EXE 1

An international newspaper has recently published an article stating that people

should have more leisure time. The (1)................... week seems too long for

some employees, while others insist (2)................ having longer holiday

periods. However, many company directors (3)................... to accept these

ideas.

Most of them stated that if people (4)............. more free time, they would

spend it in front of the TV set, (5)................ of doing something more useful.

And working (6)............ time would drastically (7)................ the productivity

of their companies.

A possible alternative would be to work (8).......... home one day in the week

through the Internet. This would certainly help workers to avoid waiting for

trains or buses, or having to sit in traffic (9)................ at least once a week,

making (10)............ for lost free time on the other days.

1. long
working
business
days

2. for
in
on
about

3. refused
 said
will
wants

4. have
has
had
spend

5. and
instead
but
for

6. more
less
fewer
few

7. reduce
down
retire
less

8. from
at
in
on

9. lines
queues
jams
cars
10. out
over
up
of

SONG
CLOCKS
by Coldplay

The lights go out and I can't be saved.

that I tried to swim against

Have brought me down .

Oh, I beg, I beg and .

Singing.

Come out of things ,

Shoot an apple off my head and
A trouble that can't be named.

A tiger's waiting to be .
Singing.

You are.
You are.

Confusion never stops.

Closing walls and clocks.

Gonna come back and take you .

I could not stop, that you now know.
Singing.

Come out upon my seas,

missed opportunities.
Am I part of the cure,
Or am I part of the ?
Singing.

You are, you are, you are.

You are, you are, you are.
And nothing else compares.
And nothing else compares.
And nothing else compares.

You are.
You are.
Home, home, where I wanted to go.
Home, home, where I wanted to go.
Home, home, where I wanted to go.
Home, home, where I wanted to go.

READING COMPREHENSION

European Union

The European Union (EU) is a unique political and economic community with
supranational and intergovernmental dimensions. It is composed of twenty-seven
member states primarily located in Europe. In 1957, six European countries
formed the European Economic Community (EEC) by the Treaty of Rome. Since
then the EU has grown in size through the accession of new member states and
has increased its powers by the addition of new policy areas to its remit. In 1993,
the Maastricht Treaty established the base of the current legal framework.

The EU created a single market which seeks to guarantee the freedom of

movement of people, goods, services and capital between member states. It
maintains a common trade policy, agricultural and fisheries policies, and a
regional development policy. In 1999 the EU introduced a common currency, the
euro, which has been adopted by thirteen member states. It has also developed a
role in foreign policy, and in justice and home affairs. Passport control and
customs checks between many member states were abolished under the
Schengen Agreement.

With over 492 million citizens the EU generates an estimated nominal GDP of
€8.6 ($10.7) trillion in 2007. It represents its members in the WTO and observes
the G8 summits. Twenty EU countries are members of NATO. Important
institutions of the EU include the European Commission, the European
Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Council, the
European Court of Justice and the European Central Bank. EU citizens elect the
Parliament every five years.

Great Fire of London

The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the
central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to
Wednesday, 5 September 1666.

The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall. It
threatened, but did not reach, the aristocratic district of Westminster, Charles
II's Palace of Whitehall, and most of the suburban slums. It consumed 13,200
houses, 87 parish churches, St Paul's Cathedral and most of the buildings of the
City authorities. It is estimated to have destroyed the homes of 70,000 of the
City's 80,000 inhabitants.

The death toll is unknown but traditionally thought to have been small, as only
six verified deaths were recorded. This reasoning has recently been challenged
on the grounds that the deaths of poor and middle-class people were not
recorded, while the heat of the fire may have cremated many victims leaving no
recognisable remains. A melted piece of pottery on display at the Museum of
London found by archaeologists in Pudding Lane, where the fire started, shows
that the temperature reached 1700 °C.

The Great Fire started at the bakery of Thomas Farriner (or Farynor) on Pudding
Lane, shortly after midnight on Sunday, 2 September, and spread rapidly west
across the City of London. The use of the major firefighting technique of the
time, the creation of firebreaks by means of demolition, was critically delayed
owing to the indecisiveness of the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Thomas Bloodworth.
By the time large-scale demolitions were ordered on Sunday night, the wind had
already fanned the bakery fire into a firestorm which defeated such measures.

The fire pushed north on Monday into the heart of the City. Order in the streets
broke down as rumours arose of suspicious foreigners setting fires. The fears of
the homeless focused on the French and Dutch, England's enemies in the ongoing
Second Anglo-Dutch War; these substantial immigrant groups became victims of
lynchings and street violence. On Tuesday, the fire spread over most of the City,
destroying St Paul's Cathedral and leaping the River Fleet to threaten Charles II's
court at Whitehall, while coordinated firefighting efforts were simultaneously
mobilising. The battle to quench the fire is considered to have been won by two
factors: the strong east winds died down, and the Tower of London garrison used
gunpowder to create effective firebreaks to halt further spread eastward.
The social and economic problems created by the disaster were overwhelming.
Evacuation from London and resettlement elsewhere were strongly encouraged
by Charles II, who feared a London rebellion amongst the dispossessed refugees.
Despite numerous radical proposals, London was reconstructed on essentially the
same street plan used before the fire.

Wembley Stadium

Wembley Stadium (or simply Wembley) is a football stadium located in Wembley,

north west London, which opened in 2007 on the site of the old Wembley
stadium. The 90,000 capacity venue is second largest stadium in Europe, and
serves as England's national stadium. It is the home venue of the England national
football team, and hosts the latter stages of the top level domestic club cup
competition, the FA Cup. It is owned by English football's governing body, the
Football Association (The FA) through their subsidiary Wembley National Stadium
Ltd (WNSL). The old Wembley stadium, which opened in 1923 as the Empire
Stadium, often referred to as "The Home of Football", was one of the world's
most famous football stadiums until its demolition in 2003.

Designed by Foster and Partners and Populous, the new Wembley is the largest
and tallest stadium in the world, and includes a partially retractable roof. A
signature feature of the stadium, following on from the the old Wembley's
distinctive Twin Towers, is the 134 metres (440 ft) high Wembley Arch. With a
span of 317 metres (1,040 ft), this steel arch is the longest single span roof
structure in the world. The stadium was built by Australian firm Multiplex at a
cost of £798 million. The old Wembley closed in October 2000, with demolition
originally intended for that December and the new stadium due to open in 2003.
After delays to the project, the old Wembley was not completely demolished
until 2003, with the new stadium scheduled to open in time for the 2006 FA Cup
Final. After further delays, the stadium was delivered nearly a year late, leading
to legal disputes between WNSL and Multiplex, who ultimately made a significant
loss on the project. The stadium was handed over on 9 March 2007, in time to
host the 2007 FA Cup Final.

In international football, the stadium is a central component of the English 2018

and 2022 FIFA World Cup bids. In 2012 it will also host the football finals of the
London Olympics. In club football, the stadium also hosts the showpiece season
opening game the FA Community Shield match, played in August between the
winners of the FA Cup and the top-level Premier League. In February, it also
hosts the final of the England's other top level cup tournament, the Football
League Trophy. At the end of the domestic season the stadium also hosts the
latter stages of the Football League play-offs. In European football, it is due to
host the 2011 Champions League Final. In friendly tournaments, since 2009 it has
been the venue of the summer Wembley Cup. Outside of football, the stadium
also hosts major rugby games, such as the Rugby League Challenge Cup. The
stadium is also an annual regular season venue for the American National
Football League's International Series, the first such venue outside North
America. Non-sporting uses include large concerts by artists such as U2 and
Madonna, as well as hosting in July 2007 the Concert for Diana and Live Earth.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from
the Wikipedia article "Wembley Stadium". You can explore more on the Wikipedia website.
The text and the images are used here only for educational purposes.

Questions about the text

1. For its capacity, Wembley Stadium is the

largest stadium in the world.

second largest stadium in the world.

second largest stadium in Europe.

2. The old stadium was demolished in 2003.

True.

False.

We don't know.

3. The stadium will be used in the 2018 Olympics.

True.

False.

We don't know.
4. All the Football League matches are held there.

True.

False.

We don't know.

5. Rugby is also played there.

True.

False.

We don't know.

GRAMMAR EXE

A group of employees started a protest outside the "Bright" plastic company

yesterday, causing a huge traffic jam in the area. It (know) last

week that more than 80 workers would be dismissed in the next days.

The general manager confirmed that the factory needs to reduce costs. During

last year, the company (have) to face the economic crisis by

slowing down the production.

Their budget has been very tight since then, and now they (need)

to make new adjustments.

"We (only, tell) about this a few days ago," said John Tylor,

representing the workfoce.

"It was a complete surprise for us all. They (should, inform) us

about the situation before and try to get to a better solution. But instead they

(decide) to give the sack to a large number of workers."

"Since the factory was opened in 2005, new people (hire) every

month. Now, all of a sudden they want to get rid of almost half of their

workforce. How are these people going to live on, pay their mortgages, find a

job? It's about time companies such as this (start) thinking about

the effects of their policies on local communities."

When the general manager (ask) what was being done to help

the dismissed employees, he declared: "We (make) every effort

over the last month to keep every job and every position, but unfortunately ths

situation has gone out of control and there's nothing else that we can do. We will

eventually pay double compensation for dismissal and send letters of

recommendation to other companies that may be interested in hiring our trained

professional people."

Sarah and Peter (buy) a new house last year.

Nevertheless, they (move) there only two months ago.

The problem was that the house (be) very old and quite dirty.

They (have) to clean and repair it.

The couple (save) money for several months before they finally

(start) the renovation works.

Peter (want) to build a new garage for his car but Sarah

(tell) him that it was unnecessary.

However, if they (have) more money, they (do)

it.

VOCABULARY
Phrasal verbs

Fill in the blanks with phrasal verbs.

r
1. I my teacher at the cinema yesterday.

m
2. That's not true, you the story!

l
3. If you don't understand, the word in the dictionary.

g
4. Hey, don't now! You're almost finished!

r
5. Our cat and we never found her again.
 p
6. The fire was by the firemen.

l
7. What are you ? Maybe I can help you find it.

VOCABULARY
Phrasal verbs

Fill in the blanks with phrasal verbs.

br
1. Our computer last week and we cannot still use it.

wr
2. I still have to the Christmas presents.

hu
3. Come on, ! You're getting late to school!

lo
4. I can't go out tonight, I have to my little brother.

tu
5. When you go to sleep, don't forget to the lights.

tu
6. Will you please the volume? I can't hear very well.

tu
7. Peter was invited to the party but he didn't .

Fill in the blanks with any word

In April 1896, an Irishman the name of John Pius Boland was in Athens

visiting the famous German archaelogist, Schliemann, it came to his

ears that there was a sporting event place in the city. Being a keen

tennis player, he decided to investigate further and discovered his

surprise that the event in question was none other the first ever

Modern Olympic Games and that a variety of events it included a

tennis tournament.

Being only of modest standard, he borrowed a pair of white trousers and a

racquet, entered and won the gold medal. Encouraged by his success, he teamed

up in the men's doubles a German, Fritz Krauern, and won that too,

entering in the record books the first man to share an Olympic gold

medal with one of another nationality.

"The important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning taking part,"

declared the founder of the Modern Olympics.

Doubtless anyone who fought well and won in those first Games felt every

bit satisfied with their achievements as any of today's competitors.

By the way, the victory podium, along flags and national anthems,

was not introduced ………….. the Los Angeles Games of 1932.

Read the text and decide which answer best fits each gap.

Versión para imprimir

Teenagers feel that it's rather difficult to get a job after (1)...................

school. In general they feel disappointed (2)................ this situation.

However, many of them end (3)............ getting a decent job after all.

At first, they believe that it will be difficult for them to (4)............. with it,

specially if they are still studying at university. But then, they realize that in the

end it's not as hard as they thought.

On the one (5)................, the possibility of working gives them freedom and

independence. On the (6)................, they develop professional skills that can

only be acquired at work.

Nevertheless, it's important that the new job doesn't stress them (7)...........

If at any moment the situation gets difficult and they are (8)................. a lot

of stress, they should consider working part-time. This is a good alternative to be

able to work and study (9)................. the same time. And it offers the

opportunity to (10)................ the benefits like any other job.

1. finishing
end
abandon
going out

2. for
about
on
 to

3. by
with
up
as

4. go
start
cope
work

5. side
part
hand
job

6. other
another
side
hand

7. up
down
out
off

8. on
under
down
in

9. in
 by
at
for

10. get
reap
like
use

Complete the transformations using the word given.

1. My boss tries really hard to help me.

effort

My boss really to help me.

2. It's a lot easier to sell a car when it's in perfect conditions.

much

You can sell a car when it's in perfect conditions.

3. Sheila was too tired to read the book.

that

Sheila was she could not read the book.

4. You must wear a helmet when riding a motorbike.

all

Helmets must be worn when riding a motorbike.

5. He was told to wait there by the secretary.

who

It was the secretary to wait there.

6. London is more modern than Liverpool.

as

Liverpool is London.

7. She took an umbrella but it was not necessary.

taken

She an umbrella.

8. As the company representative I'd like to welcome you.

behalf

I'd like to welcome you the company.

9. You should buy a new computer.

were

If , I would buy a new computer.

10. The police found out he wasn't responsible for the accident.

fault

The accident was .

Word building

1. He claimed that his (bring up) had caused him to become a

criminal.

2. I am tired of your (child) behaviour. When are you going to grow

up?

3. It was a difficult (pregnant) and she almost lost the baby.

4. She was shocked to find out she had been (adopt) .

5. He is thinking of taking early (retire) next year.

6. You would hardly think that she has two (teen) girls. She looks so

young!

7. They were sent to an (orphan) run by nuns.

8. (adolescent) is traditionally a time when parents and children don't

get on very well with each other.

9. (child) is a time that is supposed to be free of worries.

10. He was given a light sentence because of his (young) .