NAME ...............................................................................
LAAS
LANGUAGE ATTAINMENT ASSESSMENT SYSTEM
Level A2
Certificate Recognised by ICC
ENGLISH
LANGUAGE
EXAMINATIONS
DECEMBER
2009
INSTRUCTIONS
•
Be sure you have written your name at the top of this
page.
•
Do not open this booklet until the exam starts.
•
The order of the exam papers is: PART A Listening,
PART B Reading & Usage, PART C Writing.
•
Time allowed for all three parts: 90 minutes
PALSODECEMBER
LAAS
2006A
2009
Α
LISTENING (25 points)
A2 LISTENING
PAGE 1
Time: approximately 20 minutes
•
As you listen to the recording, mark your answers in this booklet.
•
Answer all the questions. Give only one answer for each question.
•
After the end of the recording, you will have 3 minutes to transfer your answers
onto your Answer Sheet. Mark them in 2H or HB pencil.
LISTENING EXERCISE 1: Numbers 1 to 8
EURO COIN COLLECTION CLUB
Choose the correct word, phrase or picture to complete each sentence, 1 to 4.
Circle its letter, A, B or C.
1. There are now ____ students in the coin collecting club at Jack and Ellen’s school.
A. two
B. three
C. five
2. The members of the club collect ____ .
A. just six of the euro coins
B. all eight euro coins
C. fifty different coins
3. The coins that Joe Bain finds difficult to use are ____ .
A.
B.
C.
4. The front side of euro coins ____ .
A. is the same for all countries in the European Union
B. has pictures of famous people and buildings
C. shows a different number for each country
Decide if statements 5 to 8 are true or not.
Write A for True or B for False in the space beside each number.
5. ___ A full collection may have almost 170 coins in it.
6. ___ Jack and Ellen have to travel a lot to collect all the coins.
7. ___ Jack and Ellen look for euro coins when they buy things in the shops.
8. ___ Coin club members share extra coins with each other.
LAAS DECEMBER 2009
A2 LISTENING
LISTENING EXERCISE 2: Numbers 9 to 15
HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS
Choose the correct phrase to complete each statement.
Circle its letter, A, B or C.
9. John is calling because ____ .
A. he’s going to move house soon
B. he doesn’t have any friends
C. it’s hard for him to talk
10. John’s brother ____ .
A. is older than him
B. isn’t allowed to go out
C. doesn’t go to the same school
11. John wants to ____ .
A. go out with a friend
B. change schools
C. go to a café with his brother
12. Because he doesn’t talk to friends on the phone, John ____ .
A. has problems with his school work
B. stays at school later than others
C. studies more and gets good marks
13. Dr. Carter tells John to ____ .
A. join a club
B. start a sports team
C. stay at home more
14. John may make new friends if he ____ .
A. is nicer to his teachers
B. does well in tests
C. helps others to study
15. Dr. Carter’s most important idea is for John to ____ .
A. say strange things
B. smile and be friendly
C. only talk to people he knows
PAGE 2
LAAS DECEMBER 2009
B
A2 READING & USAGE
PAGE 3
READING & USAGE (50 points)
•
You are advised to spend about 40 minutes on this part of the test.
•
You may mark your answers on this booklet while you are working on them.
•
Answer all the questions. Give only one answer for each question.
•
When you have finished, mark your answers on your Answer Sheet using a 2H or HB pencil.
READING & USAGE EXERCISE 1: Numbers 16 to 25
Read this magazine story about cars of the future.
Then do the exercises on page 4.
C
CA
AR
RS
SO
OFF TTH
HE
E FFU
UTTU
UR
RE
E
In the future, cars won’t run on petrol. How soon? Well, that’s hard to say. But, nowadays,
people are looking for cars that don’t need petrol. Petrol is expensive, and it makes smoke
that’s bad for us to breathe and bad for nature, too. Also, we use so much petrol that in a
few years, there won’t be any left.
The good news is that some cars already use other kinds of fuel, and there are new ideas
every day. So, in a few years, we may see many different types of cars on the road. They
will be better for nature than the ones we have now.
Electric
Cars
Gas
Cars
Water
Cars
Plant
Cars
About 30 years ago, some car companies started making electric cars. The cars
didn’t go very fast or very far, but they were good for nature. Still, not many people
wanted them, so the car companies didn’t make very many. Now, the electric idea
is back again. If we can make electricity from the sun or the wind, then electric cars
can be both cheap and clean. We can plug the car in at night and drive it again the
next day.
Another idea is a car that runs on hydrogen* gas. When we burn hydrogen, we
don’t get smoke. We get water! Imagine that! A German company has made 100
hydrogen cars for people to try. Another company in England will be ready to sell
their cars by 2012. Of course, they’ll need hydrogen stations everywhere, just as
we have petrol stations now. They’ll have to make it easy to find fuel or people
won’t buy gas cars.
* hydrogen = υδρόγονο
Someday, we may even have cars that use water. A few people have been
experimenting with this idea, but it’s not ready yet. But think about it. First you
wash your car, and then you fill it up, and then … you water the garden!
Two new fuels come from vegetables. There’s one called ethanol. It’s made from
corn. This isn’t such a good idea, because corn is food and people need to eat. But
we can make ethanol from other plants, or the parts of plants we don’t eat.
The other new fuel is called bio-diesel. We can make it from plant oils or cooking
oil after we finish frying our potatoes. We can mix bio-diesel with regular petrol. It’s
cleaner and cheaper. Several companies here in Greece already make it.
LAAS DECEMBER 2009
A2 READING & USAGE
PAGE 4
Choose the correct phrase to complete each sentence, 16 to 22.
Mark its letter, A, B or C, on your Answer Sheet.
16. We may not use petrol cars in the future because ____ .
A. they’re dirty and expensive
B. people will have to look for them
C. we’ll have more petrol than we need
A
17. Companies didn’t make many electric cars at first because ____ .
A. people drove them too fast
B. they weren’t good for nature
C. they were not very popular
18. Electric cars will be a good idea if ____ .
A. we use the sun or wind to make electricity
B. they cost too much for many people to buy
C. people only drive them at night
B
19. The hydrogen gas car seems a good idea, but ____ .
A. no one knows how to make one
B. there won’t be any for at least 10 years
C. it will only be used if fuel is easy to find
20. A car that runs on water ____ .
A. is already for sale
B. is not ready to sell yet
C. needs special water to run
C
21. The problem with corn ethanol is ____ .
A. it is made from food
B. it comes from leaves we can’t eat
C. people may try to eat it
22. Bio-diesel is made from ____ .
A. fried potatoes
B. used cooking oil
C. regular petrol
Match a picture to each description below.
Mark its letter next to the number on your Answer Sheet.
You will use only three of the pictures.
23. Shai connects his car when he gets home from work.
24. Angela fills up her gas car in Germany.
25. Dionysis pours the first pan of oil at his new bio-diesel factory.
D
LAAS DECEMBER 2009
2008
A2
A2READING
READING&&USAGE
USAGE
PAGE
PAGE55
READING & USAGE EXERCISE 2: Numbers 26 to 35
Read this text about boys and girls.
Choose the correct word or phrase to fill each gap.
Mark its letter, A, B or C, on your Answer Sheet.
BOYS and GIRLS
For most of history, we have _(26)_ boys and girls different things, so they
could be successful men and women. Long ago, mothers _(27)_ after the
young children, and men had to protect them and _(28)_ out to find animals
to eat. So, little girls learned to be kind and boys learned to be strong and
brave. However, things have changed a _(29)_ since the days _(30)_ people
lived in caves.
Nowadays, most men work _(31)_ shops, offices, and factories, or on ships and farms. Women
may work there, too. In some families, the father watches the children if the mother earns good
money outside the home. In others, both parents _(32)_ the work. Many modern parents try to
prepare _(33)_ children for this new situation. They encourage their girls to play football and
learn maths, and they let their boys cook and play with dolls. Someday,
their daughters may be athletes or professors and their sons _(34)_ own
restaurants or write children’s books. Girls and boys both have more
choices _(35)_ they used to have.
26.
A. taught
B. teaching
C. teach
27.
A. look
B. looked
C. will look
28.
A. go
B. going
C. gone
29.
A. many
B. lot
C. lots
30.
A. when
B. who
C. how
31.
A. to
B. by
C. in
32.
A. share
B. sharing
C. to share
33.
A. her
B. his
C. their
34.
A. have to
B. may
C. should
35.
A. that
B. than
C. then
LAAS DECEMBER 2009
A2 READING & USAGE
PAGE 6
READING & USAGE EXERCISE 3: Numbers 36 to 40
WHEN IT RAINS
Match a reply from the box with each question on the left.
Mark its letter, A to F, on your Answer Sheet. You will use only five of the letters.
Jim:
Pam:
Jim:
Pam:
Jim:
Pam:
Jim:
Pam:
Jim:
Pam:
Jim:
What do you do when it rains?
__(36)__
Fine! But what if you have to go out?
__(37)__
Has the rain ever come into your house?
__(38)__
What a mess! Do you think it’ll happen again?
__(39)__
Well, I hope they did a good job!
__(40)__
Why wait? Just throw some water on the door!
That way you can see if it comes in.
A. I hope not. We’ve had the door
repaired.
B. Yes, that’s happened. Once, during a
bad storm, water ran under the door,
1 cm deep!
C. Then, I carry an umbrella.
D. Oh, there were chairs and tables
everywhere!
E. So do I! But, we’ll have to wait until the
next storm to see if the rain comes in.
F. Well, I stay inside if I can.
READING & USAGE EXERCISE 4: Numbers 41 to 45
MARY’S LETTER ABOUT HOLIDAY PLANS
Put the parts of the letter in the correct order.
Mark the letter of each part, A to G, on your Answer Sheet.
You will use only five of the letters. The first one is done for you.
EX. Part 1 ___
The answer is A. First of all, I’m sorry I haven’t written
for a long time. I’ve been so busy!
Dear Aunt Margaret,
EX. Part 1 A
41. Part 2 ___
42. Part 3 ___
43. Part 4 ___
44. Part 5 ___
45. Part 6 ___
A. First of all, I’m sorry I haven’t written for a long time. I’ve been so busy!
B. I’m really excited about this, because I haven’t seen you for such a long
time. Well, also, I love the roast lamb you always make!
C. I think she’ll be happy with the skirt I got for her. It’s a lovely purple
colour with large buttons on the front.
D. However, Mum has just told me that we’re coming to visit you during the
winter holiday.
E. I hope you’ll let me help you make it, because I really want to learn how.
Mum says I’m old enough to learn to cook a few things.
F. Please let me know what he wants for a present. I know he likes music, so
maybe I can buy him a CD.
G. I also want to see Richard while we’re there. We always have a lot of fun
playing with his computer. Will he be home from university?
Well, I have to do my homework. So, bye for now!
LAAS DECEMBER 2009
A2 READING & USAGE
READING & USAGE EXERCISE 5: Numbers 46 to 50
FAVOURITE SPORTS
A
Match a picture with each of the descriptions.
Mark its letter, A to D, on your Answer Sheet.
You will use some letters more than once.
46. __ “I do my sport all year round. In the summer, it’s
such good fun! I love it, out there, all alone on the
water. It’s great! In the winter, I wear a special
suit, made of nylon, to keep dry. But the wind is
strong and I can really get some good practice!”
B
47. __ “I felt like a fool when I was a beginner. I couldn’t
keep one foot off the other and I fell a lot. I always
seemed to have snow inside my jacket! But, I
stayed at it and improved a lot. Now, I’m
practising for a downhill race next month. You
have to turn quickly, and sometimes jump up over
small hills. I think I may win, though.”
48. __ “When I first went to the class, an older boy tried
to make me fight with the others. That’s called
‘sparring’. I never liked it much. Once, I hit a boy,
by accident, and made his nose bleed. I almost quit
going to lessons. But the teacher suggested I
change classes. I’m very glad I did!”
C
49. __ “I take my board to school and use it on the way
home. Then, my friends and I go out every
Saturday. There are some good squares around
town, with steps and benches to jump over. We try
harder and harder moves, like jumping up and
turning in the air.”
D
50. __ “Most sports have competitions and you have to
practise very hard to get ready. Mine is difficult,
because I can only do it for part of the year, when
there’s snow. The rest of the time, I have to do
other training. It’s important to keep my legs
strong. So, I go running every day for at least an
hour. I also go to the gym. When the weather gets
cold again, I go back out to the mountain and the
practice gets serious.”
PAGE 7
LAAS DECEMBER 2009
C
A2 WRITING
PAGE 8
WRITING (25 points)
•
You are advised to spend about 30 minutes on this part of the test.
•
You may use a blank sheet of paper as a draft.
•
Write your task in the space provided on the back of your Answer Sheet in blue or black pen.
You have ONE writing task to do. Choose either Topic A or Topic B.
Write your task in about 120 words on your Answer Sheet.
Choose ONE of these two topics. Do the task in about 120 words.
TOPIC A:
You are going to visit your relatives next weekend.
You want to tell your friend about what you think will happen.
Write an email to your friend.
Tell him or her:
•
where you are going and who you will visit
•
what you plan to do while you are there
•
whether or not you are looking forward to it
OR
TOPIC B:
When you were on your way to school, you saw
something very strange.
Write a story about what happened.
Your story can be funny or serious.
1
[A2 LISTENING TEST – 09B]
Scripts
1 – EURO COIN COLLECTION CLUB
2 – HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS
ANNC LAAS Listening Test, December 2009. Copyright, Panhellenic Federation of
Foreign Language Centre Owners, Athens, Greece.
[intro music]
ANNC Hello, students. This is your A2 Listening test. Before we start, please make sure
that your name and code number are on the front of your Test Booklet.
[5 sec]
2
[A2 - 1 – EURO COIN COLLECTION CLUB]
ANNC Now, open your Test Booklet. As you listen, write your answers in this Test Booklet.
At the end of the test, you will have time to mark your answers on the computerised
Answer Sheet, A.
Now, let's go on. Look at Listening Exercise ONE. In this exercise, you will hear a
radio programme about coin collecting.
First, take a short time to look at Listening Exercise ONE in your Test Booklet.
[15 sec]
ANNC Good. You will hear the host, Joe Bain, talking to two students about their hobby,
coin collecting, and about their new club at school. As you listen to the conversation,
choose the correct word, phrase or picture to complete each statement, 1 to 4. Circle
its letter, A, B or C, in your Test Booklet. Then, go on and decide if statements 5 to 8
are true or not. Write A for True or B for False in the space beside each number.
Now, here is the programme. Are you ready?
JOE
Today, we have two students who share an interesting hobby. Ellen, you collect
coins, am I right?
ELLEN
Yes, but not all coins. Just euros. And now we’ve started a club at our school.
JOE
Jack, are there just the two of you in the club?
JACK
No, there are three other students at our school, so, five of us, and we hope others
will join.
JOE
But, why have a club when there are so few euro coins? I mean, there are only …
what? … six of them?
JACK
No, there are eight coins in total. We collect all of them. The three dark orange ones
are the one, two and five-cent coins.
ELLEN
And three gold-coloured ones: the ten, twenty and fifty-cent coins.
JOE
Those twenty- and fifty-cent gold coins give me problems! I have to look very
closely to make sure which one I have!
ELLEN
Yes, it is hard, because they’re almost the same size.
JACK
It’s easier with the one and two-euro coins. They’re quite different sizes and
colours.
JOE
Right. No problem with the largest two. Now, Ellen, tell me why you need to have a
club to collect just eight coins.
ELLEN
Well, that’s the interesting part. You see, the coins come from each country in the
European Union. Now, the front sides are the same for all countries. They have a
map and a big number that shows what they’re worth.
3
JACK
Right. But the backs of the coins are different for each country, with pictures of
famous people from that country’s history.
ELLEN
Or they might use famous buildings or pieces of art.
JOE
So, let me see, you have eight basic coins from how many countries?
Well, 21 countries in Europe use the euro, so 21 sets. That’s almost 170 coins.
JOE
That’s quite a large collection! And how do you find them? Do you have to travel?
JACK
No, not really. People carry euros with them when they travel around Europe. So,
coins from the other countries come here.
ELLEN
So you have to look for them. Every time you buy a pencil or get change at the
bakery, you look to see if there’s one you haven’t got.
JACK
But if everyone knows you collect, they’ll save coins for you.
ELLEN
Except Mrs. Pappas at my bakery. She’s started collecting now, so she only gives
me the ones she already has.
JACK
But that’s the idea of the club. If I have an extra coin, that is, two of a coin that
Ellen doesn’t have, I can give one to her. And she shares her extras with me.
ELLEN
Only if it’s new and shiny, Jack!
JACK
[laughing] Of course! Only the best ones for you, Ellen!
JOE
Well, thanks to both of you. [fade] It sounds like fun! I may start coin collecting
myself.
ANNC
Now take a short time to look at your answers. Then you will hear the conversation
again.
[15 sec]
ANNC
Now, here is the programme again. Are you ready?
[repeat from ‘Today, we have two students ... to ... start coin collecting myself.']
ANNC
[15 sec]
That's the end of the first exercise. Take a short time to finish your answers.
4
[A2 - 2 – HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS]
DR Carter = older female, interviewer
John = teen male
ANNC
In this exercise you will hear a radio programme about how to make friends. Before
you listen, take a short time to look at the questions for Listening Exercise TWO in
your Test Booklet.
[15 sec]
ANNC
Good. You will hear Dr. Carter, the host. She's talking to John, a young student,
about how to make friends. As you listen to the programme, choose the correct
phrase to complete each statement, 9 to 15. Circle its letter, A, B or C, in your Test
Booklet.
Now, here is the radio programme. Are you ready?
DR
And our next caller is John. Hi, John! How can I help you?
JOHN
Hi, Dr. Carter. Well, we moved to this town about a year ago, and, it’s hard to say,
but, well, I still don’t have any friends.
DR
That’s a shame, John. What’s the worst thing about not having any friends?
JOHN
Well, first of all, I don’t have anyone to have fun with. So, if I want to go to the
cinema or a café, I have to go with my brother.
DR
That doesn’t sound so bad. You like him, don’t you?
JOHN
Yes, but I’m 14 and he’s only 9. So, we can’t talk about people at school. We’re in
different schools. You know.
DR
Yes, I see. So, you need a friend to go out with.
JOHN
And I’d like to have someone to call after school. All the other kids do. They spend
hours on the phone.
DR
And all you do is study? John, you must be a good student.
JOHN
Yes, I am. I get very good marks. But, I’m really lonely and I don’t have any fun.
What can I do?
DR
Well, we usually tell young people to join a group or a team. Do you like sport? Or,
what do you like to do?
JOHN
I like to walk outdoors.
DR
Hmm. Is there a nature club at your school? Maybe you can join it.
JOHN
Mm, maybe.
5
DR
And here’s another idea. If you’re a good student, you can help other students. Ask
your teacher. Someone may want a study helper before a test.
JOHN
I could do that! I’m very good at maths.
DR
Great! So, ask your teacher. And here’s my last idea. I think it’s very important. Say
hello and smile at people.
JOHN
Even people I don’t know?
DR
Yes. When you walk towards someone … outside, before school starts, or in the
hall … smile. Look right at the person and smile. And say hi.
JOHN
Won’t they think it’s strange?
DR
Not at all. It’s friendly. And if you make others feel good, they’ll like you. Later,
you can say something else to them. Start a conversation. Very soon, you’ll have
lots of people to say hi to, and, from among them, you’ll find a few good friends.
JOHN
Well, I don’t know about that. But I’ll try your ideas. Thanks.
DR
And thanks [fade] for calling, John.
ANNC
Now take a short time to look at your answers. Then you will hear the conversation
again.
[15 sec]
ANNC
Now, here is the programme again. Are you ready?
[repeat And our next caller is John. ... to ... for calling, John.']
ANNC
That's the end of the second exercise. Take a short time to finish your answers.
[15 sec]
ANNC
That's the end of the listening test. You now have a short time to mark your answers
on the computerized Answer Sheet, A. Mark them in pencil. Thank you.
[exit music]
ΕΞΕΤΑΣΕΙΣ LAAS - ΔΕΚΕΜΒΡΙΟΣ 2009
ΛΥΣΕΙΣ ΑΓΓΛΙΚΩΝ
A2- BASIC
Part A & B
1C
41 D
2B
42 B
3B
43 E
4A
44 G
5A
45 F
6B
46 B
7A
47 A
8A
48 D
9B
49 C
10 C
50 A
11 A
12 C
13 A
14 C
15 B
16 A
17 C
18 A
19 C
20 B
21 A
22 B
23 C
24 A
25 B
26 A
27 B
28 A
29 B
30 A
31 C
32 A
33 C
34 B
35 B
36 F
37 C
38 B
39 A
40 E