Name Surname: Mihail Bitkulov

Block 1: Modern Society and Politics

Reading 1: Read the text divided into three parts. Match questions 1–5 with paragraphs A–C.
Body language

A Some people are good at interpreting body language, while others find the whole thing a mystery.
Improving your ability to recognise how others really feel is a useful skill, and one you can quite
quickly improve if you learn what signs to watch out for. Take facial expressions. One thing you
should remember about facial expressions is that they are rarely to be trusted. That’s because we are
all aware that other people try to read our true feelings and as a result, we are all pretty expert at
hiding them. From childhood, we all learn how to fake a smile, for instance. To become expert at
interpreting a smile, we should observe the eyes, not the mouth. If someone is really smiling, their
eyes brighten, they raise their eyebrows and even tilt their head. If only the mouth is smiling then it is
a sure sign that the person you are looking at is only pretending.
B As faces are dishonest, experts at reading body language look elsewhere for the best clues to
how a person truly feels. The torso, comprised of our shoulders, chest and stomach, is a good
indicator of how we feel. It is where we have our vital organs, so evolution has taught us to cover
them up, especially when we feel threatened. Crossed arms often means ‘leave me alone’. The way
we move our hands can also be revealing. Even though we are all taught how to restrain our hand
movements – we learn not to point to avoid being rude, for example – it is not as easy to fake as the
look on our face. As a general rule, the higher our hands, the more positive we feel, which is why fans
at a concert feel an irresistible need to lift their hands. Think about it. If we hear good news, we leap
up, bad news and our shoulders drop.
C Surprisingly, there is another part of the body more incapable of fibbing than any other. Over
millions of years, our hands, arms and faces have learned how to pretend as well as how to
communicate, but in contrast, evolution has taught our legs to do one thing, and one thing only, and
that’s get ready to run at the first sign of danger. Subconsciously, we position our feet in the direction
we want to go. Next time you are chatting to a boy or girl you really like, glance down at your feet, and
notice how they will be pointing right at your partner. If theirs are pointing at yours, that’s good news,
but if one of their feet is pointing away, or if they keep moving a foot in an outward direction, then I’m
afraid they probably don’t like you as much as you might have thought.

In which paragraph does the writer describe …

Information: Paragraphs:
1 the part of the body that finds it most difficult b
to hide its true feelings?
1 a way in which a part of the body has a
learned to deceive people?
2 how the behaviour of a part of the body c
reveals how attracted to someone we are?
3 a particular action that generally suggests b
feeling excited and unable to control that
feeling?
4 how to notice whether someone is a
consciously trying to deceive you?
Reading 2. Read the text. Match sentences A–F with gaps 1–5. There is one extra sentence.

Rosa Parks

Some of the most significant protest movements in history have begun with one simple act. This is
certainly true of the civil rights movement in the United States in the 1950s. 1__E_ Instead, it began
when a respectable 42-year-old African American woman called Rosa Parks refused to give up her
seat on a bus.
In 1955, the city of Montgomery in Alabama was a segregated place. In schools, libraries and
hospitals, white people and black people didn’t mix. 2__A_ In truth, what this meant was that African
Americans were forced to attend underfunded schools, and go to inferior restaurants. Even buses in
the city were segregated. African Americans were expected to sit in seats at the back. It was a
situation which caused a great deal of anger among African Americans who regularly commuted by
public transport.
On 1 December 1955, when Rosa boarded the bus she generally took on her way home, she didn’t sit
at the front or the back, but in the middle. At a later stop, when a white man boarded, Rosa was asked
to move to the back so the new passenger could sit down, but she refused. Before long, Rosa was
under arrest for breaking the law. 3__F_ Buses in the city were suddenly almost empty. For the
authorities, this was serious as they were losing money. 4__B_ As the days wore on, however, and
publicity spread, it became clear that most Americans supported Rosa and the boycott. For 381 days,
African Americans refused to ride on buses in the city. By the end of 1956, the protestors had won.
The US Supreme Court ruled the segregation law unconstitutional and buses were integrated.
The story of Rosa Parks is known to all American schoolchildren. You can even visit a museum to see
the bus on which Rosa once sat. 5_C__ Over the next decade, protestors challenged segregation and
won.

A Indeed, racial separation was not just discouraged, but upheld by the ‘Jim Crow Laws’, laws which
maintained that people of different colours were separate, but equal.
A This was a challenge not just to the segregation laws, but to the right of the white-ruling elite to
make laws as they saw fit.
B Her simple courage, and the realisation that change could be brought about by peaceful protest,
was a powerful motivator for later demonstrations.
C Historians have argued that Rosa’s defiance changed the way ordinary Americans felt about
segregation.
D The fight to end racial discrimination against African Americans in America’s southern states did
not begin with mass demonstrations.
E What happened next was that the African American community organised a boycott.
Listening 1  5 Listen to four people talking about getting back in touch with childhood friends.
Match the speakers (1–4) with the sentences (A–E). There is one extra sentence.
F Speaker __4_ had a lot in common with their childhood friend.
G Speaker __4_ had never lost contact with their friend online.
H Speaker ___ doesn’t have any brothers or sisters.
I Speaker __3_ had not moved house when they were a child.
J Speaker __3_ was not concerned when they first lost contact with their childhood friend.

Listening 2  8 Listen to an interview with a campaigner and choose the correct answers.
1 What does the presenter say about Stacey’s personality in his introduction?
A He only mentions positive aspects of her personality.
B He says she is both thoughtful and sociable.
C He says being passionate is her strongest characteristic.
D He says her personality is not like that of most teenagers.
2 What does Stacey say about the medical condition she suffers from?
A It isn’t easy to manage the disorder effectively.
B She gets a lot of bruising on her skin.
C She expects to get better at some time in the future.
D It’s something that many others suffer from.
3 What is Stacey trying to do with her campaign?
A Make sure as many people as possible understand her disorder.
B Help doctors know more about how the disorder develops in people.
C Help medical professionals create effective new drugs.
D Fund research into the lesser-known symptoms of the disease.
4 What has Stacey done on her campaign?
A She has designed her own website.
B She has organised a sponsored event.
C She has contacted other sufferers.
D She has organised a poster campaign.

5 Which of the following has Stacey already done in support of her campaign?
A She has made a short documentary to be broadcast on television.
B She has launched further campaigns in other countries.
C She has spoken to journalists in the print media.
D She has got a job as a presenter on a radio programme.