PART ONE: LISTENING COMPREHENSION ACERT MOCK EXAM – C1 II version

PART ONE: LISTENING COMPREHENSION (20 POINTS)

I You will hear five short extracts in which people are talking about a business they have started. For TASK 1, choose
from the list A-H the reason each speaker gives for setting up their business, and for TASK 2, choose from the list I-P
how each speaker feels about their future business. While you listen, you must complete both tasks. You will listen
to the recording twice. (10 points)

TASK 1

A the access to cheap materials

B the next to nothing set-up cost

C the rise in popularity of a product

D a commitment to help others

E to supply a quality product

F a commitment to help the environment

G a gap in the market for a service

H a potential business proposed by somebody

Speaker
1
Speaker
2
Speaker
3
Speaker
4
Speaker
5

TASK 2

I hopeful that more people will get creative

B pride in what the business has achieved

C excited by the chance to use his skills

D confident that the business will do well

E cautiously optimistic about the business growth

F assured that a new service would be welcomed

G pleased to be able to meet demand

H surprised that the business has grown so quickly

Speaker
 1
Speaker
2
Speaker
3
Speaker
4
Speaker
5

II You will hear part of a radio programme in which two people, Sally White-and Martin Jones, are discussing the
popularity of audio books. For questions 1-10 choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you
hear. You will hear the recording twice. Write your answers in the table provided .(10 points)

1. Sally’s job involves

A adjusting the content of the book.

B recording the audio version of the book.

C translating the book.

D checking the book before publishing.

2. According to Sally, people turn to audio book because

A they dislike reading paper books.

B listening replaces boring tasks.

C books help them relax.

D paper books are not easily available any more.

3. The interviewer thinks that listening to audio books

A will encourage children to read more.

B will cause the disappearance of paper books.

C will make the children go to sleep earlier.

D will put children off reading.

4. Sally feels that the main advantage of audio books is that they

A encourage children to take up new interests.

B make more books accessible to children.

C save parents from having to read to children.

D are read by experienced actors.

5. What does Martin say about the woman who came into his shop?

A She no longer worries about long journeys.

B Her children used to argue about what to listen to.

C She no longer takes her children to France.

D Her children don't like staying in hotels.

6. Martin says that in the USA there is a demand for audio books because people there

A were the first to obtain audio books.

B have to drive long distances.

C are used to listening to the spoken word on the radio.

D feel that they do not have time to read books.

7. Sally says that authors may record their own books on tape if

A their book has just been published.

B they want it read a certain way.

C they have already read extracts from it aloud.

D there are no suitable actors available.

8. According to Sally, successful abridgements depend on

A their closeness to the original.

B the length of the original.

C the style of the author.

D the type of story.

9. Sally reckons that books written with less detail

A are less complicated to work with.

B require more effort on her part.

C are neither more difficult nor easier to adapt.

D are the ones that she prefers.

10. Martin feels that unabridged versions

A are better than abridgements.

B can be too expensive.

C contain too much detail.

D are becoming more popular.

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PART TWO: READING COMPREHENSION (20 POINTS)

I. You are going to read an article about management training. For questions 1-13, choose from the four courses (A-
D) The courses may be chosen more than once. Write the correct letter A, B, C or D in the table provided.( 13 points)

Which course mentions the following?

1. Participants are involved in energetic physical activity.

2. Participants are asked to outline their training goals in advance.
3. Participants travel to several different locations as part of the training.
4. Participants receive input from different kinds of experts.
5. Participants are surprised to discover skills they did not know they possessed.
6. Participants are taught how to relate physical signs to feelings.
7. A link is made between relaxation and original thinking.
8. There is emphasis on the importance of patience.
9. Participants learn to concentrate on the most important aspects of a situation.
10. Participants are helped to deal with their weaknesses.
11. Participants are trained to respond imaginatively to unexpected events.
12. The learning process alternates between practical activities and problem-solving.
13. There is an opportunity to work individually and as part of a group.

Training for Business

Lawyers and banks use them, alternative training courses can't be all that daft, can they? EMMA DE VITA finds out
about four courses on offer and invites you to decide for yourself.

A COURSE 1 SHEEPDOGS

Expert sheepdog handler Barbara Sykes offers business executives the chance to spend a day learning how to "think
like a canine'. She explains: You'd be surprised at the similarities between the workplace and a group of dogs acting as
a pack the hierarchies, the team bonding. Sykes's aim is that by the end of the day, participants will-like her dogs be
able to read the body language of their colleagues. The idea is to develop self-learning an facilitate team-working. The
dogs are the teachers', she says. But I have to warn you, it's quite strenuous. You and your colleagues spend a day on a
farm working with sheep, trying to imitate the skills of the dogs. You learn how your body movements affect the
animals. If in your mind you're unsure of what you're doing, the animals pick up on it. Similarly, if you go into the
boardroom and feel unsure, your body sends that message out. Your mind and body must work together'. Each
participant learns how to bring the sheep under control by himself, then the participants are formed into a team and
given the task of moving the flock across the fields and into the farmyard.

B COURSE 2 COMEDY

‘Comedy provides a powerful model for developing a range of qualities crucial for business and management:
confidence, communication, teamwork and creativity’, says trainer Gerry Thompson. He uses improvisation or
invention to help his clients break down the barriers to their creativity. 'I've discovered improvisation is a powerful
thing if you know how to use it. It can show you how to deal with things that suddenly happen, that come out of the
blue, and it shows people their possibilities.' Some people may feel uncomfortable at the idea of clowning around in
front of their colleagues, but Thompson gives guidance on the appropriate use of humour in the office. Participants
start with a physical warm-up. 'I've devised exercises, nothing too demanding, which help people unwind - to
encourage creativity.' Then participants are taken through simple exercises like those used in the theatre. These
encourage people to express themselves, and work towards humour in an indirect way. People often astonish
themselves by improvising their own comedy sketch on stage. "There isn't any pressure to be funny'; Thompson
reassures participants who may feel inhibited. "The exercises are gently progressive. I never put people in an
embarrassing situation. They gradually find themselves doing things they didn't think possible, and learn that if they
challenge themselves, they will overcome their deficiencies. It builds up confidence'.

C COURSE 3 WAR

The mission of this course is 'to deliver management development programmes, employing battlefield studies as the
medium'. Business has long used the military as a source of inspiration, but what distinguishes this course, says
director Ian Blackwell, 'is the enriching and moving experience participants receive from visiting the scenes of past
battles.' Managers are invited to deal with the scenarios that the officers faced. They have to make life-or- death
decisions. 'We provide a fast-paced management workshop, where issues are more black-and-white than the corporate
world, but which help people to focus on essentials.'

Participants can practise decision-making skills as though they were exposed to the risk-taking scenario of a battle,'
explains Blackwell. 'But there's no physical engagement - the approach is intellectual. The tour of battlefields, for
example, involves a three-day visit of strategic battle sites combined with presentations from military historians, who
recount the events of the battle. This is interspersed with discussions led by business consultants, who help
participants apply military wisdom to their own situation. 'Let's not forget - running a business is like waging a war,'
says Blackwell.

D COURSE 4 BREADMAKING

'Instead of training participants to climb mountains or find their way through forests,' says the course literature, 'this
method of training strengthens business teams to meet the demands of corporate life by using bread-making and
business-focused action learning.' Baker Andrew Whitley uses his bread-making courses to teach executives
collaborative respect and the value of taking things calmly, not rushing. The focus is on the positive, and there's no
room for rivalry in his course. Business results are achieved through camaraderie and enjoyment. Says Whitley: ‘The
process of baking is good fun, and tension-relieving.'
A questionnaire is sent out to the group group of participants, who agree on a list of objectives. The two-day course
starts in the bakery. 'We get straight into the first loaf t of bread. It's both practical and symbolic, and it breaks the ice,
explains Whitley. After an hour of bread-making, the participants attend a session in the conference room with
professional coaches, who discuss the group's objectives. Throughout the day, bread-making is interspersed with
management sessions in which the main problems of work-related issues are identified and action points voted on. But
the crunch comes at the end of the course when the bakers taste their wares, which apparently often reflect the
baker's interpersonal skills. Would you want the creator of a burnt, misshapen loaf on your team?

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II. Read the magazine article and decide if statements 1-7 below are true (T), false (F) or the information is not
given (NG). Write your answers in the table provided. (7 points)
1. People with a growth mindset can, when necessary, adjust their way of thinking, or of doing things.
2. People who have a fixed mindset typically do not change their behaviour or adapt.
3. The most common type of mindset in the workplace is a fixed one.
4. It is poor business practice to expect employees to accept workplace changes without question or proper
managerial support.
5. Our inclination to learn increases when we remain in the same job or with the same company for an extended
period.
6. We can cultivate greater flexibility by paying attention to how we feel in the face of challenges, and how we respond
to them.
7. If your job is threatened by new technology, it doesn't matter whether your mindset is flexible or fixed; the outcome
will be the same.
Can we learn to be flexible?

Experts believe workers' ability to adapt is crucial to their survival in the tech age.

As technology recasts entire industries and jobs are transformed - or eliminated - by automation and artificial
intelligence, it is almost impossible to predict the skills we will need in the future. One talent that experts believe is
worth honing, however, is the ability to adapt.

Fixed or fluid?

Aneeta Rattan, assistant professor of organisational behaviour at London Business School, studies 'growth mindsets' -
an area of research forged by Carol Dweck, the social psychologist and author of Mindset: The New Psychology of
Success. This means that ability and talent are not fixed at birth but developed over time, and with practice. Those who
believe their intelligence is innate and fixed tend to act defensively, validating their status, swerving challenges in case
they reveal flaws. Satya Nadella, chief executive of Microsoft, credits Prof Dweck with transforming his approach to
working life.

'People's beliefs about their ability to change and about other people's ability to change shapes outcomes,' says Prof
Rattan. 'If you believe you can't change, you are less likely to put in effort to change, she says. 'When experiencing
challenges, people with a fixed mindset think: "This is uncomfortable, I'm walking away." They end up learning less,
which sets people up for self-fulfilling prophecies. By explaining the mindset concept, and rewarding the process of
learning rather than simply the outcome, employees can change.

When we struggle to succeed, we need to evaluate why, figure out strategies to change our behaviour. If someone is
leading a team, and the project has not gone well, the idea of a growth mindset is not about ignoring failure, saying:
"Our team failed, where did we go wrong and ere could we have done better?" The approach must be to interrogate
that failure. Most workers are motivated to succeed, she ads - so employers need not worry that staff will relax and
repeat their failure.

Beware bad management

But flexibility can be a trap - and an excuse for bad management. For some employers, the concept is shorthand for
forcing workers into accepting unfavourable conditions. René Durazzo, an executive coach, says this often arises 'when
executives on supervisors want to make changes and expect employees to go along. Staff can be branded inflexible if
they resist managerial changes, says Mr Durazzo. 'But the real problem is how executives are presenting and managing
the change. What might look like a staff flexibility problem is really a change management problem. An effective
manager has the skills to bring out the employee’s willingness to be open, he adds. The challenge is to become
'capable of becoming genuinely open and curious about how a different way of thinking or acting might be worth
exploring and adopting. In other words, ask lots of questions. If managers are unwilling to cultivate these qualities

themselves, says Mr Durazzo, they cannot expect employees to do the same. They must invest 'time and energy to
establish trusting and supportive relationships with staff. Without this foundation, employees will meet requests for
flexibility with cynicism.
Learning to be flexible

Can anyone learn to be flexible? Bradley Staats, author of Never Stop Learning: Stay Relevant, Reinvent Yourself, and
Thrive says everyone can at least develop flexibility. 'Learning is a kind of behaviour. We can change our behaviour, and
everyone can develop. Is there a higher potential for development for some than others? The answer is probably. The
longer people stay in an organisation or field, the more likely they are to lose their sense of curiosity, he says. Take a
risk and ask stupid questions: 'That's where the learning takes place.’

Emotional intelligence helps workers adapt, says Jochen Menges, lecturer in organisational behaviour at Cambridge
Judge Business School. Change elicits emotional responses, such as feeling overwhelmed or wanting to run away.
‘That’s ok, but how do you deal with that emotion? We can lament the changing world, but we are not going to be able
to stop it.’ Being aware of reactions, pausing to take stock and regulating them is important.

Fear is the biggest reason for inflexibility, says Rachael Chong, founder of Catchafire, an online platform connecting
skilled volunteers with non-profit organisations. The New York-based former banker encourages flexibility in her
employees by putting the in situations 'where they have to stretch outside their comfort zones' - for example by giving
them work be their level of experience. The point, she says, is to create a flexible workforce that can meet new
challenges, rather than 'just trying to be flexible for flexibility's sake.’

Coping with change

Can professionals learn to manage their anxiety abo changes at work? Jochen Menges of Cambridge Ju Business School
suggests imagining a future in which some of your work tasks are replaced by computer. For example, a doctor might
imagine technology diagnosing a patient's condition. Take time to understand your reaction. If you are frightened, for
example, can you turn your fear into doing something constructive, such as learning skills or planning a new career?
Continuity is soothing. At the prospect of change, people tend to catastrophise and imagine that their lives will be
turned upside down. Recognise that many factors will stay the same - for example, if you are a doctor, your
interpersonal skills will remain important.

What about you? Are you flexible? Is your minds or primed for growth?

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PART THREE: GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY (20 POINTS)

I. For questions 1-10, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the
word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between TWO and SIX words, including the word given.
Write your answers in the spaces provided. (10 points)

1. His speech was so powerful that we were all deeply moved.

THE

Such …………………………………………………………..…………… speech that we were all deeply moved.

2. As soon as I got home, I realized I’d left my phone at work.

HAD

No sooner …………………………………………………………………………… I realized I’d left my phone at work.

3. They believe this car was owned Queen Elizabeth.

BY

This car is ………………………………………….……………………………………… Queen Elizabeth.

4. Even though it had started to rain we decided to continue our match.

WITH

We decided to go …………………………………………………………….……………………………………….. the rain.

5. Joe is ill because the doctor misdiagnosed him.

NOT

Joe wouldn’t be ill if the doctor ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

6. The delegates arrived late for the conference because of the traffic jam.

PREVENTED

The traffic jam ................................................................................................. time for the conference.

7. Even though Sarah started badly she went on to win the race.

WINNING

Sarah ended …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… of having started badly.

8. If we don’t hurry up, we will get to the theatre after the beginning of the play.
WILL

If we don’t hurry up, the play ………………………………………………………………………………… we get to the theatre.

9. Are you sorry that I told her about your accident?

RATHER

Would ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. her about your accident?

10. Unless more tickets are sold, the concert will be cancelled.

RESULT

Failure to sell more tickets for the concert …………………………………………………………………………………. off.

II. For questions 1-10 choose the correct answer. Write the correct letter A, B, C or D in the table provided. (10
points)

1. If there is too much ___________ or looseness in your steering wheel, you should see a mechanic.

a. inaccuracy b. space c. play d. vacuum

2. With a/an ___________ fit there is a sufficient gap for the shaft to turn in the hole.

a. sufficiency b. clearance c. inaccurate d. interference

3. Some materials are ________ resistant, i.e. they can withstand the wear and tear of friction caused by mechanical

parts and instances of repetitive scraping and rubbing.

a. abrasion b. heat c. impact d. abrade

4. The extent to which expansion and shrinkage occur is measured by a material’s _______.

a. quotient of expansion b. coefficient of expansion c. ratio of expansion d. degree of expansion

5. If something is ___________ it is easily broken, cracked, or snapped.

a. stressed b. brittle c. malleable d. strained

6. Chemical __________ refers to the arrangement, type, and ratio of atoms in molecules of chemical substances.

a. compound b. alloy c. mixture d. composition

7. __________hardness describes a material’s ability to resist compressions caused by impacts.

a. Indentation b. Abrasion c. Wear d. Fatigue

8. If a metal is __________, it can be drawn out into a thin wire.

a. brittle b. strained c. ductile d. stressed

9.The __________ point indicates the limit of elastic behaviour and the beginning of plastic behaviour.
a. yield b. border c. failure d. stress

10. ___________is the tendency of a solid material to undergo slow deformation while subject to persistent

mechanical stresses.

a. Flex b. Creep c. Failure d. Fracture

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