PRACTICE 2

Order the sentences (B – G) below to make a story.
Write your answers on the Answer sheet (Questions 6 – 11).

The first sentence of the story (A) is given for you on the Answer sheet as an example.

My sixteenth birthday

A. I will never forget my 16th birthday last August. (Example)
B. So I decided to go into town alone and see a film.
C. I felt very excited and wanted to spend the day with my friends.
D. After it ended, my best friend called me and invited me to a café.
E. All my friends jumped out and shouted ‘Surprise!’ as soon as I walked in the door.
F. When I arrived I got the biggest shock of my life.
G. But when I called them, they were too busy and didn’t even wish me happy birthday.

Correct order:
A, (6) , (7) , (8) , (9) , (10) , (11) .

PRACTICE 3

Four people were interviewed for Teen Magazine about their ideal café. Read the texts and answer questions 12 – 18 on the next page.<

My ideal café

Nubia (14 years old)
‘My previous school had a café, but it wasn’t very good, and I always used to bring in my lunch. This one, though, seems quite different. I’m glad to see that they do healthy options, and it’s not all burgers and pizzas. Not everyone would agree with me, though. Some of my friends want chips every day.’

Brandon (13 years old)
‘My friends and I were really looking forward to the opening of the new café but I can’t say it lives up to our expectations. The limited selection is rather disappointing and the place itself is quite cramped. I heard it cost a lot to build, but it’s hard to see where the money went.’

Jin Hee (14 years old)
‘I thought the inside was very nice and, even though there are a lot of tables and chairs for the size of the room, it’s quite a good place for hanging out. The staff are very friendly, too. The menu’s not bad and I think the food was quite reasonable, although I wouldn’t say the same about the bill!’

Jamie (15 years old)
‘It’s definitely a good thing to have a place to eat in the school building, so we don’t have to go into town. However, it’s very busy at break and there are long queues. I don’t think they’ve got enough staff to cope with those busy times. I’m sure they’ll fix that in time, though.’

Four people were interviewed for Teen Magazine about their ideal café. Read the texts and answer questions 12 – 18. Choose one answer (A, B, C or D) and mark it on your answer sheet.

My ideal café

Who:

PRACTICE 4

Read the text below. Match the headings A – H to the paragraphs 19 – 25. Write your answers (A – H) on the answer sheet. There is one more heading than you need. The answer to paragraph 0 is given on the answer sheet as an example (J).

Hip hop

0. Love it or hate it, but ignore it you can’t – hip hop culture is a global phenomenon, almost a religion, certainly a way of life. Young, and not so young, rebels and radicals around the world have embraced it wholeheartedly. Musical conservatives have long suspected and feared it. Today, however, it is increasingly being assimilated into mainstream pop culture, and losing its revolutionary edge. But what is it?(Example)

19. Hip hop is often mistakenly considered to be synonymous with rap music. In fact, the term represents a diverse range of elements, each a manifestation of an underground subculture that was spawned in New York’s south Bronx. These are: breaking (a kind of dance), beatboxing (using vocals to recreate musical sounds), graffiti (spray painting pictures and slogans on walls and public buildings); turn-tabling or DJing (mixing music with speech and public noise), as well as rapping (a kind of semi-spoken urban poetry). Since it originated, hip hop has developed into a global phenomenon, with multiple variations growing out of its original core elements.

20. Hip hop began in the early 70s when a gang/music group called The Ghetto Brothers plugged their speakers into lamp posts on the streets of New York. Here they sampled pre-existing music, combining it with their own chants and noise from the crowd. The idea of extracting something new from the old has been a key element of hip hop culture. Flipping is the term given to the act of updating earlier styles of music so that they can appeal to the tastes and attitudes of contemporary audiences.

21. In the 70s, Kool Herc, the ‘father’ of hip hop, had simply generated rhythmic beats by looping – replaying the same sections of songs on two turntables. This was afterwards accompanied by rapping and beat boxing. As the appeal widened, so did its offshoots. New styles of dress and dance were favoured by hip hop devotees. All of these have continued to metamorphose, adapt and develop over the years as the popularity of the culture successfully migrated to urban and suburban areas worldwide.

22. The term hip hop can be separated into two slang expressions. The word ‘hip’ (meaning ‘aware’), stems from hippies and the ‘cool’ notion of being ‘hip’ or ‘with it’. A far more modest source – simply hopping or jumping – provides us with ‘hop’. In fact, Keith ‘Cowboy’ Wiggins, who came up with the term, jokingly compared hip hop to the rhythm of marching soldiers. He even worked this into his stage routine when performing alongside disco stars. The latter would disrespectfully refer to his group as hip hoppers. Yet the name, along with the performers, would soon overcome this unimpressive beginning.

23. In fact, recycling or transforming less than desirable elements into something positive is a cornerstone of hip hop philosophy. The South Bronx has always been associated by some with poverty and lawlessness. Understanding the social usefulness of channelling criminal urges into artistic expression, Afrika Bambaataa, a hip hop guru, formed Zulu Nation. This comprised various rappers, break dance crews, and graffiti artists, all of whom tried to outdo each other creatively in ways that echoed the competitiveness and urban rage of the street gangs. In a bold, political way, songs, paintings and dance routines were replacing everyday violence.

24. Similarly, with the worldwide spread of hip hop, particularly through the overwhelming sweep of the music video, a channel of expression and empowerment was given to various disadvantaged groups such as ethnic minorities. Through hip hop, the beliefs and emotions of previously invisible or powerless groups could be heard. In theory, anyway. Until 2010 only one female rap artist has touched the mainstream and gone beyond underdog status. It is also uncertain how much hip hop has really helped disadvantaged communities in the USA.

25. Where hip hop will go next is anyone’s guess. It has always served as a platform for those with an axe to grind, an urgent message to communicate. To a large extent this has been achieved, as the success of many prominent artists proves. Yet success has been a two-edged sword. With it have come accusations of exploitation, of employing themes of violence, drugs, misogyny and racism, to attain mainstream popularity through shock value. While hip hop culture has grown into a highly marketable commodity, its messages of emancipation and social change have been blunted or distorted. Until, perhaps, it evolves into something new again.

Headings

A. A form of cultural recycling
B. From the political to the commercial
C. A shock to the system
D. Negativity turned into new art forms
E. Humble origins of a name
F. Not just a style of music
G. Evolving and spreading
H. A voice for those without one
J. Different opinions about an international trend (Example)

ANSWERS

0. J (Example)
(19)
(20)
(21)
(22)
(23)
(24)
(25)