TASK 1

You are going to read an extract from a short story. For questions 1-8, choose the answer -D
which you think fits best according to the text.
We always went to Ireland in June. Ever since the four of us began to go on holidays together
we had spent the first fortnight of the month at Glencorn Lodge in County Antrim. It's a large
house by the sea, not far from the village of Ardbeag. The English couple who bought the
house, the Malseeds, have had to add to the buUding, but everything has been done most
discreetly.
It was Strafe who found Glencorn for us. He'd come across an advertisement in the days when
the Malseeds still felt the need to advertise. 'How about this?' he said one evening and read
out the details. We had gone away together the summer before, to a hotel that had been
recommended by friends, but it hadn't been a success because the food was so appalling.
The four of us have been playing cards together for ages, Dekko, Strafe, Cynthia and myself.
They call me Milly, though strictly speaking my name is Dorothy Milson. Dekko picked up his
nickname at school, Dekko Deacon sounding rather good, I suppose. He and Strafe were at
school together, which must be why we call Strafe by his surname as the teachers used to.
We're all about the same age and live quite close to the town where the Malseeds were before
they decided to make the change from England to Ireland. Quite a coincidence, we always
think.
'How very nice,' Mrs Malseed said, smiling her welcome again this year. Some instinct seems
to teU her when guests are about to arrive, for she's rarely not waiting in the large, lowceilinged hall that always smells of flowers. 'Arthur, take the luggage up,' she commanded the
old porter. 'Rose, Tulip, Lily and Geranium.' She referred to the names of the rooms reserved
for us. Mrs Malseed herself painted flowers on the doors of the hotel instead of putting
numbers. In winter, when no one much comes to Glencorn Lodge, she sees to little details like
that; her husband sees to redecoration and repairs.
'Well, well, well,' Mr Malseed said, now entering the hall through the door that leads to the
kitchen. 'A hundred thousand welcomes,' he greeted us in the Irish manner. He was smiling
broadly with his dark brown eyes twinkling, making us think we were rather more than just
another group of hotel guests. Everyone smiled, and I could feel the others thinking that our
holiday had truly begun. Nothing had changed at Glencorn, all was well. Kitty from the dining
room came out to greet us. 'You look younger every year, all four of you,' she said, causing
everyone in the hall to laugh again. Arthur led the way to the rooms, carrying as much of our
luggage as he could manage and returning for the remainder.
After dinner we played cards for a while but not going on for as long as we might because we
were still quite tired after the journey. In the lounge there was a man on his own and a French
couple. There had been other people at dinner, of course, because in June Glencorn Lodge is
always full: from where we sat in the window we could see some of them strolling about the
lawns, others taking the cliff path down to the seashore. In the morning we'd do the same:
we'd walk along the sands to Ardbeag and have coffee in the hotel there, back in time for
lunch. In the afternoon we'd drive somewhere.
I knew all that because over the years this kind of pattern had developed. Since first we came
here, we'd all fallen hopelessly in love with every variation of its remarkable landscape.
1 Why did the Malseeds no longer advertise Glencorn Lodge?
A

It was too expensive.

It was not necessary.

It was too complicated.

It was not effective.

2 What did Dekko and the writer have in common?

A

They did not like their names.

People used their surnames when speaking to them.

They chose their own nicknames.

People did not call them by their real names.

3 The coincidence referred to in paragraph three is that the four friends and the Malseeds
A

came from the same area.

preferred Ireland to England.

lived close to one another.

were all about the same age.

4 What was special about the rooms at Glencorn Lodge?

A

They had been painted by Mrs Malseed herself.

There was no paint on the doors.

They did not have numbers.

There were different flowers in all of them.

5 What did the writer particularly like about Mr Malseed?

A

He had nice brown eyes.

always came to welcome them.

made guests feel like friends.

He spoke in the Irish way.

6 Why did the writer feel contented after Mr Malseed had spoken?
A

Everything was as it had always been.

The holiday would start at any moment.

A few things had improved at Glencorn.

Her friends had enjoyed the holiday.

7 What did Kitty do which made the friends laugh?

A

She told them a joke.

She pretended to insult them.

She laughed when she saw them.

She paid them a compliment.

8 The next day the friends would walk to Ardbeag because

A

they would be able to walk on the sands.

this was what they always did.

they wanted to do the same as other people.

it was quite a short walk for them.

Homework September, 26th, 2016

TASK 2
You are going to read a newspaper article about people who make films about wild animals in
Africa.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.
A
Even while this film of one of Africa's shyest cats was being shown, the pair were
already back where they belong - this time trailing that equally shy animal, the jackal.
B
It can be a rough existence, but the appeal of being alone in such remote areas is that
we can get close enough to the animals to become part of their lives.
C
Neither of them regard themselves as the leader, and he says that one of the reasons
why they get on so well with each other is that they both see the animals in a similar way.
D
Since then, they have learned to set aside four months on location to gather sufficient
material for each half-hour film.
E
In Africa, however, they are seldom sighted at all as they scour the vast Serengeti Plain,
their two vehicles packed with cameras, drinking water, camping gear and food.
F
The rest of the Newman-Barrett daily diet consists of pre-packed meals heated and
dished out by whoever is at hand at the time.
G
What we are always seeking to achieve is a film that is rich in atmosphere, that brings
to life the true spirit of the place and animals, and that will touch people's hearts.
H
Newman explained that they had to invest in an expensive piece of equipment so that
whenever one of their vehicles gets stuck in the mud, Amanda can pull him back to safety.
IN THEIR NATURAL HABITAT
What keeps film-makers Amanda Barrett and Owen Newman away from their home comforts
for months on end? The search for the perfect shot.
Of all the creatures to be found in the jungles and plains of East Africa, two of the hardest to
track down must surely be producer Amanda Barrett and cameraman Owen Newman.
Their present habitat, the Ngorongoro Crater, has been lashed by six months of almost
continuous rain, giving rise to a number of unforeseen problems. 9_____ His working
partnership with the talented producer has created some of TV's finest wildlife films, such as
their amazing and well-received film on leopards.
10_____ But this is nothing unusual in television partnerships. Travelling film-makers have been
constantly circling the globe, in order to point cameras at exotic wildlife ever since the birth of
television.
I spoke to Newman about their partnership while he was making one of his rare and
unpredictable reunions with other members of the human race at a safari lodge. "We do have
occasional arguments but we tend to get over them fairly quickly,' he says of his colleague.
11_____
'When we are on the move, we have to put up our tents each night. But this time we are
operating much more of a fixed camp, and as we set out at 5 a.m. each morning, we tend to
make the tea the night before and keep it warm in a vacuum flask.'

12_____ It's not unusual for us to be out and about for up to eight weeks at a time, so catering
does cause the odd panic.' says Newman.
13_____ I remember once we were filming a family of lions and there was one lioness who
would regularly go off on her own. Whenever she returned, she would go round and greet all
the other members of the pride, and after a while she made a point of greeting our car as part
of her round.'
It was back in 1988 that Newman first worked with Barrett on a film called 'The Great Rift', and
two more years before they set off as a team to film Arctic foxes. 14_____ And before they get
the green light, they have to submit a script for approval.
'Amanda and I struck up a good working relationship from the start,' says Newman, 'because it
was obvious that we shared the same ideas and overall vision. 15_____ I believe if you can
evoke an emotional response from people, that is far better than if you appeal only to their
heads.'
Homework September, 30th, 2016
TASK 3
You are going to read an article about three pairs of women who exchanged jobs for a day.For
questions 16-30, choose from the women A-F.The women may be chosen more than once.
Which woman says she
16

thought about the person she changed places with?

17

found the routine much busier than in her normal job?

18

discovered she wasn't very good at the job she tried?

19

found the work she did for one day worthwhile?

20

found some of the people she came across hard to handle?

21

had difficulty making a decision?

22

didn't enjoy being the centre of attention?

23

appreciated the relationships among her new colleagues?

24

thought the clothes she wore gained her more respect?

25

was surprised at her own reaction to some aspects of the job she tried?

26

might consider doing similar work to the job she tried?

27

doesn't normally deal with people on an individual basis?

28

had not had a realistic idea of the job before she tried it for a day?

29

was given some information which she was already aware of?

30

noticed the problems of the other people she was working with?

Changing Lives with a Stranger

What would it be like to live somebody else's life for a day?
A Mandie Currie, a zoo-keeper, spent the day in the offices of the magazine Marie Claire.
'Choosing what to wear for my day at Marie Claire was tricky because normally I wear a
uniform at work. First I went to a still-life photo studio, then to press previews, all before lunch.

The zoo is such a tranquil, peaceful place - and here I was rushing around when I could be
sitting quietly giving an animal a cuddle. Some of the members of the fashion team seemed
quite stressed - my job doesn't really get pressurised. At a fashion shoot in the afternoon, it
made me laugh to think that I'd usually be cleaning out cages or handling rats. I'm fascinated
to see how magazines work, but I really enjoy my job at the zoo so I'll stay put.'
B Alice Cutler, a fashion assistant at Marie Claire, spent the day at London Zoo.
'I arrived at the zoo in my leather boots and dark blue trousers. The zoo gave me a green polo
shirt instead to work in - which was just as well, as I got very dirty. As I stroked one of the
elephants, I reckoned Mandie would probably be packing up clothes in the cupboard. By five
o'clock, I stank but I'd had such a brilliant day. When I retire from fashion, I could see myself
working with elephants - but maybe in Africa.'
C Karen Hodson, a nurse at Hammersmith Hospital, went on location with the television
gardening programme Ground Force.
'I was extremely excited about meeting the team, and Alan Titchmarsh, the programme
presenter, was really nice. One of the things I liked was the chance to be in the fresh air.
Depending on my shifts, I sometimes never see daylight. Even though it was hard work, it was
great fun. I thought I was pretty strong but I felt weak compared with the rest of the team. My
romantic vision of landscape gardening had not included physical hard work or meticulous
planning. I was more an enthusiastic than effective gardener, so I don't plan to give up my
other job.'
D Charlie Dimmock, landscape gardener with the TV programme Ground Force, worked a shift
at Hammersmith Hospital.
'I made beds and handed out tablets. I expected to faint when I was doing some jobs, but I
amazed myself by finding that it didn't bother me. The friendship among the nurses is great,
and it felt tremendously 'girlie' compared with my normal male environment. I feel myjob is a
real waste of time compared with nursing. My day at the hospital was not exactly pleasant but
it left me with a great sense of satisfaction.'
E Lucy Harvey, a personal trainer, spent the day with the airline Ryanair as a member of the
cabin crew.
'I changed into the uniform, and the moment I put it on I felt completely different - people
suddenly look up to you. Before the flight, our supervisor told us about safety, what to do if
someone had a heart attack - which I knew about from my fitness training. When the
passengers boarded the flight to Paris I gave out magazines. Everyone stared at me and I felt
very self-conscious. On the return journey, we had 80 schoolchildren on board who wouldn't sit
still. I wished I was back in the gym with one sensible adult to look after.'
F Sonia McDermott, an air hostess with the airline Ryanair, spent the day as a personal trainer
in a gym.
'I was dreading doing this swap as I don't do any exercise. I was amazed at how much
attention you give to one person. In myjob you meet 130 passengers four times a day. I was
very surprised at lunch to see that some of the trainers didn't eat ultra-healthily, but they all
drink lots of water. I wouldn't swap myjob for this. However, it has inspired me to join a gym
and try to be a bit healthier.'
Homework October 3rd, 2016
TASK 4
For questions 31-42, read the text below and decide which answer -D best fits each gap.
SHOPPING MALLS

Victor Gruen, an American architect, revolutionised shopping in the 1950s by creating the type
of shopping centre that we now call a shopping mall.
Gruen's (31)_____ was to provide a pleasant, quiet and spacious shopping environment with
large car parks, which usually (32)_____ building in the suburbs. He also wanted people to be
able to shop in all kinds of weather. He (33)_____ on using building designs that he knew
people would feel (34)_____ with, but placed them in landscaped 'streets' that were entirely
enclosed and often covered with a curved glass roof. This was done to (35)_____ some of the
older shopping arcades of city centres, but while these housed only small speciality shops,
Gruen's shopping malls were on a much grander (36)_____
Access to the whole shopping mall was gained by using the main doors, which (37)_____ the
shopping 'streets' from the parking (38)_____ outside. As there was no need to (39)_____ out
bad weather, shops no longer needed windows and doors, and people could wander (40)_____
from shop to shop. In many cities, shopping malls now (41)_____ much more than just shops;
cinemas, restaurants and other forms of entertainment are also (42)_____ in popularity.
31

A direction

B aim C search

D view

32

A resulted

B sought

33

A insisted

B demandedC requested D emphasised

34

A favourableB agreeable C comfortable

35

A model

B imitate

C repeat

36

A measure

B height

C size D scale

37

A disconnected

38

A strips

39

A holdB get C stayD keep

40

A freely

B loosely

C simply

D entirely

41

A contain

B concern

C consist

D compose

42

A becoming B growing

C raising

D advancing

C intended D meant

D enviable

D shadow

B withdrew C separated D parted

B lines

C areas

D plots

Writing
Imagine that a friend of yours sent you a letter asking for your advice as he/she and his/her
parents disagree about what university he/she should study at. Write a letter giving your
friend some advice according to the plan:
greeting; mention receiving your friends letter; express sympathy.
give your advice and the reasons for it.
closing remarks: end the letter offering some encouragement/wishing the person good luck;
express certainty that things will get better soon.
Write a letter of at least 100 words.