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(Please Write 100-150 words.) (Total of 20 marks)
Write a review of a book or a film you have read or watched
(Each question – 2 marks)
Bill Smith was a farmer and a teacher and a dentist before he became a writer of children’s books at the age of 60. Now thirteen years later, he has written more than 80 books. ‘My ten grandchildren don’t live near here but they read my stories and say if they are good or bad.’ And so Bill has learned what young children want to read. Early each day, he goes into his office and writes. In the evening, he gives the work to his wife to read. ‘She also tells me when she doesn’t like something,’ said Bill.
1. Bill became a writer thirteen years ago
A. RightB. WrongC. Doesn’t say
2. Bill writes his books in the evening
3. Bill is a writer and a farmer
4. Bill shows his writing to his wife
When I finished my running career, I decided to introduce more women to the sport, to show them how much fun it could be and to give them the confidence to get out and run. I decided to start a running club for women. I put up posters and about forty women, young and old, fit and unfit, joined. All of them were attracted by the idea of losing weight but I don’t think they had really thought about running before. When or if they did, they had a picture of painful training. They didn’t think of chatting and smiling while running in beautiful places, like by a river. At first, they ran for only a minute – now they can run for thirty. They also learned from other runners about diet and keeping fit in general. I’ve had so much pleasure watching their progress – almost as much as they’ve had!
5. What would a reader find out from the text?
A. The best kind of places for running.B. How runners can avoid injuring themselves.C. The progress made by the women in the club.D. The teaching skills of the writer.
6. What is the writer’s opinion of the runners she trained?
A. They were too serious.B. They were too difficult to train.C. They couldn’t develop their skills.D. They needed encouraging.
In the lumberyard by the lake, where trees from the woods were turned into boards for construction work, there was an old brick building two floors high, and all around the outside walls were heaped great piles of sawdust. There were many of these golden mountains of dust covering that part of the yard right down to the blue lake. That afternoon, bored with having nothing else to do, all the fellows followed Michael up the ladder to the roof of the old building and they sat with their legs hanging over the edge looking out across the lake. Suddenly Michael said, “I dare you to jump down”, and without thinking about it, he pushed himself off the roof and fell on the sawdust where he lay rolling around and laughing. “I dare you all!” he shouted. “You’re all cowards”, he said, encouraging them to follow him. Still laughing, he watched them looking down from the roof, white-faced and hesitant, and then one by one they jumped and got up grinning with relief.
7. Why did the boys first climb on the building?
A. To pass the time.B. To test their courage.C. To keep out of the way of the workmen.D. To get a better view of the woods.
8. When the boys jumped after Michael, they
A. were grateful to him for the idea.B. felt pleased at what they had done.C. wanted to do it again immediately.D. found the jump harder than expected.
It was books that first captured my imagination about faraway places. TV travelogues always seemed the poor relation in the classic written accounts, although of course the pictures were rather better. And then there was the issue of authenticity. All those pretentious, theatrical types dying of thirst in the desert, as if we didn’t realise there was a camera crew on hand to cater for their every need. These days programme-makers know that the audience is more sophisticated and the presence of the camera is acknowledged. But can a journey with filming equipment ever be anything other than a cleverly constructed fiction?
I recently got the chance to find out, when I was asked to present two one-hour programmes for an adventure travel series. The project was the brainchild of the production company Trans-Atlantic Films, which wanted the series presented by writers and adventurers, as well as TV professionals. My sole qualification was as a journalist specialising in ‘adventure’ travel. However, I was thought to have ‘on-screen potential’.
9. One thing the writer used to dislike about travel programmes on TV was
A. the repetitive nature of many of them.B. their lack of respect for the intelligence of the viewer.C. the dull images that they frequently contained.D. their tendency to copy the style of famous written accounts.
10. What reason is given for the writer becoming involved in making TV travel programmes?
A. Other people’s belief that he might be suited to appearing on them.B. His own desire to discover whether it was possible to make good ones.C. His own belief that it was natural for him to move from journalism to TV.D. A shortage of writers and adventurers willing to take part in them.
(Each question – 1 mark)
1. He sat ……… the window and looked out at the garden.
A. nearB. inC. near inD. close
2. You were sick last week. ……… do you feel now?
A. WhatB. WhyC. HowD. Where
3. We enjoyed ……… tennis yesterday.
A. to playB. playC. playedD. playing
4. She travels ……… bus.
A. inB. onC. byD. with
5. Alice is much stronger ……… her brother.
A. thanB. likeC. asD. that
6. I won’t be able to finish my homework. There is ……… time.
A. fewB. to littleC. too littleD. too few
7. It’s raining ……….
A. hardlyB. heavyC. heavierD. hard
8. I have sent him two letters. ……… of them have arrived.
A. NoneB. AnyC. NeitherD. Either
9. It depends ……… the weather.
A. onB. forC. ofD. about
10. If you found €100 in the street, ……… you keep it?
A. canB. willC. wouldD. might
11. What’s that noise? It sounds ……… a baby crying.
A. asB. as ifC. as thoughD. like
12. She accused me ……… her pen.
A. to stealB. stealingC. of stealingD. for stealing
13. I wish I ……… more people.
A. knewB. am knowingC. knowD. will know
14. A lot of money ……… by the school.
A. raisesB. raisingC. was raisedD. raised
15. Tom ……… travel a lot. These days he doesn’t go away very often.
A. is used toB. usesC. got toD. used to
16. I wouldn’t have got wet if I ……… my umbrella yesterday.
A. broughtB. was bringingC. had broughtD. bring
17. No sooner had we left the house, ……… it started snowing.
A. thanB. thatC. whenD. and
18. The policeman ……… me off with a warning as it was Christmas.
A. didB. gaveC. letD. set
19. Several people, ……… voices could be clearly heard, were waiting outside.
A. whichB. theirC. whomD. whose
20. ……… we get to the top of the hill, we’ll be alright.
A. EventuallyB. At the timeC. OnceD. Now
Complete the second sentence so it has the same meaning as the first
Example: Stephen King wrote this novel. This novel was written by Stephen King.
1. Juan is a very bad footballer.
Juan is not football.
2. The bus always arrives on time.
The bus late.
3. I’m sure his name is Bill.
Bill be his name.
4. Last year wasn’t as cold as this year.
This year is last year.
5. I last went to the cinema a long time ago.
I to the cinema for a long time.
6. The local mechanic repaired my car for me.
I by the local mechanic.
7. Dinner will be served immediately upon our arrival at the hotel.
Dinner will be served as soon at the hotel.
8. ‘Can I borrow your bicycle Amy?’ asked James.
James asked Amy to her bicycle.
9. I found it difficult to follow the instructions.
I had the instructions.
10. There were a lot of people at the concert, but Laura still had a good time.
Laura had a great time at the concert being crowded.
(Each question – 4 marks)
What would you say in each situation? Use your imagination and try to use longer sentences to show your range of vocabulary.
1. You’re having a party at your house on Saturday. Invite a colleague from work.
2. In a restaurant, a waiter/waitress brings you the wrong dish. What do you say to him/her.
3. Ask someone in the street for directions to the nearest bank.
4. An Irish friend is going to your country next week. She asks “What clothes do I need?” What do you say?
5. You are late for an important meeting. Give an excuse and apologise.
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