TEST 1

A. GRAMMAR

1……………….you like peanuts? A) Are B Does C Do

2. Pete has got ………. orange T-shirt. A) Any B) an C) a
3. Megan works ………………. in the class. A) Hardly B) harder C ) hard
4. We haven’t got many peaches, but Mike has got ………………
A) much B) a lot C) a lot of
5. July can’t play the guitar. …………………………her sister.
A ) Neither can B) Neither can’t C) Either can’t
6. We will go to the party when Kate ……………………..back home.
A) will come B) is coming C) comes D)would come
7. How long…………………Japanese?
A. have been you learning B.has you been learning
C. have you been learning D.you have been learning
9. It’s funny you like jazz, I ………………..
A. don’t neither B) don’t too C) do too D) don’t either
10. What……………… yesterday evening after I had left?
A. had she done B) did she do C) was she doing D) she did
11. My parents have learned Dutch …………….. they moved to Amsterdam.
A. Since B) for C) until D) of
12. Tom and Jane are said …………………… in New York next year.
A. to live B) to have live C) to be live D) to have been living
13. I prefer cooking …………ironing .
A) than B) rather C) to D) then
14. Your sister seems to be very…………..having to do all these things
A) annoyed B) annoying C) annoys
15. Sadly my husband had already turned his back ……. me and gone back to the kitchen.
A) Against B) out C) on
16. ……………. he joined the army my brother had never been abroad.
A) Since B) While C) During D) Until
17. Mom had already known all the news, so I ………………………… anything.
A. didn’t need to say B. needn’t have said
B. wouldn’t need to say C. wouldn’t have said
18. For the next hour it will be possible to buy just one ……. of bananas and get one more
free.
A) Bunch B)hand C) branch
19. …………….. he wasn’t feeling very well, Mr. Blair went for a walk as usual.
A) Although B) However C) Therefore D) Still
20. Every time my brother travels abroad he tries to take ………………. suitcases.
A) Less B) Fewer C) a Little D) a few
21. Many students live in ………………………… of getting a bad mark in maths.
A) Worry B)fright C) fear D) concern
22. People don’t like being instructed all the time. The …………………………. is anger.
B) Outcome D) event C) issue D) effect
23. My cousin Mark has changed so much since he ……………. in love with Sarah.
A)has fallen B) has fell C) fell D) fallen
24. It’s high time………… rid of this old armchair.
A) we got B) we get C) for us to get D) to get
25. Please place the umbrella stand ……. the door.
 A) Before B) across C) beside

B. VOCABULARIO

TASK 1. FIND A SYNONYM

 Research –
 Provoke –
 Beverage –
 Require –
 Maybe –
attack , perhaps, investigate, drink, need

TASK 2. READ THE DEFINITIONS AND FIND THE WORD.

 any small, usually stoneless, juicy fruit, irrespective of botanical structure, as the
huckleberry,strawberry, or hackberry is a ________________.
 a short pin having a spool-shaped head of plastic, glass, or metal, used for affixi
ng material to a bulletinboard, wall, or the like____________.
 to give audible expression to; speak or pronounce is to __________.
 a quantity, rating, or the like that represents or approximates an arithmetic mean
________ .
 to give support or aid to _________.

utter, pushpin, berry, help, average.

TASK 3. Completar los huecos con la palabra correspondiente.

 The sheep ________the fence.
 In the presence of so many world-famous writers I felt very _________.
 They _________ for a conference on Wednesday.
 Please, be _________ I am afraid I do not have much time left.
 My grandfather told me than the used to be ________ winters when he was a
child.
humble, hopped, arranged, harsh, brief.

TASK 4. WRITE A SYNONYM

 cub – __________
 terrific – _____________
 wholesome – ___________
 phony – __________
 trully – ____________

baby bear, really, great, fake, healthy

TASK 5. Completra con la palabra adecuada para obtener una compuesta.

 Brief —
 Chop —
 Honey —
 sky —
 tool —
comb, scraper, stick, box, case
Respuestas:TEST 1

GRAMMAR

1. Do, 2. an, 3.hard, 4. a lot, 5.Neither can, 6. comes, 7- have you been learning, 8- do
to,9. do you, 10.did she do, 11.since, 12. to live, 13. to, 14. annoyed, 15. on, 16.until,
17. didn’t need to say 18. bunch, 19. Although, 20. a few, 21. fear, 22. effect 23. has
fallen 24. to get, 25. across

Vocabulary: a) 1. investigate, 2. attack, 3. drink, 4. need. 5. perhaps, ,b) 1. berry, 2.

pushpin, 3.utter, 4.average, 5. help, c) 1. hopped, 2. humble, 3. arranged, 4. brief, 5.
harsh, d) baby bear, great, healthy, fake, really, e) briefcase, chopstick, honeycomb,
skyscraper, toolbox

READING

PART 2

1WORE 2 IN 3 OF 4 IN 5 THE 6 OTHER 7 TO 8 SELL

PART 2

1B, 2D, 3 C, 4 A

TASK 3 : 1 B - 2 A - 3D - 4B - 5 C - 6 D - 7C- 8 A - 9 B - 10 A

Part 4 matching headings:

1º There are no rules; 2º A game of two halves; 3º Laying down the law; 4º Ashes to
ashes; 5º Word gets around
READING APTIS GENERAL

TASK 1 (multiple choice)

Hi Tomoe,

I'm so sorry for 1. ________ you that email by mistake. I can understand that you 2.
__________ a bit upset when you spoke to Susie. I had actually meant to send that
email to her- she really likes the theatre, 3. ________I thought it would be good to
offer her my spare ticket.

I really hope you understand! 4. _____ don't we get together soon anyway? 5. ____
you fancy a coffee next week?

Apologies again,

Tania

1. A) send B) sending C) to send

2. A) were B) was C) weren´t
3. A) so B) for C) because
4. A) how B) when C) why
5. A) do B) does C) did

TASK 2

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

.A Even now, I wonder how much of my life is convinced.

B Usually we walk around constantly believing ourselves.“I’m okay” we say.“I’m

alright”.

C That’s when you realize that sometimes it isn’t even an answer–it’s a question.

D But sometimes the truth arrives on you and you can’t get it off.

6. _____ 7.______ 8. ______ 9._______

TASK 3
Read the following article which contains notes on four writers and then answer the
questions that follow.

A. William Shakespeare

Shakespeare was the greatest dramatist the English speaking world has ever seen. He was born
in 1564 to a rural family in Stratford-upon-Avon, in England. At the age of 18, he married Anne
Hathaway, Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an
actor, writer, and part-owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later
known as the King's Men. At age 49 around 1613, he appears to have retired to Stratford,
where he died three years later. Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589
and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories. He then wrote mainly
tragedies (plays with unhappy ending) until about 1608, including Hamlet, Othello, King Lear
and Macbeth, considered some of the finest works in the English language. In his last phase, he
wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances and collaborated with other playwrights.

B. Robert Frost

Robert Lee Frost was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it
was published in America. He is highly regarded for his realistic presentations of the rural life in
America and his command of American colloquial speech. One of the most popular American
poets of the twentieth century, Frost was honoured frequently during his lifetime, receiving
four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry On July 22, 1961, Frost was named poet laureate of Vermont. He
was a poet of nature, but nature in the season of autumn. ‘The Road not taken’ and ‘Stopping
by woods on a snowy Evening’ are two of his most celebrated poems.

C. Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore was an Indian poet of twentieth century, most known for his poem
‘Gitanjali”. Tagore was born in the state of Bengal in the year 1861. He was a master in various
forms of literature and wrote poems, songs, stories, drama and novels. His works are known
for their humanistic themes. He was a fine lyricist with appealing rhythm. He was the first
Asian who was awarded the Nobel prize when he got it for literature in the year 1913. He is
the poet who wrote India’s national anthem. Tagore founded Santhi Niketan, which became
one of the most famous experiment in student-friendly teaching system.

D. Orhan Pamuk

Orhan Pamuk is a Turkish novelist, screen writer and scholar who won the Nobel Prize for
literature in the year 2006. He was born in Istanbul in 1952. One of Turkey's most prominent
novelists, his work has sold over thirteen million books in sixty-three languages, making him
the country's best-selling writer. His famous works include The White Castle, The Black Book,
The New Life, My Name Is Red, Snow, The Museum of Innocence, and A Strangeness in My
Mind. He is teaching in Columbia University, U.S.A
The questions below are about the writers (A–D). For each question write the correct
letter A, B, C or D on the line.
Which writer:
10. presented village life in his /her poems? ……………………………………….
11. got married at the age of eighteen? ……………………………………….
12. is known as the author of best-selling novels? ……………………………………….
13. wrote on nature as in autumn season? ……………………………………….
14. was a master of a variety of literary forms? ……………………………………….
15. is an academic working in a university? ……………………………………….
16. won the first Nobel prize for Asia? ……………………………………….
17. wrote famous tragedies? ……………………………………….
18. was awarded the honour ‘poet laureate’? ……………………………………….
19. led a theatre group named ‘King’s men’? ……………………………………….

PART 4 : HEADINGS :

Victorian Sport: Playing by the Rules

A game of two halves There are no rules Laying down the law

Ashes to ashes Fame and success Word gets around

20. Heading:

Michael Owen doubtless doesn’t know it, but he probably owes some of his success as a
footballer to the Victorians. Before the 1800s, ‘football’ was a pretty rough pastime and a man
of Michael’s size would have been at a distinct disadvantage. Had they existed, the laws of the
game would have read something like this: rule one – there are no rules. Bone-crunching tackles
were literally that, and there were no referees, blind, biased or otherwise, to offer protection.

In 1602, Sir Richard Carew described the Cornish hurling game, a forerunner of today’s field
sports, thus: when the hurling is ended, you shall see them retyring home, as from a pitched
battaile, with bloody pates, bones broken, and out of joynt, and such bruses as serve to shorten
their daies.

Luckily for Michael, matters would change. The course of the Victorian period saw a drive
towards a more civilised and controlled society. In sport this manifested itself by a desire for
rules and regulations, changing the emphasis from manly physical pursuits to moral and
spiritual exercises with disciplinary value and a spirit of fair play.

It was a process that was largely driven by the Industrial Revolution. Industry began to
dominate the economy and workers moved from field to factory and developed a new-found
desire for material wealth. This gave their middle class employers greater control and the
chance to dictate how employees should live their lives. A campaign was mounted against
violent sports like football which left men injured and unable to work, while working hours
were increased to levels previously deemed unacceptable leaving fewer opportunities to play.

21. Heading:
But things were different in one area of society. In the public schools the aristocratic pupils held
sway over their middle class teachers, and were free to play as they pleased. Nevertheless,
parents were becoming concerned about the treatment of youngsters who, under the prefect-
fagging system, were put in goal and suffered the brunt of the violence. Schools had to take
action or face the prospect of parents taking their children elsewhere.

Thomas Arnold, headmaster at Rugby school, wanted his pupils to grow up into moral Christian
gentlemen. He therefore moderated the prefect-fagging system and advocated regulated sports
which provided exercise and encouraged healthy competition. By 1845, the pupils at Rugby felt
it necessary for the first time to write down the rules of football at their school to establish
exactly what constituted fair play. In the Rugby version, handling the ball was allowed, but, in
1849, pupils at Eton created a rival game. It may well have been an attempt to outdo the
‘upstarts’ at Rugby, but football Eton-style greatly restricted the use of the hands.

The pupils took their games with them to university, the only problem being that everyone
played different versions. A need for a common set of rules arose and at Cambridge University
four attempts were made in the 1840s and 1850s. Eventually, in 1863, they decided on a set of
rules in which handling the ball was outlawed.

At the end of that year, players from around the country came together to form the Football
Association and the Cambridge rules were adopted. It didn’t suit everybody, and the
representative from the Blackheath club withdrew because he favoured the Rugby style of
game. He also advocated a type of tackle that they called ‘hacking’ – these days we would
probably call it GBH.

22. Heading:

So the modern games of football and rugby were born (although rugby would divide again into
league and union games) and these sports were portrayed as healthy rather than destructive. Of
course legend has it that rugby was invented in a moment of inspiration by one of the pupils at
Rugby. A plaque on the school grounds reads:

This stone commemorates the exploit of William Webb Ellis who with a fine disregard for the
rules of football, as played in his time, first took the ball in his arms and ran with it, thus
originating the distinctive features of the rugby game. AD 1823

Sadly the evidence to support the myth is harder to find – still it’s a nice story.

The formation of the FA was a symptom of the desire for order prevalent at the time. Other
sports soon followed suit – the Amateur Athletic Club was formed in 1866, the Rugby Football
Union in 1871, and the Lawn Tennis Association in 1888. There was evidently a social aspect to
these organisations (most were formed in pubs), but they enabled the establishment of rules and
the arrangement of competitions. The first ever FA Cup followed in 1872. The Rev RWS Vidal,
known as the ‘Prince of Dribblers’, lived up to his name and set up MP Betts to score the only
goal as the Wanderers beat the Royal Engineers.

In tennis the cart came before the horse, with the first Wimbledon championships being held in
1877, 11 years before the launch of the LTA. The game’s birth can be traced back to 1858 when
Major Henry Gem marked out the first court on a lawn in Edgbaston. But it was Major Walter
Wingfield who developed the modern game of tennis. Helped by the invention of a rubber ball
which would bounce on grass, he patented a game he catchily called ‘Sphairistike’ which used a
‘New and improved court for playing the ancient game of tennis’. Wingfield sold sets of his
game for five guineas – they included balls, four racquets and netting to mark out the hourglass
shaped court. Not surprisingly ‘Sphairistike’ did not stick, and the name lawn tennis was
adopted.

At that stage croquet that was all the rage, but that was soon to change. We know it by a
different name now, but in 1875 The All England Croquet Club at Wimbledon chose to adopt
tennis, and a tournament for all-comers was organised two years later to raise funds. Twenty-
two players paid £1.05 for the privilege of entering, and Spencer Gore went down in the history
books as the first Wimbledon champion, although he later confessed that he thought tennis
would never catch on. He was very quickly proved wrong.

23. Heading:

Many other great contests were born in the Victorian era. Cricket’s rules had been laid down as
early as 1744, but in 1861 an English touring team travelled down under for the first time.
Seven years later a team of Aborigines toured England, although the first official Test match
was not until 1877 when Australia beat England in Melbourne. An inauspicious start, but worse
was to come. When Australia won a Test in England for the first time in 1882, The Sporting
Times published the famous obituary:

In affectionate remembrance of English cricket which died at the Oval on 29th August, 1882.
Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances. R.I.P. N.B. The body
will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.

The ‘body’ is reputed to be one of the bails, and England and Australia have played for the
Ashes ever since.

Like cricket, golf’s rules were first laid down in the 18th century, but it is the Victorians we
have to thank for the Open Championship which was first played in 1861. Prior to that, there
had been separate competitions for amateurs and pros as professionalism did not fit with sport’s
new image. The Marylebone Cricket Club hired professionals for the menial tasks of bowling
and fielding so the ‘gentlemen’ could practise their batting. This distinction between amateur
batsmen and professional bowlers led to the annual matches between Gentlemen and Players.

But spectator interest in sport was growing, helped by improvements in transport, and
entrepreneurs cottoned on to the fact that there was money to be made. Football was a particular
money-spinner and clubs vied for the top players. While the ex-public schoolboys of the FA
found the notion of the professional footballer ungentlemanly, they gave in to the threat of a
block withdrawal from the FA Cup by a group of teams from the North and the Midlands. In
1885 professionalism was legalised and three years later a league was formed.

24 . Heading:

Not happy with just laying down the rules in their own country, British settlers spread the
gospel wherever they went. Even today, many Argentine and Brazilian football sides betray
their roots with English names. Closer to home, Italian clubs such as AC Milan and Juventus,
who got their famous playing strip from Notts County, also have English connections.

But it was not just football that the English migrants took with them. Rugby and cricket would
flourish in Australia and New Zealand, while India and Pakistan took cricket to their hearts.

And so sport entered the 20th century with a new image. The Victorians had cleaned it up and
repackaged it as a moral, exciting spiritual activity, rather than a rough pursuit dependent on
physical prowess. Tennis and golf would go from strength to strength, while athletics would
flourish, particularly with the establishment of the Olympic movement.
The factory owners, who once did all they could to prevent their workers playing sports like
football, now changed their views as sport was more likely to keep their employees healthy. In
fact many employers encouraged the formation of works teams to try to foster feelings of
solidarity among the workforce. Dial Square, formed by workers at the Royal Arsenal in
Woolwich in 1886, went on to become Arsenal FC; West Ham was formed by the workforce at
Thames Iron Works in 1895; while Newton Heath, a club founded by workers from the
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, went on to become known by a slightly more
familiar name – nowadays we call them Manchester United.

Headings keys

20 there are no rules

21 a game of two halves

22 laying down the law

23 ashes to ahes

24 word gets around

WRITING
Parte 1 Writing

En ésta parte sólo tendrás que contestar a unas 3-5 preguntas cortas y en principio no se tarda
más de 3 minutos. No podrás contestar con más de 5 palabras. Así que haz las respuestas
short and sweet. No te vuelvas loco con qué poner ya que la puntuación de ésta parte es
mínima. Recuerda usar mayúsculas en los nombre y poner en intereses verbos en gerundio:
climbing, skying, reading, running, clubbing, etc.

Por ejemplo:

What’s your favourite sport?

What’s the weather like today?

What’s your last job?

What are you wearing today?

What can you see in front of you?

Parte 2 Writing

You are a new member of a Flowers Club. Fill in the form. Use 20-30 words for the first
question.

Why did you join this club?

Which days and times do you want to come?

Parte 3 Writing

Se trata de contestar a varias preguntas en un foro/chat en el que te has apuntado.

You are on a website chat rom called Love to Plants Gardening Club. Please answer all the
questions with 30-40 words.

Please tell us about your gardening habits.

Do people in your country do gardening?

What is your favourite season and why?

Para ésta parte te recomendamos que utilices expresiones idiomáticas (por ejemplo: to have a
geren thumb). Te vas a servir bastante. Además, sorprende a los que te corrigen la prueba con
alguna phrasal verb

Parte 4 Writing Aptis General

Dear Members,

We are sorry to inform you that Mr. Thomas will unfortunately be unable to attend our next
gardening lecture. However, Mrs. Ying, as an experienced expert from ourclub who is used to
giving presentations, will replace him. We know most of you chose to be with Mr. Thomas, but
we are really sorry as it is all we can offer. Please free to email us at
team@lovetheplantsclub.com

a) Write an e-mail to your friend and tell him/her about your feeling and what you are
planning to do regarding the latests news from your club. Write about 50 words. You have 10
minutes.

b) Write and e-mail to the secretary of the club. Write about your feeling and what you
would like to do. Write about 120-150 words. You have 20 minutes. Use formal English
here. Remember to open and close your letter appropriately.
Speaking parte 1:

La primera parte consiste en contestar a 3 preguntas simples teniendo 30 segundos para

contestar a cada pregunta. Suelen referirse a tus gustos, hobbies, el tiempo y la familia.
Ten cuidado porque las preguntas van encaminadas a ciertos usos de la gramática y Use
of English. Por ejemplo, si te preguntas: Where did you go on your last holidays? Lo
coherente sería contestar en pasado con buen uso de tiempo.

Vamos a ver algunas de las preguntas típicas del speaking Aptis y en paréntesis trucos y
palabras:

Tell us about your family. (take after = parecerse a, siblings = genérico para hermanos y
hermanas, look alike = somos parecidos físicamente, are alike = somos parecidos en
carácter)

Where did you last go on holidays? (uso de verbos en pasado, used to ó would =solía)

What do you like doing in your free time? (adv. de frecuencia: usually, on and off, once
in a blue moon)

Tell us about your job. (I work AS= trabajo como, my calling = mi vocación, uso del
Presente Perfecto al hablar del tiempo que llevas trabajando)

What is the weather like today? (adverbios y adjetivos: pretty chilly =bastante fresco,
rather warm= más bien caluroso)

Speaking parte 2:

La segunda parte del speaking del Aptis consiste de nuevo en contestar a 3 preguntas,
pero ésta vez con una media de 45 segundos de respuesta para cada. Lo diferente de ésta
parte es que tienes una imagen en la que inspirarte. Las preguntas suelen ser:
Family eating dinner

Describe this picture (in the background = en el fondo, it looks like= parece, it might be
= puede que sea, perhaps = tal vez)

Why is it important an activity like that? (Due to the fact = debido a que, I guess =
supongo que, rather significant = bastante importante, etc)

Tell us about an activity, sport, custom..in your country. (To my mind = en mi

opinión, A striking activity might be… = una actividad diferente podría ser, namely =
por ejemplo)

Speaking parte 3:

Ahora tienes los mismos segundos para contestar a 3 preguntas en las que tienes que
comparar 2 imágenes. Bastante parecido al First o al CAE.

Backpakers traveling.
Family having fun in surf.

Tell me what you see in the two pictures (The one above = la que arriba, the one below=
la que está abajo, show/picture = muestra, landscape =paisaje, meadow = un prado,
countryside = campo, urban area =cuidad, a borough = un barrio, by the beach= en la
playa etc.)

Which of these two places/activities, sports..would it be better to? (As far as I am

concerned = en mi opinión, rather better =casi mejor, no matter how cheap = por muy
barato que sea, The pros/advantages/ positive aspects= los puntos a favor, the
cons/negative aspects= los puntos en contra etc)

What would it be like to…? (utiliza probabilidades: Perhaps = tal vez, It’s likely to be
better = es probable que sea mucho más mejor, the odds are high = las probabilidades
son alta de que, etc.)

Speaking parte 4:

La parte más chula de todo el examen, al menos es la que más nos gusta. Tienes 1
minuto para pensar y 2 para contestar. Ésta es la parte que te va a asegurar el B2 o
incluso el C en el título Aptis General. Así pues, evita los “I don’t know” o los
“eehhm”. Te recomendamos que no empieces a redactar en el corto minuto que tienes
para preparar el speaking, sino en hacer un esquema o apuntes palabras claves.
Recuerda que tienes que mantener el registro a lo largo de los 2 minutos. Suelen ser
preguntas más abstractas y relacionadas con tus experiencias.

Successful man.

What is success? Tell us about a successful project/activity you carried out? What
recommendations do you give to people who want to be successful?

What is motivation from your point of view? do praise and rewards motivate people?
How do you get yourself motivated?