Straightforward Pre-intermediate Progress test 1

Name _______________________

Score _____________

Language section
Vocabulary
A

For questions 13, 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

Choose the best word or phrase a, b, or c to complete 49.

(4)

Do you go ____________ often?

a) foreign
(5)

b) abroad

c) tourist

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
(7)

b) flowery

c) best-selling

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
(8)

c) all inclusive

What English language examinations do people ____________ in your country?

a) make
(9)

b) sympathetic

b) take

c) pass

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

a) bookshop

b) library

c) reunion

Straightforward Pre-intermediate Second edition Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012

p1

Complete sentences 1015 with a word from the box.

about

of

on

at

in

with

(10)

Not many of my friends still live ______ home.

(11)

I dont 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 didnt 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 2528.

(25)

Theres only __________ housework for you to do. I did most of it yesterday.

a) a little
(26)

b) not much

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

a) Some of
(27)

c) a few

b) Many

c) Most of the

The police say they cannot solve __________ in the city, because there are not enough police
officers.

a) thousands of crime
(28)
a) many

b) thousands of crimes c) most of crimes

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

b) any

c) some

Straightforward Pre-intermediate Second edition Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012

p2

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

again

pass

have
phone

call

hear

back

help

voicemail

ring

H:

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

S:

Hello, yes. Id like to speak to the manager, please.

H:

Im afraid shes 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 names Sam, Sam Mendes, and my number is 0799 613904.

H:

Thank you, Mr Mendes. Ill (34) ____________ on your message.

S:

Thank you. Bye.

H:

Goodbye.

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

opposite
about

turn
of

take
how

arrive
much

get
far

any
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:

Thats 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:

Youre welcome. Enjoy your stay in Leeds!

Straightforward Pre-intermediate Second edition Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012

p4

Listening
Part 1
[Track 7] You are going to hear five phone messages. Listen and answer the questions.
(1)

Katys mobile number is

a) 0772 609138.
(2)

b) Friday 11.30 a.m.

c) Tuesday afternoon

How is the phone message most likely to end?

a) after the tone

(4)

c) 0772 695138.

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

a) Thursday 8.009.30 a.m.

(3)

b) 0772 659138.

b) for the voicemail

c) back later

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 callers 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)

Hectors 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)

Straightforward Pre-intermediate Second edition Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012

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Reading
Part 1
Read the letter and put sentences ae in the gaps 15.
a)

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

b)

Youre teaching Latin and Greek to A level students, arent 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,
Im sorry I didnt write to you last month, but I was very busy. (1) _____ The house is nice. Its in a fashionable
part of London. Its 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 dont get on well with one of my neighbours.
Hes called Michael George and hes 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 cant 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 dont
like pop music very much!
Hows 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 710 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 af to paragraphs 710. 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.

Straightforward Pre-intermediate Second edition Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012

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Writing
You 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 (75100 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 _______________,
Im in Oxford, studying English. Oxford is
See you soon!
_______________

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