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Unit Test 2
Units 2: Diaries and Journals /40
For questions 1-7 refer to the text below.

A Day in the Life of Carlos Acosta, the Cuban Ballet Dancer

1
I eat breakfast at 8.30 — oatmeal, bananas, mangoes, papayas and tea. And
owing to the need for protein, I often have eggs as well. I am pretty laid-back about
clothes. Most of the time I wear T-shirts and casual stuff. I have a couple of expensive
designer suits for black-tie functions. I do not like wearing them, but sometimes you
have to dress up.
2
In Havana, I sit on my terrace while I eat breakfast, looking out at white sand.
The sea is four blocks away. When I am away, not being able to see a blue sky every
day makes me miserable. It is good to have someone to come home to. Charlotte is a
writer. We lead an ordinary life — shopping, going to movies, getting my hair cut! And I
love to hang out with my family.
3
Ballet is like training for the Olympics eight hours a day, and when you are
performing, you have to take classes. At times it feels like we are working our fingers to
the bone. We break for an hour at 12 for lunch in the canteen. It is not good to overeat,
because after lunch, you work on the repertoire and you know you're going to have to
jump. Flying in the air feels amazing. When I was younger and could be up there with
nothing hurting it was like Wow! The older you get, the more you need ice packs and
massage, which I have at least twice a week.
4
Life in Havana is hectic. I am happy to teach at the National Ballet School when
they ask me. Owing to my experiences travelling and performing, I bring a melting pot
of different cultures and influences to my teaching. I know many people in Cuba, but
many from my group have left. Things change. Everyone wants the opportunity to make
a better life and earn money. My security is due to the property I've bought and the
sound investments I've made.
5
I always suffer from jetlag. I travel a lot with Charlotte, but not when I am
rehearsing. Then I have to clear my head to concentrate on learning choreography.
Sometimes I need to be alone. Everybody needs his or her own space. I work on a
laptop in my messy dressing room, where I am able to cut myself off from everything. I
am writing a novel in Spanish. I have the book inside my head and I know exactly where
I am going. But in the process of writing, things happen. You discover things about the
characters which set up new possibilities. When the writing goes all right, it's a very cool
feeling.
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6
We eat a late dinner at home. Charlotte does the cooking. I can only make black
beans with rice, which we eat a lot in Cuba. I throw off my shoes. It's wonderful to pad
about barefoot on the wooden floor, but dancers have such ugly feet!

1. Explain what is meant by the following bolded words and phrases used in the
passage:

a. black-tie functions - _____________________________________________[1]

b. melting pot - _____________________________________________[1]

c. rehearsing - _____________________________________________[1]

d. choreography - _____________________________________________[1]

e. pad about - _____________________________________________[1]

2. How are the dashes in paragraphs 1 and 2 used?

____________________________________________________________________[1]

3. Identify and write the idiom in paragraph 3.

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4. What is the effect of the idiom identified in question 3?

______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________[2]

5. To begin paragraph 3, Carlos Acosta mentions that becoming a ballet dancer is like
training for the Olympics. Do you agree with this idea? Explain your answer using
examples from the text in your own words.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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____________________________________________________________________[3]

6. In the 4th paragraph, Carlos Acosta says that Havana is hectic. What does this

mean?

____________________________________________________________________[1]

7. What has changed now that Carlos Acosta is an older, seasoned ballet dancer?

____________________________________________________________________[1]

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 8. What does Carlos Acosta do to relax and unwind after a long day doing ballet?

____________________________________________________________________[1]

9. Do you think that Carlos Acosta would make for a good ballet teacher? Explain your
answer with evidence from the text using your own words.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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______________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________[2]

For questions 10-14, match the sentences below with the types of figurative
language by writing the number of the sentence in the corresponding box.

Sentences

10. This is the beginning of the end.

11. I just posted a video on YouTube about how boring and useless YouTube is.
12. Sorry, I can’t help you now, I’m involved in my own minor crisis.
13. He opened his mind and his wallet every time he went out with her.
14. He doesn’t always have the best sense of direction.

Figures of speech

Litotes Zeugma

Paradox Irony

Oxymoron [5]

15. Write a diary entry of around 250 words from the perspective of your favourite
sportsman or woman. Try to make what you write more than just a factual
record of what you did. You could take the opportunity to reflect on and give
your thoughts about some of your experiences and your feelings towards your
sport. (Remember you will need to be creative, as you do not really know what
this person was thinking, but try to make what you write sound convincing.)

Planning
Spend up to five minutes making notes in this box to plan your diary entry. [2]

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Purpose and Audience [5] Punctuation [2]

Text Structure [3] Spelling and Vocabulary [3]

Sentence Structure [3]

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