File Test 3

Grammar, Vocabulary, and Pronunciation A

GRAMMAR

1 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in brackets.
Example: I bit into the apple, and out came (come) my tooth!
1 No sooner had we ________ (start) watching the film than the phone rang.
2 What ________ (happen) was I fell off my bike and sprained my wrist.
3 Not until they had left ________ (can) I get on with finishing my DIY.
4 Little________ (do) she realize she was about to be awarded the prize for best young
writer.
5 ________ (be) alone made me realize how much I enjoyed your company.
6 ________ (attach) to this email is a registration form which you should complete and
return.
7 Only by________ (practise) tirelessly do the top players reach their full potential.
8 At the end of my street was an old farm building. In it ________ (live) an owl.

2 Underline the correct word(s).

Example: Do you have many / much on this weekend?
1 I met Hannah for lunch. She had lots of / much interesting gossip!
2 We looked at the cinema listings and unfortunately there are not / no good films on this
week.
3 It seems that media / the media are following him relentlessly these days.
4 Can I use my membership in many / any branch of the health club?
5 Look at that – the dog’s watching your any / every move! He knows it’s time for a walk!
6 The foot / Foot contains 25 percent of the bones in the human body!
7 In schools, building academic ability / the academic ability in children should be less
important than building their self-esteem.

3 Is the sentence right or wrong? Write C (correct) or I (incorrect). Correct the

incorrect sentences by writing them below.
Example: What time does sun set this evening? I
What time does the sun set this evening?

1 Much as I enjoy Jarrod’s company, I wouldn’t want to share a flat with him. ______

_________________________________________________________________

2 A There’s the Marcus Grenville-Jones on the phone for you. ______

B Not the Marcus Grenville-Jones? The company director?!

_________________________________________________________________

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 File Test 3
Grammar, Vocabulary, and Pronunciation A

3 Young people are better at learning languages than the adults. ______

_________________________________________________________________

4 What Steve suggested was that we meet on Thursday to compare our findings. ______

_________________________________________________________________

5 With only improved strength, will I be able to beat my toughest opponent. ______

___________________________________________________________________
5
Grammar total 20

VOCABULARY

4 Choose the correct words for the definitions.

claim extract perceive prove rank rise

Example: to increase in amount or number rise

1 to use facts, evidence, etc. to show that something is true________
2 to say that something is true although it has not been proven and others may not
believe it ________
3 to choose information, i.e. from a book, a computer, etc. to be used for a particular
purpose________
4 to notice or become aware of something ________
5 to give somebody/something a position on a scale according to quality, importance,
success, etc. ________

5 Complete the idioms using one or two words.

Example: Did you hear the Prime Minister’s resigned? It’s good riddance as far as I’m
concerned!
1 I need your advice actually – I’m in a _________ of a _________.
2 I think we should give up looking. This is just a _________ chase after all!
3 We watched that new comedy drama you recommended last night – it had us
in_________ from start to finish!
4 I honestly don’t think I slept _________ last night!
5 A Is Arno taking his exams over two years?
B No, he decided to do them all this year. And he got them all in _________ swoop!

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 File Test 3
Grammar, Vocabulary, and Pronunciation A
6 Complete the words in the sentences.
Example: You mustn’t speak so critically of Martha – she’s your own flesh and blood!
1 I’ll always support your decisions, come what m________.
2 The variation in results led the researchers to c________ that some of the testing
equipment may have been faulty.
3 A Did you get caught in that heavy downpour?
B Yes, I’m absolutely soaked. I must be a sorry s________!
4 In order to tackle climate change effectively, governments will need to p________ the
environment at the summit meeting.
5 I just can’t find my keys anywhere. They seem to have v________ into thin air!
6 The results of the latest study are currently being a________ by experts.
7 Matteo tried to apologize to Maria again but she sent him p_______!
8 Sales rose steadily, reaching a p______ around mid-May before gradually decreasing
again.
9 When we got to the bar, there was barely any e ______ room so we decided to leave
and try somewhere else.
10 The study has r ________ that many older people are considerably younger than their
chronological age.

Vocabulary total 20

PRONUNCIATION

7 Match the words with the same sound.

decline contract survey increase state

protest

Example: examine contract

1 sleeve ________
2 show ________
3 break ________
4 wild ________
5 research ________

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 File Test 3
Grammar, Vocabulary, and Pronunciation A

8 Underline the stressed syllable.

Example: gen|der
1 en|gin|eer|ing
2 re|veal
3 tra|ge|dy
4 ac|cel|er|ate
5 treach|er|ous

5
Pronunciation total 10
Grammar, Vocabulary, and Pronunciation total 50

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 File Test 3
Reading and Writing A
READING

Read the article. Five paragraphs have been removed Choose from the
paragraphs A – F which fits each gap. There is one extra paragraph that you
do not need to use.

Great adaptations
For almost half a millennium, the works of Shakespeare have been performed to audiences
the world over, and despite the fact that the bard has been dead for over 400 years, he is still
inspiring writers and film makers to produce creative works based on his narratives.
However, while Shakespeare’s plays offer abundant material for adaptation, making them
interesting and accessible in the modern context, comes with considerable challenges.

When read aloud, the iambic pentameter is like a heartbeat – sometimes slow, sometimes
fast – keeping the rhythm of the emotions running through the narrative. Though sadly this is
often lost in classrooms where translating meaning is often prioritized over emotional
content. Something that was painfully obvious during a school performance of Twelfth Night
in which I reluctantly read the part of Sebastian. Despite that, I love Shakespeare. But it
wasn’t until I explored some of the adaptations of his literature myself, that I became a fan.
Here are some of my favourites.

Screen adaptations of Shakespeare have proven effective in increasing the bard’s popularity,
allowing viewers of all ages to engage with the universal themes of his narratives. Some of
the earlier versions were epic, colourful, and now considered classic, recreations. Examples
include, Laurence Olivier’s Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948) and Richard III (1955); and
Kenneth Branagh’s later version of Hamlet (1996) which was faithful to Shakespeare’s full
original text.

2
Of course, I couldn’t write a piece on Shakespeare without including what is arguably his
most popular play – Romeo and Juliet. Perhaps the most romantic tragedy ever written, it
has been performed countless times on stage and screen. Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and
Juliet (1968) received favourable reviews. The fact that it broke with the tradition of using
older actors, replacing them instead with relatively inexperienced teenage actors of an age
closer to Shakespeare’s original characters was a novelty which helped to earn it a place on
many school curriculums. But at well over two hours long it still did little to excite the majority
of teens tasked with studying it.

But the film version that I rank highest is Australian director Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet
(1996). I hesitate to say ‘version’ as it really did push the boundaries at the time of its
release. Although the actors predominantly use Shakespearean language and speak in the
iambic pentameter, the film was distinctly modern at the time, resonating better with teen
audiences than any version that had gone before. Set in the Californian suburb of Verona
Beach, the feuding Montague and Capulet families are gangs involved in a territorial turf war.
The bold fusion of parts of Shakespeare’s original dialogue with energetic and often in-your-
face cinematography and an up-to-date soundtrack, featuring an eclectic mix of pop, punk,
rap, and traditional choral music, added a dynamism which attracted big cinema audiences.
Little did teen actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes know then how famous they were

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 File Test 3
Reading and Writing A
to become in the years following their performances as the world’s most famous ‘star-
crossed’ lovers.

In terms of making Shakespeare’s text accessible to a wider audience, another notably

inventive film is Michael Almereyda’s Hamlet (2000). Set in modern-day New York, it stars
highly-regarded actor Ethan Hawke as a young man set on avenging the death of his father.
When I first saw it, I was particularly impressed by the scene when Hamlet delivers his
famous ‘To be or not to be …’ speech while wandering the aisles of a video shop. The
contrast of archaic Shakespearean dialogue, and the 20th-century everyday life, works
perfectly, making this is a thoroughly enjoyable modern tale of corruption and revenge.

Filmed in a darkly atmospheric Scottish landscape, Justin Kurzel’s 2015 film features
powerful performances by lead actors Michael Fassbender, as Macbeth, and Marion
Cotillard as Lady Macbeth. I was on the edge of my seat watching this as the devastating
narrative played out and in what I believe to be one of the purest and most exhilarating
versions of the tale to date. Certainly, not for the faint-hearted … but then, Shakespeare
should push you a little out of your comfort zone. I’m sure that was his intention back then …

A Continuing on from the success of Romeo + Juliet in encouraging young people’s interest
in Shakespeare, O (2001) by director Tim Blake Nelson transforms Shakespeare’s Othello
from Moorish general to Odin, a top high school basketball player. Tragedy unfolds as Odin’s
main rival attempts to undermine his trust in his girlfriend, Desi. The original play’s themes of
jealousy and revenge work well in the modern setting, and are exaggerated by the emotional
torture and rivalry of adolescent youth in the highly-competitive American high school
environment.

B Perhaps the most uninspiring of Shakespeare’s works for me is Timon of Athens. In fact, I
doubt most of you will have heard of it, unless you’re specializing in his works for a post-
doctorate diploma. There isn’t anything at all uplifting about this story. Basically, a man who
has a habit of giving away his money, but soon finds that once he runs out of funds, his
friends steadily decline in numbers too. Becoming bitter and despondent, he hides himself
away in a cave, eventually dying lonely and miserable. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t make it to
stage that often, nor has it been the subject of much adaptation.

C Having described these modern takes on Shakespeare though, I’d like to finish with a more
traditional version of a Shakespeare classic. It’s my favourite of his plays, and one which I
find phenomenally powerful. You couldn’t get much darker and more tragic than Macbeth, a
murderous tale of power, violence, and witchcraft which sees its characters slowly and
painfully destroy themselves with ambition, deceit, and guilt.

D No playwright is more read, nor more despised than Shakespeare, mainly due to his works
being an integral part of school curriculums and exam papers. While many of his plays
contain all the key ingredients of a compelling page-turner: passion, murder and treachery,
revenge and remorse, he is, unfortunately, remembered by many people of the older
generations as an ancient relic, responsible for tedious afternoons of reading aloud in class.
And then there’s always going to be the question of how to engage younger audiences with
such complex and archaic-sounding texts. Love, jealousy, revenge, and redemption are all
easily translatable to the modern context. However, the language at the time when
Shakespeare was writing, and the rhythm of his writing style, known as the iambic
pentameter, are less accessible.

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Reading and Writing A

E Of these more traditional conventional film versions of Shakespeare, a particular favourite

is Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s iconic film version of Julius Caesar (1953). This black and white
classic starring emergent Hollywood star Marlon Brando gives a powerful performance as
Mark Antony. Although the film lacks the fast-paced action of a modern thriller, the brooding
intensity with which the main characters negotiate their way through political interactions with
murderous intent is still as gripping to watch as it was when it was made back in the 50s.

F An earlier, and better interpretation of the classic romance, for me, is the Broadway
musical West Side Story (1957). Set in a working-class neighbourhood of New York, it sees
familiar scenes from Shakespeare’s original play translated into a contemporary setting.
Tony, a Jet, falls in love with Maria, whose brother, Bernardo, is the leader of rival gang The
Sharks. The famous balcony scene is played out on the fire escape steps of an apartment
building. The ending differs in that only Tony dies, but his tragic loss results in an end to the
gang feud. Not only was it a compelling adaptation, the high-quality music, composed by the
late Leonard Bernstein, made it into an extremely popular musical. An award-winning film
version followed in 1961.West Side Story has remained popular, the latest version being a
film by the legendary film maker Steven Spielberg in 2020.

Reading total 10

WRITING

Write a review of either a classic piece of literature you have read/film you have
seen or an adaptation (book, play or film) of a classic. Write approximately 250
words:

Include the following information:

 the name of the classic, and who wrote, directed or starred in it
 describe what you liked or didn’t like about it and why, include details of any
particular criticisms or highlights
 explain whether you would recommend it to others
Writing total 10
Reading and Writing total 20

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 File Test 3
Listening and Speaking A
LISTENING

1 Listen to five people talking about a situation. Match the speakers (1–5) to
the Shakespearean idiom that best matches the situation they describe (A–
H).
Speaker 1     
Speaker 2     
Speaker 3     
Speaker 4     
Speaker 5     

A to have too much of a good thing

B to wear your heart on your sleeve
C to be in a bit of a pickle
D to say good riddance to something
E to eat someone out of house and home
F to do something come what may
G to break the ice
H to know something in your heart of hearts

2 Listen to a presentation about research into ageing. Tick ( ) A, B, or C.

1 According to Chen, the most recent studies into ageing ________.
A prove a correlation between ageing and lifestyle     
B have not come up with much to inform future research     
C reveal that biological and chronological age are not equal     

2 According to Chen, the ‘older’ participants ________.

A had a higher chronological age     
B found some physical tasks more difficult     
C didn’t necessarily look any older than the other participants     

3 What does Chen say will happen as the population ages?

A Society will suffer financially.     
B People will gain greater respect for the elderly.     
C The retirement age will rise.     

4 What does Chen hope will happen next in terms of age-related research?
A That governments will prioritize age-related research.     
B That greater investment will be made into it.     
C That public awareness of the effect lifestyle can have on ageing will be raised.     

5 Chen suggests that ________.

A society isn’t supportive enough of its ageing population     
B people should question their lifestyle choices in order to extend their lifespan     
C the concept of estimating biological age could cause controversy     

5
Listening total 10

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 File Test 3
Listening and Speaking A
SPEAKING

1 Ask your partner these questions.

1 Do you know anyone who is remarkable for their age? Why?
2 What is your experience of Shakespeare? (If you don’t have any, say what you know
about him.)
3 Is there anything that you feel is important to do by a certain age? What? Why?
4 Have you ever been on a wild goose chase? What were you looking for? What
happened?
5 Do you think the education system in your country covers enough modern texts and
films?

2 Now answer your partner’s questions.

3 Talk about one of these statements, saying if you agree or disagree. Give
reasons.
1 ‘The world is your oyster.’
2 ‘How old you feel has a lot to do with mental attitude.’
3 ‘Everyone should read the works of Shakespeare.’

4 Now listen to your partner. Do you agree with him / her?

Speaking total 20
Listening and Speaking total 30

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