HOW TO CHECK THE LEVEL OF LEANERS PART 1

Test 1 (time: 50 minutes) 80 marks

Reading

 

Read the text. Then do Exercise A.

The Chinese year doesn’t start on 1^st January. Instead, the New Year starts on a different day every year, but it is always some time between the middle of January and the middle of February. The New Year celebration lasts for 15 days and is filled with all kinds of local traditions and customs.

 

In the days before the celebration starts, people get ready to welcome the New Year. They start by cleaning their houses so that they will be fresh and ready to be filled with all the good things they hope the New Year will bring. They also shop for things needed to celebrate properly, like red clothing, decorations for their homes, and gifts.

 

On New Year’s Eve, family members usually get together and enjoy a special holiday dinner. They eat a number of different kinds of traditional foods, including chicken and fish, which will bring good luck to the family, and special candies and cakes so that the New Year will be ‘sweet’. During the celebration period, people greet each other with good wishes, such as ‘Happy New Year’ and ‘Be well and successful’. They also give small red envelopes with money inside to children and people who are not married.

 

One of the most popular parts of the celebration is the Dragon Dance. According to Chinese tradition, the dragon brings bad luck to people, but he is not very brave and is afraid of the colour red and loud noises. So, by dressing up in red clothing, shooting off fireworks and making lots of noise, they scare the dragon – and the bad luck he brings with him – away.

 

On the last night of the celebration, the Lantern Festival takes place. People of all ages carry special lights (called lanterns) or colourful candles and walk in parades through the dark streets of town. Traditionally, unmarried people were not allowed to spend time alone together, except during the Lantern Festival. The festival was a way for them to make new friends or get to know someone better. Today it is a popular festival that everyone enjoys.

 

A Answer the following questions. [10 points]

0 During which of the New Year’s celebrations do people carry candles?

the Lantern Festival

 

1 Why do people clean their houses before the New Year’s celebration?

__________________________________________

2 Why do people eat candies and cakes on New Year’s Eve?

__________________________________________

3 Why do people want to scare the dragon away?

__________________________________________

4 What do they do to scare the dragon away?

__________________________________________

5 What do people do during the Lantern Festival?

__________________________________________

Vocabulary

 

B Choose the correct answer. [6 points]

Every Sunday is International Day at the Small World restaurant. Chefs from a number of different foreign countries prepare some of their special 0) ____ foods. I usually start my meal with a tasty salad of different kinds of fresh, 1) ____ vegetables – it comes with small bits of 2) ____ toasted bread and a delicious 3) ____ and vinegar sauce.  Then I sometimes have a bowl of 4) ____ chicken curry. Today I’m having grilled octopus – the chef cooks it a special way so that it’s not too 5) ____ – and a bowl of strawberries and

6) ____ for dessert.

 

0 a foreign   b custom   c traditional

1 a sour   b raw   c tasteless

2 a juicy   b crunchy   c raw

3 a oil   b cream   c sour

4 a raw   b sour   c spicy

5 a crunchy   b chewy   c sweet

6 a oil   b butter   c cream

 

C Choose the correct answer. [6 points]

0 We don’t know if there will be fireworks / shapes – it depends on the weather.

1 Eric hasn’t got much common sense / logic – he only eats junk food.

2 Robert has very bad form / manners – he’s often rude to people.

3 One of my favourite local costumes / customs is flying a kite on the first day of spring.

4 New Year’s Day is a(n) ethnic / national holiday – everyone has the day off.

5 We had to show our name / identity cards before we could buy tickets.

6 We walked two kilometres in the New Year’s Day parade / celebration.

 

D Complete with say, tell, speak or talk. [6 points]

0 Tony promised to tell Todd he was sorry for being rude.

1 Mina likes to _________ French whenever she can.

2 I didn’t hear you. What did you _________ ?

3 Could you _________ me what time the film starts, please?

4 I usually _________ my little sister a story in the evening.

5 Mark and Eddie _________ jokes really well – they’re a great comedy team.

6 Don’t _________ nonsense – of course our team will win!

 

E Complete with the correct form of the word in brackets. [6 points]

0 Henry is humourless. He’s the only one who doesn’t laugh at Jack’s jokes. (humour)

1 This food is ______________ . Give me some salt and pepper quickly. (taste)

2 I made a ______________ mistake and got the wrong answer to the Maths problem. (care)

3 Don’t go near that dog – he’s very ______________ and may bite you. (friend)

4 This test is ______________ – it seems to go on forever! (end)

5 I was ______________ when I heard the news – I didn’t know what to say. (speech)

6 That snake is ______________ – it’s not poisonous. (harm)

 

F Complete with these words. [6 points]

butter, cream, crunchy, oil, raw, sour, traditional

 

0 Do you take milk or cream in your coffee?

1 Carrots and corn flakes are ______________ .

2 You must cook the meat – don’t eat it ______________ .

3 Moussaka is a ______________ Greek dish.

4 I can’t drink lemon juice; it’s ______________ .

5 Pour ______________ over the salad and serve it.

6 Would you like to spread some ______________ on your toast?

 

 

Grammar

 

G Choose the correct answer. [5 points]

Rosalie: Hi, Anthony. What 0) do you do / are you doing here so early?

Anthony: I 1) want / am wanting to help you get ready for Frannie’s birthday party.

Rosalie: That’s great. Right now I 2) make / am making the snacks.

Anthony: Can I try one? Wow – they 3) taste / are tasting great!

Rosalie: Thanks. Oh no, I 4) smell / am smelling something burning – the biscuits!

Anthony: Can I help you?

Rosalie: Yes, thanks. There is something you can do. I 5) wait / am waiting for Alex to bring me some more cheese. Could you call him and tell him to hurry?

Anthony: No problem!

 

H Complete with the present simple or present continuous form of the verb in brackets. [10 points]

My school team won the national football championship and the town 0) is organising (organise) a parade and party to celebrate. We 1) ______________ (think) the team will be really surprised when they get back.  We usually 2) ______________ (not enjoy) gym class, but this week we 3) ______________ (learn) some dance steps for the big parade – and we 4) ______________ (have) a lot of fun! Everyone except Linda – she always

5) ______________ (say) that she’s tired. 

 

I Choose the correct answer. [5 points]

0 My mother is making ____ lunch.

a a  b an  c – 

1 I’m going to take a boat ride on ____ River Seine when I’m in Paris.

a a  b the  c –

2 My uncle is learning ____ Chinese because he’s planning to visit China.

a a  b –  c the

3 Do you ever eat ____ hamburger and chips for lunch?

a a  b an  c the

4 Do you know how big ____ Pacific Ocean is?

a a  b an  c the

5 ____ Chinese don’t celebrate New Year’s on 1^st January.

a The  b A  c –

 

 

Writing

 

J Write an article (120-150 words) for a young people’s magazine about your favourite local celebration. [20 points]

Include the following:

• the name of your country and the celebration
• when it’s celebrated
• what you do
• why it’s your favourite