Belkis-Writing item

Belkis – Writing item, I guess

The objective of this exercise is more a preparation for a summary than a writing item in itself. This is the third question of the 1er Parcial – Inglés I test (I´m using the Newsweek article, First Prize for Weird)
Question 3 – Read again paragraph #5 and summarize aerogel’s physical and chemical properties using images (drawings).
Paragraph #5
Together, these ingredients can form a structure that chemically resembles glass but is so full of whorls and crevices that one cubic centimeter has a total surface area equal to a football field's. The lightest-weight solid in the world, aerogel weighs 1.2 milligrams per cubic centimeter—barely more than the air molecules around it. In fact, the material itself is almost entirely made of air, like a sponge that consists mostly of holes. Don't let its lightness fool you: it's strong. NASA photos show two grams of the material easily supporting a 2.5-kilogram brick.
Usually, when students face this type of reading, they tend to copy all the information because they see all details as relevant. This way, I argue, they are “forced” to use their imagination and be less constrained by language through the use of images. However, reluctance is always an issue. In the case of this paragraph, they have to “describe” 3 physical properties (maybe, I should include the number of properties in the instructions): chemical structure, weight and strength.

Comments are welcomed,

Belkis-Reading item

This is the first item of an "Inglés I" partial test for engineering students at UCV. It is intended to activate learner’s previous knowledge and schemata through the reading strategy known as previewing. This strategy is presented to engineering students during the first part of Inglés I. I selected the text (Newsweek magazine http://www.newsweek.com/id/32528 ) because it is a “light” scientific article where the author describes an “enigmatic” and “versatile” chemical substance known as aerogel.

Item 1 – Underline or circle in the article: title, subtitle(s), author and source. Then, write down the topic of the article and a prediction about the information you will find in it. Value: 3pts (out of 20).
a) Topic: ____________________
b) Prediction (in Spanish): _____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

** The criteria for correction will be, 1) to identify the correct information and 2)to establish a sound topic and a prediction accordignly.

Regards,
Belkis

Alexander_Writing Item

Level: Lower Intermediate
Aim: Evaluating written communicative performance by students provided with a situation in which they have to give personal opinion.

WRITING ITEM

Your best friend left for another country in order to study a master’s degree. You want to let him/her know how much you miss him/her. Write an e-mail to this person in which you give a concise description of the characteristics that make him/her your best friend. (10 points)

Your e-mail should:

- Highlight this person’s qualities.
- Point out some of his/her negative aspects.
- Provide sample anecdotic situations exemplifying them.
- Finally, explain why he/she is, in general, a great person.

Organization: ______ Content: ______ Vocabulary: ______ Grammar: ______ Mechanics: ______


Writing Assessment Criteria


CONTENT

Excellent : Shows mastery of ideas; message unambiguously clear. Shows originality. 2.5
Good: No evidence of plagiarism. 2
Fair: Message occasionally difficult to follow. Some ideas lack originality. 1.5
Poor: Message very difficult to follow. Most ideas 1ack originality. 1
Nil: Message incomprehensible. Evidently p1agiarized. 0


ORGANIZATION

Excellent : Text shows cohesion and unity (parts smoothly and logically connected) 2
Good: Text is very coherent and logically connected. 1.5
Fair: Some sentences might look out of place in the text. Not all sentences support controlling idea. Some connectors and transitions used inappropriately. 1
Poor: Most sentences in the text are unified. Cohesive devices wrongly placed. 0.5
Nil: The text is not unified. Lacks of / wrong use of cohesive devices. 0


STRUCTURE

Excellent: Shows native-like grasp of English structure. 2.5
Good: Shows mastery of all grammatical structures taught to date. 2
Fair: Uses grammatical patterns taught to date with few mistakes. 1.25
Poor: Uses grammatical patterns taught to date with numerous mistakes. 0. 5
Nil: Incomprehensible due to faulty grammatical usage. 0


VOCABULARY

Excellent : Uses most vocabulary taught to date in appropriate situations.1.5
Good: Vocabulary is relevant to the topic. 1.25
Fair: Uses some appropriate vocabulary to the topic. 1
Poor: Shows limited vocabulary related to the topic. 0.5
Nil: Shows no vocabulary appropriateness in terms of the topic discussed. 0


MECHANICS & LAYOUT

Excellent : Shows commend of punctuation, capitalization and spelling rules. 1
Good: Neat presentation of information. 0.75
Fair: Some mistakes that do not impede comprehension. Layout somewhat disregarded. 0.5
Poor: Numerous mistakes that somewhat affect comprehension. Minor attention to layout. 0.25
Nil: Almost incomprehensible due to faulty use of mechanics. No attention to layout. 0



TOTAL OUT OF 10 (ADD CIRCLED NUMBERS) ________

Alexander_speaking Item

Level: Lower Intermediate
Aim: Evaluating oral communicative performance by students provided with a situation in which they have to exchange information.

Speaking Item

Role play 1

Participant A:

You have to talk about two topics with a partner. Give as much information as you can, making sure you cover all the aspects included. Taking turns, try to speak as much as your partner.

1. You and your friend are at the mall. Begin talking about clothes.
* Tell your friend your favorite brand is Nike.
* Give reasons to explain why you like this brand.

2. You and your friend are talking about vacation plans. Talk about your next vacation.
Mention aspects such as:
* Destination
* Accommodation
* Things you like doing on vacation
* Things you need to take with you when travelling.

Participant B:

You have to talk about two topics with a partner. Give as much information as you can, making sure you cover all the aspects included. Taking turns, try to speak as much as your partner.

1. You and your friend and are at the mall. Begin talking about clothes.
* Tell your friend that brand you prefer is Adidas.
* Try to change your partner’s opinion about Nike.
* Mention things that you need to do in order to buy good clothes.

2. You and your friend are talking about vacation plans.
Give your friend some advice on how to have a good vacation.
Ask him/her about his/her plans for:
* Entertainment
* Food
* Transportation

Speaking Assessment Criteria

I. PRONUNCIATION

3/2,5 Very good to good. Very slight influence of the native language. Sporadic non-phonemic errors. Speaker is always intelligible.

2/1,5 Average. Marked foreign accent. Occasional phonemic or non-phonemic errors but speaker is always intelligible.

1/0 Poor to very poor. Very heavy foreign accent. Very frequent phonemic and non-phonemic errors. Speaker is unintelligible OR impossible to evaluate.


II. ACCURACY IN MORPHOLOGY AND SYNTAX.

3/2,5 Very good to good. Sporadic or occasional errors that do not interfere with intelligibility.

2/1,5 Average. Persistent and/or consistent errors that do not seriously affect intelligibility.

1/0 Poor to very poor. No control of morphological and syntactic patterns except for formulaic expressions. Abundance of errors makes communication difficult or virtually impossible.


III. LEXICON/WORD ACCESS.

3/2,5 Very good to good. General vocabulary is extensive and/or adequate to cover varied common topics. Access to words is generally automatic.

2/1,5 Average. Choice of words is sometimes inaccurate. Limitations of vocabulary prevent discussion of some common social topics. Some words escape the speaker and cannot retrieve them. Asks interlocutor, generally in the L2.

1/0 Poor to very poor. Complete lack of vocabulary. Problems in word access/choice make communication impossible. Keeps asking to supply words, generally in the native language.

IV. FLUENCY

3/2,5 Very good to good. Speech is smooth and effortless though some sporadic non-native pauses may be present. Pauses or hesitations do not interfere with intelligibility.

2/1,5 Average. Occasional non-native pauses and hesitations that do not seriously interfere with intelligibility.
1/0 Poor to very poor. Speech is very slow and uneven. Pauses and hesitations may make speech so fragmentary that communication is virtually impossible.

V. COMPREHENSION

3/2,5 Very good to good. Understands everything except for very colloquial or infrequent elements or particular rapid, connected speech. Repetition or rephrasing are virtually unnecessary.

2/1,5 Average. Understands quite normal, educated speech. Occasionally needs repetition or rephrasing. Careful speech may be necessary in clarifications.

1/0 Poor to very poor. Understands virtually nothing or only extremely simplified and slow speech. Repetition and rephrasing are constantly necessary.

Adapted from Forum Asesores,C.A. evaluation formats.

Alexander_Reading Items

Level: Upper Intermediate
Aim: Evaluating reading comprehension of students exposed to an article related to the environment.

Reading Items

You are at the Science Museum looking at an exhibition of endangered species. The guide gives you the article “Human Impact Triggers Massive Extinctions.” Read the article and complete the following exercises.

A. Read the statements below and write if they are TRUE or FALSE according to what you read in the text. If false, explain why. (0.75 each - 4.5 points)

1. _______ Some solutions to reduce the number of plants were presented at the Congress.

2. _______ Today we observe, among other things, a serious disappearance of fish.

3. _______ Some species have migrated to areas where they had never been before.

4. _______ Besides food, many more beneficial substances to humans can be found on coral reefs.

5. _______ Environmental changes have affected political campaigns and compromised their leaders.

6. _______ Three-fourths of all species on Earth will disappear this century.


B. The following words are in italics in the article. Match them with their corresponding meanings. (0.5 each - 2 points)

1. Breakthrough
2. Wrought
3. Spawn
4. Scarce

a. In a large number
b. Flat grassy land with very few trees
c. Created in a particular way
d. Important development or achievement
e. Lay eggs
f. Not enough
g. Done in general

C. Answer these questions according to the reading. (1 each - 3 points)

1. What can human influence on Earth be compared to?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What are some consequences of the excess use of fertilizers? Mention two (2).
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What is the role of vegetation in relation to the environment? Mention two (2) ways in which it happens.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

D. Identify the main idea sentence by circling the corresponding letter. (0.5 points)

a. Human actions may make the world disappear.
b. The Congress has brought together many scientists concerned about the world.
c. Human actions are impairing the survival of some living forms.
d. Researchers established several reasons for the world’s extinction.


Human Impact Triggers Massive Extinctions
ST. LOUIS, Missouri, August 2, 1999 (ENS) - Humanity's impact on the earth has increased extinction rates to levels rivaling the five mass extinctions of past geologic history, transformed nearly half of Earth’s land and created 50 dead zones in the world’s oceans, according to research being presented this week at the 16th International Botanical Congress.
Delegates at the world's largest gathering of plant scientists, which opened Friday, heard a seven point plan to slow the extinction rates of plants around the world. The Congress has brought together some 5,000 scientists from more than 100 countries to discuss the importance of plants for human survival and improved quality of life, and to announce breakthrough research in the field of plant science.
Two studies being discussed find that humans have gravely altered the chemistry, biology and physical structure of the Earth's land and water. What scientists are calling the "human footprint on Earth" is increasingly impairing the planet’s ability to maintain the quality of human life, and may lead to the loss of up to two-thirds of all plant and animal species during the second half of the 21st century.
Earth's Water Resources in Trouble
"We're degrading the water, changing our coastlines, filling in our estuaries, and changing our rivers," says Dr. Jane Lubchenco of Oregon State University, author of "Environmental Science and Engineering for the Twenty-First Century: The Role of the National Science Foundation." Lubchenko specializes in marine biology and zoology and their relation to climate change.
Dr. Lubchenco, past president of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Ecological Society of America, warns, "We're witnessing many signals of the problems that will result from these changes, including toxic algal blooms, coral bleaching and sudden disappearance of fish from key fisheries."
Lubchenko and coauthors Harold Mooney and Peter Vitousek of Stanford University found that close to 50 percent of the land surface of the planet has been transformed by humans through actions such as filling in wetlands, converting tall grass prairies into cornfields, or converting forests into urban areas. Humans have also more than doubled the amount of available nitrogen in the environment because of excess fertilizer use and burning of fossil fuel.
Lubchenco points out that while human domination of land masses is clear, the new data also indicates a dramatic alteration of Earth's oceans. There are now some 50 "dead zones" in the world's coastal areas, she says. The largest in the Western Hemisphere is in the Gulf of Mexico, caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus flowing down the Mississippi River.
"We've long thought of oceans as having an infinite ability to provide food and other goods and services to humans. But the massive human-wrought changes in our oceans are impairing their ability to function as we assume they will," says Lubchenco.
Lubchenco lists problems facing the world’s waterways, including loss of mangrove forests and invasive marine species carried in ships' ballast waters. About 3,000 species of marine life are in transit in ballast water of ships around the world, Lubchenco says.
The changes humans have set in motion on a global scale will impair the Earth's ability to provide a wide range of services to human life. "In addition to the direct services of food, fiber, shelter, and medicines, many other inter-dependent services are being disrupted," Lubchenco says.
Forests, grasslands and coral reefs contribute to flood control and climate regulation. Mangroves, estuaries, coral reefs, and kelp forests protect shores from erosion and provide nursery areas and spawning habitat for economically important species.
Massive environmental changes also have far reaching implications for peace and political boundaries. "Scarce resources such as water or fishing rights lead to battles between states and nations. Environmental degradation resulting in food shortages lead to civil unrest and migration into neighboring countries," Lubchenco explains.
Massive Species Loss Predicted
Meanwhile, "Plants in Peril: What Should We Do?" a report by the president of the International Botanical Congress, Dr. Peter Raven, predicts massive losses of plant and animal species, most in the tropics, during the second half of the next century.
"Human efforts have been notable for their lack of attention to the living world that supports us all," said Raven, who is also director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, which is hosting the conference. "In the face of the worldwide extinction crisis, we should redouble our efforts to learn about life on Earth while it is still relatively well represented."
Raven's paper says that if current trends continue, within 50 years only five percent of tropical forests will remain in protected areas. Extinction rates will then be three or four orders of magnitude higher than those prevailing between mass extinctions.
Mass extinctions are events where the rate of species extinctions becomes much higher than the background rate, and large percentages of species are lost.
There have been five major extinction events in Earth history, including the one in which dinosaurs disappeared. At that time, two thirds of all land organisms disappeared and the character of life changed permanently.
The current extinction rate is now approaching 1,000 times the background rate and may climb to 10,000 times the background rate during the next century, if present trends continue. At this rate, one-third to two-thirds of all species of plants, animals, and other organisms would be lost during the second half of the next century, a loss that would easily equal those of past extinctions.
Raven’s paper also states that vast numbers of unknown plants, animals, and other organisms are currently being lost before they have even been recognized. Only about 1.6 million organisms out of a conservative estimate of between seven and 10 million have been recognized scientifically. A great majority of these are poorly known, often from a single specimen, a brief description, a locality, and nothing more, according to the paper. Some 250,000 of 300,000 species of plants have been identified, leaving some 50,000 completely unknown.

Alexander_listening Item

Level: Lower Intermediate (English II)
Aim: Evaluating listening comprehension of students exposed to a radio program on the Voice of America.

Listening Item

A VOA announcer is talking about the use natural dyes. Listen to the radio program and complete the following exercise with the information that he provides.

http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/figleaf/mp3filegenerate.cfm?filepath=http://www.voanews.com/mediaassets/specialenglish/2008_11/audio/Mp3/se-dev-dying-wool-9nov08_0.Mp3

PART I. Complete the table with appropriate information taken from the radio program.
(0.5 each – 4.5 points)

1. Origins of natural dyes
a.

b.

2. An example of a natural dye
a.
3. Two kinds of mortars
a.
b.
4. Usual application of tartar cream
a.

­
PART II. Read the following statements and write TRUE or FALSE in the lines provided, according to the program. If false, correct the information. (0.25 each – 1.5 points)

1. ­­­_______ Jenny Dean wants to help poor people save money. ___________________________________________

2. _______ You must keep the wool in the mordant all night. ___________________________________________

3. _______ The dye must be put on higher fire than the mordant. ___________________________________________

4. _______ The onionskins turn the wool orange or yellow. ­­___________________________________________


PART III. Organize the following steps to dye wool by numbering the lines provided, according to the radio program.
(0.5 each – 4 points)


_____ Heat the mordant with the wool and let it cool.

_____ Put the wool impregnated with mordant in the dye.

_____ Remove the wool from the dye and wash it.

_____ Heat the mordant with the wool and cool it.

_____ Rinse the wool with soapy water with warm water.

_____ Take the onionskins out the dye when it is cool.

_____ Cool the mordant in a container with water.

_____ Boil the dry outer onionskins until they lose their color.

Here is the trascript:

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.
Dye can bring a little color to life. Most clothing is colored with dyes. Modern, manufactured dyes can be costly. Natural dyes from plant and animal products have been used since ancient times. So this week, we describe a natural way to dye wool.
The advice comes from information written by Jenny Dean of the Intermediate Technology Development Group in Britain. This anti-poverty group is now called Practical Action.
There are several methods to put dye onto material. The vat method, for example, can be used to dye wool with onionskins. For this example, use one hundred grams of natural wool. The wool must be clean. Leave it overnight in water and liquid soap. Then wash it with clean water that is a little warm. Gently squeeze out the extra water.
A solution called a mordant is used in the dying process. A mordant helps fix the dye to the material. Traditionally, mordants were found in nature. Wood ash is one example. But chemical mordants such as alum are popular today. Alum is sold in many stores. It is often mixed with cream of tartar, a fine powder commonly used in cooking.
Mix eight grams of alum with seven grams of cream of tartar in a small amount of hot water. Add the solution to a metal pan of cool water. Next, add the wool and place the mixture over heat. Slowly bring the liquid to eighty-two degrees Celsius. Heat the mixture for forty-five minutes. After it cools, remove the wool and wash it.
To prepare the dye solution, cover thirty grams of onionskins with water. Use only the dry, brown outer skins. Boil the liquid until the onionskins lose their color, about forty-five minutes,. Remove the skins after the dye cools.
Now it is time to dye the wool. Place the wool into the dye and heat the mixture. Bring it to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to eighty-two degrees. Now heat the dye for about forty-five minutes or until the wool is the desired color. Keep in mind that wet wool looks darker than it is.
Once the dye cools, remove the wool and wash it. Now the wool is orange or yellow. Or at least it should be.
Internet users can get the full details at practicalaction, one word, dot o-r-g. Again, the address is practicalaction dot org. And enter the word "dye," d-y-e, in the search box. We will post a link to the site at voaspecialenglish.com.
And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss. I'm Steve Ember.

http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/2008-11-08-voa3.cfm
­

Alexander_Grammar Item

Level: Lower Intermediate (English II)
Aim: Evaluating the command of verb tenses: present simple, present progressive, past simple, simple conditional to talk about personal experiences.

Grammar Item

Two old friends are talking at a restaurant. Complete what they say by filling in the blanks with the appropriate form of the words in parentheses. (0.5 each - 5 points)

Helen:
As I was telling you, my sister Charlotte… well… she __________________ (learn) Japanese at a language academy, so now she __________________ (speak) a little Japanese, as well as three other languages.

Judith:
Oh, my God! How __________________ (she/manage) to do it?

Helen:
I don’t have a clue, but her plans to complete everything she __________________ (do/ always) are so accurate. I really admire her ability to organize herself. Apart from the Japanese course, last Friday she __________________ (tell) me she _________________ (like) to study primary school education.

Judith:
Are you kidding!? That’s amazing!

Helen:
And what is more… She __________________ (go) to the gym every two days. You know, she __________________ (marry) in December and plans to lose 8 kilos by then.

Judith:
I __________________ (not/ believe) you!

Helen:
I know it sounds incredible. I __________________ (love) the way she leads her life. She is my personal idol!

Judith:
Yes, I suppose so.

Deodorah Barrios

To asses speaking.
Imagine you are working in a Company in the RRHH Department and has the responsibility to recruit the personal of the Company and need to know how to do a profile.
Score: 5points

Look at the information below. Read your profile. Prepare the questions that you will need to ask the teacher in order to complete her profile.
Examples: How long has you been with your present company?
What are you responsible for?
Interview the teacher and complete the profile. Then answer the teacher’s questions.
Student profile: Teacher profile:
Name: Susan Perez Name:
Age : 29 Age:
Nationality: Venezuelan. Nationality
Marital status: Single Marital status:
Salary: $:48,000 annum. Salary:
Company: US Brands Incorporated Company:
Present Position: Brand manager, works under Present Position:
The Director of Marketing.
Background: Background:
MBA from the University of Pennsylvania.
Joined the Company in 1999.
Present responsibilities: Present responsibilities:
In charge of determining national marketing
Strategy for a brand of paper towels.

Deodorah Barrios

(This Item belongs to Deodorah)
To asses speaking.
Imagine you are working in a Company in the RRHH Department and has the responsibility to recruit the personal of the Company and need to know how to do a profile.
Score: 5points

Look at the information below. Read your profile. Prepare the questions that you will need to ask the teacher in order to complete her profile.
Examples: How long has you been with your present company?
What are you responsible for?
Interview the teacher and complete the profile. Then answer the teacher’s questions.
Student profile: Teacher profile:
Name: Susan Perez Name:
Age : 29 Age:
Nationality: Venezuelan. Nationality
Marital status: Single Marital status:
Salary: $:48,000 annum. Salary:
Company: US Brands Incorporated Company:
Present Position: Brand manager, works under Present Position:
The Director of Marketing.
Background: Background:
MBA from the University of Pennsylvania.
Joined the Company in 1999.
Present responsibilities: Present responsibilities:
In charge of determining national marketing
Strategy for a brand of paper towels.

Deodorah Barrios

To asses speaking.
Imagine you are working in a Company in the RRHH Department and has the responsibility to recruit the personal of the Company and need to know how to do a profile.
Score: 5points
Look at the information below. Read your profile. Prepare the questions that you will need to ask the teacher in order to complete her profile.
Examples: How long has you been with your present company?
What are you responsible for?
Interview the teacher and complete the profile. Then answer the teacher’s questions.

Student profile: Teacher profile:
Name: Susan Perez Name:
Age : 29 Age:
Nationality: Venezuelan. Nationality
Marital status: Single Marital status:
Salary: $:48,000 annum. Salary:
Company: US Brands Incorporated Company:
Present Position: Brand manager, works under Present Position:
The Director of Marketing.
Background: Background:
MBA from the University of Pennsylvania.
Joined the Company in 1999.
Present responsibilities: Present responsibilities:
In charge of determining national marketingStrategy for a brand of paper towels

Nahir Aparicio. Writing item

Level: Lower Intermediate
Aim: to assess letter writing

Functions: complaining and convincing

Instructions

You made reservations for the holiday of a lifetime. Unfortunately, everything went wrong. The plane was delayed, the hotel was terrible, and on top of all that, the travel agency representative did not assist you at the airport.

Write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper about these incidents so that other people don’t make arrangements with the same travel agency. Tell your story, give opinions and make suggestions. Also, let the editor know about definite and probable plans for your next holiday, based on what you’ve learned from this experience.

Alexander Vàsquez

Vocabulary Item.
Level: EFL false beginner students
Aim: Checking simple vocabulary related to furniture, asking for personal information, reserving a room in a hotel, family.

Read the following exchanges of people requesting information. Complete the sentences with the most appropriate word. 1 each=6 points

1. A: Now that we have a new apartment, we need new _____________________, that is, sofas, beds, tables.
B: You’re right. The apartment is completely empty.

2. A: How do you ___________________your last name? B: It’s P-E-R-E-Z.

3. A: I’d like to _____________________a single room. B: For how many nights?

4. A: What’s your _________________________________? B: I am a teacher.

5. A: Is your sister ____________________ or single? B: No, She has no husband or boyfriend.

6. I don’t ___________________ what the teacher says, because she speaks too fast.

Level: Upper-intermediate students
Aim: Describing objects using details (opinion, size, color, material).

A. You are a Jamaican student returning from a vacation in Mérida and when you arrive at the airport, you can’t find one of your suitcases. You go to the Lost Luggage Office and they ask you to fill in a section of the Baggage Enquiry Form where you have to describe the items you had in your suitcase.

Describe all the items in detail including the suitcase. (5 pts)

BAGAGE ENQUIRY

PERSONAL DETAILS
Surname: ......................................................Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms
First name(s)........................................................................
Address ...............................................................................
...........................................................................................
Telephone number ................................................................

FLIGHT DETAILS
Flight number .......................................................................
Arriving from ........................................................................

DESCRIPTION OF BAGAGE
Give a full description of each item and suitcase

...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................
...........................................................................................

Gramar Item.

Alexander Vàsquez
Grammar Item
Level: Upper-intermediate EFL students
Aim: Checking the domain of simple past, present perfect

Tommy is now living away from home, so he writes a letter to his parents to tell them the latest events in his life. Read the following letter and complete it with the correct tense and form of the verbs in parenthesis. 0.5 each = 6 pts

Dear Mom and Dad,

Sorry, I _________________(write) recently, but I __________________(have) a great time to be honest, so there’s not much to write. Last weekend, I _______________(buy) a car…but it wasn’t easy, believe me. I hope you are all fine. I_______________________(do) OK, but the car isn’t. I ________________(have) lots of problems with it lately. A few days ago, it __________________(leave) me stranded on the way to NY. What a nightmare!

Fortunately, a couple of friends I ____________________(meet), helped me to get a job. But, I ____________________(get) my first paycheck yet. I ____________________(want) to ask you for money, but you ________________(say) you would help me if I __________________(get) desperate. Well, I am desperate. So, can you please send me $ 200 if possible?. I know I never ________________(use) to say this back at home, but I miss you a lot now.

Thanks a million. I’ll call you soon.

Love, Tommy

erick I like your vocablary item, but eventhough it is a microskill excersice you always need the context, purse