Name____________________________________ Date__________________________

1 Read the article about the Special Olympics.

The Special Olympics

The Special Olympics were founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1968 and since then they have
become an important sporting event both in the United States and around the world. Today
there are competitions in 180 countries featuring 30 different summer and winter sports. In
addition to these local and national competitions, there are Special Olympic Games. There are
Winter and Summer Games and they alternate every two years. So what is special about the
Special Olympics? The program was designed for athletes who want to compete in important
sport events, but have intellectual disabilities. The program has several important goals. One is
to encourage these people to become more physically fit. Another is to help them feel
confident and more comfortable in the world. In addition, the games help create a positive
public attitude toward a group of people that is often forgotten.
The Special Olympics feature a wide variety of sports including swimming, sailing, basketball,
cycling, football and bowling. Because of the participants’ limitations, the rules of the games
have been changed somewhat. For example, in sailing competitions, each Special Olympics
athlete is paired with a trained coach. This person can assist the competitor if necessary and
help maintain a safe situation. If a boat contains over three crew members, the majority of
them must be Special Olympics athletes.
For cycling competitions, however, the rules are different. In this case, the athletes who are not
visually impaired race by themselves, with race coordinators supervising the competition from
a distance. However, cyclists who can’t see very well or are completely blind, are accompanied
by a pilot to help them follow the course and avoid dangerous situations. Training for the
cycling competition starts with practising riding in single rows. It also includes doing simple
bicycle repairs and reviewing the rules of the race. Competitors also learn about general bike
safety, including the importance of wearing the proper clothing and helmet.
In recent years, the Special Olympics College, which is a network of college and university
students that supports the Special Olympics, has become an important part of the program.
Through this organisation, college students work for the benefit of individuals with intellectual
disabilities. This includes not only helping with training for the sporting competitions, but also
working toward the increased acceptance of all people, regardless of their physical or mental
ability.
Along with their mission, the inspirational motto of the Special Olympics is, ‘Let me win. But if I
cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.’

Look at the sentences below. Write T (True) or F (False).

1 Special Olympic Games are held in two seasons.
2 The organisers of the Special Olympics usually have physical difficulties.
3 This sports event aims to inspire disabled people to take up sport.
4 According to the writer, society doesn’t focus enough on disabled people.
5 The sports are played by the same rules as in any other athletic event.
6 The coaches’ role in the Special Olympics is to help and protect the athletes.
7 Only the cyclists who have problems with their sight can race with a pilot.
8 Cyclists learn how to fix a bicycle while training for the competition.
9 The college students who train for the Special Olympics must be athletes themselves.
10 According to the motto, trying is not as important as winning in sport.

2 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words in bold.

1 Some people are just not good at telling jokes or amusing stories, but ___________
have to be great at it. COMEDY
2 We need to have this ___________ looked at by an expert since we don’t know
anything about hieroglyphics. INSCRIBE
3 The ___________ of the Dead Sea Scrolls happened between 1946 and 1956, and they
are considered to be one of the greatest discoveries of the last century. EXCAVATE
4 The blood tests will be taken to the lab and we will have the results of their
___________ by next Tuesday. ANALYSE
5 Herodotus, sometimes referred to as the world’s first ___________, lived from 480 until
429BC. HISTORY
6 The ___________ in his new book are so realistic. It’s much easier to imagine what the
ancient ruins used to look like. ILLUSTRATE
7 The police believe his travel documents are not real, but they have no ___________
evidence as yet, so they can’t arrest him. CONCLUDE
8 The documentaries on this TV channel tend to be quite ___________ as they are all on
the same themes. REPEAT
3 Complete the sentences with the correct question tag.

1 The emperor’s possessions were discovered in the tomb, ___________?

2 You’re from England, ___________?
3 Carbon dating isn’t always reliable, ___________?
4 She wants to become an archaeologist, ___________?
5 The cut hasn’t become infected, ___________?
6 You don’t happen to know how old King Tut was when he died, ___________?
7 I have to rewrite this essay, ___________?
8 They are going on an archaeological dig in November, ___________?
9 He didn’t enjoy the National History Museum very much, ___________?
10 Everyone is ready to go, ___________?
11 I’m not going to have enough time to go on the trip, ___________?

4 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

1 He denied ___________ (rob) the bank and claimed he was visiting his grandmother at
the time.
2 He refused ___________ (go) back into the flat for three days after the earthquake.
3 You’d better ___________ (secure) the windows. There were hurricane warnings on the
news.
4 Oh, no. I forgot ___________ (bring) an umbrella and it looks like we’re in for a
thunderstorm.
5 My parents won’t let me ___________ (stay) out late except on Saturdays.
6 How have you been? I haven’t ___________ (see) you for ages and was just thinking
about you the other day.
7 It’s not safe enough ___________ (go) to the beach yet after the tsunami two days ago.
8 He stopped ___________ (smoke) three weeks ago and has noticed a big difference in
his health.
9 Yesterday, I was made ___________ (clean) my room before I could go to the beach.
10 He thinks he can hook up the washing machine without ___________ (look) at the
instructions.
 5 Complete the text with the correct form of the words in brackets.

Nowadays, it is not 1 ___________ (usual) to find more and more people turning to the
Internet to get the news rather than the mainstream media on TV. They do not feel 2
___________ (satisfy) that the news on TV is objective. While it may be true that it can be a bit
3 ___________ (risk) to trust what is on the Net, at least there are many reports with a wide
variety of opinions. Additionally, possibly for economic reasons, traditional newspapers seem to
be losing favour with the public as well, although most of them also have an online version of
each 4 ___________ (publish). In fact, some newspapers only have their content available
online, in which case their 5 ___________ (edit) tend to allow a wider range of opinions. This
gives 6 ___________ (journal) more freedom to report on anything they want. Another
advantage of the Internet is the speed news can spread as the general public can upload videos
on social media of events, such as 7 ___________ (nature) disasters, within minutes of the
event happening. So, where do you get your news from? How much longer do you think
traditional TV news broadcasting can survive before it is replaced with yet another 8
___________ (real) show?

6 Circle the correct words.

1 A new Harry Potter book has just come out / turned out, but this one has been written
as a play.
2 There is an excellent photography publication / exhibition on at the Museum of
Modern Art.
3 Did you see last night’s episode / series of that new comedy? It was hilarious!
4 Heavy / Strong rain is forecast for tomorrow.
5 The columnist / author of this book has a great sense of humor, so it makes for
enjoyable reading.
6 Many people distrust politics / politicians and don’t believe a word that comes out of
their mouths.
7 Here’s the report from our war correspondent / reporter from the other side of the
globe.
8 He’s not convinced yet, but I think he can be brought round / tune in to my view
eventually.
9 Please check the statistics / figures on this account because the total seems rather high.
10 My brother is going to pick me up / out at the airport so I won’t have to take the bus
into town.