Bài test trình độ FCE - Listening, Reading & Use of English, Writing

You overhear a woman talking to her husband on a mobile phone.

What is the background to the conversation?

You hear a man leaving a voicemail message for a friend.

Why is he calling?

You hear a researcher being asked about her work.

What is she doing when she speaks?

You hear part of a weather forecast on the radio.

What does the forecast warn about?

You hear part of a radio interview with a rock musician who is performing in his hometown.

What do the two speakers agree about? 

On the radio, you hear a man discussing a cartoon film about dinosaurs.

What aspect of the film disappointed him?

You hear a student talking to his friend about a meeting with his tutor.

What was the student's purpose in meeting his tutor?

You overhear a student phoning her parents.

What is her opinion of the place she is living in while at college?

You will hear a man called Peter Welby, who makes small models of buildings, talking about his work. Complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.

Before becoming a model maker, Peter did a course in 9.1 at a college.

Peter compares his job to the type of work done by a 9.2.

In Peter's hardest job, he was given some 9.3 of the building to work from.

Peter's most enjoyable job was making a model of a 9.4 for an exhibition.

Most of Peter's work is exported to 9.5.

Peter says his models look best when they have 9.6 directed onto them.

Peter's model of Marney House measures 9.7 centimetres in height.

The Marney House model took a long time to make because it had so many 9.8 and roof tiles.

The roof tiles on the model of Marney House are made of 9.9.

Peter uses watercolour paint to reproduce the effects of the weather and 9.10.

You will hear five short extracts in which people are talking about their visit to a city. Choose what each speaker liked most about the city they visited by filling the suitable letter in the blank. 

You will hear an interview with a financial expert.

For each question, choose the correct answer. You can listen to the audio twice.

What is the main purpose of Moneyspot?

What does Alison say about teenagers in the past?

Alison says that many parents today _____.

Most teenagers' money today is spent on _____.

What difference does Alison say the internet has made?

Alison suggests that parents generally _____.

Alison suggests teenagers work part-time even though _____.

Read the text and decide which answer best fits each gap.

COFFEE CULTURE

The other day I wanted a cup of coffee, so I popped into the bank. I sat in a soft armchair and watched the world go by, which, in this case, was the 18.1queuewaitlinesearch for the services of the bank clerks. I'm joking, of course, but this could soon be common in banks in big cities.

The 18.2supplydemanddevelopmentclaim for "real coffee" in Britain, like that for mobile phones, seems never-ending. However, the suspicion is that the attraction for many British people 18.3occupiesrestsleanslies not so much in the coffee as in the "coffee culture" that surrounds it. This is to do with big, soft sofas and the idea that if you sit on one, you too can join the actors in the American TV comedy Friends.

In London, the first café opened in 1652. Men would gather there, often at regular times during the day, to 18.4establishgiveofferexchange news and gossip, discuss 18.5thoughtsissuesfeelingscircumstances of the day, and do business. The cafés acted as offices and shops in which merchants and agents, clerks, and bankers could carry out their 18.6transactionstradingworksinformation.

In London today it is estimated that there are more than 2000 cafés and the number is 18.7growingraisingremainingsucceeding. It won't be long before coffee is sold everywhere. You can already buy it in hospitals, motorway service stations, supermarkets, and at tourist 18.8pointsmattersscenesattractions throughout the country.

Read the text and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only ONE word in each gap.

Measuring time

The idea of the day as a unit of time is clearly a part of nature. Even the earliest humans must have 19.1 aware that time was divided into alternating periods of light and dark. Exactly when people began to divide the day up into smaller units 19.2 that they could measure time more accurately, however, remains uncertain. 

According 19.3 historians, it was the ancient Greeks 19.4 first came up with the idea of the hour, and calculated how many of these made up the typical day. The Greeks are also believed to 19.5 invented the minute, the subdivision of the hour into smaller units. 

Generally speaking, the calculations of the ancient scientists have proved remarkably accurate, even 19.6 nature itself isn't always completely regular. Slight variations 19.7 the Earth's orbit around the sun mean that occasional adjustments to measured time are necessary. For example, in 2015 19.8 is called a leap second was added to official time. 

Read the text and use the word given in capitals at each gap to form a word that fits in each gap.

Sport in society

The position of sport in today's society has changed out of all recognition. People no longer seem to think of sport as 'just a game' — to be watched or played for the sake of 20.1 (ENJOY). Instead, it has become big business worldwide. It has become accepted practice for 20.2 (LEAD) companies to provide sponsorship. TV companies pay large sums of money to screen important matches or 20.3 (COMPETE). The result has been huge 20.4 (FINANCE) rewards for athletes, some of whom are now very 20.5 (WEALTH), particularly top footballers, golfers and tennis players. In addition, it is not unusual for some athletes to receive large fees on top of their salary, for advertising products or making personal appearances.

A trend towards shorter working hours means that people 20.6 (GENERAL) tend to have more free time, both to watch and to take part in sporting activity; sport has become a 20.7 (SIGNIFY) part of the recreation industry that we now rely on to fill our leisure hours. Professional sport is a vital part of that industry, providing 20.8 (PLEASE) for millions of ordinary people all over the world. 

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given.

I wish I hadn't missed your birthday party. (REGRET)

=> I your birthday party.

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given.

There's no milk left, so can you buy some? (RUN)

=> We , so can you buy some?

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given. 

"Switch off your mobile in Mr. White's classes," Carlos said to Maria. (WARNED)

=> Carlos her mobile in Mr. White's classes.

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given.

The last time I saw Tom was the day he got married in 1995. (WEDDING)

=> I haven't day in 1995. 

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given.

Brad is better at speaking English than his parents. (AS)

=> Brad’s parents don’t he does.

Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given.

I'd prefer not to cancel the meeting. (CALL)

=> I'd rather the meeting. 

You are going to read an extract from a book in which actor Ewan McGregor explains how he first became interested in motorbikes. Choose the answer which you think fits best according to the text.

My first bike

Film star, Ewan McGregor, recently rode round the world on a motorbike. He talks about how he first took up riding motorbikes. 

My biking beginnings can be summed up in two words: teenage love. My first girlfriend was small with short, mousy blonde hair, and I was mad about her. Our romance came to an abrupt end, however, when she started going out with another guy in my hometown, Crieff. He rode a 50cc road bike first and then a 125. And whereas I had always walked my girlfriend home, suddenly she was going back with this guy. 

I was nearly sixteen by then and already heartbroken. Then one day, on the way back from a shopping trip to Perth with my mum, we passed Buchan's, the local bike shop. I urged my mother to stop the car. I got out, walked up the short hill to the shop and pressed my nose to the window. There was a light-blue 50cc bike on display right at the front of the shop. I didn't know what make it was, or if it was any good. Such trivialities were irrelevant to me. All I knew was that I could get it in three or four months' time when I was sixteen and allowed to ride it. Maybe I could even get my girlfriend back. 

I'd ridden my first bike when I was about six. My father got hold of a tiny red Honda 50cc and we headed off to a field that belonged to a family friend. I clambered on and shot off. I went all over the field, thought it was just the best thing. I loved the smell of it, the sound of it, the look of it, the rush of it, the high-pitched screaming of the engine. Best of all, there was a Land Rover parked next to two large piles of straw with about a metre and a half between them. I knew that from where the adults were standing, it looked as if there was no distance between them. Just one large heap of straw. I thought I would have a go. I came racing towards the adults and shot right through the gap in the straw. I was thrilled to hear the adults scream and elated that it had frightened them. It was my first time on a motorbike. It was exciting and I wanted more. 

So when I looked through Buchan's window in Perth that day, it suddenly all made sense to me. It was what had to happen. I can't remember whether it was to win back my ex-girlfriend's heart or not, but more than anything else it meant that, instead of having to walk everywhere, I could ride my motorbike to school and the games fields at the bottom of Crieff and when I went out at weekends. 

I started to fantasize about it. I spent all my waking hours thinking about getting on and starting up the bike, putting on the helmet and riding around Crieff. I couldn't sleep. Driven to desperation by my desire for a bike, I made a series of promises to my mum: I won't leave town. I'll be very safe. I won't take any risks. I won't do anything stupid. But, in fact I was making the promises up - I never thought about keeping them. 

At the time that I was begging for a bike, I'd already had an accident with a bike belonging to George Carson, the school laboratory technician. When I asked him if I could borrow it, he agreed, not knowing that I didn't have a clue how to ride it. The bike was in an alleyway up the side of the school hall. I managed to start it and zoomed down the alleyway until I crashed smack into a wall, bending the wheel and snapping the handlebars. Mr. Carson came out to find me looking very red-faced. The bill for the damage came to more than £80, a fortune to fifteen-year-old in those days and one that took me months of working as a dishwasher and waiter at the Murray Park Hotel to pay back.

(Adapted from Long Way Round by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman)

Ewan did not buy the bike straightaway because _____.

The adults were frightened the first time Ewan rode a motorbike because _____.

In paragraph 5, Ewan's desire for the bike meant he _____.

One result of Ewan's accident was that he _____.

You are going to read an article about an unusual photograph. Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A - G the one which fits each gap. There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.

THE MAN IN THE DOORWAY

A couple of years ago my friend Jack gave me a poster as a birthday present. It's an aerial photograph of a huge wave breaking around a lighthouse during a terrible storm. Standing in the doorway of the lighthouse is a man. This person must be the lighthouse keeper, and the whole picture is very dramatic.

I put the poster on my bathroom wall and I have looked at it almost every day since Jack gave it to me. I've seen postcards with the same picture, and a couple of my friends have the same poster. 33.1 One of my friends claimed that the man had been killed by the wave a few seconds after the photograph was taken. She said that this was common knowledge and that was why the photograph was so popular.

I was horrified. It seemed terrible that someone would make money out of a photograph taken just before someone had died. Worse still, since it had been taken from the air, the photographer must have been safe in a helicopter. 33.2 The more I thought about it, the less comfortable I felt about the poster. Eventually, I took it down and put it in a cupboard.

Even though it wasn't on the wall anymore I couldn't get it out of my mind. The photographer's name, Jean Guichard, was in small print just below the image, and I decided to try to contact him. 33.3 Guichard himself seemed to have disappeared without a trace and there was no way of getting in touch with him.

I did, however, find some information on a website about urban myths. 33.4 This site described the same story my friend had told me about the photographer capturing the last few seconds of the lighthouse keeper's life. A lot of people believed this story, and they had complained to the poster company about the publication of such a macabre image. I then followed the link to the poster company's webpage and it was there that I discovered the real story, which the company had published to stop the complaints.

Apparently, the storm had lasted for days and the lighthouse keeper, Theodore Malgorne, was holding on, hoping the lighthouse would survive the strong waves. Malgorne had heard the noise of the helicopter, and was intrigued. In spite of the danger, he opened the door of the lighthouse to see who was flying by on such a terrible night. 33.5

The poster company obviously thought that some people might not simply take their word for it. 33.6 There are two images: the one in the poster and a second one showing Malgorne stepping inside and closing the door. So that's one mystery solved. The really strange thing is that there's no information about Guichard, the photographer. Now I wonder what happened to him!

You are going to read a magazine article in which various people talk about their jobs. Choose the section that contains the information in each question. The sections may be chosen more than once.

My line of work 

Four people talk about their jobs. 

A. Lisa - Exhibition Programmes, Organiser, Science Museum
I'm responsible for putting temporary exhibitions together. This includes planning and designing the exhibition and promoting it. I have to read up about the subject of the exhibition beforehand and then talk to important people in the area so that I can establish the main themes and aims of the exhibition, and plan what objects and pictures should be displayed. I have to make sure the public can understand the thinking behind the exhibition, which means planning interactive displays, workshops and theatre. I also have to bring in engineers and electricians to make sure the final display is not dangerous to visitors. Before the exhibition opens, I help design and write the brochures and leaflets that we'll use to tell people about it. 

B. Janet - Teacher of London Taxi Drivers
The first thing I do when I get here at 7.30 a.m. is checking the accounts. Then I see what new maps and documents need to be produced in order to learn the 'runs' or routes necessary to pass the London taxi-driver test. By midday, about 50 students are in school, working out how to make the journeys. They work out the most direct route, using the correct one-way streets, and right- and left-hand turns. I get involved when there's a difference of opinion - like whether you can do a right turn at a particular junction. When they're close to the test, I'll give them a simple route and no matter what way they say they'll go, I'll tell them they have to use another route because the road is closed. The next student will have to find a third route and again I'll come up with a reason why they can't go that way. It's just to make them think. 

C. Sarah - Marine Conservationist
I live by the coast and work from home. This involves responding to telephone enquiries, producing educational resources and setting up training courses. Occasionally, I go into our main office but generally I am on the coast. I also work with schools and study centres and run courses for coastal managers and those involved in making decisions about the fate of the seas. I do things like take them out to sea in a boat in an attempt to make them think more about the life underneath them. This often changes their views as it is very different from making decisions using a computer screen. I am extremely lucky because conservation is my hobby, so the job has many highs for me. The downside of the job is that I work for a charity, so there is a constant need for more money. This means I'm always looking for more resources and I'm not able to achieve everything want.

D. Chris - Map and Atlas Publisher
My work is pretty varied. I have to make sure that the publishing programme matches market requirements and ensure that we keep stocks of 300 or so of the books that we publish. We have very high standards of information and content. We receive many letters from readers on issues such as the representation of international boundaries and these in particular require a careful response. I discuss future projects and current sales with co-publishers. I work as part of an enthusiastic group which makes the job that much more enjoyable. The negative side, as with many jobs, is that there is far too much administration to deal with, which leaves less time to work on the more interesting tasks such as product development and design.

Which person says their job involves large amounts of paperwork?

Which person says their job involves accepting certain financial limitations?

Which person says their job involves encouraging visitor participation?

Which person says their job involves listening to disagreements?

Which person says their job involves introducing problems that require solutions?

Which person says their job involves producing advertising literature?

Which person says their job involves organising trips designed to increase people's awareness?

Which person says their job involves constant updating of their own materials?

Which person says their job involves working in an area that has personal meaning for them?

Which person says their job involves working with a team of colleagues?

You MUST answer this question. Write 140-190 words in an appropriate style. 

In your English class you have been talking about the clothes people wear. Now, your English teacher has asked you to write an essay.

Write an essay using all the notes and giving reasons for your point of view.

Write your answer.

Answer ONE of these questions. Write 140–190 words in an appropriate style.

Write your answer.