SiMPLY Cambridge English: Advanced - 8 Practice Tests
INTRODUCTION The SiMPLY Cambridge Advanced English (CAE) - 8 Practice Tests book provides the most extensive and up-to-date exam preparation available, allowing students to familiarise themselves with the content and format of the revised exam. This set of tests offers ample examination practice and is designed to help improve students’ exam performance and increase language competence at advanced level. The 8 Practice Tests for the Cambridge Advanced English (CAE) fully meet the requirements of the exam, ensuring that all the test papers closely replicate the exam in both level and format.
Advanced 2015 Revised Format Paper
Time
Task Types
Paper 1 • 1 hour 30 min Reading & Use of English • 34 questions
Paper 2 Writing
Part 1 - multiple-choice cloze (eight gaps) Part 2 - open cloze (eight gaps) Part 3 - word formation (eight gaps) Part 4 - key word transformations (six questions) • length of texts: Part 5 - text followed by six 4-option about 550–850 multiple-choice questions per part Part 6 - four short texts, followed by four cross-text multiple-matching • word count questions Part 7 - gapped text task – paragraphs 3,000–3,500 removed Part 8 - multiple matching - a text or several short texts, preceded by 10 multiple-matching questions
Part 1 - lexical/lexico-grammatical, vocabulary, collocations, idioms etc. Part 2 - grammatical/lexico-grammatical, grammar with some focus on vocabulary Part 3 - lexical/lexico-grammatical, focus on vocabulary, compounding Part 4 - grammatical/lexico-grammatical, grammar, vocabulary & collocations Part 5 - detail, opinion, tone, purpose, main idea, implication, text organisation features Part 6 - Understanding of opinion and attitude; comparing and contrasting of opinions and attitudes across texts. Part 7 - text structure, cohesion & coherence Part 8 - Detail, opinion, specific information
Part 1 - compulsory task: essay with a discursive focus (220-260 words) Part 2 - Q.2-4 choice of one task from the following (220-260 words): • letter • proposal • report • review
Part 1 – focus on evaluating, expressing opinions, hypothesising, persuading Part 2 – varying focuses according to task; including giving opinions, persuading, justifying, giving advice, comparing
• 1 hour 30 min • 2 parts
Paper 3 Listening
Paper 4 Speaking
Part 1 - multiple choice; three short • Approximately unrelated extracts; 2 questions per text Part 2 - sentence completion task with 40 minutes eight items; a monologue • 30 questions Part 3 - 6 multiple choice questions; conversation Part 4 - multiple matching task - five short themed monologues. Two linked tasks, requiring selection from list of eight options - 10 multiple‑matching questions. All texts will be heard twice. • 15 minutes (for pairs) • 4 parts
2
Test Focus
Part 1 - conversation between the interlocutor and each candidate Part 2 - individual one-minute ‘long turn’ for each candidate with brief response from second candidate; each candidate is given three visual stimuli, with questions Part 3 - two-way conversation between the candidates (written stimuli with spoken instructions) Part 4 - discussion on topics related to Part 3 (spoken questions)
Part 1 - feeling, attitude, opinion, purpose, function, agreement, course of action, general gist, detail, etc. Part 2 - specific information, stated opinion Part 3 - attitude and opinion Part 4 - gist, attitude, main points, interpreting context
Part 1 - general interactional language Part 2 - organising a larger unit of discourse; comparing, describing, expressing opinions and speculating Part 3 - sustaining an interaction; exchanging ideas, expressing and justifying opinions, agreeing and / or disagreeing, suggesting, speculating, reaching a decision through negotiation, etc. Part 4 - expressing and justifying opinions, agreeing and / or disagreeing
SiMPLY Cambridge English: Advanced - 8 Practice Tests
Contents
CONTENTS Practice Test 1 Practice Test 2 Practice Test 3 Practice Test 4 Practice Test 5 Practice Test 6 Practice Test 7 Practice Test 8
Speaking section
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SiMPLY Cambridge English: Advanced - 2015 Format - 8 Practice Tests - Student’s Book - ISBN: 9781781642955 SiMPLY Cambridge English: Advanced - 2015 Format - 8 Practice Tests - Teacher’s Book - ISBN: 9781781642962
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3
Test 1
READING and USE OF ENGLISH 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).
0
A glacial
B bitter
C freezing
D arctic
Turn off the heating By thrusting your hand into a (0) C cold bucket of water, you can discover how quickly your body (1) calories. This basic experiment is the starting point for a pioneering study into the effects of brown - or good - fat in the body. . It is central to keeping Everyone is born with brown fat around the shoulder (2) a baby’s body temperature on an even (3) by using up this store of fat in order to keep babies warm. Scientists, though, have long believed that this brown fat vanishes as babies grow out of (4) and it is no longer needed. However, a few years ago researchers were (5) scans on adults during the winter and realised there were areas of fat that seemed to have been (6) by the cold weather. This discovery has encouraged scientists to (7) further research in the hope it is the (8) gun that will help solve weight problems amongst the obese. They have already determined that the cold, certain foods and exercise can activate this brown fat to people’s benefit.
4 00 44
1
A counts
B burns
C holds
D fits
2
A blades
B joints
C bones
D sockets
3
A path
B track
C course
D keel
4
A development
B infancy
C adolescence
D childhood
5
A carrying out
B taking off
C turning out
D dropping off
6
A developed
B conducted
C formed
D triggered
7
A make
B conduct
C perform
D absorb
8
A trophy
B indicator
C smoking
D proof
4
READING and USE OF ENGLISH Part 2 For questions 9 - 16, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only one word in each space. There is an example at the beginning ( 0). Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS. Example:
0
P
R
I
M
E
Henry Ford For some people, a great idea does not mean instant success, and a (0) PRIME example of this is Henry Ford. While Ford worked (9)
the Edison Illuminating Company,
he started to experiment (10) (11)
his idea of a self-propelled vehicle. He was
pleased with his work that he left his well-paid job in 1899 and founded
the Detroit Automobile Company. Unfortunately, the cars he produced were too expensive and unreliable, and the company folded two years (12)
Although now branded a failure, Ford did not (13) (14)
.
up. In November 1901, he started
, this time naming his brainchild the Henry Ford Company. A year on, the
business was renamed the Cadillac Automobile Company, because Ford had left the corporation. Impervious to yet (15)
failure, Ford established the Ford Motor Company
in 1903 and succeeded in perfecting the assembly line production for the Model T. Ford brought motoring to the masses, and (16)
looked back.
5
Test 1 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 space in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0). Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS.
Example:
0
U
N
K
N
O
W
N
Viruses There are an (0)
UNKNOWN
number of viruses on Earth, but
they outnumber any other life form. If you (17)
the
KNOW MULTIPLY
number of stars in the universe by a million, you would have an idea of how many viruses are thought to be on this planet.
They come in a huge variety of shapes and forms. As science begins to learn more about them, the hope is that (18)
they can
EVENT COMPARE
be used to humankinds’ benefit. In the future, (19) speaking, it might even be possible to appreciate them rather than treat them as an enemy. Scientists have the (20)
that there will
EXPECT
be advanced drugs and vaccines (21)
available that
READY
will deal with any virus.
Looking at viruses from a (22) always be a serious virus that will cause (23)
perspective, there will
HISTORY
- it has
DESTROY
happened too often in the past for this not to be so in the future. However, one day there will be a drug that is (24) virus.
666 00
against any
EFFECT
READING and USE OF ENGLISH 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 eight words, including the word given. Here is an example (0). Example:
0
It was impossible for her to accept that she would never see him again. terms She that she would never see him again.
0
COULD NOT COME TO TERMS WITH THE FACT
Write only the missing words.
2 5
2 6
2 7
2 8
2 9
3 0
There has been a big rise in property taxes in the last year. roof Property taxes Thomas is quite open about his four marriages. secret Thomas makes
in the last year.
he has been married four times.
George and Mary have refused to talk to each other since the argument. terms George and Mary since the argument. The twins look exactly the same to me. tell I
apart.
It’s a foregone conclusion that Adam will get any job he applies for. goes It any job he applies for.
The reporter did not want to say who had given him the information. prepared The reporter who had given him the information.
77
Test 1 Part 5 You are going to read an article from a magazine. For questions 31 - 36, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
Why animals like to play From dogs to ravens and herring gulls, animals exhibit an extraordinary desire to play. John Guiver looks into their behaviour.
‘Play’ has been described as any form of behaviour that does not serve a function or purpose. The natural world abounds with such examples of animals playing just because they can. For instance, ravens in Alaska and Northern Canada have been observed sliding down roofs covered in snow. They slide down and then fly or walk back to the top of the roof to repeat the activity again and again. In some par ts of America, ravens have been spotted slithering down shallow banks of snow, often with a small stick held in their claws. When I learned this, it immediately brought to mind when my children were young and I took them to the park . They exhibited exactly the same repetitive behaviour, happy to do the same thing for hour upon hour on the slides. Understanding why and how animals or birds play requires researchers spending hours watching them. They help us to explain what is often a mystery to humans - are they really playing or is it just part of their normal instinct to survive? Herring gulls are another example of birds that seem to play. Shellfish like clams make up their staple diet but they need to be opened to be eaten. To get inside the shell herring gulls have to drop the calm onto a rock or another solid object. If they drop it from the right height, the shell covering the clam will crack or break, giving them access to the clam inside. But sometimes, instead of letting the shell hit the ground, the herring gulls swoop down and catch them in mid-air. Other gulls have been seen to behave like this, too, so the herring gulls’ activities are not unique. This is where systema tic research is so important. More than eighty hours of observing herring gulls has led researchers to discover patterns - or what they term ‘rules’ of the ‘game’. They found that it is the younger, less mature gulls that play this game the most. They also noticed that it is frequently played over soft ground rather than hard, so they are not actually trying to break the shells. The young herring gulls also played with objects other than clam shells. Interestingly, the researchers realised that this dropping behaviour was seen more often when there was a strong wind. The researchers concluded that the gulls enjoyed the game more when there was an adde d challenge, in this case, the wind. What researchers are still uncertain about is if the gulls are simply having fun or if there is another explanation for their behaviour. Both the ravens and the herring gulls play alone, but social play is common in animals, especially in dogs. Dog owners love to take their canine friend for a walk, yet when they meet another dog, the dogs go through a ritual just like it was stage-managed. Nose to nose, they look each other over, sniff one another and circle round the other dog. Then, more likely than not, they will start to fight. Neither dog gets hurt, because this is just a pretend fight, not the real thing. In other words, they are just play-fighting. line 29 This ritual has been described as ‘specific signal patterns’. Dogs, coyotes and wolves all display the same behaviour. It begins with the bowing of heads - the ‘play bow’ - and, like other signals, seems to send the message that they want to play. Indeed, it serves another important function, too; it prolongs playtime. This might seem bizarre, but it prevents any confusion in other contexts, such as predatory or aggressive encounters. The psychologist, Marc Bekoff, observed that the bow is used both before and after actions that could be misunderstood as non-playful. It appears that all age groups of dogs use the play bow 74% of the time before and after pretend biting; young wolves 79% of the time and juvenile coyotes 92%.
One theory is that the playful interaction between dogs might possibly be a form of practice for any future aggressive or hunting encounters. Their playtime perhaps enables dogs to be more psychologically flexible, rather than aggressive from the moment they see a dog they have not previously met. Perhaps their playing serves no adaptive or evolutionary function, but children also play just to have a good time. Children though, also often play games that have a more serious purpose, as they enable them to understand their place in the social hierarchy in which they live. It is not outside the realms of possibility that the same principle applies to animals and birds. Perhaps they are just exploring ways of finding their niche in animal society.
8
8
READING and USE OF ENGLISH 3 1
Why does the writer give the example of their children in the park? A B C D
3 2
According to the writer, herring gulls A B C D
3 3
they imitate each other's movements. they continue walking together. they start to fight with each other. they behave in a fixed and expected way.
The writer refers to ‘specific signal patterns’ (line 29) to illustrate that they A B C D
3 6
They prefer to play games when the weather is calm. They have turned cracking clam shells into a game. They discovered the older gulls rarely joined in. They still do not know anything about them.
The writer says that when one dog encounters another, A B C D
3 5
act in a way that is not exclusive to their breed. show a natural instinct to stay alive in the wild. throw clam shells to the ground from a great height. fail to eat any of the clams because the shells are unbreakable.
What has the researchers’ work revealed about herring gulls? A B C D
3 4
To express their wonder at bird behaviour. To help readers visualise what they are describing. To emphasise how playful birds are. To show how birds imitate humans.
present dogs with the opportunity to fight. protract the predatory phase of the ritual. prevent dogs from misreading the situation. prove dogs have similar behaviour patterns.
What is the writer’s attitude towards animals and birds playing? A B C D
He considers it plausible that through play they find their place in their community. He is uncertain how it contributes to research into why children play. He is convinced that there is a real reason for their behaviour. He doubts whether enough animal behaviour has been studied.
9
SiMPLY Cambridge English: Advanced
Paper 4 - Speaking
Test 8 Part 1 8 t s e T e c i t c a r P
2 minutes (3 minutes for groups of three)
Good morning/afternoon/evening. My name is ……….. and this is my colleague ………. . And your names are? Can I have your mark sheets, please? Thank you. First of all, we'd like to know something about you. Select one or two questions and ask candidates in turn, as appropriate. • • • •
Do you prefer team sports or individual sports? What qualities do you need to possess in order to do well in a team sport? What do you think about extreme sports? What are the most popular sports in your country?
Select one or more questions from the following, as appropriate. • What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of being famous? • Who is your favourite celebrity? … (Why?) • What would you be willing to sacrifice in order to be famous? • Why do you think more and more young people nowadays long for fame a nd money?
Task 1. Learning new skills Task 2. Leisure activities Interlocutor:
Part 2
4 minutes (6 minutes for groups of three)
In this part of the test, I’m going to give each of you three pictures. I'd like you to talk about two of them on your own for about a minute, and also to answer a question briefly about your partner's pictures. (Candidate A), it's your turn first. Here are your pictures. They show people learning new skills. Look at the following page, Part 2,
Task 1
I'd like you to compare two of the pictures, saying why they might be learning these new skills and how they might be feeling. All right? Candidate A:
(1 minute) .........................................................................................................................
Interlocutor:
Thank you. (Candidate B), which of these skills seems to be the most difficult to learn? … (Why?)
Candidate B:
(approximately 30 seconds) .............................................................................................
Interlocutor:
Thank you. Now, (Candidate B), here are your pictures. They show different types of leisure activities. Look at the following page, Part 2,
Task 2
I'd like you to compare two of the pictures, saying why the people might have chosen these leisure activities and how they might be feeling. All right? Candidate B:
(1 minute) .........................................................................................................................
Interlocutor:
Thank you. (Candidate A), which of these leisure activities do you find the most interesting? ... (Why?)
158
Candidate A:
(approximately 30 seconds) .............................................................................................
Interlocutor:
Thank you.
SiMPLY Cambridge English: Advanced
Paper 4 - Speaking
Task 1 • Why might these people be learning these new skills? • How might they be feeling?
P r a c t i c e T e s t 8
Task 2 • Why might these people have chosen these leisure activities? • How might they be feeling?
159
SiMPLY Cambridge English: Advanced
Part 3
Making decisions
4 minutes (6 minutes for groups of three)
Interlocutor:
8 t s e T e c i t c a r P
Paper 4 - Speaking
Now, I’d like you to talk about something together for about two minutes. (3 minutes for groups of three) Here are some things that prospective buyers might need to take into consideration before deciding which house to buy and a question for you to discuss. First you have some time to look at the task. Look at the box below. (You have15 seconds to look at the task) Now, talk to each other about what a prospective house buyer might need to take into consideration before deciding which house to buy .
Candidates
2 minutes (3 minutes for groups of three) .....................................................................
Interlocutor:
Thank you. Now you have about a minute (2 minutes for groups of three) to decide which of these things is the most important when buying a new house.
Candidates
1 minute (2 minutes for groups of three) .....................................................................
Interlocutor:
Thank you.
size
What might a prospective house buyer need to take into consideration before deciding which house to buy?
house condition
architecture/design
location price
Part 4
5 minutes (8 minutes for groups of three)
Interlocutor:
Use the following questions, in order, as appropriate: •Do you live in your own house or you pay rent? •Should we own the house we live in? ... (Why?) •Should government provide free housing to all homeless? ... (Why?) • At what age do you think people should be able to get a mortgage and buy their own house? ... (Why?) •Is it common for young people in your country to share a flat? ... (Why?) • What is your ideal home? Thank you. That is the end of the test.
160
Select any of the following prompts, as appropriate: • What do you think? • Do you agree? • How about you?
