THE ENGLISH SPEAKER TEST 000

EXAMINATION PREPARATION EXERCISES: FIRST CERTIFICATE

Paper 3: Use of English TIME: 45 minutes

PART 1
From the words A, B, C or D listed below, choose the ones which best fit the spaces 1-12.

CONKERS

The conker is a chestnut, the hard brown fruit of the chestnut tree. There are two types of chestnut: the
sweet chestnut which you can eat. In winter, they are sold, roasted, from barrows in the street. And then
(1)................... is the horse chestnut, which cannot be eaten. It is the horse chestnut, or conker, which
grows (2)................... in England.

The conker does, however, (3)................... one useful purpose. It is collected in autumn by (4)...................
small boy in England. He dries it, (5)................... a hole in it, and puts it on the end of a piece of string.
He is then ready to challenge(6)................... small boy to play conkers.

One of the boys holds his conker, at the end of his string, while the other boy strikes it by bringing his
conker down upon it as (7)................... as he can. Then the positions are (8)................... . The victor is the
boy who smashes the other's conker to (9)................... .

But in the city of Birmingham, conkers (10)................... come to an end. A member of the city government
- Councillor Florence Pickersgill - is worried about the number of children injured (11)................... out
gathering conkers from chestnut trees. She has asked that all chestnut trees in the city be
(12)................... so that they cannot bear conkers. A chemical firm has been approached. They will drill
small holes in the trees, and then insert an anti-conker pill in each hole.

A B C D

1. it here that there

2. usually often frequently commonly

3. serve make offer give

4. every all most many

5. screws digs grinds bores

6. second another other every

7. tough hard strong heavy

8. reversed reviewed revised remade

9. scraps lumps parts pieces

10. can may ought shall

11. after while since as

12. treated drugged dealt medicated

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PART 2
Complete with the word that best fits the space.

JOB TRAINING IN CALIFORNIA

In California, Ms Brenda Blackman has started a business teaching people (13)....................... to marry a
millionaire. Her students, mainly women, sit (14)....................... class saying over and over
(15)....................... : "I want to be rich. I deserve to be rich. I was born to be rich. I will be rich."

She (16)....................... them useful information, (17)....................... as the telephone numbers of the golf
and tennis clubs (18)....................... the filthy rich (19)....................... to be found. She advises them on
(20)....................... to wear at a croquet match. She instructs them (21)....................... the basic etiquette of
dealing (22)....................... servants: "Always address the chauffeur (23)....................... his surname."

For homework, her students study the Wall Street Journal. She also advises them to confirm
(24)....................... his chequebook stubs that their target millionaire really does have the money he
appears to have.

PART 3
To fill the spaces, use a word formed from the words in the list below.

FILM CRITICS AND JUDGES

The (25).................................... was made that the British Academy of Film and Television had awarded
the prize for the Best TV Drama Series to something called Prime Suspect. Immediately, four out of the
seven members of the jury (26).................................... They said they had in fact voted for a
(27)....................................... series, (28).................................... GBH. By and large, the British are not
terribly good at advanced mathematics, but this is (29)....................................

A film critic told a similar story about a country where a film (30).................................... was held. He was
on the jury to make the (30)........................... for prizes. He was approached by a man who had a film in
the competition. This producer offered him £3,000 to make sure that his film won the main prize.
Rather than take the money, the critic mentioned the matter to the (31).................................... of the event.
He was shocked. He said, "This is most (32).................................... It is (33)....................................
simply (34)................................... I shall speak to this man. The going rate for the main prize is at least
£5.000."

25. announce
26. agree
27. compete
28. title
29. ridicule
30. festive
31. preside
32. reason
33. outrage

000-2 ©2008English Teaching Systems

 34. scandal

PART 4
Complete the second sentence, using between two and five words, including the word given. Do not
change that word in any way.

35. May we borrow your ladder for half an hour?

mind
Would you .............................. your ladder for half an hour?

36. "I'm not frightened," he said; in fact, he was terrified.

be
He pretended .............................. frightened.

37. The Majestic is better than this hotel.

good
This hotel .............................. the Majestic.

38. To enjoy travel, you must go on your own.

only
You .............................. enjoy travelling if you go on your own.

39. You were very generous, giving us all that money.

of
It was very generous .............................. us all that money.

40. He was sorry he had asked the bank to lend him the money.
wished
He .............................. asked the bank to lend him the money.

41. I haven't owned a car for five years now.

since
It is five years .............................. a car.

42. Why didn't you warn me it was going to rain?

have
You .............................. me it was going to rain.