A. GRAMMAR
I. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct infinitive or –ing form.
1. A: How about ... going ... (go) to the shops this afternoon?
B: Great! I need ... to buy ... (buy) a new dress for the party.
2. A: Costas has promised ................................................... (help) me with my homework.
B: That was nice of him .................................................... (offer)!
3. A: I’m hungry. Is there anything ....................................... (eat)?
B: There are some sandwiches in the fridge. Help yourself.
4. A: Dan can’t stand ........................................................... (drive) to work every morning.
B: Then he should consider ............................................. (take) the train.
5. A: How do you know that Paola took the letter?
B: I saw her ...................................................................... (put) it in her bag.
6. A: Why do you keep .......................................................... (look) at your watch?
B: Because I have an appointment and I don’t want ................................................. (be) late.
7. A: Is Ben in his room?
B: Yes, I’ve just heard him ............................................... (talk) on his mobile.
8. A: It was really nice of Jeff and Sally ................................................... (help) us move house. B: Yes, we are lucky ......................................................... (have) such good friends.
II. Fill in the correct infinitive tense.
9. A: What would you like ... to do ... (do) tonight?
B: Let’s ............................................. (go) to an Italian restaurant.
10. A: What’s Liz doing?
B: She seems ................................................................... (look) for something in her bag.
11. A: Alan has been offered a new job!
B: No, he hasn't. He just pretended .............................................................(offer) a new job.
12. A: Colin claims .................................................................. (meet) lots of famous people.
B: I know, but I don't believe him.
13. A: Look at those two men outside. What are they doing?
B: They appear ................................................................ (empty) the rubbish bins.
14. A: Would you like to go to the cinema tonight?
B: Not really. I would prefer .............................................................. (go) to the theatre.
15. A: Tara seems ................................................................. (work) hard all morning.
B: Yes, she hasn’t even stopped for a cup of coffee.
16. A: Why is Tom at work so early this morning?
B: He wants ......................................................... (finish) early so that he can go to the concert tonight.
III.Underline the correct preposition and fill in the gaps with the –ing form of the verb in brackets.
17. He is ill. He is complaining with/about ............................................. (have) a headache.
18. Marcus went out instead for/of ……………………………………… (do) his homework.
19. Tracy was very excited with/about ……………………………………… (go) to the party.
20. I hope you have a good excuse of/for ……………………………………… (be) so late.
21. Sam is interested in/for ……………………………………… (take up) French lessons.
22. You can’t stop him to / from ……………………………………… (take) the job if he wants to.
23. Susie ran because she was worried about/of ……………………………………… (miss) the bus.
24.Thank you to/for ……………………………………… (help) me with my homework.
25. She felt tired because she wasn’t used to/with ……………………………………… (work) so hard.
26. His boss blamed him for/of ……………………………………… (lose) the deal.
27. I am in charge in/of ……………………………………… (make) the Christmas deliveries.
28. We are thinking of/from ……………………………………… (buy) a new car next month.
29. Sandra apologised for/about ……………………………………… (ruin) the performance.
30. Ian was talking with/about ……………………………………… (open) a shop in York.
B. READING
FLASH MOBS – A DIFFERENT KIND OF EVENT
In 2003, an unusually large number of customers arrived without warning in the carpet department of Macy’s Department Store in New York. His assistants couldn’t understand why all of them were so interested in buying exactly the same carpet. In 2006, 4,000 people arrived with MP3 players and headsets at a London railway station and started dancing at a set time. As no music could be heard, this looked very strange. Police were even called to make sure that trains continued to run on time, but when they arrived the dancers had gone.
These are two examples of ‘flash mob' events, when a crowd of people suddenly come together in a public place, perform an unusual action and disappear as quickly as they appeared. They are organised using electronic media such as mobile phones or the internet.
To their fans, flash mobs are simply a chance to have some light-hearted, if rather silly, fun. However, when just under 2,000 people got together in San Francisco for an enormous pillow fight, it ended up costing thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, a heavy rainstorm meant that the city was left covered with wet feathers, which caused streets, shops and a restaurant to be flooded, and ruined the local fountain.
It took several days to put the damage right. Norman Dito, head of the city’s Recreation and Park Department said, ‘In future, organisers of such events should apply for permission beforehand and pay the standard fee to cover security, insurance and cleaning up afterwards. Unfortunately, I’m afraid this is unlikely to happen, since nobody knows who the organisers are, or when or where a flash mob will take place next’.
31. What is the writer’s aim in this text?
A. to complain about a recent flash mob
B. to warn people against going to flash mobs
C. to give advice on how to arrange flash mobs
D. to explain what flash mobs involve
32.The police were called to the London railway station to
A. stop the trains being delayed
B. arrest the dancers
C. make sure no-one was injured
D. prevent people watching the event
33. What does the reader learn about the pillow fight in San Francisco?
A. Videos of what happened appeared on the internet.
B. Local businesses closed before it happened.
C. The city had to spend a lot of money as a result.
D. The crowd cleaned up afterwards.
34. Norman Dito thinks controlling future flash mob events would be impossible because
A. the identity of the organisers is unknown.
B. the preparations would take too long.
C. so many people take part.
D. it would be too expensive.
35. What would a fan of flash mob say?
A. There’s an advertisement in the newspaper about an event in the Central Square on Friday. We can go together if you’re interested.
B. The organisers have made all the safety arrangements for the next event. It’s expensive, but it’ll be worth it.
C. A big crowd is expected at the event. Afterwards, it’ll be great to have a chat with everyone there.
D. It’ll be fantastic fun – nobody is expecting to see us and we’ll disappear before anyone realizes.
III. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form of the infinitive or the -ing form.
1. I suggest calling (call) the cinema to find out what time the film begins.
2. It’s no use trying (try) to make excuses. She won’t believe you.
3. I look forward to see (see) the artwork in the museum’s latest exhibition.
4. She spent a long time talking (talk) on the telephone so she didn’t finish her chores.
5. Fred enjoys listening (listen) to classical music as it helps him relax.
6. To tell you the truth, I don’t know how to dance (dance).
7. We were happy to hear (hear) that Mary is coming to visit us.
8. The couple plan announcing (announce) their engagement later today.
9. Will you let me reading (read) you some parts to tell me if you them?
10. We saw him painting (paint) the fence as we walked past his house.
11. I would have preferred to change (change) my clothes before we went out to dinner.
12. It was so nice of him to spend (send) me flowers.
13. Sandra was the last to perform (perform) at the dance recital.
14. For Bob retiring (retire) at such a young age was unexpected.
15. It’s raining. There’s no point in going (go) out now.
16. Would you be so helpful as carrying (carry) this heavy bag for me?
17. He seems to work (work) hard on a solution to the problem. Don’t interrupt him.
18. He was the first runner to finish (finish) the marathon.
19. We rushed to the station only to arrive (arrive) as the train was leaving.
20. I saw her turning (turn) the corner and disappearing (disappear).