5th Adolescents Final Exam 2010 – Opportunities Intermediate – Units 1 to 6 Page 1

1. Reading Comprehension: Read the following story carefully.

( Paragraph 1) It was the fifth year Susan had run the Sled Dog Race and she wanted very much to
win it. Unfortunately, after an hour into the race, Susan and her sled dog team ran fast down a hill and
crashed into a fallen tree. Although Susan was hurt, she untied her sled and her team of Alaskan husky
dogs and continued the difficult race across the frozen Alaskan wilderness. She was in pain but managed to keep her team of dogs
on the trail. It was freezing cold and heavy snow was falling. The sled dogs were getting tired but Susan saw the finishing line was
very near. No other team had been able to reach it . As a result of her effort and faith, Susan and her team were the first to arrive
at the finishing line.
( Paragraph 2) The Sled Dog Race started in 1925. At that time , a doctor in Alaska was desperately in need of medicine to
stop the spread of diphtheria, a very serious and deadly illness. Only a hospital in Anchorage had the medicine he needed, and it
was 654 km away ! What is more, it was January ( Winter in Alaska!) and of course it was too dangerous to send a boat and too
stormy for his tiny airplane. The only hope was to use several sled dog teams following a trail. So he took a trail called the
Iditarod Trail, which ran through snow-covered mountains. On their way, they passed the medicine from one sled team to
another. Wind and snow and a temperature as low as –51° C did not stop the men and their dogs. The medicine was delivered in
record time and this helped save many lives at that time.
( Paragraph 3) Today the Iditarodl Sled Dog Race follows the old route of the famous medicine run . It is over 1,000 km
long and is considered the hardest race in the world.
( Paragraph 4) Susan was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A. She loved animals and life outdoors. When she was a
teenager, Susan was given a Siberian husky dog so she became very interested in them and in sled races . After reading about the
Iditarod Race, Susan moved to Alaska. She worked at several jobs to earn money to buy herself a sled and a team of husky dogs.
After years of hard work and training, Susan achieved her dream of racing on the Iditarod trail.
( Paragraph 5) In 1978 , at the age of 24, Susan entered the race for the first time and
became the first woman to finish in the top 20 . In 1982 she came in second position . In 1984
she was leading her team across a frozen river when they fell into the frigid water. Her lead
dog managed to pull Susan and the other dogs out of danger. Remarkably, she was safe and
finished the race in second position.
( Paragraph 6 ) In her fourth race, in 1985, a starving animal attacked her dogs, killing two
and injuring eleven. Susan had to leave the race. Another woman, Libby Riddles of Teller, Alaska, became the first woman to win
the Iditarod. In 1986 Susan joined the race again. This time, she won. She won again in 1987. In 1988 she became the first person
ever to win three Iditarod Races in a row. Unbelievably, Susan won for the fourth time in 1990. Her strength and dedication had
made Susan the most famous dog sled racer in the world.
A) Decide if these sentences are true (T) or false (F)
1. (Paragraph 1) Susan had participated five times in the Sled Dog race before.
2. (Paragraph 1) Susan succeeded in winning the race.
3. (Paragraph 2) Boats and airplanes were sent to Anchorage to get medicine.
4. (Paragraph 3) Today the route of the Iditarodl Sled Dog Race is the same as in 1925.
5. (Paragraph 4) Susan decided to move to Alaska because she wanted to run the sled dog race.
6. (Paragraph 5) Susan was rescued by one of her dogs.
7. (Paragraph 6) Susan never abandoned a race.
5th Adolescents Final Exam 2010 – Opportunities Intermediate – Units 1 to 6 Page 2

B) Answer these questions using your words:

1. What difficulties did Susan have to experience in her fifth race?

2. How did the doctor get the medicine he needed ?
3. What made Susan become interested in the Sled Dog race?
4. Would you be able to participate in a race like this? Why (not)?

C) Find words that mean:

 1. Path or way used for travelling : __________________
2. Feeling very hungry: ____________________

2. Multiple Choice:

1. Jerry is a travel writer. At the moment, he_______________ a book about his trip to Northern Europe.
A. is writing B. has written C. writes

2. Janet couldn’t participate in the competition because she turned ____________ late.
A. out B. off C. up

3. The view of the lake with the mountains behind ___________ amazing.
A. is looking B. looks C. was looking

4. I was late and the party room was empty. When I arrived, everybody ________________.
A. was leaving B. left C. had left

5. Now she drives her car everywhere but she ________________ have a bike.
A. used to B. had C. would

6. If you’re going to the club by bus, remember you should __________ in front of the library.
A. get off B. get out C. go through

7. When I told my parents I wanted to go on holidays with my friends, they looked at _______________ in horror.
A. myself B. each other C. himself

8. I’m travelling next weekend. My bus _______________ at 9:00 am on Friday.

A. is leaving B. leaves C. will leave

9. I didn’t enjoy the book; the story was ___________________ horrible.

A. completely B. very C. not very

10. The film was well-acted but the _____________ wasn’t original at all : A poor girl who wins a

dancing competition and meets a young boy … Always the same.

A. history B. narrative C. plot

5th Adolescents Final Exam 2010 – Opportunities Intermediate – Units 1 to 6 Page 3

3. Rewrite the following sentences so that they express the same meaning. Write between 2 to 5 words and include the
word in bold:

1. The local channel hasn't produced a documentary on wilderness in the area yet. (been)

A documentary on wilderness in the area ___________________________________ the local channel yet.

2. I started writing my diary six months ago and I’m still writing it. (have)

I _________________________________________________________________________________ for six months.

3. Martha argues with Paul all the time so she’s decided to stop her relationship with him. (break)

Martha has decided to ____________________________________ because she argues with him all the time.

4. I called the hotel to make a reservation during the train journey. (by)
 I called the hotel to make a reservation while I __________________________________________________.

5. Mary didn’t accept the invitation because she hates fast food restaurants. (eating)

Mary didn’t accept the invitation because she can’t ___________________________ fast food restaurants.

4. Fill in the blanks: Use the words below and provide the rest . Write only one word in each gap

I’m not particularly keen (1) _________ sports but last year I decided to (2) ___________ up mountain biking. Since I hadn´t (3)
___________ it before I needed to go on a short training course. I also had to (4) ___________ all the necessary
clothing. My bike instructor turned out to be a very skilful teacher. I was very proud when after some weeks he
suggested (5) ___________ from an easy slope to a more difficult one. (6) ___________ I can’t really say I’m a
great biker now, at least I’m not a total beginner any more. And my bike instructor claims that if I keep on
learning, next year mountain biking will be a piece of (7) ___________ for me. I hope he is right! Next year, I’m
(8) ________________ to join an international competition. I’ll have to work (9) ______________ to be able to
show I’m a professional biker but I think I’ll be (10) __________________ and finish in the first positions.
cake done take
5. Word Formation: use the word in capitals at the end of each line to form a word that fits in the space in the same line.
I travel _________________ because of my job and two years ago I fell in love with REGULAR
Barbara on my business trip to London. After _________________ I was just trying BOARD
to put my hand luggage into an overhead locker when a beautiful
flight _______________ offered to help me. I fell for her the moment I set my eyes ATTEND
on her. _________________, Barbara agreed to meet me that evening in London. FORTUNE
That’s how it all started. Since she was _____________ we could see one another ENGLAND
only four, five times a year but we kept in touch by phone and e-mail. Last year
she came to New York for two weeks. At first we had a ______________ time FASCINATE
together but then we had more and more__________________ and our ARGUE
relationship came to an end. Despite this ____________ending we have been HAPPY
good friends till today. Some love stories can be very rewarding, mine was not.
However, you always learn something from a ______________ between two RELATE
people : it is time that has the last word.
ANSWER
5th Adolescents Final Exam 2010 – Opportunities Intermediate – Units 1 to 6 Page 4
1. WHO´S THIS? ____________________________________________________________
6. Writing Ability

Choose ONE of the following writing tasks:

A) Think about something funny that happened to you at school recently and write a letter to a friend telling him/her all
about it.
2. HAS DONALD GOT A HAT? _____________________________________________________________
B) Imagine you want to tell your best friend about your new boyfriend / girlfriend . Write a letter to her/ him and include a
description of this person. Remember to describe his/her personality and character as well as his/her physical
appearance, and to add some examples that justify your description.

C) You want to buy an MP3 player from Mac Store. Write an e-mail to Mac Store Customer Service and ask some
questions you have on the product ( size?, headphones included?, capacity?, radio FM?, colours?, etc)
3. WHAT ´S THIS? ______________________________________________________

4. LOOK AT DAISY. WHAT IS HER FAVOURITE BREAKFAST? ______________________________

5.