Matura Solutions Upper-Intermediate Tests

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Grammar

Complete the sentences with determiners.

1 You should check your bank account

week.

2 Are there

good reasons for buying

your own house?

3

breakfast we had at the hotel this

morning was excellent.

4

of the band members has spoken to

the newspapers. I don’t know where the
information came from.

5 I’m afraid there’s

I can do to help

you.

Mark

/5

2

Choose the correct answers.

1 I expect hearing / to hear from Lucy in the

next few days.

2 The teacher made Gemma going / go home

because she wasn’t feeling well.

3 I can’t imagine enjoying / to enjoy a

backpacking holiday. I like my home comforts.

4 Did you manage contacting / to contact Mr

Barton about the meeting?

5 Dan justified buying / to buy a new car by

saying he needed it for work!

6 We considered going / go to Scotland for a

week’s break, but the weather is too cold at
the moment.

7 I’m having my hair cutting / cut this afternoon.
8 He wouldn’t let me pay / to pay for my share

of the meal.

9 I can’t risk missing / to miss the train so I’ll

book a taxi for 7.15.

10 Are you going to get the car fixing / fixed while

Jack’s at work?

Mark

/10

Vocabulary

3

Choose the correct answers.

1 Plasma TVs cost / make a fortune.
2 We splashed out / down on a new car.

3 Pete spent / paid through the nose for his new

bike.

4 If you started a sandwich shop at school,

you’d

make / do a killing.

5 I don’t mind spending money but I hate being

ripped

up / off!

Mark

/5

4

Complete the sentences with the words in the box.

precious well-off worthless
dirt cheap priceless

1 This old painting is

but it

means a lot to me.

2 A new play by Shakespeare would be

.

3 Only

people can stay at that

hotel!

4 Jewellers make rings with

stones.

5 Sometimes things that are

stop working quite quickly.

Mark

/5

5

Choose the correct answers.

1 Our bathroom is three

wide.

A pints B yards C miles

2 I’ve been in

since I was a teenager.

A debt B profit C bargain

3

my dad worked very hard, he never

made much money.

A Whereas B However C Although

4 We usually buy four

of milk a week.

A pints B pounds C feet

5

the storms we completed the journey

very quickly.

A Much as B Nevertheless C Despite

Mark

/5

progress test

A

Unit 2

Matura Solutions Upper-Intermediate Tests

2

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© Oxford University Press

progress test

A

Unit

Listening

6

≤

4.02

Listen to two people talking about a

friend’s promotion. Choose the correct answers.

1 Lucy will be earning

A £10,000 a year.
B more than £10,000 a year.
C under £10,000 a year.

2 The new job will mean Lucy has

A to spend longer commuting.
B extra holiday.
C more departments to look after.

3 The speakers think that

A different things are important for different

people.

B everyone would like a job like that.
C only people with no family could do that job.

4 Which is true about the female speaker?

A She doesn’t use a laptop.
B She likes travelling by train.
C She enjoys relaxing when travelling.

5 Where are the speakers?

A On the train
B Having a meal
C At work

Mark

/10

Reading

7

Read the text.

8

Complete the sentences with the correct person
A–D.

1

is a teacher.

2

thinks his subject is not straightforward.

3

doesn’t work office hours.

4

has some clients that do not take his

advice.

5

doesn’t always do what his clients

expect.

Mark

/10

WORKING WITH MONEY

A THE FINANCIAL ADVISOR
In my job people either come to me or I go to them.
This is because most of my clients are working full
time and only have the evenings or weekends free.
We usually spend a few hours going through money
matters and then I work out with the client how
best their money can be invested and how to plan
for their retirement. I give advice on anything from
pension funds to taking equity out of property. In
short, what I’m doing is advising people how to
make their money work for them and provide them
with a secure future.

B THE DEBT COUNSELLOR
The people who usually consult me are often
desperate to find a way out of a very difficult and
traumatic situation. These days I’m seeing more and
more people who have overreached themselves and
been tempted by easy credit. They can’t see a way
forward and that’s where I come in. My job often
involves reassuring people that there are ways out of
their problems. However, in the course of my work
I also encounter people whose lives revolve around
spending money that they haven’t got and who are
neither willing nor able to change their ways.

C THE ACCOUNTANT
I work in partnership with two other people and
we are always extremely busy! We mainly deal with
small businesses or individuals who need help with
their taxes. We calculate their profits (or losses) and
advise on what expenses they can claim for. Some
forms they have to complete look quite complex
but for people with our experience they’re really
quite straightforward. Some of our clients think we
should be able to save them enormous amounts of
money but we’re certainly not miracle workers!

D THE ECONOMIST
In my opinion the economy is a fascinating subject
and I try to pass this on to my students. It’s such
a wide subject. There are so many influences
you have to consider and a successful economist
must be familiar with all the markets and current
trends. As we’ve seen recently with unstable stock
markets world wide, predicting how an economy is
going to do is almost impossible because of all the
contributory factors. Friends often ask for advice on
what shares to buy or sell but unfortunately there
are no guarantees in my business and it’s always a
big risk!

Unit 2

progress test

A

Unit

Writing

9

Write an essay with the title:

You can never have

too much money. Use the writing guide to help you.
Paragraph 1:

introduction and what you

understand by the statement

Paragraph 2:

points that agree with the statement

Paragraph 3:

points against

Paragraph 4:

your own conclusion

Mark

/10

Total

/60

Matura Solutions Upper-Intermediate Tests

3

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© Oxford University Press

Unit 2