Test 12 (time: 50 minutes) 80 marks

 

Reading

 

Read the text. Then do Exercises A and B.

If we look carefully behind the special effects and stories which often seem silly or impossible, films about the future often have powerful messages about human behaviour and its affect on the environment.

 

In 1986, the film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was released. Set in the distant future, the film had a very strong environmental message. The story went like this: in the very distant past, at a time before humans existed, beings from another planet visited the Earth. The most intelligent creatures the aliens found were whales, which communicated with each through a series of sounds or ‘songs’ which they produced. 0) d

 

At the time the story takes place, the alien probe has returned to Earth to once again communicate with the whales. However, the probe doesn’t receive a response to its signals. 1) ____ The heroes, crew members of the starship Enterprise, must go back in time to find some whales and transport them to the future so that the whales can communicate with the probe and save the planet (which, of course, they manage to do!).

 

What would happen if the polar ice caps melt and the Earth is covered by water? The 1995 film Waterworld looks at that question. In the film, the Earth has been totally flooded. Small groups of people survive by building floating towns, called Atolls, out of any materials they have managed to find. 2) ____  Their life is very hard since it’s difficult for them to produce food and to get fresh water for drinking, let alone have anything to make their lives comfortable.

 

The survivors dream of finding a mythical island called Dryland, where they will be able to build a better life. 3) ____  To make things worse, a group of evil pirates, who are powerful because they have managed to find an old ship filled with petrol, constantly attack Atolls to steal their food and supplies.

 

Of course the story has a hero, a mysterious traveller called The Mariner. 4) ____ He has become hardened and will do anything necessary to survive. After a series of adventures, The Mariner helps a beautiful young woman and her daughter find Dryland.

 

In addition to making us think about the future consequences of the modern way of life, most futuristic films offer us a ray of hope. 5) ____  They also show that ordinary people can become heroes and do things which make the world a better place.

 

A Match sentences a-f with the gaps in the text. [5 points]

a He is able to survive successfully because he lives alone and doesn’t form relationships with others.

b They float around the Earth, picking up anything they find in the sea and trading materials at other Atolls they meet in order to get things they need.

c They tell us that people can work together to solve problems and create a peaceful society.

d The aliens built a special device to translate the ‘songs’ and were able to have a ‘dialogue’ with the whales.

e The problem is, no one knows where the island is.

f  This is because whales have become extinct due to the actions of humans throughout the centuries.

 

B Circle the correct answer. [5 points]

0 According to the text, futuristic films can be a waste of time / informative.

1 Star Trek IV sent a message about stopping global warming / protecting endangered species.

2 People / Whales have lived on the Earth longer.

3 Waterworld warns about destruction of the environment / sea.

4 Futuristic films have been produced for a decade / several decades.

5 The author has a(n) optimistic / pessimistic view of the future.

 

 

Vocabulary

 

C Choose the correct answer. [5 points]

At the end of the 20^th 0) ____ , people all over the world celebrated the beginning of a new 1) ____ . For some, it was a chance to look back at the Earth’s past and think about all the changes that had taken place throughout the 2) ____ . During the Jurassic 3) ____ , dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Slowly things began to change, and man became the most powerful creature. In prehistoric 4) ____ , people started to use art to express themselves. From then on, technological developments have rapidly increased, leading to the start of space exploration five 5) ____  ago.

 

0 a decade  b century  c period

1 a millennium  b ages  c times

2 a decades  b ages  c periods

3 a century  b period  c age

4 a times  b decades  c centuries

5 a ages  b centuries  c decades

 

D Circle the correct answer. [5 points]

0 Global / World warming affects the entire planet.

1 Cars which run on power / electricity don’t pollute as much as those which use petrol.

2 Thomas Edison invented / discovered the phonograph in 1877.

3 Polar bears have become a(n) dangerous / endangered species because of climate change.

4 The weather prediction / forecast said it would rain tonight.

5 The disaster / accident at the nuclear power plant was caused by human error.

 

E Complete with compound nouns. [10 points]

0 Most air pollution is caused by exhaust fumes from motor vehicles.

1 We took our old furniture to the ______________ to get rid of it.

2 I’m against cloning and other forms of ______________ . Humans shouldn’t interfere with nature.

3 Police scientists did a ______________ on a hair found at the scene of the crime in order to identify the criminal.

4 The ______________ has caused the Earth’s temperature to rise and the polar ice caps to melt.

5 I try to use ______________ instead of going everywhere by car.

 

F Circle the correct answer. [5 points]

0 Producing bigger cars which use more petrol is an example of

a not getting our priorities right.  b not taking environmental disasters seriously.

1 ____ the polar ice is melting, many areas close to the sea will be completely covered with water in a few decades.

a On a daily basis  b At the rate

2 Many people agree with the idea of recycling, but they ____ to do it.

a find excuses  b can’t be bothered

3 The situation won’t improve until people start to

a take environmental disasters seriously.  b take environmental disasters for granted.

4 People have got to stop ____ for using cars instead of public transport if they want to stop air pollution.

a taking for granted  b finding excuses

5 We’ve got to stop taking things like pure drinking water ____ and start protecting the environment.

a for granted  b on a daily basis

 

G Complete with these words. [5 points]

atmosphere, drought, famine, flood, tidal wave, tornado

 

0 The undersea earthquake created a 30-metre-high tidal wave.

1 The country had turned into a sandy desert because of the _________ .

2 The _________ , which had winds of 175 kilometres an hour, destroyed everything in its path.

3 It is very common for a(n) _________ to occur after a forest fire since there are no trees left to absorb the rainwater.

4 Many people died during the _________ because they did not have enough food to eat.

5 The _________ inside the factory was so polluted that workers began to have health problems.

 

 

 

Grammar

 

H Circle the correct answer. [5 points]

0 You were lucky you were driving slowly – your car could have / ought to have gone off the road.

1 The driver shouldn’t have / mustn’t have been talking on his mobile while driving.

2 I was waiting for you outside the cinema for an hour – you ought to have / may have called me.

3 Johnny’s flight can’t have / should have arrived yet – the airport is still closed because of the snow.

4 Our summer house might have / ought to have been damaged by the flood – we’re going there to check.

5 The temperature must have / should have dropped because there’s ice on the road.

 

I Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first. Use the modal perfect. There may be more than one correct answer for some. [10 points]

0 I expected the government to warn us about the tornado.

The government ought to / should have warned us about the tornado.

1 I’m sorry that I didn’t start recycling sooner.

I ______________ recycling sooner.

2 It’s possible that she committed the crime.

She ______________  the crime.

3 I’m sure Bob didn’t hear about the snowstorm – he is at the cinema.

Bob ______________ about the snowstorm – he is at the cinema.

4 Scientists are certain that the earthquake caused the tidal wave.

The earthquake ______________ the tidal wave.

5 I’m sure it rained during the night – everything outside is wet.

It ______________ during the night – everything outside is wet.

 

J Circle the correct answer. [5 points]

0 At 8 o’clock tomorrow I will be flying / will have flown to Venice.

1 There’s so much traffic that the game will be ending / will have ended by the time I reach the stadium.

2 By the end of the century, people will be finding / will have found a way to control climate change.

3 This time next week, I will be enjoying / will have enjoyed my holiday in Egypt.

4 Will you be staying / Will you have stayed in an expensive hotel while you’re on holiday?

5 By Tuesday, I will be finishing / will have finished my school report on the environment.

 

 

Writing

 

K Imagine you have visited a new environmental education centre which recently opened in your town. Write a report (120-150 words) on what you learnt about the centre during your visit. The plan and notes below will help you. [20 points]

 

• Introduction:

- the purpose of your report

      - how you got the information

• Paragraph 1: The Centre’s Mission

- teaching people of all ages how to protect the environment

   - topics covered: recycling, use of public transport vs private cars, respect for     forests and animals, etc

• Paragraph 2: Facilities

- a large theatre which shows educational films (about endangered species, pollution, etc)

            - an exhibition area which will feature a different topic each month

            - computers with access to websites related to the centre’s mission

• Paragraph 3: Activities

- gives talks, shows films, organises exhibitions about environmental problems   and solutions

      - organises field trips to animal shelters, protected forests, etc

         - organises volunteer programmes like tree-planting, removing rubbish from     beaches and parks, etc

- organises events to raise money for environmental/animal protection

• Conclusion: Summarise and give your opinion about the centre.