PRACTICE TEST 20

NAME: ……………………………..…..
LEXICO-GRAMMAR
Part 1 Choose the word or phrase that best completes each sentence. Write your answer A, B, C or
D in the numbered boxes.
1. I do wish you’d stop biting your nails, Tom! It really__________.
A. gets on my nerves B. tells me off
C. lets me down D. gets me down
2. __________ over long distances is a fact.
A. That electricity transmitting B. That electricity can be transmitted
C. That electricity D. That can be transmitted
3. The union and the management are in __________over working conditions
A. dispute B. practice C. advance D. collaboration
4. __“Do you have a minute, Dr Keith?” __ “______________”
A. Well. I’m not sure when B. Good, I hope so
C. Sure. What’s the problem? D. Sorry, I haven’t got it here.
5. No matter how often I explain it to him, he doesn’t seem to __________.
A. put it through B. take it in C. put it on D. come up with
6. ___________ one day by a passing car, the dog never walked properly again.
A. Having injured B. Injuring C. Injured D. To be injured
7. __________ you had to find a new job, what would you like to do?
A. Provided or else D. Though D. Supposing
8. No one wants to have extra homework tonight, __________?
A. don’t they B. do they C. doesn’t he D. does it
9. At first there was silence. Then _________ that I knew.
A. a voice came B. a voice comes C. came a voice D. a voice is coming
10. I am well _________ with the problems encountered in starting a business.
A. aware B. informed C. acquainted D. knowledgeable
11. There was a ___________ table in the kitchen.
A. beautiful large round wooden B. large beautiful round wooden
C. beautiful round large wooden D. golden large beautiful round
12. The football match tomorrow evening will be broadcasted _________ on TV and radio.
A. stimulatingly B. simultaneously C. jointly D. uniformly
13. __ “Make yourself at home!” __ “____________”
A. Yes, I can help you. B. Why not? I will make it to the best of my ability.
C. Thanks. The same to you. D. That’s kind of you. Thank you.
14. In the years __________ all the trees will disappear if nothing is done to protect them.
A. come B. coming C. to come D. will come
15. Only in the last few days __________ to repair the swimming pool.
A. anything has been done B. has done anything
C. has anything been done D. has there anything been done
16. The first people to live in ___________ Hawaii were the Polynesians, who sailed there in large canoes from
other Pacific Islands about 2,000 years ago.
A. now where is B. what is now C. it is now D. now this is
17. __ “When are you planning to resign?” __“By Christmas _______.”
A. no later B. until lately C. at the latest D. if not later
18. I’ve been __________ advised not to say anything in that situation.
A. seriously B. greatly C. strongly D. significantly
19. __________ of transportation has given someone the idea for a new type of toy.

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 A. Mostly forms B. Most every form C. Almost forms D. Almost every form
20. Tony is so __________ that his friends tend to tell him all their problems.
A. confidential B. critical C. optimistic D. sympathetic
Part 2: Supply the correct form of the word to complete the text. Write your answers in the numbered
boxes.
Your answers
Beavers
1. …………………………
After the recent floods, __1__ (CONSERVE) are calling for beavers to be
reintroduced to Britain. You may wonder how animals that build dams prevent 2. …………………………
floods when __2__ (SURE) the opposite is true. However, beavers construct
3. …………………………
dams in upland areas, creating small pools and __3__ (DIVERT) that retain
water and release water to lowland areas much more __4__(GRADUAL). Until 4. …………………………
the 16th century, Beavers lived wild in parts of Britain, but they were hunted to
5. …………………………
__5__(EXTINCT ) for their fur. However, recently __6__(VARY) British
wildlife organisations have applied to reintroduce beavers to the countryside. 6. …………………………
Along with their potential value in flood prevention, they would create wetland
habitats and promote__7__ (TOUR). But such measures are __8__ 7. …………………………
(CONTROVERSY). Beavers recently reintroduced to Estonia have flooded large areas 8. …………………………
of forest and __9__(AGRICULTURE) land, and this, in turn, has damaged
crops. As a result, it has been necessary to cull beavers when the 9. …………………………
population becomes too large. Many people think it __10__(ETHIC) to 10. ………………………
reintroduce a species which will then be killed.

Part 3. From the four underlined parts of each sentence, find a mistake then correct it.
1. If allowed to turn yellow while still on the plant, bananas lose their characteristically good flavor, the skin break
open, insects enter the inside, and the fruit rots.
2. Proper lighting is a necessarily good eyesight; however, human night vision can be temporary impaired by extreme
flashes of light.
3. There are twenty species of wild roses in North American, all of which have prickly stems, pinnate leaves, and
large flowers which usually smell sweetly.
4. Naturalists say that there is evidence to support the assertion that anthropoids sometimes beat its breasts
5. Fish are unable to sleep, but sometimes a fish in an aquarium will lie on its side and appear to be completely
unaware for everything around it.
6. Popping in corn occurs whenever there is an explosion caused by the expansion under pressure of moisture in the
starch grains during the kernel is dry heated.
7. Martin Luther King distinguished himself as an American clergyman or nonviolent civil rights leader.
8. Many early black musicals learned to play band instruments from Claiborne Williams, who went from town to
town in response to the leadings of young adults.
9. An unexpected increase in the cost of life as well as a decline in employment opportunities has resulted in the rapid
creation by Congress of new government programs for the unemployed.
10. Economists have tried to discourage the use of the phrase "underdeveloped nation" and encouraging the more
accurate phrase developing nation" in order to suggest an ongoing process.

Part 4. Underline the best word.

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1. The head teacher accused George of / for starting the fight.
2. I haven't really read the report properly. I just glanced for / at it while I was on the train.
3. I strongly object to / for the tone of the last paragraph of your letter.
4. Sarah was involved in / with a traffic accident on the way to work.
5. Harry pleaded with / to the judge not to send him back to prison.
6. I always confuse Kate with / on her sister Maggie. It's hard to tell them apart.
7. A diesel engine differs from / to a petrol engine in many important respects.
8. Some business people find it hard to choose with / between their work and their family.
9. I insisted on / for seeing the doctor at once, even though I did not have an appointment.

Part 5. Complete the sentence with a preposition.

1. The future of civilization depends ____________ our use of technology.

2. I would advise you ______________ taking any violent exercise before the leg has healed.
3. The manager feels that nobody else can be trusted _______________the keys to the safe.
4. Two boys have confessed _____________ setting fire to the school.
5. I'd like to congratulate you ______________ passing the examination.
6. We finally decided ____________ a camping holiday in Greece.
7. Jim has been suffering ____________ severe headaches for same time.
8. Helen voted the proposal, but everyone else voted ____________.
9. Harry says that his car accident has not deterred him ____________ driving again.

READING
Part 1. Read the passage carefully then circle the best answer A, B, C or D for each space.

Getting to the root of Bonsai crime

Bonsai trees have always been a source of great fascination to people. They are perfect miniatures, grown in
pots small enough to sit on a windowsill. You have to keep reminding yourself that these trees are ( 1) _____ real and
identical to their larger cousins in all respects except their size. Rather like other small and perfectly-formed artifacts,
bonsai trees (2) _____ quite a high price in the marketplace and so it doesn’t come as a great surprise to find that they
also attract the attention of thieves. It seems that quite a flourishing business has (3) _____, in which they are stolen
from the homes of growers and collectors, then repotted and trimmed by unscrupulous dealers, to be sold on, at good
prices, to unsuspecting buyers.
One of Britain’s top collectors of bonsai trees, Paul Widdington, believes that he has found a solution,
however. After losing his life’s work, (4) _____ at £250,000, when burglars broke into his home one night, Paul
decided to (5) _____ the possibilities of electronically tagging the trees he bought as a replacement. This ( 6) _____
injecting a microchip the size of a (7) _____ of rice into the trunk of each tree. Each chip is a laser-etched with
information which is (8) _____ in a central register held by the police. Paul is quite aware that this kind of data-
tagging doesn’t prevent thieves from stealing the trees in the first (9) _____, although it may increase the (10) _____
of getting them back. So he’s also installing a security alarm system, complete with infra-red detectors, in his home.
1. A. deeply B. eventually C. actually D. greatly
2. A. obtain B. expect C. command D. charge
3. A. erupted B. evolved C. adapted D. arrived
4. A. prized B. treasured C. valued D. coated
5. A. look into B. set about C. try out D. go after
6. A. requires B. includes C. involves D. reflects
7. A. crumb B. speck C. bean D. grain
8. A. stored B. detained C. locked D. piled
9. A. turn B. time C. point D. place
10. A. counts B. chances C. choices D. claims

Part 2. Read the passage carefully then complete each space with a suitable word

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 Through out the ages, the surface of the earth has been built up in some places and worn down in other places. The
wearing down of the land is called erosion.
Wind, water, ice and heat all help to cause erosion. As the wind (1) _________ over the land, it often picks up
small grains of sand. When these grains of sand strike against solid rocks, the rocks are slowly worn away. Later, the
wind may pick up these new rock particles, and with them wear other rocks. In this (2) _________ even very hard
rocks are worn away by the wind.
When particles of rock or soil become loosened in any way, running (3) _______ carries them down the hillsides.
Some rock and soil particles are carried into streams. The streams may then carry them into rivers, and the rivers may
carry them into the (4) ________.
Land that is (5) _________ with trees, grass and other plants wears away very slowly, and so loses very little of its
soil. The (6) __________ of plants help to hold the rocks and the soil in place. When rain falls in a forest, the leaves
of the trees and the soft soil beneath them are able to hold a great deal of water. Water that falls on grasslands runs
away more slowly than does water that falls on (7) __________ ground. Water that flows slowly carries less soil
particles than water that flows rapidly. Thus, forests and grasslands help to slow down erosion.
Even (8) ___________ the land is thickly covered with plants, some erosion goes on. Sometimes there is a long
period of rainy weather. In the spring the (9) _________ snow turns to large quantities of water. At these times the
soil can not hold all the water. It then runs downhill in streams. As the streams carry away some of the (10)
____________, the streambed gets deeper and deeper. After thousands of years of such erosion, wide valleys are
formed.

Part 3. You are going to read an article about customer service in banks. Six sentences have been removed
from the article. Choose from the sentences A-G the one which fits each gap. There is one extra sentence which
you do not need to use.
A. Although people do not expect much from the internet these days, this will change in the future.
B. The managers recognise that customers find them impersonal and unnatural.
C. First National is also preparing to adopt this personal approach to its internet banking.
D. They have the attitude that some skills, such as keyboard skills and so on, can be taught, but a member of staff
can’t be taught to be a nice person.
E. Telephones are very personal because staff are speaking to people on their own territory.
F. And if customers try to contact the bank by telephone, they are put through to a call centre in another country
where they have to speak slowly in order to be understood.
G. Not everyone wants a chatty, friendly service.
Customer Service in Banks
The banking profession doesn’t have a very good reputation for customer service at the moment, and it’s not just due
to loss of savings. High street branches are shutting down and where banks are available, their opening hours are
inconvenient. Staff at the desks are surly, increasingly under-qualified and often unable to answer questions.
____1____ Astonishingly, however, 86% of the customers at one bank are either ‘extremely satisfied’ or ‘very
satisfied’ with the service they receive. And what is even more surprising is that the bank in question has no High
Street outlets at all.
First National bank is run entirely through the telephone and the internet. And its success shows that customer service
is just about face-to-face contact with clients. The primary concern of the bank is recruiting the right people.
___2____ So they only recruit people who already exhibit good communication skills.
And unlike other services that operate primarily over the telephone, the staff at First National do not use
scripts. __3__ What this bank asks for is that staff be themselves and establish a rapport with their customers. Part of
this is recognizing people’s needs. ___4___ Some want the process to be swift and efficient. The member of staff has
to pick up on the caller’s mood and react accordingly. ___5___ The idea that customer service can be improved on a
medium where there is no actual contact with a member of staff may seem strange at first. However, the website

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designers at First National spend a great deal of time understanding their customers and offering services which meet
their needs. ___6__ First National is already taking steps to fill this demand. They already offer a service in which
customers receive a text when funds are received or when their account falls below a certain level. In the future,
online systems may pre-empt customers’ needs in even more sophisticated ways.

Part 4. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the
correct answer to each of the questions.

The United Nations recently outlined the extent of the global water crisis, saying that 2.7 billion people would face
severe water shortages by 2025 if consumption continues at current rates. Today, an estimated 1.2 billion people drink
unclean water, and about 2.5 billion lack proper toilets or waste disposal systems. More than five million people die
each year from diseases related to unclean water. Humans are pumping water out of the ground faster than it can be
replenished. In this difficult situation, a water conservationist, Neil MacLeod in South Africa, has found innovative
ways to improve his local water situation.
Neil MacLeod took over as head of Durban Metro Water Services in 1992 The situation he found was a
catastrophe. Durban had one million people living in the city and another 1.5 million people who lived in poverty
just outside it. The entire city was rife with broken water pipes, leaky toilets, and faulty plumbing whereby 42 percent
of the region's water was simply being wasted.
MacLeod's crews began repairing and replacing water pipes. They put water meters on residences, replaced eight-
liter toilets with four-liter models, and changed wasteful showers and water taps. To ensure that the poor would
receive a basic supply of water, MacLeod installed tanks in homes and apartments to provide 190 liters of water a day
free to each household. Water consumption in Durban is now less than it was in 1996, even as 800,000 more people
have received service. Through sensible water use, Durban's conservation measures paid for themselves within a year.
No new reservoirs will be needed in the coming decades, despite the expected addition of about 300,000 inhabitants
MacLeod has also turned to water recycling. At the water recycling plant, wastewater is turned into clean water in
just 12 hours. Most people are unable to discern a difference between the usual city drinking water and the treated
wastewater, although it is actually intended for industrial purposes.
Some people still hope that new technology, such as the desalination of seawater, will solve the world's water
problems. "But the fact is, water conservation is where the big gains are to be made," says Sandra Postel of the
Global Water Policy Project. The dedication and resourcefulness of people like Neil MacLeod offer inspiration for
implementing timely and lasting solutions to the world's water concerns.

1. Which best serves as the title for the passage?

A. The United Nations to Address Local Water Situations
B. Tackling Water Problems: A Story from South Africa
C. Drinkable Seawater - A Dream Turning Sour?
D. South Africa to Successfully Desalinate Seawater
2. According to the passage, how many people have to drink unclean water worldwide?
A. 2.5 billion B. 2,7 billion C. Around 1.2 billion D. About 5 million
3. The word "catastrophe" in paragraph 2 is mostly a situation which is.......
A. local B. disastrous C. familiar D. unlikely
4.: The word "It" in paragraph 3 refers to.......
A. water consumption B. household C. Durban D service
5.: The word "discern" in paragraph 4 could be best replaced by.......
A. emphasize B. recognize C. appreciate D examine
6. What is the essence of Neil MacLeod's solutions to the water problems in Durban?
A. Conservation of water B. Reliance on foreign aid
C. Exploitation of ground water D. Construction of new reservoirs
7. Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?
A. Money saved from sensible water use helped cover the cost of reservoir construction in Durban.
B. Provision of desalinated seawater is the ultimate solution to the world's water problems.
C. Over forty percent of Durban's water was wasted through faulty plumbing, leaks and bursts.
D. In Durban, treated wastewater is provided free of charge to meet the residents' daily needs.
8. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. It used to take about half a day to convert wastewater into drinkable water.
B. A growth in population normally necessitates a rise in the number of reservoirs
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C. Each Durban household is not allowed to use more than 190 liters of water per day.
D. Water shortages are the most severe in areas with substandard toilet facilities.

WRITING
Part 1. Rewrite each of the following sentences so that its meaning stays the same as the original sentence.
1. Our profits this year are higher than they have ever been.
→ Never ………………………………………………………………..
2. Macbeth is the play that I enjoyed the most.
→ There ………………………………………………………………..
3. Nobody remained on the ship after the captain had left it.
→ The captain …………………………………………………………
4. The factory seemed to have been damaged by fire.
→ It looked …………………………………………………………….
5. Is this the only way we can solve the problem.
→ Isn’t there …………………………………………………………..
6. We had to postpone the meeting because of bad weather.
→ Bad weather led……………………………………………………..
7. Peter remembered and so did Mary.
→ Peter didn’t …………………………………………………………..
8. “You really must explain why the Finance Director acted as he did”, said the chairman.
→ The chairman insisted on ……………………………………………….
9. No one could explain why the money had disappeared.
→ No one could account …………………………………………………………….
10. This cough medicine doesn’t affect your ability to drive.
→ This cough medicine has no ……………………………………………………..