Research into television technology

For questions 1-8, 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)

Research into television technology

 

Why do old television programmes look so strange and formal? And how has technology (0)_B_MADE modern shows possible? Researchers will (1)____________ these questions in a study into the history of television technology since 1960, the first of its (2)____________ in the country. From the over-rehearsed (3)____________ of early black-and-white news interviews to the filming of reality television, a team (4)____________ by Professor John Ellis, of Royal Holloway, University of London, will research the technological (5)____________ and developments that have given programmes their unique appearance. 'With a huge amount of archive programming now being shown by satellite and cable channels, there has never been a more important time to tell the story of how it was filmed,' Professor Ellis said.

 

Researchers will work with (6)____________ television technicians to discover how the technology available over the years, and what it could and couldn't do, (7)____________ changes within the industry. They will film (8)____________ of old programmes and interview technicians about the difficulties they had adapting to technological changes.

 

0.- A) turned  B) made      C) allowed  D) enable

 

1.- A) search        B) explore           C) seek           D) enquire

2.- A) brand         B) class                C) category    D) kind

3.- A) feel            B) touch               C) sight          D) taste

4.- A) ruled          B) governed         C) headed       D) controlled

5.- A) limitations B) bans                 C) handicaps  D) borders

6.- A) archaic       B) bygone            C) former       D) outgoing

7.- A) hurried       B) drove               C) exerted      D) pressed

8.- A) duplicates B) reconstructions C) likenesses D) replicas

 

O’Dell  Felicity (2015) Advanced Trainer. 2^nd edition. Reading and Use of English Part 1 Test 4. Cambridge University Press: Dubai. Page 130.

Is work changing?

You are going to read an extract from a magazine article. Six paragraphs have been removed from the extract. Choose from the paragraphs A-G the one which fits each gap (41-46). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.

 

Is work changing?

 

Cromford Mill, in the north of England, is now a museum, but when it was constructed in 1771, it was the site of one of the most influential workplace experiments ever seen. This was where textile entrepreneur Richard Arkwright set up shop. Cotton-spinning had been a cottage industry, but at Cromford Mili, spinners from all around came together to use machines provided by Arkwright. It was the world's first factory, and it was soon followed by many more.

 

41.-_____

 

There are good reasons why the model has flourished. Centralising production allowed for dramatically greater efficiency. And bosses - then as now suspicious that workers were not always working hard - could keep an eye on them.

 

42.-_____

 

Two of the biggest forces changing work and the nature of the company are technology and demographic shifts. Unskilled work still exists, as does highly skilled work , but the jobs in the middle have to a large extent been automated or outsourced away. Furthermore, technology has made the move to an economy based on knowledge, not skills, possible.

 

43.-_____

 

As a result of such changes, many of the old certainties are breaking down. You often hear it said that people used to work for money - very much a hangover from the Industrial Revolution, when work was viewed as a straight trade of time for money - but now it's claimed that we are more interested in having rewarding work.

 

44.-_____

 

In other words, what we mean by the workplace is changing - it's no longer always a grand (or otherwise) building with the company's name on topo Increasingly, we can work anywhere - in a coffee shop or at the kitchen table. The demand that employees work in more flexible ways is encouraging this trend, with workers (especially younger generations) no longer expecting to be chained to a desk from nine to five every day.

 

45.-_____

 

In a world of decentralised, non-hierarchical organisations, permanent full-time employment could become the exception. So will the firm of the future be made up of loose groupings of self-employed people, forming and re-forming on a project-by-project basis? Will workers effectively be their own chief executives, using technology to sell their skills to the highest bidder and with little attachment to a place of work, each other or the firms that employ them? It's tempting to think so, but reality is starting to interfere with this picture.

 

46.-_____

 

There is one particular reason why tomorrow might turn out to be not so different from today: human nature. We are social creatures and tend to be at our best in groups rather than operating alone. Work is where we bond, gossip, fight, love and hate - in short, it's where we live.

 

So the prospects for at least some of the familiar aspects of the old Arkwrightian corporate model may not be quite so bleak as painted. Yes, things are changing, but the advocates of the brave new, networked world should remember that work is not the only - or, arguably, even the most important - thing we do when we are at work.

 

A.-

In addition, we are all living longer and working for longer. In fact, in some countries there are now reckoned to be four or even five distinct generations making up the workforce.

 

B.-

For firms, this can seem a no-brainer - they save money on expensive office space while giving their employees a valuable and appreciated perk. It can be tough to implement, though video conferencing and private networks have improved things greatly.

 

C.-

But times are changing, and the pace and uncertainty of the modern world demand more flexibility and responsiveness than hierarchies like this can provide. Organisational structures need to be based on serving the customer rather than preserving the rank and status of managers.

 

D.-

This is true up to a point, but perhaps more significant is the erosion of the boundary between work and other parts of life - education, leisure, play; between me-in[1]work and me-in-my-own-time.

 

E.-

Above all, this format is popular because it works. Or rather, it worked, as, after over 200 years, some observers reckon that the end of employment as we have known it may be near. Are they right?

 

F.-

Of course, we are living in a time of disruption, change and novelty, but the fact is that there are also strong continuities with the pasto As a result, that unstructured form of work may remain a dream.

 

G.-

This groundbreaking idea has become the norm for millions of us to this day, whether we are architects or economists, agronomists or oculists, because modern offices are based on exactly the same principles. They are places where you go in order to work for specific hours, using facilities and equipment provided by your employer to do a job, for a wage.

 

O’Dell, Felicity (2015) Advanced Trainer. 2^nd edition. Reading and Use of English Part 7 Test 3. Cambridge University Press: Dubai. Pages 116 and 117. 

A career in fashion

You are going to read a magazine article in which four fashion designers write about their careers. For questions 47-56, choose from the extracts (A-D). The extracts may be chosen more than once.

 

Which designer…

set up a business despite feeling unqualified? 47.-____

found a job through a personal contact? 48.-____

has broadened the range of products they manufacture? 49.-____

found that their early success did not continue? 50.-____

regrets accepting a job they were offered? 51.-____

mentions impressing other people with their enthusiasm? 52.-____

was surprised by the help they received from more experienced designers? 53.-____

has found that working in fashion is different from what they expected? 54.-____

realised the need to develop skills that were in demand? 55.-____

learnt how to run a company before starting their own? 56.-____

 

A career in fashion

Four fashion designers write about their careers.

 

Fashion designer A

Fashion wasn't my first choice of career: I only thought of it when I threw in a disastrous job in advertising, and sat wondering what to do next. A friend pointed out that I'd always been keen on fashion , and that made me realise that was what I wanted to do. I managed to get a place on a fashion course, and the tutors were very positive about my designs. I even won a couple of awards. Of course that made me think that when I left college I'd just walk into a job, but I soon found out my mistake! Eventually, though, I managed to talk my way ínto an interview with a fashion business, and they took me on - they told me afterwards that I seemed over-confident, but my saving grace was that I was so eager to learn more about clothes design. It wasn't a very good job, really, but at least it gave me good experience for the next one I got.

 

Fashion designer B

As a child, l loved the glamour of the world of fashion and daydreamed about being the person whose designs the models were wearing. I took a fashion course, then begged for a job with a small fashion business. I think they took me on as a favour, really, because to be honest I had very little to offer them. Still, it was invaluable for me. It was a great introduction to the manufacturing process, and the boss seemed happy to teach me all about the business side of things. That really stood me in good stead when I eventually left to start my own fashion design business. Since then , we've branched out into household goods like tablecloths and bedding. It's still early days, so we’ll wait and see how that goes. But don't let anyone tell you it's an easy life. There may be a touch of glamour occasionally, but ninetenths of the time it's sheer hard work, long hours and a lot of stress.

 

Fashion designer C

In my first job interview after leaving college, they wanted someone with strong skills in computer-aided design - CAD - and my college hadn't offered that as an option, so I didn't have a chance. That made me realise I needed to learn CAD, and I enrolled on a course, and got a job in a supermarket to finance it. When I finished, a tutor on the course put me in touch with a fashion business she knew, even though they weren't advertising for designers. Her recommendation must have swung them in my favour, because they took me on. It wasn't ideal, though, as it was a very inward-looking firm , and I didn't get the chance to go to fashion shows or network with other designers, which you need to do if you want to start your own business. In retrospect, I think I'd have been better off setting up on my own as soon as I got the CAD qualification, even though it would have been very hard work.

 

Fashion designer D

There are lots of people chasing very few jobs in fashion , so it's hard even to get as far as an interview - and a lot of firms don't even advertise: they can find staff more cheaply through contacts or unsolicited applications that people have sent in. After college, I applied to dozens of firms, but got nowhere. It was very demoralising. So I took a chance and started a firm with a couple of friends who were in the same boat. What we knew about running a company you could write on the back of an envelope - we all saw ourselves as designers, not business people - but somehow we muddled through. Toa great extent , that was down to contacts we met at networking events: a couple of established designers gave us some invaluable advice on how to market our designs. Without that, we'd probably have gone under in the first six months. And given that we were trying to compete with them, it was remarkably generous of them.

 

O’Dell, Felicity (2015) Advanced Trainer. 2^nd edition. Reading and Use of English Part 8 Test 4. Cambridge University Press: Dubai. Pages 140 and 141

I want to become a runner

 You are going to read an article about taking up running. For questions 47-56, choose from the sections of the article (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once.

 

In which section does the writer…

explain why a friend's idea not to do something alone turned out to be a good one? 47.-_____

comment on how she helped herself to overcome a psychological barrier? 48.-_____

describe what she did to prepare herself physically immediately prior to an event? 49.-_____

explain why running is an appropriate activity for her? 50.-_____

mention how she solved a physical problem? 51.-_____

suggest that something was less daunting than she had anticipated? 52.-_____

mention receiving some useful pieces of advice? 53.-_____

say why running is good for your physical wellbeing? 54.-_____

comment on how an unexpected situation had a negative effect on her? 55.-_____

reflect on when she realised her initial attitude to running had changed? 56.-_____

 

I want to become a runner

 

A.-

Last year, it began to hit me that I needed to start taking my fitness more seriously. I'd been doing yoga, but it wasn't giving me a cardiovascular workout, and as a sports journalist, I know how important aerobic activity is for heart health.

1'm self-employed with unpredictable working hours, so running seemed a good option. It's free and easy to fit into your life, as you can do it any time, and pretty much anywhere. Unfortunately, ,'ve always found it very dull. A friend suggested I get past this by running with a club, so I signed up for a beginners' course with a club near my home. I strapped on some old trainers and turned up for my first session feeling apprehensive that I wouldn't be able to keep up. But we took it slowly, jogging or walking until we were able to build up to running for 15 minutes. In between the weekly classes, I tried to do one or two runs on my own.

B.-

I knew I'd begun to overcome my boredom barrier when I spent 20 minutes jogging in the park on a beautiful summer evening without thinking about when I could stop. The club definitely helped. It's more fun and it isn't as easy to give up. I also picked up some useful tips. The group leader stressed the importance of pacing to maintain energy for the end of a run, and I learnt to focus on pushing out my breath when I felt tired, to help me run more efficiently and in a more relaxed way.

 

After the first few weeks, noticed my knees were aching a little, so I went to a specialist running shop and got fitted for shoes to suit my gait - I over-pronate, meaning my foot rolls inwards. The other must-have for me was a running jacket to keep out the wind and chill - essential, as I feel the cold and could easily be deterred by bad weather.

 

C.-

The final session of the running course was a 5km, race, and suddenly I turned competitive. To my surprise, I had become one of the faster runners in the group, so , was nurturing an ambition to win. I made sure , ate well that day, avoiding anything too heavy and drinking plenty of water, with a flapjack two hours beforehand to keep me going. Sadly, two other women streaked ahead of me, but I came in third with a pretty respectable time of 30 minutes 53 seconds. The end of the course coincided with a change in my working circumstances, which meant I could no longer go to the club. I tried to continue on my own, but found it hard to motivate myself.

 

D.-

My solution to this problem was to set myself a goal. I signed up for a 10km event and told friends and family about it, which put pressure on me, in a good way, to train. , began to fit running into my life, for example, running part of the way home from work, about 6km, every week. On race day, I began to feel nervous as, to my alarm, it turned out to be a proper event, with lots of people from running clubs coming with the intention of getting good times. However, I hadn't really allowed enough time to train, so was worried about getting round the course. The first part was uphill, so I struggled at around the 4km mark and had to slow down to a walk for a few minutes. But other than that, I kept going and even enjoyed some of it, finished in one hour and 13 minutes, not too embarrassing, but my next goal is to run 10km in around an hour.

 

O’Dell, Felicity (2015) Advanced Trainer. 2^nd edition. Reading and Use of English Part 8 Test 2. Cambridge University Press: Dubai. Pages 84 and 85.

Proposal to build a new airport for London

You are going to read extracts from articles in which four experts give their views on a proposed new airport for London. For questions 37-40, choose from the experts A-D. The experts may be chosen more than once.

 

Proposal to build a new airport for London, possibly on an artificial island in the estuary of the River Thames (CAE 1 final exam)

 

A.- Larry Jones

Air travel is increasing worldwide, and with London 's existing airports operating at close to capacity, we face a stark choice: expansion or an additional airport? A significant benefit of a new-build is that the current airports wouldn't then require new runways - which are strenuously opposed by local residents. In addition, new flight paths could avoid contributing to air and noise pollution over London. A new airport is a new opportunity, and should be designed with an eye on current and future developments in aeronautics: it could take planes with a greater capacity even than the biggest used now, which would at least reduce the impact of the expected growth in total passenger numbers. The Thames estuary is home to vast numbers of birds , which would be seriously affected by an airport. However, if it comes to a choice between birds and people , I'm afraid our own species has to come first.

 

B.- Karen Macmillan

The more idealistic among us may believe that the world's love affair with air travel is nearing its end, but I'm certainly not one of them. We can't avoid providing for the additional airport capacity likely to be required over the next 30 to 50 years, and for my money, that means a new airport in the Thames estuary. Even if construction goes ahead, however, it will only be a matter of time before expansion of the existing airports will become inevitable. At least an airport in the estuary would save Londoners from the extra pollution resulting from the alternative, as its flight paths could be largely or entirely over water. Admittedly, it is unfortunate that the Thames estuary provides habitats for many species of birds. Ways will have to be found to mitigate the effects, while enabling construction of the airport to go ahead.

 

C.- Bernie Dodd

We share this planet with innumerable other species, all of which - including ourselves - are interdependent. Our wanton disregard of our environment is harmful not only to its other inhabitants, but also to ourselves. Constructing an airport in the Thames estuary would be so destructive of wildlife that it shouldn't even be considered. Yes, some argue that it would benefit the existing airports, but better to bite the bullet and expand those we have now than wreak havoc on a hitherto unspoilt part of the country. Besides, the claim that a new airport would reduce noise and improve air quality in London simply doesn't hold water: maybe it wouldn't worsen the current situation , but that's the best we could hope foro At present, there seems to be no prospect of the air travel frenzy dying down, but let's limit the damage to areas that are already damaged .

 

D.- Isabel Smith

Is it really the case that London needs an additional airport? Technology is progressing fast, and with wide-bodied aircraft, fewer flights are needed for the same number of passengers. Besides, the advent of quieter planes will mean that runways that are currently closed at night, because of noise, will be able to operate round the clock. The existing airports will be able to handle growth in passenger numbers for years to come, without needing any new run ways to be constructed. Perhaps some carriers would transfer their operations to a Thames estuary airport, and that would lead to an improvement in London's air quality, but a new airport would involve destroying the habitats of thousands of wetland birds, with - to my mind - no justification. A new airport should be ruled out.

Which expert…

expresses a different view from Jones on whether a new airport would remove the need for additional runways at existing airports? 37.- _____

shares Smith's view about wildlife in the Thames estuary? 38.- _____

shares Smith's view about the total number of flights required in the future? 39.- _____

has a different opinion from the others about the effects a new airport would have on pollution in London? 40.- _____

 

O’Dell, Felicity (2015) Advanced Trainer. 2^nd edition. Reading and Use of English Part 6 Test 6. Cambridge University Press: Dubai. Pages 180 and 181.

Documentaries

 You are going to read four reviews of a book about documentary films. For questions 37-40, choose from the reviews A-D. The reviews may be chosen more than once.

 

Documentaries - do they have a future?

Four reviewers comment on journalist Sharon Miller's book

 

A

The documentary has recently become a field of serious study, the latest entrant to which being 8haron Miller's new book. As a journalist, her credentials might be regarded as somewhat suspect, but in fact not being a filmmaker herself enables her to take a more objective approach than is often the case. For example, she criticises the TV companies for not satisfying the public's appetite for quality documentaries, but without the anger that a documentary maker might feel. It is hard to fault her analysis of this situation. The same applies to Miller's final chapter, in which she explains why documentaries shown on the big screen will eventually evolve into full-Iength films commanding as much attention as the standard cinema material. 8he may prove wrong on detail, but her conclusions are convincing. Miller rarely makes claims she cannot substantiate, and her thorough reading of much of the existing literature clearly informs her argument.

 

B

 It is a relief to read that Miller believes the documentary has a glorious future, even if I would reach the same destination by a different route. However, that is one of few assertions that I can concur with; for instance, she blames television companies for their caution with regard to documentaries, without taking into account the numerous constraints that they suffer. Miller is, no doubt, a skilled journalist, and can put together a plausible article whenever one is required. But while that may suit a newspaper which is read and then forgotten, a book stakes a claim to be long-Iasting; and Miller is clearly unaware of many aspects of the world in which documentary makers operate. To her credit, though, she has included an extensive bibliography, but to be brutally frank, the book is no more than a just-about-adequate summary of earlier studies.

 

C

Sharon Miller, while primarily a journalist, has also written an excellent introduction to the sociology of social media, and her new book, Documentaries, is further evidence that she is a writer to be reckoned with. Her reading on the subject is extensive, and forms a firm foundation for her argument, that the documentary film is far from being the endangered species it seemed not long ago. With a few minor reservations, I was carried along by her optimism about its future. It is only when Miller turns her attention to documentaries on television that I feel the need to take issue with her. Although many of the television companies are certainly as guilty of ignoring the documentary as she claims, there are also many, admittedly smaller, companies that have done sterling service in stretching the boundaries of the genre.

 

D

As a former television programme controller myself, I can back up Sharon Miller's opinion of the TV companies' attitude towards documentaries. The little that some companies have done to advance the genre is easily outweighed by the harm done by the majority. I was also taken by her overview of earlier studies of the documentary. It is thorough, and she is careful to ensure that both her facts and her opinions are consistent with what her predecessors have established. The only time she comes to grief, in my view, is in the rosy future she promises for the documentary: the evidence underpinning her assertion simply doesn't stand up to close scrutiny. What it comes down to is that Miller's work is rather too hit-and-miss: she picks a topic - the documentary - apparently at random, and does a fair amount of research into it, but it takes the inside knowledge she lacks to turn that into the definitive account she was aiming to write.

 

Which reviewer…

has a different opinion from reviewer B regarding Miller's view of the future of documentaries? 37.-____

shares an opinion with reviewer e on the subject of Miller's qualifications for writing the book? 38.-____

takes a different view from the others on Miller's use of earlier studies? 39.-____

holds the same opinion as reviewer A concerning Miller's position on television documentaries? 40.-____

 

O’Dell, Felicity (2015) Advanced Trainer. 2^nd edition. Reading and Use of English Part 6 Test 4. Cambridge University Press: Dubai. Pages 136 and 137.

The history of drama

 You are going to read the introduction to a book by Helen Thornton about the history of drama. For questions 31-36, choose the answer (A, B, e or O) which you think fits best according to the text.

 

Introduction

 

Any writer who boldly attempts to write a history of drama, covering every corner of the world in which the genre has flourished, risks ending up with egg on his or her face, and remaindered copies of the book selling for next to nothing. After all, there already exist a number of excellent works on the subject, so I have to ask myself, have I come to the party empty-handed? That would indeed be humiliating.

 

I am, I hope, realistic enough to accept that yet another history of drama is unlikely to disturb the bestseller lists; all I can do is rely on the casual browser in a bookshop or book-selling website to read a page or two of this work and feel sufficiently intrigued to want to read more - whether or not they are persuaded by my opinions. I hope to convey something of the fascination I have long experienced for drama, in the belief that enthusiasm, like measles, is catching.

 

The idea of writing this book came to me five years ago, sparked by reading, in a single sitting, James K. Hyde's slim volume that purported to trace the historical development of drama around the world, but in fact played down the value of any plays that have not survived in written form, or are in languages other than Hyde's own. His attitude - and the fact that he simply couldn't see the value of so much work that can, however loosely, be termed 'drama' - infuriated me to such a degree that I couldn't sleep. In the small hours of the morning, I made up my mind to write my own book, to counterbalance his very circumscribed view of 'good drama'. That decision made, I calmed down and fell asleep.

 

When I woke the following morning, I was aghast at my foolhardiness. I am far from being an expert on world drama: my particular field is the plays of ancient Greece and Rome. In relation to the drama of other times and places, I have a lively interest, but there are serious gaps in my knowledge. Hence the five-year gestation period that the book has undergone, a period that has seen me carry out a great deal of research, both in libraries and in theatres around the world.

 

Writing a book like this requires ground rules, one of which is a decision as to whether it should be 'academic', 'popular' or something in between - whatever that may be. As an academic myself, teaching university students of drama, I am under some pressure to write for my colleagues in the field, complete with quotations in the original Greek, Chinese or Sanskrit, footnotes on every page, and a long bibliography in an appendix, listing the numerous sources I have drawn on. That may look good on my CV when I apply for promotion at my university, but it would attract a tiny readership - and I'm arrogant enough to want my labours to be recognised and appreciated by many, on the basis that the harder I've worked, the more readers and - I must confess - praise I want. So that was the road I went down.

 

In this book, I have aimed to consider a representative sample of plays, of whatever length and written in whatever language. Not to mention plays that haven't survived in written form, though we have information about them, and ones that are ceremonies rather than plays as we understand the term today. Working out a principle to bring order out of this chaos was difficult enough in itself. One option was to focus on the playwrights, but so many of them are anonymous. Another possibility, which had a certain appeal, was to take one genre at a time - tragedy, comedy, farce and so on - and trace its development over the centuries. After considerable agonising, I finally opted for looking at particular locations at particular times. What drama was available? Who was allowed to attend? How did plays written for performance al a royal court differ from those for the general public? To what extent did the plays mirror or challenge the values and beliefs of their audiences? I have spent hours burning the midnight oil as I struggled to reach some tenable conclusions regarding these and many more questions.

 

In the end, all I can do is present the fruits of my labours and hope - like the spoken prologues of many plays - that you, my readers, will be indulgent and excuse the limitations of this book.

 

31.- In the first paragraph , Thornton expresses her concern that…

A) the task she has taken on is too difficult for her.

B) she has relied too heavily on existing books.

C) there is little interest in books about drama.

D) she has nothing new to say on the subject.

 

32.- According to the second paragraph, Thornton's purpose in this book is to…

A) make readers feel as she does about drama.

B) write a book that might sell in larger quantities than expected.

C) convince readers that her interpretations of drama are correct.

D) explore different emotional responses to drama.

 

33.- Why did Thornton decide to write this book?

A) The author of another book encouraged her to write it.

B) She was annoyed by the narrow focus of a book she had read.

C) Another book opened her eyes to drama from around the world.

D) She felt that a book she had read failed to distinguish between good and bad drama.

 

34.- What does Thornton explain in the fourth paragraph?

A) why the book has taken her a long time to write

B) the difficulties she faced in researching the book

C) why the book concentrates on ancient Greece and Rome

D) how she feels now that the book is complete

 

35.- What does that in the last line of the fifth paragraph refer to?

A) making the book academic in nature

B) providing information about her source material

C) trying to make the book appeal to a wide audience

D) applying for promotion at the university where she teaches

 

36.- In structuring her book, Thornton has…

A) organised the material chronologically.

B) described the work of one playwright at a time.

C) concentrated on different dramatic genres in turn.

D) attempted to place plays in their social context.

 

O’Dell, Felicity (2015) Advanced Trainer. 2^nd edition. Reading and Use of English Part 5 Test 6. Cambridge University Press: Dubai. Page 72.

Why do we lave horror films?

 For questions 1-8, 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) (CAE 1 Final exam)

 

Why do we lave horror films?

 

Why will some people pay good money to be scared out of their (0)_C)_WITS_? As someone who has seen just one horror film in their life, this never ceases to (1)_________ me. You can keep your horror; to be (2)_________, I would rather have surgery without anaesthetic. But according to psychologists, the fear we (3)_________ is safe: we know that when the film ends, we’ll be unharmed.

 

Horror films make our hearts (4)_________, and that's part of what (5)_________ to us: if our lives are uneventful, we seek excitement - in fact , it's good for our nervous system.

 

A study carried out in 1995 showed that the higher people (6)_________ on a scale that measures sensation-seeking, the more likely they are to be fans of horror films. People in their teens and twenties tend to seek out (7)_________. experiences , and this makes them the biggest audience for horror films. That usually (8)_________ with age: maybe we start to realise that real life is scary enough.

 

0.-          A) thoughts        B) ideas               C) wits                               D) emotions

 

1.-          A) daze                B) baffle            C) elude                            D) defy

2.-          A) direct              B) clear             C) distinct                         D) honest

3.-          A) crave              B) wish              C) yearn                            D) long

4.-          A) shake              B) batter            C) pound                           D) knock

5.-          A) attracts          B) engages          C) entices                          D) appeals

6.-          A) score              B) mark              C) grade                            D) point

7.-          A) severe            B) burning          C) intense                         D) fierce

8.-          A) fades              B) dissolves        C) disintegrates                D) pales

 

O’Dell, Felicity (2015) Advanced Trainer. 2^nd edition. Reading and Use of English Part 1 Test 5. Cambridge University Press: Dubai. Page 152.

How the concept of software was invented

 You are going to read an article about a woman who invented the concept of computer software. six paragraphs have been removed from the extract. Choose from the paragraphs A-G the one which fits each gap (41-46). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.

How the concept of software was invented

 

In 1842, more than a century before the start of the information age, in a brilliant flash of penetrating insight, Ada Lovelace had a glimpse of the future. She saw that with suitable modifications, Charles Babbage's proposed Analytical Engine would be capable of much more than its intended purpose of simple mathematical calculation.

 

Ada Lovelace was born in London in 1815, the daughter of the poet Byron. She never met her father: her parents separated a month after her birth , he left England four months later and eventually died abroad. Her upbringing was unusual for the period , in that her mother was determined she should have a thorough grounding in logic, mathematics and the sciences. To that end, Ada was províded with a succession of tutors.

 

41.- _____

 

Among their number was the mathematician, philosopher, inventor and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, Charles Babbage, one of several people credited with being 'the father of the computer'. His importance líes in the fact that he invented several devices which paved the way for modern computers. Lovelace was introduced to him while still in her late teens, and soon afterwards visited his workshop to see his 'Difference Engine'.

 

42.- _____

 

The device was incomplete, weighed over a ton and was not yet working. Despite these limitations, Lovelace grasped its true significance; whereas Babbage saw it purely being used to increase the accuracy of mathematical processes, it was Lovelace who saw its far greater potential.

 

43.- _____

 

At this event, Babbage described his proposal for a more advanced computing machine, his Analytical Engine. A mathematician who was present subsequently wrote up the ideas in a memoir in French, and Babbage asked Lovelace to translate it. Because she understood the machine so well, at his request she added a comprehensive set of notes to her translation, much longer than the memoir itself. It was these notes that have established her importance in the development of computers.

 

44.- _____

 

In this insight , she anticipated the development of both modern computing and artificial intelligence by more than a hundred years. Again, she saw that the Analytical Engine could be used to do much more than even Babbage perceived.

 

45.- _____

 

The memoir, and Lovelace's notes, attracted little attention at the time, but that does not detract from her achievement, the essence of which is that she grasped how to create physical instances of wholly abstract concepts. In any computer, it is the software which gives the hardware the ability to perform its wonders, a totally new, and very strange, idea for the time.

 

46.- _____

 

Although her insight is astonishing, that is not all that Lovelace should be remembered for. She also demonstrated beyond any possibility of doubt that women could attain the highest levels of scientific understanding and achievement - something that seemed remarkable in her lifetime. She helped to blaze a trail for later generations of women to become scientists.

 

A.-

Neither this prototype nor his later devices were completed in his lifetime, although working versions have since been built. However, his efforts to construct them aroused widespread interest, particularly when he attended a scientific conference in Italy and presented his work.

 

B.-

Of course, the same could be said of many scientists: Leonardo da Vinci, for instance, designed flying F machines several centuries before they became a reality, but at least he had the advantage of having seen birds flying.

 

C.-

Unlike him, Lovelace realised that it could be set to execute any logically coherent sequence of instructions. This in ef1ect made her the world's first computer programmer, as she demonstrated in the document.

 

D.-

In them, as well as describing the revolutionary implications of Babbage's ideas, Lovelace wrote out the first computer program and made the sensational suggestion that such a device should be able to compose music if a suitable set of rules could be devised.

 

E.-

One of these was Augustus de Morgan, a leading mathematician of the time. De Morgan soon confirmed Ada's outstanding mathematical ability and, importantly, communicated his admiration to his scientific friends. As a result, long before women were eligible to study for degrees, Ada came to more than hold her own with the leading scientists of the day.

 

F.-

This realisation, that the right instructions could enormously increase the capabilities of the device, is extraordinary for such an early stage in the history of the computer. Lovelace could see beyond the relatively rudimentary nature of Babbage's machines to the immense possibilities opened up by programmable computers.

 

G.-

This mechanical calculator was Babbage's first invention. He, like others before him, had realised that logarithmic tables - at that time produced by human 'calculators', and notoriously full of errors - could be generated by machinery.

 

O’Dell, Felicity (2015) Advanced Trainer. 2^nd edition. Reading and Use of English Part 7 Test 6. Cambridge University Press: Dubai. Pages 182 and 183.

Language change

 You are going to read part of a book about the study of languages. For questions 31-36, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

 

Language change

 

The phenomenon of language change probably attracts more public notice and criticism than any other linguistic issue. There is a widely held belief that change must mean deterioration and decay. Older people observe the casual speech of the young, and conclude that standards have fallen markedly. They place the blame in various quarters - most often in the schools, where patterns of language education have changed a great deal in recent decades, but also in state public broadcasting institutions, where any deviations from traditional norms provide an immediate focus of attack by conservative, linguistically sensitive listeners.

 

It is understandable that many people dislike change, but most of the criticism of linguistic change is misconceived. It is widely felt that the contemporary language illustrates the problem at its worst, but this belief is shared by ever¡ generation. Moreover, many of the usage issues recur across generations: several of the English controversies which are the focus of current attention can be found in the books and magazines of the 18th and 19th centuries - the debate over lt's me and very unique , for example. In 1863, Henry Alford listed a large number of usage issues which worried his contemporaries and gave them cause to think that the language was rapidly decaying. Most are still with us, with the language not obviously affected.

 

There are indeed cases where linguistic change can lead to problems of unintelligibility, ambiguity, and social division. If change is too rapid, there can be major communication problems, as in contemporary Papua New Guinea, where by some counts over 800 languages have evolved, most spoken by fewer than 3,000 people. But as a rule, the parts 01 language which are changing at any given time are tiny in comparison to the vast, unchanging areas of language. Indeed, it is because change is so infrequent that it is so distinctive and noticeable. So me degree of caution and concern is therefore always desirable, in the interests of maintaining precise and efficient communication; but there are no grounds for the extreme pessimism and conservatism which is so often encountered.

 

For the most part, language changes because society changes. To stop or control the one requires that we stop or control the other - a task which can succeed to only a very limited extent. Language change is inevitable and rarely predictable, and those who try to plan a language's future waste their time if they think otherwise - time which would be better spent in devising fresh ways of enabling society to cope with the new linguistic forms that accompany each generation. These days , there is in fact a growing recognition of the need to develop a greater linguistic awareness and tolerance of change, especially in a multi-ethnic society. This requires, among other things, that schools have the knowledge and resources to teach a common standard, while recognizing the existence and value of linguistic diversity. Such policies provide a constructive alternative to the emotional attacks which are so commonly made against the development of new words, meanings, pronunciations, and grammatical constructions. But before these policies can be implemented, it is necessary to develop a proper understanding of the inevitability and consequences of linguistic change.

 

Some people go a stage further, and see change in language as a progression from a simple to a complex state - a view which was common as a consequence of 19th-century evolutionary thinking. But there is no evidence for this view. Languages do not develop, progress, decay, evolve, or act according to any of the metaphors which imply a specific endpoint and level of excellence. They simply change, as society changes. If a language dies out, it does so because its status alters in society, as other cultures and languages take over its role: it does not die because it has 'got too old', or 'become too complicated', as is sometimes maintained. Nor, when languages change, do they move in a predetermined direction. Some are losing inflections (endings, like 's' to indicate plurality); some are gaining them. Some are moving to an order where the verb precedes the object; others to an order where the object precedes the verbo Some languages are losing vowels and gaining consonants; others are doing the opposite. If metaphors must be used to talk about language change, one of the best is that of the tide, which always and inevitably changes, but never progresses, while it ebbs and flows.

 

31.- In the first paragraph, what point does the writer make about languages?

A) Young people tend to be unaware of the differences between their language and that of older people.

B) The way that schools teach language is raising awareness of language change.

C) Many people believe that any change in a language is undesirable.

D) Public understanding of how languages develop is increasing.

 

32.- The writer mentions it's me and very unique in the second paragraph to show that…

A) recent controversies may be nothing new.

B) the speed of linguistic change is greater than in the past.

C) every generation has its own list of unacceptable changes.

D) a linguistic change may take place over a long period.

 

33.- What is the writer's intention in re1erring to Papua New Guinea?

A) to challenge a prevailing view concerning Iinguistic change

B) to give an example of linguistic change that is unusual

C) to show the danger of making generalisations about linguistic change

D) to illustrate conflicting views about the potential effects of linguistic change

 

34.- In the third paragraph, the writer claims that…

A) the public are inconsistent in the value they place on accurate communication.

B) changes that take place in a language can be difficult to reverse.

C) caution is necessary when attempting to measure language change.

D) public attention to linguistic change reflects the essential stability of languages.

 

35.- What point does the writer make in the fourth paragraph?

A) Trying to prevent change should have a lower priority than dealing with its effects.

B) Multi-ethnic societies need a shared language to make communication possible.

C) Language change tends to be tolerated in multi-ethnic societies.

D) The emergence of new linguistic forms often leads to communication difficulties.

 

36.- In the fifth paragraph, the writer argues against the notion that languages…

A) change in apparently random ways.

B) improve by becoming increasingly complex.

C) should in some circumstances be allowed to die out.

D) can be categorised according to stages in their evolution.

 

O’Dell, Felicity (2015) Advanced Trainer. 2^nd edition. Reading and Use of English Part 5 Test 4. Cambridge University Press: Dubai. Pages 134 and 135.

The ICT4D (Information and Communication Technologies for Development) Collective

For questions 17-24, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the gaps to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0)

 

The ICT4D (Information and Communication Technologies for Development) Collective

 

The ICT40 Collective was initiated in 2004 and is a group of people with a (0) _COMMITMENT_(COMMIT) to undertaking the highest possible quality of research in the field of ICT4D, and making the results of this available freely to the (17)_____________(GLOBE) community. We do this (18)_____________(PRIME) in the interests of poor people and (19)_____________(MARGIN) communities, wherever they may be found. Membership of the Collective implies strict (20)_____________(COMPLY) with its basic principles of membership and partnership.

 

Based at Royal Holloway, University of London, the Collective carries out research and undertakes teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The Collective also operates as a(21)_____________(CONSULT).

 

The Collective draws on the (22)_____________(EXPERT) of staff, postgraduates and undergraduates in a range of academic departments. We welcome (23)_____________(COLLABORATE) work with colleagues across the world who share our core objectives, and wish to establish partnerships with us to deliver practical ICT40 activities that will (24)_____________(POWER) poor people.

 

O’Dell, Felicity (2015) Advanced Trainer. 2^nd edition. Reading and Use of English Part 3 Test 4. Cambridge University Press: Dubai. Page 72.

Emotions and the body

For questions 1-8, 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)

 

Emotions and the body

Most languages have expressions like 'to get cold feet' , (0)_D_LINKING_ emotions to different parts of the body. It now seems these associations are (1)________, with the same emotions rooted in the same location, regardless of a person's country of (2)________. Scientists from Aalto University, Finland, (3)________ an experiment using more than 700 volunteers from Finland, Sweden and Taiwan. Participants were shown emotional videos, pictures of facial expressions and stories intended to (4)________ certain feelings. They then used computer-generated human silhouettes to (5)________ where on their bodies they had felt any stimulus. The results showed (6)________ patterns of bodily sensations associated with each of the basic emotions. Many emotions provoked changes in the face, while throat and belly sensations only really appeared in participants feeling disgust. In contrast with all the other emotions, happiness was associated with (7)________ sensations all over the body. The authors said their study could in future be applied to the treatment of emotional (8)________ such as depression and anxiety.

 

0.-        A) bridging         B) fastening                   C) unifying                 D) linking

1.-      A) thorough        B) universal              C) sweeping                D) expansive

2.-       A) beginning      B) source                 C) initiation                 D) origin

3.-        A) conducted     B) administered             C) directed                  D) operated

4.-        A) trigger           B) set                             C) pioneer                   D) touch

5.-        A) design            B) plan                  C) map                      D) programme

6.-        A) steady            B) consistent                 C) proportional           D) solid

7.-        A) uplifted          B) glorified                   C) maximise               D) enhanced

8.-    A) disruptions    B) distractions           C) disorders          D) displacements

 

O’Dell  Felicity (2015) Advanced Trainer. 2^nd edition. Reading and Use of English Part 1 Test 6. Cambridge University Press: Dubai. Page 174.