Upper-Intermediate File 10 Exam

Choose the correct word.

1. Neither Tim ________ Alastair can come on Friday – they’re too busy.

Choose the correct word.

2. The talk isn’t just for university students – ________ can come.

Choose the correct word.

3. ________ people in the crowd had come to see the fireworks.

Choose the correct word.

4. It’s a shame that there aren’t ________ places left on the cruise.

Choose the correct word.

5. We try to go for a walk ________ day, and sometimes do a long one on Sundays.

Choose the correct word.

6. Kevin’s mum offered us some sandwiches, but ________ of us were hungry.

Choose the correct word.

7. Helen’s a vegetarian. She doesn’t eat ________ fish or meat.

Choose the correct word.

8. ________ in this room belongs to me – it was completely empty when I took it.

Choose the correct word.

9. There’s ________ milk. Do you like black coffee?

Choose the correct word.

10. You can have either cream  ________  ice-cream with your fruit.

Complete the sentences with a / an, the, or – (no article).

Complete the sentences with a / an, the, or – (no article).

Complete the sentences with a / an, the, or – (no article).

Complete the sentences with a / an, the, or – (no article).

Complete the sentences with a / an, the, or – (no article).

Complete the sentences with a / an, the, or – (no article).

Complete the sentences with a / an, the, or – (no article).

Complete the sentences with a / an, the, or – (no article).

Complete the sentences with a / an, the, or – (no article).

Complete the sentences with a / an, the, or – (no article).

Complete the words in the sentences.

Complete the words in the sentences.

Complete the words in the sentences.

Complete the words in the sentences.

Complete the words in the sentences.

Complete the words in the sentences.

Complete the words in the sentences.

Complete the words in the sentences.

Complete the words in the sentences.

Complete the words in the sentences.

Choose two words and put them together in the correct order with and or or to make phrases.

Choose two words and put them together in the correct order with and or or to make phrases.

Choose two words and put them together in the correct order with and or or to make phrases.

Choose two words and put them together in the correct order with and or or to make phrases.

Choose two words and put them together in the correct order with and or or to make phrases.

put the words in the correct order

1. answers / them / didn’t / or / I / the / I / guessed / so / know / less / more

put the words in the correct order

2. later / to / you’re / you’ll / sooner / that / or / have / admit / wrong

put the words in the correct order

3. so / result / wait / see / have / uncertain / the / we’ll / is / and / to

put the words in the correct order

4. of / were / missing / safe / fortunately / the / children / and / sound / both / discovered

put the words in the correct order

5. a / successful / take / give / are / all / question / relationships / and / of

Match the words with the same sound.

1. peace ________

Match the words with the same sound.

2. dose ________

Match the words with the same sound.

3. physicist ________

Match the words with the same sound.

4. donor ________

Match the words with the same sound.

5. volunteer ________

Choose the stressed syllable.

1. ge|o|gra|phic

Choose the stressed syllable.

2. phy|si|cist

Choose the stressed syllable.

3. bi|o|lo|gy

Choose the stressed syllable.

4. vo|lun|teer

Choose the stressed syllable.

5. ad|di|tive

Read the article about a British engineer. Five sentences have been removed. Which sentence A-F fits each gap (1-5)? There is one extra sentence you do not need to use.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

In surveys to find out who the most important Britons of all time are, Isambard Kingdom Brunel often comes out on top. This famous engineer was noted for the creation of the Great Western Railway and a series of famous steamships. The son of noted engineer Sir Marc Isambard Brunel, Isambard K. Brunel was born in Portsmouth, England on April 9, 1806. His father was working there on the block-making machinery of the Portsmouth Block Mills. The young Brunel was sent to France to be educated at the College of Caen in Normandy and the Lycée Henri-Quatre in Paris. He rose to prominence when, aged 20, he was appointed as the resident engineer of the Thames Tunnel, his father’s greatest achievement. The first of its kind ever built, Isambard spent nearly two years trying to drive the horizontal shaft from one end of it to the other. (–––– 1 ––––)

In the meantime, Brunel moved on. In 1833, he was appointed engineer of the Great Western Railway, one of the wonders of Victorian Britain. Running from London to Bristol (and a few years later, to Exeter), the Great Western contained a series of impressive achievements, such as viaducts, stations, and tunnels, that ignited the imagination of the technically-minded Britons of the age. Brunel soon became one of the most famous men in Britain.

(–––– 2 ––––) He used his prestige to convince his railway company employers to build the Great Western, at the time by far the largest steamship in the world. It first sailed in 1837. The Great Britain followed in 1843, and was the first of its kind to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Building on these successes, Brunel turned to a third ship in 1852, even larger than both of its predecessors. The Great Eastern was cutting-edge technology for its time — it was the largest ship ever built until the RMS Lusitania launched in 1906 — and it soon ran over budget and schedule in the face of a series of difficult technical problems. The ship is widely perceived as a waste of money. (–––– 3 ––––)

Besides the railway and steamships, he was also involved in the construction of several lengthy bridges, including the Royal Albert Bridge near Plymouth, and an unusual telescopic bridge in Bridgwater. He also designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, but did not live to see it constructed. (–––– 4 ––––) Work started in 1862, and was complete by 1864, five years after Brunel’s death.

In 1843, while performing a conjuring trick for the amusement of his children, he accidentally swallowed a coin which became lodged in his throat. (–––– 5 ––––) Eventually, at the suggestion of his father, Sir Marc, Isambard was strapped to a board, turned upside-down, and the coin was jerked free.

Brunel suffered a stroke in 1859, just before the Great Eastern made its first voyage to New York. He died ten days later and is buried, like his father, at Kensal Green Cemetery in London. His son, Henri Marc Brunel, also enjoyed some success as a civil engineer.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A  His colleagues and admirers felt the bridge would be a fitting memorial, and started to raise new funds and to amend the design.

B  Though a failure at its original purpose for passenger travel, it eventually found a role as an engineering ship.

C  The initial group of engines ordered by Brunel to his own specifications proved unsatisfactory.

D  Two severe incidents of flooding injured the younger Brunel and ended work on the tunnel for several years, though it was eventually completed.

E   A special medical tool failed to remove it, as did a machine to shake it loose created by Brunel himself.

F   Even before the Great Western Railway was opened, Brunel was moving on to his next project to build ships which could sail across the Atlantic.

Listen to five people talking about an embarrassing situation they’ve found themselves in. Choose from the list (A-F) which situation each person mentions. Use the letters only once. There is one extra letter which you do not need to use.

Listen to part of a talk a woman is giving on a famous scientist. Choose the correct answer.