Skills Test Units 9–10

READING
A Read the text and match each summary to a person from the box. An example (0) has been done for you.

Would You Be Able to Give up Shopping for a Year?

Most of us like a good shop, especially if we’ve had a bad day. There’s a reason why we call it ‘retail therapy’.
There’s no denying that the act of wandering around shops and buying stuff, often stuff we don’t actually
need, gives us the feel-good factor.
But according to Diana Morgan, author of ‘Keep Life Simple’, if there are things in your life which make you
feel good, it’s best to give them up. She believes we ought to quit shopping for an entire year if we love it so
much and conducted an experiment to prove it.
You Can Save a Lot of Time
Imagine you’re out and about shopping in search of the perfect outfit. It’s a pressure-filled task. You have
an important occasion and are feeling stressed just at the thought of it. ‘This is now the time to stop and
think’, says Ann Williams, a lifestyle columnist. ‘Do you really want to be spending your whole weekend
with crowds of people, looking for that one suit or dress? Or would you rather look through your wardrobe?
Because more often than not, that’s where you’ll find something appropriate and you’ll save a lot of hours
of searching.’
Only Ban Clothes Shopping
Bobby Smith, a psychology researcher at Bristol University, also took part in the ban. With the money he was
able to save from his shopping ban, he decided to treat himself. He spent it on concerts and travel.
Williams did the same during her ban but instead chose to have meals out in nice restaurants. She also let
herself purchase books, as her real passion is reading. At the end of the year, she enjoyed it so much she made
the decision to do it all again but with different rules this time: plane tickets replaced the meals and she was
able to do a number of European trips.
Then there’s Max Fletcher, a law student from Sheffield. His weakness was drinking coffee. We all know a
morning latte can be extremely overpriced. He admitted finding it tough and being happy when the ban was
finally over. In that time, however, he’d managed to put aside a significant amount of cash.
It’s a Learning Experience
Williams felt the experience had been a learning curve. She realised that banning clothes shopping made her
take a long, hard look at the clothing industry. ‘When you think about it, hardly anyone actually needs more
than half of the clothes in their wardrobes, and yet many of us are still addicted to buying more. It’s really
made me consider where my clothes come from and where they end up.’ Williams is now setting up her own
recycled clothing company.

a Diana Morgan b Bobby Smith c Ann Williams d Max Fletcher

This person. . .
0 found that they already had the things she thought she needed to buy. c
1 used their experience from the ban to start up a new business.
2 felt a certain amount of relief at the end of the experiment.
3 believes a shopping ban can leave you time to do other things.
4 made sure their shopping ban excluded new experiences.
5 said we should refrain from doing the things we enjoy most in life.

 /5

Language Hub Upper Intermediate Tests

Published by Macmillan Education, a division of Springer Nature Limited. © Springer Nature Limited 2019. This page may be photocopied and used within the class.
Skills Test Units 9–10
B Read the text and write true (T) or false (F) for the following statements. An example (0) has been done for you.

Is There Still a Place for Newspapers?

The debate about whether we still need traditional media, especially newspapers, has been talked about for a
couple of decades already. Due to the popularity and accessibility of the internet, it’s no surprise that sales are
down and fewer staff are needed. So, why keep them at all? Actually there are many reasons why they are still
such a vital source of information in our technological age.
The internet gives us content. That is to say, it’s a huge mass of likes, dislikes, photos, videos and comments.
A newspaper, on the other hand, offers a whole experience. You physically turn the pages and get ink on
your hands as you eat your breakfast on a Sunday morning. It’s not a rushed read at work during your coffee
break or while the boss isn’t looking. And each turn of the page presents us with varied articles that we may
not have discovered using internet search engines, especially if we are looking for one specific story. They
somehow encourage us to open our minds to other topics.
Another important reason is that newspapers do all the hard work for us. The internet requires us to read
endless content before we reach an article that might actually be worth reading. A newspaper has already
worked out the key stories in the news that day and put them down in one manageable booklet. The articles
have been carefully selected and put in a specific position on the page by an editorial team.
A daily newspaper is a little piece of history as well. How many parents keep the newspaper from their child’s
birthdate as a souvenir for them to look back on in years to come? It’s hardly the same with online content
which is constantly being replaced and updated.
On top of this, a newspaper recognises its diverse audience. Although we live in a world of smartphones,
tablets and laptops, there are still some people who don’t have these devices. In fact there are others who have
actively chosen not to have them. Print media is something anyone can pick up and read regardless of any
technology they may or may not have around them.
Naturally, the majority of people can appreciate new media and the benefits it has given to our society.
Indeed this must and will continue to move forwards. But we should, in my opinion, always find a place
for the newspaper in our modern lives. A publication that is written and researched every day by a team of
experienced journalists must be worth fighting for.

0 There’s no real point in publishing a daily newspaper anymore. T/F

1 The writer suggests that having a newspaper slows down the pace of our lives. T/F
2 Newspapers make the reader search carefully for articles they are interested in. T/F
3 Both newspapers and online content are kept by parents after the birth of a child. T/F
4 Newspapers are able to reach people that the internet can’t. T/F
5 The writer sees the benefits of keeping both modern and traditional media. T/F

 /5

Language Hub Upper Intermediate Tests

Published by Macmillan Education, a division of Springer Nature Limited. © Springer Nature Limited 2019. This page may be photocopied and used within the class.
 Skills Test Units 9–10
LISTENING
A Listen to a presentation about a new product that a traveller had discovered whilst in Thailand, which is about to be released
9 onto the market, and fill in the gaps to complete the sentences. An example (0) has been done for you.
0 Richard made the original invention more user-friendly .
1 Richard and his wife Prikathorn by a tap in the village.
2 Richard’s wife had kept the socks from their .
3 Food that has been contaminated after it has been washed is responsible for 80% of .
4 Besides being more hygienic, the other benefit of using a pair of socks to dry food is because it retains the
in the food.
5 Instead of using Prikathorn’s idea of a branch, Richard got someone to make an piece of plastic.

 /5

B Listen to an editor discussing his jobs as a journalist and as an editor, then answer the questions. An example (0) has been
10 done for you.
0 What did he say about the stories that were covered in the local newspaper?
They didn’t get people talking.
1 Where did he move to get his first job at a national newspaper?

2 When he was at the local newspaper, what areas did he use to cover?

3 Why couldn’t he publish what he had done on social media when he first started his job?

4 Besides sources and contacts, what else is important to be an editor?

5 What does he not have to be too concerned about?

 /5

Language Hub Upper Intermediate Tests

Published by Macmillan Education, a division of Springer Nature Limited. © Springer Nature Limited 2019. This page may be photocopied and used within the class.
Skills Test Units 9–10
WRITING
A A newspaper has recently published a story about how an area of your town that you know well is looking untidy and uncared
for. The newspaper has invited its readers to suggest ways to improve it so they can propose it to the local council. Write a
proposal for the local council using the newspaper article and your own knowledge of the area to outline the current situation
and improvements/recommendations you would make. Write 200 words.

 /5

B Some people believe that advertisers should be free to choose how they promote a product and not have any restrictions.
Others assert that there should be strict censorship of advertisements and that advertisers do not have the right to shock,
insult or offend the general public. Write an essay discussing both views and giving your opinion. Write 250 words.

 /5

 Total: / 30
Language Hub Upper Intermediate Tests
Published by Macmillan Education, a division of Springer Nature Limited. © Springer Nature Limited 2019. This page may be photocopied and used within the class.