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UNIT 7.

ACTIVITIES
A Company History: The Growth of a Family Business

Grammar
7.1. Past Simple
Complete the sentences with the past forms of verbs from below; the verbs can be
regular or irregular.
build

have

launch

found

research

retire

make

become

1. We __________ an advertising campaign to sell our new product.


2. My grandfather __________ when he was 67.
3. She studied biology and __________ a famous scientist.
4. The government __________ three new motorways last year.
5. The scientists __________ the cause of the contamination around the factory.
6. When he was a child, my father _____ a pet dog.
7. My mother _____ a delicious cake.
8. She _____ her own company when she was only 25.
7.2. Past Simple: Positive, Negative and Questions
Write complete sentences from the prompts below. Put the verbs in the past simple.
1. Allan / drive / Manchester / for / interview.
2. He / not / take / train.
3. he / get / job?
4. Gita / feel / ill / yesterday.
5. She / not go/ office.
6. she / see / doctor?
7. Gustavo / write / Hattie / email/ after / meeting / London.
8. He / not / phone / her.
9. he / get / reply?
7.3. Past Simple / Past Continuous
A. Match sentences (1 6) to the correct endings (A F).
1. My brother (not hear) the bell
2. The telephone (ring)
3. She (crash) her car
4. She (run) in the park
5. My father (work) on his computer

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A. because she (talk) on her mobile


phone.
B. when he (get) a virus.
C. when I (meet) my boyfriend.
D. when she (fall) and (break) her leg.

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6. I (study) a secretarial course

E. because he (listen) to music.


F. when he (have) a shower.

B. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct form: Past Simple or Past Continuous.

Vocabulary
7.4. Irregular Verbs
A. Complete the past tense of these irregular verbs with the correct vowels.
1. teach

t - - ght

2. buy

b - - ght

3. write

wr t -

4. think

th - - ght

5. break

br k -

6. can

c - - ld

7. read
8. fly

r--d
fl w

B. Complete the sentences with verbs from A.


1. Who _______ you to play the piano?
2. We _______ to London for business.
3. He _______ his leg playing rugby.
4. _______ you read when you were 5?
5. I _______ three reports yesterday.
6. They _______ some new equipment for the factory.

7.5. Adjectives of Personality


A. Put the letters in order and make adjectives.
1. sbierpelnos
2. mediteernd
3. gronst

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4. rongusee
5. vestisine
6. gacirn
B. Complete the sentences with adjectives from A.
1. Hes a very ________ employee; hes never late and he always finishes his work on
time.
2. My best friend is very ________; she always cries when she watches a sad film.
3. Nurses need to be ________ people.
4. My brother is very ________; when he wants something he works very hard to get
it.
5. My father always carries the shopping bags because hes really ________.
6. My uncle is really ________; he always buys me wonderful birthday presents.
7.6. Vocabulary in Context
Write the correct words for the definitions; the first letter of the word and the
number of letters are given.
1. In London, the underground is called the T - - -.
2. When you have arranged to meet someone at a particular time and place, you
have an a - - - - - - - - - - with them.
3. You use this book to write down the things you have to do every day: d - - - -.
4. This verb is a synonym of produce: m - - - - - - - - - -.
5. How do you call a combination of a pair of trousers and a jacket? s - - -.
6. A period of economic growth and prosperity is a b - - -.
7. The person who creates a company is the f - - - - - -.
8. A person who likes rules and discipline is s - - - - -.
9. When you are present at a conference, you a - - - - - the conference.
10. This verb is a synonym of have: p - - - - - -.

Writing
7.7. Career Histories
A. Complete the career history with the correct form of the verbs in brackets:
present simple /continuous, or past simple / continuous.

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I ________ (be born) in Seoul, South Korea, in 1970. My father ________ (work) as a
software engineer and my mother was a housewife. When I ________ (be) 14, my
fathers company ________ (send) him to the United States and we all moved to
Boston.
I finished high school in Boston and then ________ (go) to university. I ________ (do) a
degree in Computer Science and I graduated in 1990. I ________ (meet) my wife
while I ________ (study) at university; she was doing a degree in Korean and Chinese.
We ________ (get) married after our graduation and ________ (have) a baby one year
later.
During the day, I worked for a software company and my wife ________ (look after)
the baby. I ________ (earn) enough money, but we werent happy; we wanted to set
up our own company. Every night, we ________ (spend) hours brainstorming different
business ideas.
In the end, in 2003, we decided to move to China where we ________ (found) CFA
that is the abbreviation of Computers For All a company that manufactures cheap
computers for everybody. Soon, we ________ (export) computers to developing
countries all over the world.
At the moment, we ________ (develop) some new programs for schools in Africa and
South America. I manage the technical side of the business, while my wife ________
(take care) of Marketing and Public Relations. We make a very good team!
B.
Now write a similar career history; write about someone you know, or about a
famous business person. Use the text in 7 and the headings below as your model.

Career History of .
1. Birth and Childhood

2. Education

3/4 Career and Family Life

5. Current Projects

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Translation
7.8. English into Spanish
A. Translate the words into Spanish.
1. unemployment (n)
2. sensible (adj)

5. set up (v)
6. retire (v)

3. poverty (n)
4. supply (n)

7. affordable (adj)
8. hire (v)

B. Translate the sentences into Spanish.


1. He worked hard and saved all his money
2. The factory manufactured cheap textiles for working people.
3. In the 1930s there was a global economic recession.
4. My father always wore a suit when he was in the office.
5. When was your grandmother born?
6. My boss is very demanding.
7.9. Spanish into English
A. Translate the words into English.
1. invertir (v)

5. lanzar (v)

2. buscar (v)

6. mandn (adj)

3. investigar (v)

7. promover (v)

4. sucursal (n)

8. taller (n)

B. Translate the sentences into English.


1. Mi abuelo era soldado en la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
2. Mi madre es muy trabajadora.
3. Thomas Jones fund su empresa en 1976.
4. Encontr mi paraguas en el garaje.
5. Construyeron tres fbricas en el extranjero.
6. Mi to es empresario y gana mucho dinero.

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