Proficiency Test 3

Extract One - You hear part of a radio programme about British attitudes.

• 1 The speaker says that one example of British people's pessimism is their (A)
  • A calm response to problems that affect them personally.
  • B acceptance of what they are told by administrators.
  • C tendency to exaggerate potential problems.
• 2 What does the speaker say about British children? (B)
  • A They come to appreciate irony later in life.
  • B It comes naturally to them to be pessimistic.
  • C They are aware of having a peculiar sense of humour.

Extract Two - You hear the introduction to a radio science programme.

• 3 The speaker describes a process by which the brain (C)
  • A changes previous perceptions about events.
  • B discards irrelevant information about events.
  • C waits before focusing on events.
• 4 What does the speaker say about the research he mentions? (B)
  • A It has been influenced by the methods used for live TV broadcasts.
  • B It adds useful information to what is already known.
  • C It is likely to be disproved by other research.

Extract Three - You hear the introduction to a radio programme about inventors.

• 5 The speaker says that Edison's comment (C)
  • A reflects the naivety of inventors.
  • B sums up the unpredictability of an inventor's life.
  • C is as true today as when he made it.
• 6 What does the speaker say about the rules concerning English patents? (B)
  • A He can understand why they remain in force.
  • B They have always put inventors at a disadvantage.
  • C Some inventors do not abide by them.

Stop the recording when you hear 'That's the end of Part 1:

The area on which the· National Stone Centre stands has been used for a long time for the mining of (7) (lead and limestone)

Visitors to the centre are surprised to discover how much stone people (8) (consume, eat)

Examples of the use of stone in construction shown are (9) (tunnels and tennis courts)

The headmaster describes the centre as an excellent (10) (teaching resource)

The first interactive gallery in Britain was called (11) (Launch Pad)

At Techniquest, there are structures which (12) (roll uphill)

At Techniquest, a special (13) (dentist’s chair) is used for teaching people about centrifugal force.

People can learn about the effect that (14) (sound waves) can have on each other at Techniquest.

A dragon is used for teaching people about (15) (control systems) at Techniquest.

Stop the recording when you hear 'That's the end of Part 2:

• 16 What does Paddy say about some readers of her column? (D)
  • A They suspect that she enjoys criticising hotels.
  • B Her attitude to hotels has changed because of their response.
  • C Her comments match their experiences of hotels.
  • D They prefer reading about hotels they would not want to visit.

• 17 What does Paddy say about some hotel-keepers? (B)
  • A They sometimes have to force themselves to have a sense of humour.
  • B They would be more suited to a different profession.
  • C They expect to receive negative comments about their hotels.
  • D They are surprised that they become friends of hers.

• 18 Paddy says that some hotel-keepers she has contacted about the book have (C)
  • A realised that she does not really have an assistant called Emily.
  • B corrected inaccuracies that were in her review of their hotels.
  • C responded favourably despite criticisms she had made.
  • D made her wonder whether her reviews of their hotels were unfair.

• 19 Paddy says that one hotel-keeper she spoke to told her that (A)
  • A other people are unlikely to be treated in the same way in hotels as she is.
  • B he was unwilling to discuss some of the comments in her review.
  • C her reviews did not have as much influence as she believed.
  • D he no longer wanted his hotel to appear in the book.

• 20 The same owner also told her that (D)
  • A he had passed information about her to other hotels.
  • B he resented her description of him in her review.
  • C he did not understand why she wanted to put his hotel in her book.
  • D there was nothing distinctive about her physical appearance.

Stop the recording when you hear 'That's the end of Part 3: