obligation