are, of course, areas and times which are more risky than others. Travelling by train during the day is advised for
young people, and doing the journey with someone else is also much safer than travelling on your own.
FATIH SULTAN MEHMET VAKIF UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
PROFICIENCY EXAM
September
NAME:
12th,
2012
A month of travelling through Europe gives you the chance to see many new places and meet young people from
all over the world. It is both educational and culturally rewarding. You are advised to plan well in advance to try
and get the most out of your journey. However, in my experience of InterRail, it was all the unexpected things
which happened that made the journey so interesting, but above all, fun!
Choose the best answer (A, B, C or D).
DEPARTMENT:
PART ONE: READING (25 POINTS)
Section One: Read the magazine article below about travelling by InterRail around Europe.
INTERRAILING AROUND EUROPE
Imagine you were told to pack a rucksack with all you need for a month of travelling, what would you take with
you? Well, this is the problem which thousands of young people have when they decide to go ‘InterRailing’.
Never heard of it? Well, the Inter Rail has become a common part of our language. The idea is you buy one train
ticket which covers the whole or part of Europe; you pack your bag, jump on a train and go! From Austria to
Turkey, from Finland to Spain, InterRail is the ideal way for young people to travel around Europe on a small
budget.
The InterRail Pass was first introduced in 1972 and was a rail ticket which offered under 21-year-olds unlimited
travel through twenty-one European countries. The ticket quickly became very popular indeed, allowing young
people to travel throughout Europe very cheaply. Over the years, the age limit for the ticket has been raised a
number of times and the area covered by the ticket has been expanded. The rail pass now covers 30 countries,
reflecting the opening of the borders to the East and the growth of the European Union. Today, there is a wide
range of tickets available, for young and old alike, for a whole month or just a few days, for all of the countries or
for just one particular ‘zone’.
1. The InterRail ticket ________________________________
A. was originally introduced for 21-year-olds.
B. was an instant hit with young people.
C. initially took some time to become popular.
D. was offered free of charge at the start.
2. The popularity of the ticket led to ________________________________
A. an increase in the price.
B. the age limit being lowered.
C. more countries being offered.
D. chaos on the railways.
3. The InterRail ticket has been used by ________________________________
A. nearly 7 million young people per year.
B. over 7 million young people per year.
C. almost 7 million young people per altogether.
D. more than 7 million young people altogether.
4. Today, the InterRail ticket ________________________________
A. provides free access to all trains in 30 European countries.
B. includes European ferry crossings in its price.
C. is not available in paper form.
D. offers reductions on many museum entrance fees.
The ticket has been an amazing success. Since its introduction, nearly 7 million young people have travelled using
this form of rail ticket. Apart from the fact that the ticket offers young people a cheap form of travel, the InterRail
Pass is also simple to use. It is accepted as a means of travel without any further complicated paperwork. It also
offers discounts on many ship and ferry connections and lower entrance prices to many museums and galleries.
5. Young people ________________________________
A. don’t really like travelling with only one rucksack.
B. like the fact that they are free to plan their trip on their own.
C. are thrilled by using fixed timetables.
D. don’t feel secure using the InterRail ticket.
But it is the freedom which it offers that has captured the hearts of young people. There is nothing quite like sitting
on a train with nothing else except the things you have with you in your rucksack. The freedom to be able to
decide yourself and when and where to travel without having to stick to any other timetable other than the one you
decide upon yourself is thrilling. InterRail offers an element of adventure while providing an element of security
at the same time. You know you have your ticket, as it has already been paid for, you know where it is valid and
for how long.
6. Europe is ideal for this type of travel because ________________________________
A. you can travel from France and Germany to Italy and Greece.
B. each country is so different.
C. you never have any language problem.
D. it is not far to get to.
Despite the occasional language problem, Europe is perfect for InterRail. It offers travellers an enormous amount
of diversity, with each country having something unique. France is one of the most popular countries, in particular
Paris. Germany is also a top destination for its history and festivals; Italy is home to art and pizza; Greece has a
‘sun, sand and sea’ image.
Of course, anyone considering going InterRailing for a month really has to do some careful planning with maps,
timetables and one of the many InterRail guides available. For certain trains, in particular the high speed ones, you
have to pay extra. You also have to pay a supplement to use the sleeping wagons. Travels safety is a subject many
young people have to become familiar with, as well. While it is usually pretty safe on most trains in Europe, there
7. According to the text, people who have an InterRail ticket ________________________________
A. must learn to be careful while travelling.
B. have to pay a supplement on most trains.
C. should not sleep on trains.
D. should not go to the risky areas of Europe.
8. In the author’s opinion, this type of travel is ________________________________
A. good only if it is well-planned.
B. the cheapest way to travel around Europe.
C. a very positive experience for young people.
D. a bit complicated and difficult to do.
1
Section Two: Read the article about Susan Boyle, who has become a popular person recently.
DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER
Most people agree with this well-known saying but few follow its advice. For the truth is that, whether
we like it or not, our brains are programmed to make immediate judgements based almost solely on first
impressions. Scientists argue that this is a survival mechanism which dates from humanity’s early history
– a time when the world was full of danger and it was necessary for people to make instant life-or- death
decisions.
The strength of our tendency to judge by appearances has recently been illustrated by the incredible story
of Susan Boyle, an unemployed Scottish woman who shot to the international stardom after appearing on
a TV talent Show. Her appearance on the show became one of the most popular videos on YouTube,
with more than 200 million viewings. Her debut CD sold more than 9 million copies within six weeks of
its release.
In fact, Boyle’s appearance on Britain’s Got Talent was one of the most memorable and surprising
moments in recent TV history. Most of the performers on the talent show are young hopefuls. Some have
talents but many are simply good-looking youngsters who dream of becoming pop stars but have no
musical ability or background. On one particular show, a rather plain, middle-aged woman with an
unflattering hairstyle and an old-fashioned dress appeared on stage.
If you watch the YouTube clip, you will see what happens next…
The audience looks bemused – what is someone like this doing on a show where most contestants are in
their teens or early 20s? In a strong Scottish accent, the woman tells the judges that her name is Susan,
she comes from a small village near Glassgow, she’s 47 and wants to become a professional singer. The
audience prepares itself for an embarrassing display by another self-deluded wannabe. What hope does
someone like this have of becoming a star?
Answer the questions.
1. What is the ‘well-known saying’ referred to in the first paragraph?
___________________________________________________________________________
2. Why do scientists think judging by appearances was necessary for humans?
___________________________________________________________________________
3. Where is Susan Boyle from?
___________________________________________________________________________
4. What was watched 200 million times on YouTube?
___________________________________________________________________________
5. How was Susan Boyle different from the usual contestants on Britain’s Got Talent?
___________________________________________________________________________
6. What was the audience’s first impression of Susan Boyle?
___________________________________________________________________________
7. What made the audience change its opinion of Susan Boyle?
___________________________________________________________________________
8. According to the article, what does Susan Boyle’s story prove?
___________________________________________________________________________
Then Susan opens her mouth and begins to sing. A gasp of amazement goes up from the audience, for
the contrast between her homely appearance and powerful soaring voice is almost overpowering. They
begin to clap and scream. Within a few moments, most of the audience are on their feet, giving Susan
Boyle a standing ovation.
For many viewers, it was the unexpected dichotomy between Boyle’s physical appearance and her
prodigious talent that was so memorable. But why should it be such a shock that someone like Susan
Boyle can have a wonderful and rare talent. The truth is, however sophisticated we believe we are, we
still make instant judgements based purely on outward appearances. If someone doesn’t look beautiful,
we still find it difficult to believe that they can have a beautiful voice.
2
Section Three: Read the article about Ellen MacArthur’s achievement.
ONE WOMAN’S DETERMINATION
Ellen MacArthur is possibly the greatest sailor Britain has ever produced. In 2005, at the age of 28, she
risked everything and broke the record for sailing solo around the world, encountering terrible storms for
much of the 44.000-kilometre journey. She finally completed her voyage in 71 days, 14 hours, 18
minutes and 33 seconds, breaking the existing record by 33 hours, set the previous year by Frenchman
Francis Joyon.
Ellen’s boat was 23m long and 15m wide, with a cabin no more than 2.5m by 1.5m. It contained a bunk,
a table, navigational equipment and a tiny kitchen. That was it. No toilet (just a bucket) and no shower.
She put up with this comfort and isolation and never complained or got lonely. She said her boat was all
the company she needed. The danger never seemed to bother her either; she just dealt with the risks.
‘Often you don’t know what’s going to happen when there’s a big storm coming so when you’re actually
in it, it’s better,” she said.
Circle true (T), false (F) or not given (NG).
There were difficult weather conditions for a lot of Ellen’s voyage.
The record that Ellen broke was set in 2005.
She found the lack of facilities in her boat very difficult to cope with.
Ellen held the record for two years.
According to the article, mental strength is more important than physical
strength in solo sailing.
6. Some people have been critical of Ellen’s achievement.
7. Ellen’ thinks teenagers with cancer have similar challenges to her.
8. She learnt about the environmental problems while she was sailing
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
NG
NG
NG
NG
NG
NG
NG
8. T F
NG
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Although Joyon broke the record again two years later, Ellen’s achievement is still incredibly impressive.
She is only the second person ever to sail solo non-stop around the world on a multi-hull boat. And four
men, all great sailors, have tried and failed to match the feat of Joyon. Ellen, who is just 1.6m tall, was
the first to succeed. It is a common misconception that size and muscle is all that matters. Single-handed
sailing is really all about the mind. You need to be able to focus on the job completely, deal with things
alone and have incredible levels of self-discipline and determination. Ellen probably wouldn’t have
survived, let alone broken the record, if she didn’t have such extreme mental toughness. She also has her
critics, however who say that if previous sailors had had modern equipment, many of them would’ve
broken records, too. It’s speculation, however, and the fact is that it was Ellen who actually did it.
Nowadays, Ellen puts her mental and physical energy into different ventures. She continues to work for
her charity, The Ellen MacArthur Trust. The charity takes young people sailing to help them on their way
to recover from cancer and other serious illnesses. Their challenges are clearly different from Ellen’s
challenges. But if she hadn’t endured such tough experiences herself, she wouldn’t understand nearly as
much about what these young people have to face. In Ellen’s words, ‘I face challenges out on the water,
but these are challenges that I choose to do. They, on the other hand, don’t have this luxury. They battle
against something harder than many of us could ever imagine and they do it with the biggest smiles on
their faces.’
In 2009, Ellen decided to give up competitive sailing and put her effort into saving the environment.
While saving, she realized the extent of the trouble facing the planet and set up Team Ellen to campaign
for a more sustainable future. ‘My life at sea has opened my eyes to things I did not expect-things which
once I had learnt I could not ignore. This is why at present I am focusing on this,’ she said. Would she go
back to the sailing if she had the chance? ‘If I manage to communicate what I have learned about the
environment, I’ll be the first person off to sea again! I miss the long periods at sea huge, but for now I
feel I have something more important to do.’
3