Changes 2

A. Look at these sentences and decide if the statement which follows each one is true or false. Use the words and expressions in bold to help you decide.

1. The population of the country has trebled (v-tăng gấp ba) in the last 25 years.

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of people living in the country.

2. Unemployment has dropped by about 2% every year for the last six years.

There has been a steady decrease (adj-đều đặn) in the number of people out of work.

3. The government has spent a lot of money improving roads around the country.

There has been a deterioration (n-sự suy giản) in the national road system.

4. The number of exam passes achieved by the school’s pupils has risen by almost 50%.

There has been a decline (n-sự suy giảm) in the number of exam passes.

5. American travellers abroad have discovered that they can buy more foreign currency (n-ngoại tệ)) with their dollar.
There has been a weakening (n-sự suy yếu) of the dollar.

6. It is now much easier to import goods into the country than it was a few years ago.

There has been a tightening up of border controls. (n-thắt chặt)

7. We’re increasing our stocks of coal before the winter begins.

We’re running down our stocks of coal. (chạy xuống)

8. Prices have gone up by about 4% every year since 1998.

There has been a constant rise (n-gia tăng liên tục về) in the rate of inflation.

9. The pass rate for the exam was 3% lower this year than it was last year.

There has been a sharp fall in the pass rate.

10. The alliance (n-liên minh) are going to reduce the number of conventional (quy ước) weapons in their armed forces.

The alliance are going to build up the number of weapons they have.

11. Deflation (sự giảm lạm phát) has adversely affected industries around the country.

There has been a growth in industrial activity.

12. The rules are much stricter now than they were before.

There has been a relaxation (n-nới lỏng) of the rules.

13. Last year, 12% of the population worked in industry and 10% worked in agriculture. This year, 14% of the population work in industry and 8% work in agriculture (n-nông nghiệp).

There has been a narrowing of the gap between those working in different sectors (n-lĩnh vực) of the economy.

14. Some management roles in the company will not exist this time next year.

Some management roles are going to be phased out. (v-được loại bỏ)

15. More people are shopping at large supermarkets rather than small village shops.

There has been an upward trend (n-xu hướng đi lên) in the number of people shopping in small village shops.

16. Her English is clearly better now than it was when she first arrived.

There has been marked progress (n-tiến bộ rõ rệt về) in her English.

17. People live in better houses, drive nicer cars and eat higher-quality food than they did twenty years ago.

There has been a general improvement (n-cải thiện chung) in the standard of living.

18. Our company has opened factories in France, Germany and Italy in the last five years.

Our company has witnessed (v-chứng kiến) considerable expansion in the last five years.

19. The government will spend less (v-chi tiêu ít vào) on the National Health Service next year.

There are going to be cuts in healthcare spending next year.

20. British people nowadays want to see more of the world.

British people nowadays want to narrow their horizons (v-thu hẹp tầm nhìn).

B. Check your answers, then use some of the words and expressions in bold above and in the answer key to write some sentences about your country.

Answers:
A.
1. True 2. True 3. False: there has been an improvement 4. False: there has been an increase 5. False: there has been a strengthening of the dollar 6. False: there has been a relaxation of border controls 7. False: we’re increasing or building up our stocks of coal 8. True 9. False: there has been a slight fall 10. False: they’re going to decrease the number 11. False: there has been a decline 12. False: there has been a tightening up of the rules 13. False: there has been a widening of the gap 14. True 15. False: there has been a downward trend 16. True 17. True 18. True 19. True 20. False: British people want to broaden their horizons
Most of the words in this task can be verbs as well as nouns. Use a dictionary to check which ones.

Other words and expressions which you might find useful include:
raise / lower / shrink (v-co lại, rút) / extend / introduce / enlarge (v-khuếch trương, mở rộng) / drop in ability / open / close / lessen (v-giảm bớt) / heighten (v-tăng thêm, tăng cường) / lower / deepen (v-đào sâu thêm) / stretch (v-duỗi ra) / extend (v-kéo dài, mở rộng) / spread (v-trải, trải rộng) / widen (v-lan rộng ra) / shorten (v-thu ngắn lại)