Are you a couch potato?

Centuries ago, people didn’t have much 1______________ (freedom) time, because everybody
was working too hard. In Britain in the nineteenth century, people invented football, rugby and
cricket. It was even 2________________ (possible) simply to watch a sport and give the
3_________________ (impress) that you were actually doing something.
Later leisure activities became less demanding, and most people got a 4_____________ (various)
of more or less 5________________ (energy) interests and hobbies. But now there is a new type of
6_______ (people) who thinks that lying on the sofa watching television is the 7________________
(exciting) thing.
This is the twentieth century couch potato. For them, every 8_______________ (active) is too
much trouble, and 9________________ (lazy) is an art form!
The Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London took place in 1666. It is 1________________ (fame) for being London’s
largest fire in its 2,000-year history.
The fire destroyed thousands of homes, dozens of churches and many 2____________
(importance) city buildings. At that time 500,000 people lived in London. It is believed that 3
_______________ (near) 70,000 people lost their homes.
The number of 4_____________ (die) was quite low. Experts are still 5__________________
(sure) of how many people died, but only six deaths were 6___________________ (actual) recorded.
The fire started at a 7______________________ (bake) after midnight on the 8______________
(two) of September. The flames spread fast because homes were made of wood in 9_______ days.
(that)
The fire lasted for three days. Many people left London afterwards, but the city was rebuilt using
stone and with wider streets that improved fire 10___________________ (safe).
The Earth Hour
Every year the world goes dark for one hour, the Earth Hour. The event is organized by the
1________________ (nation) World Wildlife Fund.
At tourist destinations, in offices and 2___________ (privacy) homes, lights are switched off for
one hour at 3__________ (exact) 8.00 pm. The idea is to show that 4 __________________ (we)
planet is in 5___________________ (dangerous) and it needs care and 6 ______________________
(protect).
It’s impossible to remain 7_______________ (different) to changes in the climate which go on and
on.
The Earth Hour is not about saving an hour’s electricity. It’s about realizing that we live on a
8_______________________ (wonder) planet and need to look after it – not just for an hour a year
but every day.
The Earth Hour is a part of an 9 ___________________ (ecology) education whose aim is to make
people understand their 10___________________________ (responsible) to the planet.
 Are you a couch potato?
1__free__ 2__impossible_ 3__impression 4_variety 5_energetic _ 6__person__ t7_most
exciting 8._activity. 9_laziness

The Great Fire of London.

1__famous 2_important 3_nearly 4___deaths 5__unsure 6_actually 7_bakery/ baker’s

8 second 9_those 10__safety_

The Earth Hour.

1_national 2_private 3_exactly. 4 our_ 5__danger 6 protection. 7_indifferent 8 wonderful
9 _ecological 10_responsibility

KEY

1. agency
2. specialist
3. unhealthy
4. uncomfortable
5. continually
6. scientists
7. humankind
8. improvement
9. importance
10.harmful
11.traumatic
12.daily
13.adventurous
14.permission
15.fame
16.glamorous
17.guitarist
18.rehearsal
19.accessible
20.popularity
21.arrival
22.expectations
 1. Stephanie works at anemployment ………………………… . agent
2. We might need some help from a …………………….. .special
3. When reducing ………………… foods in you diet, you need to replace them with
alternatives which are good for you. health
4. The more junk food you eat, the bigger chance that you will feel ………………,
sick and with no energy. Comfort
5. Many people go through their life dehydrated which makes them feel
………………….. low on energy and causes splitting headaches. continue
6. The Ig Nobel Prizes are awarded every year to ……………. Whose results and
discoveries make other laugh but also think. science
7. A lot of discoveries that have changed the history of ………………….. were
started by curious scientists. human
8. Having students connect to an online classroom is a great ……………….. in
education. improve
9. I’dlike to emphasis the ………….. of choosing the rightjob. important
10.Some medical issues left untreated may cause …………… symptoms to emerge
and lead to further complications. harm
11.My last summer holidays were a really ……… experience. trauma
12.We recommend getting advice from a specialist solicitor who deals with such
cases on a ……………… basis. day
13.Caravaggio led a rather wild and …………………. lifestyle. adventure
14.He was arrested for carrying weapons without ………… . permit
15.The artist was unable to handle hissuccess and ………….. . famous
16.We used to sit and talk abou thow wonderful and ……………….. our lives will be
one day. glamour

17.The boys did the soundcheck and one last ………………. before the gig. rehearse

18.What should be done to make museums more …………. to a wider public? access

19.Rubik’s Cube reached its …………………… in 1980. popular

20.With the ………………. of the Internet manycube-relatedsitesappeared. arrive

21.As leisure time is becoming a luxury, people’s ……………… of museums are

changing. expect