PRACTICE TEST 2

SECTION A: LISTENING
I. You will hear a radio discussion about children who invent imaginary friends. For
questions 1-5, choose the correct 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.
tB. 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.
tC. 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?
tA. 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.
tC. they want something that they cannot be given.
D. they want something that other children haven’t got.
5. According to Karen, how should parents react to imaginary friends?
A. They should pretend that they like the imaginary friend.
tB. They shouldn’t get involved in the child’s relationship with the friend.
C. They should take action if the situation becomes annoying.
D. They shouldn’t discuss the imaginary friend with their child.
II. Listen to a piece of news about eating protein and complete the summary below. Write
NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER for each gap.
People in poor countries might suffer from protein (1) __malnutrition____, but the rest of
us, even those who eat (2) ____vegan__ food, are consuming more of it than the suggested
daily consumption of (3) ___46______ grams for women and (4) ___56______ grams for
men.
One (5) __consumer research ____ company, after researching for over (6) ____25__ years,
claims that most (7) _____Americans_________ are simultaneously eating more protein
and fewer (8)__carbs ___, taking (9) __beef jerky___ to the gym and carrying protein
snacks in their cars, fearing they might (10) “____crash_______”.

SECTION B: GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY

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I. Choose the word or phrase which best completes each sentence.
1. Before their restoration, parts of the medieval building were in a state of ………...
A. debris B. dilapidation  C. devastation D. destruction
2. As to your spending the night with us, let’s ………… on that.
A. in person B. take in C. take a rain check D. take up
3. What are you going to do when all your money ……………?
A. runs down B. runs deep C. runs dry D. runs short
4. Fred says that his present job does not provide him with enough ……… for his organising
ability.
A. scope B. space C. capacity D. range
5. I can’t tell you the exact amount, but I can give you a …………. estimate.
A. smooth B. tidy C. rough D. similar
6. ………… benefits include a new car and free health insurance.
A.Well B.Fringe C.Edge D.Verge
7. They lived in a thatched cottage in a ……… village in the heart of the English countryside.
A. dense B. conventional C. lush D.quaint
8. 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
9. That sofa would ………nicely for the living room.
A. match B. pass C. fit D. do
10. John and Sarah lived in the back of……… and it always took us a whole day to drive
there.
A. the country B. isolation C. nowhere D.beyond

II.Complete each of the following sentences with a suitable verb.

1. You should …weigh… up the pros and cons carefully before buying a second- hand car.
2. The group …rounded…off the concert with their greatest hits. So everyone went home
happy.
3. This watch used to belong to my great-great- grandfather. It’s been …passed…. down
from father to son for five generations.
4. My karate instructor always …picks.…. out Robert to demonstrate techniques as he’s the
best in the class.
5. I’ve got to drive, so I think I’d better …stick… to orange juice, thanks all the same.
6. There was so much snow that our village was completely …cut… off and food had to be
brought in by helicopter.
7. What made Peter …walk… out on his family and his job? Where did he go and why?
8. Before the exam, I have to …brush.… up on the subject. I haven’t studied accounting for a
long time.
9. Somebody broke into the shop and …made… off with several TVs and videos.
10. The article presents facts that …run…… counter to what many of us believed had
happened.

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III. Use the right form of the word in brackets to complete each sentence.
1. Thieves dressed as police …overpowered… guards at a Boston museum. (POWER)
2. The pipes in the house started rusting, ……colored…… the water. (COLOUR)
3. The oil spill has caused …incalculable…… damage to the environment. (CALCULATE)
4. The …precocious…… child is very knowledgeable and speaks like an adult. (PRECOCITY)
5. Lisa is very ……photogenic… She always manages to look good in photographs. (PHOTO)
6. Attempts to communicate in a foreign language can easily …misfire…. (FIRE)
7. My friend is unbelievably self- centered and arrogant. He’s a complete …egoist…… (EGO)
8. Tom has to drink ……decaffeinated…… coffee because of his illness. (CAFFEIN)
9. At schools, the teachers are ………besieged………. by the urgent needs of a large number
of children clamoring for attention, and the frequent overcrowding of classrooms. (SIEGE)
10. The president…erroneously………….drew his conclusions from that ill- founded evidence.
(ERR)

SECTIONC: READING COMPREHENSION

I.Read the following text and choose from the list A-J given below the best phrase to fill
each of the spaces. Each correct phrase may only be used once. Some of the suggested
answers do not fit at all.
THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE
Over the centuries, language has enabled humans to share complex information. This
wondrous ability eventually gave us the power(1)…J... . Imagine if people couldn't pass on
certain types of information, such as what is required for building a wheel, without having
(2).....H.... . The concept might even die out and have to be re-invented by each new
generation. With language, the concept of a wheel can spread very fast, and the original
idea can be modified and improved on, time and again, until people are able (3)……G... .
Nobody knows how the human ability (4)…B…... . There are many different yet interesting
theories. Some linguists think it came about because of people's need to co-operate with
each other in order to hunt large animals. A group of humans communicating with each
other would have a better chance of killing a large, potentially dangerous animal such as a
mammoth. Other linguists believe that language stems from a desire (5)…I... . They see it as
a re-enforcement of physical gesture. And others again attribute speech to the same spark
of creativity that caused our distant ancestors (6)……E... . Most linguists, however, now
believe that it is an innate ability, a natural result of the development of the human brain,
much like the spider's natural ability to spin webs or the dolphin's ability (7)...C.... .
A to support this theory developed
B to use language originated
C to use high-pitched sounds to judge distances
D to draw animals on cave walls
E to learn any language perfectly
F to manipulate and control people
G to develop wheels with tyres and spokes
H to laboriously demonstrate the technique
I to express their ideas
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 J to dominate the world
II.Read the following passage and do as instructed.
NETWORKING

Networking as a concept has acquired what is in all truth an unjustified air of modernity
(1). It is considered in the corporate world as an essential tool for the modern
businessperson, as they trot round the globe drumming up business for themselves or a
corporation. The concept is worn like a badge of distinction, and not just in the business
world. (2)
People can be divided basically into those who keep knowledge and their personal
contacts to themselves, and those who are prepared to share what they know and
indeed their friends with others (3). A person who is insecure, for example someone who
finds it difficult to share information with others and who is unable to bring people,
including friends, together does not make a good networker (4) . The classic networker is
someone who is strong enough within themselves to connect different people including
close friends with each other. For example, a businessman or an academic may meet
someone who is likely to be a valuable contact in the future, but at the moment that
person may benefit from meeting another associate or friend.

It takes quite a secure person to bring these people together and allow a relationship to
develop independently of himself. From the non-networker's point of view such a
development may be intolerable, especially if it is happening outside their control. The
unfortunate thing here is that the initiator of the contact, if he did but know it, would be
the one to benefit most. And why?Because all things being equal, people move within
circles and that person has the potential of being sucked into ever growing spheres of new
contacts. It is said that, if you know eight people, you are in touch with everyone in the
world. It does not take much common sense to realize the potential for any kind of venture
as one is able to draw on the experience of more and more people.

Unfortunately, making new contacts, business or otherwise, while it brings success, does
cause problems. It enlarges the individual's world. This is in truth not altogether a bad
thing, but it puts more pressure on the networker through his having to maintain an ever
larger circle of people. The most convenient way out is, perhaps, to cull old contacts, but
this would be anathema to our networker as it would defeat the whole purpose of
networking. Another problem is the reaction of friends and associates. Spreading oneself
thinly gives one less time for others who were perhaps closer to one in the past. In the
workplace, this can cause tension with jealous colleagues, and even with superiors who
might be tempted to rein in a more successful inferior. Jealousy and envy can prove to be
very detrimental if one is faced with a very insecure manager, as this person may seek to
stifle someone's career or even block it completely.

The answer here is to let one's superiors share in the glory; to throw them a few crumbs of

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comfort. It is called leadership from the bottom. In the present business climate,
companies and enterprises need to co-operate with each other in order to expand. As
globalization grows apace, companies need to be able to span not just countries but
continents. Whilst people may rail against this development it is for the moment here to
stay. Without co-operation and contacts, specialist companies will not survive for long.
Computer components, for example, need to be compatible with the various machines on
the market and to achieve this, firms need to work in conjunction with others. No business
or institution can afford to be an island in today's environment. In the not very distant past,
it was possible for companies to go it alone, but it is now more difficult to do so.

The same applies in the academic world, where ideas have been jealously guarded. The
opening-up of universities and colleges to the outside world in recent years has been of
enormous benefit to industry and educational institutions. The stereotypical academic is
one who moves in a rarefied atmosphere living a life of sometimes splendid isolation, a
prisoner of their own genius. This sort of person does not fit easily into the mould of the
modern networker. Yet even this insular world is changing. The ivory towers are being left
ever more frequently as educational experts forge links with other bodies; sometimes to
stunning effect as in Silicon Valley in America and around Cambridge in England, which now
has one of the most concentrated clusters of high tech companies in Europe.

It is the networkers, the wheeler-dealers, the movers and shakers, call them what you will,
that carry the world along. The world of the Neanderthals was shaken between 35,000 and
40,000 BC; they were superseded by Homo Sapiens with the very 'networking' skills that
separate us from other animals: understanding, thought abstraction and culture, which are
inextricably linked to planning survival and productivity in humans. It is said the meek will
inherit the earth. But will they?
YES if the statement agrees with the writer's claims

  NO if the statement contradicts the writer's claims

  NOT GIVEN if there is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

Questions 1-5:
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?

1. Networking is not a modern idea. Y

2. Networking is worn like a badge exclusively in the business world. N
3. People fall into two basic categories. Y
4. A person who shares knowledge and friends makes a better networker than one who
does not. Y
5. The classic networker is physically strong and generally in good health. NG

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Questions 6-10:
Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage, complete the sentences below.
6. Making new acquaintances ..brings success....................... but also has its disadvantages.
7. At work, problems can be caused if the manager is .....very insecure............ .
8.  A manager can suppress, or even totally ............block........ the career of an employee.
9. In business today, working together is necessary in order for ...companies and
enterprises................. to grow.
10. Businesses that specialize will not last for long without ......co-operation and
contacts................

Questions 11-15:
Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage, answer the questions below.
11. In which sphere of life have ideas been protected jealously?
 The academic world
12.  Which type of individual does not easily become a modern networker?
 Stereotypical academic
13. Where is one of the greatest concentrations of high tech companies in Europe?
 Cambridge
14.  Who replaced the Neanderthals?
 Homo Sapiens
15. What, as well as understanding and thought abstraction, sets us apart from other
animals?
 culture
III.Write one word in each gap.

TEENAGERS AND TELEVISION

Until very recently, teenagers have been hooked (1) ………on……… television. Parents have
worried that their children are becoming fat, lazy (2) ………couch……… potatoes, and
teenagers seem to have preferred watching TV to almost any other activity in the home.
Except perhaps sleeping. But no more! According to the latest statistics, teenagers have (3)
……turned… off TV and are turning off (4) ……in……… droves. Given the choice between TV
and the Internet, it’s clear what most teens prefer. The Internet (5) …fulfils…… an
interactive, social need that TV doesn’t. Teenagers at a (6) …loose…… end in their bedrooms
can (7) ……hang…out with their mates in cyberspace. As websites such as MySpace have (8)
…taken…… off, teenagers have been (9) …only…… too eager to join in their millions and
spend hours a day - and night- online. We’re witnessing the birth of the generation of the
‘keyboard potato', for (10).……need…… of a better expression.

IV.Choose the best answer.

WIKIPEDIA
The online encyclopaedia Wikipedia challenges our preconceptions about factual
information. Before Wikipedia, it was (1) ………… as read that encyclopaedias were written
by paid experts. In other (2) …………, before Wikipedia, the “reader” of an encyclopaedia
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had no control over the content. Wikipedia has changed all that, as anyone is allowed to
edit and add content. The idea has certainly (3) ………… on and, for millions of people,
Wikipedia (4) ………… a vital need. 
Wikipedia’s founders (5) ………… that, on the whole, the information on the site is no
less accurate than more traditional encyclopaedias. Despite this, critics have (6) ………… the
site for its inaccuracies. Articles on the site have certainly (7) ………… things which are not in
fact true. However, although these have received wide media (8) …………, they essentially
(9) ………… the problem. Most people have little (10)………… of how many inaccuracies there
are in traditional printed encyclopaedias too.
1. A. given B. taken C. made D. put
2. A. speech B. ways C. words D. terms
3. A. got B. put C. taken D. caught
4. A. says B. responds C. tells D. answers
5. A. insist B. assist C. consist D. desist
6. A. pronounced B. renounced C. denounced D. announced
7. A. assented B. assigned C. asserted D. associated
8. A. treatment B. coverage C. handling D. usage
9. A. exaggerate B. boast C. flatter D. extend
10. A. gist B. hint C. hunch D. inkling

SECTION D: WRITING
For each of the sentences below, write a new sentence as similar as possible in meaning
to the original sentence, but using the word given. This word must not be altered in any
way.
1. I think my elder sister is planning to take over the family home when my mother dies.
(DESIGNS)
→ I think my elder sister has ………………………………………………………………………………………….
2. It would be best for you in the long run to negotiate a lower price. (INTERESTS)
→ It would be ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
3. In my opinion, it was an absolute miracle that they survived the accident. (SHORT)
→ The fact that they survived the accident was ……………………………………….., in my opinion.
4. Normally, the money is released within about three month (COURSE)
→ In…………………..……………………………………………………………..………………………………….
5. The Prime Minister felt it appropriate to make a statement. (FIT)
→ The Prime Minister…………………..……………………………………………… a statement.
6. I promised him that the situation would not be repeated in the future. (WORD)
→I …………………..…………………………………………no repetition of the situation in the future.
7. You can’t expect everything to run on an even keel all the time. (SMOOTH)
→ You have to learn to ………………………………………………………………………………………….
8. I can’t understand a single word she says. (TAIL)
→ I can’t make …………………………………………………………………………………………………
9. His analysis of the situation was far too complex for me to grasp. (HEAD)
→ His analysis of the situation went …………………………………………………………………
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10. Most of all, the manager criticised his players for thei attitude. (LEVELLED)
→ The manager ………………………………………………………………………………………….………

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