Skills Test 2B Units 3-4

READING SKILLS

1 Read the article and complete gaps 1-6 with sentences A-H. There are two extra sentences that you do not need.

A In addition, being successful matters to them.

B In fact, low-scorers can be very intelligent and capable.

C But why do we all develop different qualities?

D People who are rude are usually bossy because of this.

E This means people can manage their time and priorities.

F However, they are extremely good at analysing things and thinking.

G Although psychologists can measure this, they don't understand why it happens.

H As a result, they often work in jobs such as nursing or social work which involve caring for others.

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Personality: Why are you who you are?

What makes a person affectionate or decisive? Why is someone stubborn or shy? A dictionary defines personality as `a set of qualities that makes a person distinct from another and behave in a certain way'. ¹_ Most psychologists now agree that certain qualities are hereditary (we get them from our parents), but qualities based on our values and beliefs develop from socialisation (the society we live in and the way we are brought up) and the experiences we each have. The most recent research has shown that we can divide personality into five key areas: Extroversion, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness and Openness. Personality tests can measure how high we score in each area. Psychologists can use the results to predict how we are likely to behave and even say what jobs we will be good at.

Extroversion is probably the most familiar concept. People who score highly are fun-loving and happy and they love being the centre of attention. ²_ This is why they are often hard-working and ambitious - they hate failing and will strive to fulfil their ambitions. However, they can get bored easily, take dangerous risks and can be immature or disloyal. People who score low in this area are not necessarily shy, they are simply less interested in and motivated by success, praise or pleasure.

Neuroticism has positive and negative aspects too. People who score highly in Neuroticism tend to be depressed, anxious and insecure. Because of this they easily get stressed. ³_ As a result, they often do well academically and make great scientists or mathematicians. People with low scores worry too little - they don't pay enough attention to detail and they can be careless.

People with high scores in Conscientiousness are good at setting goals and achieving them because they are disciplined, efficient and reliable. ⁴_ In many jobs, high Conscientiousness is an advantage. However, high-scorers can be unspontaneous and gloomy. They don't like changing their plans. People with low scores are easily distracted and unreliable.

Agreeableness measures how much we relate to others' feelings. People with high Agreeableness usually have strong social networks. They rarely have fights or get angry quickly, and they are good at helping people. ⁵_ However, high agreeableness can be a drawback - people are too soft-headed and they may stay in bad relationships because they don't want to hurt someone. People with low scores are self-centred and they use other people to get what they want.

Openness is all about imagination. High-scorers often enjoy poetry and the arts and they can be very creative thinkers. However, because of this, they can be impractical. Scoring low in this area doesn't mean people are stupid. ⁶_ They will focus on practical solutions rather than being imaginative.

2 Read the article again and choose the correct answers.

1 Psychologists believe that our personality is

a influenced by the qualities we get from our parents, socialisation and our experiences.

b only influenced by our parents and our childhood.

c not influenced much by our experiences.

d dependent on the society we live in and not the qualities we get from our parents.

2 People who score highly in Extroversion

a will only be motivated by pleasure.

b are likely to be happy and love having fun even if they are shy.

c might be risk-takers.

d are always the centre of attention.

3 Which is not true about people who score highly in Conscientiousness?

a It can help them in many different jobs.

b They don't manage their time well.

c You can depend on them because they are reliable.

d They tend to achieve the goals they set themselves.

4 A person with a low score in Openness

a is usually not very intelligent.

b doesn't usually find solutions for problems.

c is not always very practical.

d will try to find practical solutions for problems.

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LISTENING SKILLS

1 Track 3 Listen to the news report and choose the correct answers.

1 The robbers stole

a money from the customers but not from the bank.

b ten thousand pounds from the bank.

c money from the bank and a car.

2 The students who vandalised the school

a were given a prison sentence.

b weren't fined at all.

c have to repair the damage by painting their school.

3 The drink driver

a has never appeared in court before.

b has just spent seven months in prison.

c has committed the same offence eight times.

4 Which is true about the survey?

a 71% of the people who took part in the survey travelled on buses without paying.

b 1,500 young people took part in the survey about anti-social behaviour.

c Shoplifting was one of the most common types of anti-social behaviour.

5 One of the mugger's victims said she

a felt better after talking to him.

b was sorry she had talked to him.

c didn't find it difficult to talk to him.

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2 Track 3 Listen again. Are the statements true (T) or false (F)?

1 The robbers went into the bank a few minutes after it opened. *

2 The graffiti vandals will begin their punishment this week. *

3 The drink driver is going to go to prison and be tagged. *

4 42% of the young people in the survey had used public transport without buying a ticket. *

5 Only one of the mugger's victims has refused to talk to him. *

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COMMUNICATION

1 Complete the mini dialogues with one word in each gap.

A Personally, I think we should start a band!

B Yeah, you're right! I will play the drums!

1 A In my _______________, you shouldn't download films from the Internet.

 B I agree. I think it's wrong.

2 A Do you _______________ if I invite Jane for dinner?

 B No, that's _______________ by me. I quite like her, actually.

3 A If you _______________ me, people shouldn't download music without paying for it.

 B Yeah, I agree. It's illegal.

4 A Have you heard that Mike's band will have a record out next week?

B Yeah, I've heard. It _______________ to me it's going to be a number one record soon!

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TOTAL

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PHOTOCOPIABLE New Matura Success Intermediate © 2011 Pearson Central Europe Sp. z o.o.

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PHOTOCOPIABLE New Matura Success Intermediate © 2011 Pearson Central Europe Sp. z o.o.

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