Exercise Sheet – LESSON 3

I. Reading comprehension
a) Read the following passage and choose the correct answer for each
question.
George Washington was born on February 22 nd 1732 in Virginia. His parents were
Augustin and Mary Washington. George grew up on a farm in virginic. Little is
known of his early chilhood. He attended school irregularly from his 7 th to his
15th year. His favourite subject was mathematics. He learned to be a surveyor of
land when he grew up. He joined the army and was a leader during the American
Revolution. He later became the first President of the United states. George
Washington is called by his people the "Father of our country". The Americans
celebrate his birthday on Presidents' Day in February. His picture is on the one
dolllar bill.
1. When was George Washington born?
A. In the 15th century. C. In the 16th century.
B. In the 17th century. D. In the 18th century.
2. Where did he grow up?
A. On a small farm in Virginia. C. In a cottage in Virginia.
B. Near a lake in Virginia. D. On a farm in Chicago.
3. Which of the following is TRUE about his early childhood?
A. He didn’t enjoy learning math.
B. He joined the army and then became a leader.
C. People don’t know much about his early childhood.
D. A lot was known about his childhood.
4. What do the Americans call George?
A. The “Father of our country” C. The “Creator of our country”
B. The “The leader of our country” D. The “Greatest man of our country”
5. When do his countrymen celebrate his birthday?
A. On Independence Day C. On Labor Day
B. On Presidents’ Day D. On Fourth of July
6. Which of the following is FALSE about George Washington?
A. George Washington attended school regularly.
B. George became a soldier and later, the leader of the revolution.
C. He liked learning Math the most.
D. He was the first president of the United States.

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 b) Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, D to indicate the
best words that fit in the gaps.
Most people today take relatively little general exercise. Over the last 30 or 40
years lifestyles have changed considerably and 1. _______ people now travel
even 2. _______ shortest distances by car or bus. Lack of exercise combined
3. _______ eating too many fatty and sugary 4. ________ has meant that many
people are becoming too fat. Experts are particularly concerned that children
5. _______ a lot of their free time watching television or playing computer games
instead of being physically active. In recent years, however, there has been a
growing 6. _______ in fitness among young adults and many belong to a sports
club or gym. Membership of a sports club or gym can be 7. ________ and not
everyone can 8. _______ the subscription. Local sports centres are generally
cheaper. Evening classes are also cheap and offer a wide variety of fitness
activities ranging 9. _______ yoga to jazz dancing. Some companies now provide
sports facilities for their 10. _______ or contribute to the cost of joining a gym.

1. A. many B. much C. little D. no

2. A. a B. an C. on D. the
3. A. to B. of C. with D. in
4. A. sweets B. foods C. drinks D. candies
5. A. make B. take C. take D. spend
6. A. interest B. number C. interesting D. rise
7. A. cheap B. expensive C. affordable D. popular
8. A. buy B. register C. afford D. take
9. A. from B. to C. on D. between
10. A. people B. employees C. person D. humans

c) Read the following passage and fill the boxes with TRUE or FALSE
according to each statements.
Three Popular Inventions from the 1920s
The 1920s was an exciting time for inventions. Some of the things invented around
that time changed the lives of millions of people, and some of those inventions are
still widely used today.
The television
The invention with the biggest impact was probably the television. It was invented by
a Scottish man, John Logie Baird. The first televised pictures were sent over a short
distance in 1924, and his invention was formally demonstrated at the Royal Institute
two years later. The pictures on the screen were not clear, but the viewers could see
that they were human faces, and they could see their eyes opening and closing. In
1928, the first colour images were sent. For £25 (£1000 in today’s money), people in
their homes could watch moving images that were sent from a broadcasting station.

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The fridge
Another invention that became popular in the 1920s was the home refrigerator.
People used different ways to keep food cool and fresh long before the 1900s, but
home fridges weren’t invented until 1913 in the USA. Home fridges became very
popular in the USA in the 1920s. Sales of the popular ‘Frigidaire’ model increased
from 5,000 in 1921 to 750,000 in 1926. British people were less interested in fridges
than Americans. They thought that they were unnecessary because the weather in
Britain was cooler. But fridges were heavily advertised, and their advantages were
described in detail. Soon, more fridges were sold, and the price decreased.
The polygraph
Another interesting invention of the 1920s was the polygraph, or lie detector. It was
invented in 1921 by a Californian policeman, John Larson. He used the ideas of other
psychologists to make a machine that measured people’s heart rate, breathing and
blood pressure while they were asked questions. The experts believed that sudden
changes in these measurements showed that someone was lying. Although this
invention is well-known, it can’t really detect lies. Marston tried to use measurements
from his polygraph in a court case in 1923, but they weren’t accepted as evidence
and never have been since then. However, polygraphs are still used by some police
forces and the FBI because many people believe they work, so they tell the truth to
avoid the machine.

1. When television images were first transmitted, viewers didn’t know exactly
what the image was.
2. The television was demonstrated at the Royal Institute in 1926.
3. Colour images were not possible until after the 1920s.
4. Television images were first sent across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928.
5. People could buy television sets in the 1920s.
6. Home refrigerators were invented in the 1920s.
7. Fridges became popular in the USA before they were popular in the UK.
8. Some psychologists helped John Larson to build his invention.
9. On some occasions, lie detectors have been used as evidence in court.
10. Today, lie detectors are never used by the police.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

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 d) Fill the gaps with the correct forms of the words in capital:
Hobbies: Why do people collect?

Petra Engels owns 19,571 erasers, Carol Vaughn has 1,221 bars
of soap, and Ralf Shrőder has a 1. _____________ of 14,502 COLLECT
packets of sugar. Many people love to collect things, but why?
Psychologists and collectors have 2. _____________ opinions. DIFFER
The psychologist Carl Jung believed that collecting is part of our
ancient human history. Thousands of years ago, humans collected
nuts and berries. They kept them 3. _____________ and ate for CARE
4. _____________ . The best collectors survived long cold winters
or seasons without rain. Their genes passed to future
5. _____________. Nowadays, we still have a collecting instinct. GEN
Author Steve Roach thinks that people collect things to remember
their 5. _____________. Many children collect things, but few have CHILD
enough money to buy the things they really want, and they lose
interest. In later life, they remember their collections FOND
6. _____________. Now, they have enough money and opportunity
to find special items, and they start collecting again. This way, they ENJOYABLE
can re-live and 7. _____________ their youth.
Autograph collector Mark Baker agrees that collecting is
8. _____________. “For me, it’s the 9. _____________ he says. “I EMOTION/EXCITE
love trying to get a 10. _____________ person’s autograph. FAME
Sometimes I succeed, and sometimes I fail. Also, by collecting
autographs, I feel connected to them. I don’t just watch them on
television. I actually meet them.”

e) Fill the gaps with the correct prepositions:

Ted Robinson has been worried all the week. Last Tuesday he received a letter
1. ________ the local police. In the letter he was asked to call at the station. Ted
wondered why he was wanted 2. ________ the police, but he went 3. ________ the
station yesterday, and now he is not worried any more. 4. ________ the station he
was told by a smiling police-man that his bicycle had been found. Five years ago, the
policeman told him, the bicycle was picked up 5. ________ a small village four
hundred miles 6. ________ . It’s now being sent to his home 7. ________ train. Ted
was most surprised when he heard the news. He was amused too, because he never
expected the bicycle to be found. It was stolen twenty years ago when Ted was a boy
8. ________ fifteen.

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