PRACTICE TEST

A. LISTENING
Part 1. Listen to a lecture about population growth. For questions 1 – 5, decide whether these statements are TRUE
(T) or FALSE (F).
1. Birth rate is the average number of children born in a year, per thousand people. T
2. Fertility rate in UK was first reported to have been so high in 2008. F
3. Fertility rate in the UK is higher than it was twenty years ago because a higher proportion of women are having
children. F
4. 10% of of women in their mid-forties do not have children nowadays. F
5. Fertility rates are low partly because parents do not have time to have children. T
Part 2. You will hear part of a radio interview with an economist. For questions 1-5, choose the answer (A, B. C or
D), which fits best according to what you hear.
1. According to the Fawcett Society,
A. women would need to work into their eighties to earn as much money as men.
B. good qualifications aren’t necessarily rewarded with high wages.
C. women will never earn as much as men.
D. more women have degrees than men.
2. What is said about careers advice in schools?
A. It has been improved but it is still inadequate.
B. It is now quite good for girls but boys are being neglected.
C. There is no advice for girls that are ambitious.
D. Girls are always encouraged not to be ambitious.
3. According to Jim,
A.women are to blame for not insisting on higher wages.
B. new government policies have solved most of the problems.
C. there is nothing more the government can do.
D. women shouldn’t necessarily be encouraged to change their choice of career.
4. A London School of Economics report showed that
A. women who worked part-time found it difficult to get a full-time job later on.
B. after having children, women find it harder to earn as much money as men.
C. women find it hard to find a job after having children.
D. most women want a full-time job after having a child.
5. What does the “stuffed shirt” policy mean?
A. Women are being forced to choose between family commitments and work.
B. Only men can have part-time senior positions.
C. Women don't get the opportunity to train for high-powered jobs.
D. No woman can have a senior position.
Part 3. Listen to a piece of news about the loss of rainforests and complete the summary below. WRITE NO MORE
THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER.
Since the beginning of 20th century rainforests have been under threat of extinction. One major cause of deforestation
is repurposing the land for 1. ________ such as growing rubber or palm oil on its property.
The loss of this dense biodiversity can pose several threats to our modern society. It is estimated that 2.________
modern medicines would be lost along with thousands of 3._______ derived from plants while underprivileged groups
are relying on rainforest plants for medicines. According to World Health Organization, 4.______ take up to 50% of
all medicines in China. Another major problem is climate change. Known as 5. _________, rainforests absorb CO2,
clearing it from the atmosphere. A rise in carbon dioxide levels and a fall in rainforest acreage would contribute to 6.
_______ and severe droughts. More seriously, 7. __________ over resources such as farming land has led to farmers’
deaths globally.

It is not easy to find a feasible approach to stopping deforestation as many people on Earth survive by means of natural
resource 8. __________. A typical example is palm oil industry which helps to 9. _______ by creating jobs for
millions of farmers. Switching to another production of 10. ________ like sunflower or soybean would even cause
more land destruction.
II. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to choose the correct word
for each of the numbered blanks.
Vocational education has always been closely ................. (11) to the character of a society, the importance it
attaches to work and the social values ....................... (12) by the members of its community. Its primary (13) .....goal
is to teach the skills and a practical ................ (14) requisite for different types of employment.
In the past, professions were inherited by descendants of families from the older generations. The mastery
accomplished by ............. (15) and passed on to their ................(16) in vocations like carpentry or weaving was
incomparable to the relatively poor level of craftmanship in the era of massive industrialization. In the 19th
century ................... (17) skills achieved after many years of ............... (18) apprenticeship were ..................(19) giving
way to the factory system where experience-building training was ................... (20) directly on the job. Consequently,
the number of ................. (21) performing high-skilled manual work began to ................ (22) as they were gradually
replaced by machinery and, finally, by computers.
11. a) accustomed b) linked c) composed d) intervowen
12. a) adored b) escalated c) rejoiced d) esteemed
13. a) rudimentary b) unique c) preliminary d) exclusive
14. a) flexibility b) proficiency c) faculty d) supremacy
15. a) peers b) associates c) forebears d) kinsmen
16. a) intermediaries b) pals c) predecessors d) heirs
17. a) habitual b) ancestral c) familiar d) genealogical
18. a) infinite b) exorbitant c) austere d) ferocious
19. a) repelled b) abstained c) mishandled d) renounced
20. a) administered b) injected c) engaged d) disposed
21. a) progenitors b) artisans c) merchants d) devotees
22. a) submerge b) fracture c) collapse d) dwindle

I.Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer in each of the following questions.
26. “Hurry up! I need the report right now!”
“You'll get it when it's finished! ...............”
A. All in good time! B. Have a thin time of it!
B. A stitch in time saves nine! D. It's just the fullness of time!
27. Day Inn is a well-run, mid-range hotel combining all the ............... cons with a real tropical Fifties
ambience.
A. mode B. feature C. mod D. pros
28. How many trains they had seen over the 5 years they had lived here, each one rushing past in a
sudden squall of speed at every hour of the day and night, come ......................
A. rain or wind B. rain or shine C. shine or rain D. wind or storm

29. Many people in a foreclosure situation will ...........their head in the sand and ignore the fact that
something substantial is happening.
 47. I'm really sorry. We ................ to stop at a service station and phone you, but we didn't want to waste any more
time.
A. were due to B. were going to C. were to D. were about
48. There .............. be life on Saturn. to
A. would B. could C. can D. is able to
49. Windsor Castle is the largest occupied
C. at D. among
castle ....Britain.
A. in B. of
50. There's a beautiful old house for sale at the local........
A. estate agent's B. estate's agent's C. estate's agent D. estate agent
51. __depends on the final result of the negotiations.
A. A few B. No C. Every D. Much
52. The ministry didn't expect _quite such a negative reaction from farmers.
A. there was to be B. there to be C. there being
D. there be
53. No doubt _ us a key.
A. will he give B. he will give C. gives he
54. What the new members _is taken their seats in the assembly. D. giving he
A. do B. did C. have done
D. to do
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word or phrase
that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions.
55. According to economists, the overriding cause of apparent state of perpetual poverty in the developing world is
the overwhelming prevalence of black market activities.
A. the most important factor in B. the critical importance of
C. the unavoidable result of D. the most obvious account of
56. He solved the problems in a way that was opposite of what his friends expected.
A. disintuitively B. counter-intuitively C. over-intuitively D. under-intuitively
57. Rather than force extralegal markets to adjust to a new, foreign system of property titling, reformers should
focus on codifying the existing system wherever it is practical to do so.
A. systematizing B. cataloguing C. organizing D. classifying
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word or phrase that is OPPOSITE in meaning to
the underlined part in each of the following questions.
58. This kind of dress is becoming outmoded so you shouldn't dress it up at the party.
A. realistic B. incompetent C. fashionable D. unattractive
59. Over the past few decades, despite periodic attempts to reign in spending, currencies in South America have
become devalued by rampant inflation.
A. overcharged B. revalued C. reappraised D. overpriced
III.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.

NATONAL FLAGS

1 The flag, the most common symbol of national identity in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient.
The traditional flag of fabric is still used to mark buildings, ships, and diplomatic caravans by national affiliation, but
its visual design makes it adaptable for other roles as well. Most flags have a compact, rectangular shape and distinct
visual symbolism. Their strong colors and geometric patterns are usually instantly recognizable even if miniaturized
to less than a square centimeter. Images of flags can thus serve as identifying icons on airliners, television broadcasts,
and computer displays.
2 Despite its simplicity, the national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive artifact. It is, rather, the
product of millennia of development in many corners of the globe. Historians believe it had two major ancestors,
of which the earlier served to indicate wind direction. Early human societies used very fragile shelters and boats.
Their food sources were similarly vulnerable to disruption. Even after various grains had been domesticated,
people needed cooperation from the elements to assure good harvests. For all these reasons, they feared and
depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.
3 Ascertaining the direction of the wind using a simple strip of cloth tied to the top of a post was more reliable than
earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire or the swaying of field grasses. The association
of these prototypes of the flag with divine power was therefore a natural one. Tribes began to fix long cloth flutters
to the tops of totems before carrying them into battle, believing that the magical assistance of the wind would be
added to the blessings of the gods and ancestors represented by the totem itself.
4 These flutters may seem like close kin of our present-day flags, but the path through history from one to the other
wanders through thousands of years and over several continents. The first known flag of a nation or ruler was
unmarked: The king who established the Chou Dynasty in China (around 1000
C. C.) was reputed to have a white flag carried ahead of him. This practice may have been adopted from
Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routes through India, then across
Arab lands, and finally to medieval Europe.
5 In Europe, the Chinese-derived flag met up with the modern flag's second ancestor, the heraldic crest. The flags
used in Asia may have been differentiated by color, but they rarely featured emblems or pictures. European nobles
of the medieval period had, however, developed a system of crests (symbols or insignias specific to particular
families) that were commonly mounted on hard surfaces; shields to be used in battle often displayed them
especially prominently.
6 The production of these crests on flags permitted them to be used as heralds, meaning that they functioned as
visual announcements that a member of an important household was present. While crests began to appear on flags
as well as shields, the number of prominent families was also increasing. They required an ever greater number of
combinations of stripes, crosses, flowers, and mythical animals to distinguish themselves. These survived as the
basic components of flag design when small regional kingdoms were later combined into larger nation-states.
They remain such for many European countries today.
7 Some nations, particularly those whose colors and emblems date back several hundred years, have
different flags for different official uses. For example, the flag of Poland is a simple rectangle with a white upper
half and red lower half. The colors themselves have been associated with Polish nationalism since the 1700s. They
originated as the colors of the Piast family, which during its rule displayed a crest bearing a white eagle on a red
field. Homage is paid to the Piast Dynasty in the Polish ensign, the flag officially used at sea. Unlike the familiar
plain flag flown on land, the ensign has a red shield with a white eagle centered on its upper white stripe.
1. Paragraph 1 of the passage describes the design of the typical flag as ____.
A. unfamiliar to people from other countries B. likely to change as technology improves
C. suited to many different uses D. older than the country it represents
2. In paragraph 1, the word ‘miniaturized' is closest in meaning to __.
A. publicized B. colored C. made brighter D. made smaller
3. In paragraph 2, the word ‘primitive' is closest in meaning to __.
A. ancient B. unsophisticated C. identifiable D. replaceable
4. The earliest ancestors of the flag were associated with divine power because ___.
A. they were flown as high in the sky as people could reach
B. they were woven from valuable field grasses
C. they moved with the wind
D. tribes that flew them always won battles
5. In paragraph 3, the word ‘fix' is closest in meaning to _.
A. create B. respect C. attach D. blow
6. According to paragraph 4 of the passage, the first known national flag in history .
A. was not carried into battle B. is still used in China today
C. was copied by the Egyptians D. was not colored or patterned
7. As discussed in the passage, a crest is ___.
A. the most important member of a household B. the color of a particular flag
C. the symbol of a particular family D. a European noble
8. According to paragraph 6 of the passage, the number of flag designs increased because _.
A. fewer shields were being made for battle B. nation-states were becoming larger
C. artists had greater freedom in creating flags D. more families wanted their own symbols
9. The word ‘components' in paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to _.
A. styles B. makers C. countries D. parts
10. The two flags of Poland mentioned in the passage differ in that _.
A. they do not use the same colors B. they originally represented different families
C. only one is used officially D. one does not have a crest
V. Complete the passage below by writing ONE word in each gap.
PARENTS
Parents - as you are probably (1)well aware - are easily shockable. No matter how hard they try to
be trendy and to keep up to date with modern fads, they (2)can never quite help being a
generation removed. Life simply moves too quickly for them. They will in (3)all likelihood
attempt to maintain some sort of dialogue with you by going out and buying the latest CDs, (4)only/just to find
a few months later the charts are filled by acts whose names they have never heard (5)of. Then they get
frustrated and it all comes pouring out (6)during an edition of some chart show on TV when they
moan that there has never been anything (7)worth listening to since their day - (8)whenever that
happened to be.
Other parents don't (9)even try to understand their kids. They occupy the moral high ground and
dismiss anything that has happened since their youth (10)as decadent. Naturally, as lovers of
folk music or slushy ballads, their principal complaint (11)against rock music is that they can't make
(12)out the words. Hardly a day seems to go by (13)without you incurring their displeasure one
way or (14)another, whether it's your hair, your clothes or the fact that you stayed out till three. So
why bother trying to please them? You (15)might just as well wind them up even more.

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1–14 which are based on Reading Passage Sample 7 below:

Alarming Rate of Loss of Tropical Rainforests

Adults and children are frequently confronted with statements about the alarming rate of loss of tropical rainforests.

For example, one graphic illustration to which children might readily relate is the estimate that rainforests are being
destroyed at a rate equivalent to one thousand football fields every forty minutes – about the duration of a normal
classroom period. In the face of the frequent and often vivid media coverage, it is likely that children will have formed
ideas about rainforests – what and where they are, why they are important, what endangers them – independent of any
formal tuition. It is also possible that some of these ideas will be mistaken. Many studies have shown that children
harbour misconceptions about ‘pure’, curriculum science. These misconceptions do not remain isolated but become
incorporated into a multifaceted, but organised, conceptual framework, making it and the component ideas, some of
which are erroneous, more robust but also accessible to modification. These ideas may be developed by children
absorbing ideas through the popular media. Sometimes this information may be erroneous. It seems schools may not
be providing an opportunity for children to re-express their ideas and so have them tested and refined by teachers and
their peers.
Despite the extensive coverage in the popular media of the destruction of rainforests, little formal information is
available about children’s ideas in this area. The aim of the present study is to start to provide such information, to
help teachers design their educational strategies to build upon correct ideas and to displace misconceptions and to plan
programmes in environmental studies in their schools.

The study surveys children’s scientific knowledge and attitudes to rainforests. Secondary school children were asked
to complete a questionnaire containing five open-form questions. The most frequent responses to the first question
were descriptions which are self-evident from the term ‘rainforest’. Some children described them as damp, wet or
hot. The second question concerned the geographical location of rainforests. The commonest responses were
continents or countries: Africa (given by 43% of children), South America (30%), Brazil (25%). Some children also
gave more general locations, such as being near the Equator.

Responses to question three concerned the importance of rainforests. The dominant idea, raised by 64% of the pupils,
was that rainforests provide animals with habitats. Fewer students responded that rainforests provide plant habitats,
and even fewer mentioned the indigenous populations of rainforests. More girls (70%) than boys (60%) raised the idea
of rainforest as animal habitats.

Similarly, but at a lower level, more girls (13%) than boys (5%) said that rainforests provided human habitats. These
observations are generally consistent with our previous studies of pupils’ views about the use and conservation of
rainforests, in which girls were shown to be more sympathetic to animals and expressed views which seem to place an
intrinsic value on non-human animal life.

The fourth question concerned the causes of the destruction of rainforests. Perhaps encouragingly, more than half of
the pupils (59%) identified that it is human activities which are destroying rainforests, some personalising the
responsibility by the use of terms such as ‘we are’. About 18% of the pupils referred specifically to logging activity.

One misconception, expressed by some 10% of the pupils, was that acid rain is responsible for rainforest destruction; a
similar proportion said that pollution is destroying rainforests. Here, children are confusing rainforest destruction with
damage to the forests of Western Europe by these factors. While two fifths of the students provided the information
that the rainforests provide oxygen, in some cases this response also embraced the misconception that rainforest
destruction would reduce atmospheric oxygen, making the atmosphere incompatible with human life on Earth.

In answer to the final question about the importance of rainforest conservation, the majority of children simply said
that we need rainforests to survive. Only a few of the pupils (6%) mentioned that rainforest destruction may contribute
to global warming. This is surprising considering the high level of media coverage on this issue. Some children
expressed the idea that the conservation of rainforests is not important.

The results of this study suggest that certain ideas predominate in the thinking of children about rainforests. Pupils’
responses indicate some misconceptions in basic scientific knowledge of rainforests’ ecosystems such as their ideas
about rainforests as habitats for animals, plants and humans and the relationship between climatic change and
destruction of rainforests.

Pupils did not volunteer ideas that suggested that they appreciated the complexity of causes of rainforest destruction.
In other words, they gave no indication of an appreciation of either the range of ways in which rainforests are
important or the complex social, economic and political factors which drive the activities which are destroying the
rainforests. One encouragement is that the results of similar studies about other environmental issues suggest that older
children seem to acquire the ability to appreciate, value and evaluate conflicting views. Environmental education
offers an arena in which these skills can be developed, which is essential for these children as future decision-makers.

Questions 1–8
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading 7?

In boxes 1–8 on your answer sheet write:

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1 The plight of the rainforests has largely been ignored by the media. F
2 Children only accept opinions on rainforests that they encounter in their classrooms. NG -> F
3 It has been suggested that children hold mistaken views about the ‘pure’ science that they study at school. T
4 The fact that children’s ideas about science form part of a larger framework of ideas means that it is easier to change
them. T
5 The study involved asking children a number of yes/no questions such as ‘Are there any rainforests in Africa?’ F
6 Girls are more likely than boys to hold mistaken views about the rainforests’ destruction. NG
7 The study reported here follows on from a series of studies that have looked at children’s understanding of
rainforests. T
8 A second study has been planned to investigate primary school children’s ideas about rainforests. NG

Questions 9–13
The box below gives a list of responses A–P to the questionnaire discussed in Reading 7.

Answer the following questions by choosing the correct responses A–P.

Write your answers in boxes 9–13 on your answer sheet.

09 What was the children’s most frequent response when asked where the rainforests were? M
10 What was the most common response to the question about the importance of the rainforests? E
11 What did most children give as the reason for the loss of the rainforests? G
12 Why did most children think it important for the rainforests to be protected? P
13 Which of the responses is cited as unexpectedly uncommon, given the amount of time spent on the issue by the
newspapers and television? J

A There is a complicated combination of reasons for the loss of the rainforests.

B The rainforests are being destroyed by the same things that are destroying the forests
of Western Europe.
C Rainforests are located near the Equator.
D Brazil is home to the rainforests.
E Without rainforests some animals would have nowhere to live.
F Rainforests are important habitats for a lot of plants.
G People are responsible for the loss of the rainforests.
H The rainforests are a source of oxygen.
I Rainforests are of consequence for a number of different reasons.
J As the rainforests are destroyed, the world gets warmer.
K Without rainforests there would not be enough oxygen in the air.
L There are people for whom the rainforests are home.
 M Rainforests are found in Africa.
N Rainforests are not really important to human life.
O The destruction of the rainforests is the direct result of logging activity.
P Humans depend on the rainforests for their continuing existence.

Question 14
Choose the correct letter A, B, C, D or E.
Write your answer in box 14 on your answer sheet.

Which of the following is the most suitable title for Reading sample Passage 7?

A The development of a programme in environmental studies within a science curriculum

B Children’s ideas about the rainforests and the implications for course design
C The extent to which children have been misled by the media concerning the rainforests
D How to collect, collate and describe the ideas of secondary school children
E The importance of the rainforests and the reasons for their destruction

VII. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning. In some questions, you have to use the given
words without changing their forms in any way. Use between FIVE and SEVEN words, including the word given in
brackets.

1. English is known to be an international language. (PUBLIC)

It__________________________________an international language.
2. The female player is too experienced to fall into that trap.
She’s got_________________________________to fall into that trap.
3. No matter what happens, you mustn’t open this door.
On no______________________________________
4. “You are coming home for lunch and I won’t take no for an answer !” Tom said to me.
Tom insisted________________________________
5.I don’t know why people are attracted to spending all day on the beach.
I can’t see the_______________________________on the beach.
6. People are persuaded by adverts to spend more than they can afford.
Adverts tempt_______________________________afford.
7.I prefer not to get too involved with him. (DISTANCE)
I prefer__________________________________
8. I don’t influence the way that the business is managed. (SAY)
I_________________________________that the business is managed.
9. The Prime Minister felt it appropriate to make a statement. (FIT)
 The Prime Minister ___________________________________________ a statement.
10. I promised him that the situation would not be repeated in the future. (WORD)
 I ________________________________________________________ no repetition of the situation in the future.