ENGLISH II

UNIT 2: REPORTING
2023
CONTENTS

PAGES
UNITS AND LESSONS
UNIT 2: “REPORTING”
Lesson 1: Asking for and giving biographical information 3- 5

Lesson 2: Talking about past events 6 - 13

Lesson 3: Talking about International organizations 14 - 17

Vocabulary and Grammar Exercises

18 - 19

Suggested English interactive software and Websites for 20

further practice.

This booklet material was selected, adapted and designed for instructional purposes
and to be used in the classroom and as a study guide for students.
UNIT 2: REPORTING

LESSON 1: ASKING FOR AND GIVING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

GETTING STARTED WHEN WERE YOU BORN? WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

 NOW ASK AND ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE FAMOUS PEOPLE

Mahatma Ghandi (1869 - 1948)

 Anti-war activist
 Born in Porbandar, India
 Organized non-violent civil rights
protests.

Diana Spencer (1961 – 1997)

 Also known as Princess Diana of
Wales
 Born in Norkfold, England.
 Died in Paris, France.
 Worked and collaborated with
various charity foundations like
the Red Cross.

Steven Spielberg (1946)

 Film director and producer
 Born in Ohio, USA.
 Directed and produced successful
movies, such as Jurassic Park, E.T, and
Indiana Jones.

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 GRAMMAR REFERENCE 1

BE: PAST SIMPLE

PRONOUNS: I – HE - SHE - IT PRONOUNS: YOU – WE - THEY

WAS WERE

We use the Past Simple for completed actions, events and situations in the past.
 

I was I wasn’t (was not)

He was She wasn’t
She was He wasn’t
It was in Madrid last year. It wasn’t in Madrid last year.
You were You weren’t (were not)
We were We weren’t
They were They weren’t
 I was.
He was.
She was.
Was I… YES, It was.
Was he… You were.
Was she… We were.
They were.
Was it…
in Madrid last year? I wasn’t.
Were you… He wasn’t.
Were we… She wasn’t.
Were they… NO, It wasn’t.
You weren’t.
We weren’t.
They weren’t.

BE: Past Simple Examples:

Positive The conference was good last month.
They were in the same office.
Negative The big companies weren’t at the trade fair.
The presentation wasn’t OK.
Questions How many customers were there?
Was Mr. Adams there?

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 PRACTISE

Complete the questions with was or were. Then ask and answer them with a partner.

1) you born in Santiago?

2) you good at sports?
3) your parents born in this city?
4) When .................. your mother born?
5) When ................. your father born?
6) What ................. your favorite subject in high school?
7) Who .................. your best friend when you were a child?

Complete the dialogues

I. II.
A: When ...................... your brother born? A: Where ....................... you born?
B: He..................... born in 1985. B: I .................... born in Spain.
A: How old .....................you then? A: ..................... your parents born there, too?
B: I ....................... ten years old. B: Yes, they ……………. . They ......................born in
Madrid.
A: How about your sister? ................. she born in
Spain, too?
B: No, she ………….... . She .............. born in Italy.
We ............. living there ten years ago.

Read this text about Karen’s holidays in 2005. Underline the correct verb WAS or WERE.

“When I (1)was/were eighteen my best friend (2)was/were Alice. We (3)was/were in the

same class at high school. In 2005, Alice and I (4)was/were on holiday in Canada and there
(5)was/were a party near our hotel. There (6)wasn’t/weren’t any other English people there
–they were all Canadian. There (7)was/were one very good-looking man called Richard. He
(8)wasn’t/weren’t very friendly at first – but two years later we (9)was/were husband and
wife! Our son Billie, (10)was/were born two years later in Vancouver, where we live now.”

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 LESSON 2: TALKING ABOUT PAST EVENTS

LISTENING

Listen to Hanna Day talking to a colleague about a trade fair she visited in India.

Colleague: Were you at the trade fair last week, Hanna? In India?
Hanna: Yes.
Colleague: Where was it? Delhi?
Hanna: Yeah.
Colleague: How was it? OK?
Hanna: It was very good, yeah.
Colleague: Was it big?
Hanna: Yeah. There were thousands of people.
Colleague: How many companies were there?
Hanna: Um…about four hundred, I think.
Colleague: Really?
Hanna: Yeah, It was big. I was surprised. I wasn´t there last year. I was there two years
ago, in Calcutta, and um… there weren´t a lot of companies there.
Only about a hundred.
Colleague: So this wasn´t your first visit to India, then?
Hanna: No, my second.
Colleague: Right. Were you the only person there, from the company?
Hanna: No, Ingrid Werner was there, from the Frankfurt office. And Rafael and Maria, you
know from, um…
Colleague: Oh, from Barcelona?
Hanna: Yeah.
Colleague: Were you all in the same hotel?
Hanna: We weren´t in the same hotel, no. Um… but it was a good trip. Long, though.

Listen to the dialogue again and then underline the correct words.

1.- The trade fair was yesterday/last week.

2.- The trade fair was quite/very good.
3.- There were about 100/400 companies at the trade fair.
4.- Hanna was in Calcutta last year/two years ago.
5.- The trade fair in Calcutta was/wasn’t very big.

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 When talking about a recent trip, you can organize your ideas
answering these questions:

Talking about past activities Giving opinions about past experiences

Did you travel last month? How did you like …?
What did you do ….? How was …? It was …. I really enjoyed it.
How did you spend…? What was the best thing about …?
Where did you go…? ….. It is difficult to say, but …
What time did you go…?
Was the trip/weather/flight/hotel, etc., OK?
How long were you …?

READ AND PRACTICE THIS CONVERSATION

Paul: Hello, John! How was your trip to Canada?

John: It was excellent. I enjoyed it a lot.
Paul: That’s fine. How long were you there?
John: I was there for about a month.
Paul: That’s a long time! Was the weather OK?
John: Yes, most of the time. But it rained a lot in Toronto.
Paul: So, what was the best thing about your trip?
John: I really liked the CN Tower. It is Toronto’s tallest and most defining landmark

VOCABULARY: HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

sunbathe – stay in a hotel – go fishing – camp - have picnics – go for walks – go sightseeing –
rent a car – rent a bike – go to the beach – go cycling – stay with friends/family –
travel by public transport – go shopping - go on holiday - fly – go on boat trips

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 PRACTISE

A) Read about Lisa’s trip to Madrid. Then write the verbs from the box correctly

Last Tuesday, Lisa (1) flew from London to Madrid. She (2) ................ up at 6 fly - get
o’clock in the morning and she (3) ......................a cup of coffee. At 6.30 she have
(4) …………………….. home and (5) ....................... to the airport. When she leave - drive
get - park,
(6) …………………….. there, she (7) ……..…..………… the car, (8) ……………… to the
walk.- check,
airport building, and (9) …………….. in. Then, she (10).................. breakfast at a
have - wait,
café and (11) ………………… for her flight. The plane (12) .................. on time and
depart - arrive,
(13) …………………… in Madrid two hours later. Finally she (14) ...................... a taxi
take – take
from the airport to her hotel in the center of Madrid.

B) Make questions with these words.

1. did / travel / around / you / How?
2. Where / stay / did / you?
3. you / Did / a good time / have?
4. When / your / was / last holiday?
5. you / go / did / Where?
6. did / do / you / What / in the day?
7. business trip / your last / When / was?
8. go / did / with / Who / you?

PAIR- WORK: WRITING AND SPEAKING

Can you talk about a recent trip? As a guide, you can use the previous information.

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 GRAMMAR REFERENCE 2: SIMPLE PAST (ACTION VERBS)

We use the simple past to describe actions in the past.

PAST SIMPLE: REGULAR VERBS

POSITIVE NEGATIVE QUESTIONS SHORT ANSWERS
(Yes, + pronoun + did.)
(Infinitive + -ed) (didn’t + infinitive) (Did + subject + infinitive)
I/you
I worked I didn’t work Did I work?
Yes, he/she/it did.
You worked You didn’t work Did you work
we/they
He worked He didn’t work Did he work?
She worked She didn’t work Did she work?
(No, + pronoun + didn’t)
It worked It didn’t work Did it work?
I/you
We worked We didn’t work Did we work?
No, he/she/it didn’t.
They worked They didn’t work Did they work?
we/they

PAST SIMPLE: IRREGULAR VERBS

POSITIVE NEGATIVE QUESTIONS SHORT ANSWERS
(Infinitive change!) (Yes, + pronoun + did.)
(didn’t + infinitive) (Did + subject + infinitive)
I went I/you
I didn’t go Did I go?
You went Yes, he/she/it did.
You didn’t go Did you go?
He went we/they
He didn’t go Did he go?
She went
She didn’t go Did she go?
It went (No, + pronoun + didn’t)
It didn’t go Did it go?
We went I/you
We didn’t go Did we go?
They went No, he/she/it didn’t.
They didn’t go Did they go?
we/they

THESE VERBS ARE IMPORTANT FOR THIS UNIT. COMPLETE THEIR PAST SIMPLE FORMS.

Infinitive Past Infinitive Past

1. become 8. graduate
2. come 9. grow up
3. choose 10. have
4. enter (college) 11. happen
5. finish 12. study
6. get married 13. travel
7. go (to) 14. work

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 PRACTISING PAST TENSES

A) Complete the paragraphs with the verbs from the box.

make – leave - buy - write - have(x2) – get - eat – go – write – give - put

Peter didn’t out for lunch, he a hamburger at the fast food

restaurant around the corner and it at his desk. Then he some
important phone calls. At about 2:00 p.m. he the first paragraph of the weekly
report, but he didn’t time to finish it. A colleague to Peter’s

office because he a problem with his laptop. Peter him some

useful information. At about 6 p.m. Peter the report in his briefcase and then
the office. On his way home, there was a lot of traffic jam. He didn’t
home until 9 p.m.

B) Complete the chart

Infinitive Past simple positive Past simple negative

help helped didn't help
was/were
think
bought
make
didn’t come
read
knew
studied
didn’t say
work
didn’t stay

C) Fill in these dialogs with WAS, WASN’T, WERE or WEREN’T.

1. A: ................. Samuel at the meeting yesterday?

B: No, he ..................... there. He was on a business trip.

2. A: Where ................. you yesterday?

B: I …………….. at work. My colleagues and I .................... finishing the annual report.

3. A: How................. the conference last Tuesday?

B: It ..................... very interesting.

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 GRAMMAR REFERENCE 3: WORD-ORDER OF QUESTIONS IN PAST

(a) With action verbs:

WHAT you DO yesterday?
WHERE he STUDY yesterday morning?
WHEN she TRAVEL
last month?
HOW DID they FEEL
WHY it SLEEP last week
WHO the men MEET after lunch yesterday?
WHAT TIME Susan, etc. START WORK a week ago?

(b) With the Verb TO BE

I
WHAT he DOING yesterday?
WHERE WAS she yesterday morning?
STUDYING
WHEN it last month?
HOW BORN
WHY you last week?
HAPPY after lunch yesterday?
WHO WERE we
WHAT TIME they AT SCHOOL a week ago?

EXERCISES A) Look at the charts (a) and (b) and make questions with the words
given. Add “DID” when necessary. Then, answer the questionswith
your own information.

Example: When / born / was / Bill Gates? When was Bill Gates born?

1. you / when / born / were /?

Q. : ?
A.:

2. your parents / Where / born / were /?

Q. : ?
A.:

3. you / travel / last summer /Where / ?

Q. : ?
A.:

4. you / start work / What time / yesterday /?

Q. : ?
A.: 11
 5. were / worried / you /yesterday/ Why /?
Q. : ?
A.:

6. you / speak /Who / to / this morning /?

Q. : ?
A.:

7. last Monday/ how/ you/ go to work /?

Q. : ?
A.:

8. your father / Why / was / yesterday/ at home/?

Q. : ?
A.:

9. visit / last weekend/ you / Who/?

Q. : ?
A.: _

10. borrow / When / you/ from the bank / money/ ?

Q. : ?
A.:

B) Read these short dialogs. Then fill in the gaps with the correct QUESTION WORD
(What / Where / How, etc.) and DID , WAS or WERE.

Example:
A: How old was Bill Gates when he began to show interest
in computer programming?
B: He was thirteen years old

1. A: Bill study? B: He studied at the Lakeside School.

2. A: Bill’s first business partner? B: His first business partner was Paul Allen.

3. A: Bill Gates build? B: He built the world's largest software business.

4. A: he grow up? B: He grew up in Seattle, Washington.

5. A: the Gates family? B: It was warm and close.

6. A: Bill and his sisters competitive? B: Because their parents encouraged

them to be competitive.

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GRAMMAR REFERENCE 4: PAST SIMPLE OF THERE + TO BE

PRESENT SIMPLE PAST SIMPLE

There is… There was…
There are… There were…

You use THERE WAS for SINGULAR NOUNS

examples:
There was a meeting.
There was an office.
There was one photocopier.

You use THERE WERE for PLURAL NOUNS

examples:
There were two offices.
There were some customers.
There were a lot of company’s products.

For singular questions with short answers, you use full answers with YES:
(Sing.) Was there a reception in the company yesterday? → Yes, there was.

For plural questions with short answers, you use contractions with NO:
(Plu.) Were there any visitors in the company yesterday? → No, there weren’t.

We use How many with countable nouns.

How many employees were there in your last company?

We use How much with uncountable nouns.

How much space was there in your office last year?

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LESSON 3: TALKING ABOUT INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

What is an International
organization?

An International organization can be defined as an Institution established by a treaty

or other instrument governed by international law and possessing its own
international legal personality. International organizations generally have States as
members, but often other entities can also apply for membership. They both make
international law and are governed by it.

VOCABULARY

Here is a list of top 10 International Organizations. Do you know them? Find the names
In the box and match them with the correct definitions.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Bank

World Trade Organization (WTO) World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
United Nations (UN) North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
World Health Organization (WHO) Group of 8 (G8)
United Nations Educational, Scientific United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

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1 It was established in 1944 and promotes world trade. It has 184 member
Countries. It works to improve the financial condition of its member
countries.

2 This organization was set up in 1946. It encourages countries to get together

on matters such as education, culture and science.

3 It is a part of the United Nations. It promotes health matters worldwide

and aims to raise medical standards and monitor diseases.

4 This organization is made up of the world’s leading industrial countries

(Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, USA and Russia). The head of
the G8 countries meet each year to discuss global issues such as world poverty
and security.
5 It was set up in 1961 and is the world’s largest conservation organization.
its main aims are to protect endangered animals and the places where
they live.
6 This International Financial Institution was founded in 1944 which works on
reducing poverty. It helps developing countries by giving loans.

7 It was set up in 1947. It works to improve the health and welfare of children
and mothers in developing countries.

8 It was founded in 1945. Most countries of the world – a total of 191,

are members. The general assembly of UN makes decision
about peacekeeping and human rights.

9 This organization encourages International trade by establishing trade

agreements between countries. With 153 member countries and consisting
more than 97% of entire world trade, it propagates the International trade
policies.
10 It was founded in 1949 in Washington. The foreign ministers of 10 countries
signed a defense treaty that committed them to helping each other in
the event of attack. There are now 26 country members with headquartered
in Belgium.

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 PRACTICE
A) Read this International Organization

United Nations (UN)

The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945. It is currently made up

of 193 Member States. The headquarters of the United Nations is in New York City, USA.
The mission and work of the United Nations is the maintenance of international peace and
security.
The UN does this by working to prevent conflict; helping parties in conflict make peace;
peacekeeping; and creating the conditions to allow peace. The UN Security Council has the
primary responsibility for international peace and security. The General Assembly and the
Secretary-General play major, important, and complementary roles, along with other UN
offices and bodies.
The United Nations has three additional, subsidiary, regional headquarters, or headquarters
districts. These were opened in Geneva (Switzerland) in 1946, Vienna (Austria) in 1980,
and Nairobi (Kenya) in 1996. These adjunct offices help represent UN interests, facilitate
diplomatic activities, and enjoy certain extraterritorial privileges, but only the main
headquarters in New York City contains the seats of the principal organs of the UN, including
the General Assembly and Security Council.

*This article was extracted from http://www.un.org/en/about-un/.

B) Look up information about a national (local) or an international organization you

would like to work for and complete the table below.

Name of the organization

Year of foundation
Location
Name of countries involved
Name of President, Director, etc.
Main mission or important
activities
Important achievements

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C) Use the information from the table to complete the description of the organization as
follows:

(name of the organization) is a/an (international /national

organization) .
It was founded in (year).
It is located in (cities, countries and/or continents).The headquarter is
in (city, country and/or continent).
The (name of the company) has (number) member
countries. The name of the President, Director, etc is .
The main mission or main activities are

.
In (year) (name of the organization)
(an important event or achievement)

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 Vocabulary and Grammar Exercises:
 Holiday activities, trips, arrangements.
 Wh - questions and Yes- No questions (present and past simple)

.
This part has incomplete sentences. There are four words or phrases, mark A, B, C or D,
under each sentence. Choose the word or phrase that best completes the sentence.

1. Did you ..... she was on 2. The manager and his staff 3. I have lost my pen .....
holidays? usually .... once a week. I borrow yours?
A. know
B. knew A. meet A. Can
C. knowing B. meets B. Have
D. to know C. is meeting C. Does
D. are meeting D. Had

4. Is there. ...... to declare 5. Ms Cooper ..... n 1978. 6. When I was in Madrid, I ....... a
in your baggage? three-year course at a state
university
A. something A. born
B. anything B. is born A. had
C. nothing C. was born B. get
D. any D. were born C. did
D. have

7. Just one hour ago, the 8. He found a job after he 9. I was sure. ........ a mistake in that
flight .... cancelled ........from university. receipt.
because of the snow.

A. is A. admitted A. wasn’t
B. was B. went B. was
C. were C. was C. there was
D. wasn’t D. graduated D. there were

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10. When did you ....... at the 11. Mark and Hilary ........ a 12. Excuse me Sir, did you ......
hotel? year in New York. a single room or a double room?

A. leave A. spent A. lose

B. arrive B. made B. rented
C. arrived C. leave C. book
D. left D. left D. plan

13. Who ....you want to 14. My old car........ 15. They .....some business contacts
invite? economical. It was very during their trip to Brazil.
expensive.
A. do A. made
B. does A. isn’t B. did
C. is B. wasn’t C. had
D. are C. weren’t D. booked
D. was

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 Suggested English interactive software and Websites for further practice

 Recursos virtuales National Geographic – Cengage Learning disponibles mediante clave institucional.

http://www.ucentral.cl/prontusucentral2012/site/edic/base/port/english_program.html

GALE VIRTUAL REFERENCE LIBRARY

- Práctica de gramática y vocabulario:

www.agendaweb.org
www.englishgrammarsecrets.com
www.ego4u.com
http://eslpdf.com
www.english-zone.com

- Práctica de pronunciación http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/pron/

- Videos gramaticales:
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/grammar-vocabulary/grammar-videos

Diccionarios online:
 www.wordreference.com
 www.dictionary.cambridge.org/
 www.ldoceonline.com
 www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

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