PRACTICE TEST 29

USE OF ENGLISH
I. Choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D) that best completes each sentence.
1 When the boss said that the company was going to close and we would all lose our jobs, it came as a
complete _____ to everyone.
A. delight B. appeal C. shock D. interest
2 He said it was out of the _____ for me to take a holiday during the forthcoming inspection.
A. question B. order C. answer D. subject
3 Who do you _____ better with, your mother or your father?
A. get on B. grow up C. move in D. talk at
4 She was completely taken by surprise when he suddenly got down on one knee and _____ to her.
A. requested B. appealed C. invited D. proposed
5 They _____ against going out for the day as the weather was appalling.
A. chose B. opted C. decided D. determined
6 He was _____ by the news that his brother had been arrested by the police.
A. lost B. stunned C. anxious D. knocked
7 They managed to _____ her to join them that weekend.
A. agree B. persuade C. invite D. suggest
8 I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to _____ your feelings.
A. injure B. break C. bruise D. hurt
9 They asked me whether I would prefer to _____ line dancing or salsa.
A. make B. play C. do D. dance
10 When he was given the chance to take _____ a musical instrument at school, he opted for the
trombone.
A. up B. on C. over D. in
11. ______ goes the bus; now we will have to walk!
A. On time B. At once C. There D. early
12. I still see my old classmates now and ______.
A. occasionally B. then C. sometimes D. here
13. Everyone was going away on holiday this week, ______?
A. wasn’t it B. wasn’t he C. weren’t they D. wasn’t she
14. For a short while, I managed to catch ______ of the president entering the palace.
A. vision B. notice C. view D. sight
15. How can the boss act ______ nothing had happened?
A. therefore B. so C. if D. as though
16. Don't worry about trying to catch the last train home, as we can easily ______ you up for the night.
A. keep B. put C. take D. set
17. The ground is wet. It ______ last night.
A. must rain B. must have rained C. have rained D. was raining
18. ______ the phone rang later that night did Tom remember the appointment.
A. No sooner B. Only C. Not until D. Just before
19. He ______ a rare disease when he was working in the hospital.
A. took B. suffered C. infected D. caught
20. Harry’s poor performance in the test ______ nerves.
A. was put down to B. was put up with C. put down to D. put up with

II. Read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of each line to form a word that
fits in the gap in the same line
WILD ANIMALS
Wild animals have (0) recently made an appearance in the back gardens of RECENT
American suburbs. They have caused havoc and have (1) ____________ THREAT

  1  
domestic pets.

Mountain lions that wander into suburbs are now quite (2) ____________ to WILL
attack humans, while bears and wolves have (3) ____________ discovered APPARENT
rubbish bins. If you find the (4) ____________ of your bin scattered all over the CONTAIN
garden one morning, there is a distinct (5) ____________ that a bear has been POSSIBLE
feasting there during the night.

Nobody should be particularly surprised by this (6) ____________, which was DEVELOP
predicted by experts years ago and it's not (7) ____________ under the EXPECT
circumstances. One cause is the massive expansion of (8) ____________ into HOUSE
areas that were wild and uninhabited not long ago. In (9) ____________, over ADD
the past few decades a large number of (10) ____________ have been placed RESTRICT
on hunting certain animals, allowing their populations to grow.

III. Fill in each gap with one suitable preposition.

1. Mr Johnson is __________ charge __________ the company’s marketing department.
2. People who systematically cheat the tax system will one day be __________ trouble __________ the
Tax Department.
3. The doctor insisted that I should be given a thorough check-up just to be __________ the safe side
4. The children wandered around the neighbourhood __________ search __________ their lost dog.
5. Nobody would want to be __________ his shoes with all those debts he has to pay off.
6. After weeks of hard work, Kevin was confident he was finally __________ top __________ the
situation.
7. Congratulations Rodney! I'm so happy __________ you and your wife.
8. I would be more than happy to provide you __________ our company's catalogue.
9. We supply all major companies __________ our products.
10. She takes great pride __________ her work. That's why she's the best __________ her field.
11. The government will provide housing __________ the homeless.
12. You shouldn't be proud __________ yourself. What you did was wrong!
13. The government supplied food and medicine __________ the victims of the hurricane.
14. The journalist was praised __________ his report __________ the starving children of Africa.

IV. Fill in each gap with one suitable particle.

1 While cleaning the basement, I came __________ something I thought I had lost years ago.
2 Joe came __________ a lot of money, which changed his life completely.
3 Why doesn’t Julie come __________ __________ our place anymore?
4 The scientists took months to come __________ __________ a solution to their problem.
5 Richard came __________ __________ a bad cold the day before his exams.
6 It took the woman a few minutes to come __________ after she had fainted.

V. There are ten mistakes in the following text. Find, UNDERLINED and write the correction in the
corresponding lines.
The world's natural and cultural heritage is disappearing fastly Example: fastly à fast
but UNESCO’s United Nations organisation is working hard to …………………à ………………
preserve them. UNESCO has created a list of 730 places, …………………à ………………
known as World Heritage sites. The sites on this list should be …………………à ………………
actively protected with all governments. Cultural sites on this list …………………à ………………
include the Taj Mahal, the best-known building in India, the live …………………à ………………
Islamic centre of Marrakesh, and the Statue of Liberty, the …………………à ………………
extremely impressive gift from the people of France to the …………………à ………………

  2  
people of the United States. The World Heritage list also …………………à ………………
includes natural reserve, such as the Galapagos Islands, a …………………à ………………
place where at one time had hardly any tourists but is now in …………………à ………………
danger of being destroying by them. UNESCO works well and …………………à ………………
without it the future of many fascinated Heritage sights would …………………à ………………
look bleak, because it is worrying that for political reasons some …………………à ………………
countries, as the USA and the UK, have withdrawn from full …………………à ………………
membership. …………………à ………………

READING
I. Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
POLAR BEARS
Polar bears are in (0) ______ of dying out. (1) ______ some other endangered animals, it's not hunters that
are the problem, it's climate change. Since 1979,the ice cap at the Arctic Circle where the polar bears live
has (2) ______ in size by about 30 per cent. The temperature in the Arctic has slowly been (3) ______ and
this is (4) ______ the sea ice to melt, endangering the polar bears' home.

The polar bears' main (5) ______ of food are the different types of seal found in the Arctic. They catch them
by waiting next to the air holes the seals have (6) ______ in the ice. (7) ______ the bears are very strong
swimmers, they could never catch seals in the water. This means that the bears (8) ______ do rely on the
ice to hunt.

Polar bears also need sea ice to travel. They can (9) ______ a huge territory and often swim from one part
of the ice to another. They have been (10) ______ to swim up to 100 km, but when there is less ice, they
may have to swim further and this can (11) ______ fatal to the bears. A number of bears have drowned in
the last few years and scientists believe that it is because they were not able to (12) ______ more sea ice
before they became too tired and couldn't swim any further.

0. A. threat B. risk C. danger D. warning

1. A. Opposite B. Compared C. Unlike D. Different
2. A. cut B. reduced C. shortened D. lost
3. A. lifting B. gaining C. advancing D. rising
4. A. resulting B. turning C. causing D. creating
5. A. sources B. means C. origins D. materials
6. A. placed B. set C. brought D. made
7. A. Even B. Although C. As D. Despite
8. A. really B. properly C. surely D. fully
9. A. pass B. extend C. cover D. spread
10. A. learnt B. noticed C. known D. experienced
11. A. prove B. happen C. come D. end
12. A. achieve B. land C. get D. reach

II. Read the text below and think of ONE word which best fits each gap.
SCIENTISTS EXPLAIN EXCITEMENT OF CHILDREN
The reason children become more excited than adults at receiving gifts has (0) identified by scientists.
They found that the areas of the brain involved in processing rewards were far more active in younger
people (1) __________ they received a prize. This explained why children found (2) __________ almost
impossible to contain (3) __________ excitement on birthdays.

(4) __________ team from the US National Institute of Mental Health used scans to study (5) __________
parts of the brain were stimulated when rewards (6) __________ presented to participants. Younger people
showed more activity in key brain areas while they viewed a video game (7) __________ received money.
  3  
Dopamine, a chemical that carries messages between brain cells, is believed (8) __________ act as a
'currency' in the brain's reward processing areas. However, the brain's dopamine system declines with age.
The study suggested that this is (9) __________ receiving presents feels less thrilling as people
(10) __________ older.

The scientists say that targeting these dopamine mechanisms may help in the development
(11) __________ ways of treating various disorders of the reward system, (12) __________ as pathological
gambling and drug addiction

III. Read an article about a method for finding your way called 'natural navigation. Choose the
answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
NATURAL NAVIGATION
Max Davidson learns how to find his way using only stars, sun, trees and wind

'Take the Circle, District or Piccadilly Line to South Kensington, then walk up Exhibition Road. It will take
you between 10 and 15 minutes. The Royal Geographical Society is on the junction between Exhibition
Road and Kensington Gore: The instructions are so idiot-proof that at 9 am precisely all seven of us are in
our places, like expectant schoolchildren.

A man in a check suit, with a neatly trimmed beard, enters and introduces himself. 'Tristan Gooley.
Welcome: He flashes a shy smile. 'Just to put this all into context, I think I can safely say that you are the
only people in the world studying this particular topic today: It is quite an intro. There are a few oohs and
ahs from the audience. Tristan Gooley, navigator extraordinary, has his audience in the palm of his hand.
We are here because we are curious about how you get from A to B. And if you are curious about how to
get from A to B, who better to ask than Tristan Gooley? He is the only man alive who has both flown and
sailed solo across the Atlantic. You can't argue with that sort of CV.

'Natural navigation', his new baby, is exactly what that phrase suggests: route-finding that depends on
interpreting natural signs - the sun, the stars, the direction of the wind, the alignment of the trees- rather
than using maps, compasses or the ubiquitous satnav. 'Of course, 99.9 per cent of the time, you will have
other ways of finding wherever it is you want to get to. But if you don't ...' Gooley pauses theatrically, 'there
is a lot to be said for understanding the science of navigation and direction-finding. If people become too
dependent on technology, they can lose connection with nature, which is a pity:

The natural navigator's best friend, inevitably, is the sun. We all know that it rises in the east, sets in the
west and, at its zenith, is due south. But if it is, say, three in the afternoon and you are lost in the desert,
how do you get your bearings? The answer, says Gooley, is to find a stick. By noting the different places
where its shadow falls over a short period of time, you will quickly locate the east-west axis. 'The sun
influences things even if you can't see it: he explains. You might not be in the desert, but walking along a
forest track in Britain. One side of the track is darker in colour than the other. 'Ah-ha!' thinks the natural
navigator. 'It is darker because it is damper, which means it is getting less sun, because it is shaded by the
trees, which means that south is that way: You can now stride confidently southwards – or in whichever
direction you wish to head - without fiddling with a map.

As the day wears on, the detective work forces us to look at the world in new and unexpected ways. Just
when we think we are getting the hang of it, Gooley sets us a particularly difficult task. A photograph of a
house comes up on the screen. An orange sun is peeping over the horizon behind the house. There is a
tree in the foreground. 'Just study the picture for a few minutes: Gooley says, 'and tell me in which direction
the photographer is pointing the camera: Tricky. Very tricky. Is the sun rising or setting? Is the tree growing
straight up or leaning to the right? Is that a star winkling over the chimney? Are we in the northern or

  4  
southern hemisphere? 'Southeast: I say firmly, having analysed the data in minute detail. 'Not quite: 'Am I
close?' 'Not really. The answer is northwest.’ Ah well. Only 180 degrees out.

Still, if I am bottom of the class, I have caught the natural navigation bug. What a fascinating science, both
mysterious and universal. It is hardly what you would call a practical skill: there are too many man-made
aids to navigation at our disposal. But it connects us, thrillingly, to the world around us - and to those long-
dead ancestors who circled the globe with nothing but stars to guide them. It reminds us what it means to
be human.

1. What is the writer's main point in the first paragraph?

A. that the Royal Geographical Society was easy for all of them to find
B. that the route to the Royal Geographical Society might sound complicated
C. that all of them wanted to arrive at the Royal Geographical Society on time
D. that they did not need instructions to find the Royal Geographical Society
2. What does the writer say about Tristan Gooley in the second paragraph?
A. He was different from what he had expected.
B. He began in an impressive way.
C. He had always wanted to meet him.
D. He seldom gave talks to the public.
3. What does Tristan Gooley say about 'natural navigation'?
A. It can be more accurate than using technology.
B. It is quite a complicated skill to master.
C. It should only be used in emergency situations.
D. It is not required most of the time.
4. According to Gooley, the use of a stick which he explains
A. only works in the desert.
B. involves more than one piece of information.
C. works best at particular times of the day.
D. may surprise some people.
5. The example of walking along a forest track illustrates
A. the fact that the sun may not be important to finding your way.
B. the difference between the desert and other locations.
C. the advantage of learning natural navigation.
D. the relationship between natural navigation and other skills.
6. What does 'it' in the phrase 'getting the hang of it' in paragraph 5 refer to?
A. something unexpected
B. the day
C. a particular problem
D. natural navigation
7. What does the writer say about the task involving a photograph?
A. It was not as simple as it first appeared.
B. He needed more information in order to do it successfully.
C. He became more confused the longer he spent on it.
D. He was not surprised to hear that his answer was wrong.
8. The writer's attitude towards natural navigation is that
A. it would take a long time to be good at it.
B. it is a valuable skill in the modern world.
C. it is only likely to appeal to a certain kind of person.
D. it is exciting but not very useful

  5  
WRITING
Complete each of the following sentences in such a way that it is closest in meaning to the original
one. Use the word given. Do not alter it in any way.
1. Why didn't you tell me I was wrong? TOLD
You __________________________________________________________________ I was wrong.
2. She found the photographs when she was cleaning her room. CAME
She__________________________________________________ when she was cleaning her room.
3. How many portraits did Picasso paint? BY
How many portraits _________________________________________________________ Picasso.
4. Jim and Peter will probably start their own business soon. LIKELY
Jim and Peter ________________________________________________ their own business soon.
5. 'Please don't stay out late: his mother said. ASKED
His mother ________________________________________________________________ out late.
6. I'd rather not go out this afternoon. FEEL
I ________________________________________________________________ out this afternoon.
7. I must go to the shops because we've run out of tea at home. LEFT
I must go to the shops because there's _________________________________________ at home.
8. Not many people predicted the result of the race. MANAGED
Only __________________________________________________________ the result of the race.
9. Penny was unwilling to admit that the accident had been her fault. BLAME
Penny was _________________________________________________________ for the accident.
10. Joe was very surprised to see Melanie walk into the room. TAKEN
Joe ____________________________________________________ Melanie walked into the room.

  6  
LISTENING

  7