PRACTICE TEST 12 FOR THE 9TH GRADE STUDENTS

SECTION I. LISTENING
I. You are going to hear an interview with someone who started the activity known as “free
running”. Listen and answer questions by circling the appropriate letter A, B, or C.
1. Sebastine says that he does free running because
A. other activities became boring for him
B. it feels like a natural activities
C. it is an individual activity
2. What does Sebastine say about the danger of free running?
A. It is not as great as some people think.
B. Most free runners pay not attention to it.
C. It is reduced as much as possible
3. What does Sebastine say about his fear of heights?
A. People don’t believe that he has it
B. He always has to overcome it
C. It is not as great as it used to be.
4. What does Sebastine say about where free running can be done?
A. People’s opinions on this are changing.
B. his own opinions on this have changed
C. Some people have the wrong idea on this

II. Listen to a talk about the song “Happy Birthday” and fill in the gap.
The song was first called “Good Morning (1)..................................................
It was originally intended that (2)..................................would sing the song every morning.
The song then became known as Good Morning (3)..................................
Children began to sing the song with “Happy Birthday” words when they were
(4)................................
The song was sung with 'Happy Birthday' words in a (5).................................. in 1931 and then in
another one in 1934.
The legal situation concerning the song remains valid (6)..................................
The song is among the (7).................................. songs most frequently sung in English.
Money has to be paid for using the song in any (8).................................., eg a TV show, a toy, etc.
The Hill sisters set up (9)..................................that receives money for use of the song.
The song consists of just four (10)........................... but it is one of the most famous songs in the
world
SECTION II. PHONETICS
I. Choose one word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others.
1. A. float B. broad C. goat D. coat
2. A. office B. promise C. service D. expertise
3. A. black B. blade C. blad D. blank
4. A. suitable B. biscuit C. guilty D. building
5. A. naval B. canal C. fatal D. mammal
II. Choose one word whose stress pattern is different from that of the others.
1. A. competence B. comfortable C. compliment D. companion
2. A. delicious B. theory C. attractive D. alleviate
3. A. inevitable B. innovate C. innocent D. insecticide
4. A.contents B. dismal C. discontent D. decent
5. A. hygiene B. appointment C. remember D. neglect
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 SECTION III. GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY
I. Choose the best answer.
1. This film ……… several scenes which were very funny.
A. features B. pictures C. depicts D. illustrates
2. As the President was absent, I was asked to ……. the meeting.
A. officiate B. govern C. chair D. regulate
3. The product was withdrawn from sale because there was no longer any … for it.
A. call B. interest C. claim D. order
4. I had no chance to defend myself; the dog ……… for me as soon as I opened the door.
A. went B. ran C. fell D. stood
5. Please ………. a copy of your application form for at least six months.
A. return B. revise C. retai n D. refer
6. They turned down the proposal ………… that it didn’t fulfil their requirements.
A. by reason B. on the grounds C. as a cause D. allowing
7. Sales reached a ………… in June and then fell off.
A. climax B. summit C. peak D. height
8. Get him to sign the contract before he has second……………….
A. plans B. thoughts C. intentions D. ideas
9. Tim was ……. on causing mischief and nothing was going to stop him.
A. intent B. determined C. fixed D. obsessed
10. He muttered something under his …………, but I didn’t catch what he said.
A. mouth B. breath C. voice D. chin
11. If you’re at a(n) …… end, you could help me in the garden.
A. open B. free C. loose D. empty
12. This calculator has a number of ………. in the way it can be used.
A. reservations B. constrictions C. obstructions D. limitations
13. I could tell at a …………… that nothing had changed between Barbara and Edward.
A. glimpse B. blink C. wink D. glance
14. The new road currently under …… will solve the traffic problems in the town.
A. design B. progress C. construction D. work
15. I must go to bed early tonight; I sat up till the …….. hours to finish that report.
A. small B. late C. deep D. last

II. The following passage contains 10 mistakes. Underline them in the passage and correct them
in the space provided below. The first has been done as an example.
Traditional, 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 requiring by a 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, vocational aptitude tests can help you decide whether you would do better like a mechanic
or musician. However, all mental tests are, in some senses, achievement tests because they
assumption some sort of past learning or experience that we have gained with certainly objects,
words, or situations. The difference between achievement and aptitude tests is the degree and
intentional use.
0. Traditional  Traditionally

Your answer
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 1…………………………………… 6………………………………….

2……………………………..……. 7………………………………….

3…………………………………… 8……………………………………

4…………………………………… 9……………………………………

5…………………………………… 10…………………………………..

III. Use the correct form of the word in the box to fit each gap.
It is strange but true that some of the most important scientific discoveries of the past hundred
years have only gained (1. ACCEPT) ___________ because someone eminent in the field took an
interest in a theory, while progress in other fields has at times been delayed for years because no one
is possessing the (2. EXPERT) ______ to evaluate a theory was prepared to take it seriously.
1905 saw the (3. PUBLISH) _____ of a theory now known as the Theory of Relativity by a
Young man called Albert Einstein. The (4. RESPONSE) ______ of the scientific community was one
of total indifference until the distinguished German physicist, Max Planck, noticed it. Historians
today believe that his (5. PATRON) ______ of Einstein was crucial to the theory being accepted.
Several years later, Einstein put forward his new theory of general relativity. A renowned
physicist, Eddington, produced measurements that (6. APPEAR) _______ confirmed Eistein’s
predictions. It is now known, however, that Eddington was highly (7. SELECT) ______ in the result
she published, ignoring any that did not prove the theory.
Einstein was eventually proved right though at first he was the (8. BENEFIT) _____ of doubtful
research, only accepted because of the reputation of the man who presented it.
The conclusion is that where only a (9. HAND) _____ of people in the world possess the (10.
QUALIFY) _____ to understand a theory, the rest of us must rely on their opinion until one of them
can demonstrate that the others are mistaken.

Your answer:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

SECTION IV. READING COMPREHENSION

I. Fill in the numbered space with the most appropriate word
Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, summed up the (1)............chief qualities of money some 2,000
years ago. It must be lasting and easy to recognize, to divide, and to carry about. In (2)............ words,
it must be, “durable, distinct, divisible and portable”. When we think of money today, we picture it
(3)............ as round, flat pieces of metal which we call coins, or as printed paper notes. But there are
still parts of the world today where coins and notes are of (4)............ use. They will buy nothing, and
a traveler might starve as he has none of the particular local “money” to exchange for food.
Among isolated peoples, who are not often reached by traders from outside, commerce usually
means barter. There is a (5)............exchange of goods. Perhaps it is fish for vegetables, meat for
gram, or various kinds of food (6)............ exchange for pots, baskets, or other manufactured goods.
For this kind of simple trading, money is (7)............ needed, but there is often some thing that
everyone wants and everybody can use, such as salt to flavour food, shells for ornaments, or iron and
copper to make into tools and vessels. These things - salt, shells or metals are still used as money in
out-of-the -way parts of the world today.
Salt may seem rather a strange substance to use as money, but in countries (8)............the food of
the people is mainly vegetable, it is often (9)............ absolute necessity. Cakes of salt, stamped to
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show their value, were used as money in Tibet (10)............ recent times, and cakes of salt will still
buy goods in Borneo and parts of Africa.
Cowrie sea shells have been used as money at some time or another over the greater part of the
Old World. These were (11)............ mainly from the beaches of the Maldive Islands in the Indian
Ocean, and were traded to India and China. In Africa, cowries were traded right across the continent
from East to West. Four or five thousand went for one Maria Theresa dollar, an Austrian silver coin
which was once accepted (12)............currency in many parts of Africa.
Metal, valued by weight, preceded coins in many parts of the world. Iron, in lumps, bars or rings
is still used in many countries (13)............of money. It can be exchanged for goods or made into
tools, weapons or ornaments. The early money of China, (14)............from shells, was of bronze, often
in flat, round pieces with a hole in the (15)............ called “cash”. The earliest of these are between
three thousand and four thousand years old older than the earliest coins of the eastern Mediterranean.

III. Heading and summary

THE MUANG FAAI IRRIGATION SYSTEM OF NORTHERN THAILAND
Section 1
Northern Thailand consists mainly of long mountain chains interspersed with valley bottoms
where streams and rice fields dominate the landscape. Most of the remaining forests of the North are
found at higher altitudes. The forests ensure regular seasonal rainfall for the whole area and at the
same time moderate run-off, so that there is water throughout the year.
Section 2
The lowland communities have developed an agricultural system adapted to, and partially
determining, the distinctive ecosystems of their areas. Practising wet-rice agriculture in the valley-
bottoms, the lowlanders also raise pigs, ducks and chickens and cultivate vegetable gardens in their
villages further up the slopes. Rice, beans, corn and native vegetables are planted in hill fields above
the villages, and wild vegetables and herbal medicines are gathered and wild game hunted in the
forests higher up the hillsides. The forests also serve as grazing grounds for cows and buffalos, and
are a source of wood for household utensils, cooking fuel, construction and farming tools. Fish are to
be found in the streams and in the irrigation system and wet-rice fields, providing both food and pest
control.
Section 3
In its essentials, a muang faai system consists of a small reservoir which feeds an intricate,
branching network of small channels carrying water in carefully calibrated quantities through clusters
of rice terraces in valley bottoms. The system taps into a stream above the highest rice field and,
when is sufficient water, discharges back into the same stream at a point below the bottom field. The
water in the reservoir at the top, which is diverted a main channel (lam muang) and from there into
the different fields, is slowed or held back not by an impervious dam, but by a senes of barriers
constructed of bunches of bamboo or saplings which allow silt, soil and sand to pass through.
Section 4
Water from the lam muang is measured out among the farmers to the extent of their rice field
and the amount of water available from the main channel. Also considered are the height of the
fields, their distance from the main channel and their soil type. The size and depth of side-channels
are then adjusted so that only the allocated amount of water flows into each farmer's field.
Section 5
Rituals and beliefs connected with muang faai reflect the villagers submission to, respect for,
and friendship with nature, rather than an attempt to master it. In mountains, forests, watersheds and
water, villagers see things of great value and power. This power has a favourable aspect, and one that
benefits humans. But at the same time, if certain boundaries are overstepped and nature is damaged,
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 the spirits will punish humans. Therefore, when it is necessary to use nature for the necessities of life,
villagers take care to inform the spirits what they intend to do, simultaneously begging pardon for
their actions.
Section 6
Keeping a muang faai system going demands cooperation and collective management,
sometimes within a single village, sometimes across three or four different subdistricts including
many villages. The rules of common agreements arrived at during the yearly meeting amount to a
social contract. They govern how water is to be distributed, how flow is to be distributed according to
seasonal schedules, how barriers are to be maintained and channels dredged, how conflicts over
water use are to be settled, and the forest around the reservoir is to be preserved as a guarantee of a
steady water supply and a source of materials to repair the system
Section 7
The fundamental principle of water rights under muang faai is that everyone in the system must
get enough to survive; while many patterns of distribution are possible, none can violate this basic
tenet. On the whole, the systems also rest on the assumption that local water is common property. No
one can take control of it by force, and it must be used in accord with the communal agreements.
Although there are inequalities in landholding, no one has the right to an excessive amount of fertile
land. The way in which many muang faai systems expand tends to reinforce further the claims of
community security over those of individual entrepreneuship. In the gradual process of opening up
new land and digging connecting channels, each local household often ends up with scattered
holdings over the whole irrigation areas. Unlike modern irrigation systems, under which the most
powerful people generally end up closest to the sources of water, this arrangement encourages
everyone to take care that no part of the system is unduly favoured or neglected.

The reading passage has 7 sections. Choose the most suitable heading for each section from the list of
headings (A - L) below. Write the appropriate letter (A - L) in the space provided.
N.B There are more headings than sections, so you will not use all of them.

List of Headings
A. Rituals and beliefs
B. Topography of Northern Thailand
C. The forests of Northern Thailand
D. Preserving the system
E. Agricultural practices
F. Village life
G. Water distribution principles
H. Maintaining natural balances
I. Structure of the irrigation system
J. User’s rights
K. User’s obligations
L. Community control
Example: Section 1: B
1. Section 2: ..................
2. Section 3: ..................
3. Section 4: ..................
4. Section 5: ..................
5. Section 6: ..................
6. Section 7: ..................
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The chart below illustrates the agricultural system of the lowland communities. Select words from
the reading passage to fill the spaces in the chart. Use UP TO THREE WORDS for each space.
Write your answers in the blank.

Area Activity
Forests grazing cows, buffalo
Forests gathering (7).............................. hunting wild animals
Hill fields cultivating (8).............................
Villages raising (9)................................ cultivating vegetables.
Valley bottom growing (10)............................
SECTION V. WRITING
Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it is as similar as possible in meaning to
the sentence printed before it.
1. No- one has challenged his authority before.
This is the first time………………………………………………………
2. You’ll certainly meet lots of people in your new job..
You are………………………………………..
3. I left without saying goodbye as I didn’t want to disturb the meeting.
Rather……………………………………………..
4. We weren’t surprised by his success.
It came ………………………………………………………….
5. The plan may be ingenious, but it will never work in practice.
Ingenious ………………………………………………………………………….
Rewrite the sentences below using the words in brackets without changing their original form.

6. I always think about transport costs when job hunting (CONSIDERATION)

I always …………………………………………………………when job hunting.
7. Jenny's birthday is on the same day as the Queen's (COINCIDES)
Jenny's ………………………………………………………………………Queen's
8. The young actress was very nervous before the audition (BUTTERFLIES)
The young actress ……………………………………………… before the audition
9. Don't pay any attention when she complains (NOTICE)
Don't ……………………………………………………………………… complaints.
10. Anne has decided to buy fewer clothes from now on (CUT)
Anne has decided to ………………………………………………from now on

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