Grammar

1 Verbs/adjectives/nouns with prepositions

Complete the sentences with the correct preposition.

Dan has never been lacking in enthusiasm or ambition.

1 Katie succeeded __________ achieving most of her goals before she was 30.

2 Don’t you think you’d benefit __________ some extra tuition?

3 Paul won first prize to the delight __________ all his family and friends.

4 I’m rather nervous __________ our trek up Kilimanjaro.

5 Sally opted __________ more English classes rather than continuing with her French classes.
___/10

2 Passives: distancing

Rewrite these sentences using the passive.

They believe that the summit was reached on 31st July

The summit is believed to have been reached on 31st July.

1 They have reported that Maria has broken her own world record.
__________________________________________________________________

2 They think that Steve speaks 20 languages fluently.

__________________________________________________________________

3 They say that Alex is training really hard for the marathon.
__________________________________________________________________

4 Unfortunately, we don’t allow dogs in here.

__________________________________________________________________

5 They reported that John had been ill for some time.
__________________________________________________________________

___/10

3 Perfect aspect

Underline the correct alternative in italics.

Will you have been finishing/finished the book I lent you by the end of the week?
1 Polly hadn’t been training/trained for long when she pulled a muscle in her leg.

2 By the time you get home, I’ll have been leaving/left.

3 Ironically, I haven’t been feeling/felt too good since I gave up caffeine.

4 How long have you been knowing/known one another?

5 I’d been forgetting/forgotten how ambitious Charles was.

___/10

4 Perfect aspect

Complete the sentences using the correct form of the verbs from the box.

live cover work out run play meet

We 'll have been living in our new house for six months by the end of October.

1 Harry ____________________ in over 20 marathons this year.

2 I’m sorry I didn't realise that we ____________________ before.

3 I ____________________ in the gym for over an hour by the time you join me.

4 Bob ____________________ football for less than an hour when he started to feel unwell.

5 By the end of this term, we ____________________ all the tenses in French.

___/10

Vocabulary

5 Challenges

Complete the words. The first letter has been given.

Please help us make Donna’s dream come true by donating to our charity appeal.

1 You don’t have the right a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to get to the top – you’re far too nice!

2 I couldn’t have done any of this w _ _ _ _ _ _ the support of my family.

3 Tom always rises to the c _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and finds extra strength from somewhere.

4 Sam’s always had a burning a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to be a Formula 1 racing driver.

5 It’s important to set yourself achievable g _ _ _ _ otherwise you’ll soon start to feel
demotivated.

___/10

6 Knowledge

Complete the sentences with the correct words/expressions (a, b or c).

I’m ____ sure I know the way but perhaps we’d better ask someone.
a completely b pretty c very

1 I’m sorry I haven’t ____ what you’re talking about.

a a clue b an idea c knowledge

2 I don’t know the answer ____ but I can certainly find out.
a underhand b on hand c offhand

3 I’d like you all to learn this poem by ____.

a heart b memory c head

4 Don’t ask Harry! He knows ____ to nothing about French history.

a almost b next c near

5 I know Berlin like the back of my ____ so let me give you directions.
a arm b head c hand

___/10

7 Achievement

Complete the sentences using the correct form of the verbs from the box.

face deal believe pursue persevere head

You know you’ll face a lot of opposition when you make your views known.

1 If you ____________________ in yourself, you’ll never get to the top.

2 Tony is very ambitious. It’s clear he ____________________ straight for the top and I’m
sure he’ll make it.

3 I ____________________ with my plan even though I know you’re against it.

4 We ____________________ with a lot of prejudice since joining the club.

5 I envy people who have the courage ____________________ their dreams come what may.

___/10

8 Prefixes

Complete the sentences using the appropriate prefixes.

Dan must be super-fit given all the exercise he does.

1 Can you rewrite your composition as a lot of the content is ____relevant?

2 It is better for advanced students to use a ____lingual dictionary to avoid any imprecise
translations.

3 Honestly, the way Peter talks you’d think he’d climbed the mountain ____ -handedly.

4 When we get told off I feel totally ____motivated and just want to give up.

5 Anna can never make up her mind about anything. She’s so ____decisive.

___/10
How to…

9 talk about an achievement

Complete the sentences using the correct form of the verbs from the box.

do know accomplish decide exceed be

I’d never done anything like that before.

1 We ____________________ to organise a half-marathon.

2 We found it difficult to prepare because we ____________________ what to expect.

3 The whole thing ____________________ quite a challenge.

4 The results, however, ____________________ all our expectations.

5 We really felt we ____________________ something.

___/10
Reading

10 Read this article about Erik Weihenmayer. Are the statements true (T) or false (F)?

Despite having lost his sight at the age of 13, Erik Weihenmayer has become one of the world’s
best-known athletes. An accomplished mountain climber, paraglider and skier, he has never
allowed his blindness to limit him in any way and on May 25, 2001 he became the only blind
man in history to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest.

Following this extraordinary achievement, Braille Without Borders, a school for the blind in
Nepal, invited him to teach its students mountaineering and rock climbing. So in 2004, he and
fellow mountaineers went out to train them and then led them on a climb to the Rombuk Glacier
on the north side of the mountain. A documentary made of this remarkable event was shown to
standing ovations at film festivals in Canada, the USA and England. His own film, Farther Than
The Eye Can See, charted his historic ascent of Everest, capturing all the emotion, humour and
drama of the epic adventure. Not only was he the first blind man to make the summit, the team
included the first father and son, and the oldest man. It also had the most people from one team
reaching the summit in a single day.

A former middle school teacher and wrestling coach, Erik is also a published author. His first
book Touch the Top of the World received the following review in Publisher’s Weekly: ‘…
moving and adventure packed, Weihenmayer tells his extraordinary story with humour, honesty
and vivid detail, and his fortitude and enthusiasm are deeply inspiring.’ His second book The
Adversity Advantage: Turning Everyday Struggles Into Everyday Greatness was co-authored
with business guru Dr Paul Stoltz and shares seven ‘summits’ for harnessing the power of
adversity and turning it into fuel for growth and innovation.

His multiple achievements have gained him numerous awards including the Helen Keller
Lifetime Achievement award, Nike’s Casey Martin Award and the Freedom Foundation’s Free
Spirit Award. He has also carried the Olympic torch for the Summer and Winter Games.

It is not only his sporting prowess and courage, however, that he will be remembered for. He
travels around the world as a motivational speaker and has set up a charitable organisation whose
aim is to promote innovative ideas and technologies to help people with disabilities push through
their own personal barriers to live full and active lives. He is certainly living proof that disability
need not be a barrier to following your dreams.
0 Erik Weihenmayer was born blind. F

1 He took a group of Nepalese students to the summit of Everest. ___

2 A few world records were broken on his ascent. ___

3 Erik Weihenmayer still teaches. ___

4 He has represented his country in the Olympic Games. ___

5 He now has a busy schedule giving presentations around the world. ___