Welcome to our blog dedicated to Cambridge English Placement Test practice with a unique twist - daily devotions. In this blog, we combine the essential task of honing your English language skills with the nourishment of your soul through insightful and inspiring daily devotionals. By integrating these two elements, we aim to create a holistic learning experience that enriches your mind and spirit.
- Enhancing Your Language Skills
- Daily Devotions for Spiritual Nourishment
You hear two students talking about a school project. What do they decide about their projects?
A They will do the project together.
B They will do projects in the same field.
C They need more time to plan their projects.
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Boy: Have you started the science project yet, Sally?
Girl: No. I’m still looking for ideas. How about you? What are you going to do? You always have such interesting ideas.
Boy: I think I’m going to do something about chemicals in food – you know, what we put in our lunchboxes every day and what they do to us. Don’t you have any ideas at all?
Girl: Well, I was thinking about something like that too. I was watching something on TV about how fat’s not always bad for you. But wouldn’t you mind if I did that sort of project too?
Boy: No, that’s OK. We can help each other out, can’t we?
When Jimmy Yates was a small boy, his family spent their holidays on his grandfather’s farm. This was in a valley (1)_____ by mountains. It was during one of these visits that Jimmy's (2)______ to remember a tune led to the suggestion that the boy should (3)______ a musical instrument. One evening a discussion (4)_____ among the adults about the differences between two hit songs. His father tried to prove the (5)______ of the two tunes by playing them, not very well, on his gutter. No one thought that Jimmy, who was only five, was listening, but suddenly he made his (6)______ to the ancient piano which stood in the corner and played first one of the tunes and then the other. The family was amazed (7)_____ no one had heard him play any music before. In this way, Jimmy's musical (8)_____ began.
1 What does Gina say about sheep farming in Australia?
A It is a growing source of employment.
B It takes place all over the country.
C It is restricted to cooler areas.
2 What is the main challenge facing farmers who produce wool?
A competition from artificial materials
B falling production levels
C increasingly dry weather
3 Gina says that in the future wool will have most potential in
A manufacturing carpets. B insulating buildings. C making clothes.
4 What alternative form of energy is Gina investigating?
A solar power B water power C wind power
5 What made Gina become interested in a new source of energy?
A She wanted to help other farmers in her area.
B It fitted in with her green view of life.
C She hoped to make money from it.
6 What does Gina say about the advice she has received in England?
A It has encouraged her to lead a more ecofriendly lifestyle.
B It has taught her to analyse financial issues.
C It has convinced her that she has to give up farming.
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Audioscript
Interviewer: And on today’s Green Magazine programme, we have Gina Ellis, an Australian sheep farmer.
Welcome, Gina.
Gina: Thank you.
Interviewer: So Gina, tell our listeners something about sheep farming in your country.
Gina: So I’m from New South Wales, where over 30% of sheep farming takes place. But in fact there are large sheep farms right across the country, and it doesn’t only go on in the places where the temperatures are lower. But the number of sheep farmers is in decline and some farmers are moving over to cattle instead.
Interviewer: I see. And I believe sheep farmers are experiencing problems at the moment?
Gina: Yeah, that’s right. There are two: one to do with markets and the other with the environment. There’s a good market for meat, but the wool industry is struggling. Although Australia still produces about 10% of the world’s wool, including nearly half of the top quality merino wool, demand is falling – consumers often prefer synthetic clothing, like fleeces, which are cheaper than woollen jumpers and equally warm. But the biggest issue for all of us farmers is climate change – there are major water shortages in farming areas, so it’s becoming harder to find enough for our animals.
Interviewer: Let’s talk about the market problems a bit more. Are you looking for new uses for your wool?
Gina: I am, yes. It’s been put to many different uses over the centuries. Of course carpet manufacture still takes a high percentage of our product, as it always has, and now we’re looking for other domestic uses. The most promising seems to be the idea of using it in buildings as a form of insulation. Companies developing this have found it very effective. And there’s also interest in eco-clothing – you know, clothing made from all natural products and produced organically. But it’s a specialised market and may turn out to be uneconomic in the end …
Interviewer: And why are you over here in the UK at the moment? Are you looking for solutions to your business problems?
Gina: Well, yes. I’m working in co-operation with ten other large farms to see if we can develop an alternative energy system which will produce enough electricity to sell as well as meeting our own needs. Clearly hydro-electricity isn’t for us, given the lack of rain and the water shortage, so I’ve been looking into ideas for using wind power. Britain has a lot of expertise in that area, so that’s why I’m here. Of course, we have potential for solar power, but I don’t think we could produce enough to sell on top of our own needs.
Interviewer: That’s interesting. What made you consider these options?
Gina: Well, if the predictions about global warming are correct, farmers in Australia will have to diversify – that is, look for other ways of earning a living. That’s my reason for looking into wind power as a form of income, generating enough energy to sell some. Of course, since then I’ve begun to realise that being self-sufficient, producing enough energy for ourselves and not having to rely on other power sources at all, is attractive, and I’m starting to think in a greener way.
Interviewer: I see. And what do you feel about the advice you’ve been given?
Gina: It’s certainly given me a lot of food for thought and, er, taught me the advantages of a more ecologically aware approach to life and work. And now that I have the information, I’ve worked out that the financial investment is possible. We should be able to cut back on the number of animals we raise and still make a living, which as you can imagine is good news.
Interviewer: Great. So how would you sum up your feelings about your project?
Gina: Well, to my delight, it seems our basic plans are good and we can carry on very optimistically, without making any major alterations to them. And fortunately, the costs involved do seem to be lower than we’d feared.
Interviewer: Gina, we wish you luck, and thanks for coming in today.
