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Reading and Use of English

Part 2 Open cloze
For questions 1–8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only
one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS.

Example: 0 BEEN

How the smell of freshly baked bread influences behaviour

Its ability to sell a house has long (0) _________ an old wives’ tale, but now scientists believe the smell
of freshly baked bread (1) _________ people display greater kindness towards strangers. Researchers
have found that people (2) _________ be more likely to help passers-by if the aroma was in (3)
_________ nostrils.

The scientists wanted to test the long-held view that behaviour could perhaps be altered (4)
_________ smell. They recruited eight volunteers and asked half to stand outside a bakery and half to
stand outside a clothes shop. The participants rummaged (5) _________ their bags before dropping a
glove in front of a stranger. The researchers, observing from around 60ft away, found that 77 per cent
stopped to help recover the lost item where the smell of fresh bread was strong, while only 52 per cent
(6) _________ so outside the clothes shop.

They said that their results, published in the Journal of Social Psychology, ‘show that, in fact,
spontaneous help is offered (7) _________ in areas where pleasant ambient smells are spread. This
experiment confirms the effect ambient food odours have
(8) _________ altruistic behaviour.’

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Reading and Use of English

Part 4 Key word transformation
For questions 1–6, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first
sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between three
and six words, including the word given. Here is an example (0).
0 Staying up studying until 3am was a mistake, because I was too tired to do the exam well.

HADN’T
I __________________________ until 3am, because I was too tired to do the exam well.

The gap can be filled with the words ‘wish I hadn’t stayed up’, so you write:
Example: 0 WISH I HADN’T STAYED UP

Write only the missing words IN CAPITAL LETTERS.

1 I learnt a lot about time management from my ex-boss.
FOR
Had __________________________ my ex-boss, I wouldn’t know so much about time
management.

2 It was impossible not to laugh when the lecturer started talking about the wrong slide.
HELP
I __________________________ when the lecturer started talking about the wrong slide.

3 After all the work I’ve put in, it’s hard not to feel annoyed about Anna getting the
promotion.
GRUDGE
Considering all the work I’ve put in, it’s hard __________________________ for getting the
promotion.

4 I can’t believe how quickly you have reached the top position in the company.
RANKS
It’s incredible how fast you __________________________ of the company.

5 John never hesitates when it comes to helping less experienced members of staff.
WILLINGNESS
John always __________________________ less experienced members of staff.

6 I didn’t have enough time, so I made a lot of mistakes in the report.

PRESSED
I wouldn’t have made so many mistakes in the report if I ______________________ time.

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Progress Test 2

Reading and Use of English

Part 7 Gapped text
You are going to read an extract from a newspaper article about a different choice of lifestyle.
Six paragraphs have been removed from the extract. Choose from the paragraphs A–G the one
which fits each gap (1–6). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.

My (very) early retirement at 33

Cast your eyes over your workplace. You might
see 100 or so people. Statistically, five of your
busying or bone-idle brethren will have departed
this world before they reach retirement age.
Could be you. Could be me, I thought. So at the
age of 33, I decided to retire. Last August, I gave
up my job as a journalist, rented out my London
flat and moved to the south-west of France with
my girlfriend. Hectic city life and economic blues
were swapped for country walks and fireside
chats.
Even the Office for National Statistics backs up
this notion. The healthy life-expectancy of the
average UK male is 74. This is very close to the
recently-hiked state pensionable age. Besides, in
these times of austerity who knows how long we
may be forced to work. The solution seemed
obvious, if a little risky: retire now and work
later. Youth is wasted on the young, they say …
but surely retirement is wasted on the old.
These are not work-shy layabouts or
trustafarians, either. They are ambitious
professionals in the prime of their life. As for me,
I have worked hard. I started as a journalist at 17
and had not stopped since. Early shifts, night
shifts, weekends, Bank Holidays and
Christmases: check.
to be forgotten. We found a cosy farm house near
Toulouse and travelled down in our beaten-up
VW camper. Stress has been reduced to a
minimum. Last winter was spent indulging in the
local produce, walking and reading books by the
wood burner. Now the summer promises the
chance to perfect my game of bowls with the
locals in the village square, to lounge by the pool
and take leisurely suppers on sun-baked terraces.
Certainly those who have also opted out share
that view. Yvonne and Iain Morton live in the
next village and gave up their jobs as IT
consultants in the City for the French life. They
began an ambitious building project in 2003,
converting disused tractor sheds into a home.  In
2009, when Yvonne, 43, took redundancy, they
moved here full-time. Iain stopped work 18
months ago when he was 43.
‘It’s relatively cheap to live here. We have an
income from rental flats in London so we don’t
need to work. Iain takes on contract work now
and then to keep his hand in or if it’s an
opportunity to work with people he really likes.
And I know I can always do the same.’ I am not
as fortunate. For us there are still risks. Work is
certainly not guaranteed if I decide to return to
London

Any doubts, fortunately, were allayed when it
transpired that with careful budgeting and income
from my flat, a simple, stress-free life in France
was a realistic possibility. Simple being the
operative word. With a tight budget, the
customary trappings of London life would have
Still, for the moment it is surely worth it for the
sweltering Monday afternoons when I can sit by
the pool with a glass of chilled sparkling water in
hand, listening to the rustle of hazy vineyards.
Normally at that time I would be slumped at a
desk, listening to the hack and whirl of the coffee

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machine. Now honestly, which would you prefer?

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A Such plans aren’t something older generations understand, though. When I told my dad, I
think he just couldn’t understand why I wanted to do it at this time of my life. He’s worked in the
same office for his entire career and couldn’t understand the concept of this break.

B Working in the City had been full-on, constantly being on call and seeing more of Heathrow
than home. The time had come to jack it all in. Now life for them consists of growing vegetables,
skiing in winter or swimming every day in the summer.

C There is also a question mark about successful repatriation. If a post is found, how to
overcome the daily grind of self-doubt, to tolerate the early mornings and put up with the old
drudgery once more?

D Fear – and yes, OK, a tinge of weariness – was the catalyst. I worried that I was wasting the best
years of my life blinking at a computer screen. And that when eventually I did pack up work, I would have
hours to kill but only aching, weary joints to strike a feeble blow.

E And what was it all for? I got halfway up the ladder and realized I’m afraid of heights – or to
be precise, professional responsibility and the attendant drudgery. At this point I went through a good
few sleepless nights considering a lifestyle change. However, I was determined to relish temporary
freedom.

F Not everyone goes along with this and many will think us foolhardy, as did some of our
friends and family, not to mention bosses. But I’ve discovered we’re not the only ones who’ve chosen
to live like pensioners, decades before our time. Having been in France for six months, we’ve met
others like ourselves and received news of friends back home who’ve likewise ditched high-powered
positions.

G Our friends joke about this saying we are a ‘bit young to be living like pensioners’, but we
counter that by telling them the daily grind seems a generation away.

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Progress Test 2

Listening
Part 1 Multiple choice
You will hear three different extracts. For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B or C)
which fits best according to what you hear. There are two questions for each extract.
Extract One
You hear part of a radio discussion in which two young people discuss their experience of learning a
minority language.
1 The girl says that not knowing Spanish
A made her feel envious of her parents.
B helped her to pick up Catalan more quickly.
C made it hard for her to communicate with the locals.
2 The boy says that he
A regrets not studying another language.
B was too shy to learn the local language.
C should have devoted more time to learning Catalan grammar.

Extract Two
You overhear two employees discussing a method used to reduce stress in their company.
3 The woman says the meditation room
A has led to fewer employees taking sick leave.
B did not cost anything to install.
C has improved the atmosphere at work.
4 How does the man feel about the meditation room?
A unsure about its effectiveness
B open to the idea of trying it out himself
C concerned about the amount of time employees spend there

Extract Three
You hear two university professors talking about students using modern technology to cheat.
5 According to the woman, the students
A were surprised when they saw their exam results.
B copied each other while they were in the laboratory.
C realized the teacher had changed all the experiments.
6 Both speakers agree that
A the university needs to implement tougher punishments for students caught cheating.
B individual teachers need to keep up to date with methods which can be used to cheat.
C there needs to be more discussion on the issue of cheating in university exams.

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Vocabulary
For sentences 1–15 underline the correct alternative.

1 I’m working too hard. I really need to take/set/make aside more time for myself.

2 In theory, advances in technology should bring/pull/free up more time for leisure.

3 We need to give the employees more flexibility over when they can take/set/leave/
time off for holidays.

4 After all the help I’ve given Susan I was really put out when she gave me the cold
back/eye/shoulder at the conference.

5 We need to keep an ear to the floor/earth/ground so that we pick up on any

consumer complaints.

6 I’m not one to point/direct/place the finger, but I feel the problem lies with the sales
department.

7 I can’t stand the stale fragrance/odour/scent of sour milk.

8 The cake had loads of sugar in it, so it was too sickly/pungent/sour for me, but the
kids loved it.

9 The house had been shut up for a while so the carpets smelt rather
musty/stuffy/bitter.

10 It took me a while to compile/gather/access up the courage to confront my assistant

over the missing funds.

11 We need to congregate/accumulate/draw up a list of all our best customers.

12 My grandmother has an incredible assembly/collection/compilation of antique furniture.

13 When the kids put on their little show they were absolutely priceless/amusing/funny.

14 My daughter is unable/incompetent/incapable of arriving anywhere on time.

15 We are looking for candidates with expertise/aptness/facility in web design.

Writing
Part 2 Report
You are a student representative. The chancellor of your university has asked you to write a
report describing the causes of stress amongst undergraduates and also offering suggestions
for possible solutions to this problem.

Write your report in 220–260 words.

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