Leo Jones New to Proficiency

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Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-63553-0 – New Progress to Proficiency Leo Jones Frontmatter More information

New Progress to Proficiency

Student’s Book

Leo Jones

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Tokyo, Mexico City Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521635530

This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.

First published 1986 Second edition 1993 Third edition 2002 9th printing 2011

Printed in Dubai by Oriental Press

A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-0-521-63553-0 Student’s Book ISBN 978-0-521-00789-4 Self-Study Student’s Book ISBN 978-0-521-63552-3 Teacher’s Book ISBN 978-0-521-63551-6 cassette set

Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Information regarding prices, travel timetables and other factual information given in this work is correct at the time of first printing but Cambridge University Press does not guarantee the accuracy of such information thereafter.

Contents

Introduction 7 The Proficiency exam 8 1 Time to spare? Leisure activities Hobbies Games Sport Comparing and contrasting Adjective + noun collocations Using participles ‘Golden rules’ for writing 10 2 A sense of adventure Adventure Exploration Extreme sports Articles and determiners Words easily confused Keeping the reader’s interest Position of adverbs keep and hold 22 3 Everyone’s different! People Friends and acquaintances Men and women Reporting – 1 Punctuation and paragraphs Using inversion for emphasis Opposites 34 4 Let’s talk Communication Languages Accents and dialects –ing and to . . . Paragraphs Wh– clauses Forming adjectives make and do 44 5 Bon appetit! Food and drink Cooking The passive – 1 Position of adjectives and participles Making notes should and be 54 6 See the world! Travelling abroad Tourism Holidays Transport The future Using repetition Advanced grammar revision come and go 64 7 Spending your money Money Consumers Shopping Advertising Prepositions – 1 Past and present Further uses of –ing Compound nouns Sequencing 74 8 Have I got news for you! The press Current events Politics Modal verbs Prefixes There . . . Long and short sentences bring and get 84 9 A learning curve Education Schools Universities Study skills Question tags and negative questions Abstract nouns Reporting – 2 96 10 Mother nature Fauna and flora Natural history The environment Conditionals – 1 Showing your attitude Uses of the past put and set Different styles 106 11 Another world Reading Books Enjoying literature Conjunctions and connectors – 1 Collocations: idioms A good beginning It...constructions 118 12 The cutting edge Science Technology Gadgets Verbs + prepositions The passive – 2 give and take Suffixes Thinking about the reader 128 13 Just good friends? Relationships Friendship Families Marriage As the saying goes... Conditionals – 2 Underlying meanings The narrator 138 14 All in a day’s work Work Business Commerce Collocations: verb phrases A good ending Word order: phrasal verbs Exam practice 146 15 Is it art or entertainment? Music Films Paintings Entertainment Prepositions – 2 Conjunctions and connectors – 2 Exam practice good and bad 156 16 Look after yourself! Health Doctors Psychiatrists Keeping fit Relative clauses Exam practice Synonyms and homonyms mind, brain and word 168 17 The past is always with us History Memories Changes Exam practice Modifying adjectives and participles Adjectives + prepositions 180 18 Modern life City life Crime and punishment Exam practice 190 Communication Activities 199 Index 208

Thanks...

to everyone who helped with this book: Charlotte Adams, Annie Cornford and Alison Silver The teachers who commented on the first draft of New Progress to Proficiency: Annie Broadhead, Christine Barton, Anne Gutch, Elizabeth Kilbey, Patricia O’Sullivan and Clare West. The people who kindly agreed to be interviewed: Shazia Afridi, William Boyd, James Charles, Allison Curbishley, Jayne Evans, Ray Gambell, Tessa Holman, Amanda Hooper, Claudine Kouzel, Karen Lewis, Christine Massey, Alastair Miller, Michael Newman, Simon Russell Beale, Beth Titchener, and Sarah Wilson The actors who took part in the studio recordings.

Interviews by Susie Fairfax Recording produced by James Richardson at The Soundhouse studio assisted by Darrin Bowen Picture research and permissions by Hilary Fletcher Proof-read by Ruth Carim Designed by Caroline Spindler at Oxford Designers & Illustrators

From the second edition I’d like to thank everyone who generously gave their advice and made comments and suggestions which have helped to shape this New Edition of Progress to Proficiency. Heartfelt thanks to Jeanne McCarten, who started the ball rolling and kept the project moving along. Her discerning ideas and wise advice encouraged me to incorporate countless improvements. Thank you to the teachers who provided feedback on the first edition: Craig Andrew, Liz Charbit, Anne Cosker, Marina Donald & Margery Sanderson, Shirley Downs, Brian Edmonds, Hilary Glasscock & Jenny Henderson, Cecilia Holcomb, Ian Jasper, Anne Koulourioti & Ourania Petrakis, Sheila Levy, Vicki Lynwoodlast, P.L. Nelson-Xarhoulakou, Steve Norman, Bruce Pye, Michael Roche, Cristina Sanjuan Alvarez, and Jennie Weldon I’m particularly grateful to everyone who wrote detailed reports on the first edition, and recommended particular improvements and changes: Margaret Bell, Jennie Henderson, Ruth Jimack, Jill Mountain, and Clare West The New Edition was greatly enriched with ideas, criticisms and suggestions from: Ruth Jimack Jenny Johnson Rosie McAndrew Laura Matthews Pam Murphy Jill Neville Madeline Oliphant Alison Silver Bertha Weighill Clare West And thanks to the following people for their contributions and assistance: Peter Taylor, who devoted so much time and effort to collecting the authentic interviews, and who produced and edited all the recorded material, with the help of Studio AVP. The actors who took part in the studio recordings, and who talked about their own experiences and attitudes. The people who generously agreed to be interviewed. Lindsay White, Amanda Ogden, Ruth Carim, Nick Newton, and Peter Ducker. Alison Silver guided the project smoothly, efficiently and cheerfully towards its publication. Her eye for detail and thoroughness enhanced the book enormously. Working with her was, as always, such a pleasure. Finally, thanks to Sue, Zoë and Thomas for everything.

From the first edition My special thanks to Christine Cairns and Alison Silver for all their hard work, friendly encouragement and editorial expertise. Thanks also to all the teachers and students at the following schools and institutes who used the pilot edition of this book and made so many helpful comments and suggestions: The Bell School in Cambridge, the British Council Institute in Barcelona, The British School in Florence, the College of Arts and Technology in Newcastle upon Tyne, the Eurocentre in Cambridge, Godmer House in Oxford, the Hampstead Garden Suburb Institute in London, Inlingua Brighton & Hove, International House in Arezzo, Klubschule Migros in St Gallen, The Moraitis School in Athens, the Moustakis School of English in Athens, the Newnham Language Centre in Cambridge, VHS Aachen, VHS Heidelberg, VHS Karlsruhe, the Wimbledon School of English in London and Ray Thomson in Switzerland. Without their help and reassurance this book could not have taken shape.

Acknowledgements

The author and publishers are grateful to the authors, publishers and others who have given permission for the use of copyright material identified in the text. It has not been possible to identify the sources of all the material used and in such cases the publishers would welcome information from copyright owners. 1.3 ©David Stafford (4.8.91) and The Guardian; The Guardian for the use of the following articles, all ©The Guardian: 1.6 Vivek Chudhary (23.6.99), 3.1 Margaret Horsfield (2.4.91), 5.6 Paul Brown (18.9.97), 8.3 Leader (1.9.97), 9.7 Andrew Northedge (24.9.91), 11.7 Stephen Burgen (28.1.91), 14.6 Anita Chaudhury (14.6.2000), 14.8 Nicholas Bannister (24.7.99), 16.5 Roger Dobson (15.7.97), 18.1 Will Englund (22.6.2000), 18.1 Michael Ellison (22.6.2000), 18.1 Jamie Wilson (22.7.99), 18.1 David Sharrock (18.2.92); The Observer for the use of the following articles, all ©The Observer: 1.7 John Henderson (27.6.99), 4.5 Alexander Garrett (29.6.97); 2.1 ©Punch (Feb 1984); 2.4 Estate of Peter Fleming for the extract from Brazilian Adventure by Peter Fleming; 3.6 Jake Bowers-Burbridge (8.3.2000) and The Guardian; 3.8 Estate of James MacGibbon for the poem from The Collected Poems of Stevie Smith (Penguin 20th Century Classics) ©1972 Stevie Smith. “Not Waving But Drowning” by Stevie Smith, from Collected Poems of Stevie Smith, copyright ©1972 by Stevie Smith. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp. 3.8 ‘BloodyMen’ from Serious Concerns by Wendy Cope. Reprinted with permission of PFD on behalf of Wendy Cope ©1993 Wendy Cope; 4.3 ©The Estate of Anthony Burgess, Artellus Ltd for the extract from ‘Language Made Plain’ by Anthony Burgess; 5.2 ©Telegraph Group Limited 1989; 5.3 ©John Henley (10.3.2000) and The Guardian; 6.2, CA4, CA16 extract from Towers of Trebizond by Rose Macaulay reprinted by permission of the PFD on behalf of The Estate of Rose Macaulay ©Rose Macaulay 1956; 6.5 extract from ‘Hunting Mr Heartbreak’ by Jonathan Raban, reprinted with permission of Gillon Aitken Associates ©1991 by Jonathan Raban. Submitted Excerpt, pages 68-69 from Hunting Mister Heartbreak by Jonathan Raban. Copyright ©1990 by Jonathan Raban. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc; 6.6 ©Tourism Saskatchewan; 7.2 ©The Economist (2.11.96); 7.3 Dave Hill and The Independent/Syndication; 7.9 ©Telegraph Group Limited 1995; 8.5 ©Telegraph Group Limited 1998; 8.10, CA8, CA17, CA27 extracts from ‘Bad Time For Talking’ by Paul Sussman ‘Death by Spaghetti’, ©1993-6 The Big Issue/©1996 Paul Sussman; 9.3 ©M.A.Uden; 9.9 extract from web page reprinted with permission of the Head Master, Summerhill School. ©Summerhill School. www.summerhill2000.com; 10.3 extract from Rise And Fall Of The Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond published by Hutchinson. Used by permission of The Random House Group Limited. Submitted extract from Rise And Fall Of The Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond. Copyright ©1992 by Jared Diamond. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc; 10.5 extract from The Stationary Ark by Gerald Durrell. Reproduced with permission of Curtis Brown Ltd, London, on behalf of the Estate of Gerald Durrell, ©Gerald Durrell; 10.7 ©The Economist (13.6.92); 10.10 extract from Life on Earth by David Attenborough, reprinted with permission of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd; 10.11 extracts from ‘Save the Earth’ by Dorling Kindersley Limited. ©Joe Miller for the use of his poem ‘If the Earth were...’; 11.3 extract from Brazzaville Beach by William Boyd, published by Sinclair-Stevenson. Used by permission of The Random House Group Ltd. Also used by permission of The Agency Ltd, London; 11.3 extract from A Dark Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine used by permission of Penguin Books Ltd; 11.3 extract from Nice Work by David Lodge reproduced with permission of Curtis Brown Ltd, London, on behalf of David Lodge. Copyright ©David Lodge 1988; 11.9 extract from A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway ©Hemingway Foreign Rights Trust; 11.9 William Heinemann Ltd and Viking Penguin for the extract from The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck. “Chapter 1”, from The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, copyright 1939, renewed ©1967 by John Steinbeck. Used by permission of Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Putman Inc; 11.9 The Wylie Agency, London for the extract from The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux; 12.3 ©1998. Extract Design Flaws from Notes From A Big Country, published by Black Swan, a division of Transworld Publishers. All rights reserved. Notes From A Big Country (Published in the U.S. as I’m A Stranger Her Myself) by Bill Bryson, reprinted with permission of The Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group; 12.4 ©Telegraph Group Limited 1997; 12.8 From The Psychology of Everyday Things by Donald A.Norman. Copyright ©1988 by Donald A.Norman. Reprinted by permission of Basic Books, a member of Perseus Books, L.L.C; 13.3 extract from My Family And Other Animals by Gerald Durrell, reproduced with permission of Curtis Brown Ltd, London, on behalf of the Estate of Gerald Durrell. ©Gerald Durrell; 13.3 extract from The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan published by Jonathan Cape. Used by permission of The Random House Group Limited. The Cement Garden, by Ian McEwan. Copyright ©1978 by Ian McEwan. Reprinted by permission of Georges Borchardt, Inc; 13.3 The Wylie Agency for the extract from My Secret History by Paul Theroux; 13.5 extract from Wilt by Tom Sharpe published by Secker & Warburg. Used by permission of The Random House Group Limited. Also by permission of Sheil Land Associates Ltd Copyright ©Tom Sharpe 1976; 13.5 Faber and Faber Ltd, Nigel Williams Ltd for the extract from The Wimbledon Poisoner by Nigel Williams, also by permission of Gillon Aitken Associates; 13.7 extract from The Millstone by Margaret Drabble, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson. Reprinted by permission of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd; 14.5 ©Mark Honigsbaum; 15.1 ©Raj Persaud and The Guardian; 15.3 Reproduced from The Art Book ©1994 Phaidon Press Limited; 15.5 extract from The Shock Of The New by Robert Hughes reproduced with the permission of BBC Worldwide Limited. Copyright ©Robert Hughes. Alfred Knopf; 15.6, 15.8 extract from web page reproduced with permission of Empireonline.co.uk; 16.9 Taking The Waters ©Jane Clarke Author and Nutritionist; 16.11 ©The Economist; 17.1 extract from Europe A History by Norman Davies published by Pimlico. Used by permission of The Random House Group Limited. From Europe: A History by Norman Davies, copyright ©1993 by Norman Davies. Used by permission of Oxford University Press, Inc; 17.2 the poem The Soldier by Rupert Brooke; 17.2 Futility by Wilfred Owen is reprinted from Wilfred Owen, The Complete Poems and Fragments edited by John Stallworthy and published by Chatto and Windus; 17.2 the poem The General by Siegried Sassoon, copyright Siegfried Sassoon by kind permission of George Sassoon. “The General”, from Collected Poems of Siegfried Sassoon by Siegrfried Sassoon, copyright 1918, 1920 by E.P.Dutton. Copyright 1936, 1946, 1947, 1948 by Siegrfried Sassoon. Used by permission of Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Putnam Inc; 17.4 extract from Goodbye To All That by Robert Graves, reprinted with permission of Carcanet Press Limited; 18.4 ©1998. Extract Why No One Walks from Notes From A Big Country, published by Black Swan, a division of Transworld Publishers. All rights reserved. 5

Notes From A Big Country (Published in the U.S. as I’m A Stranger Her Myself) by Bill Bryson, reprinted with permission of The Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group; 18.5 Channel 4 Television for ‘Loneliness’ and ‘Excitement’ from Cities Fit to Live in by Barrie Sherman, reproduced with permission of 4Publishing at Channel 4 Books; 18.6 ©Leo Jones; CA1 Musee Des Beaux Arts from Collected Poems by W.H.Auden, reproduced with permission of Faber and Faber Limited. Also by Curtis Brown, London; CA3, CA10, CA26, CA29 Methuen London for the excerpts from So you think you can cope with customers? A Video Arts Guide; CA14 Reproduced by permission of Oxford University Press. From Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English 6th Edition by A.S.Hornby ©Oxford University Press 2000; CA24 extracts from Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English ©Pearson Education Limited 2001, reprinted by permission of Pearson Education Limited; CA31 extracts from the Cambridge International Dictionary of English, reprinted with permission of Cambridge University Press.

For permission to reproduce cartoons: p.53 ©Punch.

For permission to reproduce book covers: p.26 Brazilian Adventure by Peter Fleming, The Marlboro Press Northwestern/Random House; p.65 Towers of Trebizond by Rose Macaulay (Flamingo) HarperCollins Publishers; p.119 A Good Man In Africa cover photograph ©Roderick Field, Armadillo cover photograph ©Robin Rout/Photograft, The Blue Afternoon cover photograph ©Tony Stone Images, An Ice-Cream War all by William Boyd and reprinted with permission of Penguin Books Ltd; p.120 Brazzille Beach by William Boyd, cover photograph ©Bruce Coleman Collection, A Dark-Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine, cover photograph ©Stony Stone Images, Nice Work by David Lodge, cover illustration by Paul Cox, reprinted with permission of Penguin Books Ltd; p.126 Image of the cover of A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, published by Jonathan Cape/Arrow. Used by permission of The Random House Group Ltd; p.126 The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck, The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux, The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, all published by Penguin Books Ltd; p.140 The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan published by Jonathan Cape. Used by permission of The Random House Group Limited; p.140 My Secret History by Paul Theroux, My Family And Other Animals by Gerald Durrell both by Penguin Books Ltd; p.142 Wilt by Tom Sharpe ©Overlook Press, NY; p.142 The Wimbledon Poisoner by Nigel Williams Faber and Faber Ltd ©Nigel Williams, 1990; p.144 The Millstone by Margaret Drabble, published by Penguin Books Ltd; p.184 Goodbye To All That by Robert Graves, published by Penguin Books Ltd. For permission to reproduce photographs: p.10 (left) Mike Hewitt/Allsport, (right) Paul & Lindamarie Ambrose/Telegraph Colour Library, (centre) Gerard Loucel/©Stone 2000; p.13 CUP/Trevor Clifford; p.14 Tony Marshall/EMPICS Ltd; p.16 (left) ©Yves Forestier/CORBIS Sygma, (right) Mike Egerton/EMPICS Ltd; p.22 John Murray (Publishers) Ltd; p.28 (left) Martyn Colbeck/Oxford Scientific Films, (right) Peter Taylor; p.40 ©Dan Fries; p.43 (top left) Norbert Schafer/Corbis Stock Market, (top centre) Pictor, (top right) Martin Barraud/©Stone 2000, (centre left) Hubert Camille/©Stone 2000, (centre) Leland Bodde/©Stone, (centre right) Kevin Horan/©Stone 2000, (bottom left) Shuji Kobayashi/©Stone 2000, (bottom right) Tamara Reynolds/©Stone 2000; p.44 (centre) Steve J.Benbow/Telegraph Colour Library, (left) Mark Stewart/Camera Press, (right) Christian Lantry/©Stone 2000; p.45 Lingo Corporation, NY; p.46 SIPA Press/Rex Features; p.54 (top left) Jacky Chapman/Format Photographers, (top right) Mike Segar, Reuters/Popperfoto, (bottom left) Kevin Mackintosh/©Stone 2000, (bottom right) Karen Hunt Mason/CORBIS; p.56 ©Patrice Lapoirie, Agence France Presse/EPA; p.61 (left)’With the permission of Percol Fairtrade Coffees, part of the Food Brands Group Ltd’, (right) “Cafédirect Ltd”; p.64 Pictor; p.68 Marion Ettlinger/Macmillan; pp.70, 71 (bottom left, top right) Tourism Saskatchewan/Douglas E.Walker; p. 71 (top left) Tourism Saskatchewan/David Buckley; p.72 Sue Gosling; p.74 (left) Antonio Di Ciacca/Telegraph Colour Library, (centre) Benelux Press/Telegraph Colour Library, (right) Chris Moyse/Impact Photos; p.75 (bottom) CUP/Trevor Clifford, (top) Peter Taylor; p.76 Galen Rowell/CORBIS; p.78 (bottom) ©Macduff Everton/CORBIS, (top) Hulton Archive; p.79 Michael S.Yamashita/CORBIS; p.82 Advertising Archive; p.84 (left) Tom Stewart/Corbis Stock Market, (centre) Coolwa-Sharie Kenney/Corbis Stock Market, (right) ©John Walmsley; p.86 Rex Features; p.87 Suzie Fairfax; p.88 ISOPRESS/Rex Features; p.92 (right) Keystone/Hulton Archive, (centre, left) Rex Features; p.94 (left) CHAT/Rex Features, (right) Stewart Mark/Camera Press; p.97 (left) Hulton Archive, (right) V.C.L/Telegraph Colour Library; p.99 Suzie Fairfax; p.104 ©Summerhill School; p.105 Suzie Fairfax; p.106 (left) Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth, UK/The Bridgeman Art Library, (right) Cyril Ruoso/Still Pictures; p.107 (top) Sharpshooters/Powerstock Zefa, (bottom) Peter Taylor; p.112 Vivek Sinha/Oxford Scientific Films; p.117 (top left) Klaus Andrews/Still Pictures, (top right) Cyril Ruoso/Still Pictures, (centre right) Dominique Halleux/Still Pictures, (centre left) Daniel Dancers/Still Pictures, (bottom left) Cyril Ruoso-Bios/Still Pictures, (bottom right) Pictor; p.119 Ben Gurr/Rex Features; p.128 (right) Eye of Science/Science Photo Library, (centre) Dr Jeremy Burgess/Science Photo Library, (left) Pictor; p.129 Freedom Ship International, Inc, http://www.freedomship.com; p.137 Leo Jones; p.138 Edward Hopper, American, 1882-1967, Nighthawks, 1942, oil on canvas, 84.1 x 152.4 cm, Friends of American Art Collection, 1942.51 “©The Art Institute of Chicago. All Rights Reserved”; p.145 Peter Arkell/Impact Photos; p.146 Suzie Fairfax; p.150 Dr Michael Argyll; p.157 Associated Press AP; p.158 Gerhard Richter/Anthony d’Offay Gallery; p.159 Muesees Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium/The Bridgeman Art Library; p.160 Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain/The Bridgeman Art Library; p.162 Columbia Tristar/Egon Endreny (Courtesy Kobal); p.163 Polygram/Frank Masi (Courtesy Kobal); p.165 The Ronald Grant Archive; p.173 Hulton Archive; p.180 (left, centre left) Rex Features, (centre right) Popperfoto, (right) Camera Press; p.182 ©CORBIS; pp.188, 189 Hulton Archive; p.201 (bottom) Hulton Archive, (top) Edward Hopper (1882-1967), ‘Room in New York’, 1936 oil on canvas, 29x36 inches/Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden UNL-F.M. Hall Collection 1936. H-166; p.202 Lori Adamski Peek/©Stone 2000; p.204 M100.52 Edward Hopper (1882-1967) ‘Conference at Night’, 1949 oil on canvas, 28 3/8 x 40 3/8/The Roland P.Murdock Collection, Wichita Museum, Wichita, Kansas; p.205 Bruce Ayres/©Stone; pp.206, 207 Hulton Archive.

Introduction

New Progress to Proficiency is for students who are preparing for the University of Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English examination (‘CPE’ or ‘Proficiency’, for short), or for an examination of similar level and scope. Each unit is based on a different topic, and contains sections which will help you to develop and improve your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in English. Using New Progress to Proficiency ... • will make your learning an enjoyable experience • will be intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking • will help you do your very best in the exam • will enable you to perfect your English for professional, academic and social purposes — not just for an exam, but for real life too The exercises and activities in New Progress to Proficiency focus on different aspects of English: • developing and increasing your vocabulary • helping you to understand, enjoy and appreciate reading passages • revising grammar • studying more advanced grammar points • improving your writing skills and composition writing • idioms and phrasal verbs • improving your listening comprehension • developing your speaking skills • Proficiency examination skills

As you work through the units, you’ll be building your proficiency in English PROGRESSIVELY. You’ll notice a gradual change in the nature and style of the exercises and activities as you progress through the book. At the beginning, they help you to improve your English by giving you guidance, encouraging you to enjoy learning and giving you opportunities to use English creatively. Towards the end, you’ll be concentrating more on acquiring and refining the special skills needed for the examination. Many of the exercises and activities are designed to be done in co-operation with other students, working in pairs or small groups. You’ll find that by sharing ideas you can learn a great deal from each other. Working through New Progress to Proficiency will help you to make progress, but it’s YOUR TEACHER who can help you to improve the specific aspects of English in which you’re weakest, and can guide you towards particular exercises that seem most valuable for you and your class. Your teacher may decide to leave out some exercises if the limited amount of time available can be more profitably devoted to other exercises – you may decide to do some of these omitted exercises as extra homework. But remember that the most important person in the learning process is YOU! You are the person who is most responsible for your progress: by asking questions, seeking advice and working to expand your vocabulary – and by reading English for pleasure, talking English and listening to English whenever you can. A lot of this work will need to be done on your own outside class: preparing material for each lesson, regularly reviewing what you have covered in class, learning new vocabulary, and doing all the written tasks that you are set. You’ll need a good English–English dictionary, as well as a comprehensive grammar reference book, because no coursebook can answer all your questions on vocabulary and grammar, and your teacher is only available when you’re in class.

Symbols Examination advice and study ➜ means ‘Join another person to form a pair’ tips are given in notes like this at the side or at the bottom of the means ‘Work in pairs’ page. ➜ means ‘Join another pair to form a group’ means ‘Work in groups of three’ means ‘Work in groups of three or four’

The Proficiency exam

The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) examination is held twice a year: in June and in December.

Paper 1 Reading – 1 hour 30 minutes

Part 1 Three short texts (total 375–500 words), each with 6 gaps. There is a choice of four possible answers for each gap.

You have to choose the best ...... to fit in each gap in the text. A guess B idea C thing D word

Part 2 Four short texts on the same theme (total 600–900 words) with two multiple-choice comprehension questions per text. You have to choose the best answer.

How many texts are there in Part 2? A one B two C three D four

Part 3 One long text (800–1100 words) from which seven paragraphs have been removed and placed in jumbled order on the next page. You have to decide from where in the text the paragraphs have been removed. There is one paragraph which doesnít fit anywhere.

Part 4 One long text (700–850 words) with seven multiple-choice comprehension questions. (Total: 40 questions = 40 marks)

Paper 2 Writing – 2 hours

In both parts of the Writing Paper you have to write 300–350 words. Each part carries equal marks.

Part 1 This part is compulsory. After reading the instructions, you read a short text (maybe a short letter, article or advertisement) and then write an article, essay, letter or proposal. The focus is on presenting and developing arguments, expressing and supporting opinions, and evaluating ideas.

Part 2 There are four questions from which you choose one. One of the choices includes a question on each of the set texts. The following formats are included here: an article, an essay, a letter, a report or a review. The tasks may involve any of the following functions: describing, evaluating, giving information, making recommendations, narrating, persuading, summarising. (Examiners’ marks scaled to 40 marks)

Paper 3 Use of English – 1 hour 30 minutes

Part 1 One text with 15 gaps to fill, testing grammar and vocabulary. You have to think of a suitable word to fill each gap. (15 questions, each worth 1 mark)

Part 2 One text with 10 gaps to fill. Each gap corresponds to a word. The ‘stems’ of the missing words are given beside the text and you have to transform them to provide the missing word. (10 questions, each worth 1 mark)

This part tests your ...... KNOWLEDGE of word formation. KNOW

Part 3 Six groups of three sentences, each with a word missing. You have to decide which single word fits into all three gaps. This tests collocation, phrasal verbs, idioms and meanings. (6 questions, each worth 2 marks)

Part 4 Eight key word transformations. You have to rewrite each sentence using the word so that it has a similar meaning. You mustn’t change the word given and you must use between three and eight words only. (8 questions, each worth 2 marks)

This is an example of a key word transformation sentence. kind This is an example ...... of the kind of sentence you may have to transform.

Part 5 Two short texts with two questions on each, and one summary task. The questions focus on the style and tone of the text, and on vocabulary. For the summary you have to select relevant information from both texts and write 50 to 70 words. (4 questions, each worth 2 marks. Summary, worth 14 marks) (Total: 75 marks, scaled to 40)

Paper 4 Listening – about 40 minutes

Each text is heard twice. You have time to read the questions and to check your answers afterwards.

Part 1 You hear four short extracts, with two multiple-choice questions per extract. You have to choose the best of three alternative answers for each question. (8 questions)

Part 2 You hear a monologue or interview. You have to complete gaps in sentences with information from the recording. Each sentence has to be completed with a word or short phrase. One longer extract with nine sentence completion questions. (9 questions)

Part 3 You hear a discussion or interview. There are five multiple-choice questions. You have to choose the best of four alternative answers for each question. (5 questions)

Part 4 You hear a discussion between two people. You have to match each of a list of six opinions or statements to the names of the speakers, according to who said what. If they agreed about something you write both names. (6 questions) (Total: 28 marks, scaled to 40)

Paper 5 Speaking – about 20 minutes

There are two candidates and two examiners. One is the assessor (who listens and assesses but doesn’t join in) and the other is the interlocutor (who sets up the task, joins in sometimes, and also assesses). The interlocutor also has to make sure that one candidate doesn’t dominate the conversations, so that you both have an equal amount of time to show how good you are at speaking English.

Part 1 The interlocutor encourages each candidate in turn to give information about themselves and to express personal opinions. This part involves general interaction and social language. (3 minutes)

Part 2 The candidates are given visual and spoken prompts, which generate a discussion between them. You’ll have pictures to talk about (but not actually describe): the interlocutor will tell you what you have to do. This part involves comparing, decision making, evaluating, giving opinions and speculating. The interlocutor only joins in if one candidate is speaking too much. (4 minutes)

Part 3 Each candidate in turn is given a written question to respond to. You have to talk for two minutes on the theme of the question, uninterrupted. After each candidate has spoken, the interlocutor asks you questions to encourage a discussion on the same topic. This part involves organising a larger unit of discourse, developing topics, and expressing and justifying opinions. (12 minutes) (Assessors’ marks scaled to 40 marks)

For more information, visit the UCLES website: www.cambridge-efl.org.uk