Matura Solutions Upper-Intermediate Tests

1

Photocopiable

© Oxford University Press

A

Test 1–5

Reading

1

Read the text.

2

Complete the text with sentences A–F. There is
one sentence you do not need.

A Adapting their houses to make life easier for

these people is a costly business and most
cannot afford the necessary changes.

B They want all new homes built in the UK from

2011 onwards to conform to specifications
that will make them elderly-friendly.

C Safety for children will also be addressed.
D These plans have met with mixed reactions.
E There must be easy access for wheelchairs to

the front door and through doorways.

F It is feared that conforming to all the

specifications will push up the prices and put
new homes out of the reach of first-time buyers.

Mark

/10

Elderly-friendly homes?

A home of their own is what most people in the UK
aspire to these days. However, more and more of our
older population are finding it difficult to stay in their
own homes as the health problems associated with
increased age sometimes make it impossible for them
to cope in badly designed houses.
The elderly cannot climb the stairs and if they use
wheelchairs, there are often problems getting from one
room to another because of narrow doorways, let alone
trying to manoeuvre their chairs up and down outdoor
steps. [

1

] All too often the help that could

allow them to remain in their own homes at the end of
their lives is not available and these people are forced
to move into care homes. Here, their needs are catered
for but they often feel isolated and away from familiar
surroundings and their friends and family.
In an effort to address this problem the UK
government has announced plans that seem, on
the surface, to be fairly dramatic. [

2

]

There will be sixteen such specifications and they
include improvements that could significantly affect
life positively for the elderly. Stairs will have to be
wide enough to accommodate stair lifts should the
installation of one become necessary. [

3

]

Electrical sockets and switches in walls must be at a
convenient height and all rooms must be large enough
for wheelchairs to turn in circles. These are only a few
examples of what architects and builders will have to
take into consideration in the future.
[

4

] The general idea has been welcomed by

many care groups but the practicalities are causing
concern in many quarters. Not least among those who
are worried about the cost of providing new housing.
[

5

] Members of the House Builders

Association feel that the plans have not been carefully
thought through and that implementing such
specifications, although theoretically laudable, is simply
not realistic.
It is also felt that people have different housing needs at
different stages of their lives and forcing all new homes
to be built with the elderly in mind is not going to be
a popular move. Debate on the subject will no doubt
continue for a long time yet!

Vocabulary

3

Choose the correct answers.

1 The temperature in this building

a lot.

A fluctuates B looms C boosts

2 Employees who deal with clients directly need

to be extremely

.

A ruthless B courteous C flexible

3 I need a job with

working hours.

A tolerant B flexible C open-minded

4 We need another

of milk.

A pint B pound C yard

5 It appears that the companies

with

each other to keep prices high.

A colluded B pledged C backed

6

his failure, he tried again the

following year and succeeded.

A Although B Much as C Despite

7 Most

get moody from time to time.

A toddlers B OAPs C adolescents

8 The exercises in the exam were

easy.

A highly B bitterly C ridiculously

Mark

/8

cumulative test

B

Matura Solutions Upper-Intermediate Tests

2

Photocopiable

© Oxford University Press

A

4

Complete the sentences with the prepositions in
the box.

out away through at up back down

1 I’m going to set

a meeting with all the

people involved.

2 I put his bad temper

to the weather!

3 Mum’s always getting

me for not

doing as well as my sister.

4 We paid

the nose for our new car.

5 What are you going to splash

on with

the money you won?

6 You won’t get

with writing less than

200 words for that essay!

7 Let’s get

to what we were talking

about before, shall we?

Mark

/7

Grammar

5

Complete the sentences with the correct form of
the verbs in brackets.

1 The examiner asked me why I

(chose) to learn English.

2 How long

(you want)

to be an astronaut?

3 I thought Archie

(leave) but in fact he was in the cafeteria.

4 Who

(expect) to win

the next election?

5 The boy

(not see)

since this morning.

6 You

(earn) a lot more

money this time next year.

7 The meeting

(finish)

by 4.30 so give me a ring then.

8 The suspect

(interview) by the police when he fell ill.

Mark

/8

6

Choose the correct answers.

1 The President is expected / known to be fond

of Italian food.

2 Gemma was very tired and took in a little /

little of what the teacher said.

3 Assuming that / In case he doesn’t mind a

small room, he’ll love the hotel.

4 We expect my cousin to arrive / arriving just

after 10.00.

5 Hardly / Just had we left the house when it

started to rain.

6 None / Any of the students could answer all

the questions correctly.

7 While he’s been in hospital / the hospital, I’ve

been looking after his dog.

Mark

/7

Listening

7

≤

4.11

Listen to five people talking about getting

through difficult situations. Which speaker (A–E)
talks about ...

1 accepting the situation? Speaker
2 managing on a small income? Speaker

3 not being deterred from taking another risk?

Speaker

4 getting something good from a bad situation?

Speaker

5 refusing to accept the advice of others?

Speaker

Mark

/10

Writing

8

Write a story about a disastrous evening when
everything went wrong. Include these points.
• Describe how the evening started.
• Write about at least three things that went wrong.
• Say how you felt and what you did.
• Describe how the evening ended.

Mark

/10

Total

/60

cumulative test

Test 1–5

B