PROGRESS TEST COMPACT FIRST
CANDIDATE NAME ________________________ UNIT 1
READING
The best of friends
Nadia Hassan has been friends with Amina since they were fourteen.
A 'We were born in the same month,' says Nadia, 'and we grew up in
the same small town, though the funny thing is we didn't actually know
each other until we both took up horse riding, something we still enjoy.
'There are, according to Nadia, some differences between them.' Whereas
I tend to be a bit negative about the future, always expecting the worst to
happen, Amina is the complete opposite. Maybe between us we just about
strike the right balance. Though of course having such different ways of looking
at the same thing can lead to tensions, and a couple of years ago we actually
stopped speaking for a while, but that didn't last long.'
Liam Doherty first met his friend Marc when they were both doing summer
B jobs at a seaside hotel. Marc has since moved to another part of the country, but
they still keep in touch by email and chatting online. 'He comes round to my house
whenever he's in town, which is actually quite often. He's got a good job and
can travel wherever he likes every weekend, which is something I wish I could
afford to do on my salary. But he's different from me in that he's always had
this strong desire for success in life whereas I prefer to take things a bit easier,
with plenty of time for hobbies like hillwalking and reading.'
C Maxim Salenko has been friendly with Andriy ever since they were
at primary school. 'We grew up in much the same kind of family environment
and we usually sat together at school and enjoyed the same sports,
though in some ways he's not like me. I'm fairly quiet, perhaps a little shy
at times, but Andriy is always a fun guy to be with,' says Maxim. 'He can
be noisy and some people say he tries to tell everyone what to do, but
I don't think that's true. He just likes to make sure everyone else has a
good time, too. Once or twice I've felt a bit irritated by things he said but
that was probably because I was in a bad mood at the time, and I don't think
he even noticed I was annoyed.'
Camille Leroy and her friend Lara have known each other for three
D years now. 'We're from different backgrounds,' says Camille, 'and
to be honest when we were introduced at a party we didn't hit it off
at all. She seemed a bit unfriendly and it took quite a while before I
realised that she was in fact lacking in self-confidence, particularly
when meeting new people. To some extent she still is, but once you
get to know Lara you realise what good company she is. She always
has interesting things to say, and she tells some great jokes, too. I
often see her on the bus home from work because nowadays she
lives just round the corner from me. She moved there to be close to
the golf course, and I'm thinking of taking it up too.'
You are going to read an article in which four people
talk about their friends. For questions 1-10, choose
from the people (A-D). The people may be chosen
more than once.
earns less money than their friend? 1
says the two of them did not like 2
each other at first?
denies that their friend is bossy? 3
has had a similar upbringing to 4
their friends?
5
once fell out with their friend?
6
shares a hobby with their friend?
7
says their friend has a good sense
of humour?
8
describes their friend as rather shy?
has a friend who is very optimistic?
9
has a very ambitious friend? 10
0
0
0
0
GRAMMAR
Complete the sentences with the present simple or present continuous form of these
1 verbs. Use each verb only once.
end get hear own rise see take try
1) I usually go to work by car, but this week I __________ the train because the
road bridge is closed
2) It__________ harder to find a job and youth unemployment is now very high.
3) As soon as the college term__________, I'm going away on holiday.
4) Her parents are very rich. They__________homes in both London and New
York.
5) I__________. Marcos later this evening, when he leaves the club.
6) Please turn the music down a bit. I __________to sleep.
7) In every part of the world, the sun __________in the east.
8) I promise I'll get up as soon as I __________the alarm clock.
Some of these sentences written by exam candidates contain mistakes. Correct any
2 mistakes, using the present simple or present continuous.
1 I'm belonging to a tennis club and it is my favourite sport.
2 I'll pick you up from the airport when you'll arrive at 9.30.
3 I'm having a lovely holiday here on the island.
4 Every day we are spending about eight hours at work.
5 When you will receive my letter, please tell Mary about this.
6 Pablo is needing to talk to somebody, but he never calls me.
7 Nowadays it becomes more and more important to have a good education.
8 I promise that I'll phone you tonight when I get home.
9 I need to eat some money, and this is the main reason why I apply for this job.
0 They are the kind of people who are driving to work every day in big cars.
3 Use a form of the word in capitals to complete each sentence.
1) Simon is very______________. He feels he always has to win COMPETE
2) It was ____________of you to eat all that cake and leave
None for me! GREED
3) Antonio always tells the truth, but I’m afraid Louis is rather
___________ HONEST
4) That dog becomes quite ____________ whenever you
Walk past the garden AGRESSION
5) I felt __________that I went for a ten kilometer run in the
countryside ENERGY
6) It’s ___________ to lend a lot of money to someone who
You don’t know FOOL
7) Seeing my sister again after so many years apart was
an _____________ experience EMOTION
8) Jeff’s motorbike is really ____________ . It breaks down
almost every day RELY
9) I really wanted to go surfing, but Chloe was less
____________ than me. ENTHUSIAST
10) The shop assistant was ___________ so I demanded
to see the manager HELP
LISTENING
You will hear people talking in four different situations (in the exam you
will hear eight). For questions 1-4, choose the best answer (A, B or C).
1 You hear a teenager talking about her new bedroom.
What does she like about it?
A the way it is decorated
B the furniture in it
C its size and shape
2 You overhear a conversation on a bus.
Where is the man going first?
A to a shop
B to the library
C to work
3 You hear a man talking on the phone.
Why is he calling?
A to apologise
B to ask for information
C to complain
4 You hear part of an interview with a businesswoman.
What does she do?
A She hires out bicycles.
B She hires out cars.
C She hires out motorcycles.
WRITING
You have received this email from your friend Alex
From: Alex
Subject: your visit
I'm really pleased to hear you are coming to spend a week with me and my family.
What places would you like to visit while you are here? What would you like to do? We could
go to a rock concert. Or we could go and see a dance performance. Which one do you prefer?
It's a bit early in the season, but we could also go to the beach if you don't mind the water
being a bit cold.
Write and tell me,
Love,
Alex
Write your email (You should write about 140-190 words.)
