PART 1 Questions 1 – 10 Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A

NUMBER for each answer.
The International School, Dubai
General Information and facilities
 Two departments:
 Lower school
 Middle school
 Location of school opposite the 1 __________
 School address: Meadows Drive, Dubai
 Uniform: a 2 __________ shirt, black trousers or shorts
 Lessons from 7.20 until 3 __________, Sunday – Thursday
 Children on Early Start programme are given 4 __________ before school starts
 Late Stay activities:
 playtime
 help with homework
 current term’s spoil activity is 5 __________
 Music 6 __________ lessons held on Tuesdays
 Languages 7 __________ from age 7
Meeting with Head Teacher Name of Head Teacher: Elizabeth Rose Day: 8 __________ Time 9 __________
Can talk to the 10 __________ teacher in coffee break

PART 2 Questions 11 – 20
Which change is proposed for each of the following problem areas? Choose FIVE answers from the box and
write the correct letter, A-G, next to questions 11-15.
Proposed changes
A improve the road surface
B add flowering plants Problem areas
C provide more bus stops 11 Shared access paths ......
D plant native trees 12 Highway ......
E create new grassy arm 13 Housing estate ......
F build a noise barrier 14 Local roads ......
G install traffic lights 15 Picnic area ......
16-20 Write the correct letter A-H
16 Park ‘n’ ride car park
17 Bus interchange
18 Bicycle lockers
19 Showers
20 Lift

Climate change and allergies

Questions 21 – 25 Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
21 Why is Beth unconvinced that allergies are linked to vitamin D deficiency?
A because people’s diets have improved since the 1950s
B because most people get enough vitamin D
C because the evidence only applies in Britain
22 Eliot explains that rising CO2 levels
A will mean distribution of pollen over a wider area.
B are having less impact on pollen than milder winters.
C are responsible for higher quantities of pollen.
23 What does Beth say about seasonal changes?
A There is no clear short-term trend for the arrival of spring.
B In general, spring is likely to continue arriving early.
C Springs are becoming milder and longer.
24 What point is made about the plant ragweed?
A It is spreading to more countries.
B It is the most widespread cause of allergies globally.
C It causes the most severe type of allergy.
25 Why is tree pollen a more serious problem in cities?
A Trees produce more pollen there.
B Trees is less to absorb the tree pollen.
C There is not enough control over tree-planting.
Questions 26 – 30 What comment is made about the seasonal changes in pollen in each of the
following European countries? Choose FIVE answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-G,
next to questions 26-30.
Seasonal changes in pollen
A greatest change recorded for oak pollen
B changes identified for two pollen types only European countries
C a longer season for grass pollen 26 Austria ......
D earlier start dates for all pollen types 27 France ......
E significant change in start date of birch pollen 28 The Netherlands ......
F little difference in start dates 29 Switzerland ......
G information only available for birch pollen 30 UK ......

PART 4 Questions 31 – 40 Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each
answer.
Textiles with Business Studies
New development
 Now possible to work with the 31 __________ Faculty to widen learning opportunities
Aims of course
 To cover three areas of textiles:
 knitted
 32 __________
 woven
 To focus on related business operations
  Work placement: focus on studio work in the context of the 33 __________
Course content
 Year One: experimentation
 Visual research with 34 __________ and suggestions for its application
 Year Two: relating skills to the real world
 Optional course: 35 __________ design processes
 Three- or four-year course? Students are offered 36 __________ to help them make their
decision.
 Year Three: consolidation
 Learning style: 37 __________ practice
 Students produce:
 a dissertation
 a portfolio
 a 38 __________
 Career opportunities
 Within textile business – e.g., stylists, retail managers
 Further opportunities – jobs in 39 __________ and trend forecasting
 If interested – come back tomorrow for a short 40 __________

READING
Computer Games for Preschoolers: Nintendo's Research and Design Process
Designing video games for the youngest consumers is a difficult task for producers, who historically
have focused on more "hard core game fans." This article describes the research and design process
involved in creating Nintendo DS™ games for a preschool audience.
After consulting with companies who were interested in designing for the Nintendo DS, we decided
on three key objectives for our initial exploratory project: understand preschoolers abilities in the
context of handheld system game play; understand how preschoolers interact with the Nintendo DS,
specifically how they handle the various forms of play and game mechanics offered by the games
currently on the market for this system; and understand the expectations of their parents with regard
to handheld systems. The research team began by conducting 26 in-home interviews with children in
three markets across the US (West coast urban/suburban; Midwest suburban/rural; and East coast
urban/suburban).
The preschoolers in this study included 11 boys and 15 girls ranging in age from 3 years and 3
months to 5 years and 11 months. In addition, because previous research we conducted had shown
the effects of school-age siblings on game play (demonstrated, for example, by more advanced motor
coordination when using a computer mouse), a combination of households was recruited which had
preschoolers with and without school-age siblings. In addition, in order to understand both
experienced preschool users of the system and those who were new to video games, we split the
sample so that thirteen families owned at least one Nintendo DS and thirteen did not. For those
households that did not already have a Nintendo DS, one was brought to the interview for the child
to play. This allowed us to see both the instinctive movements of the new players (and of the more
experienced players when playing new games), as well as the learned movements of the more
experienced players. Each of these interviews lasted between one and two hours and included the
preschooler, at least one parent, and often siblings and another parent or caregiver.
During each interview various questions were asked. From the parents and any older siblings that
were available, we found out where relevant, the purchase decisions surrounding game systems in the
household; the family's typical game play habits; levels of parental supervision with regard to gaming;
and favorite games played by various family members. Because these interviews were in-home, we
were also able to understand the gaming culture in these homes: what types of spaces (communal or
private) were used for gaming play; how the systems were set up; where the handheld play occurred
in the house; and the number and type of games and game systems owned. Finally, and most
importantly, we talked to each child about their game playing.
Prior to the interviews, the research team had worked with the production team to create a list of
issues connected with preschoolers' physical and mental abilities in the context of playing games. It
was essential to understand these before developing the games. These ranged from manual dexterity
issues related to game controls, to the effectiveness of in-game instructions, to specific operating
techniques used in current games that the producers were interested in incorporating in future
preschool titles. During the interviews, therefore, the interviewer guided the preschooler through a
series of games, so that he/she could observe the interaction, and question both the preschooler and
his/her parents on feelings, attitudes, and frustrations that arose during play.
If the child had previous experience with the Nintendo DS, he/she was first asked to play his/her
favorite game on that system. This told the researchers not only about current level of gaming
experience, particularly as related to the complexity of the chosen game, but also allowed them to see
the child playing a game using procedures he/she was already familiar with. Across the group of
preschoolers, the Nintendo DS selections were very broad, including Nintendogs, New Super Mario
Bros, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, and Sonic Rush. The interviewer watched the child play,
specifically noting preferences for operating procedures and physical interactions with the device, as
well as how easy or hard each operating procedure was for the child. All of the preschoolers were
then asked to play with a specific game chosen by our research team in consultation with our
producers, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure. It was chosen because it was one of the
few games on the market with characters that all of this young age group really liked. Also, it
incorporated a large variety of operating techniques that highlighted the uniqueness of the Nintendo
DS system, including blowing or singing into the microphone.
The findings from this initial exploratory study were extensive. After reviewing the results in-house
and discussing the implications for game design, we then outlined our needs to a firm specializing in
children's games. We worked intensively with them to base the design for two preschool-targeted
Nintendo DS games on what we had learned.
As the two Nintendo DS games went into development, we began doing formative research.
Whenever we developed new game mechanics, we brought preschoolers into our lab to try them, so
we could assess not only their simplicity, but also how engaging they were. Once a full version of the
Nintendo DS games was ready, we went back into the field and tested with a dozen preschoolers, to
make sure that each element of the games worked for the children, and that overall the games were
understandable and enjoyable for them. We also got feedback on what their siblings and parents
thought about the games with regard to appropriateness, engagement, and purchase-intent.
Exploratory research project Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Main objectives:
 determine the relevant 1.................. of preschool children
 observe how preschoolers manage existing games
 investigate the attitudes of preschoolers' 2................. to games
Subjects:
 26 children from different US 3.................
 age range: 3 years 3 months - 5 years 11 months
 some children with older 4.................
 equal numbers of new and 5................. players
 some households with Nintendo DS and some without
Length of interviews: 1-2 hours
Questions 6 - 9
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 6-9 on your answer sheet, TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN
6. One of the areas investigated by researchers was how far mothers or fathers controlled their
children's game playing.
7. The researchers were allowed free access to all parts of the subjects' houses.
8. The researchers regarded The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure as likely to appeal to
preschoolers.
9. The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure game is operated entirely by hand controls.

Questions 10 – 13 Complete the flow-chart below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Using the results of the exploratory study
 in-house review of results
 presentation of design requirements to a specialist 10.................
 mechanics of two new games trialled in the Nintendo DS lab (assessed for 11................. and
interest)
 a 12................. of each game trialled with twelve children
 collection of 13................. from family members

The dingo debate

Graziers see them as pests, and poisoning is common, but some biologists think Australia's dingoes
are the best weapon in a war against imported cats and foxes.
A. A plan flies a slow pattern over Carlton Hill station, a 3,600 square kilometre ranch in the Kimberley
region in northwest Australia. As the plane circles, those aboard drop 1,000 small pieces of meat, one
by one, onto the scrubland below, each piece laced with poison; this practice is known as baiting.
Besides 50,000 head of cattle, Carlton Hill is home to the dingo, Australia's largest mammalian
predator and the bane of a grazier's (cattle farmer's) life. Stuart Mckechnie, manager of Carlton Hill,
complain that graziers' livelihoods are threatened when dingoes prey on cattle. But one man wants
the baiting to end, and for dingoes to once again roam Australia's wide-open spaces. According to
Chris Johnson of James Cook University, "Australia needs more dingoes to protect our biodiversity."
B. About 4,000 years ago, Asian sailors introduced dingoes to Australia. Throughout the ensuing
millennia, these descendants of the wolf spread across the continent and, as the Tasmanian tiger
disappeared completely from Australia, dingoes became Australia's top predators. As agricultural
development took place, the European settler found that they could not safely keep their livestock
where dingoes roamed. So began one of the most sustained efforts at pest control in Australia's
history. Over the last 150 years, dingoes have been shot and poisoned, and fences have been used in
attempt to keep them away from livestock. But at the same time, as the European settlers tried to
eliminate one native pest from Australia, they introduced more of their own.
C. In 1860, the rabbit was unleashed on Australia by a wealthy landowner, and by 1980, rabbits had
covered most of the mainland. Rabbits provided a huge prey base for two other introduced species;
the feral (wild) cat and red fox. The interaction between foxes, cats and rabbits is a huge problem for
native mammals. In good years, rabbit numbers increase dramatically, and fox and cat populations
grow quickly in response to the abundance of this prey. When bad seasons follow, rabbit numbers are
significantly reduced - and the dwindling but still large fox and cat populations ace left with little to
eat besides native mammals.
D. Australian mammals generally reproduce much more slowly than rabbits, cats and foxes - an
adaptation to prevent overpopulation in the arid environment, where food can be scarce and
unreliable - and populations decline because they can't grow fast enough to animals killed by the
predators. Johnson says dingoes are the solution to this problem because they keep cat and fox
populations under control. Besides regularly eating the smaller predators, dingoes will kill them
simply to lessen competition.
E. Reaching out from a desolate spot where three states meet, for 2,500 km in either direction, is the
world's longest fence, two metres high and stretching from the coast in Queensland to the Great
Australian Bight in South Austraha; it is there to keep dingoes out of southeast Australia. Though it
has been only partly successful in excluding dingoes from the southeast, the fence separates the main
types of livestock found in Australia. To the northwest of the fence, cattle predominate; to the
southeast, sheep fill the landscape. In fact, Australia is a land dominated by these animals - 25 million
cattle, 100 million sheep and just over 20 million people.
F. While there is no argument that dingoes will prey on sheep if given the chance, they don't hunt
cattle once the calves are much past two or three weeks old, according to Mckechnie. And a study in
Queensland suggests that dingoes don’t even prey heavily on the newborn calves unless their staple
prey disappears due to deteriorating conditions like drought.
G. Mark Clifford, general manager of a firm that manages over 200,000 head of cattle, is not
convinced by Allen’s assertion, Clifford says, "It's obvious if we drop or loosen control on dingoes, we
are going to lose more calves. He doesn’t believe that dingoes will go after kangaroos when calves
are around. Nor is he persuaded of dingoes’ supposed ecological benefits, saying he is not convinced
that they manage to catch that often, believing they are more likely to catch small native animals
instead.
H. Mckechnie agrees that dingoes kill the wallabies (small native animals) that compete with his cattle
for food, but points out that in parts of Western Australia, there are no foxes, and not very many cats.
He doesn’t see how relaxing controls on dingoes in his area will improve the ecological balance.
Johnson sees a need for a change in philosophy on the part of graziers. "There might be a number of
different ways of thinking through dingo management in cattle country," he says. At the moment,
though, that hasn’t got through to graziers. There’s still just one prescription, and that is to bait as
widely as possible.
Questions 14 – 20 Reading Passage 2 has eight sections, A-H. Which section contains the following
information? Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 14-20 on your answer sheet.
14. a description of a barrier designed to stop dingoes, which also divides two kinds of non-native
animals
15. how dingoes ensure that rival species do not dominate
 16. a reference to a widespread non-native species that other animals feed on
17. a mention of the dingo’s arrival in Australia
18. research which has proved that dingoes have resorted to eating young livestock
19. a description of a method used to kill dingoes
20. the way that the structure of dingo groups affects how quickly their numbers grow
Questions 21 – 23 Look at the following statements (Questions 21-23) and the list of people
below. Match each statement with the correct person, A, B, C or D.
21. Dingoes tend to hunt native animals rather than hunting other non-native predators.
22. The presence of dingoes puts the income of some people at risk.
23. Dingoes have had little impact on the dying out of animal species in Australia.
List of People
A. Stuart McKechnie B. Chris Johnson C. Lee Allen D. Mark Clifford
Questions 24 – 26 Complete the Sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the
passage for each answer.
24. The dingo replaced the ……….. as the main predatory animal in Australia.
25. Foxes and cats are more likely to hunt native animals when there are fewer …………
26. Australian animals reproduce at a slow rate as a natural way of avoiding ……………

READING PASSAGE 3 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27 - 40, which are based on
Reading Passage 3 on pages 10 and 11.

The booming business of nation-branding

The term 'nation brand' first appeared in articles by Simon Anholt at the end of the twentieth century.
Anholt had worked in advertising, and he observed that most successful commercial brands came
from countries that had positive images, having created successful brands as a nation.

Through the 2000s, the nation-branding industry grew quickly. A handful of companies focused
specifically on nation-branding, while many others - PR firms, marketing agencies, and management
consultancies - offered this as an addition to their other services. Many nations were immediately
attracted by these branding services. Keen to be seen as stable and prosperous, the former Soviet
republic of Georgia ran ad campaigns in which it measured itself against France or Australia on the
basis of things like its success in grape cultivation or its smooth bureaucracy. Each campaign
concluded, 'And the winner is ... GEORGIA!' Around the same time, Germany decided it was 'The Land
of Ideas', while Jamaica called out to potential entrepreneurs who were looking for a bold and
creative home.

One nation-branding agency is Bloom Consulting, based in Madrid. Often, countries come to Bloom
with specific ideas of what they desire. Some governments are after more tourists, while others want
so appeal to talented workers or students. Recently, Paraguay's government hired Bloom to renovate
its image in order to lift its exports and attract more investment. Flows of foreign direct investment
worldwide rose from $865 billion to $1.5 trillion over a period of 17 years. Even a small slice of such a
substantial pie is well worth seeking.

As well as a nation, a place such as a town or city can also develop a brand. In 1945, the city of The
Hague in the Netherlands was picked to be the home of the International Court of Justice. Since then,
the city has worked hard to confirm its standing as a city of peace. In the last three years alone
planning a convention or attending a conference, over a quarter of a million hosted 135 international
meetings. The Hague consistently lists itself as a city and draws 279 visitors, each year for every
resident. This effort to host more high level meetings with a global reach enhances The Hague's
image as an international center of peace and justice. A well-developed brand can help improve a
city's image, draw in visitors and investment, and have broader positive effects on the local economy.
Place-branding may have material benefits.

Commercial motives aside, the frenzy for nation-branding or place-branding also reflects deeper
issues. Every country, region and city now finds that it has to be a competitor in the vast marketplace
that is the world's economy. Some places have never properly played this role before; others have
played it so long that they're unused to being challenged. To be noticed, a place must be distinctive,
must appear unique. But this is tricky to achieve when a single, bland culture - the culture of the same
global market - is everywhere. Although Anholt was one of the first in the field of nation-branding, he
now has a new approach towards it. In the late 1990s, he used to create nation brands in the way an
advertiser or a corporate marketer would. Now, though, he scorns marketing. His later work focuses
very little on communication and branding, and much more on the abstract business of a country's
beneficial effect upon the world.

A well-regarded country, Anholt thinks, does as much for humanity at large as for its own people,
although countries need to ensure they are properly run if their reputation is to improve. This thought
prompted him to launch the Good Country index, which ranks states by the good they do for the
world. Anholt sounds as if he regrets ever introducing the idea of 'nation brand', saying he feels the
only people who benefit from it are corrupt PR agencies who encourage poor countries to spend
money they can't afford on relatively useless propaganda programmes.

The direction in which nation-branding work tends to flow is not ideal either. Nation-branding
agencies in New York, Madrid, London and Paris dispense advice to governments in Asia, Africa,
eastern Europe and Latin America on how best to present themselves - an arrangement that can
easily lead to cultural imperialism. This imbalance is potentially dangerous for practitioner and client
alike.

The very notion of a national or regional character that the people of Georgia or Jamaica, or of
Germany or Holland, are somehow different, although the borders separating them from
neighbouring countries may only have been created relatively recently - is problematic. But the
impulse of authorities such as churches, kings or governments to define and manipulate such a
character is hardly new. However the way that national identity is communicated is changing. This
once happened through newspapers and books. Now it happens, at a much more frantic pace, on the
banner ads of web pages, at global summits, at investment roadshows, and even as product
placements in the movies. Behind these concerns about national identity is the political fear that the
nation is being displaced from its position as the most vital unit of personal, social, or economic
importance. In the struggle to cope with the competitiveness of the international economy, nations
widen their jurisdiction: borders erase, brands extend, and the distinction between their constituent
corporations, nature of things that might once have been within their jurisdiction. The borderless
taxies, the internet and the media, crime, political influence. Even the eagerness to have brands
expand is, in a way, a reaction to this perceived threat of irrelevance an attempt by nations and
regions to regroup, to define themselves anew. An attempt to insist that they still matter.
Questions 27 - 30 Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 27-30 on
your answer sheet.
27 When discussing nation-branding in the first paragraph, the writer's purpose is to
A explain some of its positive results.
B outline the early development of the concept.
C describe the main countries that benefited from it.
D present some of its advantages and disadvantages.
28 The phrase 'such a substantial pie' in the second paragraph refers to
A Bloom Consulting.
B Paraguay's government.
C foreign direct investment.
D tourists, workers and students.
29 The information given by the writer shows there is a contrast between Paraguay and The
Hague in terms of
A what focus they want for their brand.
B how successful their brand has become.
C why their brand has become widely known.
D whether their brand has a financial element.
30 In the fourth paragraph, the writer suggests that nation-branding and place-branding
A are not possible in all parts of the world.
B may lead to unexpected economic problems
C may be in conflict with the effects of globalisation.
D are likely to encourage international disagreements.
Questions 31 - 35 Complete the summary using the list of phrases, A-H, below Write the correct
letter, A-H, in boxes 31-35 on your answer sheet
Anholt's new approach to nation brands In the late 1990s, Anholt created nation brands using
marketing techniques like those used for 31....... Now, he has a new approach: he concentrates on the
32............that a country's good reputation depends on a 33............rather than merely the idea of a
nation brand has been a marketing strategy. He believes that a good 34.............depends on a
35.............to spend money on programmes which have extremely limited benefit.
A. globalisation E. multinational companies
B. national government F. media
C. products G. marketing tactics
D. companies H. citizen
Questions 36 - 39 In boxes 36-39 on your answer sheet, write YES if the statement agrees with the
views of the writer in Reading Passage 3? NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer NOT
GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
36 Those in authority have tended to discourage the idea of a national character.
37 The most effective way to establish a national identity is regular attendance at global summits.
38 There is very little evidence that the power of individual nations is declining
39 Recent social, economic and technological developments have brought new challenges to
governments.
Question 40 Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter in box 40 on your answer
sheet.
40 What would be the best subtitle for this text?
A Should marketing techniques be used to promote nations?
B How have advertisers developed a more global approach?
C Are modern communications dangerous for governments?
D Will commercial developments improve the world we live in?