B2 - lesson 10
Survive the Unexpected!
Weather disasters, medical mysteries, airport chaos, and grammar that makes you think twice.
B2 Upper-Intermediate Vocabulary + Grammar Reading + SpeakingYour mission: Complete the challenges, earn points, and prove that your English is ready for real life.
🗺️ Your adventure dashboard
Complete the quizzes and final challenge to track your progress.
0% of scored challenges completed
Weather detective
Health & medicine
Airport survival
Grammar lab
Funny reading story
Speaking challenge
🔥 1. Warm-up: Would you rather…?
Forget boring textbook questions. Choose a side, explain your answer, and try to convince your teacher that your choice is the best one.
Would you rather spend a week in a tropical storm or a week in a heatwave of 40°C?
Explain how you would survive.
Would you rather never catch a cold again or never feel tired again?
Which would improve your life more?
Would you rather lose your luggage or discover that your flight has been delayed by 12 hours?
Defend your choice!
Would you rather sneeze every time you lie or hiccup every time you speak English?
Which would be worse in a job interview?
You're ill, it's raining heavily, and your phone battery is at 1%. What do you do first?
Would you rather always know what the weather will be or never get ill again?
Explain the advantages and disadvantages.
🎲 Random speaking question
Click the button for a surprise B2 question!
🌦️ 2. Mission One: Weather Detective
Can you describe extreme weather, make predictions, and talk about how weather affects people's lives?
Vocabulary flashcards
Click a card to reveal the meaning and an example.
Weather language: sound more advanced
Instead of: “It's raining a lot.”
Try: “It's pouring down.” / “We're having torrential rain.”
Instead of: “It's very hot.”
Try: “It's scorching.” / “We're in the middle of a heatwave.”
Instead of: “The weather is getting worse.”
Try: “The weather is deteriorating.” / “A storm seems to be approaching.”
🌦️ Weather quiz
1. The roads were flooded after several hours of ______ rain.
2. Visibility was extremely poor because of ______ fog.
3. It was so hot that we spent the afternoon in an air-conditioned building. There was a ______.
4. A sudden ______ of wind knocked the umbrella out of my hand.
5. The sky is getting darker and we can hear thunder. A thunderstorm ______.
🎤 Weather speaking mission
Choose one situation and speak for 45–60 seconds.
Situation A: You're on holiday and a hurricane warning has been issued. Explain your plan.
Situation B: You planned an outdoor birthday party, but torrential rain has ruined your plans. Suggest alternatives.
Situation C: Describe the most unusual weather you've experienced. How did it affect your plans?
Challenge yourself to use at least four weather expressions from this section.
🩺 3. Mission Two: Health & Medicine
Revise symptoms, treatments, medical conversations, and the language people use when they are feeling unwell.
Medical vocabulary cards
At the doctor's: useful expressions
Doctor:
What seems to be the problem?
Patient:
I've been feeling exhausted for the past few days, and I've had a headache since yesterday.
Doctor:
Have you taken anything for it?
Patient:
I've tried resting, but I haven't taken any medication yet.
Doctor:
Are you allergic to any medication?
Patient:
Not that I know of.
💊 Medical English quiz
1. “I've been feeling dizzy” means:
2. If a doctor prescribes medication, they:
3. Which sentence is most natural?
4. An unwanted effect of a medicine is called:
5. “I'm coming down with something” means:
🎭 Role-play: The world's most dramatic patient
Student: You have a headache, a runny nose, and feel exhausted. Explain your symptoms and answer the doctor's questions.
Teacher: Ask when the symptoms started, whether the patient has taken medication, and whether they have any allergies.
Try to use:
I've been feeling… I've had… since… I've tried… I haven't taken… yet. It started when…✈️ 4. Mission Three: Airport Survival
Your flight is boarding, the airport is crowded, and your suitcase appears to have developed a personality of its own. Can you handle it in English?
Check in, show your passport, drop off checked baggage.
Go through security, show travel documents, answer questions.
Check the departure board, board the plane, find your seat.
Collect luggage, check the baggage carousel, report lost baggage.
Ask about delays, cancellations, rebooking, or connections.
Go through immigration, collect luggage, pass customs if required.
Airport vocabulary cards
🛫 Airport emergency quiz
1. Your flight has been cancelled. What should you ask the airline?
2. You have 45 minutes before your connecting flight, and your first flight has landed late. You are worried about:
3. Where do you usually collect your checked suitcase after landing?
4. You want to take a small bag into the cabin. You ask about:
5. You need to travel on a different flight. You want to:
🎭 Role-play: At the airline service desk
Airline employee:
Hello. How can I help you?
Passenger:
My flight has been cancelled, and I need to reach Boston today. Could you tell me what my options are?
Airline employee:
Let me check. There is another flight this evening, but it has a long layover.
Passenger:
I see. Is there an earlier flight, or could you rebook me for tomorrow?
Your situation: Your flight is delayed, your phone is almost dead, and you have a connecting flight. Ask about your options, the departure gate, and whether you can charge your phone.
🧠 5. Grammar Lab: Four B2 challenges
These structures are easy to confuse. Revise the rules, then complete the challenges.
Grammar A: Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Continuous
Present Perfect: have/has + past participle (V3)
Focus: results, completed actions with a present connection, experiences, or states.
“I've lost my boarding pass.” — The result matters now.
“I've visited New York twice.” — Life experience.
“I've known her for years.” — A state continuing until now.
Present Perfect Continuous: have/has + been + verb-ing
Focus: duration, ongoing activity, or recent activity with visible evidence.
“I've been waiting for two hours.” — Duration and activity.
“She's been running, so she's out of breath.” — Recent activity with evidence.
I've written three emails. → Focus on the number completed.
I've been writing emails all morning. → Focus on the activity and duration.
I've lived here for five years. / I've been living here for five years. → Both are possible with many verbs; the continuous form emphasizes the ongoing activity or situation.
Watch out: Stative verbs such as know, believe, own and understand are not normally used in continuous forms when describing states.
Grammar B: I wish + past simple / past perfect
I wish + past simple = a present situation you want to be different.
“I wish I lived closer to the airport.” — I don't live close to it.
“I wish I knew more medical vocabulary.” — I don't know enough.
I wish + past perfect = regret about the past.
“I wish I had booked an earlier flight.” — I didn't book one.
“I wish I hadn't eaten so much before the flight.” — I ate too much.
Grammar C: I wish + would / could
I wish + would + base verb expresses a wish for a situation or someone's behaviour to change, often when we feel annoyed.
“I wish the airline would answer the phone.”
“I wish it would stop raining.”
I wish + could + base verb expresses a wish about ability or possibility.
“I wish I could speak five languages.”
“I wish we could leave earlier.”
We don't normally use “I wish I would…” to describe a simple wish for our own ability or present state. Use “I wish I could…” for ability, or “I wish I were…” / “I wish I had…” for a present situation.
Grammar D: If only…
If only + past simple: a strong wish about the present.
“If only I had more time!”
If only + past perfect: a strong regret about the past.
“If only we had checked the departure board!”
If only + would: a strong wish for something to change.
“If only the baby would stop crying on the plane!”
Quick comparison table
| Meaning | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present wish | wish + past simple | I wish I had more time. |
| Past regret | wish + past perfect | I wish I had left earlier. |
| Desired change | wish + would | I wish it would stop raining. |
| Lack of ability | wish + could | I wish I could fly. |
| Strong wish / regret | If only + past / past perfect | If only I'd checked! |
🧩 6. Grammar Battle: Can you get them all right?
Choose the best answer. Some questions test meaning, not just form.
1. I've been waiting for my flight ______ three hours.
2. My suitcase is missing! I ______ the baggage desk twice already.
3. She looks exhausted because she ______ all night.
4. I wish I ______ more confident when speaking English.
5. I wish I ______ travel business class, but I can't afford it.
6. I wish we ______ an earlier flight. Now we'll miss the wedding.
7. This noise is driving me crazy. I wish the passengers ______ shouting.
8. If only I ______ my medication before leaving home! It's still on my desk.
9. I've ______ this headache since yesterday morning.
10. If only the weather ______ improve before our outdoor concert!
11. He ______ three doctors this week, but he still hasn't found an answer.
12. I wish I ______ how to explain this symptom more clearly.
😂 7. Reading: The Flight That Changed Everything
A comedy of errors. Read the story and pay attention to the present perfect, present perfect continuous, and wish structures.
Emma has always considered herself an excellent traveller. She has visited twelve countries, has never lost a suitcase, and once found the correct departure gate without asking anyone for help. Naturally, she believes she is practically a professional pilot.
Unfortunately, her confidence has been growing faster than her common sense.
For the past two weeks, Emma has been preparing for a very important holiday. She has checked the weather forecast every morning, packed and unpacked her suitcase seven times, and watched approximately four hundred videos about airport security. She even bought a neck pillow shaped like a giant avocado.
“I wish I had booked a direct flight,” she told her best friend. “But the connecting flight was cheaper, and I'm excellent at travelling.”
On the day of departure, torrential rain was falling. Emma arrived at the airport three hours early and immediately started looking for her gate. After walking around for twenty minutes, she discovered that she had been reading the wrong departure board. Her flight was in another terminal.
“If only I had paid attention!” she groaned. “I wish airports would stop having seventeen thousand signs that all look the same.”
She finally reached the gate, sweating and carrying her enormous suitcase. A cheerful airline employee smiled at her.
“Good morning! Could I see your boarding pass, please?”
Emma proudly showed him her phone. Unfortunately, her phone battery had died five minutes earlier.
“I wish I had charged my phone last night,” she whispered. “Actually, I wish I could travel without technology. People used to cross oceans with a map and a sandwich, didn't they?”
The employee printed another boarding pass. Emma ran onto the plane, found her seat, and finally relaxed. She had been travelling for almost six hours already, even though she hadn't left the airport.
Then came the announcement.
“Ladies and gentlemen, due to severe weather conditions, we are unable to depart at this time.”
Emma stared at the ceiling. “I wish the weather would cooperate. I wish I were on a beach. I wish I had stayed in bed. I wish I could become a person who enjoys travelling.”
After two hours, the plane finally took off. Emma celebrated by opening her bag and taking out her emergency snack: a banana. Unfortunately, the banana had been sitting at the bottom of her suitcase next to a bottle of shampoo. The banana was now less a fruit and more a science experiment.
“If only I had packed my snacks separately!” she cried.
The passenger beside her politely offered a biscuit. Emma accepted it with the gratitude of someone who had just survived a polar expedition.
Things seemed to be improving until the plane landed and Emma discovered that her suitcase had gone missing.
At the baggage desk, an employee asked her to describe it.
“It's a large blue suitcase with a pink ribbon,” Emma explained. “I've been looking for it for twenty minutes.”
“And what is inside?”
Emma thought for a moment. “Clothes, shoes, a hairdryer, three books, my favourite sweater, a second neck pillow shaped like an avocado, and… oh.”
“Oh?” asked the employee.
“My actual medication is in that suitcase.”
The employee immediately explained how to file a baggage report and advised her to speak to the airline about the next steps. Emma followed the instructions, kept the report reference, and checked what she needed to do about her medication.
At last, she reached her hotel. She had been travelling for fourteen hours, had eaten one questionable banana and half a biscuit, and had spent more time in airports than in the air.
She fell onto the bed and sent her friend a message:
“I've learned three important things today. First, charge your phone. Second, never trust a banana. Third, I wish holidays came with a personal assistant.”
Then she looked at the weather forecast for the next day. Thunderstorms were expected.
Emma slowly closed her phone.
“If only I had booked a holiday on Mars.”
📖 Reading comprehension
1. Why did Emma choose a connecting flight?
2. Why couldn't Emma show her boarding pass on her phone?
3. What was wrong with her emergency banana?
4. What happened to Emma's suitcase?
5. Which sentence expresses regret about a past action?
6. What did Emma do when she discovered her luggage was missing?
🔍 Grammar detective: find the evidence
Find one example of each structure in the story. Write the exact sentence or phrase.
Present perfect: “She has checked the weather forecast every morning.”
Present perfect continuous: “She has been preparing for a very important holiday.”
I wish + past perfect: “I wish I had booked a direct flight.”
I wish + would: “I wish the weather would cooperate.”
There are several correct examples in the story, so your wording may be different.
😂 Story discussion
- What was Emma's biggest mistake?
- Which moment was the funniest, and why?
- What should she have done before leaving home?
- Have you ever experienced a travel disaster? Tell the story.
- What three things would you put in your carry-on bag to avoid Emma's problems?
- If you were Emma, what would you do differently?
🔄 8. Sentence Transformation Challenge
Rewrite the sentences using the word or structure given. This is a classic B2-style skill.
1. I started waiting for the doctor two hours ago, and I'm still waiting.
Use: BEEN
2. I didn't book travel insurance. Now I regret it.
Use: WISH
3. I don't know how to explain my symptoms in English.
Use: COULD
4. The airline keeps changing the departure time, and I'm annoyed.
Use: WOULD
5. It would have been better to check the weather forecast.
Use: IF ONLY
6. I began feeling ill on Monday, and I still feel ill.
Use: SINCE
🎤 9. B2 Speaking Arena
Choose a card. You have 30 seconds to prepare and 60–90 seconds to speak. Try to use linking expressions, advanced vocabulary, and at least one target grammar structure.
How does extreme weather affect tourism, public health, and people's everyday routines?
Use: although, as a result, increasingly, to cope with.
Do people take their health seriously enough? What changes have you made to your lifestyle?
Use: I've been trying to…, I've noticed that…, I wish I could…
Has air travel become more convenient or more stressful? Explain your opinion.
Use: despite, whereas, on the one hand, on the other hand.
What do people usually regret when they travel? What advice would you give your younger self?
Use: I wish I had…, If only I had…, I wish I could…
Could you travel for a week without your phone? What would be difficult?
Use: I wish I could…, I've become accustomed to…, unless.
Tell a story about a day when several things went wrong. How did you deal with the situation?
Use: initially, eventually, as soon as, by the time.
🧠 Build a stronger answer
1. State your opinion: “Personally, I believe that…”
2. Explain: “One of the main reasons is that…”
3. Give an example: “A good example of this is…”
4. Add contrast: “Having said that…” / “Nevertheless…”
5. Conclude: “All things considered…”
🏆 10. The Ultimate B2 Final Test
Final round! These questions mix weather, health, airports, and grammar. Try to answer without looking back.
1. “I've been studying all day” emphasizes:
2. If only I ______ my passport before leaving home!
3. The flight was cancelled ______ torrential rain.
4. I wish I ______ speak to the doctor right now, but the clinic is closed.
5. I've had this cough ______ last Thursday.
6. You collect your suitcase at:
7. “I wish the rain would stop” expresses:
8. She ______ three appointments this month.
9. An unwanted effect of medication is a:
10. I wish I ______ more time to prepare for this test.
🎉 Your results
Correct answers across all scored quizzes
Complete the quizzes to discover your result.
How did you do?
90–100%: Excellent! Your revision is in great shape. Challenge yourself with longer answers and more complex sentence structures.
75–89%: Very good! Review the questions you missed and practise the grammar in your own examples.
50–74%: Good progress. Revisit the vocabulary cards and grammar explanations, then try again.
Below 50%: No problem! This is what revision is for. Work through the sections one more time and focus on understanding why each answer is correct.
✅ Final self-check
Tick the skills you feel confident about.