UNIT Proficiency

3
Telling stories

Memories Discussing past experiences

LISTENING: Childhood memories

A. Listen to Diana, Rachel, and Sam talk about their best childhood memories.
Match the character with the picture.

B. Complete the following sentences with the correct answer.

1. When Diana got scared about riding the rollercoaster, ___________________

a. she left the line.
b. her father got angry.
c. she didn’t tell anyone.
d. her father asked her to wait in the line a little longer.

2. When Diana and her father got to the front of the line, Diana _____________
a. decided to ride the roller coaster.
b. decided to ride the roller coaster alone.
c. decided not to ride the roller coaster.
d. wanted to wait in line a little longer.

3. When Diana rode the roller coaster, she _________________________

a. thought it was boring.
b. was proud of herself.
c. became sick.
d. did not like it.

4. When Rachel was on the hike, she ________________

a. became tired.
b. got hurt and had to be carried.
c. decided to go back early.
d. asked her mother to carry her.

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5. When Rachel and her family got to the top, _____________________________
a. they enjoyed a beautiful view.
b. they had a picnic.
c. it began to rain.
d. she got bored.

6. When Sam was young, his mother ________________________

a. took him to the library often.
b. read books to him before he went to sleep.
c. wrote books for Sam.
d. didn’t want Sam to read too much.

7. When Sam got in middle school, his mother _____________________

a. did not read books to him anymore.
b. helped him become a good student.
c. gave him many books to read.
d. asked him to read books to her.

GRAMMAR: Simple past

Be verbs
I You
He was late to class. We were on time to class
She They
It

Regular verbs: Add -ed* Irregular verbs**

ask I asked him for help.
look They looked for him for hours.
play I played games all night.
learn We learned this in high school.
seem You seemed tired yesterday.
include She included me in the email.
want He wanted you to come.
arrive → arrived move → moved
fry → fried try → tried
stop → stopped jog → jogged
eat → ate You ate all the food!
come → came She came late again.
find → found I found my keys.
get → got He got a good grade.
give → gave We gave him the book.
go → went I went there yesterday.
have →had They had a great time.
make → made You made a promise!
say → said She said she would go.
see → saw We saw him last night.
take → took We took the test last week.

* See page 149 for spelling rules for past tense regular verbs.
**See page 153-155 for list of irregular verbs.

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UNIT 3
Negative

Be verb: Add not
I was not (wasn’t) tired.
She wasn’t ready for the test.
It was not a good performance.
You were not (weren’t) on time!
We weren’t happy with the service.
They were not in class last week.
Other verbs: did + not + base form verb
I did not (didn’t) work last night.
You didn’t call me.
He didn’t know the answer.
We didn’t have time to talk.
They did not find the missing cat.
It didn’t rain yesterday.

A. Complete the following sentences with the correct simple past form. Some sentences should
be in the negative form. See pages 153-155 for irregular verb forms.

1. I’m not tired. I slept for over eight hours last night. (sleep)
2. I’m so tired. I didn’t sleep well last night. (sleep)
3. He ________________ a good student in high school, but he is now! (be)
4. She’s not hungry. She just __________________ lunch. (eat)
5. I’m hungry. I __________________ breakfast this morning. (have)
6. He ________________ at 7 a.m. this morning. (wake up)
7. The weather ___________ really nice yesterday, so I _____________ to school. (be/walk)
8. I ___________ to your house yesterday, but you ______________ there. (go/be)
9. She ____________ how to drive last year. (learn)

10. I’m sorry about your party. I _______________ because I _________ sick. (come/be)

GRAMMAR: Questions in the past

A. Check the question forms that are correct.

_____ Was she in class yesterday? _____ Did you washed the car yesterday?

_____ Did they use the elevator? _____ Was you late to work again?

_____ Does she went to work last week? _____ Did she meet her friends?

_____ Did he taking the money? _____ Did he rides to school in a bus?

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 UNIT 3

Past tense questions with be verbs Past tense questions with other verbs.
was/were + subject did + subject + base form verb

Was I in your class last semester? Did I say something wrong?

Wasn’t he happy about his grade? Didn’t he return your book?
Was the weather good during your trip? Did you see the game last night?

Were you absent from class again? Where did you go last night?
Were we at the theater last Saturday? What time did you get home?
Weren’t they worried about you? How much money did you spend?

B. Make simple past questions. Add the word did when needed. Next, write your own
answers to the questions.
1. you/do/what/last night

___________________________________? ___________________________________________ .

2. you/yesterday/be/in class

___________________________________? ___________________________________________ .

3. you/eat/breakfast/this morning

___________________________________? ___________________________________________ .

4. your last vacation/be/how

___________________________________? ___________________________________________ .
5. how/you/get to school/today

___________________________________? ___________________________________________ .

6. for dinner/what/last night/have/you

___________________________________? ___________________________________________ .

7. what/you/do/before class today

___________________________________? ___________________________________________ .

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UNIT 3

SPEAKING: Pronunciation of past tense endings

There are three pronunciations for regular verbs (-ed) in the past tense: /d/, /t/, and /1d/.
The pronunciation is determined by the sound at the end of the verb.

Verbs ending in voiced sounds

(b, m, v, th, n, l, z, r, j, g, and all Verbs ending in voiceless sounds Verbs ending in t or d:
vowels): (p, f, s, sh, ch, k): Add /t/ Add /1d/
Add /d/

play → played work → worked want → wanted

serve → served help → helped end → ended
use → used wash → washed start → started
care → cared laugh → laughed sound → sounded
study → studied kiss → kissed need → needed

LISTENING: Past tense verb endings

A. Look at the verbs in the table below. Circle which ending (/d/, /t/, or /1d/) should be said for
each word according to the pronunciation rules above.

B. Listen to the pronunciation of the words and check your answers.

visited (visit) /d/ /t/ /1d/ cried (cry) /d/ /t/ /1d/

moved (move) /d/ /t/ /1d/ liked (like) /d/ /t/ /1d/

happened (happen) /d/ /t/ /1d/ dreamed (dream) /d/ /t/ /1d/

introduced (introduce) /d/ /t/ /1d/ added (add) /d/ /t/ /1d/

kicked (kick) /d/ /t/ /1d/ hoped (hope) /d/ /t/ /1d/

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 UNIT 3
WRITING & SPEAKING: Last weekend

A. Write 10 things you did last weekend.

Be somewhat specific. I ate dinner. → I ate lasagna for dinner.
I slept. → I slept for 10 hours.
Do not use the same verb twice.

B. Ask a classmate if he or she did the same things you did last week. Write the classmate’s name
each time he/she says yes. Continue with other classmates until you have the chart completed.

What you did last weekend: Classmates who did the same thing:

1. ________________________________ __________________________________

2. ________________________________ __________________________________

3. ________________________________ __________________________________

4. ________________________________ __________________________________

5. ________________________________ __________________________________

6. ________________________________ __________________________________

7. ________________________________ __________________________________

8. ________________________________ __________________________________

9. ________________________________ __________________________________

10. _______________________________ __________________________________

C. Report: Answer the following questions:

1. What was the most common activity you and other students did last weekend?

2. Whose weekend was most similar to yours?

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UNIT 3

SPEAKING: Verb challenge

A. Write five sentences about what you did yesterday. Use a different verb for each sentence.
1. ______________________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________________________________

B.Play the Verb Challenge game. Get in groups of three or four. Each student takes a turn and
shares one sentence. The verb should be in the correct past tense.

• Y ou can NOT use a verb that has already been used by another student. Someone in the
group should keep track of all verbs used.
• If someone uses a verb that is in one of your sentences, you either have to change the verb
or say a different sentence.
• Each student has five seconds to say a sentence with a new (and correct) past-tense verb. If
a student can’t do this, that student is out of the game.
• Continue until only one student remains.

SPEAKING: Childhood memory

A. Tell your partner about one of your childhood memories (good or bad).
First, make notes (Do not write complete sentences. Write key words only):

• When did it happen? ______________________________

• Where did it happen? ______________________________

• Who was involved? ______________________________

• What happened? ______________________________

• How did it you make you feel? ______________________________

B. Using your notes, tell your partner about your childhood memory. Be careful with the simple
past tense.

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 UNIT 3
LISTENING: A last-minute victory
A. Complete the dialogue with the past tense form of the following
verbs. Some verbs are used more than once. Two verbs in each
box should not be used.

be, happen, look, play, score, take, win

Diana: What did you do last Saturday?

Tom: Our soccer team ________ in a big game. It ____ the championship game in our league.
Diana: Oh really? What ______________? ____ you _____?
Tom: We did. It ____ an amazing game. I ______ the winning goal.
Diana: Way to go!

be, fall, hear, know, pass, push, try, buy, win, see

Tom: We _____ in the last few minutes of the game. The score ____ 1 to 1. My teammate
_____ the ball to me near the goal. I ____ to kick the ball, but a defender _____ me and I
______.
Diana: Did the referee _____ it?
Tom: He did. I got a penalty kick. We _____ this would decide the winner.

be, dive, kick, think, not want, see, take, win

Diana: _____ you nervous?

Tom: O
 h yeah. I ____ really nervous. I really _________ to miss the penalty kick, but I _____
a deep breath and I _____ the ball to the right. The goalie ______, but he couldn’t block it.
Diana: That’s great!
Tom: Yeah. There _____ still a few minutes in the game, but the other team couldn’t score a
goal. We _____ the game 2 to 1.

be, do, find, go, have, keep, stay

Diana: What _____ you _____ after the game?

Tom: We ______ out to a restaurant, and we _____ a celebration. We ________ out pretty
late. We _____ tired but really happy. It _____ a great night.

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UNIT 3
B. Listen to the dialogue and check your answers.

C. Complete the following notes:

• When and where does this story take place? Last _______, soccer field
• Who was involved? Tom and his _______ team
• What was the problem or challenge? Championship game; ____ score
 hat happened? How did he overcome the problem? Tom’s penalty _____. Scored.
• W
Team won.

D. Using only your notes, take turns retelling Tom’s story with a partner. Be careful with simple
past grammar.

SPEAKING: A big challenge

A. Prepare a story about a time you did something difficult or impressive.

Complete the following with short notes about your story. Do not write in complete sentences
(follow the example in exercise C above).

• When and where does this story take place? ___________________________

• Who was involved? ________________________________

• What was the problem or challenge? _____________________________________

• What happened? How did you overcome the problem? __________________________

B. Using your notes, tell your partner your story.

READING: Three Tips to Become Happier

A. What do you need to have a happier life? List five things that you think would make you happier.

1.______________________________________________________________________________
2.______________________________________________________________________________

3.______________________________________________________________________________

4.______________________________________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________________________________

B. R
 ead about how you can become happier. According to the reading, which items on your list
might actually make you happier?

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 UNIT 3

Three Tips to Become Happier

Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president of the United States, wrote that all
people have a right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Jeffer-
son understood that happiness is not something that can just be found.
Happiness is something that needs to be pursued, that is, chased and
caught through effort. For many people, happiness does not come easily.

Psychologists have recently taken the subject of happiness more seriously

than in the past. From their research, we know of several things anyone
can do to feel a bit happier.

The Gratitude Attitude

One of the best ways to make yourself happier is to be grateful for the
good things in your life. We tend to focus on the negative things in life
such as new problems we are facing and the things in life we do not have.
However, when we focus too much on the problems, we overlook and
forget the good things that we have. This ‘attitude of gratitude’ is what
many people are missing. Take some time to think about what is good in your life. There may be
much more than you realize!

Humans are Social Animals

“If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for
a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you
want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else.” — Chinese Proverb

Happy people often devote time to others. Spending time talking with
and helping friends and family members is an enjoyable experience for
most people. Sharing experiences such as a vacation, going out for
coffee, watching a movie, or exercising together is also helpful. Volunteer
to help people who are in need, such as an elderly neighbor or a friend
who needs help.

Staying Physically and Mentally Active

Research has found that people who are physically active are generally
happier than those who are not. After exercising, we generally get a boost
to our mood that can last up to 12 hours. Exercise releases chemicals
called endorphins, and these chemicals make us feel happy.

Staying mentally active is important as well. Our brains are made for
challenges and stimulation. When we stay curious and keep learning, we
tend to feel better about our lives. Keep active mentally by doing things
that challenge and sharpen your mind.

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UNIT 3
C. Put a check mark by all the activities that might make a person happier (according to the
reading).

1. _____ Playing computer games for hours

2. _____ Learning to play a musical instrument
3. _____ Visiting your grandparents
4. _____ Winning a lot of money
5. _____ Jogging regularly
6. _____ Writing a thank you letter
7. _____ Taking a long vacation
8. _____ Getting a new car
9. _____ Helping a neighbor move to a new house.
10. _____ Thinking about what is wrong in your life.

WRITING & SPEAKING: What are you grateful for?

A. Write about three people and/or things that you are grateful for. Give reasons why.

I am grateful for ____________ because ______________________________________________.

1. _______________________________________________________________________________.
2._______________________________________________________________________________.
3._______________________________________________________________________________.
B. Share your answers with a partner. Explain your answers.

GRAMMAR: Past progressive

Statements

I was sleeping when you texted me.

You were snoring in your sleep.
She was trying to help you.
We were driving too fast.
He was asking for money.
They were arguing with each other.
It was snowing at the time.

Questions

Was I talking too loud? Were you talking about me?

Was the salesperson helping another customer? Were they fighting over money?

Negative

He was not paying attention. We were not cheating!

I wasn’t thinking about going. They weren’t working very hard.

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 UNIT 3
A. Look at the pictures to see what Tom was doing at each time period. Write full-sentence answers.

11 p.m.
7 a.m. this morning 2:30 p.m. yesterday Summer break One year ago
Saturday night

What was Tom doing…

1. at 7 a.m. this morning? Tom was eating breakfast at 7 a.m. this morning.

2. at 2:30 p.m. yesterday?__________________________________________________________

3. at 11 p.m. last Saturday night? ___________________________________________________

4. last summer break? _____________________________________________________________

5. about one year ago? ____________________________________________________________

WRITING & SPEAKING: What were you doing…

Write full-sentence answers to the following questions. Share with your partner.
1. What were you doing when the teacher started class today?

________________________________________________________________________________ .

2. What were you doing at 6 a.m. this morning?

________________________________________________________________________________ .

3. What were you doing at 11 p.m. last night?

________________________________________________________________________________ .

4. What were you probably doing at 10:30 a.m. last Sunday?

________________________________________________________________________________ .
5. What were you doing this time last year?

________________________________________________________________________________ .

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UNIT 3

LISTENING: Picture story

Carlos just failed a big test in his biology class. He says that he studied for five hours in the
library the night before the test. Why did he do so poorly on the test? Diana knows.
A. L
 isten to Diana describe what happened with Carlos at the library. Number the pictures from
1-8 according to the order in which they happened.

B. L
 isten to the passage again. Complete the following sentences. Use the past progressive
for all sentences.

was already studying.

1. When Carlos came to the library, Diana _______________________________.

2. From 4:30 to 4:45, Carlos _______________________________.

3. While Carlos was studying, he was also _________________________________.

4. When Diana came back from dinner, Carlos ______________________________________.

5. When Carlos came back, for 30 minutes he and his friend ______________________and

________________________.

6. When Diana got up to leave, she saw that Carlos _____________________________.

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 UNIT 3
GRAMMAR: When and while
Use when to combine two actions that happen in sequence (one happens after another).
• When the music began, we danced.
• I called out his name when I saw him.

Use while when one action happens while another action is already in progress.
• While I was waiting for the bus, I got a call from my mother.
• You called me while I was sleeping.

A. Complete the sentences with your own answers:

1. When
1. When the young man proposed to his girlfriend, she ____________________________
2. When the child got tired, ____________________________
3. When I read the bad news, I ____________________________
4. When _________________________________, I got excited.

2. While
5. While I was sleeping, _________________________________________
6. While the teacher was lecturing, the students ____________________________
7. While I was waiting for my friend, ____________________________
8. One time while I ____________________________, I had an accident.

SPEAKING: Storytelling
A. You will tell a story to your partners.
First, choose one of the following topics.
• A time when you helped someone or when someone helped you
• A time when you were embarrassed
• A time when you were in danger
• A time when you did something difficult
• A time when you were very happy

B. Prepare short notes (key words only) of what you want to say. Look up vocabulary that you need.
• When did it happen?______________________________________________________________
• Where did it happen? _____________________________________________________________
• Who was involved?_______________________________________________________________
• What happened?_________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
• How did it you make you feel? _____________________________________________________

C. Get with a partner. Using your notes to help you, tell your story in complete sentences.

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