PRACTICE TEST 2 (Oct 11th, 2021)

Part 1: You will hear a student discussing his dissertation with his tutor. Listen and answer
questions 1-7.
Questions 1-5
What problem is associated with each of the topics Adrian is considering? Choose FIVE answers from the
box and write the correct letter, A-G, next to questions 1-5.
1. History ………………………..
2. Trade routes……………..
3. Conflicts …………………
4. Architecture ………………..
5. Modern life…………………..
Problems
A Most people are not aware of this aspect.
B It would involve too much investigative work.
C It is too large a topic.
D It could be too technical.
E It might take the focus off Petra.
F Most people would not be interested in this aspect.
G Academically, it is an inappropriate topic.
Questions 6 and 7
Which TWO points about water management are NOT made by the speakers?
A Petra's water management was more advanced than that in other comparable areas.
B The topic of water management systems is very complex to understand.
C In Petra the people knew how to get the most out of all the sources of water available to them.
D The advantages of water management were enjoyed by all levels of society equally.
E Watering crops was a top priority.
Part 2: For questions 8-13, listen to a recording about rudeness and choose the correct answer A, B, C or
D which fits best according to what you hear. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes
provided.
8. What is the main point of the anecdote Jeff tells?
A. That the young seem to lack social skills.
B. That it’s an all too familiar sight these days.
C. It’s the same thing as using your phone in the theatre.
D. They are no better than the Internet trolls.
9. What does Jeff say about the “death of deference”?
A. People no longer care what others think of them.
B. Teenagers didn’t want their behavior to be disapproved of.
C. For the most part, it had positive effects on society.
D. It made people disrespect those in authority.
10. What does Laura imply about teenage behavior?
A. There’s nothing that can be done about it.
B. That it’s not entirely their fault.
C. It’s worse nowadays than previously.
D. They are not taught how to behave.
11. How does Jeff respond to Laura’s opinion of teenagers?
A. He believes it is all their fault.
B. He thinks they are not properly brought up.
C. Those in charge of children should take responsibility.
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D. He thinks she is just making excuses for bad behavior.
12. Both Jeff and Laura seem to agree that
A. A little bit of rudeness is a good thing.
B. Parents don’t teach their children how to converse.
C. The young don’t understand adult conversation.
D. The art of conversation has declined.
13. What does Laura say about modern technology and teenage behavior?
A. It has an effect on the development of social skills.
B. It is wholly responsible for today’s lack of social skills.
C. They become insulting and threatening.
D. They can hide from the world behind technology.

B. LEXICO AND GRAMMAR

I. Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D to complete the sentence.
14. I’d like to make _______ for crashing your car. Let me pay for the repairs.
A. improments B. correctione C. amends D. adjustments
15. Thanks for lending me your umbrella; it really came in _______.
A. used B. handy C. handful D. needy
16. James never shows his emotions; no matter what happens, he always keeps a stiff upper _______.
A. mounth B. eye C. head D. lip
17. I got a new baseball _______ yesterday.
A. stick B. racket C. club D. bat
19. Eat your vegetables. They’ll _______ you good.
A. do B. make C. get D. help
20. Don’t drop your sweet wrapper on the floor, _______?
A. do you B. aren’t you C. will you D. won’t you
21. She may have missed the train, _______ she won’t arrive for another hour.
A. at the case B. all the case C. just in case D. in which case
22. I should like to rent a house, modern, comfortable, and _______ in a quiet position.
A. most of all B. above all C. first of all D. after all
23. I was disappointed that the restaurant had _______ flowers on the table.
A. false B. untrue C. artificial D. forged
24. _______ write with your left hand when you broke your arm?
A. Did you have to B. Had you have to C. Needed you to D. Must you
II. Supply the correct form of word to complete the sentence.
25. All the judges gave her ten out of ten for her … (FLAW) performance.
26. His collection of plants contains many … (RARE).
27. He was in such a haste to return home that he left … (DAY) by the first bus.
28. For many people, social networking offers them a feeling of … (ESCAPE) from the real world.
29. If you can afford it, and still have lots of money left, buy it … (RIGHT).

III. READING
Read the passage and do the following tasks.
Bright children
A. By the time Laszlo Polgar’s first baby was born in 1969 he already had firm views on
child-rearing. An eccentric citizen of communist Hungary, he had written a book called
“Bring up Genius!” and one of his favorite sayings
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was “Geniuses are made, not born”. An
expert on the theory of chess, he proceeded to teach little Zsuzsa at home, spending up to ten
hours a day on the game. Two more daughters were similarly hot-housed. All three obliged
their father by becoming world-class players. The youngest, Judit, is currently ranked 13th in
the world and is by far the best female chess player of all time. Would the experiment have
succeeded with a different trio of children? If any child can be turned into a star, then a lot of
time and money are being wasted world wide on trying to pick winners.

B. America has long held “talent searches”, using test results and teacher recommendations to
select children for advanced school courses, summer schools, and other extra tuition. This
provision is set to grow. In his state-of-the-union address in 2006, President George Bush
announced the “American Competitiveness Initiative”, which, among much else, would train
70,000 high-school teachers to lead advanced courses for selected pupils in mathematics and
science. Just as the superpowers’ space race made Congress put money into science education,
the thought of China and India turning out hundreds of thousands of engineers and scientists is
scaring America into prodding its brightest to do their best.

C. The philosophy behind this talent search is that ability is innate; that it can be diagnosed
with considerable accuracy; and that it is worth cultivating. In America, bright children are
ranked as “moderately”, “highly”, “exceptionally” and “profoundly” gifted. The only chance
to influence innate ability is thought to be in the womb or the first couple of years of life.
Hence the fad for “teaching aids” such as videos and flashcards for newborns, and “whale
sounds” on tape which a pregnant mother can strap to her belly.

D. In Britain, there is a broadly similar belief in the existence of innate talent, but also an
egalitarian sentiment which makes people queasy about the idea of investing resources in
grooming intelligence. Teachers are often opposed to separate provisions for the best-
performing children, saying any extra help should go to strugglers. In 2002, in a bid to help
the able while leaving intact the ban on most selection by ability in state schools, the
government set up the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth. This outfit runs
summer schools and master classes for children nominated by their schools. To date, though,
only seven in ten secondary schools have nominated even a single child. Last year all schools
were told they must supply the names of their top 10%.

E. Picking winners is also the order of the day in ex-communist states, a hangover from the
times when talented individuals were plucked from their homes and ruthlessly trained for the
glory of the nation. But in many other countries, opposition to the idea of singling out talent
and grooming it runs deep. In Scandinavia, a belief in virtues like modesty and social
solidarity makes people flinch from the idea of treating brainy children differently.

F. And in Japan, there is a widespread belief that all children are born with the same innate
abilities – and should, therefore, be treated alike. All are taught together, covering the same
syllabus at the same rate until they finish compulsory schooling. Those who learn quickest are
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expected then to teach their classmates. In China, extra teaching is provided, but to a self-
selected bunch. “Children’s palaces” in big cities offer a huge range of after-school classes.
Anyone can sign up; all that is asked is excellent attendance.

G. Statistics give little clue as to which system is best. The performance of the most able is
heavily affected by factors other than state provision. Most state education in Britain is
nominally non-selective, but middle-class parents try to live near the best schools. Ambitious
Japanese parents have made private, out-of-school tuition a thriving business. And
Scandinavia’s egalitarianism might work less well in places with more diverse populations
and less competent teachers. For what it’s worth, the data suggest that some countries – like
Japan and Finland, see table – can eschew selection and still thrive. But that does not mean
that any country can ditch selection and do as well.

H. Mr. Polgar thought any child could be a prodigy given the right teaching, an early start,
and enough practice. At one point he planned to prove it by adopting three baby boys from a
poor country and trying his methods on them. (His wife vetoed the scheme.) Some say the key
to success is simply hard graft. Judit, the youngest of the Polgar sisters, was the most driven,
and the most successful; Zsofia, the middle one, was regarded as the most talented, but she
was the only one who did not achieve the status of grandmaster. “Everything came easiest to
her,” said her older sister. “But she was lazy.”

Questions 29-34
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 29-34 on your answer sheet, write
if the statement agrees with the view of the
YES
writer
if the statement contradicts the view of the
NO
writer
if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks
NOT GIVEN
about this
29.America has a long history of selecting talented students into different categories.
30.Teachers and schools in Britain held a welcome attitude towards the government’s
selection of gifted students.
31.Some parents agree to move to reputable schools in Britain.
32.Middle-class parents participate in their children’s education.
33.Japan and Finland comply with selected student’s policies.
34.Avoiding-selection-policy only works in a specific environment.
Questions 35-36
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write your answers in boxes on your answer sheet.
35. What’s Laszlo Polgar’s point of view towards geniuses of children
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A.Chess is the best way to train geniuses.
B.Genius tends to happen on the first child.
C.Geniuses can be educated later on.
D.Geniuses are born naturally.
36. What is the purpose of citing Zsofia’s example in the last paragraph
A.Practice makes a genius.
B.Girls are not good at chess.
C.She was an adopted child.
D.A Middle child is always the most talented.
Questions 37-41
Use the information in the passage to match the countries (listed A-E) with correct
connection below.
Write the appropriate letters, A-E, in boxes 38-42 on your answer sheet.
37.Less gifted children get help from other classmates
38.Attending extra teaching is open to anyone
39.People are reluctant to favor gifted children due to social characteristics
40.Both views of innate and egalitarian co-existed
41.The craze of audio and video teaching for pregnant women.

A. Scandinavia
B. Japan
C. Britain
D. China
E. America