Hi Nick,

My family and I arrived in Buñol, Spain yesterday. It's the town where La Tomatina is held on the last Wednesday of August every year. There are thousands of people here. Luckily, the weather has been wonderful. We stayed up late, but got up early this morning to attend the festival. We saw that some people had already placed the ham on top of the greasy pole.

I have to go now.

Carlos

Nick,

Yesterday was the most exciting day of my life!

In the morning, many people tried to climb up the pole to get the ham. At 11 a.m. we saw a jet of water coming from the water cannons and the chaos began. Bags of tomatoes from trucks were thrown to the crowds, and we began throwing tomatoes at one another. We all had to wear goggles to protect our eyes. After one hour, we saw another jet of water and stopped throwing. The whole town square was red with rivers of tomato juice. Finally, we tried tomato Paella, a traditional Spanish rice dish. Together with local people and tourists, we enjoyed the good food and drinks.

I'm still tired, so bye for now.

Carlos

1. When is La Tomatina celebrated?

__________________

2. What did Carlos do the day before the festival?

__________________

3. What did people place on top of the greasy pole?

__________________

4. Why did they have to wear goggles?

__________________

5. What was the signal for the start and end of the tomato fight?

__________________

6. How was the town square after the fight?

__________________

II. Read and complete the passage using the given words.

j

We arrived in Sapa at 9:00 yesterday morning and stayed in a nice hotel in the town centre. It is close to many (1) _________attractions. Sapa is a lovely and (2) _________town. Yesterday, we took a bus to Muong Hoa Station. There are many kinds of beautiful flowers there. I took many photos with my parents and my sister. We also went to Mount Fansipan. The weather was a bit cold and (3) _________. The surrounding was like a beautiful sea of cloud and we all felt (4) _________. In the evening, we went to the town market and enjoyed a lot of (5) _________local food. Ethnic people in Sapa are really (6) _________and helpful.

k

Phu Quoc is an island city located in the southwest of the country. Phu Quoc attracts a lot of domestic and foreign (1) _________because it not only has a mild (2) _________but also has extremely attractive natural scenery. Coming to Phu Quoc from late October to mid-May, you can enjoy wonderful weather: warn and sunny. This is also the most favorable time for recreational (3) _________in the pearl island such as kayaking, scuba diving to see corals, fishing, night squid fishing or simply making a trip to (4) _________nature, the wilderness of Phu Quoc.

Phu Quoc is not only famous for beautiful beaches, but also famous for many (5) _________such as: pearl, Phu Quoc fish sauce, pepper and fresh seafood.

Besides, coming to Phu Quoc, visitors can enjoy many unique, delicious and cheap (6) _________such as grilled abalone, raw Nhum with mustard, herring salad, …

Read the following passage and choose the option (A, B, C or D) that best answers each of the question below.

Antonio lives in the city of Valencia in Spain. Every year he goes to La Tomatina Festival in Bunol, a town near Valencia. The festival is on the last Wednesday in August, when everyone comes into the main square to throw tomatoes at each other. Before the fun begins, people cover the shop windows with plastic. Antonio always wears his oldest clothes so he doesn’t get his best clothes dirty. He also always puts his camera in a plastic bag to keep it clean. In the morning trucks arrive in the main square, the Plaza del Pueblo, bringing more than 100,000 kilos of tomatoes. The fight begins at 11 o’clock and always last for two hours. At exactly 1 o’clock everyone stops. They never throw tomatoes after 1 o’clock. They then usually spend the rest of the day cleaning themselves and the town! In the evening, Antonio usually watches the fireworks, eats the local food and sometimes joins in the dancing.

(Adapted from KET Objective, Cambridge University Press)

41. Where does Antonio come from?

A. Valencia.        B. La Tomania.        C. Bunol.        D. Plaza del Pueblo.

42. When does the La Tomatina Festival take place?

A. At the beginning of August            B. At the end of August

C. At the middle of August                D. All are correct

43. Why does Antonio want to wear his oldest clothes to the festival?

A. He doesn’t have new clothes.            B. He loves his old clothes.

C. He doesn’t get his new clothes dirty.        D. He doesn’t like his newest clothes.

44. How long does it take people to throw tomatoes at each other during this Festival?

A. 2 hours.        B. 10 hours.            C. 11 hours.        D. A day.

45. What does NOT Antonio do in this evening?

A. watch fireworks.    B. eat local food.        C. join the dancing.    D. watch TV

II. Read and complete the passage using the given words              

We arrived in Sapa at 9:00 yesterday morning and stayed in a nice hotel in the town centre. It is close to many (1) _________attractions. Sapa is a lovely and (2) _________town. Yesterday, we took a bus to Muong Hoa Station. There are many kinds of beautiful flowers there. I took many photos with my parents and my sister. We also went to Mount Fansipan. The weather was a bit cold and (3) _________. The surrounding was like a beautiful sea of cloud and we all felt (4) _________. In the evening, we went to the town market and enjoyed a lot of (5) _________local food. Ethnic people in Sapa are really (6) _________and helpful.

USE IT! Work in pairs. Read the Feelings questionnaire again and answer the questions for you. Then ask and answer the questions with a partner.

                                               Feelings questionnaire

1. Name the two most delicious and the two most disgusting things that you've ever eaten.

2. What's the most wonderful place that you can remember?

3. Have you ever felt totally exhausted? Why?

4. Have you ever touched a weird or fascinating animal? What was it like?

5. Have you ever been on a really terrifying ride at a theme park?