Grammar (25 questions – 12 minutes)

Write your answers (A-C) to questions 1-25 on you answer paper. Do not write
on this question paper. The answer to question 0 is given as an example on
your answer paper (A).
0. How old ______ you? EXAMPLE

A. are
B. age
C. have

1. A: Do you think you will get the job?

B: ________, but I’m not sure.

A. Possible
B. Possibility
C. Possibly

2. I ________ 25 years old.

A. have
B. am
C. (-)

3. I have ________ English for three years.

A. studied
B. study
C. studying

4. A: I enjoy working on challenging projects at work.

B: So________ I!

A. am
B. do
C. can

5. We could cook dinner. ________, we could buy some takeaway food.

A. Therefore
B. On the other hand
C. Although
6. You really should ________ to Barcelona – it’s a wonderful city.

A. go
B. to go
C. going

7. You need ________ new shoes – those ones are too old!

A. to buy
B. buy
C. buying

8. When I was at school I used ________ a good student.

A. to be
B. be
C. being

9. I’ve got no plans for the weekend. Maybe ________ visit my parents.

A. I
B. I’m
C. I’II

10. I’m reading a really ________ book on the history of Europe.

A. interest
B. interesting
C. interested

11. He’s about 40, but in this photograph he looks much ________.

A. young
B. younger
C. youngest

12. She has ________ two books.

A. written
B. wrote
C. write

13. I don’t recommend driving in the morning because there’s too ________ traffic.

A. much
B. many
C. most

14. I never do my homework ________ I hate studying at home.

A. so
B. because
C. although

15. They’re so different. I ________, there’s no way they’ll be happy together.

A. mean
B. decide
C. wish

16. Because of computers, many people don’t watch a lot of ________ now.

A. the television
B. a television
C. television

17. I think, in the future, people ________ live much longer than they do now.

A. ought
B. will
C. would
18. Call me tomorrow after 8.30, because I will just _______ at home.

A. about to relax
B. have relax
C. be relaxing

19. The doctor says I will ________ much better by the end of the week.

A. to feel
B. be feeling
C. have felt

20. ________ been reading this book now for a week and it isn’t getting any better!

A. I’ve
B. I’m
C. I’d

21. The garden is looking untidy – you need to get rid ________ the weeds.

A. from
B. out
C. of

22. The next meeting ________ on the sixth of June.

A. is holding
B. will be held
C. holds

23. ________ of China is very interesting.

A. A history
B. History
C. The history

24. You ________ have bought that car. What a waste of money!

A. shouldn’t
B. mustn’t
C. couldn’t

25. This is a ________ train to London. It doesn’t stop on the way.

A. direction
B. directly
C. direct

Vocabulary (25 questions -13 minutes)

Write the letter (A-K) of the word that is most similar in meaning to a word
on the left (15). Use each word once only. Write your answers (A-K) on your
answer paper. You will not need five of the words (A-K). The answer to
question 0 is given on your answer paper as an example (L).

0. big A area
1. design B rule
2. policy C money
3. fortune D base
4. wonder E chance
5. opportunity F department
G plan
H approach
J business
K surprise
L large

Finish each sentence (6-10) using a word from the list (A-K). Use each word
once only. Write your answers (A-K) on your answer paper. You will not need
five of the words (A-K).

6. The group of people who protect a country is a/an... A figure

7. A covering for floors is called a/an... B board
8. A type of house in the country is call a/an... C cottage
9. A large group of people together is called a/an... D army
10. A type of table used for work is called a/an... E desk
F crowd
G carpet
H character
J case
K example

Finish each sentence (11-15) using a word from the list (A-K). Use each word
once only. Write your answers (A-K) on your answer paper. You will not need
five of the words (A-K).

11. Just one more ________ is enough to end the project. A sock G port
12. The jacket has a/an _______ to protect your head. B hood H call
13. The ship sailed into the ________ on time. C light J champion
14. The actors read their lines from the ________. D script K country
15. The cycling ________ broke the world record. E witness
F error
Finish each sentence (16-20) using a word from the list (A-K). Use each word
once only. Write your answers (A-K) on your answer paper. You will not need
five of the words (A-K).

16. The board will ________ the plan tomorrow. A fly

17. Can I ________ some money from you? B involve
18. This fact is going to ________ everything. C approve
19. Two teams are going to ________ in the race. D benefit
20. She couldn’t ________ on the question. E complicate
F compete
G focus
H presume
J borrow
K catch

Write the letter of the word on the right (A-K) that is most often used with a
word on the left (21-25). Use each word once only. Write your answers (A-K) on
your answer paper. You will not need five of the words (A-K).

21. adverse A property

22. vacant B hygiene
23. collaborative C mechanism
24. unanimous D effort
25. humble E agreement
F formula
G personnel
H profile
J effect
K origins

Reading (25 questions – 30 minutes)

Choose one word (A, B or C) for each space and write the letter on the answer
paper. The first one (0) is done for you as an example with the answer A
marked on your answer paper.

EXAMPLE 0 A. information B. eat C. watch

1 A. hour B. afternoon C. week
2 A. say B. tell C. speak
3 A. when B. where C. what
4 A. then B. next C. later
5 A. home B. traffic C. job
Dear Simon,
0 Can you give me some ___A___ about the meeting tomorrow?
1 Is the meeting in the morning or the ________?
2 Can you _________ me the number of the meeting room?
3 I don’t know ________ the meeting is about.
4 Please call me ________ today.
5 I will be at ________ all day.
Regards,
Samantha

Order the sentences (B-G) below to make a story. Write your answers on the
answer paper (Questions 6-11).
The first sentence of the story (A) is given for you on the answer paper as an
example.
A Writer’s Life

EXAMPLE: A Kim was born in 1890 into a rich family in the English city of Leeds.
B Kim wrote her last book at the age of 90, and two months later died peacefully at home.
C When she was a young girl she was sent to France by her parents to live with her aunt.
D Kim’s first full book, The Vengeance, was also very successful.
E As a young adult she achieved success writing short stories in England.
F Kim returned from the continent to England after five years.
G She eventually wrote over 100 books, for which she won the Grand Master Award.

Read the text and complete each gap with a word from the list at the bottom of
the page. Read the texts and answer questions 12-18 on the next page
Bread

Bread is (0) ___K___ of the oldest foods made by man. There is archaeological (12) ________
that it was prepared in Europe as long as 30,000 years ago. Throughout history, bread has
been a/an (13) ________ food in many cultures. The ancient Egyptians encouraged mothers to
give their children (14) ________ of bread to take to school with them. Nowadays, bread is
potentially the one food (15) ________ is eaten by people from every race and culture. A
vast variety of traditions and beliefs connected with it have developed. In Scandinavia, it
is (16) ________ that if a boy and girl eat from the same piece of bread, they will fall in
love. Different types of bread include white and brown baked in a/an (17) ________ of sizes
and shapes. It is widely (18) ________ and is cheap and easy to produce.

Example (0): K - one

A - which B - whose C - wondered D - evidence E - variety
F - believed G - available H - plenty I - basic J - hold
K - one

Read the text below. Match the headings A-H to the paragraphs 19-25. Write
your answers (A-H) on the answer paper. There is one more heading than you
need. The answer to paragraph 0 is given on the answer paper as an example
(J).
The Hula Hoop

0. Many adults and children love the hula hoop, either for exercise or simply for fun. You
can whirl it around your waist; spin it on your arms or legs or even rotate it around your
neck at an extremely high speed. Hula hoops can be made from bendy wood or even strong grass
twisted together. However, these days they are primarily solid plastic tubes. Hula hoops
have endured throughout history, never quite fading away, and are still popular today.

19. So, when did this fascination for hula hooping really begin? Many believe it started in
the 1950s, simply as a means of pleasure. However, it actually dates back much further, as far
back as the fifth century in ancient Greece where it was a means of exercising. It re-
emerged in thirteenth century Scotland as a therapy for those who suffered from heart
disease or back conditions. In those early days it was simply called the ‘hoop,’ the word
‘hula’ was added by British soldiers on a visit to Hawaii in the nineteenth century; they
believed that the action was similar to that of the traditional island Hula dance.

20. In 1950s America, Californian toy company Wham-O perfected a plastic version of the toy
which attracted global interest. In as little as four months, 25 million of the hoops were
sold. Within two years, over 100 million had been sold, starting a trend which swept
throughout the country. In the USA alone, 50,000 were produced in a single day. Many people
in countless corners of the world developed a passion for the trend, from infants to
grandparents and from factory workers to CEOs.

21. Many popular songs were written about the hula hoop during the 1960s. Nevertheless, the
toy’s popularity began to fade over the next few decades. However, the hula hoop never
completely vanished from the public arena and most toys stores continued to stock the toy.
Recently it staged a spectacular revival, rallying a new generation of fans. Even the wife of
the President of the USA was spotted ‘hooping’ on the White House Lawn. Nowadays, the
circular toy has been incorporated in a range of fitness schemes. These use special weighted
hoops to suit individual needs, including ‘collapsible’ ones designed for easy storage.

22. The hula hoop is associated with many different world records. In 1960, a group of
American 11 year olds established a record for the longest ‘non-stop’ spinning session,
lasting precisely 11 hours and 34 minutes. In 1976, an even younger contestant won an
uninterrupted 10 hour 47 minutes contest at just eight years old. The present-day record
holder, Bric Sorenson, was able to keep his hula hoop spinning from April 2 to April 6, 1987,
accumulating an incredible 90 non-stop hours.
23. Another record is for 132 hoops spun by an individual at once. This record was
established by Paul Blair on November 11, 2009, earning him the nickname “Dizzy Hips.” This
act involves participants holding all the hula hoops without any help from anyone else and
spinning them between the shoulders and hips. As soon as the hoops have started to rotate
competitors cannot touch them again with their hands. If they do, their record attempt
fails.

24. In another record event, the contestant runs while simultaneously spinning. A ribbon
tied around the hoop allows the judges to check if it is still revolving. The hoop must be
rotating before crossing the starting line. If it ceases to spin, then contestants must stop
and start it again. This is the only time that they can touch the hoop with their hands. The
current female holder for this record is Australian Boo Crystal Chan, who completed 10 Km
in one hour, 27 minutes and 25 seconds on March 12th 2009. The male champion, Paul “Dizzy
Hips” Blair, was 20 minutes and 50 seconds faster than Boo.

25. In 2005, an American man, Ashrita Furman, successfully spun the world’s largest hula
hoop at 13.88 metres in diameter. While the heaviest recorded was actually a tractor tyre
which weighed 53 pounds! This monster was spun for a total of 71 seconds in Austria, 2000, by
Roman Schedler. And in Chung Cheng sport arena, Taiwan, on October 28, 2,496 people managed
to spin their hula hoops at the same time for over three minutes without dropping one,
making it the world record for mass simultaneous hula hooping.

Headings

A A Collection of Records
B Without a Single Break
C Hooping Back In Fashion
D Hooping Appeals to Both Genders Alike
E Fun, Fitness or Treatment?
F The Hula Hoop Goes Global
G Spinning Multiple Hoops
H Hooping and Running at the Same Time
J What is it? (EXAMPLE)