Facultad Artes y Ciencias - Departamento de

inglés
Test centre
Institute: The House of English
Level: Stage 2 - Elementary A2

Name:_________________________
Date:__________________________

Reading comprehension

1) Read this article about Mike, and write T (TRUE) or F (FALSE).

Growing up poor

My name is Mike, and I was born in a very poor neighbourhood in Los Angeles. When I
was little, my mother took care of my brother and me because my father left before I came
to this world, and he wasn’t too interested in being part of our lives. My mother had two
jobs that didn’t pay much. She had to work very hard so that we could have food, clothes,
and a place to live. She was great; we loved her and appreciated her efforts.

Every day, she usually arrived home very late, and she was exhausted. Still, she always
cooked nice meals for us, played with us, and made sure that we did our homework. She
always insisted on how important it was to get a good education. She couldn’t finish school
because she got pregnant with me when she was just a teenager. “I couldn’t finish school,
and that’s why I must work so hard now, and I earn so little money,” she often said.

Children were very violent in my neighbourhood; you needed to be violent if you wanted
to survive. There was a lot of crime, vandalism, and drugs. It wasn’t easy to be a good
student for any child who lived in our neighbourhood. The other children hated you if you
got good grades, so I wasn’t very popular. The only positive thing about living in that place
is that you needed to be very clever to survive, and that helped me later in life.

Finally, my brother and I could finish high school. I went to university because I was a
very good basketball player, and basketball paid for my university degree. On the day of
my graduation, my mother was in tears. And she was in tears again the day I showed her
our new apartment, away from the neighbourhood. Do you know how difficult it is to get
out of a poor neighbourhood? It’s very hard, but I did it, and it was thanks to my mum. Now
she doesn’t have to work two jobs anymore, and I take care of her.

1) Mike didn’t know his father. ___

2) His mother didn’t have enough money to buy food.__
3) She didn’t finish school because she had Mike.___
4) Mike took drugs.___
5) He got good grades at school.___
6) He thinks living in his neighbourhood was very positive.___

Language in use - Grammar

2) Choose A, B or C.

1- I told__ I didn’t want to go, but Carla insisted!

A- she B- his C- her

2- Marcos __ for the national games next year.

A- train B- trains C- is training

3- My brother__ born on July 7th.

A- was B- were C- is

4- I ___ the house an hour ago! Be careful!

A- cleaning B- cleaned C- clean

5- There ___ a man waiting outside. Didn’t you see him?

A- were B- are C- was

6- The park is ___ the school. We just have to cross the street!

A- near B- opposite C- next to

7- How ___ water do you drink a day? Do not forget to drink two litres of water at
least!

A- much B- more C- many

3) Correct the mistakes. There is only one mistake in each sentence.

1- Lucía wash her hair every day.

_________________________________
2- They don’t go usually on holiday in May.
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 3- There aren’t much time left!
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4- I need an information about this product, Miss.
__________________________________

4) Put the words in brackets into the correct form.

1) I don’t feel well, I should _______ (stay) in bed.

2) I ____________ (not/win) the prize because my knee was hurting.
3) I am _________________ (go) to the cinema tonight with my classmates.
4) You _________________ (should/not) tell lies to your parents.
5) I _____________ (eat) a sandwich at Matías’s last night.
6) She ___________ (swim) in the Olympic games in 2003.
7) I _____________ (always/let) the dog jump into the bed.

Language in use - Vocabulary

5) Choose a verb from the box and complete the sentences with the correct form. There
are some extra words.

jog - sleep - play - fly - eat - swim - dance - ride - have - run

A) Carla likes to _____________ in the mornings.

B) Lucía didn’t ___________ dinner last night.

C) Marcela _________ like a mermaid.

D) Carla also likes to ________ her bike.

 E) Birds _________ long distances sometimes.

F) It is important to ______________ eight hours a day.

6) Read the descriptions and write the correct word.

A) The mother of my mother is my _______________:

B) The brother of my father is my _______________.
C) Lucia is the daughter of my brother, so she is my____________.
D) The new wife of my dad is my ____________.
E) This class is boring, so that means I am _____________.
F) I trust in myself, I am ______________.

Writing

7) Write down a short article about your daily routine. (70 - 100 words).

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Listening

8) Put the tips in the order that you hear them. You can number the tips.

Turn off your music. ___

Have something to eat and drink on your desk. ___
Take away the things that stop you working. ___
Put your pet outside. ___
Turn off your instant messages. ____
Turn off your phone. ____