Olympics practice

Reading

Nowadays, I like hotels, at any rate in small doses. But I wasn’t always so relaxed. For years, hotels and restaurants were for me theaters of humiliation. When I was little my parents didn’t have much money, and when we went into cafes the drill was for my Mum (or Dad) to order a pot of tea for two, and maybe a token cake, and my brother and me would be given sips of tea from their cups. While under the table my mother unwrapped a parcel of bread and butter that she’d brought from home, and she smuggled pieces to my brother and me, which we had to eat while the waitress wasn’t looking. The fear of discovery, exposure, and ignominious expulsion stayed with me well into my twenties, and memories of that and similar embarrassments come back whenever I stay in a hotel.

I always carry my bags myself – it avoids the tip. It’s not the money. It’s a skill Ive never mastered, like my parents, who started staying in hotels when I was in my teens and at my most thin-skinned. Arriving at hotels was fraught with anxiety: there was always the question of ‘the tip.’ Dad would probably have his money ready before he’d even signed in, and when the porter had shown them up to the room would give it to him. As often as not he misjudged the moment, not waiting till his final departure but slipping it to him while he was demonstrating what facilities the room had to offer, so the tip came as an unwelcome interruption.

My parents liked the social side of hotel life. Not that there’d ever be anything in which they’d dream of participating, only there’d be more to see. They’d statione themselves on the sofa and watch what went on, other people living their lives, and envying the accomplishment with which they led them. And without realizing it, my mother would make up stories about people: “You see that woman over there? I think she’s the owner of the hotel, and that man with her must be her nephew.” And when the woman came in the next day by her, she’d say, “Oh, I see the ownwer’s here. She must have argued with her nephew,” forgetting it was all an invention in the first place.

My parents never went to – still less gave – a cocktail party. The education they always regretted not having would have had cocktails on the syllabus, nad small talk and the necessary accomplishment of saying things one does not mean. Some people are at ease with themselves, so the world is at ease with tehm. My parents thought this kind of ease was a product of education. They didn’t see that what disqualified them was their temperament, just as, though educated up to the hilt, it disqualifies me. What keeps us in our place is embarrassment.

As I grew older and came to delight in these eccentricities and ceased to be embarrassed by them, my parents still struggled to fulfill what they imagined were my aspirations for them. Of course, by this time my aspirations had changed anyway. Now I wanted them to stay the same as they’d been when I was a child. It didn’t matter any more.

Which answer is most correct?

1.       Why was the writer embarrassed in cafes?

a.       His parents always acted nervously in them.

b.      He thought that he and his family would be told to leave.

c.       Other people could see they had brought their own food with them.

d.      He was ashamed of his parents because they were poor.

2.       What does the writer say about giving “tips” to porters when they have carried bags?

a.       It is not always necessary to do it.

b.      His father wasn’t sure whether to do it.

c.       His father usually did it at the wrong time.

d.      It has caused him more embarrassment than anything else.

3.       The writer says that when they stayed at hotels,

a.       His parents learned a lot about other people from watching them.

b.      His parents thought the people they saw were more confident that them.

c.       His mother took pleasure in the misfortunes of others.

d.      His parents liked hearing gossip about the people they saw.

4.       The writer says that his parents are wrong to believe that:

a.       They would not have been very good at giving parties.

b.      They were incapable of feeling at ease with oterh people.

c.       Education makes it easier to get along with other people

d.      He had the same feeling of inadequacy as them.

5.       In the passage as a whole, the writer describes his parents as

a.       Shy

b.      Mean

c.       Ambitious

d.      Unintelligent

Prepositions—Fill in a suitable preposition (you may use more than one word in a blank if necessary—for example:  “across from”).

There was another woman _____a_____ the bus, and Kate sat _____b_____ her and started chatting. She said she was going ____c______ Forbes Road too. “I’ve got an interview _____d_____ a place called Murcott House,” said Kate. “Is it ____e______ the bus stop?” “No, it’s not far. It’s _____f_____ the right ____g______ the end of the street,” the woman replied. “In fact, I live _____h_____ Murcott House. When I look out of my window, I can see people working ____i______ the café there.” When they arrived _____j_____ the stop, they got off and walked up the street together.

Gerund or infinitive? 

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb (gerund or infinitive), using the words in parentheses.

1. Dan enjoys ____________ science fiction. (read)

2. The store offered ____________ the money I paid for the book I returned. (refund)

3. Ann denied _________ the brick at him. (throw)

4. Cheryl suggested ____________  a movie after work. (watch)

5. I miss____________  in the travel industry. Maybe I can get my old job back. (work) 

6. Where did you learn____________  Spanish? Was it in Spain or in Latin America? (speak)

7. Do you mind____________  me translate this letter? (help)

8. He asked____________  to the store manager. (talk)

9. You've never mentioned____________  in Japan before. How long did you live there? (live)

10. If he keeps____________  to work late, he's going to get fired! (Come)

11. Debbie plans ____________  abroad next year. (Travel)

12. I agreed ____________ Jack wash his car. (help)

13. We’ve discussed ____________ to New York, but I’m worried about finding a job in this economy. (move)

14. The parents of the bride anticipated ____________ the wedding ceremony. (enjoy)

More…1) We decided ___________ (buy) a new car.

2) They've got some work___________ (do).

3) Peter gave up___________ (smoke) .

4) He'd like___________ (fly) an aeroplane.

5) I enjoy___________ (write) picture postcards.

6) Do you know what___________ (do) if there's a fire in the shop?

7) Avoid___________ (make) silly mistakes.

8) My parents wanted me___________ (be) home at 11 o'clock.

9) I dream about ___________ (build) a big house.

10) I'm hoping___________ (see) Lisa.

And more…

1. I enjoy not ­­­­­_________ to get up so early in the morning. Sleeping in is great! (have)

2. Nancy proposed _________a picnic at the beach. (have)

3. Do you wish _________, or would you like to stop now? (continue)

4. His car needs _________ . It looks like it hasn't been washed in years. (wash)

5. Smokers risk_________ several smoking related illnesses. (get)

6. The astronomer told us not_________ into the sun during the eclipse. (look)

7. I wish she would just quit _________ all the time. (complain)

8. Leslie hired her _________ fence. (paint)

9. She resisted _________advice from her coworkers. (take)

10. Linda regretted _________to her high school reunion. (go)

Rewrite the sentences using passive voice.

1) Julia rescued three cats.

.

2) The students handed in the reports yesterday.

.

3) Maria crashed into the gate and damaged it.

.

4) Alex learned the poem.

.

5) Steven has forgotten the book.

.

6) The mechanic has not repaired the DVD recorder.

.

7) They play handball at the rec center every Saturday.

.

8) Sue puts the rucksack on the floor.

.

9) The girls had lost the match.

.

10) The teacher is not going to open the window.

.

11) Tom didn’t break the chair.

.

12) People grow rice in India.

.

13) He likes people calling him by his first name.

.

14) Nomin made that pie.

.

15) People don’t pay babysitters a lot of money.

.

Causative and/or passive practice

Use these words for the following exercise:

CHANGE – WASH – DESIGN—TAKE – BRING – PUT – DRIVE—FEED – GIVE – CUT

1. We had the food_____________ to the homeless shelter.

   The food __________ to the homeless shelter yesterday.
2. John had the cat _________________ to the vet.

   The cat ____________ to the vet.
3.  The curtains in all the rooms of our house _______________.

   My mom got the curtains ___________________ in all the rooms of our house.
4. Kelly had Mr. Brown _______________________ to the beach to meet us.

   Mr. Brown _______________ to the beach to meet us.
5. We had the dog ____________________.

   The dog ______________.
6. Thomas’ hair ________________ yesterday.

    Thomas had his hair ____________________ yesterday.
7. Sean needs to get the car________________________

    Sean’s dad told him the car needs ___________.
8. Jane had the vase _________________ on the table for the anniversary dinner.

   The vase __________ on the table for the anniversary dinner.
9. Mr. Jones ________________ to the airport 2 hours before his flight.

    We had Mr. Jones ___________________ to the airport 2 hours before his flight.
10. Maria had the web site ________________ by PopUp.

   Our new website _________________ by PopUp.

Rewrite these sentences using have or get.

1. The mechanic changed the oil in my car.

_______________________________________________________________________

2. The hairdresser cut my hair in a completely different style.

_______________________________________________________________________

3. A decorator has repainted our house.

_______________________________________________________________________

4. A friend of mine, who´s an electrician, is going to repair my DVD player next week.

_______________________________________________________________________

5. My jacket is being cleaned at a specialist cleaner´s.

_______________________________________________________________________

6. The town hall has just been rebuilt for the council.

_______________________________________________________________________

Find and correct the errors.

1. Writing compositions are very hard for me.
2. I came here three and a half month ago.
3. I have made a good progress in English this year.
4. Last night I have had dinner with 2 friends. I knew both of them for a long time.
5. I was lost. I couldn’t find my parents neither my brother.
6. I hope my son will remain in school until he will finish his degree.
7. I don’t get many email.
8. Each of the reference book on that list is available in the library.
9. The children is excited about going to the circus.
10. I never went to the ballet in my whole life.
11. Since I was three years old, I visited my grandmother every Sunday.
12. Do they enjoy to cook?

Reading

(by Paul Theroux, Fresh Air Fiend)

Hawaii

Writing is hell, especially in Hawaii, where it tends to turn paradise into purgatory. So on the sunniest days I try to finish my writing before lunch, then I load my kayak on the roof rack of my car, hurry to India Bazaar for a vegetarian curry, and afterwards I go paddling out of Ala Way harbour (easy parking), looking for green sea turtles and listening to NPR on my waterproof Walkman. I return to the shore at sunset, have a shower nearby at Ala Beach Park, and on the way home stop for a beer in Manoa marketplace and discuss skiing and nothingness with my carpenter friend who is on his way to Vail.
A perfect day
I have written something, I have exercised, I have seen perhaps three green sea turtles, and probably some dolphins, and always a brown booby roosting on the marker buoy a mile out of the harbour. All this has taken place near Waikiki, yet I have not seen a tourist.
The fact that I have been oblivious of tourists all day - none at the restaurant, none at the harbour, none at that particular beach, nor at that bar - is not so remarkable, even in a place that hosts 6 million visitors a year. Tourists always labour under a time constraint and are the unwilling victims of cost efficiency; so they stay together, they travel within a narrow compass, and they tend to stay put, once they have arrived. This is the result of both accident and design; it is a favour and it is also a conspiracy. Tourists are contained, partly for their own benefit, partly for the benefit of locals. By being kept in one place, there is no risk of their interrupting the flow of local life.
So there is a sort of voluntary apartheid that keeps tourists and locals separate. It seems odd to me that this should be so, because locals know where the best fun is to be had and how to avoid being overcharged. Perhaps the oddest aspect of being resident in a tourist paradise is the way in which you seem to lead parallel lives.

All my life I have lived in places regarded as prime tourist destinations, in Africa, in South East Asia, in England, and now Hawaii; yet for the whole of that time I have never had much to do with tourists - hardly saw these birds of passage. They never visited my bush school in Malawi - they were getting bug-bitten and sunburned 200 miles away on the stony beaches at Lake Malawi. (In Africa only tourists sunbathe; everyone else - nationals and Peace Corps Volunteers - stay in the shade.) In Uganda, while I was teaching at University, tourists were bumping in Land Rovers through the game parks, in a fruitless search for endangered species. Tourists in Singapore shopped, while we residents enjoyed the hilarious club life of the island state. I lived in south London for eighteen years, but tourists seldom percolated south of the Thames, to favour its seedy charm and glorious parks. They were hot-footing it to Phantom of the Opera or the Crown Jewels; I never saw them, never felt the need to.

Island of Oahu
For my past four years or so on the island of Oahu the story has been the same, visitors and locals enjoying separate pleasures. They are not hated; if anything they are patronised and pitied by the locals, because they seem so innocent, inhabiting a tiny corner of the island in a timid toehold. Hawaii is a culture of genial mockery, yet no one pokes fun at tourists; there are local Filipino jokes, and Samoan jokes, but you seldom hear anyone say Did you hear the one about the tourist? Most local residents are silently grateful for the revenue. The tourists stick pretty much to Waikiki, and for them Oahu is the glitter of that mile of streets, its wall-to-wall hotels, T-shirt shops, and (with some notable exceptions) indifferent restaurants.

There is another Oahu where people live modestly, go to work, to church, to high school reunions; they go swimming and on picnics and seldom see tourists. They eat local food in local restaurants, go to local movie houses, and have a private language and distinct rhythms and intonations in their speech. It is all that and so much more. A side of the island that most never see.

True or False... or Don't Know (DK)
Answer T, F or DK for each of the following statements.
1. Hawaii is the author's favorite place to live.
2. Hawaiians don't tell jokes about tourists.
3. Most tourists don't see the real Hawaii.
4. The author sometimes has problems writing in Hawaii.
5. When he lived in Africa he met tourists weekly.
6. The author sometimes sees dolphins in the ocean.
7. Most Hawaiians lead normal lives.
8. The author has lived in some of the world's favorite tourist destinations.
9. The author's carpenter friend doesn't like tourists.
10. Tourists in Singapore usually like to go shopping.

Exercises taken from “Angle Hel” by Sarannemekh; http://www.englisch-hilfen.de;  http://www.englishpage.com; http://www.scribd.com; and also by Skye Ganbaatar.