Optimise B2

Student name

Group/Class

Date Score

GRAMMAR

1 Complete the sentences with the words in the box. Each word may be used more than once.

which who why

1 My friends showed me a new app is great for learning English.

2 T he teacher took me to the classroom was very friendly.
3 T he clothes shop is on the corner has some really cool trainers.
4 I don’t know he said that the school is closed today. He knows it’s a normal school day.
5 We went on a trip to the Grand Canyon, was the best part of the holiday for me.

Score: /5

2 Choose the correct answer (A, B or C) to complete the text.

I didn’t think this would turn out to be a good week for me. On Monday, I put a euro into a machine (1) sells
snacks and nothing came out. T uesday was the day (2) I lost my school bag and on Wednesday, I fell off my bike
and cut my leg. By T hursday I was wondering what else could go wrong. T hen, when I was on my way to school, I found a
wallet (3) had been dropped in the park. I looked around for the person (4) had dropped it but there
was no one there so I took it the police station. On Friday, the person (5) wallet it was knocked on my door.
T hey wanted to say ‘thank you’ and they gave me a twenty euro note. It wasn’t such a bad week after all.

1 A who B where C which

2 A why B when C which
3 A that B who C what
4 A who B which C whom
5 A which B who C whose

Score: /5

3 Choose the correct word.

1 Having seen/saw that they were in difficulty, I offered to help.

2 Kanye West is an artist speaking/spoken highly of by music critics.
3 Not being/been from the neighbourhood, I didn’t know where the school was.
4 Having heard/Heard that Lena was in hospital, Frank decided to visit her.
5 Looking/Looked after well, this leather bag should last you for many years.

Score: /5
4 Complete the email with the correct f orm of the verbs in brackets.

Hi Elaine,

Melissa has asked me (1) (email) you about the summer holiday. We’ve been talking about going
away for a few days and we wondered if you (2) (want) to come with us. We asked Hayley as well
but she said she (3) already (make) other plans so it would be just us three. Melissa suggested
(4) (take) the train to the mountains and then going camping. I said I (5)
(speak) to you first before we decided what to do. Please say you can come! It’ll be awesome!

Love Sarah

Score: /5

5 Choose the correct words to complete the sentences.

1 We’re/We’d be grateful if you would close the door after you.

2 I’m/I was wondering if you would mind taking the rubbish out for me.
3 Can you tell me what time dinner will/will dinner be served?
4 Would you tell us has their plane/if their plane has landed yet?
5 I’d be interested in knowing what other plays has she/she has acted in.

Score: /5

6 Complete the sentences with the words in the box.

hardly little no sooner not once only

1 did they know that T ara could speak fluent Spanish.

2 when all of my exams have finished, will I be able to relax.
3 had the thieves left the bank than they were surrounded by police.
4 had the match started when the referee blew the whistle.
5 did they say thank you to us for our hard work.

Score: /5

7 Choose the best word or phrase (A, B or C) to complete each sentence.

1 realise that Mr Brown was there to assist them.

A Little they did B Little did they C Did they little

2 do these shy creatures leave the safety of their homes.

A Seldom B No sooner C Only

3 left for the beach than it began to thunder.

A No sooner had we B No sooner we had C We no sooner had

4 Only after it had started she was in the wrong exam.

A she realised B she did realise C did she realise

 5 Never in my life such a beautiful sunset.

A I have seen B have I seen C I saw

Score: /5

8 Choose the correct words.

1 What did she enjoy/she enjoyed most about the show was the music.
2 It wasn’t until/was only we got to the park that we decided to play football.
3 T he reason which/why they didn’t stay long is because they’re very busy.
4 What/That amazes me about Umberto is he’s such a good artist.
5 It’s the amount of homework we’ve got what/that worries me most.

Score: /5

9 Complete the text with the phrases in the box.

It was It wasn’t until It was only when T he reason What they wanted was

T he Panama Canal

T here have been many feats of engineering but the Panama Canal was one of the most important of the twentieth
century. (1) it was so important is that it connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, creating a
new trade route. It greatly reduced the travelling time for ships, which would otherwise have had to sail around South
America. (2) the French that started to build the canal in 1881 but construction was stopped
at the turn of the century. (3) the project was taken over by the United States that
construction was eventually finished, in 1914. During the canal’s construction, thousands of tons of earth were moved
and an artificial lake was constructed. Ever since its construction, countries have fought over the canal.
(4) control of much of the world’s trade. (5) the beginning of the
twenty-first century that control of the canal was finally handed to Panama.

Score: /5

READING

Black Friday

Unless you live in the United States, you probably wouldn’t have heard of Black Friday until a few years ago. Black
Friday has been a big shopping day in the US since the 1950s but has only recently been happening in other countries.
For shops, Black Friday marks the beginning of the busiest shopping period of the year. Crowds of shoppers descend
on the shopping centres and spend large amounts of money. For example, it is estimated that in 2016, more than $650
billion worth of goods were purchased.

Black Friday is the day after T hanksgiving, which is a national holiday on the fourth T hursday of November. It seems
that it first appeared in the 1950s. Although it isn’t clear how the day got its name, most people now think Black
Friday refers to an accounting term. Accountants write profits in black ink and losses in red ink in their accounting
records. So, to be ‘in the black’ means you have made a profit. T hat’s the aim of this super shopping day.
 Having recognised the importance of Black Friday, shops went to great efforts to attract people to their shops, with
promises of big discounts. As a result, the malls were filled with shoppers from early in the morning until late at night.
It marked the high point of the year for shops and enthusiastic shoppers looking for great bargains.

Shops use many strategies to draw customers in, the most famous being the ‘doorbuster’. T hese are products with
huge discounts, which the shops probably make a loss on. Some people take these bargains very seriously and they
will do anything to get them. Eager shoppers camp out in front of the store and even wait there all night in order to be
the first in line when it opens. Sadly, however, they do not all leave the store satisfied because, once the doors open, it
might not be so easy to get your hands on the doorbuster deal. T hey are often so limited that there are not enough for
everyone.

Another reason why Black Friday might not be such a good thing is that the bargains on offer may not be quite what
they seem. In some cases, the doorbusters are low quality products. T hey hope that if the price is low enough, people
will buy them. In other cases, shops rely on the fact that not everyone will get the bargain they came for. T he shops
see this as a chance to sell them more expensive products, which they had no intention of buying.

T here is no doubt that some fortunate shoppers manage to get a good deal on Black Friday, which will undoubtedly
brighten up their holiday season. However, this is not the case for many others. Even if they have managed to get
some bargains, it is likely they will have bought something they could not afford or did not need. My advice would be
to remain at home or go out for a walk far away from the shops and enjoy your T hanksgiving weekend in peace.

10 Read the article and number these points in the order they are mentioned (1–5).

A Shoppers do extraordinary things to get a bargain.

B Some shoppers make unplanned purchases on Black Friday.

C Black Friday is relatively new in some countries.

D It might be better to stay away from the shops on Black Friday.

E Black Friday was given its name several decades ago.

Score: /5

11 Read the article. For questions 1–5, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think f its best according to the
text.

1 What is the writer doing in the first paragraph?

A complaining about how much is spent on Black Friday
B explaining to the reader what Black Friday is
C discussing some problems related to Black Friday
D recommending Black Friday to the reader
2 What does ‘high point’ in paragraph 3 mean?
A the tallest part of a shop or supermarket
B something that should be done soon
C an important time for shops and other stores
D the biggest discounts offered on products
3 What point is the writer trying to make in paragraph 4?
A Some people are unable to find bargains on Black Friday.
B Shops tend to lose money on Black Friday.
C Customers have to queue all night to get a bargain.
D Shops need to try different strategies for Black Friday.
4 What does the writer suggest when he says the shoppers ‘give in’ in paragraph 5?
A T hey buy something because they are afraid of the retailer.
B T hey accept that they can’t afford anything.
C T hey don’t want to pay for the product in cash.
D T hey can’t control the desire to buy something.
5 What is the writer’s purpose in paragraph 6?
A to encourage readers to buy things on Black Friday
B to complain about people’s behaviour on Black Friday
C to recommend other ways to spend Black Friday
D to argue that Black Friday is bad for everyone

Score: /5

Young achievers

Here are four stories of people who have achieved great things, all before they were 20 years old.

A Pelé, 17 If you ask anyone who is the greatest footballer of all time, you’ll probably be told ‘Pelé’. Born in 1940,
Pelé was raised in poverty in the Brazilian city of Bauru. His father was a footballer and Pelé shared his father’s
passion. Having played in various amateur football teams as a teenager, Pelé ended up being picked for the junior
team of Bauru Athletic Club. It was while he was there that he was spotted by a top footballer called Brito.
Convinced that Pelé was destined for greatness, Brito took him to Santos FC, a professional football club, where
he was signed up at the age of 16. Within a year, Pelé had become the top goal scorer in the league and was chosen
to represent Brazil in the 1958 World Cup. Pelé didn’t disappoint with his performance. Pelé became the youngest
person to have played in a World Cup Final, a record which remains unbroken.

B Mary Shelley, 18 Mary Shelley has been credited by some as being the inventor of the science fiction novel. Born in
London in 1797, she was the daughter of the well-known feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. Shelley’s mother died
when she was young, but she was raised by her father and his new family. Although she didn’t have the privilege of
a formal education, Shelley was a keen reader and amused herself by writing stories and poems. At seventeen,
Shelley toured Europe where she spent time in the company of literary figures such as Byron. According to legend,
it was after hearing ghost stories with Byron that she was inspired to write the novel Frankenstein. Although she
was twenty when the book was published, Shelley had started writing the novel at the age of eighteen. Her name
didn’t appear on the first edition of the book, causing people to speculate that Shelley wasn’t the true author. Now
it’s accepted that Shelley did indeed write Frankenstein and that she’s one of the finest novelists of all time.
 C Mozart, 14 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria in 1756. By the time he was just three years
old, it had become clear that he had an exceptional musical talent. Seeing this, his father quit his job so as to give
Mozart personalised musical training. By the age of five, he could play several instruments and had written his first
musical compositions. Over the next ten years or so, Mozart’s father took him around Europe, where he would
play for the royal courts. He was also introduced to other professional composers like Johann Bach, who was said
to have been an inspiration for Mozart. Later, when he was in Italy, he wrote his first opera, the Mitridate Rè di
Ponto, at just fourteen years old. Although some people accused him of being too inexperienced to produce
operas, Mozart went on to become one of the greatest composers of all time.

D Jordan Romero, 13 While thousands of people have attempted to climb Mount Everest, Jordan Romero is the
youngest person ever to have reached the top. Jordan was only thirteen years old when he climbed to the top of
the gigantic mountain with his father and step-mother, professional adventure racers. Many climbers prefer to
approach the climb from Nepal, which is said to be easier. However, under-sixteens aren’t allowed to make the
climb in Nepal so he chose to take the more difficult Chinese route. As if this weren’t enough of an achievement,
Jordan was climbing Everest as part of the Seven Summits challenge. T he Seven Summits are the highest peaks on
the seven continents of the world. Within two years of climbing Everest, Jordan became the youngest person ever
to complete the Seven Summits challenge.

12 Read the article and match each person to a statement (A–E). T here is one extra statement you do not need.

1 Pelé
2 Mary Shelley
3 Mozart
4 Jordan Romero

T his person …

A was helped in their career by a family member.

B benefitted from a formal education
C was given help by another famous person.
D was not taught in a school.
E achieved their goal with family members.

Score: /4

13 Read the article. For each question, choose f rom the people (A–D). T he people may be chosen more than once.

Which person …

1 became famous in a very short period of time?

2 was brought up by only one of their parents?

3 spent a decade travelling and entertaining people in Europe?

4 was given a professional contract when they were a teenager?

5 had a parent who was a famous public figure?

6 broke more than one record at a young age?

Score: /6

VOCABULARY
14 Complete the sentences with the words in the box.

change discount PIN receipt till

1 You need to type in your number before you can get any money out.
2 T he manager is a friend of mine. If you speak to her, she’ll give you a good .
3 You should keep the in case you want bring the shoes back.
4 I think you’ve made a mistake. You haven’t given me enough .
5 Can you go to the other please? T his is my last customer this evening.

Score: /5

15 Complete the sentences with the correct f orm of the words in the box.

decide pick press put sleep

1 I my alarm on before I went to bed but it didn’t wake me up.

2 T hey aren’t sure how to solve the problem. T hey’re going to on it and think about it again in the morning.
3 Once you’ve on the photo you want, let me know and I’ll print it for you.
4 We’re nearly at the top of the mountain now. If we on, we’ll be there by lunchtime.
5 I wish you wouldn’t on him so much. It upsets him when you criticise him all the time.

Score: /5

16 Choose the correct word (A, B or C) to complete the sentences.

1 T hey’re a good company so we’d like to business with them again.

A make B go C do

2 My dad doesn’t have a great job but he a living.

A does B makes C gets

3 We couldn’t get our money back for the holiday because the company had bankrupt.

A done B got C gone

4 Business has been difficult but this year we’ve a profit for the first time.

A made B done C got

5 T he sales are on at the moment so you should be able to a bargain.

A get B go C do

Score: /5
17 Complete the text with the words in the box. T here are two words which you do not need.

carry cash cashpoint credit press profit purchase

Plastic money

If you are careful with your money, a (1) card can be a good way to pay for things. For example, many banks
will give you points every time you make a (2) , which you can exchange for gifts or even get money back. It
can also be more convenient than walking around with (3) in your pockets. However, if you are not careful, it
can be easy to get into trouble. One problem is that they often have a high credit limit, which means you can
(4) on spending even when you cannot afford it. Another problem is that if you use your credit card in a
(5) , you are likely to be charged a fee. Our advice would be to think carefully before you get one.

Score: /5

18 Choose the correct words.

1 I’m sure she’ll achieve/succeed her aim of passing her driving test if she keeps practising.
2 Make sure you don’t lose/miss the bus. It’s the last one of the evening.
3 I hope the show is a success because Alison has put a lot of job/work into it.
4 Roger Bannister is famed/infamous for being the first person to run a mile in less than four minutes.
5 Despite having earned/succeeded in passing his maths course, Joaquim has decided to study languages instead.

Score: /5

19 Complete the sentences with the words in the box.

log set shave spark wipe

1 Cities all round the world off fireworks at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
2 Could you your notes off the whiteboard when you’ve finished?
3 My dad agreed to off his beard for charity and he raised £150.
4 Matteus always makes sure to off his computer at the end of a session.
5 I only said that Lady Gaga was the best singer in the world. I didn’t mean to off a huge argument.

Score: /5

20 Complete the sentences with the correct word.

1 I know it’s frustrating but you should try not to lose your anger/temper/nerve.
2 If you keep sight/view/vision of your objectives, you will achieve them in the end.
3 What I like about Jane is that she always keeps her plan/word/character. She’s never let me down.
4 Peter always manages to keep his head/face/hair even when everyone else is really stressed out.
5 T he concert was so enjoyable that I completely lost sight/track/way of time.

Score: /5