KnockOut FirstCertificate tests, FCE
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Test 1
Paper 1 Part 2
You are going to read a magazine article about people and ghosts. For
Questions 1– 6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best
according to the text.
AN UNWELCOME GUEST
Of the one in seven people in the UK who claim to
have seen a ghost, the majority are women. This may
be because women have far more association with
the spirit world. Women trust their emotions and are
generally better able than men to cope with the
unexpected.
Housewife Fiona Blair describes herself as very
practical and down-to-earth, and never believed in
the idea that a house could be haunted. That all
changed when she and her family moved into a
manor house in the Midlands. Although the surveyor
reckoned that the house required a lot of attention
and was somewhat damp, they thought it was
stunning. They could just afford it and it would be a
good investment, so they took the plunge and
decided to buy it.
Nonetheless, right from the start, Fiona had a strange
sense that they were not alone in the house. One of
her teenage daughters had left a towel over the back
of a chair in the kitchen. Fiona was in the garden,
and when she returned to the house, the towel was
over the kitchen table like a tablecloth. On other
occasions the family would find that objects such as
glasses and vases had been turned upside-down.
This was only the start of the peculiar happenings. A
particularly strange incident happened on Fiona’s
birthday. Fiona’s husband, Mark, came home from
work and went into the living room. He immediately
came rushing out to ask who had bought her the
beautiful flowers – but nobody had given Fiona
flowers and her daughters had not put the flowers
there. It remained a mystery how they had
miraculously appeared.
Fiona was curious and decided to find out about the
history of the house. What she discovered was rather
alarming. Apparently a young girl, servant to a
previous generation of owners, had been found dead
in peculiar circumstances in the attic. Fiona and her
family inevitably began to feel claustrophobic and
trapped in the house, and eventually decided that
they would have to move.
Unfortunately, things were not as simple as that.
Each time they attempted to show the house to
potential buyers, Fiona would of course ensure
beforehand that everything was neat and tidy in
order to make a good impression. But by the time
anyone arrived, the entire house would be in a
complete mess, and visitors complained of an
unpleasant atmosphere. Eventually, after many
months, an American couple viewed the house, and
decided it had a certain attraction. For some reason,
the ghost did not play its usual tricks, and Fiona was
able to sell what had been her dream home.
Now living in a spacious modern apartment in
London, Fiona wants to forget it all and move on
with her life. ‘At one point I thought I might be
going out of my mind , it was all so frightening. We
can almost laugh about it all now, but I hope we
never experience anything like that again.’
55
1
Why did the writer and her husband want to move
into the house in the Midlands?
A
They were eager to find out if it had a ghost.
B
They were attracted by the appearance of it.
C
They knew someone important had lived there.
D
They were looking for a house to modernise.
4
What had happened to the servant girl?
A
She had killed herself in the attic.
B
She was murdered by the owners.
C
She had been locked in the attic.
D
She died in the house.
2
After they moved in, they
A
began to hear strange noises in the attic.
B
realised that the house was incredibly cold.
C
discovered that objects were being moved.
D
broke a lot of glasses.
5
What did the ghost do when they decided to sell the
house?
A
It disappeared immediately.
B
It made people viewing it feel unwelcome.
C
It tidied the house.
D
It made horrible noises.
3
What happened on Fiona’s birthday?
A
Her daughters bought her flowers.
B
There was an unexplained occurrence.
C
A burglar broke into the living room.
D
Mark forgot to buy a present.
6
What does ‘it’ (line 55) refer to?
A
the house she lived in
B
the modern apartment
C
the experience she had
D
the sale of the house
1
Paper 3 Part 2
For questions 1–10, read the text below and think of one word which best
fits each space. Use only one word in each space. There is an example at
the beginning (0).
Asteroids to hit
harmless and will (
3
) ……… be a
threat to Earth, astronomers want
to keep a track of the tiny
percentage whose orbits could
eventually put them on a collision
course with Earth. (
4
) ……… most
recent scare of this kind was in
December 1997 when scientists
discovered a new asteroid. They
predicted that (
5
) ……… would hit
the Earth in 2028. Later
observations showed that it would
miss the Earth by a fraction.
quite simple – a camera which
takes digital images of the sky
through the original telescope.
The images are beamed onto
(
7
) ……… giant TV screen, and
with the wider field it is possible to
watch (
8
) ……… asteroids in each
Earth in 2028 ?
If you saw the films Deep Impact
and Armageddon and worry
(
0
) .......... an asteroid coming too
close to earth, worry no more.
Instead find (
1
) ……… a little
about them by reading on.
about
picture.
Do you feel more at ease now you
know (
9
) ……… scientists with the
latest equipment are permanently
on guard? Unfortunately, I can’t
Asteroids are mini planets
(
2
) ……… revolve around the sun
in their thousands. One, called
‘Ida’, even has its own moon.
Although the vast majority are
It is difficult to look at (
6
) ……… a
huge area, but now scientists have
developed a way to observe more
asteroids at a time. The solution is
help wondering what scientists
(
10
) ……… do, the day they spot
an asteroid heading towards us.
Paper 3 Part 3
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first
sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use
between two and five words, including the word given. Here is an example:
0
I’ve never eaten such a good meal.
ever
This is the …………… eaten.
The gap can be filled by the words ‘best meal
I’ve ever’ so you write:
5
Would you mind watching the children for me while
I make a phone call?
eye
Could you …………………. the children while I make
a phone call?
0
best meal I’ve ever
6
Sometimes working with computers is really
frustrating.
get
I sometimes ……………………. working with
computers.
1
They didn’t find the film at all interesting so they
left half way through.
remotely
They weren’t …………………. the film so they left
half way through.
2
She almost fainted upon seeing her own blood.
passed
She ……………………… the sight of her own blood.
7
‘The Beast’ is the best funfair ride I’ve ever been on.
better
I’ve never been on ……………………….. ‘The Beast’.
8
I’ve been ill recently so now I’ve got a lot of extra
work to do.
up
As I’ve been ill I’ve got ………………… all the work I
haven’t done.
3
I’m so thrilled – I’ve won a trip around the world!
is
It …………………… – I’ve won a trip around the
world!
4
The bridge collapsed completely under the weight of
the truck.
way
The weight of the truck caused the bridge
………………………….. completely.
2
Paper 3 Part 5
For questions 1–8, read the text below. Use the word
given in capitals at the end of each line to form a
word that fits in the space in the same line. There is
an example at the beginning (0).
CLIMBING IN THE ANDES
The Acongagua is a challenge to any
mountaineer, yet it is (
0
) ................... to
amateurs and professionals alike. Bolivia
welcomes anyone whose (
1
) .............. it is to
test their stamina and (
2
) .............. making the
arduous journey to the summit of this beautiful
mountain. (
3
) .............., this four-day trek can
prove more of a challenge than first expected.
The initial stretch seems (
4
) .............. , a gentle
stroll through the lush valleys of the Andes,
where the climbers can enjoy the stunning
(
5
) .............. of the Acongagua in the lake.
However it soon becomes (
6
) .............. more
challenging for even the fittest of
mountaineers. Many have to be treated for
(
7
) .............. or altitude sickness in their
attempt to reach the summit. (
8
) ..............
though, more and more climbers are making
it to the top. The secret? To be cautious and
take a much slower pace.
appealing
APPEAL
INTEND
STRONG
APPARENT
EFFORT
REFLECT
SIGNIFY
EXHAUST
INCREASE
3
Test 2
Paper 1 Part 4
You are going to read a series of interviews with people talking about
how technology affects their lives. For Questions 1–10, choose from the
people A–D. The letters may be chosen more than once. When more than
one answer is required, these may be given in any order. There is an
example at the beginning (0).
A
Mary Cotes
C
Martin Rowell
B
Tricia Field
D
Tim Bradbury
Which of the people states the following?
My interest in technology led to my choosing a certain kind of career.
I enjoy the fact that things are always changing.
I was one of the first to become involved in the world of technology.
I trained myself to be computer literate.
Technology has encouraged me to keep in touch with my friends.
New inventions have always interested me.
I’m a little worried about the effects of storing information .
I was introduced to technology at an early age.
Traditional methods can be better than new technology.
Technology has made life less tiring.
I enjoy competition.
0
B
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
TECHNICAL
REVOLUTION
A MARY COTES
My mother was my role-model.
She was an absent-minded doctor,
and I’ll never forget seeing her
enormous old-fashioned computer
when I was still a youngster. So,
naturally when I had my first
computer I thought it was
brilliant. I really can’t imagine
how anyone could manage
without technology nowadays. It’s
strange but everybody said that
new technology would put an end
to traditional written
communications. I’ve sent my
friends more emails than I ever
sent them letters. The future of
technology may be questionable,
but I see it in two ways. Firstly, I
think that information about all of
us will be kept on some kind of
central database, which I suppose
is a bit threatening. There is
always a conflict between
information and personal privacy.
Secondly, we will come to rely on
PCs more and more and treat them
as part of the family.
B TRICIA FIELD
Gadgets always make an
impression on me, and I’ve been
obsessed with technology for
many years, so it’s no surprise that
I ended up working for an
international electrical company.
One of the biggest advantages that
I have is getting to see the latest
versions of new things before
anyone else. I went to a friend’s
wedding the other day and I took
a miniature camcorder with me. I
was a bit apprehensive about
going as I hadn’t seen the friend
for ages and hadn’t met any of her
relatives. I also have little
fondness for big, social occasions.
I needn’t have worried, however.
As soon as the guests saw what I
had brought with me, I was
established as the main attraction
and the poor bride and groom
were almost forgotten! What
technology has done for most
businesses is enable staff to
communicate with each other
without having to fly half-way
round the world and be
permanently exhausted. To tell the
truth, I don’t really have a genuine
interest in some technology, as it
can be slightly forced and
impersonal. I still think making a
good, old-fashioned phone call is
probably one of the most superior
means of communication!
C MARTIN ROWELL
I suppose you could say I was at
the centre of the techno-
revolution. I find the whole thing
so exciting with everybody trying
to outdo each other. I feel that the
Internet is probably the most
important breakthrough, though.
The next few years will see every
household eager to be connected
to one centralised system. The old
concept of things like a keyboard
will no doubt disappear and we’ll
be able to activate everything
simply by giving verbal
instructions. And I’m more than
happy to communicate with a
screen, even though some people
may consider this to be somewhat
stereotyped! I spent hours
hunched over a portable laptop
computer before anyone even
knew what they were, so I
consider myself to be at the
cutting edge of the techno-
revolution.
D TIM BRADBURY
When I set up my own company
twelve years ago the biggest
problem I had was finding
somebody to install the computer!
I realised that there were very few
people who knew more about it
than I did or were even able to
assist me. So I took the plunge
and decided to do a bit of research
and tackle it alone. I had a
suspicion that if anybody could
handle the job, it would be me,
although the jargon terrified me at
first! I suppose it’s the constant
newness that convinces me that
this is the most exciting field to be
in nowadays, and I think most of
my contemporaries would agree.
Modern technology has no
boundaries. I actually met my
girl-friend on the Internet. We
took part in a video-conference
one weekend. It worked a lot
better than a dating agency! At the
time I didn’t know where she
lived but I later discovered that
she had a flat quite close to me.
1
Paper 3 Part 1
For questions 1–10, read the text below and decide which answer A, B, C
or D best fits each space. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Example: 0
A
nearly
B
hardly
C
almost
D
about
Living in the UK
possibly other rooms.When you go
upstairs you will find yourself on the
, which leads to the bedrooms and
bathroom.
5
When you first arrive in suburban Britain,
you will find that anyone lives in a
flat.The typical house is , which
means it is joined to the next house on one
side only.There is usually a lawn, often with
a hedge or fence dividing it from the next-
door
6
0
B
1
Modern houses often have central heating,
but on the older ones do not.You
might also discover that cold water comes out
of both hot and cold , unless you
switch on the water heater.This takes
half an hour to heat up enough for
a bath. After weeks of British baths, you will
probably be looking
7
8
2
garden.
Some of these houses are , but most
have two , or storeys.When you go
in, you pass through the hall to the living
room, the dining room, the kitchen and
3
9
4
10
to a good hot
shower when you get home!
1A
detached
B
terraced
C
fastened
D
semi-detached
2A
neighbour’s
B
tenant’s
C
flatmate’s
D
lodger’s
3A
gateways
B
bungalows
C
stalls
D
bedsits
4A
stages
B
grades
C
floors
D
apartments
5A
down
B
low
C
downtown
D
downstairs
6A
cupboard
B
mattress
C
landing
D
pavement
7A
main
B
general
C
whole
D
majority
8A
taps
B
drips
C
sips
D
rims
9A
sharply
B
largely
C
roughly
D
closely
10 A
for
B
forward
C
after
D
out
2
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