Text A - Jasmine Porter's Blog. Today has been a difficult day filled with arguments. I left university after completing my graphic design course in the summer. Until then I had lived in various subsidised university accommodation over four years. So leaving a sheltered life and having to find accommodation in the market place was a real shock. We decided, two girls and two boys, to find a flat, and I volunteered to speak to the flat-owners. At first sight one would think that our university town would be an easy place to find accommodation. All the heavy industry and manufacturing industries closed down a couple of decades ago and many people moved away to find work, so compared with the country as a whole house prices are low here. Flats of various sizes are available, but finding a cheap flat of a reasonable size affordable for four young people was challenging. Like any sizeable town, ours has districts with different housing. Goldmark in the west contains most of the wealthy housing and we didn't bother looking there. Newtown way out to the south is mostly prefabricated housing blocks with high levels of unemployment but very little going on at the cultural level. After eliminating those areas, we confined our search to Babylon in the east with its multicultural background. Of the four of us, three were living on savings and welfare payments. Paul, one of the boys, had a night job working in a twenty-four hour mini-supermarket in the town centre. Our poor economic profile meant that flat owners were reluctant to rent to us, fearing that we would default on our rent payments. In the end, we claimed to have jobs that we did not. If we hadn't done so, we wouldn't have found anywhere. By far the most disturbing aspect during our search was the run-down character of so much of the property on offer. Much of it fell far below legal standards: the gas and electricity systems were poorly maintained and the sewage systems were below standard. Usually these properties were meagerly furnished and were extremely dirty. We had to choose the least worst option which was a three-roomed flat on the fourth floor of a tenement building. We moved in today. The landlord asked for a thousand Euro deposit and three months' rent in advance. With great difficulty we complied. The place is filthy and I have drawn up a list of work that needs to be done to make the place liveable. As we only have three rooms we drew lots to see who would end up with the kitchen: the other girl, Dora, chose the short straw. Well, she can make cups of tea during the night. 1A. Choose the correct answer a, b or c (3 points, 0.5 each): 1. Jasmine says that housing in the town is... A not easily obtainable by the young. B becoming expensive. C unsuitable for young people. 2. Concerning the geography of the town, Jasmine says... A housing price and quality is broadly uniform. B she rejected some parts for reasons other than price. C Babylon was desirable because it was populated mainly by young people. 3. Before searching for her current flat Jasmine... A had only lived in one place at university. B had received financial assistance for housing. C didn't realise that she would have to move. 4. Concerning finance, Jasmine says... A they were collectively unable to pay the rent. B Paul had to subsidise his flatmates. C they were able to rent their flat only by lying. 5. Concerning the quality of rented accommodation Jasmine says... A the maintenance level of the flats was not the most pressing issue. B no furniture was provided. C there was nothing good to choose from. 6. After moving in... A they were unable to pay the landlord the amount demanded. B some of them will have to share a room. C somebody will sleep in the kitchen.

2A. Answer these questions in no more than 5 words. (1 point, 0.25 each). a. Who is Jasmine sharing a flat with? b. Where can we find prefabricated housing blocks and high levels of unemployment? c. Which flat have they chosen? d. Who is sleeping in the kitchen?

3A. Find a word in the text for each of these definitions. (1 point, 0.25 each). a) A place to live or stay, especially on holiday or for students at college. b) The number of people who do not have a job that provides money. c) A fixed amount of money that you pay regularly for the use of a room, house, car, television, etc. that someone else owns. d) Extremely or unpleasantly dirty.

Text B - Fashion during recession. Current economic trends present an opportunity for many people to look at fashion in a way they haven't before. Many consumers are looking for fashion that is not only affordable, but stylish as well. According to some fashion experts, this has forced designers and retailers to get back to the meat and potatoes of their lines and offerings. That can mean clothes with a better fit and designs that are more in tune with their target markets, says Amanda Lovell, department chair of Fashion Design at The Art Institute of New York City. 'By making less and offering less, there is a stronger focus on producing items that are known sellers,' Lovell says. 'Designers and retailers need to get the most out of every purchase a customer makes, due to the fact that customers are thinking twice before buying excess pieces.' Each fashion brand, designer, and retailer has items that are known sellers, Lovell explains. 'For example, the Gap most likely sells their short-sleeved Crewneck or V-neck, black fitted T-shirts for both men and women season after season regardless of the economy or forces in the trend cycle,' she offers. Designers also have responded by offering lower-priced bridge lines, adds Mary Hall, who provides money-saving tips on fashion, dining out, and entertainment in her blog The Recessionista. 'There are fewer and fewer high-end collections with high prices coming out,' says Hall, a Los Angeles marketing manager. 'Now we have Norma Kamali at Walmart, Vera Wang and Dana Buchman at Kohl's, and the annual H&M designers. It makes fashion so much more accessible to consumers.' Shoppers are also on the hunt for versatile clothing items that have a long shelf life. 'We all just got a little wiser and started exercising the power of the purse,' Hall states. 'We are shopping smarter. The new differentiator is value along with the best price.' Lovell agrees. 'I believe from a consumer point of view, they are looking for pieces to add to their wardrobes that will take them further and have more staying power,' she offers. 'Classic pieces have been trending well.' To keep them looking up-to-date, many designers just give them a slightly newer spin. 'Pieces such as the basic cardigan are receiving a face-lift with added bobbles and trimmings and simple touches in updating the buttons, or the cut,' Lovell comments. 'This is an example of a classic piece that women can wear and depend on year round. I see customers buying these pieces that they can get more wear out of.' Classic items aren't the only things popular in the down economy. Lovell also says there's a resurgence of people mending their clothes and accessories before replacing them with new items. 'Overall, trends in consumer buying behaviours change with what is going on socially, politically, and economically in the world. The fashion industry just needs to ride out this wave and consumers will soon be spending in excess as before,' Lovell opines. However, some say the recession has prompted them to become more responsible in their spending habits - a change that could be permanent for many consumers. 1B. Choose the correct answer a, b or c (3 points, 0.5 each): 1. As designers reduce the range of products, they A increase the price consumers have to pay. B have to sell double the amount of goods. C put more emphasis on what consumers buy. 2. As the number of expensive designs is decreasing, A fashion is more readily available. B people worry less about the costs. C fashion has become more important. 3. As consumers think more carefully about what they buy, they A limit the number of clothes they own. B spend more time shopping for clothes. C focus more on quality and cost. 4. It has become a trend to A design or change your clothes yourself. B make traditional clothes more fashionable. C combine knitwear with other types of clothes. 5. Another trend is to A fix old clothes rather than get new ones. B spend more on accessories rather than clothes. C exchange broken or damaged things for new ones. 6. Lovell believes that after the recession A fashion trends will become very different. B shoppers will be buying as much as ever. C the social and political world will improve.

2B. Answer these questions in no more than 5 words. (1 point, 0.25 each). a. What kind of fashion are consumers looking for? b. What does Hall do for a living? c. How do designers keep their classic pieces looking up-to-date? d. What do people do in times of down economy?

3B. Find a word in the text for each of these definitions. (1 point, 0.25 each). a) Something that you give or offer to someone. b) An amount that is more than acceptable, expected, or reasonable. c) A person who imagines how something could be made and draws plans for it. d) To give someone something that they need.

PART 2 - USE OF ENGLISH (2 POINTS). 4. CHOOSE FOUR OF THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS AND REPHRASE THEM SO THAT THEIR MEANING IS AS SIMILAR TO THE ORIGINAL AS POSSIBLE (0.5 EACH). a. The heavy industries closed down some years ago and people moved away to find work. If the heavy industries... b. College students usually share flats in town. They are extremely expensive. College students... c. The landlord asked us for 1.000 EUR deposit and three months' rent in advance. We... d. 'There are fewer and fewer high-end collections with high prices coming out,' said Hall. Hall said... e. Goldmark contains most of the wealthy housing. It is in the west of the town. Goldmark... f. Prices in this town are lower than in the rest of the country. Prices in this town are not... g. The recession has prompted consumers to become more responsible in their spending habits. Consumers have... h. 'Do you work or are you a student?' asked the landlord. The landlord...

PART 3 - WRITING (2 POINTS). 5. CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TOPICS AND WRITE A 150 WORD LONG TEXT. A) Write about your ideal house/flat. Do not forget to mention its location, size, whether you would share it with a close friend, etc. B) Are you a fashion lover? Do not forget to mention whether fashion is important for you, the kind of clothes and accessories you wear, where you usually buy your clothes and accessories, etc.