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B


progress test

Unit 5
2 Are the sentences true or false?
The writer says that ... 1 there should be more good news programmes on TV. 2 the presenters do not do a good job. 3 you can’t report news properly in a limited time. 4 the bulletins often don’t tell him anything new. 5 he sometimes thinks they’re going to announce bad news.
Mark /10

Reading
Read the text.

Bad news –every day!
Today’s complaint is from Mr P K Lipton in Somerset and concerns news bulletins. News bulletins How often should we be given news updates on TV? Traditionally the viewing public has had fairly regular news updates on most major channels in comprehensive hour or half hour long programmes that bring us a range of different information and opinions about important newsworthy events fromour own country and around the world. We all know the times of these programmes so we can choose what and when we want to watch. In addition to these news programmes there are, of course, the channels dedicated to 24-hour news coverage. What is putting my back up at the moment is a new supplement to the regular programmes – 60 second news bulletins, hourly during the evening. I imagine this has comeabout because the news bosses think we shall all be thrilled to get a news update every hour but I have to say that not everyone is enamoured of the new system – myself included! There are several reasons why I feel this way. Firstly, 60 seconds is a very short length of time and there are usually several major points they wish to tell us about. However talented the news presenters are, theycannot avoid sounding rushed as they try to read everything within the time limit. Because of this speed of delivery, you usually find that there is no time for any space between items. The result of this is that one item follows on immediately from another and there is no pause to indicate that one item has finished and another has begun. This can be both confusing and slightly amusing! Secondly,most evenings the news doesn’t change radically within an hour so the bulletins end up repeating the same items again and again. Sometimes there is a change in presenter in order to give the illusion of new news but in effect it is the same bulletin as an hour ago. Why bother? Thirdly, I consider this an intrusion into my evening’s viewing. Yes, news is important and I choose when I wish to watch it.When I sit down to watch a film or a soap opera, I want to relax. I do not want to be interrupted in this way. Even now, when I should be expecting it, the bulletins still come as a surprise and I half expect some terrible breaking news. Maybe I am a grumpy old man but in my opinion news has a time and a place and it’s not every hour while I’m trying to relax!
Photocopiable © Oxford UniversityPress

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Vocabulary
3 Replace the words in italics with one word.
1 Share prices have gone up and down a lot this month. f 2 The photographers chased the pop star through the park. p 3 He waited for four hours outside her house, only to get her autograph. s 4 The new boss was extremely hard and sacked 50% of his staff to save money. r 5 The companies had a secret agreementwith each other to keep the prices high. c
Mark /5

4 Complete the sentences with the words in the box.
surge quit pledged back looming axed ban bid plea boost 1 The police have made a to commuters not to travel in these storms. 2 The to take over the failing bank has been unsuccessful. 3 The government is going to the police’s move to install more speed cameras. 4 The on cigarette smokingin public places has been in place for over a year. 5 People are worried that a lot of jobs at the factory will be next year.
Matura Solutions Upper-Intermediate Tests 

A B

progress test

Unit 5

6 Financial experts fear that a recession in world economies is . 7 A in prices means that fewer first-time buyers can afford to buy a house. 8 The new head teacher has to update all the...