READING SECTION and Listening Section
READING SECTION and Listening Section
READING SECTION and Listening Section
The Cutty Sark ship, one of London's most popular tourist attractions, has been devastated
by a fire, which police think may have been started on purpose.
More than 40 firefighters were called to the 138-year-old tea clipper ship in Greenwich
early on Monday morning.
The ship had recently been closed to visitors so improvements costing £25 million could be
carried out.
A spokesman for the London fire service said the whole ship was affected by the massive
fire but nobody was hurt.
Police don't know what caused the fire yet, but said they were treating it as suspicious. That
means the fire may have been started on purpose rather than by accident.
Chris Livett, from the group which looks after the ship, said the fire was a significant
setback but they were determined to put the ship back together again.
He said the decks could not be saved but the damage didn't appear as bad as first
feared.
Half the planking, as well as all the old artefacts on board, escaped damage as they had
been removed while the refurbishment work was under way.
He added: "She's been through storms and hurricanes. She's been battling all her life. She's
not dead yet, far from it."
The Cutty Sark was used to carry tea around the world in the 19th century. It now sits at a
dry dock at Greenwich as a living museum.
EXERCISES
Joining a gym
Listen to the conversation about joining a gym to practise and improve your
listening skills.
COMPLETE THE TEXT WITH THE CORRECT WORDS
Customer: I saw on the sign outside that you have the best budget member
ship in the city. Is that right?
Receptionist: You've got that right, yes. If you find a better rate, then we'll
match it. Also, we don't have any sign-up fees or cancellation fees.
Receptionist: So, it's very easy. For your first visits we'll assign you one of
our expert personal trainers. He or she will design an exercise plan that's just
right for you and show you exactly what to do. We even include nutricional
advice in the plan.
Receptionist: Yes, it is. If you want to continue with your trainer after the
first few classes, we can talk about that. It does cost extra though. OK?
Customer: Hmmm, yeah. Um, OK. Why should I choose here of any of the
other gyms in the city?
Customer: Yeah, I guess.
Receptionist: Listen, here's a free day pass. Why don't you drop by and see
for yourself? That way you can talk to other members, see the facilities and
our all those.
Writing
Since I was a child, I like to do a lot of rough activities, because they release adrenaline
and make me relax.
I liked to practice football, in elementary school I played with my friends, in high school I
entered a tournament and in college I played Tochito
I also train Tekwondo since I was 9 years old, currently I am a black belt. I liked it a lot
because it gave me a lot of strength and flexibility, I could run very fast unlike now.
That's in the sports part, but there were other activities that I really liked. One of them was
drawing and coloring, I had a giant quarrel where I painted with watercolors it was very
relaxing, I usually did it when I finished my homework.