NOSTRADAMUS

TOPIC: STRANGE BUT TRUE???
LEVEL: Intermediate 1




Open a new file in Word.
Name your file: Nostradamus

Would you like to learn what's going to happen to us in the future?
Some people claim that it is possible.

To check whether you are one of them go to: http://www.crystalinks.com/nostradamusbio.html

Answer the following questions according to the site. Type all your answers in your WORD-document. Send your answers to your e-mail.

Questions:

1. Who was Nostradamus, according to the information given in the first paragpaph?

2. What events did he predict? 

3. Who taught Nostradamus when he was a child? 

4. Why did his family convert from Judaism? 

5. Find three facts that show that Nostradamus was very clever. 

6. What almost ruined his career as a doctor? 

7. What was he accused of? 

8. Why did his wife's family sue him? 

9. What did he do in order to escape trial? 

10. Where did he settle down for the rest of his life? 

11. Who was his second wife? 

12. When did he begin writing his famous book "Centuries"? 

13. Where and when did he work on his book? 

14. Why was the book called "Centuries"? 

15. What languages is this book written in? 

16. When was the first incomplete version of his book published? 

17. When did Catherine de' Medici send for Nostradamus? 

18. How did the king, Henri II react to Nostradamus' predictions? 

19. What prediction did Catherine de' Medici ask Nostradamus about on their second meeting? 

20. What answer did she get? 

21. Was Nostradamus' prediction accurate this time? Prove your answer.

 22. Why did Nostradamus return to Salon? 

23. What two diseases did he suffer from? 

24. When was the completed book of "Centuries" first published? 

25. What do we know about Nostradamus' prediction of King Henry II's death? 

26. When and how did Nostradamus get the title of Physician in Ordinary?

 27. What prediction did Nostradamus make about his death? 

28. How was he buried? 

29. What do rumors say about Nostradamus' tomb?

Go to the following site:
http://boisdarc.tamu-commerce.edu/www/w/willmc/nostra.htm

30. How many predictions did Nostradamus make? 

31. How many of them have already come true? 

32. What made Nostradamus famous as a physician? 

33. What period of his life is referred to as "three years of happiness"? 

34. Why did Nostradamus throw himself on his knees when he saw a simple monk whose name was Felice Peretti? 

35. What funny story proves that Nostradamus could predict future? 

36. What did he write about the "first tyrannical leader"? 

37. Why do people believe that he wrote it about Napoleon? Give five reasons. 

38. What did Nostradamus write about the second leader? 

39. What makes us believe that it was Hitler? 

40. What did you learn about the third leader? 

41. How did Nostradamus describe the Third World War? 

42. What country is described as "the New Land"? 

43. What city is referred to as "the great new city at 45 degrees"? 

44. Do we have to believe Nostradamus' predictions, according to the opinion of the author of the site? Explain your answer.

Extra

Write a paragraph about 150 or (300) words. Write what you think about Nostradamus' predictions; whether you believe or not that Nostradamus could really predict the future. Describe your feelings and thoughts after you read his last prediction about the Third World War and the end of the world.

Enjoy your work!

(This worksheet was prepared by the tenth grade student Gal Tal.)

colloquial expre

These are colloquial expressions referring to time. Test your command of the language by answering the questions below.

I think we have already done a lot of work . Let's call it _________

Your answer:  over  a day  a stop  in an hour

---

Mary said she does not think she's going to be able to finish all she has to do. It's going to be a ___________ against time.

Your answer:  run  race  quest  walk

---

It's already midday and the boys are still sleeping. It's _________time they got up. Lunch is going to be served soon.

Your answer:  just  short  more than  high

---

Look at the ruins of this castle. It must have been built a long time ago. It's as old as the____________.

Your answer:  hills  rivers  valleys  mountains

---

When you travel by plane to another country far from your own you suffer from jet ________, which means you get tired because of the difference in hours.

Your answer:  speed  plane  lag  log

---

$500 for a hotel room! This is ____________ robbery. How on earth can they charge this sum!

Your answer:  midnight  complete  evening  daylight

---

She avoids seeing you and does not answer the telephone. I believe she does not want to give you an answer. She's ____________ time.

Your answer:  running against  working  going like  playing for

---

Last year I travelled around Europe, visited many interesting places and met many of my friends. I had the time of ____________!

Your answer:  my existence  the millenium  my life  the century

---

We had no trouble with this project. Everything was planned and went like a _______________.

Your answer:  watch  period  clockwork  clock

---

Never ____________ till tomorrow what may be done today.

Your answer:  shut off  send off  hold off  put off

Simple Past or Present Perfect - Exercise

Choose the correct words or phrases.

1) Peter    played has played have played  football yesterday. 2) They    has cleaned have cleaned cleaned  the car. It looks new again. 3) Last year we    went goed have gone  to Italy. 4) John and Peggy    just have read have just read read  the book. Now they can watch the film. 5) I    met have met meeted  my friend two days ago. 6) We    has never visited visited have never visited  another country before. 7) She    has bought buyed bought  a new car in 2005. 8) I'm sorry, but I    forgot has forgotten have forgotten  my homework. 9)    Did you win Have you win Have you won  the game of chess? 10) The girls    did not eat have not eaten has not eaten  their lunch yet.

Past Perfect - Simple Past (Statements) - Exercise

Put the verbs in brackets into the gaps in the correct tense Past Perfect or Simple Past. Example: Pat _________ (to live) in London before he _________ (to move) to Rome. Answer: Pat had lived in London before he moved to Rome.

1) After Fred  (to spend) his holiday in Italy he  (to want) to learn Italian. 2) Jill  (to phone) Dad at work before she  (to leave) for her trip. 3) Susan  (to turn on) the radio after she  (to wash) the dishes. 4) When she  (to arrive) the match  already (to start). 5) After the man  (to come) home he  (to feed) the cat. 6) Before he  (to sing) a song he  (to play) the guitar. 7) She  (to watch) a video after the children  (to go) to bed. 8) After Eric  (to make) breakfast he  (to phone) his friend. 9) I  (to be) very tired because I  (to study) too much. 10) They  (to ride) their bikes before they  (to meet) their friends.

Present Perfect Tense

Put the following words into a sentence in the present perfect tense.

1. they / last / since / marry / summer


2. never / along / they / each / get / with / other


3. recently / not / hear / from / I / her


4. teach / her / Maria / all / life / English


5. call / his / Tom / several / girlfriend / times


6. appear / not / he / since / on / TV / 2005


7.my / I / see / April / since / sister


8. five / Mike / read / summer / so / this / books / far


9. watch / for / TV / hours / Matt / two


10. visit / the / he / museum / month / times / this / three

Present perfect or past tense

1. _____ (you see) any good films recently?


2. When I _____ (was , am ) a kid my dad used to cook wonderful curries.


3. Who _____ (write) that lovely poem?


4. Have you ever written a letter for Valentine's Day? No, I _____.(didn't , haven't )


5. Jim ___ (has ) a fight with his girlfriend last week.

6. The population of India ___ (has/have increase) since 1992.


7. I ____ (has/have listen) to the new Tom Waits CD yet.


8. She _____ (study) Spanish and French when she was at university.

Simple past / past continuous

1. A: What (you, do)  when the accident occurred? 
B: I (try)  to change a light bulb that had burnt out. 

2. After I (find)  the wallet full of money, I (go, immediately)  to the police and (turn)  it in. 

3. The doctor (say)  that Tom (be)  too sick to go to work and that he (need)  to stay at home for a couple of days. 

4. Sebastian (arrive)  at Susan's house a little before 9:00 PM, but she (be, not)  there. She (study, at the library)  for her final examination in French. 

5. Sandy is in the living room watching television. At this time yesterday, she (watch, also)  television. That's all she ever does! 

6. A: I (call)  you last night after dinner, but you (be, not)  there. Where were you? 
B: I (work)  out at the fitness center. 

7. When I (walk)  into the busy office, the secretary (talk)  on the phone with a customer, several clerks (work, busily)  at their desks, and two managers (discuss, quietly)  methods to improve customer service. 

8. I (watch)  a mystery movie on TV when the electricity went out. Now I am never going to find out how the movie ends. 

9. Sharon (be)  in the room when John told me what happened, but she didn't hear anything because she (listen, not) . 

10. It's strange that you (call)  because I (think, just)  about you. 

11. The Titanic (cross)  the Atlantic when it (strike)  an iceberg. 

12. When I entered the bazaar, a couple of merchants (bargain, busily)  and (try)  to sell their goods to naive tourists who (hunt)  for souvenirs. Some young boys (lead)  their donkeys through the narrow streets on their way home. A couple of men (argue)  over the price of a leather belt. I (walk)  over to a man who (sell)  fruit and (buy)  a banana. 

13. The firemen (rescue)  the old woman who (be)  trapped on the third floor of the burning building. 

14. She was so annoying! She (leave, always)  her dirty dishes in the sink. I think she (expect, actually)  me to do them for her. 

15. Samantha (live)  in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she (live)  there when the Berlin Wall came down.