1. Choose one word from the list for each gap. The first one is done for you.

Dear sister,

I hope you are doing 0. __A__.

Mark, the children and 1. ____are pretty good. Last week, we decided to go on holiday. We
really needed a break. So, 2. ____we are now, in the Caribbean!

Here at the resort, the water is warm and the food 3. ____ delicious. It´s a lazy Tuesday
afternoon and the children are playing with the sand while Mark and I are 4. ____ a long book.

Hope to 5. ____from you soon.

Love,

Lucy

0 A. well B. amazing C. fantastic

1 A. we B. I C. us

2 A. swimming B. there C. here

3 A. tastes B. is tasting C. tasted

4 A. happening B. sleeping C. enjoying

5 A. here B. hear C. heard

2. Order the sentences below to make a story. The first one is done for you.

RAFAEL NADAL

A. Rafa is a Spanish professional tennis player considered to be number 2 in the world

B. Also, he has received the tour Sportsmanship Award three times

C. Not to forget he was also named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year in 2011

D. So far, he has won 19 Grand Slam singles titles in total,

E. He was born in 1986 in Mallorca, Spain

F. winning at least one Grand Slam every year for a record ten consecutive years

AEDFBC

KEY: E, D, F, B, C

© Todos los derechos reservados. Autor Dña. Laura Díaz Castro (titular del nombre comercial DCL ENGLISH). 
De conformidad con el artículo 17 del Real Decreto Legislativo 1/1996, de 12 de abril, por el que se aprueba el texto refundido de la Ley de Propiedad Intelectual,
corresponde al autor el ejercicio exclusivo de los derechos de explotación de su obra en cualquier forma y, en especial, los derechos de reproducción, distribución,
comunicación pública y transformación, que no podrán ser realizadas sin su autorización, salvo en los casos previstos en la citada Ley.
SAINT PATRICK´S DAY

A. The Feast of Saint Patrick is a cultural and religious Irish celebration

B. in which both Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland are honoured

C. and it commemorates Saint Patrick, the most important patron in Ireland

D. It was in the early 17th century when Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Christian feast
day 

E. It is celebrated every year on 17th March

F. but also the heritage and culture of the Irish in general is celebrated

KEY: E, C, D, B, F

3. Match four people’s opinions to seven statements by selecting the correct person
from the drop-down list.

GARDENERS

Tom: I wouldn’t really call myself a gardener exactly. We have some plants in pots on the
balcony, but I don’t even know what they are! I guess they are some type of herb, one of them
smells like rosemary. We water them when we remember to, but they’re not in very good
shape. The leaves are falling off and I think we’ll have to throw them away soon.
Rebecca: We have quite a few things growing in the garden – nothing exotic, just carrots,
cabbage, potatoes – things that are easy but also useful to eat once we have collected them.
My son and daughter love helping out when we plant and water them.
Oliver: My garden is my pride and joy. It’s pretty big so I’ve got room for a good variety of
plants, decorative and edible. My favourite part is where I have some fruit trees: apples and
cherries mainly. This year I’m going to try adding a lemon tree, it should be a fun experiment.
Nadya: I spend a lot of time in the garden, so I want it to be perfect. I had a professional
architect redesign it. In fact, it cost me an arm and a leg, but it was worth it. Now we have a
fountain and a little stream, with lots of species of water-plants.

1. Who likes planting trees? OLIVER

2. Who has a vegetable garden? REB
3. Whose plants are dying? TOM
4. Who gardens with their family? REB
5. Who has spent a lot of money on their garden? NAD
6. Who has aromatic plants? TOM
7. Who has a large garden? OLIVER

© Todos los derechos reservados. Autor Dña. Laura Díaz Castro (titular del nombre comercial DCL ENGLISH). 
De conformidad con el artículo 17 del Real Decreto Legislativo 1/1996, de 12 de abril, por el que se aprueba el texto refundido de la Ley de Propiedad Intelectual,
corresponde al autor el ejercicio exclusivo de los derechos de explotación de su obra en cualquier forma y, en especial, los derechos de reproducción, distribución,
comunicación pública y transformación, que no podrán ser realizadas sin su autorización, salvo en los casos previstos en la citada Ley.
4. Match seven headings to the correct paragraphs in the text.

The Canals of Venice

0. Visitors to this unique destination number in the tens of millions every year, and simply
getting from the station to St Mark's square is a battle. In spite of this, Venice never loses
its capability to enchant: exiting the station to be met with a sparkling canal and the dome
of San Simeon Piccolo in the distance remains a breath-taking experience, whether it’s for
the first time or the tenth.

19. The city of Venice is actually situated in a shallow lagoon, in a bay that is formed by the
mouths of the Po and the Piave rivers. The average elevation is just one metre above sea
level. The majority of the city rests on alluvial silt that flows into the sea from the
aforementioned rivers. The first inhabitants raised their dwellings by driving water-
resistant tree trunks into the mud and sand, until reaching a much harder layer of
compressed clay. Stone placed on these pillars then supported the buildings erected
above.

20. Nowadays, the city consists of 118 small islands that are separated by a myriad of
winding canals and connected by more than 400 bridges. There are said to be around 150
canals, but it is hard to quantify where they end and begin. The stunning landscape
contributes to the tourist appeal and it is common for visitors to outnumber locals at least
two-to-one. Venice is divided into six districts, among these the Cannaregio district, which
is the most populated, the Castello district, the largest, and the famous San Marco district,
home to its namesake square and basilica.

21. This last district is located at one end of the principal waterway through Venice, the
Grand Canal. This channel runs through the central districts of Venice in a meandering S
shape. It is almost 4 km long and 90 metres wide at its largest point, with an average depth
of 5 metres. The banks are lined with historic buildings showing the wealth and culture of
Venice from the 13th Century onwards. Noble families spared no expense in
demonstrating their status with lavish palaces along the canal.

22. Another must-see for tourists is the Bridge of Sighs. While measuring just 11 metres in
length, this small limestone bridge has become an iconic image of the “city of bridges”. The
bridge connects police interrogation rooms to a prison. Its rather poetic English name was
first used by the writer Lord Byron in the 19th Century, coming from the perhaps
apocryphal tale that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice through
the window on the bridge before being taken down to their cells.

23. Venice is connected to mainland Italy by road and rail via the impressive Ponte della
Libertà, but except for the rail and road terminals on the northern edge of the city,
transportation within the historic centre remains, as it has always been, entirely on water
or on foot. In fact, Venice is Europe's largest urban car-free area and is unique in being a
big vibrant city in the current century entirely free of cars and trucks. In their absence, the
© Todos los derechos reservados. Autor Dña. Laura Díaz Castro (titular del nombre comercial DCL ENGLISH). 
De conformidad con el artículo 17 del Real Decreto Legislativo 1/1996, de 12 de abril, por el que se aprueba el texto refundido de la Ley de Propiedad Intelectual,
corresponde al autor el ejercicio exclusivo de los derechos de explotación de su obra en cualquier forma y, en especial, los derechos de reproducción, distribución,
comunicación pública y transformación, que no podrán ser realizadas sin su autorización, salvo en los casos previstos en la citada Ley.
 most common mode of public transportat consists of motorised waterbuses (known as
vaporetti in Italian) which ply fixed routes along the Grand Canal and between the many
islands.

24. Tourists can and do make use of these waterbuses, but the classic Venetian experience
would of course involve the gondola. There are approximately 400 licensed operators in
Venice, with their striking attire, although 200 years ago the figure was an incredible
10,000. Many of the boats are lushly decorated with velvet seats and Persian rugs for
comfort. The gondoliers themselves will almost always be seen in the traditional straw
boater to protect them from the sun, and to add a touch of retro class. The romantic
experience doesn’t come cheap however; at the time of writing, the standard fare is €80-
100 for a forty-minute ride.

25. And while those lovey-dovey couples on gondolas undoubtedly contribute to the local
economy, mass tourism is having other less desirable consequences. From the constant,
annoying sound of wheeled suitcases on cobblestone, to the mountains of rubbish left by
visitors, local residents are fed up of tourism eroding their quality of life. The fragile canal
system is also struggling to cope with the thousands of daily visitors and, especially, the
cruise ships many arrive on. Various proposals have been put forward to remedy the
problem, including bans on cruises and tourist taxes, but the number of visitors to the city
of bridges just keeps increasing.

Headings

A A Curious Tourist Attraction 22

B Taking a Special Trip 24
C A Small City with a Rich History
D Urban Geography 20
E Getting around Day-to-day 23
F Venice’s “Main Street” 21
G The Foundations of Venice 19
H The Price to Pay for Tourism 25
J A City that is Still Special (EXAMPLE)

© Todos los derechos reservados. Autor Dña. Laura Díaz Castro (titular del nombre comercial DCL ENGLISH). 
De conformidad con el artículo 17 del Real Decreto Legislativo 1/1996, de 12 de abril, por el que se aprueba el texto refundido de la Ley de Propiedad Intelectual,
corresponde al autor el ejercicio exclusivo de los derechos de explotación de su obra en cualquier forma y, en especial, los derechos de reproducción, distribución,
comunicación pública y transformación, que no podrán ser realizadas sin su autorización, salvo en los casos previstos en la citada Ley.