A Trekking Journal

Read the text. Put the verbs in present simple

or continuous.

Today (be) ............................... the second day of my trek

around Mount Annapurna. I am exhausted and my legs (shake)...............................; I just hope I am able
to complete the trek. My feet (kill, really) ...................................... me and my toes (bleed)............................, but
I (want, still) ................................... to continue.

Nepal is a fascinating country, but I have a great deal to learn. Everything (be) ...................... so different,
and I (try) ................................... to adapt to the new way of life here. I (learn) ......................... a little bit of the
language to make communication easier; unfortunately, I (learn, not) ................................ foreign
languages quickly. Although I (understand, not) ................................. much yet, I believe that I (improve,
gradually) ...............................................

I (travel, currently) ........................................... with Liam, a student from Leeds University in England. He
(be) .................................. a nice guy, but impatient. He (walk, always) .............................. ahead of me and
(complain) .................................... that I am too slow. I (do) ................................... my best to keep up with him,
but he is younger and stronger than I am. Maybe, I am just feeling sorry for myself because I am
getting old.

Right now, Liam (sit) ................................. with the owner of the inn. They (discuss) ............................... the
differences between life in England and life in Nepal. I (know, not) ........................................... the real name
of the owner, but everybody (call, just) ................................ him Tam. Tam (speak) .................................English
very well and he (try) ........................ to teach Liam some words in Nepali. Every time Tam (say)
............................ a new word, Liam (try) ................................. to repeat it. Unfortunately, Liam (seem, also)
................................ to have difficulty learning foreign languages. I just hope we don't get lost and have to
ask for directions.

Worth remembering:

exhausted – very tired !NOTE: We say very tired but absolutely exhausted
a great deal – a lot
improve – to get or become better
difficulty – a problem
to have difficulty (in) doing something – to have problems with doing something, to find doing it difficult
to do one´s best – to try as hard as one can

Rewrite these sentences using the word given. You cannot change the word given.

The children are really very tired. ABSOLUTELY ___________________________________________________________

I’m doing everything that I can. BEST _____________________________________________________________________
He has problems with making friends. IN _________________________________________________________________
His English became much better. REALLY __________________________________________________________________
We have a lot to do. GREAT ___________________________________________________________________
 Present simple vs. Present Continuous
Complete these sentences with either the present simple or the present continuous form of the verbs in brackets.

1. David never ____________ (to clean) up after his mess.

2. Deborah ____________ (to prepare) dinner at the moment.
3. I ____________ (to talk) with my friend now.
4. We ____________ (to/have) a briefing every Monday morning.
5. ____________ (he/to play) basketball now?
6. Look! Our cat ____________ (to sleep).
7. ____________ (you/ to come) to the party?
8. What time ____________ (the bank/ to open)?
9. ____________ (you/ to kid) me now?
10. I’m really sorry dear, but you ____________ (not/to meet) our criteria.
11. Everyone ____________ (to work) on the project now.
12. We usually hold our leadership training in Rome, but this year we ____________ (to hold) it in Venice.
13. ____________ (Joe/ to know) that ____________ (you/ to go) to Paris next week?
14. I ____________ (not/to know) why she ____________ (not/to wear) her uniform today.
15. I know that Sam ____________ (not/ to perform) really well right now, but he usually ____________ (to
meet) his target.
16. Although our sales ____________ (to fall) at the moment, we normally ____________ (to perform) well in
the market.
17. She ____________ (to live) in Poland, she ____________ (only/to visit) Sicily for business.
18. ____________ (you/to travel) for business frequently?
19. What ____________ (you/to do) this weekend?
20. David ____________ (not/to drink) coffee, he ____________ (not/to like) it.

Ram stood in his dirty shorts and looked at the smartly-dressed children who were smiling happily as they
were heading for school. He had never been to school. He has picked up some English words but he wished
he could go to school. But who was going to enrol him or pay his fees? He was a child of the streets and he
had forgotten how he got there. He thought he was 10 years old but he had no documents to prove anything.
Ram was one among millions of children who lived on the streets. These children have no families to
care for them or protect them. Most children on the streets are between the ages of about 5 and 17 years old,
and their population between different cities are varied. They basically have no contact with other members
of the family and live most of the time with other street children in the city streets or are on the move. Why
are they on streets? Sometimes the father or mother chooses to abandon the children or the children could
have run away from home due to some kind of abuse. They face an unpleasant home environment with
parents who are alcoholic or drug addicts, so they leave. They could be facing ill treatment from step
parents. Abject poverty could have driven the whole family to move to the streets.
Sometimes the children might run thinking that they can lead a free life but get trapped in a worse
situation. Children could have been promised jobs or a glamorous life but find that they are abuse in many
ways. Some children are taken away from parents by trusted adults but are exposed to sexual or physical
abuse and end up on the streets. Others have been promised a chance to study away from home and end up
in abusive plights too. Whatever the reason, the children are thrust into a deplorable position which is
unkind and unfair to them. They are young children.
Street children live in broken-down buildings, cardboard boxes and on the street corners. Sometimes
a father or mother might appear to claim them but very often, they are abandoned to a hard life on the streets
with no adult supervision. The health condition of the street children is generally poor. Many suffer from
chronic diseases like typhoid, malaria, leprosy, jaundice and live with liver or kidney disorders. Scabies,
gangrene, broken limbs and epilepsy are common. HIV and AIDS cases are now widespread. On an
everyday basis, most street children are exposed to dirt, smoke and other environmental hazards.
Furthermore, they are constantly exposed to intense sun, rain and the bitter cold.
Most street children find themselves some work, even though they may not be steady and lose jobs
regularly. Many work as parking attendants or as rag or rubbish collectors. Some beg from passers-by and
make a nuisance of themselves. However, it is pathetic to see a dirty-looking child begging for food or
money when he should be playing happily and enjoying his childhood. A study in 1989 shows that 39.3 per
cent working children are paid very poorly while 34 per cent complain that they have been forced to
overwork. Many children are lured into bonded work or ‘work-camps’ that they are unable to escape from,
due to unscrupulous and cruel proprietors or middlemen.
The children are on the streets due to poverty, sickness and exploitation. The tragedy is that the
victims are innocent, lonely and frightened young children. A recent study shows that many street children
(45.6 per cent) would like to live in a secure place, while 71 per cent are very eager to change their present
life. 63 per cent of children have an ambition to do something meaningful in their future. The vast majority
of them have a survival instinct and the toughness that helps them survive the day-to-day trials of street life.
They, just like Ram face a bleak future ahead.

Answer the questions based on the above passage.

1. From paragraph 1, why did Ram only think that he was ten years old?
________________________________________________________________________________
2. From paragraph 2,
(a) which phrase tells you that the children sometimes do not stay in one place?
_________________________________________________________________________________
(b) what drives the whole family to the streets at times?
________________________________________________________________________________
3. (a) From paragraph 3, what can happen to children taken away by trusted adults?
_________________________________________________________________________________
(b) From paragraph 4, why are there many diseases among the street children?
_________________________________________________________________________________
4. From paragraph 5,
(a) what kind of jobs do the street children do?

_________________________________________________________________________________
(b) what two factors were discovered by the study in 1989?.
_________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
 5. In your own opinion, what do you think should be done for the street children? Give a reason to
support your
answer.___________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
A Surgeon Again

On September 19, 1985, Dr. Francisco Bucio was getting dressed for work. His roommate Angel Alcantara, was
combing his hair. Both Francisco and Angel were doctors in Mexico City. They lived and worked together on the
fourth floor of General Hospital. Suddenly the hospital began to shake. “Earthquake!” Francisco said. The hospital
shook and shook. Then the hospital collapsed. Francisco and Angel fell four floors to the ground below. Three floors
of the hospital fell on top of them. The doctors were trapped under a mountain of steel and concrete.

“Angel!” Francisco called to his friend. Angel moaned in pain. Then he was silent. Francisco knew that his
friend was dead.

Francisco wanted to cry because Angel was dead. But he told himself, “Keep calm.” Then he realized that his
right hand was hurt. “Oh no, oh no,” Francisco cried. “I can’t lose my right hand. My right hand is my future.”

For the next four days Francisco was trapped under the hospital. Every twelve hours Angel’s watch beeped
exactly at 7:30. “Angel’s watch helped me,” Francisco said. “I knew what day it was. And I wondered about Mexico
City.”

On the third day Francisco became very thirsty. He dreamed of rivers with no water. He dreamed of ships on
dry land.

Then, on the fourth day, rescue workers found Francisco. His right hand was trapped under concrete. The
rescue workers wanted to cut off Francisco’s hand. Francisco’s brothers said “No!”

When rescue workers carried Francisco out of the hospital, he still had his hand. But four fingers were badly
crushed. Doctors had to cut off all four fingers on Francisco’s right hand. Only his thumb remained. During the next
months Francisco had five operations on his hand. His hand looked better, but it didn’t work well. Francisco wanted to
be a surgeon. But he needed his right hand to operate on patients.

Then Francisco heard about a surgeon who was an expert in hand surgery. Six months after the earthquake,
the surgeon operated on Francisco. He cut off two of Francisco’s toes and sewed the toes on Francisco’s hand. The
toes became new fingers for Francisco, and the new fingers worked well. Francisco could operate on patients. Dr.
Francisco Bucio was a surgeon again.

“Now I know how patients feel,” Dr. Bucio said. “I can sympathize and understand. I had six operations, and
so much pain, too much pain. Sometimes people joke. They say I’m the surgeon who operates with his feet. OK, my
hand isn’t beautiful, but I like it. It works, and I thank to God for that everyday”

QUESTIONS- A SURGEON AGAIN

A) UNDERSTANDING THE GIST

 Circle the best answer of the following questions:

1. How many doctors became injured in the earthquake?

a) Only Dr. Francisco Bucio, because Angel was dead.
b) Both of them, Dr. Francisco Bucio and Dr. Angel.
c) Only Dr. Angel.

2. On September 19, 1985

a) There was an earthquake in Mexico City.
b) The airport in Mexico City was damaged.
c) General Hospital in Mexico City did not collapse.

3. Angel was silent, because

a) He was sleeping.
b) He was dead.
c) His tongue was cut.

4. During the four days, Francisco was trapped under the hospital, he

a) Heard the rescue workers.

b) Wondered about his family.
c) Became very hungry.

5. When rescue workers carried Francisco out of the hospital

a) He did not have his both hands.

b) The fingers on his right hand were badly crushed.
c) His brothers cried with happiness.

6. The surgeon who was an expert in hand surgery

a) Cut off all the fingers on Francisco’s hands.

b) Sewed the does on Francisco’s right hand.

c) Worked at General Hospital in Mexico City.

7. Today, Francisco Bucio

a) Lives in the United States.

b) Is a surgeon again.

c) does not thank to God for being a survivor.

B) COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
Answer the following wh-questions in accordance with the text.

1. What happened on the date, September 19, 1985?

2. Who is Francisco Bucio?
3. Who is Angel Alcantare?
4. Why did the hospital begin to shake?
5. How did Francisco know which day it was?
6. When did the rescue workers find him?
7. Why did Francisco not want his fingers to be cut on his right hand?
8. What did the expert surgeon do to save Francisco’s hand?
9. How many operations did Francisco have?
10. Why can Francisco sympathise how his patients feel now?
11. Why does he thank to God every day?
12. What is Los Tapos?

C) SCANNING FOR INFORMATION

The following underlined information from the passage is incorrect. Correct them.
1. Both Francisco and Angel were nurses
2. Francisco and Angel worked together on the fourteenth floor of Mexico City Hospital.
3. Francisco and Angel fell five floors to the ground.
4. There happened a flood.
5. Francisco realised that his left hand was trapped.
6. His all fingers were badly crushed.
7. Francisco needed his right hand to operate on machines.
8. An expert surgeon cut off three toes and sewed them on Francisco’s hand.
9. Six months after the earthquake, the surgeon operated on Francisco.
10. Francisco thanks to his family every day.