Intermediate Skills Test 3A

Reading
1 Read the text. Match sentences A–F with gaps 1–5. There is one extra sentence.

3D printing revolution
In a building on an airfield near Bristol in the UK, something wonderful is happening. Scientists
1
are using a 3D printer to print a small part of a plane. ___ But this is nothing compared to
their ambitions for the future. At some point, they’d like to be able to print an entire wing.
2
In principle, 3D printing works in the same way as printing a document. ___ But rather than
using ink on paper, a material is printed in thin layers to form a solid object. Special software
designs each of the layers and sends the descriptions to the printer.
3
However, 3D printing is not new. ___ In the beginning, they only used it to build the first
model of a product. But today’s 3D printers are far more advanced, and they can work with
materials like metals and plastics. Companies have started using 3D printing to make the final
product.
4
But why use 3D printing in the first place? ___ Imagine you want to make a metal circle. In a
factory, a machine cuts the circle from a sheet of metal, wasting a lot of the metal. With 3D
printing, you only use the metal – in tiny pieces – that you need for the circle.
More importantly, the lack of waste means that these products are more environmentally
5
friendly. ___ A reduction of 1 kg in the weight of a plane will save around $3,000 of fuel a
year and will also cut carbon emissions. How long will it be before 3D printers can create
every part of a plane? Only time will tell.

A To start with, it’s much cheaper, because you use less material.
B And 3D printers can build 24 hours a day.

C Little by little, the piece – which is about the size of a shoe – is formed.
D They are also much lighter than those produced in a factory, and that can be very important in the aircraft industry.
E You click on the print button on a computer to send a digital file to the printer.
F Engineers and designers have been using the technique for over fifteen years now.

Mark: ___/10

Listening
2 14 Listen to a review of a TV series. Complete the summary. Write one word, number or date in
each gap.
A TV show to remember
1
Series one of True Detective is one of the best crime _________ ever shown on TV.
2
The story is set in the _________ of Louisiana, USA, and follows two former detectives: Rustin Cohle and Martin Hart.
3
There appear to be doubts about an investigation they carried out in the year _________ .

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 4
The first of the mysteries in the series regards who is the _________ of a young woman. The second involves the current
relationship between the two detectives.
5
The _________ of the series is Nic Pizzolatto and the leading actors are Matthew McConnaughey and Woody Harrelson.
True Detective is a series that is well worth watching.

Mark: ___/10

Use of English
3 Complete the text. Use one word only for each gap. Sometimes more than one word may be possible.
1 2
Electronics companies _________ to have big plans for televisions in the future. They have _________ changed the
3
shape of TV screens from flat to curved, and now they’re looking _________ ways of making the screens more flexible.
4 5
_________ you look at the latest mobile phones in the shops, you _________ see that some of them are soft enough to
6 7
bend. In a few years’ time, we will _________ be able to buy soft TV screens, too. The next thing that _________ appear
8
is the wallpaper TV, but makers aren’t sure about this model yet. The television has a thin plastic screen _________
9
sticks to a mat on the wall and can easily be carried from room to room. But you won’t _________ buying a wallpaper TV
any time soon, because they’re far too expensive to make – and buy. Companies hope that by the end of the decade, their
10
researchers will _________ developed a more practical model that everyone will be able to afford.

Mark: ___/10

Writing
4 You have received an email from a friend inviting you to stay with him or her next month. You aren’t
free the weekend he or she suggests. Write a reply (120–150 words) to your friend. Include the
information below.
• thank him or her for the invitation
• explain why you aren’t free that weekend
• suggest a different weekend
• ask a question about travel arrangements

Mark: ___/10

5 Imagine you and your friends are interested in booking an activity weekend. Write a formal letter
(120–150 words) asking for information. Include the information below.
• where you saw the activity weekend advertised
• ask two questions about sleeping arrangements
• ask about the start and finish times of the activities each day
• ask for a programme of the different activities

Mark: ___/10

Total: ___/50

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