Intermediate Skills Test 3B

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
are using a 3D printer to print a small part of a plane. Little by little, the piece – which is about
1
the size of a shoe – is formed. ___ At some point, they’d like to be able to print an entire
wing.
In principle, 3D printing works in the same way as printing a document. You click on the print
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button on a computer to send a digital file to the printer. ___ Special software designs each of
the layers and sends the description to the printer.
However, 3D printing is not new. Engineers and designers have been using the technique for
over fifteen years now. In the beginning, they only used it to build the first model of a product.
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___ Companies have started using 3D printing to make the final product.
But why use 3D printing in the first place? To start with, it’s much cheaper, because you use
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less material. Imagine you want to make a metal circle. ___ 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
friendly. They are also much lighter than those produced in a factory, and that can be very
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important in the aircraft industry. ___ How long will it be before 3D printers can create every
part of a plane? Only time will tell.

A But rather than using ink on paper, a material is printed in thin layers to form a solid object.
B 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.

C But today’s 3D printers are far more advanced, and they can work with materials like metals and plastics.
D But this is nothing compared to their ambitions for the future.
E And manufacturers don’t have to switch the machines off.
F In a factory, a machine cuts the circle from a sheet of metal, wasting a lot of the metal.

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
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The American crime drama True Detective is a series with _________ parts.
2 3
The story follows a crime investigation that ended with identifying a _________ . In the year _________ , the detectives
involved in the investigation – Rustin Cohle and Martin Hart – have to help with a new inquiry because some new evidence
has been found.

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 The first of the mysteries in the series is to find the person responsible for the crime. The second is to discover why Cohle
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and Hart are no longer _________ .
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The _________ of the series is Cary Joji Fukunaga 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. Write one word in each space. Sometimes more than one word may be possible.
1
Experts have predicted that sales of drones, that is small planes controlled by someone on the ground, _________ grow
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dramatically in the next few years. Right now that doesn’t seem very _________ because of the laws about using them.
3
The government is worried about the possibility that a drone _________ cause a serious accident if it flies too close to a
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plane. That’s why people _________ fly drones need to get a special licence. There are also rules about where drones
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can fly. If the drone goes too high or too near a building or another person, the pilot will _________ lose his or her licence.
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Companies hope that governments will _________ changed the laws by the end of the decade, which will open up the
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skies to drones. Online retailers have _________ experimenting with drones for years, and they will be ready to jump into
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action as soon as the laws change. Where they _________ to deliver their goods by road, they will now be delivering
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them by drone. We will _________ seeing drones carrying medicine from factories to hospitals and the emergency
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services will use drones to look _________ people lost in the mountains. At some point in the future we may even get
our pizzas delivered by drone.

Mark: ___/10

Writing
4 Imagine you have arranged to stay with a friend next month, but you have to change your travel plans.
Write an email (120–150 words) to your friend. Include the information below.
• how you feel about visiting your friend
• explain why you have to change your travel plans
• give details of your new plans
• ask if you need to take anything special

Mark: ___/10

5 Imagine you and your friends are interested in booking a city break. Write a formal letter
(120–150 words) asking for information. Include the information below.
• where you saw the city break advertised
• ask two questions about meals
• ask about the location of the hotel
• ask for a programme of the different excursions

Mark: ___/10

Total: ___/50

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