• ☐ ☐ ☐ a flurry [n] - a lot of activity suddenly
• ☐ ☐ ☐ initiatives [n] - new plans or actions
• ☐ ☐ ☐ a defense secretary [n] - a government official in charge of defense or the military
• ☐ ☐ ☐ rule out [phv] - reject
• ☐ ☐ ☐ NATO [n] - a military alliance of countries (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
• ☐ ☐ ☐ step up [phv] - increase
• ☐ ☐ ☐ a ceasefire [n] - a temporary stop to fighting
• ☐ ☐ ☐ a scam [n] - a dishonest scheme to steal money from people
• ☐ ☐ ☐ a scam center [n] - a place where people work to trick or fool people and take their money
• ☐ ☐ ☐ shut down [phv] - close, stop, end
• ☐ ☐ ☐ the operations [n] - the business
• ☐ ☐ ☐ a strip of land [n] - a long, narrow area of land
• ☐ ☐ ☐ shrink [v] - become smaller
• ☐ ☐ ☐ a block [n] - a large square piece (of ice)

[n] - noun,  [v] - verb,  [phv] - phrasal verb,  [adj] - adjective,  [exp] - expression

1. Donald Trump talked with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy separately.
   True
   False
   
   
2. The new U.S. defense secretary supports Ukraine's membership in NATO.
   True
   False
   
   
3. Egypt and Qatar are trying to maintain the ceasefire deal in Gaza.
   True
   False
   
   
4. Hundreds of people from Thailand have crossed into Myanmar to work in scam centers.
   True
   False
   
   
5. Russia is refusing to rescue some people who are trapped on a floating block of ice.
   True
   False
   
   

Directions: Choose the most natural verb form.

• There's been to be being (been) a flurry of initiatives from the United States on the war in Ukraine, with Donald Trump held to hold holding (holding) separate phone calls with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
• The new US defense secretary has ruled out to rule out ruling out (ruled out) Ukrainian membership of NATO.
• Egypt and Qatar say they're stepped up to step up stepping up (stepping up) diplomatic efforts saved to save saving (to save) the ceasefire deal in Gaza.
• Hundreds of people who've been worked to work working (working) in scam centers in Myanmar have crossed to cross crossing (crossed) into Thailand after attempts shut down to shut down shutting down (to shut down) the operations.
• It all started on Russia's largest island, a one-thousand-kilometer strip of land called to call calling (called) Sakhalin in the far east of Russia.
• So why did a group of Russians floated to float floating (floating) on a shrinking block of ice not want to be rescued to rescue rescuing (rescued) ? Find out later.