Reading 27/8

Ex1: Read the text and choose the best answer for each question.

Today, millions of people want to learn or improve their English but it is

difficult to find the best method. Is it better to study in Britain or America or to
study in your own country?

The advantages of going to Britain seem obvious. Firstly, you will be able to
listen to the language all the time you are in the country. You will be
surrounded completely by the language wherever you go. Another advantage
is that you have to speak the language if you are with other people. In Italy, it
is always possible, in the class, to speak Italian if you want to and the learning
is slower.

On the other hand, there are also advantages to staying at home to study. You
don't have to make big changes to your life. As well as this, it is also a lot
cheaper than going to Britain but it is never possible to achieve the results of
living in the UK. If you have a good teacher in Italy, I think you can learn in a
more concentrated way than being in Britain without going to a school.

So, in conclusion, I think that if you have enough time and enough money, the
best choice is to spend some time in the UK. This is simply not possible for
most people, so being here in Italy is the only viable option. The most
important thing to do in this situation is to maximise your opportunities: to
speak only English in class and to try to use English whenever possible outside
the class.

1. What is the article about?

A. How many people learn English.
B. The best way to learn English.
 C. English schools in England and America.

2. What is one of the advantages of going to the UK to learn English?

A. There are no Italians in Britain.
B. You will have to speak English and not your language.
C. The language schools are better.

3. What is one of the advantages of staying in your country to learn English?

A. The teachers aren't very good in Britain.
B. You have to work too hard in Britain.
C. Your life can continue more or less as it was before.

4. People who don't have a lot of time and money should...

A. Learn English in Britain.
B. Try and speak English in class more often.
C. Go to Italy to learn English.

Ex2. Put the story into the correct order.

1 Other people who prefer to believe in a scientific explanation have suggested
that electrical forces in the atmosphere caused this and other incidents.
2 Suddenly, a strange light seemed to be on top of the car, sucking it up off the
road before dropping it down again.
3 Meanwhile, a local lorry driver following the same route as Mrs. Knowles
confirmed that he has also seen the strange light in the distance.
4 In a state of shock, they drove to the nearest town and reported the incident
to the police.
5 Thinking that the woman must have been so tired that she was dreaming,
the police gave her a cup of tea hoping to calm her down.
6 Finally, the police agreed to inspect the car and when they did, they saw the
dust, smelt the smell and also noticed some small dents in the roof of the car.
7 Feeling terrified and out of control, the family noticed a black powder
seeping inside their car and smelt a horrible stench.
8 This story was quickly taken up by some people as proof of the presence of
aliens on earth.
9 When she saw a light flashing on the road ahead, she slowed down thinking
that it was a traffic signal
10 Mrs. Knowles and her three sons were driving from Perth to Adelaide in the
early hours one morning in 1988.

Ex3. Read about Jake returning to his hometown after being abroad for ten
years. Then answer true or false to the questions.
I have returned to my hometown of Wilson Creek after an absence of 10 years.

So many things have changed around here. When I left Wilson Creek, there
was a small pond on the right as you left town. They have filled in this pond
and they have built a large shopping mall there. A new post office has also
been built just across from my old school.

There is a baseball stadium on the outskirts of Wilson Creek which has been
changed completely. They have now added a new stand where probably a few
thousand people could sit. It looks really great.

The biggest changes have taken place in the downtown area. They have
pedestrianised the centre and you can't drive there anymore. A European-style
fountain has been built and some benches have also been added along with a
grassy area and a new street cafe.

My street looks just the same as it always has but a public library has been
built in the next street along. There used to be a great park there but they have
cut down all the trees which is a pity. The library now has a large green area in
front of it but it's not the same as when the park was there.

Another improvement is the number of new restaurants that have opened in

Wilson Creek. A Chinese and an Italian restaurant have opened in the town
centre and a Mexican restaurant has opened near my home. Which is where I
am going tonight!

1. Jake's school doesn't exist anymore.

True
False

2. They have improved the baseball stadium.

True
False

3. Jake likes the new-look baseball stadium.

True
False

4. It's only possible to reach the downtown area on foot.

True
False

5. The buildings in the centre of the town look European.

True
False
6. Jake's street hasn't changed much.
True
False

7. He is sad about the park being ruined.

True
False

8. Jake is going to eat Italian food tonight.

True
False

Ex4: For each numbered proverb on the left, choose which proverb (A-N) is the
contradiction.
1. All good things come to those who wait A. Never judge a book by its cover
2. Birds of a feather flock together B. Out of sight, Out of mind
3. Absence makes the heart grow fonder C. Forewarned is forearmed
4. Clothes make the man D. Act in haste, Repent at leisure
5. Don't cross your bridges before you come to them E. It ain't over 'till it's over
6. Good things come in small packages F. The squeaky wheel gets the grease
7. Great starts make great finishes G. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
8. He who hesitates is lost H. The bigger the better
9. Practice makes perfect I. One man's meat is another man's poison
10. Silence is golden J. Actions speak louder than words
11. The pen is mightier than the sword K. Fools seldom differ
12. You're never too old to learn L. Time and tide wait for no man
13. What's good for the goose is good for the gander M. Opposites attract
14. Wise men think alike N. You can't teach an old dog new tricks

Ex5: Read the following letter from one friend to another. Then, read a similar but more
formal letter. Fill each space with one of the formal expressions you see in the table below.
In each space in the second letter, write the number that corresponds to the correct phrase.

Hi Darren,
Sorry I wasn't able to get to your house warming party last Friday. I was really looking
forward to it and I was all ready to leave the house when my aunt from Ireland arrived at
the house for a surprise visit!! She was only in town for the one evening before she went to
my brother's house so I had to stay with her. I'm really sorry Dazza.
I tried to telephone you but your line was busy the two times when I telephoned. Then I was
out with my aunt in town and didn't have the chance to ring again.
I hope you understand. I know you wanted to get me to meet that girl, Yvonne, who you
work with. Oh well, next time maybe! My evening was really boring...if that makes you feel
any better.

See you soon

Regards
Nicholas.

1. Later, I was otherwise engaged

2. I hope this will be possible at the next available opportunity
3. I hope you can understand my difficulties
4. I hope the dinner went well for all concerned.
5. a relative arrived unexpectedly.
6. I regret not being able
7. Please accept my sincerest apologies.
8. was twice engaged
9. introduce me to Ms. Phoenix
10. Dear Mr. Jones
11. Sincerely
12. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

____________,

____________ to get to your business dinner last Friday. I was really looking forward to it
and I was all ready to leave the house when ____________ . She was only in town for the
one evening before she went to my brother's house so I had to stay with her. ___________.

I tried to telephone you but your line ___________ when I called. ___________ and didn't
have the chance to ring again.

____________. I know you wanted to ___________ who you work with. __________
. ___________.

____________
____________.

Nicholas

Ex6: Read the text about Charlie Chaplin's early life and answer the true/false questions
below.

He was believed to have been born on April 16, 1889. There is some doubt whether April 16
is actually his birthday, and it is possible he was not born in 1889. There is also uncertainty
about his birthplace: London or Fontainebleau, France. There is no doubt, however, as to his
parentage: he was born to Charles Chaplin, Sr. and Hannah Harriette Hill (aka Lily Harley on
stage), both Music Hall entertainers. His parents separated soon after his birth, leaving him
in the care of his increasingly unstable mother.

In 1896, Chaplin's mother was unable to find work; Charlie and his older half-brother Sydney
Chaplin had to be left in the workhouse at Lambeth, moving after several weeks to Hanwell
School for Orphans and Destitute Children. His father died an alcoholic when Charlie was 12,
and his mother suffered a mental breakdown, and was eventually admitted temporarily to
the Cane Hill Asylum at Coulsdon (near Croydon). She died in 1928 in the United States, two
years after coming to the States to live with Chaplin, by then a commercial success.

Charlie first took to the stage when, aged five, he performed in Music Hall in 1894, standing
in for his mother. As a child, he was confined to a bed for weeks due to a serious illness,
and, at night, his mother would sit at the window and act out what was going on outside. In
1900, aged 11, his brother helped get him the role of a comic cat in the pantomime
Cinderella at the London Hippodrome. In 1903 he appeared in 'Jim, A Romance of
Cockayne', followed by his first regular job, as the newspaper boy Billy in Sherlock Holmes, a
part he played into 1906. This was followed by Casey's 'Court Circus' variety show, and, the
following year, he became a clown in Fred Karno's 'Fun Factory' slapstick comedy company.

According to immigration records, he arrived in the United States with the Karno troupe on
October 2, 1912. In the Karno Company was Arthur Stanley Jefferson, who would later
become known as Stan Laurel. Chaplin and Laurel shared a room in a boarding house. Stan
Laurel returned to England but Chaplin remained in the United States. Chaplin's act was
seen by film producer Mack Sennett, who hired him for his studio, the Keystone Film
Company.

1. Chaplin might have been born some years earlier than is currently believed.
True
False

2. Chaplin's mother died before her son was successful.

True
False

3. Chaplin first performed on the stage after he arrived in the United States.
True
False

4. His first serious job was delivering newspapers.

True
False
5. His first partner on the stage was the actor, Stan Laurel.
True
False

6. He was discovered while working for a British organisation in the United States.
True
False