3rd INTENSIVE REVISION FILES 1-4 (PART 1)

1- READING: READ THE ARTICLE AND TICK () A, B, OR C.

A radical transport system

As one of the world’s fastest growing economies, there has been a huge increase in China’s
urban population. With so many more people also able to afford cars, China’s cities now have
some of the biggest traffic congestion problems and produce more pollution than any other
country in the world.

But one Chinese engineer, Youzhou Song, has designed an exciting solution: the straddling bus
(a bus which goes across and above part of the road, like a moving bridge). This bus, which
looks like a train, holds passengers on the top level while cars can continue to drive beneath.
The bus, travelling at about 40 kilometres an hour, will not move as fast as a car, but it will
never have the problems of traffic jams. It is as wide as two lanes of the road, but it won’t slow
down the traffic. It can carry 1,200 passengers, and replace up to 40 conventional buses, saving
860 tons of fuel and 2,640 tons of carbon emissions per year. As it also runs on a combination
of electricity and solar power, it offers a much greener, cleaner, quieter and more economical
form of transport. It is also three times faster and ten times cheaper to build than the same
length of underground railway. Designed with a huge window in the top of the bus, it is also a
lighter and more cheerful way to travel!

Youzhou Song has thought of everything. The bus will follow fixed routes and passengers will
board the bus from stations above the ground. These stations will also recharge the bus with
electricity. If you’re worried about the bus crashing into other vehicles, don’t be. A system of
lights and alarms will stop this from happening. Youzhou Song has even designed escape
doors which open at the side in an emergency, just like on an aeroplane.

If tests on the new technology go well, Song’s company is talking about building over 180
kilometres of bus route. Los Angeles is also interested in this idea for solving traffic problems
and, who knows? We may all be looking forward to a new era of elevated bus travel!

1 In recent years, the traffic in China has got _____.

A faster  B better  C worse 
2 An engineer has designed _____ to resolve traffic congestion.
A a train  B a bus  C a bridge 
3 The new vehicle will travel more slowly than _____.
A a car  B a normal bus  C all other traffic 
4 _____ will be used to run the new system.
A Only electricity  B 860 tons of fuel  C Electricity and solar power

5 The other forms of transport are not as _____ as the new system.
A noisy  B quiet  C expensive 
6 The bus will get electricity from _____.
A the stations  B the ground  C the route 

7 A safety system will stop accidents with _____.

A pedestrians  B traffic lights  C cars 
8 There are plans to build _____ kilometres of bus route.
A more than 180  B 40  C almost 180 

Read the article again. Mark the sentences T (true) or F (false).

1 Traffic has got worse in China because more people have cars. _____
2 The new bus will carry 40 people. _____
3 Cars and the new bus will use different levels. _____
4 It is three times faster to build than the underground railway. _____
5 The new bus will not pollute the city as much as the old buses. _____
6 There will be an escape system similar to an aeroplane’s. _____
7 China is the only country interested in this new bus system. _____

2 Write the comparative or superlative form.

1 The subway in Athens is ________ (modern) one I’ve ever been on.
2 What’s __________ (quick) way to get around London?
3 Are trains here ________ (expensive) as in Britain?
4 I think my old car was ________ (economical) than my new one.
5 You look much ________ (good) with short hair!
6 Unfortunately my new office is just ________ (tiny) as my last one.
7 That was probably ________ (bad) coffee I’ve ever drunk!
8 Mary speaks _________ (slowly) than Anna, so she’s easier to understand.

3 Complete the email with a, an, the, or – (no article).

Dear Paula,
We’re having a wonderful time here in Rome. We arrived yesterday afternoon so we had time to find
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________ nice little hotel and relax after 2_______ journey. 3________ hotel is in 4________ city centre,
but it’s not too noisy.

We woke up early this morning because 5________ sun was shining in through the window. We had
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________ quick breakfast (great coffee!) and then went out to explore 7________ city.

Later, we’re meeting Kathy’s friend Pietro, who’s 8________ economics student at university here. He’s
going to take us to 9________ best pizzeria in Rome (at least he says it is!). I think 10________ Italian
cities are all wonderful, but I can’t believe what 11_______ fabulous city Rome is!

We’ll be back home 12________ next Friday. See you soon!

Love,

Julie

4 Complete the sentences with the correct form of can, could, or be able to.
1 I ________ swim when I was five. My dad taught me.
2 We’re very sorry but we ________ attend the wedding. We’ll be on holiday.
3 Would you like ________ play a musical instrument?
4 He opened his present before his birthday because he ________ wait!
5 After living here for four months, I ________ understand a lot of Greek now.
6 ________ you lend me a pen, please? I’ve forgotten mine.
7 I’ve never ________ sing well, but my brother has a beautiful voice.
8 I ________ read this menu without my glasses. Can you read it to me, please?
9 We’re free tonight, so we’ll ________ come and help you if you like.
10 My sister ________ ride a horse since she was four!

5 Complete the sentences with have to, don’t have to, must, mustn’t, should, or
shouldn’t.
1 I always ________ stand up on the train because there are no seats.
2 You really ________ eat in class, but I’ll let you do it this time.
3 Where do you think we ________ stay in London? In a hotel or a B&B?
4 There’s a lot of rubbish in that lake. You ________ swim in it!
5 You ________ pay to get into that museum – it’s free.
6 We ________ leave early in the morning if we want to get home before dark.
7 It’s a great film. You really ________ go and see it.
8 Great! It’s a holiday tomorrow – we ________ go to work.
9 You ________ drive on the right in Europe (except in the UK).
10 Do we ________ get up early tomorrow?

7 Choose from the pairs of adjectives to complete the sentences.

embarrassed / embarrassing bored / boring

frightened / frightening tired / tiring
depressed / depressing

1 It was so ________when my mobile rang during the play.

2 That’s possibly the most ________ film I’ve ever seen. Nothing happened.
3 I was very ________ when the door suddenly opened on its own.
4 It rained every day on my holiday. I couldn’t do anything and was so _______.
5 Why is travelling so ________ when most of the time you’re just sitting down?
6 I find most horror films too ________ so I keep my eyes closed half the time.
7 I’m not surprised Ian’s ________! He’s just lost his job, and his dog’s just died.
8 She was so ________ when she called him by the wrong name!
9 We’re incredibly _______. We’ve spent all day sightseeing in London.
10 I find it ________ that most people don’t really care about climate change.

8 Complete the compound nouns in the sentences.

1 I never drive during the ________ hour because the traffic is so bad.
2 Can you believe that drivers didn’t wear seat ________ in the past?
3 Excuse me, is there a petrol ________ near here?
4 I don’t like riding my bike in towns with no cycle ________.
5 The ________ transport is excellent here. You don’t need a car at all.
6 The queues at this taxi ________ are always long on Saturday nights.
7 It’s annoying when cyclists go through a red traffic ________.
8 The speed ________ in many British towns is now as low as 20 mph.

9 Complete the sentences with one word only.

1 I lent my essay ___________ Mark and now he’s lost it.
2 I’m really proud ___________ you, son. Well done!
3 We got ___________ in a traffic jam for 45 minutes. It was so boring!
4 ‘Do you like yoga?’ ‘It depends ___________ the teacher.’
5 Francine ___________ for dinner last night. It was very generous of her.
6 He was talking ___________ Zola the nineteenth-century author, not Zola the Italian footballer.
7 I ___________ out two or three times a week at the gym opposite my office.
8 They lived ___________ very little money while they looked for new jobs.
9 I don’t have the money right now. Can I pay you ___________ tomorrow?
10 Sue and Malik went out ___________ for several months but they’ve broken up.