Exercise 1
Outside the COMFORT ZONE
In this exciting new TV programme, ten people go and live in the mountains for ten days. Every day they do something difficult and sometimes dangerous. It’s usually cold and wet and they don’t have a lot of food. They need to stay safe and comfortable (if possible!), but it’s not easy. The two people who do the best win a prize of £25,000!
It starts on Channel Six next Tuesday at 8:30 pm.
It’s Day 5 on Outside the comfort zone and everyone is thinking about the first thing they’re going to do after the programme finishes.
I’m going to eat a big meal of steak and chips. JOEL
I’m going to have a long hot bath. MELISSA
I’m going to sleep for a long time. MICK
I’m going to have a big cup of coffee. SHELLEY
A. Read about Outside the comfort zone. Is it about …?
1 a fun holiday
2 a dangerous competition
B. Read about the programme again. Answer the questions.
1 Where do people on the programme go?
2 Do they have an easy time? Why / Why not?
3 What do the two best people get?
Answer
A
2
B
1 They go and live in the mountains.
2 No, they don’t. Every day they do something difficult and sometimes dangerous. It’s usually cold and wet and they don’t have a lot of food.
3 A prize of £25,000.
Exercise 2
ONLY 4,000 WEEKENDS IN YOUR LIFE!
SO, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THEM?
What’s your answer to this question? Perhaps it’s ‘I don’t know’ or ‘Not a lot’?
In her new book, What the most successful people do on the weekend, Laura Vanderkam says these are bad answers. She says the weekend is a time to relax, but also a time to do interesting things. With only 4,000 weekends in our life, each one is important. So don’t just sit on the sofa and watch TV. It’s a good idea to plan the weekend – then you can use the time well. Here are some of her ideas:
1 Plan three to five activities to do at the weekend and write them down. Be sure you do these things.
2 Plan to read a book. But a book for the weekend and then plan a time to read it.
3 Write a list of 100 ‘big’ things you’d like to do in your life. Choose one to do this weekend.
4 Get up early. Between 6:00 and 8:00 in the morning is the best time to do things. Plan to wake up early and do something before breakfast!
5 Turn off your phone and don’t use your computer. You can read your emails on Monday. On Sunday evening, go for a run, play some music or do yoga, so you relax and don’t think about work.
6 Don’t clean your house or flat at the weekend. It’s a time to do things you like!
A. Read about Laura Vanderkam’s new book. Which sentence below is her main idea?
1 Weekends are too short and we don’t have many of them.
2 It’s not a good idea to do a lot at the weekend.
3 It’s important to use the time well at the weekend.
B. Look at Wendy, Dermot and Rini’s plans for the weekend. Match them with ideas 1—3 in the text.
Wendy’s big ideas
I’d like to …
– make a cheesecake
– visit Paris
– paint my room
– learn Chinese
– read a book by Stephen King
– start a blog
– go parachuting
DERMOT’S DIARY
SUNDAY
10:00
11:00
12:00 Sit in the park and read my new book.
1:00
2:00
Rini’s weekend to do list
This weekend I’m going to:
1 go for a long run (10 km or more!).
2 invite some friends for dinner.
3 have my first tennis lesson.
Answer
A
3 It’s important to use the time well at the weekend.
B
1 Rini 2 Dermot 3 Wendy
Exercise 3
NEW YEAR, NEW ME BY MATT SIMPSON
1 Today is January 1st — a good day to start my new life! Some people talk about changing their lives, but they don’t do anything. I’m not going to talk about changing my life. l have a list of things I want to do and I’m going to do all of them.
2 What am I going to do first? Well, I usually get up, go to work, come home, have dinner and then watch TV until it’s time to go to bed. I never do any sport. From tomorrow, I’m going to get up early every day and go for a run. I’m also going to use the swimming pool at the gym after work.
3 I’m not going to stay at home every evening. I’m going to visit the college and get some information about language courses. I’m interested in Japanese. I also want to do a cookery class. I don’t know how to cook and | just eat in restaurants or buy pizzas. At the weekend, I go home to my mum for meals!
4 I spend a lot of money on clothes, but I’m not going to buy any more. I’m going to put the money in the bank. My girlfriend and I want to travel and see new places. We’re planning to leave our jobs in September and travel around the world.
5 Those are my plans. What are YOU going to do to change your life this year?
A. Read the blog. Match the ideas a—e to paragraphs 1—5.
a Travelling to new places
b Asking about another person’s plans
c Learning new things
d Deciding to change
e Changing a daily routine
B. Read the blog again. Tick (✓) the activities Matt is going to do.
1 buy more clothes
2 cook a meal for his mum
3 do a lot of travelling
4 get a new job
5 use the gym ✓
6 learn to swim
7 learn to cook
8 play football at the gym
9 run every day
10 save money
11 study a foreign language
12 walk to work every day
C. Imagine it’s a new year and you want to change your life. Make a list of things you’re going to do and things you aren’t going to do.
|
Things you’re going to do |
Things you aren’t going to do |
|
|
|
Answer
A
a 4 b 5 c 3 d 1 e 2
B
3, 7, 9, 10, 11
Related Posts
- Practice Reading English Exercises for Beginner – Achievers
- Practice Reading English Exercises for Beginner – Here and now
- Practice Reading English Exercises for Beginner – Holidays
- Practice Reading English Exercises for Beginner – Past events
- Practice Reading English Exercises for Beginner – Shopping and fashion
- Practice Reading English Exercises for Beginner – Work and routines