PART 3

 

 

 

• Part 4 - Multiple matching

 

 

You are going to read four different opinions from leading scientists about the future of fuel. For questions 1-15, choose from the writers A-D. The writers may be chosen more than once.

 

 

A
Howard Bloom, Author:

Even though most people are convinced that peak oil has already passed, to me, peak oil is just a hypothesis. There is a theory that carbon molecules can be found in interstellar gas clouds, comets and in space ice, and if this is the case, our planet could ooze oil for ever. And even if we stay earthbound, those who say we have raped the planet of all its resources are wrong. There's a huge stock of raw materials we haven't yet learned to use. There are bacteria two miles beneath our feet which can turn solid granite into food. If bacteria can do it, surely we creatures with brains can do it better. As far as the near future of energy is concerned, I believe the most promising alternative fuels are biofuels, such as ethanol. It's an alcohol made from waste products such as the bark of trees, woodchips, and other 'waste materials'. And that's not the only waste that can create energy. My friend in the biomass industry is perfecting an energy-generation plant which can run on human waste. We produce that in vast quantities, and it's already gathered in centralised locations.

B
Michael Lardelli, Lecturer in Genetics at The University of Adelaide

Nothing exists on this planet without energy. It enables flowers and people to grow and we need it to mine minerals, extract oil or cut wood and then to process these into finished goods. So the most fundamental definition of money is as a mechanism to allow the exchange and allocation of different forms of energy. Recently, people have been using more energy than ever before. Until 2005 it was possible to expand our energy use to meet this demand. However, since 2005 oil supply has been in decline, and at the same time, and as a direct result of this, the world's economy has been unable to expand, leading to global recession. With the world's energy and the profitability of energy production in decline at the same time, the net energy available to support activities other than energy procurement will decrease. We could increase energy production by diverting a large proportion of our remaining oil energy into building nuclear power stations and investing in renewable forms of energy. However, this is very unlikely to happen in democratic nations, because it would require huge, voluntary reductions in living standards. Consequently, the world economy will continue to contract as oil production declines. With energy in decline, it will be impossible for everyone in the world to become wealthier. One person's increased wealth can only come at the expense of another person's worsened poverty.

C
Jeroen van der Veer, chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell

People are understandably worried about a future of growing energy shortages, rising prices and international conflict for supplies. These fears are not without foundation. With continued economic growth, the world's energy needs could increase by 50% in the next 25 years. However, I do not believe that the world is running out of energy. Fossil fuels will be able to meet growing demand for a long time in the future. Taking unconventional resources into account, we are not even close to peak oil. The priority for oil companies is to improve efficiency, by increasing the amount of oil recovered from reservoirs. At present, just over a third is recovered. We can also improve the technology to control reservoir processes and improve oil flow. However, these projects are costly, complex and technically demanding, and they depend on experienced people, so it is essential to encourage young people to take up a technical career in the energy industry. Meanwhile, alternative forms of energy need to be made economically viable. International energy companies have the capability, the experience and the commercial drive to work towards solving the energy problem so they will play a key role. But it is not as simple as merely making scientific advances and developing new tools; the challenge is to deliver the technology to people worldwide. Companies will need to share knowledge and use their ideas effectively.

 

 

D
Craig Severance, blogger

What will it take to end our oil addiction? It's time we moved on to something else. Not only are world oil supplies running out, but what oil is still left is proving very dirty to obtain. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred precisely because the easy-to-obtain oil is already tapped. If we don't kick oil now, we will see more disasters as oil companies move to the Arctic offshore and clear more forests. The cheap petroleum is gone; from now on, we will pay steadily more and more for our oil — not just in dollars, but in the biological systems that sustain life on this planet. The only solution is to get on with what we will have to do anyway - end our dependence on it! There are many instances in which oil need not be used at all. Heat and electricity can be produced in a multitude of other ways, such as solar power or natural gas. The biggest challenge is the oil that is used in transportation. That doesn't mean the transportation of goods worldwide, it's the day-to-day moving around of people. It means we have to change what we drive. The good news is that it's possible. There are a wide range of fuel efficient cars on offer, and the number of all-electric plug-in cars is set to increase. For long distance travel and freight, the solution to this is to look to rail. An electrified railway would not be reliant upon oil, but could be powered by solar, geothermal, hydro, and wind sources. There is a long way to go, but actions we take now to kick our oil addiction can help us adapt to a world of shrinking oil supplies.

 

Which writer:

 

1. believes oil will be available for many more years

2. believes that from now on, less oil is available

3. believes there are ways to obtain energy that we have not yet discovered

4. sees a great potential in natural fuels

5. believes the fuel crisis will cause the poor to become poorer

 

 

• 6. sees energy and the economy as intrinsically linked

• 7. believes we should reduce our dependance on oil immediately

• 8. believes that people need to be attracted to working in the energy industry

• 9. believes that it is unlikely that governments will invest a lot of money into alternative energy

• 10. believes that future oil recovery will lead to more environmental disasters

• 11. believes that better technology can help to maintain oil production levels

• 12. believes there may be sources of oil outside our planet

• 13. thinks that oil companies are responsible for developing other types of energy

• 14. recognises that inventions that can help to prevent an energy crisis are already available

• 15. believes we can use our rubbish to create energy

 

 

 

WRITING:

 

 

• What is the CAE Writing test like?

The test has two sections and takes 90 minutes:

 

1. Part 1 - Write an article, report or letter

Some material to read (up to 150 words) which may include material taken from advertisements, extracts from letters, emails, postcards, diaries, short articles, etc.

Using this information, you may have to write an article, a report, a proposal or a letter.

180–220 words.

 

1. Part 2 - Situationally based writing task

Choose one of four questions.

You have to read some input material of no more than 80 words which describes a situation, and write one of the following: an article, a competition entry, a contribution to a longer piece, an essay, an information sheet, a letter, a proposal, a report or a review.

220–260 words.

 

 

• Set Texts

 

Instead of answering part 2 above, you can choose to write about one of the set texts.

The set text titles for 2013 and 2014 are:

 

 

 

• William Golding: Lord of the Flies Teachers may choose to prepare candidates for questions on this set text by studying a film version as well as, or instead of, the novel.

• P D James: The LighthouseThere is currently no film version of this book.

 

• Scoring:

 

The CAE Writing Test makes up 20% of the entire exam.

Your writing is assessed using four criteria:

 

 

 

1. Content - have you answered the question?

2. Communicative Achievement - have you completed the task in the right sort of language

3. Organisation - have you structured your writing with paragraphs?

4. Language - have you used a good range of grammar and vocabulary

 

• How to prepare for the CAE 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.

6. Leave enough time to check what you have written.

 

 

 

 

• PART 1:

 

 

 

Write your answer in 180-220 words in an appropriate style.

You are organising a weekend away with a group of friends. You receive an email from a friend, Louisa, asking whether her sister and niece can come too.
Read the extract from Louisa’s email and read the other information. Write a reply to Louisa, answering her questions and giving reasons.

You said you have places left for the weekend away, and I was wondering, can my sister come too? I think you met her when you stayed with us. The thing is, she has a three-year-old daughter, Maddy, and my sister wants to bring her as well.  Do you think it’s possible?
Louisa

 

Plan for the weekend: Saturday
Morning:	Theme Park – Looking forward to going on some wild rides!
Afternoon:	Check in at our holiday cottage. Beautiful Lake! Bring a torch and boots – it will be muddy!
Evening:	Great curry restaurant, followed by dancing at a night club!

 

 

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 about a weekend away

__ ______ ,
______ ___ ____ _____ . ___ ____ ___ ___ ____ __ ___ ___ _______ ____ . _____ ___ ______ _____ ____ ______ , __ ______ ______ ___ ____ __ ___ _____ . _ _____ ___ _____ ____ ___ ____ _____ ___ ________ , ___ __ _______ ___ _ ___ __________ _____ __ _____ ___ ___ __ ___ ___ _____ , __ ____ ______ _____ ____ __ _____ ____ _____ ____ _____ , ___ __ ___ _____ ____ _ ___ ____ ___ . _____ __ _ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ______ ___ _____ ___ ____ . ____ ______ ____ ____ __ __ _______ ____ _____ _______ _______ _ ____ __ ___ ____ ___ __ ________ ____ _____ __ ____ __ . ________ ____ _____ _____ _____ ___ __ ____ __ _______ ____ ____ __ ______ , __ ____ ______ ___ ______ ___ ___ _____ ___ ___ . __ ___ ____ , ____ ______ _ _____ ___ __ _ _____ __________ ___ _ ___ __ ___ _______ , ___ _ _____ _____ _______ __ ________ ___ _____ . ______ ________ ____ __ __ ______ __ __ ___ __ ____ ____ . ____ ______ ____ ____ __ ____ __ ___ _______ _____ __ ____ _____ ___ , ______ ______ _____ __ ____ __ ___ ____ ___ _______ . __ , __ _____ , ____ ______ __ _______ __ ____ , ___ __ _____ __ _ ___ ______ ___ ___ __ _____ .
____

 

Email about a weekend away

 

Hi Louisa ,
Thanks for your email . I’m glad you can join us for the weekend away . There are indeed still free places , so you’re sister can come if she wants . I think the theme park has some rides for children , but my friends and I are definitely going to spend the day on the big rides , so your sister might have to spend time alone with Maddy , and so she might feel a bit left out . There is a twin room free that your sister and Maddy can have . Your sister will have to be careful with Maddy because there’s a lake on the site and we wouldn’t want Maddy to fall in .  It gets quite muddy there and it will be getting dark when we arrive , so your sister had better not let Maddy run off . As you know , I’ve booked a night out at a curry restaurant and a bar in the evening , and I don’t think that’ll be suitable for Maddy . She’ll probably need to be tucked up in bed by that time . Your sister will have to stay at the cottage alone to look after her , unless you’re happy to stay in and keep her company . So , in short , your sister is welcome to come , but it might be a bit boring for her at times .
love