By Pamela Linwood

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Bats! [A2 PRE-INTERMEDIATE]

GETTING STARTED
A - Before you start
Answer the questions with a partner.
1) What do you know about bats?
2) Do you ever see bats near your house?
3) Are they a protected species in Spain?

READING
B Read and answer
Read these statements and write T (true)
or F (false).
1) The bats of Austin fly out in the evening and return
to the bridge in the morning.
2) The bats are mostly females.
3) There were no bats in Austin before 1980.
4) The show lasts for hours.
5) The bats cause damage to agriculture.
6) Visitors to the bridge can buy souvenirs with
pictures of bats on them.
7) You need an umbrella because it often rains
in Austin.
8) The bats fly out at exactly the same time
every evening.

C Read and answer D Learn it! Use it!

Read the article and the fact file and answer the
questions.
1) What are the bats looking for when they fly
out every evening?
2) Where do they arrive from in spring?
3) Where do the females make their nests?
4) Why did the number of bats increase after 1980?
5) What wrong ideas did people have about bats
in the past?
6) What financial advantages do the bats bring to
the countryside and the town?
7) When do baby bats become independent?
8) What unpleasant characteristic do bats have?
Complete these sentences with words from the
glossary. (You may have to adapt the word in some
way, e.g. change the verb tense.)
1) I think its going to rain. Look at those dark
________ in the sky.
2) Youll never manage to lose ________ if you keep
eating chocolate bars.
3) These cut flowers are already dead. They didnt
________ very long.
4) Our dog wont hurt you. He looks ferocious but
hes really ________.
5) Theres no room for a table and chairs in this
kitchen. Its too ________.

Answers on page 6 one 1

6) You cant wear those socks. Theyre full of ________. take an umbrella with 9________. I expect you can
7) My cats very old but hes still able to ________ imagine 10________!
mice.
8) Female gorillas usually ________ ________ to one AFTER YOU READ

baby gorilla. Twins are rare. F Check your pronunciation

One of the four words in each group has a different
KET EXAM PRACTICE vowel sound. Which one?
E Ready for KET? (Paper 1, Reading and 1) fly time bridge buy
Writing: Part 7) 2) search farmer return birth
Complete this email. Write one word for each space. 3) hair there their near
Hi Karen, 4) people live eat deep
Im 1________ you this email from Austin, Texas. 5) habitat save sale dangerous
We arrived here at 10.30 2_________ night. This
morning we walked around 3________ town and H Talk about it
visited a couple of museums. Then we 4________ In pairs or groups.
lunch in a great Tex-Mex restaurant. This evening 1) Are you afraid of bats? If so, why?
were going to Congress Avenue Bridge 5________ 2) What would you do if you found a bat flying
see the famous bats. They say 6________ are around in your house?
millions of them. My little brother isnt very happy 3) What other animals or insects are many
about going because he 7________ frightened of people afraid of?
bats. At the tourist office, they 8________ us to 4) Can you think of any reasons why?

The Garden of Ireland [B2 UPPER INTERMEDIATE]

GETTING STARTED

A - Before you start

Answer the questions with a partner.
1) There are many famous European garden designs
of the 16th century. Do you know any of them? What
did they contain besides plants?
2) Are there any formal gardens in your region?
3) If so, have you ever visited them?

READING

B Read and answer

Read the main article and answer the questions
1) Where is Powerscourt?
2) What can you see there, apart from trees and plants.
3) What natural landmark can you see from
Powerscourt? LISTENING

4) What was there on this site in medieval times?
5) Who became the owner of Powerscourt in the
17th century? How?
6) When did Daniel Robertson design the present
gardens?
7) Why wasnt Powerscourt opened to visitors in
the 1970s?
8) When was it eventually opened to the public?
C Listen and answer (Optional)
N.B. This interview is graded as C1, so dont
be discouraged if you find it difficult. Try to
understand the main points.
Read these statements. Then listen to the interview
with Michael Byrne, without reading, and write T
(true) or F (false).
1) There are few beautiful gardens in Ireland.

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2) It took over 30 years to complete the gardens
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at Powerscourt.
3) The Italian garden was modelled on the garden
of a villa in Rome.
4) Machines were used for the heavy work of
digging out the gardens.
5) Lord Powerscourt wanted to see the Sugar Loaf
Mountain while he was having breakfast.
6) Tinks Trail is designed to help children explore
the gardens.
7) Michael Byrne studied Agriculture at university
in England.
8) His first job was in a bank.

D Listen, read and check your answers

Listen to the interview while reading the text.(If you
did Exercise C, check your answers while reading.)

E Learn it! Use it!

Complete these sentences with words from the
glossary. (You may have to adapt the word in some
way; e.g. change the verb tense or change from
plural to singular.)
1) Last year, during a storm, lightning ________ the
tower and damaged it.
2) The outdoor swimming pool is open from June
________.
3) Our dog often ________ holes in the garden to
bury his bones.
4) If you follow this ________ through the forest, youll
get to a little village.
5) Lees tortoise fell down the garden steps and prove/do). There are historic sites and houses to
broke its ________. visit and lots of outdoor activities, 7_________ (as/
6) The owner of the lost bag is offering a ________ to like/such/how) horseriding, golf and hillwalking.
anyone who finds it. 8
_________ (Little/Much/No/Few) people know
that County Wicklow 9_________ (is/was /has/did)
FCE EXAM PRACTICE often been used as a film location. Excalibur and
F Ready for PET? (Paper 1, Reading: Part 5) Braveheart are just two of the movies 10_________
Choose the correct word in brackets for each (who/than/that/what) were filmed there.
space
If you are going to Ireland this summer, make AFTER YOU READ AND LISTEN

sure you dont 1_________ (lose/catch /miss/drop) G Talk about it

visiting County Wicklow. The county is 2_________
(thought/known /called/named) as the garden of
Ireland 3_________ (for/because /cause/instead)
of its beautiful scenery. There are hills, lakes, and
waterfalls, as well 4_________ (as/for/with/too) large
sandy beaches.
There are also 5_________ (many/much /plenty/
very) of things for visitors to 6_________ (make/go/
In pairs or groups.
1) Do you like visiting gardens? Why (not)?
2) Have you ever done any gardening or grown any
plants?
3) If so, have you got green fingers? (Are you good
at looking after plants?)
4) What are the advantages/disadvantages of
working in the open air?

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Toms Guide to London [B1 INTERMEDIATE]

GETTING STARTED
A - Before you start
Answer the questions with a partner.
1) Do you like sightseeing? Why (not)?
2) When youre visiting a place, how do you decide
what to go and see?
3) What are the main tourist attractions in your
own area?

READING

B Read and answer

Read the main article and answer the questions.
1) What is the purpose of Tom Joness blog?
2) What did it lead to?
3) What made Tom start the blog?
4) What does he think of London?
5) Who did the research for the blog?
6) In what way is the blog different from a travel guide?
a) True.
LISTENING b) False.
C Listen and answer (Optional) c) He doesnt say.
N.B. This interview is graded as C1, so dont 6) London isnt an easy city for people who
be discouraged if you find it difficult. Try to dont want to spend a lot.
understand the main points. a) True.
Read these statements. Then listen to the interview b) False.
with Tom Jones, without reading, and choose the c) Tom doesnt say.
correct option.
1) The saying When a man is tired of London, D Listen, read and check your answers
he is tired of life was first pronounced by Listen to the interview while reading the text.(If you
a) Tom Jones. did Exercise C, check your answers while reading.)
b) James Boswell.
c) Samuel Johnson. E Learn it! Use it!
2) Tom Joness book contains Complete these sentences with words from the
a) 356 suggestions. glossary. (You may have to adapt the word in some
b) 365 suggestions. way; e.g. change the verb tense.)
c) 366 suggestions. 1) People born on 29th February, only have a
3) The suggestions are organised according to birthday during a _______ _______.
how much they cost. 2) Our cat ________ to the top of a tree in the
a) True. garden and couldnt get down again.
b) False. 3) There are ________ people waiting at the bus
c) Tom doesnt say. stop. Dont they know theres a bus strike?
4) Tom says choosing one thing to do in London is 4) Jacks very ________. He doesnt spend much.
a) very difficult. He puts most of his money in the bank.
b) very easy. 5) That caf is ________ to be the best in town, but
c) quite easy. we thought the service was awful.
5) He intentionally chose things that dont cost 6) Although this candidate hasnt had much
very much. experience, I think we should give him a ________.

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 PET EXAM PRACTICE
F Ready for PET? (Paper 1: Reading, Part 5)
Choose the correct word in brackets for each space.
Samuel Johnson, often 1_________ (called/known/
named/calls) simply as Dr Johnson, was an English
writer and critic who lived in the 18th century. He is
2
_________ (very/much/highly/best) known for his
Dictionary of the English Language.
Johnson was the son of a bookseller. He was an
intelligent child and was sent to a grammar school,
where he was very good 3_________ (at/in/for/
about) Latin. Later he went to Oxford University, but
he 4_________ (did/could/was/is) not able to finish
his course because his parents couldnt continue to
pay for his 5_________ (instruction/education/study/
lesson).
After working 6_________ (like/as/to/at) a teacher
for a short time, he went to London and began
writing articles for magazines. In 1747, a group of
printers 7_________ (asked/told/made/required) him
to write a dictionary. It 8_________ (spent/needed/
took/got) him eight years to complete it.
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In 1763, Johnson met James Boswell, a young
Scottish lawyer and they spent a lot of time travelling
together. After Johnsons 9_________ (died/dead/
dying/death) in 1784, Boswell wrote his famous
biography, Life of Samuel Johnson, 10_________
(which/what/who/whose) was published in 1791
and became the most famous biography in the
English language.
AFTER YOU READ AND LISTEN
G Talk about it
In pairs or groups.
1) Are you tired of living in your home town? If so,
why?
2) Do you know your town or region very well?
3) If you had to write a travel blog about your town
or region, what would you include in it?
4) What things can a tourist do there without
spending a lot of money?
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Answers habitat for the bats.
5) They thought they were pests
and that they were dangerous
BATS! and flew into peoples hair.
B Read and answer 6) The farmers save money on
1) T pesticides because the bats eat
2) T 5,000 to 10,000 kilos of insects
3) F- There have always been bats every night. The town makes $10
in Austin. million every year from the tour-
4) F It lasts for an hour. ists that come to see the bats.
5) F Its the insects that damage 7) When they are five weeks old.
crops, not the bats. 8) They smell.
6) T
7) F You need an umbrella, but D Learn it! Use it!
not for the rain: it is to protect you 1) clouds
from bat excrement. 2) weight 5) to
8) F The Bat Hotline will tell 3) last 6) there
you what time the bats will come 4) harmless 7) is
out. 5) narrow 8) told/advised
6) holes 9) us
C Read and answer 7) catch 10) why
1) They are looking for food. 8) give birth
2) They arrive from Mexico. F Check your pronunciation
3) In the holes or deep openings E Ready for KET? 1) bridge
in the bridge. 1) writing/sending 2) farmer
4) Because they restored the 2) last 3) near
bridge in 1980 and made deep 3) the 4) live
openings which were a perfect 4) had/ate 5) habitat

THE GARDEN OF IRELAND E Learn it! Use it!

B Read and answer 1) struck
1) Its in County Wicklow. 2) onwards
2) There are sculptures in stone and 3) digs
metal, lakes, and a Pets Cemetery. 4) path
3) You can see the Sugar Loaf 5) shell
Mountain. 6) reward
4) There was a castle.
5) Richard Wingfield. Queen Eliza- F Ready for PET?
beth I gave it to him as a reward 1) miss
after a victorious battle. 2) known
6) In the 19th century. 2) T 3) because
7) A fire destroyed the house. 3) F It was modelled on the gar- 4) as
8) In 1997. den of a villa in Sicily. 5) plenty
4) F It was all done by hand. 6) do
D Listen, read and check your 5) T 7) like
answers 6) T 8) Few
1) F There are plenty of beauti- 7) F He studied finance. 9) has
ful gardens in Ireland. 8) T 10) that

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TOMS GUIDE 4) a
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TO LONDON 5) b
B Read and answer 6) b
1) Its purpose is to make its read-
ers appreciate all that London has E Learn it! Use it!
to offer. 1) leap year
2) It led to a book, which was pub- 2) climbed
lished last year. 3) several
3) He felt that he was doing the 4) thrifty
same thing every day and decided 5) supposed
he wanted to get the most out of 6) chance
London.
4) He thinks its the greatest city on F Ready for PET?
earth. 1) known
5) He did it himself. 2) best
6) It doesnt talk about the stand- 3) at
ard tourist attractions. 4) was
5) education
D Listen, read and check your 6) as
answers 7) asked
1) c 8) took
2) c 9) death
3) b 10) which

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