First Certificate Masterclass

Progress test 1 Units 1–4

Use of English

A For questions 1–15, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each
space. Use only one word in each space. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Women and gambling

It’s hard to know exactly how 0 many female compulsive gamblers there are.
Unlike men, women are quick to realise that they gamble mainly for emotional,
1 than financial, reasons. This 2 them ashamed and thus
less likely to look for professional help.
Sandra Garcia’s story is illustrative of the way in which many women 3
gambling addicts. In December 1995 Sandra won £2,000 in a lottery,
4 meant she and her husband were 5 to have a wonderful
Christmas. Unfortunately, soon after the birth of their daughter, Sandra and her
husband broke 6 . Depressed and lonely, Sandra found gambling was
a way 7 filling the emotional void left by her failed marriage.
From spending a few pounds a week 8 lottery tickets and scratch cards,
Sandra was soon gambling £250 a month and was struggling to pay the bills. She
always 9 to fill the fridge before she gambled but 10 rarely
afford treats for her daughter. By April 2001 she was nearly £2,000 11
debt and was evicted from her flat. Not long after, Sandra was arrested
12 stealing money from a friend in order to buy scratch cards. She
decided it was time to 13 up gambling forever and joined the support
group Gamblers Anonymous. Since then, Sandra has 14 to control her
compulsion but, like all addicts, she knows that the desire to gamble 15
never go away.
/15 marks

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 First Certificate Masterclass

B For questions 1–10, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D)
best fits each space. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Gender gap in education

For many years now, British girls have 0 much better in exams than boys.
Most theories about the causes of this gap 1 the sexes have blamed the
education 2 . However, new research suggests that boys’ poor performance
has nothing to do 3 internal practices at schools. Instead external factors,
such as different learning styles and how children are 4 up, have to be
considered.
For this 5 , many educationalists are now studying how boys and girls learn to
read. They believe that, since reading is 6 taught either by mothers or by
female primary school teachers, many boys 7 reading as a woman’s activity
and this puts them 8 it.
Another factor could be that boys are generally more 9 than girls. When they
can’t be the best, they would rather 10 up on education than be considered
average. Girls seem much happier to be second best.

0 A acted B behaved C performed D succeeded

1 A among B between C beside D beyond
2 A method B style C technique D system
3 A by B from C at D with
4 A brought B raised C given D grown
5 A cause B purpose C reason D objective
6 A hardly B generally C rarely D lately
7 A look B notice C see D watch
8 A off B on C across D through
9 A determined B optimistic C possessive D competitive
10 A give B take C break D turn
/10 marks

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 First Certificate Masterclass

C For questions 1–15 below, read the text and look carefully at each line. Some of
the lines are correct, and some have a word which should not be there.
If a line is correct, put a tick (ü). If a line has a word which should not be there,
write the word. There are two examples at the beginning (0 and 00).

African models
0 Talent scouts are looking for the next generation of supermodels have realised are
00 Africa’s potential. Lyndsey McIntyre, a former model herself, recently ü
1 opened one agency’s first African office. ‘African women are being graceful and
2 serene’ she says. ‘These qualities could to make them do very well in
3 this business.’ However, spotting supermodels is rarely easy, as well McIntyre
4 discovered when she visited the Orma tribe of remote north-eastern Kenya, whose
5 the women are reported to be especially striking. ‘The tribal leaders were
6 a bit suspicious and I wasn’t allowed to be meet many of their girls,’
7 she explains. Another problem is that reports aren’t always reliable. McIntyre
8 discovered this when one of village’s ‘most beautiful girls’ turned out to be
9 its heaviest ones. She had to explain that Western advertisers prefer to
10 far slimmer women. The Orma are not alone in believing fat it is
11 beautiful. In a recent Africa-wide beauty contest, all the Ugandan contestants were
12 disqualified for being a little much too large around the hips. ‘I don’t
13 understand why the fashion industry’s obsession with small hips,’ said one judge
14 for the contest. ‘But because we want the girls to succeed in and to
15 see African models working internationally, we give the industry what it wants.’

/15 marks

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 First Certificate Masterclass

D For questions 1–10, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end
of each line to form a word that fits in the space in the same line . There is an
example at the beginning (0).

Child athletes
Child sporting prodigies risk serious 0 psychological and physical damage, an PSYCHOLOGY
1 group of American doctors has warned. The American Academy of INFLUENCE
Paediatrics has found that children who 2 in one sport before puberty SPECIAL
can suffer 3 burnout, as well as damage to joints and bones, and heart EMOTION
problems. Furthermore, 4 is the time when healthy eating habits should be CHILD
established, but children doing sports like gymnastics, where 5 is important, SLENDER
may not receive proper nutrition. Accordingly, the Academy suggests 6 parents AMBITION
think twice before forcing young children into intensive 7 regimes. Another TRAIN
factor is that child athletes who are 8 early in life often have short SUCCESS
careers, while those who focus on one sport only after puberty are more 9 RELY
performers in the long term and suffer from fewer 10 . INJURE

/10 marks

Total /50 marks

Writing
Write an answer to one of the questions below. Write your answer in 120–180
words in an appropriate style.
1 An English-language magazine for students of your age is running a series of
light-hearted articles about anti-social habits. The topic for the next article in the
series is “Mobile phone addicts”.
Write your article.
2 The school where you learn English is arranging exchange visits to Britain for
six students. If you are accepted, you will spend two weeks living with a British
family that has a son or daughter of a similar age to you, then the British son or
daughter will spend two weeks living with your family.
Write a letter of application to the school’s director, explaining why you think
you should be one of the six students chosen.

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 First Certificate Masterclass

Progress test 1 Key

Use of English

A 1 rather 9 used
2 makes / leaves 10 could
3 become 11 in
4 which 12 for
5 able 13 give
6 up 14 managed
7 of 15 will / may / might
8 on

B 1 B 6 B
2 D 7 C
3 D 8 A
4 A 9 D
5 C 10 A

C 1 being 9 to
2 to 10 it
3 well 11 ü
4 ü 12 much
5 the 13 why
6 be 14 in
7 ü 15 ü
8 of

D 1 influential 6 ambitious
2 specialise 7 training
3 emotional 8 successful
4 childhood 9 reliable
5 slenderness 10 injuries

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