– Hello!
English Reading Exercises for Beginner
Exercise 1
1 Hi Jerry,
How are you? How is England?
2 I’m fine. My new job in Australia is good. The office is in Brisbane and it’s in the centre of the city. Brisbane is great!
3 I’m in an office with three people: Tony, Martin and Toko. Our office manager is Tony. He’s not Australian. He’s from a small town in the USA, but he’s married to an Australian woman. Her name’s Janine and she’s a teacher in a language school. Martin is Australian. He’s from Sydney, but his home is Brisbane now. Yoko is Japanese. She’s from Osaka. She’s in the office from 8 am to 1 pm and she’s a student at an English school in the afternoon.
4 Say hello to all my friends in England!
Bye for now,
Mark
A. Read the email and match a—d to the parts of the email 1—4.
a saying goodbye
b Mark’s new job
c greeting
d people in Mark’s office
B. Read the email again. Are the sentences true or false?
1 Jerry is in Australia.
2 Mark is in Brisbane.
3 Tony is Australian.
4 Tony and Janine are married.
5 Janine is a teacher.
6 Martin is from England.
7 Yoko is from Japan.
8 Yoko is at home in the afternoon.
C. Write an email to a friend about your new English class. Remember to say:
• where your class is
• who your teacher is and where he or she is from
• who the students are and where they are from.
Answer
A
a 4 b 2 c 1 d 3
B
True: 2, 4, 5, 7; False: 1, 3, 6, 8
All about me
Exercise 1
ABOUT
My name is Mark Smith and I work in Hull in England. Hull is a big city with 260,000 people. It’s old and it has an interesting history. I’m a receptionist in an office in the centre of Hull. My office is in a nice part of the city. It’s near a big park.
My home isn’t in Hull, it’s in Brough. Brough is a small town near Hull with 7,000 people. It’s a nice town with a park, two supermarkets and a hotel. I’m married to Emily and we have two children.
Our house is in the centre of Brough. It’s a small house and it’s new. It isn’t near the park, but it is near one of the supermarkets. I’m very happy here. I have a lot of friends in Brough and in Hull, and my job isn’t boring!
A. Read the text. Tick (✓) the correct summary 1—4.
1 Emily and Mark are married. They are managers in Hull. They have a house in a village near Hull.
2 Emily and Mark are married. They have a house in Hull. Mark is a manager in a small town near Hull.
3 Emily and Mark have a house in Hull. They are receptionists in a big office in Hull.
4 Mark is a receptionist in Hull. He is married to Emily. They have a house in a town near Hull.
B. Read the text again. Tick (✓) the correct answer.
1 Is Hull a small town?
a Yes, it is.
b No, it isn’t.
2 Is Hull old?
a Yes, it is.
b No, it isn’t.
3 Is it a boring place?
a Yes, it is.
b No, it isn’t.
4 Is Mark’s office near an airport?
a Yes, it is.
b No, it isn’t.
5 Is Brough a big town?
a Yes, it is.
b No, it isn’t.
6 Is Emily and Mark’s house new?
a Yes, it is.
b No, it isn’t.
7 Is their house near a supermarket?
a Yes, it is.
b No, it isn’t.
8 Is Mark happy?
a Yes, it is.
b No, it isn’t.
C. Write about your home. Think about these questions:
• Where is your home?
• Is your home big or small? Is it old or new?
• Is your home in a town, a city or a village?
• Is your town, city or village interesting or boring?
• What is near your home?
Answer
A
4
B
1 b 2 a 3 b 4 b 5 b 6 a 7 a 8 b
Food and drink
Exercise 1
Meals in ITALY
My name is Maria and I’m Italian. In Italy, people eat different foods. We like pasta and pizza, but we don’t eat them every day. We like a lot of different meat and fish. And we eat a lot of fruit and vegetables.
In my family, we have three meals a day. Breakfast is at eight o’clock. We eat fette biscottate, a type of breakfast bread, and have coffee with milk. Italian people usually drink a lot of coffee!
On work days, my lunch is always at one o’clock. I never have lunch in my office. I usually have a panino (that’s a sandwich) or a slice of pizza with my friends in a café near the office. At the weekend I have lunch at home with my family.
Dinner is the big meal of the day for a lot of Italians. In my family, we always have dinner at half past eight. We have rice or pasta, then fish with vegetables. We don’t eat a lot of meat. After dinner, we usually have fruit and coffee, but at the weekend we sometimes have cake.
A. Read about meals in Italy. Underline the correct words to complete the sentences.
1 In Italy, people eat / don’t eat a lot of fruit and vegetables.
2 Italians drink a lot of tea / coffee.
3 They like / don’t like meat and fish.
4 They usually have three / four meals every day.
5 Italian people have / don’t have pasta every day.
6 For a lot of people, the big meal is in the afternoon / evening.
B. Read the text again. Are the sentences true or false?
1 Breakfast is at 9:00.
2 Maria and her family have coffee and cereal for breakfast.
3 On work days, Maria and her friends have lunch in the office.
4 At weekends, Maria has lunch with her family.
5 A panino is a pizza.
6 Dinner is at 8:30.
7 They sometimes have pasta for dinner.
8 They often have cake in the morning.
C. Write about the meals you have every day. Think about these questions:
• How many meals do you have?
• What time do you have your meals?
• What do you usually have for breakfast, lunch and dinner?
A
2 coffee 3 like 4 three 5 don’t have 6 evening
B
True: 4, 6, 7; False: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8
My life and my family
Exercise 1
BREAKFAST IN BARCELONA AND LUNCH IN LONDON – JUST A NORMAL DAY FOR MATT!
HERE’S HIS STORY:
I work in London. Flats are very expensive there. In Barcelona, in Spain, flats aren’t very expensive and they’re nice and big. So I work in London, but I live in Barcelona! I fly from Barcelona to London on Monday. I work there for three days and I stay with my sister. Then I fly to Barcelona again and I work at home two days a week. I don’t speak Spanish very well, so I study Spanish at a language school and I go to classes on Saturday. I love Barcelona – it’s a beautiful city and it’s great to live here!
A. Read Matt’s blog. Which sentence is true?
1 ‘I live and I work in London.’
2 ‘I live in Barcelona and I work in London.’
3 ‘I speak Spanish very well.’
B. Read Matt’s blog again. What does he say about these things?
1 flats in London
2 flats in Barcelona
3 number of days at work (in London)
4 number of days at work (in Barcelona)
5 Spanish classes
6 Barcelona
Answer
A
Sentence 2 is true.
B
1 They’re very expensive.
2 They aren’t very expensive and they’re nice and big.
3 three
4 two
5 Matt studies at a language school on Saturday.
6 It’s a beautiful city.
Exercise 2
An international family
Pablo and Alicia Moreno are married. Pablo is from Spain and Alicia is from Buenos Aires, in Argentina, but they live in New York. Their family is very international!
Alicia has a sister and a brother. Her sister Daniela is 46. She lives in Buenos Aires and her mother lives there too. Her brother Carlos is 37. He lives in Brazil and he works in São Paulo.
Alicia and Pablo have two children. Their son Alex is 19. He’s at university in Mexico and he lives there too. Their daughter María is 24. She lives in Istanbul with her Turkish husband, Mehmet.
A. Read An international family. Are the sentences true or false?
1 Pablo and Alicia have two small children.
2 María is married and lives in Turkey.
3 Only Pablo and Alicia live in Mexico.
B. Where do they live? Write the names of countries.
1 Daniela
2 Carlos
3 Alex
4 María
5 Mehmet
C. Daniela is forty-six. How old are …? (Write the numbers in words.)
1 Carlos
2 Alex
3 María
Answer
A
1 F (Pablo and Alicia’s son Alex is 19 and their daughter María is 24.)
2 T
3 F (Their son Alex lives in Mexico; only Pablo and Alicia live in New York.)
B
1 Argentina 2 Brazil 3 Mexico 4 Turkey 5 Turkey
C
1 thirty-seven 2 nineteen 3 twenty-four
Exercise 3
Hi Eileen,
Thanks for your email. I love the photos of your family. You have a big family! My family is small. Here’s a new photo of us on holiday.
I’m with my husband, Greg, our daughter, Linda, and our son, Jeff. My parents, Tom and Elizabetta, are in the photo, too. My dad is American. He’s from San Francisco, but my mother comes from Warsaw in Poland. Greg and I live in Washington with our children. Greg works in an office and I’m a teacher (as you know). Greg’s parents live in Washington, too, so we see them one or two days a week, but my mum and dad are in California. We usually have holidays with them.
I have two brothers, Daniel and Jon. They aren’t in the photo. Daniel is an English teacher in Mexico City and Jon lives in Moscow. Jon’s wife, Anna, is Russian and they have a daughter. Her name’s Olga. We sometimes see them in the holidays. Olga is five and she speaks Russian and English very well.
Write soon and tell me more about your life in Edinburgh.
Maria
A. Read the email and match the people 1—6 to the places a—f.
1 Daniel
2 Eileen
3 Elizabetta
4 Greg and Maria
5 Jon
6 Tom
a Warsaw
b Moscow
c Edinburgh
d San Francisco
e Mexico City
f Washington
B. Read the email again. Complete the family tree with the games in the box.
Jeff – Anna – Olga – Elizabetta
Maria – Daniel – Greg – Tom
C. Draw your family tree and write about the people in your family. Say:
• their names and ages
• what they do (job or studies)
• where they live.
Answer
A
1 e 2 c 3 a 4 f 5 b 6 d
B
2 Tom 3 Anna 4 Daniel 5 Maria 6 Greg 7 Olga 8 Jeff
Places
Exercise 1
VERY HOT!
Ghadames is a beautiful old city in Libya. There are lots of old houses, shops and cafés – so what’s different? Ghadames is in the Sahara. It’s very hot in the day (sometimes 55°C). The houses have very thick walls and they’re always cool. In the old town there are streets for men and children and there are different streets (on the roofs of the houses) for women.
Now, there’s a new town with new houses and flats, but in summer lots of people go to live in the old houses because they aren’t hot.
VERY COLD!
Esperanza Base is Argentinian and it’s in Antarctica. It’s cold in summer (0°C) and very cold in winter (-10°C). There are homes for about 100 people there. There are ten families with children, there’s a school and there are two teachers. There’s also a bank and a hospital. There are a few cars, but there’s only one road – it’s 1.5 km long!
A. Read about the two places. Are the sentences about Ghadames (G) or Esperanza Base (EB)?
1 ‘It’s always cold here.’
2 ‘Our new flat is very hot in summer.’
3 ‘It’s so small – you never get lost.’
4 ‘The men and women don’t always talk together.’
5 ‘The school is small, but it’s very good.’
Answer
1 EB (It’s cold in summer (0°C) and very cold in winter (-10°C).)
2 G (There’s a new town with new houses and flats, but in summer lots of people go to live in the old houses because they aren’t hot.)
3 EB (There’s only one road – it’s 1.5 km long!)
4 G (In the old town there are streets for men and children and there are different streets for women.)
5 EB (There’s a school and there are two teachers.)
Exercise 2
HOLIDAY REVIEWS
The Cave Hostel
This is a great hostel in Göreme, in Turkey. It’s in Cappadocia, a very old part of the country. You can do lots of things here. My favourite thing is going in a hot air balloon. You can see really beautiful places from the air.
The hostel has different rooms with different prices. On the first floor, there are small rooms for two people with baths. On the second floor, there are big rooms with six beds in them. They’re very cheap, but there isn’t a shower or a bath in the big rooms. There aren’t any blankets or pillows – you pay for those. There isn’t a restaurant or café in the hostel, but there’s a kitchen on the ground floor. There aren’t any TVs in the rooms, but there’s free wi-fi. It’s a very simple place to stay, but it’s clean. And the people are very friendly. Faruk, the manager, sings karaoke really well!
Sandra
A. Read Sandra’s review of a hostel in Turkey. Does Sandra like the hostel?
B. Read the review again. Tick (✓) what’s in the hostel.
second floor
◻small rooms
◻big rooms
◻Café
first floor
◻restaurant
◻TV room
◻small rooms
ground floor
◻café
◻kitchen
◻TV room
Answer
A
Yes, she does.
B
second floor: big rooms
first floor: small rooms
ground floor: kitchen
Exercise 3
MY STREET
1 DARIA
I work in the town centre but I live in Station Road. Station Road isn’t near the town centre but it is a nice place. There are about 60 houses and there’s a school, and a shop where I buy bread every day. There’s also a little park near the station. It has an ice cream shop and in summer I sometimes take my son to the park and we have ice cream.
2 GERRY
I live on Holly Road with my wife and daughter. It’s not a very interesting place to live but it’s easy to get to work because I work at Holly Road Hospital. There are lots of offices and flats in my road but there aren’t any shops or restaurants. It isn’t a problem – there’s a big supermarket near Holly Road and there are lots of buses to the town centre.
3 ELLEN
I live and work on High Street, in the centre of the town. There are lots of different shops and cafés here and two bookshops. I work in the bookshop near the museum. When I’m not at work, I sometimes go to the cinema. High Street is a good place to live. My flat is on the first floor and I sometimes sit and watch the people in the street. There is always something interesting to see.
A. Read the texts. Tick (✓) the places you read about.
1 a bank
2 a swimming pool
3 a cinema
4 a hospital
5 a hotel
6 a car park
7 a museum
8 a park
9 a school ✓
10 a supermarket
B. Read the texts again. Underline the correct words to complete the sentences.
1 Daria / Gerry / Ellen lives near a supermarket.
2 Daria / Gerry / Ellen doesn’t have any children.
3 The hospital is on Holly Road / High Street / Station Road.
4 Holly Road / High Street / Station Road is a good place to see films.
5 The park is near Holly Road / High Street / Station Road.
6 There’s a station / museum / park on High Street.
7 Daria takes her son to the swimming pool / ice cream shop / cinema in summer.
8 There are lots of shops / cafés / offices near Gerry’s home.
C. Write about your street. Think about these questions.
• What is the name of your street?
• Where is your street?
• What is there in or near your street?
• Is it an interesting place to live or work?
Answer
A
3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10
B
2 Ellen 3 Holly Road 4 High Street 5 Station Road
6 museum 7 ice cream shop 8 offices
Work and routines
Exercise 1
JOBS INTERNATIONAL
HELP AROUND THE WORLD …
Welcome to Jobs international. Our people go around the world and help others. Meet two of them.
LUIZA I’m a doctor from Brazil and I work in a small hospital in Ghana. I love the work here because it’s very interesting. I do different things every day. And the people are so friendly. Life isn’t always easy here, but it’s great to help people.
FRED I’m a teacher at a school in Samoa, but I’m from Australia. I teach English here and after school I play sports with the children. They love rugby and volleyball. The children are really happy – a lot of fun. This is a really good job.
A. Read about Luiza and Fred on the Jobs international website. What places are people? What jobs do people do there?
B. Read the website again. Are the sentences true or false?
1 Jobs international people don’t work in their home countries.
2 Luiza works in a big hospital.
3 Her work is sometimes boring.
4 She likes the people in Ghana.
5 Fred goes home after classes.
6 His students like playing sport.
Answer
A
Luiza: place – hospital; job – doctor
Fred: place – school; job – teacher
B
1 T
2 F (Luiza works in a small hospital.)
3 F (Her work is very interesting.)
4 T
5 F (After school he plays sports with the children.)
6 T
Exercise 2
A Good Night’s Sleep
People say it’s good to sleep for eight hours every night … but is it true? Some people sleep for only five or six hours and they feel fine in the morning. And some people sleep twice every night …
Anneli Hanka, 24, Finland
I always wake up at about 4:00 in the morning. I don’t want to sleep, so I get up and I do yoga. Then I go to bed again. Then I get up at 8:00 in the morning and I go to work. I feel fine – I never feel tired.
Beatriz Romero, 32, USA
I finish work at 6:00 in the evening and I arrive home at 6:30. I read a book or phone a friend. Then I go to bed for three hours. My husband works in a restaurant and he gets home at about 12:00 at night. So I get up, and we have dinner and then we watch TV until about 3:00. Then I sleep until 7:00.
A. Read about Beatriz and Anneli. Match what they say with pictures a and b.
B. Complete the verb phrases with the words in the box. Then read the text again to check your answers.
have – watch – go – arrive / get – finish
1 …………… to work
2 …………… home
3 …………… dinner
4 …………… TV
5 …………… work
Answer
A
a Anneli – She wakes up and does yoga at 4:00 in the morning.
b Beatriz – Her husband works in a restaurant.
B
1 go 2 arrive / get 3 have 4 watch 5 finish
Exercise 3
University life
University is expensive in the USA and students also need to pay for course books, food and a place to live. A lot of students work to get extra money. Is it a good idea? We ask a student.
Steffi, 23
I’m a student in New York, but I’m from Hamburg in Germany. I love my course but New York is expensive so I work in a cinema in the evenings and on Saturdays.
My day usually starts at 7:45 am when I get up and have breakfast. Then I go to my classes at the university. They start at 9:00 am and finish at 12:30 pm. There aren’t any classes in the afternoon so I study in the university library. I have something to eat in the student restaurant and I walk to the cinema. My working hours are 6:00 pm to 11:30 pm from Monday to Friday, and 1:30 pm to 11:30 pm on Saturdays. Sunday is my free day and I play tennis or go to a museum with my friends.
My job is OK but I don’t want to work six days a week. I get home late and I only have six or seven hours’ sleep. Sometimes, I feel very tired in my classes and I want to sleep, which isn’t good.
A. Read the magazine article. Complete the sentences with the words in the box.
at night – in the afternoon – in the evening
in the morning – at the weekend
1 Steffi sees her friends …………………. .
2 She has classes at the university …………………. .
3 She goes to the university library …………………. .
4 From Monday to Friday, she goes to work …………………. .
5 She works until 11:30 …………………. .
B. Read the article again. Are the sentences true or false?
1 Steffi studies in her home country.
2 Steffi likes her course.
3 Her classes start at 8 am.
4 She doesn’t go home in the afternoon.
5 She has dinner at home.
6 She goes to work after dinner.
7 She finishes work at 11:30.
8 She works all weekend.
C. Write a short description of your day. Think about these questions:
• What time do you get up and go to bed?
• What do you do in the morning, afternoon and evening?
• When do you see your friends?
Answer
A
1 at the weekend 2 in the morning 3 in the afternoon
4 in the evening 5 at night
B
True: 2, 4, 6, 7; False: 1, 3, 5, 8
Shopping and fashion
Exercise 1
Place to go
Books & Co.
Open 9 am—6 pm
A very interesting bookshop. They sell old and new books and they also have magazines, pictures, old photographs and music. If you like old books and pictures, this is the place for you.
The Saturday Market
Open 6 am—4 pm
Here you can buy something for your home or you can just look around. They sell lots of old things. You can buy clocks, radios, suitcases, lamps, pictures, chairs … anything!
The Mega Home Store
Open 8 am—8 pm
A great place to buy things for your home. They sell beds, pillows, tables, chairs and lamps. Everything is new, but it isn’t expensive. There’s also a good café with drinks, pizzas and sandwiches.
A. Read about three places to shop. Which place is in the picture?
B. Which place is good for these people?
1 ‘I want a new bed for my flat.’
2 ‘I love old books and magazines.’
3 ‘I always finish work at 7:00 pm.’
4 ‘I think old lamps are beautiful.’
C. Look at the picture and read about The Saturday Market again. Find the words for objects a—f.
Answer
A
The Saturday Market (They sell lots of old things.)
B
1 The Mega Home Store (They sell beds… Everything is new.)
2 Books & Co. (They sell old and new books and they also have magazines.)
3 The Mega Home Store (Open 8 am–8 pm)
4 The Saturday Market (They sell lots of old things. You can buy … lamps.)
C
a lamp b radio c clock d suitcase e picture f chair
Exercise 2
THEY MAKE COLOURFUL CLOTHES, BUT DO THEY WEAR THEM?
Fashion designers often make very different and interesting clothes for people, but they sometimes wear boring clothes. They often wear the same clothes and the same colours.
Tom Ford makes beautiful clothes, for men and for women, but he often wears a white shirt and a black or dark grey jacket.
Carolina Herrera makes clothes with lots of different colours, but she usually wears a black skirt and a white shirt.
Alexander Wang is a young designer with unusual ideas, but he usually wears a white T-shirt, black jeans and a black jacket.
A. Read about the fashion designers. What is the same about them?
B. Read the text again. Are the sentences true or false? Correct the false sentences.
1 Fashion designers sometimes wear boring clothes.
2 Tom Ford never wears a black jacket.
3 Carolina Herrera often wears a white skirt.
4 Alexander Wang usually wears a jacket.
Answer
A
They usually wear black and white clothes.
B
1 T
2 F (He often wears a black jacket.)
3 F (She usually wears a black skirt.)
4 T
Exercise 3
MY CLOTHES by Pete Hobbs
1 I don’t have to worry about my work clothes. I’m a police officer and I have a uniform. I like the uniform. We wear a dark blue jacket, dark blue trousers and a white shirt. We also have big yellow police jackets to wear when we’re outside in the street. These jackets are very useful because people can see that we are police officers.
2 I’m not very interested in fashion. My wife, Jane, says that my clothes are boring but most of my friends’ clothes are the same as mine! When I’m not at work I like to wear comfortable clothes, for example jeans and a T-shirt or a jumper. I don’t really have a favourite colour, but I try not to wear dark blue because it’s the colour of my uniform. My favourite item of clothing is my old brown jacket.
3 I don’t have many expensive clothes, but sometimes I go to special events, for example, when friends get married, and I need to wear something nice. I have a suit by the designer Tom Ford. It has dark grey trousers and a matching jacket. I usually wear this with a white shirt and tie.
4 I usually go shopping with Jane. We both like to go to the shopping mall in the centre of town. It has lots of shops and it’s easy to find things. My favourite shop there is Marks and Spencer. Marks and Spencer’s clothes are usually comfortable and they aren’t very expensive. I buy all my clothes there but Jane’s favourite shops are Next and Debenhams.
A. Read the article and match a—d to paragraphs 1—4.
a What I wear when I’m not at work
b Where I buy my clothes
c What I wear for special occasions
d My work clothes
B. Read the article again. Are the sentences true or false?
1 Pete’s uniform is blue.
2 The police officers’ yellow jackets are useful.
3 Pete’s friends like fashionable clothes.
4 His favourite colour is brown.
5 He has an expensive suit for special events.
6 He usually wears a dark grey shirt for special events.
7 Marks and Spencer is in the shopping mall.
8 Jane’s favourite shop is the same as Pete’s.
C. Choose someone you know. Write a description of their clothes. Think about these questions:
• What clothes do they wear at different times of the day and different days of the week?
• What are their favourite colours?
• Where do they buy their clothes?
Answer
A
a 2 b 4 c 3 d 1
B
True: 1, 2, 5, 7; False: 3, 4, 6, 8
Past events
Exercise 1
Hi Jenny,
Thanks for your email. I’m sorry my reply is late! I was in New York three days ago for work and then I was in Dublin yesterday at a meeting about newspaper photography. Life’s busy at the moment!
Cara
‘Yesterday I was in Dublin.’
The people in OUR TEAM …
My name’s Antonio Marotto. I’m the doctor for our team. It’s a great job – I really like helping our players. I often go away with the team. We were in Newcastle two weeks ago for a game and we were in Bristol last week. It’s fun to travel with the team.
‘At a game in Madrid. It was the World Cup!’
Ava on THE ROAD …
Hi everyone, it’s Ava. Last week I was on tour with my band in Europe: three cities in five days. We were in Munich on Wednesday and then we were in Vienna on Thursday. But Saturday was the best night. We were in Milan and about 1,000 people were at our concert.
‘In this photo we were in Milan.’
A. Read about Cara, Antonio and Ava. Which events do they talk about?
a party – a sports game – a concert – a meeting
B. Read the texts again. Which cities does each person talk about?
Answer
A
Cara a meeting
Antonio a sports game
Ava a concert
B
Cara New York, Dublin
Antonio Newcastle, Bristol, Madrid
Ava Munich, Vienna, Milan
Exercise 2
Who killed Lady Grey?
Lord and Lady Grey live in a big house in London. Lady Grey has some very expensive diamonds. They are always in a bag under her bed.
One week, Lord and Lady Grey had guests at their house for lunch. After lunch, Lady Grey was tired, so she went to her bedroom to sleep. Lord Grey stayed with the guests until 3:00 and then they went home. At 3:15 he went to the bedroom with some tea for his wife. Lady Grey was on the floor. She was dead. There was a knife next to her and a bag … but no diamonds.
The police interviews
James Green ‘After lunch, I went with Lord Grey to the living room and we had coffee. We saw Jane White through the window. She was in the garden with a book. At 3:00 I went home with Sue Black. She lives near me, so we went in my car.’
Jane White ‘After lunch, I went into the garden. Sue Black was with me. She said ‘Oh, my phone is on the table!’ and she went back into the house. I stayed in the garden and read a book. At 3:00, I went home and watched TV.’
Sue Black ‘After lunch, I went into the garden. I saw Jane White in the garden and we went for a walk together until 3:00. Then we all went home. James Green lives near me, so I went with him in his car.’
Lord Grey ‘We had lunch until 2:00, then I stayed in the living room with James Green. We had coffee together and we talked about business. At 3:00 the guests went home.’
A. Read Who killed Lady Grey? and underline the correct answers.
1 Lady Grey’s diamonds were in the bedroom / living room.
2 The guests were there until 3:00 / 4:00.
3 Someone killed Lady Grey with a bag / a knife.
4 At 3:15 the diamonds were / weren’t in the bag.
B. Read to the police interviews. Which people are A, B and C on the plan?
C. Who do you think killed Lady Grey? Why?
Answer
A
1 bedroom (‘They are always in a bag under her bed.’)
2 3:00 (‘Lord Grey stayed with the guests until 3:00 and then they went home.’)
3 a knife (‘There was a knife next to her …’)
4 weren’t (‘There was a knife next to her and a bag … but no diamonds.)
B
A, B Lord Grey, James Green
C Jane White
C
Suggested answers
Sue Black killed Lady Grey.
After lunch Sue Black was in the house. She wasn’t in the garden with Jane White.
Exercise 3
DUBLIN SIGHTSEEING
FRIDAY 9th JAN
I had a horrible day at work. The office was really busy. I was so happy to get home. My flatmates, Mel and Amy, wanted me to go to the theatre with them, but I was tired. They went out, but I watched an old film in my bedroom. It was a brilliant murder story, but I fell asleep before the end, so I don’t know who the killer was!
SUNDAY 11th JAN
I got up late and had a long bath, then I watched a programme about Indian cookery. I was a bit hungry after the programme so I had cheese on toast – my favourite! I met Angela in town for lunch and then we went shopping. I bought a suitcase for our holiday in Ireland and Angela got some books. At 6:00 we met Mel and Amy for a pizza. We were in the restaurant till 10:00!
MONDAY 12th JAN
I got up at 4:00 this morning. I was really tired, but our plane to Ireland was at 6:30. I went to the airport in a taxi. Angela was already there with the tickets. It only took seventy minutes to travel from London to Dublin. We had breakfast on the plane, then Angela read one of her new books and I looked out of the window. We had a tour of Dublin today, and now we’re at our hotel, which is lovely!
A. Read the blog. Are the sentences true or false?
1 Jill was at work on Friday.
2 She lives with Mel and Amy.
3 She was in her office on Sunday.
4 She had lunch with Angela on Sunday.
5 Mel and Amy went to Dublin on Monday.
6 Jill and Angela travelled to the airport together.
B. Read the blog again. Underline the correct words to complete the sentences.
1 Jill had a good / bad day at work on Friday.
2 She went to the theatre / stayed at home on Friday evening.
3 She missed the end of the film because she was tired / bored.
4 She watched a cookery programme / cooked an Indian meal on Sunday.
5 Angela bought a suitcase / some books on Sunday.
6 Jill and her friends had pizza for lunch / dinner on Sunday.
7 They were in the pizza restaurant for three / four hours.
8 Jill got up early / late on Monday.
9 Jill and Angela arrived in Dublin at 7:40 / 8:40 on Monday.
10 They were in Dublin for a holiday / on business.
C. Write a blog about your daily life. Write about last week. Think about these questions:
• What did you do?
• Where did you go?
• Who did you see?
Answer
A
True: 1, 2, 4; False: 3, 5, 6
B
2 stayed at home 3 tired 4 watched a cookery programme
5 some books 6 dinner 7 four 8 early 9 7:40 10 for a holiday
Holidays
Exercise 1
New Year down under
The Duncan family, from Edinburgh, went to Melbourne, Australia, for New Year. Read Michael Duncan’s diary …
Thursday 31 December
We went shopping in Chapel Street – it has lots of interesting shops, restaurants and cafés. The weather changes all the time here. It’s hot and sunny one minute and then it’s cold and rainy. We went to a big New Year’s Eve party in a park in the evening. The children loved the fireworks.
Friday 1 January
Australia is 11 hours ahead of Scotland. New Year arrived early this year! It’s also summer time here and it’s very different to have New Year in the sun. I like the snowy, cold weather in Scotland at New Year, but in Melbourne it was very hot today and it didn’t feel like New Year. Everyone went to the beach!
A. Read about the Duncan family’s holiday. What was different about this New Year for them?
B. Complete Michael’s notes with the words in the box.
party – shopping – beach – hot
Thursday: (1)…………….. with family in Chapel Street
New Year’s Eve: (2)…………….. in a park – great fireworks!
Friday: (3)…………….. and sunny weather; everyone went to the (4)…………….. .
Answer
A
They were in Melbourne, in Australia
B
1 shopping 2 party 3 hot 4 beach
Exercise 2
WE ASKED OUR READERS TO SEND IN THEIR TRAVEL STORIES. HERE ARE SOME OF THEM.
Billy, 35
Four years ago I went to London for a job interview. Trains are expensive in the UK, so I went by bus. The journey was about five hours. I didn’t have anything to read so I started talking to the woman in the seat next to me. Her name was Milly. We got married last year and now we have a baby boy!
Monica, 27
I was in the USA on business and I had some free time, so I flew to New York to visit my friend, Chris. I didn’t tell her because I wanted to surprise her. I arrived but Chris wasn’t at home. The man in the flat next door said she was on holiday! I got a taxi back to the airport but it started to snow and there were no flights, so I slept at the airport. It was awful!
Lee, 20
In the university holiday, my friend and I decided to drive to Budapest for a music concert. We didn’t have a map, but we didn’t think it was important. The journey was fun and we arrived late at night. In the morning, we looked around the city, but it didn’t look like the photos of Budapest on the Internet. After a few hours, we realised we were in Bucharest in Romania, not Budapest in Hungary!
A. Read the web article. Match the people to the pictures 1—3.
Billy ……… Monica ……… Lee ………
B. Read the article again. Complete the sentences with Billy, Monica or Lee.
1 ……Lee…… travelled with a friend.
2 ……………… wanted to surprise a friend.
3 ……………… made a journey to find a new job.
4 ……………… was on holiday.
5 ……………… met an important person on a journey.
6 ……………… didn’t see his or her friend.
7 ……………… had a problem because of the weather.
8 ……………… didn’t arrive in the correct city.
C. Write about a journey you made. Remember to give information about:
• when the journey was
• why you made the journey
• where you travelled from and to
• what happened on the journey
Answer
A
Billy 2 Monica 3 Lee 1
B
2 Monica 3 Billy 4 Lee 5 Billy 6 Monica
7 Monica 8 Lee
Here and now
Exercise 1
IS YOUR PHONE ALWAYS ON?
Some people always have their phone on and they use it all the time – in a café, in the car, even in bed! Is this a good idea? Tell us what you think! And is your phone always on?
KEVIN My phone’s always on, day and night. You never know – maybe someone needs to call you at night.
YASMIN I never have my phone with me when I’m with people in a restaurant. I don’t want to talk on the phone when I’m eating. And I always turn it off at night.
BRANKO My phone’s always on in the day – when I’m at home and when I’m at work, but I turn it off at night. I want to sleep!
SAM My phone is usually on, but not at the cinema of course, and not on a plane. I have it on at night.
JENNY My phone is always off! I use it when I speak to a friend, or maybe at the airport or on a train – sometimes I need to tell my mum that the train’s late. But then I turn it off. I don’t like talking on the phone.
A. Read the comments on the website and answer the questions.
1 You phone the five people from the website. They’re in a restaurant. Who will answer?
2 You phone the five people at 3 am. Who will answer?
Answer
A
1 Kevin, Branko, Sam
2 Kevin, Sam
Exercise 2
Hi Jenny,
Thanks for your email. I hope you’re enjoying your holiday in Japan. I’m in Hamburg in Germany for two weeks. Mum and Dad sent me here to do a German course. I didn’t really want to come!
I’m staying with a German family here. The parents are Martin and his wife, Andrea, and they have two sons, Karl and Ralf. Karl is 17 and Ralf is 14. They’re very friendly but they only speak German and sometimes I don’t understand them.
It’s Sunday and everyone is at home, but we’re all in different parts of the house. I’m writing this email in my bedroom. It’s really nice because I can see the garden from my window. Karl is in the garden. It’s raining but he’s playing with the dog. Ralf is in the room next to me. His parents think he is studying for his exams, but he’s playing a computer game and chatting to his friends online.
Andrea is in the living room. She’s a teacher and she’s preparing her lessons for next week. Martin is cooking dinner and listening to some terrible opera music. I don’t know what he’s making, but he’s a great cook. My dad can only make toast!
Anyway, what are you doing? Write and let me know.
Anna
A. Read the email. Tick (✓) the sentences that are true. Correct the false sentences.
1 Jenny is on holiday in Germany.
Jenny is on holiday in Japan.
2 Anna is studying German.
……………………………………………..
3 There are three people in the German family.
……………………………………………..
4 Today is Saturday.
……………………………………………..
5 Anna is in the bedroom at the moment.
……………………………………………..
6 Most people in the family are outside now.
……………………………………………..
7 Anna wants to know what Martin is doing.
……………………………………………..
B. Read the email again. Underline the correct words to complete the sentences.
1 Jenny / Anna / Anna’s parents organised Anna’s course in Hamburg.
2 It’s a one / two / three week course.
3 Anna is staying in a hotel / house / flat in Germany.
4 Anna doesn’t always hear / understand / listen to what the family say to her.
5 Martin / Ralf / Karl isn’t inside the house at the moment.
6 Ralf is studying / playing a game / texting his friends.
7 Andrea is relaxing / working / helping Martin.
8 Anna doesn’t like Martin’s children / food / music.
C. Write a description of an evening in your home. Remember to give information about:
• who is in your home
• where each person is
• what each person is doing.
Answer
A
2 ✓
3 There are four people in the German family.
4 Today is Sunday.
5 ✓
6 Most people in the family are inside now.
7 Anna wants to know what Jenny is doing.
B
2 two 3 house 4 understand 5 Karl 6 playing a game
7 working 8 music
Achievers
Exercise 1
THEY WERE THE FIRST!
… BUT THEY WEREN’T WORLD FAMOUS.
#1 THE FIRST WOMAN IN SPACE
Valentina Tereshkova (born 1937)
Who is she?
A Russian cosmonaut
What did she do?
In 1963 she flew in Vostok 6. She went round the Earth 48 times and she was in space for almost 3 days.
Her life
She was born in 1937 in a small village in Russia. Her father was a tractor driver and her mother worked in a factory.
She finished school at 16 and started work in a factory. In her free time she studied and she also went parachute jumping.
In 1963 she got married and the next year she had a daughter, Elena. After that, Valentina never flew into space again.
#2 HE MADE THE FIRST COMPUTER GAME … IN 1914!
Leonardo Torres y Quevedo (1852—1936)
Who was he?
A Spanish engineer
What did he do?
In 1914 he made a machine called ‘The Chess Player’. You could play chess against it and it was the first computer game in the world.
His life
He was born in 1852 and grew up in the city of Bilbao, in Spain. When he was 16 he went to live in Paris and two years later he went to university in Madrid. After he finished university he travelled around Europe and studied new ideas.
Leonardo got married in 1885 and had eight children. His family was very rich, so he had lots of time to have ideas for new machines – like ‘The Chess Player.’
A. Read They were the first!. Who … ?
1 died over 50 years ago
2 had new ideas for machines
3 lived in a village as a child
4 came from a poor family
5 had one child
6 lived in France
Answer
1 Leonardo 2 Leonardo 3 Valentina 4 Valentina
5 Valentina 6 Leonardo
Exercise 2
REAL LIFE X-MEN
The X-Men films are about ‘superhumans’. They can do amazing things, for example, Iceman can make ice and Firestar can make fire and fly. Of course, X-Men aren’t real, and people in the real would can’t do the same things. But a few people can also do some amazing things!
THE ICEMAN
Wim Hof is from the Netherlands and he’s often called ‘The Iceman’. He can’t make ice, but he can sit in a bath of ice for one hour, 52 minutes and two seconds. He doesn’t feel cold. In 2009, he ran more than 40 kilometres in -20°C wearing only shorts!
THE FISHMEN
The Bajau Laut people in Southeast Asia can swim underwater for a long time. Sometimes they can go underwater for more than five minutes. They can also see very well in the water – it helps them to see the fish!
THE STRONG WOMAN
Seema Bhadoria is an amazing young woman from India – she can pull really big objects with only her teeth. When she was only 18 years old she pulled a plane with her teeth! She can also pull a ship and a big truck.
A. Read Real life X-Men. Does it talk more about X-Men or about real people?
B. Read Real life X-Men again. Answer the questions.
1 How long can Wim Hof stay in a cold bath?
2 How long can the Bajau Laut people stay underwater?
3 How does Seema Bhadoria pull things?
Answer
A
real people
B
1 one hour, 52 minutes and two seconds
2 more than five minutes
3 with only her teeth
Exercise 3
LAST NIGHT’S TV
People’s Lives is a popular TV programme on Channel 12. The programme helps people find out about their family history.
Last night, the programme was about Fiona Davies and her grandmother, Beth. Fiona didn’t know her grandmother well because Beth died when Fiona was two years old. People’s Lives found out that Beth was from Cardiff in Wales. She was born there in 1922 and had six brothers and sisters. The family was poor and Beth went to England when she was 17. She got a job in a hospital in London.
Beth worked at the hospital for six years, then she studied at university to be a doctor. She was 32 when she finished university and 33 when she married Fiona’s grandfather, James. James was a businessman from Manchester.
Beth and James were very happy for three years and they had a son, but then James died.
Beth left the UK and went to South Africa on a ship with her son. She worked as a doctor there and started a hospital for women. In 1972, Beth returned to Cardiff to teach at the university. She taught students who wanted to be doctors. Beth died in Wales in 1984.
It was an interesting programme and Fiona was very happy to know more about her grandmother. Next week it is the turn of Frank Kendal to find out about his grandparents. Don’t forget to watch!
• People’s Lives, 8 pm next Wednesday, Channel 12
A. Read the TV review. Tick (✓) the parts of Beth’s life you read about.
1 her family ✓
2 her house
3 her school
4 her work
5 her interests
6 her husband’s work
7 the death of her husband
8 her children
9 her friends
B. Read the review again. Put the events in Beth’s life in the order they happened.
…… Her husband died.
…… She had a baby.
…… She went to South Africa.
…… She finished her university studies.
…… She started teaching.
…… She got married.
..1.. She left Wales.
…… She got a job in London.
C. Choose an interesting member of your family and write about his or her life. Remember to give information about:
• where and when the person was born
• where the person lived
• what work the person did
• the person’s family
• why the person was interesting.
Answer
A
4, 6, 7, 8
B
2 She got a job in London.
3 She finished her university studies.
4 She got married.
5 She had a baby.
6 Her husband died.
7 She went to South Africa.
8 She started teaching.
Plans
Exercise 1
Outside the COMFORT ZONE
In this exciting new TV programme, ten people go and live in the mountains for ten days. Every day they do something difficult and sometimes dangerous. It’s usually cold and wet and they don’t have a lot of food. They need to stay safe and comfortable (if possible!), but it’s not easy. The two people who do the best win a prize of £25,000!
It starts on Channel Six next Tuesday at 8:30 pm.
It’s Day 5 on Outside the comfort zone and everyone is thinking about the first thing they’re going to do after the programme finishes.
I’m going to eat a big meal of steak and chips. JOEL
I’m going to have a long hot bath. MELISSA
I’m going to sleep for a long time. MICK
I’m going to have a big cup of coffee. SHELLEY
A. Read about Outside the comfort zone. Is it about …?
1 a fun holiday
2 a dangerous competition
B. Read about the programme again. Answer the questions.
1 Where do people on the programme go?
2 Do they have an easy time? Why / Why not?
3 What do the two best people get?
Answer
A
2
B
1 They go and live in the mountains.
2 No, they don’t. Every day they do something difficult and sometimes dangerous. It’s usually cold and wet and they don’t have a lot of food.
3 A prize of £25,000.
Exercise 2
ONLY 4,000 WEEKENDS IN YOUR LIFE!
SO, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THEM?
What’s your answer to this question? Perhaps it’s ‘I don’t know’ or ‘Not a lot’?
In her new book, What the most successful people do on the weekend, Laura Vanderkam says these are bad answers. She says the weekend is a time to relax, but also a time to do interesting things. With only 4,000 weekends in our life, each one is important. So don’t just sit on the sofa and watch TV. It’s a good idea to plan the weekend – then you can use the time well. Here are some of her ideas:
1 Plan three to five activities to do at the weekend and write them down. Be sure you do these things.
2 Plan to read a book. But a book for the weekend and then plan a time to read it.
3 Write a list of 100 ‘big’ things you’d like to do in your life. Choose one to do this weekend.
4 Get up early. Between 6:00 and 8:00 in the morning is the best time to do things. Plan to wake up early and do something before breakfast!
5 Turn off your phone and don’t use your computer. You can read your emails on Monday. On Sunday evening, go for a run, play some music or do yoga, so you relax and don’t think about work.
6 Don’t clean your house or flat at the weekend. It’s a time to do things you like!
A. Read about Laura Vanderkam’s new book. Which sentence below is her main idea?
1 Weekends are too short and we don’t have many of them.
2 It’s not a good idea to do a lot at the weekend.
3 It’s important to use the time well at the weekend.
B. Look at Wendy, Dermot and Rini’s plans for the weekend. Match them with ideas 1—3 in the text.
Answer
A
3 It’s important to use the time well at the weekend.
B
1 Rini 2 Dermot 3 Wendy
Exercise 3
NEW YEAR, NEW ME BY MATT SIMPSON
1 Today is January 1st — a good day to start my new life! Some people talk about changing their lives, but they don’t do anything. I’m not going to talk about changing my life. l have a list of things I want to do and I’m going to do all of them.
2 What am I going to do first? Well, I usually get up, go to work, come home, have dinner and then watch TV until it’s time to go to bed. I never do any sport. From tomorrow, I’m going to get up early every day and go for a run. I’m also going to use the swimming pool at the gym after work.
3 I’m not going to stay at home every evening. I’m going to visit the college and get some information about language courses. I’m interested in Japanese. I also want to do a cookery class. I don’t know how to cook and | just eat in restaurants or buy pizzas. At the weekend, I go home to my mum for meals!
4 I spend a lot of money on clothes, but I’m not going to buy any more. I’m going to put the money in the bank. My girlfriend and I want to travel and see new places. We’re planning to leave our jobs in September and travel around the world.
5 Those are my plans. What are YOU going to do to change your life this year?
A. Read the blog. Match the ideas a—e to paragraphs 1—5.
a Travelling to new places
b Asking about another person’s plans
c Learning new things
d Deciding to change
e Changing a daily routine
B. Read the blog again. Tick (✓) the activities Matt is going to do.
1 buy more clothes
2 cook a meal for his mum
3 do a lot of travelling
4 get a new job
5 use the gym ✓
6 learn to swim
7 learn to cook
8 play football at the gym
9 run every day
10 save money
11 study a foreign language
12 walk to work every day
C. Imagine it’s a new year and you want to change your life. Make a list of things you’re going to do and things you aren’t going to do.
Things you’re going to do
Things you aren’t going to do
Answer
A
a 4 b 5 c 3 d 1 e 2
B
3, 7, 9, 10, 11