Global English Tests - Test Number 4

EXERCISES AND TESTS: Global English TEST N° 4

This is Global English Test Number 4. Complete it and click the Key Answers link to check your answers.

This global test is designed to assess students’ proficiency in reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and writing skills. It targets intermediate to upper-intermediate learners and focuses on:

A reading passage.
Language knowledge.
Developing written communication skills.

Test Information

Level: Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate
Skills Assessed: Reading Comprehension, Grammar, Vocabulary, Writing
Language Focus: Conditional Sentences, Reported Speech, Expressing Concession, Passive Voice, Tenses, Affixation…

I. READING COMPREHENSION: (15 points)

Learning from Morning Till Night!

Geoff Hardy-Gould explains the benefits of living and learning with your English teacher.

The traditional method of learning English in most English-speaking countries is to live with a host family and attend a language school every day. In the past few years, however, a new way of learning has been growing in popularity: living and learning in an English teacher’s home. Instead of going to school, the student has individual lessons at home on what is known as a ‘homestay’ course.

This type of course is highly attractive as the student is exposed to English from morning to night. Learning takes place in formal lessons, but there are also additional opportunities for language practice at mealtimes and during social activities with the teacher in the afternoon and at weekends. The combination of one-to-one teaching and total immersion means that students can improve quickly and gain valuable insight into how English is used naturally. The course can also be a fascinating window into life and culture in an English-speaking country.

What makes a course in a teacher’s home special is the relationship that develops between the student and the teacher. They get to know each other well, which can make the course highly enjoyable as well as helpful in the learning process. Language mistakes made outside lessons can be corrected immediately or discussed in more detail in a following lesson. The student has the teacher’s undivided attention and will have little or no contact with other students. As a result, they are unlikely to speak their mother tongue for the duration of the course, quite unlike the experience most students have at a language school.

In spite of their higher cost, homestay courses are attractive to a wide range of clients, including business professionals, children, and retired people. Clients also include people with disabilities, who find that their needs are more easily met in a home environment. Normally, courses are for one or two students, although some teachers can accommodate larger groups or families.

Most homestay teachers are aged between 40 and 60. They will have a spacious house or apartment and be skilled at welcoming foreign guests into their homes.

The Guardian Weekly
June 20, 1999.

A. Answer these questions: (6 pts)

How are homestay courses different from the traditional method of learning?
Why can homestay students learn quickly?
Do homestay students have the opportunity to use their native language? Explain.

B. Pick out from the text the expressions which show that: (3 pts)

Homestay teachers are mature professionals.
Homestay courses are expensive.
Homestay courses are not popular.

C. Are these statements true or false? Justify. (3 pts)

In a homestay course, the student lives with a host family and goes to a language school every day.
There are no formal lessons in homestay courses.
A homestay course can be attended by more than one student.

D. What do the underlined words in the text refer to? (1 point)

which (line 10): …
their (line 15): …

E. Find in the text words or expressions which mean the same as: (2 pts)

Understanding (paragraph 2): …
Experienced (paragraph 5): …

II. LANGUAGE: (10 points)

A. Re-write these sentences beginning as suggested. (4 pts)

They chose him as the representative of the school in the national competition.
- He …
I didn’t have enough money on me at that time. So, I didn’t buy all the necessary things.
- If …
The coach said: ‘We have been training hard to qualify for the next round’.
- The coach revealed that they …
Although the man is very old, he is keen on daily exercise.
- In spite of …

B. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct form. (1.5 pts)

Many American soldiers wish they (not/join) … the war on Iraq in 2003.
By the year 2010, Morocco (receive) … ten million tourists.
I started (get) … ready for the exam early because there were so many lessons to revise.

C. Fill in each blank with one word/expression from the list below: (1.5 pts)

consequently – whom – nevertheless – which – whose – therefore – although – thanks to

The Red Cross helped the people … houses had been bombed in the war.
She was very hardworking. … she was dismissed from her job.
The country could overcome the economic crisis … the wise policy of its prime minister.

D. Fill in each blank with a suitable word. The first letter is given to help you. (2 pts)

Students have free a… to universities in Morocco. They don’t have to pay to enter a university.
Women should have an equal s… with men. Gender d… is an obstacle to development.
The government is making a great effort to fight adult i… .

E. What would you say in the following situations? (1 pt)

Your friend damaged your CD player. Complete the exchange expressing complaint and apology.
- You: …
- Your friend: …

III. WRITING: (15 points)

Do you remember your first day at school? Do you remember how it was?

Write a descriptive essay in which you portray your first experience at primary school and how you feel about it.

Global English Tests – Test Number 4