Life Vision Poland Upper-Intermediate Unit Test 1 A

A Grammar: Past perfect simple and past perfect continuous

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the word in brackets.
1 I _________________________ (stay) with friends in Hollywood for a month when an
agent asked me to audition for a film.
2 When we got to the station, the train _________________________ (already / leave).
3 The cameraman was tired because he _________________________ (film) through the
night.
4 I _________________________ (never / try / skiing) before, but I loved it from the start.
5 When did you realise _________________________ (you / lose) your house keys?
6 The film was so popular that by the end of the month our local cinema
_________________________ (show) it over fifty times.
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B Grammar: Used to, would, be / get used to

Read the sentences and choose the correct answer.
I 1 really shy, but joining a singing group has really changed that. When I was a teenager,
I 2 to the radio in my room for hours, singing along. I 3 the words to almost every song
on the radio – although of course I can’t remember them now! But I could never sing in
front of people. If anyone asked me to sing, I 4 so nervous that I could hardly speak. That
all changed when a friend persuaded me to go along to a new group that was starting at
college. She 5 an advert, and she was really keen to go, but she didn’t want to go by
herself. I said I’d go with her, but I was planning just to watch. That all changed when they
started singing and I 6 how happy they looked. I couldn’t stay quiet, and I’ve never
looked back since!

1 A ☐ would be B ☐ had been being C ☐ used to be

2 A ☐ had been listening B ☐ would listen C ☐ had listened
3 A ☐ used to know B ☐ had known C ☐ would know
4 A ☐ had been getting B ☐ had got C ☐ would get
5 A ☐ had seen B ☐ used to see C ☐ would see
6 A ☐ used to see B ☐ saw C ☐ had been seeing
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© Oxford University Press Life Vision Poland Intermediate plus • Progress Test 3-5 A 1
C Vocabulary: Understanding topic vocabulary
Read the sentences and choose the correct answer.
1 I always arrive late because I’m at following directions.
A ☐ hopeless B ☐ inspired C☐ fulfilled
2 She her dream to be an artist when she won the art competition.
A ☐ fulfilled B ☐ picked C☐ made
3 Winning several short story competitions really his confidence.
A ☐ overcame B ☐ boosted C☐ gained
4 My science teacher at primary school me to study astrophysics.
A ☐ focused B ☐ inspired C☐ mastered
5 I knew hardly any Spanish when I went to Spain, but I soon up the basics.
A ☐ took B ☐ made C☐ picked
6 My brother is very patient and has the to be a brilliant teacher.
A ☐ potential B ☐ possibility C☐ prospect
7 I’ve got exams soon so I’m planning to my attention on studying.
A ☐ master B ☐ inspire C☐ focus
8 They’ve discussed their plans and now it’s time to their theory into practice.
A ☐ fulfil B ☐ put C☐ try
9 If you work in a shop, you will experience dealing with customers.
A ☐ pick B ☐ add C☐ gain
10 My friend to learn ancient Greek, but it was so difficult he soon gave up.
A ☐ attempted B ☐ focused C☐ boosted
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D Vocabulary: Understanding topic vocabulary

Choose the correct words from the box to complete the sentences. There are two words you do
not need to use.

adolescence adulthood age arithmetic distraction generation information

language names retirement teens vocabulary

1 My grandparents got married in their late which seems so young to me.

2 I’d love to live abroad one day as it would be so much easier to acquire a second .
3 I enjoy talking to the older and finding out what life was like before mobile phones.
4 My sister’s always been good at mental whereas I always use a calculator.
5 Lots of people decide to change their lives significantly in middle .
6 You can build up quite an extensive in any language if you read a lot.
7 It’s generally considered that young people reach at around eighteen.
8 My grandparents aren’t interested in because they both love their jobs.
9 It’s easier to absorb about most subjects when you are a child.
10 can be a difficult time for many teenagers because their lives are changing.

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© Oxford University Press Life Vision Poland Intermediate plus • Progress Test 3-5 A 2
E Listening: Using key words to identify the main point
Listen to an interview with a literary critic talking about the novel The Hate U Give by Angie
Thomas and complete the sentences with words from the text. Write one or two words only.
1 Sam Green thinks The Hate U Give is a well-written and powerful novel which is both
political and .
2 The main character comes from a poor neighbourhood, but she is educated at a .
3 In the novel, the author explores the effects of racism amongst the people
of today.
4 The novel includes general themes such as the role of community and the experience of
a .
5 Angie Thomas originally wrote a exploring these themes, and this became the
novel The Hate U Give.
6 The Hate U Give was the author’s first .
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F Reading: Understanding new words and phrases

Read the text and choose the correct answer.
Robot wars, gender wars?
The idea of ‘thinking machines’ is not new. Long before innovations in technology made
today’s robots possible, ancient cultures were exploring ideas about artificial life through
their myths. Ancient Greek poets told stories of Talos – a metal man created to protect
the island of Crete by throwing stones at invading armies. Another mythical character
used gold to create a set of servants which looked like women, and were able to move
themselves. It could be argued that both of these were early versions of artificial
intelligence.
Over 2,000 years later, machines with human and animal characteristics are playing a
greater and greater part in our lives. At the same time, our interactions and relationships
with them are becoming more and more complex. When Sony announced in 2014 that
they would no longer offer repairs for their Aibo robotic dogs, some people in Japan were
devastated. They didn’t want to dispose of their broken robots in the same way as other
old machines. They were so passionate about their electronic ‘pets’ that they wanted to
hold funerals for them!
A scientist in the USA has carried out research on why people become attached to
machines. When she tried to encourage people to be mean to some robotic dinosaurs,
she found that most people either struggled or refused to do it. Her theory is that, if a
machine moves in a realistic, life-like way, we start to relate to it and see it as human.
This view certainly seems to be reflected in the increasing number of friendly-looking
humanoid robots on the market.
It’s one thing for people to have feelings towards robots. But some robots on the market
are being programmed to understand human emotions too. This is done by playing them
videos of people talking nonsense – first angrily and then happily. They learn to
recognise the voice patterns of each emotion rather than the actual words and meaning.
But at what point does attachment to machines turn to disappointment or suspicion? As
robots and humans become more emotionally involved, robots have found themselves
more likely to be the subjects of human expectations and judgements. The controversial
subject of gender inequality is already becoming an issue in artificial intelligence. Rather
than providing an opportunity to break down traditional gender stereotypes, some
commentators have noted that robots are often given physical features or voices that
reinforce negative stereotypes – for example, ‘explorer’ robots are often ‘male’, whereas
robots in the service industry are often ‘female’.

© Oxford University Press Life Vision Poland Intermediate plus • Progress Test 3-5 A 3
 1 What is another word for artificial in paragraph 1?
A ☐ imaginative
B ☐ suspicious
C ☐ fake

2 What is the meaning of devastated in paragraph 2?

A ☐ shocked and extremely upset
B ☐ upset and very offended
C ☐ sad and without hope

3 What is the meaning of attached to in paragraph 3?

A ☐ the feeling of being close to something
B ☐ the sense of being trapped by something
C ☐ the idea of being controlled by something

4 What is the meaning of nonsense in paragraph 4?

A ☐ popular views
B ☐ strong emotions
C ☐ silly ideas

5 What is the meaning of stereotypes in paragraph 5?

A ☐ accurate descriptions
B ☐ generalised views
C ☐ original opinions

6 What is the meaning of commentators in paragraph 5?

A ☐ critics
B ☐ inventors
C ☐ customers
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© Oxford University Press Life Vision Poland Intermediate plus • Progress Test 3-5 A 4
G Speaking: A role-play
Imagine the following situation. You are a shop assistant talking to a customer about items he / she is
buying. During your conversation
• Give your opinion of what the other person is buying
• Make a negative comment and then apologise for your phrasing
• Continue with what you are saying
• Clarify your meaning
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H Writing: an article
You have 25 minutes to write an essay for a competition. Write at least 120 words.

Articles wanted
Some people think that artists can never be good at science and scientists can never succeed in the arts.

Write an article which describes your own experience of this and expresses your own opinion.

The best essay will win a prize!

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I Writing: Mediation
Read the extract. Write a short monologue directed at a parent or teacher detailing why you think you
should take a gap year. Write at least six sentences. Include facts about:
• how popular gaps years are
• how you would fund your own
• why universities support gap years
• statistical evidence to show how a gap year can benefit a young person.
Bridging the gap
If you’re thinking about taking a gap year before you head to university, you’re not the
only one. In fact, you’re part of a very definite upward trend. In 2018, it was estimated
that over 230,000 students aged 18–25 took a gap year. Of course, there are many
different reasons why they might have made this choice. Two of the most common are to
earn some money before studying – particularly in the light of increasing tuition fees –
and to travel.
Of course, there will always be those who consider a gap year an expensive luxury. But
you don’t have to spend a fortune, even if you travel. More and more gap-year students
combine travel with volunteering, doing internships or doing paid work. The new skills
they acquire and the experience they gain in terms of both specific work skills and
general life skills can really make a difference, and most universities, as well as
employers, see this as very positive.
If you need to convince your parents about the benefits of taking a gap year, you could
give them some more statistics. They may be reassured to know that 90% of students
who take a gap year do go on to study at university on their return. And around two
thirds of those say they took their academic work more seriously after their gap year.

© Oxford University Press Life Vision Poland Intermediate plus • Progress Test 3-5 A 5
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© Oxford University Press Life Vision Poland Intermediate plus • Progress Test 3-5 A 6