CHANNEL YOUR ENGLISH - INTERMEDIATE – TESTS

Final Test

Reading (20 Marks)

1. Read the text and answer the questions 1-5. Write L for Lyn, E for Esther,
K for Ken and M for Margaret.

Lucky Lottery Winners

If you won the lottery what would be the first thing

you’d do? Buy a flashy car? Maybe. A house with a
swimming pool? Probably. Go on that holiday you've
always dreamed about? Definitely. Here are some
lucky lottery winners and where they chose to go.

When Lyn, a housewife from Upminster, found out

that she had won the lottery, she and her husband had already booked a two-
week holiday in Barbados. "We saw no reason to change our holiday plans just
because we had won the lottery," said Lyn. They did, however, go out to
celebrate their good fortune. Naturally, Lyn went on a wild shopping spree,
buying things for herself and her family. In Barbados, they stayed in a luxurious
hotel and spent their time relaxing and dreaming about what they would do with
their money.

Esther, a former nursery school worker from London, did exactly the same things
she does every year. She took time off work to visit her family and friends in
Ireland and celebrate her good luck. "I'd always wanted to travel, but up till now I
never had enough money," said Esther. Then a friend suggested going to
Tenerife which Esther did without thinking twice. " It's a real feeling of freedom,"
she added. In Tenerife she did some sightseeing, went to the beach and bought
loads of clothes. Her next holiday destination is Disney World.

Ken, an engineer from York, decided to celebrate his fortune in Italy where he
went skiing with a group of friends for ten days. "It's all that I want to do when I'm
away on holiday," said Ken excitedly. He tried out all the difficult ski slopes and
had a great time. Ken believes that winning the lottery won’t change the way he
spends his holiday. He said: "I'll just do more skiing, maybe in Canada or
America where they have good snow."

Margaret, a machine operator from Birmingham, and her husband wanted to

spend a peaceful and relaxing holiday away from it all. They wanted to go
somewhere warm and sunny, so they chose the Canaries. They stayed in a
beautiful hotel with a view of the beach. "We did a lot of walking, sunbathing and
played a bit of tennis," said Margaret. Their next holiday is going to be more
exotic and adventurous. They're planning a trip around the world.

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Which lottery winner(s)

1. did not make new holiday arrangements?

2. did some sport during their holiday?

3. spent time with friends?

4. chose a winter holiday?

5. did some shopping during their holiday?

2. Read the text and match the summary sentences a-d with the paragraphs
1-4 of the text.

Child Prodigies
1 Some children are exceptionally
gifted and display extraordinary talent
in a particular field although there
seems to be no logical explanation for
this. These children, known as
prodigies, are quite common in the
music world. Mozart stands out in most
people's minds as a great composer,
but he is just one of many musical
prodigies. Other notable musicians
include Yehudi Menuhin, the famous
violinist, or Yo-Yo Ma, the world renowned cellist. Such prodigies exhibit great
self-confidence as well as an amazing musical talent.

2 The road to fame is not easy, though, even if you are a child prodigy.
Parental pressure on young children to become great musicians can often be
excessive. One interesting case is that of Janos Starker, whose mother used to
make small sandwiches and leave them on his music stand, so that he wouldn't
have to get up to eat. Also, she bought him a parrot which she had trained to say:
"Practise, Janos, practise!" This original method brought good results. However,
this was not the case with other children, such as Ruth Slezynska, who due to
extreme parental pressure decided to give up at the age of 15.

3 Furthermore, few prodigies bridge the gap between child musician to adult
performer. This may happen because, as they become more mature, they try to
understand the process of musical creation but do not manage it. Research has
shown that, in fact, only one in a hundred prodigies actually becomes a
successful adult artist. What is also interesting is that less gifted musicians often
catch up with or even overtake child prodigies when they reach adulthood.

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4 Teachers can also play a very important role in the development of a

prodigy's talent. They actually give them useful advice and try to help them
balance the amount of work they have to deal with. The teachers' help is
essential especially during the children's adolescence, which is always a difficult
period for teenagers. As Turovsky, a very experienced music teacher, says,
"These children also need to be encouraged to do things other people of their
age do, as too much practice leads them to miss out all sorts of other
experiences."

a. Growing up can often be a disappointment.

b. A prodigy needs more than teaching to become a successful,

stable adult musician.

c. Musical prodigies are more numerous than you might expect.

d. Family can play either a positive or negative role.

Use of English (60 marks)

1. Read the text below and choose the best word a, b, c, or d for each
blank.

Last week was (1)_______. I managed to make such a(n) (2)_________ of

myself that my friends are still making (3) _____________ of me! This is what
happened... Last Friday I was at home when I (4) ___________ heard loud
screams coming from next door. I (5) ____________ wondering what I should
do. I made up my mind to phone the police. In no (6) __________ at all they
arrived and (7)_____________ the house next door. I just stood there, terrified,
waiting to see what would happen next. Ten minutes later, a policeman arrived at
my door… He was smiling! Immediately my (8) turned into
(9)_____________ as he explained that I had heard a murder take place …. but
on TV!

1. a. powerful b. unforgettable c. depressing

2. a. fool b. issue c. damage
3. a. laughter b. humour c. fun
4. a. suddenly b. incredibly c. dramatically
5. a. jumped b. froze c. surrendered
6. a. step b. loss c. time
7. a. surrounded b. encountered c. organized
8. a. anger b. fear c. annoyance
9. a. embarrassment b. excitement c. relaxation

2. Read the text below and complete each blank with one word only.
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With the summer holidays approaching, everyone dreams of swimming

(1) sunbathing in the warm sun. This is the perfect time,
especially for young children, to (2) fun on the beach. If you
have children though, (3) are certain things you need to know
in order to prevent accidents (4) happening that can ruin your
holiday. First (5) all, you should be particularly careful with very
young children, and always (6) an eye on them when they are
playing. Secondly, you (7) better convince your children that
wearing a hat is essential as well as putting on sunblock. In addition, you have to
warn them that holding their breath for too long (8) they dive
can be very dangerous. It is also your responsibility to make sure they have
nothing to eat (9) swimming. And don't forget to have some
cream for insect bites, just in case. (10) all this advice stress
you out? Well, it's not that bad. Just relax and enjoy a safe holiday!

3. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the

first sentence, using the word given. You must use between two and five
words, including the word given.

1. We started planning our holiday two weeks ago.

We _________________________________ for two weeks. have
2. My parents have decided to move to another city.
My parents _______________________________ to another city. are
3. It's not necessary for you to call her now.
You __________________________________ her now. have
4. Some workers are digging up the road to install electrical cables.
The road __________________________________for the installation dug
of electrical cables.
5. My mother has asked someone to fix her cooker.
My mother ____________________________ fixed. having
6. You should start working harder.
It ________________________________ working harder. time
7. I finished typing and then turned off the computer.
After ________________________________, I turned off the computer. had
8. I don't know Japanese so I can't read this sign.
If ______________________________, I could read this sign. Knew

4. Read the text below. Some of the lines are correct, and some have a
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word which should not be there. If the line is correct, put a tick (3) in the
space provided. If a line has a word which should not be there, write the
word in the space provided.

1. When I told my friends that I had decided to go to Italy by the ____________

2. car on holiday, they disagreed. They thought so I was ____________
3. going to regret it and that is exactly what happened! ____________
4. To begin it with, the journey to Italy was a nightmare. It rained ____________
5. heavily and the roads were slippery, so the trip took much ____________
6. longer than I had originally been thought. I even had to ____________
7. spend the night in the car waiting for the rain to stop. ____________
8. Anyway, the next day, when I have reached Rome ____________
9. I was sure of all my troubles had paid off. I saw as many sights ____________
10. as possible and went shopping every day. On the last day, ____________
11. however, I realised this I hadn't bought any souvenirs for my ____________
12. friends. I only had the two hours left before checking out of the ____________
13. hotel so I had to hurry. I went round and round in the car trying to ____________
14. find a parking space. Suddenly, I saw one near to the traffic ____________
15. lights. I parked the car and left. When I returned my own car ____________
was nowhere to be found. I had parked illegally
causing chaos, and the police had removed my car!

5. Complete the blanks with the correct form of the words in capitals.

One of my favourite films is "The Game" starring Michael Douglas.

In the film, Michael Douglas is a very (1) businessman SUCCEED
but he is so badly behaved that nobody likes him. On his birthday,
his brother gives him a membership card to an (2) centre ENTERTAIN
in order to take part in a game. When he visits the place, he finds the idea
(3) , and agrees to go for it. From then on, his life FASCINATE
changes (4) . All sorts of strange things start DRAMATIC
happening. His house is destroyed and in the end he loses all his money.
Although he realises he is part of a nasty game, he finds it
(5) to get anyone to understand what is happening to him. POSSIBLE
He now knows that his (6) to take part in the game was DECIDE
(7) the wrong one. This OBVIOUS
(8) situation finally comes to an end when his brother reveals PLEASANT
the truth to him and Douglas himself decides to change.

6. Choose a, b or c to complete the sentences.

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1. You won't even notice Sarah's baby is in the house; she is as quiet as a .
a. mouse b. bird c. feather

2. One of the customers to the manager about the bad service.

a. discussed b. mentioned c. complained

3. You can it up to Jane to finish the work. She is very reliable.

a. get b. leave c. run

4 Who is in of this department?

a. charge b. experience c. pressure

5 It have been Sue who picked up the phone. I recognised her voice.
a. mustn't b. must c. can't

6 Alfred Hitchcock set the for many directors of future generations.

a. standard b. example c. legend

7 It's no trying to persuade her. She won't listen to you.

a. point b. use c. mind

8 When I was young, my parents made me to bed very early.

a. to go b. go c. going

9 How much money do you a year from your job?

a. win b. gain c. earn

10. The explorers finally in finding their way out of the jungle.
a. managed b. succeeded c. achieved

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Writing (20 Marks)

Your friend has written a letter to you to ask for information about a Youth
Camp he is thinking of attending. You have already been there, so you can
give him the necessary information and any kind of advice that he may
need. Read part of the letter your friend has sent you and your notes and
write a letter to him covering all the necessary points. Your letter should be
between 120-150 words.

cleaning and cooking plays concerts shopping, night clubs, short trips

So, when I got their brochure it said

something about volunteer work .Do you
have any idea what kind of work that is? It
also mentioned something about guided
tours of the area as well as events in the
camp. What are those exactly? And anyway,
what kind of clothes would you recommend?
Any ideas how and where to spend my free
time outside the camp?

weekend tours light clothes, also jacket

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