By Pamela Linwood

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in

Storm Busters

[A2 PRE-INTERMEDIATE]

GETTING STARTED

A - Before you start

Answer the questions with a partner.
1) What do you know about tornadoes?
2) Have you ever seen one?
3) Do they ever happen in your country?
READING

B - Read and answer

Read the article and write T (true) or F (false) for
the following statements.
1) Tornadoes are a tourist attraction in Tornado
Alley.
2) The storm-chasing season lasts for three
months.
3) Tornado Alley runs through several States of
the USA.
4) A tornado hit Sean Caseys vehicle while he
was filming.
5) Storms usually happen late at night.
READING

C - Read and answer

Read the article and answer the questions with a
partner.
1) How near can tourists get to a tornado?
2) What kind of country is Tornado Alley?
3) What protection do the inhabitants of this area
have from tornadoes?
4) What makes Sean Caseys vehicle so strong?
5) How do expert storm chasers predict the
location of storms and tornadoes?
6) In what way do members of the SCAT team help
to save lives?
D - Learn it! Use it!
Complete these sentences with words from the
glossary. (You may have to adapt the expression in
some way, e.g. change from singular to plural.)

1) If you read a lot of articles in English, your

knowledge of English vocabulary will ________.
2) The highest mountain ________ in the world is the
Himalayas.
3) Another word for crazy is _________.
4) Jane is very helpful. You can ________ on her if
you need a hand.
5) Dont take too many of those tablets. Some
doctors say theyre _________ .
6) That suitcase looks heavy. How much does it
_________?
7) Look at those dark clouds. Were going to have
a __________ .

Answers on page 4

one 1

KET EXAM PRACTICE

E - Ready for KET? (Paper 1, Part 5)

Choose the best word for each space.
Storm chasers are people 1 ________ (what/which/
who) drive around in special vehicles and follow
storms and tornadoes 2 _________ (for/to/so)
photograph or study them. They use computer
systems to predict where the storms will be. They
also rely 3 ________ (at/on/to) their experience of
how storms develop. Sometimes they 4 ________
(have/must/will) to drive hundreds of miles across
the flat open plains of Tornado Alley before arriving
5 ________ (to/by/at) the location of a storm.
Many people wonder 6 ________ (how/which/
what) its like to chase a storm. Storm chaser Kevin
Harned says: Its 7 ________ (a/one/another) thing
to see a tornado on TV, but totally different to see
it with your own eyes. However, anybody who is
interested 8 _______ (in/about/to) trying it should
find expert guides to accompany them.

G Talk about it
Discuss these questions in pairs or groups
1) Are you afraid of thunderstorms?
2) What shouldnt you do if youre outside during a
thunderstorm?
3) Do you believe the SCAT team can really
guarantee the safety of tourists?
4) Would you go on a storm-chasing tour? Why
(not)?

AFTER YOU READ

F - Check your pronunciation

One of the four words in each group has a different
vowel sound. Which one?
1) form
warn
storm
work
2) chase
range
chance
weigh
3) built
guide
mile
drive
4) tour
through use
roof

Rent A Friend

[B2 UPPER INTERMEDIATE]

GETTING STARTED

A - Before you start

Answer the questions with a partner.
1) Have you got a lot of friends?
2) How did you meet your friends?
3) Have you ever made friends through the internet?
READING

B - Read and answer

Read the main article and answer the questions.
1) What can you do for free on RentAFriend.com?
2) At what point do you have to pay?
3) What percentage of their fee do friends have
to pay to the website?
4) Where is the website most popular at present?
2 two

H Write about it
Write about the worst thunderstorm you have ever
experienced.
- Where/When was it?
- What were you doing at the time?
- Did it cause any damage?
- How did you react?

5) Where did the idea of hiring a friend come

from?
6) How does Scott Rosenbaum account for the
websites success?
READING

C - Read and answer

Read the article and write T (true) or F (false) for the
following statements.
1) Theresa isnt the interviewees real name.
2) Theresa joined RentAFriend because she didnt
want to go to football matches on her own.
3) She found a friend who supports her own
team.
4) Theresa says she has never felt nervous about

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meeting strangers through the internet.

5) She found the atmosphere of the website
encouraging.
6) She agrees that its more difficult to meet people
nowadays.
7) She doesnt like going out with her workmates.
8) She thinks people have less spare time than in
the past.
D Learn it! Use it!
Complete these sentences with words from the
glossary. (You may have to adapt the expression
in some way, e.g. change the verb tense or
change from plural to singular.)
1) I found James rather eccentric. He has some very
________ ideas.
2) We went to Brighton and spent a day ________
around the antique shops there.
3) The Smiths are going to ________ a car in San
Francisco and drive to Los Angeles.
4) On Saturday afternoon, I usually ________
________ with my friends.
5) If you travel to work by train every day, its worth
your while to buy a ________ ________ .
6) We asked our neighbour to feed our cat while we
were away but he wasnt ________ to do it.
FCE EXAM PRACTICE

E - Ready for FCE?

(Paper 3: Use of English, Part 4)
Complete the second sentence so that it has a
similar meaning to the first sentence, using the
word given. Do not change the word given. Use
between 2 and 5 words including the word given.
Example:
It is now a common trend to connect with people online.
BECOME / Connecting with people online has
become a common trend.

4) Single parents often hire spouses.

TO / Its common ___________________ hire a
spouse.
5) The youngest is eighteen and the oldest is
eighty.
RANGE / Ages ___________________ eighty.
6) You can do your shopping and you can also
make friends.
ONLY / Not ___________________ your shopping,
you can also make friends.
7) The purpose is to find a friend you have
something in common with.
WHOM / The purpose is to find a friend
___________________ in common.
8) Theyre not necessarily people like you.
KIND / Theyre not necessarily the same
___________________ you.
AFTER YOU READ

F Talk about it
In pairs or groups.
1) How important is it to have friends?
2) Are there any disadvantages in paying
someone to be your friend?
3) Would you be prepared to pay for a friend?
4) If so, what for?
5) Do you think the website will be successful in
Spain? Why (not)?

1) It works in a very simple way.

THE / ___________________ very simple.
2) You specify the activities someone can hire
you for.
HIRED / You specify the activities that
___________________.
3) The website is growing by 10 to 15 per cent a month.
RATE / The website is growing
___________________ 10 to 15 per cent a month.
three 3

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STORM BUSTERS
B - Read and answer

1) T 2) F It lasts for two months.

3) T 4) T 5) F - They usually happen in the late afternoon or early
evening.

and their ability to read the sky/their

knowledge of how storms develop.
6) They give important information
to National Weather Centres on the
position and strength of storms.
D Learn it! Use it!

C Read and answer

1) They can get to a distance of

only 300 metres. 2) Its a very large
area of flat open plains.
3) They receive storm warnings and
they live in houses with reinforced
roofs, solid foundations and storm
cellars. 4) Its very heavy and it has
steel-plated armour and very thick
windows. 5) They use computers

RENT A FRIEND
B Read and answer

1) You can register your profile and

you can browse the site looking for
a friend. 2) If you find a suitable
friend and want to contact him or
her, you have to become a member
and to do this you have to pay.
3) Friends keep 100 per cent of
their fee. They dont pay a percentage to the website. 4) In the USA
and Canada. 5) It came from
similar websites in Asia, especially
Japan. 6) He says people are so
busy that they dont have time to
make new friends. A website like
RentAFriend is fast and convenient
and allows you to connect with a lot
of people..
C Read and answer

1) False Theresa is her real first

name, but we dont know her surname. 2) True 3) False Her friend
doesnt have a particular team.
4) False She says theres always
an element of nervousness. 5) True
6) True 7) False She says they
arent necessarily like you so they

4 four

1) improve 2) range 3) insane

4) rely 5) addictive 6) weigh
7) thunderstorm/storm
E Ready for KET?

1) who 2) to 3) on 4) have 5) at
6) what 7) one 8) in
F Check your pronunciation

1) work 2) chance 3) built 4) tour

dont always become friends.

8) True.
D Learn it! Use it!

1) weird 2) browsing 3) hire

4) hang out 5) season ticket
6) willing

E - Ready for FCE?

1) The way it works is 2) you can

be hired for 3) at a/the rate of
4) for single parents to
5) range from eighteen to 6) only
can you do 7) with whom you have
something 8) kind of people as