Name: ________ Class: __________

First Expert Module 1 test

1 Read the text and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.

Keeping (1) _____ touch with people is so simple these days. With the technology now available, we can
get hold (2) _____ people all over the world at any time using mobile phones, email and online social
networks. Even creating a new friendship or contact is as easy as sending (3) _____ an invite and only
takes a minute. Technology now allows us to go (4) _____ and be connected wherever we are or to chill
(5) _____ at home and still feel in touch with the world around us.
At the same time though, technological communication is in some ways also taking (6) _____ face-to-face
communication. Many people now spend more time on the internet or their phones, connecting with others
in a virtual environment than physically meeting up or staying (7) _____ them in their homes in the real
world. However, perhaps one of the biggest challenges with modern communication is keeping (8) _____
with technology. It changes so quickly that trying (9) _____ all the latest devices or sites is virtually
impossible. The other one is creating the opportunity for our children to grow (10) _____ knowing how to
talk to people face-to-face.

1 A of B in C on D at
2 A on B for C from D of
3 A about B out C for D of
4 A for B by C out D from
5 A out B over C by D off
6 A out of B out by C over from D over for
7 A by B from C about D with
8 A into B up C by D about
9 A on B for C over D out
10 A up B by C out D about
/10

2 Read the sentences and use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the gap.

1 Today is a _______________ rainy day and also rather windy. PARTICULAR

2 He has a very _______________ way of dressing and so is easy to spot in a crowd. CHARACTER

3 The moment the sun _______________ behind the clouds, we began to feel cold. APPEAR

4 It took us hours to hang all the _______________ for the party around the room. DECORATE

5 Although there a lot of _______________ between the twins, you notice the differences the more you
talk to them. SIMILAR

6 How much freedom and _______________ do teenagers in your country have? INDEPENDENT

/6

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3 Read the text and choose the correct answers in italics.

These days, my grandmother’s dog, Meg, is (1) not nearly as easy / far easier / nearly as easy to look after
as she always (2) seems / is seeming / will seem to be asleep in front of the fire. It (3) isn’t mattering /
doesn’t matter / didn’t matter what time of day it is, (4) you’ll never come / you’ll never be coming /
aren’t coming round and have her run up to you with her tail wagging. Years ago, my grandmother
(5) would to / used to / didn’t take her out for a walk twice a day but now they are (6) a lot older /
not nearly as old / just about the oldest, they both (7) are preferring / will prefer / prefer to stay inside and
relax. I remember when Meg was a young puppy, she (8) used to / was / will run around all the time. In
fact, from the moment she woke up, she (9) will sit / was sitting / would sit by the door expecting to go out
for a walk.

/9
TOTAL: /25

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Name: ________ Class: __________

First Expert Module 2 test

1 Read the text and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.

Continuing education
Many students decide to go to university when they are (1) _____ secondary school. They usually have
help deciding the subjects they want or need to (2) _____ . The subjects they choose, as well as the grades
they (3) _____ in their exams, are important. For example, you must study mathematics to do an
accounting (4) _____ . There is a lot of competition to get a place on (5) _____ courses, so universities set
(6) _____ entry requirements. This means that students have to (7) _____ all their exams with particular
grades. Those who fail to do this sometimes decide to (8) _____ their final school exams in order to get
higher grades. Others take time out of (9) _____ and later in their life (10) _____ for a course as a mature
student. In this situation, the entry requirements differ.

1 A doing B going C attending D taking

2 A attend B revise C get D study
3 A get B pass C make D take
4 A education B licence C study D degree
5 A higher B continuous C undergraduate D graduate
6 A strict B up-to-date C better D bright
7 A make B pass C skip D get
8 A revise B resit C do D skip
9 A assessment B school C university D education
10 A pay B attend C apply D resit
/10

2 Read the sentences and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap.

1 Employees work harder when they feel valued _______________ the company they work for.

2 Have you ever _______________ part in a school play?

3 How long _______________ she been studying at university?

4 I’ve been waiting for this letter _______________ days!

5 Can you play _______________ piano or any other musical instrument?

6 I’m a teacher. I very much enjoy _______________ with children.

7 There never seems to be _______________ time to relax these days.

8 We haven’t been to _______________ USA since the summer.

9 It will be a _______________ weeks before we get our results – at least three, they say.
/9

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3 Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the
word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including
the word given.

1 She usually does her homework when she gets home.

AT
She tends ______________________________ home.
2 There is almost nothing to watch on television tonight.
HARDLY
There ______________________________ to watch on television tonight.
3 Tom started to play rugby when he was a teenager.
PLAYING
Tom ______________________________ he was a teenager.
4 He says he can attend an interview at any time.
AVAILABLE
He says he ______________________________ an interview at any time.
5 Mary resigned last week.
RESIGNATION
Mary handed ______________________________ last week.
6 My English teacher has a lot of passion for the subject.
VERY
My English teacher ______________________________ the subject.

/6
TOTAL: /25

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Name: ________ Class: __________

First Expert Progress test 1 (Modules 1–2)

Grammar and vocabulary

1 Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the
word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including
the word given.

1 The only subject Tina doesn’t enjoy is drama.

APART
Tina enjoys all subjects ______________________________ drama.

2 She never remembered to pick me up from school.

ALWAYS
She ______________________________ to pick me up from school.

3 He has a few more essays to write than I do.

MANY
I don’t have ______________________________ to write as he does.

4 They are much better at basketball than me.

NEARLY
I’m ______________________________ them at basketball.

5 My dad finds driving at night more tiring these days.

IS
These days, my dad finds it ______________________________ at night.

6 Tom doesn’t run nearly as fast as Jim.

RUNNER
Jim is ______________________________ than Tom.

7 She started to enjoy reading when she was a young child.

HAS
She ______________________________ she was a young child.
/7

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2 Read the text. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that
fits in the gap in the same line.

A rural childhood
As children, my brother and I were (1) _______________ running free in the countryside CONSTANT
near the village we lived in. In the (2) _______________ , we used to leave the house VACATE
early in the morning and spend (3) _______________ hours exploring the woods and END
fields nearby. We felt totally at home in the countryside and were (4) _______________ EXTREME
glad we had so much freedom; freedom it seems our city cousins didn’t have.

When we were playing, we never thought about the possible (5) _______________ we DANGEROUS
faced and would swing from tree to tree without a worry in the world. Perhaps this was
because in our village, children were (6) _______________ to play outside as this was EXPECT
what kids in the country did. I’m not saying our parents were never (7) ______________ CONCERN
about our safety. However, they were (8) _______________ with us going out on our COMFORT
own and playing with other children or simply exploring the natural habitat by ourselves.
In those days, it was (9) _______________ for all adults to keep an eye on what all the CUSTOM
village children were up to. So, if we misbehaved, we would still get told off – just not
by our parents. Of course, our parents always found out in the end and this
(10) _______________ us from behaving badly. After all, no one wants to be told off COURAGE
by an (11) _______________ parent. EMBARRASS

/11

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3 Read the text and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.

The music began the moment the bride and her father started walking (1) _____ the aisle. The groom looked
excited and nervous at the same time. When it got to the part where the bride and groom (2) _____ rings, a
lot of us clapped and a few people cried with happiness. We all went outside for photos before going to the
reception. The (3) _____ where it took place was beautifully decorated with balloons and flowers. The
bride’s father was the first to stand up and (4) _____ a toast to the married couple. But the funniest part was
yet to come. The (5) _____ man, an old friend of the groom’s, was great at telling jokes and the speech he
(6) _____ was hilarious. It had us laughing for ages!

1 A across B down C along D in

2 A shift B transfer C award D exchange
3 A shelter B marquee C tent D registry
4 A propose B tell C speak D address
5 A greatest B chief C best D leading
6 A took B had C did D made
/6

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Listening

4 ► 01 You will hear part of a radio interview with a student called Leanne Wilson, who is
talking about her first weeks at university. Listen and and complete the summary using words
you hear. Use two to four words to complete each gap.

The first year at university

When Leanne first arrived at university, she felt excited but also anxious as she (1) ___________________ .

While making course-mates is important, she advises new students to join a range of clubs and societies so
they can (2) ___________________ of people.

Looking back on her first weeks at university, she wishes she had gone out more. She now realises that
those first weeks are designed for new students to (3) ___________________ themselves. This helps them
to make friends and settle into their new surroundings.

For her, the decision to live at home or not is a personal one. As she wanted to be more independent, she felt
living in student accommodation was the (4) ___________________ for her to do.

As not every student will have time for a part-time job, she suggests reducing costs by sharing
(5) ___________________ , eating cheaply and going to charity shops. The holidays can then be used as an
opportunity to work and save money.

When it comes to taking notes in lectures, don’t worry about writing down everything said. Normally,
students have access to (6) ___________________ afterwards. The lectures are essentially a brief
overview of a particular aspect and should help students understand which areas they need to
(7) ___________________ .

Her final piece of advice is to become disciplined and to gain a balance between your studies and social life.
This is really important as it will stop you becoming (8) ___________________ when the work piles up.

/8

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Reading
5 Read the article below. Are these statements True (T) or False (F)?
1 Adam, Richard and Jon met through working in advertising. _____
2 They created a clear business plan before they started their business. _____
3 After receiving positive feedback from the public, they left their jobs. _____
4 They were fortunate in gaining an investor at the last minute. _____
5 Most surprisingly, no additives are used in their smoothies. _____
6 The three partners take a very traditional approach to running a business. _____
7 A lot of money was spent on advertising. _____
8 Looking after staff is the key to a successful business, according to the three partners. _____
/8

These men are Innocent!

Back in 1998, three 26-year-olds, Adam Balon, local shops to stock their product, which they
Richard Reed and Jon Wright, made up their minds delivered personally in their grass-covered minibus.
that it was time they either left their well-paid jobs in
Their airy office in London, affectionately known as
management consultancy and advertising and went
‘Fruit Towers’, is open plan, the ‘grass’ floors, table
into business together or stopped talking about it.
football games, beanbags and casually dressed trendy
What kind of business they wanted to set up they
young staff representing the fresh feeling Innocent is
weren’t quite sure but it was something they had been
trying to create. But alongside all this quirkiness is an
discussing ever since they were at university together.
impressive business. New recipes created in the high-
Deciding that the way forward was to make it easier
tech kitchen are tried out on the people in the
for busy people to be healthy, the trio bought some
surrounding office buildings, although new product
fruit and made smoothies, which they then tested on
ideas, however fashionable, are rejected if they go too
people at a small jazz festival in London. ‘We put up
far away from their main aim: making a natural,
a large sign asking, “Should we quit our jobs to make
healthy, great-tasting drink. Their confidence that a
these smoothies?” and put out one bin saying “Yes”
quality product will sell itself appears to have paid
and another saying “No”.’ The ‘Yes’ bin filled up
off; despite minimal advertising, Innocent currently
immediately with empty bottles and the next day they
sells more than two million smoothies per week.
resigned from their jobs.
Aside from the greenery, one of the first things you
However, launching Innocent smoothies did not
notice about Fruit Towers is how happy everyone
happen overnight. Experts in the food industry told
there seems to be. The three partners were convinced
them that their product was too expensive and without
that success relies on the well-being and happiness of
the use of additives, the drinks wouldn’t last long.
the people who work there, so as well as financial
Even more worryingly, the numerous banks they
incentives like company shares, healthcare and extra
approached were not too keen on financing them and
bonuses, the staff are motivated by snowboarding
it wasn’t until their savings were about to run out that
trips, scholarships to enable them to pursue outside
a wealthy businessman took a leap of faith and
interests and studies, and a wide choice of social and
invested in the business. Ignoring most of the advice
sporting activities. Innocent employees are positive,
they’d been given, Innocent then went on to create a
motivated and proud of where they work, which is
range of drinks made from 100 percent fresh fruit and
why the company has won numerous awards over the
nothing else. Careful production and high-tech
years, including Guardian Employer of the Year and
packaging gave the drinks the longest possible shelf
top place in the Sunday Times’ ‘Best small companies
life but they stuck to their beliefs by ‘not messing
to work for’ list.
about with them’ at all. The next step was to persuade

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Writing

6 Read the informal letter and choose the correct answers in italics.

Hello Jo,

I (1) understand you wish to have / hear you’re looking for a pen friend. So am I! (2) Let me tell / I should
like to tell you a bit about myself and my family.

My name’s Marisa and (3) I live in / I’m an inhabitant of Cadiz, Spain. I used to work full-time as a primary
school teacher but last year I started my own business. I make cakes for birthdays and other special
occasions. (4) Right now / At this moment in time I teach part-time because of my business. In the future I
want to stop teaching completely and work entirely for myself.

I live at home with my parents, which is lovely. We’re very close and my mum’s cooking is wonderful.
(5) I’m lucky as / I feel fortunate that I don’t need to do much housework, so I have more time for my
business.

I have a younger sister, Emi, who is about to start university. She’s going to study philosophy. We get on
really well and (6) look pretty similar / have a similar appearance. We both enjoy sailing and share a love
for the sea.

How about you? What do you like doing? Do you ever get the chance to travel? It would be great to meet
up one day. Maybe (7) the possibility would arise for you to / you could visit Cadiz next summer?
(8) At the next opportunity / Next time I write, I’ll (9) send you a photo / forward you a photograph of me
and my family.

Well, that’s all for now.

(10) Best wishes / Yours sincerely,

Marisa
/10
TOTAL: /50

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