UNIT 2 TEST | B2

Listening
You will hear a teacher giving a test to his students. Listen and choose the best answer to these questions. In your
1 answer sheets put down the number of the correct answer.

1 Where does the teacher want the students to put down their 7 The teacher thinks some students prefer to sit in the middle
answers? of the class so that …

1 on a tablet. 1 they can hear the teacher but without being at the front.

2 in their exercise-books. 2 they can have pleasant thoughts without following the
lesson.
3 on the answer sheets.
3 no one will notice them using their phones.
2 How will the students learn about their results?
8 Question six is about students’ …
1 the teacher will check their works.
1 exam results.
2 the teacher will give them correct answers to the questions.
2 future career.
3 students will analyse their answers themselves.
3 plans for the future.
3 The first question is about the time …
9 Students with mostly As have a good …
1 students arrive at school.
1 attitude towards studying.
2 students start classes.
2 idea about what they want to do in the future.
3 students leave.
3 network of support at school.
4 The teacher asks about …
10 Students with mostly Bs need to …
1 where students do their homework.
1 become excellent students.
2 how much time students spend doing their homework.
2 increase the time they spend studying.
3 when the students do their homework.
3 change some of their habits.
5 In question three, students who normally answer half of the
test questions should answer … 11 Students with mostly Cs are probably …

1 A. 1 wasting a lot of their time.

2 B. 2 unable to do any better.

3 C. 3 going to be unemployed in the future.

6 Question four is about the students’ relationship with … 12 Students with mostly Cs should …

1 people in their lives outside school. 1 join the homework club.

2 people working at the school. 2 try to change as soon as possible.

3 people studying at the school. 3 leave school at the first opportunity.

/12

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 UNIT 2 TEST | B2

Listen again and write the word you hear in the recording to fill in the gap. Make sure that the word you choose fits
2 the sentence.

1. The quiz is designed to find out what kind of ________________ you are.

2. The teacher tells the students to pay _______________ to what she is saying.

3. One question asks about the students’ average _______________ in tests.

4. Another question asks about students’ relationship with the _______________ at school.

5. For some people, what they do after school _______________ on their exam results.

6. Students with mostly A answers understand very well the _______________ of a good education.

7. Students with mostly B answers can improve and become _______________ students.

8. If ‘C’ students don’t change, they might leave school without any _______________.

/8

Grammar
Complete the second sentence so it has a similar meaning to the first. Do not change the word given. Use two to five
3 words, including the word given.

1 Bradley works as a lawyer now. When I knew him, he always wanted to become a famous racer.
WANT
Although Bradley is a lawyer now, he ____________________________ to become a famous racer.

2 It’s wonderful that Lily makes dinner every day. When she lived alone, she didn’t cook much.
USE
When Lily lived alone, she ___________________________ to cook much.

3 I had a sweet tooth when I was a child. I would eat many sweets every day.
USED
I ________________________________________ many sweets every day.

4 Even if I didn’t like the weather, I went out for a training and practiced outside.
WOULD
Even if I didn’t like the weather, I __________________________________ for a training outside.
5 Sophie usually stays up very late. She’s often in bed far beyond midnight.
USED
Sophie _______________________________ up very late. She frequently goes to sleep after twelve o’clock.
Complete the text with one word in each gap (Short forms are considered one word: f.e., ‘weren’t’).
4
Any list of the most influential people of the 20th century is sure to include Mahatma Gandhi because there are so many
important lessons we can learn from him. For much of his life, he was involved in trying to solve the problems of inequality
and poverty. He (1) ___________ most famous for leading the Indian independence movement but before that he had spent
many years defending the rights of Indian workers in South Africa. Up to that (2) _________, he had tried to work with the
British rulers to achieve change. However, he realised that this (3) ________________ been a good idea and it wasn’t the
best way to bring about the changes he wanted. Instead, he organised peaceful demonstrations and acts of non-cooperation,
which (4) ________________ inspired protest movements ever since. Now people have (5) ________________ used to the
idea of non-violent protest, but Gandhi’s methods were very innovative 60 years ago.

Put the verbs into the correct tense: present perfect simple, past simple or past perfect simple.
5
1 Belinda was very upset when she realised that she ________________ (miss) an autumn sale in the shop.

2 He ________________ (already wear) that suit before he put it on for the wedding.

3 ________________ you ________________ (go out) with your friends to the Chanterelle café last night?

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 UNIT 2 TEST | B2

4 There ________________ (be) a lot of research made on this topic so far. I hope my work will still bring some new ideas.

5 We ________________ never ________________ (go) through such a terrible moment in our lives before we ended up there.

Choose the correct words.

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1 We should try to be a bit quieter because Ben has just been / gone to bed.

2 I’m a bit worried because it’s 10 o’clock now and my brother still / just hasn’t called me.

3 Elisabeth started having music lessons last year. So far / Up to that point she hadn’t been interested in learning an
instrument.

4 By the time / After we finished our survey, we’d talked to more than 50 people.

5 Olga’s exams haven’t finished yet / already so she’s still busy revising.

Reading
Critical Thinking

A Have you noticed how there’s so much talk about critical thinking skills these days? There are hundreds of websites
and books devoted to the topic and in some countries, you can even get a secondary school qualification in critical
thinking. So, what exactly is it and why is it generating so much interest?
B Critical thinking means different things to different people. For some, it’s about answering questions without letting
your own emotions and beliefs get in the way. For others, it’s about accepting that one question might have different
answers. However, if we put these differences to one side, most people would agree that critical thinking describes
the process of analysing and evaluating a situation in order to understand the truth. For this process to work, critical
thinkers have to be self-disciplined, careful in their analysis and open to new ideas.
C Surprisingly, critical thinking is not a new concept. In fact, it began in the teachings of the ancient Greek
philosophers more than two thousand years ago. They were concerned that ordinary citizens automatically believed
their leaders without asking themselves whether they were right or wrong. However, these philosophers thought it was
important for a society to know the truth, and that was only possible by asking the right questions. This belief has been
held by many of the brightest thinkers ever since. Without it, we might still think that the sun orbits the Earth or that the
Earth is flat.
D Despite the importance of critical thinking in human history, the situation changed in the 19 th century with the
industrial revolution. More children than ever had access to education, but they studied subjects which were useful for
industrial society, like maths and English. Although students learnt in large groups, there were few opportunities for
critical thinking. Students were generally expected to be passive learners, learning facts and taking tests. They would
sit in rows and only speak if they were spoken to by the teacher.
E This way of teaching has endured for over 150 years and is still common today. However, a growing number of
people now believe that school leavers need different skills to overcome the challenges of the 21 st century.
Among them is the ability to ask the right questions to achieve a better understanding of the world around us. This
means not just accepting that what you are told is the truth. It also means being able to work on your own to find
answers and solve problems. Not only that, but students should also be able to work with others by contributing to
arguments in a useful and meaningful way.
F As a result, teachers are now thinking about how they can promote critical thinking skills in teenagers. For example,
in many classrooms, students are no longer required to sit passively, memorising facts and figures. Instead, they are
asked to think carefully, share experiences and give opinions. In fact, even the classrooms themselves are changing.
Nowadays you’re more likely to find collaborative spaces where students sit in small groups, use tablets and work on
projects. It’s an exciting time in education and it will be interesting to see how the next generation of thinkers turns out.

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 UNIT 2 TEST | B2

Read the article and match paragraphs B–F with headings 1–5.
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1 Skills for a new century ____

2 The end of critical thinking ____

3 Definitions of critical thinking ____

4 The origins of critical thinking ____

5 Looking to the future ____

/5

Read the article again. For questions 1–5, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to
8 the text.
1 What point is the writer trying to make in paragraph B?
A Critical thinking involves a search for truth.
B We should pay more attention to our emotions.
C Everyone agrees that critical thinkers are self- disciplined.
D It’s not always important to understand the truth.

2 Early philosophers were

A keen to believe everything their leaders said.
B worried that people weren’t well-informed.
C surprised about the things the leaders said.
D annoyed because people didn’t want to know the truth.

3 What was the advantage of the 19th century school system?

A There weren’t many opportunities for critical thinking.
B Students could take exams to show what they’d learnt.
C Many students could study at the same time.
D Lots of students were good at maths and English.

4 What is suggested about young people in paragraph E?

A Traditional education won’t help them in today’s world.
B They never accept what other people tell them.
C They are unable to understand the world around us.
D They all want to make a difference to the world.

5 The writer uses the expression ‘collaborative spaces’ in the final paragraph to describe
A a classroom with the chairs organised in rows.
B a way of remembering facts and figures.
C a classroom where students can work together.
D a new subject which students study at school now.

/5

Vocabulary
Choose the correct words.
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1 Even when we weren’t playing well, our football ________________ was always encouraging.
a) lecturer b) coach c) instructor

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 UNIT 2 TEST | B2

2 Most university ________________ in the UK take three years but some of them, like medicine, take longer.

a) graduates b) degrees c) certificates

3 I tend to go to the library if I have to ________________ for an exam because I can concentrate better.
a) take b) pass c) revise

4 A lot of primary school teachers think they have too many ________________ in their classes.
a) pupils b) students c) undergraduates

5 A recent survey has revealed that you need a driving ________________ for around 20% of jobs.
a) qualification b) licence c) certificate

/5

Complete the sentences with the phrasal verbs in the box in the correct form.
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creep up behind | dig up | hurry up look up | think up

1 We used to play a game where you ___________________________ your friends without them seeing you.

2 Rosie needs to ___________________________ or she’ll be late for school again.

3 Tim spends too much time ___________________________ excuses for not doing his homework. It would be quicker to just
do the work!

4 I ___________________________ the meaning of the word before the lesson but I couldn’t remember it when the teacher
asked me.

5 We’ve been researching our family history and we ___________________________ a lot of interesting information.

Complete the sentences with one word from each box in the correct form.
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criticise | decide | experienced | qualify | wrong

against | as | for | in | with

1 There’s nothing ________________ taking a year off before university. In fact, it can be a very positive experience.

2 Some parents ________________ the school ________________ not allowing girls to wear trousers.

3 If you want to ________________ an engineer, you need to get practical work experience as well as a degree.

4 Mrs Johnson has been a careers adviser for twenty years so she is very ________________ helping young people choose the
best career for them.

5 It’s a shame you ________________ studying law at university. I think you would be an excellent lawyer.

Choose the correct word or phrase (a, b, c or d) to fill each gap.

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Beating exam stress
For many (1) ________________ , life can seem like one exam after another. This can be extremely stressful so we
recommend that students are as organised as possible. Firstly, this means giving yourself as much time as possible to
revise – you don’t want to (2) ________________ up revising everything the night before an exam. The second thing
you need to think about is the space where you’ll be working. It’s essential that you’re able to (3) ________________ on
your revision, so make sure it’s comfortable and that there are no distractions. Apart from revising your notes, we’d also
recommend that you practise (4) ________________ old exams under timed conditions. Finally, we suggest that you

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 UNIT 2 TEST | B2

give yourself plenty of breaks. You’ll get tired (5) ________________ studying if you spend too long at your desk so
take a break and do something relaxing.

1 a) graduates b) undergraduates c) degrees d) qualifications

2 a) hurry b) catch c) end d) dig

3 a) concentrate b) interested c) pay attention d) decide

4 a) making b) passing c) giving d) taking

5 a) on b) of c) in d) for

Use of English
Write a form of the word in capitals in each gap to complete the text.
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Spelling Bees
The spelling bee is a type of competition for young students which has enjoyed
success for the last 90 years. In fact, they have been so (1) ________________
that they have inspired three films and a novel! The object of the game is very SUCCESS
simple; students are asked to spell words which increase in (2)
________________ as the game goes on. (3) ________________ earn points for DIFFICULT
the words they spell correctly and lose points for misspelling them. The winner is COMPETE
the person with the most points and in some competitions they can win a
substantial amount of money. Consequently, many of the participants will have
spent months studying and learning new words, paying special attention to the (4)
________________ between the sound and spelling of words. In national (5)
________________ some of the more challenging words have included RELATION
eudaemonic, which means ‘producing happiness’, and cymotrichous, which CHAMPION
means ‘having wavy hair’.

/5

Complete the second sentence so it has a similar meaning to the first. Do not change the word given. Use two to five
16 words, including the word given.

1 At first I found it strange living in the countryside but it isn’t strange anymore.
At first I found the countryside strange but I ____________________________________________ USED
there now.
2 It was too wet to go camping so in the end we stayed in a hotel.
UP
It was too wet to go camping so we ____________________________________________ in a hotel.

3 After several attempts, Dana managed to climb the tree and get our ball back.
After several attempts, Dana ____________________________________________ the tree SUCCEEDED
and got our ball back.

4 We would never go to bed until we had had our milk and biscuits.
We ____________________________________________ to bed until we had had our milk USED
and biscuits.

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5 They received criticism because they didn’t recycle their glass and plastic.
FOR
They ____________________________________________ their glass and plastic.

/5

Total score /70

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