Skills Test Unit 6 Test B

Name: ___________________________________________

Everyday English
1 Complete the dialogue with the words below.
put should can go mean
Lydia Which news website do you think we 1__________ choose to write a review of?
Colin Well, not the first one. Let’s go with News Today.
Lydia I thought you didn’t like that one. You said it wasn’t well written.
Colin Well, I didn’t 2__________ that exactly. Let’s 3__________ it this way: we’d have more
to comment on!
Lydia You 4__________ say that again! It gives a global perspective and is very controversial.
Colin OK, great. Let’s 5__________ with it.

Mark: ___ / 5

1
Listening
2  Listen to two friends talking about online news and newspapers. Are the sentences
true (T) or false (F)?
1 John doesn’t enjoy reading the paper. ___
2 Helen thinks many online journalists rush their work. ___
3 Online journalists delete stories to avoid responsibility for a story. ___
4 John thinks online news allows people to find out more about the world. ___
5 John often reads about issues affecting people in remote places. ___
6 People don’t seem to be buying newspapers as much any more. ___
7 John reads the paper when he can’t find his tablet. ___
8 Young people are more used to reading news online than many older people. ___
9 John enjoys using different methods of accessing the news. ___
10 Helen doesn’t spend as much time reading the news as John. ___

Mark: ___ / 10

2
Reading
The history of newspapers
The history of newspapers is probably longer than you think. Although it wouldn’t be accurate to
consider government reports in Ancient China and Rome to be newspapers, they are at least the
distant relatives of the print media we know today.
It’s very easy to forget what life must have been like without modern technology. These days, we
receive the latest stories from people in the limelight, know which politicians are out of favour with
the public and hear about what’s making headlines all over the world in real time. Obviously,
centuries ago, there wouldn’t have been any of this. As a matter of fact, the first newspapers were
handwritten, which immediately restricted their circulation. It’s also safe to say that the majority of
people were illiterate, so a newspaper would have been out of reach for most.
Many people regard the first newspaper as the Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen
Historien, published in Germany in 1605. It is probably more accurate to call this a news booklet,
given its dimensions, which were a fraction of the size of the newspapers we are familiar with today.
It summarized the news over a total of eight pages. Not until almost 100 years later did England see
its first daily. Elizabeth Mallet was responsible for the production of the Daily Courant and she
prided herself on reporting with impartiality as far as politics was concerned. There wasn’t any
delving into the lives of the rich and famous; however, interestingly, she did try to focus on a global
perspective rather than a local one.
When Elizabeth Mallet sold her publication to Samuel Buckley, he relocated the business to Fleet
Street in London. Buckley’s name often appears in the history books when talking about early
newspapers, but undoubtedly, it is Mallet who played an even bigger role. Her impartiality was
actually well before its time, with most journalists in the 18th century making their feelings clearly
known. This was bound to cause tension between journalists and politicians if the former had written
something negative about government policies.
By the 19th century, the number of literate people was on the increase, and this led to a desire to
know what was going on both locally and overseas. Newspapers were in their element with this fresh
demand for news, and they became more politically powerful as a result. It was also at this time that
newspaper advertising became more prominent.
In modern day terminology, the 20th century was the period when reading newspapers ‘went viral’.
The activity was a daily habit for most. The power journalists had to influence policy and manipulate
the opinions of their readers was at its height. More attention was paid to layout and design as well.
In the current century, however, newspapers are starting to feel somewhat out of their depth. With
TV, radio and especially the internet, all reporting on the same stories, newspapers are being left
behind. Young people growing up today are the first in many generations that won’t regularly buy a
newspaper, opting in favour of the many alternative ways of receiving the news instantly. Having
said that, you can’t teach old dogs new tricks – and it’s surprising how many old dogs there are who
still like to read a newspaper!

3
3 Read the text. Circle the correct answers (a–d).
1 According to the text,
a the first newspapers reported on family matters.
b the evolution of the newspaper has been very quick.
c the first newspapers were produced in Ancient China and Rome.
d there is a connection between newspapers and Ancient China and Rome.
2 What does the phrase ‘out of reach’ mean in paragraph 2?
a too expensive
b difficult to obtain
c limited in number
d impossible to appreciate
3 The Daily Courant
a was politically biased.
b took an interest in foreign news.
c was moved to Fleet Street by Elizabeth Mallet.
d reported on the lives of famous people.
4 In the 19th century, newspapers grew in popularity because
a the advertising was removed.
b more people were able to read.
c the government financed them.
d there was more competition from abroad.
5 In the 21st century,
a newspapers are perceived to be a bit ‘tired’.
b digital media sources agree to cover the same stories.
c young people no longer buy print media.
d The older generation doesn’t engage with news on the internet.

Mark: ___ / 10

4
Writing
4 Write an opinion article in response to the statement below.
Journalists in the media today have too much power and influence over people and politicians.
Remember to state the topic clearly and use emphasis to underline your main ideas.
Follow the plan:
Paragraph 1: State the topic and the main reason for your article. Outline your main ideas.
Paragraph 2: Present your first point.
Paragraph 3: Present your second point.
Paragraph 4: Restate the main points you have covered.

Mark: ___ / 15
TOTAL MARKS: ___ / 40

5
Challenge!
5 Complete the text with the correct words (a–d).
I often wonder what the point of twenty-four-hour news coverage is. Admittedly, if you like finding
out about up-to-the-minute stories that 1________ corruption among politicians, or that spread
rumours about well-known celebrities, I 2________ recommend it.
The thing is, 3________ news is rarely that. A little strip of text giving the news appears at the bottom
of the screen and you get a sudden adrenaline 4________ . In reality, though, it is little more than the
passing of an obscure bill in parliament which nobody knows anything about.
As a 5________ of fact, people in the UK spend an average of twenty-eight hours a week watching
TV, but only nine minutes of that time watching rolling news. 6________ , this is entirely
understandable when the stories making headlines are summarised into fifteen-minute bulletins.
There are those who say these channels lack credibility, too. Surely it can’t be possible to cover
serious news issues in a quarter-of-an-hour slot.
The people I feel sorry for are the newsreaders. They are bound to have to repeat the same story
numerous times, trying to 7________ as if they are still interested! I’ll go out 8________ a limb and
say that if a job on a proper news programme came up, they’d be in their element.
1 a show b expose c find d discover
2 a can’t b might c should d ought
3 a breaking b broken c arriving d
4 a speed b rush c shot d flash
5 a case b point c topic d matter
6 a Theoretically b Worryingly c Hypothetically d Undoubtedly
7 a see b like c look d watch
8 a on b in c of d for