Five-Minute Tests

I. Are these sentences right or wrong? Correct the ones which are wrong.

1. He improved his English since he took part in the International Summer Programme.
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2. I already wrote a postcard to Jane.
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3. I’ve been thinking… It would be nice if we won a big prize in a lottery.
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4. The government said it will increase pensions.
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5. We have been discussing this problem for an hour but haven’t made up our mind yet.
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Key: 1. has improved; 2. have written; 3. correct; 4. has said/said it would; 5. correct

II. Complete using the correct pronoun, reflexive pronoun, or nothing.

1. Be careful! You can hurt ____________.
2. They asked her to introduce __________.
3. Are those children behaving _________?
4. The students really needed to relax ______ as they had been working very hard.
5. I feel _________ very well today.

Key: 1. yourself; 2. herself; 3. themselves; 4. –; 5. –

III. Rewrite the sentences using should/should have.

1. Don’t leave young children on their own. You shouldn’t _____________________
2. You didn’t prepare for the test. That was stupid. _________________________________
3. It’s a good idea to discuss your problems with your parents. _______________________________
4. They forgot to warn me about his bad temper. _______________________________
5. It’s a good idea for you to save part of your salary each month. _______________________________

Key:

1. You shouldn’t leave young children on their own.
2. You should have prepared for the test.
3. You should discuss your problems with your parents.
4. They should have warned me about his bad temper.
5. You should save part of your salary each month.

IV. Fur coats and hats: pros and cons. Use the ideas from the box and write a paragraph about this problem.

The well-known slogan goes, “fur is murder”. Production of fur coats and hats involves unacceptable cruelty to animals. Something that is the result of murder is not recommended by the principles of feng shui.
On the other hand, fur is a necessity. Without fur in very cold climates you will freeze. Furs are much healthier than artificial materials and they fill you with a feeling of peace. The fur trade helps families survive in many regions of Russia. If there were no fur trade, many regions in Russia would suffer.
Animal rights groups arrange anti-fur movement and involve celebrities in their campaigns. Celebs try to lower the reputation of fur and to show that fur is not fashionable. But it’s difficult to convince everyone to do without fur.

to be continued