CEPT Practice C1 level short reading about a review of a new book

 

William Skidelsky reviews David Papineau’s new book, in which sport meets philosophy.

David Papineau is an eminent philosopher and a passionate lover of sport. For much of his life, he has kept the two spheres separate, fearing that to mix them would produce a double negative in his readers’ appreciation of his work: philosophy robbed of its seriousness and sport of its excitement. Then, in 2012, a colleague invited him to contribute to a lecture series titled ‘Philosophy and Sport’, organised to coincide with that year’s Olympics. ‘I couldn’t really refuse’, Papineau recalls. ‘I had an extensive knowledge of both philosophy and sport. If I wasn’t going to say yes, who would?’

The reviewer suggests that Papineau

A was in two minds whether to take on the lectures on sport and philosophy.

B thought no one was better qualified than him to combine sport and philosophy.

C was disappointed with previous attempts to unite sport and philosophy.

D thought that philosophy was of greater value to people’s lives than sport.

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The correct answer is letter B.

CEPT Practice C1 level Open gap fill about work

 

Are You Happy Where You Work?

Finding a job you love is the first step to being happy at work, but (1) ........ the right workplace environment is equally important. Creativity, hard work and bright ideas come (2) ........ positive, happy working environments in (3) ........ people are allowed the freedom to think, develop and express themselves. It's important for everyone to have (4) ........ own clearly-defined workspace, even if the workplace adopts an 'open plan' style, as so many offices now (5) ........ . Relaxation areas where people meet to chat and discuss ideas during office hours are regarded (6) ........ particularly beneficial.

Adding plants to the working environment can also (7) ........ offices to life, since they increase oxygen levels, purify the air and can create a calming and more productive environment. Finally, the lighting (8) ........ be right, because it can have a huge effect on people's moods. If offices are too harshly lit, (9) ........ can result in anger and headaches and lead to a lack of concentration.

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1 having

2 from / with 

3 which 

4 their 

5 do 

6 as 

7 bring 

8 must / should

9 it / this

CEPT Practice C1 level SHORT LISTENING about TWO WRITERS

 

You hear two writers talking about their daily routine. When talking about finding ideas for writing, the man says that

A he uses emails as a source of stimulation for stories.

B he looks for original plots in newspaper stories.

C he avoids depending on the internet for storylines.

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Audioscript

Man: My day starts with a look at the papers.

Woman: Oh, really? I deal with emails before

anything else.

Man: Emails used to be exciting … now it’s all

just stuff to clear. I’m pretty disciplined

about checking them, but I find it doesn’t

hurt to switch off the internet most of the

time … although I sometimes need to

consult it for reference. No, I start with

the news and concentrate on the humaninterest

stories – I couldn’t make up that

kind of thing, so why bother, when I can

get a spark of inspiration so easily …

Woman: I’ve been meaning to tell you, I’ve started

to write standing, with my keyboard and

mouse at waist height. I reason that being

on my feet for hours is a form of exercise.

I think it wards off all those nasty things

that start happening in the body when

you’re seated, though I’m probably kidding

myself.

Man: Well, I force myself to take a long walk in

the afternoon, but I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t

have a voice in my head reminding me that

it’s also good for my brain. To be honest,

I jump at the chance to opt out, say, if it’s

raining. If that’s the case, I’ll sometimes do

some sit-ups indoors, but with a feeling of

resignation.

The correct answer is letter B.