The Beauty and the Beast – A first glance
Netherlands has a very special
relationship with the water. If, on the one band, the water is a constant
source of threat posed by the risk of floods, it is also the water that gives
the country the beautiful postcard scenes formed by the canals that cut its
cities.
Holland, as the Netherlands is also known,
is located in a low-lying delta where large rivers run into the sea so the land
is very vulnerable to storms and tides. After the flood disaster in 1953, when
over 1800 people died, the government took strong measures ti prevent the
disaster from happening again and that included the building of more dams and
higher dikes.
In spite of the problems caused by water, one can’t belp marveling at the beauty of the canals. These waterways, however, are not only a pleasure to the eyes. They have a practical side too. It is through the canals that goods are transported from inland regions to the sea. They are also the yards of thousands who live on houseboats, which, by the way, have become very expensive because of their popularity. In Amsterdam, the canals are used for recreation as well. In winter, when the canals freeze, the Dutch take out their ice skates and glide along them. Unfortunately, due to global warming, the canals rarely freeze now.
1. Fill in the blanks with who, which,
whose or whom:
Last Sunday I met Deborah, you know, the
girl _____ was overweight and felt embarrassed even
to get on a bus? Well, she is much thinner now. She told me she had gone on a
diet _____ was really worthwhile. The girl _____
shyness pushed people away in our school has gone. Besides the diet, she also
did exercises _____ helped her lose more
weight. She also told me that her parents, _____
have always supported her, were really a source of encouragement in the difficult
days. Now she is engaged to Jason O’Connor. Do you remember him? He is the guy _____
I used to dream about. Exactly the same guy _____
looks and brains made every girl sigh as he passed by. Anyway, it seems that
the wedding will be coming soon. They’ve already bought a house, _____
is simply marvelous. I couldn’t resist it when she invited me to go there.
Jason was there, and the couple looked so happy together that it made me wish I
could find a partner _____ would make me
as happy as they were.
2. Combine the following sentences using who, which, whom or whose. Use commas whenever it is necessary:
a) The girl wanted to talk about
cholesterol. I was trying to get away from her.
b) Cholesterol can be activated to form
vitamin D. It’s a constituent of all animal fats and oils.
c) People generally develop
arteriosclerosis. Their levels of blood cholesterol are high.
d) Those products should be avoided by
these people. The cholesterol content of those products is very high.
e) Vegetarianism has attracted many
followers all over the world. It is the practice of eating only food from the
vegetable kingdom.
f) Most vegetarians oppose the use of both
agricultural chemicals and food processing. I talked to them.
g) Purist vegetarians reject all foods
derived from animals including dairy products. They are known as vegan.
3. Rewrite the sentences below without changing their meanings:
a) The instructor was wearing blue shorts.
The shorts which the instructor was wearing were blue.
b) Daisy bought vegetables at the
supermarket, but they weren’t very fresh.
The vegetables _______________.
c) We met Susan’s boyfriend yesterday and
he told us she was sick.
Susan _______________.
d) I was run over by an old lady riding a
bicycle.
An old lady _______________.
e) The best book she read was The Catcher in the Rye, written by J. D.
Salinger.
The
Catcher in the Rye _______________.
4. Complete the sentences with an appropriate relative pronoun; if the omission is possible, use the symbol Ø.
a) Peter, _________
younger brother is five, has an older sister who is 25.
b) The book _________
you gave me is terrific.
c) That is the man _________
house was destroyed by fire.
d) What did you do with the money _________
your mother gave you?
e) The man _________
lives across the street is a dentist.
f) My sister bought a blouse _________
has only two buttons.
g) The girl _________
you met in the park yesterday is my neighbor.
h) A prize was given to the school _________
students collected clothes and food for the homeless.
