Reading. The future of city centres

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Grammar

1 Complete the sentences with the correct present perfect or past simple form of the verbs given.

1 ……………………… you ……………………… (have) that headache for a long time? You should see a doctor about it.

2 Where ……………………… you ……………………… (be)? Your clothes are really dirty!

3 Where ……………………… you ……………………… (stay) when you were in London earlier this year?

4 We ……………………… (visit) my cousins while we were in Rome last month.

5 I have finished the assignment, but I ……………………… (not give) it in yet.

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2 Put these words in the correct place in the sentences.

ever • just • never • since • yet

1 We’ve watched an English DVD in class. I’d love

to, though!

………..……..………..……..………..……..………..……..………..……..………..

2 I’m sorry, but I haven’t finished the book you lent me. Can I give it back to you next week?

………..……..………..……..………..……..………..……..………..……..………..

3 I’ve known my best friend we were at playgroup together when we were three years old.

………..……..………..……..………..……..………..……..………..……..………..

4 Sorry I’m late for class. I’ve arrived and I’m a little out
of breath!

………..……..………..……..………..……..………..……..………..……..………..

5 Have you been on a plane by yourself in your life?

………..……..………..……..………..……..………..……..………..……..………..

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3 Choose the correct alternatives to complete the dialogue.

Amy: Hi, Maria. SorryI’m late. I’ve (1) helped/been helping Jim with his history homework.

Maria: Don’t worry, I’ve only just arrived myself. I’ve
(2) worked out/been working out in the gym. That’s why I’m so tired.

Amy: I’m really hungry. Shall we have a pizza after the film?

Maria: We can go back to my house. I’ve just
(3) bought/been buying a chicken and chilli pizza and I’ve got lots of salad at home.

Amy: That would be great. Thanks. I’ve never
(4) eaten/been eating a chicken and chilli pizza before.

Maria: I’m glad that you can come. I’ve (5) made/been making enough salad for at least four people.

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Total

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Vocabulary

4 Complete the sentences with words related to city life.

1 I live in the ……………………… and can cycle to school in the centre in about 20 minutes.

2 We live in a ……………………… and have great views. But if the lift isn’t working properly it’s a nightmare!

3 The police say that there is more crime in ……………………… city areas than in the suburbs.

4 In many cities, only taxis and buses can drive through the ……………………… , to cut down on pollution.

5 One of the advantages of living in a ……………………… is that you don’t hear much noise from the neighbours.

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5 Complete the text with these adjectives. There are two extra adjectives.

crowded • dirty • historic • lively • modern noisy • quiet

My town is very old and (1) ……………………… – there are lots of buildings and monuments to look at. It has an old quarter which has lots of bars and restaurants. At the weekend the atmosphere there is always fun and
(2) ………………………. I would recommend Donatello’s restaurant as it has great pasta dishes. But on
Friday evenings it’s very popular and it gets really
(3) ……………………… , so sometimes it’s difficult to get a table. Also it’s impossible to have a conversation with your friends because it’s really (4) ……………………… with all the people talking at once. The town centre is very different to the old quarter. It was built quite recently so the buildings are more (5) ………………………, and it has a great shopping centre.

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6 Replace the words in italics with extreme adjectives.

1 The city of Bath is very old. It is a spa town and has some Roman baths and beautiful stone buildings.

………………………

2 After cycling through the country roads in the rain, our bikes were very dirty.

………………………

3 On the first day of the summer sales the shops were very full. It was impossible to move.

………………………

4 My last essay was very bad. I wrote it in a rush and it was full of mistakes.

………………………

5 We climbed up to the top of the volcano and when we looked down the views of the landscape around were very pretty.

………………………

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Total

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Reading

7 Read the article about changing city centres. The headings have been removed from the article.
Choose the best headings (A–F) to complete the article.

The future of city centres

1 ………………………

For many of us, getting around in cities has undoubtedly become a great deal easier over the last few years. In the past few decades there had been a growing need for city councils to try and ease the traffic jams that were causing drivers’ frustration and creating problems of air pollution in city centres. Changing the travelling habits of thousands of commuters is not an easy thing to do, but in many places the strategies used to do this have been successful and traffic in city centres has become much more manageable, while air quality has improved. There are several reasons
for this.

2 ………………………

One is the increased use of ‘congestion charges’ for drivers of private vehicles using the roads in city centres. This has not always been a popular solution with motorists who need to travel into the city centre by car every day and don’t want to pay for this. Nevertheless, it has definitely been effective in significantly reducing the amount of traffic traveling through city centres. It has also been successful in improving the air quality in those areas, making them healthier for pedestrians to walk in. Taxi and bus drivers are also happy with the charges as the reduced traffic, which results from them, means they have more freedom to travel through previously busy streets in a reasonable time.

3 ………………………

Another solution for reducing the volume of traffic in the city centres has been the introduction of pedestrianised zones. In these areas traffic is completely banned, apart from essential vehicles like police cars or vans unloading goods. We were used to seeing some pedestrianised streets in capital cities, for example around historical monuments, but now whole areas in some places have becoming no-car zones. A positive effect of this idea is that it has allowed the culture of street cafés and outdoor markets to flourish. These areas are now pleasant places to socialise and shop because the air is cleaner and the streets are quieter now that traffic is absent.

4 ………………………

To enable commuters and visitors to access the town and city centres, many places now operate a ‘park and ride’ system, where travellers leave their cars at a special car park in the city suburbs and are brought into the centre by special buses or coaches. In many cases a large amount of investment has gone into improving public transport services to encourage people to leave their cars at home and travel by bus or train. In the largest cities extensions to rail networks and underground systems have been built and additional bus services have been introduced. Many of these solutions save people money, as well as reducing congestion.

5 ………………………

Some commuters have decided to swap their cars for bicycles! Not only is cycling to work good for their health, it’s also good for the environment. Councils have realised the advantages of encouraging people to use bikes and have put money into creating networks of cycle lanes to encourage more of their citizens to cycle more in greater safety.

6 ………………………

Whilst getting around our cities is now easier than before and the problems of congestion and pollution have been partly alleviated, people are still asking whether we could go further. Ecologists are still demanding that more is done to reduce air pollution and hold up the example of cities in Scandinavia, which are cleaner and greener because of their stricter policies on traffic control.

A Get fit while travelling!

B But have we done enough?

C The problems of traffic in our cities

D Charges for car owners – an effective solution?

E Reducing traffic can be good for business

F Public transport solutions

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8 Read the article again. Are these statements True (T) or False (F)?

1 Getting around cities is now easier than it
used to be. T/F

2 Traffic jams and pollution no longer exist. T/F

3 Charges for drivers who want to use their

cars in city centres have been very popular. T/F

4 Banning traffic completely in some areas has
meant that businesses have lost money. T/F

5 All major cities now have a ‘park and ride’
scheme and an underground system. T/F

6 Councils are creating networks of cycle lanes to improve safety for cyclists. T/F

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Total

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