PRACTICE 7

USE OF ENGLISH, READING AND WRITING (80 points)

I. Vocabulary and Grammar
a. Choose the word or phrase (A, B, C or D) which best completes each of the sentences by
circling A, B, C or D and then write your answers in the box below.
1. According to a recent survey, most people are on good __________ with their neighbors.
A. relations B. acquaintance C. relationships D. terms
2. She acted as if she __________ a clown before.
A. has never seen B. not saw
C. wouldn’t see D. had never seen
3. It’s about time __________ care of yourself.
A. you took B. you take C. to taking D. when I saw
4. He found __________ to answer all the questions within the time given
A. that impossible C. it impossibly
B. it impossible D. that impossibly
5. I can’t stop surfing the internet. I’ve been __________ on it since I bought my computer.
A. addicted B. hooked C. fixed D. enslaved
6. It was hard to _______________ the temptation to watch the late night show even though I was
so tired.
A. defy B. refuse C. resist D. oppose
7. The realization of our holiday plans has had to be _______________ because of my mother’s
sudden illness.
A. prevented B. shelved C. expired D. lingered
8. Don’t be angry with Sue. All that she did was in good _______________.
A. hope B. belief C. idea D. faith
9. I think we can rely on Mr. Bronson’s advice. I’ve known him ages and I have already found out
he has got excellent _______________ in modern art.
A. fashion B. intelligence C. taste D. feeling
10. We were lucky the taxi arrived without any _______________. Otherwise we wouldn’t have
arrived in time for our train.
A. pause B. delay C. assure D. declare
11. When I applied for my passports, I had to send my birth ________ with the application.
A. proof B. certificate C. paper D. document
12. We couldn’t stay long, so we only wished Mark many happy _____________ of his birthday
and hurried to the airport.
A. days B. returns C. moments D. regards
13. A young tourist has been declared _____________ after he got lost in the mountains last
Monday.
A. absent B. deserter C. missing D. vanished
14. Michael was _____________ with anger when he saw his car had been scratched.
A. stored B. fixed C. loaded D. filled
15. The schoolboy’s excuse wasn’t _____________ at all. Nobody in the classroom believed in
the far-fetched story he told.
A. credential B. credible C. creditable D. credulous
16. It’s not easy to make Stanley furious, the boy is very gentle by _____________.
A. himself B. personality C. reaction D. nature
17. My supervisor is angry with me. I didn’t do all the work that I ____________ last week.
A. should have done B. need to have done
C. may have done D. must have done

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18. You have managed to bungle every task I’ve given you so far.___________, I’m preparing to
give you one last chance.
A. regardless B. furthermore C. nevertheless D. notwithstanding
19. But for their help, he __________.
A. would have failed B. has failed
C. has not failed D. wouldn’t have failed
20. I really can’t __________ the twins apart. They look so alike.
A. say B. talk C. take D. tell

b. Supply the correct form of the words in capital letters.

BEING UNABLE TO READ

It seems _____________ (1-THINK) today not to provide children with a decent
_____________ (2-EDUCATE). There is such an emphasis on
academic________________(3 – ACHIEVE) these days that it’s easy to forget what a
problem _____________ (4-LITERATE) used to be. Being unable to read can be intensely
_____________ (5 – EMBARRASS) and can make someone feel like a complete
_____________ (6-FAIL). Someone who can’t read is often ______________ (7-
UNDERSTAND) afraid of certain situations. The problem can seem _____________ (8-
SOLVE). However, given the right teacher, a lot of hard work and a ______________ (9-
REASON) amount of time, anyone can learn. Being able to read can lead to an
____________(10-IMPROVE) quality of life

c. Circle the underlined part in each sentence (marked A, B, C or D) that needs correcting
and correct the mistakes.
1. Although a number of police officers was guarding the priceless treasures in the museum, the
director worried that someone would try to steal them.

2. Laser treatment isn’t always effective and chemotherapy isn’t neither.

A B C D
3. One of the primary cause of road accidents is driving after drinking.
A B C D
4. Dams are used to control flooding, provide water for irrigation, and generating electricity for the
A B C D
surrounding area.

5. Nutritionists believe what diet affects how one feels physically and emotionally.
A B C D

d. Give the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

1. If we don’t hurry, all the tickets (1- sell) ___________________ out by the time we get there.
2. It is crucial that Dido (2- stop) __________________ using our music in her performance.
3. The vase broke when it (3 - move) _________________ to other room.
4. Had it not been for your help, we __________________(4-be) in big trouble now.
5. When I entered his room, I saw him (5 – sleep) __________________ in a chair.
6. Hardly he (6-take)_________________ up the book when the phone
(7-ring)_________________.
7. He resented (8-ask) ________________________ (9-wait). He had expected the minister to
see him at once.
8. I’d rather you (10- not tell) ____________________ her the truth.

e. Fill the gap in each sentence below with a suitable particle or preposition.

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1. Is Peter at the party? No, but I’m sure he turn __________ soon.
2. Don’t eat that sausage. I think it’s gone ________.
3. When they were cleaning out the attic, they came _______ their grandmother’s old school
books.
4. Dave’s parents were very disappointed when he dropped ______ University.
5. The actor waited for the laughter to die _______ before continuing.
II. READING
a. Read the following passage and decide which option A, B, C or D best fits each space.
Write your answers in the box below.
SEASONAL ADVICE
If you are about to graduate from school or college this summer and feel in need of a little advice
about what’s important in life, you could do a lot worse than consider the words of (1)____that
were read out on my last day at school.
Do not expect to understand the value of your youth until it has (2)_____. But you can be sure that
thirty years from now you’ll (3)_____ back on life and (4)_____ just how good things were.
Try not to worry about the future – or at least be aware that worrying never really helps to solve
anything. Real troubles will always sneak up and (5)_____ you by surprise. But remember it
doesn’t do any harm to do something that scares you every so often.
Do not lie and cheat – especially in love – and do not (6)_____ up with people who deceive you.
Do not let opportunities pass you by, as the time to do things simply runs (7)______. Today is
almost certainly more important than tomorrow.
It helps to be kind (8)___ your neighbors and colleagues – it’s nice and they’ll miss you when
you’re not (9)_____. Friends come and go but there are a precious few that you should try and
(10)_____ on to. Without quality friends, quality time is harder to come by.
1. A. knowledge B. learning C. opinion D. wisdom
2. A. gone B. been C. lasted D. spent
3. A. come B. look C. think D. go
4. A. remind B. rethink C. recall D. reappear
5. A. get B. happen C. appear D. take
6. A. look B. come C. put D. bring
7. A. out B. down C. off D. over
8. A. about B. to C. with D. for
9. A. in B. around C. with D. over
10. A. take B. hold C. stay D. stick

III. WRITING
a. Finish the sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same as the sentence
printed before it.
1. I could realize how important the family is only after I left home
 Not until ...............................................................................................................................
2. The number of people applying for university grants fell last year
 There was...................................................................................................................................
3. You don’t find such exquisite hand-made suits in many shops here.
 In few........................................................................................................................................
4. The world would be much better off if all environmental pollution stopped today.
 Were..............................................................................................................................................
5. He suddenly thought that he might have misunderstood her.
 It crossed............................................................................................................................
b. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence,
using the word given. Do not change the word given.

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6. Any correspondence from the Canberra office must be dealt with before other matters.
(PRIORITY)
.................................................................................................................................................
7. I advise you not to believe what you read in the papers about me. (RELIANCE)
 .....................................................................................................................................................
8. Please inform the relevant authority at once. (DELAY)
 ..............................................................................................................................................
9. The film wasn’t as good as we expected. (COME)
 ................................................................................................................................................
10. Williams tried to remain impartial in the quarrel between his two cousins. (SIDES)
 ............................................................................................................................................

c. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Technology has made the world
a better place to live. Use specific reasons and examples to support your statement.
Write a paragraph of about 150 words to state your opinion on the subject.

PRACTICE 8

I. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only ONE
word in each space. There is an example at the beginning (0). ( 1 point )
Example: (0) …role…
Computers play a (0) _____ in our everyday lives, sometimes without us even realizing it.
Consider the use (1) _____ computers in both shops and offices. Big shops, especially chain
stores with branches (2) _____ over the country, have to deal with very large amounts of
information. They have to make (3) _____ there are enough goods on the shelves for customers
to buy, they need to be able to re-order before stocks (4) _____ out, to decide which things are
selling well and so on. All these processes (5) _____ performed quickly and efficiently by
computers.
II. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence,
using the word given. DO NOT CHANGE THE WORD GIVEN. You must use between TWO
and FIVE words, including the word given. Here is an example (0). ( 2 points )
1. The bread was too stale to eat. fresh
 The bread _________________________ to eat.
2. The thief suddenly realized that the police were watching him. watched
The thief suddenly realized that he _________________________ by the police.
3. Andrew set off for the supermarket despite the heavy rain. though
Andrew set off for the supermarket, even _________________________ heavily.
4. Nobody apart from my mother thought I would win the race. person
My mother _________________________ thought I would win the race.
5. “Would you prefer to have a table by the window?” the waiter asked. we
The waiter asked us _________________________ to have a table by the window.
6. He managed to make some extra money by writing stories. so
He wrote stories _________________________ to make some extra money.
7. Be careful or you’ll hurt yourself. If
You’ll hurt yourself _________________________ careful.
8. I’d rather you didn’t use that red pen. mind
Would _________________________ that red pen?
9. I’m afraid these jeans have a hole in them. there
I’m afraid that _________________________ these jeans.
10. I’ve never seen a match as good as this before. match
This is the _________________________ seen.

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 V. Complete each sentence with a suitable preposition. ( 1 point )

1. Am I expected to know all the telephones _____ heart?

2. I am not good _____ math. I think I have to spend more time on it.
3. You can find details of all our products _____ our website.
4. The train will be leaving _____ a few minutes.
5. Hanh can’t go to the movies with us tonight. She will have to look _____ her little sister.
III. Complete each sentence with the correct form of the verb. ( 1 point )
1. He ( be ) __________ to the theater three times this month.
2. I’ll walk along the beach while you ( bathe ) __________ .
3. Just as I ( leave ) __________ home for school the telephone rang.
4. The only thing I haven’t got is a garden. If I ( have ) __________ one, I would grow a lot of
flowers.
5. Avoid ( use ) __________ the infinitive after the expression “it’s no use”.

VII. Choose the letter A,B,C or D to show the underlined part that needs correction. ( 1 point )
1. Mary suggests that he go out for a walk although he doesn’t want to.
A B C D
2. In Western countries people usually celebrate New Year in January 1st.
A B C D
3. She finds the work she has to do quite easily; boredom is her biggest problem.
A B C D

4. The biologist found some pollutants, a little of which can be considered very harmful to fish and
other living organisms in the river. A B C
D
VIII. I used to like reading books about unexplained things like ghosts and UFOs because I have
never read any recently.
IX. Pronunciation. ( 1 point )
A. Choose the word whose main stress is placed differently from the others.
1. A. throughout B. advance C. sewage D. typhoon
2. A. gemstone B. considerate C. ultimately D. profitable
B. Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the others.
3. A. object B. solar C. logical D. geography
4. A. charged B. replaced C. laughed D. watched
5. A. plaid B. plain C. main D. maid
X. Read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of each line to form a
word that fits in the space in the same line. ( 1 point )
WEATHER FORECASTING
Before the (1)……………..………….. of instruments to measure weather 1. INVENT
conditions, people relied on their own observations of the wind and the 2. BEHAVE
sky as well as the (2)………..………..……of birds and animals in
connection with different types of weather. Many rhymes that have an
association with the weather have become popular over the centuries. In
the short term, a saying like “red sky in the morning, sailor’s warning”,
often proves to be (3)………………….……....accurate. However, it is 3.SURPRISE
very unlikely that next year’s summer can be predicted from this year’s
winter. Such predictions can’t be considered 4. USE
(4)……………………………….in precise weather forecasting. Proof of
this can be (5)…………..……..….in past records. 5. FIND
Nowadays, all aspects of the weather such as hours of sunshine and

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 rainfall are observed on a daily basic by meteorological stations with
specialized equipment.
X. Write about the following topic:
Should mobile phones be banned among students? You should write a paragraph of about
200 words. (20 pts.)

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