Life, Intermediate, Mid-term Test 1

100 points

Vocabulary

1 Complete the text with these words. There are three extra words which you do not need to use.
There is an example at the beginning (0).

happiness happy identity impression kind love loving lucky menu

particular popular red thing yellow

Hi Jenny
Well, here I am in Mexico, and I feel really (0) _happy___________ to be here. It’s great. I’m (1)
____________ it!
I’m in the beautiful, old city of Oaxaca. The food is fantastic. Eating a long, large lunch is very much
part of the national (2) ____________ of all Mexicans, so, every day, I go to my favourite restaurant
in the main square and choose delicious dishes from the vegetarian (3) ____________ . Festivals and
parades are part of the (4) ____________ culture in this part of the country, and I’ve been (5)
____________ enough to witness two festivals already. Studying Spanish in college last year has been
a good (6) ____________ too – not many people speak English here, so I’ve had to use my Spanish all
the time, and being able to smile and say something polite in Spanish has been a great way of making
a good first (7) ____________ in hotels and cafés. Some of the local people dress in a very (8)
____________ way in Oaxaca – they wear a ‘huipil’ – a type of blouse that can be very colourful. I’ve
been to a dance where I wore a ‘huipil’ myself – that was (9) ____________ of fun.
Anyway, give everybody my (10) ____________ .
Martha x

(10 points)
2 Decide which answer (A, B or C) best fits the gap in each sentence. There is an example at the
beginning (0).
0 ____________ is a fun sport you can do underwater.
A Jet-skiing B Snorkelling C Windsurfing
1 You can drink the fresh water in the ____________.
A lake B sea C ocean
2 Our holiday was boring at first, but ____________ better in the second week.
A set B had C got
3 Jamie never really ____________ himself seriously. He likes to have fun.
A makes B puts C takes
4 I don’t like being ____________. I prefer being with other people.
A with myself B on my own C at my alone
5 Please get ____________ the pool. It’s time to go home.
A off B away C out of
6 It was ____________ with rain all night.
A pouring B falling C throwing
7 Fire! Quick! ____________ your bag and get out of the building.
A Hold B Clutch C Grab
8 It was ____________ hot on the beach yesterday. It was almost forty degrees!
A boiling B frying C cooking
9 You have to be really ____________ to win the lottery.
A luck B lucky C luckily
10 After swimming across the river, Joe was so tired he ____________ out of the water and collapsed.
A wandered B turned C crawled

(10 points)
Grammar
3 Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Use no more
than three words, including the correct form of the word in brackets and one of the words in the box.
You can use these more than once. There is an example at the beginning (0).

already for just since yet

0 Sally ate lunch a few minutes ago and is ready to leave.

Sally has just eaten___ (eat) lunch and is ready to leave.
1 Gareth and Sue moved here five years ago.
Gareth and Sue have ____________ (live) five years.
2 My friends saw La La Land last week, but I didn’t see it.
My friends saw La La Land last week, but I haven’t ____________ (see).
3 I first met Uma in 2010 and we’re still friends.
I’ve ____________ (know) 2010.
4 I bought my first jazz album very recently.
I ____________ (buy) my first jazz album.
5 It’s late, but Emma is still here.
It’s late, but Emma has ____________ (not leave).
6 Pandora wrote and sent her essay weeks ago.
Pandora ____________ (write) and sent her essay.
7 I played handball when I was a kid at school.
I haven’t ____________ (play) I was a kid at school.
8 I’m sorry, but we threw your old books away a long time ago.
I’m sorry, but we ____________ (throw) your old books away.
9 Jake is in a choir. He started singing twelve years ago.
Jake ____________ (sing) twelve years in the choir.
10 Paula caught a cold last weekend. She still feels ill now.
Paula has ____________ (feel) she caught a cold last weekend.
(10 points)
4 Complete the text with the correct past simple or present perfect form of the verbs in brackets.
There is an example at the beginning (0).
Britain’s most popular travelling circus (0) arrived___________ (arrive) in Scotland last Friday for a tour
that runs until August 5th. To everybody’s surprise, the following day, the circus (1) ____________ (place)
an advertisement in the local newspaper for a clown. Why would they need a clown? What
qualifications do you need? I decided to give the owner a call.
Jim Clark, ‘Bippo’ to his friends, (2) ____________ (work) in circuses all his life. He (3) ____________ (start)
out riding circus horses when he was young, but he (4) ____________ (not perform) on a horse since an

accident in 2009. ‘Since my accident, I (5) ____________ (not be) a clown,’ he tells me on the phone.
‘And, of course, when I’m not on stage, I’m the owner. I (6) ____________ (buy) the circus in 2010, and

since then I (7) ____________ (make) all the difficult decisions round here. It’s hard work.’
I asked Jim why he needed a clown. ‘One of our clowns (8) ____________ (break) his leg,’ he said. ‘He’s

in hospital now. Fortunately, he (9) ____________ (not hurt) himself badly, but he can’t perform.’
There was a long pause on the line. ‘Do you want to apply for the job?’ he asked. ‘Sure,’ I said. ‘Why
not? I (10) ____________ (never /do) anything like this before. Is it hard?’ ‘Not really,’ said Jim. ‘You just
have to fall over a lot!’

(10 points)
Reading

5 You are going to read an article about the survivors of the sinking of a ship. For questions 1–10,
choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text. There is an example at
the beginning (0). The survivors of the USS Indianapolis
On 30th July 1945, an American ship called the USS Indianapolis was returning from a secret mission in
the South Pacific when a Japanese submarine fired two torpedoes and sank it. Most of the ship’s crew
escaped before the ship went under the water, but they found themselves in the middle of the ocean,
without any lifeboats. For the next five days, until an American ship arrived to rescue them, the men
could only stay together and swim. At the time of the rescue, out of a crew of 1,196, only 317 men had
survived. Of the rest, most had died of thirst or salt water poisoning, and many had got exhausted and
drowned. Others had died from shark attacks. The survivors were in shock. They had lived in fear of
being eaten by sharks for five days. It was something they would never forget.
Since 1960, the survivors have been meeting for reunions in Indianapolis to see their old shipmates, tell
their stories and remember the worst week of their lives. In 2015, 14 of the 31 remaining survivors got
together for the 70th anniversary of the incident. It was not lost on the hundreds of family members,
friends and dignitaries in attendance that there may not be a similar gathering on the 75th. The reunions
have been held annually for the last few years (after being biannual for several years before that), but
with most of the survivors in their nineties, a vote is now taken every year whether to continue. ‘Our
numbers are dropping fast,’ says Harold Bray, a retired police officer from Benicia, California, who at 88
is the youngest survivor left. ‘We’ve lost three since the last reunion. It’s really tough to belong to a club
like this.’
The reunion, however, doesn’t only remember the terrible experience the men had in the waters of the
South Pacific. It also recalls the secret mission the USS Indianapolis had carried out four days before the
ship sank. The crew of the Indianapolis had landed at Tinian Island south of Japan and delivered the
components for the atomic bomb that would be dropped on Hiroshima less than two weeks later. By the
time the survivors recovered from their ordeal – most were close to death when they were accidently
spotted by a passing air force pilot – World War II was over.
0 On 30th July 1945, the USS Indianapolis was
A going to the South Pacific on a mission.
B heading towards Japan to carry out another mission.
C sailing on its way back from a mission.
D returning to the South Pacific from the USA.
1 Most of the men on the ship died
A as soon as the ship sank.
B within five days of the ship sinking.
C while trying to get into lifeboats.
D after being rescued.
2 The main reason why the men died was
A from not having fresh water to drink.
B because sharks attacked and killed them.
C from exhaustion.
D as a result of shock after the ship sank.
3 The reunions have always taken place
A at the same time of year.
B in the same location.
C over a one-week period.
D on a ship.
4 At the 2015 reunion,
A all the remaining survivors of the disaster came to the event.
B there were only survivors of the disaster at the event.
C they celebrated the 75th get-together since the disaster.
D not every survivor was able to attend the event.
5 Many people at the 2015 event
A felt that it had lost its original purpose.
B were there for the first time.
C felt that it was perhaps one of the last.
D were critical of its organization.
6 The article says that reunions
A now number seventy or more.
B haven’t always happened every year.
C have always ended with a vote.
D are usually a biannual event.
7 Since the last reunion
A three of the survivors died.
B two years passed by.
C the youngest of the survivors died.
D it’s been hard to keep in touch.
8 According to the article, the mission of the USS Indianapolis in July 1945
A is still a secret.
B is always remembered at the reunion.
C was a disaster.
D was forgotten for a long time.
9 The article does not reveal
A when the secret mission took place.
B what the ship carried on its mission.
C if a reunion has taken place since 2015.
D the place the ship went to.
10 The survivors were rescued
A before the secret mission was completed.
B after an organized search.
C when an air force pilot saw them in the sea.
D after the end of the war.
(10 points)
Listening
6 [Track 106] You will hear two people talking about doing water sports. For questions 1–10, complete
the sentences with a word or short phrase. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Speaker 1
0 Jet-skiing is enjoyable for adults as well as _teenagers___________ .

1 Learning how to jet-ski is ____________.

2 Whenever you go jet-skiing, make sure you are wearing a ____________ correctly.

3 It’s important not to ____________ when you try jet-skiing for the first time.
4 Turning the jet-ski and ____________ from one side to another are two things to practise when you are
a beginner.
5 Always ____________ when jet-skiing so that you are aware of other people in the sea.
Speaker 2
6 The speaker and her brother first tried snorkelling ____________ last summer.

7 The speaker and her brother got their equipment from a shop in ____________ not far from where they
were staying.
8 The speaker says that ____________ was difficult when she first went snorkelling.
9 The speaker found most fish not far from ____________ .

10 The speaker says that the weather was ____________ on the day she went snorkelling.

(10 points)

Writing
7 Read the task below.
Think of a musician you know well. It could be somebody you know or a famous person. Write a profile
of him / her.

Write your profile (approximately 200 words). Make sure you:

• give basic biographical information.
• provide facts and opinions.
(20 points)
Speaking
8 Read the task below and give your presentation in class.
Prepare to talk about your favourite musician or singer. Think about the answers to these questions:
• What do you know about their career?
• How long have you been interested in their music and why?
• Have you ever seen them live? If so, where was it and when? What do you remember about it?
(20 points)