test 1assets.cambridge.org/97811076/60410/excerpt/...b he should have chosen to do some more...

Cambridge University Press978-1-107-66041-0 – Objective FirstAnnette Capel Wendy Sharp Helen Chilton and Helen TiliouineExcerptMore information

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Test 1

Test 1Paper 1 (1 hour)

Reading Part 1

Questions 1 – 8

You are going to read a magazine article by a teenage reporter, about a day he spent learning circus skills. For questions 1 – 8, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

Circus school for a dayHanging upside down from the high roof attached to a set of ropes, the blood rushing to my head was the least of my worries. Five metres off the ground, the cords around my waist started to loosen. I could feel myself slipping and grabbed on to the rope with one hand to stop myself crashing down, before I was lowered to the floor. But as I landed, a hook caught my T-shirt and it was nearly pulled off. Five minutes into my training for the circus ring, and surrounded by performers laughing at me, I was already feeling rather silly. And that clumsy start made me all the more nervous about attempting fire-eating later in the day.

It is said that to succeed in the circus, what you primarily need is a lack of fear, with endless enthusiasm coming a close second. By teaching me fire-eating, circus specialist Bryan planned to help me with this. Bryan said the key to the trick was not to breathe in. If you do, you risk sucking the flames inside you and burning your lungs. I could hardly bear to watch him demonstrate. Then it was my turn – I lowered the flames towards my mouth, and although I looked like I was eating something that had been left on a barbecue for too long, I was ready. The flames got lower and lower, and as a small spark fell and burnt my T-shirt, my fear, or common sense, got the better of me and I had to pull away. Although I did get the fire to within a few millimetres of my mouth, I thought I’d leave it to the experts.

I reckoned I had already proved how bold I was when another instructor, Nick, took me through the art of the bungee trapeze. This involves having two elastic bungee ropes tied to either side of you, so you can bounce up and down. To go head over heels and turn a 360-degree somersault, you push back and lift your legs up, and once upside down, lift your head up to get your body upright again. I went for the full 360-degree turn, and after a moment when I thought I’d be stuck upside down forever,

I got all the way around in one go, then was hooked, eventually managing three somersaults in a row.

For my next trick, it was back to the high-wire work, and trapeze expert Moira had to teach me the basics. Moira showed me how it was done as she pulled and swung herself up from the ground onto the trapeze swing in a move that could not have looked smoother or easier if she had been born on a swinging trapeze. Using her hands to grab the bar, she swung her legs up and pulled herself onto it within seconds.

But then it was my turn. With the bar hanging two metres above the ground, climbing it proved a bit of a challenge, but with Moira’s help I did and then was very disappointed when I realised that wasn’t the trick itself, it was only the starting point. The first trick involved leaning to one side, holding yourself with one hand on the rope and lying elegantly flat and extended. There was nothing elegant, flat or extended about my attempt, so we moved on to the second trick, the standing star. You stand upright on the bar, push one foot into one of the side ropes, then lift yourself up by your arms to put the other foot onto the other rope, extend the arms and wait for the audience to bring the house down, if that’s what you deserve. I don’t think my performance would have got such a response in an actual show; I’d have to do a bit more practice first!

So after one day of circus school and clowning, I was pleased to have survived, and asked Nick how he thought I had done. ‘You showed you were very keen and prepared to take on the challenges all the way through, which is important, so there’s nothing to stop you doing this as a hobby if you keep at it. Although I don’t think any circus artists will be too worried about the competition.’

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Paper 1: Reading

1 In the first paragraph, the writer feels

A anxious to entertain the people watching. B concerned about what was ahead of him.C annoyed with the people running the training. D unwilling to risk being injured.

2 What does ‘this’ refer to in line 15?

A success in the circusB having endless enthusiasmC achieving a lack of fearD acquiring fire-eating skills

3 What does the writer say about fire-eating?

A He thought it would be foolish of him to do it.B He couldn’t understand Bryan’s instructions.C He knew it would leave a bad taste in his mouth.D He didn’t manage to keep the fire burning.

4 In the third paragraph, what does the writer tell us about the bungee trapeze?

A He used it in a completely unexpected way.B He saw it as an opportunity to show his courage.C He was lucky to complete the trick safely.D He discovered he really enjoyed this activity.

5 What do we learn about Moira?

A Her methods were rather complicated.B She seemed to move with little effort.C Her upbringing was slightly unusual.D She was quite impatient to get started.

6 What is the writer’s opinion of his performance in the fifth paragraph?

A He did the first trick so well that he tried a different one.B He should have chosen to do some more impressive tricks.C He found it hard to get into position for the first trick.D He thought the first trick he performed was too easy.

7 What does ‘bring the house down’ mean in line 57?

A run about in a crazy mannerB all ask for their money backC become furiousD clap wildly

8 In the last paragraph, Nick suggests that the writer

A could make a career as a circus artist if he wanted to.B should not be afraid to take part in circus competitions.C has the right attitude towards performing circus tricks.D should not be put off by the hard work involved in the circus.






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Test 1

Reading Part 2

Questions 9 – 15

You are going to read an article about a teenage inventor. Seven sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A – H the one which fits each gap (9 – 15). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

Teenage inventor

Not every teenager carries a business card reading ‘Inventor’ and is friends with their town’s mayor. Then again, Gina Gallant was never an average teenager. She was travelling in the car with her family past an enormous rubbish tip when the idea came to her that perhaps the waste materials could be used to make new roads.

Upon returning home, Gina began researching environmentally friendly road-building materials.

9 She had a feeling, however, that plastic, which takes up one third of all space in rubbish tips worldwide, was just the right ingredient.

10 It was, after all, just one of a handful of projects that she had already tackled over the years. Inspired by her father, a chemical technologist, and encouraged by her own natural curiosity, Gina started inventing at a very young age. When she was ten, she developed a substance that remains solid in a liquid base for ten minutes, because she wanted to prevent crackers from going soft when she dipped them in her soup. Gina called her secret ingredient ‘Substance G’.

Her second invention was a bicycle helmet that lights up at the front and at the back when a child wears it correctly. Gina was inspired to invent this when her little brother had an accident on his bike. He could have been seriously hurt, but wasn’t because his bicycle helmet was properly secured. 11 She spent

300 hours working out how to make a standard helmet safe for all kids. According to the Bicycle Helmet Institute, she succeeded. She attached small lights to a standard helmet. The lights only light up when the helmet is on the child’s head in the safest position, leading to a somewhat space-age style which kids love.

But Gina’s introduction to the world of business would take place by converting used plastic milk containers into road surfaces. Gina says, ‘People looked at me as if I was crazy at first.’ 12 This came when the petroleum company where her father worked decided to help her. With them, she learned how to mix plastic with sand and other road-building materials and managed to create the perfect mixture.

13 To do this she suggested the idea of testing the mixture to the mayor of her town. ‘I thought it sounded like a good idea because we’re always faced with the challenge of cutting down our waste,’ he said. The mayor allowed her to use a 500-metre stretch of road outside the town as a test site.

Soon, a number of businesses were interested in becoming involved. One company agreed to provide recycled plastic; another tested the quality of the road surface; and a local company built the actual test road. They told her they would help her with the physical work but she had to lead the team through the process.

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With a great deal of attention from the media, the determined teenager completed her project. She gave a lot of interviews to the press. 15 She said her previous inventions had received media attention in the past so people already knew about her, and when everyone began to take notice of her new project, she had already devoted thousands of hours to it.






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Paper 1: Reading

A Inventing a road-building material was an ambitious new challenge for her, but Gina was not easily put off.

E She was now eager to try out her invention in a real-world situation.

B Although when they heard of her desire to reuse plastic, approximately 70 of them brought their waste plastic to her home.

F The fact that success didn’t just happen overnight was something she always stressed in these.

C Gina happily agreed to take on this responsibility and impressed everybody.

G She carried on with her idea, however, until she finally had a breakthrough.

D It turned out that glass and rubber had been used before, but with poor results.

H As a result of this incident, Gina naturally felt very motivated.






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Test 1

Reading Part 3

Questions 16 – 30

You are going to read an article in which four teenagers talk about their free-time activities and hobbies. For questions 16 – 30, choose from options (A – D). The options may be chosen more than once.Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

Which person has to pay for what they need for their hobby themselves? 16

is grateful for the encouragement they have received from others? 17

stresses the importance of the location for their hobby? 18

says their hobby has been useful for their studies? 19

has found the weather to be a problem at times? 20

wishes a particular person approved of their chosen activity? 21

is rarely satisfied with what they have done? 22

says that their friends don’t always cooperate? 23

sometimes has access to equipment that is not theirs? 24

finds the name of their hobby is sometimes misunderstood? 25

has inspired other people to take up their hobby? 26

considers that they are improving their skills? 27

says that their hobby is less expensive than is sometimes thought? 28

feels a little annoyed by the reaction to them in certain places? 29

makes sure they are always ready to do their activity? 30






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Paper 1: Reading

Free-time activities

A Maria What I really love doing in

my free time is painting. Sometimes when I tell people that, they ask me if I can come and decorate their houses for them, which is quite funny really. My grandfather used

to paint landscapes and I’d go out for the day with him. He gave me a lovely little painting set with all the stuff I needed and I’ve never got rid of it. I prefer painting outdoors when I can, but sometimes my fingers get too cold to hold the brush properly, so I have to take a photograph and finish the picture at home. I also do portraits, but that’s not exactly easy to do well. No one of my age that I know can be bothered to sit still for more than a few minutes! Some art galleries are really cool, and give me the chance to see what real artists have done. Sometimes I’ll stay in front of the same painting for hours on end. I do stand out a bit though; sometimes I think people are staring at me just because of the age I am – which gets on my nerves sometimes!

B Luke You’ll never catch me without

my camera, whatever the weather, just in case. I take loads of pictures, but only one in every 20 or so actually makes it onto my computer, and out of those only a few

will be good enough to keep. I got a camera for my tenth birthday. I lost that one ages ago, but it would be out of date by now anyway – the one I have now is so much better, but half the price. A good eye makes all the difference and I’m developing that, and of course I do have some natural ability – or at least that’s what I’ve been told, and that sort of positive feedback is always welcome. My friends often ask me for copies of what I’ve taken, so that must mean something, too. And my Art teacher asked me to take pictures at our end-of-term party. Maybe I’ll earn my living from my hobby one day!

C Sarah Some people think that staring

at stars is a bit of a weird thing to do, but some of my friends are into astronomy, too. It probably wouldn’t have crossed my mind to get involved in something like that

unless my Physics teacher had set up a club at school. It’s really great to be able to study a subject in depth like that. People don’t always understand that you don’t need a great deal of cash to get involved in astronomy. Having your own telescope isn’t a requirement; the one at school is at our disposal when there’s something particularly interesting happening, and we have a special observation evening. We take the telescope out into a field nearby and watch from there. You can also see a lot just by looking out of your window, or standing in the garden – but you do need a warm coat! I live in the middle of nowhere, so the sky is quite dark at night and I can actually see stars and planets clearly. That really makes a difference.

D Eric My mum thought I was mad

when I started flying model aeroplanes, but when she saw how much I liked it, she realised it wasn’t just a phase and stopped teasing me about it, even though she still doesn’t

really see the point of it. It would be nice if she did. I enjoy myself whether it’s freezing cold or the sun is shining, and there are lots of good places near my home where I can go. I’m always getting better and better models, which cost me a lot, so I have a Saturday job, too. My friends like to come along once in a while so they can have a go, and some of them are even saving up for their own models now. Making the models and flying them has helped me understand some of my school Physics, which is encouraging, and I’m glad I have a good reason to get outside and not just stay indoors watching TV, which is pretty much all some of my friends do.






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Test 1

You must answer this question. Write your answer in 120 – 150 words in an appropriate style.

1 You have received a letter from the editor of an English film magazine, Mr James Green. Read Mr Green’s letter and the notes you have made. Then write a letter to Mr Green, using all your notes.

Congratulations! You have won our film competition with your excellent short film. All the films were very good, but yours was the most interesting.

The first prize is for you and a friend (or a family member) to spend a day with a professional film director. You can either come and spend a day filming with her in London, or she can come and spend a day filming with you in your town. Which would you prefer?

The film director will be available to work with you on 15th May. Is this date convenient for you?

I look forward to hearing from you. If you have any questions, please ask.

Yours sincerely,

James Green

Write your letter. You must use grammatically correct sentences with accurate spelling and punctuation in a style appropriate for the situation.

Ask Mr Green ...

No, because ...

Explain to Mr Green

Thanks!

Paper 2 (1 hour and 20 minutes)

Writing Part 1






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Writing Part 2

Paper 2: Writing

Questions 2 – 5

Write an answer to one of the questions 2 – 5 in this part. Write your answer in 120 – 180 words in an appropriate style.

2 You have decided to enter a short-story competition in an international magazine.

Your story must begin with this sentence.

Although she felt quite nervous, Laura smiled as she walked into the room. Write your story.

3 Your English teacher would like to set up a cycling club at your school. She has asked you to write a report for homework giving your suggestions about where people could cycle, what sort of activities the club could organise, and how it could attract as many members as possible.

Write your report.

4 You see this announcement on an English-language website.

Articles wanted!

Special PlacesTell us about a place that is special to you.

What do you do there?Why is it important in your life?

The best articles will be published on our website next month.

Write your article.

5 Set text questions. (Please note there are no set text questions included in this practice test.)






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Test 1

Questions 1 – 12

For questions 1 – 12, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

Example:

0 A elderly B ancient C past D antique 0 A B C D

StonehengeStonehenge is probably the most important (0) monument in the whole of Britain. It is made

of enormous stones and stands on flat ground in southern England. For hundreds of years, people

have come to (1) at its mysterious beauty. What visitors to Stonehenge see today is the final

(2) of the work completed about 3,500 years ago, but experts believe its history (3)

back to around 5,000 years ago. The first Stonehenge was basically a large pile of earth surrounded by

round holes and was probably built around 3100 BC. (4) after this, Stonehenge was abandoned

for over 1,000 years.

The second and most dramatic phase of the building of Stonehenge started around 2150 BC. In an

astonishing journey (5) nearly 380 km, 82 large stones were transported to the site from

mountains in the south-west of Britain. It is (6) these stones, some of which weigh four tonnes,

were (7) dragged from the mountains to the (8) . From there they were (9) by

sea and up two rivers, then dragged over (10) again to their destination. (11) at the site,

the stones were set up in the centre to form the nearly (12) double circle that is still there today.

Paper 3 (45 minutes)

Use of English Part 1






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Paper 3: Use of English

1 A gaze B watch C glance D observe

2 A period B step C point D stage

3 A turns B dates C looks D gets

4 A Rapidly B Promptly C Shortly D Quickly

5 A covering B going C travelling D wandering

6 A hoped B thought C wondered D expected

7 A likely B somehow C hardly D anyway

8 A coast B bank C edge D border

9 A passed B lifted C carried D loaded

10 A country B territory C earth D land

11 A After B Once C Since D Yet

12 A overall B total C complete D full




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