Unit 2 The World of Many Test 1

Languages

Part A – Listening

Listen to a text about the English language and complete the sentences.

a. There are 100,000 people who speak English in .

b. The country that claims to have the most English is China.

c. English is the language of 400 million people.

d. Due to advances in computer translation and technology, people can

translate in any language nowadays.

e. Varieties of English have appeared because elements of English are

being combined with vernacular languages.

Listen to some people speak about how they learnt languages and match
the ideas in column A with the speakers in column B.

Column A Column B

a. I learnt this language using the same method that helped me learn
other languages.
1. Noah
b. The idea of mastering a language that could be shared by everyone
2. Alfonso (x2)
appealed to me.
3. Emily
c. I know for a fact that it’s possible to learn a language on your own.
4. Abigail
d. I used something I was enthusiastic about to improve my skills in this
foreign language.
e. This language reminded me of a subject I’m fond of.

Read the text attentively.

Part E
B – Reading
N
G
A1
0T
F
©
Po
rto
Ed
ito
As Ludwig Wittgensein, an Austrian-
E
British philosopher, once said “The limits of my N
G
language mean the limits of my world”. The idea behind A1
0T
F
this is that our understanding of the world is ©
Po
5 intimately linked with our mother tongue. rto
Ed
ito
But what happens when we speak another
language?
 Some researchers and linguists have travelled around the
Unit 2 The World of Many world collecting data to compare divergent language Test 1
Languages systems. What they found out was that when we’re learning
a new language, we’re not simply learning another language, but we are also inadvertently discovering a
new way of thinking.

10 Their findings have also established that in languages in which objects have a gender,
people will typically describe them using different adjectives. For example, Germans would
be more inclined to describe bridges, which have a feminine pronoun in German, as ‘elegant’ or
‘beautiful’, whilst Spanish speakers, who use a masculine pronoun for the same word, would refer to them
as being ‘sturdy’ or ‘strong’. Further evidence of the way language impacts human thought is
15 the way space is referred to. In some aboriginal communities, for instance, the concepts ‘left’
and ‘right’ do not exist. Instead, these concepts are referred to by their relation to the sun.
Instead of saying, “Please, move your plate to the left”, some aborigines would say, “Please, move your
plate southwest”.

Some factors are so subtle that it’s hard to tell to what extent they impact our thoughts. Take the
concept of time as an example. Chinese people view time in terms of ‘over’ and ‘under’. And
20 while most of us think of time as something that can be counted, saved, wasted, and even
lost, for the Hopi, a native American tribe, this would be unthinkable. In fact, they see time
as a never-ending stream, which can’t be broken up into minutes, hours, and days. The phrase “wasting
time” would probably receive the following answer “How can you waste something which never ends?”

Language thus leads to an infinite range of ways to

25 create and transform concepts, which is why translating
is such a difficult task to achieve. However, if we can
use language in such a way as to account for and respect
cultural differences, then there is hope of us bridging the
gaps between cultures and nations.
Adapted from: www.fastcompany.com

Say whether the sentences below are True (T) or False (F). Correct the
false ones.
a.For Ludwig Wittgensein native languages represent boundaries.
b.Experts have gathered information on what common languages share together.
c.The same object can be described in a distinct way depending on the language.
d.Cardinal directions are no longer used by aborigines for spatial orientation.
e.For Chinese people, the concept of time seems to be linked to place and movement.

Answer the following questions about the text.

a. Mention three ways in which languages can impact human thought.
b. Why don’t the Hopi tribe understand the expression “wasting time”?
c. Do you agree that a language can bridge the gaps between different nations? Justify.

Find synonyms for the following words or expressions in the text.

a. without knowing (paragraph 2)
d. eternal (paragraph 4)
b. robust (paragraph 3)
e. reducing the differences (paragraph 5)
c. indigenous (paragraph 3)
 Unit 2 The World of Many Test 1
Languages
Part C – Use of English
lan
gu
Complete the sentences with a word in the box. There is ag
one extra word. e.
a. The first language you learn is also known as your language.
b. A / An language means the same as lingua franca.
c. You can learn several languages at my school. * official
d. A / An language is a language used in government documents. * first
* native
e. A is a variation of a language which is peculiar to a specific
* second
region or social group. * foreign
f. Migrants’ children usually have to learn a language. * dialect
* global

Spot and correct the mistake(s) in each sentence.

a. I don’t understand what you mean. You seem to be eating your words when you
speak.
b. I can’t believe you are moving to another country! I’m in search for words.
c. Could you please speak in pure English so that I can understand you?
d. It comes without saying that you only learn a language if you practise hard!
e. Gary has never learnt Portuguese at school. Listening to us must be like Chinese to
him.
f. Sam and Terry get along so well! They really talk the same

Complete the sentences with the correct verb forms.

a. I’d like to start (study) a new foreign language. Then I would be a true polyglot!
b. Our teacher made us (learn) 20 new words this week.
E
N c. John said he doesn’t mind (watch) the film again with us. He really enjoyed it!
G
A1
0T
F
d. Craig offered (help) me with my German homework. He has lived in Berlin for a year.
©
Po
rto
e. You’d better (not miss) another lesson or you won’t get a good mark.
Ed
ito f. Mike insisted on (take) me to the bookshop to help him buy a book for Jane.

Circle the correct answer. E

N
G
A1
a. Do you remember to play / playing outside all Saturday afternoon when we were younger? 0T
F
©
b. Do you think Thomas will remember to bring / bringing my smartwatch? I really need it! Po
rt
o
c. We stopped to buy / buying a cookbook for our mum on the way home. It was her birthday. Ed

d.He stopped to speak / speaking because the music was too loud and I couldn’t hear him.
e.Lucas regrets to tell / telling his sister about his decision to go abroad next year.
f.I regret to tell / telling you that you haven’t been selected for the interview.

Complete the sentences with a modal verb. You cannot repeat it.
a.When I was younger I
b.You
c.I
 d.She speaks Italian perfectly. She
e. Unit 2 The World of Many you help me with this exercise? I’m not very good at Test 1
Languages grammar.
f.He

Rewrite the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first. Use
the words in brackets.
a.I’m sure Lisa is home watching the latest episode of her favourite series.
Lisa . (be)
b.It’s forbidden to chew gum at the cinema.
You . (not)
c.He can speak several dialects.
He . (able)
d.Learning a foreign language is difficult for some people.
It . (easy)
e.Would you like to watch a documentary on endangered languages?
Are you interested ? (in)
f.I’m not certain he is from Scotland as his accent sounds Welsh.
He . (not)

Part D – Writing

Write a text (150-180 words) on ONE of the following topics.

1. Imagine you were offered a scholarship to study abroad next year. Write an email to the
headmaster of your school explaining the reasons why you would or wouldn’t accept it.
or
2.Write a review about a movie or series you would or wouldn’t recommend for someone your age.
 Assessment criteria · Listening script · Answer keys

Os critérios de classificação são organizados por níveis de desempenho, a que correspondem cotações fixas, expressas
obrigatoriamente em números inteiros. Para a generalidade dos itens, são considerados três níveis (N3, N2 e N1); para alguns itens são
considerados cinco níveis (N5, N4, N3, N2 e N1); para a tarefa final são considerados cinco níveis em cada parâmetro – competência
pragmática e competência linguística (N5, N4, N3, N2 e N1). Os níveis intercalares de cotação, que não se encontram descritos, visam
enquadrar as respostas que não correspondam exatamente aos outros níveis. Qualquer resposta que apresente um desempenho inferior
ao mais baixo que se encontra descrito deverá ser classificada com zero pontos.
Nos itens de resposta aberta, será atribuída a cotação zero a respostas que não correspondam ao solicitado, independentemente da
qualidade linguística do texto produzido.
Nos itens de resposta aberta, sempre que o aluno apresente mais do que uma resposta para o mesmo item, apenas a primeira será
classificada. Nos itens de resposta fechada, se o aluno fornecer mais respostas do que as pedidas, será atribuída a cotação zero.

Critérios gerais de classificação

Listening script
Listening script 1
English is spoken by millions of people worldwide and it is still regarded as a passport to success, but do the development of translation technology and
“hybrid” languages threaten its status as a widely recognised global language? Surprisingly, there are 100,000 people who speak English in India.
China boasts that it has over 350 million speakers of English, making it the country with the highest number of English speakers. There are probably
more people in China who speak English as a second language than there are Americans who speak it as their first.
For how much longer will English qualify as the “world's favourite language”? The World Economic Forum estimates that about 1.5 billion people around
the world speak it, but fewer than 400 million do so as their first language. However, for the moment, English continues to be the world's favourite
lingua franca. Imagine, for example, that a Chinese speaker who speaks no French is chatting with a French speaker who speaks no Chinese.
Chances are that they will use English. This would have been true 5 years ago, but today things have changed. Thanks to advances in computer
translation and voice-recognition technology, they can each speak their own language, and hear what the other is saying through a machine
translation that is carried out in real time. Another example is the very text that you are currently reading. With a couple of clicks on your computer,
you could easily be reading it in German or Japanese.
However, this is not the only challenge English is facing. Because so many people speak it as their second or third language, hybrid forms of the
language are rapidly spreading, combining elements of “standard” English with vernacular languages. In India alone, you can find Hinglish (Hindi-
English) or Benglish (Bengali– English) for example, and in the US, many Hispanic Americans speak Spanglish, combining elements of English and
Spanish.
Therefore, as a result of computerised translation technology, the spread of hybrid languages and the rise of English as a second language in Asian
countries represent real challenges to the English language. It is still possible that the language will not disappear but simply lose some of its status
over the coming decades. So, let’s hope that the future of English as a lingua franca continues in the years to come.
Adapted from: www.bbc.com

Listening script 2
Noah, Canada – My Japanese is 100% self-taught because I couldn’t find a language school that offered a Japanese course. So, what I started off by
doing was to buy a dictionary and some grammar books. A year later, I began watching anime with translated scripts. Now that seven years have
gone by, I can understand spoken Japanese very well and read kanji although my fluency is nowhere near perfect.
Alfonso, Argentina – I learned Esperanto because I heard that someone had created a universal language that could be spoken no matter where you
were in the world. I took the whole thing very seriously and started to study it with the help of the book Step by Step in Esperanto and I just fell in
love with its order and logic, perhaps because it reminds me of the language of Mathematics. I also purchased an English – Esperanto dictionary
and, believe it or not, within a month I was confident enough to start reading a novel in Esperanto. One of my friends advised me to watch some
videos and begin practising saying the words aloud. Six months later, I went to an Esperanto society convention and am pleased to say that I had no
difficulty in speaking and understanding the language.
Emily, Scotland – I started learning Finnish pretty much the same way I learned French, Spanish and Portuguese. So, basically everything was done
online. I found some spoken and written texts, audiobooks, movies and most importantly people to speak to through an online app. However, I must
admit that I also bought some books, which were very handy as they had illustrated vocabulary and some grammar rules.
Abigail, Norway – I’ll tell you what I did to teach myself German. Besides using language apps, like Study Chat and Duolingo, I took advantage of my
passion for music. I found some cool radio stations and began listening to German music, and this really got my brain used to the way the language
sounded. I also went to German websites and started reading the headlines. After a while, I was reading very small texts and, every time I didn’t
understand something, I always looked the word up in an online dictionary. This worked for me and now I’m glad to say that I can have a reasonable
conversation in German.

Critérios específicos de classificação

2. N3 Liga corretamente as 5 ideias aos respetivos 15
falantes.Chave: a. 3; b. 2; c. 1; d. 4; e. 2.
1. N3 Completa as frases com as 5 palavras corretas.Chave: 15 N2 Liga corretamente 3 ou 4 ideias aos respetivos falantes. 6-12
a. India; b. speakers; c. first or native; d. voice-recognition; e. N1 Liga corretamente 1 ou 2 ideias aos respetivos falantes. 3
standard.
E
N N2 Completa corretamente 2-4 frases. 6-12
G
A1 N1 Completa apenas 1 frase com a palavra correta. 3 2. N3 Responde às 3 perguntas com correção linguística e de acordo 30
0T com a informação do texto. Pode escrever com incorreções
F
© 1. N3 Indica corretamente 4 ou 5 frases verdadeiras e 16-20 de grafia e de pontuação não impeditivas da
Po compreensão.Chave: a. Languages can impact human thought
rt falsas.Chave: a. T; b. F – Some researchers and linguists have
o (…) collecting data to compare divergent language systems.; c. T; through the concept of gender, the way space is referred to or
Ed
d. F – The concepts of left and right are referred to by their the concept of time.; b. Because they consider time to be never
relationship to the sun.; e. T. ending, and you can’t waste somethingwhich is limitless.; c.
N2 Indica corretamente 2 ou 3 frases. 8-12 Personal answer.
N1 Indica apenas 1 frase correta. 4 N2 Responde a 2 perguntas com correção linguística e de acordo 20
com a informação do texto. Pode escrever com incorreções
de grafia e de pontuação não impeditivas da compreensão.
N1 Responde a 1 pergunta com correção linguística e de acordo 10
com a informação do texto. Pode escrever com incorreções
de grafia e de pontuação não impeditivas da compreensão.
Assessment criteria · Listening script · Answer keys
3. N Identifica os sinónimos adequados para as 5 palavras.
3 Chave: a. inadvertently; b. sturdy; c. aboriginal; d.
never-ending; e. bridging the gaps.
N2 Identifica os sinónimos adequados para 3 ou 4 palavras. 6-8
N1 Identifica os sinónimos adequados para 1 ou 2 palavras. 2-4
Vocabulary
1. N Completa as frases com 5 ou 6 palavras corretas.
3 Chave: a. native; b. global; c. foreign; d. official; e.
dialect; f. second.
N2 Completa as frases com 3 ou 4 palavras corretas.
N1 Completa as frases com 1 ou 2 palavras corretas.
2. N Identifica e corrige os 5 ou 6 erros nas expressões
3 idiomáticas.
Chave: a. to be mincing your words; b. I’m at a loss for
words.;
c. Could you please speak in plain English…; d. It goes
without saying…;
e. Listening to us must be like Greek to him.; f. They
really speak the same language.
N2 Identifica e corrige 3 ou 4 erros nas expressões
idiomáticas.
N1 Identifica e corrige 1 ou 2 erros nas expressões
idiomáticas.
Grammar
1. N Completa os 6 espaços com a forma verbal correta.
3 Pode escrever com incorreções de grafia que não
impliquem competência gramatical.
Chave: a. studying; b. learn; c. watching; d. to help; e.
not miss; f. taking.
N2 Completa corretamente 3-5 espaços com correção
linguística.
N1 Completa apenas 1 ou 2 espaços com correção
linguística. Erra ou omite as outras frases.
2. N Seleciona as 6 opções corretas.
3 Chave: a. playing; b. to bring; c. to buy; d. speaking; e.
telling; f. to tell.
N2 Seleciona 3 ou 4 opções corretas.
N1 Seleciona 1 ou 2 opções corretas.
3. N Completa corretamente os 6 espaços com o modal verb 12
3 na forma correta.
Chave: a. could; b. should; c. might / may; d. must; e.
Will; f. can.
N2 Completa corretamente 2-5 espaços.
N1 Completa corretamente 1 espaço.
4. N3 Reescreve corretamente as 6 frases respeitando os
constrangimentos impostos. Pode escrever com
incorreções de grafia e de pontuação não impeditivas
da compreensão.Chave: a. Lisa must be home
watching the latest episode of her favourite series.; b.
You mustn’t / can’t chew gum at the cinema.; c. He is
able to speak several dialects.; d. It isn’t easy for
some people to learn a foreign language.; e. Are you
interested in watching a documentary on endangered
languages?; f. He might not be from Scotland as his
accentsounds Welsh.
N2 Reescreve corretamente 2-5 frases respeitando os
constrangimentos impostos.
N1 Reescreve corretamente apenas 1 frase respeitando 3
os constrangimentos impostos. Erra ou omite as *situando-se
restantes frases.
COMPETÊNCIA PRAGMÁTICA
10 E
1. N5 Escreve um texto, fornecendo vários argumentos 30 N
G
relativamente a um dos temas propostos, respeitando A1
0T
as instruções dadas, fornecendo pormenores e F
destacando aspetos relevantes. Utiliza um número ©
Po
ainda limitado de mecanismos de coesão, mas articula rt
as ideias de forma adequada num texto organizado, o
Ed
claro e coerente. Respeita os limites de palavras
indicados.
N4 24
5-6 N3 Escreve um texto simples, fornecendo alguns 18
argumentos relativamente a um dos temas propostos,
respeitando as instruções dadas e destacando alguns
3-4 aspetos relevantes. Utiliza, ainda que de forma muito
1-2 incipiente, alguns conectores simples, articulando as
ideias num texto coeso embora ainda constituído por
5-6 uma sequência linear de informações. Pode não
respeitar os limites de palavras indicados.
N2 12
N1 Escreve um texto simples, abordando o tema de forma 6
genérica e recorrendo a repetições e pormenores
pouco relevantes. Utiliza conectores simples para ligar
frases elementares, mas estrutura deficientemente o
texto. Pode não respeitar os limites de palavras
3-4 indicados.
1-2 COMPETÊNCIA LINGUÍSTICA*
1. N5 Escreve um texto razoavelmente elaborado, utilizando 20
recursos linguísticos adequados que lhe permitem
argumentar de forma convincente. Pode ainda revelar
12 alguma influência da língua materna. Utiliza
vocabulário suficiente para se exprimir, podendo suprir
algumas lacunas com a ajuda de circunlocuções.
Revela geralmente bom domínio do vocabulário. Pode
ocorrer alguma confusão e escolha incorreta de
palavras. Revela geralmente bom domínio das
6- estruturas e formas gramaticais, não cometendo erros
10
gramaticais que possam causar incompreensão. A
2-4 pontuação e a ortografia são suficientemente precisas
para não afetarem a inteligibilidade do texto.
N4 16
6
N3 Escreve um texto simples, utilizando recursos 12
linguísticos adequados ao que pretende transmitir.
Pode ainda revelar alguma influência da língua
3-4
materna. Utiliza vocabulário pouco variado, mas
1-2 suficiente para se exprimir com a ajuda de
circunlocuções. Revela bom domínio do vocabulário
elementar, cometendo erros graves apenas quando
exprime um pensamento mais complexo. Utiliza, com
correção, estruturas simples, não cometendo erros
gramaticais elementares de forma sistemática. A
4-10
ortografia é suficientemente precisa para não afetar a
2 inteligibilidade do texto. A pontuação é, de um modo
geral, adequada.
18
N2 8
N1 Escreve um texto muito elementar, abordando o tema 4
proposto de forma muito genérica, com recurso a
repetições e aspetos pouco relevantes. Usa
conectores simples na ligação de frases elementares,
mas estrutura o texto de forma deficiente. Utiliza
vocabulário elementar suficiente para se exprimir com
a ajuda de circunlocuções. Utiliza, com correção,
estruturas simples, mas ainda comete alguns erros
gramaticais elementares de forma sistemática, sem
6-15 que isso impeça a compreensão global da mensagem.
A pontuação nem sempre é adequada. Pode não
respeitar o limite de palavras indicado.
A competência linguística só será avaliada se o aluno tiver tratado o tema proposto,
o seu texto, pelo menos, no nível 1 da competência pragmática.