Amazon swimmer - grammar lesson 13

Level: Intermediate / B1

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NOTE: This exercise was amended on 9/12/13 at 20:00 CET.

Amazon swimmer

1: Read the text below and write the verbs in brackets in the appropriate tense (more than one answer may be possible).

There (1)          was      (be) a time when explorers (2)                                    (tell) us about their amazing adventures in books. But nowadays, no ‘true’ adventurer or explorer travels without a documentary film crew.

Martin Strel, a 52-year-old Slovenian, is a long-distance swimmer. His current challenge is the Amazon. He (3)                                 (take) camera men to the Amazon with him. Last week they (4)                                 (began) filming Strel’s attempt to swim the length of the river.  On the first afternoon they (5)                                     (film) him successfully swim through parts of the river in Peru.

Strel (6)                                     (survive) many previous dangers. As a young man he (7)                               (swim) the English Channel  and since then he (8)                                     (also / swim) the Danube (2,860 km), Mississippi (3,885 km) and Yangtze (4,003 km) rivers.

The Amazon (5,268 km), however, (9)                                    (be) a greater challenge for Strel with its crocodiles, stingrays and sharks. In case of emergencies, his back-up team (10)                            (pack) animal food to throw to any interested meat-eaters and his medical team (11)                           (take) a supply of blood from Mr Strel before the journey (12)                              (begin) - just in case the worst happened!

2: Write questions about Martin Strel using the past simple or present perfect.

1.         Q: In the past, how      did explorers tell us about their adventures        ?

            A: They wrote books.

2.         Q: Who                                                                                                              ?

            A: A film crew, a back-up team and a medical team.

3.         Q: What                                                                                                             ?

            A: Strel’s attempt to swim the Amazon.

4.         Q: What                                                                                                             ?

            A: The English Channel.

5.         Q: Why                                                                                                              ?

            A: For emergencies.

Adapted from Language Leader Intermediate, Longman

Answers below!





ANSWERS!

1          was

2          told

3          has taken

4          began

5          filmed

6          stopped

7          has survived / survived

8          swam

9          has also swum

10        is / has been

11        has packed / packed

12        has taken / took

13        began

1          did explorers tell us about their adventures

2          has Strel taken with him / has gone with Strel

3          did the camera men film / are the camera men filming

4          did he swim when he was a young man
5          has/did his back-up team packed animal food/blood