VERB TENSES PRACTICE

Read about the constellations, then answer the questions about the text, choosing
either A, B, C or D as the best answer.

Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. Over many thousands of years,
human beings living on the Earth have looked up and seen the shapes of people,
animals and everyday objects - they 'joined the dots' of the stars to form patterns in
the sky. They gave these shapes names, some of which we still use today. But
why did they bother with constellations at all? One reason is that having
constellations makes it easier to find your way around the sky. This is useful for
finding north, or working out the date or the time. When there were no compasses,
clocks or watches, this was all very important.

There is another reason why constellations were so important. Imagine going back
to a time before paper and pencil had been invented. Life was sparse. If you
wanted to draw a picture, you had to scratch it out on a dark cave wall or write it in
sand that could blow away. But at night an amazing pattern of bright specks of light
would appear above your head. By joining the dots you could see almost any
picture you wanted. You could imagine seeing your favourite shapes in the sky.
You might tell others about the constellations you have made up. They might tell
others, and your constellation could be passed down from generation to generation
for hundreds or even thousands of years. This is how many of the constellations
got the names we use.

Seasons

You don't see exactly the same part of the sky every night, though between one
night and the next you won't see much of a difference. Over a few weeks you'll
definitely notice that you can see some constellations that you couldn't see before
and some constellations that you could see aren't there any more. This is because
the Earth is moving around the Sun. As the Earth moves round in its orbit, the night
side of the Earth (the side facing away from the Sun) faces out to different parts of
space, where there are different constellations.

This means that you see different constellations in different seasons. Orion and
Taurus are (Northern Hemisphere) winter constellations, because you can see
them on winter evenings. Cygnus and Scorpius are (Northern Hemisphere)
summer constellations, because you can see them on summer evenings.

Naming The Constellations

So who made up the constellations and their names? The earliest people on the
Earth were hunters and gatherers. They looked up into the sky and saw shapes
that were important to them - like Orion the Hunter. Much later in human history,
English farmers looked up into the sky and saw the shape of a Plough. Russian
peasants, looking at the same group of stars, called it Ursa Major or The Great
Bear. People in France called it Le Casserole meaning the Saucepan. People in
the USA called it The Big Dipper meaning a soup ladle. All of these different names
are used today. The only people who have decided on one set of names for the
constellations are the astronomers. For example, they always call the Plough 'Ursa
Major', and never any of the other names. They had to do this so that they all knew
what other astronomers across the world were talking about.

The stars in a constellation have nothing to do with each other; they can be very,
very far apart, even if they appear to be right next to each other in the sky. Imagine
looking up while standing in a street. You might see your hand next to a street light,
which is next to the Moon, which is next to a planet, which is next to a star. All of
these things are far away from each other, yet they can be next to each other when
you look at them.

If you like, you can look up into the sky, join the dots and make up your own
constellations. Tell other people about your constellations. Maybe one day people
all around the world will be using one of your constellation names!

1. What use for constellations is NOT mentioned in the opening paragraphs?

     To help people find their way

     To understand the origins of life in the universe

     To provide entertainment

     To allow people to orientate themselves

2. What is the best meaning of the word "sparse" in the second paragraph?

     rare

     boring
     difficult

     tough

3. Why do constellations change in the sky from month to month?

     Because of passing fashions

     Because of the weather

     Because of the Earth's movements

     Because stars are always moving

4. Why do astronomers call the constellation 'Ursa Major' by this name?

     To ease international communication

     Because the Russians insisted

     Because Russia provides much of the finance for these organisations

     They decided that's what it most looks like

5. What point is being made in the penultimate paragraph?

     Stars used to be closer together

     The stars look different depending on where you are standing

     You won't see stars well under street lights

     Perspective makes stars seem closer

6. Where would you most likely find this text?

     A scholarly publication

     A newspaper

     A children's encyclopedia

     A political leaflet

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
Garbage cans are not magical portals.
Trash does not disappear when you
toss it in a can. Yet, the average
American throws away an estimated
1,600 pounds of waste each year. If
there are no magic garbage fairies,
where does all that trash go? There are
four methods to managing waste:
recycling, landfilling, composting, and
incinerating. Each method has its
strengths and weaknesses.  Let's take
As landfill space increases, interest in
composting grows. Compositing is
when people pile up organic matter,
such as food waste, and allow it to
decompose. The product of this
decomposition is compost. Compost
can be added to the soil to make the
soil richer and better for growing
crops. While composting is easy to do
onsite somewhere, like home or
school, it's hard to do after the
 a quick look at each.
Recycling is the process of turning
waste into new materials. For example,
used paper can be turned into
paperboard, which can be used to
make book covers. Recycling can
reduce pollution, save materials, and
lower energy use. Yet, some argue that
recycling wastes energy. They believe
that collecting, processing, and
converting waste uses more energy
than it saves. Still, most people agree
that recycling is better for the planet
than landfilling.
Landfilling is the oldest method of
managing waste. In its simplest form,
landfilling is when people bury garbage
in a hole. Over time the practice of
landfilling has advanced. Garbage is
compacted before it is thrown into the
hole. In this way more garbage can fit in
each landfill. Large liners are placed in
the bottom of landfills so that toxic
garbage juice doesn't get into the
ground water. Sadly, these liners don't
always work. Landfills may pollute the
local water supply. Not to mention that
all of that garbage stinks. Nobody
wants to live next to a landfill. This
makes it hard to find new locations for
landfills.
1. Which best explains why the author begins the text by talking about magical
garbage fairies?
a. He is putting a common misconception to rest.
b. He is trying to get the reader's attention.
c. He is addressing his concern in a serious way.
garbage gets all mixed up. This is
because plastic and other inorganic
materials must be removed from the
compost pile or they will pollute the
soil. There's a lot of plastic in garbage,
which makes it hard to compost on a
large scale.
One thing that is easier to do is
burning garbage. There are two main
ways to incinerate waste. The first is to
create or harvest a fuel from the
waste, such as methane gas, and burn
the fuel. The second is to burn the
waste directly. The heat from the
incineration process can boil water,
which can power steam generators.
Unfortunately, burning garbage
pollutes the air. Also, some critics
worry that incinerators destroy
valuable resources that could be
recycled.
Usually, the community in which you
live manages waste. Once you put
your garbage in that can, what
happens to it is beyond your control.
But you can make choices while it is
still in your possession. You can
choose to recycle, you can choose to
compost, or you can choose to let
someone else deal with it. The choice
is yours.
d. He is supporting his argument with evidence.

2. Which best defines the meaning of incineration as it is used in the text?

a. To bury waste materials in a large hole

b. To allow waste products to decompose and become fertilizer

c. To burn waste materials and harvest the energy

d. To turn waste materials into products like book covers

3. Which was not cited in the third paragraph as an issue with landfilling?

a. Landfills are smelly. b. Usable materials are wasted in

landfills.

c. Landfills may pollute the water supply. d. It is difficult to find locations for
landfills.

4. Which conclusion could best be supported with text from the passage?

a. Each method of waste management has its drawbacks.

b. Recycling is without a doubt the best way to handle waste.

c. Incineration is the best way to process waste.

d. All large cities should create massive compost piles.

5. Which best expresses the main idea of the fourth paragraph?

a. Landfills take up a lot of space.

b. Composting is good for the soil but it can be hard to do.

c. The process of composting is very complicated and scientific.

d. There is a lot of plastic garbage in landfills.

6. Which best expresses the meaning of the word compacted as it is used in the
third paragraph?

a. Garbage is burned before it is thrown in a hole.

b. Garbage is put in trucks before it is thrown in a hole.

c. Garbage is crushed smaller before it is thrown in a hole.

d. Garbage is put in a can before it is thrown in a hole.

7. Which best expresses the author's main purpose in writing this?

a. To convince readers to recycle and compost

b. To persuade readers that recycling is a waste of resources

c. To compare and contrast recycling and landfilling

d. To inform readers of methods of waste management

8. Which is not included in this text?

a. A description of how trash is collected

b. A description of the uses of compost

c. A description of the two methods of incinerating trash

d. A description of how landfills have advanced over time

9. Which best explains why composting is not feasible on a large scale?

a. People wouldn't want to touch all of that gross rotting food.

b. It would smell too bad in densely populated cities.

c. It would attract rodents that would spread disease.

d. Plastic would get into the compost and turn it into a pollutant.
10. Which title best expresses the main idea of this text?

a. The Magic of Recycling: Bringing Back What Was Once Lost

b. Methods of Waste Management: Pros and Cons

c. Recycling, Landfilling, or Composting: Which is Best For You?

d. Do Your Part: How to Save the Earth by Recycling and Composting

Simple Present - Exercise

Fill in the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

Examples: We are (be) never late. She likes (like)
popcorn.
1. She _____________ (be) good at school.
2. Elephants _____________ (eat) grass.
3. I like (like) fish and chips.
4. She always meet (meet) her friends after school.
5. Tom often wears (wear) a white shirt and blue jeans.
6. They are (be) never tired in the morning.
7. He likes (like) apples and bananas.
8. The children sometimes go (go) to the playground.
9. Sandra usually takes (take) the bus to school.
10. Derrick always has (have) lunch at a restaurant.
11. The boys often play (play) computer games.
12. Our cat hardly ever catches (catch) a mouse.
13. Paul walks (walk) his dog every day.
14. Our daughter often gets (get) up too late.
15. My mother bakes (bake) a cake every Saturday.
Present Simple Negation - Exercise

Use short forms (isn't, don’t,).

1. We have some milk. We dont have any milk.
2. Mother sews Jenny's jeans. Mother __________ (Jenny´s) jeans.
3. I hate Maths lessons. I dont have maths lessons.
4. My brother likes eating oranges. My brother doesnt like eating oranges.
5. My parents often watch westerns. My parents dont often watch westerns.
6. Children like ice cream. Some children dont like ice cream.
7. The monkey wants some bananas. The monkey doesnt want some bananas.
8. They are hungry. They arent hungry hungry.
9. We get up early on Sundays. We dont get up up early on Sundays.
isnt
10. Peter is sometimes very tired. Peter   sometimes very tired.
11. I am a good pupil. Im not a good pupil.
12. School always starts at seven o'clock. School doesnt always starts at seven
o'clock.
13. Kate always has her piano lesson on Fridays. Kate doesnt always has her
piano lesson on Friday.
14. In summer it's sometimes very hot. In summer it isnt sometimes very hot.
15. Mum washes all my dirty clothes. Mum doesnt washes all my dirty clothes.
16. Peter has got a brother. Peter doesnt have a brother.
17. The frog is under the caravan. The frog isnt under the caravan.
18. They are cool. They arent cool.
19. Dad buys a new car. Dad doesnt buy a new car.
20. The boys play football. The boys dont play football.

Put in the correct verb forms and the nouns into the gaps. Use Simple
Present.

1. __________________ a banana in the morning? (Ronda/to eat)

2. ___________________ parrots (your father/to like)
3. _____________________ a room with her sister? (Wendy/to share)
4. __________________ a lot in England? (it/to rain)
 5. ____________________ sports after school? (the friends/to do)
6. _____________________ camping in summer? (Susan and Jack/to go)
7. ______________________ their friends to the party? (they/to invite)
8. _______________________ at the bus stop? (we/to wait)
9. _______________________ in the morning? (he/to smile)

Complete the following sentences using Present Continuous Tense.

(Capitalize when needed)

1. Jason _______________ (dig) a big hole at the moment.

2. Tom __________________ (draw) a picture of a lion now.
3. The kids _________________ (hide) behind the tree now.
4. My sister ____________________ (not make) a cake now.
5. Look! the sun _________________ (rise)
6. _________________ (Lucas / ride) his bike right now?
7. __________________ (Ryan / sing) a song now?
8. Lea and I _______________(swim) in the pool at the moment.
9. Andrea ____________________ (talk) to his teacher at present.
10. Rebeca ___________________ (not listen) to you now.
11. Selena ____________________ (not wear) her glasses now.
12. I _________________ (think) of quitting my job nowadays.
13. You ______________________ (spend) a lot of money nowadays.
14. What _____________________ (she / show) to you right now?
15. ________________ (Jess / go) home?
16. Why ___________________ (you / run)?
17. Thomas ___________________ (fly a kite now.
18. I ______________________ (try) to finish my project at the moment.
 SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
1. Mozart ___________ more than 600 pieces of music.

writes

wrote

writed

was wrote

2. We _______ David in town a few days ago.

did see

was saw

did saw

saw

3. It was cold, so I _____________ the window.

shut

was shut

am shut

shutted

4. I ___________ to the cinema three times last week.

was go
 went

did go

goed

5. What __________ you _________ last weekend?

were / do

did / did

did / do

do / did

6. The police ___________ me on my way home last night.

was stop

stopped

stops

stopping

7. The film wasn't very good. I _____________ it very much.

enjoyed

wasn't enjoy

didn't enjoyed

didn't enjoy
8. The bed was very uncomfortable. I ____________ sleep very well.

didn't

did

wasn't

not

9. The window was open and a bird ___________ into the room.

fly

flew

was flew

did fly

10. I __________ a lot of money yesterday. I __________ an expensive dress.

spend / buy

spent / buy

spent / bought

was spent / bought

Complete the sentences. Use Simple Present and Present Progressive.

1. Mary and Joe (be) ________________ in a clothes shop at the moment.

2. They (look) _____________________ at some jeans.
3. Joe only (have) __________________ one very old pair of jeans.
4. So he (want) ____________________ to buy a new pair of jeans now.
5. Right now, he (try on) _____________ a pair of blue jeans.
6. »These jeans (fit) ______________very well,« he (say) ____________________
7. »But they (not suit) _________________ you,« Mary (reply) ______________. »Try
on another pair.«
8. »What (think / you) _____________________ ¿« he (ask) _____________ Mary,
when has tried on another pair.
9. »Great! How much (cost / they? ______________?

Present perfect simple and continuous

1. _______________in every football match this season.

A.   ?    He's been playing

B.   ?    He's played

2. ______________ Excuse my terrible breath.

A.   ?    I've eaten onions.

B.   ?    I've been eating onions.

3. Look at her eyes. She looks as if ______________ .

A.   ?    she's cried

B.   ?    she's been crying

4. I've been drinking too much lately.

A.   ?    I'd better go home.

B.   ?    I'd better cut down a bit.

5. I've drunk too much.

A.   ?    I'd better go home.

B.   ?    I'd better cut down a bit.

6. I've made a cake.

A.   ?    Would you like a piece?

B.   ?    You can try it when it's ready.

7. I've been making a cake.

A.   ?    Would you like a piece?

B.   ?    You can try it when it's ready.

8. They've redecorated the main lobby

A.   ?    What do you think of it?

B.   ?    Watch out for wet paint.

9. They've been redecorating the main lobby.

A.   ?    What do you think of it?

B.   ?    Watch out for wet paint.

10. I've done that report you asked for.

A.   ?    It's on your desk.

B.   ?    It's driving me crazy!

11. I've been doing that report you asked for

A.   ?    It's on your desk.

B.   ?    It's driving me crazy.

12. _________________ him we need more staff for ages, but he doesn't listen.

A.   ?    I've told

B.   ?    I've been telling

13. The children have eaten the chocolates.

A.   ?    I'm afraid there are none left.

B.   ?    You'd better have one now before they're all gone.

14. The children have been eating the chocolates.

A.   ?    I'm afraid there are none left.

B.   ?    You'd better have one now before they're all gone.

15. She's gone to the dentist ____________.

A.   ?    since she was at school.

B.   ?    for a check up.

16. She's been going to the same dentist ___________.

A.   ?    for a check up.

B.   ?    since she was at school.

17. I've been learning about the present perfect.

A.   ?    But there are some things I still find confusing.

B.   ?    So now I know how to use it.

18. I've learned all about the present perfect.

A.   ?    But there are some things I still find confusing.

B.   ?    So now I know how to use it.

PERFECT TENSES. Choose the correct answer.

1. I _____________ my homework yet.

have finish
has finished
did finished
haven't finished

2. My father is on the way. He ____________ home yet.

haven't arrived
hasn't arrived
didn't arrived
arrived

3. I am not hungry. I have _______ eaten.

yet
now
just
ever

4. I have never ___________ to Paris.

been
went
go
was
5. ________ you ever been to New York?
Are
Were
Do
Have

6. I am still working. I haven't finished my work ________.

already
yet
 still
never

7. I am looking for my pen. I __________ it.

have lost
lost
did lost
was lost

8. During the two years David ____________ ten different jobs.

has has
has had
have had
have has

9. I __________ a teacher since 2002.

was
have be
have been
had be

10. My friend ______________ my new dress yet.

haven't seen
didn't see
hasn't see
hasn't seen