B1 Name:

Class:
2ND EDITION Preliminary for
Schools

UNIT 8: SKILLS TEST A

DICTATION 3 What is the boy hoping to start collecting?

You are going to listen to a recording about someone’s

hobbies. Listen to the whole recording once. Then you will
hear the recording again with pauses for you to write down
what you hear. Make sure you spell the words correctly.
A B C
When i asked some of my classmates what 4 How does the girl keep fit every day?
their hobbies are.Most said that Sport was

number one. Only a few have a collections of

toys which is popular to have and keep it

A B C
5 Where is the boy going now?

A B C
6 Who did the girl play tennis with?

10

LISTENING
A B C
7 When does the boy want to meet his friend?
Task 1
You are going to listen to seven conversations. For questions
1–7, choose the answer (A, B or C) which fits best according
to what you hear.
1 What did the girl do in the talent show?
A B C

14

A B
2 Which sport would the boy like to try?
Task 2
C You are going to listen to the first three conversations
again. Answer the questions in your own words.
8 Which magic trick did the girl particularly like?

9 When did John used to play hockey?

In his childhood he used to play hockey
10 Why did the boy decide against collecting film posters?
A B C
Because it is not interesting

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 B1 Name:
Class:
2ND EDITION Preliminary for
Schools

UNIT 8: SKILLS TEST A

READING
Task 1
Read the article and choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
11 What does the writer say about research into teenage sleep?
A Any results are now out of date.
B No one believed it to begin with.
C The studies were badly organised.
D People now think the conclusions are wrong.
12 The research results show that
A older people sleep for fewer hours.
B teenagers set their alarms later than adults.
C children wake at similar times to 55-year-olds.
D 20-year-olds wake at the same time as children.
13 In the third paragraph, the writer says that
A using technology can make us feel less sleepy.
B parents tell teenagers to go to bed too early.
C hormones cause all changes to sleep patterns.
D lifestyle changes mean people need less sleep.
14 What does the writer say about moving school starting and finishing times?
A It affects parents too much.
B Most schools are against it.
C Teenagers take advantage of it.
D It improves academic achievement.
15 What would a teenager be most likely to say about the results of the research?
A I always knew there was a reason why I found getting up for school hard and was sure it wasn’t because I was lazy.
B I hope my school changes to later start times so I can use the extra time in the morning to play on the computer.
C I naturally need less sleep than when I was a child so I’m glad it says staying up late isn’t a problem.
D I agree that more and more people realise how important sleep is for us so it’s good this research says that too.

15

Task 2
Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?
16 More people believe the research results.
T
17 Teenagers set their alarms later than adults. T
18 Children and adults don’t have hormones. F
19 Some parents are less strict about children’s bedtimes than previously. T
20 More schools are thinking of changing their hours. T
5

Total: 50

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 B1
2ND EDITION Preliminary for
Schools
UNIT 8: SKILLS TEST A
Teenagers and sleep
When reports of research into teenagers’ sleep
patterns started to emerge, the results and
recommendations were immediately doubted.
They were so different to most people’s long-
held beliefs that many questioned both
the methods researchers had used and the
suggestions they made based on the findings.
However, there is a growing acceptance that
the research was, indeed, correct.
For years, people assumed that teenagers’
unwillingness to go to bed and get up at
reasonable times was due to laziness. However,
recent research identified that humans’ need
for sleep changes as we get older. When the
teenage years begin, the times at which we
naturally start feeling sleepy and are ready
to wake up start getting later. This pattern
continues until around twenty years of age,
at which point, the times start getting earlier
again. At the age of fifty-five, people naturally
wake at about the time they did as a child. This
is about two hours earlier than teenagers, so a
7.30 alarm actually feels like a 5.30 alarm to a
teenager.
Part of the reason is due to chemicals in the
body called hormones. The amounts of these
grow during the teenage years and slowly
reduce again during adulthood. However,
there are other factors, including parents
these days generally being more relaxed about
children’s bedtimes.
Name:
Class:
Also, as people grow ever busier, the
recognition of sleep as something that’s
important for health is increasingly ignored.
Freer access to electronic equipment such as
computers and smartphones also has an effect.
Staring at a screen not only helps to keep you
awake biologically, but it also replaces some
of the time that teenagers (and adults!)
previously used for sleep.
Some schools have already changed their
hours to fit in with their students’ sleep
patterns. Worries that students would use
delayed start times to turn up even later have
not happened. In fact, the opposite is true,
and pass rates in key tests have also gone up.
Many other schools are looking to do the same
thing, once they’ve obtained the support
of parents, who may have to alter their own
work patterns to fit in. They may feel better
about doing this once they learn about the
impressive results obtained so far.
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