Hometask

1.

Two years ago Trisha’s firm  MADE  the mistake of sending her to Germany. Although she HAD STUDIED German at school, she soon DISCOVERED that she COULD NOT remember very much. She MISSED an important meeting because she HAD FORGOTTEN that “halb neun” in German MEANT half past eight in English. So while she WAS HAVING breakfast her colleagues WERE already at the meeting. When she arrived “on time” , the meeting  HAD ALREADY FINISHED.
When she got back to England, Trisha JOINED a German course at her local college. While she WAS DRIVING to work every day she  LISTENED to language CDs. In the past few weeks her German  HAS IMPROVED a lot and now she KNOWS how to tell the time ! Right now she IS STUDYING hard for an examination. Next year Trisha PLANS to spend her summer holiday in a language school near Munich. After that, she hopes that her company WILL SEND her to Germany again.

2.

Reading Comprehension – Elephants

Elephants are large mammals of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. Traditionally, two species are recognized, the African elephant and the Asian elephant, although some evidence suggests that African bush elephants and African forest elephants are separate species. Other families of the order Proboscidea, including mammoths and mastodons are now extinct.

Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Male African elephants are the largest surviving terrestrial animals and can reach a height of 4 m (13 ft) and weigh 7,000 kg (15,000 lb).

All elephants have several distinctive features the most notable of which is a long trunk or proboscis, used for many purposes, particularly breathing, lifting water and grasping objects. Their incisors grow into tusks, which can serve as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. Elephants’ large ear flaps help to control their body temperature. Their pillar-like legs can carry their great weight. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs while Asian elephants have smaller ears and convex or level backs.

One of the biggest threats to elephant populations is the ivory trade, as the animals are poached for their ivory tusks. Other threats to wild elephants include habitat destruction and conflicts with local people. Elephants are used as working animals in Asia. In the past they were used in war; today, they are often put on display in zoos and circuses.

COMPREHENSION:

1. Mammoths and mastodons live in Africa.
   a.  True
   b.  False
2. Elephants live in all continents.
   a.  True.
   b.  False.
3. Ivory trade is the main threat that elephants are facing.
   a.  True
   b.  False

3.

4.

1. He couldn’t pay his bills with his part-time job.
2. My father is a modern man, while my grandfather is fairly old-fashioned.
3. I don’t have time to watch a three-hour movie. I’ve got to be at work in two hours.
4. I’m not interested in buying a used car. I want a brand-new one.
5. My mother is a middle-aged woman. She’s 50 years old.
6. He lives on the fifth floor of a ten-story building.
7. He is a friendly man. = He is a kind-hearted man.
8. Your brother is very forgetful. = Your brother is absent-minded.
9. Pete prefers women with short hair, while I like long-haired women.
10. Every student will have to write a five-page essay on this topic.