A Cleaner River
Do more with this exercise
Read how a small group makes a plan for the river near their town. Then answer the questions.
Reading text
bank
the land beside a rivercloudy
not clear because of dirt or other materiallitter
rubbish left outsidepolluted
made dirty or harmful by wastebank
the land beside a rivervolunteers
people who help without being paidcouncil
the local group responsible for public servicescouncil
the local group responsible for public servicesvolunteers
people who help without being paidbank
the land beside a riverwrappers
pieces of paper or plastic around foodcouncil
the local group responsible for public servicesbank
the land beside a rivernoticeboard
a board for public messagesPractice exercises
Choose the correct answer
Read the story and choose the best answer.
1.What first showed Nia how the river had changed?
2.Why did the group stay out of the water?
3.What did Ravi collect on Saturday?
4.When was the water test planned?
Right or wrong?
Decide whether each statement agrees with the text.
5.Nia and Ravi asked the council to test the water.
6.The volunteers cleaned the path and the river water on Saturday.
7.The council promised more bins near the path.
Complete the sentence
Use a word or phrase from the story.
Listen and choose
Listen to each sentence and choose the answer.
11.Where did the group decide to clean?
12.Who could help keep the path clean?
13.What did the council promise beside the path?
Listen and write
Listen and type the sentence you hear.
14.Listen and write the sentence.
15.Listen and write the sentence.
16.Listen and write the sentence.
Frequently asked questions
What level is this story?
It is written for B1 learners and practises the second conditional and wishes about the present.
How should I use the story?
Read it first, answer the questions and then replay the audio before trying the dictations.
Does the story say the river is safe now?
No. The volunteers cleaned the bank, but the water had not been tested yet.
Answer key
1. What first showed Nia how the river had changed?
Answer: An old photograph
Ravi showed her a photograph of the river ten years earlier.
2. Why did the group stay out of the water?
Answer: The teacher advised a safety check first
Their teacher said nobody should enter the river without a safety check.
3. What did Ravi collect on Saturday?
Answer: Food wrappers
Ravi collected old food wrappers near the river.
4. When was the water test planned?
Answer: The following month
The council planned the test for the month after its reply.
5. Nia and Ravi asked the council to test the water.
Answer: True
They sent photographs and asked for a water test.
6. The volunteers cleaned the path and the river water on Saturday.
Answer: False
They cleaned the path and bank, but stayed out of the water.
7. The council promised more bins near the path.
Answer: True
Its reply promised more bins beside the path.
8. If the council tested the water, they ___ the problem better.
Answer: would understand
The second conditional uses would plus a base verb in the result.
9. Nia ___ the river were cleaner.
Answer: wished
Wished introduces an unreal present situation.
10. If more neighbours joined them, they ___ the path clean.
Answer: could keep
Could keep expresses a possible result in the imagined situation.
11. Listening question 11: The group decided to clean only the path and bank with adult volunteers.
Answer: On the path and bank
They chose the path and bank, not the river water.
12. Listening question 12: If more neighbours joined them next month, they could keep the path clean.
Answer: More neighbours
The sentence imagines more neighbours joining the group.
13. Listening question 13: It also promised more bins beside the path and a sign about protecting the river.
Answer: More bins
The reply promised more bins beside the path.
14. Dictation 14
Answer: Nia wished the river were cleaner, but she did not know the first step.
Wished presents a different imagined state of the river.
15. Dictation 15
Answer: If the council tested the water, they would understand the problem better.
The imagined test leads to a possible benefit.
16. Dictation 16
Answer: If more neighbours joined them next month, they could keep the path clean.
Could gives a possible result of more people joining.