Advanced Achievement test 1 (Units 1–2)

Grammar
Listening
4 Complete the text with the words from the box.
1 Recording 1 Listen and choose which adjective
There are three extra words you do not need.
best describes each speaker. Underline the
correct answer, a) b) or c). acquiring always Being Considering
Having impress regret remark tends
1 Speaker 1 is ___.
thinking wanted will wish would
a) open-minded b) conscientious c) insensitive
2 Speaker 2 is .
a) inquisitive b) thoughtful c) extrovert When I was a child I 1would happily spend hours on
3 Speaker 3 is . end reading. In fact, it was all I ever 2 to do
a) perceptive b) obstinate c) mature whenever I had a free moment. I absolutely loved
3
4 Speaker 4 is . new knowledge and my parents would often
4
a) selfish b) rebellious c) obsessive that I ‘ate books’ as a hobby. 5 left to
5 Speaker 5 is . my own devices is something I’ve never minded at
a) perceptive b) neurotic c) easy-going all and as a result I’m well able to enjoy my own
6 Speaker 6 is . company as an adult. 6 time to reflect is very
a) inspirational b) solitary c) circumspect important to me. My neighbour, on the other hand,
is 7 having people round and she 8 to
5 have parties at the weekend. She 9 usually ask
me to join her but nine times out of ten I’ll turn her
down. No doubt she thinks I’m a wet blanket! Mind
2 Recording 2 Listen to six people talking about you, as my 30th birthday is coming up, I’m 10
the meaning and origin of their names. Match of throwing a party myself. We’ll see. If I don’t
speakers 1–6 with meanings a)–h). There are organise anything, I’ll probably 11 it.
two options you do not need.
1 June _e_ 10
2 Florence ___
3 Baldo ___ 5 Correct two mistakes in each sentence.
4 Melanie ___
5 Alexander ___ 1 We thought were thinking of having a barbecue at
6 Junichi the weekend if you fancied to come coming along.
2 If you only hadn’t let the cat out of the bag about
a) generous of wealth e) of the month Andy’s surprise party! I guess it’s much harder
b) shield and assist f) dark
keeping a secret than you thought.
c) courageous and daring g) rich and thriving
d) compliant and dutiful h) rebellious and strong 3 She is been recovering at home for a few days and
has been advised taking it easy for the next month.
5 4 I didn’t expect her splitting up with Stu even
though he did keep go on about golf all the time,
3 Recording 2 Listen again and write true (T) or which must’ve been really dull.
false (F). 5 Had I known that they’d already decided giving
Bob the job, I wouldn’t bother going through that
1 June is unimpressed with her parents’
farcical application process.
choice of names for her. T
2 Florence sees herself as a people person. 6 To get an engineer to look at our boiler seems
3 Baldo’s name was only a touchy subject having solved the problems we’d been having with
when he was a shy teenager. the heating.
4 The name Melanie lost favour in France
during the Middle Ages. 5
5 Having the same first and last name caused
a lot of amusement when Alex was a child.
6 Junichi has always been one to test
authority and go against convention.

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 Advanced Achievement test 1 (Units 1–2)
6 Complete the second sentence with no more
than five words so that it means the same as the
first. Use the word in CAPITALS.
1 James got here twenty minutes ago.
WAITING
James has been waiting here for twenty minutes.
2 Daniela never used to do any sport at school.
WOULD
Daniela any sport at
school.
3 I hate it when people tell me what to do.
BEING
what to do.
4 They had a tendency to argue in public.
PRONE
in public.
5 Drew is sorry that he didn’t study harder.
REGRETS
Drew studied harder.
6 But for Jim’s quick thinking, the fire would have
spread.
BEEN
Jim’s quick thinking,
the fire would have spread.

Vocabulary
7 Complete the sentences with one word.
1 Although my given name is Marie Angelina,
everyone calls me Marian.
2 Traditionally when women got married, they
would change the family name they were given at
birth, known as their name, to their
husband’s surname but this is becoming less
common nowadays.
3 It can be hard to live to your name if you’re
born into an illustrious family.
4 Let’s not about the bush. We need to stop
talking and take action.
5 Who’d like to their name forward for
Chairman of the committee?
6 I was born Brenda Crayford but I’ve now taken
my husband’s surname so my name is Mrs
Johansson. I do love my new family name – it has
a nice ring to it.
7 Look, if you’re having thoughts about
taking the job in Canada then now is the time to
act on them. Whatever you do, don’t leave it until
it’s too late.
8 Isn’t it time you your mind and told
everyone what you really think? You might be
surprised at the effect it’ll have on the board.

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 Advanced Achievement test 1 (Units 1–2)
8 Complete the sentences with the words in the
box. There are three words you do not need.
capture encourage fence half-baked
inquisitive evocative middle
provocative ropes sets

1 My parents gave me three middle names but I

never use them, except on official documents.
2 I wish you wouldn’t always sit on the .
Can’t you take sides for once?
3 Her latest paintings really the rugged
beauty of the Cornish landscape.
4 I’m not at all surprised that Eda’s become a
scientist. She’s always been and keen
on investigation.
5 Once you’ve learnt the , you’ll soon find
you settle into your new job, mark my words.
6 He ended his speech with a remark that was
clearly intended to stimulate heated discussion.
7 You’ll have to do better than this if you want to
get promoted. There’s no point in putting forward
a idea that shows a lack of thoroughness.

9 Underline the correct answer, a) b) or c).

1 Peter has c a name for himself in the
publishing industry and is well respected.
a) done b) taken c) made
2 I wouldn’t say that Rose is in her ways but
she’s certainly not as spontaneous or flexible as
she used to be.
a) made b) set c) held
3 The best piece of advice I can give you is to keep
an open and see how it goes.
a) eye b) heart c) mind
4 Gary spent years trying to his name after he
was wrongly accused of stealing.
a) clear b) cleanse c) clean
5 I’d no idea Jason was such a dark . Did you
know he’d spent fifteen years in the Special
Forces? He’s never mentioned it!
a) pony b) stag c) horse
6 I wish I’d followed my feeling and taken
that job. My instincts are always right so I don’t
know why I ignored them on that occasion.
a) stomach’s b) gut c) heart
7 Spencer’s always enjoyed playing devil’s .I
suppose it’s because he likes to wind people up.
a) attorney b) judge c) advocate
8 It’s a shame so many people are these days
and can’t be bothered to make an effort for their
community.
a) apathetic b) neurotic c) solitary

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 Advanced Achievement test 1 (Units 1–2)
Function
10 Choose the correct alternative.
1 You’re looking/supposing a bit puzzled there,
Jeffrey. Is there something you don’t understand?
What do I need to clarify?
2 If I had to give/make a guess, which I’d rather not,
I’d say he was in his early fifties. He can’t be any
older than that, surely.
3 I reckon/hazard we took a wrong turning off that
main road. There’s been no sign of the station we
should’ve passed shortly after the turn.
4 Most of the time, it seems/supposes to me that he
lacks the necessary integrity required to work in
the police force. He’s certainly never been known
to keep his opinions to himself.
5 Oh, I know she makes/gives the impression of
being all high and mighty but if you give her a
chance, you’ll discover that she’s actually really
down-to-earth.
6 When you get to talk to him, you realise how quiet
he actually is. It makes/has me think that his
arrogance may actually mask a lack of
self-confidence.
7 Please don’t quote me but I’m pretty/definitely
sure that the man standing over there talking to
Maurice is the one who created his own IT
company when he was only twenty-one. If I’m
right and it is him, you should tell him about your
idea for a new app!
8 I’d reckon/hazard a guess that there’s a lot more to
Professor Pracowik than meets the eye. He
certainly strikes me as rather a dark horse and
no-one seems to know much about him.
7 9 Well, if
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11 Complete the sentences with words and
phrases a)–k) below. There are two options you
do not need.
1 It’s e that Stephen will step up to the mark and
help out now. After all, he’s shown no interest in
the project all year, so why should we expect a
sudden change of heart from him now?
2 As far it’s all water under the bridge. It’s
time to start afresh and let bygones be bygones.
There’s no point letting an old dispute spoil what
could be a wonderful friendship.
3 To Matthew has always been scrupulously
fair in his dealings with clients, which is why I’d
thoroughly recommend him to manage your
investment.
4 From what , we seem to be committed to
something we don’t actually believe in. If you also
feel this to be the case, let’s see if we can get out
of the agreement somehow.
5 According , there are more school-leavers
than ever deciding to take a gap year on leaving
formal education. Whilst some are deciding to
travel, others are using this time to gain valuable
work experience.
6 Whether the concert will go ahead or not .
I guess it all depends on how well the tickets are
selling and whether at the end of the day, enough
are sold to cover our costs.
7 I’m doing what you suggest. We might just
open a can of worms, which will only make things
worse.
8 Quite , I’ve had enough of listening to
pointless rhetoric. There’s no time for that any
more, we need to start being proactive and
actually do something.
, we should look at introducing
measures to streamline the company so we can
keep things ticking over during the recession.
a) is debatable
b) frankly
c) as I’m concerned
d) reality is
e) highly unlikely
f) to the statistics
g) want my honest opinion
h) my knowledge
i) you ask me
j) really not sure about
k) I can gather
 Advanced Achievement test 1 (Units 1–2)
Reading
12 Read the text and choose the correct answer,
a), b) or c).
Things I wish I’d known at 18
Friends often say to me ‘Jo, what do you regret most
in life?’ and while it’s pointless to have regrets
given that we can’t change the past, I do
occasionally look back and wonder how different
my life might have been if I’d known at eighteen
what I know now. How different all our lives would
be with the benefit of hindsight, of course.
I wish I’d known that it doesn’t matter if you make
mistakes. I was brought up by parents who were
very ambitious, perhaps over-ambitious, particularly
when it came to me. They wanted to realise all of
their dreams through their daughter. I became a
perfectionist, always striving to be the best in the
class. 99 percent was just not good enough. I
suppressed my rebellious streak and became their
dutiful daughter. My grades were good enough to
get me into a top university and I passed all of my
exams with flying colours. When I look back I
realise I didn’t even think to question what it was
that I wanted to do.
I wish I’d known that it’s the journey that matters,
not the final destination. My life was mapped out for
me: university, career, marriage, children, security
and retirement and the inevitable ‘if only’. I started
out as planned with no surprises: a secure job with
good pay and prospects. All of my friends were on
the same path but deep down I knew that there was
something missing. Was this all there was? I’ve
always loved travelling and started to live for those
precious weeks of holiday. I’d pore over brochures
and travel guides and search out the most obscure
untouched places. Increasingly I felt more and more
alive whenever I was away from my normal
everyday environment.
Some of us have the freedom to make choices and in
my case, I finally chose to go. After a particularly
stressful week at work, I decided to quit and that
was quite simply the best thing I’ve ever done. I can
honestly say that from that moment on, my life
turned into an adventure.
I wish I’d known that everything happens for a
reason. The reason might not initially be obvious but
when we look back we can understand why
something did take place. I’ve learned not to
question but to accept whatever comes my way and
that is one of the most valuable lessons that life has
taught me.
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1 Jo believes c .
a) it’s important to dwell on the past
b) the past should be forgotten
c) hindsight would change everyone’s lives
2 Her parents .
a) were very supportive, whatever she did
b) pushed her to achieve all she could
c) were keen for her to make her own decisions
3 Jo had always .
a) felt obliged to do everything expected of her
b) dreamt of attending a top university
c) felt she was following her own dreams
4 She now realises that .
a) having a plan for your life is vital
b) it is where you end up in life that matters
c) taking life as it comes is more important
5 Jo admits there was a time when she .
a) could only think about work
b) enjoyed having security in her life
c) realised she didn’t feel fulfilled
6 She now regrets .
a) having left her job
b) her previous attitude towards life
c) letting work pressure affect her choices
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13 Read the article again. Underline true (T) or
false (F).
1 Jo can’t imagine how her life could have
been any different. T/F
2 She always felt that making mistakes was
immaterial in the scheme of things. T/F
3 Jo’s parents’ intentions for her made her
believe only perfection would do. T/F
4 She was so intent on achieving all that was
expected of her that never misbehaved. T/F
5 On reflection, Jo’s happy that she
followed her dream and worked
so diligently. T/F
6 She thinks that you’ll end up having
regrets if you are too strict with your
life plan. T/F
7 Jo secured a good job and had
everything that she yearned for in life. T/F
8 It was only through having a well-paid
job with long holidays that she gained a
passion for travelling. T/F
9 She loved the challenge of finding remote
and unspoilt destinations to visit. T/F
10 Although her decision to leave her job
was spontaneous, the factors leading up
to it had built up over time. T/F
11 Jo’s learnt that having a life plan stops
you from wasting your life. T/F
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 Advanced Achievement test 1 (Units 1–2)
Writing
14 Underline the correct alternative.
1 I don’t mind helping you at all. In fact/In addition,
I’d be delighted to lend a hand.
2 Moira is often too busy to meet up.
Likewise/However, you can always depend on
her in a crisis.
3 Evidently/On the other hand you’ve not been
listening to a word I’ve said, as the fact that
you’re actually nodding at this moment in time
clearly shows.
4 Brian is incredibly rude and rather arrogant. On
the contrary/Furthermore, he’s something of a
loose cannon.
5 There has been a dramatic rise in the level of
crime locally. Consequently/Likewise, the
residents of the village are requesting that the
police increase their presence in the area.
6 Francine suffers from severe agoraphobia. As a
result/Nevertheless she doesn’t go out unless she
absolutely has to.

15 A personal profile: for a social networking

site. Write your profile in 200–250 words.

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Total: 100

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