EMC-PRACTICE TEST 17

PART 1: LISTENING COMPREHENSION

I. Read the sentences below. You are going to hear two women talking about a holiday
in France. Read the sentences, and choose the best option: A, B, or C, to complete the
statements about the recording.

1. Paula's friend says that

A. she has been ill.
B. Paula doesn't look very well.
C. she's pleased to see Paula.

2. Before the trip, Paula

A. was enthusiastic about It.
B. wanted to go to the Lake District.
C. didn't tell anybody she was going.

3. Before Mark and Paula went to Paris,

A. Mark's boss didn't want him to go.
B. Paula arranged for somebody to look after the hamster.
C. Paula's sister promised to look after the children.

4. The journey across the Channel

A. was very smooth.
B. was unpleasant for Paula.
C. lasted eight hours.

5. The return trip from Paris was

A. disturbed by a flood.
B. an enjoyable experience.
C. earlier than planned.

II. Read the statements and decide whether they are true (T) or false (F).
1. The speaker has come from the Theosophical Society.
2. One of the main points of the talk is to save money.
3. She thinks students should do more housework.
4. She argues that plastic containers won't biodegrade quickly.
5. She warns that asthma sufferers should be careful with her recipes.

III. Part 1
You are going to hear two separate recordings about the uses of plastics.
Question 1-5
Complete the sentences below. Write no more than three words or number for each
space
1. According to the speaker, the three factors contributing to the success of plastics today
are safety, __________ and ______________.
2. _______________ and other food products are wrapped in plastic to protect them from
contamination.
3. The use of plastics in major appliances ensures that they will _________________ corrosion.
4. Experts have calculated that a kilo of plastic packaging can lead to a reduction of
___________ in wasted food.

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 5. Plastic parts have made air conditioners as much as ___________________ more efficient
since the 1970s.
Question 6-10
Complete the notes. Write no more than three words of numbers in each space.
A history of plastic bag
1957 introduction of (6) _______________
1966 Around one third of packaging in (7) ___________ consists of
plastic bags
1969 ‘New York City Experiment’:
(8) __________________ collected in plastic bags
(9) _______________ Plastic grocery bags first manufactured commercially
2002 New Irish tax of (10) ______________ per carrier bag

PART 2: GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY

I. Choose the best word from A, B, C or D that fits each blank
1. It isn’t that woman’s turn. Don’t let her push _______.
A. in B. through C. into D. up
2. We heard her _________ in agony as she dropped the saucepan on her toe.
A. boil over B. cry out C. let off D. ring out
3. Tom won’t buy that old car because it has too much ________ on it.
A. ups and downs B. odds and ends C. wear and tear D. white lie
4. His English teacher recommends that he _______ a regular degree program.
A. begin B. begins C. will begin D. is beginning
5. As a citizen, it is natural to _______ to the laws and rules made by the society.
A. conform B. resist C. hinder D. obey
6. The inconsiderate driver was _______ for parking his vehicle in the wrong place.
A. inflicted B. condemned C. harassed D. fined
7. Look, will you stop _______ in and let me finish my sentence!
A. moving B. pushing C. butting D. plugging
8. It’s the ________ of stupidity to go walking in the mountains in this weather.
A. height B. depth C. source D. matter
9. Tax ________ deprives the state of several million pounds as a year.
A. retention B. desertion C. escapism D. evasion
10. The university might accept you, ________ of your disappointing exam results.
A. irrespective B. pending C. expectant D. dependent
11. She __________ two miles and a half, and now she feels exhausted.
A. has been running B. run C. was running D. has run
12. Robert will enjoy skiing more the next time he goes to Mt. Hellens _____ he has had skiing
lessons.
A. now that B. so that C. before D. and
13. Don’t blame me for what I did. __________ differently in my place?

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A. Would you have acted B. Would you act C. Would you acted D. Wouldn’t you
act
14. The five Olympic rings are a __________ of the five continents.
A. emblem B. symbol C. logo D. sign
15. “How come you didn’t tell me that you would quit the job?” – “__________”
A. I found the job so interesting. B. Because I am so bored with it.
C. I would love to. Thank you. D. Because I know you would make a fuss
about it.
16. Archeologists are constantly searching for an answer __________ the question of what is
actually __________ the ground we walk on.
A. of/along B. to/beneath C. for/to D. on/for
17. The car was three years old but __________ very much.
A. hasn’t been used B. doesn’t use C. hasn’t used D. hadn’t been used
18. Dreams are commonly __________ both visual and verbal images.
A. made of B. made from C. consisted of D. made up of
19. He’d hardly finished doing his homework when you arrived, __________?
A. would he B. had he C. didn’t you D. hadn’t he
20. The incredible thing about telephone __________ across the continents, but that you can
recognize the other person’s voice.
A. is it allow people to talk instantly B. is not that people can instantly talk to each
other
C. is it provides instant talking to each other D. is that people can talk instantly

II. The passage below contains 10 mistakes. Underline the mistakes and write
their correct forms in the space provided in the column on the right.
Crime preventing is as crucial in the workplace as it is in the home or (1) __________
neighborhood. Reducing crime is as much a part of good management as
(2) __________
prompt delivery, good staff relations, and other acceptable management
functions. Losses from shops through shoplifting are extremely high and (3) __________
ultimately, those losses are payment for by all of us in high prices. There
(4) __________
are many opportunities for shopkeepers themselves to reduce
shoplifting. As with all types of criminal, prevention is better than cure. (5) __________
The best deterrent is the present of staff properly trained in how to
(6) __________
identify potential shoplifters. There are also many secure devices now
available. Video camera surveillance is a popular system, even with quite (7) __________
small retailers. In clothes shopping, magnetic tag marking systems that
(8) __________
set off an alarm if they are taken out of the shop have proved their
worthless. However, there are many simpler measures that retailers (9) __________
should consider. Better lighting and ceiling-hung mirrors can help staff to
(10) _________
watch all parts of the display area. Similarly, simply arrangement shelves
and display units to allow clear fields of visible is a good deterrent.

III. Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with suitable particles
1. I wonder if this dress fits. I’ll try it _______ and see.
2. “Did you enjoy the concert last night with Liz?” “We didn’t go. I waited an hour, but Liz
didn’t turn ___________.”

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3. Don’t spend the money you won. Why don’t you put it ________ until you have enough to
buy something you really want?
4. I was ill for two weeks, so I’ve fallen ________ with my work.
5. This painting can’t possibly be an original. I think we’ve been taken _________.
6. I won’t be able to go out tonight because a problem has just cropped ________.
7. After he was knocked out, it took a long time to bring him ________.
8. Don’t worry. The pain should wear _______ fairly soon.
9. Violence flared ________ and a lot of people were injured.
10. The changes were phased ________ gradually so that everyone could get used to them.

IV. Write the correct form of the word given

We’ve all felt anger at sometime, whether as faint (0) (0) ANNOY
annoyance or blind rage. Anger is a normal, sometimes
useful human emotion, but uncontrolled outbursts of (1) DESTROY
temper can be (1) ___________. “People who give free rein to
their anger, (2) __________ of the offence this may cause, (2) REGRAD
haven’t learned to express themselves constructively”, says
Martin Smolik, who runs weekend (3) _______ courses in (3) RESIDENCE
anger management. “It is important to maintain your (4)
__________ and put your case in an assertive, not aggressive, (4) COMPOSE
manner without hurting others. Being assertive doesn’t
mean being pushy or demanding; it means being (5) (5) RESPECT
__________ of yourself and other people.” He adds that people
who are (6) _______ angered are intolerant of frustration, (7) (6) EASY
_________ or irritation and, not surprisingly, find (8) ________
to other people very difficult. But what causes people to (7) CONVENIENT
behave like this? It seems there is evidence to support the
idea that some children may be born (9) __________ and (8) RELATE
prone to anger and this tendency is sometimes apparent
from a very early age. However, research also suggests that (9) IRRITATE
a person’s family (10) ________ may have an influence. Very
often, people who are quick-tempered come from (10) GROUND
disorganized and disruptive families who find it difficult to
express their emotions.

PART 3. READING COMPREHENSION

I. Read the text below and then decide which word best fits each blank
Gerard Mercator: The Man Who Mapped the Planet
When Gerard Mercatorwas was born in 1512, the geography of the globe still remained
a mystery. It was unclear whether America was part of Asia, if there was a vast (1)
__________ of sea at the top of the world or if Australia was (2) __________ to Antarctica.
Mercator's childhood was spent chiefly in Rupelmonde, a Flemish trading town on the
river, and it was here that his geographical imagination was (3) __________ by the ships
which passed to and from the rest of the world. Alongside imagination, he developed
two very different skills. The first was the ability to gather, (4) __________ and co-ordinate
the geographical information (5) __________explorers and sailors who frequented the
margins of the known. He also had to be able to imagine himself (6)__________from the
heavens, to achieve the visionary (7) ____________of gods in the skies, (8) ____________down
on the world. The main reason why Mercator's name is (9) ___________ to us is because of

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 the Mercator Projection: the solution he (10) ___________ to represent the spheroidal
surface of the globe on a two-dimensional plane. It is less well known that Mercator was
the first man to conceive of mapping the (11)___________ surface of the planet or that he
(12) ___________the idea of multiple maps being presented in bound books, to which he
gave the name 'Atlas'.
It is difficult for us now to be surprised by maps, so many are there, and of such detail
and coverage, but we should (13) ___________ in mind that Mercator lived at a time when
such knowledge was far from (14) ____________ He was the man who (15)____________ our
worldview forever.
1. A. territory B. distance C. range D. expanse
2. A. connected B. coupled C. united D. integrated
3. A. raise B. reared C. supplied D. nourished
4. A. congregate B. amass C. assimilate D. construct
5. A. granted B. conferred C. contributed D. provided
6. A. suspended B. located C. situated D. attached
7. A. inspection B. observation C. perspective D. assessment
8. A. glimpsing B. scrutinizing C. watching D. gazing
9. A. familiar B. famous C. memorable D. recognizable
10. A. invented B. contrived C. devised D. schemed
11. A. sheer B. full C. entire D. utter
12. A. pioneered B. initiated C. lead D. prepared
13. A. carry B. hold C. take D. bear
14. A. typical B. common C. routine D. normal
15. A. converted B. substituted C. distorted D. altered

II. Supply the most suitable word for each blank

I was reading an article last week in which the writer described ___(1)___ her children has
changed as they grow up. When they were small she had to ___(2)____ up with noisy games
in the house or join in interminable games of football in the garden which wore her out. If the
house went quiet, she wondered what the monsters were getting up to, or what crisis she
would have to ____(3)_____ with next. She dreaded the fact that they might ____(4)____
after her husband, who admitted having ___(5)____ an uncontrollable child who
____(6)_____ most of time showing off to his friends by breaking things or getting into
fights. What was worse was that everyone else thought he was ___ (7)____sweet child, and
he got away with the most terrible things. However, she had experienced an even greater
shocked with her children. They had ___(8)____ out as chess and playing the piano. They
never did anything ___(9)____ talking it over first, and coming to a serious decision. She had
to face up to the fact that they made her feel rather childish as they got ___(10)____, and that
in some ways she preferred them when they were young and noisy

III. Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) to each
question.
No longer is asthma considered a condition with isolated, acute episodes of
bronchospasm. Rather, asthma is now understood to be a chronic inflammatory
disorder of the airways—that is, inflammation makes the iirways chronically sensitive.
When these hyperresponsive airways are irritated, airflow is limited, and attacks of
coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and breathing difficulty occur.

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Asthma involves complex interactions among inflammatory cells, mediators, and the
cells and tissues in the airways. The interactions result in airflow limitation from acute
bronchoconstriction, swelling of the airway wall, increased mucus secretion, and airway
remodeling. The inflammation also causes an increase in airway responsiveness. During
an asthma attack, the patient attempts to compensate by breathing at a higher lung
volume in order to keep the air flowing through the constricted airways, and the greater
the airway limitation, the higher the lung volume must be to keep airways open. The
morphologic changes that occur in asthma include bronchial infiltration by
inflammatory cells. Key effector cells in the inflammatory response are the mast cells, T
lymphocytes, and eosinophils. Mast cells and eosinophils are also significant participants
in allergic responses, hence the similarities between allergic reactions and asthma
attacks. Other changes include mucus plugging of the airways, interstitial edema, and
microvascular leakage. Destruction of bronchial epithelium and thickening of the
subbasement membrane is also characteristic. In addition, there may be hypertrophy
and hyperplasia of airway smooth muscle, increase in goblet cell number, and
enlargement of submucous glands.
Although causes of the initial tendency toward inflammation in the airways of patients
with asthma are not yet certain to date the strongest identified risk factor is atopy. This
inherited familial tendency to have allergic reactions includes increased sensitivity to
allergens that are risk factors for developing asthma. Some of these allergens include
domestic dust mites, animals with fur, cockroaches, pollens, and molds. Additionally,
asthma may be triggered by viral respiratory infections, especially in children. By
avoiding these allergens and triggers, a person with asthma lowers his or her risk of
irritating sensitive airways. A few avoidance techniques include: keeping the home clean
and well ventilated, using an air conditioner in the summer months when pollen and
mold counts are high, and getting an annual influenza vaccination. Of course, asthma
sufferers should avoid tobacco smoke altogether. Cigar, cigarette, or pipe smoke is a
trigger whether the patient smokes or inhales the smoke from others. Smoke increases
the risk of allergic sensitization in children, increases the severity of symptoms, and may
be fatal in children who already have asthma. Many of the risk factors for developing
asthma may also provoke asthma attacks, and people with asthma may have one or
more triggers, which vary from individual to individual. The risk can be further reduced
by taking medications that decrease airway inflammation. Most exacerbations can be
prevented by the combination of avoiding triggers and taking anti-inflammatory
medications. An exception is physical activity, which is a common trigger of
exacerbations in asthma patients. However, asthma patients should not necessarily
avoid all physical exertion, because some types of activity have been proven to reduce
symptoms. Rather, they should work in conjunction with a doctor to design a proper
training regimen, which includes the use of medication.
In order to diagnose asthma, a healthcare professional must appreciate the underlying
disorder that leads to asthma symptoms and understand how to recognize the condition
through information gathered from the patient's history, physical examination,
measurements of lung function, and allergic status. Because asthma symptoms vary
throughout the day, the respiratory system may appear normal during physical
examination. Clinical signs are more likely to be present when a patient is experiencing
symptoms; however, the absence of symptoms upon examination does not exclude the
diagnosis of asthma.
1. According to the passage, what is the name for the familial inclination to have
hypersensitivity to certain allergens?
A. interstitial edema
B. hyperplasia

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C. hypertrophy
D. atopy
2. Why does a person suffering from an asthma attack attempt to inhale more air?
A. to prevent the loss of consciousness
B. to keep air flowing through shrunken air passageways
C. to prevent hyperplasia
D. to compensate for weakened mast cells, T lymphocytes, and eosinophils
3. The word triggered is closest in meaning to
A. caused
B. taken place
C. eliminated
D. cured
4. The passage suggests that in the past, asthma was regarded as which of the following?
A. a result of the overuse of tobacco products
B. a hysterical condition
C. mysterious, unrelated attacks affecting the lungs
D. a chronic condition
5. Which of the following would be the best replacement for the underlined word
exacerbations in this passage?
A. allergies
B. attacks
C. triggers
D. allergens
6. The passage mentions all of the following bodily changes during an asthma attack
except
A. Severe cramping in the chest.
B. Heavy breathing.
C. Airways blocked by fluids.
D. constricted airways.
7. Although it is surprising, which of the following triggers is mentioned in the passage
as possibly reducing the symptoms of asthma in some patients?
A. using a fan instead of an air conditioner in summer months
B. exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke
C. the love of a family pet
D. performing physical exercise
8. Why might a patient with asthma have an apparently normal respiratory system
during an examination by a doctor?
A. Asthma symptoms come and go throughout the day.
B. Severe asthma occurs only after strenuous physical exertion.
C. Doctor's offices are smoke free and very clean.
D. The pollen and mold count may be low that day.
9. Who might be the most logical audience for this passage?
A. Researchers studying the respiratory system

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 B. healthcare professionals
C. A mother whose child has been diagnosed with asthma
D. An antismoking activist
10. What is the reason given in this article for why passive smoke should be avoided by
children?
A. A smoke-filled room is a breeding ground for viral respiratory
B. Smoke can stunt an asthmatic child's growth.
C. Smoke can heighten the intensity of asthma symptoms.
D. Smoke can lead to a fatal asthma attack.

IV. Read the text and answer the following questions.

The Reading Passage has eight paragraphs A-H.
From the list of headings below, choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph.
List of headings

i. Obesity in animals
ii. Hidden dangers
iii. Proof of the truth
iv. New perspective on the horizon
v. No known treatment
vi. Rodent research leads the way
vii. Expert explains energy requirements of obese people
viii. A very uncommon complaint
ix. Nature or nurture
x. Shifting the blame
xi. Lifestyle change required despite new findings
Example: Paragraph A: x
1. Paragraph B _______________
2. Paragraph C _______________
3. Paragraph D _______________
4. Paragraph E _______________
5. Paragraph F _______________
6. Paragraph G _______________
7. Paragraph H _______________

Tackling Obesity in the Western World

A. Obesity is a huge problem in many western countries and one which now attracts
considerable medical interest as researchers take up the challenge to find a ‘cure’ for the
common condition of being seriously overweight. However, rather than take responsibility
for their weight, obese people have often sought solace in the excuse that they have a slow
metabolism, a genetic hiccup which sentences more than half the Australian population
(63% of men and 47% of women) to a life of battling with their weight. The argument goes
like this: it doesn’t matter how little they eat, they gain weight because their bodies break
down food and turn it into energy more slowly than those with a so-called normal
metabolic rate.
B. ‘This is nonsense,’ says Dr Susan Jebb from the Dunn Nutrition Unit at Cambridge in
England. Despite the persistence of the metabolism myth, science has known for several

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 years that the exact opposite is in fact true. Fat people have faster metabolisms than thin
people. “What is very clear,’ says Dr Jebb, ‘is that overweight people actually burn off more
energy. They have more cells, bigger hearts, bigger lungs and they all need more energy
just to keep going.’
C. It took only one night, spent in a sealed room at the Dunn Unit to disabuse one of their
patients of the beliefs of a lifetime: her metabolism was fast, not slow. By sealing the room
and measuring the exact amount of oxygen she used, researchers were able to show her
that her metabolism was not the culprit. It wasn’t the answer she expected and probably
not the one she wanted but she took the news philosophically.
D. Although the metabolism myth has been completely disproved, science has far from
discounted our genes as responsible for making us whatever weight we are, fat or thin. One
of the world’s leading obesity researchers, geneticist Professor Stephen O’Rahilly, goes so
far as to say we are on the threshold of a complete change in the way we view not only
morbid obesity, but also everyday overweight. Prof. O’Rahilly’s groundbreaking work in
Cambridge has proven that obesity can be caused by our genes. ‘These people are not
weak-willed, slothful or lazy’, says Prof. O’Rahilly, ‘They have a medical condition due to a
genetic defect and that causes them to be obese.’
E. In Australia, the University of Sydney’s Professor Ian Caterson says while major genetic
defects may be rare, many people probably have minor genetic variations that combine to
dictate weight and are responsible for things such as how much we eat, the amount of
exercise we do and the amount of energy we need. When you add up all these little
variations, the result is that some people are genetically predisposed to putting on weight.
He says while the fast/slow metabolism debate may have been settled, that doesn’t mean
some other subtle change in the metabolism gene won’t be found in overweight people. He
is confident that science will, eventually, be able to ‘cure’ some forms of obesity but the
only effective way for the vast majority of overweight and obese people to lose weight is a
change of diet and an increase in exercise.
F. Despite the $500 million a year Australians spend trying to lose weight and the $830
million it costs the community in health care, obesity is at epidemic proportions here, as it
is in all Western nations. Until recently, research and treatment for obesity had
concentrated on behavior modification, drugs to decrease appetite and surgery. How the
drugs worked was often not understood and many caused severe side effects and even
death in some patients. Surgery for obesity has also claimed many lives.
G. It has long been known that a part of the brain called the hypothalamus is responsible for
regulating hunger, among other things. But it wasn’t until 1994 that Professor Jeffery
Friedman from Rockerfeller University in the US sent science in a new direction by
studying an obese mouse. Prof. Friedman found that unlike its thin brothers, the fat mouse
did not produce a hitherto unknown hormone called leptin. Manufactured by the fat cells,
leptin acts as a messenger, sending signals to the hypothalamus to turn off the appetite.
Previously, the fat cells were thought to be responsible simply for storing fat. Prof.
Friedman gave the fat mouse leptin and it lost 30% of its body weight in two weeks.
H. On the other side of the Atlantic, Prof. O’Rahilly read about this research with great
excitement. For many months two blood samples had lain in the bottom of his freezer,
taken from two extremely obese young cousins. He hired a doctor to develop a test for
leptin in human blood, which eventually resulted in the discovery that neither of the
children’s blood contained the hormone. When one cousin was given leptin, she lost a
stone in weight and Prof. O’Rahilly made medical history. Here was the first proof that a
genetic defect could cause obesity in humans. But leptin deficiency turned out to be an
extremely rare condition and there is a lot more research to be done before the ‘magic’
cure for obesity is ever found.

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Complete the summary of the Reading Passage using words from the box at the bottom
of the page.
OBESITY
People with a _weight_ problem often try to deny responsibility. They do this by seeking
to blame their (8)_____ for the fact that they are overweight and erroneously believe that
they use less energy than thin people to stay alive. However, recent research has shown
that a (9) _____ problem can be responsible for obesity as some people seem
programmed to consume more than others. The new research points to a shift from
trying to change people’s (10)_____to seeking answer to the problem in the laboratory.
List of words
weight exercise sleep
mind bodies metabolism
more genetic less
physical consume behavior
use mental

PART 4. WRITING
A. Sentence transformation
I. 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 three to eight words, including the word given.
1. Adrian was the only person who didn’t enjoy the party.
WITH
Everyone enjoyed the party _________________________________________ Adrian.
2. Sam said that the situation at work was like a family argument.
LIKENED
Sam __________________________________________________ a family argument.
3. I always find chess problems like that quite impossible.
DEFEAT
Chess problems ____________________________________________________ me.
4. I thought I could count on your support at the meeting.
UP
I had hoped ______________________________________________ at the meeting.
5. Please read the instructions carefully before you use this appliance.
MAKING
Before ________________________________, please read the instructions carefully.
6. Only the usual, everyday things happen here.
OUT
Nothing _________________________________________________________ here.
7. He did everything possible to save his marriage.
POWER
He did ________________________________________________ save his marriage.
8. I promised her that the situation would not be repeated in the future.
WORD
I __________________________________ no repetition of the situation in the future.
9. No matter what happens, Jane will never forgive Mark for what he did.
EVER
Under _____________________________________________ Mark for what he did.
10. They were never aware at any moment that something was wrong.

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 TIME
At ____________________________________________ that something was wrong.

II. Rewrite the sentences, using the words given so that it has a similar
meaning to the first sentence
1. He really disappointed me when breaking the promise to help me out. (TEETH)
_________________________________________________________________________
2. He died, having nothing of his own. (NAME)
_________________________________________________________________________
3. Have a look at this picture. It may help you to remember something. (JOG)
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Motorists are jamming the streets as they slow down to see the wall paintings. (HOLD
UPS)
_________________________________________________________________________
5. He is becoming quite famous as an interviewer. (NAME)
_________________________________________________________________________

B. Composition

Many parts of the world are losing important natural resources, such as forests, animals, or
clean water. Choose one resource that is disappearing and explain why it needs to be saved.
Write a paragraph, using specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. (150 words)

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