Exam insight 4

Listening
1Match the words to make collocations. Try to predict which collocations will match questions A–F in ex. 2 below. 

revise

I'm so

it's a great

it's

set

can't speak

  • really hard for something
  • excited
  • opportunity
  • an adventure
  • up a sports club
  • a word of a language
2EXAM TASK Play the recording and listen to five young people talking about their plans for the future. Match questions (A–F) to speakers (1–5). There is one question you do not need. Mark it (–). 

Which speaker is going to:

  • Astart a new job?3

  • Blearn a new language?1

  • Cmove to a new country?5

  • Dteach?4

  • Ebuy a new car?-

  • Ftake an exam?2


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Audio script

1 
My cousins live in Argentina, but they’re going to come and stay with us for six months next year. I’m so excited because they’re going to teach me Spanish! I want to spend two hours every day practising and speaking Spanish. I can’t speak a word of it now, but I’m good at French and German, so I think I’ll learn quite quickly.

2 
I’ve got my driving test next month, and I’m really worried about it. I try to practise as much as possible. There’s a theory test, and then a practical test. I’m more worried about the theory test, so I’m revising really hard for it at the moment. I read my theory book every night and I do some online practice tests, too. I think I’m actually quite good at driving, but I just hate taking exams.

3 
My sister worked there last year and she says that everyone is very helpful and friendly. I hope so! For the first two or three months I’m just going to wash up in the kitchen and clean the floor … it’s not very exciting. But then I’m going to start preparing the food and helping the chef. The salary is terrible, but it’s a great opportunity, anyway.
4 
My weekends are busy already and they’re going to get busier! I play football and tennis on Saturday mornings, and then I usually go for a long run on Sunday afternoons. But now my dad and I are setting up a sports club for children on Sunday mornings. I’m going to teach the children about different sports, and also about fitness and healthy eating. I think they’ll learn a lot.

5 
I’m trying to practise my French – I studied it for three years, but then I gave it up when I was fifteen. Now I need to remember it because it’s really important for me to speak the language. We’re going to live in Dakar – that’s the capital of Senegal. I don’t know how long we’re going to stay there. My mum thinks probably four or five years. It’s an adventure, but I think I’ll miss my friends.

Reading
3Read the text about Steve Jobs quickly. Put these events into the correct order. 

  • aHe set up NeXt.4

  • bHe returned to Apple.5

  • cHe met Steve Wozniac.1

  • dHe and Wozniac started a company in his garage.3

  • eHe went to Reed College.2

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Reading
4EXAM TASK Read the text. Match the sentences A–G to the gaps 1–6. There is one sentence that you do not need. 

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was born in 1955 in San Francisco, California.1C This part of Northern California is famous because there are lots of technology companies here.

Steve's father, Paul, was a mechanic and he encouraged his son's early interest in electronics and technology. 

2E

In 1971, Jobs met Steve Wozniac. Wozniac was twenty-one: five years older than Jobs. They were both interested in electronics and computers and they immediately became friends.

Jobs was very clever but he didn't enjoy school. He joined Reed College in 1972, but he didn't finish the course. 

3G

 

He worked as a video game designer at Atari electronics. For the next two years, between 1974 and 1976, Jobs worked for Atari and at the same time, he joined a computer club with Steve Wozniac. The members of the club talked about their ideas together and built their own computers.

In 1976, Wozniac and Jobs decided to set up their own computer company. They chose the name Apple and their first office was Jobs' garage. 4D This was a new idea, and it became popular very quickly. By 1980, Apple Computers was worth more than $200 million.

But Jobs wasn't always popular with other people in the company. 5F In 1985 he left Apple and formed a different computer company, NeXt. He also became the chairman of Pixar Animation Studios. Pixar made several very successful films, including Toy Story and Finding Nemo.

In 1996, Apple bought NeXt and Jobs returned to Apple. Between 1996 and 2010, Jobs and Apple launched several very successful products, including: the iMac, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. 6A He fought the illness for many years, but finally died in 2011.

Jobs was a very important influence in the world of computing. His sense of design and his interest in new and exciting ideas, helped to make computers popular with a whole generation.

ABut Jobs became very ill with cancer in 2003.

BHe got married to Laurene Powell in 1991.

CFive years later, in 1960, his family moved to 'Silicon Valley'.

DThey wanted to make computers for people at home - personal computers.

EHe taught Steve how to build radios and televisions from basic materials.

FHe had a lot of arguments and got angry very quickly.

GIn 1974, when he was nineteen years old, he left college and started his first job.

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Use of English
5EXAM TASK Read the text about planning a journey. Complete the text with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. 

An Amazing Journey

Last year my family 1made (make) a big decision. We decided to leave our house and our comfortable lives and to spend one year travelling around the world. My parents didn't want 2to travel (travel) by plane because they don't enjoy 3flying (fly). So they bought a big bus and put a small kitchen and some beds in it. Then we all sat down together and started to plan our journey. There was one big problem, though – my mother couldn't drive! So she 

4took

 

(take) some lessons with a driving school. There's a big car park near our house, and my mum practised driving the bus round and round the car park every evening. She 5passed (pass) her test last month and she's already a really confident driver.

It's Saturday today and I usually 6go (go) out with my friends at the weekend, but today, I 

7'm packing (pack)

 

my suitcase, because we 

8start (start)

 

our amazing journey tomorrow. My father 

9's driving

 

(drive) the bus to Dover and then we 10're taking (take) the ferry to Calais. I hope the weather 11will be (be) good for the boat journey!

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Speaking
6Match the statements in the box to the photos. One statement matches both photos. 
  • They are dancing and laughing.
  • It's probably summer because the sun is shining.
  • I think it's inside.
  • Everyone is very happy.
  • I can see some food on the table.

Photo A

It's probably summer because the sun is shining.Everyone is very happy.I can see some food on the table.

Photo B

They are dancing and laughing.Everyone is very happy.I think it's inside.


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