Intermediate Final Test

Reading
Read the text about Calvin Klein and match headings (A–G) with paragraphs 34 to 40.

A Hero or villain?
B A good business partner
C Boxing clever
D Why he’s famous
E Smell of success
F Eye for business
G His big break

Calvin Klein
(1) D Why he’s famous
He’s the man whose name has turned into one of the world’s most recognisable brands – along
with Coke, Pepsi, Kodak and Nike. A great fashion designer, a genius at marketing and a style
pioneer – Klein was the first to launch affordable designer jeans, make underwear for men
fashionable and create the world’s first unisex fragrance range, CK One.

(2) B A good business partner

In 1968, Klein and his childhood friend, Barry Schwartz, launched a line of men’s and women’s
coats. The combination of Klein’s design talents and Schwartz’s business acumen soon attracted
the attention of the fashion world. By the ’70s the line had expanded to include women’s
clothing and a whole ready-to-wear line.

(3) G His big break

With a line of classic, sharp designs in neutral tones, Klein revolutionised the industry with his
minimalist style. In the late ’70s Klein really began to make a name for himself globally when
he introduced designer jeans at an affordable price. In one of the world’s most famous ad
campaigns, teenage model and actress Brooke Shields made it known that: ‘nothing stood in the
way of her and her Calvins.’

(4) C Boxing clever

Building on the fame his jeans had given his name, Klein introduced Calvin Klein underwear in
1982. For the first time ever men’s underwear was perceived as a fashion item – no longer just a
practical product. Calvin Klein made boxer shorts into a sexy style statement – with men
wearing their boxers high and trousers low to show off the Klein brand name round their waist.
Another controversial ad campaign featuring Mark Wahlberg helped make the line a global
success.

(5) E Smell of success

Around the same time Klein launched scents such as Obsession and Eternity. Ever the
revolutionary, he was also the first to release a line of unisex fragrances – CK One. Again Klein
used a series of stylish and sexy ad campaigns to make his fragrances a phenomenal success.

(6) F Eye for business

The success of the designer’s brand can be linked to two strengths: his undeniable fashion talent
but also his ability to promote and position his brand superbly. Klein is undeniably a fashion
visionary but he is also recognised as a marketing genius who has changed the face of
advertising by continuously pushing back the barriers.
(7) A Hero or villain?
Klein was recently voted one of Time magazine’s 25 Most Influential People. When his only
daughter Kelly was kidnapped and he agreed to hand over the money at great risk to his own
safety, he received the admiration of many. However, some people said that she had not really
been kidnapped and that Klein just wanted the publicity.

Read the text about Lance Armstrong, the famous cyclist. Circle true (T) or false (F) for
questions 8 to 14.

NEVER KNOWS WHEN HE’S BEAT

Lance Armstrong is a bicycle hero who succeeded in achieving what many people believed
could never be done.

Only four months before his twenty-fifth birthday, Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with
advanced cancer. The athlete underwent chemotherapy and worked hard to recover from his
illness. In fact, he regained enough strength to continue training rigorously, and became an even
stronger bicyclist than before his diagnosis.

To prove his victory over the disease, Armstrong has won the Tour de France, the most famous
bicycle race in the world, in five consecutive years. His success has brought hope and
inspiration to countless cancer patients around the world. Through his hard work and
unwavering commitment, Lance has demonstrated that with enough determination, no obstacle is
too daunting to be overcome.

Lance has faced similar challenges throughout his life. He wanted to be a football player but
was told he lacked coordination. He decided to try swimming but his swimming skills were so
weak that he was put in a group of younger swimmers. This was very embarrassing but he
wanted to be successful and before long, he was put back in his own age group.

Lance finally made the swimming team and that was a lot of hard work. He had to practise
swimming before and after school every day. His morning workout was from 5:30 am until 7:00
am and to get to the pool he had to ride twenty miles, which meant getting up before sunrise.

Despite all his hard work, Lance only managed fourth in the state in the 1,500 metre freestyle.
So he switched to the triathlon, an event that combines swimming, biking and running. By the
age of fifteen, he was entering triathlons to win money and won so many races that he made
$20,000 in one year. That’s good progress when only five years before he was in a swimming
class with younger swimmers!

When Lance was a teenager he almost got killed while training on his new bike. Lance did not
stop at a red light and got hit by a truck. He wasn’t wearing a helmet and landed on his head. An
ambulance took him to the hospital. He had a concussion and had to have stitches in his head.

In 1996, shortly after his 25th birthday, Lance had to face his biggest challenge. He was
diagnosed with cancer. In order for him to fight this dreadful disease, Lance had to have some
very uncomfortable treatments. The chemotherapy treatments made him weak, caused nausea,
and hair loss. After several months of chemotherapy, the doctors told him that he had beaten the
disease.
Lance worked very hard to regain his strength and was so successful that he decided to enter the
Tour de France. However, teams didn’t want to include him because they didn’t believe that his
cancer was cured. Fortunately, the US Postal team signed him up and he has gone on to win the
Tour de France five times.

Even though doctors told Lance that he probably wouldn’t be able to have a child because of his
disease, four months after he won his first Tour de France, Lance and his wife, Kristin, had a
baby boy, who they named Luke.

(8) Armstrong received strong medical treatment for his illness. T/F
(9) He fully recovered from his medical problems. T/F
(10) In his youth, success came to him easily. T/F
(11) Lance lacked the determination to become a professional swimmer. T/F
(12) As a teenager, he was not allowed to compete professionally. T/F
(13) His accident was nobody’s fault. T/F
(14) He proved cycling teams and medical experts wrong. T/F