INTERMEDIATE 09 ACTIVITY 01

I. For questions 1-7 read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits
each gap.

Motivating children to read

Apart from being a great hobby and fun activity, reading can help children improve in many areas
of their lives. For example, it has been proved that children who read have a (1) ………… memory of
events that happened months or even years before while kids who do not have this habit have
(2) ………… recollection of them. It also cultivates curiosity, creates empathy and reduces stress.
But, how can we motivate children who can’t sit (3) ………… to read?

First of all, it must be fun and relevant. For instance, take simple and attractive books (4) ………… as
the Disney Kids Readers. They are adaptations of well-known fairy tales and movies which help
students to immediately engage with the content. Besides this, it would be (5) ………… letting your
children choose what they want to read. If they do this, they are less likely to (6) …………
concentration and they will be more motivated and focused.

Something that really works is to develop follow-up activities. This is why it is highly advisable to
ask your children to create a mind map of the book they have just read. This is a great way to
show their understanding of the story. They can also (7) ………… a short story about what happens
next. The idea is to let them know that they will be doing something after reading a book.

1. A) whatsoever B) vivid C) fade D) vaguely

2. A) none B) just C) no D) any
3. A) still B) enough C) dull D) death
4. A) for B) such C) so D) like
5. A) harm B) effective C) way D) worth
6. A) lose B) miss C) wander D) yawn
7. A) sort out B) turn up C) make up D) run out

This activity often Check the words Read the complete

Eliminate the
tests collocations, before and after text when you
options you know Make a guess if
so try to the gaps to decide finish and check if
are wrong. necessary.
remember words which option is it makes sense.

that go together. the best one.

 INTERMEDIATE 09
ACTIVITY 01

II. For questions 1-7, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap.
Use only ONE word in each gap.

Bored teenagers

Teens get bored for a lot of reasons, but this is often due to the fact that they have more
time on their hands than their responsibilities and obligations require. They may be fed
up (1) ………… all the work they do at school from Monday to Friday, and may be looking
forward to relaxing at the weekends. However, it turns (2) ………… that free time and
subsequent boredom can lead to anxiety, depression and negative energy. This may
result in a feeling they have nothing (3) ………… work for, and their motivation disappears
as they begin to feel like their time is pointless.

So, what is the solution? We must take (4) ………… account that, while boredom might be
the mother of problematic teenagers, imagination and creativity is the mother of
invention. This means that teens who enhance their imagination when they are bored,
may come (5) ………… with new inventions, innovative solutions or simply discover a new
passion, hobby or talent. This is exactly what parents should encourage in their teens
who have time on their hands and are having difficulty (6) ………… finding something
productive to do. Furthermore, if they know the purpose of the activity they choose to do,
they will be capable (7) ………… getting a meaningful result.

This activity often tests

prepositions, auxiliaries,
phrasal verbs, articles,
pronouns, grammar tenses. Read the complete text when

you finish and check if it

makes sense.

Try to decide what kind of

word you need before
completing the gap.

Make a guess if necessary.

Check the words before and

after the gaps to make sure
you complete the gaps with
the correct word.