1Complete the sentences with the words and phrases below.

There are more words than you need.

broke a record | spectators | no matter | superstars| defeated displayed | opponents | tournaments |awards
Serena and Venus Williams
1 Sisters Serena and Venus Williams are two of the biggest ..............................................in tennis history.
2 They have won many ..............................................for their accomplishments.
3 Serena and Venus often compete as ..............................................in a match.
4 The Grand Slam is a series of four tennis ...........................................held in Australia, France, England and the US.
5 In 2017, at a Grand Slam match in Australia, Serena ..............................................Venus.
6 When she did this, she ..............................................by winning a Grand Slam tennis title 23 times.
7 Serena and Venus love each other, ..............................................who wins.

2 Match a sentence beginning in A to the correct ending in B. Pay attention to the words in bold.
A B
1 He needs more guidelines ..........a give each other a lot of support
2 He’ll have to learn to cope ...........b is probably going to win
3 He’ll win the championship .........c if we win the World Cup
4 His turnaround came ........d if he trains hard
5 Everyone here will go wild .........e that they’re going to win
6 He and his teammates .........f hat will tell him what to do
7 That runner in the lead ..........g with the situation
8 This could be a sign .........h after losing several big matches.

3 Complete the sentences using a suitable word to show that you understand the words in bold.
1 A runner-up is in ..............................................place.
2 Humble people don’t talk a lot about ...............................................
3 You may get a trophy if you ...............................................
4 You cross the finish line at the ..............................................of a race.
5 Winning five matches in a row means you didn’t ..............................................once.
6 Someone who is making an effort is ..............................................hard.
7 When you beat a team, they ...............................................
8 Runners need strength in their ...............................................
9 You hire someone to do a ..............................................for you.

4 Choose the correct explanation for each sentence. Pay attention to the words in bold.
1 The player scored a basket. A It caused his team to lose. B His team got two points.
2 You need to improve your speed. A You ought to swim faster. B Your style should be better.
3 It’s nearly time for the kick-off. A The match will begin soon. B The match is almost over.
4 John really let us down. A As usual, he kept his promise. B We were sad and disappointed.
5 Our coach is always willing to help us. A He doesn’t seem to want to. B He’s glad to do it.

5 Complete the sentences using the expressions below. There are more expressions than you need.
fast asleep | way ahead | badly injured | top speed |vast majority | valid point | poor health | bright future
1 If you run very fast, you’re running at .............................................................
2 Almost all means the .............................................................
3 If you are seriously hurt, you are .............................................................
4 If it’s difficult to wake you up, you are .............................................................
5 If you’re right, you’ve got a .............................................................
6 If everyone is far behind you, you are .............................................................

1 Rewrite the sentences with the words and phrases below. Make any necessary changes.
opponent | let down | hire | cope with | willing
1 I know I disappointed you.
2 I can help you with this work.
3 This is too much work for you to do alone.
4 I hope they give you the job!
5She’s playing against a younger player

2 Choose two correct answers and then complete each sentence with a word or phrase that makes it logical.
1 The trophy/ sign/award was given to the ....................................................
2 You can improve your speed/ strength/ effort by ...................................................more.
3 Do you think we can score/ defeat/ beat a team that’s so ...................................................?
4 At first the runner was way ahead/ in a row/ in the lead, but she ended up coming .................................................... 5
The tournament/ championship/ sportsmanship will be shown on ....................................................
6 The crowd went wild/ displayed/ cheered when the home team ....................................................
3 Match A to B to form compound nouns. Then complete the sentences with the compound nouns. Use two
words, one word or a hyphen.
A B
1 kick ..........a jump 1 These .................................................explain how to do the project.
2 finish ..........b off 2 They played brilliantly, from the ...................................................until the end!
3 guide ..........c up 3 The ...................................................requires strength and speed.
4 long ..........d line 4 We cheered as the runners crossed the ....................................................
5 runner ..........e lines 5 The ...................................................was disappointed not to win.

4 Complete the sentences in a logical way. Pay attention to the words in bold.
1 Someone who is badly injured should be taken to...................................................................................................
2 Most people are fast asleep by .................................................................................................................................
3 There wouldn’t be such heavy traffic if more people ..............................................................................................
4 The vast majority of teenagers own ........................................................................................................................
5 It’s highly unlikely that people will ever ......................................................................................................................
6 Someone with a slight accent may be from..............................................................................................................
7 A humble person does not .......................................................................................................................................
8 A spectator is someone who ....................................................................................................................................

5 Complete the passage with the words and expressions below. There are more words than you need.
highly unlikely | rapid growth | superstar | no matter |valid point
bright future | esteemed | turnaround | sign | break records

The Boston Red Sox, Boston’s well-loved baseball team, was said by some to be under a curse for more than eight
decades. In 1919, after winning the World Series five times, they seemed to have
a ...............................................................ahead of them. But that year their manager sold player Babe Ruth to the
New York Yankees, where he went on to .........................................................and become the sport’s
first ...................................................................... He is still among the
most .....................................................................players of all time. Meanwhile, between then and the end of the
century, the Red Sox played in only four World Series –and lost them all! Many called this the Curse of the Bambino,
saying it was a .....................................................................that selling Babe Ruth had been a huge mistake and that
the team was .....................................................................to ever win a championship again. They were wrong. In
2004, after 86 years, the Red Sox finally made a ...........................................................and won the World Series at
last. For the fans who had always loved their team .............................................................what, the Curse of the
Bambino was over.

1 Complete the second sentence in each pair with the correct form of the verb in reported speech.
1“My students enjoy playing sport.”The teacher said that his students ......................................................playing sport.
2“The taxi is waiting for you outside.”My sister said that the taxi ..............................................................for me outside.
3“Let’s rest here for a while.”Stephen suggested ...................................................................there for a while.
4“Listen to me.”My mother told me ...................................................................to her.
5“I’ve never trained so hard.”James explained that he ...................................................................so hard.
6“The match will begin tomorrow at noon.”The coach told us that the match...................................the next day at noon.

2 Rewrite the sentences in reported speech. Make any necessary changes.

1“I may join the swimming team next year.”Carl declared that he..........
2“I must go to football practice this afternoon.”I told my friend that I........
3“We haven’t eaten for hours.”The players complained that they
4“The team hired a new manager yesterday.”A spokesman announced that the team

5“Don’t come late for the exam tomorrow.”The teacher warned us......

3 Rewrite the questions in reported speech.

1“Is it cold outside?” I asked my mother

2“Where did you buy this coat?” Tracy wanted to know

3“Can you lend me some money?”Mike asked me

4“How often do you go to the gym?”Jill wondered

5“Have you ever played beach volleyball?”Jack asked Linda

6“Who is coming to the match tonight?”Philip asked

4Choose the correct verbs and complete the sentences in reported speech. Make any necessary changes.
1“I left your ball in the park yesterday.” Matt complained/ admitted.............................................................................
2“Do you take part in triathlons?”My friend wondered/ explained..................................................................................
3“I’ll come to the match tonight.”Cindy ordered/ promised............................................................................................
4“Don’t forget to buy a present for Mum.”My brother reminded/ suggested..................................................................
5“I’ve waited long enough!”Susan threatened/ complained........................................................................................
6“There’s going to be an English exam next week.”The teacher ordered/ announced................................................

1 Rewrite the sentences in reported speech.

1“I’ll repair the laptop by tomorrow,” promised the technician.......................................................................................
2“Don’t take off your life jacket,” my sailing instructor ordered....................................................................................
3“I didn’t score any goals yesterday,” said Janet..........................................................................................................
4“You’ve practised enough today,” the coach announced..............................................................................................
5“You must swim well to get into the team,” Steve explained.....................................................................................
6“I can’t pay you back until next week,” Gary said......................................................................................
7“We’re coming to your match,” Nancy told Sam. ......................................................................................................
8“These running shoes are uncomfortable,” the athlete complained...........................................................................

2 Rewrite the questions in reported speech.

1“How many races has Andrew won?” Cindy wanted to know...................................................................................
2“Did you feed the cat this morning?” my sister asked me.............................................................................................
.3“When are they going to interview the winner?” wondered a fan..............................................................................
4“Do you train here every day?” Nigel asked Marie....................................................................................................

3 Rewrite the sentences in reported speech using the reporting verbs below. Make any necessary changes.
admit | remind | suggest | announce | advise | warn | complain | wonder
1“Don’t forget your trainers,” my mother said.............................................................................................................

2“The team has never played worse,” said the fan.......................................................................................................

3“I’m going to give you a red card next time!” the referee told the player. ..................................................................

4“Is Ronaldo the world’s best football player?” Lou asked...........................................................................................

5“You should exercise more,” the doctor told me.........................................................................................................

6“Let’s buy our tickets here,” said my friend...............................................................................................................

7“I didn’t show good sportsmanship last night,” the player said..................................................................................

8“Serena Williams has just won the tournament!” said the reporter.............................................................................

4Complete the second sentence to logically follow the first. Use reported speech.
1 I want to improve as a player. My coach advised me

2 The player spoke to reporters before the game. He predicted that

3 We walked into class late. The teacher wanted to know

4 We had a party last night. Our neighbour complained

5 The sea suddenly got stormy. The lifeguard ordered

6 My friend needed a lift home. I promised her