Test 3 (time: 50 minutes) 80 marks

 

Reading

 

Read the text. Then do Exercises A and B.

 

Warning: Fashion can be harmful to your health!

 

Thousands of years ago, people wore clothing to protect the body from the summer’s heat or the winter’s cold. Gradually over time, clothing became a way of making a statement about a person’s job, family background and how rich or poor they were.

 

In 13^th century Europe, for example, wives of wealthy men wore cone-shaped hats, called hennins, to show how important they were. The hennins looked like the pointy towers on churches – the taller the hennin was, the more important the woman wearing it was. At one point, the hennins got so big and heavy that someone carrying a long, fork-like stick had to follow the wearers around to hold the hennins up. Eventually a law was made to control the height of the hennins.

 

During the 16^th century women wore devices, called farthingales, under their dresses to make them look more attractive. The devices, which held the dresses away from the body, covered up any extra kilos the women may have had. Another popular item at the same time was the stiff, circular collar called a ruff, which was worn about the neck by wealthy men and women. Ruffs became so large that people wearing them could not move their heads and had to use knives and forks with very long handles in order to be able to put food into their mouths. The expression ‘white collar worker’, which refers to someone who doesn’t have to move around a lot to do their job, came from this fashion. Shirts and knee-length trousers similar to those men wear today began to appear at this time.

 

Marie-Antoinette of France set the fashion standard for the 18^th century. Women wore extreme hairstyles in exotic shapes such as carriages, ships and garden scenes. To keep their hair in place, they used a paste made from flour and water. They also used large amounts of powder to make their hair look white. Since the hairstyles were kept for weeks, it was common for small bugs, called head lice, to move in and cause a health problem.

 

Have people gotten smarter as time goes on and stopped following unhealthy fashion trends? Unfortunately, the answer is no. One of the most serious fashion problems today is the idea ‘the thinner, the better’, which has created serious health problems for people who want to be unnaturally thin. There is some hope, though. Spain has passed a law so that models who are unhealthily thin are not allowed to work in that country. This law forces models to take care of their health. If other countries follow Spain’s example, perhaps this problem will be solved.

 

So next time you’re thinking of following the latest fashion trend, first stop and ask yourself whether it’s harmful or not.

 

A Decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F). [5 points]

0 People first used clothing to show how important they were. T / F

1 Special tools were developed to help women wear fashionable hats. T / F

2 Ruffs became popular in the 13^th century. T / F

3 White-coloured hair was not fashionable in the 18^th century. T / F

4 It’s healthier to be very thin. T / F

5 Spain has done something about the weight of models. T / F

 

B Choose the correct answer. [5 points]

0 Which is an example of a white collar worker?

a a farmer

b a factory worker

c an office worker

 

1 When did styles similar to today’s men’s clothing first begin to appear?

a during the 13^th century

b during the 16^th century

c during the 18^th century

 

2 Why did 18^th century women get head lice?

a They had extreme hairstyles.

b They used powder on their hair.

c They didn’t wash their hair for a long time.

 

3 What does ‘the thinner, the better’ mean?

a The fewer kilos you weigh, the more beautiful you are.

b It’s healthier to be thin.

c The less food you eat, the more weight you’ll lose.

 

4 Why did Spain pass a law about fashion models?

a They don’t like the fashions worn by thin models.

b They don’t want models to work there.

c They want models to become healthier.

 

5 What is the writer’s opinion about fashion trends?

a People today don’t follow unhealthy fashion trends.

b It’s dangerous to follow fashion trends without thinking.

c All fashion trends are unhealthy.

 

 

Vocabulary

 

C Circle the correct answer. [6 points]

0 I bought a beautiful mini / baggy skirt for the party.

1 Jenny always wears comfortable, low-heeled / high-heeled walking shoes.

2 My grandma likes wearing silk / fur shirts.

3 Madonna and other female pop stars usually wear loose-fitting / tight-fitting clothes.

4 It’s cold today – I’ll wear a short-sleeved / long-sleeved shirt.

5 You can see Bill’s red T-shirt under his black V-necked / polo-neck jumper.

6 On a hot day, wearing loose-fitting / tight-fitting clothes helps keep you cool.

D Choose the correct answer. [6 points]

0 This ____ coat is beautiful, but too expensive for me to buy.

a leather  b cotton  c combat

1 People who love animals don’t wear ____ coats.

a hipster  b gypsy  c fur

2 My new wool jumper is uncomfortable because it’s ____ .

a soft  b itchy  c smooth

3 It’s comfortable to wear ____ denim jeans.

a faded  b tight  c rough

4 I can’t walk in these ____ shoes.

a platform  b cowboy c baggy

5 She has really ____ her image.

a improved  b refused  c covered

6 My grandma used ____ to make me a beautiful scarf.

a fur  b denim  c wool

 

E Choose the correct answer. [6 points]

0 International models are ____ in a charity fashion show.

a taking in  b taking out  c taking part  d taking place

1 That belt ____ your small waist.

a brings in  b brings up  c brings out  d brings down

2 The leather bags ____ very quickly.

a sold out  b sold off  c went out  d went off

3 Wearing scarves has really ____ .

a tried on  b caught on c put on  d gone on

4 This shop doesn’t let you ____ T-shirts.

a try on  b try out  c sell out  d bring out

5 That blue dress ____ her suntan.

a stands out  b calls out  c shows off  d calls off

6 It was so hot in the shop I almost ____ .

a fell out  b got out  c passed out  d put out

 

F Circle the correct answer. [6 points]

Every Saturday my friends and I go to the open air 0) market / shop which takes place in the centre of town. The clothes sold there are 1) designs / copies of clothes in the shops. You can also find some cool old stuff, like 2) rough / flared trousers. Everything is cheaper because you don’t have to pay for the high costs of 3) advertising / marketing that you do when you buy from the 4) markets / shops. I mean, I don’t really want to pay a lot of money just to have a designer’s 5) slogan / image on my T-shirt – I like buying a variety of things so that I can create my own fashion 6) message / look. 

 

G Complete with these words. [6 points]

awful, expensive, glad, out, row, scruffy, without

 

Yesterday I had a big 0) row with my sister. She’d taken my favourite shirt – a really

1) _________ one – and accidentally spilled a bowl of greasy chilli on it. I was really upset because I can’t do 2) _________ that shirt – I wear it a lot. My mum tried to make me feel better by letting me sort 3) _________ some of her old clothes. It was kind of fun – I’d never imagined that my mum had worn 4) _________ jeans! In the end, everything turned out well. Mum washed my T-shirt and it looked good as new. I felt 5) _________ about fighting with my sister and apologised. We spent the rest of the afternoon trying on Mum’s old clothes and had a lot of fun – I was 6) _________ we were friends again.

 

 

Grammar

 

H Complete with the past simple or past continuous form of the verb in brackets. [5 points]

0 While I was cooking (cook) dinner, Jill was setting the table.

1 I ______________ (feel) really nervous before the fashion show started.

2 While I ______________ (try on) clothes in the shop, someone stole my bag!

3 What ______ you ________ (do) at 6.00 yesterday evening?

4 I’m glad there’s a new shop assistant – the old one ______________ (always talk) on the phone!

5 ______ you ________ (used to) play basketball in the school team?

 

I Complete with the past perfect simple or past perfect continuous form of the verb in brackets. [5 points]

0 I called Adam as soon as I had heard (hear) the news.

1 I ______________ (fix) my hair for hours and it still looked horrible!

2 When I ______________ (finish) ironing my clothes, I watched a DVD.

3 How long ______ Betty ________ (know) Eddie before they got married?

4 I ______________ (wait) in a queue to get tickets for the fashion show for hours.

5 ______ you already ________ (eat) lunch when you met Eric?

 

J Circle the correct answer. [10 points]

As soon as I 0) had been finishing / had finished school for the summer, I 1) got / had got a job as a shop assistant. I 2) set / had set my alarm clock for 7.00 so that I would get to work on time, but for some reason it didn’t go off. Fortunately, my dad 3) was leaving / had been leaving for work, and so he 4) was driving / drove me to the shop. When I arrived at 8.30, everyone 5) was working / had been working hard. The manager said she 6) had been waiting / was waiting for me since 8 am, and she

7) wasn’t / hadn’t been in a very good mood! I 8) was doing / had been doing my best all day, and by 5.00 I was exhausted – the job was much harder than I 9) had thought / had been thinking. The people were nice, though, and so was the manager. I enjoyed it so much that the following summer I 10) went / had been back to work there.

 

Writing

 

K Write a short article (120-150 words) about fashion. Talk about things that used to be popular and which are popular now. Describe them and say why you like / don’t like them. [20 points]

Use these ideas and/or ideas of your own:

• Item: jeans, cowboy boots, stiletto heels, pointed shoes, fur coats, leg warmers, etc
• Material: cotton, wool, leather, silk, fur, denim, etc
• Quality: heavy, soft, smooth, itchy, warm, rough, expensive, etc
• Style: loose-fitting, flared, V-necked, etc