TEST 1

A.
Part 1 You will hear part of an interview with Harold Mackenzie, who has written a
book about early adolescence.
For questions 1-5, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D.
1. According to Harold, what is the main reason pre-teens are receiving more publicity?
A. Psychologists now understand the importance of the pre-teen years.
B. A great deal of research is being done into the way children develop.
C. Pre-teens are now demanding more attention from the media.
D. People now realize pre-teens have economic power.
2. Harold suggests that pre-teens
A. cannot keep up with their peers.
B. start to choose their own clothes.
C. develop unusual tastes.
D. become more aware of their image.
3. Harold claims friendships are important to pre-teens because
A. these relationships help them establish their identities.
B. the children are beginning to rebel against their families.
C. friends are starting to replace family members.
D. the children are now capable of reacting to other people.
4. He suggests that an alternative method of academic evaluation would
A. enable parents to be more supportive.
B. be more effective than examinations.
C. mean less stress for pre-teens.
D. delay the onset of tension in adolescence.
5. According to Harold, what is the greatest challenge facing parents of pre-teens?
A. Deciding what kinds of toys to buy for their children.
B. Developing the correct approach to material possessions.
C. Establishing a way of communicating effectively with their children.
D. Discovering what kind of help their children really need.
Part 2 (10 pts)
Listen and decide whether the following sentences are true (T) or false (F).
1. In a previous lecture, Dr North talked about the humankind’s
relationship with sailing. ……………
2. The focus of today’s talk will be on European fishing problems. ……………
3. During the last century, the world population has grown very fast. ……………
4. As well as over-fishing, the fact that oceans are more polluted is a ……………
reason for fishing stock being on the point of collapse in the Pacific.
5. In the UK, fish used to be seen as a luxury. ……………
Part 3 (10 pts)
You will hear part of a tutorial between two students and their tutor. The students are
doing a research project to do with computer use.
Listen and decide whether the following sentences are true (T) or false (F).
1. Sami and Irene decided to do a survey about access to computer
facilities because no one has investigated it before. ……………

2. Sami and Irene had problems with the reading for their project ……………
because not much had been written about the topic.
……………
3. Sami and Irene get the main data in their survey from observation
of students. ……………
4. The tutor suggests that one problem with the survey was limitation
in the number of students involved. ……………
5. 77% of students surveyed thought that a booking system would be
the best solution.

Part 4 (20 pts)

You will hear a radio report about interactive science and technology centres in Britain.
Complete the sentences, using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.
- The area on which the National Stone Centre stands has been used for a long time for the
mining of (1)………………… and (2)………………… .
- Visitors to the centre are surprised to discover how much stone people (3)…………… .
- Examples of the use of stone in construction shown are (4)……………… and
(5)……………… .
- The headmaster describes the centre as an excellent (6)…………………….. .
- At Techniquest, there are structures which (7)…………………….. .
- At Techniquest, a special (8)…………………….. is used for teaching people about
centrifugal force.
- People can learn about the effect that (9)…………………….. can have on each other at
Techniquest.
- A dragon is used for teaching people about (10)…………………….. at Techniquest

B.
Part 1. For questions 1–20, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D to each of the
following questions and write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes
provided.

1.We had to _______ in the back of the car for an hour to find the missing keys.

A. bed out B. ransack C. root around D. turn upside down

2.If the basket is removed with more citric acid added, it may be used to manufacture or
_______ alcohol.

A. amend B. patch up C. rectify D. remedy

3.They spend so much time arguing that, when it comes to the _______, decisions are often
deferred.

A. crunch B. outcry C. panic stations D. uproar

4. James kept trying to _________ his duties, but his manager told him if he didn’t start
taking responsibility for his work he would have to leave the company.

A. beaver away B. weasel out of C. chicken out of D. clam up

5.Working night shifts at the weekend is _______ of any job in hospitality.

A. cut and thrust B. ebb and flow C. nuts and bolts D. part and parcel

6.The altitude _______ his breathing, making him a bit spaced out and disorientated.

A. played downed B. played havoc with C. played himself in D. played up to

7.Materialism traps us _______ in a world of possessions hag-ridden by irrational fears of

likely loss and lurking dangers.

A. impromptu B. off the cuff C. on a whim D. unawares

8.Although she had been told quite _______ to pull herself together, she simply couldn’t stop
crying.

A. rigidly B. sternly C. unrelentingly D. unsympathetically

9. Gina finally __________ and admitted that she had broken the vase.

A. threw in the towel B. made a clean breast of it

C. read her the riot act D. let her hair down

10.He was highly knowledgeable on the areas. Many would say he was something of a
_______.

A. novice B. probationer C. tenderfoot D. veteran

11. Hopes of a peaceful settlement have been ______

A. torn B. tarnished C. dashed D. smashed

12 The media regarded Gorbachev as the ______favorite to dethrone the old champ

A. last-minute B. odds-on C. so-called D.well -earned

13 We ______ deny that we have ever cheated or tampered illegally with any match ball in
any game during our careers.

A. categorically B. fully C. distinctly D. highly

14 All personal details are treated as ______confidential and remain on computer file.

A. severely B. strictly C. sharply D. harshly

15. I was so tired that I just ______ in the armchair

A.flaked out B.broke up C.dropped out D.fell over

16. Our teacher tends to ______ certain subjects which she finds difficult to talk about

A.boil down B.string along C. skate over D.track down

17. I'm not surprised people are arguing- they are at the _________of their tether.

A. end B. limit C. finish D. termination

18. You can try reformatting your computer, but once you open that ________, you'll
probably be working on it for days,

A. apple of discord B. can of worms

C. load of cobblers D. spot of bother

19. I hope this doesn't ________ your style, but could you please not hum while you work?

A. restrict B. impede C. cramp D. obstruct

20. Once at the skating rink, Ivan was allowed to skate to his heart's ________.

A. happiness B. content C. contentment D. delight

Part 2: Identify 10 errors in the following passage and correct them. (10 pts)
1 Unlike many other species of turtle, the red-car terrapin is not rare. In fact, four to

2 five million hatchings are exported annually from American farms. About

3 200,000 are sold in the United Kingdom.

4 It is ranked that as many as 90 per cent of the young terrapins die in their

5 first year because of the poor conditions in which they are kept. Those which

6 survive may live for 20 years and arrive the size of a dinner plate. At this staging

7 they require a large tank with heat and specialized lightning.

8 Terrapins carry salmonella bacteria which can poison people. This is why

9 the sale of terrapins was banished in the United States in 1975. They are still,

10 however, exported to the United Kingdom.

 11 Modern turtles come from a very antique group of animals that lived over

12 200 million years ago. At this time dinosaurs were just beginning to establish

13 them.

14 Different types of turtles have interesting features: some box turtles are

15 known to have lived for over 100 years, since other species of turtles can remain

16 underwater for more than 24 hours. And the green turtle is the most prolific of all

17 reptiles, lying as many as 28,000 eggs each year.

18 If unwanted pet turtles are unreleased into the wild, many will die and

19 those which survive will threaten the lives of native plants and animal.

Your answers:

Numbe Line Mistakes Corrections

r
1.
2.
3.
4.
5
6
7
8
9
10
Part 3.For questions 1-10, write the correct form of each bracketed word in the
numbered space
provided.
1. The message is clear and concise and displays no ________ that one would expect to find
in more courtly love scenes. (VERB)
2. He talked with the ________ authority of the head of the family. (MAGISTRATE)
3. Methods Twenty three patients who had undergone ________ proctocolectomy with ileal
reservoir were included in the study.
4. Reduction in government spending will ________ further cuts in public services.
(NECESSARY)
5. Ever since she was a child, she has had (a) ________ for spicy food. (DILIGENT)
6. Not only was it gaudy in appearance but the smell wafting from the kitchen was distinctly
________. (ODOR)
7. It may take patience, but it is important to be ________ about what sort of home you are
prepared to inhabit. (FASH)
8. Small wonder if their son grew up with a taste for ________ pursuits, warlike deeds and
sometimes foolhardy enterprise. (CHIVALRY)
9. I ever felicitate myself secretly that I won't make ________ remarks or be hurt by them.
(PERTAIN)
10. A proportion of ________ waves was noted in patients who had undergone surgery 10 or
more years previously. (PROPEL)
Part 4. For questions 1 – 8, read the text below and decide which answer (A,B,C or D)
best fits each gap.
Genes Are Us
A human and a grain of rice not, at first (1) _______________, look like cousins. And yet
we share a quarter of our genes with that fine plant. All animals, plants and fungi share an
ancestor that lived about 1.6 billion years ago. Everything that (2)________ from that
progenitor retains part of its original genome, embodying one of evolution’s
(3)__________ principles : if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Since evolution has conserved
so many genes, exploring the genomes of other species can (4) ___________ light on
genes involved in human biology and disease.
Genes can disappear and new ones can arise from mutations in DNA that previously (5)
________ some other function or no function at all. It’s (6) _______________ surprising
that we share more genes with chimpanzees than with rice because, by (7) ____________
large, we’ve shared most of our evolutionary journey with those apes. And as we (8)
 ___________ through the small portion of our genes with no counterpart in chimpanzees,
we may be able to find additional clues as to what makes us uniquely human.
1. A look B glimpse C sight D glance
2. A sprang B proceeded C descended D originated
3. A vital B key C prime D crucial
4. A shed B aim C hurl D pitch
5. A played B enforced C served D favoured
6. A very B barely C rarely D hardly
7. A or B and C nor D but
8. A sift B seek C scan D sweep.
Part 5: Complete the following article by writing each missing word in the correct box on
your answer sheet. Use only ONE word for each space. (10 pts)
The Legend of the Root
Ginseng is one of the great mysteries of the east. Often referred to as the “elixir of life”, its
widespread use in oriental medicine has led to many myths and legends building up around
this remarkable plant. Ginseng has featured (1) ______ an active ingredient in oriental medical
literature for over 5,000 years. Its beneficial effects were, at one time, (2)______ widely
recognized and praised that the root was said to (3)______worth its weight in gold.
(4)______ the long history of ginseng, no one fully knows how it works. The active part of
the plant is the root. Its full name is Panax Ginseng – the word Panax, (5)______ the word
panacea, coming from the Greece for “all healing”. There is growing interest by western
scientists (6)______ the study of ginseng. It is today believed that this remarkable plant may
(7)______ beneficial effects in the treatment of many diseases (8)______ are difficult to treat
with synthetic drugs.
Today, ginseng is no longer a myth or a legend. Throughout the world it is becoming widely
recognized that this ancient herb holds the answer to relieving the stresses and ailments of
modern living.. It is widely used for the treatment of various ailments (9)______ as arthritis,
diabetes, insomnia, hepatitis and anaemia. However, the truth behind (10)______ ginseng
works still remains a mystery. Yet its widespread effectiveness shows that the remarkable
properties are more than just a legend.
Part 6. Read the passage and choose the best answer to each of the questions (10 pts)
Over the last century the world has become increasingly smaller. Not geographically,
of course, but in the sense that media, technology and the opening of borders has enabled the
world’s citizens to view, share and gain access to a much wider range of cultures, societies and
world views. In this melting pot that the world has become, today’s child is privy to facets of
the human experience that his immediate predecessors had no inkling even existed. It stands
to reason that in order to absorb, configure and finally form opinions about this information-
laden planet, children must be supplied with certain tools. Included in this list of ‘tools’ are:
education, social skills, cultural awareness and the acquisition of languages, the most important
of these being the latter. Until recently, a child who had the ability to speak more than one
language would have been considered a very rare entity. This one-language phenomenon could
be attributed to a combination of factors. Firstly, the monolingual environment in which a
child was raised played a strong role, as did the limited, biased education of the past. With
regard to immigrants, the sad fact was that non-native parents tended to withhold the teaching
of the mother tongue so that the child would acquire the ‘more prestigious’ language of the
adopted country.
Nowadays, the situation has undergone an almost complete reversal. In the majority of
North American and European countries, most children are given the opportunity to learn a
second or even a third language. Children acquire these foreign languages through various and
diverse means. In many countries, learning a foreign language is a compulsory subject in the
state school curriculum. Other children rely on language schools or private tuition to achieve
their goal. In other instances, children are born to bilingual parents, who, if they so desire, may
teach the children two languages.
Bringing up one’s child bilingually is not a decision to be taken lightly. Both parents
must consider long and hard the implications involved in raising a child in a two-language
home. This decision is one of those all-important choices which will affect not only the
parents’ lives but also the life of the child. Raising a child bilingually has a two-fold effect.
Firstly, of course, the child learns the two languages of the parents. Secondly, the parents’
decision will influence factors which will have a far-reaching effect on the child’s life. Some
of these factors include: style and place of education; diameter of social circle; employment
potential and preference; and, most importantly, the way in which the child views himself and
his global environment.
One of the more advantageous by-products of being a member of a bilingual family is
the inherent awareness of two different cultures. This bicultural child inherits a wealth of
knowledge brought about by an exposure to: historical backgrounds; traditional songs and
folklore; rituals of marriage; models of social interaction; and therefore, two varying
interpretations of the world. The monolingual child seems to be at a disadvantage in
comparison to the bilingual child, who has a set of languages and an accompanying set of
abstract cultural ideas. Practically speaking, when a child comes from a two-language family,
he must be taught both languages in order to communicate with the extended family members.
When, for example, the grandparents speak a language which differs from that of the child’s
locale, a monolingual child would be deprived of the interaction which occurs between
grandparents and grandchildren. On the other hand, a bilingual child will not only be able to
speak to grandparents, but will also comprehend where these people have ‘come from’. There
will be a shared cultural empathy within the family. Because all family members can
communicate, on both a verbal and cultural level, no one will feel excluded and the child will
develop a sense of rootedness.
On a more abstract level, it has been said that a bilingual child thinks differently from
a monolingual child. Current research in linguistics indicates that there may be a strong
correlation between bilingualism and cognitive skills. This new research concerns itself with
the fact that a bilingual child has two lexical structures for any given physical or abstract entity.
This leads logically to the assumption that the child also has two associations for many words,
as a word can mean different things in different languages. For example, the word ‘fire’ in
many western hemisphere languages connotes warmth and relaxation. In the Inuit language
however, where fire is a necessity of life, it may connote heat and survival. For the bilingual
child, then, vocabulary items and the abstract idea behind them are both dual in nature and
more elastic. Researchers maintain that this elasticity of ideas may allow the child to think
more flexibly and, therefore, more creatively.

1. In the author’s view, the world is becoming a _____.

A. more culturally diverse place
B. place where only privileged children will prosper
C. less complex place to live in
D. much more integrated place
2. According to the first paragraph, which of the following was true of immigrants?
A. Children were reluctant to use their mother tongue.
B. The mother tongue was considered less important.
C. Parents encouraged children to use their mother tongue.
D. Most parents made it a priority for children to grow up bilingual.
3. The phrase “privy to” in paragraph 1 mostly means _____.
A. acquainted with B. advised of
C. apprised of D. in the know about
4. The phrase “attributed to” mostly means _____.
 A. ascribed to B. associated with
C. connected with D. held responsible for
5. According to the writer, second or foreign language learning is something _____.
A. people are still apathetic towards
B. mainly associated with private sector education
C. that few people take seriously
D. about which general attitudes have evolved considerably
6 . According to the article, the decision to raise bilingual children is difficult because
______.
A. it may limit the child’s choice of friends
B. though simple for parents, it can impact negatively on children
C. it may cause children to lose their sense of identity
D. it needs to be considered from many different angles
7. With regard to the ‘extended family’ in immigrant situations, the writer feels it is
important that _____.
A. adults try to understand the child’s difficult cultural situation
B. children are not pressured to speak their parents’ native language
C. adults recognise the child’s need to identify more with local culture
D. children can relate to all aspects of their parents’ native culture
8. The word “by-products” in paragraph 4 mostly means ___.
A. entailments B. knock-on effects
C. side effects D. spin-offs
9. The word “connotes” in paragraph 5 mostly means _____.
A. underpins B. implies C. signifies D. smacks of
10. According to current research, the benefit of learning two languages is that _____.
A. different types of knowledge can be accessed in different languages
B. bilinguals become more aware the origin of words in languages
C. it helps to develop different capabilities of the mind
D. bilinguals develop a greater sense of the value of culture
Part 7. The reading has six paragraphs A-F. Choose the most suitable heading for
paragraph B-F from the list of headings below. Write the appropriate numbers (i-x) in space
1-5. There are more headings than paragraphs, so you will not use them all. (10 pts)
HIGH-TECH CRIME -FIGHTING TOOLS
A. Crime- fighting technology is getting more sophisticated and rightly so. The police need to be
equipped for the 21st century. In Britain we’ve already got the world’s biggest DNA databases.
By next year the state will have access to the genetic data of 4.25 m people: one British-based
person in 14. Hundreds of thousands of those on the database will never have been charged
with a crime.
B. Britain is also reported to have more than £4 million CCTV (closed circuit television) camera,
There is a continuing debate about the effectiveness of CCTV. Some evidence suggests that it
 is helpful in reducing shoplifting and car crime. It has also been used to successfully indentify
terrorists and murderers. However, many people claim that better lighting is just as effective
to prevent crime and that cameras could displace crime. An internal police report said that only
one crime was solved for every 1,000 cameras in London in 2007. In short, there is conflicting
evidence about the effectiveness of camera, so it is likely that the debate will continue.
C. Professor Mike Press, who has spent the past decade studying how design can contribute to
crime reduction, said that, in order for CCTC to have any effect, it must be used in a targeted
way. For example, a scheme in Manchester records every license plate at the entrance of a
shopping complex and alerts police when one is found to belong to an untaxed or stolen car.
This is an effective example of monitoring, he said. Most schemes that simply record city
centers continually- often not being watched - do not produce results. CCTV can also have the
opposite effect of that intended, by giving citizens a false sense of security and encouraging
them to be careless with property and personal safety. Professor Press said: “All the evidence
suggests that CCTV alone makes no positive impact on crime reduction and prevention at all.
The weight of evidence would suggest the investment is more or less a waste of money unless
you have lots of other things in place”. He believes that much of the increase is driven by the
marketing efforts of security companies who promote the crime-reducing benefits of their
products. He described it as a “lazy approach to crime prevention” and said that authorities
should instead be focusing on how to alter the environment to reduce crime.
D. But in reality, this is not what is happening. Instead, police are considering using more
technology. Police forces have recently begun experimenting with cameras in their helmets.
The footage will be stored on police computers, along with the footage from thousands of
CCTV cameras and millions of pictures form numberplate recognition camera used
increasingly to check up on motorists.
E. And now another type of technology is being introduced. It’s called the Microdrone and it’s a
toy-sized remote-control craft that hovers above streets or crowds to film what’s going on
beneath. The Microdrone has already been used to monitor rock festivals, but its supplier has
also been in discussions to supply it to the Metropolitan Police, and Soca, the Serious
Organized Crime Agency. The drones are small enough to be unnoticed by people on the
ground when they are flying at 350ft. They contain high-resolution video surveillance
equipment and an infrared night vision capability, so even in darkness they give operators a
bird’s -eye view of locations while remaining virtually undetectable.
F. The worrying thing is, who will get access to this technology? Merseyside police are already
employing two of the devices as part of a pilot scheme to watch football crowds and city parks
looking for antisocial behaviors. It is not just about crime detection: West Midlands fire
brigade is about to lease a drone, for example, to get a better view of fire and flood scenes and
aid rescue attempt; the Environment Agency is considering their use for monitoring of illegal
fly tipping and oil spills. The company that makes the drone says it has no plans to license the
equipment to individuals or private companies, which hopefully will prevent private security
firms from getting their hands on them. But what about local authorities? In theory, this
technology could be used against motorists. And where will the surveillance society end?
Already there are plans to introduce smart water containing a unique DNA code identifier that
when sprayed on a suspect will cling to their clothes and skin and allow officers to identify
them later. As long as high-tech tools are being used in the fight against crime and terrorism,
fine. But if it’s another weapon to be used to invade our privacy then we don’t want it.
List of Headings
i The spy in the sky vi Lack of conclusive evidence
ii The spread of technology vii Cars and cameras
iii The limitations of camera viii Advantages and disadvantages
iv The cost of camera ix A natural progression
v Robots solving serious crimes x A feeling of safety
Example: Paragraph A ix
1. Paragraph B __________ 2. Paragraph C __________
3. Paragraph D__________ 4. Paragraph E __________
5. Paragraph F __________
Part 8. Four climbers who succeeded in climbing the world's highest mountain write about
how they felt when they reached the summit.

How I felt on conquering Everest

A. Roddy Makenzie

It has occasionally been claimed that people climb for the smell of it. Air at very high
altitude smells completely different. When I reached the South Summit, I was suffering from
a lack of Spanish olives. I was preoccupied with thoughts of a tin of them sitting in my tent at
base camp. This was the result of a very intense dream about olives that was interrupted by
the alarm summoning me to our summit attempt. At the South Summit, the view of the main
summit fascinated me from a mountaineering point of view and all dreaming of olives
evaporated. On the summit, I felt a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. It seemed to me
that the curvature of the Earth was apparent, and I spent some time trying to think of a means
to test if this was a real observation or an illusion. Many people on the Indian subcontinent
believe that the ascent of Everest confers on the climber a greater wisdom in manifold
subjects. That is something I do not agree with but never dispute.
B. Anna Czerwinska

When I reached the South Summit, I looked back at the mists rising from the valleys and I
could feel their damp touch on my face. They prevented me from looking down on the long
painful way up, but it was not only that. The curtain of mist had closed over my past. My
oxygen was running out, and common sense demanded that I return, but before long I was
climbing on an exposed ridge to the foot of the Hillary Step. A crampon had come undone
and I painfully put it on again. Everest was doing everything to discourage me. I registered
that dreamily and, as if dreaming, conquered the final metres of the snowy slope. Suddenly
the coulds above me lifted in one blue moment and, very low down, I saw a rugged
precipitous ridge. The wind was growing stronger and it was snowing lightly. I did not get
the beautiful view as a reward and I felt fleetingly disappointed. However, those few minutes
on the highest spot on Earth were worth every effort and have given me joy ever since.

C. Andy Politz

On the summit, I set out to get some sponsor photos, which at 8.850 metres without oxygen
gives a unique insight into hypoxia. At one point, I looked down at Nepal and the South East
Ridge only to be surprised by another climber coming up through the clouds. He was startled
to see someone looking down at him. He was also climbing without oxygen and was tiring.
The other thought I had, remembering six years of attempting to climb Everest, was 'He
could take my picture'. Through scudding cloud, I saw that the colour and design of his
clothing were unmistakably French. I do not speak French. As this Frenchman was taking his
last stepts to the summit, I made the international hand sign for 'Stop and I'll take your
picture'. While I was struggling to focus the camera, he looked hard at me and exclaimed
'Andy!' To my amazement, it was my close friend Ed Viestours on his second ascent of the
mountain.

D. Frits Vrijlandt

I approached Everest with respect and was well aware of being just a small human being. An
excellent preparation is very important but far from a guarantee that you'll reach the summit.
You have to be mentally ready to go for it, sufficiently experienced and a brave and careful
climber. Before our summit bid, our team agreed that returning without injuries was our main
objective. Some people can be blindly obsessed by Everest. I reached the top after eight
hours of climbing. After I contacted base camp and they had congratulated me,I replied,
'Thank you, but first I have to get back down safely'. After my return to Kathmandu, I felt
like a super-being because I had stood on the top of the world. I still had this feeling when I
came back home but it soon faded away. The world or your life doesn't change because you
climbed a mountain, even if it is the highest. But climbing Everest was a spiritual experience
for me. It puts your feet back on the surface of mother Earth.

In which article is the following mentioned?

1.A remarkable coincidence.

2.A suggestion that other climbers sometimes take risks.

3.A determination to continue climbing despite a problem.

4.An awareness of the dangers of the descent.

5.An obsession the climber briefly experienced.

6.The temporary nature of the sense of achievement.

7.The fact that the writer made the climb without some support that could have been used.

8.The appeal of climbing to one of the senses other than sight.

9.Something that failed to live up to expectations.

10.A claim that the writer rejects.

Part 9. You are going to read a newspaper article about a ship carrying goods across the
Atlantic ocean. Six paragraphs have been removed from the article. Choose from the
paragraphsA – G the one which fits each gap (1-6). There is one extra paragraph which you
do not need to use.

The wind-lashed workers who battle the Atlantic in winter

Even at this stormy time of year in Britain there are thousands of oil workers and fishermen
offshore, as well as a scattering of seafarers manning the container ships and tankers that
bring us almost everything we need. So it was that in the depths of bitter winter, hoping to
learn what modern sailors’ lives are like, I joined the Maersk Pembroke, a container
freighter, on her regular run from Europe to Montreal. She looked so dreadful when I found
her in Antwerp that I hoped I had the wrong ship.
1 ………..
Trade between Europe and North America is a footnote to the great west-east and north-
south runs: companies leave it to older vessels. Pembroke is battered and rusty, reeking of
diesel and fishy chemicals. She is noisy, her bridge and stairwells patrolled by whistling
drafts which rise to howls at sea. Her paintwork is wretched. The Atlantic has stripped her
bow back to a rusted steel snarl.
2 ………
It felt like a desperate enterprise on a winter night, as the tide raced us down the Scheldt
estuary and spat us out into the North Sea. According to the weather satellites, the Atlantic
was storms from coast to coast, two systems meeting in the middle of our course. On the far
side, ice awaited. We were behind schedule, the captain desperate for speed. “Six-metre
waves are OK; any bigger you have to slow down or you kill your ship” he said. “Maybe
we’ll be lucky!”
3 …….
Soon enough, we were in the midst of those feared storms. A nightmare in darkness, a north
Atlantic storm is like a wild dream by day, a region of racing elements and livid colour,
bursting turquoise foam, violent sunlight, and darkening magenta waves. There is little you
can do once committed except lash everything down and enjoy what sleep you can before it
becomes impossible. Pembroke is more than 200 m long and weighs more than 38,000 tons,
but the swells threw her about like a tin toy.
4………….
When they hit us squarely, the whole ship reared, groaning and staggering, shuddered by
shocking force. We plunged and tottered for three days before there was a lull. But even
then, an ordinary day involved unpleasant jobs in extreme conditions. I joined a welding
party that descended to the hold: a dripping, tilting cathedral composed of vast tanks of
toxins and organophosphates, where a rusted hatch cover defied a cheap grinder blade in a
fountain of sparks. As we continued west, the wind thickened with sleet, then snow as the
next storm arrived.
5 ……….

All was well in that regard and, after the storms, we were relieved to enter the St Lawrence
River. The ice was not thick enough to hinder us; we passed Quebec City in a glittering blue
dawn and made Montreal after sunset, its downtown towers rising out of the tundra night.
Huge trucks came for our containers.
6………..
But without them and their combined defiance of the elements there could be nothing like
what we call ‘life’ at all. Seafarers are not sentimental, but some are quite romantic. They
would like to think we thought of them, particularly when the forecast says storms at sea.

A Others felt the same. We were ‘the only idiots out here’, as several men remarked. We felt
our isolation like vulnerability; proof that we had chosen obscure, quixotic lives.

В Going out on deck in such conditions tempted death. Nevertheless, the ship’s electrician
climbed a ladder out there every four hours to check that the milk, cheese and well-travelled
Argentine beef we carried were still frozen in refrigerated containers.

C But it does not take long to develop affection for a ship, even the Pembroke — the time it
takes her to carry you beyond swimming distance from land, in fact. When I learnt what was
waiting for us mid-ocean I became her ardent fan, despite all those deficiencies.

D There were Dutch bulbs, seaweed fertilizer from Tanzania, Iranian dates for Colombia, Sri
Lankan tea bags, Polish glue, Hungarian tyres, Indian seeds, and much besides. The sailors
are not told what they carry. They just keep the ships going.

E Hoping so, we slipped down the Channel in darkness, with the Dover coastguard wishing
us, “Good watch, and a safe passage to your destination.” The following evening we left the
light of Bishop Rock on the Scilly Isles behind. “When we see that again we know we’re
home” said the second mate.

F Huge black monsters marched at us out of the north-west, striped with white streaks of
foam running out of the wind’s mouth. The ocean moved in all directions at once and the
waves became enormous, charging giants of liquid emerald, each demanding its own
reckoning.

G That feeling must have been obvious to the Captain. “She’s been all over the world”,
proud Captain Koop, a grey-bristled Dutchman, as quick and confident as a Master Mariner
must be, told me. “She was designed for the South Pacific” he said, wistfully.
Part 10. Essay writing
 Some schools often get students’ ideas to evaluate their teachers. In your opinion,
should all schools ask students to evaluate their teacher?

Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Your should write about 250 words.

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