Test 1 Ex. 1 Read the text and statements below the text. Mark them as true (T) or false (F).
The London Bus
The first London Bus started service on July 4, 1829. However, it was only a horse and carriage for about 20 people. Its route was from Paddington Station to Bank, and it was an instant success. The first double-decker buses appeared in public in 1850, and London is now famous for them.
By 1901 there were more than 3,500 horse-and-carriage buses on the streets. The first motorised buses came out in 1904, and they were extremely successful. In fact, ten years later there were no horse- pulled buses. Now all the buses have diesel engines.
In the 1950s London Transport introduced a new type of bus, the Routemaster. This new bus was bigger and carried more passengers (64 seats compared with 56), and at present some Routemasters continue to operate on busy central London routes. Before the Routemasters, there were two people on the bus: the driver and the conductor. But the old London buses were not efficient in terms of costs and profits. Therefore, they decided to redesign them with the engine at the back, so that the passengers got on at the front and paid the driver for their ticket.
Today the buses running in London include double- and single-deck vehicles and shorter minibuses, which are better for the environment. In 1995 the Conservative government privatized London Transport, and they sold all their buses to private companies.
True or False?
1. The first London bus went from Paddington Station to Bank.
2. The first double-decker buses were motorised.
3. In 1914 all buses were motorised.
4. London transport introduced the Routemaster bus in 1965.
5. There are no Routemaster buses in London now.
6. Bus passengers in London buy their ticket before they get on the bus.
7. You can see three types of buses in London today.
Ex. 2 Translate the following sentences from Russian into English.
1. В этой стране дети идут в школу с четырёх лет.
2. В конце учебного года все сдают экзамены.
3. Он специализируется по математике и физике.
4. Он закончил школу в году.
5. Моя сестра с удовольствием ходила в школу.
Ex. 3 In the following text use apostrophes where needed.
This is our school. Its made of bricks. Its roof is bright red. Theres a garden around the school building. I have many friends at school. John is my best friend. He lives next door, and hes got a dog. It’s a small dog, but its ears are very big. All my friends have pets. My friends pets are very nice. I’d like to have a pet too.
Ex. 4 Paraphrase the following sentences using used to.
1. When I was five, I often played with this toy car.
2. My grandfather played football when he was in his twenties.
3. Our cat often caught mice when we lived in the countryside.
Ex. 5 Use the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
1. If you know the answer, you’ll/will win the game.
2. If my mother calls, we’ll/will tell her about our plans.
3. If you go by plane, it’ll/will be faster than by train.
4. Our friends’ll/will visit us, if we invite them.