TEST SAMPLES

Class A advanced

PART I                              READING                                 [8pts]         

1. Read the text and chose the best answer .   [2pts]

                   The mystery of the Maya

The Mayan Indians lived in Mexico for thousands of years before the Spanish arrived in the 1500s. The Maya were an intelligent, culturally rich people whose achievements were many. They had farms, beautiful palaces, and cities with many buildings. The Mayan people knew a lot about nature and the world around them. This knowledge helped them to live a better life than most people of that time, because they could use it to make their lives more comfortable and rewarding. Knowledge about tools and farming, for instance, made their work easier and more productive.

In ancient Mexico, there were many small clearings in the forest. In each clearing was a village with fields of corn, beans, and other crops around it. To clear the land for farms, the Maya cut down trees with stone axes. They planted seeds by digging holes in the ground with pointed sticks. A farmer was able to grow crops that produced food for several people. But not every Maya had to be a farmer. Some were cloth makers, builders, or priests.

The Maya believed in many gods. The people built large temples to honor the Mayan gods. Skillful workers built cities around these temples. It was difficult for them to construct these cities, because they had no horses to carry the heavy stone they used to build with. Workers had to carry all of the building materials themselves. Many of the cities are still standing today.

Although the cities that the Maya built were beautiful, and the people worked hard to build them, very few of the people lived in them. Usually, only the priests lived in the cities. The other people lived in small villages in the forests. Their houses were much simpler than the elaborate structures in the cities. They lived in small huts with no windows. The walls were made of poles covered with dried mud, and the roof was made of grass or leaves. Most Maya lived a simple life close to nature. [260w]

1)      “The Maya were rich people whose achievements were many”.

        What is a synonym for the word achievements?

A.     mistakes

B.     successes

C.     skills

D.     roads                                                            

2)      The Maya lived in Mexico

A.     only after the Spanish arrived.

B.     at the same time as the Spanish.

C.     only for a few years.

D.     thousands of years before the Spanish.

3)      Many Mayan cities and temple are still standing today because

A.     they were so well built.

B.     they are not very old.

C.     they have been rebuilt

D.     there is never any bad weather in Mexico.

4)      Most Maya lived

A.     in beautiful cities.

B.     in huts made of poles, mud and leaves.

C.     in caves.

D.     in stone temples.

5)      ‘Some were priests’.

What is a synonym for the word priest?

   A. teacher

   B. monk

   C. farmer

   D. a man who is the minister of the church

B. Are the following statements True or False?

1. The Mayans led a complicated life.  …..

2. The Mayan people didn’t know a lot a bout nature.  …...

3. They built villages in forest clearings.  ……

4. The Maya worked the land and were great farmers.  ….

5. The Mayans built cities around large temples. …..

6.  The constructions were stone built.  ……

7.  The priests lived outside the cities.    ..…

8.  The workers had no horses to carry the building materials.  ……

9.  The houses of the people were famous for their complicated structure.  …..

10. Most of the cities are not standing today.  ……

C. Put the sentences in the right order. Use numbers from 1-5.

a. Archaeologists are still trying to find the lost secrets of the Maya. ……

b. No one knows why this happened.   …….

c. They may have died from an infectious disease.  ……

d. Around the year 800, the Maya left their villages and beautiful cities, never to return. …….

e. They may have left because the soil could no longer grow crops. …….

PART II                            LISTENING

A.     Robert, the presenter of a radio programme for teenagers, invited the listeners to express their good intentions for this month. Listen to six of them and write the name of the teenager next to each intention (a-g). There is an extra intention.

This teenager is going to……..

a)      be more careful in the streets

b)      feel positive about themselves

c)      take advice from somebody older

d)      behave better towards others

e)      watch less TV

f)        eat less junk food

g)      be careful when visiting websites

B.     Now listen to the conversation again and decide whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F)

a)      Christos has decided to spend two hours per day on TV programmes and video games.

b)      Pedro is proposing two good intentions.

c)      Dad always says: “Pedro, fasten your seatbelt now”.

d)      Hans is from London.

e)      Hans felt nervous when he changed places.

f)        Jean- Paul does not give out personal information.

g)      From now on, Silou is not going to think PINK.

h)      Maria usually takes advice about her choices.

i)        Maria doesn’t trust adults.

PART III                          WRITING [8pts]

A.     What does Chris say to the waiter? Complete the gaps with the right answer from the right column. There are some extra statements. [2pts]

           

Waiter: I’m afraid we haven’t got a table free at the moment. Chris: 1)……………………….. Waiter: About a quarter of an hour. Those people in the corner have nearly finished. Chris: 2)………………………. Waiter: Of course. Can I bring you a drink? Chris: …………………. Waiter: Certainly. Anything else I can do for you? Chris: ……………… Waiter: There’s a phone outside the kitchen. Chris: ……………… Waiter: I’ll take them for you. Your table will be ready soon.

A  I’d like a salad and a main course. B  How long will we have to wait? C Yes, we’ll have two glasses of mineral water. D. Right. Where can we leave our coats? E. I need to make a telephone call. F. We’ll go somewhere else. G. Have you got a table for two, please? H. That’s all right. Can we see the menu, please?

B.     You are taking part in a short story competition. Think of something interesting, funny, strange or sad which happened to you or your family in the past and write about it. Think of a title. Write:

·        when it happened

·        where it happened

·        what was going on at the time

·        what was the interesting/funny/strange/sad event

·        what happened afterwards.

You’ll never believe what happened to……………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

     CLASS: B

I)                  READING COMPREHENSION  

Mother Teresa was born in Albania in 1910, and died in 1997. Her real name is Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She became famous the world over for starting the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India. She began this work in 1950 and for over forty years, she looked after the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work.

Agnes developed an interest in helping the less fortunate at a very young age. She was fascinated by stories of people who dedicated their life to help others. She decided to become a nun when she was 12. She joined the Sisters of Loreto as a missionary when she was 18. She initially went to Ireland, to learn English.

She arrived in India in 1929 and became a nun two years later. The poverty and suffering she saw around her in Calcutta deeply disturbed her. A famine in 1943 killed thousands and worsened the situation. In 1946 she received a call from God. "I was to leave the convent (monastery) and help the poor while living among them. It was an order,” she said.

She was an international symbol of charity, visiting many countries to help poor children. At the time of her death, her organization was operating in 123 countries.

A. Read the text and say if these sentences are TRUE  or FALSE  (5pts)

1. When she arrived in India she became a nun. ________
2. She looked after the poor for less than forty years. _______
3. In 1943 many poor died of famine. ______
4. Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace prize in 1979. ________
5. She helped the unlucky ones at a young age. _______

 

B. Match the words from the article on the left with their synonyms on

the right. (7pts)

1. the world over      ……                                a. operating

2. looked after          …….                               b. public-spirited

3. humanitarian        …….                                c. spellbound

4. fortunate               …….                               d. at first

5. fascinated               …….                             e. worldwide

6. initially                  …….                             f. cared for

7. functioning            ……..                            g. lucky

C. a) Put the words back into the correct order. (4 pts)

1. over  world  the   famous  became  She

……………………………………………………………

2. learn  to  Ireland  to went  initially  She English

…………………………………………………………..

3.  saw  she  suffering  and  poverty  The   her around

………………………………………………………….

4. this began She 1950  in work

…………………………………………………………..

b) Complete the phrases with the correct word or phrase.  (4 pts )

1. people who dedicated …………………………………………

2. her organization was …………………………………………

3. help the poor ………………………………………………….

4. the most admired …………………………………………….

                                                     

II. USE OF ENGLISH

D. Complete the texts by choosing the correct answer for each space.  (5pts)

The kayapo Indians live on the banks of the Amazon River in Brazil.  In the picture, it looks like the men 1)……  ready to fight but in fact they 2) ……… the tribal dance.  Before the dance, the men 3) …… their faces, legs and bodies.

1) a) get          b) are getting              c) being           d) getting

2) a) practice    b) are practicing       c) will practice   d) practicing

3) a) are painting        b) paints          c) paint            d) will paint

                                                ********

This lovely girl 4)………. in South Africa. In this photograph, the girl is wearing a leather headband and huge golden earrings. Sometimes the girls 5) ……… silver coins on their noses.

4) a) is living               b) live             c) lives                       d) leaves

5) a) addition              b) are adding              c) add              d) will add

E) Underline the correct word. (10 pts)

1. My mother didn’t let me to go / me go to the museum last weekend.

2. How long did the film take / last?                                                           

3. Anne Frank didn’t earn/ win the Nobel Prize.

4. She didn’t care / mind spending all her hours with the poor.

5. What made / did her famous?

F) Circle the correct answer.  (5pts)

1.  A Thracian …… called Spartacus didn’t like the Romans.

a) slave           b) general       c) leader          d) generally

2. Spartacus made a(n)  ….. by fighting against Romans.

a) impression b) promise       c) decision       d) difference

3. Spartacus was the ….. of thousands slaves.

a) top               b) lead             c) leader          d) general

4. He …… an army of about  70,000 slaves against the Romans.

a) wanted        b)  had c) made           d) started 

5.  There were no Roman …. in his army.

a) beings         b) humans       c) foreigners   d) citizens