Ismerkedj meg az EURO angol középfokú nyelvvizsgával! GÖRGESD LEJJEBB, HA A C1 SZINT ÉRDEKEL!

Az alábbi gyakorlóteszt NEM az EUROEXAM vizsgaközpont hivatalos vizsgaanyaga, hanem csupán illusztráció, hogy megismerkedjetek a feladattípusokkal. A megoldókulcsot a feladatsor legvégén találjátok.

Amennyiben EUROEXAM próbavizsgákkal szeretnél gyakorolni, az alábbi két könyvben összesen 8 angol feladatsort találsz:

 

                            

 

EURO B2 READING

Az olvasáskészséget 3 feladattal mérik az EURO B2-es nyelvvizsgákon:

1, Bekezdés címek (paragraph headings)

2, Áttekintés (scan reading)

3, Feleletválasztás (multiple-choice reading)

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1, Bekezdés címek (paragraph headings)

Az első olvasáskészséget mérő feladatban egy 7 bekezdésből álló szöveg bekezdéscímeit kell kiválasztanod 9 cím közül (vagyis kettő címet nem kell felhasználni).

TIPPEK a feladat megoldásához:

- Nézd meg a szöveg címét, majd olvasd át nagyon gyorsan az egész szöveget, hogy nagyjából értsd az egész lényegét, mondandóját.

- Olvasd el figyelmesen a megadott 9 bekezdés címet. Ha valamelyiket nem értenéd, szótárral próbáld tisztázni az esetleges ismeretlen szavak jelentését.                      

- Az első bekezdés címhez már meg van adva a cím, azzal nem kell foglalkoznod.

- Haladj bekezdésenként. Mielőtt elkezdenél találgatni, hogy melyik címet is válaszd, a bekezdés alapos átolvasása után fogalmazd meg magadban egy mondatban, hogy miről is szól az adott bekezdés. Csak ezután kezdj el válogatni a címek közül.

- Ha biztosan tudod, mi a bekezdés cím, húzd azt át, hogy vizuálisan könnyebb legyen majd a többi közül választani.

- Ha véletlenül nem tudnád a megoldást valahol, oda is írj be valamit - nem jár pontlevonás a rossz válaszért, vagyis lehet találgatni is.

 

Task One: Paragraph Headings – Questions 1-6

You will read an article about education.

- Match each paragraph to the correct heading.

- Place an X in the appropriate box on your Answer Sheet.

- The first one has been done for you.

- There are two paragraph headings that you DO NOT need.

                         

Paragraph headings

A                       Show, don’t tell.

B                       Give lots of praise.

C                       Stop buying toys.

D                       Watch your language.

E                       Listen to their questions.

F                       Give them time to think.

G                      Science can be fun.

H                      Direct their learning.

I                        Tell stories, don’t recite facts.

 

Teach your child to wonder

EXAMPLE …G…

Sadly, far too few schools make science appealing. Courses introduce more new vocabulary than foreign language courses do. Textbooks are as dull as dictionaries. As a result, too many children think that science is only for people as clever as Einstein. The irony is that children start out as natural scientists, instinctively eager to investigate the world around them. Helping them enjoy science can be easy there's no need for a lot of scientific jargon or expensive laboratory equipment. You only have to share your children's curiosity. Try these six simple techniques.

1 .....

I once visited a class of seven-year-olds to talk about science as a career. The children asked me textbook questions —about schooling, salary, whether I liked my job. When I finished answering, we sat facing each other in silence. Finally I said, ‘Now that we've finished with your lists, have you got any questions of your own about science?' After a long pause, a boy raised his hand. ‘Have you ever seen a grasshopper eat? When I eat leaves like that, I get stomach ache. Why?' This began a barrage of questions that lasted nearly two hours. 'What makes tears? Where do little spiders get all the stuff to make their webs? Am I just a bag of blood? When I cut myself, I see blood,' You may not know the answers to your child's questions. It's all right to say, 'I don't know but maybe we can find out.' Then you can explore the questions together.

2 …..

Even if you know the answer to a child's question, resist the impulse to respond quickly, leaving no opening for discussion. That reinforces the misconception that science is merely a set of facts stored in the heads of adults. Science is about explaining. Science is not just facts but the meaning that people give to them — by weaving information into a story about how nature probably operates. The best way to respond to a child's question is to begin that process of story-making together. If she asks why it's dark at night, try, 'Let's think of what is different about night that would make it darker than day'. If he wonders where bees live, say, 'Let's watch and maybe we can see where they go'. Always be ready with the answer, 'Let's find out'.

3 …..

Grown-ups are notorious for expecting quick answers. Studies over the past three decades have shown that, after asking a question, adults typically wait only one second or less for a response — no time for a child to think. When adults increase their 'wait time' to three seconds or more, children respond with more logical, complete and creative answers. I once conducted a lesson in air pressure by pushing two rubber toilet plungers together until all the air was driven out and they were tightly suctioned. Two children had to tug them mightily to separate them. 'How come you need so much force to pull them apart?' I asked. After several minutes, a boy named Ron said, ‘The air is trapped in there and it finds a hole and it all goes out. That's what makes a popping sound'. He went on to demonstrate his misconception, but I didn't say anything yet. Another pupil then revealed what she'd been thinking: 'No, it's because all the air is out of the plunger'. She pushed it down on the floor until it stuck, showing that once the air was forced out of the cup, the air pressure was less on the inside than on the outside. Rather than telling children what to think, give them time to think for themselves. If a child gets the answer wrong, be patient. You can help when needed with a few leading questions.

4 …..

Once you have a child engaged in a science discussion, don't jump in with 'That's right' or 'Very good'. These verbal rewards work well when it comes to encouraging good behaviour. But in conversing about science, quick praise can signal that the discussion is over. Instead, keep the ball rolling by saying, 'That's interesting' or `I'd never thought of it that way before', or coming up with more questions or ideas. Never exhort a child to 'Think!' It doesn't make sense —children are always thinking without your telling them to. Avoid asking 'why' questions. Most children are accustomed to hearing 'why' when their behaviour is criticised: 'Why is your bedroom so messy?' Why can't you behave?' Instead, I use 'How come?'

5 …..

Real-life impressions of nature are far more memorable than any lesson children can extract from a book or TV programme. Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass, and they'll understand why you want them to wash before dinner. Rather than explaining what mould is, grow some on a piece of bread. Rather than saying water evaporates, set a pan to boil and let them watch the water level drop. If you take your children to a 'hands-on' science museum, don't manage the itinerary. Let them lead the way, and explore what interests them most.

6 …..

Everyday activities can provide fascinating lessons in science. Children can learn a great deal about physics and engineering simply by flying a kite. Try making your own with light-weight wood, string and paper. By the end of the afternoon's 'experiment', your children will get a basic lesson in scientific cause and effect. They'll discover how wind direction and intensity shift at different altitudes. When buying toys, blocks of all kinds are great for construction projects. Choose toys with working parts. Even better, look for toys that children can safely take apart and put back together again. By sharing your children's curiosity, you can give them a valuable lesson that extends far beyond the realm of science. They will learn that it pays to persist, to experiment, in the face of difficulties. And they will see clearly that learning is not drudgery or something that happens only in school. Learning is something to be enjoyed every day - for a lifetime.

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2, Áttekintés (scan reading)

A második olvasáskészséget mérő feladatnak az a lényege, hogy több szöveget kell áttekinteni, és azokban meghatározott tényeket, adatokat, részleteket megtalálni. 

Négy hasonló témájú, de egymástól független szöveget, valamint 7 állítást fogsz látni, melyek információkat tartalmaznak valamelyik szöveggel kapcsolatban (’Information to Find’). Azt kell kitalálni, hogy melyik állítás melyik szövegre vonatkozik.

TIPPEK a feladat megoldásához:

-Nem kell mélyen és egészen pontosan megérteni mindent, hanem gyorsan át kell futni a szövegeket és a lényeges elemeket, amire rákérdeznek, be kell azonosítani.

-Olvasd át gyorsan a szövegeket, hogy legyen képed az alapvető üzenetről.

-Nem kell megijedni attól, hogy sok részlet található a szövegekben: ezek között lesz az adat is, amire rákérdeznek.

-Keresd meg egyenként, hogy a megadott állítások melyik szövegre vonatkoznak. Ha megtalálod a kapcsolatot, nyugodtan karikázd be az információt a szövegben.

-Nem valószínű, hogy az állítások és a szöveg szó szerint megegyező szavakat tartalmaznak – leginkább szinonimákat, hasonló kifejezéseket keress!

 

Task Two: Scan Reading – Questions 7-13

You will read about four child prodigies.

Read the text and decide if the information is in text A, B, C or D.

Place an X in the appropriate box on your Answer Sheet.

 

Example: This child prodigy was given a nickname.

The correct answers is B.

 

Information to Find

This child prodigy …

7             had a father who took the chance to gain advantage from his son’s talents.

8             was separated from one of his parents for some time.

9             finished university before he was a teenager.

10           was not always recognised for his talent.

11           had a pampered childhood.

12           had a father who had been confident his son would be a genius.

13           lost his skills when older.

 

Text A:

Zerah Colburn was born in Cabot, Vermont, in 1804. He was thought to be intellectually disabled until the age of seven. However, after six weeks of schooling his father overheard him repeating his multiplication tables. His father wasn't sure whether or not he learned the tables from his older brothers and sisters but he decided to test him further on his mathematical abilities and discovered that there was something special about his son when Zerah correctly multiplied 13 and 97. His father capitalized on his boy's talents by taking Zerah around the country demonstrating the boy's exceptional abilities. The young genius created such a sensation that he was exhibited throughout the United States before being brought over to England in 1812. There he was bombarded with questions from experts. He was asked how many times a 12ft (3.6m) coach wheel would turn round in 256 miles (412km). Within two seconds, he had given the correct answer of 112,640. As he grew older, his powers dwindled, and by the time he was a man they had disappeared altogether.

Text B:

English composer William Crotch (1775-1847), the son of a humble Norwich carpenter, was able to play the national anthem on a home-made organ at the age of two years and three months. In 1778, before he was even three, he gave his first public organ recital in his home town. The three and a half year old Master William Crotch was taken to London by his ambitious mother, where he not only played on the organ of the Chapel Royal in St James's Palace, but for King George III. Crotch was later to observe that this experience led him to become a rather spoiled child, excessively indulged so that he would perform. He progressed to giving daily organ recitals in London. His accomplishments at such a youthful age led to his being called 'the English Mozart'.

Text C:

Andragon DeMello, born in 1977, became the youngest person to graduate from an American university when, at the age of eleven, he gained a degree in mathematics from the University of California. At seven weeks old, he had uttered his first word — `hello'; at two and a half he was playing chess; at three, he successfully calculated the volume of his bath water; and at four he was studying Greek, physics and philosophy. Adragon's father, Agustin Eastwood De Mello, had set the goal that his son would become a Nobel Prize laureate by age 16. The elder De Mello was a karate master, flamenco guitarist and former weightlifting champion, and he vigorously mentored Adragon from an early age.

Text D:

Ukrainian Seriozha Grishin could talk at four months, walk at eight months and read and play the piano when just over one year old. But his extraordinary talents did not impress teachers and he was made an outcast at school. His mother was so upset she took him away from school and gave him private tuition. The authorities reacted by committing her to a hospital for refusing to let her son attend school. When further evidence came to light, she was released, and in 1987, 12-year-old Seriozha was allowed to sit an entrance exam for Moscow University. Upon passing, he was immediately accepted into the Faculty of Physics, alongside students ten years his senior. 

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3, Feleletválasztás (multiple-choice reading)

A harmadik olvasáskészséget mérő feladatban egy hosszabb szöveg elolvasása után feleletválasztós tesztkérdéseket kell megoldanod, ahol mindig az egy helyes választ (A, B, C vagy D) kell kiválasztanod.

TIPPEK a feladat megoldásához:

- Itt is azzal kezdd, hogy elolvasod a címet/alcímet, majd az első néhány mondatot, s előzetes tudásodat feleleveníted a témával kapcsolatban. Miről is szól általában egy ilyen szöveg? Sokszor egy kis logikával ki lehet következtetni majd a kérdésekre adott választ!

- Először gyorsan olvasd el a szöveget és semmiképpen ne ragadj le egyes részleteken.

- A kérdések sorrendje követi a szöveg progresszióját, vagyis a kérdések egymásutániságából lehet már sejteni, hogy a szöveg melyik részére kérdeznek rá.

- Az utolsó kérdés mindig általánosabb: nem részinformációkra, hanem a szöveg egészére kérdeznek rá, pld. ’A szöveg írójának ezzel a cikkel az volt a szándéka, hogy…’

- Minden kérdést próbáld úgy megválaszolni először magadban, hogy a lehetséges feleletválaszokat még nem olvasod el. Ez azért fontos, mert a rossz válaszok megzavarhatnak, elbizonytalaníthatnak!

- Ha felismersz egyértelműen rossz megoldást, nyugodtan húzd azt ki, ezzel is megkönnyítve a helyes válasz kiválasztását.

- A helytelen válaszok nem azért rosszak, mert nyelvtanilag nem helyesek, hanem mert tartalmilag nem helytállóan, nem pontosan azt mondják, ami a szövegben szerepelt.

 

Task Three: Multiple-Choice Reading – Questions 14-20

Across the great divide

The mighty Indian-Pacific sped swiftly out of Sydney and headed westward. Thirty years had passed since I last took the train across this island continent to Perth in Western Australia. In those primitive days, the journey was a bone-shaking, sleepless test of stamina and patience. Looking around my spacious, luxurious cabin with its double bed, television set and video, and fully stocked bar fridge, I happily thought that this trip would be a welcome improvement on its awful predecessor. The one thing that had not changed was the great sense of adventure.

The Indian-Pacific resembles a fully self-contained, miniature city on wheels and relies on little outside assistance as it makes its huge journey across an ancient and mysterious land. Approaching the foothills of the Blue Mountains, I set out to explore this stream-lined, long city that would be my home for the next 65 hours.

The first transcontinental crossing by the Indian-Pacific on the new standard gauge rail system from Sydney to Perth was completed on February 27th, 1970 and ended more than a century of chaos and confusion over a ridiculous tangle of three different rail gauges. This crazy situation haunted the nation and frustrated its train travellers until the advent of the Indian-Pacific in 1970.

My lazy walk through the great train came to a sudden end when I entered the luxurious lounge car. A happy, merry crowd was chatting excitedly, people from different backgrounds and cultural origins had apparently left formality behind on the platform, and seemed full of cheerful expectation, delight and friendliness.

The scenery was spectacular as the Indian-Pacific climbed its way through the Blue Mountains. The mountains are so named because of the blue haze caused by the eucalyptus trees. This uniquely Australian phenomenon set against the view of steep mountainsides and deep valleys inspired our lively group to become even more talkative.

That night I slept without interruption for six splendid hours. Waking refreshed, I drew the blind and saw a different world. A vast, empty panorama raced past my window. This was the Australian outback; red sandy plains, low vegetation and a few shady trees.

We had travelled 1,000 kilometres almost due west from Sydney on our way to the first stop, the 'Silver City' of Broken Hill. The mines of Broken Hill produce about two million tonnes of lead, zinc and silver per year.

By mid-afternoon, we were passing through wide, waving fields of golden wheat as the great train drew closer to Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. The engines are changed in Adelaide so there is a two-hour stop, during which a coach tour of the city is arranged for those wishing to take a closer look at this elegant and gracious town.

 

14 How does the writer feel about making this journey?

A patient

B pleased

C worried

D nostalgic

 

15 According to the writer, compared with his previous train journey, this trip was ...

A much more comfortable.

B less adventurous.

C much friendlier.

D too fast.

 

16 The Indian-Pacific ...

A crosses Australia from Sydney to Adelaide.

B is fully self-contained.

C uses three different railway gauges.

D has been running for three decades.

 

17 According to the writer, the people on the train were ...

A frightened by the mountain scenery.

B all gathered in the lounge car.

C completely different from one another.

D getting on well with one another.

 

18 During the journey the scenery ...

A was mountainous throughout.

B turned silver in parts.

C changed a lot.

D was rather strange.

 

19 When they got to Adelaide ...

A everyone went on a coach tour.

B it was mid-afternoon.

C they saw an elegant and gracious city.

D they wasted time changing the engines.

 

20 This extract ...

A tells us a lot about the writer's character.

B comes from an advertising brochure.

C is part of a novel about travelling.

D tries to make the train trip seem attractive.

 

GYAKOROLNÁD MÉG A SZÖVEGÉRTÉST? Az Akadémiai Kiadó 'Szövegkönyv' című könyvében 30 érdekes szöveget találsz tematikus fejezetekben, valamint rengeteg szövegértési és szókincsbővítő gyakorlófeladatot hozzájuk.

TOVÁBBI GYAKORLÁSRA LENNE SZÜKSÉGED? Látogass el az EUROEXAM vizsgaközpont oldalára, ahol sokféle gyakorlóanyag és felkészülési tipp vár!

 

EURO B2 WRITING (minta megoldások a megoldókulcsban a feladatsor végén!)

Task One: Transactional Writing

You have just returned from your holiday. Based on the notes below about the holiday, write a formal letter of complaint to the travel agency which sold you the holiday and ask for your money back.

• Write 100-120 words.

• Write your answer to this question on the Answer Sheet - Task One.

 

Nightmare holiday to Rovano 28/6 – 10/9

Flight out – delayed 2 hrs – no explanation. Luggage went to wrong airport – spent first 3 days in same clothes! What a start!

Hotel – brochure stated “the last word in luxury” – not even finished! Builders at work – noisy and dirty. Staff – rude. Food – boring!

Excursions: disorganised! 2 cancelled!

Resort – brochure stated “an oasis of calm and beauty” – a concrete jungle – cheap shops, tourist flats and discos – VERY ugly place!

Flight home – 8 hr delay! No explanation!

Absolute disaster – VERY disappointed – full refund seems reasonable!

 

Task Two: Discursive Writing

• Choose only ONE of the following questions – 1, 2 OR 3.

• Write ca. 150 words.

• DO NOT answer more than one question.

• Write your answer to this question on the Answer Sheet -Task Two

 

1.

A responsible dog owner needs to be aware of the rules and regulations that apply in the local community. Write an article entitles Rules for Dog Owners for your local newspaper. Present your points clearly. Remember you are writing for the readers of a newspaper.

2.

You have just been to the cinema to see a new film which you liked very much. Write a review for your local newspaper. Do not just describe the play but explain the positive aspects.

3.

“Everyone over 70 should be banned from driving.”

To what extent do you agree with this statement? Write an essay. Explain your points for and against and provide a conclusion at the end. Make sure you state your arguments in a logical way.

 

EURO B2 LISTENING

Task One: Rövid szövegek (Short Conversations)

(Ebben a gyakorlófeladatban itt csak 4 szöveg hangzik el, ellentétben a vizsgával, ahol 6 kis szöveg lesz hallható!)

-Listen to different people telling stories about pets. You will hear four short conversations. Which pets are they talking about?

-There are two animals that you will not need.

-Place an X in the appropriate box on your Answer Sheet.

-You will hear each conversation twice.

Audio file

Animals

A             fish

B             rabbits

C             bird

D             dog

E             hamsters

F             tortoise

 

Task Two: Jegyzetelés (Making Notes)

You will hear a recording about Loro Parque, a zoo and park on the island of Tenerife.

-Look at the notes. The notes contain nine gaps.

-You have one minute to read the notes.

-Now listen to the speaker and fill in the gaps on your Answer Sheet with a maximum of 3 words.

-Do not write more than 3 words in one gap.

-You will hear the recording twice.

Audio file

LORO PARQUE

The park is open from 10 a.m. till …7… p.m.

They recommend using the …8… instead of driving to the park.

The introductory film was originally shown in …9… at an international exhibition.

The park is named after …10...

They attempt to replicate the …11… of gorillas.

Marine animals can be seen in the …12… .

The first dolphin show takes place at …13… daily.

Dolphins are described as …14… .

There are …15… restaurants in the park. 

 

Task Three: Rádió/TV program (Radio/TV Programme)

(Ebben a gyakorlófeladatban itt csak 5 kérdés szerepel, ellentétben a vizsgával, ahol 10 kérdést tesznek fel!)

You will hear a radio programme in which snowboard champion Shannon Dunn is talking about her life in sport.

-On the question paper you have some multiple choice questions about the programme.

-Choose the best response (A, B, or C) for questions 16-20.

-Place an X in the appropriate box on your Answer Sheet.

-You will hear the recording twice.

Audio file 

16,

Shannon was rather good at …

A, all sports.

B, most sports.

C, all sports apart from snowboarding.

17,

Shannon started snowboarding …

A, because of her brother his friends.

B, for her father’s snake.

C, because her brother was no good at snowboarding.

18,

Where did Shannon get the money from to go on tour?

A, From her friends.

B, From her brother.

C, From her parents and some sponsors.

19,

What was her parents’ attitude toward Shannon’s competing?

A, Her mum was very worried.

B, They worried only when she was young.

C, Both her dad and her mum were supportive.

20,

For Shannon, competition is …

A, the most important thing.

B, very important both in snowboarding and surfing.

C, not everything.

 

EURO B2 SPEAKING

Task One: Beszélgetés (Interview)

1a – Introduction (The Interlocutor will ask one or two of the following questions to each candidate.)

-What do you do?

-Where are you from?

-How long have you been learning English?

-Do you enjoy learning English? Why/Why not?

1b – Topics (The Interlocutor will ask each candidate at least one ’A’ question and one ’B’ question.)

FAMILY

A

Do you help out around your home with household jobs?

How often does your family gather for big family events?

If you were offered an excellent job opportunity abroad, would you consider leaving your family for an indefinite period of time?

B

Where is the best place to raise a family?

How should parents discipline their children?

Who should take care of old people?

TRAVEL

A

Is there any country you would particularly like to travel to in the future?

Have you ever thought about moving abroad?

What was your worst experience while travelling?

B

What do you need before you can travel to another country?

What are popular tourist destinations in your country? Which would you recommend if you could only recommend one?

What is the best kind of holiday for elderly people?

HOBBY

A

How do you like to spend your free time?

Does your hobby interfere with your work or study?

Are there any activities that you used to do but don't do anymore?

B

Can a hobby save a child from bad peer influence?

Which hobbies are the most expensive?

Which hobbies are the most popular in your country?

 

Task Two: Előadás (Picture Story)

Task Three: Szituációk (Transactional Dialogues)

In this part of the test you must say something that is appropriate to say in a situation. Read each card and follow the instructions. (The Interlocutor gives a card to Candidate A, who reads it and starts a conversation with the Interlocutor. This is repeated with Candidate B, and then the whole sequence two more times, with different cards.)

 

1, Candidate A, read this card, please. When you are ready please start a conversation with me. I am a job interviewer.

You are applying for an English teaching position in a school and you are at the job interview. ASK SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES.

 

2, Candidate B, read this card, please. When you are ready please start a conversation with me. I am a clerk.

You are buying tickets to the cinema for your family. ASK THE CLERK ABOUT FAMILY DISCOUNTS.

 

3, Candidate A, here is your next card. When you are ready please start a conversation with me. I am your friend.

YOU HAVE DECIDED TO EAT OUT TONIGHT. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO GO. ASK YOUR FRIEND TO RECOMMEND SOME PLACE.

 

4, Candidate B, here is your next card. When you are ready please start a conversation with me. I am a mechanic.

YOU ARE AT AN AUTOMOBILE REPAIR SHOP. YOU NEED A SET OF NEW TYRES FOR YOUR CAR BUT YOU HAVE NOT MADE AN APPOINTMENT. ASK THE MECHANIC IF HE CAN HELP YOU NOW.

 

5, Candidate A, here is your last card. When you are ready please start a conversation with me. I am a store manager and you are a customer.

YOU ARE IN A MUSIC SHOP. COMPLAIN TO THE STORE MANAGER THAT THE SALESPEOPLE IN THAT STORE ARE RUDE.

 

6, Candidate B, here is your last card. When you are ready please start a conversation with me. I am your friend.

YOUR HOUSE IS NEXT TO THE AIRPORT AND THE NOISE IS DRIVING YOU CRAZY. ASK YOUR FRIEND WHAT YOU SHOULD DO.

 

Task Four: Kommunikációs feladat (Discussion)

For the final part of the test, you are going to talk to each other about a topic I will give you. I’m just going to listen. First, make a spoken list of four or five things. Then, when you have done that, discuss which one is the most important. Remember to give reasons for what you say. You have 3 minutes altogether to try and agree.

 

TOPIC CARD

What do you think ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES?

• e.g. better job prospects
• …
• …
• …

 

MEGOLDÓKULCS:

Reading 

Task One  1E  2I  3F  4D  5A  6H

Task Two  7A  8D  9C  10D  11B  12C  13A

Task Three 14B  15A  16B  17D  18C  19B  20C

Writing

Task One: Transactional Writing

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to complain in the strongest possible terms about my “Gold Star Break” in Rovano in Italy from 28^th August to 10^th September (booking No. 33208).

First of all, the flight out was delayed 2 hours and we were given no explanation whatsoever. Our luggage went to a wrong airport (your local travel guide just shrugged her shoulders), so we had to spend the first 3 days in the same clothes!

On arrival, we discovered that the hotel was still a building site with builders at work, so everything was extremely dirty and noisy. Moreover, the hotel staff was also rude and the food also left a lot to be desired. The excursions were disorganised, to say the least, and two of them were even cancelled, with no alternative programme offered.

As for the resort itself, your brochure stated that it was “an oasis of calm and beauty”. In reality, it was a concrete jungle with cheap shops, tourist flats and discos all around – just another big disappointment.

Finally, the return flight was also delayed no less than 8 hours without any explanation or apology offered.

All in all, your package holiday was an absolute disaster so we demand a full refund within 10 days. We will promptly pursue our legal remedies if our demand is not met. You may reach me during the day at 555-555-2857 or in the evenings until 10 p.m. at 555-555-8967.

Sincerely,

Peter Taylor

 

Task Two: Discursive Writing

2.

You have just been to the cinema to see a new film which you liked very much. Write a review for your local newspaper. Do not just describe the play but explain the positive aspects.

Movie Review by Béla Szabó

Someone in the tiny town of Tulaigh Morh, population 52, has won Ireland’s seven-million pound national lottery but the question is who?

Such is the premise for Walking Ned, a hilarious film that lightly explores the prospects of sudden wealth. Shot on the breathtakingly beautiful Isle of Man, this charming film is blessed with a swift pace, a strong story, gifted actors and a strict focus. (Are you listening, Hollywood?)

The first half of the film is a process of elimination as Jackie, Annie and their best pal, Michael, played by the very game David Kelly, go about deducing who the lucky winner might be. Just to be sure that their position is clear, they become the most generous and loving pals to every town member suspected of being a closet millionaire. After buying a few pints and throwing dinner parties, they bring suspicion upon themselves.

In the cinematic realm, there exist rare scenes that are instant classics. In Walking Ned there is such a scene and it includes an old motorcycle and one very flustered and very naked elderly gentleman. The audience was literally screaming with hysterical laughter, myself included. Bravo, David Kelly, for really giving us everything.

The best thing about Walking Ned is that one can’t decide what the best thing is. Clever and unpredictable, funny and endearing, level and unpreachy, Walking Ned is a joy.

Listening

Task 1: Speaker 1 dog / Speaker 2 fish / Speaker 3 bird / Speaker 4 rabbits

Task 2: 7, 8 (eight)  8, free train service  9, 1992  10, parrots  11, natural habitats  12, dolphinarium  13, 12.00  14, friendly and intelligent  15, 3 (three)  

Task 3: 16,B  17,A  18,C  19,C  20,C

 

EUROEXAM GYAKORLÓFELADATOK C1

EURO C1 Practice Test

READING

Task One: Paragraph Headings – Questions 1-6

You will read a text about humour.

- Match each paragraph to the correct heading.

- Place an X in the appropriate box on your Answer Sheet.

- The first one has been done for you.

- There are two extra paragraph headings that you DO NOT need.

 

 

EXAMPLE __C__

Historically, humour has often been seen in a very negative way. For example, about two and a half thousand years ago, Plato, the famous Greek philosopher, wrote about the 'malevolent nature of humour'. For him, it meant trying to give yourself a sense of superiority by making fun of other people, and he taught that only people of lesser worth did this. Modern psychology, however, regards humour with more respect. Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, saw laughter as a means of safely discharging nervous energy. While this approach is still very influential, more recent work in psychology has also focused on the social value of being funny, the useful role of the well-timed joke or light remark in everyday encounters.

1 _____

For humour to exist, there must be an essential incongruity - an unexpected conflict or inconsistency between two ideas which is resolved as a joke. This may come about because the punch line bears an unexpected relationship to the opening part of the story. Another regular feature of humour is displacement. Appreciation of humour depends very much on your reference point. Group loyalties, political opinions and ethnic background all influence the way a joke is received and how funny people find it.

2 _____

Studies of persuasion have revealed that humorous people are perceived as being more likeable, and this in turn enables them to have greater influence. In one experiment, trained psychology graduates played the role of sellers in a bargaining situation. They were to bargain with people over the price of a painting. Some were instructed to take a humorous approach, while others made no jokes at all and bargained in a straightforward, serious way. It was found that the dealers with the more light-hearted attitude were able to get a significantly higher price for the painting. What humour does, in this context, is to reduce the buyer's feelings of threat and anxiety and to establish a more relaxed relationship with the seller.

3 _____

Many researchers believe that being genuinely funny can only be achieved by returning to a more childlike view of the world. This may be associated with the fact that comedians adopt humour early in life as a way of getting people to like them, and then use it to maintain their attention. Many comedians have reported that their use of humour developed in early schooldays and was a means of coping with anxiety-producing situations. Such strategies were rewarded with laughter by classmates who lacked the confidence themselves to go against accepted values in the way that most humour requires. Defiance of convention continues into the adult life of comedians. By encouraging us to laugh at the subjects that give rise to our anxieties, they help us safely to discharge tensions.

4 _____

Humour may also be a dislocation of aggression. The professional comic is thought by psychoanalysts to be an angry person whose skills allow him to channel his aggression in a socially acceptable and productive manner. Another psychoanalytic view of the personality of comedians suggests that they are depressed people, but with enough strength of character to transfer the depressed emotions into creative expression.

5 _____

One of the main focuses of modern psychological humour theory and research is to establish and clarify the correlation between humour and laughter. They found that  laughter and humour do not always have a one-to-one association. While most previous theories assumed the connection between the two almost to the point of them being synonymous, psychology has been able to scientifically and empirically investigate the supposed connection, its implications, and significance. Humour has shown to be effective for increasing resilience in dealing with distress and also effective in undoing negative affects.

6 _____

Different cultures have different typical expectations of humour so comedy shows are not always successful when transplanted into another culture. For example, a 2004 BBC News article discusses a stereotype among British comedians that Americans and Germans do not understand irony, and therefore UK sitcoms are not appreciated by them.

 

EURO C1 Practice Test

READING

Task Two: Long Text – Questions 7-14

You will read an article about Sally Beamish.

- Below are two questions about the text.

- Each answer requires 4 pieces of information.

- Answer each question with as FEW words as possible. You do not need to write full sentences.

- You may copy from the article, but do not write more than 15 words for each piece of information.

 

WHAT DO YOU DO if you get robbed? Take up composing? In the case of Sally Beamish, definitely. The thief has never been caught and her viola and video-player have never been recovered. The robbery took place in London, where she was very active as a freelance player. Six months earlier, she had composed music for a set of six poems by Irina Ratushinskaya. This did not strengthen Beamish in her belief in herself as a composer. The shock of the theft of the invaluable 1747 Gabriella viola, which was not even her own but on loan, finally set the seal on her decision to leave the urban stress of London, from which she had suffered immensely, and head for the country of her husband, Scotland to begin a new life.

Sally Beamish was born in 1956 into a musical family. She could write musical notes before she could write the letters of the alphabet. At the age of seven, she wrote an opera, or `opra' as she called it then, based on a story she had read. Her grandmother taught her to sight-read music at the piano, but it was her father who encouraged (and later discouraged) her interest in the violin, leading Sally, at fifteen, to take up the viola. Living in North London, she mucked in with a precocious band of chamber music players, as one of those useful musicians that could turn their hand proficiently to the violin, viola or piano.

At the Royal Northern College of Music, the Principal recommended that she attend the musical composition course given by Anthony Gilbert. Throughout his professional life, Gilbert had been closely involved in the promotion of performances of new music and he was mentoring a lot of talented musicians, such as Sally. Gilbert suggested that, as an already experienced composer, she should go her own way. But this was not easy for her. Her work bore no relation to what was then fashionable. She didn't have the confidence to realise that what she was doing was just as valid.

Beamish stopped composing. She became a busy viola player. She now recognises this period as a very unhappy one when, despite her talent as a performer, she had nothing special to say. A chance encounter with the Scottish composer, Martin Dalby, proved to be a turning point for her. Looking at the music she had written, he encouraged her to believe once again that she could be a composer. However, it was not until two years later that she received her first professional commission. Her panic was so great that when she came to attend the final rehearsal of Dances and Nocturnes, she took out her pen and made an attempt, resisted by the performers, to cut out several bars of music, out of fear that her music would not be regarded as professional. Later, Beamish entered a work for a competition. She didn't win but afterwards she met the composer, Oliver Knussen, who remembered the work. She acknowledges the invaluable help Knussen gave her, discussing her compositions and crises of confidence. Her composition No, I Am Not Afraid, received its first performance six months before her viola was stolen. Shortly after the robbery, she heard that the Arts Council had awarded her a grant of £2,500 to give her time to compose more music. In her dire financial situation, this was essential for her. It bought one year's child care for her five-month-old baby, allowed her to write Commedia and to make the move with her husband to Scotland. Commedia is a striking work and met with ecstatic reviews.

Beamish's move to Scotland seems to have been an unmitigated success. With her husband, she has founded the Chamber Group of Scotland. She speaks glowingly of the liveliness and energy of a gathering of composers and players. A second child and the lack of a publisher for her music have failed to stop the flow of compositions. She feels no sense of disadvantage as a woman. Instead, she appears positively to relish the discipline of having to compose fast during the few hours a day when the babysitter is present, while praising the limitless patience and support of her husband. Beamish appears serenely happy. Last month alone, ten performances of her work took place.

In the year 2001 Beamish began working on an opera with writer Janice Galloway on the subject of Frankenstein author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Sally Beamish does not take her swift rise among the pantheon of living British composers for granted, and has an interesting take on the time-worn interviewers' question regarding the challenge being a 'woman composer'. In response, Beamish has been quoted "I'm not a woman composer, I'm a composer, and being female has never stopped me doing what I want to do. Why should it?"

Beamish has risen quietly and without fanfare to become one of Britain’s best-known composers. She started her professional life as a violist, and it took many years before she plucked up courage to give it up. "I love the viola, and giving it up was a real grief to me, but I’d been composing ever since I was little, and I knew one day I would have to take the plunge. I had this vision of me composing in the country somewhere, at the kitchen table, with the children milling around." So what next?  Beamish's thirty-two works have been mostly for chamber music groups. A new violin concerto will be premiered next year but her real ambition is to write an opera. No one has commissioned it. Perhaps an offer from the viola thief might be appropriate.

 

EURO C1 Practice Test

READING

Task Three: Multiple-Choice Reading – Questions 15-20

You will read an article and an encyclopaedia entry about Hans Christian Andersen.

-Answer the questions that follow each text.

-Place an X in the appropriate box on your Answer Sheet.

 

The name of Hans Christian Andersen is known around the world. So are the titles of many of his fairy tales, such as "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Little Mermaid." Little is known; however, about the early years of the man who wrote these stories. Born in 1805, in Odense, Denmark, Andersen described his childhood in romantic terms. In reality, he was lonely and unhappy as a child, and desperately poor. His father, a shoemaker, died when he was eleven, and his mother, a washerwoman, was an alcoholic. In spite of these difficult beginnings, Andersen believed that he was special and that he deserved a better life. At the age of fourteen, he packed up his few things and went to Copenhagen to seek his fortune as a writer.

In Copenhagen, Andersen worked hard to become a successful writer. He introduced himself to the best-known writers of his day and to others he thought might help him. He was a strange-looking boy: tall, thin, and awkward, with small eyes, a large nose, and a sad expression. Some people felt sorry for him. Others were impressed by his desperate desire to become a great writer. He got a job at the Royal Theatre and, at the same time, he went back to school, since he had never finished school in Odense. Then, at the age of twenty-one, he published a poem that became very popular. That first taste of public attention made him want more. For the rest of his life, he wrote and wrote without stopping, always hoping to become famous. In all, he wrote thirty-six works for theatre, six travel books, six novels, hundreds of poems, and about 170 storied and fairy tales. Some of his novels and plays enjoyed brief success, but the critics often did not like them. Only the fairy tales were immediately recognized as entirely original works of art.

The first fairy tales that Andersen wrote were published in a cheap little book that he did not take very seriously. This may be the reason why they are so different from his other works. For once, he was not trying to be a great writer. He simply wrote the stories as they came to him. Some were based on folktales he had heard as a child, while others were his own inventions. These stories had the brilliant characters, the action, and the suspense that children love. But what made them special was their informal style, which was completely new at that time. In fact, they were written as though he was telling them at the moment in a voice that was chatty and direct, humorous sometimes and sometimes heartbreaking. By the time Andersen died in 1875, he had indeed become a great writer, loved by children in many countries as well as by famous people and even kings and queens.

15. Andersen …

A, came from humble beginnings.

B, revealed little about his childhood.

C, has never talked about his childhood.

D, lacked ambitions as a child.

 

16. Andersen’s talent …

A, wasn’t acknowledged immediately.

B, was never recognised in his lifetime.

C, lay in his mastery of different genres.

D, came from his father.

 

17. What made Andersen’s fairy tales popular?

A, He gave the fairy tales a personal touch.

B, He based the fairy tales on folktales.

C, He used humour in his writing.

D, He wrote to an international audience.

 

Hans Christian Andersen (April 2, 1805 – August 4, 1875) was a Danish author and poet. Although a prolific writer of plays, travel books, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales, a literary genre he so mastered that his works have been immortalized in children's world literature. Andersen's popularity was not limited to children, however, as his fairy tales—called eventyrs, or "fantastic tales" in the Danish language—express universal themes that transcend age and nationality.

Andersen's own life reads like a fairy tale. He was left fatherless at a young age; moved to Copenhagen to find his fortune as an actor at the age of fourteen, and improbably became a favourite of the king and upper class nobility. Andersen, who never married, seemed to be plagued by loneliness and feelings of being "different" throughout his life. He may have suffered from Marfan's syndrome, which can give a person an unusually large or misshapen appearance; he lived the life of a Victorian gentleman, and he projected his inner conflicts into often dark tales of hard-won redemption, such as the eponymous story "The Ugly Duckling." Like Charles Dickens, whom he met in 1847, Andersen expressed sympathy for the poor and idealized the innocence of childhood in his writings.

Hans Christian Andersen was also renowned for a different type of work that also involved paper. Andersen was a very popular paper cutter who would amuse his friends and their children with his paper cutting skills. Friends and acquaintances were all in awe of his skills in this area. He would often accompany his paper cutting with a fantastic tale, and end the tale by unfolding the paper to the amazed listeners. He frequently gave the paper cuts as gifts to his listeners. The paper cuts were not only brilliantly artistic but also a challenge to the mind. There was usually a double meaning hidden in the paper cuts, much the same way he wrote his fairy tales. About 1,000 of his paper-cuts of all sizes still exist to this day.

Andersen's fairy tales have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Denmark celebrated the life and works of Hans Christian Andersen in 2005, the author's bicentenary.

H.C. Andersen's stories and Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens were to serve as inspirations for the modern legacy of Walt Disney. Disney turned many of Andersen's stories into animated movies that were enormously popular. On a trip to Copenhagen in 1951 Disney visited Tivoli Gardens, the world's first theme park built in Copenhagen in 1843, and opened his Disneyland in 1955. "Andersen," said Disney, "was a great inspiration to me."

 

18, Andersen’s eventyrs …

A, were more popular with adults than with children.

B, go beyond children’s tales.

C, resemble science fiction.

D, were not recognised as true literature in the 19^th century.

 

19, Andersen’s paper cutting skills …

A, surpassed his writing skills.

B, were admired by his friends.

C, deteriorated when he started writing.

D, had been mastered at a young age.

 

20, Walt Disney …

A, went to Copenhagen once to meet Andersen.

B, drew inspiration from Andersen’s works.

C, prepared the replica of Tivoli which he called Disneyland.

D, had reservations about Andresen’s legacy.

(HAMAROSAN FOLYTATJUK!)

 

KEY - READING

Task One: EXAMPLE: C / 1 I / 2 D / 3 G / 4 F / 5B  / 6A

Task Two: 7 Anthony Gilbert   8 Martin Dalby   9 Oliver Knussen   10 her husband   11 her viola was stolen   12 lack of confidence in herself   13 lack of time to compose  14 lack of money

Task Three:  15A  16A  17A  18B  19B  20B