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CERTTIFICATION EXAM IN ENGLISH AT THE B2 LEVEL
SAMPLE TEST
You have 180 minutes to complete the test. Remember to leave yourself at least 40 minutes to
complete the writing section (test 4).
TEST 1: Listening comprehension (15 questions , 30 points)
1.1. While listening to the dialogue, match the inventions listed in the right-hand column with the
statements in the left-hand column. The same answer may be used more than once. Mark
your answers on answer sheet 1.
Invention
1. As a boy, Bill Gordon made ________ .
a. the Gordon retriever
2. Bill Gordon’s first official invention was ______ .
b. Kleenex
3. It took nearly 20 years before __________ came
onto the market.
c. Synectics
4. Economically, Bill Gordon’s most successful
invention was _______ .
d. toys to play with
5. Making the packaging smaller to save on
transport costs was a challenge when developing
_________ .
e. Pringle potato chips
6. Being able to transport ____________ further and
without damage was the challenge for Bill
Gordon.
.
7. Bill Gordon has used his idea of _____ to show
others how to be creative.
1.2 You are going to hear a short talk about how to succeed during a job interview. Before you
listen, read the 8 questions below. Listen to the talk and choose the correct option (there is only
one option for each question ). Mark your answers on answer sheet 1.
8. According to the speaker, employers look for job candidates who are
a) well qualified and show enthusiasm.
b) imaginative and have lots of ideas.
c) committed and willing to work hard.
9. The speaker suggests that school leavers attending a job interview
a) dress in a too formal way.
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b) generally know how to dress.
c) often turn up in jeans and a t-shirt.
10. The key to succeeding during an interview is:
a) preparing thoroughly in advance.
b) having the correct qualifications.
c) showing extensive experience.
11. The speaker suggests that during an interview candidates should never
a) shake hands.
b) cross their arms.
c) lean forward.
12. If offered, the candidate should accept
a) only a glass of water.
b) nothing to eat or drink.
c) some water and a biscuit.
13. The speaker suggests that during an interview the candidate should
a) emphasize only his/her positive qualities.
b) talk about him/herself in abstract terms.
c) present him/herself as modest and humble.
14. During an interview it is not a good idea to criticize a previous employer because
a) you may be saying something hurtful about the interviewer’s friend.
b) you may be seen as a very critical, never satisfied person.
c) the interviewer may consider this a criticism of himself.
15. At the end of the interview the candidate should
a) ask whether the interviewer has any further questions.
b) ask the interviewer about the working conditions of the job.
c) find out if the interviewer has concerns about him/her.
Alternative format based on Text 2.
While listening to the lecture decide which of the following statements are TRUE (A) / FALSE
(B). Mark your answers on answer sheet 1.
8. Interviewers will need to be convinced by the candidate that they would be good for the job.
9. It is better to go to the interview underdressed than overdressed.
10. Most job applicants are well aware of how to dress for an interview.
11. The key to a successful interview is adequate preparation.
12. The interviewee needs to consciously control his/her body language.
13. The interviewee must always be honest about why he/she is applying for the new job.
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14. It is polite to refuse all refreshments offered at the interview.
15. The interviewee should never take the initiative.
TEST 2: Reading Comprehension (20 questions, 40 points)
2.1. You are going to read a text from which certain phrases have been removed. Choose from
the options provided below the text, which phrase fits each gap. For questions 16-20 choose
from the first set of options, while for questions 21-25 choose from the second set of options.
Mark your answers on answer sheet 1.
On a Hunt for What Makes Gamers Keep Gaming
By the age of 21, the typical American has spent 10,000 hours playing computer games, and had to
cope with a smaller [16] ______________chunk of time listening to complaints about this sinful habit.
Why, the experts wonder, are so many people wasting their lives solving meaningless puzzles in
virtual worlds? Now some other experts - ones who have actually played these games - are asking
more interesting questions. Why are these virtual worlds [17] _______________ than school and
work? How could these gamers’ labors be used to solve real-world puzzles? Why can’t life be more
like a video game?
In the past, puzzles and games were sometimes considered useful instructional tools. But once puzzles
and gaming went digital, once the industry’s income rivaled Hollywood’s, once children and adults
became so absorbed that [18] ___________ , then the activity started to be criticized as an
“addiction.” Meanwhile, a few researchers were more interested in understanding why players were
becoming so absorbed and focused. They seemed to be achieving the state of “flow” that psychologists
use [19] ____________________ master musicians and champion athletes achieve. However, the
gamers were getting there right away instead of having to train for years.
One game-design consultant, Nicole Lazzaro, recorded the facial expressions of players and
interviewed them along with their friends and relatives [20] _______________. One ingredient is
“hard fun,” which Ms. Lazzaro defines as overcoming obstacles in pursuit of a goal. That’s the same
appeal of old-fashioned puzzles, but the video game provides something new: immediate feedback
and constant encouragement, both from the computer and from the other players.
[21] ______________ for little achievements as they accumulate points and progress to higher levels,
with the challenges becoming harder as their skill increases. [22] ____________ , they remain
motivated to keep going until they succeed. It’s not something you see often in classrooms or offices
or on the street, but game designers like Dr. McGonigal are working on that. [23] ______________, a
game in which players score points by being nice to strangers in public places, and which has been
played in more than 50 cities on four continents. She and her husband are among the fans of
Chorewars, an online game in which they earn real rewards, like the privilege of choosing the music
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for their next car ride by doing chores at their apartment in San Francisco. Other people, working
through a Web site called Sparked, are using a smartphone applications to create a worldwide map of
the locations of defibrillators available for cardiac emergencies. [24] _______________ for
defibrillators that haven’t been cataloged yet. If that defibrillator later helps save someone’s life, the
player’s online glory increases.
[25
]
_____________to school and work and other institutions, there are certain principles to keep in
mind, says Tom Chatfield, a British journalist. These include using an “experience system”, creating a
variety of short-term and long-term goals, and rewarding effort continually while also providing
occasional unexpected rewards. “One of the most important lessons we can learn from games,” he
says, “is how to turn the sense that someone has ‘failed’ into the sense that they ‘haven’t succeeded
yet.’
For questions 16 – 20, choose from the list below (set 1). There is one extra phrase you will not
need to use.
A. to describe full involvement and excitement
B. so much more absorbing
C. has online game features
D. but much more boring
E. they even turned their backs on television
F. to identify the components of a good game
For questions 21 -25, choose from the list below (set 2). There is one extra phrase you will not
need to use.
A. Players get steady rewards
B. To properly apply gaming techniques
C. She has designed Cruel 2 B Kind
D. These players scour buildings
E. Even though they fail over and over
F. But because they fail to succeed
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2.2. Read the text below and answer the questions by choosing the right option. Mark your answers on
answer sheet 1.
I. The theory of multiple intelligences was developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of
education at Harvard University. It suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on I.Q. testing,
is far too limited. Instead, Dr. Gardner proposes at least eight different intelligences to account for a
broader range of human potential in children and adults. These include:
Linguistic intelligence ("word smart")
Logical-mathematical intelligence ("number/reasoning smart")
Spatial intelligence ("picture smart")
Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence ("body smart")
Musical intelligence ("music smart")
Interpersonal intelligence ("people smart")
Intrapersonal intelligence ("self smart")
Naturalist intelligence ("nature smart")
II. Dr. Gardner says that our schools and culture focus most of their attention on linguistic and logical-
mathematical intelligence. We esteem the highly articulate or logical people of our culture. This
tendency is also clearly visible in the standard IQ tests. However, Dr. Gardner says that we should also
place equal attention on individuals who show gifts in the other intelligences: the artists, architects,
musicians, naturalists, designers, dancers, therapists, entrepreneurs, and others who enrich the world in
which we live. Unfortunately, many children who have these gifts don’t receive much reinforcement
for them in school. Many of these kids, in fact, end up being labeled "learning disabled," or are
diagnosed with ADHD (Attention- Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
III.The theory of multiple intelligences proposes a major transformation in the way our schools are
run. It suggests that teachers be trained to present their lessons in a wide variety of ways using music,
cooperative learning, art activities, role play, multimedia, field trips, inner reflection, and much more.
The theory has grabbed the attention of many educators worldwide, and hundreds of schools are
currently using its philosophy to redesign the way children are educated.
IV.Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences also has strong implications for adult learning and
development. Many adults find themselves in jobs that do not make optimal use of their most highly
developed intelligences (for example, the highly bodily-kinesthetic individual who is stuck in a
linguistic or logical desk-job when he or she would be much happier in a job where they could move
around, such as a recreational leader, a forest ranger, or physical therapist). The theory of multiple
intelligences gives adults a whole new way to look at their lives, examining potentials that they left
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behind in their childhood (such as a love for art or drama) but now have the opportunity to develop
through courses, hobbies, or other programs of self-development.
V.One of the most remarkable features of the theory of multiple intelligences is how it provides eight
different potential pathways to learning. If a teacher is having difficulty reaching a student in the more
traditional linguistic or logical ways of instruction, there are other ways in which the material might be
presented to facilitate effective learning. Whatever you are teaching or learning, see how you might
connect it with:
words (linguistic intelligence)
numbers or logic (logical-mathematical intelligence)
pictures (spatial intelligence)
music (musical intelligence)
self-reflection (intrapersonal intelligence)
a physical experience (bodily-kinesthetic intelligence)
a social experience (interpersonal intelligence)
an experience in the natural world (naturalist intelligence)
VI. For example, if you’re teaching or learning about the law of supply and demand in economics, you
might read about it (linguistic), study mathematical formulas that express it (logical-mathematical),
examine a graphic chart that illustrates the principle (spatial), observe the law in the natural world
(naturalist) or in the human world of commerce (interpersonal); examine the law in terms of your own
body [e.g. when you supply your body with lots of food, the hunger demand goes down; when there's
very little supply, your stomach's demand for food goes way up and you get hungry] (bodily-
kinesthetic and intrapersonal); and/or write a song (or find an existing song) that demonstrates the law
(perhaps Dylan's "Too Much of Nothing?").
VII.You don’t have to teach or learn something in all eight ways, just see what the possibilities are,
and then decide which particular pathways interest you the most, or seem to be the most effective
teaching or learning tool.
26. Howard Gardner claims that
a. most people are not as smart as they think they are.
b. children are actually much smarter than adults.
c. people may be “smart” in different ways.
d. all smart people have a high IQ .
27. The passage suggests that standard IQ tests
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a. are too culture-specific to be widely applicable.
b. only diagnose specific types of intelligence.
c. are used to diagnose children with ADHD.
d. have been used successfully since 1983.
28. Given the information in paragraph II, teachers should
a. help children diagnosed with ADHD.
b. pay more attention to communication skills.
c. help raise children’s attention to culture.
d. help children develop their true abilities.
29. The author of this article indicates that
a. linguistic intelligence is often correlated to logical-mathematical skills.
b. schools do not cope well with children with linguistic and mathematical skills.
c. children with linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence fit best in schools.
d. highly articulate and logical children often annoy others at school.
30. ‘It’ (underlined in paragraph III) refers to
a. a major transformation.
b. the way schools are run.
c. a specific theory.
d. a proposition.
31. The text suggests that Gardner’s theory
a. is only applicable to formal schooling.
b. is based on a philosophy that fails in practice.
c. has been generally rejected by educators worldwide.
d. is now being put into practice in the educational sector.
32. According to the text, if you want to be happy in your professional life it is
a. best to find a job that fits your most developed intelligences.
b. generally best to avoid linguistic and logical desk-jobs.
c. advisable to inform your employers of all your strengths.
d. good to also take part in self-development programs.
33. A person with highly developed interpersonal intelligence could be most successful as a
a. data-analyst.
b. car mechanic.
c. hotel manager.
d. food technician.
34. If you want to learn successfully you should
a. match learning techniques with your intelligence profile.
b. develop your potential in all the different types of intelligences.
c. first read about the topic of interest and then use other skills.
d. find out from your teacher which skills would be best to use.
35.Which phrase could replace ‘particular pathways’ (underlined paragraph VII)?
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a. specific subjects
b. ways of learning
c. sequence of events
c. types of information
ALTERNATE FORM OF TEST
Reading Comprehension Text 2
You are going to read a short account of the differences between men and women. Six paragraphs
have been removed from the text. Choose from paragraphs A-F that best fits gaps 1-5. The first
one (0) has been done for you. Mark your answers on answer sheet 1.
Research in evolutionary psychology and related fields has uncovered the distinct ways that men’s minds
and women’s minds operate.
0-------------------------F
In contrast, the female brain is characterized by empathizing tendencies or mentalistic thinking.
“Empathizing” is the drive to identify another person’s emotions and thoughts, and to respond to them
with an appropriate emotion. Empathizing occurs when we feel an appropriate emotional reaction in
response to the other person’s emotions. The purpose of this is to understand another person, to predict
his or her behavior, and to connect or resonate with him or her emotionally.
16 -------------------------
There are many individual exceptions to any empirical generalization, but exceptions do not invalidate
generalizations. For example, there are many women who are taller than the average man, and there
are many men who are shorter than the average woman. But the generalization “Men are on average
taller than women” is still valid. Similarly, not all men have a strongly male brain, and not all women
have a strongly female brain, but there are average differences between men and women, and men are
far more likely to have the male brain and women are far more likely to have the female brain.
17 ---------------------------
At the same time for men it must be remembered that, low empathizing ability was helpful for men in
tolerating solitude during long hunting and tracking trips, and for committing the acts of interpersonal
violence and aggression necessary for male competition.. (In the ancestral environment, women left
their natal group and married into a neighboring group upon puberty, a practice necessary to avoid
inbreeding.)
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18 --------------------------
Men’s greater systemizing and mechanistic skills are the primary reasons why they are better than
women at mathematics, physics, and engineering, because all of these fields deal with various rational
“systems” governed by rules. Women’s greater empathizing and mentalistic skills are the primary
reasons why they are better at languages and why they are better judges of character.
19 ------------------------------
In relation to men one such example would be their greater tendency toward systemizing and
mechanistic thinking means that they often try to “figure out” their relationships with their girlfriends
as if they are logical systems or a carburetor. They don’t realize that relationships involve other human
beings with emotions and feelings, which are not always rational and logical, and they instead treat
other people as if they were machines.
20 -----------------------------------
Fit paragraphs A – F into gaps 16 – 20 above.
A. The late William D. Hamilton, the Oxford evolutionary biologist who is universally regarded as
“the best Darwinian since Darwin,” said it best, when he noted, “People divide roughly, it seems to
me, into two kinds, or rather a continuum is stretched between two extremes. There are people people,
and things people.” What the recent work of evolutionary psychologists shows is that, to a large
extent, people people are women, and things people are men.
B. These sex differences emerged during the course of human evolution because men and women
often faced different selection pressures. Men have come to acquire systemizing and mechanistic skills
because such skills were necessary for inventing and making tools and weapons. Similarly, women
have come to acquire empathizing and mentalistic skills because they facilitate various aspects of
mothering, such as anticipating and understanding the needs of infants who cannot yet talk, or making
friends and allies in new environments, in which ancestral women found themselves upon marriage.
C. But these adaptive sex differences sometimes misfire and manifest themselves in comical ways.
Numerous examples can be cited.
D. The difference between “mechanism” and “mentalism” is similar to the difference between
“systemizing” and “empathizing.” In short, mechanism is about figuring things out (folk physics);
mentalism is about understanding people (folk psychology).
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E. Similarly, women often talk to their cars and copy machines, as if they had minds and feelings.
They don’t realize that they cannot really relate to their cars and copy machines, because they have no
feelings or emotions; they have no “minds” they can read.
F. The male brain is characterized by systemizing tendencies and mechanistic thinking. “Systemizing”
is the drive to analyze, explore, and construct a system. The systemizer intuitively figures out how
things work, or extracts the underlying rules that govern the behaviour of a system. The purpose of
this is to understand and predict the system, or to invent a new one.
TEST 3: Use of English (50 questions, 50 points)
3.1. For questions 36 -50, read the text below and decide which option (A, B, C or D) best fits
each space. There is an example at the beginning (0). Mark your answers on answer sheet 1.
Example:
0
A make
B force
C cause
D result
Recent research on the genetics of disease suggests that loneliness can actually (0) ____ you ill.
Lonely people, it seems are at greater (36) ____ than gregarious ones of developing illnesses such as
heart disease and certain cancers. (37) ____ to a paper published last year in the Public Library of
Science, Medicine, the (38) _____ of loneliness on death rate is comparable with that of smoking and
drinking. Its authors (39)____ , and combined the results of, 148 previous studies that followed
(40) ____ 300,000 individuals for an average period of 7.5 years each. They concluded that, over
such a period, a gregarious person has a 50% better chance (41) _____ surviving than
a lonely one.
Apparently, the genes that are (42) ____ in protecting us against a viral infection are less active in
lonely people. Dr Steven Cole of the University of California has (43)____ that there is a mechanism
by (44) ____ the environment (in this case the social environment) (45) ____ inside a person’s body
and programs its genome (46)____ that it responds appropriately. It is not that the lonely and
gregarious are genetically different from (47) ____. Rather, their genes are regulated differently,
according to how (48) ____an individual is. Dr Cole thinks this regulation is part of a wider
mechanism that tunes individuals to the circumstances they (49)____ themselves in. It goes (50) ___
when loneliness becomes chronic and the inflammatory response becomes chronic at the same time.
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A
B
C
D
36
chance
possibility
risk
probability
37
According
Following
In reference
In accordance
38
cause
result
effect
affect
39
looked
sought
tested
examined
40
every
some
many of
number of
41
of
in
at
to
42
implemented
included
involved
implicated
43
reverted
rediscovered
revealed
recovered
44
whose
which
that
what
45
reaches
enters
invades
accesses
46
in
by
so
for
47
one another
oneself
themselves
every other
48
sophisticated
social
stylish
sociable
49
find
regard
bring
get
50
wrongly
wrong
bad
badly
3.2. For questions 51 -65, read the text below and look carefully at each line. In each line there is
a word that should not be there. Write the word on answer sheet 2. There is an example at the
beginning (0).
Examples:
0
it
EMPTY-NEST SYNDROME
0
Empty-nest syndrome it is the name given to a psychological condition that
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can affect parents around the time their children leave home. It’s more natural
52
for a parent to feel some sadness when children leave home, but however, if
53
experienced for longer than a month, one should seek for professional help.
54
It can be a difficult time when kids are leaving, and there is nothing all wrong
55
with using various techniques to get over its effects. One good way out is to talk to
56
friends - especially those who have been through a much similar experience themselves.
57
One needs to remember also that it has never been more easier to keep in touch with
12
58
kids who have been left home thanks to new technologies. Some parents may use
59
either blogs and social networking sites such as Facebook through which to
60
communicate while the others may prefer to chat on Skype. And virtually everyone
61
will but have access to a mobile phone. The time after children leave home is a
62
challenging time. Nothing will ever be the same again. But just because everything it
63
is different, it doesn’t mean it can’t be as good. You may, for example, take up from
64
those long forgotten hobbies. Many of parents enjoy the second half of their lives
65
as hugely doing things they’d never have dreamed of when their children were at home.
3.3. For questions 66 -75, read the text below and fill each numbered gap with one word. Write
your word on answer sheet 2. Make sure all the words are spelled correctly.
Modelled on Teach for America, a programme (66) ______ in 1989 that now trains 4.000 teachers a
year, Teach First aims to (67) ______ the vicious cycle of qualified teachers leaving the profession by
creating a route into teaching for high-flyers. Applicants are screened for leadership and
communication (68) ______ , and the successful ones promise to teach for two years in “challenging”
schools: those where few (69) ______ get good exam results or where more than 30% are poor
(70) ______ to receive free school meals. Such schools tend to (71) ______ the least qualified
teachers. Unlike government recruiters who tend to present teaching as appealing, even easy, Teach
First (72) _______ the job as tough and demanding. Since 2003, (73) ______ it received 1,300
applications for just 200 places, Teach First has grown fast. It expects to take on 850 recruits in 2012,
making it (74) ______ of Britain’s largest recruiters. To date almost three-fifths of its recruits have
stayed on (75) ______ the two-year period, which means that retention of teachers is almost as good as
with traditional routes into the classroom.
3.4. For questions 76 -85, read the text below. For each of the words given in square brackets,
form a word that fits the space next to it. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Write the correct word on answer sheet 2.
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3.4. For questions 76 -85, read the text below. For each of the words given in square brackets,
form a word that fits the space next to it. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Write the correct word on answer sheet 2 .
Now here is something you’d not expect to see in Warsaw. (0)
Translated
[Translate] as the Museum of
Eroticism we feel the owner has done himself a (76) _____ [service] by giving it such
an (77) _____ [emotion] name. If like us, and part of the local media, you were (78) _____ [expect]
a Berlin or even Amsterdam style museum you are likely to be (79) _____ [illusion]. There are no
shady corners, private dimly
(80) _____ [light] rooms or outsized sex toys here. No, what the
owner - for the collection is private and the museum (81) _____ [private] funded - should have named
the place is the Museum of Erotic Art. Although many of the collected (82) _____ [work] leave little
to the visitors’ (83) _____ [image], experts agree that they are also (84) _____ [question] art. Set
over a series of rooms of the first floor of a modern building, the collection which covers erotic art of
(85) _____ [primary] Asian origin, reflects the traditionally far more open attitude to sex in that part of
the world.
TEST 4: Writing( 40 points)
You must answer BOTH questions in this section.
4.1. You have recently noticed the following advertisement. Write an email to Mari Jones asking
her for further information about the post. Indicate why you are interested in the position and
be specific in the information that you ask for.
Your email should be approximately 100 words long.
Translators from English to Polish wanted immediately
Work from home.
Good terms and conditions
For more information email Mari Jones at:
4.2. Write a short composition of between 150 – 200 words arguing either in favour or
against
the following statement: Young people are the hardest hit by the current economic crisis.
Write your texts on answer sheet 3 in the spaces provided.
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SAMPLE TEST B2 ANSWER KEY
TEST 1
1.d
2. a
3.e
4. b
5.b
6.e
7.c
8.a
9.c
10.a
11.b
12.a
13.c
14.a
15.c
Alternate Form
8. A
9. B
10. B
11. A
12. A
13. B
14, B
15. B
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Test 2 answer key
16. D
17. B
18. E
19. A
20. F
21. A
22. E
23. C
24. D
25. B
26. C
27. B
28. D
29. C
30. C
31. D
32. A
33. C
34. A
35. B
Alternate form
16. B
17. A
16
18. D
19. C
20. E
Test 3: Use of English
36.
C
61.
but
37.
A
62.
it
38.
C
63.
from
39.
D
64.
of
40.
B
65.
as
41.
A
66.
introduced/ initiated
42.
C
67.
break
43.
C
68.
skills
44.
B
69.
pupils / students
45.
A
70.
enough
46.
C
71.
attract/employ/hire
47.
A
72.
portrays /depicts/ presents
48.
D
73.
when
49.
A
74.
one
50.
B
75.
beyond / over
51.
more
76.
disservice
52.
however
77.
emotional / emotive
53.
for
78.
expecting
54.
all
79.
disillusioned
55.
out
80.
lit
56.
much
81.
privately
57.
more
82.
works
58.
been
83.
imagination
59.
either
84.
unquestionably
60.
the
85.
primarily
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Listening Test Text 1
Man: In the studio with us today is Bill Gordon – an inventor. Mr. Gordon, may I ask you a few
questions? When did you start inventing?
Gordon: As a child, I never got any toys. I was given thread, ropes, and pulleys, wooden things. I
made what I needed to play with. Not that I was a very clever maker. I wasn’t. But I was studious
about it. I didn’t give up and I had lots of toys I enjoyed playing with..
Man: What was your first official invention?
Gordon: A thing that became known as the Gordon retriever. It’s a means of bringing back lost
torpedoes. I invented it after I returned from World War II, when I was working for the Navy at the
Harvard Underwater Sound Lab as a diver.
Man: When did you get into inventing full time?
Gordon: After studying physics and philosophy at Harvard I began to invent on a more sophisticated
level. I was hired by Arthur D. Little to set up an invention division. I had a field day.
Man: Did you develop for clients, or did you develop and then try to find a client who needed it?
Gordon: Most of the time, clients came to me. We got to be very well-known very quickly. It was
1950, and inventions were in great demand, then. Arthur D. Little called our service “invention to
order”. That was their advertising slogan.
Man: Is it true that you came up with the idea for Pringles potato chips?
Gordon: Yes. The client’s marketing division had decided that potato chips were a red-hot area. But
at that time, they were sold very locally because they got rancid quickly and cost so much to ship; and
inside the package, when they were shipped, they got broken. A broken potato chip is like a lobster
with one claw. It doesn’t draw the market. So the parameters we were given were to come up with a
potato chip which keeps well and which does not break when it is shipped.
Man: You invented them quickly but they didn’t actually come on the market until much later.
Gordon: Yes, we came up with the idea in 1952, but I don’t think they were on the market until the
1970s. Inventions take a long time to hit the market. If something is a fundamental invention, it might
take up to thirty years.
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Man: What was your most successful invention?
Gordon: Do you mean economically successful? I suppose the present Kleenex – the one that comes
packed tightly in the box. The challenge was to pack it in smaller boxes to save shipping costs as well
as packaging costs. It caught on fairly quickly. Commercially, it was a tremendous success.
Man: What do you think was the basis of your success?
Gordon: My training in Science and philosophy helped, as did my interest in creativity. I believe that
creativity can be taught and I have taught creative thinking at Harvard for a number of years.
Man: What method did you develop for teaching creative thinking?
Gordon: I call it Synectics. The idea is this: a person’s most creative ideas are formed when he is not
actually thinking about the problem at hand. When he is concentrating on solving the problem, his
logical analytical mind is in control. The imaginative ideas, however, come from the non-analytical,
metaphorical mind, which is like a huge store-room of past experiences. The challenge is to bring
those ideas to the forefront so that they can be acted on and not repressed by the rational mind.
Man: Mr. Gordon, thank you very much for this interesting interview.
(589 words)
Listening Text 2
Today’s short talk will focus on how to succeed in an interview. Well, imagine you've bagged
an interview for your dream job, and you're the best candidate. You should forget any ideas you might
have about your abilities shining through of their own accord. Interviewing is a skill like any other,
and it takes knowledge, commitment and hard work to come out on top. Remember, every employer is
going to ask themselves two things about you: Are you qualified for the job? And, are you
enthusiastic?
My first tip is dress to impress. If you look untidy, that's how you'll be remembered. If in
doubt, it's always better to be too smart than too casual. Wearing a suit or a smart dress sounds
obvious, but you wouldn't believe the number of candidates who turn up for an interview in jeans and
t-shirt. It may sound patronizing to tell someone to dress smart, but a lot of people coming out of
school or university just have no practical knowledge and understanding of this.
The next point I’d like to make is: Prepare, prepare, prepare! List likely questions in advance.
Memorize your answers. Also, check the time and place of your interview. Find out how to get there -
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do a dry run if necessary. Research the company you want to work for. A basic search on the net might
give you some useful information.
Remember also, body language matters. Control yourbody language: never underestimate the
importance of a firm, confident handshake and positive body language. I know of one employer who
turned down a candidate because he slouched in his chair. You have to look keen and engaged, so
mirror the body language of the person interviewing you, lean in towards them at times and don't cross
your arms.
If offered, accept a glass of water, it can create a useful barrier during an uncomfortable
question and buy you a few crucial seconds while you take a sip. But never take a biscuit because
they'll often try to ask you a difficult question the moment you take a big bite.
When answering questions, use examples.It's no good just using abstract terms to talk about
how organised or efficient you are. Prepare some examples from your past experience to back up your
claims. Emphasise what unique talents you'll be bringing to the company. But, don't go too far -
pretending you're some kind of superhero will make you hard to relate to. Show humility - talk about
an area you've struggled with, and the way you overcame the problem.
Another thing to remember is always be positive! When asked why you're moving on, don't
start criticizing and saying negative things about your old boss. A lot of industries are very close knit
and you may be insulting the interviewer's friend. Think of positive reasons why you want to start
working for the new company, stress your new career prospects and your ambition to succeed.
My final tip isat the end of the interview, try asking if they have any reservations about you – this will
give you the perfect opportunity to give an immediate riposte to their concerns and provide you with a
clean finish to the interview. (494 words)
On a Hunt for What Makes Gamers Keep Gaming
By the age of 21, the typical American has spent 10,000 hours playing computer games, and had to
cope with a smaller but much more boring chunk of time listening to complaints about this sinful
habit. Why, the experts wonder, are so many people wasting their lives solving meaningless puzzles in
virtual worlds? Now some other experts - ones who have actually played these games - are asking
more interesting questions. Why are these virtual worlds so much more absorbing than school and
work? How could these gamers’ labors be used to solve real-world puzzles? Why can’t life be more
like a video game?
In the past, puzzles and games were sometimes considered useful instructional tools. But once puzzles
and gaming went digital, once the industry’s income rivaled Hollywood’s, once children and adults
became so absorbed that they even turned their backs on television, then the activity started to be
criticizedas an “addiction.” Meanwhile, a few researchers were more interested in understanding why
players were becoming so absorbed and focused. They seemed to be achieving the state of “flow” that
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psychologists use to describe full involvement and excitement master musicians and champion athletes
achieve. However, the gamers were getting there right away instead of having to train for years.
One game-design consultant, Nicole Lazzaro, recorded the facial expressions of players and
interviewed them along with their friends and relatives to identify the components of a good game.
One ingredient is “hard fun,” which Ms. Lazzaro defines as overcoming obstacles in pursuit of a goal.
That’s the same appeal of old-fashioned puzzles, but the video games provide something new:
immediate feedback and constant encouragement, both from the computer and from the other players.
Players get steady rewards for little achievements as they accumulate points and progress to higher
levels, with the challenges becoming harder as their skill increases. Even though they fail over and
over, they remain motivated to keep going until they succeed. It’s not something you see often in
classrooms or offices or on the street, but game designers like Dr. McGonigal are working on that. She
has designed Cruel 2 B Kind, a game in which players score points by being nice to strangers in public
places, and which has been played in more than 50 cities on four continents. She and her husband are
among the fans of Chorewars, an online game in which they earn real rewards like the privilege of
choosing the music for their next car ride by doing chores at their apartment in San Francisco. Other
people, working through a Web site called Sparked, are using a smartphone applications to create a
worldwide map of the locations of defibrillators available for cardiac emergencies. These players
scour buildings for defibrillators that haven’t been cataloged yet. If that defibrillator later helps save
someone’s life, the player’s online glory increases.
To properly apply gaming techniques to school and work and other institutions, there are certain
principles to keep in mind, says Tom Chatfield, a British journalist. These include using an
“experience system”, creating a variety of short-term and long-term goals, and rewarding effort
continually while also providing occasional unexpected rewards. “One of the most important lessons
we can learn from games,” he says, “is how to turn the sense that someone has ‘failed’ into the sense
that they ‘haven’t succeeded yet.’
(556 words)
Answer Key:
A. to describe full involvement and excitement [4]
B. so much more absorbing [2]
C. has online game features
D. but much more boring [1]
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E. they even turned their backs on television [3]
F. to identify the components of a good game [5]
A. Players get steady rewards [6]
B. To properly apply gaming techniques [10]
C. She has designed Cruel 2 B Kind [8]
D. These players scour buildings [9]
E. Even though they fail over and over [7]
F. But because they fail to succeed
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