Destination C1 & C2: Exercises

Unit 1: Grammar

A.

1- My brother is doing a degree at university so I don’t see him very often, unfortunately.

2-Darren doesn’t usually get home until about eight o’clock

3-I’m sorry to hear that your parents are getting divorced.

4- You go to the end of the street and turn right.

5-Why does ice float?

6-It’s lovely now the evenings are getting longer, isn’t it?

7-My dad doesn’t eat meat at all – he’s a vegetarian.

8-Actually, we aren’t listening to the libertines at all – this is Pete Docherty’s second band

9- A man walks into a bar. Ouch!

10- Are you phoning me from your mobile? The line’s not very good.

11-Do you often order thing online?

12-There’s an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman. They are walking across the desert
when one f them spots a camel in the distance

13- Beckham has control of the ball… It’s Beckham… And he scores!

14- Woman gives 500million

15-My dad is always telling jokes, they are usually rubbish though

16 Phil wears doesn’t wear ties, does he? Actually, he doesn’t wear does wear / wears a tie to
work most days.

B.

1.Always 12days

2.present 13when

3.moment 14 for

4.being 15This That/It

5.often quite rarely

6. for/from? Every now and then

7. ? most of the time

8. never

9.time
10 right

11 time

C.

1.What are you doing?

2.I’m just doing some research

3. How is it going

4.Yeah, it is going well, thanks.

5.The website I’m looking at now is very good. It’s got loads of information

6.Great, Listen the reason I contact I’m contacting you is that my mum drives past the library
every morning on the way to work, and she says she can give you a lift tomorrow morning, if
you like.

Wow that’s really kind of her but actually it doesn’t take long to walk there from here, so she
doesn’t need to worry. Can you thank her for me, though?

What is happening with your project? Do you have a title yet?

No, I don’t even have a topic yet! I’m not really focusing working on it at the moment, though.
I need ‘m trying to finish my physics project first

Why don’t you do something on the second ww? That’s interesting.

No, I don’t like wars! I rather do something that focuses more on social history.

That sounds good.

Do you think so?

D.

1.means 12 does not exist

2. costs 13 includes

3.it doesn’t matter 14we’re having

4. I recognise 15 involves

6. does the nut cake contain

7. I really don’t agree

8. why aren’t you playing

9. doesn’t concern

10. resemble
11. you’re not watching

E.

1. I’m looking for a book on fly fishing.

1b. Stan looks like he’s in a bad mood this morning.

2 a. How do you feel about inviting Jackie to come with us on Saturday?

2b. Britney is feeling very well, so I’ve told her she can go home.

3a. Jan and I are considering buying a new flat.

3b. Why do you consider Ray Davis to be better songwriter than Paul McCartney?

4a. We are having a barbecue right now, so can I call you back this evening?

4b. Do the Deacons have a swimming pool?

5a. The idea of going to a Greek island really appeals to me.

5b. Police are appealing for witnesses to the attack.

6a. This chicken doesn’t smell very fresh. I think that I’ll throw it away just to be on the safe
side.

6b. why are you smelling that chicken, mum?

7a. I’m depending on you, James. Don’t let me down

7b. whether we get there by six depends on the traffic.

8a. Julian is a bit busy at the moment, actually.

8b. Guys, you are being too noisy! Can’t you keep it down, please?

9a- Do you think bob would like a cd for his birthday?

9b. Oliver said he is thinking about moving out of the city.

10a. I hear that Doug is seeing quite a lot of Katy these days, is that true?

10b. I see Manchester United lost again.

F.

1 Tammy has been able to swim since she was one year old.

2. How many articles has Greg written for Newsweek?

3. Tina and Phil still haven’t managed to sell their flat.

4. I’ve never been to China? What it’s like?

5. Carol’s broken her leg again.

6. I’ve just come through the front door.

7. Why haven’t you told sue yet that you’re thinking of dropping out the course?

8. Our family has been living in this village for over two hundred years and we’re not leaving
now!

G.

1. They’ve filled

2. been following, they’ve just caught

3. we’ve seen

4. I’ve heard

5. have been thinking.

6. have driven/ have been driving

7. I’ve stood up / have standing up

8. has jan worked/ has jan been working.

H.

1. I have been sending ‘ve sent off over 18 press releases this morning so far.

2. Is it the first time that you have ever eaten squid?

3. We have been waiting for you during the past two hours. Where have you been?

4. Have you just received an email from Ruth?

5. I’m afraid we haven’t got any milk. We have been expecting a delivery for the past four
hours but they haven’t showed up yet.
6. I have drawn up I have been drawing up a list of people to invite to the wedding but I have
been getting haven’t got very far so far. Have you just had any thoughts about it?

7. Oh, Clair, my mum has been meaning to ask you for a while. Would you like to come with us
to Wimbledon?

I.

1. I’ve just realised what’s different! You’ve changed your hair

2. My gradmother’s been quite ill recently, so she’s coming to stay with us for a week or two.

3.We’ve had broadband at home since about 2005

4. Have you really finished your homework yet already? Okay, you can watch TV, then.

5. We’ve won every match we’ve played so far this season.

6. I’ve always lived in a big house until now, so it’s taking some time to get used to being in a
small flat.

7. We can’t cancel the party now – I’ve already invited everyone.

8. How long has Sue gone aborad before for?

9. Don’t et Matthew that game, I’m pretty sure he’s got it already.

10 Have you ever thought of going into business on your own?

11. We haven’t started yet so you can join in if you want.

12. We’ve never been to New York before, so we’re both really looking forward to it.

13. have they been living in the neighbourhood before you moved in?

14. I still haven’t found my glasses.

15. I’ve been looking for a website like this for ages!

16. it’s strange you should ring now. We’ve already just been talking about you.

17. Michael, haven’t you done your homework yet? I think it’s time you started, isn’t it?

Humans have much in common with other life forms on Earth. Before Since the very first life
forms appeared, all living thing have been desperately struggling to survive the harsh and
changing conditions of our planet. This has been meant adapting to new situations and, in many
cases, has led to either evolution or extinction. We are not alone in making use of the world
around us (birds use twigs to build nests, for example) or in being particularly skilful (spiders
make intricate webs). Where we do differ from other life forms, however, is in our ability to
record, and learn from, our collective history. In this, it _____ seems that we are unique. There
is still much mankind do does not know about the earliest humans, of course, but we are
increasingly becoming a species with detailed knowledge about our past. The more we learn,
the better are our chances of survival in the future. It must also be recognised, however, that
we are also the only species on Earth which has managed to create the means to destroy the
planet we live on.

A.

1- Don’t be so pessimistic. Everything’s going to be fine, you’ll see!

2- Most newspapers are usually biased towards a certain political outlook.

3- I’m slightly dubious about whether Susan’s going to work.

4-To suggest that it’s possible to create a society without crime is a little naïve, isn’t it?

5-The only plausible explanation I can think of is that Jenna got the dates wrong.

6- Please don’t baffle me with loads of technical terminology. Use plain, simple English!

7- It’s not always easy to assess someone’s suitability for a job by talking to them in a short
interview.

8- How can the government justify spending so much on the armed forces?

9-Looking at the damage, I would estimate that the painting will cost at least 2k to restore
properly.

10- I don’t think you should presume that lots of people are going to help you with this project.

It took me quite a long time to grasp what the aim of the game was.

The jury are still deliberating, but they’re expected to reach a verdict soon.

I gathered from your tutor that you’re thinking of changing course.

You really have to concentrate very hard when you are doing calligraphy.

I’m seriously contemplating asking for a pay rise tomorrow.

How long do you reckon it’ll take to get to Manchester?

I don’t suppose I could borrow your lecture notes this weekend, could I?

If you’ve ever pondered the question ‘Why does the universe bother to exist?’ then this is the
book for you.

Let’s not even consider the possibility of failure.

C.

1. I’m in a real dilemma because I’ve been invited to two parties on Saturday and I don’t know
which one to go to.
2. Dave said he’s got complete faith in us and thinks we’re going to do a great job.

3. Sarah’s a genius when it comes to astrophysics, but she’s not very practical in everyday things.

4. You often need to use a little educated guesswork

5. I’ve got an intuition that someone in this office is going to be promoted soon.

6. Communism and capitalism are very different types of ideology.

7.Who gave you the inspiration for the main character in the book?

8. Detective Tacker had absolutely no evidence that Roddard was involved, but all his guesswork
intuition told him that he was.

9. I have a small query about the exam syllabus. Should I talk to Mrs Jacobs about it?

10. Paying mothers a salary to raise their children is an interesting hunch notion.

11. The fact that more people would come here if the place wasn’t so crowded is a real paradox.

Letter to the editor

The Prime Minister’s comments yesterday on education spending miss the point, as the
secondary education system also needs a major overhaul. Firstly, the system only views the
weakest learners as having special needs. The brightest and most conscientious students are
not encouraged to develop to their full potential. Secondly, there’s too much testing and not
enough learning. My fifteen-year-old daughter, for example, has just spent the last month or so
cramming for the exams. These aren’t even real, important exams, as her GCSEs will be next
year. They’re just mock exams. Is the work she’s been doing really going to make her more
knowledgeable about her subjects, or will she forget it all tomorrow? I suspect the latter.

Thirdly, the standard curriculum doesn’t five students any tuition in developing practical work-
related, living and social skills, or in skills necessary for higher education. How many students
entering university have the first idea what the difference is between plagiarising some else’s
work and making good use of someone else’s ideas? Shouldn’t they have been taught this at
school? How many of them are really able to go about self-study – a skill that’s essential at
university because there are no teachers to tell you what to do – in an efficient way? Indeed,
how many students graduate from university totally unable to spell even simple English words
correctly? The system is letting our children down.

1 I’m going to mull this over for a while before I make a final decision.

2 Detectives are still trying to piece together what exactly happened that evening.

3 It took him a very long time to take in the fact that he’d never see her again

4 Tell us how you hit upon such a great idea for a website.
5. It took us ages to figure out how to get everyone to the sports centre without Phil Knowning

6. I’ve just thought up a brilliant excuse to tell Rachel.

7. I’m not sure we’ve thought this through properly yet.

1.I need to think over your offer very carefully before I make a decision

2. Lee came round to up with the brilliant idea of booking a clown for the end-of-term party.

3. It’s time you faced up to the fact that you’ve got responsibilities now.

4. I’m going to have to brush up on my spoken German before I go to Munich

5. I didn’t like the idea at firs but I’ve come round to it now.

6. There’s nothing to swot up on as it’s a general knowledge quiz

7. I was unable to figure make out what the speaker was saying because we were right at the
back of the hall.

8 We finally puzzled out a way to get the band into the hotel without the press knowing.

9 I’ve been reading up on the history of English language teaching recently

Find out

Check out

Suss out

Figure out

Sound out

Worm out of

Fathom out

1. Jim seems to be on under the misapprehension that tomorrow’s a holiday. It isn’t.

2. These findings cast doubt on previous research done in this field.
3. This photo’s a little out of focus, but you can still see their faces
4. Look to on the bright side – it’s nearly the end of the term
5. I’m not against animal testing in principle.
6. I think I’ll always associate this song to with our holiday in Majorca
7. You have to bear in mind that there’ll be quite a few children there.
8. Where did Susan’s belief on inreincarnation come from?
 9. Dad said that my borrowing the car tonight was out of the question
10. Hearing the news about Caroline put my small problems on into perspective
11. What’s the best course of action from your point of view?
12. You were hired on the basis that you would be able to work on Sundays
13. We haven’t taken Julie’s thoughts into account at all
14. In conclusion, I’d like to thank everyone who supported me during the early years.

1 I was so tired that I couldn’t even think straight

I’ll come straight to the point – you’re fired

It’s time to set the record straight about what really happened that night.

2 She’s only eight but she has the mental age of an 18-year-old

Many mental illnesses can be cured these days

I’m not very good at mental arithmetic

3 Philip does a very funny impression of Tony

You really made an impression on Pete – he hasn’t stopped talking about you

Why was I under the impression that the exam was on Thursday¿

4 Carter was the brain behind the whole criminal operation

Could I just pick your brain about good places to eat around here?

We sat there racking our brains trying to think of a place to take Paul in the evening.

5 Someone with no sense of smell can’t taste food well either

I can’t make sense of this film at all – what’s going on?

Unplugging a toaster before you try to fix it is just common sense, isn’t it?

6 I thought Gordon’s new invention wouldn’t work at all but in fact it worked like a dream

Winning a cruise on the queen mary was a dream come true

I’ve had the same recurring dream for four nights in a row
7 Motorists should always show consideration for pedestrians crossing the street at a zebra
crossing

I’ll give some consideration to your proposals and get back to you

We stupidly didn’t take changes in interest rates into consideration when we got a mortgage for
our house.

J - FATAL

I read this week that a new organisation called don’t trust online information has been formed.
The founder is quoted as saying, ‘it’s in against my principles to trust anything I read on the
internet. I’ve started this organisation on in the belief that there are millions like me who have
their doubts about information presented as fact that has not gone through a thorough editorial
process. There’s no question for of us shutting down the internet – we don’t want that- but DTOI
has been set up with a goal view to raising awareness’ I sympathise with this but I believe he’s
wrong. I made up my mind long ago not to completely trust anything I heard or read. Whether
it’s on the Internet or say in a newspaper is irrelevant in my opinion.

It never crossed my mind that we’d have legal problems

I’ve reached the conclusion that teaching is not the right profession for me.

Could you account for give an account your whereabouts last night, Mr Johnson?

The journalist gave the false impression that she was a parent of one of the children

? You have to strike a balance between logic and lateral thinking.

I didn’t tell Angie out of consideration for Eddie

The name Alan Hickson rings a bell, but I can’t place him

Stop washing time splitting hairs and look at the big picture

Ask Simon about the sales targets. He always knows what’s what..

You’ve got to have your wits about you to succeed in advertising

Don’t let success got to your head, will you?

No one told us that Diana was leaving, but we all put two and two together.

I’m goint to go round the bend if they don’t turn that music down soon.

Let’s take stock of the situation before we make a final decision.

How did they manage to keep me completely in the dark about this for so long?
The problem with Jane is that sometimes she can’t see the wood for the trees

It took Dan a long time to understand what was going on. He’s usually quicker on the uptake
than that, isn’t he?

Frankly, you’re completely wrong and you haven’t got a leg to stand on.

There was quite a bit of confusion because the examiner handed out the wrong exam papers.

You’re acting completely irrationally. Just calm down and put yourself together.

Einstein’s brilliance went unnoticed at school

This is generally considered to be the definitive guide to Australia

It’s absolutely inexplicable why the council decided to close down the youth club.

I just stood there and listened in disbelief as Ben told me the news

Greg’s decided indecisive to say the least, so I wouldn’t ask him to choose a hotel

Many children create imaginary friends to talk to.

He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and so was sent to a mental institution rather
than prison

Your argument is illogic illogical. Just because you want me to be a doctor doesn’t mean I want
to be one.

Illegible illiterate illiberal illegality illegitimate

The conception concept of rhetoric or effective public speaking dates back thousands of years.
The underlying assumption behind rhetoric is that how you present an argument can greatly
influence whether people are persuaded by you or not. There is undoubtfully undoubtedly
plenty of evidence to support this idea – it’s practically unthinkable for example, for a
politician to be a poor communicator – but is it just a question of style winning over
substance? Certainly, it is often said of politicians that they talk complete senseless nonsense
but what they say they say with such conviction that we tend to believe them, at least when
they’re in opposition. On the other hand, wisdom and knowledge are of little value if you
cannot communicate them effectively to your peers or to the next generation. It is the
combination of clear reasoning, sound judgement and effective presentation and
communication skills that defines true rhetoric. A true rhetorician should always come across
as knowledgeable and never as opinionated or ignorant.
REVIEW 1, 2

Students learning English as a second language are sometimes given a word by their teacher
and asked to give an explanation as to what that word means, in other words to provide a
definition. The assumption is that is you know a word, you can define it. Logically, that might
make sense, but in reality it is not always reasonable to assume that. There are words and
phrases that even native speakers use in conversation without much thought which can lead
to confusion when you ask a native speaker to define them. Take the concept of zeitgeist for
example, which has entered English from german. It’s undoubtedly much easier to use that it
is to define. With a word like zeitgeist, it may be more sensitive to test the student’s
understanding in ways other than asking them to define it.

Answers. 283