The Vacuum cleaner. Until about 250 years ago, households did not take dirt as ..(1)..

as they do now - it was a fact of life, and that was that. Cleaning often consisted of an annual ..(2)... called 'spring cleaning' when the furniture was moved aside, and all the linen products in the house were cleaned. Carpets and rugs were taken outside, hung on ropes and had the dust ..(3).. out of them - an exhausting and messy process. The industrial revolution brought about a major change - as new ..(4).. became available to make homes cleaner, a corresponding interest in '..(5).. hygiene' appeared in households. This in turn led to the ..(6).. of further products, one of which was the vacuum cleaner. ..(7).. has it that when one of the first vacuum cleaners was demonstrated, a kindly scientist took the proud inventor..(8).. , and offered a bit of advice that was to become ..(9).. to the future evolution of the product - 'make it suck, not blow'. The first vacuum cleaners appeared in the 1860s in the United States. They were operated by hand pumps and were almost as ..(10).. as spring cleaning. It was only when electric motors had become sufficiently ..(11)... to become portable that vacuum cleaners became common household items. Most of today's major ..(12).. - including Electrolux and Hoover - were born in the 1920s. The household ..(13).. that vacuum cleaners suck up is mostly dead skin cells - humans ..(14).. millions of cells every day. A much smaller proportion comes from dust and soil carried into the house from ..(15)...

1.

a. importantly c. considerately

b. crucially d. seriously b. result d. scrub b. taken d. sucked b. concepts d. developments b. domestic d. internal b. appearing d. development b. Epic

2.

a. ritual c. resolution

3.

a. cleaned c. beaten

4.

a. products c. ideals

5.

a. house c. homely

6.

a. fabrication c. recreation

7.

a. Story

c. Legend 8. a. away c. aback 9. a. standard c. regular 10. a. laborious c. nefarious 11. a. scientific c. technological 12. a. brands c. makes 13. a. grit c. refuse 14. a. lose c. omit 15. a. external c. beyond

d. Tale b. aside d. along b. crucial d. esteemed b. hard d. straining b. forward d. advanced b. marks d. trademarks b. rubbish d. dirt b. outgrow d. shed b. outside d. indoors

The Atmosphere of (1.)

Would you like to (2.) an astronaut? To do this, you must travel at least 50 miles (80 kilometres) above the surface of the earth. But even after you have done that you are still (3.) earth's atmosphere. Indeed, there are at least 300 miles of air still between you and the true vacuum of space. Most of what we think of as our atmosphere is actually the troposphere, that part of the atmosphere closest to earth. This is where most of our weather happens, and it is the only part of the atmosphere which has enough oxygen and warmth for humans to survive. (4.) part of the atmosphere is about ten miles thick at the equator and . slightly half that height at the (5.) (6.) (7.)

the troposphere is the stratosphere, which you have probably if you have travelled on an international jet liner. But there is another

kind of 'jet' at this altitude. Huge rivers of air called 'jet streams' (8.) through the stratosphere, and the stratosphere contains the ozone layer which filters harmful ultraviolet rays which could (9.) make life on earth extinct. Above the stratosphere is the mesosphere, and above that the ionosphere, which is important for radio communications as signals can be (10.) (11.) of the world. that is what off the ionosphere to different

Many people think that the atmosphere is mostly oxygen, (12.)

we breathe. But in (13.) oxygen makes up only about 21% of the atmosphere, and carbon dioxide, which we breathe out, makes up less than 1%. Over three quarters of the atmosphere is nitrogen, which was expelled from inside the planet while it was still very volcanically (14.) do not get it (15.) plants which we eat. . We have a lot of nitrogen in our bodies, but we from the atmosphere. Instead we get our nitrogen from

The only way to 0. is through exercise. Spending your life as a 'couch potato' is almost the 1. thing that you can do. I'm not saying that you need to become 2. about keeping yourself fit and spend long miserable hours 3. jogging for miles in the rain every day. But it is essential that you do a minimum of 4. exercise . Have a 5. . with your doctor, and then exercise 6. according to his 7.

fitness

0.fit 1.health 2. fanatic 3. happy 4. day 5. discuss 6. system 7. instruct

B.

8.

you know someone who is 9. of spiders. The problem is so common

8.Doubt 9. terror 10. psychology 11. rational 12. combine 13. insect 14. infest 15. prefer

that 10. even have a word for it arachnophobia. No one is sure what it is that inspires this 11. terror. Some people believe it is the legs, the numerous eyes, or even their scuttling form of movement. Perhaps it is a 12. of all these things. Many people

spray spiders with 13. as soon as they see them, despite the fact that spiders are useful in keeping down 14. of other insect pests in the house. Mind you, for some people anything is 15. to spiders!

The vacuum cleaner 1. d 2. a 3. c 4. a 5. b The atmosphere of Earth 1. Earth 2. become 3. within 4. This 5. poles 6. Above/After 7. visited 8. flow PART 3 1. unhealthiest 2. fanatical 3. unhappily 4. daily 5. discussion 6. systematically 7. instructions 6. d 7. c 8. b 9. b 10. a 11. d 12. a 13. d 14. d 15. b

9. otherwise 10. bounced 11. parts 12. since/because 13. fact/reality 14. active 15. directly

8. Doubtless/Undoubtedly 9. terrified 10. psychologists 11. irrational 12. combination 13. insecticide 14. infestations 15. preferable

You are the film critic for your college newspaper. Below are the three films appearing at your local cinema. You have a brief description of each film, and have written your own comments underneath. Use this information to give your overall impression of each film. Say what kind of person each film is suited for, and why. Write about 250 words. Dangerous Ransom
Starring Josh Chandler
A band of elite government agents battle against the clock to prevent a ruthless band of terrorists from blowing up a nuclear power station. A real action thriller.

One day in June

Starring Margery Bateman, George Willum
Period drama set in the 1890s. A young man returns to his family estate in England, and wins the heart of the landowner's

daughter. But what is the dark secret in his past?

Nightschild
Starring Sally Maercs Something is not right in the little town of Elmer's End. Why does the apple tree bloom in September? Why doesn't anyone ever use the children's playground? The town's new schoolteacher starts investigating.

_____________________________________________________________________________________ This week at the cinema, you will certainly find a film to enjoy. The film I was really looking forward to, Dangerous Ransom, is a disappointment. Josh Chandler, the big star, only appears at the start of the film. Perhaps he was too embarrassed to stay for the ending, which is not at all believable. Also the other actors are not very good and the story is so complicated that it's hard to understand what is happening. If you like action films, this one is silly but enjoyable; but if you like good acting or serious films, stay away! I really liked the next film One day in June. I expected a love story, but it's not just a love story. I don't want to give away the story, but let me tell the boys that they and their girlfriends will both enjoy this film. The girls will like the romance and the wonderful costumes, and the boys will like the exciting story. And both will enjoy the humour some parts of this film are surprisingly funny. If you know director Craig Carstairs, you know what to expect when you go to Nightschild. Terror! Don't go to this film if you are a nervous person, or if you want to sleep well afterwards. This film starts slowly, but by the end it is really, really scary. Sally Maercs and the other actors are good, and the special effects are horrific. I loved this movie, but it's really for horror fans. _____________________________________________________________________________________
It's important to note that you are not asked to describe each film, but you will lose marks if you do not fully answer the question by giving your impression, and saying who this film is for and why. Here, the impression of the films is given as 'a disappointment', one that the writer 'really liked' and one that is 'really, really scary'. It says that the first film is suited for people who like action films, but for no-one else because the plot and acting are too bad. The second film is good for boys and girls, because it has a good story, romance, and humour. The third film is suited for horror fans, but other people might not like the terror or horrific special effects. This essay is exactly 250 words, but you can go slightly over or under this amount. But you must make sure the register is correct - here it has to be chatty, and slightly informal. Organization of the essay is easier than it will be for some other questions, but it is important to use the notes as a guide to your impression rather than just repeating what was written. The essay will also be judged on whether the person whom it is intended for will get the information required. Here this is whether a particular film will be a good one to go and see. The grammar does not try to do too much, but the sentences use contrast and comparison appropriately, and have some range of vocabulary and grammar ('horrific' , 'you know what to expect' 'both will enjoy')