• I've been to New York.

• I went there in 1990.

Exercise 163

Read the text.

It's Difficult to Say Good-bye

People often travel to other places to study or to work. Ralph is going to get on the train and travel to a new job. He's saying good-bye to his girl friend Stella and her brother Tom.

The three friends have known each other for many years. They've been neighbours since they were children. Ralph has lived next door to Stella and Tom for fifteen years. They've grown up together, and they've visited each other almost every day.

Stella and Ralph have been an important part of each other's lives, so it's difficult to say good-bye. They've studied journalism together, and they've worked as reporters for a small town newspaper. Now Ralph has a job working for a big city newspaper 500 kilometres away. Ralph and Stella will miss each other very much, but Ralph will come home again on his vacations.

Activity

Exercise 164

Answer the questions.

1. Who is going to travel on the train?

2. Who is saying good-bye to Ralph?

3. How long have they all known each other?

4. Where has Ralph lived for fifteen years?

5. Who has grown up with Ralph?

6. Where have they gone every day?

7. How often have they visited each other?

8. Where have Ralph and Stella worked?

9. Where is Ralph going to work now?

10. Why is it difficult for them to say good-bye?

11. How will Stella feel when Ralph is gone?

12. When will Ralph come home?

Exercise 165

Make sentences out of the groups of words below. Each sentence should be in the Present Perfect tense and should show an activity or a state, which began in the past and has continued to the present.

1. know / for many years

2. be friends / since 1965

3. be neighbours / for fifteen years

4. live next door to her / since 1965

5. go to school / every day / for twelve years

6. visit her / every day / for two years

7. study journalism / since 1975

8. work as a reporter / for three years

9. be important to her / for a long time

10. love her / since I met her

Exercise 166

Contrasting Completed Action and Duration

Read the sentences given below. If the sentence shows completed action, use the time marker "already". If the sentence shows duration, use the time marker "for many years".

1. Ralph has met Stella.

2. Ralph has known Stella.

3. Ralph has moved next door to Stella.

4. Ralph has lived next door to Stella.

5. Ralph has gone to school today.

6. Ralph has gone to school every day.

7. Ralph has worked in journalism.

8. Ralph has lost his job.

9. Ralph has taken another job.

10. Ralph has loved Stella.

11. Ralph has visited Stella every day.

12. Ralph has said good-bye to Stella.

Exercise 167

Read the sentences given below. Then use a different time marker and change the tense to agree with it.

Example:

Ralph is visiting Stella now.		Ralph visits Stella every week.
(every week - already)		Ralph has visited Stella already.

1. They go to school together every morning.

(this morning - for many years)

2. Ralph has studied journalism for two years.

(these days - every evening)

3. Ralph isn't coming home to visit this month.

(every month - yet)

4. He often travels to London.

(now - every month for a year)

5. He isn't taking the train.

(usually - yet)

6. They're working together on the newspaper today.

(every day for six months - seldom)

7. She isn't writing him a letter now.

(often - for three weeks)

8. His boss doesn't hire any new reporters in the summer.

(this summer - for a year)

9. Stella works for the small newspaper occasionally.

(these days - for a long time)

Exercise 168

Translate the following sentences from Russian into English. Use the Present Perfect.

1. Я не могу спросить его об этом, он ушел.

2. Она заболела и не будет делать доклад.

3. Я закончил перевод, что мне делать дальше?

4. Он бывал за границей несколько раз, не так ли? - Да, Поэтому он знает эту процедуру.

5. Ты уже поужинал? - Нет, я еще не ужинал.

6. Я никогда ее не видел и не знаю, как она выглядит.

7. Она бывала в Лондоне несколько раз.

8. Она в Лондоне уже два месяца.

9. В последнее время жизненный уровень в этой стране повысился.

10. Вы слышали новость? Они поженились.