Dear Readers,
We continue our new feature, The English Language Workshop. It contains a variety of grammar and vocabulary practice, and is aimed at helping you to review the main grammatical structures and vocabulary that you have learnt so far. Those of you preparing for exams such as the Cambridge First Certificate in English should also find the exercises a useful revision tool. Each issue of The World of English this year will contain a series of module tests which follow the same format. First, a number of key issues in grammar are covered, including use of tenses, the passive voice, modals, conditionals, and prepositions. Next comes a reading skills test, to help you assess your ability to skim, scan, and guess the meaning of new words from context. The tests are arranged on two levels, intermediate and upper-intermediate. Each module test represents approximately ten minutes of classwork or individual work at home, and may be used with or without a teacher's supervision, as an answer key is provided. We hope that our Workshop will provide you with useful practice to improve your English skills, and we look forward to hearing your comments by post or e-mail.
The World of English
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e-mail: woe@woe.edu.pl
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL Module Test A.4.1. (Sentence completion)
Use the words in brackets in the correct form to complete the sentences.
EXAMPLE: If it stops raining, we (GO) ....shall go... for a walk.
1. While I (WATCH) ......... TV somebody knocked at my door.
2. I don' t feel like (GO) ......... out tonight.
3. Yesterday the children (PUT) ........ to bed at eight.
4. No one (OFFER) ............ me a job yet.
5. We decided (GO) ........ to Italy on holiday.
6. Nothing (CHANGE) .......... since you left last year.
7. Jessica (STUDY) .......... law for some years when we first met.
8. We are badly in need of water because there (BE) ....... no rain for weeks.
9. The children (PLAY) ......... in the garden since they came back from school.
10. Would you mind if I (USE) ........ your mobile phone?
Module Test A.4.2. (Paraphrase)
Paraphrase these sentences.
EXAMPLE: I sent him a letter on Monday.
The letter ....was sent to him on Monday.
1." Don' t shut the window!"
I asked Tom .....................................
2." Shall I help you with the washing?"
Do you want ...........................
3." What' s your name?"
He wanted to know what ................
4. It started to rain at one o' clock.
It has ..............................................
5. The teacher made him do the test again.
He was .................................
6. Mike is too young to drive a car.
Mike isn' t ...............................
7." Where' s the post-office?"
I asked a policeman where ..............
8. I' ve never seen a more interesting film about animals.
This is ...............................................
9. Did I pay the bill?
I don' t remember ..............................
10." When did you see my cousin?"
He asked me .....................................
Module Test A.4.3. (Cloze)
Choose the words that best complete the sentences in the text:
The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children. On the third Sunday in June, fathers all (1) .......... the United States are given presents, treated to a dinner or otherwise made to feel special. The (2) ......... of Father' s Day is not clear. Some say that it began with a church service in West Virginia in 1908. Regardless of when the first true Father' s Day (3) ..........., the strongest promoter of the holiday was Mrs. Bruce John Dodd of Spokane, Washington. Mrs. Dodd felt that she had an (4) ........... father. He was a veteran of the Civil War. His wife had died young, and he had (5) .......... six children without their mother. In 1909, Mrs Dodd approached her own minister and others in Spokane about having a church service (6) ........... to fathers on June 5, her father' s birthday. That date was too soon for her minister to prepare the service, so he spoke a few weeks later on June 19th. From then on, the state of Washington (7) ........... the third Sunday in June as Father' s Day. Children made special desserts, or visited their fathers if they lived apart. States and organizations began (8) ............ Congress to declare an annual Father' s Day. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson approved of the idea, but it was not until 1924 that President Calvin Coolidge made it a national event to" establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children" . Since then fathers have been (9) ......... and recognized by their families throughout the country on the third Sunday in June. When children can' t visit their fathers or take them out to dinner, they send a (10).......... card. Traditionally fathers prefer cards that are not too sentimental. Most of these cards are funny, so fathers laugh when they open them.
1. a) again b) in c) through d) across
2. a) origin b) cause c) beginning d) form
3. a) born b) appeared c) occurred d) came
4. a) unknown b) understanding c) emerging d) outstanding
5. a) raised b) rose c) risen d) rised
6. a) dedicated b) devoted c) designed d) designated
7. a) organized b) demonstrated c) celebrated d) arranged
8. a) ordering b) petitioning c) requesting d) begging
9. a) awarded b) distinguished c) honored d) remembered
10. a) business b) welcome c) greeting d) wishes
Module Test A.4.4. (Prepositions)
Fill the missing preposition. EXAMPLE: I arrived ...in.. London two days ago.
1. Let' s hurry .......! It' s late.
2. We flew .......... the Atlantic at night.
3. Her novels have been translated ........ ten languages.
4. I am worried ........ your health, Tom.
5. Sara was dressed ....... a light blouse and skirt.
6. How long do you sleep ....... night?
7. We had lunch ....... McDonalds.
8. Bob is too heavy. A chair broke ......... his weight.
9. The Company has threatened to shut ........ the mine because it is unprofitable.
10. The country is divided ....... 16 provinces.
Module Test A.4.5. (Word-building)
Write the correct form of the word in the blank space.
EXAMPLE: You' re in a very (DANGER) ... dangerous ... situation, I' m afraid.
1. Smoking is (HARM) ......... to your health.
2. I have to (SHORT) ......... my trousers.
3. Is Jessica (SUIT) ......... for the job?
4. He is one of the most (FAME) ........ actors of the young generation.
5. Tom gave us no (EXPLAIN) .......... for his absence yesterday.
6. Stella always wears (FASHION) .......... dresses.
7. I go for a walk with my dog twice or three times (DAY) ........ .
8. My childhood dream became a (REAL) ......... when I began climbing mountains.
9. Do you like (FREEZE) ......... food?
10. It was perfectly (NATURE) ........ to invite them to lunch.
Module Test A.4.6. (Vocabulary Check)
Write the correct word in the blank space.
EXAMPLE: We played a .....game.... of tennis yesterday.
1. I am not married. I' m still s____ .
2. When I stayed in London I earned my l ____ by baby-sitting.
3. She' s taken a bath and now she' s d ____ her hair.
4. After walking ten miles, our l ____ felt tired and heavy.
5. All is well that e ____ well.
6. It' s a very f____ film. I laughed all the time.
7. Many fast planes fly at supersonic s ____ .
8. My father is a car m ____ . He repairs cars.
9. When it gets hotter people buy more c ____ drinks.
10. A boat that can operate under water is called a s ____ .
Module Test A.4.7. (Error Correction)
Find the mistakes and correct them.
1. Nobody knew why she has gone away.
2. He is the man which I told you about.
3. This building was used to be a school after the war.
4. Would you mind not to smoke here?
5. There is a plenty of work for us to do.
6. I want to become the teacher of English.
7. We will buy a new car as soon as we will have enough money.
8. I am not tired. My friend isn' t tired, too.
9. Tom and I often visit every other.
10. A mechanic has repaired our washing machine yesterday.
Module Test A.4.8. (Reading Comprehension)
Read the following passage carefully. Six sentences are incomplete. Choose the most suitable completion of these sentences from the list A-F. There is an example at the beginning.
CHEWING GUM
What do you know about chewing gum? It' s the sweet substance .................[0-A] .................. The man responsible for the invention of chewing gum was the Mexican dictator, General Antonio Lopez Santa Ana, ........................................[1- ] ............................. A few months after the famous battle, Santa Ana was captured and permitted to return home to Mexico. Instead of going straight home, ........................[2 - ] ...............................He took with him a large amount of a strange material called chicle. It was the dried juice of a tree found in the jungles of Mexico and Central America. General Santa Ana believed that chicle .............[3- ] ......... . And he looked for an American inventor to help him. General Santa Ana met a man named Thomas Adams. Mr. Adams agreed to experiment with chicle, but after a few months he admitted failure. He looked for the General to tell him the sad news, .........................[4- ] ......................... . Huge amounts of chicle remained and Adams wondered what to do with it. One day Adams was in a store when he saw a little girl buy a piece of wax to chew. Adams had seen the General break off small pieces of chicle from time to time and chew it. He told the store owner that ....................[5- ] ............................... . The store owner sold them all and asked for more. Adams sent to Mexico for more chicle. And the chewing gum industry was born.
(Adapted from Words and Their Stories, VOA Special English)
A - people buy just to chew but not swallow.
B - could replace rubber.
C - but he learnt that Santa Ana had gone back to Mexico.
D - the General took the long way - east to New York City.
E - he had something better than wax, and he made several hundred balls of chicle.
F - who defeated the Texans at the Alamo in San Antonio over one hundred and fifty years ago.
The correct answers can be found in the printed version of the magazine.
by Andrzej Diniejko