Colegio José Manuel Estrada
Name: ………………………….
Date: ...........................................
Class: 6 ABC
WRITTEN TEST
Reading
Inventions in sport.
Professional cycling is a very inventive sport. Riders and bike teams are always happy to try out new types of
bicycles, helmets, cycling clothes – anything to try to save one second in the race. In my opinion, the biggest
change in recent years is what the bikes are made of. Thanks to a technology called carbon nanotubes, racing
bikes are stronger and lighter than ever before. Carbon nanotubes were invented by the computer company,
IBM, but so far no one has used them inside computers. In 1996, the Swiss company BMC made the first
‘carbon fibre’ racing bike – it won the Tour de France that year. Carbon nanotubes are also used in tennis
rackets and the screens of phones.
Edgar van Marl, swimmer
Sometimes a new invention can be controversial. In my sport, a new type of swimsuit caused problems a few
years ago. The company involved, Speedo, has made swimsuits for over one hundred years. They are so famous
that in some countries, a racing swimsuit is simply called ‘a speedo’. In 2008 they made a new suit that was
inspired by shark skin. Called, the ‘LZR racer’, the suits were designed with long arms and legs to help
swimmers cut through the water like a fast shark. The suit was first sold in March 2008. By November 2008,
swimmers wearing the suit had broken 74 world records. That’s incredible! When Michael Phelps wore the suit
at the Olympics in Beijing, he won eight gold medals and said, ‘I feel like a rocket’. Swimmers loved them, but
the judges didn’t. The suits were banned and there are now a lot more rules about what suits are made of.
Suki Tyler, tennis
The use of video technology has really changed my sport. The most common system was invented in 1999 by
an English company. It was developed especially for sport on television. It’s called Hawk-Eye – a ‘hawk’ is a
type of hunting bird which has very good eyesight. The video can show very clearly if a ball has or hasn’t gone
over a particular line. Hawk-Eye was used almost immediately to help with decisions in cricket – in 2001 it was
used for the first time in a match between England and Pakistan. It was soon used in tennis too. The audience
loves the excitement that the technology brings to matches. For me, it’s a positive thing. Sometimes it’s part of
the strategy I use. For example, even when I know that the line judge has made the right decision, I can ask for
Hawk-Eye just because I know it’s going to make my opponent wait. It’s going to make her really annoyed!
1. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?
1 Bikes with carbon nanotubes weigh less than other bikes. _____
2 Carbon nanotubes aren’t used in other sports yet. _____
3 The design of the LZR suits helped swimmers go faster. _____
4 Everyone agreed that the new Speedo suits were a great invention. _____
5 Video technology isn’t very popular with tennis audiences. _____
6 Hawk-Eye is named after a bird. _____
2. Report the following statements.
1. ‘ Sandy breaks promises easily,’ said Paul.
Paul said ..................................................................
2. ‘I’ll let you know’, Jan told me.
Jan told me .................................................................
3. ‘We’ve washed your car ’, the employee told my father.
The employee told my father……………………………………………………....
4. ‘I don’t like speaking in public.’, Tom said.
Tom said ............................................................
5. ‘He can’t solve this problem, the teacher said.
The teacher said ..........................................................
6. ‘We opened the shop at the usual time’. The shopkeeper said.
The shopkeeper said ................................................................
7. ‘We arrested the suspect last night’, the policeman said.
The policeman said ................................................................
8. ‘I didn’t write these letters.’ Jack said.
Jack said .............................................................................
3. Passive Voice. Change the sentences into passive voice
1. They deliver the goods once a week.
.....................................................................
2. They have found the missing files.
.....................................................................
3. Thieves stole two important paintings last night.
......................................................................
4. Fleming didn’t discover penicillin until 1928.
.....................................................................
5. They won’t release the wild birds until next week.
.....................................................................
6. Somebody writes articles every week.
.....................................................................
7. Someone waters the plants three times a week.
.....................................................................
8. They haven’t played that piano for years.
.....................................................................
4. Active or Passive Voice
Complete the sentences with the correct Active or Passive form of the verbs in brackets.
1. She regularly …………………………………….……….(donate) money to this charity.
2. Michelangelo ……………………………….………………(paint) the Sistine Chapel.
3. The bridge ……………………………………………………. (destroy) by the storm last night.
4. They …………….... just .................…………….(close) the mountain road.
5. My daughter ……………………............……(teach) by a highly qualified teacher next year.
