1. Fill in the gaps with the past perfect simple of the verbs in brackets in the positive or negative.
According to Dr Ken Winkle, Australia’s Red-back spider is colonising the world. Dr Winkle, a venom expert from the University of Melbourne, said that authorities (1) .. had found .. (find) Red-back spiders in Japan and Belgium.
They suspected that spiders or their eggs (2) …………. (enter) these countries along with Australian trading goods. Furthermore, it was extremely likely that the spiders (3) …………. (make) their way into other nations around the world but that people (4) …………. (discover) them yet.
Dr Winkle said the spiders (5) …………. (also/turn up) in the port city of Osaka (which receives a variety of Australian trade goods) in the late 1990s and (6) …………. (multiply) quickly. He said Australian spider experts were collaborating with Japanese officials to find a way to stop the venomous invader.
2. Complete the report with the past simple or past perfect simple of the verbs in brackets.
The chart shows the percentage of people aged 65 and over in the United States between 1900 and 2000. In the year 1900 just over 4% of the population (1) .. was.. (be) aged over 65. However. by 1960 this figure (2) …..(double)
The number of people aged between 75 and 84 (3) …… (remain) fairly steady between 1900 and 1930. making up only 1-1.3% of the population. The figure (4) ……… (begin) to rise more significantly in 1940 and by 1970 it (5) ………… (triple)to reach 3% of the population.
Although there (6) …… (be) no change in the number of people aged 65-74 between 1960 and 1970. the number of people aged 75 and over (7) ……(increase) during this time. . By the year 2000, 12.4% of the US population (8) ………….. (reach) the age of 65 or more, although this was slightly lower than in 1990 when it (9) …… (peak) at 12.6%
The chart shows that today people in the United States can expect to live longer than in 1900. By the year 2000 more than 12% of the population (10) …… (manage) to five to the age of 65 and over compared to only 4.1% in 1900.
3. Fill in the gaps with the past simple, past perfect simple or past perfect continuous of the verbs in brackets.
Last year my friends .. arranged..(1 arrange) for us to try fire-walking, which is when you walk on hot coals. I ………. (2 always/be) fascinated by it and I …………(3 hear) people say it was an unforgettable experience.
I was very excited when I ………… (4 arrive) on the day, although beforehand I ………… (5 feel) a little frightened! My friends and I ………… (6 come) in the hope that by the end of the day we would be able to say we ………… (7 walk) across hot, burning coals.
Our teacher was very good, and by teatime we ………… (8 learnt) a great deal and ………… (9 prepare) the fires. I ………… (10 expect) to be terrified when the time came to walk, but as I ………… (11 take off) my shoes and socks I ………… (12 not/feel) afraid.
I …………(13 approach) the coals as all my friends before me ………… (14 do), and started walking! I could feel the heat, but as I ………… (15 step) back onto the grass at the other end and I knew the coals ………… (16 not/burn) my feet at all. As I ………… (17 hope), all my friends ………… (18 manage) the walk and none of us were burnt. The whole experience was amazing, and I just wished I ………… (19 do) it sooner.
4. Fill in the gaps with a verb from the box in the past simple, past perfect simple or past perfect continuous tense. Use each verb once.
be – buy – decide – develop – discuss – feel – like – make – phone – run – start – stay – take – visit – wait – work
She …‘d been working…… as a waitress for five years when he met her.
The lecture ……………. by the time they got there.
In the supermarket he …………….all the ingredients he needed and then went home to make her birthday cake.
Holly did very well in her exam, which was a shock because she ……………. (never) an exam before.
They went on a big tour of Britain. First they ……………. in London for a few days. Then they ……. Cambridge, York, and Edinburgh, and then Bath. They ……………. to Bath before, but they ……………. it so much that they ……………. to go back again.
Scientists announced the launch of the new drug last week. They ……………. It for five years.
By the time I got to the meeting they ……………. (already) the important issues and they ……….. the big decisions without me. I ……………. from my mobile to tell them the train was late and I ……………. annoyed that they ……………. (not) for me.
I looked terrible when I saw Joe last night because I ……………. for over an hour and I was exhausted.
