B2 First for Schools Sample Paper 2

A history of surfing

The history of surfing undoubtedly goes (0) back a long way. It seems to (9) formed a central part of the culture of the Polynesian people, who were inhabitants of islands in the Pacific Ocean (10) as Samoa, Tonga and Hawaii. These people did not regard surfing (11) a mere recreational activity. For them, it was much (12) of an art.

Although surfing disappeared from many parts of Polynesia in (13) early twentieth century, a small number of people in Hawaii kept the tradition alive. In 1912, it spread to the east coast of the United States, and in particular to Virginia Beach, (14) became an important surfing centre.

Surfing developed quite rapidly from then on, and the design of surfboards became more sophisticated. However, (15) was not until the 1960s that surfing came to be a truly global phenomenon, boosted not only by the success of surfing films (16) also by pop songs about surfing culture.

A book of world records

One of the most fascinating (0) reference books you can read is Guinness World Records. It contains a (17) of facts and figures about incredible human achievement. It is also full of statistics concerning (18) natural features such as the world’s highest mountains.

But it is more than just a (19) source of amazing facts. The organisation that produces the book is also now responsible for checking the (20) and accuracy of every new world record.

It all started in 1951 when Hugh Beaver, the Managing Director of a large British company, got into an (21) about which bird was the fastest in the world, and found that none of the books in his library were (22) in giving him the answer. He hired researchers to produce a book that could answer such questions. It sold quickly and became a huge (23) success.

In recent years, the book has increasingly focused on records set during (24) competitions, such as sword swallowing.

Key word transformations

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 two and five words, including the word given.

Scotty Weems

It began falling in the morning. I noticed it at the start of second period, biology, but I guess it could have started at the end of first period. There wasn’t much to it at first, and it had been snowing a lot that month, so I didn’t give it a great deal of thought. It was those small flakes, like grains of sugar. By third period, the flakes had fattened up and got serious, and people were starting to talk about it.

“Think they’ll let us out early?” my friend, Pete said as we gathered our stuff and headed for our next class, Spanish. I looked out the window and sized it up. It was really coming down and there were already two or three centimetres on the windowsill.

“Maybe,” I said. “Is it supposed to be a big one?” “Supposed to be huge: Winter Storm Warning,” he said. “Where have you been?” “School, basketball practice, homework, whatever. Excuse me for not watching the weather forecast.”

My name is Scotty Weems. I prefer “Scotty”, but most people, even my friends, call me “Weems”. I guess it’s easy to say. Anyway, I’m an athlete, so since I was a little kid, I’ve heard it shouted every time I’ve done something right and every time I messed up, too. These days it’s on the back of my basketball jersey. I like to think that someday people will be chanting it from the sidelines: “Weems! Weems! Weems!” Chanting fans make any name sound good.

It was a Tuesday, and before the snow started falling the main thing on my radar was the start of the basketball season. The first game was supposed to be that night. So when Pete said, “Think they’ll let us out early?” what I heard was, “Think they’ll cancel the game?”

Pete Dubois was one of my best friends, him and Jason Gillispie. The three of us were pretty tight. Pete blended in. It was sort of his role. It might sound strange, being known for what you aren’t, but Pete wasn’t super hip or incredibly smart. He listened to mainstream rock and wore whatever clothes he’d been given by his parents. You needed some kids like that, otherwise all you had were competing groups, all dressed in outfits that amounted to uniforms and trying to play their music louder than yours.

So for Pete, early dismissal just meant more time at home, playing video games and eating pizza. For me, it meant not collecting the payoff for all those hours of practice I’d put in over the off-season, all those jump-shots I’d taken in the gym and out in the driveway.

Pete didn’t play basketball, not in a team anyway. Neither did Jason. They were the same friends I’d always had, the neighbourhood kids I’d ridden bikes with when we were nine. Most sporty kids run in packs, but I had only just got onto the first team, so I was still kind of an outsider there anyway. I knew those guys would like me just fine when I became one of the top players. As for my real friends, Pete and Jason, I didn’t have to prove anything to them.

An amazing skateboard

Thinking of getting somewhere in a hurry? A new gadget from a company called Chaotic Moon Labs proves that the future of travel is only limited by the imagination. A skateboard they have developed, aptly named the Board Of Imagination, takes commands directly from the rider’s brainwaves and transfers them to a motor that propels the board forward.

You just think of a destination, and how fast you would like to get there, and the Board Of Imagination will set off – hitting a top speed of around 50 km per hour. If you think that’s too fast, it will slow down.

A film on the internet of the board being put through its paces by the general manager of Chaotic Moon Labs, who refers to himself simply as “Whurley”, shows that he has mastered the art of thinking his way from Point A to Point B. The secret of his success is special software in an onboard computer – and a clever headset that monitors and interprets brainwaves. So far, he’s the world’s leading pilot of the board. 37

On the video, Whurley demonstrates how the board is handled. He gets on, looking relaxed and confident. 38 As he puts it through its paces, he manages to hit fairly high speeds. The computer can be seen attached to the front of the board, and the motor is underneath.

The whole concept started with another motorised board, called the Board of Awesomeness. That gadget used a tablet computer and an adapted computer games console to analyse hand movements. 39 The new version is more sophisticated and uses a special wireless headset which can detect signals from the brain and process them.

Of course, riders who want to use the board need to be able to balance. 40 Whurley says this was a simple and painless process. He practised with just the headset and a computer so that a profile of how he “thinks” could be made. That profile was then loaded onto the computer on the board. 41

Thinking about lunch, or boring work could bring the board to an abrupt halt. Whurley says, “We quickly realised that we would have to find a way to handle distraction. We’ve done the best we can to compensate. 42 The only thing they can do is practise. Hopefully over time they can learn to focus.”

Young environmentalists

A Lucy Walker won a national award for work on a project to build an environmental centre made entirely out of green materials. It is a 100% carbon neutral building, which means the building materials were reused or recycled. She also created an online curriculum guide so young people could learn about the environment in schools. She translated it into Spanish as well. She did this because she has a great love for the outdoors and wildlife and wanted other young people to experience the same passion.

B Justin Day noticed a plant he did not recognise while hiking near his home. His sister, a naturalist, told him the plant was an invasive, non-native plant that is toxic to local wildlife. He discovered other non-native plants in the area and had to get permission from the local council to remove some of them. He then set up an environmental organisation to recruit other teenagers. Their focus has mainly been on Dalmatian Toadflax, which is easier to pull up, so anyone can do it.

C Josh Benito read about an environmental competition and set up a project at his local primary school. He gave a presentation to pupils about the importance of taking care of the environment and how trees can help. Then each of the 300 pupils was given two young trees: one to plant at home and one to give to a neighbour or friend. He thought the project was an effective way of getting the message across to more people.

D Erica Klek got involved in aluminium can recycling at primary school and later helped coordinate an environmental event because she wanted more people to understand important issues. She believes it is her generation that will make or break the environment. Some teenagers do not know they are doing the wrong things, and she wants to help them understand. She has prepared a guide for students interested in organising similar activities.