II variant
Task 1. Listening (20 MARKS – 2 points per answer)
a) Listen to Professor Crystal talking about a word that has come from recent developments in communication and technology. Answer these questions:
What word does he talk about?
Is this word a noun, verb or adjective?
As a verb, is it a new verb or a new use of an old verb?
Which of the following words do you think are real words that have come from ‘to text’?
a) texter
b) textive
c) texting
d) textation
e) text messaging
f) text noting
b) Listen again and decide if the following statements are true or false, according to Professor Crystal.
Text came into English because of changes in telephone technology.
The modern verb appeared before the modern noun.
To text is the same as to send an email.
In the past, to text meant to write in a special way.
The spoken use of the word is unusual.
Text messages use shortened forms of words.
Task 2. Language (30 MARKS – 2 points per answer)
a) Choose the word or a phrase that best completes each sentence.
11. He couldn’t rest or sleep because he ...... too much coffee.
a) drinking
b) been drinking
c) has been drinking
d) had been drinking
12. Some of the girls in my group tease me because I don’t wear makeup, but I don’t …..
a) wear
b) care
c) do
d) like
13. A permit is a document which states that you ...... to do something.
a) are allowed
b) cannot
c) may
d) shall
14. They explained that she couldn’t take the course ......?
a) could she
b) couldn’t she
c) did she
d) didn’t they
15. Something ...... happened or they would be here by now.
a) must
b) must be
c) must have
d) must have been
16. A demonstration is an act of showing by giving proof or ...... evidence.
a) a
b) an
c) the
d) –
17. If you borrow something from someone, make sure you give ...... .
a) them back it
b) back it to them
c) it back to them
d) it to them back
18. Flights kept ...... because of bad weather.
a) delaying
b) being delayed
c) having delayed
d) having been delayed
19. Her father mentioned that Ellen ...... to Prague before.
a) was
b) went
c) has gone
d) had been
20. Can you understand ...... ?
a) she is saying
b) what is saying
c) what she is saying
d) what is she saying
21. Fieldwork is practical work ...... outside the university or office.
a) doing
b) done
c) which do
d) that does
22. If they’d ...... him more time, he’d have been able to do a better job.
a) give
b) giving
c) given
d) gave
23. ...... they had been waiting in line all night, I was sure they’d get tickets.
a) As though
b) Because of
c) Since
d) Until
24. Because it ...... a lot recently, I don’t go out as much.
a) is raining
b) has been raining
c) rain
d) rains
25. The Star Tree hotel chain is in financial trouble and some of their smaller hotels are going to have ..... .
a) been sold
b) being sold
c) sold
d) to be sold
Task 3. Reading (10 MARKS – 1 point per answer)
a) Read the article about the use of the word ‘blog’ in English and answer these questions.
26. What word is ‘blog’ a shortened version of?
27. What is a ‘blog’ most similar to?
a) a letter
b) a newspaper article
c) a diary
d) a novel
28. Which two types of blog does he mention?
29. Which of these new words does he mention in this part of the talk?
a) blogger
b) blogosphere
c) blogmania
d) blogarrhoea
BLOG
In 2001, I wrote a book called, Language and the Internet, and I didn’t mention the word blog. Well, this year, I have a second edition out. In it goes, that’s how fast the internet moves.
Those who blog, bloggers, carry out the activity of blogging, setting up a blog site, with a unique web address in order to do so. It’s an abbreviation of ‘web log’; a phrase that was first used in 1997, both as a noun and as a verb, a web log.
It’s essentially a content management system, a way of getting content on to a webpage; it’s a genre, a bit like diary writing, or bulletin posting. I mean, people add their posts or diary entries, with some regularity, if you’re a blogger you do it daily at least, often several times a day.
So at one extreme there’s the personal diary, kept by an individual who wants to tell the whole world about his or her activities, or interests and opinions and so on. And then at the other extreme, there’s the corporate blog, maintained by an institution, such as a radio station or a music store.
Well, there are even more coinages about to come, it seems to me. The totality of all blog sites in the world is known as the blogosphere. And if you have a blog and it goes on for too long, be careful, because somebody might describe you as having blogarrhoea!
b) Read the article again and decide if the following statements are true or false, according to Professor Crystal.
30. In 2001, Professor Crystal didn’t know about the word ‘blog’.
31. The original word, web log, was only a noun.
32. People usually update their blogs once a week.
33. Professor Crystal thinks the two types of blog are very similar.
34. Professor Crytsal thinks there won’t be any more new blog words.
35. If you have blogarrhoea, you can’t stop writing your blog.
Task 4. Writing (20 MARKS)
a) Study the advertisement and write the letter of application.