HSG TP 2021 – Practice test 2 (6/11/2021)

PART B. GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY (2.5 POINTS)

I. Circle the letter A, B, C or D to complete each of the following sentences.
(0.5p)
1. I took the ___ to congratulate him on his promotion.
A. opportunity B. chance C. occasion D. circumstance
2. You'd rather speak to him yourself, ___?
A. hadn't you B. didn't you C. wouldn't you D. won't you
3. During the demonstration the police arrested twenty people, four of ___ were
charged with obstruction.
A. who B. them C. which D. whom
4. ___ classical dance for six years, Jane finally felt ready to perform in public.
A. Having studied B. Studying C. To study D. Being studied
5. The use of computers aids in teaching, ___ the role of teachers is still very
important.
A. although B. yet C. so that D. because
6. Do you really expect him ___ treated in this way?
A. to not object to be B. not to object to being
C. not to object to be D. not object to being
7. The baby can't even sit up yet, ___ stand and walk!
A. but for B. let alone C. all but D. rather than
8. Mike painted his bedroom black. It looks dark and dreary. He ___ a different
colour.
A. must have chosen B. had to choose
C. should have chosen D. could have been choosing
9. Hoa is visiting her home town this afternoon.
Mark: “Don’t fail to send your family my regards.” - Hoa: “___.”
A. It’s my pleasure B. You’re welcome
C. Good idea, thanks D. Thanks, I will
10. A small ___ of this medicine should be enough to lessen the pain.
A. part B. size C. dose D. ration
II. Give the correct form of the capital words. Write your answers in the blanks.
(0.5p)
HOW USEFUL IS SELF-STUDY?
"Self-study" is a blanket term which means different things to different people.
It can be used to mean "autodidactic", or refer to self-help material for those
who, for (1. WHAT) _______________ reason do not have access to a teacher.
For students following a distance learning course, such methods are worthwhile
as they are designed for those who cannot attend (2. RESIDENCE)
_______________ courses, which are far more expensive.
There are many drawbacks to self-study for university students, however, as one
studies in isolation and cannot enjoy exactly the same lifestyle as the traditional
type of (3. GRADUATE) _______________, who is combining new social and
academic experiences. Those who choose to use self-study as a path into the
realms of academia do so for very different reasons, which depend on their
financial background to a large extent. Today, no one frowns on this, seeing it
as a positive step towards (4. LIGHT) _______________.
Self-help courses are also available for those who recognize they have some
kind of psychological problem but who cannot afford the fees charged by
psychoanalysts. Such courses need to be carefully selected, but they can be (5.
BENEFIT) _______________ to those who seek self-help.

III. Fill in each space provided in each sentence below with the correct form of
one phrasal verb given. Each phrasal verb can be used ONCE only. (1.0p)
give up tear off come across strike up look forward to
get at take over go under put by fall off
1. He's so miserable that, even if he _______________________ an envelope
full of money in his pocket, he'd still say he'd had an awful day.
2. After Geraldine moved to this area, she soon __________________a
friendship with her new neighbor.
3. If you really want to lose weight, you need to _______________________
eating fast food.
4. Since he spoke about the subject so indirectly, it was difficult to see what he
was _______________________.
5. I've heard a rumor that our rivals are aiming to _______________________
our firm some time this year.
6. The students are _______________________ the field trip this Sunday.
7. The youth enterprise scheme _______________________ due to a lack of
government support.
8. As soon as Tom was given his birthday present, he ___________ all the
wrapping paper.
9. It was only when my uncle retired that he realized he should
_______________________ more for his retirement.
10. But for the amount of violence at football matches, spectator attendance
would not be ________________________ so dramatically.
IV. Each of the following sentences has ONE word that needs correction.
Underline that word and correct it by replacing it with ONE proper word. Write
the correction in the provided blank on the right. There is an example at the
beginning (0). (0.5p)
Sentences Corrections
0. He collided with a car because he was driving too fastly. fast
1. It is time the government helped the unemployment to find some jobs.
2. Even on the most careful prepared trip, problems will sometimes develop
3. Thanks to her father's encouragement, she has done great progress in her
study.
4. If they had realized the danger, they wouldn't got into trouble now.
5. The two cars for sale were in poor condition, so I didn't buy neither of them.
PART C. READING (3.0 POINTS)
I. Read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each
space. (1.0p)
GIVEN THE THUMBS DOWN
When your manager tells you that they are pleased with your work, the least
you can expect is a decent reference when you leave. That, at any rate, is what
Wayne Taft thought when he applied for a job as (1) ___ occupational care
worker.
Imagine his surprise (2) ___, when he opened a letter that said "Sorry, we can't
consider you because of your job reference."
"It was very upsetting," he says. "I was shocked at how cruel people can be. My
reference should have been (3) ___." Mr. Taft, who is unemployed, is still
suffering the consequences of his (4) ___ employer, another home care
provider, refusing to supply a positive, or even neutral reference. " I was
looking forward to a new job and now I'm on the (5) ___."
After he received the (6) ___ letter, he resigned himself to pursuing jobs using
another past employer as a reference. He was never told why the reference was
bad, and he has felt powerless (7) ___ it happened. But this week, he discovered
that under the Data Protection Act, he has the right to request (8) ___ to the
reference from the organization who received it.
Mr. Taft says he intends to confront the employer (9) ___ turned him down and
demand to see the reference. "I'm so angry, I need to find out what happened
and (10) ___ it right," he adds.
1. A. a B. the C. × (no artile) D. an
2. A. namely B. then C. really D. although
3. A. shining B. gleaming C. glowing D. glistening
4. A. present B. so-called C. would-be D. former
5. A. leisure B. dole C. queue D. home
6. A. rejection B. refusal C. denial D. dismissal
7. A. for B. since C. when D. during
8. A. access B. admittance C. entry D. permission
9. A. what B. whom C. which D. who
10. A. get B. place C. put D. fix

II. Read the following passage and circle the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the
correct answer to each of the questions. (0.5p)
In 1903 the members of the governing board of the University of Washington in
Seattle engaged a firm of landscape architects, specialists in the design of
outdoor environments-Olmsted Brothers of Brookline, Massachusetts-to advise
them on an appropriate layout for the university grounds. The plan impressed
the university officials, and in time many of its recommendations were
implemented. City officials in Seattle, the largest city in the northwestern
United States, were also impressed, for they employed the same organization to
study Seattle's public park needs. John Olmsted did the investigation and
subsequent report on Seattle's parks. He and his brothers believed that parks
should be adapted to the local topography, utilize the area's trees and shrubs,
and be available to the entire community. They especially emphasized the need
for natural, serene settings where hurried urban dwellers could periodically
escape from the city. The essence of the Olmsted park plan was to develop a
continuous driveway, twenty miles long, that would tie together a whole series
of parks, playgrounds, and parkways. There would be local parks and squares,
too, but all of this was meant to supplement the major driveway, which was to
remain the unifying factor for the entire system.
In November of 1903 the city council of Seattle adopted the Olmsted
Report, and it automatically became the master plan for the city's park system.
Prior to this report, Seattle's park development was very limited and funding
meager. All this changed after the report. Between 1907 and 1913, city voters
approved special funding measures amounting to $4,000,000. With such
unparalleled sums at their disposal, with the Olmsted guidelines to follow, and
with the added incentive of wanting to have the city at its best for the Alaska-
Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909, the Parks Board bought aggressively. By
1913 Seattle had 25 parks amounting to 1,400 acres, as well as 400 acres in
playgrounds, pathways, boulevards, and triangles. More lands would be added
in the future, but for all practical purposes it was the great land surge of 1907-
1913 that established Seattle's park system.

1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

A. The planned development of Seattle's public park system
B. The organization of the Seattle city government
C. The history of the Olmsted Brothers architectural firm
D. The design and building of the University of Washington campus
2. The word "engaged" is closest in meaning to
A. trained B. hired C. described D. evaluated
3. Which of the following statements about parks does NOT reflect the views of
the Olmsted Brothers firm?
A. They should be planted with trees that grow locally.
B. They should provide a quiet, restful environment.
C. They should be protected by limiting the number of visitors from the
community.
D. They should be designed to conform to the topography of the area.
4. Why does the author mention "local parks and squares" when talking about
the Olmsted plan?
A. To emphasize the difficulties facing adoption of the plan
B. To illustrate the comprehensive nature of the plan
C. To demonstrate an omission in the plan
D. To describe Seattle's landscape prior to implementation of the plan
5. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about how citizens
of Seattle received the Olmsted report?
A. They were hostile to the report's conclusions.
B. They ignored the Olmsteds' findings.
C. They supported the Olmsteds' plans.
D. They favored the city council's seeking advice from another firm.
III. Fill in each blank with ONE suitable word. Write the words in the spaces
provided. (0.5p).
VALUABLE LESSONS
When praising a child for trying, in spite of unacceptable work, adults teach that
effort is more important than results. I once took over a class in the middle of a
term from a teacher that was a generous marker. (1) __________ I had returned
a batch of marked papers, one boy complained about receiving a “C”; “I’m (2)
__________ to getting “As” he said. When I explained that his essay was badly
organized, he asked: “What about the pictures? Our other teacher gave extra
marks for effort.” Real life seldom rewards those who try (3) __________ don’t
get results. And it’s a rare boss who tolerates an employee who insists that he
did his best. Unmerited praise may keep children from realizing their own true
capabilities. Many years (4) __________, my best friend was a naturally gifted
musician. Her family saw every effort as “brilliant” but she hated practicing and
often did badly at recitals. After one particularly embarrassing performance, her
mother said, “You were wonderful, but that piano needs tuning and the audience
was so noisy, it’s no wonder you forgot the second movement”. (5) __________
this girl received criticism, she might have realized her ambition of a concert
career. As it was, her playing got gradually worse, she lost interest and
eventually dropped out of music school.

IV. Read the following passage and do the tasks that follow. (1.0 p)
The Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918
The Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918, which caused around 50 million
deaths worldwide, remains an ominous warning to public health.

Paragraph A.
Before and after 1918, most influenza pandemics developed in Asia and spread
from there to the rest of the world more or less simultaneously. Historically data
are inadequate to identify the geographic source of the 1918 virus. The name
'Spanish' influenza merely reflects that Spain, which was neutral in World War
I, did not censor their news agencies from publicizing the severity of the
pandemic in the country, and this made it seem to other countries that the
disease was worse there.

Paragraph B.
The pandemic did not occur evenly over 1918 and 1919, but came in three
severe waves. The first, or so-called spring wave, began in March 1918 and
spread unevenly through the United States, Europe, and possibly Asia over the
next six months. Illness rates were high, but death rates in most locales were not
appreciably above normal. A second or autumn wave spread globally from
September to November 1918, was highly fatal and, in many nations, a third
wave occurred in the early 1919. Clinical similarities led contemporary
observers to conclude initially that they were observing the same disease in the
successive waves. The differences between the waves seemed to be primarily in
the much higher frequency of complicate, severe, and fatal cases in the last two
waves. These three extensive pandemic waves of influenza within one year,
occurring in rapid succession, with only the briefest of quieter intervals between
them, were unprecedented.

Paragraph C.
All of these deaths caused a severe disruption in the US economy. Claims
against life insurance policies skyrocketed, with one insurance company
reporting a 745 per cent rise in the number of claims made.
Small businesses, many of which had been unable to operate during the
pandemic, went bankrupt. The world economy as a whole was not significantly
affected and the1929 Wall Street Crash. The US had a great influence on world
economics and, although over 650,000 people died in the US, it could have been
a lot worse. Throughout history, influenza viruses have mutated and caused
pandemics or global epidemics. In 1890, an especially virulent influenza
pandemic struck, killing many Americans. Those who survived that pandemic
and lived to experience the 1918 pandemic tended to be less susceptible to the
disease and so a lot more Americans live than would otherwise the case.

Paragraph D.
The 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic had some curious features. Firstly,
overall, nearly half of the influenza-related deaths in the 1918 pandemic were in
young adults of 20 to 40 years of age, a phenomenon unique to that pandemic
year. The 1918 pandemic is also unique among influenza pandemics in that the
absolute risk of influenza death was higher in those under 65 years of age than
in those over 65. Influenza is usually more dangerous for the very young and
the old, as their immune systems are weaker. Secondly, the pandemic was
particular widespread in the colder winter month. Finally, in 1918, three
separate recurrences of influenza followed each other with unusual rapidity,
resulting in three explosive pandemic waves within a year's time.

Paragraph E.
In its disease course, the 1918 pandemic was different in degree, but not in kind,
from previous and subsequent pandemics. Despite the extraordinary number of
global deaths, most influenza cases in 1918 were mild and essentially
indistinguishable from influenza cases today. Although laboratory experiments
on influenza genes from the 1918 virus suggest that the 1918 and 1918-like
viruses seem to be as sensitive as other typical virus strains to today's anti-
influenza drugs and even with today's prevention knowledge, the return of a
pandemic virus similar to the virus of 1918 would likely kill over 100 million
people worldwide, as the ease of travel in today's globalized society would aid
the movement of the virus. However, although some characteristics of 1918
pandemic appear unique, scientist have concluded that, since it happened once,
similar or more favorable conditions could lead to another equally devastating
pandemic.

Choose the correct headings for sections A- E from the list of headings below.
Write your answers in the boxes provided.

Lists of Headings
i. The course of the pandemic
ii. Unusual aspects
iii. Origins of the name
iv. Economic effects
v. The risks today
vi. Inadequate vaccines
vii. Influenza in the war zone
1. Paragraph A
2. Paragraph B
3. Paragraph C
4. Paragraph D
5. Paragraph E

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading
passage? Write your answers in the boxes provided.
Write:
TRUE if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer.
FALSE if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer.
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.
6. The Spanish Influenza pandemic was to blame for approximately 50 million
deaths in Europe alone.
7. In the spring wave, the consequences were less serious than in the other two.
8. The 1918 Spanish influenza virus was first identified in Asia.
9. The very young and the old were more at risk from 1918 Spanish influenza
pandemic.
10. It is predicted that the future tourism will experience a crisis due to the
outbreak of another epidemic.
1. Paragraph A: 2. Paragraph B: 3. Paragraph C: 4. Paragraph D: 5. Paragraph E:
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

PART D. WRITING (2.5 POINTS)

I. Rewrite each of the following sentences in such a way that it has the same meaning as the first
sentence, using the cues at the beginning of each sentence. (0.5p)
1. "I didn't falsify the figures," said the clerk.
The clerk denied _________________________________________________________.

2. The report has still not been written.

The report has yet ________________________________________________________.

3. The latest estimate is that there are six million cats in the UK.

According ______________________________________________________________.

4. Mary left home very early because she wanted to catch the train.

In order not _____________________________________________________________.

5. Mark was very surprised that his watch had been returned.

Much __________________________________________________________________.

II. 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 two and seven words,
including the word given. (0.5p)
1. Such success has not been achieved by many players in the world of ice hockey. (FEW)
Only ______________________________________________ such success in the world of ice
hockey.

2. There is a very good chance that Kate will be accepted by Nottingham University.
(LIKELIHOOD)

In _____________________________________________________________ Nottingham
University.

3. Certain resources can be scarce in some countries. (FAR)

Certain resources are ___________________________________________________in some

countries.

4. Scientists were baffled by her ability to go without sleep for days. (LOSS)

Scientists were ________________________________ explain her ability to go without sleep for

days.

5. The source of the funding didn't matter to the citizens, as long as the road was repaired. (FROM)

The source of the funding didn't care _________________________________________, as long as

the road was repaired.

III. Write an essay on the following topic (1.5p)

Nowadays, people find it increasingly difficult to get a job. Why is it the case? What should
young people prepare for work in the future?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or
experience. Your writing must be between 220 and 250 words.

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