skills test 5a Units 9&10

Name: .......................................................................................................................................................

Reading
1 Read the text. Match the people 1–4 to the
things they might say a–e. There is one extra
Firhall
sentence.
1 Firhall is a village near Nairn in Scotland. It was
built in 2003 and there are ninety-three homes.
1 David ______ At first sight, it seems like a typical village –
2 Maureen ______ there is very little traffic and no pollution, it
is surrounded by beautiful scenery and it is
3 Harriet ______ peaceful. However, in other ways it is very
4 Barry ______ different: Firhall is Britain’s only child-free village.
a I wanted to get to know some new people. 2 How does it work? Grandchildren and children
b Our grandchildren can come and stay but of friends can stay for limited periods of time
otherwise we prefer not to see children. but families with children cannot live there. And
c I like golf and bowling and there are plenty of there are many other rules to follow. For a start,
places to do them nearby. to own a house there, you must be over forty-five
years old. There is a maximum of three adults per
d We like the fact that it’s clean here because
house, you can’t start car engines between 9 p.m.
there aren’t any kids. and 7 a.m. or hang washing outside and so on.
e The scenery is really wonderful. So why do people choose to live there?
/4
3 People’s reasons for moving there vary. Firhall
2 Read the text again. Write which paragraph 1–5 is certainly not a place for those who are after
contains the answer to each question. nightlife or a lively atmosphere but many of the
Then answer the questions. residents are attracted by the peace and quiet.
1 What is the nearest airport to the village? Marie and David have lived in Firhall for two
years. ‘Children and noise go together,’ says
______________________________________
David. ‘It’s wonderful to sit out and not hear kids
2 What is the maximum number of adults who screaming or banging the fence with a football.
can live in a house in Firhall? And there’s no litter because it tends to be kids
______________________________________ who drop it.’ Maureen Gregson was also attracted
3 Does everyone in Britain agree with the idea of to the idea of a quiet place to live. ‘We came
to make new friends and have a bit of peace,’
having a child-free village?
Maureen explained.
______________________________________
4 Is there a lot to do in the evening in Firhall? 4 Others have moved there for different reasons.
______________________________________ Another resident, Harriet Hollis, said that Firhall’s
beauty attracted her and her husband. ‘You see
5 How many houses are there in the village?
a lot of wildlife. It’s just a lovely place to live,’
______________________________________ she said. Homeowner Barry Edwards said that
6 Can children stay in the village at all? for him the deciding factors were the price of the
______________________________________ house, the local sports facilities and easy access to
Inverness Airport. Other residents like the fact that
/6 there is a strong sense of community.

5 However, some people in the UK believe that

nobody has the right to exclude children from
living in a neighbourhood. They argue that it is
not a good thing to have a village where older
people are separated from the rest of society
and that it could encourage other villages to ban
different sections of society. So far, worries that
other places might set up similar projects have
proved unfounded, so perhaps Firhall will remain
unique.

42 PHOTOCOPIABLE © Pearson Education Limited 2011

Listening
3 6 Listen to the three conversations. Choose
the correct answer.
Conversation 1
1 The conversation is between Sally James and
a someone who works in a bank.
b a person in an estate agent’s.
c a teacher at the school where Sally works.
2 Sally
a owns a house already.
b rents a flat.
c wants to buy a flat with two bedrooms.
Conversation 2
3 Glenda chose the estate agent’s because
a she bought her last house through them.
b some friends recommended them.
c it is near the house where she lives.
4 The estate agent arranges to see Glenda’s
house
a at 5.30 p.m.
b at 6 p.m.
c at 6.30 p.m.
Conversation 3
5 Rachel and her husband
a have rejected the buyer’s latest offer.
b have accepted the buyer’s latest offer.
c are waiting for a possible buyer to make an
offer.
6 The sale … go through.
a definitely won’t
b will definitely
c will probably
/6
4 6 Listen again. Tick (✔) true, cross (✗) false or
write (?) if there is no information.
1 It will take the bank three days to decide if
they will give Sally a mortgage.
2 Glenda’s friends live next door to her in
Green Street.
3 Glenda doesn’t want to negotiate the price
with a buyer.
4 In conversation 3, Paul knows the people
who want to buy Rachel’s house.
/4
© Pearson Education Limited 2011 PHOTOCOPIABLE
Communication
5 Read the article. Then complete the text below
with one word in each gap. The first letter is
given for you.
Czech towns use
cardboard police
Life-size cardboard figures of police officers
have been put by the sides of roads in several
Czech towns in an attempt to slow down drivers
who are speeding. The mayor of the town of
Mrakotin, Miroslav Pozar, said, ‘Many drivers,
including myself, automatically slow down when
they see such officers.’
This 1 a_ _ _ _ _ _ is related to the
2
t_ _ _ _ of safety on the roads. It
3
t_ _ _ _ about an initiative to improve road
safety. It 4 e_ _ _ _ _ _ _ that the authorities are
using cardboard police to try to get people to
drive more slowly. 5 A_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ to this article,
the idea has been successful.
/5
6 Write the question/response you would use
in the following situations. Use the words in
BLOCK CAPITALS.
Units 9&10
1 You want to invite someone to go for a pizza.
FANCY
______________________________________
2 You can’t accept an invitation because you are
busy. KIND/PLANS
______________________________________
3 You want to encourage someone to accept
your invitation. MEAN/CAME
______________________________________
4 You decide to accept an invitation. WHY
______________________________________
5 You decide to accept an invitation. LOVE
______________________________________
/5
skills test 5a
Marks
Reading /10 marks
Listening /10 marks
Communication /10 marks
Total: /30 marks
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