UNIT 3: LANGUAGE PRACTICE

Quantifiers and articles

1 In the short texts below, do two things. Firstly, select the correct option for each of the quantifiers in italics. Secondly, fill each gap with the (the definite article) or nothing (the zero article). 1 controversy over this result. To be honest, I There has been a lot of / many a dont think it was an amazing achievement that Davies won this marathon. It was group of hardly a level playing field. She started right at the front of b start line runners while a few / a little of the other top runners didnt cross c top women runners didnt until five minutes after Davies. Many / Much of d cross the start line until around the seven-minute mark. drugs in his interview with a well Until Robert Le Farge mentioned a star cyclist known French magazine journalist, no one had suspected b of being one of the few / little cyclists taking performance-enhancing drugs during this article that years Tour de France. His discussion with the journalist and c was published the following week were the reasons why the drugs-testing teams decided to check him during one of the evening sessions. This is when he was found guilty and disqualified. It is fair to say that he certainly said too much / too many and interview at all. Le Farge is scored a spectacular own goal in giving d maintaining his innocence and has launched an appeal. By changing the weight limit for athletes entering certain types of competitive events in the next Olympics, the World Athletic Federation has created a huge problem. Effectively, they have moved the goalposts with only eight months remaining until a start of the Olympic competition. For athletes who have been perfect weight for their event, training for several years to reach b suddenly their training regimes will have to be changed completely. It also means that a few / a little of these athletes may have to consider competing in c different weight categories. Little / Hardly any of the national athletics federations have reacted positively to this announcement. professional sportsmen and women Those teenagers who want to become a pressure cannot afford to take their eye off the ball for one minute. b these days to achieve maximum potential at a young age is extremely high. c talented young people need to be discovered by professional trainers and clubs while they are still young enough to be trained and developed beyond their natural schools talent. This means that a lot of / many work has to be done by d and parents to recognise and help this type of talent to develop. If too much / too many time passes before these youngsters are found, it may be too late.

Idioms
2 In the texts in Exercise 1, find the idioms that match the meanings given below. 1 2 3 4 to do or say something which has a negative effect, when that was not the intention to lose concentration an unfair situation to change the rules or limits, which makes something more difficult

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