ENGLISH TEST

Module 1 • Unit 1

Name:___________________________________________ Year: _______ Class: _______ Number: _______ Mark:_______

Part A – Listening
4
You are going to listen to three teenagers talking about the impact of advertising
on their lives. You are going to listen twice. Read all the items first.

1. Match the names on the left with the ideas they express on the right. [30 pontos]

 1. Advertising has a helpful, informative function.

 2. The strategies used by advertisers are not ethical.
a. Sabine   3. Celebrities can inspire young people.
b. Vincent   4. I like it when I’m not forced to see all kind of advertisements.
c. Sandra   5. Advertising has a negative impact on self-esteem.
  6. I think advertising is all about making money.
 7. The importance of celebrities is hard to understand.

2. Choose the correct option (A, B or C) to complete the sentences according to [2 x 5 pontos]
what Sabine, Vincent and Sandra say.
2.1 The three teenagers agree that the
(A) impact of advertising can be positive.
(B) power of advertising is inevitable.
(C) presence of advertising is unavoidable.
2.2 Both Sabine and Sandra
(A) dislike advertising.
(B) enjoy how celebrities look.
(C) think advertisers are deceitful.

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Part B – Reading
You are going to read an article about advertising.

In advertising, there’s a big difference between pushing the truth and making false
claims. Many companies have been caught using wild claims like “scientifically proven” and
with “guaranteed results”. For companies that cross the line, this can fairly cost millions and
lead to a damaged reputation. Some companies have already had difficult experiences first-
5 -hand. Strangely enough, some don’t seem to have learnt from it.

Red Bull said it could “give you wings”.

Energy drinks company Red Bull

was sued for its tagline “Red Bull
gives you wings”. The company
10 settled the class action case by
agreeing to pay out a maximum of
$13 million – including $10 to every
US consumer who had bought the
drink since 2002.
15 The tagline, which the company
has used for nearly two decades,
went alongside marketing claims that the caffeinated drink could improve a consumer’s
concentration and reaction speed. Beganin Caraethers was one of several consumers who
brought the case against the Austrian drinks company. He said he was a regular consumer
20 of Red Bull for ten years, but that he had not developed “wings”, or shown any signs of
improved intellectual abilities. As foolish as it might seem, he was right.

L'Oréal claimed its skincare products were “clinically proven” to “boost genes”.

Cosmetics company L’Oréal was

forced to admit that their skincare
25 products were not “clinically
proven” to “boost genes” and give
“visibly younger skin in just seven
days,” as stated in its advertising.
In the settlement, L’Oréal USA
30 was banned from making claims
about antiaging, without
“competent and reliable scientific proof substantiating such claims”. Though L’Oréal
escaped a fine at the time, each future violation of this agreement will cost the company up
to $16,000.

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35 Classmates.com was accused of tricking users into paying to respond to friends who
weren’t actually on the site.

Millions of people lit up when

Classmates.com sent them an email
saying old friends were trying to
40 contact them, promising to rekindle
old friendships and flames if
subscribers upgraded to a “Gold”
membership.
However, with the upgrade, the
45 expected reunion never came. It
turns out the social networking site
used the ploy to get users to give up extra dollars. As a result, it was sued for “deceptive”
emails.
Classmates.com eventually agreed to pay out a $9.5 million settlement – $3 for every
50 subscriber who fell for the dirty trick – to resolve the case, according to the Business
Journal.
However, the website did not learn from its mistakes and some years later it was given
another $11 million in fines, according to Consumer Affairs.
https://www.businessinsider.com (adapted; accessed in November 2021)

1. Choose the correct option (A, B, C or D) to answer the questions about the text. [2 x 5 = 10 pontos]
1.1 What is the main purpose of this text?
(A) To inform the public about advertising scandals.
(B) To inform about deceiving advertising strategies.
(C) To criticize advertising companies.
(D) To criticize consumers who sue companies.
1.2 What is the author’s position towards the punishment of companies?
(A) He thinks it’s a wild measure.
(B) He believes it’s difficult to achieve.
(C) He agrees with it.
(D) He finds it strange.

2. Match the ideas on the left with the paragraph they refer to on the right. [5 pontos]
You don’t need to use all the paragraphs.
 paragraph 3
a. Need for grounded evidence   paragraph 4
b. A misleading slogan   paragraph 5
c. Paid compensations   paragraph 7
 paragraph 8

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3. Complete the sentences according to the text. [3 x 5 = 15 pontos]

a. In advertising, exaggerating the quality of the products and actually lying _________________
____________________________________________________________________________ .
b. L’Oréal can no longer __________________________________________________________ .
c. Classmates.com was sued as ____________________________________________________ .

4. Find evidence in the text that shows that. [2 x 5 = 10 pontos]

a. sometimes firms are given a second chance.

b. some firms seem to find it difficult to learn a lesson.

5. Match the words on the left with the idea they refer to in the text. [2 x 5 = 10 pontos]

 1. complaining about Red Bull

a. it (line 20)   2. developing wings or becoming more intelligent
 3. the tagline

 1. the reunion
c. it (line 47)   2. the site
 3. the ploy

6. Find synonyms for the words below in paragraphs 4 and 5. [2 x 5 = 10 pontos]

a. stimulate ____________________
b. agreement ____________________

Part C – Use of language

1. Rewrite the sentences below using the underlined words and a [4 x 3 pontos]
possessive structure. Make the necessary changes.
a. The advertisements the students did were really funny.
_____________________________________________________________________________
b. Sometimes advertising affects the ways teenagers see themselves.
_____________________________________________________________________________
c. Advertising should focus on the qualities of the product.
_____________________________________________________________________________
d. The major concern of the advertising industry is profit.
_____________________________________________________________________________

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2. Complete the text with the missing reflexive pronouns. [3 x 3 pontos]

Most advertisers don’t see a. _______________ as responsible for the consequences of the
ads they produce. Society doesn’t worry much about it and seems to expect the problem
will work b. _______________ out. We need to find ways of protecting c. _______________
from its influence.

3. Complete the sentences with a suitable collective noun. [3 x 3 pontos]

a. There is a debate today about advertising strategies with a _______________ of experts.

b. Some advertisements are just a _______________ of lies.
c. A _______________ of marketers usually come up with more creative ideas than when they
work solo.

4. Complete the sentences with the verbs in brackets in the past perfect [5 x 2 pontos]
simple or continuous.
a. I tried not to be influenced by advertising many times, but, until recently, I _______________
(not find) the right strategy.
b. They __________________ (work) on that campaign without stopping for so long that they
were exhausted.
c. When some rules were finally legislated, many companies _______________ (already / have)
their share of deceitful advertising.
d. I _______________ (never / think) about the way advertising manipulates us, but then I
watched a very interesting documentary about it.
e. She _______________ (work) in the advertising campaign for a long time when the client
decided to change everything.

Part D – Writing

You have ordered a product online, but the product you received is far from what you had
expected. Write a complaint e-mail (120–150 words) to the company.
Remember to:
• explain the situation;
• tell them what you expect from them.
[60 pontos]

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