ESCUELA NORMAL SUPERIOR LA HACIENDA

Teacher: Elna Navarro Comas

9TH GRADE

3
Reading

A. Read the text and answer the questions.

Holi, India
One of the oldest Indian festivals Holi is celebrated as a symbol of good over evil, the arrival of spring,
and the end of winter. Also known as the Festival of Colors, this event lasts for a night and a day,
starting in the evening of a Full Moon Day, normally in February or March.

Holi celebrations begin with a performance of religious rituals in front of a big bonfire, hoping that the
prayers will destroy the internal evil. In the morning, people smear each other with colors, using powder,
water guns, and water-filled balloons. Holi has become so popular that it is also celebrated in other
Southeast Asian countries.

Rio de Janeiro Carnival, Brazil

The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is the biggest carnival in the world, dating back to 1723. With more than
2 million people on the streets every single day, this carnival parade offers a real spectacle. Held just
before Lent starts, the festival officially lasts from Friday night until Wednesday morning, but many
Brazilians continue celebrating for a few days more.

A typical parade includes happy revelers, colorful floats, as well as performances by samba schools –
groups of local people dancing. The most famous dance is, of course, samba, a traditional Brazilian
dance influenced by African traditions. Each year, the Queen of the Carnival and up to two princesses
are pronounced publicly.

Pingxi Lantern Festival, Taiwan

Having started in 1990, this is a relatively young festival, celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first
month of the lunar calendar, at the very end of the Chinese New Year. Inspired by traditional folklore,
this ceremony lasts the whole night, when thousands of sky lanterns light over the Pingxi District in
Taiwan. The lanterns are released to ward off the evil and let people know the town is safe.

The main lanterns are always over ten meters tall and they normally reflect Chinese zodiac signs. Each
of them has its own theme music, which makes the whole performance even more magical. In addition
to the main lanterns, there are also hundreds of smaller ones, usually carried by children. These lanterns
portray images of historical figures or a specific theme.

La Tomatina, Spain
The biggest tomato fight you will ever see happens every year on the last Wednesday of August in
Bunol near Valencia, Spain. Since 1945, La Tomatina participants have traditionally been throwing
tomatoes at each other purely for entertainment purposes.
History suggests that the event started by accident – by youngsters attending the Gigantes y Cabezudos
festival with enormous figures with big heads. They grabbed some tomatoes from a nearby stall and
threw them at one of the giant figures who accidentally fell down.

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 ESCUELA NORMAL SUPERIOR LA HACIENDA
Teacher: Elna Navarro Comas
9TH GRADE

The next year, these same young people came back with their own tomatoes and started a tomato fight.
Today, La Tomatina is so popular that tomatoes are delivered in big trucks for thousands of people from
all over the world.

A. Choose the correct answer.

1. Where do the participants of La Tomatina get their tomatoes?

a. from local kiosks
b. from trucks
c. from home

2. Why do people pray on the first night of the Holi festival?

a. they have health problems
b. they wish for a prosperous year
c. they hope it will destroy the evil

3. Who usually carries smaller lanterns at the Pingxi Festival?

a. musicians
b. tourists
c. children

4. When is the Rio Carnival held?

a. before Lent
b. on Christmas
c. right after Brazilian Thanksgiving

5. How was Saturnalia celebrated?

a. by walking on fire
b. with fireworks
c. with a sacrifice and a banquet

B. Choose the correct statement.

Which statement is true?

a. Officially, the Carnival in Rio lasts for a week.
b. Officially, the Carnival in Rio is less than a week long.

Which statement is false?

a. The Pingxi Festival was inspired by a similar festival in the U.S.
b. The Pingxi Festival was inspired by Taiwanese folklore.

True or False?
C. Is the following statement true or false?

a. "La Tomatina started when a group of youngsters had a plan to sell tomatoes." ( )

b. "Although the Holi festival starts in the evening, people don't start smearing each other with
colors until morning." ( )

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 ESCUELA NORMAL SUPERIOR LA HACIENDA
Teacher: Elna Navarro Comas
9TH GRADE
Gerunds As Subjects

A. Complete the sentences with the gerund form of the verbs in parentheses.
1. (cook) ___________ is one of her hobbies.
2. (cycle) ___________ is fun.
3. (Get) ___________ a good job is not easy.
4. (Find) ___________ a parking space is quite difficult in this area.
5. (drive) ___________ becomes more and more expensive.
6. No (smoke) ___________ in this area.
7. (work)___________ overtime is quite common in this company.
8. (eat) ___________ fruits and vegetables is good for your health.
9. (make) ___________ fun of other people is not nice.
10. (learn) ___________ about other cultures makes people more tolerant.

B. Unscramble the following sentences taking into account that each one has a gerund as a subject.

1. really/health/for/smoking/bad/your/is
2. homework/is/for/doing/boring/me
3. essays/is/writing/difficult/very
4. going/night/hates/she/at/out
5. her/hobby/is/job/and/cooking/also/her

Gerund after prepositions

A. Choose the preposition that best fits the sentence and write the gerund form of the verb
in parentheses:
1. I am good ____ (play) football.
a. at
b. in
c. to
2. The students complain ____ (have) too much homework.
a. on
b. about
c. for
3. He is afraid ____ (lose) his job.
a. of
b. at
c. off
4. She doesn't feel ____ (work) in the garden.
a. with
b. to
c. like
5. We are looking forward ____ (see) you at the weekend.
a. to
b. over
c. before
6. I dream ____ (win) the lottery.
a. of
b. by
c. up
7. She apologized ____ (be) late.
a. because

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 ESCUELA NORMAL SUPERIOR LA HACIENDA
Teacher: Elna Navarro Comas
9TH GRADE
b. from
c. for
8. I don't agree ____ what you are (say).
a. in
b. with
c. what
9. The girls insisted ____ going (shop).
a. on
b. in
c. after
10. John is thinking ____ (leave) his job.
a. over
b. off
c. about

Reading

“A POLLUTED WORLD”

The environment has been polluted in many different ways. The three major ways are water, land, and
air pollution.
Water pollution is the contamination of lakes, caused by human activities. It can be harmful to
organisms and plants which live in the water. Water pollution occurs when wastes are discharged from
wastewater treatment plants. Other known causes are factory wastes or leaking underground tanks.
These can be chemical substances that are toxic. The polluted water can cause cholera and typhoid
fever. Water pollution has led to the deaths of more than 14,000 people daily.
Land pollution is the destruction of the earth’s land surfaces. It is often caused by human activities such
as careless disposal of wastes, over-mining of minerals, and wrong use of land for planting. All of these
will affect our health in the long run. They will lead to all kinds of diseases such as cancer, heart disease,
and breathing problems. Land pollution also brings about natural disasters such as flash floods and
landslides.
Air pollution is also the result of human activity where chemicals and other dangerous materials are
released into the air. This happens through the release of carbon monoxide gas from exhaust pipes of
motor vehicles. Other gases such as sulfur oxides are released from the burning of coal and oil. High
air pollution levels can cause damage to the environment. It also brings discomfort to humans and other
living organisms. In the long term, air pollution can cause serious breathing problems, lung cancer, and
heart disease.

A. Based on the passage, answer the following questions.

1. How many ways is the environment being polluted?
a. Two
b. Three
c. Four
d. Five

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 ESCUELA NORMAL SUPERIOR LA HACIENDA
Teacher: Elna Navarro Comas
9TH GRADE
2. What type of diseases caused by polluted water?
a. Cholera and typhoid fever
b. Breathing problems and cancer
c. Heart disease and typhoid fever
d. Cholera and breathing problems
3. The word Itin the passage refers to the
a. diseases
b. land pollution
c. air pollution
d. water pollution
4. Which of the following causes land pollution?
a. Toxic factory wastes
b. Over-mining of minerals
c. Burning of coal and oil
d. Leaking underground tanks
5. From the passage, we know that air pollution
a. bring about typhoid fever
b. happens when lands are being destroyed
c. takes place when lakes are contaminated
d. happens when exhaust pipes release carbon monoxide
First Conditional
A. Complete the sentences.
1. I _______ (clean) the room if you paint the wall
2. If the weather ________ (be) good, we ______ (go) to the beach.
3. If you _______ (leave) at four, you _______ (arrive) in New York by ten.
4. The cake ________ (taste) worse if you ________ (not add) more chocolate.
5. We ________(not win) the match if you ________ (not play) with us.
6. They _______ (do) it as soon as they can.
7. ________you come if I invite you?
8. My parents ______ (be) angry if I_______ ( smoke).
B. Choose the correct answer.
1. You won't pass the course if you ________woman studying
a. won't study
b. don't study
2. You ________ better if you turn on the lamp.
a. will be able to see
b. are able to see
3. If I ________ some eggs, how many ________?
a. will cook / do you eat
b. cook / will you eat
4. You'll pay higher insurance if you ________ a sports car.
a. buy
b. will buy
5. If we don't protect the elephant, it ________ extinct.
a. will become
b. becomes
6. You ________ heart disease if you eat too much meat.
a. get
b. will get

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 ESCUELA NORMAL SUPERIOR LA HACIENDA
Teacher: Elna Navarro Comas
9TH GRADE
7. She ________ completely different if she cuts her hair.
a. looks
b. will look
8. If a deer ________ into your garden, it ________ all your plants.
a. gets / will eat
b. will get / eats
9. If you ________ an apple every day, you'll be very healthy.
a. eat
b. will eat
10. If you don't put so much sugar in your coffee, you ________ so much weight!
a. don't put on
b. won't put on

Modals

A. Write the modal that corresponds (might, may, should, could):

1. It's very cold today. Do you think it _______ snow later? (might)
2. You _______ leave your door unlocked when you go out. (shouldn’t)
3. _____ I use the bathroom please? (may)
4. I ______ play the piano when I was younger. (could)
5. You ______ buy something if you wish. (may)
6. The team _______ win the game, but I doubt it. (might)
7. _______ we buy more meat in case more people decide to come? (should)
8. _______ I use your notebook please? (could)
Phrasal Verbs
A. Watch the video and choose the correct answer.
AUDIO https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/vocabulary/advanced-vocabulary/family
Are the sentences true or false?
1. Izzy doesn’t want to go out with her friends on Saturday. ( )
2. Izzy has to be responsible for her younger sister, Georgie. ( )
3. Georgie’s hamster has died. ( )
4. Kate, Sam and Fred don’t want Izzy’s little sister to spend time with them. ( )
5. Izzy is happy that her younger sister admires and copies her style. ( )
6. Georgie enjoys spending time with Izzy’s friends. ( )
7. Georgie is frightened by the film. ( )
B. Watch the video and choose the correct answer.
AUDIO https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/vocabulary/advanced-vocabulary/party
1. Kate invites people to her house because
a. it 's her birthday.

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 ESCUELA NORMAL SUPERIOR LA HACIENDA
Teacher: Elna Navarro Comas
9TH GRADE
b. her parents won't be there.
2. Izzy
a. thinks it's a good idea to invite Sean.
b. invites Sean by accident.
3. Fred's girlfriend
a. has a fight with another girl.
b. doesn't like the music.
4.Fred and Izzy feel responsible because
a. they invited the people who caused problems.
b. they broke things.
5. Kate is worried that
a. people didn't have a good time.
b. her parents might discover she had a party.
6. At the end we can see that
a. Kate's parents will probably discover the truth.
b. Kate will have no problems with her parents.

Order of Adjectives
A. Complete.
1. Choose the best answer for each sentence.
A. The house is __________________.
a. large and white
b. white and large
c. large white
B. They live in a __________________ house.
a. large and white
b. white and large
c. large white
2. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
a. We took a ride on a blue, old Chinese bus.
b. We took a ride on a Chinese, old, blue bus.
c. We took a ride on an old, blue Chinese bus
3. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
a. I’d like three good reasons why you don’t like spinach.
b. I’d like a good three reasons why you don’t like spinach.

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 ESCUELA NORMAL SUPERIOR LA HACIENDA
Teacher: Elna Navarro Comas
9TH GRADE
c. I’d like good reasons three why you don’t like spinach.
4. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
a. I like that really big red old antique tractor in the museum.
b. I like that really big old red antique tractor in the museum.
c. I like that old, red, really big antique tractor in the museum.
5. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
a. My brother rode a beautiful big black Friesian horse in the parade.
b. My brother rode a beautiful Friesian big black horse in the parade.
c. My brother rode a big, black, beautiful Friesian horse in the parade.
6. For each of the following sentences, choose the correct order of adjectives to fill in the blank.
A. My grandmother lives in the ________________________ house on the corner
a. little blue, green and white
b. little blue and green and white
c. little, blue, green, and white
B. The store carries an assortment of _____________________ objects.
a. interesting new, old and antique
b. new, old, interesting and antique
c. interesting, old and new and antique
C. We went for a two-week cruise on a __________________________ ocean liner.
a. incredible brand-new, huge Italian
b. incredible, huge, brand-new Italian
c. Italian incredible, brand-new, huge
7. For each of the following sentences, choose the correct order of adjectives to fill in the blank.

A. I bought a pair of _________________ boots.

a. new, nice, red rain
b. nice new red rain
c. red nice new rain
B. My dad was thrilled with his gift of ______________________ bowties for his clown act.
a. three squirting new nice big polka-dotted
b. three polka-dotted nice new squirting
c. three nice big new polka-dotted squirting
C. Please put the marbles into that ______________________ box.
a. round little old red
b. little old round red
c. little old red round

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 ESCUELA NORMAL SUPERIOR LA HACIENDA
Teacher: Elna Navarro Comas
9TH GRADE
8. For each of the following sentences, choose the correct order of adjectives to fill in the blank:
A. I was surprised to receive a __________________ puppy for my birthday.
a. little, cute, eight-week-old golden retriever
b. cute eight-week-old little golden retriever
c. cute little eight-week-old golden retriever
B. Our work uniform consists of black pants, black shoes, and a ________________ shirt.
a. yellow baggy big polo
b. big baggy yellow polo
c. baggy yellow big polo
C. I’ve been spending a lot of time in antique shops looking for the perfect _______________
clock.
a. little silver Italian cuckoo
b. little Italian silver cuckoo
c. silver little Italian cuckoo
9. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?
a. Our grandparents drive a motorhome with black and white stripes.
b. Our grandparents drive a motorhome with black with white stripes.
c. Our grandparents drive a motorhome with black, white stripes.

10. Which sentence uses the correct order of adjectives?

a. During my college years, I wore a red, white and black big hat to sporting events.
b. During my college years, I wore a big red, white and black hat to sporting events.
c. During my college years, I wore a big red white and black, hat to sporting events.

Infinitive to Express Purpose

A.. Rewrite the sentences making use of the infinitives of purpose:
1. I went to the coffee shop because I wanted to meet my best friend.
I went to the coffee shop _________ my best friend.
2. I often travel by public transport. I want to save money.
I often travel by public transport _________ money.
3. I’m studying at university. I want to be a pharmacist.
I’m studying at university _________ a pharmacist.

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 ESCUELA NORMAL SUPERIOR LA HACIENDA
Teacher: Elna Navarro Comas
9TH GRADE
4. I called my uncle because I needed to find out what time he would arrive.
I called my uncle _________ what time he would arrive.
5. I stayed late at the office. I had to finish the project.
I stayed late at the office _________ the project.
6. I bought a new sofa for putting in the living room.
I bought a new sofa _________ in the living room.
7. I have been working extra hours because I need to earn more money.
I have been working extra hours _________ more money.
8. I’m learning another language so I have a better chance of promotion at work.
I’m learning another language _________ a better chance of promotion at work.
9. He does a lot of exercise. He wants to become healthier.
He does a lot of exercise _________ healthier.
10. We are organizing a big surprise party. We want to celebrate his fortieth birthday.
We are organizing a big surprise party ____________ his fortieth birthday.

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