Upper-Intermediate Test

1. Choose A, B, or C to complete the sentences.

1. I _______ when I’m cleaning my apartment.

a. play often music
b. play music often
c. often play music

2. _______ are becoming an increasingly large proportion of many societies.

a. Unemployed
b. The unemployed
c. The unemployed people

3. We played the music quietly _______ wake the children.

a. to not
b. not to
c. so as not to

4. _______ the very steep climb up the last hill, I really enjoyed the walk.
a. Although
b. In spite
c. Despite

5. Our eldest daughter is at _______ university. She’s studying Physics.

a. the
b. a
c. (–)

6. That’s a _______ table – where did you buy it?

a. lovely little wooden
b. little lovely wooden
c. lovely wooden little

7. _______ of our team played well today – that’s why we lost.

a. Neither
b. None
c. Some
2. Complete the sentences with one word made from the word in brackets.

1. I _______ the word so nobody understood me. (pronounce)

2. These cups are _______, even if you drop them on a hard floor. (break)

3. _______ is a big problem in this area. (vandal)

4. The weather here is so _______, it could be very different later. (change)

5. I like green vegetables, _______ spinach. (special)

6. Housing costs are high in the capital, so there are a lot of _______ people.
(home)

7. I don’t suffer from _______ – I enjoy being on my own. (lonely)

8. She behaves like a little girl sometimes – she’s so _______. (mature)

9. I felt very _______ when I couldn’t remember her name. (embarrass)

10. I’m _______ to peanuts, but I can eat any other kinds of nuts. (allergy)

11. It was a huge storm, and several trees were hit by _______. (light)

3. Complete the sentences. Use the correct form of the verb in brackets.
Use short forms for negative sentences.

1. I think you’d have got the job if you _______ (not ask) that stupid question.

2. Call an ambulance! Mrs Jones _______ (run over) by a car!

3. I immediately regretted _______ (send) the email.

4. I _______ (writing) my essay for an hour when my computer crashed and lost
it all.

5. I’m sure you wish you _______ (not buy) that car. It’s been nothing but
trouble.
6. We _______ (practise) this dance for nearly two months, so it should go well
tonight.

7. I’ll let you know the test results as soon as I _______ (discuss) them with your
doctor.

8. I wanted to meet Anna, but she _______ (already leave) when I got to the
party.

9. One of the greatest 20th century paintings _______ (report) to have been
stolen.

10. I’ll bring something to eat in case we _______ (get) hungry.

11. I _______ (still work) at 7.00. I don’t finish till 8.00 on Thursdays.

12. You shouldn’t _______ (spend) so long in the sun yesterday – you’ve got
sunburn.

4. Choose A, B, or C to complete the sentences.

1. It’s quite _______ today and I’ve heard it’s going to get even colder.
a. warm
b. chilly
c. damp

2. You have to take Diana’s age into _______ when you judge her work.
a. place
b. care
c. account

3. I’m _______ and tired of listening to all your problems – do something about
them!
a. fed up
b. sick
c. bored

4. I think Jerry was very tired – he’s _______ asleep on the sofa.
a. full
b. fast
c. deep

5. The audience loved it all and the band came back twice to give _______.
 a. encores
b. choruses
c. performances

6. I walked for six hours, and now I’ve got _______ on my feet.
a. bruises
b. blisters
c. rashes

7. It’s difficult to get the truth from newspapers in this country – they’re all
_______.
a. objective
b. censored
c. accurate

8. That dress really _______ you. It goes really well with your hair colour.
a. fits
b. matches
c. suits

9. Geologists working in Australia have _______ an important discovery.

a. done
b. carried out
c. made

10. This restaurant is part of a _______ – I went to one in London last week.
a. chain
b. branch
c. company

5. Read the article. For questions 1-5, choose the correct answer (A, B, C,
or D).

A step in the right direction

It was once famously said that some things in life – like paying taxes and death – are
inevitable. And leaving education trying to find employment is something that young
people everywhere have to face. But despite the large amount of research that has
been undertaken on young people in the job market, relatively little is known about
what happens once young people start their first job. A team of researchers from
Leeds Metropolitan University looked into this aspect. The survey focused on 30
people and 39 employers, and addressed a range of issues in relation to recruitment,
employment, and particularly young people into the workplace.
It is clear from the interviews with young people that, for the vast majority, the idea of
a 'job for life' no longer exists. While some had clear career ambitions, the majority
appeared to be unclear on what they wanted to do. One consequence of this is that
many young people saw their early work experiences as temporary – a 'stop gap'
until their ideas on what they wanted to do had developed, or simply a way of
earning money to pursue other ambitions such as travel.

This tendency has also been noted by many employers, and is particularly
disappointing to smaller businesses looking for long-term loyalty in their staff.
However, some employers – for example in areas such as financial services and call
centres – had adjusted to the new situation, and appeared to accept that they cannot
expect young people to be loyal and see a long-term future with one employer.

Like a number of other studies, the findings confirm that employers tend to focus on
'softer' skills and behavioural qualities in the recruitment process, with a less
prominent role played by formal qualifications. The opinions of this sample of young
people were remarkably consistent with those of the employers. Most of the young
people seemed to have understood the message that formal qualifications are often
a necessary but not sufficient condition for obtaining the types of jobs which they
hope to do in the future. They recognized that skills like communication, team-
working, organization, and customer service are all important. There was evidence
that many young people had clearly worked on developing such skills.

Where there does appear to be a significant difference of opinion between the views
of young people and employers related to the extent to which young people actually
possess the necessary 'employability' skills. By and large, the young people
interviewed were confident in their ability to demonstrate these skills and qualities.
Employers, on the whole, were much less positive about this, often feeling that
educational institutions were focusing too strongly on academic skills and
qualifications, at the expense of employability.

Another area where employers' and young peoples' views differed is in relation to
Information Technology (IT) skills. When asked about the things they value most
about young recruits, many employers mentioned their ability with computers. On the
other hand, few young people mentioned this explicitly. The probable explanation is
that young people simply take their IT skills for granted, often not realizing how
valuable they might be to some employers. Encouraging young people to be more
positive about this aspect might help some to improve the way they are viewed by
potential employers.

In terms of the inductions provided for their young recruits, the results of this study
confirmed both expectations and the findings of earlier research – that employers
vary widely in the nature of the training they provide. Differences included the length
of time the inductions ran, how formal the training was, what topics were covered,
and how often training occurred. The reaction of most young people to the induction
they had experienced was positive, or at least neutral. There is clearly a tension
between the need for new recruits to become good at their jobs, and their
understandable desire to get involved as quickly as possible.

From the point of view of the employer, much depended upon the nature of the job,
the type of employer (particularly size and sector), and the frequency with which they
recruit young people. In general, the more regularly young people were recruited and
the larger the employer, the more formal the induction process.

In uncertain economic times, it seems that young people more than ever are having
to do all they can to find employment.

1. The survey revealed that, in general, young people ...

a. do not value the early work experience they gain in any way.
b. are unconvinced they will do the same job until they retire.
c. would prefer to have a gap year before starting higher education.
d. are unsure about which jobs they want to do when they leave school.

2. What do employers think about formal qualifications?

a. They are less important than behavioural qualities.
b. They are more important than behavioural qualities.
c. They are equally as important as behavioural qualities.
d. They are more important than behavioural qualities for certain jobs
only.

3. What can we learn from the survey about young people and IT skills?
a. Employers do not assume that all young employees have good IT
skills.
b. Young people need to perfect their IT skills before starting work for an
employer.
c. Young people should promote their IT skills to employers more than
they do currently.
d. Employers do not enjoy feeling inadequate as young people’s IT skills
are often superior to theirs.

4. The survey suggests that young people themselves value skills such as being
able to...
a. get the job done faster than others.
b. get new business for the company.
c. get better results than colleagues.
d. get on with other people in the workplace.
5. Induction processes vary in terms of ...
a. where they are carried out.
b. who they are reviewed by.
c. when they take place.
d. what they focus on.

6. Listen to five teenagers talk about trips they have made with their
families. Choose from the list (A-F) what each speaker says they have
learned as a result of going on the trip. There is one extra letter you do
not need to use.

1. Speaker 1
a. You can learn things from family members.
b. It’s good to have a positive attitude.
c. Be realistic about how much time you need for things before you go.
d. Things need to be carefully organized beforehand.
e. Travel can make you appreciate home more.
f. You can benefit from unusual experiences.

2. Speaker 2
a. You can learn things from family members.
b. It’s good to have a positive attitude.
c. Be realistic about how much time you need for things before you go.
d. Things need to be carefully organized beforehand.
e. Travel can make you appreciate home more.
f. You can benefit from unusual experiences.

3. Speaker 3
a. You can learn things from family members.
b. It’s good to have a positive attitude.
c. Be realistic about how much time you need for things before you go.
d. Things need to be carefully organized beforehand.
e. Travel can make you appreciate home more.
f. You can benefit from unusual experiences.

4. Speaker 4
a. You can learn things from family members.
b. It’s good to have a positive attitude.
c. Be realistic about how much time you need for things before you go.
d. Things need to be carefully organized beforehand.
e. Travel can make you appreciate home more.
f. You can benefit from unusual experiences.
5. Speaker 5
a. You can learn things from family members.
b. It’s good to have a positive attitude.
c. Be realistic about how much time you need for things before you go.
d. Things need to be carefully organized beforehand.
e. Travel can make you appreciate home more.
f. You can benefit from unusual experiences.

Total – _______ / 50