Read about Alaska and volunteering, then practise the passive voice and gerunds.
Read the text carefully, then answer the questions below.
Maria is fifteen years old and lives in Anchorage, Alaska — the biggest city in America's largest state. Alaska is in the far northwest of the USA. It is famous for its mountains, forests and wild animals like bears, moose and bald eagles.
Maria's school has a social project called "Clean Alaska". Every month, the students go to a beach or a park and collect rubbish. They pick up plastic bottles, bags and old cans. Maria says: "It is important because animals can eat the rubbish and get sick."
At school, Maria learned about the product life cycle. A product life cycle shows what happens to a product from start to finish. First, raw materials are collected. Then, the product is made in a factory. After that, it is sold in shops and used by people. Finally, the product is thrown away or recycled. Maria thinks recycling is very important because it helps the environment.
Last month, Maria and her class volunteered at a wildlife centre in Anchorage. They helped feed baby birds and clean the animal cages. Maria loves working with animals. She says: "Volunteering is fun and you learn a lot. I enjoy helping animals because they cannot help themselves."
Complete each sentence with the correct passive form. Think about whether the subject is singular or plural.
We use the passive voice when the action is more important than who does it.
Form: am / is / are + past participle (3rd form)
Active: Workers make plastic bottles. → Passive: Plastic bottles are made by workers.
Singular: The cake is baked every morning.
Plural: The cakes are baked every morning.
Choose the correct gerund (-ing form) to complete each sentence.
A gerund is the -ing form of a verb used as a noun.
As subject: Swimming is fun. / Reading books is my hobby.
After certain verbs: enjoy, like, love, hate, stop, finish, keep, avoid, suggest
I enjoy reading. / She finished cooking.
Write two short paragraphs (6–8 sentences total). Use at least two passive sentences and at least two gerunds.
Paragraph 1 — A social project: Describe a social project at your school or in your town. What is done? Who helps? What is collected or cleaned?
Paragraph 2 — Volunteering: Would you like to volunteer? What kind of volunteering do you enjoy? Why is helping others important?
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