RT 1A: READING 1.1 Read the passage about Tim Stark.

Choose the best

prediction of what Tim will do. There is only one right answer.

Tim Stark was a busy and successful management consultant 1 in New York
City. He was under a lot of stress from his job. His back hurt. To relax on weekends,
Tim started growing tomatoes in his apartment. First he grew a few tomatoes. en he
grew more. A year later, his apartment was full of 3,000 healthy red tomato plants!

1 management consultant: someone who gives business advice to companies

A. Tim will buy a smaller apartment.

B. Tim will become a farmer.

C. Tim will stop growing tomatoes.

D. Tim will try to fix his back.

1.2 Now, read the entire story. Use the information to choose the correct
answers.

Tim Stark was a busy and successful management consultant 1 in New York City. He
was under a lot of stress from his job. His back hurt. To relax on weekends, Tim started
growing tomatoes in his apartment. First he grew a few tomatoes. Then he grew more.
A year later, his apartment was full of 3,000 healthy red tomato plants!

Then, one day, Tim made a decision that needed a lot of courage. He quit his
management consultant job to become a farmer. Now Tim raises a variety of crops on
a small farm in Pennsylvania, two hours away from New York. He is still under a lot of
stress: he often works until sunset, and has a lot of responsibilities, such as watering
his crops, harvesting2 them, and bringing them to the market in his old white truck.
Tim says his back still hurts, but he likes living close to nature and working in his fields.
Tim believes being a farmer has many advantages. “My tomatoes need me, and I need
them,” he says.

1 management consultant: someone who gives business advice to companies

2 harvesting: collecting a crop when it is ready to eat

1. Now, Tim lives ______________.

A. in an apartment in Pennsylvania

B. in an apartment in New York

C. on a farm in Pennsylvania

D. on a farm in New York

2. Tim’s favorite part of being a farmer is probably _________.

A. working until sunset

B. driving his truck

C. walking in his fields

D. watering his crops

1.3 Read the passage by Christopher Blum. Write whether the main idea
describes Tim Stark, Scott Halley, or both men. One answer is already given.

Scott Halley was a farmer . . . until a year ago. But the farm kept losing money.
With a heavy heart but a clear head, Mr. Halley became one of the thousands of
American farmers who sell their land each year. What surprised Mr. Halley and others
is that the move to the city was so easy. e farmers are finding jobs, and their families
are enjoying the city way of life. Mr. Halley found a good job working as a scientist at
North Dakota State University. His salary is now twice what it was when he was a
farmer. But even for those farmers who find good jobs, there is a price to pay for
leaving farming. “It’s not just about making money but about the other rewards that
farming can bring . . . working land your parents’ parents worked, spending your days
in nature, caring for animals,” said Dr. Michael Rosmann, a farmer and psychologist
who helps farmers. Mr. Halley feels the pull of the land every day. Once a week, he
drives eight hours to work a small piece of his old farm, just to keep his connection to
the land. It was hard to leave, but Mr. Halley knows he did the right thing. For most
families that leave the land, salary goes up and the stress from having little money
goes down. Both parents and children are happier

It is sometimes necessary to change careers.

Answer: Both men

1. Farmers don’t make enough money to live.

Answer:____________

2. It is important to be connected to the land.

Answer:__________

3. Farmers are under a lot of stress.

Answer:__________

4. Working in the city doesn’t have many rewards.

Answer:_________
PART 2: VOCABULARY 2.1 Read the paragraph about chess. Use the words
from the box to fill in the blanks. Not all of the words will be used.

board game, combine, opponent, characters, game pieces, take turns

Chess was originally a ________ , but now it is a computer game as well. In chess,
there are two different color _______: black and white. Each player tries to take those
of his ________ . The two players __________ moving one piece at a time.

PART 3: SKILLS FOR WRITING

3.1 Write the correct past tense form of the verb in parentheses. One answer is
already given

1. For a long time, Tim (want) _________to be a farmer

2. The first time Tim (try) _______to grow tomatoes was in his apartment
3. When Tim (eat) ________the tomatoes, he liked the flavor.
4. His old job (not be)________ interesting

3.2 Read the sentences. Fill in the blanks with the correct comparative form of the
adverb in parentheses.

1. Men are not always polite when they speak. Women are usually more polite.
Generally, women speak (politely) men.

2. Male friends often only talk once a week. Female friends may talk every day.
Usually, female friends talk (frequently) ___________male friends.

3. Boys’ games always need a winner. Girls often don’t care who wins. In general, girls
play (competitively) ____________boys.

4. Men sometimes interrupt at meetings. Usually, women don’t do this. People say
men don’t listen (patiently) _________women.