II. Grammar

Open the brackets using Present Simple, Past Simple or Present Continuous.

Donna: Hello Mark! It’s Donna. How are you?

Mark. I’m fine. I 1)________________ (wake up) half an hour ago and I 2) ________________ (have) breakfast at the moment.

Donna: But, it’s lunchtime!

Mark: Well, Ann and I 3) ________________ (go) to Philip’s party last night and we 4) ________________ (come) home very late.

Donna:5) ________________ (you/enjoy) the party?

Mark: I 6) ________________ (have) a very good time. Ann 7) ________________ (not/like) it.

Donna: Oh, why?

Mark: They only 8) ________________ (play) rock music and Ann 9) ________________ (hate) rock.

III. Writing

Your English language teacher asked you and your friends to come to school on Saturday to decorate the classroom. Unfortunately, you can't come. Write a note for your teacher. Include the following information:

• apologise for being not able to work on Saturday;

• explain the reason of your absence;

• say that you'll keep your promise in future.

IV. Speaking

You are presented with the opportunity to correspond with a pen friend from an English-speaking country.

• What kind of person would you most like to correspond with (age, interests, etc.)?

• What questions would you most like to ask this person?

• What would you want to tell your pen friend about yourself and your country?

Examination Card 8

I. Reading

Read the text given below. For questions (1-6), tick O (for Oxfam), V (for VSO) or Q (for Queen Elizabeth's Foundation).

HELPING HANDS

Oxfam is a charitable organisation that helps save millions of lives every day by providing food, shelter and medical supplies for victims of famines, floods and civil war in the developing world. It works to improve the lives of the less fortunate all over the world.

Oxfam first began development work in 1962 in Ethiopia. During the famine of the 1980's it played a major role in the international relief effort, organising food and water distribution.

Today, much of Oxfam's work is still in Africa, where it tries to help communities to find long-term solutions to their problems. Oxfam still gives money to the needy, but it also teaches them to grow their own food, dig wells for clean water and even to become health workers. It also gives advice on education and on how to prepare for droughts and famines by storing water and food.

Nowadays, thanks to Oxfam, people in over seventy countries are living better lives.

Voluntary Service Overseas is a charity that is committed to helping improve the qua­lity of life for people living in poor countries. It does this by sending expert volunteers to places where they can share their skills with the local people and therefore help them to help themselves.

VSO was set up in 1958 and since then it has placed over 29,000 volunteers overseas. At present, there are about 2,000 qualified and experienced volunteers working in places such as Mozambique, Laos and Rwanda.

VSO volunteers are men and women of all ages and all backgrounds. They go overseas for a minimum period of two years and they are given accommodation and a basic wage. Many volunteers form lasting friendships abroad and establish themselves as useful and valued members of the community.

Queen Elizabeth's Foundation for Disabled People is a charity that is dedicated to helping people with physical disabilities. It provides many different services such as em­ployment, training and housing as well as advice and support through its eight specialist disability centres.

The foundation has been helping disabled people since 1934. Although it relies heavily oil donations and volunteers, it manages to support over 100,000 disabled people every year. Its main priority is to help people with disabilities to live a normal life. It does this through the Development Centre where it teaches the life skills disabled people need to achieve as much independence as they are capable of.

The centre is home to 52 young people who all have the ability and determination to stand on their own two feet. Recently, work was completed on 16 new self-contained independent living flats for residents, which contain all the special equipment they need.

Which organization:

doesn't employ people for less than two years? (1)

cares for the disabled? (2)

provides accommodation for its workers? (3)

only helps people in Britain? (4)

trains local people? (5) (6).......