EXAM PRACTICE 15

SECTION A: GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY (60 pts)

I. Choose the best option (A, B, C or D) to complete each sentence. Write the answer in the
box provided. (20 pts)
Answers
1. Jane was really quiet this evening, which was a bit odd. She’s usually the life and ______
of the party.
A. love B. mind C. soul D. heart 1.
2. We hope our plane leaves on ______.
A. timetable B. schedule C. hour D. plan 2.
3. I gave the waiter a €50 note and waited for my ______.
A. change B. cash C. cost D. supply 3.
4. The Louvre is the museum where visitors can ______ impressive collections of classic and modern
masterpieces.
A. watch B. review C. remark D. examine 4.
5. You have to ______ or you won’t understand the explanation.
A. contact B. involve C. consider D. concentrate 5.
6. The most powerful force in a teenager’s life is probably _______ pressure.
A. friend B. peer C. company D. crowd 6.
7. I have lived near the railway for so long now that I’ve grown ______ to the noise of the trains.
A. accustomed B. familiar C. unconscious D. aware 7.
8. It’s an awful ______ your sister couldn’t come. I was looking forward to meeting her.
A. harm B. sorrow C. shame D. shock 8.
9. Patrick ______ his joy at winning the prize by inviting his friends to a first-class restaurant for dinner.
A. appeared B. envisioned C. exposed D. displayed 9
10. She was nervous so I went with her to _______ her company.
A. give B. take C. have D. keep 10.
11. Most people would _______ at the chance of working for that company.
A. jump B. dive C. grab D. seize 11.
12. The machine should have switched itself off but it failed to do ______.
A. it B. thus C. that D. so 12.
13. If you want to know which places to travel to, George can give you some ______.
A. clues B. hints C. tips D. words 13.
14. Taxpayers shouldn’t have to ______ the bill for repairs to the palace – the royal family should
pay for them.
A. arm B. hand C. leg D. foot 14.
15. Mrs. Smith was full of ______ when her daughter came home late.
A. anxiety B. problem C. trouble D. nuisance 15.
16. That ______ be my mobile – mine is silver but that one is black.
A. mustn’t B. wouldn’t C. shouldn’t D. can’t 16.
17. Despite their old age, many elderly people maintain an active _______ life.
A. friendly B. social C. outgoing D. easygoing 17.
18. It’s no ______ waiting for a bus – they don’t run on public holidays.
A. good B. point C. worth D. reason 18.
19. Few pleasures can equal ______ of a cool drink on a hot day.
A. it B. that C. such D. this 19.
20. Mr. Jones is ______ great admirer of his boss.
A. some B. very C. no D. not 20.

II. Use the word at the end of each line to form a word that fits in each space on the same
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line.
Write the answer in the box provided. (10 pts)
DRIVEN CRAZY
Every car driver knows how (1)_______ it can be to be stuck in a
1. FRUSTRATE
traffic jam. The (2)_______ becomes unbearable at times, and can
2. BORE
(3)_______ lead to aggression, or even violence against other drivers.
3. OCCASION
Such (4)_______ is becoming more and more common these days. So
4. BEHAVE
common, in fact, that psychologists have come up with a name for it:
“road rage”.
It is not just traffic jams which can cause an otherwise (5)_______
5. PEACE
and law-abiding citizen to change into a dangerous and (6)_______
6. ABUSE
monster. Many things can (7)________ him: another driver stealing a
7. RAGE
parking space, for example, or someone (8)________ in the wrong lane
8. TAKE
of a motorway. Anything, in fact, which could be seen as an (9)_______
9. INVADE
of (10)_________ territory. It seems that man's primitive instincts are
10. PERSON
awakened when he gets behind a steering-wheel.
Answers
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

III. Complete each of the following sentences with one suitable particle or preposition from
the box. Write the answer in the box provided. (10 pts)
across up out against about
off with under in for

1. Sam needs a new pair of shoes. These ones have worn __________.
2. I smelt the milk to see if it had gone __________.
3. The crisis was brought __________ by Brenda’s resignation.
4. Some people are not very good at getting their ideas __________.
5. Well done! Keep __________ the good work!
6. The bridge is __________ repair, so we’ll have to go a different way.
7. They spoke very quietly __________ fear of waking the baby up.
8. It is strongly recommended that every car should be insured __________ theft.
9. People often confuse Jane __________ her twin sister.
10. He received the award __________ recognition of his success over the past year.
Answers
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

IV. Read the text below carefully. There is ONE mistake in each line. Write the mistake and
the correction in the box provided. (10 pts)
NURSING
Answers
Nursing is a job which demand great strength Example: 0. demand à demands
of character. Every professional nurses work long 1. …………………à …………………
hour and are underpaid. They make the decision to become 2. …………………à …………………
nurses in a knowledge that the job will never make them 3. …………………à …………………
wealthy; all they can hope about is the satisfaction that 4. …………………à …………………
comes from helping people who need it. Unfortunately, 5. …………………à …………………
nurses' employer often seem to take advantage of this 6. …………………à …………………

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idealistic attitude, but make them work as many hours as 7. …………………à …………………
possible for very few money. So it is not surprising that 8. …………………à …………………
nurses sometimes become impatient with theirs bosses, 9. …………………à …………………
and decide taking action to improve their working 10. ………………. à ………………..
conditions.

V. Read the text below and fill in each space with one suitable word from the box. Write the
answer in the box provided. (10 pts)

scorching apple varied mountain crystal-

clear
heavy spring fertile adventure snow-
capped

NATURE AT ITS MOST BEAUTIFUL

Himachal Pradesh in northern India is sandwiched between Tibet and the Punjab. Few places in
the world offer such an incredibly (1)__________ landscape – from subtropical forests and magnificent
(2)__________ orchards in its (3)__________ valleys, to the (4)__________ peaks of its Himalayan
(5)__________ ranges, which rise to over 6,000 meters. With its fast-flowing, (6)__________ rivers and
streams running down from the mountains, it is a fantastic setting for (7)__________ activities, such as
trekking and white-water rafting. The best time to visit Himachal is during the (8)__________ season
when the weather is mild. After this the (9)__________ temperatures can make it dry, dusty and
unpleasant. This is also the monsoon period when sudden (10)__________ downpours frequently cause
floods and landslides.
Answers

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

SECTION B: READING (28 pts)

I. Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits each space. Write
the answer in the box provided. (10 pts)

UNDER THE CITY STREETS

While skyscraper offices and elegant apartment blocks remain the public (1)_______ of most
major cities, these cities also have a mass of secret tunnels and hidden pipes below ground which keep
everything working. This other world exists, forgotten or neglected by all but a tiny (2)_______ of
engineers and historians.

For example, there are more than 150 kilometers of rivers under the streets of London. Most have
been covered over and, sadly, all that (3)_______ is their names. Perhaps the greatest (4)______ to the
city is the River Fleet, a (5)_______ great river which previously had beautiful houses on its banks. It
now goes underground in the north of the city and (6)_______ into the River Thames by Blackfriars
Bridge.

The London Underground (7)_______ 1,000 kilometers of underground railway track winding
under the capital and more than 100 stations below street level. Along some underground railway lines,
commuters can sometimes catch a (8)_______ glimpse of the platforms of more than 40 closed stations
which have been left under the city. (9)_______ some are used as film sets, most (10)_______
forgotten. Some have had their entrances on the street turned into restaurants and shops, but most
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entrances have been pulled down.

Answers
1. A. face B. outline C. surface D. top 1.
2. A. few B. amount C. total D. number 2.
3. A. stays B. stops C. remains D. keeps 3.
4. A. miss B. absence C. waste D. loss 4.
5. A. once B. past C. then D. prior 5.
6. A. gets B. flows C. leaks D. lets 6.
7. A. holds B. contains C. has D. consists 7.
8. A. rapid B. brief C. fast D. sharp 8.
9. A. Despite B. Unless C. Although D. Since 9.
10. A. lie B. last C. live D. lay 10.

II. Read an article in which a film critic talks about his work. Choose the answer (A, B, C or
D) which you think fits best according to the text. Write the answer in the box provided. (8
pts)
Film Critic
Mark Adams looks back over the last ten years of his work
as a film critic for a newspaper called The Front Page.

Writing articles about films for The Front Page was my first proper job. Before then I had done bits
of reviewing - novels for other newspapers, films for a magazine and anything I was asked to do for the
radio. That was how I met Tom Seaton, the first arts editor of The Front Page, who had also written for
radio and television. He hired me, but Tom was not primarily a journalist, or he would certainly have
been more careful in choosing his staff.
At first, his idea was that a team of critics should take care of the art forms that didn't require
specialized knowledge: books, TV, theatre, film and radio. There would be a weekly lunch at which we
would make our choices from the artistic material that Tom had decided we should cover, though there
would also be guests to make the atmosphere sociable.
It all felt like a bit of a dream at that time: a new newspaper, and I was one of the team. It
seemed so unlikely that a paper could be introduced into a crowded market. It seemed just as likely that
a millionaire wanted to help me personally, and was pretending to employ me. Such was my lack of self-
confidence. In fact, the first time I saw someone reading the newspaper on the London Underground,
then turning to a page on which one of my reviews appeared, I didn't know where to look.
Tom's original scheme for a team of critics for the arts never took off. It was a good idea, but
we didn't get together as planned and so everything was done by phone. It turned out, too, that the
general public out there preferred to associate a reviewer with a single subject area, and so I chose film.
Without Tom's initial push, though, we would hardly have come up with the present arrangement, by
which I write an extended weekly piece, usually on one film.
The luxury of this way of working suits me well. I wouldn’t have been interested in the more
standard film critic's role, which involves considering every film that comes out. That's a routine that
would make me stale in no time at all. I would soon be sinking into my seat on a Monday morning with
the sigh, “What insulting rubbish must I sit through now?” – a style of sigh that can often be heard in
screening rooms around the world.
The space I am given allows me to broaden my argument – or forces me, in an uninteresting
week, to make something out of nothing. But what is my role in the public arena? I assume that people
choose what films to go to on the basis of the stars, the publicity or the director. There is also such a
thing as loyalty to “type” or its opposite. It can only rarely happen that someone who hates westerns

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buys a ticket for one after reading a review, or a love story addict avoids a romantic film because of
what the papers say.
So if a film review isn't really a consumer guide, what is it? I certainly don't feel I have a
responsibility to be “right” about a movie. Nor do I think there should be a certain number of “great”
and “bad” films each year. All I have to do is put forward an argument. I'm not a judge, and nor would I
want to be.
1. What do we learn about Tom Seaton in the first paragraph?
A. He encouraged Mark to become a writer. B. He has worked in various areas of the media.
C. He met Mark when working for television. D. He prefers to employ people that he knows.
2. The weekly lunches were planned in order to _________.
A. help the writers get to know each other B. provide an informal information session
C. distribute the work that had to be done D. entertain important visitors from the arts
3. When Mark first started working for The Front Page, he _________.
A. doubted the paper would succeed B. was embarrassed at being recognized
C. felt it needed some improvement D. was surprised to be earning so much
4. What does Mark mean when he says that Tom's scheme “never took off” in paragraph 4?
A. It was unpopular. B. It wasted too much time.
C. It wasn't planned properly. D. It wasn't put into practice.
5. In the end, the organization of the team was influenced by _________.
A. readers' opinions B. the availability of writers
C. pressure of time D. the popularity of subjects
6. Why does Mark refer to his way of working as a “luxury” in paragraph 5?
A. He can please more readers. B. He is able to make choices.
C. His working hours are flexible. D. He is able to see a lot of films.
7. In Mark's opinion, his articles _________.
A. are seldom read by filmgoers B. are ignored by stars and film directors
C. have little effect on public viewing habits D. are more persuasive than people realize
8. Which of the following best describes what Mark says about his work?
A. His success varies from year to year. B. He prefers to write about films he likes.
C. He can freely express his opinion. D. He writes according to accepted rules.
Answers
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

III. Read the text below and think of a word which best fits each space. Use only ONE word
in each space. Write your answers in the box provided. (10 pts)

MALES AND FEMALES AND RELATIONSHIPS

According to psychologists, males and females are completely different (1)________ it comes to
relationships with other people. It is all to do with the different relationships they have with their
mothers. Boys only feel properly masculine after they become less dependent (2)________ their mother
and can cope without her when they feel upset. Girls, on the (3)________ hand, feel feminine by
attaching (4)________ to their mother and trying to act like her. So being close to someone is a scary
thing for boys (5)________ makes girls feel more secure.
The two sexes also react differently when (6)________ is stress in a relationship. This is because
girls produce more of a hormone known as “oxytocin”, (7)________ calms you down. That means that
after a big family argument, for example, girls tend to talk things through (8)________ boys often have
a strong “fight or flight” instinct. So they are more likely to react to stressful situations (9)________
slamming doors or shutting themselves in their rooms where they can spend time alone. These hormonal
differences probably began in prehistoric times when calmer females used to make better carers and
when men, faced with dangerous hunting situations, (10)________ need to be able to fight or flee.
Answers
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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

SECTION C: WRITING (22 pts)

I. Complete each of the following sentences in such a way that it is closest in meaning to
the one printed before it. Use the word given. Do not alter the word in any way. (10 pts)

1. It was such an appalling event that we’d rather forget about it. SO
It was ……………………………………………… we’d rather forget about it.
2. One of the five students he interviewed was Spanish. WHOM
He interviewed ……………………………………………… was Spanish.
3. She should be told the truth. BETTER
It ………………………………………. her the truth.
4. He tries to learn English well so as to find a good job. VIEW
He tries to learn English well ……………………………………… .
5. The police man let the suspect make one phone call. WAS
The suspect ……………………………………. one phone call.
6. They have been discussing the new law for a week. DISCUSSION
The new law …………………………………………. for a week.
7. With your encouragement, the players will improve. LONG
The players will ………………………………………………….. ...... .
8. He orders me like his slave. THOUGH
He orders ……………………………………………… his slave.
9. There is a risk that he will miss the plane if he waits. RISKS
He ……………………………………………………… if he waits.
10. The bus driver cannot be blamed for the accident in any way. HELD
In …………………………………… responsible for the accident.

II. Paragraph writing: (12 pts)

Your pen pal is going to visit Da Nang. He / She wants you to show him/ her around.
Where will you take him/ her to? Why?
Write a paragraph of at least 150 words to answer the question.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The End

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