I READING COMPREHENSION

On the right track

Eurorailing
1 Calling all students. Thanks to their extended summer vacations, students are in the enviable
position of being able to travel round Europe by rail and see the sights on the cheap. This article points out some of the pros and cons of travelling by train. 2 _____________________. The sense of freedom offered by rail travel is unrivalled by any other, except perhaps the less safe option of hitch-hiking. Trains are also a great way to meet local people and, compared with other long-distance modes of transport, the Greenest you can get. Rail travel allows you to explore the hidden corners of the continent, especially areas where rural lines are still open and trains are still the most common form of public transport. Its also a relaxing way to travel, whether you are using it as a cheap bed for the night, or as a ring-side seat for a series of stunning views. 3______________________. The first step before you go is to choose one of the Eurorail schemes available. After that, there are a few tips to bear in mind before you leave. Budgeting always causes headaches and its worth finding out which are the expensive and the cheap countries. Its sensible to take some cash, but you should take most of your money in travelers cheques. Choose a well-known brand and buy small denominations. 4________________________. Your most important part of equipment is your backpack, and its worth choosing one thats comfortable and light, sits just above your hips, and is high rather than wide when full. A day-pack is useful for sightseeing, and a pair of comfortable walking shoes is vital, along with dark, hard-wearing clothes. As a general rule, put out everything you want to take-then halve it. Some things, however, should not be left behind. An alarm clock (so you dont miss those early trains); a scarf to cover your shoulders or legs for visits to churches or mosques; photocopies of all your important documents- best packed separately or given to a travelling companion; toilet paper, soap and a universal plug; a Swiss army penknife; numerous plastic bags; a water bottle and a small first aid kit. 5________________________. The fun really starts once you are out there, of course-hunting for a hostel at 10p.m., being ripped off by a taxi driver who claims there are no buses to your campsite or being turned away from a famous tourist attraction for wearing shorts. There are compensations for these frustrations (which make the best stories afterwards, anyway!), but many problems can be avoided if you are aware of the potential pitfalls before you leave. 6________________________. The golden rule is not to try to cram too much into the time available. Trying to see the whole of Europe in a month, by spending every night on a train and an afternoon in each capital city will result in an unsatisfactory blur of shallow impressions. It is also a recipe for disaster, as you will be tired, grumpy and unreceptive for most of your trip. Instead, try to vary your route, mixing visits to cities with relaxing spells on the beach or in the countryside. 7________________________. Each year a few unlucky travelers have their valuables stolen. The best way to prevent this is to carry them with you at all times, preferably in a money belt or a neck poch. This is especially important on night trains, where most thefts occur. Another sensible precaution is not to sleep rough-youre just asking for trouble. Watch out for conmen at stations; theyll try to persuade you to accept a room, tempting you with glamorous pictures of a hotel which turns out to be awful and whose price will have doubled by the time you reach it. Far better to go and see accommodation yourself before accepting it. And, if youre on a tight budget, its always worth asking if theyve got anything cheaper. 8________________________. These ideas are really just common sense, but its amazing how often they are overlooked. But the most important tip of all is have fun!

2 On the right track A Choose the suitable headings for the eight sections of the leaflet from this list. There is one heading you do not need to use. Beware of criminals____ Packing the essentials____ Minor irritations____ Trains! Theyre the best____ Money matters____ Fill your time_____ Planning a sensible schedule___ Take care but enjoy yourself____ Calling all students 1

B Read the leaflet and choose the correct answers: 1 The main purpose of this text is to A highlight the problems associated with rail travel. B emphasize the many advantages of rail travel. C give advice to students about rail travel. D promote and advertise rail travel. 2 The writer advises students to take A no cash C only travellers cheques B money in more than one form D a credit card. 3 When they are packing for a rail holiday, the writer advises students to A include only small objects B take more than they think theyll really need C take less than they really want to D leave behind nothing they think they may need 4 According to the writer, the best thing about bad experience on holiday is that you A forget about them later B may receive compensations afterwards C can learn something useful for the future D can tell people about them later 5 When planning a route, the writer advises students to A see as much as possible B visit places but also rest from time to time C go sightseeing in the afternoons and travel by night D see everything in a month 6 What should travellers do to prevent their valuables from being stolen? A keep them with them all the time B not travel on trains at night C not fall asleep on trains D be especially careful at stations

Use of English
II Make adjectives : -importance- __________; -rely-____________; -decision-___________; -mystery-__________; - logic-_______; - mood-________; -sympathy-_________ ; - tolerate-__________ like-________;inovate-________: - develop-_________ ;- abide-__________; - chat-________; - wealth-_________;

III Fill the gaps with the appropriate verb form, a preposition, a suitable article: We were late as usual. Michael.(insist) .(do) his packing.himself, and when he discovered that he. (can/manage) he..(ask) me....help . last moment. So now we had.hour.(get). .. airport. Luckily, there (be/not) much traffic . road and we.. (be ) able..(get) there just.time. We(check) in and.(go) straight .. .. departure lounge.(wait) .our flight(call). We(wait) and.(wait) but no announcement(make). We(ask).. . information desk and .. girl there told us that. plane.(not/arrive) yet. . . end there was another announcement.(tell) us that passengers(wait) Flight LJ 108(can/collect). free meal voucher and that.. plane .(not/leave) Spain because of technical problems. We..(think) that .(mean) that it..(be/not) safe .. plane to fly. Later that evening we(ask).report.. information desk again. They told us we..(spend)night . .. hotel. .. airlines expense. The next morning after sleepless night we reported back . .. airport. Guess what.(happen) while we were asleep! Our plane. (arrive) and ..(take) off again(leave) us stranded. All other passengers (wake) up, but .. some reason or other we .(forget). You can imagine how we ..(feel)! IV Rephrase each sentence: 1- They were singing National anthem when I left. - The National anthem_______________________________________________. 2- I moved into this house when I got married and Im still living here. - I________________________________________________________________ 3- After they had arrived in Jurassic park, they started exploring it. - ________________________________________they started exploring it. 4- She wasnt there on time. She didnt have all the necessary papers. - Neither_________________________________________________________. 5- Its advisable to arrive a few minutes earlier. - I suggest________________________________________________________. 6- When is the weather going to improve? - Its high time_____________________________________________________. 7- My mother has found out that I smoke. - If only___________________________________________________________. 8- It was his own fault that he lost his job. He was late for work every morning. - If______________________________________________________________

V Prepositions 1- I wish youd stop interfering________ my private affairs. 2- The Mrs. Bates will be remembered______ her kindness. 3- The strikers protested______ the low salaries. 4- Did you know that her birthday coincides________that of Marilyin Monroe. 5- I dont have any objections______ your accepting the job. 6- Friends shouldnt be envious_______ each other success. 7- Please remind me_____ my doctors appointment tomorrow. 8- Do you think people should be discouraged__________smoking in public places? 9- The coach congratulated the team_______their excellent performance. 10- My aunt regularly subscribes_______Vogue magazine. 11- After our car broke down we headed_______town on foot. 12- I will inform you_____any further developments. VI Put in right tenses and word order: 12345Little_________..............(you/care) about the problem. So alike_______..............(the twins/be) that few people could tell them apart. No sooner________....................(we/step)outside than it started raining. Hardly________.........................(I/get) inside when everyone started laughing. Rarely________.................................(we/see)such a public event.

VII Fill in the blanks with the verbs given : I recently left my job in an____________(advertise) agency after a__________(agree) with my boss. She accepted my____________(resign) but warned me that because of the____________(economize) situation, I might have to get used to the idea of being__________(employ) for a while. I thought she was trying to make a point, but after I had made over fifty___________(apply),I realized she was right. Although I am a ___________(qualify) designer, I didnt receive any offers of a job. After that I tried working from home, but it was not very_________(profit).Then I became an_______(employ) in a fast-food restaurant, even though my ____________(earn) were extremely low. I wish I had accepted early__________(retire) from my old job. VIII An adjective made from the verb in brackets: 1- a_______________(die)body; 2- a__________________(bore) book;___________ 3- a___________________________(quarrel)neighbour; 4-an_______________________(introduce)chapter; 5- an_____________(obey)dog; 6 a_______________________(reside)district; 7-a _______ _________(stick)cake; 8- an___________________(explain)leaflet. IX Correct forms 4

Choose the correct form from the two choices given: 1 I keep to lose/ losing my keys. 2 When I was young I used to have/ having terrible nightmares. 3 Its getting rather late. Shall/ Will I phone for a taxi? 4 It can hurt your eyes if you look directly at a sun/ the sun. 5 Did you see a / the news on TV last night? 6 My cars broken down, so Ill have to get used to walk/ walking everywhere. 7 Please stop to worry/ worrying about me. I am old enough to look after myself. 8 I cant help to wish/ wishing I hadnt bought such an expensive watch. 9 They were playing so/ such loud music at the party next door that I went round to complain. X Fill the gaps in these sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets: 1 Whenever John..(drink) coffee, he gets a headache. 2 My birthdays next Tuesday. I.(be) 18. 3 When John finishes university he.(work) abroad for a couple of years. At least thats his plan. 4 Youve got enough to do. I(do) the shopping this week. 5 Youd better be quick. The train.(leave) in five minutes. 6 I am really annoyed with Helen. She is always(criticize)me. 7 This year we.(spend) Christmas in Australia. We have already booked our flight. 8 On July next year, my parents..(live) in this house for 25 years. 9 This time tomorrow you..(do) your English exam. Therell still be half an hour left. 10 When I was 15, I usually(go) to school by bus. XI Complete the second sentence using the word given: 1. It was such a cold day yesterday that I wore my winter coat. SO Yesterday it .that I wore my winter coat. 2 .After a hard days work, he usually falls asleep on the train. TENDS After a hard days work.., asleep on the train. 3. As he become more famous, it was more difficult for him to avoid newspapers reporters. THE The more famous he became,for him to avoid newspaper reporters. 4 .My last exam is on Tuesday afternoon. FINISHED. By Wednesday morning Imy exams. 5. I am on the point of losing my temper. ABOUT I am .my temper. 6. I am sorry I sent you that letter. It was very rude of me. REGRET. I. It was very rude of me. 7 .When I was a child we lived in Bristol. USED We.when I was a child. 8. An old bike was stolen from the car park. A teenage boy stole it. RESPONSIBLE A teenage boy is.. ..an old bike from the car park.

WRITING
5

1 An international magazine is running a series of articles on the current problems being faced by young people around the world. You have been asked to write about a problem that particularly affects young people in your area. Your article should include suggestions for a solution to this problem.( about 200 words) Task: an appropriate title; introduce your topic in the opening paragraph; be as clear and informative as possible; engage the readers interest throughout; neutral, semi-formal or informal register depending of a magazine and readers (adults, teenagers, students).

2. Choose one task between these two and write:

Task1: You bought a new stereo system, but it went wrong almost immediately. You returned it to the shop and you were told that the repair would take a week. In the end, it was 11 weeks before the stereo was ready. Even then, one of the faults had not been put right. You were unhappy with this situation and decide to write a letter to the shop manager asking for your money back. Before you wrote the letter you made a list of important dates and problems.( 120-180 words) Task 2: Read this exam task and write your own letter of complaint.(120-180) You recently won a competition organized by a satellite TV company. Unfortunately there are a number of problems with the prize you have received. You won a Languagelearners pack: travel video,2 audio cassettes and a textbook. But the video has poor picture quality, one cassette is broken and the textbook is not sent. The pack is in Russian not in English. Write to the TV company explaining the situation and asking for the things you need.
After writing: Read through your letter and think about:1-Have you included all the information that is necessary? 2How many paragraphs have you written?3-Have you used appropriate language for the person you are writing to?4- Check your letter for grammar, spelling and punctuation.