Gateway b1 unit 8

Complete the text with the correct past simple or past perfect form of these verbs. be • fall • have • lie • wake

Last night I (1) ………… up suddenly at about three o’clock. I (2) …………in bed for about four hours. I (3) ……………… there for a moment. I (4) …………no idea why I had woken up. Then I realised that I was on the floor. I (5) ……………out of bed and woken myself up!

Complete the short dialogues with the correct form of these verbs.

have • learn • snowboard • travel • study

A: Why did you decide (1) ……… Spanish?

B: Because I enjoy (2) ……languages.

A: I can’t stand waiting in queues at the bus stop, can you?

B: No, I try to avoid (3) ……in the rush hour!

A: I’d like to take up a new sport. Is (4) …… difficult?

B: Yes, but it’s good (5) ……… a challenge

Choose the correct alternatives to complete the sentences.

1 Yesterday we used to have/had an exam at school. It was really difficult!

2 I didn’t go to the cinema with Cathy because I saw/had seen the film before.

3 I had played/used to play rugby when I was at school but I don’t anymore.

4 We got to the station at three o’clock and had caught/caught the next train to Oxford.

5 As soon as it started to rain, we packed/had packed up the picnic and went home.

Complete the sentences with the correct form of these words/expressions.

fall out • get on • hang out • have arguments - make up

My best friend is Marco. We’ve known each other for three years. We started (1) ……… together when we were in the same maths class. We (2) ……really well because we’ve got similar interests – we both like skateboarding and reading comics. Sometimes we (3) ………about silly things, but I think all friends do. Once we (4) ……… quite badly and didn’t talk to each other for days. But in the end we (5) ……………and we’ve been the best of friends ever since.

Choose the correct alternatives to complete the sentences.

1 Sarah has a afraid/fear of heights. She won’t even climb up a ladder!

2 She never gets anger/angry. She always solves problems in a calm manner.

3 I can’t stand boredom/bored. I need to be doing something all the time.

4 He always looks so happy/happiness. I wonder what his secret is.

5 There’s a lot of excitement/excited about the new sports centre in the town. 

Complete the sentences with the correct abstract noun form of the words given.

1 …………… (lonely) is something I’m afraid of. I need to be around other people.

2 He is well-known for his …………… (leader) skills. Everybody does what he says! 3 In many countries, people are still fighting for their ……………………… (free).

4 I have a real ……………………… (weak) for chocolate cake!

5 ………… (friend) is really important to me – probably as important as family.

Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first. Use no more than three words.

1 We went shopping and then we had a coffee. We had a coffee after .........gone shopping.

2 I have a good relationship with my brother. I get ……………………… my brother. 3 I didn’t like chocolate when I was a little child. I ………………… to like chocolate when I was a little child.

4 The party started before I got there. When I got there, the party ………… started. 5 Jack and Harry aren’t talking to each other at the moment. Jack and Harry … out.

6 Understanding English on the radio is not easy. It’s difficult ………… English on the radio.

7 Before I watched the film, I finished my homework. When I ……… my homework, I watched the film.

8 There are a lot of things we disagree on. There are a lot of things we don’t ……………………… eye on.

Read the article about friendship. Six sentences are missing from the article. Choose from the sentences A–F the one which fits each gap.

A Sometimes we even celebrate special occasions like birthdays with them instead of our families.

B When families started to live in different cities and even countries, friends became more important.

C I hadn’t heard people say that before, but it’s a very common phrase.

D The last type was the ‘soul mate’.

E If you want to learn a language, you can find people in different countries to practise with.

F Nowadays, we have bigger circles of friends but they are the same types that the Ancient Greeks talked about.

The family you choose yourself

Recently, I heard my sister say, ‘Friends are the family you choose yourself.’ (1) ………Since she said it, I’ve seen it written on T-shirts, notebooks and pencil cases. Why is this saying so popular? I think it’s because for many people, friends are as important as family. We often prefer to spend our time with our friends. (2) ………… Friendship hasn’t changed a lot over time. Thousands of years ago, the Ancient Greeks thought that there were different types of friends. One was friends that are reliable and who will always help us. Another type was the friends who we have fun with – they might not be very reliable but we have a good time with them. (3) ……… This is a special friend who we have a lot in common with and feel close to and who will probably be a friend for life.

(4) …………We have friends who can help us with our homework. We have other friends who share the same interests as us and we have a good time with them. And we also have ‘soul mates’, who are often

people we’ve grown up with. The difference is that our friendships change much faster.

In the past our families were the most important people in our lives but that changed. (5) …… We might also have to move away from our close friends. Then we have to find new ones and lots of younger people are starting to use the Internet for that. There are websites where you can find someone who likes doing the same things as you. For example, if you like running, you can find a friend who will go running with you. (6) ……

Changes in the way we live and the invention of modern technologies really do mean that friends are the family we choose ourselves.

Read the article again and choose the best answers, A, B or C.

1 What does the writer say about friends in the first

paragraph?

A Friends are more important than family.

B His sister isn’t a good friend.

C Friends are very important for a lot of people.

2 How many types of friends did the Ancient Greeks

mention?

A two

B three

C four

3 What can be the problem with friends who we have fun

with?

A We don’t have much in common with them.

B They aren’t always reliable.

C They never help us.

The family you choose yourself

Recently, I heard my sister say, ‘Friends are the family you choose yourself.’ I hadn’t heard people say that before, but it’s a very common phrase. Since she said it, I’ve seen it written on T-shirts, notebooks and pencil cases. Why is this saying so popular? I think it’s because for many people, friends are as important as family. We often prefer to spend our time with our friends. Sometimes we even celebrate special occasions like birthdays with them instead of our families. Friendship hasn’t changed a lot over time.

Thousands of years ago, the Ancient Greeks thought that there were different types of friends. One was friends that are reliable and who will always help us. Another type was the friends who we have fun with – they might not be very reliable but we have a good time with them. The last type was the ‘soul mate. This is a special friend who we have a lot in common with and feel close to and who will probably be a friend for life.

Nowadays, we have bigger circles of friends but they are the same types that the Ancient Greeks talked about. We have friends who can help us with our homework. We have other friends who share the same interests as us and we have a good time with them. And we also have ‘soul mates’, who are often people we’ve grown up with. The difference is that our friendships change much faster.

In the past our families were the most important people in our lives but that changed. When families started to live in different cities and even countries, friends became more important. We might also have to move away from our close friends. Then we have to find new ones and lots of younger people are starting to use the Internet for that. There are websites where you can find someone who likes doing the same things as you. For example, if you like running, you can find a friend who will go running with you. If you want to learn a language, you can find people in different countries to practise with.

Changes in the way we live and the invention of modern technologies really do mean that friends are the family we choose ourselves.

Read the article again and choose the best answers, A, B or C.

1. How have friendships changed since ancient times?

A We don’t have as many friends.

B We have different types of friends.

C We have more friends.

2 Why are families less important to us now?

A They are bigger than in the past.

B We don’t like spending time with them.

C We often live in different places to them.

3 According to the article, why do some young people

use the Internet?

A to make new friends

B to talk to their families

C to find out about old friends

The family you choose yourself

Recently, I heard my sister say, ‘Friends are the family you choose yourself.’ I hadn’t heard people say that before, but it’s a very common phrase. Since she said it, I’ve seen it written on T-shirts, notebooks and pencil cases. Why is this saying so popular? I think it’s because for many people, friends are as important as family. We often prefer to spend our time with our friends. Sometimes we even celebrate special occasions like birthdays with them instead of our families.

Friendship hasn’t changed a lot over time. Thousands of years ago, the Ancient Greeks thought that there were different types of friends. One was friends that are reliable and who will always help us. Another type was the friends who we have fun with – they might not be very reliable but we have a good time with them. The last type was the ‘soul mate. This is a special friend who we have a lot in common with and feel close to and who will probably be a friend for life.

Nowadays, we have bigger circles of friends but they are the same types that the Ancient Greeks talked about. We have friends who can help us with our homework. We have other friends who share the same interests as us and we have a good time with them. And we also have ‘soul mates’, who are often people we’ve grown up with. The difference is that our friendships change much faster.

In the past our families were the most important people in our lives but that changed. When families started to live in different cities and even countries, friends became more important. We might also have to move away from our close friends. Then we have to find new ones and lots of younger people are starting to use the Internet for that. There are websites where you can find someone who likes doing the same things as you. For example, if you like running, you can find a friend who will go running with you. If you want to learn a language, you can find people in different countries to practise with.

Changes in the way we live and the invention of modern technologies really do mean that friends are the family we choose ourselves.