PRACTICE TEST 23-2

A. PHONETICS
I.Choose a word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the others.
1. A. inadequate B. navigate C. necessitate D. debate
2. A. vision B. measure C. usually D. pleasant
3. A. dormitory B. fort C. knob D. gorgeous
4. A. copious B. obese C. drone D. clamorous
B. 5. A. equation B. education C. contribution D. nomination
II.Choose a word with a different stress pattern.
1. A. prerequisite B. necessity C. European D. synonymous
2. A. legislature B. repository C. magnificent D. mistake
3. A. argumentative B. psychological C. contributory D.
4. A. consent B. obstinacy C. condolence D. equality
5. A. majority B. ceremony C. astronomy D. investiture

C. LEXICO-GRAMMAR
I.Choose the word or phrase that best completes each sentence.
1.No......................had I said it than I realised it was the wrong thing to say.
A. quicker B. rather C. sooner D. earlier
2.The information he gave us was___________useless. It didn’t help us at all.
A. utterly B. deeply C. extremely D. painfully
3.Unfortunately, he’s never____________his potential, which is a greatshame.
A, encountered B. gained C. fulfilled D. overcome
4.Jennifer..............advantage of all the opportunities she was given and has done very well.
A. achieved B. had C. gained D. took
5.The government has_____________a ban on exports to those countries because of their human right records.
A. imposed B. taken C. made D, compelled
6.Sales of the new product line___________the company’s profits in the last quarter.
A. cheered B. boosted C. encouraged D. celebrated
7.“Well, I hope you enjoyed your meal.” - “.................... ”
A. Oh, absolutely delicious. B. Yes, that’s very interesting.
C. No problem. , D. Yeah, that’s right.
8.Alan Grintley is a...............relative of mine. He was my great-great-great-grandfather.
A. far B. common C. distant D. close
9. I’m sick and ..................of studying grammar.
A. cross B. ill C. tired D. bored
10.will do everything in my ...................to rescue the victims.
A.ability B. power C. mind D. effort
11.Be careful or he'll take you for a ........................
A.trick B. cheat C. fraud D. ride
12.Just because. Laura makes a lotof money, everyone expects her to........................all the bills.
A.foot B. stand . C. run D. carry
13.This is a good hair dye but the colour gradually................after a few weeks.
A.fades B. vanishes C. disappears D. pales
14.My grandmother was a lovely person who_................ pleasure from helping others.
A.gathered B. derived C. deduced D. collected
15.For busy people in today's society, lifestyle management is gaining............
A.points B. speed C. ground D. terrain
16. The boy has a collection of _______.
A. valuable old Australian postage stamp B. old valuable Australian postage stamp
C. old Australian valuable postage stamp D. valuable Australian old postage stamp
17. The lottery winner was willing to spend a considerable sum of money to ______ to charity to help
those in need.

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 A. give away B. give in C. give back D. give up
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct respond to each of the following
exchanges.
18. A customer is talking to a clerk at a bank.
- Clerk: '' Good morning and welcome to Vietcombank. How can I help you?''
- Customer: ''__________. What kinds of account do you have?''
A. I’d like to withdraw some money.
B. I’d like to borrow a loan from the bank.
C. I’d like to open a saving accounts.
D. I’d like to deposit some money into my account.
19. A waiter is talking to a customer in a restaurant.
- Waiter: '' .''
- Customer: “ Well done, please ! ”
A. What do you think of our restaurant, sir? B. How do you like your steak, sir?
C. What do you like for the dessert, sir? D. Would you like some more wine, sir?

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to Indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the
underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.
20. Sometimes, in order to get things done, you have to take the initiative.
A. make the last decision B. make important changes
C. raise the first idea D. sacrifice for others
21. The emblem of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was designed basing on rice - the most
important crop for the Southeast Asian people.
A. banner B. logo C. motto D. slogan

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the
underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.
22. I've become a bit of a couch potato since I stopped playing football.
A. a kind person B. a lazy person C. a nice person D. a live wire
23. That last comment of yours won the day because nobody could possibly argue with you after that.
A. was a big hit B. was a break-through C. was a failure D. was a success

Part 3: Give the correct form of the word in brackets to complete the passage.
INTERNET JOBS
Contrary to popular belief, one does not have to be a trained (1. PROGRAM)......................... to work online.
Of course, there are plenty of jobs (2. AVAIL)........................... for people with high-tech computer skills, but
the growth of new media has opened up a wide range of Internet career opportunities requiring only a (3.
MINIMIZE)..................... level of technical (4. EXPERT)..................... Probably one of the most well-known
online job opportunities is the job of webmaster. However, it is hard to define one basic job description for
this (5. POSE).......................... The (6. QUALIFY) ......................and responsibilities depend on what tasks a
(7. PART).......................... organization needs a webmaster to perform.
To (8. SPECIAL) ...........................the job description of a webmaster, one needs to identify the hardware and
software the website the webmaster will manage is running on. Different type of hardware and software
require different skill sets to manage them. Another key factor is whether the website will be running
internally (at the firm itself) or externally (renting shared space on the company servers). Finally, the
responsibilities of a webmaster also depend on whether he or she will be working (9. DEPEND)....................,
or whether the firm will provide people to help. All of these factors need to be considered before one can
create an accurate webmaster job description. Webmaster is one type of Internet career requiring (10.

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DEEP) ..........................knowledge of the latest computer applications.

Part 4: The passage below contains 10 mistakes. UNDERLINE the mistakes and WRITE THEIR CORECT
FORMS in the spaces provided in the column on the right (0) has been done as an example.
The Chinese is very generous when it comes to the education of their children. No caring about the
money, parents often send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the United States or
Australia. They also want their children to take extra- course activities which they will either learn a musical
instrument or ballet, or other classes which will give them a head start in life. The Chinese believe that the most
expensive an education is, the better it is. So parents will spend reasonable amounts of money on education.
Even poor couples will buy a computer for their son or daughter. However, what most parents fail to see is that
the best early education they can give their children is usually very cheap. Parents can see that their children’s
skills vary, skilled in some areas while poor in the others. What most parents fail to realize, though, is that
today children lack self-respect and selfconfidence. The problem is that parents are only educating their
children on how to take multiple-choice tests and how to study well, but parents are not teaching them the most
important skills they need to be confident, happy, or clever. Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills
as cooking, sewing, and doing other housework. Teaching a child to cook will improve much of the skills that
he will need later in life. Cooking demands patience and time. It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A
good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job
successfully. His result, a well-cook dinner, will give him much satisfaction and a lot of self-confidence.

D. READING
Part 1: Read, the following passage and decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits each gap. Write your
answer in the corresponding numbered boxes. (0) has been done as an example.
Why do we smile?
Every human (0)__________is born with the ability to smile. We know this because even children who are (1)
..........to see can still grin. A smile is a natural reaction (2)........., a positive moment, like a friendly face or a
clever joke. But this isn’t the first reason we smile. Most babies first smile when they (3) ............the age of six
to eight weeks. It’s usually an accident: an expression (4).........when exercising their facial muscles (or
passing wind!). But once they realise a smile (5)................them a lot of attention- huge smiles and happy noises
in return- they learn to try it again. And it doesn’t (6)...............too much effort either- we need 43 muscles to
frown but only 17 smile.
But not every creature can smile. Although your pet dog may sometimes (7)............like it’s smiling back at you,
it’s not. Animals do (8)...........some of the same emotions as us, but they don’t smile. A dog’s cheerftil face is
more (9)............to be a sign of confusion, while dolphins (10)............the muscles for facial expressions
(their mouths are permanently turned upwards which makes them appear to be smiling). Animals express their
joy through other movements, like a (11).............tail or a backwards flip. Some, (12)_..............as chimpanzees
and rats, can even laugh.
0. A. person B. creature C. creation D. being
1. A. incapable B. useless C. unable D. helpless
2. A. of B. for C. with D. to
3. A. reach B. make C. achieve D.
4. A. done B. given C. made accomplish
D. pushed
5. A. gets B.pays . C. draws D. points
6 A. use B. cost C. take D. make
7. A.show B. look C. suggest D, appear
8. A.sense B. experiment C. release D.
9. A. possible B. probable C. likely experience
D. kindly
10. A. lose B. lack C. miss D. need
11. A. waging B. revolving C. shifting D. stirring
12. A. so B.such C, therefore D. much

Part 2: Fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable word and write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes, (0) has been done as an example.

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A substance produced by disease-transmitting insects may provide the key to fighting the same diseases.
Mosquitoes and blackflies transmit malaria and river blindness (1) ____________________, both of (2)
____________________ cause a large number of deaths every year. However, scientists (3)
____________________ now discovered, in some of these insects, a (4) ____________________ called a
peptide which kills these viruses and parasites (5) _______________ carry. (6) ____________________
introduced techniques have allowed researchers to study these minute insects in order to find out more about
the peptides. Professor John Wells said yesterday that if his team could identify the genes responsible for (7)
____________________ the peptides, they could introduce into the world genetically altered mosquitoes which
were incapable of (8) ____________________ the disease. In the (9) ____________________ of these exciting
developments, it is hoped that science will be able to eradicate some major tropical diseases (10) _______
rather than later.

Part 3: You are going to read an article about advertising in public places. For questions 1-10, choose from
the people (A-E). The people may be chosen more than once.
Advertising in public places. Like it or love it?
We askedfive people for their opinions
A Rob Stevenson, lorry driver
The main problem is that the location of posters can be a safety hazard if they block your view of junctions or
road signs. I'm not distracted from driving by the content so much, just by the fact that a poster is there. I've no
time to read them or study them, though the names of products must stick in your memory. Posters in fields get
a lot of attention because you certainly notice them as you drive down the motorway. They must be a bonus for
the farmer who gets an income from them, but I suppose they do make a bit of a mess of the rural environment.
On the whole, there aren't too many posters on the roads - not compared with some countries I've driven
through.
B Josie Pelham, cabin crew
Walking through airports in uniform, I tend not to look around too much. That's because I run the risk of being
asked questions by confused passengers who mistake me for ground crew, but helping them is not my job. But
adverts in airports have a captive audience because people end up hanging around waiting for delayed flights in
lounges or at boarding gates, so in those places they must work well for the advertisers. When travelling, an
amusing advert can brighten up my day, but I do tend to see endless dull adverts for banks round the airport and
they don't fit into that category! Planes are even being painted externally to carry advertising. I saw one
decorated to advertise house music in Ibiza. How cool is that?
C Damian Stenton, lawyer
To be honest, I can take or leave street advertising -1 don't pay it much attention and posters aren't that
obtrusive. I don't even mind posters in the countryside, though I know that's an issue for some groups in
society. Some of the paper posters are being replaced by TV screens. I guess that enables the company to make
more money, as they can switch adverts easily and it also saves paper. But it's rather environmentally
unfriendly as each advertising screen obviously has to be powered by electricity. At a time when we're all being
urged to cut down on consumption of precious resources, putting up TV screens everywhere seems rather
counterproductive.
D Danni Rochas, interior designer
I often feel surrounded by posters and advertising, it seems to be taking over our city. I am reminded of an
episode of The Simpsons where the town’s outdoor advertising comes to life and hunts down the residents. I'm
resigned to the fact that posters are 'necessary' commercialisation, but I find them less annoying when they
'give' something positive in exchange for being such an intrusive presence on the urban landscape.
Occasionally, though, advertisers find a new angle on an issue that's really thought-provoking and that must be
positive. So maybe I'd prefer it to exist rather than not.
E Naomi Hesketh, student
I try to walk straight past most posters as if they weren't there, but some do manage to grab your attention
nonetheless. I really like those that are colourfill or imaginative. I think advertising allows lots of clever people
to reach a wide public with their ideas, and we all benefit from that. Why would you even look at a boring
poster? I think production values are important, too, in making you trust the advertiser. I agree with banning
posters from parks and on historic buildings, but there's nothing wrong with them in shopping streets and main
roads. They make the environment brighter.

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Which person says that advertising _______
Your answers
1 can be uninteresting if there’s a lack of variety?
2 has a mostly negative impact on the urban landscape?
3 can damage the appearance of the countryside?
4 may be a waste of energy resources?
5 can lead to a break of concentration in a job?
6 should not be allowed in certain public places?
7 can be a source of potential danger?
8 can sometimes make you feel better?
9 is good if it makes you think about something?
10 is useful in providing work for talented and creative people?

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Part 4: Read the following passage and answer questions 1-13.
Social housing in Britain
A During the past 20 years in Britain there has been a significant decrease in the number of social homes in the
housing stock, down from 5.3m to 4,8m, The proportion of social housing has fallen from 29% to 18% during
the same period. This is largely due to the policies of Margaret Thatcher's government during the 1980's which
forced local councils to sell homes under market price to existing tenants under a 'right to buy* scheme and
prevented them from building new houses. New social homes were then to be paid for by central government
and managed by local housing associations,
B Next month, the government is expected to announce a significant increase in the Social Housing
Department's £1.7 billion annual budget and also intends to make the application process for social housing
simpler. The additional £2 billion will build about 50,000 new houses each year at current building costs. Still
more houses could be built if subsidies were reduced.
C The UK government is hoping that the extra investment will improve the housing situation. Britain with her
increasing population builds fewer new houses than are needed, with a shortfall of 100,000 a year according to
Shelter, a housing charity. The result is a boom in house prices that has made owning a home unaffordable for
many, especially in London and the south of England. Key public sector workers, such as nurses and teachers,
are among those affected.
D In order to increase the social housing stock the government is using a process known as planning gain.
Town councils are increasing the amount of social housing developers must build as part of a new building
project and which they must give to the local housing association. Even without the financial support of the
central government, some local councils in England are using planning gain to increase the proportion of social
housing stock. In expensive Cambridge, the council wants 25% of new housing to be social; the figure is 35%
in Bristol, while Manchester is planning 40% over the next twenty years.
E Will this housing policy create new sink estates? Hopefully, not. Housing planners have learnt from the
mistakes of the 1960s and 1970s when large council housing estates were constructed. Builders have got better
at design and planning mixed-use developments where social housing is mixed with, and indistinguishable
from, private housing. Social housing developments are winning design awards - a project in London won the
Housing Design Award — though it is true that some council estates that now illustrate some of the worst
aspects of 1960s architecture won awards at the time,
F The management of social housing stock has largely moved from local councils to housing associations.
Housing associations look after the maintenance of the existing housing stock, getting repairs done and dealing
with problems like prostitution and drugs while employing estate security and on-site maintenance staff. One
significant change is that planners have learned to build smaller housing developments.
G The significant drawback of social housing still remains: it discourages mobility. What happens to the nurse
who lives in cheap social housing in one town, and is offered a job in a region that does not provide her with
new social housing? The government wants to encourage initiative but is providing a housing system that
makes it difficult for people to change their lives. Public-sector workers are increasingly being priced out of
London and other expensive parts of the country and, as a result, are unable to take advantage of opportunities
available to them.

For questions 1-7, choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes. You may use each heading only once. There are
more headings than paragraphs, so you will not use all of them.

List of Headings 1. Paragraph A..........

i.Still difficult to move around 2. Paragraph B...............
ii.Councils give way to housing associations 3. Paragraph C..............
iii.Increased spending 4. Paragraph D...............
iv.The cost of moving home 5. Paragraph E...............
v.A shrinking supp ly 6. Paragraph F............
vi.Learning from the past 7. Paragraph G.............
vii.Public-sector workers squeezed out
viiiNew demands on developers

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For questions 8-13, write in the corresponding numbered boxes
YES if the statement agrees with the information
NO if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

8. During the Thatcher years, there was a block on building social homes.
9. The housing problem in London is worse than in the rest of south-east England.
10. Local authorities are stalling to depend on the ’planning gain' scheme.
11. One way to make social housing more successful is to make it similar to private housing.
12. Local councils are unable to deal with crimes committed on social housing land.
13. It would not be helpful to modify pubic workers salary depending on where they lived.
W. WRITING

Part 1: Use the word given in brackets and make any necessary additions to write a new sentence in such a way
that it is as similar as possible in meaning to the original sentence. Do NOT change the form of the given word.
You must use between three and six words, including the word given. (0) has been done as an example.

1.It took me a fairly long time to answer all my emails. (quite)

I spent _____________________________________all my emails.
2.We were all shocked when he died, (came)
His_______________________________. to us all.
3.When it comes to punctuality, Fiona really takes after her mother. (concerned)
As________________________________________, Fiona really takes after her mother,
4.Women outnumber men by two to one on the art course. (twice)
There__________________________________________men on the art course.
5.1 didn’t turn the TV on because I didn’t want to wake the baby. (fear)
I didn’t turn the TV on________________________________________the baby.
6.The woman’s actions deserved praise, not criticism, (been)
The woman’s actions_____________________________ , not criticized.
7. The company’s profits appear to be improving significantly this year. EVIDENCE
The company’s...........................................this year.
8.She’s forever warning her husband about driving too fast, but he pays no attention. OFTEN
No.................................................her husband about driving too fast, he pays no attention.
9.She emigrated immediately after gaining her degree. GRADUATED
No.............................................................................................abroad.
10.Phil stopped being so unrealistic when he lost his job. BROUGHT
The................................................................................. earth.

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