3. Complete the passage with the comparative form of the adjectives in brackets.

    Is life better now than it was in the past? Of course in many ways life is (1)_________ (easy) now. We live in the world which is (2)_________ (clean) and safer. It is generally (3)_________ (healthy) as well, and because of improvements in medical care, both men and women can expect to live (4)________ (long) lives. Our day-to-day existence is (5)________ (comfortable), but are we (6)_________ (happy)?

    The rhythm of life is faster, and (7)_________ (stressful). People are always in a hurry. In the end it is hard to say things were (8)_________ (good) or (9)_________ (bad) before. As the saying goes ‘the grass is always (10)_________ (green) on the  other side of the fence’.

Life in the past and Life in the present

Over the last century, there have been many significant changes in the way we live. Obviously, it is hard to compare the life of the ancient people and the life of the people of the twenty first century because so many changes have occured. However, even the changes that have taken place over the last ten years are amazing.

To start with, people were not able to travel such long distances in such short period of time. The planes were not that popular then because they used to be a very expensive means of transport. Nowadays, we have become very mobile. We have fast and comfortable cars and more and more people also travels by plane. Moreover, in the past people had to work much harder as they did not have tools which made their work easier. Today, most of the difficult and dangerous work is done by computers and other machines. In the past the conditions of living were not as comfortable as they are now. There were not bathrooms and running water in many houses, besides many people could not afford household appliances like fridge, TV set or vacuum cleaner because they used to be luxurious goods. Another difference between living now and in the past is the fact that nowadays the access to education is much easier. In the past, there were fewer schools and the quality of the education they provided was much poorer. Besides, nowadays it is much easier to find the educational materials that you need thanks to the Internet. Another difference is that in the past there were not that many sources of entertainment. Therefore people used to spend more time with their friends.

All things considering, it is an obvious conclusion that life has changed significantly in the last couple of years. It is definitely much easier now however, it is not easy to decide whether it is also better. The scientific achievements and technological progress are amazing. We still create new inventions which simplify our lives. On the other hand, however, life now is much faster and more busy than it used to be in the past. Moreover, it has also become more dangerous. The standard of living has definitely improved but it can be discussed whether the quality of our lives is also better.

* T/F:

1. Life nowadays is the same as life of our ancestors.

2. Technology has made our lives easier.

3. In the past, household appliances were very expensive.

4. Public schools allowed females and males to be educated in the same schools.

5. We can use the internet to communicate with people around the world.

* Answer Question:

1. Is life today faster or slower than life in the past?

2. What has happend to the standard of living?

3. What makes it easy to access information?

4. Who or what does some difficult jobs for us?

5. What makes our lives easier at home?

@Hoàng Minh Nguyệt, ...

II.  Complete the text with the comparative form of the adjectives below.

      Stressful   young       green        bad            healthy     easy          happy       long

2)  The Life

   Life today is much more comfortable and easier than it was. First, technology has made modern-day life much more comfortable than in the past. During my grandparents’ time, life was rough and hard because all the work was done without any modern tool, so they had to do their laundry by hand, walked from one place to another by feet. Furthermore, there was limited in entertainment choices in the past. They could at best listen to the radio or perhaps watch a black-and-white movie for pleasure. Today, however, living has become a lot easier thanks to technological developments. We launder our clothes with washing machine, uses buses, subways, or cars to move around. We also enjoy home theater systems, DVDs, and video games. Technology has definitely improved our lives. In addition, many people today, including my parents, simply work from nine to five on weekdays and take weekends off. They have much free time than my grandparents did, so they can spend more time on leisure activities.

1/. How was life in the past like ?

    A. Comfortable and hard.    B. Easy and rough      C. Comfortable and easy    D. Hard and rough

2/. There is not much in the way of entertainment now.

    A. True                              B. False                            C. It depends                 D. No information

3/. The word improved means………………..

    A. bettered                        B. grown.                         C. developed                  D. All are correct    

4/. How did people clean their dirty clothes?                                                      

A. They used modern tools.                        B.They used their hands.  

C.They used technology.                             D.They used washing machines.

5/ In the past people had ……… free time than today.

A. less                        B. fewer                    C. more                      D. most 

I.        Read the passage and choose the best option for each blank to complete the passage

Over the last century, there have been many significant changes in the way we live.

Obviously, it is difficult to (1) the life of ancient people and the life of the people living in the 21st century because so many changes have occurred. Even the changes that have (2)over the last ten years are amazing.

People in the past were not (3)  to travel such long distances within such a short period of time. Nowadays, we have become very mobile. We have fast and (4)  cars. In addition, more and more people travel by plane.

Moreover, in the past people had to work harder as they did not have (5)  and machines to make  their  work  easier.  Today,  most  of  the  difficult  and  dangerous  work  is  (6)   by computers and other powerful machines. In the past (7) of living were not as comfortable as they are now. Besides many people could not afford (8)appliances like a fridge or a vacuum cleaner because those used to be luxurious goods. Another difference (9) living now and in the past is the fact that nowadays education is accessible to everyone. In the past, men were mainly the only ones educated and women were not (10)  into public or private schools.

1.  A. predict                B. discuss                    C. compare                  D. suppose

2.  A. occurred             B. considered              C. expressed                D. arranged

3.  A. used                    B. able                         C. might                      D. capable

4.  A. skillful                B. difficult                  C. historical                 D. comfortable

5.  A. rules                    B. tools                        C. teams                      D. ideas

6.  A. thought               B. played                     C. done                       D. seen

7.  A. conditions          B. performances          C. stories                     D. conflicts

8.  A. mobile                B. physical                  C. bare - footed           D. household

9.  A. within                 B. among                     C. between                  D. behind

10.  A. allowed            B. attended                 C. agreed                     D. appeared

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 43 to 47. Fill in the appropriate word in question 47

THE GENERATION GAP

People talk about the generation gap as a kind of division between young people and their parents. It is something which is generally a problem when children enter their teenage years, and results (43)______ complaints on both side. Parents, for example, can often be heard to say that young people are (44)______ and disobedient and in addition tend to be irresponsible when spending because they don’t appreciate the (45)______ of money. Adolescents, on the other hand, complain that their parents don’t understand them.

What has gone wrong? One explanation lies in (46) ______society has changed. In the past, children would typically continue the way of life of their parents. In today’s world, parents are very (47) ______ for their children because they want them to achieve more than they did. The problem is that the children often don’t agree with their parents’ plans. Teenagers also reach maturity at an earlier age than they used to and want their independence sooner. The resulting conflict is painful to

both sides.  

Adapted form Mastering Use of English

A. ambitious

B. required

C. expectant

D. demanding

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 43 to 47. Fill in the appropriate word in question 43

THE GENERATION GAP

People talk about the generation gap as a kind of division between young people and their parents. It is something which is generally a problem when children enter their teenage years, and results (43)______ complaints on both side. Parents, for example, can often be heard to say that young people are (44)______ and disobedient and in addition tend to be irresponsible when spending because they don’t appreciate the (45)______ of money. Adolescents, on the other hand, complain that their parents don’t understand them.

What has gone wrong? One explanation lies in (46) ______society has changed. In the past, children would typically continue the way of life of their parents. In today’s world, parents are very (47) ______ for their children because they want them to achieve more than they did. The problem is that the children often don’t agree with their parents’ plans. Teenagers also reach maturity at an earlier age than they used to and want their independence sooner. The resulting conflict is painful to

both sides.  

Adapted form Mastering Use of English

A. in

B. on

C. to

D. of

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 43 to 47. Fill in the appropriate word in question 46

THE GENERATION GAP

People talk about the generation gap as a kind of division between young people and their parents. It is something which is generally a problem when children enter their teenage years, and results (43)______ complaints on both side. Parents, for example, can often be heard to say that young people are (44)______ and disobedient and in addition tend to be irresponsible when spending because they don’t appreciate the (45)______ of money. Adolescents, on the other hand, complain that their parents don’t understand them.

What has gone wrong? One explanation lies in (46) ______society has changed. In the past, children would typically continue the way of life of their parents. In today’s world, parents are very (47) ______ for their children because they want them to achieve more than they did. The problem is that the children often don’t agree with their parents’ plans. Teenagers also reach maturity at an earlier age than they used to and want their independence sooner. The resulting conflict is painful to

both sides.  

Adapted form Mastering Use of English

A. what

B. how

C. why

D. that