Global Traffic Jam

How long does it take you to get to school in the mornings? In some big
cities it can take ages to go anywhere and millions of people spend hours sitting in
traffic jams. For example, in Lima in Peru, the traffic is so bad during the rush
hour that it is quicker to walk than to go by bus or by car.
The problem with walking to school is that you have to breathe, in many
cities, the air that is not exactly clean. In some cities the pollution caused by cars is
so dangerous that people wear masks in the street.
There are very few cities with no cars. Venice is one of these and people get
around on foot or by boat, by water buses or water taxis. It is more expensive to go
by gondola and not very fast, but much more romantic!
In many places public transport also gets very crowded in rush hours. In
Tokyo there are special workers to push people into the underground trains. But if
you go by underground you can avoid traffic jams and public transport causes less
pollution.
Perhaps the best way of getting around is by getting on your bike. It can be
more dangerous but a lot of cities have special lanes. The bicycles became popular
towards the end of the 19th century. They did not cost much, and they did not take
up a lot of space. For this reason, more and more people bought them. The only
difficulty was the roads. They were very bad, and they took a great deal of the
pleasure out of riding. Going by bike does not cause any pollution and it is good
exercise for you!
Nr Items
1. Answer the question.
What is the problem of traffic jams caused by?
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2. Answer the question.
What is the situation with traffic jam in some big cities?
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3. Answer the question.
What problem did people have with their bikes in the 19th century?
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4. Give your own title to the text in a form of a sentence.
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5. Match the parts together to get entire sentences.
1. In many cities a) you can avoid traffic jam.
2. Venice is one of the cities b) people wear masks in the street
3. Going by underground trains c) the air that is not exactly clean.
d) with no cars.
6. Identify the correct variant (True/False). Justify your choice.
1. Going by gondola is very fast and much more romantic! T F
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2.Walking during rush hours makes people healthier. T F
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7. Answer the question.

How do you get to school? Explain your choice.
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8. Express in your own words what the writer means by this sentence.
Going by bike does not cause any pollution and it is good exercise for you!
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9. What is the main idea of the text?

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10. Suggest another way of avoiding traffic jams.
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 Reading Comprehension
Nowadays Workers

I. 1. Read the text below and complete the following tasks:

Time is running out. Or so people feel. According to the latest research, 44% of the British
workers come home exhausted.(1)____. By almost every measure, people are more pressured,
more bothered about time – or a lack of it – than they have ever been for many years. Time, they
feel, has been squeezed. All these are symptoms of a transition from an industrial culture based on
fixed timetables and a clear division of labour between men who went to work and women who
looked after the home, towards a new culture based on flexibility and a rapid flow of information.
(2)____. Its immediate effect has been a growing devide between those with too much
work and those without any. In top jobs, long hours have become a mark of status and success
(3)____.
Part of the reason is the insecurity that has swept through so many office jobs and
encouraged the phenomenon of “presenteeism” rather than absenteeism – staying in the office
even when there isn’t any work to do.
(4)____. No one is responding to the mood that we need to find a better balance between
work and life.

I. 1. a. Four sentences have been removed from the text. Select the appropriate sentence for
each gap in the text. Write your answers on the Answer Sheet.
A. One in eight Britush managers works more than sixty hours a week and more than a half take
home work during the week.
B. However, taken as a whole, time remains off the political agenda, treated as far less important
than money or production.
C. Some of the costs of this transition to a post-industrial order are all around us.
D. More than half suffer from stress.

I. 1. b. Match the words in the text to their definitions given below. There is one extra
definition which you do not need to use.
A. exhausted 1. long period of time during which you do
something such as work or study
B. timetables 2. plans that say how long you will take to do
something and gives a time for finishing each
stage of the process
C. long hours 3. pressed hardy, especially with hands
D. research 4. extremely tired and without enough energy
to do anything else
E. 5. the detailed study of something in order to
descover new facts, especilly in a university
or scientific institution

I. 1. c. For the following sentences, choose the answer (A, B, C, D) which fits according to
the text. Write your answers on the Answer Sheet.
1. According to the latest research, the British workers____
A. love their work C. come home exhausted
B. enjoy travelling D. are annoyed by the press
 2. One of the symptoms of the transition towards a post-industrial world are____
A. the stressed, pressured people C. the nostalgia of old times
B. the increasing of the economy D. the advantages in the political world
3. One in eight British managers _____
A. like to have lunch in restaurants C. don’t do their job
B. take home work during the week D. are responsible people
4. Taken as a whole, time_____
A. is everything C. is passing too easy
B. is money D. is far less important than money or production

2. Nowadays, food has become easier to prepare. Has this change improved the way people
live? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer in about 150-300 words.

Reading Comprehension
 Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle, in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, is the largest inhabited
castle in the world and, dating back to the time of William the Conqueror, is the oldest in
continuous occupation. 1. (____)
Together with Buckingham Palace in London and Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, it is
one of the principal official residences of the British monarch. Queen Elizabeth II spends many
weekends of the year at the castle, using it for both state and private entertaining.
2. (____) .
Most of the Kings and Queens of England, later Kings and Queens of Great Britain, and
later still kings and queens of the Commonwealth realms, have had a direct influence on the
construction and evolution of the castle, which has been their garrison fortress, home, official
palace, and sometimes their prison.
The castle’s history and that of the British monarchy are inextricably linked.
Chronologically the history of the castle can be traced through the reigns of the monarchs who
have occupied it. When the country has been at peace, the castle has been expanded by the
additions of large and grand apartments; when the country has been at war, the castle has been
more heavily fortified. 3. (____) (www.anglotopia.net)

I. Four sentences have been removed from the text. Select the appropriate sentence for
each gap in the text. Write your answers on the Answer Sheet.
A. This pattern has continued to the present day.
B. The castle’s floor area is approximately 484,000 square feet (44,965
square metres).
C. Her other two residences, Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle, are the Royal Family’s
private homes.

I. 1. b. Match the words in the text to their definitions given below. There is one extra
definition which you do not need to use.

A. inextricably 1. the periods during which a ruler occupies

the throne
B. reigns 2. serving to give pleasure; diverting;
amusing
C. entertaining 3. that cannot be untangled:an inextricable
knot.
D. expanded 4. the main singer in a musical group
E. 5. increased in area, or volume; enlarged

I. 1.c. Fill in the appropriate word(s) from the list below. Use the word(s) only once.

homes, dating, residences, influence, heavily, garrison

1. official ... 4. ... back

2. direct ... 5. private ...
3. ... fortress 6. ...fortified
 Grammar and vocabulary exercises
I. Turn the following sentences into negative and interrogative:

1. Tom rides his bike to school every morning.

Negative:___________________________________________________________________

Interrogative:_______________________________________________________________

2. They are doing their homework now.

Negative:___________________________________________________________________

Interrogative:_______________________________________________________________

3. Grandma watched TV yesterday evening.

Negative:___________________________________________________________________

Interrogative:_______________________________________________________________

4. I was listening to the teacher at this time yesterday morning.

Negative:___________________________________________________________________

Interrogative:_______________________________________________________________

5. We will keep our promises.

Negative:___________________________________________________________________

Interrogative:_______________________________________________________________

6. You will be sleeping at this time tomorrow evening.

Negative:___________________________________________________________________

Interrogative:_______________________________________________________________

II. 1. Fill in the text with the missing words:

staring, night, smile, alone, black, noise, speed, castle, bed, lamp

The first night I spent (1) ________ was the most terrifying night of my life. It was an old Scottish
(2) ________ with a long and mysterious history. I didn't feel afraid when I arrived there in the
evening, but as (3) ________ fell I began to feel cold and lonely. I decided to go to bed at 11
o'clock, and soon fell into a deep sleep. I was awakened a few hours later by a strange (4) ________
in the room. I turned on the (5) ________ and, to my horror, saw that there was an ugly old woman
standing at the foot of my bed. She was wearing a (6) ________ dress and her face was white. Her
eyes were red and she was (7) ________ straight at me with a terrifying evil (8) ________ on her
face. Suddenly, she floated up in the air and flew at me, screaming horribly. I leapt out of (9)
_________, ran downstairs, through the castle door, jumped into my car and drove off at top (10)
________. I have never been back to the castle since that day.

III. Circle the correct item:

1. The man was interested/interesting in buying the old car.

2. The window was broken with/by a hammer.

3. His experience was terrified/terrifying. He couldn't speak a word.

4. I don't know much about/for Peter, but he seems to a nice person

5. The police were puzzled/puzzling by the clues left by the killer.

6. The novel was written for/by Charles Dickens.

7. What an amazed/amazing opera singer she is!

8. You should always be kind for/to animals.

9. We were very surprised/surprising by her sudden change of attitude towards us.

10. It was mean to/of you not to help your friend.

IV. Choose the right article:

a. The / A Orient Express is a famous train.

b. She was reading a /an interesting story.
c. The /- China is not in Europe.

V. Translate into Romanian:

If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I
was born, an what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and
all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like
going into it, if you want to know the truth.
(The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger)
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VI. Complete the following forms of the irregular verbs:
Do-
Eat-
Buy-
Bring-
Be-
Cut-
Fly-
Forget-
Dream-
Come-

VII. Fill in : at, for, in, into,of, on,to,from or with.

a. ………. the field ………..nursing
b. To be………..war……….(another country)
c. To translate sth……….(another language)
d. To be ……….print
e. To suffer…………sth

VIII. .Match the exchanges:

a. Hello! How can I help you? 1. No, I don’t.

b. Where do you live? 2. Twice a week

c. How often do you play tennis? 3. I’d like to rent a house.

d. Do you like swimming? 4. At the country

IX. People attend college or university for many different reasons (for example, new experiences,
career preparation, increased knowledge). Why do you think people attend college or university?
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer in about 150-300 words.