FIRST CERTIFICATE: PART 1: READING

You are going to read a letter from someone to her sisters family. Eight sentences have been
removed from the letter. Choose from the sentences A-I the one which fits each gap (1 7).
There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. There is an example at the
beginning (0).
April 22. 1994
Dear Kathy. John. Gigi.
Well. hello everybody!! 0: ___I___
Hows school, Gigi? I hear youve been studying hard. Have you made any earrings lately?
Do you need any more jewellery backs, etc.? What are your plans for the summer? 1:
______
Brittany and Brendyn are doing well. They have so many friends here. There are kids all over
the place at Whyte Ridge. Brittany knows some of her friends phone numbers and
sometimes calls them up and just invites them over. And Brendyns latest is to ask any kid
walking by if he/she wants to come to his house to spend the night. Either for that or for
supper
2: ___________
We had a nice time at Moms in Saskatoon. 3: ______ Unfortunately. she was sick. then we
all were sick, so our energies werent up to par.
This summer, we plan to go to Nicks second cousins wedding in Yorkton first thing in July,
then to the lake with MaryAnne (from Ohio), Theresa, Cathy, etc., for a week, then to
Calgary for the 14th for Rosies brothers anniversary. Then on our holiday to pick cherries.
Wed also like to sneak in as many trips to the lake as p0ssible with our caravan, and maybe
to the Mall of America. Well see.
Nicks back is slowly getting better; he sort of takes it easy, and uses the exercise bike all
the time, as he says it helps his back. 4: ______
We love our house. Everything has turned out beautifully. 5: _____ We just bought a lovely
new purple sofa made in Italy (Natuzzi) for our lounge. We have not taken any pictures yet.
Well, Brittany and Brendyn can both ride two-wheelers now and can both whistle! How are
both your Mom and Dad feeling, John? Do they get out to Kanalia much?
I know they love their village. 6: _______
Love,
JoAnn, Nick, Brittany, Brendyn
P.S. Bonnie and Phil had a girl Tessa. 7: ______

A Then we brought her back here for awhile.

B And Patti is pregnant with her third!
C Black and white is the theme throughout.
D When can you convince your Mom and Dad to bring you here again?!
E I had it in mind while writing this letter, but my response may have been too late. Sorry
about that!
F It was very painful and he thought he might need surgery.
G Got to go so much to do as Nick and I are going out to supper tonight!
H Speaking of Whyte Ridge, theres a dalmatian dog who is the most popular dog in the
neighbourhood; we have very nice neighbours, too!
I Sorry its been so long but weve been getting settled in our new home

You are going to read an extract from an autobiography. For questions 8-15, choose the
answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
The war was the most peaceful period of my life. The window of my bedroom faced
southeast. My mother had curtained it, but that had small effect. I always woke with the first
light and, with all the responsibilities of the previous day melted, feeling myself rather like
the sun, ready to shine and feel joy. Life never seemed so simple and clear and full of
possibilities as then. I put my feet out from under the clothes I called them Mrs Left and
Mrs Right and invented dramatic situations for them in which they discussed the problems
of the day. At least Mrs Right did; she easily showed her feelings, but I hadnt the same
control of Mrs Left, so she mostly contented herself with nodding agreement.
They discussed what Mother and I should do during the day, what Santa Claus should give a
fellow for Christmas, and what steps should be taken to brighten the home. There was that
little matter of the baby, for instance. Mother and I could never agree about that. Ours was
the only house in the neighbourhood without a new baby, and Mother said we couldnt afford
one till Father came back from the war because they cost seventeen and six. That showed
how foolish she was. The Geneys up the road had a baby, and everyone knew they couldnt
afford seventeen and six. It was probably a cheap baby, and Mother wanted something really
good, but I felt she was too hard to please. The Geneys baby would have done us fine.
Having settled my plans for the day, I got up, put a chair under my window, and lifted the
frame high enough to stick out my head. The window overlooked the front gardens of the
homes behind ours, and beyond these it looked over a deep valley to the tall, red-brick
houses up the opposite hillside, which were all still in shadow, while those at our side of the

valley were all lit up, though with long strange shadows that made them seem unfamiliar;
stiff and painted.
After that I went into Mothers room and climbed into the big bed. She woke and I began to
tell her of my schemes. By this time, though I never seem to have noticed it, I was freezing
in my nightshirt, and I warmed up as I talked until, the last frost melted, I fell asleep beside
her and woke again only when I heard her below in the kitchen, making the breakfast.
8 The time the author spent as a child during the war was
A sad and frightening.
B happy and calm.
C peaceful and puzzling.
D violent and shocking.
9 When he woke up in the morning, he
A would call on Mrs Left and Mrs Right.
B would open up the curtains.
C would play with his feet.
D would agree with Mrs Left.
10 How did the writer and his mother feel about having a baby?
A They werent able to agree.
B They sometimes agreed.
C They often agreed.
D They always agreed.
11 Why was the writer upset with his mother?
A He could not understand her.
B She was poor.
C She was not very intelligent.
D She did not love him enough.
12 The writer believed
A that Santa Claus really existed.

B that his father would never come home from the war.
C that they were poorer than the Geneys.
D that one could buy a baby.
13 The houses on his side of the valley were lit up because
A they were facing the sun.
B they were still all in shadow.
C they had all turned their lights on.
D they had odd shadows that made them look strange.
14 What was his mothers bed like?
A freezing
B uncomfortable
C small
D warm
15 What did the writer feel then that he does not feel now?
A That everything is possible.
B That war is ugly.
C That his mother loves him deeply.
D That life is complicated.

You are going to read about five men with strong wives. For questions 16-29, choose from
the list of men A-E. Some of them may be chosen more than once. When more than one
answer is required, these may be given in any order. There is an example at the beginning
(0).
Which husband:
eventually took the role of influencing his wife? 0: A
harmed his wifes career?

16: ___

was much older than his wife?

17: ___

was of a much lower social status than his wife? 18: ___

caused great sorrow to his wife when he died?

19: ___

did not stand by his wife when she needed it?

20: ___

was murdered by his wife?

had a devoted wife?

21: ___

22: ___

23: ___

helped his wife improve her looks? 24: ___

was not happily married to his wife?

25: ___

helped his wifes career by giving her money?

was of aristocratic origins?

28: ___

26: ___
27: ___

29: ___

BEHIND EVERY GREAT WOMAN

A Mr Queen Victoria
Born in 1819, Prince Albert, the younger son of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, married
Queen Victoria in 1840 and became her private secretary, His position as a foreigner in
Victorias court required a great deal of tact from the royal couple and initially he was
excluded from state affairs. Soon his political abilities and social skills began to show and
eventually he found that he was advising his wife on most aspects of her political duties. The
renowned Great Exhibition was held at his suggestion in 1851. It wasnt until after his death,
in 1861, that his contribution to the arts, science and social welfare of Britain was
recognised. The Queen remained in mourning for the rest of her life.
B Mr Benazir Bhutto
Former Pakistani first husband Asif Ali Zardari does not have a good reputation as a political
figure. Many people believe that his wife lost her position as Prime Minister in 1996 as a
result of his arrest on charges of corruption. As Finance Minister, he was unofficially named
Mr Ten Per Cent supposedly referring to the cut he took in all state contracts during Bhuttos
reign, in which 1 billion pounds is believed to have been mishandled. Zardari was then
accused of involvement in the murder of his wifes brother, and political rival, Murtaza, who
was shot dead in a mysterious police ambush in September 1996. Bhutto has supported him
through his darkest moments, even though she suffered guilt by association. Should he avoid
blame this time, however, the couples relationship may become a lillie distant.
C Mr Catherine the Great
Pity poor Peter III. In marrying the German Princess Sophia Augusta von Anhalt-Zerbst
(Catherine II), the successor to the Tsarina Elizabeth bit off more than he could chew. His
first act after coronation in 1762 was to return to Frederick the Great all the Prussian
provinces conquered by Russia during the Seven Years War. Unsurprisingly the military was
unimpressed and he was killed in a coup led by his wife and her lover Count Orlov.
Catherines subsequent love affairs with different officers and politicians were widely
publicised, although it is said she was devoted to Peter in the early years of their marriage.
D Mr Celine Dion

When the parents of 12-year-oid Canadian singer Celine Dion sent promotions manager Mr
Angelil a demo tape, he liked it so much he cried. Then, much to his first wifes annoyance,
he mortgaged the family home to finance her debut album. By the age of 18, Dion had had
seven French-speaking hit albums, before Angelil paid for English lessons to help her make
an impression on the major pop markets. Then it was time to get her teeth fixed and for her
to lose some weight to squeeze into all those cute little Chanel numbers. Enter the new Mrs
Angelil, 26 years his junior, and the most successful singer in the world.
E Mr Liz Taylor VII
The marriage of former truck driver Larry Fortensky to Elizabeth Taylor never had much
chance of success. However, the couple was optimistic. Fortunately, her seventh husband,
even signed a prenuptial agreement which left him very little in the case of divorce.
According to insiders it wasnt Taylor who caused the breakdown of their four year marriage
but Fortensky who went out on the town while his wife was recovering from a hipreplacement operation. Consequently, the marriage was over. Oh, and about that pre-nup:
he attempted to have it overturned to sue for 3 million pounds.

USE OF ENGLISH

GAP FILLING MULTIPLE CHOICE

Read the text below and choose from the menus the suitable answer.
Then check your answers. The first alternative
[ character - credit - fame - reputation ] is already done for you(1-15)

ENGLISH SPELLING
Why does English spelling have a REPUTATION for being so difficult?
English was first written down when Christian monks came to England
in Anglo- Saxon (1) _____________.

They used the 23 letters of Latin to write down the sounds of AngloSaxon (2) ________________ as they heard it.
However, English has a (3) ____________ range of basic sounds
(over 40) than Latin. The alphabet was too small, and so combinations
of letters were needed to (4) _______________ the different sounds.
Inevitably, there were inconsistencies in the way letters were
combined.
With the Norman invasion of England, the English language was put
(5) ________ risk. English survived, but the spelling of many English
words changed to follow French (6) _____________, and many French
words were (7) ______________ into the language. The result was
more irregularity.
When the printing press was (8) ____________ in the fifteenth century,
many early printers of English texts spoke other first languages. They
(9) ______________ little effort to respect English spelling. Although
one of the short-term (10) ___________ of printing was to produce a
number of variant spellings, in the long term it created fixed spellings.
People became used to seeing words spelt in the same way. Rules
were (11) _________, and dictionaries were put together which
printers and writers could (12) _______ to.
However, spoken English was not fixed and continued to change
slowly just as it still does now. Letters that were sounded in the Anglo
Saxon period, like the k in knife, now became (13) ___________.
Also, the pronunciation of vowels then had little in (14) ___________
with how they sound now, but the way they are spelt hasnt changed.
No (15) __________, then, that it is often difficult to see the link
between sound and spelling.

1. A) ages
2. A) chat
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

speech
A) deeper B)
A) explain B)
A) ay
B)
A) guides
B)
A) announced
started
A) discovered
A) brought B)

B) centuries
C) times
B) communication C) discussion
longer
express
in
patterns
B) found
B) invented
did

C)
C)
C)
C)

D) years
D)

thicker
D) wider
perform
D) tell
on
D) under
plans
D) types
C) introduced
D)

C) made up
D) taken in
C) made
D) put

10.A) actions

B) conclusions

11. A) drawn upB) filled in

out

C) effects
C) got across

D) meanings
D) handed

12. A) check

B) look

C) refer

D) see

13. A) dumb
speechless

B) quiet

C) silent

D)

14. A) alike

B) common

C) same

D) similar

15. A) idea

B) mention

C) problem

D) wonder

Complete with a suitable word (16 30)

Wake Up, Its Summer!

The summer season makes (0) ___all/most____ of us feel good, and scientists believe that they (16) ____________
discovered the reason for this. Bright light makes you feel more awake and helps you sleep better, says Dr. Arendt,
from the University of Surrey, (17) ___________ is studying the effect of light (18) _____________ the human body.
Light travels through the eye and sends a message to the part of the brain that controls sleep and appetite. So in the
summer months (19) ____________ sunlight is increased, your energy level goes (20) ____________ thus decreasing
the need to eat and sleep. (21) ___________ addition, the heat from the sun also (22)__________ a calming effect as
it reduces blood pressure, producing a feeling of relaxation. Sea and mountain air are also beneficial in summer as
they make you breathe (23) __________ deeply, increasing the (24) _________ of oxygen in your blood. For (25)
__________ people, however, there is a negative side (26) ___________summer. Those suffering (27) __________
low blood pressure may experience feelings of tiredness and anxiety at this (28) ___________ of year. Experts advise
such people to (29) _________ up exercise and to add more salt (30) ___________ their diet. So, if you can, enjoy
the benefits of bright light, warm days and seaside air and youll feel completely refreshed.

(31 45)

Transformations

Complete the second sentence so it has a similar meaning to the first, using the word given.
DO NOT CHANGE THE WORD GIVEN. You must use between TWO and five words, including
the word given.(45-55)

1. Why dont you do some exercise? said Angeles.

doing

Angeles

exercise.

2. If you dont lose weight, youll get depressed.

lose

Unless

get depressed.

3. I havent tried skiing before.

first

This is

tried skiing.

4. The bank has rejected my application for a loan.

turned

My application for a loan

the bank.

5. The company chairman said that his accountant had stolen the money.

accused

The company chairman

the money.

6. They are too young to be smoking marijuana.

enough
They

to be smoking marijuana.

7. Teachers have refused to work for three weeks.

strike

Teachers

three weeks.

8. It was wrong of you to offer him money.

have
You

him money.

9. I dont want to spend the weekend with your sister and her two horrible kids.

rather
I

the weekend with your sister and her two

10. Thats the nicest compliment Ive ever been given.

such
Ive

nice compliment.

Task Type: Article

Question
You have seen the following advertisement in a magazine:
Film Weekly Top 100 films - the viewers choice

What is your favourite film of all time?

Why should it be in the top 100?

Write a short article about these questions and you could be published in our next
issue.
Write your article for Film Weekly magazine

Task Type: Report

Question
A magazine is carrying out research into facilities for young people.

We are putting together a list of facilities for young people in your area in a number
of different categories, including:

Sports centres

Museums and art galleries

Clubs and societies for young people

Please send us a short report about one of the above, in which you give
1. a brief description of the facility
2. your views

3. any recommendations
Write your report for the magazine (around 140-190 words).

Write a short story with the title

'The holiday of a lifetime'.
The best story will be published in the school
magazine.
Write your story for the magazine (around 120-180 words).

Letter

15

16

17

18

19

20

21 B

War

7B
8C
9A
10A
11D
12A
13D
14
BEHIND EVERY GREAT WOMAN
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
30
31

29

(in

any

32

(in

any

B
D
E
A
E
C
order)
D
order)

33
34 A 35 C

Spelling
Reputation times- speech wider express at patterns introduced
invented made effects drawn up refer silent - -common - -wonder
time some/other/many has when have take to more/in up who to from
amount/level(s)/proportion in on

1. Angeles suggested doing some exercise.

2. Unless you lose weight youll get depressed.
3. This is the first time Ive/I have tried skiing.
4. My application for a loan 's/has been turned down by the
bank.
5. The company chairman accused his accountant of
stealing the money.
6. They arent/are not old enough to be smoking marijuana.
7. Teachers have been on strike for three weeks.
8. You shouldnt/should not have offered him money.
9. I 'd/would rather not spend the weekend with your sister and
her two horrible kids.
10. Ive never been given such a nice compliment.