PRACTICE TEST 36

A. LISTENING (50 points)

Part 1: Based on the talk you hear, complete the table below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE
WORDS OR A NUMBER for each answer. (10 points)
THE BRITISH LIBRARY
Commenced operation 1st July 1973
Four main constituent parts The Library of the British Museum
Patent Office Library
1. _____________________________
The British Library Document Supply Centre
The British Museum founded in 1753
The British Library receives a copy of books
many journals, magazines and newspapers
2. _____________________________
maps
Famous users of the 3. Vladimir Lenin, Karl Max, Charles Dickens, George
____________________________ Bernard Shaw, and Virginia Woolf
The British Library Document Supply
Centre has almost 5.000.000
The British Library’s website 4. _____________________________
5. www.__________________________
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Part 2. You will hear two students, Bella and Tom, discussing an article they have read about a
woman astronaut. For questions 1-5, decide whether the following statements are True (T) or
False (F). (10 pts)
1. The speakers agree that being an astronaut is an unexpected job for woman.
2. Bella particularly admires the astronaut Ellen Ochoa because of her determination to fulfil a
childhood dream.
3. Tom was surprised to learn that people who want to become astronauts should have experience
as aeroplane pilots.
4. Bella thinks the most interesting part of Ellen’s life is coping with unexpected problems.
5. Tom and Bella both now decide to go to some talks on space travel in films and literature.
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Part 3. 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. (10 pts)

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.
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 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.
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Part 4. For questions 1-10, listen to a talk about how curry from India conquered Britain and
supply the blanks with the missing information. Write NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS taken
from the recording for each answer in the space provided. (20 pts)
Curry is the anglicized version of the Tamil word Kari, meaning a spiced sauce and was commonly
used to describe any 1.______________________ originating from the Indian subcontinent.
Although the first 2.______________________ of curry was in 1598, it was not until mid-18 th
century that the first known curry recipe was published in Britain.
The first Indian restaurant in Britain, albeit 3.___________________, served a wide range of
dishes.
Chicken curry, which used an elderly fowl, then entered the 4.______________________.
At the early stage, the British curry stuck to Indian spices, blending meaty stews with a variety of
ingredients but, nonetheless, without 5.______________________.
In the 19th century, however, the British curry started to distance from the original recipe, with
mango being replaced by 6.______________________ and ready-made spice mixed with
7.______________________.
Curry only boomed after the second World War when the 8.______________________ resulted in
mass migration to Britain.
In the 1970s, the dish was both 9.____________________, and catered to the tastes of British
people.
In 2001, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook 10.______________________ that chicken tikka
masala, an Indian dish, was a true British national dish.
Your answers:
1. 6.
2. 7.
3. 8.
4. 9.
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 5. 10.
B. LEXICO - GRAMMAR (40 points)
Part 1. Choose one of the words marked A, B, C, or D which best completes each of the
following sentences. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes. (20 points)
1. You will find their house __________ you take a good street map with you.
A. as long as B. even if C. unless D. otherwise
2. ......I'd like to help you out, I'm afraid I just haven't got any spare money at the moment.
A. Much as B. Try as C. Even D. Despite
3. Mr. Nixon refused to answer the questions on the _______ that the matter was confidential.
A. reason B. excuses C. grounds D. foundations
4. “Don’t look so worried! You should take the boss’s remarks with a ______ of salt.”
A. teaspoon B. pinch C. gray D. dose
5. I caught the last bus by the skin of my _________.
A. teeth B. leg C. neck D. mouth
6. The police ____ off the street when the bomb had gone off.
A. cordoned B. battened C. fastened D. shuttered
7. She doesn’t like to keep anything hidden: she always _________ her mind.
A. talks B. speaks C. tells D. says
8. We were under no _________ about how difficult it would be to achieve our aims.
A. fantasies B. daydreams C. illusions D. deceptions
9. The local authorities need to _________ down on illegal parking, in my opinion.
A. hit B. force C. move D. crack
10. The doctor thought he had got over the worst, but his condition suddenly _________.
A. deteriorated B. dismantled C. dissolved D. disintegrated
11. I’ve got such a _________ headache that I can’t concentrate on the lecture.
A. beating B. drumming C. hammering D. throbbing
12. _________ cars usually have special and unique things that the owners wish to have.
They are certainly more expensive.
A. Man-made B. Custom-made C. Well-kept D. Well-dressed
13. He is too _____ a gambler to resist placing a bet on the final game.
A. instant B. compulsive C. spontaneous D. continuous
14. The train _______ the bay and then turned inland for twenty miles.
A. coasted B. skirted C. edged D. sided
15. The smoke _________ from the burning tires could be seen from miles.
A. bulging B. radiating C. billowing D. sweeping
16. We intend this to be a(n) _________ project, taking us into the next decade.
A. constant B. incessant C. steady D. ongoing
17. Mr. Parris said he’d like _________ by Monday, if that’s possible.
A. finished the report B. the report finished
C. the report will be finished D. have the report finished
18. _______ at his lessons, he couldn’t catch up with his classmates.
A. Hardly as he worked B. Hard as he worked C. Hard as he do D. Hard as he was
19. I came.......an old friend while I was in the park.
A. in B. across C. over D. for
20. If you don’t like this pen. Take .................. . There are some left in the box.
A. another B. one other C. others D. the other
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 1.A 2.A 3.C 4.B 5.A
6.A 7.B 8.C 9.D 10.A
11.D 12.B 13.B 14.B 15.C
16.D 17.B 18.B 19.B 20.A

Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

Part 2. Complete each sentence with one suitable particle or preposition. Write your answer in
the box provided. (10 points)
1.Something’s cropped _________, I am afraid I won’t be able to make it this afternoon.
2. They are planning to wind ________ their operation in Greece and concentrate on Eastern
Europe.
3. Tina is an authority _________ Byzaantine architecture.
4. His sense of fun has rubbed _________ his children.
5.– “ Will the concert start soon?”
_ “ It should get _________ way any minute now.”
6. Being rich doesn’t count _________ much on a desert island.
7. The company’s announced it’s laying _________ 1,000 workers.
8. Could you lend me some money to tide _________ me to the end of the month?
9. If the business does well, I’ll hopefully be able to take _________ a part-time assistant in the
spring.
10. When I was younger I wanted to be an air pilot but I soon went _________ the idea when I
realised I hated flying.
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Part 3. Read the text below. Use the word given in CAPITAL to form a word that fits in the
space. (10 points)

The woman twists and contorts her body, wheeling and spinning spectacularly across the room, her
voice rising in (1. ECSTASY)_________ whoops and yells then dropping to mournful moans and
grunts before she collapses in a heap on the floor. And then it's my turn.
I came here seeking a brief escape from the stresses and strains of everyday modern life. But right
now my (2. INSTINCT) _________ stress flight response is in full throttle and urging me to
sprint for the door, run like hell, anything rather than stand up and perform spontaneous singing
and dancing in front of a rather forbidding (3. SORT) _________ of complete strangers. But there
is no graceful way out. And something about the trance-like beat of the African drums, the (3.
EARTH) _________ hum of the harmonium, combined with the soothing candle-lit glow of the
room and - perhaps most of all - the serene (5. ASSURE) _________ of our teacher compels me to
stay put.

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This is natural voice therapy. The workshops are meant to release hidden emotions and (6.
ANXIOUS) _________, and promote relaxation and mental healing through singing. Using a
mixture of mantra, Sanskrit chanting, Indian scales and pure (7. IMPROVISE) _________,
coupled with movement and balance drawn from various cultures, the aim is to 'free the inner
voice'. Of course, singing is already (8. NATURE) _________ to most of us. We all know the (9.
LIFT) _________ boost of singing in harmony with others, while hearing the blues can evoke grief
in anyone. But is there more to singing than this (10. TRANSIT ) _________ change of mood?
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

C. READING (60 points)

Part 1. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to
indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks (15 points)
A LANGUAGE EXPERIMENT
Language is thought to be a (n) (1) ................... for transmitting the information within
thoughts. One experiment used to demonstrate this idea (2) ................. subjects to listen to a short
passage of several sentences, then to repeat the passage. Most people will accurately convey the
(3)................... of the passage in the sentences they produce, but will not come close to repeating
the sentences verbatim. It appears that two (4).................... are occurring. Upon hearing the
passage, the subjects convert the language of the passage into a more abstract representation of its
meaning, which is more easily (5).................... within memory. Then in order to recreate the
passage, the subject (6).................. this representation and converts its meaning back into language.
This separation of thought and language is less intuitive than it might be because language
can be a powerful (7).................. with which to manipulate thoughts. It provides a mechanism to
internally rehearse, critique and (8)...................thoughts. This internal form of communication is
(9)................... for a social animal and could certainly be, in part, responsible (10)………….. the
strong selective pressures for improved language use.
1. A. indication B. mechanism C. obligation D. invention
2. A. requires B. obtains C. demands D. promotes
3. A. hunch B. hub C. gist D. precision
4. A. transformations B. instigations C. iterations D. applications
5. A. stored B. reminded C. acquired D. retrieved
6. A. supplies B. discovers C. reveals D. recalls
7. A. boon B. prompt C. tool D. motive
8. A. obscure B. modify C. reflect D. accept
9. A. incidental B. insignificant C. essential D. definitive
10. A. for B. to C. with D. as
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Part 2. Read the following text and fill in the blank with ONE suitable word. Write your answers
in corresponding numbered boxes. (15 points)
Food for a future
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 Jon Wynne-Tyson was an original thinker whose best-known book “Food for a future” was
published in 1975. In this classic work, a case was put forward for (1) ____________ can only be
described as a more responsible and humane attitude towards the world’s food resources. It had
gradually (2) ____________ clear to Wynne-Tyson that the economics and ecology of meat
production did not make sense. What justification was (3) ____________, he argued, for using
seven tonnes of cereal to produce one tonne of meat?
Even today, the book’s succinct style makes it compulsively readable. (4) ____________ his
approach is basically an emotional one, Wynne- Tyson goes to great lengths to back (5)
____________ every statement with considerable supporting evidence and statistical data. Thus,
even (6) ____________ of us who are widely read on the subject of vegetarianism will gain fresh
insights from this book. It is generally agreed that his most skillful achievement is the slow
revelation of his main thesis (7) ____________ the arguments unfold. The book concludes that a
move away from an animal-based diet to one which is based on plant sources is inevitable in the
long-term, in (8) ____________ of the fact that there is no sound nutritional, medical or social
justification for meat eating. (9) ____________ of whether you agree with such a conclusion or
not, the book certainly makes (10) ____________ fascinating read.
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Part 3. Read the following passage and choose the best answer to each of the following
questions. Write your answers in corresponding numbered boxes. (15 points)

COMMUNICATING WITH THE FUTURE

In the 1980s the United States Department of Energy was looking for suitable sites to bury
radioactive waste material generated by its nuclear energy programs. The government was
considering burying the dangerous wastes in deep underground chambers in remote desert areas.
The problem, however, was that nuclear waste remains highly radioactive for thousands of years.
The commission entrusted with tackling the problem of waste disposal was aware that the dangers
posed by radioactive emissions must be communicated to our descendants of at least 10,000 years
hence. So the task became one of finding a way to tell future societies about the risk posed by these
deadly deposits.
Of course, human society in the distant future may be well aware of the hazards of radiation.
Technological advances may one day provide the solutions to this dilemma. But the belief in
constant technological advancement is based on our perceptions of advances made throughout
history and prehistory. We cannot be sure that society won’t have slipped backward into an age of
barbarism due to any of several catastrophic events, whether the result of nature such as the onset
of a new ice age or perhaps mankind’s failure to solve the scourges of war and pollution. In the
event of global catastrophe, it is quite possible that humans of the distant future will be on the far
side of a broken link of communication and technological understanding.
The problem then becomes how to inform our descendants that they must avoid areas of
potential radioactive seepage given that they may not understand any currently existing language
and may have no historical or cultural memory. So, any message indicated to future reception and
decipherment must be as universally understandable as possible.
It was soon realized by the specialists assigned the task of devising the communication system
that material in which the message was written might not physically endure the great lengths of time
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demanded. The second law of thermodynamics shows that all material disintegrates over time. Even
computers that might carry the message cannot be expected to endure long enough. Besides, electricity
supplies might not be available in 300 generations. Other media storage methods were considered and
rejected for similar reasons.
The task force under the linguist Thomas Sebeok finally agreed that no foolproof way would
be found to send a message across so many generations and have it survive physically and be
decipherable by a people with few cultural similarities to us. Given this restriction, Sebeok
suggested the only possible solution was the formation of a committee of guardians of knowledge.
Its task would be to dedicate itself to maintaining and passing the knowledge of the whereabouts
and dangers of the nuclear waste deposits. This so-called atomic priesthood would be entrusted
with keeping knowledge of this tradition alive through millennia and developing the tradition into a
kind of mythical taboo forbidding people to tamper in a way with the nuclear waste sites. Only the
initiated atomic priesthood of experts would have the scientific knowledge to fully understand the
danger. Those outside the priesthood would be kept away by a combination of rituals and legends
designed to warn off intruders.
This proposal has been criticized because of the possibility of a break in continuity of the
original message. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that any warning or sanction passed on for
millennia would be obeyed, nor that it could survive with its original meaning intact. To
counterbalance this possibility, Sebeok’s group proposed a “relay system” in which information is
passed on over relatively short periods of time, just three generations ahead. The message then to
be renewed and redesigned if necessary for the following three generations and so on over the
required time span. In this way information could be relayed into the future and avoid the
possibility of physical degradation.
A second defect is more difficult to dismiss, however. This is the problem of social
exclusiveness brought about through possession of vital knowledge. Critics point out that the
atomic priesthood could use its secret knowledge to control those who are scientifically ignorant.
The establishment of such an association of insiders holding powerful knowledge not available
except in mythic form to nonmembers would be a dangerous precedent for future social
developments.
1. The word "chambers" in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. partitions B. openings C. cavities D. fissures
2. What problem faced the commission assigned to deal with the burial of nuclear waste?
A. How to reduce the radioactive life of nuclear waste materials
B. How to form a committee that could adequately express various nuclear risks
C. How to notify future generations of the risks of nuclear contamination
D. How to choose burial sites so as to minimize dangers to people.
3. In paragraph 2, the author explains the possible circumstances of future societies
A. to warn about the possible natural catastrophe
B. to question the value of advances
C. to highlight humankind's inability to resolve problems
D. to demonstrate the reason nuclear hazards must be communicated
4. The word "scourges" in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. pressures B. afflictions C. worries D. annoyances
5. In paragraph 4, the author mentions the second law of thermodynamics
A. to support the view that nuclear waste will disperse with time
B. to show that knowledge can be sustained over millennia

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 C. to give the basic scientific reason behind the breakdown of material objects
D. to contrast the potential life span of knowledge with that of material objects
6. The word "Its" in the passage refers to
A. knowledge B. committee C. solution D. guardians
7. In paragraph 5, why is the proposed committee of guardians referred to as the "atomic
priesthood"?
A. Because they would be an exclusive group with knowledge about nuclear waste sites.
B. Because they would use rituals and legends to maintain their exclusiveness
C. Because they would be an exclusive religious order
D. Because they would develop mythical taboos surrounding their traditions
8. According to the author, why did the task force under Sebeok propose a relay system for passing
on information?
A. To show that Sebeok 's ideas created more problems than they solved
B. To support the belief that breaks in communication are inevitable over time
C. To contrast Sebeok's ideas with those proposed by his main critics
D. To compensate for the fact that meaning will not stable over long periods of time
9. According to paragraph 7, the second defect of the atomic priesthood proposal is that it could
lead to
A. the nonmembers turning knowledge into dangerous mythical forms
B. the possible misuse of exclusive knowledge
C. the establishment of a scientifically ignorant society
D. the priesthood's criticism of points concerning vital knowledge
10. All of the following are mentioned in the passage as difficulties in devising a communication
system with the future EXCEPT
A. the failure to maintain communication link
B. the loss of knowledge about today's civilization
C. the inability of materials to endure over time
D. the exclusiveness of priesthood

Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Part 4. Read the passage and answer the questions from 1-10 (15 points)
Read the passage and do the tasks that follow
Stars without the stripes.
Managing cultural diversity is a core component of most masters programs these days. The growth
of Japanese corporations in the sixties and seventies reminded us that there were other models of
business than those taught by Harvard professors and US-based management consultants. And the
cultural limits to the American model have more recently been in underlined by developments in
Russia and central Europe over the past decade.
Yet in Britain, we are still more ready to accept the American model of management than most
other European countries. As a result, UK managers often fail to understand how business practices
are fundamentally different on the Continent. One outcome is that many mergers and acquisitions,
strategic alliances and joint ventures between British and European companies do not achieve their
objectives and end in tears.
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Alternatively, managers may avoid a merger or joint venture which makes sense from a hard-nosed
strategic point of view because they fear that different working practices will prevent their goals
from being achieved.
Essentially, Anglo-Saxon companies are structured on the principles of project management. In the
eighties, companies were downsized, with tiers of management eliminated. In the nineties,
management fashion embraced the ideas of business process re-engineering, so organizations were
broken down into customer-focused trading units. Sometimes these were established as subsidiary
companies, at other times as profit-and-loss or cost centers.
Over the past ten years, these principles have been applied as vigorously to the UK public sector as
to private-sector corporations. Hospitals, schools, universities, social services departments, as well
as large areas of national government, now operate on project management principles — all with
built-in operational targets, key success factors, and performance-related reward systems.
The underlying objectives for this widespread process of organizational restructuring have been to
increase the transparency of operations, encourage personal accountability to become more
efficient at delivering service to the customer, and directly relate rewards to performance.
The result is a management culture which is entrepreneurially oriented and focused almost entirely
on the short term, and highly segmented organizational structures — since employee incentives and
rewards are geared to the activities of their own particular unit.
This business model has also required the development of new personal skills. We are now
encouraged to lead, rather than to manage by setting goals and incentive systems for staff. We have
to be cooperative team members rather than work on our own. We have to accept that, in flattened
and decentralized organizations, there are very limited career prospects. We are to be motivated by
target-related rewards rather than a longer-term commitment to our employing organization.
This is in sharp contrast to the model of management that applies elsewhere in Europe. The
principles of business process re-engineering have never been fully accepted in France, Germany,
and the other major economies; while in some Eastern European economies, the attempt to apply
them in the nineties brought the economy virtually to its knees, and created huge opportunities for
corrupt middle managers and organized crime.
Instead, continental European companies have stuck to the bureaucratic model which delivered
economic growth for them throughout the twentieth century. European corporations continue to be
structured hierarchically, with clearly defined job descriptions and explicit channels of reporting.
Decision making, although incorporating consultative processes, remains essentially top-down.
Which of these two models is preferable? Certainly, the downside of the Anglo- American model is
now becoming evident, not least in the long-hours working culture that the application of the
decentralized project management model inevitably generates.
Whether in a hospital, a software start-up or a factory the breakdown of work processes into the
project—driven targets leads to over-optimistic goals and underestimates of the resources needed.
The result is that the Success of projects often demands excessively long working hours if the
targets are to be achieved.
Further, the success criteria, as calibrated in performance targets, are inevitably arbitrary and the
source of ongoing dispute. Witness the objections of teachers and medics to the performance
measures applied to them by successive governments. This is not surprising. In a factory producing
cars the output of individuals is directly measurable, but what criteria can be used to measure
output and performance in knowledge-based activities such as R&D labs, government offices, and
even the marketing departments of large corporations?

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The demands and stresses of operating according to the Anglo-American model seem to be leading
to increasing rates of personnel burn-out. it is not surprising that managers queue for early
retirement. In a recent survey, just a fifth said they would work to 65. This could be why labor
market participation rates have declined so dramatically for British 50 year-olds in the past twenty
years.
By contrast, the European management model allows for family-friendly employment policies and
working hours directives to be implemented. It encourages staff to have a long-term psychological
commitment to their employing organizations. Of course, companies operating on target-focused
project management principles may be committed to family-friendly employment policies in
theory. But, if the business plan has to be finished by the end of the month, the advertising
campaign completed by the end of next week, and patients pushed through the system to achieve
measurable targets, are we really going to let down our ’team’ by clocking out at 5 p.m. and taking
our full entitlement of annual leave? Perhaps this is why we admire the French for their quality of
life.
Questions 1-4
Do the following statements agree with the writer’s views in Reading Passage? Write
YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO, if the state does not agree with the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the passage

1. Attempts by British and mainland European firms to work together often fail.
2. Project management principles discourage consideration of long-term issues.
3. There are good opportunities for promotion within segmented companies.
4. The European model gives more freedom of action to junior managers.

Questions 5-10
Complete the summary below. Choose the answers from the box and write the corresponding
words in boxes 5-9 on your answer sheet. There are more choices than spaces, so you will not
need to use all of them.
Adopting the US model in Britain has had negative effects. These include the 5………………..
hours spent at work, as small sections of large organizations struggle to 6……………….
unrealistic short-term objectives. Nor is there 7…………………. on how to calculate the
productivity of professional, technical, and clerical staff, who cannot be assessed in the same way
as 8……………… employees. In addition, managers within this culture are finding the
9………………….of work too great, with 80% reported to be unwilling to carry on working until
the normal retirement age.

List of words
argument temperature reach manufacturing
increasing able office pressure
negative predict declining
agreement

Question 10: Choose the correct letter A, B, C, or D. Which of the following statements best
describes the writer’s main purpose in Reading Passage?
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A. to argue that Britain should have adopted the Japanese model of management many years ago
B. to criticize Britain’s adoption of the US model, as compared to the European model.
C. to propose a completely new model that would be neither American nor European
D. to point out the negative effects of the existing model on the management of hospitals in Britain
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

D. WRITING (50 points)

Part 1: Chart description (20 pts)
The pie charts below show the result of a survey of children's activities. The first graph
shows the cultural and leisure activities that boys participate in, whereas the second graph shows
the activities in which the girls participate.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make
comparisons where relevant. Your writing should be at least 150 words.

Part 2. Write an essay of about 250 words on the following topic (30 points)
Many countries want to host international sports event, while other countries think that
hosting sports events has more problems than benefits. Discuss both views and give your
opinion.

—- THE END –—

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