Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect or Past Perfect Continuos. Yesterday a plumber ... (1. come) to our house. He ... (2. want) to repair our washing mashine that ... (break) a few days before. Before he ... (3. ring) the doorbell, he ... (5. look) for a parking space for about ten minutes. While the plumber ... (6. repair) the washing mashine, I ... (7. watch) the news on TV. Suddenly, I ... (8. realise) that they were showing a car accident in our street. While ... (9. listen) carefully to what ... (10. happen), someone ... (11. knock) at my door. I ... (12. open) the door and ... (13. see) a police officer outside. He ... (14. ask) for the plumber. As it ... (15. turn) out, it ... (16. be) outr plumber`s car that ... (17. roll) down the street. In his haste, the plumber ... (18. forget) to put the handbrake on.

1 Alice isn’t interested in looking for a new job.

2 Henry is excited about leaving for India.

3 You are capable of doing better work.

4 I have no excuse of being late.

5 I’m accustomed to having a big breakfast.

6 The rain prevented us from completing the work.

7 Fred is always complaining about having a headache.

8 Instead of studying, Margaret went to a ballgame with some of the friends.

9 Thank you for helping me to carry my suitcases.

10 Mrs. Grant insisted on knowing the whole truth.

11 I believe in being honest at all times.

12 You should take advantage of living here.

13 Fatima had a good reason for not going to class yesterday.

In fact, big ben is the largest of the six bells of westminster palace in london. but it has long been associated with the name of the clock tower, which in september 2012 was officially called “elizabeth tower”. the decision to rename the tower was made by the british parliament to mark the 60th anniversary of the reign of queen elizabeth ii. the tower was built in 1858. the project architect was augustus pugin. the height of the tower and spire is 96.3 m. the palace of westminster, and therefore the tower, is on the parliament square next to westminster abbey. on the opposite side of the palace there is the thames embankment. the clock tower is the largest four-sided clock mechanism in the world, and in addition, with the most accurate clocks. at the base of each of the four clock dials there is a latin inscription “domine salvam fac reginam nostram victoriam primam” (“god save our queen victoria i”). around the perimeter of the tower, on the left and on the right of the clock, there is another phrase in latin – “laus deo” (“glory to god” or “praise the lord”). there used to be a prison in big ben. the last prisoner of big ben was a fighter for women’s rights emmeline pankhurst. now, next to the parliament there is a monument to her.