Read this letter of application carefully and answer the questions below:

31, Ettrick Crescent

Selkirk TD/ 5PW

25th April, 2011

The Manager,

Ye Olde Shakespeare Emporium,

33, Macbeth Alley

Stratford-upon-Avon CV37 9BQ

Dear Sir / Madam,

I am writing in order to apply for the position of shop assistant.

I am a third-year student at Nottingham University, studying marketing. I speak French well and have a good
knowledge of Spanish. I get along easily with people and have a good sense of humour. I have worked in a shop
before, since my father has owned a shop in Selkirk for ten years.

I would really like to work in your shop. I love meeting people from other countries and I am sure that my previous
experience in my father’s shop will be a great asset. Enclosed please find my CV, along with the names and
addresses of two referees so that you can check my work experience.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information.

Yours faithfully,

Nicole Bray

1. What is Nicole asking for?

2. How long has she been studying at university?

3. Does she have any experience? Where?

4. What about her knowledge of foreign languages?

5. Circle the adjectives that describe her character:

a. Shy b. Outgoing c. Stubborn d. Reserved f. Determined

6. The word ‘asset’ (underlined in the text) is a synonym of:

a. drawback b. Advantage c. Knowledge d. Experience

7. The expression ‘in order to’ (underlined in the text) is a synonym of:

a. so as to b. In order that c. So that d. For

8. Read the following expressions and circle the ones that could be used in a formal letter:

a. Hi!

b. Dear Mr / Mrs...

c. How are you?

d. I am writing in reply to...

e. I would like more information about...

f. I’d love to hear more about...

g. Write back as soon as possible.

h. I hope you will consider my application.

i. Your friend,

j. Yours sincerely,

9. Choose the appropriate verb form in this sentence:

‘I look forward to..................................from you in the near future’

a. Hear b. Heard c. Hearing d. To hear e. Having heard

Read the following text about cars of the future and answer the questions

For many years, a driverless car was just an idea. Many people thought that a car with no driver that can drive on city
streets, very close to people, was impossible to make. But science and computers have changed that. Several
companies now say they are close to building a car that will be safe to drive on city streets. Buses and even planes
may be driverless too. If all this is true, it will change our world.

It all began in Germany in the 1980s. An inventor built a car that travelled hundreds of kilometres without a driver.
Since then computers have improved a lot and designers have improved these kinds of cars. They can now go faster
and more safely around streets. Lots of companies wanted to be the first to produce a reliable ‘driverless’ vehicle.
One company even built a special ‘city’ with streets and buildings, but no people of course, to test their new cars.
Now, companies are testing driverless cars in big cities, but always with a trained driver in the vehicle.

Of course there are some important things to consider: speed, cost and, most importantly, safety. It’s certain that
there will be more traffic problems as cars will be moving more slowly. But one thing is sure. We will have ‘intelligent’
cars within a few years. In fact, we have them already, but companies need time to test them before they can sell
them to customers. They must make sure that the streets are safe with these cars. One company has built a driverless
car that has driven over half a million kilometres without accidents.

Many modern cars already drive themselves in some ways. For example, they can park and stop very quickly if there
is danger. They have very advanced computers to make them safer. Every year there is something new. But there is
one thing they still need — a driver. The final change will come when we don’t need to drive at all. We will simply get
in the car and tell it where to go. That day may be very near.

Driverless cars will bring advantages. For example, we will have lots of free time as we travel. But we will also have to
make big decisions. Should driverless cars always be on the same roads as normal cars? Will there be age limits to
‘drive’ these cars? Will we need a special driving licence? Will children be able to ‘drive’ to school alone? These
questions may sound strange today but with driverless cars we will soon need some answers and some new laws.

1. What has made possible the idea of a driverless car?

2. How long ago did it start?

3. Which things must be taken into account before starting to use driverless cars?

4. According to the text, which is the main benefit of driverless cars?

5. Choose the five sentences which are TRUE according to the text.

A The writer says that driverless public transport is a possibility.

B The first driverless car was made in the 20th century.

C Companies are already testing driverless cars in cities.

D Driverless cars will make traffic worse at first.

E Some advanced cars today already park in the same way that driverless cars do.
F The writer thinks that driverless cars will follow the same driving rules as now.

G Driverless cars and traditional cars will not use the same roads.

6. The word ‘reliable’ (underlined in the text) is a synonym of:

a. drawback b. trustworthy c. modern d. safe

7. Make a definition of the word ‘customers’ (underlined in the text):

8. Complete sentences with an exact number, word or phrase (maximum three words) from the text.

a. For a long time the idea of a car with no driver was simply………………….…………. .

b. The city that the company built to test their cars didn’t have an……………………………. .

c. Until companies……………………………………………………….. , we cannot buy driverless cars.

d. One company’s driverless car has travelled with no…………………………………………………….. for long distances.

e. As cars drive themselves, …………………………………………………………..for ‘drivers’ may not be necessary.

9. The text has five paragraphs. Choose the best title for each paragraph from A–F below. There is one title you
don’t need.

A The importance of testing

B The dream that became possible

C Important things to think about

D The last step

E The cost of cars of the future

F Competing to succeed
 Face recognition

We now upload over four billion photos a month onto Facebook, and anyone who uses the site is familiar with the
idea of face recognition software, which can tell you who is (or might be) in your photo.
Face recognition is being used in many different areas, especially to help the police identify criminals. Computers are
not able to read faces like humans can, but they can be trained to compare a face with a photo that is stored in a
database. They do this by noting certain features, or, for example, measuring the distance between the eyes. A
‘smart’ surveillance system – cameras which record our movements in public spaces – has now been developed by a
Japanese company which can look through 36 million faces in one second to find a matching one. Many people say
they feel safer if there are cameras to protect them in public places, but others are not comfortable with the fact
that so many images of us are stored in a database.
The technology is not yet perfect (people who have had plastic surgery can especially confuse the system!), but it is
now often preferred to other forms of conventional identification. This is partly because it can be used without us
knowing. Face recognition is being improved all the time. Other new technology has been designed which can predict
how a face might look as it gets older or which can fill in missing parts of an image. It can even identify someone from
video taken in very low light.
In the future, face recognition might also inspire many more good business ideas. There is already an app for
smartphones to tell how many people are at a club, and the ratio of men to women. Sony has also designed a camera
that waits for you to smile before it takes a picture.
Finally, facial recognition doesn’t just recognize humans now – tests have been carried out which show that individual
chimpanzees can be recognized, a development that could be used to protect wildlife in the future.

QUESTIONS:

1. Face recognition in Facebook is used ___________.

A to tell us who our friends are B to tell us who our family are c. to identify people in our photos
2. Every month people upload ___________ photos onto Facebook.
A more than four billion B 36 million C. fewer than four billion
3. It is now possible for computers to ___________.
A recognize faces like people can B record the differences between two images c. measure the distance
between two people
4. It takes ___________ one second to search 36 million images.
A a computer B a surveillance system C the police
5. A lot of people don’t mind cameras in public places because ___________.
A they feel safer c B they aren’t criminals C they like being filmed

6. Face recognition technology ___________.

A is likely to make mistakes B is 100 per cent accurate C occasionally makes mistakes
7. One of the new kinds of technology can ___________.
A complete missing parts of a photo B improve how we look c. make us look younger
8. A smartphone app can ___________ in a club.
A identify people B tell how much people spend C tell the number of people
9. The camera developed by Sony waits for people to ___________.
A look natural B smile C stand still
10. Facial recognition ___________ animals in the future.
A will definitely help B may be able to help C is unlikely to help

2 Read the article again. Mark the sentences T (true) or F (false).

1 Face recognition is new for Facebook users.
2. The police often use face recognition to identify criminals. ____
 3. Most people are worried that photos are kept in a database. ____
4. We don’t usually know if we are being identified by face recognition technology. ____
5. People can be identified even in bad light. ____
6. It’s unlikely that face recognition will be used for business in the future. ____
7. Face recognition technology can now be used on all animals. ____

3. Give a definition of the word ‘criminals’ (underlined in the text).

4. Choose a synonym of the word ‘matching’ (underlined in the text).

a. equivalent b. sporting c. rare d. different

Read the text and choose the best answer (A, B or C) for each question. There is only ONE answer for each question.
Example (0) is an example. Write your answers in the Answer Box. (1 item = 0.8).
STAY HEALTHY, EAT LESS
Reducing the number of calories you consume every day is the ticket to good health. It works in laboratory animals.
It works in humans. The name of the method is caloric restriction. It increases the life span of animals. It reduces
their rate of cancer and other ailments that happen as you age.
A new study asks if caloric restriction can help humans. The study gives some answers. Reducing calories makes a
difference for young and middle-aged adults. Researchers looked at a group of healthy men and women aged 21 to
50. Members of the group agreed to reduce calories for two years. They could eat the foods they wanted as long as
they cut back on the total amount of food they ate. The aim was to cut their calories by 25 percent. Many could not
do it. The average calorie reduction was twelve percent. That is a reduction of about 300 calories a day. That number
of calories is in a large bagel, or a few chocolate chip cookies.
But it worked. Those practicing calorie reduction lost weight and body fat. Their cholesterol levels improved. Their
blood pressure fell a little. They had better blood sugar control and less inflammation. The results were not the same
for a control group. These healthy people did not practice calorie restriction. They saw no improvements in any of
these markers. The lower calorie group lost an average of 16 pounds over two years.
Fewer calories lead to better health. Does it lead to a longer life and less disease? A doctor said the diet would have
to last a long time to find out the answer to this question. Diets such as the Mediterranean diet, intermittent fasting,
and fewer carbs might work. The people in the study ate as much protein as before. They ate less fat and fewer carbs.
And they ate more vegetables and fruits. The group reported better sleep, increased energy and improved mood.
You would have to study people for a lifetime to know if the diet keeps them well and alive longer. The diet did show
it could reduce diabetes and heart disease. A doctor said reducing calories by as little as 300 calories less a day works.
He said, “That is an after-dinner snack.”
0. Caloric restriction consists of:
A. Eating less fattening foods.
B. Eating less food in general.
C. Eating the same food as animals.

10. Caloric restriction:

A. Can cure cancer.
B. Makes laboratory animals live longer.
C. Only works best with lab animals.

11. The participants in the experiment:

A. Were all young and healthy.
B. Were a mixture of ages.
C. Were mostly middle-aged.

12. In general, the volunteers:

A. Ate 25 percent less food.
B. Cut out extras like snacks.
C. Reduced about half the calories expected.

13. The results were as follows:

A. All the participants lost 16 pounds.
B. The lower calorie participants’ health improved.
C. The participants in the control group lost weight.

14. The results seem to indicate that:

A. Eating less can cure disease.
B. Eating less makes you live longer.
C. Fewer calories is beneficial.
15. The doctors are not absolutely sure of the results because:
A. Some of the participants got diabetes.
B. The experiment needs to last much longer.
C. The participants were on a Mediterranean diet.

16. Generally speaking, they recommend eating less if:

A. You eat a lot of protein.
B. You want to be healthier.
C. You want to live longer.
ANSWER BOX
QUESTION 0 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
ANSWER B
Youth Crime – What can we do about youth violence?
Youth crime is such a big issue that there isn’t one simple solution. The Government are looking at lots of different
ways to tackle youth crime and disorder, from tougher prison sentences, to a new youth justice system, more
education and money for community projects.

Experts agree that education needs to play a role, “Many young people that we work with don’t always appreciate
the dangers of carrying knives or fully understand the law,” says Jane Edmonds. “It’s simply not enough to tell young
people to stop carrying knives, we need to give them strategies, tactics and confidence.”

“We criminalize young people and give up on them, but every human being feels hurt sometimes. But to be honest,
I don’t know what the solution is. Society has created this underground culture, which has thrived with the break-up
of families, poverty and deprivation. Young people want respect, need to make money and want to belong, so a gang
is the perfect answer and only answer in the current culture.”

Adolescent psychiatrist Cathy Smith says: “Some of the young people that commit violent crime come from a family
where domestic violence is the norm, they may not understand that violence is wrong. Or they may have been treated
violently themselves. And knowing right from wrong is a big part of this problem – and it’s all of our problem. Years
ago God, the Church and family elders told us what was acceptable behavior. These days we don’t know what the
moral guidelines are, for example, some people wouldn’t dare park in a disabled parking space, whereas others think
it’s fine if there are no drivers with disabilities around that need that space. But unless there is something written
down that everyone understands and agrees with then we don’t know where to start.

Jane, Morris and Cathy all agree that communication is the first step to resolving problems and the big gap between
young people and adults. “In the Med* parents eat with their children and go out with their children at night, the
whole family, including the grandparents dress up and go for a walk through the town, people know each other and
talk to each other, they celebrate and value children and young people – I think we could take a leaf out of their book.
The first step is to start talking to your children and young people,” says Cathy.
*Mediterranean

1. Why are the government looking for solutions to deal with youth crime?

2. According to Cathy Smith, why do young people commit crimes?

3. Make a definition of the word ‘poverty’ in the text.

4. Choose the correct synonym of ‘tougher’ in the text.

a. more difficult b. easier c. harder d. worse

5. The expression ‘whereas’ in the text is a synonym of:

a. as b. since c. due to d. while