CAMBRIDGE PRELIMINARY ENGLISH FOR SCHOOLS EXAM UNITS 1-4

NAME: ____________________________________________________
SURNAME: ________________________________________________

Read the text about activities for young people living in gthe
countryside. Then look at the sentences at the bottom of the
page and decide if each sentence is True or False.
Living in the countryside can be very difficult for teenagers. Their nearest friend lives miles away
and it's impossible to get into the town to go shopping or attend a club. 13-year-old Fiona Timson,
who lives in Carneath in Wales, says 'Everyone else in my class seems to have such interesting
weekends. They meet each other by chance when they're out shopping, and they decide there
and then to do something cool together. That never happens to me.'
Fiona's mum, Helen, realises it's a problem. 'We moved here because it was quiet and we knew
we wouldn't have to worry about her going out alone. But we possibly made the wrong choice.
Fiona hardly ever leaves home, not because she's scared, but because there is simply nowhere
for her to go. The village is tiny, and most of the people living here are old. I can't drive her around
because we only have one car, and my husband uses it for work.' Fiona can't spend the evening
with friends because the last bus to Carneath is at ten past five in the afternoon. She even has to
leave her school orchestra practice early in order to catch it.
The Country Kids organisation aims to help children like Fiona, and their families. A grant from
Country Kids gives families money for four taxi rides per month, up to a distance of twenty five
miles each. This allows children like Fiona to attend an after-school club once per week or visit
friends on Sundays. Country Kids also organizes trips to theatres and sports events in nearby
cities at weekends. The parents don't have to do anything. A minibus comes directly to the house
and picks the kids up.
To qualify for a grant from Country Kids, children must be between the ages of eleven and
sixteen, and live in a village with a population of less than 1000 people. The village must be more
than twenty miles from a town. The family's income must also be below a certain level. For
Fiona's schoolfriend Emma, who lives in nearby Dolbury with a population of 894, it's perfect.
Unfortunately, Fiona misses out. The population of Carneath is 1159.
The number of families applying to Country Kids for a grant is increasing, and its president, Judith
Sankey, is finding it more and more difficult to find funding. 'There are so many great
organisations looking for money. A lot of people feel that curing diseases and helping animals is
more important than the work we do, so they prefer to give their money to them. We're always
worrying that we won't be able to carry on. But the families we help really do appreciate what we
do, so I hope the organisation can continue to run in the future.'

1 Fiona would like to have fun without having to making plans.

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 True

False

2 Fiona's family moved to the countryside because of their work.

True

False

3 Fiona's mother does not allow Fiona to go out alone.

True

False

4 Very few children and teenagers live in Carneath.

True

False

5 Fiona is unable to play in the school orchestra because of where she lives.
True

False

6 A child with a Country Kids grant gets free transport home twice per week.
True

False

7 Country Kids takes children to see plays in nearby towns.

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 True

False

8 Fiona doesn't qualify for a Country Kids grant because her family earns too much.
True

False

9 Fewer and fewer families are requesting money from Country Kids.
True

False

10 Judith Sankey is worried that the Country Kids organisation may close down.
True

False

The teenagers below are all looking for a website. Read the descriptions of eight websites.
Decide which website would be the most suitable for each person. For Questions 1-5,
select the best course.
A - Clever Boots
Clever Boots is an educational and entertaining website that aims to tell people how things work.
From how your body works to how the earth formed, youll find it here. There are helpful videos,
diagrams and photos which help you understand, and there are links to other websites, such as
industries and environmental agencies, so you can study a topic in as much detail as you like.
B - Reviewer
Kids aged between the ages of ten and fifteen choose and review their favourite works of fiction.
There are reviews of over 5000 books, from teen horror to romance. The Like this?... Then try
this button makes it easy for kids to find more books they would enjoy. Kids can post their own
opinions about the books they have read and compare their thoughts to others.
C - Babble
Babble is a social site where teens can catch up with friends and meet new people online. When
you enter the site you arrive at the Babble School. You can then click on different classrooms in
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the hotel and select your age group. Join discussions on a range of hot topics, from business,
industry, biological research or your opinions of classic literature. You can also create private
classrooms where only your classmates are allowed. You can even change furniture and colours
in your classroom!
D - Know it All
All the available official past papers from different examination boards are here on one site,
allowing you to get really prepared. There are papers on all subjects and at a wide range of
levels. Answers are provided although, for essay questions, they can be difficult to follow. There is
advice about how to read questions correctly and suggestions about different ways to study.
E - Master It
Whatever your dream in life, Master It can help you achieve it. Master It tells you the
qualifications you need and the exams you have to pass in order to get different jobs. It tells you
whether you need to a university degree or technical college qualification, or whether you can
walk into the job after leaving school. Read about people who did the course and find out how
challenging it is. The site can even tell you the closest locations of schools offering courses.
F - Teen Teach
If you want to know whether youve got your homework right before handing it in, Teen Teach can
help. Other teenagers will look at your work, point out mistakes and give you suggestions on how
you can improve it. Be careful, though. Anybody can give their opinion on your homework. It
doesnt mean that their ideas are good ones!
G - Book Fair
Book Fair is a great way for school and college students to find the best books for their courses at
the best price. Read about which books students found most helpful, and which ones werent.
Write your own opinions too. There are links to online bookshops where you can buy books at the
cheapest prices, and you can also buy second hand from other site users. If youve finished with
a book, sell it on here.
H - Wilson
Wilson is a cartoon dog who is interested in a lot of things. Follow Wilson as he explores his
cartoon world and finds out about the things in it. There is information about wildlife, health,
history, religion and countries of the world. Although the site is fun and entertaining, the
information is rather simple and lacks detail. The more intelligent users may even find a few
errors in the contents!

Question 1
Jamie is interested in becoming a mechanic, and wants to know whether hell need to take any
exams to get a job, or whether he can simply find work at a garage after leaving school.

Question 2
Paul is tired of doing his homework and wants to read for fun. However, he doesnt know what
books to read as there seem to be so many to choose from!

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Question 3
Annie is seventeen years old and has to write a geography report for school on where our power
comes from. She wants real life examples to make her report really good.

Question 4
Cathys brother always used to check her homework before he gave it to his teacher, but now he
has gone to university, so she has nobody to help her.

Question 5
Miriam has enjoyed finding out about different religions at school and would like to discuss the
topic with people from other schools, or even other countries.

GRAMMAR TEST
Complete the gaps with present simple, past simple or present continuous.

Dear Mary

How are you. I (1) _________________(receive) your letter last week. Thank you for the recipe
for the cake I (2) ________________(ask) for. I made it last week and it
(3) _______________(be) very nice. I now (4) ___________________(have) a new job in a
supermarket in the city centre.I go there every day at 3 o'clock in the afternoon and
(5) ___________________(work) there till 10 o'clock in the evening. I am very happy because my
sister (6) _____________________(work) there too so we travel to and from work together. I
(7) __________________(get) my first wages last week and I went shopping immediately! I
(8) ___________________(buy) a new stereo for my bedroom. It is gold and black and
(9) ___________________(look) very nice. My brother (10) __________________(come) to stay
with me for a few days next week. He (11) _____________________(arrive) on Saturday so I am
going to collect him from the station. After I collect him, we are going to that Mexican restaurant
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near the park. (12) __________________(you/want?) to come with us? You can
(13) _________________(call) me to tell me if you want to come or not. John told me that you
(14) ______________________(pass) your Spanish exam last month. Congratulations.
(15) ____________________(be?) difficult? You know that I (16) ____________________(be)
terrible at languages but you are better. (17) ____________________(you/go?) to visit Spain for
your next holiday so you can practice it?

Please write to me soon with all your news, Mary.

All the best

Sara.

2. Complete the gaps.

Shopkeeper: Good morning! Can I help you?

Customer: Yes, please. I _____________________(buy) this portable CD player last week.

It __________________(work) for two days, but it ____________________(not/work)

since Tuesday.

Shopkeeper: What's the matter exactly?

Customer: I think the volume control _____________________(break).

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Shopkeeper: How ________________it ___________________? (happen)

Customer: Well, I _____________________(jog) at the time. It

suddenly _________________(make) a funny noise while I __________________(listen) to my

favorite CD. Since then it ______________________ (be) very quiet.

Shopkeeper: Let me have a look. Ah yes. A small metal piece _______________(come off). You

need a new Cd player. I've got some on order, but they _____________________(not arrive) yet.

6. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the adjective in brackets:

Example: Carol is as good (good) as you at sport.

b. We like wearing the________________________ (late) fashion.

c. These trousers are ____________________ (comfortable) than those jeans.

d. She is ______________________ (happy) now than he was last year.

e. You are the ________________________ (pretty) girl in class.

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f. My grandma is _______________________ (old) than my grandpa.

g. The red dress is the ______________________ (attractive) in the shop.

h. I always tell the _______________________ (fun) jokes.

i. Your hair is ____________________ (curly) than my hair.

j. My hair is ______________________ (short) than yours.

VOCABULARY

BELIEVE IN: WORRIED:

STAY IN: BORING:
STYLISH: AFRAID:

WRITING:

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C/ Sevilla, Bajo 8
23006 Jan
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