9) Type of insurance chosen

A Economy
B Standard
C Premium

10) Customer wants goods delivered to

A port
B home
C depot
READING
Passage 1: The life and work of Marie Curie

Marie Curie is probably the most famous woman scientist who has ever lived. Born
Maria Sklodowska in Poland in 1867, she is famous for her work on radioactivity, and
was twice a winner of the Nobel Prize. With her husband, Pierre Curie, and Henri
Becquerel, she was awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize for Physics, and was then sole
winner of the 1911 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. She was the first woman to win a Nobel
Prize.

From childhood, Marie was remarkable for her prodigious memory, and at the age of 16
won a gold medal on completion of her secondary education. Because her father lost
his savings through bad investment, she then had to take work as a teacher. From her
earnings she was able to finance her sister Bronia’s medical studies in Paris, on the
understanding that Bronia would, in turn, later help her to get an education.

In 1891 this promise was fulfilled and Marie went to Paris and began to study at the
Sorbonne (the University of Paris). She often worked far into the night and lived on little
more than bread and butter and tea. She came first in the examination in the physical
sciences in 1893, and in 1894 was placed second in the examination in mathematical
sciences. It was not until the spring of that year that she was introduced to Pierre Curie.

Questions 1 – 3
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage
1?
On your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. Marie Curie’s husband was a joint winner of both Marie’s Nobel Prizes.

2. Marie became interested in science when she was a child.

3. Marie was able to attend the Sorbonne because of her sister’s financial contribution.
READING
Passage 2: Older people in the workforce

The general assumption is that older workers are paid more in spite of, rather than
because of, their productivity. That might partly explain why, when employers are under
pressure to cut costs, they persuade a 55-year old to take early retirement. Take away
seniority-based pay scales, and older workers may become a much more attractive
employment proposition. But most employers and many workers are uncomfortable with
the idea of reducing someone’s pay in later life – although manual workers on piece-
rates often earn less as they get older. So retaining the services of older workers may
mean employing them in different ways.

One innovation was devised by IBM Belgium. Faced with the need to cut staff costs,
and having decided to concentrate cuts on 55 to 60-year olds, IBM set up a separate
company called Skill Team, which re-employed any of the early retired who wanted to
go on working up to the age of 60. An employee who joined Skill Team at the age of 55
on a five-year contract would work for 58% of his time, over the full period, for 88% of
his last IBM salary. The company offered services to IBM, thus allowing it to retain
access to some of the intellectual capital it would otherwise have lost.

The best way to tempt the old to go on working may be to build on such ‘bridge’ jobs:
parttime or temporary employment that creates a more gradual transition from full-time
work to retirement. Studies have found that, in the United States, nearly half of all men
and women who had been in full-time jobs in middle age moved into such ‘bridge’ jobs
at the end of their working lives. In general, it is the best-paid and worst-paid who carry
on working. There seem to be two very different types of bridge job-holder – those who
continue working because they have to and those who continue working because they
want to, even though they could afford to retire.

If the job market grows more flexible, the old may find more jobs that suit them. Often,
they will be self-employed. Sometimes, they may start their own businesses: a study by
David Storey of Warwick University found that in Britain 70% of businesses started by
people over 55 survived, compared with an overall national average of only 19%. But
whatever pattern of employment they choose, in the coming years the skills of these
‘grey workers’ will have to be increasingly acknowledged and rewarded.
Questions 4 - 7
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

4 In paragraph one, the writer suggests that companies could consider

A abolishing pay schemes that are based on age.
B avoiding pay that is based on piece-rates.
C increasing pay for older workers.
D equipping older workers with new skills.

5 Skill Team is an example of a company which

A offers older workers increases in salary.
B allows people to continue working for as long as they want.
C allows the expertise of older workers to be put to use.
D treats older and younger workers equally.

6 According to the writer, ‘bridge’ jobs

A tend to attract people in middle-salary ranges.
B are better paid than some full-time jobs.
C originated in the United States.
D appeal to distinct groups of older workers.

7 David Storey’s study found that

A people demand more from their work as they get older.
B older people are good at running their own businesses.
C an increasing number of old people are self-employed.
D few young people have their own businesses.

READING
Passage 3: 'This Marvellous Invention'

Of all mankind’s manifold creations, language must take pride of place. Other
inventions – the wheel, agriculture, sliced bread – may have transformed our material
existence, but the advent of language is what made us human. Compared to language,
all other inventions pale in significance, since everything we have ever achieved
depends on language and originates from it. Without language, we could never have
embarked on our ascent to unparalleled power over all other animals, and even over
nature itself.
But language is foremost not just because it came first. In its own right it is a tool of
extraordinary sophistication, yet based on an idea of ingenious simplicity: ‘this
marvellous invention of composing out of twenty-five or thirty sounds that infinite variety
of expressions which, whilst having in themselves no likeness to what is in our mind,
allow us to disclose to others its whole secret, and to make known to those who cannot
penetrate it all that we imagine, and all the various stirrings of our soul’. This was how,
in 1660, the renowned French grammarians of the Port-Royal abbey near Versailles
distilled the essence of language, and no one since has celebrated more eloquently the
magnitude of its achievement. Even so, there is just one flaw in all these hymns of
praise, for the homage to language’s unique accomplishment conceals a simple yet
critical incongruity. Language is mankind’s greatest invention – except, of course, that it
was never invented. This apparent paradox is at the core of our fascination with
language, and it holds many of its secrets.

Questions 8 – 10
Complete the summary using the list of words, A-G, below. Write the correct
letter, A-G, in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

The importance of language

The wheel is one invention that has had a major impact on 8 ………… aspects of life,
but no impact has been as 9 ………… as that of language. Language is very ………… ,
yet composed of just a small number of sounds. Language appears to be easy to use.
However, its sophistication is often overlooked.

A difficult
B complex
C original
D admired
E material
F easy
G fundamental
SPEAKING
PART 1
Plan/schedule
1. Do you like making plans?
2. Do you use paper or your cellphone to make plans?
3. What are the benefits of making plans?
4. Why is it that some people don’t make plans?

PART 2
Describe a good friend who is important to you
You should say:
- Who he/she is
- How/where you got to know him/her
- How long you have known each other
- And explain why he/she is important to you
PART 3
1. How do children make friends at school?
2. How do children make friends when they are not at school?
3. Do you think it is better for children to have a few close friends or many casual
friends?
WRITING
WRITING TASK 1:

Note: Please Countdown for 20 minutes and insert your essay below.

*Units: per 100 inhabitants (%)

*