I am ...................................................................

EXAM PREPARATION
By NQH English Team

SKILLS FOCUS 8
Part 1 Read the text and supply the correct forms of the words in the parentheses.

POCKET MONEY EQUALITY

There are a fair number of 1...................... (DRAW) for being a girl. The workplace is still a man’s world and there
have been very few 2...................... (BREAK) in women’s rights. That glass ceiling still exists. It doesn’t make us
girls 3...................... (AMBITION); it just means that we need to work that much harder to get where we should
be. But that’s not the point of this blog – it’s understood. My concern today is related to how early this
4...................... (EQUAL) actually starts and you might be surprised to know that it’s at a(n) 5......................
(RELATE) young age – when we get pocket money from our parents!
According to a recent survey, boys receive thirteen percent more pocket money than girls. I find that
6...................... (GRACE)! It sets the bar from the outset and continues into the working life. So, just why do
parents favour their male 7...................... (SPRING)? Could it be that boys’ toys are pricier or that boys bargain
harder? Whatever, there should definitely be a(n) 8...................... (HAUL) in the pocket money system from now.
There needs to be a(n) 9...................... (CRY) from all the girls out there: ‘Equality in pocket money!’

Part 2 Supply the correct forms of the verbs in the parentheses.

1 They said they would have taken action earlier .......................... (they, not know) about the problem too
late.
2 Supposed you .......................... (ask) if tomatoes were a fruit or a vegetable, how would you answer?
3 What .......................... (he, do) before he became a doctor?
4 He could .......................... (give) me a word of warning, but he decided to stay quiet.
5 .......................... (be able to) make ends meet, the man has to work two jobs.
6 .......................... (cut) down at such an alarming rate, forests may disappear sooner than we think.
7 The casino which .......................... (construct) on the outskirts of the city as we speak belongs to a
millionaire.
8 My sister is a few years younger than me and she .......................... (always, be) very different from
everyone else from the start.
9 What .......................... (do) now that the products you ordered still haven’t arrived?
10 The adverts .......................... (post) on the web by the end of this month.

Part 3 For each pair of sentences, fill in the blank with a suitable word from the given two. Use each
word ONCE only. You may need to change the form of some words.
1 illusion / delusion
a Dave thinks he has a real acting talent. It’s a complete ..................... .
b The ..................... created by the special effects in the film are amazing.

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2 fantasy / fallacy
a You won’t like the book – it’s pure ..................... . You prefer realistic stories.
b It’s a complete ..................... . People have been saying that eating greens make your hair curl for
years and it’s ridiculous.
3 imagination / image
a I have this ..................... of you in my mind of when we first met.
b Use your ..................... and picture yourself on a beach in the Caribbean.
4 realism / reality
a After a great holiday like that, it’s difficult to come back to ..................... .
b The film won awards because of its raw ..................... .
5 dreams / hallucinations
a The patient experienced ..................... after the operation.
b Why do people look so bored when I tell them about my .....................?

Part 4 Read the text and fill in each blank with ONE word only.

Visual note-taking
Taking notes is 1................... key skill in our education and working life, yet most people are not very
accomplished 2................... this. They either write too little and so cannot remember what was said
or they write too much. Often they are 3................... busy writing that they are not engaged
4................... what the speaker is saying and, later, they cannot identify the key points. Research
showed that note-takers who focused 5................... the main points over details 6................... better
at recalling ideas. Shortly 7................... this research was published, a new approach to note-taking
was developed. It is based on the idea that we recall visuals better than words. Visual note-taking
is a mix composed 8................... handwriting, drawing, letters and shapes. Each entry is organised
to capture the flow of information and support understanding and recall. Anyone interested
9................... improving can learn this style of note-taking and, once you are accustomed
10................... it, you can take notes quickly and even enjoy the process.

Part 5 Fill in each blank with a suitable particle to make meaningful phrasal verbs.
1 I have been so busy with my studying that I haven’t got time to catch ........... on my reading.
2 I just wish he'd stop going ........... about how brilliant his daughter is.
3 I haven’t got ........... to fixing that shelf yet. Maybe I’ll do it next week.
4 I don’t understand. Why do you have to put up ........... his insolent behaviour?
5 If she doesn’t stand ........... for herself, things will never improve.
6 I’m surprised they got ........... with it. They’ll have to be more careful in the future.
7 He decided to get ........... of teaching and pursue a career in entertainment.

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Part 6 Read the passage and choose from A, B, C or D the most suitable answer for each question.

In One School, Many Sagas

By Alan Riding (from the New York Times)
Sabine Contrepois well remembers the day two tumultuous paths — wars in Armenia, Spain,
years ago when she explained to her high school Algeria, Vietnam, and the former Yugoslavia;
class how the Vietnam War eventually spilled into repression in Poland, Portugal, and Cameroon —
Cambodia. Suddenly, Meak, an Asian girl in the that brought their families here.
front row, burst into tears. “I asked her what was
Mrs. Contrepois sees the problem through the
wrong,” Mrs. Contrepois recalled. “She said her
prism of her students at Frederic Mistral High
father was shot the day the Khmer Rouge took
School in this town south of Paris. Her job is to
power in Cambodia in 1975. She and her mother
teach youths who are considered by the school
spent years in concentration camps before they
system to be slow learners. Many are immigrant
escaped through Thailand. There was absolute
children who have trouble finding jobs after school.
silence in the classroom.”
To Mrs. Contrepois, the youths’ main liability is not
The incident set the teacher thinking. A traditional
a lack of ability, but confusion about their identity.
role of French schools is to prepare children of
“It’s easier for them to accept being French if they
immigrants to become French citizens. Yet Meak’s
can also come to terms with their roots,” she said.
reaction made Mrs. Contrepois realize that she
“This project tried to do that. It made them
knew nothing of the background of the young
communicate with their parents. In many cases,
people of different races whom she faced every
they discovered things that made them proud. And
day. Clearly, some students’ parents came to
I think it taught them tolerance toward each other.”
France simply to find work. Others came fleeing
wars and dictatorships. Yet Mrs. Contrepois, who Yassine, a 19-year-old born in France of Algerian
comes from an immigrant family herself, also parents, said he discovered that his grandfather
wondered whether the teenagers themselves had been tortured and killed by French troops
knew why they were in France. Did they know their during Algeria’s war of independence. “I didn’t
own family history? She thought they might be as know anything about this,” he said. “We never
uninformed about their family roots as she was at spoke about Algeria at home. I had never dared ask
that age. before.”

A year ago, seeking answers, she gave the 120 Stephanie, also 19, said she learned that her
students in her six classes a research project titled: grandfather was shot by invading German troops
“In what way has your family been touched by in Poland in 1939. “My father came here illegally in
history?” If they did not know, she told them, they 1946, but this topic was taboo at home,” she said.
should ask their parents and grandparents. The “He died two years ago and my mother told me the
result is “History, My History,” a document in which story. When she saw the final project, she cried.
41 students, mostly in their late teens, describe the She was very proud.”

1 What is the passage mainly about?

A The difficulties of immigrants
B A class project on family histories
C The after-effects of war on families
D A teacher’s effort to know her students

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2 In paragraph 1, the author’s primary purpose is
A to provide an example of a student’s family history.
B to illustrate one of the nationalities of students in the school.
C to describe the incident that led to the teacher’s assignment.
D to emphasize the dramatic content of the students’ stories.
3 Based on paragraph 1, what can be inferred about the classmates’ reaction to the student’s story?
A They did not pay attention.
B They were shocked.
C They were bored.
D They had heard it before.
4 Which of the following statements about immigrants can be inferred from paragraph 2?
A They know their family histories.
B They have been in France for many years.
C The teacher lacks any background knowledge of them.
D French schools do not have a strong role in educating them.
5 According to paragraph 3, which of the following is true about the student research project?
A The teacher compiled some of the papers into one document.
B The teacher produced a document consisting of all her students’ writing.
C The students had to rely solely on their own knowledge to write their papers.
D The papers focused on families’ experiences after they immigrated.
6 The word “liability” in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to
A disadvantage. B asset.
C circumstance. D reason.
7 All of the following are mentioned in paragraph 5 as benefits of the research project EXCEPT
A The project gave students pride in themselves.
B The project taught students about their family histories.
C The project encouraged students to talk to their parents.
D The project helped students learn about French history.
8 The word “this” in paragraph 6 refers to
A Algeria.
B the grandfather.
C Algeria’s war of independence.
D the grandfather’s torture and death.
9 The word “taboo” in paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to
A forbidden. B popular.
C unauthorized. D uncommon.
10 Which of the following information is NOT true of the family histories mentioned in paragraphs 6 and 7?
A Both stories explained the death of a grandfather.
B Both stories occurred during war-time periods.
C Both stories were not openly discussed in the students’ homes.
D Both stories told about violence in the students’ homes.

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Part 7 Read the text and choose from A, B, C or D the most suitable word or phrase to fill in each blank.

Would I lie to you?

Would you say that you were a creative person? Does thinking of unusual ideas or solutions 1............. easily to
you? Is this something you exploit in your study, hobbies or work? If your answer is yes, then it’s 2.............
likely that you’re also a little creative with the truth! At least that is something that a recent study at Harvard
University seems to 3............. . Groups of people were given two tests: the first was a simple maths test that
was self-marked and the results self-reported, allowing the participants to 4............., and the second was a
word association test that is often used as an indicator of creativity, as it assesses how well people think
outside the box. Remarkably, sixty percent of those who weren’t honest about their scores went on to achieve
high marks in the association test. 5............., it’s down to the fact that when both lying and being creative, we
are breaking the rules. Psychologists have also 6............. out that young children who tell 7............. lies are far
more likely to be successful in the future – it develops their memory (they have to remember their stories in
detail!) and helps them with problem 8............. in the future. So, if your kid brother is always telling porkies,
don’t shout at him. He may be able to pay off your debts when he’s the head of some big corporation or, on
the other hand, he could become a proficient phone 9............. and be bailing you out with other people’s
money. Who knows?

1 A arrive B come C reach D get

2 A surely B greatly C definitely D highly
3 A agree B concur C confirm D approve
4 A pretend B cheat C fake D deceive
5 A Apparently B Actually C Obviously D Deceptively
6 A indicated B pointed C shown D made
7 A believing B authentic C convincing D candid
8 A answering B resulting C solving D cracking
9 A scammer B forger C dodger D prankster

Part 8 Choose the words to complete the collocations in the sentences.

assume bounce stifle delegate initiative
example rapport earn fostered collaborate
1 No-one wanted to ................... responsibility for starting the meeting so Lara took the ................... .
2 A boss has to ................... the respect of their staff by listening, understanding and implementing new
ideas.
3 A good leader has to learn to ................... tasks and responsibility and not try to do everything alone.
4 We’ve built up a great ................... in our team, which helps us work well together.
5 Politicians should lead by ................... so we respect what they say.
6 The new boss has ................... an atmosphere where we all feel we can contribute to the projects.
7 Following strict rules at work can ................... creativity.
8 It’s good to ................... on projects because then you can ................... ideas off each other.
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