Choose FIVE answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-F, next to Questions 1-5.
| A | exploring new destinations |
| B | how to make the skiing boots comfortable |
| C | how to become a ski instructor |
| D | how to combine other activities with skiing |
| E | how to improve the skills of skiing |
| F | information about skiing safety |
Simon’s talk
Solution
Film
Tricks
Johnson’s talk
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
GIVING A SPEECH
Reasons for nervousness
How to prepare a quality speech
Do’s and Don'ts
Choose the word which has the underlined part pronounced differently from the others.
cough
tough
hiccough
rough
Choose the word which has the underlined part pronounced differently from the others.
One of the key techniques of magicians in performance is to _____ curiosity from the audience.
I have told you this _____ that the water heater should be turned off after use.
Are there any chances that Manchester City will be _____ with Manchester United?
Many _____ professional training abroad for the last three years.
The horror film _____, all of the children froze in fear and were completely silent.
Tina: "What a coincidence it is!"
Keith: "Yes, it's strange that we _____ the same pastel striped T-shirt."
The university sent me a letter _____ were congratulations for my successful application.
Hoa: Do you ever wish you ______ to university?
Mai: Yes, but my parents couldn't afford it.
Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each blank.
The Phantom of the Opera, Broadway's longest-running show, closed in February 2023. The musical - a fixture on Broadway since 1988, recessions, war and cultural shifts - played its final performance on Broadway on 18 February. The closure came less than a month after its 35th anniversary. It concluded with an 13,925 performance. Based on a novel by Gaston Leroux, Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a composer who haunts the Paris opera house and falls in love with an innocent young soprano, Christine. Andrew Lloyd Webber's lavish songs include Masquerade, Angel of Music, All I Ask of You and The Music of the Night.
"As a producer, you dream that a show will run forever. , my production of Andrew's Cats proudly declared for decades 'Now and Forever'. Yet 'Phantom' has that show's extraordinary Broadway . But all shows do finally close, " producer Cameron Mackintosh said in a statement.
The first production opened in London in 1986 and since then the show has been seen by more than 145 million people in 183 cities and performed in 17 languages over 70,000 performances. On Broadway the musical has played more than 13,500 performances to 19 million people at the Majestic theatre. The closing of Phantom meant the longest running show would go to Chicago, which started in 1996. The Lion King is next, performances in 1997.
Fill in each black with ONE suitable word to make a meaningful passage.
You can read faster if you wish to, but you will have to push yourself to do it. If you just along while reading, you will make or no improvement in your rate. If, however, you keep trying to step up your reading speed, you will be surprised to discover that you are making . There are several ways to shift your reading speed from low into high .
When you read books, magazines or newspapers, make every effort to read faster, quicken your movement, allow no concentration . If you try and try again, you are likely to see the difference. You may think you should slow down your reading rate or reread certain parts of a chapter of a book to have a better understanding. Don't in to this feeling. , keep up your reading speed until you have finished the chapter. Then, make an oral or written summary of what you have read. Reread the chapter from start to finish but a little faster than before and with greater understanding.
However, you should adjust your rate to your purpose and material. Reading is like driving a car. Your purpose and conditions of your drive decide your speed. You may be in a hurry and step on the ; you may drive at moderate speed to enjoy the countryside. A good reader adopts the speed that best fits his reading purpose and material. Are you reading a history book, a novel, or a magazine? Do you read for specific details, for writing a report or for recreation? All .
Read the following passage and complete the tasks.
Unexpected Benefits to Human Brain
James Paul Gee, professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, played his first video game years ago when his six-year-old son Sam was playing Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It’s Dark Outside. He wanted to play the game so he could support Sam’s problem-solving. Though Pajama Sam is not an “educational game”, it is replete with the types of problems psychologists study when they study thinking and learning. When he saw how well the game held Sam’s attention, he wondered what sort of beast a more mature video game might be.
Video and computer games, like many other popular, entertaining and addicting kids’ activities, are looked down upon by many parents as time-wasters, and worse, parents think that these games rot the brain. Violent video games are readily blamed by the media and some experts as the reason why some youth become violent or commit extreme anti-social behavior. Recent content analyses of video games show that as many as 89% of games contain some violent content, but there is no form of aggressive content for 70% of popular games. Many scientists and psychologists, like James Paul Gee, find that video games actually have many benefits – the main one being making kids smart. Video games may actually teach kids high-level thinking skills that they will need in the future.
“Video games change your brain,” according to University of Wisconsin psychologist Shawn Green. Video games change the brain’s physical structure in the same way as learning to read, playing the piano, or navigating using a map. Much like exercise can build muscle, the powerful combination of concentration and rewarding surges of neurotransmitters like dopamine, which strengthens neural circuits, can build the player’s brain.
Video games give your child’s brain a real workout. In many video games, the skills required to win involve abstract and high-level thinking. These skills are not even taught at school. Some of the mental skills trained by video games include: following instructions, problem-solving, logic, hand-eye coordination, fine motor, and spatial skills. Research also suggests that people can learn iconic, spatial, and visual attention skills from video games. There have been even studies with adults showing that experience with video games is related to better surgical skills. Jacob Benjamin, doctor from Beth Israel Medical Center NY, found a direct link between skill at video gaming and skill at keyhole or laparoscopic surgery. Also, a reason given by experts as to why fighter pilots of today are more skillful is that this generation’s pilots are being weaned on video games.
The players learn to manage resources that are limited and decide the best use of resources, the same way as in real life. In strategy games, for instance, while developing a city, an unexpected surprise like an enemy might emerge. This forces the player to be flexible and quickly change tactics. Sometimes the player does this almost every second of the game giving the brain a real workout. According to researchers at the University of Rochester, led by Daphne Bavelier, a cognitive scientist, games simulating stressful events such as those found in battle or action games could be a training tool for real-world situations. The study suggests that playing action video games primes the brain to make quick decisions. Video games can be used to train soldiers and surgeons, according to the study. Steven Johnson, author of Everything Bad is Good For You: How Today’s Popular Culture, says gamers must deal with immediate problems while keeping their long-term goals on their horizon. Young gamers force themselves to read to get instructions, follow storylines of games, and get information from the game texts.
James Paul Gee, professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says that playing a video game is similar to working through a science problem Like students in a laboratory, gamers must come up with a hypothesis. For example, players in some games constantly try out combinations of weapons and powers to use to defeat an enemy. If one does not work, they change hypothesis and try the next one. Video games are goal-ven experiences, says Gee, which is fundamental to learning. Also, using math skills is important to win in many games that involve quantitative analysis like managing resources. In higher levels of a game, players usually fail the first time around, but they keep on trying until they succeed and move on to the next level.
Many games are yed online and involve cooperation with other online players in order to win. Video and computer games also help children gain self-confidence and many games are based on history, city building, and governance and so on. Such games indirectly teach children about aspects of life on earth.
In an upcoming study in the journal Current Biology, authors Daphne Bavelier, Alexandre Pouget, and C. Shawn Green report that video games could provide a potent training regimen for speeding up reactions in many types of real-life situations. The researchers tested dozens of 18- to 25-year-olds who were not ordinarily video game players. They split the subjects into two groups. One group played 50 hours of the fast-paced action video games “Call of Duty 2” and “Unreal Tournament,” and the other group played 50 hours of the slow-moving strategy game “The Sims 2.” After this training period, all of the subjects were asked to make quick decisions in several tasks designed by the researchers. The action game players were up to 25 percent faster at coming to a conclusion and answered just as many questions correctly as their strategy game-playing peers.
What is the main purpose of paragraph one?
What does the author want to express in the second paragraph?
What is correctly mentioned in paragraph four?
What is the expectation of the experiment the three researchers did?
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
| TRUE | if the statement agrees with the information |
| FALSE | if the statement contradicts the information |
| NOT GIVEN | if there is no information on this |
Most video games are popular because of their violent content.
The action game players minimized the percentage of making mistakes in the experiment.
It would be a good idea for schools to apply video games in their classrooms.
Those people who are addicted to video games have lots of dopamine in their brains.
Match the people (listed A-F) with opinions or deeds below.
| A | The writer’s opinion |
| B | James Paul Gee |
| C | Shawn Green |
| D | Daphne Bavelier |
| E | Steven Johnson |
| F | Jacob Benjamin |
Brain is ready to make decisions without hesitation when players are immersed in playing stressful games.
Video games as other daily life skills alter the brain’s physical structure.
The purpose-motivated experience that video games offer plays an essential role in studying.
Players are good at tackling prompt issues with future intensions.
It helps children broaden their horizon in many aspects and gain self-confidence.
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
Edward Graves was one of a handful of people who committed his life to preserve the pristine wilderness of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
Like the former village chief, his perceptive successor has an admirable ability to put aside his emotions and remain impassioned while resolving local conflicts.
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
In the 18th century, careers in medicine and law were prestigious, but it did not require practitioners to hold college degrees.
Choose the underlined part that needs correction.
The director’s second movie is quite different from his first and, in continuity at least, is more superior to it.
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
When I told my students that I believed in every of Don Quixote’s unrealistic ideas, my students looked at me . (SEARCH)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
Due to the ten-minute standing ovation of the audience, the violinist had to take his third . (CURTAIN)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
I do not always fancy modern gadgets or recent scientific techniques; I sometimes find them really . (NEW)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
False data in his surveys and interviews have his scientific research. (VALID)
Use the word in brackets to form a new word that fits into the blank.
Her books were based on facts, but she some of the events. (FICTION)
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
Kevin was so interested in the hockey match on TV that he invented an excuse for his day off. (COOKED)
=> Such ..........
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
The management board decided to offer the strikers a pay rise to alleviate their anger. (FEATHERS)
=> With a ..........
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
Nice art works from litter should be exhibited now. (LAUNCHED)
=> It's high ..........
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
George won't lend his tape recorder to you if you don't promise to bring it back by Saturday. (GIVE)
=> Unless ...........
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
This house is very different from the little flat we used to live in. (CRY)
=> This house ...........
Write a paragraph of around 150 words to answer the following question:
While digital tools (such as educational apps, online libraries or assistive technology tools like ChatGPT) have transformed education in remarkable ways, they do come with potential drawbacks if not used mindfully. With this in mind, what can teenagers do to make the most of digital approaches in their learning?