English exercises

1. Name3 Extra Exam Practice
Read the text and answer the questions that follow.
Good Things Come to Those Who Wait
I “No dessert until you finish your dinner!” If that’s what your mother taught you, it seems you’ll probably have
a better life than if she had let you have your dessert right away. Some psychologists believe that children who
have good self-control are more likely to make it in life than their more impatient friends.
II The idea that self-control is important for success isn’t new. In the 1960s, Professor Walter Mischel studied the
behaviour of children left alone in a room with a plate with a marshmallow on it. Professor Mischel explained that
if the children rang the bell, they could eat the marshmallow, but they couldn’t get a second marshmallow.
If the children waited 15 minutes, they could have two marshmallows. Some children couldn’t wait a minute
before ringing the bell. Others held out as long as 15 minutes. The children who were better at resisting
temptation also did better at school.
III More recently Professor Terrie Moffitt, a professor of psychology, conducted a study of willpower. Professor
Moffitt and her team followed 1,000 people from the age of 3 to 32. They studied the children’s impulsivity,
persistence at a task, patience at waiting in a queue and hyperactivity. Moffitt’s studies, like those of Mischel,
showed that children with more self-control had better paying jobs, were healthier and were less likely to have
addiction problems or be in trouble with the police.
IV While some of us may be better than others at resisting that bar of chocolate, exercising self-control is rarely easy.
However, technology can also help those of us with weak self-control. In 2008, Professors Dean Karlan and Ian
Ayers founded a new website stickK.com to encourage people to achieve their goals. Users sign a contract in
which they agree to achieve a certain goal, like losing weight. They can also allow the company to fine them if
they don’t stick to their goals. The money goes to a charity or person of the user’s choice.
V With or without the help of technology, our self-control is something we can improve. If we can control our
impulses, it can be an important tool for achieving success.
1 Choose the correct answer.
1. According to the article, why should you finish dinner before eating dessert?
a. Dessert isn’t healthy.
b. It teaches self-control.
c. You should listen to your mother.
2. Professor Mischel wanted to find out … .
a. which sweets children preferred
b. if children could stay alone in a room
c. about children’s ability to resist temptation
2 Decide if the following sentences are true (T) or false (F). Find evidence in the text to justify your answers.
…… 1. The children who waited longer before taking the marshmallow were better students.
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…… 2. The website stickK.com is dedicated to losing weight.
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2. 3 Extra Exam Practice
3 Answer the questions.
1. Why does stickK.com take money from its users?
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2. Why does the writer think it’s important to have good self-control?
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4 Find words or expressions in the text that mean the same as:
1. succeed (paragraph I) ……………………
2. waited (paragraph II) ……………………
3. established (paragraph IV) ……………………
4. permit (paragraph IV) ……………………
5 Write a composition of about 100-150 words. Choose ONE option.
1. Your friend wants to stop smoking. You want to help him. Write a dialogue between the two of you.
2. Write about the advantages and disadvantages of using technology to help us exercise self-control.
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