English Language Skills Test A - 2N

Reading Part 1

Read the messages and, for each question, choose the correct answer.

The club will now serve the members food in the playing area.

Some chess players have been breaking the rules.

The players don’t have to bring their own food.

Bill has got his mum’s umbrella.

Bill will have to get the bus.

Bill’s mum is disappointed with his school results.

They are asking you to save energy.

The lights turn off on their own when you leave the room.

The lights don’t work in this room.

The swimming competition starts in an hour.

The swimming competition takes an hour.

The swimmers can practise for an hour before the competition starts.

You need a special ticket to take your bike on the train.

You can’t travel without your bike.

Bicycles are not allowed on the train.

Reading Part 2

[questions 6-10]

Read the text and, for each question, choose the correct answer.

Lilly Wu moved to London with her family from Hong Kong in the early seventies because her parents felt that they would have more opportunities to do business in England and they took the difficult step of leaving the country they had known all their lives. At first she found things quite difficult. The language, the food, and the way people dressed were all very strange for her, and she took a while to get used to it all.
But then, when she was about twelve things started to change. She had more friends from different cultures and she started to enjoy the way they expressed themselves in fashion, although she didn't have the courage to dress that way herself. At first she enjoyed watching, but then she felt the need to show her own style, and her interest in fashion became much more serious. This feeling only got stronger as she got older, and she realized that she had a talent for it, because it felt easy to her. Everybody told her that her sense of colour and materials was very original.
She was always very good at school, which is not surprising, as her parents were Chinese. So, when it came time to go to university, the family expected her to study medicine or law, and they had a problem when she announced her plan to study fashion and design. Her parents were not very happy about this, but living in London had given Lilly a very strong independent streak. She stood her ground, and took up her place at the London School Of Fashion, which was a very difficult place to get accepted to.
Lilly is now a very successful fashion designer, with her own label, based in London, and her family could not be more proud of her. She makes a lot of money, and lives the high life with lots of parties and famous friends. She knew she had talent, but much more importantly, she learned to be strong enough to fight for what she wanted in life. That strength is what separates those who live their dreams, from those who spend their lives dreaming.

When Lilly went to London, she wasn’t used to

the jokes.
what people ate.
the weather.
the schools.

Lilly got involved in London fashion

gradually.
immediately.
strangely.
nervously.

Lilly's family

supported her from the beginning.
wanted her to study something else.
didn't care what she did.
tried to send her back to Hong Kong.

Lilly's family

never accepted her choice of career.
wanted her to work in Hong Kong.
finally felt she had done well.
stopped talking to her.

What would be a good introduction to this article?

Lilly thinks her parents’ fashion sense is the reason for her success in the highly competitive world of fashion design. She feels it must be genetic.
It was clear from the first moment that Lilly was going to be famous. Her fashion sense was noticed in her home country of China at an early age.
Lilly Wu had more problems with school than was normal, but it wasn’t really her fault. Her teachers were under too much pressure due to the sudden influx of immigrants.
Lilly Wu's story is similar to the story of many immigrant children. Here we follow her path from lost teenager to successful businesswoman.

Reading Part 3

[questions 11-20]

Complete the text with the correct words. Write one word in each space,

Complete the text about how mobile phones have changed our lives. Write ONE word in each space.

Some time ago, if we wanted to call someone, we had to be at home to do so. There

public phones in the streets, but sometimes you had to wait in a queue for

your turn to use them, In addition, you needed to bring a lot of coins to pay

the calls. As a result, people phoned less often

they do today.

Today's mobile phones allow us to

to friends and family wherever we are. They

dramatically changed our behaviour and habits.

Before the age of the

mobile phone, parents used to be more worried when their children were out.

We left notes on fridges or desks

However, mobile phones have also had some negative effects on our lives. One of

these is the

of our privacy. Today people can get in touch with us wherever and whenever

they want to. It's not so easy to sit in a café and have a conversation without being interrupted by a phone call every few minutes.

One solution would be to

our smartphones at home or turn them

completely. But nobody does that. Most people are

afraid to miss something important

if they don't have their phones with

at all times.

Listening Part 1

[questions 1-5]

You will hear a girl talking about her plans to keep fit.
The text has been divided into paragraphs. You can listen to each paragraph more than once.
Choose the correct answer for each question.

1) How is the girl trying to improve her health?
By eating more vegetables.
By exercising.
By cooking at home.
By lifting weights.

2) Why did she stop working out?
She had an ankle injury.
She went on a vacation.
She didn't like exercising.
She began working longer hours.

4) What is the exercise for Thursday?
Softball.
Baseball.
Running.
Swimming.

3) Where does she want to exercise?
Outside.
At a gym.
At home.
At the office.

5) How does she stay motivated?
By keeping a diary.
By doing different exercises.
By telling friends about her progress.
By exercising with friends.

Listening Part 2

[questions 6-10]

You will hear a student called Emma giving a presentation to her class about a science museum she visited.

Complete the sentences. Write ONE word in each space.

Emma’s favourite room was the one about

You don’t have to

for the entrance to the museum, but you need to get

tickets for the special exhibitions.

The exhibition about

hasn't opened yet.

Emma bought a

Emma and her family decided not to take the guided tour because it started about

minutes later.

Read this email from your English-speaking friend Henri and the notes you have made.

Write your email to Henri using all the notes.
Write about 100 words.