Task 7: Read the passages carefully and answer the questions that follow.

PASSAGE 1:

A sales and purchase agreement (SPA) is a binding legal document that governs the transaction between a buyer and a seller. The agreement must clearly identify the property or goods being sold, ensuring no misleading information is provided. SPAs often specify payment terms such as a down payment, expiry date, or a price list, while also detailing obligations for both parties. For instance, sellers might provide a warranty to repair, replace, or refund in case of defective goods, while buyers are expected to fulfill their financial liabilities. The agreement may also address unexpected events like force majeure or an act of god, which could impact the operation or execution of the contract.

The SPA must include appropriate documentation, including an annex detailing additional conditions or a receipt confirming payment. Clauses to prevent a breach of contract, including penalties or remedies for non-compliance, are also common. If disputes arise, the agreement may specify resolution methods, such as appointing an arbitrator. Ensuring compliance with laws pursuant to trade and sales regulations is crucial, as failure to do so could expose parties to significant damages or claims. By outlining these essential elements, SPAs help to reconcile differences, avoid default, and protect both parties, ensuring fair and transparent dealings in the sale of goods or services.

Answer the following questions briefly:

1. What key elements does a sales and purchase agreement typically set out?
......................................................................................................................

2. What obligations might sellers have if the goods they sell are defective?
......................................................................................................................

3. What type of documentation must the SPA include to confirm payment?
......................................................................................................................

4. What resolution method might be specified in the agreement for handling disputes?
......................................................................................................................

5. Why is compliance with trade and sales regulations important in a sales and purchase agreement?
......................................................................................................................

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write:
TRUE — if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE — if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN — if there is no information on this

6. The SPA is a binding legal document that governs transactions between a buyer and a seller.

7. The SPA does not need to specify payment terms such as down payments or expiry dates.

8. The SPA specifies that only the buyer can request repairs for defective goods.

9. The agreement must always include a specific penalty clause for breach of contract.

10. The SPA may specify dispute resolution methods, such as appointing an arbitrator.

2. Complete the gaps with a, an, the or – (zero article).

MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course. These are courses that anyone can take for free. (1) _______________ MOOCs originated in (2) _______________ United States in 2011 and since then, over 100 million people have taken part in them around (3) _______________ world. The University of Stanford was one of the first to develop these large-scale study programmes. So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of MOOCs?

The main advantage, of course, is the price – they are generally free unless you wish to be assessed and gain (4) _______________ certificate. Another attraction is the flexibility they offer for students to study alongside working or other responsibilities. You can work at your own pace and gain useful knowledge and experience. The main drawback with MOOCs is that you don’t have access to a tutor. Any assessment tends to use auto-grading or peer feedback. You need to be self-motivated enough to do your work without (5) _______________ support you get at school or college. Another disadvantage is that so far, (6) _______________ employers have not been keen to recognise MOOCs, though there is some evidence that this is changing. A MOOC is not the best choice if you wish to enter a profession like (7) _______________ law or become (8) _______________ doctor.

MOOCs are developing all the time. There are even (9) _______________ few MOOC-based degrees now. If you are considering a specific MOOC, do your research. Get information from people who have taken (10) _______________ course, read the reviews and make your own decision. Undoubtedly, a MOOC is not the same as a degree at a recognised university, but the skills you learn could definitely pave (11) _______________ way for a better future.

PART FIVE: Questions 1 – 10: Read the article below about people who buy clothes as an investment. For each question questions 1 – 10, write ONE word in CAPITALS on your Answer Sheet.

The Rag Trade
There is one kind of clothes shopper whose selections never leave the bag they come in. They know exactly what they want and they go in and get it, often buying in bulk, and often with little regard for (1) ............................... this latest fashion even fits them. These are the fashion investors, and they are out to make money. Once, the only way to profit from fashion as a collectable item was to buy rare, vintage or antique garments (2) ............................... mint condition – an expensive business and still (3) ............................... which offers relatively risky returns. The modern way has collectors buying more mainstream fashion items that are in the shops now, in (4) ............................... knowledge that they will appreciate considerably over just a (5) ............................... years. The returns on fashion investments are not always massive, although estimates of a four hundred percent return are (6) ............................... uncommon. Certainly they are considerably better than the return offered by a high interest savings account and, (7) ............................... those who are experts, better than the stock market. The knowledge necessary for fashion investing means investors invariably work in the fashion industry. They often know (8) ............................... is going to catch on before the fashion press does and they know where and through whom products can be bought. They can spot what is disposable high fashion now but will (9) ............................... on to become a classic of its time in years to come, worth far more than they laid (10) ............................... for it originally.

Reading and Use of English Part 3:

For questions 1 – 16, read the two texts 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.

Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

The world’s oldest known bread

       Archaeologists working at a site in Jordan recently found the oldest reported evidence of bread. Identified by means of new (1. METHODOLOGY) _________________ developments involving the magnification of tiny fragments of food, the bread is about 14,400 years old and (2. DATE) _________________ the advent of agriculture by at least 4,000 years.

       The (3. DISCOVER) _________________ was made in a location used for thousands of years by early hunter-gatherers. At that time, humans gathered and consumed food for purposes that were (4. PRIMARY) _________________ nutritional, but archaeologists think the huge effort required to produce bread meant it was probably reserved for special occasions.

       ‘The (5. PRESENT) _________________ of the ancient remains of burned food in the fireplaces at this site gives us some (6. EXCEPTION) _________________ useful insights,’ said one researcher. ‘Bread represents a major change in eating practices, away from food as merely a source of energy to the (7. CONSUME) _________________ of food for social and cultural reasons. We used to think agriculture led to the development of bread, but now we think bread-making, with wild grain, may have influenced the (8. EMERGE) _________________ of the practice of growing crops – in other words, the beginning of agriculture.’

The Joy of Mathematics

        Are you good at maths? Many people would say ‘no’. They have no confidence in their dealings with numbers. Maths lessons at school are remembered as hours of (9. ENDURE) ________________ rather than enjoyment, and this memory is (10. DOUBT) ________________ what colours their attitude to maths in adulthood.

       But in some ways, society is (11. TOLERATE) ________________ of this attitude. We accept without question the need to be literate, so why isn’t numeracy valued in the same way? For those who loathe maths, there seem to be (12. MASS) ________________ psychological barriers preventing them from appreciating the (13. USE) ________________ of maths to our everyday lives.

       But all is not lost. A professor of maths in the USA has set up a blog that aims to make maths (14. ACCESS) ________________ to those who missed out at school and to remove the many (15. ANXIOUS) ________________ that some people have about the subject. He wants to share some of his enthusiasm for maths, and by introducing people to the beauty of maths, (16. HOPE) ________________ make it a more joyful experience.

Part 2:
For questions 1 – 10, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only ONE word in each space. 
Write your answers in CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

Rain making

        When it rains, it doesn’t always pour. During a typical storm, a comparatively small (1) _______________ of the locked up moisture in each cloud reaches the ground as rain. So the idea that human (2) _______________ – a rain dance, perhaps – might encourage the sky to give up a little (3) _______________ water has been around since prehistoric times. More recently, would-be rain makers have used a more direct procedure – that of (4) _______________ various chemicals out of aeroplanes in an effort to wring more rain from the clouds, a practice known as ‘cloud seeding’.

        Yet such techniques, which were first developed in the 1940s, are notoriously (5) _______________ to evaluate. It is hard to ascertain, for example, how much rain would have fallen anyway. So, (6) _______________ much anecdotal evidence of the advantages of cloud seeding, which has led to its adoption in more than 40 countries around the world, as far as scientists are (7) _______________ , results are still inconclusive. That could be about to change. For the past three years, researchers have been carrying out the most extensive and rigorous evaluation to (8) _______________ of a revolutionary new technique which will substantially boost the (9) _______________ of rainfall.

        The preliminary (10) _______________ of their experiments indicate that solid evidence of the technique’s effectiveness is now within the scientists’ grasp.