LEVEL: C2

USE OF ENGLISH (GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY)

PART 1: From the words listed below, choose the ones which best fit the space, A, B, C or D.

CHEQUEBOOK JOURNALISM
If you are a politician or a pop star, a clergyman or a (01).............................. TV personality, you
will have your (02).............................. in the world of British chequebook journalism. Every
(03).............................. newspaper has its team of experts who (04).............................. the exact
(05).............................. to be paid for scandalous revelations. There is a (06).............................. of
charges in the business. For instance, the kiss and (07).............................. variety, where a girl
has spent a few nights in the hotel room of a pop singer, can (08).............................. a couple of
thousand pounds. At the top end is the £250,000 offered by one newspaper to a former girl-friend
of Andrew, the Duke of York, for the (09).............................. of pictures she is known to have
which (10).............................. their friendship. The girl refused.
Fleet Street public houses are the (11).............................. of exchange where the middle-men
(12).............................. gossip and (13).............................. confessors to the highest bidder. This
is the bottom end of the market. The real money (14).............................. when high-level
politicians are the (15)............................... When the Chairman of the Conservative Party left his
mistress and went back to his wife, the Daily Mirror paid £60,000 for his mistress's confessions.

01. A. adored B. famous C. renowned D. well-known

02. A. value B. price C. cost D. fee
03. A. well-liked B. popular C. fashionable D. cheap
04. A. value B. predict C. forecast D. evaluate
05. A. salary B. quantity C. fee D. commission
06. A. grade B. chart C. rule D. scale
07. A. tell B. confess C. inform D. reveal
08. A. reward B. gain C. earn D. lift
09. A. volume B. diary C. book D. album
10. A. documents B. outlines C. recounts D. relates
11. A. circus B. field C. hall D. arena
12. A. offer B. present C. peddle D. display
13. A. willing B. able C. qualified D. enthusiastic
14. A. arrives B. comes C. enters D. appears
15. A. target B. aim C. intention D. score

PART 2: Complete with one word only in each space.

ULTRARUNNERS
(16).............................. marathons, there are the ultramarathons. (17).............................. are races
at 50 miles or 100 miles, or there are runs that take 24 hours or six days. They are held on tracks
in New York City or on trails in the desert in Utah. The 100-mile Endurance Run in Northern
California has become (18).............................. popular that the (19).............................. of runners
is limited by lottery to 375. Six-day races are rather less popular. In New York, only 26 men and
5 women turned (20).............................. for the six-day run won by 28-year-old Yannis Kouros
of Greece when he set a new world record by covering 635 miles.
The ultrarunner is in a race apart. One of them says, "There's a risk of getting so involved with it
that it consumes you, (21).............................. you an imbalanced person. It cuts into your family
life. It wrecks your marriage (22).............................. strengthens it - certainly nothing in between.
Still, it's kind of fun to know you can deal with a situation that would kill almost anyone
(23)..............................." Carol La Plant is a San Francisco lawyer. She has suffered stress
fractures in both legs and ruptured discs in her lower back which (24).............................. her in
bed for two months. She says, "I'm a real kamikaze and run (25).............................. the pain. One
doctor told me I have the nervous system of a slug." In (26).............................. to the physical
challenge, Mrs La Plant has problems (27).............................. her legal colleagues who figure she
should be in legal briefs (28).............................. than running briefs.
Ultrarunners form a closed society. (29).............................. the society there is an elite club called
the Flatlanders with a membership of about 80 from half-a-dozen different countries. Flatlanders
(30).............................. have run 100 miles in less than 24 hours and re-qualify every year for
membership.

PART 3: Most but not all of the following lines contain an unnecessary word. Underline the
word that is not needed. If a line is correct, tick (T) it.

WINE AT AUCTION
31. During the winter, most of London auctioneers have wine auctions. Some are of wines for
32. everyday drinking, but most are of the fine wines. Last winter, a dozen bottles of Lafite 1945
33. were knocked out down at £158 the bottle. A Mr John Grisanti, a restaurateur from Memphis,
34. was paid £9,000 for a magnum - that is, a two-bottle size - of 1864 Lafite. He charged 30
35. people $1,500 each person for a dinner with a small glass of the wine. It was worth ten times
36. more the cost of the wine in publicity for his restaurant. Was it worth the money? Well, it is
37. doubtful if you would complain after which you had paid so much for a meal. One man in the
38. fine wine business says so: "As far as clarets are concerned, what confuses me is that there
39. are certainly people who are prepared to pay astronomical prices for wines which I know are
40. nothing but dishwater. Because there is no way that a bottle of wine at £1000 is one hundred
41. times better off than one that costs £10. Perhaps the top price you can pay for wine to enjoy
42. for drinking is £100 a bottle. Above £100, you are paying for something other than taste.”

PART 4: Complete with a word formed from those in the list.

Governed in Secret
What surprises some overseas observers is the (43) .......................... with which the “mother of
democracy” is governed. There is nothing in Britain to compare with the American freedom of
(44) .......................... act. Mrs Thatcher's press secretary even went so far as to boast to
American newspaper reporters that "the ordinary British subject not only has no right to know
but does not want to know." Government will go to (45) .......................... lengths to preserve
itself and avoid embarrassing (46) ..........................of the (47) .......................... of the ways it
runs its business.
The best known example was the way the Thatcher government spent millions trying to suppress
the Spycatcher book, written in Australia by a disgruntled former intelligence officer. It is to
Australia's credit that the heavy-handed attempt at (48) .......................... failed (49)
.......................... . Why did the government use a (50) ..........................to crack this particular nut.
What was it really trying to protect?

Man and Beast

Newspapers are fond of what the French call "squashed dog" stories. Such stories run under the
"Man Bites Dog" headline. From France comes the story of an attack on an old man near Calais
carried out by a swarm of bees. The (51) .......................... might have pleased Hitchcock. The
victim was sunning himself in his garden at the time. The firemen were called but were driven
back into their van by the (52).................... of the insects. After 45 minutes someone arrived with
(53) .......................... clothing and insecticide. By then the man sitting in the deck chair was
dead, covered in hundreds of stings, most of them on his eyelids.
The French liked the story from London about grafting a pig's kidneys on to a human patient.
They went for the animal rights angle. They like the idea of putting a (54) .......................... ring
round the hospital to repel people who are intent on rescuing the pig from (55) ..........................
From London, too, came the story of the brown paper parcel in London's main parcel sorting
office, a parcel which moved. (56) .......................... do not normally move very quickly through
the post office at the best of times, but this one was definitely frisky. A lady customs officer was
summoned to X-ray it. The X-ray revealed a (57) .......................... reptile called a gila monster
wrapped in a sock. The (58) .......................... police trail led to a salesman in Hampshire whose
back bedroom was filled with rattlesnakes, lethal lizards, snapping turtles and a python, most of
which he had sent himself through the post.

43. SECRET ..........................

44. INFORM ..........................
45. ORDINARY ..........................
46. REVEAL ..........................
47. COMPETE ..........................
48. CENSOR ..........................
49. EMBARRASS ..........................
50. HAMMER ..........................
51. SCENE ..........................
52. FIERCE ..........................
53. PROTECT ..........................
54. SECURE ..........................
55. MEMBER ..........................
56. PACK ..........................
57. POISON ..........................
58. SEQUENCE ..........................

PART 5: Read the following personal letter. Complete the formal letter which follows, using no
more than one or two words in each space. Do not repeat any words from the personal letter.
Dear Sarah

What a ghastly trip I had!

I have to write to the travel operators and tell them off. You’d think they could get the facts
straight in their recent booklet. But no. The hotel rooms were supposed to be three-star, and I
was supposed to get all my meals. At least, that’s what they promised, but I even had to pay extra
for dinner, and the Mediterranean was nowhere in sight. What a dump that hotel was, providing
nothing, not even a swimming pool. I told their man on the spot but he just said that everything
in the brochure was kosher and correct, and it was all my fault for not checking. But I did! No
doubt about it. I want all my money back. Slim chance, though. Oh, misery!

LETTER OF COMPLAINT

Dear Sir

I write to (59) ..................... about the package tour to Marbella booked through your company
on the 15th July for the period 10-16 September. The holiday is advertised on page 34 of your
(60) ..................... brochure.
The (61) ..................... given in the brochure completely misrepresented the reality. According to
your brochure, (62) ..................... should have been three-star, with (63) ..................... , and
double room with (64) ..................... . However, the hotel I stayed in had no stars at all. It was an
ordinary pension. The room itself was cramped, even though it contained only one single bed. It
faced away from the sea on to a noisy and crowded main street. A (65) ..................... had to be
paid for an evening meal.
To make matters worse, the hotel had no (66) ..................... : no swimming pool or private beach,
both of which were promised by your misleading brochure.
On top of everything else, when I took the matter up with your (67) ..................... , Mr Greg
Morton, he did nothing at all. He said I should have (68) ..................... the details of the brochure
when I booked. In fact, I did so, as far as I was able, by asking my travel agent for confirmation.
He assured me I could rely on the (69) ..................... of your brochure. He was wrong. I write to
you in the expectation of a (70) ..................... of the £650.00 I paid.

Yours faithfully

copies to the Office of Fair Trading and to Executive Travel Agents

PART 6: Choose from the list the best phrases to fill the spaces. Some of the phrases on the list
are unsuitable.

HEART DISEASE
Few arguments create greater passion among medical experts (71) ...................... Throughout the
seventies, the link seemed to be irrefutable. The work of Ancel Keys in America showed (72)
...................... His work was supported by studies of Japanese migrants to the United States who
developed the heart disease pattern of their adopted country. By the end of the eighties, however,
a reaction had set in. Some doctors refused to accept any connection between diet and heart
disease. They have argued (73) ....................., although unlikely to cause physical harm, could
lead to malnutrition, particularly among children. They are appalled (74) ..................... .
Come between some doctors and their bacon and eggs and feelings will run high. The
nutritionists have fought back. They remain convinced (75) ...................... One doctor argues that
a fibre-rich diet is only of use to those who suffer from diabetes. Rubbish, say the nutritionists,
and go on to point out (76) ...................... At least one in seven takes laxatives. And dietary fibre
is of proven value in the treatment of constipation.

A. that sugary, fatty foods lead to preventable ill health

B. that a poor diet can make unhealthy people
C. that diets which cut back on dairy produce
D. that heart disease correlated in different countries with dairy food consumption
E. that serious malfunction may occur
F. than the postulated link between diet and heart disease
G. that a different attitude is needed by the medical profession
H. that over one third of British adults are constipated
I. that breakfast should be under attack by the spectre of disease
J. that not more attention is paid to it

READING COMPREHENSION

PART 1: The text below has been jumbled. Decide on the most appropriate order.

1. “Intelligence” derives from the Latin verb intelligere, meaning to pick out or discern.
A form of this verb, intellectus, became the preferred technical term in medieval times for
abstract thought and reasoning, and was strongly linked to the metaphysical and cosmological
theories of teleological scholasticism, including theories of the immortality of the soul.

A
Within this discipline, various approaches to understanding human intelligence have been
adopted. The psychometric approach, which provides the theoretical underpinnings of
intelligence quotient tests, is the most researched. However, there are psychometric tests that are
not intended to measure intelligence itself but some closely related construct, such as scholastic
aptitude. There is widespread acceptance, but this form of assessment remains controversial.

B
They study various measures of problem solving, as well as mathematical and language abilities.
One challenge in this area is to define intelligence so that it means the same thing across species.
A further challenge is to integrate the concept of artificial intelligence, which has added a new
facet to the definition of intelligence.

C
Whilst humans have hitherto been the primary focus of intelligence researchers, scientists have
also attempted to investigate animal intelligence. These researchers are interested both in
studying mental ability in a particular animal population, and comparing abilities between
different breeds.

D
This older interpretation was rejected by the early modern philosophers, all of whom favored the
word “understanding”. The term “intelligence” was therefore uncommon in English language
philosophy, although it later became central in the field of psychology.

E
Nor is this the only divergence of opinion. Although they may not dispute the stability of
IQ test scores or the fact that they predict certain forms of achievement rather effectively, some
critics of IQ argue that basing a concept of intelligence on IQ test scores alone is to ignore many
important aspects of mental ability.

PART 2: Read the introduction to an academic book about parenting. For questions 31-36,
choose the correct answer.

Parenting in the 21st Century

I decided to write this book for several reasons. I was dissatisfied with parenting-advice
literature, finding it to be riddled with oversimplified messages, and often unrelated to or at odds
with current scientific knowledge. I also felt certain after years as a professor, researcher, and
author of textbooks on child development, that contemporary theory and research contain many
vital, practical messages… ones crucial for parents to understand if they are to effectively help
their children develop. Furthermore, I’ve been approached on countless occasions by uneasy
parents, frustrated by a wide array of child-rearing issues. I became convinced, therefore, that
parents needed a consistent way of thinking about their role to guide them in making effective
decisions.
It’s little wonder that parents are perplexed about what approach to take to child rearing. Today’s
world is one which makes parenting exceedingly difficult. In many industrialised countries, the
majority of mothers of pre-school children are in the workforce, though not always through
choice. This group in particular tends to lament the lack of practical advice for parents in their
child-rearing roles. Many parents simultaneously complain that they’re busier than ever and that
due to the growing demands of their jobs, they have little time for their children. Nations of
pressured, preoccupied parents have emerged in an era of grave public concern for the well-
being of youth.
It would seem from looking at current media that the younger generation are achieving less well
than they should and that they often display a worrying lack of direction, manifested at its worst
in a variety of social problems. These problems seem to have infiltrated even the most
economically privileged sectors of the population, affecting young people who, on the face of
things, have been granted the best of life’s chances. Accounts of children being deprived of their
childhood and growing up too fast, or the dangers of promoting materialism to young people
abound in the media.
In many countries there is a growing sense of ‘youth alienation’ and parents rightly fear for their
own children’s futures. But agreement on what parents can and should do to shield children from
underachievement and demoralisation eludes those who seek it on the shelves of libraries or
bookstores. Parenting advice has always been in a state of flux, at no time more so than the
present. While the fundamental goal of parenting – to instil character and moral development –
has stood firm amid the various passing fashions in child care over the years, the approach to
accomplishing this has varied considerably.
Some authors, convinced that parents are in control of what their children become, advise a ‘get
tough’ approach. The educational parallel to this ‘parent-power’ stance is to train and instruct as
early as possible, and this has been justified by claims of maximising brain growth or securing
high achievement by starting sooner. Other authors, however, attribute many of today’s social
problems to the excessive pressure put on children by parents. According to these ‘child-power’
advocates, children have their own built-in timetables for maturing and learning. Waiting for
cues that children are ready, these experts say, will relieve the stress that fuels youth discontent
and rebellion. The reality, however, is that there are no hard-and-fast rules.
Current thinking on child-rearing advice mirrors historical shifts in theories of development and
education. The most disturbing trend in the literature has been a move to deny that parents make
any notable contribution to their children’s development. Indeed, according to one highly
publicised book, children’s genes, and secondarily their peer groups, not parents, dictate how
children turn out. This public declaration of parental weakness comes at a time when many busy
parents are poised to retreat from family obligations, and, indeed, it grants them licence to do so.
From the multitude of theories on nature and nurture, I have chosen one to serve as the
framework for this book: sociocultural theory, which originated with the work of Russian
psychologist Lev Vygotsky. Early in the 20th century, he explained how children’s social
experiences transform their genetic inheritance leading their development forward and ensuring
that they become competent, contributing members of society. Vygotsky championed the idea
that as children engage in dialogues with more expert members of their culture, they integrate the
language of those interactions into their inner mental lives and use it to think, overcome
challenges and guide their own behaviour.

1. The author says that one reason for writing the book was the fact that
A. research suggests the quality of parenting skills has deteriorated.
B. today’s scientific views of parenting seem to be flawed.
C. there is a lack of parenting literature written in a straightforward way.
D. the available advisory material does not reflect current academic thinking.

2. What does the author say about the concerns parents have?
A. Some of the issues are contradictory in nature.
B. They are understandable given the challenges of modern life.
C. They cause a disproportionate amount of stress in family relationships.
D. The balance between work and family life is only a secondary problem.

3. What view of young people is promoted in the media?

A. They want to live an adult life before they are mentally ready.
B. They are unaware of the opportunities provided for them.
C. They are unable to appreciate the value of money.
D. They fail to demonstrate a sense of purpose.

4. What does the author say in the fourth paragraph about parenting advice?
A. Its core objective has remained constant.
B. Its ideology stems from contemporary social issues.
C. It traditionally placed strong emphasis on the protection of the child.
D. It currently benefits from techniques tried and tested by previous generations.

5. In the fifth paragraph, what point is the author making about bringing up children?
A. There is an absence of consensus on child-rearing among the experts themselves.
B. Educational policies should be revised in the light of recent findings.
C. Strict parents tend to have children who are academically unsuccessful.
D. One approach to child-rearing appears to be more effective than all others.

6. What criticism of contemporary thinking on child-rearing does the author make?

A. It repeats theories which have no solid foundation.
B. It places too much importance on formal education.
C. It encourages parents to neglect their responsibilities.
D. It undermines the role of friends in children’s development.

WRITING

I. Write a short essay (100-150 words) on the following topic: Technological developments
are constantly changing our world. How do you imagine our world in the following 100 years?

II. Write an essay (at least 250 words) on one of the following topics:

A. Can intellectual success at school be predicted, and to what extent can excellent academic
achievements predict success later in life?

B. In what way do current developments in artificial intelligence affect our understanding of the
nature of intelligence?

ANSWERS