PRACTICE TEST 5 FOR PEC 2021-2022

A. LISTENING (50 points)

Part 1(from Expert CPE). You will hear two sports commentators called Heidi Stokes and Rob Aslett taking
part in a discussion on the subject of gyms. For questions 1-5, choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D)
which fits best according to what you hear. (10pts)
1. What do Rob and Heidi think about government proposals regarding the problem of obesity?
A. They over-emphasize the role of dietary factors.
B. They represent a radical solution that must be worth trying.
C. They over-estimate the extent to which the fitness industry can help.
D. They are attempting to accommodate too many varied perspectives.
2. Heidi agrees with the suggestion that regular gym attendance
A. can discourage people from keeping fit in other ways.
B. may lead to obsessive behaviour in some cases.
C. generally forms the basis of a healthy lifestyle.
D. could be harder to keep up in rural areas.
3. When asked about motivation, Rob suggests that many gym clients lose interest
A. if they don’t get good value for money.
B. if they don’t find it enjoyable on a social level.
C. if they don’t make it part of a wider fitness regime.
D. if they don’t perceive real gains in personal fitness.
4. What does Heidi suggest about memership levels in gyms?
A. The best ones restrict access at peak times.
B. Most recruit more people than they cope with.
C. It is impossible to predict demand with any accuracy.
D. Over-recruitment can be counter-productive in the long run.
5. Rob thinks the key to successful gym markeing lies in
A. remaining true to the core values of fitness and strength.
B. appealing to a wide cross-section of the population.
C. joining forces with providers of the related activities.
D. specialising in the needs of certain key groups.
Part 2. You will hear a representative from British Waterways called John Sampson taling about the canal
network in England. Listen and decide whether each of the following statements is true (T) or false (F):
1. The canals were built despite the fact that there was no public finance and very little technology.
2. From 1919 to 1929, there were many canals that were competing with each other but were not uniform in
size.
3. The new union of canals provided a continuous link between major industrial cities.
4. There are plenty of natural habitats for a variety of wildlife on and around the canals.
5. Walkers can go to the nearest waterway office to get information on circular walks so they can start and end
at the same place.
Part 3. You will hear a piece of news called “Bottled air”. For questions 1-5, write an answer of NO MORE
THAN THREE WORDS for each of the questions below.
1. What kind of news did the man see that made him decide to start his business?
2. What is the name of the industry the man is in?
3. How much air can you buy for $115?
4. Where does the entrepreneur live now?
5. What does the man sometimes have to go to the bottom of to get air?
Part 4 (from Seekerdaily). Listen to a piece of news about the three countries with the best healhcare and
fill in the gaps using NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS OR NUMBER for each.

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Higher quality care, with higher life expectancy and lower rates of disease are often (1) _______ by citizens in
the rest of the world.
Spain was one of the top (2) ______ in the world with $ (3) ______ roughtly spent on each person. In its (4) “
________” system, most citizens see no out-of-pocket expenses when they visit public hospitals.
Unlike Spain, only 1,6 % of (5) _____________ goes towards healthcare costs. In addition, there is Medisave
system – a (6) ________, where 9% of empolyee salaries are required to (7) ______ for personal or family care.
Both (8) _____ are used in the autonomous territory of Hong Kong. However, private hospitals are reportedly
speedy but very expensive.
While these three countries get the most (9) ______, applying worldwide is difficult.
By comparison, that the United States is enormous, with a population of over 320 million makes (10) ________
harder to implement without serious complications.
B. LEXICO - GRAMMAR (30 pts)
Part 1. Choose the most suitable option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence below.
1. I don’t believe for a moment that if you play that record backwards, you’ll hear a ________ message in the
background.
A. subsiding B. sublingual C. subliminal D. telepathic
2. The animals were ________ in the waterhole, and rolling in the mud.
A. twitching B. stalking C. tweaking D. wallowing
3. The festival audience were ________ each other in order to get as near to the stage as possible.
A. staggering B. jostling C. strolling D. fidgeting
4. After the earthquake, the entrance hall was turned into a _________ casualty ward.
A. mainstay B. piecework C. makeshift D. wayside
5. Liverpool has several opportunities to score but __________ their chances.
A. squandered B. abused C. scattered D. spent
6. The news of the attack left us completely _________.
A. stirred B. stunned C. moved D. upset
7. -“They say that your wife tends to pry into other people private’s matters.”
- “ I don’t care. It’s no skin my _______”
A. palm B. skull C. cheek D. nose
8. Take the doctor’s advice into consideration. He’s in ________ earnest about the epidemic.
A. mortally B. fatally C. gravely D. deadly
9. Every room in the hotel was characterized by shabby furniture and ________ lighting.
A. morose B. nagative C. glum D. sullen
10. It’s important to keep your _____ about you when you are walking through the African bush.
A. wits B. heads C. brains D. minds
Part 2. Complete each of the following sentences with a suitable preposition or particle.
1. The football player got back ______ his detractors by scoring a hat trick in his next game.
2. An audience member cut ______ during the interview and accused the minister of lying.
3. The position was offered to Michael as he was the best candidate ______ a mile.
4. The manager was _____ fire for his unpopular decisions.
5. I was so sick on the ferry that I threw _____.
Part 3. Fill in each blank with the most suitable form of the word in brackets.
The last orangutans
The orangutan is our closest living (11) _relatives__________ among the animal RELATIVE
species. There is just a two percent difference in our DNA and this perhaps (12) -
__accounts_________ for the number of tourists flocking to the rainforests of COUNT
south-east Asia in the hope of seeing the creatures in close (13) -
__proximity___________________. Just glimpsing one is an (14) - PROXIMATE
_unforgetable__________ experience. With logging and oil-palm production FORGET

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 destroying their precious habitat at an ever (15) __quickeing_________ pace, the QUICK
animal is on the brink of extinction. Mass tourism itself must take part of the
blame for the creature's demise, but for anyone determined to see one, a (16) -
_rehabilitation__________ center offers the chance to do so in a regulated REHABILITATE
environment. The recent discovery of a new population off orangutans in a
largely (17) __inaccessible_________ area of Borneo is a bit of positive news in ACCESS
an otherwise bleak situation. A team of conservationists has (18) -
_highlighted__________ the need to protect the group, both by (19) - LIGHT
_discouraging__________ unwanted tourists, and by ensuring the remote region COURAGE
remains (20) ___untouched_______ by the sort of development that has done so TOUCH
much damage elsewhere.

C. READING (60 pts)

Part 1. For questions 1-10, read the following passage and decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits each
gap.
Until about 250 years ago, households did not take dirt as (1)______ as they do now - it was a fact of
life, and that was that. Cleaning often consisted of an annual (2)______ called 'spring cleaning' when the
furniture was moved aside, and all the linen products in the house were cleaned. Carpets and rugs were taken
outside, hung on ropes and had the dust (3)______ out of them - an exhausting and messy process.
The industrial revolution brought about a major change - as new products became available to make homes
cleaner, a corresponding interest in 'domestic hygiene' appeared in households. This in turn led to the (4)______
of further products, one of which was the vacuum cleaner.
(5)______ has it that when one of the first vacuum cleaners was demonstrated, a kindly scientist took the
proud inventor (6)______, and offered a bit of advice that was to become (7)______to the future evolution of
the product - 'make it suck, not blow'.
The first vacuum cleaners appeared in the 1860s in the United States. They were operated by hand
pumps and were almost as (8)______as spring cleaning. It was only when electric motors had become
sufficiently advanced to become portable that vacuum cleaners became common household items. Most of
today's major (9)______- including Electrolux and Hoover - were born in the 1920s.
The household dirt that vacuum cleaners suck up is mostly dead skin cells - humans (10)______millions of
cells every day. A much smaller proportion comes from dust and soil carried into the house from outside 
1. A. importantly B.  crucially C. considerately D. seriously
2. A. ritual B. result C. resolution D. scrub
3. A. cleaned B. taken C. beaten D. sucked
4. A. fabrication B. appearing C. recreation D. development.
5. A. Story B. Epic C. Legend D. Tale
6. A. away B. aside C. aback D. along
7. A. standard B. crucial C. regular D. esteemed
8. A. laborious B. hard C. nefarious D. straining
9. A. brands B. marks C. makes D. trademarks
10. A. lose B. outgrow C. omit D. shed
Part 2. For questions 1-10, fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable word.
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SELLING
The psychology of retailing has come to rely on highly sophisticated techniques. Over and ( 1)
__above______ the design of the shops and the packaging of the merchandise, clever positioning of goods also
ensures that the natural flow of people takes them to (2) _each________ and every section in a shop. Customers
are led gently, but at the same time with deadly accuracy, towards the merchandise in such a way (3)
___as______ to maximise sales.

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 Manufacturers compete for the right to have their products displayed at the most effective level. In
supermarkets, there is a crucial section in the tiers of vertical shelving somewhere between waist height and eye
(4)__level_______, where we are most likely to take note of a brand. In the old days, when we went into a shop,
we (5) __made_______our way up to the counter, behind (6) ___which_______ would be the shopkeeper and
virtually all of the merchandise, and were served with what we wanted. Those days are (7) __well______ and
truly over.
Today, we are used to serving (8) __ourselves_______ in supermarkets; products are laid before us as
enticingly as (9) _possible_________, and impulse purchases are encouraged as a major part of the exercise. As a
result of this, we, as shoppers, have to keep our wits (10) __about________ us to resist the retailers’ ploys.
Part 3. Read the passage and choose the best answer to each of the questions.
RUNNING WATER ON MARS
Photographic evidence suggests that liquid water once existed in great quantity on the surface of Mars. Two
types of flow features are seen: runoff channels and outflow channels. Runoff channels are found in the
southern highlands. These flow features are extensive systems - sometimes hundreds of kilometers in total
length - of interconnecting, twisting channels that seem to merge into larger, wider channels. They bear a strong
resemblance to river systems on Earth, and geologists think that they are dried-up beds of long-gone rivers that
once carried rainfall on Mars from the mountains down into the valleys. Runoff channels on Mars speak of a
time 4 billion years ago (the age of the Martian highlands), when the atmosphere was thicker, the surface
warmer, and liquid water widespread.
Outflow channels are probably relics of catastrophic flooding on Mars long ago. They appear only in equatorial
regions and generally do not form extensive interconnected networks. Instead, they are probably the paths taken
by huge volumes of water draining from the southern highlands into the northern plains. The onrushing water
arising from these flash floods likely also formed the odd teardrop-shaped “islands” (resembling the miniature
versions seen in the wet sand of our beaches at low tide) that have been found on the plains close to the ends of
the outflow channels. Judging from the width and depth of the channels, the flow rates must have been truly
enormous - perhaps as much as a hundred times greater than the 105 tons per second carried by the great
Amazon river. Flooding shaped the outflow channels approximately 3 billion years ago, about the same time as
the northern volcanic plains formed.
Some scientists speculate that Mars may have enjoyed an extended early period during which rivers, lakes, and
perhaps even oceans adorned its surface. A 2003 Mars Global Surveyor image shows what mission specialists
think may be a delta - a fan-shaped network of channels and sediments where a river once flowed into a larger
body of water, in this case a lake filling a crater in the southern highlands. Other researchers go even further,
suggesting that the data provide evidence for large open expanses of water on the early Martian surface. A
computer-generated view of the Martian north polar region shows the extent of what may have been an ancient
ocean covering much of the northern lowlands. The Hellas Basin, which measures some 3,000 kilometers across
and has a floor that lies nearly 9 kilometers below the basin’s rim, is another candidate for an ancient Martian
sea.
These ideas remain controversial. Proponents point to features such as the terraced “beaches” shown in one
image, which could conceivably have been left behind as a lake or ocean evaporated and the shoreline receded.
But detractors maintain that the terraces could also have been created by geological activity, perhaps
related to the geologic forces that depressed the Northern Hemisphere far below the level of the south, in
which case they have nothing whatever to do with Martian water. Furthermore, Mars Global Surveyor data
released in 2003 seem to indicate that the Martian surface contains too few carbonate rock layers - layers
containing compounds of carbon and oxygen - that should have been formed in abundance in an ancient ocean.
Their absence supports the picture of a cold, dry Mars that never experienced the extended mild period required
to form lakes and oceans. However, more recent data imply that at least some parts of the planet did in fact
experience long periods in the past during which liquid water existed on the surface.
Aside from some small-scale gullies (channels) found since 2000, which are inconclusive, astronomers have no
direct evidence for liquid water anywhere on the surface of Mars today, and the amount of water vapor in the

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Martian atmosphere is tiny. Yet even setting aside the unproven hints of ancient oceans, the extent of the
outflow channels suggests that a huge total volume of water existed on Mars in the past. Where did all the water
go? The answer may be that virtually all the water on Mars is now locked in the permafrost layer under the
surface, with more contained in the planet’s polar caps.
1. The word “merge” in the passage is closest in meaning to ___________.
(A) expand (B) separate (C) straighten out (D) combine
2. What does the discussion in paragraph 1 of runoff channels in the southern highlands suggest about Mars?
(A) The atmosphere of Mars was once thinner than it is today.
(B) Large amounts of rain once fell on parts of Mars.
(C) The river systems of Mars were once more extensive than Earth’s.
(D) The rivers of Mars began to dry up about 4 billion years ago.
3. The word “relics” in the passage is closest in meaning to _________.
(A) remains (B) sites (C) requirements (D) sources
4. In paragraph 2, why does the author include the information that 105 tons of water flow through the Amazon
River per second?
(A) To emphasize the great size of the volume of water that seems to have flowed through Mars’outflow
channels.
(B) To indicate data used by scientists to estimate how long ago Mars’ outflow channels were formed.
(C) To argue that flash floods on Mars may have been powerful enough to cause tear-shaped “islands”
to form.
(D) To argue that the force of flood waters on Mars was powerful enough to shape the northern volcanic
plains.
5. According to paragraph 2, all of the following are true of the outflow channels on Mars EXCEPT:
(A) They formed at around the same time that volcanic activity was occurring on the northern plains.
(B) They are found only on certain parts of the Martian surface.
(C) They sometimes empty onto what appear to have once been the wet sands of tidal beaches.
(D) They are thought to have carried water northward from the equatorial regions.
6. All of the following questions about geological features on Mars are answered in paragraph 3 EXCEPT:
(A) What are some regions of Mars that may have once been covered with an ocean?
(B) Where do mission scientists believe that the river forming the delta emptied?
(C) Approximately how many craters on Mars do mission scientists believe may once have been lakes
filled with water?
(D) During what period of Mars’ history do some scientists think it may have had large bodies of water?
7. According to paragraph 3, images of Mars’ surface have been interpreted as support for the idea that
(A) a large part of the northern lowlands may once have been under water.
(B) the polar regions of Mars were once more extensive than they are now.
(C) deltas were once a common feature of the Martian landscape.
(D) the shape of the Hellas Basin has changed considerably over time.
8. What can be inferred from paragraph 3 about liquid water on Mars?
(A) If ancient oceans ever existed on Mars’ surface, it is likely that the water in them has evaporated by
now.
(B) If there is any liquid water at all on Mars’ surface today, its quantity is much smaller than the
amount that likely existed there in the past.
(C) Small-scale gullies on Mars provide convincing evidence that liquid water existed on Mars in the
recent past.
(D) The small amount of water vapor in the Martian atmosphere suggests that there has never been
liquid water on Mars.
9. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the sentence in bold type in the
passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

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 (A) But detractors argue that geological activity may be responsible for the water associated with the
terraces.
(B) But detractors argue that the terraces may be related to geological forces in the Northern Hemisphere
of Mars, rather than to Martian water in the south.
(C) But detractors argue that geological forces depressed the Northern Hemisphere so far below the
level of the south that the terraces could not have been formed by water.
(D) But detractors argue that the terraces may have been formed by geological activity rather than by the
presence of water.
10. According to paragraph 4, what do the 2003 Global Surveyor data suggest about Mars?
(A) Ancient oceans on Mars contained only small amounts of carbon.
(B) The climate of Mars may not have been suitable for the formation of large bodies of water.
(C) Liquid water may have existed on some parts of Mars’ surface for long periods of time.
(D) The ancient oceans that formed on Mars dried up during periods of cold, dry weather.
Part 4. Read the following passage and do the tasks that follows.
Blue-footed Boobies 2
A   Boobies are a small group of seabirds native to tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world. Their
diet consists mainly of fish. They are specialized fish eaters feeding on small school fish like sardines,
anchovies, mackerel, and flying fish. When their prey is in sight, they fold their long wings back around their
streamlined bodies and plunge into the water from as high as 80 feet, so streamlined they barely make a splash.
They travel in parties of about 12 to areas of water with large schools of small fish. When the lead bird sees a
fish shoal in the water, it will signal the rest of the group and they will all dive together. Surprisingly,
individuals do not eat with the hunting group, preferring to eat on their own, usually in the early morning or late
afternoon.
B   There are three varieties on the Galapagos: the blue-footed, red-footed, and masked boobies. They are all
members of the same family, and are not only different in appearance but also in behaviours. The blue-footed
and red-footed boobies mate throughout the year, while the masked boobies have an annual mating cycle that
differs from island to island. All catch fish in a similar manner, but in different areas: the blue-footed booby
does its fishing close to shore, while the masked booby goes slightly farther out, and the red-footed booby fishes
at the farthest distances from shore.
C   Although it is unknown where the name “Booby” emanates from, some conjecture it may come from the
Spanish word for clown, “bobo”, meaning “stupid”. Its name was probably inspired by the bird’s clumsiness on
land and apparently unwarranted bravery. The blue footed booby is extremely vulnerable to human visitors
because it does not appear to fear them. Therefore these birds received such name for their clumsiness on land
in which they were easily, captured, killed, and eaten by humans.
D    The blue-footed booby’s characteristic feet play a significant part in their famous courtship ceremony, the
‘booby dance’. The male walks around the female, raising his bright blue feet straight up in the air, while
bringing his ‘shoulders’ towards the ground and crossing the bottom tips of his wings high above the ground.
Plus he’ll raise his bill up towards the sky to try to win his mate over. The female may also partake in these
activities – lifting her feet, sky pointing, and of course squawking at her mate. After mating, another ritual
occurs – the nest-building which ironically is never used because they nest on the bare ground. When the female
is ready to lay her eggs, they scrape the existing nest away so she can nest on exposed ground. Sun-baked
islands form the booby’s breeding grounds. When ready the female Blue Footed Booby lays one to three eggs.
E    After mating, two or three eggs are laid in a shallow depression on flat or gently sloping ground. Both male
and female take turns incubating the eggs. Unlike most birds, booby doesn’t develop brood patches (areas of
bare skin on the breast) to warm the eggs during incubation. Instead, it uses its broad webbed feet, which have
large numbers of prominent blood vessels, to transmit heat essential for incubation. The eggs are thick-shelled
so they can withstand the full weight of an incubating bird.
F   After hatching, the male plays a major role in bringing fish home. He can bring back a constant supply of
small fish for the chicks, which must be fed continuously. The reason is that the male has a longer tail than the

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female in relation to his body size, which makes him able to execute shallower dives and to feed closer to shore.
Then the female takes a greater part as time proceeds. Sooner or later, the need to feed the young becomes
greater than the need to protect them and both adults must fish to provide enough.
G   When times are good, the parents may successfully fledge all three chicks, but, in harder times, they may
still lay as many eggs yet only obtain enough food to raise one. The problem is usually solved by the somewhat
callous-sounding system of “opportunistic sibling murder.” The first-born chick is larger and stronger than its
nest mate(s) as a result of hatching a few days earlier and also because the parents feed the larger chick. If food
is scarce, the first born will get more food than its nest mate(s) and will outcompete them, causing them to
starve. The above system optimizes the reproductive capacity of the blue-foot in an unpredictable environment.
The system ensures that, if possible, at least one chick will survive a period of shortage rather than all three
dying of starvation under a more ‘humane’ system.
Choose the correct heading for questions 1-6 from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i-
ix, next to Questions 1-6.
List of Headings
i Unusual way of hatching the chicks
ii Feeding habit of the red-footed booby
iii Folding wings for purpose
iv Rearing the young
v Classification of boobies
vi Diving for seafood
vii Surviving mechanism during the food shortage period
viii Mating and breeding
ix Origin of the booby’s name
Example Answer
Paragraph: C ix
1   Paragraph A  vi
2   Paragraph B  v
3   Paragraph D  viii
4   Paragraph E  i
5   Paragraph F  iv
6   Paragraph G  vii
Questions 7-10 
Complete the summary below, using  NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the reading passage for each
answer.
Write your answers in boxes 7 –10  on your answer sheet.
The courtship of the Blue-footed Booby consists of the male flaunting his blue feet and dancing to impress the
female. During the dance, the male will spread his wings and stamp his feet on the ground with his bills 7
_skypointing_____. After mating, the booby’s unusual demeanor continues with ritual 8 __nest-building_____
that really serves no purpose. When the female Booby lays eggs, the parental boobies incubate the eggs beneath
their 9 __webbed foot_____ which contain 10  __blood vessels______ to transmit the heat, because of the lack
of brood patches.
Part 5. Answer questions 1 – 10, by referring to the magazine article in which four successful career women
talk about emigrating to New Zealand.
A  Nicky Meiring B  Jenny Orr
C  Sarah Hodgett D  Lucy Kramer
Which woman ________
1. mentions a negative point about a job she has had?   D
2. explains an advantage of choosing to pursue her career in New Zealand?  B 
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 3. appreciates the approach to achieving goals in New Zealand?   C
4. expresses a sense of regret about leaving her country?  A
5. appreciates the honesty she feels exists in New Zealand?  D
6. denies conforming to a certain stereotype?   B
7. appreciates New Zealand for its sense of calm and normality? A
8. mentions her move to a different area in the same field?  B
9. states that her original nationality puts her in an advantageous position?  C 
10. recommends that New Zealanders take more pride in their country?   C

The Brain Gain

With New Zealand becoming renowned as a great place to live, it was the first-choice destination for a new
generation of talented migrants looking for a better life. Sharon Stephenson talks to four of them
A  Nicky Meiring, Architect
Listen to Nicky Meiring talk about South Africa and it soon becomes evident that she's mourning for a country
she once called home. 'The current economic situation has made South Africa quite a hard place to live in,' she
says, 'but I do miss it.' Nicky first arrived in Auckland in 1994 and got a job in an architectural practice in
Auckland where she soon settled in. She says 'New Zealand often feels like utopia. I just love the tranquility and
the fact you can lead a safe and ordinary life.' She lives and works from a renovated factory where her
mantelpiece is littered with awards for the design of her summer house on Great Barrier Island. 'Although the
design of buildings is fairly universal, houses here are generally constructed of timber as opposed to brick and
when it comes to the engineering of buildings, I have to take great heed of earthquakes which isn't an issue in
South Africa,' she says. 'But the very fact that my training and points of reference are different means I have
something to offer. And I'm so glad I have the opportunity to leave my stamp on my new country."
B Jenny Orr, Art Director
American Jenny Orr's southern accent seems more at home in the movies than in New Zealand's capital,
Wellington. 'I'm from Alabama, but no, we didn't run around barefoot and my father didn't play the banjo!' she
jokes, in anticipation of my preconceptions. Having worked in corporate design for ten years in the USA, she
was after a change and thought of relocating to New Zealand. It didn't take long for her to land a job with an
Auckland design firm, where she was able to gain experience in an unfamiliar but challenging area of design
-packaging -and before long, she was headhunted to a direct marketing agency which recently transferred her to
Wellington. While she admits she could have the same salary and level of responsibility at home, 'it would
probably have been harder to break into this kind of field. I'm not saying I couldn't have done it, but it may have
taken longer in the US because of the sheer number of people paying their dues ahead of me.' Ask Jenny how
she's contributing to this country's 'brain gain' and she laughs. 'I don't see myself as being more talented or
intelligent but opposing views are what make strategies, concepts and designs better and I hope that's what I
bring.'
C  Sarah Hodgett, Creative Planner
What happens when all your dreams come true? Just ask Sarah Hodgett. Sarah says that she had always
dreamed of a career in advertising. 'But I was from the wrong class and went to the wrong university. In the UK,
if you're working class you grow up not expecting greatness in your life. You resign yourself to working at the
local factory and knowing your place.' New Zealand, on the other hand, allowed her to break free of those
shackles. 'It's a land of opportunity. I quickly learned that if you want to do something here, you just go for it,
which is an attitude I admire beyond belief.' Within a month of arriving, she'd landed a job in customer
servicing with an advertising agency. Then, when an opening in research came up, she jumped at the chance.
'My job is to conduct research with New Zealanders,' she explains. 'So I get to meet people from across the
social spectrum which is incredibly rewarding.' Being a foreigner certainly works in her favour, says Sarah.
'Because a lot of my research is quite personal, respondents tend to see me as' impartial and open-minded and
are therefore more willing to share their lives with me.' She certainly sees New Zealand in a good light. 'I wish

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New Zealanders could see their country as I do. That's why it saddens me that they don't think they're good
enough on the global stage.'
D  Lucy Kramer, School Director
Born in Sydney, Australia, Lucy Kramer left for London when she was 23 to further her career as a stockbroker.
'London certainly lived up to my expectations and I had a very exciting, very hectic lifestyle,' Lucy explains.
But after four years she felt burnt out and was becoming increasingly disillusioned with her job. 'People at work
were far too competitive for my liking,' she says. It was at this time she made two life-changing decisions. 'I
signed up for a teacher- training course and shortly after that met my partner, Graeme. He asked me to come
back to New Zealand with him and I didn't hesitate.' It wasn't long before she found work in a large Auckland
school and, since then, she has rapidly worked her way up to a management position. 'It's fair to say I'm not
earning what I used to but my New Zealand colleagues are much more easy- going. A good atmosphere more
than makes up for the drop in salary. Another thing that impresses me is that you can leave your stuff on a seat
in a cafe and it'll still be there half an hour later. People are pretty trustworthy here. Sometimes it bothers me
that we're so remote -you can feel a bit cut off from what's going on in the rest of the world, but on the whole,
I'd say it's one of the best moves I ever made.'
D. WRITING (60 pts)
Part 1. Read the following extract and use your own words to summarize it. Your summary should be about
120-140 words long.
Culture shock is a psychological term, which is used to define the mental state that a person experiences when
learning to live in a new culture. Learning to cope with regular daily life is often difficult for foreigners because
they might find that many things in the new environment are totally different from the one they have recently
left. One of these differences could relate to the climate and physical surroundings. It could be significantly
hotter or colder, or more humid, so the newcomer has to adjust to a new set of physical sensations to which their
body has not been accustomed. The new conditions and culture will require the newcomer to find and wear
suitable clothing and to understand what is appropriate. In addition the range of food that is available, where to
find it, might also be quite different from that of a person’s own country. These difficulties can then be further
compounded by language differences if the foreigner does not know that local language. So problems arise as
the foreigner endeavours to communicate with the residents, find accommodation, get a job or access services.
Together with the new language, the newcomer may notice differences in customs: the way people relate to
each other, for example, how to greet others, whether to use first names, and what is considered polite
behaviour.
The effect of these new surroundings and difficulties can produce a range of physical, mental and emotional
responses. For example, many people feel physically uncomfortable in the new climate. At the sight of food
they may lack appetite or even feel disgust. They can experience anxiety and frustration because of the
communication problems they encounter. The behaviour of the locals around them can result in feeling of shock
or confusion. They often become angry, numb or melancholic, and look for society of other foreigners with
whom they feel more comfortable.
So what is the solution for people who find themselves in these circumstances? Well, with such a bombardment
of new experiences many people may become disillusioned and give up, and if possible, they return home.
However, those who remain eventually do adjust and become accustomed to the new environment and culture.
Some psychologists believe that more than six months are necessary to overcome culture shock and adjust to
the new society. It is important to keep in mind, however, that every person and their circumstances are
different; therefore the experiences and results I describe will not be the same for everyone.
Therefore, if people realise that culture shock is a very common experience and that things will improve in time,
it can help them to better cope with the unpleasant reactions and feelings they might have during the first few
months in a new culture.
Part 2.

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Part 3. Write an essay of around 350 words on the following topic.
Some people think that young people should choose their professions themselves. Others believe that
their parents should choose for them.
Discuss both these views and give your opinion.

_End of the test_

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