Part I: Reading comprehension/ grammar and use of English
1. You are going to read three extracts which are all concerned in some way with money. For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to the text. (………………… /6 points)
1 Extract from a self-help book/ A CASE STUDY: MELISSA
1Melissa earns £27,000 a year as the PA to a Sales Director at a large international company in London. She lives nearby in a flat she rents with her best friend, Sarah. The flat costs them £450 per month each. Melissa is a likeable, bubbly person who is also known to be very good at her job. Although she has a slight problem with punctuality and is sometimes forgetful, she is 5generally forgiven for her shortcomings because of her stylish dress sense and personality.
Melissa will be the first to admit, however, that her personal life is a complete disaster, especially on the financial front. She absolutely loves shopping and has accumulated, and used, a lot of credit cards. Everyone seemed to want to lend her money and she bought a car, went on holidays, furnished her flat and shopped till she dropped - all on borrowed money. On the 10shopping front, she reluctantly admits that being scatty and disorganised, she constantly buys things that she doesn't really need and really thinks about what she spends her money on. She spends lots on cosmetics, shoes and clothes, but she has nothing to show for it because a lot of it is cheap junk. Massively in debt, Melissa avoids opening her bank or credit-card statements because the sight of them gets her down. She has no savings at all and frequently borrows 15money from her mum that she has no hope of paying back.
2 DESIGNER BRANDS ARE FOR MONKEYS
1Even though I follow fashion (in a far from slavish way), there is no phrase that makes me recoil more than "must-have". If I read that X boots or the latest Y shades have been decreed to be the latest "must-haves", my immediate reaction is mutiny. Why must I have them? Why should I humiliate myself to go on a waiting list for this supposedly desirable item? Most of all, 5why should I fall for the designer's manipulative tactics, which are intended only to swell his or her bank balance at the expense of mine? Far more satisfying is to pop into the clothes shops in my local mall and buy a copy of said designer's gear for a tenth of the price. Waiting lists? Huh! They're for mugs.
Actually, designer brands in general are for mugs. They are for people too insecure to trust their 10own taste. These people calculate that everything with a certain label must be cool, so shopping there is a safe bet. If you shop in the mall by contrast, you have to use your discernment to find the one garment out of three that looks great. If you go to a really cheap shop, the ratio is more like one in 20. But boy is it worth it. Like spotting a little gold nugget in a muddy riverbed, the find gives rise to immense satisfaction. Which is why, according to a survey 15published this week, the young rich are deserting designer shops for second-hand stores and flea markets. They prefer to rummage for one-off bargains than to waste their money in some posh department store.
3 Clicking through a Mag
1For me, shopping is a social thing. It means time to gossip, drink coffee and keep up with friends and trends (andtrends in friends). My consuming compatriots and I browse, select, try out for size and discuss - and only if the item is perfect do we buy. All of which is by way of explaining why I have never really understood the fascination with online shopping. Who wants 5to go it alone, sipping a mug of home-made coffee, buying items that you have never even touched, let alone tried on?
Butitdoesn't end there. Sitting alone, buying a ridiculously expensive item becomes strangely easier - you end up doing the kind of thing you'd never do in front of a friend who has shared your fears on the state of your credit card bill. True, online shopping avoids the pain of crowds, 10parking and sore feet, but you miss out on the atmosphere and social stage, and you are, potentially at least, more vulnerable.
1. (Text 1) In the first paragraph, we are told that Melissa has problems
A- gaining the respect of her colleagues.
B- dealing with a fairly demanding workload.
C- keeping on top of some detailed aspects of her work.
D- maintaining the professional appearance demanded by her job.
2. (Text 1) In the second paragraph, we learn that Melissa
A- makes some attempt to plan her spending.
B- is unconcerned about her financial position.
C- has been trying to economise in her shopping.
D- is aware that she may not always spend wisely.
3. (Text 2) In this article, the writer is
A- questioning the quality of designer clothes.
B- explaining the consequences of following fashion.
C- encouraging people to develop their own taste in clothes.
D- reporting on ways to obtain designer clothes at good prices.
4. (Text 2) Which phrase in the second paragraph reinforces the idea that there is "immense satisfaction" to be gained from some types of shopping?
A- "shopping there is a safe bet" (l.11)
B- "use your discernment" (l.11-12)
C- "boy is it worth it" (l.13)
D- "rummage for one-off bargains" (l.16)
5. (Text 3) What does the writer imply by the phrase"trends in friends"(l.2)?
A- She worries about keeping up with a changing social scene.
B- She doesn't place much importance on the opinions of others.
C- She fears that her friends may be disloyal in her absence.
D- She doesn't meet her friends unless she goes shopping.
6. (Text 3) The word"it"in line 7 refers to the writer's
A- experience of online shopping.
B- reason for disliking online shopping.
C- wish to try things on before buying them.
D- need for advice when choosing things to buy.
2. Read the text below.
a) Why does the writer suggest starting and finishing the advertisement with a clear mental image? (…../ 1 point)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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Run/ adopt/ grab/ create/ drive/ finish/ cause/ bringb) Decide which verb from the box best fits each gap. There are two verbs you will not need to use, and you may need to change the form of the verb to fit the gap. (………/ 6 pts)
My advice to potential ad writers is this: (1) ______the following approach that I have always found very effective. Memorable ads always begin with good opening lines that involve the reader immediately. They (2) ______a powerful initial mental image, and don’t leave readers in any doubt about what they are reading. OK, these ads are not great literature, because their purpose is to (3) ______the reader’s attention immediately. I use verbs, because they (4) ______vivid and vibrant images to mind, but I avoid adjectives, as these remind people of poetry. An effective ad makes a full circle, and (5) ______with a mental image that is just as effective as the first one. This last image reinforces the first, and so (6) ______the advertising message drops deep into people’s memory which makes it an effective selling tool.
c) Collocations are words usually found together (for example: involve someone in something). Choose four verb/noun collocations from the text above. (…………… /2 pts)
1 ………………………………………………………………. 2 …………………………………………………………………
3 ………………………………………………………………. 4 …………………………………………………………………
3. You are going to read four descriptions of products and how they were marketed. Read the texts and decide if these statements are true (T) or false (F). (…………………/ 1 point)
a) None of the inventors of these products marketed them successfully. (……………………)
b) All these products are still used today. (……………………….)
THE BEST THINGS SINCE SLICED BREAD
A - THE BREAD SLICER
Two American towns claim to be the home of sliced bread: Chillicothe in Missouri and Battle Creek, Michigan. Journalist, Kathy Stortz Ripley, is in favour of Chillicothe. When she was researching the town’s history, she came across a news item dated 7th July 1928 announcing that the Chillicothe Baking Company had started marketing wrapped loaves of sliced bread. There was an advertisement on the same page that read ‘the greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped: Sliced Kleen Maid Bread’. Ripley did some more research and found that the inventor of the slicing machine, Otto Rohwedder, had almost vanished from the history books. Rohwedder, a jeweller by trade, spent thirteen years working on his invention before persuading bakers to give it a try. He sold his patent in 1930 before sliced bread had really caught on. It was the Wonder Bread company that made sliced bread truly famous with an advertising campaign showing smiling families packing sandwiches for picnics.
B – THE SKATEBOARD
It is impossible to say who was responsible for the invention of the skateboard. In the 1950s, many Californian surfing enthusiasts, frustrated that weather and waves were not always suitable for surfing, began nailing the bases of roller skates to the front and back ends of wooden planks. Although these boards were very unstable, they allowed for ‘sidewalk surfing’ along streets and down hills. It was not long before the fad spread through the major cities of the United States and beyond. The first commercially- produced boards were made by Makaha Skateboards and designed by surfer Larry Stevenson. Makaha chose a team of top riders to showcase their boards. Soon bicycle manufacturers and toy companies were following suit and producing stable, unbreakable boards with more speedy and reliable plastic wheels. At the moment, skateboarding is the sixth most popular sporting activity in the United States.
C TRAINERS
In 1958, Phil knight, a student at the University of Oregon and an athlete, complained to his coach, Bill Bowerman about the clumsy American running shoes of the time. They formed a company in 1964 to market a lighter and more comfortable shoe designed by Bowerman. In 1968, this company became Nike, named after the Greek goddess of Victory. At first, Knight and Bowerman sold their shoes in person at athletics meetings but soon this wasn’t necessary. Knight’s first great marketing ploy was announcing that ‘four of the top seven finishers’ in the marathon at the 1972 Olympic Trials had worn Nikes. Through the 80s and 90s, Nike’s advertisements helped make it the foremost retailer of athletic shoes worldwide, thanks to endorsements from superstars like Michael Jordan, and catchy slogans like “Just do it”.
D LIP BALM
Chap Stick was the brainchild of a Lynchburg, Virginia doctor named C.D. Fleet. His product, which was distributed locally, was not very successful however. In 1912 he sold the rights to John Morton, another Lynchburg resident, for only $5. Morton marketed the product so well that today it makes its manufacturer $63 million a year. Both the way the lip balm is presented and its ingredients have changed a lot since the 1880s, when it was first produced. Now apart from sticks there are tubes and jars and the balm itself comes in many different flavors such as cherry and chocolate. Although Chap Stick has long been a leader in the lip balm market it was overtaken in 1996 by another company, Blistex.
4. For each of the statements choose from the products A-D. (………………../5 points)
This product (The underlined words and phrases in the text are to help you find answers)
1. is no longer the most popular brand. ………………..
2. followed another important development. ……………..
3. had the support of famous people. ……………….
4. was made by someone who we know very little about. ……………..
5. made very little money for its inventor. ……………………
6. was developed by two people working together. ………………..
7. was demonstrated by people who knew how to use it. ……………….
8. was copied and improved. ………………..
9. was originally sold to customers by its inventors. ……………………
10. outsold its competitors for two decades. …………………..
5. Find words or phrases that mean the following. The words and phrases are in the same order in the texts. (………………. / 3.5points)
1 right to sell or make something ………………………………………………………………………………………….
2 became popular …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
3 a temporary popular trend …………………………………………………………………………………………………
4 demonstrate the good qualities of something ……………………………………………………………………
5 tactic ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
6 easy to remember ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
7 good idea ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
6. Complete these advertisements using words from the box. (……………../ 4.5 points)
7. Look at these questions from a market research survey and put them into indirect speech. Begin: She asked her … (………………../ 8 points)
0 Do you enjoy shopping?
SHE ASKED HER IF SHE ENJOYED SHOPPING.
1 How often do you go shopping?
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2 when did you last go shopping?
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3 Did you go alone or with someone else?
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4 Is there a shopping center near where you live?
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5 Do you prefer to shop there or in the town center?
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6 Have you ever bought anything on the Internet?
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7 Can you access the Internet from home?
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8 Are you confident that Internet shopping is safe?
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8. Read the text below and put the word that best fits each space. Use only one word in each space. There is an example at the beginning. (………………….. / 3 points)
MOMENTS OF PERFECTION
My cousin had a terrible experience (0) when she was working for a big advertising agency. Her boss had ordered (1) …………… to think up a new slogan for a very important client. After a week, my cousin had not (2) ……………………. able to think of any good slogans so she went to her boss and apologized (3) …………….. being so slow. He warned her (4) …………………. if she didn’t think of something in the next twenty-four hours the company might lose (5) …………….. client and that it would be her fault.