LISTENING:

Part 1. You will hear an interview with a tour leader who works for an adventure
company in Africa. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer (A, B or C). You will listen
twice.
1. Don says that most of his passengers are looking for jobs. F
2. When Don first meets a group, he checks they have the right equipment. T
3. Don remembers one trip when he failed to take enough food. F
4. Don oversees the domestic work because he doesn’t like to lose things.T
5. If people argue, Don says that he prefers not to get involved. T
6. Don says that he sometimes needs to get to sleep early. F
7. Don forces everyone to be quick about getting up. F
Part 2. You will hear two friends, Fiona and Matthew, discussing an interview which
featured an American skier and filmmaker called Nick Waggoner. For questions 8-13,
choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear. You will
listen twice.
8. What is Matthew doing when Fiona arrives at the coffee shop?
A. He has started reading the interview.
B. He is in the middle of reading the interview.
C. He has finished reading the interview.
D. He is thinking about reading the interview.
9. What is Fiona's reaction to the topic, at first?
A. genuinely curious about it
B. completely bored with it
C. totally fascinated by it
D. not that interested in it
10. What made Nick Waggoner choose the location for his film Solitaire?
A. It was suitable for using a helicopter.
B. He liked the challenge it would provide.
C. It had the most dramatic landscapes.
D. The snow conditions were perfect there.
11. What was the impact of Arne Backstrom's death on Nick and Zac?
A. It was OK as they didn't know Arne well.
B. It affected Nick and Zac very deeply.
 C. They decided to abandon the project.
D. They were not entirely surprised by it.
12. What did Nick and Zac do after Arne's death?
A. They learned how to paraglide.
B. They connected with other colleagues.
C. They moved the film dates forward.
D. They learned how to fly a plane.
13. How does Nick describe the effect that making ski films has on him?
A. He says it frightens him.
B. He says it bores him.
C. He says he doesn't like it.
D. He says it energises him.
Part 3. You will hear part of a radio report about interactive science and technology
centres in Britain. Answer questions 14-20 with NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS. You
will listen twice.
14. What of a prehistoric sea animal can visitors see at National Stone Center? Fossilised

remains

15. What has been mined for long in the area on which the National Stone Centre stands on?

Lead and limestone

16. How do visitors feel about the amount of stone people consume each year?

Fascinated/surprised

17. What are the two examples of the use of stone in construction that the speaker gives?

Tunnels and tennis courts

18. What does the headmaster describe the centre as? A splendid teaching resource

19. What do the activities at the centre completely correspond to? National Curriculum

20. What was the first interactive gallery in Britain called? Launch Pad

Part 4. Listen to the news on healthcare systems in the world and fill in each blank (21-32)
with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS. You will listen twice.

United States has long had one of the (21)__________ between what healthcare costs each
citizen, and what benefit they get out of it.

According to the Bloomberg Health-Care Efficiency Index, the top three ranking countries in
2016-2017 were:

3. Spain: 2. Singapore 1. Hong Kong

Healthcare cost $ (22)___________ No free healthcare to $2000

per person avoid waste

Average life nearly 84 years one of the highest

expectancy life expectancies in
the world
 GPD spent on 10% (25)___________% 3%
healthcare

Healthcare (23)___________system (26)___________syste Low-cost public care

system m for (28)__________
No and medication is
(24)__________expenses Low costs yet high combined with high-
in public hospitals health care quality cost elective or
specialized care
Delays in seeing doctors Up to 9% of
or getting specialised (27)___________ to be  to avoid
surgery beyond primary deducted and set aside (29)___________
care for personal or family and raising costs
care

With small populations of under ten million people, Singapore and Hong Kong can make most
health factors (30)___________ throughout the region and population. However, the United
States with a bigger population of over 320 million, finds it hard to implement centralized, or
single payer healthcare without (31)___________. Also, US healthcare costs are sky-high, with
medical bills being the leading cause of (32) ___________ for the Americans.

1. Worst balances 2. 2600 3. Single payer 4.Out-of-pocket

5. 1.6 6. Medisave 7. Employees’ salaries
8. 7. Routine visits 9. Overburden 10. Uniform
11. Serious complications 12. bankcrupcy
LEXICO-GRAMMAR:
1. Peter is finding it very hard to _______ to married life.
A adjust B. reconcile C. concur D. accord
2. Our teacher is wonderful - she can put_______ the most difficult subject really clearly.
A. out B. on C. forward D. over
3. The results of the inquiry may lend _______ to the claims made by the scientist.
A. gravity B. depth C. weight D. volume
4. It’s _______ he was trying to tell us something.
A. as if B. even C. how D. though
5. If you want a good camera, there’s nothing I _______ more highly than this model.
A recommend B propose C. advise D. applaud
6. _______do his views reflect those of the company as a whole?
A To what extent B In what condition C. Under what circumstances D. To what end
7. When I started to study archaeology. I knew _______no Latin, but within a year I could read
it rather well.
A. barely B. entirely C. scarcely D. virtually
8. It was a disaster on the _______ of the nuclear accident at Chernobyl.
A. size B. scale C. terms D. consequences
9. Nuclear power is _______ dangerous and wasteful.
A. deliberately B. unappealing C. inherently D. conveniently
10. _______ it not been for the intolerable heat, we would have gone out.
A. But B. If C. Had D. Should
11. The protestors carried_______ and wore badges to publicise their cause.
A. banners B. hoardings C. pamphlets D. advertisements
12. The children have such_______ appetites that I have to cook them double portions.
A. omnivorous B. delicious C. voracious D. devouring
13. Children are always trying to find out _______ they can go with a new teacher
A. how far B. what length C. what distance D. how long
14. Sarah thinks she can set the world to _______ all by herself.
A. justice B. fairness C. rights D. principles
15. The news report _______ the plight of the refugees.
A. headlines B. captioned C. highlighted D. pinpointed
Word form
1. I think you are the wrong registration desk; this is for those staying in the hospital overnight
after surgery for monitoring, but you are an outpatient.
2. Financial mismanagement has resulted in spending overrunning considerably for the second
consecutive year.
3. This is essentially two stories expertly interwoven by the author into one utterly compelling
novel.
4. We are all fallible to varying degrees I’m afraid; to err is human.
5. He loped around the track effortlessly and left the other runners trailing in his wake.
Error correction: 10 errors
Children’s games: past vs present
It is characteristic of human race that change is constantly deploring, and that ‘the good old
days’ are believed to have been far better then the present day. In the realm of children games,
the fixed idea is that children ‘don’t play games no more’, or ’don’t have the fun we used to
have’. Adults can be savage critical of the supposed sophistication or inertia to contemporary
schoolchildren, and equally self-righteous about its own childhoods. The much re-iterate phrase
is, ‘We used to make our own amusements.’ At the same time, they all but prevent their
children from doing their own amusements by supplying them with generous pocket-money
and giving them expensive toys.

Close test

Self-control of a remarkable kind is (1)______ being taught by doctors in Topeka, Kansas.

Dr. Elmar Green and his wife Alyce, both psychologists, set out in 1964 to discover what a
person could do to change his or her own physiological (2)______ state. The method they
employed is autogenic training (i.e. a process that takes (3)______ place at a conscious level).
The doctors launched a two-week training programme with 33 housewives, (4)______whose
first lesson was to warm their hands at (5)______ will. With practice they mastered an increase
of up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, not for the (6)______purpose of making cold hands warm, but
to alter the patterns of the brain.
Today this exercise has particular significance for the migraine victim, who can learn to
control the temperature of her hands as a (7)______step in gaining voluntary relief from
headache. Epileptics learn (8)______similar controls so that they can spare themselves an
oncoming epileptic brain pattern. The Kansas doctors would describe a homely old
thermometer as a ‘biofeedback instrument’: it feeds back biological information to the patient
about (9)______herself. The whole point of ‘biofeedback’ is that it makes it possible to know
consciously what normally carries on at a sub-conscious level; i.e. heart beat, rhythm of
breathing. In time, (10)______no laboratory instrument is required.

Multiple choice reading

Lomborg's book entitled The Skeptical Environmentalist caused an uproar when it was
published in 1998. The author’s beef is with the litany of doom espoused by certain
environmental activists. We have all heard the main points several times: natural resources are
running out; the world's population is too big and growing at an alarming rate; rivers, lakes,
oceans and the atmosphere are getting dirtier all the time. Forests are being destroyed, fish
stocks are collapsing, 40,000 species a year are facing extinction, and the planet is warming
disastrously. The world is falling apart and it is our fault.
Nonsense, says Lomborg. ‘These are just scare stories put about by ideologues and
promulgated by the media. There is little evidence that the world is in trouble, he claims, and a
good deal more that suggests that we have never had it so good. Air quality in the developed
world has improved markedly over the past 100 years. The average inhabitant of the
developing world consumes 38% more calories now than 100 years ago, and the percentage of
people threatened with starvation has fallen from 35% to 18%. The hole in the ozone layer is
more or less fixed; the global warming theory has been much exaggerated. And though we
worry incessantly about pollution, the lifetime risk of drinking water laden with pesticides at
the European Union safety limit is the equivalent of smoking 1.4 cigarettes. In short the world
is not falling apart; rather the doom mongers have ted US all down the garden path.
‘Lomborg’ is the dirtiest word in environmental circles at the moment. Henning Sorenson,
former president of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences, maintains that his fellow
countryman is wrong, dangerous and lacking the professional training even to comprehend the
data he presents. These are strong words. Sorenson was referring specifically to Lomborg's
opinions on mineral resources, but this book contains sufficient biological nonsense to add
ignorance of at least one more discipline to the charge sheet For example, long term growth in
the number of species on Earth over the past 600m years - itself a disputed issue, though you
would not know it - is accredited to 'a process of specialisation which is both due to the fact
that the Earth's physical surroundings have become more diverse and a result of all other
species becoming more specialised.’ One really has to look further than a United Nations
Environment Programme report to understand such complex issues. And surely only a
statistician could arrive at a figure of 0.7% extinction of all species on Earth in the next 50
years, when respectable estimates of total diversity range from 2m to 500m species (not 2m-
80m, as Lomborg claims).
However, my greatest concern is with Lomborg’s tone. He is clearly committed to
rubbishing the views of hand-picked environmentalists, frequently the very silly ones such as
Ehrlich, whom professionals have been ignoring for decades. This selective approach does not
inspire much confidence: ridiculing idiots is easy. Who better to manipulate data in support of
a particular point of view than a professional statistician? And who to trust with the task less
than someone who argues like a lawyer?
The reader should be wary in particular of Lomborg’s passion for global statistics:
overarching averages can obscure a lot of important detail. The area of land covered with trees
may not have changed much in the past 50 years, but this is mostly because northern forests
have increased in area while the biologically richer tropical ones have declined. If you want to
see how the global trend translates into one particular local context, go to northern Scotland
and gaze over the immense plantations of American conifers that have replaced Britain’s
biologically unique native peatlands. And to balance the books, the area of these noisome tree
farms has to be reflected by deforestation somewhere else in the world, let's say Madagascar,
for example. That the global forest area has remained more less constant actually tells us
nothing about the state of the environment.
So have we been led down the garden path by the environmentalists? Lomborg argues a
convincing case with which I have much sympathy, but the reader should perhaps follow the
author's lead and maintain a healthy scepticism. And if you come away with the nagging
suspicion that Lomborg has a secret drawer of data that does not fit his convictions, then you
are quite probably a cynic.
1. What is not mentioned by Lamborg as one of the environmental problems?
A. Depleted natural resources
B. Increasing occurrence of natural disasters
C. Excessive growth of the world population
D. Extinction of a large number of animal species
2. Lomborg believes that
A. environmental pessimists have misrepresented the facts.
B. not enough is being done to curb the world's population explosion.
C. we are abdicating our responsibility in caring for the planet
D. the dimensions of the global warming problem have been underestimated.
3. What evidence does Lomborg provide to support his point of view?
A. The media have helped to spread panic.
B. Cigarette smoking does not pose a lifetime risk.
C. Overeating is becoming considerably more common
D. People tend to live longer than in the past.
4. Lomborg is unpopular in the environmental world because
A. he is not capable of understanding the complexities of environmental research.
B. he makes use of unsupported claims to propose new theories.
C. he simplifies existing data to support his own spurious claims.
D. as a statistician he doesn't have the necessary background to attack existing findings.
5. What do Lomborg and the writer have in common?
A. A mistrust of lawyers
B. A contempt for some environmentalists
C. A selective approach to global problems
D. An admiration for statisticians
6. Why does the writer mention Scotland and Madagascar?
A. As an example of deforestation
B. As evidence that available data on forests is insufficient
C. To show how natural vegetation is being threatened by imported trees.
D. To show that global statistics can be misleading.
7. What is the writer's overall response to Lomborg's book?
A. scorn
B. indifference
C. wonder
D. distrust
8. Which of the following square brackets [A], [B], [C], [D] best indicates where in the
paragraph the sentence “Human life expectancy has soared.” can be best inserted?
[A] Nonsense, says Lomborg. ‘These are just scare stories put about by ideologues and
promulgated by the media. There is little evidence that the world is in trouble, he claims, and
a good deal more that suggests that we have never had it so good. [B] Air quality in the
 developed world has improved markedly over the past 100 years. [C] The average inhabitant
of the developing world consumes 38% more calories now than 100 years ago, and the
percentage of people threatened with starvation has fallen from 35% to 18%. [D] The hole in
the ozone layer is more or less fixed; the global warming theory has been much exaggerated.
You are going to read an extract from a magazine article. Seven paragraphs have been
removed from the extract. Choose from the paragraphs A-H the one which fits each gap (1 -7).
There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.
Longman EXAM PRACTICE PART 3, P102. UNIT 11
F D B H C A G

Slimming is the nation's favourite obsession. More than half of Britain is overweight;
one in five of US is ‘obese’. We could soon be giving the Americans a waddle for their money.
1.

And it's of little comfort that Slimming Magazine ‘Slimmer of the Year’ is a man -
Larry Hood, 45, who shrank from one hundred and sixty-one to sixty-nine and a half kilos
thanks to a calorie-controlled diet (and working in a building with stairs). For your average
bloke the words ‘calorie’ and ‘controlled’ have all the allure of dental work. In a classroom in
London’s Regents College, on a Tuesday night, in the company of seven men ranging from
seventy-six to one hundred and forty kilos, I find myself investigating an alternative. Lighten
Up is a programme developed by ex-personal trainer and motivational guru Pete Cohen, best
known for his work with athletes. Lighten Up has been around for two years, but its latest
programme is the first to be aimed at men. It's come up with a gloriously macho acronym:
MEN (Motivation, Exercise and Nutrition). Men in the unisex classes felt, as our ‘presenter’
and Lighten up’s cofounder Judith Verity says, there was too much oestrogen flying around.
We decided to see if there was enough interest to do a men-only group.
2.

The body-image pressure women have suffered for decades is now being foisted on
men. The problem is, all this sudden incitement to lose the lipids feels like being thrown into an
exam without having been taught the syllabus. When my flatmate decided to go on a diet, I
came home to find him preparing supper: eight Ryvita covered in butter and cheese (for any
male readers scratching their heads, that's like drinking alcohol-free lager with tequila chasers).
And we're streets ahead of women when it comes to self-deception. A recent study by the
Calorie Control Council in the US found that while forty-one per cent of women blamed weight
loss failure on lack of self-discipline, only thirty per cent of men did, preferring to blame
external factors We just lie.
3.

Professor Stephen Gray of Nottingham Trent University, who oversaw the survey,
commented: ‘Men are ten years behind women in terms of understanding the link between diet,
lifestyle and body shape.’ Sadly, this ignorance is killing US. Men die six years earlier than
women, and are far more prone to all weight-affected illnesses. Lighten Up’s philosophy is,
when armed with all the correct information, even the worst Pringle junkie will be able to re
programme his attitude to food. Week one starts in dramatic fashion. In front of US are two
desks.
4.

At seventy-eight kilos, I feel like a skinny interloper, and yet my reasons for being here
are not entirely journalistic. Like most men in their early thirties, ‘I could do with losing a bit
round the middle’. I gave up smoking a year ago and went up a jeans size. Despite exercising
four times a week and watching what I eat, my gut has clung to those extra pounds. I know this
because six months aqo. I bought my first-ever pair of scales.
5.

There's also some motivational ‘visualisation’. You imagine walking through your front
door and into a thinner you, and mentally slip into this thin suit whenever the need arises.
6.

The two-hour sessions are fascinating, encouraging us to get to the root of why we over-
eat. Food, after all, is the most abused drug we have. I realise that for most of my life, my
attitude to food has been pretty dysfunctional, operating on a checks and balances system (eat a
packet of crisps, go for a run. Over-eat one day, starve yourself the next.). Men rarely admit to
this.
7.

While it claims a sixty-eight per cent success rate, I’m not shopping for new jeans yet.
But fellow Lighten Up punter Graham, fifty-one, is making progress even though his lifelong
battle with snack addiction is not yet won. ‘The programme is logical,’ he says. ‘But if they
invent a ‘fat pill’ that works, I'll be the first in the queue.’
from an article by D. Syson in ‘The Observer Magazine’

A. So what happens during the lessons? Well, mainly we just listen and learn. We learn that the
maximum weight you should lose is one kilo per week, otherwise your body goes into famine
mode and stores up fat deposits. That we may have a set point at which our body weight
hovers, and that it can take as long as six months to change it. And that successful dieters
(ninety-five per cent put the weight they lost back on) do lots of light exercise - not ‘going for
the bum’ on a treadmill, just walking or gardening.
B. A survey for Nimble bread found that although the national average waist size in men is
ninety-one centimetres, nearly half of those men continue to wear a much smaller size. They
just pull them down below their gut.
C. There is no weigh-in here. The Lighten Up programme is not a diet. The attitude is simple:
diets don’t work, and the dieting industry is a scam relying on repeat business.
D. There should be enough interest, given the current cultural climate. Men, especially young
men, are under pressure to look fit and trim. Our role models, with the exception of Homer
Simpson, have minimal body fat. Even cricketers now whip off their shirts when they take a
wicket.
E. David, in his late thirties and around one hundred and twenty-seven kilos, motivates himself
by visualising his thin self walking up to pay in a petrol station without people having to move
out of the way.
F. For men, this is alarming news. However knowingly we stare at the grids on the side of
supermarket packets, most of us are still woefully ignorant about food. Karl I.agerfield may
have lost more than twenty- five kilos in six months on a miracle diet but he, you know, works
in fashion and has easier access to extract of cactus than most.
G. But I'm not alone. Lighten Up’s new programme is definitely a step in the right direction,
but the big question is, does it work?
H. One is filled with crisps, cakes, coke. The other boasts rice cakes, lentils, vegetables, fruit. A
nutritional dialectic, if you like. We’re told we can help ourselves from either table. No one
does.
For questions 1-6, choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-F from the list of headings
below. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes.
List of Headings

A. The benefits of simple language F. Differing interpretations

B. A necessary tool G. Publicizing new words
C. A lasting way of concealing disasters H. Feeling shut out
D. The worst offenders I. Playing with words
E. A deceptively attractive option

1. F 2. B 3. I 4. H 5. D 6. E
7. F 8. D 9. C 10. G

JARGON
1
Jargon is a loaded word. One dictionary defines it, neatly and neutrally, as ‘the
technical vocabulary or idiom of a special activity or group’, but this sense is almost completely
overshadowed by another: ‘obscure and often pretentious language marked by a roundabout way
of expression and use of long words’. For most people, it is this second sense which is at the
front of their minds when they think about jargon. Jargon is said to be a bad use of language,
something to be avoided at all costs. No one ever describes it in positive terms (‘that was a
delightful piece of rousing jargon’). Nor does one usually admit to using it oneself: the myth is
that jargon is something only other people employ.

2
The reality, however is that everyone uses jargon. It is an essential part of the
network of occupations and pursuits that make up society. All jobs present an element of jargon,
which workers learn as they develop their expertise. All hobbies require mastery of a jargon.
Each society grouping has its jargon. The phenomenon turns out to be universal – and valuable.
It is the jargon element which, in a job, can promote economy and precision of expression, and
thus help make life easier for the workers. It is also the chief linguistic element which shows
professional awareness (‘know-how’) and social togetherness (‘shop-talk’).

3
When we have learned to command it, jargon is something we readily take
pleasure in, whether the subject area is motorcycles, knitting, cricket, baseball or computers. It
can add pace, variety and humour to speech – as when, with an important event approaching, we
might slip into NASA-speak, and talk about countdown, all systems go, and lift-off. We enjoy the
mutual showing-off which stems from a fluent use of terminology, and we enjoy the in-jokes
which shared linguistic experience permits. Moreover, we are jealous of this knowledge. We are
quick to demean anyone who tries to be part of our group without being prepared to take on its
jargon.

4
 If jargon is so essential a part of our lives, why then has it had such a bad press?
The most important reason stems from the way jargon can exclude as well as include. We may
not be too concerned if we find ourselves faced with an impenetrable wall of jargon when the
subject matter has little perceived relevance to our everyday lives, as in the case of hydrology,
say, or linguistics. But when the subject matter is one where we feel implicated, and think we
have a right to know, and the speaker uses words which make it hard for us to understand, then
we start to complain; and if we suspect that the obfuscation is deliberate policy, we unreservedly
condemn, labeling it gobbledegook and calling down public derision upon it.

5
No area is exempt, but the fields of advertising, politics and defence have been
especially criticized in recent years by the various campaigns for Plain English. In these
domains, the extent to which people are prepared to use jargon to hide realities is a ready source
of amusement, disbelief and horror. A lie is a lie, which can be only temporarily hidden by
calling it an ‘inoperative statement’ or ‘an instance of plausible deniability’. Nor can a nuclear
plant explosion be suppressed for long behind such phrases as ‘energetic disassembly’,
‘abnormal evolution’ or ‘plant transient’.

6
While condemning unnecessary or obscuring jargon in others, we should not
forget to look out for it in ourselves. It is so easy to ‘slip into’ jargon, without realizing that our
own listeners/readers do not understand. It is also temptingly easy to slip some jargon into our
expression, to ensure that others do not understand. And it is just as easy to begin using jargon
which we ourselves do not understand. The motivation to do such apparently perverse things is
not difficult to grasp. People like to be ‘in’, to be part of an intellectual or technical elite; and the
use of jargon, whether understood or not, is a badge of membership. Jargon, also, can provide a
lazy way into a group or an easy way of hiding uncertainties and inadequacies: when
terminology slips plausibly from the tongue, it is not essential for the brain to keep up. Indeed
some people have developed this skill to professional levels. And certainly, faced with a telling
or awkward question, and the need to say something acceptable in public, slipping into jargon
becomes a simple way out, and can soon become a bad habit.
Task 2: Complete the summary using the list of words (A – I ) below. There’s one example.

A. judgement D. efficiency G. contempt

B. jokes E. know-how H. feeling
C. shop-talk F. humour I. pleasure

The Up Side of Jargon

Jargon plays a useful part in many aspects of life including leisure. For example, when people
take up pastimes they need to develop a good command of the relevant jargon. During discussion
of these of other areas of interest, conversation can become more exciting and an element of
(7)__________can be introduced by the use of shared jargon.
Jargon is particularly helpful in the workplace. It leads to more (8)__________ in the way
colleagues communicate during work hours. Taking part in (9__________ during moments of
relaxation can also help them to bond better.
 It is interesting that members of a group, whether social or professional, often demonstrate a
certain possessiveness towards the particular linguistic characteristics of their subject area and
tend to regard new people who do not wish to learn the jargon with (10) __________
Your answers

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

You are going to read a magazine article in which five people talk about their characters. For
questions 16-30, choose from the people (A-E). The people may be chosen more than once.
When more than one answer is required, these may be given in any order.
Which person or people state(s) the following?

I used to avoid giving my opinions at work.

Taking time off for your professional development can make you feel more
self-assured.

I never thought I’d be a confident person.

I’m not influenced by people’s opinions of me.

Everyone gets nervous at times.

Initially, I misunderstood what confidence was.

I find making notes very supportive in my work.

A certain event changed the course of my life.

I’ve worked on having a confident appearance.

I am realistic about my abilities.

My behaviour helps others relax too.

Getting things wrong can have a positive result.

Confident people
What’s their secret?
Confident people may look as though they were born that way, but most will tell you that it’s a
skill they’ve learned because they had to. Nina Hathway asks five people how they did it.
 A. Jenny

When I left school I was very shy and I always thought I’d stay that way. I was about twenty-
five when I was asked to help out at tny daughter’s school. I was sure I wouldn’t cope, but I
surprised myself by doing well and someone there suggested that I should do a university course.
There was a huge knot in my stomach the day I turned up for my first lecture. But my
confidence gradually grew — I became more outgoing. Looking back, working at the school was
the turning point in my life that has helped everything else fall into place.
B. Michaela

It all started four years ago when my father became ill and I had to take over the family
business. I was so scared, I went over the top and became a bit too aggressive and impatient. I
thought that was what confident people were like, but gradually I learned otherwise. To be
confident you’ve got to believe in yourself.
If things get too demanding for me at work, I don’t let myself feel guilty if I save a number of
tasks until the next day. When I'm confronted with something difficult, I tell myself that I’ve got
nothing to lose. It’s fear that makes you lack confidence, so I'm always having quiet chats with
myself to put aside those fears!
C. Lisa

People think I'm very confident but, in fact, the calmer I look, the more terrified I really am.
I’ve had to develop the ability to look confident because it’s the most vital thing in TV.
Interviewing people has helped me realise that most - if not all - of us get tense in important
situations, and we feel calmer when we speak to someone who's genuinely friendly. The best
ever piece of advice came from my mother when I was agonising as a teenager about wearing the
right clothes. She simply cried, ‘Who’s looking at you? Everybody’s too busy worrying about
how they look.’ I've found that’s well worth remembering.
I also think you gain confidence by tackling things that scare you. When I took my driving test
I was so nervous, but I passed. After that I felt sure that I’d never feel so frightened again, and I
never have.
D. Barbara

My confidence comes naturally from really enjoying the work I do, but it’s something that I’ve
built up over the years. If you just get on with it and learn from any mistakes you make, you’re
more confident the next time round. I work hard and I’m popular in the restaurant, but it’s
probable that one out often people doesn't like me. I don't let that affect me. You’ve got to like
yourself for what you are, not try to be what others expect.
My company runs a lot of training courses, and going on those has built up my self-esteem.
The company also encourages employees to set manageable targets. It helps no end if you can
see you’re achieving something tangible, rather than reaching for the stars all at once, and ending
up with nothing but air!
E. Kim
 After I left college I worked for years as a secretary and would sit in meetings, not always
agreeing with what was being said, but too scared to speak up. Eventually, I summoned up the
confidence to start making my point. Even so, when I first worked in politics, I’d never spoken in
public before and always used to shake like a leaf. I would say to myself, ‘Don't be so silly.
People do this every day of their lives, so there’s no reason why you can’t.’ I also found it
helpful to jot a few things down to refer to - rather like having a comfort blanket!
I don’t think there is anyone who isn’t a little shaky when it comes to talking publicly. The real
secret of confidence lies in telling yourself over and over again, ‘Nothing is impossible.’
FCE2 TEST 2

WRITING
Part 1. Read the following extract and summarize it in your own words. Your summary
should be between 100 and 120 words.
There are certain things that you have to be British or at least older than me, or possibly both,
to appreciate: really milky tea, allotments, the belief that household wiring is an interesting topic
of conversation, thinking that going to choose wallpaper with your mate constitutes a reasonably
good day out ... There may be one or two others that don't occur to me at the moment.
I'm not saying that these things are bad or boring or misguided, merely that their full value
and appeal yet eludes me. Into this category, I would also tentatively insert Oxford. I have the
greatest respect for the university and its eight hundred years of tireless intellectual toil, but I
must confess that I'm not entirely clear what it's for, now that Britain no longer needs colonial
administrators who can quip in Latin. I mean to say, you see all these dons and scholars striding
past, absorbed in deep discussions about post-Kantian aesthetics and you think: Most impressive,
but perhaps a tad indulgent in a country with three million unemployed and whose last great
invention was cat's-eyes? Only the night before there had been an item on News at Ten in which
Trevor McDonald had joyfully announced that the Samsung Corporation was building a new
factory in Tyneside. Now call me an unreconstructed philistine, but it seems to me - and I offer
this observation in a spirit of friendship - that when a nation's industrial prowess has plunged so
low that it is reliant on Korean firms for its future economic security, then perhaps it is time to
re-address one's educational priorities and maybe give a little thought to what's going to put some
food on the table in about 2010.
Part 2. The tables show population in 2010 and projection for 2100 in some countries.
Write a summary of the information. Select and report the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Population growth in the world

2010 2100 projection

China 1341 India 1551

India 1225 China 941

USA 310 Nigeria 730

Indonesia 240 USA 478

Brazil 195 Tanzania 316

Pakistan 174 Pakistan 261

Nigeria 158 Indonesia 254

Bangladesh 149 Democratic Republic of Congo 212

 Russia 143 Philippines 178

Japan 127 Brazil 177

Part 3. In an essay of about 280-300 words, write an essay answering the question below.
Support your argument with explanations and relevant examples.
Some people think that it is parents who are responsible for teaching children to be good
members of society. However, some people believe that it is the responsibility of schools and
teachers. Whose responsibility do you believe it it?