Exam Practice 1 - 6 INTERMEDIATE [PDF]

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Exam Practice Mods 1 – 6- INTERMEDIATE Module 1A – Reading and Listening Exercises TOEIC: Listening Test Part 1 1) C 2) A 3) B 4) A 5) A 6) C 7) D 8) D 9) B 10) A

Preliminary (PET): Reading Part 1 What is Debs talking about? 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

(A) crime drama (C) You have to wear quite smart clothes to the talk.) (C) Helen liked quiz night a lot in the past.) (B) The Diving Society is meeting on Wednesday this week.) (B) Belfry Gym and Spa is now open in Oxford.

Module 1B – Open Writing and Speaking Exercises TOEFL: Writing Task 1 Freediving, snorkelling and scuba diving are from the same family of water sports. Freediving uses some of the same equipment. Freedivers wear a mask to protect their eyes and help them see. They also often wear a wetsuit or drysuit. The main difference between scuba diving and freediving is that freedivers do not use any breathing apparatus. They hold their breath to dive, like snorkellers, but they dive very deep under water. Some freedivers can dive the same distance as, or more than, scuba divers. However, diving without any breathing apparatus is not safe. About 100 of the 5,000 freedivers in the world die each year. The biggest danger is 'blackout'. This happens when the body goes to sleep because there is not enough oxygen. To make freediving safer, divers use a buddy system. They do not swim alone, so, when they get into difficulty, their buddy can sometimes save them.

IELTS General Training: Speaking Part 2 (Individual long turn) Examiner: All right? Remember you have one to two minutes for this, so don't worry if I stop you. I'll tell you when the time is up. Start your answer now. Student:

I used to play a lot of sports growing up. I used to play football for my local team, and I used to play basketball for fun with my friends. I used to

play a lot of other sports at school, too. I also used to go to the cinema a lot. I loved films. But now things are different. I don't have a lot of free time because I work long hours and have a family. I sometimes play tennis at weekends, but I hardly ever do any other sports. I still love films, though, and I almost always go to the cinema at the weekend with my wife. I normally spend a lot of time with my family – just relaxing together, you know? The time we have together is special. I've tried a number of water sports, like kayaking, windsurfing and sailing. I liked kayaking, but it's a bit dangerous. Windsurfing was fun, but it's very hard! I loved sailing. It was very relaxing. Examiner: Now, I'm going to ask you a few more questions. How long have you been studying English? Student:

Um … I've been studying English for around five years. I started when I was in college.

Examiner: I see. Thank you. Does it take up a lot of your free time? I mean, how often do you study? Student:

Yes, it does. I mean, I'm not a natural, you know? Learning English is difficult. I usually study about one hour every night. That's a lot of time for me because I also have work and my family.

Examiner: OK. Thank you. That's the end of this part.

Module 2A – Reading and Listening Exercises TOEFL Listening: Conversation 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)

(C) They do the same course at college. (A) She had seen the episode before.) (C) They both disliked the performance.) (C) They probably think they were good. (D) the keyboard player) (B) Friday)

IELTS General Training: Reading Section 1 (Matching information) a new film out in cinemas (E) an art exhibition a lot of people like (A) a dance show (D) a theatre show selling tickets quickly (B) a classical music show (C) a very strange group of two different things (A) very good and very bad reviews of the same thing (B) something on in many different locations (E)

Module 2B – Open Writing and Speaking Exercises Preliminary (PET): Writing Part 2 Hi Stevie! My favourite piece is the classical song World in Union. Charlie Skarbek wrote it and different artists like Hayley Westenra have performed it. I first heard it at the Rugby World Cup. I like it because the message is very positive. :-) Bye! Mica

TOEIC Speaking: Responding to questions using information provided Woman: Hello. I'm doing a project on musicians. I need some information about Glen Hansard, please. 1 Woman: What instruments does he play, and what are his styles of music? Student: He plays the guitar and the mandolin, and his styles of music are rock, folk and traditional. 2 Woman: When did he start his music career, and how? Student: His music career started when he was 13. He left school and busked on the streets of Dublin city. 3 Woman: What happened to him in 2007? Student: In 2007, he achieved international success. He acted in a hit film called Once, and he won an Oscar for a song called Falling Slowly. He wrote this song for the film.

Module 3A – Reading and Listening Exercises Preliminary (PET): Listening Part 4 Jack has heard about shark finning before. (NO) Shark finning is an unusual new water sport. (NO) Sharks die immediately when their fins are cut off. (NO) Philippa is joking when she says some people think shark-fin soupis a superfood. (NO) Orcas are a type of whale. (NO) Some orcas only eat fish. (YES)

TOEFL: Reading Section

1) The text says … (C) UK spider bites are not usually serious. 2) A false widow bite … (D) is rarely worse than a wasp or bee sting.) 3) Pests are … (A) insects or small animals that cause harm or damage.) 4) Why does the writer say 'If you had a choice between mosquitoes and spiders, would you not prefer spiders in your home?' (B) It is better to find a spider in your house than a mosquito. 5) What does the writer mean when he says '… you ought to thank the little guy, not try to kill it.' (C) We should be grateful to spiders.) 6) The word famine means … (D) not enough food.) 7) If there were no spiders, there would be … (C) more diseases and illnesses. 8) How many insects does an average spider eat every year? (B) about two thousand 9) What does the writer mean when he says 'But unless we protect spiders, we will never find out all the ways they can help us.' (C) We have to keep spiders safe to find out all the ways they can help us. 10) Which is NOT a reason scientists are studying spiders at the moment? (A) They want to learn how to make fishing nets from spider webs.) 11) Them in this text "In the Pacific islands, for example, people make them" refers to … (A) spider webs.) 12) Where does the sentence However, it is also incredibly light best fit into the text? (B) This material is stronger than metal. ________ If we study it, we will possibly find ways to improve a lot of different products, like aeroplanes, surgical thread, etc in the future.

TOEFL: Reading Section A lot of people are very negative about spiders, but spiders bring us many benefits. (A)

Module 3B – Open Writing and Speaking Exercises IELTS General Training: Writing Task 1 Dear Ms Foote, I am writing to you about our work environment here at Hudson. I think a very serious problem is developing and something must change. Firstly, the office furniture is very uncomfortable. A lot of my colleagues get backache, and I also have trouble with lower-back pain. The temperature is also very warm, and

this causes big problems for contact lens wearers because our eyes get very dry. Additionally, we can hear everything in the noisy streets outside. For these reasons, we find it very challenging to concentrate. The situation is making us very stressed. If the work environment does not improve, staff will get considerably more stressed and uncomfortable. Unless things change, we will soon get serious back problems and stress-related illnesses. And many of us will probably look for new jobs. However, if the problems were fixed, staff would find it easier to concentrate. We would be less stressed, so our work performance would improve. And, if you made the work environment more comfortable, experienced staff would not look for new jobs. I hope you will listen to our concerns. Yours sincerely, Mathew Broadweight

TOEIC Speaking: Reading a text aloud Does your job make you anxious and stressed? Are you working long hours in an uncomfortable environment for a difficult boss? Well, if you carry on like this, you'll have big problems. If you feel stressed for a long time, your immune system will become weaker. Unless you relax and de-stress, you'll get a serious illness or have a heart attack. But don't worry – we at Green Wellness Centre are here to help. If you booked onto our Stress Survival course tomorrow, your life would change forever. Our therapy, meditation and raw-food programmes would build a new you. Why don't you pick up the phone and call now? It's time to eliminate stress from your life.

TOEIC Speaking: Responding to questions What things about your job are rewarding and enjoyable? Student: I have a good boss and friendly colleagues. We laugh a lot together, and this is very enjoyable. My boss gives me a lot of positive feedback for my hard work, too. This is very rewarding. What things are difficult or stressful? Student: I have a lot of tight deadlines. This can be very stressful. I also work long hours because I want to do a perfect job. This makes me tired and more stressed because I find it difficult to concentrate. What can you do to make your job more enjoyable and less stressful? Student: Well, first, about the long hours. Maybe I don’t have to work as hard as I do. I shouldn’t try to be a perfectionist. I should do my best from nine to five and then leave the office and go home. If I do this, I won’t be so tired all the time. I will concentrate better and do my work quicker. Second, about the tight deadlines, I ought to ask my boss for more time or for help with my work. She’s a good boss, so she’ll listen and do something about the problem. If I do these two things, I think I will enjoy work more and not feel as stressed.

Module 4A – Reading and Listening Exercises IELTS General Training: Reading Section 1 (Matching headings) Antisocial Climbers: A (Don't listen to the critics – this is one to see) Mike Lee stars as Jack Janson in the low-budget independent film Antisocial Climbers, which goes on general release this Friday. Janson is a slightly autistic, incredibly shy shelf stacker with no friends, no social life and no money. The situation goes from bad to worse when he is sacked for being rude to a customer. It seems like the end for Janson, but this is just the start of his fascinating journey. A very imaginative plot and an inspiring story make this film rather moving. First-time director Amelia Polanski does a great job. Other film critics have been rather negative about this one, but I can't understand why. I hope you won't listen to them. Trust me; if you go and see this movie, you will definitely not be disappointed. **** Until Friday: B (An expensive mistake – a bad story and bad acting) They say director Leonard Platoon spent more than $275 million making Until Friday. But is the most expensive film of the year any good? Well, the costume and set designers will probably win a lot of awards for their work, which is stunning, but there's not going to be anything else in this film to excite you. The plot is awful – a love story that's boring and easy to predict. And the cast is very poor. What has happened to Hollywood leading lady Juliette Hound? In the past, she would never give a poor performance; she would make the worst films seem better than they were. However, it's impossible to be very positive about her here. Her character, Anna Derange, is completely forgettable. You're going to hate yourself if you pay to see this film – a waste of money. Opens at the weekend. * A Bridge Too Near: C (Very scary and exciting – my favourite film of the week) A Bridge Too Near might be the blockbuster film of the summer. This big-budget Hollywood production is one of the most terrifying horror movies I've ever seen. The cast includes stars like Jamie Alvarez and Nell Thorn. And they all produce excellent performances, so you won't be disappointed. But the best thing about this film is the plot. It's clever and exciting, and your eyes will be fixed to the screen for all 180 minutes of action. Yes, that's a long time for any film, but it doesn't feel long, and this film is never boring. From the very first scene, when refuse collector Max (played by Alvarez) finds something rather 'unusual' in the trash, you won't be able to stop watching. Superb! Opens Friday. ***** Teleporter 3: D (Fire the writer – so bad it's almost funny) Teleporter 3 is the third and hopefully last film in this sci-fi horror series. Like Teleporter 1 and Teleporter 2, it's more comedy than scary movie. Unless you're about two years old, you'll not find this stuff scary. But, unfortunately, it is 'funny bad' not 'funny good'. And the script is just awful, too – lazy and unintelligent. I don't know why they didn't sack the scriptwriter, Oliver Tweedy, after Teleporter 1. I used to love director Joan Aldridge's work. Not any more … The premiere is on Monday. * Search for the Cloud: E (No big stars, but maybe a new one – brilliant acting and

excellent script) Gregory Park has been an assistant director on many big films, like Saltwater Regatta and Mendulla Oblongata, and his debut as director is the brilliant new comedy Search for the Cloud. This film works because of a very strong script and great casting. People used to think movies needed big-name actors to be successful. Search for the Cloud shows this is not true. Mila Prendergast is a star of the future, and this film is worth seeing just for her stunning performance. Opens Saturday. **** More than a Number: F (Beautiful music – a lovely movie for young children) More than a Number is a lovely new animated film released this weekend by Pedalbike Studios. The story is one kids will love. Parents might not enjoy it as much, but this movie wasn't made for adults. Your children will be falling over with laughter when they leave the cinema. Composer Mattel Weinberg's soundtrack is also really beautiful. You're going to want the CD! A fun film. ***

Module 4B – Open Writing and Speaking Exercises TOEIC Speaking: Expressing an opinión I'm quite optimistic about the future. I mean, I hope life will be better for most people, anyway. There'll definitely be better medicine, so people will probably live longer and healthier lives. And we might develop cures for major illnesses like cancer. If that happens, it will be fantastic. I really hope it will. We probably won't work as many hours as we do today, so I hope we will be less stressed and anxious. Cars will probably drive themselves. This will be great because it will make the roads safer. That means there will probably be fewer road deaths. And travel in general will be easier, too. We will be travelling more often and it will be very quick to get to distant places. On the negative side, unfortunately, there probably won't be world peace. Humans will never change and we will always find things to argue and fight about. I think global warming will be a far more serious problem than it is today, too. Summers in Europe will be very hot, and there will sometimes not be enough water. That's why I'm not extremely optimistic about the future. There will definitely be some big problems, but I hope we'll live in a slightly better world.

TOEFL Speaking: Integrated Task The man didn't really like the movie. He said he thought the casting had been wrong. He said he hadn't liked the actor in the lead part. But he also said it might not have been her fault because the character hadn't been very believable. He said he had been disappointed with most of the actors in the film. He said he had liked the subject of the movie, but he thought the script had been very weak. He said he blamed the scriptwriter for that. He said the director had done a good job and had made the best of a bad cast and script. He also thought the camera work had been really intelligent. He thought the set and costume designers had done fantastic work, too. But he said the plot had been too easy to predict. He said he couldn't agree with critics about the movie. He said he simply hadn't enjoyed it very much, partly because he doesn't like romantic films.

Preliminary (PET): Writing Part 1

The producer asked me, 'Would you write a new version of the final scene?' The producer asked . (me to write) a new version of the final scene. The director told me, 'Play the character like a rude, grumpy, old man.' The director . (told me to) play the character like a rude, grumpy, old man. In her next line, she asked me, 'Will you marry me?' In her next line, she asked me . (to marry her). He asked me, 'Will you help me get the part?' He asked me if I . (would help him) get the part. They told me, 'You didn't get the part.' They told me that I . (hadn't got) the part.

Preliminary (PET): Writing Part 3 Hi Vijay! Thanks for your letter. I think the greatest invention of the last 100 years was the World Wide Web. Today, we can use broadband, cloud computing and sites like Facebook and Twitter because of the internet. That's pretty amazing. I'm really optimistic about the future. I hope we'll discover cures for major illnesses like cancer soon. I think we'll invent a printer to do loads of different stuff, like print food, build cars and make water. We'll probably be living on the moon, too! Space travel will definitely be easier, and flights will be operating daily to space hotels on other planets like Mars. What do you think will happen? Jonah

Module 5A – Reading and Listening Exercises Preliminary (PET): Listening Part 1 1) car 2) artist 3) a computer 4) balcony 5) jumper 6) stadium 7) Hand

TOEIC Reading Test Part 5 If they had invited him to the party, things __________ different. (A) would have been) I wish I __________ a nice car. (B) had)

I wish you __________ off the TV at night. (D) would turn) They wanted to get some minor work __________ on the house. (C) done) He __________ the coffee all over my new coat. (B) spilled) The broken water heater was really old and couldn’t be fixed. It needed __________ (A) replacing) There was a problem with the toilet – it was __________ . (C) blocked) I lost my job at the steel __________ and now I’m unemployed again. (A) works)

TOEIC Reading Test Part 6 Dear Mr Thornberry, I tried calling your office, but I (was told) you were in a meeting. I'm afraid there's a problem with the laptop I received. It takes i (absolutely) ages to switch on. Then it makes a funny noise when I use it. Also, it keeps crashing. I'm afraid this is unacceptable. I must insist (on) receiving a replacement as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for your prompt reply and assistance. Sincerely, George Hope

TOEIC Reading Test Part 7 What is this article mainly about? (C) Mel Cunning's big DIY building project) What does the article say about work people do on their homes? (A) They rarely do major work themselves. The word atrocious in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to (B) very negative) What does the article say about the electrics in Mel's new home? (D) She wired them herself. What does the article say about the cost of Mel's new home? (C) Because she built it herself, it was £150,000 cheaper.)

Module 5B – Open Writing and Speaking Exercises IELTS General Training: Writing Task 2 Restate the topic in your own words in paragraph 1. The DIY industry has become incredibly popular in the UK recently. A lot of people now prefer to do their own minor work on their homes. They only have major work done by professional builders. Let us examine some of the reasons for this. Introduce your first reason and support it with evidence/examples/development. Firstly, there are a lot of so-called cowboy builders around today. These builders do not get the job done properly or they charge too much money. There are stories about cowboy builders on TV all the time. Bad experiences with builders are a big problem,

and this is one of the major reasons people now do a lot of work themselves. They cannot trust the builders any more, so if something simple needs mending or replacing, they will often try to do it without a professional. I can totally understand this. If you had been overcharged in the past, would you ever trust a builder again? Introduce your second reason and support it with evidence/examples/development. Another reason DIY has become more popular is the World Wide Web. There are lots of videos on sites like YouTube to show you how to mend cracks in walls, make roofs watertight, replace rotten floorboards, etc. If this information had been available in the past, more people would have done DIY. And now it is easy to find, so a lot of people prefer to do minor jobs themselves. The only reason they will not do major jobs is because these are too difficult. Write a conclusion summarising what you've said. In summary, I believe the two biggest reasons for the popularity of DIY today are cowboy builders and the World Wide Web. We are afraid to get minor work done by builders because they might charge us too much or do a bad job, so we do it ourselves. And sites like YouTube on the internet give us the information we need.

TOEFL Speaking: Independent Speaking 1 Well, like everyone, I definitely have some major regrets in life. I wish I had studied harder at school. Then I could have gone to university and got a better job. And I wish I hadn't worried about what people think when I was younger. Now I know that's not important. As for what I'd like to happen now and in the future, I wish I had more money so I could travel abroad. Travel is a love of mine and I wish I could see more of the world. I wish there were more hours in the day! I have a lot to do and it's impossible to finish everything. I wish I had more free time. I wish I could follow my love of photography, but I'm too busy with work and bringing up my family. I wish my baby daughter could talk. I would love to know what she's thinking! And I wish my parents were still alive because I really miss them. 2 Where I come from, there are a lot of beautiful buildings. One of the best-known is the Alhambra Palace in Granada. It is a very old palace, with beautiful gold decorations on the walls. The Sagrada Familia is probably the most famous building in my country. A lot of people think it's a cathedral, but it's actually a church. It was built by the architect Gaudí, but it was never finished. It is located in Barcelona and is visited by millions of people every year. It is the most visited building in the city. My favourite building in Spain, though, is more modern than these two examples. It is the stunning office building of Gas Natural. This glass skyscraper is also located in Barcelona. I think it's one of the most amazing pieces of architecture I have ever seen. Of course, if you love football like me, you'll also be interested in the Camp Nou. This huge concrete structure is one of the most famous football stadiums around. And it's very special because it is the home of the best football team in the world – Barcelona FC!

Module 6A – Reading and Listening Exercises

TOEIC: Listening Test Part 2 1 (A) 2 (B) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (A)

TOEIC: Listening Test Part 3 What had Charlene forgotten? (Her compass) Where was Charlene? (On a mountain) Why didn't Charlene sleep a lot? (She heard scary sounds.) TOEIC: Listening Test Part 4 What injury or injuries did the climber suffer? (A little bruising and swelling) What part had snow played in the incident? (It had helped the climber escape serious injury.) What do we learn about the climber? (He wasn’t suffering a lot the next day.)

Preliminary (PET): Reading Part 3 On the Maori Village Experience and Waitomo Caves Tour, you can see a special kind of fly. (A) Three different tours give you the opportunity to meet the Maori people. (B) You will often see dolphins on the Fjordland Boat Tour, but you will rarely see whales.( )A You will usually see sea mammals on the Whakaari Helicopter Tour. B Children's prices are cheaper on three tours and the same as the adult price on one tour. (A) You will travel on water for both the Waitomo Caves Tour and the Fjordland Boat Tour. (B) The Waitomo Caves Tour lasts the shortest time. (A) The longest part of the Whakaari Helicopter Tour is on land, and the shortest part is in the air. (A) The Maori Village Experience happens in a small forest. (A) Two of the tours include food in the price. (A)

Module 6B – Open Writing and Speaking Exercises TOEFL: Writing Task 2 Mountains are incredibly beautiful and special places. However, they are also extremely dangerous at times. The problem is people sometimes forget this. They always bring their camera on their walking trip, but they often do not remember other essentials. And

this is where problems start – when people are not properly prepared for the issues they could face high up on the hills. It is really easy to find your way on a mountain on a good day. However, if it is foggy or snowing, the mountains will feel like a completely different place. And conditions can change very fast, so you must be prepared for anything. If people forget to bring the right equipment, a fun day out can quickly become a disaster. If you have not got a compass or map, you will probably get lost in bad weather. And one wrong step can cause a serious incident. You could walk off the side of a cliff and fall and break your leg or back – or far worse, you could die. But you do not have to have an accident to be in serious trouble. If you are stuck and have to spend the night there, the temperature can drop considerably. It can be incredibly cold. Without a thermal blanket or a tent, your survival is not certain. However, it is not just the weather than can cause you problems. The 'beautiful' features of the landscape can also be deadly. A stream can quickly become a huge river of water and take you away to your death. Or you could cause a big avalanche – a great river of snow – just by walking on a snowy hill in winter. And what about that wonderful cave you have been exploring? Would it be so lovely if a bear came out and attacked you? It would also be easy to step on a snake and suffer a serious bite injury. We must not forget that there are sometimes very dangerous animals in the countryside, too. In short, most people agree that mountains are incredibly beautiful places, but you should definitely not visit them unprepared. Do that, and the weather, the features of the landscape or the wildlife could make you very sorry. You might be lucky to survive.

Preliminary (PET): Speaking Part 1 A What's your name? B My name's Federica. A And what's your surname? B My surname's Esperanza. A And how do you spell that, please? B It's Esperanza; E-S-P-E-R-A-N-Z-A. It means 'hope' in Spanish. A How interesting! Do you work or are you a student? B Both. I have a full-time job during the day and I study part-time in the evenings. A What do you do and study? B I work as a waitress during the day and I study English and science in the evenings. I'm doing a distance degree in biology, and I hope to become fluent in English one day! A If you could change your job or course of study, would you? B Um … actually, I love my job. It's a lot of fun. If the pay were better, it would be perfect. So I guess that's the one thing I'd change. The pay is very low. I find my courses incredibly interesting, so I enjoy them too. I wouldn't want to change them at all. A Did you use to study hard when you were at school? B Well, yes. I think so. I used to study for about two hours every night. I used to like school and I worked hard to get good results. A What would you do at weekends when you were a student at school? B Actually, I didn't use to have a lot of free time. My parents own a farm and I used to work on the farm at weekends. When I had some free time on Saturday or Sunday

evenings, I would usually go to the cinema with some friends. A How long have you been learning English? B I've been learning English for about three years. I do part-time evening classes. A Have you managed to learn any other languages? B Well … um … I used to do French at school. I managed to get good marks in it, so I definitely used to speak French well. But I don't practise it a lot any more. If you don't practise, you start to forget things, you know? A What's the hardest thing for you about learning a language? B Well, for me, the hardest thing is finding the time to study. I have a busy work day and then my university studies in the evening. It is very difficult to find extra time to learn English, but I try my best. A Has learning a language made you more confident? B I'm not sure, to be honest. I'm definitely happy I've studied other languages. I'm able to talk with people who don't speak mine. That feels good. It gives me more experience of the world. But I don't really know if it's made me more confident or not. A What are you going to do this weekend? B I have a busy and stressful week, so, for me, the weekend is always about destressing! I'll probably just relax at home with my boyfriend, Jeremy. We don't see each other a lot during the week, so weekend time is special. We might go to the cinema and watch a good movie or something. A What will you be doing this time tomorrow? B This time tomorrow, I'll be working in the bar. I'll be taking orders from customers and running around in a hurry to get everything done! I'll be very busy! A How often do you get your hair cut? B Well … um … as you can see, my hair is quite long. I haven't had it cut in over a year, so I guess the answer is not very often! A What do you wish you had done differently in life? B I don't like to have regrets. I think it's important to concentrate on the future. Of course, I wish I had the experience I have now when I was younger, but, in a way, I'm glad I made mistakes then because I was taught important lessons and my mistakes have made me who I am. A You haven't been on holiday this year, have you? B No, I haven't. But I'm going to go on holiday next month, actually. My boyfriend and I are going to Turkey. We're going to relax on the beach there for a few days. I'm really excited about it. I haven't had a holiday for ages! A Did you do anything interesting last weekend? B Not really, to be honest. I was very tired because I had studied for this exam all week! I went to a restaurant with my boyfriend for a nice meal and we watched a new release at the cinema on Saturday evening. The rest of the weekend, I just slept! A When you feel tired and anxious, what do you normally do to de-stress? B Um … I like doing meditation and yoga. This really helps me to de-stress and feel less anxious about life. The breathing exercises are incredibly relaxing.

IELTS General Training: Speaking Part 3 (Two-way discussion) A: We've been talking about technology, I'd like to discuss with you, one or two more general questions relating to this topic. Firstly: Do you think technology is ruling our

lives? B: I don't know if it is ruling our lives, but it definitely has a big influence. One example of this is video games. Some young people are addicted to them and play them all the time. For adults, too, they're a problem. And we can't escape video games because we also have them on our phones as apps, you know? Actually, smartphones are a big problem, too. We're on them all the time. We don't talk to people face to face any more. So, yes, maybe the phone rules our lives! A: OK, does the influence of technology in our lives cause any health issues, in your opinion? B: Yes, I think so. For example, teenagers addicted to gaming often don't get enough sleep. But sleep is incredibly important for young people to help them grow and develop properly. So the problem is not just tiredness because this can cause other major health problems. And, for adults, I think technology causes a lot of stress. They bring work with them everywhere they go on their smartphones and tablets. They can never relax properly. Stress can cause high blood pressure, heart attacks and other major health issues, so this is definitely a serious problem. A: What advice would you give to someone suffering from tiredness or stress? B: I would tell them to get plenty of fresh air. I would also suggest they do a lot of exercise. Scientists say exercise releases hormones into the body which help us to destress, so it's really important that we get enough. I'd recommend yoga and meditation too. If they tried these, it would really help them to relax. What else? Um … they should take a break. Maybe they should go on holiday. Or, if their job is the problem, see if they can find a new one. Diet is important too. They should probably eat more raw fruit and vegetables. A: OK. Thank you. That is the end of the test.