Reading, 45

January 23, 2007

You are going to read some information about Star Signs. For questions 22 –
35, choose from the list of Star Signs A – G. Some of the Star Signs may be
chosen more than once. When more than one answer is required, these may
be given in any order. There is an example at the beginning (0).

People of which si9n(s):

will win a competition? 0:_A_

will receive an invitation? 22: _____

will meet new people? 23: _____

may travel? 24: _____ 25: _____

are making plans for college? 26:____ 25: ____ 26: ____

may change house? 29: _____

are advised to be sincere? 30: _____

will have to look after younger brothers or sisters? 31: _____

may run short of money? 32: ____ 33: ____

will reorganise their place? 34: ____

are advised not to hurry in love matters? 35: ____

Star Signs

A ARIES

Expect more than one heart-to-heart with dad or a teacher about school
plans. New neighbours arrive and you think that it’s cool that they have the
same interests as you do. If you are involved in sports, make room on the
trophy shelf; victory is yours for the asking. You’ll have many late-night
phone conversations with a friend about straightening out the world.
B TAURUS Letters of loan approvals, scholarships and grants for college are
in the mail. Don’t panic if you overhear your folks talk about moving. They
won’t get the house on the market till spring. Towards the end of the month
that gorgeous guy you met last summer will touch base with you. By the
25th, a friend will confide in you about a relationship that’s on the rocks.

C GEMINI

If you are in your last year of high school, you will spend all your free time
hunting for a college. Check with your local libraries for available scholarships.
If you are not ready for college yet, focus on college-prep classes. With Saturn
in Aries, you and your friends will be accepted into the same programmes.
Mum may be busy this month, so you’ll have to help take care of the siblings.

D CAPRICORN

Romance is on the upswing, but don’t microwave the affair; let love simmer.
With Neptune in Capricorn, your ideals will be very important when Romeo
comes along. Unexpected expenses leave your wallet light, and you may have
to borrow from a friend. Communication is very important to you, so waiting
for news may be frustrating.

E LEO

Check your wardrobe for a great outfit. You’ll probably be invited to a concert
or a play by someone special. Money may be a little tight after the holidays.
Your wallet may seem like a revolving door. Saturn in Aries will inspire you
to volunteer for a trip connected to school or work. You will finally hear from
the college of your choice this month:hooray! A last minute maths quiz will
take you by surprise. Offer to tutor someone struggling with the subject.

F VIRGO

You will have time to spare at work, so take your homework along. Review
your paycheque; there could be an error in your favour. Someone a bit
younger than you will express his affection. Let him down gently. Love is in
the air, but honesty is the best policy. Tell him that you are interested but
want a monogamous relationship. The sun in Capricorn has you rearranging
your bedroom furniture. While you’re at it, why not paint something artistic
on the walls?

G LIBRA
Friends will want to hang out at your house and study with you. There will be
a flurry of last-minute get-togethers this month. Is one a surprise party for
your mum? The changes you make at the beginning of the month will bring
results by the 23rd. Look under the bed for that lost treasure. With Jupiter
and Mars in Aquarius, plan on an unexpected trip with friends. You’ll have a
blastl .

Reading, 44
January 23, 2007

You are going to read an article about a female boxer. Seven sentences have
been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A – H the one
which fits each gap 16 – 21. There is one extra sentence which you do not
need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0).

A Millions saw Tyson, but now the main event was over, the cameras were
switched off and the crowd was going home.

B For the second time that night, Christy is left with only a handful of people
to impress.

C As she prowls the ring, arms held high and punching the air, Christy Martin
looks like a woman on top of the world.

D Women’s boxing has never been taken very seriously by the almost
exclusively male boxing crowd.

E Christy might worry about her teeth getting knocked out.

F Since signing with him two years ago, Christy’s left blows are now worth
thousands of dollars.

G “Look,” she says, examining it closely, “I did break my nail.”

H “It does hurt my feelings that I work so hard and I don’t get mentioned,”
she says.

The female Tyson

The crowd was jubilant. Mike Tyson had just beaten Buster Mathis Junior in
the third round in a cavernous stadium in Philadelphia, as everyone suspected
he would. Fox Television had transmitted the fight coast to coast. 0: _A_ This
was a pity. They missed the only surprise of the evening.

Dressed in her baby-pink robe, with her greased face and hungry look, Christy
Martin pounces into the ring later than scheduled. The straying crowd heading
for the exit lingers. Within 144 seconds Christy has floored her opponent. A
seasoned ringside photographer shakes his head and says, “She’s something
else, isn’t she?” 16: _____

Back in the dressing room, she brushes her long hair and worries about her
injury of the night. 17: _____

Christy is 27 and has been fighting for just five years, yet some consider her
to be the Tyson of women’s boxing. And, like Tyson, she’s signed to the prince
of all promoters, Don King – the most powerful man in a multi-million dollar
sport. 18: _____ I “I’ve gone from fighting $25-a-round club shows to
fighting in the best and biggest rings in the boxing world. We spoke to all the
promoters, but none of them was interested in having a woman fighter. Now
I’m glad because we were available when Don King had time to talk to us.
King gives people opportunities and I’m glad he gave me a chance.”

At the press conference after the fight, Christy waits respectfully as Mike
Tyson talks to the press. But as soon as he’s finished, they are off. 19:
_____ From the stage Don King booms, “Where are you all going? What’s
the matter with you guys – are you discriminating?”

Like any professional woman struggling to make it in male territory, Christy

gets overlooked. 20: _____ “The other day, Don King was raving about me
at a press conference, saying it was the fight of the night. He even gave me
a bonus for it. But the next day, there was not one line in the papers to say
I’d fought. Journalists are afraid to write about it, but as soon as one of them
says, ‘Yes, we rate Christy Martin’, then the rest follow suit.’ Almost on cue,
a radio boxing commentator interrupts to congratulate her on the fight.

21: _____ Until Christy came on the scene and Don King got involved, it was
dismissed as ‘two women slapping each other about’. But in the cut-andthrust
world of boxing, the only thing that counts is a fighter’s ability, and Christy
has earned her respect. Mention her name in the after-fight bar and everyone
agrees. “I used to say I didn’t want any women fighting in my ring, full stop,”
says match-maker Bobby Mitchell, “but I’ll never say it again. Christy Martin
shuts mouths and opens eyes.”

Reading, 43
January 23, 2007

You are going to read some information about the remote control. For
questions 8 – 15, choose the answer A, B, C or D which you think fits best
according to the text.

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE REMOTE CONTROL

Oh sure, it’s easy being a couch potato now. Wondrous advances in

technology, .particularly during the 1990s, have made it easy and fun to ‘surf’
the television channels from the comfort of your armchair. Remote controls
offer everything from picture-within-a-picture technology, to on-screen
programming that doesn’t even require you to look at the remote control.

As we rush towards ever greater technological advances, let us not forget the
difficulties experienced by the millions who have come before us. For years
they struggled with remote controls that changed channels or muted the
volume unpredictably. Though proclaimed as technological marvels in their
day, today those devices look extremely funny.

So come with us as we flash back to the 1950s. The decade may have been
the Golden Age of television, but in the evolution of the remote control, it was
the Stone Age.

The most primitive of the remotes was developed in 1950 by Zenith

Electronics which decades later would win an Emmy for its pioneering work
in remotecontrol technology. Zenith’s first creative idea was the clever ‘Lazy
Bones’, a control with a cable that connected the television to the device. Just
by pushing buttons on the remote, viewers could turn the television on and
off and change channels.

‘Prest-o! Chanqe-o!’ cried a magazine ad introducing the product. ‘Just press

a button … to change a station!’ The problem? ‘Trip-o! Fall-o!’ Customers
complained that the cable, besides being unsightly as it snaked across the
living room floor, tripped many an unsuspecting passerby.
In 1955 Zenith came up with a wireless remote. Zenith engineers invented
the Flashmatic, which worked by firing a beam of light. First-generation couch
potatoes accepted the new technology eagerly, but there was a glaring
problem. It reacted to any kind of light, channels changed unpredictably and
the sound mysteriously came and went. “So if the sun set glaringly and came
through the living room window, it would hit the set and cause problems,”
says Zenith engineer Robert Adler. Also, viewers who weren’t as
technologically aware as they are today, had trouble remembering which
button controlled which function.

It was Adler, an Austrian born immigrant, who fathered the remote-control

that would dominate the industry for the next quarter of a century. Ironic
when you consider that Adler, by his own admission, to this day watches no
more than an hour of television a week.

In 1955 Adler came up with the concept of a remote based on ultrasonics –

that is, high-frequency sound beyond the range of human hearing. Adler’s
invention which Zenith introduced in 1956 and named the Space Commander
400, would react to any number of metallic noises similar to those produced
by the transmitter. For example, the family dog could change channels just
by furiously scratching its back legs, thereby causing its dog tags to jingle. A
ringing telephone or jingling keys would have the same effect.

Today, in the Golden Age of the remote control, some 99 percent of TV sets
and all video cassette recorders sold in the United States come with remote
controls. So do many other electronic components, such as compact disc
players, and satellite dishes. ‘Universal’ remotes, which have been around
since the mid-’80s, allow you to operate several products – say, for example,
the TV, the VCR and CD player – with just one transmitter rather than three
separate units. Even common household functions – switchinq on a light or
turning off a ceiling fan – can be performed today by remote control. In an
industry that is continuously introducing amazing new gadgetry, who knows
where couch-potato technology will go from here?

8 Why is it easy to be a ‘couch potato’ nowadays?

A potato chips have been invented

B advances in technology have made it possible

C armchairs nowadays are very comfortable

D the climate is perfect for growing vegetables

9 What is the second paragraph about?

A the technological developments in remote controls

B the money spent on technology

C the problems of early remote controls

D the marvels of early remote control technology

10 What was the main problem with ‘Lazy Bones’?

A The cable tripped many people.

B The cable was too long.

C The control was difficult to use.

D The control was too slow.

11 What was the main problem of the ‘Flashmatic’?

A The channels changed even with other kinds of light.

B It had a mysterious use.

C Some sets did not react to its beams.

D It broke loose easily.

12 What was another problem with it?

A It was bad for someone’s memory.

B It wasn’t technologically advanced.

C It was technically complex for the time.

D It didn’t have enough functions.

13 What does ‘it‘ in line 33 refer to?

A the living room window

B the sun
C the remote control

D the beam fired by the Flashmatic

14 What was the problem with the remote based on ultrasonics?

A It reacted to other noises, too.

B Even the family dog could use it.

C You could not hear other sounds like the phone ringing.

D It made too much noise.

15 What does the writer call ‘universal’ remotes?

A The kind used allover the world.

B The kind used for common household functions.

C The kind which are very expensive.

D The kind used to operate several appliances.

Reading, 42
January 23, 2007

You are going to read a newspaper article on the latest developments

concerning working women and their maternity rights. Choose the most
suitable heading from the list A – I for each part 1 – 7 of the article. There is
one extra heading which you do not need to use. There is an example at the
beginning (0).

A A shameful comparison
B Complexity and inefficiency
C The case at the moment
D Rights for both
E No protection
F An unsuccessful attempt
G A paradise for working mothers
H A future promise
I It’s for women only

The High Price of Eurobabies

0: ____B___

Nothing in the law of a country is simple. But it is a disgrace that British law,
on something so important as maternity leave for working women, should be
as complicated as it unfortunately is. And if that was not bad enough, women
in the UK have the worst maternity pay rights in Europe.

1:______

Before 1975, motherhood in the UK had a high cost. Until that year, there
were no legal rights for pregnant working women. A mother had absolutely
no legal rights if having her baby meant she lost her job.

2: _____

Today’s law gives a minimum measure of protection to most working women,

but it has been a slow process with several later Acts complicating the first
two. Nowadays, women’s employment contracts in Britain, especially at
senior and middle-management level, often include generous maternity
rights. But the reality for most women is still the bare legal minimum, and in
the UK that minimum really is bare.

3 : _____

Women in the UK are entitled to a minimum of six weeks maternity leave on

90 per cent of their salary and eight weeks thereafter on £57.70. That is very
little when compared to the other 14 member states of the European Union.
Every EU member state has improved on the Pregnancy Directive’s minimum
14-week entitlement except Britain, where it is the only maternity leave
insisted on by law. Even countries outside the EU have a higher minimum
standard for their women workers and executives than in Britain, as for
instance Belarus, Norway and the Ukraine which offer 18 weeks on 100 per
cent salary.

4: _____
Mothers get a raw deal in the UK, but fathers hardly get a deal at all. Some
of the big corporations are starting to take fathers seriously but they are few
and far between. Some businesses may allow a man a few days off when his
wife or partner has a baby, but for many fathers there is no legal entitlement
in their terms of employment. Research has shown that only 31 per cent of
workplaces employing men allow their employees paid paternity leave. The
general attitude is that childbirth is something to be left to a woman to get
through on her own, even when she is not a single parent !

5: _____

Since 1982 the EOC has been calling, without success, for a modest five day
paternity leave for new fathers. In 1993 when the Labour MP Greville Janner
introduced a Private Member’s Bill to give spouses or partners of pregnant
women the right to a maximum three months’ unpaid leave, John Major’s
government blocked it.

6: _____

However, the tide now seems to be turning. Early in April of this year, it was
leaked to the press that Tony Blair’s Government was proposing to give
working fathers one week’s paid paternity leave, though at the low level of
£57.20. The Minister was quoted as saying “We want to send a message to
women that men should be by their side when they give birth.” Nothing came
of that suggested move and the Government has since issued a White Paper
‘Fairness at Work’ in which it promises to implement an EU directive on the
whole subject of Parental Leave by the end of next year.

7: _____

So, again, Britain is behind its European partners. Most of Europe already has
that message. In fact, many countries have gone beyond the concept of mere
paternity leave for the father and have developed the idea of parental leave
for whichever parent wants it. For instance, in Belgium there is three to 12
months’ paid leave for up to a total of three years during anyone person’s
working life, although this does not apply to senior managers. In France and
Germany, parental leave is available until a child is three and may be taken
by either parent or shared but, in France, it is only paid leave for the first
child. On the other hand, the Netherlands, Greece, Portugal and Spain all
offer generous shared leave but only on an unpaid basis.
Reading, 41
January 22, 2007

You are going to read some information about some companies. For questions
22-34, choose from the companies (A-H). Some of the companies may be
chosen more than once. When more than one answer is required, these may
be given in any order. There is an example at the beginning (0). For question
35, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to
the text.

Which company or companies:

is proud of their research programme? 0:__F__

deals with a precious metal? 22: _____

deals with communication links? 23: _____

is partly owned by management? 24: _____

states it does not work in Europe? 25: _____

states it is concerned with the whole family? 26: _____

profit from natural resources? 27: _____ 28: _____

directly exchange money? 29: _____ 30: _____

mention how many people they employ? 31: _____ 32: _____

make medicine? 33: _____ 34: _____

35 Why would someone read this text?

A to invest in a business

B to look for a job

C to order a report

D to buy a product

_______________________________________

FINANCIAL TIMES ANNUAL REPORT SERVICE

Choose which of the following reports you wish to have sent to you:

TVX Gold Inc. – A

TVX Gold INC. is a Canadian-based growth-oriented international mining

company with 1993 gold and gold equivalent production of a record 439,000
ounces at an average cash cost of $172 per ounce from its interests in six
operating gold mines located in North and South America. The strengths of
TVX Gold include quality reserves, long mine life, low average cash costs and
increase in production, and a new, experienced and aggressive management
team.

_______________________________________

Statoil– B

Statoil is an integrated Norwegian oil and gas company and ranks as the
leading operator on Norway’s continental shelf. Operations are also pursued
in 20 other countries. The group reported a profit before taxation of NOK 12
billion in 1993 as against NOK 9.9 billion the year before. This increase was
due to a high level of production, a reduction in operating costs and improved
financial results.

Statoil is organised in four business areas – Exploration and Production,

Natural Gas, Oil Trading and Shipping, and Refining and Marketing.
From 1994 Statoil’s involvement in Petrochemicals has been transferred to
Borealis, a new petrochemical company owned 50 per cent by Statoll and 50
per cent by Neste. After the hive-off of its petrochemical operations in 1994,
the group has about 12,000 employees.

________________________________________

The Rabobank Group – C

With total assets of NLG 253.2 billion the Durch Rabobank Group ranks among
the top 20 banks in Europe and the top 50 worldwide. Over the past two
decades, the bank has gradually expanded its international network to cover
strategic geographic areas. It comprises now 47 offices in the world’s major
financial and commercial centres. The Group’s ‘central bank’, Rabobank
Nederland, operates as a wholesale house, specialising in serving major
national and international corporations and in operations on the financial
markets. Besides dealing room and treasury activities, the bank offers
corporate financial services (including consultancy on mergers, acquisitions
and participations) as well as a comprehensive package of international
services through its international network.

_______________________________________

Roberts Pharmaceuticals – D

Roberts Pharmaceuticals (NASDAZ: RPCX) is fast realising its goal of

becoming a major pharmaceutical company whose diverse products
contribute to the health and wellbeing of all age groups. Roberts has
successfully combined an aggressive product development programme with
strategic acquisitions, to create a profitable company with a well-balanced
product portfolio concentrated in six major therapeutic categories.

_______________________________________

Telia – E

The Telia Group offers public and private networks for telephony. data
communications and mobile telephony. Together with PTT Netherlands and
Swiss PTT. Telia is a co-owner of Unisource. In 1993, the Telia Group’s
revenues totalled USD $4.5 billion. Return on capital employed was 14.5 per
cent. Telia invested a total of USD 910 million.

_______________________________________

Roche – F

Roche is a Swiss-based international health-care group employing 56,000

people worldwide. It is a research-driven company with a leading position in
biotechnology and activities covering the entire health spectrum of
prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease. Roche has gained a
high reputation for the quality of its innovative research and the original
contributions it has made to the development of new drugs. In addition to
pharmaceuticals Roche is engaged in the fields of vitamins and fine chemicals,
diagnostics, fragrances and flavours.

_______________________________________

BSS – G

BSS is a Swiss bank with all that this applies in terms of tradition, experience,
security and confidentiality. BSS is owned by the ‘Fondation de Famille
Sandoz’ and by key executives of the bank. The bank focuses on asset
management for private and institutional clients and offers a wide range of
securities and banking services including global custody, forex and stock
exchange operations.

______________________________________

Saga Petroleum a.s. – H

In 1993, Saga Petroleum had an operating profit of NOK 1694 million and a
profit before taxes of NOK 1006 million. The Group’s proved and probable oil
and gas reserves total 1,474 million tonnes of oil equivalent, of which 44 per
cent is oil. In terms of reserves, Saga is among the largest independent
upstream companies in the world. It is Saga’s intention further to strengthen
its position on the Norwegian shelf, and to utilise the company’s expertise
and capacity gradually to develop its international activities.

Saga’s objective is to give the company’s shareholders the highest possible

return on their investment through efficient operations and strict
requirements to the profitability of new products.

Reading, 40
January 22, 2007

You are going to read a newspaper article about bats. Seven sentences have
been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one which
fits each gap (16-21). There is one extra sentence which you will not need to
use. There is an example at the beginning (0).

BATS ARE NOCTURNAL, BUT NOT AS BLACK AS PAINTED

By Anna Harrisson

Bats may play an essential part in horror films, but they suffer from an
undeserved reputation. Just as strange is the preference of some, but not all,
bat species to hang upside-down when resting. 0:__H__

Let’s start at the beginning; first things first. Our friends the bats don’t wish
to get knotted up in our hair; they don’t suck blood; they don’t spread
disease! Most bats are gentle and kindly, more keen on helping farmers than
biting the necks of young women dressed in their nightdresses.

16:______

In pre-historic times, the cavemen noticed bats hanging like bunches of

grapes, from the roofs of caves. Their first reactions were feelings of fear,
which changed to respect when watching the tender care with which the
mother looked after her baby bats, cleaning them and feeding them all
day. 17: _____

The classical Greeks, who were great naturalists, were the ones to give bats
their name, ‘chiroptera’. 18: _____

While we humans are meat-eating, of the more than 1,000 kinds of bats on
our planet, only one, the vampire bat from the Carpathian mountains, sucks
blood. 19: _____ I I Mosquitoes also suck blood and people are much less
afraid of them, although they may be much more dangerous, spreading the
disease malaria. The tiger mosquito in Central America spreads encephalitis.

Bats in Europe are 100 per cent insect eaters. In Greece, at the beginning of
this century, there were great communities of bats living around the plains
of Thessaly. 20: _____ Then they would clean up the insects, many of which
were harmful to the farmers’ crops, acting like ‘flying vacuum cleaners’. Now
things are changing fast, and not all for the better!

Bats have been living on our planet for about 40 million years, and they move
from place to place, living sometimes in caves, forests, old buildings, and
every once in a while in a church bell tower. 21: _____

______________________________________

A This means ‘hands with wings’.

B But unless we’ve been introduced and got to know someone, how can we
love them – isn’t this the case with bears, wolves and street dogs?

C In the evenings and nights, they would fly over the wet ditches and the
wheat fields.

D How is it that just one out of more than one thousand species can give all
bats such a bad name, considering that there are many, such as fruit bats
and flying-foxes, which are completely vegetarian?
E Fools are described as ‘batty’ or have ‘bats in the belfry’.

F All the ancient civilisations were sympathetic towards bats, respected them
and considered them to have magic powers.

G Needless to say, we have a great responsibility towards them.

H Hopefully this is not too confusing!

Reading, 39
January 22, 2007

You are going to read an extract from a book. For questions 8-15, choose the
answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

Just after midnight the last of the lights had gone out and Boyd started the
car, drove down to the coast road and turned so that the car would be facing
the right way for when he left. They didn’t look as if they would be a problem
but the quicker he could leave the easier it would be. He stopped the car just
past the entrance to the driveway. The nylon ropes and the torch were on the
passenger seat beside him. His gun was in his right-hand jacket pocket. When
he got out he opened all the car doors very slightly after he had switched off
the parking lights.

He walked up the road until he guessed he was opposite the house and then
climbed over the low dry-stone wall. The moon was full, making the house
look almost as if it were all lit up. Treading slowly and determinedly he moved
down the slope towards the house, across the drive and over to the front
door. It was in deep shadow and he shone the torch on the lock as he gently
pushed in the key. It turned easily and when he moved the handle he felt a
soft rush of cold air as the door opened. He left the door slightly open and he
shone the torch around the big square hall.

The stairs made a lot of noise despite his keeping well against the wall, but
nobody stirred. The bedroom facing the top of the stairs was locked, and he
tried several keys in the lock. The third one unlocked it and he opened the
door slowly. There was a smell of stale smoke, and he guessed it was not
used as a bedroom. He shaded the torch with his hand and saw that the room
was unoccupied. He found the switch, turned on the light and closed the door.
There were two long tables in the centre of the room. The kind that decorators
use. They were piled with papers and books, with a space cleared for a
portable typewriter. Against the far wall was a projection screen on a metal
stand. A slide projector and a 16mm sound projector were on a metal stand
at the side of metal shelves. There were three worn armchairs and on an
otherwise empty bookshelf was a small portable radio.

8 Why did Boyd wait to park his car?

A to let the others go to bed

B to make sure his car was facing the right way

C to get the ropes and torch ready

D to let the moon go behind a cloud

9 Why did Boyd turn the car around?

A He wanted to be able to leave quickly and easily.

B He was worried that he might have problems with the car.

C He wanted to park just past the entrance to the driveway.

D He couldn’t see well because the lights had gone out.

10 How did he feel as he got near the house?

A guilty and fearful

B disappointed and determined

C nervous and frightened

D confident and calm

11 What does ‘it’ in line 12 refer to?

A the low dry-stone wall

B the moon

C the house
D the slope

12 What does ‘treading’ in line 12 mean?

A running

B walking

C escaping

D racing

13 While going up the stairs, he thought that

A he should keep away from the wall.

B he might be heard.

C he must have lost his keys.

D he was the only one in the house.

14 What do we learn about the bedroom facing the top of the stairs?

A It had just been decorated.

B It was unlocked.

C It had been used by smokers.

D It had been used as a cinema.

15 What would be the most suitable title for this extract?

A Caught as a spy

B An ordinary burglar

C Looking for information

D Telling secrets

January 22, 2007

You are going to read an advertisement for a theatre club. Choose from the
list A-I the heading which best summarises each part (1-7) of the
advertisement. There is one extra heading which you do not need to use.
There is an example at the beginning (0).

A See excellent actors and actresses

B How to join the Theatre Club

C A choice of three

D Listen to an expert

E How to book a seat

F A show for the holiday season

G For those with a sweet tooth

H Performances held in different cities

I The Sunday Times: The Theatre Club

YOUR TICKET TO THE BEST SEATS

0:__I__

The Theatre Club now has 25,000 members, proving that it’s one of the
fastest growing clubs in the country.

______________________________________

1: _____

In the new year the club will introduce a series of weekend breaks, giving
members the opportunity to visit and enjoy the rich variety of theatres around
the country. From the oldest Georgian playhouse to the most modern
auditorium, members will get the chance to go backstage and meet the
people who make theatre happen, as well as to enjoy some sightseeing.

_______________________________________

2: _____
This week’s offers reflect the club’s wide range of activities. There’s a chance
to meet one of the country’s leading producers, go on a Chocoholic Theatre
Weekend, or go to a special family ballet matinee.

_______________________________________

3: _____

Call ahead to book seats for any of these shows at the Theatre Club’s own
booking service on 0171-413 1412, which is available 24 hours a day, or call
the number given with each show during box-office hours.

_______________________________________

4: _____

Send a cheque for £12.50, made payable to The Theatre Club, together with
your name, address and telephone number to: The Theatre Club, PO Box 2,
Owen Road, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 3HH. If you need more information, please
telephone 0171-3879673.

______________________________________

5: _____

LONDO : English National Ballet performs The Nutcracker at the Royal

Festival Hall

New Year’s Day matinee 2.30 pm.

Tchaikovsky’s magical ballet features flying cooks, a Christmas tree that

grows and grows, a magic Santa’s sleigh and dolls that come to life. Members
are offered a special tea party after the matinee performance. The cost is just
£30 a ticket for adults and half price for children.

Telephone 0171-928 8800.

_______________________________________

6: _____

LONDON: An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde at the Globe Theatre Tuesday,

January 19
Meet the producer, Bill Kenwright, before a performance of Sir Peter Hall’s
production of An Ideal Husband. Bill Kenwright is one of the five most prolific
producers in the country. He currently has five shows in the West End and
produces at two regional theatres. Members have the chance to learn at first
hand the producer’s role in the theatre. Tickets are available to members at
£26, which includes a pre-theatre buffet and top price seats for the show.

Telephone 0171-240 1690.

_______________________________________

7: _____

BIRMINGHAM: A Chocoholic’s Theatre Weekend with The Wizard of Oz at the

Repertory Theatre

January 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30

Enjoy a weekend full of chocolate and fun. Members will stay at the Hyatt
Regency Hotel and will receive a bundle of chocolate sweets before relaxing
in the best seats in the theatre for The Wizard of Oz. Later, a cup of hot
chocolate before bed finishes off the evening, which is followed the next day
by a tempting trip to Cadbury World. Tickets for the weekend cost £62.75 for
adults (based on two people sharing a room), £26.75 for children under 14,
and £4.50 for children under five, staying in their parents’ room (babysitters
are available). The price includes bed and breakfast, theatre tickets and the
trip to Cadbury World.

Telephone 0121-236 2302 for details and to book ahead.

Reading, 37
January 21, 2007

You are going to read a travel guide to eight romantic destinations. For
questions 22 – 35, choose from the list of places A-H. Some of the places
may be chosen more than once. When more than one answer is required,
these may be given in any order. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Which romantic destinations would you recommend for someone

who:
likes ice cream? 0:__B__

enjoys the view from above? 22: ____ 23:____ 24: ____

wants to be alone with their loved one? 25: _____

likes to make an early start to the day? 27: ____ 28: ____

likes ancient places? 29: ____

is interested in 20th century decoration? 30: _____

has a particular interest in wildlife? 31: _____

likes the sea? 32:____ 33:____ 34: _____ 35: _____

A ROMANTIC ADVENTUROUS GETAWAY

It has to be admitted that some travel experiences will excite the traveller
more than others. So here is our guide to a few offbeat or at least less-
travelled romantic adventures which might make your heart beat a bit faster.

A Gebel Musa

Stroll up the mountain of Moses, from St Catherine’s monastery on the Sinai

Peninsula in the very early hours to experience dawn at the summit with
Exodus written large on the peach-coloured landscape below. It’s a deeply
moving experience; many people (and yes, I am afraid you will find a few
fellow travellers beside you at the top) choose to share the experience with
their beloved covered up under a blanket. Good idea. Best for the physically
fit.

B Merida

The university town of Merida in the Venezuelan Andes is famous for two
things: its ice cream shop boasts the most flavours in the world (avoid the
garlic and spinach flavours-that’s not romantic), but more importantly, it is
the source of the longest and highest cable car on the planet. Watch the city
fall away behind you as the cable car climbs to an astonishing 16,000 ft
summit then step out and feel your head spin at the wonder of the landscape
(not to mention the lack of oxygen).
C Caribbean

Romantics have always revelled in sailing the Seven Seas, even while turning
green and reaching for the nearest empty paper bag. One of the greatest
cruising experiences of our time involves lying side-by-side hanging over the
sea on the fourmasted schooners, Star Flyer and Star Clipper, under 36,000
ft2 of sail, watching dolphins frolic in the foaming Caribbean waves.

D Miami

Learn to skate together in Miami – not like Torville and Dean, it doesn’t get
quite that cold on South Beach. In-line skating is all the rage in the art deco
district, gliding hand-in-hand through candy-coloured buildings on one side,
the ocean on the other. You can hire the skates and all the equipment at
several shops nearby.

E Masai Mara

Early morning is the best time to share a hot-air balloon gliding over the
Masai Mara with a bottle of bubbly, admiring the zebras, giraffes, monkeys,
wildebeest and a rather worrying, mysterious dark shape which you
eventually identify as your own balloon’s shadow.

F Maui

Ride a horse along the Hana coast on the Hawaiian island of Maui on the
lookout for pods of whales, then turn deep inland into the rainforest to swim
in a pretty emerald lagoon.

G San Francisco

Few bath tubs can boast a view like those of the Mandarin Oriental hotel in
San Francisco. Lying on the top floor of the third highest building in the city,
you find yourself up to your neck in a foam-bath beside a large picture window
with the city spread out below your toes and the Golden Gate Bridge emerging
through the mist.

H Fiji

The staff on Yasawa Island resort in Fiji are not keen on crowding guests. Say
the word and they will abandon you on one-and-a-half mile long Champagne
Beach for the day with little more than an enormous shade, a vast picnic,
plenty of cold drinks, books, games, your swimsuit and snorkel gear to
explore the spectacularly colourful marine world.

Reading, 36
January 21, 2007

You are going to read an article about Grigory Efimovich Rasputin. Seven
extracts have been removed from the article. Choose from the extracts A· H
the one which fits each gap 16·21. There is one extra extract which you do
not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0).

A An American might have gone from log cabin to White House; but no
Siberian before Rasputin, and none since, until Boris Yeltsin, achieved
Rasputin’s fame.

B Years later, the niece of one of the Tsar’s doctors remembered him teaching
her to ‘pray with the most wonderful words’ and explaining quietly why she
should never tear up flowers, because it was cruel to take life by force.

C In truth, Rasputin was neither mad, nor a monk. He was pious and lustful,
intelligent, charismatic, outrageous and utterly amoral. He was also strikingly
modern. His skills as a spiritual leader and manipulator of souls match those
of any modern-day guru.

D These holy men, with a special grace from God, were known as staretsy,
‘elders’. Dostoevsky described the guru-like skills of a starets in his novelThe
Brothers Karamazov.

E The church could not give them the religious comfort they craved, but
Rasputin’s skills as a starets ‘almost always brought elevation, interest, and,
to an unhappy soul, cheerfulness, hope, comfort, and even joy,’ an official
investigation said.

F By 1916, he had engineered the appointments of the two most powerful

and corrupt officials in Russia. He is said to have had a hypnotic power over
the Tsar, to have been a German agent, and to have seduced the Empress
and her daughters.

G There were many claims that Rasputin used hypnosis. Rasputin himself
always denied this; the secret police who followed him 24 hours a day, in
shifts, logged a single visit to a hypnotist, and noted that he showed no more
interest in the subject.

H “Can’t stand it any more,” he complained. “So many folks have

come. Received them since morning and they still keep coming.”

RASPUTIN: an alternative viewpoint

Grigory Efimovich Rasputin was a much misunderstood man; he was

neither mad nor a monk. There was actually plenty to admire in the
peasant who became guru to the Romanovs.

History has been no kinder to Rasputin than the conspirators who shot and
beat him to death in the basement of a St Petersburg palace in 1916. His
followers believed he was a saint; but the reputation that survives is the one
given to him by his many enemies. They named him the ‘Mad Monk’, the
incarnation of evil, the cartoon devil in Fox’s Anastasia with leering and
hypnotic eyes. 0:__C__

His rise to power has a fairy tale quality. Born in a cabin on the banks of a
Siberian river, he made his way to St Petersburg, the distant capital of a great
empire, and there won the trust and affection of Tsar Nicholas and Empress
Alexandra. He had a gift for healing. He enslaved the royal couple by saving
the life of their haemophiliac son, Tsarevich Alexis; as a result, his influence
grew.

16: _____

The fact that Rasputin had a reputation at all was evident in his character. He
was born in 1869 in the Siberian village of Pokrovsokoye, the son of a
carpenter. The place was not well known; no reigning Tsar had ever visited
his land beyond the Urals. 17: _____

Life for villagers was an eternal deadend of illiteracy, boring tasks, and
drinking. Young Rasputin brawled, drank and thieved, but Siberia gave him
the exceptional qualities necessary to leave it. He was fearless and ambitious.
When he was 20, he spent three months at the monastery of Verkhoturye, in
the eastern foothills of the Urals. Hermits lived in huts in the surrounding
forests in simplicity and self-denial, on black bread and water. 18: _____
It is said that Rasputin only reached the heights he did because he was able
to ease the sufferings of the haemophiliac Tsarevich, Nicholas and
Alexandra’s son. But evidently Rasputin was an accident waiting to happen;
the haemophilia merely confirmed his role. Well-born women were the core
of his clientele. 19:______

Rasputin was introduced to Alexandra at court by the spiritualist daughters

of the corrupt King of Montenegro. Rasputin established himself rapidly at the
palace. He had a natural way with children; he had three of his own, and was
a fond and much-loved father. He attracted the attention of the young
Romanovs with stories of his experiences. 20: ____

He had an undeniable power of healing. As a young boy in Siberia, he had

been a horsewhisperer, curing livestock of ailments, and there are many later
examples of his ability to ease suffering. He exhausted himself, too, with his
generosity to those who sought out his help. 21: _____

But, even when he had not slept after a night’s drinking, he would appear at
ten, bow low, look at the crowd, and say: “You’ve all come to ask me for help.
I’ll help you all.”

Check your answers here

Reading, 35
January 21, 2007

You are going to read an article about the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb.
For questions 8 – 15, choose the answer A, B, C or D which you think fits best
according to the text.

A GRAVE MISTAKE?

On 12 February 1924, Howard Carter, amateur archaeologist, watched a

pulley winch open a sarcophagus. He was about to witness a sight unseen for
thousands of years: the face of a Pharaoh of Egypt.

The story of how the tomb with its riches and the mummified body of
Tutankhamen was discovered is well known and there is no doubt that without
Carter’s enthusiasm and determination the most exclusive cemetery in the
world would not have been discovered. What is more debatable, however, is
the truth surrounding the supposed Curse of Tutankhamen.
After discovering the tomb, Carter refused to enter it until his patron Lord
Carnarvon was by his side. It was, after all, Carnarvon’s generosity which had
allowed Carter to carry out his ambition of finding an unplundered tomb. They
were awestruck at the contents of the chamber and in the dead of night,
returned to the tomb to observe the wonders that the chamber held. It was
this secret entry that supposedly caused the anger of the Pharaoh
Tutankhamen.

A few days after the official opening ofthe burial chamber, Lord Carnarvon
accidentally cut a mosquito bite on his cheek while shaving. It became septic,
and Lord Carnarvon came down with a fever. A couple of weeks later he died
of pneumonia. As he breathed his last breath, it is said that all the lights
across Cairo flickered and went out. Bizarrely, at the same moment back in
England, his beloved dog howled, then dropped dead. It was immediately
claimed by the newspapers that Lord Carnarvon had been the victim of a
curse. Rumours of even more mysterious circumstances began to circulate.
It was said that on the day of the discovery, Carter’s pet canary had been
eaten by a cobra, the same serpent which is portrayed on the brow of a
Pharaoh spitting poison.

It was also claimed that a mysterious inscription had been found near the
tomb, warning that ‘Death will come on swift wings to whosoever touches the
tomb of the Pharaoh’, although it was acknowledged that these words had
strangely vanished. The death of anyone associated with the opening of
Tutankhamen’s tomb was used as proof of the Curse.

To a public raised on the exotic novels of Rider Haggard and Wilkie Collins
this was very exciting. But, in reality, if the Pharaoh was seeking revenge on
those who had desecrated his tomb, then he was very selective. Above all,
he seems to have spared the life of the most obvious candidate for his
revenge – Howard Carter himself. Even scientific attempts to argue that the
Curse was true – for instance, theories that there were deadly microbes in
the tomb, or poisonous fungi – must founder on that one conclusive fact. It
is no wonder that Carter himself was so contemptuous when asked about the
Curse – “The answer”, he would reply, “is spherical and in the plural”. Instead
of dying in premature and mysterious circumstances, Carter in fact lived for
17 years after his incredible discovery. Yet one great mystery, which Carter
himself was powerless to solve, continues to exist. There was barely any
evidence found which could shed light on Tutankhamen himself. His reign
remains a mystery; his character even more so. Although there have been
numerous autopsies on his mummy, we cannot even be certain what caused
his death – it has been suggested that he was murdered or killed in battle.
As Carter was forced to confess, “the mystery of his life eludes us – the
shadows move, but the dark is never quite dispersed” .

All we can be certain of is that Tutankhamen, like any Egyptian, would have
craved the remembrance which it was believed gave a spirit true life after
death. Forgotten for over three thousand years, the boy king’s name is now
famous allover the world. Thanks to the efforts of Howard Carter,
Tutankhamen has true immortality at last.

8.-Why did Carter refuse to enter the tomb after discovering it?

A He was afraid of dying.

B He didn’t want to do it alone.

C He wanted to go in with Lord Carnarvon.

D He wanted to wait for the daylight.

9.-How did Lord Carnarvon die?

A of a mosquito bite

B shaving himself

C of pneumonia

D of high fever

10.-It was claimed by the newspapers that Lord Carnarvon

A had been the victim of a murder.

B had died because of a curse.

C had been eaten by a cobra.

D had been poisoned.

11.-What was the Curse associated with?

A spitting poison

B giant cobras
C strange deaths

D swift wings

12.-What does ‘this’ in line 30 refer to?

A the Curse

B the exotic novel

C the Pharaoh

D death

13.-What does the writer imply about the Curse?

A If it were true, Carter was the one who should have died.

B It was all invented by R. Haggard & W. Collins to sell their novels.

C It was true since a lot of people who opened the tomb died.

D The Pharaoh chose who would die.

14.-What did Carter believe?

A He believed in the Curse.

B He believed the true mystery was Tutankhamen himself.

C He believed he was lucky not to have died of the Curse.

D He believed that there was some scientific truth in the Curse.

15.-What did the ancient Egyptians believe?

A Remembering a dead person made him/her immortal.

B A spirit should be left in peace after death.

C True immortality comes after thousands of years.

D A dead person should be buried and forgotten.

Reading, 34
January 21, 2007

You are going to read an article about the popularity of snacks. Choose the
most suitable heading from the list A – I for each part 1 – 7 of the article.
There is one extra heading which you do not need to use. There is an example
at the beginning (0).

A The great-grandfather of snacks

B Different nations like different flavors

C An effort to produce and sell even more

D The ‘good-for-you-snack’ trend

E Snacking: past and present

F Eating snacks while watchin sports

G Varieties of potato chips

H Snacks have to look good

I Success is not the same for all

SNACKOLOGY

Once they were just potato chips. Now they’re a ‘fourth meal occasion.’ And
apparently, when it comes to the universe of snacks, there is no ‘final
frontier.’

0: __F__

The snack industry is becoming truly creative for the first time in history.
That’s good news for the thoughtful host, especially one wanting to provide
a quality televised-football viewing experience. On the day of a game,
Americans eat more snacks than any other day.

1: _____
If that sounds like the same old thing, you can be sure that it’s not. While
millions of hands are moving between bowl and mouth, snack industry
scientists are working endlessly to create more irresistible snacks to make
those hands move faster.

2: _____

Potato chips today, for example, come in ridged or regular; flavored or plain;
baked, fried or crisped; in a bag or stacked in a tube. Chips now come in
flavors from the most exotic to the most ordinary, satisfying tastes that vary
with the person and the region. Salt-and-vinegar chips, for example, failed in
Ohio but were a great success in New England and eastern Canada, and the
English love them.

3: _____

The Swedes prefer onion as a flavor for their chips, the Germans paprika, the
Norwegians salt and pepper. Barbecue dominates in the United States, but
the American liking for novelty and variety includes everything from the
ketchup flavored potato chips introduced by Herr Foods of Nottingham,
Pennsylvania, to the chocolate-covered potato chips of Nelson’s
Confectionery in Perham, Minnesota.

4: _____

Snacks in the United States will never get as wild as snacks in other parts of
the world, although perhaps that is merely a subjective judgment. American
shoppers would never choose the snack known as Mopani, found in Uganda:
white grubs served in cans or plastic bags. In fact, we in the United States
won’t even try some of the more conventional flavors popular in other
countries.

‘Those flavors wouldn’t cut it here,’ says Bernie Pacyniak, editor of Snack
Food and Wholesale Bakery magazine. ‘You couldn’t sell a seafood flavored
Cheeto in the United States. Some people even find the mustard flavored
pretzels really strange.’

5: _____

Crunchy snacks have been popular since the days of ancient Greece, when
theater audiences ate roasted barleycorn during performances, crunching
loudly when they were bored. Tragemata, they called their snacks, which
translates roughly as ‘munchies.’
6: _____

Today’s consumers want healthy snacks, which accounts for the boom in
baked chips. If healthy doesn’t taste as good however, consumers are willing
to compromise.

7: _____

Snacking is a return to those millions of years before cooking and agriculture

led to the rituals of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our early ancestors took
every opportunity to eat anything they could find: berries, roots, insects, etc.
Certainly, they were getting plenty of raw fiber, vitamins and minerals. But
they could never have imagined the joys of shopping in supermarkets or of
sitting endlessly in front of a television eating concentrated carbohydrates,
sugar, salt, fats and oils. Nor did they live long enough to worry about heart
attacks. Perhaps if they had, they’d have served a nice vegetable meal with
a non-fat sauce.

Reading, 33
January 20, 2007

You are going to read some information about your star sign. For questions
22-33, choose from the star signs (A-L). Some of the star signs may be
chosen more than once. When more than one answer is required, these may
be given in any order. There is an example at the beginning (0). For questions
34 and 35, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best
according to the text.

Which star sign:

is warned that others envy them? 0: __L___

is told it is time for an addition? 22: ____

is advised to make full use of time spent asleep? 23: ____

is told love is waiting for them? 24: ______

is told to put money matters first? 25: ____ 26: ____

is advised to control strong feelings? 27: ____

is reminded to be grateful? 28:______

is tired of a temporary relationship? 29: _____

is warned about something terrible? 30: ____ 31: ____

is told their past will help them? 32: _____

is told to complete their work? 33: ____

34 Where has this text come from?

A a newspaper report

B an advertisement

C a magazine

D a school textbook

35 What is the main aim of this text?

A to offer advice to people with problems

B to inform people about what may happen in the future

C to recommend that people be careful

D to encourage people to write to Richard Starr

YOUR HOROSCOPE THIS WEEK

by Richard Starr

Aries A

Your family is going through the turmoil of many difficult changes. Not
everyone is cooperating with these changes, which is resulting in feelings
being hurt and relationships being threatened. A family crisis can be stopped
if you unexpectedly change your mind. See if you can’t be more
understanding and lend a sympathetic ear to the members of your family who
need it most.
Taurus B

It may be time to start thinking about starting or adding to the family. But
don’t panic! Things will fall into place if you are calm and plan out your moves
carefully. A bigger family will bring you the peace, joy and satisfaction that
will fill that space within you which has been empty as of late.

Gemini C

You are facing an overwhelmingly big job and you are feeling very distressed.
Calm down! Why not invite in a group of friends or colleagues to assist you?
Together you can tackle the job and enjoy yourselves along the way. Watch
that you don’t antagonise anyone, though – remember to say ‘thank you’ to
all those who rally to support you.

Cancer D

You are on an emotional roller coaster. You do not know if you are coming or
going, and may consider turning to unsavoury companions for advice.
Instead, look to your childhood for the answers. Happy memories will give
you the moral strength to face what is to come, and even unhappy memories
may comfort you in difficult moments.

Leo E

Your passionate nature is going to get you into trouble. You like to let your
emotions run free, but caution might be the better route to follow this week.
Put the brake on and slow down. Do not get upset. Be especially watchful late
in the week for incidents which will trigger misunderstandings in the future.

Virgo F

You have always had a strong dream life, full of vivid colours and activities.
Now it is time for you to put those dreams to good use. Write down your
dreams and use them to come to an understanding of the inner workings of
your mind. Your subconscious may help you solve problems in real-life
situations.

Libra G

You may be more interested in romance than in business, but an impressive

business deal keeps dogging you. Do not ignore it. Cut down on romantic
involvements and concentrate on business deals. You will have plenty of time
for love, so now it is more productive to focus on finding the money with
which to entertain your future romantic escapades!

Scorpio H

A difficult health issue awaits you or someone who is very close to you. Pay
close attention to the matter and have it looked into by an expert. Neglecting
to do something now may prove disastrous in the years to come, so make
sure that you look after everything that needs looking after.

Sagittarius I

You have been working on a project for a very long time and the time has
come for you to finish it. While it has been difficult for you to concentrate
lately, you must put aside these distractions and get down to ending what
you started. You may be surprised at how relieved you feel once it is done.
And at how profitable it will be!

Capricorn J

A lucky week for you! You have long wanted to become romantically involved
with someone, and the time is right for you to be brave. Approach that
person. Tell that person how long you have wanted to get better acquainted.
Say how much you would like to become a part of that person’s life. The
outcome will pleasantly surprise you, and you will wish that you had spoken
up sooner.

Aquarius K

You will be expected to make a firm commitment, like marriage, and there
will be tears if you do not. Although you are afraid of such a commitment,
you also want something more permanent. Deal with this situation carefully,
in order to avoid hurt feelings.

Pisces L

Do not worry so much about what anyone else thinks. Follow what you think
is the best course of action in the situation at hand. You are shining lately,
and other people are jealous of your achievements. Do not listen to them,
but rather follow your heart. In the end, this will payoff handsomely.
Reading, 32
January 20, 2007

You are going to read a letter from someone to her sister’s family. Eight
sentences have been removed from the letter. Choose from the sentences A-
I the one which fits each gap (15-21). There is one extra sentence which you
do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0).

April 22. 1994

Dear Kathy. John. Gigi.

Well. hello everybody!! 0: ___I___

How’s school, Gigi? I hear you’ve been studying hard. Have you made any
earrings lately? Do you need any more jewellery backs, etc.? What are your
plans for the summer? 15: ______

Brittany and Brendyn are doing well. They have so many friends here. There
are kids all over the place at Whyte Ridge. Brittany knows some of her friends’
phone numbers and sometimes calls them up and just invites them over. And
Brendyn’s latest is to ask any kid walking by if he/she wants to come to his
house to spend the night. Either for that or for supper …

16: ___________

We had a nice time at Mom’s in Saskatoon. 17: ______ Unfortunately. she

was sick. then we all were sick, so our energies weren’t up to par.

This summer, we plan to go to Nick’s second cousin’s wedding in Yorkton first

thing in July, then to the lake with MaryAnne (from Ohio), Theresa, Cathy,
etc., for a week, then to Calgary for the 14th for Rosie’s brother’s anniversary.
Then on our holiday to pick cherries. We’d also like to sneak in as many trips
to the lake as p0ssible with our caravan, and maybe to the Mall of America.
We’ll see.

Nick’s back is slowly getting better; he sort of takes it easy, and uses the
exercise bike all the time, as he says it helps his back. 18: ______

We love our house. Everything has turned out beautifully. 19: _____ We just
bought a lovely new purple sofa made in Italy (Natuzzi) for our lounge. We
have not taken any pictures yet.
Well, Brittany and Brendyn can both ride two-wheelers now and can both
whistle! How are both your Mom and Dad feeling, John? Do they get out to
Kanalia much?

I know they love their village. 20: _______

Love,

JoAnn, Nick, Brittany, Brendyn

P.S. Bonnie and Phil had a girl – Tessa. 21: ______

A Then we brought her back here for awhile.

B And Patti is pregnant with her third!

C Black and white is the theme throughout.

D When can you convince your Mom and Dad to bring you here again?!

E I had it in mind while writing this letter, but my response may have been
too late. Sorry about that!

F It was very painful and he thought he might need surgery.

G Got to go – so much to do as Nick and I are going out to supper tonight!

H Speaking of Whyte Ridge, there’s a dalmatian dog who is the most popular
dog in the neighbourhood; we have very nice neighbours, too!

I Sorry it’s been so long but we’ve been getting settled in our new home.

Reading, 31
January 20, 2007

You are going to read an extract from an autobiography. For questions 7-14,
choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the
text.

The war was the most peaceful period of my life. The window of my bedroom
faced southeast. My mother had curtained it, but that had small effect. I
always woke with the first light and, with all the responsibilities of the
previous day melted, feeling myself rather like the sun, ready to shine and
feel joy. Life never seemed so simple and clear and full of possibilities as
then. I put my feet out from under the clothes – I called them Mrs Left and
Mrs Right – and invented dramatic situations for them in which they discussed
the problems of the day. At least Mrs Right did; she easily showed her
feelings, but I hadn’t the same control of Mrs Left, so she mostly contented
herself with nodding agreement.

They discussed what Mother and I should do during the day, what Santa Claus
should give a fellow for Christmas, and what steps should be taken to brighten
the home. There was that little matter of the baby, for instance. Mother and
I could never agree about that. Ours was the only house in the neighbourhood
without a new baby, and Mother said we couldn’t afford one till Father came
back from the war because they cost seventeen and six. That showed how
foolish she was. The Geneys up the road had a baby, and everyone knew they
couldn’t afford seventeen and six. It was probably a cheap baby, and Mother
wanted something really good, but I felt she was too hard to please. The
Geneys’ baby would have done us fine.

Having settled my plans for the day, I got up, put a chair under my window,
and lifted the frame high enough to stick out my head. The window
overlooked the front gardens of the homes behind ours, and beyond these it
looked over a deep valley to the tall, red-brick houses up the opposite hillside,
which were all still in shadow, while those at our side of the valley were all lit
up, though with long strange shadows that made them seem unfamiliar; stiff
and painted.

After that I went into Mother’s room and climbed into the big bed. She woke
and I began to tell her of my schemes. By this time, though I never seem to
have noticed it, I was freezing in my nightshirt, and I warmed up as I talked
until, the last frost melted, I fell asleep beside her and woke again only when
I heard her below in the kitchen, making the breakfast.

7 The time the author spent as a child during the war was

A sad and frightening.

B happy and calm.

C peaceful and puzzling.

D violent and shocking.

8 When he woke up in the morning, he

A would call on Mrs Left and Mrs Right.

B would open up the curtains.

C would play with his feet.

D would agree with Mrs Left.

9 How did the writer and his mother feel about having a baby?

A They weren’t able to agree.

B They sometimes agreed.

C They often agreed.

D They always agreed.

10 Why was the writer upset with his mother?

A He could not understand her.

B She was poor.

C She was not very intelligent.

D She did not love him enough.

11 The writer believed

A that Santa Claus really existed.

B that his father would never come home from the war.

C that they were poorer than the Geneys.

D that one could buy a baby.

12 The houses on his side of the valley were lit up because

A they were facing the sun.

B they were still all in shadow.

C they had all turned their lights on.

D they had odd shadows that made them look strange.

13 What was his mother’s bed like?

A freezing

B uncomfortable

C small

D warm

14 What did the writer feel then that he does not feel now?

A That everything is possible.

B That war is ugly.

C That his mother loves him deeply.

D That life is complicated.

Reading, 30
January 19, 2007

You are going to read about five men with strong wives. For questions 22 –
35, choose from the list of men A-E. Some of them may be chosen more than
once. When more than one answer is required, these may be given in any
order. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Which husband:

eventually took the role of influencing his wife? 0: A

harmed his wife’s career? 22: ___

was much older than his wife? 23: ___

was of a much lower social status than his wife? 24: ___
caused great sorrow to his wife when he died? 25: ___

did not stand by his wife when she needed it? 26: ___

was murdered by his wife? 27: ___

had a devoted wife? 28: ___ 29: ___

helped his wife improve her looks? 30: ___

was not happily married to his wife? 31: ___ 32: ___

helped his wife’s career by giving her money? 33: ___

was of aristocratic origins? 34: ___ 35: ___

BEHIND EVERY GREAT WOMAN …

A Mr Queen Victoria

Born in 1819, Prince Albert, the younger son of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-
Gotha, married Queen Victoria in 1840 and became her private secretary, His
position as a foreigner in Victoria’s court required a great deal of tact from
the royal couple and initially he was excluded from state affairs. Soon his
political abilities and social skills began to show and eventually he found that
he was advising his wife on most aspects of her political duties. The renowned
Great Exhibition was held at his suggestion in 1851. It wasn’t until after his
death, in 1861, that his contribution to the arts, science and social welfare of
Britain was recognised. The Queen remained in mourning for the rest of her
life.

B Mr Benazir Bhutto

Former Pakistani ‘first husband’ Asif Ali Zardari does not have a good
reputation as a political figure. Many people believe that his wife lost her
position as Prime Minister in 1996 as a result of his arrest on charges of
corruption. As Finance Minister, he was unofficially named ‘Mr Ten Per Cent’
supposedly referring to the cut he took in all state contracts during Bhutto’s
reign, in which 1 billion pounds is believed to have been mishandled. Zardari
was then accused of involvement in the murder of his wife’s brother, and
political rival, Murtaza, who was shot dead in a mysterious police ambush in
September 1996. Bhutto has supported him through his darkest moments,
even though she suffered guilt by association. Should he avoid blame this
time, however, the couple’s relationship may become a lillie distant.

C Mr Catherine the Great

Pity poor Peter III. In marrying the German Princess Sophia Augusta von
Anhalt-Zerbst (Catherine II), the successor to the Tsarina Elizabeth bit off
more than he could chew. His first act after coronation in 1762 was to return
to Frederick the Great all the Prussian provinces conquered by Russia during
the Seven Years War. Unsurprisingly the military was unimpressed and he
was killed in a coup led by his wife and her lover Count Orlov. Catherine’s
subsequent love affairs with different officers and politicians were widely
publicised, although it is said she was devoted to Peter in the early years of
their marriage.

D Mr Celine Dion

When the parents of 12-year-oid Canadian singer Celine Dion sent

promotions manager Mr Angelil a demo tape, he liked it so much he cried.
Then, much to his first wife’s annoyance, he mortgaged the family home to
finance her debut album. By the age of 18, Dion had had seven French-
speaking hit albums, before Angelil paid for English lessons to help her make
an impression on the major pop markets. Then it was time to get her teeth
fixed and for her to lose some weight to squeeze into all those cute little
Chanel numbers. Enter the new Mrs Angelil, 26 years his junior, and the most
successful singer in the world.

E Mr Liz Taylor VII

The marriage of former truck driver Larry Fortensky to Elizabeth Taylor never
had much chance of success. However, the couple was optimistic.
Fortunately, her seventh husband, even signed a prenuptial agreement which
left him very little in the case of divorce. According to insiders it wasn’t Taylor
who caused the breakdown of their four year marriage but Fortensky who
went out on the town while his wife was recovering from a hip-replacement
operation. Consequently, the marriage was over. Oh, and about that pre-nup:
he attempted to have it overturned to sue for 3 million pounds.
Reading, 29
January 19, 2007

You are going to read an article about a famous artist, Vincent Van Gogh.
Seven sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the
sentences A – H the one which fits each gap 16 – 21. There is one extra
sentence which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning
(0).

A “What I want to express, in both figure and landscape, isn’t anything

sentimental or melancholy, but deep anguish. In short, I want to get to the
point where people see my work and say: that man feels deeply, that man
feels keenly.”

B It’s quite remarkable, then, that during his year in the asylum he managed
to create a series of beloved masterpieces such as the Starry Night, found
today at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

C “I already feel,” he wrote that year, “old and broken.”

D “I didn’t have to put myself out very much in order to try and express
sadness and extreme loneliness,” Van Gogh wrote.

E In April 1899, Van Gogh had checked himself into the asylum in this
monastery, looking for relief from the epilepsy that had tormented him in
Aries, where he had threatened his friend Paul Gauguin with a razor and had
cut off his own left ear lobe during a fit.

F Now light and wonderful pure colours were everywhere in his work: yellow,
red, green and blue, all glowing under the sun.

G At 16, he went to work for an art dealer, a job that his younger brother,
Theo, followed him into.

H “The day will come, however, when people will see that they are worth
more than the price of the paint and my living expenses.”

DARKNESS AND LIGHT

The Life of Vincent Van Gogh

The Provencal sun was blinding on the warm winter day when I drove into
Saint-Remy. I reached the Monastery of St Paul-de-Mausole, where the
garden looked just as I thought it would its flowers and trees much as Vincent
Van Gogh had painted them more than a century ago.

0: E

Van Gogh had arrived in Provence the previous year, finally finding himself
as a painter after a decade of artistic wandering. When the voices drove him
to Saint Remy, Van Gogh was in one of the most productive periods any artist
has ever had, creating in the last 21 1/2 years of his life the work that most
people know him by. But there were times in Saint-Remy, after he ate paint,
when his doctors wouldn’t let him near the artist’s palette. 16: _____

Van Gogh was the most autobiographical artist, and his works reveal much
about the last years of his passionate life. Born in Holland in 1853 Vincent
Van Gogh was the eldest son of a priest; his formal education was patchy,
but he was a great reader who loved literature and biography.

17: _____At 23, Vincent was fired. He then wandered through odd jobs
before he decided to become an artist. “I want to paint drawings that will
touch people,” he wrote to Theo in 1882. 18: _____

Van Gogh started writing regularly to Theo in 1872 and continued to express
his feelings and his artistic adventures until just before his death in 1890.
Half of Van Gogh’s painting life was spent in the dark; working in sad
tones where sunlight was rare. In early 1886 he travelled to Paris to live with
Theo, years in which Theo financially supported his brother. A series of self-
portraits shows how he felt during that period. The pictures show him with
fierce, suspicious and tired eyes. 19: _____

He would find rebirth in the south of France. That winter he moved to Arles,
where he was fascinated by the flowers and the sun. “I am in a constant fever
of work,” he told Theo. 20: _____

But poverty and the pain of having sold only a few of his paintings pressed in
on Van Gogh as his health failed. “I cannot help that my pictures do not sell,”
Van Gogh wrote. 21: _____

Some years later Van Gogh shot himself. Theo died six months later but his
widow, Johanna devoted the rest of her life to establish Vincent Van Gogh as
a great painter.
Reading, 28
January 19, 2007

You are going to read an article about a racing car driver. For questions 8 –
15, choose the answer A, B, CorD which you think fits best according to the
text.

DRIVING AMBITION

Formula 1. The roaring engines. Speeds of up to 200 miles an hour. Millions

of dollars at stake. And it all takes place in front of millions of viewers, across
five continents. Amidst this crazy motoring circus, world champion Michael
Schumacher remains a stable, mysterious figure; keeping as low a profile as
possible. He feels this is the only way to survive in a world where nerves must
be made of steel and seconds count.

Formula 1 racing originated in 1950, but was a very different sport then to
what we see nowadays. Talent and guts guaranteed a place at the top; the
driver made all the difference. These days, Formula 1 is a million-dollar
industry. The role of the driver has diminished substantially with the last
decade’s rapid developments in technology. What you drive has become more
important than how you drive.

Taking that into account, Benetton, the company for which Schumacher
formerly raced, was perfect for him. At the time, they had the fastest cars,
challenged only by the Williams on the very fast circuits with long straights
and fast bends. But, despite the technical perfection that Benetton offered,
Schumacher signed a contract with Ferrari last year, saying that it was ‘a
dream contract’. So far it has been unproductive, but despite losing his world
title this season to the UK driver Damon Hill, Schumacher’s legendary self-
confidence has not been damaged.

What is remarkable about the 27-year-old German is that, even for a racing
driver, he seems really dispassionate. He shows no signs of emotion and no
signs of weakness. From the beginning of his career he has been called a
variety of names: boring, arrogant, and even a robot. Yet Schumacher has
never worried about this and has never made any attempt to change his
image. He has simply gone on with the task of winning races, and has become
the youngest ever world champion.
Born in 1969, Schumacher dreamed of becoming a policeman as a child. He
fell in love with racing at a very early age when his father put him in a car at
the age of four. By 1987 he had won the German and European
championships. Mercedes trained him in their sportscar team, and he made
his debut in the World Championships in 1991 when he put Bertrand Cachot’s
Jordan Ford in the seventh position on the starting grid. Unfortunately, his
debut performance was shortlived. After one lap he had to withdraw, but he
had made his mark. Twelve months later he achieved his first victory. Within
two years, he was world champion. His achievements began to attract
attention from talent hunters for the big teams. Bennetton’s Flavio Briatore
was particularly interested. A notorious name in Formula 1 racing, Briatore
was the prototype of the modern team manager and has been quoted as
saying: “To me Formula 1 is purely a marketing instrument. The sporting side
is of minor importance.” Sports fans do not like this viewpoint, but, in some
ways, he does have a point. The impact of the sport and the money it
generates, grows by the day.

Many experts have tried to analyse Schumacher’s career success, but he has
his own ideas about what has helped him achieve so much at a young age:
“Working more and harder than the rest, always looking for something that
can win you a hundredth-of-a-second, and if you cannot find anything, trying
again. There are a lot of racers in the same league and level. The technical
aspect is essential. ‘ Being an ex-mechanic, makes me good at that. I
instinctively feel what the car needs. I can translate what I have felt through
to my mechanics perfectly so they can adjust the car just right. You can
always find me to be the first in and the last remaining in the garage.”

8.- What kind of person is Michael Schumacher according to the text?

A a person who likes money a lot

B a person who likes fame

C a person who does anything to survive

D a person who doesn’t like to show off

9.-In what way has Formula 1 changed nowadays?

A Drivers nowadays don’t have the talent they used to have.

B Drivers nowadays are paid millions of dollars.

C The car has become more important than the driver.

D The rules of the sport have changed.

10.-What information do we get about Benetton?

A It is the company Schumacher always dreamed of working for.

B Its cars are technically very good.

C It gave Schumacher to Williams.

D Its cars are especially good at fast bends.

11.-What has happened since Schumacher signed a contract with Ferrari?

A He has had great success.

B He has lost his self confidence.

C He has lost the world title.

D He has been challenged by Williams.

12.-What is remarkable about Schumacher?

A He has no passion for racing.

B He has all the typical characteristics of a racing driver.

C He is not influenced by his emotions.

D He is a cruel person.

13.-What happened in the World Championships in 1991?

A He stopped early but he was noticed.

B He became the World Champion.

C He managed to finish the race in 7th position.

D He achieved his first victory.

14.-What do we learn about Flavia Briatore?

A He is Benetton’s racing driver.

B He strongly believes in the commercial side of Formula 1.

C He is very popular with Formula 1 fans.

D He believes that Formula 1 has become too commercial.

15.-Schumacher’s career has been so successful because

A he believes himself to be a better racer than the rest.

B he never interferes with the technical aspect.

C he understands what is needed to fix the car.

D he is always looking for more money.

Reading, 27
January 19, 2007

You are going to read a list of tips on how to shop for wine. Choose the most
suitable sentence from the list A – I for each part 1 – 7 of the article. There
is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. There is an example at
the beginning (0).

A Be alert for the ‘alternative choice’ script.

B Decide your price-per-bottle before entering the wine shop.

C What to do if you are still in the dark.

D Don’t buy a bottle of wine you are not familiar with.

E Tell the salesperson exactly why you’re buying the wine.

F Give the salesperson the credibility test.

G Talk about wines you know personally to be good.

H Continue being precise in your requests.

I Forgetting all you know.

How to Shop for Wine

0: I I

Buying wine in a liquor shop nowadays can be a confusing and embarrassing

task. A friend of mine recently told me that he goes blank whenever
salespeople in liquor shops approach him and ask, ‘Is there a particular wine
you’re looking for?’ Everything he thinks he has learned about wine suddenly
sprouts wings and flies away. My solution is to learn a few strategies on how
to deal with a retail wine salesperson.

1: _____

“I’m willing to spend up to $10 a bottle and I need six bottles. So my spending
limit is around $65, including tax.” Be firm and clear about the money you
intend to spend by establishing it early on so the retailer will know what price
range to work with when offering suggestions.

2: _____

It may be either for dinner at a friend’s house, a gift for your cousin who just
got married, or, for your wedding anniversary. By quickly revealing your
reason for buying the wine, you move the focus from price to the general
wine category. Sparkling wine is suitable for both an anniversary gift and a
wedding present. How about dinner with friends? A red or a dry white may
do.

3: _____

Whether they are white, red or sparkling, don’t wait for the salesperson to
ask you which wines you like. Say something like, “I’ve always liked Robert
Mandavi’s Cabemet Sauvignon. Do you have the most recent vintage of if?
What’s the price?” By initiating this step yourself, you tell the salesperson,
one, that you’re in the hunt for red wine, and two, that you have experienced
good wine from California. More importantly, by making a specific request,
you’re staying in control at a point where the advantage can swing to the
store’s side. If the particular wine you asked for is in stock and within your
price range, the deal’s done.

4: _____
If they don’t have the wine you asked for in your price range, you are likely
to be asked about alternatives. “We don’t currently have the Mondavi, but
have you tried the Blankitee-Blank Vineyards or the Whatsit Winery
Cabemets?” the salesperson may reply, thinking that you haven’t tasted
them. “Every bit as good as the Mondavi.” Momentary pause, usually
accompanied by thoughtful expression. “At roughly the same price, only $3
more per bottle. ”

5: _____

In the event that the merchant doesn’t have three similar wines from
California in the Cabernet category, ask him or her to suggest three
comparable wines from another country or region where Cabernet Sauvignon
is produced (just about everywhere today) – say, France, Chile or Australia.
Maintain the focus on what you originally wanted as much as possible, in
terms of either wine type, region or country, price, or familiarity.

6: _____

At this stage, you want to keep requesting information. When you have the
alternative wines in front of you, if you have not previously tasted them, press
the salesperson to tell you which consumer magazines have rated them and
how they did. Unfortunately, I know first hand the widespread lack of genuine
wine knowledge among retailers; an authoritative second opinion protects
your investment.

7: _____

If you don’t have the necessary knowledge or experience, choose the one
that’s in the middle of your price range or the one closest to your original
choice, first by producer, then by grape type, and lastly, by region or country
of origin. Never buy more than one bottle of any unfamiliar wine, just in case
it fails to fulfil your expectations. Last but not least, never ever be talked into
purchasing a 12-bottle case of wine that’s unknown to you, no matter how
attractive the case price. You’ll often find out the hard way from whose point
of view it’s so spectacular.
Reading, 26
January 18, 2007

You are going to read some information about some cultural events
happening in different European cities. For questions 22-26, choose from the
cities (A-I). Some of the cities may be chosen more than once. When more
than one answer is required, these may be given in any order. There is an
example at the beginning (0). For questions 27-35, indicate the answer to
each question by choosing from the list of events A-D. Some of the events
will be required more than once. Note: Where a city offers more than one
event, you may give the answers in any order.

Which city or cities would you recommend for someone who:

likes photography? 0: H

enjoys folk music? 22: ____

is interested in stone carving? 23:____

is interested in musical instruments? 24: _____

is interested in South America? 25:______ 26:______

What are the events offered in the following cities?

Aachen 27:_____ 28:______ 29:______

Amsterdam 30:______

Antwerp 31: _______

Barcelona 32:______

Basel 33:_____

Copenhagen 34: _____ 35: _____

A music

B dance

C art

D theatre
 CULTURAL EVENTS IN EUROPE

________________________________________

AACHEN-A

LUDWIG FORUM FUR INTERNATIONALE KUNST Julicher Str 97-109. Die

5.Biennale von Havanna. This is the first time that this event has been held
in Europe. Visitors can see street theatre and dance from Colombia, music
from Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba and Trinidad, and enjoy literature and film
from Brazil. There will also be a two-day Latin-American market.

Until II December. Tel +49 241-18070

_______________________________________

AMSTERDAM – B

HET MUZlEKTHEATER Waterlooplein 22. Performances of Mozart’s Le nozze

di Figaro on 9, 11, 14 October. Conducted by Graeme Jenkins and directed
by Jurgen Flimm. It features Dean Peterson as Figaro, Roberto Scaltriti as the
Count of Almaviva and Joan Rodgers as the Countess of Almaviva. The music
is provided by the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra.

Tel +31 20·5518922

_________________________________________

ANTWERP-C

HESSENHUIS FALCONRUI 53. Music and Painting in the Golden Age:

Music and Graphics. An outstanding collection of works from Flemish and
Dutch artists of the 17th century. In addition to 55 paintings there are musical
instruments and pieces of music on display. There are stilllifes of instruments,
portraits in which the subjects play music and pastoral settings. There are
120 prints, mostly from the 16th century, which portray the social and
symbolic importance of music, song and dance at this time.

Until 30 October.

Tel +32 2-2269300

_________________________________________
BARCELONA – D

CENTRE CULTURAL DE LA FUNDACIO LA CAIXA Passeig de Sant

Joan.Kandinsky/Mondrian – Two roads towards abstraction. This
exhibition celebrates the anniversary of the deaths of two great pioneers of
modern art. One of its aims is to highlight the parallels as well as the
differences which mark the stylistic development of the two artists. Among
the works on display are 35 canvases by the Russian-born Kandinsky and 56
oils, drawings, watercolours and gouaches by the Dutch-born Mondrian. Until
1 3 November.

Tel +34 3-4046073

___________________________________________

BASEL- E

KUNSTMUSEUM BASEL St Alban-Graben 16. Fernand Leger 1911-1924 –

Ie rhythme de la vie moderne. A collection which concentrates on major
works and work groups dating back to the critical early years of Leger’s career
when he developed his style. He is considered a painter of the modern world,
seeing the basis of modern art in the principle of opposites.

Until 27 November.

Tel +41 61-2710828

__________________________________________

BUDAPEST-F

HUNGARIAN NATIONAL GALLERY, Buda Castle. Several museums in the

Hungarian capital have permanent exhibitions and this gallery has an
important collection of Hungarian art from all periods, medieval stone
carvings as well as Renaissance and Baroque art.

HUNGARIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM, Muzeum Krt. 14 which has Hungarian

coronation regalia on display is also worth a visit.

Tel. +361-1179800

___________________________________________

COPENHAGEN – G
THE ROYAL THEATRE Kongens Nytorv.An adaptation of Bournonville’s La
Sylphide ballet by Peter Schaufuss can be seen on 5, I I and 13 October.
Musical adaptation is by Ole Norlyng and Graham Bond is the conductor.
Tchaikovsky’s Onegin. based on Pushkin’s famous novel about the cynical
antihero in the Russia of the I 820s, can be seen on 8 and 17 October.

Conducted by Graham Bond and choreographed by John Cranko. Tel. +45-

33141002

___________________________________________

EDINBURGH – H

THE FRUITMARKET GALLERY 29 Market Street. BT new contemporaries.

This is an exhibition designed to showcase student and new graduate art in
the UK. There is a variety of work on show from 36 artists including the six
prizewinners. A strong feature of the exhibition is photography, with a wide
variety of examples of how this medium can be employed. The artists have
used materials as diverse as wood and soap.

8 October-12 November.

Tel. +44 31-2252383

__________________________________________

FRANKFURT – I

DEUTSCHES ARCHITEKTURE-MUSEUM Schaumainkai 43.

Zeitgenossische Architektur in Brasilien (Contemporary architecture in

Brazil). The exhibition is devoted to architecture of the past ten years and the
aim is to show how dynamically contemporary architecture has developed.
The climate alone in Brazil – tropical temperature as well as frost and snow –
means that architects must be very creative with their methods.

8 October-6 November.

Tel +49 69-2121847

Reading, 25
January 18, 2007

You are going to read a newspaper article about someone who works. Eight
sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences
A-I the one which fits each gap (15-21). There is one extra sentence which
you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0).

THE PIES HAVE IT AFTER A SLICE OF PART-TIME WORK

Interview by Charlotte Beugge

Paul Hutchinson did not have a full-time job for nearly two years. 0: I

Mr Hutchinson, 48, from Prestwich, Manchester, was a manager of a chain of

car dealers before he was made redundant 20 months ago.

He was jobless for a few months and then started temporary work at a
factory.

Then he took a temporary job at the bakery. 15: _____

Mr Hutchinson said, ‘When I was out of work, I joined a job club. 16:
_____ It is easy to sit around and do nothing and get depressed but I am a
strong sort of person and fortunately, I was financially OK. 17: _______ I
started doing temporary jobs and got this job through that.’

Mr Hutchinson’s new job is a complete career change for him: his previous
work mainly involved administrative work and accounting. But he is hopeful
that his new job will be the first step on the ladder to a new career. He said,
‘There are a lot of choices available at my new company. 18: _____

‘I know I am over-qualified for my current job. 19: ______ I am really

enjoying my new job: the company and the people are fantastic.’

Mr Hutchinson got his new job through an employment agency, Brook Street.
20: ______

‘There is a huge pool of people out there so no-one should take any refusals
too much to heart. 21: _____

A ‘There may be opportunities to move upwards or sideways.’

B ‘I used their facilities to write my curriculum vitae and apply for jobs.’
C ‘People should explore any opportunities that present themselves for work.’

D His employers were so impressed with his work, that they offered him a
full-time post on the pie-packing production line.

E ‘But you’ve got to start somewhere even at my time of life.’

F ‘I got a golden handshake from my last job, but I didn’t go out and spend
it all.’

G Mr Hutchinson was strongly supported by his wife.

H Hamish Thompson, marketing executive of Brook Street, said, ‘It is a

difficult job market but people need to have a strong way of dealing with
things in a difficult situation.’

I But he has just started a new job at a Manchester bakery.

Reading, 24
January 18, 2007

You are going to read an article about a policewoman. For questions 8-14,
choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the
text.

This is WPC Sue Porter’s third year as a member of Avon and Somerset’s task
force, a specialised ‘hit-squad’ providing support for her colleagues. Her job
is physically and mentally taxing. From disarming a knife attacker to bringing
round the victim of a car crash she is expected to perform as well as the boys.

Her 119 male colleagues in the squad would doubtless recognise that the
words ‘task force’ are usually associated with males. To try to remedy this
the unit was renamed ‘support team’ on January 1. Porter, 26, is one of three
women working in it. ‘I’m not out to prove something because I’m a woman.
I’m out to be me. They can’t expect any more from me and if they do they’re
going to be disappointed: she says.

Porter is less than 5ft 5in tall and weighs about nine stone. In a fight she says
her colleagues would probably feel better with a 6ft well-built man behind
them. ‘If I know we are going where things are going to be difficult I offer to
drive. The driver always stays with the van. But no-one else would ever ask
me to drive, and often we don’t have time to prepare and it’s the ones in the
back who get out and deal with it.’ Last year, ‘dealing with it’ included having
building blocks and bricks thrown at them in several protests and riots.

Porter says the violence is there, no matter what sex you are. ‘Being a woman
makes little difference. Sometimes people tell you that you shouldn’t be in
this job, but that’s usually their way of explaining why they’ve hit you. But
sometimes a couple of men will react better to a woman telling them to calm
down: they see a big man as a good opportunity to fight.’

At the station Porter books in her struggling prisoner. He has no home

address and is unemployed. He does not like being arrested by a woman and
keeps swearing at her. ‘I’ll see you in court: he shouts as he is dragged to a
cell.

Porter looks on without emotion. It is 3.30 am and there is still the paperwork
to do. The team will reassemble at 7.30 pm to prepare for Arsenal fans
coming in to a sleepy Yeovil for an FA cup match. It could be a busy night.

8 What does ‘taxing’, in the third line, mean?

A easy

B difficult

C terrible

D satisfactory

9 Why didn’t the men on the squad ask her to drive?

A They respected her.

B She wasn’t a good driver.

C She had to stay with the van.

D They were afraid someone would hurt her.

10 What do we learn about the people in protests and riots?

A They always throw things at the police.

B They rarely throw things at the police.

C They sometimes throw things at the police.

D They never throw things at the police.

11 Why did some people say she shouldn’t be on the hit-squad?

A They wanted to explain how they felt.

B They thought that men usually reacted better.

C They felt guilty.

D They were innocent.

12 How did the prisoner react to her arresting him?

A He dragged her to a cell.

B He asked her to read him his rights.

C He tried to insult her.

D He calmed down.

13 How did she feel about her prisoner?

A She was frightened of him.

B She was confused about her feelings.

C She was pleased that she had arrested him.

D She didn’t feel anything at all.

14 What would be the most suitable title for this article?

A Hard night for a policewoman

B No equality in the police force

C Police officers like violence

D Police work tough for beginners

Reading, 23
January 18, 2007

You are going to read a magazine article about shoes. Choose from the list
A-I the heading which best summarises each part (1-7) of the article. There
is one extra heading which you do not need to use. There is an example at
the beginning (0).

A Shoe designs are simple

B Right and left

C Some feet are bigger than others

D Function turns to fashion

E Expensive shoes are not always the best

F Women like to look taller

G Shoes sheltered the feet

H Factories take over production

I Know your history

DR MIX ON FOOT CARE: IF THE SHOE FITS

0: I

If you perform pedicures on your clients’ feet, they will probably ask you
about shoes. By understanding the history of shoes, the basics of shoe fitting,
and the mechanics of shoe wear, you will be able knowledgeably to counsel
your clients on how to choose the right footwear.

1:_______

It is thought that the first shoes were worn more than 12,000 years ago by
our ancestors who lived in a colder climate. These first shoes were probably
an early version of moccasin made of leather and lined with fur or grass for
insulation. They were to protect the foot more from the cold than from the
harsh terrain.
2: ______

Sandals appear to be the next development in foot coverings. Drawings

dating back to 6000-9000 BC show craftsmen constructing this type of ‘shoe’.
The earliest existing example is an Egyptian sandal dating back to 2000 BC
From this simple design the Egyptians and Mesopotamians introduced fashion
by adding colour ornamentation, and different shapes to their sandals.

3: ______

All footwear fashions come from only seven basic designs. The newest of
these designs, the laced oxford, dates back 300 years! And not one of these
basic designs was created by or for women. Up until about 70 years ago,
when shoes became more affordable and available to the masses because of
mass production, only about 10 per cent of the population even wore shoes.

4: ____

In the 16th century the ‘high heel’ shoe was introduced into women’s fashion.
It is recorded that Catherine de Medici, a 17-year-old Italian, was sent to
marry King Henry II of France. Because of her short stature, she wore shoes
with 2- to 3-inch heels. High heels became the rage of Europe, to the point
that the church clergy branded them ‘devices of Satan to stir the lusts of
men’.

5: ______

Early 19th-century America gave the world three great innovations in

footwear construction and fit. Until then, all shoes were made from straight
moulds, which meant the shoe could be worn on either foot. The idea of a left
shoe and a right shoe was first introduced in 1824 but was rejected by the
public because the shoes looked ‘crooked’. It was not until around 1900 that
left and right shoes gained a firm foothold in the commercial marketplace.

6: _______

The second thing that revolutionised shoe manufacturing was Elias Howe’s
invention of the sewing machine in 1845. This allowed the upper pieces of
the shoe to be sewn by machine instead of by hand. The McKay sewing
machine was then developed to stitch the sole to the upper pieces. This
allowed mass production of footwear, making shoes affordable to the general
population.
7: ______

The third innovation was the first common-sense system of shoe sizing, put
forth by Edwin B. Simpson of New York in 1886. Until this time, shoes were
generally available in only two sizes: large and small, fat and slim, or men’s
and women’s. Simpson’s system of progressive measurements applied
separately to men’s, women’s, children’s, and infants’ shoes. By the turn of
the century this system finally gave the world uniformity in shoe sizing.

Reading, 22
January 18, 2007

You are going to read biographical information about five writers. For
questions 22 . 35, choose from the writers A • E. Some of them may be
chosen more than once. When more than one answer is required, these may
be given in any order. There is an example at the beginning (0).

According to the text which of the writers:

explores social and political issues in his/her writings? 0: C

was involved in acting? 22: ____ 23: ____

lived in Africa? 24:_____ 25:_____

fought in a war? 26: _____ 27: _______ 28: _____

was raised in a religious environment? 29: _____

wished he/she had gone to University? 30: _____

was born in the 19th century? 31: _____ 32:_____

was educated in Great Britain? 33:___ 34: ___ 35:____

A Generation of Writers

A: Jean Rhys

Jean Rhys was born in 1894 at Roseau on the island of Dominica in the West
Indies. Her mother was a Creole and her father a doctor of Welsh descent.
She came to England as a schoolgirl. Later she went to the Academy of
Dramatic Art, after which she became an actress working as a chorus girl and
film extra. During the First World War she worked as a voluntary cook. In
1919 she left Britain and lived in Paris, where she began, what was later
recognized as, a highly successful writing career.

B: John Wyndham

John Wyndham is one of the several pseudonyms used by John Wyndham

Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris. Born in 1903, the son of a barrister, he attended
a number of prep schools in England before starting at a progressive
independent school, which suited his needs and personality. On leaving school
he chose not to go to university (a decision he was later to regret) and instead
he worked at various jobs. By 1925, aged 22, he was producing short stories
for publication and by 1930, he was writing regularly, sending his short
stories (his main output) to American magazines. During the war he
experienced both civil and military service and began to write again in 1946,
in a style recognized as science fiction. However, he referred to his own
writing as logical fantasy. During his lifetime he wrote various novels and
short stories, now well-known, several of which have been made into films.

C: Doris Lessing

Doris Lessing was born in Khermanshah, Persia (now Iran) in 1919, of British
parents. When she was five the family moved to a farm in Southern Rhodesia
(now Zimbabwe). She left school at fifteen and worked as a housemaid and
then as a shorthand typist and telephone operator in Salisbury. Before leaving
Africa for England in 1948, she had married twice and had become involved
in radical politics. She has written various novels, short stories and non-fiction
in which her concern for politics, the changing role of women, and the
possiblility of catastrophes are reflected.

D Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl was born in 1916 at Llandaff, Glamorgan, the son of Norwegian
parents, and was educated at Repton School in Derbyshire. As a young man
he joined an expedition to explore the interior of Newfoundland, and on his
return he started work at the Shell Oil Company in London. In 1938 he was
sent to Dar es Salaam, but at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939
he enlisted in the RAF in Nairobi. He was seriously injured after joining a
fighter squadron in Libya, but later saw further active service as a fighter pilot
in Syria and Greece. Since then he has written a huge number of short stories
for adults and children.
E Liam O’Flaherty

Liam O’Flaherty was born in 1897 in the Aran Islands, Southern Ireland. He
was brought up in a Gaelic-speaking community. He was intended for the
priesthood, but finding that his real interest was in a military career, he left
university in 1915 and joined the Irish Guards. He served in Belgium during
the First World War, but was shell shocked and discharged in 1917. He
returned to Dublin where he became involved with the Republican cause
during the Civil War. In 1918, he went to work in London, first in a brewery,
and then on the stage. Eventually, he joined a ship bound for Rio de Janeiro.
He began writing in 1921. Some of his novels have been dramatized;
however, he is perhaps best known for his short stories.

Reading, 21
January 18, 2007

You are going to read a magazine article about escaping the stresses of
modern life. Seven sentences have been removed from the article. Choose
from the sentences A – H the one which fits each gap 16 – 21. There is one
extra sentence which you do not need to use. There is an example at the
beginning (0).

A I’ve leapt off what felt like an out-of-control express train three times in
my life.

B It’s obvious that you have been made redundant.

C One of those jobs that elicits the comment, ‘She’s so successful’.

D So I moved to Nice to the smallest, cheapest hotel I could find in the

Avenue Gambetta.

E It was far away from memories of Harry and racing around London
achieving things that suddenly didn’t seem important.

F Some of the brightest and best people have been fired or made redundant.

G You say, ‘One day I’m going to .. .’ but you can’t envisage that day.

H But because he insisted I could do anything and he was always there to

catch me if I fell, I did it.
 GETTING OFF THE FAST TRACK

You have a very pressurised, fast moving and high-flying job.

0: C

Okay, so you’re often exhausted and you talk to friends, when you see them,
about how little time you have to yourself and how you don’t even have a
moment to sort out the dry-cleaning. 16: _____ By Friday night you’re failing
asleep on the sofa at 8.30 even though you promised yourself you’d go and
do a work-out. Okay, some days and evenings are pretty damned good but
mostly life is something that nibbles around the edges of work. Sooner or
later, and often after a holiday, you’re thinking: There’s got to be something
better than this.

Nowhere is it written that you have to stay on the fast track for ever. Getting
off it for a while or for good is often the best thing you’ll ever do. 17:
_____And I’ve got friends who’ve done or were forced to do the same.

Listen – sometimes it’s easier if someone else makes the decision for you.
And in these days of downsizing, it’s not personal. 18: _____

Yes, I know if there are bills there’s an intake of breath, and maybe you will
find yourself staring at the bedroom walls at five in the morning feeling like
the figure in Munch’s The Scream as you wonder how you’re going to cope.
In my case, the awful doubts come much later – after the exhilaration and
the thrill of freedom.

In my 20s I sold advertising space. Harry, my boss, was full of

encouragement and the kind of enthusiasm that made me want to jump
through hoops for him. In the early days, while he was still training me ‘to be
the best’, I’d say, ‘Harry, I can’t do that. I just can’t do it’. 19: _____ By the
time he got leukaemia and left the office and me running it, I was very good
at selling. But without him, the office that had sparkled was – just an office.
I spoke to his wife one wretched Wednesday morning. Harry was dying. The
sky turned black. A copy of The Times lay folded on the office table and I
picked it up and tried to read through tears. I remember the ad in the
personal column: secretary for Cote d’Azur. French speaker. Car driver.

Two weeks later I was living in Eze, a few kilometres from Nice. 20: _______
And I surrendered to the beauty of spring in the South of France, the smell
of mimosa, winding roads, tall pine trees and a social job in a chateau. The
job lasted three months. But I couldn’t face London. Not just then. 21:
_______ I fell in love with France and a man, learned to speak fluent French
and didn’t read an English newspaper for six months.

Reading, 20
January 18, 2007

You are going to read seven tips on taking pictures. Choose the most suitable
heading from the list A – I for each tip 1 ·7. There is one extra heading which
you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0).

A Tact and sensitivity

B Get some support
C Dressing down
D The guillotine effect
E Stock up
F Bridge those barriers
G Don’t be caught out
H Travel light
I Enrich those colours

PICTURE PERFECT

Whether you are going to Melbourne, Madras, Mali or Mauritius, travelling

puts a wealth of photo opportunities within your reach. Here are 7 ways to
help you achieve those stunning images to take back home.

0: F

Learn some simple phrases in the language of the country you are visiting as
this will particularly help you, when you want to take photographs of people.
Berlitz and Lonely Planet publish good phrase books on most destinations.

1: ______

Before leaving home, disguise expensive looking camera bags and

equipment; it doesn’t pay to advertise. Try hiding your camera bag inside a
simple travel bag.
2: _______

First, decide whether you prefer negative or slide film. Buy your favourite film
at home as it may be unavailable, badly stored or more expensive in the
places you are travelling to. A medium range film like ISO 100 will cover most
travel situations. Faster films like ISO 200 and 400 are useful for low light
photographs.

3: ______

Pack a colour filter to deepen those lovely blue skies and give your travel
pictures impact. An 81A warming filter is useful for enhancing natural light
and warming up overcast days. Try filters over the lenses of compact
cameras.

4: _____

A tripod is the key to pin sharp travel pictures. A cheap handy alternative is
a handsized bean bag for the camera to rest on.

5: ______

Try not to be too extravagant with your equipment. You need to be able to
keep your kit portable enough to carry around comfortably all day.

6: _______

When looking through the viewfinder of a compact camera you see the
subject from a slightly higher angle and to one side compared to the lens.
This can cause the heads and arms of your subjects to be chopped off when
you move in too close. To avoid this, hold the camera a little higher and to
the same side of the viewfinder.

7: ______

Instead of sneaking around taking pictures of people unexpectedly with a

telephoto lens, which can cause offence, approach your subject with a smile
and simply ask. Most people will gladly oblige. In some countries you may be
asked for money in exchange for a photo. If this happens, either politely
decline or agree on a price to avoid problems later. When you pay, it helps to
have low denomination coins and notes.
Reading, 19
January 17, 2007

You are going to read an extract from a book. Seven paragraphs have been
removed from the extract. Choose from the paragraphs A-H the one which
fits each gap (15-20). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need
to use. There is an example at the beginning (0).

The luggage was to be sent up to the Royal Suite, which during the year
had already been occupied by royalty, like Princess Grace of Monaco.

0: H

The Royal Suite is on the first floor at Claridge’s and can be reached by an
elegant staircase from the ground floor, or by a roomy lift with its own seat.

15: __________

The suite itself consists of four rooms: a small dressing-room, a bedroom, a

bathroom, and an elegant drawing-room overlooking Brook Street. The
furniture and pictures make it possible for you to believe that you are still in
Victorian England. Only the telephone and television indicate otherwise.

16: ________

After a shower and change of clothes, Harvey glanced through his waiting
mail and telexes from the bank, which were all routine. He took a short nap
before going down to dine in the main restaurant.

17: ________

He had reached that time in life when he did not like change; the
management of Claridge’s, aware that the average age of their customers
was over fifty, served accordingly.

18: ________

Harvey managed a little shrimp cocktail and a med.iurn fillet steak with a
bottle of Mouton Cadet. As he leaned forward to study the sweets trolley, he
did not notice the four young men eating near the wall on the far side of the
room.
19: ________

‘Not exactly what I expected: commented Stephen.

20: ________

A Harvey always took the lift up and walked down. At least that way he
convinced himself he was taking some exercise.

B There in the large foyer was the usual small band, looking like hungry
beggars. Harvey recognised the four musicians.

C Francois, the head waiter, showed Harvey to his usual table.

D Harvey was sure that they were extremely wealthy women. They could
certainly afford to stay at Claridge’s.

E Stephen, Robin, Jean-Pierre and James all had an excellent view of

Harvey Metcalfe. He would have had to bend double and move slightly
backwards to have any sight of them.

F ‘Put on a bit of weight since those photographs you supplied: said Jean-
Pierre.

G The room is large enough to be used for cocktail parties or by visiting

heads of state to entertain large parties. Henry Kissinger had received
Harold Wilson there only the week before. Harvey enjoyed the thought of
that. It was about as close as he was going to get to either man.

H But Harvey still considered that his annual holiday at Claridge’s was more
certain than theirs.
Reading, 18
January 17, 2007

You are going to read a newspaper article about tosing your job. Choose from
the list A-I the sentence which best summarises each part (1-7) of the article.
There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. There is an
example at the beginning (0).

A Others are often blamed for a situation seen as hopeless.

B Ignore the whole situation so that you do not do anything foolish.

C Finding a sympathetic ear is a positive step.

D See the situation as a step forward, not a step backward.

E Initial reactions are often a sense of shock and panic.

F Along with acceptance comes the decision to take control of your own life.

G Recognise that it is all right to feel sad.

H Organise your day in order to organise your life.

I Losing a job means more than just losing your income.

What do you do when you lose your job?

0: I

lf you’ve recently become unemployed, you may be asking yourself, ‘Why

didn’t 1 see it coming? What could 1 have done to keep my job? What’s wrong
with me?’ When you lose a job, you lose far more than just a wage. You lose
your faith that hard work pays off. You lose part of your identity, because, to
some extent, you define yourself by your job. You are no longer sure who
you are or what you can do. You lose some self-esteem.

1: ________

It is common to mourn the loss of a job and go through certain stages. At

first you feel like you don’t have the strength to do anything. During the first
few weeks the thought of ‘this can’t be happening to me’ sits in your mind.
The longer you have spent with an employer, the longer the numbness may
last. You can’t imagine yourself working for anyone else. You tend to panic.
You’re afraid and you don’t know what to do. You might start imagining selling
your home or being forced to ask family or friends for a loan just to buy food.
You worry about what to tell your relatives and friends. This nervousness
could cause headaches and stomach problems.

2:___________

‘After all the effort 1 put into my job: you think, ‘I don’t deserve to lose it:
You find yourself venting your anger on innocent members of your family, the
kids, shop assistants, even innocent bystanders. When you start searching
for another job, it’s not easy. ‘Why apply for a job that’s advertised in the
paper: you say to yourself. ‘I’ll never get it. Nobody wants me.’

3: _________

You slowly come to believe what has happened, and you begin looking for a
job with a more realistic attitude, accepting you’ll have good and bad
experiences. You know you’ll feel low when you’ve been turned down, but
you’re optimistic that one of these days, you’ll find the right job. ‘This is my
life and I’ve got to get on with it: becomes your attitude.

4: __________

There are some ways to help you handle the anxiety of going through these
stages. Here are some suggestions. You must realise that feeling miserable
when you’ve lost a job and are out of work is normal. It is not a sign of
weakness.

5: _____

Friends, family members and acquaintances can sometimes help find you
jobs, encourage you and cheer you on. Confide in your partner, but don’t lean
too hard on them. They may be feeling anxious too, and your fears will only
add to theirs.

6: __________

lf you’re not ready to phone employers first thing in the morning, how about
planning to do something else that’s constructive. Take a brisk walk; exercise
at home; you could even learn a foreign language. The more active you are,
the less miserable you will feel.
7: ___________

Don’t blame yourself for losing your job. Keep your eyes on what you have
to gain by this event, and not what you have to lose. You have a chance to
rediscover other things in life and develop friendships; take this opportunity
to do so. Be open, ready and waiting when the right career opportunity comes
along.

Reading, 17
January 17, 2007

You are going to read an article about a man who learned to read. For
questions 8 _ 15, choose the answer A, B, CorD which you think fits best
according to the text.

BROTHERS

Earl Flowers can read. He can read every word on this page. When he reads
a story out loud, he reads with feeling and passion. The stories Earl reads are
not merely words on a page. They spark his imagination, and he usually has
something thoughtful to say about what he has learned. I mean, the man can
read. I tell you this because less than two years ago, when he was 44, he
couldn’t.

But Earl decided to change all that. When he went to his local library in Los
Angeles, he told the interviewer from LARP (the Library Adult Reading Project)
that the main reason he wanted to learn to read was so that he could
understand the Bible better. He was, and still is, a pastor at his church,
the New Directions Christian Center in Los Angeles. Never mind my dyslexia,
Earl told the people from LARP. I want to learn how to read. Teach me,
because I want to be able to read the Bible. Since what Earl did was in no
way related to saving people from a burning building or standing in front of
rushing government tanks, his decision may not seem like the bravest
gesture you’ve ever heard of, but sometimes the greatest act of courage is
to stand before the mirror of our heart and admit to ourselves and to the
world. the secrets that we desperately do not want to acknowledge.

When I met Earl, I had just completed training, administered through LARP,
that would enable me to be a volunteer literacy tutor for adults. I did not view
my voluntary community service as charity. I do not particularly like charity,
especially when writing a cheque becomes an easy substitute for doing
something more useful. I told the people at LARP, who pair each tutor with a
single client, that I wanted a fiercely motivated student, someone who
wanted to help himself or herself as badly as I wanted to give my time. That
was my chief criterion. Furthermore, I told LARP that I would prefer to teach
a person of colour. Here in Los Angeles, many of my liberal friends talk about
building bridges, about reaching out. to the ‘minority community,’ as they
say. Unfortunately, the truth is, about the only contact most of my white
friends in Hollywood have with blacks and Hispanics is when members of the
‘minority community’ are checking them out at the grocery store or watering
their emerald lawns.

When I met Earl, I quickly realized that he was just the student I had hoped
for. Born : in the Central American country of Belize in 1950, he had the
determination to emigrate and build a life in America. He was smart. One
doesn’t successfully skate through life lacking reading skills unless he is
terribly clever, and he had the energy and enthusiasm to succeed.

Earl and I did not become instant close friends. I did not immediately confide
in, him that I was going through the shattering pain of a divorce. He did not
immediately reveal to me the scars of being abandoned as a young child and
having to live for a time in a horse stable with nothing but the clothes on his
back. But over time, as he learned to trust me, we became a team: triumphs
and failures were ours, not solely his or mine.

When Earl successfully read his first story, our eyes both welled with tears.
‘Earl,’ I said, resting my hand on one of his broad shoulders, ‘you read that
story, you did it.’ He nodded his head in wonder and exclaimed, ‘I did it.
Praise God, I did it.’

The next time we met, a week later, Earl stood up from his chair to greet me,
and said, ‘Hello, my brother.’ He has called me that ever since.

8 What does the writer mean by saying ‘the man can read’?

A He changes what he reads using his imagination.

B He only reads stories aloud.

C He reads in a meaningful way showing his emotions.

D He learned how to read at school.

9 What, according to the writer, is an ‘act of courage’?

A to see what you really look like in a mirror

B to admit your flaws and weaknesses

C to save people who are in danger

D to reveal your secrets

10 What would the writer do after he had completed training?

A teach adults to read without getting paid

B become a teacher in a school

C teach literature to adults

D find a job as a writer of training material

11 Why doesn’t he like charity?

A He doesn’t like helping people.

B He doesn’t like giving money.

C He believes people may be offended.

D He believes it is more important to do things.

12 What kind of student was he looking for?

A someone who was a wild student

B someone with bad motivation

C someone who would appreciate the time he would spend for him

D someone who wanted to learn very much

13 What contact did his friends have with the ‘minority community’?

A a very close one

B a superficial one

C not as close as they wanted it to be

D they built bridges for them

14 How did he reach the conclusion that Earl was smart?

A He couldn’t read but he managed to do well in life.

B He made the smart decision of emigrating to America.

C He was a successful skater.

D People who knew him had told him this.

15 What was their relationship?

A They were not close friends.

B They never told each other their secrets.

C They became friends step by step.

D They trusted each other at once.

Reading, 16
January 17, 2007

You are going to read six extracts from a brochure describing London’s well -
known museums. For questions 22 – 35, choose from the list of museums A-
F. Some of the museums may be chosen more than once. When more than
one answer is required, these may be given in any order. There is an example
at the beginning (0).

Which museum(s) would you recommend for someone who:

would like to see a criminal? 0: C

is interested in the cinema? 22:____ 23: _____ 24: ____

would like to admire objects from ancient times? 25: ____

wants to see what the first man looked like? 26: ____

is interested in an old edition of the Bible? 27: ____

is interested in sports? 28: _____

is interested in the exploration of space? 29: _____ 30: _____

loves animals and wants to know all about them? 31: _____ 32: _____

is researching building bridges? 33: _____

would like to become an actor? 34: ____

would like to see what the Royal Family of England looks like? 35: _____

A guide to London’s most well-known museums

A The British Museum

Founded in 1753, it is one of the greatest museums in the world, showing the
works of man from prehistoric times to the present day. There are permanent
displays of antiquities from Egypt, Western Asia, Greece and Rome, as well
as Roman British and Oriental Collections. Prints and drawings, coins and
medals are displayed in a series of temporary exhibitions. The British Library
exhibition galleries are housed within the British Museum.

B The Natural History Museum

One of the finest museums in the world and, probably the best of its kind.

Enter our extraordinary buildings in South Kensington and experience first-

class exhibitions on the Natural World based on our vast collections and
authoritative research. In short, the home of the Wonders of the Natural
World. This unique combination of education and fun is the hallmark of the
museum’s award-winning exhibitions. An unforgettable experience for
visitors of all ages. Come and see what a dinosaur looked like or follow the
stages of evolution of the human species. Our programme of special
exhibitions and events offers a new insight into the Natural World – past and
present – whenever you visit.

C Madame Tussaud’s Museum and The London Planetarium

Home of kings, queens, heroes and villains. Where else can you experience
an audience with royalty, meet the great and powerful, mingle with the stars
and come face to face with the infamous?
The London Planetarium. The distinct copper dome of the London Planetarium
plays host to more stars than Madam Tussaud’s! Seated inside, you can enjoy
a star show which will take you far beyond our own fragile world. With a
perfect sky as a backdrop, many worlds and puzzles of the Universe will be
revealed.

D The National Museum of Science and Technology

Come and explore the exciting World of Science. The five storey premises can
help you explore Space; learn all about Transport and Telecommunications;
discover sciences such as Physics, Chemistry, Engineering and Computing;
climb up the escalators to the field of Optics, Photography and
Cinematography, and finally to the section devoted to Medicine. The Science
Museum will never cease to amaze you!

E Guinness World of Records Exhibition

Experience the Guinness World of Records, Europe’s greatest three

dimensional display of all that is superlative around the globe. Through the
use of life size models, videos and the latest audio technology, thousands of
records come alive at the touch of a button. Do not miss any of the six
sections: The Human World, The Animal World. Our Planet Earth, Structures
and Machines, Sports World, World of Entertainment.

F Museum of the Moving Image

Who ever heard of a museum where you could … read the news on TV? …
animate your own cartoon? … tryout for a Hollywood movie? With its treasure
of cameras and costumes, with hundreds of favourite film clips, with a cast
of actor guides to tell you more, award-winning MOMI is the most exciting
cinema and TV museum in the world.

Reading, 15
January 17, 2007

You are going to read a magazine article about Ewan McGregor, a British
actor. Seven sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from
sentences A – H the one which fits each gap 16 – 21. There is one extra
sentence which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning
(0).
A This might account for the old-fashioned, romantic qualities he can bring to
roles in films such as Emma, Scarlet and Black and A life Less Ordinary.

B “It’s all going so unbelievably well,” he admits, “you start to worry

something really terrible’s going to happen.”

C “I just didn’t get it. I just remember not liking many of the teachers. They
said I had attitude problems.”

D “No, he’s very, very involved with the part. He’d obviously thought about
it a great deal. You can see that at each point, in each scene, he knows
exactly where he wants to be. He’s a very dynamic and instinctive actor.”

E “God knows what everyone thought I was so excited about. I couldn’t even
tell my brother ‘cos I knew he’d just tell all his mates.”

F He never seems to stop smiling, a particularly rare quality to find in actors

these days.

G “I was more nervous than I have been for a long time. Sitting there, feeling
really scared again. It was brilliant!”

H His first professional acting job was as an Indian in the film A Passage to
India where immediately, he says, “I knew I was where I wanted to be”

Into Orbit

Seven years ago Ewen McGregor was still at drama school. Now he’s the
leading British actor of his generation. Set for inter-galactic fame in the new
Star Wars Trilogy, he is a modest man with the world at his feet.

So how do you audition for Star Wars, one of the biggest, most popular
phenomena in Hollywood history? “That was really scary.” Ewan McGregor
beams with real enthusiasm.

0: G

While every aspiring young actor and agent in Hollywood was competing for
a part, McGregor simply met the casting agent, talked to director George
Lucas and did a screen test.

Playing pool in a pub in Galway, he sounds as casual as you like, sauntering

round the table with his trademark cocky grin. Bob Marley sings “don’t worry
’bout a thing” – Ewan’s selection from the jukebox – and it could just about
sum up his life right now. 16: ________

The Star Wars project was so shrouded in secrecy, McGregor wasn’t allowed
to tell anyone, except his parents and his wife, Eve. “I was on the set of Velvet
Goldmine when I found out – my first day’s filming! So all day I walked around
going like this”. (biting his fist, eyes wide with delight) 17: _______

Arriving at the pub, McGregor is freshfaced and enormously good-natured,

seemingly unburdened by the pressures of fame and full of confidence. He
wanted to be an actor from the age of nine, when he started to idolise his
uncle, Local Hero actor Denis Lawson (who also had small parts in the three
original Star Wars movies) and has pursued his dream since then with almost
manic enthusiasm, probably ruthless determination, and more than a hint of
arrogance. “It just didn’t even enter my head that it wouldn’t work out.”

Evidently he was so keen on acting that even his parents, who were teachers,
gave him their blessings to leave school at 16. “I didn’t hate school,” he
explains.

18: ________

He grew up in Grief!, in Perth, with an adventurous childhood, “kicking around

in the countryside, riding horses every weekend.” Never fond of sports, he
would spend Saturday afternoons lying on the carpet in front of the TV,
watching black and white movies. 19: _______

Ask people who have worked with him how his success has been so meteoric,
and rather than mention his talent first of all, they tend to talk about his
energy, eagerness and above all, his charm. The directors of two forthcoming
releases, Todd Haynes (Velvet Goldmine) and James Deardon (Rogue
Trader), both say they were struck by the enormous enthusiasm and
commitment he brings to his roles. “He gives 100 per cent in every take,”
says Haynes. “He gave us some unbelievably strenuous performances.”
Deardon says McGregor is not the kind of actor who’ll be chatting away to the
crew or cast before a take, and then just carry on with what he was saying
afterwards. 20: _______

Another thing people remark upon is just how likeable Ewan McGregor is. He
combines an eagerness, energy and fierce friendliness with the sort of sharp
sarcasm that you see in Trainspotting and Shallow Grave, which prevents
him from seeming too full of himself. 21: _______
He has already settled down into domesticity with his production designer
wife, Eve Mavrakis, who he met on the set of Kavanagh QC, and their two-
yearold daughter Clara, who he describes as “something else. I love her to
bits. People ask how I manage to combine a family life and a career but I
don’t look at it that way. My family and career are my life. They’re not
separate.”

Reading, 14
January 16, 2007

You are going to read some information about some endangered species. For
questions 22-33, choose from the species (A-F). Some of the species may be
chosen more than once. When more than one answer is required, these may
be given in any order. There is an example at the beginning (0). For questions
34 and 35, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best
according to the text.

Which endangered species:

has had its products replaced by other products? 0: B

is sometimes killed for entertainment? 22: ____

is being threatened by nature itself? 23:____

is killed in order to cure humans? 24:_____

seems in less danger of disappearing than the others? 25: ____

are often caught by accident? 26: _____ 27: _____

do not live on land? 28:_____ 29:______

are eaten? 30: ______ 31: ______

live in only one area of the world? 32: ______ 33: _____

34 What is the main aim of this text?

A to inform

B to frighten
C to entertain

D to sell

35 The World Wide Fund for Nature International must be

A an association for educating hunters.

B an institution for protesting.

C an organisation for protecting animals.

D a group for world peace.

FACT SHEET

World Wide Fund for Nature International (WWF)

Tigers – A

The Tiger (Panthera tigris) is one of the cat Felidae family and lives only in
Asia. Despite its wide range and adaptability, the tiger is severely threatened
today. It is so dependent on cover that it cannot survive where people have
cleared the land for agriculture.

The tiger is still widely hunted down, despite being legally protected in almost
every country where it is found. In Chinese popular medicine, every part of a
tiger’s body is valued and this has made hunting even more popular.

Three of the eight tiger subspecies have already been wiped out and a fourth
is very near extinction. WWF is promoting projects to save these subspecies.

Whales- B

We know little about the earliest whales, but fossil remains and comparative
anatomical studies indicate that they were probably descended from small,
primitive, bear-like animals. Today’s whales have evolved into mammals
which live in the water.

Commercial whalers have exploited almost every whale species, causing

many populations to come close to extinction. As a result, international trade
in whale products, once of enormous volume, has now ended. Both natural
and synthetic substitutes are available for all whale products and are
competitively priced.

At the annual meeting in 1982, after many years of debate, the IWC
(International Whaling Commission) voted to ban all commercial whaling for
an indefinite period from 1986.

Elephants – C

The elephants we see today have been on the scene for some five million
years. They are the only survivors of a once wide-spread group of animals
with trunks, the Proboscidae, which produced more than 300 different species
over a span of 50 million years.

At present, all international trade in elephant products, including ivory, is not

permitted because all elephant populations are listed on Appendix I of the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (CITES) which prohibits all trade in elephant products such as meat and
hides. The Asian elephant has been on this list since 1975. The African
elephant was placed on Appendix I in 1990.

Giant Panda – D

In prehistoric times, the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) was wide-

spread in China. Today it is estimated that only 1,000 of these black-and-
white bear-like animals remain, all living in the bamboo forests of
southwestern China.

The main threats to the panda are destruction of its habitat and deliberate
poaching for export of skins. Suitable habitat for the animals has shrunk by
about 50 per cent in the last 15 years. Accidental snaring in traps set for
other animals is also a major threat.

Another problem is bamboo flowering. It takes the bamboo plant about one
year to regenerate from seed but it can take up to 20 years before it can
support a panda population.

In total, WWF has spent SFr8 million on conservation in China.

Foxes and Wolves – E

Foxes and wolves belong to the Canidae, or wild dog, family.

Of the 14 fox subspecies, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the most wide-spread.

Though the red fox is heavily hunted and trapped for its fur, populations have
remained the same.

The coyote or prairie wolf (Canis latrans) is found throughout the United
States, southern Canada, and northern Central America. The population is
large and increasing even though people hunt it for fur, sport, and to reduce
loss of livestock and poultry.

WWF and mCN (the World Conservation Union’s Canid Specialist Group) both
believe that most species require legally enforced protection measures. It is
also necessary to protect their natural habitat and to increase the public’s
awareness of the problems confronting these animals.

Dolphins and Porpoises – F

Dolphins and porpoises are marine mammals belonging to the cetacean

family which also includes whales. They are found in oceans, estuaries and
rivers.

One of the threats facing dolphins and porpoises is hunting. As human

populations have grown, more indigenous people fish in order to feed their
families. More aggressive fishing methods have also been developed, such as
the use of rifles.

Other serious threats include water pollution, destruction and fragmentation

of habitat through such activities as dam building, and general disturbance
by humans which reduce food supplies.

The largest catches of cetaceans, however, occur by chance while people are
trying to catch other fish. Concern about this type of incidental catch led to
the 1989 UN General Assembly adopting a resolution that called for the end
of large-scale driftnet fishing by 30 June 1992.
Reading, 13
January 16, 2007

You are going to read an extract from a book. Seven sentences have been
removed from the extract. Choose from the sentences A-H the one which fits
each gap (16-21). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to lise.
There is an example at the beginning (0).

Other guests were in the house. Several times while I was washing and
changing I heard doors opening and closing. I put on my new blue slacks and
sweater and picked up my bag, hoping that no one would notice how heavy
it was.

0: H

I intended to fight him in his own territory. Finding a library in a large country
house is not difficult when you’ve travelled widely and have quite a few
wealthy friends. Libraries usually have double doors opening inwards and do
not lead to anywhere else. 16: _____ In a room nearby someone was
playing the piano. 17: ______

‘Surely people with your kind of job shouldn’t sit with their backs to the door,’
I said when I could see whom I was talking to. I already knew what he looked
like. 18: _____

Sir George rose. He was of medium height, slightly fat, silver-haired and with
a face surprisingly youthful for his sixty years. 19:_______

With not a second to spare, a word from him prevented huge dogs from
attacking me. Grabbing collars, he said, ‘Do help yourself to sherry while I
get rid of this lot,’ and crossed to another door as if floating in a sea of black
and gold jumping gun dogs. Two elderly dogs followed with a couple of tail
wags especially for me. 20: _____

I helped myself to sherry, a pale, dry luncheon sherry that would do nothing
to dispel my tummy rumbles of hunger, and heard him despatch his dogs into
the grounds with the weird cries people reserve for their pets when they don’t
think anyone else can hear.

Sir George returned, rubbing his hands, and warmed them before the blaze.
‘God, it’s cold out there.’ 21: ______ ‘Am I wrong in assuming you prefer
to be called Miss Langley?’
A His youngest daughter had recently married a television script writer and
the wedding had been shown in all the newspapers.

B The whole lot, I could see now, had been asleep on the floor in front of the
log fire.

C He reseated himself, waving me to a chair near the fire.

D There was just one set of double doors leading off the large square hall; I
crossed the fancy wooden flooring, noticing Persian rugs and an arrangement
of bronze flowers and copper branches in a brass jug.

E Instead of an old-fashioned smoking jacket and grey trousers he wore a

sweater and woollen slacks from neither of which anyone had succeeded in
removing the morning’s harvest of dog hairs.

F I entered, prepared to apologise and leave immediately if necessary; for a

moment I thought the room empty but then saw that one of the leather chairs
was occupied, cigar smoke floating above it.

G I turned and ran towards the warmth of the kitchen.

H It seemed best to put it under my arm in a relaxed sort of way, relaxed

and attractive according to the expensive mirror at the top of the stairs.

Reading, 12
January 16, 2007

You are going to read an extract from a book. For questions 8-15, choose the
answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

The car braked. One of its headlights had gone out, the one that had hit Lars,
he supposed. It moved slowly, as if the driver were hesitating. Then it
gathered speed and, one-eyed, it disappeared into the night.Tyrin bent over
Lars. The other sailors gathered around, speaking Swedish.Tyrintouched
Lars’ leg. He yelled out in pain.

‘I think his leg is broken,’ Tyrin said. Thank God that’s all. Lights were going
on in some of the buildings around the square. One of the officers said
something, and one ran off toward a house presumably to call for an
ambulance. There was more rapid dialogue and somebody else went off in
the direction of the dock. Lars was bleeding, but not too heavily. The officer
bent over him. He would not allow anyone to touch his leg. The ambulance
arrived within minutes, but it seemed forever to Tyrin: he had never killed a
man, and he did not want to. They put Lars on a stretcher. The officer got
into the ambulance, and turned tospeak to Tyrin. ‘You had better come.’

‘Yes.’

‘You saved his life, 1 think.’ ‘Oh.’

He got into the ambulance with the officer. They sped through the wet
streets, the flashing blue light on the roof casting an unpleasant glow over
the buildings. Tyrin sat in the back, unable to look at Lars or the officer,
unwilling to look out of the windows like a tourist, not knowing where to direct
his eyes. He had done many unkind things in the service of his country and
Colonel Rostov – he had taped conversations of lovers for blackmail, he had
shown terrorists how to make bombs, he had helped capture people who
would later be tortured – but he had never been forced to ride in the
ambulance with his victim. He did not like it.

They arrived at the hospital. The ambulance men carried the stretcher
inside. Tyrin and the officer were shown where to wait. And, suddenly, the
rush was over. They had nothing to do but worry. Tyrin was astonished to
look at the plain electric clock on the hospital wall and see that it was not yet
midnight. It seemed hours since they had left the pub.

8 Lars had been hit by

A an elderly driver.

B a vehicle.

C someone who stayed to inquire about his health.

D a flying object.

9 How did Tyrin feel about Lars’ injury?

A happy

B unsympathetic

C relieved
D embarrassed

10 Where had the accident happened?

A in the countryside

B in a city or town

C right next to a hospital

D on the dock

11 Before the accident, Tyrin

A had wanted to kill people.

B had occasionally killed people.

C hadn’t killed anybody.

D had killed many times.

12 Why did the officer ask Tyrin to corne with him?

A He was suspicious.

B He thought Tyrin could give him some information.

C He was worried about Lars’ condition.

D He wanted to arrest Tyrin.

13 What was Tyrin’s opinion of the work he had done before this?

A He clid not like it.

B He did not mind it.

C He was proud of it.

D He was shocked by it.

14 Who had planned Lars’ accident?

A the driver of the car

B a Swedish sailor

C Lars himself

D Tyrin himself

15 In the hospital, how did Tyrin feel about Lars’ condition?

A unkind

B astonished

C anxious

D satisfied

Reading, 11
January 16, 2007

PART 1

You are going to read a newspaper article about jeans. Choose from the list
A-I the heading which best summarises each part (1-7) of the article. There
is one extra heading which you do not need to use. There is an example at
the beginning (0).

,A The changes are many

B Jeans make money

C A film star start

D A reflection of character

E Teenagers love them

F Three brands lead

G Two things required

H Styles come and go

I Owned by many
 HOW THE WEST HAS WON

0: I

One in two men and four in 10 women under 45 buy at least one pair of jeans
each year.

1: ________

That’s a whole lot of denim, with Levi’s flattening all in its wake with 22 per
cent of the entire market, followed by Pepe and Wrangler with an annual
battle for second place and the serried ranks of countless lesser-known
brands bringing up the rear. We have become so used to the presence of this
western uniform that we have forgotten what an amazing achievement it is
for any single piece of clothing to be so popular for so many years.

2: _______

Few people know or care about the social origins of neck-ties or short skirts,
but the purely functional roots of jeans as good old boy American workwear
remain vital to their popularity over a century later. Ever since Brando and
Dean wore jeans (Levi’s and Lee) in their cinematic refusal to accept society’s
rules of behaviour, they have been the most popular informal dress ever.

3: ______

Designer jeans greatly increased in popularity after they were first introduced
by Gloria Vanderbilt, and it has developed into an important branch of
designer fashion. Paul Smith, whose own jeans check out at nearly 60
pounds, explains, ‘Jeans have never really been out. They have more
important periods than others but they are always around. Designers do their
own because it’s a good way of profiting from their brand name.’ In other
words, there’s money in it and though it would take a colossal amount of the
stuff to get rid of Levi’s, the public is always ready to buy up new styles or
change a particular brand’s cool rating.

4:_______

So effectively do jeans satisfy those two great and differing human needs, to
be like everybody else and to be different from everybody else, that they will
always find a way of reinventing themselves to fit every social and economic
group.
5: _______

I remember going to the first showing of black Levi’s in the early eighties,
before black had established itself as the colour of the ’80s. They actually
seemed far too strange at the time. Since then, jean styling has gone through
several changes, from snow-washed through marbled, stretch, striped, torn,
ankle-Zipped, baggy and back to flared out at the ankle.

6: _______

As Ashley Heath, associate editor of The Face, says, ‘If anything is going to
make masses of people look really stupid, it’s jeans.’ He calculates that it
takes two months for these different designs to go from an idea in the
designer’s head to the shops; then they slowly fade out of the shops.

7:________

The single most important item of clothing to emerge in the last 50 years,
the most widely-worn uniform ever to be adopted by successive generations,
jeans still appear to say less about fashion than they do about you. No one
wants to wear their heart on their sleeve but few people can resist wearing a
little piece of their soul on their rear end.

Reading, 10
January 14, 2007

LUNCH ON THE DOUBLE

I am not easily shocked, but I still haven’t got over a recent experience in New York. A
business contact had invited me to lunch at a trendy restaurant. I turned up on time,
expecting a gastronomic treat and a leisurely chat about matters of mutual interest. So
you can imagine how I felt when he said that, sorry, we could only share a first course
because he had scheduled a second lunch appointment. What nerve! What an insult! I
vowed to never speak to him again, until a friend of mine told me that such bad manners
have become quite fashionable among Manhattan’s movers and shakers. It wasn’t
personal, just the trendy thing to do. It seems that many business executives are double
and triple decking their lunches like club sandwiches, a practice known as ‘Type A
feeding behaviour’. It works like this: an appetizer at the Four Seasons, a hamburger
with another client at 21, and dessert and coffee with a third business contact at
Michael’s. The whole silly business is another version of the power game, a
demonstration that you are more important than your guest and that your time is
therefore more valuable. I don’t know what anyone hopes to gain by this kind of
nonsense. It certainly didn’t work with me; and I can well imagine the reaction of other
visitors from countries which still regard lunch as a serious matter, an opportunity to
establish or nurture personal relationships, exchange views, lay the foundations for a
deal, or celebrate the successful outcome of negotiations. I have made lasting
friends and have initiated many lucrative transactions over lunch at good London
restaurants like Langan’s and Shepherd’s. I believe that mixing business with pleasure
is part of civilizedbehaviour, and all the more agreeable if one can do it on an expense
account.My idea of a good time is an hour-long lunch with a companion who doesn’t
look at his watch every five minutes, who has something interesting to say, and who
thinks that my opinions are worth listening to. The ambience should be stylishly casual,
the service attentive but not rushed and the menu as intriguing as a balance sheet. I can
do without martinis, but I prefer wine to water. I would not dream of going to the Four
Seasons or Le Cirque in Manhattan’s excellent Palace Hotel and insulting the chef as
well as my guest by settling for a bowl of soup.The simple answer is to lay down the
ground rules beforehand. Make it clear how much time you have available and ask the
guest if it fits in with his own schedule. What made my experience so shocking is that it
came as a complete surprise. I hope that the insulting practice of back-to-back lunch
dates is one New York trend that will not catch on in London, Paris, Rome, or Berlin. We
Europeans have a reputation for lingering over our lunches. I gather that US cities like
Chicago and San Francisco are holding the line at the single lunch, which is good news.
They have great restaurants which deserve the appreciative patronage of relaxed and
discerning customers. I don’t mind if a host wants to show how powerful he is, it’s all
part of business. However, there is more than one way of doing this. A really important
player is careful in his choice of guests, but gives them his full attention. He
demonstrates his power by not rushing off to another restaurant or to the office.

1.-What is ‘Type A feeding’ behaviour?

A when business executives have club sandwiches for lunch

B when business executives have lunch at the best restaurants

C when business executives have not scheduled their lunch in advance

D when business executives have different courses with different guests

2.-How did the writer feel about this?

A silly

B pleasantly shocked
C offended

D trendy

3.-Why, according to the writer, do some business executives do this?

A They don’t like eating with the same people.

B They want to show they are more powerful than their guests.

C They don’t have time.

D They are silly and play games.

4.-How does the writer view lunch?

A as a way of making friends and doing business

B as a way of celebrating and having fun

C as a way of ensuring you get a nutritious meal

D as a strict business meeting

5.-According to the writer, a business lunch

A should not be rushed.

B should be stylish.

C should have a balanced menu.

D should have quick service.

6.-What according to the writer is ‘the simple answer’? (line 32)

A to make your intentions clear in advance

B to play by the rules

C to change your schedule

D to completely surprise your guest

7.-What is implied about Chicago and San Francisco?

 A They are holding the same line as New York

B They deserve a patronage from New York.

C There is some good news about restaurants.

D They are not following New York in this fashion.

8.-What conclusion does the writer give us?

A It doesn’t matter how powerful a host is.

B Do not change restaurants all the time.

C Show your power in another way.

D It’s all part of business.

Reading, 9
January 14, 2007
You are going to read an article about lunching in a famous restaurant. Choose the most
suitable heading from the list A-I for each part 1-7 of the article. There is one extra
heading which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0).
A Cross-cultural differences and table manners

B An embarrassing event

C They don’t get too close!

D Lunching with celebrities

E Take your time

F Is it unique?

G Time is money when you lunch at ‘The Ritz’

H What to choose and what to avoid

I Eat only what you know how

OUT TO LUNCH

0 D
 “It is the prettiest room in London, and the most extravagant,” hotelier Giles Shepard
looks around him with satisfaction. We are lunching at his place,The Ritz. To our left
is Sir David English from Associated Newspapers. To our right is Max Hastings, editor
of The Evening Standard. We are not only in one of the prettiest dining rooms in
London, but also in one with power and influence.

1 ______________

In a city full of bright new restaurants, where a new place to eat appears on a daily basis,
the buzz of The Ritz dining room is interesting to behold. It is full of people. Business
associates rub shoulders with ladies who lunch, socialites sit side by side with socialists.
At least they would, if the tables were closer together. But this is one of The Ritz’s tricks.
“We understand the need for privacy,” says Shepard. “There are not many things you
can describe as luxurious these days, but privacy is one and space is another.”

2 ______________

From the comfortable seclusion of our table, we watch an American

party of eight eating asparagus with their knives and forks.

“Extraordinary,” says Giles Shepard, “but they think it’s dreadful manners when we pick
it up with our fingers. Another example of our different cultures, I fear!”

3 ______________

We discuss how important it is to choose food that does not embarrass you; food that
won’t suddenly create some sort of terrible culture shock.

4 _____________

“Like artichokes,” said Shepard. “Not easy to eat. I was once seated beside a young lady
at lunch, when an artichoke starter arrived. I thought I was being helpful when I
mentioned in an abstract sort of way how to eat them. She insisted she knew what she
was doing and downed each one whole. Sadly, she had to leave the table, presumably
to extract each prickle from her throat.”

5 _____________

We agreed that artichokes are bad news in the how-to-do-it stakes. Others include
asparagus, not even the Queen risks butter trickling down her chin or anything that
contains a bone or shells. Lobster, of course, is impossible. The safest bet is a plate of
smoked salmon followed by fillet steak.

6 _____________
I wonder if there is a general return of lunching in hotels, or is The Ritz alone in fashion?
Shepard graciously mentions that there are other outstanding places throughout the
capital, such as The Savoy. The Dorchester too, has a lot going for it, although the main
restaurant is a little gloomy. The Oriental is much better and the food is wonderful.

7_______________ Nobody around us seems to be suffering from time constraints, and

I notice that although we have sipped a little champagne while choosing our meals, eaten
two courses, drunk double coffees and chatted non-stop, we have taken up a very
reasonable hour-and-a half. “It’s part of the lunching secret,” agrees Mr Shepard. “Lunch
is the best meal of the day because few of us can allow it to drag on. The fact that it
takes place in daylight gives us a carefree moment in our day as well as being fun.”

Reading, 8
January 14, 2007

You are going to read an article in which various parents talk about punishment for teenagers.
For questions 22–35 choose from the parents (A–F). The parents may be chosen more than
once. When more than oneanswer is required, these may be given in any order. There is an
example at the beginning (0).

A Madeline Portwood, educational psychologist and mother

B Theresa Gill, mother and nursery nurse

C Grant McNally, social worker and father

D David Spellman, father and psychologist working with disturbed teenagers

E John Peel, father and radio presenter

F Tim Burke, spokesman for the National Youth Agency

Which of the parents:

believes that parents must carry out threats? 0 __A___

get annoyed with teenage laziness? 22 _____ 23 ____

does not deal with youngsters professionally? 24 _____

believes we must remember that all teenagers are individuals? 25 _____

is happy with the way his/her children have turned out? 26 _____

believes we should expect arguments between teenagers and parents? 27 _____

is happy with the upbringing that he/she had? 28 _____

has a son who can be very naughty? 29 _____

has a written agreement with his/her children? 30 _____

thinks we should focus on the good things about our children? 31 _____

believes that punishment only works with younger children? 32 _____

have teenage sons? 33 _____ 34 _____

believes it is important for teenagers to set their own limits? 35 _____

A.-Madeline Portwood

Educational psychologist and mother

The first thing a parent has to decide is what’s going to be meaningful to a teenager. If you
ground them but they can stay in and play computer games, it won’t necessarily be that
meaningful to them. Parents make endless threats, but they must carry them out and they must
be realistic. It’s also important for teenagers to see sanctions as just. If the teacher behaves the
same way to all pupils, they accept it. If there is more than one child in the family, parents have
to apply sanctions equally. As children get older, sanctions often become meaningless to them.

B.-Theresa Gill

Mother and nursery nurse

My oldest son is just thirteen and he has not really stepped out of line so far, but if he did get to
that lazy and argumentative stage, I would withdraw luxuries such as his mobile phone,
computer and football training. While he lives in my house he has to obey the rules. Once he’s
18 and out of the house, he can do as he pleases. My siblings and I were given quite a lot of
freedom by our parents and their reasoning was that if we were going to do something anyway,
they would rather we did it at home – and we’ve all turned out to be quite well-balanced.

C.- Grant McNally

Social worker and father

I operate a contract system with my two boys: one is eleven and the other two years older. We
have all signed it and breaches of behaviour result in loss of privileges such as stopping of
pocket money or grounding. Some flexibility is important, but if the contract is altered too
much, the boundaries start collapsing. My older son works well with it, but my younger son has
behavioural problems and that makes things harder to manage. It is difficult when you try to be
a non-authoritarian and inclusive parent and recognize children’s rights. But parents have rights
too – like the right to a stress-free life.

D.-David Spellman

Father and psychologist working with disturbed teenagers

I think you can turn sanctions round and offer rewards instead, which can motivate teenagers.
Parents should reward the behaviour they want to see. There does seem to be a great
preoccupation with punishment. It’s quite clear to me that parents’ relationships with teenagers
are much better if they focus on the positive and acknowledge and appreciate their children. It is
quite easy to get into a negative, punitive position as a parent, which is often selfdefeating.
Every teenager is different and they can’t just be lumped together into one group and all treated
the same.

E.-John Peel

Father and radio presenter

I don’t think we really employed sanctions with our children because I just don’t think they
work. They are sullen, unhelpful and resentful if you do that. I think that, actually, their
reluctance to help out with things caused us more anxiety than things they did that we wish they
hadn’t. It was more about motivating them into some sort of action. One of the things I always
tried to avoid was drawing a line in the sand. If a child has any sort of character, he or she will
want to step over it. They are all nice people and we like being with them – you can’t ask for
more than that.

F.-Tim Burke

Spokesman for the National Youth Agency

Applying sanctions to a young person can be a bit like prison: it may work for some people on
some occasions, but for may others it is counter-productive, especially when used
inappropriately. Some degree of conflict between parents and teenagers is inevitable; young
people need to push the boundaries – it’s part of growing up and finding out who they are. Self-
imposed boundaries that they have arrived at through their own experience and reflection are
more effective. Our organization supports youth workers who help young people learn about
themselves and about how to be members of their communities.
Reading, 7
January 14, 2007

You are going to read a magazine article about acupuncture treatment. Seven paragraphs have
been removed from the article. Choose from the paragraphs A–Hthe one which fits each space
(16–21). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use. There is an example at the
beginning (0).

Pins and needles

I was curious to find out more about acupuncture as I’d heard a lot about its beneficial effects.
However, I didn’t feel in any particular need of treatment myself so I decided to ask a friend of
mine if I could observe her receiving treatment.

0: H

The Traditional Acupuncture Centre was just as you’d expect: the incense, rubber plants and
charts on the wall. These mapped out the body’s energy channels. They seem to be the typical
wall coverings of an alternative health centre.

16: _____

Nina returned and explained that she needed to ask Joan questions about her health, lifestyle,
diet and personal history. She began by asking why Joan wanted acupuncture. Joan described
the shoulder stiffness and backache that had bothered her for years.

17: ______

Nina then explained that in Chinese medicine,physical and emotional aspects are not distinct.
An imbalance of either manifests itself in the same way. The division between mind and body is
a Western idea.

18: _____

Nina opened a sachet of sterile 4 cm long needles. They were fine and flexible, but Joan was
still apprehensive. Nina took a pulse at six points on each of Joan’s wrists, looking for certain
‘qualities’ that she would then treat.

19:_____
Nina inserted the first needle into Joan’s shin. It went in a surprisingly long way before she
twisted it to the right and Joan’s leg shot up suddenly. ‘Ow!’ she exclaimed. She was visibly
tense, but as Nina inserted the next needle it wasn’t so bad.

20: _____

When the time came to remove the needles, Joan was more relaxed, though she flinched as they
came out. All the time Nina was reassuring her. She informed Joan that the shocks she felt were
due to blockages of the energy channels.

21: _____

I asked Joan the next day about how she felt. She said that she felt a little more relaxed and that
she had slept deeply that night. However, she really felt that she needed a course of treatment to
be able to assess its effectiveness.

A Nina said that she felt Joan’s problems with her back and her shoulder stiffness came from
her office job. She recommended that Joan do yoga exercises at work, as this kind of relaxation
had many benefits for mind and body.

B Nina finished with a pressure point massage on Joan’s shoulders and back. ‘I’m looking
forward to seeing you again,’ Nina said, as she bade a relieved Joan a fond farewell. Nina left
the decision to Joan about arranging another appointment.

C Our health apparently depends on the motivating energy, or chi, made up of the equal and
opposite qualities of Yin and Yang. When these are unbalanced, one can become ill. By
inserting needles into points on the energy channels, healing responses are stimulated and the
balance is restored.

D Surprisingly, these questions went on for a whole hour. Joan was asked about her attitudes to
many things, including work and relationships. She was also asked about her attitude to herself
on several occasions.

E Nina Doughty, the acupuncturist, introduced herself and then slipped away to prepare the
treatment room. Joan was anxious. ‘I hope this doesn’t hurt too much,’ she murmured.

F She also looked at Joan’s tongue, an indicator of her general state of health. At this point,
Joan felt that the experience was rather like being at the dentist. However, at the dentist one
usually knows where the needle will be inserted.
G She placed more needles in Joan’s ankles, feet, lower back and forearms. She tweaked them
as she put them in, regularly checking Joan’s pulse, then left them for 20 minutes. Joan lay on
the bed all this time.

H I asked Joan Hughes, who I knew had been complaining of muscular stiffness for some time.
She agreed, so excitedly we attended her first appointment at the local centre.

Reading, 6
January 14, 2007

You are going to read an extract from an article about an asteroid or comet hitting the earth. For
questions 8–15 choose the answer A, B, C or D, which you think fits best according to the text.

Killer comet

In a discovery with frightening implications for human’s dominance of the Earth,

scientists have discovered that a massive comet or asteroid, similar to the one that
killed off thedinosaurs, wiped out the giant reptile’s predecessors about 200 million
years earlier. The finding suggests that regular collisions between our planet and large
objects act as an evolutionary dice-shaker. They send dominant species back to the
starting square and advance other species to a dominant position. We could be next.

Students of the fossil record have long wondered about the greatest catastrophe ever to strike
life on Earth, which they call ‘The Great Dying’. This happened 251 million years ago, when
suddenly 90% of all marine animals and 70% of land vertebrates perished. The impact of a
comet or asteroid similar to that which brought doom to the dinosaurs 65 million years ago was
suspected. However, the latest edition of the journal Science reports on the first evidence that
such a collision actually happened. Scientists at the Universities of Washington and Rochester
in the US have found that molecules of helium and argon gas, which have been locked in since
‘The Great Dying’ are present in such proportions that they must have come from space. As in
the later impact, the strike came from a body between 6 and 12 kilometres wide. Researcher
Robert Poreda said yesterday the effect would have been to release energy one million times
greater than the biggest earthquake of the past century. The crash coincided with volcanic
activity on an unimaginable scale in what is now Siberia. Over a million years – a relatively
short time in geological terms – 1.6 million cubic kilometres of lava poured out of the ground,
covering the entire planet in a layer ten metres thick. Said Robert Poreda, ‘We’re not sure of all
the environmental consequences but with the impact and the volcanic activity, we do know that
Earth was not a happy place. It may be that the combined effects of impact and volcanism are
necessary to cause such a tremendous extinction.’

The end of the dinosaurs also coincided with an eruption of lava from below the Earth’s crust,
in what is now India. In both cases, the impact of the comet or asteroid may have caused the
eruption. The dinosaur-killing impact has been tied to a crater on the Yucatan peninsula in
Mexico, but it is not known where the earlier collision happened. At the time all the Earth’s land
made up a single continent, Pangea. The age immediately prior to the dinosaurs was called the
Permian. Although there were reptiles living in land and water (earlier versions of the
dinosaurs), the dominant life form was the trilobite. This creature is visually somewhere
between the woodlouse and the armadillo. At their peak, there were 15,000 kinds of trilobite.
Around the time of the impact they disappeared. Something similar happened to the dinosaurs
65 million years ago. In the same way that the earlier impact seems to have cleared the way for
them, the later crash made room for our ancestors, the mammals. ‘The two extinctions are like
bookends for the age of the dinosaurs’, said Dr Peroda. ‘The first boundary helped the dinosaurs
to establish themselves and the second extinguished it.’ Although it is likely to be millions of
years before the next big asteroid or comet impact, there is a growing call for a defence system
to be put in place.

8 Scientists have discovered that a huge comet or asteroid wiped out

A the dinosaurs.

B giant reptiles.

C creatures before the dinosaurs.

D creatures similar to the dinosaurs.

9 The ‘Great Dying’ happened

A 200 million years ago.

B 251 million years ago.

C 65 million years ago.

D 265 million years ago.

10 The ‘Great Dying’ killed

A a few land vertebrates.

B all the dinosaurs.

C most marine animals.

D some mammals.

11 Which statement is not true of the asteroid or comet?

A It was under 12 kilometres in diameter.

B It contained helium and argon.

C It contained lava.

D It was over six kilometres in diameter.

12 Where did the first massive comet or asteroid hit the earth?

A it is not known

B in Siberia

C in India

D in Mexico

13 Which statement is not true of the lava that covered the planet?

A It was caused by the impact of the asteroid.

B It was 1.6 cubic kilometres in volume.

C It was ten metres thick.

D It happened over one million years.

14 Which creatures lived at the same time as the trilobites?

A reptiles

B armadillos

C mammals

D dinosaurs

15 According to the article, which of the following statements is true?

A There will be another giant asteroid.

B There is unlikely to be another ever.

C Humans will dominate the earth.

D It is time to expect another asteroid.

Reading, 5
January 14, 2007

You are going to read a magazine article about ice hockey in Northern Ireland. Choose from the
list A–I the sentence which best summarizes each part (1–7) of the article. There is one
summary sentence that you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0).

A New possibilities

B Clever salesmanship

C The kids love it

D A battle of the giants

E Future heroes

F Not like football

G Traditional heroes
H A surprise success

I A great game to watch

Giant strides

0A

Eamon and Dean are among a group of children of all religions and none, on a visit organized
by the local police as part of a community relations project. Before the arrival of the Giants, a
crosscommunity trip to a sporting event would have been near impossible. Traditional sport in
Northern Ireland has been split by tribal divisions. But the arrival of ice-hockey has changed
this.

1 _____

The Belfast Giants were formed last year to play in the UK’s ice hockey Superleague. The team
started slowly but rallied in December when the arena opened and the Giants started playing at
home. Support for the team surged. At present, attendance has exceeded all expectations – the
average 6,500 crowd makes the Giants the best-supported team in the league.

2_____

At the merchandizing kiosk queues have built as fans snap up goods ranging from rubber pucks
to Giants’ shirts, hats and jackets. Kiosk supervisor Marion Livingstone says ‘Belfast has been
crying out for something like this. Soccer teams have always had either Catholic or Protestant
supporters. But this is a sport for all.’

3_____

The universal popularity is not an accident but the result of a carefully orchestrated marketing
campaign. The team’s communications director has worked hard at selling ice hockey as a game
foreveryone. A telling slogan ‘In the land of the Giants everyone is equal’ appears on the cover
of the programme sold at each game as well as on the team’s website.

4 _____

The team’s name is also a clever piece of marketing. It refers to the legendary Finn McCool,
whose footsteps, so the story goes, created the extraordinary geological formation which is
known as the Giant’s Causeway – one of Northern Ireland’s top tourist attractions. As a
Scottish-Irish hero, McCool is an icon embraced by both communities.

5 _____
The family-friendly environment created at the Odyssey, the home arena, along with the game’s
fast and furious qualities, have also been factors in the sport’s soaring popularity. ‘The puck can
travel at 95–100 miles an hour, the players can skate at 35 miles per hour’ says Collins. The
speed, aggression and showmanship can draw you into the game.

6 _____

Since the Giants began playing at home, children have been flocking to Northern Ireland’s only
public ice-rink at Dundonald, on the edge of Belfast. The Giants run weekly coaching sessions
for young people. ‘It’s amazing’ says Steve Roberts, who plays left wing for the Giants. ‘We
started out with about 25 and now there are 127 children that come regularly.’

7 _____

It will probably be many years before the Belfast team is fielding any home-grown players. At
present they are all North American. Jerry Keefe, a Bostonian of Irish extraction who plays
centre for the Giants, says ‘All of the team started when we were three or four but eventually I
think we will see some good players coming out of Northern Ireland.’

Paper 1, part 4
January 10, 2007

You are going to read a magazine article about various people who did
courses later in life. For Questions 21-35, choose from the people (A-D).
There is an example at the beginning (0).

Of which of the people A-D are the following true?

A Fiona
B Deborah
C Joyce
D Sonya

She recommends the course she took.

(Example)
She felt relaxed when doing a course.

21:_____
She felt obliged to do a course.
22:_____
Her training made it hard for her to do some of the work on a
course.

23:_________
Her colleagues’ attitude towards her has changed.

24:____
She feels confident about the future.

25:______
She was put off education earlier in life.

26:______
The way classes were organised suited her.

27: ______
Her plans became more ambitious while doing a course.

28:________
She wasted her time when she was at college before.

29:______
She realised she had thought of a strong commercial idea.

30:_______
Her teacher provided practical advice.

31:_______
She found her experience of life useful when doing a course.

32:______
She enjoyed the company of the others taking a course.

33:________
She has learnt not to be nervous in certain circumstances.

34:_________
A success encouraged her to study other subjects.

35:________
A FIONA

Fiona, a freelance journalist, has just finished a four-year part-time degree

in English Literature. Fiona, 33, who hadn’t been in further education since
finishing a journalism
course at London Printing College 11 years ago, says: ‘I got more out of
doing it later in life than straight after school. When I did my journalism
course, we sat in the canteen chatting half the time, but when you’re older
you realise that the only person you’re cheating is yourself if you do that.
And when you’re older you can bring so much more to your analysis
because you’ve done more. It was quite strange having to write an essay
after many years, particularly after being a journalist where you have to say
things as briefly as possible. But it was interesting having access to such
knowledgeable tutors.’

B DEBORAH
Deborah left school without any qualifications and ended up ten years later
with a degree. Obtaining the degree gave her
an enormous desire to learn more. Since then, Deborah has enrolled on
courses ranging from pottery to African cinema to salsa dancing. She says:
‘I never liked school. They didn’t
teach me to enjoy learning and I’m sure this experience can destroy many
people’s desire to learn more later in life. There’s so much in life to learn as
you get older, it becomes a
real pleasure. There are no pressures – you don’t have to prove anything.
You are therebecause you want to be. There is also something special about
spending time with people who share a common passion. You don’t know
their names or anything about them, but all the barriers are broken down
because everyone has the same objective.’

C JOYCE

Joyce joined the Start Your Own Business course a few months ago and she
is now preparing to start an international business in furniture design.
Joyce, who is in her early thirties, says: ‘I had a flood of ideas that came
to me in bed one night and I had to get up to draw them while they were
still fresh in my mind.’ The course was taught by businesswoman, Diane
Shelley. She says: ‘Joyce was full of ideas and is now about to start her own
multi million pound business.’ ‘The course helps you identify so many
things,’ says Joyce, ‘the ideas developed until they were almost out of
control; by the end my idea had become an international business. Diane
didn’t just teach theory, she
also shared her own experience with us. That helped me a lot, because
years ago I would have been frightened to see bank managers and
accountants as I didn’t understand the
financial aspects. Diane made me realise that you employ these people to
do the work. Now I’m not scared of borrowing money because I know the
business will be successful.’

D SONYA

Sonya did a three-day intensive desk-top publishing course in May. Sonya,

24, who works as a publicity assistant at a bank, says: ‘I needed some skills
to make me better at my job. Writing reports is an essential part of my job
and so the presentation of my work is important.’ The course, held at the
London College of Printing, covers both practice and
theory. Sonya says: ‘It was quite demanding, they really get you thinking.
Because there were only six or seven in the group, we got more attention
and it was easier to ask
questions. Now my reports appear more professional and I can produce them
quicker. A lot of people have said “Your work’s improved,” and it has made
me get on better with people in the office because I’m in a privileged position,
having knowledge others don’t have.’

Paper 1, part 3
January 10, 2007

You are going to read a magazine article about an actress. Seven paragraphs
have been removed from the article. Choose the most suitable paragraph
from the list A-H for each part (15-20) of the article. There is one extra
paragraph which you do not need to use. There is an example at the
beginning (0).

Nyree’s Story

After an upbringing in New Zealand and a spell acting in her own

country,Nyree Dawn Porter made London her home. Interview by Alan
O’Kelly.

A ‘I didn’t like school and I spent most of my time in my head. One of the
teachers noticed that. She’d say, “I’m not going to repeat that for Nyree
Porter because she’s not listening anyway. No doubt she’ll let me have the
sketch she’s doing under the desk.” ’

B Her mother also did well at school. She became a gifted painter and was,
as her father always said, ‘The prettiest girl in New Zealand.’

C Against hundreds of other actors, Nyree was given the part. She had no
hesitation in giving up everything to act and within two years had been
brought to England by a famous film producer.

D By the time she left school, Nyree had passed all the required exams for
teaching ballet. She had her own dance studio and enjoyed her work. But
something told her that at some stage she would have to leave New Zealand
to find full satisfaction.

E Nyree was born on the north island of New Zealand. Her father was a
butcher who later became a developer and a businessman. She was given
the Maori name of Ngaire which was later changed to its present English form
as nobody could pronounce it.

F Sadly, that didn’t happen. ‘My parents were like oil and water,’ explains
Nyree. ‘They simply couldn’t live together. My father’s work kept him away
from home but I think it was partly because he found it difficult to live with
my
mother.’

G That was followed by another successful show called Look Who’s Here at
the Fortune Theatre and a BBC television series, Madame Bovary. Four years
later, in 1967, came The Forsyte Saga, the series which became addictive,
not just in Britain, but all over the world.

H ‘It stopped me dead and instead of joining the other performers I walked
down to the front of the stage to find out what that noise was.’

Nyree’s Story

After an upbringing in New Zealand and a spell acting in her own

country,Nyree Dawn Porter made London her home. Interview by Alan
O’Kelly.

Nyree Dawn Porter made her first stage appearance at the age of three.
Playing the part of a ladybird in an amateur production of Noah’s Ark, she
walked onto the stage and into the lights to delighted applause and laughter.
0: H (example)

‘That noise’ has charmed her ever since and in a long, successful career, both
on the theatre stage and on television, she has received plenty of it.

15: _____________

Nyree speaks lovingly of her father Ken, who was warm and affectionate and
loved music passionately. For a long time she was an only child, but when
her sister, Merle Isabel, came along, the happy family should have been
complete.
16:_____________

As a result, Nyree remembers her childhood as being sad but productive. She
had a nervous stammer and was so shy and quiet that her teachers became
extremely worried about her. She found her release through books, painting
and ballet.
17: ___________

A teacher named Jim Goodall came to her rescue by encouraging her to do

well and by making her president of the drama club. A second influential
person was another teacher, who had spent a lot of time in England and
France. Her enthusiasm helped Nyree to use her natural gift for French and
she also encouraged her to act.
18:_____________

‘I was acting in a local amateur production when a woman came to my

dressing room and asked me if I had ever considered acting as a career. She
was the wife of a leading actor at the New Zealand National Theatre. Her car
had broken down outside and that was the only reason she had come in. She
arranged for me to try for a role in an American comedy called The Solid
GoldCadillac.’
19:____________

‘I loved London and my lucky break came when I was given a letter of
introduction to Hazel Vincent Wallace at the Leatherhead Theatre. I got a job
in a Christmas show, both acting and dancing.’
20:____________

Nyree Dawn Porter has adopted England, and we have adopted her. She has
lived here ever since, although she does visit her old home andregularly
works in Australia.
Paper 1, part 2
January 10, 2007

You are going to read a magazine article about a book. ForQuestions 8-14,
choose the correct answer A, B, C or D.

Natural CLASSIC

Each month we ask one of our experts to tell us what wildlife book – novel,
guide or textbook – has most influenced him or her. Here, Martha Holmes,
marine biologist, TV presenter and filmproducer, reveals all.

I’m a very keen reader, but selecting the book with a natural-history theme
which has influenced me most was some challenge, until I thought back to
my childhood. Then it was easy.

Where the book came from is a mystery, and I have never met anyone who
has heard of it. It is Rita Richie’s The Golden Hawks of Genghis Khan. I read
it when I was about 10 years old and I remember to this day the effect it
had on me.

Set in 1218, it is a story of a rich boy whose parents are dead. He is

growing up in the splendid city of Samarkand and has a fascination for
hawks, those magnificent hunting birds.
There is a great deal of mystery surrounding his past, but he is led to
believe that a band of Mongols killed his father to steal a rare type of bird –
the golden hawk. Determined to get these birds back, he runs away from
Samarkand and
joins a group of people travelling to the country of Mongolia. What follows is
a grand adventure centred on the city of Karakorum, where the great
Mongol chief Genghis Khan was then based.

The book combines adventure, mystery, honour, friendship, danger, suffering

– all seen through the eyes of the young hero, Jalair. I still find this fantasy
a thrilling read. Jalair’s great love for the birds was enviable and inspiring.
But most of all it was the sense of place that stayed with me. The book gives
the reader an idea of the vast open spaces of central Asia and its huge skies,
without the use of the long descriptive passages that would bore a child.
There are no boundaries. The emptiness of the Gobi Desert, the Tian Shan
mountains and the excitement of riding through forests and over rolling hills
fascinated me.

The book gave me more than hawks, horses and a desire for wild places. It
also gave me a set of values. The Mongols in The Golden Hawks were totally
uninterested in possessions, a characteristic that is absolutely essential for
people who spent their lives travelling from place to place. They were never
mean. Generosity, goodwill and optimism were highly valued, hard work was
enjoyed and the rest was pure fun.
They simply loved life.

Two years ago, I fulfilled a life-long ambition and went riding in Mongolia’s
mountains. I was not disappointed.

8 When first asked to choose a book, Martha Holmes

A was influenced by the experts.

B chose one she had read recently.
C had difficulty in making a decision.
D was pleased to have been approached.

9 What does ‘it’ in line 6 refer to?

A the choice
B Martha’s childhood
C the book
D the theme

10 Martha says the book The Golden Hawks of Genghis Khan

A was recommended by a friend.

B was very popular when she was a child.
C is known to very few people.
D is one of many mystery books she has read.

11 The main interest of the hero of the book is

A what happened to his parents.

B the desire to see different countries.
C the beauty of his homeland.
D his passion for particular birds.

12 Where does most of the story take place?

A in Samarkand
B in Karakorum
C on the way to Karakorum
D in the Tian Shan mountains

13 What did Martha enjoy about the book?

A the range of characters

B the geographical setting
C the descriptive writing
D the changes of atmosphere

14 What values did Martha learn from the book?

A the importance of a sense of humour

B how to be a successful traveller
C the need to protect your goods
D how to get the most out of life

I. Reading, part 1
January 10, 2007

You are going to read a newspaper article about a day in the life of a
footballer. Choose the most suitable heading from the list A-I for each part
(1-7) of the article. There is one extra heading which you do not need to
use. There is an example at the beginning (0).

A Domestic matters

B Time off

C All players are different

D Putting in the practice

E Working together

F Keeping my standard up

G What makes a good player

H Not my choice

A day in the life of Jim Barber, Scottish Footballer

Jim Barber is a centre forward for Glasgow Rangers football club. He talks
to Paul Sullivan about a typical day in his life.

0: I (example)

I don’t usually get up till 8.30. On a match day I’ll get up even later. I’ll sit
in bed, watch breakfast TV for a while, and then I’ll go down, get the mail,
have a coffee and read the papers. I’ll have a wash and then I’ll get ready
to go to the
club. Rangers is probably the only club where the players have to come in
every morning wearing a shirt and tie; it’s a traditional thing and I quite like
it really.

1:________________

Every day except Sunday, I’ll be at the club by 10. It’s a short drive but I’ll
still usually be a few minutes late. I’ve a bad reputation for being late, and
I’ve been fined many times. Each day of training is in preparation for the
next match. We’ll do some weight training and some running to
build up stamina. Players work on particular aspects of the game but tactics
are usually left till match day.

2: _____________

After training I’ll usually have a sauna and then we’ll have lunch: salads and
pasta, stuff like that. In the afternoon I just try to relax. I started playing
golf with the rest of the lads, and I love horse racing, too. My other great
hobby is music which helps me to escape the pressure of work.

3:________________

The best thing in football is scoring goals – and I’m a top goal-scorer. It
feels absolutely fantastic but I never feel above the rest of the team; if I
did, I wouldn’t last two minutes in the dressing room. Any success I have is
a team success. My idol in the past was always Kenny Dalglish. My idols
now are the other Rangers players.

4: ______________

The matches themselves are always different from each other. You go
through a lot of emotions during a game but really it’s a question of
concentration. You’ve got just 90 minutes to give everything you’ve got and
take every chance you can. There’s luck and there’s being in the right place
at the right time, but you can’t make use of those without concentration
and responsibility.

5:____________

Sports writers often talk about age but it’s not something that bothers me.
I’m 30 and feel fantastic. I missed a few games last year due to injury and
my place was taken by a young player at Rangers. We are friends but he is
a threat to my position. My job is to score goals and if I don’t I’ll be
replaced.

6:______________

I try not to let football rule my home life but my wife would probably
disagree; last year we only got three weeks’ holiday. It’s difficult for Allison,
my wife, but I think she’s learned to accept it. She likes football and comes
to the matches. I do like to go out and see friends but I always have dinner
with my wife.
7:_____________

We’ll usually go to bed about midnight. Sometimes I do worry when I think

of the day it all ends and I stop scoring. That scares me and I can’t see
myself playing for any other team, either, but the reality is that the players
don’t make the decisions. If someone makes your club a good enough offer
for you, they’ll accept it. But I try not to let things like that bother me.