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

 

 

Welcome after a short break. Time works wonders and we are going back to work – indeed…

I. Finish the sayings connected with the world of work. Don’t work yourself up to a lather, please:

1.A woman’s work is……..                                                                          a) light work

2.All work and no play…….                                                                         b) hurt anyone

3.Little work never…..                                                                                  c) makes Jack a dull boy

4.Many hands make…..                                                                               d) work for idle hands

5.The devil finds……...                                                                                 e) never done

6.To work like  …….                                                                                      f) fingers, the bone

7.To work your ………. to ………                                                                  g) a dog, beaver/!/,mule, slave  

II. Work your way through some examples of  word formation: 

a) I felt helpless-the solution to the problem seemed absolutely ……… .

b)The company is famous for its excellent …………….. .The quality of their products is unbeatable.     

c) He works 24/7 - he must be ……………. .                                                        WORK

d) This essay is far from perfect- you have to ………… it.

e) She never takes time off work and hasn’t been on holiday for ages. I think she is a real ………… .

f) The …………… conditions in that factory are really appalling. 

III. Keep up the good work and fill in the missing prepositions: 

-I know we disagree  on many points but I believe we can work it all ____ .

-She got all work _____  about the bad news.

-If you have problems in your relationship, you should work them______ with your partner.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Answers:

I.1e, 2c,3b,4a,5d,6g,7f

II. a) unworkable, b)workmanship, c)overworked, d)rework, e)workaholic, f)working

III. -out, -up,- through/out

Zoom in on Phrasal Verbs

You may think they are the apple of our eye but we feel it is good to brush up the subject in the long autumn evenings.

I.  Match  some unusual phrasals with their meanings:

1. zonk out                             a) withdraw

2 .doll up                                 b) add together    

3 .beaver away                       c) work very hard

4. gear up                               d) get ready

5. curl up                                e) dress in attractive clothes

6. bottle out                            f) fall asleep

7 .tot up                                 g) lie down 

Another proof there is no escape from phrasal verbs!

Fill in the text so that it will describe daily routine.

Your alarm clock 1.g…………..  o…… too early as usual. You have a little 2. l…………..  i……  in your cosy bed and then all you have to do is to 3.h………….  u….. not to miss the chance to 4.c……………  u……. w…... the latest news with your classmates. You 5.p………….  o…… whatever you can find in your wardrobe and 6.s…………  o……… for school. Attending classes means7.d………………  w……. various problems- sometimes your last resort is 8.to  t…………….. the teacher i………. 9.p……………. o…… the test until tomorrow. Apart from that, you try to 10.s…………..  u…….  very hard. To be honest, you do it until you decide to 11.s……………  o……and tell your mom you have a bad headache…. 

 

You’re not sated yet, are you? Finally, the most challenging exercise-grammar transformations. 

1.Pete Johnson continued to get up at 6:30 even after he retired.
CARRIED Pete Johnson .................................................... at 6:30 even after he retired.

2.They discussed the problem but nobody had a solution.
CAME They discussed the situation but  nobody.................................................... a solution.

3.I regret not contacting Marco when I was in Bologne.
TOUCH I wish that I ....................................................with Marco when I was in Bologne.

4.The coach had the respect of the whole team.
UP The whole team .................................................... the coach.

5.Ana's mother started the club that Ana now presides.
SET The club that Ana now presides is .................................................... her mother.

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Answers: I. 1f,2e,3c,4d,5g,6a,7b

II.1.goes off,2.lie in,3.hurry up,4.catch up with,5.put on,6.set off,7.dealing with,8.talk ( the teacher) into,9.putting off,10.swot up,11.skive off

III.1.carried on getting up,2.came up with,3.had got in touch,4.looked up to, 5.the club set up by

 

Are you warmed up a bit? We hope so. How about describing the following picture now?

  

An example description

The picture shows a group of people who might be tourists visiting a foreign country.  There are five people/holidaymakers in the foreground and they are probably standing on a pavement next to a street. The lady on the right is trying to take  a photo. In the background there is a huge mountain which is surrounded by a wall. The wall is presumably the main tourist attraction in the area. I suppose these people are about to approach the mountain and admire the view while having a stroll on the wall. The man with a backpack and the one in a navy blue striped T-shirt might be talking about the trip. The man whose T-shirt is blue is probably waiting for the others to join him. On the left there is a car park. Behind this car park there is a group of houses. These houses are probably detached ones, however, given the fact that one can just see their roofs, I find it really difficult to estimate what types of buildings they are. On the left side of the photo I can see a farm machine and a small field whose fence is made of stones. There are also some lampposts in the photo but since it is daytime they are not turned on yet. One can spot various types of trees and bushes in the picture as well.