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REVISION 3 Nowadays ~ in this day and age
VOCABULARY AND EXAM SKILLS
degradation /derden/
deteriorate /dtriret/
Exercise 1: Write a supporting idea for each topic sentence below.
1. Advertisement may exert a negative influence on people’s health.
To be specific/ specifically/ particularly, bombarding advertisements are held accountable for the over-consumption of soft drinks, which is believed to be the major
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
reason for obesity disease and hypertension.
2. Advertising has long been used by business owners as a great tool to boost sales.
With fascinating ads, companies can reach out to wider customers, hence increasing their awareness and the advertised products would be easily sold on a large scale.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
3. Sponsoring sports event is an effective way for corporations to get involved in the community.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
4. One major drawback of sports endorsement is that it may do harm to the reputation of companies.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
5. Advertising can tell us a lot about one country’s culture.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
6. Buying consumer goods at a cheaper price may be disadvantageous to a lot of people.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Exercise 2: Write a suitable topic sentence for each paragraph below.
1. …………………………… . Forbidding advertising may also mean that buyers might not have to pay a lot of money for
advertising services included in product prices, which may help reduce consumers’ expenditures on shopping.
Moreover, there are advertisements about certain types of products which may do harm to our health such as fast
food or sugary drinks. The ban imposed on advertisements is beneficial as people, especially children might be less
exposed to them, which may reduce their cravings.
2. …………………………… . We are living in a world where there are a lot of products serving the same purpose; therefore,
it might be hard for buyers to decide on which will be the ideal one for them without advertisement. Furthermore,
there are many corporations that operate in niche markets and their products or services serve a minority of people.
Customers who need those products might not be aware of them without advertisements.
3. …………………………… . As children are not able to make decisions in terms of purchasing and they are suggestible,
advertisements may tempt them to persuade their parents to buy something for them, which might not be
necessary. Moreover, children may easily get bored of something once they find out that what has been bought is
not like what is advertised. This leads to a waste of money which can be used for other necessary needs.
LISTENING
Exercise 1: Listen to the audio and answer the questions. (Audio 1)
PART 1
Questions 1-6
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Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
- Cancel appointment with the (1) .….... (Monday)
- Begin taking the (2) ...... (Tuesday)
hairdresser
tablets
- Buy:
•
sunglasses
(3) ......,
•
a small bag,
•
lock
a spare (4) .....
•
an electrical (5) adaptor
......
taxi
- book a (6) .....
Questions 7 - 10
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Instructions for Laura's mum
- Feed the cat
Vet's details:
•
Name: Colin (7) ........
JEFFEREY
•
0777594128
Tel: (8) ........
•
Address: Fore Street (opposite the (9) ..........)
CHRUCH
- Water the plants
- Meet the heating engineer on (10) .........
PART 2: Listen to the audio and answer the questions.
Questions 11-16
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Number of participants in the survey: 4373
Radio South
Radio Soap
New wake-up start
Wine show
The (15) ………..
time
Approval rating
(11) ……….. %
17%
87%
15%
Disapproval rating
(12) ……….. %
64%
23
(13) ………..
%
25%
Don’t know
Not mentioned
19%
Not mentioned
60%
Listeners’ commences
Excellent
Vulgar and puerile
a real hit
(14) ………..
downright boring
(16) ………..
Questions 17-20
downright ~ extremely
17. Regarding the message Voicebox, the number of complaints
A. has gone up and down in recent weeks.
B. has gone down
C. has remained static.
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D. has risen in recent weeks.
18. The praise for the music On the Wake-up show has come
A. only from Australia.
B. only from New Zealand.
C. from all over South-east Asia.
D. from all over Asia.
19. Regarding English Worldwide, the number of listeners
A. has increased ten times.
B. has remained fairly static.
C. has decreased tenfold.
D. will increase in the future.
20. The radio Station broadcasts
A. 14 hours per day.
B. 19 hours per day.
C. 24 hours per day.
D. 22 hours per day.
Exercise 2: Listen to the audio and answer the questions. (Audio 2)
Questions 1-6
Complete the form below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Example
Answer
Full name:
Jane Bond
Phone number:
94635550
(1) ………………………..
USA address:
Block house
509 (2) ………………………..
university
1137 (3) ………………………..
Packing day:
Monday
(4) ………………………..
Date:
11th March
Clean-up by:
5.00 p.m.
Day:
Thurday 14th
(5) ………………………..
About the price:
Rather expensive
Storage time:
a month
(6) ………………………..
Questions 7-10
Where does the speaker decide to put items in?
Write the correct letter, A, B, or C, next to questions 7-10.
A in emergency pack
B in personal package
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C in storage with the furniture
Items
7. cutlery and dishes
8. kettle
9. alarm clock
10. CD player
Exercise 3: Listen to the audio and answer the questions. (Audio 3)
Questions 1-6
Complete the flow-chart below.
Choose SIX answers from the box and write the correct letter, A-H, next to Questions 1-6.
A patterns
B names
C sources
D questions
E employees
F solutions
G headings
H officials
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STAGES IN DOING A TOURISM CASE STUDY
RESEARCH
Locate and read relevant articles, noting key information and also (1) …………….
Identify a problem or need
Select interviewees - these may be site (2) ……………., visitors or city (3) …………….
Prepare and carry out interviews. If possible, collect statistics.
Check whether (4) ……………….. of interviewees can be used
ANALYSIS
Select relevant information and try to identify (5) …………….
Decide on the best form of visuals
WRITING THE CASE STUDY
Give some background before writing the main sections
Do NOT end with (6) …………….
Questions 7-10
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
The Horton Castle site
7. Natalie and Dave agree one reason why so few people visit Horton Castle is that
A the publicity is poor.
B it is difficult to get to.
C there is little there of interest.
8. Natalie and Dave agree that the greatest problem with a visitor centre could be
A covering the investment costs.
B finding a big enough space for it.
C dealing with planning restrictions.
9. What does Dave say about conditions in the town of Horton?
A. There is a lot of unemployment.
B. There are few people of working age.
C. There are opportunities for skilled workers.
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10. According to Natalie, one way to prevent damage to the castle site would be to
A. insist visitors have a guide.
B. make visitors keep to the paths.
C. limit visitor numbers.
READING
Exercise 1: Read the passage and answer the questions.
The Flavour Industry
A. Read through the nutritional information on the food in your freezer, refrigerator or kitchen pantry, and you are
likely to find a simple, innocuous-looking ingredient recurring on a number of products: “natural flavour”. The story
of what natural flavour is, how it got into your food, and where it came from is the result of more complex processes
than you might imagine.
B. During the 1980s, health watchdogs and nutritionists began turning their attention to cholesterol, a waxy steroid
metabolite that we mainly consume from animal-sourced products such as cheese, egg yolks, beef, poultry, shrimp,
and pork. Nutritionists blamed cholesterol for contributing to the growing rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes,
and several cancers in Western societies. As extensive recognition of the matter grew amongst the common people,
McDonald’s stopped cooking their French fries in a mixture of cottonseed oil and beef tallow, and in 1990, the
restaurant chain began using 100% vegetable oil instead.
C. This substantially lowered the amount of cholesterol in McDonald’s fries, but it created a new dilemma The beef
tallow and cottonseed oil mixture gave the French fries high cholesterol content, but it also gifted them with a rich
aroma and “mouth-feel” that even James Beard, an American food critic, admitted he enjoyed. Pure vegetable oil is
bland in comparison. Looking at the current ingredients list of McDonald’s French fries, however, it is easy to see
how they overcame this predicament. Aside from a few preservatives, there are essentially three main ingredients:
potato, soybean oil, and the mysterious component of “natural flavour”.
D. Natural flavour also entered our diet through the rise in processed foods, which now make up over 90% (and
growing) of the American diet, as well as representing a burgeoning industry in developing countries such as China
and India Processed foods are essentially any foods that have been boxed, bagged, canned or packaged, and have a
list of ingredients on the label. Sometimes, the processing involves adding a little sodium or sugar, and a few
preservatives. Often, however, it is coloured, bleached, stabilized, emulsified, dehydrated, odour-concealed, and
sweetened. This process typically saps any original flavour out of the product, and so, of course, flavour must be
added back in as well.
E. Often this is “natural flavour”, but while the term may bring to mind images of fresh barley, hand-ground spices,
and dried herbs being traded in a bustling street market, most of these natural sources are, in fact, engineered to
culinary perfection in a set of factories and plants of the New Jersey Turnpike outside of New York. Here, firms such
as International Flavors & Fragrances, Harmen & Keimer, Flavor Dynamics, Frutarom and Elan Chemical isolate and
manufacture the tastes that are incorporated in much of what we eat and drink. The sweet, summery burst of
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naturally squeezed orange juice, the wood-smoked aroma in barbeque sauces, and the creamy, buttery, fresh taste
in many dairy products do not come from sun-drenched meadows or backyard grills but are formed in the labs and
test tubes of these flavour industry giants.
F. The scientists – dubbed “flavourists” who create the potent chemicals that set our olfactory senses to overdrive
use a mix of techniques that have been refined over many years. Part of it is dense, intricate chemistry:
spectrometers, gas chromatographs, and headspace-vapor analyzers can break down components of a flavor in
amounts as minute as one part per billion. Not to be outdone, however, the human nose can isolate aromas down
to three parts per trillion. Flavourists, therefore, consider their work as much an art as a science, and flavorism
requires a nose “trained” with a delicate and poetic sense of balance.
G. Should we be wary of the industrialization of natural flavour? On its own, the trend may not present any clear
reason for alarm. Nutritionists widely agree that the real assault on health in the last few decades stems from an
“unholy trinity” of sugar, fat, and sodium in processed foods. The natural flavour on its own is not a health risk. It
does play a role, however, in helping these processed foods to taste fresh and nutritious, even when they are not.
So, while the natural flavor industry should not be considered the culprit, we might think of it as a willing accomplice.
Questions 1-8
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter. A-G, in boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
1. examples of companies that create natural flavors
2. an instance of a multinational franchise responding to public pressure
3. a statement on the health effects of natural flavors
4. an instance where a solution turns into a problem
5. a place in the home where one may encounter the term “natural flavor”
6. details about the transformation that takes place in processed grocery items
7. a comparison of personal and technological abilities in flavor detection
8. examples of diet-related health conditions
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 9-12 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE
if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE
if the statement contradicts with the information
NOT GIVEN
if there is no information on this
9. On their own, vegetable oils do not have a strong flavor.
10. Soybean oil is lower in cholesterol than cottonseed oil.
11. Processed foods are becoming more popular in some Asian countries.
12. All food processing involves the use of natural flavors.
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Question 13
Choose the correct letter. A B, C, or D and write it on your answer sheet.
13. The writer of Reading Passage concludes that natural flavors ……..
A. are the major cause of dietary health problems.
B. are unhealthy, but not as had as sugar, fat, and sodium.
C. have health benefits that other ingredients tend to cancel out.
D. help make unhealthy foods taste better.
Exercise 2: Read the passage and answer the questions.
When the Tulip Bubble Burst
Tulips are spring-blooming perennials that grow from bulbs. Depending on the species, tulip plants can grow as short
as 4 inches (10 cm) or as high as 28 inches (71 cm). The tulip’s large flowers usually bloom on scapes or sub-scapose
stems that lack bracts. Most tulips produce only one flower per stem, but a few species bear multiple flowers on
their scapes (e.g. Tulipa turkestanica). The showy, generally cup or star-shaped tulip flower has three petals and
three sepals, which are often termed tepals because they are nearly identical. These six tepals are often marked on
the interior surface near the bases with darker colorings. Tulip flowers come in a wide variety of colors, except pure
blue (several tulips with “blue” in the name have a faint violet hue)
A. Long before anyone ever heard of Qualcomm, CMGI, Cisco Systems, or the other high-tech stocks that have soared
during the current bull market, there was Semper Augustus. Both more prosaic and more sublime than any stock or
bond, it was a tulip of extraordinary beauty, its midnight-blue petals topped by a band of pure white and accented
with crimson flares. To denizens of 17th century Holland, little was as desirable.
B. Around 1624, the Amsterdam man who owned the only dozen specimens was offered 3,000 guilders for one bulb.
While there’s no accurate way to render that in today’s greenbacks, the sum was roughly equal to the annual income
of a wealthy merchant. (A few years later, Rembrandt received about half that amount for painting The Night Watch.)
Yet the bulb’s owner, whose name is now lost to history, nixed the offer.
C. Who was crazier, the tulip lover who refused to sell for a small fortune or the one who was willing to splurge.
That’s a question that springs to mind after reading Tulip mania: The Story of the World’s Most Coveted Flower and
the Extraordinary Passions It Aroused by British journalist Mike Dash. In recent years, as investors have intentionally
forgotten everything they learned in Investing 101 in order to load up on unproved, unprofitable dot- com issues,
tulip mania has been invoked frequently. In this concise, artfully written account, Dash tells the real history behind
the buzzword and in doing so, offers a cautionary tale for our times.
D. The Dutch were not the first to go gaga over the tulip. Long before the first tulip bloomed in Europe-in Bavaria, it
turns out, in 1559-the flower had enchanted the Persians and bewitched the rulers of the Ottoman Empire. It was
in Holland, however, that the passion for tulips found its most fertile ground, for reasons that had little to do with
horticulture.
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E. Holland in the early 17th century was embarking on its Golden Age. Resources that had just a few years earlier
gone toward fighting for independence from Spain now flowed into commerce. Amsterdam merchants were at the
center of the lucrative East Indies trade, where a single voyage could yield profits of 400%. They displayed their
success by erecting grand estates surrounded by flower gardens. The Dutch population seemed tom by two
contradictory impulses: a horror of living beyond one’s means and the love of a long shot.
F. Enter the tulip. “It is impossible to comprehend the tulip mania without understanding just how different tulips
were from every other flower known to horticulturists in the 17th century,” says Dash. “The colors they exhibited
were more intense and more concentrated than those of ordinary plants.” Despite the outlandish prices commanded
by rare bulbs, ordinary tulips were sold by the pound. Around 1630, however, a new type of tulip fancier appeared,
lured by tales of fat profits. These “florists,” or professional tulip traders, sought out flower lovers and speculators
alike. But if the supply of tulip buyers grew quickly, the supply of bulbs did not. The tulip was a conspirator in the
supply squeeze: It takes seven years to grow one from seed. And while bulbs can produce two or three clones, or
“offsets,” annually, the mother bulb only lasts a few years.
G. Bulb prices rose steadily throughout the 1630s, as ever more speculators into the market. Weavers and farmers
mortgaged whatever they could to raise cash to begin trading. In 1633, a farmhouse in Hoorn changed hands for
three rare bulbs. By 1636 any tulip-even bulbs recently considered garbage-could be sold off, often for hundreds of
guilders. A futures market for bulbs existed, and tulip traders could be found conducting their business in hundreds
of Dutch taverns. Tulip mania reached its peak during the winter of 1636-37, when some bulbs were changing hands
ten times in a day. The zenith came early that winter, at an auction to benefit seven orphans whose only asset was
70 fine tulips left by then father. One, a rare Violetten Admirael van Enkhuizen bulb that was about to split in two,
sold for 5,200 guilders, the all-time record. All told, the flowers brought in nearly 53,000 guilders.
H. Soon after, the tulip market crashed utterly, spectacularly. It began in Haarlem, at a routine bulb auction when,
for the first time, the greater fool refused to show up and pay. Within days, the panic had spread across the country.
Despite the efforts of traders to prop up demand, the market for tulips evaporated. Flowers that had commanded
5,000 guilders a few weeks before now fetched one-hundredth that amount. Tulip mania is not without flaws. Dash
dwells too long on the tulip’s migration from Asia to Holland. But he does a service with this illuminating, accessible
account of incredible financial folly.
I. Tulip mania differed in one crucial aspect from the dot-com craze that grips our attention today: Even at its height,
the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, well- established in 1630, wouldn’t touch tulips. “The speculation in tulip bulbs
always existed at the margins of Dutch economic life,” Dash writes. After the market crashed, a compromise was
brokered that let most traders settle then debts for a fraction of then liability. The overall fallout on the Dutch
economy was negligible. Will we say the same when Wall Street’s current obsession finally runs its course?
Questions 1-5
The reading Passage has seven paragraphs A-I.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
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Write the correct letter A-I, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.
1. Difference between bubble burst impacts by tulip and by high-tech shares
2. Spread of tulip before 17th century
3. Indication of money offered for rare bulb in 17th century
4. Tulip was treated as money in Holland
5. Comparison made between tulip and other plants
Questions 6-10
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? In boxes 19-23 on your answer
sheet, write:
TRUE
if the statement is true
FALSE
if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN
if the information is not given in the passage
6. In 1624, all the tulip collection belonged to a man in Amsterdam.
7. Tulip was first planted in Holland according to this passage.
8. Popularity of Tulip in Holland was much higher than any other countries in 17th century.
9. Holland was the most wealthy country in the world in 17th century.
10. From 1630, Amsterdam Stock Exchange started to regulate Tulips exchange market.
Questions 11-14
Complete the following summary of the paragraphs of the reading passage, using no more than two words from
the reading passage for each answer.
Dutch concentrated on gaining independence by (11) ……………. against Spain in the early 17th century; consequently
spare resources entered the area of (12) ……………. . Prosperous traders demonstrated their status by building great
(13) ……………. and with gardens in surroundings. Attracted by the success of profit on tulip, traders kept looking for
(14) ……………. and speculator for sale.
WRITING
Exercise 1: IELTS Writing Task 1
farmland ~ the lands for agricultural purposes
tourist destination ~ place for tourism purpose
*** for + N/adj + purposes
The maps below show the village of Stokeford in 1930 and 2010.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
The first map illustrates how Stokehold looked in 1930, while the second map shows its
appearance in 2010.
The city has undergone major changes and much of the farmland has been replaced by
houses.
The city is located on the eastern bank of river stoke. The bridge connecting the city to
the western bank of the river is still here.
In 1930, the city had a single road connecting the southern end of the city to the bridge
and a few houses were situated adjacent to the road on the northern side, whereas in
2010, new branching roads were laid to provide connectivity to the new housing. The post
office which was present on the western side of road was not modified. Also the primary
school was extended with two other new blocks and shops adjacent to the post office
were removed for laying a new road. Farmlands lying in the southern and north-eastern
ends occupied a major portion of the village in 1930, while in 2010 they were replaced by
houses. The garden's area is reduced to half over the time to accommodate more houses
and a large house in the garden was modified to a retirement house.
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Exercise 2: IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people say that advertising is extremely successful at persuading us to buy things. Other people think that
advertising is so common that we no longer pay attention to it. Discuss both these views and give your own
opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
by dint of ~ because of
irritable (khó chu) - disrupt when heed to compulsive/irresistible films
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