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INSTRUCTIONS
Page 1 of 14
Part One
Read the article below. Then look at the questions on the following page and
select the best heading (A B C or D) for each of the numbered paragraphs.
Mark your answers on your answer sheet.
AGEING
1.______________________
The maximum human lifespan has not increased significantly since the Stone Age. Although average
life spans have increased dramatically in the last few hundred years, the maximum age we can expect
to reach is around one hundred. Humans have a long life compared to most other animals. In
general, the bigger an animal the longer it lives, but there are exceptions the tarantula can reach 28
years and some deep-sea clams have a recorded lifespan of 100 years.
2.______________________
Since the dawn of time, man has agonised over the meaning of life and death, but it is a biological fact
that the evolution of species depends on the death of individual creatures. If a new generation,
incorporating improvement, is to flourish, the previous generation must get out of the way. In other
words, a species benefits if its members are programmed to die. Many plants, for example, die
immediately after they have scattered their seeds and animals that reproduce only once in their lives,
for example most insects, generally die immediately afterwards.
3.______________________
Animals that breed repeatedly during their lives, larger mammals for instance, do not have such a
sharply defined time of death, but they do deteriorate as they age. It is wrong to think of ageing as an
illness. Ageing is a process that goes on over the entire passage of an adult lifespan and is as much
a part of living as infancy, childhood and adolescence. The effects which are popularly associated
with ageing, such as physical weakness or loss of mental ability, are in fact the effects of disease and
not ageing itself.
4.______________________
The ageing process starts on a cellular level and it is to the cells that scientists investigating ageing
first turn their attention. Cells are like chemical factories, manufacturing substances essential for
themselves and the body. One theory of ageing, the mutation theory, is that chance errors build up
over time. If the cell is one of those types that reproduces itself, these errors will be passed on to the
new cells and some errors will arise in the copying process. These errors build up until the cells
cannot work properly.
5.________________________
Doctors specialising in gerontology (the study of ageing) have discovered that the biological make-up
of a fit 60 year old is hardly different from that of a fit 30 year old. Correct diet, moderate exercise and
not smoking will help to avoid diseases of the heart and lungs. Similarly, the decline in mental powers
among many old people is often made worse by lack of stimulation. In many cases this can follow
from loneliness, poverty and not having enough to do. Many people who age successfully make
conscious efforts to maintain mental alertness by continuing to learn and continuing to meet and talk
with other people.
Page 2 of 14
Part One (continued)
1. A Life is Short
B The Meaning of Life
C Life Expectancy
D How to Live Longer
3. A Ageing is Natural
B Coping with Ageing
C Age Before Beauty
D Ageing and Disease
(5 marks)
Page 3 of 14
Part Two
Read the article Ageing again and decide if the following statements are true
(A) false (B) or not mentioned in the text (C). Mark your answers on your
answer sheet.
6. In the Stone Age, men did not live much longer than forty years.
A = True B = False C = Not mentioned in text
11. The effects of disease are sometimes mistaken for the effects of ageing.
A = True B = False C = Not mentioned in text
15. The biological make-up of a sixty year old is the same as that of a thirty year
old.
A = True B = False C = Not mentioned in text
(10 marks)
Page 4 of 14
Part Three
Choose the word or words (A, B, C or D) that are closest in meaning to the
underlined words s from the article Ageing. Mark your answers on your
answer sheet.
(5 marks)
Page 5 of 14
Part Four
Read this article on Healthy Food and select the correct word (A B C or D) from
the choices on the next page to fill each of the numbered gaps. Mark your
answers on your answer sheet.
nutritionists say that children need the protein that meat gives to our diet, others that
Many parents worry that their children will be short of essential nutrients when they
vegetarian diet can be just as healthy as a meat-based one, and can be a lot
26
_____________, but only if you eat a wide variety of foods 27_______________
plenty of fruit and vegetables, starchy carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, bread and
28
Too much _____________ on processed foods, even if they are vegetarian, or too
much cheese, which is very high in saturated fat, would not provide the same kind of
balance.
Page 6 of 14
Part Four (continued)
(10 marks)
Page 7 of 14
Part Five
31. I think I ought(A) to try somewhere else(B), I dont like neither(C) of these(D).
32. If you taken (A) a short cut(B) through the village you will get(C) there sooner(D).
34. Was he allow(A) to take both(B) his dogs on(C) holiday with(D) him?
35. Their car is still(A) there, so(B) they cant have leave(C) yet(D).
(5 marks)
Page 8 of 14
Part Six
Fill the blanks with the correct form of the verb by selecting A B C or D. Mark
your answers on your answer sheet.
Hello, Mum. I know 36___________ you when I arrived last night but I
was so worried about my interview that it completely slipped my
mind.
Page 9 of 14
Part Six (continued)
They said theyd write to me next week, but I dont think I can wait
that long. I 41_________________________ them to phone me as
soon as 42_________________.
(10 marks)
Page 10 of 14
Part Seven
Read this article on Hollywood and decide if the statements on the following
page are true (A) false (B) or not mentioned in the text (C). Mark your answers
on your answer sheet.
Cecil B De Milles film, The Squaw Man, released in 1914, is generally regarded as the
first feature film to be produced in Hollywood. Other production companies soon followed.
Douglas Fairbanks, a star of silent films, founded United Artists. He and his wife, Mary
Pickford, became the king and queen of Hollywood, giving extravagant parties at their
grand home, Pickfair, attended by all the famous stars of the day, such as Charlie
Chaplin and Rudolph Valentino.
Valentino almost exclusively played romantic roles in films like The Sheik, made in 1921.
He was idolised for his good looks and could be regarded as the first superstar. When he
died of peritonitis at the height of his career, thousands attended his funeral.
The search for a practical sound film process had been going on since the beginning of
the century, but it wasnt until 1927 that talking pictures came to Hollywood, the first
being The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson. The first words spoken on screen in front of
astounded audiences were, Wait a minute. You aint heard nothin yet!
The use of colour tints for dramatic effect was common in the early days of Hollywood, in
films such as The Birth of a Nation. Later there were experiments using red and green
filters, a process that was gradually improved until the advent of full Technicolor in the film
Becky Sharp, made in 1935. Here three colours, (red, green and blue) were used and put
together to form other colours.
Hollywoods first great cartoon character, Gertie the Dinosaur, made her debut in 1914,
the creation of a New York cartoonist, Windsor Mc Cay. But in 1928, cartoon films were
revolutionised by Walt Disneys Steamboat Willie. This was not only the first cartoon film
with sound but it introduced the immortal Mickey Mouse.
The cinemas fondness for horror began in 1910 when Edison studios made a version of
Frankenstein based on the nineteenth century Gothic novel by Mary Shelley. In the 1920s
Germany dominated the horror film scene with films like Nosferatu, a version of Bram
Stokers Dracula. The British actor Boris Karloff appeared in Frankenstein with sound in
1931. For his role as the monster, Karloff had to spend seven hours a day having his
grotesque make-up applied.
Today, Hollywood is not the film industrys only centre of excellence, but it will always be
known as the dream factory of cinemas golden years.
Page 11 of 14
Part Seven (continued)
(10 marks)
Page 12 of 14
Part Eight
Read the text below and then answer the questions on the following page. Mark
your answers (A, B, C or D) on your answer sheet.
I believe we must start by asking ourselves, why do young people turn to crime in
the first place? I believe we need to get to the root of the problem and the
problem boils down to failings in the education system which, in turn, affect job
opportunities.
As Director of the Alliance for Youth Development. I agree with the governments
plans to toughen up the Criminal Justice System, and I agree with them that this
must be accompanied by more employment and better education for all young
people in Britain. We must stop the growing petty theft and yob culture that often
invites our young men and women into crime.
Page 13 of 14
Part Eight (continued)
57. According to the text, what is the root of the problem with young people?
59. What does the Director think of the petty theft and yob culture in Britain?
A Amusing
B Serious
C Light hearted
D Sad
(5 marks)