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Reading Worksheet

Getting Ready for the Party

A2 Present Continuous: Temporary Situations Family 25 minutes
Before You Read

Discuss these questions with a partner before you read.

  • Do you enjoy birthday parties? What do you usually do to celebrate a birthday in your family?
  • Have you ever organised a surprise for someone? What happened?
  • Think about a normal Saturday afternoon in your home. What do different family members usually do?
  • What is the most memorable birthday celebration you have ever had or been to? Tell your partner.
Key Vocabulary
Word Definition Example
decorate (v.) to make something look more attractive by adding things to it Paulo is decorating the garden with balloons.
recipe (n.) a set of instructions for making food or a drink Luisa is trying a new recipe for the cake.
celebrate (v.) to do something enjoyable for a special occasion The family is celebrating Avó Rosa's birthday.
surprise (n.) something unexpected and pleasing The party is a surprise for the grandmother.
invitation (n.) a card or message asking someone to an event The invitations went out three weeks ago.
temporary (adj.) lasting for only a limited time Paulo's decorating job is temporary — he does it once a year.
Reading Text
Blog Post ~200 words

Getting Ready for the Party

It is Saturday afternoon and the Santos family is very busy. Tonight, they are celebrating a special birthday — it is Avó Rosa's 70th birthday. Avó Rosa is the grandmother. She does not know about the party. She thinks the family is just having a quiet dinner together.

Paulo is the father. Usually, he reads the newspaper in the garden on Saturday afternoons. Today, he is not reading. He is hanging colourful balloons in the garden and is decorating the fence with lights. He is working very hard.

Luisa, the mother, is in the kitchen. She usually bakes simple cakes at the weekend, but today she is trying a new chocolate recipe. It smells wonderful. She is checking the oven every few minutes.

Marco is their sixteen-year-old son. He usually spends Saturday afternoons in his room listening to music. Today, he is not in his room. He is helping his father in the garden and is carrying boxes of decorations outside.

The twins, Ana and Pedro, are nine years old. They usually watch TV after lunch. This afternoon, they are not watching TV. They are sitting at the kitchen table and are making a big birthday card for their grandmother. They are being very quiet and careful.

The dog, Bolinha, is running around the house excitedly. He does not understand what is happening, but he knows something special is coming.

Notice the Grammar

Look back at the article. Find five sentences that use the present continuous (is/are + -ing). Write them below. Then discuss with a partner: how is the present continuous different from the present simple in this article?

1 Reading for Gist

Answer these questions in a few words.

  1. What is the Santos family doing today?
  2. Whose birthday is it?
  3. Does Avó Rosa know about the party?
2 Reading for Detail

Answer these questions. Write short answers.

  1. What does Paulo usually do on Saturday afternoons?
  2. What is Luisa trying today that is different from usual?
  3. Where is Marco usually on Saturday afternoons?
  4. What are the twins making?  a) A birthday cake b) A birthday card c) Party decorations 
  5. How is Bolinha the dog behaving?
3 True, False, or Not Given

Write T (True), F (False), or NG (Not Given). Use only information from the article.

  1. The party is a surprise for Avó Rosa.
  2. Paulo usually decorates the garden every Saturday.
  3. Luisa is using a recipe she has made many times before.
  4. The twins are being quiet while they make the card.
  5. Avó Rosa sent the invitations for the party.
4 Vocabulary in Context

Answer these questions about words and phrases in the article.

  1. In paragraph 2, what does 'decorating' mean?  a) cleaning and tidying a space b) making something look more attractive by adding things c) building or fixing something 
  2. In paragraph 6, the writer says Bolinha 'does not understand what is happening, but he knows something special is coming'. What does this tell us about the dog?
  3. Find a word in paragraph 1 that means 'to do something enjoyable to mark a special occasion'. Write it here. 
  4. In paragraph 3, what does 'trying a new recipe' mean? Write your own definition.
5 Grammar in Context

Complete these activities. Go back to the article.

  1. Find two sentences in the article that contrast a regular habit (present simple) with what is happening today (present continuous). Write them.
    a)  b) 
  2. We use the present continuous for temporary activities. Complete this rule: We use the present continuous when something is happening ___ and will not continue forever — it is different from the normal routine.
  3. Which sentence shows a TEMPORARY situation?  a) Luisa usually bakes at weekends. b) Luisa is baking a special cake today. c) Luisa baked a cake last night. 
  4. Write the present continuous form of these verbs: (a) hang → ___ (b) run → ___ (c) make → ___ (d) try → ___
  5. Think of something unusual you are doing this week — something you do not normally do. Write two sentences: one about your normal routine (present simple) and one about this week (present continuous).
Personal Response — Discuss with a partner

Discuss these questions with a partner. Then share one idea with the class.

  1. Marco usually listens to music in his room, but today he is helping his father. Do you think it is important for teenagers to help with family events? How much do you help at home?
  2. Avó Rosa's party is a surprise. Do you like surprise parties, or do you prefer to know about celebrations in advance? Why?
  3. The whole Santos family is doing something different today. What does this tell us about them as a family? How does your family prepare for special occasions?

Answer Key

Getting Ready for the Party — A2 — Present Continuous: Temporary Situations

Exercise 1 — Reading for Gist

  1. They are getting ready for a surprise birthday party.
  2. Avó Rosa's — the grandmother's. It is her 70th birthday.
  3. No. She thinks the family is just having a quiet dinner.

Exercise 2 — Reading for Detail

  1. He reads the newspaper in the garden.
  2. She is trying a new chocolate recipe / a recipe she does not normally use.
  3. In his room, listening to music.
  4. b)
  5. He is running around the house excitedly.

Exercise 3 — True, False, or Not Given

  1. T — Paragraph 1: 'She does not know about the party.'
  2. F — Paragraph 2: 'Usually, he reads the newspaper in the garden on Saturday afternoons.' Today is different from his normal routine.
  3. F — Paragraph 3: 'today she is trying a new chocolate recipe' — it is a new recipe.
  4. T — Paragraph 5: 'They are being very quiet and careful.'
  5. NG — The article does not say who sent the invitations or whether invitations were sent at all.

Exercise 4 — Vocabulary in Context

  1. b)
  2. He can sense the excitement / he responds to the unusual activity in the house, even if he does not understand why.
  3. celebrating
  4. Making food using a set of instructions that you have not used before / testing a new way of cooking something.

Exercise 5 — Grammar in Context

  1. a) 'Usually, he reads the newspaper in the garden on Saturday afternoons. Today, he is not reading. He is hanging colourful balloons in the garden...' b) 'They usually watch TV after lunch. This afternoon, they are not watching TV. They are sitting at the kitchen table and are making a big birthday card...'
  2. now / at the moment / today / temporarily / right now
  3. b)
  4. (a) is/are hanging (b) is/are running (c) is/are making (d) is/are trying
  5. Answers will vary. Answers will vary. Check: present simple for the regular habit, present continuous (am/is/are + -ing) for the temporary

Notice the Grammar — suggested answers

Accept any five correct examples from the article that use the target grammar. Students should be able to explain why the grammar is used in each case.

Personal Response

Answers will vary. This section is for spoken discussion or short written response. There are no single correct answers.