B2 General 1st semester test (Units 1-14)

Choose the correct answer.

THE HISTORY OF WRITING

The development of writing      [did, had, made, took]a huge difference to the world and we might see it as the beginning of the            [media, bulletin, programme, journalism] . Pieces of pottery with marks on that are probably numbers have been            [invented, displayed, discovered, appeared] in China that date from around 4000 BC. Hieroglyphics and other forms of 'picture writing' developed in the          [distance, area, length, earth]around Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), where the               [antique, old-fashioned, ancient, dated] Sumerian civilization was based, from around 3300 BC onwards. However, the first          [true, accurate, exact, precise]alphabet was used by the Phoenicians around 1050 BC. Their alphabet had 22 letters and it is           [observed, measured, counted, estimated]that it lasted for 1000 years. The first two signs were called 'aleph' and 'beth', which in Greek became 'alpha' and 'beta, which gave us the             [new, trendy, modern, fashionable]word 'alphabet'.

The modern European alphabet is based on the Greek and          [spread, appeared, was, occurred]to other European countries under the Romans. A number of changes took         [place, part, control, account]as time           [spent, passed, went, developed]. The Romans added the letter G, and the letters J andV were           [infamous, unpopular, unknown, hidden]to people in Shakespeare's time.

If we           [look into, bring on, make off, hold up]the history of punctuation, we also find some interesting facts. The Romans used to write quaesto at the end of a sentence in           [turn, fact, order, intention]to show that it was a question. They started to write Qo in          [position, space, spot, place]of the whole word, and then put the Q above the o. In the end, that became the question mark '?'.

I was disappointed that the restaurant had ........ flowers on the table.

Sarah and Michael's ......... seems to make both of them unhappy.

Anybody found stealing from this shop will be .........

Grace thinks she's very .....…, but I don't think many people like her, really.

I glanced at the newspaper and saw that the........ said 'President Resigns'

If our flight is delayed, will we ...... our connection in Los Angeles?

The doctor told Bill that he needed ___ on his arm

The judge looked at the.........and reminded him that he had to tell the whole truth.

I think my favourite ....... is probably table tennis

The actor, Michael Read, was today ..........with robbery.

Write one word in each gap.

Your first telescope

Many people look up at     night sky and become fascinated by the wonders of the universe.    that sounds like you, then perhaps it's time you got your own telescope. Astronomy     be a great hobby and we've provided this simple guide for those of you thinking of        it up.

What if I don't have much money?

Try a pair of binoculars. You can still see a lot, as      as you don't expect to see so      detail. Explore the Moon and the stars - and who knows? You might      discover a comet. l Remember, though, that you        never look at the Sun directly through binoculars or a telescope.

What kind of telescope do I need?

Depending on what you want to do, you need to choose         a refracting and a reflecting telescope. A refracting telescope (with two glass lenses) is   great way of quickly          your way around the heavens. As well as more stars      you can imagine, there are the planets to explore! You should have no difficulty    finding Mars and even Saturn, with its fantastic rings. If you want to really explore the universe, then you      need reflecting telescope (with a mirror). These telescopes are much        at collecting light and allow you to see things in amazing detail! Whatever you decide, welcome to the wonderful world of astronomy!

I think the discussion has gone on. ......and we should make a decision.

'Did you call. John?' 'No, because I.........go out. I’ll try him later today.'

There ...... be a lot more open space around here before they built the new underground station.

If you hadn't lost the pieces, we __ a game of chess.

‘Why are you taking your PlayStation games?’ 'Oh, just ....... Tommy wants to borrow them."

I suppose we really ....... to book our ferry tickets in advance.

I'm afraid we’ve run out of ........this week, so we'll see you at the same time tomorrow for It's Worth a Million!

The man might have got away with the crime if the policeman........him.

'I've been reading a great book.' 'I seem to be ....... busy to find the time for reading these days.’

The hotel has a poor reputation and ........people want to stay there

Match to make sentences. There is one extra letter you will not use.

Complete the second sentence using the word given, so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Write between two and five words in each gap.

• I lost my keys once before this month. second

  This is the                         my keys this month.

• I started playing squash six years ago. for

  I                              six years.

• I can't wait until I'm old enough to go to a match on my own. forward

  I'm really                          old enough to go to a match on my own.

• Accidents are often caused by careless driving. results

  Careless driving                  accidents.

• It's a waste of time denying that you did it when we've got proof. point

  There                         that you did it when we've got proof.

• Don't you wish you could travel into space? able

  Wouldn't you love                      into space?

• I called the travel agent to check that I had the right timetable. make

  I called the travel agent to                   timetable.

• I'm afraid you're too young to go down the water slide. old

  I'm afraid you                    to go down the water slide.

• My mum says doctors weren't so expensive in the past. used

  My mum says doctors                  so expensive.

If a line is correct, put a tick (v) next to the number. If there is an extra word in a line, write it next to the number.

Our media project

•      I had a great week at school! We were been having a media

•    studies lesson when our teacher told to us that we were going

•    to make a radio advert for the school! I was really keen on

•     to be involved because l've always had been interested in a

•     career in the television. She asked us to plan our advert in

•     detail and to write a script. Most people found it out difficult

•   to come up with ideas, but I didn't. I decided that I would have

•      interviews with people who were used to go to the school,

•      commenting on how they had benefited them from going to that

•   school. My teacher thought it was a great idea and said I should

•      to see if I could find some ex-students. I asked the head and

•   she gave me a few phone numbers. When I called them and

•      explained them what I wanted to do, they were all happy to

•   help. I am going to visit them with a tape recorder and record

•      that what they say. Media studies is definitely turning out to be

  my favourite subject!

Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the gap.

DISHONEST AND DUMB

Some           CRIME become known for their intelligence and avoid being caught for years. Others are just so stupid that it seems            RIDICULE Take, for instance, one        ROB, who decided that he was feeling a little tired half-way through burgling a house. Seeing the             COMFORT bed, he decided to take a nap. It may seem              BELIEF, but he was still asleep when the owners got home! They           NERVOUS called the police, who came to arrest Sleeping Beauty right away! Another          HUMOUR story is that of the man who stole a          SECURE camera. He managed to steal the camera           EQUIP, but left the tape behind. It was used as          EVIDENT in court because, of course, it showed him taking the camera!