LIFE UPPER INTERMEDIATE EOI TEST 1

USE OF ENGLISH

Part 1

Read the text and choose the correct answer for each item.

Text 1

Uncovering The Colosseum

A facelift of the Colosseum in Rome that began last autumn has revealed centuries of
graffiti. Removing the accumulated grime and calcification, experts discovered layers of
inscriptions on a section of a wall – designs in red and faded grey from antiquity, and
lettering in black left by visitors in ––1–– times.
Built in the first century, the Colosseum may have held crowds as large as 50,000
people. Its numbered entrances and covered passages were designed to get spectators
––2–– quickly and to separate the high and mighty from the masses. One passage led to
an upper tier. There, women, children and slaves perched in the cheap seats to watch the
bloody spectacle of gladiators and ––3–– beasts battling for their lives on the arena floor
18 metres ––4–– .
Even in the dim light of this passage, the designs ––5–– in red would have been easy to
see against a background of white plaster. Today, the meaning of the designs in this
particular spot is ––6–– mystery, though patches of newly cleaned plaster on other parts
of the wall show a palm frond in red (a symbol of victory) and the letters ‘VIND’,
which may be part of the word vindicatio, or vengeance.
In the area on the wall above what looks like a large ‘S’, meanwhile, Roman graffiti
––7–– Rebecca Benefiel sees the faint grey profile of a face. ‘That was the single most
popular image to draw in ancient graffiti,’ she says.
In the Roman period people rarely wrote their messages on top of existing graffiti.
‘There was a different understanding of writing on a wall,’ said Benefiel, a classics
professor at Washington and Lee University. ‘You left space.’
By the 19th century, the Colosseum was a famous monument and its graffiti had
become a tangled, overwritten ––8–– of tourists’ visits. ‘Writers were aware of being in
a historic place,’ said Benefiel. ‘They were making a mark to emphasise their presence.’
Names and dates were important. ––9–– was place of origin. On one wall, in 1892, J.
Milber wanted the world ––10–– that he had travelled from the city of Strasbourg.
Officials in Rome say they plan to open this passage to the public ––11–– the
restoration work is done. Presumably some kind of barrier ––12–– future tourists from
adding their own autographs for posterity.

Life Upper Intermediate EOI Test 1 1

1 7
a advanced a expert
b modern b knowledgeable
c new c proficiency
d up-to-date d specialised

2 8
a in and out a data
b off and on b proof
c on and off c record
d out and in d witness

3 9
a mad a Also
b natural b As well
c violent c So
d wild d Too

4 10
a below a know
b above b knowing
c lower c to know
d under d would know

5 11
a are painted a as
b painted b once
c that painted c one time
d which painted d since

6 12
a – a is about to prevent
b a b is preventing
c one c prevents
d the d will prevent

Life Upper Intermediate EOI Test 1 2

Text 2

Steve Jobs
Apple co-founder and computer-age visionary Steve Jobs has died after a long battle
with cancer. It’s ––13–– overstatement to say that the 56-year-old Californian
transformed how we live, from the way we communicate to the way we share and
consume media.
Jobs changed the world from Silicon Valley, ––14–– fortunes and rise mirrored his own.
Back in 1982, National Geographic magazine chronicled the growing tech hub in High
Tech, High Risk, and High Life in Silicon Valley, ––15–– that the ‘former wilderness
an hour’s drive south of San Francisco’ was becoming the ‘heartland of an electronics
revolution that may prove as far-reaching as the industrial revolution of the 19th
century. Silicon Valley may well be a glimpse of a computer-and-communications
culture that is the prototype of the future.’
That story also contained prophetic words about Jobs. Even then, it was clear that his
distinctive taste – and taste for distinctions – was firmly in place: ‘We ––16–– call the
Apple a “personal” computer than a “home” computer.’
Jobs has become a potent role model for a new breed of ––17–– kids who are writing
and selling software programs and, with their mysterious computer skills, gaining the
kind of prestige formerly tasted only by the high-school football team. But the most fun
reason ––18–– about Jobs in an old National Geographic? It might be to see a bearded,
booted young man zooming about on a 1966 BMW motorcycle. ‘––19–– Jobs drives the
requisite Mercedes,’ says the article, ‘success seems not to have spoiled the first folk
hero of the computer age.’ In a checked shirt and jeans, he still prefers ‘to drive his
motorcycle to my place, sit around and drink wine, and talk about what we’re going to
do when we ––20–– , said a friend quoted in the article.

Life Upper Intermediate EOI Test 1 3

13 17
a never a bright
b no b cheerful
c none c clear
d not d vivid

14 18
a what a read
b where b reading
c which c for read
d whose d to read

15 19
a recognise a Although
b recognised b Despite
c recognising c However
d to recognise d Nevertheless

16 20
a instead a grew up
b prefer b grow up
c rather c were growing up
d would rather d will grow up

Life Upper Intermediate EOI Test 1 4

Part 2

Choose the correct answer (a, b, c or d) for each item.

21 In her long career, Ms Brody _______ in some of the world’s most

exciting capitals.
a has been living
b has lived
c is living
d was living

22 As part of next week’s review process, _______ to everyone individually.

a we won’t talk
b we’ll be talking
c we’ll have talked
d we’re talking

23 So far, _______ people have heard of the artist Mark Watts, but he’s
about to become very famous.
a a few
b any
c few
d hardly

24 The first thing I do _______ is to check my email – even before I have

breakfast.
a all morning
b all the mornings
c either morning
d every morning

25 We advised _______ in the beach development, since it was a low-risk

venture.
a our clients invest
b our clients investing
c our clients to invest
d to our clients to invest

26 I’ve had such a busy week that I’m looking forward to _______ tonight for
a change.
a getting in
b getting out
c staying in
d staying out

Life Upper Intermediate EOI Test 1 5

27 Andrew, you’ve been to Vietnam before, _______ ?
a been you
b have you
c haven’t you
d weren’t you

28 If _______ about this properly earlier we wouldn’t have these problems

right now.
a we didn’t think
b we hadn’t thought
c we thought
d we’d thought

29 I have to get to my office by 7.30 in the summer, so I _______ get up

before 6 a.m.
a am used to
b get used to
c used to
d usually

30 After five attempts, I _______ pass my driving test.

a could
b managed
c managed to
d succeeded

Life Upper Intermediate EOI Test 1 6