Examination Card № 14

1. Reading

Read the text and answer the questions.

Woman dies in house fire

An 80-year-old woman died Tuesday afternoon in a fire. The blaze was reported about 2:30 p.m. at a home on Sunnyside Avenue. The victim was identified as Mary Cass. Her husband, Roy Cass, 80, was not at home at the time of the fire. Investigators from the local fire department were trying to determine the exact cause of the fire. They said it looked like the woman had fallen asleep on the sofa with a cigarette in her hand.

The value of the home was estimated at $700,000. The Casses were married in 1945. Both of them had been smokers throughout most of their lives.

Mr. Cass said, “Six months ago, we decided to quit smoking, because we wanted to live to be 100. So we went to a smoking cessation clinic. The clinic worked! We both managed to quit a month ago. At least I thought we both did. I can't believe she was smoking behind my back.”

Mr. Cass started sobbing after his remarks. He repeatedly cried out his wife’s name. Authorities took him to a nursing home where he could be kept under surveillance.

“We’ve had too many instances of long-time married couples who, if they discover their spouse is dead, commit suicide within 48 hours,” said a nursing home spokesperson. “Mr. Cass’s behavior has been erratic, from talking nonstop to crying to staring vacantly. We are going to have to watch him closely.”

1. How old was the woman?

2. What was her name?

3. Who is her husband?

4. How old is Roy Cass?

5. Where had she fallen asleep?

2. Writing

Open the brackets using the verbs in Present Continuous Tense.

1. My book ___________ (to lie) on the table.

2. They ___________ (not to work).

3. The doctor and her patient___________ (to talk).

4. We ___________ (to cook) dinner. My mother ___________ (to make) a salad.

5. A young man ___________ (to drive) a car. He ___________ (to listen) music.

Examination Card № 15

1. Reading

Read the text and answer the questions.

English is confusing

“Good evening, everybody!” said the teacher, Donna. “Where is everybody?” That was sort of a daily joke by Donna. Usually the class started with only two or three students present, and then filled up as the minutes went by. It was summertime. Summer school was only eight weeks long. Class attendance was always smaller than during fall and spring semesters.

“I don’t know, teacher. Maybe they late or no come,” said one student. “Maybe watching TV football tonight.”

“Is there a soccer game tonight? It seems like there’s a soccer game every night. Oh, well. Let’s get started, okay? We’re on page 36 in the workbook. Tonight we’re studying participles as adjectives. Students are always confused when they learn about the present and past participles, so we will practice this a lot. Tonight, we’re just going to practice the present participle.

“The present participle tells us what emotion or feeling the subject is causing. For example, ‘Grammar is boring’ means that the subject—grammar—causes an emotion of boredom. If we say, ‘The movie is interesting,’ we are saying that the movie causes a feeling of interest. If we say, ‘The roller coaster is exciting,’ we are saying that the roller coaster causes a feeling of excitement. Any questions so far? Am I confusing you? Is everyone confused?”

The classroom was quiet. Donna looked at blank faces. They were confused. She knew this would take a while. But eventually, the faster students would grasp it, and then they would help the slower students. By the end of the evening, most of the class would feel comfortable using the present participle.

Donna erased the board and put some new examples on it. She loved guiding her students through difficult topics like this one. She always felt a little bit thrilled when the look of understanding came to their faces.

1. What did she do?

2. What was her daily joke?

3. How many students were usually present when class started?

4. How long did summer school last?

5. What was always smaller in the summer?

2. Writing

Make up questions using the question words in the brackets.

1. The parents are at home. (Where?)

2. The cargo-plan is on the table. (Where?)

3. The sails are white. (What colour?)

4. This is a navigating bridge. (What?)

5. The women are in the yard. (Where?)