Skills Test Unit 3 Test A

Name: KAMILĖ TELYČĖNAITĖ

Everyday English
1 Complete the dialogue with the words below.
could agree convinced going objective

David ​Where would you like to go for the business lunch tomorrow?

Kate ​Well, our main 1​

​​objective ​is to choose something everyone likes.

David ​Of course. So not curry, then.

Kate ​No, I’m not 2​

​​convinced ​everyone will like spicy food.

David ​We 3​
​ ​could ​
go to an Italian restaurant instead. Most people like pasta.

Kate ​Maybe, although I think French food is better than pasta for a business lunch, don’t

you 4​
​agree​
?

David ​Yes, I do. How about 5​

​g​ oing ​to Chez Christophe. It’s a new French restaurant in

town. I hear it’s really good!

Mark: ___ / 5
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Listening
2 ​ ​Listen to a brother and sister talking about moving house. Circle the correct answer (a–d).
1 Sophie is panicking because

a she isn’t sure she wants to move any more.

b her husband doesn’t want to help her pack.

c she hasn’t organized everything for the move yet.

d there isn’t enough space for everything in their new house.

2 Mark says that when he and his wife Helen moved house, she

a only took objects that were valuable.

b forgot to take a lot of important items.

 c took stuff she didn’t really want to take.

d took lots of sentimental things she never uses.

3 Mark advises his sister to

a keep all of the children’s artwork that she likes.

b keep a few bits of the children’s artwork.

c throw all the children’s artwork in the bin.

d keep the majority of the children’s artwork.

4 Mark thinks the problem is that

a people buy too many things.

b children have too many toys.

c many people can’t afford what they buy.

d people don’t like to throw anything away.

5 Sophie likes the idea of only allowing her children to buy new toys if they

a donate an old toy to charity.

b throw their old toys in the bin.

c give their pocket money to a charity.

d help take old toys to the charity shop.

Mark: ___ / 10

2
Reading
You can’t take it with you

Most of us go through life acquiring junk that piles up in our lofts or garages. It appears to be part of our
nature to accumulate belongings for no particular reason other than the feeling that we cannot part with
them. We like to think that they might come in handy one day. Almost all of this stuff is surplus to
requirements – all except maybe a sacred family heirloom. An heirloom is an object that is passed down
through the generations and gains sentimental and financial value along the way. Once an object is
given the title of ‘heirloom’, it acquires a new significance. It’s almost as if you couldn’t throw it away
even if you wanted to.

So what are the most popular heirlooms? In the number one spot is jewellery. This is unsurprising, as
antique jewellery usually becomes more and more valuable as the years go by and is often linked to an
important family event like a wedding or christening. Furniture, weapons and clocks make the top ten,
too. More unexpected things in the top ten are stories, letters and recipes. It’s good to see hoarding is
not simply an exercise in keeping money in the family. Even if the object is rusty or decaying, it has
been passed on to you and it’s your duty to pass it on to the next generation.

This turned out to be particularly beneficial for retired pilot Martin Kober and his family from Buffalo in
upstate New York. A painting they had stored behind their sofa for over thirty years is thought to be a
16th century original by Michelangelo, worth £190 million. Kober’s great-grandfather had passed the
piece of art down to him and it had hung in the lounge for years, before being knocked off accidentally
by a tennis ball. It was only then that family carefully wrapped up ‘The Mike’, a nickname they gave to
the painting because of its suspected creator, and stored it behind the sofa. Antonio Forcellino, an Italian
art historian and restorer, was prepared for the worst when he was asked to inspect it in 2010. ‘I had
assumed it was going to be a copy.’ He was pleasantly surprised, however, and remains convinced it is
genuine.

Ryan Givens and his three siblings also got lucky with a family heirloom. A nickel is usually worth five
cents in the USA – unless it’s one of only five 1913 Liberty Head nickels that are thought to exist. It sold
for an impressive $3.17 million when it went up for auction in April 2013. His mother, Melva, had been
given it after her brother died in a car crash and it was found at the scene of the crash. Believed to be a
fake by experts, she couldn’t bring herself to throw it out because of its sentimental value, and so
decided to keep it in a box in her wardrobe. It stayed there until her death in 1992. Melva’s son, Ryan,
and Melva’s other three children held on to it and took it to the American Numismatic Association
World’s Fair of Money in Baltimore in 2003. Coincidentally, at that same exhibition, the other four
Liberty Head nickels were being exhibited, and Melva’s old coin completed the original set.

Of course, you’re unlikely to be this lucky with any of your own family heirlooms, but you never know.
 It may be worth clearing out your house, while at the same time watching out for anything that catches
your eye, especially if it was handed down to you!

3
3 Read the text. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?
1 People often hold onto things because they think they may need them in the future. ​T

2 The longer an heirloom is in the family, the more it is considered important. ​T

3 Jewellery is a popular heirloom because it is likely to increase in value. ​T

4 According to the writer, all the items in the top ten list of heirlooms are predictable. ​F

5 The writer thinks that family members have a responsibility to pass heirlooms on to their

children. ​T

6 Kober’s family had no idea that the painting was by Michelangelo. ​F

7 Antonio Forcellino feels sure that the Michelangelo painting isn’t a fake. ​T

8 Melva Givens kept the coin because she was told it was very valuable. ​F

9 It was just by chance that the other four coins were at the same exhibition. ​T

10 The writer recommends getting rid of all the junk in your house. ​T

Mark: ___ / 10

Sveiki, mokytojau. Norėjau Jums priminti, kad

esate man skolingas dešimtuką iš 2 trimestro.
Būtų malonu, jei galėtumėte jį man įrašyti, ačiū
:)
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Writing
4 Write a story about someone who has lost an important possession. Where did they last
have it? What were they doing when they lost it? Why is it so important to them? Did they
ever find it again? What happened in the end?

Follow the plan:

Paragraph 1: ​
Describe the possession and say why it is important to the main character of the

story.

Paragraph 2: ​
Describe how the possession was lost.

Paragraph 3: ​
Develop the story. Describe what happened next.

Paragraph 4: ​
End the story. Say whether the possession was ever found again.

Mark: ___ / 15

TOTAL MARKS: ___ / 40

POCKET WATCH

There once was a man named Billy Andrews and he came from a very wealthy family.
On the day of his wedding, a close family friend gave him a golden pocket watch as a gift. That
watch wasn’t the most expensive one Billy had, but he cherished it because of the fact that it
was given to him by a good friend. Later on in life, he had a son to whom he passed on the
watch. His son then gave the watch to his own kid, whose name was John Andrews. John loved
that watch as it belonged to and was the only heirloom from his dead grandfather Billy.

One day John took his watch to a watchmaker because it stopped working properly and
when he took it out of his bag to look at it, a thief ran by him and stole it right from his hands. He
was devastated. He had lost the most important possession he had owned.

Poor John couldn’t even sleep at night. He tried calling the police and looked at various
sites for several weeks looking for the stolen relic. After two months, he found out that there was
an auction being held near him and on the site there was a list of items that were being sold
there. One of them was a photo of his watch, which he recognized, so John decided to go there
and see if maybe he could get his lost watch back.

The next Saturday, when he got to the auction, he noticed that a lot of people were
interested and wanted to look at the golden, shiny pocket watch. The person, who was selling
the watch along with some other historical artifacts seemed like a tough guy, but John wanted to
try his luck and talk it out with him. When he finally got the chance to speak to him, he showed a
photo of himself and the same watch that was on display and explained that it was stolen from
him a couple of months ago. The salesman understood the problem, but it was a bit hard to get
on his good side, so he agreed to sell it to him for half the price. John thought that this might
happen so he had some cash on him and was able to buy off his precious grandfather’s watch
back. He was very happy, carried it everywhere and told the story of the lost and found family’s
heirloom to everyone he knew.
 5

Challenge!
5 Complete the text with the correct words (a–d).

Car boot sales

If you’re looking for something to do on 1​​ ​a​ sunny Sunday morning while you’re in England, I’d
recommend looking in the local newspaper, where 2​ ​ ​many​ ​of the local car boot sales will be advertised.
Car boot sales are ​ a ​popular English pastime and are loved by all bargain hunters. Professional car
3​

booters get there as early as 7 a.m., when the event is 4​ ​ ​fast-pasedf​ and competitive. Who can be the first
to spot the bargain and part with their well-earned cash? Go later and it’s more of a relaxed family event.
One man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure, and no more so than when you’re at one of these sales.
​ ​clutter​ , people make money from it. Admittedly, almost 6​
Here, instead of binning 5​ ​ ​all​ of it is, in fact,
useless junk, but don’t be surprised if some delicate antique china cups or a ​ ​handmade tiny woooden
7​

toy catches your eye. It won’t cost much, will it? How could you possibly walk by? You stop 8​ ​ ​to look​,
and before you know it, you’re going home with something you never knew you needed.

1 ​a ​– ​b ​the ​c ​a​​
d​an

2 ​a ​many​​b ​much ​
c ​few ​
d​almost

3 ​a ​– ​b ​a​​c ​some ​
d​the

4 ​a ​heartfelt ​b ​mind-blowing ​
c​thought-provoking ​d ​fast-paced

5 ​a ​clutter ​b ​piles ​c ​
stacks ​d ​
products

6 ​a ​all ​b ​much ​
c​many ​
d​more

7 ​a ​handmade wooden tiny ​b ​

tiny wooden handmade ​c ​tiny handmade wooden

d ​handmade tiny wooden

8 ​a ​looking ​b ​
to look​​
c ​look ​d ​to looking
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