FCE SAMPLE PAPER TEST 2

READING & USE OF ENGLISH

WRITING
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Reading and Use of English ● Part 1

For questions 1 – 8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
There is an example at the beginning (0).

Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

Example:

0 A look B sight C view D vision

0 A B C D

Hunting for dinosaurs

Marge Baisch was riding on her parents’ farm in Montana in the USA when she noticed what at first

(0) .......... seemed to be the bone of a cow. In fact, it (1) .......... out to belong to a dinosaur called

a triceratops. About 65 million years ago, dinosaurs regularly (2) .......... near huge rivers in this part

of Montana. Luckily for modern day dinosaur enthusiasts, the (3) .......... here were perfect for

preserving those that died there. However, once prehistoric bones are (4) .......... to the air, they

can become fragile, so it is important to find and preserve them before they disappear into the dust.

Since Marge’s discovery, her family have found the (5) .......... of hundreds of dinosaurs, some of

which they have (6) .......... to museums. Many tourists visit the farm in the hope of coming across

something unusual. The tourists may not stand much (7) .......... of discovering an entire skeleton,

but they are still very enthusiastic! The Baische family often allow them to keep whatever they find,

although some scientists (8) .......... of this policy.

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1 A sorted B worked C turned D pointed

2 A combined B gathered C concentrated D united

3 A conditions B situations C arrangements D settings

4 A emerged B displayed C appeared D exposed

5 A ruins B records C results D remains

6 A contributed B donated C provided D awarded

7 A possibility B opportunity C chance D potential

8 A disapprove B accuse C criticise D prohibit

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Reading and Use of English ● Part 2

For questions 9 – 16, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only
one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

Example: 0 B A C K

A History of surfing

The history of surfing undoubtedly goes (0) .......... a long way. It seems to (9) .......... formed a

central part of the culture of the Polynesian people, who were inhabitants of islands in the Pacific

Ocean (10) .......... as Samoa, Tonga and Hawaii. These people did not regard surfing (11) ..........

a mere recreational activity. For them, it was much (12) .......... of an art.

Although surfing disappeared from many parts of Polynesia in (13) .......... early twentieth century, a

small number of people in Hawaii kept the tradition alive. In 1912, it spread to the east coast of the

United States, and in particular to Virginia Beach, (14) .......... became an important surfing centre.

Surfing developed quite rapidly from then on, and the design of surfboards became more

sophisticated. However, (15) .......... was not until the 1960s that surfing came to be a truly global

phenomenon, boosted not only by the success of surfing films (16) .......... also by pop songs about

surfing culture.
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Reading and Use of English ● Part 3

For questions 17 – 24, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the
lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

Example: 0 R E F E R E N C E

A book of world records

One of the most fascinating (0) .......... books you can read is Guinness REFER

World Records. It contains a (17) .......... of facts and figures about COLLECT

incredible human achievement. It is also full of statistics concerning

(18) .......... natural features such as the world’s highest mountains. But IMPRESS

it is more than just a (19) .......... source of amazing facts. The RELY

organisation that produces the book is also now responsible for checking

the (20) .......... and accuracy of every new world record. TRUE

It all started in 1951 when Hugh Beaver, the Managing Director of a large

British company, got into an (21) .......... about which bird was the fastest ARGUE

in the world, and found that none of the books in his library were

(22) .......... in giving him the answer. He hired researchers to produce a HELP

book that could answer such questions. It sold quickly and became a

huge (23) .......... success. COMMERCE

In recent years, the book has increasingly focused on records set during

(24) .......... competitions, such as sword swallowing. CONVENTIONAL

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Reading and Use of English ● Part 4

For questions 25 – 30, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first
sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and
five words, including the word given. Here is an example (0).

Example:

0 Prizes are given out when the school year finishes.

PLACE

Prize giving .................................................. end of each school year.

The gap can be filled by the words ‘takes place at the’, so you write:

Example: 0 TAKES PLACE AT THE

Write only the missing words IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.
___________________________________________________________________________________

25 I spent ages doing my homework last night.

LONG

It .................................................. to do my homework last night.

26 It’s possible that Maria forgot it was your birthday.

MAY

Maria .................................................. it was your birthday.

27 Danny is very disappointed that he lost the important tennis match on Saturday.

LOSING

Danny hasn’t got over the .................................................. the important tennis match on
Saturday.

28 Carole said that it wasn’t a problem if her guitar lesson started an hour later than usual.

MIND

Carole said she .................................................. her guitar lesson an hour later than usual.
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29 Even though Luca took the early bus, he was still late for school!

SPITE

Luca was late for school .................................................. the early bus!

30 Joanna decided that using an out-of-date website for her school project was pointless.

POINT

Joanna decided that there .................................................. an out-of-date website for her

school project.

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Reading and Use of English y Part 5

You are going to read an extract from a novel about a teenager called Scotty Weems. For questions
31 – 36, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Scotty Weems
It began falling in the morning. I noticed it at the It was sort of his role. It might sound strange,
start of second period, biology, but I guess it could being known for what you aren’t, but Pete wasn’t
have started at the end of first period. There super hip or incredibly smart. He listened to
wasn’t much to it at first, and it had been snowing a mainstream rock and wore whatever clothes he’d
lot that month, so I didn’t give it a great deal of been given by his parents. You needed some kids
thought. It was those small flakes, like grains of like that, otherwise all you had were competing line 46
sugar. By third period, the flakes had fattened up groups, all dressed in outfits that amounted to
and got serious, and people were starting to talk uniforms and trying to play their music louder than
about it. yours.

‘Think they’ll let us out early?’ my friend, Pete said So for Pete, early dismissal just meant more time at
as we gathered our stuff and headed for our next home, playing video games and eating pizza. For
class, Spanish. I looked out the window and sized it me, it meant not collecting the payoff for all those line 52
up. It was really coming down and there were hours of practice I’d put in over the off-season, all
already two or three centimeters on the windowsill. those jump-shots I’d taken in the gym and out in
‘Maybe,’ I said. ‘Is it supposed to be a big one?’ the driveway. ‘They’re going to cancel the game,’ I
‘Supposed to be huge: ‘Winter Storm Warning,’ said to Pete. ‘That’s for sure.’
‘Where have you been?’ he said. ‘Oh, yeah,’ said Pete. ‘That’s bad.’
‘School, basketball practice, homework, whatever.
Excuse me for not watching the weather forecast.’ Pete didn’t play basketball, not in a team anyway.
‘Well, if it’s as big as all that, they’ll probably let us Neither did Jason. They were the same friends I’d
go.’ always had, the neighborhood kids I’d ridden bikes
‘I hope you’re right, Weems,’ he said. with when we were nine. I guess it’s kind of weird
to still have the same friends as when you were a
My name is Scotty Weems. I prefer ‘Scotty’, but little kid. It’s not like you’re expected to move on by
most people, even my friends, call me ‘Weems’. I high school, but you’re definitely allowed. And most
guess it’s easy to say. Anyway, I’m an athlete, so sporty kids run in packs, you know? But I had only
since I was a little kid, I’ve heard it shouted every just got onto the first team, so I was still kind of an
time I’ve done something right and every time I outsider there anyway. I knew those guys would
messed up, too. These days it’s on the back of my like me just fine when I became one of the top
basketball jersey. I like to think that someday players, and that was my goal for this season. As
people will be chanting it from the sidelines: for my real friends, Pete and Jason, I didn’t have to
‘Weems! Weems! Weems!’ Chanting fans make any prove anything to them.
name sound good.

It was a Tuesday, and before the snow started

falling the main thing on my radar was the start of
the basketball season. The first game was
supposed to be that night. So when Pete said,
‘Think they’ll let us out early?’ what I heard was,
‘Think they’ll cancel the game?’ Pete Dubois was
one of my best friends, him and Jason Gillispie. The
three of us were pretty tight. Pete blended in.
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31 How does Scotty say he felt about the snow at first?

A It was far too boring to think about.
B It was no real cause for concern.
C He was shocked by its sudden appearance.
D He was relieved it was only falling lightly.

32 What does Scotty say about being called ‘Weems’?

A It is appropriate for an athlete.
B He thinks his supporters will find it memorable.
C He has become accustomed to it.
D He regards it as an expression of admiration.

33 What does ‘like that’ in line 46 refer to?

A being an average type of person
B being interested in rock music
C wearing carefully chosen clothes
D hiding your real personality

34 What does ‘not collecting the payoff’ in line 52 mean?

A failing to take a break from
B doubting the result of
C getting fed up with
D missing out on the rewards of

35 What point is Scotty making when he talks about sporty kids running in packs?
A they have a shared natural ability
B they grew up together in the same neighbourhood
C they have a strong group identity
D they are all motivated to achieve

36 What do we learn about Scotty in the final paragraph?

A He is embarrassed to be friends with people who aren’t sporty.
B He lacks confidence in his ability to make new friends.
C He feels secure about the friendships he already has.
D He values the friendship of the people in his basketball team.

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Reading and Use of English y Part 6

You are going to read an article about a special kind of skateboard. Six sentences have been
removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A – G the one which fits each gap (37 – 42).
There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.
Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

An amazing skateboard
The skateboard controlled by brainwaves that moves
wherever you think it should.

Thinking of getting somewhere in a hurry? A The whole concept started with another
new gadget from a company called Chaotic motorised board, called the Board of
Moon Labs proves that the future of travel is Awesomeness. That gadget used a tablet
only limited by the imagination. A skateboard computer and an adapted computer games
they have developed, aptly named the Board Of console to analyse hand movements. x39xxxx
Imagination, takes commands directly from the The new version is more sophisticated and uses
rider’s brainwaves and transfers them to a a special wireless headset which can detect
motor that propels the board forward. You just signals from the brain and process them.
think of a destination, and how fast you would
like to get there, and the Board Of Imagination Whurley explains that the headset sends signals
will set off – hitting a top speed of around 50km from the rider’s brain to the computer via a
per hour. If you think that’s too fast, it will slow connector built into the headset. Then,
down. software installed on the computer controls the
electric motor. Of course, riders who want to
A film on the internet of the board being put use the board need to be able to balance.
through its paces by the general manager of x40xxxx
Chaotic Moon Labs, who refers to himself simply
as ‘Whurley’, shows that he has mastered the Whurley says this was a simple and painless
art of thinking his way from Point A to Point B. process. He practised with just the headset and
The secret of his success is special software in a computer so that a profile of how he ‘thinks’
an onboard computer – and a clever headset could be made. That profile was then loaded
that monitors and interprets brainwaves. So onto the computer on the board. x41xxxx
far, he’s the world’s leading pilot of the board. Thinking about lunch, or boring work could
x37xxxx bring the board to an abrupt halt.

On the video, Whurley demonstrates how the Sounding like a man speaking from painful
board is handled. He gets on, looking relaxed experience, Whurley says: ‘We quickly realised
and confident. x38xxxx As he puts it through that we would have to find a way to handle
its paces, he manages to hit fairly high speeds. distraction. We’ve done the best we can to
The computer can be seen attached to the front compensate. x42xxxx The only thing they
of the board, and the motor is underneath. can do is practise. Hopefully over time they can
Whurley compares the process to imagining learn to focus.’
pulling yourself along with a rope. If you ‘see’
the destination in your mind, and how fast you
want to get there, the Board Of Imagination's
gadgetry will do the rest.
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A The only problem is that users really do E Apart from that basic requirement, they
have to keep their minds focussed. just have to get their brainwaves and the
computer software to work together.

B As a result, they became easier to ride. F It’s clear, however, that there could be
other skaters thinking themselves to
various destinations in no time at all.

C Then, the board seems to take off of its G These were then converted into commands
own accord. for the motor.

D However, it will always be an issue for most

riders.

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Reading and Use of English y Part 7

You are going to read an article about four young environmentalists. For questions 43 – 52, choose
from the four people (A – D). The people may be chosen more than once.

Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Which person
is trying to explain how some behaviour has harmful effects? 43

followed up a talk by offering an opportunity for practical action? 44

says they were motivated by a desire to share their enthusiasm? 45

believes that an idea they came up with worked well? 46

selected something because it was relatively straightforward to deal with? 47

received public recognition for their environmental contribution? 48

says the future of the environment depends on a particular group of people? 49

mentions someone whose expert knowledge highlighted a problem? 50

helped to create a place that reflected their values? 51

mentions having to gain consent to start on a project? 52

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Young environmentalists
Four young people talk about their involvement in environmental projects.
A Lucy Walker C Josh Benito
I won a national After seeing an
award for the work I article in the
did on a project to newspaper about an
build an environ- environmental comp-
mental centre made etition, I felt inspired
entirely out of green materials. It’s a to do something related to planting trees so
100% carbon neutral building, which I set up a project at my local primary
means that all the building materials were school. I gave a presentation to the kids
reused or recycled. The centre is teaching them about the importance of
somewhere kids can learn how to take taking care of the environment and how
care of the environment, but I realised trees can help. Then, each of the 300
that not everyone would have the pupils was given two young trees: one to
opportunity to visit it. I therefore created take home and plant in their garden, and
an online curriculum guide, so kids could one to give to a neighbour or friend. I think
also learn about the environment in their the project was an effective way of getting
schools. I translated it into Spanish as the message across to more people.
well so that it could be available to more Attached to each tree was information
people. All this took two years and I did it about helping the environment and the
because I have a great love for the name of the project. This experience has
outdoors and being in the midst of wildlife, taught me leadership skills and how to
I wanted other young people to be able to organise a large group. I have also learned
experience the same passion that I feel. many things from having to meet and talk
with many different individuals.
B Justin Day
While hiking near my D Erica Klek
home, I noticed a When I was at primary
plant I didn’t recog- school, my friend and
nise growing along I got really involved in
the side of the trail. aluminium can re-
My sister, a naturalist, cycling and we also
told me the plant was an invasive, non- did a project on the greenhouse effect.
native plant that is toxic to local wildlife. I Later on at high school I helped co-ordinate
then discovered that there are a number an environmental event because I wanted
of different types of non-native plants in to make more people aware of important
my area. Some excrete poisons into the issues. It’s our generation that’s going to
ground so nothing can grow there for make or break the environment. Some
many years. I had to get permission from teenagers don’t know they’re doing the
the local council to remove some of them, wrong things, and I want to help them
but I realised I couldn’t do it alone. So I understand. I recently prepared a guide for
set up an environmental organisation to students interested in organising similar
recruit other teenagers to give me a hand. activities in their own schools, which has
We all learnt how to properly identify, been distributed to most of the schools in
remove and dispose of the invasive plants. my area. I’ve also been helping to replant
Our focus has mainly been on a plant trees after they were destroyed in a
called Dalmatian Toadflax, which is easier hurricane. Unfortunately, we lost a lot,
to pull up, so anyone can do it. We also both exotic and native species.
work on replanting areas with native grass
and wildflower seeds.
Writing ● Part 1

You must answer this question. Write your answer in 140 – 190 words in an appropriate style on
the separate answer sheet.

1 In your English class you have been talking about what different people can teach each other.
Now your English teacher has asked you to write an essay for homework.

Write your essay using all the notes and giving reasons for your point of view.

‘Teenagers are too young to teach other people about anything.’

Do you agree?

Notes
Write about:

1. technology
2. the environment
3. ……………………… (your own idea)
Writing ● Part 2
Write an answer to one of the questions 2 – 5 in this part. Write your answer in 140 – 190 words
in an appropriate style on the separate answer sheet. Put the question number in the box at the top
of the answer sheet.

2 You see this notice in an international English-language magazine for teenagers.

Articles wanted
We’re looking for articles about unusual objects.
Have you, or a member of your family, ever owned an unusual object?
Tell us about it – describe the object and explain why it’s so unusual.
The best articles will be published in our next issue.

Write your article.

3 You have received this email from your English-speaking friend, Alex.

From: Alex
Subject: I need your advice
I play the guitar in a band with three friends. We play for fun after school. Now my
friends would like our band to play in a music competition on TV, but I’m not sure if I
want to. Do you think it’s a good idea? If I say ‘no’, it will upset my friends.
What should I do?
Alex

Write your email.

4 You have seen this announcement in an international magazine for teenagers.

Stories wanted
Write a story for our magazine. Your story must begin with this sentence:
Jerry read the email and decided to go to the shopping centre immediately.
Your story must include:
ƒ a request
ƒ a present

Write your story.

5 Answer the following question based on the title below.

Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Your English class has had a discussion about the story of Macbeth. Now your teacher has
given you this essay for homework:
Which character do you find most interesting in Macbeth and why?
Write your essay.