Test 11

Task 1. READING

Read the text below. Mach choices (A - H) to (1 – 5). There are three choices you do not need to use.

How the EU Works

The EU is a union of 28 European countries that together cover much of the continent.

( 1 )__________

The EU was created in the aftermath of the Second World War. The first steps were to foster economic cooperation: the idea is that countries who trade with one another become economically interdependent and so more likely to avoid conflict. The result was the European Economic Community (EEC), created in 1958, and initially increasing economic cooperation between six countries: Belgium, Germany/France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Since then, a huge single market has been created and continues to develop towards its full potential.

( 2 )__________

What began as a purely economic union has evolved into an organization spanning policy areas, from development aid to environment. A name change from the EEC to the European Union (EU) in 1993 reflected this.

The EU is based on the rule of law: everything that it does is founded on treaties, voluntarily and democratically agreed by all member countries. These binding agreements set out the EU's goals in its many areas of activity.

( 3 )__________

The EU has delivered half a century of peace, stability and prosperity, helped raise living standards, and launched a single European currency, the euro.

Thanks to the abolition of border controls between EU countries, people can travel freely throughout most of the continent. And it's become much easier to live and work abroad in Europe.

The single or 'internal' market is the EU's main economic engine, enabling most goods, services, money and people to move freely. Another key objective is to develop this huge resource to ensure that Europeans can draw the maximum benefit from it.

( 4 )__________

One of the EU's main goals is to promote human rights both internally and around the world. Human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights: these are the core values of the EU. Since the 2009 signing of the Treaty of Lisbon, the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights brings all these rights together in a single document. The EU's institutions are legally bound to uphold them, as are EU governments whenever they apply EU law.

( 5 )__________

As it continues to grow, the EU remains focused on making its governing institutions more transparent and democratic. More powers are being given to the directly elected European Parliament, while national parliaments are being given a greater role, working alongside the European institutions. In turn, European citizens have an ever-increasing number of channels for taking part in the political process.

Task 2. READING

Read the text below. For questions (6 – 10) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

Why a 14-Year-Old Girl Decided to Sail Around the World Alone

In 2010, 14-year-old Laura Dekker took to the seas in her sailboat, Guppy, on a quest to become the youngest person to sail around the world alone. Maiden-trip, a forthcoming feature-length documentary, follows Dekker on her voyage, told largely through footage that Dekker shot while at sea.

Far from her family and without a support team, Dekker goes where the wind takes her. In an exclusive excerpt of the film above, Dekker sails from French Polynesia to Australia.

In 2009, when Dekker first announced plans to sail the world, Dutch authorities prevented her from setting sail for a year. "Of course there are people who say you're crazy, but it's a dream. A great, great dream.

I want to sail, I want to go around the world. I want to see all the places and not always the stupid same thing," says Dekker at the start of the film. "I lived my first five years at sea and ever since, all I've wanted is to return to that life." In January 2012, after 17 months at sea, Laura successfully completed her voyage.

Task 3. READING

Read the text below. Mach choices (A - H) to (11 – 16). There are two choices you do not need to use.

In which of the universities you can...

Task 4. READING

Read the text below. Choose from (A - H) the one which best fits each space (17-22). There are three choices you do not need to use.

A Holiday of a Lifetime

Australia and New Zealand both offer a wide variety of scenery, cultural variations and local attractions.The HOLIDAY OF A LIFETIME starts in Cairns situated on the Great

Barrier Reef (17)________, a classic train ride into the neighbouring mountains and the opportunity to meet Goway's "adopted" koala bears. Next fly to Sydney with its beautiful harbour and Opera House.

A flight to the Outback (18)________, the sacred site for Aboriginals. Next is an overland journey to Alice Springs, home of the Flying Doctors. Here you have a choice to take the legendary Ghan overnight train to Adelaide or fly directly to Adelaide. On arrival, you can decide (19)________ or go to the Barossa Valley to check out the vineyards. Fly then to Melbourne, a modem vibrant city.

On arrival in New Zealand, your first stay will be in attractive Christchurch known as the Garden City (20)________. An overland drive brings you to Queenstown, a lovely resort on the South Island and from which you will take a day trip to the magnificent fiord-like Milford Sound on which you will have a cruise.

Then fly to the North Island to Rotorua with its natural geothermal activity (21)________.You will enjoy a traditional Maori evening and an exhibition of sheep sheering. On the way to Auckland, there will be a stop at Waitomo (22)________.

Auckland provides the final stop and includes a harbour cruise on which a "Farewell to Downunder" dinner will be experienced.

Task 5. USE OF ENGLISH

Read the text below. For questions (23 – 32) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

Theatre

Vault Festival, a six-week (23)________ of all forms of creative performance, will (24)________ at Waterloo's Leake Street Tunnels on 28th January and will (25)________ everything from a reimagining of Hunter S.Thomson's seminal gonzo journalism (26)________ Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to free (27)________ music from The Kansas Smitty's, described as "swing music meets New Orleans jazz."

The Opening Hullaballoo, onThursday 30th January, will sample all (28)________ that can be expected (29)________ the festival and will also see Time Out All Star DJs hitting the decks.

Vault Lates, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, will see the venue's (30)________ caverns morph into an "underground nightclub, (31)________ one-off parties and extravaganzas"from 10.30pm. There will also be free live music and comedy every Tuesday and Wednesday32)________________9pm and 11 pm, from the aforementioned Kansas Smitty's.

Task 5. USE OF ENGLISH

Read the text below. For questions (33 – 42) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

Is Giving Money the Only Way to Help Poor People?

Giving money isn't even a way to help the poor if it was then the various charities (33)________ the poverty problem ages ago. Here on TV every day we see terrible pictures and hear the mournful voiceover asking us to save a child from lack of clean water, starvation, or illness usually (34)________ in Africa.

I (35)________ the same pleas all my adult life and still the problem persists or has got worse, surely in nearly 60 years the people of the West have given enough money to the charities to drill (36)________ thousand wells and buy enough food to feed the entire population ... yet it goes on and on.

So therefore I say whatever they (37)________ and are still doing is not the answer. (38)________ of what we give is lost or wasted, swallowed up by corruption before it ever gets anywhere near the people who need it.

There (39)________ a better way, I know in might sound harsh but why should we donate money to elevate starvation and poverty in any country that is at war with (40)________ and yet they can find money for arms and ammunition but not food and care for their own people. I too am in favour of teaching people to fish and farm so that they learn to provide for their own. (41)________ you cannot fish in a dry river nor farm where there is no rain. For charities to continue to sustain life where life (42)________ sustain itself is madness there just has to be a better way.

WRITING

43. You stayed at your aunt's house when you were on holidays last summer. You left a bag with important stuff in the room you stayed. Write a letter to your aunt. In the letter:

You should write at least 100 words.