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Top 16 Practice Tests for the gifted students
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Tác giả:
Practice Tests for the
gifted
Compiler: Ngo Minh
Chau
1
PRACTICE TEST 1
I. LISTENING
Part 1: You will hear a radio report about Ocean Biodiversity. Complete the sentences, using NO
MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Ocean Biodiversity
Biodiversity hotpots
areas containing many different species
important for locating targets for (1)
at first only identified on land
Boris Worm, 2005
identified hotspots for large ocean predators, e.g. sharks
found that ocean hotspots:
- were not always rich in (2)
- had higher temperatures at the (3)
- had sufficient (4) in the water
Lisa Balance, 2007
looked for hotspots for marine (5)
found these were all located where ocean currents meet
Census of Marine Life
found new ocean species living:
- under the (6)
- near volcanoes on the ocean floor
Global Marine Species Assessment
Want to list endangered ocean species, considering:
- population size
- geographical distribution
- rate of (7)
Aim: to assess 20,000 species and make a distribution (8) for
each one
Recommendations to retain ocean biodiversity
increase the number of ocean reserves
establish (9) corridors (e.g. for turtles)
reduce fishing quotas
catch fish only for the purpose of (10)
Part 2: Listen to the information about London Heathrow Airport. Write NO MORE THAN
THREE WORDS for each answer.
1. Which terminal takes British Airways flights to Philadelphia?
2. How long does it take to travel by coach between terminals?
3. Where do you go if you do not have a boarding pass for a connecting flight?
4. How many passengers can a taxi carry?
5. How long is the journey on the underground?
Part 3: You are going to listen to a conversation. As you listen, indicate whether the following
statements are true or not by writing.
T for a statement which is true; F for a statement which is false;
N if the information is not given.
1. Napoleon controlled all of Europe at one time
2. Austria and Russia fought fiercely against Napoleon, but England did not.
3. Napoleon lost most of his soldiers when he attacked England.
4. Napoleon died before he reached the age of fifty-two.
5. He was married when he was very young.
Part 4: You will hear a radio discussion about writing a novel. For questions 1-5, choose the answer
(A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear.
1. What does Louise say about Earnest Hemingway‘s advice to writers?
A. It‘s useful to a certain extent. B. It applies only to inexperienced novelists.
C. It wasn‘t intended to be taken seriously. D. It might confuse some inexperienced novelists.
2. Louise says that you need to get feedback when you .
A. have not been able to write anything for some time
B. are having difficulty organizing your ideas
C. are having contrasting feelings about what you have written
D. have finished the book but not shown to anyone
3. Louise says that you should get feedback from another writer because _ .
A. it is easy to ignore criticism from people who are not writers
B. another writer may be kinder to you than friends and relatives
C. it is hard to find other people who will make an effort to help you
D. another writer will understand what your intentions are
4. What does Louise regard as useful feedback?
A. a combination of general observations and detailed comments
B. both identification of problems and suggested solutions
C. comments focusing more on style than on content
D. as many points about strengths as weaknesses
5. What does Louise say about the people she gets feedback from?
A. Some of them are more successful than her. B. She doesn‘t only discuss writing them.
C. She also gives them feedback on their work.
D. It isn‘t always easy for her to get together with them.
II. LEXICO - GRAMMAR
Part 1: Choose the word or phrase (A, B, C or D) which best completes each sentence.
1. I was to believe that she was a representative of the Labour Party.
A. declared B. carried C. led D. explained
2. It has been kept for about ten years that the minister‘s son committed a crime.
A. unaware B. secret C. mystery D. obscure
3. One could see with the eye that there was a lighthouse on the promontory.
A. naked B. sole C. nude D. shut
4. These two items don‘t differ much. The is even more apparent when you put them
together.
A. similarity B. likelihood C. coincidence D. analogy
5. Your rude behavior was an to the host and his wife. I don‘t think they will ever invite us to
their home again.
A. abuse B. insult C. injury D. aversion
6. For almost fifty years, the citizens of this country were from travelling abroad unless they
were politicians.
A. suspended B. rejected C. averted D. forbidden
7. I wouldn‘t their position in the market. They may appear to be very influential one day in
the future.
A. undertake B. underestimate C. underwrite D. undercharge
8. We can‘t admit a person who hasn‘t the required number of points at the entrance
examination.
A. scored B. assessed C. settled D. qualified
9. he delivers the report, it will be sent to the headquarters.
A. On the point B. At once C. Immediately D. Soon enough
10. The most probable for your chronic headache is lack of good rest.
A. factor B. background C. origin D. reason
11. This cheese isn‘t fit for eating. It‘s all over after lying in the bin for so long.
A. rusty B. mouldy C. spoiled D. sour
12. I cannot think of the correct answer. Could you drop me a small please?
A. tip B. idea C. hint D. word
13. It was time we went home after having spent the whole afternoon in the neighbor‘s
garden.
A. only B. just C. near D. about
14. Why not ask the tailor to shorten the jacket a little unless you don‘t want it to perfectly
with the trousers?
A. go B. do C. make D. suit
15. Studs was only the boy‘s . His real name was William.
A. label B. nickname C. identity D. figure
16. It‘s interesting how the rumour about my promotion began to .
A. progress B. spread C. publicize D. emit
17. What we saw was absolutely unusual. Crowds of people from all four of the world were
cheering the arrival of the astronauts.
A. corners B. edges C. spots D. places
18. Mr. Henson‘s bitter comments on the management‘s mistakes gave to the conflict which
has already lasted for four months.
A. cause B. ground C. goal D. rise
19. Numerous have prevented us from going to the lakeside again this year.
A. inhibitions B. deterrents C. impairments D. adversities
20. That tall fair woman me of my mother.
A. reminds B. remembers C. reminisces D. recalls
Part 2: Complete the following sentences with the words given in the brackets. You have to
change the form of the word.
Obsessed with your inbox
It was not so long ago that we dealt with colleagues through face-to-face (0) interation
(Interact) and with counterparts and customers by phone or letter. But the world of communication
has (1) undergone (go) a dramatic transformation, not all for the good. Email, while (2)
undoubtedly (doubt) a swift means of communication providing your server is fully (3)
functional (function) and that the address you have contains no (4)
inaccuracies (accurate) has had a (5) significant
(signify) effect on certain people‘s behavior, both at home and in business. For
these people, the use of email has become (6) irresistibly (resist)
addictive to the extent that it is (7) threatening
(threat) their mental and physical health. Addicts spend their day (8)
compulsively (compulsion) checking for the email and have a (9)
tendency (tend) to panic if their server goes down. It is estimated that one in six people spend
four hours a day sending and receiving messages the equivalent to more than two working days a
week. The negative effect on (10) production (produce) is something employers are well
aware of.
Part 3: Identify 10 errors in the following passage and correct them.
1 Unlike many other species of turtle, the red-car terrapin is not rare. In fact, four to
2 five million hatchings are exported annually from American farms. About
3 200,000 are sold in the United Kingdom.
4 It is ranked that as many as 90 per cent of the young terrapins die in their
5 first year because of the poor conditions in which they are kept. Those which
6 survive may live for 20 years and arrive the size of a dinner plate. At this staging
7 they require a large tank with heat and specialized lightning.
8 Terrapins carry salmonella bacteria which can poison people. This is why
9 the sale of terrapins was banished in the United States in 1975. They are still,
10 however, exported to the United Kingdom.
11 Modern turtles come from a very antique group of animals that lived over
12 200 million years ago. At this time dinosaurs were just beginning to establish
13 them.
14 Different types of turtles have interesting features: some box turtles are
15 known to have lived for over 100 years, since other species of turtles can remain
16 underwater for more than 24 hours. And the green turtle is the most prolific of all
17 reptiles, lying as many as 28,000 eggs each year.
18 If unwanted pet turtles are unreleased into the wild, many will die and
19 those which survive will threaten the lives of native plants and animal.
Part 4: Complete each of the following sentences with a suitable preposition or particle.
1. I‘m extremely pressed for.............money these days. Could you lend me a few pounds, please?
2. It‘s a great pity that those beautiful birds are vulnerable…to..........so much harm.
3. Tom hasn‘t attended classes for about two months and consequently he is rather..................done with
his lesson?
4. Must you always be so envious of.............your cousin‘s toys?
5. Adam felt really sick at heart after his girlfriend had walked out.................on him.
6. It‘s ……worth……. any hope that the Italian champion will retain the title. Nobody‘s giving her
any chances this year.
7. It was me who Cindy used to take by..............her confidence. Yet, on this particular occasion she
refused to reveal her secret to anyone, even me.
8. It isn‘t so much fatigue as lack of commitment ………in…. finishing the task that makes you so
inoperative.
9. Michael showed his disgust…towards.the way he was treated by refusing to speak to anyone.
10. I know Pete‘s conduct was intolerable, but don‘t be too hard…on.........him
III. READING
Part 1: Complete the following article, using only ONE word for each space. (10 pts)
The Legend of the Root
Ginseng is one of the great mysteries of the east. Often referred to as the
―
elixir of
life
‖
, its widespread use in oriental medicine has led to many myths and legends building up around
this remarkable plant. Ginseng has featured (1) as an active ingredient in oriental
medical literature for over 5,000 years. Its beneficial effects were, at one time, (2)
so widely recognized and praised that the root was said to (3) its
worth its weight in gold.
(4) despite the long history of ginseng, no one fully knows how it works. The
active part of the plant is the root. Its full name is Panax Ginseng – the word Panax, (5) like
the
wor
d panacea, coming from the
Gr
eece for
―
all healing
‖
. There is growing interest by western
scientists (6) in the study of ginseng. It is today believed that this remarkable plant
may (7) have beneficial effects in the treatment of many diseases (8)
that are difficult to treat with synthetic drugs.
Today, ginseng is no longer a myth or a legend. Throughout the world it is becoming widely
recognized that this ancient herb holds the answer to relieving the stresses and ailments of modern
living. It is widely used for the treatment of various ailments (9) such as arthritis,
diabetes, insomnia, hepatitis and anaemia. However, the truth behind (10) how _
ginseng works still remains a mystery. Yet its widespread effectiveness shows that the remarkable
properties are more than just a legend.
Part 2: Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fit each gap.
Secretaries
What‘s in a name? In the case of the secretary, or Personal Assistant (PA), it can be something
rather surprising. The dictionary calls a secretary
―
anyone who (1) correspondence,
keep
s
records and does clerical work for others‖. But while this particular job definition looks a
bit (2)
, the word‘s original meaning is a hundred times more exotic and perhaps more appropriate.
The word itself has been with us since the 14
th
century and comes from the mediaeval Latin word
se
c
retarius
meaning
―
something
hidden‖
. Secretaries started out as those members of staff
with
knowledge hidden from others, the silent ones mysteriously (3)
organizations. Some years ago
―
something hidde
n‖
probably meant (4) _
the secret machinery of
out of sight, tucked
away with all the other secretaries and typists. A good secretary was an unremarkable one,
efficiently (5) orders, and then returning mouse-like to his or her station behind the
typewriter, but, with the (6) of new technology, the job effectively upgraded itself and the
role has changed to one closer to the original meaning. The skills required are more demanding and
more technical. Companies are (7) that secretarial staff should already be (8) trained
in, and accustomed to working with, a (9) of word processing packages. The professionals in
the (10) business point out that nowadays secretarial staff may even need some management
skills to take on administration, personnel work and research.
1. A. deals B. handles C. runs D. controls
2. A. elderly B. unfashionable C. outdated D. aged
3. A. operating B. pushing C. functioning D. effecting
4. A. kept B. covered C. packed D. held
5. A. satisfying B. obeying C. completing D. minding
6. A. advent B. approach C. entrance D. opening
7. A. insisting B. ordering C. claiming D. pressing
8. A. considerably B. highly C. vastly D. supremely
9. A. group B. collection C. cluster D. range
10. A. appointment B. hiring C. recruitment D. engagement
Part 3: Choose the correct answer.
Space pilots, vertical farmers and body part makers are just some of the jobs the next generation
could be doing in 20 years‘ time.
This is what expert future researchers came up with in a study on ‗The shape of jobs to come‘ –
which analysed future trends such as population growth and climate change alongside developments
in science and technology to create a list of potential jobs under the ongoing digital revolution that
will prompt a need for virtual lawyers, virtual clutter organisers, waste data handlers and personal
branders.
The foresight study by UK-based Fast Future, a global futures research and consulting firm,
paints an interesting picture of the jobs we could be doing by 2030:
Safeguarding the environment will be more prominent than ever, with climate change reversal
specialists, vertical farmers and weather modification police all attempting to deal with the impact
of climate change and population growth;
Old age wellness managers, memory augmentation surgeons and body part makers will be
needed to cope with an ageing society, enhancing the quality of life for a population where life
expectations could reach over 100; and
Breakthroughs in space travel will lead to people swapping the office for the final frontier as
space pilots, space architects and space tour guides.
Of the top 20 future jobs highlighted, a global survey of future thinkers revealed:
The British are keen to ‗boldly go‘ – with space jobs the most aspirational, alongside nano-
medics and memory augmentation surgeons;
Cars, crops and older people could be the focus for many in tomorrow‘s workforce, with old age
wellness managers, vertical farmers and alternative vehicle developers creating the most jobs;
For those looking to make the big bucks, nano-medicine, memory augmentation surgery and
virtual law are the areas you should be telling your kids about, with the Fast Future panel predicting
that these will be the best paid jobs in 2030;
Future jobs that benefit society will be the most popular, with climate change reversal specialist,
social ‗networking‘ worker and old age wellness manager topping the poll in the popularity stakes;
and
Work won‘t all be ‗fun‘ in the future, with the least exciting jobs being weather modification
police to protect us from cloud theft, quarantine enforcers preventing the spread of diseases and
waste data handlers who will dispose of our electronic mess.
―
The list of future jobs highlights the vast array of exciting things today‘s schoolchildren could
be doing in 20 years‘ time, all made possible by fields of science and innovation in which Britain
has real expertise,‖ said Fast Future chief executive officer Rohit Talwar, who conducted the study.
―
We‘re crossing the boundaries between science fiction and reality, and what we‘re seeing in
the movies are becoming genuine career opportunities. Alongside futuristic sounding high-tech jobs
at the cutting edge of scientific fields – like nano-medicine, the jobs of the future also include
very
‗high touch‘ occupations, such as old age wellness managers, narrowcasters and personal branders.‖
1. It can be inferred from the text that expert future researchers .
A. create potential jobs B. study future jobs
C. reverse future trends D. analyse waste data
2. According to Fast Future, the next generation could be doing all of the following jobs except
.
A. space plots B. virtual farmers C. virtual lawyers D. nano-medics
3. The
wor
d
―
impact
‖
is closest in meaning to .
A. size B. affection C. affluence D. effect
4. It can be inferred from the text that all of the following is true except .
A. We will have to deal with an ageing society because human beings will live longer in 20 years‘
time.
B. Environmental pollution will be less of a problem for us in 20 years‘ time.
C. Human beings will be able to travel with ease in space thanks to breakthrough scientific and
technological advancements.
D. We will stop producing science fiction movies because all what we see in them will have come
true.
5. The word
―
swappin
g
‖
is closest in meaning to _ .
A. relocating B. selling C. renovating D. leasing
6. According to the text, which of the following jobs will be paid?
A. vertical farmers B. old age wellness managers
C. nano-medics D. space architects
7. The word
―
aspiration
al
‖
is closest in meaning to .
A. exciting B. influential C. rewarding D. useful
8. According to the text, which of the following jobs will be the least popular?
A. climate change reversal specialists B. alternative vehicle developers
C. waste data handlers D. personal branders
9. According to the text, weather modification police .
A. stop epidemic spread B. fight harmful clouds
C. reverse climate change D. arrest cloud bandits
10. What is the best title for the text?
A. The best paid jobs in 2030 B. Breakthrough in research and technology in 2030
C. Trends related to job hunting in 2030 D. Career opportunities in 2030
Part 4: Read the following passage and answer questions 1-10.
SO YOU WANT TO BE AN ACTOR?
A.
A
risky job
If you tell someone that you want to make a career as an actor, you can be sure that
within two minutes the word
―
risky
‖
will come up. And, of course, acting
is
a
very risky career – let there be more mistakes about that. The supply of actors is far
greater
than the demand for them.
Practice Tests for the
gifted
Compiler: Ngo Minh
Chau
8
B.
Once you choose to become an actor, many people who you thought were your closest
friends will tell you
―
You‘re crazy
‖
, though some may react quite differently. No two
people will give you the same advice. But it is a very personal choice you are making.
C.
The
road to
success
There are no easy ways of getting there – no written examinations to pass, and no
absolute guarantee that when you have successfully completed your training you will
automatically make your way in the profession. It‘s all a matter of luck plus talent. Yet
there is a demand for new faces and new talent, and there is always the prospect of
excitement, glamour and the occasional rich reward.
D.
I have frequently been asked to define this magical thing called talent, which everyone
is looking out for. I believe it is best described as natural skill plus imagination – the
latter being the most difficult quality to access. And it has a lot to do with the person‘s
courage and their belief in what they are doing and the way they are putting it across.
E.
Where does the desire to act come from? It is often very difficult to put into words
your own reasons for wanting to act. Certainly, in the theatre the significant thing is
that moment of contact between the actor on the stage and a particular audience. And
making this brief contact is central to all acting, wherever it takes place – it is what
drives all actors to act.
F.
If you ask actors how they have done well in the profession, the response will most
likely be a shrug. They will know certain things about themselves and aspects of their
own technique and the techniques of others. But they will take nothing for granted,
because they know that they are only as good as their current job, and that their fame
may not continue.
G.
Disappointment is the greatest enemy of the actor. Last month you may have been out
of work, selling clothes or waitressing. Suddenly you are asked to audition for a part,
but however much you want the job, the truth is that it may deny you. So actors tend
not to talk about their chances. They come up with ways of protecting themselves
against the stress of competing for a part and the possibility of rejection.
H.
Essentia
l
qualities
Nobody likes being rejected. And remember that the possibility is there from the very
first moment you start going in for parts professionally. You are saying that you are
available, willing and hopefully, talented enough for the job. And, in many ways, it‘s
up to you, for if you don‘t care enough, no one will care for you.
For questions 1-5, choose the correct heading for paragraphs B-G from the list of headings
below. Write the correct numbers (i-viii) in the corresponding numbered boxes.
i. Dealing with unpleasant feelings
ii. What lies behind the motive?
iii. Your own responsibility
vi. Reactions toward the job
vii. Uncertainties about the future
1. Paragraph B vi 2. Paragraph D iii 3. Paragraph E ii
4. Paragraph F vii 5. Paragraph G i
For questions 6-10, complete the sentences below by writing NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS
taken from the reading passage.
6. Every actor cares about the contract between himself and a group of audience.
7. Talent is characterized as a combination of skills and imagination .
Practice Tests for the
gifted
Compiler: Ngo Minh
Chau
Television
Computer
9
8. What the actor has to deal with very often is the sense of disappointment - chances
for a part are narrow no matter how much you like the part.
9. If actors become famous, it is very likely that they will be as a return.
10. The rejection t is very likely to happen as soon as you start your profession
and it is very stressful.
IV. WRITING
Part 1: Read the following extract and use your own words to summarize it. Your summary
should be about 80 words long. You MUST NOT copy the original.
A tertiary education is an investment for your future. It is giving three to five years of your life
towards what you will eventually do with your life and for many of you, your journey begins right
after O level. Therefore, you need to make this decision wisely. Here are some pointers to help you
make informed decisions about the college you want to enrol in.
Before choosing a college, you should first know what you want to study. Check the list of
online colleges and universities for those that offer what you want and select the ones that meet
your requirement. You may also want to find out about the location of your campus. Would you
rather be close to home or do you want to be as far away and as independent as possible? It is also
best to find out as much as you can about housing arrangements before you decide on an institution
of higher learning to reduce any hassle later. Some colleges offer on-campus accommodation or
will help you look for outside accommodation. Last but not least, make sure you have the finances
to see you through your studies as college education can be expensive.
Part 2: Graph describing
The graph shows the number of hours children aged 10-11 spend on watching TV and
computers in the UK from 2000 to 2009.
Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown. Write about 150
words.
Time schoolchildren (10 - 11 years old) spent on different home activities
25
20
15
10
5
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Part 3. Essay writing
Some schools often get students’ ideas to evaluate their teachers. In your opinion, should all
schools ask students to evaluate their teacher?
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.
Hours per week
PRACTICE TEST 2
I. LISTENING
Part 1: Listen to a lecture about behavior of Dolphins and complete the note below. Write NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
BEHAVIOUR OF DOLPHINS
- almost 40 species of dolphin - found (1)
- usually in shallower seas - carnivores
SOCIALISING
- very sociable and live in pods
- super-pods may have more than (2) _ dolphins
- have strong social bonds
- help other animals - Moko helped a whale and calf escape from (3)
- have been known to assist swimmers
CULTURE
- discovered in May 2005 that young bottlenose dolphins learn to (4)
- dolphins pass knowledge from mothers to daughters, whereas primates pass to (5)
AGGRESSION
- dolphins may be aggressive towards each other
-Like humans, this is due to disagreements over (6) and competition for females
- Infanticide sometimes occurs and the killing of porpoises
FOOD
- dolphins have a variety of feeding methods, some of which are (7) to
one population
- Methods include:
herding
coralling
(8) or strand feeding
whacking fish with their flukes
PLAYING
- have a variety of playful activities
- common behaviour with an object or small animal include:
carrying it along
passing it along
(9) away from another dolphin
throwing it out the water
- may harass other animals
- playful behaviour may include other (10) such as humans
Part 2: Listen to a tutor and a student discussing transport. Write NO MORE THAN THREE
WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
1. What is John researching?
.
2. Apart from pollution, what would John like to see reduced?
.
3. According to John‘s tutor‘s, what can cars sometimes act as?
.
Practice Tests for the
gifted
Compiler: Ngo Minh
Chau
11
4. How much does John‘s tutor pay to drive into London?
.
5. In Singapore, what do car owners use to pay their road tax?
.
Part 3: Listen to the classroom conversation about the benefits of sport and decide whether the
following statements are true (T) or False (F). Write T or F in the space given.
Statements True (T) False (F)
1. The class have already talked about at least three of the physical effects
sport has on the human body.
2. Doing sport can slow down the production of chemicals in the brain that
make us feel good.
3. It doesn‘t matter which sport you choose, as long as you‘re good at it.
4. Swimmers or tennis players are responsible for their own achievements.
5. Being part of a team requires you to practise more regularly.
Part 4: You will hear a radio discussion about children who invent imaginary friends. Choose the
best answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear.
1. In the incident that Liz describes, .
A. her daughter asked her to stop the car B. she had to interrupt the journey twice
C. she got angry with her daughter D. her daughter wanted to get out of the car
2. What does the presenter say about the latest research into imaginary friends?
A. It contradicts other research on the subject.
B. It shows that the number of children who have them is increasing.
C. It indicates that negative attitudes towards them are wrong.
D. It focuses on the effect they have on parents.
3. How did Liz feel when her daughter had an imaginary friend?
A. always confident that it was only a temporary situation
B. occasionally worried about the friend‘s importance to her daughter
C. slightly confused as to how she should respond sometimes
D. highly impressed by her daughter‘s inventiveness
4. Karen says that one reason why children have imaginary friends is that _ .
A. they are having serious problems with their real friends
B. they can tell imaginary friends what to do
C. they want something that they cannot be given
D. they want something that other children haven‘t got
5. Karen says that the teenager who had invented a superhero is an example of .
A. a very untypical teenager B. a problem that imaginary friend can cause
C. something she had not expected to discover D. how children change as they get older
II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR
Part 1: Choose the best option A, B, C or D to complete the following sentences.
1. She agreed to go with him to the football match although she had no interest in the game at
all.
A. apologetically B. grudgingly C. shamefacedly D. discreetly
2. The smoke from the burning tyres could be seen for miles.
A. sweeping B. billowing C. radiating D. bulgingo
3. A common cause of is the use of untreated water in preparation for foods, which is quite
common in certain underdeveloped countries.
A. displeasure B. malnutrition C. eupepsia D. dysentery
4. Among scientists and non-scientists , many now say that it‘s a given that human-induced
warming threatens to disrupt life on Earth.
A. respectively B. alike C. both D. likewise
5. We are pleased to inform you that we have decided to your request for British citizenship.
A. give B. grant C. permit D. donate
6. Only after he had carefully the figures did he make any comments.
A. estimated B. watched C. scrutinised D. remarked
7. I‘m not sufficiently versed computers to understand what you‘re saying.
A. to B. into C. about D. in
8. Tom‘s normally very efficient but he‘s been making a lot of mistakes .
A. of late B. for now C. in a while D. shortly
9. On the way to Cambridge yesterday, the road was blocked by a fallen tree, so we had to make a
.
A. deviation B. digression C. detour D. departure
10. Let us hope that _ a nuclear war, the human race still survive.
A. in relation to B. with reference to C. in the event of D. within the realm of
Part 2: Give the correct forms of the words given to complete the passages.
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
Alternative medicine is, by definition, an alternative to something else: modern, Western medicine.
But the term ‗alternative‘ can be (1) misleading (LEAD), even off-putting for some people.
Few (2) practitioners (PRACTICE) of homeopathy, acupuncture, (3) herbalism
(HERBAL) and the like regard therapies as complete substitutes for modern medicine. Rather, they
consider their disciplines as (4) substitutes (SUPPLY) to orthodox medicine. The problem is
that many doctors refuse even to recognize ‗natural‘ or alternative medicine. To do so calls for a (5)
radically (RADICAL) different view of health, illness and cure. But whatever doctors may think,
the demand for alternative forms of medical therapy is stronger than ever before, as the (6) limitations
(LIMIT) of modern medical science become more widely understood. Alternative therapies are often
dismissed by orthodox medicine because they are sometimes (7) administered (ADMINISTRATION)
by people with no formal medical training. But, in comparison with many traditional therapies, western
medicine as we know it today is a very recent phenomenon. Until only 150 years ago, herbal medicine
and simple (8) inorganic (ORGAN) compounds were the most effective treatment
available. Despite the medical establishment‘ (9) intolerant (TOLERATE) attitude,
alternative therapies are being accepted by more and more doctors, and the World Health Organization
has agreed to promote the (10) intergration (INTEGRATE) of proven, valuable,
`alternative´ knowledge and skills in western medicine.
Part 3: There are 10 mistakes in the following passage. Write the mistakes and corrections in the
space given.
True relaxing is most certainly not a matter of flopping down in front of the television with a
welcome drink. Nor is it about drifting into an exhausted sleep. Useful though these responses to
tension and over-tiredness might be, we should distinguish among them and conscious relaxation in
terms of quality and effect. Regarded of the level of tiredness, real relaxation is a state of alert yet in the
same time passive awareness, in which our bodies are at rest while our minds are waken.
Moreover, it is as natural for a healthy person to be relaxed when moving as resting. Being relaxed
in action means we bring the appropriate energy to everything we do, so to have a feeling of health
tiredness by the end of the day, rather than one of exhaustion. Unfortunately, as a result of living in
today‘s competitive world, we are under constant strain and have difficult in coping, let alone nurturing
our body‘s abilities. Which needs to be rediscovered is conscious relaxation. With that in mind we must
apply ourselves to understand stress and the nature of its causes how deep-seated.
Part 4. Fill in each blank with the correct preposition(s)/ particle(s.
1. Footballers used to abide bt the referee‘s decision, but nowadays they are just as likely to punch
him in the mouth.
2. My speech is okay but I just hope I don‘t dry up as soon as I get to the podium.
3. My brother has always been on the fringe of the Labour party, never at the centre.
4. The paintings were given to the state by the millionaire in lieu of taxes.
5. Did you know that Samantha has taken up Martin again - they‘re spending lots of time
together.
6. I‘ve been asked to key information of the computer immediately.
7. I don‘t like him as every time he asks me to do something, his voice is always laden with
threat.
8. I feel quite nostalgic _ about the place where I grew up.
9. I was thinking of going to live in Scotland, but when I heard that I would have to wear a kilt, I
decided against it.
10. Good hygiene helps keep down the levels of infection.
III. READING
Part 1. Read the article below and circle the word which best fits each space.
Broadcasting has democratized the publication of language, often at its most informal, even
undressed. Now the ears of the educated cannot escape the language of the masses. It (1) them
on the news, weather, sports, commercials, and the ever-proliferating game shows. This wider
dissemination of popular speech may easily give purists the (2) that language is suddenly going
to hell in this generation, and may (3) the new paranoia about it.
It might also be argued that more Armericans hear more correct, even beautiful, English on
television than ever before. Through television more models of good usage (4) more American
homes than was ever possible in other times. Television gives them lots of (5) English too, some
awful, some creative, but that is not new.
Hidden in this is a (6) _ fact: our language is not the special private property of the language
police, or grammarians, or teachers, or even great writers. The (7) of English is that it has always
been the tongue of the common people, literate or not.
English belongs to everybody: the funny (8) of phrase that pops into the mind of a farmer
telling a story; or the (9) salesman‘s dirty joke; or the teenager saying, "Gag me with a spoon";
or the pop lyric - all contribute, are all as (10) as the tortured image of the academic, or the line
the poet sweats over for a week.
1. A. circles B. surrenders C. supports D. surrounds
2. A. thought B. idea C. sight D. belief
3. A. justify B. inflate C. explain D. idealise
4. A. render B. reach C. expose D. leave
5. A. colloquial B. current C. common D. spoken
6. A. central B. stupid C. common D. simple
Practice Tests for the
gifted
Compiler: Ngo Minh
Chau
14
7. A. genii B. genius C. giant D. generalisation
8. A. turn B. twist C. use D. time
9. A. tour B. transport C. travel D. travelling
10. A. valued B. valid C. truthful D. imperfect
Part 2: Fill in the blanks with one suitable word for each to complete the following passage.
Throughout our lives, right from the moment when as infants we cry to express our hunger, we are
engaged in social interaction of one form or another. Each and (1) every time we encounter
fellow human beings, some kind of social interaction will take place, (2)whether
a bus and paying the fare for the journey, or socializing with friends. It goes without (3)
it‘s getting on
saying,
therefore, that we need the ability to communicate. Without some method of (4) transmitting
intentions, we would be at a(n) (5) complete loss when it came to interacting socially.
Communication (6) involves the exchange of information which can be anything from a gesture
to a friend signalling boredom to the presentation of a university thesis which may only ever be read by
a (7) handful of others, or it could be something in (8) between the two. Our highly developed
languages set us (9) apart from animals. But for these languages, we could not communicate
sophisticated or abstract ideas. Nor could we talk or write about people or objects mot immediately
present. (10) were _ we restricted to discussing objects already present, we would be able to make
abstract generalizations about the world.
Part 3: Read the passage then circle the best option A, B, C or D.
PERCEPTION
It is often helpful when thinking about biological processes to consider some apparently similar yet
better understood non-biological process. In the case of visual perception an obvious choice would be
colour photography. Since in many respects eyes resemble cameras, and percepts photographs, is it not
reasonable to assume that perception is a sort of photographic process whereby samples of the external
world become spontaneously and accurately reproduced somewhere inside our heads? Unfortunately,
the answer must be no. The best that can be said of the photographic analogy is that it points up what
perception is not. Beyond this it is superficial and misleading. Four simple experiments should make
the matter plain.
In the first a person is asked to match a pair of black and white discs, which are rotating at such a
speed as to make them appear uniformly grey. One disc is standing in shadow, the other in bright
illumination. By adjusting the ratio of black to white in one of the discs the subject tries to make it look
the same as the other. The results show him to be remarkably accurate, for it seems he has made the
proportion of black to white in the brightly illuminated disc almost identical with that in the disc which
stood in shadow. But there is nothing photographic about his perception, for when the matched discs,
still spinning, are photographed, the resulting print shows them to be quite dissimilar in appearance.
The disc in shadow is obviously very much darker than the other one. What has happened? Both the
camera and the person were accurate, but their criteria differed. One might say that the camera recorded
things as they look, and the person things as they are. But the situation is manifestly more complex than
this, for the person also recorded things as they look. He did better than the camera because he made
them look as they really are. He was not misled by the differences in illumination. He showed
perceptual constancy. By reason of an extremely rapid, wholly unconscious piece of computation he
received a more accurate record of the external world than could the camera.
In the second experiment a person is asked to match with a colour card the colours of two pictures in
dim illumination. One is of a leaf, the other of a donkey. Both are coloured an equal shade of green. In
making his match he chooses a much stronger green for the leaf than for the donkey. The leaf evidently
looks greener than the donkey. The percipient makes a perceptual world compatible with his own
experience. It hardly needs saying that cameras lack this versatility.
In the third experiment hungry, thirsty and satiated people are asked to equalize the brightness of
pictures depicting food, water and other objects unrelated to hunger or thirst. When the intensities at
which they set the pictures are measured it is found that hungry people see pictures relating to food as
brighter than the rest (i.e. to equalize the pictures they make the food ones less intense), and thirsty
people do likewise with
―
dr
ink‖
pictures. For the satiated group no difference
s
are obtained be
tw
een the
different objects. In other words, perception serves to satisfy needs, not to enrich subjective experience.
Unlike a photograph the percept is determined by more than just the stimulus.
The fourth experiment is of a rather different kind. With ears plugged, their eyes beneath translucent
goggles and their bodies either encased in cotton wool, or floating naked in water at body temperature,
people are deprived for considerable periods of external stimulation. Contrary to what one might
expect, however, such circumstances result not in a lack of perceptual experience but rather a surprising
change in what is perceived. The subjects in such an experiment begin to see, feel and hear things
which bear no more relationship to the immediate external world than does a dream in someone who is
a
slee
p. The
se
people are not a
slee
p yet their hallucinations, or
so-called
―
autistic
‖
perceptions, may be
as vivid, if not more so, than any normal percept.
1. In the first paragraph, the author suggests that .
A. colour photography is a biological process B. vision is rather like colour photography
C. vision is a sort of photographic process
D. vision and colour photography are very different
2. What does the word
―
it
‖
in the f
irst
paragraph refer to ?
A. perception
B. the photographic process
3. In the first experiment, it is proved that a person _
.
C. the comparison with photography
D. the answer
A. makes mistakes of perception and is less accurate than a camera
B. can see more clearly than a camera
C. is more sensitive to changes in light than a camera
D. sees colours as they are in spite of changes in the light
4. What does the word
―
th
at
‖
in the
sec
ond paragraph refer to ?
A. the proportion of black to white
B. the brightly illuminated disc
5. The second experiment shows that .
C. the other disc
D. the grey colour
A. people see colours according to their ideas of how things should look
B. colours look different in a dim light
C. cameras work less efficiently in a dim light D. colours are less intense in larger objects
6. What does the word
―
s
atiated
‖
in the fourth paragraph mean?
A. tired B. bored C. not hungry or thirsty D. nervous
7. What does
―
to equal
ize
th
e
brightn
e
ss
‖
in the fourth paragraph mean?
A. To arrange the pictures so that the equally bright ones are together
B. To change the lighting so that the pictures look equally bright
C. To describe the brightness D. to move the pictures nearer or further away
8. The third experiment proves that .
A. we see things differently according to our interest in them
B. pictures of food and drink are especially interesting to everybody
Practice tests for the national examination for the
gifted
Compiler: Ngô Minh
Châu
16
C. cameras are not good at equalising brightness
D. satiated people see less clearly than hungry or thirsty people
9. The expression
―
c
ontrar
y to w
h
at o
n
e m
igh
t expect
‖
occurs the fifth paragraph. What might one
expect?
A. that the subjects would go to sleep
B. that they would feel uncomfortable and disturbed
C. that they would see, hear and feel nothing
D. that they would see, hear and feel strange things
10. The fourth experiment proves that .
A. people deprived of sense stimulation go mad
B. people deprived of sense stimulation dream
C. people deprived of sense stimulation experience unreal things
D. people deprived of sense stimulation lack perceptual experience
Part 4. Read the following passage and do the task following.
VIEWS OF INTELLIGENCE ACROSS CULTURES
A In recent years, researchers have found that people in non-Western cultures often have ideas about
intelligence that are considerably different from those that have shaped Western intelligence tests.
This cultural bias may therefore work against certain groups of people. Researchers in cultural
differences in intelligence, however, face a major dilemma, namely: how can the need to compare
people according to a standard measure be balanced with the need to assess them in the light of
their own values and concepts?
B For example, Richard Nesbitt of the University of Michigan concludes that East Asian and Western
cultures have developed cognitive styles that differ in fundamental ways, including how
intelligence is understood. People in Western cultures tend to view intelligence as a means for
individuals to devise categories and engage in rational debate, whereas Eastern cultures see it as a
way for members of a community to recognize contradiction and complexity and to play their
social roles successfully. This view is backed up by Sternberg and Shih-Ying, from the University
of Taiwan, whose research shows that Chinese conceptions of intelligence emphasize
understanding and relating to others, and knowing when to show or not show one‘s intelligence.
C The distinction between East Asia and the West is just one of many distinctions that separate
different ways of thinking about intelligence. Robert Serpell spent a number of years studying
concepts of intelligence in rural African communities. He found that people in many African
communities, especially in those where Western-style schooling is still uncommon, tend to blur the
distinction between intelligence and social competence. In rural Zambia, for instance, the concept
of nzelu includes both cleverness and responsibility. Likewise, among the Luo people in rural
Kenya, it has been found that ideas about intelligence consist of four broad concepts. These are
named paro or practical thinking, luoro, which includes social qualities like respect and
responsibility, winjo or comprehension, and rieko. Only the fourth corresponds more or less to the
Western idea of intelligence.
D In another study in the same community, Sternberg and Grogorenko have found that children who
score highly on a test of knowledge about medicinal herbs, a test of practical intelligence, often
score poorly on tests of academic intelligence. This suggests that practical and academic
intelligence can develop independently of each other, and the values of a culture may shape the
direction in which a child‘s intelligence develops.
It also tends to support a number of other studies which suggest that people who are unable to
solve complex problems in the abstract can often solve them when they are presented in a familiar
context. Ashley Maynard, for instance, now professor of psychology at the University of Hawaii,
conducted studies of cognitive development among children in a Mayan village in Mexico using
toy looms, spools of thread, and other materials drawn from the local environment. The research
suggested that the children‘s development, could be validly compared to the progression described
by Western theories of development, but only by using materials and experimental designs based
on their own culture.
E The original hope of many cognitive psychologists was that a test could be developed that was
absent of cultural bias. However, there seems to be an increasing weight of evidence to suggest
that this is unlikely. Raven‘s Progressive Matrices, for example, were originally advertised as
‗culture free‘ but are now recognized as culturally loaded. Such non-verbal intelligence tests are
based on cultural constructs which may not appear in a particular culture. It is doubtful whether
cultural comparisons of concepts of intelligence will ever enable us to move towards creating a test
which encompasses all aspects of intelligence as understood by all cultures. It seems even less
likely that such a test could be totally free of cultural imbalance somewhere.
The solution to the dilemma seems to lie more in accepting that cultural neutrality is unattainable
and that administering any valid intelligence test requires a deep familiarity with the relevant
culture‘s values and practices.
Questions 1-5
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph A–E from the list of headings below (i-ix). There are
more headings than paragraphs. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes.
List of Headings
i Research into African community life
ii Views about intelligence in African societies
iii The limitations of Western intelligence tests
iv The Chinese concept of intelligence
v The importance of cultural context in test design
vi The disadvantages of non-verbal intelligence tests
vii A comparison between Eastern and Western understanding of intelligence
viii Words for
―
intelligence
‖
in
African languages
ix The impossibility of a universal intelligence test
Your answers
1. Section A iii
2. Section B vii
3. Section C i
4. Section D v
5. Section E ix
Questions 6-10
Look at the researchers in 6-10 and the list off findings below. Match each researcher with the correct
finding. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes.
Your answers
6. Ashley Maynard e
7. Richard Nesbitt g
8. Sternberg and Grogorenko d
9. Sternberg and Shih-Ying a
10. Robert Serpell c
List of findings
A There is a clear relationship between intelligence and relationships with others in Chinese culture.
B Children frequently scoring well in academic tests score better in practical tests.
C The difference between intelligence and social competence is not distinct in many African
communities.
D Children frequently scoring well in practical tests score less well in academic tests.
E In experiments to measure cognitive development, there is a link between the materials used and the
test results.
F The connection between intelligence and social competence in many African communities is not
clear.
G The way cognition is viewed in East Asian cultures differs fundamentally from those in Western
cultures.
H Chinese culture sees revelations about one‘s intelligence as part of intelligence.
IV. WRITING
Part 1: Summarize in no more than 120 words, the various communicative methods practiced by
animals in the wild.
Communication is part of our everyday life. We greet one another, smile or frown, depending on our
moods. Animals too, communicate, much to our surprise. Just like us, interaction among animals can
be both verbal and non-verbal. Singing is one way in which animals can interact with one another.
Male blackbirds often use their melodious songs to catch the attention of the females. These songs are
usually rich in notes variation, encoding various kinds of messages. Songs are also used to warn and
keep off other blackbirds from their territory, usually a place where they dwell and reproduce. Large
mammals in the oceans sing too, according to adventurous sailors. Enormous whales groan and grunt
while smaller dolphins and porpoises produce pings, whistles and clicks. These sounds are surprisingly
received by other mates as far as several hundred kilometers away. Besides singing, body language also
forms a large part of animals' communication tactics. Dominant hyenas exhibit their power by raising
the fur hackles on their necks and shoulders, while the submissive ones normally "surrender" to the
powerful parties by crouching their heads low and curling their lips a little, revealing their teeth in
friendly smiles.Colors, which are most conspicuously found on animals are also important means of
interaction among animals. Male birds of paradise, which have the most gaudy colored feathers often
hang themselves upside down from branches, among fluffing plumes, displaying proudly their feathers,
attracting the opposite sex. The alternating black and white striped coats of zebras have their roles to
play too. Each zebra is born with a unique set of stripes which enables its mates to recognize them.
When grazing safely, their stripes are all lined up neatly so that none of them loses track of their
friends. However, when danger such as a hungry lion approaches, the zebras would dart out in various
directions, making it difficult for the lion to choose his target. Insects such as the wasps, armed with
poisonous bites or stings, normally have brightly painted bodies to remind other predators of their
power. Hoverflies and other harmless insects also make use of this fact and colored their bodies
brightly in attempts to fool their predators into thinking that they are as dangerous and harmful as the
wasps too.
Part 2. The charts below give information on the ages of people when they got married in one
particular country in 1996 and 2008. Summarise the information by selecting and repairing the
main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Practice tests for the national examination for the
gifted
Compiler: Ngô Minh
Châu
19
Part 3. Essay
STEM education is one of the latest ideas in the educational sphere. Write an essay about 350 words
about advantages and disadvantages of STEM education.
I. LISTENING
PRACTICE TEST 3
Part 1. Listen to the passage and then fill in the blank with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS.
CHERRIES
During the visit to a number of fruit farms in (1) , the speaker found broad agreement
among most of the growers about fruit planting.
The speaker gives the example of (2) as a crop being replaced by cherries.
To protect young trees from extremes of weather, a (3) may be used.
Cherries are prone to cracking because there is hardly any (4) on the skin of the fruit.
The speaker compares the cherry to a (5) when explaining the effect of rain on the
fruit.
Shoppers are advised to purchase cherries which have a (6) stem and look fresh and
tasty.
The traditional view was that cherries need up to (7) before they produce a useful
crop.
The most popular new variety of cherry tree amongst farmers has the name (8) .
While picking cherries, keep a (9) in your mouth to stop you eating too many.
That way you end up with at least a (10) of this delicious fruit in your basket!
Practice tests for the national examination for the
gifted
Compiler: Ngô Minh
Châu
20
Part 2. Listen to the recording and answer the following questions.
1. What kind of food do people in the north of China eat more than ones in the south?
2. What is the first change of the diet in China?
3. Where are the snack foods now being seen?
4. What kind of dishes does the man prefer?
5. What does Chinese cooking rely on?
Part 3. You are going to hear a conversation between Richard and Louise. As you listen, indicate
whether the statements are True (T), False (F) Not Given (NG).
1. Richard does most of the washing up in his family.
2. Richard‘s father makes him clean his shoes.
3. Louise doesn‘t mind shopping for food.
4. Louise prefers to wait for her grandparents to visit her.
5. Louise‘s father repairs the car himself.
Part 4. You will hear a radio interview in which an artist called Sophie Axel is talking about her life
and career. Choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear.
1. Sophie illustrates the importance of colour in her life by saying she .
A. has coloured daydreams B. associates letters and colours
C. paints people in particular colours D. links colours with days of the week
2. Sophie‘s attitude to risk is that her children should be .
A. left to cope with it B. warned about it
C. taught how to deal with it D. protected from it
3. Shophie‘s mother and aunt use their artistic gifts professionally in the .
A. pictures they paint together B. plays they perform on stage
C. objects they help to create D. clothes they design and make
4. Sophie was a failure at art school because she _ .
A. was not interested in design B. favoured introspective painting
C. was very pessimistic D. had a different approach to art
5. When Sophie had no money to repair her bike, she offered to .
A. take a part-time job B. publicise a national charity
C. produce an advertisement D. design posters on commission
II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR
Part 1. Choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) to complete each sentence below.
1. Why did you and mention the party to George? It was supposed to be a surprise.
A. let the cat out of the bag B. put the cat among the pigeons
C. have kittens D. kill two birds with one stone.
2. It‘s a shame to fall out so badly with your own _ .
A. heart to heart B. flesh and blood C. heart and soul D. skin and bone
3. They were able to over their meal and enjoy it instead of having to rush back to work.
A. loiter B. stay C. linger D. dwell
4. I thought something terrible had happened but it was all a in a teacup.
A. storm B. gale C. breeze D. wind
5. It is necessary that the problem solved right away.
A. would be B. might be C. be D. is
6. In the northern and central parts of the states of Idaho and churning rivers.
A. majestic mountains are found B. found majestic mountains
C. finding majestic mountains D. are found majestic mountains
7. According to the _ of the contract, tenants must give six months‘ notice if they intend to leave.
A. laws B. rules C. terms D. details
8. I know it‘s difficult but you‘ll just have to _ and bear it.
A. laugh B. smile C. grin D. chuckle
9. I didn‘t want to make a decision , so I said I‘d like to think about it.
A. in one go B. there and then C. at a stroke D. on and off
10. We are not in a _ hurry so let‘s have another coffee.
A. dashing B. racing C. rushing D. tearing
Part 2. Read the passage and give the correct form of the words given in brackets.
EXTRACT FROM A BOOK ABOUT MEETING
We are (1. SURE) assured by the experts that we are, as a species,
designed for face-to- face communication. But does that really mean having every meeting in person?
Ask the bleary-eyed sales team this question as they struggle (2. LABOUR) labouriously through
their weekly teambuilding session and that answer is unlikely to be in the (3. AFFIRM) affirmative
. Unless you work for a very small business or have an
(4. EXCEPT) exceptionally high boredom threshold, you doubtless spend
more time sitting in meetings than you want to. Of course, you could always follow business
Norman‘s example. He liked to express (5. SOLID) solidarity with customers
queuing at the (6. CHECK) checkout by holding management meetings standing
up. Is email a realistic (7. ALTER) alternative ? It‘s clearly a powerful tool for disseminating
information, but as a meeting substitute it‘s seriously flawed. Words alone can cause trouble. We‘re all
full of (8. SECURE) insecurities that can be unintentionally triggered by others and people are
capable of reading anything they like into an email. There is also a (9. TEND) tendency
for email to be used by people who wish to avoid ‗real‘ encounters
because they don‘t want to be (10. FRONT) confronted with any awkwardness.
Part 3. The passage below contains 10 mistakes. Underline the mistakes and write their correct
forms in the space provided in the column on the right. (0) has been done as an example.
When a celebrity, a politics or other person in the media spotlight loses their temper in public, they
run the risk of hitting the headings in a most embarrassing way. For such uncontrolling outbursts of
anger are often triggered by what seem to be trivial matters and, if they are caught on camera, can make
the person appear slightly ridiculousness. But it‘s not only the rich and famous who is prone to fits of
rage. According to recent surveys, ordinary people are increasingly tending to lose their cool in public.
Although anger is a potentially destructive emotion that uses up a lot of energy and creates a high level
of emotional and physical stress - and it stops us thinking rational. Consequently angry people often
end up saying, and doing things they later have cause to regret. So, how can anger be avoided? Firstly,
diet and lifestyle may be to blame. Tolerance and irritability certainly come to the surface when
someone hasn‘t slept properly or has skipped a meal, and any intake of caffeine can make things worst.
Take regular exercise can help to ease and diffuse feelings of aggression, however, reducing the
chances of an angry response. But if something or someone does make you angry, it‘s advisable not to
react immediately. Once you‘ve calmed down, things won‘t look half as badly as you first thought.
1. line 1: politics politician
Part 4. Fill in each blank with a suitable particle or preposition.
2. Don‘t forget the date. I‘m banking for your help.
3. It was decided to break up diplomatic relations with that country.
4. The police arrived immediately after the call and caught the burglar on the spot.
5. Over 3,000 workers were laid out when the company moved the factory abroad.
6. They worked very hard in their new business venture and their efforts eventually paid off .
7. As the day wore by , I began to feel more and more uncomfortable in their company.
8. There was strong evidence to suggest that the judge presiding the case had been bought offb .
9. It‘s like a bolt from the blue.
10. I didn‘t do much work, but I‘m
relieved that I scraped over my exam.
11. The unemployment data must be seen as the background of world recession.
III. READING
Part 1. Read the following passage and choose the correct word(s) to each of the questions.
Secretaries
What‘s in a name? In the case of the secretary, or Personal Assistant (PA), it can be something rather
surprising. The dictionary calls a secretary
―
anyone who handles correspondence, keeps recor
ds
and
does clerical work for others‖. But while this particular job (1)
_ looks a bit outdated, the word‘s
original meaning is a hundred times more exotic and perhaps more appropriate. The word itself has
been with us since the 14
th
century and comes from the medieval Latin word secretarius meaning
―
something
hidden‖
. Secretaries started out as those members of staff with knowledge hidden
from others, the silent ones mysteriously (2) the secret machinery of organizations.
Some years ago
―
something hidden
‖
probably meant (3) out of
si
ght, tucked a
wa
y with all the
other secretaries and typists. A good secretary was an unremarkable one, efficiently (4)
orders,
and then returning mouse-like to his or her station behind the typewriter, but, with the (5) of new
office technology, the job (6) upgraded itself and the role has changed to one closer to the
original meaning. The skills required are more demanding and more technical. Companies are (7)
that secretarial staff should already be (8)
trained in, and accustomed to working with, a
(9) of word processing packages. In addition to this, they need the management skills to take on
some administration, some personnel work and some research. The professionals in the (10)
business point out that nowadays secretarial staff may even need some management skills to take on
administration, personnel work and research.
1. A. explanation B. detail C. definition D. characteristic
2. A. operating B. pushing C. vibrating D. effecting
3. A. kept B. covered C. packed D. held
4. A. satisfying B. obeying C. completing D. minding
5. A. advent B. approach C. entrance D. opening
6. A. truly B. validly C. correctly D. effectively
7. A. insisting B. ordering C. claiming D. pressing
8. A. considerably B. highly C. vastly D. supremely
9. A. group B. collection C. cluster D. range
10. A. appointment B. hiring C. recruitment D. engagement
Part 2. Fill in each numbered blank with one suitable word to complete the passage.
My new friend’s a robot
In fiction robots have a personality, (1) but reality is disappointingly different. Although
sophisticated (2) enough to assemble cars and assist during complex surgery, modern robots are
dumb automatons, (3) incapable of striking up relationships with their human
operators.
However, change is (4) on the horizon. Engineers argue that, as robots begin to make (5)
up a bigger part of society, they will need a way to interact with humans. To this end they
will need artificial personalities. The big question is this: what does a synthetic companion need to have
so that you want to engage (6) with it over a long period of time? Phones and computers have
already shown the (7) extent to which people can develop relationships with inanimate electronic
objects.
Looking further (8) ahead , engineers envisage robots helping around the house, integrating
with the web to place supermarket orders using email. Programming the robot with a human–like
persona and (9) giving it the ability to learn its users‘ preferences, will help the person feel (10)
at ease with it. Interaction with such a digital entity in this context is more natural than
sitting with a mouse and keyboard.
Part 3. Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.
Birds that feed in flocks commonly retire together into roosts. The reasons for roosting communally
are not always obvious, but there are some likely benefits. In winter especially it is important for birds
to keep warm at night and conserve precious food reserves. One way to do this is to find a sheltered
roost. Solitary roosters shelter in dense vegetation or enter a cavity - horned larks dig holes in the
ground and ptarmigan burrow into snow banks - but the effect of sheltering is magnified by several
birds huddling together in the roosts, as wrens, swifts, brown creepers, bluebirds and anis do. Body
contact reduces the surface area exposed to the cold air, so the birds keep each other warm. Two
kinglets huddling together were found to reduce their heat losses by a quarter, and three together saved
a third of their heat.
The second possible benefit of communal roosts is that they act as
―
information centers
‖
. During the
day, parties of birds will have spread out to forage over a very large area. When they return in the
evening some will have fed well, but others may have found little to eat. Some investigators have
observed that when the birds set out again next morning, those birds that did not feed well on the
previous day appear to follow those that did. The behavior of common and lesser kestrels may illustrate
different feeding behaviors of similar birds with different roosting habits. The common kestrel hunts
vertebrate animals in a small, familiar hunting ground, whereas the very similar lesser kestrel feeds on
insects over a large area. The common kestrel roosts and hunts alone, but the lesser kestrel roosts and
hunts in flocks, possibly so one bird can learn from others where to find insect swarms.
Finally, there is safety in numbers at communal roosts since there will always be a few birds awake
at any given moment to give the alarm. But this increased protection is partially counteracted by the
fact that mass roosts attract predators and are especially vulnerable if they are on the ground. Even
those in trees can be attacked by birds of prey. The birds on the edge are at greatest risk since predators
find it easier to catch small birds perching at the margins of the roost.
1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. How birds find and store food. B. How birds maintain body heat in the winter.
C. Why birds need to establish territory. D. Why some species of birds nest together.
2. The word
―
c
onserv
e
‖
in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to
_.
A. retain B. watch C. locate D. share
3. Ptarmigan keep warm in the winter by .
A. building nests in trees B. huddling together on the ground with other birds
C. digging tunnels into the snow D. burrowing into dense patches of vegetation
List of Headings
i Different accounts of the same journey
ii Bingham gains support
iii A common belief
iv The aim of the trip
v A dramatic description
vi A new route
vii Bingham publishes his theory
viii Bingham‘s lack of enthusiasm
4. The word
―
magnified
‖
in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to .
A. combined B. caused C. modified D. intensified
5. The author mentions kinglets in the passage as an example of birds that .
A. protect themselves by nesting in holes B. usually feed and nest in pairs
C. nest together for warmth D. nest with other species of birds
6. Which of the following statements about lesser and common kestrels is TRUE?
A. The lesser kestrel feeds sociably but the common kestrel does not.
B. The lesser kestrel and the common kestrel have similar diets.
C. The common kestrel nests in larger flocks than does the lesser kestrel.
D. The common kestrel nests in trees; the lesser kestrel nests on the ground.
7. The word
―
forage
‖
in the passage
is
c
losest
in meaning to .
A. fly B. assemble C. feed D. rest
8. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as an advantage derived by birds that
huddle together while sleeping?
A. Some members of the flock warn others of impending dangers.
B. Staying together provides a greater amount of heat for the whole flock
C. Some birds in the flock function as information centers for others who are looking for food.
D. Several members of the flock care for the young.
9. Which of the following is a disadvantage of communal roosts that is mentioned in the passage?
A. Diseases easily spread among the birds. B. Food supplies are quickly depleted.
C. Some birds in the group will attack the others.
D. Groups are more attractive to predators than individual birds are.
10. The word
―
th
ey
‖
in the third paragraph refers to .
A. a few birds B. mass roosts C. predators D. trees
Part 4. Read the passage including seven paragraphs and do the following tasks.
Task 1. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the
correct number, i-viii, in boxes 1-5 below.
Paragraphs Your answers:
Paragraph A iv
1. Paragraph B …vi……….
2. Paragraph C ……viii…….
3. Paragraph D ……v…….
4. Paragraph E ……i…….
5. Paragraph F ……vii…….
Paragraph G iii
The Lost City
An explorer’s encounter with the ruined city of Machu Picchu, the most famous icon of the Inca
civilisation
A When the US explorer and academic Hiram Bingham arrived in South America in 1911, he was
ready for what was to be the greatest achievement of his life: the exploration of the remote hinterland to
the west of Cusco, the old capital of the Inca empire in the Andes mountains of Peru. His goal was to
locate the remains of a city called Vitcos, the last capital of the Inca civilisation. Cusco lies on a high
plateau at an elevation of more than 3,000 metres, and Bingham‘s plan was to descend from this
plateau along the valley of the Urubamba river, which takes a circuitous route down to the Amazon and
passes through an area of dramatic canyons and mountain ranges.
B When Bingham and his team set off down the Urubamba in late July, they had an advantage over
travellers who had preceded them: a track had recently been blasted down the valley canyon to enable
rubber to be brought up by mules from the jungle. Almost all previous travellers had left the river at
Ollantaytambo and taken a high pass across mountains to rejoin the river lower down, thereby cutting a
substantial corner, but also therefore never passing through the area around Machu Picchu.
C On 24 July they were a few days into their descent of the valley. The day began slowly, with
Bingham trying to arrange sufficient mules for the next stage of the trek. His companions showed no
interest in accompanying him up the nearby hill to see some ruins that a local farmer, Melchor Arteaga,
had told them about the night before. The morning was dull and damp, and Bingham also seems to
have been less than keen on the prospect of climbing the hill. In his book Lost City of the Incas, he
relates that he made the ascent without having the least expectation that he would find anything at the
top.
D Bingham writes about the approach in vivid style in his book. First, as he climbs up the hill, he
de
sc
ribe
s
the ever-pre
se
nt
possi
bility of deadly snakes,
―
capable of making considerable springs when
in pursuit of their prey‖; not that he sees any. Then there‘s a sense of mounting discovery as he comes
across great sweeps of terraces, then a mausoleum, followed by monumental staircases and, finally, the
grand ceremonial buildings of Machu Picchu.
―
It seemed like an unbelievable dream … the sight held
me spellbound …‖ he wrote.
E We should remember, however, that Lost City of the Incas is a work of hindsight, not written until
1948, many years after his journey. His journal entries of the time reveal a much more gradual
appreciation of his achievement. He spent the afternoon at the ruins noting down the dimensions of
some of the buildings, then descended and rejoined his companions, to whom he seems to have said
little about his discovery. At this stage, Bingham didn‘t realise the extent or the importance of the site,
nor did he realise what use he could make of the discovery.
F However, soon after returning it occurred to him that he could make a name for himself from this
discovery. When he came to write the National Geographic magazine article that broke the story to the
world in April 1913, he knew he had to produce a big idea. He wondered whether it could have been
the birthplace of the very first Inca, Manco the Great, and whether it could also have been what
chroniclers described as
―
the last city of the Inca
s‖
. This term refers to Cilcabamba, the
settlement where the Incas had fled from Spanish invaders in the 1530s. Bingham made desperate
attempts to prove this belief for nearly 40 years. Sadly, his vision of the site as both the beginning and
end of the Inca civilisation, while a magnificent one, is inaccurate. We now know that Vilcabamba
actually lies 65 kilometres away in the depths of the jungle.
G One question that has perplexed visitors, historians and archaeologists alike ever since Bingham, is
why the site seems to have been abandoned before the Spanish Conquest. There are no references to it
by any of the Spanish chroniclers – and if they had known of its existence so close to Cusco they would
certainly have come in search of gold. An idea which has gained wide acceptance over the past few
years is that Machu Picchu was a moya, a country estate built by an Inca emperor to escape the cold
winters of Cusco, where the elite could enjoy monumental architectrue and spectacular views.
Furthermore, the particular architecture of Machu Picchu suggests that it was constructed at the time of
the greatest of all the Incas, the emperor Pachacuti (c.1438-71). By custom, Pachacuti‘s descendants
built other similar estates for their own use, and so Machu Picchu would have been abandoned after his
death, some 50 years before the Spanish Conquest.
Task 2. 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. Bingham went to South America in search of an Inca city. t
7. Bingham chose a particular route down the Urubamba valley because it was the most common route
used by travellers. f
8. Bingham returned to Machu Picchu in order to find evidence to support his theory. ng
Task 3. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
9. The track that took Bingham down the Urubamba valley had been created for the transportation of
rubber .
10. Bingham found out about the ruins of Machu Picchu from a farmer in the Urubamba valley.
IV. WRITING
Part 1. Read the following passage and use your own words to summarize it. You MUST NOT copy
or re-write the original. Your summary should be about 100 words long.
One of the greatest men ever to have lived in the world was Dr Alexander Flemming. He was a
dedicated English doctor who was very keen to do his best to cure his patients. However, there were no
bacteria-fighting drugs at that time and many of his patients died of blood-poisoning. Therefore, Dr
Flemming tried to discover a bacteria-fighting drug through experiments in his laboratory.
He cultivated harmful germs on dishes of jelly. Surprisingly, he discovered that the harmful germs
were killed by the mould in the jelly. The organisms in the mould produced chemical substances which
killed the harmful germs. This was a fantastic discovery in 1928 - a mould that could kill harmful
germs! As a result, Dr Flemming wanted to find the chemical substance made by the mould.
Finally, he found the substance which was three times more effective than carbolic acid, the
disinfectant for killing germs then. The new drug became known as penicillin, after the name of the
mould. Dr Flemming‘s next challenge was to produce a large amount of this antibody for use on his
patients.
He continued with his experiments. With the outbreak of the Second World War, his drug was very
much in demand. Subsequently, his wonder drug was produced in great amounts. The people
responsible were Professor Sir Howard Florey who introduced its use for healing patients, and Dr E.
Chain who studied it in detail.
With the discovery of penicillin by Dr Flemming, fewer people died from bacteria infection. His
drug had alleviated the sufferings of mankind and indeed saved the lives of millions. Hailed as one of
the world‘s greatest contributors to medical science, he had made it possible not only to treat diseases
but to prevent them too. His drug can be applied to animals as well. Therefore, if you had been treated
Fitness Membership
4500
4000
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 2000
Years
Women
Men
for diseases such as pneumonia, influenza and gum infection by antibiotics, you have Dr Flemming to
thank for.
In recognition of his brilliant discovery, Dr Flemming was knighted, a reward richly befitting his
contribution to mankind.
Part 2. The chart below shows male and female fitness membership between 1970 and 2000.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Part 3. In today’s job market it is far more important to have practical skills than theoretical
knowledge. In the future, job applicants may not need any formal qualifications.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
PRACTICE TEST 4
I. LISTENING
Part 1. Listen and complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A
NUMBER for each answer.
DEPARTMENT OF THE PRINTED WORD
Statistics
- many different full– and part-time courses
- 17 students on the (1) _ and 7 full-time research
- 9 full-time lecturers
- about (2) percent of students are from outside the country
Sponsorship
- links with organizations in the publishing world
- sponsorship of students, (3)
- outside speakers
- workshops built to expand facilities for (4) and restoration
Teaching
- main work is teaching the (5)
- as most printing is now very technological, students have to be (6)
Members
- for students without the necessary skills, there are specialist technicians who deliver (7)
in computing
Facilities
- in printing, editing, page design and layout, book-binding
- former students are now working as expert book (8) and
Research
- growing interest in the history of the printed word from early European etc. printing techniques
- a visiting lecturer, Dr Yu, is an expert on early Chinese manuscripts and (9)
- department is very popular, with many (10) for each research position
Part 2. You are going to listen to a conversation between a tutor and a university student and give
short answers to the questions below.
1. What is the topic of their presentation?
………………………………………………………………........................………………
2. What are the main criteria to assess the presentation?
…………………………………………………………….........................………………
3. What was the strongest aspect of their presentation according to Sharon and Xiao Li?
……………………………………………………………….........................…………
4. Which part of their presentation was Xiao Li least happy with?
………………………………………………………………......................……………
5. Which section does Sharon feel they should have discussed in more depth?
…………………………………………………………………………………....................
Part 3. For questions 1-5, you will hear the beginning of a radio interview with Stephen Perrins, a
composer of musicals. Listen and decide whether these statements are true or false.
1. The light songs Stephen wrote at college weren‘t published because his family advised him against
it.
2. Stephen and Jenny‘s original reason for writing Goldringer was that they wanted to include it in
their college show.
3. Stephen prefers not to write the lyrics for his shows because he would rather work with someone
else.
4. Stephen‘s purpose in mentioning Helen Downes is to convince listeners that the director has ultimate
responsibility for a production.
5. Stephen claims that reason why some newspapers criticize him is that they don‘t like his music.
Part 4. You will hear part of an interview with a woman called Barbara Darby, who works as a
casting director in the film industry. Choose the answer (A, B, C or D) that fits best according to
what you hear.
1. According to Barbara, a casting director needs above all .
A. to learn from experience B. to be a good communicator
C. to have a relevant qualification D. to have a natural feel for the job
2. Barbara says that she looks for actors who .
A. can play a variety of roles B. complement each other
C. accept her way of working D. think deeply about a part
3. At which stage in the casting process does Barbara meet the actors?
A. before she goes to see them performing live
B. once the director has approved them
C. before a final short list is drawn up D. as soon as a final selection is made
4. Barbara explains that what motivates her now is a need for .
A. personal satisfaction B. professional recognition
C. a glamorous lifestyle D. financial security
5. What made Barbara give up her job for a while?
A. She‘d become tired of travelling. B. She was ready to try something new.
C. She felt she‘d been put under too much pressure.
D. She found that she was no longer as committed to it.
II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR
Part 1. Choose the best answer (A, B, C, or D) to each of the following questions.
1.
―
How did you know that he was lying?
‖
–
―
It was just a feeling.
‖
A. faint B. gut C. slight D. vain
2. She‘s a bit down in the at the moment – her husband has just lost his job.
A. world B. dumps C. heart D. bottom
3. I‘m afraid we haven‘t got a spare bed. Can you with a mattress on the floor?
A. make do B. make by C. make over D. make up
4. The train the bay and then turned inland for twenty miles.
A. coasted B. skirted C. edged D. sided
5. The new company had been with one problem after another and looked as if it were about to
go under.
A. glorified B. tainted C. fraught D. bewildered
6. As they travelled across the landscape, each one of them wondered how it was possible to
grow anything there.
A. barren B. bustling C. grimy D. mundane
7. Mike decided that election to the local council would provide a to a career in national politics.
A. milestone B. springboard C. highway D. turning point
8. As a poet, I think she comparison with the greatest this century.
A. stands B. makes C. leads D. matches
9. We all have to follow the rules, and none of us is the law.
A. beyond B. over C. above D. onto
10. I didn‘t out to be a millionaire – I just wanted to run a successful business.
A. set B. go C. begin D. watch
Part 2. Fill each gap of the following passage with the correct form of the word in brackets.
Meditation
People are often put off meditation by what they see as its many mystical associations. Yet
meditation is a (1. STRAIGHT) straightfoward _ technique which merely involves sitting and
resting the mind. In addition to its (2. SIMPLE) simplicity ,
meditation offers powerful help in the battle against stress. Hundreds of studies have shown that
meditation, when (3. TAKE)
undertaken
in a principled way, can reduce hypertension which
is related to stress in the body. Research has proved that certain types of meditation can (4.
SUBSTANCE) substantially decrease key stress symptoms such as anxiety
and (5. IRRITATE) irritability . In fact, those who practise meditation with any (6.
REGULAR) regularity see their doctors less and spend, on average, seventy per cent fewer
days in hospital. They are said to have more stamina, a happier (7. DISPOSE) disposition and
even enjoy better relationships.
When you learn to meditate, your teacher will give you a personal ‗mantra‘ or word which you use
every time you practise the technique and which is (8. SUPPOSE) supposedly chosen according
to your needs. Initial classes are taught individually but (9. SEQUENCE) subsequent
classes
usually consist of a group of students and take place over a period of about four days. The aim is to
learn how to slip into a deeper state of (10. CONSCIOUS) consciousness for twenty
minutes a day. The rewards speak for themselves.
Part 3. The passage below contains 10 errors. Underline and correct them.
The market for tourism in remote areas is booming as never before. Countries all across the world
are active promoting their 'wilderness' regions - such as mountains, Arctic lands, deserts, small islands
and wetlands - to highly spending tourists. The attraction of these areas is obvious: by defining,
wilderness tourism requires little or no initial investment. But that does not mean that there is no cost.
Like the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development recognized, these regions are fragile
(i.e. highly vulnerable of abnormal pressures) not just in terms of the culture of their inhabitation. The
three most significant types of fragile environment in these respects are deserts, mountains and Arctic
areas. An important character is their marked seasonality. Consequently, most human acts, including
tourism, are limited to clearly defined parts of the year.
Tourists are drawn to these regions by their natural beauty and the unique culture of its people. And
poor governments in these areas have welcomed the ‗adventure tourists‘, grateful for the currency they
bring. For several years, tourism is the prime source of foreign exchange in Nepal and Bhutan. Tourism
is also a key element in the economics of Arctic zones such as Lapland and Alaska and in desert areas
such as Ayres Rocks in Australia and Arizona's Monument Valley.
Part 4. Fill in the gaps of the following sentences with suitable particles or
prepositions. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Example: 0. up with
1. He finds it hard to put the noise of the nearby factory.
2. The station is within walking distance of the hotel.
3. I‘m so tired after work that I often drop off in front of the TV.
4. The decision was deferred in a later meeting.
5. That awful new office block is a real blot on the landscape.
6. I don‘t know how Nicole survives, living all away in the sticks.
7. Carl and I just spent the whole day lazing out listening to music.
8. Unfortunately, most of the photos Terry took were out focus.
9. Why don‘t we meet up here again on the 12
th
, when I get back from Germany?
10. The prime minister has come with fire during this
election campaign for being slow to respond to events.
11. Keep plodding along and you‘ll finish your novel eventually.
III. READING
Part 1. Read the following passage and decide which answer best fits each gap.
The issues for (1) economies are a little more straightforward. The desire to build on
undeveloped land is not (2) out of desperation or necessity, but is a result of the relentless march
of progress. Cheap labour and a relatively highly-skilled workforce make these countries highly
competitive and there is a flood of inward investment, particularly from (3) looking to take
advantage of the low wages before the cost and standard of living begin to rise. It is factors such as
these that are making many Asian economies extremely attractive when viewed as investment
opportunities at the moment. Similarly, in Africa, the relative (4) of precious metals and natural
resources tends to attract a lot of (5) companies and a whole sub-industry develops around and is
completely dependent on this foreign-direct investment. It is understandable that countries that are the
focus of this sort of attention can lose sight of the environmental implications of large-scale industrial
development, and this can have devastating consequences for the natural world. And it is a (6)
cycle because the more industrially active a nation becomes, the greater the demand for and harvesting
of natural resources. For some, the environmental issues, though they can hardly be ignored, are viewed
as a (7) concern. Indeed, having an environmental conscience or taking environmental matters
into consideration when it comes to decisions on whether or not to build rubber-tree (8) or grow
biofuel crops would be quite (9) indeed. For those involved in such schemes it is a pretty black- and-
white issue. And, for vast (10) of land in Latin America, for example, it is clear that the welfare of
the rainforests matters little to local government when vast sums of money can be made from
cultivating the land.
1. A. emerging B. emergent C. convergent D. resurgent
2. A. grown B. born C. bred D. arisen
3. A. multinationals B. migrants C. continentals D. intercontinentals
4. A. premonition B. abundance C. amplitude D. accumulation
5. A. exploitation B. exploration C. surveyance D. research
6. A. vacuous B. viscous C. vexatious D. vicious
7. A. parallel B. extrinsic C. peripheral D. exponential
8. A. plantations B. homesteads C. ranches D. holdings
9. A. proscriptive B. prohibitive C. prospective D. imperative
10. A. regions B. plots C. tracts D. sectors
Part 2. Use only one word in each gap.
Despite the continued resilience of those early town perks, it wasn‘t until the Depression that
modern Hershey started to take (1) shape _. Perhaps the only town in the country actually to
prosper during the 1930s, it thrived because Hershey vowed his Utopia would never be on the (2)
breadline . Instead he funded a massive building boom that gave (3) rise to the most visited
buildings in today's Hershey and delivered wages to more than 600 workers. He admitted that his (4)
intentions were partly selfish:
―
If I don‘t provide work for them, I‘ll have to feed them.
And since
building materials are now at their lowest cost levels, I‘m going to build and give them jobs.‖
He seems to have spared no (5) expense ; most of the new buildings were
strikingly opulent. The first to be finished was the three-million-dollar limestone Community Centre,
home to the 1,904-seat Venetian- style Hershey Community Theatre, which has played (6) host
since 1933 to touring Broadway shows and to music, dance, and opera performances. It
offers just as much to look at when the lights are on and the curtains closed. The floors in the aptly (7)
named Grand Lobby are polished Italian lava rock, surrounded by marble walls and capped with a
bas-relief ceiling showing (8) sheaves of wheat, beehives, swans, and
scenes from Roman mythology. With dazzling inner foyer, Hershey (9)
thumbed his nose even harder at the ravages of the Depression: The arched ceiling is tiled in gold,
the fire curtain bears a painting of Venice, and the ceiling is studded with 88 tiny lightbulbs to re-create
a star-(10) lit night.
Part 3. Read the following passage and choose the best answer.
CLOUD SEEDING
Precipitation is essential for any type of farming, and since the development of agriculture man has
attempted to gain influence over or to control this life-giving phenomenon. For much of human history,
such efforts have been the province of shamans, witch doctors, and priests, who have sought to enlist
the aid of the supernatural in bringing steady and reliable rains during the growing season. In fact, in
many earlier societies, the great authority afforded to such individuals was explicitly based on their
claims to supposedly command the rains to come. In modern times, most societies have turned away
from such superstitions. Rain-making efforts continue today, albeit under the guise of science. Modern
rain-making efforts centre around the practice of cloud seeding, in which certain chemicals (usually
silver iodide) are released into the atmosphere to induce precipitation. In order to understand this
process, it is first necessary to understand what causes precipitation under natural circumstances.
Precipitation requires two processes to take place inside a cloud: condensation and coalescence.
Condensation occurs when the air in a cloud cools beyond a certain point. Clouds are essentially
masses of air saturated with water vapour, and the amount of water vapour that the air can hold is a
function of temperature. Warmer air can hold more water vapour, while cooler air can hold less. Thus,
when a mass of warm air cools, either as a result of a collision with a cooler mass of air or through
some other process, its ability to hold water vapour decreases. When this ability drops below the
amount of water vapour the cloud actually holds, the cloud is said to be supersaturated. At this point,
the water vapour will begin to condense into tiny microscopic droplets.
While the supersaturation of the cloud marks the point at which water droplets begin to form, it
does not always result in precipitation. These initial water droplets are so small that the force of air
resistance and upward breaths of wind are sufficient to keep them suspended within the cloud. It is
when these water droplets begin to combine into larger water drops or freeze in to ice crystals, a
process known as coalescence, that they gain enough mass to fall as either rain or snow. In order to
coalesce, however, these water droplets must first have something to coalesce around. Typically, this is
a microscopic particle of dirt or dust that has been blown up into a cloud. Without the presence of such
particles, precipitation is nearly impossible. In fact, in clouds without these particles, condensed water
droplets may even drop below the freezing point without coalescing into raindrops or snowflakes.
It is precisely these conditions which cloud seeding seeks to exploit. In cloud seeding, super-fine
particles of silver iodide are released into a cloud in an attempt to initiate coalescence and thus produce
precipitation. The silver iodide is typically delivered via a ground-launched rocket or a plane that has
been specially outfitted with cloud-seeding equipment. In either case, the process is the same. If
successful, the water droplets will coalesce around the particles of silver iodide and fall as either rain or
snow, depending on temperatures closer to the ground.
While cloud seeding works in theory, its real-world efficacy is more open to debate. There are
undeniably cases in which cloud seeding does produce precipitation. However, it is often impossible to
tell whether greater amounts of precipitation occur with the aid of cloud seeding than would have
occurred naturally. Moreover, cloud seeding can only work when cloud conditions are already ripe for
precipitation; that is, when a cloud is already supersaturated. In instances when this is not the case,
cloud seeding is powerless to produce rain. Cloud seeding, for example, may initiate rainfall in
temperate climates, but it would be a futile practice in desert regions. Another drawback is that cloud
seeding naturally results in rainfalls laden with silver iodide, which can be toxic to vegetation and
wildlife in high enough concentrations. Despite these limitations, cloud seeding is a growing practice
worldwide. Currently, 24 nations, including the United States, China, Russia, and Australia, have active
cloud seeding programs. Some of these nations have begun to experiment with materials other than
silver iodide in their programs, hoping to find a method of cloud seeding that is more environmentally
friendly.
1. The
wor
d
―
pro
v
in
ce
‖
in the pa
ssa
ge
is
closest
in meaning to .
A. authority B. jurisdiction C. realm D. specialty
2. In paragraph 1, why does the author allude to kahunas, healers and clerics?
A. To belabour the point that rain in religious rituals is of great import
B. To elucidate the futility of all rain-making endeavours
C. To illustrate the dearth of empirical erudition amidst primitive civilisations
D. To yield a celebrated background for rainmaking ventures
3. Based on the information in paragraph 2, condensation can best be designated as .
A. the amalgam of minuscule water droplets
B. the diminution of air temperatures inside a cloud
C. the genesis of water droplets from water vapour
D. the resistance of water vapour to supersaturation
4. What is required for coalescence to transpire?
A. Air temperatures must depreciate to a critical level.
B. The aggregate of water vapour in a cloud must exceed a certain point.
C. Water droplets must become sufficiently dense to overcome air resistance.
D. Water droplets must have something on which to affix themselves.
5. According to paragraph 4, the mantle of silver iodide in cloud seeding is to .
A. augment the amount of water vapour in the cloud
B. diminish the inclusive air temperature in the cloud
C. expedite coalescence D. facilitate condensation
6. The
wor
d
―
efficacy” in the paragraph 5
is
close
st
in meaning to .
A, prevalence B. reliability C. sanctuary D. usefulness
7. Based on paragraph 5, what can be inferred about cloud seeding?
A. Cloud seeding actually precipitates very little environmental desecration.
B. Cloud seeding does not always work.
C. Cloud seeding methods have never been appraised.
D. The overheads of cloud seeding are exorbitant to be viable.
8. Why are nations looking for auxiliary constituents to manoeuvre in cloud seeding?
A. Silver iodide introduces poisons into the environment.
B. Silver iodide wields extortionate delivery modi operandi like projectiles and airplanes.
C. The availability of silver iodide is extremely limited.
D. They hanker after a more effective component than silver iodide.
9. Which of the sentences below best conveys the intrinsic information in the highlighted sentence in
the passage?
A. In primeval societies, only puissant individuals (ecclesiastics) had the prerogative to command the
rains.
B. In primitive civilisations, authority epitomes dodged explicit assertions about constraining the rains.
C. The formidable stature of religious epitomes in primitive civilisations was primarily due to their
allegations to restrain the rain.
D. The greatness of primeval societies was grounded in the adroitness of ethereal leaders to create rain.
10. The phra
s
e
―
upward breaths
” in the pa
ssage
can be replaced by .
A. upbraids B. updraughts C. upheavals D. uprisings
Part 4. Read the following passage and choose the most suitable from A to G on the list and write it
in each gap from 1 to 5 and from the gap 6 to 10 complete the notes.
DOES GLOBALIZATION HELP THE POOR?
A. In recent years, we have heard steady proclamations emanating from the advocates of economic
globalization and leaders of the world‘s leading financial institutions - the World Bank, the
International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organization (WTO), etc. - that the ultimate
purpose in pushing economic globalization is to help the world‘s poor. More specifically, they contend
that removing barriers to corporate trade and financial investments is the best path to growth, which
they claim offers the best chance of rescuing the poor from poverty. They also assert that the millions
of people who oppose the economic globalization model are harming the interests of the poor. They
should back off and leave it to corporations, bankers and global bureaucracies to do the planning and
solve the world‘s problems. Such claims are routinely replayed in the media. One prominent national
columnist writes, 'Protesters are choking the only route out of poverty for the world‘s poor.‘ In other
words, if the protesting stopped, the financial institutions would save the day. Is this believable? Is it
the salvation of the poor that really drives global corporations or are their primary motives quite
different?
B. Almost all the evidence from the most robust period of economic globalization - 1970 to the end of
the 20th century — shows that its outcome is the exact opposite of what its supporters claim.
Interestingly, this evidence now comes as much from the proponents of globalization as from its
opponents. Clearly, poverty and inequality are rapidly accelerating everywhere on Earth. A 1999 report
by the United Nations Development Program found that inequalities between rich and poor within and
among countries are quickly expanding, and that the global trading and finance system is a primary
cause. Even the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) confirms the United Nations‘ (UN) conclusions,
agreeing that globalization brings massive inequalities.
―
The benefits of globalization do not reach the
poor,‖ says the CIA, 'and the process inevitably results in increased unrest and protest.‘
C. The ideologies and rules of economic globalization - including free trade, deregulation and
privatization - have destroyed the livelihoods of millions of people, often leaving them homeless,
landless and hungry, while removing their access to the most basic public services like health and
medical care, education, sanitation, fresh water and public transport. The records show that economic
globalization makes things worse for the poor, not better. Economic globalization has actually
succeeded in making global corporations and a few elites wildly wealthy. Of the largest 100 economies
m the world, 52 are corporations. This is what the UN describes as the ‗staggering concentration of
wealth among the ultra-wealthy‘.
D. Contrary to claims, wealth generated by globalization does not trickle down. Rather, the wealth is
locked at the top, removing from governments and communities the very tools necessary to redistribute
it, and in doing so protect domestic industries, social services, the environment and sustainable
livelihoods. There may be isolated instances where temporary improvement has been achieved in Third
World countries, and, of course, the financial institutions love to trumpet these. The truth, however, is
that benefit has been very short-lived and the majority of it has gone to the elites in these countries and
to the chief executives of the global corporations at the hub of the process.
E. People may point to the ‗Asian Tiger‘ economies like Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore as
examples of the success of globalization, but the truth is that improvement has not been achieved by
assiduously adhering to the dictates of international financial advisors. These economies initially
resisted the prescribed economic model, and managed to stay free of the volatility of export markets.
When they did finally succumb to pressure from the IMF and the World Bank, they found their glory
days quickly disappearing into the infamous Asian financial crisis of the late 90s.
F. The majority of poor countries have not enjoyed much benefit from globalization, and a growing
number of people understand that the system is selling a false promise. The policies of the financial
institutions are not designed to benefit them, but to benefit rich industrial countries and their global
corporations. The question then is:
―
Do these globalizing institutions know what they‘re doing or do
they just mindly follow a failed ideological model?‖ Many commentators fiercely opposed to
globalization now firmly believe that the institutions do indeed know exactly what they're doing and
that they always have. They have an assignment to remove all obstacles to the free flow of capital as
they seek to pry open the world‘s last natural resource pools, markets and cheap labour.To suggest they
do all this to help the poor is high cynicism.
G. Perhaps the most traumatic impact of globalization has resulted from local economies being forced
to shift from a small-scale diversified agricultural model towards the industrial export model. Half the
world's population still lives directly on the land, growing food for their communities. They grow
staples and a mix of diverse crops, and they replant with indigenous seed varieties developed over
centuries. They have perfected their own fertilization and pesticide management. Such systems have
sustained hundreds of millions of people for millennia.
Global corporations must resist local self-sufficiency. Profit is generated by increased processing
activity and global trading. We have seen companies spend millions of dollars on publicity professing
that small farmers are not productive enough to feed the hungry world. This publicity runs in tandem
with the investment and trade strategies of the same companies - strategies that aim to replace local,
diverse farming for self-reliance with monocultures. The people who once grew their crops are driven
off their land. People who once fed themselves become landless, homeless, jobless and hungry.
Dependency and starvation replace self-sufficient livelihoods and self-reliant nations, while global
corporations maintain their wealth by shipping luxury items thousands of miles to already overfed
markets. Clearly, these corporations are not concerned about feeding the hungry. They are concerned
about feeding themselves.
The passage has seven sections labelled A-G. For questions 1-5, choose the correct heading for each
section from the list of headings in the box. You do not need to use all the headings.
I. Initial gains - ultimate disaster
II. A stark contrast between the poor and the super-rich.
III. The obliteration of traditional practices
IV. The poor must take some responsibility
V. Boasts about small victories are misplaced
VI. We know best. Don't try to stop us.
VII. Markets yet to be exploited
VIII. Incompetence or a well planned strategy?
IX Parties on both sides can see the short-comings
X. Asia leads the way
Example: Paragraph B: IX
Paragraph G: III
1. Paragraph A :vi
2. Paragraph C :ii
3. Paragraph D :v
4. Paragraph E :i
5. Paragraph F :vii
For questions 6-10, complete the notes. Use NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Globalization – two sides of the coin
Advocates say:
Growth realized only by (6) removing barriers to business
Hope of salvation thwarted by (7) protestors
Opponents say:
(8) Advocates of the system equally sceptical
Millions destitute without essential (9) public services
(10) Corporations now wealthier than some countries
IV. WRITING
Part 1. Describing the table.
The table below shows the percentage use of four different fuel types to generate electricity in five
European countries in 2001. Write at least 150 words to describe it.
Nuclear Coal & lignite Petroleum products Hydro & wind Other
Germany
29 50 1 6 13
Britain 23 34 2 2 39
Italy 0 11 27 20 42
Sweden 45 1 2 49 44
Belgium 58 12 2 2 26
Part 2. Summary
Read the following paragraph carefully. Use your own words to summarize it. You MUST NOT
copy the original.
Let children learn to judge their own work. A child learning to talk does not learn by being corrected
all the time: if corrected too much, he will stop talking. He notices a thousand times a day the
difference between the language he uses and the language those around him use. Bit by bit, he makes
the necessary changes to make his language like other people‘s. In the same way, children learning to
do all the other things they learn to do without being taught – to walk, run, climb, whistle, ride a
bicycle – compare their own performances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the
needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his mistakes for himself, let
alone correct them. We do it all for him. We act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake
unless it was pointed out to him, or correct it unless he was made to. Soon he becomes dependent on
the teacher. Let him do it himself. Let him work out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what
this word says, what the answer is to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or
not.
If it is a matter of right answers, as it may be in mathematics or science, give him the answer book.
Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such routine work? Our job
should be to help the child when he tells us that he can‘t find the way to get the right answer. Let‘s end
all this nonsense of grades, exams, marks. Let us throw them all out, and let the children learn what all
educated persons must some days learn, how to measure their own understanding, how to know what
they know or do not know.
Let them get on with this job in the way that seems most sensible to them, with our help as school
teachers if they ask for it. The idea that there is a body of knowledge to be learnt at school and used for
the rest of one‘s life is nonsense in a world as complicated and rapidly changing as ours. Anxious
parents and teachers say, ‗But suppose they fail to learn something essential, something they will need
to get on in the world?‘ Don‘t worry! If it is essential, they will go out into the world and learn it.
Part 3. Essay
Some people think that modern games can help children develop a wide range of skills, but others
argue that traditional games can be much better for developing such skills. What is your opinion?
Write an essay of about 350 words to express your view. Use specific reasons and examples to
support your answer.
PRACTICE TEST 5
I. LISTENING
Part 1. Listen and complete the note with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/ OR A
NUMBER.
Rented Properties Customer’s Requirement
Name: Steven Godfrey
No. of bedrooms: four
Preferred location: in the (1) of the town
Maximum monthly rent: € (2)
Length of let required: (3)
Starting: (4)
Address Rooms Monthly
rent
Problem
Oakington Avenue Living/ dining room, separate kitchen £550 (5)
Mead Street Large living room and kitchen,
bathroom and (6)
£580 The(7)
too large
Hamilton Road Living room, kitchen-dinner, and a (8) £550 (9)
Devon Close Living room, dining room, small kitchen £
(10)
none
Part 2. Listen to the recording and give short answers to the following questions.
1. Why is the National Arts Center famous all over the world?
.
2. What was the Center called when it was planned in the 60s?
.
3. When was the National Arts Center opened to the public?
.
4. What organization runs the National Arts Center?
.
5. How many days per year is the Center open?
.
Part 3. Listen and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F).
1. Time Out had a comprehensive list of events, which was unlike other publications in 1968.
2. He had the experience of starting a student magazine.
3. Tony had found an alternative career so he decided to leave university.
4. The magazine became a weekly one due to the increase in the quantity of information.
5. The big publishers were not interested in this type of magazine because it came out too frequently.
Part 4. Listen to the recording and choose the correct answers.
1. What does Sandra write the proposal for?
A. to submit for an online magazine B. to do the takehome exam
C. to submit for a competition D. to do a research
2. The tutor thinks that Sandra‘s proposal .
A. needs a contents page B. should include more reference sources
C. out to include more information D. should be reordered in some parts
3. The proposal would be easier to follow if Sandra .
A. inserted subheadings B. used more paragraphs
C. shortened her sentences D. clarified her approach
4. What was the problem with the formatting on Sandra‘s proposal?
A. Separate points were not clearly identified. B. The headings were not always clear.
C. Page numbering was not used in an appropriate way.
D. Letters in some pages are too small.
5. Sandra became interested in visiting the Navajo National Park through _ .
A. articles she read B. movies she saw as a child
C. photographs she found on the internet D. recommendations from one of her friends
II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR
Part 1. Choose the best answer.
1. Many young people in the West are expected to leave could be life‘s most important decision
- marriage - almost entirely up to luck.
A. what B. that C. which D. who
2. Since drinking water is a resource, we should let children know how precious it is, and teach
them to conserve it.
A. limitless B. limited C. limiting D. limitation
3. When disaster , organisations such as Oxfam quickly provide help.
A. comes B. approaches C. arrives D. strikes
4. The number of people traveling by air has been growing .
A. by leaps and bounds B. from time to time C. slow but sure D. by hook and crook
5. The boss told the workers that he would try his best to continue running the company and promised
not to any employees during the economic recession.
A. cross out B. shut down C. lay off D. take over
6. Drug-taking is a crime which society simply cannot .
A. approve B. acknowledge C. consent D. condone
7. No one could any light at all on the cause of the explosion.
A. put B. turn C. throw D. switch
8. You can‘t just your head in the sand – you‘ve got to face up to the problem.
A. consign B. bury C. hide D. cover
9. The accident is said the driver‘s careless driving and the thick fog.
A. to have been resulted in B. to result from
C. having resulted in D. to have resulted from
10. I was scared when I looked down from the top of the cliff.
A. tight B. stiff C. hard D. solid
Part 2. Use the word given in CAPITALS in brackets to form a word that fits in each gap of the text
below.
Shadow puppetry is a traditional art form that often goes (1. APPRECIATE) unappreciated
in modem times. A large part of the (2. APPEALABLE) appeal of puppet shows is the (3.
CRAFT) craftmanship behind the creation of the actual puppets. In shadow puppetry, on the
other hand, the puppets remain (4. SEE) unseen , so the real artistry is in the presentation.
The combination of the puppets‘ shape, the background screen, and the light itself creates the overall
effect of the shadow puppet show. The task of the director is to ensure these elements are working
together (5. HARMONY) harmoniously in order to produce the optimal experience for the
audience. The screen is the medium through which the audience experiences the performance, so
selecting the best screen is among great (6. ESSENTIAL) essentials . One unique challenge
for the director is that the presentation is two-dimensional. The screen is flat, so puppets can only move
forwards and backwards. Having chosen a screen and designed the set, the next step is to determine the
light that will be used. There are several factors to be considered: (7. INTENSE) intensity
, spread, and angle. Therefore, finding the optimal (8.
COMBINE) combination of light, shadow involves careful (9.
PLAN) planning and scrupulous design. Every detail must be
controlled in relation to others, making shadow puppetry an art of (10. PRECISE) precision .
Part 3. In the following text, there are ten words which are incorrect in terms of grammar or
vocabulary. Underline and correct them.
Correction
Cars became popular as a quick and comfortable way of getting around. This is still
0......√.........
true when you will drive along a quiet country road or a modern motorway. As far as
00..drive…
getting from one place to another in the city is concerned, it is a different story.
1................
Whenever I want to get up anywhere in a hurry, I leave the car at home and go on foot.
2................
It often turns out to be much more quicker. I still make the mistake now and again of
3................
thinking the car is an efficient means of a transport. The other day my wife was feeling
4................
a bit under the weather. She had been having terrible headaches for some long time and
5................
she decided she couldn‘t take it any more and asked from me to give her a lift to the
6................
doctor, whose surgery is in the center part of a town. We live in a suburb in the old
7................
quarter of the city and it is twenty minutes away on foot. On the way back, however, it
8................
is all up hill and I must to admit it can be exhausting, especially on a hot day.
9................
Reluctantly I got the car out of the garage and we set it off, muttering about the
10................
wonders of taxis. My heart sank as we hit the first traffic jam - I knew we were
beginning a long journey.
Part 4. Fill in each gap of the following sentence with an appropriate particle or preposition.
1. The problem stemmed from the government‘s lack of action.
2. The argument is centered around whether or not to lower the age limit
3. Don‘t waste time brooding over you past failures.
4. I am afraid there is no milk left, we have to fall back on dried milk for our tea.
5. Tom got carried away by the music and wouldn‘t stop singing.
6. I am going to stay at university and try to put through getting a job for a few years.
7. Her husband has been apprising of the good news for their son.
8. She swims so well that she really should go in for the competition.
9. I almost creased up when I heard Tim was going to play Romeo in the school play.
10. He is in a critical condition in hospital, so we‘re praying he‘ll pull thorugh .
III. READING
Part 1. Read the text below and decide which answer best fits each space.
The archaeologist Howard Carter died in Egypt only five months after uncovering the tomb of King
Tutankhamen in the Upper Valley of the Nile. Twenty-five involved in the project also died within a
year of the excavation of the tomb.
Newspa
pe
rs
at the time (1) the deaths to the
―
Mummy‘s Curse‖ after a journalist (2) to have found a hieroglyphic inscription at the entrance to the
tomb. The writer Sir Authur Conan Doyle, creator of the famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes,
also advanced the story, insisting that a
―
pharaoh‘s curse
‖
was (3) for the dea
ths.
Do
c
tors
have
long speculated that they (4) victim to some sort of bacteria, but now Dr. Nicola Di Paulo, a kidney
disease expert and (5) archaeologist, has obtained the first clinical proof of the (6) growth
of a (7)
toxic microscopic fungus.
―
In tombs which have been closed for centuries, air and damp may penetrate
minute cracks in the walls, permitting the growth of poisonous moulds,‖ Di Paulo said
recently. He speculated that an explorer who entered a tomb that had been closed for centuries without
using a mask must have inhaled dust full of toxins from the mould. (8) , he said, researchers
handling the mummy and other objects found in Tutankhanmen‘s tomb could have breathed in the toxic
mould. While small (9) are thought to be harmless, Di Paulo said long –term exposure could be
fatal, causing (10) degeneration of the kidneys and liver.
1. A. blamed B. associated C. implicated D. attributed
2. A. said B. claimed C. held D. insisted
3. A. guilty B. responsible C. culpable D. reprehensible
4. A. fell B. felt C. became D. came
5. A. beginner B. apprentice C. amateur D. unprofessional
6. A. quick B. fast C. swift D. rapid
7. A. rather B. rarely C. highly D. absolutely
8. A. Likely B. Similarly C. Exactly D. Identically
9. A. quantities B. measures C. masses D. numbers
10. A. perilous
Part 2. Use only ONE word.
B. grave C. severe D. dangerous
SPECTATOR SPORTS
A surprising number of popular spectator sports, for example football or basketball, started in
Europe or the USA in the nineteenth century. This did not happen by chance. It was the result of
changes in the (1) way people lived in those places at that time.
Until then (2) more people lived in the country than in towns as they found their urban life
so complicated and pricey. They worked in small groups and seemed to have no regular time (3)
off . All this changed with the growth of factories and industry in the nineteenth century, first
in Europe and then in the USA. For the first time most people began to live in towns, and they found
themselves with regular free time. They had more leisure time than ever before.
This (4) resulted in the need for organized entertainment or recreation. Suitable games
developed or (5) were invented,
typically team games, in (6) which the crowded could take sides and become involved. This gave
people some of the entertainment or enjoyment they needed in (7) their free time.
The recent explosion in TV, together (8) with the introduction of satellite and cable
channels, (9) has caused an increase in demand for sports as entertainment. The money TV
has brought to games such as football, tennis and baseball means that spectator sports will certainly go
on playing an important (10) role in our lives.
Part 3. Read the following passage and choose the correct answer.
Ocean water plays an indispensable role in supporting life. The great ocean basins hold about 300
million cubic miles of water. From this vast amount, about 80,000 cubic miles of water are sucked into
the atmosphere each year by evaporation and returned by precipitation and drainage to the ocean. More
than 24,000 cubic miles of rain descend annually upon the continents. This vast amount is required to
replenish the lakes and streams, springs and water tables on which all flora and fauna are dependent.
Thus, the hydrosphere permits organic existence.
The hydrosphere has strange characteristics because water has properties unlike those of any other
liquid. One anomaly is that water upon freezing expands by about 9 percent, whereas most liquids
contract on cooling. For this reason, ice floats on water bodies instead of sinking to the bottom. If the
ice sank, the hydrosphere would soon be frozen solidly, except for a thin layer of surface melt water
during the summer season. Thus, all aquatic life would be destroyed and the interchange of warm and
cold currents, which moderates climate, would be notably absent.
Another outstanding characteristic of water is that water has a heat capacity which is the highest of
all liquids and solids except ammonia. This characteristic enables the oceans to absorb and store vast
quantities of heat, thereby often preventing climatic extremes. In addition, water dissolves more
substances than any other liquid. It is this characteristic which helps make oceans a great storehouse for
minerals which have been washed down from the continents. In several areas of the world these
minerals are being commercially exploited. Solar evaporation of salt is widely practiced, potash is
extracted from the Dead Sea, and magnesium is produced from sea water along the American Gulf
Coast.
1. The author‘s main purpose in this passage is to .
A. illustrate the importance of conserving water B. describe the properties and uses of water
C. compare water with other liquids
D. explain how water is used in commerce and industry
2. The phrase “this vast amount” in paragraph 1 refers to .
A. 80,000 million cubic miles of water B. 24,000 cubic miles of rain
C. 80,000 cubic miles of water D. 300 million cubic miles of water
3. The word “replenish” in paragraph 1 can best replaced by .
A. fill again B. replace C. evaporate D. form
4. According to the passage, fish can survive in the oceans because .
A. evaporation and condensation create a water cycle B. there are currents in the oceans
C. they do not need oxygen D. ice floats
5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a characteristic of water?
A. Water can absorb heat B. Water is good solvent.
C. Water contracts on cooling D. Water expands when it is frozen
6. The word “outstanding” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to .
A. exceptionally good B. special C. amusing D. important
7. According the passage, the hydrosphere is NOT .
A. the part of the earth covered by water B. responsible for all forms of life
C. in danger of freezing over D. a source of natural resources
8. The author‘s tone in the passage can best be described as .
A. dispassionate B. speculative C. biased D. dogmatic
9. The author organizes the passage by .
A. juxtaposition of true and untrue ideas B. comparison and contrast
C. general statement followed by examples D. hypothesis and proof
10. Which of the following statements would be the most likely to begin the paragraph immediately
following the passage?
A. Water has the ability to erode land
B. Droughts and flooding are two types of disasters associated with water
C. Another remarkably property of ice is its strength
D. Magnesium is widely used in metallurgical processes
Part 4. Read the following passage and do the tasks that follow.
A. Famous for its beautiful setting, San Francisco is built on a series of steep hills located on the
northern tip of a peninsula at the entrance to San Francisco Bay. The bay and its extensions, constitute
one of the great natural harbors of the world, embracing nearly 1,200 sq km of water. Because of this,
San Francisco was once the major Pacific Coast seaport of the United States. Today the city is an
important center for finance, technology, tourism, and culture.
B. San Franciscans, and in some cases their counterparts in the Bay Area, have successfully undertaken
mammoth construction projects such as the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate
Bridge, and the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. Since at least the 1950s, San Franciscans have also
earned a reputation for tolerance of and respect for diversity.
C. The most serious social problems facing the city are not unique to San Francisco, but some have
taken on greater dimensions in the city than they have elsewhere. One such problem is homelessness.
From 1988 to 1992, the plaza in front of city hall became an encampment for homeless people,
rendering other use impossible and raising public health concerns. The problem of homelessness
persists despite the efforts of city agencies and private charities to provide shelter, health care, and
drug, alcohol, and mental health treatment. In the mid-and late 1990s mayors Frank Jordan and Willie
Brown both sought to discourage homeless people from living in public space in the downtown area
and, in Brown‘s case, in Golden Gate Park. However, residents of other areas complained that because
of these projects, the displaced homeless had moved into their neighborhoods.
D. In other areas the city has made some progress toward addressing social problems. As was true
across much of the nation, the crime rate in San Francisco dropped in the 1990s, as did the rate of drug-
related violence. In addition, some public housing projects in San Francisco that were especially prone
to violence and drug-related activity were razed and rebuilt with designs considered less likely to
encourage those activities. Other public housing projects received stepped up security patrols.
E. Some social critics have pointed to an increasing economic and social polarization of San
Francisco‘s population. Those who work in finance or high-tech fields are increasingly affluent,
pushing rents and home prices to among the highest levels in the nation. At the same time, people who
labor in the service sector often work for the minimum wage, cannot share the affluent lifestyles around
them, and are hard-pressed to afford rising rents. This economic polarization coincides in part with
ethnic and educational patterns. Workers in the low-wage end of the service sector are likely to have
limited English proficiency and a high-school education or less; many workers in those areas are also
disproportionately African American and Hispanic. By contrast, those people who work in the finance
and high-tech sectors are more likely to be white or Asian American and to have one or more college
degrees.
Question 1-5: The five paragraphs of the Reading Passage are lettered A-E.
Choose the most suitable headings for paragraphs A-E from the list of headings below.
NB There are more headings than paragraphs, so you will not use them all.
1. Paragraph A ii
2. Paragraph B iv
3. Paragraph C v
4. Paragraph D vi
5. Paragraph E viii
List of headings
i. The problems in San Francisco.
ii. Geographic characteristics of San Francisco.
iii. Ethnic and education patterns in San Francisco
iv. San Francisco‘s accomplishments.
v. The problem of homelessness in San Francisco.
vi. The beauty of San Francisco
vii. Public security improvements in San Francisco.
viii. The problem of social economic polarization.
Questions 6-10: Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
In the spaces provided, write:
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information.
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information.
NOT GIVEN if there is no information.
6. t San Francisco has achieved tremendous successes in construction.
7. f City agencies and private charities have succeeded in addressing the problem of
homelessness.
8. ng The increasing economic polarization in San Francisco has no relation to ethnic and
educational patterns.
9. f Violence relating to drug use increased in the 1990s in San Francisco.
10. ng In big cities like San Francisco, the more rich peole there are, the higher the rent is.
IV. WRITING
Part 1. Read the following paragraph carefully. Use your own words to summarize it. You MUST
NOT copy the original.
Computers should never have received the significant status they now have. Fascinating and
invaluable as they are, even the most developed have less brain power than a three-year-old. They do,
however, score on single mindedness. The three-year-old uses her brain not only to think but also to do
some certain tasks like seeing, gearing and running about, which need incredibly fast and sophisticated
electro-mechanical interactions. But the computer just sits there and sends spacecraft to the moon or
rearranges the world banking system which is very mish easier. That‘s why man‘s dream of robot
maids is still a long way off.
Part 2. Describing graph(s)
The table below gives information about female employment rates in government sites and the position
of managers in five countries: Ukraine, Tobago, Italy, Japan, and Canada.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where
relevant. Write a least 150 words.
Country Percentage of total sites in government Percentage of total managers
Ukraine 12 23
Tobago 13 32
Italy 15 36
Japan 8 32
Canada 16 54
Part 3. Writing an essay
Write about the following topic:
Many people believe that schools should teach children to become good citizens and workers rather
than independent individuals. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give your own opinion and
relevant examples.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and
experience.
PRACTICE TEST 6
I. LISTENING
Part 1: You will hear a part of the lecture about early history of cinema. Complete the sentences
below .Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER for each answer.
1. Rival cameras were claimed to than the Cinematographe.
2. In Russia, on one occasion, the Cinematographe was suspected of being a .
3. Early filming in Russia led to the creation of a new approach to .
4. One problem for historians is not knowing whether early equipment
as it was claimed.
5. Marey encountered difficulties achieving the of strips of
photographic paper.
6. The structure of the comic strip influenced the _ .
7. Documentaries used _ shots before fiction films did.
8. The popularity of films led to increased numbers of shots.
9. When filming , the screen might be divided.
10. As films became more complex, became an important part of
film-making.
Part 2: You will hear part of an interview with a woman who describes her experience during an
earthquake. Listen and give short phrases or sentences to answer the questions 11-15 below.
11. What did Julie think at first when her car went out of control?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
12. What frightened her most about the incident?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
13. How long did the actual earthquake last for?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
14. How did Julie presume about the size of the earthquakes right after she experienced the quake?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
15. Did she get over the shock after the incident?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Part 3: Listen to a customer speaking to telephone support. Answer the questions by choosing either
“True”, “False”.
16. Jackie was surprised that David had problems placing his order.
17. David needs to order the software for his office.
18. Jackie gives him the 25% discount even though he's not ordering online.
19. Jackie tells David that the free microphones are usually not very good quality.
20. David buys both versions of the software.
Part 4: You will hear part of a radio interview with an economist. For questions 21-25, choose the
answer (A, B, C or D), which fits best according to what you hear.
21. According to the Fawcet Society, .
A. women would need to work into their eighties to earn as much money as men
B. Good qualifications aren‘t necessarily rewarded with high wages
C. women will never earn as much as men D. more women have degrees than men
22. What is said about careers advice in schools?
A. It has been improved but it is still inadequate.
B. It is now quite good for girls but boys are being neglected.
C. There is no advice for girls that are ambitious.
D. Girls are always encouraged not to be ambitious.
23. According to Jim, .
A. women are to blame for not insisting on higher wages
B. new government policies have solved most of the problems
C. There is nothing more the government can do
D. women shouldn‘t necessarily be encouraged to change their choice of career
24. A London School of Economics report showed that .
A. women who worked part-time found it difficult to get a full-time job later on
B. after having children, women find it harder to earn as much money as men
C. women find it hard to find a job after having children
D. most women want a full-time job after having a child
25. Jim seems to believe that .
A. women should stay at home and look after their children
B. women now earn as much money as men in the workplace
C. women have been disadvantaged by outdated work ethics
D. having children will soon be an advantage for working women
II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR
Part 1: Choose the best answer.
1. The whereabouts of the exiled president remains a guarded secret.
A. highly B. closely C. deeply D. entirely
2. We should all when advertisers attempt to use unfair practices.
A. make a stand B. make a comeback C. make amends D. make a deal
3. It took him a long time to come to with his redundancy.
A. rules B. words C. terms D. steps
4. I remember the first time I met Sue. We immediately, and we have been friends ever since.
A. struck it off B. struck it up C. hit it off D. hit on it
5. The company cannot accept for injuries resulting from improper use of rental equipment.
A. validity B. liability C. compensation D. privilege
6. Her parents always tried to a sense of integrity and decency in her.
A. infuse B. instill C. inlay D. inset
7. Jack never cheats or tricks anybody when he plays. He always goes by the .
A. book B. instructions C. principles D. method
8. Recent defeats have _ his confidence in himself as a player.
A. undermined B. disable C. impeded D. hampered
9. People turned out in to watch the parade on the Independence Day.
A. volume B. mass C. force D. bulk
10. Not being able to find my phone number is a pretty excuse for not contacting me.
A. fragile B. frail C. faint D. feeble
Part 2: Complete each space in the text with a word formed from the word in capitals. There is an
example at the beginning (0).
Example: out => outsider
The job of being a journalist may look to an (0) (OUT) like it is a (1) (CARE) carefree
existence but in fact nothing could be further from the truth. Covering stories on such (2) (WEIGH)
weighty issues as social (3) (DEPRIVE) deprivation , juvenile
delinquency, teenage rebellion and people suffering from (4) (TERMINATE) interminable illness
requires a journalist to be sympathetic enough to effectively communicate other people's suffering
while maintaining their
(5) (JOURNAL) journalistic detachment. This latter skill is especially important when reporting
on such a controversial matter as (6) (SOLUTION) solvent abuse. A journalist must, from
the (7) (SET) setting put aside any preconceived notions about the topic and the people he
may encounter. He must clear from his mind any memories that in his younger days he was, or was not
quite (8) (PART)parting certain recreational drugs himself, in (9) (READY)
readiness for each interview he has to conduct. This is vital if he is going to
avoid
(10) (LOOK) overlooking some crucial point that will make his report more insightful and more
memorable than all the others on that topic.
Part 3: The passage below has 10 errors. Write their correct forms.
Until recently, we have confined ourselves for our own solar system in the search for life, partly
because we have not had evidence for the existence of other solar systems. Furthermore, our telescopes
have not been powerful enough to detect planets. But not long ago, a technique was developed that
could ascertain reliably whether stars have planets orbiting it. Basically, this technique relies upon our
ability to detect with some degree of precision how much light a star is giving. If this change for a brief
period, it is probably because a large object – a planet – is passing in front of it. At first, the technique
could only establish the existence of a very large planet with an elliptical orbit that brought it in close
proximity to the star. This was one of the limits of the technique: life could not exist on such large
planets. Furthermore, the orbit of the planet would preclude the possibility of other, smaller planets
orbiting the same star. Therefore, that particular planetary system could be effectively ruled out in
terms of the search for life.
However, astronomers using an Anglo-American telescope in New South Wales now believe they
have pinpointed a planetary system which resembles to our own. For the first time, they identified a
large planet, twice the size of Jupiter, orbiting a star like the sun, at much the same distance from its
parent star as Jupiter is to the sun. And this is the vital point about their discovery: there is at last a
theoretical possibility that smaller planets could be orbiting inside the orbit of this planet.
Part 4: Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with suitable prepositions and/ or particles. There
is an example at the beginning (0).
1. She was completely snowed…...........with work right after taking up the managerial post
Example: 0 - under
2. He is charged with having conned people…into..............illegal dealings.
3. We need to see to it that any of the difficulties can be ironed…out....and dealt with.
4. I am of the view that Susan is……in………….a great storyline for her novel; she dashed out of her
room looking extremely excited.
5. Protests from Chinese intellectuals are muted, but security around the area is beefed…up.........with
additional police patrols.
6. We have managed to muddle…through....although it‘s been a bit of a strain for the past few years.
III. READING
Part 1: For questions 1- 10, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits
each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Example:
0 A. measure B. consider C. regard D. notice
BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
People have been debating the principles of beauty for thousands of years, but it still seems
impossible to (0) it objectively. German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1) whether
something can possess an objective property that makes it beautiful. He concluded that although
everyone accepts that beauty exists, no one has ever agreed on the precise criteria by which beauty may
be (2)
.
The ancient Greek philosopher Plato wrote of a scale called the ‗golden proportion‘, according to
which the width of the face should be two-thirds of its length, preferably (3) by a nose no longer
than the distance between the eyes.
Symmetry has been proved to be attractive to the human (4) , so a face may seem beautiful
because of the (5) between its two sides. Babies spend more time looking at symmetrical faces
than asymmetrical ones and symmetry is also (6) as more attractive by adults looking at photos.
So although there seems to be no (7) agreement or even national consensus on what (8)
beauty, there is at least some agreement that facial symmetry is an important (9)
.
In the meantime, if you look at your partner and regard them as beautiful, you can congratulate
yourself (10) the thought that people generally end up with a partner of a comparable level of
attractiveness as themselves.
1. A. argued B. decided C. suggested D. questioned
2. A. judged B. appreciated C. awarded D. viewed
3. A. accompanied B. escorted C. joined D. coupled
4. A. appearance B. sight C. eye D. vision
5. A. equality B. reflection C. opposition D. similarity
6. A. voted B. rated C. selected D. valued
7. A. world B. global C. community D. universal
8. A. constitutes B. contains C. involves D. comprises
9. A. reason B. fad C. role D. factor
10. A. with B. on C. for D. in
Part 2: Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Example (0): a
MEMORY LAPSE OR DEMENTIA?
It‘s (0) horribly disconcerting experience - groping to (1) remember your best
friend‘s name, forgetting an arrangement that you made only yesterday or realising that your PIN
number has vanished into a memory black hole. These ‗senior moments‘ affect us all at times, but
when do brief memory lapses or moments of confusion become something you (2) start to worry
about? The fear that you might, literally, be losing your mind, is one that can be very real, (3)
especially if you‘ve seen a parent or relative develop Alzheimer‘s. Dementia affects around 750,000
people in the UK, and although there are 100 different forms of it, Alzheimer‘s is the most common.
This disease destroys brain cells and as the structure and chemistry of the brain become increasingly
damaged, the person‘s ability to remember, understand and communicate gradually declines. It‘s a
particularly cruel disease because it (4) robs us of the memories that make us who we are,
define our experience and provide us with the (5) means to communicate with other people.
Although lots of us experience memory problems at some time, in most (6) cases these have
nothing to do with dementia. It's important to put the risk (7) into _
perspective. The reality is that, although it does happen, dementia is unusual under the age of 65. For
the majority of people memory lapses will be nothing (8) more than occasional blips. It is
important to realise that your memory slows down a bit (9) as you age, but this is a very gradual
decline, quite different from the more dramatic deterioration that happens with Alzheimer‘s. The most
common early sign of a problem is forgetting recently learned information. (10) _ a;yhough
it‘s normal to forget appointments and telephone numbers occasionally, people with early
dementia tend to forget more frequently and they also forget the same information again later.
Part 3: You are going to read an extract from a book on society and culture. For questions 1-5,
choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
MASS CULTURE
In recent decades, the development and spread of new information technologies such as satellite
television have engendered many debates about the consequences of their use. One of the first writers
to see the possibilities of these changes was the American writer Marshall McLuhan, who argued in the
1960‘s that communications technology would have two effects: first, it would create a global village
where everyone and everything were accessible to the television camera and secondly, that it would
become the case that
―
the medium is the message
‖
, that is, how the message is transmitted
would outgrow in importance what the message is.
Other theorists have gone further in arguing that the explosion of, and increasing dependence on,
information technology have brought about profound changes in the way society is organised. Some,
for example believe that we can now describe a
―
post-modern society
‖
, characterised partly by
an information-based international division of labour that allows increasing freedom of movement. At
the cultural level, distinctions between
―
high
‖
and
―
low‖
culture have disappeared as new
technology transmits across class boundaries, while stylistically, form has become more important than
substance, and the ubiquity of television means that everything is seen in television codes. McLuhan‘s
global television-led culture is now with us.
The accuracy of such a description, however, has been questioned. At one level, many people are
reluctant to accept any argument that technology can lead to social and economic changes, arguing
instead that the relationship is exactly the other way round. In other words, they are critical of any
tendency to technological determinism. Furthermore, evidence can be cited that queries the notion that
information technology has spread evenly throughout the world or even throughout Britain. This has
been described as the uneven development of the information economy. Many areas of Great Britain,
for example, are not yet equipped with the on-line communications systems necessary to receive
technologies such as cable and interactive television, and the take-up of these technologies varies
according to socio-economic factors. We are still a long way from the full-scale and comprehensive
implementation of the information super-highway.
What does seem to be the case, however, is that the stereotypical image of the nuclear family sitting
together in the front room cheerfully choosing their evening‘s viewing from a limited range of
television station is disappearing. This is partly due to the increased number of set per household as
well as the rapid growth in the number of channels, a development mirrored by the niche marketing of
magazines to a multiplicity of interest groups. The amount of time spent watching television per head
has stabilised in recent years to around 27 hours a week. Women watch on average four more hours of
television per week than men and all statistics show a relationship between social class and viewing.
This is not to say that diversity and choice have necessarily been achieved. It remains the case that
satellite television caters for mass-appeal interests such as music, sport, news, children‘s programmes
and American films and light entertainment, ignoring many disadvantaged social groups. New media
technologies have not empowered people in the sense that there are increased numbers of community-
based television networks. In Britain, it is no less valid today to describe a mass culture based on a
centrally directed mass media.
Doubts have also been raised about the ability of satellite stations to succeed in creating a global
television culture. Rupert Murdoch is widely known to own substantial parts of the global media
industry. A few years ago, he added a controlling share of StarTV to his collection, meaning that he
gained access to 2.5 billion people in 50 countries, or forty percent of the world‘s television sets, in a
region stretching from Jordan to Japan. Capturing the market in India, however, and hooking the
population onto hit talk shows and American mega-series such as Baywatch and LA Law, has not been
as straightforward as first imagined. Cultural differences are complicated in a nation of 18 official
languages and further compounded when you consider the staggering figure of 1, 700 dialects. Hindi
films transmitted by the state broadcasting network still rank a coveted first in the ratings table.
Murdoch‘s response to this realisation was to immediately buy into a local TV station as well. Indian
culture, for the present at least, remains resistant to western broadcasting and highlights that the
creation of a global mass culture will not be solely induced by technology.
1. According to the writer, Marshall McLuhan envisaged a world where _.
A. everyone would use a TV camera B. TV would lessen the impact of information
C. less serious content would be shown on TV
D. TV would create greater understanding between peoples
2. The word
―
ubiquity
‖
is closest in meaning to _ .
A. ambivalence B. pervasiveness C. diversity D. receptivity
3. Theorists describing society as ―post-modern‖ claim information technology has .
A. meant more people doing identical jobs around the world
B. enabled
―
hig
h‖
and
―
l
ow‖
culture to
sh
are a common audience
C. benefited artistic creativity
D. resulted in other technologies challenging the dominance of TV
4. Why does the author mention
―
cable and i
nteractive television
‖
in paragraph 3?
A. to give examples of modern technologies
B. to identify factors affecting the popularity of television
C. to show the difference among regional cultures
D. to explain why the development of economy in Britain is uneven
5. The writer raises doubts about ―technological determinism‖ because it .
A. argues that cultural change determines economic change
B. has exaggerated the importance of the Internet
C. underestimates people‘s resistance to change
D. assumes technology will impact on everyone in a similar way
6. TV viewing within household has changed because
A. viewing habits are more stable than in the past
B. different family members will watch TV at different times
C. TV stations can now target specific audiences
D. typical nuclear family are less common
7. The spread of TV culture through an increasing number of networks has .
A. limited centralised control of the media B. been of little benefit to minorities
C. enabled local community television to emerge D. increased diversity in mass culture
8. The popularity of films in Hindi in India .
A. has caused TV companies to change strategy
B. indicates less cultural and language diversity in India than people imagine
C. resulted from screening programmes unpopular in their home markets
D. is a result of the state TV monopoly
9. The phra
se
―
bu
y
into
‖
in paragraph 6 is closest meaning to .
A. depend on B. criticise C. believe in D. conceal
10. The writer general view of
―
technology
‖
is that it .
A. has the power to drive social change B. can liberate the economically disadvantaged
C. hasn‘t really changed our cultural habits D. is not the most important factor in cultural change
Part 4: The reading passage below has 7 paragraphs A-G. Choose the correct heading for each
paragraph from the list of headings below. Paragraph A and B are taken as examples.
List of Headings
i. The advantage of an intuitive approach to personality assessment
ii. Overall theories of personality assessment rather than valuable guidance
iii. The consequences of poor personality assessment
iv. Differing views on the importance of personality assessment
v. Success and failure in establishing an approach to personality assessment
vi. Everyone makes personality assessments
vii. Acknowledgement of the need for improvement in personality assessment
viii. Little progress towards a widely applicable approach to personality assessment
ix. The need for personality assessments to be well-judged
x. The need for a different kind of research into personality assessment
Question 1-5
Paragraph A - vi
Paragraph B - ix
1. Paragraph C iii
2. Paragraph D vii
3. Paragraph E ii
4. Paragraph F viii
5. Paragraph G v
A Our daily lives are largely made up of contacts with other people, during which we are constantly
making judgments of their personalities and accommodating our behaviour to them in accordance with
these judgments. A casual meeting of neighbours on the street, an employer giving instructions to an
employee, a mother telling her children how to behave, a journey in a train where strangers eye one
another without exchanging a word - all these involve mutual interpretations of personal qualities.
B Success in many vocations largely depends on skill in sizing up people. It is important not only to
such professionals as the clinical psychologist, the psychiatrist or the social worker, but also to the
doctor or lawyer in dealing with their clients, the businessman trying to outwit his rivals, the salesman
with potential customers, the teacher with his pupils, not to speak of the pupils judging their teacher.
Social life, indeed, would be impossible if we did not, to some extent, understand, and react to the
motives and qualities of those we meet; and clearly we are sufficiently accurate for most practical
purposes, although we also recognize that misinterpretations easily arise particularly on the part of
others who judge us!
C Errors can often be corrected as we go along. But whenever we are pinned down to a definite
decision about a person, which cannot easily be revised through his 'feed-back', the inadequacies of our
judgments become apparent. The hostess who wrongly thinks that the Smiths and the Joneses will get
on well together can do little to retrieve the success of her party. A school or a business may be saddled
for years with an undesirable member of staff, because the selection committee which interviewed him
for a quarter of an hour misjudged his personality.
D Just because the process is so familiar and taken for granted, it has aroused little scientific curiosity
until recently. Dramatists, writers and artists throughout the centuries have excelled in the portrayal of
character, but have seldom stopped to ask how they, or we, get to know people, or how accurate is our
knowledge. However, the popularity of such unscientific systems as Lavater‘s physiognomy in the
eighteenth century, Gall's phrenology in the nineteenth, and of handwriting interpretations by
graphologists, or palm-readings by gipsies, show that people are aware of weaknesses in their
judgments and desirous of better methods of diagnosis. It is natural that they should turn to psychology
for help, in the belief that psychologists are specialists in ‗human nature‘.
E This belief is hardly justified: for the primary aim of psychology had been to establish the general
laws and principles underlying behaviour and thinking, rather than to apply these to concrete problems
of the individual person. A great many professional psychologists still regard it as their main function
to study the nature of learning, perception and motivation in the abstracted or average human being, or
in lower organisms, and consider it premature to put so young a science to practical uses. They would
disclaim the possession of any superior skill in judging their fellow-men. Indeed, being more aware of
the difficulties than is the non-psychologist, they may be more reluctant to commit themselves to
definite predictions or decisions about other people. Nevertheless, to an increasing extent psychologists
are moving into educational, occupational, clinical and other applied fields, where they are called upon
to use their expertise for such purposes as fitting the education or job to the child or adult, and the
person to the job. Thus a considerable proportion of their activities consists of personality assessment.
F The success of psychologists in personality assessment has been limited, in comparison with what
they have achieved in the fields of abilities and training, with the result that most people continue to
rely on unscientific methods of assessment. In recent times there has been a tremendous amount of
work on personality tests, and on carefully controlled experimental studies of personality.
Investigations of personality by Freudian and other 'depth' psychologists have an even longer history.
And yet psychology seems to be no nearer to providing society with practicable techniques which are
sufficiently reliable and accurate to win general acceptance. The soundness of the methods of
psychologists in the field of personality assessment and the value of their work are under constant fire
from other psychologists, and it is far from easy to prove their worth.
G The growth of psychology has probably helped responsible members of society to become more
aware of the difficulties of assessment. But it is not much use telling employers, educationists and
judges how inaccurately they diagnose the personalities with which they have to deal unless
psychologists are sure that they can provide something better. Even when university psychologists
themselves appoint a new member of staff, they almost always resort to the traditional techniques of
assessing the candidates through interviews, past records, and testimonials, and probably make at least
as many bad appointments as other employers do. However, a large amount of experimental
development of better methods has been carried out since 1940 by groups of psychologists in the
Armed Services and in the Civil Service, and by such organizations as the (British) National Institute of
Industrial Psychology and the American Institute of Research.
Questions 6-10: Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the reading
passage? In the boxes 6-10, write
YES If the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO If the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN If it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
6. People often feel that they have been wrongly assessed. y
7. Unscientific systems of personality assessment have been of some use. ng
8. People make false assumptions about the expertise of psychologists. y
9. It is likely that some psychologists are no better than anyone else at assessing personality y
10. Research since 1940 has been based on acceptance of previous theories. n
IV. WRITING
Part 1: Summary
Read the following extract and use your own words to summarize it. Your summary should be about
100 words long. You MUST NOT copy the original.
The sea turtles, especially the leatherbacks, are undoubtedly one of nature‘s most amazing creatures.
They roam the warm seas of the world throughout their life and come ashore only to lay eggs. Malaysia
with its long sandy shorelines has been destined as one of their breeding grounds. Unfortunately, the
number of leatherback turtles landing on the beaches has been declining over the years. According to
the WWF estimates, about 2000 leatherbacks arrived on Malaysian beaches in 1970. In 1989, only
between 30 and 60 leatherbacks were found. The drastic drop within such a short span is certainly a
great cause for concern. Where have they gone to? Are they avoiding the beaches of Malaysia?
Whatever it is, if no concerted effort is taken to check the decline now they may become an extinct
species soon, that is, if no concerted effort is taken to check the decline now. The belief that the
declining landings of turtles in Malaysia is the result of increasing landings in other parts of the world
is a fallacy. This is because the scenario is the same in other countries known to have been visited by
the turtles. What has caused the species to dwindle at such a rapid rate? There are many reasons but an
obvious one is none other than man's greed. As we know, turtles are killed for their meat. In the days
before refrigeration, turtles had been a source of fresh food for the sailing ships. Today, turtle soup is a
favourite dish among the Asians. Their shells have become coveted items fir decorations and jewelry.
Their eggs which are meant to be hatched into young turtles, are instead harvested and eaten. When
deep sea fishing nets inadvertently trap the turtles, fishermen often kill the turtles instead of cutting
their nets to release them. Pollution in the sea has also reduced the number of turtles. Many are choked
to death by the plastic bags that they mistake for jelly fish. It appears that the turtles are no longer safe
in the sea where they spend most of their lives.
Neither are they safe when the females come ashore to lay eggs. In fact this is the time when they
are particularly vulnerable as their movements are slow on land. The nesting places for these turtles
have also been greatly reduced. As more and more beaches are taken over for tourism with the
construction of hotels, chalets and condominiums, the breeding grounds are reduced in the process. The
intrusion of tourists into these places make it difficult for the turtles to lay their eggs. Unfortunately
these ideal places are few to come by now. Too much development has taken place even along the
coastline in most countries. Perhaps all is not lost yet. Sincere efforts are being taken to check the
decline. In Malaysia, it is heartening to note that concrete steps have been taken to protect the turtles
that come ashore to lay eggs. The indiscriminate collection of turtle eggs on the beaches is no more
allowed. Turtle sanctuaries have been set up in Rantau Abang in Terengganu. The eggs collected by
designated officials are sent to hatcheries in the sanctuaries. In this way, the loss of eggs and the rate of
mortality among the baby turtles are reduced. In other words, more baby turtles are now able to return
to sea and grow into adulthood.
In an effort to discourage the public from eating turtle eggs, a Turtle Enactment Act has been
introduced to prohibit the sale of leatherback eggs. The WWF has also launched the ‗Save the Turtle
Campaign‘ to create awareness among the public to help save the endangered species. In this way, the
consumption of turtle eggs and turtle meat will be discouraged. Let us hope that it is not too late to save
these fascinating creatures from becoming extinct.
Part 2: Graph description
The graph below shows the proportion of the population aged 65 and over between 1940 and 2040 in
three different countries. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main feature
and make comparisons where relevant.
Practice tests for the national examination for the
gifted
Compiler: Ngô Minh
Châu
53
Part 3: Essay writing
It is widely known that Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training has been changing the education
curriculum with a view to reducing the heavy learning load for students. According to this plan,
besides learning fewer subjects, students at upper-secondary level will have freedom to choose the
subjects they want to study.
Write an essay of 350 words to express your opinions about this issue.
PRACTICE TEST 7
I. LISTENING
Part 1: Listening to the passage and complete the notes below. Fill in each blank with NO MORE
THAN THREE WORDS/ NUMBERS.
GIVING A SPEECH
Reasons for nervousness
* Lecturers often feel more nervous if the speech is (1) .
* Many think that the ability to make a good public speaking is (2) .
How to prepare a quality speech
* The audience will only remember the (3) sentence of a speech.
* Ensure that your speech is (4) .
DO’s and DON’Ts
Don‘t start your speech until audience is (5) .
You can make your main ideas or notes on a card or a (6) .
You do not need to write down the (7) speech.
You can just write (8) idea.
Remember to (9) yourself to see how long your speech will be.
Don‘t just (10) a script.
Part 2: You will hear a two people talking about skylines. Listen carefully and answer the questions
below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS OR NUMBERS for each answer.
Practice tests for the national examination for the
gifted
Compiler: Ngô Minh
Châu
54
1. Of which city with skyscrapers Neil didn‘t think?
2. Which year did Neil choose?
3. For how many years the St Paul‘s Cathedral was the tallest building in the city?
4. What are the Gherkin, the Cheese Grater and the Walkie Talkie?
5. When the building of St Paul‘s Cathedral was started?
Part 3: You will hear an interview with a comedian, Lenny Henry. Listen carefully and decide the
following statements are TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN according to what you hear.
1. Lenny decided to do a degree because he was impressed by other actors who had been to the
university.
2. Studying for a degree has made Lenny think more seriously about his career.
3. According to Lenny, comedy makes people more sensitive.
4. Lenny says when he visited Debre Zeit, he was moved by the way people there handled their
situation.
5. Lenny hopes that he will soon become a famous film - maker.
Part 4: You will hear part of a radio interview with a psychologist about friendship. Listen carefully
and choose the answer A, B, C or D that fits best according to what you hear.
1. According to the presenter .
A. we have to adjust our friendships as our lives change
B. new book are being written to teach people how to manage friendships
C. it is almost impossible to keep childhood friends for life
D. the most important friends are childhood friends
2. Barbara warns that foul-weather friends .
A. never want you to be happy B. have their life perfectly organized
C. engineer bad situations so that they can feel superior
D. can spoil the time when you are feeling happy about life
3. The danger of a trophy friend is that .
A. he or she will inhabit your social life B. you may develop unrealistic expectations
C. he or she will push you to be a higher achiever
D. he or she will expect you to become more popular
4. A sisterly friend _.
A. can be relied on but may be too involved in your life
B. will resent other close friendships in your life
C. will be as close to your family as she is to you
D. will want to go out on date with you and your new partner
5. When making new friends .
A. try to be as funny as you can B. be sensitive to their need for space
B. don‘t mention serious issues before you know them well
D. spend as much time with them as you can
II. LEXICO - GRAMMAR
Part 1: Choose the best option A, B, C or D to complete the following sentences.
1. we may like it, old age comes to all of us.
A. So B. Since C. However D. Despite
2. It would be lovely if the children could see and, , touch the wild animals.
A. eventually B. at last C. finally D. if possible
3. she failed in her final exam caused her family much sadness.
A. What B. Which C. The thing D. That
4. The old man came in, a young boy.
A. accompany B. accompanying C. accompanied D. to be accompanied
5. the two sisters, Jane is .
A. Of/ the prettier B. Between/the prettier C. Of/ prettier D. Between/the prettiest
6. The children went with excitement.
A. wildly B. wildlife C. wilderness D. wild
7. Jane: - Would you like tea or coffee? - Aeron: I coffee, please.
A. would rather B. suppose C. would prefer D. think
8. A part time job gives her time to her own interests.
A. follow B. chase C. seek D. pursue
9. The new road system currently under will solve the traffic problems of the city.
A. work B. design C. construction D. progress
10. I would rather you anything about the garden until the weather gets better.
A. didn‘t do B. don‘t do C. didn‘t make D. don‘t make
Part 2: Read the passage below. Use the words given in CAPITAL at the end of each line to form a
word that fits in the numbered space in the same line.
EXERCISE
Exercise is one of the best ways of keeping depression away. It
improves your body and your mind and (1) enables_ you to perform
better in work place and at home.
Proper (2)breathing is essential if you want to get the most from
exercise and you should also take into (3) consideration your heart
rate. It can be (4)harmful to do too much, which is why all good fitness
instructors emphasis the (5) importance of
―
listening to your
body
‖
.
When you first start, you should use good (6) judgement
because it is easy to make the mistake of using the equipment
(7)incorrectly or doing too much at one time. Start slowly and
build up gradually.
Exercise should not be seen as a (8) demanding task; it can be
as easy as a quick walk. To increase your fitness (9)steadily
exercise for 20 minutes a day, 4 to 6 times a week and you will notice
a (10)difference
in
your body and mind in a few week.
ABLE
BREATH
CONSIDER
HARM
IMPORTANT
JUDGE
CORRECT
DEMAND
STEADY
DIFFERENT
Part 3: The following passage contains 10 errors. Find and correct them.
Most of the joggers who are overweigh are reasonable for talking about, worrying with and being
obsessed with their weight. Since many people start jogging to lose weight, it is not surprised that body
size is important. More and more people are on the diet. 50% of the women and approximately 25% of
the men in the USA are watching what they eat. Body weight is the second most talk between joggers -
heart disease and high bleeding pressure are the first! There are many factors that effect you weight.
They include: body type, diet, exerc
ise
level, sex and age. What may be an
―
ideal
‖
we
ight for you in
the age of 27 may not be
"
ideal
"
while you are 54. And you
―
ideal weigh
t‖
will
probably be different
during racing season when you were in a specific training phase.
Part 4: Fill each gap in the following sentences with a preposition or a particle.
1. They are both going _ for the same job.
2. I made up that I had forgotten Jill‘s birthday.
3. The favorable weather has put the crops in .
4. When Tom married for the second time, he got more than he bargained _ for .
5. She felt quite nervous before the first lecture of her life but she carried it on very well.
6. We had to sit for nearly two hours of speeches.
7. I won‘t watch that program if the television is playing over again.
8. You can‘t sit down and do nothing like that while there are many things need doing.
9. Our group and hers have arrived at the same conclusion quite independently.
10. Mr. Karl received the news with a kind of naïve enthusiasm.
III. READING
Part 1: Choose the best option A, B, C or D to fill in each numbered blank.
In the western customs (1) hands is the customary form of greeting, but in China a nod of the
head or (2) bow is sufficient. Hugging and kissing when greeting are uncommon. Business cards
are often (3) and yours should be printed in your own language and in Chinese. Also, it is more
respectful to present your card or a gift or any other article using (4)
_ hands. The Chinese are (5)
applauders. You may be greeted with group clapping, even by small children. When a person is
applauded in this practice it is the custom for that person to return the applause or a "thank you." When
walking in public places, direct eye (6) or staring is uncommon in the large cities, especially in
those areas accustomed to foreign visitors. (7) _ , in smaller communities, visitors may be the
subject of much curiosity and therefore you may notice some stares. (8) speaking, the Chinese
are not a touch-oriented society, especially true for visitors. So, avoid (9) or any prolonged form
of body contact. Public displays of affection are very rare. On the other hand, you may note people of
the same sex walking hand-in-hand, which is simply a gesture of friendship. Do not worry about a bit
of pushing and shoving in stores or when groups board public buses or trains. In this case, (10)
are either offered or expected. The Chinese will stand much closer than Westerners.
1. A. taking B. shaking C. grasping D. hugging
2. A. small B. bit C. slight D. light
3. A. exchanged B. changed C. transferred D. converted
4. A. pair B. couple C. double D. both
5. A. enthusiast B. enthusiastic C. enthusiasm D. enthusiastically
6. A. contact B. look C. stare D. watch
7. A. Moreover B. Furthermore C. However D. Whatever
8. A. Generally B. Successfully C. Fortunately D. Expectedly
9. A. touch B. to touch C. touched D. touching
10. A. contacts B. apologies C. gestures D. saying goodbye
Part 2: Fill each of the numbered blank with ONE suitable word.
The causes of headaches, (1) whether they are the common kind of tension or migraine
headaches, or any other kind, are usually the same. During period of stress, muscles in the neck, head
and face are contracted (2) so tightly that they exert tremendous pressure (3) on the
nerves beneath them. Headaches take many forms from a constant, dull pain to an insistent hammering.
Although at (4) least 50% of American adults are estimated (5) _ to suffer one or
more headaches per week, it is the 20 million migraine suffers (6) who are in special
difficulties. Migraines, which are mostly suffered by women, can involve tremendous, unrelieved pain.
Migraines, which may also (7) be caused by stress, can occur in people who bottle up their
emotions and who are very conscientious in their performance. Escaping (8) from stressful
situations, (9) being open with one‘s feeling and lowering one‘s expectations can help reduce
the
stress
and
so
cut do
wn
on those headaches which cannot be
―
he
lp‖
aspirin an (10) other
non-prescription painkillers.
Part 3: Choose the best option.
MODERN CARS
Today‘s cars are smaller, safer, cleaner, and more economical than their predecessors, but the car of
the future will be far more pollution-free than those on the road today. Several new types of automobile
engines have already been developed than run on alternative sources of power, such as electricity,
compressed natural gas, methanol, steam, hydrogen, and propane. Electricity, however, is the only
zero-emission option presently available.
Although electric vehicles will not be truly practical until a powerful, compact battery or other
dependable source of current is available, transport experts foresee a new assortment of electric
vehicles entering everyday life: shorter-range commuter electric cars, three-wheeled neighborhood
cars, electric delivery vans, bikes and trolleys.
As automakers work to develop practical electrical vehicles, urban planners and utility engineers
are focusing on infrastructure systems to support and make the best use of the new cars. Public
charging facilities will need to be as common as today‘s gas stations. Public parking spots on the street
or in commercial lots will need to be equipped with devices that allow drivers to charge their batteries
while they stop, dine, or attend a concert. To encourage the use of electric vehicles, the most
convenient parking in transportation centers might be reserved for electric cars.
Planners foresee electric shuttle buses, trains, buses and neighborhood vehicles all meeting at
transit centers that would have facilities for charging and renting. Commuters will be able to rent a
variety of electric cars to suit their needs: light trucks, one-person three-wheelers, small cars, or
electric/gasoline hybrid cars for longer trips, which will no doubt take place on automated freeways
capable of handling five times the number of vehicles that can be carried by freeway today.
1. The following electrical vehicles are all mentioned in the passage EXCEPT .
A. vans B. trains C. planes D. trolleys
2. The author‘s purpose in the passage is to .
A. criticize conventional vehicles B. support the invention of electric cars
C. narrate a story about alternative energy vehicles
D. describe the possibilities for transportation in the future
3. The passage would most likely be followed by details about .
A. automated freeways B. pollution restrictions in the future
C. the neighborhood of the future D. electric shuttle buses
4. The word
―
compact
‖
in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to .
A. long-range B. inexpensive C. concentrated D. squared
5. In the second paragraph, the author implies that .
A. a dependable source of electric energy will eventually be developed
B. everyday life will stay much the same in the future
C. a single electric vehicle will eventually replace several modes of transportation
D. electric vehicles are not practical for the future
List of Headings
i. Indecision about a name
ii. Current problems with distribution
iii. Uncertainty about financial advantages
iv. The contrasts of cinema today
v. The history of cinema
vi. Integrating other events into cinema
vii. The plans for the future of films
viii. An unexpected advantage
ix. Too true to life?
6. According to the passage, public parking lots of the future will be .
A. more convenient than they are today B. equipped with charging devices
C. much larger than they are today D. as common as today‘s gas stations
7. The word
―
c
hargin
g
‖
in this passage refers to _ .
A. electricity B. credit cards C. aggression D. lightning
8. The word
―
forese
e
‖
in this pa
ssage
could best be replaced with .
A. count on B. invent C. imagine D. rely on
9. The word
―
comm
uters
‖
in paragraph 4 refers to .
A. daily travelers B. visitors C. cab drivers D. shoppers
10. The word
―
h
ybrid
‖
in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to .
A. combination B. hazardous C. futuristic D. automated
Part 4: The reading passage below has six paragraphs marked A-F. Choose the correct heading for
each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the correct number i-ix.
Example: Paragraph A: iv
The end of the silver screen?
Cinema technology has remained much the same for a century, so when will it go digital? Kelvin
Hilton views the projections.
A. Cinema is full of contradictions. It is high- tech and old- fashioned at the same time. Today‘s films
are full of digital sound and computer- generated special effects. Yet they are still stored on celluloid
film, the basis of which is more than 100 years old. They are also displayed with projectors and screens
that seem to belong to our great- grandparents‘ generation.
B. Now that we are in the second century of cinema, there are moves to bring the medium right up to
date. This will involve revolutionizing not just how films are made but also how they are distributed
and presented. The aim is not only to produce and prepare films digitally, but to be able to send them to
movie theatres by digital, electronic means. High- resolution digital projectors would then show the
film. Supporters say this will make considerable savings at all stages of this chain, particularly for
distribution.
C. With such a major technological revolution on the horizon, it seems strange that the industry is still
not sure what to call itself. This may appear a minor point, but the choices, ‗digital‘ cinema and
‗electronic‘ cinema (e- cinema), suggest different approaches to, and aspects of, the business. Digital
cinema refers to the physical capture of images; e-cinema covers the whole chain, from production
through post- production (editing, addition of special effects and construction of soundtrack) to
distribution and projection.
D. And what about the effects of the new medium? The main selling point of digital cinema is the high
resolution and sharpness of the final image. But those who support the old- fashioned approach to film
point to the celluloid medium‘s quality of warmth. A recurring criticism of video is that it may be too
good: uncomfortably real, rather like looking through an open window. In 1989, the director of the first
full- length American digital high-definition movie admitted that the picture had a ‗stark, strange reality to
it‘.
E. Even the money–saving aspect of e-cinema is doubted. One expert says that exciting cinema will
have to show the new material and not all of them will readily or rapidly furnish themselves with the
right equipment. ‗E-cinema is seen as a way of saving money, because print costs a lot,‘ he says. ‗But
for that to work, cinemas have to be showing the films because cinemas are the engine that drives the
film industry.‘
F . This view has prompted some pro-digital entrepreneurs to take a slightly different approach. HD
Thames is looking at reinventing the existing cinema market, moving towards e-theatre, which would
use digital video and projection to present plays, musicals and some sporting events to the public. This
is not that different from the large-screen TV system that was set up in New York in 1930 and John
Logie Baird‘s experiments with TV in the late 1920s and early 30s.
Your answers:
1. Paragraph B vii
2. Paragraph C i
3. Paragraph D ix
4. Paragraph E iii
5. Paragraph F vi
Complete the summary below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from the passage.
There are big changes ahead for cinema if digital production takes place and the industry no longer uses
(1) celluloid film and gets rid of the old-fashioned (2) projectors, screens
and used to show movies. The main advantage is likely to be that the final image will be clearer.
However, some people argue that the digital picture will lack (3) warmth . In
addition, digital production will only reduce costs if cinemas are willing to buy new (4) equipment .
As a result, experiments with what is called (5)
― e-theatre ‖
may mark a change in
the whole entertainment industry.
IV. WRITING
Part 1: Summarize the lessons one can learn from a dog in no more than 120 words.
There are so many lessons one can learn about life from a dog. Imagine this scenario: it is raining
heavily outside and you need to leave for someone‘s house. The dog is up and eager, to go with you.
You tell it to stay home. As you leave, you see it squeezing out through the gap in the doorway. You
scold it and order it back home. Then at every turn you make, you suddenly see it following
you sheepishly at a distance. It follows at the risk of being reprimanded for the sore reason of being
somewhere nearby. How else can we experience so selfless an instance of love and faithfulness? We
can learn a lifelong lesson from this sincere warm display of perpetual companionship.
Observe the eating habits of your dog. It does not eat, except when hungry. It does not drink, unless
it is thirsty. It does not gorge itself. It stops eating when it has had enough.
A dog also sets a perfect example of adaptability. If it is moved to a strange place, it is able to adapt
itself to that place and to its thousand peculiarities without a murmur of complaint. It is able to learn
and adapt to a new family‘s ways and customs. It is quick and ready to please. Man, being accustomed
to comfort and wealth will be lost if suddenly stripped of all he is accustomed to.
A dog also teaches us a thing or two about, unselfish love. When a dog knows death is approaching,
it tries, with its last vestige of strength, to crawl away elsewhere to die, in order to burden its owners no
more.
A dog does things with all vigor. However, when there is nothing to do, it lies down and rests. It
does not waste its strength and energy needlessly. Many working people are burning the candles at both
ends. Many suffer nervous breakdowns due to stress. Perhaps, they should learn to rest like a dog does.
A dog above all is truly man‘s best friend.
Part 2: The line graph below shows the number of tourists to Vietnam in summer 2016. Summarize
the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Part 3: ESSAY WRITING
TOPIC: “Increasing violence in schools has become a highly concerned issue.”
What is your opinion about the above judgment? What are some main causes? What can we do to
solve the problem?
PRACTICE TEST 8
I. LISTENING
Part 1. Questions 1-5: Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for
each answer.
The British Library
1. The reading rooms are only open for group visits on .
2. The library was officially opened in .
3. All the library rooms together cover m
2
.
4. The library is financed by .
5. The main function of the library is to provide resources for people doing
Questions 6-10: Label the plan below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
(10 pts)
Tower
10. ……………...
Upper Ground Floor
to
Lower Ground Floor cloakroom Meeng Point
Main Entrance
Statue
Piazza
6. ……………
8. ……………..
Catalogues
Treasures Gallery
Toilets
Cafeteria
7. ……………..
9. ……………
Part 2: Questions 11-15: Listen to the presentation about unusual British festivals. Answer the
following questions. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER.
11. What is considered to bring luck to the coming year?
12. How long has the Up Helly Aa festival been in existence?
13. What is the name of the festival in Northern England mentioned in the presentation?
14. What should you wear if you take part in cheese-rolling festival?
15. When did Crab Fair start?
Part 3. Questions 16-20: You will hear two psychology students called Lisa and Greg discussing a
project they have to do. Listen and decide whether the following sentences are True (T) or False (F).
16. The students in Akira Miyake‘s study were all majoring in psychology or physics.
17. The aim of Miyake‘s study was to investigate a way of improving women‘s performance in
physics.
18. Miyake‘s team asked the students to write about something that was important to them personally.
19. Greg and Lisa decide that in their own project, they will compare the effects of a writing task and
an oral task.
20. The main finding of Smolinsky‘s research was that class teamwork activities had no effect on the
performance of men or women.
Part 4: You will hear a radio discussion about writing a novel. For questions 21-25, choose the
answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear.
21. What does Louise say about Ernest Hemingway‘s advice to writers?
A. It is useful to a certain extent. B. It applies only to inexperienced novelists.
C. It wasn‘t intended to be taken seriously. D. It might confuse some inexperienced novelists.
22. Louise says that you need to get feedback when you .
A. have not been able to write anything for some time
B. are having difficulty organizing your ideas
C. are having contrasting feelings about what you have written
D. have finished the book but not shown it to anyone
23. Louis says that you should get feedback from another writer because _ .
A. it is easy to ignore criticism from people who are not writers
B. another writer may be kinder to you than friends and relatives
C. it is hard to find other people who will make an effort to help you
D. another writer will understand what your intentions are
24. What does Louise regard as useful feedback?
A. a combination of general observation and detailed comments
B. both identification of problems and suggested solutions
C. comments focusing more on style than on content
D. as many points about strengths as weaknesses
25. One reaction to feedback that Louise mention is that .
A. it is justified but would require too much effort to act on
B. it focuses on unimportant details rather than key issues
C. it has been influenced by reading other people‘s novels
D. it is not suggesting that major changes to the novel are required.
II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR
Part 1. Choose the correct word or phrase to complete each sentence.
1. We were under no about how difficult it would be to achieve our aims.
A. fantasies B. daydreams C. illusions D. deceptions
2. The pollution problems in the town have been by mass tourism in the summer months.
A. exacerbated B. developed C. augmented D. contributed
3. I‘m in a bit of a as to what to wear to the wedding.
A. loss B. quandary C. problem D. bewilderment
4. The misunderstanding is thought to have from an ambiguous article which appeared in
yesterday‘s newspapers.
A. stirred B. steered C. strayed D. stemmed
5. The problem because neither side was prepared to compromise.
A. amassed B. escalated C. proliferated D. enhanced
6. The Red Cross is an international aid organization.
A. intriguingly B. intrusively C. intrinsically D. intrepidly
7. I couldn‘t stop myself from with boredom during the lecture.
A. sighing B. gasping C. panting D. blowing
8. My brother found it impossible to his anger and started shouting.
A. restrict B. inhibit C. reserve D. contain
9. Fitting together the thousands of fragments of the broken vase was a long and task.
A. minute B. careful C. painstaking D. minuscule
10. You‘ll just have to yourself to the fact that you can‘t always have what you want.
A. acknowledge B. reconcile C. concede D. allow
Part 2. Read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of the lines to form a word that
fits in the space in the same line.
Wheeled trolley bags have become an essential item of luggage amongst
frequent travellers. The compact version proves particularly (1) useful
as a piece of hand luggage. Carried onboard aeroplanes, it allows you to
avoid the queues at the baggage check-in counters on your
(2)outward journey and waiting at the baggage (3) reclaim carousel
on your way home. These days, there are (4) official guidelines
regarding the maximum size for hand luggage on flights, and these
stipulated (5)measurements are continuously subject to change, Policies
also vary between airlines and airports as well as being influenced by your
(6) eventual destination. The outcome of all this is that travellers are
recommended to check out the latest luggage (7)restrictions before setting
out for the airport.
What‘s more, before investing in a trolley bag, it‘s wise to run a few
check. You‘re likely to be negotiating (8)uneven surfaces as well as the
smooth flooring of airport lounges, so bear in mind that larger wheels are
better able to absorb bumps than their smaller (9) counterparts . Also
check then handle. You‘re bound to need to lift your bag at some point in
your journey, probably when you are suddenly confronted with an
(10)inconvenient flight of steps, and that‘s not the moment to discover
that the handle is
awkward to hold.
USE
OUT
CLAIM
OFFICE
MEASURE
EVENT
RESTRICT
EVEN
COUNTER
CONVENIENT
Part 3. The passage below contains 10 errors. Identify and correct them. (0) has been done as an
example.
(0) will -> would
A DISAPPOINTING MEAL
Have you ever complained in a restaurant? I never thought I (0) will , but last week I ended up doing
just that. It was my best friend‘s birthday, but I had booked a table at a new restaurant that had just
opened in the city centre. But while we arrived, exactly on time, they told me that it was no record of
my booking and we would have to wait for a table to become free. I suspected that they had given our
table to anyone else, but I didn‘t say anything. Then we were kept waiting for an hour without an
apology, because they did take our order. We both chose soup as a starter and my friend ordered a steak
like a main course. I thought I would be a bit more adventurous, and decided to try something called
Ossobuco, if I wasn‘t quite sure what it was. To cut a long story short, a soup was almost cold, my
friend‘s steak was uncooked at the middle and my Ossobuco turned out to be a plate of bone within a
very acidic sauce. So, we called the manager and told we would not pay because the meal had been
substandard. But in the end we paid because we had eaten it all, but we won‘t be going there again!
Part 4. Complete each of the following sentences with a suitable preposition or particle.
1. She was prostrate woith grief after her husband‘s death.
2. The police man hustles away the crowd to pursue the criminal.
3. Between those present at the ceremony was the local MP, Claire Sims.
4. The car started slipping towards down the hill.
5. I have already told Joe that I won‘t go to Spain with him, but he‘s still trying to talk me into .
6. Grandfather must be tired. He‘s nodding off in his chair.
7. I saw Reto‘s Mom lay up him when he came home late last night.
8. Looking stright , we must expect radical changes to be made in our system of government.
9. A shortage of money has forced them to scale back the project.
10. I got up at six, started my work half an hour later and stayed there until 5 p.m with no free time
In between.
III. READING
Part 1. Read the following passage and decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits each gap.
It‘s a sleepy village, whose main features are a central square with a fountain and an unpretentious
restaurant. (1) the place for an internationally famous exhibition attracting 15000 visitors, one
would think. Yet Bussière-Badil has just that reputation in the world of ceramics. (2) , when a
pottery fair was first held there over 30 years ago, it was only one in all of France, and it is still the
country‘s only ceramics fair that (3) four days.
But why here? There is a seam of clay which runs through the area, but it is red clay of the type used
to make tiles and bricks as (4) pots, so there is no (5) tradition of art pottery. The idea of
the fair started when a Portuguese potter by the name of Miguel Calado (6) a studio in the
village at the (7) of the mayor, himself a local tile-maker, who was determined to put the region
on the map.
And he has certainly succeeded. Every year, up to 40 potters from all over France and beyond (8)
on the village to display their wares in a huge purpose-built shed. (9) on the show range
from the utilitarian to the decorative, with every nuance in between. And the crowds come to look, to
(10)
at the potters‘ art, and to buy.
1. A. Barely B. Seldom C. Hardly D. Unlikely
2. A. Nevertheless B. However C. Indeed D. Otherwise
3. A. perseveres B. endures C. continues D. lasts
4. A. opposed to B. rather than C. instead of D. apart form
5. A. certain B. particular C. exact D. individual
6. A. turned up B. took up C. made up D. set
7. A. instigation B. advice C. encouragement D. persuasion
8. A. gather B. assemble C. converge D. collect
9. A. Issues B. Items C. Matters D. Topics
10. A. astonish B. fascinate C. amaze D. marvel
Part 2. Use only one word in each space. There is an example at the beginning (0).
BORN LIARS?
Little babies are not so innocent (0) …after…all, it (1) would seem. A recent study claims
that infants as young as six months are capable of lying to their parents, which they do by crying when
they are not truly (2) in pain or distress .They do it simply to draw attention to themselves,
but once they start receiving the loving hugs they (3) so badly desire, the babies then do their
best to prolong this reward with fake smiles. This and similar research has led to suggestions that only
human beings lie but this is actually (4) far from the truth.
A young chimpanzee in captivity, for example, is just as capable of
―
lying
‖
, most commonly when
human handlers go away for a while. (5) like human babies, the chimpanzees really hate (6)
being left alone, and for thi
s
reason, their handler
s,
(7) who have become their
―
family
‖
,
should ideally never be out of sight. Even though the handlers always do their best to avoid going away
for too long, some absence is unavoidable. In (8) such a situation, and as soon as the young
chimp knows it is going to be left alone, it will start making the most vocal protests, which can be
heard as the handler leaves the building. The screaming stops after the door is slammed (9) because
at this point the chimpanzee knows that the handler can no longer hear him. It has total control (10)
over its crying and can switch it on and off whenever it likes.
The crying is actually a deliberate signal, rather than an uncontrollable outburst. But whether this is
a case of
―
rea
l‖
lying rather depends on how you look at it.
Part 3. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
Beads were probably the first durable ornaments humans possessed, and the intimate relationship
they had with their owners is reflected in the fact that beads are among the most common items found
in ancient archaeological sites. In the past, as today, men, women, and children adorned themselves
with beads. In some cultures still, certain beads are often worn from birth until death, and then are
buried with their owners for the afterlife. Abrasion due to daily wear alters the surface features of
beads, and if they are buried for long, the effects of corrosion can further changed their appearance.
Thus, interest is imparted to the bead both by use and the effects of time.
Besides their wearability, either as jewelry or incorporated into articles of attire, beads possess the
desirable characteristics of every collectible: they are durable, portable, available in infinite variety, and
often valuable in their original cultural context as well as in today‘s market. Pleasing to look at and
touch, beads come in shapes, colors, and materials that almost compel one to handle them and to sort
them.
Beads are miniature bundles of secrets waiting to be revealed: their history, manufacture, cultural
context, economic role, and ornamental use are all points of information one hopes to unravel. Even
the most mundane beads may have traveled great distances and been exposed to many human
experiences. The bead researcher must gather information from many diverse fields. In addition to
having to be a generalist while specializing in what may seem to be a narrow field, the researcher is
faced with the problem of primary materials that have little or no documentation. Many ancient beads
that are of ethnographic interest have often been separated from their original cultural context.
The special attractions of beads contribute to the uniqueness of bead research. While often regarded
a
s
the
―
small change of civilizati
ons‖,
beads are a part of every culture, and they can often be used to
date archaeological sites and to designate the degree of mercantile, technological, and cultural
sophistication.
1. What is the main subject of the passage?
A. Materials used in making beads B. How beads are made
C. The reasons for studying beads D. Different types of beads
2. The
wor
d
―
adorn
ed
‖
in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to
_.
A. protected B. decorated C. purchased D. enjoyed
3. The word
―
att
ire
‖
in paragraph 2
is
closest
in meaning to .
A. ritual B. importance C. clothing D. history
4. All of the following are given as characteristic of collectible objects EXCEPT .
A. durability B. portability C. value D. scarcity
5. According to the passage, all of the following are factors that make people want to touch beads
EXCEPT the
.
A. shape B. color C. material D. odor
6. The word
―
unravel
‖
in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to .
A. communicate B. transport C. improve D. discover
7. The word
―
m
undan
e
‖
in paragraph 3
is
c
losest
in meaning to .
A. carved B. beautiful C. ordinary D. heavy
8. It is difficult to trace the history of certain ancient beads because they _ .
A. are small in size B. have been buried underground
C. are frequently lost D. have been moved from their original locations
9. Knowledge of the history of some beads may be useful in the studies done by which of the
following?
A. Anthropologists B. Agricultural experts C. Medical researchers D. Economists
10. Where in the passage does the author describe why the appearance of beads may change?
A. Lines 3-4 B. Lines 5-7 C. Lines 12-13 D. Lines 20-22
Part 4. Read the passage and do the tasks that follow.
A HISTORY OF FINGERPRINTING
A To detectives, the answers lie at the end of our fingers. Fingerprinting offers an accurate and
infallible means of personal identification. The ability to identify a person from a mere fingerprint is a
powerful tool in the fight against crime. It is the most commonly used forensic evidence, often
outperforming other methods of identification. These days, older methods of ink fingerprinting, which
could take weeks, have given way to newer, faster techniques like fingerprint laser scanning, but the
principles stay the same. No matter which way you collect fingerprint evidence, every single person‘s
print is unique. So, what makes our fingerprints different from our neighbor‘s?
B A good place to start is to understand what fingerprints are and how they are created. A fingerprint
is the arrangement of skin ridges and furrows on the tips of the fingers. This ridged skin develops fully
during foetal development, as the skin cells grow in the mother‘s womb. These ridges are arranged into
patterns and remain the same throughout the course of a person‘s life. Other visible human
characteristics, like weight and height, change over time whereas fingerprints do not. The reason why
every fingerprint is unique is that when a baby‘s genes combine with environmental influences, such as
temperature, it affects the way the ridges on the skin grow. It makes the ridges develop at different
rates, buckling and bending into patterns. As a result, no two people end up having the same
fingerprints. Even identical twins possess dissimilar fingerprints.
C It is not easy to map the journey of how the unique quality of the fingerprint came to be discovered.
The moment in history it happened is not entirely clear. However, the use of fingerprinting can be
traced back to some ancient civilizations, such as Babylon and China, where thumbprints were pressed
onto clay tablets to confirm business transactions. Whether people at this time actually realized the full
extent of how fingerprints were important for identification purposes is another matter altogether. One
cannot be sure if the act was seen as a means to confirm identity or a symbolic gesture to bind a
contract, where giving your fingerprint was like giving your word.
D Despite this uncertainty, there are those who made a significant contribution towards the analysis of
fingerprinting. History tells us that a 14
th
century Persian doctor made an early statement that no two
fingerprints are alike. Later, in the 17
th
century, Italian physician Marcello Malpighi studied the
distinguishing shapes of loops and spirals in fingerprints. In his honour, the medical world later named
a layer of skin after him. It was, however, an employee for the East India Company, William Herschel,
who came to see the true potential of fingerprinting. He took fingerprints from the local people as a
form of signature for contracts, in order to avoid fraud. His fascination with fingerprints propelled him
to study them for the next twenty years. He developed the theory that fingerprints were unique to an
individual and did not change at all over a lifetime. In 1880 Henry Faulds suggested that fingerprints
could be used to identify convicted criminals. He wrote to Charles Darwin for advice, and the idea was
referred on to Darwin‘s cousin, Sir Francis Galton. Galton eventually published an in-depth study of
fingerprint science in 1892.
E Although the fact that each person has a totally unique fingerprint pattern had been well documented
and accepted for a long time, this knowledge was not exploited for criminal identification until the
early 20
th
century. In the past, branding, tattooing and maiming had been used to mark the criminal for
what he was. In some countries, thieves would have their hands cut off. France branded criminals with
the fleur-de-lis symbol. The Romans tattooed mercenary soldiers to stop them from becoming
deserters.
F For many years police agencies in the Western world were reluctant to use fingerprinting, much
preferring the popular method of the time, the Bertillon System, where dimensions of certain body parts
were recorded to identify a criminal. The turning point was in 1903 when a prisoner by the name of
Will West was admitted into Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. Amazingly, Will had almost the same
Bertillon measurements as another prisoner residing at the very same prison, whose name happened to
be William West. It was only their fingerprints that could tell them apart. From that point on,
fingerprinting became the standard for criminal identification.
Questions 1-5
The Reading Passage has seven paragraphs, A-F. Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-F
from the list of headings below.
List of Headings
i Key people that made a difference
ii An alternative to fingerprinting
iii The significance of prints
iv How to identify a criminal
v Patterns in the making
vi Family connections
vii Exciting new developments
viii A strange coincidence
ix Punishing a criminal
x An uncertain past
0. Paragraph A iii
1. Paragraph B x
2. Paragraph C i
3. Paragraph D iv
4. Paragraph E viii
5. Paragraph F vi
Questions 6-10: Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading 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. Fingerprinting is the only effective method for identifying criminals. f
7. The ridges and patterns that make up fingerprints develop before birth. t
8. Malpighi conducted his studies in Italy. ng
9. Roman soldiers were tattooed to prevent them from committing violent crimes.
f
10. Fingerprint chemistry can identify if a fingerprint belongs to an elderly person t
IV. WRITING
Part 1. Read the following passage and summarize it in about 100 words.
The new music
The new music was built out of materials already in existence: blues, rock‘n‘roll, folk music. But
although the forms remained, something wholly new and original was made out of these older elements
more original, perhaps, than even the new musicians themselves yet realize. The transformation took
place in 1966-7. Up to that time, the blues had been an essentially black medium. Rock‘n‘roll, a blues
derivative, was rhythmic, raunchy, teen-age dance music. Folk music, old and modern, was popular
among college students. The three forms remained musically and culturally distinct, and even as late as
1965. In 1966-7 there was a spontaneous transformation. In the United States, it originated with
youthful rock groups playing in San Francisco. In England, it was led by the Beatles, who were already
established as an extremely fine and highly individual rock group. What happened, as well as it can be
put into words, was this.
First, the separate musical traditions were brought together. Bob Dylan and the Jefferson Airplane
played folk rock, folk ideas with a rock beat. White rock groups began experimenting with the blues.
And all of the groups moved towards a broader eclecticism and synthesis. They freely took over
elements from Indian ragas, from jazz, from American country music, and as time went on from even
more diverse sources (one group seems recently to have been trying out Gregorian chants). What
developed was a protean music.
The second thing that happened was that all the musical groups began using the full range of electric
instruments and the technology of electronic amplifiers. The tangy electric guitar was an old country-
western standby, but the new electronic effects were altogether different - so different that a new
listener in 1967 might well feel that there had never been any sounds like that in the world before. In
studio recordings, multiple tracking, feedback and other devices made possible effects that not even an
electronic band could produce live. Electronic amplification also made possible a fantastic increase in
volume, the music becoming as loud and penetrating as the human ear could stand, and thereby
achieving a ‗total‘ effect, so that instead fan audience of passive listeners, there were now audiences of
total participants, feeling the music in all of their senses and all of their bones.
Third, the music becomes a multi-media experience; a part of a total environment. In the Bay Area
ballrooms, the Fillmore, the Avalon, or Pauley Ballroom at the University of California, the walls were
covered with fantastic changing patterns of light, the beginning of the new art of the light show. And
the audience did not sit, it danced. With records at home, listeners imitated these lighting effects as best
they could, and heightened the whole experience by using drugs. Often music was played out of doors,
where nature - the sea or tall redwoods - provided the environment. (From The Greening of America by
Charles Reich)
Part 2. The pie charts below give information main reason for migration to and from the UK in
2007. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant.
Part 3. Write an essay of about 350 words on the following topic.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
High school students should be allowed to study several selective courses. Use specific reasons and
examples to support your opinion.
PRACTICE TEST 9
I. LISTENING
Part 1. Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Agriculture and environment
(1) production = biggest problem in today‘s world
Agriculture is important for jobs, exports, and foreign exchange.
‗Agriculture‘ means:
growing crops
raising animals
(2)
(3)
Agriculture must be sustainable: old method& new, chemical methods are all unsustainable
(4) of biodiversity
Biotechnology bioprospecting (biopiracy), i.e. large companies steal samples of native
plants to use the (5) for their own crop improvement
(6) is responsible for less food and higher prices.
Farmers need to be educated, but governments also need to pay attention to (7)
in order to protect the environment and re-nourish the soil.
Experts from around the world could come together to form a (8)
to observe farm systems aiming to prevent pollution and erosion and encourage safe procedures
that are also (9)
Creating the project‘s (10) would be very expensive, and
more money would be needed for the monitoring system, but it could solve the problem of food
shortages.
Part 2. Complete the short-answer questions. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each
answer.
When you get a debit card, what advice does the speaker give in relation to the PIN?
Don‘t
use an 1.
tell anyone what your number is.
Who must notify if you lose your card?
2.
your bank
Which scams does the speaker tell you to be aware of?
Internet scams
3. scams
What three kinds of possessions are said to be attractive to thieves in College Hall?
Laptops
MP3 player
4.
Which car safety devices does the speaker suggest car owners should buy?
5. car alarm
Part 3. You will hear part of an interview with Harold Mackenzie, who has written a book about
early adolescence. Decide if the following statements are True (T) or False (F) according to what
you hear.
1. People now realise pre-teens have economic power.
2. Harold claims friendships are important to pre-teens because friends are starting to replace
family members.
3. Harold suggests that an alternative method of academic evaluation would mean less stress for
pre-teens.
4. Parents can help pre-teens develop confidence by allowing them to control unimportant aspects
of their lives.
5. According to Harold, the greatest challenge facing parents of pre-teens is establishing a way of
communicating effectively with their children.
Part 4. You will hear an interview with a yoga teacher. Choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits
best according to what you hear.
1. The interview .
A. tried yoga once but found it impossible to do
B. is finding yoga hard to do but is improving with practice
C. has only a vague idea about yoga D. has quite a good understanding of yoga
2. According to Sarah, _ .
A. yoga demands control of all aspects of being
B. you need to be highly intelligent to practice yoga
C. you need to empty your mind completely when practicing yoga
D. meditation is like being hypnotized
3. Which of the following does Sarah not say is necessary in order to practise yoga?
A. an empty stomach B. comfortable, flexible clothing
C. a lot of confidence and a fit body D. a place where you won‘t be disturbed
4. The interviewer seems concerned about .
A. people paying a lot of money for public classes with unqualified teachers
B. people getting stuck because the teacher is not supervising the class properly
C. people buying too many yoga guides D. beginners practising yoga unsupervised
5. Sarah recommends that .
A. you take strenuous exercise to help you sleep at night
B. you meditate to deal with insomnia
C. you push your body to its limits even if it hurts at times
D. you do no more than 15 minutes of yoga each day
II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR
Part 1. Choose the best answer.
1. Tommy has always been a conscientious student who passes up his homework on time without
having to be .
A. prompted B. instructed C. provoked D. spurred
2. I can‘t advise you on that. You‘d better it with your mother.
A. take….in B. take….off C. take….out D. take….up
3. Could you move your car? You‘re the way of the entrance.
A. on B. in C. at D. to
4. The teacher tried to our confusion about the meaning of the difficult paragraph in the reading.
A. make out B. clear up C. catch on D. cut up
5. My car up, so I am late for work.
A. up B. out C. up for D. to
6. He‘s regarded as _ favorite to win the prize.
A. warm B. hot C. ardent D. fiery
7. I know you have been working very hard today. Let‘s and go home.
A. pull my leg B. call it a day C. put your back up D. pull your finger out
8.
―
I know that you have an appointment in ten minutes,
so
I shall not _ you long
‖
, the professor
remarked.
A. retard B. withhold C. postpone D. detain
9. Does Mr. Ba bring his farm to the local market every day?
A. productivity B. product C. production D. produce
10. The recent economic crisis has brought about a in the world trade.
A. slump B. sag C. droop D. tilt
Part 2. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a new word that fits in
the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Blogging and the media
The growing number of weblogs - or blogs, as they are (0)
AFFECTIONATELY known - on the Internet has become a cause
for concern among mainstream media organisations. Within a few years, blogs
have developed from personal musings on (1) events to full-blown
critical commentaries which are often well-informed and (2) expressed.
With an estimated fifty-two million bloggers writing on almost every (3)
subject each day, corporate media can no longer ignore them or treat
them with (4) . The ubiquity of blogs that they are increasingly (5)
as can be seen in the number of news stories that have been (6)
or called into question by bloggers in recent years.
For bloggers have a freedom unavailable to mainstream journalists. They
bypass both editor and publisher, who by their very presence (7) distort
stories by ‗tailoring‘ them to suit their own ends. The material on blogs is
raw,
(8) by editors, and often harsh and direct in its criticism of the way
news is reported by the media. The advantages of this for the reading public
AFFECTION
DAY
ELOQUENCE
CONCEIVE
RESPECT
INFLUENCE
CREDIT
INEVITABLE
MODIFY
Practice tests for the national examination for the
gifted
Compiler: Ngô Minh
Châu
72
are obvious. Bloggers act as a kind of media watchdog, able to check facts and
verify or (9) information in a way that journalists are often unable to,
and this is shaking mainstream media out of its (10) .
PROOF
COMPLACENT
Part 3. Read the text which contains 10 mistakes. Underline the mistakes and write the correction.
Line
1. First come the PC, then the internet and e-mail; now the e-book is
2. upon us, a hand-held device similarly in size and appearance to a video
3. cassette. The user simply rings off the website on their PC, selects
4. the desired books, downloads them onto their e-book machine and
5. sits down to read them. For turning a page, the user simply taps the
6. screen. E-book technology is evolving rapidly, and with some of
7. the newest handholds you will even get internet access.
8. But why would one want an e-book machine with reference to a book?
9. Well, one selling point companies emphasized, when these devices
10. hit the market a few years ago, which is the space they save when going
11. on holiday. E-books enlighten the load, literally. Ten large novels can
12. be put onto a device that weighs less than the average paperback. One
13. can understand why commercial interests seem to want us to change.
14. After all, the whole production process at first plan by author
15. until delivery to the printer had been doing electronically for a while
16 now, so why not save a few million trees and cut out the hard copy?
Part 4. Fill in the gaps of the following sentences with suitable particles or prepositions. (0) has been
done as an example.
1. When she came round , she found herself in a hospital.
2. I admired the way she soldiered on when her business ran into trouble.
3. The airlines are phasing out any aircraft that is more than 20 years old.
4. She‘s rung off _. I must have said something to upset her.
5. Our class monitor had a brilliant speech yesterday although he spoke the cuff then.
6. He managed to scrape his final exams.
7. His parents really laid him for wasting so much money.
8. He is always harping _ about the war.
9. That smell always conjures memories of holidays in France.
10. Her thoughts flashed _ to their wedding day.
11. He pulled _ at the traffic lights.
III. READING
I. Read the following passage and decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits each gap.
EARLY MAP-MAKING
Satellite navigation in cars means that our traditional (1) on printed maps and road atlases for
finding our way to a destination is disappearing. Yet as (2) of beauty to look at for both pleasure
and serious research, maps, ancient and modern, still (3) strongly to our imaginations as they are
the result of amazingly (4) observation of the real world. After the invention of the printing press
in the fifteenth century, maps could be reproduced in greater numbers, and as mathematics and
technology transformed surveying and navigation, their accuracy steadily improved.
Practice tests for the national examination for the
gifted
Compiler: Ngô Minh
Châu
73
Today, it is the inaccuracies in these early maps that we find so fascinating. The map-maker would
fill in the huge gaps in his knowledge with guesswork. Dull (5) of ocean, for example, would be
(6) with drawings of fantastic sea creatures or plump babies with puffed-out cheeks blowing
along ships in full (7) .
The world‘s first modern atlas appeared in Antwerp in 1570, after a geographer named Abraham
Ortelius (8) engravings of 53 of the best maps (9) at that time and organized them in a
logical sequence in a book. This atlas reflected the limits of contemporary knowledge by showing
Australia as an uncharted southern continent labelled ‗not yet known southern land‘. Over the next 40
years, this atlas was regularly (10) and more than 7,300 copies were printed.
1. A. necessity B. reliance C. demand D. requirement
2. A. cases B. articles C. objects D. pieces
3. A. appeal B. engage C. interest D. attract
4. A. complex B. involved C. elaborate D. detailed
5. A. spreads B. breadths C. ranges D. expanses
6. A. revived B. enlivened C. invigorated D. enlightened
7. A. force B. length C. flow D. sail
8. A. appointed B. commissioned C. engaged D. assigned
9. A. in existence B. at large C. in stock D. at present
10. A. renovated B. updated C. modernized D. renewed
Part 2. Use only one word in each gap.
THE CHANGING ENGLISH LANGUAGE
All languages change (0) over a period of time, for reasons which are imperfectly
understood. Speech is really so integral a (1) of human activity that it cannot be regarded
as an entity (2) itself. For this (3) , it is more exact to say that each generation
behaves linguistically in a slightly different manner from its predecessors.
Young people are impatient of what they often consider to be the stilled vocabulary and
pronunciation of their elders, and like to show how up-to-date they are using the latest slang. (4)
, as the years go by, some of that slang becomes standard usage. In any case, people slowly
grow far (5) receptive to linguistic novelties so that that by the time they reach their forties,
they decry the slovenly speech of the younger generation.
In the respect, language is a little (6) fashions in dress. The formal clothes of one
generation become the everyday wear of the (7) . Similarly, just as many young doctors and
office workers (8) out their duties in casual clothes, so expressions which were once
confined (9) _ slang and familiar conversation are (10) _ into their normal
vocabulary.
Part 3. Read the following passage and choose the best answer.
While many nineteenth–century reformers hoped to bring about reform through education or by
eliminating specific social evils, some thinkers wanted to start over and remark society by founding
ideal, cooperative communities. The United States seemed to them a spacious and unencumbered
country where models of a perfect society could succeed. These communitarian thinkers hoped their
success would lead to imitation, until communities free of crime, poverty, and other social ills would
cover the land. A number of religious groups, notably the Shakers, practiced communal living, but the
main impetus to found model communities came from nonreligious, rationalistic thinkers.
Among the communitarian philosophers, three of the most influential were Robert Owen, Charles
Fourier, and John Humphrey Noyes. Owen, famous for his humanitarian policies as owner of several
thriving textile mills in Scotland, believed that faulty environment was to blame for human problems
and that these problems could be eliminated in a rationally planned society. In 1825, he put his
principles into practice at New Harmony, Indiana. The community failed economically after a few
years but not before achieving a number of social successes. Fourier, a commercial employee in
France, never visited the United States. However, his theories of cooperative living influenced many
American through the writings of Albert Brisbane, whose Social Destiny of Man explained Fourierism
and its self-sufficient associations or “phalanxes”. One or more of these phalanxes was organized in
very Northern state. The most famous were Red Bank, New Jersey, and Brook Farm, Massachusetts.
An early member of the latter was the author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Noyes founded the most enduring
and probably the oddest of the utopian communities, the Oneida Community of upstate New York.
Needless to say, none of these experiments had any lasting effects on the patterns of American society.
1. The main topic of the passage is .
A. nineteen-century schools B. American reformers
C. the philosophy of Fourierism D. model communities in the nineteenth
2. Which of the following is NOT given in the passage as one of the general goals of communitarian
philosophers?
A. To remake society B. To spread their ideas throughout the United State
C. To establish ideal communities D. To create opportunities through education
3. The Shakers are mentioned in paragraph 1 as an example of .
A. a communal religious group B. rationalistic thinkers
C. radical reformers D. an influential group of writers
4. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word
―
impe
tus
‖
in paragraph 1?
A. stimulus B. commitment C. drawback D. foundation
5. The
―
phalan
xe
s
‖
described in paragraph 2 were an idea originally conceived by .
A. Albert Brisbane B. Robert Owen C. Charles Fourier D. John Humphrey Noyes
6. Why does the author mention Nathaniel Hawthorne in paragraph two?
A. He founded Brook Farm in Massachusetts. B. He was a critic of Charles Fourier.
C. He wrote a book that led to the establishment of model communities.
D. He was at one time a member of the Brook Farm community.
7. Which of the following communities lasted longest?
A. New Harmony B. Red Bank C. The Oneida Community D. Brook Farm
8. The word
―
odde
st
‖
in paragraph 2 is closest meaning to which of the following?
A. earliest B. most independent C. largest D. most unusual
9. The author implies that, for readers, the conclusion of the paragraph is _ .
A. obvious B. surprising C. absurd D. practical
10. Why did the author probably divide the passage into two paragraphs?
A. To compare nineteenth-century reforms with twentieth-century reforms
B. To present an overview of a concept in the first paragraph and specific examples in the second
C. To contrast the work of utopian thinkers with that of practical reforms
D. To give the causes for a phenomenon in the first paragraph and its consequences in the second
Part 4. The reading passage has seven paragraphs, A-G. Choose the correct heading for each
paragraph from the list of headings below. Paragraph D and F have been done for you as an
example.
List of Headings
i How deforestation harms isolated trees
ii How other plants can cause harm
iii Which big trees support the most diverse species
iv Impact of big tree loss on the wider environment
v Measures to prevent further decline in big tree populations
vi How wildlife benefits from big trees
vii Risk from pests and infection
viii Ways in which industry uses big tree products
ix How higher temperatures slow the rate of tree growth
x Factors that enable trees to grow to significant heights
1. Paragraph A
2. Paragraph B
3. Paragraph C
Paragraph D ix
4. Paragraph E
Paragraph F i
5. Paragraph G
Trees in trouble
What is causing the decline of the world’s giant forests?
A Big trees are incredibly important ecologically. For a start, they sustain countless other species.
They provide shelter for many animals, and their trunks and branches can become gardens, hung with
green ferns, orchids and bromeliads, coated with mosses and draped with vines. With their tall canopies
basking in the sun, they capture vast amounts of energy. This allows them to produce massive crops of
fruit, flowers and foliage that sustain much of the animal life in the forest.
B Only a small number of tree species have the genetic capacity to grow really big. The mightiest are
native to North America, but big trees grow all over the globe, from the tropics to the boreal forests of
the high latitudes. To achieve giant stature, a tree needs three things: the right place to establish its
seedling, good growing conditions and lots of time with low adult mortality. Disrupt any of these, and
you can lose your biggest trees.
C In some parts of the world, populations of big trees are dwindling because their seedlings cannot
survive or grow. In southern India, for instance, an aggressive nonnative shrub, Lantana camara, is
invading the floor of many forests. Lantana grows so thickly that young trees often fail to take root.
With no young trees to replace them, it is only a matter of time before most of the big trees disappear.
Across much of northern Australia, gamba grass from Africa is overrunning native savannah
woodlands. The grass grows up to four metres tall and burns fiercely, creating superhot fires that cause
catastrophic tree mortality.
D Without the right growing conditions trees cannot get really big, and there is some evidence to
suggest tree growth could slow in a warmer world, particularly in environments that are already warm.
Having worked for decades at La Selva Biological Station in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, Costa Rica,
David and Deborah Clark and colleagues have shown that tree growth there declines markedly in
warmer years.
―
During the day, their photosynthesis shuts down when it gets too warm, and at night
they consume more energy because their metabolic rate increases, much as a reptile‘s would when it
gets warmer,‖ explains David Clark. With less energy produced in warmer years and more being
consumed just to survive, there is even less energy available for growth.
E The Clarks‘ hypothesis, if correct, means tropical forests would shrink over time. The largest, oldest
trees would progressively die off and tend not to be replaced. According to the Clarks, this might
trigger a destabilisation of the climate; as older trees die, forests would release some of their stored
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carbon into the atmosphere, prompting a vicious cycle of further warming, forest shrinkage and carbon
emissions.
F Big trees face threats from elsewhere. The most serious is increasing mortality, especially of mature
trees. Across much of the planet, forests of slow-growing ancient trees have been cleared for human
use. In western North America, most have been replaced by monocultures of fast-growing conifers.
Siberia‘s forests are being logged at an incredible rate. Logging in tropical forests is selective but the
timber cutters usually prioritise the biggest and oldest trees. In the Amazon, my colleagues and I found
the mortality rate for the biggest trees had tripled in small patches of rainforest surrounded by pasture
land. This happens for two reasons. First, as they grow taller, big trees become thicker and less flexible:
when winds blow across the surrounding cleared land, there is nothing to stop their acceleration. When
they hit the trees, the impact can snap them in half. Second, rainforest fragments dry out when
surrounded by dry, hot pastures and the resulting drought can have devastating consequences: one four-
year study has shown that death rates will double for smaller trees but will increase 4.5 times for bigger
trees.
G Particular enemies to large trees are insects and disease. Across vast areas of western North America,
increasingly mild winters are causing massive outbreaks of bark beetle. These tiny creatures can kill
entire forests as they tunnel their way through the inside of trees. In both North America and Europe,
fungus-causing diseases such as Dutch elm disease have killed off millions of stately trees that once
gave beauty to forests and cities. As a result of human activity, such enemies reach even the remotest
corners of the world, threatening to make the ancient giants a thing of the past.
Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each
answer.
6. The biggest trees in the world can be found in _ .
7. Some trees in northern Australia die because of made worse by gamba
grass.
8. The Clarks believe that the release of from dead trees could lead to the
death of more trees.
9. Strong are capable of damaging tall trees in the Amazon.
10. has a worse impact on tall trees than smaller ones.
IV. WRITING
Part 1. Read the following extract and use your own words to summarize it. Your summary should
be 100 and 120 words long.
Volcanic Islands
Islands have always fascinated the human mind. Perhaps it is the instinctive response of man, the
land animal, welcoming a brief intrusion of earth in the vast, overwhelming expanse of sea. When
sailing in a great ocean basin, a thousand miles from the nearest continent, with miles of water beneath
the ship, one may come upon an island which has been formed by a volcanic eruption under the sea.
One‘s imagination can follow its slopes down through darkening waters to its base on the sea floor.
One wonders why and how it arose there in the midst of the ocean.
The birth of a volcanic island is an event marked by prolonged and violent travail: the forces of the
earth striving to create, and all the forces of the sea opposing. At the place where the formation of such
an island begins, the sea floor is probably nowhere more than about fifty miles thick. In it are deep
cracks and fissures, the results of unequal cooling and shrinkage in past ages. Along such lines of
weakness the molten lava from the earth's interior presses up and finally bursts forth into the sea. But a
submarine volcano is different from a terrestrial eruption, where the lava, molten rocks, and gases are
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hurled into the air from an open crater. Here on the bottom of the ocean the volcano has resisting it all
the weight of the ocean water above it. Despite the immense pressure of, it may be, two or three miles
of sea water, the new volcanic cone builds upwards towards the surface, in flow after flow of lava.
Once within reach of the waves, its soft ash is violently attacked by the motion of the water which
continually washes away its upper surface, so that for a long period the potential island may remain
submerged. But eventually, in new eruptions, the cone is pushed up into the air, where the lava hardens
and forms a rampart against the attacks of the waves.
Part 2. The graphs show changes in spending habits of people in UK between 1971 and 2001. Write
a report to a university lecturer describing the data. Write at least 150 words.
Part 3. Write an essay about the following topic.
Many people say that the only way to guarantee getting a good job is to complete a course of university
education. Others claim that it is better to start work after school and gain experience in the world of
work.
How far do you agree or disagree with the above views?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge.
PRACTICE TEST 10
I. LISTENING
Part 1. Complete the notes below with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
THE SPIRIT BEAR
General facts
- It is a white bear belonging to the black bear family.
- Its color comes from (1) .
- Local people believe that it has unusual (2) .
- They protect the bear from (3) .
Habitat
- The bear‘s relationship with the forest is complex.
- Tree roots (4) along salmon streams.
- The bears‘ feeding habits provide nutrients for forest vegetation.
- It is currently found on a small number of (5) .
Threats
- Habitat is being lost due to deforestation and construction of (6)
by logging companies.
- (7) is affecting the salmon supply.
- The bears' existence is also threatened by their low rate of (8) .
Going forward
- Interested parties are working together.
- Logging companies must (9) of logging.
- Maintenance and (10) _ of the spirit bears‘ territory is needed.
Part 2. Answering the following questions using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS.
Questions Answers
1. Why did the basketball and football teams play 15 and 32
matches respectively during a four - month tour to Hong Kong,
Saigon, Manila and some other countries?
(1)
2. How did the Chinese delegation cut down their expenses? (2)
3. How were the results in the competitions? (3)
4. Where did the Chinese cyclist He Haohua fall from his bike in
the race? (4)
5. What did the Chinese delegation have to do when they were
coming back home? (5)
Part 3. Indicate whether the following statements are true, false or not given.
T F Not given
1. Some American say people spend too much money buying gifts for
the holiday instead of thinking about the religious meaning of
Christmas.
2. A school in the state of New Jersey declared a religious music ban.
3. The ban supporters said the schools were trying to take Christmas
music away from children.
4. Teachers are teaching about all religious holidays, not celebrating
them in the town of Lake Washington.
5. Many Americans celebrate Christmas in spite of some authorities‘
disagreements.
Part 4. You will hear part of a radio interview in which a travel writer, Owen Grifiths, is talking
about his career. Choose the best answer which fits best according to what you hear.
1. Why does Owen feel well suited to a career as a travel writer?
A. He believes he has the desire and determination to succeed.
B. He finds it easy to adjust to living in different places.
C. He feels he has both the right character and skills.
D. He doesn‘t feel ready to settle down in one place.
2. Why did Owen work for a newspaper after leaving university?
A. to gain writing experience B. to follow in his mother‘s footsteps
C. to finance his novel writing D. to please his parents
3. Why was Owen‘s first travel piece published?
A. The paper had been planning a piece on that region.
B. He was the only writer able to meet the deadline.
C. It solved a problem for his boss. D. His boss wanted to reward him.
4. According to Owen, what quality must a travel piece possess?
A. It needs a balance between information and opinion.
B. It has to appeal to all readers of the newspaper.
C. It should be constructed like a short story.
D. It must convey the writer's enthusiasm for the place.
5. What criticism does Owen make of his own writing?
A. He sometimes struggles to produce original pieces.
B. He often ends up leaving out the best part of his journeys.
C. He believes his ideas could be better organized.
D. He sometimes writes to please himself more than his teachers.
II. LEXICO - GRAMMAR
Part 1. Choose the best answer.
1. Business has been thriving for the past few years. Long it continue to do so.
A. could B. does C. may D. might
2. I‘ve never been windsurfing, but I‘d love to have at it.
A. a trial B. a go C. a look D. a taste
3. After living together for six years, Janet and Matt have finally decided to .
A. feel the pinch B. pull a few strings C. be up and about D. tie the knot
4. I can‘t stay up late at night. I prefer early.
A. turning in B. butting in C. settling up D. seeing off
5. There is large effort to rebuild art education in the New York City public schools.
A. under way B. in the way C. out of way D. over the way
6. director must have surprised all the staff.
A. You dominated B. Your being nominated
C. You have been nominated D. Your nominating
7. Smith knew that he could make a success of the little weekly newspaper .
A. in the nick of time B. in the long run C. in a short time D. at the drop of a hat
8. This room has been as a no-smoking area.
A. designed B. designated C. described D. destined
9. The company was rife rumors concerning possible redundancies.
A. for B. on C. about D. with
10. the future, I think we‘ll just have to wait and see.
A. With regard to B. As regards C. having regard to D. Regardless of
Part 2. Provide the correct form of the words in the brackets.
Although there is still fighting in Vietnam, and although the most pressing of his other problems are
domestic, President Nixon‘s first major act of policy is to announce a trip to Europe. This is not as (1)
(TIME) as it seems. In fact, it is a (2) (FOOT) step from both his
(3) (POINT) and the nation‘s.
By acting in the foreign policy field, where any President is virtually (4) _
(POTENT), Nixon asserts his leadership of the whole nation. By turning first to Europe, he ends the (5)
(OCCUPY) with Vietnam Europeans have with reason resented. There are many
neglected problems in the Atlantic community, and while his administration is not prepared with any
great policy (6) (INITIATE), a working visit of exploration like this one can give
future decisions a sounder basis.
His first stop is Brussels, headquarters of NATO, which needs a new military strategy and stronger
common political purpose. Putting Brussels first indicates any Nixon plans for nuclear talks with
Russia will not be at the expense of the (7) (ALLY). His visit to Berlin, which East
Germany has been harassing again, will be a sign that the West is still determined to defend that (8)
(POST). His visit to De Gaulle may or may not lay (9)
(GROUND) for a Franco-American rapprochement. Nixon is unlikely to return from Europe with any
big deals to announce. But the proposed conversations should improve the transatlantic atmosphere.
The trip is further evidence of Nixon's grasp of his new office. Many of his most practiced critics, in
the Congressional opposition and in the press, acknowledge that he has made an excellent start. He is
moving with crispness and energy; some of the old (10) _ (WARY) is there, but there
are lively flashes of humor and imagination. We wish him a good trip and continued growth in his great
office.
Part 3. Identify 10 errors in the passage and correct them.
THOUGHTS OF A BORED HOUSEWIFE
Errors Correct
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
I know the house is filthy but I really can‘t be bothered
to do any cleaning today – I‘ll put it of until tomorrow. My
husband keeps nagging me to keep the place spotless but
he‘ll have to catch up with the dirt. I don‘t find being a
house wife awarding. I'm not cut out for it in the least bit. In
fact, if it were to consider to be a real job, I‘d give in my
notice; thinking about it, I would have been sacked ages
ago. When it comes down to it, I‘m bored. It is unheard of
my husband to help me in the house. He just takes me for
granted. When we got married, I thought he was going to
be a modern, liberal-thought man, but he has turned out to be
the same as all the others. He thinks it is my duty to
bring up the kids and doesn't see why he should bring
himself out to take them to school and help them with
their homework. For him, life is very straight. He works,
comes home, has his dinner and goes to bed. There‘s no
doubt in putting up a fight. He‘s only frown and say
―
Am
I
such a bad husband?‖
In fact he isn‘t. I love him dearly and would never think
of breaking up with him. Also, I wouldn‘t want to take my
daughters off marriage, but I‘d certainly tell them not to let
themselves be taken advantage of.
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Part 4. Fill each gap with a suitable preposition.
1. You look really scruffy. Can't you tuck your shirt your trousers at least?
2. The main part of the house is very old. It dates more than 400 years.
3. The sudden movement of the train threw me balance and I fell head-first down the steps.
4. Erica is an excellent colleague. She goes her job calmly and efficiently.
5. The school ran financial trouble when 80% of the staff went on strike.
6. As soon as the President stepped out of the car, guards moved action to hold back the
crowds.
7. The price of shares in the company went up _ over 50% when they announced
the discovery of the new oilfield.
8. We've decided to switch electricity solar power in an attempt to
be more eco-friendly.
9. The over-use of fertilizers and pesticides is one of the greatest threats wild life today.
III. READING
Part 1. Choose the word which best fits each gap of the passage.
Although all Americans do not (1)
American English can be recognized as a (2)
the same way, their speech has enough in common that
_ of English distinct from British English, Australian
English and other national varieties. American English has grown up with the country. It began to (3)
from British English during its colonial beginnings and (4) regional differences and
ethnic flavor. Today it (5) other languages and other varieties of English because it is the
medium by which the attractions of American culture - its literature, (6) _ pictures and television
programs - are transmitted to the world.
All speakers of English (7) a common linguistic system and a basic set of words. But
American English (8) _ from British English, Australian English and other national varieties in
many of its pronunciations, words, spellings and grammatical (9) . Words or phrases of American
(10) and those used in America but not so much elsewhere are called Americanisms.
1. A. say B. speak C. talk D. tell
2. A. alteration B. change C. variety D. variation
3. A. diverge B. divert C. digress D. depress
4. A. enquired B. inquired C. required D. acquired
5. A. affluence B. fluency C. influences D. nuances
6. A. motion B. moving C. movement D. removing
7. A. have B. bear C. tear D. share
8. A. differentiates B. differs C. changes D. alters
9. A. constructions B. building C. points D. syntax
10. A. birth B. source C. origin D. tradition
Part 2. Fill the blank in the passage with ONE suitable word.
Although he created the game of basketball at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts, Dr. James
A .Naismith was Canadian. Working as a physical (1) instructor at the International
YMCA, now Springfield College, Dr. Naismith noticed a (2) of interest in exercise among
students during the wintertime. The New England winters were fierce, and the students (3)
at participating in indoor activities. Naismith determined that a fast-moving game that could be played
indoors would fill a (4) _ after the basketball and football seasons had ended.
First he attempted to (5) outdoor games such as soccer and rugby to indoor play, but he
soon found them unsuitable for (6) areas. Finally, he determined that he would have to
invent a game.
In December of 1891, Dr Naismith hung two old peach baskets at (7) end of the
gymnasium at the school, and, using a soccer ball and nine players on each side, organized the first
basketball game. The early (8) allowed three points for each basket and made running
with the ball a violation. Every time a goal was made, someone had to climb a ladder to (9)
the ball.
Nevertheless, the game became popular. In less than a year, basketball was being played in both the
United States and Canada. Five years later, a championship (10) was staged in New York
City, which was won by Brooklyn Central YMCA.
Part 3. Read the following passage and choose the best option.
Sigmund Freud was not a literary theorist. However, he did contribute to critical theory through both
his theories and his use of art to show that the application of psychology can extend to the highest
forms of cultures. Freud was always interested in literature, and he drew some of the best illustrations
of his theories from classic poems and plays.
Freud saw the unconscious as the impetus of both cultural and psychic activity. Therefore, the same
principles operated in both, and that the same mechanisms - such as displacement and symbolization -
applied. While Freud was not the first to note the importance of the unconscious mind, he was the first
to attempt a coherent theory of its operation and function. He argued that the unconscious operates
according to universal law, and is crucial to all aspects of mental life that involve fantasy, or diversion
from reality. From this point of view, it is natural to apply Freudian principles to imaginative literature.
Writers transform individual, unconscious fantasy into universal art - a kind of formal fantasy halfway
between a reality that denies wishes and a world of imagination in which every wish is granted.
In focusing on the unconscious origins for literature, Freud was in a sense reviving the traditional
idea of divine inspiration. [1] Philosophers and art theorists have often turned to such a theory of the
imagination to explain multiple meanings, repetition, and any apparent disorder in art. Similarly,
ps
ychoanaly
sis
uses
the theory of the unconscious to explain examples of
―
disorder" in consciousness,
such as dreams.
[2] This analogy allowed Freud to suggest that fantasies called art could be interpreted in the same
way as dreams. Writers, as Freud noted, have always seen great significance in dreams. In his view,
portrayals of dreams in works of literature supported his own theories about their structures,
mechanisms, and interpretation. For example, the mechanisms of displacement and symbolization
obviously resemble the literary devices of metaphor and symbolism. [3]
Critics of Freud have objected that the non-logical processes of the unconscious do not resemble the
unconscious effort that results in work of literature. Freud would reply that while conscious thought is
necessary to produce works of art, the creative sources of art remain in the conscious. In this view,
conscious activity merely obscures what is truly important in art. What interested Freud were the deep
unconscious structures literature shares with myth and religion, as well as with dreams. The apparent
individuality of literature was not as significant as its ultimate universality. [4]
1. Which of the following best states the main idea of the reading?
A. The best way to understand the creation of literature is through Freud‘s theory of psychoanalysis.
B. Freud argued convincingly that both psychic phenomena and literature may be interpreted with
reference to the unconscious.
C. Creating works of literature is very similar to dreaming.
D. Freud‘s theories explain why both dreams and literature contain various forms of disorder.
2. According to the passage, which of the following is true of Freud?
A. He was a literary theorist. B. He has had an influence on literary theory.
C. He wrote several plays and poems that illustrate his theories.
D. He was the first to discover the unconscious.
3. The word impetus in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by .
A. source B. opposite C. form D. reason
4. The word both in paragraph 2 refers to .
A. displacement and symbolization B. cultural and psychic phenomena
C. repression and the economy of psychic expenditure D. principles and mechanisms
5. The author uses the phrase formal fantasy in paragraph 2 in order to .
A. describe the nature of literature B. give an example of diversion from reality
C. describe the nature of the unconscious D. give an example of a Freudian principle
6. Which is the best place for the following sentence?
―
And
like drea
ms,
literary
works
can have more than one interpretation
.‖
A. [1] B. [2] C. [3] D. [4]
7. According to the passage, displacement in dreams is similar to .
A. symbolization B. metaphor C. symbolism D. repression
8. What possible objection to the passage‘s main idea does the author discuss in the last paragraph?
A. Freud emphasized the unconscious, but writing results from conscious thought.
B. Freud claimed that art is created logically, but it really has unconscious origins.
C. Writers have never placed much significance on dreams.
D. Freud argued that literature is individual, but it is actually universal.
9. The word their in paragraph 4 refers to .
A. writers B. works C. theories D. dreams
10. Why does the author mention multiple meaning and repetition in paragraph 3?
A. To emphasize the non-rational nature of art B. To give examples of
―
disorde
r‖
in art
C. To give examples of divine inspiration D. To show the similarity between art and dreams
Part 4. Choose the correct headings for paragraphs B - F from the list of headings below.
List of heading
i. The collapse of the Neanderthal population
ii. The origin of modern humans
iii. Humanity‘s prehistoric mother
iv. Routes out of Africa
v. Attributes of modern humans and Neanderthals
vi. The modern human migration
vii. What did Neanderthal look like?
viii. The diversity of African populations
ix. Tracing back our DNA
Example Answer
Paragraph A ii
1. Paragraph B ............
2. Paragraph C ............
3. Paragraph D ............
4. Paragraph E ............
5. Paragraph F ............
A Among prehistoric archeologists, Ksar Aqil has an almost mythical status, but the site is little known
outside professional circles. With layer upon layer of prehistoric tools, animal bones and fire pits,
dating from between 60,000 and 15,000 years ago, it is one of the most continuously and intensively
occupied Old Stone Age sites in the Levant and, perhaps, the world. The migration of modern humans
out of Africa and the Near East‘s position as a bridge between continents and cultures, as well as nearly
a century of scientific research, are all woven into the story of Ksar Aqil. Current perspectives on
human evolution and mankind‘s colonization of the globe are based upon fossil evidence, as well as
excavated artifacts and biogenetic data. These lines of inquiry indicate a relatively recent evolution of
modern humans, Homo sapiens sapiens, in Africa about 200,000 years ago.
B The latest, and arguably most powerful, analytical tool available to those investigating human
origins comes from molecular biology. Geneticists have found that examination of the DNA from tiny
structures inside the cell, called mitochondria, provided a means to measure human biogenetic
relationships on a time scale spanning hundreds of thousands of years. Mitochondria, also known as the
powerhouse of the cell because they generate chemical energy, possess their own genome, and
mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is inherited exclusively from the mother. Dramatic results released in
1987 by researchers at the University of California at Berkley indicated that mtDNA sequences in
African populations display the greatest diversity. African peoples, such as the Kalahari San, possess
the most ancient genetic lineages on the planet: They have accumulated evolutionary changes over the
longest period of time. The study postulated that all mtDNA present in people today stems from a
single female who lived about 200,000 years ago in Africa. This woman was called
―
Mitochondrial Eve,‖ the genetic mother of all of Earth‘s present-day population.
C Tens of thousands of years before Beirut became a meeting place of East and West, the Levantine
coastal strip and the Arabian Peninsula to the south were corridors through which our common
ancestors moved out of Africa and into Asia, Europe, Australia and, lastly, the Americas. The region
also has the distinction of being a place where Neanderthals (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) and our
immediate ancestors co-existed and indeed interbred. The evolutionary split between Neanderthals and
the ancestors of modern humans occurred sometime between 440,000 and 270,000 years ago. The
Neanderthals, the cave men of popular literature, lived in Europe, south into the Levant, and as far east
as Iraqi Kurdistan and southern Siberia. According to research conducted by Svante Pääbo at Leipzig‘s
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, a little Neanderthal DNA, between one and four
percent, exists in all peoples alive today, except for those in Africa. It is probable that our Neanderthal
heritage resulted from interbreeding that happened in the Near East sometime between 80,000 and
45,000 years ago.
D
According to proponents of the
―
out of Africa
‖
theory, the exodus of anatomically modern humans
probably occurred in waves. One early migration into the Near East occurred prior to 130,000 years
ago, and an examination of a modern map of the Horn of Africa and adjacent parts of Arabia shows
there are two obvious routes this migration could have taken. One involves crossing from northern
Egypt into the Sinai Peninsula, the other crosses the Bab el-Mandab strait to reach modern-day Yemen,
perhaps by watercraft. It is likely that both these routes were taken at different times, as they were
navigable, presented no significant hazards and were frequented by the animals our early ancestors
tracked and hunted. Given the geographic position of the Near East as a bridge between Europe and
Asia, this region formed the trunk through which our family tree branched out from its African roots,
both geographically and genetically. When modern humans entered the area over 130,000 years ago,
the Neanderthals were in residence, and it seems they curtailed the extent of the newcomer‘s settlement
for a while. When another wave of modern humans began migrating from Africa about 50,000 years
ago, perhaps due to population pressure on resources and territory, our ancestors ultimately became the
sole inhabitants of places like Ksar Aqil.
E If this contest had been based on physical strength alone, the Neanderthals would have won hands
down. Modern humans, however, had developed cognitive, physical and cultural abilities that provided
an advantage, ultimately leading to the Neanderthals being relegated to geographically marginalized
refugees. The Neanderthals differed from modern humans in a number of ways, perhaps most
noticeably in their skull anatomy, which featured a sloped forehead, a large projection at the back of the
skull called an occipital bun, pronounced eyebrow ridges, and no chin. Physically robust and more
powerfully built than our ancestors, their massive but relatively short stature was more efficient in cold
climates like Europe‘s. The Neanderthals apparently were not suited to activities like long-distance
running. The energy cost of locomotion was apparently 32 percent higher in Neanderthals, resulting in
a daily dietary requirement between 100 and 350 calories greater than that of modern humans living in
similar environmental settings. Our ancestors may, therefore, have had a competitive edge simply by
being more fuel-efficient.
F What exactly happened to the Neanderthals no one knows. Modern peoples migrating into
Southwest Asia and on to Europe may have displaced them. Undoubtedly, contact led to a variety of
interactions, some clearly resulting in opportunities for interbreeding, others - such as those described
in William Golding‘s book The Inheritors - involving physical conflict and competition for resources.
The Neanderthals‘ demise may also have been linked to rapid climatic swings between 50,000 and
30,000 years ago, which created further pressure on their already divided and isolated populations.
Part 5. Read the passage and then complete the summary below by using NO MORE THAN THREE
WORDS taken from this reading passage.
WHAT GOES WRONG WITH OUR MATH EDUCATION?
Nearly half of all Math lessons are not good enough, according to an Ofsted report out today which
suggests that even though more pupils are getting qualifications, uninspiring teaching means they often
lack understanding of math mathematical concepts.
Children are being drilled to pass the exams and enroll for booster and revision classes, but are not
equipped with the mathematical skills or knowledge needed for their future, it will say. The study by
the schools inspectorate, based on inspections of 192 primary and secondary schools, focuses on the
most serious problems in secondaries, where pupils were making inadequate progress in about 10 % of
lessons. It will claim that 45 % of Math classes were only satisfactory or worse - a judgment which
Ofsted will say is not good enough.
Primary schools are falling to identify gifted children at an early age, it will say. The schools
minister, Lord Adonis, will appeal to primaries to improve their work with gifted pupils. It comes after
this summer‘s tests showed a drop in the number of pupils obtaining top marks for literacy.
The report will say:
―
Evidence
su
gge
sts
that
strategies
to improve
test
and examination performance,
including 'booster' lessons, revision classes and extensive intervention, coupled with a heavy emphasis
on "teaching to the test,‖ succeed in preparing pupils to gain the qualifications but are not equipping
them well enough for their future"
Ofsted will blame the government‘s testing regime for narrowing children‘s understanding, and say
that it leaves some pupils unable to explain mathematical theory because they are too used to answering
narrow questions in tests.
―
P
upil
s
rarely investigate open-ended proble
ms
which might offer them opportunitie
s
to
choose which approach to adopt or to reason and generalize. Most lessons do not emphasize
mathematical talk enough; as a result, pupils struggle to express and develop their thinking,‖ the report
will say.
Christine Gilbert, Ofsted‘
s
chief inspector,
s
aid
last
night,
―
Too many
schools are not
teaching
mathematics well enough. The way mathematics is taught can make a huge difference to the
level of enthusiasm and interest for the subject.‖
J
im
Kn
ight, the
sc
hool mi
nist
er,
sa
id,
―
While
Ofste
d‘
s
recognize
s
there are positive trends,
with results in Math up at all ages, we know that more needs to be done to improve Math for a long
term. That's why we are introducing a range of measures, back by £140m, which will transform the
standard of Math teaching.‖
He said the measures were being introduced to attract the best graduates to teaching and ensure that
every primary school has a specialist Math teacher within 10 years.
THE SUMMARY
An Ofsted report reveals (1) of Math lessons are not good enough. This is
an accordance with the findings of a study made by the schools inspectorate which focuses on the
problems in (2) . Lord Adonis suggests that primary schools haven‘t done
enough work with gifted pupils considering the result of (3) . According to the
Ofsted report, a number of factors result in pupils‘ lack of understanding of mathematical concepts,
even though they can get the qualifications. Children‘s narrow understanding of mathematics is due to
the (4) . They often answer narrow questions in tests but seldom solve open-
ended problems. Christine Gilbert believed good teaching methods can improve student‘s (5)
for Mathematics. Some measures have been introduced to transform the
standard of Math teaching.
IV. WRITING
Part 1. Read the passage below and use your own words to summarize it.
In July of that year the bulk of the fleet
reached a small island off the coast
of Virginia that was called Roanoke. After
building a small fort on the north side of the
island, the colonists initiated relations with a
Native American tribe that lived on the
island, the Aquascogoc. These natives
showed little interest in building relations
with the English colonists, and they soon
parted company. After this encounter,
however, the English noticed that one of
their silver cups had gone missing, and they
attributed its disappearance to the
Aquascogoc. Grenville, the English captain,
was furious. He believed that the
Aquascogoc had stolen the silver cup.
Whether or not this was true, angry
exchanges followed and soon the English
burned the Aquascogoc village. The English
held their fort against the subsequent attacks
of the natives.
........................................................................................
........................................................................................
........................................................................................
........................................................................................
.......................................................................................
........................................................................................
........................................................................................
........................................................................................
........................................................................................
........................................................................................
........................................................................................
.......................................................................................
........................................................................................
........................................................................................
........................................................................................
........................................................................................
.......................................................................................
Part 2. The pie charts below give information about the composition of household rubbish in the
United Kingdom in two different years.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
Part 3. Write about the topic:
Some people believe that using animals to test the safety of human medicine is cruel and
unwarranted, whereas others feel it is a medical necessity.
Discuss both views and state your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from own knowledge or experience.
Practice tests for the national examination for the
gifted
Compiler: Ngô Minh
Châu
87
Faculty : Course Name : Date
Subject advisor :
Polics and Economics
(1)
: 20th March – 20th June
(2)
PRACTICE TEST 11
I. LISTENING
Part 1. You will hear a conversation between two students about the course feedback form. Complete
the table below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
STUDENT FEEDBACK FOR
Advantages
Disadvantages and Suggestions
Handouts and
equipment‘s
clear and on time perfect
(4) _
too many (3) poor printer
(5) balanced design good
organization
too much research work in the (6)
Practical training good for (7)
learn more knowledge
need more different training places
(8) quick feedback from
(9)
time of open – book exam is too short
too any essays
Other comments mobility teaching method need to strengthen our (10)
Part 2. Listen to a talk about the Tiger Shark, answer the questions. Your answer would be short in
the form of notes, using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS.
1. What is the origin of the tiger shark's name?
2. What is the maximum size of a tiger shark?
3. Where is the tiger sharks' preferred habitat?
4. What is typical food produced by human that tiger sharks eat?
5. According to studies, when are tiger sharks mainly found in Raine Island area?
Part 3. Listen and decide the statements are True (T) or False (F).
1. The iPhone belonged to someone who killed people last month.
2. Apple said unlocking the iPhone would be a threat to its customers.
3. America's Department of Justice (DOJ) is on Apple's side.
4. The DOJ said Apple was putting up technological barriers
5. The DOJ said Apple was an evil company.
Part 4. You will hear a radio interview with someone who has been having a ballet lesson and then
choose the correct answer A, B, C or D which fits best according to what you hear.
1. What does Rupert say about the fact that he is doing ballet classes?
A. Other people have ridiculed him for it. B. He expects to be mocked for it.
C. It is not as unusual as people might think. D. people may think it isn‘t really true.
2. Rupert says that before he started doing ballet lessons, .
A. he had been doing routine physical fitness training
B. his knowledge of ballet had been growing
C. ballet had taken over from football as his greatest interest
D. he had been considering doing ballroom dancing again
3. Rupert says that when the idea of ballet lesson was suggested to him .
A. he thought it was a joke B. he was sure exactly what would be involved
C. he began to have unrealistic expectations of what he could achieve
D. he initially lacked the confidence to do it
4. One of the advantages of ballet that Rupert mentions is that .
A. it leads to fewer injuries than other physical activities
B. it has both physical and mental effects
C. it is particularly good for certain parts of the body
D. it is more interesting than other forms of exercises
5. What does Rupert say about his progress at ballet?
A. It has led him to enroll for certain exams. B. It has been much more rapid than he expected.
C. It has made him consider giving up his other training.
D. It has given him greater appreciation of the skills of professionals.
II. LEXICO - GRAMMAR
Part 1. Choose the best answer.
1. Mrs. Jackson was on the point of going out of her apartment when she was short by a phone
call from her husband.
A. caught B. halted C. brought D. stopped
2. So many good solutions to the question have been submitted that the committee have had a hard time
of deciding which one to .
A. adapted B. adorn C. adept D. adopt
3. You needn‘t treat us to anything; we won‘t stay long for it‘s only a visit.
A. minute B. flying C. small D. speedy
4. Burt knows his chances against the better skilled opponents are slim, but he is too much of a
competitor to give up making at least a at it.
A. stake B. start C. stab D. stack
5. The pursuit of the escaped prisoner was futile. The criminal knew well how to the police.
A. elude B. derail C. retract D. distort
6. The first amusement park in our city was a success for its owners. Everybody would go there
to have a good time.
A. cracking B. ringing C. sparking D. roaring
7. My tooth isn‘t aching at the moment, but the unpleasant feeling of stiffness still on in my
mouth.
A. remains B. lingers C. continues D. lasts
8. The serum couldn‘t be on the spot aid as the first aid kit lacked needles.
A. served B. catered C. distributed D. injected
9. I‘d opt for a glass of mineral water just to my thirst.
A. quit B. quench C. quiver D. quieten
10.
―
Why haven‘t you sent the letter to Uncle Jerry?
‖
–
―O
h, I‘m sorry; I _ forgot to do it yesterday.
‖
A. clean B. barely C. fair D. only
Part 2. Complete the text by writing a correct form of the word in CAPITALS.
IS IT WORTH IT?
It is commonly believed that a break from everyday routine can only do you good. Every summer,
you can spot prospective (1. holiday) at airports and waiting for car ferries. They
are (2. mistake) - you can tell them a mile away by their sun hats and hopeful expressions.
For all their optimism, what often actually happens can be a rude (3. wake) from
the blissful holiday dreams of the rest of the year. Sunburn, mosquitoes and (4. foresee)
expenses can make you think twice about how (5. benefit) getting away from it all really is.
The fact is, the (6. likely) of something going wrong is maximized when you are
abroad and, (7. fortune) your ability to deal with crisis and catastrophe is often
minimized. This could be because of language problems, (8. familiar) with the
culture, or simply a different climate, all of which make everything seem different and unreal.
So, what is the answer? (9. doubt) an annual escape from normal working life is
a very positive thing. However, the (10. wise) of seeking an exotic location is
questionable when you think of all the things that can go wrong.
Part 3. Identify 10 errors in the following passage and correct them.
Text Correction
It was the human factor that contributes to the absolute
majority of road accidents which involves the tremendous toll
of fatalities each year. Other, less decisive, causes are vehicle
functions or road shortcomings. Speeding motorists are
notorious about failing to give way at junctions, judging the
situation on the road or being unable to accurately estimate the
distance while overtaking the ‗snail-pacers‘ ahead. Drinkers
who settle behind the wheel after one glass or two may be
running the risk of causing a tragedy through their impairing
perception, which is not so rare a case, again. Unfortunately, it
is much simpler to introduce the necessary alterations in the
traffic system that change the behavioral patterns of drivers.
There are voices that more severe disciplinary resolutions
ought to put into practice if the vehicle users are to benefit
from greater security on the road. The idea of producing safe
road users through pre-school parental instruction or through
incorporating the safety regulations for the school curriculum
has been widely acclaimed in many communities and are
expected to yield the required results as the first step in
was -> is
.
bettering the qualifications of the future drivers and acquaint
them with the potential hazards that may arise on route.
Part 4. Fill in the blank with suitable prepositions or particles.
1. The animals can be blending the tall grass to avoid exposure.
2. As the team shakes , their performance should improve.
3. I am not friends with David anymore – we have fallen .
4. I do not understand what he is driving .
5.
―
Your credit card can be done with already,
‖
her father said.
6. A great sense of relief flooded her when she heard that her father was all right.
7. Computer games are not so interesting to me anymore – I have gone it.
8. He won simply because he was no pressure to win.
9. The portly women were excited about going into the city to indulge a lavish buffet.
10. His parents pulled him difficult periods of multiple financial problems.
III. READING COMPREHENSION
Part 1. Read the text below and decide which answer best fits each space.
(1)
popular belief, one does not have to be a trained programmer to work online. Of course,
there are plenty of jobs available for people with high-tech computer skills, but the growth of new
media has (2) up a wide range of Internet career opportunities requiring only a minimal level of
technical (3) . Probably one of the most well-known online job opportunities is the job of
webmaster. However, it is hard to define one basic job description for this position. The qualifications
and responsibilities depend on what tasks a particular organization needs a webmaster to (4) .
To specify the job description of a webmaster, one needs to identify the hardware and software that
the website will manage to run (5) . Different types of hardware and software require different
skill sets to manage them. Another key factor is whether the website will be running internally or
externally. Finally, the responsibilities of a webmaster also depend on whether he or she will be
working independently, or whether the firm will provide people to help. All of these factors need to be
considered before one can create requiring (6) knowledge of the latest computer applications. (7)
, there are also online jobs available for which traditional skills remain in high (8) . Content jobs
require excellent
wr
iting
ski
ll
s
and a good sense of the web as a
―
new media.
‖
The term
―
new media
‖
is
difficult to define beca
use
it encompasse
s
a (9) g
row
ing
se
t of ne
w
technologies and skills. Specifically, it includes websites, email, Internet technology, CD-ROM, DVD,
streaming audio and video, interactive multimedia presentations, e-books, digital music, computer
illustration, video games, (10) reality, and computer artistry.
1. A. Apart from
2. A. taken
3. A. expertise
4. A. conduct
B. Contrary to
B. sped
B. master
B. perform
C. Prior to
C. set
C. efficiency
C. undergone
D. In contrast to
D. opened
D. excellency
D. overtake
5. A. on B. over C. in D. with
6. A. built-in B. up-market C. in-service D. in-depth
7. A. However B. Therefore C. Moreover D. Then
8. A. content B. demand C. reference D. requirement
9. A. constantly B. continually C. increasingly D. invariably
10. A. fancy B. imaginative C. illusive D. virtual
Part 2. Complete the following passage by filling in each blank with one suitable word.
THE SAHARA MARATHON
Practice tests for the national examination for the
gifted
Compiler: Ngô Minh
Châu
91
One of the most amazing marathon races in the world is the Marathon of the Sands. It takes place
every April in the Sahara Desert in the south of Morocco, a part of the world (1)
temperatures can reach fifty degrees centigrade. The standard length of a marathon is 42.5 kilometres
but this one is 240 kilometres long and (2) seven days to complete. It began in 1986 and
now attracts about two hundred runners, the majority of whose ages range from seventeen to forty-
seven. About half of them come from France and the rest from all over the world. From Britain it costs
£2,500 to enter, which includes return air fares. The race is rapidly (3) more and more
popular despite, or perhaps because of, the harsh conditions that runners must endure. They have to
carry food and everything else they (4) for seven days in a rucksack
weighing no more than twelve kilograms. In (5) to this, they are given a litre
and a half of water every ten kilometres. Incredibly, nearly (6) the
runners finish the course. (7) man, Ibrahim El Journal, took part in every race from 1986
to 2004. Runners do suffer terrible physical hardships. Sometimes they lose toenails and skin peels (8)
their feet. However, doctors are always on hand to deal (9)
minor injuries and to make sure that runners do not push (10)
too far.
Part 3. Read the passage and choose the best answer.
Over the last century the world has become increasingly smaller. Not geographically, of course, but
in the sense that media, technology and the opening of borders has enabled the world‘s citizens to view,
share and gain access to a much wider range of cultures, societies and world views. In this melting pot
that the world has become, today‘s child is privy to facets of the human experience that his immediate
predecessors had no inkling even existed. It stands to reason that in order to absorb, configure and
finally form opinions about this information-laden planet, children must be supplied with certain tools.
Included in this list of ‗tools‘ are: education, social skills, cultural awareness and the acquisition of
languages, the most important of these being the latter. Until recently, a child who had the ability to
speak more than one language would have been considered a very rare entity. This one-language
phenomenon could be attributed to a combination of factors. Firstly, the monolingual environment in
which a child was raised played a strong role, as did the limited, biased education of the past. With
regard to immigrants, the sad fact was that non-native parents tended to withhold the teaching of the
mother tongue so that the child would acquire the ‗more prestigious‘ language of the adopted country.
Nowadays, the situation has undergone an almost complete reversal. In the majority of North
American and European countries, most children are given the opportunity to learn a second or even a
third language. Children acquire these foreign languages through various and diverse means. In many
countries, learning a foreign language is a compulsory subject in the state school curriculum. Other
children rely on language schools or private tuition to achieve their goal. In other instances, children
are born to bilingual parents, who, if they so desire, may teach the children two languages.
Bringing up one‘s child bilingually is not a decision to be taken lightly. Both parents must consider
long and hard the implications involved in raising a child in a two-language home. This decision is one
of those all-important choices which will affect not only the parents‘ lives but also the life of the child.
Raising a child bilingually has a two-fold effect. Firstly, of course, the child learns the two languages of
the parents. Secondly, the parents‘ decision will influence factors which will have a far-reaching effect
on the child‘s life. Some of these factors include: style and place of education; diameter of social circle;
employment potential and preference; and, most importantly, the way in which the child views himself
and his global environment.
One of the more advantageous by-products of being a member of a bilingual family is the inherent
awareness of two different cultures. This bicultural child inherits a wealth of knowledge brought about
by an exposure to: historical backgrounds; traditional songs and folklore; rituals of marriage; models of
social interaction; and therefore, two varying interpretations of the world. The monolingual child seems
to be at a disadvantage in comparison to the bilingual child, who has a set of languages and an
accompanying set of abstract cultural ideas. Practically speaking, when a child comes from a two-
language family, he must be taught both languages in order to communicate with the extended family
members. When, for example, the grandparents speak a language which differs from that of the child‘s
locale, a monolingual child would be deprived of the interaction which occurs between grandparents
and grandchildren. On the other hand, a bilingual child will not only be able to speak to grandparents,
but will also comprehend where these people have ‗come from‘. There will be a shared cultural
empathy within the family. Because all family members can communicate, on both a verbal and
cultural level, no one will feel excluded and the child will develop a sense of rootedness.
On a more abstract level, it has been said that a bilingual child thinks differently from a monolingual
child. Current research in linguistics indicates that there may be a strong correlation between
bilingualism and cognitive skills. This new research concerns itself with the fact that a bilingual child
has two lexical structures for any given physical or abstract entity. This leads logically to the
assumption that the child also has two associations for many words, as a word can mean different
things in different languages. For example, the word ‗fire‘ in many western hemisphere languages
connotes warmth and relaxation. In the Inuit language however, where fire is a necessity of life, it may
connote heat and survival. For the bilingual child, then, vocabulary items and the abstract idea behind
them are both dual in nature and more elastic. Researchers maintain that this elasticity of ideas may
allow the child to think more flexibly and, therefore, more creatively.
1. In the author‘s view, the world is becoming a _ .
A. more culturally diverse place B. place where only privileged children will prosper
C. less complex place to live in D. much more integrated place
2. According to the first paragraph, which of the following was true of immigrants?
A. Children were reluctant to use their mother tongue.
B. The mother tongue was considered less important.
C. Parents encouraged children to use their mother tongue.
D. Most parents made it a priority for children to grow up bilingual.
3. The phrase
―
privy to
‖
in paragraph 1 mostly means .
A. acquainted with B. advised of C. apprised of D. in the know about
4. The phrase
―
att
ribu
ted to
‖
mostly means .
A. ascribed to B. associated with C. connected with D. held responsible for
5. According to the writer, second or foreign language learning is something .
A. people are still apathetic towards B. mainly associated with private sector education
C. that few people take seriously D. about which general attitudes have evolved considerably
6. According to the article, the decision to raise bilingual children is difficult because .
A. it may limit the child‘s choice of friends
B. though simple for parents, it can impact negatively on children
C. it may cause children to lose their sense of identity
D. it needs to be considered from many different angles
7. With regard to the ‗extended family‘ in immigrant situations, the writer feels it is important that
.
A. adults try to understand the child‘s difficult cultural situation
B. children are not pressured to speak their parents‘ native language
C. adults recognise the child‘s need to identify more with local culture
D. children can relate to all aspects of their parents‘ native culture
8. The word
―
by-
produ
ct
s
‖
in paragraph 4 mostly means .
A. entailments B. knock-on effects C. side effects D. spin-offs
9. The word
―
c
onnotes
‖
in paragraph 5 mostly means .
A. underpins B. implies C. signifies D. smacks of
10. According to current research, the benefit of learning two languages is that .
A. different types of knowledge can be accessed in different languages
B. bilinguals become more aware the origin of words in languages
C. it helps to develop different capabilities of the mind
D. bilinguals develop a greater sense of the value of culture
Part 4. The reading has six paragraphs A-F. Choose the most suitable heading for paragraph B-F
from the list of headings below.
HIGH-TECH CRIME -FIGHTING TOOLS
A. Crime- fighting technology is getting more sophisticated and rightly so. The police need to be
equipped for the 21
st
century. In Britain we‘ve already got the world‘s biggest DNA databases. By next
year the state will have access to the genetic data of 4.25 m people: one British-based person in 14.
Hundreds of thousands of those on the database will never have been charged with a crime.
B. Britain is also reported to have more than £4 million CCTV (closed circuit television) camera, There
is a continuing debate about the effectiveness of CCTV. Some evidence suggests that it is helpful in
reducing shoplifting and car crime. It has also been used to successfully identify terrorists and
murderers. However, many people claim that better lighting is just as effective to prevent crime and
that cameras could displace crime. An internal police report said that only one crime was solved for
every 1,000 cameras in London in 2007. In short, there is conflicting evidence about the effectiveness
of camera, so it is likely that the debate will continue.
C. Professor Mike Press, who has spent the past decade studying how design can contribute to crime
reduction, said that, in order for CCTC to have any effect, it must be used in a targeted way. For
example, a scheme in Manchester records every license plate at the entrance of a shopping complex and
alerts police when one is found to belong to an untaxed or stolen car. This is an effective example of
monitoring, he said. Most schemes that simply record city centers continually- often not being watched
- do not produce results. CCTV can also have the opposite effect of that intended, by giving citizens a
false sense of security and encouraging them to be careless with property and personal safety. Professor
Press said:
―
All the evidence suggests that CCTV alone makes no positive impact on crime reduction
and prevention at all. The weight of evidence would suggest the investment is more or less a waste of
money unless you have lots of other things in place‖. He believes that much of the increase is driven by
the marketing efforts of security companies who promote the crime-reducing benefits of their products.
He described it as a
―
lazy approach to crime preventi
on‖
and said that authorities should instead
be focusing on how to alter the environment to reduce crime.
D. But in reality, this is not what is happening. Instead, police are considering using more technology.
Police forces have recently begun experimenting with cameras in their helmets. The footage will be
stored on police computers, along with the footage from thousands of CCTV cameras and millions of
pictures form numberplate recognition camera used increasingly to check up on motorists.
E. And now another type of technology is being introduced. It‘s called the Microdrone and it‘s a toy-
sized remote-control craft that hovers above streets or crowds to film what‘s going on beneath. The
Microdrone has already been used to monitor rock festivals, but its supplier has also been in
discussions to supply it to the Metropolitan Police, and Soca, the Serious Organized Crime Agency.
The drones are small enough to be unnoticed by people on the ground when they are flying at 350ft.
They contain high-resolution video surveillance equipment and an infrared night vision capability, so
even in darkness they give operators a bird‘s -eye view of locations while remaining virtually
undetectable.
F. The worrying thing is, who will get access to this technology? Merseyside police are already
employing two of the devices as part of a pilot scheme to watch football crowds and city parks looking
for antisocial behaviors. It is not just about crime detection: West Midlands fire brigade is about to
lease a drone, for example, to get a better view of fire and flood scenes and aid rescue attempt; the
Environment Agency is considering their use for monitoring of illegal fly tipping and oil spills. The
company that makes the drone says it has no plans to license the equipment to individuals or private
companies, which hopefully will prevent private security firms from getting their hands on them. But
what about local authorities? In theory, this technology could be used against motorists. And where will
the surveillance society end? Already there are plans to introduce smart water containing a unique
DNA code identifier that when sprayed on a suspect will cling to their clothes and skin and allow
officers to identify them later. As long as high-tech tools are being used in the fight against crime and
terrorism, fine. But if it‘s another weapon to be used to invade our privacy then we don‘t want it.
List of Headings
i The spy in the sky vi Lack of conclusive evidence
ii The spread of technology vii Cars and cameras
iii The limitations of camera viii Advantages and disadvantages
iv The cost of camera ix A natural progression
v Robots solving serious crimes x A feeling of safety
Example: Paragraph A ix
1. Paragraph B
3. Paragraph D
5. Paragraph F
2. Paragraph C
4. Paragraph E
Part 5. Read the following passage carefully, and then decide whether each sentence is True (T) or
False (F) or information not given (NI).
Fortunately there are still a few tasty things for us gourmands to enjoy in relative security. Their
numbers, however, are depleted almost daily, it seems, by ruthless proclamations from the ever-vigilant
Food and Drug Administration and its allies, our doctors. The latest felon to face prosecution is the salt
of life, sodium chloride.
Ostensibly, overuse of salt causes high blood pressure and hypertension, the cause of half the deaths
in the United States every year. A few years ago the anti-salt campaigners raised such a rumpus that
salt was banned from baby food. Currently pressure is being applied to food manufacturers to oblige
them to label their products to show sodium content. Because doing so would cost mercenary
manufacturers money, they argue that they have no idea how much salt remains on such things as
potato chips and how much sticks to the bag. Furthermore, salt isn‘t the only harmful ingredient in
food. If the manufacture has to provide sodium content, why not require him to list every ingredient
and specify which are detrimental to our health? Cigarettes have a warning printed on them. Shouldn‘t
the same type of warning appear on canned foods that are notoriously over salted?
There are endless ifs and buts in the controversy, but the most telling of these is the questionable
proof of salt‘s diabolic effect upon the blood pressure. True, people who cut their salt intake lowered
their blood pressure, but where is the scientific proof that something other than salt didn‘t do the trick?
The most common means of providing dubious proof that salt causes hypertension is to compare
societies that use little salt with those that use mountains of salt in their daily diets. Which group has
the higher rate of hypertension? Whose blood pressure is lower? What happens when salt is introduced
into a group where salt is a novelty? Does the blood pressure rise significantly? Studies of the Japanese
indicate that as the world‘s greatest salters, they suffer the most from hypertension. On the other hand,
the simple, salt-free cuisine of several tribes in the Solomon Islands has kept older tribesmen and
women from developing hypertension and high blood pressure, ailments traditionally killing their peers
in America. No account is taken of the effects of inflation, recession, pollution, crime, and sundry other
ills to which Americans, unlike people on primitive islands, are exposed.
To salt or not to salt? That is the question. Now that the question has arisen, it must not be treated
with levity but, rather, with searching scientific investigation so that those of us who are preoccupied
with body savory food and longevity may decide which of the two is worth its salt.
1. The attitude of the author of this passage toward the salt controversy is that we most stop eating salt
immediately.
2. Presumably a gourmand is a person.
3. At present baby food contains salt.
4. People in societies that use little salt never have high blood pressure.
5. The author suggests that Americans suffer from hypertension as a result of ailments.
IV. WRITING
Part 1. Read the following text on advertising and children and use your own words to summarize it.
Your summary should be about 120 words long. You MUST NOT copy the original.
As nearly all consumer-goods manufacturers are now targeting children in their advertising
campaigns, market research teams, who advise the larger firms, are developing increasingly
sophisticated psychological techniques to entice children into wanting products. No qualms about the
ethics of a product's suitability for youngsters. Their objective is to sell, and sell at any price. In other
words, ‗theirs not to reason why, theirs but to sell or cry‘. Or something like that. The ‗in‘ phrase in
marketing these days is the ‗nag factor‘. According to experts, advertisers exploit two kinds of
nagging: persistent nagging of the tantrum kind, and importance nagging, where a (usually older) child
convinces his worn-out parent that he ‗really needs‘ the product in question. Insidious messages that
prey upon a child‘s insecurities pervade advertisements, implying that if the child doesn‘t buy a
particular product, he is an idiot or he‘ll be an outcast and won‘t fit in. Corporations use these messages
to lure young consumers who, they hope, will remain with them for the rest of their purchasing lives.
They see children‘s minds not just as economic resources to tap into today, but ones with a potentially
bright spending future that need to be held onto. So advertisements don‘t just sell products but an
image of the world in which buying becomes the main purpose in life. The effects of this are far-
reaching, and for many, a cause for alarm.
Part 2. The table below gives information on consumer spending on different items in five different
countries in 2002.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons
where relevant.Write a report of about 150 words.
Percentage of national consumer expenditure by category - 2002
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Compiler: Ngô Minh
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Part 3. Essay writing: You are required to write an essay of about 350 words on the following
topic.
“Some people believe that school children should not be given homework by their teachers,
whereas others argue that homework plays an important role in the education of children. Discuss
both of these views and give your own opinion”.
PRACTICE TEST 12
I. LISTENING
Part 1. Listen to a piece of a lecture about the origin of language and complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
1. When talking to babies, adults several times.
2. When they ask questions, they .
3. ‗Motherese‘ provides a which allows language to develop in children.
4. In comparison with a , a human baby is relatively helpless.
5. Human mothers used their voices to their young.
6. Language began as sounds became standardized into .
7. Mothers made use of to carry babies around.
8. The theory fails to explain the development of .
9. Language was believed to be invented about .
10. The origin of language will be further investigated by both .
Part 2. Listen to an introduction of a new invention and answer the following questions. USE NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
11. How much was the watch used by Fossett sold for?
……………………………………………………………………………
12. Where were the two men near when the accident happened?
……………………………………………………………………………
13. Who might benefit a lot from this watch?
……………………………………………………………………………
14. What is the maximum range of the watch at sea?
……………………………………………………………………………
15. When was the self-winding watch invented?
……………………………………………………………………………
Part 3. Listen to three people (Wendy, Mrs. Turner and Adrian) discussing a film they have just seen
at the cinema and decide whether the following statements are True or False.
Practice tests for the national examination for the
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Compiler: Ngô Minh
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97
16. Both Wendy and her mother loathed the film.
17. Wendy especially appreciates the special effects of the film.
18. Adrian feels that watching a film at home has both advantages and disadvantages.
19. Mrs. Turner thinks the film is more thrilling than she first thought.
20. Mrs. Turner suggests buying something to eat after the film.
Part 4. Listen to a part of a radio discussion about marriage in Britain and choose the best answer
(A, B, C or D) according to what you hear.
21. According to Julie, why did she and Peter get married?
A. They both felt pressured to do so by their parents.
B. She felt morally obliged to accept Peter‘s proposal.
C. It seemed an appropriate course of action to take.
D. They hope to inject more romance into their relationship.
22. What does Julie say was Peter‘s initial attitude towards the wedding?
A. He did not want a religious service. B. He was more enthusiastic than Julie.
C. He was concerned about the expense. D. He wanted it to be a small-scale event.
23. Bryan and Chrissie both felt that their relationship .
A. did not meet with their parents‘ approval B. might have ended if they had not got married
C. suffered as a result of financial problems D. could become stronger with time
24. According to Bryan, what has created most problems in his current marriage?
A. working long hours B. selling his business
C. living in a small flat D. having three children
25. For a marriage to survive, Julie believes that couples need to be .
A. optimistic B. honest C. faithful D. decisive
II. LEXICO - GRAMMAR
Part 1: Choose the best answer to each of the following questions.(10pts)
1. The field staff was articulate in expressing its dissatisfaction with the company‘s restructuring.
A. greatly B. keenly C. moreover D. quite
2. The recent economic crisis has brought about a in world trade.
A. sag B. slump C. droop D. tilt
3. The students visited the museum and spent several hours with the who was very helpful.
A. commissioner B. bursar C. curator D. steward
4. The famine is so bad in that area that the people haven‘t seen a single _ of rice for weeks.
A. grain B. crumb C. item D. piece
5. Few people can do creative work unless they are in the right of mind.
A. trend B. frame C. attitude D. tendency
6. In times of unemployment figures usually rise dramatically.
A. austerity B. severity C. sobriety D. gravity
7. It was decided that the cost of the project would be and so it was abandoned.
A. repressive B. prohibitive C. restrictive D. exclusive
8. I didn‘t really feel like memorizing all these definitions. It was only the risk of getting another bad
mark that made me _ myself.
A. exert B. absorb C. endeavour D. deploy
9. Don‘t forget to leave your address in case we have to send your mail to the new place.
A. pursuing B. forwarding C. advancing D. following
10. Karen was terribly nervous before the interview but she managed to pull herself and act
confidently.
A. through B. over C. together D. off
Part 2: Write the correct form of each bracketed word in the following sentences.
Follow in the (1) (FOOT) of the pioneering traders to experience one of the world‘s
most (2) (SPECTACLE) overland journeys. This route goes through harsh deserts and up
into mountainous lands. A greater variety of landscapes would be difficult to find.
Although the silk route is strictly a land-based route, it is worth making an (3) (EXCEPT)
in Cappadocia as this area is firmly established as one of the prime hot-air balloon destinations in the
world because of its (4) (FAVOUR) wind conditions and agreeable geography. The bird‘s
eye views of the valleys are (5) (FORGET) and the skill of the balloonists is breathtaking. In
theory you can now travel the entire silk route by train but in (6) (REAL) few foreign
visitors use trains outside of China because they are slow and (7) (RELY). Some intrepid
travellers take the brave decision to do the route by cycling. One advantage of this is that you can stop
whenever you like and enjoy your (8) (SURROUND). There are however, drawbacks to
cycling, not least the fact that it can be very (9) (COMFORT) on some of the rough tracks
and bumpy roads! Bizarre as it may seem, it is actually (10) (LEGAL) to have more
than one person on a bike in China, so think twice before deciding to ride a tandem with a friend!
Part 3: The passage below contains 10 mistakes. Underline the mistakes and write the correct words.
Aside from the seasons, El Niño and its twin, La Niña, are the two largest single causes of variability
on the world's climate from year to year. Both are dictated by shift in temperature of the water in
the tropical Pacific basin between Australia and South America. Naming from the Spanish words
for "Christ child" and "the girl" because of their proximity to Christmas, they lead to dramatic
shifts in the entire system of oceanic and atmospheric factors from air pressure and currents.
A significant rise in sea temperature leads to an El Niño event so a fall in temperature leads to La
Niña. The cause of the phenomenon is not full understood but in an El Niño "event" the pool of warm
surface water is forced eastwards by the loss of the westerly trade winds. The sea water evaporates,
results in drenching rains over South America, particularly Peru and Ecuador, as well as western parts
of the United States such as California. Parts of the western Pacific, including Indonesia and Australia,
suffer drought. The effects can last for anything from few weeks to 18 months, causing extreme
weather as far afield as India and east Africa.
The co-relation with global warming is as yet clear. Archaeological evidence shows El Niños and La
Niñas has been occurring for 15,000 years. But scientists are investigating whether climate change is
leading to an increase in their intensity or duration.
Part 4: Complete the following sentences with the correct prepositions or particles.
1. I used to like George, but I‘m really starting to go him since he had his hair cut.
2. The police put the accident the fact that the driver fell asleep.
3. I don‘t quite like the new apprentice‘s approach. He keeps lying _ on the job.
4. The only chess games which compare _ subtlety, science and depth are shogi and go.
5. I see that you‘ve managed to take the dishwasher , but can you put it back together again?
6. I decided to have a few lessons to brush my German before I went on holiday.
7. I had to give a talk about history, so I spent the weekend reading _ on the Second World War.
8. Mull my offer _ for a few days and then let me know what you think.
9. You'll have to postpone your holiday because I‘m afraid something has cropped at work.
10. I can‘t believe you‘ve already got the lemonade I bought at the supermarket.
III. READING
Part 1: Choose the words that best complete the sentences in the text.
Is Work Bad for you?
Popular (1) is that working (2) are now so over-regulated the only people likely to be
injured at work are bosses, strangled by (3) tape. But beware a hidden epidemic ranging in
British workplaces. In this post-industrial age, when most jobs are in light industry, information
technology and the service sector, we expect working life to be relatively comfortable and at the very
(4)
safe. We don‘t expect to be maimed, laid off for life or to work ourselves into the ground.
(5)
again. In the UK there are still 1.6 million workplace injuries every year as well as 2.2
million cases of ill health caused by work. Some of these injuries wouldn‘t have been out of (6)
in Charles Dickens‘ England. Last year 350 people died as a result of building site accidents, a large
increase on previous years.
But some of the worst dangers are the hidden ones. 400.000 cases of asthma are caused by working
conditions, (7) to high levels of dust or traffic pollution, and asbestos still kills over 4.000 people
a year. There are no (8) _ at present requiring owners to record the (9) of asbestos, meaning
that builders and fire-fighters have no way of anticipating the problem. However, a non-profit
organization has taken up the issue with a new database (10) in conjunction with the Trades
Union Congress.
1. A. data
2. A. habits
3. A. red
4. A. few
B. information
B. plights
B. green
B. least
C. perception
C. sites
C. black
C. most
D. discussion
D. conditions
D. white
D. furthest
5. A. Think B. Remark C. Dwell D. Comment
6. A. location B. cause C. point D. place
7. A. detection B. expression C. expansion D. exposure
8. A. methods B. prosecutions C. regulations D. principles
9. A. attendance B. presence C. company D. residence
10. A. launched B. embarked C. terminated D. propelled
Part 2: Read the following passage. Fill each blank with ONE suitable word.
Early Stone Tools
A recent discovery has (1) scientists to revise their ideas about the ancestors of early
humans. It seems they started to (2) use of stone tools nearly one million years earlier (3)
had previously been thought. Archaeologists revised the date (4) spotting
distinctive marks made by stone tools on animal bones dating (5) nearly three and a half
million years. The remains, including a rib from a cowlike creature and a thigh bone from an animal
similar in size (6) a goat, were recovered from an old river bed (7) was being
excavated in Ethiopia.
The use of simple stone tools to remove meat from bones represents a crucial moment in human
history. (8) a result of turning to meat for sustenance, the early humans developed larger
brains, which (9) turn enabled them to make more sophisticated tools. The bones
unearthed in Ethiopia (10) well represent the very beginning of that process.
Part 3: Read the following passage and choose the best answer to each question.
The Creators of Grammar
No student of a foreign language needs to be told that grammar is complex. By changing word
sequences and by adding a range of auxiliary verbs and suffixes, we are able to communicate tiny
variations in meaning. We can turn a statement into a question, state whether an action has taken place
or is soon to take place, and perform many other word tricks to convey subtle differences in
meaning. Nor is this complexity inherent to the English language. All languages, even those of so-
called ‗primitive‘ tribes have clever grammatical components. The Cherokee pronoun system, for
example, can distinguish between ‗you and I‘, ‗several other people and I‘ and ‗you, another person
and I‘. In English, all these meanings are summed up in the one, crude pronoun ‗we‘. Grammar is
universal and plays a part in every language, no matter how widespread it is. So the question which
has baffled many linguists is - who created grammar?
At first, it would appear that this question is impossible to answer. To find out how grammar is
created, someone needs to be present at the time of a language's creation, documenting its
emergence. Many historical linguists are able to trace modern complex languages back to earlier
languages, but in order to answer the question of how complex languages are actually formed, the
researcher needs to observe how languages are started from scratch. Amazingly, however, this is
possible.
Some of the most recent languages evolved due to the Atlantic slave trade. At that time, slaves from
a number of different ethnicities were forced to work together under colonizer‘s rule. Since they had
no opportunity to learn each other‘s languages, they developed a make-shift language called
a pidgin. Pidgins are strings of words copied from the language of the landowner. They have little in
the way of grammar, and in many cases it is difficult for a listener to deduce when an event happened,
and who did what to whom. [A] Speakers need to use circumlocution in order to make their meaning
understood. [B]Interestingly, however, all it takes for a pidgin to become a complex language is for a
group of children to be exposed to it at the time when they learn their mother tongue. [C] Slave
children did not simply copy the strings of words uttered by their elders, they adapted their words to
create a new, expressive language. [D] Complex grammar systems which emerge from pidgins are
termed creoles, and they are invented by children.
Further evidence of this can be seen in studying sign languages for the deaf. Sign languages are not
simply a series of gestures; they utilise the same grammatical machinery that is found in spoken
languages. Moreover, there are many different languages used worldwide. The creation of one such
language was documented quite recently in Nicaragua. Previously, all deaf people were isolated from
each other, but in 1979 a new government introduced schools for the deaf. Although children were
taught speech and lip reading in the classroom, in the playgrounds they began to invent their own sign
system, using the gestures that they used at home. It was basically a pidgin. Each child used the signs
differently, and there was no consistent grammar. However, children who joined the school later,
when this inventive sign system was already around, developed a quite different sign
language. Although it was based on the signs of the older children, the younger children's language
was more fluid and compact, and it utilised a large range of grammatical devices to clarify
meaning. What is more, all the children used the signs in the same way. A new creole was born.
Some linguists believe that many of the world‘s most established languages were creoles at
first. The English past tense -ed ending may have evolved from the verb ‗do‘. ‗It ended‘ may once
have been ‗It end-did‘. Therefore it would appear that even the most widespread languages were partly
created by children. Children appear to have innate grammatical machinery in their brains, which
springs to life when they are first trying to make sense of the world around them. Their minds can
serve to create logical, complex structures, even when there is no grammar present for them to copy.
1. In paragraph 1, why does the writer include information about the Cherokee language?
A. To show how simple, traditional cultures can have complicated grammar structures
B. To show how English grammar differs from Cherokee grammar
C. To prove that complex grammar structures were invented by the Cherokees
D. To demonstrate how difficult it is to learn the Cherokee language
2. What can be inferred about the slaves‘ pidgin language?
A. It contained complex grammar. B. It was based on many different languages.
C. It was created by the land-owners. D. It was difficult to understand, even among slaves.
3. All the following sentences about Nicaraguan sign language are true EXCEPT .
A. The language has been created since 1979.
B. The language is based on speech and lip reading.
C. The language incorporates signs which children used at home.
D. The language was perfected by younger children.
4. In paragraph 3, where can the following sentence be placed?
It included standardised word orders and grammatical markers that existed in neither the pidgin
language, nor the language of the colonizers.
A. B. C. D.
5. ‗from scratch‘ in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to .
A. from the very beginning B. in simple cultures
C. by copying something else D. by using written information
6. ‗make-shift‘ in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to .
A. complicated and expressive B. simple and temporary
C. extensive and diverse D. private and personal
7. Which sentence is closest in meaning to the highlighted sentence?
Grammar is universal and plays a part in every language, no matter how widespread it is.
A. All languages, whether they are spoken by a few people or a lot of people, contain grammar.
B. Some languages include a lot of grammar, whereas other languages contain a little.
C. Languages which contain a lot of grammar are more common that languages that contain a little.
D. The grammar of all languages is the same, no matter where the languages evolved.
8. All of the following are features of the new Nicaraguan sign language EXCEPT .
A. All children used the same gestures to show meaning.
B. The meaning was clearer than the previous sign language.
C. The hand movements were smoother and smaller.
D. New gestures were created for everyday objects and activities.
9. Which idea is presented in the final paragraph?
A. English was probably once a creole. B. The English past tense system is inaccurate.
C. Linguists have proven that English was created by children.
D. Children say English past tenses differently from adults.
10. Look at the word ‗consistent‘ in paragraph 4. This word could best be replaced by which of the
following?
A. natural B. predictable C. imaginable D. uniform
Part 4: Read the following passage and do the tasks that follow.
THE EVOLUTION OF LANGUAGE
A. Language everywhere changes over time; it has to. A central reason that necessitates modification is
to allow for developments in our world to be expressed. For example, the technological revolution
alone has been responsible for the addition of a plethora of words to our vocabulary: hard drive,
software, modem to name just a few. The Japanese writing script katakana, which was originally
introduced in the 9th century as a means by which Buddhist monks could correctly interpret Chinese
pronunciations, is now most commonly used to embrace foreign words for which there is no original
Japanese character; pizza or hamburger for example. Likewise the western world‘s exposure to and
familiarity with foreign cultures now means that words such as sushi, nam bread and kebab, for
example, are used by diners on a regular basis.
B. However, expansion of our vocabulary is just one element involved in how and why language
evolves. Given the variation of dialects or regional accents present in most language systems, it is clear
that an individual‘s interpretation of what is actually correct and commonly used will vary quite
dramatically, since this perception is based upon a combination of factors including the age,
educational level and region of the country a person is from. As we go about our daily lives and interact
with others from different backgrounds and experiences, the language we hear is often taken on board
and incorporated into the way in which we communicate ourselves. Many phrases with American
origins are now commonplace in British English for example, due to the frequency with which they are
heard on television and in the movies.
C. Changes in language are often driven by the young and many such changes are commonly
considered by older people to be a disintegration of standards rather than an evolution and an
improvement. Let‘s consider an Americanism commonly used by youngsters in all pans of the English
speaking
wor
ld.
Us
ed as an alternative to
―
Tom
said…‖
it is now commonplace to hear
―
Tom goes, the
pay rise was unacceptable
.‖
or,
―
Tom was all, the pay rise was unaccepta
ble.‖
; much to the horror of
many traditionalists. However, this modification could also be considered to be adding to and not
detracting from our ability to communicate effectively. To illustrate, let‘s consider the original phrase
―
Tom sa
id‖;
it is used solely to show‘ the listener that we are reporting the words of Tom, while the
modern variation,
―
Tom goes
‖
has literally the same meaning. However, if the speaker chooses instead
to
use
the latter phrase,
―
Tom was all
‖
, they are also able to convey the message that Tom
had an emotional reaction to the situation they are reporting, therefore a much more effective method
of communicating information has been created, some may say. However, should the now‘ commonly
used texting abbreviations such as ‗gr8t‘ (great) and ‗l8r‘ (later) become permanent replacements of
the original words, it is likely that even the most liberal amongst us would be horrified.
D. Variations on language are usually more readily accepted into informal language prior to them being
absorbed for use in formal writing. Examples of words that we now commonly use, but were once
considered incorrect, are ‗pea‘ and ‗hopefully‘. Let‘s take pea; it derived from the word ‗pease‘,
which being an uncountable noun has the same form regardless of whether one or more pease were
being spoken about. However, this was commonly overlooked and misunderstood, and through error
the singular form of the vegetable became ‗pea‘. More recently ‗hopefully‘ was considered by many to
be an inappropriate alternative to ‗I hope‘; at best only accepted in informal use. The word hopefully is
now‘ fully acceptable in both informal speech and formal writing.
E. Some people believe that traditional usages of language are always more superior and refined than
modern variations even when the reasons behind the rule were dubious in the first place. For example,
it was once seriously frowned upon to split an infinitive in a sentence and even today it is considered
grammatically incorrect to do so. To demonstrate, let‘s consider the following sentence: ‗The examiner
asked me to quietly leave the room‘; this was considered incorrect as the word ‗quietly‘ splits the
infinitive of the verb ‗to leave‘. The origins of this rule hail back to the 17th century when scholars
believed that the English language should be adapted to follow the rules of Latin; then considered the
perfect language. Since splitting infinitives in Latin is impossible, it was decided that splitting
infinitives in English, even though possible, was not acceptable, Given that initial motivations behind
the rule were questionable and the clarity of meaning of the sentence is not compromised in the
‗incorrect‘ form, it could be argued that this grammar rule is a prime example of an unnecessary
sanction which is likely to be abandoned in the future.
F. As language evolves, changes in grammar structures which would result in confusion of the actual
meaning of the sentences are unlikely; however, the meanings of words are often modified or altered
beyond recognition by different generations and can be easily misinterpreted by other social groups.
Take, for example, the modern version of the word ‗bad‘ meaning ‗great‘ when used in contemporary
slang. Many slang words remain dated in the era in which they are developed, for example words like
‗to beef, meaning to complain (introduced in the 1920‘s) are not only dated but may not even be
understood in a modern context, while others such as ‗guy‘ become absorbed into mainstream
language. Who knows what future generations will add to the ever changing environment of
communication?
Questions 1-5: Reading Passage 1 has six paragraphs A-F. Choose the correct heading for
paragraphs B, C, D, E and F from the list of headings below.
List of Headings
i. Historical acceptance of change
ii. The Generation Gap
iii. Influences on speech
iv. Ancient writing in Asia
v. Cultural evolution and its impact on language
vi. Slang expected in the future
vii. Questioning logic
viii. Lifespan of vocabulary
Example: Paragraph A - Answer: v
1. Paragraph B
2. Paragraph C
3. Paragraph D
4. Paragraph E
5. Paragraph F
Questions 6-10: Do the following statements reflect the claims of the writer in Reading Passage
1? Write:
YES if the statement reflects the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
6. If language were static, it would negatively affect our ability to incorporate other cultures into our
own way of life.
7. The language we grow up knowing and that we adopt through new experiences have equal effects on
the way we speak.
8. Some older variations of language are more expressive than more modern forms.
9. All modern adaptations of language are suitable for mainstream use.
10. All word usage has changed over time due to misunderstandings of meaning.
IV. WRITING
Part 1. Make a summary of not more than 120 words, describing the emergence of paper money used
widely today.
Buying things today is so simple. Just enter a shop, say a book store, choose the desired book and
pay for it. Long ago, before the invention of money, how did people trade?
The most primitive way of exchange should be the barter trade. In this form of transaction, people
used goods to exchange for the things that they had in mind. For instance, if person A wanted a book
and he had a spare goat, he must look for someone who had the exact opposite, that is, that someone,
say person B, must have a spare book of person A's choice and is also in need of a goat. Having found
such a person, the problem does not end here. A big goat may worth not only one book, hence person B
may have to offer person A something else, say five chickens. However, he runs the risk of person A
rejecting the offer as he may not need the chickens. The above example clearly illustrates the
inefficiency of barter trading.
Many years later, the cumbersome barter trade finally gave way to the monetary form of exchange
when the idea of money was invented. In the early days, almost anything could qualify as
money: beads, shells and even fishing hooks. Then in a region near Turkey, gold coins were used as
money. In the beginning, each coin had a different denomination. It was only later, in about 700 BC,
that Gyges, the king of Lydia, standardized the value of each coin and even printed his name on the
coins.
Monetary means of transaction at first beat the traditional barter trade. However, as time went by,
the thought of carrying a ponderous pouch of coins for shopping appeared not only troublesome but
thieves attracting. Hence, the Greek and Roman traders who bought goods from people faraway cities,
invented checks to solve the problem. Not only are paper checks easy to carry around, they discouraged
robbery as these checks can only be used by the person whose name is printed on the notes. Following
this idea, banks later issued notes in exchange for gold deposited with them. These bank notes can then
be used as cash. Finally, governments of today adopted the idea and began to print paper money,
backed by gold for the country‘s use.
Today, besides enjoying the convenience of using paper notes as the mode of exchange, technology
has led man to invent other means of transaction too like the credit and cash cards.
Part 2.
The chart below shows the amount of leisure time enjoyed by men and women of different
employment status. Write at least 150 words to describe the information shown below.
Leisure time in a typical week in hour: by sex and employment status, 1998-99.
Part 3. Write about the following topic. You should write about 350 words.
Some people think that good health is very important to every person, so medical service should not be
run by profit-making companies. Do the advantages of private health care outweigh the disadvantages.
PRACTICE TEST 13
I. LISTENING
Part 1. Complete the notes below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer
THE FUTURE OF MANAGEMENT
Business markets
+ greater (1) among companies
+ increase in power of large (2) companies
+ rising (3) in certain countries
External influences on businesses
+ more discussion with (4) before making business decisions
+ environmental concerns which may lead to more (5) _
Business structures
+ more teams will be formed to work on a particular (6)
+ businesses may need to offer hours that are (7)_ , or the chance to work remotely
Management styles
+ increasing need for managers to provide good (8)
+ changes influenced by (9) taking senior roles
Changes in the economy
+ service sector continues to be important
+ increasing value of intellectual property
+ more and more (10) workers
Part 2. Write a short answer to these questions
1. Who did the college originally want to help?
2. How many graduate engineers was college turning out by 1917?
3. Why didn‘t Lucian Dewdley finish his studies?
4. What invention brought fame to the college?
5. In which other area has the college become famous?
Part 3. You will hear a radio interview with Ryan Patterson, the inventor of a new device. Decide
which of the sentences are True (T) or false (F) according to the recording.
1. The idea for the invention occurred to Ryan while waiting at a Burger King restaurant.
2. Ryan used the idea when he entered an science contest
3. Ryan‘s invention helps deaf people learn sign language
4. Ryan had to learn how deaf people use sign language
5. Ryan had considered various types of gloves for his invention
Part 4. You will hear part of a radio programme in which a new book is being reviewed.
1. The main reason that Isabella was unlikely to become a travel writer was that she
A. believed travel at that time was very dangerousB. was under an illusion about her health
C. had never displayed much imagination D. had regarded travel as a man‘s occupation
2. Sarah thinks Isabella‘s trips to Australia were surprising because she had previously .
A. preferred an inactive lifestyle B. been frightened of animals
C. never experienced extreme climates D. spent most of her time socializing
3. According to Sarah, Isabella‘s letters .
A. should have been published earlier B. were based on newspaper articles
C. may have exaggerated what she saw D. failed to provide enough details at times
4. In Sarah‘s opinion, Isabella‘s personality was unusual because she _.
A. had rebelled against her father B. was at her best in challenging situations
C. only pretended to be courageous D. traveled despite her illnesses
5. According to Sarah, the book in its current form .
A. does not make it clear how the letters have been edited
B. ought to contain all of the letters Isabella wrote to Henrietta
C. fails to include examples of Isabella‘s bad experiences
D. should be adapted so the style is familiar to readers today
II. LEXICO - GRAMMAR
Part 1. Choose the best answer.
1. I was sitting on the bus when I heard this odd of conversation
A. lumps B. air C. snatch D. stab
2. Laura‘s trying to _ in some of her friends to help with the dinner part
A. tie B. rope C. string D. lace
3. Though he faced many difficulties, he could not be from his goal
A. hindered B. obstructed C. deflected D. prevented
4. The police caught the thief .
A. red- handed B. in the red C. true blue D. in black and while
5. The against your having that kind of accident was about 500 to 1.
A. possibilities B. figures C. opportunities D. odds
6. I‘m in a as to how to use this CD Room.
A. loss B. difficulty C. quandary D. mind-game
7. Look, will you stop in and let me finish my sentence.
A. moving B. pushing C. plugging D. butting
8. While backpacking in a quiet, traditional region, I came across the seemingly fast food ads
typical of my homework
A. invasive B. infuriating C. irritating D. ubiquitous
9. Tom said something rude and a big argument _ .
A. ensured B. derived C. stemmed D. sprang
10. I don‘t believe there is the slightest of truth in what you just said
A. seed B. kernel C. shell D. grain
Part 2. Write the correct form of the words given in the brackets.
Miserable, over-worked and insecure, the British work the longest hours in Europe and express the
least job satisfaction. However much richer, they are becoming more (1. CONTENT) with
work every year. What is the point of economic success if it is matched by growing (2. HAPPY)
? Like dumb oxen we work harder than everyone else - a third of men work over 50 hours
a week - but we‘re not smarter. For over a century factory acts and ever shorter working hours marked
the onward march of (3. INDUSTRY) progress. Now social history (4. APPEAR)
has gone into reverse.
In an annual study Professor Cary Cooper of the Manchester School of Management revisits the
same 5000 managers from CEOs down to juniors and he finds them growing (5. INCREASE)
anxious about their lives. This is hardly (6. SURPRISE) since half of them
work most evenings and a third work most weekends. Whatever the reality of falling (7. EMPLOY)
, people feel their own job or status is under threat because they suffer more turmoil at
work than they did five years ago. They describe a life of constant upheaval, where two-thirds of them
undergo a major restructuring at work each year. Downsizing continues apace with radical change due
to galloping new technology, while the current merger epidemic leads to (8. PREDICT)
job loss.
It is extraordinary that in the privacy of a survey so many express such deep unhappiness. Nearly all
think that their working habits damage their spouse, their children and their own health. What‘s more,
most think these working practices damage their company‘s (9. PRODUCE) . These are
the people who set the work patterns for their organisation, yet even they feel they are victims of forces
beyond their control - such as pressure from investors and (10. COMPETE) . What can be
done?
Part 3. The passage below contains 10 mistakes in grammar and word form. Underline the mistakes
and write their correct forms.
In Monsanto‘s research centre there are 1500 PhDs, one of the biggest concentration of scientific
brain power in the commercial world. It was here 20 years ago that they made some of the first
experiments to genetic modify plants. This is what it's all about - genes, DNA, the blueprint of life.
Inside every cell of every living thing there is DNA what is made up of thousands of genes.
Genes produce proteins that have special functions and it's these proteins that give every plant and
animal its unique characteristics. Scientists can manipulate the genetic code of life to produce plants
with new characteristics ever seen in nature. They can isolate any one gene from any organism like an
animal or bacteria and insert it into a completely unrelated species like a plant.
That gene then becomes part of the genetic instructions that make these tiny plants to grow. It will
give them the same unique characteristic as the original species. The possibilities are almost endless.
Scientists can insert a gene from a bacterium into a grape to make it resistant with viruses, or they can
engineer maize that resists drought, or potatoes that resist pests, so farmers can use more pesticides on
their crops. But these are all plants unknown in nature. They have a foreign gene inside them. People
are sharply divided on whether this can be safe.
Part 4. Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with suitable particle or preposition.
1. Our marketing manager keeps getting me because he doesn‘t think I‘m creative enough.
2. I thought I‘d brush my French before going to Paris.
3. Sometimes he seemed like a good old pal, but other times he came _
unpleasant man.
4. Computerization has enabled us to do a lot of paperwork.
5. Why did you have to put me in front of everybody like that?
6. David has come a brilliant idea for an advertising slogan.
7. Walking around a museum all day really wears you .
an angry and
8. City council member said that the proposals for the new shopping centre were unlikely to go
.
9. He bought some cheap shoes that fell after a couple of months.
10. He‘s always walking things when he doesn‘t have his g l a s s e s on.
III. READING
Part 1. Fill in the blank with one of four options to complete the passage.
Oxford is a city with such a mind-blowing reputation that many who come here find themselves
intimidated by the place and can‘t wait to leave, while others, taking to it like a duck to water, find
themselves returning again and again. The college lawns provide a gorgeous (1) to serious study,
and in the right light, on the sunny winter‘s morning say, one feels as if one is (2) on air, such is
the sense of unreality. Oxford may like to (3) that it is at the intellectual hub of things, but in
many ways, it is no more than a sleepy (4)
where, to mix metaphors, transitory students, the (5)
of their generation, wait in the (6) allowing their talents to (7) before moving off
into the industrial or political fast-lane. Much of this is a myth, of course. Hardship and hard work are
very much part and (8) of student life. The (9) get through the three years‘ hard grind by
simply putting their shoulders to the wheel before going on to fairly average jobs. Only for the tiny
minority is Oxford the first (10) on the ladder to fame and fortune
1. A. backdrop B. curtain C. scene D. screen
2. A. flying B. floating C. gliding D. swimming
3. A. act B. dissemble C. pretend D. produce
4. A. backwater B. stream C. tributary D. watershed
5. A. froth B. fat C. caviar D. cream
6. A. pavilion B. wings C. foyer D. dressing room
7. A. open B. spread C. float D. flourish
8. A. parcel B. package C. section D. provision
9. A. hot- headed B. level-headed C. hot- blooded D. kind- hearted
10. A. position B. elevation C. ascent D. step
Part 2. Fill in each gap with ONE suitable word.
The fate of any pop band is a question that is no longer of interest to its fans alone. (1) _
only has the Prime Minister himself recognised pop music‘s importance (2) a business,
pointing out that it contributes more (3) export earnings than the steel industry, but strange
as it may seem, British people spend more on pop music than they do on fruit and vegetables.
With such serious money washing around, the question of (4) will be the next big thing
is (5) too important to be left to random factors such as chance and talent.
(6)
the great names of British rock in the 60s and 70s formed bands spontaneously (7)
they were discovered and then marketed, their new millennium successors are increasingly
(8) to be brought together by marketing men. The Spice Girls, sold as a group of young
girls in (9) of their own destiny, were in fact dreamed up and promoted by middle-aged
men. Designing a band is much the same as designing (10) other product: take a basic,
successful model and adapt it. The challenge, when everything has been tried already, is to persuade
consumers that what you are doing is in some way innovative.
Part 3. Read the passage and choose the best answer to the questions.
I left school and university with my head packed full of knowledge; enough of it, anyway, to pass all
the examinations that were put in my path. As a well-educated man I rather expected my work to be a
piece of cake, something at which my intellect would allow me to excel without undue effort. It came
as something of a shock, therefore, to encounter the world outside for the first time, and to realize that I
was woefully ill-equipped, not only for the necessary business of earning a living, but, more
importantly, for coping with all the new decisions which came my way, in both life and work. My first
employers put it rather well: ‗You have a well-trained but empty mind,‘ they told me, ‗which we will
now try to fill with something useful, but don‘t imagine that you will be of any real value to us for the
first ten year.‘ I was fortunate to have lighted upon an employer prepared to invest so much time in
what was, in effect, my real education and I shall always feel guilty that I left them when the ten years
were up.
A well-trained mind is not to be sneezed at, but I was soon to discover that my mind had been
trained to deal with closed problems, whereas most of what I now had to deal with were open-ended
problems. ‗What is the cost of sales?‘ is a closed problem, one with a right or a wrong answer. ‗What
should we do about it?‘ is and open problem, one with any number of possible answers, and I had no
experience of taking this type of decision. Knowing the right answer to a question, I came to realize,
was not the same as making a difference to a situation, which was what I was supposed to be paid for.
Worst of all, the real open-ended question - ‗What is all this in aid of?‘ was beginning to nudge at my
mind.
I had been educated in an individualist culture. My scores were mine. No one else into it, except as
competitors in some imagines race. I was on my own in the learning game at school and university. Not
so in my work, I soon realized. Being an individual star would not help me there if it was in my failing
group. Our destinies were linked, which meant that my co-workers were now colleagues, not
competitors. Teams were something I had encountered on the sports field, not in the classroom. They
were in the box marked ‗fun‘ in my mind, not the ones marked ‗work‘ or even ‗life‘. My new
challenge, I discovered, was to merge these three boxes. I had discovered, rather later than most, the
necessity of others. It was the start of my real education.
‗So you‘re a university graduate are you?‘ said my new Sale Manager. ‗In classics, is it? I don‘t
think that is going to impress our Chinese salesmen! How do you propose to win their respect since you
will be in charge of some of them very shortly?‘ Another open-ended problem! I had never before been
thrust among people very different from me, with different values and assumptions about the way the
world worked, or should work. I had not even met anyone more than two years older, except for
relatives and teachers. Cultural exploration was a process unknown to me, and I was not accustomed to
being regarded as stupid and ignorant, which I undoubtedly was, in all the things that mattered in their
world.
My education, I decided then, had been positively disabling. So much of the content of what I had
learned was irrelevant, while the process of learning it had cultivated a set of attitudes and behaviors
which were directly opposed to what seemed to be needed in real life. Although I had studied
philosophy I hadn‘t applied it to myself. I had assumed that the point of life was obvious: to get on, get
rich, get a wife and the get a family. It was beginning to be clear that life wasn‘t as simple as that. What
I believed in, what I thought was worth working for, and with whom, these things were becoming
important. So was my worry about what I personally could contribute that might not only earn me
money but also make a useful contribution somewhere.
It would be nice to think that this sort of experience could not happen now, that our schools, today,
prepare people better for life and for the work which is so crucial to a satisfactory life. But I doubt it.
The subjects may appear to be a little more relevant, but we are still left to learn about work at work,
and about life by living it. That will always be true, but we could, I believe, do more to make sure that
the process of education had more in common with the processes of living and working as they are
today, so that the shock of reality is less cruel.
1. The first paragraph deals with which of the following main topics?
A. Personal conclusions B. relevance to today‘s educational systems
C. Initial expectations of work D. Personal preparation for a job
2. The third paragraph deals with which of the following main topic?
A. Attitudes to colleagues B. Dealing with problems and making decisions
C. Broadening awareness of other cultures D. competition in the world of work
3. When the writer left university, he expected to succeed by .
A. using the qualities his education had developed B. gaining further qualification
C. developing his decision-making skills D. acquiring relevant skills in his place of work
4. The phrase
―
a piece of cake
‖
in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to .
A. some sort of food B. something very easy
C. some difficult task D. a part of something
5. He feels he treated his first employers badly because he did not .
A. give them a true idea of his strengths and weaknesses
B. contribute to the company financially C. repay them fully for the help they gave him
D. stay with them any longer than he was obliged to
6. He found that he needed to re-evaluate his approach at work because he .
A. was asking the wrong types of question
B. had been trained to deal with problems in the wrong way
C. met new kinds of problems in his working life
D. was dealing primarily with moral problems
7. What was one of the first things he learned at work?
A. that he could no always be first B. that other people were willing to help him
C. the importance of having leisure interests outside his work
D. the link between team sport and work
8. He realized that he lacked understanding of other cultures when he _.
A. had to work with people who had different values
B. had to work outside his own country C. found that his qualifications were not relevant
D. realized that his subordinates did not respect him
9. What was the writer‘s main conclusion about his education?
A. It had taught him to value money too much. B. It had taught him that life was not simple.
C. It had been much too theoretical to be of any use.
D. It had been not just useless, but actually harmful.
10. The writer feels that nowadays .
A. life is changing so fast that schools can never prepare for it
B. the way in which students are taught to think should be re-examined
C. the content of syllabuses should be brought fully up-to-date
D. educational reforms have bridged the gap between school and work
Part 4. Read the passage and answer the questions.
Advantages of public transport
A new study conducted for the World Bank by Murdoch University‘s Institute for Science and
Technology Policy (ISTP) has demonstrated that public transport is more efficient than cars. The study
compared the proportion of wealth poured into transport by thirty-seven cities around the world. This
included both the public and private costs of building, maintaining and using a transport system.
The study found that the Western Australian city of Perth is a good example of a city with minimal
public transport. As a result, 17% of its wealth went into transport costs. Some European and Asian
cities, on the other hand, spent as little as 5%. Professor Peter Newman, ISTP Director, pointed out that
these more efficient cities were able to put the difference into attracting industry and jobs or creating a
better place to live.
According to Professor Newman, the larger Australian city of Melbourne is a rather unusual city in
this sort of comparison. He describes it as two cities: ‗A European city surrounded by a car-dependent
one‘. Melbourne's large tram network has made car use in the inner city much lower, but the outer
suburbs have the same car-based structure as most other Australian cities. The explosion in demand for
accommodation in the inner suburbs of Melbourne suggests a recent change in many people's
preferences as to where they live.
Newman says this is a new, broader way of considering public transport issues. In the past, the case
for public transport has been made on the basis of environmental and social justice considerations
rather than economics. Newman, however, believes the study demonstrates that ‗the auto-dependent
city model is inefficient and grossly inadequate in economic as well as environmental terms‘.
Bicycle use was not included in the study but Newman noted that the two most ‗bicycle friendly‘
cities considered - Amsterdam and Copenhagen - were very efficient, even though their public transport
systems were ‗reasonable but not special‘.
It is common for supporters of road networks to reject the models of cities with good public
transport by arguing that such systems would not work in their particular city. One objection is climate.
Some people say their city could not make more use of public transport because it is either too hot or
too cold. Newman rejects this, pointing out that public transport has been successful in both Toronto
and Singapore and, in fact, he has checked the use of cars against climate and found ‗zero correlation‘.
When it comes to other physical features, road lobbies are on stronger ground. For example,
Newman accepts it would be hard for a city as hilly as Auckland to develop a really good rail network.
However, he points out that both Hong Kong and Zürich have managed to make a success of their rail
systems, heavy and light respectively, though there are few cities in the world as hilly.
A In fact, Newman believes the main reason for adopting one sort of transport over another is politics:
‗The more democratic the process, the more public transport is favoured.‘ He considers Portland,
Oregon, a perfect example of this. Some years ago, federal money was granted to build a new road.
However, local pressure groups forced a referendum over whether to spend the money on light rail
instead. The rail proposal won and the railway worked spectacularly well. In the years that have
followed, more and more rail systems have been put in, dramatically changing the nature of the city.
Newman notes that Portland has about the same population as Perth and had a similar population
density at the time.
B In the UK, travel times to work had been stable for at least six centuries, with people avoiding
situations that required them to spend more than half an hour travelling to work. Trains and cars
initially allowed people to live at greater distances without taking longer to reach their destination.
However, public infrastructure did not keep pace with urban sprawl, causing massive congestion
problems which now make commuting times far higher.
C There is a widespread belief that increasing wealth encourages people to live farther out where cars
are the only viable transport. The example of European cities refutes that. They are often wealthier than
their American counterparts but have not generated the same level of car use. In Stockholm, car use has
actually fallen in recent years as the city has become larger and wealthier. A new study makes this
point even more starkly. Developing cities in Asia, such as Jakarta and Bangkok, make more use of the
car than wealthy Asian cities such as Tokyo and Singapore. In cities that developed later, the World
Bank and Asian Development Bank discouraged the building of public transport and people have been
forced to rely on cars - creating the massive traffic jams that characterize those cities.
D Newman believes one of the best studies on how cities built for cars might be converted to rail use is
The Urban Village report, which used Melbourne as an example. It found that pushing everyone into
the city centre was not the best approach. Instead, the proposal advocated the creation of urban villages
at hundreds of sites, mostly around railway stations.
E It was once assumed that improvements in telecommunications would lead to more dispersal in the
population as people were no longer forced into cities. However, the ISTP team's research demonstrates
that the population and job density of cities rose or remained constant in the 1980s after decades of
decline. The explanation for this seems to be that it is valuable to place people working in related fields
together. ‗The new world will largely depend on human creativity, and creativity flourishes where
people come together face-to-face.‘
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of heading
below List of headings
i. Avoiding an overcrowded centre
ii. A successful exercise in people power
iii. The benefits of working together in cities
iv. Higher incomes need not mean more cars
v. Economic arguments fail to persuade
vi. The impact of telecommunications on population distribution
vii. Responding to arguments against public transport
1. Paragraph A:
2. Paragraph B:
3. Paragraph C:
4. Paragraph D:
5. Paragraph E:
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading 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 ISTP study examined public and private systems in every city of the world.
7. Efficient cities can improve the quality of life for their inhabitants.
8. AN inner-city tram network is dangerous for car drivers.
9. In Melbourne, people prefer to live in the outer suburbs.
10. Cites with high levels of bicycle usage can be efficient even when public transport is only averagely
good.
IV. WRITING
Part 1. Read the following passage and use your own words to summarize it. You MUST NOT copy
or rewrite the original. Your summary should be about 90 words long.
When the bald eagle became the national symbol of the United States in 1782, soon after the country
was born, it is estimated that there were as many as 75,000 nesting pairs in North America. By the early
1960s, however, the number of nesting pairs had been reduced to only around 450.
The demise of the bald eagle is generally attributed to the effects of the pesticide DDT (dichloro-
diphenyl-trichloroethane). This pesticide was used to kill insects harmful to agriculture, thereby
increasing agricultural production. One unintended negative results of the use of DDT was that, while it
did get rid of the undesirable insects, it also made its way along the food chain into fish, a favorite food
source of the bald eagle.
The bald eagle is now protected by federal laws. It was originally protected by the Bald Eagle Act of
1940 and later by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. However, it is not just the laws directly related
to endangered species that aided in the resurgence of the bald eagle; its resurgence has also been widely
attributed to the banning of DDT in 1972. Today there are more than 5,000 pairs of bald eagles, a
tenfold increase over the low point of 450, and the bird was removed from the list of endangered
species in July, 1999.
Part 2. The chart below gives information about science qualifications held by people in two
countries. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words
Part 3. Write an essay of about 350 words to express your opinion on the following topic.
Many people judge success solely by money and material possessions. However, success can be
achieved or measured in other ways.
What are your opinions on this topic? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples
from your own knowledge or experience.
PRACTICE TEST 14
I. LISTENING
Part 1. You will hear an interview with Roland Brundy, the new chairman of the television channel
GTV. For questions 1-5, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D.
1. According to Roland Brundy, what will be the result of competition within the media?
A. a narrower range of programmes on GTV B. the development of new technology
C. an increase in GTV‘s staff numbers D. greater potential for creativity
2. Roland feels that in order to have ‗artistic‘ standing, a channel needs .
A. an awareness of history B. to build up expertise
C. accomplished actors D. to buy expensive programmes
3. According to Roland, the main problem in reacting to competition is that .
A. it is hard to avoid copying others B. all solutions are open to criticism
C. viewers object to change D. it is hard to interpret the market accurately
4. How does Roland feel about the impact of technology?
A. sceptical B. undecided C. negative D. fearful
5. Roland says that one problem with his type of work is that it is hard to .
A. adapt to change B. operate objectively
C. judge its importance D. measure your success
Part 2. For questions 1-5, listen to a piece of BBC news. Listen and decide whether the following
sentences are true (T) or false (F).
1. The Child Well-Being Index has been going for over 75 years.
2. The child death rate has halved since 1975.
3. Children‘s health has got worse in the past two decades.
4. The report says obesity causes an abundance of fast food.
5. The number of kids below the poverty line hasn‘t changed for 20 years.
Part 3. For questions 1-10, complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for
each answer.
Australian Aboriginal Art
ANCIENT ART
Rock and bark painting
Sand drawings
(1)
Decorations on weapons and tools
Cave art
protected from (2)
styles include dot paintings (e.g. arrows, water holes and (3) )
and naturalistic art
main function: (4)
Use of ochre
Reason
readily available
soil or rock contains (5) produces many colours
and shades of red
artist's palette found that is (6) old
Preparation
ochre collected
turned into a (7)
fluid binder, e.g. tree sap or (8) added
MODERN ART
Artists use acrylic colours and (9)
Paint and decorate pottery and a range of (10)
Part 4. You will hear five different students talking about their first year at university. Choose from
the list (A-F) what each student says about the course they took. Use the letters only once. There is
one extra letter, which you do not need to use.
A. I had to face some criticism when I chose a subject to study.
B. I was able to change an earlier decision about my studies.
C. I‘m pleased that I'm able to combine studying with a job.
D. I had to be careful when choosing which college to study at.
E. I had to give up a good job to concentrate on my studies.
F. I‘m happy to have an active social life while at college.
Your answers
1. Speaker 1
2. Speaker 2
3. Speaker 3
4. Speaker 4
5. Speaker 5
II. LEXICO - GRAMMAR
Part 1. Choose the best answer.
1. He waited in the _ for the front door to open.
A. perch B. threshold C. porch D. crypt
2. As the sky darkened, it soon became obvious that a violent thunderstorm was .
A. imminent B. instantaneous C. immediate D. eminent
3. A half-savage mongrel went the tramp as the man approached the farm.
A. at B. against C. upon D. for
4. The clumsy boy tripped and sent the whole pile of metal plates to the ground.
A. clattering B. tinkling C. thudding D. pattering
5. In some countries, confrontation between police and strikers on has become a feature of life in
the eighties.
A. dole queues B. picket lines C. back benches D. assembly lines
6. They were tempted to relieve the shopkeeper of his three juiciest-looking apples.
A. badly B. sorely C. powerfully D. utterly
7. His appearance at the reception with the late Mayor‘s widow caused something of a .
A. confusion B. rumor C. wonder D. stir
8. Certain details in the contract still remain to be out.
A. fluttered B. dealt C. ironed D. borne
9. A boycott of other countries‘ sporting events appears a politically more expedient form of protest
than trade .
A. treaties B. actions C. blocks D. sanctions
10. The low, unbroken _ of the machine next door gradually bored its way into his brain.
A. din B. thud C. blare D. hum
Part 2. Fill in the missing preposition.
1. She was prostrate grief after her husband‘s death.
2. The police man hustles the crowd to pursue the criminal.
3. I lighted a rare book in a second-hand shop yesterday.
4. Step out of the train
5. Do you believe in his rumor
the platform.
foundation?
6. It‘s like a bolt the blue.
7. He tried to flog the story death.
8. She learns more romantic subjects in her later novel.
9. As she saw a child in the road, she jammed her brake.
10. They act their kind.
Part 3. Fill in each blank with the most suitable form of the word in brackets.
Recently, researchers have been kept busy picking lettuces under cover of darkness, but there is a perfectly
reasonable explanation for this (1. APPEAR) bizarre experiment. Tests have shown that
the
vegetables picked at night stayed fresh (2. CONSIDER) longer than those picked during the
day, though the reason for this improved (3. LONG)
Lunar gardeners claim to have known about the (4. BENEFIT)
is unclear.
effects of nocturnal
vegetable management for years, and those gardeners who believe in environmentally friendly organic methods
see the idea of working with the moon‘s influence as a continuation of their principles. They claim to be
following a tradition, long-established in various parts of the world, of working in harmony with the moon‘s
(5. GRAVITY) pull. In England, lunar gardening reached its zenith in the 16
th
century, but
the vagaries of the (6. PREDICT) climate meant that it survived only as part of an oral
folklore tradition.
(7. CONFUSE) , several different and sometimes contradictory systems are practised
today. Although all of them focus on the effects of moonlight and the moon‘s pull on the Earth‘s water, the
exact science remains controversial. There are some (8. HORTICULTURE) who regard the
ideas with (9. SCEPTIC) . Others, however, are more encouraging and less (10.
DISMISS)
, and advocate further research, even though no discernible results have been forthcoming in
support of any particular theory.
Part 4: The passage below contains 10 errors. Find them and correct them.
Things started to go wrong as soon as we got to the hotel. We were all completely exhausted after
our long journey and looking forward to shower and a rest. However, we found that our room has not
ready, which was very annoyed, although the manager was extremely apologetic. While we were
waiting, we asked about the excursions to places of an interest, which we had read about in brochure.
Imagine how we felt when we were told they had all cancelled! Apparently, the person responsible for
organize them had left suddenly and had not been replaced. Then Sally saw a notice pinning to the door
of the restaurant, saying it has closed for decoration, and Peter discovered that the swimming pool was
empty. When we eventually got our room we were horrified to find that it was at the back of the hotel,
and we had a view of a car park, which seemed to be used like a rubbish dump. We seriously began to
wonder whether or not to stay.
III. READING COMPREHENSION
Part 1. Choose the correct answer.
One of the groups of consumers targeted by advertisers is, oddly enough, a group with very little
money of its own, but which has a huge influence upon the way others spend their money. And in some
ways, children and advertisers could have been made for (1) . After all, it is easy to fool younger
children into believing just about anything and if an advertisement shows them how Biffo Breakfast
Cereal will help them run faster than their friends, then (2) they are concerned, that is the truth.
They also have strong feelings of admiration for action heroes or cartoon characters or sports stars, and
will want to be just like their favourite star, and drink the same cola or eat the same sweets. And when
children want something badly enough, they won‘t stop nagging their parents until they (3) it.
Advertisements will even supply them with the arguments they can use when they are told that a water-
firing robot or a giant chocolate bar is not good (4) , or too expensive, or not available in the
supermarket. This is why most EU countries place (5) upon television advertising aimed at
children. Some countries have (6) ban on ads promoting toys during children‘s programmes.
Others restrict the advertising of unhealthy food, or ads involving anything dangerous. This seems to be
a sensible way of preventing advertisers from taking (7) of children, but in some ways it also
helps to make a more damning (8)
some kinds of advertising, then this (9)
. If it is generally agreed that children need protection from
to definite proof that advertising strongly influences
children‘s behaviour. In that case, why should any advertising aimed at children be allowed? After all,
isn't it just another form of brain-washing? Adults may (or may not) resist the (10) claims of
advertisers, but children clearly have not yet learnt to do this. This is why an EU-wide ban on
advertising targeting children, or depicting children, is being called for in some quarters.
1. A. each other B. the worst C. ever D. the time being
2. A. unless B. whatsoever C. as far as D. supposing
3. A. stop B. achieve C. gain D. get
4. A. at it B. for them C. with them D. to it
5. A. handicaps B. rules C. restrictions D. conditions
6. A. a total B. an utter C. as sheer D. a thorough
7. A. advantage B. pity C. an interest D. responsibility
8. A. change B. profit C. point D. contribution
9. A. comes B. amounts C. indicates D. refers
10. A. skeptical B. suspicious C. doubtful D. questioning
Part 2. Fill ONE suitable word in each blank.
THE CULT OF CELEBRITY
Once, children had ambitions to be doctors, explorers, sportsmen, artists or scientists. Now taking their
lead from TV, they just
―
want to be famous
‖
.
F
ame i
s
no longer a re
w
ard for gallant
s
ervice or
great, perhaps even selfless endeavour. It is an end in (1) , and the sooner it can be achieved, the
sooner the lonely bedroom mirror can be replaced by the TV camera and flash gun, the better. Celebrity is
the profession (2) the moment, a vainglorious vocation which, (3) some 18
th
-
century royal court, seem to exist largely so that the rest of us might watch and be amazed (4)
its members live out their lives in public, like self-regarding members of some glittering soap opera.
Today, almost (5) can be famous. Never has fame (6) more democratic,
more ordinary, more achievable. (7) wonder it‘s modern ambition. It‘s easy to see why
people crave celebrity, (8) generations reared on the instant fame offered by television
want to step out of the limousine (9) the flashlights bouncing around them. Who doesn‘t
want to be the centre of attention at some time in their lives?
Modern celebrity, peopled by the largely vain and vacuous, fills a need in our lives. It peoples talks
shows, sells goods and newspapers and rewards the famous for-well, (10) famous.
Part 3. Read the passage and choose the best answer to each of the questions.
In the course of its history, human inventions have dramatically increased the average amount of
energy available for use per person. Primitive peoples in cold regions burned wood and animal dung to
heat their caves, cook food, and drive off animals by fire. The first step toward the developing of more
efficient fuels was taken when people discovered that they could use vegetable oils and animal fats in
lieu of gathered or cut wood. Charcoal gave off more intensive heat than wood and was more easily
obtainable than organic fats. The Greeks first began to use coal for metal smelting in the 4th century,
but it did not come into extensive use until the Industrial Revolution.
In the 1700s, at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, most energy used in the United States and
other nations undergoing industrialization was obtained from perpetual and renewable sources, such as
wood, water streams, domesticated animal labor, and wind. These were predominantly locally available
supplies. By mid-1800s, 91 percent of all commercial energy consumed in the United States and European
countries was obtained from wood. However, at the beginning of the 20th century, coal became a major
energy source and replaced wood in industrializing countries. Although in most regions and climate zones
wood was more readily accessible than coal, the latter represents a more concentrated source of energy. In
1910, natural gas and oil firmly replaced coal as the main source of fuel because they are lighter and,
therefore, cheaper to transport. They burned more cleanly than coal and polluted less. Unlike coal, oil could
be refined to manufacture liquid fuels for vehicles, a very important consideration in the early 1900s, when
the automobile arrived on the scene.
By 1984, non-renewable fossil fuels, such as oil, coal, and natural gas, provided over 82 percent of the
commercial and industrial energy used in the world. Small amounts of energy were derived from nuclear
fission, and the remaining 16 percent came from burning direct perpetual and renewable fuels, such as
biomass. Between 1700 and 1986, a large number of countries shifted from the use of energy from local
sources to a centralized generation of hydropower and solar energy converted to electricity. The energy
derived from non-renewable fossil fuels has been increasingly produced in one location and transported to
another, as is the case with most automobile fuels. In countries with private, rather than public transportation,
the age of non-renewable fuels has created a dependency on a finite resource that will have to be replaced.
Alternative fuel sources are numerous, and shale oil and hydrocarbons are just two examples. The
extraction of shale oil from large deposits in Asian and European regions has proven to be labor
consuming and costly. The resulting product is sulfur-and nitrogen-rich, and large scale extractions are
presently prohibitive. Similarly, the extraction of hydrocarbons from tar sands in Alberta and Utah is
complex. Semi-solid hydrocarbons cannot be easily separated from the sandstone and limestone that
carry them, and modern technology is not sufficiently versatile for a large-scale removal of the
material. However, both sources of fuel may eventually be needed as petroleum prices continue to rise
and limitations in fossil fuel availability make alternative deposits more attractive.
1. What is the main topic of the passage?
A. Application of various fuels B. Natural resources and fossil fuels
C. A history of energy use D. A historical review of energy rates
2. The phrase
―
pe
r
pe
rson
‖
is close in meaning to .
A. per capita B. per year C. per family D. per day
3. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that _ .
A. coal mining was essential for primitive peoples
B. the Greeks used coal in industrial productions
C. the development of efficient fuel was a gradual process
D. the discovery of efficient fuels was mostly accidental
4. The phrase “in lieu” is closest in meaning to .
A. in spite B. in place C. in every way D. in charge
5. The author of the passage implies that in the 1700s, sources of energy were .
A. used for commercial purposes B. used in various combinations
C. not derived from mineral deposits D. not always easy to locate
6. According to the passage, what was the greatest advantage of oil as fuel?
A. It was a concentrated source of energy. B. It was lighter and cheaper than coal.
C. It replaced wood and coal and reduced pollution.
D. It could be converted to automobile fuel.
7. According to the passage, the sources of fossil fuels will have to be replaced because .
A. they need to be transported B. they are not efficient
C. their use is centralized D. their supply is limited
8. It can be inferred from the passage that in the early 20
th
century, energy was obtained primarily from
.
A. fossil fuels B. nuclear fission
C. hydraulic and solar sources D. burning biomass
9. The author of the passage implies that alternative sources of fuel are currently .
A. being used for consumption B. being explored
C. available in few locations D. examined on a lad
10. The word
―
proh
ibitive
‖
is closest in meaning to .
A. prohibited B. provided C. too expensive D. too expedient
Part 4. Read the following passage and do the tasks that follow.
EATS, SHOOTS AND LEAVES
-A book review-
The title of Eats, Shoots and Leaves refers to a famously misplace comma in wildlife manual that
ended up
su
gge
sti
ng a panda rather violently
―
ea
ts,
shoot
s
and leave
s
‖
inst
ead of eating shoot
s
and leaves. The author of this book, journalist Lynne Truss, is something akin to a militant linguist
dedicating this
―
zero tolerance
‖
manifesto on grammar to the striking Bolshevik printers of St.
Petersburg who, in demanding the same remuneration for punctuation as they received for letters,
ended up setting in motion the first Russian Revolution.
Some of the book involves humorous attacks on erroneous punctuation. There is the confused Shakespearian
thespian who inadvertently turns a frantic plea:
―
Go, get him surgeons!
‖
into the cheerful encouragement
of
―
G
o get him,
s
urgeon
s
!
‖
Street and shop signs have a ubiquitous presence. A bakery declares
―
FRESH DONUT‘S SOLD HERE
‖
and a florist curiously announces that
―
Pansy‘s here!
‖
(Is
she?). The shameless title of a
H
olly
w
ood film
T
wo Week
s
’ Notice i
s
reeled in for critici
s
m -
―
Would they similarly call it
O
ne Week’s Notice?” Tru
ss
enquire
s
- and sometimes, as in the case of
signs promoting
―
ANTIQUE‘S
‖
and
―
Potatoe‘s
‖
- one que
s
tion whether we are bearing witness to new
depths of grammar ignorance, or a postmodern caricature of atrocious punctuation.
Eats, Shoots and Leaves is not just a piece of comedy and ridicule, however, and Truss has plenty to offer
on the question of proper grammar usage. If you have ever wondered whether it is acceptable to simply
use an
―
em dash
‖
1
in place of a comma - the verdict from Truss is that you can.
―
The dash is less formal
than the semicolon,
w
hich make
s
it more attractive,
‖
she suggests.
―
It enhances conversational tone;
and...it is capable of quite subtle effects.‖ The author concludes, with characteristic wry condescension, that the
em dash‘s popularity largely rests on people knowing it is almost impossible to use incorrectly. Truss is a
personal champion of the semicolon, a historically contentious punctuation mark elsewhere maligned by
novelist Kurt Vonnegut Jr., as a
―
transvestite hermaphrodite representing absolutely nothing‖. Coming to the
semicolon‘s defense, Truss suggests that, while it can certainly be over-u
s
ed - she refers to the dying words
of one 20th century writer:
―
I should have used fewer semicolons
‖
- the semicolon can perform the role of
a
―
a kind of Special Policeman in the event of comma fights
‖
.
Truss has come under criticism on two broad points. The first argument criticises the legitimacy of her
authority as a punctuation autocrat. Louis Menand, writing in the New Yorker, details Eats, Shoots and Leaves’
numerous grammatical and punctuation sins: a comma-free non-restrictive clause; a superfluous ellipsis; a
misplaced apostrophe; a misused parenthesis; two misused semicolons; an erroneous hyphen in the word
―
abuzz
‖
, and so on. In fact, as Menand notes, half the semicolons in the Truss book are spuriously deployed
because they stem from the author‘s open flouting of the rule that semicolons must only connect two
independent clauses.
―
Why would a person not just vague about the rules but disinclined to follow them
bother to produce a guide to punctuation?‖ Menand inquires. Ultimately, he holds Truss accused of
producing a book that pleases those who
―
just need to vent‖ and concludes that Eats, Shoots and Leaves is
actually a tirade against the decline of language and print that disguises itself, thinly and poorly, as some kind
of a style manual.
Linguist David Chrystal has criticised what he describes as a
―
linguistic purism
‖
coursing through
Truss‘ book. Linguistic purism is the notion that one variety of language is somehow more pure than others,
with this sense of purity often based on an idealised historical point in the language‘s development, but
sometimes simply in reference to an abstract ideal. In TheFightforEnglish:HowLanguagePunditsAte,ShotandLeft,
Chrystal—a former colleague
List of People
A. Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
B. Louis Menand
C. David Chrystal
D. Geoffrey K.Pullum
E. Charles Gaulke
of Tru
ss
- condemn
s
the no-hold
s-barred approach to punctuation and grammar.
―
Zero tolerance does not
allow for flexibility,
‖
he argues.
―
It is prescriptivism taken to extremes. It suggests that language is in a
state where all the rules are established with 100 per cent certainty. The suggestion is false. We do not know
what all the rules of punctuation are. And no rule of punctuation is followed by all of the people all of the
time.‖
Other detractors of Truss‘
―
prescriptivism
‖
are careful to di
s
a
ss
ociate needle
ss
puri
s
m from robu
s
t and
s
en
s
ible criticism, an oppositional stance they call descriptivism.
―
Don‘t ever imagine,
‖
Geoffrey
K. Pullum on the Language Log emphasises,
―
that I think all honest attempts at using English are just
as good as any other
s
. [Bad] writing needs to be fixed. But let‘s make sure we fix the right things.‖ In other
words, we do not require a dogmatic approach to clean up misused language. Charles Gaulke concurs,
noting that his opposition to
―
prescriptivism
‖
does not require contending with the existence of standards
themselves, but questioning whether our standards should determine what works, or whether what works
should determine our standards.
Ultimately, it is unlikely the purists and pedagogues will ever make absolute peace with those who see
language as a fluid, creative process within which everyone has a role to play. Both sides can learn to live in a
sort of contentious harmony, however. Creativity typically involves extending, adapting and critiquing the
status quo, and revising and reviving old traditions while constructing new ones. Rules must exist in order for
this process to take place, if only for them to be broken. On the flip side, rules have an important role to play in
guiding our language into forms that can be accessed by people across all manner of differences, so it is vital
to acknowledge the extent to which they can be democratic, rather than merely autocratic in function.
Nevertheless, all the regulations in the world cannot stem the natural spring of language, which bursts through
rivets and snakes around the dams that linguistic authorities may try to put in place. We should celebrate rather
than curse these inevitable tensions.
Questions 1-6. Look at the following statements and the list of people below. Match each statement with
the correct person, A-E from the list.
NB: You may use any letter more than once
1. Mistakes should be corrected on the basis of common sense.
2. No one has legitimacy as an ultimate authority on punctuation use.
3. Eats, Shoots and Leaves is not the type of book it claims to be.
4. The idea that some forms of language can be better than others is wrong.
5. The semicolon has no real purpose.
6. We can ask whether rules are helpful without undermining the need for rules.
Questions 7-10. Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from
the passage for each answer.
Eats, Shoots and Leaves is a book on punctuation by journalist Lynne Truss, who could be described
as a (7) . She dedicates the book to the Bolshevik Printers who started
the (8) by protesting for better pay conditions. The book is partly a
humorous criticism of incorrect punctuation. Some of the examples are so bad it is possible that they
are actually a (9) .
Truss also guides the reader on correct punctuation usage. She likes the em dash because it is not as
formal as the semicolon, for example, but remains a (10) of the latter
due to its ability to discipline areas of text that are crowded with commas.
IV. WRITING
Part 1. Read the following extract from use your own words to summarize it. Your summary should
be about 150 words long. You MUST NOT copy the original.
What do
we
mean by being
―
talented‘‘ or
―
gifted‘‘? The most obvious way is to look at the work
someone does and if they are capable of significant success, label them as talented. They purely
quantitative route -
―
percentage definiti
on‖
- looks not at individuals, but at
sim
ple percentage
s,
suc
h a
s
the top five percent of the population, and labels them - by definition - as gifted. This definition has
fallen from favor, eclipsed by the advent of IQ tests, favored by luminaries such as Professor Hans
Eysenck, where a series of written or verbal tests or general intelligence leads to a score of intelligence.
The IQ test has been eclipsed in turn. Most people studying intelligence and creativity in the new
millennium now prefer a broader definition, using a multifaceted approach where talents in many areas
are recognized rather than purely concentrating on academic achievement. If we are therefore assuming
that talented creative of gifted individuals may need to be assessed across a range of abilities, does this
mean intelligence can run in families as a genetic or inherited tendency? Mental dysfunction - such as
schizophrenia - can, so is an efficient mental capacity passed on from parent to child?
Animal experiments throw some light on this question, and on the whole area of whether it is
genetics, the environment or a combination of the two that allows for intelligence and creative ability.
Diff
erent
strains
of rats show great differences in intelligence or
―
rat reasoning
‖
. If these are brought up
in normal conditions and then run through a maze to reach a food goal, the
―
brig
ht‖
strains
make far
fewer wrong turns than the ‖dull‖ ones. But if the environment is made dull and boring the number of
errors becomes equal. Return the rats to an exciting maze and the discrepancy returns as before – but is
much smaller. In other words, a dull rat in a stimulating environment will almost do as well as a bright
rat who is bored in a normal one. This principle applies to human too – someone maybe born with
innate intelligence, but their environment probably has the final say over whether they become creative
or even a genius.
Part 2. Graph description
The pie charts below give information about the household expenditure of two average U.S. families in
different years. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevent. You should write at least 150 words.
Part 3. Essay writing
“Some people think that the detailed criminal description on newspaper and TV has bad
influences, so this kind of information should be restricted on the media.”
Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
PRACTICE TEST 15
I. LISTENING
Part 1. Complete the summary below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A
NUMBER for each answer.
Our initial stop will be the Terrace, which is lined by statues of (1) ,
Governors of Britain and many military leaders. They were actually sculpted in 1894 to celebrate the
(2) of the Baths in 1897.
The Great Bath is (3) deep. Around the bath area are alcoves where
there were (4) and tables where bathers could relax. The Water
temperature of the Sacred Spring is (5) . The water is rich in (6)
and was thought to cure a variety of (7) .
In Roman times, the Sacred Spring was well-known for its (8) . The
Temple which is said to date from the late (9) AD, was constructed
between (10) AD.
Part 2. Answer the questions below.
1. What kind of difficulties might people experience?
2. What is the first problem that the man mentions?
3. How often do drop-in sessions take place?
4. How long do drop-in sessions usually last for?
5. Who runs the workshops on personal development?
Part 3. Write T for TRUE, F for FALSE, and NG for NOT GIVEN.
1. Tewbridge‘s father wanted him to become a doctor.
2. Tewbridge made his livelihood by writing stories and essays for various publications.
3. Tewbridge and his wife used to be close friends.
4. Tewbridge spent many years studying Roman history.
5. He lived in Italy for the last thirty-five years of his life.
Part 4. You will hear part of a discussion between Velma Andrews, a lawyer, and Sergeant William
Bailey, a police officer. Choose the answer which fits best according to what you hear.
1. How did William feel the first time he gave evidence in court?
A. humiliated B. nervous C. furious D. indifferent
2. Velma suggests that police officers giving evidence should .
A study the evidence more carefully B. ignore the lawyer for the defence
C. not take comments personally D. demonstrate that they are honest and reliable
3. Velma compares a police officer's evidence to a piece in a jigsaw puzzle because _.
A. it is unimportant unless it is part of a bigger picture
B. it may not fit in with the rest of the evidence C. the defence lawyer will try to destroy it
D. the police officer should only talk about his or her evidence
4. William suggests that lawyers .
A. adopt a special manner in the courtroom B. can be detached about a case
C. might actually be close friends D. do not take their work seriously
5. William‘s main concern is that .
A. a court case could be confusing B. a criminal could get away with his or her crime
C. young police officers find courts terrifying D. police officers might argue with the lawyer
II. LEXICO - GRAMMAR
Part 1. Choose the best option.
1. It seems too good to be true. Are you sure this guy‘s on the ?
A. flat B. wagon C. level D. town
2. When I took over the business, I got more than I .
A. asked after B. bargained for C. drew up D. came in for
3. I‘m going for a walk in the park. Would you like to me company?
A. follow B. stay C. ward D. keep
4. He let it that the Prime Minister was a close friend of his.
A. announce B. talk C. drop D. infer
5. She used the map to discover where she was in to her surroundings.
A. connection B. affinity C. relation D. reference
6. Phillips almost felt he was something he could neither understand nor control.
A. confessing to B. specializing in C. imposing on D. tampering with
7. Let‘s the place, it looks so gloomy and unpleasant.
A. miss B. abandon C. depart D. disappear
8. For stamps and coins to be of value, they need to be in condition.
A. mighty B. flat C. sharp D. mint
9. The delight in treasure finding doesn‘t always acquiring tremendous amounts of valuables.
A. dwell on B. poke around C. lay about D. hinge upon
10. It‘s not easy to make Stanley furious, the boy is very gentle by .
A. himself B. personality C. reaction D. nature
Part 2. Read the text below and give the correct form of the word in CAPITALS.
Most snap (1. JUDGE) _ about people are formed on the basis of their facial features.
The eyes, regarded as clues to one‘s true character, are said (2. POETRY) to be the
windows of the soul: closely positioned, they imply (3. SLY) ; set wide apart they suggest
(4. HONEST) and directness. Thin mouths are equated with meanness and full mouths
with (5. SENSUAL) . Unconsciously, we make such instant judgements and they are
made about us.
There is no hiding place for the face. Always exposed and vulnerable, it (6. VOLUNTARY)
expresses happiness, desire and joy, anger, fear, shame and (7. LOATHE) .
Precisely for that person, a masked face evokes fear and horror; once someone‘s distinguishing (8.
CHARACTER) are hidden, we cannot read or recognise the person and fear of the (9.
KNOW) immediately arouses (10. SUSPICIOUS) .
Part 3. There are TEN mistakes in this passage. Write them down & give the correction.
1. First come the PC, then the internet and e-mail; now the e-book is
2. upon us, a hand-held device similarly in size and appearance to a video
3. cassette. The user simply rings off the website on their PC, selects
4. the desired books, downloads them onto their e-book machine and
5. sits down to read them. For turning a page, the user simply taps the
6. screen. E-book technology is evolving rapidly, and with some of
7. the newest handholds you will even get internet access.
8. But why would one want an e-book machine with reference to a book?
Practice tests for the national examination for the
gifted
Compiler: Ngô Minh
Châu
12
4
9. Well, one selling point companies emphasized, when these devices
10. hit the market a few years ago, which is the space they save when going
11. on holiday. E-books enlighten the load, literally. Ten large novels can
12. be put onto a device that weighs less than the average paperback. One
13. can understand why commercial interests seem to want us to change.
14. After all, the whole production process at first plan by author
15. until delivery to the printer had been doing electronically for a while
16. now, so why not save a few million trees and cut out the hard copy?
Part 4. Fill in each blank with a suitable preposition or adverbial particle.
1. Rod sympathised Delia‘s situation.
2. This bread tastes garlic.
3. My residence permit is valid one more year.
4. The lifeguard saved the child drowning.
5. She came his request.
6. Robert was set by two masked men and robbed.
7. Let‘s run the details of the arrangements just once more.
8. A shortage of money has forced them to scale the project.
9. I must warn you that if you have anything to say, it will be taken and may be used in
evidence against you.
10. Your plan doesn‘t allow changes in the weather.
III. READING
1. Filling the blanks with one of four options to complete the passage.
Few television have (1) more scorn and praise (2) them at the same time than
television. And few have done so much to unite the world into one vast audience (3) news, sport,
information and entertainment. Television must be (4) alongside printing as one of the most
significant inventions of all times in the (5) of communications. In just a few decades, it has
reached (6) every home in the developed world and an ever-increasing proportion of homes in
developing countries. It took over half a century from the first suggestion that television might be
possible before the first (7) pictures were produced in laboratories in Britain and America.
In 1926, John Baird‘s genius for publicity brought television to the (8) of a British audience.
It has since (9)
imagine a world (10)
such heights of success and taken on such a pivotal function that it is difficult to
of this groundbreaking invention.
Part 2. Fill each of the blanks with ONE suitable word.
The dog fence is Australia‘s version (1) the Great Wall of China but longer, erected to
keep (2) hostile invaders, in this (3) , hordes of yellow dogs. The empire it
1. A. had
2. A. taken over
B. even
B. heaped over
C. been
C. picked on
D. done
D. given over
3. A. for B. on C. in D. over
4. A. awarded B. rated C. graduated D. assembled
5. location B. site C. post D. field
6. simultaneously B. actually C. virtually D. substantially
7. A. flaring B. glimmering C. sparkling D. flickering
8. A. attention B. concentration C. initiation D. surveillance
9. A. found B. left C. gained D. reached
10. A. without B. shallow C. bereft D. lacking
Practice tests for the national examination for the
gifted
Compiler: Ngô Minh
Châu
12
5
preserves is that of the woolgrowers, sovereigns of the world‘s second largest sheep flock, after China‘s
- some 123 million head-and keepers of a wool export business worth four billion dollars to the national
economy. It (4) to matter little that more and more people - conservationists, politicians,
taxpayers and animal lovers - say that the construction of such a fence (5) never be
allowed today. With some sections of it almost one hundred years old, built by bushmen travelling with
camels, the dog fence has become, as must conservationists ruefully admit, ‗an icon of frontier
ingenuity‘.
To appreciate (6) unusual outback monument and to meet the people (7)
livelihoods depend on it, I spent part of an Australian autumn travelling the wire. For most of its
prodigious length the fence winds like a river (8) a landscape that, unless heavy rain has
fallen, scarcely has rivers. It marks the traditional dividing line (9) cattle (outside) and
sheep (inside). Inside is where dingoes, legally classified as vermin, (10) shot, poisoned
and trapped.
Part 3. Read the passage below and choose the best answer.
Another early Native American tribe in what is now the southwestern part of the United States was
the Anasazi. By A.D. 800, the Anasazi Indians were constructing multistory pueblos massive, stone
apartment compounds. Each one was virtually a stone town, which is why the Spanish would later call
them pueblos, the Spanish word for towns. These pueblos represent one of the Anasazi‘s supreme
achievements. At least a dozen large stone houses took shape below the bluffs of Chicago Canyon in
northwest New Mexico. They were built with masonry walls more than a meter thick and adjoining
apartments to accommodate dozens, even hundreds, of families. The largest, later named Pueblo Bonito
(Pretty Town) by the Spanish, rose in five terraced stories, contained more than 800 rooms, and could
have housed a population of 1,000 or more.
Besides living quarters, each pueblo included one or more kivas-circular underground chambers
faced with stone. They functioned as sanctuaries where the elders met to plan festivals, perform ritual
dances, settle pueblo affairs, and impart tribal lore to the younger generation. Some kivas were
enormous. Of the 30 or so at pueblo Bonito, two measured 20 meters across. They contained niches for
ceremonial objects, a central fire pit, and holes in the floor for communicating with the spirits of tribal
ancestors.
Each pueblo represented an astonishing amount of well-organized labor. Using only stone and wood
tools, and without benefit of wheels or draft animals, the builders quarried ton upon ton of sandstone
from the canyon walls, cut it into small blocks, hauled the blocks to the construction site, and fitted
them together with mud mortar. Roof beams of pine or fir had to be carried from logging areas in the
mountain forests many kilometers away. Then, to connect the pueblos and to give access to the
surrounding tableland, the architects laid out a system of public roads with stone staircases for
ascending cliff faces. In time, the roads reached out to more than 80 satellite villages within a 60-
kilometer radius.
1. The paragraph preceding the passage most describes .
A. how pueblos were built B. another Native American tribe
C. Anasazi crafts and weapons D. Pueblo village in New Mexico
2. What is the main topic of the passage?
A. The Anasazi pueblos B. Anasazi festivals of New Mexico
C. The organization of the Anasazi tribe D. The use of Anasazi sanctuaries
3. The word
―
supreme
‖
i
s
close
st
in meaning to _ .
A. most common B. most outstanding C. most expensive D. most convenient
4. The word
―
They
‖
refer
s
to .
A. houses B. bluffs C. walls D. families
5. The author mentions that Pueblos Bonito had more than 800 rooms as an example of which of the
following?
A. How overcrowded the pueblos could be B. How many ceremonial areas it contained
C. How much sandstone was needed to build it D. How big a pueblo could be
6. The word
―
s
ettle
‖
is
cl
osest
in meaning to _.
A. sink B. decide C. clarify D. locate
7. It can be inferred from the passage that building a pueblo probably .
A. required many workers B. cost a lot of money
C. involved the use of farm animals D. relied on sophisticated technology
8. The word
―
as
ce
ndin
g
‖
is
closest
in meaning to .
A. arriving at B. carving C. connecting D. climbing
9. It can be inferred from the passage that in addition to pueblos, the Anasazis were skilled at building
which of following?
A. roads B. barns C. monuments D. water systems
10. The pueblos are considered one of the Anasazi‘s supreme achievements for all of the following
reasons EXCEPT that they were .
A. very large B. located in forests
C. built with simple tools D. connected in a systematic way
Part 4. Read the following passage and choose the best answer to each question.
PAINTERS OF TIME
‘The world’s fascination with the mystique of Australian Aboriginal art.’
Emmanuel de Roux
A The works of Aboriginal artists are now much in demand throughout the world, and not just in
Australia, where they are already fully recognised: the National Museum of Australia, which opened in
Canberra in 2001, designated 40% of its exhibition space to works by Aborigines. In Europe their art is
being exhibited at a museum in Lyon, France, while the future Quai Branly museum in Paris - which
will be devoted to arts and civilisations of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas - plans to
commission frescoes by artists from Australia.
B Their artistic movement began about 30 years ago, but its roots go back to time immemorial. All the
works refer to the founding myth of the Aboriginal culture, ‗the Dreaming‘. That internal geography,
which is rendered with a brush and colours, is also the expression of the Aborigines‘ long quest to
regain the land which was stolen from them when Europeans arrived in the nineteenth century.
‗Painting is nothing without history,‘ says one such artist, Michael Nelson Tjakamarra.
C There are now fewer than 400,000 Aborigines living in Australia. They have been swamped by the
country‘s 17.5 million immigrants. These original ‗natives‘ have been living in Australia for 50,000
years, but they were undoubtedly maltreated by the newcomers. Driven back to the most barren lands
or crammed into slums on the outskirts of cities, the Aborigines were subjected to a policy of
‗assimilation‘, which involved kidnapping children to make them better ‗integrated‘ into European
society, and herding the nomadic Aborigines by force into settled communities.
D It was in one such community, Papunya, near Alice Springs, in the central desert, that Aboriginal
painting first came into its own. In 1971, a white schoolteacher, Geoffrey Bardon, suggested to a group
of Aborigines that they should decorate the school walls with ritual motifs, so as to pass on to the
younger generation the myths that were starting to fade from their collective memory. He gave them
brushes, colours and surfaces to paint on – cardboard and canvases. He was astounded by the result.
But their art did not come like a bolt from the blue: for thousands of years Aborigines had been
‗painting‘ on the ground using sands of different colours, and on rock faces. They had also been
decorating their bodies for ceremonial purposes. So there existed a formal vocabulary.
E This had already been noted by Europeans. In the early twentieth century, Aboriginal communities
brought together by missionaries in northern Australia had been encouraged to reproduce on tree bark
the motifs found on rock faces. Artists turned out a steady stream of works, supported by the churches,
which helped to sell them to the public, and between 1950 and 1960 Aboriginal paintings began to
reach overseas museums. Painting on bark persisted in the north, whereas the communities in the
central desert increasingly used acrylic paint, and elsewhere in Western Australia women explored the
possibilities of wax painting and dyeing processes, known as ‗batik‘.
F What Aborigines depict are always elements of the Dreaming, the collective history that each
community is both part of and guardian of. The Dreaming is the story of their origins, of their ‗Great
Ancestors‘, who passed on their knowledge, their art and their skills (hunting, medicine, painting,
music and dance) to man. ‗The Dreaming is not synonymous with the moment when the world was
created,‘ says Stephane Jacob, one of the organisers of the Lyon exhibition. ‗For Aborigines, that
moment has never ceased to exist. It is perpetuated by the cycle of the seasons and the religious
ceremonies which the Aborigines organise. Indeed the aim of those ceremonies is also to ensure the
permanence of that golden age. The central function of Aboriginal painting, even in its contemporary
manifestations, is to guarantee the survival of this world. The Dreaming is both past, present and
future.‘
G Each work is created individually, with a form peculiar to each artist, but it is created within and on
behalf of a community who must approve it. An artist cannot use a ‗dream‘ that does not belong to his
or her community, since each community is the owner of its dreams, just as it is anchored to a territory
marked out by its ancestors, so each painting can be interpreted as a kind of spiritual road map for that
community.
H ‗By exporting their paintings as though they were surfaces of their territory, by accompanying them
to the temples of western art, the Aborigines have redrawn the map of their country, into whose depths
they were exiled,‘ says Yves Le Fur, of the Quai Branly museum. ‗Masterpieces have been created.
Their undeniable power prompts a dialogue that has proved all too rare in the history of contacts
between the two cultures‘.
Questions 1-6: The passage has nine paragraphs, A-H. Choose the correct heading for paragraphs
A-F from the list of headings, i-viii, below.
List of Headings
i Amazing results from a project
ii New religious ceremonies
iii Community art centres
iv Early painting techniques and marketing
systems v Mythology and history combined
vi The increasing acclaim for Aboriginal art
vii Belief on continuity
viii Oppression of a minority people
1. Paragraph A
2. Paragraph B
3. Paragraph C
4. Paragraph D
5. Paragraph E
6. Paragraph F
Questions 7-10: Complete the flow chart below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from
the passage for each answer.
For (7) , Aborigines produced ground and rock paintings.
Early twentieth century: churches first prompted the use of (8) for paintings.
Mid-twentieth century: Aboriginal paintings were seen in (9) .
Early 1970s: Aborigines painted traditional patterns on (10) in one community.
IV. WRITING
Part 1. Summarize the following passage.
When the first Europeans came to the North America continent, they encountered the completely
new cultures of the Native American peoples of North America. Native Americans, who had highly
developed cultures in many respects, must have been as curious about the strange Europeans manners
and customs as the Europeans were curious about them. As always happens when two or more cultures
come into contact, there was a cultural exchange. Native Americans adopted some of the Europeans‘
ways, and the Europeans adopted some of their ways. As a result, Native Americans have made many
valuable contributions to modern U.S. culture, particularly in the areas of language, art, food, and
government.
First of all, Native Americans left a permanent mark on the English language. The early English-
speaking settlers borrowed from several different Native American languages words for places in this
new land. All across the country are cities, towns, rivers, and states with Native American‘s names. For
example, the states of Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, and Alabama are named after Native American tribes,
as are the cities of Chicago, Miami, and Spokane. In addition to place names, English adopted from
various Native American languages the words for animals and plants found in the Americas.
Chipmunk, moose, raccoon, skunk, tobacco, and squash are just a few examples.
Although the vocabulary of English is the area that shows the most Native American influence, it is
not the only area of U.S. culture that has been shaped by contact with Native Americans. Art is another
area of important Native American contributions. Wool rugs woven by women of the Navajo tribe in
Arizona and New Mexico are highly valued works of art in the United States. Native American jewelry
made from sliver and turquoise is also very popular and very expensive. Especially in the Western and
Southwestern regions of the Unite States, native crafts such as pottery, leather products, and beadwork
can be found in many homes. Indeed, native arts and handicraft are a treasured part of U.S. culture.
In addition to language and art, agriculture is another area in which Native Americans had a great
and lasting influence on the peoples who arrived here from Europe, Africa and Asia. Being skilled
farmers, the Native Americans of North America taught the newcomers many things about farming
techniques and crops. Every U.S. schoolchild has heard the story of how Native Americans taught the
first settlers to place a dead fish in a planting hole to provide fertilizer for the growing plant.
Furthermore, they taught the settlers irrigation methods and crop rotation. Many of the foods people in
the US eat today were introduced to the Europeans by Native Americans. For example, corn and
chocolate were unknown in Europe. Now they are staples in the U.S. diet.
Finally, it may surprise some people to learn that citizens of the United States are also indebted to
the native people for our form of government. The Iroquois, who were an extremely large tribe with
many branches called
―
nati
ons,‖
had developed a high sophisticated system of government to
settle disputes that arose between the various branches. Five of the nations had joined together in a
confederation called
―
The League of the Iroquois
‖
. Under the league, each nation
was
autonomou
s
in
running its own internal affairs, but the nations acted as an unit when dealing with outsiders. The
league keep the Iroquois from fighting among themselves and was also valuable in diplomatic relations
with other tribes. When the 13 colonies were considering what kind of government to establish after
they has won independence from Britain, someone suggested that they use a system similar to that of
the League of the Iroquois. Under this system, each colony or future state would be autonomous in
managing its own affairs but would join forces with the other states to deal with matters that concerned
them all. This is exactly what happened. As a result, the present form of government of the United
States can be traced directly back to a Native American model.
In conclusion, we can easily see from these few examples the extent of Native American influence
on our language, our art forms, our eating habits, and our government. The people of the United States
are deeply indebted to Native Americans for their contributions to U.S. culture.
Part 2. The bar chart below shows the percentage of students who passed their high school
competency exams, by subject and gender, during the period 2010-2011. Summarise the information
by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least
150 words.
Students passing high school competency exams, by subject and gender, 2010-2011
Part 3. We are becoming more and more dependent on machines to function in the modern world.
Some people think this is a very negative development. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
PRACTICE TEST 16
I. LISTENING
Part 1: Complete the notes below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
WISCONSIN ARBORETUM
Purpose:
Type of facility: (1) and
Type of Place: For people to develop (2) with nature
Origins:
Begun in the (3)
Purchased cultivated (4) and that had fallen into disuse
Decided to restore plants and animals that had lived there (5)
Academic Result:
New concept in ecology: (6)
Practice: return ecosystem or landscape to (7) condition
Growth Phase:
Civic Leaders (8) land in the 1920s
Crews from the (9) provided most of the labor.
Collection:
Include oldest and most extensive restored ecosystem.
Includes traditional elements of an arboretum such as (10)
Part 2: Answer the questions below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A
NUMBER for each answer.
11. When did Mt. Pinatubo erupt for the first time?
12. When was the earthquake measuring 7.8 recorded?
13. When did the experts begin to study Mt. Pinatubo?
14. What fell on the local villages on 2
nd
April?
15. What does a ‗Level 5‘ alert mean?
Part 3: Decide whether the statements are True/False/Not Given?
16. The speaker became interested in the composition of pictures when he did the painting at school.
17. The speaker says that his first camera was a new one.
18. He got his second camera at the age of 15.
19. The speaker recommends slide film if you have the appropriate equipment.
20. The speaker‘s advice to young photographers is to think before you take a picture.
Part 4: Choose the correct answer A, B, C, or D.
21. In Kate‘s opinion, what accounts for personality differences between siblings?
A. Every person is born with a nature which is unique.
B. Each child is exposed to a unique set of experience.
C. Children are influenced by people from outside the family.
D. Parents adopt varying approaches to child-rearing over time.
22. Kate says that, compared to younger siblings, the oldest child in a family will often .
A. be under greater pressure to do well in life B. receive more parental love and affection
C. develop a more cautious personality D. become more ambitious in later life
23. What does Kate describe as the typical traits of younger siblings?
A. They tend to be less successful in academic subjects.
B. They tend to be closer to their father than their mother.
C. Their main priority is to establish a distinctive identity.
D. Their interests often closely reflect those of their parents.
24. In Kate‘s view, a child will go on to develop successful adult relationships if it .
A. inherits certain social skills B. is taught to control its emotions
C. is cared for by a variety of people D. has a good model of behaviour to follow
25. Kate thinks the most valuable contribution a psychotherapist can make is to .
A. enable people to recognise patterns of behaviour they need to change
B. help people develop a more effective range of parenting skills
C. allow people to discuss why they behave in the way they do
D. give advice to people who want to change their lives
II. LEXICO - GRAMMAR
Part 1. Choose the word or phrase which best completes each sentence.
1. This young author has already received the sort of that many older and wiser heads have had
to strive a lifetime for.
A. attentiveness B. note C. recognition D. notoriety
2. There will of necessity be a to the amount of money put at the new manager‘s disposal.
A. ceiling B. roof C. sky D. summit
3. We should make a clear between
―
compete
nt‖
and
―
proficien
t‖
for the purposes of our
discussion.
A. separation B. division C. distinction D. difference
4. The young lad was the of his father.
A. image B. likeness C. picture D. portrait
5. They stood glowering at each other, eyeball to eyeball, their fists ready for action.
A. joined B. clenched C. clasped D. grasped
6. One wonders whether the current political is right for such a move.
A. environment B. climate C. state D. standpoint
7. The group‘s image to young people in general and the less well-off in particular.
A. appeals B. attracts C. excites D. draws
8. In , I must acknowledge that we were guilty of errors of judgement.
A. hindsight B. review C. experience D. retrospect
9. The supervisor‘s job is to the work of his particular department.
A. overlook B. overrun C. oversee D. overview
10. The employee‘s departure was hastened when he was caught with his hands in the .
A. register B. accounts C. books D. till
Part 2. Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the space.
Very little in our lives prepares us for (1. PARENT) . Suddenly, your life is turned
upside down and all sorts of (2. FAMILIAR) demands are placed on you. How we
ourselves were treated by our parents in our (3. YOUNG) can have an (4. APPRECIATE)
effect on who we become as parents. Our own (5. OBSERVE) of how our
parents responded to us creates a model of parenting that is (6. INTIMATE) connected to
the kind of parents we become. It‘s not uncommon for people to show the same child-rearing (7.
CHARACTER) as their own parents. If your father is an (8. SYMPATHY)
figure who always seems too busy to care about how you feel, then there‘s a chance you will repeat the
same behaviour. If your mother is utterly (9. SELF) in her devotion to her children, there‘s
a chance that you too will be equally giving and do all that is (10. HUMAN) possible for
your offspring.
Part 3. There are ten mistakes in the following passage. Find and correct them.
Playing an instrument or singing will help your child gain confidence. He will feel proud of him that
he can sing or play an instrument. Music will also help him to be more outgo because he might want to
perform to his family members or friends. The most important thing is which music will keep your
baby busy and let him involve with something that is educational instead of just sitting in front of the
television. Last, since music is something that is enjoyable and sooth, it will help to relieve your child‘s
stressful during school days. As you can see music has many positive effects in your child. Make music
a part of your child‘s life, and make it a part of your life too!
Part 4. Fill in each blank of the sentences with suitable particles and prepositions.
1. Parents often fail to realize the extent which they can influence the career choices of their
children.
2. He is a coward his own admission.
3. It‘s no good pretending; you‘ve got to get reality.
4. The speech was drowned by the music coming from the next room. We couldn‘t hear a word
she said.
5. Steve threw his chances of passing by spending too much time on the first question.
6. He ran a lot of debts in the town and then disappeared without a trace.
7. If the rain doesn‘t let soon, we shall have to look for a taxi.
8. What time does Jenny usually knock from work?
9. Could you possibly stand me at the next committee meeting?
10. I am not friends with Peter anymore. We‘ve fallen .
III. READING
Part 1. Read the text below and decide which answer best fits each space.
In the early 1960s, Dr. Jane Goodall began studying chimpanzees in Tanzania. Before the 1960s,
scientists believe that chimpanzees were (1) _ vegetarians. It was Goodall who first reported that
meat was a natural part of the chimpanzee diet. In fact, Goodall discovered that chimpanzees are
actually very (2) hunters. Individual chimpanzees have been known to hunt and eat more than
150 small animals each year. Among the chimpanzees‘ favourite prey are the red colobus monkey, feral
pig, and various small antelope species. The red colobus monkey is one of the most important animals
in the chimpanzees‘ diet. In one notable study, the red colobus monkeys (3) for more than 80
percent of the animals eaten by one group of chimpanzees.
(4) these findings, scientists still maintain that chimpanzees are mostly fruit-eating creatures.
In fact, meat composes only about 3 percent of the chimpanzee diet. This is (5) less than the
quantity of meat consumed by the average human. Studies show that chimpanzees do most of their
hunting in the dry season. August and September appear to be the most popular months for hunting.
During the dry season, food shortages in the forest cause the chimpanzees‘ body weight to (6) .
Consequently, chimpanzees (7) their diets with meat. During the (8) of the dry season,
the estimated meat intake is about 65 grams of meat per day for adult chimpanzees. This is (9)
to the quantity of meat eaten by modern human societies whose member forage when other food
sources are scarce. The chimpanzees‘ eating habits also closely (10) those of the early human
hunter-gatherers.
1. A. severe B. firm C. strict D. austere
2. A. proficient B. prominent C. professional D. gifted
3. A. comprise B. contain C. cater D. account
4. A. Despite B. In view of C. On account of D. Inasmuch as
5. A. largely B. significantly C. extensively D. substantially
6. A. fall B. drop C. decline D. lessen
7. A. supplement B. enhance C. extend D. insert
8. A. top B. height C. summit D. apex
9. A. proportionate B. tantamount C. comparable D. commensurable
10. A. coincide B. match C. concur D. resemble
Part 2. Read the text below and think of ONE word which best fits each space.
Are you looking forward to another busy week? You should be according to some experts. They
argue that the stress (1) _ in our daily lives is not only good for us, but essential to survival.
They say that the (2) to stress, which creates a chemical (3) adrenalin, helps
the mind and body to act quickly (4) _ emergencies. Animals and human beings use it to
meet the hostile conditions which exist on the planet.
Whilst nobody (5) the pressures of everyday life, what is surprising is that we are (6)
to develop successful ways of (7) _ with them. Even the experts consider the
current strategies to be inadequate and often dangerous. They believe that (8) of trying to
manage our response to stress with drugs or relaxation techniques, we must exploit it. Apparently,
research shows that people who (9) conditions of stress for themselves by doing exciting
and risky sports or looking for challenges, cope much better with life‘s problems. Activities of this
type have been shown to create a lot of emotion; people may actually cry or feel extremely
uncomfortable. But there is a point at which they have succeeded and know that it was a positive (10)
.
Part 3. Read the text below and choose the best answer to each question.
Among all the abilities with which an individual may be endowed musical talent appears earliest in
life. Very young children can exhibit musical precocity for different reasons. Some develop exceptional
skill as a result of a well-designed instructional regime, such as the Suzuki method for the violin. Some
have the good fortune to be born into a musical family in a household filled with music. In a number of
interesting cases, musical talent is part of an otherwise disabling condition such as autism or mental
retardation. A musically gifted child has an inborn talent; however, the extent to which the talent is
expressed publicly will depend upon the environment in which the child lives.
Musically gifted children master at an early age the principal elements of music, including pitch and
rhythm. Pitch - or melody - is more central in certain cultures, for example, in Eastern societies that
make use of tiny quarter-tone intervals. Rhythm, sounds produced at certain auditory frequencies and
grouped according to a prescribed system, is emphasized in sub-Saharan Africa, where the rhythmic
ratios can be very complex.
All children have some aptitude for making music. During infancy, normal children sing as well as
babble, and they can produce individual sounds and sound patterns. Infants as young as two months can
match their mother's songs in pitch, loudness, and melodic shape, and infants at four months can match
rhythmic structure as well. Infants are especially predisposed to acquire these core aspects of music,
and they can also engage in sound play that clearly exhibits creativity.
Individual differences begin to emerge in young children as they learn to sing. Some children can
match large segments of a song by the age of two or three. Many others can only approximate pitch at
this age and may still have difficulty in producing accurate melodies by the age of five or six. However,
by the time they reach school age, most children in any culture have a schema of what a song should be
like and can produce a reasonably accurate imitation of the songs commonly heard in their
environment.
The early appearance of superior musical ability in some children provides evidence that musical
talent may be a separate and unique form of intelligence. There are numerous tales of young artists who
have a remarkable "ear" or extraordinary memory for music and a natural understanding of musical
structure. In many of these cases, the child is average in every other way but displays an exceptional
ability in music. Even the most gifted child, however, takes about ten years to achieve the levels of
performance or composition that would constitute mastery of the musical sphere.
Every generation in music history has had its famous prodigies - individuals with exceptional
musical powers that emerge at a young age. In the eighteenth century, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
began composing and performing at the age of six. As a child, Mozart could play the piano like an
adult. He had perfect pitch, and at age nine he was also a master of the art of modulation - transitions
from one key to another - which became one of the hallmarks of his style. By the age of eleven, he had
composed three symphonies and 30 other major works. Mozart's well-developed talent was preserved
into adulthood.
Unusual musical ability is a regular characteristic of certain anomalies such as autism. In one case,
an autistic girl was able to play
―
Happy Birthday
‖
in the
st
yle of various compose
rs,
including
Mo
zart.
Beethoven, Verdi, and Schubert. When the girl was three, her mother called her by playing incomplete
melodies, which the child would complete with the appropriate tone in the proper octave. For the
autistic child, music may be the primary mode of communication, and the child may cling to music
because it represents a haven in a world that is largely confusing and frightening.
1. The word precocity in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to .
A. strong interest B. advanced skill C. good luck D. personal style
2. Which sentence below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in
paragraph 1?
A. Every child is naturally gifted, and it is the responsibility of the public schools to recognize and
develop these talents.
B. Children may be born with superior musical ability, but their environment will determine how this
ability is developed.
C. Children with exceptional musical talent will look for the best way to express themselves through
music-making.
D. Some musically talented children live in an environment surrounded by music, while others have
little exposure to music.
3. The author makes the point that musical elements such as pitch and rhythm
A. distinguish music from other art forms B. make music difficult to learn
C. vary in emphasis in different cultures D. express different human emotions
4. The
wor
d
―
pr
edispo
se
d” in paragraph 3
is
c
losest
in meaning to .
A. inclined B. gifted C. pushed D. amused
5. According to the passage, when does musical talent usually begin to appear?
A. When infants start to babble and produce sound patterns
B. Between the ages of two and four months C. Between ten years old and adolescence
D. When children learn to sing at two or three years old
6. According to the passage, which of the following suggests that musical talent is a separate form of
intelligence?
A. Recognition of the emotional power of music
B. The ability of all babies to acquire core elements of music
C. Exceptional musical ability in an otherwise average child
D. Differences between learning music and learning language
7. Why does the author discuss Mozart in paragraph 6?
A. To compare past and present views of musical talent
B. To list musical accomplishments of the eighteenth century
C. To give an example of a well-known musical prodigy
D. To describe the development of individual musical skill
8. In music, the change from one key to another is known as .
A. rhythm B. modulation C. prodigy D. perfect pitch
9. All of the following are given as examples of exceptional musical talent EXCEPT .
A. a remarkable
―
ear
‖
or perfect memory for music
B. appreciation for a wide variety of musical styles
C. ability to compose major works at a young age
D. playing a single song in the style of various composers
10. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about exceptional musical ability?
A. It occurs more frequently in some cultures than in others.
B. It is the result of natural talent and a supportive environment.
C. It is evidence of a superior level of intelligence in other areas.
D. It has been documented and studied but is little understood.
Part 4. Read the passage and do the tasks.
Questions 1-6. Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of heading below.
i. Uncertain future for academic freedom
ii. Low pay causes problems
iii. Tough life, worse prospects
iv. A safety net for intellectual risk takers
v. The necessity for economic reform
vi. Educational standards decline
vii. Adverse effects on health of adjuncts
viii. Academic life: perception versus reality
ix. Exploitation of a stopgap system
1. Section A
2. Section B
3. Section C
4. Section D
5. Section E
6. Section F
A. Academia is often thought of as an occupation with immense job security. The traditional image is
one of a middle aged professor with his own office, his own car park, and a cosy job with a middle
class salary that remains unaffected by upturns and downturns in the ‗real‘ business economy. But in
the United State today, only a minority of professors have anything resembling this lifestyle. For the
vast majority, the actual conditions of their employment are very different. They scrape by with low
pay, short term contracts, and few or no employee benefits. Many even qualify for food stamps. This
shift in employment conditions has far reaching consequences not only for academics, but also for
students and the quality of education they receive, and for academic freedom more generally.
B. Originally, almost all professors were in full time position and employed under a system known as
‗life tenure‘. Tenure all but guarantees professors a well-paid job until retirement; their position can
only be terminated with ‗just cause‘. Proving just cause is a lengthy, difficult process that happens
rarely - only around 50 of 280,000 tenured professors lose their status every year. The purpose of
tenure is to provide shelter for researchers who dissent from dominant opinions, disagree with the
authorities of universities, donors or political authorities, or choose to research topics that may have
social importance but seem unimportant or unnecessary to others. In this way, it seeks to keep
intellectual pursuits ‗pure‘ rather than at the whim of external interests. Without tenure, professors
might prefer uncontroversial research on popular topics, and draw dishonest conclusions in a bid to
please authorities and keep their jobs.
C. In an era of perpetual cost-cutting and budget-tightening, however, guaranteeing large numbers of
academics lifetime employment with related benefits is increasing untenable. The proportion of
university teachers with tenure has slid from 75% in 1960 to just 27 % today. Rising in their place are
‗professors adjuncts‘. Adjuncts are temporary, part time employees who were initially brought in only
occasionally as special guest lecturers or to provide cover for tenured professors on parental or research
leave. Adjuncts teach individual classes and have no research or administrative responsibilities, and
their contracts typically run for a single semester, after which they might be renewed. Over the last few
decades, their use has been extended beyond these temporary exigencies, and adjuncts have become a
permanent, institutionalised aspect of academic employment.
D. This has created several problems for adjunct professors, who are considered by some to make up a
growing ‗academic underclass‘. Firstly, because contracts are always temporary, adjuncts rarely
qualify for insurance and health benefits, such as time off with remuneration for illness, in the same
way as tenured professors. Secondly, recompense for adjuncts is often very low. In order to make a
living from their work, adjuncts typically need to win contracts with multiple universities. As a
consequence of this high teaching workload and the lack of paid research opportunities, adjuncts tend
to find it hard to publish articles and win research grants, therefore making promotion increasingly
unlikely with every year that passes (academic promotion is governed by what is known as a ‗publish
or perish‘ culture).
E. The way of using adjuncts also has flow-on effects for the quality of teaching that students receive.
Because adjuncts come in only for classes, they do not have offices office hours on campus and usually
do not have the time to meet up with students in small groups or for one-on-one sessions. The
disengagement between students and teachers can make it difficult for struggling students to find
guidance outside of lectures. Adjuncts are also less ‗tied‘ to the universities they teach at and fail to
accumulate reputations over time in the same way as full time professors. As such, they are not as
personally invested in the quality and outcome of their teaching. Finally, it has been reported that many
adjuncts practice grade inflation – raising grades higher than deserved - in order to maintain their job
security by keeping students pleased. These outcomes are not because adjuncts are malfeasant or
incompetent professors, but rather because of the structural pressures this type of work involves -
precisely what the tenure system sought to overcome.
F. The rising use of adjunct professors also has implications for the research and pedagogical
autonomy of teachers. Because adjuncts do not have tenure, they can be fired with the simplest of
explanations. Furthermore, administrators who do not give any reasons at all can choose to simply not
renew an adjunct‘s contract after the semester finishes. As such, there is immense pressure on adjuncts
to teach in ways that please those who employ them. While only 50 tenured processors lose their jobs
in the USA every year, reports emerge every day about adjuncts who have been fired or not had
contracts renewed after disputes with faculty or administrators over course design, teaching, or
employment issues. As the pool of growing numbers of adjuncts compete desperately for the shrinking
amount of tenure-track positions, intellectual conformity can grow as candidates position themselves as
a safe, mainstream choices. As theoretical physicist Lee Smolin has written,
―
…it is practically
career suicide for young theoretical physicists not to join the field of string theory …‖
The rising of using adjunct professors is mainly rooted in a need for cost efficiency in education, but
it has more diffuse effects on the well-being of academic professionals and students, the quality of the
education they receive, and academic freedom in general. Everyone who is concerned about more than
the fiscal ‗bottom line‘ needs to follow this trend carefully.
Questions 7-10. Complete the sentences below with words taken from the reading passage. Use no
more than two words for each answer.
7. Because adjuncts are paid only to teach, they cannot always provide support for .
8. Adjuncts do not have the same bonds with one particular institution as permanent staff do, so they do
not in the same way.
9. Giving better marks than warranted enhances adjuncts‘ .
10. Adjuncts do not deliver quality education, not because they are bad lecturers but as a result of
.
IV. WRITING
Part 1. Read the following extract and use your own words to summarize it. Your summary should
be 120 and 140 words long.
If food is allowed to stand for some time, it putrefies. When the putrefied material is examined
microscopically, it is found to be teeming with bacteria. Where do these bacteria come from, since they
are not seen in fresh food? Even until the mid-nineteenth century, many people believed that such
microorganisms originated by spontaneous generation, a hypothetical process by which living
organisms develop from nonliving matter.
The most powerful opponent of the theory of spontaneous generation was the French chemist and
microbiologist Louis Pasteur (1822-1895). Pasteur showed that structures present in air
closely resemble the microorganisms seen in putrefying materials .He did this by passing air
through guncotton filters, the fibers of which stop solid particles. After the guncotton was dissolved in
a mixture of alcohol and ether, the particles that it had trapped fell to the bottom of the liquid and were
examined on a microscope slide .Pasteur found that in ordinary air these exists a variety of solid
structures ranging in size from 0.01 mm to more than 1.0 mm .Many of these bodies resembled the
reproductive structures of common molds, single-celled animals, and various other microbial cells. As
many as 20 to 30 of them were found in fifteen liters of ordinary air ,and they could not be
distinguished from the organisms found in much larger numbers in putrefying materials .Pasteur
concluded that the organisms found in putrefying materials originated from the organized bodies
present in the air. He postulated that these bodies are constantly being deposited on all objects.
Pasteur showed that if a nutrient solution was sealed in a glass flask and heated to boiling to destroy
all the living organisms contaminating it, it never putrefied. The proponents of spontaneous generation
declared that fresh air was necessary for spontaneous generation and that the air inside the sealed flask
was affected in some way by heating so that it would no longer support spontaneous generation.
Pasteur constructed a swan-necked flask in which putrefying materials could he heated to boiling, but
air could reenter. The bends in the neck prevented microorganisms from getting in the flask. Material
sterilized in such a flask did not putrefy.
100
80
60
40
Women
Men
20
0
O/cer Grade E O/cer Grade D O/cer Grade C O/cer Grade B O/cer Grade A
Part 2. Describing graph.
Executive positions in the ACME Oil Company
The column graph shows the percentage of men and women employed in executive positions in LALIBA
Oil Company from November 2011 to September 2012 inclusive.
Write a report for a teacher describing the information shown in the graph. You should write at least
150 words.
NOTES: Officer A: Highest; Officer E: Lowest
Part 3. Write at least 350 words about the following topic:
Nowadays, people are generally not as fit as those in previous generations. What are some of the
reasons for this trend? What can be done about it?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or
experience.
PRACTICE TEST 17
I. LISTENING
Part 1: You will hear a talk about Skunks. As you listen fill in the gaps in the notes below. Write NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/ NUMBER for each answer.
Some animals which people hate and fear the most, chances are you will hear the followings:
skunks, bats, snakes and rats. But some of these animals are gaining (1) .
Most people fear the skunks because of their awful smell, for example. But recently people have
begun (2) their ideas about skunks. Cherry Briggs, an animal researcher,
said that skunk are (3) animals because they catch rats and beetles. They are
great for (4) .
Skunks are very fair. They always warn you before they spray. They raise their tails and stamp
their front feet. It‘s also good to know that you can spot a skunk before it sees you. We recognize the
skunk by its (5) . But skunks are very (6) and can‘t
see more than three feet ahead. So if you pay attention to the skunk‘s warning signs and move away,
you probably won‘t (7) _ .
Most people would not be too pleased if a skunk moved in under their house, and here is some
advice on how to (8) the creatures. First of all, skunks hate rap music, so if
you play loud rap music, they generally will move away from your house after a few hours. Also,
they love (9) , especially cheddar, so you can put some cheese a few feet
from your house. When the skunk leaves to get the cheese, lock the hole so it can‘t (10)
. But mostly, skunks just want to be left alone to do their work, which is pet
control. Some people who got rid of skunks now actually want them back.
Part 2: You will hear a job interview. As you listen, give short answers to the questions.
11. What is Mrs. Jane Smith‘s job?
12. What would she like to talk about?
13. Where is Peter presently working?
14. How long has he had present job?
15. Why does he want a new job?
Part 3: You will hear part of interview with Bruce loader, a successful businessman who is talking
about his early life. Now look at the questions and decide whether it is true (T) or false (F).
16. Bruce had great interest in painting portrait.
17. Bruce‘s father saw that his son had a natural talent for art.
18. He didn‘t believe on what the college tutors said about representational art.
19. His father got angry when he told him that he wanted to leave art college.
20. He only wants to find a perfectly good job on the factory floor.
Part 4: You will hear part of radio interview in which Harry and Jenifer, two members of an after-
work adult drama class, are asked about their reason for attending class. Choose the correct answer
A, B, C or D which fits best according to what you hear.
21. How does Jenifer feel about working with strangers in a working club?
A. resigned to the need for it B. doubtful about the value of it
C. relaxed in her attitude towards it D. excited at the thought of it
22. According to Harry, the improvisation sessions .
A. require some careful preparation B. enable him to use his imagination
C. allow him to show his acting talent D. encourage him to relate to the group
23. What does Jenifer say about improvisation?
A. It is important not to make a mistake. B. It is necessary to be aware of the timing.
C. You should be familiar with the character you invent.
D. You need to be completely involved in the activity.
24. In Jenifer‘s opinion, playing written parts will .
A. be less challenging than improvisation B. include research into previous performances
C. involve guidance from an expert D. lead to completion for parts
25. Jenifer says that the drama classes have taught her how to .
A. improve her interaction with people B. manage groups of people
C. develop her natural acting skill D. be satisfied with minor achievements
II. LEXICO - GRAMMAR
Part 1: Choose the best answer.
1. The students had no money left and took out a loan to him over until the end of term.
A. last B. tend C. keep D. tide
2. It was of a surprise to Andrew that he got the job.
A. rather B. something C. quite D. much
3. Money was short and people survived by _ and saving.
A. scrimping B. scavenging C. scouring D. scrounging
4. Jane was terribly nervous before the interview but she managed to pull herself and act
confidently.
A. through B. over C. together D. off
5. Rachel has a highly developed of fine art.
A. taste B. reaction C. liking D. appreciation
6. He left the meeting early on the unlikely that he had a sick friend to visit.
A. claim B. excuse C. pretext D. motive
7. This is the timetable for the conference. It may change later.
A. conditional B. indefinite C. provisional D. indeterminate
8. She didn‘t show even a of emotion when the court found her guilty.
A. gleam B. wink C. flicker D. flash
9. We thank the host for their generous and got under way.
A. hostility B. honesty C. hospitality D. hostage
10. Thousands of newcomers imagine this place to be their El Dorado where they can easily make a
start in life.
A. plain B. fresh C. clean D. first
Part 2. Fill each gap of the following passage with the correct form of the word in brackets.
According to some scientists, high-risk sports can be particularly (1. VALUE) for
certain types of people. Such activities help them to learn that being (2. FRIGHT) doesn‘t
mean that they have to lose control. The recent fashion for jumping from bridges attached to a (3.
LONG) of elastic rope, known as
―
bungee jumping
‖
, ha
s
now been tried by over
one million people (4. WORLD) and interest in it is continuing to grow. Before the special
elastic rope (5. TIGHT) around them, jumpers reach speeds of nearly 160 kph. First-
timers are usually too (6. TERROR) _ to open their mouths, and when they are finally (7.
LOW) safely to the ground, they walk around with broad smiles on their faces, saying (8.
REPEAT) how amazing it was. However, for some people, it is only the (9.
EMBARRASS) of refusing to jump at the last minute that finally persuades them to
conquer their fear of (10. HIGH) and push themselves off into space.
Part 3: The passage below contains 10 mistakes. Underline and write their correct forms.
Traditionally, mental tests have been divided into two types. Achievement tests are designed to
measure acquiring skills and knowledge, particularly those that have been explicitness taught. The
proficiency exams required by few states for high school graduation are achievement tests. Aptitude
tests are designed and measure a person's ability to acquire new skills but knowledge. For example,
vocation aptitude tests can help you decide whether you would do better like a mechanic or musician.
However, all mental tests are in some sense achievement tests because they assumption some sort of
past learning or experience with certainly objects, words, or situations. The difference between
achievement and aptitude tests is the degree and intention use.
Part 4: Fill in the blank with suitable prepositions or particles.
1. Let‘s mull this tonight and make a final decision in the morning.
2. We are thinking of doing the spare bedroom to make it a bit nicer.
3. Mark‘s hit a brilliant idea for a website.
4. Don‘t use all the bacon now – we will need some in the morning too.
5. I can‘t come up a single reason why I should believe you!
6. Have you changed the living room ? It looks different.
7. We‘ve been trying to puzzle which TV series she used to be in.
8. They spent the rest of the morning checking their equipment.
9. Alcohol just brings the worst in her.
10. There was still another hour of the flight left, so I whiled the time by doing a
crossword.
III. READING
Part 1: Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
Clean freshwater resources are essential for drinking, bathing, cooking, irrigation, industry, and for
plant and animal (1) . Unfortunately, the global supply of freshwater is (2) unevenly.
Chronic water shortages (3) in most of Africa and drought is common over much of the globe.
The (4) of most freshwater supplies - groundwater (water located below the soil surface),
reservoirs, and rivers - are under severe and (5) environmental stress because of overuse, water
pollution, and ecosystem degradation. Over 95 percent of urban sewage in (6) countries is (7)
untreated into surface waters such as rivers and harbors;
About 65 percent of the global freshwater supply is used in (8) and 25 percent is used in
industry. Freshwater (9) therefore requires a reduction in wasteful practices like (10)
irrigation, reforms in agriculture and. industry, and strict pollution controls worldwide.
1. A. survive B. survived C. surviving D. survival
2. A. delivered B. distributed C. provided D. given
3. A. exist B. lie C. show D. stay
4. A. resources B. springs C. sources D. starting
5. A. increasing B. growing C. climbing D. ascending
6. A. growing B. miserable C. poverty D. developing
7. A. recharged B. discharged C. charged D. discharging
8. A. farming B. planting C. agriculture D. growing
9. A. reservation B. conservation C. preservation D. retention
10. A. ineffective B. illogical C. irrational D. inefficient
Part 2: Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap.
Health is something we tend to ignore when we have it. When our body is rather well, we are hardly
(1) of it. But illness can come, even (2) we are young. In fact, childhood has been a very
vulnerable time. Many (3) attacked children in particular and people knew very little about how
to prevent such illness or how to (4) them once they struck. The result was that many children
died. About a century ago, however, scientists found out about germs, and then everything (5) .
The cause of many diseases was known, and cures were developed. As medical knowledge spread, the
world became (6) safer for children. The result is that whereas a hundred years ago the average
man lived for 35 years. Nowadays, in many (7) of the world, people can expect to (8) for
years. And what do we expect by the year 2050? Undoubtedly, (9) science will continue to
advance. Some people will be able to (10) medical problems that are unavoidable today.
Part 3: Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer.
My lawyer, Mr. Turner, is the only man I know who has seen a ghost. He is a quite even-tempered
man whose life is spent I dealing with facts. He is the last person in the world to give away to fantasy.
He has a wife and two children of whom he is proud, takes a modest holiday abroad every year and
spends his Sundays gardening. He is knowledgeable about art and architecture, though he doesn‘t
pretend to be an expert by any means. It is, therefore, all the more surprising that he should be so
insistent about the ghost. It happened, so he says, like this:
He was traveling from London to the North of England by train. It was a misty November evening
and the train was half empty. In fact, for the first part of the journey Mr. Turner had the carriage to
himself and sat dozing over a newspaper. However, at the first stop a passenger jumped in, slamming
the door behind him. He seemed out of breath as if he had been running. He was a striking looking
young man with dark, bushy hair and bright intelligent eyes. He was dressed rather oddly in a long
waistcoat with silver buttons, tight trousers and an embroidered waistcoat. Mr. Turner did not pay
much attention to this because people wear all sorts of extravagant clothes these days and he had long
grown accustomed to them.
Presently, the two men got into conversation, as people do on long journeys. Mr. Turner was
interested to discover that the young man was very knowledgeable about art – in particular portraits.
His name, he said, was Joseph Hart, and he was on his way to visit an exhibition. It seemed that he
worked in a famous London Art Gallery – a picture restorer, perhaps, thought Mr. Turner, he seemed to
know a great deal about varnishes and paints, and even more about the subjects of certain portraits.
When Mr. Turner asked his opinion of the portrait of a famous judge by an artist he admired, his
companion laughed and said:
―
He‘s only a reproduction – a good one I agree but you can‘t talk to
a reproduction.‖ He spoke a though the person in the portrait were still living.
After a while the carriage got hot and steamy and Mr. Turner dropped off. He woke up just as the
train was drawing up at a junction with a grinding of brakes. His companion had disappeared.
A few days later, having returned to London, Mr. Turner found himself near the Art Gallery.
Moved by some impulse, he went in and inquired for Joseph Hart. The attendant directed him to a room
devoted to early nineteenth century portraits of well-known men. There was no one in the room and
Mr. Turner looked around him. Without knowing quite how he had got there, he found himself standing
in front of a full-length portrait of a young dark man in tight trousers and embroidered waistcoat. The
eyes smiled at him with a hint of amusement. The name-plate at the foot of the picture read: Joseph
Hart, Gentleman, 1800-1835.
1. What kind of person was Mr. Turner?
A. Imaginative B. Fantastic C. Sensible D. Insensitive
2. Although he was a lawyer, Mr. Turner .
A. pretended to know a lot about art. B. knew something about art.
C. pretended to take interest in art. D. intended to learn more about art.
3. When the passenger entered Mr. Turner‘s apartment, .
A. he was panting B. he was running
C. the train was just leaving D. the carriage was half-empty
4. The passenger‘s clothes didn‘t seem strange to Mr. Turner because _.
A. he was used to wearing strange clothes. B. he liked people who wore strange clothes.
C. everyone he knew wore strange clothes. D. he had seen a lot of people in strange clothes.
5. Mr. Turner thought the man might .
A. be an art dealer B. be an art expert
C. renew old pictures D. paint reproductions of old pictures
6. Why wouldn‘t the passenger give an opinion on the portrait of the judge?
A. The judge wasn‘t alive. B. The picture was copy.
C. The judge was still alive. D. He hadn‘t seen it.
7. When did Mr. Turner first realize that the passenger had gone?
A. Just before the train stopped B. After the train had stopped.
C. When the train started. D. When the train was leaving the station.
8. Why did Mr. Turner go into the Art Gallery?
Practice tests for the national examination for the
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Compiler: Ngô Minh
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A. He was walking past there. B. He had never been there before.
C. He has planned to do so. D. He suddenly decided to.
9. In the part of the Gallery that Mr. Turner was directed to .
A. there were a lot of pictures of unknown people. B. there were a lot of nineteenth century people.
C. no one else was looking at the pictures. D. he only saw one portrait.
10. When Mr. Turner looked at the portrait of Joseph Hart, .
A. he smiled at it B. he thought it smiled at him
C. he didn‘t recognize it D. he was amused
Part 4. Read the passage and do the tasks that follow.
Light Pollution is a threat to Wildlife, Safety and the Starry Sky
A After hours of driving south in the pitch-black darkness of the Nevada desert, a dome of hazy gold
suddenly appears on the horizon. Soon, a road sign confirms the obvious: Las Vegas 30 miles. Looking
skyward, you notice that the Big Dipper is harder to find than it was an hour ago.
B Light pollution - the artificial light that illuminates more than its intended target area - has become a
problem of increasing concern across the country over the past 15 years. In the suburbs, where over-lit
shopping mall parking lots are the norm, only 200 of the Milky Way‘s 2,500 stars are visible on a clear
night. Even fewer can be seen from large cities. In almost every town, big and small, street lights beam
just as much light up and out as they do down, illuminating much more than just the street. Almost 50
percent of the light emanating from street lamps misses its intended target, and billboards, shopping
centres, private homes and skyscrapers are similarly over-illuminated.
C America has become so bright that in a satellite image of the United States at night, the outline of
the country is visible from its lights alone. The major cities are all there, in bright clusters: New York,
Boston, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and, of course, Las Vegas. Mark Adams,
superintendent of the McDonald Observatory in west Texas, says that the very fact that city lights are
visible from on high is proof of their wastefulness.
―
When you‘re up in an airplane, all that light
you see on the ground from the city is wasted. It‘s going up into the night sky. That‘s why you can see
it.‖
D But don‘t we need all those lights to ensure our safety? The answer from light engineers, light
pollution control advocates and astronomers is an emphatic ―no.‖ Elizabeth Alvarez of the
International Dark Sky Association (IDA), a non-profit organization in Tucson, Arizona, says that
overly bright security lights can actually force neighbours to close the shutters, which means that if any
criminal activity does occur on the street, no one will see it. And the old assumption that bright lights
deter crime appears to have been a false one: A new Department of Justice report concludes that there
is no documented correlation between the level of lighting and the level of crime in an area. And
contrary to popular belief, more crimes occur in broad daylight than at night.
E For drivers, light can actually create a safety hazard. Glaring lights can temporarily blind drivers,
increasing the likelihood of an accident. To help prevent such accidents, some cities and states prohibit
the
use
of lig
hts
that impair night-time vision. For instance, New Hampshire law forbids the use of
―
any
light along a highway so positioned as to blind or dazzle the vision of travellers on the adjacent
highway.‖
F Badly designed lighting can pose a threat to wildlife as well as people. Newly hatched turtles in
Florida move toward beach lights instead of the more muted silver shimmer of the ocean. Migrating
birds, confused by lights on skyscrapers, broadcast towers and lighthouses, are injured, sometimes
fatally, after colliding with high, lighted structures. And light pollution harms air quality as well:
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Because most of the country‘s power plants are still powered by fossil fuels, more light means more air
pollution.
G So what can be done? Tucson, Arizona is taking back the night. The city has one of the best lighting
ordinances in the country, and, not coincidentally, the highest concentration of observatories in the
world. Kitt Peak National Optical Astronomy Observatory has 24 telescopes aimed skyward around the
city‘s perimeter, and its cadre of astronomers needs a dark sky to work with.
H For a while, that darkness was threatened.
―
We were totally losing the night sky,
‖
Jim Singleton of
Tucson‘s Lighting Committee told Tulsa, Oklahoma‘s KOTV last March. Now, after retrofitting
inefficient mercury lighting with
low-
sodium lights that block light from
―
trespassing
‖
into unwanted
areas like bedroom windows, and by doing away with some unnecessary lights altogether, the city is
softly glowing rather than brightly beaming. The same thing is happening in a handful of other states,
including Texas, which just passed a light pollution bill last summer.
―
Astronomers can get what they
need at the same time that citizens get what they need: safety, security and good visibility at night,‖
says McDonald Observatory‘s Mark Adams, who provided testimony at the hearings for the bill.
I And in the long run, everyone benefits from reduced energy costs. Wasted energy from inefficient
lighting costs us between $1 and $2 billion a year, according to IDA. The city of San Diego, which
installed new, high-efficiency street lights after passing a light pollution law in 1985, now saves about
$3 million a year in energy costs.
J Legislation isn‘t the only answer to light pollution problems. Brian Greer, Central Ohio
representative for the Ohio Light Pollution Advisory Council, says that education is just as important, if
not more so.
―
There are some special situations where regulation is the only fix
,‖
he says.
―
But the vast
majority of bad lighting is simply the result of not knowing any better.‖ Simple actions like replacing
old bulbs and fixtures with more efficient and better-designed ones can make a big difference in
preserving the night sky.
*The Big Dipper: a group of seven bright stars visible in the Northern Hemisphere.
Questions 1-5: The first six paragraphs of Reading Passage are lettered A-F. Choose the most
suitable headings for paragraphs A-F from the list of headings below.
NB There are more headings than paragraphs, so you will not use them all.
List of Headings
i Why lights are needed
ii Lighting discourages law breakers
iii The environmental dangers
iv People at risk from bright lights
v Illuminating space
vi A problem lights do not solve
vii Seen from above
viii More light than is necessary
ix Approaching the city
Example: Paragraph A ix
1. Paragraph B
2. Paragraph C
3. Paragraph D
4. Paragraph E
5. Paragraph F
Questions 6-10: Complete each of the following statements with words taken from the passage.
Write ONE or TWO WORDS for each answer.
6. According to a recent study, well-lit streets do not or make neighborhoods
safer to live in.
7. Inefficient lighting increases because most electricity is produced from
coal, gas or oil.
8. Efficient lights from going into areas where it is not needed.
9. In dealing with light pollution is at least as important as passing new laws.
10. In the future, people will reduced energy cost.
IV. WRITING
Part 1: Read the following extract and use your own words to summarize it. Your summary should
be about 80 words long. You MUST NOT copy the original.
Parents whose children show special interest in a particular sport have a difficult decision to make
about their children's careers. Should they allow their children to train to become top sportsmen and
women? For many children, it means starting very young and school work, going out with friends and
other interests have to take second place. It's very difficult to explain to a young child why he or she
has to train for five hours a day, even at the weekend, when most of his friends are playing.
Another problem is of course money. In many countries, money for training is available from the
government for the very best young sportsmen and women. If this help cannot be given, it means that it
is the parents who have to find the time and money to support their child‘s development - and sports
clothes, transport to competitions, special equipment etc… can all be very expensive.
Many parents are understandably worried that it is dangerous to start serious training in a sport at an
early age. Some doctors agree that young muscles may be damaged by training before they are properly
developed. Professional trainers, however, believe that it is only by starting young that you can reach
the top as a successful sports person. What is clear is that very few people reach the top and both
parents and children should be prepared for the failure even after many years of training.
Part 2: The line graph below gives information about the number of visitors to three London
museums between June and September 2013. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting
the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
Part 3: Some people think that the increasing use of computers and mobile phones in
communication has negative effects on young people’s reading and writing skills. To what extent do
you agree or disagree?
Write an essay of about 350 words to express your view. Use specific reasons and examples to support
your answer.
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