Part 1
Read the following text and for questions 31-36 choose the correct answers:
A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE
Sara Adelardi, 17, tells us about taking part in a TV cooking competition.
Since I was a child who stood in my grandmother's kitchen sniffing the delicious smell of freshly baked bread and homemade soups, I've known there is only one thing I want to do in life: cook. So, when I spotted an advert on a website inviting young people to apply for a TV cooking competition, there was little doubt I'd be first in line to take part. I thought 'This could be the beginning of my cooking career!'
The application process was far from straightforward, as I soon discovered. First, I had to fill in a lengthy form, detailing everything from how I became interested in cooking (that was the easy part), to things like what I hoped to get out of being part of the show (these were much trickier!). Once I'd got through that stage of the process, the next step was to cook a test dish for the show's judges: scary but exciting, too. If that was good enough, I'd be invited to take part in the four-week televised competition. One person, selected by the judges, would be voted out of the competition in each programme, until the winner was announced during the final.
Until I had to create a test dish, I'd been pretty positive about my cooking ability; I often cooked big meals for my family at the weekends, and my friends loved the little snacks I took into school for break times. But suddenly I found myself up against 11 other young people who'd been cooking for longer. Some of them - I'd known this might be the case - had even had part-time jobs as waiters, surrounded by top-class food prepared by professional chefs. Would I really be able to compete? As I stood at my counter in the test kitchen, ready to start cooking, I remembered my grandmother's advice: 'Stick to what you know best'.
The judges tasted each test dish, made a few notes, and sent us all home. Then the wait began. Had I made it to the televised competition? Eventually, the phone call came. I'd be in the first five programme of the series the following week! Our first challenge would be to make a meal with a selection of ingredients chosen by the judges.
It was impossible to know what they'd pick in advance, and I knew I'd just have to use my creativity on the day, but I was still desperate to do some preparation, and rushed straight to my parents' kitchen, pulling everything from the cupboards in a panic. All day I experimented with new flavour combinations, testing them out on my parents and sister. Most things they liked, some they didn't. What if the judges weren't keen on my dishes?
The day of the first programme dawned and suddenly there I was with the other competitors, waiting to be given our instructions. The lights were hot in the TV studio, but although I'd expected to be nervous about being filmed for a TV show, my excitement soon took over. I recognised all the ingredients spread out on the table in front of me and I was eager to get to work. I knew exactly what I was going to cook! My grandmother's words rang in my ears again. 'Keep it simple,' I thought, as I started chopping.
I didn't make it any further in the competition. The judges liked my dish and said I showed promise as a cook, but the other competitors were better on the day. I'd learnt a lot from seeing how they worked, and how imaginative their dishes were compared to mine, so I wasn't too disappointed. It had been a memorable experience, and confirmed in my mind that cooking was the career for me. Years of learning still lie ahead of me, but one day I'd love to own my own restaurant - and help other young people fulfil their dreams too!
31 What is the writer's purpose in the first paragraph?
A. to highlight the writer's relationship with her grandmother
B. to describe the kinds of meals that the writer enjoyed cooking
C. to help readers identify with the writer's ambitious character
D. to explain why the competition appealed to the writer
32 What does the writer say about applying for the competition in the second paragraph?
A. It took much longer than she had hoped it would.
B. She found it challenging to answer some of the questions.
C. The process was as complicated as she had expected it to be.
D. She discovered details about the competition which she did not like.
33 How did the writer feel after she met the other competitors for the first time?
A. confident that she had the necessary skills to do so
B. determined to use the advice that she had been given
C. concerned that they would be better at cooking than she was
D. surprised by how much experience some of them had
34 When it was confirmed that the writer would be taking part in the televised competition, she
A. decided to practise making some of her favourite recipes.
B. knew there was little point trying to guess what she'd have to do.
C. asked her family to make suggestions about what she should cook.
D. felt she ought to find out about ingredients she didn't ordinarily use.
35 On the first day of the competition, the writer says she felt
A. keen to get on with the task before her.
B. anxious about appearing on camera.
C. relieved to have ideas about what to cook.
D. grateful for the family support she had received.
36 What does it refer to in line 70?
A. the judges' feedback
B. her time at the studio
C. other competitors' food
D. a feeling of disappointment
Part 2
Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-G the one which fits each gap. There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.
How to write a good blog
Joey Benson started writing a blog at the age of thirteen. Here, he tells us about his own experiences of blog writing and offers tips for other young bloggers starting out.
'I never expected to get many followers when I started writing my blog,' says Joey Benson, now 15. 'I just wrote down my thoughts about films I'd seen at the cinema. I didn't think anyone would take my opinions seriously or even be particularly interested in them.'
Since he started blogging two years ago, however, Joey's attracted tens of thousands of readers, some of them professional film critics, who are interested in his fresh approach to reviewing films. This attention has led to him tripling the number of hits his blog receives, and he now gets sent free tickets for screenings of new films for his age group.
Joey's style is informal and chatty, and he presents an interesting angle on the films he sees. Instead of simply commenting on how amazing the special effects are, or how effective the sound track is, Joey delves into psychological subject matter like what it was that made the bad guy turn bad or whether the heroes of the story have hidden motives. Why did they choose that camera angle to shoot that scene from? Why was that particular animation process selected?
Joey has certainly made an impact on the teenage and film critic blogging scenes. His ideas are far from predictable, and he never fails to surprise readers with a new take on old themes. It's definitely something he manages, though.
With so many talented bloggers out there, how does Joey stand out from the crowd? He says it's crucial to either find something no one's written about before or a new way of approaching a subject, like he does. You don't have to present a balanced opinion of an issue. They probably won't come back again, either.
If you're hoping to reach a wide range of readers with your blog, following advice from experienced bloggers like Joey is a wise move. You may be truly passionate about a subject close to your heart, and may even consider yourself a bit of an expert on it. This makes it tempting to use jargon and technical words that people familiar with the field will know. This means you automatically limit the number of hits you receive on your blog.
'Remember the expression "first impressions count"?' asks Joey. 'Well, that doesn't just stand for meeting people but when aiming to make an impact with your blog-writing too. Then keep their interest by addressing them personally, asking questions and making them think.'
One last word from Joey: 'Don't try too hard to use big fancy words or get too hung up on things like grammar. It's important to check your work afterwards for things like spelling errors, though, and make sure it flows well and is relevant to your target readers. Oh, and make sure you check your facts! You don't want to get into trouble about what you've written. Good luck!'
A Draw the reader in by writing a funny or surprising title.
B He makes it seem easy, but not all young, or indeed older, bloggers hit the right tone.
C A national newspaper recently picked up on his unique style and he's since appeared in an article about teenage bloggers.
D Age doesn't matter when you're writing about something you feel strongly about.
E He isn't only interested in considering this kind of thing, but in the technicalities of film-making, too.
F However, simply repeating the same thing over again without backing up your ideas with actual examples is unlikely to make readers stick around for long.
G Be aware, though, that a general audience may not, and you may put them off by doing so.
Part 3
You are going to read an article about four teenagers who have learnt a useful life lesson. For questions 43-52, choose from the teenagers (A-D). The teenagers may be chosen more than once.
Which teenager
Lessons for life
A Ben
Making mistakes is something I've always tried to avoid. I used to feel pretty terrible if I thought I'd offended someone by saying the wrong thing, or if I messed up some schoolwork because I'd rushed it. If you do something wrong, you know you're meant to acknowledge it, and I do, even though I find that tough! Anyway, last month I started going to a Chinese class in the village where I live. I don't find Chinese easy to learn quickly; for a start, there's a whole new writing system to memorise, as well as unfamiliar pronunciation and grammar. If I'd sat in the classes and not said anything because I was afraid to make mistakes, I wouldn't have learnt anything. I've also realised I can apply that to other parts of my life, too, and I do.
B Ali
I've always been ambitious - I want to be top of every class, captain of the football team, get a great job and earn loads of money when I finish school. I told my grandma about my plans one day and she said, 'What if that doesn't happen? Does that mean you'll never be happy?' That made me think. My grandparents don't live in a big house and they don't have a car. They don't have a ton of money either. Yet, they love life. I asked Grandma her secret. 'Well, I'm not interested in material things,' she said. 'Look around you. Smell those beautiful flowers, feel that sunshine on your back, laugh at Grandad's silly jokes. Don't let go of your dreams,' she advised me, 'but don't be disappointed if things don't quite work out the way you want them to.' I'm still just as ambitious and tough on myself. My character hasn't changed, but now I appreciate the smaller things in life too.
C Nathan
Being shy, like I was as a little kid, isn't great. You see the confident kids at school happy to speak up in class, taking all the best roles in school plays and just generally not being too worried by what other people think of them. I used to think being shy meant I was boring, or didn't have anything very interesting to say. I wished I could be different and tried so hard to be more outgoing or think of stuff to talk about, that I'd come home from school feeling exhausted every day. Then a new boy joined our class. He was quiet and didn't contribute much to conversations, but when he did speak, he was full of amazing ideas and didn't seem bothered by anyone disagreeing with him. That was great. He wasn't in the least concerned about whether people liked him or not either, and I learnt an important life lesson from him: just be yourself.
D Jan
The greatest lesson I've learnt is not to be afraid to ask for help. If you're struggling with something at school and everyone else seems to get it, it can be hard to ask the teacher to explain it again. I used to worry everyone would tease me about it. Then I got a bad mark for a project I did and I knew that if I'd just asked for clarification on what we were supposed to do, I could've done well. Next time there was something I didn't understand, I waited till the end of the class and asked the teacher about it. He said he wished I'd ask in class and then he could explain things better if necessary. He said maybe other students got confused too. So, next time, I spoke up. No one laughed and afterwards one or two people even thanked me - they'd been worried about asking too.
explains how admiring another person led to him accepting his own personality?
mentions how acquiring a new skill has made him approach other things in a similar way?
shared their hopes with someone else?
has had a positive impact on other people's lives?
admits to still having the same wishes for the future?
felt frustrated that he hadn't done something he felt he should have done?
made efforts to fit in with his classmates?
took note of someone else's experiences of life?
admits to struggling with something that is expected of him?
acted on some advice he was given?