Cumulative Skills Test Units 1–5 Test B

Name: ___________________________________________

Everyday English
1 Complete the sentences with the missing words. Use one word in each sentence.
1 That’s a great idea! Let’s go ____________ it! It’ll be fun.
2 Andrew looks nothing ____________ his dad. He’s much taller.
3 I take your ____________ , but I don’t agree with you.
4 Please ____________ our apologies. It won’t happen again.
5 Never mind. It doesn’t ____________ . Let’s say no more about it.

Mark: ___ / 5

Listening
2  Listen to Dan and Lucy talking about going away on holiday. Complete the sentences
with a number.
1 Dan went on a round-the-world trip for ____________ month(s).
2 Lucy is going to stay in Portugal with ____________ relative(s).

3  Listen again. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?

Mark: ___ / 10

1
Reading
St Kilda
If you’ve ever wanted to get off the beaten track, it would be difficult to find anywhere as remote as
St Kilda, a group of islands which lie in the North Atlantic Ocean, over sixty kilometres north-west
of Scotland. It’s one of the most isolated places in Europe, and it was once inhabited by a unique
community of people with their own language and their own ancient way of life. Nowadays, nobody
lives on the islands except for a few military personnel, although the place comes to life every
summer when research scientists arrive to study the wildlife, and a small number of tourists make the
long boat journey across the ocean to see the remains of the old houses which now stand empty.
On a bright, blue day in August 1930, the last St Kildans locked the doors of their houses and made
their way to the boat that was waiting for them. For religious and traditional reasons, they had left an
open bible and a small pile of food in each of their houses. It would be easy to say that they were sad
to leave the islands where their ancestors had lived for a thousand years, but, in truth, many of them
were looking forward to their new lives on the mainland, away from the poverty and isolation of St
Kilda. There had never been more than 200 people living on the islands in St Kilda’s entire history,
but by the time of its evacuation there were only thirty-six people left, and most of them were old. It
was impossible to continue with no young people to farm the land and grow – or find – food.
Historians have argued about the main reasons why the community on St Kilda failed. Illness and
emigration played a part, and it seems that the common factor was the way that the modern world
influenced the islanders. While they were living in isolation, they had little choice but to work hard
and to make the best of their lives, but things changed in the 19th century when tourists started
arriving on the islands. At first, this had a positive effect because islanders could sell home-made
clothes and birds’ eggs to the visitors – but the benefits came at a price. The islanders lost their self-
esteem because the tourists treated them as strange, primitive people, and many St Kildan children
died because mainland diseases such as tetanus and influenza arrived with the boats. In the longer
term, regular contact with the outside world made the St Kildans less self-reliant. As a result of the
tourist trade, they could buy things from the mainland for the first time, so they stopped farming or
hunting for birds’ eggs, which had been their traditional methods of getting food. They became
disconnected from their ancient way of life, and most of the young men emigrated from St Kilda to
find work in Scotland. Eventually, the end of their traditional community became inevitable.

2
4 Read the text. Circle the correct answer (a–d).
1 St Kilda is
a one of a group of islands.
b off Scotland’s northerly coast.
c not really in Europe.
d in the middle of the Atlantic.
2 These days, in winter, there are
a no people on St Kilda at all.
b only people working for the military on the islands.
c only scientists and soldiers there.
d very few tourists on the islands.
3 The St Kildans who left the islands in 1930 felt
a glad to be escaping their old lives.
b poor and hungry when they left.
c extremely upset about leaving.
d worried about life on the mainland.
4 Reasons why the St Kilda community had to leave do not include
a the spread of disease.
b the failure of crops.
c the departure of its young people.
d the influence of tourism.
5 When tourists started coming in the 19th century, St Kildans
a started having money to spend.
b felt good about themselves.
c began hunting for birds’ eggs.
d improved their farming methods.

Mark: ___ / 10

3
Writing
5 Write one of the following tasks.
A A website called MyHolidayPhoto.com wants you to send a funny or interesting photo of you and
your friends on holiday. They are offering a prize for the best photo. Write an informal email
describing your friends, their appearance and the place they are in for the photo you have
chosen for the competition.
B Write a story about a person who has told a lie. Begin with the sentence; I thought that if I had
everything I wanted I would be happy …

Mark: ___ / 15
TOTAL MARKS: ___ / 40

4
Speaking
6 Think about your typical holiday and your last holiday. Prepare to answer the questions
below. Then work with a partner. Take turns to interview each other.
1 Where do you usually go on holiday? Where do you stay? Who do you go with? What do you
usually do?
2 Where did you go on your last holiday? Where did you stay? Who did you go with? What did you
do? Did anything unusual happen? If so, what?

Challenge!
7 Complete the text with the correct words (a–d).
A trip to Andalucía
Last summer, my family and I went on a package 1____________ to Andalucía in the south of Spain.
After we 2____________ a few days in Seville, we headed 3____________Grenada and visited the
famous Alhambra Palace. It’s fabulous! If you 4____________ to Grenada, you’ll see exactly what I
mean! The Alhambra is one of the most beautiful palaces in the world. 5____________ , some of the
wall paintings in the palace are 6____________ . It’s important to 7____________ monuments like
the Alhambra, so I’ve joined an online support group to raise awareness of this issue. Some of our
world famous monuments 8____________ if we don’t look after them now.
1 a holiday b tour c excursion d trek
2 a have spent b were spending c had spent d spend
3 a on b over c at d for
4 a go b went c have gone d will go
5 a Comfortably b Similarly c Worryingly d Extremely
6 a have decayed b decaying c decay d not decaying
7 a preserve b contaminate c survive d evacuate
8 a will fall down b fall down c are falling down d would fall down