PRACTICE

ROAD2NEC2025
SECTION I. LISTENING (50 POINTS)
Part 1: You will hear a woman giving a talk at a popular science convention. Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Creating artificial gills
Background
 Taking in oxygen; mammals - lungs; fish - gills
 Long-held dreams - humans swimming underwater without oxygen tanks
 Oxygen tanks considered too 1 ……………. and large
 Attempts to extract oxygen directly from water
 1960s - prediction that humans would have gills added by 2 …………….
 Ideas for artificial gills were inspired by research on
o fish gills
o fish swim bladders
o animals without gills - especially bubbles used by 3 …………….
Building a simple artificial gill
 Make a watertight box of a material which lets 4 ……………. pass through
 Fill with air and submerge in water Important that the diver and the water keep 5 …………….
 The gill has to have a large 6 …………….
 Designers often use a network of small 7 ……………. on their gill
Main limitation - problems caused by increased 8 ……………. in deeper water
Other applications
 Supplying oxygen for use on 9 …………….
 Powering 10 ……………. cells for driving machinery underwater
Part 2: You will hear a woman giving a talk about the history of keeping time. For questions 11-15,
write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/ OR A NUMBER to answer each question.
11. What are the earliest sundials?
……………………………………………………………………………….
12. Besides candles, what other time devices burn down at predictable speeds?
……………………………………………………………………………….
13. In the beginning of the 14th century, where was the hourglass particularly common?
……………………………………………………………………………….
14. What is the current name for the system of global clocks?
……………………………………………………………………………….
15. How many time zones are there on land?
……………………………………………………………………………….
Part 3. Listen to a talk about social psychology. For questions 16-20, decide whether the following
statements are True (T), False (F) or Not given (NG).
16. People often believe that famous celebrities are more likely to become great leaders.
17. Introverts only become leaders because something external makes them feel they should.
18. Thinking of good ideas is easier when you're not interacting with other people.
19. Creative subjects at school are best taught using group projects.

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 20. Introverts need to be more like extroverts if they want to get good grades.
Part 4: You will hear a radio interview with the gardening experts Jed and Helena Stone. For
questions 21-25, choose the answer (А, В, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear.
21. How does Helena feel about the use of Jed’s name for their joint business?
A occasionally frustrated that her contribution goes unnoticed
B amused that they have a name people tend to remember
C appreciative of the respect that the name has brought her
D irritated by the fact that Jed is more of a celebrity than she is
22. What is Jed’s attitude to his public profile?
A He likes the fact that complete strangers often want to talk to him
B He’s unhappy that it prevents him doing everyday activities
C He enjoys it more now than he did when he was younger
D He’s proud of the way it reflects his achievements
23. How did Helena feel about her work on The Travel Show?
A She would have enjoyed it more in different circumstances
B It was convenient for her to be away from the house then
C It was a welcome alternative to manual work
D She felt obliged to do it at that particular time
24. What gave Jed the incentive to make a jewel garden?
A He wanted to realise a long-held ambition
B He had led people to believe that it already existed
C He wanted to show pictures of it at a gardening event
D He was inspired by the illustrations at a talk he attended
25. What explanation does Helena give for the name of the garden?
A It provided a useful framework for the project
B It was a response to the bright colours they wanted there
C It allowed them to experiment with a wide range of options
D It was meant to inspire them to embrace unconventional ideas
SECTION II. LEXICO – GRAMMAR (30 POINTS)
Part 1: Choose the word or phrase that best fits the gap in each sentence.
26. The _______ woman sitting next to me on the six-hour flight talked the entire time.
A. irresolute B. loquacious C. ephemeral D. ambivalent
27. In a dramatic _______ from his recent run of large-scale action blockbusters, Tom Cruise has agreed to
appear in the new film from Birdman director Alejandro González Iñárritu.
A. transformation B. rupture C. seclusion D. departure
28. Newspapers _______tributes to Professor Albus Dumbledore after his heroic sacrifice in the battle
against the evils.
A. hedged in B. bristled with C. plucked at D. talked into
29. David was deported on account of his expired visa. He ________ it renewed.
A. must have had B. should have had
C. needn’t have had D. mightn’t have had
30. How would you set ______ teaching a dog to perform tricks?
A. about B. on C. for D. up

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31. To make a profit, we’ll have to add a few thousand new customers to our list, which is _______.
A. a piece of cake B. out of order
C. out of our depth D. a tall order
32. It’s very important that the doctor on duty _______ as soon as there’s any change in the patient’s
condition.
A. is notified B. was notified C. being notified D. be notified
33. People are more _______ when they are young, so the environment in which children live will greatly
influence their personality.
A. malleable B. permeable C. ductile D. facile
34. He gave speeches all over the world to ________ support for his “Help the Homeless” Campaign.
A. trot out B. turn to C. weigh up D. whip up
35. They disagreed at first, but after some discussion, they reached ______.
A. a consensus B. a majority C. an acquiescence D. a persuasion
36. We giggled at the sight of Mrs. Brown ______ down the road in her six-inch stiletto heels.
A. staggering B. tottering C. reeling D. stumbling
37. All workers are required to wear protective gear; those who refuse to toe the _______ will have to be
sacked.
A. line B. lane C. string D. queue
38. The scheme sounds excellent in theory, but it's totally_________ in a country like this.
A. inaccessible B. impracticable C. insoluble D. impassable
39. Prince William’s decision to _______ of a planned appearance this week, citing an undisclosed
personal matter, fueled feverish speculation about his wife’s health online.
A. hash out B. step up C. bow out D. cast aside
40. I looked up from my newspaper and there he was, ________, Tim Trotter!
A. as large as life B. as right as rain C. as fit as a fiddle D. as pale as a ghost

Part 2: The following passage contains 5 errors. Identify and correct them.
The big majority in students who make well in the Cambridge Proficiency Examination have learnt
to use a good monolingual dictionary effectively. Such dictionaries provide information, not just about the
meanings of words but about their pronunciation and grammar as well. A student who studies how to use a
dictionary effectively will be possible to work independently for much of the time, and will gain
considerable insight into the workings of the English language. He or she will be able to confirm the
meanings of the words in a text which contextual clues are insufficient, pronounce words accurately by
studying the phonetic transcriptions, and use words accurately both when speaking or writing. Make sure
you make room for at least one good monolingual dictionary on your bookshelf- and then make sure you
use it on a regular basis!

Part 3: For questions 46 - 55, use the correct form of each of the words given in parentheses to fill in the
blank.

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46. Although the technique seems simple compared to those of modern days, paper produced by Cai Lun
was considered _______at that time. (GROUND)
47. Their ten-point lead puts the team in an almost ______ position. (ASSAIL)
48. It was very disrespectful of you to speak _______ to your grandfather, even when he does know little
about your problem. (HAND)
49. She stood there completely ________, I had no idea at all what she was thinking. (EXPRESS)
50. I do not understand why Adriana was so _______at last night’s party. She is usually clever and tactical
when meeting people. (ADROIT)
51. Rural areas have been traditionally thought of as a ________ of old-fashioned attitudes. (HOLD)
52. He was able to pass ______ through several military checkpoints. (HINDER)
53. The machine cannot work properly as a direct result of ________. (ALIGN)
54. Though she had spent hours fixing the computer, he ______ her efforts. (LITTLE)
55. They were _______ determined to keep going and were briefly in the lead. (GRIT)

SECTION III. READING COMPREHENSION (60 POINTS)

Part 1. Read the following passage and choose the correct answer A, B, C or D to complete the blank.
Greenhouse gases are being released into the atmosphere 30 times faster than the time when the
Earth experienced a (56) ________ episode of global warming. A study comparing the rate at which carbon
dioxide and methane are being (57) ________ now, compared to 55 million years ago when global
warming also occurred, has found dramatic differences in the speed of release. James Zachos, professor of
earth sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said the speed of the present build-up of
greenhouse gases is far greater than during the global warming after the (58) ________ of the dinosaurs.
"The emissions that caused this past episode of global warming probably lasted 10,000 years," Professor
Zachos told the American Association for the Advancement of Science at a meeting ln St. Louis. "By
burning fossil fuels, we are likely to emit the same amount over the next three centuries." He warned that
studies of global warming events in the geological past (59) ________ the Earth's climate passes a (60)
________ beyond which climate change accelerates with the help of positive feedbacks - vicious circles of
warming. Professor Zachos is a leading (61) ________ on the episode of global warming known as the
palaeocene-eocene thermal maximum, when average global temperatures increased by up to 5 0C due to a
massive release of carbon dioxide and methane.

His research into the deep ocean (62) ________ suggests at this time that about 4.5 billion tons of
carbon entered the atmosphere over 10,000 years. “This will be the same amount of carbon released into
the atmosphere from cars and industrial emissions over the next 300 years if present (63) ________
continue", he said. Although carbon can be released suddenly and naturally into the atmosphere from
volcanic activity, it takes many thousands of years for it to be removed (64) ________ by natural
processes. The ocean is capable of removing carbon, and quickly, but this natural capacity can be easily
(65) ________ which is probably what happened 55 million years ago. "It will take tens of thousands of
years before atmospheric carbon dioxide comes down to preindustrial levels," the professor said. "Even
after humans stop burning fossil fuels, the effects will be long-lasting."
56. A. prearranged B. premier C. previous D. fundamental
57. A. emitted B. exhaled C. incorporated D. digested
58. A. dementia B. mark C. detachment D. demise
59. A. comment B. demolish C. compliment D. indicate
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60. A. barricade B. abhorrence C. threshold D. perimeter
61. A. autocrat B. authority C. administrator D. proprietor
62. A. dusts B. sediments C. dirt D. powder
63. A. trends B. gadgets C. fads D. crazes
64. A. permanently B. competently C. temporarily D. bulkily
65. A. overcharged B. overstated C. overshadowed D. overwhelmed

Part 2: Read the text below and fill each blank of the numbered blanks in the passage with ONE
suitable word.
Early civilisations, as (66) _______ to merely primitive early societies, seem to have a common
positive characteristic in that they change human (67) _______of things. They bring together the
cooperative efforts of large number of people, usually bringing them together physically in large
agglomerations.
Civilisation is usually marked by urbanisation. It would be a bold individual that was willing to
draw a precise (68) _______at the moment when the balance tipped (69) _______a dense pattern of
agricultural villages clustered (70) _______ a religious centre or a market to reveal the first true city.
However, it is perfectly reasonable to say that more than any (71) _______institution has provided the
critical mass which produces civilisation.
Inside the city, the surpluses of wealth produced by agriculture made possible other things (72)
_______ of civilised life. They provided for the upkeep of a priestly (73) _______which elaborated a
complex religious structure, leading to the construction of great buildings (74) _______more than
merely economic functions, and in due (75) _______ to the writing down of literature.

Part 3: Read the passage and choose the best answer A, B, C or D to each question.
The Creators of Grammar
No student of a foreign language needs to be told that grammar is complex. By changing word sequences
and by adding a range of auxiliary verbs and suffixes, we are able to communicate tiny variations in
meaning. We can turn a statement into a question, state whether an action has taken place or is soon to
take place, and perform many other word tricks to convey subtle differences in meaning. Nor is this
complexity inherent to the English language. All languages, even those of so-called 'primitive' tribes have
clever grammatical components. The Cherokee pronoun system, for example, can distinguish between
'you and I', 'several other people and I' and 'you, another person and I'. In English, all these meanings are
summed up in the one, crude pronoun 'we'. Grammar is universal and plays a part in every language, no
matter how widespread it is. So the question which has baffled many linguists is - who created grammar?
At first, it would appear that this question is impossible to answer. To find out how grammar is created,
someone needs to be present at the time of a language's creation, documenting its emergence. Many
historical linguists are able to trace modern complex languages back to earlier languages, but in order to
answer the question of how complex languages are actually formed, the researcher needs to observe how
languages are started from scratch. Amazingly, however, this is possible.
Some of the most recent languages evolved due to the Atlantic slave trade. At that time, slaves from a
number of different ethnicities were forced to work together under colonizer's rule. Since they had no
opportunity to learn each other's languages, they developed a make-shift language called a pidgin. Pidgins

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are strings of words copied from the language of the landowner. They have little in the way of grammar,
and in many cases it is difficult for a listener to deduce when an event happened, and who did what to
whom. [A] Speakers need to use circumlocution in order to make their meaning understood. [B]
Interestingly, however, all it takes for a pidgin to become a complex language is for a group of children to
be exposed to it at the time when they learn their mother tongue. [C] Slave children did not simply copy
the strings of words uttered by their elders, they adapted their words to create a new, expressive language.
[D] Complex grammar systems which emerge from pidgins are termed creoles, and they are invented by
children.
Further evidence of this can be seen in studying sign languages for the deaf. Sign languages are not simply
a series of gestures; they utilise the same grammatical machinery that is found in spoken languages.
Moreover, there are many different languages used worldwide. The creation of one such language was
documented quite recently in Nicaragua. Previously, all deaf people were isolated from each other, but in
1979 a new government introduced schools for the deaf. Although children were taught speech and lip
reading in the classroom, in the playgrounds they began to invent their own sign system, using the gestures
that they used at home. It was basically a pidgin. Each child used the signs differently, and there was no
consistent grammar. However, children who joined the school later, when this inventive sign system was
already around, developed a quite different sign language. Although it was based on the signs of the older
children, the younger children's language was more fluid and compact, and it utilised a large range of
grammatical devices to clarify meaning. What is more, all the children used the signs in the same way. A
new creole was born.
Some linguists believe that many of the world's most established languages were creoles at first. The
English past tense –ed ending may have evolved from the verb 'do'. 'It ended' may once have been 'It end-
did'. Therefore it would appear that even the most widespread languages were partly created by children.
Children appear to have innate grammatical machinery in their brains, which springs to life when they are
first trying to make sense of the world around them. Their minds can serve to create logical, complex
structures, even when there is no grammar present for them to copy.
76. In paragraph 1, why does the writer include information about the Cherokee language?
A. To show how simple, traditional cultures can have complicated grammar structures
B. To show how English grammar differs from Cherokee grammar
C. To prove that complex grammar structures were invented by the Cherokees.
D. To demonstrate how difficult it is to learn the Cherokee language
77. What can be inferred about the slaves' pidgin language?
A. It contained complex grammar.
B. It was based on many different languages.
C. It was difficult to understand, even among slaves.
D. It was created by the land-owners.
78. All the following sentences about Nicaraguan sign language are true EXCEPT:
A. The language has been created since 1979.
B. The language is based on speech and lip reading.
C. The language incorporates signs which children used at home.
D. The language was perfected by younger children.
79. In paragraph 3, where can the following sentence be placed?

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It included standardised word orders and grammatical markers that existed in neither the pidgin
language, nor the language of the colonizers.
A. [A] B. [B] C. [C] D. [D]
80. 'From scratch' in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to:
A. from the very beginning B. in simple cultures
C. by copying something else D. by using written information
81. 'Make-shift' in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to:
A. complicated and expressive B. simple and temporary
C. extensive and diverse D. private and personal
82. Which sentence is closest in meaning to the highlighted sentence?
Grammar is universal and plays a part in every language, no matter how widespread it is.
A. All languages, whether they are spoken by a few people or a lot of people, contain grammar.
B. Some languages include a lot of grammar, whereas other languages contain a little.
C. Languages which contain a lot of grammar are more common that languages that contain a little.
D. The grammar of all languages is the same, no matter where the languages evolved.
83. All of the following are features of the new Nicaraguan sign language EXCEPT:
A. All children used the same gestures to show meaning.
B. The meaning was clearer than the previous sign language.
C. The hand movements were smoother and smaller.
D. New gestures were created for everyday objects and activities.
84. Which idea is presented in the final paragraph?
A. English was probably once a creole.
B. The English past tense system is inaccurate.
C. Linguists have proven that English was created by children.
D. Children say English past tenses differently from adults.
85. Look at the word 'consistent' in paragraph 4. This word could best be replaced by which of the
following?
A. natural B. predictable C. imaginable D. uniform

Part 4: Read the following passage then do the tasks below.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN SPORT

A. The first sports game was televised in the USA more than fifty years ago. Over the following decades,
television provided sports coaches with a wealth of information to analyse. By viewing recordings, they
could study the number of passes received, tackles avoided, distances covered, speeds achieved and a host
of other factors relating to the performance of their teams or athletes. Most of this data, though, consisted
of bare statistics without any meaningful context. However, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is now
enabling an alternative approach to coaching. AI means the development of computer systems that can
perform tasks usually associated with human intelligence, such as decision-making. Increasingly,
computers are being trained to understand the rules and objectives of sports so they can coach more
directly. AI can analyse not only a player’s actions, but also relate those actions to the wider context,
including the directives of the coach and the actions of other players. Sports scientists believe that AI is
revolutionising sports coaching by analysing patterns of behaviour in ways simply not possible before.

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B. There may be limitless ways in which AI technology can be developed, but certain practical
applications are already apparent. Recently, a research experiment was conducted into the Spanish football
league using an AI algorithm to analyse the passing strategies of 20 teams. The research revealed that two
teams, Barcelona and Real Madrid, had more than 150 recurring passing patterns. However, the algorithm
detected just 31 passing patterns used by Atletico Madrid. All of Atletico’s other plays were one-offs that
were never repeated, and the team won the league that season. One conclusion seems to be that teams with
a less predictable style of play win more games. What’s more, according to Dr Johann Muller, a sports
scientist who has studied the Spanish research findings, the number of injuries a team suffers increases
when they play in a style that prioritises offense.

C. Since then, there has been a great deal of interest in the potential of AI. Professor of sports education
Rebecca Graves believes that AI can provide coaches with invaluable insights. ‘Tactics were once closely
guarded secrets,’ says Professor Graves, ‘but now a coach with access to AI can identify how a rival team
is likely to play a match based on historic form. Once this was largely guesswork but now it can be
achieved with some confidence! The expense of AI technology means it will probably remain beyond the
reach of all but elite teams, but among this group the implications are enormous. Professor Graves argues
that AI allows preparations for a match to be tailored to individual players with much greater precision.
She identifies fitness work, skills development, diet and numerous other factors that can be minutely
customised, based on an individual’s particular strengths and weaknesses.

D. Part of the appeal of AI lies in its versatility. Ice hockey coaches in Finland are using AI to analyse the
success of different plays. An Indian company has employed wearable technology developed in other
fields to analyse stride patterns. This analysis has allowed its technicians to develop sneakers in various
styles aimed at both long- and short-distance runners. Coaching practices in professional basketball,
American football and tennis are also being transformed by AI. In addition, the technology has
applications in highly technical sports such as car racing. Coaches involved in the National Association for
Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) believe that AI algorithms not only help drivers go faster but also
enhance the safety of the sport because of their ability to monitor and predict potential problems.

E. AI doesn’t get tired, has extraordinary powers of vision, particularly for objects moving at speed, and is
capable of making complex calculations very quickly. For all these reasons Al is increasingly being used in
the high-pressure world of judging gymnastics performances. Research has shown that, particularly over a
whole day’s worth of events, computers are just as reliable as human judges when it comes to giving
gymnasts a score. However, computer scientist Henri Simeonson has been quick to warn about some
potential difficulties. In particular, Simeonson is concerned that AI is vulnerable to hackers, who might be
able to influence the outcome of a tournament.

F. It should not be forgotten, either, that many sports stars and sports teams are commercially dependent
on their fans. If sufficient supporters do not buy tickets to games or pay to view a recording, the teams
might struggle to survive. But now teams and stars are making increasing use of chatbots and other ‘virtual
assistants’ to provide fans with statistics, news and background information about their favourite
players. Another innovation is seen in Minor League Baseball in the USA, which is promoting the sport
and seeking new fans with the use of Al-enhanced journalism. In this way baseball is keeping supporters
informed with all the up-to-the-minute developments in ways not possible with more traditional

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approaches. Analysts believe these sorts of initiatives are crucial to increasing a player or team’s revenue
stream. It’s just one more way that sports stand to benefit from Al technologies, on and off the field.

Questions 86-90: The Reading Passage has six paragraphs, A-F. Choose the correct heading for each
paragraph A-E from the list of headings below. There are three headings you do not need.

List of headings
i AI can improve the profitability of sporting businesses
ii Responses to criticisms of AI in sports coaching
iii A contrast between coaching today and in the past
iv An academic outlines some of the advantages of AI in sport
v The businesses responsible for creating AI software
vi The use of AI to decide the results of a competition
vii An academic study into a team sport in one country
viii The uses of AI in coaching a range of different sports

86. Paragraph A ………..

87. Paragraph B ………..
88. Paragraph C ………..
89. Paragraph D ………..
90. Paragraph E ………..

Questions 91-95: Complete the sentences below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each
answer.
91. Analysis of AI data by Dr Johann Muller suggests that teams which play defensively have fewer
………..
92. An Indian company has designed new ……….. using Al technology.
93. The use of Al in NASCAR is believed to improve ……….. as well as driver performance.
94. Henri Simeonson says that ……….. might be able to disrupt Al and make competitions unfair.
95. In Minor League Baseball, a type of ……….. powered by AI is giving the sport greater publicity.

Part 5: You are going to read about four independent jewellery designers. Choose from the sections of
the article (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once.
Which designer …
96. is concerned about the sourcing of her materials? …….
97. is claimed to have the wrong attitude to business? …….
98. uses the same combination of metals and precious stones in each piece of jewellery? …….
99. creates designs that feature different versions of the same symbol? …….
100. intends her jewellery to stand the test of time? …….
101. designs pieces to reflect her beliefs that everything is linked by patterns? …….
102. uses inspirations from experiences when she was young? …….
103. makes jewellery that is easily attributable to her? …….

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104. does not work exclusively on making jewellery? …….
105. was originally inspired by a social connection? …….

Shining lights
A. Emma Franklin
‘It has always been about animals,’ Emma Franklin says. ‘My friend’s grandmother had an amazing stag
brooch with huge antlers and that’s where it started. Everyone has a relationship with an animal in my
collection.’ Franklin has focused on jewellery design since her teens and graduated from Central Saint
Martins in 2005, setting up her own business immediately. Based in east London, Franklin, twenty-nine,
hand-makes each necklace, bangle, ring, cuff link and pin, featuring any of fourteen animal heads, from a
pig to a triceratops, as well as a shotgun. All her pieces are made in solid silver, plated in twenty-two-carat
yellow gold or black rhodium, with black diamonds and freshwater pearls. Bespoke commissions,
predominantly engagement rings, not all animal-related, are becoming more frequent. Franklin’s robust
designs are instantly recognisable, as she has discovered. ‘Recently in a pub this girl was wearing one of
my rings at the bar, so I introduced myself. She was completely star-struck and fetched over her dad, who
had bought it for her. I had to explain that it was really me who was excited.’

В. Alexandra Jefford
‘My design style constantly evolves,’ Alexandra Jefford says. ‘But even though I try new things, I can’t
kick my art background. I’m really inspired by art, architecture, design, furniture design.’ Jefford, forty-
two, graduated in 1992 with a degree in fine art, began designing jewellery in 2003 and sold her first piece,
a gold ring, on its first outing, at dinner with a friend. Her designs, produced on a project-by-project basis
rather than as collections, include her signature Alphabet series for which she designed a slim font. Her
recent О project interprets that letter in various typefaces. She combines jewellery design with other
artistic pursuits such as sculptural welding and life drawing. Fans range from her daughter’s friends to her
mother’s friends, although she doesn’t always want to sell. ‘I become emotionally involved with all my
pieces, so I find it really hard to let go. There are still some pieces that I hide “for the family museum”. My
husband says that I work as a shopper rather than a seller.’

C. Hattie Rickards
Hattie Rickards’ first collection of twelve rings, entitled Revealed, was launched last November and was
an instant success. Her second, Geo, came out last month to even greater acclaim. ‘The ethos
behind Geo is connection and relationships, bringing tessellating or geometrical shapes together making
one, for example, the Kindredring, where two puzzle pieces fit neatly together.’ Hampshire-born Rickards,
set up on her own last year. ‘I wanted to create a high-end, luxury jewellery brand with an ethical
backbone, which coincided with a gap in the market.’ All Hattie Rickards’ jewellery is made using
Fairtrade precious stones from Thailand and India and eighteen-carat, Fairtrade, fair-mined gold from
Colombia. HRJ is one of the first twenty companies to become a certified user of this type of gold, many
of its pieces having the premium ‘ecological’ label. There are no plans for e-commerce, as Rickards
believes this detracts from the meaning behind the piece. ‘I am passionate that people understand the
symbolism behind my work. I don’t want it to just be a ring on a website. The story is so important.’

D Mawi Keivom

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Mawi Keivom, thirty-nine, is known for her architectural statement jewellery: chunky box chains with
coloured pearls, spiked gold rings and brightly-coloured gems. Born in the north-east of India, forty miles
from the Burmese border, into the Mahr tribe, Keivom draws her influences from a peripatetic childhood
with her diplomat parents that took them to Africa, the Middle East, south-east Asia and Europe. Keivom
studied fashion design in New Zealand, then, after a stint in New York, moved to London in 1993, where
she met her husband, Tim Awan, and together they set up Mawi in 2001 – she as the jewellery designer, he
as the business brain. ‘My style of jewellery is very individual and not for the faint-hearted. I have a very
strong vision that translates into an industrial, graphic aesthetic offset with crystals and pearls that are a
little bit feminine. I don’t try to do something that is for the moment. My pieces are classics in their own
right, not trend-specific.’

IV. WRITING (60 POINTS)

Part 1: Read the following extract and use your own words to summarize it. Your summary should be
between 100 and 120 words.

Promoting active lifestyles can help address some of the important challenges facing the UK today.
Increasing physical activity has the potential to improve the physical and mental health of the nation,
reduce all-cause mortality, and improve life expectancy. It can also save money by significantly easing the
burden of chronic disease on health and social care services. Increasing cycling and walking will reduce
transport costs, save money, and help the environment. Fewer car journeys can reduce traffic, congestion,
and pollution, improving the health of communities.

Other potential benefits linked to physical activity in children and young people include the acquisition of
social skills through active play (leadership, teamwork, and cooperation), better concentration in school,
and displacement of anti-social and criminal behavior. The importance of physical activity for health was
identified over 50 years ago. During the 1950s, comparisons of bus drivers with more physically active bus
conductors and office-based telephonists with more physically active postmen demonstrated lower rates of
coronary heart disease and smaller uniform sizes in the more physically active occupations.

This research led the way for further investigation, and evidence now clearly shows the importance of
physical activity in preventing ill health. It is important for us to be active throughout our lives. Physical
activity is central to a baby's normal growth and development. This continues through school, and into
adulthood and older years. Being physically active can bring substantial benefits, and there is consistent
evidence of a dose-response relationship, i.e., the greater the volume of physical activity undertaken, the
greater the health benefits that are obtained.

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Part 2: The chart below shows the total number of Olympic medals won by twelve different countries.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where
relevant. Write at least 150 words.

USA

Soviet Union

UK

France

Germany

Italy

Sweden

Australia

Hungary

East Germany

Japan

China
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500

Gold Silver Bronze

Part 3: Essay writing:

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Write an essay of at least 350 words on the following topic:
Museums and art galleries should concentrate on local works rather than showing the cultures or
artworks from other countries. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
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