Despite the fact that i try to be as upbeat as possible in this
Despite the fact that i try to be as upbeat as possible in this
Despite the fact that.
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A very useful phrase for fluency and articulacy is the fact that. This can be used to add a clause in a sentence where the grammar forces you to use a noun, for example, after linking words such as despite or in spite of, which are both followed by a noun.
Despite / in spite of + noun + contrasting clause
Despite and in spite of have the same meaning.
However, you can add a clause to despite or in spite of by adding the fact that and then a clause.
Despite / in spite of + the fact that + clause + contrasting clause.
This allows you to be more flexible with your sentences, but also makes your English sound more articulate and fluent.
Here are more examples:
It was raining, but the football team continued their training session.
The economy has gone into recession, but our company is surviving.
Suggested courses:
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Posted: 16 August 2017
Categories: Communication skills
Topic vocabulary in contrast
A Choose the correct answer.
1. I’ve got a/an ……. for the school play tomorrow. I really hope I get a main part!
A rehearsal В practice С audition D performance
2. Did you read that ……. of the new Lloyd-Rice musical? It said it was awful!
A review В criticism С report D summary
3. I’m going to stay in and ……. TV tonight.
A see В watch С look at D view
4. We really ……. ourselves at the party! Thanks so much for inviting us!
A entertained В had fun С enjoyed D occupied
5. Ellie does a/an ……. each week for the local newspaper. It’s usually quite funny.
A comic В comedian С animation D cartoon
6. The water park we went to yesterday was fantastic, but the entrance ……. was a bit expensive.
A ticket В fee С charge D cost
7. Vanilla Sky ……. Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz.
A acts В plays С stars D contains
8. When you’re learning to play a musical instrument, it’s important to … for an hour or two every day.
A rehearse В practise С perform D train
9. The play wasn’t supposed to be a comedy, but everyone started laughing when some of the ……. fell over and hit one of the actors.
A scenery В scenes С stages D acts
10. Louis de Bernieres’ ……. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, which is set on the Greek island of Cephallonia during the Second World War, was an international bestseller.
A fiction В account С anecdote D novel
11. Have you ……. the joke about the gu y who fell off a 20-metre-high ladder? He was fine – he fell off the bottom rung!
A listened to В overheard С heard D paid attention to
12. Being the conductor of a large ……. is an extremely demanding job. You have to make sure about a hundred musicians are playing in time.
A group В band С company D orchestra
Phrasal verbs
В Write one word in each gap.
A FUTURE POP STAR?
My little brother, Carl, takes (1) after our dad in that they both like to sing. The difference is
С Complete using the correct form of the phrasal verbs in the box.
come (a)round • go down • grow on • let down • name after • put on • take off
1. Marlon Brando will go down in history as one of the greatest actors of all time.
2. Our class is going to ……. a play at the end of term.
3. I didn’t really like Madonna’s new single when it came out, but it’s starting to ……. me now.
4. Did you know that the sandwich is ……. the Earl of Sandwich?
5. The band have really ……. since appearing on the Video Music Awards show last month.
6. The Eurovision Song Contest is ……. again soon. Shall we organise a Eurovision party?
7. I felt completely ……. when he refused to give me his autograph. I’m never going to buy another one of his CDs!
Phrases and collocations
D Circle the correct word.
1. I hope you’re joking with / about quitting your job!
2. Come in! Make / Have yourself at home.
3. Having taken part in / of several amateur karaoke competitions, Daniel was determined to get himself a recording contract.
4. Have fun / funny at the concert tonight, won’t you?
5. What’s wrong with boys playing with / in dolls?
6. The audience gave / showed their appreciation for the cast by giving them a standing ovation.
7. We’re thinking of having / giving Dad a surprise 40th birthday party.
8. Voicing / Speaking your opinion on a live TV or radio discussion programme is not as easy as it sounds.
E Circle the extra word in each sentence.
1. What time did you get to home last night?
2. You shouldn’t make the fun of Tim just because he’s smaller than you.
3. A number of contemporary art installations are on the show at the moment at the Zwyborg Gallery.
4. Didn’t you find out that joke funny?
5. I guess we’ll have to join up the queue.
6. Everyone sat there in the silence as the comedian stumbled through his routine.
7. It’s not often I laugh out loud during a movie, but There’s Something About Mary had me roaring out with laughter the whole time.
8. I’m never going to be part with this first edition of Dickens’s Great Expectations.
9. I have the impression of Sasha’s thinking about giving up ballet classes.
Word patterns
F Complete each second sentence using the word given, so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Write between two and five words in each gap.
1. Was the concert fun? yourself
Did you enjoyyourself at the concert?
2. I’m sure Kelly will do well in the talent contest. bound
Kelly ……. well in the talent contest.
3. Don’t worry about your costume; concentrate on learning your lines! instead
Concentrate on learning your lines ……. about your costume!
4. We got there early and so we didn’t have to queue. avoid
We managed to ……. there early.
5. Jason said he was sorry that he hadn’t invited us to his party. apologized
Jason ……. us to his party.
6. I don’t mind if you give me the money for the tickets later. happy
I ……. give me the money for the tickets later.
7. Doug isn’t usually late. like
8. Sean plays the guitar very well. talented
Sean ……. the guitar.
9. You shouldn’t go backstage without a pass. supposed
You ……. backstage without a pass.
10. ‘I’ll meet you outside the theatre at eight whatever happens,’ said Dan to Kyle. promised
Dan ……. outside the theatre at eight.
11. I. can’t understand why he won the award for best video. deserved
I don’t think ……. the award for best video.
12. In the end, it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. proved
In the end, it ……. a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
13. I can’t remember who you said had won. say
Who ……. the winner?
Word formation
G Complete the text by changing the form of the word in capitals.
REALITY SHOWS
Despite the (1) suggestion(s) (SUGGEST) by many critics that reality TV would be a very short-lived phenomenon, it is still increasing in (2) ……. (POPULAR). Several reality shows are (3) ……. (CURRENT) watched by millions of viewers each night, and it’s clearly a form of (4) ……. (ENTERTAIN) that’s here to stay. Indeed, a number of people have become (5) ……. (FAME) because of their (6) ……. (INVOLVE) in reality TV shows, and have gone on to have successful careers as singers, (7) ……. (ACT) or TV presenters. We can watch with (8) ……. (EXCITE) each night the ‘goings-on’ in the house (or jungle, or bar, or school of arts). The (9) ……. (CONVERSE) between the contestants are interesting so we don’t get (10) ……. (BORE) and there are frequently (11) ……. (VARY) conflicts, which provide further (12) ……. (AMUSE).
If the contestants have to give some kind of (13) ……. (PERFORM) at the end of the week, that’s even more appealing. But there’s a (14) ……. (SAY) in the TV industry: ‘it’s all in the editing’and this is especially true of reality shows.
Units 23 and 24 Reviw 12
A Use the word given in capitals at the end of each line to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line.
MY LIFE AS A CLOWN!
I’ve always wanted to be an (1) ……. but never did anything about ENTERTAIN
it until I lost my job last year. After a (2) ……. with a friend about CONVERSE
the (3) ……. of office life, I decided not to look for another job in BORE
management, but to earn my living from giving (4) ……. at events PERFORM
like kids’ parties. So I became a clown’ I’m (5) ……. doing four or CURRENT
five parties a week and I love it! I love seeing the (6) ……. on the EXCITE
kids’ faces when I walk in the room. I try to have a lot of (7) ……. in VARY
my act, so I tell jokes- most of which the kids find (8) ……. – and AMUSE
bend balloons into funny animals, do impersonations of (9) ……. FAME
people and generally keep the kids (10) involved for an hour ……. ACT
or two. It’s the perfect job for me!
(1 mark per answer)
В Complete the second sentence using the word given, so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Write between two and five words.
11. We didn’t have a birthday party for Jake; we took him to the cinema instead. instead
We took Jake to the cinema for his birthday ……. a party.
12. It doesn’t surprise me that Sandra wants to live in Hollywood. just
It ……. want to live in Hollywood.
13. I’m sure the audience will go wild when you come on stage. bound
The audience ……. wild when you come on stage.
14. You shouldn’t take food into the theatre. supposed
You ……. food into the theatre.
15. At least he said he was sorry that he’d ruined my joke! apologized
At least he ……. my joke!
16. My parents don’t mind you staying with us after the concert. happy
My parents ……. stay with us after the concert.
17. Don’t tease Libby as she doesn’t like it. fun
Don’t ……. Libby as she doesn’t like it.
18. That play really affected me. impression
That play really ……. me.
(1 mark per answer)
С Write a phrasal verb in the correct form to replace the words in bold.
19. My dad ……. during the film, as usual! (fell asleep)
20. I felt so ……. when my parents didn’t come to watch me in the school play, (disappointed)
21. Although they’re partners in a comedy act, apparently they don’t ……. with each other offstage, (have a good relationship)
22. Let’s ……. a play at the end of term! (perform)
23. Fiona ……. her mother; they both love playing board games! (resembles)
24. I told Marcie that the word’stupid’didn’t appear in the dictionary and she ……. it! (believed)
25. Laurel and Hardy will ……. as one of the greatest double acts in comedy history. (be remembered)
26. You can always ……. Uncle Colin to cheer you up when you’re feeling miserable. (trust)
(2 marks per answer)
D Choose the correct answer.
27. ……. an Oscar last year, she’s now one of the most powerful movie stars in the industry.
A She won В To win С The winning of D Having won
28. ‘Which cinema did you go to?’ The one ……. they don’t sell any popcorn!’
A which В where С whom D who
29. That’s the actor ……. autograph I got last year!
A whose В who С who’s D whom
30. ……. to change his name by his agent, John Smith became MarvoThe Magnificent overnight.
A Made В Making С Having made D To make
31. The book ……. she’s most famous is Dance of the Dinosaurs.
A in that В to whom С for which D that
32. Lyle Lovett, ……. I last saw perform over ten years ago, is on tour again.
A he who В to whom С who D that
33. And the song ……. by our listeners as their favourite of the week is Goodbye Baby by TheTunesmiths.
A having chosen В chosen С was chosen D is chosen
34. ‘You didn’t get into Harvard, did you?’ – ‘No, and that’s the reason ……. I ended up going to drama college!’
A how В which С for that D why
(1 mark per answer)
E Choose the correct answer.
35. Could you in the paper and see what’s on TV tonight?
A see В watch С look D examine
36. I’m reading a set in Greece during the Second World War.
A novel В fiction С literature D writing
37. Harry kept us ……. throughout the journey with his non-stop jokes.
A enjoyed В entertained С laughed D pleasured
38. I never read ……. of films as I don’t trust the critics’opinions.
A reviews В criticisms С articles D investigations
39. How did your go? Do you think you’ll be offered the main part?
A audit В auditorium С audience D audition 40
A industry В business С commerce D trade
41. Joe told me a joke today but I didn’t ……. it at all.
A get В bring С fetch D collect
42 I didn’t like this album at first but it’s really starting to on me now.
A grow В raise С develop D increase
(1 mark per answer)
Unit 25 Grammar
• Unreal past, wishes / contrast
( Unreal past )
• Past tenses do not always refer to past time. In some sentences and with some verbs or phrases we use a past tense to refer to the present or the future or to a general situation.bThese include sentences that contain:
WATCH OUT
• Suppose, what if and imagine can also be followed by a present tense.
A present tense indicates that the situation is more likely to actually happen.
A past tense indicates that the situation is less likely to actually happen.
✓ What ifyou are accepted into art college? (more likely to happen)
✓ What ifyou were accepted into art college? (less likely to happen)
( Wishes )
• We use different structures with wish / if only, depending on exactly what we want to express.
WATCH OUT
• We do not usually say If only/I wish I would.
✓ If only /I wish I had enough money to buy these shoes.
✓ If only/I wish I could afford these shoes.
X If only/I wish I would have enough money to buy these shoes.
• To express desires about the future, we often use hope.
✓ I hope I will have enough money to buy these shoes next week.
✓ I hope to have enough money to buy these shoes next week.
X I wish I will have enough money to buy these shoes next week.
( although / though / even though )
• Although, though and even though are used to express contrast. Even though is more emphatic than although and though. Though is more informal than although and even though.
WATCH OUT
• Though can also come at the end of a sentence.
✓ I wore a hat. I got sunburn, though
( in spite of/ despite )
• In spite of and despite are used to express contrast. They mean exactly the same thing and take the same grammatical structures:
WATCH OUT
• We can also put in spite of/despite in the middle of the sentence.
✓ I got sunburn in spite of/despite wearing a hat.
✓ I got sunburn in spite of/ despite having worn a hat.
X My sunburn was terrible in spite of/despite wearing a hat. (= My sunburn wore a hat)
( however / nevertheless )
| However and nevertheless are used to express contrast. However is formal. Nevertheless is even more formal. |
| The fashion show was expensive to put on. However / Nevertheless, it did make a profit. |
| The fashion show was expensive to put on. It did make a profit, however/nevertheless. |
| The fashion show was expensive to put on. It did, however/nevertheless, make a profit. |
( while / whereas )
• While and whereas are used to contrast two different facts or ideas.
A Complete using the correct form of the verb in brackets.
1. Don’t you think it’s time you told (tell) Andrea the truth?
2. What if we ……. (rent) a villa by the sea for the summer?
3. I’d rather people ……. (send) me e-mails than ……. (phone) me.
4. Suppose you ……. (be going to) open a clothes shop. What kind of clothes would you stock?
5. It’s time to ……. (go) now.
6. If you ……. (have) a time machine, which era would you want to go back to?
7. Shelia would come with us if she ……. (not have to) work tomorrow.
9. It’s high time I ……. (leave).
10. What if we ……. (get) married? Would that make you happy?
В Each of the words or phrases in bold is incorrect. Rewrite them correctly.
2. ‘If only I listened to Hilary,’ said Warren sadly.’Now it’s too late.’ …….
3. I wish you did shut up for five minutes! …….
4. If only Charlie can get tomorrow off work. …….
5. Do you wish you went with Jack to the concert tomorrow night? …….
6. Excuse me. I wish speaking with the manager of this establishment immediately. …….
7. Albert wishes like anything that he was driving more slowly that night. …….
8. I wish I would feel well enough to eat something. …….
9. I wish I’ll get my exam results sooner rather than later. …….
10 If only you to listen to what your teachers tell you! …….
С Choose the correct answer.
1. It’s about time you ……. Thinking about setting up your own business.
A start В have started С started D to start
2. I’d really rather you ……. the kids drop bits of pizza all over my new sofa.
A don’t let В aren’t letting С won’t let D didn’t let
3. ……. anything particular in mind or are you just browsing?
A Did you have В Are you having С Can you have D Had you had
4. I wish Karen ……. that we’re not trying to interfere in her life.
A understands В would understand С has understood D is going to understand
5. I’d have been able to say goodbye to Trish if only ……. to the airport in time.
A I get В I got С I have got D I had got
6. Don’t you sometimes wish you ……. invisible?
A could be В would be С will be D are
7. Suppose we ……. we could go and live on another planet. Would you want to go?
A to hear В hearing С heard D having heard
8. Do you wish ……. an official complaint?
A making В to make С you made D you make
9. Adrian was ……. enough money to buy a new computer for the school.
A wishing to have raised С hoping to have raised
В wishing he will raise D hoping he will raise
10. Don’t you wish we ……. the exam a week on Monday and not tomorrow?
A take В will take С would take D were taking
D Complete the sentences so that the meaning remains the same.
1. I don’t like your criticising me all the time.
2. It’s awful – Sam doesn’t know how I feel about him!
3. I’d love to be with you in Switzerland right now.
4. Frank regrets not taking the job when he had the chance.
5. Wouldn’t you like us to be standing in the middle of Times Square right now?
6. It’s a shame I can’t play chess as well as Steve.
7. What would you do if you had a million euros?
8. I don’t really want you to smoke in here.
9. It’s time for them to go to bed.
E Match to make sentences.
| 1. Although… 2. Despite… 3. Despite the… 4. Aesop is a vegetarian, … 5. Despite his vegetarianism, … 6. In spite… 7. Despite having… 8. Aesop is a vegetarian. However, he… 9. Aesop is a vegetarian. He does… | A. of being a vegetarian, Aesop does occasionally eat fish. В. does occasionally eat fish. С. Aesop does occasionally eat fish. D. being a vegetarian, Aesop does occasionally eat fish. E. occasionally eat fish, however. F. Aesop’s a vegetarian, he does occasionally eat fish. G. been a vegetarian for years, Aesop does occasionally eat fish. H. fact that Aesop is a vegetarian, he does occasionally eat fish. I. although he does occasionally eat fish. |
F Complete using although, despite, however or while.
1. Despite the storm, over ten thousand people took part in the marathon.
2. ……. I wrote myself a note to remind me, I still forgot to call George tonight.
3. Most Egyptologists believe that the Sphinx is about 4000 years old. Some geologists, ……. argue that it must be at least 14,000 years old.
4. ……. having taken two aspirin, I had such a bad headache that I had to go home.
6. There are still two million people unemployed ……. the fact that we’re in the middle of an economic boom.
7. ……. no European country carries out capital punishment, it is widely used throughout the United States.
9. I couldn’t find my keys ……. searching for them everywhere.
G Complete each second sentence using the word given, so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Write between two and five words in each gap.
1. Although he was exhausted, Mike kept on climbing. fact
In ……. he was exhausted, Mike kept on climbing.
2. Sally had been sure she would win the music competition. She came third, however. been
Despite ……. would win the music competition, Sally came third.
3. Doug wasn’t shortlisted for the job even though he had a great CV. spite
Doug wasn’t shortlisted for the job ……. a great CV.
4. Planes can still take off and land but ferries have been cancelled. whereas
Ferries have been cancelled, ……. able to take off and land.
5. Despite having got a good degree, Sandra couldn’t find a well-paid job. even
Sandra couldn’t find a well-paid job ……. a good degree.
6. Even though he’d been robbed twice, Red still enjoyed living in the city. having
Red still enjoyed living in the city ……. twice.
7. It’s a great film despite the plot being a little complicated. though
It’s a great film, ……. a little complicated.
8. Despite looking everywhere, the kids failed to find the tennis ball. although
The kids failed to find the tennis ball ……. everywhere.
9. Pat really enjoyed the match even though she was beaten. of
In ……. Pat really enjoyed the match.
10. Despite their thorough investigation of the case, the police didn’t manage
to catch the culprit. investigated
H If a line is correct, put a tick (✓) next to the number. If there is an extra word in a line, write it next to the number.
THE SCHOOL DANCE
1. _________ I went to my first school dance last Saturday night and it was a disaster! If
2. _________ only that I’d thought about what I was going to wear a bit more carefully. Although
3. _________ being my best friend Jenny had told me it wasn’t that kind of event, I’d decided
4. _________ to look really grown-up and wear a dress and high-heeled shoes. When I got
5. _________ there, I looked totally ridiculous and some people started laughing. Despite of
6. _________ this slight setback, I thought I’d hit the dance floor. If I could have survive that,
7. _________ I could survive anything. But even though that went wrong! One of my heels
9. _________ to the side of the room. It was very embarrassing! Still, despite the disastrous
him next Saturday. Of course I said no, but he is cute! We’ll see what happens!
I Write one word in each gap.
ON THE CATWALK
with Sunny Magenta
Unit 26 Vocabulary
Fashion and design
Topic vocabulary in contrast see page 196 for definitions
Phrasal verbs
Phrases and collocations
Word patterns
Word formation
produce product, producer, production, (un)productive(ly)
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Despite the fact that i try to be as upbeat as possible in this
She stepped out a little farther into the water and mimicked the man, hoping to feel whatever it was that he was feeling. But when she closed her eyes, the only thing she could think about was Kevin. Lord knew she wanted to spend more time with him, and she definitely wanted to be more patient with him when they were together. She wanted to be able to sit and talk with Kevin, or play Monopoly with him, or simply watch TV with him without feeling the urge to get up from the couch to do something more important. There were times when she felt like a fraud when insisting to Kevin that he came first and that family was the most important thing he’d have.
But the problem was that there was always something to do. Dishes to be washed, bathrooms to be cleaned, the cat box to be emptied; cars needed tune-ups, laundry needed to be done, and bills had to be paid. Even though Kevin helped a lot with his chores, he was almost as busy as she was with school and friends and all his other activities. As it was, magazines went straight to the garbage unread, letters went unwritten, and sometimes, in moments like these, she worried that her life was slipping past her.
But how to change all that? “Take life one day at a time,” her mother always said, but her mother didn’t have to work outside the home or raise a strong and confident yet caring son without benefit of a father. She didn’t understand the pressures that Theresa faced on a daily basis. Neither did her younger sister, Janet, who had followed in the footsteps of their mother. She and her husband had been happily married for almost eleven years, with three wonderful girls to show for it. Edward wasn’t a brilliant man, but he was honest, worked hard, and provided for his family well enough that Janet didn’t have to work. There were times when Theresa thought she might like a life like that, even if it meant giving up her career.
But that wasn’t possible. Not since David and she divorced. Three years now, four if you counted the year they were separated. She didn’t hate David for what he had done, but her respect for him had been shattered. Adultery, whether a one-night stand or a long affair, wasn’t something she could live with. Nor did it make her feel better that he never married the woman he’d been carrying on with for two years. The breach of trust was irreparable.
David moved back to his home state of California a year after they separated and met Annette a few months later. His new wife was very religious, and little by little she got David interested in the church. David, a lifelong agnostic, had always seemed to be hungry for something more meaningful in his life. Now he attended church regularly and actually served as a marriage counselor along with the pastor. What could he possibly say to someone doing the same things he’d done, she often wondered, and how could he help others if he hadn’t been able to control himself? She didn’t know, didn’t care, really. She was simply glad that he still took an interest in his son.
Naturally, once she and David had split up, a lot of her friendships ended as well. now that she was no longer part of a couple, she seemed to be out of place at friends’ Christmas parties or backyard barbecues. A few friends remained, though, and she heard from them on her answering machine, suggesting that they set up a lunch date or come over for dinner. Occasionally she would go, but usually she made excuses not to. To her, none of those friendships seemed the way they used to, but then of course they weren’t. Things changed, people changed, and the world went rolling along right outside the window.
Since the divorce there had been only a handful of dates. It wasn’t that she was unattractive. She was, or so she was often told. Her hair was dark brown, cut just above her shoulders, and straight as spider silk. Her eyes, the feature she was most often complimented on, were brown with flecks of hazel that caught the light when she was outside. Since she ran daily, she was fit and didn’t look as old as she was. She didn’t feel old, either, but when she looked in the mirror lately, she seemed to see her age catching up with her. A new wrinkle around the corner of her eye, a gray hair that seemed to have grown overnight, a vaguely weary look from being constantly on the run.
Her friends thought she was crazy. “You look better now than you did years ago,” they insisted, and she still noticed a few men eyeing her across the aisle in the supermarket. But she wasn’t, nor ever would be, twenty-two again. Not that she would want to be, even if she could, unless, she sometimes thought to herself, she could take her more mature brain back with her. If she didn’t, she’d probably get caught up with another David—a handsome man who craved the good things in life with the underlying assumption that he didn’t have to play by the rules. But dammit, rules were important, especially the ones regarding marriage. They were the ones a person was never supposed to break. Her father and mother didn’t break them, her sister and brother-in-law didn’t, nor did Deanna and Brian. Why did he have to? And why, she wondered as she stood in the surf, did her thoughts always come back to this, even after all this time?
She supposed that it had something to do with the fact that when the divorce papers finally arrived, she felt as if a little part of her had died. That initial anger she felt had turned to sadness, and now it had become something else, almost a dullness of sorts. Even though she was constantly in motion, it seemed as if nothing special ever happened to her anymore. Each day seemed exactly like the last, and she had trouble differentiating among them. One time, about a year ago, she sat at her desk for fifteen minutes trying to remember the last spontaneous thing she’d done. She couldn’t think of anything.
The first few months had been hard on her. By then the anger had subsided and she didn’t feel the urge to lash out at David and make him pay for what he had done. All she could do was feel sorry for herself. Even having Kevin around all the time did nothing to change the fact that she felt absolutely alone in the world. There was a short time when she couldn’t sleep for more than a few hours a night, and now and then when she was at work, she would leave her desk and go sit in her car to cry for a while.
Now, with three years gone by, she honestly didn’t know if she would ever love someone again the way she had loved David. When David showed up at her sorority party at the beginning of her junior year, one look was all it took for her to know she wanted to be with him. Her young love had seemed so overwhelming, so powerful, then. She would stay awake thinking about him as she lay in her bed, and when she walked across campus, she smiled so often that other people would smile back whenever they saw her.
But love like that doesn’t last, at least that’s what she found out. Over the years, a different kind of marriage emerged. She and David grew up, and apart. It became hard to remember the things that had first drawn them to each other. Looking back, Theresa felt that David became a different person altogether, although she couldn’t pinpoint the moment when it all began to change. But anything can happen when the flame of a relationship goes out, and for him, it did. A chance meeting at a video store, a conversation that led to lunch and eventually to hotels throughout the greater Boston area.
The unfair thing about the whole situation was that she still missed him sometimes, or rather the good parts about him. Being married to David was comfortable, like a bed she’d slept in for years. She had been used to having another person around, just to talk to or listen. She had gotten used to waking up to the smell of brewing coffee in the morning, and she missed having another adult presence in the apartment. She missed a lot of things, but most of all she missed the intimacy that came from holding and whispering to another behind closed doors.
Despite the fact that i try to be as upbeat as possible in this
Задание №6814.
Чтение. ЕГЭ по английскому
Прочитайте текст и запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.
| A cat’s adventures When we first got our cat Gina, I thought taking care other would be a rather leisurely activity. But Gina has the most peculiar of behaviours, and I’m not just referring to her tendency to chase after the occasional trapped house fly or her love of licking drips from the sink tap. She does something that I imagine few other cats in the world would do. If you can believe this, she commutes by bus every single day to the zoo to gaze at wild animals. |
Gina’s story is so incredible she’s even been featured on the national TV news. She’s been filmed hopping onto the bus, which comes like clockwork every day to the stop two blocks down the street from our house. It doesn’t even pass by our house; I can’t imagine how she found the stop. Actually, there are many things I can’t imagine about this scenario, such as how she knows the bus schedule or where the stop for the zoo is. Were never even taken her to the zoo. Why on earth would we? And surely we would have gone by car rather than by bus if we had.
It’s anyone’s guess how long she had been doing it before we realised what was going on. She’d scratch at the door in the morning for us to let her out. I would see her trot out of the garden and down the street, but I never thought anything of it. After a while, I began to notice that she’d be gone for several hours, but would always return at 4 pm, hungry. I started to suspect something when it occurred to me that she was leaving the house at exactly the same time every day.
So, in my distressed state, my knee-jerk reaction was to, well, run after the bus! I ran like an Olympic sprinter, and luckily there was little traffic at the junctions. I finally caught up with the bus at a red light. I banged on the door, the driver opened it and there was Gina, perched on the dashboard. She saw me and miaowed.
‘My cat! I shrieked. ‘How is this possible?’ The driver said she had been doing it for months, getting off at the zoo, and getting back on later in the day. I grabbed her, took her home and apologised for my frantic behaviour, but the next day she was off again, so I decided to pay a visit to the zoo, to see just exactly what she was getting up to on the next stage of her daily adventure.
‘This’ in ‘How is this possible?’ in the last paragraph refers to.
1) the fact that the author had found her cat.
2) the driver’s actions.
3) the cat’s behaviour.
4) the bus company’s policy.
Решение:
‘This’ in ‘How is this possible?’ in the last paragraph refers to the cat’s behaviour.
«Такое» во фразе из последнего абзаца «Как такое возможно?» относится к поведению кошки.
Источник: Тесты для подготовки к ЕГЭ по английскому языку, 2019. Вербицкая М., Манн М., Тейлор-Ноулз С.
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3. Лексико-грамматический блок
Примеры ответов: 7 или здесьисейчас или 3514
Грамматика и лексика 32-38
The Goulburn Valley
The Goulburn Valley is situated in the south-east corner of the Australian continent, in the state of Victoria. Because of the introduction of irrigation over a century ago,32 __________industry flourished, resulting in the multitude of orchards and market gardens. After World War II, migrants flocked to the area in 33 __________- of work on the farms, and in many cases, establishing a property of their own.
Unfortunately, the region has taken a 34 ____________ for the worse over the past decade. The irrigation water that was once plentiful has now been rationed, and many farmers have been forced 35 _____________ the land. The main source of water is from the Goulburn River, with several reservoirs located along its stretch to the mighty Murray River. Dam capacities have fallen to dangerous levels, resulting in some farmers having an inadequate 36 ____________________ of irrigation water.
37_________ the recent hardships, some farmers have continued to eke an existence out of the land. Many have become more ingenious, devising new ways to utilize water plus finding special niches to service the ever-changing urban needs. Perhaps the Goulburn Valley can return to its 38 __________ times soon.
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Light from the Past
When you stand and look at the stars, you are really looking at past history. The light from Alkaid, the end star in the handle of the Big Dipper, has taken about 210 years to 1 _____ your eyes. If Alkaid stopped 2 _____ today, people on earth would still see it 3 ______ about 210 years. Some of the stars you see here tonight may have stopped existing several thousand years ago. The light from some 4 _____ stars right now will not be seen on earth until thousands, or even millions, of years from now!
It’s 5 _____ breathtaking, and it 6 _____ to the great mystery about the nature of light. Think about water waves. They get smaller and smaller in amplitude as they travel. Their energy is lost in friction among the water molecules. Think of sound waves in the air. They too get weaker and weaker because of friction among the air molecules.
But light waves stop only if they strike something, and their energy is transferred 7 _____ another form. 8 _____, they can go on and on, at the same terrific speed, with no loss of energy, forever!
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Прочитайте текст с пропусками, обозначенными номерами 32–38. Эти номера соответствуют заданиям 32–38, в которых представлены возможные варианты ответов. Запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.
Soon everything was back to normal. Annie and her father David were both ashamed of themselves, they went out of their 32 ______ to be kind to one another. David even told himself that he would try to like Sean O’Connell, if that could make his daughter happy. Since Sean’s visit Annie had bloomed, but it was three days now since she had 33 ______ the Irishman and David hoped he had not forgotten her.
As the days passed, Annie ceased looking out of the window every ten seconds in the hope of seeing Sean come to her door. Now Annie and David decided to reopen the club for their regular customers. She felt this would be the best thing for her dad, and he thought it would be the best thing for her. Both of them needed to be busy for their own 34 ______.
Annie was hurt, she had found Sean again only for him to leave her again. She went 35 ______ their evening together and tried to see what she could have done to make him ignore her like this. They had laughed, 36 ______ of their childhood, and their lives since. She thought that he was the only man she could ever love. He liked to 37 ______ his remarks as outrageous as possible. He liked to shock people, and 38 ______ he knew that Annie was one of the few people who saw through him. She knew that he was lonely, unhappy and unable to change his way of life.
Прочитайте текст с пропусками, обозначенными номерами 32–38. Эти номера соответствуют заданиям 32–38, в которых представлены возможные варианты ответов. Запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.
Soon everything was back to normal. Annie and her father David were both ashamed of themselves, they went out of their 32 ______ to be kind to one another. David even told himself that he would try to like Sean O’Connell, if that could make his daughter happy. Since Sean’s visit Annie had bloomed, but it was three days now since she had 33 ______ the Irishman and David hoped he had not forgotten her.
As the days passed, Annie ceased looking out of the window every ten seconds in the hope of seeing Sean come to her door. Now Annie and David decided to reopen the club for their regular customers. She felt this would be the best thing for her dad, and he thought it would be the best thing for her. Both of them needed to be busy for their own 34 ______.
Annie was hurt, she had found Sean again only for him to leave her again. She went 35 ______ their evening together and tried to see what she could have done to make him ignore her like this. They had laughed, 36 ______ of their childhood, and their lives since. She thought that he was the only man she could ever love. He liked to 37 ______ his remarks as outrageous as possible. He liked to shock people, and 38 ______ he knew that Annie was one of the few people who saw through him. She knew that he was lonely, unhappy and unable to change his way of life.
Прочитайте текст с пропусками, обозначенными номерами 32–38. Эти номера соответствуют заданиям 32–38, в которых представлены возможные варианты ответов. Запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.
Soon everything was back to normal. Annie and her father David were both ashamed of themselves, they went out of their 32 ______ to be kind to one another. David even told himself that he would try to like Sean O’Connell, if that could make his daughter happy. Since Sean’s visit Annie had bloomed, but it was three days now since she had 33 ______ the Irishman and David hoped he had not forgotten her.
As the days passed, Annie ceased looking out of the window every ten seconds in the hope of seeing Sean come to her door. Now Annie and David decided to reopen the club for their regular customers. She felt this would be the best thing for her dad, and he thought it would be the best thing for her. Both of them needed to be busy for their own 34 ______.
Annie was hurt, she had found Sean again only for him to leave her again. She went 35 ______ their evening together and tried to see what she could have done to make him ignore her like this. They had laughed, 36 ______ of their childhood, and their lives since. She thought that he was the only man she could ever love. He liked to 37 ______ his remarks as outrageous as possible. He liked to shock people, and 38 ______ he knew that Annie was one of the few people who saw through him. She knew that he was lonely, unhappy and unable to change his way of life.
Прочитайте текст с пропусками, обозначенными номерами 32–38. Эти номера соответствуют заданиям 32–38, в которых представлены возможные варианты ответов. Запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.
Soon everything was back to normal. Annie and her father David were both ashamed of themselves, they went out of their 32 ______ to be kind to one another. David even told himself that he would try to like Sean O’Connell, if that could make his daughter happy. Since Sean’s visit Annie had bloomed, but it was three days now since she had 33 ______ the Irishman and David hoped he had not forgotten her.
As the days passed, Annie ceased looking out of the window every ten seconds in the hope of seeing Sean come to her door. Now Annie and David decided to reopen the club for their regular customers. She felt this would be the best thing for her dad, and he thought it would be the best thing for her. Both of them needed to be busy for their own 34 ______.
Annie was hurt, she had found Sean again only for him to leave her again. She went 35 ______ their evening together and tried to see what she could have done to make him ignore her like this. They had laughed, 36 ______ of their childhood, and their lives since. She thought that he was the only man she could ever love. He liked to 37 ______ his remarks as outrageous as possible. He liked to shock people, and 38 ______ he knew that Annie was one of the few people who saw through him. She knew that he was lonely, unhappy and unable to change his way of life.
2)round and round
Прочитайте текст с пропусками, обозначенными номерами 32–38. Эти номера соответствуют заданиям 32–38, в которых представлены возможные варианты ответов. Запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.
Soon everything was back to normal. Annie and her father David were both ashamed of themselves, they went out of their 32 ______ to be kind to one another. David even told himself that he would try to like Sean O’Connell, if that could make his daughter happy. Since Sean’s visit Annie had bloomed, but it was three days now since she had 33 ______ the Irishman and David hoped he had not forgotten her.
As the days passed, Annie ceased looking out of the window every ten seconds in the hope of seeing Sean come to her door. Now Annie and David decided to reopen the club for their regular customers. She felt this would be the best thing for her dad, and he thought it would be the best thing for her. Both of them needed to be busy for their own 34 ______.
Annie was hurt, she had found Sean again only for him to leave her again. She went 35 ______ their evening together and tried to see what she could have done to make him ignore her like this. They had laughed, 36 ______ of their childhood, and their lives since. She thought that he was the only man she could ever love. He liked to 37 ______ his remarks as outrageous as possible. He liked to shock people, and 38 ______ he knew that Annie was one of the few people who saw through him. She knew that he was lonely, unhappy and unable to change his way of life.
Прочитайте текст с пропусками, обозначенными номерами 32–38. Эти номера соответствуют заданиям 32–38, в которых представлены возможные варианты ответов. Запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.
Soon everything was back to normal. Annie and her father David were both ashamed of themselves, they went out of their 32 ______ to be kind to one another. David even told himself that he would try to like Sean O’Connell, if that could make his daughter happy. Since Sean’s visit Annie had bloomed, but it was three days now since she had 33 ______ the Irishman and David hoped he had not forgotten her.
As the days passed, Annie ceased looking out of the window every ten seconds in the hope of seeing Sean come to her door. Now Annie and David decided to reopen the club for their regular customers. She felt this would be the best thing for her dad, and he thought it would be the best thing for her. Both of them needed to be busy for their own 34 ______.
Annie was hurt, she had found Sean again only for him to leave her again. She went 35 ______ their evening together and tried to see what she could have done to make him ignore her like this. They had laughed, 36 ______ of their childhood, and their lives since. She thought that he was the only man she could ever love. He liked to 37 ______ his remarks as outrageous as possible. He liked to shock people, and 38 ______ he knew that Annie was one of the few people who saw through him. She knew that he was lonely, unhappy and unable to change his way of life.
Прочитайте текст с пропусками, обозначенными номерами 32–38. Эти номера соответствуют заданиям 32–38, в которых представлены возможные варианты ответов. Запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.
Soon everything was back to normal. Annie and her father David were both ashamed of themselves, they went out of their 32 ______ to be kind to one another. David even told himself that he would try to like Sean O’Connell, if that could make his daughter happy. Since Sean’s visit Annie had bloomed, but it was three days now since she had 33 ______ the Irishman and David hoped he had not forgotten her.
As the days passed, Annie ceased looking out of the window every ten seconds in the hope of seeing Sean come to her door. Now Annie and David decided to reopen the club for their regular customers. She felt this would be the best thing for her dad, and he thought it would be the best thing for her. Both of them needed to be busy for their own 34 ______.
Annie was hurt, she had found Sean again only for him to leave her again. She went 35 ______ their evening together and tried to see what she could have done to make him ignore her like this. They had laughed, 36 ______ of their childhood, and their lives since. She thought that he was the only man she could ever love. He liked to 37 ______ his remarks as outrageous as possible. He liked to shock people, and 38 ______ he knew that Annie was one of the few people who saw through him. She knew that he was lonely, unhappy and unable to change his way of life.
Let me tell you what happened once when my dear Uncle Podger decided to hang a picture on the wall. He told us not to 32 and just watch him do it. He said he would do it by himself. Well, he came up to the picture which was waiting to be put up in the dining room and took it. But suddenly it fell down and the glass 33 into pieces and he cut his finger. He started to 34 his handkerchief but couldn’t find it because he had put it in his coat and none of us knew where his coat was.
“Six of you!” Uncle Podger exclaimed, “and you cannot find the coat that I put down only five minutes ago!” But then he got up from his chair and found that he had been sitting on his coat the whole time. “Oh, you can stop your 35. I’ve found it myself!”
Then after an hour was spent in tying up his finger Uncle Podger wondered where the hammer had disappeared to. And while everybody was trying to get the hammer he was standing on the chair saying: “Well, I want to know if you are going to 36 me here all evening!”
Finally the hammer was found, but we noticed that the nail which he had prepared was lost. And, of course, Uncle Podger didn’t keep 37 while he was waiting for another nail to be brought. We heard all he had to say about our habit of losing all the things he needed.
When the picture was hanging on the wall at last, everybody looked very 38, all except Uncle Podger, who was lively as ever. Aunt Maria remarked that if Uncle Podger wanted to do a job like that again, she would spend a week with her mother until it was over.
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Your Future World
What will you be doing in 2025? Will you be living in an undersea research station? Will you be the chief engineer 32 ______ a bridge across the Atlantic Ocean? Will you be leading an 33 ______ to the planet Mars? Will you be …?
You can daydream, of course, but nobody knows exactly what the world will be 34 ______. But scientists have made some guesses.
Based on the advances made, they believe people will be healthier. Diphtheria, malaria, tuberculosis, polio and many other killers are under control now. These diseases are on the way out, 35 ______ to germ-killing chemicals, new ways of finding out about our bodies, and new ways of providing clean, safe 36 ______ and water.
Healthier people live longer, so we can expect the world’s population to 37 ______ sharply. It may double in the next forty years! This brings up a serious problem: how will we find food, water, and minerals for such a huge population?
Scientists are at work on some 38 ______. From the ocean they hope to get new fertilizers to increase the yield of the soil; new chemicals to kill crop-destroying insects without hurting other animals, new sources of water or supplies of food.
32. 1) inventing; 2) designing; 3) scheming; 4) doing
33. 1) exploration; 2) expenditure; 3) expedition; 4) exhibit
34. 1) like; 2) alike; 3) likely; 4) likable
35. 1) as a result; 2) because; 3) on account; 4) thanks
36. 1) eat; 2) feed; 3) food; 4) cooking
37. 1) decrease; 2) distract; 3) dissolve; 4) increase
38. 1) solutions; 2) alternatives; 3) preferences; 4) questions
Прочитайте текст с пропусками, обозначенными номерами 32–38. Эти номера соответствуют заданиям 32–38, в которых представлены возможные варианты ответов. Запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.
My company
In 1978 I was chairman of Cooper’s, a company which ran 127 vehicles of various weights and sizes. We 32 _________ in transporting goods by road.
My father had founded the firm in 1931, starting out with three vehicles ⎯ two of them driven by horses. By the time we became Cooper & Son in 1967, the company had 33 ______________ in obtaining seventeen big trucks and delivered goods all over the north of England.
My father insisted that I leave school the moment I passed my O levels. “I’ll teach you more about the real world in a month than you’d learn from any of those university types in a lifetime,” he 34 _________________ to say. I followed his advice and never 35 ________________ it. I left school a few weeks after my sixteenth birthday. The next morning I joined Cooper’s as an apprentice, and spent my first three years at the depot under the watchful eye of Buster Jackson, the works manager. He taught me how to take the company’s trucks 36______________ and, more important, how to put them back together again.
After graduating from the workshop, I spent five years in different departments. When my father retired in 1977 ⎯ at the age of seventy ⎯ I took over as chairman. Then I began to set in motion some ideas I’d been working on for the past decade, 37 ______________ I knew my father didn’t approve of them. I never 38 ______________ him, but Europe was only the beginning of my plans for the company’s expansion.
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To Hear a Child
I believe in patience. I live as a volunteer residential counselor in a small group home. These boys have brought joy and happiness into my life; they have made me laugh and made me proud. However, they have also challenged me, made me angry and tested my patience.
Each day we start anew, going about a 32______ routine. I drive them to school, pick them up, cook for them and help with homework. We spend the evenings 33______ about what happened during the day. I meet their teachers and study for tests with them. They are the last people I see each night and the first ones I hear in the morning. They have become a 34______ of my life. I am twenty-two and am beginning to understand the love of a parent.
I could not have come this far without patience. They do not think like miniature adults and it is not fair to expect them to. 35______ my expectations of them are high, I must remember that so much of what they see and understand is for the first time. First love, first failed test, first time feeling the need to break away from the nest. I must have patience with them, because there is still a child within that comes out when I least expect it.
This world is a fast-paced, fast-food, fast-internet place. 36______, no matter how fast things move, children will be children. I believe they will mature quicker and with more tools if I am patient. I see it in their eyes. Over time, sad eyes can glisten again, but only if I am 37______ of the fact that it takes them longer to get somewhere.
I see around them a world that expects too much of them. They come 38______ too many things that give them too much sadness. They listen to me, respect me and understand reason but not always when I want them to. This opportunity has given me wisdom but only when I was patient enough to hear a child.