Inglés 2ª año

Objetivo de la actividad: Presentar el uso del pasado simple del verbo to be para describir una
ciudad el siglo pasado y contrastarla con el presente.

Describir los cambios sufridos por ciudades legendarias en el mundo focalizándose en el contraste
entre el pasado y el presente de dicha ciudad. Para tal fin se implementará el uso del presente
simple y el pasado simple del verbo to be (was/ were).

Leer y comprender un texto sobre la ciudad de Berisso. Identificar el uso de was y were para la
descripción de un lugar en el pasado. Elegir la forma correcta del verbo to be (presente o pasado)
para describir dos frigoríficos de Berisso.

Past simple verb to be (was/ were)

Para describir lo que había en el pasado, usamos la estructura there
was/ wasn’t (+ singular nouns) there were/ weren’t (+ plural nouns)
There was/ There wasn’t / Was there …..? + singular nouns

There were/ There weren’t/ Were there….? + plural nouns

A) Villa Epecuén is a special town in Buenos Aires province. In the past, Villa
Epecuén was a tourist attraction but not now.

Villa Epecuén: Argentina’s Ghost Town

EPECUEN, Argentina – Epecuén is in the southwest of Buenos Aires.

It was 25 years underwater.
In the 1970s, Epecuén was a busy lake tourist attraction. There were
20,000 tourists every year. There were trains with visitors from the
capital to relax in Epecuén's saltwater baths and spas.
The saltwater lake was famous. Tourists enjoyed floating in water. It was really
good for their health.
Then, there was a heavy rainstorm and Epecuén was under water on Nov. 10,
1985. Many people moved to Carhue, a city nearby.
Now there is no water and the place looks like a scene from a movie about the
end of the world. The town is in ruins, but it is also a tourist destination again.
One man still lives there: Pablo Novak, now 82. "I witnessed the birth and
death of this town," Novak said. Adapted from New York Daily News

GLOSSARY
1. GHOST TOWN: ciudad fantasma
2. UNDERWATER: bajo el agua
3. LAKE: lago
4. TOURIST ATTRACTION: lugar de veraneo
5. SALTWATER: agua salada
6. FLOATING: flotar
7. HEAVY RAINSTORM: fuertes lluvias
8. WITNESSED: vio, presenció
9. BIRTH AND DEATH: el nacimiento y la ruina

B) One of your classmates, Jazmin, made a summary of the article. Some

information is incorrect (X). Read her notes, check and correct (√) if the
information is wrong.

1 ⤿ Villa Epecuén is a ghost town in the southwest of Buenos Aires.

2 ⤿ In the past, Villa Epecuén was a tourist attraction.

3 ⤿ There were many tourists looking for adventure.

4 ⤿ The water in the lake was very special: it was bad for people’s health.

5 ⤿ Nowadays, there are new homes, hotels and shops.

Task 2. Machu Picchu in Peru is another historical city. Use these words to
complete the sentences:

was were there amazing

mysterious full of tourists
Many years ago, …………………………………… was an __________ city in Cuzco,
Peru. It …………. an Incan city in the Andes Mountains.
There was a ………………………………………………………………. temple .
There _______ a lot of Incan houses, terraces and buildings.
Today the city is ……………………….
 A. We have described life in America before Europeans arrived. Now, your teacher has copied some of
your answers in a PowerPoint.

Native Americans worked in the land.

They believed in sacrifices.
They used different tools. They carried special tools.

1. Look at the verbs in bold: what do they have in common?

They end in ………, …………… or …………….. .

2. They are actions or situations in:

a. the present
b. the past
c. the future

3. What are the infinitive verbs?

______ worked
______ believed
______ used

4. When the verb ends in -ed they are called REGULAR/ IRREGULAR VERBS.

B. In our previous work we read a text about the First Americans. Geronimo was a very important
person for the Apaches. Look at the information below. Let´s write together a short biography
about him. Use these verbs to complete the biography:
fought* was lived was born

fought: pasado irregular de fight (pelear)

Geronimo was born on ……………………………………………………………… .
He ...................... the grandson of an important Apache leader.
He …………………. in the south and west of North America.
He …………………. wars.

C. Take a look at the underlined words above.

Moctezuma built an important aqueduct.

The last Inca ruler, Tupac Amaru, fought against the Spanish occupation.

Juana Azurduy became a female soldier/She became a Colonel.

Pocahontas was an Indian princess. She died in England in 1617.

Now analyse:

What kind of words are they?

nouns

verbs
 adjectives

Do they refer to actions in?

the present

the past

the future

Now draw conclusions with your mates and choose one option:

The previous sentences are examples of REGULAR/ IRREGULAR verbs in the past because they
follow/ don't follow the rule of adding d or -ed to the infinitive verb.

Which are their infinitive verbs?

______ built

______ fought

______ became

______ died

D. Below you will find information about important people. Why were they important? Choose ONE
and write short biographies about them.

Name: Tupac Amaru

Name: Moctezuma Born: 1545
Born: 1398
Important facts in his life:
Important facts in his life: ✓ a legitimate son of Manco Capac
✓Aztec Emperor ✓ last Inca ruler
✓a great military leader ✓ fought against the Spanish
✓built an important aqueduct occupation
✓expanded – Aztec Empire

His/ Her name was ……………………………..

He/ She was born on/ in……………………………

He/ She ………………………………………………..

He/ She ……………………………………………….

Your teacher gives you some information about the Mayas.

 The Mayas

1. An Ancient Civilisation- The Map

The Maya civilisation began long ago in a place

called 'Mesoamerica'. This huge area is made up of
Mexico and part of Central America.
The Mayas built amazing cities like Tikal (which they
called 'Yax Mutal') and Palenque. They lived in
different cities, ruled by different kings and queens.
They studied the stars and invented two kinds of
calendars. One was a very accurate 365-day
calendar. The other was a religious guide which
helped the priests to predict the future.

2. Children in the Maya society

In ancient Maya times, children had very different

lives to today. They dressed differently and their
homes were smaller. Families lived in great cities
like Yax Mutal and Palenque, and also in
farmland.
Adults worked as farmers, warriors, hunters,
builders, teachers and many other things.

Children from noble families learned maths,

science, writing and astronomy, but poorer
children were only taught their parents’ jobs.

*learned: pasado de aprender

*dressed: pasado de vestirse
* were only taught: solo les enseñaban

3. Farming

Farming was very important to the Mayas. They

grew crops such as maize, beans, *squash and
chilli in small fields. They were successful at
farming because they studied the stars and the
weather. They used calendars to know what
time of year to plant crops and when to harvest
them.

*squash= calabaza
4. The Mayan Calendar

The Mayas didn’t believe in only one god. The

believed in many gods, each representing a
different aspect of life.
They believed the Earth had the form of a
giant turtle that floated on an endless ocean
and that the sky was held up by four mighty
gods called Bacabs.
The sky was made up of 13 levels. Those who
were sacrificed or who died in battle went to
one of the top levels. Those who died of
natural causes went to Xibalba, the shadowy
underworld, which had nine levels.
*gods: dioses

Remember!
The verbs in green are REGULAR VERBS. They end in –d, -ed or –ied in the
AFFIRMATIVE FORM.
The verbs in red are IRREGULAR VERBS. They change. You find them in a list.

Let’s make a list of the irregular verbs that appear in the text:
Infinitive Past form- irregular verb
be was/ were
begin began
build built
have had
grow grew
go went
mean meant

* grew: (pasado de grow: cultivar)

* meant: (pasado de mean: significar)

Task 1: Which text gives us the following information? Write the number.

1. They believed in many gods. ____

2. Some children learned maths, science, astronomy and writing. Poorer
children only learned their parents´ jobs. ____
3. Mayas grew crops and used calendars to work better. ____
4. They built great cities. ____

Language Reflection. One of your classmates is taking some notes but she is a
bit confused. This is what she is thinking:
 To make negative sentences in the past simple we use didn´t (did not) + verb in infinitive

Look! Now, we are making NEGATIVE sentences in the past!

Can you find an example in the text? The Mayas …………… ………………… in only one god.
So, let’s try some regular and irregular past sentences in the NEGATIVE FORM!

* Regular past verb in the negative

In the past, the Mayas didn’t use the calendars as we use them today. They
used them for farming. didn´t + use (verb in the infinitive) Past Negative form
used: Past Affirmative form
*Irregular past verb in the negative
In the past, the Mayas didn’t grow potatoes or carrots. They grew crops such as
maize, beans, squash and chilli in small fields.
didn´t + grow (verb in the infinitive) Past Negative form
grew: Past Affirmative form