I.

LEXICO GRAMMAR:
1. Choose the best answer to complete each of the following sentences. (2 points)
1. At school he had a good academic record, and also __________ at sports.
A. prevailed B. excelled C. surpassed D. achieved
2. Christine’s face _______ up when she heard the good news.
A. showed B. cleaned C. warmed D. lit
3. I think Candy _______ the prize if she plays this well during the competition.
A. is in for winning B. may as well win C. is set for winning D. is bound to win
4. Mrs. Brown always ________ in a crowd because she wore large hats.
A. found against B. looked up C. stood out D. showed up
5. She ________ on the computer for more than two hours when she decided to stop
for a rest.
A. has worked B. has been working
C. was working D. had been working
6. ______ lectures at your university?
A. Haven’t students got to attended B. Don’t students have to attend
C. Needn’t students have attended D. Mustn’t students to attend

7. To get a passport, you must send in your birth ________ and two photos.
A. certificate B. license C. paper D. card
8. Have you ever visited New York harbor _________ the famous Statue of Liberty
stands?
A. on where B. that C. on that D. where
9. _________ smart he was, he couldn't figure out how to solve the puzzle.
A. Although B. However C. Much as D. Despite

10. Mary is so______ that people told her all their troubles.
A. dependent B. confidential C. permission D. sympathetic
11. It’s essential that every student ______ the exam before attending the course.
A. pass B. passes C. would pass D. passed
12. Ancient Egyptians mummified their dead through the use of chemicals,
________ancient Peruvians did through natural processes.
A. because B. whereas C. even though D. whether or not
13. I wrote to them a fortnight ago but ______ I haven’t had a reply.

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A. as yet B. these days C. so long D. just now
14. It’s not surprising that he became a writer because he always longed to see his
name______.
A. in type B. in print C. in letters D. in edition
15. The prospects of picking up any survivors are now ______.
A. thin B. narrow C. slim D. restricted
16. Marge walked away from the discussion. Otherwise, she ______ something she
would regret later.
A. will say B. might say C. said D. might have said
17. Rita's very_____and easily gets upset when people criticize her.
A. sensitive B. level-headed C. sensible D. open-minded
18. "Fantastic sale. Everything must be sold _______of the price!"
A. regardless B. in vain C. despite D. without
19. In bacteria and in other organisms, _______ _is the nucleic acid DNA that
provides the genetic information.
A. both B. and C. it D. which
20.________ I am aware, there were no problems during the first six months.
A. As far as B. So much as C. Much more than D. Except that

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

2. Write the correct form of the words given in brackets. Write your answer in the
space provided below. (1 point)
IS IT WORTH IT?
It is (0) …commonly… believed that a break from everyday COMMON
routine can only do you good. Every summer, you can spot
prospective (21) ………………….. at airports and waiting for car HOLDAY
ferries. They are (22) …………………… - you can tell them a mile MISTAKE
away by their sun hats and hopeful expressions.
For all their optimism, what often actually happens can be a rude
(23) ……………………. from the blissful holiday dreams of the rest WAKE
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of the year. Sunburn, mosquitoes and (24) …………………….. FORESEE
expenses can make you think twice about how (25) ……………….. BENEFIT
getting away from it all really is.
The fact is, the (26) ………………… of something going wrong LIKELY
is maximized when you are abroad and, (27) ………………….., your FORTUNE
ability to deal with crisis and catastrophe is often minimized. This
could be because of language problems, (28) ………………….. with FAMILIAR
the culture, or simply a different climate, all of which make everything
seem different and unreal.
So, what is the answer? (29) …………………., an annual DOUBT
escape from normal working life is a very positive thing. However, the
(30) …………………. of seeking an exotic location is questionable WISE
when you think of all the things that can go wrong.

Your answers:
21. 26.
22. 27.
23. 28.
24. 29.
25. 30.
II. READING COMPREHENSION
1. Read the passage below and choose the best answer (1 point).
Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as ‘Dr Seuss’, began writing for children
(41) _____ by chance. During a long sea voyage in 1936, Seuss amused himself by
(42) _____ together a nonsense poem to the rhythm of the ship's engine. Later he
illustrated the rhyme and published it as And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street.
Many critics (43) _____ it as Seuss' best work.
A later book, McElligot's Pool, (44) _____ the first appearance of Seuss’
famous fantasy characters, and Horton Hatches the Egg introduces an (45) _____ of
morality. Seuss' reputation as a major children's writer was sealed with the
publication of The Cat in the Hat. This book uses easy-to-read words to tell the story
of two children alone at home on a rainy day. A cat wearing a tall hat arrives to
entertain them, wrecking their house in the (46) _____. The enthusiastic (47) _____
of this book delighted Seuss and led him to found Beginner Books, a publishing

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company specialising in easy-to-read books for children. Some of his books have
been made into cartoons and one of them, How the Grinch stole Christmas, was also
made into an ingenious and (48) _____ successful feature film starring Jim Carrey.
At one point in his career, Seuss (49) _____ gave up writing for children and (50)
_____ his talents to making documentary films. One of these attracted a great deal of
attention and won an Academy Award.
41. A. fully B. quite C. extremely D. fairly
42. A. placing B. laying C. putting D. setting
43. A. look beyond B. look upon C. look through D. look towards
44. A. indicates B. shows C. means D. marks
45. A. amount B. ingredient C. element D. item
46. A. practice B. method C. process D. action
47. A. reception B. welcome C. greeting D. admission
48. A. highly B. intensively C. strongly D. widely
49. A. shortly B. momentarily C. temporarily D. presently
50. A. assigned B. allocated C. donated D. devoted

41. 43. 45. 47. 49.

42. 44. 46. 48. 50.
2. 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 from 51 to 60. (1 point)
Meteorite Impact and Dinosaur Extinction
There is increasing evidence that the impacts of meteorites have had important
effects on Earth, particularly in the field of biological evolution. Such impacts
continue to pose a natural hazard to life on Earth. Twice in the twentieth century,
large meteorite objects are known to have collided with Earth.
If an impact is large enough, it can disturb the environment of the entire Earth
and cause an ecological catastrophe. The best-documented such impact took place 65
million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous period of geological history. This break
in Earth’s history is marked by a mass extinction, when as many as half the species
on the planet became extinct. While there are a dozen or more mass extinctions in the
geological record, the Cretaceous mass extinction has always intrigued
paleontologists because it marks the end of the age of the dinosaurs. For tens of

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millions of years, those great creatures had flourished. Then, suddenly, they
disappeared.
The body that impacted Earth at the end of the Cretaceous period was a meteorite
with amass of more than a trillion tons and a diameter of at least 10 kilometers.
Scientists first identified this impact in 1980 from the worldwide layer of sediment
deposited from the dust cloud that enveloped the planet after the impact. This
sediment layer is enriched in the rare metal iridium and other elements that are
relatively abundant in a meteorite but very rare in the crust of Earth. Even diluted by
the terrestrial material excavated from the crater, this component of meteorites is
easily identified. By 1990 geologists had located the impact site itself in the Yucatán
region of Mexico. The crater, now deeply buried in sediment, was originally about
200 kilometers in diameter.
This impact released an enormous amount of energy, excavating a crater about
twice as large as the lunar crater Tycho. The explosion lifted about 100 trillion tons
of dust into the atmosphere, as can be determined by measuring the thickness of the
sediment layer formed when this dust settled to the surface. Such a quantity of
material would have blocked the sunlight completely from reaching the surface,
plunging Earth into a period of cold and darkness that lasted at least several months.
The explosion is also calculated to have produced vast quantities of nitric acid and
melted rock that sprayed out overmuch of Earth, starting widespread fires that must
have consumed most terrestrial forest sand grassland. Presumably, those
environmental disasters could have been responsible for the mass extinction,
including the death of the dinosaurs.
Several other mass extinctions in the geological record have been tentatively
identified with large impacts, but none is so dramatic as the Cretaceous event. But
even without such specific documentation, it is clear that impacts of this size do occur
and that their results can be catastrophic. What is a catastrophe for one group of
living things, however, may create opportunities for another group. Following each
mass extinction, there is a sudden evolutionary burst as new species develop to fill
the ecological niches opened by the event.
Impacts by meteorites represent one mechanism that could cause global
catastrophes and seriously influence the evolution of life all over the planet.
According to some estimates, the majority of all extinctions of species may be due to
such impacts. Such a perspective fundamentally changes our view of biological
evolution. The standard criterion for the survival of a species is its success in
competing with other species and adapting to slowly changing environments. Yet an
equally important criterion is the ability of a species to survive random global
ecological catastrophes due to impacts.
Earth is a target in a cosmic shooting gallery, subject to random violent
events that were unsuspected a few decades ago. In 1991 the United States
Congress asked NASA to investigate the hazard posed today by large impacts on
Earth. The group conducting the study concluded from a detailed analysis that

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impacts from meteorites can indeed be hazardous. Although there is always some risk
that a large impact could occur, careful study shows that this risk is quite small.
51. The word “pose” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. claim B. model C. assume D. present
52. In paragraph 2, why does the author include the information that dinosaurs
had flourished for tens of millions of years and then suddenly disappeared?
A. To support the claim that the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous is the
best-documented of the dozen or so mass extinctions in the geological record
B. To explain why as many as half of the species on Earth at the time are believed to
have become extinct at the end of the Cretaceous
C. To explain why paleontologists have always been intrigued by the mass extinction
at the end of the Cretaceous
D. To provide evidence that an impact can be large enough to disturb the
environment of the entire planet and cause an ecological disaster
53. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 3 about the location of
the meteorite impact in Mexico?
A. The location of the impact site in Mexico was kept secret by geologists from 1980
to 1990.
B. It was a well-known fact that the impact had occurred in the Yucatán region.
C. Geologists knew that there had been an impact before they knew where it had
occurred.
D. The Yucatán region was chosen by geologists as the most probable impact site
because of its climate.
54. According to paragraph 3, how did scientists determine that a large meteorite
had impacted Earth?
A. They discovered a large crater in the Yucatán region of Mexico.
B. They found a unique layer of sediment worldwide.
C. They were alerted by archaeologists who had been excavating in the Yucatán
region.
D. They located a meteorite with a mass of over a trillion tons.
55. The word “excavating” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. digging out B. extending C. destroying D. covering up
56. According to paragraph 4, all of the following statements are true of the impact
at the end of the Cretaceous period EXCEPT:
A. A large amount of dust blocked sunlight from Earth.
B. Earth became cold and dark for several months.
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C. New elements were formed in Earth’s crust.
D. Large quantities of nitric acid were produced.
57. The phrase “tentatively identified” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. identified after careful study
B. identified without certainty
C. occasionally identified
D. easily identified
58. Paragraph 6 supports which of the following statements about the factors that
are essential for the survival of a species?
A. The most important factor for the survival of a species is its ability to compete and
adapt to gradual changes in its environment.
B. The ability of a species to compete and adapt to a gradually changing environment
is not the only ability that is essential for survival.
C. Since most extinctions of species are due to major meteorite impacts, the ability to
survive such impacts is the most important factor for the survival of a species.
D. The factors that are most important for the survival of a species vary significantly
from one species to another.
59. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the
following sentence?
"Earth is a target in a cosmic shooting gallery, subject to random violent events
that were unsuspected a few decades ago."
Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential
information.
A. Until recently, nobody realized that Earth is exposed to unpredictable violent
impacts from space.
B. In the last few decades, the risk of a random violent impact from space has
increased.
C. Since most violent events on Earth occur randomly, nobody can predict when or
where they will happen.
D. A few decades ago, Earth became the target of random violent events originating
in outer space.
60. According to the passage, who conducted investigations about the current
dangers posed by large meteorite impacts on Earth?
A. Paleontologists B. Geologists C. The United States Congress D.
NASA
Your answers:

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 51. 52. 53. 54. 55.
56. 57. 58. 59. 60.

3. Read the text and do the tasks followed. (1 point)

A SILENCE FORCE
A. There is a legend that St Augustine in the fourth century AD was the first
individual to be seen reading silently rather than aloud, or semi-aloud, as had been
the practice hitherto. Reading has come a long way since Augustine’s day. There was
a time when it was a menial job of scribes and priests, not the mark of civilization it
became in Europe during the Renaissance when it was seen as one of the attributes of
the civilized individual.
B. Modern nations are now seriously affected by their levels of literacy. While
the Western world has seen a noticeable decline in these areas, other less developed
countries have advanced and, in some cases, overtaken the West. India, for example,
now has a large pool of educated workers. So European countries can no longer rest
on their laurels as they have done for far too long; otherwise, they are in danger of
falling even further behind economically.
C. It is difficult in the modern world to do anything other than a basic job without
being able to read. Reading as a skill is the key to an educated workforce, which in
turn is the bedrock of economic advancement, particularly in the present
technological age. Studies have shown that by increasing the literacy and numeracy
skills of primary school children in the UK, the benefit to the economy generally is in
billions of pounds. The skill of reading is now no more just an intellectual or leisure
activity, but rather a full-fledged economic force.
D. Part of the problem with reading is that it is a skill which not appreciated in
most developed societies. This is an attitude that has condemned large swathes of the
population in most Western nations to illiteracy. It might surprise people in countries
outside the West to learn that in the United Kingdom, and indeed in some other
European countries, the literacy rate has fallen to below that of so called less
developed countries.
E. There are also forces conspiring against reading in our modern society. It is not
seen as cool among a younger generation more at home with computer screens or a
Walkman. The solitude of reading is not very appealing. Students at school, college
or university who read a lot are called bookworms. The tern indicates the contempt in
which reading and learning are held in certain circles or subcultures. It is a criticism,
like all such attacks, driven by the insecurity of those who are not literate or are semi-
literate. Criticism is also a means, like all bullying, of keeping peers in place so that
they do not step out of line. Peer pressure among young people is so powerful that it
often kills any attempts to change attitudes to habits like reading.

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 F. But the negative connotations apart, is modern Western society standing
Canute-like against an uncontrollable spiral of decline? I think not.
G. How should people be encouraged to read more? It can easily be done by
increasing basic reading skills at an early age and encouraging young people to
borrow books from schools. Some schools have classroom libraries as well as school
libraries. It is no good waiting until pupils are in their secondary school to encourage
an interest in books’ it needs to be pushed at an early age. Reading comics,
magazines and low brow publications like Mills and Boon is frowned upon. But
surely what people, whether they be adults or children, read is of little import. What
is significant is the fact that they are reading. Someone who reads a comic today may
have the courage to pick up a more substantial tome later on.
H. But perhaps the best idea would be to stop the negative attitudes to reading
from forming in the first place. Taking children to local libraries brings them into
contact with an environment where they can become relaxed among books. If
primary school children were also taken in groups into bookshops, this might also
entice them to want their own books. A local bookshop, like some local libraries,
could perhaps arrange book reading for children which, being away from the
classroom, would make the reading activity more of an adventure. On a more general
note, most countries have writers of national importance. By increasing the standing
of national writers in the eyes of the public, through local and national writing
competitions, people would be drawn more to the printed word. Catch them young
and, perhaps, they just might then all become bookworms.
A. The Reading Passage above has seven paragraphs (A-G). Choose the most
suitable heading from the List of Headings below. Write the appropriate numbers
(i-xii) in boxes 1-5. (0.5 point)
Paragraph D and G have been done for you as an example. Any heading may be
used more than once.
List of Headings
i Reading not taken for granted
ii Taking children to libraries
iii Reading: the mark of civilization
iv Reading in St Augustine’s day
v A large pool of educated workers in India
vi Literacy rates in developed countries have declined because of people’s attitude
vii Persuading people to read
viii Literacy influences the economies of countries in today’s world
ix Reading benefits the economy by billions of pounds
x The attitude to reading amongst the young

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xi Reading becomes an economic force
xii The writer’s attitude to the decline in reading

61. Paragraph A: ………

62. Paragraph B: ………
63. Paragraph C: ………
Paragraph D: …vi..
64. Paragraph E: ……….
65. Paragraph F:……….
Paragraph H:…vii…

B. Do the following statements agree with the

information in the reading text. (0.5 point)

Yes if the statement agrees with the information

No if the statement contradicts the information
Not Given if there is no information about the statement
66. European countries have been satisfied with past achievements for too long and
have allowed other countries to overtake them in certain areas.
67. Reading is an economic force.
68. The literacy rate in less developed nations is considerably higher than in all
European countries.
69. If you encourage children to read when they are young the negative attitude to
reading that grows in some subcultures will be eliminated.
70. People should be discouraged from reading comics and magazines.
Your answers
61. 62. 63. 64. 65.
66. 67. 68. 69. 70

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