• • • Third edition

Objective Advanced
Felicity O’Dell
Annie Broadhead

Practice test 2
Teacher’s Resources Audio CD/CD-ROM
 Contents
Acknowledgements 3

Paper 1 Reading 4

Paper 2 Writing 13

Paper 3 Use of English 15

Paper 4 Listening 21

Paper 5 Speaking 26

Speaking test frames 27

Visual material for the Speaking test 30

Key (including recording script and sample answers) 33

 Acknowledgements
The authors and publishers acknowledge the following sources of
copyright material and are grateful for the permissions granted. While
every effort has been made, it has not always been possible to identify
the sources of all the material used, or to trace all copyright holders.
If any omissions are brought to our notice, we will be happy to include
the appropriate acknowledgements on reprinting.
Reading part 1: Adapted from ‘Backstage secrets: Performers reveal how
they ready themselves for the spotlight’ by Holly Williams, The Independent
18.10.10. Copyright © The Independent 2010; Reading part 1: Adapted
from ‘School of rock: hearing strange voices’ by Will Byers, The Guardian
15.10.08. Copyright © Guardian News & Media Ltd 2008; Reading part 1:
Extract from Saturday by Ian McEwan, copyright 2005 by Ian McEwan,
published by Vintage Books, 2006. Used by permission of The Random
House Group Limited and Nan A Talese/Doubleday, a division of Random
House Inc; Reading part 2: Adapted from ‘Kite surfing: prepare to realise Da
Vinci’s dream’ by Rebecca Newman, The Independent 19.03.11. Copyright
© The Independent 2011; Reading part 3: from Daughters of Britannia
by Kate Hickman © 2002. Reprinted with permission of HarperCollins
Publishers Ltd; Reading part 4: Adapted from ‘How do they do it?’ The
Guardian 22.08.01. Copyright © Guardian News & Media Ltd 2001; Use
of English part 1: Adapted from ‘Knieval Jr jumps Grand Canyon’ by John
Hiscock, The Daily Telegraph 22.05.1999. Copyright © Telegraph Media
Group Limited 1999; Use of English part 2: Adapted from ‘The cost of team
building’ by Colin Eastwood, The Observer, 25.08.01. Copyright © Guardian
News & Media Limited 2001; Use of English part 3: Adapted from ‘London
cuisine is among the best’ by Robin Young, The Times, 30.08.01. Copyright
© NI Syndication 2001; Listening part 2: Adapted from ‘Going Down’ by
Andrew Freiwald. This article originally appeared in BBC Wildlife Magazine,
September 2001. Copyright © BBC Magazines. Reprinted with permission.

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3 practice test 2
 PAPER 1 READING (1 hour 15 minutes)

Part 1

You are going to read three extracts which are all concerned in some way with music. For questions 1–6,
choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

A rock musician describes how he prepares for a concert

I have a habit of sabotaging any regular patterns of behaviour that emerge in my life. If you
have rituals, you can blame them if things go wrong and I think that’s unhealthy. But I try to stay
physically relaxed. Performing is about sharing energy with the people who come to watch. If
you’re sensitive to the energy in your own body, then it can be much more special. I don’t want
to go onstage and not feel like something quite special is happening. What I do depends on
whether I’m with the band or performing solo, but if I’m on my own, I’ll probably do something to
loosen up and get my voice working a bit.

Most days I get to the venue by five o’clock. Solo, I’ve not got much gear, but with the band,
it’s a big operation. There will be a crew to help with the heavy work, but we need to make sure
it’s all laid out as we like. When that’s done, I’ll improvise a bit on the guitar or the keyboards.
Because we tour a lot, we don’t get much chance to practise so we need to warm up. My
mind goes blank when I try to remember lyrics offstage, so I don’t bother with that. They come
automatically once the gig starts. For some reason, I don’t get stage-fright, though I can get
anxious in one-to-one conversations in private. I think getting butterflies helps actually because it
sharpens your mind.

1 What does the musician say in the first paragraph about the way he gets ready for a concert?
A He makes sure he spends time alone.
B He avoids following specific routines.
C He focuses on problems that might arise.
D He thinks about what the audience will be like.

2 At the venue before the concert starts, the musician

A runs through the words he will sing in the concert.
B supervises the way his equipment is set up.
C works out new arrangements of his songs.
D does what he can to calm his nerves.

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 Extract from a blog

Strange voices
There are many singers whose outstanding vocal qualities are almost universally
acknowledged, but there are also those with far from perfect voices who we adore.
When I recently listened to the vocal on This Charming Man by the English pop group
The Smiths, I realised that, a couple of yelps aside, the singer, Morrissey, only uses
five notes. The colourful interplay of the guitar and the bass relieves the comparative
vocal monotony, but the singer is still a joy to listen to. The mournful dourness of his
voice does not require a great range to communicate. He’s in good company: the pop
landscape is littered with barkers, growlers and warblers who wouldn’t stand a chance
on a TV talent show. The banalities of vocals generally judged to be of superior quality
are avoided by singers with deep, gruff or even very high-pitched sounds, and in
particular by rough and imperfect singing. The curious thing is that there’s nothing like
an extreme or impure voice to get the blood racing.
The philosopher Roland Barthes puts it well. He decries technically perfect voices where
‘I seem only to hear the lungs, never the tongue, the throat, the teeth, the membranes in
the mouth, the nose’. Barthes attributes the thrill of a voice to what he calls its ‘grain’, a
special quality in each human voice carrying its own bodily imprint, through which we
identify with the physicality of the singer and thus gain more from their communication
with us than words and melody alone.

3 Which of the following words is used dismissively?

A yelps (line 4)
B dourness (line 6)
C landscape (line 8)
D banalities (line 9)

4 In the second paragraph the writer is

A putting forward an explanation.
B summing up his arguments.
C introducing a new subject.
D illustrating a point.

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 Extract from a novel

Young blues musician

Unable to sleep, Richard goes downstairs to the kitchen. Here at
3.55 a.m., in a single pool of light, is his son Ben, eighteen years
old, reclining in a tilted back chair reading a music magazine.
Richard wonders if, in his youth, he could ever have guessed
he would one day father a blues musician. He himself was
simply processed in a polished continuum from school, through
medical school, to the dogged acquisition of clinical experience
in a series of hospitals. How have he and Rosalind, such dutiful,
conventional types, given rise to such a free spirit? One who’s
rarely out of bed before lunchtime and whose passion is for
mastery of all traditional varieties of American blues music and
for making his mark with his band. He has an enlarged version
of his mother’s face and soft eyes, and a more compact variant
on his father’s big-boned lankiness. Usefully for his line of work,
he’s also got large hands. Among blues connoisseurs, Ben is
spoken of as a man of promise, already mature in playing, who
might one day walk with the blues greats. Someone has written
that Ben plays like an angel. Naturally, Richard agrees, despite
his doubts about the limits of the form. He likes the blues well
enough – in fact, he was the one who showed the nine-year-
old Ben how it worked. After that, grandfather took over. But
is there a lifetime’s satisfaction in twelve musical bars of three
obvious chords?

5 What strikes Richard as surprising about his son Ben is that

A he looks very like his mother.
B he is successful in his field of work.
C he chooses to stay up very late at night.
D he has a very different personality from his own.

6 The word form in line 19 refers to

A the shape of Ben’s hands.
B Ben’s true musical ability.
C the type of music Ben plays.
D something Richard has read about Ben.

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 Part 2

You are going to read a newspaper article. Six paragraphs have been removed from the article. Choose from
the paragraphs A–G the one which fits each gap (7–12). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need
to use.

Kitesurfing in Costa Rica

Rebecca Newman visits Bahia Salinas on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica
and discovers that it is the perfect location to learn how to kitesurf.

Above Isla Bolanos, a small rocky outcrop in the sea off
north-west Costa Rica, magnificent frigatebirds fly in
wide circles. In the bay behind them, a single, brightly
coloured sail swoops and, like a huge wing, lifts a lone
figure through the air with marvellous height and speed.
This was my first view of kitesurfing at Bahia Salinas.
7
One of the first to recognize these ideal conditions was
an Italian, Nico Bertoldi, who came across the area when
travelling around Costa Rica in 2000. A novice kitesurfer
at the time, he spent months teaching himself. Now
an expert, he is bringing his experience to bear as an
instructor, ‘so other people learning can avoid making my
mistakes’.
8
It is reassuring, therefore, that Nico is well-versed in
all manner of risks and takes me through basic safety
precautions. He explains why it’s a good idea to wear water
boots: ‘In case you step on a stingray. The sting wouldn’t
kill you but it really hurts.’ Before having a go myself, I
watch Nico perform a few basic manoeuvres which I am
meant to try and copy. It doesn’t look too difficult.
9
I certainly need them. Much like skiing, learning to kitesurf
is tiring and deeply uncool. Each time I flop into the water
I lose my board. I must then pull my kite low in the sky
against the strong wind while I look for the board. In the
process, I swallow spectacular quantities of saltwater.
Nothing too ambitious though. The wind is strong and
can lift you several metres up into the air at great speed.
Even for the experts that’s hard to control and accidents
can easily occur. Bahia Salinas rarely gets crowded,
however, so kitesurfers here seldom collide. This makes
it safer than better-known kitesurfing destinations where
crashes are a common hazard. ‘The most kitesurfers I’ve
ever counted in the air here at any one time is 22,’ says
Nico, pointing to the vast empty expanse of the bay.
11
I prefer more active pursuits but after a couple of days I
decide to take a break from kitesurfing and drive south.
I first head inland to the green foothills surrounding the
Arenal volcano and then drive round the large lake that
lies beneath the volcano. Then I head back to the coast
and end up at Playa Coco, where I hire a boat to take me
out to Roca Bruja, or Witch’s Rock.
12
A similar feeling surges through me the next morning back
at Bahia Salinas as the wind catches my kite and I glide
across the water at impressive speed. Nico sails past and
applauds me. He goes on to jump, suspended in the air for
six or seven seconds, before landing with a flourish. It’s a
standard of kitesurfing I can aspire to one day.

10

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 A My eyes follow the line of his arm across the water to the Blue Dream Hotel. Its 14 simple
bedrooms are cut into the hillside. Any guests not wanting to go to the beach can idle in
the hotel spa or practice yoga on the terrace.

B I step into the water, slide my feet into the straps on the board, move my kite for the wind
to catch it and fall flat on my face. I get up, try again and the same thing happens. From
the beach, Nico shouts instructions and encouragement.

C This great chunk of stone was thrown here in a monumental volcanic eruption. Huge
Pacific waves break on it and the location is famed among surfers for the quality of the
surfing. From the safety of the deck, I watch experts disappear into massive waves and
emerge euphoric seconds later.

D Costa Rica is known as a surfer’s paradise, but is little known as a kitesurfing destination.
The geography of its western coast makes the bay at Bahia Salinas the only suitable place
to kitesurf. The curve of the coast means that a strong, constant wind blows towards the
shore at Bahia Salinas, making it safe for kitesurfing.

E I’ve tried surfing, with reasonable success, and also some windsurfing. I’m also fairly fit, so
logic tells me I should be able to get to grips with the basics of kitesurfing before too long.

F And kitesurfing is by no means the easiest sport to master. A hybrid of windsurfing,

wakeboarding and kite-flying, doing it properly requires strength, balance, stamina and a
degree of fearlessness. It’s an extreme sport with the hazards that term implies.

G However, the embarrassment and the exhaustion from endlessly thrashing about in the
water are eventually erased by the joy of a few minutes riding on the board. When I get it
right, the wind fills my kite and pulls me thrillingly across the water. I even manage a few
little jumps over the small waves.

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 Part 3

You are going to read an extract from a book. For questions 13–19, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which
you think fits best according to the text.

The Lives of Diplomats’ Children

During the writing of this book about the lives of diplomatic wives, I was reminiscing with my
oldest friend, a diplomat’s child like myself, whom I have known since we were at boarding
school together, aged ten. I was not at all surprised to find that, like me, she has the most
vivid memories surrounding the arrival of the post: the staircase, the old chest, the anxious
craning over the banisters for that glimpse of a familiar envelope or handwriting. ‘There was
one time when I did not hear from my parents for nearly three months,’ she recalls. ‘I thought
they must be dead.’ Now an English literature academic, she believes that her chosen field of
expertise – eighteenth century epistolatory novels and letters – is no accident.
Like that of our mothers, the experience of diplomatic children is enormously varied. ‘The
myth is that diplomatic life, with all the travelling, new places, new faces, is attractive and
exciting for children,’ wrote Jane Ewart-Biggs, ‘but I believe that nothing could be further
from the truth.’ Although the necessity of changing houses, schools, friends, food and even
languages every few years can be problematic for many children, others happily adapt.
My own feelings, while principally positive, are not wholly uncomplicated. I was brought up
in Spain (in Madrid and Bilbao) and in Singapore. My memories of both places are startlingly
happy. In Bilbao, when I was six, we lived in an apartment overlooking the sea. I learnt not
only to speak but to read and write Spanish; bizarrely, I came top in Spanish and bottom
in English. I became unhealthily obsessed with Velazquez and the gorier paintings of Goya.
The teaching was somewhat old-fashioned, even for those days, and I was required to write
essays on subjects like ‘My Father’s Job’, ‘My Wonderful Mother’ and ‘My Wider Family’. To
my parents’ mingled pride and dismay, I wrote page after page of repetitive, banal drivel in
laboriously crafted script, full of curls and flourishes, which I insisted they read.
In Singapore, when I was eight, my brother and I ran wild in a tropical garden filled with
bougainvillaea and frangipane trees. We swam in jellyfish-infested seas and went barefoot
for two years. I wrote my first stories and it was always hot. England was a faraway, drizzle-
grey dream, from whence letters and comics turned up occasionally, as emotionally distant
as the moon. The utter despair, which I experienced two years later, when I was sent to
boarding school there, has stayed with me all my life.
Adults are often tempted to believe that, because children are not yet physically or
emotionally mature, they do not experience the ‘big’ emotions of grief or rage in quite the
same way that we do. The pain I experienced on being separated from my family was like
a bereavement. For many children in boarding school for the first time, it is the nights
which are the worst, but for me it was always the mornings. I would wake up in the cold
first light to see the stark little chest of drawers at the foot of my bed with its one regulation
photograph frame, and beyond it the melancholy autumn beech leaves, dripping and tapping
at the window panes. Then I would hide under the bedclothes, sick in my stomach at the
thought of another day to get through.
After half a term of this complete misery – after which I was supposed to have ‘settled in’
like everyone else – in some trepidation, I wrote a letter: ‘Mummy, Mummy, Mummy, Oh
my Mummy...’ it began. I don’t remember the exact wording of the rest of the letter, but I
was sure that the hidden message which lay behind these words, the plea to be taken away,
could not be mistaken. It was the only letter to which, although I doubtless received a letter
back, I never received a reply. So I stayed at school and learnt to survive.

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 13 What is the main theme of the first paragraph?
A the children’s fear of something bad happening to their parents
B the importance of letters in the lives of boarding school pupils
C the close friendships made by boarding school children at school
D the fact that the children of diplomats attended similar schools

14 What did Jane Ewart-Biggs believe about diplomats’ children?

A They love the excitement of a life full of change.
B They are often unhappy.
C They adjust to change more easily than other children.
D Their happiness depends on their mothers.

15 Which of these points does the writer make about her schooling in Spain?
A She was very unsuccessful at school.
B She developed artistic skills.
C She felt uncomfortable at school there.
D She was good and bad in unexpected areas.

16 Why did her parents experience dismay when they read her schoolwork?
A What she wrote was uninteresting.
B She seemed to be learning little at school.
C She exaggerated her family’s importance.
D Her handwriting was very poor.

17 How did the writer feel about England when she was in Singapore?
A It was cold and grey.
B Good comics came from there.
C Children were not as free there.
D It had no real significance for her.

18 Which phrase best sums up how the writer first felt at boarding school?
A extremely angry
B very cold
C desperately unhappy
D rather ill

19 What response did her parents make to the letter described in the last paragraph?
A They ignored her pleas.
B They refused her request.
C They told her that she’d learn to survive.
D They were too busy to reply to her.

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 Part 4

You are going to read an article that contains information about underground train systems. For questions
20–34, choose from the cities (A–D). The cities may be chosen more than once.

Of which city’s underground system is the following stated?

The price of a ticket varies. 20

Some passengers may not be allowed on certain parts of the train. 21

The system was renovated to high aesthetic standards. 22

Its construction was a historical landmark in the city’s development. 23

The underground is a great contrast to the rest of the city. 24

It may require some effort to get to another line. 25

It may be crowded but a train is sure to come along in a short time. 26

Passengers are shown where to board the trains. 27

Passengers use the underground to avoid the pollution in the city. 28

Sometimes extra employees are needed to help people get into crowded trains. 29

Train drivers’ wages used to be reduced if their trains were late. 30

Expansion of the system is slow because the lines can pass through several
authorities’ areas. 31

The underground system is an attraction for sightseers. 32

It depends on substantial government support to keep it open. 33

The proportion of users to kilometres of track is very high. 34

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 A C
Paris
Passengers carried per day: 4.5m
Cost of ticket: 1.70 euros flat fare
Length: 214 kilometres
Lines: 14    Lines: 14
Stations: 300
In Paris there are pleasures for those who use the
Metro – many of them aesthetic. The gracefully
curvaceous Art Nouveau dragon-fly entrances are
just the most prominent on a Metro system which
celebrated its centenary by spending millions of euros
on refurbishing its stations and making them works of
art. On my way home I pass Bonne Nouvelle station
in the heart of Paris’s cinema district. There, during
the cinema festival this summer, special lighting
effects dapple the platforms and films are projected
onto the advertising hoardings.
More than anything the metro is efficient. ‘When
I worked on line 4,’ says a retired driver, ‘we had
exactly 30 minutes and 15 seconds to complete
the journey. If it took any longer, they docked our
pay.’ But there are drawbacks. Many Metro stations
have too many stairs, and changing lines at big
interchanges can be tiresome.
B D
Moscow
Passengers carried per day: 6.6m
Cost of ticket: 28 rubles (0.70 euros)
Length: 301 kilometres
Lines: 12    Lines: 11
Stations: 182
The first tunnelling for the Moscow Metropolitan
started in 1932. Three years later the trains started
running. They haven’t stopped since – every 90
seconds or two minutes during rush hour, every five
minutes the rest of the time, from 6 a.m. till 1 a.m.
There may be a crush but there is seldom a wait.
The trains take you through a parade of marbled,
stuccoed, spacious, spotless stations. For tourists
it’s a major draw: from Russian art deco to neo-
classical, the Metro stations are not to be missed.
In short the Metro was a central, perhaps the
central, element in the building frenzy of the 1930s
that changed the face of Moscow forever.
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Tokyo
Passengers carried per day: 8.7m
Cost of ticket: 160–300 yen (1.40–2.50 euros)
Length: 328 kilometres
   
Stations: 282
Trains do not just arrive on time in Tokyo, they
stop right on the platform mark so that passengers
can line up knowing exactly where the doors will
open. Train driving is a prestigious job for life for
which the applicants must pass a rigorous screening
of health checks, interviews and written exams
before they can don the usually meticulously turned
out uniform, cap and white gloves.
However, overcrowding means it is far from a
commuter paradise. At peak morning hours, some
stations employ part-time platform staff to cram
in passengers. Carriages can be filled to 183%
of capacity. The main reason for such cramped
conditions is that the Tokyo subway system has only
24 kilometres of track for every 1 million people,
compared to 58 on the London Underground. New
lines are under construction, but at a cost of 575,000
euros per metre of rail, progress has been slow.
Mexico City
Passengers carried per day: 5m
Cost of ticket: 3 pesos (0.15 euros) flat fare
Length: 451 kilometres
   
Stations: 175
Fast, relatively safe, and very cheap, Mexico City’s
underground is an oasis of order and efficiency under
the chaos above. The Mexican capital’s underground
system is the biggest in the continent and one of the
most subsidised networks in the world.
Built in the 1960s, it boasts rubber-tyred carriages
and connecting walkways that recall the Paris Metro.
An army of vendors wind their way through the cars
selling everything from briefcases to potato peelers.
The first trains leave the terminuses at 5 a.m. and
the last after midnight as the masses move from the
outskirts of the 20 million-strong megacity. Mexico
City’s Metro also attracts a sizeable contingent of
passengers who are unwilling to spend hours in
choking traffic jams. Without the Metro the city
would grind to a halt, but expansion is desperately
needed to relieve the crowding. At peak times, two
carriages on each train may be reserved for women
and children only. There is a master plan to build new
lines and extend existing ones, but financial constraints
complicated by the fact that the system runs through
different jurisdictions mean progress is slow.
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 PAPER 2 WRITING (1 hour 30 minutes)

Part 1

You must answer this question. Write your answer in 180–220 words in an appropriate style.

1 You recently saw an advertisement for job opportunities in Australia. You are very interested and have
made some notes on the advertisement. Read the advertisement below with your notes written on it.
Then, using the information appropriately, write a letter to Sydney Opportunities saying why you are
interested in working in Australia and raising the questions referred to in your notes.

Sydney Opportunities

Job opportunities in Australia

Have you ever thought of working in an English-speaking country?
Would you like the opportunity of learning some new skills?
Are you interested in improving your English?

Then you should write to us.

We at Sydney Opportunities find part-time work placements in large companies.
Your salary covers living expenses, but we are unable to offer accommodation.

Write and tell us:

• what qualifications and experience you already have
• when you would like to start
• your reasons for applying for a placement

use
• possible to request a job where I can
my IT skills?

my
• international company – so I can use
mother tongue and English?

ion?
• any help with finding accommodat

Write your letter to Sydney Opportunities. You should use your own words as far as possible. You do
not need to include postal addresses.

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 Part 2

Write an answer to one of the questions 2–5 in this part. Write your answer in 220–260 words in an appropriate
style.

2 This is part of a letter you receive from an English friend of yours, who works for a hotel company.
You are going to reply to the letter.

We’re considering opening a hotel in the place where you live. If we do

go ahead with the idea, what would be the best part of town to open
a hotel and why? Do you think we’d be more likely to get business or
holiday customers and what sort of facilities should we offer? I’d
also, of course, welcome any other suggestions you might have for us.

Write your letter.

3 You see this announcement on the notice board of the college where you study English.

Can you help others to study

well?
Win a prize by sharing your
experiences!
What advice would you want
to give new students about wh
they should and should not do at
in order to study well throug
the year and to get good ma hout
rks in exams? You should exp
how your own experiences hav lain
e informed the advice you giv
e.
The three best entries will eac
h win a computer.

Write your competition entry.

4 You see this notice in an English language magazine.

We are planning to publish a regular series reviewing websites. We would

like readers to send us reviews of two websites which you know well. The two
websites should contrast in some way. Tell us what the websites deal with and
how they contrast with each other, and what you like or dislike about the sites.

Write your review.

5 Your teacher has asked you to write a report on the set text you have prepared. Your report should
consider whether the text is likely to be of interest to students of both sexes and of all ages and
backgrounds.
Write your report.
Note: In the final exam, the question on set texts will have two options – one on each of the set texts.
You will be asked to choose one of these options.

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 PAPER 3 USE OF ENGLISH (1 hour)

Part 1

For questions 1–12, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is
an example at the beginning (0).

Example:
0 A dream   B wish   C hope   D plan

0 A B C D

Grand Canyon

In 1999, the motorcycle stuntman Robbie Knievel fulfilled his father’s (0) …… by soaring across the Grand
Canyon on his 500cc machine to (1) …… a new world record.
Millions watched on television as Knievel, son of the (2) …… daredevil Evel Knievel, roared up a ramp at 145
kilometres per hour and (3) …… himself into the air, sailing 70 metres over a gorge to break his own world
record by 1.5 metres.

Fireworks erupted and several hundred (4) …… cheered as he slid to safety on the other (5) …… in a cloud of
dust, tumbling off his motorcycle into bales of hay. If he had (6) …… , Knievel would have plunged over 750
metres to the canyon (7) …… on the Hualapai Indian reservation.

He had been planning to (8) …… a go at the same jump the previous month but it was cancelled at the last
(9) …… because of wind and cold. ‘It’s a jump my father always wanted to do but never got the (10) …… ,’ he
said. His father, who died in 2007, was full of (11) …… for his son. ‘Robbie is the true (12) …… to the Knievel
name. He can not only jump better than me but he does it with no hands on the handlebars.’

1 A put B do C set D bring

2 A ancient B antique C veteran D obsolete

3 A flew B launched C expelled D blew

4 A audience B viewers C congregation D spectators

5 A side B edge C bank D rim

6 A mistaken B failed C disappointed D dropped

7 A ground B bottom C earth D floor

8 A have B take C give D try

9 A point B minute C thing D time

10 A possibility B moment C chance D luck

11 A praise B tribute C congratulations D applause

12 A son B heir C honour D credit

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 Part 2

For questions 13–27, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word
in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS.

Example:  0   I N

The cost of team building

When it comes to work, the UK has always followed (0) …… America’s footsteps; its workers work longer
hours than other European countries, and more and more companies book (13) …… are called ‘team-building
weekends’ for their employees. The intention is clear – it is done (14) …… raise morale and help people work
more effectively together – but the reasoning less (15) …… . It doesn’t seem to matter that if you spend most
of the week with your colleagues, you may (16) …… want to spend the weekends with them. Especially when
it invariably involves doing something absurd (17) …… driving go-karts. This is one of the activities that often
tops managers’ lists of ideas.

For just under £50 you’ll (18) …… issued with a helmet and a small petrol-driven kart. Usually you will have to
compete in a championship in the hope of winning a tiny plastic trophy. Of course, there will be one person
who will take it all desperately seriously; it is quite possible he will (19) …… practised at some point (20) ……
the team-building weekend. He is usually the most unpopular person in the office, too.

An even more adrenalin-charged alternative is to arrange a tandem parachute at £235 (21) …… person.
Remind the manager that employees should not be forced to jump. Survival weekends, when the department
is deposited in the (22) …… of nowhere and told to find their own food and shelter, are popular.

The theory is that adversity bonds people together. The reality is quite obviously the opposite. Yet (23) ……
dreaded option is paintballing. This is where the office politics start. If you paintball your account manager, will
he take it out (24) …… you in the office, assigning you paperclip-counting tasks? And if you don’t shoot him,
will he forever think you are a gutless wimp and pass you (25) …… for promotion? It’s a minefield.

In common with the male-orientated themes of team-building (26) …… not send everyone to a spa for a
morale-boosting weekend? Premiership football season tickets are widely used incentives. A one-day
hospitality package at a Premiership club will cost from £165. Perhaps, (27) …… all, the most cost-effective
option is to take everyone to a restaurant for a meal after work.

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 Part 3

For questions 28–37 read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form
a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS.

Example:  0   F O U N D E R

Eating out in London

London is now one of the world’s top cities for dining out,

according to the (0) …… of a survey that covers 70 cities FOUND

worldwide. Tim Zagat of the Zagat Survey said yesterday

that the sixth (28) ……… of his survey showed how much EDIT

(29) ……… London had made. He said: ‘In many ways I think IMPROVE

that London is now more (30) ……… than most other European REMARK

capitals. It is the (31) ……… of types of cuisine that makes VARY

London special.’ He added that British people are becoming

much more (32) ……… with regard to food. Top restaurant was DISCRIMINATE

Gordon Ramsay’s where the food was called ‘(33) ……… DESCRIBE

wonderful if rather (34) ………’. PRICE

In addition to Ramsay’s justifiably famous place in Chelsea,

the survey draws attention to the (35) ……… of a number of EXIST

other restaurants which were felt to be of an (36) ……… high EXCEPTION

standard. Although there are still many London restaurants which

remain (37) ……… , overall the standard is getting much better. SUCCESS

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 Part 4

For questions 38–42, think of one word only which can be used appropriately in all three sentences. Here is
an example (0).

Example:
0 When I woke up this morning I was surprised to find there had been a …… frost overnight.
Both my grandparents have become a little …… of hearing in their old age.
This term you will all have to work very …… on your projects if you are to finish them on time.

Example:  0   HARD

Write only the missing words IN CAPITAL LETTERS.

38 Soldiers must take up their positions as soon as the officer in charge gives the ……. .
Janie’s brother insists on having all his CDs arranged in alphabetical ……. .
Most of the students here are taking the course in …… to improve their chances of getting a good job.

39 The new software is having a …… run over the next two months to see if it works properly.
Kim is on …… at the office for a month and then, if they are satisfied, they’ll give her a proper contract.
It is a very complicated …… and the jury may have to be there for months.

40 She had never had to …… such a large office before but she managed very successfully.
Has it been announced yet whether Brown is or is not going to …… for President?
You’re going to have to …… if you want to catch that bus.

41 We have a wide range of …… drinks on sale in the buffet car.

Sharon thinks her husband is too …… on the children when they behave badly.
These shoes are made of lovely …… leather – were they very expensive?

42 When does school …… up for the holidays?

They always tried to be very careful not to …… the law.
Boys’ voices usually begin to …… in their early teens.

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 Part 5

For questions 43–50, 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. You must use between three and six words, including
the word given. Here is an example (0).

Example:
0 You should try to think only about your own work and not bother about mine.
ON
You should try to …………… you need to do and not bother about my work.

The gap can be filled with the words ‘concentrate on what’, so you write:

Example:  0   CONCENTRATE ON WHAT

Write only the missing words IN CAPITAL LETTERS.

43 If you should see Paul at the weekend, you could ask him for help.
INTO
Were ………………… at the weekend, you could ask him for help.

44 Someone is going to install cable TV in my new flat this afternoon.

PUT
I’m going ………………… in my new flat this afternoon.

45 I really hate that kind of film.

AVERSION
I ………………… that kind of film.

46 Don’t forget to discuss these factors in your essay.

CONSIDERATION
Remember ………………… in your essay.

47 All parents want only the best for their children.

NOTHING
Every ………………… for their children.

48 Sally often reminds me of my younger sister.

THINK
Sally often ………………… younger sister.

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 49 Tim didn’t object to me taking responsibility for the project.
RAISED
Tim ………………… in charge of the project.

50 The odds are against Maria getting such an important job.

LIKELY
Maria ………………… such an important job.

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 PAPER 4 LISTENING (approximately 40 minutes)

You can listen to the audio for this test on your computer or on your CD player.
To play the audio on your computer, open Media Player and you will see the audio tracks listed.
To play the audio on your CD Player, take the CD-ROM out of your computer and play it on your
CD player like any other audio CD.

Part 1

You will hear three different extracts. For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B or C) which fits best according
to what you hear. There are two questions for each extract.

Extract One
You hear a woman telling her friend about a dance class she has been attending.
1 Why did she decide to join the class?
A She thought it would be a good way to get fit.
B She hoped it would help her to relax.
C She wanted to relive childhood memories.

2 What did she find surprising about the first class?

A how much concentration was needed
B how repetitive the movements were
C how satisfied it made her feel

Extract Two
You hear part of an interview with the manager of a football team.
3 What does he think has been his most important achievement this season?
A winning more matches than in the previous season
B introducing young players into the team
C improving the attitude of staff at the club

4 In his opinion, professional footballers these days

A are paid too much money.
B receive too much media exposure.
C need to improve the way they behave.

Extract Three
You hear part of radio discussion in which two people are reviewing new computer game.
5 What overall opinion does the woman have of the game?
A It encourages players to be imaginative.
B It will appeal to a wide range of people.
C It presents a new idea for a computer game.

6 What do the woman and the man agree is a weakness in the game?
A Some tasks are not challenging enough.
B The soundtrack does not have enough variety.
C Some visual images are not very interesting.

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 Part 2

You will hear a diver talking about a dive in a small submarine to a coral reef. For questions 7–14, complete
the sentences.

North-east Atlantic coral is similar in shape to 7 .

Another easily recognisable form of plant life is the 8 .

The submarine has a length of 2.5 metres and a width of 9 .

The submarine was put into the water by a 10 .

It was difficult to know exactly where we would touch down because of the

11 .

Water depth can be estimated naturally by the 12 .

Crustaceans which are visible on the reef are shrimps and 13 .

The only sound in the ocean is that of the 14 .

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 Part 3

You will hear part of a radio interview in which Frank Williams, the presenter of a television series about
archaeology, talks about his work. For questions 15–20, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best
according to what you hear.

15 Frank says he was chosen to present the television series about archaeology because of
A his experience of difficult environments.
B his knowledge of the subject.
C his ability to communicate.
D his research background.

16 What does Frank say about the way subjects for his programmes are selected?
A He thinks too much attention is paid to the way things look.
B He would like to contribute more to the decision-making.
C He feels that topics are sometimes chosen too quickly.
D He approves of the variety of people involved.

17 What has been the most difficult thing for Frank in making his programmes?
A Keeping fit enough to cope with the type of work he does.
B Learning about a different subject for each programme.
C Writing the book that goes with the television series.
D Travelling long distances on a regular basis.

18 Frank says that the main difference between the projects he films and conventional archaeological
research is that his projects
A have a limited timescale.
B have less scientific value.
C produce definitive answers.
D avoid dealing with difficult ideas.

19 Why does Frank think the programmes he presents are so popular with viewers?
A They treat audiences as intelligent people.
B They remind people of some well-known films.
C They cater for a growing interest in ancient history.
D They have interesting storylines for viewers to follow.

20 As a result of the success of the series, Frank thinks that in future

A the subjects investigated will have to be more exciting.
B he will be able to present other types of television programmes.
C his archaeology programmes will attract extra financial backing.
D more people will feel encouraged to take up archaeology as a profession.

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 Part 4

You will hear five short extracts in which people are talking about how they met their partners.

TASK ONE
For questions 21–25, choose from the list (A–H) the place where the meeting occurred.

While you listen you must complete both tasks.

A restaurant

Speaker 1 21
B university lecture room

C theatre
Speaker 2 22

D school

Speaker 3 23
E newspaper office

F railway station
Speaker 4 24

G park

Speaker 5 25
H train

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 TASK TWO
For questions 26–30, choose from the list (A–H) the occupation of each speaker.

While you listen you must complete both tasks.

A journalist

Speaker 1 26
B economist

C cook
Speaker 2 27

D translator

Speaker 3 28
E doctor

F historian
Speaker 4 29

G actor

Speaker 5 30
H designer

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 PAPER 5 SPEAKING (15 minutes)
In the examination, there are two examiners. One (the interlocutor) conducts the test, providing the necessary
materials and explaining what to do. The other examiner (the assessor) is introduced to both candidates, but
then takes no further part in the interaction. Note that the visual material for Test 2 appears on pages 30 and
31 (Part 2) and 32 (Part 3).

Part 1 (3 minutes)
The interlocutor asks both candidates a few questions, firstly for some information about themselves, then
widens the scope of the questions by asking about subjects like candidates’ leisure activities, studies, travel
and daily life. Candidates should respond to the interlocutor’s questions and listen to their partner’s answers.

Part 2 (1 minute ‘long turn’ for each candidate, and a 30-second response from the second)
Both candidates are asked to talk for about a minute, and to comment briefly after their partner has spoken.
The interlocutor gives the first candidate some pictures to talk about for about a minute. It is important to
listen carefully to the instructions. The interlocutor then asks the second candidate a question about the same
pictures, but only wants a short answer.
The candidates are then given another set of pictures to look at, and this time the second candidate must talk
for about one minute, and the first candidate gives a short response afterwards.

Part 3 (approximately 4 minutes)

In this part of the test both candidates talk together. The interlocutor provides a new set of pictures. These
pictures provide the basis for a discussion. The interlocutor explains what to do.

Part 4 (approximately 4 minutes)

The interlocutor asks some further questions, which leads to a more general discussion of the topics
discussed in Part 3. Candidates can comment on each other’s answers if they wish.

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 Paper 5 Speaking frames
Part 1 3 minutes (5 minutes for groups of three)

Interlocutor: Good morning/afternoon/evening. My name is …… and this is my colleague …… .

And your names are?
Can I have your mark sheets, please?
Thank you.
First of all, we’d like to know something about you.
Select one or two questions and ask candidates in turn, as appropriate.
• Where are you from?
• What do you do here/there?
• How long have you been studying English?
• What do you enjoy most about learning English?

Select one or more questions from any of the following categories, as appropriate.

Entertainment
• What do you do to relax?
• What is the most popular leisure activity in your country?
• Do you think people of your age do enough sport and exercise?
• What type of films do you enjoy watching? (Why?)

Work and study

• Where and when do you find it easiest to study?
• What do you think are the benefits of studying abroad?
• Do you think people are ever too old to learn?
• What jobs are popular in your country?

Travel and holidays

• Do you like going on holiday with a large group of people? (Why? / Why not?)
• What do you think is the best way to travel? (Why?)
• Which country would you like to visit? (Why?)
• Do you think travelling gives you important life experience?

Future plans
• What do you hope to be doing in five years from now?
• How do you plan to use your English in the future?
• Would you like to live abroad in the future?
• Would you like to learn any other foreign languages in the future? (Why? / Why not?)

Daily life
• Do you like to have a morning routine or do you prefer each morning to be different? (Why?)
• Which meal of the day do you enjoy the most? (Why?)
• In what ways do you think the Internet has made our everyday lives easier?
• Which is the most relaxing part of the day for you?

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 Part 2 4 minutes (6 minutes for groups of three)

Interlocutor: In this part of the test, I’m going to give each of you three pictures. I’d like you to talk about
them on your own for about a minute, and also to answer a question briefly about your
partner’s pictures.
(Candidate A), it’s your turn first. Here are your pictures. They show different ways of
shopping.
Indicate the pictures on page 30 to the candidates.
I’d like you to compare two of the pictures, and say what kind of customer might choose to
shop in each way, and what might be the disadvantages of shopping in these different
ways.
All right?
Candidate A: [1 minute]
Interlocutor: Thank you.
(Candidate B) Which type of shopping do you think will become more popular in the
future? (Why?)
Candidate B: [Approximately 30 seconds]
Interlocutor: Thank you.
Now, (Candidate B), here are your pictures. They show people together in different
situations.
Indicate the pictures on page 31 to the candidates.
I’d like you to compare two of the pictures, and say what feelings are being expressed, and
say what you think might have made the people feel like this.
All right?
Candidate B: [1 minute]
Interlocutor: Thank you.
(Candidate A), Which of these people do you think know each other the best? (Why?)
Candidate A: [Approximately 30 seconds]
Interlocutor: Thank you.

Parts 3 and 4  8 minutes (12 minutes for groups of three)

Part 3
Interlocutor: Now, I’d like you to talk about something together for about three minutes. (5 minutes for
groups of three)
Here are some pictures showing how people live in very different natural environments.
Indicate the pictures on page 32 to the candidates.
First, talk to each other about how the natural environment in which people live can affect
their lives. Then decide which two pictures show the most challenging environment to
live in.
All right?
Candidates: [3 minutes (5 minutes for groups of three)]
Interlocutor: Thank you.

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 Part 4
Interlocutor: Select any of the following questions as appropriate:
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in large cities?
• Some people say that as a result of living in large towns and cities we are losing touch with
nature. To what extent do you agree with this?
• Which inventions would you say have had the greatest impact on the way we live our lives
today?
• How do you think our homes will be different in the future?
• To what extent do you think the environment in which we live has an effect on our character?

Thank you. That is the end of the test.

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29 practice test 2
 Visual materials for the Speaking test
•  What kind of customer might choose to shop in each way?
•  What might be the disadvantages of shopping in these different ways?

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30 practice test 2
 •  What feelings are being expressed?
•  What do you think might have made the people feel like this?

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 •  How can the natural environment in which people live affect their lives?
•  Which two pictures show the most challenging environment to live in?

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32 practice test 2
 Key: Test 2
Paper 1 Reading
Part 1: 1 B 2 B 3 D 4 A 5 D 6 C
Part 2: 7 D 8 F 9 B 10 G 11 A 12 C
Part 3: 13 B 14 B 15 D 16 A 17 D 18 C 19 A
Part 4: 20 C 21 D 22 A 23 B 24 D 25 A 26 B 27 C 28 D 29 C
30 A 31 D 32 B 33 D 34 C

Paper 2 Writing
Writing Sample answers
3 Competition entry
How to study languages effectively
I am writing to offer my advice on studying languages effectively. Much comes from my own experience –
German at school, and Polish as an adult. I had the benefit of enthusiastic and motivated teachers who all
took great delight in passing on their love of both the language and culture they taught. The lessons I learnt
from them will be invaluable to other students of languages.
Firstly, if you can visit the country whose language you’re studying, it will motivate you and provide a great
opportunity to practise what you’re learning in class. Just a one-week trip gives you the chance to talk to
people in another language, and you’ll see the improvement when you return to class. You understand that
little bit more, so you make faster progress, which in turn motivates you more.
Secondly, reading books or articles online, or watching films in your chosen language can really help your
comprehension, as well as your command of phrases that don’t tend to be taught in class. This wasn’t really
possible before the internet and satellite TV.
Things you shouldn’t do include relying on your dictionary. Try to communicate your needs or thoughts in the
foreign language, without resorting to looking things up. It’s true in class too; I recommend volunteering to
answer every question the teacher asks. It’s your opportunity to practise saying the things you’ll want to say
outside school, so your teacher should correct your mistakes.
Finally, when it comes to exams, look back over your notebook and your textbook where you’ve written
examples of new vocabulary and grammar. You could also attempt past papers under exam conditions –
you’ll soon find out where you need to improve. Most importantly, remember that there is usually more than
one way to say something. Learning a language is a creative process, and you need to be confident enough
to open your mouth and let the words fall into place.

Paper 3 Use of English

Part 1: 1 C 2 C 3 B 4 D 5 A 6 B 7 D 8 A 9 B 10 C 11 A 12 B
Part 2: 13 what 14 to 15 so/clear 16 not 17 like 18 be/get 19 have
20 before/for 21 per/a/each 22 middle 23 another 24 on 25 over
26 why 27 after
Part 3: 28 edition 29 improvement 30 remarkable 31 variety 32 discriminating
33 indescribably 34 pricey/high-priced 35 existence 36 exceptionally
37 unsuccessful
Part 4: 38 order 39 trial 40 run 41 soft 42 break
Part 5: 43 you to bump/run into Paul 44 to have cable TV put in 45 have an aversion to
46 to take these factors into consideration 47 parent wants nothing but the best
48 makes me think of my 49 raised no objection to me/my being 50 is not (very) likely to get

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 Paper 4   Listening
Part 1: 1 B  2 A  3 C  4 B  5 A  6 C
Part 2: 7 (a) cauliflower   8 sponge 9  one metre/meter  10 crane   11 tidal currents  
12 light levels   13 lobsters   14 propellers (of the sub)
Part 3: 15 C  16 D  17 A  18 C  19 D  20 B  
Part 4: 21 G   22 D   23 C   24 F   25 H   26 E   27 H   28 A   29 D   30 F

Test 2 Transcript
PART 1
Extract 1
Paul: I’m curious. Do a lot of older people go to your tap dance class?
Julia: Well, there are some. It’s supposed to strengthen your ankles, knees and hips and the
older dancers there certainly look lean and lively. So, it shouldn’t do me any harm. But
there’s a mix. Quite a few probably have rather hectic lives and do it to unwind, like me.
Actually, I had some tap dance classes when I was about 10. But I didn’t get on with the
teacher and that put me off it for ages. This is different though.
Paul: How many classes have you been to?
Julia: Six. And I’m just starting to get the hang of it. You’ve got to focus all the time. I hadn’t
realised how mentally shattered I’d feel after an hour of it. The teacher makes us do the
same steps over and over again – you have to do it for them to become automatic. I
considered giving it up after a couple of sessions as I thought I’d never learn, but I stuck
at it and I’m glad I did.
Extract 2
Interviewer: How do you feel about the team’s progress this season?
Manager: Well, in terms of results and where we are in the league, we’ve advanced a bit on last
year, though we haven’t reached the targets we set ourselves. It’s been nice to see some
youngsters making their debuts, and though they’ve struggled a bit, the experience will be
good for them. I’d say the biggest turnaround has been in the general mindset here – the
players, the directors, the junior administrators, everyone. There’s a sense of togetherness
which was missing before.
Interviewer: On a different point: professional football has been criticised a lot in the media recently –
financial problems, players getting into trouble, and so on. What are your views on this?
Manager: Well, football’s only a sport and I honestly think the focus on it has gone over the top. It’s
on TV, the radio, the internet, the newspapers – you can’t get away from it. This makes
life really difficult for the players. Like all young men they’re bound to make mistakes
from time to time. They’re fortunate to be earning a lot, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t
entitled to a bit of privacy.
Extract 3
Colin: The next game we tried out is called Pencil Adventures. The idea is you have a special
multicoloured pencil you can use to draw different objects which you use to overcome
obstacles and solve puzzles through various levels of difficulty.
Clare: Yeah, though it says on the box that it’s for anyone at any age, the likelihood is that it’s
kids that will really go for it. There’s nothing wrong with that though, and like many other
games in this genre already on the market, it has a lovely focus on self-expression and
invention.
Colin: I also found I really had to concentrate once I’d moved up a couple of levels – the puzzles
tend to require quite a bit of thought. I have to say though that some of the graphics were
a bit lame. Also, the music got rather samey, once I’d been on it for a while.

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34 practice test 2
 Clare: I thought the tunes were quite amusing actually, though it’s not usually my kind of thing.
I must admit I wasn’t too inspired by some of the graphics, especially as it’s a drawing
game. I also wondered whether some of the puzzles were a bit too obvious.

PART 2
Speaker: I was really excited as I was standing on the deck of the ship waiting for the moment when
I could begin the descent to see one of the ocean’s best kept secrets: a giant coral reef
complex. These particular corals in the north-east Atlantic create strange cauliflower-
shaped patterns.
At the end of the last Ice Age, around ten thousand years ago, the continent was locked
under ice and as the icebergs broke free and scraped their way across the Norwegian
continental shelf, they left their mark on the sea bed, scattering rocks and ploughing
boulders to either side. You can still see this today and the grooves have become home
to these corals and also a type of sponge. These are yellow, just like the ones you can get
for your bathroom.
We went down to the ocean bed in a tiny sort of submarine, just 2.5 metres long and one
metre wide, and altogether we were squeezed into that space for about six hours. As you
can imagine, it’s hard to move at all once you’re inside.
Our sub was launched over the side of the ship. We checked all our equipment and then a
crane finally let us down into the water. Then we were towed some distance from the ship
and we made our final communication checks before we made the descent.
We began to descend at roughly one metre a second and at that rate it should have taken
about a quarter of an hour to reach the bottom. But with the tidal currents it was difficult
to predict exactly where you’d touch down. As we descended it was hard to appreciate
the force of the currents as we went past swarms of jellyfish and millions of shrimps which
were darting around in all directions.
The other thing that changed dramatically was the light level. We knew, even without
looking at the instruments, that we were reaching deeper waters as the light level
dropped. As we approached the coral reef we put on the sub’s lights. We had a sort of
plexiglass viewing dome and believe me, the view was extraordinary. The water was, in
fact, crystal clear and on this particular reef I soon began to see, amongst the luminous
white coral, hundreds of points of light shine back at me – the reflective eyes of shrimps
and lobsters. A wonderful sight. Having seen them in their natural habitat, I could never
eat a lobster dinner again.
We began to cross the reef and we disturbed rabbit fish and all sorts of exotic creatures,
and it was on the top of the reef that we found the largest and healthiest corals. Some of
them were several metres in diameter on this top part of the reef. Some corals can reach a
height of one metre. As we floated through this scene from some sort of wonderland, the
only noise was that of the gentle hum of the propellers of our sub. Finally, we had to turn
back. Our journey was over, much too soon.

PART 3
Interviewer: Our guest today is Frank Williams, who hosts the popular television series about
archaeology called Uncovering The Past. Frank, you travel around the world exploring
archaeological sites and mysteries. How did you end up doing something so interesting?
Frank: Well, I’ve always been fascinated by ancient cultures but I’m not a trained archaeologist.
My degree’s in geology and after university I worked for a geological survey team. Then,
I was recruited by a travel company to lead tours to areas of special geological interest,
like volcanoes, deserts and the Antarctic, and talk about the geology of places we visited.
On one of the tours, there was a guy who worked for a TV company which was looking
for someone to front a programme they were planning. He must have been impressed by
the way I explained things to him because the next thing I knew I was standing in front of
a camera.

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 Interviewer: How do you decide which topic you’re going to cover in each programme?
Frank: There’s a team of producers and expert researchers who do that. They know what they’re
doing. I have my say, but I’m usually too wrapped up in filming the current episode to worry
about what might be coming up down the line. For any topic to get the green light, certain
criteria must be satisfied. It should be a genuine archaeological mystery. It also needs an
aesthetically pleasing location. We’ve been criticised for being over-glossy, but audiences
go for the visually attractive. Another factor is whether there will be opportunities to film
me doing things like diving or climbing. And everything has to fit into a tight schedule.
Interviewer: Your job’s obviously exciting. Is there anything difficult about it?
Frank: Definitely. I need to know what I’m talking about, so I have to do a lot of background
reading for each episode. That said, I have expert researchers to help. They’re also doing
the groundwork for the series book. Apart from that, the filming’s often quite demanding
physically – diving to the bottom of the ocean to explore ancient ruins, for instance. You
need strength and stamina for that, so I have to stay in shape. That’s probably the biggest
challenge actually, as it’s hard to squeeze it in, with everything going on, including all the
time I spend in planes and cars going from one location to another.
Interviewer: How closely do the archaeological projects we see in your programmes resemble the
work real archaeologists do?
Frank: What we do is completely authentic. We usually film projects on sites where long-term
studies are taking place. Our project may last as long as any normal study, and our
research teams use standard methods of research, so our findings are perfectly valid.
We can’t show everything in a one-hour programme – we present the main aspects of an
investigation. But though we leave out some detail, we don’t shy away from crucial and
complex issues. Our job is to make them accessible. The one thing we insist on, though,
is that any project we film should produce clear results. For example, in a recent episode
investigating an unusual shape on the seabed, we wanted to discover whether it was
natural or man-made. The findings had to be one or the other. Archaeological research
often generates much fuzzier results. That’s fine, but our viewers would feel frustrated if
questions were left unresolved.
Interviewer: Some people have suggested that the popularity of your series is down to it being like the
Indiana Jones films. Do you agree?
Frank: Comparing me with a great movie star like Harrison Ford is flattering, but though the Indiana
Jones character is an archaeologist, the similarity ends there. We don’t have goodies and
baddies. We concentrate on archaeology. Having said that, each programme has a plot –
a mystery is presented, followed by various stages of complicated investigation, and then
we eventually come up with a solution. I suppose that structure is pretty compelling, and
probably distinguishes us from other archaeology programmes, which have often been
well-made, but rather dry.
Interviewer: Being part of a highly-rated series must be great but I imagine there’s pressure on you to
do even better in the future.
Frank: Well, I’m hoping there won’t be any more pressure. I think we’ve found a formula that
works. We appeal to people who are passionate about archaeology, but we also attract
other viewers, especially younger people. Having said that, now we’ve gained a strong
audience, more doors are likely to open for us – access to more archaeological sites and
even special deals for hotels, airfares and the like. We have a limited budget and any
savings can be used to make the show even better. On a personal note, I’ve been offered
the chance to front a new series about the environment, which looks great.
Interviewer: I look forward to seeing that. Many thanks for talking to us, Frank.

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 PART 4
Speaker 1: Jane and I met when we were both at university. She was doing economics and I was in
my last year as a medical student. We’d both been there for three years and yet our paths
had never crossed – even though in Jane’s first year we’d actually been living on the same
street. It was quite romantic really how we eventually met. We’d both been working really
hard for our final exams and had decided to go for a walk in the local park, you know, to
blow some cobwebs away. It started to rain very heavily and we both took shelter under a
huge beech tree. We got married six months later and now have three grown-up children.
Our eldest daughter wants to be a doctor too and she may be starting at our old university
next year.
Speaker 2: Some people say that they know at once when they meet the person they’re going to
marry but it wasn’t like that at all for me and Paul. In fact, we hated each other at first.
He was my best friend’s first boyfriend – we were all in the same class at school – and I
think I was a bit jealous of him taking her away from me. Also, he always got better marks
than me even though he didn’t seem to work as hard as I did – that really infuriated me.
His relationship with my friend didn’t last long but I didn’t start to like him until we ended
up working in the same restaurant. He’d become a chef by then and I’d been called in to
redesign the place to give it more atmosphere. They were so pleased with my work that I
had free meals there whenever I wanted them. Needless to say, I became a regular though
I’d have happily paid for the meals anyway. Paul’s cooking is amazing and I’d realised that
I’d changed my mind about him too.
Speaker 3: Where did I meet my wife? Well, would you believe it, we have different views on that.
She says we first met in the interval during a rather dull performance of Hamlet where I
helped her find her contact lens which she’d somehow managed to drop on the floor. I
remember the performance because I had to review it and had to be tactful as my editor’s
wife was playing Ophelia. I do vaguely remember helping someone find their contact lens
but I thought it was someone who didn’t look at all like Sophie. My version is that we met
backstage many years later when Sophie was herself becoming quite a successful actress
and I had to interview her for the local paper. But I guess Sophie is probably right – women
do seem to remember faces better.
Speaker 4: I’ll never forget our first meeting even though it’s a long time ago now. I was studying
Russian and was on my first ever trip there. I was with a group of students – all of us
from Scotland – but I was the only one who spoke any Russian. I think it’s probably what
made me decide to go into translating when I graduated. Not many Scottish people ever
visited Russia in those days. We stepped off the train after the two-and-a-half-day journey
from London and there he was waiting to meet us with a bunch of beautiful flowers, the
traditional Russian way of greeting travellers. He was a law student and had been told
he had to show this group of foreigners what a great place his city was. I was instantly
captivated both by the place and by him.
Speaker 5: I guess ours is a fairly typical story. I’d just got my first university job and Maria was one of
the mature students – she was taking my course on Europe in the Middle Ages. Mind you,
that isn’t really where we first met. Maria knew me because she’d been to my lectures but
I hadn’t seen her – there were at least two hundred students in those lectures and I was
too nervous to notice any individual students anyway. We met on the 10.30 to London
when it was too crowded for either of us to get a seat. Maria introduced herself and – even
though we had to stand all the way – the two-hour journey passed in a flash as we got to
know each other. When we arrived we each had to go our separate ways but fortunately I
had the presence of mind to ask for her phone number first.

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 Paper 5   Speaking
Part 1 Sample answers
Work and study
• Do you think people are ever too old to learn?
I don’t think so, no. I think it perhaps gets more difficult to learn as you get older, but I wouldn’t say you are
ever too old to learn. My grandfather’s a good example. He’s 74 and he’s just bought his first laptop and is
learning to use the Internet.

Travel and holidays

• Do you think travelling gives you important life experience?
Yes, definitely. It teaches you how to deal with things on your own. For example, when you have to find a place
to stay and you perhaps don’t speak the language. I think it gives you a lot of confidence because you don’t
have your friends and family to help you all the time.

Future plans
• What do you hope to be doing in five years from now?
That’s a difficult question to answer, but I hope I’ll be working. I want to be a civil engineer, but I’m not sure
where exactly I’ll be living in five years from now. I’d like to travel a bit so maybe I’ll find the perfect place to
live while I’m travelling.

Daily life
• In what ways do you think the Internet has made our everyday lives easier?
I think it has made it much easier to find information we need. For example, if I need to catch a train I can look
on the Internet for a timetable or if I want to buy a ticket for a concert. It also means I can work from home if
I need to as I can use the Internet to keep in touch with the office. Generally it makes life more flexible I think.

Part 2 Sample answers

(Candidate A), I’d like you to compare two of the pictures, and say what kind of customer might choose to
shop in each way, and what might be the disadvantages of shopping in these different ways.

I’m going to speak about the first and second picture. The first picture shows online shopping and I think this
kind of shopping attracts customers who are very busy and perhaps can’t get to the shops when they are
open because they are at work. It might also be an attractive option for people who are disabled or who find
it hard to move around. The second picture on the other hand, shows a very different way of shopping, in a
market. I think the kind of customer this attracts is someone who likes to find a bargain and perhaps try and
get a better price from the seller. In a market there is more possibility to get the seller to drop their prices.
It is also good for customers who like to see and touch what they are buying. In addition to this, It is a more
sociable experience as you can speak to people as you’re doing your shopping, whereas online shopping is
a more solitary experience.
I think a possible disadvantage of online shopping is that you can’t touch the products or try them on if they
are clothes for example. This means that sometimes you are disappointed when your shopping arrives and it’s
not the quality you expected or it doesn’t fit properly. A possible disadvantage of shopping at a market is that
it may be difficult to return goods if you are not happy with them. Also if you are buying clothes, you may not
be able to try them on before buying them. It is also not such an enjoyable way to shop if the weather’s bad!

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 (Candidate B), How do you think shopping will change in the future? (Why?)

I think more and more people will do shopping online, as it is so convenient. It is also often cheaper to buy
online as the companies don’t have to rent shops. I think as more people shop online, we’ll see more and more
high street shops close. I still think that people will enjoy going to shopping centres though as it will still be a
popular leisure activity.

(Candidate B), I’d like you to compare two of the pictures, and say what feelings are being expressed, and
say what you think might have made the people feel like this.

I’m going to talk about the picture with the old couple and the one with the work colleagues. I think the old
couple look very happy – maybe they are having fond memories thinking about something that has happened.
It looks like they’re at home, perhaps after coming back from a trip somewhere. Maybe they have been on
holiday and they are looking at the photos on the digital camera or they have spent some time with their
family and are looking at pictures of their grandchildren. Whatever they are looking at is making them feel very
relaxed and happy anyway.
In the other picture, the three people, who look like colleagues, seem very stressed and are all looking like
they are thinking very carefully about something. Perhaps something has happened at work to make them feel
like this. They could be deciding how to solve a problem or are worried because they are going to have to tell
their boss some bad news. It’s possible that they have not reached their targets or they have made a serious
mistake with a client. None of them looks happy, so something must have gone wrong.

(Candidate A), Which of these people do you think know each other the best? (Why?)

I think the old couple probably know each other best. They seem to be the most relaxed together and the old
lady has her arms around the man, which suggests they have a close relationship. From the picture we can
guess that they are probably husband and wife and that they are in their sixties or seventies. If they married
young, then they must know each other very well after such a long marriage.

Part 3 Sample answers

First, talk to each other about how the natural environment in which people live can affect their lives.
Then decide which two pictures show the most challenging environment to live in.

A: I think if you live in this picture, then your life is definitely affected by the snow and low temperatures.
People must have to spend more time indoors because of the weather.
B: I agree and this kind of environment must affect how people eat as well as it would be impossible to grow
fruit and vegetables in this kind of climate. Maybe this makes life quite expensive, as they have to buy a lot
of food from other places. This picture shows a greener environment so perhaps you could grow food here
and keep animals, but it looks very isolated.
A: Yes, you can’t see any other houses, so maybe this house doesn’t even have electricity or gas. It could be
quite lonely living here.
B: That’s true. How about these houses near the water?
A: Yes, in fact I think these are actually in the water! I think this could make travelling around difficult.
B: Not necessarily, I suppose you just use boats instead of cars. At least you have neighbours here. Look at
this one. Is that a volcano in the background?
A: Yes, I think you’re right. That probably makes it a very good place to grow crops as the land is usually very
rich near volcanoes.

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 B: I suppose people just get used to living so near something dangerous like a volcano. I expect you have to
accept the fact that you may need to leave your home one day if the volcano erupts. This one shows some
kind of town in a desert. Living somewhere so hot and dry must affect how people build their houses.
A: Yes, I suppose it is important to create enough shade. I expect water shortages could be an issue for
people living here.
B: Yes, although perhaps they can dig wells to get the water they need. Again, they probably have to import
food as it would be difficult to grow things here.
What about the last picture? It’s like a tent. I suppose this is a kind of camp.
A: Yes, I’ve seen these on TV, I think nomads live in these – you know, people who move from one place to
another rather than living in one place all of the time. It must be hard living in tents in such wild places
without any shops or hospitals. I suppose you have to learn to be very self-sufficient. So which photos do
you think show the most challenging environment to live in? I think the one where there’s snow because I
think freezing temperatures must make all aspects of daily life more difficult and the one with the volcano.
I think it would be very hard to relax living so close to something so dangerous.
B: I agree about the town in the snow, but I don’t think the town by the volcano would be the most challenging
place to live as probably nothing would happen to the volcano in your lifetime. I think the desert would be
much more challenging as a lack of water would make life very difficult.

Part 4 Sample answers

What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in large cities?
A: I think a big advantage is all the leisure facilities that you have in a city, for example, cinemas, shops,
theatres, and libraries. I don’t think you can get bored in a city.
B: Maybe not, but you can feel lonely as city life can be quite impersonal. I think probably people have a
greater sense of community in smaller towns.
A: Yes, I do agree with that – many people living in cities don’t really get to know their neighbours. There’s
also a lot more pollution in cities because of the traffic.
B: That’s true, but you do usually have a good public transport system in a city, unlike in smaller towns. Of
course all the good job opportunities are usually in the city as well and so it’s an advantage for your career.

Some people say that as a result of living in large towns and cities we are losing touch with nature. To what
extent do you agree with this?
B: Yes, I think this is true. If you ask lots of children these days where different vegetables come from, they
don’t know. Everything comes in plastic packaging from supermarkets and we have lost our connection
with nature.
A: I don’t agree, I think children are aware of where food comes from and they learn all about nature in school
and on trips. In any case, a lot of cities have parks where you can feel closer to nature.
B: Yes, but it’s not the same as being in the countryside and experiencing all the sights and smells that you
don’t get in a city.

To what extent do you think the environment in which we live has an effect on our character?
A: I think it has a great effect on our character. If you think about people who live in hot countries, they are
often a lot more sociable and open as people than those who come from colder climates. I think it’s only
natural if you spend a lot of time indoors that you are perhaps a bit more reserved and quiet.
B: I think that’s true as a generalisation, but not necessarily true for everyone as I think there are lots of things
that affect our character such as whether you have a happy family life, whether you are poor or in good
or bad health. I do agree that your natural environment is one factor. Another generalisation is about the
difference between people from the city and people from the country. Generally speaking, people in the
city are less friendly as life is faster and more anonymous.
A: Yes I think that’s true, but perhaps your character can also change if you change your environment. You do
hear of people who are very stressed and miserable who move to live by the sea or something and become
more relaxed and happier.

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