LISTENING PRACTICE TERM1

Oral Comprehension
understand questi ons • understand respons es

1 Listen to the radio interview about a board game collection. Then match A to B to form
sentences. There is one extra answer.
A B
1. Nina Dawson ..... a. is an online forum for gamers.
2. Chris Williams ..... b. is a famous film and card game.
3. boardgamegeek ..... c. has a large board game collection.
4. Godzilla ..... d. has been around for over 100 years.
5. The Corleones ..... e. are a powerful crime family.
..... f. has a radio show.

2 Listen again and complete the sentences

1. Several games in Chris’ collection are based on .................................................................. .
2. Board games allow us to interact more with .................................................................. .
3. There are .................................................................. in Chris’ collection.
4. Chris calls .................................................................. one of the greatest films of all time.
5. The only problem with The Godfather: Corleone’s Empire is .................................................................. .

READING PRACTICE TERM1

Written Comprehension
understand main ideas • understand relevant details

1 Read the interview in a fashion magazine. Then correct the false sentences by
changing the words in bold.

The Incredible Virgil Abloh

Generation Z idol, genius and star are
just some of the titles Virgil Abloh had
earned by the time he died in 2021 at
the age of 41. French fashion consultant
Marie Bonnet tells us about the American
designer’s life.

In your words, Marie,

who was Virgil Abloh?

Virgil Abloh

MB: Virgil Abloh was an extremely creative man. He was born in the US in 1980 to
immigrants from Ghana. Abloh’s mother made clothes, and he learned the basics of
clothing design from her. However, he never intended to make it his career. By the time he
 entered the world of fashion, he had already completed his studies in civil engineering and
architecture. Abloh’s rise to fame began when he started working at the Italian fashion
house Fendi in 2009. There he met the famous rapper and designer Kanye West. This was
a very important moment in Abloh’s life.
Tell us more about it.
MB: Well, in 2011, West asked Abloh to be the artistic director for an album he was
recording with Jay-Z. After a successful collaboration with West, Abloh created a brand of
street clothing called Off-White. Off-White is best known for its luxurious clothing – and its
very high price tags! His brand quickly became popular, and it hasn ’t stopped gaining fans.
Today, clients include everyone from teenagers to pop stars, rappers and celebrities like
Rihanna.
Soon, Abloh’s exceptional talent was noticed. In 2018, the glamorous fashion house Louis
Vuitton invited him to become the artistic director for its line of men ’s clothing, making him
the first man of African descent to lead that departm ent. Abloh was even asked to design a
collection of everyday objects for the Swedish furniture giant IKEA! By the time the
collection came out in 2019, Abloh had just learned that he was suffering from a rare form
of cancer.
What was Abloh’s greatest contribution to the world of fashion?
MB: Two things come to mind. First, he brought street clothes back to fashion with a range
of stylish T-shirts, hoodies and trainers. Second, by the time he died, he had raised over a
million dollars to support education for the next generation of black fashi on leaders. Virgil
Abloh was an unforgettable designer but also a man with a beautiful heart!

1. Virgil Abloh immigrated from Ghana in 1980. ..................................................................

2. Abloh entered the fashion world during his university studies. ..................................................................
3. Abloh became famous when he started working for the fashion house Louis
Vuitton. ..................................................................
4. Abloh was asked to record an album with Kanye West and Jay-Z. ..................................................................
5. Today, celebrities like Rihanna design Off-White clothes. ..................................................................

2 Complete the sentences.

1. An early source of Abloh’s interest in fashion was ...........................................................
........................................................................................................................................................................................... .
2. Before Abloh became a fashion designer, he was planning to be
........................................................................................................................................................................................... .
3. Abloh’s brand of street clothing is very popular even though ................................
........................................................................................................................................................................................... .
4. Virgil Abloh was the first African-American man to ...........................................................
.......................................................................................... at the fashion house of Louis Vuitton.
5. Marie Bonnet calls Abloh “a man with a beautiful heart” because he
wanted to encourage other black people to ............................................................................
........................................................................................................................................................................................... .
ANSWERS OF THE EXERCISES
LISTENING PRACTICE TERM1
1 1. f 2. c 3. a 4. b 5. e
2 1. famous films
2. the other players / family and friends
3. over 500 board games
4. The Godfather
5. the high price tag

READING PRACTICE TERM1

1 1. was born in the US
2. after
3. Fendi
4. be the artistic director for
5. wear / buy / purchase
2 1. his mother
2. a civil engineer / an architect
3. it’s very expensive / it has got a high price tag
4. become the artistic director of / lead the men’s clothing department
5. study fashion / become fashion leaders / succeed in the fashion world