LEVEL TEST

Hey Diogo,
how are you man?
Listen, I believe I have explained the reason why I've created this blog for you, but in case you don't remember, let me explain again:
This is our link whenever we don't have classes...Sometimes I'll leave exercises here, tips and infos, etc. I hope you like it!
For today, we have a LEVEL TEST, just to check what type of blanks in your ENGLISH we have to fill, so the day of the test we don't have unpleasant surprises!


This LEVEL TEST is divided in 4 areas of ENGLISH COMPETENCE: LISTENING, READING, WRITING, SPEAKING. Let's get to it?


1-LISTENING


STEVE JOBS on FAILURE. Listen to him and answer the following questions:

1-What was the job offered to him?
2-According to Steve Jobs, what separates people who DO things and people who DREAM ABOUT DOING?
3-What souldn't you be affraid of?


STEVE JOBS on SUCCESS. Listen and answer:

1-How does LOVE/PASSION help you reach success?
2-Can you explain the relation between the expression "put up with"and success?
3-What's the second thing you have to BE in order to become successful?


JUST so you know: When you give me answers I will analyse 2 main aspects... HOW WELL CAN YOU RESPOND TO THE QUESTIONS and HOW ARTICULATE YOU CAN BE RESPONDING TO THEM. I will repeat the videos 3 times ok?


2-READING


Read the following article and answer the questions.

Published: March 14, 2009

AT most enterprises these days, hiring is in tatters. Bosses who once fretted over the talent wars are announcing hiring freezes, mass layoffs or pay cuts. Collapsing financial markets and a rapidly deteriorating economy have touched off a race to retrench.

In pockets of the American economy, however, the hunt for game-changing stars remains surprisingly intense. Competitors in entertainment, venture capital and medical research keep racing to 
sign the right people and turn them loose on winning projects. Finding the next big hit can save the day, but running out of talent is a recipe for extinction.
So mavericks like Michael Moritz, the Silicon Valley venture capitalist, are shrugging off talk of economic collapse and scouting for winners anyway. “A downturn can be a very good time to build a company,” he contends. “The parvenus and the pretenders are gone. The only people who want to start a company in a time like this are the ones with the greatest conviction.”
Mr. Moritz’s firm, Sequoia Capital, scored big by helpingCisco Systems expand during a tech slump in the late 1980s. Now Mr. Moritz, a former journalist who became a billionaire by backing Yahoo and Google, is scouting not only in the United States but also in China, India and Israel.


1-According to the text, what has forced companies to have hiring freezes, mass layoffs and pay cuts?


2-an you explain this sentence based on context: "Mavericks like Michael Moritz, The Silicon Valley venture capitalist, are shrugging off talk of economic collapse..."


3-In the sentence : "In pockets of american economy, however, the hunt for game-changing stars remain surprisingly intense."Can you substitute the word HOWEVER for a similar one?


4-Can you explain the meaning of the expression "running out"in the sentence "running out of talents".




3-WRITING


I'd like you to follow some instructions that I'll give during the class, I'll check your written production through a dynamic exercise.


4-SPEAKING


I'll ask you to produce an oral discourse with past verb forms.