PRACTICAL ENGLISH
Match the answers a-k to the questions 1-10.
Example: Did you have a good day?

1 What's the date today?
2 What did you think of the film?
3 Where's room 107?
4 How far is that?
5 What do you think of the singer?
6 Can you help me?
7 Are there any banks near here?
8 What are you going to do tomorrow?
9 Where's the bus station?
10 When's your birthday?

a I think she's great.
b It's next week.
c Oh, about twenty kilometres.
d Yes, there are two in the centre.
e It depends on the weather.
f It's on the second floor.
g It's the twelfth of May.
h Go straight on, turn left, and it's opposite the park.
i Yes - it was brilliant.
j I really liked it.
k Sure.

READING
1 Read the text and answer the questions.
Isambard Brunel.
Isambard Brunel was a great engineer. He built bridges, railways, tunnels, and boats. But what do we know about his life and work?

Brunel was born in Portsmouth in the south of England on 9th April 1806. His mother was English, but his father, Marc Brunel, was French. His father was a famous engineer in France, but he left his country in 1793. First he went to America and then to England, where he married an English woman in 1799. Isambard went to school in England and France, and spoke English and French.

When he returned to England from school in France, Brunel went to work for his father. In his first job, he and his father built a tunnel under the River Thames in London. Then, in 1831, Brunel won a big competition. It was for a bridge across the River Avon in Bristol in the south of England. The Clifton Suspension Bridge took 30 years to build, but today it is one the most beautiful bridges in the world.

In 1833, Brunel got a new job. He became chief engineer for the Great Western Railway Company, and work began on the train line from London to Bristol. Today, when you travel to Bristol by train, you go over beautiful bridges and through fantastic tunnels - Brunel built them all. As well as bridges, tunnels and railways, Brunel designed some famous boats. The 'Great Western', built in 1837, was the first steamship to go across the Atlantic Ocean to the USA. And the 'Great Eastern', built in 1859, was the biggest boat in the world.

Brunel wasn't a good businessman. The 'Great Eastern' was very expensive to build and he lost his money. He also smoked a lot every day and worked very hard. He was only 53 when he died on 15th September 1859.
Example: What was Isambard Brunel's job?

1 Where was Isambard Brunel from?
2 What was his father's job?
3 What languages did Brunel speak?
4 What happened in 1799?
5 Which company did he get a job with in 1833?
6 Why did he lose his money?
7 How old was he when he died?

2 Read the text again and tick (v) True or False.
Example: Brunel wasn't an engineer.
True False

1 Brunel's mother was French.
True False

2 Brunel spoke two languages.
True False

3 Brunel's father went to the USA.
True False

4 Brunel's first job was in France.
True False

5 Brunel's first job was working with his father.
True False

6 They finished building the Clifton Suspension Bridge in the 1860s.
True False

7 Brunel's train line went from London to Bristol.
True False

8 Brunel didn't like hard work.
True False

WRITING
Answer the questions and write about the life of a famous historical person in your country.
Who was he/she?
Why was he/she famous?
What were the important events and achievements in his/her life?
When did he/she die?

PRACTICAL ENGLISH
1 g
2 j
3 f
4 c
5 a
6 k
7 d
8 e
9 h
10 b

READING
1
1 Portsmouth (in the south of England)
2 an engineer
3 English and French
4 Brunel's father married an English woman.
5 the Great Western Railway Company
6 He wasn't a good businessman and he built a very expensive boat.

2
1 False
2 True
3 True
4 False
5 True
6 True
7 True
8 False