Progress test 2 Units 4 6

PROGRESS TEST 2 (UNITS 4–6)

Reading 1

1 Read the text about leadership. Then complete the summary below with words or phrases from the text. Do not use more than three words in each gap.

What makes a good leader? In modern theory the personal qualities that are needed can change in different situations. There isn’t one single type of person that makes a good leader in every situation.

A common theme of films and stories is the way relationships between people change in a difficult or dangerous situation. Often, a group of people has been involved in some disaster, and the interest is in seeing which one has leadership qualities. Usually it isn’t the person who had a prominent position in normal life. The true leader may be someone with practical skills, or perhaps someone who can keep the group inspired and motivated.

So what is needed is not just one style of leadership, but the ability to change between different styles. Sometimes you may need to be strong and tell people what to do, but at other times you will have to treat people in a more diplomatic way and make compromises.

A good example of this is someone that most people would agree was a great leader: Nelson Mandela. He was originally a lawyer before deciding to join the African National Congress in their struggle for black people’s freedom in South Africa. He had strong beliefs and was put in prison by the government because of these beliefs. While he was there, he became a symbol of the struggle. He was a leader even though he was unable to communicate with his followers.

However, when the time came to build bridges, he showed that he was able to do that too. He had secret discussions with the government, who realised it was impossible for things to stay as they were. This led to his release from prison and the country’s first truly democratic elections. The ANC won these, and Mandela became President. He had moved from being a symbol to a world leader.

According to (1) _ , good leaders need to change their approach, depending on what the (2) is. For example, in films where people are in difficult situations, the one who becomes leader isn’t normally the one who used to have the most (3) . Instead, it is someone who knows about practical things or can make the others (4) . Some situations need strong leadership, others the ability to (5) __ .

A good example is Nelson Mandela. While in prison, he was cut off from his followers, but he was still a (6) _ to them. After (7) _ , he came to an agreement with the government. He was released and later became President.

2 Answer the questions.

1. What does the writer say makes disaster films interesting?
2. When strong leadership is not needed, how should good leaders deal with others?
3. What could Nelson Mandela not do when he was in prison?
4. What did his discussions with the government show that he could do?

15 marks

Reading 2

1 Read the two letters to a newspaper. Then answer the questions.

1. Which writer has a child who is not interested in sport? ___
2. Which writer compares sport to life in general? ___
3. Which writer says that competition is normal in sport? ___
4. Which writer thinks sport is not the only way to experience competition? I’m writing to comment on the latest recommendation that schools should put less emphasis on the competitive nature of sport. I don’t see how this can be done, as all the best sports naturally involve trying your best to win. The possibility of winning is what motivates people to do better, in life as well as in sport. It’s interesting to notice that the complaints about how unfair competitive sport is always come from those who aren’t very good at it.

Competition is a natural part of life, and preparing for it is an important part of education. It’s a competitive world, and students need to realise it. If they leave school thinking that it’s not important to be better than others, they’re not likely to do very well in it.

Your report about the recent survey into sport in schools was interesting. It seems that over 60% of the pupils in the study said they would be happy to see the competitive part of sports removed, whereas nearly 90% of adults said that experiencing victory and defeat in sport was important to a child’s development.

This certainly reflects my experience as a parent. When

I watch school sports, there are always some parents shouting and screaming at their children to do better. Most of the children, meanwhile, look as if they’re only there because they have to be. My own daughter is not very good at sport, and to be honest she doesn’t see the point of it. But that doesn’t mean she can’t be competitive in other areas, like academic achievement.

If the aim of school sport is to get all children to enjoy physical exercise, this would be achieved better by removing competition. They can get their experience of winning and losing elsewhere.

A

B

2 Decide whether the statements are TRUE or FALSE. Letter A

1. There was only a small difference between the views of young people and adults in the survey. TRUE   FALSE
2. Parents often behave badly at school sports events. TRUE   FALSE
3. The writer says that academic success is more important than success in sport. TRUE   FALSE

Letter B

4. It is doubtful whether competition can be removed from sport. TRUE   FALSE
5. One reason why people don’t like competition in sport is because they don’t win. TRUE   FALSE
6. Students can still succeed even if they don’t experience competition at school. TRUE   FALSE

10 marks

Vocabulary

1 Replace the underlined parts of the sentences with the words in the box.

dismiss justice wealth otherwise excessive

1. I think the amount of money they are asking for is too much.
2. We need to go faster; if not, we won’t get there in time.
3. Your aim in life should be happiness rather than being rich.
4. You may not agree, but you can’t just say her opinion has no value.
5. The aim is to achieve fairness for everyone who has lost money.

2 Circle the correct word to complete the sentences.

1. Generally speaking / saying, graduates get better jobs than non-graduates.
2. It’s a bit complicated but, said / put simply, the idea wasn’t working properly.
3. We started walking faster and before minutes / long we arrived home.
4. The aim of the talks is to build bridges / connections between the two sides.
5. The company has been losing money for some time, but now it seems the tide has changed / turned at last.

10. marks

Writing

1 Write an essay about someone that you believe is a great leader. The person can be in any field, for example politics, business or sport, but do not choose Nelson Mandela.

Include the following in your essay:

• Some information about the person’s life
• What the person achieved
• What makes this person a great leader
• Why the person is important
• Your personal view of the person

Literature

1 Answer the questions.

1. Who kills these two people? Mercutio  Tybalt
2. What punishment does the Prince give to Romeo?
3. Why does Romeo not know about Friar Laurence’s plan?
4. What do the two families decide to do at the end of the play?

2 Explain the things that make it difficult for Romeo and Juliet to continue as lovers.

3. Say how Friar Laurence is important to what happens in the story.

15. marks