A2 READING PERFORMANCE WORKSHEET

WEEK 1

Name Surname: Class:

Number: Date:

PART A: PRE-READING
1. What are the greatest inventions of the modern world?
2. What is your favourite car and why?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of cars?

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 CARS

Cars have an enormous importance in our lives. It’s amazing to think that a century ago people had
barely invented them.

The first cars appeared at the end of the 19 th century and looked quite strange we compared to the
ones we use today. Very few of them ran on petrol; most of them moved using steam or electric
batteries. One of the strangest cars was in France at the time and its power was dogs. They were
inside its back wheels and running there. Cars of this period were very expensive and only the rich
could afford them.

Owning a car was a luxury until after World War II. By the 1950s cars weren’t just for travelling; they
also showed people’s position in society. They were huge, especially in America, they had beautiful
decoration and so many extras that you could almost live in them. Because of their size, they used up
large amounts of petrol, but at the time, concern for the environment was not an issue. They also
became much cheaper. This meant that many teenagers were able to make their dream come true
and drive their own car.

Things changed again in the 1970s. Cars became much smaller and more economical because of the
oil crisis. The car was still a status symbol, but people were more aware of the price of the petrol and
of how efficiently their cars ran. There was also a growing awareness of the damage that exhaust
fumes did to the environment.

In fact, pollution was probably the thing people took into consideration mostly when they designed
the cars of the 1990s. Experts designed them with catalytic converters. They remove harmful
pollutants from exhaust gases. During that period there were two major developments in safety. One
of them was air-bags and the other one was ABS (Anti-lock Braking System). Most cars had air-bags to
prevent serious injury in the event of a crash and ABS to prevent cars from skidding. Science fiction
films influenced the experts in design of the cars, and they became smoother and more aerodynamic
in shape. However, people needed cars very much.

As for the future, it’s difficult to imagine what cars will be like at the end of this century. One thing is
certain; cars will be an important part of our lives for a long time.

PART B: READING
1. Choose the correct answer.

1) What does the text talk about?

a. the importance of cars in people’s lives
b. advantages and disadvantages of using a car
c. history of car production and its influence in people’s lives
d. influence of science fiction films on car production

2) In which period could only the rich afford to buy cars?

a. a century ago
b. in the 1970s
c. in the 1990s
d. at the end of the 19th century

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3) Which one of the following has the same meaning with the sentence, ‘In fact, pollution was
probably the thing people took into consideration mostly when they designed the cars of the
1990s’?
a. In fact, pollution was not their concern in designing the cars of the 1990s.
b. Indeed, pollution was possibly the most important thing and designers consider it
firstly when they designed the cars in the 1990s.
c. Indeed, because of too much pollution, designers decided to decrease car production
in the 1990s.
d. In fact, designers started to consider pollution and tried to design safe cars because
they didn’t want the cars to be harmful.

4) In the text, ‘run on’ means:

a. drive
b. ride
c. have
d. work with

5) In the text, ‘use up’ means:

a. consume
b. drink
c. have
d. use
2. Some sentences are written in bold in the text. One of them is irrelevant. Look at the
sentences below and choose the irrelevant one.

A. They were inside its back wheels and running there.

B. They also became much cheaper.
C. Experts designed them with catalytic converters.
D. However, people needed cars very much.

3. Some sentences are given below. Decide if they are true (T) or false (F). If it is false, write the
correct statement.

a. For most of the 19th century cars ran on petrol.

b. When producers produced a car in the 1950s, firstly they thought about environmental issues.
c. Until 1990s cars were a symbol of status.
d. Science fiction films had an influence on experts in their design of cars.

4. What do the followings refer to?

a. Them (paragraph 1, line 2) :

b. Ones (paragraph 2, line 2) :
c. This (paragraph 3, line 5) :
d. Them (paragraph 5, line 4) :
e. They (paragraph 5, line 7) :

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PART C: POST READING

Writing:
Write a short paragraph about the topic below. (50 – 75 words)
“Cars play an important role in people’s lives” Why?