Straightforward Pre-intermediate Progress test 1Name _______________________ Score _____________

Language section

Vocabulary

A For questions 1–3, which word is the odd-one-out?

(1) a) nephew b) husband c) son-in-law d) daughter

(2) a) castle b) art gallery c) cathedral d) nightlife

(3) a) laboratory b) desk c) multi-media centre d) cafeteria

B Choose the best word or phrase a, b, or c to complete 4–9.

(4) Do you go ____________ often?

a) foreign b) abroad c) tourist

(5) Robert ____________ when he met Rebecca.

a) settled down b) had a lot in common c) got on well

(6) When I was young I lived in a ____________ farmhouse in the countryside.

a) traditional b) flowery c) best-selling

(7) I just had two weeks at a language school in Dublin. It was really cheap. The flight, the

accommodation and the school fees were ____________.

a) in addition b) sympathetic c) all inclusive

(8) What English language examinations do people ____________ in your country?

a) make b) take c) pass

(9) I went to the ____________ to borrow a couple of books about Scotland.

a) bookshop b) library c) reunion

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C Complete sentences 10–15 with a word from the box.

about of on at in with

(10) Not many of my friends still live ______ home.

(11) I don’t have a lot ______ common with my neighbours.

(12) I get ______ really well with my mother-in-law.

(13) I got bored ______ my maths homework and I didn’t finish it.

(14) Sally is very worried ______ her exam results.

(15) The post office is on the corner ______ the street, opposite the bank.

Grammar

D Complete the text. Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple or past continuous. Use used to in two of the examples.

I (16) ______________ (walk) into town yesterday when I (17) ______________ (see) Charlie, my

old boyfriend from school. I (18) ______________ (like) him so much, but we lost touch with each

other when I (19) ______________ (go) to university and (20) ______________ (meet) my husband.

He (21) ______________ (not notice) me because it (22) ______________ (rain) and he

(23) ______________ (talk) to somebody on his mobile phone. We (24) ______________ (be) such

good friends, but now we are just strangers.

E Choose the best word a, b, or c to complete 25–28.

(25) There’s only __________ housework for you to do. I did most of it yesterday.

a) a little b) not much c) a few

(26) __________ pollution in this city comes from the traffic, which is really bad.

a) Some of b) Many c) Most of the

(27) The police say they cannot solve __________ in the city, because there are not enough police

officers.

a) thousands of crime b) thousands of crimes c) most of crimes

(28) Do you have __________ water in that bottle? I need a drink!

a) many b) any c) some

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F Rearrange the words in 29 and 30 to make questions.

(29) gardening any yesterday you do did?

_______________________________________________________________

(30) often rollerblading do how you go?

_______________________________________________________________

Functional language

G Complete the phone conversation between Hannah (H) and Sam (S) with a word from the box in each space.

answer be have call hear help

again pass phone back voicemail ring

H: Sea View Hotels. Can I (31) ____________ you?

S: Hello, yes. I’d like to speak to the manager, please.

H: I’m afraid she’s not able to take your (32) ____________ right now. Could I take your name

and number and ask her to call you (33) ____________?

S: Yes. The name’s Sam, Sam Mendes, and my number is 0799 613904.

H: Thank you, Mr Mendes. I’ll (34) ____________ on your message.

S: Thank you. Bye.

H: Goodbye.

H Complete the conversation between Tom (T) and the Student Information Centre (S) with a word from the box in each space.

opposite turn take arrive get any

about of how much far have

T: Hello. Could I (35) ____________ some information about the city, please?

S: Certainly. What would you like to know?

T: Could you tell me (36) ____________ the nightlife, please?

S: Of course. Leeds is a lively city with good nightlife. There are many nightclubs, theatres and

cinemas not (37) ____________ from the Information Centre.

T: That’s great. Are there (38) ____________ cheap hotels near here?

S: Yes. The Northern Hotel is quite cheap.

T: How do I (39) ____________ there from here?

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S: Go to the end of the street and (40) ____________ the first street on the right. Go straight on,

and the Northern Hotel is behind the opera house.

T: Thank you.

S: You’re welcome. Enjoy your stay in Leeds!

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ListeningPart 1

[Track 7] You are going to hear five phone messages. Listen and answer the questions.

(1) Katy’s mobile number is

a) 0772 609138. b) 0772 659138. c) 0772 695138.

(2) Which of these times is NOT a good time for Pete to see the flat?

a) Thursday 8.00–9.30 a.m. b) Friday 11.30 a.m. c) Tuesday afternoon

(3) How is the phone message most likely to end?

a) after the tone b) for the voicemail c) back later

(4) Which of these statements is NOT true?

a) The train station is opposite the bus station. b) Sandy turns right twice.

c) The cathedral is over the bridge.

(5) What is the caller’s name?

a) Daniel Sheepshand b) David Sheepshanks c) David Sheepthanks

Part 2

[Track 8] Hector and Zoe are neighbours meeting for the first time. Zoe has just moved into the house next door to Hector. Listen to their conversation and decide if these sentences are true (T), false (F) or if there is no information (N).

(6) Zoe has two children, Mike and Nathalie. (T / F / N)

(7) Zoe lives with her father-in-law. (T / F / N)

(8) Hector likes gardening. (T / F / N)

(9) Hector’s niece is a student at the local state school. (T / F / N)

(10) Zoe will pass the park and the church on her way to the post office. (T / F / N)

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ReadingPart 1

Read the letter and put sentences a–e in the gaps 1–5.

a) They were making so much noise that I called the police.

b) You’re teaching Latin and Greek to ‘A’ level students, aren’t you?

c) Do you know his music?

d) I moved to a new house and I had a lot of work to do.

e) I was just going to bed last Friday when his friends arrived at his house in fancy dress

costume!

Dear Frances,

I’m sorry I didn’t write to you last month, but I was very busy. (1) _____ The house is nice. It’s in a fashionable

part of London. It’s a good place for cultural activities: the theatres, cinemas, and opera house are not far away,

so there is a lot to do in the evening. The only problem is that I don’t get on well with one of my neighbours.

He’s called Michael George and he’s a famous musician. (2) _____ Another neighbour told me he used to be an

accountant, but five years ago he made a best-selling CD and became a pop singer. He often plays his guitar late

at night and I can’t get to sleep. He has noisy parties too. (3) _____ I saw one of them dressed like Eddie Murphy

in The Nutty Professor! They played Robbie Williams and Madonna songs until 3 a.m. (4) _____ You know I don’t

like pop music very much!

How’s your new job? (5) _____ Are you enjoying it?

Please write soon.

Best wishes,

Henry

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Part 2

Choose the best title for the article. Do questions 7–10 before you answer this question.

(6)

a) How to do well in your exams b) School facilities

c) Schools around the world d) The education system

Read the article below. Match the descriptions a–f to paragraphs 7–10. There are two descriptions that you do not need.

a) Kinds of schools d) Homework and social programme

b) Playing together e) Leaving and qualifications

c) Skills to survive f) What can you learn?

(6) ______________________

(7) __________________

Children go to school to learn the things they need to know when they grow up. Only about half of the children in

the world go to school. In poorer countries it is not always compulsory, and many children do not have time to go

to school. They have to work to help their family to survive. They do not learn to read or write, or study subjects

like maths and science. They are taught other skills they need, such as farming and hunting.

(8) __________________

All schools teach basic skills such as reading, writing and using numbers. As children get older, they learn other

subjects as well, like history, art and music. They can play sports at school, too. At some schools children can

learn to play a musical instrument and join a band or an orchestra. They can learn how to use a computer, too.

Computers are useful for many subjects.

(9) __________________

Not all schools have computers though. Schools and ways of learning are very different around the world. Some

schools do not have walls, chairs or even books. In Britain, children at school work at desks inside a classroom.

In Australia, some children live far from a school. They learn at home, using the internet. In Nepal, children in

mountain villages do not have a school building. They sit outside on the ground to learn.

(10) __________________

In most schools, the students have to do important tests called exams. These show how well they understand the

things they have learned. They need to pass these tests and get good grades if they want to get a place at

college or university. The leaving age in most countries is between sixteen and eighteen.

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WritingYou are studying in Oxford. You are going to send a postcard to a friend. Read the information about the city of Oxford. Then write your postcard (75–100 words).

Name: Oxford.

Location: South of England. On the River Thames. 140 km from the North Sea.

Population: Approximately 100,000.

History: Famous university town with many colleges and historic buildings.

Description: A student city with good nightlife. There are many bars, restaurants and nightclubs in the city

centre. It is an interesting place to visit if you are interested in culture and old buildings. There

are museums and art galleries, and several theatres. It is not an industrial city, and there are

several beautiful parks. It is easy to travel in the city. The public transport system is good, but

many people choose to travel by bicycle.

Hello _______________,

I’m in Oxford, studying English. Oxford is …

See you soon!

_______________

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