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By Pamela Linwood

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Britains Waterways [B1-INTERMEDIATE]

GETTING STARTED

TASK 1 - Speaking
Discuss these questions with your partner(s).
a) What are the advantages and disadvantages
of life in the city?
b) What are the advantages and disadvantages
of life in the countryside?
c) Would you like to get away from life in the city
and enjoy nature more? Why?
d) Have you ever travelled on a boat on a river? If
not, would you like to?
e) Are there any canals in your country/city? Are
they in use? Why (not)?
TASK 2 - Vocabulary
Look through the glossary, study some of the
words, then choose 5 or 6 words and test your
partner(s). They will test you too!
READING

TASK 3 - Prediction
You are going to read a text about Englands
canals.
Before you read, work with your partner and
discuss possible answers to these questions. Make
some notes. If you arent sure, guess.
a) How comfortable are narrowboats?
b) Are narrowboats fast or slow?
c) How old, more or less, are Britains canals?
d) In which historical period did canals become
important?
e) Are canals in Britain busy nowadays?
TASK 4 - Reading for Overall Information
Read all of the text as quickly as possible, and
check your ideas from TASK 2. Dont try to read
every single word in the text: concentrate on the
overall meaning only.

TASK 5 - Prediction 2
Before you read all of the article again, look at
these answers, and write possible questions.
Discuss your ideas with your partner(s).
a) About 20 metres.
b) Only about 2 metres.
c) 4 kms an hour.
d) The Fossdyke.
e) Because roads were unreliable and trains didnt
exist.
f) Because of trains and lorries.
g) Millions.
TASK 6 - Reading for Detailed Information
Read all of the text and write questions to the
answers in TASK 5.

Answers on page 4

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PET EXAM PRACTICE

( Paper 1: Reading and Writing Paper,

WRITING PART 1)
TASK 7
Here are some sentences related to the topic
of the article you have read. For each question,
complete the second sentence so that it means
the same as the first.
Use no more than three words
1) Lindy Foster got her first longboat in 1970.
Lindy Foster ___________ a longboat since 1970.
2) Longboats are sometimes faster than cars in
city traffic.
Cars in city traffic are sometimes _________
longboats.
3) Its too cold to go for a trip in a longboat today
It isnt warm _____________ to go for a trip in a
longboat today.
4) There are only two or three longboats in this
part of the canal.
There arent very ______________ longboats in
this part of the canal.
5) Why dont you travel to work on a longboat?
There is a lot of traffic on the roads today!
If I were you, _________ go to work on a
longboat. There is a lot of traffic on the roads
today!

SPEAKING

TASK 8 - Discuss these questions with your

partners.
1. What was the most interesting thing about the
article? Why?
2. Would you like to try travelling on a longboat?
Why (not)?
3. Do you think canals should be used more for
transportation purposes? Why (not)?
4. Can canals help to reduce the number of cars
and lorries on the roads? Why (not)?
5. Do you think governments should invest money
in developing a system of canals in your country?
Why (not)?
6. Do you like the idea of life in the slow lane?
Why (not)?

Zoo Keeper for a Day [B1-INTERMEDIATE]

GETTING STARTED

TASK 1 - Speaking
Discuss these questions with your partner(s).
a) What do you think of zoos, in general? Tell your
partner(s).
b) What are the advantages of zoos?
c) What are the disadvantages?
d) Do you think having zoos today can be justified?
Why (not)?
e) Do you think zoos are better or worse than
circuses? Why?
READING

TASK 2 - Prediction
Before you read, discuss these questions with
your partner(s).
2 two

Make some notes.

a) The Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent has
been described as the Louvre of zoos. Why?
Think of possible reasons.
b) What kind of people go there?
c) Why do people go there? List possible reasons.
TASK 3 - Reading for General
Comprehension
Read all of the article as quickly as possible and
answer the questions from TASK 2. It isnt essential
to understand every single word.
TASK 4 - Prediction 2
Before you read all of the article, look at these
answers, and think of possible questions.

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a) Feed meat to the tigers or wash

the elephants.
b) Because they hope their children
will not want to become zoo keepers!
c) It goes towards important animal
conservation work.
d) in 1976
e) John Aspinall
f) 200 kgs
g) 650
h) 90
i) 600 acres
TASK 5 - Reading for
Detailed Information
Read all of the text and write questions to the
answers in TASK 4.
TASK 6 - Vocabulary
Complete these sentences with words from
the glossary. You may need to make changes
(plurals, tenses, etc).
a) Teaching can be a very satisfying job. The salary
isnt fantastic, but seeing students make progress
is very ____________.
b) Small shops are ___________ by supermarkets,
because supermarkets can offer better prices and
more choice.
c) I couldnt take my case with me on the plane
because it _________ too much.
d) Roman Abramovich is the _________ of
Chelsea football club.

KET EXAM PRACTICE

(Paper 1: Reading and Writing Paper,

WRITING PART 1)
TASK 7
Here are some sentences related to the topic of
the article you have read.
For each question, complete the second sentence
so that it means the same as the first.
Use no more than three words.
1) I havent been to a zoo for a long time.
Its been a long time since ___________to a zoo.
2) Why dont you go to the new zoo?
If I were you, _________ go to the new zoo.
3) Its too cold to visit the zoo without a coat.
It isnt warm _____________to visit the zoo without
a coat.
4) There are only a few lions in the Safari Park.
There arent very______________ lions in the Safari
Park.
5) If you dont visit the new zoo, you wont know
how beautiful it is.
You wont know how beautiful the new zoo is
_________ you visit it.
WRITING

TASK 8
What do you think about the Port Lympne Wild
Animal Park? Write a short letter or email about it
to your friend.

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Answers
BRITAINS WATERWAYS
Suggested answers to TASK 4
a) They are quite comfortable. b) It
depends! They are relatively slow but
sometimes faster than traffic in cities.
c) The first ones were probably built
by the Romans. d) The Industrial
Revolution. e) Yes, but not for their
traditional use.

wide are longboats? c) How fast

can longboats travel? d) What is
the name of the first British canal
built by the Romans? e) Why were
canals important during the Industrial
Revolution? f) Why did people stop
using canals to transport cargo?
h) How many people use canals
nowadays?
Suggested answers to TASK 7

Suggested answers to TASK 6

a) How long are longboats? b) How

1) has had (or: has owned) 2) slower

than 3) enough 4) many 5) I would

ZOO KEEPER FOR A DAY

a) Because it has a rich collection of
animals. b) Young and old people.
c) Because they love animals.

e) Who opened it? f) How much

does the gorilla (Djoum) weigh? g)
How many animals are there in the
Wild Animal Park? h) How many
different species are there? i) How
big is the park?

Suggested answers to TASK 5

Suggested answers to TASK 6

a) What can visitors (to the Wild

Animal Park) do there? b) Why do
some parents send their children
there? c) What happens to money
raised at the Animal Park? d) When
was the Wild Animal Park opened?

a) rewarding b) threatened c) weighed

d) owner

Answers to TASK 3

4 four

Suggested answers to TASK 7

1) I (last) went 2) I would 3) enough

4) many 5) unless.