Cultural Inglesa de Buenos Aires – Sede Belgrano

Departamento de Alumnos Libres

6TH YEAR (A)

1. READING COMPREHENSION (……/5)

GAME ON!

Are computer games bad for kids? Absolutely not! People who believe this obviously didn’t
grow up playing computer games. If you look at a first person shoot’em up game in a store, it looks
like a solitary game. But according to research, about 60% of gamers play with friends. They take
turns playing and giving advice so it’s a social activity, not one that isolates people. In any case,
most computer games these days have at least some multiplayer functionality. And in case you
hadn’t realized, part of the success of the Wii console is that it is fun for the whole family, old and
young.
There’s another stereotype that I’d like to challenge. Computer games are not just a male
activity. In fact, there is evidence that more girls than boys now play computer games online. This
should be no surprise as games designers have always been ahead of the movie business in
providing positive role models for girls. Female game characters are often portrayed as powerful
and independent. Look at the classic platform Tomb Raider. It’s famous not only for its impressive
graphics, but also for its fabulous main character. Lara Croft is a great role model for girls: she’s
tough and intelligent and leads an exciting international life.
It’s important to note that computer games are not just for fun. They also teach a great deal.
Most systems need to have simple gameplay to help people start quickly. But afterwards, users
need to gain the confidence and determination to go up a level. This teaches us that in order to
accomplish more in life we need to up our game! In addition, computer games have a strong
narrative, so they teach people about storytelling, character and other things that we also learn from
literature.
Finally, I’d like to look at the issue of computers and childhood obesity. Many children don’t
do a lot of exercise these days, but it’s wrong to blame computer games for this.

Have you ever seen young kids jumping around with the controllers on their Wii system? With the
new motion sensors on the next generation of consoles, the machine can even read the players’
movements without a control. With a split-screen game, two children can play and do exercise at the
same time. So games aren’t responsible for poor health. The biggest problem is that adults don’t let
 their children go out and play in case something bad happens to them. You can’t blame computers
for that.
Read the following statements and mark them True (T) or False (F)
1. Computer games can prevent young people developing social skills.
2. Most computer games can be played by several players at the same time.
3. Female characters in games are often weak and helpless.
4. Computer games teach you that you need to make an effort to achieve things.
5. Many children are overweight because they spend too much time playing computer games.

2. MULTIPLE CHOICE (.../10)

Nowadays every one person game seems to be based 1. (in / on) killing, so you’d think the most
popular computer games character would be some soldier from a violent shoot’em up. 2. (In fact /
Despite), it’s a friendly plumber called Mario, Nintendo’s megastar.
Mario first appeared in a classic platform for arcades: Donkey Kong. In the game, players go up a
level after dodging barrels thrown at them 3. (for / by) a giant ape. It was 4. (completely /
completed) addictive as people progressed from one stage 5. (into / to) the next. Its simple
graphics explain Mario’s distinctive red and blue costume: those bright colours made him easier 6.
(for / to) see.
Mario is popular with children as well 7. (as / so) adults so he’s often the star in each new Nintendo
console, like the Wii. One of their 8. (bigger / biggest) sellers was 2008’s Super Mario Kart, 9.
(which / where) players race on a split screen.
Nintendo fans agree that the Mario games have always provided excellent gameplay pleasure, from
the birth of the Mario character 10. (on / in) 1981, right up to the present day!

3. CLOZE PASSAGE (.../5)

Wii Sports was the first big success for Nintendo’s Wii console. With the controller
1. …………………… your hand, you can play different sports. You can play alone or
2. ……………………. a friend, using a split screen, when one person is on the left and the
3. ………………………….. is on the right. When it was released, people were amazed that the
system’s motion sensor 4. …………………… “read” their movements. This, and the system’s great
gameplay, 5. ………………………. is fun for all ages, has made the Wii the market leader in its field.

4. PUT THE VERBS IN BRACKETS IN THE CORRECT TENSE (.../10)

Hi Tony,
Next week I 1. (be) …………………………………. in San Diego for a computer games conference. I
2. (stay) ……………………………………….. there for three days so it would be great to meet up. I
think I 3. (have) ………………… Thursday evening free as the sessions that day 4. (finish)
………………… at 5:30.
Every year I 5. (attend) …………………………………. The International Computer Games
Conference. Last year, one of the best video games ever made, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
6. (present) ………………………….. It’s a mixture of puzzle solving and sword-based combat. The
enhanced graphics are incredibly realistic, especially in the version for the Nintendo 3DS console.
Music 7. (play) …………………………… an important role. To go up a level, the player 8. (must /
learn) ………………………………………… to play songs on an “ocarina” (a type of flute). Another
important aspect of gameplay is exploration – players must obtain new items 9. (explore)
……………………………………… certain areas. This is a first person game, so players solve
puzzles and look around the game world by 10. (control) ……………………………………………….
the main character, Link.

5. PARAPHRASE (…/ 10)

1. I’m afraid we don’t have any bread left.
RUN
I’m afraid …………………….……………………………………………………………...... bread.

2. They don’t let us use mobile phones in the library.

ALLOWED
In the library, …………………………………………………………………. use mobile phones.

3. You’re still making too many mistakes in your written work, I’m afraid.
THERE
I’m afraid ………………………...…………………….. too many mistakes in your written work.

4. 'I'll call you later tonight,' Keith promised Mary.

WOULD
Keith promised that .........................................................................................................night.

5. I think you should decide right now.

WERE
If I ………………………………………………………………………….…. a decision right now.

6. I’m sorry I went out last night.

WISH
I ……………………………………………………………………………................. out last night.
7. If you don’t work harder, you won’t pass the exam.
UNLESS
You won’t pass the exam ………………….……………………………………………..…harder.

8. I’ve never heard such a silly story!

SILLIEST
That story is ................................................................................................................. heard!

9. It’s possible that Linda didn’t take the early train.

MIGHT
Linda ………………………..……………………………………………………….. the early train.

10. It was raining heavily so I stayed at home.

IF
I wouldn’t ……………………..…………………………………… it hadn’t been raining heavily.

6. LISTENING COMPREHENSION (…../10)

You will hear five different people talking about online activities. For questions 1-5, choose
from the list (A - F) what each speaker says. Use the letters only once. There is one extra
letter which you do not need to use.

A. You have to be careful not to spend too much money.

B. You shouldn’t give too much personal information.
C. You can easily spend too much time doing this.
D. You frequently receive interesting messages.
E. You can work from home if you do this.
F. You learn to see things from different points of view.

Speaker 1 ……..
Speaker 2 ……..
Speaker 3 ……..
Speaker 4 ……..
Speaker 5 ……..