Task 1: READING AND COMPREHENSION

The state of the world

If your view of the world comes from watching the news and reading newspapers, you could be
forgiven for lying awake at night worrying about the future. Apparently, rising violence and
population rates mean humans are both killing each other in ever larger numbers and being born at
rates the world’s resources can’t sustain. To make matters worse, all the wealth is concentrated on a
handful of people in the world’s richest countries. People in lowincome countries live in poverty
while the West gets richer. Depressing, isn’t it?
But do the statistics support our negative world view or is the world actually improving?
Let’s take global population first. It’s around 7 billion now, in line with figures predicted by the UN
in 1958. By the year 2100, the same experts predict it will be around 11 billion. But did you know that
11 billion is probably as high as that number will get? The rate of increase will slow down in the
second half of this century thanks to falling birth rates today.
Falling birth rates? Yes, that’s right.
In the last two centuries, improvements in technology and health meant fewer children died young,
fuelling rapid population growth. These large families produced even more children who survived
into adulthood and had their own children. But with the wider availability of contraception in the
1960s, the global average number of babies per woman has declined from six babies per woman to as
low as two.
The biggest factor in child mortality is poverty. And while it’s still true that only 20 per cent of the
world takes about 74 per cent of the world’s income, 60 per cent of the world now falls into a middle-
income group, with 11.6 per cent – the smallest amount of people in history – still living in conditions
of extreme poverty. If the majority of the world’s people have money, international aid could
realistically achieve the UN target of eradicating poverty by 2030. As poverty goes down, life
expectancy goes up, birth rates go down because parents can expect their existing children to survive,
and the global population stabilizes.
As for news stories that make us think the world is an increasingly violent place, there is cause for
some optimism too. Between the end of World War II and 1990, there were 30 wars that killed more
than 100,000 people. Today there are still civil wars, but countries are mostly coexisting more
peacefully than in the past. However, terrorism has shot up in the last few years and, since World War
II, wars have killed many more civilians than soldiers. Even for civilians, though, the statistics are not
all bad. Although deaths are nine times more likely to be a result of violent crime than political
conflict, the global murder rate fell slightly, from 8 per 100,000 people in 2000 to about 5.3 in 2015.
Of course, none of this means the world is perfect, and whether you personally are affected by war
and poverty is often down to the lottery of where you’re born. Also, we still face huge problems of
our own making, particularly environmental ones like global warming, and wealth and natural
resources need to be distributed more fairly. But not all the news is bad news, whatever the TV and
newspapers might say.

Circle the best answer.

1. What does the word ‘apparently’ in the first paragraph tell us about the rise in violence we see in
the news?
a. The rise is obviously true.
b. The rise seems to be true but evidence might show it isn’t.
c. The rise seems false but evidence might show it’s true.
2. Which statement about population levels is correct?
a. About two hundred years ago, the child mortality rate dropped significantly.
b. The rate is growing steadily now.
c. The rate will start to drop in the year 2100.
3. Which factor does NOT cause the birth rate to fall?
a. Improvements in healthcare
b. The availability of contraception
c. Poverty
4. One of the UN’s targets for 2030 is to …
a. end poverty.
b. increase life expectancy.
c. make population levels stable.
5. People are more likely to be killed …
a. by soldiers.
b. by politicians.
c. by criminals.
6. There is reason to be optimistic because …
a. you might win the lottery.
b. there are some positives despite what the newspapers report.
c. we’re making progress with environmental problems.
Task 2: You are going to read a letter. 10 word groups have been removed from it. Choose from
the word groups (a-k) the one which fits each gap (11-20). Write letters instead of word groups
in each gap. There is one extra word group which you DO NOT need to use.
Dear Mr Adams,
On behalf of the student council, I would like to thank you (1) ____at yesterday`s meeting. This
problem is definitely a cause (2) ____. I feel that it`s our responsibility, (3) ____to identify the
reasons behind this trend and find ways to tackle this threatening problem.
I, personally, think that there are two main reasons (4) ____. Firstly, students lead an increasingly
sedentary life. They spend hours and hours in front of the computer or with their mobiles. Secondly,
they rely heavily, both at home and at school, (5) ____.
The student council can help deal with this problem (6) ____to raise awareness of the issue among
students. Furthermore, we (7) ____, such as sport days, to help students develop an interest in keeping
active. We (8) ____to the food sold out at our canteen, which is low in nutritional value and fibre and
high in fat, sugar and salt content.
The way I see it, students can be taught to lead healthier lives. The student council can, in my opinion,
(9) ____. I`m hoping that we (10) ____during next week`s meeting.
Yours sincerely,
Meghan Bright
a) which contribute to the growing number of obese young people
b) can also campaign to make changes
c) for addressing the issue of student obesity
d) can look into my proposals
e) for concern for all of us
f) which plays an important role to obesity
g) by launching a campaign
h) as members of the student council
i) can organize events
j) on fast food for their nutritional needs
k) play an active role in this area

Task 3: Read the text carefully. From the words and group of words listed below the text,
choose the ones which best fit the spaces. There is only one correct answer for each question.

Yukie Hanue (a)______by many to be the finest violinist of her generation. When we visited her, she
was (b)_______talk, but she invited us to have a coffee with her in her mid-morning break.
Astonishingly, she manages (c)_______her PhD at the university with international concerts and
recitals, numerous public appearances and interviews. She evidently (d) _______the workload,
buzzing around the place with an industrious enthusiasm that leaves us all breathless. Her fame
(e)_______a performer means making regular appearances at (f)_______ profile events. Last month,
for example, she agreed to appear in a series of recitals organized by Coca-Cola. This involved
travelling to far places on successive days a schedule which (g)_______any normal person to lose
energy. “I can`t stand (h)_______nothing,” she says. “I happen to have a particular talent, and it
would be wasteful not to exploit it to the full.” I encouraged her to tell me about her upbringing but
she was rather modest to sing her own praises. I did, however, (i)_______persuading her to confess to
a secret desire. “If I (j)______a musician, I would have loved to train to become a martial arts expert,”
she says. Certainly she would have had the discipline, but I couldn’t imagine someone so physically
frail actually standing there hitting someone. But it was an interesting revelation.

a) A. is considered B. was considered C. considers D. had been considered

b) A. so busy to B. too busy to C. such busy to D. so busy for
c) A. combining B. for combining C. to combine D. in combining
d) A. thrives with B. thrives for C. thrives in D. thrives on
e) A. like B. as C. for D. with
f) A. high B. higher C. highest D. the higher
g) A. will cause B. will have caused C. would have caused D. might be caused
h) A. to do B. have done C. for doing D. doing
i) A. succeed in B. succeeded for C. succeeded in D. succeed with
j) A. haven’t been B. weren’t C. hadn`t been D. wouldn’t be

Task 4: Write the word in brackets into the correct form.

Diamonds are forever
Diamonds are the most prized and ________ (HIGH) valued of gemstones. Throughout history they
have been admired by royalty and worn as a symbol of ________ (STRONG), courage and
invincibility. Over the centuries the diamond acquired unique status as the ultimate gift of love, in
myth and ________ (REAL). It is the hardest known substance yet has the simplest chemical
________ (COMPOSE), consisting of crystallised carbon, the chemical element that is fundamental to
all life.

Diamonds come in many colours and their ________ (OPTICS) properties are stunning. They
disperse light into the colours of the rainbow, and sparkle far more than any other gemstone. First
mined in India over 4000 years ago, diamonds were used to decorate _______ (RELIGION) objects,
serve as a talisman against evil and a ________ (PROTECT) in battle. Buddhists also recognised the
deep ________ (SYMBOL) significance accorded the diamonds in ancient Buddhist scriptures,
including the ‘Diamond Sutra’ which states that truth is eternal, just like the diamond.

Task 5: Complete the blank with the appropriate word.

US publication Rolling Stone magazine is _____ launch in China. The magazine, _____ should hit
shelves early next year, will focus on China's emerging youth culture as well _____ foreign arts and
entertainment. Rolling Stone _____ first published in San Francisco in 1967 to chronicle cultural
changes in the US. "We feel Chinese music and arts _____ maturing rapidly and that a Chinese
edition _____ be viable," said Jimmy Jung, of One World Publishing. Rolling Stone _____ licensed
Hong Kong-based One World to publish the Chinese-language edition. Mr Jung said the magazine, to
be printed in simplified Chinese characters, will _____ a mix of local content _____ primarily by
Beijing-based staff and translations of articles from the US _____ ."We want to make _____ that
we're faithful to the spirit of the brand," said Jung. He added that _____ Hong Kong and Taiwan had
more developed pop cultures, mainland China _____ more important. "We feel China offers greater
potential and we want to be there from the _____ said Jung, whose company also _____ Chinese
editions of British car magazine, Top Gear and gadget magazine T3.
Task 6: Write an essay.

Topic: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Some people say the fashion
industry has a bad effect on people’s lives. Give reasons and examples to support your opinion.
Your writing will be marked for:
• content 2 points
• organization 2 points
• grammar 2 points
• vocabulary 2 points
• mechanics 2 points
Each of the five criteria carries two points to give a total of ten points. You should use no more than
200 words

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