You are going to read an article in which a film critic talks about his work. For questions 1-8, choose the answer (А-D) which you think fits best according to the text.
Film Critic
Mark Adams looks back over the last ten years of his work as a film critic for a newspaper called The Front Page.
Writing articles about films for The Front Page was my first proper job. Before then I had done bits of reviewing - novels for other newspapers, films for a magazine and anything I was asked to do for the radio. That was how 1 met Tom Seaton, the first arts editor of The Front Page, who had also written for radio and television. He hired me, but Tom was not primarily a journalist, or he would certainly have been more careful in choosing his staff.
At first, his idea was that a team of critics should take care of the art forms that didn't require specialised knowledge: books, TV, theatre, film and radio. There would be a weekly lunch at which we would make our choices from the artistic material that Tom had decided we should cover, though there would also be guests to make the atmosphere sociable.
It all felt like a bit of a dream at that time: a new newspaper, and I was one of the team. It seemed so unlikely that a paper could be introduced into a crowded market. It seemed just as likely that a millionaire wanted to help me personally, and was pretending to employ me. Such was my lack of self-confidence. In fact, the first time I saw someone reading the newspaper on the London Underground, then turning to a page on which one of my reviews appeared, I didn't know where to look.
Tom's original scheme for a team of critics for the arts never took off. It was a good idea, but we didn't get together as planned and so everything was done by phone. It turned out, too, that the general public out there preferred to associate a reviewer with a single subject area, and so I chose film. Without Tom's initial push, though, we would hardly have come up with the present arrangement, by which I write an extended weekly piece, usually on one film.
The luxury of this way of working suits me well. I wouldn't have been interested in the more standard film critic's role, which involves considering every film that comes out. That's a routine that would make me stale in no time at all. I would soon be sinking into my seat on a Monday morning with the sigh, 'What insulting rubbish must I sit through now?' - a style of sigh that can often be heard in screening rooms around the world.
The space I am given allows me to broaden my argument - or forces me, in an uninteresting week, to make something out of nothing. But what is my role in the public arena? I assume that people choose what films to go to on the basis of the stars, the publicity or the director. There is also such a thing as loyalty to 'type' or its opposite. It can only rarely happen that someone who hates westerns buys a ticket for one after reading a review, or a love story addict avoids a romantic film because of what the papers say.
So if a film review isn't really a consumer guide, what is it? I certainly don't feel I have a responsibility to be 'right' about a movie. Nor do I think there should be a certain number of 'great' and 'bad' films each year. All I have to do is put forward an argument. I'm not a judge, and nor would I want to be.
1 What do we learn about Tom Seaton in the first paragraph?
A
He encouraged Mark to become a writer.
B
Не has worked in various areas of the media.
C
Не met Mark when working for television.
D
He prefers to employ people that he knows.
2 The weekly lunches were planned in order to
A
help the writers get to know each other.
B
provide an informal information session.
C
distribute the work that had to be done.
D
entertain important visitors from the arts.
3 When Mark first started working for The Front Раgе, he
A
doubted the paper would succeed.
B
was embarrassed at being recognised.
C
felt it needed some improvement.
D
was surprised to be earning so much.
4 What does Mark mean when he says that Tom's scheme 'never took off' (paragraph 4)?
A
It was unpopular.
B
It wasted too much time.
C
It wasn't planned properly.
D
It wasn't put into practice.
5 In the end, the organisation of the team was influenced by
A
readers' opinions.
B
the availability of writers.
C
pressure of time.
D
the popularity of subjects.
6 Why does Mark refer to his way of working as a 'luxury' (paragraph 5)?
A
He can please more readers.
B
Не is able to make choices.
C
His working hours are flexible.
D
He is able to see a lot of films.
7 In Mark's opinion, his articles
A
are seldom read by filmgoers.
B
are ignored by stars and film directors.
C
have little effect on public viewing habits.
D
are more persuasive than people realise.
8 Which of the following best describes what Mark says about his work?
A
His success varies from year to year.
B
Не prefers to write about films he likes.
C
Не can freely express his opinion.
D
He writes according to accepted rules.
YOUR ANSWER TASK 1
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D
1
2
3
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8
TASK 2
You are going to read a newspaper article about a dentist. Seven sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one which fits each gap (9-15). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.
A
One of the things I found out there was that when you make it easier for the patient you make it easier for yourself.
B
That's why I took the decision not to wear a white coat.
C
If people are relaxed, entertained and correctly treated, they will forget such previous negative experiences.
D
The relaxation techniques are important but the quality of the treatment is of course the most important thing. The relaxation techniques are important but the quality of the treatment is of course the most important thing.
E
We were the first practice in Britain to introduce them and they're proving very popular.
F
It feels a bit strange at first, but as long as people are relaxed, it's not painful at all.
G
Now I'm sure that they actually look forward to their visits here.
H
When people walk in, I want them to realise with all their senses that it's not like going to the dentist's.
Fun at the Dentist's?
If you walk into W. Lloyd Jerome's dental surgery in the centre of Glasgow, you'll see bright modern paintings on the wall and a fashionable blue couch which patients sit on while he checks their teeth. Jerome says, 'Fifty per cent of the population only go to the dentist when they're in pain rather than attending for regular check¬ups. That's because they're frightened.'
To counteract this, he has tried to create an environment where people are not afraid.' 9_____ 'I find that's one of the things that people associate with pain. In fact, my philosophy is that dental treatment should take place in an atmosphere of relaxation, interest and above all enjoyment.'
Which is all highly shocking for anyone (most of us in fact) who has learnt to associate dental treatment with pain, or at the very least, with formal, clinical visits. Jerome says, '10_____
Virtual-reality headsets are one of his new relaxation techniques. 11_____ The headsets are used for the initial check-up, where the patient sits comfortably on the blue couch and watches a film about underwater wildlife while I look at their teeth. Then the headset switches to a special camera, to give the patient a visual tour around their mouth.' Surprisingly, most patients seem to enjoy this part of their visit to the dentist.
Another key point is that the surgery smells more like a perfume shop than a dentist's. Today there is the smell of orange. Jerome explains, 12_____ Smell is very important. That dental smell of surgical spirit can get the heart racing in minutes if you're frightened of dentists.' I certainly found the delicate smell in the surgery very pleasant.
Although he is known as Glasgow's most fashionable dentist, Jerome is keen to point out that he takes his work very seriously.13_____
For example, Jerome uses a special instrument which sprays warm water on the teeth to clean them, rather than scraping them.14_____
Five years ago, Jerome went to the United States to do research into dental techniques.15_____ he explains. He sees his patient-centred attitude as the start of a gradual movement towards less formality in the con-servative British dentistry profession.
At that moment, a patient arrives. Jerome rushes over, offers him a cup of tea (herbal or regular), asks him what video he'd like to watch and leads him gently towards the chair. The patient seems to be enjoying this five-star treatment and no wonder. The surgery seems more like an elegant beauty parlour than a mainstream dental practice.
YOUR ANSWER TASK 2
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B
C
D
E
F
G
H
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15
TASK 3
You are going to read a magazine article about theme parks in Britain. For questions 16-30, choose from the theme parks(A-E). The theme parks may be chosen more than once.
Of which theme parks are the following stated?
16
We had no previous experience of places like this.
17
Some of the children showed they were frightened on a certain ride.
18
The children were all young enough to enjoy it.
19
It was good that you could find somewhere to rest.
20
It was more enjoyable than we had expected.
21
The children disagreed about what was the most frightening ride.
22
The surroundings are not particularly attractive.
23
We didn't mind having to wait to go on the rides.
24
The children wanted to stay longer than we did.
25
One of the rides seemed to finish very quickly.
26
We were glad that the children couldn't go on a certain ride.
27
One of the children had a better time than we had expected.
28
It makes a claim which is accurate.
29
None of the rides would frighten young children very much.
30
The manner of some employees seemed rather unfriendly.
Variations on a Theme
If you're thinking of taking children to a theme park, there are dozens to choose from in Britain. We asked five families to test the best. A Fun Island - The Burns family
Last year we went to a huge theme park in the US and we thought that Fun Island might seem dull by comparison. In fact, we were impressed. The park tries hard to cater for younger children, so our three-year-old didn't feel left out. The kids all loved the Crocodile Ride and the Giant Wheel. There's a special dodgems ride for the very young kids, which was a great success. For older children, there are scarier rides, such as Splash Out, where you end up jumping in a pool! After five hours, Steve and I were ready to call it a day, but the children objected because they were having such fun. Our only criticism would be that the park is slightly lacking in atmosphere, and the scenery leaves something to be desired. But the staff are extremely helpful and we felt it was clean, well organised and very security-conscious.
B Wonderland - The McMillan family
None of us had been to a theme park before, so we didn't know what to expect. We thought Oscar might be too young, but he adored it. He was in heaven on the Mountain Train, and particularly liked Little Land, with its small replicas of famous buildings that were at his level! The older children enjoyed the ferris wheel, and loved driving the toy cars on a proper road layout. We spent six hours there and were glad that there were places where you could put your feet up. The landscaping is perfect and the staff very helpful and friendly. And there's something for everyone, adults included.
C Adventure World - The Jeffree family
After seven hours we felt there was still a lot to see. The children loved the Big Top Circus, which had a fantastic trapeze act and kept us on the edge of our seats. We went on the Terror Line and, although the girls were rather scared and kept their eyes shut most of the time, they said they'd enjoyed it. Their favourite ride was Running River, where you think you're going to get soaked, but you don't. For younger children, Toy Land is great fun. The children had a look at the new ride. Fear Factor, but we breathed a sigh of relief when they found that they were too small to go on it! The park is so well designed that even queuing for rides isn't too boring. It's spotlessly clean, and the staff are great. On one ride I couldn't sit with both girls, so a member of staff offered to go with one of them.
D The Great Park - The Langridge family
We arrived at one o'clock and were disappointed that the park was only open until 5 p.m. This is a super theme park for younger children because the rides aren't too terrifying. I'm a real coward but even I enjoyed myself. We all adored Exotic Travels, a boat ride which starts off quite tamely and then becomes terrific fun. We queued for half an hour for Lightning River, and then it was over before we knew it! I wouldn't go on the Big Leap, but if you have the nerve, it looked great. If the children had been a little older, they might have found it a bit tame, but they were all in the right age group and they loved it.
E Fantasy World - The Breakall family
According to the park's advertising there is 'No Limit to the Fun', and we certainly felt that was true. Europe's tallest roller-coaster, the Rocket, dominates the skyline, and Ben thought it was the most terrifying of the rides, although Jennie said the Hanger, where you hang upside-down 30 metres above the ground, was even worse! There are a dozen or so main rides, which the older children went on several times. Sarah was too small for a couple of them, but enjoyed the Long Slide. We found the staff attitudes were mixed. Some of them were great with the younger children, but the welcome wasn't always as warm. You need a full day to enjoy Fantasy World. We wouldn't have dared tell the kids we were going home early.
YOUR ANSWER TASK 3
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A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
16
17
18
19
20
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22
23
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TASK 4
For questions 31-42, read the text below and decide which answer (А-D) best fits each gap.
Famous explorer
Captain James Cook is remembered today for being one of Britain's most famous explorers of the 18th century. Cook was 31_____most other explorers of the same period as he did not come from a wealthy family and had to work hard to 32_____his position in life. He was lucky to be 33_____by his father's employer, who saw that he was a bright boy and paid for him to attend the village school. At sixteen, he started 34_____in a shop in a fishing village, and this was a turning 35_____in his life. He developed an interest in the sea and eventually joined the Royal Navy in order to see more of the world.
Cook was36_____ by sailing, astronomy and the production of maps, and quickly became an expert in these subjects. He was also one of the first people to 37_____that scurvy, an illness often suffered by sailors, could be prevented by careful 38_____to diet. It was during his 39_____to the Pacific Ocean that Cook made his historic landing in Australia and the 40_____ discovery that New Zealand was two 41_____ islands. He became a national hero and still 42_____one today.
