Thursday, 7 April 2016

CPE Listening Practice

Listenening 1

Listening 1

1  The speaker makes the point that…
 It takes skill to write a memorable novel about miserable marriages.   
 It is immoral that people prefer novels about bad marriages to good ones.   
 Fairy tales give readers false hopes about the reality of married life.   

2  ‘Madame Bovary’ is used to exemplify…
 the lengths women went to in order to avoid being socially outcast.   
 how divorce made it easier for women to escape unhappy marriages.   
 how inescapable marriages make better stories.   

3  When the woman was a bridesmaid at her brother’s wedding…
 she was embarrassed about taking the role because of her wheelchair.   
 she was delighted that her childhood dreams had come true.   
 she was sceptical about marriage in general.   

4  The woman’s experience at her friends’ wedding…
 made her feel grateful to her friends for changing her outlook.   
 made her realise that disabled people could be treated better at functions.   
 made her feel equally conspicuous, but for different reasons.   

5  Recent demographic research in America has shown…

 surprising changes in the divorce rate.   
 a repeat of a former trend.   
 an increase in the cost of getting a divorce.   

6  One positive impact identified by the study is that the recession…
 reduced the incidence of violence within families.   
 improved the relationship between children and parents.   
 strengthened some marital relationships.   

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7  According to the speaker, marital pair bonds probably began when…
 males forced females to become more compliant.   
 the difference in size between males and females decreased.   
 females objected to living in polygamous relationships.   

8  By ancient Greek times, the institute of marriage was characterized by its role as…
 a public proclamation of romantic love.   
 a pact to secure possessions and social standing.   
 a relationship in which both the male and female benefitted.   

Listening 2


1. Biomimicry imitates nature’s structures, processes and  to create new ideas.
2. Velcro was developed after its inventor observed the sticking qualities of one particular plant’s 
.
3. Wood has the beneficial feature of being able to 

4. The synthetic ‘wood’ created for the post office will not 
according to surrounding environmental conditions. 
5. The Namibian Fog Basking beetle uses its ability to 
 in order to live in harsh conditions.
6. A 
 on the beetle’s shell repels water and aids the formation of large droplets.
7. The Sahara Forest project utilised this concept in the design of a 
.
8. The ‘Able Project’ uses 
 from the composting process as an input to the fish farm.
9. The extinction of one species of 
 has prevented scientists from finding a cure for excess stomach acid.

CPE Reading Practice




Work through the reading exercise via the following link:

Tuesday, 5 April 2016

Report Writing

Report Writing Task
You belong to a committee that helps to organise a yearly carnival or festival in your home town. This year's event has just taken place and you have been asked by the event leader to write a short report about it, highlighting the successes and making recommendations for next year. Your report may include any or all of the following topics:
number of people attending?
money raised?
most successful acts or events?
publicity?
general points?
Write the report for the event leader. (around 280 - 320 words)

1. The use of formal language in a Report
Avoid using contractions in reports as they are too informal.
Write "I would like to recommend..." instead of "I´d like to recommend..."

Another thing to avoid is using idioms and phrasal verbs as they tend to be spoken and informal.

2. The organisation of a Report
A report should have a title and subtitles (or subheadings) and be divided into clear sections. There is usually an introduction and a conclusion.

3. Useful language / Phrases to use in a Report.
In the introduction
The aim of this report is to...
The purpose of this report is to outline...
This report will also provide some recommendations on...
In the conclusion
I strongly recommend...ing
It would be highly advisable to...
I would no doubt suggest...ing
I also believe we should...