Comprehension , Upper Intermediate , Advanced [ 2 ]

2 - ] Comprehension  

2 - ] Upper Intermediate , Advanced 

2 . ] Read the newspaper article , then answer the questions below :

                A lot of advice is available for college leavers heading for their first job . In this article we consider the move to a second job . We are not concerned with those looking for a second temporary position while hunting for a permanent job . Nor are we concerned with those leaving an unsatisfactory job within the first few weeks . Instead , we will be dealing with those of you taking a real step on the career ladder , choosing a job to fit in with your ambitions now that you have learnt your way around , acquired some skills and have some idea of where you want to go .

                  What sort of job should you look for ? Much depends on your long-term aim . You need to ask yourself whether you want to specialize in a particular field , work your way up to higher levels of responsibility or out of your current employment into a broader field .

                    Whatever you decide , you should choose your second job very carefully . You should be aiming to stay in it for two to three years .

                    This job will be studied very carefully when you send your letter of application for your next job . It should show evidence of serious career planning . Most important , it should extend you , develop you and give you increasing responsibility . Incidentally , if the travel bug is biting , now is the time to pack up and go . You can do temporary work for a while when you return , pick up where you left off and get the second job then . Future potential employers will be relieved to see that you have got it out of your system , and are not likely to go off again .

                     Juliette Davidson spent her first year after leaving St. Aldate’s College working for three solicitors . It was the perfect first job in that ‘OK --- they were very supportive people > I was gently introduced to the work , learnt my way round an office and improved my word processing skills . However , there was no scope for advancement . One day I gave in my notice , bought an air ticket and traveled for a year’ .

                     Juliette now works as a Personal Assistant to Brenda Cleverdon , the Chirf Executive of a Business in the Community . ‘In two and a half years I have become more able and my job has really grown’ , she says . ‘Right from the beginning my boss was very keen to develop me . My job title is the same as it was when I started but the duties have changed . From mainly typing and telephone work , I have progressed to doing most of the correspondence and budgets . I also have to deal with a variety of queries , coming from chairmen of large companies to people wanting to know how to start their own business . Brenda involves me in all her work but also gives me specific projects to do and events to organize’ .

1 . Who is intended to benefit from the advice given in the article ?

( A ) students who have just finished their studies

( B ) people who are unhappy with their current job

( C ) those who are interested in establishing a career

( D ) people who change jobs regularly

2 . According to the writer , why is the choice of your second job important ?

( A ) It will affect your future job prospects .

( B ) It will last longer than your first job .

( C ) It will be difficult to change if you don’t like it .

( D ) It should give you the opportunity to study .

3 . ‘it’ in paragraph four refers to

( A ) first job .

( B ) second job .

( C ) application .

( D ) career .

4 . If you have a desire to travel , when does the writer suggest that you do it ?

( A ) straight after you have left college

( B ) when you are unable to find a permanent job

( C ) after you have done some temporary work

( D ) between the first and second job

5 . What is meant by ‘you have got it out of your system in paragraph four ?

( A ) You have planned your career sensibly .

( B ) You are an experienced traveler .

( C ) You have satisfied your wish to travel .

( D ) You have learned to look after yourself .

6 . How did Juliette Davidson benefit from the experience of her first job ?

( A ) It was a good introduction to working in an office .

( B ) She met a variety of interesting people .

( C ) It enabled her to earn enough money to travel .

( D ) She learnt how to use a word processor .

7 . In what way is Juliette’s current job better than her first job ?

( A ) She has a more impressive job title .

( B ) She now knows how to start her own business .

( C ) She has been able to extend her skills .

( D ) She is more involved in the community .

Answer Key

1. C 2. A 3 . B 4 . D 5 . C 6 . A 7 . C

 

Comprehension , Upper Intermediate , Advanced [ 1 ]

1 - ) Comprehension 

1 - ] Upper Intermediate , Advanced   

1 . ] Read the magazine article , then answer the questions below :

                 How to cope with a child who shows outstanding musical ability ? It’s not always clear how best to develop and encourage their gift . Many parents may even fail to recognize and respond to their child’s need until frustration explodes into difficult or uncooperative behavior . And while most schools are equipped to deal with children who are especially able in academic subjects , the musically gifted require special understanding which may not always be available in an ordinary school - especially one where music is regarded as a secondary activity . Such children - as well as those whose ability is actively encouraged by parents or teachers - may well benefit from the education offered by a specialist music school .

                 The five music schools in Britain are a relatively recent introduction . They aim to provide a sympathetic environment in which gifted children aged between seven and eighteen can develop their skills to the full under the guidance of professional musicians .

Children at specialist music schools spend between one third and one half of an average day on musical activities , for example , individual lessons ( up to three hours a week on first and second instruments ) , orchestras , chamber groups , voice training , conducting and theory . They also spend several hours a day practicing in properly equipped private rooms , sometimes with a teacher . The rest of their time is taken up with a restricted academic program , which tends to concentrate on the essential subjects - English , math , basic sciences and languages - although provision can be made for students who wish to study a wider range of subjects . All five British specialist schools are independent , classes are small by normal school standards , with a high teacher / pupil ratio . Most children attending specialist schools tend to be boarders , leaving home to live , eat and sleep full-time at school . This means they spend their formative years in the company of others with similar aims and interests .

                What are the disadvantages ? An obvious problem is the cost ; the fees are high

( more than £ 60,000 - £ 70,000 a year for boarders ) . However , each school will make every effort with scholarships and other forms of financial assistance , to help parents of outstandingly gifted children to find the necessary fees . Secondly , not all parents want to send their children to boarding school , specially at a very early age . Almost all the directors of the specialist schools express doubts about the wisdom of admitting children as young as seven into such as intense and disciplined environment . They stress , however , that their main aim is to turn out ‘rounded and well-balanced individuals’ .

                There is little doubt that setting musically gifted children apart from an early age can cause stress . Early signs of musical ability may disappear in teenage years , while natural competitiveness and the pressure to succeed can lead to a crushing sense of failure . But all specialist schools do keep a close watch on the progress of individual pupils , and offer help and advice if needed .

                 In addition , while most former pupils at music school feel that they benefited enormously from the range of high-quality music teaching available , many express reservations about the wisdom of restricting the academic program , which definitely takes second place to musical activities . Many musically gifted young people are also highly intelligent , well able to deal with academic pressure , and feel frustrated if their intellectual needs are not met . For these reasons , it may be better to wait until the child is old enough to be able to make his or her own decisions before considering a specialist education .

                      Those who are equally gifted academically may do very well within a less specialized environment , for instance , at a school with a first class music department , or else by combining a normal school routine with musical training at one of the junior departments at the music college . These colleges offer Saturday morning opportunities for individual lessons with fine teachers , plus orchestral and chamber music experience . But this option is clearly not practicable for families living out of reach of London or other major centers .

1 . If a child’s musical ability is not recognized ,

( A ) the ability may fade away.

( B ) the child may misbehave .

( C ) the parents may become anxious .

( D ) the child may lose interest .

2 . What problem may musically gifted children face in ordinary schools ?

( A ) Music is ot seen as an important subject .

( B ) Their academic work may suffer .

( C ) Schools lack musical equipment .

( D ) Parents and teachers do not work together .

3 . What makes specialist music schools different from other schools ?

( A ) The children have mostly one-to-one lessons .

( B ) Their working day is longer .

( D ) A range of musical training is offered .

4 . What do most school directors see as a possible disadvantage for pupils ?

( A ) They may not be mature enough on arrival .

( B ) Poor children may be excluded .

( C ) There may be a discipline problem .

( D ) They may lose their individuality .

5 . A specialist musical education might be stressful for children if

( A ) the teachers expect too much of them .

( B ) they lose interest in music .

( C ) they do not progress as expected .

( D ) parents put pressure on them .

6 . Past pupils think that they should have

( A ) had less academic pressure .

( B ) studied more subjects .

( C ) worked harder.

( D ) concentrated more on music .

7 . What would be a good alternative to specialized music schools for gifted children ?

( A ) having special classes at the weekend

( B ) contacting a local orchestra

( C ) arranging visits from a specialist music teacher

( D ) waiting until they are old enough to go to college

8 . Who is this written for ?

( A ) music teachers

( B ) school directors

( C ) musically gifted children

( D ) parents of musical children

Answer Key

1 .  B 2 . A 3 . D 4 . A 5 . C 6 . B 7 . A 8 . D

General Grammar Exercises & Tests ( 3 )

3- ) General Grammar Exercises & Tests

Practice exercise 5

Write the correct answer in the space using the words below.

have  , particular ,  for  , the ,  as  , be

1 - ] Your presentation was very useful. In-----------the part on marketing strategy.

2 - ] This extinguisher can ----------used only if there is a fire.

3 - ] If you had come earlier, you would ------------found a good seat.

4 - ] My class isn't as well-behaved-----------------yours.

5 - ] Reading is very good ---------------children's intellectual development.

6 - ] Man's greatest invention is --------------computer.

Practice exercise 6

Choose the correct answer.

1. ] Which modal verb expresses deduction?

might

must

can

2. ] Which quantifier is only used before a countable noun?

a few

a little

some

3. ] Which verb is the present perfect passive form?

have made

have been made

had been made

4. ] Which connector expresses a result?

besides

however

therefore

5. ] Which conditional expresses a connection between two imaginary events?

factual

predictive

hypothetical

6. ] Which verb is the gerund form?

to go

go

going

Practice exercise 7

Correct any mistakes in the sentences. If there isn't a mistake, write “ no error “ .

1 - ]  That's the dog whose its owner abandoned it.

2 - ]  I must point on out that the standard of your work is declining.

3 - ] Fadi is doing a research on international trade.

4 - ]  Thank you. I've been had a wonderful time.

5 - ] Why not you pick up a bottle of wine on the way?

6 - ]  I recycle my rubbish in order for to help protect the environment.

Practice exercise 8

Choose the correct answer.

1 - ] Not for many months [ we did , did we , didn’t we ] find a solution to the problem.

2 - ] Nobody knows [ what , why , where ] the company went bust.

3 - ] He said she [ hadn’t been , isn’t , wasn’t ] interested in going to a museum.

4 - ] If [ I would have , will have , I had ] gone to Osaka, I'd have felt the earthquake.

5 - ] I'm [ serious , seriously , more seriously ] considering looking for a new job.

6 - ] Paul said he [ would , will , was ] make a cup of tea .

Are these conditional sentences correct? If you think they are, choose "TRUE".

1. If he didn't know what to do, he would have asked us.

    True

    False

2. Unless she comes soon, we'll be late for the first performance.

    True

    False

3. Tell him to go to his room if he arrives late.

    True

    False

4. I'd love to be able to swim if I'm not afraid of the water.

    True

    False

5. Go quickly if you want to buy that last pair of shoes.

    True

    False

6. I'll tell him the news if I'll see him.

    True

    False

7. If you ring the emergency services, help arrives quickly.

    True

    False

8. If you go to Dallas in August, you get hot weather.

    True

    False

9. If she hadn't gone to university in Paris, she wouldn't be able to speak French so well.

    True

    False

10. If she will go to university next year, we will have the house to ourselves.

    True

    False

11. If I hadn't gone to that interview, I wouldn't have got the job.

    True

    False

12. I'll do the cooking if you buy everything we need.

    True

    False

13. If Andorra were a bigger country, it won't be so famous.

    True

    False

14. He'll call you if he will find a phone. Don't worry.

    True

    False

 

General Grammar Exercises & Tests ( 2 )

 2 - ) General Grammar Exercises & Tests

Practice exercise 1

Write the correct answer in the space using the words below.

who ,  what  , how , which , whom  , where

1 - ] Marie is the person ---------is taking over my job next month.

2 - ]I couldn't imagine -----------------I would be able to find the courage to leave.

3 - ] He really can't work out ---------------he has to go to get the information he needs.

4 - ] The person with ---------------you should be registering your complaint is the manager, but he's unavailable at the moment.

5 - ]Damn! The laptop! That's----------------I meant to give him before he left.

6 - ] I've got a week to finish this,-------------------is just about long enough. 

Practice exercise 2

Choose the correct answer.

1.If I'd got the job I'd --------------- in London.

have lived

to live

lived

2.This is the house I used to ------------------.

live

living

live in

3.Sorry, ------------------ no room, you'll have to find somewhere else to sit.

it's

there's

there has

4. English food is often considered too --------------- for foreigners' tastes.

plane

plan

plain

5.  On hearing the news she burst--------------tears.

to

in

into

6. My day at the health spa was ------------ bliss .

sheer

merely

sheerly

Practice exercise 3

Correct any mistakes in the sentences. If there isn't a mistake, write “ no error” .

1 - ) I enjoy watching the films, going to the theatre and visiting museums.

2 - )  Princess Diana often used to go to shopping in Harrods.

3 - )  Because of he drank a lot, George didn't get invited to his friends' wedding.

4 - ) Whoever stole my chocolate is in a lot of the trouble.

5 - )  The house my grandparents did lived in is up for sale at the moment.

Practice Exercise  4

Choose the correct answer.

1 - ) English football fans are only ( slight , slighter , slightly ) less energetic than the players!

2 - ) Poor Alan was suffering from a ( huge , heavy , hard ) cold and could hardly speak.

3 - ) The room was awfully ( loud , noisy , noise ) because it overlooked the street where all the clubs were.

4 - ) I saw a huge hairy spider ( scraping , craving , scrawling ) across the ceiling over my bed.

5 - ) You don't happen to know where Malcom might be, ( mightn’t , don’t , do ) you?

6 - ) Brian is the only person I know ( who , whom , which ) can hold his breath for more than a minute !

Composition & Essay Writing ( 69 ) Prevention of Global Warming , Impact of Priviatization

69 - ) Composition & Essay Writing

104- ) Prevention of Global Warming

                          Global warming is a term you must have heard by now as it is very prevalent in today’s world. Moreover, it has become a very dangerous environmental issue which we must resolve as soon as possible. If we do not prevent it now, soon we will find it hard to survive on this planet.

            Every person needs to contribute equally to help prevent global warming. Similarly, we must identify the causes that are contributing to this dangerous phenomenon and work hard to find solutions. Furthermore, we must immediately put a halt to all those activities which are causing global warming.

                               There are many activities through which global warming is happening. Mostly human activities are contributing to this damaging phenomenon. The carbon dioxide levels are increasing in the air which is causing global warming. Moreover, the increase in greenhouse gases is also contributing to this phenomenon. Furthermore, the usages of hot water for various purposes like bathing, cleaning and more release gases contribute to it. After that, when we make use of ordinary bulbs instead of LED lights, we contribute majorly to global warming. Similarly, the way people leave their electronic devices unattended when not in use also plays a big role.

              Most importantly, deforestation and cutting plants everywhere just make it worse for our planet. The way we burn wood and fossil fuels only makes the condition of global warming worse. Similarly, when we use too much of automobiles that release harmful toxins in the air, the temperature of earth increases and causes global warming. In order to prevent global warming, we must adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle to make the future safe for our future generations.

                           There are many changes we can bring about in our life both big and small to prevent global warming and save our planet. Firstly, we must stop deforestation in all forms. Do not cut down more trees as it will only worsen the level of carbon dioxide in the air. Instead, encourage people to plant even more trees to create a fine balance in nature. Moreover, it reduces the usage of energy everywhere. It does not matter if you are at your home or at your office, the higher the energy used the more the carbon dioxide produced. Thus, do not waste electricity as it requires the burning of fossil fuels. As a result of the burning of fossil fuels, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increase rapidly and contribute to global warming. Moreover, reduce the carbon footprint and do not travel through planes that often. Most importantly, replace all your ordinary bulbs with LED lights. It will help in reducing the use of energy by a massive amount. Similarly, do not waste that energy. Instead of becoming more dependent, we need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and electricity right away. The priority is for eco-friendly options like solar energy and win power, take up the habit of recycling and reusing. Do not throw away things instead learn to reuse them properly. Further, carpool with your neighbors and relatives to not contribute to automobile exhausts and emissions.

105 - ) Impact of Privatization

                       When we say privatization, a lot of things come to one’s mind. They are both positive and negative. It basically refers to the shift of control from the public sector to that of private. The first world countries brought this concept first after which the developing nations caught on the trend. In other words, it mainly aims to enhance the conditions of the services which people get. In addition, it also lowers the burden of the government by taking over certain industries. Privatization has no doubt made quite an impact on the world. Like there are two sides to a coin, over here also comes with benefits as well as drawbacks.

                       Privatization has created quite a positive impact on the world. Firstly, it has reduced government debts. Similarly, it has lessened the burden of the government. Furthermore, the quality of services has enhanced by a great margin. As there is increasing competition in the private sector, everyone is competing to give their best. Privatization has a lot of benefits. It reduced the government’s debts, improved the services and also helped in introducing innovative products. It also stopped any political interference plus brought competitive rates. Moreover, there are now new products that are entering the market on a daily basis to help people get innovative goods. This helps in mixing creativity with private making and it also benefits the consumers greatly. In addition to that, political interference in various sectors has stopped which is a great sigh of relief.  Most importantly, the scenario of rates has increased. Due to the ever-growing competition in the industry, everyone is trying to make the most out of their goods. In order to do that, they offer competitive rates so that everyone can benefit. This brings profits to consumers as well as business owners.

                        While privatization has numerous benefits, it also has a fair amount of drawbacks. The first one being the drop in quality of goods as they mainly aim to make a profit. When people have this intention, they have little or no care about the benefit of the customers, so just to gain maximum profit, they compromise the quality and opt for unfair means. Privatization also has some major drawbacks. Its main aim is to make a profit with little care to consumer wellness. There was also a price rise plus corruption rise after privatization. It also created a lack of transparency and ambiguity in society.

                                   There is also the drawback of the rise in prices. As the private owners usually have a monopoly, they take advantage and charge high prices knowing very well that consumers will have no choice left but to do so. Similarly, this also gives rise to the rise in corruption. There are more and more cases of bribery, fraud, and others on a daily basis. Moreover, transparency levels also drop due to this. In the public sector, people get a clearer picture than in the private sector. As they are not obligated to transparency, they often deceive the consumers. Other than that, privatization has also caused uncertainty amongst the consumers.

          As there are more and more options being added to the market every day, the same product is sold at different forms and prices. This just leads to confusion and difference in quality. Thus, we see how it has both positive as well as negative sides. Consumers need to be more careful and not be fooled.