READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISE for 11º grade

ACTIVITY
Read the text, answer the questions and write the main idea about the text.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary), styled HM The Queen, born April 21, 1926, is the Queen regnant and Head of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and fifteen other Commonwealth countries. She is Head of the Commonwealth, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, Commander-in-Chief of the UK Armed Forces, and she is the Lord of Mann.

She has reigned since February 6, 1952. About 125 million people live in the countries of which she is head of state. Before her succession, she held the titles of a British princess and by marriage, Duchess of Edinburgh.

The Queen has never given press interviews, and her views on political issues are largely unknown except to those few heads of government who have private conversations with her. She is also regarded privately as an excellent mimic. Rather conservative in dress, the Queen is well-known for her solid-colour overcoats and decorative hats, which allow her to be seen easily in a crowd. Although she attends many cultural events as part of her public role, in her private life the Queen is said to have little interest in culture or the arts. Her main leisure interests include horse racing, photography, and dogs, especially her Pembroke Welsh Corgis.

In diplomatic situations the Queen is extremely formal, and royal protocol is very strict. Though some of the traditional rules for dealing with the British Monarch have been relaxed during her reign (bowing is no longer required, for example) other forms of close personal interaction, such as touching, are still discouraged. In 1992, the Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating was dubbed the "Lizard of Oz" by the British press for touching the Queen on the back, and in 2000 his successor John Howard had to deny that he too had touched the Queen. A similar flap occurred when Newfoundland and Labrador premier Brian Tobin was photographed touching the Queen's back as he accompanied her up a flight of stairs; he protested he was merely attempting to help an elderly lady avoid falling. The queen is also notably the subject of the Sex Pistols 1977 song "God Save the Queen".

Her former prime ministers speak highly of her. Since becoming Queen, she spends an average of three hours every day "doing the boxes"—reading state papers sent to her from her various departments, embassies, and government offices.

Having done so since 1952, she has seen more of public affairs from the inside than any other person, and is thus able to offer advice to Tony Blair based on things said to her by Harold Wilson, Harold Macmillan, Edward Heath, Winston Churchill and many other senior leaders. She takes her responsibilities in this regard seriously, once mentioning an "interesting telegram" from the Foreign Office to then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill, only to find that her prime minister had not bothered to read it when it came in his box!

Questions about the text

1. Queen Elizabeth II was born in
a. 1926.
b. 1952.
c. We don't know.

2. Queen Elizabeth II never wears hats.
a. True.
b. False.
c. We don't know.

3. What animals does HM The Queen love?
a. Cats.
b. Horses.
c. Dogs.

4. Sex Pistols wrote a song about the Queen.
a. True.
b. False.
c. We don't know.

5. She spends three hours every day reading newspapers.
a. True.
b. False.
c. We don't know.

6. Queen Elizabeth started her reign in
a. 1923.
b. 1952.
c. 1978.

AGATHA CHRISTIE

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, DBE (September 15, 1890–January 12, 1976), was a British crime fiction writer. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott.
Agatha Christie is the world's best-known mystery writer and all-time best selling author of any genre other than William Shakespeare. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and another billion in over 45 foreign languages (as of 2003). As an example of her broad appeal, she is the all-time best-selling author in France, with over 40 million copies sold in French (as of 2003) versus 22 million for Émile Zola, the nearest contender.

Christie published over eighty novels and stageplays, mainly whodunnits and locked room mysteries, many of these featuring one of her series characters, Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple. She is a major figure in detective fiction for both her commercial success and her innovations in the genre.

Although she delighted in twisting the established form, she was scrupulous in "playing fair" with the reader by making sure all necessary information for solving the puzzle was given. One of her early books, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, is renowned for its surprise denouement.

Most of her books and short stories have been filmed, some many times over (Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile, 4.50 from Paddington). The BBC has produced television and radio versions of most of the Poirot and Marple stories. A later series of Poirot dramatizations starring David Suchet was made by Granada Television.

In 2004, the Japanese broadcasting company Nippon Housou Kyoukai turned Poirot and Marple into animated characters in the anime series Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple, introducing Mabel West (daughter of Miss Marple's mystery-writer nephew Raymond West, a canonical Christie character) and her duck Oliver as new characters.

Questions about the text
1. Agatha Christie was born in 1890.
a. True.
b. False.
c. We don't know.

2. More than 40 million copies of her books have been sold in France.
a. True.
b. False.
c. We don't know.

3. How many novels and stageplays did she write?
a. 70.
b. 80.
c. More than 80.

4. "The Murder of Roger" has a surprising ending.
a. True.
b. False.
c. We don't know.

5. There are no films based on her books.
a. True.
b. False.
c. We don't know.

6. There are no TV series based on her books.
a. True.
b. False.
c. We don't know.

7. In Japan there are anime characters based on her books.
a. True.
b. False.
c. We don't know.

READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISE GRADE 10º

ACTIVITY
Read the text and answer the questions about it.

ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL
Alexander Graham Bell (3 March 1847 - 2 August 1922) was a Scottish scientist, inventor and innovator. Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, he emigrated to Canada in 1870, and then to the United States in 1871, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1882.

Bell would spend his final, and some of his most productive years in residence in both Washington and Beinn Bhreagh (Gaelic: beautiful mountain), a summer retreat he built in Nova Scotia, Canada. Recognized as an eminent scientist and inventor, Alexander Graham Bell is most often associated with the invention of the telephone.

Alexander Graham Bell was called "the father of the deaf". His father, grandfather and brother had all been associated with work on elocution and speech, as well, both his mother and wife were deaf, which would lead Bell to a career as a teacher of the deaf. His research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices that eventually culminated in the invention of the telephone.

Bell was awarded the first US patent for the invention of the telephone in 1876. Although other inventors had claimed the honor, the Bell patent remained in effect. Many other inventions marked Bell's later life including groundbreaking work in hydrofoils and aeronautics. In 1888, Alexander Graham Bell was one of the founding members of the National Geographic Society. Upon Bell's death, all telephones throughout the United States stilled their ringing for a silent minute in tribute to the man whose yearning to communicate made them possible.
Questions about the text
1. Graham Bell was born in 1847.
a. True.
b. False.
c. We don't know.
2. He spent his childhood in Canada.
a. True.
b. False.
c. We don't know.
3. He was deaf.
a. True.
b. False.
c. We don't know.
4. Bell was awarded the first US patent for the invention of the telephone.
a. True.
b. False.
c. We don't know.
5. He was one of the founding members of the National Geographic Society.
a. True.
b. False.
c. We don't know.

ACTIVITY ABOUT PAST FOR 11º GRADE

ACTIVITY
Write the sentences in simple past, using the verb in parentheses.

1. Yesterday my father _________ (go) to work by car.

2. This morning I ________ (have) a shower.

3. My sister ___________ (not clean) her room on Saturday.

4. The birds _________ (fly) over our heads.

5. Last week my family __________ (not buy) a new table for the dining room.

6. The other day, I __________(lose) my math's book.

7. I __________ (tell) my mother a lie.

8. We _________ (hear) a terrible sound outside last night.

9. You ___________ (see) football match Tuesday night?

10. Paul ____________ (drink) a litre of Coke for lunch yesterday.

11. Paul and Jeannie _________ (stay) at home last night.

12. Samantha __________(drive) for an hour.

13. She __________ (take) three books from the library last week.

14. Lucy _________ (buy) a new dress yesterday.

15. They ___________ (watch) a movie last night.

16. Ann _________ (go) to the supermarket last month.

17. You ____________ (read) the book in an hour.

18. The tree ____________ (grow) very fast last month.

19. He ____________ (study) all night but he didn't pass the exam.

20. Sheila __________(write) a letter to her mother yesterday.

21. Five people _____________ (die) in a fire on Main Street yesterday.

22. The fire ___________ (start) at four o'clock.

23. A man __________ (see) the flames and called the firemen.

24. The firemen ____________ (be) in fifteen minutes.

25. They ___________ (put) the fire out after an hour.

26. But they _____________ (find) five people inside the house.

27. The neighbours ______________ (watch) in horror at the scene.

28. A woman _______________ (say) she knew the five people.

29. She _____________ (be) was really shocked.

30. Finally, the house _______________ (collapse) last night.

ACTIVITY ABOUT VERB TO BE GRADE 10º

ACTIVITY


A. Put in the correct order to make questions with the verb to be.

1. you hot? Are

2. this Is your book?

3. States? the United from Peters Is Mr.

4. married? they Are

5. Mr. Are you Jenkins? and Mrs.


B. Write the sentences in the short form

1. I am a student.
2. He is a teacher.
3. She is a journalist.
4. It is a book.
5. We are mechanics.
6. You are pilots.
7. They are policemen.

C. Put the sentences in the correct order to make
positive sentences with the verb to be.

1. old. years am I twenty-five

2. from We are Venezuela.

3. book. is my This

4. day nice today. It's a

5. engineer. is John an


D. Complete with the correct form of be (am, are, is).

Example: He __ a boy.

Answer: He is a boy.

1) I _________ a girl.
2) My father ________ at work.
3) Trixi and Susi ________ my cats.
4) The hamster _________ in the cage.
5) I _________ a painter.
6) My green pencil _________ on the floor.
7) Emma and Betty _________ good friends.
8) ________ you from Scotland?
9) His sister __________ seven years old.
10) We _________ children.
11) My mother _______ in the kitchen.
12) The pupils ________ not at school today.
13) Maria's grandmother _______ from Brazil.
14) I _______ a football fan.
15) It ______ Sunday today.
16) They ________ in the car.
17) His pencil case ________ at home.
18) you _______ from Sheffield?
19) I _______ not your friend.

E. Select 5 sentences for putting them in another ways.

ACTIVITY ABOUT YES / NO QUESTIONS FOR 11º

ACTIVITY

Change each sentence into a yes/no question and answer in two ways.

EXAMPLE: John buys a new car.
Does he buy a new car? Yes, he does. No, he doesn't a new car.

1. He teaches physics.

2. He plays in Italy.

3. We get wool from sheep.

4. She drinks coffee every day.

5. They live in a big house.

6. She takes some milk in her coffee.

7. A fox lives in our garden.

8. Raccoons come out at night.

9. This car has two doors.

10. The students do the exercise.

ACTIVITY FOR 10º GRADE

EXERCISE ABOUT SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

A.Put the correct form of the verbs.

Example: We _____ her name. (to shout)

Answer: We shout her name.

1) I __________ a good mark. (to get)
2) Rita ___________ an exercise. (to do)
3) We ____________ the table. (to lay)
4) Tim and Pat ______________ text messages. (to send)
5) Oliver ______________ fun. (to have)
6) Maria _______________ their room. (to clean)
7) He ____________ a new MP3 player. (to buy)
8) The dog ___________ out of the house. (to run)
9) You ____________ your glasses. (to need)
10) She ______________a snake. (to touch)

B. Change the sentences to other ways.

ACTIVITY ABOUT PRESENT TENSE FOR 11º GRADE

EXERCISE

Put in the verbs in brackets into the gaps. Use the Simple Present. Watch the punctuation and form sentences or questions.

Example: He ___________ books (not/to read)

Answer: He does not read books. or He doesn't read books.

1) Anne ______________ my questions. (not/to answer)
2) _______ they ________ tomatoes in this shop? (to sell)
3) This girl _________________ trousers at school. (not/to wear)
4) __________ Mr Barker ____________ Physics? (to teach)
5) The guinea pigs ____________ under the desk. (not/to hide)
6) _____Ken often __________ the school bus? (to miss)
7) The poster __________on the wall anymore. (not/to hang)
8) ___________ for the tickets? (you/to pay)
9) The boys ________________ stones. (not/to throw)
10) _________ the bells of your church still ________? (to ring)

CHANGE THE SENTENCES TO OTHER WAYS.