Prepare 9 Units 3-4

You will hear an interview with a girl called Lacey Anderson, who writes a blog about the weather. For each question, choose the correct answer.

1. Why did Lacey decide to write a blog about the weather?

A It seemed like a good way to help her become a TV weather presenter.

B She enjoyed sharing her photos of extreme weather conditions online.

C There was little information available about weather in her area.

2 .What does Lacey think people like about her blog?

A They can follow links to other websites about weather.

B They can upload information about weather in their area.

C They can ask questions about future weather events.

3. When asked about the effects of her blog on readers, Lacey says she feels

A surprised that they take notice of what she suggests.

B pleased that they offer advice based on their experiences.

C excited that they encourage other people to read her blog.

4 Lacey says that her local weather centre has

A given her information that she couldn't find anywhere else.

B saved her a lot of time and effort.

C provided pictures free of charge.

5 Lacey's parents decided to get involved in her blog when

A they got jobs as firefighters.

B Lacey asked them to write an article about forest fires.

C they learned about how a particular fire started.

6 What does Lacey say about the organisations which support her blog?

A Her school allows her to take time out of class to write her blog.

B The local newspaper regularly prints positive reviews of her blog.

C A shop in the area gave her some products to sell through her blog.

Read the article. Choose the correct option for each gap.

KAPITI MINI TORNADO

At about 2 p.m. yesterday, high winds destroyed houses and trees as bad weather hit the Kapiti coast in New Zealand.

The mini tornado was a frightening event that started with rain and wind. The wind blew         [heavier, thicker, harder, darker], the sky went a strange colour and huge balls of ice        [pulled, broke, passed, fell] from the sky. This         [damaged, hurt, injured, lost] a lot of cars and buildings, and wind began to       [hold, lift, climb, rise] the roofs off the houses.

One girl, whose grandfather is the owner of a shop selling things for the garden, was helping her grandmother to      [turn, stay, move, keep] plants back inside the main building when it was hit by the tornado. Fortunately, she was not hurt, though she was very scared by
what happened.

The whole area was          [left, remained, held, dropped] with no power for a long time, and many buildings needed repairs afterwards.

Read the article. Decide if the statements are True or False.

My experience as a SPORTS VOLUNTEER

by Sandie Jones

I volunteer for a netball organisation - netball's a bit like basketball but usually played by women. I've never actually done it - it was offered as a sport at school, but I chose football, instead. I rarely bother to turn the TV on for sports matches, as I don't have a lot of time - I prefer to be out at the weekends and being a volunteer is a great way to do that. I thought it would be interesting to know what netball is.

I do various jobs when I'm volunteering. Matches usually take place on Saturdays, so I arrive early to help check that the court is free of stones or rubbish. Then I prepare drinks and snacks for the players before collecting tickets when spectators start to arrive. There's nothing particularly hard to do, though sometimes I wouldn't mind having a bit more of a challenge - maybe to help sort out the matches themselves, like which teams are playing and when. I think I'd be good at that, but I'm not complaining - I enjoy everything I do!

The matches are great fun and I love watching people who are so good at what they do. I always go home feeling amazed. It doesn't matter to me which team wins, which might sound like a strange thing to say, but the best team always wins on the day and you can't argue with that, even if the players are unhappy about losing. Spectators do look upset sometimes when their team doesn't win, but you can understand that. You'd expect the players to behave well, but sometimes they show that they're annoyed, and that's a pity, because they're all nice people, really.

I'd encourage other people to be a volunteer. It's probably more interesting if you like the sport involved, but it doesn't matter because you'll learn a lot about yourself and other people, and make great friends. This isn't something you can only do if you want to get a job in sport. It's just good fun and you won't have to do anything you don't want to. It's just nice to spend time with people from your town, outside school or college!

Sandie has never played netball, although her school offered it.