I. Read the text and questions below. For each question, mark the correct letter A, B, C or D.

CYCLING IN THE COUNTRYSIDE
By Chris Jones, aged 14

Have you ever been cycling? This spring my older brother and I left the busy city and spent a long weekend
cycling in the countryside. Our average speed was only around 14 kph, but that didn’t matter. We hadn't come
to break any speed records, or to get fit and healthy. All we wanted was some fresh air and a break from
schoolwork. My bike only once went more than 30 kph, and that was when I raced my brother down the only
hill on our route.
We really enjoyed cycling along flat, traffic-free country paths. There was plenty of spring sunshine, but it
was quite cold, especially in the mornings. We didn’t mind, though - and we soon warmed up as we rode along.
Our only problem was when my brakes started making a terrible noise. But I didn’t mind as it gave us an excuse
to visit a café while a helpful bike mechanic had a look at it.
That was one of the best things about our route: every few kilometres there was a village where we could
find everything we needed. All the local people were really friendly, too. However, most places we stopped at
served chips with all the meals, which soon got fairly boring.
One night we were woken at 4 a.m. by a group of rugby fans singing loudly in the hotel corridor. We were
tired and bad-tempered when we set off the next morning and very nearly got lost, but soon felt more cheerful
when the sun came out. That’s what I like about cycling - it’s simple and it’s fun. If you’re looking for a short
break that’s active and cheap, then cycling is a great choice!
6. What is Chris Jones doing in this text?
A. describing the different places he saw while cycling
B. comparing cycling to other forms of exercise

C. suggesting places to stay on a cycling holiday
D. recommending cycling as a good type of holiday
7. What do we find out about Chris’s bike?
A. It wasn’t as good as his brother’s B. It was too old to go fast
C. It needed attention at one point D. It had trouble going up hills
8. Chris was pleased because
A. he and his brother had chosen a good route.
B. he felt much healthier than before he began his trip.
C. he met other people who were keen on cycling.
D. he went away at the best time of year for cycling.
9. What did Chris dislike about his trip?
A. breaking down B. the food C. the weather D. getting lost
10. Which might Christ say in a postcard to a friend?
A. I’m having a great holiday, spending lots of
time in friendly cafes and enjoying being by
myself or once!

B. I’m having really fit cycling so fast up and
down the hills in this part of the countryside.

C. I’m pleased to be away from cars and lorries
for a change. Having a good time, despite
some problems.

D. I’m enjoying cycling with my brother this
weekend, and staying at a very quiet hotel in
this countryside.

I. Write the sentences, putting one verb in each sentence into the past simple, and the other verb into the
past perfect.
1. When I (get) to the shop, it (close).
..................................................................................................................................................................
2. They (eat) everything by the time I (arrive) at the party.
..................................................................................................................................................................
3. When we (leave) the beach, the rain (already start).
..................................................................................................................................................................
4. I (try) telephoning her several times but she (leave the country).
..................................................................................................................................................................
5. The car (go) when I (look) into the street.
..................................................................................................................................................................

Fill in the blanks

B: Ms. Martin, do you have a .......... of minute to speak with me? It's kind of important.

W: Sure, David. What's going on?

B: I need to talk about the report that we're supposed to .......... in tomorrow.

Um... is it possible for me to get an extension on it?

W: Why do you need an extension? Every other student in the class is going to .............. his or her report in ..........

B: Well. I haven't had enough time to do the report. Coach Grubbs has kept the soccer team ........... late after school every day this week. So by the time I get home, I'm totally worn ............... I just haven't had enough energy to write the paper.

W: David, I think you need to get your priorities .............. 

B: What do you mean?

W: I mean that you're supposed to be focusing on learning at school rather than athletics, the soccer team is of ............ importance.

B: But......

W: Look. I know how important soccer is to you. But your classes are more important. So I'm going to have to ........... your request. You need to get that report to me by tomorrow. 

B: Yes. ma'am. But I don't know how good it's going to be.

W: Do your best. Why don't you go to the library now and start doing some research? You've got an hour before you have to go to your next class. Use this time .............. You can start gathering all of the information you need right now.

B: All right. Thanks.

Fill in with the present perfect or the present perfect continuous.

Hi Sam,

How are things? I ................ ( not / hear ) from you in a while. What ................ ( you / be ) up to these past few weeks? ...................... ( you / finish ) your exams yet? Mine start next week and I'm already nervous. Even though I ................. ( study ) pretty hard since May, it still feels like I have a lot to learn. Oh! Guess what! I ........................ ( change ) my mind about getting a job when I leave school. I .......... ( decide ) that I want to go to university and study veterinary science instead. Everyone's really surprised, but I ........... ( think ) about it for a while. As you know, I ............ ( work ) as a volunteer at an animal shelter for the past two years and I ....... ( realise ) that helping animals is what I want to do with my life. What about you? 

Brigitte

Put the verb into the correct form, present perfect or past simple

1. A: ....... ( you / see ) Lisa recently?

B: Yes, ........... ( I / see ) her a few days ago

2. Mr. Lee ....... ( work ) in a bank for 15 years. Then ............ ( he / give ) it up. Now he works as a gardener.

3. Mary lives in Dublin. ...... ( she / live ) there all her life.

4. My grandfather ........... ( die ) before I was born. ..................... ( I / never / meet ) him.

5. It's nearly lunchtime, and ..................... ( I / not / see ) Martin all morning. I wonder where he is.

6. 'Where do you live?' 'In Boston.'

A: 'How long .................. ( you / live ) there?' - 'Five year.'

B: 'Where ........ ( you / live ) before that?' - 'In Chicago.'

C: 'And how long ................... ( you / live ) in Chicago?' - 'Two years.'

Read the text and choose the correct answer.
We tend to think that successful people deserve their success. They probably studied hard at school,
they worked hard every day or they took a lot of risks. In fact, many successful people simply got a ‘lucky break' something happened that gave them a chance to be successful, they took the opportunity
and the rest, as they say, is history.
Some people just fell into fame. Aretha Franklin, the legendary Queen of Soul, was singing in her church
choir when a record company executive heard her voice. Sarah Michelle Gellar, star of Buffy the
Vampire Slayer, was in a restaurant when a TV executive saw her. She was four. A week later she had a
part in a film. A month later she was in an advert for Burger King.
Other people were lucky because someone else was unlucky. In 1963, the very famous Italian opera
singer Giuseppe di Stefano had a throat problem while he was singing in the opera La Boheme. A
young, relatively unknown singer was asked to take over. His name? Luciano Pavarotti.
Some people are just very lucky. Mel Gibson was born in New York. In 1968 his dad won a lot of money
on a quiz show. He decided to move the family to Australia. In Sydney Mel studied drama because his
sister sent off his application form. Then the night before one of his first auditions, Mel had a fight at a
party. And when the unheard-of actor arrived at the audition, he looked awful - but perfect for the role of
Mad Max. He got the part.
Sometimes lucky breaks lead to a new invention. When that happens, it’s called serendipity. The
discovery of Post-It TM notes were an accident. In 1970 Spencer Silver was attempting to make a strong
type of glue. He failed. Then four years later, Spencer’s colleague was trying to mark the songs in a
hymn book at his local church. But the pieces of paper he used kept falling out. He remembered
Spencer’s glue and the Post-It™ was born. Last year 3M sold over $100 million worth of the notes.
In life, it seems, sometimes you need a little luck. But while you’re waiting, it’s probably safer to keep
working hard.
Are these sentences true (T), false (F) or the article doesn’t say (DS)?
61. The article says that people become successful because they work hard. ....................
62. Aretha Franklin used to sing in her church. ....................
63. Sarah Michelle Gellars acting career started slowly at first. ....................
64. Luciano Pavarotti became world-famous in 1963. ....................
65. Mel Gibsons parents were millionaires. ....................
66. Mel Gibson had a fight at the audition for Mad Max. ....................
67. Post-It™ notes were invented in 1974. ....................
68. Spencer Silver invented Post-It™ notes by himself. ....................