Reading test – level 4

(L4/R/002)

Task One

Read each of the texts below and then complete the sentence, which comes under the text, using no more than five words to show that you have understood the text.

An example has been provided for you.

0.      Supporters of an Iranian asylum seeker, who sewed up his eyes, ears and mouth in a protest at a Home Office decision to deport him, have vowed to seek further legal advice to help him remain in Britain. Shahin Portofeh, 23, of Hillfields, Coventry, was persuaded by doctors to abandon his protest. Protofeh claims he could face arrest and execution if he returns to Iran. The Home Office said his actions would have no bearing on his case.

The Home Office’s decision will probably  ____remain unchanged_____ despite the protests.

1.      There was plenty of comment in the various racing website chatrooms this week following Channel 4’s decision to show Wednesday’s important July Stakes at Newmarket for two-year-olds from their camera on the floating airships several furlongs above ground. Most of the complaints suggested that such shots should be used for replays after races.

What the viewers did not like about the broadcast was __________________________________ .

2.      Margaret Hodge is under attack from a frenetic right wing press for no other reason than they think they have detected a chink in a Minister’s armour and want to widen it to a death-dealing hole. I am disappointed that a liberal newspaper should join in the frantic baying for her departure.

Claims and counterclaims about childhood abuse have been around for at least 15 years – Islington was no different from and no worse than other councils in this matter. It is only because Margaret Hodge is now in charge of child policy that this unlikely “libel” is being spread.

According to the author, it is _________________________________________to criticise Ms Hodge.

3.      I know which ‘uncorroborated single source’ of the two on offer I have more confidence in. It is rich that the Government demands the BBC should substantiate the veracity of a news story more than the Government felt necessary for a “45 minute assertion” which took us to war.

The consequences of either ‘uncorroborated single source’ speaking through his Horlicks do not bear comparison: so far as I am aware, the BBC decision to broadcast resulted in no loss of life.

The writer implies that the British Government __________________________________  before going to war.

4.      The number of frauds in the US in which the criminal uses someone else’s credit card or financial details doubled to 162,000 cases last year. Officials said shredding financial documents before discarding them would cut the crime.

Criminals might have obtained data from __________________________________ .

5.      Seventeen years after it was filed, the Royal Navy thinks it’s safe to tell us what GB 2376298 contains. The classified patent describes how Thorn EMI improved the accuracy with which submerged hydrophones help locate submarines. Hydrophone signals are sent up a cable to a buoy. The buoys can be accurately located by satellite positioning systems, but the position of the hydrophones – and hence of the hunted sub – is not known as precisely because the cables allow them to wander. To pinpoint the hydrophones position, Thorn EMI suggested calibrating their position by fitting them with receivers for an extra low frequency (ELF) time signal sent from eight underwater transmitters strategically placed around the world.

If the hydrophones were __________________________________ , it would be easier to locate submarines.

6.      His entire body takes on a frantic quiver, as if he had swallowed a jackhammer. Full-cut hair tousles over his forehead, and sideburns frame his petulant, full-lipped face. His style is partly hillbilly, partly socking rock … the sight and sound of him drive teenage girls wild.

This fragment is a part of a description of a __________________________________.

7.      The government’s stance on fees is a matter of choice, not necessity. The recent welcome concessions on student maintenance could be retained and universities given the same funding increases that top-up fees would provide by increasing tax rates for the better off.

The government’s stance looks like a thinly disguised admission that tackling serious inequality is no longer its project, an impression reinforced by Mr Blair’s claim governments lack the capacity to raise taxes from the very well-off. This is just a matter of political will, exercised, if necessary, in collaboration with our EU partners.

The government’s policy on fees might lead to    __________________________________, according to the author.

8.      Chris Wilson is deputy news editor for BBC three News and not the producer of the Celebdag series as we mistakenly described him in an article, Lost in Translation, pages 42 and 43, Media, January 19. The programme was not launched in November last year. It began in February last year, following an announcement in November, 2002.

This piece was published after      __________________________________  by a newspaper.

Task Two

In the text “The Virtues of Involvement” there are eleven lettered paragraphs. Match the statements below with the paragraphs they refer to. Each statement matches one and one only paragraph. There are three extra paragraphs that do not match any statement. An example has been done for you.

 Which paragraph … .

Example:  explains that powerful countries sometimes need to take action   Answer: J 

9.      shows presidents can surprise politicians and people
10.  depicts the true priority of one political leader
11.  presents a hypothetical future which did not happen
12.  tells how opponents deprecate a leader
13.  shows a politician taking actions normally allocated to another leader
14.  presents unanimity in the attitudes of two leaders
15.  discusses how a leader might deal with a dilemma

The Virtues of Involvement

 (A)   War is too important to be left to generals, so usually it isn’t. And U.S. presidential elections are certainly far too important to be left to Americans – yet they still are. For most of 2004 the rest of the world will stand by while debate rages about the arcane trivia of life in the States (such as taxes and Medicare), hoping that what the globe ends up with – whether a Bush or a Dean – is someone who knows what the hell they’re doing. Because, if he ain’t …

(B)   That said, one thing the world knows by now is that presidents learn on the job. George W. Bush in office wasn’t what the British political establishment expected, though the British intelligentsia (quite a different thing) has acted as though he were. His son decried nation-building and peacemaking in favor of missile shields and a safe interpretation of national interests. The Republicans’ headier interventionists were kept under kind – but strict -supervision in a safe ward near the back of the hospital. Then along came September 11.

(C)   The world had seen this before. By the time Bill Clinton left office he had metamorphosed into a Mark IV foreign-policy model, making peace and building nations as though he were de facto Secretary General of the United Nations. Which, of course, is what the president of the United States often is.

(D)   Even so, it was possible that, in the post 9/11 period, the Republicans would become isolationists. No – they would become super-isolationists, venturing from the angry citadel only to drop bombs or impose unilateral sanctions, and then returning, leaving the roiling, boiling world behind. Such was the nightmare of many; a sort of post-Somalia America cubed. The reality was utterly different.

(E)   Now the world has to deal with the possibility that – come January 2005 – there could be someone else in the White House, and that this someone else might be Howard Dean. If it is, would we be in for post-Somalia again, or would Dean recognize that – like it or not – the United States carries a unique international responsibility and burden, and one it will always be criticized for shouldering?

(F)    The Bush camp and the rival Democrats claim that Dean is actually the most dangerous of candidates – a small-town weed. He didn’t support the war and he isn’t really up for the fight against terror, so allies, too, should beware a Dean administration.

(G)  But if you look at what Dean actually says, then – for the most part – the horses remain distinctly unfrightened. Take Dean’s opposition to the war in Iraq out of the equation and there is very little in his major foreign-policy address in December that a British Labourite, say, could object to. Like this, for example: “Today, billions of people live on the knife’s edge of survival, trapped in a struggle against ignorance, poverty and disease. Their misery is a breeding ground for the hatred peddled by  Osama bin Laden and other merchants of death. As president, I will work to narrow the now widening gap between rich and poor”.

(H)  This is a formulation that could have come right out of any Tony Blair speech of the last five years. In fact, it is his favorite peroration, and his most heartfelt. Nor does Dean’s emphasis on multilateralism, alliances or reforming the United Nations seem like anything other than plain old common sense to many Brits. Blair’s desire to pursue a second U.N. resolution before the invasion of Iraq was not – as many have assumed – a domestic political emollient designed to smooth the passage of war. Blair really believed that the outcome would be better if the United Nations conferred legitimacy upon the enterprise. Unlike the hubristic neocons of Washington, he is a big-tent evangelist, rather than an excluding sectarian.

(I)     Now put Iraq back in the equation – because it could be argued that this is a material test of Dean’s determination to act if necessary – and the picture becomes murkier. Dean’s formulation is that Bush “launched the war in the wrong way, at the wrong time, with inadequate planning, insufficient help and at unbelievable cost”.

(J)    But what if the allies or friends won’t do the necessary thing? Russia supported the Serbs throughout the Bosnian and Kosovan crises, blocking U.N. action from its seat on the Security Council. Does America still act? The logic for Dean – just as it was for Bush and Clinton – is that it must. In what Blair calls the “interdependent world” there is no place for anyone to hide, no place for isolationism, especially not for an elephant-size superpower. This logic may not dictate the exact what, how and when of U.S. and allied intervening, nation-building and peacemaking – just the fact that all these will need to happen.

(K)    It’s here that we could do with some reassurance from the Democrat front runner. Even if it is by admitting that Iraq was a hard call, not simply a Republican folly. Now, that would sound presidential.

It is not in the spirit of The Times leader page to offer a translation of this ignominious phrase. One has to go to the foreign pages for that king of thing. Suffice to say that it joins other recent examples of less than impressive invective to suggest that the golden age of the political put down may have passed. Opponents of Australia’s new railway line this week adopted the elegant critique that its yield would be smaller than a “tick’s testicles”. In a lacerating verbal assault, MP Eric Illsley condemned Tony Blair’s argument that top-up fee rebels would be betraying the country as “crap”. On the basic of such prosaic insults, Mr Illsley will never be prime minister, though he would be minister for sanitation.

Scurrilous invective or simple reportage, Señor Bono’s gibe may not be included in the parliamentary rule book’s inventory of unparliamentary language, but it would certainly not be within the spirit of the code. More loquacious times have bequeathed us “guttersnipe”, “Pecksniffian cant” and the damning “stool pigeon” as being beyond the rhetorical pale, in addition to the more basic “liar”, “murderer” and “cad”. Strictures are such that it has been left to the Australians to keep the tradition of parliamentary invective alive with “sleazebag”, “perfumed gigolo” and the evocative “foul-mouthed grub”.

But even riches such as these seem mealy-mouthed when compared with the grandiosity of the 18^th-century radical John Wilkes who, warned by Lord Sandwich that he would either “die of the pox or on the gallows”, retorted: “That depends, my Lord, on whether I first embrace your mistress or your principles.”

Such was Sir Winston Churchill’s prowess that this and other quotations are periodically attributed to him. Every schoolboy knows the two great ungallantries directed towards Nancy Astor and Bessie Braddock, being especially fond of the latter (“Sir, you are drunk!” “And you, Madam, are ugly. But I shall be sober in the morning”). But he could also be succinct, particularly where it concerned Clement Attlee, the “sheep in sheep’s clothing” and “modest man with much to be modest about”. Arguably his most magnificent abuse was reserved for Stafford Cripps: “There, but for the grace of God, goes God.”

But to live by the sword is to die by the sword. As Sir Winston’s contemporary F.E. Smith observed: “He has devoted the best years of his life to preparing impromptu speeches”.

16.   The text is mainly concerned with …

A.     the lowering quality of the language of parliamentary insult
B.     superiority of Australian over British political invective
C.     Churchill’s heritage and its impact on parliamentary language
D.     quality of invective in relation to individual political careers

17.    The word ‘bequeathed’ in line 13 could be best replaced with …

A.     inherited
B.     left
C.     become
D.     forbidden

18.    It can be inferred from the 3-rd paragraph that …

A.     the language of offence in Australia has been stretched to the limit
B.     rules on unparliamentary language in Britain are too lenient
C.     insulting language is overused in British Parliament
D.     language in British parliament is restricted

19.    The author includes Churchill’s quotations in the text so as to…

A.     contrast parliamentary insults from 18^th and 20^th century
B.     criticise Churchill’s malicious language
C.     exemplify the tradition of parliamentary invective
D.     praise Churchill’s parliamentary speeches

20.    The dominant tone of the piece is …

A.     informative
B.     ironic
C.     critical
D.     complimentary

Answer key

Task One

1. the shots taken from above
2. unfair
3. should have made better assessment / did not have accurate information should have take more time
4. financial documents
5. equipped with (low-frequency) receivers
6. rock star
7. growing inequality
8. incorrect information was provided

Task Two

9)B   10)G    11)D    12)F    13)C    14)H    15)E

Bulgarian STANAG exams tests

So far I have published Polish tests prepared according to STANAG6001. Since all non-English speakers in NATO are interested in English exams, so are the Bulgarians. It made me search for other than Polish tests and I found those, prepared by the Bulgarian national test team of Ministry of Defence:

Reading comprehension test – level 3 (SLP 3333)

(L3/R/003)

READING TASK 1

Read the text FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAM. Choose the correct answer. Circle a, b, c, or d. “0” is an example.

FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAM

If you travel a lot, you’ve probably thought about getting a frequent flyer (FF) card. How does it work exactly? Although the programs started with U.S. airlines, they are a global fact of life in travel today. Foreign carriers initially resisted using an FF program; they theorized that it “reduced” the value of their service. However, their resistance resulted in a significant loss of market share to the U.S. airlines that flew worldwide. In the end, they formed their own programs. For the consumer, regardless of whether travel is for business or leisure, mileage and rewards are part of the bottom line.

The frequent flyer program is an incentive program operated by an airline to reward customers for their continued loyalty. The concept behind FF programs is that the airlines want their passengers to become lifetime customers. It is much more costly for the airlines to get new customers than it is to retain the ones they already have. So how do they reward you? The more frequently you fly with them, the greater your awards! Today’s frequent flyer programs offer benefits above and beyond free air travel.

You earn one mile for each mile that you fly on a particular airline. You can also earn “miles” or “points” for other travel and non-travel transactions. Travel transactions can include hotel stays, rental cars, and more. Non-travel-related awards include credit card purchases (you earn a mile for every dollar charged), long-distance telephone services, even mortgages and stock trades! Finally, shopping at certain stores, both brick-and-mortar and online, also provides an opportunity to “rack up” those miles.

Your FF miles reside in your account – much like your dollars in the bank. At this time, most of the larger domestic airlines use a fairly uniform policy: mileage does not expire, but there must be some activity in your account once every three years. The airlines may change their mileage expiration policies, so you should read their most current guidelines. When the mileage total reaches a certain amount, you can “redeem” them for an award, usually air travel.

If you are a frequent flyer, join the program that will allow you to consolidate your miles. This would usually be with the dominant airline in your region. The chosen airline should be convenient for you and the one that has the most flights to the places that you visit often. This is your number one consideration, because when you rapidly accumulate miles and reach the critical “25,000″ mark, you can qualify for “elite” status.

Example: 0. Frequent flyer programs_______.
a. offer more than free flights
b. help you travel more easily
c. offer numerous discounts
d. help you earn extra money

1.  You do NOT get FF points if you ______.
a. do shopping
b. take out a mortgage
c. make a phone call
d. rent a house

2.  According to the text, the FF program ______.
a. met a quick and wide approval
b. reduced competition among airlines
c. helps attract new customers only
d. keeps customers loyal to the company

3. For a valid FF membership, you ______.
a. collect points by certain activities
b. keep track of airlines’ discounts policy
c. reach a certain number of points
d. open a new account for your FF miles

4.  The author’s attitude to the FF program is______.
a. ambivalent
b. encouraging
c. criticizing
d. reserved

READING TASK 2

Read the text HOW THE EURO WORKS. Choose the correct answer. Circle a, b, c, or d. „0‟ is an example.

HOW THE EURO WORKS

National currencies are vitally important to modern economies. They allow us to consistently express the value of an item across borders of countries, oceans, and cultures. Currencies are also deeply embedded in our cultures and our psyche. Think about how familiar you are with the price of things. If you’ve grown up in the United States, you think of everything in “dollars,” just like you think about distances in inches and miles.

On January 1, 2002, the euro became the single currency of 12 member states of the European Union. This will make it the second largest currency in the world (the U.S. dollar being the largest). It will also be the largest currency event in the history of the world. Twelve national currencies will evaporate and be replaced by the euro.

The European Commission (EC) was given the task of creating the euro symbol as part of its communications work. There were three things the design had to accomplish: it had to be easily recognized, easily written by hand and pleasing to look at. The EC had more than 30 designs drawn up. They selected ten and let the public vote, which narrowed those ten down to two. The design that was finally selected is based on the Greek letter epsilon, and resembles the “e” as the first letter of the word “Europe.” The two parallel lines through the center of the “c” represent stability.

There are seven euro bank notes and eight euro coins ranging in value from 1 cent to 2 euros. They vary in size, shape and thickness according to their values to promote easier identification. The design of the coins features one of three maps of Europe surrounded by the 12 stars representing the Euro member states. The opposite side of the coins has designs specific to each country, also surrounded by the 12 stars. Although each country has its own coin design, each coin is accepted in any member state.

The original seed was planted in 1946 when Winston Churchill suggested the creation of the “United States of Europe.” He hoped a unified government would bring about permanent peace on the continent.  In 1952, six west-European countries took Churchill’s suggestion and created the European Coal and Steel Community. In 1957, the Treaty of Rome was signed by six European countries, declaring the goal of creating a common European market. After many false starts, the process of creating the Euro got its real start in 1989, when the Delors Report was published by Jacques Delors, president of the European Commission.

 Example 0: The concept of currency______.
a. is a peculiarity of modern economies
b. is part of people’s cultural identity
c. expresses familiarization with prices
d. lacks universally recognized meaning

1. The design of the euro symbol aimed at ______.
a. imitating other currency symbols
b. representing unity and security
c. symbolizing Europe’s past
d. facilitating identification

2. The European Commission was ______ the euro symbol.
a. established to design
b. assigned to create
c. involved in promoting
d. responsible for sanctioning

3. The coins of each member country ______.
a. symbolize its status in the union
b. feature a map on both sides
c. share no common elements
d. repeat the star pattern

4. The creation of the euro ______.
a. coincided with an EU anniversary
b. was advocated by Winston Churchill
c. was marked by numerous futile attempts
d. contributed to permanent peace in Europe

READING TASK 3

Read the text GUNS, BUTTER AND THE DEFICIT. Choose the correct answer.  Circle a, b, c, or d. „0‟ is an example.

GUNS, BUTTER AND THE DEFICIT

In the past two years we’ve seen large increases in funding for all the instruments of American policy. Whether you like or dislike George Bush’s foreign policy, there’s no denying he has outlined an ambitious role for America in the world. Except that, within a few years, this policy is likely to collapse.

No, the problem isn’t Iraq or Afghanistan. The greatest threat to America’s primacy in the world comes not from its overseas commitments. It’s the result of America’s chronically unbalanced domestic finances. The mounting federal budget deficits will mean sharp cutbacks in American military and foreign-affairs spending. We will see a forced retreat of
America’s foreign policy similar to post-Vietnam War years – only the cuts this time will be deeper and the chaos far greater.

The United States can easily afford its world role thanks to a $10 trillion national economy. But America is an empire without an imperial culture. Foreign affairs are seen as the most dispensable part of the budget. Even military spending, protected because it is a series of jobs programs, has always been easy to cut down. The commitments that make up America’s world role are tolerated as long as the economy is growing and the budget is large enough to accommodate everything. But if there were a choice between guns and butter, there is little doubt what Americans would choose.

With intelligent fiscal management, such a choice would not present itself. But this is not what we have in Washington these days. Congress is irresponsible, but President Bush has not vetoed a single bill since he took office, and he now beats all presidents but Lyndon Johnson at domestic spending. At some point, however, the budget will be under severe pressure and Congress will begin searching for cuts, and spending on foreign affairs, even military spending, will get the ax. And America’s grand new engagement in the world will turn out to be short-lived indeed.

Example: 0. The author thinks recent US foreign policy is______.
a. based on sound judgment
b. met with total acceptance
c. driven by high aspirations
d. aimed at a new world order

1. The author believes America’s dominant world role is most endangered by______.
a. financing unpopular campaigns
b. increasing foreign-affairs spending
c. leading controversial foreign policy
d. mismanaging the national budget

2. According to the article, in times of crisis the Americans would______.
a. give up taking overseas initiatives
b. favour domestic budget reduction
c. maintain the same foreign policy
d. tolerate a stagnant economy

3. The author thinks that Congress______.
a. disobeys the President
b. lacks effective supervision
c. attempts to evade the law
d. ignores experts’ warnings

4. The article argues that ______.
a. America’s foreign policy will be slightly altered
b. America can recover quickly from loss of influence
c. America’s ambitions are threatened by incompetence
d. America will be forced to cut spending on culture

READING TASK 4

Read the text THE NEW AMERICAN MODEL. Choose the correct answer. Circle a, b, c, or d. „0‟ is an example.

THE NEW AMERICAN MODEL

Over the last quarter century, the U.S. labor market has led the industrialized world in job creation. At the same time, however, wages have stagnated for many Americans and declined markedly for those at the bottom.

Social scientists do not fully understand what has caused these trends. Some portion of the problem is due to the three-way reinforcing system of rigidity in workplaces, schools, and government programs. A vast number of workplaces rely on rigid top-down hierarchies, where front-line workers are largely expected to follow their bosses’ commands. Many schools support this system: they teach obedience when doing boring and repetitive work, but do not emphasize problem-solving skills. Government programs close the cycle by typically relying on rigid top-down rules and regulations.

Regardless of the causes, we have a new economy with new challenges and new opportunities. The facts of the new economy must influence our policy decisions. For example, as inequality increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to protect poor children without policies to raise the productivity and wages of the bottom sector of the labor market. As another example, with computers common at work, physical disabilities are much less likely to be obstacles to productive employment.

The solution to the problem of stagnating wages and productivity can be seen in the nation’s most productive workplaces. These workplaces typically train all workers in the skills needed to work together to solve problems for customers. Moreover, they combine this training with incentives and work structures that promote such problem solving.

This model of the new American workplace has several implications for social policy. First, it informs schools and other training providers about the skills on which they should focus, such as working in teams and solving problems systematically. As a consequence, the certifications provided by high schools and created by industries must certify these skills. Finally, at workplaces where employees are empowered to solve problems, regulators can
build on these skills and work structures to achieve the goals of their regulations.

Example: 0. more Recently US labor market has been characterized by______.
a. jobs but same or less pay
b. higher wages but more work hours
c. more jobs in the industrial sector
d. higher wages for low-paid jobs

1. The text states that recent economic trends are partly caused by______.
a. lack of managerial experience
b. conflicting policies of the institutions
c. lack of flexibility in management style
d. boring and repetitive tasks at work

2. The author believes that ______.
a. schools should be encouraged to instill obedience
b. education is focused on decision making skills
c. hierarchical rules should be strictly observed
d. creative thinking is stifled by institutions

3. The text implies that the new economy strongly depends on ______.
a. overcoming the physical disabilities problem
b. adjusting the management process to economic reality
c. introducing equal opportunities practices in all sectors
d. raising the bottom sector wages and productivity

4. The article argues that ______.
a. only workplaces should issue certificates proving team-work skills
b. the new US workplace model will significantly affect social policy
c. the education system can easily cope with the challenges of the new economy
d. physical disabilities still pose a major problem to productive employment

READING TASK 5

Read the text DOWN WITH DEMOCRACY! Choose the correct answer. Circle a, b, c, or d. „0‟ is an example.

DOWN WITH DEMOCRACY!

Americans have a thing for democracy. Some Americans, in fact, claim to love it so much that they want to make it our primary export. Even those who aren’t particularly fond of the idea of a war in Iraq are behind the notion that we’re bringing democracy to the beleaguered Iraqi citizens. Those Americans who feel that way are those, however, who don’t really understand democracy much at all. There’s a saying that goes, “Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what’s for dinner.” The more educated American will point out that we don’t live in a true democracy, but rather in a democratic republic, or representative democracy. They apparently don’t know the corollary of that old saying which states, “Representative democracy is when the flock elects a wolf to decide what’s for dinner.”

Our political representatives are supposed to take into consideration the desires of their constituents. Since they want to be re-elected, they often do. The problem, of course, is that poll-driven politicians all too often lose sight of the best thing to do in their exclusive focus on what might be the most popular thing to do. Compounding the situation is the fact that far too many voters couldn’t care less about far too many other voters. They communicate their own selfish desires via letters, phone calls, or election ballots to their politicians; in their selfish desire to be re-elected, politicians then frequently cast their votes accordingly.

Our founding fathers, who weren’t idiots, left us with a representative democracy and a list of safeguards to prevent either an absolute pure majority rule, or an absolute representative majority rule. That list of safeguards is often referred to as “The Bill of Rights.” The first ten amendments were written and ratified specifically to ensure that the government, no matter what the majority thought it wanted, couldn’t take away certain rights considered “unalienable.” At one time, those rights were all but sacrosanct. Thanks to the desires of the majority (or at least a perceived majority), that’s the case no more.

Example:
0. The author claims that most Americans______.
a. disapprove of US foreign policy
b. perceive democracy as their duty
c. doubt the concept of democracy
d. understand what true democracy is

1. In paragraph 1, according to the author, the US type of democracy means______.
a. election results depend on the majority
b. politicians inevitably make good decisions
c. the majority can elect ineffectively
d. the electorate has the final say

2. The text says that US politicians______.
a. disregard their constituents’ desires
b. are mostly guided by the minority’s preferences
c. successfully balance various voters’ demands
d. exchange efficiency for popularity

3. The author implies that the founding fathers______.
a. established a well-balanced political system
b. provided the government with unlimited powers
c. guaranteed the majority ultimate power
d. aimed at safeguarding politicians’ interests

4. The article argues that nowadays______.
a. US democratic values have lost their appeal to the majority
b. Americans consider “The Bill of Rights” obsolete
c. US democracy is undermined by corruption
d. the constitutional freedoms are jeopardized

Answer key:

STANAG 6001 reading test – level 3

(L3/R/004)

TASK ONE

You are going to read two texts. For questions 1 to 6 choose the answer (A, B or C), which fits best according to the texts.

Text One

ATK To Make Artillery Shell

The U.S. Army has awarded Alliant Techsystems (ATK), Edina, Minn., a $20 million development deal for its Precision Guidance Kit (PGK), an artillery shell out-fitted with precise, GPS-guided targeting capability. The award follows weeks of extensive testing at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., involving a shootoff between precision rounds offered by BAE systems and ATK.

‘ATK’s 18-projectile technology development demonstration test performance exceeded the Army’s objective requirement of less than or equal to 30 metres circular error probability,’ said Peter Rowland, a spokesman for the Army’s Picatinny Aresenal, N.J. ATK’s deal with the Army will lead toward a production phase for the $3,000-apiece rounds in 2009, and fielding with soldiers in combat by 2010, according to other army officials.

The PGK comprises a conventional artillery round fitted with GPS guidance kit with a fuze built on, giving the shell precise targeting capability at ranges up to 28 kilometers. ‘What amazes me most is that we take World War II vintage artillery capability and give it remarkable precision, transforming the artillery base from an area weapon into a precision weapon,’ said Jack Cronin, ATK mission system group president. Another interesting novelty is its small wing-like propellers called spinning canards. The artillery round turns one direction, while the propellers turn another to direct the munition in flight, Cronin said.

In the system development and demonstration phase, ATK and the Army will refine the shell’s jam-proof technologies to handle a variety of jamming scenarios.

1.      $20 million has been allocated for …

A. testing a new artillery round
B. equipping rounds with the GPS
C. developing artillery technology

2.      According to Peter Rowland, the new technology …

A. satisfies the Army’s expectations
B. will be used in battlefield soon
C. is ready for a production stage

3.      In Cronin’s opinion, what makes the PGK round most interesting is that …

A. conventional shells get more accuracy
B. its targeting precision is a lot bigger
C. it is equipped with guidance devices

Text Two

 Think Ahead

Now that the White House is backing a larger U.S. Army, the question is whether the Americans really need 92,000 more troops. Since the end of the Cold War, ground forces advocates have argued against Pentagon transformation theorists who stress capital-intensive technological modernization at the expense of Army units. Their calls for additional forces have become more urgent with 150,000 troops garrisoned in Iraq and Kuwait, and another 20,000 in Afghanistan. But opponents of permanent troop increase fear that by the time these new soldiers are recruited, trained and deployed, they may no longer be needed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Adding 10,000 troops requires more than $ 1 billion per year, money that is likely to come at the expense of modernization.

Once DoD goes back to a real budget – a day many suspect will come immediately after the 2008 presidential election – it will be stuck with too many people, too much broken equipment and too much planned spending. Real defense spending will decline as government entitlement costs spike, starting in 2010 with the retirement of the baby boomers. So, when the cuts start, either procurement or people have to give. In the early 1990s, the army traded modernization spending to preserve force structure, and in the end it hurt itself by losing both people and programs. That’s why it’s going to take a great deal of forethought to make sure that when the inevitable cuts do come, the damage is eased.

Wartime creates challenges, but also opportunities to change. The U.S. Army wants to be bigger and is using its high profile in Iraq to get more of the Pentagon budget, but not thinking in the long term. Defense Secretary Robert Gates must resist that demand for the time being. He must think strategically and assess the likelihood that the nation will support a costly buildup, reset today’s degraded equipment and adequately modernize – simultaneously. The Army can’t fight, move, talk or see without the Air Force and Navy. Without the Army, all the naval and air power in the world are useless.

4.      Pentagon theorists say that …

A. there is a need to deploy more troops abroad
B. permanent troop increase will be too costly
C. the army modernization should be a priority

5.      In the future, DoD will …

A. require more money for pensions
B. have their financial means reduced
C. spend more money on equipment

6.      The author thinks that now the Defense Secretary has to …

A. fight for a bigger budget for the Army
B. oppose making the Army forces larger
C. prioritize the Navy and the Air Force

TASK TWO

You are going to read an interview with Brig. Gen. Vincent Desportes Commander, French Army’s Center for Forces Employment Doctrine. Choose from questions A to H the one which you think fits best each paragraph 7 to 13. There is an extra question which you do not need to use.

7. _____ Most importantly, we’ve come to realize that military force alone is rarely able to fulfill the political objectives for the deployment. You have to combine civil and military actions. We have understood that the phase following the military operation – the stabilization phase – is really the decisive one.

8. _____ Another clear lesson for everyone is the need for protection and security. Protection should be viewed as a global approach, not just in technical terms. The use of technology is not enough. War is about control, and control in the population is about numbers. But there are other things like the place where you station troops, corridors of transport or personal protection.

9. _____ Well, it is an important factor. We need better technology for protection and appropriate response. There is work to be done in adapting older-generation vehicles for use in urban and rugged terrain. Precision is also important because you want to limit collateral damage.

10. _____ Any operation is joint. It is absolutely clear that land operations need close air support. We have to make an effort to improve our technology in the area of close support. We need to work on our equipment and common training in order to have a capability in what the Americans call distributed operations.

11. _____ We all know that they, together with UAVs, are indispensable in the air-land combat concept. Any land operation requires the Army to control what we call the tactical third dimension – that’s the space between zero and 150 meters above ground level. Land operations are no longer conducted just on the ground level. That’s why air-land operations – or aerocombat – are conceived as a whole.

12. _____ There is no such thing as a purely combat or a purely peacekeeping mission any more. We have been engaged in difficult missions in the Balkans, and Afghanistan, and other places where the nature of the mission has changed. In Afghanistan, for example, there are French advisers attached to Afghan regiments, which are engaged in tough operations.

13. _____ It’s important that if the government wants to use the Army for managing crises, delivery of equipment must go ahead. If not, the answer is no. Despite its units being deployed at a very high tempo, the Army is adapting its system of preparatory training to meet the new objectives. And it has proved very efficient so far.

A. As you have not fought a war since the 1991 Gulf War, would French troops be ready to fight in a combat zone?
B. Does the French Army have the right equipment for force protection?
C. Is the Army properly trained and equipped for its missions?
D. Are there other important lessons you’ve learned?
E. Who, in your opinion, should control the acquisition of UAVs: the Army or the Air Force?
F. How important is the Air Force to French land operations?
G. What is the role of attack helicopters?
H. What has the Army learned from deployment in overseas theaters?

TASK THREE

You are going to read a newspaper article. For questions 14 to 20, choose the answer (A, B, C or D), which fits best according to the text.

The Long March

It’s no easy feat to move an army. Getting the armored transport, resources, munitions and soldiers ready for invasion is a spectacular achievement of logistics, effort and manpower. But the incursion last week of a Chinese army into London was especially challenging for the organizers because the troops and all their kit are made of terra-cotta. On loan to the British Museum from China, the 20 figures and their horses, chariots, bows, bowls and bells, which have protected the tomb of the first Qin emperor since his death in 210 B.C., began their journey in Shaanxi province. After museum officials signed documents and got the proper insurance – each figure is estimated to be worth £750,000 to £1.5 million – the soldiers were packed securely into crates at the beginning of August. Transported with great caution the ancient warriors reached London two weeks later. Though the horses barely fit through the doors of the Reading Room, all priceless objects arrived intact.

The idea for “The First Emperor: China’s Terracotta Army” arose two years ago when the then Prime Minister Tony Blair went to China to strengthen political relationships and ensure better trade conditions between the countries. The side effect of the meeting was the slight improvement of cultural ties between the two nations. British Museum curator, Jane Portal, accompanied Blair on his trip to China. Soon afterwards she started persuading Chinese archeologists and authorities to agree to send the imperial army to the UK. The decision taking process was long and at first the final outcome seemed unfavorable. The fact is, the museum wouldn’t have got permission for the 120 objects on the loan, if Portal had not used all her connections dating back to the 1970s when she was an archeology student in Xian.

The exhibition explores the life and reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang Di, as well as the excavation of the warriors. It features the largest number of terra-cotta figures ever loaned by China at one time – including two kneeling archers, two generals and one charioteer – and allows visitors the unusual experience of standing face to face with the warriors. At the excavated site in Xian, visitors look down on a pit holding 7,000 amassed warriors. “In London, it’s a much different experience than you get in China,” Portal says. “Here you can walk among them and really see things like the incredible detail that went into making figures like the cavalry horse.”

The terra-cotta army was discovered in 1972 when local farmers digging a well struck baked clay instead of water. The 56-square-kilometer site, which holds 600 pits, is still being excavated; some of the most recent findings, including birds and terra-cotta musicians, are on display in the London show. Experts predict digging at the site will continue for several more decades. Qin’s burial mound, rumored to be heavily booby-trapped, has yet to be exhumed; officials say they do not have the resources for such a dangerous endeavor.

But from what they’ve found so far, it’s clear that Qin was not an average emperor. Born in 260 B.C., he was a great martial strategist who unified all the Chinese states into one empire; it’s believed that the Western name “China” derived from Qin (pronounced “chin”). He built roads, palaces and sculptures, and oversaw the development of a unified script, code of law and system of weights and measurements. After surviving several attempts on his life, the first emperor became obsessed with living forever. He tried to achieve immortality by taking pills and potions containing large amounts of mercury, which most likely killed him.

Preparations for Qin’s tomb were begun well before he died. More than 750,000 workers helped sculpt the clay warriors that would protect him in the afterlife. One of the most interesting items in the exhibition is a long model that shows how the terra-cotta figures were constructed. Clay body parts were fired, then assembled, before the fine details were added. Examples of such torso and leg fragments are on display, along with intricate items like measuring cups, seals and weights with Chinese script.

The highlight, of course, is on the warriors themselves – so powerfully overwhelming, full of honour and dignity, yet so different from the soldiers of today. The slight but obvious scent of terra cotta permeates the room where they stand. The generals who greet visitors are dressed in different regimental detail; a replica of the kneeling archer painted in reds and blues demonstrates how striking the warriors once appeared – and how long and far they’ve come. The visitors are so amazed they can hardly take their eyes off the exhibits. The ancient soldiers’ battle may be over, but their journey still goes on.

14.  The greatest problem the organizers had to face was …

A.     the size of deployment
B.     the shipment’s safety
C.     the distance to cover
D.     the finances involved

15.  The London display was eventually the effect of …

A.     a recent leaders’ encounter
B.     a renewed cultural exchange
C.     a determined lobbyist’s actions
D.     a sudden authorities’ decision

16.  In London visitors can …

A.     view a variety of skilled infantry soldiers
B.     see the biggest number of existing figures
C.     admire an excavation pit full of warriors
D.     look at the figures from a new perspective

17.  The archeologists in Xian …

A.     started excavations in late 1970s
B.     completed excavations in 600 pits
C.     fear to work in one of the spots
D.     stopped work due to lack of funds

18.  Emperor Qin was maniac about …

A.     military campaigns
B.     everlasting existence
C.     engineering projects
D.     common standardization

19.  The most important finding resulting from Qin’s tomb’s excavation is …

A.     the language of inscriptions on the items
B.     the size of the workforce employed there
C.     the process of creating the fragile figures
D.     the time span needed to complete works

20.  The main idea of the last paragraph is …

A.     the durability of the famous Chinese terra-cotta warriors
B.     the contrast in dress between ancient and modern army
C.     the difference in status among the soldiers on display
D.     the impression the old army makes on museum-goers

Test - answer key:

1) C     2 A     3 A     4 C     5 B     6 B     7 H     8 D     9 B     10 F     11 G     12 A     13 C     14 B     15 C     16 D     17 C     18 B     19 C     20 D

STANAG exam requirements

As far as the exam requirements are concerned there is nothing surprising about the fact that your four basic linguistic skills will be tested. There is a fixed sequence of the skills tests. Reading goes as the first one, then listening follows, then writing and eventually speaking. In each part the examinee should show his/her proficiency in English, but how we are marked for our performance depends on the assessment criteria and the assessors’ evaluation. Fortunately, the assessment criteria are not a mistery any longer.

STANAG 6001 – marking system

The assessment criteria introduced to Polish examination boards are very simple and clear. For each part of the exam you can receive 20 points in total. Many people are familiar with that number of points to get, however, not many know that the total number of points you are awarded consists of four components (applicable to so called productive skills only). For each skill there are different components which are subject to evaluation during the exam.

For writing it will be :

1) grammatical range and accuracy – max. 6 points;
2) lexical range and accuracy – max. 6 points;
3) task achievements – max. 6 points;
4) organisation – max. 2 points.

For speaking it will be:

1) grammatical range and accuracy – max. 6 points;
2) vocabulary range and accuracy – max. 6 points;
3) presentation skills – max. 5 points;
4) interactive ability – max. 3 points.

If you fail any of the productive components, you cannot pass the whole skill part of the exam. E.g. you can get 6 points for writing accuracy, 6 points for lexical range, but you failed in task achievement and you got two points for organisation. The total number of points is 14, theoretically it still  is the pass mark, but since you didn’t achieve the overarching goal of your task, you are not given the credit for your writing. To make things worse, to pass the components you are required to fit your performance into so called ‘top band‘ or ‘pass band‘. It means that in case of grammatical range and accuracy you have to obtain at least 4 points out of 6 available in the rating scale.

 Writing – rating scale:

 Speaking – rating scale:

Both tables – courtesy of Central Examination Board of the Polish MoD, “Model egzaminu z języka angielskiego”, Łódź, 2007

Reading test – level 4

(L4/R/003)

Task One

Read each of the texts below and then complete the sentence, which comes under the text, using no more than five words to show that you have understood the text.

An example has been provided for you.

0.     Chee Soon Juan, leader of the Singapore Democratic party, pleaded not guilty to the charge of speaking in public without a permit, over a speech made in February. The case highlights the state restrictions on free speech.

In Singapore one has to ____have a permit/have permission ___ to speak in public

1.      The attempt by Beyoncé and Jay-Z to register their infant daughter’s name as a trade mark in the US appears to be continuing in spite of the fact that a wedding planner, who has been running a business with the same name since 2009, has been given the go ahead by the US Patent and Trademark Office to carry on using the name Blue Ivy for events.

Blue Ivy is both a pop _______________________________ name.

2.      Although it generates some of the scariest headlines, perhaps deservedly, China is hardly the only global culprit in food safety. During just one week of inspections in Europe this summer, there were dozens of seized and blocked shipments, including Italian clams (E. Coli), Indian cuttlefish (cadmium), Ecuadorean tuna (cadmium again), Norwegian mackerel (parasites) and Turkish figs (aflatoxins).

The shipments _______________________________in food.

3.      Some newspapers might periodically report on groups of squatters who have (often very temporarily) moved into a plush mansion in one of London’s richer districts. The mundane reality, though, is that squatted buildings are more often than not council properties that have been neglected – less desirable places in less desirable areas. What ministers have overlooked in their research is that squatting is born out of necessity. It is about individuals or small localised collectives assuming the management and maintenance of assets within their neighbourhood.

In majority of the cases _______________________________.

4.      Litigation used to be the natural way of settling disputes, especially in advanced countries. Then clogged courts and ever-costlier lawsuits made arbitration look better, especially in cross-border commercial disputes. But it often proves no cheaper, fairer or even quicker. In America, from filing a complaint to an arbitration decision takes, on average, 16.7 months. So out-of court alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures, such as mediation, are now in vogue. The late Sir Michael Kerr, former president of the London Court of International Arbitration, was a leading convert. “In the same way as I have had my mind changed about litigation in favour of arbitration, my long devotion to arbitration is now being eroded,” he said.

Neither litigation nor _______________________________solution for disputes.

5.      A coalition clash over the home secretary’s “snooper’s charter” legislation has opened up at the highest level, with Nick Clegg bluntly telling Theresa May: “We cannot proceed with this bill and we have to go back to the drawing board.” But the home secretary hit back in a column for the Sun newspaper, making clear she was “determined” to push through “these vitally important laws”, raising the spectre of a political showdown between the two parties in coalition over the touchstone issue of civil liberties.

New legislation is _______________________________the two coalition parties.

6.     The weight of history is not on the side of female playwrights: the canon is overwhelmingly male. Even so, we were surprised to learn that one of our top 10, Chichester festival theatre, employed no female directors and produced no plays by women over the period we looked at. Artistic director Jonathan Church suggested this was an anomalous sample; he also pointed to the financial pressures on regional theatres and the need, when programming contemporary or 20th century work for a big auditorium, to put on “names” that have had West End success, such as Coward, Ayckbourn, Stoppard, Hare, Rattigan: all men.

The article tackles the problem of _______________________________at Chichester festival theatre.

7.     For producer Judy Craymer, the driving force behind Mamma Mia! and now Viva Forever!, getting Saunders on board is a huge coup. “I loved French and Saunders, I loved Absolutely Fabulous, I loved Jam & Jerusalem. When I heard through her agent that she might be interested I couldn’t believe it. “That was about three years ago, when the musical was little more than an aspiration. Craymer said she had a list of writers in her head and had been chatting to Maureen Vincent, who is also Saunders’ agent, about who could do it. “She said ‘have you thought of Jennifer Saunders?’ and I said ‘of course, but she wouldn’t do it’ and Maureen said ‘hang on, she might’. And she literally phoned back that afternoon.”

Judy Craymer is _______________________________the musical.

8.      Gray wolves were taken off the endangered species list last year, after seeing population figures rebound since the mid-1990s, following their reintroduction to the Rockies. At the end of 2011, there were at least 98 wolves in 10 packs – plus two loners – in Yellowstone, according to the park’s annual wolf project report.

The number of gray wolves has _______________________________included into endangered species anymore.

The missing tasks will be published soon

Answer key:

Task one – possible answers:

Blue Ivy is both a pop star’s daughter’s and a company name.
The shipments were seized because of contaminations in food.
In majority of the cases squatters take over run-down buildings.
Neither litigation nor arbitration is a perfect solution for disputes.
New legislation is the bone of contention between the two coalition parties.
The article tackles the problem of gender discrimination at Chichester festival theatre.
Judy Craymer is enthusiastic about engaging Saunders in the musical.
The number of gray wolves has increased and they are not included into endangered species anymore.

Military reading

You could notice that my site lacks a section called “blogroll” or any of such a type. It’s the result of my SEO policy not to promote similar sites, especially when I want to start up with mine. At this time, when my site is optimized, well positioned, recognizable and visible in Google search engine well enough, I can afford to link to other sources. What is more, links and recommendations will help the learners to enter useful sites directly from my page. That’s why today I’m presenting you the best books to read and the best sites to visit while learning military English.

Course book reviews

Most of the books mentioned below are the books I have already read and thorougly studied. That’s why I have no scruples about recommending it to the military English learners.

1) “Command English” by James Arnold and Robert Sacco. It is the first book featuring military vocabulary I have read in my life. It’s a well recognized and received publication, which thanks to many illustrations enables beginners to familiarize with the military vocabulary. The whole book is divided into 20 units, all of them featuring thematic vocabulary on a particular subject – an area of military life. The book also contains four progress tests, each of them testing 5 subsequent units. To help the reader out with word search there is also a vocabulary list at the end of the book. In this list, you can easily find an unknown word and refer to the proper chapter for its usage. The book was published by Longman – Pearson Education (in 2011 rebranded to Pearson: http://www.pearsoned.com). Pearson no longer offers this book.

On Polish web book shops it is hard to obtain. You can find only the teacher’s book on Bookcity for only PLN 69.30. It’s a bargain if you take into account it hasn’t been republished for ages! I found second-hand copies on Amazon and eBay, however. It costs £9.91 on British Amazon and £3.47 on Australian eBay. It’s a must for the beginners! What’s more – it’s a British book set in British Army reality so “it is lovely.”

2) “Campaign” by Simon Mellor Clark & Yvonne Baker de Altamirano. Unlike the previously described “Command English”, the Campaign series earned wider recognition or was simply marketed in a more offensive and efficient way. It’s enough to mention that McMillan English , the book publisher, devoted a seperate website to this product. You can find a summary of this military course and additional resources on http://www.campaignmilitaryenglish.com.

As the publisher claims:

“Campaign” meets the English language needs of military personnel on international operations peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and training exercises.

I can only confirm that it does. The three level course book is suitable for students ranging from begginers to advanced learners. The whole set is served with multiple illustrations and real military texts from armed forces of different countries. If you buy audio CDs for the course, you will be equipped well enough to seriously study military English or… conduct such a course if you happen to be a teacher willing to teach military-related personnel. You can buy original, new student’s books for £24.50 and audio CD for £42.00. Teacher’s book will cost you £25.20. And this is just one level set.

3) “Career Paths: Command & Control“ by John Taylor & Jeff Zeter. This series was published by Express Publishing. On Amazon, you can find the student’s book for $25.88, eBay requires AU $30.52. It turned out that the best bargain on-line is offered by Express Publishing! They sell the book for €15.18 and only €28.08 if you decide to buy the whole pack (Teacher’s book, Student’s book, Audio CDs). In Poland it’s available at http://www.jezykowa.ksiegarniaht.pl. This book is the last one I used and I would like to recommend.

4) “Z angielskim do NATO – język angielski dla wojskowych” by Marcin Szymański & Waldemar Kniewel. This is the book I included thanks to Hubert – the recent contributor (already a moderator). As Hubert mentioned in the comments, it’s a great coursebook for the Polish learning English. It was one of the first Polish coursebooks designed to lead the Polish military through the English phraseology used within NATO. That’s why it includes multiple comments and exercises to practise military English in the new contexts. It features also some texts translated into Polish. Unfortunately, that book is no longer available at REA publishing house – they have ceased printing it. Nor is it available at any of the auction sites.

Of course, there are many other course books offered in different countries by local publishers, but those mentioned above are probably the most popular and the most comprehensive ones. If you know any other worth mentioning here, let me know in the comments or via e-mail.

Websites worth visiting

1) NATO – the best site for military-political news. If you want to know what is going on in the world, what the NATO structure looks like, where the main corps, commands and centres are situated, this is your site.

2) Military.com – news from the field, but what is more important here, it refers also to out-of-war time, to military spouses, leasure time, vets and many other factors, which make a community out of banch of military families.

3) Stars And Stripes – the best American military propaganda information website. Nonetheless, it’s a perfect source of well written English texts, reports and pieces of news designed for the American soldiers. I mean it couldn’t be more simple and straightforward. Anything to keep them happy and fighting.

4) The Duffel Blog - it’s a humorous alternative to pompous government-driven news. Despite totally different goal, the authors follow all the best  journalist standards, preparing fake news you won’t distinguish from the real one.

5) British Army  – military news and articles with a British twist.

6) USA TODAY – an on-line version of a well-known  newspaper. I love them for a layout on the pages and the choice of articles. It’s never boring.

7) The Guardian – in my opinion the best British newspaper on-line. With multiple articles and video materials it’s perfect for practising your reading and listening skills. And it’s British! I love that accent.

More education-related links, for general language improvement, will be assembled in my second blog at http://www.LinguisticAtelier.com/wordpress.

All pictures used are scans of the book covers or adapted from Publishers’ websites.

Below you will find a full reading test from original examination paper (courtesy of the Polish Armed Forces School of Languages (PAFSL). You have 75 minutes to do all the tasks. Then you can check your answers with the answer key provided at the end of the test.

Reading – level 2

Reading – SLP 2222

L2/R/003

 Task One

Read the text and choose the right answer.

Mamma Mia!

It is Money, money, money for a Greek island as the film Mamma Mia! attracts many tourists. The small Greek island of Skopelos was not a well known tourist destination. The number of tourists may be going down in other places, however the situation on Skopelos is different. The island’s spectacular scenery is bringing visitors wanting beach weddings. Some want weddings, others want champagne receptions at sunset on their own private beach. Others, still, want to take a leaf straight out of the film script and “dance and kiss on the beach.” It’s called the Mamma Mia! effect. And nowhere is it felt more strongly than on the Aegean isle of Skopelos, where the capacity for life to imitate art has increased greatly since the release of the film version of the hit Abba stage show.

“The phones never stop ringing,” says Mayor Christos Vasiloudi. “People call in all the time asking how they can get to our Mamma Mia! paradise.” Greece may have been hit in recent weeks by some of the worst problems in decades, but this week, Mamma Mia! has beaten Titanic to become the highest-earning movie in the UK. This has meant that the island where most of the movie was filmed is struggling to keep up with outside interest. And, with it, increasingly strange requests. “It’s extraordinary. I’ve had requests from people in England, Hungary, and Australia, asking whether they can marry here, hold champagne parties here, buy land here,” said Mahi Drossou, a local travel agent.

Until the arrival of the Hollywood star cast 15 months ago, Skopelos (population 4,696) was best known for its plums, pears and pine trees. The island does not have an airport, and is reachable only by boat. Although it is without the ugly tourist development of other Greek islands, few people could have imagined that the 96-sq km isle, would become the backdrop of a blockbuster. Even fewer people could have predicted that the island would become the film’s star.

“Who would have guessed?” asked Giorgos Tsolovikos a 57-year-old transporter who had a small part with his mechanised tricycle in the film. “I had no idea that the person who kept singing and dancing and screaming and crying was so famous and I was shocked to discover it was Meryl Streep. I was in the scene where she drives up in the jeep and they kept saying don’t look at the cameras when she comes.” Indeed, if it had not been for the many times people saw the film, the fictional Greek island “Kalokairi” in Mamma Mia! might have gone unnoticed.

Excited  by the island’s spectacular scenery, fans appear to have gone to great lengths to uncover its identity. “I’ve met people who have come because friends had seen the film four or five times and they wanted to see what all the excitement is about,” said Dimitra Rekkas at the town hall. “The producers checked out at least 25 Greek islands before opting for Skopelos. They chose our island because of its greenness and the fact it really is a small paradise.”

The film’s success could not have been better timed for a country whose tourist-dependent economy has been hard hit by violent anti-government protests. On Thursday Greek officials announced that hotel bookings had dropped by 40% due to the protests. This made Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis announce emergency measures to boost tourism. A lot of Greeks think the film is a positive symbol of Greece – carefree, idyllic, life-affirming. This means the movie has increased the mood of a nation that has typically become hit by money worries and pessimism.

Predictably, officials hope the Mamma Mia! effect will reach other parts of Greece. On Skopelos locals are already preparing for the Mamma Mia! movie tour. But they also insist that it’s not only about money, money, money. “Okay, we need Mamma Mia! in this economic crisis but a lot of us would hate it if the film that promoted our island also ended up destroying it,” said travel agent Mahi Drossou. “It’s great that people want to come and marry here and dance and kiss on our beaches, but Skopelos has an unspoilt natural beauty and we want to keep it that way.”

1. The number of tourists on the island of Skopelos …

A. has become lower recently
B. has always been big
C. has grown a lot recently

2. In Great Britain the film has been …

A. more successful than Titanic
B. as successful as Titanic
C. less successful than Titanic

3. The island of Skopelos was …

A. a well known film set
B. known mainly for its fruit
C. similar to other Greek islands

4. Giorgos Tsolovikos …

A. knew who the woman was
B. hadn’t met the woman before
C. was good friends with the woman

5. Dimitra Rekkas says tourists come to the island because …

A. it is small and beautiful
B. their friends had been there
C. they had heard a lot about it

6. Many Greeks think the film …

A. is another reason to protest
B. is going to damage tourism
C. is a good image for Greece

7. Mahi Drossou …

A. is unhappy about the island’s new fame
B. is only interested in business opportunities
C. wants to protect the island and make money

Task Two

In this task six phrases have been removed from a text and placed at the bottom. An extra phrase has been included. You must decide which phrase goes into which gap and write the letter in the box bellow the sentences. An example has been done for you.

 Reality Show

Ross Kemp is an actor known for playing some of television’s most uncompromising characters. For Example, in BBC drama, Ultimate Force, he played a part of a tough-talking Sgt Henry Garvie… (0) … .

Fictional characters played by Ross Kemp have been really good at surviving enemy attacks. But when the actor found himself in Afghanistan’s real-life war zone, … (8) … when bullets and grenades flew over his head.

Ross found himself on the front line in order to shoot a documentary – Ross Kemp in Afghanistan. The film shows soldiers’ day-to-day life in Helmand. Helmand is one of the most dangerous provinces in Afghanistan … (9) … . Ross thought that young men who are sent to war zones should be given a voice. “What we can see in the media is guys who have been taught what to say in front of the cameras,” he says. “But we’ve never heard from an 18-year-old soldier who lived with mum and dad one minute … (10) … . ”

Ross has played in brutal films, but nothing could prepare him for life on the front line. One day he drove past an improvised explosive device … (11) … . He was lucky to be alive, but just a moment later his film crew was pinned down by bullets and rocket-propelled grenades. They survived only thanks to an intervention of an Apache helicopter.

Kemp says that he didn’t expect his idea of contemporary war was so completely wrong. He used to believe … (12) … . However, to win battles, the modern army must have men on the ground. And it was only when Ross found himself under fire that he realized what real war is about.

Ross’s time in Helmand was a mix of adventure and tragedy. The saddest moments came when some members of the battalion were killed. He hopes … (13) … . “Our boys are extremely intelligent, witty and very aware of the political situation. They risk their lives every day. We should be incredibly proud of them.”

… A …  (Example) which kept millions of viewers glued to their TV sets
… B …   that the documentary will make people appreciate their soldiers
… C …   and was then sent to one of the bloodiest regions of the world
… D …   that soldiers on the ground were really necessary
… E …   and the battle against the Taliban continues there
… F …   that later killed one member of the battalion
… G …   that conflicts were fought electronically
… H …   he was paralysed with fear

Task three

Read the text and write if the statements 14 to 20 are true (T) or false (F).

Heaven Scent Paws

Michele Smith, a married businesswoman, is the founder of Heaven Scent Paws (HSP), the largest service dog organization in the United States which helps people suffering from diabetes. On New Year’s Eve of 2000, Michele took her seven-year-old son, Joseph, to the emergency room. She had been repeatedly told by other doctors her son only had the flu. But Joseph had now lost 12 pounds in two weeks, and was constantly thirsty. Joseph was finally diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. He stayed in the hospital for a week before going home to face a lifetime of insulin injections. Six months went by, and the Smith family adjusted well.

However, one night, Joseph’s blood sugar dropped too low and he began having seizures, that is sudden violent attacks. The doctors reassured Michele that this was simply one of the things that happened to people with diabetes. Michele could not accept this and began searching the Internet for answers. Almost by chance, she found an article about a woman who had a service dog that alerted her when the level of sugars in her blood was getting low. And the dog had learnt to do this on its own! After that, Michele began to think that perhaps she could train a dog to detect low blood sugars and help her son. The idea to train a diabetes alert dog came easier to Michele than did finding a suitable dog to train. She searched for months in shelters, calling service dog organizations, and no one seemed interested in helping her.

Eventually, her efforts led her to a German Shepherd puppy, named Delta. The dog came from Germany, and cost $1,000. Michele read everything she could about dogs. Later on, she was able to develop a training protocol that she would later patent and use to help train tens of diabetes alert dogs for other families. After only two weeks of training, Delta alerted Michele that Joseph’s blood sugars had dropped too low. Michele also trained a yellow Labrador named Lance, to assist her daughter, Alice, who was also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Because of the dog’s remarkable scent skills and devotion, Alice has never had a single seizure.

Michele began training dogs for others and placing them with families through a licensed Service Dog Organization (SDO). She appeared on Good Morning America, dressing her family in their best clothes following the producer’s strict instructions. The SDO wanted her to promote them, wear their T-shirts, and give them credit for training the dogs, including Delta and Lance. Michele refused. After the show was broadcast, the SDO attempted to discredit Michele and her family. It was then that Michele decided to start her own organization.

When Michele became “official”, she encouraged volunteers to better provide for her clients. HSP now has a board of directors, and a panel of experts including two veterinarians. HSP no longer offers trained dogs. Instead, she teaches others how to train their own dogs. Michele has a long list of satisfied clients inluding her own children. A word from Michele: “Our clients are loyal and some of our best advocates. They “advertise” us by word of mouth, which is more effective than pricy media campaigns. For their efforts and commitment, we will always be grateful”.

0  (Example) Michele is the founder of HSP.    (…T…)
14.  Joseph stayed in the hospital because he had the flu.   (…)
15.  Michele found information about a woman who trained service dogs.    (…)
16.  Organizations helped Michele to find and train dogs.    (…)
17.  The German dog proved useful after two weeks of training.     (…)
18.  The SDO wanted people to believe that it trained Michele’s dogs.      (…)
19.  At present, Michele’s organization still trains dogs.     (…)
20.  Michele’s organization gets publicity through customers.      (…)

Answer key:

TASK ONE
1. C          2. A        3. B            4. B         5. C           6. C          7. C
TASK 2
8. H           9. E             10.C            11.F            12.G            13.B
TASK 3
14.F            15.F           16.F         17.T          18.T          19.F          20.T

Thanks to PAFSL you have another level 2 test on reading comprehension. You have 75 minutes to do all 3 tasks. The answer key is provided at the end of the page.

Reading – level 2

Reading – SLP 2222

L2/R/004

Task One

Read the text and choose the right answer.

Lifestyle Guide

Martha Stewart was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, to middle-class Polish-American parents. She earned a scholarship to Barbard College in Manhattan and started working part time as a model to pay the bills. Martha married Andrew Stewart when she was at college and kept modelling until her daughter Alexis was born. Later, Stewart worked briefly as a Wall Street broker before finding her calling as a domestic diva when she set up a catering business from the basement of her Connecticut home.

Stewart grew her catering business and built a reputation as an expert in entertaining. However, it wasn’t what turned her into a celebrity. It was her first book, Entertaining, which explained how to receive visitors. The book was a huge success and soon led to television appearances and more books. In 1990, Martha Stewart Living magazine was launched and Martha Stewart Weddings was published. The same year, Martha divorced her husband Andrew. A few years later, Stewart got her own TV show and started a line of home products.

Martha Stewart became one of the country’s wealthiest women when Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia went public in 1999. Stewart herself became omnipresent – she was everywhere with her napkin-folding tips and ambrosia salad recipes.

 In 2002, however, she faced a serious problem as she was investigated for insider trading. What was it all about? The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission believed that Martha had been told by her friend Sam Waksal that his company’s cancer drug had been rejected by the Food and Drug Administration (the FDA) before this information was made public. This fact was a huge blow to his company and the price of shares went down dramatically. However, Martha wasn’t financially hurt because she ordered her lawyer to sell her 4000 shares before this news hit the headlines. She kept saying she was innocent, but resigned as CEO and chairman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

The trial was held at a New York City media circus. Stewart was in the end found guilty on all four counts against her. She was sentenced to five months in prison, five months of house arrest, and two years’ probation. After the trial, at a press conference, she announced her desire to start serving her sentence immediately. She was sent to minimum-security Alderson Federal Prison Camp, West Virginia, on October 8. Stewart reportedly made friends with her fellow inmates and kept her cell exceptionally clean.

Stewart was released in March 2005 – looking fit and trim as she boarded a private jet. She left jail for five months under house arrest at her home in Bedford, New York. She could leave her home to conduct business, but only while wearing an ankle bracelet that monitored her movements. Despite the ankle bracelet, Stewart didn’t miss a beat. She was soon back in charge at her magazine, re-launching her TV show and expanding her line of home products.

In February 2005, Martha created a major buzz when she announced that she would appear in a new version of The Apprentice. It is a show in which the winner would get a good position at Martha Stewart Omnimedia. The programme was made by a reality show producer and The Survivor creator Mark Burnett. The two had also teamed up to produce another show called The Martha Stewart Show which was broadcast from 1993 until 2004. The hour-long programme featured various segments, centered around cooking and home organization. Most segments were hosted by Stewart who often invited a celebrity guest to work with her on the project.

Martha Stewart is yet another example of someone using success in financial services to make an even more successful second career. On the other hand, the Martha Stewart story is a warning about how even smart people can make foolishly high-risk decisions. The small financial gains were not worth the risks. She should have known that, as a high profile celebrity, she would be a target for prosecutors to make examples.

Despite Martha’s recent trouble, millions of middle-class Americans still look to her to tell them how to live their lives. Undoubtedly, she will remain a lifestyle guide and an American icon for many years to come.

1.      Martha’s modeling career started …

A. after her daughter was born
B. when she was a college student
C. after a call from a Wall Street broker

2.    A turning point in her career came after she …

A. appeared on TV
B. published a book
C. produced a TV show

3.      In 2002, Martha faced serious trouble because …

A. her company had financial problems
B. she used information from her friend
C. she was investigated by the FDA

4.      Right after the trial, Martha spent 5 months …

A. in prison
B. at home
C. on probation

5.      In March 2005, Martha …

A. enjoyed limited freedom
B. was unable to control her business
C. had to stay at home all the time

6.      The programme that gave a chance to get a job was called …

A. The Survivor
B. The Martha Stewart Show
C. The Apprentice

7.      The story of Martha’s life shows …

A. how to make a financial services career
B. how to keep away from trouble
C. how easy it is to make mistakes

Task Two

In this task six phrases have been removed from a text and placed at the bottom. An extra phrase has been included. You must decide which phrase goes into which gap and write the letter in the box bellow the sentences. An example has been done for you.

 Simulation Station

The War in Afghanistan is now in its eighth year and often it is civilians who get hurt. To reduce this, … (0) … . The British military are now using computer games to train their personnel.

At the Air Battlespace Training Centre, the fast jet pilots … (8) … . Artillery troops join Tornado crews to practice tactics on a special simulator. Army fire support teams have been training hard in a series of exercises to prepare them for Afghanistan’s most dangerous areas. And they have been doing this … (9) … . During exercise Mountain Dragon, soldiers and air crews used this modern technology to … (10) … . For example, the soldiers practiced guiding the bombers onto their targets.

Until March 2008, the system was used in a limited way only, … (11) … and now it is used regularly to train people before they are deployed. Wing Commander Mike Costello (RAF) said the latest exercise had been very popular with soldiers and airmen. The training helped also to create a better understanding between them.

In today’s military, it is very important for all three services to be able to cooperate. Ground forces have to be able to… (12) … . Wg Cdr Costello explained how: “The exercise on the simulator helped train soldiers how to work with fast jets and attack helicopters. We can’t eliminate live fire training but we can come close to it.”

Lt Colonel Stuart Gray, gunnery chief instructor, was convinced the troops had learned a great deal in cyberspace. He said: “The course here is amazing. It teaches both soldiers and airmen to work together … (13)… .” The final test, however, will come when the pilots and artillerymen deploy to Afghanistan in the summer.

… A …   (Example) NATO has spent millions of dollars on new technology
… B …   prepare for situations they could meet in Afghanistan
… C …   work well with both air and sea forces
… D …   without leaving a hangar in Linconshire (UK)
… E …   but it has proved to be successful
… F …   and helps them control firepower
… G …   vehicles were used in Iraq to give support
… H …   are able to fly realistic missions

Task Three

Read the text and write if the statements 14 to 20 are true (T) or false (F).

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend

The One Thousand and One Nights is the most famous collection of Arabic stories in the world. Aladdin, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Sindbad are just three of its most popular stories. The tales come from Persia, India, Arabia and Egypt, and it was in Cairo, from the 11^th century, that the stories were improved and developed.

Recently I’ve realized that I’ve lived in Cairo for almost 1, 001 nights. In fact, I’ve turned into a real night owl here. Dusty and crowded by day, by night Cairo has the magnetism of One Thousand and One Nights. The roads are just as busy as in the day, though. Tonight, I take a taxi downtown, and for the next 30 minutes I feel as if I were on a crowded roller coaster.

The best place to watch the sun set should be the famous Oberoi Hotel, but the place has unfriendly staff and poor service. Its view is indeed spectacular, however, I have come to favour the fourth-floor bar of the Sofitel Towers by the Nile. Its panorama is no more beautiful, but the staff bend over backwards to make their customers happy.

The rotating restaurant on the 41^st and 40^th floors of the Grand Hyatt is also worth visiting for its view. The place has kept its popularity despite the new owner’s eccentricity. He has declared the hotel dry and ordered staff to pour out $1.6 million worth of champagne and wine, not to mention a river of beer. The clients, though, still crowd into the hotel to enjoy its panorama without a drop of alcohol.

One of my favourite clubs is the New Arizona. It is here that you can see male dancers called dervishes. Of course, if it’s authentic dervishes that you want, you should go to one of the Muslim temples rather than a night club. But, at the New Arizona, I can see dancers who look very much like actual dervishes. They spin around and shout loudly as if their dance was part of a religious ceremony. I realize they are not authentic, but I’m hypnotized by their charm all the same.

On leaving the New Arizona, I use a negotiating skill my journalist friend, Khalid Davood, once taught me. “You will be endlessly asked for more tips. Just never get angry. If you keep protesting and moving on towards your car, nobody will be surprised or offended,” he said. Indeed a place like this is a machine for extracting money from people. You have to accept that, but keep saying no and never stop walking.

Davood also took me on my first night visit to the El-Fishavi Café in one of the most labyrinthine bazaars in the world. It was this area that inspired the Nobel-Prize-winning author Naguib Mahfouz’s famous book Midaq Alley. Though he died in 2006 I did meet him once at the Napoleon Bar. Mahfouz was almost completely deaf and his assistant was reading a newspaper to him very loudly next to his ear. The writer struck me as very calm, at peace with the world and himself.

The night is long and you have to eat. For cheaper wine and food, I was once taken to the Greek Club. My guide was Maria Golia, author of City of Sand, one of the classic books about Cairo. Normally, there’s a charge to enter the Greek Club, but Golia said: “When you’ve been here as long as I have, you just chat a little and they let you in for free.” They did, though when I came back I had to pay.

Another day dawns in Cairo. I look forward to getting some sleep. My story of Cairo nights never ends.

 0 (Example) The One Thousand and One Nights was created in many countries.  (…T…)
 14.  In Cairo, traffic becomes less intensive at night.    (……)
15.  The Sofitel Towers offers a nicer view than the Oberoi Hotel.       (……)
16.  You can’t buy alcohol at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.     (……)
17.  You can see real dervishes at the New Arizona.     (……)
18.  The staff will get angry if you don’t give them another tip.     (……)
19.  At the Napoleon Bar, Mahfouz was calmly reading a newspaper.      (……)
20.  The man had to pay for his second entrance to the Greek Club.       (……)

Answer key:

TASK 1
1. B      2. B      3. B      4. A     5. A      6. C      7. C
TASK 2
8. H      9. D     10.B      11.E     12.C     13.F
TASK 3
14.F     15.F      16.T      17.F       18.F     19.F       20.T

Below, you’ll find a level 2 (SLP 2222) reading comprehension test. It’s a courtesy of CKEJO MON. The answer key is given at the end of the test.

READING test, level 2

(L2/R/005)

Task One

Read the text and choose the right answer.

The Big Biggs

In 1963 Ronald Biggs, together with other gang members, stole £2.6 million from a mail train, the equivalent of around £40 million today. After being convicted and jailed, Biggs escaped from prison on 7 July 1965. He then fled to Paris, where he acquired new identity papers and underwent plastic surgery. In late 1965 Biggs took a flight to Sydney where he lived for several months. He was soon joined by his wife and two children. In 1967, his family got bigger as their third child was born. Then Biggs received an anonymous letter from England telling him that Interpol suspected that he was in Australia, and that he should relocate. In May 1967 the family moved to Melbourne, where he rented a large house in the suburb of Blackburn North. In Melbourne, he had a number of jobs before undertaking set construction work at the Channel 9 TV studios. In October 1969 a newspaper report by a Reuters correspondent claimed that Biggs was living in Melbourne, and that police were closing in on him. The story then led the 6 o’clock news on Channel 9. Being afraid that someone might discover his identity, he immediately fled his home. Biggs left his wife and sons behind in Australia and went to Brazil.

In 1971, Biggs’s eldest son, Nicky, died aged 10 in a car crash. However, he was unable to go to a funeral, making journalists question his whereabouts. In 1974, Daily Express reporter Colin MacKenzie received information suggesting that Biggs was in Rio de Janeiro, and soon he confirmed this and broke the story. Scotland Yard detectives arrived soon afterwards, but Biggs could not be extradited because Biggs’s then girlfriend was pregnant. Brazilian law would not allow the parent of a Brazilian child to be expelled. As a result, Biggs was able to live freely there. Although he was not allowed to work, visit bars or be away from home after 10pm, he found himself in the center of public attention. Biggs’s family hosted barbeques at his home in Rio where tourists could meet Biggs and hear him tell numerous tales of his involvement in the robbery. What proved his popularity was that “Ronnie Biggs” mugs, coffee cups and T-shirts appeared in souvenir shops throughout Rio.

In 2001 Biggs announced to The Sun that he would be willing to return to the UK. Biggs returned voluntarily in May 2001, and was immediately arrested and re-imprisoned. His trip back to England on a private jet was paid for by The Sun, which reportedly paid Biggs £20,000 plus other expenses in return for exclusive rights to the story of his life which they wanted to publish. After his return he had a number of health problems. Biggs’s son, Michael, said in a press release that his father had not returned to the UK simply to receive health care. Health care was available in Brazil and he had many friends and supporters who would certainly have contributed to any such expenses. However, what really made Biggs go back was his desire “to just walk into a Margate pub as an Englishman and buy a pint of bitter”.

On 14 November 2001, Biggs petitioned Governor Hynd of Belmarsh Prison for early release. His health was deteriorating rapidly and he asked to be released into the care of his son for his remaining days. The application was denied. In August 2005, it was reported that Biggs was seriously ill. His representatives, who wanted him to be released on grounds of compassion, said that their client was likely to die soon. On 26 October 2005, the Home Secretary Charles Clarke declined their appeal stating that his illness was not fatal. Home Office compassion policy is to release prisoners with three months left to live. In December 2007, Michael Biggs issued a further appeal asking the prison head to release his father from jail and let him die with his family. In January 2009, Biggs had a series of strokes that were said to have made him unable to speak or walk. It was then that the Parole Board recommended that Biggs be released, having served a third of his 30 year sentence. The Board’s recommendation was accepted and Biggs was released from custody on 6 August, the day before his 80th birthday.

Following his release from prison, Biggs’s health improved, leading to suggestions that he might soon be moved from hospital to a nursing home. In response to claims that Biggs’s state of health was faked, his lawyer said, “This man is going to die, he is seriously ill.” However, Biggs himself explained, “I’ve got a lot of living to do yet. I might even surprise them all by lasting until next Christmas, that would be fantastic.”

1. Biggs moved to Melbourne because …

a) he got a job
b) he got a warning
c) he got a bigger house

2. The reason why he left Australia was that …

a) a journalist wanted to write an article about him
b) the news about him appeared on Channel 9
c) a television viewer recognized him

3. Biggs couldn’t be sent back to England because …

a) he was married to a Brazilian
b) he was going to be a father
c) he lost one of his children

4. Biggs was a popular figure as he …

a) sold tourists souvenirs
b) stayed in bars till late
c) told many stories

5. The main reason why Biggs returned to England was to …

a) have better health care
b) publish a story of his life
c) get a typical English drink

6. The Home Secretary didn’t accept an application prepared by …

a) Biggs’s son
b) Biggs himself
c) Biggs’s representatives

7. After Biggs had left prison, he …

a) thought positively of his future
b) went to a nursing home
c) became seriously ill

Task two

In this task six phrases have been removed from the text and placed at the bottom. An extra phrase has been included. You must decide which phrase goes into which gap and write the letter in the box below. An example has been done for you.

Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs)

PRTs, established in Afghanistan at the end of 2002, … (0) … designed to meet three objectives: improve security, bring the control of the Afghan government to rural areas, and help reconstruction in priority provinces. In 2002 for both the coalition headquarters and the PRTs, the main aim was … (8) … .

In total 22 PRTs are operating in Afghanistan, 13 managed by the US-led Combined Forces Command, Afghanistan and 9 by ISAF. The basic organisation and working rules of US-led PRTs were agreed to by the Afghan government. These … (9) … in June 2003. The guidance thought that civilian representatives and military officers in the PRT would work as a team to achieve the three primary objectives.

The US Department of Defense (DoD) was made responsible for: improving security in their area of operation, all logistical support, and protecting all PRT members, including civilians. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) … (10) … . All members of the PRT leadership structure – military and civilian – … (11) … and cooperate with local government offices and national ministries.

Although they are given guidance, the PRTs had a lot of freedom to adapt to local conditions. This flexibility became a double-edged sword, however. On the one hand, Afghanistan’s different regions … (12) … . In Gardez, for example, the USAID representative chose to support the work of the Tribal Liaison Office. This agency was successful in making it easier for powerful tribes in unstable areas to talk with the new central government. On the other hand, it meant … (13) … . For example, some PRTs built schools that central government could not fill with teachers and text books.

… A … (example) are civilian-military organizations
… B … was given the lead on reconstruction
… C … there was little coordination
… D … minimising the side-effects of international military presence
… E … would not be treated the same
… F … cooperation became much better
… G … were required to accept reconstruction projects
… H … were then accepted by the US representatives

Task three

Read the text and write if the statements from 14 to 20 are true (T) or false (F).

Sisyphean Task

Brick by brick, tiny figure by tiny figure, Alec Garrard has painstakingly worked for 30 years on an amazing 1:100 scale model of Herod’s temple. It is commonly believed that the construction of the actual Herod’s complex lasted only three years, although historians say it took far longer.

It was his fascination with religion and buildings which first started Alec on the biblical project which now measures 20 by 12 feet and is housed in a shed in his garden. His version is so impressive that thousands of visitors from all over the world have come to see it. “I’ve had a lot of offers from people to buy it, but for me the model is priceless. I can’t imagine ever parting with it.” His wife, on the other hand, would be happy to see some profit from this time-consuming hobby. “I don’t mind all the time he spends on the temple, but with all the people visiting, he should accept at least modest sums for entry,” she says.

The first temple was raised as early as 959BC under King Solomon. It was completely destroyed by Babylonian troops and another temple was constructed in the same place in 515BC. It lasted until the 19th year of King Herod the Great’s reign. The King decided to pull the structure down and construct a new one on a larger scale. Herod’s temple was then destroyed in AD70 by Roman troops during the siege of Jerusalem. Today, all that is left of Herod’s temple is the Western Wall known to tourists as the Wailing Wall.

According to historical records Herod’s temple was a truly magnificent building. The king was really keen to make a name for himself as a constructor of famous projects, so he made sure that the temple dominated the Jerusalem landscape. The ambitious project involved an estimated 10, 000 workers, doubling the size of the pre-existing site.
It is this remarkable site, the fruit of Herod’s life, that Mr Garrard is trying to imitate. He has dedicated 33, 000 hours to constructing his model. “I have been working on it for decades and I’m always finding something new to add,” Mr Garrard says. “I’ve always loved making models and as I was getting older I started to think about making one big project which would see me through to the end of my life. And Herod’s Temple has turned out to be exactly like that,” he explains.

Mr Garrard’s model includes the Court of the Priests where animals were prepared for sacrifice. And, like in the ancient building, there’s the Golden Vine at the entrance to the temple and the Eastern Gate. There’s also an area known as Solomon’s Porch where Jesus debated with rabbis, amazing them with his questions and answers. Since the temple was destroyed by the Romans, archeologists have argued over the detail of its construction. Mr Garrard has also spent a great deal of time researching the ancient building. Although nobody can be sure about the details of the original Jewish temple, historians believe Garrard’s model is its most accurate imitation.

To make his model even more vibrant, Mr Garrard has populated it with 4, 000 human figures. Each of them measures just half an inch and wears a correct costume. “Each one takes about three hours to make and there are thirty-two versions of Jesus, although no one can ever recognize him no matter how religious they are,” Mr Garrard laughs. Everything in the model is made by hand. Each clay brick and tile was baked in the oven and painted. “I look upon it as a work of art, there’s a lot of detail and I want it to look as real as possible,” Garrard says. His lifelong mission continues.

Example: Garrard has been working on a full-scale model of Herod’s temple. (…F..)

14. According to experts, the real Herod’s temple took 3 years to build. (….…)
15. Garrard’s wife says he should sell the model. (….…)
16. One part of Herod’s temple still exists. (….…)
17. The temple built by Herod was twice as big as the one before. (….…)
18. Garrard never thought that the project would take him so long. (….…)
19. Garrard has made the most precise model of Herod’s temple so far. (….…)
20. It’s easy to notice the figure of Jesus. (…….)

Answer key:

Task One:

1)B   2)B    3)B    4)C    5)C    6)C   7)A

Task Two:

8)D    9)H    10)B    11)G    12)E    13)C

Task Three:

14)F    15)F    16)T    17)T   18)F    19)T    20)F

Vehicle-related vocabulary – a crossword

If you did the previous exercises (link here), you will be able to do this refreshing exercise – the crossword with all entries taken from the previous lesson. Hidden answer will tell what will be the subject of the next exercises to prepare you for better handling of speaking tasks on level 2-3-4.

Entry definitions:

1. Feature important for the family cars
2. Old model, but with new elements, upgraded
3. Uses satellites to position in space
4. This type of vehicle can roll easily
5. Prevent heavy injuries in case of crash
6. Rotate around a given axis
7. That type of vehicle can move on land and water as well
8. Not wheeled vehicle, but with wheels
9. Individually prepared according to customer’s wishes
10. How far your car can go
11. Not self-propelled and not pushed but still moving
12. How fast you can gain speed
13. Prevents backbone injuries when accidents happen and increases comfort of driving
14. The more spacious the car is it is bigger
15. All terain, cross-country
16. You pour gas there when refuelling
17. Military vehicle with great ambush protection and resistance to mines explosions
18. How long an item can resist damage or remain unchanged
19. Anti-lock braking system

Fort security issues – advising

This time I would like to share my idea for an English lesson on security issues and advising. The whole lesson is based on an article online, additional multiple choice exercise created on kubbu.com and the presentation where I presented necessary grammar and vocabulary. The presentation was used during online teaching session via Skype.

Fort Carson – new security rules

First, as usual, I send the link to the base article. This time I chose the recent article from Military.com. You can find it here. Since the following exercise has imposed time limit for each question, I advised students to read the article at least twice before moving on to the exercise.

Security related exercise

Then I asked students to do one exercise accesible on Kubbu.com prior to our Skype session. If  you want to check on this exercise you can go to a direct link to the exercise and do it as an anonymous user. (link to the exercise here). Kubbu.com helps you monitor each student’s progress and has basic accesibility settings. And my favourite options – deadlines for the students and the time limit setting for each question!

Advising via Skype – English speaking class

Then I conducted 60 minutes session on Skype during which I shared my desktop displaying the following presentation:

If you like my ideas for English lessons, try them yourselves. Do not forget to share your comments to improve my lessons too.

Editorial note:
Before you unleash the wave of criticism and unfavourable comments please, be informed that the lesson presented below was designed by me last year, in August, just after an attack in a train in France. This event triggered some immigrants-oriented discussions with one of my students and was meant solely to practise useful vocabulary. It does not promote any racism, nor political affiliation or social movements. It is to facilitate the students with useful expressions while discussing pressing social problems or recent events (the actual beliefs or opinions are not important here). That is why you will find references to France and its immigration policy. On the other side, it shows the good examples from the same country, even from the history of Poland, which unlike in the past it is rather homogeneous country now. So leave your political correctness and social sensitiveness aside and learn some new vocabulary because this site is about a language itself, not about politics. I hope that English teachers will immidiadetely get it and appreciate it, using the lesson as it is, or after their own modifications.

Terrorist attack in France

slide #2: The lessons starts with the reference to the article about train attack published on Stars&Stripes website (link). I told my student to read it before the actual lesson and we used discussion about the attack as a warm-up. First you can check the reading comprehension by asking some questions. It could be the same set of questions as I asked. You can also ask your student to simply summarize the article and recount its main points.

Google Chrome users must use other browsers to play the presentation or visit SlideShare website where it is played correctly (link).

slide #3: This is the set of some synonyms for chosen words from the article to extend students’ linguistic competence in the topic.

Immigrants – common fears

slide #4: The list of possible problems/fears connected with the phenomenon of immigration. You can ask students about their opinion, whether they believe the problems are true or not. Or you can ask them to assess which of those are true for their country of origin or the country they currently live in.

slide #5: Some graphics/statistics concerning Poland. Camparison of Poland’s demographics before WWII and at present. For the Polish students it’s important to realize that Poland has not always been so homogeneous as it is now. What is more, it is thought-provoking to recall that era of the Poland’s history because there is a common belief that we did quite well that time, even though Poland was ethnically diverse.

slide #6: Some statistics from France to illustrate current country diversity. You can ask the students whether it resembles the Poland’s situation from before WWII. Ask for differences between Polish and French settings.

Immigration – the French policy

slide #7-13: Vocabulary exercise. That passage was taken verbatim from official French policy towards immigration. A bit of history with emphasis on the most important vocabulary.

slide #14: The great illustration for discussing differences (legalities mainly) between European Union and Shengen Area. Countries marked in orange should draw students’ attention immediately. You can explain that there are countries to join the Area soon (as of August, 2015). This discussion will help students understand the migratory flows in Europe.

Border controls in Europe and migratory flows

slide #15: Follow-on topic to extend the previous discussion on Shengen Area and EU. The set of words at the bottom introduces the last topic – FRONTEX.

slide #16: It explains what FRONTEX is. Curiously enough, this organization is operated from Warsaw, Poland, so it’s a great bit of information for Polish students. You can provoke students to wonder about future of border control, FRONTEX itself, or even the whole Shengen area.

slide #17: Writing assignment, of course dealing with the problems just discussed. The final stage of mastering the new vocabulary and useful expressions.

After almost one year since that lesson was designed, recent attacks in France and Belgium, gave it even more value and a dramatic twist. Since English exams require students to recount current social problems and events, that lesson is even more handy than it was one year ago.

Test your reading comprehension skills with this new set, courtesy of PASFL. In Poland, you have 65 minutes to read and mark the right answers. You can find the answer key at the end of the page. If you prefer to do the test online, you can go directly to the interactive version of task 1, and task 2, where you will get the final score immediately. Good luck!

Level 3 – reading

(L3/R/005)

TASK ONE

You are going to read short texts. For questions 1 to 13 choose the answer (A, B or C), which fits best according to the texts.

1. The world has let down the people of Syria. The neighbouring nations wage proxy wars instead of working to prevent the bloodshed. The former UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, said that in a response to the world crises, the international community seemed unable to focus on more than one emergency at a time. It had also become increasingly reluctant to stage military interventions. Annan resigned as UN envoy to Syria in 2012. He described his role as “mission impossible” due to growing militarisation and lack of unity among world powers.

According to Kofi Annan, the international community …

A. stages too many military interventions
B. depends too much on the world powers
C. concentrates only on selected problems

2. Ethiopia has become home to one of the world’s fastest-growing higher education systems. Increasing the number of graduates is a key part of the government’s industrialisation strategy and its plan to become a middle-income country by 2025. Since the 1990s, when there were just two public universities, 30 new institutions have sprung up. On the face of it, this is good news. But dig a little deeper and tales abound of students required to join government parties. There are reports of restricted curricula, classroom spies and crackdowns on student protests.

According to the text, university students in Ethiopia suffer due to …

A. fierce competition among colleges
B. manipulation from the authorities
C. complicated university syllabuses

3. An agreement to improve safety in Bangladesh’s clothing factories is facing the threat of legal action, as factory owners demand compensation for the cost of closures and repair work. Some repair programmes are expected to take months. The owners say they cannot cover the costs of paying staff while factories are closed, alongside the expense of works needed to ensure buildings are safe. The building overhauls are being carried out in the wake of the collapse of the Rana Plaza complex in Dhaka, in which 1,138 people died.

Factory owners have recently announced that they intend to …

A. claim damages for the losses they suffered
B. improve safety in their factory buildings
C. make a lot of their personnel redundant

4. For residents of New Delhi, jogging, cycling and even crossing the road can be a death-defying feat. In recent days, several homeless people sleeping on the pavement were run over by New Delhi’s drunken drivers. But in a new initiative called Raahgiri, meaning “boss of the road” in Hindi slang, people are taking back the streets. This unique new campaign bans automobiles in the heart of the city for a few hours every Sunday.

People of New Delhi have launched a campaign which is meant to …

A. give support to homeless people in the city
B. reduce the volume of traffic in the city centre
C. promote sports activities among the residents

5. The 6^th Circuit Appellate Court has suspended gay marriages in Michigan. The suspension contradicts Federal Judge Bernard Friedman’s previous decision to overturn Michigan’s gay marriage ban as unconstitutional. The appellate court’s decision came after dozens of gay couples had wed. Same-sex marriage licenses will not be issued, depending on further review by the Cincinnati court. As for whether the licenses issued before the suspension will be honoured, “the courts will sort it out,” spokeswoman for Attorney General Bill Schuette said.

Federal Judge Bernard Friedman has …

A. suspended the homosexuals’ right to marry
B. annulled the licenses that have been issued
C. removed the ban on single-sex marriages

6. Syrian rebels have issued three demands for the release of Fijian peacekeepers they’ve held captive for five days, Fiji’s military commander Gen. Tikoitoga has told the press. He said the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front wants to be taken off the UN terrorist list. It demands immediate humanitarian aid for Damascus and compensation for its 3 fighters killed in  a shootout with UN officers. Tikoitoga did not say if the demands would be seriously considered. He said the UN had sent hostage negotiators to Syria to take over discussions from military leaders.

According to Gen. Tikoitoga, the rebels’ demands  …

A. will be satisfied immediately
B. cannot be regarded as serious
C. will be dealt with by experts

7. India’s national radio broadcaster was reported to have fired about 100 presenters for being over its new age limit of 35. But the reports have been challenged in a statement by All India Radio. The broadcaster says the story is a misreporting of a press conference in which it was stated that “radio jockeys” aged over 35 would have to undergo a “voice modulation test”. This was necessary to “infuse freshness in the programmes”. The presenters will keep their jobs if the test proves they don’t sound “too mature and boring”.

From the text we learn that radio presenters in India …

A. are sacked if they are older than thirty-five
B. need to take a test if they are over thirty-five
C. should sound mature if they are over thirty-five

8. For years, the US telecom business has lured clients with discounted phones and hooked them with two-year contracts and sky-high termination fees. That way customers can’t easily switch if a better deal appears elsewhere. And although telecom firms competed to ensure superior quality and technological support, they didn’t challenge the business fundamentals. But now T-Mobile has announced an unprecedented offer: if you switch to its service, it will pay your termination fee to another carrier and give you $300 in credit toward a new phone.

T-Mobile’s new strategy is to …

A. ease clients transition from other cell phone firms
B. bind its new customers by long-term agreements
C. offer technological support to its new customers

9. How can you be sure that the product you’re buying on-line is the real thing? Counterfeiters are now duping consumers with websites designed to mirror real company sites. Sometimes, the phony websites look more elaborate than the actual ones, attractively presenting a broad range of goods, from luxury handbags to Viagra pills. Lev Kubiak, head of the Intellectual Property Rights Center, says the best way to tell a website is real is to “look at the manufacturer’s site. Check where these firms say their products are distributed,” he says.

 The text gives advice on how to  …

A. choose luxury products sensibly
B. recognize a reliable online shop
C. make a firm’s website attractive

10. On Monday four Russian bombers entered the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). The ADIZ is an international airspace, but when military aircraft enter it, the U.S. sends fighter jets to get a visual identification. That’s what happened on Monday: two American F-22 fighter jets went up to observe the Russian aircraft. At some point the bombers left the ADIZ – two headed towards Russia and the other two headed south and entered the ADIZ off the California coast. This time they were monitored by a pair of F-15 fighters. At no time did any of the aircraft enter U.S. airspace. Since 2012 there have been ten such incidents near the California coast.

 We learn from the text that …

A. Russian bombers entered the American airspace
B. Russian aircraft followed American fighter jets
C. Russian aircraft have repeatedly entered the ADIZ

11. As states liberalize marijuana laws, some worry that more drivers high on pot will cause an increase in traffic deaths. Researchers, though, are divided on the question. Studies show that marijuana can impede decision-making and multitasking, which are critical driving skills. But unlike with alcohol, drivers high on pot are aware of their impairment and they avoid risky actions such as overtaking other cars. On the other hand, combining marijuana with alcohol increases driving impairment beyond the effects of either substance alone.

According to the text, marijuana …

A. makes people drive with caution
B. causes drivers to take more risks
C. improves certain driving skills

12. Higher demands are being placed on the Finnish military’s cost-reduction programs. The crisis is driving the Armed Forces Command (AFC) to turn to second-hand equipment. Five years of cost-cutting have stalled Finland’s defense budget at US $3.82 billion. It is less than 1.5 percent of gross domestic product, one of the lowest ratios in the EU. The savings are straining the AFC’s ability to allocate the customary one-third of its budget to procurement. Thus, the AFC has adjusted its policy to procure second-hand equipment.

From the text we learn that Finland has decided to …

A. stop buying military gear
B. purchase used equipment
C. spend more on equipment

13. A U.S. Navy retention survey found that a growing number of sailors want to leave the service. The respondents complained about increasing operational tempo and poor work/life balance. The survey also showed a widespread distrust of Navy leadership. Fewer servicemen aspire to earn their superiors’ positions, because they don’t look up to them anymore. On the other hand, 80 percent of the respondents said the current retirement system and pay were the most important reasons to remain in uniform. Yet, with the ongoing discussions to reduce sailor pay and benefits, the Navy is likely to lose its most desirable attributes.

According to the survey, more and more sailors complain about …

A. inadequate retirement benefits
B. growing service requirements
C. lack of promotion prospects

TASK TWO

You are going to read a newspaper article. Choose the best answer A, B, C, or D.

The Fight Against Fake Drugs

In November 2008, 84 children in Nigeria were killed by a medicine called My Pikin Baby Teething Mixture. The syrup was fake, the standard glycerin replaced with cheaper diethylene glycol, which is an industrial solvent that attacks the central nervous system, kidneys and liver. In this case counterfeit drugs killed its victims outright. More frequently, they kill by robbing patients of the real drugs they need. And some counterfeits contain a small amount of active ingredient – not enough to cure an illness, but enough to promote resistance that renders the real medicine powerless. That is the most deadly effect of all.

It turns out that there is no way to tell if a pill is fake or real before taking it – or, for that matter, afterward. Malaria treatments are a good example. A study in Western Kenya found that only 38 percent of people who sought treatment for malaria actually had the disease. What people believed to be malaria, then, might have been another fever that resolved on its own — “cured” by a counterfeit with no active ingredient. Conversely, a drug’s failure is not proof that it is counterfeit, as real drugs don’t always work. And there is always the question of whether patients take them correctly.

Nations with a counterfeiting problem can solve it by acquiring effective regulation and liability laws. Rwanda seems to be on its way. In Uganda, two organizations are co-operating to improve village health. The nongovernmental organization BRAC has long equipped its workers with medicines to sell. The other group, Living Goods, is using an Avon Lady style of direct sale: women buy medicines to sell to their neighbours. This gives villages access to reliable drugs, reducing other retailers’ sale of counterfeits. Before the NGOs came in, 37 percent of pharmacies sold counterfeit malaria drugs. Now, the amount of counterfeits sold in pharmacies has fallen by half. “You can get away with selling fakes if villagers have nothing to compare them to,” says Yanagizawa-Drott from BRAC. “When consumers try a reliable drug, they are able to observe quality.”

Providing genuine drugs is achievable in other ways. Tanzania is creating a network of Accredited Pharmacies which are given subsidies and are then tightly regulated and inspected. Another strategy was developed by an American company – Sproxil. Its CEO, Ashifi Gogo, created a cellphone identification system allowing shoppers to verify the authenticity of Whole Foods’ organic produce. “The system won a number of awards, but nobody bought it, because clients trusted Whole Foods,” Gogo says. “So I turned to emerging markets, like Nigeria, where that trust is absent, and from organic-food to pharmaceuticals,” he explains. Today, Sproxil makes labels, each with a unique scratch-off number, that are affixed to each medicine. Purchasers text the ID to a number on the box and get a text back saying whether the drug is fake or real.

Sproxil has provided 9 million verifications so far. One reason for its success is that in most countries its verification texts are free. “Setting up that deal with cell-phone companies has been a nightmare. It can take them a year to provide lifesaving service to their own customers,” Gogo says. But free is necessary. It allows people to send a text or to borrow someone else’s phone if they don’t have one. India doesn’t allow free texts, which has been  a disadvantage for another mobile verification firm, PharmaSecure, which began in India in 2009. Also, free-text arrangements keep counterfeiters from faking the verification process. They do put fake numbers on products, but they aren’t going to sign any deals with phone companies.

PharmaSecure’s CO, Nathan Sigworth, says the response rate on its verification labels is just a few percent in India and Nigeria. Sproxil’s rates vary between 10 and 30 percent – mostly because they cover more chronic diseases and use number-only codes which are easier to type on basic phones than PharmaSecure’s alphanumeric codes. However, Sigworth sees great growth potential in Nigeria and India. PharmaSecure has already followed in Sproxil’s footsteps in sending patients personalised medical advice. “We began in anti-counterfeiting and realized the service opens a world of possibilities,” Sigworth says. “At the moment we are the only firm verifying the authenticity of agricultural products. Farmers in Africa could increase their yields 10-fold by buying hybrid seeds. However, 30% of hybrid seeds are fakes that fail to germinate. The risk of buying counterfeits keeps farmers from investing in products that could lift them out of poverty,” Sigworth explains. That’s another area in which counterfeits kill.

14.  Fake drugs that contain small amounts of active ingredient …

A.     are most dangerous because they kill quickly
B.     are more likely to cure the disease in question
C.     damage patients’ ability to react to real drugs
D.     have a neutral influence on patients’ organisms

15.  In Western Kenya, fake malaria drugs were hard to recognize because …

A.     they provoked the onset of another illness
B.     they actually helped some malaria patients 
C.     they were given to wrongly diagnosed patients
D.     they were effective against other kinds of fever

16.  Judging from the context, the word “conversely” in paragraph two means …

A.     on the other hand
B.     consequently
C.     at any rate
D.     similarly

17.  BRAC and Living Goods managed to  …

A.     introduce effective anti-counterfeit laws
B.     eliminate fake medicines from pharmacies
C.     give clients a chance to see the real drugs’ effect
D.     do away with direct sales of counterfeit medicines

18.  Gogo’s first attempt to introduce his solution failed because it was …

A.     criticised for being untrustworthy
B.     launched in the wrong market
C.     denied government subsidies
D.     rejected by certified pharmacies

19.  The problem with mobile verification system in India is that …

A.     counterfeiters are starting to use free verification
B.     legal regulations make free verification impossible
C.     phone companies secretly co-operate with counterfeiters
D.     too few clients have phones to check drug authenticity

20.  In contrast to Sproxil, PharmaSecure does not offer …

A.     specialized medicines for chronic diseases
B.     a user friendly mobile-verification system
C.     mobile verification of agricultural goods
D.     a customized medical-guidance service

Test – answer key:

1 C      2 B      3 A      4 B      5 C      6 C      7 B       8 A     9 B      10 C      11 A      12 B      13 B      14 C      15 C        16 A      17 C      18 B      19 B      20 B

Reading comprehension tests

Many tests have been already published here, but never any hints on how to do these particular tests. I do clarify on that but only face-to-face with my students. Based on the lessons already conducted, I prepared a bunch of tips you should find handy. The presentation below is based on level 3 exam with the main focus on task 1. Firstly, texts in task one are short so it’s easier to analyze them, secondly if you do task one correctly, you will have almost the required number of points to pass the exam. The presentation (and this post alike) is bilingual; each slide is played twice: in English and Polish, to be sure that the Polish students will understand all nuances.

The slides will lead you through the desired way of reasoning which will help you find the good answer. Once you learn the proper methodology, you will be able to deal with the subsequent two slides with some tasks for you. Some hints are still given, but the whole process is up to you. Finally, general prompts are on the last slide which should shape up your preparation and expectations. Good luck!

Wiele testów już tu publikowaliśmy ale nigdy żadnych wskazówek jak je rozwiązywać. Wprawdzie udzielamy takich wskazówek ale zawsze odbywało się to przy osobistym kontakcie ze studentami. Bazując na przeprowadzonych lekcjach, przygotowaliśmy dla was zbiór przydatnych porad. Poniższa prezentacja została oparta na egzaminie z poziomu 3 i skupia się na zadaniu pierwszym. Po pierwsze, dlatego, że w zadaniu 1 mamy do czynienia z krótkimi tekstami, które łatwiej przeanalizować, a po drugie jeśli dobrze wykonamy to zadanie, to już mamy prawie całą wymaganą ilość punktów, wymaganą do zaliczenia. Prezentacja (jak i sam post) są wykonane w dwóch językach: po angielsku i po polsku. Chcieliśmy być pewni, że polscy studenci zrozumieją wszystkie niuanse językowe, które zostały omówione na przykładzie tekstów.

Slajdy przeprowadzą was przez pożądany tok rozumowania, co pomoże wam znaleźć właściwą odpowiedź. Jeśli już opanujecie właściwą metodologię rozwiązywania testu, to kolejne dwa slajdy z krótkimi zadaniami nie będą problemem. Wprawdzie wciąż znajdziecie tam parę wskazówek, ale cały proces wyboru poprawnej odpowiedzi zależy już od was. Ostatni slajd zawiera dodatkowo kilka ogólnych uwag, które pomogą wam w samych przygotowaniach do egzaminu i powinny zweryfikować wasze oczekiwania. Powodzenia!

Google Chrome users must use different browser to play the presentation or go to SlideShare website here, where it is played properly.

Meetings – an essential part of the modern army

Like it or not, you will have to deal with it. Contemporary military personnel spend much time on meetings, either preparing them, either participating or reporting. You can call them sometimes briefings (sounds more military-like), but they are similar in nature to business or political level meetings. They have a lot in common so you cannot get away with not knowing its basic elements and related vocabulary. You’d better acquire some useful phrases, then you will be able to handle any meetings. For your convenience, the full lexical summary (a cheatsheet in an alphabetical order) is provided at the end of the article. which will help you memorize the terms most frequently used. Once you are equipped with the necessary vocabulary you will perform better at the listening part of English exams too, where the recordings from meetings are frequently used as the tasks.

Official, high level meetings require language accuracy.

Preparation of a meeting

When you are about to organize a meeting, or just participate in it, you need to know some basic facts. For sure you can provide (or acquire) at least the following basic details:

Time: When does the meeting take place?
Location: Where will it be held?
Subject: What will it be devoted to? What kinf of topics will be discussed.
Attendees: Who will participate in the meeting. Whose presence is required/desired?
Goal/purpose/occasion/objectives/desired outcome: What is the meeting aiming at? What should be the outcome of the meeting? What are you supposed to end up with? What is the occasion for the meeting?

It is not a conicidence that the basic meeting details resemble the military 5xW (or 5W), which you use to present any mission/incident details:

WHO
WHAT
WHEN
WHERE
WHY

Such a meeting is a small scale mission and you should be equally well prepared for it, if it is to be a successful one.

If the meeting was called to come up with a solution to existing, emerging or foreseen problem, you may have a strict agenda to follow, including some voting and agreed solution, which can be further on elaborated. If the meeting is organized just to coordinate some activities of different branches/departments/units/cells you can expect purely informative character of the gathering. On the other hand, if you represent your cell there, it is something normal that you will have to speak on behalf of your cell or comment on the others’ ideas whenever they cross your field of responsibility/expertise. Depending on the meeting agenda, you will be required to voice your concerns immediately or during Questions and Answers (Q&A) session.

Inviting for a meeting

Let’s assume that a meeting has just been scheduled and you are responsible for this event. You have some steps to follow before it could happen. Firstly, you must call a meeting, informing the planned participants about all details mentioned above. It will let the participants prepare better. If the exact date and time was not agreed on yet, you will have to request the confirmation from the invited people. You should do that anyway! There is nothing more frustrating than YOUR meeting nobody can attend.

So, make sure you inform everybody via phone, e-mail, calendar entry or any other means of communication, typical for your organization. If you use MS Outlook you can send automatic requests to confirm, which can be done with a single click. If your invitation is sent on paper, you can include proper sentence requesting confirmation or put simple R.S.V.P. (stands for French phrase: répondez s’il vous plaît – “Please, confirm/respond”).  Whatever way of confirming you request, do not forget to include your contact data or nominate somebody else as a Point of Contact (POC). The invited people should contact the indicated person and respond, confirming or refusing their participation.

Late confirmations serve no purpose, so rememeber to set some deadline for the response. You can request answers till a specific date/time or apply so called “silent procedure.” Silent procedure means that in case of no comments/answers, you assume that all the addressees of your invitations will come. On the one hand, it saves the addressees an additional effort to confirm, on the other hand it is risky, because as any assumtion it may be a faulty one. Just imagine the situation that somebody wanted to refuse to come but simply could not contact you due to his absense, network failure or too short notice to send the letter.

At the metting

People with the key functions at the meeting:

1. the chair / chairman / chairwoman / chairperson – all the possible forms you can come across. Do not be surprised of the plethora of terms – political correctness made people invent new terms to be sex-indifferent, gender-neutral. This person is the one, who runs the show. It is up to him/her to delegate time to any attendee, move on to subsequent points of the agenda, to dispute on any issues appearing.
2. attendees – any people who participate in the meeting. It may happen that some special functions are assigned to the attendees (points 3-7).
3. a speaker – the one who is supposed to speak on any particular subject. Could be more than one.
4. a briefer – Somebody asked to brief a subject during the meeting. His role could be limited to purely informative, with no right later, e.g. to vote.
5. a guest speaker – usually a man “from outside”, some subject matter expert asked to familiarize the audience with some topic; somebody with a unique expertise of better insight into the problems discussed.
6. the watch keeper – the one who controls the time and makes sure the meeting proceeds according to agreed timetable.
7. the note taker – a secretary who records all relevant information for the purpose of a report/minutes from the meeting.
8. absentees – those, who were planned to be present but could not make it, so they are absent.

Useful vocabulary:

to stand in for somebody – to speak on behalf of somebody absent, relaying his/her statements, opinions, votes, etc.

an agenda item – a point, a subject which was included in the programme of the meeting.

minutes – a written report of what has been said/done during the meeting. A written summary of the whole event which is the reference for further actions/arrangements.

a prior commitment – any activities/projects/arrangements you had been involved in, which made it imposssible for you to attend the meeting. It could be your perfect excuse not to attend it. If you e.g. had planned to go on holidays and later received the invitation for a meeting, you can claim that due to your prior commitment (that is planned, booked and paid vacations in that case) you cannot attend the meeting. You can always suggest/propse somebody who will replace you, stand in for you.

to come up / pop up – to appear suddenly. Usually used in passive voice, e.g. Something important has just come up (or popped up) and I cannot attend the meeting. –> informal!

a (short) notice – this is the amount of time since the invitation (initial information) and the meeting. You can call a meeting with 6-day notice or call it on a short notice, when you need to meet somebody urgently. On higher level meetings (ministerial, international, governmental) even one month notice could be too short to make it happen! Jus mind the fact how busy the attendees could be. The more important they are, the more likely it is that their agenda will be already full for the scheduled day.

a motion – a topic which is put to a vote.

to second the motion – to support the idea of voting on the planned subject/problem.

to go over / to revise – to have a look/ to discuss again some older items to refresh the knowledge on it, to familiarize the attendees with previously agreed/discussed items.

to have the floor – to have one’s turn to speak/brief.

to put on hold – to stop or to postpone sth for dealing with it later, in due time.

to postpone – to put off, to decide to do sth later than it was planned.

to adjourn – to close, to finish (esp. in case of meeting).

to hand over sth – to give sth to sb. In the context of a meeting we can “hand over the floor” to the next speaker. It could also mean “to assign the subject/responsibilities” to somebody else, e.g. “Paul, I’m handing over that problem to you”, or “Paul, please, take it over.”

to take over sth – to accept sth, to take. In a context of a meeting, to take one’s turn (the floor) to speak or to continue elaborating on some subject. It could also mean to become responsible for something since now on, e.g. “OK, so my branch will take over the requests issue.”

tentative, tentatively – intially planned, e.g. Our tentative agenda should cover only four points.

provisionally – not in line with the routine. =exceptionally.

to run over – to take more time than expected, e.g. Sorry that the meeting run over but we had to come to the solution today.

to set aside – to ignore sth, to forget about something for a while, e.g. “Let’s set aside a feasibility issue of our plan and vote on the next item in the agenda.”

to stick to agenda / topic – to follow the agenda as it was proposed, to cover each point in the proposed order.

to follow the agenda – to go to the points of the meeting in the agreed/proposed order.

to cover sth – to discuss sth, to elaborate on sth.

a ballout – a type of voting, usually secret and in writing.

a boardroom – just a big room, usually with one, long table and many chairs – typical settings for official meetings when voting is planned.

a casting vote – a vote that decided on the voting outcome. When the votes in favour and against are equal. Usually, a casting vote belongs to a chairperson.

a proxy vote – a vote cast on behalf of somebody not present.

closing remarks – the last statements, usually by a chairperson. It could be any types of ‘thank you,’ reminders or guidance for the meeting attendees.

to conclude – to finish, to close, e.g. “Pending your questions, that concludes my briefing.”

to commence – to start, to begin, e.g. “Let’s commence our meeting.”

to wrap up – to sum up before finishing, sometimes just too make finishing statements.

a show of hands – a voting procedure when you cast a vote by showing/raising your hand.

unanimous(ly) – when all voters were of the same opinion; 100% of voters voted in favour or 100% of them voted against sth – a complete agreement.

Meetings
Meetings.pdf

A handy cheatsheet with the most frequently used vocabulary concerning meeting organization

Languages:	English
Author:	Paweł Jasiński
Platforms:	Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
Requirements:	PDF Reader
Category:	general English
License:	CC Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
Date:	02/17/2017

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