PRACTICE 2

Order the sentences so that they make a complete, coherent text.

TEXT 1 (Question 6-10)

A. This report gives information about the dangers of driving on the mountain road.
B. This is why I think there should be more warning signs along the road.
C. For this reason it is easy for them to lose control and have an accident.
D. They aren't used to driving in dangerous conditions.
E. These will make it safer for them to get to the ski resort in our beautiful mountains.
F. This road is sometimes icy during the winter when people come to ski here.

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

TEXT 2 (Question 11-15)

A. Barry George was born in the English city of Manchester in 1942.
B. He became a racing driver at 21, and won his first competition at 22 years old.
C. He died at the age of 85, and is fondly remembered for his generosity.
D. His career went from strength to strength, until he was the best in the world.
E. By the time he retired, he was very wealthy. So, he invested his money in a school.
F. As a child, he was obsessed with racing cars and speed.

Correct order:
A, (11) , (12) , (13) , (14) , (15) .

To complete the task, you need to match four people's opinions (Person A-D) to seven questions.

FIRST DAYS

Four people respond in the comments section of an online magazine article about their first day at work.

Read their comments and answer the questions (16-22).

PERSON A
Everyone in my new team was very friendly, but I soon confused the names as I was quite nervous. It's probably a good idea to investigate your future colleagues' names before you start. I was asked to write a short report and then left on my own. I didn't do it very well, mainly because I did it quite quickly. You must look as if you're doing something, though, so I typed it out four times. It was a bit disappointing overall because I'd wanted to make a good impression.

PERSON B
The first thing I did was learn everyone's names - not too hard as I'm good at that sort of thing. My line manager showed me where everything was and it was a thrill to have my very own desk. I was stunned when she told me most people went home fairly late and I'd have to do the same if I wanted to be considered for promotion in the future. I should have realised that before as my mates had warned me that might be the case - I ought to have listened to them!

PERSON C
When I walked into the office the first person I saw was the person who'd interviewed me. She didn't make much of an effort to put me at my ease which I reckon is wrong. I just sat down where she told me to and got on with it. I decided I'd bring in some pictures and a plant for my desk, just to make it feel more mine and this worked well. I could see that's what the others had done. I've been there for two years now, and I've made some good buddies - this is important as it helps the time fly by at work.

PERSON D
I remember being pretty nervous, and when I got there, nobody seemed to know who I was or what my role was. I looked overly smart and everyone else was fairly casual. I wished I'd asked beforehand and not worn a suit - so that's a decent tip. I'd imagined I might not do much, but I was asked to look for some pictures of architecture to go with an article my co-worker was writing. I found several appropriate ones, and went home at the end of a long day feeling rather content!

QUESTIONS

16. Who thinks it's a good idea to personalise your workspace?
17. Who thinks it's a good idea to ask about the dress code?)
18. Who thinks it's important to look busy?)
19. Who thinks you should learn from the experiences of friends?)
20. Who thinks you should build good relationships with colleagues?)
21. Who thinks you should research the other staff before you start work?)
22. Who thinks others could try to ease your nerves on your first day?

ANSWERS

(16)
(17)
(18)
(19)
(20)
(21)
(22)

To complete the task, you need to match 7 headings to the correct paragraphs in the text. Choose from the list (A-I) and match it to a paragraph (23-29). There is an extra sentence and an example given (0).

VANCOUVER

0. Vancouver is a coastal seaport city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2016 census recorded 631,486 people in the city, up from 603,502 in 2011. Vancouver has the highest population density in Canada with over 5,400 people per square kilometre, which makes it the fifth-most densely populated city in North America behind New York City, Guadalajara, San Francisco and Mexico City according to the census.

23. Vancouver is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada; 52% of its residents have a first language other than English. The city has been called "a city of neighbourhoods" as each area has its own distinctive ethnic and cultural mix. People of English, Scottish and Irish heritage were the historically the largest ethnic groups, but this has been surpassed by immigration from Hong Kong and mainland China since the 1980s. Nowadays, roughly 30% of the city's inhabitants are of Chinese heritage.

24. Many plants and trees growing throughout Vancouver and the Lower Mainland were imported from other parts of the continent and points across the Pacific. Examples include the monkey puzzle tree, the Japanese Maple, and various flowering exotics. Some species imported from harsher climates in Eastern Canada or Europe have thrived and grown to immense sizes. Many of the city's streets are lined with flowering varieties of Japanese cherry trees donated from the 1930s onward by the government of Japan. These flower for several weeks in early spring each year, an occasion celebrated by the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival.

25. With its location on the Pacific Rim and at the western terminus of Canada's transcontinental highway and rail routes, Vancouver is one of the nation's largest industrial centres. In recent years, Vancouver has become a centre for software development, biotechnology, aerospace, video game development, animation studios and television production and film industry. Vancouver hosts approximately 65 movies and 55 TV series annually and is the 3rd largest film & TV production centre in North America.

26. Vancouver's scenic location makes it a major tourist destination. Over 10.3 million people visited Vancouver in 2017. Annually, tourism contributes approximately $4.8 billion to the Metro Vancouver economy and supports over 70,000 jobs. Many visit to see the city's gardens, Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Park, VanDusen Botanical Garden and the mountains, ocean, forest and parklands which surround the city. Each year over a million people pass through Vancouver on cruise ship vacations, often bound for Alaska.

27. Vancouver is the most stressed city in the spectrum of affordability of housing in Canada. In 2012, Vancouver was ranked as the second-most unaffordable city in the world. As of April 2010, the average two-level home in Vancouver sold for a record high of $987,500, compared with the Canadian average of $365,141. A factor explaining the high property prices may be policies by the Canadian government which permit snow washing, which allows foreigners to buy property in Canada while shielding their identities from tax authorities, making real estate transactions an effective way to conduct money laundering.

28. As with other Canadian cities, the overall crime rate has been falling "dramatically" in the city. Vancouver's burglary rate is particularly high, ranking among the highest for major North American cities, but even this dropped 10.5% between 2004 and 2005. For 2006, Metro Vancouver had the highest rate of gun-related violent crime of any major metropolitan region in Canada, with 45.3 violent offences involving guns for every 100,000 people in Metro Vancouver, above the national average of 27.5. A series of gang-related incidents in early 2009 escalated into what police have dubbed a gang war.

29. Vancouver is consistently named as one of the top five worldwide cities for liveability and quality of life, and the Economist Intelligence Unit acknowledged it as the first city ranked among the top-ten of the world's most well-living cities for five consecutive years. Vancouver has hosted many international conferences and events, including the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, and the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics which were held in Vancouver. In 2014, following thirty years in California, the TED conference made Vancouver its indefinite home.

HEADINGS

A. A growing city in the Americas
B. Health, sport and intellectual offerings
C. From factories to the silver screen
D. The pride of Canada
E. Pricey apartments may attract the corrupt
F. Immigration has led to diversity
G. Fewer thefts, but what about the shootings?
H. Urban and rural sightseeing
I. The success of foreign species

ANSWERS

(23)
(24)
(25)
(26)
(27)
(28)
(29)