UNIT 8

UNIT 8

Grammar:

Texts:

1. «Used to». Past habit with «used to»

2. «Used to» and the Past Simple Tense

3. Degrees of Comparison

4. Numerals

5. Prepositions of transport

1. «Transportation Used to Be Much Slower than It Is now»

2. «The Richest Man in the World»

3. «Harold is Coming» Dialogue

Text One

«Transportation Used to be Much Slower Than It is Now»

For many years in the desert, camels used to be the only form of transportation. Before the age of modern trains, camel trains used to carry all the goods for trading between Central Africa and Europe. Traders sometimes used to put together camel trains with 10,000 to 15,000 animals. Each animal often used to carry as much as 400 pounds and it could travel twenty miles a day. This form of transportation used to be so important that camels were called the «ships of the desert».

Now modern trains travel across the desert in a very short time. One engine can pull as much weight as 135,000 camels. In addition, trains use special cars for their load. Refrigerator cars carry food; boxcars carry heavy goods; stock cars carry animals; and tank cars carry oil.

Air travel has changed, too. The earliest planes were biplanes, with two sets of wings. The top speed of this plane was 60 miles per hour. The pilots used to sit or lie on the wings in the open air. The plane engines sometimes used to stop in the middle of a trip. It used to be impossible to fly in bad weather. In snow or in rain, the wings frequently used to become icy. Then the plane might go down.

Mechanical improvements during the first world war changed airplanes. Monoplanes took the place of biplanes. Pilots flew inside of covered cabins. Still, even these planes were small. Only rich people used to be able to travel in airplanes.

Now modern jets make air travel possible for all people. No place in the world is more than 24 hours away by jet. Further improvements have lowered the cost of flying, and they have made air travel much safer than it used to be. A modern Boeing 707 can carry 170 people and can fly at 600 miles per hour. People never used to eat, sleep, or watch movies on airplanes. Now these things are a normal part of air travel!

Text Two

«The Richest Man in the World»

His Majesty, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, the twenty-ninth Sultan of Brunei, is the richest man in the world. He is descended from one of the oldest ruling dynasties on earth - a royal line that goes directly back over 600 years to 1363.

His money. The Sultan’s total wealth is more than $25 billion. He owns hotels all round the world: the Dorchester in London, the Beverley Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, and the Hyatt Hotel in Singapore. He has a fleet of private planes, including an airbus.

Some years ago, in Brunei, he built the biggest palace in the world. It has 1,788 rooms, 5 swimming pools, 257 toilets, 44 staircases, and 18 lifts. The dining-room can seat 4,000 people. The total cost of the palace was $400 million. In 1996, he had a special party there for his fiftieth birthday. It lasted three days and the guests included Michael Jackson, the American musician, the Infanta Elena from Spain, and Prince Charles from Britain.

His country. Brunei is one of the smallest but richest countries in the world. Its wealth comes from oil and gas. Many people in the west think that Brunei is in the Middle East but it isn’t. It’s in East Asia, on the north coast of the island of Borneo. It sells the oil and gas to Japan, and earns $2 billion a year from it. And the beauty is that there are so few people to share all this money. The population of Brunei is only 230,000. The Sultan and his three brothers are part of the government.

His lifestyle. Despite all his money and power, the Sultan is a very shy man. He often goes to international meetings but says very little. In 1965, when he was nineteen, he married his cousin, Princess Saleha, who was sweet, pretty, and only sixteen. Time passed and she became more and more reserved. In 1980, the Sultan met an air hostess called Mariam Bell. She is much more outgoing than many Bruneian girls and the Sultan fell in love with her. So, in 1981, he married her, too, and now the two wives and ten children - four princes and six princesses - all live happily together in the palace.

And the Sultan himself? With all his wealth, is he a happy man? Nobody asks him that.

Text Three

«Harold Is Coming»

Mother: Nancy! Are you upstairs?

Nancy: Coming!

Mother: Where is Peter? Is he at home?

Nancy: No, he’s playing football with his friends.

Mother: Playing football on his birthday? Naughty boy!

Nancy: He’s trying his new football boots.

Mother: Well, but he must come home, now.

Nancy: Oh, there he is.

Peter: Gosh, they are good football boots, super!

Mother: Peter! Look, how dirty you are! Wash yourself and put on your new trousers and a clean shirt!

Peter: Yes, mum.

Mother: Hurry up! Harold is coming in a few minutes!

Peter: All right! All right!

Nancy: Shall I make some tea, mother?

Mother: Yes, do, dear. There’s a bottle of milk in the fridge.

Peter: Mother!

Mother: Yes, what’s the matter?

Peter: Where’s my clean shirt?

Mother: It’s on your bed.

Peter: Oh!

(Ding, Dong)

Mother: Oh, there’s the bell. There’s someone at the door.

Harold: Good morning. My name is Jones. Harold Jones.

Mother: So, you are Harold. How do you do. I’m Nancy’s mother.

Harold: How do you do.

Mother: Do come in, please.

Harold: Thank you.

Mother: Was it very difficult to find?

Harold: Oh, no, a postman showed me the way. It was very easy.

Nancy: Hello, Harold. There you are.

Harold: Hello, Nancy. How are you?

Nancy: Fine, thanks.

Mother: Come, let’s go into the sitting-room.

Harold: Thank you.

Mother: Sit down, Harold.

Harold: What a big cat!

Nancy: Pussy, get off that chair!

Harold: Is Pussy good at catching mice?

Nancy: Oh, no! She’s very lazy. Aren’t you, Pussy?

Mother: How about a cup of tea, Harold?

Harold: Yes, please.

Mother: Oh, there’s Father at last.

Father: Hello, everybody.

Nancy: This is Harold, Father.

Harold: How do you do, sir.

Father: How do you do. Did you have a good trip?

Harold: Yes, thank you.

Nancy: This is our dog. His name is Topper.

Harold: How do you do, Topper?

Topper: Bow-wow!

Notes. Forms and Patterns

1. «Used to»

(a) «Used to» expresses a past habit or state which does not happen any more.

e.g. He used to smoke, but he never smokes now.

They used to be happy together, but now they fight all the time.

(b) Form:

I, she,

They, etc.

used to

didn’t use to

smoke.

like to cook.

What did you use to do?

Short answer: Did you use to smoke a lot?

Yes, I did. No, I didn’t.

(с) Note the difference between:

a) He used to smoke a lot.-

Он раньше много курил.

b) He couldn’t get used to getting up early.-

Он не мог привыкнуть вставать рано.

c) He used his father’s car yesterday.-

Он пользовался машиной отца вчера.

2. «Used to» and the Past Simple.

(a) The Past Simple can also express a past habit or state.

e.g. He played football every Sunday when he was a boy.

They were happy together when they were first married.

(b) If the action happened once only, we can’t use «used to»:

e.g. We used to go to France every summer but once we went to Greece.

Last night I drank champagne.

3. Degrees of Comparison.

4. Comparisons of equality and non-equality.

5. Numerals.

A. Cardinal Numbers

Units

Tens

Hundreds

one

two

three

four

five

six

seven

eight

nine

ten

eleven

twelve

thirteen

fourteen

fifteen

sixteen

seventeen

eighteen

nineteen

ten

twenty

thirty

forty

fifty

sixty

seventy

eighty

ninety

100

200

300

1000

2 000

3 000

1 000 000

2 000 000

one (a) hundred

two hundred

three hundred

Thousands

one (a) thousand

two thousand

three thousand

Millions

one (a) million

two million

745

5003

2400

twenty-four

seventy-eight

seven hundred and forty-five

five thousand and three

two thousand four hundred

B. Ordinal Numbers
General Rule:	cardinal number + th	e.g.	seventh, eleventh

Exceptions: first, second, third

C.Years

1900

1905

1965

2002

[‘nainti:n ‘hÙndrid ]

[‘nainti:n ‘ou ‘faiv]

[‘nainti:n ‘siksti ‘faiv]

[‘tu: ‘qauz'nd 'nd ‘tu:]

1900 год

1905 год

1965 год

2002 год

(тысяча девятисотый год)

(тысяча девятьсот пятый год)

(тысяча девятьсот шестьдесят пятый год)

(две тысячи второй год)

6. Prepositions of transport.

BY:	air, bicycle, boat. Bus, car, plane, ship, sea, taxi, train, tube
IN:	the (my, your) car, a taxi, a helicopter
ON:	my bicycle, the boat, the bus, the plane, the ship, the train

Note that “on foot” means “walking”

TO GET IN(TO)/OUT OF:	a car, a taxi
TO GET ON/OFF:	a bicycle, a bus or a train

Drills

Drill 1.

I believe William eats too much.

He used to, but he doesn’t any more.

I believe Lilian lives in London.
I believe they often watch television.
I believe Bob runs very fast.
I believe your aunt plays the piano.
I believe your nieghbours often quarrel.
I believe Jim gets up early.

Drill 2.

Harold loves Nancy.

Well, he used to, but he hates her now.

Richard loves children.
Helen hates cola.
Josephine loves Oswald.
Edward hates Sally.
Anne loves cats.
Philip loves cold water.
Barbara hates you.

Drill 3.

Rod sings well now.

Really? He used to sing badly.

Muriel plays well now.
The boys write well now.
Tom fights well now.
Vera hears well now.
The girls dance well now.
Robert types well now.
Stella cooks well now.

Drill 4.

Are you good at English?

Well, I used to be, but I’m not now.

Is he a painter?
Are they fat?
Is Daphne interested in boys?
Am I nervous?
Is Joseph strong?
Are they in the workshop?
Are you interested in sports?

Drill 5. I don’t like chocolate now. (when I was a boy)

But I used to like chocolate when I was a boy.

1. We don’t study French any more. (at school)

2. You don’t play football any more. (when you were younger)

3. Peter doesn’t work in a bank now. (a few years ago)

4. They don’t smoke. (when they were at University)

5. He hasn’t got much money. (when he was a film actor)

6. She doesn’t like concerts. (when she was here last year)

7. She is not beautiful. (when she was young)

8. I don’t get up early. (when I was a schoolboy)

9. I don’t read much. (when I was at school)

Drill 6. Do you like whisky now?

Yes, but I never used to like whisky.

1. Do they walk to work in the morning now?

2. Does he smoke heavily now?

3. Does he tell the truth now?

4. Does he drive to work now?

5. Do they spend a lot of time on their homework now?

6. Does he eat a lot of bananas now?

7. Do they like to light fireworks now?

8. Does she like to sit by the window in a train now?

Drill 7.

He drinks beer and whiskey. (lemonade)

He never used to. He used to drink lemonade.

Henry drives like maniac. (carefully)
Sophie spends a lot of money on clothes. (very careful with her money)
The children fight a lot these days. (get on well)
I think Kate tells lies. (tell the truth)
Margaret gets up at 11.00. (to be the first one up in the morning)
The tape recorder keeps stopping. (work perfectly)

Drill 8.

My car is fast.

I think my car is faster.

My flight is cheap.
My suitcase is heavy.
My coat is dusty.
My room is hot.
My hair is wet.
My window is large.
My guide is nice.
My coach is good.
My food is bad.

Drill 9.

Was it an exciting trip?

Yes, it was more exciting than I expected.

Was it a comfortable coach?
Was it an expensive weekend?
Was it an interesting town?
Was it a modern plane?
Was it a dangerous landing?
Was it a difficult problem?

Drill 10.

Is it a good film? (to see)

Yes, it’s the best film I’ve ever seen.

Is it a long book? (to read)
Is it a boring book? (to read)
Is it a beautiful painting? (to see)
Is it a good museum? (to visit)
Is it a good ship? (to see)
Is she a beautiful girl? (to meet)
Is he an interesting person? (to meet)
Is it a beautiful country? (to visit)

Drill 11. Your brother is young. (My brother)

My brother is younger than yours.

1. This hat is cheap. (your hat)

2. Your hair is dark. (your brother’s hair)

3. His voice is soft. (your voice)

4. Our flat is small. (my brother’s flat)

5. English grammar is difficult. (English spelling)

6. This song is beautiful. (that song)

7. His poems are popular. (his novels)

8. Our flat is comfortable. (your flat)

Drill 12.

Are you fast?

Take your choice from here:

a) No. I’m not as fast as my friends.

b) Well. I’m as fast as my friend.

c) Yes. I’m faster than my friends.

d) Yes. I’m the fastest person.

Are you happy?
Are you nervous?
Are you interested?
Are you kind?
Are you strong?
Are you busy?
Are you romantic?
Are you tall?
Are you careful?
Are you handsome (beautiful)?

Drill 13.

Answer any way you like but use a form of the underlined word in your answer.

1. Are you nice?

2. Are you interested in English?

3. Are you good at English?

4. Is your best friend romantic?

5. Is your best friend bad at Mathematics?

6. Is your best friend tall?

7. Is this exercise easy?

8. Is this exercise interesting?

9. Are you serious?

10. Are you careful?

11. Are you happy?

Vocabulary and Comprehension Exercises

Exercise 1. (Text 1) Answer the questions:

1. What used to be the only form of transportation in the desert?

2. How many camels did traders use to put together in camel trains?

3. How fast did camel trains use to move?

4. How much weight did the camels use to carry?

5. What did people use to call the camels?

6. Explain why air travel used to be so dangerous.

7. Did pilots use to travel in bad weather?

8. Who used to travel on airplanes?

9. What did air travel use to cost?

10. Did people use to eat and sleep on planes?

Exercise 2. (Text 2) Answer the questions:

1. How many hotels are mentioned in the text? Why are they mentioned?

2. What do the following numbers refer to?

1363 1,788 257 1996 229,000 230,000 19 1981 10

3. Find three reasons why Brunei is so rich.

4. What is the Sultan like?

5. What are his wives like?

6. Read the following summary of the text. There are five mistakes in it. Find and correct them.

The Sultan of Brunei is descended from the oldest ruling family on earth and he is the richest man in the world. He owns lots of hotels in many different countries and some years ago, he built the biggest palace in East Asia. He is very sociable and outgoing and in 1996, he had a party, which lasted three days, to celebrate his fortieth birthday. In 1981, he divorced his first wife and married an air hostess. He has ten children and lives in the palace with his family. He also has houses in London.

Exercise 3. (Text 3. Dialogue) Answer the questions:

1. Why is Peter playing football on his birthday?

2. Who is coming in a few minutes?

3. What is Nancy making: tea or coffee?

4. Was it difficult for Harold to find the address?

5. Who showed the way?

6. Is Pussy good at catching mice?

Exercise 4. Dictation - translation.

1. В пустыне на протяжении многих лет верблюды были единственным транспортным средством.

2. До эры современных поездов караваны верблюдов обычно перевозили все товары для торговли между Центральной Африкой и Европой.

3. Этот вид транспорта был настолько важен, что верблюдов называли «кораблями пустыни».

4. Сейчас современные поезда пересекают пустыню за очень короткое время.

5. Современные поезда используют специальные вагоны для своих грузов.

6. Воздушные перевозки поменялись тоже.

7. Раньше двигатели самолетов иногда глохли (останавливались) в середине полета.

8. Люди раньше никогда не ели, не спали и не смотрели кино в самолетах. Сейчас это обычное дело при путешествиях по воздуху.

В.

1. Его Величество, Султан Брунея, - самый богатый человек в мире.

2. Королевская линия восходит к 1363.

3. Несколько лет назад в Брунее он построил самый большой дворец в мире.

4. Бруней продает нефть и газ Японии и зарабатывает на этом 2 миллиарда долларов в год.

5. Вопреки деньгам и могуществу, Султан очень застенчивый человек.

6. Она более открытая по характеру, чем многие Брунейские девушки, и Султан влюбился в нее.

С.

1. Поторапливайся! Гарольд придет через несколько минут.

2. Мне приготовить чай?

3. В чем дело?

4. Какой большой кот!

5. Как насчет чашки чая?

6. Пусси хорошо ловит мышей?

7. А вот наконец и папа.

Grammar Exercises

Exercise 1. Rewrite these sentences with «used to».

1. Mr Green played football before he was married.

2. Mr West drove very fast before he had that bad accident.

3. Do you think people read more books twenty years ago than they do today?

4. Travel was slower but more enjoyable fifty years ago.

5. She was quite pretty in those days.

6. Didn’t he work in your office a few years ago?

7. You didn’t smoke so many cigarettes when you were young, did you?

Exercise 2.

Make the following sentences

a) negative,

b) interrogative.

I used to eat a lot of sweets when I was a child.
They used to live in a small village.
Tom used to travel a lot.
She used to be my best friend.
The baby used to cry every night.

Exercise 3. Write sentences describing the differences in the life of Ellen Tutin. She has left school and goes to university now.

e.g. She used to live with her parents, but now she lives in the university.

Two years ago

Now

Lived with parents.

Played a lot of sport.

Had a lot of money.

Didn’t read many books.

Had no friends.

Live in university.

Don’t like sport.

Don’t have much money.

Read all the time.

Have a lot of good friends.

Exercise 4. Put questions to the following sentences.

They used to live in London.
When Laura was at college, she used to have a picture of Elvis Presley.
He used to paint pictures.
Mr Parker used to get up at 6, but he doesn’t any more.
They used to live in a small flat in the town.

Exercise 5. Insert the correct form of either be used or used in these sentences.

1. I ____ to go to church when I was younger but I don’t now.

2. She ____ to going to bed very late at night.

3. I ____ to driving very fast because I’ve been a fireman for ten years.

4. They ____ to going on holiday with their parents, but I prefer going on my own.

5. We ____ to go to the swimming pool every day but it’s closed down now.

6. He ____ to sleep for ten hours every night but now he only sleeps for six.

7. We ____ to ice and snow in our country but in England they aren’t.

8. I ____ to go to school with Ben Kingsley, the famous actor.

9. We ____ to having electricity and gas in our houses but a hundred years ago people didn’t have either.

10. She ____ to hard work, she’s a nurse.

Exercise 6. Make noun compounds from the two underlined words in each sentence.

e.g.: This cup is used for drinking tea. - It is a tea cup.

1. This store sells books.

2. That man delivers our milk.

3. He’s a clerk in the bank.

4. He wears those shoes when he plays tennis.

5. This is a case used for carrying cigarettes.

6. This is a bowl in which we keep sugar.

7. This is a fork we use when eating salads.

8. Mr. White is a teacher of languages.

9. These balls are used for playing golf.

10. This juice comes from pineapples.

It is a ..... .

He’s our ..... .

He’s a ..... .

They’re his ..... .

It’s a ..... .

He’s a ..... .

It’s a ..... .

It’s ..... .

It’s a ..... .

Exercise 7. Complete the sentences with the comparative form of the adjectives in brackets.

e.g. It’s (cheap) by car than by train.

It’s cheaper by car than by train.

1. The prices are (expensive) this year than last year.

2. Many people think that nurses work (hard) than doctors.

3. Which river is (long) - the Thames or the Seine?

4. Have this armchair. It’s (comfortable) than that one.

5. I think the ScienceMuseum is (interesting) than the Natural History Museum.

6. My new job is (good) than my old one.

7. We’re moving to a (big) office next year.

Exercise 8. Complete the sentences with the superlative form of the adjectives in brackets.

e.g. 1989 was the (hot) year on record.

1989 was the hottest year on record.

1. When is the (wet) month in your country?

2. New York is one of the (exciting) cities in the world!

3. The (tall) person in our family is my younger brother.

4. What’s the (long) river in China?

5. The Rhine is one of the (polluted) rivers in the world.

6. The (bad) part of the journey is between Singapore and Sydney.

7. Florida has some of the (beautiful) beaches in the USA.

8. She’s one of my (good) friends.

Exercise 9. Supply the appropriate form of the adjective in the sentences below.

1. Henry is (tall) ..... than John.

2. This is (bad) ..... car I have ever had.

3. I think John is (generous) ..... than his father.

4. The movie was (good) ..... than the book.

5. I think you are a little (short) ..... than I am.

6. The western part of the country is (dry) ..... than the eastern part.

7. Which is (long) ..... : the Mississippi River or the Amazon?

8. I think Dorothy is (young) ..... than she pretends to be.

Exercise 10. Choose the correct words to complete the sentences.

1. Your English is much better/best than mine.

2. The better/best whisky comes from Scotland.

3. We’ve had much more/most rain this year than last year.

4. The place that gets the more/most rain in the world is a mountain in Hawaii.

5. In a ‘slow bicycle race’, the winner is the person who goes the less/least distance in three minutes.

6. I don’t know much, but she knows even less/least than I do.

7. Which month has the fewer/fewest days?

8. ‘Are you any good at tennis?’ - ‘I’m the worse/worst tennis-player in the world.’

9. ‘How’s your headache?’ - ‘It’s getting worse/worst.’

10. I’ll get you an aspirin. That’ll make you feel better/best.

Exercise 11. Use «the» with comparatives to indicate proportionate change.

e.g.: (long) We waited. We became impatient.

The longer we waited, the more impatient we became.

1. (hard) It rained. He drove fast.

2. (slow) He walked. I became exasperated.

3. (soon) He comes. We can go home soon.

4. (early) The meeting ends. They can go home early.

5. (high) They climb. They can fall far.

6. (late) He worked. He became depressed.

7. (long) I listened to her story. I became sympathetic.

8. (fast) I wrote. My writing became illegible.

9. (hard) It snowed. The cars moved slowly.

10. (loud) I called. My voice got hoarse.

Exercise 12. Write and read the following numbers:

A. Cardinal numbers:	19 32 78 90 13 458 888 6008 3800 5 000 000
B. Ordinal numbers:	1 3 5 8 9 12 20 30 22
C. Years:	1945 1805 1900 1066 1812 1147 1999 2005

Exercise 13. Put in the correct preposition.

I usually go back home ____ bus. It’s much cheaper than going ____ train.
It gets so crowded in the rush hour that it’s quicker to go ___ foot than___ car.
We can take five people __ the car and the others will have to go ___ the train.
It takes about half an hour to get home ____ my bike.
I have often travelled ____ plane but I’ve never been ____ a jumbo jet.
When your bus arrives you get ____ it. If you want to leave it, you get ____ it.
Two men with guns got ____ the car and went into the shop.

Exercise 14. Translate the following sentences into English:

1. В прошлом году я имел обыкновение рано вставать. 2. Я раньше всегда ходил в театр, когда бывал в Лондоне. 3. Ты сейчас много плаваешь? – Сейчас нет, но когда я жил у моря, я плавал много. 4. Нынешнее лето – самое сухое. 5. Мой отец – самый старший в семье, а сестра – самая младшая. 6. Наша гостиная – самая светлая комната в квартире. 7. Она такая же красивая, как и ее мать. 8. Моя поездка было более интересной, чем я ожидал. 9. Чем сильнее лил дождь, тем быстрее он ехал. 10. Какая самая длинная река в Китае? 11. Это самая плохая машина, которую я когда-либо имел. 12. Это была самая необычная вещь, которую я когда-либо видел.