ENGB710D FINAL WRITTEN TEST in the exam period autumn semester 2023/2024

STUDENT'S NAME: ............................................

PAPER ONE: LISTENING COMPREHENSION

Task 1: You will hear a radio discussion about dictionaries. For the following 5 questions choose
an answer – A, B, C or D – which best fits according to what you hear. Highlight your choices.

1. Elaine says she's under pressure at work as a result of

A. the growth of the market.
B. the quality of the competition.
C. the demand for greater profits.
D. the need to manage resources.

2. Elaine decides to include a word in her dictionaries after checking

A. how it is used in the press.
B. whether it is on the database.
C. what her researchers think of it.
D. whether its use is widespread.

3. According to Elaine, in which area of her work has new technology had the greatest
impact?
A. The accuracy of the entries.
B. The speed of the research.
C. The reliability of the data.
D. The quality of the language.

4. According to Tony, what may influence a dictionary compiler's decision to include a

particular term?

A. Technical experience.
B. Reading habit.
C. Personal interest.
D. Objective research.

5. According to Elaine, what prevents dictionary compilers from inventing a word

themselves?

A. Respect for their colleagues.

B. Lack of inspiration.
C. Fear of criticism.
D. Pride in their work.

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 ENGB710D FINAL WRITTEN TEST in the exam period autumn semester 2023/2024
STUDENT'S NAME: ............................................

Task 2: You will hear two friends, Dominic and Sue, talking about formality in the workplace. For
the following 6 statements decide whether the opinions are expressed by one of the speakers, or
whether the speakers agree. Write S for Sue, D for Dominic, or B for both, where they agree.

_____ 1. Today's technology removes the need for open plan offices.

_____ 2. Company policy determines the level of formality required when dealing with others.

_____ 3. Dressing casually for work is not always appropriate.

_____ 4. There are similarities in attitude towards dress between school and the workplace.

_____ 5. Some people need guidance as to what to wear.

_____ 6. Clothes can create artificial differences between work colleagues.

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 ENGB710D FINAL WRITTEN TEST in the exam period autumn semester 2023/2024
STUDENT'S NAME: ............................................

PART TWO: READING COMPREHENSION

Task 1: Read the text below about a young man’s first steps in teaching. Then read questions 1-10
that follow it and choose the best answer to each question – A, B, C or D. Highlight your choices.

LEARNING TO TEACH
"Now don't forget, if there's anybody you find you can't manage, don't hesitate to come and see
me. D-d-don't hesitate." The headmaster of the school where I had elected to do my teaching
practice was trying very hard to console me on my first morning at the school. I'd chosen a
secondary modern just outside Manchester in the hope that if things didn't go all that well for me,
nobody I knew would find out about it. At least I'd be a couple of hundred miles from home.
I was introduced to my class of fourteen-year-old boys by their form master: "Right boys, I don't
want to hear of any trouble from you while our new teacher is taking your class." The thirty faces
assumed a shocked expression at this nasty suggestion but already I could sense from some of the
too innocent looking eyes that they'd quite definitely made up their minds to put me through my
paces.
The class teacher whispered an aside to me before he left me to it: "Watch out for Straker. Back
row, red hair." I glanced at Straker as the door closed behind me and bedlam broke out. I managed
the odd interjection like "I say" but soon the class settled into what I can only describe as just below
the legally accepted decibel limit. It was an English literature lesson in theory and I soon brought
the house down with my rendering of Byron's immortal lines: "He sinks into thy depths with
bubbling groan, without a grave, unknelled, uncoffined and unknown." Although I was not exactly
in the mood to appreciate the humour of it at the time, the class comic managed to squeak out:
"Please sir, we are undone!" To my surprise, the only boy who did not join in this high spirited play
was Straker. As the bell rang for break he sidled up to me: "Break lasts for fifteen minutes, sir."
"Yes, I know", I said in a newly acquired loud voice and like a real bully pushed aside the only lad
who had behaved properly. In the staff room the form teacher hurried up to me and in the same
whispered tone asked me how I'd got on with Straker. "Oh, yes, he was quite all right. It was the –
"but I didn't finish my next sentence. A score of tea-stained cups had halted on the way to their
masters' lips. Something like panic incredulity had invaded the staff room. "Did you say 'all right'?",
"Are you feeling okay, lad?", "Straker – you did say Straker?" I now began to see the need for
whispered care when talking of Straker and started to share the universal apprehension lest Straker
had singled me out for some evil and sadistic purpose.
The rest of that first morning I fought hard against the class and would like fondly to think that I
won, if only by a short head. At the end of my first day I think I would have gladly packed my bags
and gone home if it hadn't been for Straker. Maybe I was blessed with some unknown gift to enable
me to pacify the most untractable boy in the class. I only wished I had the gift to quell the other
twenty-nine.
Soon, however, throughout those weeks I learnt the skill necessary for a teacher. I became expert
at aiming chalk at recalcitrant boys. I learnt the art of talking with my face turned towards the class
while my right hand scribbled furiously away on the blackboard. I did achieve a certain amount of
control over the class – I suppose you might even call it a presence. Mind you, I'd practised hard in
my digs by trying to shout over my gramophone as it played the latest pop tunes full blast. On one
historic occasion I even obtained silence. It was rather frightening really. I thought for one awful
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 ENGB710D FINAL WRITTEN TEST in the exam period autumn semester 2023/2024
STUDENT'S NAME: ............................................
moment that the excessive decibels had momentarily struck me deaf. Straker looked delighted.
Then to my disappointment I saw the headmaster standing outside and realised that it was his
presence and not mine that had silenced these exuberant children.
Meantime I was battling on in my quest to become a qualified teacher. I had acquired a certain
fame among the staff who had seen me talking unarmed to Straker – they themselves watching from
a safe distance. Even the head nodded in wonder as he passed me in the corridor. My tutor visited
me to see a few of my lessons and seemed satisfied and it wasn't long after that when I had to say
my goodbyes. The class cheered me at the end of my last lesson with them as if to utilise their last
chance of vocal freedom and I thankfully packed up to leave on my way back to London. When I
reached the entrance hall, I paused to cast one last look at the classroom where it had all happened
and I noticed Straker rushing up to me. "Oh, I just wanted to say good bye, sir." I no doubt broke
the academic code by thanking him for making life with the rest of his class bearable. "Oh, think
nothing of it sir. I'm not from these parts originally, I come from Sheffield, you see, sir." I didn't
quite see the connection. "Well, what difference does that make?" I asked. "Well, you know what
they say sir?" "No", I said quietly realising that I was now about to learn all. "You see, sir, it's like
my dad's never tired of telling me. Us foreigners, we must always stick together."

1. The narrator had chosen to do his teaching practice in that particular school because
A. he had no experience in dealing with primary school children.
B. he himself was originally from Manchester.
C. if he failed, he wouldn’t lose face in front of those who knew him.
D. he knew he could always rely on the headmaster to help him out.

2. When first introduced to his class, the narrator felt

A. quite optimistic about his forthcoming work with the students.
B. well prepared for any kind of challenge of his authority in the classroom.
C. that he had made the right decision in coming to that school.
D. that the boys were already planning how to defy him during his practice.

3. Which of the following statements is NOT true about the narrator’s first lesson?
A. There was a lot of noise and confusion.
B. He tried to organise the boys into performing a play.
C. He tried to spark the boys’ interest by quoting Byron.
D. There were thirty students in the classroom that day.

4. The fact that the narrator had had no problems with Straker in his first class
A. gave him confidence to act like a bully with the rest of the kids.
B. made the form teacher envious of the narrator’s teaching skills.
C. was greeted with disbelief by his colleagues in the staff room.
D. made him certain he was not to expect any future trouble from that student.

5. In the context of the passage, “recalcitrant” (paragraph 5) is closest in meaning to

A. undisciplined.
B. well-behaved.
C. reticent.
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 ENGB710D FINAL WRITTEN TEST in the exam period autumn semester 2023/2024
STUDENT'S NAME: ............................................
D. submissive.

6. During his internship, the narrator tried to learn

A. how to write quickly on the blackboard.
B. how to face the class when running out of chalk.
C. how to speak to the boys in rhythm with music.
D. how to obtain a certain degree of discipline in class.

7. The narrator’s class was once silent because

A. he had become an expert at outshouting the students.
B. their headmaster’s presence had intimidated them.
C. he had tried to teach them some history not literature.
D. Straker had sided with him.

8. At school, the narrator was generally admired for

A. his great skill of teaching literature.
B. his ability to make his class work as a team.
C. his success in quelling Straker.
D. his good relationship with the headmaster.

9. The narrator had to go back home because

A. he was disillusioned about his teaching competence.
B. he was greatly disappointed by this teaching experience.
C. his tutor was displeased with his slow progress.
D. his internship at the Manchester secondary modern was over.

10. Straker had supported the narrator during his time at the school because
A. he was impressed by his teaching skills.
B. his father had taught him to respect his teachers.
C. he was not from Manchester either.
D. the class teacher had told him to behave well.

Task 2: Read the text below about the beginning of the reality TV show Big Brother. Five
paragraphs have been removed from it. Choose from paragraphs A-F after the text the ones which
best fit each gap 1-5. There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.

SEX, MONEY & VIDEOTAPE

Civilization might have been better served if, on that fateful evening in 1997, John de Mol had
just called it a night and gone to sleep. But he couldn't stop brooding about television. It was close
to midnight, at the end of a long and fruitless brainstorming session, when someone had mentioned

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 ENGB710D FINAL WRITTEN TEST in the exam period autumn semester 2023/2024
STUDENT'S NAME: ............................................
Biosphere 2 – the American media stunt that locked four men and four women in a giant glass
bubble in the desert for two years.
1. _____
After a year of secret work De Mol created a show called Big Brother, in which 24 TV cameras
were trained on a group of young, good-looking men and women cooped up in a house for 100
days. Aired in Holland in September 1999, it arrived just when the world was ready for a new kind
of boob-tube content: reality TV. Love it or loathe it, this kind of show has fundamentally changed
how television operates – and has made John de Mol a very rich guy.
2. _____
Reality TV doesn't cost a lot to produce. No accident that a frugal Dutchman saw the potential
and took it much further than Survivor's creators (idea man Charlie Parsons and dealmaker Mark
Burnett, both Brits). "This changes the whole profit model of television," gloats De Mol. An hour of
Big Brother cost $286,000 during the first season (it's more now). An average half hour of a U.S.
sitcom costs $1.3 million. Reality TV also provides plenty of room to develop other sources of
revenue, from premium-price call-in charges to database marketing.
3. _____
And so began a global epidemic. The day after Big Brother premiered on Sept. 16, 1999
everybody agreed it was voyeuristic, including Holland's Queen Beatrix. That didn't stop her
countrymen from peeking. By the season finale, on Dec. 30, around two-thirds of Holland was
tuned in.
4. _____
If the Americans wanted Big Brother, they would have to bid for it on De Mol's terms, which
meant coming to visit the show's set not far from Hilversum. The town, a leafy bedroom community
40 minutes from Amsterdam, has been a center of Dutch TV and radio production ever since Philips
built some of the country's first studios there in the 1920s. "I've never seen American TV executives
jump on a plane so quickly," recalls Gary Carter, Endemol's former executive director for
international programming.

5. _____
It wasn't long before the stock market took notice. After the 1996 initial public offering, at $24
a share, Endemol stock rose only incrementally, until Big Brother boosted the shares to $100 in
early 2000 as takeover rumors swirled. De Mol sold out to Telefonica, the Spanish phone giant, at
$153 a share in stock. On his terms. At 4 a.m. on March 17, 2000, the day of a press conference
announcing the deal, De Mol was still waiting for the Telefonica team so they could all sign the
papers. He donned his coat and declared that unless Telefonica arrived within 15 minutes, he was
going home. "He would have, too," says an executive who was with him in the room. The
telephone people arrived just in time to go through with their $5.3 billion purchase. De Mol's share
was $1.3 billion, and he wisely hedged away most of his exposure (the phone stock is down 64%
since then). He signed a contract giving him autonomy in return for a promise to stay on for five
years.
(Adapted from ‘Forbes’, March 17th, 2003)
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 ENGB710D FINAL WRITTEN TEST in the exam period autumn semester 2023/2024
STUDENT'S NAME: ............................................

A. What's novel about such programming has little to do with scraping new lows in entertainment.
The revolution is as much economic – specially in the U.S. Along with Endemol's Fear Factor,
shows like Joe Millionaire and American Idol (both non-Endemol productions) are drawing much
higher ratings than a lot of standard prime-time programs, giving line-ups a good shakedown. And
they're changing the way networks pay for programming. With few exceptions, reality shows are
profitable from Day One for the studios that make them. The typical sitcom or drama pays off later,
when it gets to re-runs, or never at all.

B. The Dutch weren't the only ones glued to the show. At Mipcom, the industry's trade fair in
Cannes that October, executives from around the world stormed Endemol's booth for the chance to
license the Big Brother format. With a couple dozen game shows, variety programs and reality
dating shows like All You Need Is Love, De Mol had been trying to crack the U.S. market for at
least ten years and never quite managed it. Now suddenly CBS, ABC, Fox and USA Networks were
courting him.

C. There's a lot more money to be made than just selling programming ideas for a fee. The chief
medium for doing that right now is the mobile phone, which is far more prevalent in Europe than in
the U.S. and used far more often to send text messages. Endemol gets 25% to 50% of the message
charges. The money audiences pay to interact with Endemol programming, including messaging,
delivers a fifth of its revenue. Within three years that could double.

D. Not that this human flea circus was an easy sell – even in libertine Holland. Only one Dutch TV
station accepted the idea. Moreover, Veronica, the channel that finally bit, would agree to take Big
Brother only if Endemol ponied up half of the $ 6 million production cost itself in exchange for
about 50% of ad revenues.

E.In February 2000 De Mol signed a deal with CBS President Leslie Moonves, and Big Brother
first aired in the U.S. the following summer, alongside another CBS import, Survivor. CBSpaid $20
million for the first season of Big Brother and $15 million for each subsequent one.

F. At 5 a.m. the next morning, De Mol had his inspiration. "I was hypnotized," recalls the
handsome Dutchman, 47. He runs a TV production company called Endemol (the pharmaceutical-
sounding name comes from the 1994 merger with a Netherlands rival, Joop van den Ende). "I
suddenly started wondering what would happen if you put a bunch of boys and girls together in a
house and put them on television 24 hours a day." He can't claim to have invented the idea; MTV's
Real World was already on the air. But he milked it better.

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 ENGB710D FINAL WRITTEN TEST in the exam period autumn semester 2023/2024
STUDENT'S NAME: ............................................
PAPER THREE: USE OF ENGLISH

Task 1: For items 1-10, read the text below and mark the best answer A, B, C or D for each gap.

THEME HOLIDAYS IN SCOTLAND

If you like to build your holiday around a theme or a particular 0 _B_, there are many opportunities
for you. The Scottish Tourist Board publishes an excellent 1 __, Adventure and Special Interest
Holidays in Scotland, containing 2 __of dozens of ideas for different holidays, together with
addresses to 3 __. Write for a copy to any of their offices.

You can, for example, go on an archaeological holiday and be 4 __ to the many prehistoric 5 __
on the Solway Coast and the Early Christian remains at Whithorn. For creative people, there are any
number of arts and crafts courses that offer instruction as well as 6 __. Subjects range from painting
and music to wood-carving and silver-smithing. Outdoor 7 __ can choose from a wide range too –
from bird watching to camping, from gliding to golf.

If you’ve always wanted to see the west 8 __ of Scotland from the sea but haven’t got your own
boat and prefer an experienced hand at the helm, try STA Schooners. They 9 __ week-long voyages
in the Tall Ship Malcolm Miller, a 300-ton schooner. If you are lucky with the weather and can
10 __ this, this could be the ideal holiday for you.

0. A action B activity C act D acting

1. A flyer B catalogue C leaflet D journal
2. A data B facts C information D details
3. A visit B contact C approach D correspond
4. A invited B referred C introduced D presented
5. A situations B sites C sights D sightings
6. A relaxation B learning C improvement D recuperation
7. A experts B trainers C activists D enthusiasts
8. A bank B shore C coast D seaside
9. A set B run C take D stage
10. A buy B afford C pay D spend

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 ENGB710D FINAL WRITTEN TEST in the exam period autumn semester 2023/2024
STUDENT'S NAME: ............................................
Task 2: For questions 1-15 read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space.
use only one word in each space.

Budding Writers
What do Charles Dickens and Ernest Hemingway (0)__have___ in common? The answer is
that, along (1)__________ many other famous novelists, their writing careers began on a local
newspaper. Today, (2)__________ its somewhat tarnished reputation, journalism still remains one
of the few career paths open to the budding writer (3)__________ his or her best to earn a living.
(4)__________ is more, many aspiring novelists are to be found biding their time on the staff of
regional newspapers.
It is (5)__________ exaggerating, however, to say that good writers are of (6)__________
or no value to a newspaper (7)__________ they do not know how to set about finding stories.
Junior reporters have to devote hours to the cultivation of contacts who will (8)__________ them
supplied with the type of stories their readers have become (9)_________to seeing in print.
Newspapers also require a particular style. The graduate entrant to journalism, all of
(10)__________expedience and training is based on essay writing, may find the discipline required
in writing a news report rather (11)__________ daunting prospect. The philosophy of the
newspaper is quite simple, (12)__________ the fact that there are thousands of words competing
(13)__________ a limited number of columns. In addition, the average reader only spends at
(14)__________ twenty-two minutes reading a paper, so brevity is (15)__________ utmost
importance.

Task 3: For questions 1-10, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some
of the lines to form a word that fits in the space at the end of the same line.

In Good Voice
There is little to (0)__disagree__ about in the notion that a good voice, (0) AGREE
whether in opera or rock music, is one which moves its audience and one
which brings a sense of release and fulfilment to the singer. But
contemporary pop and rock music have come about due to
(1)___________ advances in technology. Here, the impact of the (1) SUBSTANCE
microphone should not be (2)____________ , as it has quite successfully (2) ESTIMATE
indeed (3)___________ the magnification of quiet, intimate sounds. (3) ABLE
This, in turn, allows the singer to experiment with the (4)____________ (4) EMPHATIC
on mood rather than on strict (5)____________ to proper breathing and (5) ADHERE
voice control.
Donna Soto-Morettin, a rock and jazz vocal trainer, feels that
(6)____________ reasons may account for the raspy sound produced by (6) ANATOMY
certain rock singers. Her (7)____________ is that swollen vocal chords, (7) SUSPECT
which do not close properly, may allow singers to produce deeper notes.
She does not, however, regard this as detracting (8)___________ from (8) NOTICE
the value of the sound produced. Singing, she maintains, has an almost
(9)___________ quality and so our response to it has more (9) SEDUCE
(10)____________than its technical qualities. (10) SIGNIFY

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 ENGB710D FINAL WRITTEN TEST in the exam period autumn semester 2023/2024
STUDENT'S NAME: ............................................
Task 4: For items 1-5, write a new sentence as similar as possible in meaning, using the word
given in capitals without changing it in anyway. Use between 3 and 8 words, including the word
given.

1 The plane won’t be arriving for another hour or so.

DUE
The plane _____________________________________________ for another hour or so.
2 He wore a wig and sunglasses, so that nobody would recognize him.
AVOID
In _________________________________________________, he wore a wig and sunglasses.

3 Although he was a nice man, many people did not like him.
DISLIKED
Despite ___________________________________________________ many people.
4 The company couldn’t open a new office owing to a lack of funds.
PREVENTED
The lack ______________________________________________________a new office.

5 Mr. Jones is the person who deals with customers.

CHARGE
Mr. Jones _________________________________________________ with customers.

Task 5: For questions 1-4, find one word only which can be used appropriately in all three
sentences without change of form.

1  Nowadays, many scientists are _________ about the increase in pollution levels and the
effects of global warming.
 All those _________ in the project had to produce a detailed report of their activities.
 This is a deplorable situation and, as far as we are _________ , it is entirely of your own
making.
____________
2  This is a very delicate _________, so I think we’d better discuss it in private.
 The latest _________ of Music Magazine contains an article about child prodigies.
 I don’t want to make an _________ of it, but I was very disappointed by the way you
behaved at the cinema last night.
____________
3  Katherine and her sister look so alike that I simply can't _________ them apart.
 I expect the boss is going to _________ me off for not getting my work done on time
again.
 I bought my niece a toy clock because she's just learning to _________ the time.
____________
4  I didn't want to arrive late so I left earlier than I needed to, just to be on the _________
side.
 Since they haven't phoned to tell us otherwise, I think it's _________ to assume that
they're still coming to see us next weekend.
 Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what you've just told me - your secret is _________
with me.
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 ENGB710D FINAL WRITTEN TEST in the exam period autumn semester 2023/2024
STUDENT'S NAME: ............................................
____________
PAPER FOUR: SUMMARY WRITING

In a paragraph of between 50 and 70 words, summarize in your own words as far as possible what
is said in the two texts to be the role played by designers in the creation of products.

Text 1
Designers do not manufacture things. All good designers ask questions of their client and
spend time helping the client to clarify what he or she really wants. If the product is to be made to
the designer's specifications, then the designer must ensure that the factory has the tools and the
intelligence and that each element specified is practicable. On complex jobs several product
engineers will be involved, today with computer-aided software packages, to help to realize a
design precisely. The greatest difference between the designer and the single independent
craftsperson is that the craftsperson does not have the problem of communicating his or her
intentions to others for translation into objects. The designer, however, must make his or her
intentions explicit – communication is at the heart of design.
Since the early 1950s, the activity of designing has been the subject of systematic and
scientific analysis, it has been codified into set procedures, and it has become institutionalized by
manufacturing corporations as part of the overall identity of the company. Designing the way a
company looks and presents itself, and giving a 'family' look to the design of the company's
products, is an intricate and serious business. Designers visualize a company's ideology and their
visualizations communicate that ideology to the world.
But design has not been thoroughly institutionalized. Design has also been claimed as art. Or,
as Ettore Sottsass, a designer of enormous influence, once said: 'To me design is a way of building
up a possible figurative utopia or metaphor about life. Certainly to me design is not restricted to the
necessity of giving form to a more or less stupid product for a more or less sophisticated industry.'

Text 2
What is the proper role of a designer? Some have suggested that designers differ from
engineers in that an engineer, although he or she might proceed intuitively, prefers to test and test,
whereas a designer is entirely happy with intuitive judgments. But, unlike an engineer, a designer is
not responsible for the structural failure of the product. This is not to imply that only engineers have
responsibility for malfunction. Designers have a share of responsibility, especially in the design of
the 'human/machine interface' – can this machine be operated safely at all times, are the switches,
dials, levers or handles in the right place for a human to use effortlessly? The disciplines of
ergonomics and product semantics are the disciplines of the designer's responsibility to the user.
The design-to-manufacture-to-sales-to-user process is a continuum. Between 'a designer' and
'a production line' there are many interpreters. These individuals (and their computers), together
with other specialists such as marketing experts, exist to get an idea into reality and also to filter out
as many uncertainties as possible before a design goes into production. Each person contributes to a
design and although a designer may provide an important stylistic signature it is important not to
confuse the idea of 'the designer' with that of 'the fine artist'.
Many modern designs, especially if we consider domestic consumer goods, office equipment,
power tools, automobiles and aircraft, are not the fruits of one individual's mind, even if it can be
beneficial from a marketing point of view to play up a single designer's name as a signature that
gives a product a provenance in the same way that a painter signs his or her canvas. In relatively
simple, fabricated, non-mechanical objects, such as printed textiles or tableware, or furniture, a
single designer can claim responsibility for the design of the whole product. However, even here it
is possible that others will interpret the designer's design so that it can be manufactured more easily.

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 ENGB710D FINAL WRITTEN TEST in the exam period autumn semester 2023/2024
STUDENT'S NAME: ............................................
THE SUMMARY

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