Prepare 8 reading 1 term

Living in a small town and a big city

We used to live in Turin, a big city in the north of Italy. It was very exciting, with lots of things to do, but living in the city can be expensive. At the weekend, we often went to the park for a picnic, but there were always lots of people and the children couldn’t play football there. Sometimes, we went to the museum. We all enjoyed learning about art and history. Other times, we went to the shopping centre to buy new clothes.

My husband worked in an office downtown, not too far from where we lived, but driving to work every day was a problem. The car park was always full and he didn’t know where to leave his car. It was much easier to take the bus! I used to work at a factory making tomato sauce. It was just outside the city so I drove my car there, after dropping the children off to school.

Two years ago, we moved from Turin to a small town near the countryside. We sold our city apartment and we bought a house with a big garden. There are many trees near us and we hear the birds singing. That’s the kind of life we wanted! I now work at the town’s post office, sending letters and selling stamps, and my husband now works in a smaller office in the town hall, where he writes important emails.

There aren’t many restaurants or big shops in this small town, but there are other things to do. We visit the library more often because we spend more time reading. We take long walks to see old buildings. There’s even a castle, and the children think there’s a king living in it! It’s an important tourist attraction and many people come to see it. We grow our fruit and vegetables in our big garden–we don’t buy them at the market anymore!

City life was busy and stressful for all of us. Life now is slower and I was worried: what will the children think? It was a big change and the first few weeks were difficult, but they love it here now. Of course, we miss the city sometimes, but we prefer our life here.

Where did the family use to live before?

Living in a small town and a big city

We used to live in Turin, a big city in the north of Italy. It was very exciting, with lots of things to do, but living in the city can be expensive. At the weekend, we often went to the park for a picnic, but there were always lots of people and the children couldn’t play football there. Sometimes, we went to the museum. We all enjoyed learning about art and history. Other times, we went to the shopping centre to buy new clothes.

My husband worked in an office downtown, not too far from where we lived, but driving to work every day was a problem. The car park was always full and he didn’t know where to leave his car. It was much easier to take the bus! I used to work at a factory making tomato sauce. It was just outside the city so I drove my car there, after dropping the children off to school.

Two years ago, we moved from Turin to a small town near the countryside. We sold our city apartment and we bought a house with a big garden. There are many trees near us and we hear the birds singing. That’s the kind of life we wanted! I now work at the town’s post office, sending letters and selling stamps, and my husband now works in a smaller office in the town hall, where he writes important emails.

There aren’t many restaurants or big shops in this small town, but there are other things to do. We visit the library more often because we spend more time reading. We take long walks to see old buildings. There’s even a castle, and the children think there’s a king living in it! It’s an important tourist attraction and many people come to see it. We grow our fruit and vegetables in our big garden–we don’t buy them at the market anymore!

City life was busy and stressful for all of us. Life now is slower and I was worried: what will the children think? It was a big change and the first few weeks were difficult, but they love it here now. Of course, we miss the city sometimes, but we prefer our life here.

Why was living in Turin expensive?

READ THE TEXT AND MATCH THE HEADING TO PARAGRAPH (A)

(A) A flood can be described as a large amount of water covering an area that is usually dry. When floods happen every year, people are ready for them. But many people (and governments) do not prepare properly.

(B) Some rivers in Bangladesh and India flood every year. People expect it, so there is no panic. When the floods go down, there are lots of minerals on the soil. They can grow good plants.

(C) Floods occur when there's a lot of rain often along with strong winds. The water in rivers, lakes or the ocean rises above its normal level and goes onto the land covering roads and homes.This can often be the result of global warming and melting of the Arctic ice caps.

(D) When the floods are a surprise, many people can drown. Every year people lose their houses and their furniture, their pets or farm animals. Floods cause a lot of damage to private and public transport. It often takes a long time for houses to get completely dry and suitable for living after the flood.

(E) In many cases dams can reduce floods. There are often ’flood warnings’ on the radio that help people prepare in advance. In some cases, people have to evacuate to stay safe.

READ THE TEXT AND MATCH THE HEADING TO PARAGRAPH (B)

(A) A flood can be described as a large amount of water covering an area that is usually dry. When floods happen every year, people are ready for them. But many people (and governments) do not prepare properly.

(B) Some rivers in Bangladesh and India flood every year. People expect it, so there is no panic. When the floods go down, there are lots of minerals on the soil. They can grow good plants.

(C) Floods occur when there's a lot of rain often along with strong winds. The water in rivers, lakes or the ocean rises above its normal level and goes onto the land covering roads and homes.This can often be the result of global warming and melting of the Arctic ice caps.

(D) When the floods are a surprise, many people can drown. Every year people lose their houses and their furniture, their pets or farm animals. Floods cause a lot of damage to private and public transport. It often takes a long time for houses to get completely dry and suitable for living after the flood.

(E) In many cases dams can reduce floods. There are often ’flood warnings’ on the radio that help people prepare in advance. In some cases, people have to evacuate to stay safe.

READ THE TEXT AND MATCH THE HEADING TO PARAGRAPH (C)

(A) A flood can be described as a large amount of water covering an area that is usually dry. When floods happen every year, people are ready for them. But many people (and governments) do not prepare properly.

(B) Some rivers in Bangladesh and India flood every year. People expect it, so there is no panic. When the floods go down, there are lots of minerals on the soil. They can grow good plants.

(C) Floods occur when there's a lot of rain often along with strong winds. The water in rivers, lakes or the ocean rises above its normal level and goes onto the land covering roads and homes.This can often be the result of global warming and melting of the Arctic ice caps.

(D) When the floods are a surprise, many people can drown. Every year people lose their houses and their furniture, their pets or farm animals. Floods cause a lot of damage to private and public transport. It often takes a long time for houses to get completely dry and suitable for living after the flood.

(E) In many cases dams can reduce floods. There are often ’flood warnings’ on the radio that help people prepare in advance. In some cases, people have to evacuate to stay safe.

READ THE TEXT AND MATCH THE HEADING TO PARAGRAPH (D)

(A) A flood can be described as a large amount of water covering an area that is usually dry. When floods happen every year, people are ready for them. But many people (and governments) do not prepare properly.

(B) Some rivers in Bangladesh and India flood every year. People expect it, so there is no panic. When the floods go down, there are lots of minerals on the soil. They can grow good plants.

(C) Floods occur when there's a lot of rain often along with strong winds. The water in rivers, lakes or the ocean rises above its normal level and goes onto the land covering roads and homes.This can often be the result of global warming and melting of the Arctic ice caps.

(D) When the floods are a surprise, many people can drown. Every year people lose their houses and their furniture, their pets or farm animals. Floods cause a lot of damage to private and public transport. It often takes a long time for houses to get completely dry and suitable for living after the flood.

(E) In many cases dams can reduce floods. There are often ’flood warnings’ on the radio that help people prepare in advance. In some cases, people have to evacuate to stay safe.

READ THE TEXT AND MATCH THE HEADING TO PARAGRAPH (E)

(A) A flood can be described as a large amount of water covering an area that is usually dry. When floods happen every year, people are ready for them. But many people (and governments) do not prepare properly.

(B) Some rivers in Bangladesh and India flood every year. People expect it, so there is no panic. When the floods go down, there are lots of minerals on the soil. They can grow good plants.

(C) Floods occur when there's a lot of rain often along with strong winds. The water in rivers, lakes or the ocean rises above its normal level and goes onto the land covering roads and homes.This can often be the result of global warming and melting of the Arctic ice caps.

(D) When the floods are a surprise, many people can drown. Every year people lose their houses and their furniture, their pets or farm animals. Floods cause a lot of damage to private and public transport. It often takes a long time for houses to get completely dry and suitable for living after the flood.

(E) In many cases dams can reduce floods. There are often ’flood warnings’ on the radio that help people prepare in advance. In some cases, people have to evacuate to stay safe.

Most people today cannot imagine their life without the Internet.The majority of us believe it is one of the most important innovations.Thanks to the worldwide web, our lives have become easier and more exciting.

First of all, the Internet helps us to find information easy and quickly. For example, we can read the news and find answers to questions 24 hours a day.

In addition, we can use the Net for entertainment. We can send emails to friends and shop online.We can listen to the latest music and watch live sporting events from other parts of the world.

However, some people argue that the Internet has a negative effect on society. The Internet users become less sociable.They stay at home most of the day instead of going out to walk, work or meet friends.

But apparently, it's the greatest invention with both its advantages and disadvantages.

Choose the correct item to complete the gap.

Most people nowadays _____

Most people today cannot imagine their life without the Internet.The majority of us believe it is one of the most important innovations.Thanks to the worldwide web, our lives have become easier and more exciting.

First of all,the Internet helps us to find information easy and quickly.For example,we can read the news and find answers to questions 24 hours a day.

In addition, we can use the Net for entertainment. We can send emails to friends and shop online.We can listen to the latest music and watch live sporting events from other parts of the world.

However, some people argue that the Internet has a negative effect on society. The Internet users become less sociable.They stay at home most of the day instead of going out to walk,work or meet friends.

But apparently,it's the greatest invention with both its advantages and disadvantages.

Choose the correct item to complete the gap.

Thanks to the worldwide web, our lives have become ____________.

Most people today cannot imagine their life without the Internet.The majority of us believe it is one of the most important innovations.Thanks to the worldwide web, our lives have become easier and more exciting.

First of all, the Internet helps us to find information easy and quickly. For example, we can read the news and find answers to questions 24 hours a day.

In addition, we can use the Net for entertainment.We can send emails to friends and shop online. We can listen to the latest music and watch live sporting events from other parts of the world.

However, some people argue that the Internet has a negative effect on society. The Internet users become less sociable.They stay at home most of the day instead of going out to walk, work or meet friends.

But apparently, it's the greatest invention with both its advantages and disadvantages.

Choose the correct item to complete the gap.

The Internet is important mostly because ____________________.

Chris, Belgium.

I prefer magazines over books because I just cannot spend that much time reading a book. It takes just too much time, and a magazine, well you can read it on the toilet. You can read it on the train. You can read it in the car if you have to wait for somebody. It's much nicer. Time passes by and you don't have to invest that much time, like for example if you would have to read a whole book.

Why doesn’t Chris read books?

Buddhi, Sri Lanka.

Do I prefer books or magazines? I'll say magazines because I don't like to read for too long. I actually don't read for too long, so I prefer short articles or something interesting that would finish quickly. I don't like to read for too long. I know that's a bad habit. I’ve got to work on it but I prefer magazines.

What does Buddhi like in magazines?

Tom, the UK.

I read a lot of books. Magazines ... uh, very pretty and they look nice on the shelf but I almost never look through them. I'm not interested in the advertising, but give me a good book, and I can read it for hours and hours.

What doesn’t Tom like in magazines?

Aiste, Lithuania.

I think books are really nicer to read, at present I read most books from my major area, and as about magazines, so most of the time I don't read magazines. I just take them and scan them while checking out the pictures and what the major topic out if is it but about reading, I think it's a little bit too shallow.

What books does Aiste read at present?

Chrystal, the USA.

I prefer both. Actually, I like both, but then if I were to choose, I would choose magazines because they're easier and books are ... honestly, they're boring. I fall asleep all the time. They say that magazines are not good for your imagination, so it's really good to read books more when you're a child, but I don't think that's quite necessarily true because magazines also provide a good pictures and colors and I think it's better for imagination.

How can we understand that books are boring for Chrystal?

David, Kenya.

What do I prefer between books or magazines? I'm more into magazines because they're interesting and easy to follow. Both, they are good but you know you have to go to ... I have to go to like a deeper level to it and sometimes it's boring for me.

What does David prefer?