32795 life changing events

Changed Forever


When the plane prepared to land at JFK airport I saw the smoke still rising from where the buildings
had collapsed. It was hard to believe that it had only been five days since the most tragic terrorist
attack had been committed on United States soil. At that moment, I thought about all of the lives that
had been lost and wondered what it would be like to live in a city that I had loved for so many years
but now, had been changed forever.
It was hard to believe that only a few days before the attack happened, I had been celebrating my
grandparents’ 60th anniversary with my family in Los Angeles. We had just returned from a cruise to
Mexico and I felt very relaxed from the vacation. Even though I was not looking forward to going
back to work, I was ready to get home to my dog and to my own apartment. When I woke up on
Tuesday, September 11th at 6:30 am I was exhausted and anticipated a long day of travelling. When
my brother came in to my bedroom and told me that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade
Center towers, my heart stopped. I turned on the television and watched the second plane go into the
second tower and it hit me – my home had been attacked and at that moment, I wished I had been
home in New York more than ever.
Unfortunately I had to wait five days before I could return home. When my plane finally landed, I
felt nervous and unsure of what to expect. What I loved about New York was the incredible energy
that radiated from the people and their surroundings. Now this energy had been disrupted and I
wondered if this horrific event had tarnished a city that had been filled with excitement and pride for
so long.
However, what I found was the city and its residents responded in a way only New York could:
stronger than ever. People gathered at local bars and restaurants just to be together. Strangers would
smile or nod at each other when they walked down the street as if to say “you’re not alone”. While it
was apparent that the city and its people were hurting, New York still carried on. As each day passed
and the clouds of dark smoke finally dissipated into the evening sky, what remained were two beams
of light, a community filled with hope and the people of New York standing strong and united with
their heads and their hearts held high.

EXERCISE 1 - MULTIPLE CHOICE

Please choose the best answer for the following questions.
1. What was the author’s concern about landing at JFK?


a) A terrorist attack might occur
b) What it will be like living in the city after a terrorist attack
c) The plane will have problems landing
2. How did the author find out about the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center towers?

a) She heard the news on the television
b) She heard the news on a cruise to Mexico
c) She heard the news from her brother
3. What did the author love about New York City?

a) The energy of the people and the city
b) The food and the shopping
c) Returning home to her apartment
4. How did the people of New York behave after the terrorist attack?

a) Kept to themselves and did everything alone
b) Allowed the terrorist attack to break up their unity and deflate their pride
c) Came together as a community and walked with their heads held high.
EXERCISE 2 - STORIES ABOUT LIFE CHANGING EVENTS
Please fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb using past simple, past continuous, past perfect or
past perfect continuous tenses to complete the story of each life-changing event.
My husband and I _____________ (try) to have children for many years but always ____________ (struggle).
When the day finally ________________ (arrive) and my first daughter was born, I was
so happy. The dream that I ______________ (hope) for finally came true.

We _______________ (drive) for hours before we ____________ (pull) up to our

new home. I never ________________(own) a house before so I was nervous, yet
excited. We __________________ (prepare) for this move in advance and _______________ (spend) many
weeks packing our things. Now I cannot wait to start our new life in our new home.

I remember when my boyfriend _________ (ask) me to marry him. I was so happy
that I ____________ (cry). I ________________________ (think) about my wedding
day since I was a little girl and now the day I _____________________ (wait) for is
finally here.
EXERCISE 3 – WRITE YOUR OWN SHORT STORY ABOUT A LIFE CHANGING EVENT IN THE PAST