(Πάτα το play button για να ξεκινήσει το listening)

Listening Part 1
You will hear some short conversations. You will hear each conversation twice. Choose the correct
answer to complete each conversation.

 

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

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Reading Part 1
Read the text and the questions. Choose the correct answer for each question.

 

There’s a reason why we love computer games Computer games have become as much a part of our entertainment world as books and movies. Why is it that so many of us are drawn to the computer monitor or TV screen? A bit of history might help explain the phenomenon. Originally, computers were all work and no play, being expensive to build and operate. But computer engineers and designers, being overgrown kids after all, soon began to get comfortable with their big machines. It occurred to some of them that it might be a good idea to have the computer show some spaceships and planets cruising around the galaxy.

And in the 1960s a group of fun-loving computer geniuses created a game called SpaceWar in their idle hours. SpaceWar was well received by geniuses and many others as well, which motivated the geniuses to design some more fun stuff. Somehow the visual element of the games activated the imagination. Over time we got Pong, PacMan and a continually evolving string of games.

By the late 1980s, with the invention of Sim City, computer games software became quite sophisticated. This product expanded on what was going on in all the previous games; the players were drawn into an imaginary world. But Sim City actually allowed the user to create amazing cities and even worlds. Not unlike books and movies, such video games were therefore mentally very satisfying.

Also in the 1980s, a group of computer programmers began creating software that would show moving figures. The figures were stick people, but they could move their bodies to music. They had no facial features, but it was very exciting to think what might come with more powerful computers.

We have come a long way since then. The power of computers grew massively and the realism of games has taken a huge leap forward. A good computer game draws you in to another world and, unlike a book or a movie, it offers an interactive experience. There are now hundreds of options, numerous consoles to choose from and regular upgrades to keep the excitement high. You can really develop some hand-eye coordination by playing many of the current titles out there. But the biggest reason we love our computer games is that they capture our imagination in a variety of interactive ways.

 

1. SpaceWar was developed

2. After SpaceWar, more games appeared because

3. Sim City was different because it

4. The first moving figures

5. According to the writer, many modern computer games

6. One of the benefits of computer games is that

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Reading Part 2

Read the text. Use the sentences to complete the text. Choose the correct sentence for each gap.
There is one extra sentence you will not need.

 

Playing and learning

Throughout history children have played in groups and taken part in imaginative games. They’ve pretended to be pirates and princesses, heroes and villains. (1)_________. However, the way in which children play has changed during recent times. Children now have a much wider range of toys to choose from and as a result spend less time playing pretend games. (2)_________.

 

Σε αυτήν την ερώτηση επέλεξε 2 απαντήσεις, 1 για το κενό (1) και μία για το κενό (2)

Pretend games actually help children to develop an important learning skill called ‘executive function’, which improves their ability to self-regulate. Kids with good self-regulation are able to manage their emotions and behaviour, and display self-control and discipline.

(3)_________. In the late 1940s psychologists carried out a self-regulation study, in which young children were asked to perform a number of different exercises. One of the exercises in the experiment was to stand perfectly still without moving, which most three-year olds were good at. (4)_________. They found that today’s five-year-old children could only perform at the same level as three-year-olds in the 1940s and today’s seven-year-olds were only just reaching the level of a five-year-old then.

 

Σε αυτήν την ερώτηση επέλεξε 2 απαντήσεις, 1 για το κενό (1) και μία για το κενό (2)

A child’s level of ‘executive function’ can have a big effect on the success they have at school, as children learn more when they can pay attention and manage their feelings. One reason imaginative play is such a vital tool for building self-control is because it teaches children to engage in ‘private speech’. (5)_________. When children’s play is more structured, their private speech declines.

Children are now starting their formal lessons in school at a much younger age and classes are often geared towards testing children and preparing them for exams. (6)_________. But it now seems that this environment we’ve created, which was designed to give children every advantage in life, may actually have deprived them of a vital activity. Play time, it seems, is extremely important for children.

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Reading Part 3
Read the four texts. Which text gives you the answer to each question? Choose the correct text
(A-D) for each question.

A

Ideal for the weekend sailor, this boat can be towed by car and trailer to and from your house
to wherever you would like to sail. Sailing areas have slipways where you can reverse your boat
into water and then park your car. You may decide to store your boat near the water, in a
boatyard or a caravan park. The boat can also be moored on the water. The safest and most
secure way is to use a marina. These can easily be found on the coast, inland waterways and
lakes.

B

When I was thirteen and my brother was ten, this farmer on a farm where we were staying on
holiday took us a long way out to sea in his boat to do some fishing. It was a fantastic day. We
had a great time, caught some fish and then very quickly the skies turned dark grey and we
were in a race against time to get back to the coast as the winds got up and the rain poured
down. It’s only thinking back that I realise the danger we were in.

C

Before you start, ask someone who is experienced to show you the equipment on your boat.
All boats are different. You should know the names of the different pieces of equipment and
should have prepared your boat for the water at least once by yourself before setting sail.
Your first sailing experience should be on a small inland lake. Pick a nice day with a steady light
breeze and no rough weather. If you have a friend who can sail, take them along. Their
experience will be invaluable.

D

We are a small club established to promote safety at sea and small boat angling. We have
more than 150 members with over 90 boats. Members store their boats on club land,
benefiting from full security. Boat sizes range from small outboard-driven dinghies up to
those with a maximum length of 10.5 metres. The club aims to cater for the needs of sea
anglers fishing from small boats within club waters that extend from St Catherine’s Point in
the East to Portland Bill in the West.

 

Which text

1. Describes a personal experience?

2. Εncourages people to join an organisation?

3. Is aimed at potential purchasers?

Which text provides the answers to the following questions?

4. Where’s the best place to store a boat?

5. What sort of weather did someone have to cope with?

6. Who wants to avoid accidents at sea?

7. Where’s the best place to learn to sail?