UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLOGICA DE BOLIVAR READING AND VOCABULARY WORKSHOP Name _______________________________________ Code _________ Score ______ (PRINT THIS

WORKSHOP AND BRING IT TO CLASS. DO NOT ANSWER IT AT HOME. PLEASE, BRING A DICTIONARY, AS WELL) Reading Comprehension. A lot of people say that the most difficult language is Chinese. On the other hand, others say that Spanish is hard to learn, too. But what its true is that every language has difficulty levels. For instance, Chinese has different kinds of alphabets, which means that every letter has several forms of writing. Apart from the alphabets they also have symbols. A single symbol can represent a word or even a sentence. In China there are seven types of Chinese dialects, being the most popular mandarin and Cantonese. But undoubtedly the hardest part of Chinese is pronunciation. Spanish is also considered one of the most difficult and spoken languages around the world. It is a very rich language, which contains lots of verbal inflections and innumerable grammatical rules. This is maybe one of the things that makes it a really difficult language to learn. 1. Choose the best title for this reading. a) difficulties to learn Chinese b) strategies to learn Chinese and Spanish c) hard languages to learn d) verbal inflections and pronunciation of languages 2. Which of these sentences is not mentioned in the reading? a) Spanish is difficult to learn b) Chinese has innumerable symbols and grammatical rules c) Mandarin and Cantonese are spoken in China

d) Chinese has several alphabets 3. The reading says that... a) learning a language is easy b) if you want to learn Chinese, you have to live in China c) each language has symbols d) Chinese and Spanish are complex languages 4. The underlined word in line 3, could be replaced by a) for example b) for this reason c) but d) then 5. According to the reading, Chinese symbols represent: a) dialects b) sentences and words c) lots of verbal inflections d) language difficulty levels Vocabulary section Find a synonym for each word or expression below. 1. John received bad news yesterday. He was impressed a) got astonished b) amused c) bothered d) annoyed 2. This is an excellent company. It only has proficient personnel. a) experiment b) experienced c) succinct d) stubborn 3. Why dont you buy another set of cutlery?

a) huts b) pencils c) utilities d) utensils 4. You have to strive if you want to win the competition. a) make a decision b) to resist c) to make an effort d) to thrive 5. This is the correct position for picking up a bite of food. a) picking out b) giving up c) getting out d) scooping up 6. Dont worry, you can rely on me. a) count on b) keep on c) depend on d) apply for 7. She definitely cant stop eating chocolates. a) cant afford b) cant stand c) cant help d) cant tolerate 8. Would you like to have another piece of pie? a) pier b) potion c) pan d) morsel 9. Roger finally quit. He was sick of that company. a) fed up with b) amazed c) astonished with d) amused 10. Be more precise, please. I dont follow you. a) succinct b) demanding c) flat d) dreadful 11. This situation is really singular. a) terrific b) convenient c) exceptional d) peaceful 12. Mike was given the sack. a) he received the dismissal letter b) he got a raise c) he was promoted d) he resigned