Practice test №3

Task 1. Read the text below. For questions (1-5) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

Wildlife cameraman

Doug Allan films wild animals in cold places. If you’ve ever been amazed by footage of polar bears in a nature documentary, it’s probably been filmed by him. His perfect temperature, he says, is -18°C. Allan trained as a marine biologist and commercial diver.

Diving was his first passion, where he learned about survival in cold places. His big break came when a TV crew turned up in Antarctica, where Allan was working, to film a wildlife

documentary. ‘I ended up taking the crew to different places, and after 48 hours I realised that being a wildlife cameraman ticked all the boxes: travel, adventure, underwater.’

He is now a top cameraman and has worked on many major TV wildlife series. ‘I came along at a good time. When I started, hardly anyone had been to the Antarctic. You had coral people, elephant people, chimpanzee people. I just became the cold man. It was like all these amazing sequences were just waiting to be captured on film.’ The camera and communications technology was very basic when he started 35 years ago. ‘It is certainly easier to film today. If you shot something then, you had to remember it. Today, with digital technology, you can shoot a lot and look at it immediately. You used to have to think what shots you needed next, and what you had missed. You shot less. Film was very expensive.

Today you can have too much material.’

‘My value is field experience in cold conditions. I have a feel for it. I have spent so much time on sea ice it now feels like crossing the street. I do get cold toes but the poles are healthy places. There are no leeches, no diseases or mosquitoes.’ Wildlife filming, Allan says, is full of great successes, but also failures and embarrassments. Once, he was in the Orkneys to film kittiwakes. Unfortunately he could not identify which birds they were.

When Allan recently got permission to film sequences for a major TV series in Kong Karls Land, a group of islands in the Arctic Ocean, he did not expect an easy assignment. It is a world of polar bears and is strictly off limits to all but the most fearless or foolish. Usually - 32°C in April, the wind is vicious and hauling cameras in the deep snow is a nightmare. After walking five or more hours a day and watching polar bear dens in the snow slopes for 23 days, however, Allan had seen just one mother bear and her cub. By day 24, though, he says, he was living in bear world, at bear speed, with bear senses.

‘We find a new hole and wait. We shuffle, hop, bend, stretch and run to stay warm. Five hours of watching and then with no warning at all I catch a glimpse so brief that I almost miss it. But the camera’s locked on the hole on full zoom and my eye’s very quickly on the viewfinder. Nothing for a couple of seconds and then an unmistakable black nose. Nose becomes muzzle, grows bigger to become full head and in less than a minute she has her front legs out and is resting on the snow in front of the hole. She’s looking at me but she’s not

bothered. I’ve just taken a close-up, thinking this can’t get much better … when she sets off on a long slide down the slope. I’d swear it’s partly in sheer pleasure,’ he recounts, adding that two cubs then appeared at the den entrance. ‘Clearly it’s their first view of the world … It’s show time on the slopes and we have front-row seats.’

Now Allan would like to make his own film about climate change in the Arctic, talking to the people who live there and experience the impact of it first hand. He says he would be able to make an extraordinary documentary.

1. What do we learn about Allan in the first paragraph?

A He had to train as a diver in order to become a wildlife cameraman.

B Becoming a cameraman suited the interests he already had.

C He was given the chance to work as a cameraman by a TV crew he met.

D Finding work as a cameraman allowed him to remain in Antarctica.

2. What does Allan say about the first documentaries he worked on?

A He has very clear memories of them.

B Most of what he filmed was new to viewers.

C They were shorter than those he makes nowadays.

D He would have liked to have been able to choose where he worked.

3. Why does Allan compare spending time on sea ice to crossing the street?

A It is an ordinary occurrence for him.

B He thinks it presents a similar level of danger.

C He has learnt to approach it in the same way.

D It requires skills that can be used in winter conditions anywhere.

4. When Allan had been on Kong Karls Land for a while, he began to

A stop worrying about the dangers he was facing.

B feel a deep understanding of how polar bears lived.

C get used to the terrible conditions for filming.

D be more hopeful that one bear would lead him to others.

5. What feeling does Allan describe in the fifth paragraph?

A panic when he nearly fails to film a fantastic sequence

B concern that he has disturbed an adult female with her young

C amazement at being lucky enough to capture some great shots

D delight at being able to move around after waiting quietly for ages

Task 2. You are going to read an article about teens at work. Choose the most suitable heading from the list A-H for each part (6-11) of the article. There are two extra headings which you do not need to use

A Working to save

В Helping with the family business

C Learning about the law

D Pet exercise

E Experience leads to success

F Preparing tasty delights!

G An important relationship

H A life with literature

6     

Mara has been in the school swimming team for years, so when a part-time job came up at the pool, she was naturally interested. Now she works part-time teaching children how to swim. 'Since I'm in the pool all the time anyway, I might as well get paid a bit too,' she Laughs. Mara's very good at what she does, and she likes it a lot too. I can remember being afraid of the water when I was little, so I really enjoy helping kids become good swimmers. I understand them and they trust me.

7      

On Saturday and Sunday afternoon, you'll find Mike in the park. Don't look for him on the playing field however; Mike's in a kiosk, working. 'At the weekend the park is busy with people of all ages and I'm here to serve them a drink or a sandwich to keep them going.' Mike's parents have run the kiosk in the park for many years now, so it was only natural for Mike to join them. 'While I'm still a student,' he explains, 'it's a perfect part-time job. I'm usually there all day on Saturday, which is fine for me! My friends stop by and chat, I can watch all the games and I get to enjoy the sunny weather. Well, when it rains I guess it's a little boring, because there aren't many people around. Then I get a little time to read or play video games or something. I don't really mind.'

8     

I have the funniest job in the world,' says Josie, as an enormous Saint Bernard pulls her along the street. Tm a dog walker! It happened quite by accident really. A neighbour asked me once to walk her dog when she was suffering from a cold, then it just became a habit! Other people have seen me on the street and that's how I got more work. I love animals so it's lots of fun. I can hardly believe I get paid for walking other people's dogs, but it really does help them out. Dogs need to get out a lot, and their owners rarely have the time for it. So this is a great way to work it all out. Everybody's happy, especially me and the dogs!'

9     

Sarah used to babysit often, but then she specialized in caring for young babies. 'Most mums won't leave their newborn baby with a babysitter, but they still need help with them. That's where I come in. I've learned all about caring for infants through books, classes and on-the- job training, so I feel very comfortable and confident with them,' she says. This is what new mums want and need, so Sarah's business is booming! She helps take care of three infants right now, visiting their houses for an hour or so whenever the mums need her assistance.

10     

Roy got a job at a nearby car wash to help earn money for university next year. He works at the weekend, drying the cars as they emerge from the car wash. 'It may not be the most exciting job in the world,' he admits, 'but the money is good and the hours are right.' It was the best solution for me at this time. I've made quite a bit of money and I'm looking forward to going away to university next year.'

11       

Scott's a bit of a bookworm, so a part-time job at the public library was ideal for him. His work includes putting books in their proper places on the shelves and helping people find what they're looking for. 'I love books of all kinds, especially the older editions and rare books. When I show them to people in the library I can see that they feel they've made a discovery or something, and that's exciting.' Scott works almost every day after school for a few hours so it doesn't interfere with his schoolwork or time with his friends. It's perfect really,' he says, 'and I get a lot of time to read the books that I like.'

Task 3. You are going to read part of an interview where a whole family was asked to give their views on crime and the law. For questions 12-16, choose from the people (A-E).

Which person:

12. has been a victim of crime?
13. thinks there is not enough police presence on the streets?
14. has considered a career in the police force?
15. would punish violent offenders more severely?
16. has been in trouble with the police?

Family Values - Crime

A Mrs Walford, 38 Well, I’m a good person to ask, aren’t I? I had my purse stolen a month ago. It’s a horrible thing to happen to anyone - you just can’t believe that it’s gone. And then there are all the things you carry with you. I lost some photos of the children when they were babies and they were worth more than the money. The police never found any trace of it. At least I wasn’t hurt - it wasn’t until I got home that I missed it. You can see why they do it. I mean some of these people literally don’t have anything to eat. It’s a terrible existence. I actually feel sorry for them.

В Nan, 62 I can see I brought my daughter up well! She’s very forgiving. More so than me, in fact. I’m in my sixties now and I’m not so steady on my feet as I used to be and, well, I’m terrified of being attacked while I’m out shopping or something. You hear such horrible

stories. But what can the police do? There’s something like one policeman for every three thousand people. They haven’t got a chance! It’s hard enough being an old lady but I

certainly wouldn’t like to be a police officer. Not nowadays.

C Mr Watford, 42 It’s no secret because I talk to the kids about it, but I was once picked up for taking part in a demonstration. It was all very peaceful and I’m not proud of it but I think it’s a good lesson for youngsters to learn. I was lucky in that they dropped the charges and I didn’t end up in court. Still, I don’t consider myself a criminal. I mean, my crime, if you can call it that, was nothing in comparison to what some people get away with. Even if they do

catch somebody, I don’t think a few months in prison is enough really. My family don’t agree with me but I keep reading these stories about executions in America and, when I read what they’ve done, I can’t help thinking they deserve it. If they still had capital punishment over here, I think certain criminals would think twice.

D Paul, 18 A mate of mine once told me that he could get me a pair of expensive trainers for a ridiculously low price. I knew what he was up to so I spent ages talking him out of it. He’s just got into university, so I imagine he’s grateful that I did. Prison is no fun and it only makes you worse. You learn more tricks inside and you have no choice when you come out, so you have to continue with your life of crime. It’s tempting because you see all these things on TV and you can’t afford them, but the police are clever and they’ll get you sooner or later. I’ve thought about joining, actually. I think I’d quite like it. I wonder what they’d say about my dad being a criminal!

E Jennifer, 15 I wouldn’t go as far as Dad but I agree with him up to a point. If you’re attacked, it can be very serious and you might never get over it mentally, even if you recover physically. So I agree with longer prison sentences for people who commit acts of violence. If they knew they’d spend twenty years locked up, then they’d think twice about going out and mugging people. We have to be careful, though, that we don’t let the TV news frighten us. They focus on sensational crimes and it’s not like that everywhere.

Task 4. Read the text below. Choose from (A-H) the one which best fits each space (17 - 22). There are two choices you do not need to use.

‘I often spend day shopping’

Fashion styling is basically about making people look nice. I work on editorial photo shoots, styling models for fashion spreads in magazines and newspapers, (17)              .

A typical day usually starts with me packing up and returning clothes worn at an awards ceremony the night before, then heading out to find new things for my next assignment. If I’m finding clothes for someone new, I’ll call the person first to discuss their likes and

dislikes, (18)         . Then I’ll spend the day shopping and bring back lots of different outfits for them to choose from.

The best thing about my job is shopping. I hope (19)       . Apart from that, it’s the social aspect of the job which is important to me. I work with a big list of people– models, make-up artists, photographers – on various different assignments, and it’s lovely checking in with

them if I haven’t seen them for a few months. You’re collaborating together (20)        , and when things come together, it’s hugely satisfying.

There are a range of skills you need to be a top fashion stylist. It’s not enough to have an artistic eye. You should try (21)              . For example, if you go to gigs, exhibitions and plays, it will inform your work. During a fashion shoot, you have to be hawk-eyed, ready to swoop on any uneven hemlines.

So the reality is (22)        . If you want to be a fashion stylist, get a qualification under your belt – not necessarily a degree in fashion styling, but maybe in design. That will give you a useful range of skills. Then do work experience with a stylist in the most stressful environment possible – probably fashion shoots for a newspaper – so you learn to work under pressure to a deadline.

Try to learn your craft from a stylist you admire, be as professional as you can, and be prepared to do a lot of work for free.

A to make something look gorgeous

B in order to provide extra information

C which helps me to put together a profile

D that doesn’t sound too shallow

E and I also style celebrities for big awards ceremonies

F that it’s a lot of hard work

G to find inspiration in unexpected places

H it is not easy

Use of English

Task 5. Read the texts below. For questions (23-32) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

Deanshouse Hotel

This is a hotel of two halves, with business guests treating themselves to little luxury during the week, while couples enjoy romantic weekend breaks. (23)               it is only minutes away from the busy Deansgate area, this elegant hotel is on a quiet side street, ensuring peace and quiet. A (24)                              schoolhouse, the hotel has kept the theme throughout, with photographs of old pupils on the walls and separate ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ staircases. The owners have also (25)              to retain many original features, but have (27)                            modern touches like rich, deep carpets and large, comfortable beds to the cosy rooms, (27)                everything a luxurious feel. The Oyster Café on the ground floor offers afternoon tea and a selection of tasty dishes.

The Young Crab and his Mother

One day, a young crab and his mother were on the beach, (28)      some time together. The young crab got up to move, but it could only walk sideways. His mother scolded him for walking side- ways and asked him to walk forward by pointing his toes out front. The young crab responded, "I would like to walk forward mom, but I do not know how to".

(29)    this, his mom got up to show him how, but even she was unable (30)     her knees forward. She realized that she was being unfair, apologized (31)              , and

(32)    back in the sand.

Moral: Don't condemn someone for not doing something that you yourself are unable to do.

KEYS:

1.    B

2.  B

3.  A

4.  B

5.  C

6.  G

7.  B

8.  D

9.  E

10. A

11. H

12. A

13. B

14. D

15. E

16. C

17. E

18. C

19. D

20. A

21. G

22. F

23. C

24. B

25. A

26. D

27. B

28. D

29. B

30. D

31. B

  32.  C