Reading

Tips
 First, read the instructions in the exam task.
 Next, read the sentences and the options (A–C).
 Then read the whole text.
 Find the part of the text with the information for each answer.
 Remember that the sentences follow the same order as the text.
 You do not have to understand all of the words in the text. You can guess the
meaning of many words from the context.
Read the text. Choose the best option (a–c) to complete the sentences (1–5).
A world where memories can be created as you wish and then inserted into your
actual memory is a tempting topic for any science fiction or screenplay writer. What
would be the consequences of such actions? How could this process be used by the
governments of the world? What would be the ethical issues connected with it?
We Can Remember It For You Wholesale is a short story written by legendary science
fiction author, Philip K. Dick. The main character, Douglas Quail, appears to be an
ordinary man whose life is as boring as it is average. His dull routine is so tiresome
that he starts fantasising about visiting Mars.
As the visions become stronger and stronger and pull him in deeper and deeper, he
finally decides to visit the Rekal Corporation. It is a corporation which offers memory
implant services. Douglas wants them to place a memory of a trip to Mars in his mind.
Unfortunately, the procedure, although simple and standard, does not go as planned.
Just before they can replace Douglas’s memory, the people at Rekal discover that, in
fact, he has been to Mars. He was there on a secret mission for his government. Of
course, the memory replacement is out of the question and Rekal sends Douglas home
as quickly as possible.
The problem is that, once stirred, the old memories start coming back more and more
strongly. The story becomes a tale of a man who has two sets of memories which
contradict each other. After the initial confusion, Douglas needs to decide how to deal
with them. Should he eliminate some of them? Or should he try somehow to put them
together into one life story? But which of them are real?
Naturally, it is perfect material for a movie and indeed, the story served as the basis
for a Hollywood blockbuster, Total Recall, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and
Sharon Stone. However, the plot was adapted very loosely and if you’ve only seen the
movie then you can’t say you know the whole story.
1 Philip K. Dick wrote
a legends.
b stories.
c screenplays.
2 Douglas’s life is
a fantastic.
b monotonous.
c tiring.

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3 The Rekal Corporation
a organized trips to Mars.
b gives people new memories.
c helps people lose their memory.
4 Douglas is confused because he can recall
a the old memories only.
b the new memories only.
c both old and new memories.
5 The movie Total Recall
a tells the whole story.
b is very different from the story.
c is based on the story.

Use of English
Tips
 Read the text quickly to find out what it is about.
 Use the context to decide which tense to use.
 You need to write more than one word for some gaps.
 If an adverb is included in the brackets, think about the correct word order.
Complete the text with the correct form of the verb in brackets.
When I was 14 I became the goalkeeper for the school hockey team. I was quite
scared actually, as I used 1_________ (wear) glasses in those days, and, as you know,
a hockey ball is very hard. The day of our first match arrived and we put on our
school sports uniform, and 2_________ (go) out onto the sports field. The girls in the
other team 3_________ (already, practise) and I 4_________ (not like) the way they
were hitting the ball so hard. Our P.E. teacher, Miss Bartram, 5_________ (blow) the
whistle and the match began. I 6_________ (train) very hard so I was full of
expectations, but I 7_________ (really, worry) about my glasses. So every time one of
the other team hit the ball at the goal, I turned around, and tried 8_________ (stop) it
with my back. This worked quite well at first and I managed 9_________ (save) a few
goals. Unfortunately, the next ball hit me on the back of my head and knocked me
onto the grass. My family 10_________ (come) to watch the match, and they were
very relieved when I got up again. However, that was the end of the hockey season
for me.

Aim High 3 Exam practice 1 2

Listening
Preparation
 Read the instructions in the exam task and answer the questions.
1 How many people do you think you will hear?
2 What is Sarah’s job?
 Tick the topics that you think the recording includes.
1 Sarah’s workplace
2 her international successes
3 her family life
4 the beginnings of her career
Tips
 Read the statements and the options (A–C).
 The correct option may not include the words you hear in the recording.
 Try to understand the overall meaning; don’t try to understand every word.
 When you listen for the second time, check your answers and complete any that
you haven’t done.
2.4 Listen to an interview with a photographer and complete the sentences with
the best option (a–c).
1 Sarah Bentley
a always loved to collect pictures.
b started her career at the age of 21.
c became a photographer 21 years ago.
2 Photographing animals
a is easier for Sarah than for most people.
b gives Sarah amazing career possibilities.
c hasn’t earned her any respect.
3 Sarah photographs animals
a in safari parks and zoos.
b in her studio.
c in the wild.
4 With small animals, Sarah
a always uses extra lighting.
b sometimes creates a temporary studio.
c only photographs them in their normal enclosure.
5 When Sarah gets some new equipment
a it takes her about 20 minutes to learn how to use it.
b she does not like to experiment with it.
c she practises how to use it before the shoot.

Aim High 3 Exam practice 1 3

Writing
Preparation: Writing an informal letter
 Think about the form and style of an informal letter.
 Think of useful phrases for describing a place.
 Organize your letter into paragraphs.
Use the Writing Bank on page 90 of the Workbook to help you.
Write to your pen pal from Britain about an interesting experience you had with
your friends. Imagine a photograph you took at the time which you are enclosing
with your letter. Write a letter (150–200 words) including the following points:
 where you went and a description of the place
 a description of the photograph
 what happened
 why it was an interesting experience for you.

Speaking
Preparation
 Think about which tense you need to use to describe activities shown in a photo:
present simple or present continuous.
 Think about suitable vocabulary.
Use the Functions Bank on page 89 of the Workbook to help you.
Tips
 First, describe what you can see in the photo. Talk about the environment and what
the people are doing.
 Try to speculate about the people’s activities (use maybe and probably).
 Finally, say what you think about such activities.
This photo shows people taking photographs of wild animals. Describe the photo
and then mention the following points:
 reasons for taking photos of wild animals
 the risks people need to take in such situations
 your opinion of people who do this.

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