IMPROVING EXERCISE

NGUYEN TRAI HIGH SCHOOL
IMPROVING EXERCISE _ E10 _ UNIT 7 (Week 1)
A. LANGUAGE FOCUS: Stress; / ei / /ai / / ɔi/
In spite of/ Because/ Because; since/ for
B. EXERCISES
I.
Phonetics
Put the words into the categories based on the pronunciation of the underlined part
/ei//ai//ɔi/
joy
afrai guid education
violen inside sunshi grey
natur d
e
entertainme t
chang ne
wildlif
e
nois grea nt
portra e
destroy e
e
t
it
Circle the word which has the stress pattern different from
the rest:
A. nature
B.
C. language
D. mountain
A. portrait

education
C. culture
D. cartoon
B. comedy
II.
Complete the sentences with Because, Because of, Although or In spite of
1. ................ they had been lost in the mountains for 3 days, they looked strong and healthy
2. Mr. Nam runs three kilometers every morning ............... his old age.
3. My uncle walked slowly ...... his old age.
4. .................. his strong voice, we couldn’t understand him.
5. .................. computers offer so many advantages, a lot of people use them today.
6. They failed ............... all their efforts.
7. ............... she is usually busy, she takes good care of her children.
8. They couldn’t go to the meeting on time ............... there was traffic jam.
9. We didn’t have wonderful holiday ................ the bad weather.
10. ............... computers offer so many advantages, I have to prevent my children from spending
too much time with them.
III.
Complete the sentences with Since or For or Ago
1. I haven’t slept well ............... last Monday.
2. They met each other few days ...............
3. I’ve had a headache ............... this morning.
4. The machine broke down an hour ...............
5. It has been raining ............... yesterday afternoon.
6. They have been cleaning their house ............... several hours.
7. We haven’t played basketball ............... I was a junior high school student.
8. The children have never been in the supermarket ............... less than two hours.
9. Have you worked here ............... almost a year?
10. I have been trying to get through on the phone ............... the past hour.
IV.

Choose the best answer
1. There are five new programs on five ............... (films/ channels/ comedies/ cartoon)
2. Did you see the ............... wildlife program on TV last night? (excite/ exciting/ excited/
excitement)
3. Watching TV, …............ is a unhealthy pastime, is his favourite hobby. (who/that/which/ of
which)


4. Television can make things ............... because it presents information in an effective way.

(memory/ memorable/ memorize/ memorizing)
5. This is the first time I ............... Thailand. (visit/ visited/ am visiting/ have visited)
6. There ............... never been such a beautiful performance in this village before. (is/ have/
has/ was)
7. That was the first time we ............... this machine. (used/ use/ had used/ have used)
8. We have waited for Jill ............... 8 o’clock. (since/ for/ ago/ during)
9. By listening to the radio, we receive information ... (orally/ aurally/ visually)
10. We stayed indoors in spite of ............... (the bad weather/ the weather was bad/ the good
weather/ the weather was good)
11. The disc jocket is popular ............... it introduces and comments on music very well.
(because/ because of/ in spite of/ although)
12. Our friend won a big prize when he took part in the ............... on TV last week. (game
show/ talk show/ forecast/ comedy)
13. ............... present discussions on a variety of topics and interviews with people from many
professions. (news/ commercials/ talk shows/ interview shows)
14. Tom and Jerry is my favourite ............... (comedy/ cartoon/ play/ film)
15. TV helps us learn more ............... the world and know many new things.(on/ in/ about/ over)
16. Watching TV is an ............... way to relax. (enjoy/ enjoying/ enjoyable/ enjoyment)

NGUYEN TRAI HIGH SCHOOL
IMPROVING EXERCISE _ E10 _ UNIT 7 (Week 1)
A. LANGUAGE FOCUS: Stress; / ei / /ai / / ɔi/
In spite of/ Because/ Because; since/ for
B. EXERCISES
V.
Phonetics
Put the words into the categories based on the pronunciation of the underlined part
/ei/ /ai/ /ɔi/
joy
afrai guid education
violen inside sunshi grey
natur d
e
entertainme t
chang ne
wildlif
e
nois grea nt
portra e
destroy e
e
t
it
Circle the word which has the stress pattern different from
the rest:
A. nature
B.
C. language
D. mountain

A. portrait
education C. culture
D. cartoon
B. comedy
VI.
Complete the sentences with Because, Because of, Although or In spite of
1. Although they had been lost in the mountains for 3 days, they looked strong and healthy
2. Mr. Nam runs three kilometers every morning in spite of his old age.
3. My uncle walked slowly because of his old age.
4. In spite of his strong voice, we couldn’t understand him.
5. Because computers offer so many advantages, a lot of people use them today.
6. They failed in spite of all their efforts.
7. Although she is usually busy, she takes good care of her children.
8. They couldn’t go to the meeting on time because there was traffic jam.
9. We didn’t have wonderful holiday because of the bad weather.
10. Although computers offer so many advantages, I have to prevent my children from spending
too much time with them.
VII. Complete the sentences with Since or For or Ago
1. I haven’t slept well since last Monday.
2. They met each other few days ago
3. I’ve had a headache since this morning.
4. The machine broke down an hour ago
5. It has been raining since yesterday afternoon.
6. They have been cleaning their house for several hours.
7. We haven’t played basketball since I was a junior high school student.
8. The children have never been in the supermarket for less than two hours.
9. Have you worked here for almost a year?
10. I have been trying to get through on the phone for the past hour.
VIII. Choose the best answer
1. There are five new programs on five ............... (films/ channels/ comedies/ cartoon)

2. Did you see the ............... wildlife program on TV last night? (excite/ exciting/ excited/
excitement)
3. Watching TV, …............ is a unhealthy pastime, is his favourite hobby. (who/that/which/ of
which)


4. Television can make things ............... because it presents information in an effective way.

(memory/ memorable/ memorize/ memorizing)
5. This is the first time I ............... Thailand. (visit/ visited/ am visiting/ have visited)
6. There ......... never been such a beautiful performance in this village before. (is/ have/ has/
was)
7. That was the first time we ............... this machine. (used/ use/ had used/ have used)
8. We have waited for Jill ............... 8 o’clock. (since/ for/ ago/ during)
9. By listening to the radio, we receive information ... (orally/ aurally/ visually)
10. We stayed indoors in spite of ............... (the bad weather/ the weather was bad/ the good
weather/ the weather was good)
11. The disc jocket is popular ............... it introduces and comments on music very well.
(because/ because of/ in spite of/ although)
12. Our friend won a big prize when he took part in the ............... on TV last week. (game
show/ talk show/ forecast/ comedy)
13. ............... present discussions on a variety of topics and interviews with people from many
professions. (news/ commercials/ talk shows/ interview shows)
14. Tom and Jerry is my favourite ............... (comedy/ cartoon/ play/ film)
15. TV helps us learn more ............... the world and know many new things.(on/ in/ about/ over)
16. Watching TV is an ............... way to relax. (enjoy/ enjoying/ enjoyable/ enjoyment)


NGUYEN TRAI HIGH SCHOOL
IMPROVING EXERCISE _ E10 _ UNIT 7 (Week 2)

A. LANGUAGE FOCUS: Present Perfect; In spite of/ Because/ Because ; since/ for
B. EXERCISES
I. Rewrite sentences
1. It’s nearly twenty years since my father saw his brother. – My father
……………………………………
2.
When
did
you
last
ride
a
bike
?
–
How
long
……………………………………………………………….?
3.
We
haven’t
been
to
London
since
1999.
–
The
last
time

……………………………………………………
4.
I
haven’t
been
to
an
Indian
restaurant
for
ages.
–
It’s
ages
since……………………………………………
5. Sarah hasn’t seen her friends since she left for the US. – Sarah
last………………………………………
6. Because of the heavy rain, they couldn’t go for a picnic last weekend. – Because
…………………………
7. Because of the strong wind, he boat couldn’t put to sea. – Because
…………………………………………………
8.
I have never seen such a bad film as that one . – That is
…………………………………………………
9. Though he was appointed to a higher promotion he decided to quit his job.- In spite of
…………………
10. Although there was a rain, the baseball game was not cancelled. - In spite of
…………………………
11.
Although

he
was
tired,
he
walked
to
the
station.
Despite
………………………………………………
12. In spite of his hard work, he couldn’t finish the job. – Although
…………………………………………
13. Despite the difficulty, they managed to climb to the top of the mountain. – Although
…………………
14. He went to work despite his headache. – Although
………………………………………………………
I. Find and correct mistakes
1. Listen! Someone knocks at the door.
2. Did you watch the film” The Pirates of Caribbean Sea” showing on HBO four months ago?
3. You had better not to tell her the truth now. You see, she is in a bad mood.
4. She can’t meet us this evening. Her uncle and aunt will come to see her.
5. My close friend had served in the army for 3 years and then went to university.
6. Mary said that she has just had her car repaired.
7. Later, Charles Dickens devoted all his time to write novels.
8. While my father was watching a football match on TV, my mother washed the dishes.
III. Put Verbs in the correct tenses
1. We are late. The game …………..( already / begin )
2. In the last few years, it ………… more and more difficult to get into university. (become )
3. Mr. Pike ……… English in our school for twenty-five years and he ……….… next month.
(teach/ retire)

4. He ………………… his driving test yesterday. Up to now, he …………………..three times.
( fail )
5. This is the fifth times you …………..…….me the same question. (ask)
6. She ………..home in 1994 and …………….since. ( leave/ not see)
7. So far this week there ……………………..three burglaries in our street. (be)
8. When I arrived at the party, Lucy …………………….home (already/ go)
9. Since Mr. Hassan ………… president, both taxes and unemployment …………. (become/
increase)
10. The last time I …………….to Brighton ……………in August. (go/ be)
IV. Read the text carefully, then make questions and answer
It was a beautiful spring morning. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the sun was warm but not
too hot, so Mr. Andrew was surprised when he saw an old gentleman at the bus-stop with a big,
strong, black umbrella in his hand. Mr. Andrew said to him: “Are we going to have a rain today,
do you think?”
“No”, said the old gentleman, “I don’t think so”
“Then, are you carrying the umbrella to keep the sun off you?
“No, the sun is not very hot in spring.”
Mr. Andrew looked at the big umbrella again, and the gentleman said, “I am an old man, and my
legs are not strong, so I really need a walking –stick. But when I carry a walking-stick, people
say, “Look at that poor old man” and I don’t like that. When I carry an umbrella in fine weather,
people only say, “Look at that stupid man”.
1. When / Mr. Andrew / meet / old gentleman?
2. What / old gentleman / carry /
his hand?
3. What / the weather / like / then?
4. What / he / really / need / and
why?
5. What / people / say / when / he carry / umbrella / fine weather?

V. Complete ONE word in each blank
Local advertisers place about 70% of the advertising ............... radio station. One
advantage ............... advertising on radio is that people can ............... to program while doing
other things. Another ............... is that radio audiences are more highly selected by the type of
programming than television audiences. ............ example, stations that broadcast folk music
attract different kinds of listeners than those that play rock.


NGUYEN TRAI HIGH SCHOOL
IMPROVING EXERCISE _ E10 _ UNIT 7 (Week 2)
A. LANGUAGE FOCUS: Present Perfect; In spite of/ Because/ Because ; since/ for
B. EXERCISES
I. Rewrite sentences
1. M father hasn’t seen his brother for nearly 20 years
2. How long haven’t you ridden the bike?
3. We haven’t been to London since 1999. – The last time we went to London was in 1999,
4. I haven’t been to an Indian restaurant for ages. – It’s ages since I last went to an Indian
restaurant.
5. Sarah last saw her friends when she left for the US
6. Because it rained heavily, they couldn’t go for a picnic last weekend
7. Because the wind was strong/ blew hard, his boat couldn’t put to sea.
8. I have never seen such a bad film as that one . – That is the worst film I’ve ever seen.
9. In spite of being appointed to a higher promotion, he decided to quit his job.
10. In spite of the rain, the baseball game was not cancelled
11. Although he was tired, he walked to the station. - Despite being tired, he walked to the
station
12. Although he worked hard, he couldn’t finish the job
13. Although it was difficult, they managed to climb to the top of the mountain.
14. He went to work despite his headache. – Although he had a headache, he went to work.
I. Find and correct mistakes

1. Listen! Someone knocks at the door. is knocking
2. Did you watch the film” The Pirates of Caribbean Sea” showing on HBO four months ago?
shown
3. You had better not to tell her the truth now. You see, she is in a bad mood.
4. She can’t meet us this evening. Her uncle and aunt will come to see her. are coming
5. My close friend had served in the army for 3 years and then went to university.
6. Mary said that she has just had her car repaired. had
7. Later, Charles Dickens devoted all his time to write novels. writing
8. While my father was watching a football match on TV, my mother washed the dishes. was
washing
III. Put Verbs in the correct tenses
1. We are late. The game has already begun ( already / begin )
2. In the last few years, it has become more and more difficult to get into university. (become )
3. Mr. Pike has taught English in our school for twenty-five years and he is retiring next month.
4. He failed his driving test yesterday. Up to now, he has failed three times. ( fail )
5. This is the fifth times you have asked me the same question. (ask)
6. She left home in 1994 and hasn’t been seen since. ( leave/ not see)
7. So far this week there have been three burglaries in our street. (be)
8. When I arrived at the party, Lucy had already gone home (already/ go)
9. Since Mr. Hassan became president, both taxes and unemployment have increased (become/
increase)
10. The last time I went to Brighton was in August. (go/ be)
IV. Read the text carefully, then make questions and answer
It was a beautiful spring morning. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the sun was warm but not
too hot, so Mr. Andrew was surprised when he saw an old gentleman at the bus-stop with a big,


strong, black umbrella in his hand. Mr. Andrew said to him: “Are we going to have a rain today,
do you think?”
“No”, said the old gentleman, “I don’t think so”

“Then, are you carrying the umbrella to keep the sun off you?
“No, the sun is not very hot in spring.”
Mr. Andrew looked at the big umbrella again, and the gentleman said, “I am an old man, and my
legs are not strong, so I really need a walking –stick. But when I carry a walking-stick, people
say, “Look at that poor old man” and I don’t like that. When I carry an umbrella in fine weather,
people only say, “Look at that stupid man”.
1. When / Mr. Andrew / meet / old gentleman?
2. What / old gentleman / carry /
his hand?
3. What / the weather / like / then?
4. What / he / really / need / and
why?
5. What / people / say / when / he carry / umbrella / fine weather?
V. Complete ONE word in each blank
Local advertisers place about 70% of the advertising on radio station. One advantage of
advertising on radio is that people can listen to program while doing other things. Another
advantage is that radio audiences are more highly selected by the type of programming than
television audiences. For example, stations that broadcast folk music attract different kinds of
listeners than those that play rock.
Unit 7_ Improving
II. Vocabulary
1. What is ……… TV tonight ? Do you know ? (for, in ,on ,at)
2. There is a comedy program ……..between 10.15 and 11.00.( in, at, for, on )
3. Were you aware ………………..the regulation against smoking in this area. ( with, on, to , of )
4. Radio presents information and entertainment ……………. and we receive them through our
ears. (orally, visually, aurally, vitally )
5. A……………… is a film with factual information, often about a problem in society. (series,
soap opera, documentary, drama)
6. Please tell me how to change the …………of the TV with a remote control? ( tunnel, panel,
channel, wire )

7. The teacher recommended his students to learn one more foreign lang. ( forced, allowed,
advised, permitted )
8. ………………..is a play for the theatre, TV or radio.( Drama, Cartoon, Documentary,
Comedy )
9. TV helps us broaden our awareness of cultures and societies around the world.( news,
knowledge, information, entertainment )
10. Reading funny stories is an ………….way to relax.( enjoy )
11. It is a good book because it is very ……………..( inform )
12. The media help increase the …………..of sports and games. ( popular)
13. Advertising …………us to buy things that we don’t really need.( courage )
14. Watching Wildlife World programmes make us more aware of our global …………..
( responsible )
15. One disadvantage of the Internet is that it takes time away from….such as watching TV and
reading. ( act )
16. If you use media…………, you can get remarkable results. ( effect )


Can you come to my party next Sunday?- Sorry, I’ll help Joan look after her mom
A
B
C
D
II. Grammar and structure
A. 1. That comedy made …………..( us happily, us happy, happy us, us to happy )
2. How…do you usually use the Internet ? – Almost everyday. And how…..time do you use the
Internet to get news ( much/ often, long/ many, often/much, many/many )
3. We look forward to …..that film, which has been praised by several film reviewers.( see,
seeing, seen, saw )
4. In spite of ……….., he has no intention to give up smoking. ( his bad cough, he cough badly, it
is his bad cough, his badly cough )

5. I have watched my mother make pizza ……….but I can not make even a pizza myself. ( every
year, since years, for years, in many years )
6. On average, American people spend ten hours per week ….newspapers. ( read, reading, to read,
for reading )
Rewrite the sentences:
1. They got married although they were poor. In spite of ...
2. She turned up the central heating because the room was cold. Because of ...
3. Although the weather was very hot, she wanted to go out. In spite of ...
4. We can’t go swimming because the weather is bad. Because of ...
5. Although he had a happy family, he was still unhappy. In spite of ...
6. Although he had a bad cold, he went to work. In spite of ...
Tom worked very hard because he was very poor. Because of ...