2018-2

MID- TERM EXAM

ENGLISH FOR ENGINEERS
LEVEL II
Name: Harol Esteban Salazar Group:

READING COMPREHENSION AND VOCABULARY 20 POINTS (1 Point each)

Read the article and choose the best answer to each question (1–10).

A good idea or a bad product?

Howard Stapleton noticed that in his town, large groups of young people often met outside of shops. They
didn’t often go into the shops to buy things, but they made it difficult for customers to enter the shops.
Stapleton knew this was bad for business. He wanted to help.

Then he had an idea. He made a machine that makes a very high noise. Young people can hear the noise,
but older people can’t hear it. The noise doesn’t hurt young people, but it makes them want to leave the
area. He calls his machine the Mosquito. (A mosquito is a small insect that makes an annoying sound.) The
product is a success. He has sold 3,500 units in a year. The cost is £500 each. In some areas, the police
buy the Mosquito to stop young people from meeting in large groups. This helps businesses, because
customers are now able to enter their shops easily.

But not everyone is happy. Shami Chakrabarti says that it is not fair to young people. She has complained
to the police and some businesses that have bought the Mosquito. As a result of her complaints, sales of
the Mosquito have decreased by 50 percent.

Stapleton wants to negotiate with Chakrabarti, but she won’t talk to him. She says: “This is a bad product.”
Stapleton is thinking about reducing the price to increase sales.
From the Financial Times

1 The problem that Stapleton wanted to solve was

a) too many young people entering shops.
b) too many young people outside of shops.
c) too many customers meeting outside of shops.

2 The situation was bad for business because

a) young people don’t have much money.
b) customers couldn’t enter shops easily.
c) Stapleton wanted to help the young people.

3 Stapleton wanted to
a) hurt young people’s ears.
b) make young people listen to his ideas.
c) make young people leave the area.

4 Stapleton
a) has already launched the Mosquito.
b) plans to launch the Mosquito next year.
c) has stopped selling the Mosquito.
5 The Mosquito
a) has solved the problem in some areas.
b) is causing problems for some businesses.
c) is popular with young people.

6 Who complained?
a) Shopkeepers. b) Shami Chakrabarti. c) The police.

7 What is the complaint?

a) The Mosquito isn’t fair.
b) The Mosquito is too expensive.
c) The Mosquito is bad for older people.

8 What has happened to sales of the Mosquito?

a) They’ve gone up. b) They’re remained the same. c) They’ve gone down.

9 What has Chakrabarti done?

a) Had a meeting with Stapleton.
b Agreed to talk on the phone with Stapleton.
c) Said that the product is bad.

10 What is Stapleton thinking about doing?

a) Increasing the price.
b) Making the Mosquito cheaper.
c) Trying to reduce sales.

VOCABULARY
A. Write the LETTER to match the columns.

1. A talent a a. Very good at something

2. An inventor g b. A person who does magic.
3. A champion i c. A new version of an old or foreign film
4. A wiz e d. A part of the face
5 A magician b e. A person who can do something very, very well.
6. A trick j f. A special ability or skill
7. Talented f g. A person with ideas for new things
8. Compete h h. To try to win in a game or sport
9. Nose d i. A great player, a winner
10. Remake c j. A part of a magic show, It looks real, but it isn’t

GRAMMAR (20 points)

(1 Point each)
A. Complete the dialogue in present perfect. Use the verbs in parenthesis ( 5 points)

Jenny : have you ever been (be)1 to Paris?

Sophie: Paris? No, I have never gone there (go)2. and you?
Jenny: sure. In fact, I have (visit) that city last summer. I’m planning to go back there
3

in December, in fact, I visited just home (come)4 from a travel agency. I

was finding out some good promotions to travel.
Sophie: That sounds fabulous. have you climbed (Climb)5 to the top of the
Eiffel Tower?
Jenny: not yet, I will do it next time.
B. Complete the dialogue with these words (Imperative)

tell speak sit open do

Teacher: Billy, (1) open your book and (2) speak us the answer to question one.
Billy: Question one, sir?
Teacher: Yes, Billy. (3) tell it quickly, please. We’re waiting.
Billy: Um … question one … question one ...
Teacher: OK, (4) sit down, Billy. George – do you know the answer?
George: Um, I think it was …
Teacher: What are you saying, George? (5) do more clearly, please!
George: The name of the goddess was Athena.

C. Write if the sentence includes ‘‘ability’’, ‘‘permission’’ or ‘’request’’.

1. Can I use your laptop this weekend? ______permission____________
2. Can you help me with these bags? ______request____________
3. Karen could speak Russian in her childhood. ______ability____________
4. Could I use your pencil, please? ______permission____________
5. They can dance for long hours. _______ability___________

D. Match a when- clause on the left with a result clause on the right to make sentences, write
the LETTER

1. When I feel stressed, c a. my mom usually apologizes first

2. When we argue, a b. I exercise
3. When I sleep well, b c. I have a lot of energy the next day.

E. Combine the sentence below using because:

Ex.: I’m hungry because I didn’t have breakfast.

4. It was cold. We didn’t go to the beach.

We did not go to the beach because it was cool
5. I had a headache. I took some aspirin.
I took some aspirin because I had a headache

WRITING
Write a 10-line paragraph about your future plans for holidays (Vacations). (10 Points)

My next vacation, I'm going to ipiales (Nariño). I'm going to buy my plane tickets tomorrow. I'm
pretty sure I'll be traveling in Bogota on May 2 and I'll be staying at my sister's house, which is
very close to the big shopping mall. I'm going to visit all the important places, Monserrat, Simon
Bolivar Park, with some luck I could be at the concert.
I'm going to be there for a week and then I will visit my family because I did not visit them for a
while.
I'm going to spend time with my friends and I'm going to go to the church of Las Lajas, which is
well known in America for its beauty and architecture.
I'm going to go to a well-known green lagoon where you can walk to get to the top, this lagoon is
next to a volcano, which makes the road very fun, I'm going to take care of not leaving trash as it
is a paradise.

LISTENING ( 25 points)
Download the listening: https://app.box.com/s/6qfb5f0829esnyuaso1j8qmre1svafo6

1. Lisa is going to:

a. the park b. the mall c. the hospital

2. She is going to:

a. get something b. sell something c. repair something

3. She needs a for her grandmother:

a. a present b. a bracelet c. a radio

4. Her grandmother’s birthday is:

a. in two weeks b. next week c. in three weeks

5. Her grandma is going to be:

a. 93 years old b. 83 years old c. 63 years old

6. Her grandmother is:

a. very sick b. very young c. very energetic

7. She has a:
a. very bad memory b. regular memory c. very good memory

8. she eats:
a. a lot of salt and sugar b. little salt and sugar c. no salt and sugar

9. She also:
a. walks everyday b. works everyday c. cooks everyday

10. She also to adults.

a. teaches how to read b. teaches piano c. teaches how to write