READING

Part I

Clearly, when older people do heavy physical work, their age may affect their productivity. But
other skills may increase with age, including many that are crucial for good management, such as an
ability to handle people diplomatically, to run a meeting or to spot a problem before it blows up.
Peter Hicks, who co-ordinates OECD work on the policy implications of ageing, says that plenty of
research suggests older people are paid more because they are worth more.

And the virtues of the young may be exaggerated. ‘The few companies that have kept on older
workers find they have good judgement and their productivity is good,’ says Peter Peterson, author
of a recent book on the impact of ageing. ‘Besides, their education standards are much better than
those of today’s young high-school graduates.’ Companies may say that older workers are not
worth training because they are reaching the end of their working lives; in fact, young people tend
to switch jobs so frequently that they offer the worst returns on training. The median age for
employer-driven training is the late 40s and early 50s, and this training goes mainly to managers.

Questions 1 and 2

Choose TWO letters, A-G.

Write the correct letters in boxes 11 and 12 on your answer sheet.

The list below gives some of the advantages of employing older workers.

Which TWO advantages are mentioned by the writer of the text?

A They are less likely to be involved in careless accidents.

B They can predict areas that may cause trouble in the future.

C They are able to train younger workers.

D They can deal with unexpected problems.

E They are more conscientious.

F They are prepared to work for lower salaries.

G They are more skilled in personal relationships.

Choose TWO letters, A-F.

Write the correct letters in boxes 13 and 14 on your answer sheet.

The list below gives some of the disadvantages of employing younger workers.

Which TWO disadvantages are mentioned by the writer of the text?

A They are too confident of their own skills.

B They may injure themselves.

C They do not stay with the same company for very long.

D Their training has been too theoretical.

E They are not as well educated as older workers.

F They demand higher salaries.

Part II

'This Marvellous Invention'

Of all mankind’s manifold creations, language must take pride of place. Other inventions – the
wheel, agriculture, sliced bread – may have transformed our material existence, but the advent of
language is what made us human. Compared to language, all other inventions pale in significance,
since everything we have ever achieved depends on language and originates from it. Without
language, we could never have embarked on our ascent to unparalleled power over all other animals,
and even over nature itself.

But language is foremost not just because it came first. In its own right it is a tool of extraordinary
sophistication, yet based on an idea of ingenious simplicity: ‘this marvellous invention of
composing out of twenty-five or thirty sounds that infinite variety of expressions which, whilst
having in themselves no likeness to what is in our mind, allow us to disclose to others its whole
secret, and to make known to those who cannot penetrate it all that we imagine, and all the various
stirrings of our soul’. This was how, in 1660, the renowned French grammarians of the Port-Royal
abbey near Versailles distilled the essence of language, and no one since has celebrated more
eloquently the magnitude of its achievement. Even so, there is just one flaw in all these hymns of
praise, for the homage to language’s unique accomplishment conceals a simple yet critical
incongruity. Language is mankind’s greatest invention – except, of course, that it was never
invented. This apparent paradox is at the core of our fascination with language, and it holds many of
its secrets.

Questions 5 – 8

Complete the summary using the list of words, A-G, below.

Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

The importance of language

The wheel is one invention that has had a major impact on 5 ………… aspects of life, but no impact
has been as 6 ………… as that of language. Language is very 7 ………… , yet composed of just a
small number of sounds. Language appears to be 8 ………… to use. However, its sophistication is
often overlooked.

A difficult B complex C original D admired

E material F easy G fundamental

WRITING
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Write about the following topic.

The first car appeared on British roads in 1888. By the year 2000 there may be as many as 29
million vehicles on British roads.

Alternative forms of transport should be encouraged and international laws introduced to control
car ownership and use.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or
experience.
Write at least 250 words.

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