LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

Exercise 1

Read the following text. Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate answer.
A Colourful Character – By Sue Raines

1 The rental application form taunted me. It was the only one on my desk
and a grim reminder that the apartment I was charged with renting on the
northern beaches of Sydney was still vacant. The market had slowed, which
was a typical winter situation. I would just have to advertise again.
2 Four weeks passed and there was still only one application. Sitting at my
desk one day, my attention was caught by a young man approaching me. “My
application, is it OK?” he asked. Finding myself looking into a beaming face and
a pair of jet-black eyes, I paused. “Ah, Mr…,” I started. “My friends call me Hiro,”
the man said, still smiling as he sat down opposite me.
3 I drew the application form towards me. It read: “Hiroyuki Kitamura,
painter employed by the Eastern Painting Company, Proprietor H. Kitamura.”
Below there were no references offered, only a Mr. Takahiro Ono listed as a
friend in Australia. “Hiro, are you a self-employed painter?” I asked, eyeing his
paint-stained overalls. It seemed a ridiculous question. “Yes, yes, very busy
painting,” he replied. “I like Australian people, lots of work.”
4 It was decision time and I took a deep breath. Then I said, “Hiro, I’ll have
the lease ready tomorrow for you to sign and move in.” Here I was taking a risk
on a young house painter with absolutely no references, who would only have
been a resident in the country a few weeks. But I decided to trust my judgement
and years of experience and the unit was let. As the weeks passed, I was
relieved to see that Hiro paid his rent well in advance.

1
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

5 One afternoon he came in to pay his rent wearing paint-soaked shorts.

Reds, greens and pinks fought for space with yellows and browns, and all
seemed to be streaked with dashes of white and black. “The unit is nice now. I
paint,” he greeted me. I was shocked. “You’ve painted the apartment?” I asked,
incredulous. Looking at Hiro’s rainbow shorts, I did not dare imagine which of the
colours. Maybe it was all of them. He smiled and looked pleased.
6 I tried to explain, “Look, Hiro, you shouldn’t have painted the apartment
without permission…” He didn’t seem to understand. “You come and look,” he
said. “Owner be very happy with my clean paint.” “I’ll be there at 2 pm,” I replied,
trying hard not to sound anxious. When the time came, I sat nervously in my car,
looking up at the apartment block towards the third-floor unit. What would I find?
Green walls? Or maybe black?
7 When Hiro opened the door, he was immaculately dressed in pale yellow
linen slacks and an open-necked shirt. The painter had been replaced by a well-
groomed young man playing host. Still wearing a huge smile, he invited me into
the hallway, which had been painted off-white tone with a pure white ceiling. The
bedrooms on either side were sparsely furnished in Asian-style furnishings, all
very minimal, neat and clean. All the walls were off-white. So far so good.
8 Entering the lounge room, I automatically walked out onto the balcony and
looked at the magnificent view of the coastline with white sandy beach and
beautiful turquoise water. I could feel my apprehension melting away. “You like
my painting?” Hiro asked. “You have not seen my masterpiece.” As I turned to
congratulate him, I froze. The entire wall facing the double doors was a floor-to-
ceiling mural. It was a painting of a park scene with benches, people walking,
fountains flowing, even a small dog and a child playing. I was speechless. It was
magnificent, but what was it doing there?
9 “The lady owner, will she be pleased?” Hiro asked. Instead of smiling he
was now looking serious, as if it was expected that everyone seeing his work
should be pleased. “Hiro, honestly, I don’t know,” I replied. “It is beautiful, and it
must have taken you weeks to complete, but I don’t know if she would want it in
her apartment.”

2
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

10 I congratulated him on a good painting job for the rest of the property and
took colour photos of the mural to send to the owner, but I felt very
apprehensive. I explained to Hiro that I would let him know what she thought as
soon as I heard back. Having phoned the owner, I again contacted Hiro that
afternoon explaining I was sending my photos and a letter to the owner showing
how good the new paintwork looked throughout the apartment. Hiro was
obviously a professional tradesman and the mural did improve the room. I
crossed my fingers.
11 Weeks passed before I finally received a reply from the owner. She said
she loved the mural and had reached Hiro directly and invited him to visit her at
her country home in Orange, in the central-west area of New South Wales. Hiro
accepted and was at that moment staying as her guest and painting a large
mural on her sunroom wall: her beloved beach at Curl Curl, from photos he had
taken back in Sydney.
12 “Now I can enjoy the best of both worlds, thanks to a master artist,” she
wrote. “We are friends and getting to know each other better every day.” I smiled
as I read the letter. Hiro was far from just a painter. He was an artist.

Source: Reader’s Digest, March 2014

3
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

Section A

Match the words in Column A to their meanings in Column B as they are used in the
passage.

Column A Column B

e.g. grim (paragraph 1) : gloomy coming closer to

1. vacant (paragraph 1) : _________________ gloomy

2. approaching (paragraph 2) : _________________ believe

3. trust (paragraph 4) : _________________ unoccupied

4. streaked (paragraph 5) : _________________ widely apart

5. sparsely (paragraph 7) : _________________ contacted

6. magnificent (paragraph 8) : _________________ series

7. complete (paragraph 9) : _________________ clearly

8. obviously (paragraph 10) : _________________ smeared

9. reached (paragraph 11) : _________________ finish

10. master (paragraph 12) : _________________ splendid

shopkeeper

very skilled

4
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

Section B
State what the following words refer to in the text.
e.g. one (paragraph 1) : The rental application form

1. he (paragraph 2) : _______________________________________

2. them (paragraph 5) : _______________________________________

3. it (paragraph 8) : _______________________________________

4. her (paragraph 9) : _______________________________________

5. we (paragraph 12) : _______________________________________

Section C
Circle the letter corresponding to the best answer, e.g.A if A is the answer.

1. Hiroyuki Kitamura’s first meeting with the writer shows that he

I. loves painting

II. is hardworking

III. worked with Mr. Takahiro Ono

IV. owns the Eastern Painting Company

A. I, II and III C. II, III and IV

B. I, II and IV D. All of the above

2. In the beginning, how did the writer feel about Hiro’s behaviour?

A. worried C. disappointed

B. displeased D. unconcerned

5
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

3. The owner was grateful to Hiro because

A. he agreed to visit her.

B. he never showed any emotion.

C. he listened to her conversation.

D. he was producing a masterpiece for her house.

Section D

Answer the following questions.

1. What were the risks taken by the writer when she decided to rent out the apartment
to Hiro?

i. ____________________________________________________________________

ii. ____________________________________________________________________

2. Why did the writer feel uneasy with what Hiro had done to the apartment?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

3. What did the lady owner mean by: “Now I can enjoy the best of both worlds”?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

6
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

Exercise 2
Read the poem below and answer the questions that follow.
A FAMILY IS LIKE

1 A family is like a circle

the connection never ends
and even if at times it breaks
in time it always mends
2 A family is like the stars
somehow they're always there
families are those who help
who support and always care
3 A family is like a book
the endings never clear
but through the pages of the book
their love is always near
4 A family is many things
with endless words that show
who they are and what they do
and how they teach you so you know
but don't be weary if it's broken
or if through time it’s been so worn
families are like that –
they're split up and always torn
but even if this happens
your family will always be
they help define just who you are
and will be a part of you eternally

Adapted from: Nicole M. O’Neil

7
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

Section A
Answer the following questions.

1. Refer to the poem and match each adjective with the noun it describes. The first
one has been done for you.

ADJECTIVE NOUN

(a) unseen___________________ love____________________

(b) _________________________ ________________________
(c) _________________________ ________________________

2. State whether each of the following words is a noun, verb, adjective or adverb. The
first one has been done for you.

(a) family (stanza 1) : noun______________

(b) mends (stanza 1) : __________________
(c) always (stanza 2) : __________________
(d) endings (stanza 3) : __________________
(e) weary (stanza 4) : __________________
(f) happens (stanza 4) : __________________
(g) eternally (stanza 4) : __________________

8
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

Section B
Circle the letter corresponding to the best answer e.g. A , if A is the answer.

1. Why does the poet say that a family is like a circle?

I. Family members live together.

II. The relationship stays forever.
III. Everyone is connected to each other.
IV. All misunderstandings can be overcome through time.

A. I and II
B. I and III
C. II and IV
D. III and IV

2. The word “worn” in stanza 4 can be replaced with

A. old.
B. used.
C. distant.
D. separated.

3. What is the theme of the poem?

A. Families are always united.

B. A family is the greatest gift in life.
C. It is important to start a family.
D. Families will always be there at all times.

9
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

Section C
Answer the following questions.

1. In what way is a family similar to stars?

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

2. What does the writer mean by “but through the pages of the book, their love is
always near” (Stanza 3)?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

3. Which line in the poem shows that families are responsible for shaping one’s
character?
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Simple Past Tense

The simple past is a verb tense that is used to talk about things that happened or

existed in the past. The simple past tense shows that you are talking about something

that has already happened and emphasizes that the action is finished.

Example:

1. Wong entered a hula hoop contest last week. He won the silver medal.

2. The children visited the zoo last week.

3. The plane landed a few minutes ago.

4. Jerry dried his clothes in the sun earlier today.

10
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

Regular Verbs

For most verbs, the simple past tense is created by adding a d, ed or ied at the end of
the word. These are called regular verbs. There are also irregular verbs which do not
follow this pattern.

The following are some of the rules for regular verbs.

For verbs ending in e add a d.

Present Tense Past Tense

live lived
love loved
date dated
agree agreed
die died
queue queued
stare stared
invite invited

For verbs ending in consonant + y, change y to i and add ed.

Present Tense Past Tense
try tried
carry carried
dirty dirtied
hurry hurried
spy spied
cry cried
study studied

11
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

For verbs that are one syllable and ending in vowel + consonant (but not y or w),
double the consonant and then add ed.

Present Tense Past Tense

fan fanned
grab grabbed
nod nodded
pat patted
pin pinned
rip ripped
slam slammed

For other verbs, just add ed.

Present Tense Past Tense

cross crossed
jump jumped
lift lifted
allow allowed
open opened
paint painted
walk walked
laugh laughed

Irregular Verbs

The following is a list of commonly used irregular verbs.

Base Form Past Tense

arise arose
awake awoke
be was, were
bear bore
beat beat
become became
begin began

12
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

behold beheld
bend bent
bet bet
bid bade
bid bid
bind bound
bite bit
bleed bled
blow blew
break broke
breed bred
bring brought
build built
burst burst
bust bust
buy bought
cast cast
catch caught
choose chose
clap clapped
cling clung
come came
cost cost
creep crept
cut cut
dare dared
deal dealt

13
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

dig dug
dive dived
do did
draw drew
dream dreamt
drink drank
drive drove
dwell dwelt
eat ate
fall fell
feed fed
feel felt
fight fought
find found
flee fled
fling flung
fly flew
forbid forbade
foresee foresaw
foretell foretold
forget forgot
forgive forgave
forsake forsook
freeze froze
frostbite frostbit
get got
give gave

14
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

go went
go went
grind ground
grow grew
handwrite handwrote
have had
hear heard
hide hid
hit hit
hold held
hurt hurt
inlay inlaid
input input
interlay interlaid
keep kept
kneel knelt
know knew
lay laid
lead led
learn learnt
leave left
lend lent
let let
lie lay
light lit
lose lost
make made

15
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

mean meant
meet met
pay paid
quit quit
read read
ride rode
run ran
say said
see saw
seek sought
sell sold
send sent
shake shook
shine shone
sing sang
sit sat
sleep slept
speak spoke
spend spent
spring sprang
stand stood
steal stole
swim swam
swing swung
take took
teach taught
tear tore

16
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

tell told
think thought
throw threw
understand understood
wake woke
wear wore
win won
write wrote

Fill in the blanks with the verbs in the Simple Past.

Exercise 3

In the early 1930s, an unemployed architect 1. ______set______ ( set ) out to design a

board game. After looking at existing games, he 2. _______________ ( learn ) that

games 3._______________ ( fall ) into three categories. He 4. _______________

( choose ) to create a game that 5._______________ ( use ) both chance and skill by

combining elements of anagram and crossword puzzles, a popular pastime of the

1920s. He 6. _______________ ( start ) by analysing the English language. He 7.

_______________ ( review ) the front page of The Herald Newspaper to calculate how

frequently each letter of the alphabet was used. Then, he 8. _______________ (utilise)

each letter’s frequency to determine how many of each letter he would include in the

game. For example, he 9. _______________ ( include ) only four “S” tiles to greatly limit

the players’ ability to make words plural and therefore make the game more

challenging. He 10. _______________ ( name ) the game Criss Cross Words and

17
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

11._______________ ( begin ) to look for a buyer. After being rejected a few times, he

finally sold it to an entrepreneur in the United States.

18
LMT100 S1 2020/2021 Unit 3 notes

Fill in the blanks with the verbs in the Simple Past.

Exercise 4

Danny Way is one of the most famous skateboarders in the world. He 1)

______________(be) born and 2) ____________ (grow up) in Portland, Oregon. He 3)
________________ (start) skateboarding at the age of four. He 4)
__________________ (practise) skateboarding as much as possible, and soon he was
very good at it. He 5) ________________ (enter) his first competition at the age of 11,
and surprisingly, the judges 6) __________________ (give) him first prize. Between
1986 and 2009, he 7) _________________ (win) many medals. The magazine
Thrasher 8) __________________ (name) him the Skater of the Year— twice! In 2005,
he 9) _________________(become) the first person to jump over the Great Wall of
China on a skateboard! But Danny has had some hard times, too. He gets injured a lot,
and in 2008 he 10) _________________ (break) his back. But after 20 years, he’s still
skating.

Sources:

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/simple-past/

https://www.onlinemathlearning.com/simple-past-tense.html

https://www.onlinemathlearning.com/irregular-verbs.html

19