20

c 01:10 The speaker says How is this possible?

What is she talking about? What do you think the
answer is? Listen to Part 2 to check your answer.
d 01:10 Now listen to Parts 1 and 2 again. Answer
the questions.
1 What are the Paralympics?
2 When were the rst Paralympic Games?
3 How many sports people were at the 2008 Paralympic Games?
4 Where did Natalie Du Toit nish in the 10 km swim in the Olympics?
5 What is Du Toits disability?
Be the best!
U
N
I
T
02
sprinter = someone who runs fast
in short distances in competitions
set a record = to become the best,
biggest, fastest, longest, etc.
disabled = having an illness, injury,
or condition that makes it difcult
to do things
wheelchair = a chair with wheels used
by someone who cannot walk
b 01:10 Look at the proles. Listen to Part 1 of a talk and complete the information.
o
b
j
e
c
t
i
v
e
s
Grammar
comparative and
superlative adjectives
intensiers with
comparatives
(not) as as
comparatives
adverbs /
comparative adverbs
Vocabulary
adjectives and their
opposites
sport and sports rules
Functions
making comparisons
describing sports events
1 Listen
a Match the names
of the sports events
with the pictures.
Write AF in the boxes.
1 throwing the discus
2
t
throwing the javelin
3
t
marathon
4 volleyball
5
v
archery
6
a
sprinting
JASON SMYTH
From: Ireland
Event:
Medal: Gold
Time:
JASON SMYTH
STEFANIE BROWN TRAFTON
From:
Event: throwing the discus
Medal: Gold
Distance:
SSSTTEEFANIE BROWN TRAFTTOON NN MARIANNE BUGGENHAGEN
From:
Event:
Medal:
Distance: 27.8 metres
USAIN BOLT
From:
Event: 100 metre sprint
Medal:
Time: 9.69
USAIN BOLT
A
B
C
D
E
F
21

2 Grammar comparative and superlative adjectives
a Complete the table with the adjectives in the box. How do you form the comparative and
superlative of good and bad?
easy bad tidy young quiet interesting beautiful good
False friends
quiet = silenzioso
quieto = calm
4 Grammar
(not) as as comparatives
a

We can use (not) as as to compare things.
Look at the examples. Then answer the
questions.
Smyth isnt as fast as Bolt.
Smyth is as fast as an ordinary athlete.
1 Who is faster, Smyth or Bolt?
2 Is an ordinary athlete faster than Smyth?
b Complete the second sentence so it means the
same as the rst.
E

0 Sarahs brother is younger than Sarah.
Sarahs brother isnt as old as Sarah .
1 Peters tidier than his sister.
Peter isnt his sister.
2 Dogs are noisier than cats.
Dogs arent cats.
3 Jo thinks Spanish is easier than French.
Jo thinks Spanish isnt
French.
4 For me, reading is more interesting than
watching TV.
For me, watching TV
reading.
5 Cheryl is more talented than Steve.
Steve isnt Cheryl.
6 Spain is warmer than Scotland.
Scotland isnt Spain.
intensiers with
comparative adjectives

Look at the examples.
Nicks much / far / a lot older
than Will.
The red coat is a bit / a little more
expensive than the green one.
b Make comparisons using the words given.
Use a little, a bit, much, far, a lot and an
adjective.
1 a laptop / desktop computer
2 studying Maths / studying English
3 the UK / Italy
4 me / my best friend
5 trains / planes
6 golf / rugby
3 Vocabulary
adjectives
Rewrite the sentences. Use the comparative
of the adjectives in the box.
bad difcult old messy
0 Im younger than my sister.
My sister is older than me

.
1 My English is better than Marios.
Marios English is .
2 This exercise is easier than the last one.
The last exercise was .
3 Your bedroom is tidier than mine.
My bedroom is .
-er / -est
younger / youngest
-ier / -iest easier / easiest
more / most more beautiful / most beautiful
irregular comparatives

Extra Practice Workbook Pronunciation p126
CD1 T11

22

5 Read
Look at the photo and the title.
What is the sport? Who played
against who? Who do you think
won? Read the text quickly to
check your ideas.
6 Comprehension
Now read the text again.
Answer the questions.
1 Which team won the match?
2 How many points did they
win by?
3 Which team was winning
up until the end of the
third period?
4 What two things
happened in the last
thirty seconds?
5 According to an Australian
player, did the Canadians
play worse than the
Australians?
6 Are the Australian team
optimistic or pessimistic
about the next Paralympic
games?
7 Vocabulary
sport and
sports rules
Complete the words in the
sentences.
1 The referee is there to check
that the p_ _ _ _ _ _ follow the
rules.
2 When the r_ _ _ _ _ _ wants to
stop the game, he b_ _ _ _ his
w_ _ _ _ _ _ .
3 The c_ _ _ _ trains or prepares
a football team.
4 When the two teams get the
same score, we say that the
match is a d_ _ _ .
5 If a team b_ _ _ _ another team,
they win the match.
6 If a team wins in the f_ _ _ _
match, then they become the
c_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
Australia almost
the champions
The Australian Mens Wheelchair Basketball team were only
two points away from a gold medal last night. In the Paralympic
Wheelchair Basketball nal, Canada (the World and Paralympic
Champions) beat Australia 49 to 47.
At the end of the third period, Australia were winning by eight points.
But Canada came back they played brilliantly and took the lead in the
last thirty seconds. The Australian captain had a chance at the very end
to draw the match but the ball hit the basket and rolled away slowly.
The referee blew the nal whistle and Canada were the champions.
One of the Australian players said: Were very proud. We didnt
play badly in fact, we played very well. But congratulations to
Canada they played hard and fast and, in the end, they played
better than us.
The Australian team now have a few weeks before their next
match, but they arent resting: they are already preparing
for the next Paralympic Games. We hope that we can
go further than last time and win the gold medal, the
coach said. Were practising more regularly and
were training harder than ever. I think well
do very well at the next Paralympics.
8 Speak E
Work with a partner. Discuss these questions.
1 Do you enjoy watching sport?
2 Which sports, if any, interest you most? Which are
the most exciting to watch?
3 In your opinion, which is the best sport to keep t?
Give reasons.
I think ... is the best sport to keep t
because ... . What do you think?
II th thiinkk ... iis tthhe bbestt sportt tto kkeep tt
be beca caus usee .... .. .. WWha hatt do do yyou ou tthi hink nk??
In my opinion, ... is much better because ... .
23

Into grammar
1 Adverbs
a Look at the example. Underline other
examples of adverbs in the text on page 22.
We didnt play badly in fact we played very well.
b How do you form the adverbs of regular
adjectives, e.g. slow?
c How do you form the adverbs of adjectives
ending in -y, e.g. easy?
d How do you form the adverbs of hard, fast
and good?
Learner tips!
Most adjectives become adverbs by adding -ly,
e.g. slow slowly.
But some adjectives end in -ly.
Elderly, friendly, manly, lonely, lovely, and ugly are
adjectives, not adverbs, eg Hes a friendly person.
When we want to use these words as adverbs we
say in a ... way. He spoke in a friendly way.
Adjectives and adverbs
e Complete the sentences with the correct
adverbial form of the adjectives in the box.
convenient cheap hard
careful successful friendly
0 The at is conveniently located within
walking distance of the beach.
1 Louise runs her business very
.
She is planning to open a new branch in Bath
soon.
2 Teacher to students: Listen to
the instructions, as you will only hear them once.
3 Living in Vancouver the
second most expensive city in Canada is
possible if you know where to look.
4 Youll have to work very if you
want to pass your maths test.
5 Mr Norris is often angry, but he has always
behaved to me.
Learner tips!
Its hard work.
We work hard. (Not: We work hardly.)
Its a fast car.
She drives fast. (Not: She drives fastly.)
2 Comparative adverbs
a Look at the examples. Then complete
the rule.
I run more slowly than my brother.
She works harder than anyone else in the class.
He plays tennis better than Rafael Nadal.
We form the comparative form of
regular adverbs (-ly), with .. or
less + .. .. For adverbs that dont
end in -ly, add - + than.
r
u
l
e
b Complete the second sentence so that
it means the same as the rst.
E

0 Jeff got 8 in the test, and I got 7.
Jeff did better than me in the test.
1 My brother gets up at 7 am, but I get up
at 6.30 am.
I get up my brother.
2 Yesterday I didnt get up as early as usual.
Yesterday I got up usual.
3 I dont write as clearly as Andy.
Andy writes I do.
4 No one works as hard as Sandra.
Sandra works anyone
else.
5 I cant run as fast as Sue.
Sue runs .
6 Venuss sister didnt play as well as Venus.
Venus played her sister.
7 Please dont speak so fast.
Could you , please?
c Complete the sentences with the
comparative or superlative forms of the
underlined adjectives or adverbs.
1 I play chess badly, but my brother plays
even than me.
2 A: How far is the next petrol station?
Five kilometres?
B: Im afraid its than that.
3 A: Is there a bank near here?
B: bank is in Birch Street,
the second on the right.
A marathon
1 Read and listen
a

01:12 Look at the photo story. Someone is taking part in a sports event. Who is it?
What is the event? Why is Joel laughing? Read and listen to nd the answers.
Extra Practice DVD-ROM
Joel: Youre not going to believe this. My dads running in this!
Debbie: Your dad? The marathon? I didnt know he liked doing sport.
Joel: Well, he doesnt, really. He does a bit of running now and then,
and he goes to the gym and that sort of thing. But theres no way
he could nish a marathon.
Three days later
Pete: So, Joel, how did your dad do?
Joel: Hahahaha... it took him 7 hours
and 12 minutes.
Jess: So he nished it? Thats
fantastic!
Joel: Yeah, but guess what? He was
slower than almost everyone in
the race!
Pete: Still. Were talking about
26 miles here. Thats an awful lot
of running. Theres no way I could
do that!
Debbie: It would take me more than
a month. And honestly, Joel, do
you think you could do it?
Joel: Thats not the point. It took
him more than 7 hours. Its so
embarrassing!
Jess: So what? He set himself a goal,
and he did it. At the end of the
day, thats what matters.
Joel: Well, perhaps youre right. Ive
never thought about it like that,
I suppose.

24

25

b Read the sentences. Find one thing thats
wrong in each sentence and correct it.
1 Joel thinks his dad is enthusiastic about
sports.
2 Joels dad nished the marathon, and Joel
was impressed with his time.
3 No other runner was slower than Joels
dad.
4 Pete thinks he is a better runner than
Joels dad.
5 Debbie and Pete think its ridiculous to run
a marathon in seven hours.
2 Everyday English
a

Find expressions 16 in the photostory.
Who says them? How do you say them
in Italian?
1 that sort of thing.
2 guess what?
3 Were talking about
4 an awful lot of
5 Thats not the point.
6 At the end of the day,
b Complete the dialogue with the expressions
in Exercise 2a.
Allie: Hey Steve.
0
Guess what? I just saw
a new Coldplay DVD in the shop. It costs
twenty pounds.
Steve: Really? Well, Im not going to
buy it.
Allie: What!? Steve,
1

Coldplay here one of your favourite
bands!
Steve: I know. But
2
, Allie.
Dont you remember? My father lost his
job. I cant spend money on CDs, DVDs
and
3
.
4

twenty pounds is
5
of
money.
Allie: Oh, yes, Im sorry. I forgot.
3 Role play
Work with a partner. Take two minutes to
prepare a short role play. Try to use some
of the expressions from Exercise 2a. Do
not write the text, just agree on your ideas
for a short scene. Then act it out.
Basic idea: Its the evening of the same day.
Joel is talking to his dad. Hes sorry that he
made fun of his dads marathon time.
4 DVD
DVD Episode 1
a

This year Debbie, Jess, Pete and Joel are
preparing for their GCSE exams. In one of their
courses, Joel has to do a special project. What do
you think the project is, and how does Joel like it?
b Match the words with their denitions. Then
watch Episode 1.
1 drama a a number or letter that
shows how good you are
in a subject at school
2 workshop b in a bad mood; unhappy
with everything
3 mark c an injury or condition
that makes it difcult for
someone to do what other
people do
4 disability d showing a lot of interest
in something
5 complain about e a meeting of people to
something train or discuss an activity
6 grumpy f when actors make up what
they say without reading
from a script
7 enthusiastic g to say that something is
wrong or you are not happy
with it
8 improvise h a play in a theatre, on TV
or on the radio

26

Into exams
1 Write E
Mandys teacher asked her to
write a report about a sports
event. Read Mandys report.
2 Comprehension E
a

Match the topics with the paragraphs.
Write 1, 2 and 3 in the boxes.
1 What happened at the event
2 Mandys opinion of the event
3 General information about the event
b Read Mandys report again. Answer the
questions.
1 What kind of event was it?
2 When and where did it take place?
3 Who did Mandy go with?
4 Which player was defending his title as
champion?
5 How did the players play?
6 What were the weather conditions like?
7 What was the nal score?
8 Did Mandy have a good time? Why? /
Why not?
3 Write E
Write a report for your school magazine
about a sports event you watched in
the past. Use Mandys report and the
questions in Exercise 2a to help you.
4 Speak E
a

Work with a partner. Look at column A.
Ask Yes / No questions.
A Questions B Follow-up
questions
1 you / watch sport on TV? What / watch?
2 you / play any sport? What / play?
3 you / got a favourite sportsperson? Who / be?
4 your parents / like sport? What / like?
5 anyone in your family /
play a sport well?
Who? What /
play?
Do you watch sport on TV?
What do you watch?
Yes, I do.
I watch
b Ask follow-up questions with the words in
column B.
Do Do y yyou ou w wat atch ch s spo po p rt rt o on n TV TV??
Wh What at d do o yo yo y u u wa watc tch? h?
Ye Yes, s I I d do. o
I I wa watc tch h
c

Tell the class about your partner.
Giovanni watches sports on TV. He
usually watches tennis and Formula 1,
and sometimes volleyball.
Gi Giovanni ni w t atch ches spo t rts on TTVV. HHe
usually watches tennis and Formula 1,
an andd so some meti time mess vo voll lley eyba ball ll.
A

July 6th, 2008 was one of the most exciting days in my life. My dad
managed to get tickets for the mens singles nal at Wimbledon, and reigning
champion, Roger Federer, was playing against the Spaniard, Rafael Nadal.
B

The match was incredible from the start, and it took ve sets and nearly
ve hours before Rafa eventually became King of the Grass. The weather was
terrible that day. The match started 30 minutes late because of the rain, and play
was interrupted twice, the rst time for an hour and a half, when it started raining
again. The wind was a real problem for the two competitors, but they both played
brilliantly. Nadal won the rst two sets, but Federer equalised, and when the
game was stopped the second time by rain, the score in the fth and nal set was
22. Nadal won the fth set, but it was a real battle.
C

It was the most amazing tennis Ive ever seen, and there were moments
when Dad and I went wild with excitement. I was so lucky to have been there.
27

Learner tips!
U
n
i
t
s

1

a
n
d

2
The past continuous often corresponds
to an imperfetto tense in Italian.
I met him while I was going out.
= Lho incontrato mentre uscivo.
But the Italian imperfetto does not always
correspond to a past continuous tense
in English.
Venti anni fa poca gente usava il computer. =
Few people used a computer twenty years ago.
a

Translate the following sentences.
1 Con chi parlavi?
2 Laura mi spiegava un esercizio.
3 Negli anni, 70 mio padre viveva in Germania.
4 Mia madre portava le gonne corte quando era
ragazza.
5 Ho visto Marta alla festa. Parlava con Steve.
Expressions like look, sound, taste,
smell + adjective have no direct translation
into Italian.
You look angry. (By the expression on your
face, I think youre angry.)
You sound tired. (From your voice, I think you
are tired.)
The coffee smells good, but it tastes horrible.
(The smell of the coffee is good, but the taste
is horrible.)
b Complete the sentences with the correct form
of look, sound, taste, smell and an adjective.
0 He told me what he wants to do, and I think its
interesting. It sounds interesting .
1 I didnt want to eat the snails, but when
I ate them, they were good. The snails
.
2 Im not going to watch this lm. My friend
told me about it and I have a feeling its boring.
It .
3 Theres a horrible smell coming from Joes at.
It .
4 A: I saw Kates dog yesterday and I think its old.
It .
Get your prepositions right.
Im taller than you.
Im as tall as you.
Im the tallest in the family.
Im the tallest of all.
c

Complete the sentences. Use than,
as, in or of.
0 Im busier today than yesterday.
1 John is the funniest boy
school.
2 We all got bad marks in the test, but
Harrys were the worst all.
3 The examiner was friendlier
I expected.
4 Come and visit soon
you can.
Put as both before and after the
adjective to form the comparative.
d Complete the sentences. Use (not)
as as.
0 Youre faster than me.
Im not as fast as you.
1 Youre 15 years old. Im 15 too.
Im .
2 Italy is hot in the summer. The UK is
cooler.
The UK is
Italy in the summer.
3 Bill is busy today, but yesterday he
was even busier.
Bill he was
yesterday.
4 Your computer is newer than mine.
My computer
yours.
Refer to Units 1 and 2 before you
do this exercise.
e

Circle the correct words.
0 They were walking / was walking
to the gym when it started raining.
1 I told him the whole story when /
while we were driving home.
2 He spoke friendly / in a friendly way.
3 Youll have to train very hard / hardly
if you want to get into the team.
4 Mark drives very fast / fastly. I dont
want to be in the car with him.
5 What I liked most / mostly was the
old part of the town.

28

1 Grammar
past simple vs.
past continuous
a Complete the text. Use the past simple or
past continuous form of the verbs.
While I
0
was walking (walk) down the street
yesterday, I
1
(see) a friend
of mine. He
2
(look) in a
shop window. I
3
(start) to
cross the road to say hello to him. While
I
4
(cross) the road, I
5
(hear) a noise. A bus
6
(come) in my direction! The
bus
7
(stop) very close to me.
I was lucky it
8
(not hit) me!

!
8
b Oliver is the eye witness of an attempted
burglary. A police ofcer is questioning him.
Complete the dialogue with the past simple
or past continuous form of the verbs in
the box.
argue recognise do stand hear see
turn r ound have plant climb
Police ofcer: Could you tell me what you
0
were doing at around 7 oclock last night?
Oliver: I
1
some tomatoes in
the garden.
Police ofcer: And what
2
you
?
Oliver: Well, rst of all I
3

some voices. Two men
4
.
When I
5
, I saw that a man
6
through the bathroom
window of the house next door.
Police ofcer:
7
you
him?
Oliver: No, thats why I called you. I know my
next-door neighbour, and he usually enters
his house through the front door.
Police ofcer: Yes, of course. What about the
other man?
Oliver: He
8
in the garden.
He
9
a large black bag, but
it looked empty.
Police ofcer: Thank you very much. You did
well to call us.

9

comparative and superlative
adjectives
c Complete the sentences. Use the comparative
or superlative form of the underlined
adjectives.
0 Im a fast runner, but Jane is faster than me,
and Sarah is the fastest runner in the school.
1 His latest book is good. It is much
than his last one, but his rst
book was the .
2 This house is beautiful but the one next door
is . My favourite one is at the
end of the street; its the of all.
3 Three years ago was really bad for me, two
years ago was but last year
was the year of my life!

6

adverbs
d Complete the second sentence so that it
means the same as the rst.
0 Theres no girl in my class as popular as
Jennifer.
Jennifer is the most popular girl in my class

.
1 Mary expected to do better in the Maths test.
Mary didnt do .
2 I didnt realise that Dan could speak English
so well.
Dan speaks English .
3 No one in the school plays the piano as
brilliantly as Barry.
Barry is .
4 The team didnt play as well as their
supporters hoped.
The team played .
5 My sister is 1.70 m. My mum is 1.68 m.
My mum isnt .
6 My bedroom is much messier than my sisters.
My sisters bedroom .
7 Bill paid more for his mobile phone than me.
My mobile phone wasnt .
8 Anna doesnt live as far from the school as me.
I live .

8
Into progress
29

e Complete the sentences.
0 Dan drives very fast

. (fast)
1 It rained all day. (heavy)
2 Id like to be able to speak Chinese
. (uent)
3 My mum always gets up . (early)
4 I did my homework very .
(careful)
5 Ben plays the piano very . (good)
6 Jo studied for the exam. (hard) rd)
6
2 Vocabulary
phrases with get
a Complete the sentences. Use the correct form
of the verb get and the words in the box.
dark home a surprise old late
good ideas the answer wet impatient
0 I occasionally write poems, but I only get
good ideas

when Im feeling sad.
1 My grandfather sometimes forgets my name.
I think he .
2 Steve spent a long time trying to solve the
Maths problem, but he
right.
3 When I from
volleyball, Im really tired.
4 Look at the time! It .
I must go to bed.
5 It doesnt until half
past ten in the evening in the summer.
6 My mum when I told
her the good news. She wasnt expecting it.
7 It started raining while we were walking home
and we .
8 The teacher with
me when I didnt know the answer.

8
U
n
i
t
s

1

a
n
d

2

adjectives and their
opposites
b Write the opposites of the adjectives.
0 messy tidy
1 exciting
2 tall
3 beautiful
4 expensive
5 loud
6 difcult

6
3 Translate
Translate the following sentences.
1 Quando ho aperto la nestra stamani,
sono stata sorpresa di vedere che stava
nevicando.
2 Quando ho conosciuto Janet, lei
studiava Biologia allUniversit di
Bristol.
3 Stavo ascoltando musica sul mio Mp3
quando arrivato il treno.
4 Questo computer portabile pi piccolo
del mio, ma anche molto pi costoso.
5 Stanford una delle Universit pi
prestigiose del mondo.
6 Ho un sacco di cose da fare domani,
cos mi alzer prima del solito.
7 Lappartamento di John un po pi
grande del mio.
8 Bob suona il violino incredibilmente
bene per la sua et.
9 Di solito gennaio pi freddo di
dicembre.
10 Alice la persona pi afdabile che
conosca.
10
TO TTO TTTO TO TO O TO TTO OTA TA TA TA TA TA TA TALLLLLLL