FINAL COUNTDOWN – PART FIVE

Traditionally, let's limber up!

Are these statements true or false?

1. A vacancy is an available position in a given company.

2. A beautician is someone whose job is to look good.

3. Fringe benefits are also called perks.

4. You receive a pension when you start working for someone.

5. If you are an intern you are working in a particular job to gain experience.

6. Odd jobs are small jobs of different types.

1.T 2. F 3. T 4.F 5. T 6. T 

Why don't you describe this picture now? 

  

Choose the best option.

1. I'd never smoke a cigarette.

a) So would I

b) Nor would I

c) Neither wouldn't I

2. I can't find my umbrella. I _______________________it at work.

a) must leave 

b) had to leave

c) must have left

3. By 2017 they ____________________________ here for 23 years.

a) will have been living

b) are living

c) are going to leave

4. Her acquaintances __________________ the issue for three hours before they decided to call it a day and went home.

a) discussed

b) had discussed

c) had been discussing

1. b   2. c   3. a   4.c

FINAL COUNTDOWN – PART FOUR

You have learnt a multitude of lexical items this year. There’s no doubt about it. Let’s use your knowledge to warm you up a bit. Which of these are names of sports?

                             hurdles, javelin, bat, pole vault, circulation, tracksuit,
                                 umpire, fencing, weightlifting, street luge, puck

If you omitted bat, circulation, tracksuit, umpire and puck, congratulations!!!

BTW which of the omitted items do you associate with:
1. baseball?
2. running, jogging, athletics, clothes?
3. tennis?
4. hockey?
5. newspapers, magazines?
1. Bat 2. Tracksuit 3. Umpire 4. Puck 5. Circulation

Now, a chance to boast about your command of phrasal verbs. Match the verbs to their definitions.
1. MAKE UP FOR A. faint, lose consciousness
2. PASS OUT                         B. deceive, fool
3. FALL OUT WITH SB C. not be deceived by sth/sb that seems valuable
4. CATCH UP                        D. compensate for what is lost or missing
5. SEE THROUGH SB/STH E. quarrel, disagree, stop being friends with sb
6. TAKE SB IN                       F. reach the same point, standard
1D, 2A, 3E, 4F, 5C, 6B

For a change a bit of writing – complete the gaps
If I start my letter with “Dear Sir/Madam”, I should finish it using "Yours 1. _____________”, but if I write “Dear Mr Smith”, the ending should be “Yours 2. ________________________”.
1. faithfully 2. sincerely

And finally crème de la crème - paraphrasing 
Rewrite each sentence using the beginning which is provided.
1. I couldn’t persuade him in any way to see the real intention of the committee.
In no _______________________________the real intention of the committee .
2. She will never allow them to take part in this pageant.
Never ______________________________ to take part in this pageant .
3. One rarely has a chance to discuss such an issue with the president.
Rarely ______________________________to discuss such an issue with the president.
4. As soon as she came back home, she heard him knock at the door.
No sooner ________________________________knock at the door .
1. way could I persuade him to see   2. will she allow them   3. does one have a chance  5. had she come back home than she heard

FINAL COUNTDOWN – PART THREE

We’ll start with some proverbs as a little warm-up activity.

What are the missing words?

1. Never judge a _________ by its cover.

2. Never look a gift ______________ in the mouth.

3. Don’t put all your ____________ in one basket.

4. There’s no _____________ without fire.

5. A _____________ in the hand is worth two in the bush.

We’re sure the task has turned out to be a piece of cake for you, so the answers are just a mere formality :) 

1. book 2. horse       3. eggs 4. smoke             5. bird

Now let us move on to something more challenging yet not arduous.

Paraphrase these sentences using the provided words.

1. He won’t tell us the secret. INTO

He won’t ___________________________________________________________.

2. I’m afraid I have to deal with the conference agenda. SEE

I’m afraid I have to ____________________________________________________.

3. She wrote the number down in order not to forget it.  SO

She wrote the number down ____________________________________________.

4. The government will probably raise the taxes next year. PUT

The government will probably ________________________________________ next year. 

5. We decided to meet in the afternoon so that we could talk about our holiday plans. TO

We decided to meet in the afternoon ______________________________________. 

1. let us into the secret   2. see to/about the conference agenda   3. so as not to forget it

4. put up the taxes 5. to talk about our holiday plans

And a bit of vocabulary.

1. What do you call a group of 12 people who decide whether someone is guilty or not?

2. What do you call someone who sets fire to a building?

3. An offence is a synonym of a crime, true or false?

4. Is community service a kind of a punishment?

5. What do you call a system that allows some criminals not to go to prison or to leave prison, if they behave well?

6. What is flogging?

1. jury    2. arsonist 3. true 4. Yes, it is. 5. probation

6.     a punishment in which someone is severely beaten with a whip or stick

FINAL COUNTDOWN – PART TWO

Today, a bit of grammar… Well, is it music to your ears or are you petrified of the mere sound of the word “grammar”?

Well, let us try to convince you that grammar’s not as black as it’s painted. Let’s get started.

If you were to choose past perfect, past simple/past continuous, would,

 which tense/form would you use:

1.  after “wish” or “if only” if we want something to be different in the present?
2. after “wish” or “if only” when we regret that something happened or didn’t happen in the past?
3. after “wish” or “if only” for a polite imperative or when we want an irritating or tedious situation to change?

The answers are:

a)      past simple/past continuous

b)      past perfect

c)       would

Task 1. Choose the correct form.

1.  Mike wishes he had/had had a car. His life would be much easier.
2. I wish he had stopped/would stop smoking in my living room.
3. I hate it! If only I hadn’t made/didn’t make that mistake. Everything would have ended well.

Task 2. Complete these sentences using the verbs in brackets.

1. I wish you __________ (be) here.	4. I wish you ______________ (tidy) your room more often.
2. If only I _____________ (not have to) commute to work every day.	5. If only I ________________ (not neglect) my friend when she needed my help.
3. He wishes he ________________ (not steal) that car. He wouldn’t be a prisoner now.	6. She wishes she ____________ (have) a brother.

A little dessert…

Do not use “would” after “I” or “we”. Use “could”.

Answer key. Task 1. 1.had 2. would stop 3. hadn’t made

Task 2. 1. were 2. didn’t have to            3. hadn’t stolen 4. would tidy/tidied   5. hadn’t neglected   6. had

FINAL COUNTDOWN, PART ONE - HEALTH

The matura exam is drawing near. There are less than 50 days left. Why don’t you squeeze the most out of this time? The tasks have been provided, now the ball is in your court J

Task 1. Match the following words to their definitions.

a) concussion	b) deaf and dumb	c) bruise	d) cast	e) ointment
f) measles	g) stethoscope	h) stretcher	i) cramp	j) operating theatre

1.	a severe pain that you get in part of your body when a muscle becomes too tight, making it difficult for you to move that part of your body
2.	a type of bed used for carrying someone who is too injured or ill to walk
3.	a soft cream that you rub into your skin, especially as a medical treatment
4.	a cover made from plaster, put around an arm, leg etc. to keep a broken bone in place while it mends
5.	an instrument that a doctor uses to listen to your heart or breathing
6.	a small amount of damage to the brain that makes you lose consciousness or feel sick for a short time
7.	an infectious illness in which you have a fever and small red spots on your face and body
8.	a room in a hospital where operations are done
9.	unable to hear or speak
10.	a purple or brown mark on your skin that you get because you have fallen, been hit etc.

Task 2. Choose the correct option.

1. She’s allergic ________ hay.	A) to	B) on
2. Look at her! She looks marvellous. She is ______ shape.	A) in	B) out of
3. One ought to _______ a sensible diet.	A) eat	B) follow
4. Short-sighted people do not need glasses while driving  a car.	A) true	B) false
5. She came _______ with the flu and had to take sick leave.	A) up	B) down
6. When you break your arm, you need to use a ______ .	A) swing	B) sling
7. Otitis is an ear illness.	A) true	B) false
8. A physician is a medical doctor.	A) true	B) false

Answer key:

Task 1 – 1i, 2h, 3e, 4d, 5g, 6a, 7f, 8j , 9b, 10c

Task 2 – 1a, 2a, 3b, 4f, 5b, 6b, 7a, 8a

Not enough? Do you want more practice? :) 

Describe the picture. Remember to include three elements:  

WHO is in the picture, WHERE they are, WHAT they are doing.

 

      When speaking of the weather…            

“Lovely weather, isn’t it?” I mean it’s January and it feels like spring! Hopefully you’re not feeling under the weather because none of your New Year’s resolutions seem to have worked…Anyway, make hay while the sun shines and try out our new matura tasks. 

I. Fill in the text  with one of the words below- make all the necessary changes/there are two extra words/.

less        express        connect        universal       change       forecast         mean

   The weather is a conversation helper in social situations the world over. Why is this? It’s a safe topic.
1)……………., the weather is probably the safest ice-breaker. It is a very neutral topic of conversation; the perfect subject when you don’t want to have a serious or 2)………….. conversation with someone. You can talk about the weather to anyone, anywhere- with a stranger at a bus stop, with your friends on the phone or when you bump into your teacher in the hall.
But talking about the weather is about more than making small talk. It’s also about being polite, finding shared interests, getting closer to others and creating trust. The weather affects us all. It’s also ever-changing, which means we have something new to talk about every day. What’s more, it’s easy to talk about the weather. One way to 3)………… the formal distance between people is to start off with small talk, like making a comment about the weather.
Remarks about weather do not start conversations in all cultures. Traditionally, many black Africans begin conversations by asking how the other person’s family is doing. It has also been noted that in Arab countries, where the weather is more predictable and less 4)……………, people will often only talk about the weather when it is extremely hot or cold. Additionally, in Arab countries, where the weather is mostly hot and dry,
5)…………… with cold weather are used to convey a positive message. 

II. Choose the right option.

 

a)(it’s) raining cats and dogs

You can say “it’s raining cats and dogs” if the rain is  unexpected/light/hard

 

b)a fair-weather friend

A fair-weather friend is a person who will be your friend when things are going to be fine/bad/ for you.

c)have your head in the clouds

If someone has their head in the clouds, they seem to be unrealistic/worried/introverted.

d)quick as a flash/ quick as a wink/quick as lightning

 

If you're as quick as a flash, or quick as a wink, or quick as lightning, you're very emotional/smart/fast.

e)under a cloud

If someone is under a cloud, they are suspected of having done something wrong/funny/strange.

f) weather a storm

If you weather a storm, you get through something that could have helped you/excited you/ harmed you.

I.1.universally 2.meaningful 3lessen 4  changeable  5 expressions

II. hard, fine, unrealistic, fast, wrong, harmed you