WELCOME!!!

READING  PRACTICE: LEVEL 5       ITM

INTRODUCTION: Changes are inevitable parts of human life. Transformation, changes, hopes and challenges make our life exciting and worth living. Some changes are unexpected while some are long expected and meant to bring something good for us. Often changes define who we are and put us in situations we either find very challenging or favourable.

DESCRIBING A POSITIVE CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE

·       READ THE TEXT ABOUT DESCRIBING A POSITIVE CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE AND ANSWER THE COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS.

1.   You have asked me to think back on some change I’ve made in my life, that turned out to be one for the better! I am going to tell you what the change was and when it happened.

2.   The change was basically that I decided I needed to get a bit fitter, and the thing that helped me do so was joining up to do Park run. However, I’m jumping ahead. Let me explain how it came about… A couple of years ago I started to feel like I was getting old and losing my basic fitness. Although I walked quite a lot (as a form of transport, as well as to enjoy the local countryside) I wasn’t really doing anything else very much that was physical. I was never very good at sports, so I didn’t really know where to begin. However, I’ve always liked being outdoors, so on something of a whim I booked an activity holiday in Northumberland, which is a beautiful rural area in the north east of England, right by the coast. The holiday was great. We did abseiling; hill walking; body-surfing – all sorts of things. In addition, every morning began with a run along the sands of the seaside. Now I’d never run before – well only if I was trying to catch a bus, but otherwise, not at all. I wasn’t very good at it, and honestly, I didn’t even really enjoy it all that much. However, I did have to concede that it is a great form of exercise. You don’t really need any special equipment (apart from decent trainers); you can do it anywhere and it’s free! What’s more, I found out from some other holiday makers that in the UK there is a free weekly event held nationwide in parks all over the country. It is called Park run, and basically people gather every Saturday morning at 9.00 a.m. to run a fixed course of 5km and get a time for doing so. I wasn’t too sure if this would be achievable for me. I’d never run that far before. But I promised myself  I would try it ‘just once’ to see if I could.

3.   The day after I got back from my holiday I turned up to do the Park run at my local park. I can tell you the exact day! It was 24th August 2013 – I know this because the whole point of Park run is that if you register (which is free) then the organisation records your time each week and you can access it online afterwards. The first time I went I didn’t even manage to run the whole way round, but I did finish, and I did get a great sense of achievement. Because you know your time, it is quite addictive, you find you do want to go again the next week and see if you can improve!  My local park run is huge, with well over 500 runners taking part every week – so even though I was pretty slow, I found I wasn’t the slowest.

4.   Since that day over two years ago, I’ve found that I’ve gone to Park run almost every week.  I have taken part in some 70 park runs, and through doing so made new friends, maintained a certain level of fitness, and even gained the confidence to take part in some longer runs.  I’ve done lots of 10km races now, a few off-road runs – including one over 24km as well as taken part in obstacle races!  I would never have believed that the small change of ‘just going once’ to Park run to ‘give it a go’ would lead to me being such an enthusiastic member of Park run two years later.  By the way, I haven’t really ever got any faster, but I’m definitely a lot fitter.  Now I can’t imagine a Saturday morning without heading off for a run with my 500 friends at the local park!  That first day I turned up nervously to join in with Park run was definitely the beginning of a positive change in my life!

Taken from http://www.ielts-mentor.com/cue-card-sample/616-ielts-cue-card-sample-33-a-positive-change-in-your-life for academic purposes.

·         Read the questions and write a definition, synonym or antonym of the word or phrase.

1.    What does the underlined word “think back “  in paragraph  1  mean?

2.    What does the underlined word “to get a bit fitter “ in paragraph  2  mean?

3.    What does the underlined word “booked  “ in paragraph  2  mean?

4.    What does the underlined word “rural area “ in paragraph  2  mean?

5.    What does the underlined word “all sorts of things.  “ in paragraph  2 mean?

6.    What does the underlined word “great  “ in paragraph  3  mean?

·        Read the following statements and  answer True or False.

7.   He didn’t use to do any kind of sport.                      _______

8.   He was worried about his age.                                 _______

9.   Cycling was part of the activities to do in Park run.   _______

10. He enjoyed too much being part of Park run.           _______

·        Read the questions and choose the best answer.

11. Where is located Park run?  

a.   East coast               b. England                            c. Doesn’t say

12. Do people need any special equipment?

a.   Yes, they do            b. No, they don’t                   c. Doesn’t say

13. When did he decide to have positive change in his life?

a.   Saturday morning at 9

b.   Four years ago

c.   Long time ago

14. How often did he go to Park run?

a.   Every day

b.   Every Saturday

c.   Weekdays

·        Answer the questions according to your comprehension.

15. According to the reading, was it easy or difficult for him to make such a decision?

Explain?

16. Do you consider that is very important to make good decisions when you are getting old?

17. Write at least 3 positive things this person got after having that positive change in his life.