> > Ri: OPINION MATCHING » To complete the task, you need to match four people's opinions (Person A-D) to seven questions. RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE Four people respond in the comments section of an online magazine article about eating out in restaurants. Read their comments and answer the questions (1-7). I knew there was something unusual when we saw Braille written on the door. Once inside, we were surprised to see a blind waiter gracefully carrying a tray of drinks toa table. After giving our orders, we held on to our waiter’s shoulders and walked down a long corridor to the dining room - all in complete darkness! As soon as | sat down, | touched the objects placed on our table to try to identify them and, as usual, | made a mess. As for the food, it was difficult to identify the ingredients without being able to see them. A while ago, | noticed an appealing poster in the window of a scruffy-looking restaurant. Feeling a little hungry, | entered to have a look at the menu and | was instantly enamoured. In this hidden gem, they made the most delicious breakfast bagels. | had definitely hit the jackpot in terms of quality and price. It became my second home and all the staff knew my favourite order. However, my once-secret place grew in popularity and things took a completely different turn. Now, the queues seem never-ending and the portions are smaller. It’s hard to admit, but the place has definitely lost its charm, @ Remember to read the questions first and think of different ways of expressing the same idea. Then, read Person A and scan the sentences again to choose any that match up, then follow the same strategy for B, C and D. 2 Copyright © 2021 Future House Languages© fas The shareholders chose the restaurant as it had received a lot of positive press for having been awarded a Michelin star. Fortunately, | wasn’t footing the bill as it was @ celebration of our healthy profits for that quarter. The menu fused different cuisines together and offered dishes ranging from the Mediterranean to the Middle East. | chose my dishes randomly as | barely understood a word of it. Despite the bite-size quantities, the food certainly lived up to our expectations in terms of creativity. | was ‘amazed by how the flavours and textures were skillfully combined by the chef. We decided to throw an 80s-themed party for our friend, and what better way to celebrate than with dinner and dance? We made heads turn as we entered the room in full fancy dress. The dining tables were set around a huge dance floor with a band playing, There was an instructor giving dancing lessons to a few brave customers who were showing off their moves. When we asked for the menu, our waiter simply nodded towards the buffet-style food area. It was neither a feast for the eyes nor the taste buds, but we didn’t mind. | had a whale of a time regardless of the food and my friend had the best birthday she's had in years! Who thinks an employee's skills were impressive? Who thinks the food on offer was eclectic? Who thinks they were attracted by advertising? Who thinks that standards have slipped? Who thinks the food was bland? Who thinks that language posed a barrier? Pe SF Se Pe Who thinks they're a clumsy person? There could be 1, 2 or 3 questions matched to a single text, but there's always at least one for each text. Copyright© 2021 Future House LanguagesR2: MATCHING HEADINGS anes) To complete the task, you need to match seven headings to the correct paragraphs in DD ine text. choose from the list (A-1) and match it to a paragraph (1-7). There is an extra heading and an example given (A). [i= Vienna elses 0. New research cartied out by the European Institute for Work and Pensions (EIWP) has revealed that remote working is becoming more popular than ever. Moreover, a study released by the Swiss office provider IWG found that more than 70% of professionals work remotely at least one day a week, while 53% work remotely for at least half of the working week. Some multinationals have their entire staff working remotely with no fixed office presence at all, which can result in having employees situated all over the world ~ most of whom have never even met. 1. Nearly 70% of millennials would be more likely to accept a job from an employer who offered remote working, according to a recent study. In fact, many recent graduates and job seekers specifically look for companies that solely offer the possibility of working remotely. The benefits, of which there are many, draw people to this style of work. Employees value the flexibility it gives them, particularly if they have childcare commitments. People also appreciate escaping long daily commutes and avoiding office distractions such as office chatter and people coming and going all day long. © Remember to use the strategy explained in the introduction to this reading task. Read the first TWO lines and LAST line only, and match up the more obvious headings before reading specific paragraphs in detail. © Just because a word from a heading is mentioned in a paragraph doesn't necessarily mean that it is the correct match. You need to focus on the best summary of each paragraph - don't be distracted by single words or phrases. Copyright © 2021 Future House Languages 2526 2. But there are also growing concerns that people's mental health and well-being can take a hit when working remotely. In the UK, businesses lose £100m every year due to workplace stress, depression and anxiety. Research shows that being “always- on” and accessible while working remotely leads to the blurring of work and non- work boundaries, particularly if you work from home. In 2017 a United Nations report found that 41% of remote workers reported high stress levels, compared to just 25% of office workers, Switching off seems to be an ever-growing issue. 3, Ina virtual environment, there is a tendency to focus too much on tasks and too little on relationships. This kind of transactional leadership can be the route taken by leaders who want to get the job done but fail to recognise how important the people are who are completing these tasks. With more emphasis on deadlines and routine information, virtual workers can feel treated like a cog in a machine, rather than an essential part of the team. Such a leadership approach can worsen the sense of isolation that naturally comes with working remotely and can contribute to virtual workplace stress. 4, When it comes to work, there are two kinds of stress - the good kind and the bad kind. The Yerkes-Dodson Law (drawn up by psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dodson) points out that stress can aid productivity up to a point and then it results in reduced productivity. Being unable to report being stressed (or feeling uncomfortable doing so) is detrimental as pressure will eventually outweigh an individual's ability to cope over time. In contrast, one recent study found that colleagues who spend just 15 minutes socialising and sharing their feelings of stress had a 20% increase in performance. 5. The right kind of communication is the key to overcoming the possible trials and tribulations of virtual working. Employers need to put the right structures in place, such as scheduled video calls and regular team-building “meet-ups” to build morale, Bosses need to lead by example and create a culture where those outside the office feel valued. A weekly or bi-weekly chat with a supervisor or boss has proven to be a key way to make staff feel part of the team. It also serves the purpose of keeping everyone on the same page when it comes to projects, events and deadlines. Copyright © 2021 Future House Languages"put it cuts both ways. Everyone needs to think about what makes them productive, py and successful in everyday life, and try to replicate this in a remote setting - nether this ranges from taking a walk at lunchtime, going to the gym, ringing a jend or reading your favourite book. The possibilities are endless; it’s ultimately bout finding one or two things that can take people away from their workload for a tain amount of time every day. This will undoubtedly have its effects on an individual, both at work and at play. 7. If the future of work is heading towards more virtual working, then it is not something we can avoid. Instead, we should implement ways of managing the stress. associated with it while enjoying the benefits. Creating new and healthy habits which can be done from any location is paramount. Of even greater importance is being a good communicator and setting boundaries when it comes to work and leisure time. Everyone will benefit from a well-structured week with allocated slots for every task Planning your time well and sticking to a schedule seems to be the key to remote working. A. The rise in popularity of remote working B. Aproblem shared is a problem halved C. Alittle organisation can go a long way D. The upsides of remote working E. Making remote workers feel appreciated F. Unable to disconnect G. It's a question of taking time out H. Endless meetings are taking their toll |. Damaging employee-boss rapport Copyright© 2021 Future House Languages Ea>» R3: SINGLE TEXT GAP-FILL > 7 complete the task, you need to complete the text by filling in the gaps. Choose DD the correct word from option A, Bor C. Ah, coffee. Whether you're cradling a travel mug on your way to work or dashing out after gym class to refuel with a latte, it's hard to imagine a day without it. The caffeine (1) you up, and there's something incredibly soothing about sipping on a steaming cup. But is drinking coffee good for you? Good news: The case for coffee is stronger than ever. Study after study indicates you could be getting more from your favourite morning beverage than you thought. Coffee is chock full of substances that may help (2)___health conditions more common in women, including Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease. “Traditionally, coffee has got a bad rep,” says Marc Gunter, head of the section of nutrition and metabolism at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). “Research from the 1980s and 1990s concluded that people who drank coffee had 2 higher risk of cardiovascular disease - but it's evolved since then.” With more, larger-scale population studies (3) over the last decade, Gunter says, scientists now have data from hundreds of thousands of coffee-drinkers all over the globe. Coffee has been associated with an increased risk of cancer because it contains a carcinogenic substance also found in foods such as toast, cakes and chips. However, the IARC concluded in 2016 that coffee is not carcinogenic unless it’s drunk steaming hot - above 65C (149F). Not only that, but more research has found that coffee may actually have a protective effect. Some international studies have shown a (4) between coffee drinking and lower severity, and recurrence, of colon cancer in Patients, for example. In 2017, Gunter published the results of a study that looked at the coffee-drinking habits of halfa million people across Europe over a period of 16 years. Those who drank more coffee had a lower risk of dying from heart disease, stroke and cancer. These findings are (5) research from other parts of the world, including the US. Gunter says there's enough consensus across observational studies to confirm that people who drink up to four cups of coffee a day have fewer diseases compared to those who don’t drink any. “t's common sense that if you drink too much of anything it’s probably not good for you, but there’s no strong evidence that drinking a few cups a day is bad for your health," he says. “If anything, it's the opposite.” Copyright® 2021 Future House Languages5 | EMERGING STRONG LINK B Betas B Beer ENRICHING WEAK CONNECTION Noo Cm Le} B elite OTS TL Remember that this is not designed to be a grammar test. It's a comprehension test which means you need to choose the answer based on information contained in the sentence or whole paragraph. Unlike Cambridge exams (CAE and CPE), you can't simply rely on looking at the words before and after the gap and make your choice based on collocations, grammar or word choice. You must understand the text in order to choose correctly. that will guide you to the correct answer will be contained in the same sentence or paragraph. |f you don't find clues to lead you to the correct answer in the paragraph in which the question is contained, read the next paragraph. There may be examples given that will help you eliminate options, or a previous point may be referred back to or developed more fully. Study the words carefully as often all three options could fit grammatically. The information Copyright© 2021 Future House Languages>> EAS Led staceN ele) YD [complete the task, you need to complete the text by filling in the gaps with the appropriate word or phrase. Choose the correct option from A, B or C. ECMO VMTN ros It may seem like life would be easier if we could be entirely rational. But evolution has supported the development of feeling and thinking exactly because we need them both. Feelings take care of our desires and needs now, while (1) is defending our comfort and security in the future. The argument about whether one or the other is more fundamental, or whether one leads to the other, {goes back centuries, In the 19th and 20th centuries, there were famous debates between William James (the “father of American psychology") and Walter Cannon about which comes first between physiological arousal and neurological processing, Current debates about IQ vs. EQ tap a similar vein. The IQ, or Intelligence Quotient, has been a standardized representation of intelligence developed over the course of the 20th century and is widely used in institutional settings, starting especially with the military in WWII. EQ (or Emotional Quotient) is, a relatively new distinction hatched in the late 80s to early 90s and is much less standardized. EQ emphasizes abilities to apprehend, empathize and (2). emotion inter-personally. There is significant evidence that emotional intelligence (EQ) can be a (3)__ of many dimensions of life-success than IQ, but these are complex theories that are still not firmly established. There is still much work to be done in mapping the territory. Like all good relationships, neither emotion ‘nor reason is very effective all by itself {if that were even possible). They work best together, with emotion providing the drive and direction, and reason organizing the path. o oe © OER o R= e STRONGER PREDICTOR JM B] WEAKER FORECASTER C MTree aa Copyright © 2021 Future House Languages . | |Is it better to use emotional thinking when making a decision or to use our rational thinking? Emotional thinking takes care of the things we need and want at any given moment based on how we feel, whereas rationality leans more toward defending ourselves against danger or harm in the future. The (4) about emotional and rational thought has paved the way for some in-depth studies, with the main one being the fundamentality of one or the other. There have been scores of deliberations ‘over the centuries, culminating in today’s battle between IQ and EQ, the latter being a lot less regulated than its predecessor. We have seen a shift in the importance of emotional intelligence, which is connected to a person’s ability to employ empathy and to use their emotions when dealing with other people. A lot of evidence shows that EQ is a better indicator of how successful a child will grow up to be. Although none of these (5) and there is a long way to go to prove or disprove these findings. What is known for sure is that both areas are of importance and surely (6) High levels of both types of intelligence can effectively guide us through life's tials and tribulations by motivating us and paving the way ahead with rational decision-making. es Loeencien Reem CONCEPTS ARE BELIEVABLE i BJ) THEORIES ARE SET IN STONE prea ETc Gl corte Ret Both texts are on the same topic. The information found in one text compliments or gives more specific details about the information found in the other. Remember that all the options are usually grammatically possible. Remember that you need to read both texts to be able to choose the correct answer, as the information you need is likely to be found in the other text. A good strategy is to ask yourself "What information is missing here?" and then scan the other text until you find a sentence relating to a similar piece of information. Use this as a clue to guide your answer choice. Notice that the incorrect answers often have an opposite or contradictory meaning. Use this to help you eliminate incorrect choices if you don't know the meaning of all the words. Copyright © 2021 Future House Languages a