Listen and choose the picture that best answers the question.
ПОЛУЧИТЬ ОТВЕТ Listen and choose the picture that best answers the question.
Listen and choose the picture that best answers the question.
Listen and choose the picture that best answers the question.
Listen and choose the picture that best answers the question.
Listen to an inventor introducing his invention and choose the best answer (A, B or C).
Listen and choose the best answer.
Read and choose the TRUE statements. Choose more than one statement. Are you looking for an unusual shopping experience? At Galerie Harfa Mall in Prague, The Czech Republic, there are lots of shops, people and even dinosaurs! Dinosaurs come to life at this unique shopping mall. Outside, on the roof of the mall, there is a huge amusement park. Here, you can see many giant dinosaur robots that move and make sounds. The rooftop has got cafés and fast-food restaurants, a playground for children, and an ice-skating rink. Inside the mall, there are 160 shops and stalls that sell everything from electronics and clothing to books, toys and fresh vegetables. After a day of shopping, you can train at a gym or swim in the indoor swimming pool. You can end your day with a meal at one of the many nice restaurants or at the food court in the mall. At Galerie Harfa there is something for everyone. It’s worth a visit!
Choose the correct option. This is Julia’s bag. Give it to___________.
Choose the correct option. You _______ visit that shop in the evening. It’s open until late.
Choose the correct option. This skirt _____________the colour of her eyes.
Choose the correct option. Don’t worry! We have____________of orange juice in the fridge.
Choose the correct option. Temperatures ___________to -5 at night.
Раскройте скобки, используя выражение "to be going to". Впишите только ту часть предложения, которая должна быть на месте пробела. Используйте только полные формы! Melanie and I _________ (not/shop) for souvenirs today.
Раскройте скобки, используя выражение "to be going to". Впишите только ту часть предложения, которая должна быть на месте пробела. Используйте только полные формы! Leo and Peter _________ (meet) Dina later.
Раскройте скобки, используя выражение "to be going to". Впишите только ту часть предложения, которая должна быть на месте пробела. Используйте только полные формы! What __________ (Max and Lena/do) tonight?
Choose the correct option. How _______ drinks do we need?
Choose the correct option. There are _______ grapes in the fridge.
Choose the correct option. How _______ milk do you need?
Write the -ing form of the verb. e.g. do - doing BE - ...
Write the -ing form of the verb. e.g. do - doing DRIVE - ...
Write the -ing form of the verb. e.g. do - doing COME - ...
Write the -ing form of the verb. e.g. do - doing RUN - ...
Write the -ing form of the verb. e.g. do - doing STOP - ...
Write the -ing form of the verb. e.g. do - doing MIX - ...
Write the -ing form of the verb. e.g. do - doing FLY - ...
Write the -ing form of the verb. e.g. do - doing SWIM - ...
Write the -ing form of the verb. e.g. do - doing MAKE - ...
Open the brackets. Put the verbs in brackets into the present simple or the present continuous. Use the full forms. Hurry up! Olga and Ann ____________ (wait) for us at the station!
Open the brackets. Put the verbs in brackets into the present simple or the present continuous. Use the full forms. She ________(want) to buy some carrots.
Open the brackets. Put the verbs in brackets into the present simple or the present continuous. Use the full forms. Kate ________(wear) high heels today.
Open the brackets. Put the verbs in brackets into the present simple or the present continuous. Use the full forms. __________ (he/go) to school every day?
Раскройте скобки, используя выражение "to be going to". Впишите только ту часть предложения, которая должна быть на месте пробела. Используйте только полные формы! Next Saturday we __________(visit) the Real Food Festiva.
Раскройте скобки, используя выражение "to be going to". Впишите только ту часть предложения, которая должна быть на месте пробела. Используйте только полные формы! I _______ (cook) pasta today!
Choose the correct option. Can I have a _______ onions?
Choose the correct option. _______ cheese do you need?
Read and choose the TRUE statements. Choose more than one statement. Are you looking for an unusual shopping experience? At Galerie Harfa Mall in Prague, The Czech Republic, there are lots of shops, people and even dinosaurs! Dinosaurs come to life at this unique shopping mall. Outside, on the roof of the mall, there is a huge amusement park. Here, you can see many giant dinosaur robots that move and make sounds. The rooftop has got cafés and fast-food restaurants, a playground for children, and an ice-skating rink. Inside the mall, there are 160 shops and stalls that sell everything from electronics and clothing to books, toys and fresh vegetables. After a day of shopping, you can train at a gym or swim in the indoor swimming pool. You can end your day with a meal at one of the many nice restaurants or at the food court in the mall. At Galerie Harfa there is something for everyone. It’s worth a visit!
Read the text and choose the best answer to the question. Most of us learn at least one foreign language at school. But sadly many people drop it after that and possibly never take it up again. But why? According to the research, there are many reasons (or excuses) that people have for dropping a language or not taking one up. Most commonly, many people say they don’t have enough time or that they don’t have enough money. The other main reason mentioned by many people is lack of motivation. I have to say I recognize this! When you start learning a new language it’s really exciting. ‘I can say “dog” in French!’, ‘I can say “hello” in Italian!’ But then when you get to memorizing long lists of verbs, tenses and grammar, your enthusiasm often starts to disappear. You have to put quite a lot of time and effort into learning a language properly, and often, life gets in the way, and the latest episode of “The Game of Thrones” seems more interesting than another round of German adjective endings. If this is the case, I feel your pain! But there are ways to boost your motivation and get back into learning. Try breaking up your language learning into a small chunk each day: ten minutes of using a language app or program; reading a newspaper article or language book on the train or listening to a short podcast. Make learning fun by listening to music or podcasts, watching videos or films, reading books or magazines or using fun language games. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to master perfect grammar – just enjoy it. Find people to chat to and impress yourself with how much you can say already. Try thinking about what your motivation for taking up a language could be: a holiday to a fantastic new country, moving abroad for work, finding new friends, talking to someone you know in their language, understanding the culture of a certain country (be it Japanese anime, French cinema or German heavy metal). Somehow half an hour of practising verbs and vocabulary seems much more attractive when you picture yourself using your newly-learned phrases abroad. Finally, another common reason that I can definitely identify with is feeling embarrassed when speaking another language. But in most cases, even if you make a silly mistake, you can just laugh it off and carry on. It might take a little time to gain confidence when speaking, but the best way to do this is simply to try it, make mistakes, realize it doesn’t matter and carry on. If you’re quite shy, try finding another learner to practise with, doing a language exchange with someone who is learning your language (so you’re in the same boat) and practising with friends before you actually go to the country. Is the following statement true, false or there is no information about it in the text? A lot of people feel ashamed while speaking a foreign language because of the mistakes they make.
Read the text and choose the best answer to the question. Most of us learn at least one foreign language at school. But sadly many people drop it after that and possibly never take it up again. But why? According to the research, there are many reasons (or excuses) that people have for dropping a language or not taking one up. Most commonly, many people say they don’t have enough time or that they don’t have enough money. The other main reason mentioned by many people is lack of motivation. I have to say I recognize this! When you start learning a new language it’s really exciting. ‘I can say “dog” in French!’, ‘I can say “hello” in Italian!’ But then when you get to memorizing long lists of verbs, tenses and grammar, your enthusiasm often starts to disappear. You have to put quite a lot of time and effort into learning a language properly, and often, life gets in the way, and the latest episode of “The Game of Thrones” seems more interesting than another round of German adjective endings. If this is the case, I feel your pain! But there are ways to boost your motivation and get back into learning. Try breaking up your language learning into a small chunk each day: ten minutes of using a language app or program; reading a newspaper article or language book on the train or listening to a short podcast. Make learning fun by listening to music or podcasts, watching videos or films, reading books or magazines or using fun language games. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to master perfect grammar – just enjoy it. Find people to chat to and impress yourself with how much you can say already. Try thinking about what your motivation for taking up a language could be: a holiday to a fantastic new country, moving abroad for work, finding new friends, talking to someone you know in their language, understanding the culture of a certain country (be it Japanese anime, French cinema or German heavy metal). Somehow half an hour of practising verbs and vocabulary seems much more attractive when you picture yourself using your newly-learned phrases abroad. Finally, another common reason that I can definitely identify with is feeling embarrassed when speaking another language. But in most cases, even if you make a silly mistake, you can just laugh it off and carry on. It might take a little time to gain confidence when speaking, but the best way to do this is simply to try it, make mistakes, realize it doesn’t matter and carry on. If you’re quite shy, try finding another learner to practise with, doing a language exchange with someone who is learning your language (so you’re in the same boat) and practising with friends before you actually go to the country. Is the following statement true, false or there is no information about it in the text? The phrase “you’re in the same boat” means that you live in the same country.
Read the text and choose the best answer to the question. Most of us learn at least one foreign language at school. But sadly many people drop it after that and possibly never take it up again. But why? According to the research, there are many reasons (or excuses) that people have for dropping a language or not taking one up. Most commonly, many people say they don’t have enough time or that they don’t have enough money. The other main reason mentioned by many people is lack of motivation. I have to say I recognize this! When you start learning a new language it’s really exciting. ‘I can say “dog” in French!’, ‘I can say “hello” in Italian!’ But then when you get to memorizing long lists of verbs, tenses and grammar, your enthusiasm often starts to disappear. You have to put quite a lot of time and effort into learning a language properly, and often, life gets in the way, and the latest episode of “The Game of Thrones” seems more interesting than another round of German adjective endings. If this is the case, I feel your pain! But there are ways to boost your motivation and get back into learning. Try breaking up your language learning into a small chunk each day: ten minutes of using a language app or program; reading a newspaper article or language book on the train or listening to a short podcast. Make learning fun by listening to music or podcasts, watching videos or films, reading books or magazines or using fun language games. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to master perfect grammar – just enjoy it. Find people to chat to and impress yourself with how much you can say already. Try thinking about what your motivation for taking up a language could be: a holiday to a fantastic new country, moving abroad for work, finding new friends, talking to someone you know in their language, understanding the culture of a certain country (be it Japanese anime, French cinema or German heavy metal). Somehow half an hour of practising verbs and vocabulary seems much more attractive when you picture yourself using your newly-learned phrases abroad. Finally, another common reason that I can definitely identify with is feeling embarrassed when speaking another language. But in most cases, even if you make a silly mistake, you can just laugh it off and carry on. It might take a little time to gain confidence when speaking, but the best way to do this is simply to try it, make mistakes, realize it doesn’t matter and carry on. If you’re quite shy, try finding another learner to practise with, doing a language exchange with someone who is learning your language (so you’re in the same boat) and practising with friends before you actually go to the country. Is the following statement true, false or there is no information about it in the text? The author suggests singing practice to boost language skills.
Read the text and choose the best answer to the question. Most of us learn at least one foreign language at school. But sadly many people drop it after that and possibly never take it up again. But why? According to the research, there are many reasons (or excuses) that people have for dropping a language or not taking one up. Most commonly, many people say they don’t have enough time or that they don’t have enough money. The other main reason mentioned by many people is lack of motivation. I have to say I recognize this! When you start learning a new language it’s really exciting. ‘I can say “dog” in French!’, ‘I can say “hello” in Italian!’ But then when you get to memorizing long lists of verbs, tenses and grammar, your enthusiasm often starts to disappear. You have to put quite a lot of time and effort into learning a language properly, and often, life gets in the way, and the latest episode of “The Game of Thrones” seems more interesting than another round of German adjective endings. If this is the case, I feel your pain! But there are ways to boost your motivation and get back into learning. Try breaking up your language learning into a small chunk each day: ten minutes of using a language app or program; reading a newspaper article or language book on the train or listening to a short podcast. Make learning fun by listening to music or podcasts, watching videos or films, reading books or magazines or using fun language games. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to master perfect grammar – just enjoy it. Find people to chat to and impress yourself with how much you can say already. Try thinking about what your motivation for taking up a language could be: a holiday to a fantastic new country, moving abroad for work, finding new friends, talking to someone you know in their language, understanding the culture of a certain country (be it Japanese anime, French cinema or German heavy metal). Somehow half an hour of practising verbs and vocabulary seems much more attractive when you picture yourself using your newly-learned phrases abroad. Finally, another common reason that I can definitely identify with is feeling embarrassed when speaking another language. But in most cases, even if you make a silly mistake, you can just laugh it off and carry on. It might take a little time to gain confidence when speaking, but the best way to do this is simply to try it, make mistakes, realize it doesn’t matter and carry on. If you’re quite shy, try finding another learner to practise with, doing a language exchange with someone who is learning your language (so you’re in the same boat) and practising with friends before you actually go to the country. Is the following statement true, false or there is no information about it in the text? The author recommends his readers to use their imagination to keep the motivation.
Read the text and choose the best answer to the question. Most of us learn at least one foreign language at school. But sadly many people drop it after that and possibly never take it up again. But why? According to the research, there are many reasons (or excuses) that people have for dropping a language or not taking one up. Most commonly, many people say they don’t have enough time or that they don’t have enough money. The other main reason mentioned by many people is lack of motivation. I have to say I recognize this! When you start learning a new language it’s really exciting. ‘I can say “dog” in French!’, ‘I can say “hello” in Italian!’ But then when you get to memorizing long lists of verbs, tenses and grammar, your enthusiasm often starts to disappear. You have to put quite a lot of time and effort into learning a language properly, and often, life gets in the way, and the latest episode of “The Game of Thrones” seems more interesting than another round of German adjective endings. If this is the case, I feel your pain! But there are ways to boost your motivation and get back into learning. Try breaking up your language learning into a small chunk each day: ten minutes of using a language app or program; reading a newspaper article or language book on the train or listening to a short podcast. Make learning fun by listening to music or podcasts, watching videos or films, reading books or magazines or using fun language games. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to master perfect grammar – just enjoy it. Find people to chat to and impress yourself with how much you can say already. Try thinking about what your motivation for taking up a language could be: a holiday to a fantastic new country, moving abroad for work, finding new friends, talking to someone you know in their language, understanding the culture of a certain country (be it Japanese anime, French cinema or German heavy metal). Somehow half an hour of practising verbs and vocabulary seems much more attractive when you picture yourself using your newly-learned phrases abroad. Finally, another common reason that I can definitely identify with is feeling embarrassed when speaking another language. But in most cases, even if you make a silly mistake, you can just laugh it off and carry on. It might take a little time to gain confidence when speaking, but the best way to do this is simply to try it, make mistakes, realize it doesn’t matter and carry on. If you’re quite shy, try finding another learner to practise with, doing a language exchange with someone who is learning your language (so you’re in the same boat) and practising with friends before you actually go to the country. Is the following statement true, false or there is no information about it in the text? The phrase “you’re in the same boat” means that you have the same problems and feelings.
Read the text and choose the best answer to the question. Most of us learn at least one foreign language at school. But sadly many people drop it after that and possibly never take it up again. But why? According to the research, there are many reasons (or excuses) that people have for dropping a language or not taking one up. Most commonly, many people say they don’t have enough time or that they don’t have enough money. The other main reason mentioned by many people is lack of motivation. I have to say I recognize this! When you start learning a new language it’s really exciting. ‘I can say “dog” in French!’, ‘I can say “hello” in Italian!’ But then when you get to memorizing long lists of verbs, tenses and grammar, your enthusiasm often starts to disappear. You have to put quite a lot of time and effort into learning a language properly, and often, life gets in the way, and the latest episode of “The Game of Thrones” seems more interesting than another round of German adjective endings. If this is the case, I feel your pain! But there are ways to boost your motivation and get back into learning. Try breaking up your language learning into a small chunk each day: ten minutes of using a language app or program; reading a newspaper article or language book on the train or listening to a short podcast. Make learning fun by listening to music or podcasts, watching videos or films, reading books or magazines or using fun language games. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to master perfect grammar – just enjoy it. Find people to chat to and impress yourself with how much you can say already. Try thinking about what your motivation for taking up a language could be: a holiday to a fantastic new country, moving abroad for work, finding new friends, talking to someone you know in their language, understanding the culture of a certain country (be it Japanese anime, French cinema or German heavy metal). Somehow half an hour of practising verbs and vocabulary seems much more attractive when you picture yourself using your newly-learned phrases abroad. Finally, another common reason that I can definitely identify with is feeling embarrassed when speaking another language. But in most cases, even if you make a silly mistake, you can just laugh it off and carry on. It might take a little time to gain confidence when speaking, but the best way to do this is simply to try it, make mistakes, realize it doesn’t matter and carry on. If you’re quite shy, try finding another learner to practise with, doing a language exchange with someone who is learning your language (so you’re in the same boat) and practising with friends before you actually go to the country. Is the following statement true, false or there is no information about it in the text? The phrase “you’re in the same boat” means that you learn the same language.
Read the text and choose the best answer to the question. Most of us learn at least one foreign language at school. But sadly many people drop it after that and possibly never take it up again. But why? According to the research, there are many reasons (or excuses) that people have for dropping a language or not taking one up. Most commonly, many people say they don’t have enough time or that they don’t have enough money. The other main reason mentioned by many people is lack of motivation. I have to say I recognize this! When you start learning a new language it’s really exciting. ‘I can say “dog” in French!’, ‘I can say “hello” in Italian!’ But then when you get to memorizing long lists of verbs, tenses and grammar, your enthusiasm often starts to disappear. You have to put quite a lot of time and effort into learning a language properly, and often, life gets in the way, and the latest episode of “The Game of Thrones” seems more interesting than another round of German adjective endings. If this is the case, I feel your pain! But there are ways to boost your motivation and get back into learning. Try breaking up your language learning into a small chunk each day: ten minutes of using a language app or program; reading a newspaper article or language book on the train or listening to a short podcast. Make learning fun by listening to music or podcasts, watching videos or films, reading books or magazines or using fun language games. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to master perfect grammar – just enjoy it. Find people to chat to and impress yourself with how much you can say already. Try thinking about what your motivation for taking up a language could be: a holiday to a fantastic new country, moving abroad for work, finding new friends, talking to someone you know in their language, understanding the culture of a certain country (be it Japanese anime, French cinema or German heavy metal). Somehow half an hour of practising verbs and vocabulary seems much more attractive when you picture yourself using your newly-learned phrases abroad. Finally, another common reason that I can definitely identify with is feeling embarrassed when speaking another language. But in most cases, even if you make a silly mistake, you can just laugh it off and carry on. It might take a little time to gain confidence when speaking, but the best way to do this is simply to try it, make mistakes, realize it doesn’t matter and carry on. If you’re quite shy, try finding another learner to practise with, doing a language exchange with someone who is learning your language (so you’re in the same boat) and practising with friends before you actually go to the country. Is the following statement true, false or there is no information about it in the text? The author sympathizes with the people who read his blog.
Read the text and choose the best answer to the question. Most of us learn at least one foreign language at school. But sadly many people drop it after that and possibly never take it up again. But why? According to the research, there are many reasons (or excuses) that people have for dropping a language or not taking one up. Most commonly, many people say they don’t have enough time or that they don’t have enough money. The other main reason mentioned by many people is lack of motivation. I have to say I recognize this! When you start learning a new language it’s really exciting. ‘I can say “dog” in French!’, ‘I can say “hello” in Italian!’ But then when you get to memorizing long lists of verbs, tenses and grammar, your enthusiasm often starts to disappear. You have to put quite a lot of time and effort into learning a language properly, and often, life gets in the way, and the latest episode of “The Game of Thrones” seems more interesting than another round of German adjective endings. If this is the case, I feel your pain! But there are ways to boost your motivation and get back into learning. Try breaking up your language learning into a small chunk each day: ten minutes of using a language app or program; reading a newspaper article or language book on the train or listening to a short podcast. Make learning fun by listening to music or podcasts, watching videos or films, reading books or magazines or using fun language games. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to master perfect grammar – just enjoy it. Find people to chat to and impress yourself with how much you can say already. Try thinking about what your motivation for taking up a language could be: a holiday to a fantastic new country, moving abroad for work, finding new friends, talking to someone you know in their language, understanding the culture of a certain country (be it Japanese anime, French cinema or German heavy metal). Somehow half an hour of practising verbs and vocabulary seems much more attractive when you picture yourself using your newly-learned phrases abroad. Finally, another common reason that I can definitely identify with is feeling embarrassed when speaking another language. But in most cases, even if you make a silly mistake, you can just laugh it off and carry on. It might take a little time to gain confidence when speaking, but the best way to do this is simply to try it, make mistakes, realize it doesn’t matter and carry on. If you’re quite shy, try finding another learner to practise with, doing a language exchange with someone who is learning your language (so you’re in the same boat) and practising with friends before you actually go to the country. Is the following statement true, false or there is no information about it in the text? The author advises his readers to put quite a lot of time into language learning regularly.
Read the text and choose the best answer to the question. Most of us learn at least one foreign language at school. But sadly many people drop it after that and possibly never take it up again. But why? According to the research, there are many reasons (or excuses) that people have for dropping a language or not taking one up. Most commonly, many people say they don’t have enough time or that they don’t have enough money. The other main reason mentioned by many people is lack of motivation. I have to say I recognize this! When you start learning a new language it’s really exciting. ‘I can say “dog” in French!’, ‘I can say “hello” in Italian!’ But then when you get to memorizing long lists of verbs, tenses and grammar, your enthusiasm often starts to disappear. You have to put quite a lot of time and effort into learning a language properly, and often, life gets in the way, and the latest episode of “The Game of Thrones” seems more interesting than another round of German adjective endings. If this is the case, I feel your pain! But there are ways to boost your motivation and get back into learning. Try breaking up your language learning into a small chunk each day: ten minutes of using a language app or program; reading a newspaper article or language book on the train or listening to a short podcast. Make learning fun by listening to music or podcasts, watching videos or films, reading books or magazines or using fun language games. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to master perfect grammar – just enjoy it. Find people to chat to and impress yourself with how much you can say already. Try thinking about what your motivation for taking up a language could be: a holiday to a fantastic new country, moving abroad for work, finding new friends, talking to someone you know in their language, understanding the culture of a certain country (be it Japanese anime, French cinema or German heavy metal). Somehow half an hour of practising verbs and vocabulary seems much more attractive when you picture yourself using your newly-learned phrases abroad. Finally, another common reason that I can definitely identify with is feeling embarrassed when speaking another language. But in most cases, even if you make a silly mistake, you can just laugh it off and carry on. It might take a little time to gain confidence when speaking, but the best way to do this is simply to try it, make mistakes, realize it doesn’t matter and carry on. If you’re quite shy, try finding another learner to practise with, doing a language exchange with someone who is learning your language (so you’re in the same boat) and practising with friends before you actually go to the country. Is the following statement true, false or there is no information about it in the text? The author advises his readers first to learn grammar to perfection before starting to communicate.
Read and choose the correct answer. A violinist in the Metro A man sitting at a metro station in Washington, D.C. started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. Three minutes went by and a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, a man leaned against the wall to listen to him, but then the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly, he was late for work. The one who paid the most attention was a 3-year-old boy. His mother tagged him along, she hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on. In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk at their normal pace. He collected 32 $. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, there was no recognition. No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most complicated pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell had performed at a theatre in Boston. The house was full and the seats were 100 $ at average. This is a real story. Joshua Bell’s playing incognito at the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, tastes and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an unusual hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context? One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we don’t have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?
Read the text and choose the best title. Brian Potter has been sandboarding for the past seven years. He loves it because he can do it pretty much anywhere there is sand! He says, “I’m a real speed freak and I find nothing more exciting than to take out my board and whizz down the sand dunes.” The general idea of sand-boarding is the same as snowboarding. People simply strap a board to their feet and slide down a hill. Brian says, “Last year, I entered the International Sandboarding Championships in Germany. There were around 50,000 entrants and l came 100th, so I was pretty proud.” Carla Murphy is known in certain circles as a “zorbanaut”. This is because she spends some of her free time inside a large inflatable’ plastic ball called a zorb. “Zorbing is so much fun, I just can’t get enough,” she says. Zorbing involves rolling down a steep hill strapped inside a ball, which can reach speeds of up to 50 to 60 kmph if the hill is steep enough. Up to three people can be inside at the same time. “It’s fantastic. You’re totally protected from bumps and knocks by the zorb, but you bounce around as if you are weightless. Anyone from 6 to 60 can do it,” Carla explains. This bizarre activity originated in New Zealand, and now there are centres all around the world. Carla thinks it’s great. “When we start rolling, we just start laughing, and we can’t stop.” Paul Lynch has been practising ice climbing for several years now and has climbed many frozen waterfalls. “My parents took me skiing in the Alps when I was a child and ever since, I’ve been addicted to the mountains. I moved to Canada a few years ago, and I fell in love with ice climbing. I spend most of my free time climbing ice in the Rockies. Basically, ice climbing involves swinging an axe into the ice above your head and pulling yourself up on it. You need a lot of equipment, such as a helmet, rope, and boots for ice climbing. And of course, it’s very physical, so you really have to be in good shape,” says Paul. Harry Bolton didn’t really like sport at all until he discovered something both new and unusual, “I was listening to the radio one day when I heard something that I thought must have been a joke. The DJ was talking about underwater hockey! When I realized it actually was a real sport, I decided to find out more about it. To my surprise, I found a local team, and before I knew it, I was part of it!” Unlike water polo, where the action takes place above the water, underwater hockey is played at the bottom of the pool. Players wear masks, flippers, and snorkels during the game. “The rules are really simple, you just have to slide the puck into the opposing team’s goal,” says Harry. Underwater hockey was invented by a British diving club in 1954 and was originally called Octopush. Harry told us, “Unfortunately, it’s not much of a spectator sport, as all people watching from outside the pool can see are lots of splashing and flippers!”
Advanced level Read the text and choose the correct option. Work–life Balance Ronan I work in a fairly traditional office environment doing a typical nine-to-five job. I like my job, but it’s annoying that my commute to work takes an hour and a half each way and most of my work could really be done online from home. But my boss doesn’t seem to trust that we will get any work done if left to our own devices, and everyone in the company has to clock in and out every day. It’s frustrating that they feel the need to monitor what we do so closely instead of judging us based on our task performance, like most companies do these days. Jo I used to do a typical five-day week, but after I came out of my maternity leave, I decided that I wanted to spend more time with my children before they start school. After negotiating with my boss, we decided to cut my working week down to a three-day work week. This of course meant a significant cut in my pay too, as I’m paid on a pro rata basis. I’ve since noticed, though, that my workload hasn’t decreased in the slightest! I’m now doing five days’ worth of work in three days, but getting paid much less for it! I find myself having to take work home just so that I can meet the deadlines. It’s wearing me out trying to juggle work with looking after my children and my family, but I don’t dare to bring this up with my boss because I think he feels as if he’s made a huge concession letting me come in only three days a week. Marcus I work for a global IT company, but because their headquarters is in the States, I do all my work online from home. That means that I don’t waste time commuting or making idle chit-chat with colleagues. I work on a project basis, and this flexibility is very valuable to me because it means that I can easily take some time off when my children need me to go to their school performances or if I need to schedule an appointment with the dentist. The downside is that without clear office hours, I tend to work well into the evening, sometimes skipping dinner to finish a task. It can also get quite lonely working on my own, and I sometimes miss sharing ideas with colleagues. Lily I’m a freelancer and work for myself. This is great because I am in control of what I do and how I spend my time. At first, I was working from home, but I found it really hard to concentrate. There were just too many distractions around: housework that needed doing, another cup of tea, my family members wanting my attention for various things. So I started to go to a nearby café to work, but the Wi-Fi connection wasn’t ideal and I found myself drinking too much coffee. In the end, I decided to rent a desk in a co-working space with five other freelancers like myself. I liked getting dressed to go to work in the morning and being able to focus in an office environment. The other freelancers do similar kinds of web-based work to me and so it’s nice to have workmates to bounce ideas off as well.
Read the text and choose the best title. The mass media play an important part in our lives. Newspapers, radio and especially TV inform us of what is going on in this world and give us wonderful possibilities for education, entertainment, and communication. They also influence the way we see the world. They can change our views. Of course, not all newspapers, TV programmes, news presenters, radio commentators, or entertainers report events objectively all the time. In other words, they can be clearly biased sometimes. However, there are many serious journalists and TV reporters who try to be as fair and professional as possible. They try to provide us with reliable information. Some people say that journalists are given too much freedom. They often intrude on people’s lives. They follow celebrities and print sensational stories about them which can be untrue or half-true. You have probably heard of the “paparazzi”; they are independent photographers who take pictures of athletes, entertainers, politicians, and other celebrities, typically while going about their life routines. One main source of news for millions of people is television. People like TV news because they can see everything with their own eyes, and that’s a paramount advantage. Seeing, as we know, is believing. Besides, it is much more difficult for politicians to lie in front of the cameras than on the front pages of newspapers. Still, others prefer the radio. It is good to listen to the radio while in the car, or in the open air, or while you are doing something around the house. Newspapers don’t react to events as quickly as TV does, but they usually provide us with extra details, comments, and background information. The internet has recently become another important source of information. Its main advantage is that news appears on the screen as soon as things take place in real life, and you don’t have to wait for news time on TV.
Read the text below and choose the best answer for each space. The first one is done for you.
