Unit 1 Good Show!
Reading Corner
Tears on the Stage and Off
Read the diary entry and complete the exercise.
24 July
Is she there?
The question lingered as the curtain was rising. She didn’t give a
definite ‘yes’ or ‘no’ when I invited her.
5 Moving to the edge of the stage, as required by the script, I failed to
resist the temptation. I cast a quick glance across the audience, but
to no avail. The faces down there were barely visible in dimness. This
a-fraction-of-a-second distraction however was sufficient to make the
lines escape my mind. My mouth was open but I did not hear the words
10 that had automatically come out during rehearsals! I felt sweat running
down my back. My head somehow turned slightly and my eyes squarely
caught the spotlights. The piercing light made my eyes water. It also
brought me back to ‘reality’: the lines came back...
Before leaving the backstage, I browsed through comments on me in the
15 feedback questionnaires: ‘stunning performance’, ‘totally immersed in the
role, with tears streaming down cheeks,’ ‘well done’... My memory lapse
did not seem to have been noticed. I felt relieved. But I felt more
ashamed!
Approaching the theatre entrance, I was thrilled—and tearful!
20 She was there!
Good Show! 3
Comprehension
Choose the best answer and blacken the circle.
1. The writer was looking for .
A. a fellow actor
B. his girlfriend
C. his mother A B C D
D. his sister
2. It was a .
A. play
B. concert
C. movie A B C D
D. stand-up comedy
3. The writer was a/an .
A. actor
B. stagehand
C. script writer A B C D
D. costume designer
4. The writer forgot his .
A. position
Read lines 9–10.
B. rehearsals
C. role A B C D
D. speech
5. The writer felt ashamed (lines 17–18) because he had accidentally the
audience.
A. neglected
B. ignored
C. cheated A B C D
D. forgotten
4 Level Up English Bridging Exercises 3
6. ‘She’ was .
A. in the audience
Where did the
writer find her? B. in the backstage
C. in the toilet A B C D
D. on the stage
CD Vocabulary Corner
B
Words Related to Performance
Fill in the blanks with the words given.
Ep!Zpv flute guitar stand-up comedian breakdancer
Sfnfncfs///@
curtains script scenery props
actresses costume sound effects stagehands
• script (n): 劇本
• props (n): 道具
• costume (n): Lily: Are you serious about putting on a play at
戲服
the school Christmas variety show?
• stagehand (n):
舞台工作人員
Tony: Of course, I am! I actually have got a story
in mind. I will write the (1) .
I need someone who can play the
(2) .
Lily: No one in our class plays any wind instruments.
Tony: Fine. I can change it to string…
Lily: Susan can play the (3) .
Tony: Great! Who can make clothes for actors and (4) ?
Lily: Ann was the (5) designer last year.
Tony: Good.
Good Show! 5
Lily: What kind of (6) do you need?
Tony: A forest, a hill, a river...
Lily: Tracy and John can take care of it.
Tony: We need (7) such as tables, chairs, a bed, etc.
Lily: Who can help move them onto and out of the stage?
Tony: Billy and Sunny are experienced
(8) .
Lily: They will also open and close the
(9) , won’t they?
Tony: Correct.
Lily: What about (10) ?
Tony: Simon knows how to play with amplifiers, loudspeakers, etc.
Lily: So there will be nine members on our team, counting you and me, won’t there?
Tony: Eleven. I also need a
(11) and a
(12) .
Lily: Brian is a great dancer, and Peggy tells funny
jokes.
Tony: Terrific!
6 Level Up English Bridging Exercises 3
Language Corner
’ Participles
I.Present participles
• Form: verb + ing
e.g. taking, walking, standing
• Use:
(i) to express an action happening at the same time as another (both actions
done by the same person)
e.g. Whistling to himself, John walked down the road. (John whistled to
himself as he walked down the road.)
(ii) to express an action happening just before another (both actions done by the
same person)
e.g. Putting on his coat, he left the house. (He put on his coat and left the
house.)
II. Perfect participles
• Form: having + past participle
e.g. having done, having sent
• Use: to express one action happening before another. It emphasizes that the first
action is completed before the second one starts.
e.g. Having read the instructions, he switched on the fax machine.
III. Past participles (passive voice)
• Form:
i. regular verbs (verb + ed or d)
e.g. bumped, chased
ii. irregular verbs
e.g. beaten, bitten
• Use: to express one action which happened just before another. It is used to show
passive voice.
e.g. Bitten by a dog, he cried loudly.
Good Show! 7
A. Combine the sentences by using present participles or perfect participles. The
first two have been done for you as examples.
e.g. Wayne dug through the wardrobe. He
picked a chequered shirt.
Digging through the wardrobe, Wayne
picked a chequered shirt. (or Having dug
through the wardrobe, Wayne picked a
chequered shirt.)
He washed and ironed the shirt very carefully. The
shirt looked fresh and crisp.
Washed and ironed carefully, the shirt looked fresh
and crisp.
1. He made sure it was 6.15. He went out with his
dog.
, he
.
2. He reached the corner shop. He stopped to wait.
,
he .
10 Level Up English Bridging Exercises 3
Writing Corner
Magic Spice for Deliciousness: Sharing
Fill in the blanks with the words given.
spices mean joining without guests
much lesson sharing no nothing
shouldn’t don’t abandon relationship
SCENE 1
MOTHER and SON in living room, a week before ‘Mango Festival’
MOTHER: How many of your friends are
(1) our ‘Mango
Festival’ this year, darling?
SON: None.
MOTHER: What do you (2) ?
SON: I just don’t want anyone to come.
MOTHER: What’s wrong, my dear?
SON: (3) you think it’s unfair? Every year, we prepare food, they
come and eat, and then go.
MOTHER: They’re our (4) , honey!
SON: (5) they have invited me back to a party or so of theirs?
MOTHER: (smiling) Not every mum has the time and kitchen skills to entertain her
children’s friends.
SON: Why can’t they just buy some food and...
MOTHER: Not everyone has as (6) pocket money as you do, and not
every home is as guest-friendly as yours due to one reason or another.
SON: I don’t care. I am inviting (7) one.
MOTHER: You’re sure, a party (8) friends?
SON: (silent and sullen)
12 Level Up English Bridging Exercises 3
Dr Know-all’s Corner
Hi! People call me Dr Know-all because I know
everything.
‘Doggie’ or ‘Doggy’ is a child’s word for ‘Dog’.
A child’s word is usually formed by adding -y
or -ie to the original word. There are exceptions.
Try to match the child’s words with the original words.
Original words Child’s words
cat • • mummy
rabbit • • hanky
father • • kitty
doll • • bunny
handkerchief • • dolly
mother • • daddy
