IMPROVING EXERCISE

4. NGUYEN TRAI HIGH SCHOOL
IMPROVING EXERCISE _ E10 _ UNIT 3 (Week 2)
5. A. LANGUAGE FOCUS: Reading Comprehension - Past Simple and Past Perfect Tenses
6. B. EXERCISES
7. Read the passage and circle the best answer to fill in the blank
8. When George finished his study at university, he began (1)...... for a job. He did not know what

he (2)...... like to do. His uncle had worked for the Government for thirty years and he advised
George (3)...... to get a job of the same kind, so he went for a job interview one day. He was
(4)...... and his first job was in a large government (5)...... in London.
9. When George had been working there for a few weeks, his uncle (6) ...... him a visit. The uncle
was delighted that his (7)...... had managed to get a job working (8)...... the Government. He
asked George a lot of questions about the job. One of the questions was, “(9)...... people work in
your department?” The young man thought for a(n) (10)...... and then answered, “About half of
them”.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

A. trying
A. could
A. to find
A. successful
A. room

A. gave
A. son
A. at
A. How long
A. hour

10. B. looking
11. B. had
12. B. to look for
13. B. unsuccessful
14. B. basement
15. B. paid
16. B. grandson
17. B. for
18. B. How often
19. B. time

20. ..................................................................................................................................
30. ..................................................................................

C. seeing
D. finding
21. ..................................................................................................................................
31. ..................................................................................
C. should
D. would
22. ..................................................................................................................................
32. ..................................................................................
C. to try
D. to offer

23. ..................................................................................................................................
33. ..................................................................................
C. impatient
D. achieving
24. ..................................................................................................................................
34. ..................................................................................
C. office
D. hall
25. ..................................................................................................................................
35. ..................................................................................
C. came
D. offered
26. ..................................................................................................................................
36. ..................................................................................
C. niece
D. nephew
27. ..................................................................................................................................
37. ..................................................................................
C. in
D. from
28. ..................................................................................................................................
38. ..................................................................................
C. How much
D. How many
29. ..................................................................................................................................
39. ..................................................................................
C. moment
D. little

40. .....................................................................................................................................................R

ewrite the following sentences
41. 11. She wanted to ease human suffering. She wanted to make..............................................
42. 12. He doesn’t like math very much. He isn’t ......................................................................
43. 13. Remember to bring your dictionary to the class. Don’t ..................................................
44. 14. What are your favorite subjects? What subjects............................................................?
45. 15. After half an hour’s rest, Mr. Lam continued his work. After Mr. Lam..........................
46. 16. “Why don’t we go to the cinema tonight?”, said Tom. Tom suggested..........................
47. 17. Mary’s uncle was a doctor. Mary’s uncle ........................................................................
48. 18. He spent 2 hours driving home. It took............................................................................
49. ....................................................................................................19. In difficult living
conditions, she still gained scholarship from British Council.
50.
In spite of .......................................................................................................................
51. ................................................................................................................................................20.
His dream was to become a famous actor. He harboured........................................................
Make questions for the underlined part
21. James is playing tennis in the school ground.


22. No, we just had a chat
23. We went to David’s birthday party last night.
52.
24. Johnny often reads romantic stories in his free time.
53.
25. The Cooks? They had lived in New York for 10 years before moving here.
54.
26. We first met 3 months ago.
55.
27. It takes my aunt 2 hours to clean their house at weekends.

56.
28. My sister has received 3 letters from her husband this month.
57.
Match a verb in A with a phrase in B, then make a sentence with each of them
58.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.

29. to become
30. to graduate
31. to learn
32. to contribute
33. to develop
34. to open
35. to destroy
36. to spend
37. to come
38. to live

59.

A

70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.

B

a. French concrete bunkers
b. top in the final exam
c. a national hero
d. to the Vietnamese industry
e. how to produce laptops
f. from medical school
g. vaccines for several diseases
h. a new hospital
i. in Hanoi for a year.
j. the summer vacation in the country

80. .....................................................................................................................................................


81. .....................................................................................................................................................N

GUYEN TRAI HIGH SCHOOL
IMPROVING EXERCISE _ E10 _ UNIT 3 (Week 2)
82.
A. LANGUAGE FOCUS: Reading Comprehension - Past Simple and Past
Perfect Tenses
83. .....................................................................................................................................................B
. EXERCISES
84.
Read the passage and circle the best answer to fill in the blank
85. ....................................................................................................When George finished his study
at university, he began (1)...... for a job. He did not know what he (2)...... like to do. His uncle
had worked for the Government for thirty years and he advised George (3)...... to get a job of
the same kind, so he went for a job interview one day. He was (4)...... and his first job was in a
large government (5)...... in London.
86. ....................................................................................................When George had been working
there for a few weeks, his uncle (6) ......... him a visit. The uncle was delighted that his (7)......
had managed to get a job working (8)...... the Government. He asked George a lot of questions
about the job. One of the questions was, “(9)...... people work in your department?” The young
man thought for a(n) (10)...... and then answered, “About half of them”.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

A. trying
A. could
A. to find
A. successful
A. room
A. gave
A. son
A. at
A. How long
A. moment

87. B. looking
88. B. had
89. B. to look for
90. B. unsuccessful
91. B. basement
92. B. paid
93. B. grandson
94. B. for
95. B. How often
96. B. time

97. ..................................................................................................................................
107. ................................................................................

C. seeing
D. finding
98. ..................................................................................................................................
108. ...................................................................................
C. should

D. would
99. ........................................................................................................................................
109. ................................................................................
C. to try
D. to offer
100. ...............................................................................................................................
110. ................................................................................
C. impatient
D. achieving
101. .....................................................................................................................................
111. ................................................................................
C. office
D. hall
102. ...............................................................................................................................
112. ................................................................................
C. came
D. offered
103. ...............................................................................................................................
113. ...................................................................................
C. niece
D. nephew
104. ...............................................................................................................................
114. ................................................................................
C. in
D. from
105. ...............................................................................................................................
115. ...................................................................................
C. How much
D. How many
106. ...............................................................................................................................

116. ................................................................................
C. hour
D. little

117. ...................................................................................................................................................R

ewrite the following sentences
118. ..............................................................................................................................................11.
She wanted to ease human suffering. She wanted to make human sufferings less severe
119. ..............................................................................................................................................12.
He doesn’t like math very much. He isn’t interested in/ fond of/ keen on math.
120. ..............................................................................................................................................13.
Remember to bring your dictionary to the class. Don’t forget to bring your dictionary to the
class
121.
14. What are your favorite subjects? What subjects do you
like?
122. 15. After half an hour’s rest, Mr. Lam continued his work. After Mr. Lam took a rest for half
an hour, he...


123. ..............................................................................................................................................16.

“Why don’t we go to the cinema tonight?”, said Tom. Tom suggested going to the cinema
124. ..............................................................................................................................................17.
Mary’s uncle was a doctor when he was young. Mary’s uncle worked as a doctor when he was
young
125. ..............................................................................................................................................18.
He spent 2 hours driving home. It took him 2 hours to drive home.
126. ..................................................................................................19. In the difficult living

conditions, she still gained scholarship from British Council.
127. ..............................................................................................................................................
In spite of her difficult living condition, she still gained scholarship from British Council
128. ..............................................................................................................................................20.
His dream was to become a famous actor. He harboured the dream of becoming a famous
actor.
Make questions for the underlined part
21. What is James doing …?/ Where is James paling tennis?
22. Did you go to the cinema last night?
23. Where did you go last night?
129. 24. What kind of stories does Johnny often read…?/ When does Johnny often read
romantic stories?
130. 25. How long had the Cooks lived in New York before moving here?
131. 26. When did you first meet?
132. 27. How long does it take your aunt to clean their house at weekends?
133. 28. How many letter has your sister received from her husband this month?
134. Match a verb in A with a phrase in B, then make a sentence with each of them
138.
139.
140.
141.
142.
143.
144.
145.
146.
147.
168.

135. A

29. to become
30. to graduate
31. to learn
32. to raise
33. to develop
34. to open
35. to destroy
36. to spend
37. to come
38. to live

136.
148. c
149. f
150. e
151. d
152. g
153. h
154. a
155. j
156. b
157. i

158.
159.
160.
161.
162.
163.
164.

165.
166.
167.

137. B
a. French concrete bunkers
b. top in the final exam
c. a national hero
d. horses to do research
e. how to produce laptops
f. from medical school
g. vaccines for several diseases
h. a new hospital
i. in Hanoi for a year.
j. the summer vacation in the country


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169. ...................................................................................................................................................N

GUYEN TRAI HIGH SCHOOL
IMPROVING EXERCISE _ E10 _ UNIT 3 (Week 1)
170.
A. LANGUAGE FOCUS: /e/ and /æ/ - Stress
171. ...................................................................................................................................................
Past Simple and Past Perfect Tenses
172. ...................................................................................................................................................B
. EXERCISES
I. Circle the word that has the underlined letter pronounced /e / or/ æ/
a. father
b. education
c. background d. career
2. a. private
b. atomic
c. hard
d. academic
3. a. brilliant
b. tragic
c. award
d. mature
4. a. prevent
b. extremely c. determine d. English
a. general
b. scientific
c. receive
d. degree
II. Circle the word whose stress pattern is different from that of the others
a. degree
b. obtain

c. background d. career
a. general
b. atomic
c. position
d. determine
a. tragic
b. prevent
c. relieved
d. professor
a. tutor
b. realize
c. private
d. scientific
III. Complete the passage with correct form of the words from the box
force determine possible difficulty write physic move final educate
establish
Elizabeth Blackwell was born in England in 1821 and (1) ....... to New York City when she
was ten years old. One day she decided that she wanted to become a doctor. That was nearly
(2)...... for a woman in the middle of the nineteenth century. After (3)...... many letters seeking
admission to medical schools, she was (4)...... accepted by a doctor in Philadelphia. So (5)......
was she that she taught school and gave music lessons to earn money for her tuition.
In 1849, after graduation from medical school, she decided to further her (6)...... in Paris. She
wanted to be a surgeon, but a serious eye infection (7)...... her to abandon the idea.
Upon returning the United States, she found it (8) ...... to start her own practice because she was a
woman. By 1857, Elizabeth and her sister, also a doctor, along with another female doctor,
managed to open a new hospital, the first for women and children. Besides being the first female
(9)...... in the United States and founding her own hospital, she also (10)...... the first medical school for
women.
IV. Put the verbs in the past perfect or past simple.
1. I (go) to the box office at lunch time, but they (already/ sell) all the tickets.

2. I (feel) very tired when I (get) home, so I (go) straight to bed.
3. I felt better by the summer, but the doctor (warn) me not to do too much. I (be) very ill.
4. At last, the committee (be) ready to announce their decision. They (make) up their mind.
5. Last night, I (go) to Jim’s room and (knock) on the door but there (be) no answer. Either he
(go) out or he (not want) to see anyone.
6. Angel (ask) me how to use the photocopier. She (never/ use) it before, so she (not/ know) it.
7. Karen (not want) to come to the cinema with us because she (already/ see) the film
8. When the students (do) the experiment, they (write) a report on it.
9. Two days ago, I (meet) an old friend who I (not see) for years.
10. The house (be) very quiet when I (get) home. Everybody (go) out for dinner
V. Cross and correct one VERB in the wrong tense in each sentence


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

1. It was lucky that we have decided to buy our tickets in advance.
2. I was pleased to see my old friends last week as we didn’t see each other since we finished our

course.
3. We have to wait for hours at the airport because the bad weather had de layed all the flights.
4. We missed our train, so by the time we reached the theater, the play ended and the audience was
leaving the theater.
5. When I came out of the cinema, I had found that a thief had taken my car radio.
VI. Complete the sentence
It/ obvious/ he/ only/ interested/ make money.

I/ not/ be/ cinema/ for two months/ because/ busy/ exams.
We/ arrive/ party/ last night/ after/ Tom/ leave.
Marie Curie/ receive/ some scientific training/ father.
Nam/ suddenly/ realize/ he/ not/ close/ all/ windows/ his room.
The film/ end/ by/ time/ we/ take/ right/ seats.


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173. ...................................................................................................................................................N

GUYEN TRAI HIGH SCHOOL
IMPROVING EXERCISE _ E10 _ UNIT 3 (Week 1)
174.
A. LANGUAGE FOCUS: /e/ and /æ/ - Stress
175. ...................................................................................................................................................
Past Simple and Past Perfect Tenses
176. ...................................................................................................................................................B

. EXERCISES
I. Choose the word that has the underlined letter pronounced /e / or/ æ/
a. father
b. education
c. background d. career
a. private
b. atomic
c. hard
d. academic
3. a. brilliant
b. tragic
c. award
d. mature
4. a. prevent
b. extremely c. determine d. English
a. general
b. scientific
c. receive
d. degree
II. Circle the word whose stress pattern is different from that of the others
a. degree
b. obtain
c. background d. career
a. general
b. atomic
c. position
d. determine
a. tragic
b. prevent
c. relieved

d. professor
a. tutor
b. realize
c. private
d. scientific
III. Complete the passage with correct form of the words from the box
force determine possible difficulty write physic move final educate
establish
Elizabeth Blackwell was born in England in 1821 and (1) moved to New York City when she
was ten years old. One day she decided that she wanted to become a doctor. That was nearly
(2)impossible for a woman in the middle of the nineteenth century. After (3)writing many letters
seeking admission to medical schools, she was (4)finally accepted by a doctor in Philadelphia. So
(5)determined was she that she taught school and gave music lessons to earn money for her
tuition.
In 1849, after graduation from medical school, she decided to further her (6)education in
Paris. She wanted to be a surgeon, but a serious eye infection (7)forced her to abandon the idea.
Upon returning the United States, she found it (8) difficult to start her own practice because she
was a woman. By 1857, Elizabeth and her sister, also a doctor, along with another female doctor,
managed to open a new hospital, the first for women and children. Besides being the first female
(9)physician in the United States and founding her own hospital, she also (10)established the first medical
school for women.
IV. Put the verbs in the past perfect or past simple.
177. I went to the box office at lunch time, but they had already sold all the tickets.
178. I felt very tired when I got home, so I went straight to bed.
179. I felt better by the summer, but the doctor warned me not to do too much. I had been very
ill.
180. At last, the committee was ready to announce their decision. They had made up their mind.
181. Last night, I went to Jim’s room and knocked on the door but there was no answer. Either he
had gone out or he didn’t want to see anyone.
6. Angel asked me how to use the photocopier. She had never used it before, so she didn’t

know it.
7. Karen didn’t want to come to the cinema with us because she had already seen the film
8. When the students had done the experiment, they wrote a report on it.


1.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

9. Two days ago, I met an old friend who I hadn’t seen for years.
10. The house was very quiet when I got home. Everybody had gone out for dinner

V. Cross and correct one VERB in the wrong tense in each sentence
It was lucky that we have decided to buy our tickets in advance. had decided
2. I was pleased to see my old friends last week as we didn’t see each other since we finished our
course. hadn’t seen.
3. We have to wait for hours at the airport because the bad weather had delayed all the flights. had
4. We missed our train, so by the time we reached the theater, the play ended and the audience was
leaving the theater. had ended
5. When I came out of the cinema, I had found that a thief had taken my car radio. found
VI. Complete the sentence
It is obvious (that) he is only interested in making money.
I haven’t been to the cinema for two months because I am busy with my exams.
We arrived at the party last night after Tom had left.
Marie Curie received some scientific training from her father.

Nam suddenly realized he had not closed all the windows of his room.
The film ended by the time we had taken the right seats.
182.