_________________________________________ . For example, a person can have breakfast in New York, board an airplane, and have dinner in Paris. A businesswoman in London can instantly place an order with a factory in Hong Kong by sending a fax. Furthermore, a schoolboy in Tokyo can turn on a TV and watch a baseball game being played in Los Angeles.
A. Advances in technology have made the world seem smaller.
Look at the text in the following question. What does it say? Choose the best answer.
Ann-Marie,
Emma called. She’s got a free ticket for this evening’s concert as her boyfriend’s busy. I’ve already got one, but if you want to go, call her before 7 pm.
Joe
A. Ann-Marie phone to offer Emma her ticket to a concert.
B. If Ann-Marie is free, she could go to the same concert as Joe tonight.
C. Joe and Emma should decide whether they want the spare ticket.
D. Joe offered to buy a concert ticket for Ann-Marie.
Look at the text in the following question. What does it say? Choose the best answer.
It’s raining in Manchesterm so I am visiting museums. Here for the day with Ellen, who’s at a college interview right now. Driving home together tonight.
Love Annette
A. Ellen is staying overnight in Manchester, but Annette isn’t.
B. Ellen and Annette are spending the day together sightseeing.
C. Ellen and Annette are seeing the museums/
D. Annette is writing this card while Ellen attends an interview.
During the Olympic Games, people from all over the world come together in the peace and friendship. Some of these people complete for medals. Several million people attend the games, and millions of other people watch them on television.
Why do we have the Olympic Games? How did they begin? The first Olympic Games that we have records of were in Greece in 776 B.C. The games lasted one day. The only event in the first thirteen Olympic Games was a race. Men ran the length or the stadium (about 192 meters). Then, longer running races were added. Through the years, a few other kinds of events, like the long jump, were also added. During this time, the games were for men only, and women could not even watch them. In the year 393, a Roman emperor ended the Olympic Game because the quality of the games became very low. The Olympics did not take place again for 1500 years!
In 1984, Pierre de Coubertin of France helped from the International Olympic Committee, and the modern Olympic Games began. In1896, the games were held again in Athens, Greece. The Greeks built a new stadium for the competition. Three hundred and eleven athletes from thirteen countries competed in many events. The winners became national heroes.
After 1896, the games were held every four years during the summer in different cities around the world. In 1900, the Olympics were in Paris, France, and women competed for the first time. In 1908, in London, England, the first gold medals were given to winning athletes. Before that time, the winners received only silver and bronze medals. The Olympic flag was first introduced in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium. The flag has five rings on it. The rings represent the continents of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South American. Each ring is a different color – blue, yellow, black, green, or red – because the flag of each of the countries that compete in the games has at least one of these colors in it.
The Olympic Winter games began in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Athletes competed in winter events such as skiing, ice skating, and ice hockey. Today, the Winter Games take places every four years. The Summer Games also take place every four years, but not in the same year as the winter events. Both the Summer Games and the Winter Games must have at least fifteen events, and they cannot last more than sixteen days.
Until recently, Olympic competitors could not be professional athletes. All of the athletes in the Olympic Games were amateurs. Today, however, many of the Olympic athletes are professional who play their sports for money during the year. Some people disagree with this idea. They believe that the Olympic game are for amateur athletes, not paid professionals. Other people think that any one can play in the Olympic Games. No matter who the athletes are, millions of people throughout the world enjoy watching the greatest athletic competitions, the Summer Game and the Winter Games of the Olympics.
Read The Olympic Games and write T if the sentence is true and F if it is false.
The first Olympic competitors ran the length of the stadium.
......
Pierre de Coubertin was an athlete in the first modern games.
......
Winners have always received gold medals.
......
The Olympic flag has six colored rings on it.
......
The summer and winter games take place in the same year.
During the Olympic Games, people from all over the world come together in the peace and friendship. Some of these people complete for medals. Several million people attend the games, and millions of other people watch them on television.
Why do we have the Olympic Games? How did they begin? The first Olympic Games that we have records of were in Greece in 776 B.C. The games lasted one day. The only event in the first thirteen Olympic Games was a race. Men ran the length or the stadium (about 192 meters). Then, longer running races were added. Through the years, a few other kinds of events, like the long jump, were also added. During this time, the games were for men only, and women could not even watch them. In the year 393, a Roman emperor ended the Olympic Game because the quality of the games became very low. The Olympics did not take place again for 1500 years!
In 1984, Pierre de Coubertin of France helped from the International Olympic Committee, and the modern Olympic Games began. In1896, the games were held again in Athens, Greece. The Greeks built a new stadium for the competition. Three hundred and eleven athletes from thirteen countries competed in many events. The winners became national heroes.
After 1896, the games were held every four years during the summer in different cities around the world. In 1900, the Olympics were in Paris, France, and women competed for the first time. In 1908, in London, England, the first gold medals were given to winning athletes. Before that time, the winners received only silver and bronze medals. The Olympic flag was first introduced in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium. The flag has five rings on it. The rings represent the continents of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South American. Each ring is a different color – blue, yellow, black, green, or red – because the flag of each of the countries that compete in the games has at least one of these colors in it.
The Olympic Winter games began in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Athletes competed in winter events such as skiing, ice skating, and ice hockey. Today, the Winter Games take places every four years. The Summer Games also take place every four years, but not in the same year as the winter events. Both the Summer Games and the Winter Games must have at least fifteen events, and they cannot last more than sixteen days.
Until recently, Olympic competitors could not be professional athletes. All of the athletes in the Olympic Games were amateurs. Today, however, many of the Olympic athletes are professional who play their sports for money during the year. Some people disagree with this idea. They believe that the Olympic game are for amateur athletes, not paid professionals. Other people think that any one can play in the Olympic Games. No matter who the athletes are, millions of people throughout the world enjoy watching the greatest athletic competitions, the Summer Game and the Winter Games of the Olympics.
X (the three main ideas of the Reading) or O (not the three main ideas of the Reading
...... 1. The Olympic Games began in Greece with only one event.
...... 2. The winter Games and the Summer Games each have at least fifteen events.
...... 3. The Olympics have changed a lot since they began.
...... 4. Skiing is a winter event.
...... 5. The Olympic Games bring people together in peace.
Prince William is a member of the British royal family. He’s the Queen’s grandson and the eldest son of Charles and Diana. His brother’s name is Harry. Diana, their mother, isn’t alive now, but they have a stepmother, Camilla.
William’s wife is Kate Middleton. She’s originally from an ordinary family but of course, she’s now the Duchess of Cambridge and part of the royal family. Kate has a brother, James, and a sister, Pippa. Their parents, Michael and Carole, have an online business.
In some ways, Kate and William are a normal couple. They have friends from university and they have hobbies and interests too. For example, William loves football and Kate likes photography. In the winter, they go skiing together.
In other ways, their lives are very different from their friends’ lives. William is the future King of the United Kingdom and fifteen other countries too, including Canada and Australia. Kate and William have a lot of official duties. They help charities in the UK and Africa, they visit other countries and they meet important visitors to the UK.
The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby, St James’s Palace has confirmed. All the members of the royal family and the Duchess’s family, the Middletons, are delighted: “The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry and members of both families are delighted with the news.”
The baby will be third in line to the throne, after Prince Charles and Prince William. A spokesman said the Duchess has been admitted to King Edward VII Hospital in central London with acute morning sickness and is expected to stay for several days: “As the pregnancy is in its very early stages, her royal highness is expected to stay in hospital for several days and will require a period of rest thereafter.”
6. Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, says he and his wife “could not be happier” after the Duchess gave birth to a baby boy, at 16:30, 22nd July 2013 UK time at St Mary’s Hospital, west London. William was present at St Mary’s for the birth. The young parents spent time with their son before telling the news to their families and the world. The Queen’s gynecologist Marcus Setchell, who led the team that delivered the baby, described the new arrival as “wonderful baby, beautiful baby”. A bulletin signed by him was taken by a royal aide from St Mary’s to the palace under police escort. The news has been since displayed on an easel in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace in line with tradition. A palace spokesman said the names of the baby would be announced in due course. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are delighted at the news.”
Read the text 'The Royal Family' again. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?
...... Camilla is William’s mother.
...... William’s wife if the Duchess of Cambridge.
...... Kate is one of two children.
...... James is William’s cousin.
...... William is a football fan.
...... The King or Queen of England is also the King or Queen of Australia.
...... William and Kate’s son will be first in line to the throne, after Prince Charles and Prince William.
...... Kate gave birth to a baby boy, at 4:30pm, 22nd July 2013 UK time at St Mary’s Hospital.
...... William was absent from St Mary’s for the birth.
...... Few people in England knew about Kate giving birth to a baby boy.
Read the text and decide if the following statements are T (TRUE) or F (FALSE)
We’re Living Faster, But Are We Living Better?
Not long ago people believed that in the future we would work less, have more free time, and be more relaxed. But sadly this has not happened. Today we work harder, work longer hours, and are more stressed than ten years ago. We walk faster, talk faster, and sleep less than previous generations. And although we are obsessed with machines which save us time, we have less free time than our parents and grandparents had. But what is this doing to our health? An American journalist James Gleick in a new book, Faster: the acceleration of just about everything, says that people who live in cities are suffering from ‘hurry sickness’ – we are always trying to do more things in less time. As a result, our lives are more stressful. He says that if we don’t slow down, we won’t live as long as our parents. For most people, faster doesn’t mean better.
1 No time for the news
Newspaper articles today are shorter and the headlines are bigger. Most people don’t have enough time to read the articles, they only read the headlines! On TV and the radio, newsreaders speak more quickly than ten years ago.
2 No time for stories
In the USA there is a book called One-Minute Bedtime Stories for children. These are shorter versions of traditional stories, specially written for ‘busy parents’ who want to save time!
3 No time to listen
Some answerphones now have ‘quick playback’ buttons so that we can re-play people’s messages faster – we can’t waste time listening to people speaking at normal speed.
4 No time to relax
Even when we relax we do everything more quickly. Ten years ago when people went to art galleries they spent ten seconds looking at each picture. Today they spend just three seconds!
5 No time for slow sports
In the USA the national sport, baseball, is not as popular as before it is a slow game and matches take a long time. Nowadays many people prefer faster and more dynamic sports like basketball.
6 ...but more time in our cars
The only thing that is slower than before is the way we drive. Our cars are faster but the traffic is worse so we drive more slowly. We spend more time sitting in our cars, feeling stressed because we are worried that we won’t arrive on time. Experts predict that in ten years’ time the average speed on the road in cities will be 17 km/h.
1. ...... The writer wrote the article to encourage us to work more and relax less.
2. ...... People today are having a less stressful life than they did in the past.
