Тест формата CAE

ТЕСТ ФОРМАТА CAE

6 PARTS + KEYS

дЕВЯТОВА АНАСТАСИЯ АНДРЕЕВНА

Part 1

For questions 1 – 8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

Example:

China adapts to era of extreme flooding

Every summer, Dongting Hu, China’s second-largest freshwater lake, (0) …… in size as flood water from the Yangtze River flows into its (1) ………. Dams and dikes are erected around the lake’s edges to protect (2) ……… flooding. But this year, not for the first time, they were overwhelmed.

In early July, more than 800 rescue workers in Hunan province scrambled to block the breaches. One rupture alone took 100,000 cubic metres of rock to seal. At least 7,000 people had to be evacuated. It was one of a series of disasters to hit China as the country (3) ……. with a summer of extreme weather. (4) …….. August, there had been 25 large floods, the biggest number (5) …….. records began in 1998, reported state media.

Xi Jinping, China’s president, “urged all-out rescue and relief work” to safeguard the people (6) ……… by the flooding in Hunan. According to the scholars, global heating makes extreme weather events more likely.

Dongting Hu exemplifies these (7) …….. . It was once China’s largest freshwater lake. But decades of agricultural development meant that huge swathes of its land were reclaimed for farming, reducing the lake’s storage capacity. Both droughts and floods are becoming more serious and (8) …….. .

Part 2

For questions 9 – 16, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

Canadian researchers trial nature trick to boost mood in winter

The start (0) ……. a new year: a time for optimism, ambitious plans to improve the world, and the grim suspicion that the first couple of months may well be a miserable slog through the deepest of winter’s gloom.

But for those (9) …….. fear the cold and dark ahead, help is on the (10) ……… . Researchers in Canada are investigating a simple trick they hope will boost flagging spirits even (11) …….. the days are short and frost is in the air.

Between January and March, the plan is for at (12) ……. 100 volunteers in Edmonton – a city where winter days can mean seven hours of daylight and (13) ……… as low as -35C – to spend two weeks going about their normal routines, but with one small change. The participants will be instructed, while they are out and about, to pay (14) …….. to the natural amid the human-made – the frosty tree beside the tower block, the animal footprints on the snowy pavement, the icicles dangling from the warehouse roof – and make notes on how it makes them feel.

Before and after the trial, (15) …….. the Noticing Nature Intervention, participants will complete questionnaires so researchers can assess their levels of anxiety, stress, happiness, life satisfaction and sense of connection to the world. The volunteers’ scores, along with measurements of a salivary enzyme linked to stress, will be compared (16) …….. those from a control group who will go about their business without instructions to change their behaviour.

Part 3

For questions 17 – 24, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

Twenty big cats died of bird flu

Part 4

For questions 25 – 30, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between three and six words, including the word given. Here is an example (0).

Example:

1. James would only speak to the head of department alone.

ON

James ...............................................to the head of department alone.

The gap can be filled with the words ‘insisted on speaking’, so you write:

Write only the missing words IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

1. Mr Brown thought learning Scottish was a waste of time.

POINT

Mr Brown couldn’t ............................................... Scottish.

1. You really should take a taxi to the airport.

OUGHT

You ............................................... a taxi to the airport.

1. I am not comfortable eating spicy food.

USED

I ............................................... food.

1. Peter broke the window by accident.

MEAN

Peter ............................................... the window.

1. John really can’t wait to go on holiday.

FORWARD

John is ............................................... holiday.

1. I expected the meal to be more expensive.

NOT

The meal ............................................... I thought it would.

Part 5

You are going to read the introduction to a book about the history of colour. For questions 31 – 36, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

The Sahara Film Festival

After a bumpy 225km drive from a meagre airstrip in Tindouf, south western Algeria, a sprawling single-story town begins to emerge from the desert’s dust. As the sun climbs in the cloudless sky, visitors are rewarded with their first glimpse of Dakhla refugee camp. It isn’t the most obvious setting for a film festival, but for seven years, just before the glitz and glamour of Cannes, the Sahrawi people of Dakhla have hosted actors and film-makers from around the world for this six-day event. This year, for the first time, direct flights were laid on from London, giving the opportunity for overseas visitors to play a part in this extraordinary occasion. But despite the energy and excitement, the background to the film festival is a serious one, as the Sahrawi people have been living for thirty years in this isolated desert outpost, having been forced to flee their native Western Sahara.

Western Sahara, Africa’s last colony, was taken over by Morocco when the Spanish withdrew in 1976, despite a ruling from the International Court of Justice. This was followed by a brutal 16-year war, during which time tens of thousands of Sahrawis fled across the Algerian border to refugee camps. In 1991, a ceasefire agreement was drawn up, in which a referendum on self-determination was promised to decide the fate of the country and its people. However, almost twenty years later, the gears of diplomacy have turned slowly and nothing has happened. Meanwhile the refugees have been left stranded in five refugee camps dotted around the vast, inhospitable desert.

Dakhla, home to nearly 30,000 of these refugees, is the most remote of these camps, being located 175 km from the nearest city. Unlike its namesake, the beautiful coastal city in Western Sahara, this Dakhla has no paved roads and is entirely dependent on outside supplies for food and water. Temperatures regularly top 120 degrees, there is minimal vegetation and there are frequent sandstorms. Locally it is known as the Devil’s Garden. Despite these obvious setbacks, the town is clean and well organised, with wide sandy streets. Houses and tents are grouped in neat family compounds. There are hospitals, funded by aid agencies, and a good standard of education. For the duration of the festival, an articulated lorry is parked in the central compound, and a multiplex-sized screen is mounted on its side. Around it are stalls and tents housing workshops and exhibitions.

The aim of the festival is to raise international awareness on the plight of the refugees. However, it also offers a rare chance for the refugees to go to the movies and experience some educational opportunities. It is hoped that it might foster a new generation of Sahrawi film-makers, especially as this year, the festival also celebrated the opening of a permanent film, radio and television school in a neighbouring camp.

The program of films for this year included over forty films from around the world. Films range from international blockbusters to various works on and by the Sahrawi people. The themes mostly centre on experiences of struggle and hope, but there were lighter moments, such as an animated film for the children and a flash of Rachel Weisz’s naked bottom during the ancient Egyptian epic Agora which proved to be a highlight for many older boys. However, the runaway favourite was ‘a Victime’, a documentary about Ibrahim Leibeit, a 19-year-old Sahrawi who lost his leg to a land mine last year.

Films are screened at night, so the daytime is taken up with exhibitions, camel races and football matches. One afternoon the London-based charity ‘Sandblast’ put on a joint workshop with a film-maker, giving refugees the opportunity to learn about filmmaking and create their own video messages.

These were put online so that their extended families in Western Sahara, from whom they have been separated for more than 33 years, could watch them. Helen Whitehead, a film-maker from London said, ‘Working together really broke down language and cultural barriers. It was very rewarding, and we came across some real talent.’

More than 500 visitors flew into Tindouf on charter planes and braved the rough drive to the settlement. All the visitors to the festival stay with Sahrawi families, sharing their homes and partaking of their food. Living with these displaced people gives overseas participants an invaluable insight into the conditions in which the refugees live. Alongside the film buffs there are real celebrities such as actors Victoria Demayo and Helena Olano. They are mostly B and C listers from the Spanish film industry, although the real stars do take an interest. Director Javier Cardozo was a visitor last year, and Penelope Cruz is a long-term supporter, but pulled out of attending the festival this year at the last minute. Will the celebrity backing make a difference to the plight of the refugees? Possibly. Cardozo’s suggestion that the Spanish, as the ex-colonial masters of Western Sahara, were responsible for the situation received significant coverage in the Spanish Media and put some pressure on the government to take some action. However, although the campaign in Spain is growing steadily, the focus of attention cannot only be on the Spanish government.

On the final day of the gathering, there is a dusty red-carpet ceremony in which the White Camel award for best picture is presented to Jordi Ferrer and Paul Vidal for ‘El Problema’, their 2009 film about Western Sahara. Actors, activists and festival organisers gather on stage in high spirits to show their solidarity with the refugees. But as the stalls are dismantled and the trucks are driven away, the thoughts of the visitors turn to the people they are leaving behind. They may never get the chance to see the world or fulfil their dreams of becoming actors or film-makers. For them, there is nowhere to go. Dakhla is essentially a desert prison.

1. What is the author emphasizing in the first paragraph?

A the enthusiasm that the festival instils

B the sensational nature of the festival

C the festival’s increasing media attention

D the festival’s unlikely location

1. According to the writer, the refugees have been in the desert for so long because

A international agencies do not know they are there

B the Moroccan government disagree with the UN

C a proposed vote is yet to take place

D there is a war in their home country

1. What does the author say about the original city of Dakhla?

A it is by the sea

B it has good health and educational facilities

C it does not have proper roads

D it gets food and water from aid agencies

1. What is said about the films shown at the festival?

A they mostly show the personal experiences of the Sahwari people

B all of the films are serious in content

C the variety of films suited a wide range of tastes

D the international films were more popular than the local films

1. What was the British visitors’ response to the workshops?

A they were surprised by the refugee’s film knowledge

B the workshops enabled them to communicate with local people

C the workshops taught the visitors a lot about local culture

D they showed the local films to their families via the internet

1. What point does the writer highlight in the final paragraph?

A there is a contrast between the visitors’ freedom and the refugees’ confinement

B the film festival only gives the refugees unattainable dreams

C the visitors only care about the refugees for the duration of the festival

D the festival is a poor copy of the more famous film festivals

Part 6

You are going to read four reviews of a book about how architecture can affect the emotions. For questions 37 – 40, choose from the reviews A – D. The reviews may be chosen more than once.

Union Street Cafe

Four reviewers comment on the restaurant

A

If any among you still doubt that David Beckham is an exceedingly smart cookie, members of the jury, allow me to submit the clinching evidence. A few weeks ago, the Daily Mirror recently reported, he withdrew as an investor in his chum Gordon Ramsay's Union Street Cafe, which opened in Southwark on Monday. The mirror did not explain why, revealing only that the two men ‘wanted different things’. We could speculate for hours about what that means, but let me posit this theory. Beckham wanted a really good restaurant and Ramsay wanted something else. This is not to suggest he wanted a really bad restaurant. Eccentric as his psycho shtick may make him appear, he is not clinically insane, and this newbie, his 10th in Britain, is far from atrocious. It would be more endearing, or at least more memorable if it were. What makes it so irksome is the so-what-ishness of this rather brand-new restaurant.

B

Here's what I'm going to do: I'm going to close my eyes, stick my fingers in my ears and pretend I don't know that this big, new, shiny restaurant in Southwark has anything to do with Gordon Ramsey. Otherwise, it's impossible to approach without being blindsided by the baggage trailed in his wake. He’s the tallest of poppies, our Gordon; everybody lining up to give him a trampling. So let's make believe that Union Street Cafe is brought to us by nice, anonymous people intent on giving us fine food and a good time. You in? This is Big Sweary's first opening without his eminence grise pa-in-law, with whom he fell out in spectacular, Greek tragedian fashion. Sorry, I'll try again. It's all cheery bustle in this high-windowed and handsome room, more New York than London, in its studied mix of haute-industrial and luxury: ducting and concrete, framing well-spaced tables and designer leather chairs. The open kitchen is set on high, pulpit-style; inside is chef Davide Degiovanni, formerly of the Four Seasons. It's a telling piece of recruitment: despite the warehouse disguise, this is not about the grunge.

C

Union Street Cafe is not a cafe and isn't strictly in Union Street but it's certainly the most talked-about and ‘in’ new restaurant for the autumn. This, you’ll doubtless know, is because it was rumoured that its owner, David Beckham, the former footballer, who once had a trial with Rangers, was going into partnership with Gordon Ramsay, the well-known foodie. Why this macho convergence would have made for an ideal restaurant, is hard to fathom. Have we got a picture in our heads of Victoria in a lace pinny, sulkily announcing the daily specials? No? Just me, then. But it doesn't matter now, because Beckham chose not to invest any dosh. So the USC is just a new Gordon Ramsay joint, in a funny part of town. Great Suffolk Street isn't hopelessly grotty, just a bit down-at-hill. It, and Union Street which it bisects, are in the heart of Southwark, the raffish heart of Olde South London that's now so trendy, bounded by Tate Modern, Borough Market, Guy’s Hospital and the London Dungeon. I think it appealed to Gordon because it's London's version of Brooklyn; edgy, but without the West End’s gleam and swagger. And there’s a famous Union Street in Brooklyn.

D

David Beckham pulled out at the last minute, but that hasn't stopped a rush for tables at Gordon Ramsay's new venture; and the fact that Union Street Cafe is doing brisk trade, proves that Ramsay himself retains impressive pulling power. With its casual urban setting and emphasis on Italian cooking, this venue marks a welcome departure for the megastar chef, who has drafted in Davide Degiovanni to head up the kitchen. Expect small portions of accomplished, ingredients-led dishes, ranging from intensely flavoured tagliolini with rabbit and provolone, or lamb cutlets with baked fennel and onion, to Amaretto and chocolate budino, a deliriously rich, custardy dolce. Switched-on young staff in casual garb are a good fit for the restaurant’s warehouse-chic theme and there are cocktails aplenty in the basement bar. ‘I absolutely loved the whole package’, said one fan.

THE KEYS

Part 1

1) borders

2) against

3) grappled

4) By

5) since

6) affected

7) challenges

8) severe

Part 2

9) who
10) horizon
11) when
12) least
13) temperatures
14) attention
15) named / called
16) with

Part 3

17) pathogenic
18) rapidly
19) illness
20) affected
21) effectively
22) disinfecting
23) numerous
24) recalled

Part 4

25) see the point in (of) learning
26) really ought to take
27) am not used to eating spicy
28) didn't mean to break
29) didn't coat as much as / was not as expensive as
30) really looking forward to going on

Part 5

31) D
32) C
33) A
34) C
35) B
36) A

Part 6

37) C
38) B
39) A
40) D

LINKS FOR THE TEXTS

Part 1, page 1 – Amy Hawkins Guardian News & Media Ltd 2024
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/24/we-need-to-be-prepared-china-adapts-to-era-of-extreme-flooding
Part 2, page 3 – Ian Sample Guardian News & Media 12/2024
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/dec/25/canadian-researchers-trial-nature-trick-to-boost-mood-in-winter

Part 3, page 4 – Edward Helmore Guardian News & Media 12/2024

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/25/twenty-big-cats-die-bird-flu