Name________________________

First name_________________
Grade__________

INITIAL TEST

I Read the following article and choose the correct answers.

Photoshopping: how much is too much?

Today, it is normal for magazines to show pictures of models and celebrities that have been ‘Photoshopped’. This
means that the original photos have been changed on a computer using the Photoshop software to make them look
better. The beautiful people in the photographs have perfect skin, no fat on their stomachs, and no wrinkles on their
faces. They look so perfect and beautiful that what we see can’t be real. But some publishers and advertisers insist that
Photoshopping is necessary so that celebrities and models always look their best.
On the other hand, health organizations have warned that digitally altering photographs may be dangerous. They say
Photoshopped images are not realistic, and may have a negative effect on people. Psychologists agree with the health
organizations. They say some people try so hard to look like the pictures in magazines that they get ill. In some cases,
they want to be as slim as the models and so they stop eating properly. When they realize that it is impossible to look so
good, they get depressed. This doesn’t only happen to young girls but it can happen to people of all ages. So what can
be done to keep everybody happy? Two researchers at Dartmouth University in New Hampshire, USA, think they have
found the answer.
Professor Hany Farid and Doctor Eric Klee have developed a computer program that can detect how much
Photoshopping has been used on an image. Their software gives a rating from 1 to 5 to the image – 1 for a few changes,
and 5 for a lot of changes. Farid and Klee’s idea is that publishers include the rating next to the image. That way,
consumers will be able to work out how realistic the image is.
News of Farid and Klee’s system has come out at the same time as people have started criticizing the use of
Photoshopping. They say that some advertisers are going too far with it. recently, the actress Rachel Weisz appeared in
an advert for an anti-ageing beauty cream in the UK. In the advert, Ms Weisz looked like a teenager – in fact, she’s in
her early forties. There were a lot of complaints about the image and the advert was eventually banned. Farid and Klee’s
system could solve two problems at the same time. Firstly, it would serve as a kind of health warning for consumers,
and secondly it may stop advertisers from relying on Photoshopping so much.

1 According to the article, publishers use Photoshopping to make people look .....
A as good as possible
B as interesting as possible
C as thin as possible

2 The article says that Photoshopped images have a bad effect on .....
A girls of all ages
B young teenagers
C all kinds of people

3 The new program gives a rating of 1 to an image with .....

A no Photoshopping
B a little Photoshopping
C a lot of Photoshopping

4 People complained about the Rachel Weisz advert because .....

A it made her look a lot younger than she is
B it showed the actress as she really is
C it used an image of a different actress

5 The people who will benefit most from the new tool are .....
A advertisers
B consumers
C publishers
 5 x 5 = 25p
II Fill in the correct preposition.
1 George is busy .................... his homework right now.
2 Albert Einstein was brilliant .................. physics.
3 Compared .................. winters in Moscow, this isn’t really cold at all.
4 He is very careless .................... his clothes.
5 A policeman arrested the woman ................... stealing from a shop.
5 x 3 = 15p

III Rephrase the following sentences using the words in bold. Use two to five words.
1 She took a month to decorate the flat. HER
It ............................................................................................... to decorate the flat.
2 The lift isn’t working; use the stairs instead. OUT
The lift .............................................................................. ; use the stairs instead.
3 When did Harry give up his job? SINCE
How long ....................................................................................... up his job?

4 The last time he visited them was a year ago. FOR

He ..................................................................................................... a year.
5 He finds driving on the left difficult. USED
He .................................................................................................. on the left.
5 x 3 = 15p

IV. Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in each gap.
1 John sounds very .............................. when he shouts and points his finger AGGRESSION
at people like that.
2 Carol has been working as a .................................. for over ten years. LIBRARY
3 You can’t walk in such high shoes. They’re totally ............................. . PRACTICAL
4 Emma couldn’t help being ............................ of her friend’s glamorous lifestyle. ENVY
5 Tom likes the car because it is both ............................... and fuel efficient. ATTRACT
5 x 2 = 10p

V You have received an email from your English-speaking friend, Sarah, who wants information about a summer job.
Read Sarah’s email and the notes you have made. Then write an email to Sarah using all the notes.
Write your email in 120 – 150 words. 25 p

From Sarah
To Kate
Subject Summer job

Dear Kate,
I’m saving up for a new laptop and I was thinking about getting a summer job. I know you worked at a café
last year and enjoyed it, so I’d like to ask you some questions.
say where and when
First of all, where was the café and what hours did you work? I’m asking that because Mum doesn’t really
want me to stay out late or work too far from home.
Give opinion
I’d also like to know what you thought about the place. Was it a good café? What were the customers like?
Yes, because ....
Money is important. How much did you earn? Do you think I can get enough to pay for my laptop? Finally,
are there any other good summer jobs that you can recommend? Suggest ...
Write back soon. It’s almost summer!
Sarah