PRACTICE TEST 1

SECTION B: PHONETICS (10 points)

Part I. Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the rest. (5 points)
1. . A. idiot B. idea C. idol D. ideal
2. A. dreadful B. dream C. dreamily D. dreamer
3. A. stopped B. needed C. sacked D. missed
4. A. tough B. enough C. thorough D. much
5.. A. deafening B. frightening C. happening D. threatening
Part II. Choose the word that has a different stress pattern from the others in the group. (5 points)
1. A. arrival B. reception C. prestigious D. literal
2. A. computer B. dependence C. horizon D. obvious
3. A. luxury B. cosmetics C. protection D. investment
4. A. prescription B. assassinate C. Accuracy D. Ambiguous
5. A. romantic B. popular C. financial D. reduction
SECTION C : VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR (80 points)
Part I. Choose the word, phrase or expression which best completes each sentence. (20 points)
1. Millie’s father accused her of _________.
A. trying not hard enough B. trying not hard enough C. not trying hard enough D. trying not enough
hard
2. The public library _________ to all readers who are interested in reading and doing research.
A. is opening B. is open C. is opened D. is being opened
3. I bought some new shoes. They felt a bit strange_________ because I wasn’t used to them.
A. first B. at first C. firstly D. first of all
4. I quickly packed my new belongings and spent_________ money I had on a one-way ticket home.
A. little B. a little C. the little D. a little of
5. She believes that all countries should_________ the death penalty as it is inhumane.
A. put down to B. catch up on C. get down to D. do away with
6. Keep your ticket_________ you have to show it to an inspector.
A. if B. in case C. unless D. supposing
7. He always_________ aside some time every day to read to his children.
A. sets B. leaves C. spares D. lets
8. For the past few months she’s been as a street_________ selling fruit and vegetable.
A. dealer B. trader C. pusher D. vendor
9. I use weed-killer to _________ the weeds in the garden.
A. get rid of B. get out of C. get away with D. get in the way with
10. If there is new evidence that proves his innocence, it is likely that the authorities will _________ him from
jail.
A. release B. relieve C. remove D. rehabilitate
11. The defendant’s lawyer wasn’t very good and he was found _________ by the jury.
A. faulty B. mistaken C. guilty D. sinful
12. The dish was so tasty that I asked for second _________.
A. helping B. portion C. ration D. share
13. I’m amazed that this game ever _________- it is so silly!
A. took in B. caught on C. took up D. caught by
14. “I’m sure the Whitleys were involved.” - “They _________ have since they know nothing about the
business.”
A. can’t B. wouldn’t C. shouldn’t D. mustn’t
15. “Candy’s an excellent pianist, isn’t she?” – “She_________to win the prize if she plays this well during the
competition.”
A. is due B. is bound C. is about D. is set
16. His friends offered to______ the next time he was in town so that he wouldn’t have to pay for a hotel.
A. place him in B. put him up C. back him up D. turn him out
17. Susan became so tired of city life that she decided to buy a piece of land _________.
A. out of the ordinary B. as the crow flies
C. far and away D. in the middle of nowhere
18. My mind went _________ when the official asked me my phone number- I couldn’t remember it at all.
A. empty B. clear C. blank D. vacant
19. During their first date, Jane had nervously peppered the conversation with___________ talk.
A. unimportant B. tiny C. small D. trivial
20. We do go _________ in the office, but the odd rule gets broken from time to time.
A. by the book B. for a song C. astray D. in phrases
Part II. Give the correct form of words in brackets to complete the following sentences. (20 points)
1. Earth Hour is a .....worldwide.......................... event organized to raise people’s awareness about the need to
take action on climate change. (WORLD)
2. Family plays an important role in establishing children’s ……self-esteem………... (ESTEEM
3. This organization is very concerned about the……destruction.............. of the rain forests. (DESTROY).
4. In Western countries, electricity, gas, and water are not luxuries but ............necessities..............
(NECESSARY)
5. Two…representatives….............. from the group “Friends of the Earth" are talking to the students.
(REPRESENT)
6. Most of these students are interested in pursuing ……undergraduate………………studies for bachalor’s
degrees. (GRADUATION)
7. The judge told him it was ................irrespondsible..................to drink and drive, and banned him for a year.
(RESPONSIBLE)
8. The keys were locked inside the car . ...luckily............., a side window was open. (LUCKY)
9. Three firms are in .......competition........................for the same contract.(COMPETE)
10. It is forbidden to hunt for that kind of bird. It has been listed as one of the ....endanger.................species.
(DANGER
Part III. . There is one incorrect word in terms of spelling, grammar or usage in each line of the following
passage. Indicate and correct it.(10 points)
Australia was settled by Europeans in 1788, mainly to home criminals, Line 1
but with a little independent farmers and businessmen. The settlements Line 2
were not wealthy, and there was little help available to them in need: Line 3
the poor, the sick, the unemploy, and the aged. To begin with, what Line 4
little help was availably came in the form of charity: donations of Line 5
money, accommodation or medical treatment to selected needy. A Line 6
second approach that began to emerge in the last nineteenth century Line 7
was that of “universalism”. It stresses that all people in society should Line 8
be entitle to certain benefits-up to a minimum level and across a Line 9
restricted range of services. This approach was eventually used to arguing for Line 10
the introduction of a pension for the aged poor.
Little => few; them-> those; unemploy -> unemployed; settlements -> settlers; home ->
house; availably -> available; last -> late; stresses -> stressed; arguing -> argue
Part IV. Give the correct tense or form of the verbs in brackets. (20 points)
1. “You were late for your dental appointment.”
“I know. I (not/ stay) .................. so long at the library.” Shouldn’t have stayed
2. It is necessary that everyone (be) .................. calm in times of danger. be
3. If you want to see us, come to Tom’s on Sunday. We (wait) .................. for you there at midday.
Will be waiting
4. It was a fine day and the roads were crowded because a lot of people (rush) were rushing ........
to the seaside.
5. Those were the highest words of praise they had ever heard .................. from the old man.
6. Our little children enjoy (take) ....being taken.............. to the water park every Sunday.
7. I don’t feel good. I (stay) ...am going to stay............... home from work tomorrow.
8. It won’t be safe to use these stairs until they (repair) ....have been repaired.............. .
9. The city is now crowded with the people who (seek) ...are seeking............... employment.
10. The old man is said (leave) ........to have left............ all his money to an old people’s home when he
died.
Part V. Fill in each blank with a suitable PREPOSITION or PARTICLE. (10 points)
1.The fashion designer has exercised good …taste…….in her use of various collors and patterns
2. I am astonished __at/by______ the way my students can spend all night at the disco and still remember their
prepositions next morning.
3. Is it possible to insure yourself ___against_____ nuclear attack?
4. At school today, we had a long discussion __about_____ the best way to learn a foreign language.
5. “How can I discourage my boyfriend __from_____ trying to kiss me all the time?” “Eat plenty of garlic.”
6. Raise the gun to your shoulder, aim __at_____ the target, and try not to kill anyone.
7. Small children should be watched _____over_______ carefully.
8. Would you give up your country cottage __for________ a town flat?
9. He’ll inherit the money when he comes _______of_______ age.
10. The performance on the first night came _____off_________ pretty.
SECTION D: READING COMPREHENSION (40 POINTS)
Part I. . Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only ONE word in
each space. (20 pts
Like any other universities, the Open University can give you a degree. However, you don’t have to
(1)………….working to study. It can also open up a whole variety (2)……………………..interest. if you have
(3)……………..studied before, you will enjoy the special, new pleasure of (4)………………….your
knowledge. You will make friends(5) …………….kind.You may also (6)……………………..that your
qualification provides new career opportunities.
You don’t actually (7)…………..to the Open University for lecturers, but study at home, using
television, radio and computer software. You can (8)…………………..one class a month if you wish at an
Open Universiry centre. Of course, there are exams to take, as in (9) ………………..university. If you would
like to know more , all you have to do is (10) ……………………..the form below. It could be the start of a
wonderful new period in your life.
Part II. Choose the best word A, B, C or D to fill in spaces in the following passage. (10 points)
PROBLEMS OF WATCHING TELEVISION IN BRITAIN
British parents are always complaining that their children spend too much time gluing to the telly and
not enough (1)..................other activities like sports and reading. A survey recently carried out on people’s
viewing habits (2).................. not disapprove it. It shows that young people in Britain spend on
(3)...................twenty three hours a week in front of the television, (4)......................works out at over three
hours every day.
What is surprising, however, is the fact that the average adult watches even more: an incredible 28 hours
a week. We seem to have become a nation of telly addicts. Just about (5)...................household in the country
has a television and over half have two or more. According (6)...................the survey, people nowadays don’t
just watch television sitting in their living room, they watch it in the kitchen and in bed as well.
The Education Minister said a (7).....................weeks ago that Britain’s pupils should spend more time
reading. Unfortunately, parents are not setting a good example: adults do (8)................reading than young
people. In fact, reading is (9).....................the bottom of their list of favorite pastimes. They
would(10) ......................listen to the radio, go to the cinema or hire a video to watch on their television at
home.
1. A. at B. on C. for D. in
2. A. does B. do C. is D. has
3. A. time B. Sunday C. weekend D. average
4. A. which B. what C. who D. where
5. A. none B. neither C. every D. all
6. A. for B. to C. with D. on
7. A. lot B. little C. number D. few
8. A. more B. better C. less D. most
9. A. on B. to C. at D. in
10. had better B. prefer C. like D. rather
Part III. Read the following passage and choose the correct answer (10 points)
Large animals that inhabit the desert have evolved a number of adaptations for reducing the effects of
extreme heat. One adaptation is to be light in color, and to reflect rather than absorb the Sun's rays. Desert
mammals also depart from the normal mammalian practice of maintaining a constant body temperature.
Instead of trying to keep down the body temperature deep inside the body, which would involve the expenditure
of water and energy, desert mammals allow their temperatures to rise to what would normally be fever height,
and temperatures as high as 46 degrees Celsius have been measured in Grant's gazelles. The overheated body
then cools down during the cold desert night, and indeed the temperature may fall unusually low by dawn, as
low as 34 degrees Celsius in the camel. This is an advantage since the heat of the first few hours of daylight is
absorbed in warming up the body, and an excessive build-up of heat does not begin until well into the day.
Another strategy of large desert animals is to tolerate the loss of body water to a point that would be fatal
for non-adapted animals. The camel can lose up to 30 percent of its body weight as water without harm to itself,
whereas human beings die after losing only 12 to 13 percent of their body weight. An equally important
adaptation is the ability to replenish this water loss at one drink. Desert animals can drink prodigious volumes
in a short time, and camels have been known to imbibe over 100 liters in a few minutes. A very dehydrated
person, on the other hand, cannot drink enough water to rehydrate at one session, because the human stomach is
not sufficiently big and because a too rapid dilution of the body fluids causes death from water intoxication.
 The tolerance of water loss is of obvious advantage in the desert, as animals do not have to remain near a
water hole but can obtain food from grazing sparse and far-flung pastures. Desert-adapted mammals have the
further ability to feed normally when extremely dehydrated, it is a common experience in people that appetite is
lost even under conditions of moderate thirst.
1. What is the main topic of the passage?
A. Weather variations in the desert B. Adaptations of desert animals
C. Diseased of desert animals D. Human use of desert animals.
2. According to the passage, why is light coloring an advantage to large desert animals?
A. It helps them hide from predators. B. It does not absorb sunlight as much as dark colors.
C. It helps them see their young at night D. It keeps them cool at night.
3. The word "maintaining" in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to
A. measuring B. inheriting C. preserving D. delaying
4. The author uses of Grant's gazelle as an example of
A. an animal with a low average temperature
B. an animal that is not as well adapted as the camel
C. a desert animal that can withstand high body temperatures
D. a desert animal with a constant body temperature
5. When is the internal temperature of a large desert mammal lower?
A. Just before sunrise B. In the middle of the day C. Just after sunset D. Just after drinking
6. The word "tolerate" in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to
A. endure B. replace C. compensate D. reduce
7. What causes water intoxication?
A. Drinking too much water very quickly B. Drinking polluted water C. Bacteria in water D.
Lack of water.
8. What does the author imply about desert-adapted mammals?
A. They do not need to eat much food. B. They can eat large quantities quickly
C. They easily lose their appetites. D. They can travel long distances looking for food.
9. Why does the author mention humans in the second paragraph?
A. To show how they use camels. B. To contrast them to desert mammals.
C. To give instructions about desert survival. D. To show how they have adapted to desert life.
10. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an adaptation of large desert animals?
A. Variation in body temperatures B. Eating while dehydrated
C. Drinking water quickly D. Being active at night.
SECTION E. WRITING (50 points)
Part I. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same as the sentence
printed before it. (10 points)
1.Just thinking about his face at that moment makes me laugh.
The very________________________________________________________ .
2. The boys clearly intended to make trouble when they entered the hotel.
The boys were_________________________________________________________
3. He got down to writing the letter as soon as he returned from his walk.
No sooner ____________________________________________________________
4. The demand was so great that they had to reprint the book immediately.
So ___________________________________________________________________
5. The value of these goods has fallen considerably in the past week.
There has ___________________________________________________________
Part II. Rewrite each of the following sentences so that it means exactly the same as the given one. Using
the given words in backets. Do not change the word. (10 points)
1. I offered to help her but she said “No, thanks” (turned)
She ___________________________________________________________________
2. I don’t feel like going to the party . (mood)
I ______________________________________________________________________
1. Don’t conclude that learning English is easy. (come)
Don’t _____________________________________________________________________
4. The new manager blames me for every thing that goes wrong. (picking)
The new ___________________________________________________________
5.He is different from his brother in almost aspects .(bears)
He ____________________________________________________________________
Part III. Writing a paragraph (30 points)
Becoming independent is one of the most important life skills. What should we do to develop this skill?
(In 180-200 words)