PLAYING CHESS 0 In your last letter you asked me to tell you why I like playing 00 chess so much. Well, I nevertheless think it is because chess gives me a feeling of the excitement. I am quite competitive and like me challenge of playing one-to-one. It gets intense sometimes; in a game you can get extremely nervous and excited and have all sorts of emotions. If I have played such a good player, put up a good fight and lost, then that is too satisfying, but it is always better than to win! There is also a good social side to chess. I have made lots of friends at playing in competitions across Europe. It is really interesting seeing cultures more different from mine and trying to practise other languages! Now I play most of weekends and holidays, but I do not know for certain if I will continue to take part in competitions. During the last couple of years while I have had more schoolwork, in which makes life more difficult. You have got to be an extremely ,good player for chess to be so financially worthwhile. However, I would like recommend it as a hobby to anyone. If you are interested, you should to join a chess club at once.

You are going to read a magazine article about swimming with dolphins Eight paragraphs have been removed from the article. Choose from the paragraphs A-I the one which fits each gap (15-21) There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0). Dolphins in the Bay of Plenty Swimming with groups of dolphins, known as ’pods’, is beck,ming a popular holiday activity for the adventurous tourist. Our travel correspondent reports. ’You must remember that these dolphins are wild. They are not fed or trained iii any way. These trips are purely on the dolphins’ terms.’ So said one of our guides, as she briefed us before we set out for our rendezvous. No skill is required to swim with dolphins, just common sense and an awareness that we are visitors in their world. Once on board the boat, our guides talked to us about what we could expect from our trip. 【B1】 __________________ The common dolphin we were seeking has a blue-black upper body, a grey lower body, and a long snout. We had been told that if they were in a feeding mood we would get a short encounter with them, but if they were being playful then it could last as long as two hours. 【B2】__________________ Soon we were in the middle of a much larger pod, with dolphins all around us. The first group of six swimmers put on their snorkels, slipped off the back of the boat and swam off towards them. 【B3】 __________________ Visibility was not at its best, but the low clicking sounds and the high-pitched squeaks were amazing enough. The dolphins did not seem bothered by my presence in the water above them. Sometimes they would rush by so close that I could feel the pressure-wave as they passed. 【B4】 __________________ I personally found it more rewarding to sit on the bow of the boat and watch as the surface of the sea all around filled with their perfectly arching dolphin backs. Some of the mole advanced snorkellers were able to dive down with these dolphins, an experience they clearly enjoyed. 【B5】 __________________ In fact, they are very sociable animals, always supporting each other within the pod. The guides are beginning to recognise some of the local dolphins by the markings on their backs, and some individuals appear time after time. 【B6】 __________________ Indeed, the pod we had found, on some hidden signal, suddenly turned away from the boat and headed off in file stone direction at high speed. We watched as hundreds of backs broke through the water’s surface at the same time, disappearing into the distance. 【B7】 __________________ They had finally finished feeding and were content to play alongside as they showed us the way home. The sun beamed down, and as each dolphin broke the surface of the water and exhaled, a rainbow would form for a few seconds in the mist. It was an enchanting experience. A This was a magical experience and, as time in the water is limited, everyone rotates to get an equal share. We spent the next two hours getting in and out of the boat, and visiting other pods. B An excited shriek led us all to try something that one girl had just discovered, and we all rushed to hang our feet over the front so that the playful creatures would touch them. C A spotter plane circled above the bay, looking for large pods of dolphins to direct us towards. On deck, we watched for splashes on the surface of the water. D These include mothers gently guiding their young alongside, either to introduce them to the boat, or to proudly show off their babies. Yet, when they become bored with playing, they leave. E After 20 minutes, we sighted our first small pod. The dolphins came rushing towards the boat, swimming alongside and overtaking us until they could surf on the boat’s bow wave. F However, touching the creatures is strongly discouraged. This is despite the fact that dolphins have a very friendly reputation, and have never been known to be aggressive towards human beings in the wild. G Eventually it was time to leave, and the boat headed back to port. As we slowly motored along, we picked up another pod, which was joined by more and more dolphins until we had a huge escort. H After five minutes, that group was signalled back to the boat. I got ready to slide into the water with the next six swimmers, leaving the excited chatter of the first group behind. I I was in Whakatane, in the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand, which is fast becoming the place to visit for those who want a close encounter with dolphins.

A GOOD START TO A HOLIDAY I had never been to Denmark before, so when I set out to catch the ferry in early May, I little 【B1】______ that by the end of the trip I’d have made such lasting friendships. Esjberg is a 【B2】______ port for a cyclist’s arrival, where tourist information can be 【B3】______ and money changed. A cycle track 【B4】______ out of town and down to Ribe, where I spent my first night. The only appointment I had to 【B5】______ was a meeting with a friend who was flying out in June. I wanted to 【B6】______ my time well, so I had planned a route which would 【B7】______ several small islands and various 【B8】______ of the countryside. In my 【B9】______ a person traveling alone sometimes meets with unexpected hospitality, and this trip was no 【B10】______ On only my second day, I got into conversation with a cheerful man who turned 【B11】______ to be the local baker. He insisted that I should 【B12】______ his family for lunch, and, while we were eating, he contacted his daughter in Odense. Within minutes, he had 【B13】______ for me to visit her and her family. Then I was 【B14】______ on my way with a fresh loaf of bread to keep me 【B15】______ and the feeling that this would turn out to be a wonderful holiday.

I always trust Carla’s advice. somebody Carla ____________________ advice I always trust.

We appear to have been given the wrong address. as It ____________________ we have been given the wrong address.

I couldn’t understand the instructions for my new video recorder. sense The instructions for my new video recorder didn’t ____________________ me.

Stephen didn’t realise that the city centre was a bus ride away. necessary What Stephen failed to realize ____________________ to catch a bus to the city centre.

You are going to read a magazine article about the popularity of activity holidays. Choose the most suitable heading from the list A-I for each part (1-7) of the article. There is one extra heading which you de net need to use. A A false sense of security B Remote destinations C Too risky for some D Holidays that don’t quite work E New findings F Very little real danger G Too much routine H Second-hand experiences I Available to all Activity Holidays Whether it’s bungee-jumping, climbing or sky-diving, we want to test ourselves on holiday. Peter Jones tries to find out why. Risk-taking for pleasure is on the increase. Adventure activities and “extreme“ sports are becoming very popular and attracting everyone from the young and fit to people who, until recently, were more likely to prefer walking round museums at weekends. Grandmothers are white-water rafting, secretaries are bungee-jumping, and accountants are climbing cliffs. 【B1】__________ Well-planned summer expeditions to tropical locations are now fashionable for European university students. As they wander over ancient rocks or canoe past tiny villages, away from it all, it ]s quite possible to feel “in tune with nature“, a real explorer or adventurer. 【B2】__________ A whole blanch of the travel industry is now developing around controlled risks. Ordinary trippers, too, are met off a plane, strapped into rafts or boats and are given the sort of adventure that they will remember for years. They pay their money and they trust their guides, and the wetter’ they get the better. Later, they buy the photograph of themselves “risking all in the wild“. 【B3】__________ But why the fashion for taking risks, real or simulated? The point that most people make ix that city lie is tame, with little variety, and increasingly corrtroled. Physical exercise is usually restricted to aerobics in the gym on a Thursday, and a game of football or tennis in the park or a short walk at the weekend. 【B4】__________ Says Trish Malcolm, an independent tour operator: “People want a sense of immediate achievement and the social element of shared physical experience is also important.’ Other operators say that people find the usual type of breaks-such as a week on the beach-Loo slow. They say that participation in risk sports is a reflection of the restlessness in people. They are always on the go in their lives and want to keep up the momentum on holiday. 【B5】__________ But psychologists think it’s even deeper than this. Culturally, we are being separated from the physical, outside world. Recent research suggests that the average person spends less and less time out of doors per day. 【B6】__________ Nature and the great outdoors are mostly encountered through wildlife films or cinema, or seen rushing past the windows of a fast car. In a society where people are continually invited to watch rather than to participate, a two-hour ride down a wild and fast- flowing river can be incredibly exciting. 【B7】__________ One psychologist believes that it is all part of our need to corrtrol nature. Because we have developed the technology to make unsinkable boats, boots that can stop us getting frostbite or rackets that allow us to survive in extreme temperatures, we are beginning to believe that nothing will harm us and that we are protected from nature. That is until nature shows us her true power in the form of a storm, flood or avalanche.

You are going to read an article about guidebooks to London. For questions 21-35, choose from the guidebooks (A-G). The guidebooks may be chosen more than once. When more than one answer is required, these may be given in any order. There is an example at the beginning (0). Of which guidebook(s) is the following stated? It is frequently revised. 0. F It is quite expensive. 【S1】______ It is not aimed at local people. 【S2】______ Its appearance is similar to other books by the same publisher. 【S3】______ It contains some errors. 【S4】______ It is reasonably priced. 【S5】______ It shows great enthusiasm for the city. 【S6】______ It has always been produced with a particular market in mind. 【S7】 ______ It is written by people who have all the latest information. 【S8】 ______ It is written in a friendly style. 【S9】 ______【S10】 ______ It is part of the first series of its kind to be published. 【S11】 ______ It omits some sights which should be included. 【S12】 ______ It contains more information than other guides. 【S13】 ______ It might appeal to London residents. 【S14】 ______ Its information about places to eat is enjoyable to read. 【S15】 ______ London Guidebooks Visitors to London, which has so much to offer, need all the help they can get. Alastair Beckley takes his pick of the capital’s guidebooks. Guidebook A Informal and familiar in tone, this valuable book has much to offer. Produced by the same people who put together London’s principal listings magazine, this is right Lip to date with what’s happening in the city very much its home ground. It is concise enough to cater for those staying for just a couple of days, yet covers all areas of interest to visitors in an admirably condensed and approachable way. On balance, this is the single most handy book to have with you in London. Guidebook B This book is beautifully illustrated, with cutaway diagrams of buildings and bird’s-eye-view itineraries rather than plain maps. leis is a model of the clear professional design that is the recognisable trademark of this series. Its coverage of the main sights is strong, and visually it’s a real trial - a delight to own as a practical guide. It’s a bit pricey but well worth a look. Guidebook C Probably the best-suited for a longish stay in the city. This guide surpasses its competitors in its sheer depth of knowledge and in the detail it provides. It’s particularly handy for the thorough stroller with plenty of time on his or her hands, covering virtually every building or monument of any interest-and with well- drawn maps of each area. ILs coverage of all types of restaurants, which encourages you to go out and try them, can also be appreciated from the comfort of your armchair. Guidebook D In many ways, this serviceable guide is broadly comparable to the other guides but, whereas many of them feel as though they come from the ’inside’, this feels geared towards visitors from elsewhere in the English-speaking world. It has its strengths, offering decent coverage of the sights, museums and inexpensive places to eat. Guidebook E It is astonishing-and perhaps the greatest tribute one can pay to London as a city that it’s possible to have a high-quality holiday there and scarcely spend anything on admission charges. In this guide, the obvious bargains (National Gallery, British Museum, etc.) are almost lost among an impressive range of places which cost nothing to visit. It should pay more attention to the numerous wonderful churches in [he City of London but otherwise this is a must for the seriously budget-conscious or the Londoner who is looking for something different (like me). The book itself isn’t quite free, but at ￡4.95, it’s not far off it. Guidebook F This is the latest in the longest-standing series of budget guides and, unlike its competitors, it is still definitely aimed at young backpackers. Its description of the sights is less detailed than most and the accuracy of some of the information is surprisingly poor for such a regularly updated publication. However, it manages to cram in everything of significance, and is strongly weighted towards practicalities and entertainment. Guidebook G Here is a guide which comes with a distinct personality rather than following the .style of the series to which it belongs. It is chatty, companionable, opinionated, crammed full of history and anecdotes as well as practical information. I can best describe the experience (for that’s what it is) of reading this book as follows: imagine arriving in town and being taken in hand by a local who is determined to show you the best of everything and to give you the benefit of their considerable experience of a city for which they obviously hold a passion.

You must answer this question. 1. An English friend, Sam, visited you recently and has just sent you a letter and some photographs. Read Sam’s letter and the notes you have made on it. Then write a suitable letter to Sam, using all your notes. Write a letter of between 120 and 180 words in an appropriate style. Do net write any postal addresses.

Write an answer to one of the questions 2-4 in this part. Write your answer in 120-180 words in an appropriate style. 2. Your teacher has asked you for a report on transport in your local area. Mention the main means of transport used, and suggest how transport facilities could be improved. Write your report.

You see the following notice in an international magazine. COMPETITION Is it better to live in a flat, a modern house or an old house? Write us an article giving your opinions. The best article will be published and the writer will receive ￥500. Write your article for the magazine.

A NEW CRUISE SHIP One of the biggest passenger ships in history, the Island Princess, carries people on cruises around the Caribbean. More than double 【C1】______ weight of the Titanic (the large passenger ship which sank in 1912), it was 【C2】______ large to be built in 【C3】______ piece. Instead, forty-eight sections 【C4】______ total were made in different places. The ship was then put together 【C5】______ these sections at a shipbuilding yard in Italy. The huge weight of the Island Princess is partly due to her enormous height, 【C6】______ is an incredible forty-one metres. When compared with the Titanic, she is also a much broader ship. As 【C7】______ as length is concerned, there’s 【C8】______ a great difference, each ship 【C9】______ over two hundred and fifty metres long. The Island Princess can carry 【C10】______ to 2,600 passengers and has 1,321 cabins, including twenty-five specially designed 【C11】______ use by disabled passengers. There is entertainment on board to suit 【C12】______ age and interest, from dancing to good drama. The Island Princess seems very likely to be a popular holiday choice for many years to 【C13】______ even though most people will 【C14】______ to save up in order to be 【C15】______ to afford the trip.

Don’t sit in front of the computer for too long,’ our teacher told us. warned Our teacher____________________in front of the computer for too long.

You are going to read an article about the actress Harriet Walter. For questions 8-15, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text. Acting minus the drama Harriet Walter has written a fascinating book about her profession. Benedicte Page reports. It is not often that all experienced actor with a high public profile will sit down to answer in depth the ordinary theatregoer’s questions: how do you put together a character which isn’t your own?; what is it like to perform the same play night after night’?; or simply, why do you do it? Harriet Walter was prnmpted to write Other People’s Shoes: Thoughts on Acting by a sense that many people’s interest in theatre extended beyond the scope of entertainment chit-chat. “1 was asked very intelligent, probing questions by people who weren’t in the profession, from taxi drivers to dinner-party hosts to people in shopping queues. It made me realise that people have an interest in what we do which goes beyond show- business gossip,“ she says. Other People’s’ Shoes avoids insider gossip and, mostly, autobiography: “If events in my life had had a huge direct influence, l would have put them in, but they didn’t,“ Harriet says, though she does explain how her parents’ divorce was a factor in her careen But the focus of the book is to share—remarkably openly the inside experience of the stage and the rehearsal room, aiming to replace the lalse sense of mystery with a more realistic understanding and respect for the profession. “There’s a certain double edge to the publicity an actor can get in the newspapers: it gives you attention but, by giving it to you, simultaneously criticises you,“ Harriet says. “People ask you to talk about yourself and then say, ’Oh, actors are so self-centred.’ And the ’sound- bite’ variety of journalism, which touches on many things but never allows you to go into them in depth, leaves you with a sort of short hand which reinforces prejudices and myths.“ Harriet’s career’ began in the 1970s and has included theatre performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company and television and film roles. She writes wittily about the embarrassments of the rehearsal room, as actors try out their half-formed ideas. And she is at pains to demystify the theatre: thc question “How do you do the same play every night?“ is answered by a simple comparison with the familiar car journey you take every day, which presents a slightly different challenge each time. “I was trying to get everyone to understand it isn’t line 42 this extraordinary mystery and you’re not visitcd by some spiritual inspiration every night.“ Harriet’s own acting style is to build up a character piccu by piece. She says that this process is not widely understood: “There’s no intelligent vocabulary out there for discussing thc craft of building characters. Reviews of an actor’s performance which appear in the newspapers are generally based on whethcr the reviewer likes the actors or not. It’s not about whether they are being skilful or not, or how intelligent their choices are.“ There remains something mysterious about slipping into “other people’s shocs’: “It’s something like falling in love,“ Harriet says. “When you’re in love with someone, you go in and out of separateness and togetherness. It’s similar with acting and you can slip in and out of a character. Once a character has been built, it remains with you, at the end of a phone line, as it were, waiting for your call.“ Harriet includes her early work in Other People’s Shoes— “I wanted to separate myself from those who say, ’What an idiot I was, what a load of nonsense we all talked in those days!’; it wasn’t all rubbish, and it has affected how I approach my work and my audienccs.’ And she retains from those days her belief in the vital role of the theatre.

You have had a class discussion on how people’s lives will change in the future. Now your teacher has asked you to write a composition on the following statement: People’s fives will change dramatically in the next 50 years. Write your composition.

We got lost coming home from the leisure centre. way We couldn’t ____________________ from the leisure centre.

I tried as hard as I could to keep my promise to them. best I ____________________ break my promise to them.

Mary didn’t find it difficult to pass her driving test. difficulty Mary had ____________________ her driving test.

It’s a pity we didn’t do more sport when I was at school. could I wish that ____________________ more sport when I was at school.

He described the hotel to us in detail. detailed He ____________________ of the hotel.