How the Tour de France began

The very first Tour de France, the greatest cycle race (0) in the world, was held in
1903. It began when two French journalists, Henri Desgrange and Geo Lefevre, came (1) … with the idea of a race right round the country, (2) … that had never been tried anywhere before.

Nowadays we might think the aim of (3) …an idea would be to bring in lots of television money, or even tourists, but at the beginning of the twentieth century what they wanted to do (4) … sell more copies of their newspaper. And they succeeded. Circulation figures, (5) … had been 25,000, went to 65,000 within a year, and on to half a million by 1923.

The reporters were in fact quite closely involved in organising the race, and Desgrange would go (6) … to remain Tour Director from 1903 right up to 1939. Even (7) … their initial design for the race changed in several important ways before the first one was run. For instance, they had intended (8) … to be held over five weeks, but such a long race was just too much for most riders and very (9) … wanted to take part.

So it became half (10) … length, and it would be run entirely in July (11) … than from late May to early July. As, however, it would still go right round France, the distance travelled each day would be much longer, with cyclists sometimes (12) … to ride at night.

Part III

For questions 1-10, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0).

The city of Miami

The (0) American city was founded in 1896 by Julia Tuttle, a(1) …Florida businesswoman. From a population then of just 300, it has become a vast urban area of 5.5 million (2) …, attracting (3)… from all over the world. Its excellent transport links mean it can. The city's continuing (4) …as a tourist and financial centre has led to a construction boom. Many of the new buildings are over 120 metres in (5) …, giving Miami the most impressive skyline in the country after New York and Chicago. Its wide variety of (6) … includes sandy beaches, nightclubs, music and dancing, as well as activities such as skateboarding and cycling in the world-famous, (7) …South Beach area. The city centre has a number of (8)… parks and gardens, and of course there is the wonderful weather: (9)... any other major city in the USA, it has a genuinely tropical climate which offers hot and humid summers and short, warm winters with a marked drier season in the winter. Its sea-level (10) …, coastal location, position just above the Tropic of Cancer, and proximity to the Gulf Stream shapes its climate.

0 – AMERICAN, 1 - WEALTHY 2 - INHABIT, 3 -VISIT 4 - GROW 5 - HIGH   6 - ATTRACT   7 - FASHION 8 - DELIGHT 9 - LIKE 10 - ELEVATE

Part IV

For questions 1-8, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between three and six words, including the word given. Here is an example (0).

Example:

0 It didn't stop raining but Jake still enjoyed his day out. RAIN
Despite....................................................... good time on his day out.

Example: the rain Jake still had a

1.What would you have done differently in my position last year? SHOES

What would you have done differently if................................... last year?

2.Surely you should have informed him about the problem sooner? ATTENTION

Why didn't you........................................ sooner?

3.We need to decide how we're going to go to the theatre. DECISION

We need to........................................ get to the theatre.

4. Jane loves New York now but it seemed a strange place to her for several months after she moved there. USED

It took Jane several months....................................... New York.

5. It's important to defend what you believe in when others express their doubts.
STAND

You must........................................ when others express doubts about them.

6. The judge told the jury that they should remember how young Smith was when considering their verdict. ACCOUNT

The judge told the jury........................................ when considering their verdict.

7. I imagine Paul missed the train he usually gets as he isn't home yet. USUAL

Paul can't......................................... or he'd be home by now.

8. What I do in my free time has got nothing to do with my boss, has it? BUSINESS

What I do in my free time......................................, is it?

LISTENING

Part I – Multiple Matching

You'll hear five different young people talking about why they have decide to live in another country. For questions 1 to 6, choose from the list A to F what each speaker says. Use the letters only once. There is one extra letter which you do not need to use.

A She had lost her job

Speaker 1

B She wanted to earn more money.

Speaker 2

C A relative had already moved to the same country.

Speaker 3

D She was bored in her home town.

Speaker 4

E Her new country had a more pleasant climate.

Speaker 5

F She wanted to learn another language.