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USUALLY – USED TO – BE / GET USED TO + -ING

 

1. Did you find it hard to get used to coming to the EOI every two days when you started studying here?
2. Is it difficult for you to get used to changing our clocks forward in March or back in October?
3. How long does it take you to get used to using a new mobile / a new app?
4. What activities did you use to do when you were a teenager?
5. Is it / Was it hard for you to get used to reading eBooks?
6. Are you used to waking up early? What time do you usually wake up?
7. Do you think it is difficult to get used to the weather in Northern Spain? Would it be more difficult to get used to living in the south?
8. Are you used to staying up late? If not, would it be difficult for you to get used to going to bed late at night? What time do you usually go to bed?
9. What is the most difficult thing to get used to in times of recession? How do you usually try to save money?
10. Do you live on your own? If not, would it be difficult for you to get used to living alone?
11. What would be the hardest thing to get used to if you were to move house?
12. Do you usually commute to school or work every day?
13. Are you used to working in a team?
14. Do you think it is difficult to get used to speaking in public?

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USED TO, TO BE USED TO, TO GET USED TO

 

Fill in the gaps with either USED TO, or the correct form of TO BE USED TO, TO GET USED TO + the verb, if necessary, in the appropriate form.

 

1. When I was a child I ________________ (go) swimming in the lake.
2. I _______________ (speak) in front of an audience. I am a teacher.
3. As a father I _______________ (clean) up the mess my children make every evening.
4. “Oh dear. I’ve never driven such a powerful car before”. “Don’t worry, you’ll soon _______________ it.
5. “Don’t you play tennis?” “Oh, I ________________ , but I haven’t practised for ages.”
6. When I was in the army I _______________ (get) up at six every morning.
7. “Why did you give up your job just after the new boss took over?” “I just _______________ (work) under so much pressure.”
8. My grandmother _______________ (walk) five miles to go to church on Sundays.
9. “It must be really hard to get up at five every morning.” “Oh, not really. I _______________ it by now.”
10. I _______________ (read) the paper after lunch. That’s one of the things I really enjoy.
11. In Spain you will soon _______________ (take) a siesta in the afternoon.
12. “I hear Roger was really shocked when he first started work for the murder squad.” “Yes, but he _______________ the job in the end.”
13. On holiday in Finland my wife _______________ (take) a sauna every day.
14. “I thought you didn’t like opera.” “Well, I _______________ but I really enjoy it now.
15. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand this new computer program!” “Well, there’s no rush. Give yourself a month to _______________ it.
16. “Have you noticed how many people drink bottled mineral water these days?” “Strange, isn’t it? No-one ever _______________ when I was a lad.”
17. “Did Gerry enjoy his time in the army?” “Not really. He never could _______________ (obey) orders.”

 

KEY

1. When I was a child I USED TO (go) swimming in the lake.
2. I AM USED TO SPEAKING (speak) in front of an audience. I am a teacher.
3. As a father I AM USED TO CLEANING (clean) up the mess my children make every evening.
4. “Oh dear. I’ve never driven such a powerful car before”. “Don’t worry, you’ll soon GET USED TO it.
5. “Don’t you play tennis?” “Oh, I USED TO, but I haven’t practised for ages.”
6. When I was in the army I USED TO GET (get) up at six every morning.
7. “Why did you give up your job just after the new boss took over?” “I just WASN’T USED TO WORKING (work) under so much pressure.”
8. My grandmother IS USED TO WALKING(walk) five miles to go to church on Sundays.
9. “It must be really hard to get up at five every morning.” “Oh, not really. I AM USED TO / HAVE GOT USED TO it by now.”
10. I AM USEDTO READING (read) the paper after lunch. That’s one of the things I really enjoy.
11. In Spain you will soon GET USED TO TAKING (take) a siesta in the afternoon.
12. “I hear Roger was really shocked when he first started work for the murder squad.” “Yes, but he GOT USED TO the job in the end.”
13. On holiday in Finland my wife USED TO  (take) a sauna every day.
14. “I thought you didn’t like opera.” “Well, I DIDN’T USE TO but I really enjoy it now.
15. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand this new computer program!” “Well, there’s no rush. Give yourself a month to GET USED TO it.
16. “Have you noticed how many people drink bottled mineral water these days?” “Strange, isn’t it? No-one ever USED TO when I was a lad.”
17. “Did Gerry enjoy his time in the army?” “Not really. He never could GET USED TO OBEYING (obey) orders.”

 

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Read the text and complete the chart below with a word from the list that comes after the text. Every word can only be used ONCE. There are FIVE words that you do not need to use. Question 0 has been answered as an example.

 

 

BEST AND WORST CITIES FOR COMMUTERS

The perfect commute is easy, inexpensive and reliable.

In cities 0) __________ such factors, like Buffalo, N.Y., Salt Lake City and Milwaukee, the trip to work is a breeze. But for commuters in Atlanta, Detroit and Miami, the daily grind is just that, thanks to bad traffic, 1) __________ infrastructure and drivers who resist car pools and public transportation.

Other 2) __________ that came out on top include Oklahoma City, Okla., Pittsburgh, Corpus Christi, Texas, and Eugene, Ore. At the bottom: Orlando, Fla., Dallas, Birmingham, Ala., and Raleigh, N.C.

To find them and others, Forbes.com looked at the 75 largest metro areas in the U.S. and evaluated them based on traffic 3) __________, travel times and how efficiently commuters use existing infrastructure, based on data from the Texas Transportation Institute and the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2006 American Community Survey. The worst commutes were those that 4) __________ up the most hours and were the least reliable. The best commutes were in cities with short, 5) __________ treks to the office, where fellow commuters efficiently use transit options to reduce 6) __________.

Varying population densities and development patterns in the nation’s cities make gauging efficiency difficult. In Boston, for example, jobs are mostly concentrated in and around the city center. In Los Angeles, offices are more 7) __________ out. That means Boston’s commuter rail is better able to put area commuters 8) __________ to their jobs than an identical train system could do for Los Angeles commuters.

Public transport systems work best when they limit traffic jams by taking cars 9)__________ the road, and thus reducing delays, travel time and increasing the predictability of a commute. Since carpooling [1]can often accomplish the same feat, we measured a city’s commuting efficiency by adding the number of people who carpool, those who take public transport and those who walk to work, and divided the sum by the city’s total number of 10) __________, based on Census Bureau figures.

Boston scores a 23% by this measure, and Los Angeles checks in at 20%. In San Francisco, an extremely efficient city, 28% of the commuters take public transit, walk or carpool, while inefficient Kansas City, Mo., scores 12% by this measure.

Adapted from: Matt Woolsey © Forbes

 

 

 

 

ATE                              COMMUTERS          FARTHER                   SPOTS

BOASTING                CONGESTION          INSUFFICIENT         SPREAD

CANCELLATIONS    DELAYS                       OFF                              UNRELIABLE

CLOSER                      DEPENDABLE           OUT OF                      WASTED

 

 

0	BOASTING
1					6
2					7
3					8
4					9
5					10

 

 

 

 

 

[1] CAR POOL:  a group of people who travel together, especially to work or school, usually in a different member’s car each day.

 

KEY

 

0. BOASTING

1. INSUFFICIENT
2. SPOTS
3. DELAYS
4. ATE
5. DEPENDABLE
6. CONGESTION
7. SPREAD
8. CLOSER
9. OFF
10. COMMUTERS

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Click on the following link to get access to a list of different verb structures:

 

List of verbs followed by inf and ing

VERBS THAT CAN BE FOLLOWED EITHER BY AN INFINITIVE OR AN –ING FORM

 

TO REMEMBER

• + -ing = To mean the action comes before remembering. I remember going to the bank, but nothing after that.
• + Infinitive = to mean that remembering comes before the action described. Remember to take your hat when you go out.

 

TO TRY

• + -ing = to say that we test sth to see if it improves a situation. I tried taking some aspirin, but the pain didn’t go away.
• + Inf. = to say that we attempt to do sth. I tried to get the table through the door, but it was too big.

 

TO STOP

• + -ing= to say what it is that we stop doing. They stopped laughing when Malcolm walked into the room.
• + Inf.= To say why we stop doing sth. She stopped to make a cup of tea.

 

TO GO ON

• + -ing= to continue doing sth. Although she asked him to stop, he went on tapping his pen on the table.
• + Inf.= To mean that sth is done after sth else is finished. You do it after you have finished doing something else. After the interval, Pavarotti went on to sing an aria from Tosca.

 

TO FORGET

• + -ing= to mean that you don’t remember sth that you did in the past. I shall never forget going to the cinema for the first time in my life.
• + Inf.= To mean you must remember to do sth in the future. Don’t forget to post the letter..

 

TO MEAN

• + -ing= to say that sth has sth else as a result. If we want to get there by 7.00, that means getting up before 5.00.
• + Inf.= To say that we intend(ed) to do sth. I meant to phone you last week.

 

TO COME

• + -ing= to say that sby moves in the way that is described. He came hurrying up the path.
• + -Inf.= To talk about a gradual change. After some years, they came to accept her as an equal.

 

TO REGRET

• + -ing= to say we have already done sth that we are not happy about. It’s too late now, but I’ll always regret asking John to do the work.
• + Inf.= To say that we are about to do sth we are not happy about. I regret to inform you that your application has been unsuccessful.

 

SPEAKING

 

1. Talk about something you have tried to do but couldn’t.
2. What different activities do you remember doing two days ago?
3. What must you remember to do this evening?
4. Talk about things in your past you will never forget.
5. What can’t you forget to do this week?
6. Do you have any regrets in relation with your past? What would you change if you still had the chance?
7. Have you come to accept some kinds of behaviour you didn’t before?
8. What kind of things did you mean to do last week that you did not do?

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WHAT SHOULD THEY DO?

 

In pairs, make up suggestions or recommendations to try and help the following people.

For example:

1. John has an exam tomorrow but he is not feeling well.

I suggest he should take a tablet, go to bed and relax.

1. Claudia’s child is running an extremely high temperature.
2. Joe has problems getting to sleep at night.
3. Sue cannot drive but would like to.
4. Some tourists want to go pub crawling in Santander.
5. An English friend of yours, Geoff, would like to go to a football match in Spain.
6. Your partner feels he / she is not ready to take the exam at the end of May.
7. Mary has won €100,000 on the lottery.
8. Your best friend would like to give up smoking.
9. Your teacher wants to learn German.

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THE 9 BEST SCIENTIFIC STUDY TIPS

 

 

1. The speaker recommends that study sessions be in _____________________ chunks[1].
2. He suggests spreading out study sessions into ________________ sessions over a few weeks.
3. He recommends not cramming [2]and studying all night because this will only get you ____________________.
4. He suggests we should create a(n) ____________________, which will ____________________ our brains to learn in those moments.
5. He suggests we should not spend hours re-reading our notes, or ____________________ a textbook.
6. He thinks this can be detrimental as it draws your attention to ____________________ information.
7. Flash cards are proven to be excellent to memorize information and you can even read them on ______________________.
8. When you are studying, you should pick one aspect you can _____________________ on.
9. You will learn much better if you have to _____________________ a subject than if you are told you will have to take an exam.
10. Mistakes make you recognize gaps in your _____________________.
11. Confidence leads to better _____________________.
12. He suggests students have a designated, sacred _____________________ for study, which should be well-_____________________ with all the tools they need.
13. The speaker says rhythmic background noise can be _____________________ to focus.
14. He recommends students _____________________ their mobile phones.

[1][1] Chunks: pieces.

[2] To cram: to prepare for an exam. Empollar.

 

KEY

 

1. SMALL, SHORT
2. 20-30 MINUTE
3. LOW GRADES / THE LOWEST GRADES
4. SPECIFIC TIME / ROUTINE – TRAIN
5. HIGHLIGHTING
6. LESS IMPORTANT
7. THE BUS
8. FOCUS
9. TEACH
10. KNOWLEDGE
11. PERFORMANCE
12. SPOT – EQUIPPED
13. DETRIMENTAL
14. PUT AWAY

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HEALTH

 

1. Do you think you are in good health?
2. What kind of things should we do to keep healthy?
3. Do you go for regular medical check-ups?
4. How often do you go to the dentist’s?
5. Do you think you are stressed? If so, why? How could you reduce stress in your daily life?
6. Do you usually watch your weight?
7. Have you ever broken a bone / got a black eye / sprained your ankle?
8. How often do you get bruises?
9. Do you get enough sleep? What are the consequences of not sleeping enough?
10. What do you think about cosmetic surgery? Would you ever think about undergoing such a type of surgery?

 

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  COMPULSORY VACCINATION: DOES IT WORK IN EUROPE?

 

 ‘As Europe battles measles 1) __________, Italy, Romania, France and Finland are tightening their vaccination laws. The benefits are questionable. ’

Compulsory vaccination was first introduced in the UK through the 1853 Vaccination Act. The law required that all children ‘whose health permits’ be vaccinated 2) __________ smallpox, and obliged 3) __________ to certify that vaccination had taken place. Parents who refused vaccination could be fined £1.

Since then, vaccine mandates [1]have evolved to include a variety of incentives and 4) __________. In some US states, children cannot access public schools without being vaccinated; in Australia, compliance with childhood immunisation schedules has been linked to pre-school admission (‘No jab, no play’) and to family 5) __________ payments (‘No jab, no pay’).

In most 6) __________ where vaccine mandates are in force, they apply only to childhood immunisation. However, vaccination is a condition of employment in some institutions – notably in 7) __________ facilities. This is not a legal mandate per se but is a form of discrimination accepted in several jurisdictions. In principle, mandates – like vaccines – can be for people of all ages.

In Europe, the picture is mixed. A 2010 study of 27 EU countries (plus Iceland and Norway) found that 15 had no 8) __________ vaccines. In the meantime, Italy has added 10 vaccines to its list of compulsory vaccines; France and Romania are preparing new laws that would penalise parents of 9) __________ children; and Finland will introduce legislation in March 2018 that requires health and social care providers to ensure staff are immunised against measles, chicken pox, whooping cough and influenza. The diversity of measures taken suggests no 10) __________ strategy exists that can be universally applied.

Adapted from:

https://www.vaccinestoday.eu/stories/mandatory-vaccination-work-europe/

 

1. a. breakdowns      b. outbreaks            c. outbursts              d. turnouts
2. a. against               b. for                         c. from                       d. to
3. a. consultants       b. physicians           c. physicists              d. specialists
4. a. amends             b. damages               c. penalties               d. retributions
5. a. assistance         b. down                     c. mortgage              d. tax
6. a. examples          b. instances              c. occasions              d. samples
7. a. healthcare        b. medic                    c. welfare                  d. wellness
8. a. mandatory       b. optional                c. unnecessary        d. voluntary
9. a. immune           b. immunized           c. inoculated            d. unvaccinated
10. a. disproved        b. proven                   c. refuted                  d. unverified

[1] Mandate: any authoritative order or command.

 

KEY

 

1. B. OUTBREAKS
2. A. AGAINST
3. B. PHYSICIANS
4. C. PENALTIES
5. B. DOWN
6. B. INSTANCES
7. A. HEALTHCARE
8. A. MANDATORY
9. D. UNVACCINATED
10. B. PROVEN

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A MESSAGE FOR THE ANTI-VACCINE MOVEMENT

 

 

 

1. In some L.A. schools _____________________ of the students have not been vaccinated.
2. According to Jimmy Kimmel, people in L.A. are more scared of _____________________ than of smallpox.
3. According to the American TV host, doctors did not learn about the human body from _____________________.
4. A shot of Botox makes you face look _____________________ and your eyes look _____________________.
5. Some people think _____________________ is gone just after watching and listening to Jenny McCarthy on TV.
6. Unvaccinated children put _____________________ in danger.
7. According to Jimmy Kimmel, if you are one of those people who knows more than doctors, you shouldn’t be _____________________.
8. If you fall and get your head open, you shouldn’t be admitted to the _____________________.
9. According to one of the doctors in the video, the potential downsides of vaccination are practically _____________________.
10. We do not remember having polio because our parents got us _____________________.

 

KEY

 

1. 20%
2. LOOTING
3. FACEBOOK / THEIR FRIENDS’ FACEBOOK PAGE
4. SMOOTH – CRAZY
5. POLIO
6. ALL CHILDREN (ESPECIALLY BABIES)
7. ALLOWED TO GO TO THE DOCTOR’S ANY MORE
8. EMERGENCY ROOM
9. NON-EXISTENT
10. VACCINATED