LISTENING

1 Listen to five teenagers talk about trips they have made with their families. Choose from the list (A-F)
what each speaker says they have learned as a result of going on the trip. Use the letters only once.
There is one extra letter you do not need to use.
A You can learn things from family members.
B Its good to have a positive attitude.
C Be realistic about how much time you need for things before you go.
D Things need to be carefully organized beforehand.
E Travel can make you appreciate home more.
F You can benefit from unusual experiences.

Speaker 1 [ ]
Speaker 2 [ ]
Speaker 3 [ ]
Speaker 4 [ ]
Speaker 5 [ ]
5

2 Listen to a talk by a young dancer who is doing a course at the Youth Ballet School. Underline the
correct answer.
1 According to Sophie, young people accepted onto the course must have achieved a high level in ballet / need to
show that they are able to meet its demands / have usually applied for a place more than once.
2 During the first round of her successful audition, Sophie felt confident in her ability to do well / worried about
being too close to the judges / put off by the number of people taking part.
3 Sophie was angry because her letter had been delayed / worried that no particular role was mentioned /
satisfied that the school had made a careful choice when she heard that shed got a place at the School.
4 Sophie admits that rehearsing is surprisingly tiring / easier to do on stage / improving her dancing.
5 Sophie says that in the future she wont consider alternatives to dancing / she hopes shell be able to make a
living by dancing / shes determined to become a top professional dancer.

5
Listening total 10
 READING

1 Read the article. For questions 1-5, choose the correct answer (A, B, C, or D).

A Step In The Right Direction

It was once famously said that some things in life like paying taxes and death are inevitable. And leaving
education trying to find employment is something that young people everywhere have to face. But despite the
large amount of research that has been undertaken on young people in the job market, relatively little is known
about what happens once young people start their first job. A team of researchers from Leeds Metropolitan
University looked into this aspect. The survey focused on 30 people and 39 employers, and addressed a range
of issues in relation to recruitment, employment, and particularly young people into the workplace.

It is clear from the interviews with young people that, for the vast majority, the idea of a 'job for life' no longer
exists. While some had clear career ambitions, the majority appeared to be unclear on what they wanted to do.
One consequence of this is that many young people saw their early work experiences as temporary a 'stop
gap' until their ideas on what they wanted to do had developed, or simply a way of earning money to pursue
other ambitions such as travel.

This tendency has also been noted by many employers, and is particularly disappointing to smaller businesses
looking for long-term loyalty in their staff. However, some employers for example in areas such as financial
services and call centres had adjusted to the new situation, and appeared to accept that they cannot expect
young people to be loyal and see a long-term future with one employer.

Like a number of other studies, the findings confirm that employers tend to focus on 'softer' skills and
behavioural qualities in the recruitment process, with a less prominent role played by formal qualifications. The
opinions of this sample of young people were remarkably consistent with those of the employers. Most of the
young people seemed to have understood the message that formal qualifications are often a necessary but not
sufficient condition for obtaining the types of jobs which they hope to do in the future. They recognized that skills
like communication, team-working, organization, and customer service are all important. There was evidence
that many young people had clearly worked on developing such skills.

Where there does appear to be a significant difference of opinion between the views of young people and
employers related to the extent to which young people actually possess the necessary 'employability' skills. By
and large, the young people interviewed were confident in their ability to demonstrate these skills and qualities.
Employers, on the whole, were much less positive about this, often feeling that educational institutions were
focusing too strongly on academic skills and qualifications, at the expense of employability.

Another area where employers' and young peoples' views differed is in relation to Information Technology (IT)
skills. When asked about the things they value most about young recruits, many employers mentioned their
ability with computers. On the other hand, few young people mentioned this explicitly. The probable explanation
is that young people simply take their IT skills for granted, often not realizing how valuable they might be to
some employers. Encouraging young people to be more positive about this aspect might help some to improve
the way they are viewed by potential employers.

In terms of the inductions provided for their young recruits, the results of this study confirmed both expectations
and the findings of earlier research that employers vary widely in the nature of the training they provide.
Differences included the length of time the inductions ran, how formal the training was, what topics were
covered, and how often training occurred. The reaction of most young people to the induction they had
experienced was positive, or at least neutral. There is clearly a tension between the need for new recruits to
become good at their jobs, and their understandable desire to get involved as quickly as possible.

From the point of view of the employer, much depended upon the nature of the job, the type of employer
(particularly size and sector), and the frequency with which they recruit young people. In general, the more
regularly young people were recruited and the larger the employer, the more formal the induction process.

In uncertain economic times, it seems that young people more than ever are having to do all they can to find
employment.
 1 The survey revealed that, in general, young people ...
A do not value the early work experience they gain in any way.
B are unconvinced they will do the same job until they retire.
C would prefer to have a gap year before starting higher education.
D are unsure about which jobs they want to do when they leave school.

2 What do employers think about formal qualifications?

A They are less important than behavioural qualities.
B They are more important than behavioural qualities.
C They are equally as important as behavioural qualities.
D They are more important than behavioural qualities for certain jobs only.

3 What can we learn from the survey about young people and IT skills?
A Employers do not assume that all young employees have good IT skills.
B Young people need to perfect their IT skills before starting work for an employer.
C Young people should promote their IT skills to employers more than they do currently.
D Employers do not enjoy feeling inadequate as young peoples IT skills are often superior to theirs.

4 The survey suggests that young people themselves value skills such as being able to...
A get the job done faster than others.
B get new business for the company.
C get better results than colleagues.
D get on with other people in the workplace.

5 Induction processes vary in terms of ...

A where they are carried out.
B who they are reviewed by.
C when they take place.
D what they focus on.
Reading total 10

LANGUAGE IN USE

1. Complete the sentences. Use the correct form of the verb in brackets.
Example: Ive lived (live) near Nathan since I was a child.
1 I think youd have got the job if you ________ (not ask) that stupid question.
2 Call an ambulance! Mrs Jones ________ (run over) by a car!
3 I immediately regretted ________ (send) the email.
4 I ________ (writing) my essay for an hour when my computer crashed and lost it all.
5 Im sure you wish you ________ (not buy) that car. Its been nothing but trouble.
6 We ________ (practise) this dance for nearly two months, so it should go well tonight.
7 I think I ________ (learn) enough Chinese by the time I go to China.
8 Ill let you know the test results as soon as I ________ (discuss) them with your doctor.
9 I wanted to meet Anna, but she ________ (already leave) when I got to the party.
10 We couldnt go inside the church because it ________ (redecorate).
11 You ________ (not sit) here now if I hadnt managed to get us the invitation.
12 One of the greatest 20th century paintings ________ (report) to have been stolen.
13 Ill bring something to eat in case we ________ (get) hungry.
14 I ________ (still work) at 7.00. I dont finish till 8.00 on Thursdays.
15 You shouldnt ________ (spend) so long in the sun yesterday youve got sunburn.
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2. Complete the sentences with the correct word(s).
Example: Who made this cake?
Who made Who did make Who make

1 I ________ when Im cleaning my apartment.

play often music play music often often play music
2 ________ are becoming an increasingly large proportion of many societies.
Unemployed The unemployed The unemployed people
3 We played the music quietly ________ wake the children.
to not not to so as not to
4 ________ the very steep climb up the last hill, I really enjoyed the walk.
Although In spite Despite
5 Our eldest daughter is at ________ university. Shes studying Physics.
the a ()
6 Thats a _______ table where did you buy it?
lovely little wooden little lovely wooden lovely wooden little
7 I like the dogs that my neighbour has, but generally I prefer ________ cats.
() some the
8 ________ of our team played well today thats why we lost.
Neither None Some
9 I love ________ in that shop.
a furniture the furnitures the furniture
10 Does anyone know where ________?
lives Petra does Petra live Petra lives
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3. Write the words after the definitions.

Example: very angry = furious
1 the thing which planes take off from and land on = __________
2 the person who controls how an orchestra plays = __________
3 unsure how to react to something because your emotions are so strong = __________
4 someone who tries to avoid spending money = tight-__________
5 another word for luggage = __________
6 you put your head on this when you sleep = __________
7 a group of people who sing together = __________
8 when you open your mouth very wide because you are tired = ________
9 the opposite of tight (trousers) = __________
10 you use these to breathe = __________
11 a person who sees a crime = __________
12 a person who works with you in a company = __________
13 a snow storm with very strong winds = __________
14 the person in charge of a newspaper who decides what will go in it = __________
15 not allowing water to go through it = __________
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4. Complete the sentences with one word made from the word in brackets.
Example: I mispronounced the word so nobody understood me. (pronounce)
1 These cups are _________, even if you drop them on a hard floor. (break)
2 _________ is a big problem in this area. (vandal)
3 The weather here is so _________, it could be very different later. (change)
4 I like green vegetables, ________ spinach. (special)
 5 Housing costs are high in the capital, so there are a lot of ________ people. (home)
6 I dont suffer from________ I enjoy being on my own. (lonely)
7 She behaves like a little girl sometimes shes so ________. (mature)
8 I felt very ________ when I couldnt remember her name. (embarrass)
9 Im ________ to peanuts, but I can eat any other kinds of nuts. (allergy)
10 It was a huge storm, and several trees were hit by ________. (light)
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5 Complete the sentences with the correct word.

Example: Its quite chilly today and Ive heard its going to get even colder.
warm chilly damp
1 You have to take Dianas age into ________ when you judge her work.
place care account
2 Im ________ and tired of listening to all your problems do something about them!
fed up sick bored
3 I think Jerry was very tired hes ________ asleep on the sofa.
full fast deep
4 The audience loved it all and the band came back twice to give ________.
encores choruses performances
5 I find it ________ when apps keep updating themselves all the time.
confused confusion confusing
6 I walked for six hours, and now Ive got ________ on my feet.
bruises blisters rashes
7 Its difficult to get the truth from newspapers in this country theyre all ________.
objective censored accurate
8 That dress really ________ you. It goes really well with your hair colour.
fits matches suits
9 Geologists working in Australia have ________ an important discovery.
done carried out made
10 Have you ________ finished that book?
yet nearly still
11 The two men were both charged ________ blackmail and theft.
of with for
12 This restaurant is part of a ________ I went to one in London last week.
chain branch company
13 I was trying hard not to ________ my voice, but I was getting angrier and angrier.
rise raise put up
14 We were ________ when we heard that Johns ankle wasnt broken, only sprained.
disappointed relieved bewildered
15 Ill have to keep reminding Sheila about the meeting shes very ________-minded.
narrow open absent
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 WRITING

Write a report on the following topic.

Workplaces of the future.
Include the following information:
say what you think the workplaces of the future will be like
say why you think changes in the workplace will take place
discuss how the changes will affect employees lives.
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Writing total 10