Part 3 - multiple matching, 15 questions

 

 

You are going to read an article in which four people comment on a book they have read recently.

 

For questions 1-15, choose from the people A-D.

 

The people may be chosen more than once.

 

 

A

Sundance by Teresa Wilson

Kerry:

I really don't know why this book is so popular. I mean, I suppose it is going to appeal to young girls who want danger and romance, but I found this book really tedious. For a start, the characters were really unconvincing. The author went out of her way to add lots of details about the characters, but I found these details really pointless. I thought that some of the facts she presented about the main characters would become significant in some way later in the novel, but they didn't. They were just worthless bits of information. I also was disappointed that, although this book is meant to be about kids at high school, the writer seems to have no recollection at all about what it's like to be 17. The main character thought and acted like a 32-year old. It just wasn't believable. I'm not saying Teresa Wilson is a bad writer. She can obviously string words together and come up with a story that is appealing to a large number of people, but she lacks anything original. There is no flair. It just uses the same sort of language as you can see in many other mediocre novels.

 

 

B

Wild Ways by Margery Emerson

Liz:

I have to say that I won't forget this book for a long time. I was hooked from the very first chapter. The devastating story affected me so much that I don't know if I'll ever feel the same again. I was close to tears on several occasions. I've got images in my brain now that I don't think will ever leave me. It's incredibly well-researched and, although it is fiction, is based on shocking real-life events. I learned an awful lot about things that went on that I never knew before. Margaret Emerson has a brilliant way with words and I really felt real empathy towards the characters, although I was sometimes irritated by the choices they made. However, the parallel story, the part that is set in the present, is not quite so good. I found myself just flicking through that part so that I could get back to 1940s Paris.

C

Orchid by Henry Rathbone

Imogen:

This is a delightful novel full of wonderful imagery, a paints a remarkable picture of life in a distant time and a far-away place. If you're looking to learn about Eastern culture in great detail, then this is probably not the book for you, as the writer skims over most of the more complicated aspects of the country's etiquette. The historical aspects are also not covered in much depth. However, I wonder whether this was the writer's intention. By doing this, he symbolise the superficiality of the girl's life. She, like the book, is beautiful and eager to please, but remains too distant from us, the readers, to teach us much. Although I loved the book and read it in one sitting, the ending was a bit of a disappointment. A story which involves so much turmoil, in a place where the future is uncertain, should not have a happy-ever-after fairy-tale ending.

 

D

High Hills by Mary Holland

Hannah:

I read this book for a literature class. I know it's a classic, and I did try to like it, but I just didn't get into it. I kept persevering, hoping that I'd start to enjoy it, but no such luck. The famous scene out on the moors was definitely the best bit of the book, but even that I found ridiculous when it is clearly supposed to be passionate. As I approached the end of the book, I figured there must be some kind of moral to the story, something that I would learn from the experience of trudging through seven hundred long pages, but there was nothing worthwhile. I don't know why the literary world sees this book as such a masterpiece. The characters are portrayed as being intelligent, but they do such stupid things! And as for it being a love story - marrying someone you don't love and then being abused by them - that doesn't spell love to me.

 

Which person read a book which...

 

 

1.was set in an Oriental country

 
2. finished in an unrealistic way

3. had characters that the reader could sympathise with

4. is well-known and was written a long time ago

5. contained two stories

6. was not set in the past

7. was historically accurate

8. made the reader cry

9. contained insignificant details

10. has a well-known scene

11. is written for teenagers

12. had unbelievable characters

13. is classed as romantic fiction

14. contains nothing new in the way of writing
 

15. has an attractive but shallow heroine

 

 

 

 

WRITING:

 

 

 

• The test has two sections and takes about 80 minutes:

 

 

 

1. Part 1 - write a letter of email

2. Part 2 - write one of 4 questions: an artcile, an essay, a letter, a report, a review, a story

 

• Scoring: Each part has the same number of marks

 

• How to prepare for the FCE Writing test

 

 

 

1. Choose a question that you are interested in. You will write better if you know the subject.

2. Read the instructions carefully before you start. Make notes. You must include all the points in the instructions

3. Make a plan before you start writing. Decide what information to put in each paragraph

4. Think about who you are writing to and use an appropriate style of language

5. Try to use a range of complex language

 

 

 

Part 1 - write a letter of email

 

You are keen to study English in London. Read the school advertisement and the notes from your teacher. Then write an email to Mr Williams at the Big Ben Language School asking for details.

Language courses in London at the Big Ben School of English   Our well-equipped school offers English language courses in the heart of London. The school has a friendly atmosphere and organises a full range of sporting and social activities as well as excursions out of London. The school is conveniently located near the museums and the river. Accommodation can be arranged with carefully selected British families. Contact Jim Williams by email (jw@bigbenschool.org.uk) for further details.

When you write to the school make sure you find out:   how many students there will be in the school and in each class what qualifications the teachers have what resources the school has what is included in the price what amenities there are in the area

 

Type in words from the text and click on 'Guess' or press ENTER. (Score +1 per correct word)
Click on any gap to see the word. (Score -1 per word)
You may want to see the text before you start. (Score -10 to see the text)

Email to a language school

____ __ ________ ,
_ ___ ____ _____________ ___ ________ _______ __ ______ ___ _ __ _______ __ ____ ___ ____ _____ ___ _______ ___ _____ . _ __ ________ __ _________ _ ______ ___ ___ __ _____ _____ __ ______ . _____ ___ ______ ____ __ ____ ___________ ___ _______ __ ______ ?
_ _____ ____________ ____ __ ____ ___ ____ ________ ______ ___ ______ , ___ ___ ____ ________ _____ ___ __ _ _____ . ___ ____ ____ __ ____ ____ _________ ___ ______ ___ . ___ _______ , __ _____ _ _______ _____ _ ___ _____ __ ___ ________ ? _____ ___ ____ __ _________ _____ ___ _____ ? ___ ____ ___ _________ ________ ?
_ _____ __ __________ __ ______ ____ _______ __ ___ ______ ___ ______
_________ . ___ ___ __________ ________ __ ___ _____ __ ___ ______ ? _____ ___ ____ __ _____ ___ ____ __ _____________ ___ ?
____ , ___ ___ ____ __ ____ _________ _____ ___ ____ ___ ______ ? ___
_______ , __ _____ _ ____ __ ______ ______ ?
_ ____ _______ __ _________ ____ _____ .
_______ ,

    Score: 0 / 170

 

 

 

 

 

Part 2 - write one of 4 questions: an artcile, an essay, a letter, a report, a review, a story

 

A report about sports facilities

Your local tourist office has asked you to write a report on the sports facilities in your area to give out to English-speaking visitors.

 

Type in words from the text and click on 'Guess' or press ENTER. (Score +1 per correct word)
Click on any gap to see the word. (Score -1 per word)
You may want to see the text before you start. (Score -10 to see the text)

 

 

Exeter has a comprehensive selection of sports and leisure facilities . These include sports centres , running tracks , indoor bowling greens , a golf course and a driving range as well as swimming pools , sports pitches and an artificial turf pitch . Tennis courts are available in many of the public
parks , and are free to use .
The main swimming pool in Exeter has recently been renovated and is now very attractive . A fitness centre and sauna are also available . There is an open-air swimming pool for use in the summer months .
The local countryside provides the perfect opportunity for horse-riding , which needs to be booked in advance . There are many lovely walks on the nearby
hills . Cycling in Exeter is popular both as a recreational activity and as a convenient way of getting to work or the shops .

Score: 0 / 135

 

______ ___ _ _____________ _________ __ ______ ___ _______ __________ . _____ _______ ______ _______ , _______ ______ , ______ _______ ______ , _ ____ ______ ___ _ _______ _____ __ ____ __ ________ _____ , ______ _______ ___ __ __________ ____ _____ . ______ ______ ___ _________ __ ____ __ ___ ______
_____ , ___ ___ ____ __ ___ .
___ ____ ________ ____ __ ______ ___ ________ ____ _________ ___ __ ___ ____ __________ . _ _______ ______ ___ _____ ___ ____ _________ . _____ __ __ ________ ________ ____ ___ ___ __ ___ ______ ______ .
___ _____ ___________ ________ ___ _______ ___________ ___ ____________ , _____ _____ __ __ ______ __ _______ . _____ ___ ____ ______ _____ __ ___ ______
_____ . _______ __ ______ __ _______ ____ __ _ ____________ ________ ___ __ _ __________ ___ __ _______ __ ____ __ ___ _____ .