Upper Intermediate
Achievement Test 2
Listening
1a Listen to three friends discussing luxury. Write the correct name: Dan, Maria or Steve
Who …
first mentions the Chinese vase? Dan
1 expresses surprise at the sums involved? _______
2 feels uncomfortable about such extravagance? _______
3 believes it’s OK to spend money if you’ve earned it? _______
4 starts checking facts online? _______
5 guesses closest to the actual cost of the suit? _______
6 knows where the world’s most expensive house is? _______
1b Listen again and complete the missing numbers.
The original estimate for the Chinese vase was between £800,000 and £1.2m.
7 The vase finally sold for £ _______.
8 Many of the world’s poorest people live on less than £ _______a day.
9 The world’s most expensive suit cost £ _______.
10 The suit has _______single-cut diamonds.
11 The world’s most expensive house is _______storeys high.
12 The cinema can seat _______people.
___/24
Reading
2 Read the email. Are the statements true (T), false (F) or not given (NG)?
Hi Fred
How are you? How’s the garden? I hope you’re not freezing over there. It’s been so cold here, but spring is round the corner or so they keep telling us. Life has certainly been eventful here, but not in a pleasant way unfortunately. We were burgled last week. I still can’t quite believe it.
My mother and sister had just arrived from Canada on the first leg of their European tour. I hadn’t seen them for a while so I was really excited and had lots of things planned for them. I couldn’t take any time off work because we’re really short-staffed at the moment but I made sure they had everything they needed, and told them to be sure to lock the door when they went out. I’m not quite sure what happened but I think they must have decided to explore the local area in the afternoon, so perhaps they didn’t lock the door as they weren’t expecting to be out for very long (and it was so cold in any case). They got back about thirty minutes later to discover that the front door was open. Imagine their shock. And the mess. My goodness. Whoever it was had gone through everything – it was almost as if they knew where to find things.
Mum had left $500 in cash on the table and my sister had left her new digital camera and mobile phone on the bed. Of course they’d gone. And everything had been taken out of the drawers in the living room. I think something might have surprised the thief because he didn’t get as far as my bedroom. Mum rang me at work and I immediately called the police, who were at the flat within the hour. The burglar had broken one of the windows at the back, so we’re guessing he must have escaped that way. I could tell that the policewoman who came to see us wasn’t very positive about our chances of getting anything back, but at least she took a statement and the other police officers took fingerprints from the window frame and the door.
The worst thing about it is knowing that a stranger has been through your things. I bet he had been watching the house and then when he saw Mum and my sister go out, he decided to chance his luck. I’m still quite nervous at night, and the smallest sound makes me jump. Mum feels really bad and keeps saying that it was her fault. Of course it wasn’t. It’s just one of those things, but I don’t go out for even five minutes now without double locking everything, and I’m getting window locks fitted next week.
I hope my news won’t put you off coming to visit! Let me know when you’ve got your flight booked.
Love
Dawn
Fred doesn’t live in the same country. NG
1 Dawn’s relatives hadn’t visited her before. ___
2 They decided to go out for a short while. ___
3 They left the door unlocked. ___
4 The thief turned everything upside-down. ___
5 He went through Dawn’s drawers. ___
6 Something disturbed the burglar. ___
7 He left fingerprints in the flat. ___
8 Dawn feels bad about the invasion of her space. ___
9 Dawn hasn’t got over the shock. ___
10 She blames her mother for what happened. ___
11 She has had the security improved. ___
12 She’s expecting Fred to visit her soon. ___
13 Fred will be coming by plane. ___
___/26
Writing
3a Review
Write a review of a book you’ve read recently or a film you’ve seen. You should include the following information:
· title/author/director
· main characters/actors
· brief outline of the plot
· your opinion
· recommendation
Write 120–180 words.
3b Reference
You have been asked to provide a reference for an employee of yours who has just applied for a job as an English teacher. Your letter should include the following information:
· your details
· how you know the person and for how long
· positive details about the person
· relevant information
· offer of further contact
___/25
Speaking
4a Part One
Your teacher will ask you several questions about yourself to practise giving personal information. Answer the questions.
4b Part Two
Work in pairs and follow the instructions.
You and your partner have been asked to put together a study plan offering advice to English students on how to improve their English knowledge.
Use the prompts below and suggest your own ideas.
...
vir2alny