WRITING A LETTER

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE ESOL EXAMINATIONS

TRIAL TEST 2127

English for Speakers of Other Languages

Certificate of Proficiency in English

You must answer this question.Write your answer in 280 – 320 words in an appropriate style on pages 3 and 4.

1- A local businesswoman has decided to develop a large, empty building in your city centre. The following uses have been suggested:

- a shelter for homeless people

- an indoor botanical garden

- free office space for new business

You write a letter to the businessboman in support of one of theses projects or a project of your own choosing, assessing the benefits to local people of the project you support.

Write your letter.

Dear madam,

I am writing this letter in response to support of the project of building a shelter for homeless people taking advantage of the large and empty land owned by conceptionist sisters in Uberaba city centre. The nuns live beside “Medalha Milagrosa” church and they agreed with the donation for the purpose we are discussing here.

The convent is responsible for many social activities and there have always been beggars in front of the church asking for money. Not only should homeless people take benefit of the shelter and other implementations, but also should they be given job opportunities. Therefore, I suggest those people could work with handicraft as there are religious articles to be sold beside the church.

Provided that the empty land is large, there is space to develop various crops providing its inhabitants with food as well as organic vegetables for sale. The community should be gathered in fairs to show what was produced by the people in the shelter.

As a result of what was above mentioned, all the people from Uberaba will face a great deal of benefits such as a decrease in violence – there are more jobs and, consequently, more opportunities; better income distribution as well as a growth in economy.

I do believe your idea will cause such a great impact in the city. There are lots of signs spread in the city telling you not to give alms to poor people but is the government taking its part? I do not think so. We all should take responsibility, nevertheless. By doing so, we narrow the distance among our christian brothers no matter what religion one belong to.

Yours faithfully,

Marcelo Maciel de Almeida

(283 words)

TEST YOUR ENGLISH - WHICH CAMBRIDGE EXAMINATION SHOULD I TAKE?

TEST YOUR ENGLISH – WHICH CAMBRIDGE EXAM SHOULD I TAKE?

1. When can we meet again?

a) When are you free?

b) It was two days ago.

c) Can you help me?

2. My aunt is going to stay with me.

a) How do you do?

b) How long for?

c) How was it?

3. When do you study?

a) at school

b) in the evenings

c) in the library

4. Would you prefer lemonade or orange juice?

a) Have you got anything else?

b) If you like.

c) Are you sure about that?

5. Let's have dinner now.

a) You aren't eating.

b) There aren't any.

c) Tom isn't here yet

6. The snow was ...... heavily when I left the house.

a) dropping

b) landing

c) falling

d) descending

7. I can't find my keys anywhere - I ...... have left them at work.

a) can

b) must

c) ought

d) would

8. When a car pulled out in front of her, Jane did well not to ...... control of her bicycle.

a) miss

b) lose

c) fail

d) drop

9. According to Richard's ...... the train leaves at 7 o'clock.

a) opinion

b) advice

c) knowledge

d) information

10. When you stay in a country for some time you get used to the people's ...... of life.

a) habit

b) custom

c) way

d) system

11. The builders are ...... good progress with the new house.

a) getting

b) doing

c) making

d) taking

12. She is now taking a more positive ...... to her studies and should do well.

a) attitude

b) behaviour

c) manner

d) style

13. My father ...... his new car for two weeks now.

a) has had

b) has

c) is having

d) had

14. What differences are there ...... the English spoken in the UK and the English spoken in the US?

a) among

b) between

c) beside

d) with

15. At 6 p.m. I started to get angry with him because he was late ......

a) as usual.

b) in general.

c) typically.

d) Usually.

16. ...... you get your father's permission, I'll take you skiing next weekend.

a) Although

b) Provided

c) As

d) Unless

17. A local company has agreed to ...... the school team with football shirts.

a) contribute

b) supply

c) give

d) produce

18. I really enjoy stories that are ...... in the distant future.

a) found

b) set

c) put

d) placed

19. That old saucepan will come in ...... when we go camping.

a) convenient

b) fitting

c) handy

d) suitable

20. Anyone ...... after the start of the play is not allowed in until the interval.

a) arrives

b) has arrived

c) arriving

d) arrived

21. I didn't ...... driving home in the storm so I stayed overnight in a hotel.

a) fancy

b) desire

c) prefer

d) want

22. The judge said that those prepared to...... in crime must be ready to suffer the consequences.

a) involve

b) engage

c) undertake

d) enlist

23. Marianne seemed to take ...... at my comments on her work.

a) annoyance

b) insult

c) offence

d) indignation

24. You should not have a dog if you are not ...... to look after it.

a) prepared

b) adapted

c) arranged

d) decided

25. The farmhouse was so isolated that they had to generate their own electricity ......

a) current.

b) supply.

c) grid.

d) Power.

KEY:

1- a)

2- b)

3- b)

4- a)

5- c)

6- c)

7- b)

8- b)

9- e)

10- d)

11- c)

12- a)

13- a)

14- b)

15- a)

16- b)

17) b)

18) b)

19) c)

20) c)

21) a)

22) b)

23) c)

24) a)

25) b)

Your score Recommendation

6 to 10 Cambridge English: Key (KET)

11 to 12 Cambridge English: Key (KET) or Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET)

13 to 15 Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET)

16 to 17 Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET) or Cambridge English: First (FCE)

18 to 19 Cambridge English: First (FCE)

20 to 21 Cambridge English: First (FCE) or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)

22 Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)

23 to 25 Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)

Contact your nearest exam centre . Cambridge English centre staff will be able to provide you with:

1. More information about the exams

2. Further detailed feedback on your individual language needs

SOURCE:

http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/br/test-your-english/

Unit 6 - Health & lifestyle

Introduction

1 and 2 (page 61)

- come to terms with sth:  to gradually accept a sad situation, often the death of someone you love. E.g.: I think he's still coming to terms with the death of his wife.

- downright: (adj) (especially of something bad) extremely or very great. E.g.: I think the way she's been treated is a downright disgrace. She's being downright difficult and obstructive.These working conditions are unhealthy, if not downright (= and probablyextremely) dangerous.

- far-off: (adj)  describes a time that is a long time before or after the present. E.g.: some point in the far-off future.  describes a place that is a great distance away. E.g.: a far-off land.

- flab: /flæb/ soft, loose flesh on someone's body. E.g.: I've got to lose this flab on my belly!

- head off: to start a journey or leave a place. E.g.: What time are you heading off?

- head sb/sth off: (ph.v.) to force someone or something to change direction. E.g.: I tried to head the dog off by running towards it.

 - outfit: (n) a set of clothes worn for a particular occasion or activity. E.g.: I've got a cowboy outfit for the fancy dress party.

- put sth off: (ph.v.) to decide or arrange to delay an event or activity until a later time or date. E.g.: The meeting has been put off for a week. [+ -ing verb] I can't put off going to the dentist any longer.

- sound: (adj)  showing good judgment; able to be trusted. E.g.: She gave me some very sound advice. Are these pesticides environmentally sound (= will they not damage the environment)? Government bonds are a sound investment.

- spot: (n) a particular place. Eg.: This looks like a nice spot for a picnic. on the spot: at the place where an event is happening or has recently happened. E.g.: The police were called and they were on the spot within three minutes. immediately: You can be sacked on the spot for stealing.

- take: (n) take on sth - an opinion about something. E.g.: We'd love to hear your take on this issue.

5 (page 61)

a) Why would you tell someone to get a life? = to tell sb to stop being boring and to do sth more interesting.

b) Who would you describe as the life and soul of the party? = the most amusing and interesting person at the party.

c) When would you say an object has a life of its own? = when it seems to move or function by itself without a person touching or working it.

d) When would say life’s too short? = when you think it is not worth wasting time doing sth that you dislike or that is not important.

e) When would you use not on your life? = to refuse very firmly to do sth.

f) When would you say that’s life? = when you are disappointed about sth.

g) When was the last time someone frightened the life out of you? = the last time you were very frightened by someone.

h) When would you say for the life of me? = when you try hard but you still can’t do, see, remember, etc. sth.

i) Who would you describe as the light of your life? = the person you love more than any other

j) How would someone get a new lease of life? = when they recover from serious illness or injury (the chance to live or last longer, or with a better quality of life).

Reading & Use of English – Part 7 (page 62 and 63)

2- a) Male students eschew balanced diet for supplements. Eschew /ɪsˈtʃuː/ means deliberately avoid or keep away from sth.

vocabulary – page 62

- anecdote:  /ˈæn.ɪk.dəʊt/ (n) a short, often funny story, especially about something someone has done. E.g.: He told one or two amusing anecdotes about his years as a policeman.

- arise: (v) to happen. E.g.: Should the opportunity arise, I'd love to go to China. Could you work on Saturday, should the need arise (= if it were to be necessary)? Are there any matters arising from (= caused by) the last meeting?

- bedsit: (n) a rented room that has a bed, table, chairs, and somewhere to cook in it. E.g.: He lives in a tiny student bedsit.

- be prone to sth/do sth: likely to suffer from an illness or show a particular negative characteristic. E.g.: I've always been prone to headaches. He was prone to depression even as a teenager. She's prone to exaggerate, that's for sure.

- blandishments:  /ˈblæn.dɪʃ.mənts/ (n) pleasant words or actions used in order to persuade someone to do something. E.g.: She was impervious to his blandishments.

- break down: (ph.v.) If a machine or vehicle breaks down, it stops working. E.g.: Our car broke down and we had to push it off the road.

- bring sth about: (ph.v.) to cause something to happen. E.g.: He brought about his company's collapse by his reckless spending.

- burgeoning: /ˈbɜː.dʒən.ɪŋ/ (adj) developing quickly. E.g.: The company hoped to profit from the burgeoning communications industry.

- delve into sth: (ph.v.) to examine something carefully in order to discover more information about someone or something. E.g.: It's not always a good idea to delve too deeply into someone's past.

- elsewhere: (adv) at, in, from, or to another place or other places; anywhere or somewhere else. E.g.: The report looks at economic growth in Europe and elsewhere. They couldn't find what they wanted and decided to look elsewhere.

- flattering: (adj) making someone look or seem better or more attractive than usual. E.g.: a flattering photograph. That suit is very flattering. He's always making flattering remarks.

- grant: (n) an amount of money given especially by the government to a person or organization for a special purpose. E.g.: a student/research grant. a local authority/government grant. [+ to infinitive] They gave/awarded her a grant to study abroad for one year.

- grow out of sth: (ph.v.)  If you grow out of an interest or way of behaving, you stop having or doing it as you become older. E.g.: He wants to join the army when he leaves school, but I hope he'll grow out of theidea.

- heed:  /hiːd/ formal (n) attention. E.g.: The company took no heed of (= did not consider) public opposition to the plans.

- in-depth:  /ˈɪn.depθ/ (adj) done carefully and in great detail. E.g.: an in-depth report/interview/analysis/research.

- paunch:  /pɔːntʃ/ (n) a fat stomach, especially on a man.

- splash out (sth): (ph.v.) to spend a lot of money on buying things, especially things that are pleasant to have but that you do not need; splurge (v)  /splɜːdʒ/. E.g.: They splashed out £3,000 on a holiday.

- struggle: (v)  [I] to experience difficulty and make a very great effort in order to do something. E.g.: [+ to infinitive] The dog had been struggling to get free of the wire noose. I've been struggling to understand this article all afternoon. Fish struggle for survival when the water level drops in the lake.

- trend: a general development or change in a situation or in the way that people are behaving. E.g.: Surveys show a trend away from home-ownership and toward rented accommodation. There's been a downward/upward trend in sales in the last few years. a new development in clothing, make-up, etc. E.g.: Whatever the latest fashion trend, you can be sure Nicki will be wearing it. The trend at the moment is for a more natural and less made-up look. on trend:  fashionable. E.g.: Her long skirt is right on trend this winter.

- undergraduate: (n)  /ˌʌn.dəˈɡræd.ju.ət/ a student who is studying for their first degree at college or university.

- unearth: /ʌnˈɜːθ/ (v) to discover something in the ground. E.g.: Building at the site was halted after human remains were unearthed earlier this month. to discover proof or some other information, especially after careful searching. E.g.: A private detective has apparently unearthed some fresh evidence.

- unforeseen: (adj) not expected. E.g.: Due to unforeseen circumstances the cost of the improvements has risen by 20 percent. Unless there are any unforeseen problems the whole project should be finished by the spring.

- yolk:  /jəʊk/ (n) the yellow, middle part of an egg. E.g.: I like eggs lightly cooked so that the yolk is still runny. Separate the yolks from the whites.

5

a) writer’s cramp: a painful stiffness in the hand that people suffer from if they have been writing continuously for a long time.

b) a sprained ankle: sprain (v)  to cause an injury to a joint (= a place where two bones are connected) by a sudden movement. E.g.: She sprained her ankle playing squash.

c) a torn ligament:

d) eye strain: (n) tired or painful eyes as a result of too much reading, looking at a computerscreen, etc.

e) a splitting headache: (n) a very severe pain that you feel in your head.

f) an ear infection.

g) a slipped disc: a medical condition in which one of the discs (= flat pieces of tissue between the bones in the back) slides out of its usual place, causing pain

h) tennis elbow: (n) a painful swelling near the elbow that is caused by repeatedly twisting the hand and arm.