Invited

He ……………………. to the party.

11. The new presenter certainly has plenty of confidence.

lack

The new presenter ………………………confidence.

Ex. 6. Write a wish for each of the following sentences (1-9).

1. Mathilda wanted to be auditioned for the National Ballet.

……………………………………………………….

2. You didn’t put the ice cream in the fridge and now it’s spoilt.

……………………………………………………….

3. You didn’t do mathematics in high school and now you regret it.

………………………………………….……………

4. Theresa’s dog keeps the neighbours awake because it barks all night.

……………………………………………….………

5. You have lost your reference from one of your previous jobs and now you need it for an interview. ………………………………………………

6. You want to go on holiday this summer, but you haven’t got any leave yet.

……………………………………………………….

7. You neglected to have your clothes dry-cleaned.

……………………………………………………….

8. Louise realized she left her lecture notes at home.

……… …………………………………………

9. Tim didn’t have enough time to go to the bank during his lunch hour.

…………….…………………………………………

Unit 6 people and nature

6.1. Reading

Ex.1. You are going to read an article about the impact the motor car has had on everyday life. Choose from the sentences A-I the one which fits each gap (1-7). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning.

A It is a problem that can be solved given the right levels of commitment.

B Immediate steps are needed to check the emissions from car engines.

C The number of vehicles on our roads is set to double over the next thirty years.

D There are other victims too.

E The average speed of traffic in central London is the same as in the era of the horse and cart of 80 years ago.

F We do not need cars to show what we are worth.

G This would make people think twice before getting into their cars.

H Most teenagers now expect to have their own car once they hit the age of 18.

I Lead in petrol has been shown to cause brain damage in young children.

THE CURSE OF THE MOTOR CAR

We are all familiar with the story of Frankenstein, the professor who created a monster that eventually led to his own destruction. In my opinion, the mass-produced car, which was born in the early part of this century, is set to strangle us in the next.

Just consider the awful impact that the car has had on modern life. 0-----E-----. Lives in many big cities have become miserable because of the congestion, noise and pollution from motor vehicles.

It is the young who have been put most at risk. It has become far too hazardous to let children cycle freely on the roads. There has been an enormous increase in the number of juvenile asthma cases and respiratory problems. 1--------------.

Nevertheless, in my opinion, the impact of the car is nowhere more visible than in the small villages of what was once our countryside. As far as I am concerned, it is these and their inhabitants that have suffered the most. Huge juggernauts thunder down narrow streets and the high street became the permanent traffic jam. Pedestrians risk their lives by stepping off narrow pavements. 2-------------. The slaughter of wildlife has become so common as to cease to be horrific.

This story is all too familiar, yet there is worse to come. 3-----------. Does it mean that we will be living in a wilderness of tarmac and concrete? Or is it perhaps time to tackle the monster? Now, I am not suggesting that we can turn back the clock and uninvent the car in any way. What I am saying is that we have to find imaginative solutions to our transport needs if we are to avoid choking themselves to death, or living in a wilderness made from concrete and tarmac. I do believe, however, that the problem can be dealt with on three levels: internationally, nationally and, last but not least, on a personal level.

On the international level, governments must cooperate to ensure that motor manufacturers are working to produce more efficient engines which demand less in fuel and which are much cleaner. They should sets limits for engine sizes and production. 4----------------. Manufacturers must be made to fit effective filters to all new vehicles. Damage to the ozone layer or acid rain do not respect national boundaries.

Let us now look at what can be done on a national level. Road tax should be up to ten times more for vehicles with engine size over, say, 2 litres. Cars without effective filters and catalytic converters should be taken off the roads immediately. The government should put up the price of petrol immediately. 5--------------. Road pricing for journeys would also help with this. Next, it should develop a public transport policy that does not have the private motor car at its center. It is a fact that building more roads actually increases traffic. Public transport such as reliable trains and buses should receive a far greater investment.

Lastly, what can we do as individuals? First and foremost, we need to rid ourselves of the mentality that we cannot do without our cars and that they are a reflection of our success and status in society. Fifty years ago it was unusual for a family to have a car. Now, along with washing machines and annual holidays abroad, it has become the norm. 6-----------.

Next, we should make immediate changes to our lifestyles and walk or use bicycles for shorter journeys. We should become politically active and make it clear that transport policy is the key issue in how we decide to spend our vote.

To sum up, I have tried to show that there are steps that can be taken to reduce the damage caused by the car. 7-------------. However, only by acting as individuals first can we expect governments to act in their turn. By accepting responsibility and acting upon it, we can avoid our lemming-like journey down the one-way street to extinction.

Ex. 2. For questions 1 – 15, choose from the sections A–E. The sections may be chosen more than once. When more than one answer is required, these may be given in any order. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Which section of the article mentions

a person who was often in a different country from their pet? 0 ------ C

a person who gained a skill at an early age? 1 ------

someone who behaved in a way not typical of them? 2 ------

a person who got a pet by chance? 3 ------

a creature that started to behave in a disturbed manner? 4 ------ 5 -----

a person who was very upset about leaving their pet? 6 ------

a statement which was not believed by another person? 7 ------

a creature that was able to predict an event happening

at irregular interval? 8 ------ 9 ------

a pet that got angry when its owner went out? 10 ------

a situation that could have been more serious than it was? 11 ------

someone who recognized the sound made by their pet? 12 ------

a pet that appeared to be jealous? 13 ------

a creature that predicted a change in a routine? 14 ------

a creature that only reacted in a particular way when its owner

was involved? 15------

THE UNEXPLAINED POWERS OF ANIMALS

A Some pets seem to have an amazing ability to locate their owners. Twelve-year-old Bobby Chesson came across a racing pigeon in his back yard in West Virginia, USA. He looked after it, calling it pigeon 167 after the identification number on its leg-ring, and it became his pet. Then Bobby was taken to hospital for an operation. One dark, snowy night about a week after his admission, the boy had a fluttering at the window of his hospital room. He asked his nurse to open the window, telling her that his pigeon was outside. Just to humour him, she did so – and in flew pigeon 167,having flown over 100 miles to find him.

B Unusual powers are not confined to pet birds but are seen in other animals, which have a close bond with their owner. Herminia Denot grew up on a ranch in Argentina, and learned to ride almost before she could walk. She was very attached to her horse Pampero, but the time came when she had to go away to boarding school in the capital Buenos Aires and, much to her dismay, Pampero could not accompanied her. The gaucho (cowboy) who looked after the horse said that at the end of each term, as the time of Hermania’s return grew near, ‘Pampero would go crazy. He used to gallop around the field neighing.’ When she was due to arrive, the horse would stand by the gate, looking south towards the train station. But on one occasion, Pampero stood looking in the opposite direction. And this time Hermania arrived by road – from the north.

C Anticipatory behaviour is common in various creatures. David Waite worked from his home in Oxford, but his job as a public relations consultant also involved lengthy trips abroad. In his absence, David’s parents used to stay in the house to deal with telephone calls from his clients and to feed Godzilla, his cat. David used to ring home frequently to check that all was well and get any messages. ‘Whenever I called,’ says David, ‘Godzilla would run and sit beside the telephone as it started to ring. My calls were made at different times of day – they weren’t regular. And she totally ignored all the other calls. The only explanation I can think of is that it was some kind of telepathy.’

D Sometimes telepathic communication can work from pet to owner. Dolores Katz, from New Mexico, tells the story of a time when her dog, Eric, seemed to communicate with her telephathically. ‘One day while I was at work it started to thunder and rain. As I worked, I got more and more agitated. Somehow I knew that Eric needed me. At last I couldn’t take it any more. I hardly ever take time off, but this time I dropped everything and rushed home.’ Dolores found Eric lying in the back room surrounded by broken glass, with his paws bleeding badly. Frightened by the storm, he had run into a glass door. Fortunately, a possibly tragic situation was avoided as she was able to get Eric to the vet in time to deal with his injuries.

E Occasionally, a pet’s attachment to one particular owner can show itself in strange ways. Celia and David Watson, who live in Sussex, England, used to have a parrot called Oscar, ’I couldn’t go near Oscar when David was in the room – he seemed to resent me taking David’s attention,’ says Celia, ‘The bird would just try to attack me without warning. I couldn’t give him his food or even touch his cage. And when David left the room, Oscar would fling himself against the side of the cage in fury.’ The parrot was quite calm when David was away at work, but started to get excited ten to twenty minutes before David arrived home. ‘Oscar used to run around in his cage making little noises and fluttering his wings,’ says Celia, ‘He always knew when David was going to arrive.’