C1 English Exam
C1 English Exam
C1 English Exam
Vocabulary
Verbs of seeing
a) When you saw Tony last night, did you notice / recognise / observe he’d shaved off his beard?
b) I could spend hours just observing / gazing at / examining this view. It’s so restful.
c) Her eyes glanced / gazed / darted from one face to another in the crowd, but she couldn’t see
Billy.
d) After the expert had observed / examined / noticed the painting, she declared it a fake.
e) I didn’t look / see / recognise Cathy at first. She’s really changed since I last saw her.
f) She saw / looked at / observed her watch, and nodded at the man, who opened the door.
g) I’ve been examining / seeing / observing that man closely, and I think he’s up to something.
h) Helen’s been gazing at / seeing / noticing Ned for two months now, and he hasn’t paid for a
single thing!
(8 points)
2 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the phrases in the box. There
are two extra phrases.
in two minds about mind (your) own business mind how you go mind over matter
mind you out of (your) mind the last thing on (your) mind take (your) mind off
Compound nouns
3 Complete the sentences using the correct form of the words in the box. There are
two extra words.
a) The ______________ has broken down and the whole house is freezing.
b) Please insert your card into the ______________ and key in your PIN.
c) The ______________ tells you if you have any phone messages at home wherever you are.
d) If I’m not there, you can leave me a ______________ message at work.
e) You’ll have to use the landline, as there’s not much ______________ here in the mountains.
f) I’m always losing the ______________ for the TV. It’s usually under the sofa cushions.
g) The ______________ on this computer isn’t very good. It can’t understand my accent!
h) Please hand in all ______________ at the entrance. They are forbidden in the building.
i) The ______________ malfunctioned, and set off the burgular alarm.
j) We’ve installed a state-of-the-art ______________ in the living room. Do you want to come
round and watch a film on it tonight?
(10 points)
Phenomena
a) The actress sued the newspaper for slander / libel / arson after the article appeared.
b) Following the assault, the victim was awarded sentence / probabtion / damages for
psychological distress.
c) He won’t be tried for murder because the prosecution has reduced the charge to embezzlement /
manslaughter / libel.
d) The jury were finally able to return a verdict / cross examine / award damages after two days.
e) The accused / jury / barrister cross examined the witness in a very agressive manner.
6 Complete the sentences with the phrases in the box. There are two extra phrases.
against the law be in trouble with the law by law lay down the law law-abiding
no-one is above the law take the law into (your) own hands (your) word is law
a) If I don’t get help from the police about this, I’m going to __________ and go and sort that bully
out myself.
b) Some corrupt politicians would do well to remember that __________ .
c) You’d better not cross Grandma if she says no. __________ .
d) Is dropping litter __________ in the UK?
e) I’m fed up with Brian __________ . Why doesn’t he let us decide what we want to do, for a
change?
f) Colleen was locked up in the cells again last night. She always seems to __________ .
(6 points)
Grammar
Verbs of the senses
7 Complete the text with the correct form of the verbs in the box and can if
necessary. Some verbs are used more than once.
a) The teacher was accustomed to dealing with children, so she quickly broke up the fight.
Being ________________________________________________________
b) He jumped from the moving train onto the tracks as he had no other choice.
Having ________________________________________________________
c) They were tired from the long journey so they slept on the bus.
Tired ________________________________________________________
d) I sneaked in through the side door because I was eager to see the concert.
Eager ________________________________________________________
e) Because she didn’t want to waste her time, she drove to the meeting.
Not ________________________________________________________
f) After they had eaten the fruit they started to feel ill.
Having ________________________________________________________
(6 points)
Complex sentences
a) B_________ the phone uses solar power it will never need recharging.
b) The gates, made of steel, open automatically b_________ detecting the sensor in the vehicle.
c) W_________ its built-in memory stick, capable of storing up to 200 photos at a time, this camera
is ready to use from the word ‘go’.
d) The TV comes with cable included, without you h_________ to subscribe to any extra channels.
e) The card allows you to make up to twenty journeys in one day, g_________ you the freedom to
come and go as you wish.
(5 points)
Useful phrases
12 Complete the conversations with the phrases in the box. There are two extra
phrases.
Anything else? I hope you’re joking! I’m cool with that. It depends.
No, of course not. Go ahead. No, why? What is it now?
Conversation 1
A: Mum, have you seen my grey sweatshirt?
B: (1) _________
A: I want to wear it to the gig tonight. Oh, and Mum?
B: Yes? (2) _________
A: Can I borrow a tenner?
B: (3) _________ You already owe me £40. No way!
A: Fine. If you won’t, then I’ll ask Dad.
Reading
13 Read the text. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?
a) Scientists don’t really understand the causes of alien hand syndrome. ___
b) With alien hand syndrome, the sufferer can’t feel their hand. ___
c) People who have brain injuries often get foreign accent syndrome. ___
d) Some people with foreign accent syndrome don’t actually speak a foreign language. ___
e) Micropesia can easily be cured with glasses. ___
The brain is the most complex organ in the human body. Even now, scientists know very little about how parts of
it function. Certain interesting and unusual conditions provide insights into the workings of this remarkable and
mysterious organ. Here are some of them.
Alien hand syndrome This strange neurological disorder is characterized by one of the sufferer’s hands
seeming to take on a life of its own. It has been identified in cases where a person has undergone brain surgery
or has suffered a stroke. With alien hand syndrome, the sufferer has full sensation in the limb (it can also affect
legs), but is unable to control its movements. The affected hand can still perform complex operations, such as
undoing buttons and using tools. Sometimes the sufferer is completely unaware of the hand’s activity until it is
brought to their attention. There is no treatment for the syndrome, but symptoms can be relieved by giving the
hand something to keep it occupied.
Foreign accent syndrome This condition results from a stroke or occurs as a side effect of a serious brain
injury. It gives sufferers an accent from countries they might never have been to and in some cases they are able
to speak fluently in a language they barely know. A man in Yorkshire started speaking in a broad Irish accent after
waking up from brain surgery. He’d never even visited Ireland. Doctors believe the condition is triggered when the
tiny parts of the brain linked with language and speech patterns become damaged. This can affect the tone and
pitch of the voice, causing speech to sound different. The syndrome was first identified in the 1940s, and since
Micropesia With this condition, sufferers can see clearly, but everything appears to be much smaller than in
reality. Sufferers will see people and objects at a fraction of their normal size – like looking through the wrong end
of a pair of binoculars. The condition persists, even when someone has their eyes closed. Also known as ‘Alice in
Wonderland Syndrome’, after the novel by Lewis Carroll, it can be accompanied by macropesia, when objects
appear larger than they seem. The condition seems to be caused by a malfunction in the way the brain processes
what it sees, although it can also be the result of optical distortion of the image within the eye itself. It affects not
only the sufferer’s vision, but also touch and hearing.
(5 points)
Listening
[Track 12]
14 Listen to Will and Caitlin talking about an interesting experience they had.
Underline the most appropriate words.