Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
TEST ONE
PART ONE: LISTENING COMPREHENSION
Directions: You will hear a text about a man twice. Before you listen to it, you have 1 minute
to read questions 1-5. While listening for the first time, you can look at the questions and the
suggested choices, but you are not allowed to take notes. When you hear the whole text, you
have 3 minutes to answer the questions, choosing among A, B or C. Then, you will hear the
text again and will have 1 minute to check your answers.
1. Solomons father was born a slave.
A) True
B) False
In the past, whenever I said I was starting lessons the whole family would say Oh no,
not again so this time I didnt tell anybody. I just phoned up Splash and booked a course.
At first Helen was as scared as ever but gradually, with the teachers help, she began to
make progress. The school taught Helen as part of a small group and the instructors stayed
in the water with her. They were very patient and that was what she needed. Other
instructors at other schools had bullied her and so shed become discouraged. At Splash,
however, they were very understanding.
After a few months, Helen was able to take off the armbands and started going to
another class at her local sports centre. Soon she could swim a whole length of the
swimming pool.
Then, just when things were looking up and Helen was able to swim half a dozen
lengths, she suddenly lost her nerve again. One day, out of the blue, she had a panic attack
and started shaking and shivering with fear.
Determined not to let this defeat her after shed come so far, Helen went to a
hypnotherapist who gave her subconscious suggestions to help her overcome her fears. She
was soon back in the water with renewed assurance.
And now Helen can swim 64 lengths of her local swimming pool, which is much more
than a mile. To celebrate her success she hired the pool at her local sports centre for a
birthday celebration. Helen shows the rest of us anything can be achieved if you want to do
it badly enough.
1. Helen knew that her fear was
A) logical.
B) unreasonable.
C) based on past experiences.
D) quite common.
2. What happened the first time Helen had lessons?
A) She didnt get over her fears.
B) She was afraid of the teachers.
C) She managed to swim a reasonable distance.
D) She nearly drowned.
3. At the Splash school the instructors
A) made her learn at the groups pace.
B) bullied her.
C) didnt rush her.
D) explained her fears to her.
4. Why did Helen go to a hypnotherapist?
A) She realised she would never be able to swim.
B) She suddenly lost her courage.
C) She suddenly forgot how to swim.
D) She wanted to forget a dangerous experience.
5. Which of these phrases best sums up the article?
A) Fear can be useful.
B) Not everyone can do everything.
C) You should never give up.
D) Everyone is different.
Express Publishing PHOTOCOPIABLE
A) bred
A) cultured
A) comprises
A) out
A) gave
A) priced
A) expanded
A) consumed
A) resumed
A) form
B) domesticated
B) developed
B) consists
B) off
B) proposed
B) exorbitant
B) reached
B) devoured
B) reserved
B) means
C) reared
C) spread
C) contains
C) away
C) offered
C) worthy
C) stretched
C) swallowed
C) restrained
C) type
D) raised
D) cultivated
D) composes
D) down
D) supplied
D) valuable
D) spread
D) consummated
D) restricted
D) shape
Sentence Transformations
Directions: Complete the second sentence so that it is as close as possible in meaning to the
first one.
1. Its a pity you couldnt make it to my party.
If only ...........................................................................................................................................
TEST TWO
PART ONE: LISTENING COMPREHENSION
Directions: You will hear a text about a famous expedition twice. Before you listen to it, you
have 2 minutes to read questions 1-5. While listening for the first time, you can look at the
questions and the suggested choices, but you are not allowed to take notes. When you hear
the whole text, you have 4 minutes to answer the questions, choosing among A, B, C or D.
Then, you will hear the text again and will have 1 minute to check your answers.
1. In the past, the disappearance of explorers generally
A) went largely unnoticed.
B) caught peoples imaginations.
C) lead to many innovations.
D) caused extreme grief.
2. When Franklin left England, he
A) was still an inexperienced explorer.
B) had been on only one expedition.
C) had already lead two expeditions.
D) had already commanded three expeditions.
3. After the disappearance of Franklin and his team in 1845,
A) his friends failed to organise a rescue expedition.
B) the public took expeditions more seriously.
C) respect for explorers grew among the public.
D) several attempts were made to find him.
4. In 1859, searchers found
A) a message from one of the crew.
B) the wreck of one of the ships.
C) one of the crew members.
D) the remains of Franklin.
5. It is generally believed that
A) most of the men died due to a lack of supplies.
B) a number of the men died while marching south.
C) some of the crew survived and lived with native people.
D) some of the crew did find the passage through to the Arctic.
PART TWO: READING COMPREHENSION
Directions: Read the text below. Then, read the questions that follow it and choose the best
answer to each question, correspondingly among A, B or C.
Shirley was preparing to leave her friend Caroline for the night when Carolines
guardian and uncle, Mr Helstone, entered. He seemed to be upset. Im glad you havent
gone, Shirley, he said. I need a favour from you. Caroline joined them, expecting a
lecture on their absence from church that morning.
I shall not sleep at home tonight, her uncle continued. I have just met an old friend
and promised to go to his home. I shall return about noon tomorrow. Now...
Shirley interrupted him, pleased that Mr Helstone was ready to place his trust in her. I
understand, she said. Do you want me to stay in the house and watch over your niece and
maids while you are away?
As it was growing late, the arrangements were made quickly, and the girls agreed not to
separate. Mr Helstones reason for making these arrangements was that he knew riots were
possible that evening. If there should be any trouble in the night, if you should hear the
picking of a lock, the breaking of glass or the sound of steps in the house, what would you
do? I am not afraid to tell you that such incidents are very possible in the present time. So
tell me, how would you behave?
I dont know, replied Shirley light-heartedly. Perhaps I would faint - fall down and
have to be picked up again! She laughed, then requested and received the loan of a pair of
pistols, and Mr Helstone went on his way.
The two girls ate supper, then moved to some seats in the bay window. They were silent,
listening for any noise or disturbance. Every window and door was locked and bolted, but
Shirley kept the pistols by her side, and gave Caroline a small, sharp knife. The two girls did
not want to go to bed, and sat silent for half an hour in a state of nervous excitement. The
night was very still, and the air was clear.
Towards midnight the barking of the house dog disturbed their quiet wait. Shirley put
out the candle so as not to be seen and leant cautiously out of the window.
There was a louder noise than the dogs barking - the sound of marching feet. They
approached steadily. It was not the tread of two or even a dozen men; it was the tread of
hundreds. The march stopped at the gate. There was silence.
From the angry voices, the girls realised that the group were planning some kind of
attack on the house. Caroline trembled. She doubted if she would have the courage to use
her weapon even if the need arose.
There was a pause. Then someone in the group dropped a weapon. The sound rang out
on the stone drive and the dog barked again, furiously, fiercely. Alarmed, the troops resumed
their march. Shirley turned calmly to Caroline and suggested that it was time for bed.
1. Mr Helstone lectured the girls because they had not gone to church that morning.
A) True
B) False
C) No information in the text
2. Mr Helstone had promised to help a friend.
A) True
B) False
Multiple Choice
Directions: For each of the sentences below, choose the letter (A, B, C or D) of the word that
best completes its meaning.
1. The manager admitted that he hadnt bothered to read the report about the problem.
A) early
B) initial
C) primary
D) prior
2. Emily wrote down the so that she could get all the ingredients at the supermarket.
A) review
B) receipt
C) recipe
D) reception
3. To research the topic, the best starting is to get a list of books off the Internet.
A) mark
B) point
C) place
D) spot
4. My boss actually told me that I was next in for promotion.
A) line
B) list
C) row
D) queue
5. The teacher on what a lot of research the boys had put into the project.
A) emphasised
B) focused
C) aimed
D) pointed
6. Becky and Dave paid over $400 for front seats at the concert.
A) aisle
B) place
C) stall
D) row
7. Fred has finally decided to up photography as a career.
A) come
B) pick
C) start
D) take
8. The accident has our awareness of the need for more safety measures.
A) enlarged
B) extended
C) raised
D) risen
9. Many students dont proper use of their available study time.
A) do
B) spend
C) make
D) take
10. Unfortunately, Mrs Norman doesnt a lot of money from her part time job.
A) gain
B) earn
C) take
D) win
Sentence Completion
Directions: For each of the sentences below, choose the letter (A, B, C or D) of the word or
phrase that best completes its meaning.
1. It is high time you cheeky to your elders.
A) stop being
B) stop to be
C) stopped to be
D) stopped being
2. Sam was upset because the school performance by the time he got there.
A) finished
B) was finishing
Express Publishing PHOTOCOPIABLE
C) had finished
D) had been finished
3. My uncle English at one of the best language schools in the country.
A) used to teaching
B) used to teach
C) would teach
D) was used to teaching
4. Maggie and Petes brand new car broke down a couple of days ago so they .
A) had a mechanic repair it
B) had a mechanic to repair it
C) got a mechanic repair it
D) got a mechanic repairing it
5. It that the plane from Boston to New York will be delayed due to bad weather.
A) expects
B) is expected
C) is expecting
D) is expect
6. Are Mary and John at home? No, they arent. They Manchester on business.
A) have just been to
B) have just gone to
C) have just been in
D) had just gone to
7. I will never forget Jenny for the first time some three years ago.
A) to meet
B) having met
C) to be met
D) meeting
8. By the time the school year is over, I a lot of English words and grammar structures.
A) will learn
B) will be learning
C) have been learning
D) will have learnt
9. It was nice weather that it was hard to believe it was already winter.
A) such
B) such a
C) so
D) too
10. Be honest! You if your sister had not helped you.
A) hadnt won
B) hadnt
C) wouldnt have won
D) wouldnt win
Express Publishing PHOTOCOPIABLE
TEST THREE
PART ONE: LISTENING COMPREHENSION
Directions: You will hear a text about a student twice. Before you listen to it, you have 1
minute to read questions 1-5. While listening for the first time, you can look at the questions
and the suggested choices, but you are not allowed to take notes. When you hear the whole
text, you have 3 minutes to answer the questions, choosing among A, B or C. Then, you will
hear the text again and will have 1 minute to check your answers.
1. Andy is planning to stay in England for a long time.
A) True
B) False
C) No information in the text
2. Andys class studies a different environmental subject each week.
A) True
B) False
C) No information in the text
3. Andys father has told him it is wasteful to leave lights on.
A) True
B) False
C) No information in the text
4. They will travel a long distance to Cornwall.
A) True
B) False
C) No information in the text
5. Not many people know about the Eden Project.
A) True
B) False
C) No information in the text
PART TWO: READING COMPREHENSION
Directions: Read the text below. Then, read the questions that follow it and choose the best
answer to each question, correspondingly among A, B, C or D.
Time ran on. Thousands of pounds were offered in reward. But Mr Hyde had
disappeared as if he had never existed. Much of his past was indeed dug up, and it was all
disgraceful. Stories were told of his pitiless cruelty and violence, of his immoral life, of his
strange acquaintances, of the hatred that seemed to have surrounded him. And yet not a
whisper was heard of his present hiding place. From the time he left the house in Soho on
the morning of the murder, he had simply melted into the London fog.
Gradually, as the weeks passed, Mr Utterson began to recover from his alarm and
from his troubled conscience. The death of Sir Danvers was, in his opinion, fully paid for by
the disappearance of Hyde. At the same time a new life began for Dr Jekyll, now that Hydes
Express Publishing PHOTOCOPIABLE
10
evil influence had been removed. He went out more frequently, strengthened his ties with
old friends, and became once more their familiar guest and entertainer. He had always been
known for his generosity to the poor; he was now equally distinguished for religion. He was
busy, he spent a great deal of time in the open air instead of shutting himself up in his
laboratory, and he was kind and generous to people and he did good. The expression on his
face was brighter and more sincere, as if with consciousness of service, and for more than
two months the doctor was at peace.
On January 8th Utterson had dined at the doctors with a small party. Lanyon had
been there, and their hosts eyes had turned from one to the other as in the old days when the
three were the closest friends. But on the 12th, and again on the 14th, Utterson was refused
admittance to the house.
Dr Jekyll, said the servant, Poole, will go nowhere and see no one.
On the 15th Utterson tried again, and was again refused. For the last months he had
been seeing his friend almost daily; now he missed his company and felt in low spirits
without it. The next night he invited guests to dine with him, and the night after that he went
to see Dr Lanyon.
There at least he was not refused admittance, but when Utterson went in he was
shocked at the change that had taken place in the doctors appearance. He looked like
someone who had been threatened with death. His rosy face had grown pale, he had lost a
lot of weight and most of his hair, and looked much older. But what struck the lawyer even
more was a look in his eye and a strangeness of manner that could only be caused by some
violent terror in the mind. It was unlikely that the doctor would fear death, yet that was what
Utterson was tempted to suspect.
Utterson was surprised and shocked. A week before the future had smiled with
promises of a long and happy life. Now, in a moment, friendship, peace of mind, and the
whole way of his life were wrecked. Such a great and unexpected change pointed to
madness. But Lanyons manner and words showed that there must be some deeper reason.
A week later Dr Lanyon took to his bed. In less than two weeks he was dead.
1. After Mr Hydes disappearance,
A) Sir Danvers was murdered.
B) there were many rumours about his hiding place.
C) he remained a wanted man.
D) he was quickly forgotten.
2. In the past, Dr Jekyll
A) had been disliked by most people.
B) had been generally appreciated.
C) had very few friends.
D) had a troubled life.
3. Without Mr Hyde, Dr Jekyll
A) couldnt work in his laboratory.
B) worked harder in his laboratory.
C) seemed relieved.
D) seemed lost.
4. When Utterson went to Dr Lanyons place
A) the doctor threatened him.
B) he thought the place had changed.
Express Publishing PHOTOCOPIABLE
11
A) dryness
A) rising
A) noticeable
A) damaging
A) time
A) brought
A) far
A) accuse
A) local
A) affect
B) droughts
B) rose
B) viewable
B) disordering
B) term
B) given
B) distant
B) blame
B) place
B) effect
C) lacking
C) raise
C) remarkable
C) disputing
C) period
C) turned
C) remote
C) cause
C) location
C) affection
D) shortages
D) rise
D) watchable
D) disrupting
D) while
D) carried
D) removed
D) reproach
D) situation
D) effective
Sentence Transformations
Directions: Complete the second sentence so that it is as close as possible in meaning to the
first one.
Express Publishing PHOTOCOPIABLE
12
13
TEST FOUR
PART ONE: LISTENING COMPREHENSION
Directions: You will hear a text about a company twice. Before you listen to it, you have 2
minutes to read questions 1-5. While listening for the first time, you can look at the questions
and the suggested choices, but you are not allowed to take notes. When you hear the whole
text, you have 4 minutes to answer the questions, choosing among A, B, C or D. Then, you
will hear the text again and will have 1 minute to check your answers.
1. The two men wanted to create a gadget to
A) prepare students for exams.
B) track peoples movements.
C) allow people to sleep more.
D) wake people up at the right time.
2. The friends started their company and at the same time
A) failed their final exams at university.
B) quit going to university.
C) graduated from university.
D) were kicked out of university.
3. At the time the company was started, the media
A) ignored it.
B) reacted quite positively.
C) gave it poor reviews.
D) predicted problems.
4. In the beginning, customers were unhappy because
A) the gadget had several technical problems.
B) the gadget didnt have enough features.
C) the gadget wasnt released on time.
D) they thought the company lied to them.
5. When the device proved to be dangerous, the company
A) tried hard to contact customers.
B) didnt tell the customers the truth.
C) quickly replaced the device.
D) immediately went out of business.
PART TWO: READING COMPREHENSION
Directions: Read the text below. Then, read the questions that follow it and choose the best
answer to each question, correspondingly among A, B or C.
One of Britains most famous products is not exactly what one could call home-grown.
Worcester sauce, introduced in Britain in 1834, was brought to the country by an English
nobleman, Lord Sandys. Like other British soldiers serving in the hot Indian climate, he ate
in army food halls where Indian spiced relishes and ketchups were used to add flavour to the
otherwise dull food.
Express Publishing PHOTOCOPIABLE
14
On his return to Britain, Lord Sandys handed the recipe for his favourite sauce to a
chemist in the town of Worcester, and asked him to make it up. After mixing the salted
anchovies, garlic, raw chilli peppers and spices, they tasted the sauce. It was disgusting. The
chemist put the mixture in the cellar, having no use for it himself. After collecting a small
amount of it, Lord Sandys failed to come back for more.
But it turned out that time was the missing ingredient. The sauce lay forgotten for three
years, until the chemist tasted it again. It had improved in flavour dramatically - he had to
admit that it was extremely tasty but he could never have guessed how popular the sauce
was to become throughout the world.
Today, sales in the US are even greater than in the UK - the Americans even use it as a
cocktail ingredient. It is also popular in the Far East. The fastest growing market is Japan,
where it is used as a dipping sauce for sushi.
In its early days the sauce was restricted to upper class gentlemens clubs, but since the
decline of such clubs the advertisers have aimed their campaign at average, middle-class
families. The company itself has had a complicated history, passing out of the hands of
chemists Lea and Perrins in the 1930s to join HP Foods, the makers of HP sauces. More
recently, it was acquired by the French company BSN. Despite all these changes, the sauce
continues to be made in the city from which it gets its name.
Over the years, counterfeiters have made rough copies of the sauce and used the famous
bottle and label to trick buyers - but it is almost impossible to make a sauce which tastes the
same as the original. Making it is a lengthy process which has changed little since the 19th
century. Onions, shallots and garlic are pickled for three years, together with anchovies, a type
of small salted fish. Then the mixture is kept in tanks for three months with raw chillies
before being sweetened. Vinegar and spices are added in the final stage of this unique and
complicated blending process.
1. A British soldier came up with the idea for the sauce while in India.
A) True
B) False
C) No information in the text
2. Time is an important factor in the preparation process of the sauce.
A) True
B) False
C) No information in the text
3. The sauce has recently become popular in South America.
A) True
B) False
C) No information in the text
4. More ingredients have been added to the original recipe lately.
A) True
B) False
C) No information in the text
5. The blending process for the production of the sauce is very easy.
A) True
B) False
C) No information in the text
PART THREE: USE OF ENGLISH
Cloze Text
Directions: Read the text below and for each numbered gap choose the letter (A, B, C or D)
of the word that best suits the gap.
When the beautiful city of Venice in Italy comes to (1) so do the gondolas that
travel up and down its canals. Visiting tourists queue to (2) a romantic sightseeing tour of
Express Publishing PHOTOCOPIABLE
15
the city or even just to photograph the craft and its photogenic, costumed gondolier. However,
a (3) on the gondola tends to be quite expensive and often slow. A cheaper and quicker
choice for many (4) and visitors alike who want to cross the Grand Canal is the traghetto.
The traghetto, which means "ferry" in Italian, is in fact the same boat as the gondola without
the fancy and comfortable velvet seats and without the costumed gondolier. Traghetti are
usually only used to transport people and goods across the Grand Canal to and from seven
different places. Two oarsmen row the boat, one who stands behind the passengers like a
traditional gondolier, the other closer to the bow, and the (5) passengers usually stand up
during the (6) , although you can sit if you wish. Most tourists are unaware of the (7) of
the traghetto and end up paying for the more expensive gondola. Most traghetti have been (8)
by the same families for generations. Up until the 1950s, there were some 30 of these ferry
routes. The traghetti routes are clearly marked by straight lines across the Grand Canal on any
good street map of Venice, and on the streets, yellow (9) point toward the traghetti (10)
points.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
A) brain
A) do
A) stroll
A) civilians
A) communal
A) crossing
A) being
A) conducted
A) announcements
A) take-off
B) head
B) go
B) travel
B) habitants
B) local
B) joining
B) existence
B) directed
B) logos
B) destination
C) mind
C) make
C) trip
C) tenants
C) native
C) passing
C) essence
C) operated
C) directions
C) departure
D) thought
D) take
D) voyage
D) residents
D) original
D) traverse
D) presence
D) served
D) signs
D) leaving
Sentence Completion
Directions: For each of the sentences below, choose the letter (A, B, C or D) of the word or
phrase that best completes its meaning.
1. This time tomorrow morning the students their final exam in English.
A) are going to sit
B) are sitting
C) will sit
D) will be sitting
2. The factory was made a fine for dumping untreated waste into the river.
A) pay
B) to pay
C) paid
D) paying
3. The detective accused the man the jewels.
A) to steal
B) for stealing
C) of stealing
D) having stolen
4. If I were you, I would throw the milk away immediately. Why? It .
A) doesnt smell so badly
Express Publishing PHOTOCOPIABLE
16
17
information. Write an email expressing your interest and seeking information. Think about:
Why would you like to participate? What do you need to know, for example, what kind of
accommodation is available and what is the cost? What other information do you need?
18
KEY
TEST 1
Part One: Listening Comprehension
1. C, 2. A, 3. A, 4. B, 5. B
Part Two: Reading Comprehension
1. B, 2. A, 3. C, 4. B, 5. C
Part Three: Use of English
Cloze Text
1. B, 2. D, 3. C, 4. B, 5. C, 6. D, 7. D, 8. A, 9. D, 10. A
Sentence Transformations
1. you could have made it to my party.
2. no point (in)/use trying to persuade him when he wont listen.
3. had our new air conditioning system installed by a technician yesterday.
4. been living in Sicily for four years.
5. were you, I would wear a helmet.
6. is thought to be one of the best mathematicians in the world.
7. she hadnt told Sue about the party.
8. where I was planning to go on holidays.
9. have been Kevin who broke the window.
10. older she gets, the more absent-minded she becomes.
TEST 2
Part One: Listening Comprehension
1. B, 2. C, 3. D, 4. A, 5. B
Part Two: Reading Comprehension
1. B, 2. C, 3. B, 4. B, 5. A
Part Three: Use of English
Multiple Choice
1. B, 2. C, 3. B, 4. A, 5. B, 6. D, 7. D, 8. C, 9. C, 10. B
Sentence Completion
1. D, 2. C, 3. B, 4. A, 5. B, 6. B, 7. D, 8. D, 9. A, 10. C
TEST 3
Part One: Listening Comprehension
1. B, 2. A, 3. A, 4. C, 5. B
Part Two: Reading Comprehension
1. C, 2. B, 3. C, 4. D, 5. A
Express Publishing PHOTOCOPIABLE
19
20
TRANSCRIPTS
TEST ONE
Directions: You will hear a text about a man twice. Before you listen to it, you have 1 minute
to read questions 1-5. While listening for the first time, you can look at the questions and the
suggested choices, but you are not allowed to take notes. When you hear the whole text, you
have 3 minutes to answer the questions, choosing among A, B or C. Then, you will hear the
text again and will have 1 minute to check your answers.
Solomon Northups dramatic story is also the story of many African Americans living
in the United States in the 19th century. However, Solomon was not born into slavery but was
actually the son of a freed slave and therefore a free-born American. His father had gained his
freedom when his master died and had inherited his farm where Solomon grew up and was
educated. Solomon married and moved to Saratoga Springs in New York where he lived with
his wife and three children. He held various jobs in order to take care of his family and
educate his children. He also built a fine reputation as a professional fiddler and was in high
demand to play for local dances, while his wife became notable as a cook in local taverns. In
the summer of 1841, while his wife and children were absent from town, Solomon met two
men who introduced themselves as entertainers and members of a circus company. They told
him they were looking for talented musicians and offered him employment as a fiddler at
venues in New York City and then Washington. Solomon needed the money but was
concerned about travelling to Washington because, contrary to New York, slavery was still
legal there and the city was one of the nation's largest slave markets. Solomon agreed to go
but insisted on getting his identity papers to prove he was not a slave before leaving.
Unfortunately, his fears were justified and once in Washington the two men drugged him and
sold him to a slave trader. He was sent with other kidnapped men and women to New Orleans
to work as a slave on cotton plantations. He made repeated attempts to escape and get
messages to his family but spent 12 years as a slave before help came. It wasnt until January
1853 that he regained his freedom and was able to return to his family in New York. He
published an account of his experiences in his memoirs entitled Twelve Years a Slave the same
year and then went on to fight for the total abolition of slavery. Solomon was last seen giving
a lecture in Ontario in Canada and details of his death are uncertain but his family and friends
believe that he was kidnapped again and either sold as a slave or killed.
TEST TWO
Directions: You will hear a text about a famous expedition twice. Before you listen to it, you
have 2 minutes to read questions 1-5. While listening for the first time, you can look at the
questions and the suggested choices, but you are not allowed to take notes. When you hear
the whole text, you have 4 minutes to answer the questions, choosing among A, B, C or D.
Then, you will hear the text again and will have 1 minute to check your answers.
For every successful explorer like Christopher Columbus, there were other adventurers
who were not as lucky and who lost their lives at the bottom of the ocean or in a jungle or
desert they were exploring. Many of these vanished explorers have become sources of both
inspiration and speculation, and rumours of what happened to them are plentiful. The
disappearance in the early 19th century of one the most respected polar explorers in the world,
Sir John Franklin, lead to a series of rumours about the expedition and in the following years
there were several failed rescue attempts.
Express Publishing PHOTOCOPIABLE
21
Franklin was far from a novice explorer. He had served on three previous Arctic
expeditions, the later two as commanding officer. The tragedy began in 1845 when Franklin
and his fellow explorer, Crozier, left England on two separate ships in search of a northern
route from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the Arctic. While the two ships were passing
Baffin Island north of Canada they disappeared without a trace and nothing was heard from
them again. In all, 128 men were lost. In 1848, the British Admiralty launched a search for the
missing expedition and also offered a finder's reward to other adventurers. Several navigators
decided to join in the search, which at one point in 1850 involved eleven British and two
American ships. However, none of the attempts were successful. Over 30 subsequent
expeditions searched for Franklin and an ironic fact is that more people died looking for him
than those who died during his expedition.
In 1859, searchers discovered remains and a hand-written note from one of the ships
crew on a form with details about the expedition's fate. It seems the vessels had become
trapped in ice during the winter of 1846-1847. The crew had a large quantity of supplies but
soon became weakened and delirious because all the provisions had been sealed with lead,
which almost certainly contaminated the sailors food and caused lead poisoning. Franklin and
at least 20 other men had died by mid-1848. Native people who came in contact with the
expedition later claimed that Crozier tried to lead the survivors south in search of help but it is
believed they died during the journey. However, there is still a doubt whether some of the men
actually survived and in fact did discover the passage through the Arctic but most historians
and other specialists say there is no proof of this.
TEST THREE
Directions: You will hear a text about a student twice. Before you listen to it, you have 1
minute to read questions 1-5. While listening for the first time, you can look at the questions
and the suggested choices, but you are not allowed to take notes. When you hear the whole
text, you have 3 minutes to answer the questions, choosing among A, B or C. Then, you will
hear the text again and will have 1 minute to check your answers.
I really miss home and not being with my family, but Im starting to get used to things
here in England. Apart from the food, that is! Never mind, it could be worse, and it wont be
long before Im back, anyway.
One thing Im enjoying at school this term is the project were doing on the
environment. Every week we look at a different topic. First we have to find out as much
information on the topic as we can. Its great because we get to use the Internet in the
computer lab. Then we each have to write a composition using the facts weve found and tell
the whole class about it. This week the topic was to find out about saving energy in the home.
Its quite interesting. Do you know how much energy you can save by just remembering to
turn lights off when you leave a room? I hate to have to admit it, but Dad is right after all! Not
only does it help to save the environment but it also saves a lot of money, too. Ive learned
about lots of other things you can do to save electricity and theyre really not so difficult to
do. When I get home Ill tell Dad all about them. Im sure hell be pleased. Ive changed my
ways, too, now that I know how wrong it is to waste electricity.
Im also super excited about a trip were going on next week. Our topic is plants so
were going to visit the Eden Project in Cornwall. Its a really famous place thats been
created to show people how important plants are in our lives. It has huge greenhouses in the
shape of domes and they have thousands of plants from all over the world in them. One of the
domes is like a rainforest and its full of tropical plants. Isnt that wonderful? It will be like
going to the Amazon without even having to leave the country! I cant wait to see it.
Express Publishing PHOTOCOPIABLE
22
TEST FOUR
Directions: You will hear a text about a company twice. Before you listen to it, you have 2
minutes to read questions 1-5. While listening for the first time, you can look at the questions
and the suggested choices, but you are not allowed to take notes. When you hear the whole
text, you have 4 minutes to answer the questions, choosing among A, B, C or D. Then, you
will hear the text again and will have 1 minute to check your answers.
While most university students were spending their time studying for exams in the
hope of ensuring future employment, Greg Nemeth and his friend, Arun Gupta, had other
ideas. In fact, they had a brand new idea a gadget to improve sleep - a mobile-connected
wristband that would track users' sleep patterns and wake them up at the best moment, when
they were in the lightest stage of sleep. This way, people would wake up feeling better and
more rested.
They came up with a plan to develop their invention, and both dropped out of
university to set up their own start-up company. They decided to call their new gadget
WakeMate, and gave their company the same name. The future looked bright. Before
production had even started, the gadget had already generated a lot of excitement on tech
blogs and had received some very good reviews in the media. Thousands of units had already
been ordered. Unfortunately, at this stage, the success story began to go wrong. More
specifically, everything that could go wrong went wrong. First, a series of technical issues
delayed the release of the device for nearly a year and customers were unhappy. At first, the
company promised them better features, but people were still angry. Finally, the company
decided to be honest and explain the problems in detail and after this the customers were more
understanding. However, when the product was finally ready, and had been delivered to the
first customers, one of them sent an email saying that he had seen sparks coming form his
gadgets charger. The companys first reaction was to alert all customers as quickly as
possible that their chargers might be hazardous so an email was sent to everyone who had
bought the devices with a link that they had to click to confirm that they had read it and were
disposing of their chargers properly. People who didn't respond to that email were textmessaged and then called to let them know what was going on. Needless to say, customers
weren't too happy about the possibility of their units catching fire. Given the long list of
problems the company had it eventually ran out of money and had to close, leaving the market
to its competitors.
23