Unit 3: Language Test A

Grammar Vocabulary
Complete the text with the correct form of the
Task 1
verbs in brackets.
Complete the sentences with the correct words.
The first letter of each word is given.
It (1)            (often / say) that celebrities act
as good role models for young people. However, in 16 I’m not really a fan of these super-famous,
recent years, with the rise of pictures that can h          -profile football players.
easily (2)            (alter) digitally, our 17 I really feel that sports stars should act as
obsession with celebrities is thought (3) r           models, and be people for
(have) a negative effect on how we view ourselves. teenagers to look up to.
Now, it (4)            (widely / believe) that 18 I think we’re both speaking with o          
children, especially, have a distorted view of what voice when we say that the money raised by the
is ‘normal’ or ‘beautiful’. fashion show should go to charity.
19 I should s           the record straight – I
have never been paid to promote designer
When you were younger, (5)            (you / clothes.
influence) by media images of slim, attractive 20 I’ll take your criticism on b           and
models and celebrities? Well, recently, it (6) ….. perhaps change some of the details.
……… (claim) by a number of researchers that 21 He says he’s only interested in helping people,
children today (7)            (increasingly / but I suspect he has a hidden a           .
affect) by what they see in magazines, films or on 22 The most popular magazine articles are usually
TV. ones with a human-i           story.
23 The picture of my parents smiling when I
These claims are based on a survey that (8) accepted the school prize will stick in my
(conduct) last month involving children aged three m           forever.
to ten. 24 You fooled me before, but there’s no way I’m
going to f           for that trick again.
25 The video went v           as soon as it was
Unrealistic media images (9)            (think) to posted, getting over a million hits in just 24
have been putting pressure on young people for a hours.
long time and unless steps (10)            (take) ___/10
soon, they will continue (11)            (affect).
Task 2
Choose the correct words to complete the
This issue (12)            (consider) by many sentences.
nowadays to be a widespread social problem.
26 News items with sensational / viral headlines
attract more readers because they lead us to
The survey results showed that in the years before believe the stories are really dramatic.
the research was conducted, an alarming number 27 Stories that promise new propaganda /
of young people (13)            (pressure) by revelations about celebrities’ private lives are
images of perfect celebrities into crash dieting, very popular.
resulting in both physical and mental health 28 Some newspapers believe that it’s quite
problems. editorial / legitimate to follow celebrities and wait
outside their houses for a good story.
29 The article about the actor’s new film role was
It (14)            (fear) that when slim, beautiful,
supposed to be subjective / exclusive, but in fact
people are portrayed as being ‘normal’, it becomes it was on every website!
more likely that young people (15)            30 I prefer reading news that’s biased / objective,
(will / push) into taking extreme measures to so that I can make up my own mind about what’s
looking the same. happening.
___/5
___/15
Use of English
Task 1
Read the article and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.

Did you know that what you think you like and don’t like is often the result of false beliefs? As humans, we
tend to be easily (31)       when it comes to liking or disliking something, and we’re happy to have our
existing beliefs confirmed. But once these beliefs became fixed, we often lose our ability to be (32)       and
we don’t like to have our ideas challenged. Generally speaking, human beings are not good at taking a (33)
view of things. (34)       instance, we unconsciously start to listen for and select information that matches
our beliefs and (35)       a blind eye to information that doesn’t, rejecting it out of hand. We don’t always like
to (36)       new information that doesn’t match up with what we already believe.

As a result, we often don’t even (37)       the reasons behind an opposing point of view. Instead, we look for
evidence that confirms what we had already thought, and which conforms to our own point of view. We’re
more likely to give (38)       to information that matches the beliefs we already have. In other words, we are
(39)       towards certain information. It can come as a shock when information we trusted (because of our
deeply held beliefs) is actually (40)       to be untrue.

31 A approved B influenced C appealed D powered

32 A exclusive B evident C objective D dominant
33 A sensational B legitimate C balanced D significant
34 A For B By C Of D On
35 A close B shut C turn D move
36 A open B accept C profile D glimpse
37 A consider B think C believe D suppose
38 A attraction B significance C meaning D feature
39 A approved B regarded C reassured D biased
40 A portrayed B analysed C exposed D impressed
___/10

Task 2
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence using the word given. Do
not change the word given. Use between three and six words.

41 People say that Shakespeare wrote the best plays in Europe.

SAID
It                      the best playwright in Europe.
42 The company didn’t make a profit last year, according to news sources.
REPORTED
The company                      a profit last year.
43 Most people believe that the story is untrue.
BELIEVED
The story                      a lie.
44 People think that people used to live on the island.
ONCE
People                      on the island.
45 We know that no life exists on the moon.
KNOWN
Life                      exist on the moon.
___/10

Total: ___/50
UNIT 3: Skills Test A

Dictation
You are going to listen to a recording about learning languages. Listen to the whole recording once. Then you
will hear the recording again with pauses for you to write down what you hear. Make sure you spell the words
correctly.

___/10
Listening
You are going to listen to an interview on the subject of learning languages with two specialists, James Kelly
and Barbara Forza.

Task 1
For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear.

1 The guests are

A both language teachers.
B both language learners.
C both involved in writing about language.
D both working at a university.

2 What does Barbara say about her experience of moving to Scotland?

A When she arrived her English was poor.
B She relied on her family to teach her English.
C At first it was hard, but she learnt English quite quickly at school.
D Her classmates didn’t want to talk to her.

3 How was Barbara’s experience with her first teacher?

A He misinterpreted Barbara’s behaviour.
B He was very patient with Barbara.
C He couldn’t understand what Barbara was saying.
D He gave Barbara extra lessons.

4 What made James so resourceful and creative?

A He was only able to speak English to his students,
B He taught in several different countries.
C He used inadequate books for teaching.
D He worked with imaginative students.

5 Barbara believes if you are a language teacher,

A learning another language is easier you.
B teaching other subjects is less difficult.
C understanding another language is more confusing.
D knowing another language can be an advantage in class.

6 When asked about their podcast, James and Barbara say

A it’s like reading a book.
B it’s convenient for listening to on mobile devices.
C it could replace coursebooks.
D its content is quite serious and educational.
___/18
Task 2
Answer the question in your own words.

7 In your own words, how did ‘total immersion’ help Barbara learn?

___/2
Reading
Task 1
Read the article. Choose from the paragraphs (A–G) the one which fits each gap (8–13). There is one extra
paragraph which you do not need to use.

A It’s undoubtedly the case that as a result of these first contacts, large numbers of countries that you visit
around the world, especially those that were taken over, will be thinking of ‘England’ when they are really
referring to the United Kingdom.

B It is now accepted for example, that the Scots do not all wear skirts or learn how to play the bagpipes at
school. In fact the different nationalities tend to have developed more positive stereotypes of each other, such
as the idea that the Welsh have wonderful singing voices and the Scots cook amazing fish dishes.

C Another stereotype is that British food is bad, or unhealthy. While it is arguably true that British cuisine
doesn't rate as highly as French or Italian cooking, there are plenty of places where you can find very high-
quality food in the UK. Not only that, but in most British cities, you can experience a range of foods from all
around the world.

D Pictures of these things decorate the walls of many English-language classrooms across the world and
have a powerful appeal. Perhaps some schools hope that students will be inspired by them to learn English
and travel to the UK to see them for real.

E To answer this, we need to look back at how the UK developed. Originally there were the nations of
England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. England incorporated Wales into The Kingdom of England in
the 16th century, followed by England and Scotland uniting in the 17th century, and in the 18th century Great
Britain uniting with Northern Ireland. But at the same time, Great Britain was building its empire abroad, and
everything was controlled from London, the capital of England.

F The results indicate that the British (and not only the English) are actually quite friendly people with a lot of
creativity and a dry sense of humour. Today, they are seen to be better cooks than had been previously
assumed, and live on an island that gets a fair share of sunshine.

G Despite that, many feel that these stereotypes are unfair. How would you feel if the world was unfairly
stereotyping you with characteristics that you don’t think you actually have? This attitude seems to be
becoming more common, especially as people interact more with those from other cultures.
___/12

British stereotypes
When you think of the UK, what images come to mind? Are they of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, black
taxis and Buckingham Palace? Or perhaps they’re of people drinking cups of tea. You may even think of cute
little villages and red phone boxes.
8      
However, what we need to ask ourselves is how representative these images really are of the UK. Although
they are certainly what I grew up with when learning English, I would now argue that they give an impression
which is possibly misleading. For a start, these are mostly images of London, not the whole country. So why
is it that these stereotypes of the UK exist?
9      
For this reason, those who were in contact with these early Empire builders learned the name of this powerful
city, and rather than using the geographically or politically accurate name, of the United Kingdom, it was the
name of England that stuck.
10      
Not only is it unfair to apply English stereotypes to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, it is also wrong to
imply that the English themselves are all polite people who drink tea all the time, and who all constantly
apologise and stand in queues in rainy, cold weather. It is good to learn that according to recent surveys this
perception is slowly changing.
11      
This new attitude has probably come about through increased travelling to the UK and of course, the internet
has brought about better communications, encouraging international friendships and exchange of
information. Popular culture has also played its part and UK films and TV have brought real British places and
people to foreign screens.
12      
Another reason for this change in perception is that foreign visitors to London and other major cities will find
themselves encountering people from many different cultures. Because of its links with other countries and
the exchange of workforce encouraged by the European Union, the UK has become multi-cultural.

You can also be sure that if you travel to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland you will find distinct differences
in culture, climate and behaviour, and a definite pride in this difference. The nationals would feel insulted to
be stereotyped in the same way as the ‘English’. There are indeed stereotypes that the nations of the United
Kingdom have of each other, which are usually unflattering. However, because of the reasons stated above,
these attitudes are also gradually changing.
13      
In conclusion, we should remember that when we see advertisements or posters promoting a particular
stereotype of the United Kingdom, whether it’s in an English-language classroom or on a travel website, we
need to think: Are these true and characteristic of the whole UK as opposed to one city or country? The only
real way to find out about a country is to visit it and make up your own mind.

Task 2
Read the article again and answer the questions in your own words.

14 Why does the writer say the images had a ‘powerful appeal’? (paragraph D)

15 In your own words, explain what the writer means by ‘I would now argue that they give an impression
which is possibly misleading’.

16 Summarise the points that the writer makes in answering this question: ‘So why is it that these stereotypes
exist?’

17 In your own words, explain the writer’s point in the last paragraph.
___/8

Total: ___/50