FCE

TEST 1
You are going to read a magazine article about students who travelled around Australia
alone during their long summer vacation. For questions 43-52, choose from the students
(A-D). The students may be chosen more than once.
Which student mentions …
43 a daily activity that was not enjoyable alone?
44 a good way of keeping travel plans flexible?
45 appreciating not having to waste time organising practical details?
46 becoming more tolerant of other people?
47 feeling better after keeping in touch with others?
48 having doubts at the beginning of a trip?
49 liking not having to agree an itinerary with others?
50 meeting people with a similar outlook on life?
51 missing having someone to help with decision-making?
52 the advisability of going for the best accommodation you can afford?

Solo travel in Australia

A Phil Morston
I remember sitting in the plane thinking to myself: ‘What have I let myself in for?’. The
first few days were scary: I was all on my own on the other side of the world with
nothing planned. But I soon met up with people to travel with. Of course, some you get
on with, others you don’t. Some, for example, had every day planned out day in minute
detail, when in practice things can change and it’s great to have the freedom to go with
the flow. And that’s easy enough to do. You can take the Oz Experience bus down the
west coast, jumping off whenever you want, then catching the next bus when you’re
ready to move on again. Being away for a year, you do occasionally get lonely. To cheer
myself up, I’d sit down and write a fortnightly email home about everything I’d been up
to.
В Leila Stuart
Without doubt, you meet all sorts of people when travelling alone. I even made a friend
on the plane out there. Some people are keener to make friends than others, of course, but
if someone’s chosen to do the same type of trip as you, you’ve probably got lots of ideas
in common. The advantages of a pre-planned tour are that you can get an agency to take
care of all the arrangements, which can be time-consuming to do yourself – but it does
mean that you’re tied to a predetermined itinerary, which wouldn’t suit everyone. There’s
also the safety aspect in terms of the places you visit often being very remote. If you go
off trekking in the wilds of a foreign country alone, it could be difficult to get help if
things went wrong.
C Danny Holt
Travelling solo creates opportunities to meet people. There’s no substitute for sharing the
experiences of the day with a companion, and being alone forces you to seek someone
out. I’d never have met so many people if I’d been travelling with friends. There’s also
the wonderful freedom to do what you like, when you like, without having to convince
anybody that it’s a good idea. However, there are downsides; meal times are something
I’ve never really got to grips with in all the years I’ve travelled alone. But my advice
would be to give solo travel a go – it can be very liberating. Maybe try a short trip to
begin with, just in case it’s not for you. Another thing is stay in the nicest places your
budget permits. Miserable hostels can really spoil a trip. And if you really are happy
being anti-social, a pair of headphones can ensure the person in the next seat doesn’t bore
you to death on the plane!
D Kerry Winterton
Fun as it is, travelling solo also has its low points, including occasional loneliness and the
pressure that you’re under to make your own mind up about everything. I chose to travel
alone because I wanted to do something different, but I did miss people from home, and
sometimes fell out with other travellers I’d teamed up with along the way. But I learnt to
accept that some people have different attitudes to mine; that you have to put up with
irritating people in hostels and accept not having as much privacy as you’re used to at
home. The best thing for me about travelling alone was that it was a brilliant experience
that enhanced my independence and helped me feel more self-assured. I knew I was on
my own, which made me make more effort to speak to people and by doing so I made
lots of great friends.

TEST 2
You are going to read an article about fathers and sons. For questions 43-52, choose
from the people (A-D). The people may be chosen more than once.
Which person’s father…
43 always had faith in his son’s abilities?
44 encouraged his son not to give up in the face of disappointment?
45 gave his son advice in a light-hearted way?
46 made his son realise the need to try harder?
47 may not have succeeded in passing on certain ideas to his son?
48 never blamed his son for mistakes that he made?
49 put no pressure on his son to follow in his footsteps?
50 reassured his son when equipment let him down?
51 showed his son how to perform practical tasks?
52 was willing to listen to his son’s suggestions?
A Tony: Racing driver
‘Drive it like you stole it and keep it on the black stuff!’ I was quite nervous when I first
started racing, but those were my dad’s jokey words of wisdom and they made me feel
better at the time. In the beginning, I had quite a few spins on the circuits – the very first
one was particularly scary because the car left the track, but he never said it was my fault.
I used to drive a Porsche 924 and pretty much every single race something would break,
but Dad would just say: ‘Don’t worry about the car, we can always fix it.’ I didn’t like
people behind me when I went round corners, but Dad was always telling me not to take
any notice, to focus on what I was doing. I’ve got a long way to go, but Dad ’s really
good – he’s hardly the most polite person to have around if things don’t go well, but he’s
my role model.
В David: Record producer
Because Dad and I have always been close, there was no one moment when he imparted
some big philosophical piece of advice. I think his greatest gift has been his general
unwavering belief in me. Since I was about fourteen, he’s given me the opportunity to
input ideas and have my say about the bands we work with or the equipment we use,
which is amazing. When you’re part of a family business, it can sometimes feel as if you
have to be there, but my brother and I have done other things, and we’re back with Dad
again because we want to be. He left the decision to us. Dad’s also been good at giving
career advice because he’s done it and he’s got the experience. He’s given me that drive
and ambition to succeed.
C Andy: Buyer for a department store
I was probably Dad’s most unruly son. He tried to teach me a lot of things – how much
I’ve taken on board is another matter. But I don’t think I’m such a disappointment to
him! He’s a very cool dad, but he’s quite traditional in some ways. He’s always said that
if you want to succeed, then get on with it. If you’re going to do something, do it right
away or at least write it down so you don’t forget! I’m proud of my dad and how hard he
worked for us to have a lovely childhood and good lifestyle. Dad also taught me valuable
skills like how to change the oil in my car, how to play tennis and ski – although the last
time he saw me doing that he said he feared for his life!
D Simon: Rugby player
He had this catchphrase: ‘Under-prepare, and you prepare to fail.’ I heard it time and
again. A typical teenager when things went wrong, I was always trying to blame
everything and everyone but myself. He used his catchphrase and explained that if you
don’t put sufficient effort in, you’ll never get anything out of whatever it is you’re doing.
That’s stayed with me ever since, even now when I’m playing professionally. He’s
always given a fair amount of advice. He made me realise that if you just stick at
something, no matter how hard things get, then your time will come. It’s the hardest thing
to hear when things aren’t going well. At the beginning of the season, I wasn’t getting
picked for many matches. Then when the chance came to play, I really took it.

TEST 3
You are going to read an article about cycling. For questions 43-52, choose from the
cyclists (A-D). The cyclists may be chosen more than once.
When talking about their bike, which cyclist

43 accepts the need to wear uncomfortable safety equipment?

44 advises people to make sure a new bike is comfortable to ride?
45 believes that false information was given by the seller?
46 disagrees with other people’s opinion of one of the bike’s features?
47 hopes not to get caught in bad weather on the bike?
48 feels that cycling is less frustrating than driving?
49 finds some cycle journeys easier than others?
50 feels that the bike matches the owner’s character?
51 was once the victim of bike crime?
52 was a professional cyclist for a short time?

I love my bike
Four young Dubliners talk about the joys of cycling in the city
A Erin
This old second-hand bike gets me from A to В all right because you don’t need flashy
sets of gears or anything like that in a city this size and it makes it less of a target for
thieves. But having said that, mine’s a very bright colour – it cheers me up, especially
when I have to cycle home in the pouring rain. I’ve always thought that the bike was a
good reflection of the real me actually, and I usually wear jeans when I’m cycling. I
might need to rethink that though because I’ve just started my own company, and my
outlook on life has changed a little. There may be times when I need to turn up looking a
bit more elegant! I’d say to anyone thinking of getting a bike, make sure the saddle’s
right before you part with your money. If you’re going to use it a lot, you don’t want to
get sore.
В Luke
I bought my bike from an Internet auction site and had to have it shipped from Germany
in pieces. I then paid to have it assembled here in Dublin – but it was worth it. I use it
every day and tend to wear everyday clothes and try and dodge the showers. I cycle all
over the city because it’s much quicker than walking and you don’t get snarled up in the
traffic, which can be a pain in a motor vehicle. At least on a bike you can keep moving.
The only tip I’d give to novice cyclists round here is keep a lookout for drivers turning
left, it’s easy for them to miss you because you can see what they’re doing but they can’t
necessarily see you. I worked briefly as a cycle courier — delivering letters and stuff. It
was fun, but I wouldn’t recommend making a career out of it!
C Claire
My parents picked this bike up for me in New York. It’s a red and black cruiser with a
burger-shaped bell — some of my friends think that’s a bit uncool, but I don’t really go
along with that idea. I’ve got two helmets, a summer and a winter version but I still get
too hot on really sunny days. Still, you can’t really do without one, can you? I cycle down
to college in no time at all, but the uphill trek home takes me around thirty-five minutes. I
only take the bus if it’s wet. It’s quicker, but on the bike I can make my own mind up
about when I travel. I cycle in high heels, which you might think would be tricky, but is
actually easier than walking any distance in them. But I wouldn’t really recommend them
to other cyclists.
D Kieran
My bike’s an early 1980s racer and I bought it off an old man who sells junk out of his
garage. He reckoned it had once belonged to a professional cycling champion, but I think
he was making it up. I was looking for old cameras, but when I saw it I couldn’t resist it.
It did get stolen on one occasion, but then later that week I saw someone riding it up my
street. I grabbed him and gave him his taxi fare home so that I could take it back. My
advice to cyclists would be to wear fluorescent armbands, especially at night or in poor
weather conditions. They’re less uncomfortable than the waistcoats or jackets in the same
material. I’ve just invested in special raingear actually, but I don’t find it very
comfortable, to be honest, because as soon as the sun comes out, you feel overdressed.

TEST 4
You are going to read some extracts about the fears or challenges that several people
have faced. For questions 43-52, choose from the people (A-D). The people may be
chosen more than once.
Which person…
43 did not receive help willingly at first?
44 did not realise how difficult something would be?
45 did not feel a need to change?
46 helped others while being challenged?
47 can rely on a family member who does not share their phobia?
48 was afraid of being unsuccessful?
49 felt a sense of great happiness while taking part in an extreme activity?
50 initially tried to overcome his/her difficulty alone?
51 took advantage of an offer which had conditions attached to it?
52 had the support of a friend?

Confront your fears and face your challenges

A Katie
I’m afraid of spiders. You won’t hear me scream, but I will certainly get out of the room
until someone else has dealt with it. Once, when I was a teenager, and my parents were
both working late, I sat on the front steps of the house for nearly five hours waiting for
help. There was a spider on the ceiling in the hallway, you see! I couldn’t get into the
house! My father was quite angry with me when he got home; he thought I needed to
learn to be more independent. “How will you ever survive if you have to live alone some
day?” he asked. Well, I’m sure if I had to I would just deal with it, although it would be a
challenge. But I’ve never had to live alone. I had flatmates at university, and now I’m
married. Luckily my husband has no problem with spiders, and is tolerant of my phobia!
B Ellie
The most challenging thing I’ve ever done, by far, was trekking in the Himalayas. It was
something I’d always dreamed of doing and I was incredibly fortunate to have the
opportunity to join a trek for charity. I always considered myself fit; I mean, I go to the
gym two or three times a week. But as soon as we set out I realised I was quite out of my
depth; I’d never even carried a pack before. In retrospect, I can’t imagine what I was
thinking. On the first day, we had a six-hour walk and after four hours I was so exhausted
I felt that I couldn’t go on. I took off my pack, sat down, and cried. Apparently my
reaction was fairly common so our group leader knew just how to deal with it. He calmly
explained that we were only two more hours from our first camp, while I’d have to walk
for four, alone, to go back! I had no choice. I had to continue. So I did, and when we
eventually reached Everest base camp it was the proudest I’ve ever been.
C Daniel
After high school I was accepted into a very good music school, by merit of my audition.
I almost declined; I didn’t want to go to university. It was a terribly difficult time because
nobody could understand why I would make that decision. I was just so terrified that I
would fail. I’m dyslexic, and I knew that even if I were studying music I would have to
write essays for so many classes. I’d had some teachers in the past that were convinced
that I was just careless, that I was lazy, when in fact I was spending much more time on
the assignments than my classmates. In the end I went, but I had a terrible attitude. I
missed a lot of classes; I wasn’t even trying. Eventually I found my way to an office that
offered support to students with special needs; I think someone told me that I could get a
free computer, or something. That turned my life around. To get the computer I had to
attend regular meetings with an advisor, which I hated at first, but eventually I learned to
recognise my strengths and be realistic about my weaknesses; I realised I could get help
when I needed it, and that was OK. That was the hardest thing; but once I’d understood it,
there was no stopping me.
D Jack
My fear of heights was affecting my life because I had difficulty going up and down
stairs or over bridges, particularly if I could see down, beneath me. I would just get
paralysed. I would feel nauseous, and my feet would feel heavy, as if they were made of
lead. I had read that it was possible to get over phobias by exposure, so I put myself into
difficult situations on purpose. It was exhausting, but I knew it was important. I noticed
slight improvements, but only very slight. It was frustrating. Then I had the idea; I was
going to try bungee jumping. I got a trusted friend to go with me; to make sure I didn’t
change my mind. He told the people in charge they would have to push me, because I
wouldn’t jump. It was all very fast; there was no time to think. The feeling was
exhilarating, to be honest. And I’ve had no trouble in my day-to-day life since then.
Though, I admit, I have no desire to do it again.

TEST 5
You are going to read five different people’s opinions about time travel. For
questions 43-52, choose from the people (A-E). The people may be chosen more than
once.
Which person…
43. thinks its best to appreciate the present?
44. would make a different relationship decision?
45. would try to help a family member?
46. offers contemporary travel advice?
47. is probably at least 50 years old?
48. is interested in history?
49. is put-off by old-fashioned clothes?
50. thinks of impressing others?
51. would make an investment?
52. would not expect time travellers in general to receive a friendly welcome ?

Time Travel
A Charlie
I’d travel back to the year I was born, and live my life again, but only if I could know
then what I know now! I’d love to see my parents and grandparents again. I’d persuade
my dad to stop smoking, so that he wouldn’t die so young. On the other hand, in the
present, I have two wonderful grown-up children and two precious grandchildren.
Perhaps the answer is to make the best of the present and stop hankering after the past. If
I could visit other times just for a day, I’d love to meet my parents as children, and go
into the future to meet the great-great grandchildren I’ll not live to see!
B Chloe
I would not exchange today for any previous era. I have studied a lot of history and whilst
I would be interested in certain eras there would be difficulties. For example, Tudor times
– interesting, but as a Catholic I might have had my head chopped off; eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries – exciting, but too many petticoats to wear, never mind about
corsets. Then there is the lack of education and opportunity for women to consider, and
the lack of medical knowledge. No, today is the best time to live. Having said that, I
would not mind the opportunity to take tea with Miss Austen – she would have been
enormous fun.
C Emily
Go back in time? Who’d want that? I mean, as soon as some people spotted you, you’d
be the odd one out. And if you went back in time with all that futuristic equipment on
and, for example, the alarm clock on your watch went off, you would be denounced as a
devil; tortured, quartered and drawn, and then burnt at the stake! Travel to the future and
you’d be a museum artifact! You’d be seen as some sort of primitive beast! I’m fine
where I am at the moment, thank you. Also, to those of you intending to prevent the
election/birth of various politicians, it won’t work; if you succeeded, then you would
have no incentive to do so, and thus wouldn’t have gone. That’s the paradox.
D Jack
I have always dreamed of being a sailor in the merchant navy between 1920 and 1940. At
that time, travelling to foreign ports like Yokohama, Saigon, Rangoon, Surabaya and
such would have been the same as space travel is today. Imagine coming home after a
long voyage, and telling the people in the pub all about your travels! You’d have such
stories to tell! I have seen the majority of the world’s cities now, and most look exactly
the same as each other. If you want to travel somewhere that is still unique today, without
the time machine, see Asia but steer clear of package tours. And hurry; do it now before
it all becomes McDonaldised.
E Liam
I’d go back maybe about five years and try to do a better job this time. I would never
have ended the relationship with the love of my life. I wish I could’ve known better, and
understood then what I understand now. I would also stay at college. I’d register 250 of
the best internet domains possible, so by now I’d be a billionaire without having done a
thing. But I wouldn’t be selfish; I would change the world for the better with the money.
Money can save lives and do unbelievable things in the right hands. Plus, I would have
the girl! Oh well, back to reality.
TEST 6
You are going to read four accounts of people who have followed their dreams and
travelled someplace amazing. For questions 43-52, choose from the people (A-D). The
people may be chosen more than once.
Which person…
43. interacted closely with wild animals?
44. was participating in a water sport?
45. did not think he/she would like the place so much?
46. was in relatively close proximity to dangerous animals?
47. refers to documenting their travel experiences?
48. appreciated the advantages of travelling alone?
49. spent time near places of worship?
50. told someone all about his/her experience?
51. compared the place he/she visited with other places?
52. was shown around by a professional?

Following Dream
A Harry
Just north of Fregate I met two manta rays. They were seven or eight feet wide with
massive outstretched fins that seemed like rubberized wings. The water was murky, rich
with plankton that attracted the giant rays that filtered it through their wide mouths. They
treated me with caution, maintaining a constant distance if I turned towards them, but
were content to let me swim on a parallel course, as if I, too, was feeding on the plankton.
For a few minutes we were companions, until, circling and shifting shape against the
depths, they became faint black shadows in the gloom and were gone. The deep blue of
the Indian Ocean has captured my heart and drawn me back again and again to these pure
shores. On Praslin there were dolphins offshore and a pair of octopus, sliding across the
coral as they flashed signals to one another with changing skin tones as remarkable as –
but much faster than – any chameleon. At Conception, close to Mahe, giant rocks formed
an underwater cathedral beckoning me into its vaults where moray eels gaped at me, the
strange visitor to their liquid world.
В Gabriel
And so my first real trip to Asia unfolded in what seemed a series of dream-panels –
adventures and faces and events so far removed from my day-to-day experience that I
could not convert them into any tongue I knew. I revisited them again and again,
sleepless, in my memories and notes and photographs, once home.
Almost every day of the three-week trip was so vivid that, upon returning, I gave a friend
a nine-hour account of every moment. The motorbike ride through Sukhothai; the first
long lazy evening in an expat’s teak house in Sunkumvhit; the flight into the otherworldly
charm of Rangoon and the Strand Hotel, and the pulse of warm activity around the Sule
Pagoda at nightfall. Long hot days in the silence, 5,000 temples on every side; slow trips
at dawn along Inle lake, seeing a bird-faced boat being led through the quiet water; a
frenzied morning back in Bangkok, writing an article while monsoon rains pounded on
the windows all around me.

C Maya
As I stepped off the six-seater Cessna plane after a bumpy flight over the Okavango Delta
and my feet touched the arid ground I knew this was what I’d been waiting for all my life
– Africa. Our first day was at the Selinda Camp in one of the driest parts of the Delta and
when we arrived I thought that nothing could possibly survive under the relentless sun. I
was almost immediately proved wrong, as Selinda is near a small lagoon – home to a
group of hippos. At night we could hear their bark-like call.
Our guides warned us that although hippos may seem harmless, if threatened, they could
easily kill a man! We went on to stay in various other camps that were situated in
different habitats. Jacana Camp was surrounded entirely by water and only accessible by
boat. But my favourite place was the Kalahari Desert. Our final camp was located just on
the edge of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, which are home to many rare species of animal,
such as the brown hyena.

D Tom
I’d been to New York three times in the past but not for long and I couldn’t remember
much of it.
This time I only had four days but I was on my own and this seems like a better way to
get to know a city: less being sociable, more walking and visiting different places.
Perfect. I liked New York even more than I expected and it’s right up there on my list of
foreign cities where I’d like to live. It’s fighting for the top spot with San Francisco, with
the next position occupied by Paris. I stayed at the Incentra Village House, which was
lovely: reasonably priced, really friendly, comfortable rooms. I’d stay there again. I did a
lot of walking and could easily have done a lot more. I rarely left Manhattan. One day I
walked more than 12 miles, including the length of Central Park and on down Fifth
Avenue. Fifth Avenue was the least pleasant place; it felt like London’s Oxford Street. I
also walked along the High Line, which is very nicely done, although rather shorter than
Paris’s Promenade Plantee.

TEST 7
You are going to read an article from a travel magazine about beaches. For
questions 43-52, choose from the authors (A-D). The authors may be chosen more than
once.
Which section…
43. recommends paying the entrance fee?
44. states that the beach has featured in advertisements?
45. says visitors may be surprised by the water temperature?
46. points out that the water is quite shallow?
47. suggests visitors should take photos of the beach?
48. says visitors can walk on the beach in their bare feet?
49. mentions a pleasant smell from the trees?
50. advises visitors to get to the beach early in the day?
51. states that it is not always possible to visit the beach?
52. warns visitors to the beach to protect their skin?

Four of the world’s best beaches

Which are the best beaches on Earth? Here are our top four.
A Rodas Beach, the Cies Islands, Spain
Some of Spain’s most spectacular beaches lie in Galicia on the Atlantic coast, and
perhaps the most stunning of these are on the Cies Islands. These unspoilt and
uninhabited islands are a national park, with public access limited to the summer months,
and contain the perfectly-shaped Rodas Beach with its pure white sand and clear blue sea.
At first sight it almost seems tropical, until dipping your toe in the water encourages you
to spend a lazy day on the beach rather than dive in for a swim. There you can enjoy the
quiet, the warmth of the sun and the scent of pine from the nearby woods, and later on
have an excellent meal in the reasonably-priced fish restaurant close to the beach.
В Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Islands, Australia
Australia is famous for wonderful beaches, and Whitehaven must surely be one of its
very best. Set against a background of amazingly-green tropical forest, and with views
across the clear blue ocean to distant small islands, the sandy white beach is like
something from a picture postcard or a TV commercial. As you would expect in such a
sunny climate, the water is pleasantly warm, ideal for swimming on or below the surface.
The sand, in contrast, always remains cool as it is of a type that reflects the sunlight, so
you won’t need sandals. As the island has no permanent inhabitants, and most day
trippers leave by boat quite early, in the late afternoon and evening you can have the
place almost to yourself.
C Matira Beach, Bora Bora, Tahiti
Matira Beach on the Pacific island of Bora Bora has incredibly white sand, beautiful fish
swimming in clear blue-green water, and stunning sunsets. The air temperature hardly
varies around the year, and neither does that of the ocean – which is only waist-high even
hundreds of metres from the shore. And unlike windier beaches nearby, Matira is quite
well sheltered. There isn’t, however, much shade, so it is advisable to use plenty of sun
cream, and the sand can feel uncomfortably hot unless you wear beach shoes or
something similar. There is no charge to visit the beach, yet it rarely becomes crowded at
any time of day. Everyone should go there at least once in life, and when you do, make
sure you have your photo taken as the sun goes down
D Anse Source d’Argent Beach, Seychelles
This must be one of the most photographed beaches in the world, so don’t forget to get
some shots of your own, especially of the sea and the sand framed by the background of
enormous pink rocks, with tall palm trees right behind them. It’s easy to see why
commercials have been made there. The patches of brilliantly white sand between those
beautiful rocks make it the perfect place to spend a relaxing day, and it is well worth the
small amount it costs for access. The best spots – those with both sunshine and shade –
quickly get taken, so make sure you arrive well before the sun starts to beat down and the
sand heats up.

TEST 8
You are going to read a magazine article about adults who have met an old school friend
again through social media. For questions 43-52, choose from the people(A-E). The
people may be chosen more than once.
Which section…
43. is surprised at the job her friend now has?
44. is sure that this time their friendship will last?
45. thinks her life may have changed as a result of meeting her friend again?
46. feels that in one way she and her friend have similar personalities?
47. believes that even without the Internet they would have met again?
48. regrets losing contact with her friend years ago?
49. was initially unsure whether she wanted to talk to her friend again?
50. told her friend she was sad to hear what had happened to her?
51. was surprised at how little her friend’s appearance had changed?
52. admits she wrongly predicted her friend would never have a successful
career?
Friends again
Five people talk about the school friends they have met up with again thanks to social
media websites.
A Nadia Hassan
Although we’ve been living in different countries for a long time, I know I should have
made more of an effort to stay in touch with Amina because we always got on well
together, even though we’re quite different people. For instance, I’m much more
ambitious than her and have no plans to start a family, whereas she already has two
children. It’s quite a contrast in lifestyle, and although it’s great that we’re both content
with our own lives – and we’ve enjoyed catching up with each other’s news – I don’t
really know whether in the future we’ll have enough in common to keep the relationship
going.
В Julia Nowak
The first thing that struck me was that Natalia still looked much the same as she had ten
years earlier, unlike some other people in their late twenties – especially those who have
had serious personal issues to deal with during that time. She’s also still very keen on
sports, which I’m not, but she remains as sociable as she ever was and I suppose we’re
quite alike in that respect. In fact, she was one of the first people I thought of when the
idea of contacting my old classmates occurred to me, and it’s great you can do that online
so easily. Otherwise you could lose touch with them forever.
C Olivia Morgan
Back in our school days I always liked Megan, but she was never keen on studying so I
sort of took it for granted that she would end up doing a job that didn’t require
qualifications. Now it turns out she went on to do really well academically and for two
years was a Philosophy lecturer at a top university. The other mistake I made was being
rather cautious about responding when she first got in touch with me online last autumn,
when in fact as soon as we saw each other on the screen we started chatting again as if
that ten-year gap had never existed. I think we both quickly realised that we wouldn’t
ever let anything like that happen again.
D Maite Silva
I was delighted when Carla told me she has such a good job. Somehow I always knew
she’d do well, though I must confess that back then she was the last person I would have
imagined becoming an economist because she was pretty hopeless at maths. But when
she appeared on my laptop screen after all those years I was impressed by how mature
she sounded and looked, and in fact she might be having an influence on me. Ever since
we met up again. I’ve found myself taking a more serious attitude to my career, with
promotion now a real possibility.
E Уan Lin
When I realised my old classmate Ming was trying to contact me I didn’t hesitate for a
second in replying. Somehow I’d always known that one way or another we were bound
to run into each other at some point, because when we left school we’d both gone off to
do the same subject at different universities. What I hadn’t been prepared for, though,
was the news that she’d had to interrupt her studies owing to personal problems. I
expressed my sympathy, but she assured me she’d recovered and eventually graduated,
and that since then she’s been working in advertising. Which of course is exactly what I
do, too.

TEST 9
You are going to read an article about the effects of tourism on local people. For
questions 43-52, choose from the people (A-E). The people may be chosen more than
once.
Which section…
43. misses a place they used to go to as a child?
44. states that tourism provides a considerable number of jobs for local people?
45. wishes local people had opposed the construction of certain holiday
homes?
46. claims that tourism has destroyed a traditional industry?
47. blames the tourist industry for spoiling the local countryside?
48. feels that the presence of people from other cultures benefits the local
community?
49. criticises the behaviour of tourists in their town?
50. says the town is wealthier than it was before it became a tourist resort?
51. believes that most of the profits from the local tourist industry go abroad?
52. is not convinced that so-called green tourism actually benefits the
environment?

Living with tourism

Five people describe how tourism has affected their home town.
A Leonor Sousa
It can’t be denied that tourism has attracted investment, which has certainly raised living
standards here, but the cost in other respects has been extremely high. Take the effect on
the environment, for instance. When my parents were young this used to be an area of
fields and woods, but now everything is covered in concrete. The tourists themselves
aren’t responsible for this,- it’s the construction companies, property developers and
estate agents who are to blame because they’re the ones making all the money. They’re
all based in the big cities and bring in their own people, so they hardly create any
employment at all for local residents.
В Yusuf Demir
When I was growing up in my home town there was a path I used to walk along to go to
school, and last summer I went to see if it was still there. It was, but the view from it had
changed completely. Now there is a vast shopping mall, with a cinema and cafes
alongside. I don’t actually mind that, because it means there are lots more things to do,
and I also like the fact that it has a really international atmosphere. It’s good for local
people to meet visitors from other parts of the world, try new kinds of food and hear
about different ways of living.
C Matt Walker
Tourism has changed this town so much, even in the years since I was at junior school. In
those days there was a football pitch near the harbour where we would kick a ball around,
but it’s gone now, which is a pity. In the harbour itself luxury yachts owned by people
from richer parts of the country have replaced the fishing boats, to the extent that there is
now no sign of what used to be the main source of income and employment locally. In
the evenings the town is certainly a lot livelier, but sometimes people start doing things
they would never think of doing back in their own home towns, and then the police have
to be called.
D Trisha Chandra
I was just a child when tourism first took off here and those incredibly ugly houses were
built for summer visitors. The residents really should have protested about that. It was all
the fault of the town council, who only ever thought in the short term and seemed to give
planning permission to anyone who applied to build anything. Nowadays there’s talk of
ecological tourism, but that’s just a way of making people feel less guilty about the harm
they are doing by making a few insignificant changes, such as re using towels in their
hotel rooms.
E Daniela Navarro
I know some of the new hotels and holiday apartment blocks are unattractive, and that the
bars, restaurants and nightclubs that cater for tourists have changed the nature of the
town, but without them unemployment – particularly among the young – would be far
worse than it currently is. That, though, is as far as the economic benefits to the town go,
as the only ones making any real money out of all this are the big tour operators and the
owners of hotel chains, none of whom are actually based in this country. Also, very few
tourists learn our language. I know it must be difficult for them because most of them are
quite old, but it means there’s little communication between us and them.

TEST 10
You are going to read a newspaper article about a young professional footballer. For
questions 43 – 52, choose from the sections (A – D). The sections may be chosen more
than once.
Which paragraph…
43. states how surprised the writer was at Duncan’s early difficulties?
44. says that Duncan sometimes seems much more mature than he really is?
45. describes the frustration felt by Duncan’s father?
46. says that Duncan is on course to reach a high point in his profession?
47. suggests that Duncan caught up with his team-mates in terms of physical
development?
48. explains how Duncan was a good all-round sportsperson?
49. gives an example of how Gavin reassured his son?
50. mentions Duncan’s current club’s low opinion of him at one time?
51. mentions a personal success despite a failure for the team?
52. explains how Duncan and his father are fulfilling a similar role?

Rising Star
Margaret Garelly goes to meet Duncan Williams, who plays for Chelsea Football Club.
A
It’s my first time driving to Chelsea’s training ground and I turn off slightly too early at
the London University playing fields. Had he accepted football’s rejections in his early
teenage years, it is exactly the sort of ground Duncan Williams would have found himself
running around on at weekends. At his current age of 18, he would have been a bright
first-year undergraduate mixing his academic studies with a bit of football, rugby and
cricket, given his early talent in all these sports. However, Duncan undoubtedly took the
right path. Instead of studying, he is sitting with his father Gavin in one of the interview
rooms at Chelsea’s training base reflecting on Saturday’s match against Manchester City.
Such has been his rise to fame that it is with some disbelief that you listen to him
describing how his career was nearly all over before it began.
В
Gavin, himself a fine footballer – a member of the national team in his time – and now a
professional coach, sent Duncan to three professional clubs as a 14 year-old, but all three
turned him down. ‘I worked with him a lot when he was around 12, and it was clear he
had fantastic technique and skill. But then the other boys shot up in height and he didn’t.
But I was still upset and surprised that no team seemed to want him, that they couldn’t
see what he might develop into in time. When Chelsea accepted him as a junior, it was
made clear to him that this was more of a last chance than a new beginning. They told
him he had a lot of hard work to do and wasn’t part of their plans. Fortunately, that
summer he just grew and grew, and got much stronger as well.’
C
Duncan takes up the story: ‘The first half of that season I played in the youth team. I got
lucky – the first-team manager came to watch us play QPR, and though we lost 3-1, I had
a really good game. I moved up to the first team after that performance.’ Gavin points out
that it can be beneficial to be smaller and weaker when you are developing – it forces you
to learn how to keep the ball better, how to use ‘quick feet’ to get out of tight spaces. ‘A
couple of years ago, Duncan would run past an opponent as if he wasn’t there but then
the other guy would close in on him. I used to say to him, “Look, if you can do that now,
imagine what you’ll be like when you’re 17, 18 and you’re big and quick and they won’t
be able to get near you.” If you’re a smaller player, you have to use your brain a lot
more.’
D
Not every kid gets advice from an ex-England player over dinner, nor their own private
training sessions. Now Duncan is following in Gavin’s footsteps. He has joined a national
scheme where people like him give advice to ambitious young teenagers who are hoping
to become professionals. He is an old head on young shoulders. Yet he’s also like a
young kid in his enthusiasm. And fame has clearly not gone to his head; it would be hard
to meet a more likeable, humble young man. So will he get to play for the national team?
‘One day I’d love to, but when that is, is for somebody else to decide.’ The way he is
playing, that won’t be long.

CAE
TEST 1
You are going to read an article about children. For questions 47-56, choose from the
sections of the article (A-E). The sections may be chosen more than once. When more than
one answer is required, these may be given in any order.
In which section of the article is the following mentioned?

47 an example of a sign that has become simpler

48 the difference between how the deaf children communicate an image and how other people
communicate the same image
49 the fact that the same signs can be used in the communication of a number of ideas
50 the characteristics of languages in general at different stages of their development
51 a belief that language is learnt by means of a specific part of the mind
52 an aspect of language learning that children are particularly good at
53 how regularly the children have been monitored
54 older children passing their sign language on to younger children
55 the reason why the children created a particular sign
56 opposing views on how people acquire language

Deaf Childern’s Ad Hoc Language Evolves and Instructs

A A deep insight into the way the brain learns language has emerged from the study of
Nicaraguan sign language, invented by deaf children in a Nicaraguan school as a means of
communicating among themselves. The Nicaraguan children are well-known to linguists because
they provide an apparently unique example of people inventing a language from scratch. The
phenomenon started at a school for special education founded in 1977. Instructors noticed that
the deaf children, while absorbing little from their Spanish lessons, had developed a system of
signs for talking to one another. As one generation of children taught the system to the next, it
evolved from a set of gestures into a far more sophisticated form of communication, and today’s
800 users of the language provide a living history of the stages of formation.

B The children have been studied principally by Dr. Judy Kegi, a linguist at the University of
Southern Maine, and Dr. Ann Senghas, a cognitive scientist at Columbia University in New
York City. In the latest study, published in Science magazine, Dr. Senghas shows that the
younger children have now decomposed certain gestures into smaller component signs. A
hearing person asked to mime a standard story about a cat waddling down a street will make a
single gesture, a downward spiral motion of the hand. But the deaf children have developed two
different signs to use in its place. They sign a circle for the rolling motion and then a straight line
for the direction of movement. This requires more signing, but the two signs can be used in
combination with others to express different concepts. The development is of interest to linguists
because it captures a principal quality of human language – discrete elements usable in different
combinations – in contrast to the one sound, one meaning of animal communication. ‘The
regularity she documents here – mapping discrete aspects of the world onto discrete word
choices – is one of the most distinctive properties of human language’ said Dr. Steven Pinker, a
cognitive scientist at Harvard University.

C When people with no common language are thrown into contact, they often develop an ad hoc
language known to linguists as a pidgin language, usually derived from one of the parent
languages. Pidgins are rudimentary systems with minimal grammar and utterances. But in a
generation or two, the pidgins acquire grammar and become upgraded to what linguists call
creoles. Though many new languages have been created by the pidgin-creole route, the
Nicaraguan situation is unique, Dr. Senghas said, because its starting point was not a complex
language but ordinary gestures. From this raw material, the deaf children appear to be
spontaneously fabricating the elements of language.
D Linguists have been engaged in a longstanding argument as to whether there is an innate,
specialised neural machinery for learning language, as proposed by Noam Chomsky of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or whether everything is learned from scratch. Dr.
Senghas says her finding supports the view that language learning is innate, not purely cultural,
since the Nicaraguan children’s dis-aggregation of gestures appears to be spontaneous. Her result
also upholds the idea that children play an important part in converting a pidgin into a creole.
Because children’s minds are primed to learn the rules of grammar, it is thought, they
spontaneously impose grammatical structure on a pidgin that doesn’t have one.

E The Nicaraguan children are a living laboratory of language generation. Dr. Senghas, who has
been visiting their school every year since 1990, said she had noticed how the signs for numbers
have developed. Originally the children represented ’20’ by flicking the fingers of both hands in
the air twice. But this cumbersome sign has been replaced with a form that can now be signed
with one hand. The children don’t care that the new sign doesn’t look like a 20, Dr. Senghas
said; they just want a symbol that can be signed fast.

TEST 2
You are going to read an article about various birds in Britain. For questions 47-56, choose
from the sections of the article (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once.
Of which bird are the following stated?
47 Further attempts to increase its numbers were made once initial attempts had proved
successful.
48 Its population growth is a reflection of how tough it is.
49 There is statistical evidence to support the view that it is a very popular bird.
50 There was a particular period when its population plummeted.
51 A criticism could be made of its physical appearance.
52 A common perception of it has proved inaccurate.
53 Growth in its numbers has been much more gradual than desired.
54 There is reason to believe that its progress in a particular region will be maintained.
55 Measures taken in the running of a certain type of countryside have assisted in the growth of
its population.
56 Even though its population has fallen, it can frequently be seen in various particular locations.
WINGED WINNERS AND LOSERS
Birds in Britain come under scrutiny in a massive new study, Birds Britannica. A record of the
avian community in the 21st century, it reveals a continually evolving pattern. Mark Cocker, the
principal author of the tome, selects some cases.

A Red Kite
The red kite’s recent rise from a mere handful to several thousands is among the great stories of
modern conservation. Testimony to its flagship status is a recent Royal Society for the Protection
of Birds poll which ranked it with the golden eagle and song thrush in the nation’s list of
favourite birds. The dramatic spread has hinged on a reintroduction scheme at six sites in
England and Scotland using kites originally taken from Spain and Sweden. The English releases
began in the Chilterns in 1989 and when these had achieved a healthy population, subsequent
introductions were made in Northamptonshire and Yorkshire using mainly English birds. The
Scottish releases in the 1980s and 1990s have resulted in populations totalling more than 50
pairs. Altogether there are now about 3,000 kites in Britain

B Dartford Warbler
European countries as well as the north African littoral, and has the smallest world range of any
of our breeding birds. It is also a highly sedentary bird and a major cause of decline is its great
susceptibility to the cold. The worst case occurred in the two successive hard winters of 1961
and 1962 when the numbers fell from 450 pairs to just 10. Memories of this calamitous decrease,
coupled with the bird’s own tiny size and seeming delicacy, have cemented our sense of an
overarching vulnerability. It is one of the best British examples where a species’ local rarity has
been assumed to equal almost constitutional weakness. All the caution is perfectly
understandable as an expression of our protective instincts towards a much-loved bird. Yet it sits
oddly with the warbler’s continuing rise and expansion to a population of 1,925 pairs by the year
2000. It has undoubtedly been helped by mild winters as well as the intensive management and
protection of England’s lowland heath. Yet the Dartford Warbler’s recent history illustrates how
easy it is to underestimate the resilience of a small rare bird.

C White-tailed Eagle
It is difficult to judge which is the more exciting conservation achievement – the reintroduction
of this magnificent bird or of red kites. By wingspan and weight, this is the largest eagle in
Europe and one of the biggest of all birds in Britain. However, if the species itself is on a grand
scale, the size of the reintroduced population is tiny and the pace of increase agonizingly slow.
The project involved a remarkable team effort by various UK environmental groups, as well as
the Norwegian conservationists who organized the capture of the donated birds. Between 1975
and 1985, they released 82 eagles (39 males and 43 females) from a special holding area on the
Inner Hebridean island of Rhum. Eight were later recovered dead, but in 1983 came the first
breeding attempt.

Two years later, a pair of white-tailed eagles produced the first British-born chick in 69 years
and every subsequent breeding season has seen a small incremental improvement. There is now
an established breeding nucleus spread between the islands of Skye and Mull as well as the
adjacent mainland, and their recent history suggests that the white-tailed eagle’s increase will
continue throughout north-west Scotland.

D Spotted Flycatcher
Even the greatest fans of this lovely bird, with its mouse-grey upper parts and whitish breast and
belly, would have to admit that it is rather drab. They have no more than a thin, squeaky, small
song. However, spotted flycatchers compensate with enormous character.

They are adept at catching large species such as day-flying moths, butterflies, bees and wasps,
whose stings they remove by thrashing the victim against the perch. Their specialized diet means
that they are among the latest spring migrants to return and are now in serious decline because of
half a century of pesticide use. In the past 25 years, their numbers have declined by almost 80 per
cent, but they are still sufficiently numerous (155,000 pairs) to be familiar and are often birds of
large gardens, churchyards or around farm buildings.
TEST 3
You are going to read an article about various paintings. For questions 47-56, choose from
the sections of the article (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once.
Of which painting is the following stated?

47 It is of something that no longer exists.

48 The artist points out that it is based on things actually observed, even though it
49 The artist specialises in things that most people regard as ugly.
50 A deduction that could be made about what is happening in this picture is not what artist is
actually showing.
51 The artist took a risk while creating it.
52 The artist checks that nothing important is missing from preparatory work.
53 It was completely altered in order to produce various connections.
54 Its artist produces paintings in different locations.
55 In one way, it is unlike any other painting the artist has produced.
56 The artist likes to find by chance subjects that have certain characteristics.

Watercolour competition
First prize
A Carol Robertson – Interrupted
Field Carol Robertson’s Interrupted Field is a worthy winner, a more or less geometric
composition that exploits the qualities of evenly-applied washes of colour. The painting is vast –
‘the largest I’ve ever attempted’- so the big, even area of blue in the centre is, apart from
anything else, something of a technical achievement.
Robertson is keen to stress that her abstract compositions are firmly rooted in reality. Though she
does not ‘seek to confirm or record the way the world looks’, her work is never disconnected
from the natural world, so the coloured stripes and bands in this painting have a specific source.
Over the past five years, Robertson has been working in Ireland, on the northwest coast of
County Mayo. The coloured stripes stimulate ‘memories of coastal landscape, brightly painted
cottages, harbours and fishing boats, things seen out of the corner of my eye as I explored that
coastline by car and on foot. The colour mirrors the fragments of life that caught my eye against
a background of sea and sky.’

Runners up
В Geoffrey Wynne – Quayside
Geoffrey Wynne describes himself as ‘an open-air impressionist watercolour painter’, though he
adds that ‘larger works’, this prize-winning picture among them, ‘are developed in the studio’.
Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of this painting is the sheer number of people in it.
According to the title, they are on a quay somewhere, and the number of suitcases they have with
them suggests they have just landed from a boat on the first stage of a holiday. ‘Yes, that’s
almost right,’ Wynne told me, ‘except that we’re on the boat in the early morning, just arrived
back from Mallorca, and the people are waiting to get on. This painting took a long time to
finish, and many earlier attempts were abandoned. To achieve a unity, I immersed the half-
finished painting in the bath, then added the black with a big brush. It’s dangerous to do, because
you can’t really control the effects. Then I reworked everything, establishing links with colour
and tone throughout the composition, creating a kind of web or net of similar effects.’

C Arthur Lockwood – Carbonizer Tower

Arthur Lockwood has a big reputation among watercolour painters and watercolour enthusiasts,
chiefly for his accomplished pictures of industrial sites, subjects that are generally thought to be
unsightly, but have striking visual qualities all their own. Among them is a kind of romanticism
stimulated by indications of decay and the passing of irrecoverable time. Lockwood’s subjects
are, after all, ruins, the modern equivalent of Gothic churches overgrown by ivy. He aims not
only to reveal those qualities, but to make a visual record of places that are last being destroyed.
This painting, a good example of his work in general, is one of an extensive series on the same
subject. What we see is part of a large industrial plant that once made smokeless coal briquettes.
It has now been closed and demolished to make way for a business park.

D Michael Smee – Respite at The Royal Oak

Michael Smee was once a successful stage and television designer. This is worth stressing,
because this prize-winning painting makes a strong theatrical impression. Smee agrees, and
thinks it has much to do with the carefully judged lighting. ‘As a theatre designer, you make the
set, which comes to life only when its lit’.
Some prefers to happen on pubs and cafes that are intriguing visually and look as though they
might be under threat, lie has a strong desire to record ‘not only the disappearing pub culture
peculiar to this country, but also bespoke bar interiors and the individuals therein’, He works his
paintings up from informative sketches. ‘I get there early, before many people have arrived, sit in
the corner and scribble away. Then, once the painting is in progress in the studio, I make a return
visit to reassure myself and to note down what I’d previously overlooked.’ His main aim isn’t
topographical accuracy, however; it’s to capture the appearance of artificial and natural light
together, as well as the reflections they make.
TEST 4
You are going to read an article about the design of new stations on the London
Underground railway system. For questions 47-56, choose from the sections of the article
(A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once.
In which section of the article are the following mentioned?
47 the previously unattractive nature of the locations of most of the stations
48 a comparison Paoletti made to illustrate his approach to the JLE project
49 the immediate and massive effect that one of the stations had on its surroundings
50 a description that Paoletti considered not to be wholly accurate
51 a fundamental question concerning the function of station in underground systems
52 an explanation Paoletti gave for why certain comments about the new buildings were
incorrect
53 Paoletti’s desire to unite elements that had previously been seen as wholly different from each
other
54 personal qualities that enabled Paoletti to tackle the JLE project successfully
55 parts of a station architects were not responsible for in the past
56 Paoletti’s opinion of those previously responsible for designing stations
An architect who revolutionized the lives of London’s commuters

A
Roland Paoletti was the driving force behind the dramatic, award-winning stations on the ?3
billion Jubilee Line Extension (JLE) to the London Underground system, the most ambitious
building programme on the Tube for many decades. An irascible Anglo-Italian, Paoletti
possessed the persuasiveness and tenacity to take on the vested political interests at play in the
planning of the 10-mile Jubilee Line Extension to ensure good design and innovation.
Historically, architects employed on Tube projects had been restricted to ‘fitting out’ the designs
of railway and civil engineers with few or no aesthetic concerns, and whom Paoletti dismissed as
visionless ‘trench-diggers’. The Jubilee line would be unique in that for the first time the
architects would be responsible for designing entire underground stations.

В
As the commissioning architect in overall charge, Paoletti’s approach was to let light flood down
into the stations along the line. The project’s centrepiece was the extraordinary huge new station
at Canary Wharf, designed by Norman Foster and Partners to handle up to 40,000 passengers an
hour at peak times. ‘Everybody keeps saying that it’s like a cathedral,’ complained Paoletti.
‘They’re wrong. It actually is a cathedral.’ Explaining his approach to designing underground
stations, Paoletti likened the Jubilee line to architectural free-form jazz, the stations responding
to their different contexts as dramatic variations on a theme. Instead of uniformity, Paoletti
envisaged variety achieved in the beauty of raw materials like concrete, and the architectural
power of simple, large spaces for robust and practical stations.

C
He procured the most talented individual architects he could find to design 11 new stations along
the line, creating a unique variety of architectural statement pieces – notably different but all
beautiful – in what had been a largely desolate stretch off urban east London. ‘For the price of an
underground ticket,’ he promised, ‘you will see some of the greatest contributions to engineering
and architecture worldwide.’ Paoletti’s sweeping vision did not disappoint. With their swagger
and individualism, the stations have been widely acclaimed as a tour de force in public transport
architecture.

D
In pressing for a seamless marriage between architecture and engineering, Paoletti was
concerned to make the stations pleasing to the eye, and the daily grind of commuters using them
as uplifting an experience as possible. The result was generally reckoned to be the finest set of
stations since the classic designs for the Piccadilly line by Charles Holden In the 1930s. In
Holden’s day, design stopped at the top of the escalators leading down to the platforms, a
symptom of the Tube’s tradition of treating architecture and engineering as separate disciplines.
From the start Paoletti promised ‘a symbiosis of architecture and engineering’ throughout. This
is particularly evident at Westminster station, where Michael Hopkins solved structural
difficulties by designing fantastic supporting structures redolent of science-fiction – what
Paoletti called ‘engineering that expresses itself as architecture … in which people can delight’.

E
He wanted the designs of the JLE stations to have a uniformity of voice, or, as he put it, ‘a
philosophical uniformity’. Paoletti contrasted the drama of MacCormac Jamieson Prichard’s
design for Southwark station with the vast glass drum of Ron Herron’s Canada Water station,
intended as a response to the area’s bleakness, ‘a big, splendid beacon that has transformed the
area from a wasteland almost overnight’. To critics who complained about the expense of these
grand designs, Paoletti pointed out that the same cut-and-cover, box-station design that allowed
his architects a free hand with their various structures also saved London Underground millions
in tunnelling costs. ‘In any case,’ he noted, ‘you have to decide at the beginning whether you’re
going to see an underground station as a kind of vehicular underpass that happens to have people
in it, or whether it’s a building; a building with some other kind of job to do, like making people
comfortable.
TEST 5
You are going to read about four independent jewellery designers. For questions 47-56,
choose from the sections of the article (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once.
Which designer …

47 is concerned about the sourcing of her materials?

48 is claimed to have the wrong attitude to business?
49 uses the same combination of metals and precious stones in each piece of jewellery?
50 creates designs that feature different versions of the same symbol?
51 intends her jewellery to stand the test of time?
52 designs pieces to reflect her beliefs that everything is linked by patterns?
53 uses inspirations from experiences when she was young?
54 makes jewellery that is easily attributable to her?
55 does not work exclusively on making jewellery?

56 was originally inspired by a social connection?

Shining lights

A Emma Franklin
‘It has always been about animals,’ Emma Franklin says. ‘My friend’s grandmother had an
amazing stag brooch with huge antlers and that’s where it started. Everyone has a relationship
with an animal in my collection.’ Franklin has focused on jewellery design since her teens and
graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2005, setting up her own business immediately. Based
in east London, Franklin, twenty-nine, hand-makes each necklace, bangle, ring, cuff link and pin,
featuring any of fourteen animal heads, from a pig to a triceratops, as well as a shotgun. All her
pieces are made in solid silver, plated in twenty-two-carat yellow gold or black rhodium,with
black diamonds and freshwater pearls. Bespoke commissions, predominantly engagement rings,
not all animal-related, are becoming more frequent. Franklin’s robust designs are instantly
recognisable, as she has discovered. ‘Recently in a pub this girl was wearing one of my rings at
the bar, so I introduced myself. She was completely star-struck and fetched over her dad, who
had bought it for her. I had to explain that it was really me who was excited.’

В Alexandra Jefford
‘My design style constantly evolves,’ Alexandra Jefford says. ‘But even though I try new things,
I can’t kick my art background. I’m really inspired by art, architecture, design, furniture design.’
Jefford, forty-two, graduated in 1992 with a degree in fine art, began designing jewellery in 2003
and sold her first piece, a gold ring, on its first outing, at dinner with a friend. Her designs,
produced on a project-by-project basis rather than as collections, include her signature Alphabet
series for which she designed a slim font. Her recent О project interprets that letter in various
typefaces. She combines jewellery design with other artistic pursuits such as sculptural welding
and life drawing. Fans range from her daughter’s friends to her mother’s friends, although she
doesn’t always want to sell. ‘I become emotionally involved with all my pieces, so I find it really
hard to let go. There are still some pieces that I hide “for the family museum”. My husband says
that I work as a shopper rather than a seller.’
C Hattie Rickards
Hattie Rickards’ first collection of twelve rings, entitled Revealed, was launched last November
and was an instant success. Her second, Geo, came out last month to even greater acclaim. ‘The
ethos behind Geo is connection and relationships, bringing tessellating or geometrical shapes
together making one, for example, the Kindredring, where two puzzle pieces fit neatly together.’
Hampshire-born Rickards, set up on her own last year. ‘I wanted to create a high-end, luxury
jewellery brand with an ethical backbone, which coincided with a gap in the market.’ All Hattie
Rickards’ jewellery is made using Fairtrade precious stones from Thailand and India and
eighteen-carat, Fairtrade, fair-mined gold from Colombia. HRJ is one of the first twenty
companies to become a certified user of this type of gold, many of its pieces having the premium
‘ecological’ label. There are no plans for e-commerce, as Rickards believes this detracts from the
meaning behind the piece. ‘I am passionate that people understand the symbolism behind my
work. I don’t want it to just be a ring on a website. The story is so important.’

D Mawi Keivom
Mawi Keivom, thirty-nine, is known for her architectural statement jewellery: chunky box chains
with coloured pearls, spiked gold rings and brightly-coloured gems. Born in the north-east of
India, forty miles from the Burmese border, into the Mahr tribe, Keivom draws her influences
from a peripatetic childhood with her diplomat parents that took them to Africa, the Middle East,
south-east Asia and Europe. Keivom studied fashion design in New Zealand, then, after a stint in
New York, moved to London in 1993, where she met her husband, Tim Awan, and together they
set up Mawi in 2001 – she as the jewellery designer, he as the business brain. ‘My style of
jewellery is very individual and not for the faint-hearted. I have a very strong vision that
translates into an industrial, graphic aesthetic offset with crystals and pearls that are a little bit
feminine. I don’t try to do something that is for the moment. My pieces are classics in their own
right, not trend-specific.’
TEST 6
You are going to read about a certain genre of movies. For questions 47-56, choose from
the sections of the article (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once.
In which section does the writer…
47 praise the quality of some more serious films?
48 point out the value of feel-good films in difficult economic times?
49 mention a film character who learns from his experiences?
50 explain how a director uses a film as a vehicle for his own opinion?
51 comment on the artistic merit of the cinema?
52 talk about the importance of escapism in films?
53 mention a special technique used to create a feel good reaction?
54 insist that lighter films can also be clever?
55 talk about films that make us reflect on life?
56 refer to films where ordinary people triumph over authority?

Films that make you feel good

A
Feel-good films stretch back right into the early days of cinema. The Brits were pioneers of the
form. Producer Cecil Hepworth’s Rescued By Rover (1905), a winsome yarn about a dog
retrieving a kidnapped baby, was an early example of feel-good film-making. What distinguished
it was the tempo. The film-makers used cross-cutting to crank up the tension, which is only
finally released when the baby is found. The film “marks a key stage in the medium’s
development from an amusing novelty to the ‘seventh art,’ able to hold its own alongside
literature, theatre, painting, music and other more traditional forms,” claims the British Film
Institute’s Screen online website. Film historians today continue to study Hepworth’s storytelling
abilities but that wasn’t what interested the 1905 audiences who flocked to see it. They went
because it was a feel-good film.

В
There has long been a tendency to sneer at feel-good films. Serious, self-conscious auteurs are
often too busy trying to express their innermost feelings about art and politics to worry about
keeping audiences happy. However, as Preston Sturges famously showed in his comedy
Sullivan’s Travels(1941), if you’re stuck on a prison chain gang, you don’t necessarily want to
watch Battleship Potemkin. Sullivan’s Travels is about John L Sullivan, a glib and successful
young Hollywood director of comedies, who yearns to be taken seriously. Sullivan dresses up as
a hobo and sets off across America to learn more about the plight of the common man. He ends
up sentenced to six years in prison. One of the prisoners’ few escapes from drudgery is watching
cartoons. As he sits among his fellow cons and sees their faces convulsed with laughter at a piece
of what he regards as throwaway Disney animation, he rapidly revises his own priorities. “After I
saw a couple of pictures put out by my fellow comedy directors, which seemed to have
abandoned the fun in favour of the message, I wrote Sullivan’s Travels to satisfy an urge to tell
them to leave the preaching to the preachers,” Sturges recalled.

C
A few years ago there were a lot of ‘deep-dish’ movies. We had films about guilt, (Atonement)
about the all-American dream coming apart at the seams (Revolutionary Road) and even a very
long account of a very long life backwards(the deeply morbid The Curious Case Of Benjamin
Button). Deep-dish, feel-bad films have plenty to recommend them. If you’re not teenager and
you don’t just want to see the next summer tent-pole blockbuster, you’ll welcome movies that
pay attention to characterisation and dialogue and don’t just rely on CGI or the posturing of
comic book heroes. However, as film-makers from Preston Sturges to Danny Boyle have
discovered, there is no reason that a feel-good movie needs to be dumb. You can touch on social
deprivation and political injustice: the trick is to do so lithely and, if possible, with a little
leavening humour.

D
Historically, the best feel-good movies have often been made at the darkest times. The war years
and their immediate aftermath saw the British turning out some invigorating, entertaining fare
alongside all the propaganda. The Age of Austerity was also the age of the classic Ealing
comedies, perfect examples of feel-good film-making. In the best of these films like Passport To
Pimlico or Whisky Galore, a community of eccentric and mildly anarchic characters would
invariably come together to thwart the big, bad, interfering bureaucrats. Stories about hiding
away a hoard of whisky or setting up a nation state in central London were lapped up by the
audiences. To really work, feel-good movies must have energy and spontaneity – a reckless
quality that no amount of script tinkering from studio development executives can guarantee.
The best take you by surprise. What makes the perfect feel-good movie? That remains as hard to
quantify as ever – you only know one when you see one.
TEST 7
You are going to read about items from science fiction that became real. For questions 47-
56, choose from the sections of the article (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than
once.
Which science fiction work …

47 had a purpose other than pure entertainment?

48 presented a concept that is familiar today but through a different process?
49 was written by an author who has more famous fictional creations?
50 features machines that threaten to cause the downfall of man?
51 shows us a device that would have enormous significance for us if it really existed?
52 was created by a writer whose name will never be forgotten?
53 was given a title that might be better understood by people today than when it was written?
54 revolves around a character who uses a particular device to escape from the reality of a
situation?
55 delighted people over a period of many years?
56 foresaw something that is controversial today?

We’ve seen it all before!

Just how many of the technological advances we take for granted today were actually predicted
in science fiction years ago? Karen Smith checks out four influential works.
A
R.U.R
Originally a word that appeared solely in science fiction, the term ‘robot’ has now become
commonplace as developments in technology have allowed scientists to design ever more
complex machines that can perform tasks to assist us at work or home. But how did the word
originate and when? To answer this, we have to go back nearly 100 years to a play written in
1920 by a Czech playwright, Karel Capek, called R. U. R — Rossum’s Universal Robots. The
word is a derivation from the Czech robota, meaning ‘forced labour’, or rab, meaning ‘slave’.
Capek’s robots are biological machines which are uncannily similar to what we today refer to as
‘clones’ or ‘androids’ but are assembled from various parts rather than being genetically
‘grown.’ The play eerily predicts problems that concern people today regarding machines that
can think independently. Rossum’s robots plan a rebellion against their creator, a man who in his
own words, wants to ‘play God’. The famous science fiction writer Isaac Asimov was
unimpressed by the literary value of Capek’s play but believed it had enormous significance
because it introduced the word robot to the world.

В
Ralph 124C41+
If you’re a science fiction aficionado, you’ll definitely have heard of Hugo Gernsback.
Considered by many to be the founding father of science fiction back in 1926 with the
publication of his magazine Amazing Stories, his name has been immortalised in the annual
science fiction awards, the ‘Hugos’. However, the quality of his writing is questionable and his
stories are more highly regarded for their content rather than plot or character development.
Gernsback was deeply interested in the world of electronics and, believing that science-fiction
should inspire future scientists, he filled his stories with ideas for numerous new gadgets and
electronic devices. An extraordinary number of his predictions have actually come true. Today
we have television, televised phone calls, sliding doors and remote controls, to name only a few,
and the precursors of many of these can be found in just one novel: Ralph 124C41+.The
mystifying title is itself a prediction of language used in text talk today: ‘one to foresee for all
(1+)’! Gernsback’s prophetic stories included other predictions which currently remain
unfulfilled, such as complete weather control, thought records and aircabs. Watch this space!

C
From the London Town of 1904
Mark Twain is a familiar name to most of us as the author of magnificent books such as
Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer . He is less well-known, however, for his science fiction but
to avid readers of that genre, he is considered one of the best writers of all time. It is also quite
possible that he predicted one of the most influential scientific inventions the world has ever seen
— something that we all use and rely on every day: the Internet! It is in a little-known short story
called From the London Town of 1904 that a character invents a device called a ‘telectroscope’.
This is a machine that uses telephone line links across the world to enable him to see and hear
what is going on in any place on the globe at a given time. How familiar does that sound? The
character, while on death row for a murder that he did not commit, uses his machine to ‘call up’
different places in the world and the narrator of the story comments that although in a prison cell,
the man is ‘almost as free as the birds.’

D
Star Trek
These days mobile phones have become such an integral part of our daily lives that we would be
lost without them but there was a time when we had to communicate using landlines or — horror
of horrors — by writing letters! Viewers watching the birth of a new TV science fiction series in
the 1960s would have been amazed at the thought that the ‘communicator’ used by Star Trek’s
Captain Kirk would one day become an everyday form of communication available to us all.
Kirk’s ‘communicator’ was a small device he used to flip open and, in retrospect, it seems
surprisingly similar to a mobile phone that became popular in the late 90s. The long-running
series also featured several other devices that have since moved from fiction to the real world.
However, the famous Star Trek ‘Transporter’, through which people can immediately materialise
in different places, still remains the Holy Grail for many in the world of science. Now, that really
would make a difference to our lives. ‘Beam us up, Scottie,’ please?

TEST 8
You are going to read an article about colour-taste relationships. For questions 47-56,
choose from the sections of the article (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once.
In which section are the following mentioned?
47 the influence of external factors other than the colour of food or drink
48 the idea that reaction to colours is not uniform
49 the type of people who are most susceptible to colour influence
50 a collaboration between people from different backgrounds
51 the effect of impaired vision on eating habits
52 something that interests people but not for its original purpose
53 a hypothetical situation which may disgust us
54 some people’s ability to be more precise than others in describing subtle taste changes
55 the way companies can use psychology to make us eat more
56 a belief that some people are naturally reluctant to taste something

How we taste different colours

A
We’ve all heard that the first bite is taken with the eye but the link between our visual sense and
our flavour perception may be stronger than you think. When I think of flavour perception, noses
and taste buds primarily spring to mind. Sure, other factors such as texture, temperature and
touch sensations play a part but taste and smell are the dominant senses here, right? Well,
perhaps not. You only have to consider the insatiable public appetite for food pictures
masquerading as cookbooks to see there is meat to the old adage we eat with our eyes. Charles
Spence, the Oxford experimental psychologist who helped Heston Blumenthal develop some of
his playful multisensory signature dishes, places vision right up there with smell, in flavour’s
‘premier league’, if you will. ‘Half the brain is visual in some sense,’ says Spence. This is, in
part, why the colour of our food and drink can not only determine whether it is appetising but its
flavour, too.

В
It is often said that we have an inherent aversion to blue food because it appears so rarely in
nature. Another popular theory is that we’re attracted to red food because it signals ripeness,
sweetness and calories.But is this an innate preference? Probably not, thinks Chris Lukehurst,
head of research at the Marketing Clinic. How colour affects appetite is inconsistent and
contextual. Think about green food and you might picture fresh, nutritious rocket, watercress or
cucumber. Or perhaps under-ripe, sour fruits. ‘However, If I talk to you about green meat,’ he
says, ‘your stomach probably turns.’ It is interesting, though, that a dyed-blue steak will have the
same effect, even if you know it’s perfectly safe. If you get people to eat it in the dark, says
Spence, ‘so they think it’s normal, then you turn the lights up and show them the colour, some
will get up and be sick straightaway.’ Such is the powerfully aversive effect of food colour out of
context.

C
As well as tasting the colour of what we consume, we can also taste the shade of its wrapping.
Spence has tricked people into confusing salt and vinegar crisps with cheese and onion flavour
merely by switching packets. ‘Many of our subjects will taste the colour of the crisp packet, not
the crisp itself,’ he says. Our brains excel in picking up associations and using them as shortcuts.
When the colour makes us expect something to taste a certain way, we’ll taste what we expect
unless it’s shockingly different. Using multiple colours in sweets such as Smarties and M&Ms is
a strategy to get you to eat lots of them. People will wolf down more from a mixed bowl than
they will from a bowl full of their favourite colour. And a recent study from Cornwell University
showed that you’ll eat more, too, if your food colour matches the plate, while a contrast will have
the opposite effect.

D
If you can’t see colours, you might expect your other senses to sharpen and compensate but blind
people don’t taste or smell any more than anyone else. They are, however, generally better at
naming smells, which most sighted people struggle with. So they may not be tasting more
intensely but they can identify flavours better without visual cues. Not surprisingly, losing your
sight can make eating stressful and it is thought to contribute to a diminished appetite in old age.
But even losing the capacity to see colours can have adverse effects. In his book An
Anthropologist on Mars, Oliver Sacks told the fascinating story of a man who experienced this
after an accident. He found eating less pleasurable and started to choose black or white foods, or
eat with his eyes closed. Following a discussion with Blumenthal, Spence and his team at Oxford
did some research to discover who is the most easily influenced by the effects of colouring and
found that those at the super-taster end of the spectrum rely less on their eyes. ‘Whereas those
with fewer taste buds,’ says Spence, ‘will be more easily led astray or say,”Yep, I see red
therefore it’s sweet”.’

TEST 9
You are going to read four movie series reviews. For questions 47-56, choose from the
sections of the article (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once.
Which reviewer(s) …

47 states the film he liked least?

48 mentions the difficulty in following the story plot?
49 criticises how one of the directors managed the film production?
50 gives importance to how the characters respond to some tragic events?
51 supports a venue’s decision to run the film?
52 implies that the film will not appeal to a certain group of people?
53 liked the acting?
54 wouldn’t have noticed that the trilogy was meant for TV viewers?
55 suggests how some people may find it difficult to understand?
56 says one film is good thanks to the feelings of one of the characters?

Red Riding Trilogy

A
The “Red Riding” films all come across as great, gritty tales of police corruption and human
failing, but it’s the first film that has the most impact, mainly because the young reporter
Dunford is such a mix of romantic notions — he’s going to solve the crime and save the girl.
Such optimism runs dead against reality in these films. Mix the best episodes of the superb
British crime series “Prime Suspect” with the current real-feel cinema (“Fish Tank”) coming out
of England and you’ve got a sense of what “Red Riding” is about. The key isn’t the murders; the
key is the reactions to the murders on a breadth of levels, and those reactions lay bare gray and
grave souls. Each film works well separately, although 1983 is necessarily dependent on 1974,
but taken as one great sweep of a dark hand, “Red Riding” stands as a wrenching tale of power
abused and lives discarded. It is powerful stuff.

В
Red Riding is a challenge. The convoluted story is not easily summarized and it demands
constant viewer attention. A two-minute trip to the lavatory or snack bar can be deadly. For
American audiences, there is an additional problem: some of the accents are so thick that it can
be difficult to decipher dialogue and entire passages may be missed. I’m generally not in favor of
subtitling English movies in English, but this is one occasion when such an approach might have
been helpful. There are times when the movie is slow going. Patience is rewarded not only in the
second half of this film, when the violence mounts and secrets are revealed, but during the
subsequent productions, when a degree of familiarity with the initial narrative bears fruit. Red
Riding: 1974 is the weakest of the three Red Riding films, but it is effective at setting the stage,
introducing some of the characters, and capturing the attention of those who love gritty,
uncompromising dramas about police corruption and the dark side of human nature.
C
There’s a good reason the indie-minded Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center has turned over
its programming for the next three weeks to the superb and ambitious “Red Riding” film trilogy:
because “Red Riding” isn’t so much a film series as it is a film event, and it deserves to be
treated as such. Inspired by author David Peace’s neo-noir “Red Riding Quartet” novels, it is
ambitious, it is gripping and it is dark. It’s also entirely irresistible cinema, an uncompromising
and hard-to-turn-away-from nightmare in three acts. With its muted colours but unmuted
violence, the beautifully shot “Red Riding” is similar both tonally and texturally to David
Fincher’s superb 2007 thriller “Zodiac” about another 1970s serial killer. It’s also just as
disturbing. “Red Riding” is so richly produced, in fact, and so cinematic, that it’s easy to forget it
and its sister films were produced for British television, airing on England’s Channel 4 last
spring. This is movie that deserves to be seen in a theatre.

D
Buoyed by very strong performances and a deliberate, grim style, the first installment in the
acclaimed Red Riding Trilogy, Red Riding 1974 sets the tone for the movies to come and makes
clear that these are not sunny days for the faint of heart. These are gloomy times; films not
merely about the seedy underbelly of society but the fact that the seedy underbelly keeps things
moving. They have been compared to Zodiac but they are more realistically grim than David
Fincher’s masterpiece. The film can be a bit too self-serious at times, director Julian Jarrold
(Brideshead Revisited) would have been wise to focus on the procedural a bit more than the
lead’s dream sequences or moments of reflection, and the film’s television roots show on a
production level, but Red Riding 1974 is a well-made, expertly performed mystery with the
added bonus that there are two more films to watch when the first one’s over.
TEST 10
You are going to read an article about the Royal Society, a British scientific institution. For
questions 47-56, choose from the sections of the article (A-E). The sections may be chosen
more than once.
In which section of the article are the following mentioned?
47 a belief that a certain development has been of particular use to scientists
48 the variety of ways in which the Royal Society encourages people who are not scientists to
consider scientific issues
49 a rapid reaction to research being made public
50 a particular development that requires urgent action to improve it
51 a resource for information on past scientific discoveries
52 a lack of understanding of scientific matters among people in general
53 a system that the Royal Society introduced
54 the fact that scientists do not always reach firm conclusions
55 a problem that is not limited to the world of science
56 the belief that certain things that are possible are not desirable

The unstoppable spirit of inquiry

The president of the Royal Society, Martin Rees, celebrates the long history of one of Britain’s
greatest institutions.

A
The Royal Society began in 1660. From the beginning, the wide dissemination of scientific ideas
was deemed important. The Society started to publish Philosophical Transaction, the first
scientific journal, which continues to this day. The Society’s journals pioneered what is still the
accepted procedure whereby scientific ideas are subject to peer review – criticised, refined and
codified into ‘public knowledge’. Over the centuries, they published Isaac Newton’s researches
on light, Benjamin Franklin’s experiments on lightning, Volta’s first battery and many of the
triumphs of twentieth century science. Those who want to celebrate this glorious history should
visit the Royal Society’s archives via our Trailblazing website.

В
The founders of the Society enjoyed speculation, but they were also intensely engaged with the
problems of their era, such as improvements to timekeeping and navigation. After 350 years, our
horizons have expanded, but the same engagement is imperative in the 21st century. Knowledge
has advanced hugely, but it must be deployed for the benefit of the ever-growing population of
our planet, all empowered by ever more powerful technology. The silicon chip was perhaps the
most transformative single invention of the past century; it has allowed miniaturisation and
spawned the worldwide reach of mobile phones and the internet. It was physicists who
developed the World Wide Web and, though it impacts us all, scientists have benefited
especially.

C
Traditional journals survive as guarantors of quality, but they are supplemented by a blogosphere
of widely varying quality. The latter cries out for an informal system of quality control. The
internet levels the playing fields between researchers in major centres and those in relative
isolation. It has transformed the way science is communicated and debated. In 2002, three young
Indian mathematicians invented a faster scheme for factoring large numbers -something that
would be crucial for code-breaking. They posted their results on the web. Within a day, 20,000
people had downloaded the work, which was the topic of hastily convened discussions in many
centres of mathematical research around the world. The internet also allows new styles of
research. For example, in the old days, astronomical research was stored on delicate
photographic plates; these were not easily accessible and tiresome to analyse. Now such data
(and large datasets in genetics and particle physics) can be accessed and downloaded anywhere.
Experiments and natural events can be followed in real-time.

D
We recently asked our members what they saw as the most important questions facing us in the
years ahead and we are holding discussion meetings on the ‘Top Ten’. Whatever breakthroughs
are in store, we can be sure of one thing: the widening gulf between what science enables us to
do and what it’s prudent or ethical actually to do. In respect of certain developments, regulation
will be called for, on ethical as well as prudential grounds. The way science is applied is a matter
not just for scientists. All citizens need to address these questions. Public decisions should be
made, after the widest possible discussion, in the light of the best scientific evidence available.
That is one of the key roles of the Society. Whether it is the work of our Science Policy Centre,
our journals, our discussion meetings, our work in education or our public events, we must be at
the heart of helping policy-makers and citizens make informed decisions.

E
Our science isn’t dogma. Its assertions are sometimes tentative, sometimes compelling; noisy
controversy doesn’t always connote balanced arguments; risks are never absolutely zero, even if
they are hugely outweighed by potential benefits. In promoting an informed debate, the media
are crucial. When reporting a scientific controversy, the aim should be neither to exaggerate risks
and uncertainties, nor to gloss over them. This is indeed a challenge, particularly when
institutional, political or commercial pressures distort the debate. Scientists often bemoan the
public’s weak grasp of science — without some ‘feel’ for the issues, public debate can’t get
beyond sloganising. But they protest too much: there are other issues where public debate is, to
an equally disquieting degree, inhibited by ignorance. The Royal Society aims to sustain
Britain’s traditional strength in science, but also to ensure that wherever science impacts on
people’s lives, it is openly debated.
TEST 11
You are going to read an article about risk taking. For questions 47-56, choose from the sections
of the article (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once. When more than one answer is
required, these may be given in any order.
In which section of the article is the following mentioned?
47 the use of car imagery to help explain neural activity?
48 mention of one person’s interest in the history of risk taking?
49 details of the process used to investigate the brain’s mechanics?
50 a chemical-based explanation as to why people have such varied attitudes towards risk
taking?
51 a well-known theory that explains why people take risks during everyday activities?
52 specific examples of what a person could lose if risk taking goes wrong?
53 mention of a common confusion about the chemical causes of risky behaviour?
54 a judgement of another person’s stated belief about risk taking?
55 a reference to the fact that some people become addicted to the chemical reaction experienced
in risk taking?
56 a description of a biological process initiated by fear in humans?
The Mystery of Risk
Jodie O’Rourke reviews current thinking about what lies behind risk taking
A
Exploration of all sorts is rooted in the notion of taking risks. Risk underlies any journey into the
unknown, whether it is a ship captain’s voyage into uncharted seas, a scientist’s research on
dangerous diseases, or an entrepreneur’s investment in a new venture. Some of the motivations
for taking risks are obvious – financial reward, fame, political gain, saving lives. But as the
danger increases, the number of people willing to go forward shrinks, until the only ones who
remain are the extreme risk takers. This is the mystery of risk: what makes some humans willing
to jeopardize their reputation, fortune, and life and to continue to do so, even in the face of dire
consequences? Scientists have now begun to open up the neurological black box containing the
mechanisms for risk taking and tease out the biological factors that may prompt someone to
become an explorer. Their research has centred on neurotransmitters, the chemicals that control
communication in the brain.

B
One neurotransmitter that is crucial to the risk taking equation is dopamine, which helps control
motor skills but also helps drive us to seek out and learn new things as well as process emotions
such as anxiety and fear. Robust dopamine production holds one of the keys to understanding
risk taking, says Larry Zweifel, a neurobiologist at the University of Washington. ‘When you’re
talking about someone who takes risks to accomplish something, that’s driven by motivation,
and motivation is driven by the dopamine system. This is what compels humans to move
forward.’ Dopamine helps elicit a sense of satisfaction when we accomplish tasks: the riskier the
task, the larger the hit of dopamine. Part of the reason we don’t all climb mountains is that we
don’t all have the same amount of dopamine. Molecules on the surface of nerve cells called
autoreceptors control how much dopamine we make and use, essentially controlling our appetite
for risk.

C
In a study conducted at Vanderbilt University, participants underwent scans allowing scientists
to observe the autoreceptors in the part of the brain circuitry associated with reward, addiction,
and movement. People who had fewer autoreceptors – that is, who had freer flowing dopamine –
were more likely to engage in novelty-seeking behaviour, such as exploration. ‘Think of
dopamine like gasoline,’ says neuropsychologist David Zald, the study’s lead author. ‘You
combine that with a brain equipped with a lesser ability to put on the brakes than normal, and
you get people who push limits.’ This is where the discussion often mixes up risk takers with
thrill seekers or adrenaline junkies. The hormone adrenaline is designed to help us escape from
danger. It works like this: When the brain perceives a threat, it triggers the release of adrenaline
into the bloodstream, which in turn stimulates the heart, lungs, muscles, and other parts of the
body to help us flee or fight in a life-threatening situation. This release generates a feeling of
exhilaration that continues after the threat has passed, as the adrenaline clears from the system.
For some people, that adrenaline rush can become a reward the brain seeks. They are prompted
to induce it by going to scary movies or engaging in extreme sports.

D
Acclimating to risk is something we all do in our daily lives. A good example of this occurs
when learning to drive a car. At first, a new driver may fear traveling on freeways, but over time
that same driver with more experience will merge casually into speeding traffic with little
consideration for the significant potential dangers. What is commonly referred to as the
‘familiarity principle’ can also be applied to help explain the lack of fear associated with high-
risk situations. By practising an activity, humans can become used to the risk and manage the
fear that arises in those situations. The notion that we are all descended from risk takers
fascinates writer Paul Salopek. ‘Early humans leaving the Great Rift Valley in Africa thousands
of years ago were the first great explorers,’ he reasons. ‘At our innermost core we are all risk
takers. And this shared willingness to explore our planet has bound our species from the very
beginning.’ It’s a noble idea, albeit a dopamine-based one!
TEST 12
You are going to read an article about the value of boredom. For questions 47-56, choose
from the sections of the article (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once. When
more than one answer is required, these may be given in any order.
In which section of the article is the following mentioned?
47 points out a drawback in failing to allow time for mundane reflection?
48 comments on a personal experience of using a particular psychological
technique?
49 comments on the broad appeal that a particular notion might potentially
have?
50 suggests that boredom as a way of dealing with a problem is not a new
idea?
51 distinguishes between mere reflection and conscious avoidance of mental
stimulation?
52 refers to the communication of an erroneous message?
53 refers to an activity indicative of modern life taking place in various
locations?
54 outlines a positive consequence of distancing oneself from technology?
55 explains that a particular finding supported existing knowledge?
56 remarks on the significance of monotony in the development of the human
species?
Time Out
It seems that embracing boredom and allowing ourselves to drift away could be good for
us
A
Consider any public place where people used to enjoy a spot of silent contemplation –
from train carriages and beauty spots to our local streets – and these days you’ll see
people plugged into their seductive electronic sources of constant stimulation. All this
information overload seems like a terribly modern-day problem. But one unique thinker
actually stumbled on a neat solution several decades ago: radical boredom. In 1942, a
German writer called Siegfried Karcauer wrote despairingly of the massive over-
stimulation of the modern city where people listening to the radio were in a state of
‘permanent receptivity, constantly pregnant with London, the Eiffel Tower, Berlin.’ His
answer was to suggest a period of total withdrawal from stimulation – to cut ourselves off
and experience ‘extraordinary, radical boredom’. On a sunny afternoon when everyone is
outside, one would do best to hang about the train station,’ he wrote. ‘Or better yet, stay
at home, draw the curtains and surrender oneself to one’s boredom on the sofa.’
B
Karcauer believed that actively pursuing boredom in this way was a valuable means of
unlocking playful wild ideas far away from plain reality and, better still, achieve ‘a kind
of bliss that is almost unearthly’. It’s a beautiful theory and one that would definitely hold
an allure for many people. Plus modern research suggests that it might actually have a
sound psychological basis. To test the potential positives of boredom, psychologist Dr
Sandi Mann asked a group of 40 people to complete a task designed to showcase their
creativity. But before they got started on it, a subgroup was asked to perform a suitably
dull task – copying numbers from the telephone directory for 15 minutes. The data
pointed to the group that had previously endured boredom displaying more creative flair
during the task than the control group. According to psychologists this is normal, because
when people become bored and start to daydream, their minds come up with different
processes and they work out more creative solutions to problems
C
This would suggest perhaps, that by overstimulating our minds, we’re not just making
ourselves more stressed, we’re also missing out on a chance to unhook our thoughts from
the daily grind and think more creatively. Having said that, psychologists also point out
that despite its bad reputation, boredom has a definite evolutionary purpose. Mann says
‘Without it, we’d be like toddlers in a perpetual state of amazement. Just imagine it:
“Wow – look at that fantastic cereal at the bottom of my bowl!” It may be very
stimulating, but we’d never get anything done.’ That puts me in mind of adults who are
addicted to social media and smart phones – attention seeking, scurrying around the
internet screaming ‘Look at this! Look at them! Look at me!’ while the real world beyond
the electronic devices continues on untroubled and unexamined. Meanwhile, as Mann
points out, we’re incorrectly teaching our actual toddlers that boredom and lack of
stimulation is something to be feared rather than embraced.
D
So how do you learn to tactically embrace periods of radical boredom? The first step is
realising that this is different from simply taking time to ponder what you’ve done since
getting up that morning. ‘Using boredom positively is about creating new opportunities
when your mind isn’t occupied and you can’t focus on anything else,’ says Mann. This
could be as simple as staring out the window or watching the rain come down. Or
heading off for a solitary walk with no fixed destination in mind, or your smart phone in
your pocket. Anything that gives your mind the rare chance to drift off its moorings. ‘I
can really recommend it,’ says Mann. ‘It’s a great experience – like taking a holiday from
your brain.’ I’m definitely sold. I’m trying to keep my phone turned off during the
weekends and allow myself the odd, dreamy wallow on the sofa during the week, time
permitting. And the best thing: it works. After taking a break and allowing my mind to
roam, it returns refreshed and revitalized, with a fresh take on the challenges that I face
during the day. When my daughter gets to an age when she’s ready to whine ‘I’m bored’,
I’ll know exactly what to say!

TEST 13
You are going to read reviews of four psychology books. For questions 47-56, choose
from the sections of the article (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once. When
more than one answer is required, these may be given in any order.
About which book is each following point made?

47 It is likely to put certain kinds of people off.

48 It has aims which resemble those in other recently published books.
49 It offers unnecessary advice to readers.
50 It makes seemingly original but convincing observations.
51 It avoids obvious answers to an issue which is familiar to many people.
52 It may prompt the publication of other books exploring the same subject
matter.
53 It is organised differently from other writing by the same author.
54 It lacks a clear structure.
55 It challenges a modern trend in psychology.
56 It is difficult to understand in places.
Reviews of psychology books
A Missing Out: in Praise of the Unlived Life by Adam Phillips
In Missing Out, a slim volume peppered with insights that may never have been
expressed quite like this before but which make you want to scrawl ‘yes’ in the margins
on almost every page, the psychoanalyst and writer Adam Phillips asserts that we all
‘learn to live somewhere between the lives we have and the lives we would like’. For
‘modern’ people, ‘the good life is … filled to the full’; we seek complete satisfaction. But
what we need, argues Phillips, isn’t satisfaction but frustration. You can’t get instant
satisfaction because you can’t control people or the world. You can’t ‘get’ other people
because no one can be fully understood and neither, of course, can you. But a capacity for
tolerating frustration allows us to develop. Appropriately, given the subject matter, this
book can be a frustrating read – sometimes you think you’re just getting to grips with an
idea, only for it to slip away. But, as is often true of Phillips’s books, what you do feel
when you’ve finished it is that it offers glimpses of the real, messy and never fully
knowable human heart.
B Together by Richard Sennett
Together is the second book in a planned trilogy about the skills modern humans need for
a happy co-existence. The first addressed the joys of making things with your hands, and
the third will be about cities. This one looks at how we can all get along together. Sennett
explores the importance of equality and how, in unequal societies, people are less willing
to co-operate. He argues that our society is becoming atomised, ‘deskilling people in
practising co-operation’. The trouble is it all feels atomised itself. Sennett’s argument
seems to bounce from place to place, and he relies on anecdotes and experience more
than data. It aims to be a practical, how-to guide for maximising co-operation, but ends
up a sort of unsystematic self-help book: listening is as important a skill as the
presentation of your own ideas; discussion need not reach agreement but can teach us
new things; assertiveness is valuable, but so is politeness and diffidence. All true, but
don’t we know it already?
C Teach Us To Sit Still by Tim Parks
A few years ago, a number of writers dealt movingly about what it’s like to have a
serious illness. If Teach Us to Sit Still does well, we could be in for a glut of writing by
people who don’t have much wrong with them, yet still write about it at length. But if
they are anything like as good as this, it might not be such a gloomy prospect. A few
years ago, Tim Parks couldn’t sleep and had serious pains in his side. Medical tests all
came back negative, but the pain persisted. So, he embarked on a sceptical exploration of
the possible causes of and cures for his woes. He tried out an array of theories and
therapies. The intensity, of Park’s search makes for a less than relaxing read, and, in all
probability, there will be readers who fail to make it past the first couple of chapters.
Parks, an innovative and prolific novelist, writes wonderfully however, and despite the
subject matter, a layer of wit runs through it Parks eventually achieves some relief
through special breathing exercises and meditation, but uncovers no magic formulas.
D The Antidote by Oliver Burkeman
Should we all be striving for happiness? Should we think positively? Should we try to
ignore any difficult thoughts, feelings, or situations that arise? Many self-help books
these days would shout ‘Yes!’ Oliver Burkeman isn’t so sure. A leading writer in what
could be called the ‘antiself-help self-help’ genre – which happily seems to be swelling –
Burkeman’s work, as represented in The Antidote, is not about positive thinking, finding
partners, and getting promotions at work and doesn’t offer facile instructions for living a
happy, easy life. Rather, it uses research to suggest that we reconsider our assumptions
and find new ways of thinking and being. Help! How to Become Slightly Happier, his
previous book, comprised a series of short sections, each a page or two long, which
presented an idea fairly quickly. The Antidote has just eight chapters and each one
explores a subject like success and failure in detail. So what are his conclusions? Well,
one is that we have to stop searching for firm answers and quick fixes.

TEST 14
You are going to read an article in which people talk about their experiences of job
interviews. For questions 47-56, choose from the sections of the article (A-D). The
sections may be chosen more than once. When more than one answer is required, these
may be given in any order.
Which person mentions the following?

47 establishing how the interview will be conducted

48 the importance of keeping to the point
49 a relaxed atmosphere in the workplace
50 an abrupt ending to an interview
51 taking responsibility for past errors
52 appearing to have rehearsed responses
53 preparing inquiries to put to a prospective employer
54 awareness of body language
55 revealing what motivates you
56 advantages in being honest about your weaknesses
Tell us something about yourself
Being interviewed for a job can be a stressful experience. We asked four people what
they learnt from being in that situation.
A
My first interview for a job taught me a great deal. I was applying for the position of
junior account executive in an advertising company, which involves dealing with clients
on a face-to-face basis. It follows that you have to be good at interpersonal skills, and
unfortunately, that’s not the impression I gave. Like a lot of people, I tend to babble when
I’m nervous. The interviewer began by asking me to say something about myself, and I
started talking about my hobbies. But I got carried away and went off at a tangent, which
made a bad impression. The other lesson I learnt was that if you are asked to talk about
things you aren’t good at, you really shouldn’t be evasive. You could mention something
that can also be a strength. For example, being pedantic is not always a bad thing in
certain circumstances, and you should explain how you cope with that deficiency, but
you have to say something.
B
In my present job, I have to interview applicants, and I can offer a few general tips.
Firstly, a candidate should not learn a speech off by heart; you will come across as
insincere. Secondly, it is crucial to understand what the interviewer wants you to talk
about. For instance, an interviewer might ask about a situation where your supervisor or
manager had a problem with your work. Now, what the interviewer is really after is to see
how you react to criticism, and the best thing is to say that you tried to learn from this.
Finally, don’t try to conceal your real character. Many years ago, an interviewer asked
me at the end of our talk if I had any questions. I was very keen to get the job, so I asked
what opportunities there were for promotion. I wondered if perhaps I had been too direct,
but I later discovered that employers like you to seem eager and ambitious.
C
I remember one interview I attended with a company that makes ice cream and other
dairy products. I turned up in a smart business suit and tie, only to find that my
prospective employers were in jeans! They believed in being casual: no private offices,
everyone ate in the same canteen, people all used first names with each other. I realised I
should have done more research. Needless to say, I didn’t get the job. On another
occasion, as the interview was drawing to a close, I was asked if I had anything to say. I
was so relieved it was over that I just smiled and blurted out: ‘No thanks!’ I later realised
this was a mistake. A candidate should decide in advance on at least ten things to ask the
interviewer: it’s not necessary to ask more than two or three questions, but you need to
have some in reserve in case the question you wanted to ask is answered in the course of
the interview.
D
Preparation is of extreme importance; things like finding out what form the interview will
take. Will there be any sort of written component, for instance, and will you be talking to
one person or a panel? And of course, you need to prepare answers to those awkward
questions designed to find out more about your character. For example, you might be
asked about your most important achievement so far; don’t answer this in a way that
makes you seem swollen-headed or complacent, as this will suggest that you don’t learn
easily. Actually, it’s not so much what people say that makes them seem arrogant as the
way they sit, how they hold their heads, whether they meet the interviewer’s eye, so bear
that in mind. Another question interviewers sometimes ask, to find out how well you
work in a team, is about mistakes you have made. You should have an example ready and
admit that you were at fault, otherwise it looks as though you are the kind of person who
shifts the blame onto others. But you should also show that you learnt from the mistake
and wouldn’t make it again.

TEST 15
You are going to read an article in which four academics give their views on fiction. For
questions 47-56, choose from the sections of the article (A-D). The sections may be
chosen more than once. When more than one answer is required, these may be given in
any order.
Which academic …

47 compares books to other story-telling art forms?

48 admits to gaps in their literary knowledge?
49 suggests a possible consequence of not reading novels?
50 points out that opinion about a book depends on the period in which it is being
judged?
51 explains why readers sometimes choose to read books which are not considered
classic works of literature?
52 believes that it is possible to improve any novel?
53 gives reassurance about people whose choice of reading is limited?
54 says that no-one should feel obliged to read a particular type of book?
55 gives another writer’s opinion on why people enjoy reading literature?
56 defends their right to judge particular types of novels?
Why Do We Read Novels?
We asked a group of academics for their views on the appeal of fiction
A Cathy Smith
Is a work by a prize-winning novelist better than a trashy summer blockbuster?
Undoubtedly, if you’re looking for a literary masterpiece. But it’s not ‘better’ if you’re
simply looking for escapism. ‘Literary fiction’, unlike ‘genre fiction’ such as mystery or
romance, is not about escaping from reality. Instead it provides a means to better
understand the world. What makes a work deserve the title of literary fiction can be
pinned down, to a certain extent, by critical analysis of the writer’s techniques. Yet a
huge element of the appeal of literary fiction lies in something almost indefinable – the
brilliant, original idea; the insight that, once written down, seems the only way to say
something. Writers of fiction have to recruit or seduce us into their world – only then do
we trust them to take us on a journey with them. The books we put down after only a few
pages are those which have failed to make that connection with us.
B Matteo Bianco
A novel – whether for adults or children – takes you places, emotionally and
imaginatively, which you would never otherwise have visited. However, I don’t think
you should put yourself under any more pressure to finish ‘a classic’ than a kids’ comic.
And if by ‘classics’ we mean Tolstoy, Proust, Hardy and so on, then my own reading is
distinctly patchy. The author Martin Amis once said that the only way we have of
evaluating the quality of a book is whether it retains a readership. I think that’s fair
enough, though it’s imprecise. A work of fiction can always be fine-tuned in such a way
that the final experience for the reader is enhanced, and this fact must say something
about the theoretical (if not practical) possibility of stating that one book is better than
another. And while I can’t prove that a single copy of a classic work of fiction is a greater
gift to the world than a million trashy romances, I’m going to go ahead and say it’s so
anyway.
C Gita Sarka
The author Albert Camus says that the appeal of narrative art lies in its power to organise
life in such a way that we can reflect on it from a distance and experience it anew.
Distinct from television or film, literature allows us significant control over our
experience of what’s being presented to us. One book I would always tell anyone to read
is The Life and Times of Michael K. – a literary prize winner, but hated by some of my
colleagues. It’s a classic for me because of what it says about living in difficult times; to a
lot of people it’s just a bit boring and the main character doesn’t speak enough.
Categories such as ‘literary masterpieces’ and even ‘literature’ do not exist independently
of their assessors – assessors who are bound in an era and see value in part through the
eyes of that era. Personally, I find it impossible to make claims that one work is better
than another. I can say why it might be worthwhile to study it, but that’s all.
D George C. Schwarz
If, at a certain time in their life a person is interested in just one particular genre or
author, that’s fine as long as they have the opportunity of reading a wide range of books
throughout their lives. These opportunities can come through family members, teachers
and friends who can create the reading landscape and encourage them to look wider and
further. A famous writer once said that it’s easy to recognise the people who don’t read
fiction, as their outlook on life is narrower and less imaginative, and they find it hard to
put themselves in other people’s shoes. It’s a generalisation, but with elements of truth.
The power of fiction begins with fairy tales, nursery rhymes and picture books, which
give children ways of looking at the world outside their own experience. Literature
teachers often recommend reading ‘the classics’. But what classics, whose and which
era? In a way it doesn’t matter – the key point is that one can’t escape from a need for
shared references and reading experience.

CPE
TEST 1
You are going to read an extract from a book on photography. For questions 44 – 53,
choose from the sections (A – E). The sections may be chosen more than once.
In which section are the following mentioned?
44 the possibility that photography can directly influence events in the world
45 the possibility that the photographic image has become redundant
46 images being interpreted in a similar way by different societies

47 a commonly held view about the relationship between what is visible and how it is interpreted
48 the contrasts of scale that can be represented in photography
49the possibility that the techniques employed in photography today have taken the medium
back to where it started
50the ability of photography to provide images that will exist for a long time
51uncertainty as to whether the main purpose of photography is to inform or to entertain
52 the potential of photography to epitomise the human condition
53 the view that photography was the greatest achievement in the history of visual images
Photography
A historical background
A
Over the past one and a half centuries, photography has been used to record all aspects of human
life and activity. During this relatively short history, the medium has expanded its capabilities in
the recording of time and space, thus allowing human vision to be able to view the fleeting
moment or to visualise both the vast and the minuscule. It has brought us images from remote
areas of the world, distant parts of the solar system, as well as the social complexities and crises
of modern life. Indeed, the photographic medium has provided one of the most important and
influential means of capturing the essence of our being alive. Nonetheless, the recording of
events by means of the visual image has a much longer history. The earliest creations of pictorial
recording go as far back as the Upper Palaeolithic period of about 35,000 years ago and,
although we cannot be sure of the exact purposes of the early cave paintings, pictorial images
seem to be inextricably linked to human culture as we understand it.
B
Throughout the history of visual representation, questions have been raised concerning the
supposed accuracy (or otherwise) of visual images, as well as their status in society. Ideas and
debates concerning how we see the world and the status of its pictorial representations have been
central political, philosophical and psychological issues from the time of Ancient Greece to the
present-day technical revolution of the new media communications. Vision and representation
have pursued interdependent trajectories, counter-influencing each other throughout history. The
popular notion that ‘seeing is believing’ had always afforded special status to the visual image.
So when the technology was invented, in the form of photography, the social and cultural impact
was immense. Not only did it hold out the promise of providing a record of vision, but it had the
capacity to make such representation enduring.
C
In the mid-nineteenth century, the invention of photography appeared to offer the promise of
‘automatically’ providing an accurate visual record. It was seen not only as the culmination of
visual representation but, quite simply, the camera was regarded as a machine that could provide
a fixed image. And this image was considered to be a very close approximation to that which we
actually see. Because of the camera’s perceived realism in its ability to replicate visual
perception, it was assumed that all peoples would ‘naturally’ be able to understand photographs.
This gave rise to the question of whether photography constituted a ‘universal language’. For
example, a photograph of the heavens, whether it showed the sun and moon or the constellations,
would immediately be understood in any part of the world. In the face of the rapid increase in
global communications, we do need at least to ask to what extent the photographic image can
penetrate through cultural differences in understanding.
D
There are other questions that arise concerning the role of photography in society that have
aimed to determine whether the camera operates as a mute, passive recorder of what is
happening or whether it possesses the voice and power to instigate social change. We may
further speculate whether the camera provides images that have a truly educational function or if
it operates primarily as a source of amusement. In provoking such issues, the photographic
debate reflects polarised arguments that traditionally have characterised much intellectual
thought.
E
The last 170 years have witnessed an ever-increasing influence of the visual image, culminating
in the global primacy of television. For photography, the new prospects and uncertainties posed
by digital storage and manipulation, and the transmission of images via the internet present new
challenges. It has even been suggested that we now inhabit the ‘post- photographic era’ – where
technological and cultural change have devalued photography to such an extent that events have
taken us beyond the photograph’s use and value as a medium of communication. Furthermore,
perhaps we should be asking if the advent of digital imagery means that photography, initially
born from painting, has turned full circle and has now returned to emulating painting – its
progenitor.
TEST 2
Napoleon Bonaparte

What characteristics marked out one of history’s greatest military geniuses?

A Napoleon Bonaparte stirs the emotions. Some find him heroic and regard his opponents as
reactionary and unimaginative. Others think him mad with ambition and responsible for many of
the sins of his era. Between these extremes there are those who find some aspects of the man
admirable and others regrettable. Of course, Bonaparte was anything but pure, anything but
modest, anything but democratic, and anything but a peacemaker. But in the end, who else that
sat on a throne in Europe could claim to be? Should he be assailed for sins that were so sadly
common? What is it about Napoleon Bonaparte that makes him the object of such unique
criticism? Is it because he holds a special place in our imaginations, a place that we hope would
be an example of our better selves? Was his genius, good fortune, and opportunity enough to
condemn him - not so much for what he did, but what he failed to do? In the end is our greatest
disappointment in Bonaparte simply that he was merely human?
B Napoleon was a military genius in the strategic and tactical handling of armies and although he
provided no large scale reforms of armies (or, indeed, their equipment and techniques), he
excelled at the refinement of an art that already existed. One of the most important factors of
Napoleon's personality and its effect on his abilities as a military commander was his genius to
inspire others. He believed in the maxim that ‘spirit and drive is to the physical as three is to
one’. It was through his system of awards (an appealing to soldiers’ ‘soul in order to electrify the
man’) that Napoleon was so successful in obtaining unquestionable obedience, loyalty and
devotion from his rank and file.
C The name Napoleon Bonaparte is surrounded by so vast an array of myth and legend that it is
quite difficult to separate fact from fiction. It is said that Napoleon displayed outstanding
leadership qualities while still at school. But this is undoubtedly the product of the school of
Napoleonic mythology that was systematically promoted for political reasons in 19th century
France, since it hardly squares with the general picture of the taciturn child with an inferiority
complex that has come down to us. Napoleon was, in truth, a reserved child, resentful of his
peers. On the other hand, he excelled at maths – a qualification that determined his specialisation
as an artillery officer. This was a stroke of luck (one of many that Napoleon benefited from)
inasmuch as the artillery was the most prestigious branch of the army under the old regime. But
the biggest stroke of fortune Napoleon had was to be born when he was – in the age of the
French Revolution. The Revolution turned the whole world upside down and presented an
ambitious young man (Napoleon was always ambitious – a consequence of his resentment at his
inferior status) with new and vast opportunities.
D No man previously ever concentrated authority to such a point, nor showed mental abilities at
all comparable to Napoleon’s: an extraordinary power of work; prodigious memory for detail
and fine judgment in their selection; a luminous decision-making capacity and a simple and rapid
conception - all placed at the disposal of a sovereign will. And no head of state gave expression
more imperiously than this Corsican to the popular passions of the French of that day:
abhorrence for the emigrant nobility, fear of the ancient régime, dislike of foreigners, hatred of
England, an appetite for conquest evoked by revolutionary propaganda, and the love of glory.
E Psychological studies of ‘great men and women’ frequently serve as a fig leaf to disguise the
absence of an understanding of broad socio-historical processes. The study of history is replaced
by trivial personal observations. Instead of science, we have gossip. A careful study of the
character and background of Napoleon Bonaparte can furnish us with many useful insights into
his behaviour. But we are left with a small amount of useful information that can help us to attain
a deeper understanding of Bonaparte. Men and women make their own history, but they do not
make it freely, in the sense that the scope and results of their actions are strictly limited by the
given socio-economic context that is prepared independently of their will.
In which section are the followings mentioned? Your answers:
the idea that an individual’s actions cannot be separated from their historical 86.
context
the view that the writing of history is sometimes agenda-driven 87.
the characteristics that made Napoleon an exceptional leader 88.
the fact that Napoleon was eminently aware of the impact of morale on modern 89.
warfare
the fact that Napoleon is as divisive a character as he is famous 90.
the uncertainty as to whether detractors of Napoleon simply lament the fact he 91.
had the vices and virtues of the common man
the view that Napoleon was no great revolutionary of warfare itself 92.
the notion that we are all a product of the time we live in 93.
the fact that Napoleon’s views reflected those of his countrymen 94.
the event that made Napoleon’s ascent possible 95.

TEST 3
You are going to read an article about advertising to teenagers. For questions 1-10, choose
from the sections (A-E). The sections may be chosen more than once.
Which section
1.questions the ethics of those who advise companies?
2.includes a specific figure that illustrates just how successful one marketing strategy is?
3.calls for greater media awareness among young consumers?
4.explains the reason behind a typical preoccupation of teens?
5.mentions the increase in ads directed at a certain sector of the population?
6.gives examples of hidden advertising?
7.harshly criticizes advertisers for their lack of conscience?
8.describes how advertisers gain an understanding of the adolescent mind?
9.explains why some common features of advertisements are so effective?
10.mentions how young people assist advertisers without realizing it?
Targeting Teens
A.Today, we are surrounded by advertising. We see adverts on TV, on billboards, at sporting
events, in magazines and on social media. And although advertising has been around for many
years in one form or another, in recent years, we have seen a worrying trend in the aggressive
targeting of younger consumers, who tend to lack media awareness. In fact, advertisers spend
more than $12 billion per year just to reach the youth market alone. Ads aimed at teens are
incredibly sophisticated. Clever slogans coupled with striking images are part and parcel of many
ads. Many ads also have catchy, upbeat music or memorable jingles. The constant repetition of
such ads means that when shopping, teens are drawn to that specific soft drink, hamburger or
sports shoe. According to Peter Logan, who works for a is watchdog agency committed to
protecting the consumer, "There is a whole battery of sales techniques used by companies to get
adolescents to purchase their products."
B.Youth advertising is aimed at creating a need. Teens often claim not to be swayed by ads, but
the truth is they may not even realize why they think something is cool. As Helen Davis, an
adolescent psychologist explains, "This type of advertising works subtly to instil insecurity about
your appearance, whether it's body shape, skin condition or weight. You are then told a certain
product can go a long way towards correcting the problem. Teens are subjected to a constant
barrage of messages suggesting which products will enhance their appearance and help them
look cool or feel confident, thereby guaranteeing their popularity." Celebrity endorsement of
some of these products by stunning young teen icons or social influencers on the Internet
strengthens the message still further. Such ads shamelessly play on adolescent anxieties, with the
overall message being that you become the person you want to be by making the right purchase.
The fact that teenage girls in the US spend $9 billion a year on make-up and skin products alone
is testament to this.
C.Emphasizing brand names is another technique directed at young people, who are attracted to
the prestige that brands confer. According to school counsellor Andrea Haines, "As the average
teenager engages in the difficult task of carving out their identity, the issue of fitting into a peer
group becomes paramount. Brands have become badges of membership in a social group."
Marketing executives are keen to establish brand recognition in teens, and even pre-teens, in
order to win their loyalty to a product. In a recent survey, three-year-olds could match logos to
brands — McDonalds being the most recognized fast food. Companies are increasingly
exploiting digital media in their advertising campaigns to do this. "Manufacturers can reach
greater so numbers of adolescent consumers by tapping into peer relationships on social
networking sites," explains Peter Logan. "Teens don't grasp that sharing a video or meme of a
brand they have 'liked' provides free advertising for the manufacturer."
D.According to Helen Davis, psychologists specializing in teenage behaviour are often consulted
by advertising agencies targeting young people. "These experts share their knowledge of teenage
anxieties, fantasies and emotional and social needs with the advertising industry," she explains.
"It's a practice seen by many of my contemporaries as morally questionable." With the help of
these insights into the teenage psyche, manufacturers are developing ever more sophisticated
marketing strategies to reach young people. Apple's iPod ads are a case in point. They don't ask
teenagers which iPod they prefer, but instead pose a more thought-provoking question: "Which
iPod are you?" Thus they deliberately blur the line between self-image and product.
E.All of this begs the question as to whether teens have their own taste or whether it is being
dictated to them. Many parents and educators feel that teens should become more savvy
regarding advertising. "Young people have to be made aware of how their preferences are being
manipulated," says Andrea Haines. "They could be encouraged to spot product placement, for
example, the Benetton shirt on the hero in their favourite TV series or the Nike shoes in an action
film, both of which register with them almost without their realizing." Analysing their desire for
a certain product could help teens see whether it really reflects their taste or not, and whether
they really need it. After all, being a discerning consumer means not being manipulated by clever
advertising into buying something you don't really need and which is unlikely to make you any
happier.
TEST 4
You are going to read an extract from a book review. For questions 44-53, choose from the
sections (A-E). The sections may be chosen more than once.
Be prepared
Mark Pollan offers a deft and persuasive account of the art and science of cooking
- Linda Libero
Cooked: A natural history of transformation
A In the half dozen years since The Omnivore's Dilemma became the benchmark argument for
knowing where the stuff you eat comes from, Michael Pollan has ascended to the top of the
locavore food chain. He's now arguably the most respected, and certainly one of the most visible,
proponents of locally grown and sourced food. Alice Waters may have been doing it longer and
Eric Schlosser louder, but Pollan's influence on how we eat and what we think about it has been
widespread and profound enough to reach the ear of our current commander in chief and to spark
a spate of serious activism around farm legislation. Waters coined a verb – ‘Pollanise’ – for what
happens to your relationship with food after reading his work, and the result has meant many
people changing the way they eat, or at least trying to.
B Pollan has always been quick to point out that he is, in fact, a science journalist whenever an
interviewer pegs him as a food writer, and readers of The Omnivore's Dilemma will recall the
arduousness, the anxiety and the trepidation with which he approached the preparation of his
'perfect meal' in the final chapter. (Plus, he burned the top of his cherry galette.) Even when he's
championing his ethical concerns, Pollan is a researcher, a prodigious gatherer of vast reams of

information. Having thoroughly scrutinised every other link in the food chain, he finally turns his
skills to the one link missing from his repertoire and, in the process, learned to cook.
C Cooked, perhaps his most personal and engaging book, reaffirms why Pollan is such a
phenomenal success at selling his message, much of which involves explaining subject matter
that might otherwise be stultifying and pressing points that, in lesser hands, would sound
unbearably strident. He is a breathtakingly fine writer and a mesmerising storyteller. Even when
he draws material from other sources - works of science, history and anthropology, all
generously cited - his skill at weaving those separate strands into a forceful narrative is singular
and has rarely been equalled by any of the multitude of food critics, celebrity chefs, and
nutrition-obsessed crusaders. Pollan's writing conjures an eminently reasonable, fair-minded
persona, the gently inquisitive guide who cares more for the truth than for any particular agenda,
even when he passionately argues for his agenda with every elegant sentence.
D That he's thoroughly versed in the most recent evidence from evolutionary science makes it
pretty difficult to refute his claims. That his research is seamlessly wedded to his own intrepid
adventures in cooking makes for surprisingly thrilling reading. In each chapter, Pollan takes the
reader on a dizzying tour of the very particular science behind cooking: what happens, for
instance, to an onion when you chop it up - the inherent sweetness of its liquid defensively
exploding into a volatile compound of sulphurous acids on penetration - as well as the magical
permutations of taste that evolve from the slow excretion of flavours as you sweat the humble
vegetable into a sauce. He caps that with a personal reflection on how the boredom of chopping
onions becomes an opportunity to contemplate what Pollan elsewhere calls the 'mystery, doubt,
uncertainty' that accompany waiting for the results.
E Cooking requires, Pollan asserts again and again, a yielding of control, the very thing that
manufacturers of ready-made packaged food attempt to elide with the certainty of efficiency and
speed. But, he argues, that efficiency is an illusion. In a scene that approaches slapstick, the
author describes an evening meal that he, his wife and their teenage son 'prepared' from an
assortment of frozen dinners, an experiment designed to test the advantages of yielding the job of
cooking to the corporation, as so many harried consumers are wont to do. Juggling the various
times required and the stubborn limitation of being able to prepare only one microwave entree at
a time, Pollan and his family found not only that 'convenience' prohibited sitting down together
for a meal, but also that it was far more costly - both in time and expense - than throwing
together a simple repast out of real food. Of course, the latter approach is healthier, too. It may
seem paradoxical, but Pollan uncovers evidence that people who cook are thinner than those who
rely on convenience foods for sustenance.

In which section are the following mentioned ?

44a finding that might appear contrary to expectations

45the apprehension caused by having to undertake a particular task
46an ability to get the reader to maintain focus on potentially uninteresting topics
47 the compelling use of contemporary research
48 a sequence of events that is almost comical
49 the far-reaching effects of the author's work
50 an ability to synthesise information from different disciplines
51 correcting a misconception relating to genre
52 a tine of reasoning regarded as being a standard for others to follow
53 revealing facts in such a way that readers' heads spin
TEST 5
The Poison of Envy

A Life is full of reminders of what we lack, and they usually come in the form of other people.
There is always someone more successful, more talented, more attractive, or more advanced in
meeting important 'milestones' than we are. We encounter these people every day - in fact, they
are often our friends, family members and colleagues. Sometimes these encounters can leave us
with a bitter taste in our mouths, or a green glow in our eyes - that familiar sting of envy. The
first clue that envy is lurking may be irrational feelings of hostility towards the object of our
envy. Just the sight of them might make your skin crawl, even though they have done nothing
wrong that you can put your finger on. If we don't unravel this form of vague resentment and
identify its green-coloured root, it can often get the better of us, seriously damaging our
relationships. It also simply feels horrible. So what can we do to disarm the green-eyed monster
when it strikes?
B The first step in fighting envy is acknowledging that we are experiencing it. Admitting this can
be very threatening, because it means acknowledging our own weaknesses and insecurity. It is
tempting to try to counteract envy with pride. However, `Sure, he has a nice car, but I'm better
looking!' is not going to get you very far. This might console you in the moment, but sooner or
later someone is going to come along who has a nicer car than you and is better looking. In other
words, reassuring ourselves about our own enviable traits is unlikely to work as a long-term
solution, and it maintains the same insecure process of social comparison where someone else
needs to be put down in order for us to feel boosted up. Instead, acknowledge that it is hard to
see someone do well when you're struggling, and remind yourself that you are very much not
alone in your feelings of inadequacy. Being imperfect is synonymous with being human.

C Although making someone the object of envy seems almost like a compliment, it can be quite
dehumanising. It masks the full picture of who that person is and what their life is like, and
reduces them to something very narrow. Have you ever envied someone who seemed to have the
perfect life, only to find out later that they were in fact suffering in a very major way? We just
don't have the opportunity to learn about someone's difficulties when we're overwhelmed by our
envy of their seemingly charmed life. It's not that we should seek out others' suffering, searching
for chinks in their armour, but rather that we should be open to seeing them in a fuller way, a
way that will inevitably include both strengths and weaknesses, both joys and sorrows. Doing so
will allow us to notice things we may have otherwise overlooked while being so self-centred and,
as a result, to be there for them when they are in need. Appreciating a person in their fullness can
also help us feel genuinely happy for their successes, a form of positive support called
capitalisation that has been shown to promote relationship well-being.
D Sometimes envy alerts us to things that we want in life that are potentially attainable if we're
willing to make certain changes. For example, if you envy your productive colleague, you may
find that you could be more productive yourself if you learnt to manage your time better. You
may even be able to get a few tips from him or her - upward social comparison can be a source
not only of motivation but also of useful information. In many situations, however, as the well-
known saying goes, envy is simply counting the other fellow's blessings instead of your own.
Counting our blessings is about refocusing on what is really important in life and on the
sometimes intangible and invisible things we do possess that are less dependent on social
comparisons - like a strong spirit, a diversity of life experiences, or just the simple fact of being
alive. Whereas envy drains our happiness and saps our energy, appreciation can reveal
abundance in places where we failed to look.
In which section does the writer mention
1.becoming self-aware by admitting vulnerability?
2.feelings of inadequacy primarily arising from interaction with acquaintances?
3.an approach that promotes feelings of contentment between people?
4.a reaction that provides short-term relief?
5.rejecting a more materialistic perspective?
6.being unable to justify certain feelings?
7.envy motivating someone to accomplish personal goals?
8.a consequence of not recognising a problem?
9.receiving a one-sided impression of a person?
10.the idea that envy is a characteristic shared by many?
TEST 6
Paws for thought

Buying a dog for a school isn’t a barking mad idea, says Mary Braid. Man’s best friend is also a
useful classroom assistant.
A Henry is the undisputed star of Dronfield school near Sheffield. Whatever the achievements of
other members of the comprehensive school, it is Henry with his soulful eyes and glossy hair,
who has hogged the limelight, appearing on television in Britain and abroad. Yet despite all the
public adulation, Henry stirs up no envy or resentment among the 2,000 students at Dronfield
High – in fact, they all adore him. The pupils say the Cavalier King Charles spaniel is simply a
pupil’s best friend. Their teachers make even bigger assertions for Henry. They say the dog, who
first arrived six months ago, is a super dog, who has improved pupil behaviour and encouraged
more students to turn up regularly for their lessons and focus on their academic achievement.
B ‘It’s hard not to drift off in a large class sometimes’, explains Andrew Wainwright, 15, who
like everyone else, is crazy about Henry. ‘So when I go to catch-up classes, Henry is always in
the room where they’re held. He helps me focus and get on with it.’ Andrew says Henry is a
calming influence although he is unsure of why this might be. But he knows that there’s
something magical about being able to throw Henry a soft toy or have Henry lick his hand while
he is studying. ‘If we fall behind, Miss Brown won’t let us look after him and everyone wants to
walk Henry.’
C Wendy Brown is Andrew’s teacher. It was Brown and Julie Smart, the school counsellor, who
first proposed buying a school dog. ‘Julie and I grew up with dogs and we were talking one day
about how looking after dogs can affect children’s conduct,’ says Brown. ‘We did some research
and discovered that the presence of pets has been shown to be therapeutic. A number of studies
have found that animals improve recovery after surgery or illness and have a calming influence
on people in lots of settings. Some of my kids can be a handful and some of the children Julie
counsels have terrible problems.’
D The two teachers could have plucked a dog from a rescue centre but felt that those dogs were
more likely to have difficulties. What they and what troubled children needed was a stable,
intelligent, people-loving animal. Step forward then puppy Henry, purchased from a local
breeder, Julie looks after him after school hours – information that has calmed the animal lovers
who complained to the school about Henry’s treatment. ‘They seemed to think we locked him in
a school cupboard overnight,’ says Brown. ‘Also, the school budget was too tight to buy a dog
and you can imagine that putting one before books might have stirred some people a bit. We
wanted the least controversy possible so we settled on approaching local churches. They donated
the funds to buy him and his favourite food.’
E Today Henry is on Dronfield’s front line when it comes to helping children struggling with
everything from attention problems to a sudden death in the family. In the next few weeks, the
dog will launch his own confidential counselling website, Ask Henry. Pupils will be encouraged
to email and describe whatever is worrying them and Julie will answer on Henry’s behalf.

Wouldn’t teenagers run horrified from such a scheme? Apparently not when Henry is involved!
‘Henry has been a massive success,’ insists Brown, explaining that even doubting staff have
finally been won round. Perhaps that is because Henry, who lies on the floor during staff
meetings, has also had a calming influence on teachers, ‘Not part of the plan,’ says Brown, ‘but a
very welcome benefit.’
F Could the school dog become a craze? Brown has already been contacted by eight schools
keen to get their own dog. Other schools such as the Mulberry Bush, a primary school for 36
children with emotional and behavioural problems, have stepped forward to point out they
already have one. Rosie Johnston, a Mulberry staff member, first brought her golden retriever,
Muskoka, into school when he was just nine weeks old. That was three years ago. Aside from
being a calming influence, Muskoka even plays his part in literacy lessons. Children at the
school can be too shy to read to adults so they read to Muskoka. ‘Their anxiety about
mispronouncing something or getting the words in the wrong order is reduced when they read to
him,’ says Johnston.
G Psychologist Dr Deborah Wells from Queen’s University Belfast specializes in animal-human
interaction. She believes the underlying key to the Henry’s effect is that dogs offer unconditional
love and that cheers up adults and children and helps with self-esteem. But traditionalist Chris
Woodhead, the former chief inspector of schools says, ‘I can see how children with behavioral
difficulties might be helped but I’m skeptical about the use of dogs in mainstream education. I
don’t see why a teacher cannot create a positive learning environment through the subject they
teach and their personality. Dogs strike me as a bit of a publicity stunt. It’s the kind of
sentimental story journalists love.’ But Henry remains as popular as ever. He’s just become the
first animal to be made as an honorary member of the public services union Unison – in
recognition of his services as a canine classroom assistant.
a way that students can overcome their fear of making mistakes 1.
the criteria regarding the selection of an appropriate dog 2.
the claim that a dog has increased the students’ attendance at school 3.
a motivating reason for students to keep up with their school work 4.
evidence to back up the theory that dogs can improve physical well-being 5.
people eventually being persuaded that a dog at school is beneficial 6.
a decision which was taken to avoid provoking people 7.
the accusation that schools have dogs just to attract media attention 8.
a welcome positive effect on a group of people that Wendy Brown had not 9.
anticipated
the fundamental reason why dogs can have a positive impact on people’s
10.
happiness

TEST 7

You are going to read a text about eternal youth. For questions 44-53, choose from the
sections A-F.

Forever Young
A The dream of youth is as old as time, and people have gone to great lengths to preserve
themselves. It is said that Cleopatra bathed daily in milk to preserve the beauty two great
Romans fell in love with. Countess Erszebet Bathory of Hungary was said to have drunk the
blood of hundreds of young women in the mistaken belief that it would keep her like them; it is
from here, among other sources, that the legend of the vampire came from. Indeed, literature
abounds with such stories; The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is one — it recounts the
story of a beautiful young man who makes a deal so that his portrait grows old instead of him.
B It was not until the twentieth century that the health care industry branched out into the
preservation of the body, producing the efficacious, and most profitable arm of medicine today.
Treatments generally rely on plastic surgery of one sort or another; facelifts, tummy-tucks,
liposuction and the like. Your local chemist will also testify that anti-wrinkle creams sell well,
and pills containing vitamin boosts, hormones and herbal concoctions can keep you looking good
all the way to the end.
C But there lies the problem. The average lifespan is about 70 years, the maximum 120-odd. We
don't even rank at the top of the animal kingdom —giant tortoises get up to 150 often enough,
and the giant clam 200 (though both have low-stress lifestyles). So the quest of the ages has
always been for immortality as well as youth, and the traditional paths to this are two. The first is
religion and either everlasting life after death or reincarnation. The other method is by way of
people's minds; the immortality of fame. As long as people talk about you, you live; Shakespeare
is not called the Immortal Bard for nothing. To be gone from the minds of the collective
unconscious is to truly die.
D But neither option is enough for some people. As Woody Allen said, 'I don't want to achieve
immortality through my work. I want to achieve immortality by not dying.' Many people
throughout history have felt the same way, and have striven to find a way to reach this most
happy of goals. The Chinese thought the precious metal gold was the key, to be drunk down as
dust in a liquid suspension. The alchemists, ancestors of present-day chemists, felt that since they
believed that base metals such as lead could become gold, so gold could be refined into the most
precious material of all: the Philosopher's Stone, source of eternal youth.
E Today the search continues. People who are close to death even have the choice of cryonics; to
have their bodies or just their heads frozen solid, to be thawed out once science has solved the
problems of disease and old age. And it is hard at work; the science of genetics is looking into
the possibility of there being some kind of trigger in our chromosomes which tells our bodies to
start to slow down and wrinkle up. If it is found, the theory goes, couldn't it be switched off?
Computer technology, too, is on the act. Once the necessary level of complexity has been
reached, couldn't our personalities be simply downloaded onto a hard drive, to live there in the
machine for all time?
F There is a warning, however, in every tale and myth of eternal life; that those who lose that
fear or knowledge of death cease to be fully human. Dorian Gray lived for his pleasure and his
needs alone, no matter what suffering they caused. The vampire, of course, has eternal life (being
undead), but preys on the living and is hunted by them. The one thing we know for sure is that
one day we will die. Is it not this knowledge that fills us with the urge to create beyond
ourselves, leave something behind, whether in the form of stories, inventions, children or
whatever? And is it not in these that our greatest achievements lie?
In which section are the following mentioned?

44 a belief that converting metallic substances could provide the key to everlasting youth
45 those who attain eternal youth in literature pay for it with their humanity
46 medical procedures are effective in creating a youthful appearance
47 the realisation of immortality through making your mark on history
48individuals being preserved in the hope of medical breakthroughs resulting in extending their
lives
49the prevalence of the preoccupation with immortality in written works
50 our mortal state inspiring us to great heights
51how products which promise to retain youth are extremely lucrative
52not being content at the achievement of immortality through enduring fame
53 the conviction that immortality is obtainable in the afterlife
TEST 8
A.Samuel

It's a common misconception that those of us who have jobs which involve clocking up air miles
are the lucky ones. There is nothing worse than spending countless nights in a string of faceless
hotels, because no matter what the standard is, they are still totally devoid of that essential
element of homeliness which is present in your own environment or even when being put up by
friends. The night-time accommodation is only one of the aspects of imposed travel that I abhor.
I always travel Business or First, the intention being that I lose no unnecessary time catching up
on sleep and the dramatic shifts from day to night have minimal impact on my sleep patterns. But
no level of comfort can compensate for regular sleep! There is no way round the fact that if on a
weekly basis you change time zone four times, - and we're not talking just a couple of hours' time
difference - you are going to feel and see the side effects. Bloating, bad skin, hormonal
imbalances, not to mention fatigue. Added to that, the disagreeable reality that office work left
behind has to be dealt with on my return. No, when my holiday comes round, the prospect of an
exotic destination holds zero appeal. I'd rather cycle round the park.
B.Phoebe

I'm definitely a traveller, not a tourist. My ultimate aim when seeking new travel experiences is
to expand my understanding of different cultures. To that end, hotels are out for me. I don't care
much for them anyway and on the kind of budgets that I move around on, they are not really
accessible. I tend to find accommodation with local families; that way I get a better
understanding of the real people, their habits, customs and the accepted forms of behaviour for
me and them. It also allows exposure to language in a different way. I might hear unrestricted
slang used in a real context. You'd never find that in a language learning book. Language and
culture are my passion and the more I travel, the more I see connections. It's true we are all
somehow connected. I would never have realised half of these things from reading books. I've
worked with small indigenous communities on four continents and in ten different countries.
Every single experience has been unique, precious and taught me something new about myself.
It's a cliché, but travel really does broaden the mind.
C.Myriam
Destination is of little importance, what matters to me is the setting when I reach it. Coastal, hot,
clean, luxurious, those are the boxes that must be ticked. Aside from that, it really is irrelevant.
My requirements are a holiday involving relaxation, comfort and security. I go away up to three
times a year but always on all-inclusive deals which offer good value for money. The prospect of
leaving the resort or complex holds no appeal for me. Do I sound ignorant, uncultured,
chauvinistic even? Not at all, I'm a working mum! My everyday life is a hellfire of fatigue and a
relentless treadmill of activities. When I get my time off, all I want to do is put my feet up and
enjoy the cocktails, no visiting, cooking, cleaning, worrying. The kids love the kids' clubs and I
love the sun. When I come to the end of my holidays, I feel rested and ready to go again. I have
friends who holiday independently with their offspring, only to come back and need a week's
recovery period. What's the point of that? Holidays are for unwinding. Try out my tried-and-
tested formula before you criticise.
D.Marvin
Honesty seems to have come with age. Were I absolutely truthful with myself, then I would
admit that any holiday or trip is always greatly improved by hindsight. When I look back at
photos or read my travel diary or discuss experiences with old travelling companions, I realise
that the memories are better than the actual reality. Travelling is tiresome. Flying is exhausting.
Constantly making whimsical decisions on what to visit, where to eat, how to choose is irritating
because you feel a constant pressure: Is this the right thing to do? Are we missing something?
Are we being swindled or taken for a ride? All these insecurities of the traveller are swept away
when we think back, but when we're living them, we ask ourselves why we took steps to
immerse ourselves in an alien culture, with an alien language and peculiar customs. Perhaps it's
because we want to force ourselves to battle with new experiences and manage, or maybe it
simply serves as a point of reference from which we can safely conclude that home is best and
we are truly lucky. Travel is an essential part of life, if only to see what we are not missing.

Which person expresses each of these opinions about travel?

Travel undertaken through necessity is never pleasurable. 1.

Staying with friends is preferable to hotel accommodation. 2.
Extensive travel takes its toll on the body.3
Holidays are pointless if you can't recharge your batteries. 4.
Travel is a truly educational exploit. 5.
The logistics of travel are rarely enjoyable. 6.
Travel makes us appreciate our lot. 7.
It must provide respite from the daily grind. 8.
It is a means to encounter unusual minority groups. 9.
Not showing an interest in other cultures is frowned upon. 10.
TEST 9
You are going to read a magazine article about people and animals. For questions 44-53,
choose from the sections A-F.
A Giant Leap for Mankind
A In 1859, Charles Darwin published his classic study, The Origin of Species, in which he
presented his theory of evolution by natural selection. Though many people ridiculed the
connection he made between man and ape at the time (pictures of him in Punch caricatured him
as half-monkey), the idea has come to be accepted by nearly everyone. One thing that remains is
the question of how human beings managed to get so far ahead of gorillas, chimpanzees and the
rest so quickly. After all, the first recognisably human foot trod the earth a mere 150,000 years
ago; a long time if you're waiting for your coffee to arrive, but not long enough in evolutionary
terms for large shifts in our physical stature.
B It cannot be denied, however, that the gap between ape and human societies is enormous. Apes
live a day-to-day existence in small groups, without making shelter or clothing, subsisting mostly
on fruit and berries. This is how our predecessors lived, but now we live in our millions in huge
cities, cultivate our food and have done things as extreme as reaching the moon and plumbing
the mysteries of the oceans.

C One of the arguments proposed to explain how we evolved so quickly cites the advantages of
human hands and the use of tools. The dexterity our hands have is unparalleled in the animal
kingdom, and there is no doubt that the availability of tools has allowed us to do things otherwise
impossible. Some apes, however, display primitive tool use (chimpanzees use blades of grass to
'fish' for termites in mounds), so it seems that we have simply developed that which was already
there.
D Other candidates put forward for the post of most influential cause of human advancement
include our upright stature (allowing us to see further; but apes can also stand on two legs) and
our weakness (forcing us to find other means of defence; however, if you see chimpanzees
scaring away lions with sticks and stones, you can assume we were at least as resourceful). The
other candidate is language. Apes are highly sociable, intelligent and communicative, yet they
communicate in terms of sounds (denoting, for example, anger), facial expressions and gestures.
A language is not just sounds or even words, but a system. In other words, it must have a
structure, a grammar, that allows users to manipulate the sounds to vary their meaning. Though
apes can get a lot of information across in their way, there are obvious limitations, such as the
impossibility of conveying abstract ideas.
E Extensive research has gone into the ability of apes to learn language. The theory was that if
they showed a capability, it would indicate that the rudiments of language could have come
before the explosion in human development. Attempts to teach them to speak ended in failure
due to the fact that the ape's larynx is not well enough developed to produce such complex
sounds. Sign language, however, was more successful. Apes could learn up to 200 signs, and one
gorilla in particular began to put signs into different orders to express different things; the
beginnings of a grammar.
F It would appear that apes are perfectly capable of using words, which implies that we are still
not very far from them in terms of brain structure. This suggests that it was language that
produced the giant leap forward our ancestors took all those years ago. Language is, after all, a
unique way of communicating the unseen, and of imagining the future and hypothetical. It is
perhaps the ultimate tool in the struggle for survival, and enabled us to spread to the four corners
of the world.
In which section are the following mentioned?

44a range of theories to explain our rapid evolution

45the considerable time span required for major advances in development
46 apes being successfully taught an alternative communication system
47physiology preventing advanced language use
48other species demonstrating rudimentary handling skills
49the contrast in lifestyles due to evolutionary leaps
50 apes being unable to express theoretical concepts
51 highly-developed spoken language allowing humanity to dominate the world
52 the widespread derision of a theory
53 grammatical awareness shown through an alternative form of communication
TEST 10
You are going to read extracts from an introductory book about studying the law. For
questions 44-53, choose from the sections (A-D). The extracts may be chosen more than
once. Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.
In which extract are the following mentioned?
44the relative frequency of certain types of legal cases
45input by those who are not directly involved in a dispute
46 how common transactions assume certain guarantees
47ascertaining the effectiveness of a legal system
48determining the consequences of altering the legal system
49 the influence of popular depictions of the law
50a reluctance to submit to formal legal processes
51how a decentralised legal system depends on a feeling of reciprocity
52 the lack of drama in the way the law operates
53 the absence of a certain type of legal institution
Studying the law
A Ordinary people regularly encounter law in a variety of circumstances. Freely-negotiated
commercial contracts may bind them to act in particular ways. By becoming members of a sports
club or a trade union they agree to comply with a set of rules. Sometimes these forms of law will
use the courts to enforce their arrangements. In other cases privately-instituted adjudication
bodies are established, a third party being appointed to decide whether an agreement or rule has
been broken or not. These kinds of arrangements may seem very different from the normal idea
of law, especially if law is thought of mainly in terms of the criminal law. However, it is possible
to see law simply as a way of regulating our actions, of deciding what can be done and what
cannot be done. Most laws are not about something spectacular but, rather, about the details of
ordinary life. Every time a purchase is made, a contract is made. Both parties make promises
about what they will do; one to hand over the goods, one to pay the price. In this and other ways,
everybody is involved in law every day of their lives.
B Legal rules can be divided up in many different ways. The rules show differences in purpose,
in origin and form, in the consequences when they are breached, and in matters of procedure,
remedies and enforcement. One of the most fundamental divisions in law is the division between
criminal and civil law. Newcomers to the study of law tend to assume that criminal law occupies
the bulk of a lawyer's caseload and of a law student's studies. This is an interesting by-product of
the portrayal of the legal system by the media. Criminal law weighs very lightly in terms of
volume when measured against non-criminal (that is, civil) law. There are more rules of civil law
than there are of criminal law; more court cases involve breach of the civil law than that of the
criminal law.
C The term 'national law' is used to mean the internal legal rules of a particular country, in
contrast to international law which deals with the external relationships of a state with other
states. There is no world government or legislature issuing and enforcing laws to which all
nations are subject. The international legal order has no single governing body and operates by
agreement between states. This means that the creation, interpretation and enforcement of
international law lie primarily in the hands of states themselves. Its scope and effectiveness
depend on the sense of mutual benefit and obligation involved in adhering to the rules. Disputes
about the scope and interpretation of international law are rarely resolved by the use of
international courts or binding arbitration procedures of an international organisation. This is
because submission to an international court or similar process is entirely voluntary and few
states are likely to agree to this if there is a serious risk of losing their case or where important
political or national interests are at stake.
D One source of detailed information about the legal system is statistical analyses. Information
about the number of cases handled by a court shows in specific terms what a court's workload is.
Changes in these from year to year may indicate some effects of changes in the law and practice.
Statistical tests can establish that there is a relationship, a correlation, between different things.
For example, the length of a sentence for theft may correlate with the value of the items stolen or
the experience of the judge who heard the case. This means that the sentence will be longer if,
for example, more items are stolen or the judge is more experienced. A correlation can provide
evidence for a theory. Such confirmation is important; without it we have little to establish the
impact the law has, being forced to rely on individual instances of its application and having to
assume that these have general truth. Empirical study of the operation of law may reveal areas of
improvement. It can also confirm that, measured by particular standards, the courts are working
well.