CAE Preparation

exercise 1
THE SUBJECT OF A BOOK
I spent hours listening to the booksellers stories about his battles against the different regimes and their
censors. How he launched his personal fight, hiding books from the police, lending them out to others and
finally going to prison for it. He was a man who had tried to save the art and literature of his country,
while a string of dictators did their best to destroy them. I realised that he was himself a living piece of his
countrys cultural history: a history book on two feet.
One day he invited me home for an evening meal. His family one of his wives, his sons, sisters, brother,
mother and a few cousins was seated on the floor round sumptuous feast. Sultan recounted stories, the
sons laughed and joked. The atmosphere was unrestrained and a huge contrast to the simple meals Id
shared with the people in the mountains.
When I left I said to myself: How interesting it would be to write a book about his family. The next day I
called on Sultan in his bookshop and told him my idea.
Thank you, was all se said.
But this means that I would have to come and leave with you.
You are welcome.
1.- The writer uses the phrase a history book on two feet to show that
A) the bookseller was working to conserve his countrys cultural heritage.
B) the cultural life of the country was very fragile.
C) the bookseller had to move from place to place frequently.
D) the bookseller could teach her a lot about the country.
2.- What do we understand from the writers use of the word unrestrained?
A) Other people the writer had eaten with had been more reserved with her.
B) The family was more relaxed when they were with the writer.
C) Family members were always ready express themselves openly.
D) The family was keen to feature in the writers book.

STARTING A CONVERSATION
Have I missed something here?
It was an ordinary Thursday evening in January at least I thought so. I was round my girlfriend Mels
flat and it was to her that Id aimed my question, as for some unknown reason shed just turned off the TV
even though Id quite clearly been watching it. What really wounded me up, however, was the fact that
shed used the remote control to do it, adding insult to injury. It was an unofficial rule of ours that I
looked after all TV channel-changing duties in the same way that Mel got first grazing rights on the top

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layer of any box of chocolates that came into our possession. Wed arrived at these over the course of our
four-year relationship. These rules made me happy. I always knew where I stood. But when you abandon
rules theres bound to be chaos, and right now what I had on my hands was a serious case of anarchy.
My obviously deranged beloved pursed her perfect full lips together and blew into the end of the remote
haughtily as if shed just battled the TV for my attention and won. Theres no need for you to be quite so
pleased with yourself, I thought. After all, it was only a repeat of Star Trek.
So what is it? I asked carefully.
Its us.
Us?
Us, she said calmly. Lets talk about us.
3.- The writer was particularly upset because his girlfriend had
A) eaten all the chocolates.
B) interrupted his favourite TV programme.
C) scored a victory over him.
D) used something that normaly only he used.
4.- What impression do we have of the writer from reading this text?
A) He dislikes talking about relationships.
B) Hes dominated by his girlfriend.
C) He likes clearly defined relationships.
D) Hes highly sensitive to insults.
MY CHOICE CAREER
I am a woman. I am a fisherman. Neither abused nor neglected. I am the product of a blissful and unique
childhood, a rare claim these days. Like all young children, I believed wholeheartedly in the words of my
mother and my father. It was only natural that I look seriously the assertions of my parents whatever I
liked with the advice they gave was well intentioned, my parents never dreamed that it might come back
to haunt them when I decided that what I liked and wanted to become was a fisherman.
One day, when I was just 12, my sister asked, Arent you going to play in the woods today?
No, I smiled. Today Im going to sea.
And go to sea I did, every chance I got for the next twenty years. Rarely did a day leave me ashore.
Fishing my way through college, I made my first deep-sea trip at the age of nineteen aboard the Walter
Leeman. My primary job was cooking, and although I disliked the galley chores, I liked the money. It
wasnt until a fellow crew member hit the bunk with a back injury that I was allowed to work on deck,
work I enjoyed for years. By the time I graduated from college I had outlasted the original crew members
I had started with, most of whom moved on to boats of their own, and became captain of the boats by

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attrition. Promising my parents that I would postpone law school for just one year, I became a full-time
fisherman.
5.- How did the writers parents feel about her becoming a fisherman?
A) They encouraged her to join the profession.
B) They thought that it was a normal thing for her to do.
C) They hadnt expected her to make this choice.
D) They felt that her education had been wasted.
6.- How did she become captain of the Walter Leeman, instead of the other crew members?
A) She studied harder.
B) she worked harder.
C) She stayed on the boat for longer.
D) She found the work more enjoyable.

Exercise 2
GIVE, MAKE and MAKE
CAE candidates often use the wrong verb when they should use give, do or make. In most of the
sentences below, the underlined verb is wrong. Replace the underlined verb with either give, do or make,
or write correct if you think there is no mistake.
When you print the article, we also expect you to give an apology.
Carla always gives her best, even if she does not always manage to get very high marks.
Her report on the trip did not show accurate information so we were quite confused.
I have some suggestions to give before the forthcoming trip.
I hope your company will give me at least a partial refund.
Im so grateful that you have made me the chance to attend the course.
In my bosss absence, I give telephone calls to customers, clean desks and write emails.
Installing modern technology will give a good impression of the college.
Our evening lectures were made by experts who knew nothing about the subject.
There is another recommendation I would like to give concerning the club.

EXERCISE 3
GAPPED SENTENCE
1.- My friends gave me a really ______________ welcome when I got back from holiday.
Take a ______________ coat if youre going out tonight because its absolutely freezing outside.
Cindy decided to decorate the hallway using ______________ colours to make it feel friendlier.
2.- Its a good ______________ the police didnt see you driving so fast.

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Paolas desperate to work, but nfortunately se never manages to hold down a ______________ long.
They didnt make a very good ______________ of printing out the leaflet, did they?
3.- The new traffic regulations will come into ______________ on 1st January.
He persuaded the Council to adopt his ideas by sheer ______________ of personality.
Magda is thinking of joining the police ______________ she graduates.
4.- Sofia has been in the same company all her working ______________, so its quite surprising that
shes leaving.
You could expect the ocean floor to be dead, but in fact is full of ______________.
Careful use wil prolong the ______________ of your machine.
5.- I entirely agree with the governments ______________ on free medicine for pensioners.
Im feeling very stiff because I slept in a really uncomfortable ______________ last night.
Najib has applied for the ______________ in or company that was advertised on the paper.
6.- Stella has been ______________ the business almost single-handed since her assistant left.
I never knew you were interested in politics and now I see youre for parliament!
Wed better stop at a filling station as son s were ______________ out of petrol.
7.- If you think you need a bit more exercise, why dont you ______________ tennis?
If you find the gadget doesnt sit your needs, ______________ it back to the shop.
I ______________ it youll be at the meeting tomorrow its really vital that you are there,
8.- The place where I study has a very ______________ policy towards time-keeping and you cant be
late for class.
Candela is a ______________ vegetarian and refuses to eat meat or poultry.
We need a very ______________ translation of the report so as to avoid any misunderstandings.
9.- I wasnt enjoying studying law at university, so I ____________ to history at the end of the first year.
I found his speech very boring so Im afraid I ______________ off before the end.
The weather has been so mild that we havent ______________ the heating on yet this winder.

EXERCISE 4
SPEAKING
What do you most enjoy doing with your friends?
Have you ever had the opportunity to really help a friend? How?
Would you prefer to spend your holidays with your family or friends?
What is the best way for people visiting your country to make friends?
Who do you think has had the most influence on your life so far? Why?
Whats your happiest childhood memory?

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Who is the best teacher youve ever had?
Tell me about a friend of yours and how you got to know him or her?

EXERCISE 5
A LETTER
Dear Elena,
Thanks to your letter asking about coming to Millwall College. I think its a really good idea because
youll learn so much English. And dont worry about loneliness at all because youll make plenty of
friends.
One really good friend I made / Ive made is Martyna, who actually met / have actually met before I even
arrived! It was quite a coincidence because we sat / were setting next to each other on the bus and we got
chatting and discovered we have been / had been an the same plane coming here and were going to the
same college! Anyway, shes really good fun and weve been doing / we did lots of things together.
That brings me to free time. We get plenty of it, by the way, and Ive already visited / I already visited
quite a few places round about. Last week Martyna and I have joined / joined a local sports club and
weve played / weve been playing tennis there several times. I know its your summer holiday, but,
speaking for myself, Ive been having / Ive had a really good time.
As for your last worry: yes, the college is expensive, but my teacher, Jackie, is excellent. Shes taught
/Shes been teaching in several different countries, so shes pretty experienced and interesting. Apparently,
her first teaching job has been /wak in Thailand, where she actually used to teach / has actually taught
some members of the royal family!
Do come if you can you wont regret it!
Best wishes,
Toni

EXERCISE 6
MAKE, GET or DO
A commitment
A job
A point
Business
Friends

A course
An effort
A suggestion
Complaints
Further information

A decision
A proposal
Activities
Changes
Harm

A mistake
A qualification
An apology
Exercise
Money back

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Ones best
The cooking

Some shopping
The right choice

Sport
Use of something

Household chores
An improvement

EXERCISE 7
SPELLING MISTAKES
As you can see the advertisment, the holiday is quite cheap.
People are begining to get tired of being promised things its impossible to give them
Im sure youre going to be as succesful as your predecessor was.
He was sent to prison for expressing his disagreement with the goverment.
By implementing these proposals we will be doing more to protect the enviroment.
The family I stayed with was realy kind and helpful.
Which ones are incorrect?
Occurrence
Opening
Disappointed
Useable

Happenning
Realy
Disatisfied
Refuseing

Developement
Factually
Iregularrity
Basicaly

Statement
Beautifuly
Reliable
Arguement

Reference
Truthfull
Undenyable

EXERCISE 8
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE TV PROGRAMMES IN MY COUNTRY
________________ of this report is to comment on the popularity of imported English-language
television programmes in my country, to xplain how they are affecting local culture and to recommend
changes that could be made in the way these programmes are shown.
Popularity of imported programmes
Approximately fifty percent of the programmes shown on TV in this country have been made in an
English-speaking country and were originally in Englis. The popularity of these programmes can be
________________ by their larger budgets, which ________________ they are generally more
spectacular than locally made programmes and may incluse internationally famous stars in their casts. On
most channels, viewers can choose which language they wish to watch the programme in, with
________________ that people with a good command of English tend to watch programmes in their
original versions.
Effects on local culture

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The popularity of English-language programmes has ________________ that it is hard for local
programme-makers to compete, given their limited budgets. ________________ local culture has been
heavily influenced by American values of consumerism. Moreover, exposure to mistranslations of
English-language films has ________________ in words in our languages being used with new or wrong
meanings. However, a positive effect has been that people have become more open and ready to change
_______________ the fact that they see other ways of living and thinking.
Recommended changes
I would recommend the government to subsidise national television companies ________________ to
encourage them to make more quality programmes. This would have ________________ of reducing our
reliance on imported programmes while at the same time promoting local values and culture.

EXERCISE 9
NEGATION ERRORS
It was difficult to get around last weekend as there was not public transport.
Most students were no satisfied with the standard of food in the school canteen.
Weve had hardly no communication from management for over a week.
As far as I can see, theres not much difference between the grammar of Spanish and Italian.
Im afraid I dont know nothing about human psychology.
I usually have not problems when I talk to someone in English on the phone.
All the students did not hand their homework in on time.
We couldnt get treated for two hours because none doctors were available.

EXERCISE 9
PASSIVES
Rewrite this article using passive verbs to replace the underlined active verbs. Only include the agent if it
is important (and explain in which cases is). Start at least one sentence with it.
The concept that we could test intelligence began with a nineteenth-century British scientist, Sir Francis
Galton. People knew Galton as a man with many interests, including biology and psychology. After
publishers published Darwins The origin of Species in 1859, Galton spent most of his time trying to
discover the link between heredity and human ability. People thought at that time that the human race had
a few geniuses and a few idiots, while the majority were equally intelligent people. Whatever a person
achieved in their life was the result of hard work and willpower. This idea did not satisfy Galton. He
believed that physical factors determined metal characteristics.

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EXERCISE 10
GAP FILLING NATURE VS. NURTURE
You got your blue eyes from your mother, and your ears from your father. But ___________ did you get
your adventurous personality or our talent ___________ singing? Did you learn these from ___________
parents or were they predetermined ___________ your genes? While its clear that physical
characteristics are hereditary, things are a little ___________ clear when it comes to an individuals
behaviour, intelligence ___________ personality. Ultimately, the old argument of nature vs nurture
___________ has really never been won. We ___________ not yet know exactly how much
___________ what we are is determined by our DNA and how much by our life experience. But we do
know that both ___________ a part.
Some scientists think that people behave ___________ they do according to genetic predispositions or
even animal instincts. This ___________ known as the nature theory of human behaviour.
___________ scientists believe that people think and act in certain ways ___________ they are taught to
do so This is one nature theory.
Our growing understanding ___________ the human genome has recently made it clear that both sides
are partly right. Nature endows us ___________ inborn abilities and traits; nurture takes these natural
tendencies and mouls them as we learn and mature.