Unit 2 Progress Test A

Grammar

1 Complete the sentences with one word in each gap. Sometimes more than one answer is possible.
1 Hundreds of years ago, travelling by sea was __________ quicker __________ trying to make the same journey
overland.
2 Although riding a camel is nothing __________ as tiring __________ walking, it is still hard work.
3 ___________ longer the journey, __________ more supplies travellers had to take.
4 Steve and Jamie are identical twins. The only way to tell the difference between them is that Steve is __________ taller
than his brother, and his face is a __________ rounder.
5 One of __________ scariest films ever made, Hitchcock’s Psycho is a lot __________ frightening than many modern
horror films, mainly because of its terrifying shower scene.
6 The guitar isn’t __________ difficult to play as many other instruments, which is why it is one of the __________
popular to learn.

Mark: ____ / 6

2 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the adjectives and adverbs in brackets. Add any other
necessary words.
1 Although not _________________________ (famous) as her sister Penélope, Mónica Cruz is also a talented actress.
2 _________________________ (tough) the climb, the less likely it is that the whole team will reach the top.
3 We played a lot _________________________ (well) the other team in the second half.
4 I’m just _________________________ (strong) the boys, but I’m not allowed to play in the school team.
5 The last test was nowhere _________________________ (hard) the previous one.
6 At school, we can dress _________________________ (casually) on Fridays than we do the rest of the week.

Mark: ____ / 6

3 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
1 Sorry, I didn’t mean _______________ (upset) you. Will you forgive me?
2 You’d better not _______________ (go) to school today if your stomach is hurting.
3 When Evie opened the front door, she heard people _______________ (talk) in the kitchen.
4 _______________ (do) a part-time job at weekends can be fun.
5 The government should stop people _______________ (ride) electric scooters on the pavement.
6 I’d rather _______________ (have) a salad than a pizza. It’s healthier.
7 As James looked out of the window, he saw four men _______________ (get out) of a car parked outside his house.
8 Don’t forget ___________ (call) your aunt – it’s her birthday!

Mark: ____ / 8

Solutions Gold Upper-Intermediate Tests 1 Unit 2 Progress Test A

Vocabulary

4 Match sentences 1–5 with adjectives a–g. There are two extra adjectives.

1 My computer keeps crashing and I can’t finish my homework. a amused

2 I feel so sad when it’s wet and grey outside. b ashamed

3 We live in a tiny flat, while Olivia’s got an enormous house with a swimming pool. c eager

4 I didn’t do the right thing, and I feel really bad about that now. d envious

5 It was so funny. It was hard not to laugh. e frustrated

f grateful

g miserable

Mark: ____ / 5

5 Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first. Use an idiom that includes
the word in brackets.
1 I’ve lost my keys and I’m feeling really exasperated. I’ve looked everywhere for them. (tearing)
I’ve lost my keys and I’m ______________________________. I’ve looked everywhere for them.
2 Katie told a lie because she didn’t want to feel embarrassed in front of her friends. (face)
Katie told a lie because she didn’t want to ______________________________ in front of her friends.
3 We all felt very sad when our holiday ended. (dumps)
We all felt ______________________________ when our holiday ended.
4 Adam’s mum is going to be angry when he tells her how many exams he’s failed. (top)
Adam’s mum is going to ______________________________ when he tells her how many exams he’s failed.
5 I was absolutely thrilled when I won the painting competition. (moon)
I was ______________________________ when I won the painting competition.

Mark: ____ / 5
6 Complete the text with suitable prepositions.

You’re a teenager? Guilty!

I know I was 1________ fault when I took my chewing gum out of my mouth and placed it on
the back of the seat in front of me on the bus. It wasn’t as if I did it 2________ mistake. I knew
exactly what I was doing. However, the reaction of the bus driver, who saw me do it in his
rear-view mirror, was completely out of order. He stopped the bus, shouted at me, and told me
I was 3________ arrest for vandalism. He was so furious I thought he was going to explode.
I apologised 4________ once and picked up the chewing gum, but he continued to shout.
‘5________ that case,’ I said, ‘I’ll get off the bus.’ And I did. I realised later that he had only
shouted at me because I’m a teenager – he couldn’t really arrest me! If I had been an adult,
he might have been angry, but he wouldn’t have shouted in that way.

Mark: ____ / 5

Solutions Gold Upper-Intermediate Tests 2 Unit 2 Progress Test A

7 Complete the sentences with the words below. There are two extra words.

deter prevention property rate scene violent wave

1 Take crime _______________ seriously. Put a lock on your bicycle.

2 Detectives are at the crime _______________ looking for clues as to why the victim was murdered.
3 _______________ crimes such as assault and murder are falling.
4 Police arrested a man after discovering a large amount of stolen _______________ in his flat.
5 The crime _______________ in this area has started to fall. It is down by 10%.

Mark: ____ / 5
Use of English

8 Read the dialogues and choose the correct answers.

Dialogue 1
Bella Can we talk about doing the shopping?
Jack Oh! _____
Bella Well, you haven’t, have you? I think it’s probably your turn now.
A You should have said something earlier.
B So, how can we resolve this?
C You must feel that I haven’t bought anything recently.

Dialogue 2
Rick We need to agree on some rules for the flat.
Diana _____

Rick I thought perhaps we could talk about when we can have visitors round.
A Can I have a word with you?
B What did you have in mind?
C I didn’t want to bring it up.

Dialogue 3
Erica What’s up, Ryan?
Ryan _____

Erica Oh, sorry. I’ll turn it down.

A It’s midnight and we aren’t supposed to play loud music after 11.00 p.m.
B You must feel that I’m not helping enough.
C It’s very late and I thought perhaps we could agree on a time.

Dialogue 4
Emily Hello, Charlotte.
Charlotte Hi, Emily. _____

Emily Of course. What about?

A What did you have in mind?

B It’s just that we need some rules for the flat.
C Can I have a word with you?

Solutions Gold Upper-Intermediate Tests 3 Unit 2 Progress Test A

 Dialogue 5
Rob Is there anything else?
Ian _____

Rob Oh dear. What’s the problem?

A Could we possibly agree on something?
B I didn’t want to bring up the subject, but I have to.
C You must know that it isn’t right.

Mark: ____ / 5
Translation

9 Translate the Polish parts of the sentences into English.

1 Public transport is expensive, but __________________________________________ (jest dużo bardziej wydajny)
than it used to be.
2 I thought she was out of town, but then ___________________________________ (widziałam ją, jak robiła zakupy)
at the local supermarket.
3 I’m not sure about the water here. We ______________________________________________ (lepiej jej nie pijmy).
4 I love Venice and I ____________________________________________ (nigdy nie zapomnę, jak pojechałem tam)
for the first time.
5 Although Ethan has grown a lot this year, he ______________________________________ (nie jest tak wysoki jak)
his brother.

Mark: ____ / 10
Listening

10  Listen to a conversation between a teen and his older sister. Choose the correct answers.
1 Alex believes that Marcus
A has made a big mistake.
B is in some kind of trouble.
C is about to do something he might regret.
D has stolen some money.
2 At first, Rosie doesn’t think that
A Marcus will get caught by the police.
B the ticket will ever win a big prize.
C Marcus will try to collect the prize money.
D Marcus will get away with his plan.
3 Which of the following is stated as fact, not opinion?
A If you find a lottery ticket, you can claim the prize.
B If your lottery ticket wins, you have about six months to collect the money.
C If you find a lottery ticket, you have to send it to the lottery company.
D If no one claims the prize of a lost ticket, the company gives the money to the finder.

Solutions Gold Upper-Intermediate Tests 4 Unit 2 Progress Test A

 4 Rosie agrees that Marcus
A should not collect the prize money.
B will go to prison if he collects the prize money.
C deserves to go to prison if he collects the prize money.
D has probably stolen something before.
5 How does Alex feel about talking to Marcus again?
A alarmed
B anxious
C eager
D upbeat

Mark: ____ / 5
Reading

11 Read the text. Match questions 1–5 with sections A–C.

Solving the world’s problems

A When Hannah Herbst discovered that there are still around 1.3 billion people in the world
without electricity, she set out to find a solution. Realising that most human settlements lie within
ten kilometres of a water source, she came up with the Beacon, a device that uses energy from
waves to create electricity. Her invention consists of a hollow plastic tube with a propeller at one
end and a generator at the other. As the propeller goes around, the tidal energy of the waves is
converted into electricity by the generator. After designing a computer model of the Beacon,
Hannah printed a 3D prototype which has already been successfully tested. Her invention works
best with ocean waves, but it can also be used on lakes and rivers.
B Doing space research is incredibly expensive due to the exorbitant cost of sending heavy
equipment into orbit. Thanks to Rifath Shaarook and his team of space enthusiasts, this
problem is in the process of being solved. Rifath spent his childhood staring through a telescope
with his father before teaming up with five other teenagers who shared his passion. Together,
they spent four years creating KalamSat, the lightest satellite in the world. The device looks like
a 3.8 cm3 box. It is made from 3D-printed plastic reinforced with carbon fibres. Complete with
instruments, it weighs only 64 g. KalamSat has already been successfully launched to test the
material it is made from. As planned, it spent twelve minutes collecting data and then fell back
down to Earth, landing in the sea.
C Marine oil spills happen when millions of barrels of oil pour into the sea. As well as
polluting the water for miles around and instantly killing thousands of sea birds and animals,
these disasters also cause hidden environmental damage. Shocked by news reports about
deformed fish and baby dolphins dying at six times the usual rate, Keiana Cavé decided to find
out what was having such an impact on the wildlife. She began her research aged fifteen and
discovered that oil reacts with the sun to form toxic chemicals when it remains on the ocean
surface. Receiving $1.2 million in funding, Keiana went on to develop a method for identifying
these chemicals. She is currently working on a way of breaking them up so that the damage
they cause is not as great.

Which paragraph mentions a young person who …

1 collaborated in a group to come up with an invention? _____
2 used a natural phenomenon to help solve a problem? _____
3 had to discover the cause of a problem before trying to solve it? _____
4 invented something which will make life easier for other people? _____
5 designed something that is not intended to function for long periods of time? _____

Mark: ____ / 5

Solutions Gold Upper-Intermediate Tests 5 Unit 2 Progress Test A

Writing

12 Read the task below. Write a for and against essay (200–250 words).
‘People are increasingly looking online for solutions to their medical problems.’
Write an essay in which you offer arguments for and against using the internet in this way. Include the following
information:

• introduce the topic.

• give arguments for the topic.

• give arguments against the topic.

• summarise the arguments and give your own opinion.

Mark: ____ / 10

Total: ____ / / 75

Solutions Gold Upper-Intermediate Tests 6 Unit 2 Progress Test A