Reading Exam 5

Part 1
Read the article about English spelling reform. For questions EOI Topic: Language and intercultural
communication
1−8 choose the correct option (a, b, or c). 0 is the example.
See: English File 4th edition B2.1
Files 5A, 6A, 10A
0 The relationship between English spelling and pronunciation is… English File 4th edition B2.2
a always predictable. Files 1A, 3A, 3B, 10B
b not always predictable.
c easier for children to master than adults.

1 English-speaking children learn literacy skills…

a faster than children who speak other languages.
b at the same speed as children who speak other languages.
c more slowly than children who speak other languages.

2 Modern English vocabulary comes from…

a lots of different languages.
b four different languages.
c only northern European languages.

3 The English language…

a is still evolving today.
b has never evolved.
c stopped evolving 150 years ago.

4 The first serious attempts to change English spelling were…

a more than 200 years ago.
b 150 years ago.
c in the early 1800s.

5 The spelling ‘color’…

a is used in several English-speaking countries.
b hasn’t been used since 1828.
c is only used in the United States.

6 Simplified spelling in Britain…

a was supported by many ordinary people.
b was supported by very few people.
c was supported by many famous people.

7 The Australian government abandoned simplified spelling…

a although the public and media liked it.
b because the public and media didn’t like it.
c because the media liked it but the public didn’t.

8 English spelling…
a probably won’t be simplified.
b probably will be simplified.
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 c might not be simplified.

Questio 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
n
Option b

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 English spelling reform
English spelling is notoriously difficult, and the relationship between spelling and
pronunciation can be unpredictable. The pronunciation of the letters -ough in words like
although, through, and rough, or of -ere in there, were, and here, shows the truth of this.
This unpredictability can make life tricky for foreign learners of the language, but it also
makes it much harder for English-speaking children to learn to read and write. There is
evidence that it takes a child up to six times longer to learn basic literacy skills in English
than in some European languages.
The spelling of English is so complex because words come from so many different source
languages – for example, from Latin, Greek, French, and German. These languages all had
different standard spelling patterns, and they are combined in modern English to create a
rich but inconsistent mixture, which sometimes seems almost deliberately confusing.
You might think that English spelling has always been like this, and that the situation can
never change, but it is worth recalling that change does happen. Only 150 years ago music
was still spelled musick, but the k has since completely disappeared. Languages always
evolve and change, but whether that change is through natural evolution, or whether it can
be forced by deliberate intervention, is an interesting question. English spelling is one area
of the language where intervention might be possible.
Over the last 200 years many individuals and groups have suggested ways that English
spelling could be made simpler and more consistent. The first serious attempts to simplify
and rationalize spelling were in the early nineteenth century. Webster published a dictionary
of American English in 1828, which included a number of simplified spellings like color
and center. These were quickly accepted in the US, though not elsewhere. Later that century
several American associations suggested more new spellings, and many of these are used
today, like program instead of programme, and catalog as an alternative to catalogue. Other
suggestions, like liv (live), hav (have), and ar (are), were never adopted.
In Britain, simplified spelling was never a popular idea, even though some eminent
individuals were in favour, including Charles Darwin. The great Irish playwright and thinker
George Bernard Shaw was also an avid supporter – he left a large sum of money in his will
to help with the development of a new spelling system – but it came to nothing. In the
1960s, the Australian government adopted a simplified system which included spelling
friend as frend and head as hed, but it was soon abandoned in the face of public and media
opposition.
So will English spelling ever be simplified? On balance it seems unlikely to happen: people
like what they know, change would be difficult and expensive to implement, and the
changeover period would be confusing. Another danger is that people would split into ‘old
spellers’ and ‘new spellers’, with ‘old spellers’ forming an educated elite who would look
down on anyone who spelt friend without the i. Though if children and foreign language
learners had a say, they might disagree…

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Part 2 EOI Topic: Work and entrepreneurship
See: English File 4th edition B2.1
Read the blog about looking for work. Match paragraphs 1–6 Files 4B, 6A, 7A, 7B, 8A
with sentences A–I. There are two sentences you don’t need English File 4th edition B2.2
to use. Paragraph 0 is the example. Files 1A, 2A, 4A, 6B, 7A, 9A, 10B

A He recommends customizing your CV to suit the target company.

B He reviews reasons for accepting a job offer.
C He explains why he’s writing a blog.
D He says it’ll be very hard for him to find a new job.
E He talks about overcoming an earlier failure.
F He suggests questions you should ask in a job interview.
G He advises being careful about your online image.
H He gives advice about personal appearance.
I He gives advice about emailing your application.

Question 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Option C

TOTAL

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 Paragraph 0, example
15 Jan Welcome to day one of my blog! Here’s the story – last month I was made
redundant after over eight years working in marketing with a major software development
company. It was quite a shock. Not having a routine is hard. Not having an income is even
harder. So I’m dedicating the next month to finding a job, and this blog will document how I
go about it – and if you’re doing the same thing, I hope it’ll inspire you and give you some
ideas.
Paragraph 1
16 Jan Updated my CV for the first time in eight years. It was a bit of a battle, but I think
I’ve done a decent job. It’s just under two pages long – nobody wants to read more than that,
they’ll just skim it or throw it away. It covers my last job, which was also my first job, and
my education, all laid out in chronological order. I’ll modify the CV depending on the
company I’m sending it to. You should be sure to do this too – make yourself stand out;
don’t just send the same standard document to everyone. And try to make sure that the
referees on your CV will write you great references – choose them with care, and don’t
forget to tell them that you’ve used them as referees.
Paragraph 2
17 Jan Today I registered with LinkedIn, an online professional networking site. I now
have an online profile that prospective employers can access, with all the details of my
professional experience. I’ve also reviewed my Facebook settings to make sure that only my
close friends can see my personal photos – lots of companies now check your Facebook
page, and if it’s full of photos of you partying, it’s really not going to make a very good
impression. Make the internet work for you, not against you.
Paragraph 3
20 Jan I’ve applied for three jobs. All the adverts were online. There’s really no point
buying print magazines or newspapers and spending hours poring over them searching for
ads. Send your application by email – much better than by post, where your letter is bound
to end up forgotten in somebody’s in-tray. It sounds obvious, but make sure the subject line
of your email has the job reference number, and don’t forget to attach any extra documents.
Believe me, it looks bad if the company has to remind you to send your CV, and they may
just decide not to bother. And give your attachments appropriate names – your CV should
be called something professional-sounding like ‘John Smith CV’, not ‘mynewCV’.
Paragraph 4
26 Jan I’ve been asked to two interviews. Went out and bought myself a suit, shoes, and
tie, and a rather nifty leather document case. New clothes will always make you feel that bit
more confident – and looking good can’t hurt. Be smart, but make sure you feel
comfortable. The document case wasn’t expensive, but I guarantee it’ll make an impression
– everyone appreciates an employee who’s organized and knows where everything is.

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 Paragraph 5
2 Feb The first interview didn’t go so well – I hadn’t found out enough about the
company and their current plans, and I didn’t ask the right questions. So for the second
interview I made sure I knew exactly what the company had done recently, what it was
doing now, and what it would be doing next. I visited their Facebook page and followed
them on Twitter, and they had a blog on their website which was invaluable for getting the
latest about their products and ideas. The interview went more smoothly than the first one,
so fingers crossed.
Paragraph 6
9 Feb Success! The second company has asked me to start next month. The salary is
pretty decent (less than before, but with opportunities for climbing the ladder faster), the
commute won’t take half my day, and the benefits are good – pension, holidays, and a
company car after the six-month probationary period is finished. So I’ve been lucky, and I
hope you are too!

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