5th edition

Name

Skills test 4 Intermediate



READING

What do you know about your dreams?

The chances are that at some point in your life you’ve dreamed that you were falling or that you
were taking a difficult exam or that you were being chased by someone (or something). Common
dreams like these are shared by most of us. Dreams make up part of our daily lives and have had
an important impact on our culture and history, but what do dreams actually mean? Do they even
mean anything?
Almost all cultures have thought that dreams might have important messages for us. The ancient
Egyptians thought that gods could communicate with us through dreams, and from their
experiences they built up a ‘book of dreams’ – and nightmares. The Greeks had a god of dreams,
called Hypnos. One Roman emperor claimed he saw his death in a dream before it finally
happened, and dreamers in medieval Europe thought that the devil could enter dreams and even
influence the way people behaved!
By far the most common dreams are of falling and flying; both are thought to happen when we
move from one stage of sleep to another. If you’ve ever had one of these dreams it could signify
that you’re going through a big change in your life or you could be trying to escape from something.
Often people dream they are trapped doing a repetitive task over and over again, such as looking
for a toilet or playing a game. In our jobs, our schools, and even our relationships, we sometimes
end up feeling bored of the same old thing. Perhaps these dreams are telling us that it’s time for a
change or that we should take up a new challenge. Another popular dream is about losing your
teeth or your hair. Experts say that these dreams may indicate that you don’t have enough
confidence or that you might be worried about what other people think about you. Similarly, dreams
about driving a vehicle which is out of control could be a way of your unconscious self telling you
that you need to take control of your life.
If you’re really serious about working out what your dreams mean, then researchers suggest
keeping a ‘dream journal,’ where you record significant events and images from your sleeping
hours. Write down anything you can remember as soon as you wake up – even if the dreams don’t
make sense now, they might later on when you have had the chance to reflect on them. Telling
other people about your dreams might also be a way to understand them. Another person might
have a different perspective on what they mean, or they may have had a similar dream themselves.
Also, just because experts think that falling dreams mean that you want to run away from
something, it might not necessarily be true for you. The best person to understand your dreams is
probably you!
However, lots of psychologists today think that dreams just aren’t significant. The theory is that they
are simply random pictures from our memories that we make up stories from when we wake.
Dreams themselves are actually meaningless, they say. They may well reflect how we are feeling
about ourselves or show us something about our mental state, but they don’t have any special
message for the future or any connection to something more spiritual.
But many writers, singers, scientists, and inventors would probably disagree, especially those who
have used something they saw in a dream in their work. Albert Einstein claimed he came up with
the theory of relativity after a dream and James Watson dreamed the shape of DNA before he
discovered it!

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2018
 5th edition
Name

Skills test 4 Intermediate



1 Photocopiable Headway © Oxford University Press

2018
 

5th edition
Name

Skills test 4 Intermediate

1 Read the article. Give short answers to the

questions. 5 Many modern psychologists have concluded that our
1 Who said a dream predicted his own death? dreams
_____________________________ a don’t have any real meaning.
b help us make sense of our memories.
2 What do people dream about most often? c can only be understood by ourselves.
_____________________________
6 For creative people, dreams can sometimes
3 Why might someone have a dream about a allow them to solve problems.
doing the same thing many times? b help them understand their work.
__________________________________ c give them brilliant ideas.
__________________________________
2 points for each correct answer 10
4 What do modern scientists think dreams
are?
__________________________________
3 Match five of the underlined phrases with
the definitions.
__________________________________
1 developed built up
5 What did one famous scientist see in one of
his dreams?___________________ 2 finally be in a situation _____________
3 start something new
1 point for each correct answer 5
4 understanding
2 Choose the correct answer. 5 invent
1 Most societies have thought that 6 thought of
a gods show themselves in dreams.
1 point for each correct answer 5
b dreams have things to tell us.
c dreams don’t actually mean anything.
Reading total 25
2 If you have a falling dream,
a you might be trying to run away from
something.
b you could want to change something.
c you may not have enough confidence in
yourself.
3 If your teeth fall out in a dream, you might
a think you aren’t in control of your life.
b not believe in you own abilities.
c not be concerned about what people think
of you.
4 It might be time to make changes in your
life if
a your dreams are about falling or flying.
b you are being chased in a dream.
c you dream you are doing the same task
many times.

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 5th edition
Name

Skills test 4 Intermediate



WRITING
1 You went to a party at your English friend’s house. Write a note to
thank your friend. You should:
· include a suitable greeting.
· say thanks for the invitation.
· say what you enjoyed about the party.
· suggest another occasion to meet.
· find a suitable closing phrase.
Write your note in 80–100 words.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

shorter Writing task

2 Your English teacher has asked you to describe a place you know well.
This could be a room, a house, or a building.
Write your description in 140–180 words.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

longer Writing task 1510

Writing total

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5th edition
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Skills test 4 Intermediate

LISTENING
1 Listen to five people who saw a bank robbery.
Match them with their statements (a–e).
___ Witness 1
Incident: bank robbery on main square
___ Witness 2
1
___ Witness 3 Time of incident: around ______
___ Witness 4 2
Number of suspects: ______ people
___ Witness 5 (______ male and ______ female)
a I saw four people who were involved in the 3
How they arrived at the scene:
robbery.
______________
b I think it was the man in the hat who carried 4
the rucksack. What they stole: ______
Skills Test 4 total

c There was somebody else with me when I saw 5

What they were carrying: ___________
one of the robbers.
d When the robbery started, I was in the bank.
e The woman put the stolen money in the rucksack.
2 points for each correct answer 10

2 Listen again. Write true (T) or false (F).

1 The first witness was reading a newspaper when
the robbery started. ___
2 The second witness didn’t know what time it
happened. ___
3 The third witness spoke to one
Listening totalof the bank robbers.
___
4 The fourth witness had finished his dessert
when the robbers arrived. ___
5 The fifth witness took twenty pounds out of a
cash machine. ___
2 points for each correct answer
3 Complete the policeman’s notes with the missing
information.
1 point for each correct answer
SPEAKING
1 Ask and answer the questions with a partner.
1 What are your favourite childhood memories?
Why?
2 Which city, town, or place do you like best?
10
Why?
3 What do you normally use the internet for?
How much time do you spend online? 5
4 Do you enjoy the circus? Why?/Why not?
5 Who is your personal hero? In what way does
he/she inspire you?

max. 1 point for each topic 5

2 Compare schools in your grandparents’ time
and now. Talk about school subjects, rules and
discipline, and classroom equipment.
max. 10 points 10

3 Discuss the statements. Do you agree or

disagree?
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Skills test 4 Intermediate

1 ‘A good job is a well-paid job.’
2 ‘It is often easier to talk about our problems to our
grandparents than to our parents.’
max. 5 points for each topic 10
Speaking total

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