Ready for C1 p 159. Rats Live Among Us. Mediation. Word Formation

Your local area has recently been affected by a sharp increase in rat activity. While researching the issue, you came across an infographic presenting key facts and insights about urban rat populations. You decide to write a blog post expanding on the information provided.

Infographic:

Living Side by Side with Rats

Rats have long settled near humans

City growth fuels rat rise 

Cities offer food and warmth — Rats are drawn to the same rich foods humans enjoy.

Explosive reproduction — one pair can produce up to 15,000 offspring in a year.

Hard to control — Resistance to poison hinders efforts.

Sample answer:

Rats share our streets

For thousands of years, rats have chosen to live (0) ALONGSIDE humans. These opportunistic (1)____________(SURVIVE) have established their own colonies wherever people have camped, built villages or founded towns. And now that more and more people are shifting to cities, rat numbers have risen (2)______________ (ACCORD).

City life suits rats for a number of reasons. A key factor is the (3)______________(ACCESS) of fast food. Rats share human taste (4)______________(PREFER)  for fat and sugar, so whenever city dwellers (5)______________(PROPER)  dispose of food scraps such as an unwanted pizza slice or melting ice cream, rats will make the most of this free meal. Another factor is that cities generate considerable heat. Although the average life (6)___________(EXPECT) of a rat is only around twelve months, during that time, there can be up to 15,000 (7)______________(DESCEND)  stemming from a single pair when ample food and warmth create ideal breeding conditions.

With rats becoming increasingly (8)_____________(RESIST) to poisons, many cities are struggling to combat rodent population explosions. So far, no-one has come up with a viable solution.

KEY

1. survivors

2. accordingly

3. accessibility

4. preferences

5. improperly

6. expectancy

7. descendants

8. resistant

Ready for C1 p 151. Participle Clauses. Complete

 Complete the story with a suitable present or past participle form of the verbs in brackets (plus a form of have if necessary).

A Gift from the Past

I live in a big old house, (1) ________________ (build) over 200 years ago. (2) ________________ (live) there for decades, I thought we knew it inside out. However, (3) ________________ (eat) dinner one day, I heard the unmistakable sound of a pigeon (4) ________________ (coo) inside the living room wall. Not (5) ________________ (want) to allow the poor creature to suffer, I ripped the wallpaper off the wall, behind which I found an old fireplace, (6) ________________ (brick up) decades earlier, by the look of it. Not (7) ________________ (have) any heavy tools in the house, I used a kitchen mallet and a broom handle to knock the bricks out, eventually (8) ________________ (reveal) the soot-covered pigeon inside. (9) ________________ (fall) a considerable distance from the rooftop chimney pot, the pigeon was in a sorry state, but was otherwise uninjured – and delighted to be free. (10) ________________ (remove) the pigeon from the fireplace, I noticed a parcel (11) ________________ (wrap) in brown paper, with a note (12) ________________ (write) in old-fashioned handwriting: ‘A present for the future owners of this house, from the family (13) ________________ (live) here in 1874.’

KEY

1. built

2. Having lived (Also possible: Having been living)

3. eating (Also possible: Having eaten)

4. cooing

5. wanting

6. bricked up

7. having

8. revealing

9. Having fallen

10. Removing / Having removed

11. wrapped

12. written

13. living

Ready for C1 p 151. Participle Clauses. Rewrite the sentences

 Rewrite the sentences using participle clauses. There is an example at the beginning (0).

0 She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so she avoided the question.
Not wanting to hurt his feelings, she avoided the question.

1 They bought the house for £200,000 and sold it five years later for £1,000,000.
They bought the house for £200,000, ____________________________________________.

2 I came home last night and found someone who was trying to break into my house.
I came home last night and found ____________________________________________.

3 Because I’m quite a lazy person, I pay somebody to clean my flat.
______________________________________, I pay somebody to clean my flat.

4 The bank has agreed to lend us the money, so we can go ahead with our purchase.
______________________________________, we can go ahead with our purchase.

5 If you treat this garden furniture regularly with wood preserver, it should last a lifetime.
______________________________________, this garden furniture should last a lifetime.

6 Because most of my income is going on my flat, I have very little to live on.
With ______________________________________, I have very little to live on.

7 I don’t know the first thing about gardening because I’ve never lived in a house with a garden.
Never ______________________________________, I don’t know the first thing about gardening.

KEY

1. selling it five years later for £1,000,000

2. someone trying to break into my house

3. Being quite a lazy person

4. The bank having agreed to lend us the money

5. Treated regularly with wood preserver

6. most of my income going on my flat

7. having lived in a house with a garden