Past Continuous and Past Simple

Nadia and Patrick are talking about the first time they met. Complete their sentences. Use the Past Continuous or the Past Simple.

NADIA: I ________________ (meet) Patrick

when I __________________ (go) to school

with my friend Janet. We were on our bikes and

it was really a windy morning. We

______________ (ride) along the Stone Street

when a dog ran in front of me. I

_________________ (not go) very fast, but I

____________ (fall) off my bike. My things flew

all over the street. It was awful, but it was

funny, too. Then Patrick _____________

(arrive).

PATRICK: Yes, I ____________ (come) round the

corner when I _______________ (find) these

two crazy girls in front of me. Bits of paper

____________________ (fly) everywhere and

they _______________ (try) to catch them.

When I first ______________________ (see)

Nadia, she _______________ (dance) in the

wind and she _________________ (laugh), I

think that’s when I fell in love with her.

13 points

Comparatives and Superlatives

Read Ana’s description of her city, Veracruz. Then underline all the forms for comparative and superlative.

Veracruz is in the south of Mexico, about 440 km. east of the capital, Mexico City. It’s the country’s oldest sea port and I love watching the ships that come from all over the world.

It’s very different from London. It’s a much smaller city. There are only about 550.000 people in Veracruz. In London there are over 7 million - it’s got the highest population of all European cities. I sometimes feel lonely in London. There are people everywhere, but it isn’t easy to make friends.

Veracruz is also a warmer, sunnier city than London. Everyone sits outside at coffee tables and there is usually the sound of music - salsa bands, traditional guitars, or marimba bands with

their metal drums. At night, there is dancing in the city square. People say it’s the happiest and the most musical city in Mexico.

The food is fabulous, too, especially the seafood. Our most famous dish is fish in hot tomato sauce, and you can get wonderful milkshakes and ice-creams. The most popular café is the Grand Café del Portal, which serves the best coffee in town.

Of course, there’s nice food and great music in London, too, but everything is more expensive than in Veracruz. And the weather is a lot worse! 12 points

Future Tense

Choose between Going To and Present Continuous. Fill in the gaps with the verbs in the brackets.

Hi, Louisa! I’m feeling great! I __________________ (be) a cheerleader for the school football team! I know you don’t play American football in European schools, but here in the USA nearly every school has a football team.

In the holidays we _______________ (have) a cheerleaders’ summer camp. We __________________ (train) together for three weeks before the school starts. Then from September to November we ______________ (practise) for an hour every day after school. We are _________________ (have) matches every month and we _________________ (perform) on every break. I ____________________ (join) a gym so that I can get more exercise at the weekends.

Wish me luck!

Love, Antonia 7 points

Reading

Read the following text and answer the questions under it.

How the Chipmunk Got its Stripes

A Legend of the Iroquois

Long ago, the Earth was covered in darkness. None of the creatures living there knew shat daylight looked like.

One day, all of the animals of the forest gathered together in a clearing. They wondered if it would be better to remain in

darkness, or if it would be better to also have light. Deer, Chipmunk, Raccoon, Wolf, Bear, and many other creatures climbed to the top of the highest mountain. The mountain stood so tall that there were no trees on its top, and it was covered only with rocks. Millions of stars blinked in the dark sky overhead. The biggest and most powerful animal in the forest was the bear, and he was the first to reach the mountaintop. Bear stood on the highest peak, looked out over the forest below, and argued for remaining in darkness. He said that the creatures of the forest would be able to sleep better in darkness, because there would be no light to keep them awake. Most of the other animals were afraid, and they agreed with Bear. Raccoon said that he did not mind the darkness because he was so smart that he could find plenty of food, even in the dark. Wolf was easy to please, too. She didn’t mind the darkness because she could howl in darkness or in light.

 But one animal did stand up to Bear. Chipmunk, the smallest of the animals, argued that it would be better to have both light and dark. Chipmunk was very clever. As Bear continued to argue for darkness, she made many good arguments for light.

Slowly, the night passed. Bear grew tired of talking, but Chipmunk chattered on and on, as if she had all of the energy in the world. As the other animals dropped off to sleep, one by one, Chipmunk kept arguing. Finally, the first sunrise ever seen by the animals appeared over the top of the mountain. They woke up and were amazed by what they saw.

Chipmunk began to dance from rock to rock. Bear became angry because he didn't get his way. He roared loudly and ran after Chipmunk. He chased Chipmunk all the way down the mountain. Bear was fast, and he reached out his giant paw to grab Chipmunk. Chipmunk got away, but not before Bear managed to

scratch her back with his long claws. And that is why, to this day, you can see stripes on Chipmunk's back!

1 What is the theme of this story?

a) Stand up for what you believe in.

b) It is always better to go along with the crowd.

c) There is only one right way to do the things.

d) Making decisions is easy.

2 What is Bear like?

a) He is a good listener.

b) He is used to getting his way.

c) He is unsure about what he wants.

d) He is well liked by the other animals.

3 Read this sentence from the story: Bear grew tired of talking, but Chipmunk chattered on and on and, as if she had all the energy in the world.

What does ‘chattered’ mean?

a) Moved slowly

b) Laughed

c) Spoke quickly

d) Argued

4 According to the story, why do chipmunks have stripes on their backs? (3 points)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 Where does the story take place?

a) In a barn

b) On an island

c) Near a lake

d) On a mountaintop

6 What happened after Chipmunk’s argument with Bear?

a) The animals saw their first sunrise ever

b) Bear was happy that he got his way

c) The animals continued to live in darkness

d) Chipmunk fell asleep

7 Read this sentence from the text: Chipmunk, the smallest of animals, argued that it would be better to have both light and darkness.

What is the word with opposite meaning of the word ‘argued’?

a) Whispered

b) Agreed

c) Jumped

d) Yelled

Total: 40 points