UNIT 4: LIFE IN THE PAST

A. PHONETICS
I. Underline the bold auxiliary verbs if they are stressed.
1. Liam: Don't you like to play shuttlecock with us?
        Noah: Yes, I do, but there isn't much break time left.
2. Alice: We hope you won't leave soon.
        Ruby: I do want to stay longer, but my mother wants me to go home before dinner time.
3. Mia: I heard that you bought a new smartphone!
        Ava: No, I didn't, but my father did.
4. Adam: Is it true that your father is a lawyer?
        Jessica: Not actually, but my mother is.
5. Hazel: Michael doesn't drink coffee, does he?
        Luna: I did see him drink this morning.
6. Sarah: Do you like playing the guitar?
        Elena: Yes, I do. I do enjoy playing it.
7. Mum: I have told you many times that you aren't allowed to go out without asking me.
        Daughter: I'm sorry, Mum.
8. Oliver: Can you ride a motorbike, Jack?
        Jack: No, I can't, but my brother can.
II. Underline the auxiliary verbs if they are stressed.
1. Levi: I hope Susan doesn't do any harm to my bicycle.
        Julian: Don't worry! She does know how to ride.
2. Robert: Aren't you going to meet Johnny?
        Natalie: Yes, I am. I'm about to go.
3. Vivian: I can't imagine how people lived without electricity in the past.
        Sophia: Have you ever thought about life without the Internet now?
4. Owen: I have just come back from London.
        David: Wow! Did you visit Big Ben Tower?
5. Austin: We'll gather at the post office near your place.
        Dylan: That does sound good!
6. Anthony: Did you participate in our class' musical event?
        Gabriel: No, I didn't, but I will join in next sporting competition.
7. Roman: Isn't it the picture of your family's farm?
        Lincoln: Yes, it is. We used to live on farming.
8. Lan: I haven't ridden a buffalo-drawn cart, but I have flown a kite several times.
        Duong: I haven't done both of them.
B. VOCABULARY
I. Fill in each blank with a word or phrase from the box.

1. The building has a ________ roof which makes it look like a giant mushroom.
2. In ________ regions, the air is pure and the crops are free of poisonous insecticides.
3. This is the ________ in which Elizabeth recorded her childhood thoughts and secrets.

4. In the past, women were more ________ than men, as most of them weren't allowed to go to
school.
5. Their ________ structures are skilfully crafted and range widely in design, many being equipped
with doors to prevent strong winds.
6. It's common ________ in many countries for pupils to repeat a year if their grades are low.
7. Despite their ________, those old women were not treated with much respect in their tribe.
8. ________ refer to people with small carts offering a quick snack or little stalls selling different
things on the street.
9. In the rural area we can always see ________ kids playing football in a soil yard.
10. At 6.00 am every day the ________ outside wakes me up with the morning radio programmes.
II. Choose the best answer to complete the sentences.
1. Her face was lively and bright as she ________ the story from her childhood memories.
        A. acted out         
B. kept        
C. used        
D. passed down
2. Melinda has got into the ________ of turning on the TV as soon as she gets home.
        A. tradition        
B. habit        
C. behaviour         D. practice
3. This town used to be in extreme ________ which is in high contrast to their wealth these days.
        A. survival        
B. hunger        
C. poverty        
D. prosper
4. Every summer, they set off for their ________ farmhouse which is 300 kilometres away from the
city.
        A. downtown        
B. metropolitan        C. urban        
D. remote
5. Unless we do something now, hundreds of plant and animal species will ________.
        A. survive        
B. die out        
C. live on        
D. save
6. That luxury restaurant is inside the shopping mall, just down the street from his ________.
        A. igloo        
B. stilt house         C. town house         D. cottage
7. During the event, they danced to ________, eat special foods and explore the flower garden.
        A. festive activities B. folk games         C. entertainment      D. drum music
8. Now, with ______ changes, a number of traditional jobs, particularly those of unskilled workers,
have became obsolete.
        A. traditional          B. technological    C. historical          D. cultural
9. Most of the farmers in my place used to transport rice to their house on ________, but now they
use trucks.
        A. time-consuming methods        
B. physical strength
        C. bare-footed workers                
D. buffalo-driven carts
10. We're playing the old songs that I'm sure they will ________ memories for you.
        A. bring back          B. preserve        
C. change        
D. practice
III. Write the correct form of the word in brackets.
1. Joe used to be an ________ child, but now he has become more realistic. (imagine)
2. Do the parents in your village use old-fashioned ________ when they are parenting their
children? (practical)
3. In any circumstances, you shouldn't let negative ________ and bad habits ruin your life.
(behave)
4. It is fundamental for everyone to maintain a ________ active daily routine. (physical)
5. This small village has its own ________ dress, cuisine, folklore and handicrafts. (tradition)
6. He has a ________ of the city's photos in the past. (collect)
7. This book examines approaches to involving the private sector in ________ urban heritage.
(preserve)

8. Clearly the poor children there are at significant risk of inadequate nutrition and _________.
(hungry)
9. There didn't use to be many forms of ________ in my country in the past. (entertain)
10. The villagers are better educated and more informed now - though ________ is still widespread
among the poor. (illiterate)
C. GRAMMAR
I. Fill in each blank with USED TO or DIDN'T USE TO.
1. Mr. Dorothy ________ go fishing, but now he is too busy to do it.
2. I ________ play computer games. I can't understand why many people like it.
3. Cooper ________ get on with the girl living next door, but now they are best friends.
4. Victoria ________ have short hair, but now her hair is long and wavy.
5. I miss my childhood when we ________ spend a lot of time playing hide and seek.
6. I still remember the stories my grandmother ________ tell us when I came to visit her.
7. At some point kids start doing things they ________ do. They get more independent.
8. He lived in France until he was six. He ________ speak French, but he's forgotten a lot of it.
9. Those old secretaries ________ write reports on a computer, but now they do.
10. My sister ________ eat potato chips when she was younger. Now she likes them a lot.
II. Complete the sentences using wishes for the present.
1. I can't remember her name.
        I wish I ______________________ her name.
2. I don't know the answer to this question.
        I wish I ______________________ the answer to this question.
3. I can't go to your birthday party.
        I wish I ______________________ to your birthday party.
4. They're pulling down this building next week.
        I wish they ______________________ this building next week.
5. I don't have enough money to buy that bike.
        I wish I ______________________ enough money to buy that bike.
6. The movie tickets are expensive.
        I wish the tickets ______________________ cheaper.
7. I have a bad headache so I can't concentrate in class.
        I wish I ____________________ a bad headache so I _____________________ concentrate in
class.
8. My aunts and uncles live far away.
        I wish my aunts and uncles ______________________ closer.
9. They don't allow me to travel with them without my parents' permission.
        I wish they ______________________ me to travel with them without my parents' permission.
10. My mother isn't here to take me home.
        I wish she ______________________ here to take me home.
III. Choose the best answer to complete the sentences.
1. Before the park was built, the children _______ shuttlecock on the pavements.
        A. used to play         B. were used to play
C. were use to play D. use to play
2. Most teenagers wish their parents _______ them more.
        A. understand         B. understood        
C. to understood     D. understanding
3. Our teachers _______ write lessons on the white board with markers, but blackboard with chalks.

        A. don't use to          B. didn't use to         
C. not used to          D. weren't used to
4. My little brother wishes he _______ strong enough to climb up a mountain.
        A. is        
B. be        
C. has been        
D. was
5. In our village, doing farming work _______ very easy, but now everything _______.
        A. used to be - doesn't change        
B. wasn't used - doesn't change
        C. didn't use to be - has changed        
D. was used to - changes
6. A lazy student wishes it _______ a holiday today, so he doesn't have to go to school.
        A. were        
B. is        
C. would be         D. has been
7. I never swam in the river when I visited my uncle's farm, but my cousins there _______ it.
        A. didn't use to         B. used to swam        
C. used to do         D. used to did
8. _______ with dolls when you were a little girl? - Yes, I _______. I had a collection of them.
        A. Did you use to play - did        
B. Do you use to play - do
        C. Were you used to playing - were         
D. Have you used to play - have
9. The organizer wishes it _______, so the school teams _______ the outdoor games.
        A. isn't raining - can continue        
B. weren't raining - could continue
        C. was raining - could continue        
D. doesn't rain - could continue
10. He _______ play any sports, but now he's a well-known basketball player.
        A. uses to        
B. didn't used to         
C. used to        
D. never used to
IV. Choose the underlined word or phrase that needs correction.
1. My grandparents used to lived in the Central Highlands before they came to this city.
                           
A         B                                  
C               D
2. The journey usually took twenty-four minutes, but Valerie wishes it were longer.
                           
A                                
B                   C           D
3. The southern provinces have positive associations to me as I used to go on holiday
                                 
A                                          
B
there as a children.
         C          D
4. You'll be sorely missed by everyone here, and we wish to you the best in your new school.
                   
A                                  
B               C                D
5. I can play the piano like I used to - my fingers have gone tense from lack of practice.
        A                           B                                  
C                                
D
6. This job of typewriter is too boring so she wishes she could do something more creatively.
                                 
A              B                                    
C                       D
7. A kid I used to be friends with turned against me after being told that I'd been insulted him.
    A                                
B                                  
C                          
D
8. I wish I could put the clock forward and relive my schooldays so I could try harder
                 
A                      
B                                                
C
and pass more exams.
         D
9. She uses to be so quiet, but now she has really come out of her shell and started chatting to
          A                         B                                     C                                        
D
everyone.
10. This chapter about life skills is particularly interesting, and I wish it is longer than
                       
A                                
B                              
C
three pages.

          D
D. SPEAKING
I. Put the expressions to the correct category.
- Exactly!
- I wish I were at that time in the past.
- How cool!
- If only John were here.
- Absolutely!
- I feel very thankful.
- You're kidding me.
- No doubt about it.
- I wish I could join you.
- Are you serious?
- Really?
- Oh, I can't imagine that.
- I couldn't agree more.
- If only we could travel back in time.
- You are absolutely right.
- Wonderful!
- Sounds great!
- If only my grandma could use emails.
- What an amazement!
- That's so true.
- I've never felt this happy before.
- Oh, my God!
- So appreciative!
- Wow, I can't believe.
* Expressing agreement:        
* Expressing a wish:        
* Expressing appreciation:        
* Expressing surprise:        
II. Put the sentences into the correct order to make a conversation.
        Sure!
      Of course! I can make one for you. But you can't fly a kite in this crowded neighbourhood.
We'll go to the suburbs on the weekend and I'll teach you to fly it.
        I agree, Daddy. I love the yo-yo. Can I play it with my friend next door?
        Fly a kite? Do you know how to make a kite too?
        Wow. Really? I never knew that you could make a yo-yo.
    1  Thanh, I have a present for you.
        A wooden yo-yo! How cool! Thank you, Dad! Where did you buy it?
        Your grandpa taught me when I was young.
        You used to play yo-yo when you were a child, didn't you?
        That sounds great! I can imagine that you had an exciting childhood!
        I made it myself.
       That's true. It was fun although we didn't have modern toys as you do nowadays. Yes, I did. I
also used to fly a kite then.
E. READING
I. Read the passage and complete each sentence with NO MORE THAN 4 WORDS in each
blank.
A long time ago, in aspects such as means of communication, transportation, fashion, eating
habits, entertainment, and education, the ways people lived were quite different from the ways
which we live nowadays.
In the old times, oral communication was commonly used between people. Knowledge,
information, news, and experience were transferred face-to-face. In the end of the 19th century and
the early of the 20th century, telegrams were used to transmit communication to people from far
away.
Years ago, people used to travel on foot. For long distances, they travelled by riding animals,
such as camels, buffaloes, and horses. They also used animal-pulled carts. They dressed up in

simple ways. Most of their clothes were made of linen and leather. They went bare-footed or wore
shoes made of leather. Some might wear wooden slippers. Their eating habits and diets were plain
with fresh, healthy and natural food which they got from nature.
Storytelling was the most popular kind of entertainment in the past. Stories were mostly folk
tales, fairy tales, and fables. Children did not have much to play with. They played outdoor games,
such as kite-flying, and hide and seek. Their toys were hand-made.
For education, there didn't use to be computers and the Internet, so students had to drown
themselves in dozens of books and notebooks. Teachers would write lessons and homework down
on chalkboards for students to copy and complete. Papers were hand-written and submitted to
teachers.
1. There were __________________ aspects of life referred in the passage.
2. In the past, the ways people lived were not __________________ as the ways which we live
nowadays.
3. Before the 19th century, people used to communicate __________________.
4. Telegrams were used to transmit communication to those who __________________.
5. Years ago, people used to travel on foot or by __________________.
6. In the past, clothes used to be __________________, and made of __________________.
7. Footwear was made of __________________, and __________________.
8. Outdoor games that children used to play were __________________, and
9. Students didn't use to have technological aids,such as __________________.
10. Students used to copy and complete lessons __________________ on chalk boards.
II. Choose the best answers to fill in the blanks.
Over the last century, there have been many significant changes in the way we live. Obviously,
it is hard to compare the life of the ancient people with the life of the people living in modern time
because so many changes have occurred. Moreover, even the changes that have (1) ________ over
the last ten years are amazing.
Years ago, people were not able to travel such long distances in a short period of time. The
planes were not (2) ________ to all community because they used to be an extremely expensive
means of transport. Nowadays, we have become more (3) ________. We have fast and comfortable
cars and more and more people travel by plane.
In the past, work used to be much heavier as people did not have tools and equipment which
made their work (4) ________. Today, most of the difficult and dangerous work is done with the
help of computers and other machines.
The living conditions didn't use to be as comfortable as they are now. Many houses lacked
bathrooms and running water, besides people could not afford household (5) ________ such as
fridges, TV sets, and vacuum cleaners because they used to be luxurious things.
However, life now is much faster and busier than it used to be in the past. Moreover, it has also
become more dangerous. The standards of living have definitely improved but it should be
discussed whether the (6) ________ of our lives is better.
1. A. grown up        
B. taken place         C. gone on        
D. taken effect
2. A. affordable        
B. reasonable         C. economical         D. expensive
3. A. versatile        
B. dependent         C. mobile        
D. free
4. A. more difficult         B. harder        
C. more hardly         D. easier
5. A. instruments        
B. materials         C. tools        
D. appliances
6. A. quality        
B. equality        
C. quantity        
D. qualification
F. WRITING
I. Write complete sentences using the correct form of USED TO.

1. Most farmers/ lead/ simple/ peaceful/ life
                
2. their place/ girls and boys/ not/ go/ same school
                
3. There/ not/ be/ many forms/ entertainment/ my place
                
4. farmers/ your province/ use/ buffaloes/ plough/ in/ field
                ?
5. Most of them/ help/ their parents/ with/ farming work
                
6. Before/ move/ London/ we/ not/ drive/ on/ left
                
7. country life/ be/ dull/ because/ be/ no electricity
                ?
8. There/ not/ be/ cinemas and theatres/ our city
                
9. They/ have/ green tea/ after/ meals/ instead of/ soft drinks
                
10. there/ be/ big/ soil playground/ at/ site of/ park
                ?
II. Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first one.
1. My father used to place me on his shoulders and went around.
        My father doesn't        
2. They left their hometown to work in the city some years ago.
        They have        
3. When did they stop using the loudspeaker in the village?
        How long has        
4. It's a seven-hour drive from Ho Chi Minh City to my uncle's farm.
        It takes        
5. The children couldn't go swimming because the river was very deep.
        The river was        
6. We couldn't keep the furniture because it was too old.
        It was such        
7. The people in this city don't preserve their ancestor's traditions anymore.
        The people in this city used        
8. Isabella isn't tall enough to join in a beauty contest.
        If only        
9. During her time as a student, Jodie stood out from the rest of her classmates.
        When Jodie        
10. Although William left home soon, he arrived to cinema late.
        In spite