Vocabulary and Comprehension Exercises

Exercise 1. (Text 1) Answer the questions

1. What were Carol and her friends doing?

2. Why were they all making a lot of noise?

3. What was playing at full volume?

4. What was Pete doing?

5. What was Polly trying to do?

6. What was Tom’s dog doing?

7. Was everybody sleeping and dreaming?

8. Was the dog screeching?

9. Did the guests hear the doorbell?

10. Who noticed that there was somebody at the door?

11. Who was standing at the door?

12. What was Mr Smith wearing?

13. What was Mr Smith’s wife doing?

14. Was Carol angry?

15. What did Carol ask Mr Smith to do?

Exercise 2. (Text 2) Answer each question with a complete sentence

1. When did the rooms fall in?

2. Why wasn’t anybody hurt?

3. Who was the owner talking to when the rooms fell in?

4. What was he looking at when he heard the sound?

5. Why did he call the construction company?

6. What were the workers doing when the rooms fell in?

7. What was the owner’s wife doing while the reporters were talking?

8. Where was she standing when the front room fell in?

9. Who will rebuild the house?

10. Who will pay for the repairs?

Exercise 3. (Text 3) Answer the questions:

1. Did the car have an engine or a battery?

2. In what way did the computer work?

3. When did the car start and when did it stop?

4. Where was the uncle driving one day?

5. Why was the road bad?

6. What sign did he see?

7. What did the uncle say when he saw a sign?

8. Did the car stop?

9. Where did the car stop at last?

10. What did the uncle say when the car stopped at last?

Exercise 4. (Dialogue 1) Answer the questions:

1. Who wants to show the house to Harold?

2. Whose house is this?

3. What is there in the sitting-room?

4. Where does the family have breakfast, lunch and dinner?

5. What does Mother ask Nancy to do?

6. How many floors are there in the house?

7. How many rooms are there on the first floor?

8. What is there in the bathroom?

Exercise 5. ( Dialogue 2) Answer the questions:

1. Where is the music coming from?

2. What is Peter doing?

3. What has Peter got in his room?

4. What is there in Nancy’s room?

5. What can Harold see from Nancy’s window?

6. Where is Topper coming from?

7. What is Father doing?

8. What does Peter want to do?

Exercise 6. Dictation-translation.

A.	У Кэрол и ее друзей была вечеринка. Что хуже всего, Том взял свою собаку в гости и она гонялась по всей комнате за котом Кэрол. В дверь позвонили, но, конечно же, в этом шуме они не услышали звонка. Кто-то стучал по полу в квартире сверху. Не беспокойтесь, мистер Смит. Входите и присоединяйтесь к нам.
В.	21 апреля в 6 часов обвалилась гостиная в доме мистера Паркера. Мистер Паркер и его жена разговаривали с гостями, когда это произошло. Они показывали гостям трещины в гостиной, когда они услышали громкий треск. Трещины становились все больше. Рабочие были все еще в пути, когда комнаты обвалились.
С.	Электронный автомобиль – самый современный в мире. У машины не было ни двигателя, ни аккумулятора, ни тормозов, а вместо этого был компьютер. Компьютер реагировал на голос водителя. Однажды мой дядя вел машину в горах. Дорога была плохая, и в ней было много резких поворотов. Наконец машина остановилась на краю обрыва.
D.	Мне показать тебе дом? Прекрасная идея! Люблю послушать хорошего экскурсовода. В гостиной находятся стол и несколько стульев. Не мог ли бы ты мне помочь? Поставь, пожалуйста, чайник. Сейчас мы выходим из кухни и входим в холл.

Grammar Exercises

Exercise 1.

Make the following sentences

negative and questions.

1. The fire was still burning at six o’clock this morning.

2. She was reading a book when he came in.

3. The sun was shining when we went out.

4. The children were doing their homework when their father came back from the office.

5. We were living in France when the war began.

6. It was raining this morning when I got up.

Exercise 2. Complete the Past Continuous form in the following:

1. You (walk) very quickly when I saw you.

2. James (go) to a disco when I met him.

3. He (sit) in the garden when the house fell down.

4. When you came in I (write).

5. I came in while he (write).

6. When I arrived at his house he still (sleep).

7. The boy jumped off the bus while it (move).

8. He (walk) across the bridge when his hat blew off.

9. She cut her finger while she (cut) the bread and butter.

10. The bus started while I (get) on.

11. When I (listen) to the radio last night, I heard a loud scream.

12. She finished the housework while she (cook) the lunch.

13. I took another cake when you (not look).

14. I (have) a bath when the phone rang.

15. We (watch) television when Peter arrived.

Exercise 3. Choose the correct verb form in the following sentences

1. I met/ was meeting a friend while I did/ was doing the shopping.

2. I paid/ was paying for my things when I heard/ was hearing someone call my name.

3. I turned/ was turning round and saw/ was seeing Paula.

4. She wore/ was wearing a bright red coat.

5. We decided/ were deciding to have a cup of coffee.

6. While we had/ were having a drink, a waiter dropped/ was dropping a pile of plates.

7. We all got/ were getting a terrible shock.

8. While the waiter picked/ was picking up the broken plates, he cut/ was cutting his finger.

9. We left/ were leaving the café and said/ were saying good-bye.

10. I finished/ was finishing my shopping and went/ was going home.

Exercise 4. Complete the passage with the correct words

was working	clean	was watching	I heard		outside
was snowing	in	It stayed	as	see	was reading

One evening last year I was working late at the office. It was winter, and it ..... outside. I ..... some reports when ..... a noise. I looked out of the window but I couldn’t ..... anything. I went back to the reports but ..... I was working, I had a strange feeling. I felt that someone ..... me through the window. «This is silly,» I thought. «The office is on the second floor. It’s impossible for anyone to be outside.» I turned around to pick up a book and saw something in the mirror. It was a face and it was watching me through the window. When I turned back, the face wasn’t in the window any more ..... but it was still in the mirror. ..... there all night, watching me as I worked.

The next day, I looked at the ground .... the building. There were no marks in the snow underneath the window. It was ..... and fresh. There were no marks on the window itself and nothing ..... the mirror. But I know I saw a face. And there’s something else. That night was 31^st October, or Halloween, the night when ghosts call and witches walk. Since that night, I have believed in ghosts.

Exercise 5. Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple or the Past Continuous

1. Yesterday the sun (shine) when I (cycle) to school.

2. When I (come) home it (get) dark.

3. (He carry) a briefcase when you (see) him?

4. Tom (still read) when the phone (ring).

5. When I (look) for my needle-work the lights (go) out.

6. I (not know) he (prefer) tea to coffee.

7. He (practice) the violin, so he (not hear) me come in.

8. We (have) dinner when John (arrive).

9. Mary (know) that her husband (love) fishing.

10. She (still live) at the seaside when her parents (die).

Exercise 6.

Complete the passage with the correct form of the verb. Use the Past Continuous or the Past Simple tense

I was walking home from school one day when I saw a girl that I knew. She ..... (sit) on a stone seat, looking at something, but I ..... (can not) see what it was. So I ..... (walk) over to her and ..... (say): «Hello. What’s that?» She ..... (jump). «Oh!» She said, «You ..... (frighten) me! I .... (watch) some little mice.» Then she ..... (show) me what she ..... (look) at. It was a nest of six baby mice with their mother.

Exercise 7.

Supply the most suitable tense (Present Simple, Present Continuous, Past Simple, Past Continuous, Present Perfect)

1. She (go) away every weekend.

2. He (go) abroad last week.

3. No, he isn’t here. He just (go) out.

4. He (go) downstairs when I (meet) him.

5. This boy never (see) the sea.

6. You (see) my bag? I (lose) it.

7. I (see) you yesterday. You (sit) outside a café.

8. He is busy now; he (write) a letter.

9. I usually (not take) sugar in my tea.

10. He (sit) in the garden, when the storm (break).

11. «You (go) to the cinema last night? » – «No, I (not be) for three weeks »

12. «You (read) that book yet? » – «No, I only just (begin) it »

Exercise 8.

Complete the sentences using the appropriate preposition.

1. They are very proud ….. their children.

2. My sister has just got engaged ….. her boyfriend.

3. You’re very good ….. explaining things.

4. Sydney in Australia is famous ….. its Opera House.

5. She’s quite capable ….. doing the job.

6. I’m tired … doing the same things every day.

7. Are you interested ….. playing tennis tomorrow?

8. It was very kind ….. them to give us a lift to the station.

9. He refused to give me an answer ….. my question.

10. What are the main differences ….. the two countries?

11. Smoking is one of the causes ….. heart disease.

12. The artist drew a picture ….. my mother.

13. There is a need ….. more houses in this area.

14. Has there been an increase ….. unemployment recently?

15. We need a solution ….. the world’s population problem.

Exercise 9. Translate from Russian into English.

1. Она выучила язык, когда училась в Англии. 2. Он простыл, когда катался на коньках в морозный день. 3. Я купил эту книгу, когда готовился к экзаменам. 4. Мистер Браун потерял фотоаппарат, когда гулял по городу. 5. Нэнси осталась дома, так как она удирала квартиру. 6. Почему он не остановился поговорить с тобой? – Он торопился на лекцию. 7. Они смотрят телевизор? – Не думаю. Когда я уходил, огни не смотрели его. 8. Дети спят? – Не думаю. Они не спали, когда я уходил. 9. Пока Джон мыл машину, девочки мыли посуду. 10. Дождь пошел как раз тогда, когда я вышел из дома.

SOME MORE PRACTICE

Task 1. Read the text and correct the false statements:

1. Ferdinand Porsche was involved in designing the Beetle.

2. The Wolfsburg company produced about 15,000,000 Beetle cars.

3. Of all the Volkswagen cars, the mass media were especially interested in advertising the Beetle.

4. Nowadays, it is quite common to see the Beetle car in the street.

5. Only a few Beetle owners try to maintain their cars in a good condition.

“A Legend on Wheels”

In the 1930s, the Wolfsburg car factory in Germany produced the first inexpensive car ‘for the people’ – the Beetle. Nobody really expected it to be such a great success. It was the idea of the well-known constructor, Ferdinand Porsche, and it immediately became even more popular than Ford’s ‘T’ model which was at that time the most modern and popular car.

The production of the ‘T’ model continued for 20 years without interruption between 1908 – 1927. The Beetle had a production life of 48 years between 1935 – 1978. This model had not changed throughout the years, except for some modifications in the engine. It remained the same size, and was relatively cheap and simple in construction. Even today, the Volkswagen Beetle is still manufactured in Brazil on the original licence.

The War interrupted development of the Beetle and the factory was used for military production. However, as soon as the war ended, Beetle production restarted and by 1972 the total number of cars produced increased to over 15,000,000.

It was then that the Beetle in Wolfsburg was replaced by the new Golf model which actually had nothing in common with its older brother. The car designers decided to make a car completely different from their original model. In 1975, Volkswagen introduced this new Golf in the United States where it was called ‘Rabbit”.

Over the years, there were many models of Volkswagen, produced by using the Beetle and Golf as a starting point and including many other concepts and standards. The mass media advertised the entire family of Volkswagen cars: Passat, Jetta, Polo, Derby. There were vans and various sizes and types of trucks. They were manufactured in Emden, Osnabruck, Wolfsburg and other German cities.

Many people today are of the opinion that Volkswagen are among the most comfortable and powerful cars in Europe. Although the Beetle is hardly ever seen in the streets any more, the owners of the remaining Beetle models still make an effort to keep their small cars in the best possible condition. What is more, they are very proud of driving a car with a history behind it.

Task 2. Read the text and correct the statements below.

“Was I dreaming?”

One evening last autumn I was walking in the gardens at Hampton Court. It was getting dark and I was one of the last people in the gardens.

As I was walking through the rose garden I saw a young woman. She was sitting alone on a stone seat. She was crying. Her clothes were strangely old-fashioned. She was wearing a long black dress with a high collar. I went up to her and said: “Excuse me, but the gardens are closing now”. She said nothing and I walked on. When I looked back at the stone seat, the woman in black was gone.

The following week, while I was looking at some history books in the library, I found a book about King Henry VIII and his six wives. In it was a picture of Anne Boleyn. She was wearing exactly the same clothes as the woman who was crying in the rose garden.

Correct the statements:

1. The writer was walking in the park.

No, he wasn’t. He was walking in the gardens at Hampton Court.

2. It was early in the morning.

3. He saw a man in the rose garden.

4. The woman was laughing.

5. She was wearing very modern clothes.

6. The woman spoke to him.

Copy and complete these sentences as you wish.

1. While I was having breakfast this morning, …

2. As I was coming to the University, …

3. While we were watching TV, …

4. As I was walking through the park, …

5. While I was sitting on the train, …

Look at the story outline below and complete the missing information.

1. One evening last autumn I was walking in the gardens at Hampton Court.

2. It was getting …

3. I was walking …

4. I saw a …

5. She was …

6. She was wearing …

7. I said “The gardens …”

8. She said …

9. I looked back …

10. In the library I found a picture of … and she was …

Did you know?

King Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, had an extra finger on her left hand.

Task 3. Look at the pictures and say: why did the cow decide to ring the bell?

UNIT 11

Grammar: Texts: Dialogue:

The Past Perfect Tense The Past Perfect Continuous Tense Relative Pronouns 1. «Someone Had Taken It» «Nobody Had Believed It Was Possible» «Luckily, I Had Been Wearing My Seatbelt» 1. «Come On! »

Text One

«Someone Had Taken It»