PRACTICE TEST 34

USE OF ENGLISH
I. Select the best option to complete each of the following sentences. Write your answers (A, B,
C or D) in the box provided.
1. There is no reason to______ his honesty; he is absolutely sincere.
A. search B. doubt C. inquire D. ask
2. His personal problems seem to have been ______him from his work lately.
A. disrupting B. disturbing C. distracting D. dispersing
3. Pick me up at 4 p.m. I _______ my bath by then.
A. will have B. will be having C. will have had D. must have had
4. She said that she would be punctual for the opening speech, ______ she were late?
A. but what if B. how about C. and what about D. so if
5. What are the main ______ of this illness?
A. traces B. emblems C. tokens D. symptoms
6. We believe that these animals could be saved if our plan were ______.
A. adopted B. taken up C. practised D. exploited
7. Local people are concerned about pollution from ______ oil wells.
A. maritime B. sea-going C. off-shore D. coast line
8. The topic ______ at yesterday’s meeting was of great importance.
A. to be discussed B. to have been discussed
C. discussed D. having been discussed
9. Evidence came up ______ specific speech sounds are recognized by babies as young as 6 months old.
A. what B. when C. which D. that
10. There have been protests from animal rights group about ______ on animals.
A. experience B. experiments C. expiration D. trials
11. She couldn’t perform well once she was _______.
A. under pressure B. out of mind C. in the mood D. over the moon
12. All the sales people I met always try to _________ buying their products.
A. persuade me for B. force me to C. talk me into D. help me with
13. He confessed _____ being somewhat nervous about having to speak in front of a large crowd.
A. about B. to C. for D. with
14. In a money-oriented society, the average individual cares little about solving _____ problem.
A. any other B. any other’s C. anyone else’s D. anyone’s else
15. Would you please leave us details of your address _______ forwarding any of your mail to come?
A. for the purpose of B. as a consequence of C. for the sake of D. by means of
16. The woman they finally choose was much older than the other_______ for the job.
A. informants B. participants C. applicants D. consultants
17. He can’t find money for life necessities, ______ such luxuries as wine and tobacco.
A. leave alone B. buy alone C. mention alone D. let alone
18. Cigarette smoking has been ______ breast as well as lung cancer.
A. concerned to B. originated from C. caused by D. associated with
19. The general is always ______ about his past campaigns.
A. boasting B. praising C. complimenting D. congratulating
20. ________ of the Chairman, the Executive Director will be responsible for chairing the meeting.
A. For the absence B. On the absence C. In the absence D. To the absence

II. Use the right form of the word given in bold to complete each of the following sentences.
Write your answers in the box provided.
1. Jenny has sent me a very ____________
apologetic letter explaining why she didn’t do what she promised.
APOLOGY
2. The ____________
pagination of this document is wrong! There’s no page 13. PAGE
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3. For the sake of convenience, please do not ____________
disconnect the Internet after use. CONNECT
4. In delivery of goods, several kinds of soft materials are now used to avoid ____________
breaking of glassware.
BREAK
5. The general director was blamed for his ____________
mishandling of the company’s business. HANDLE
6. You must realize that such ____________ can not be tolerated. OBEY
disobedience
7. It’s essential that the application forms be sent back before the ____________.
deadline LINE
8. His work brought him fame, but little ____________
monetary reward. MONEY
9. Scientists are beginning to believe that the ____________
colonization of the planets in this century is not impossible.
COLONY
10. It is dangerous for an ____________
inexperienced driver to drive a car in the center of Paris during the mid-day rush.
EXPERIENCE

III. Identify the underlined word (or combination of words) that is not correct in each of the
following sentences. Write your answers (A, B, C or D) in the box provided.

1. If you have nothing else to do, will you please accompany me to go to that fishing village?
A B C D
2. Petrol prices have raised so rapidly in the past few months that many people have been forced to
A B C D
use the public transport.
3. He failed his examination, which proves that he wasn’t working enough hard.
A B C D

4. Privatization is thought to be beneficial because it promotes health competition.

A B C D
5. The law breaker was let off with a fine in stead of being sent to prison.
A B C D

READING COMPREHENSION
I. Read the passage and choose the best word or combination of words to fill in each blank.
Write your answers (A, B, C or D) in the box provided.

TRAFFIC IN OUR CITIES

The volume of traffic in many cities in the world today continues to expand. This causes many problems,
including serious air pollution, lengthy delays, and the greater risk (1) _________accidents. Clearly, something
must be done, but it is difficult to (2) _________ people to change their habits and leave their cars at home.
One possible (3) _________ is to make it more expensive for people to use their cars by (4) _________charges
for parking and bringing in tougher fines for anyone who (5) _________ the law. In addition, drivers could be
required to pay for using particular routes at different times of the day. This system, (6) _________ as “road
pricing”, is already being introduced in a number of cities, using a special electronic card (7) ______ to
windscreen of the car.
Another way of dealing with the problem is to provide cheap parking on the (8) _______ of the city, and strictly
control the number of vehicles allowed in to the centre. Drivers and their passengers then use a special bus
service for the (9) _______ stage of their journey.
Of course, the most important thing is to provide good public transport. However, to get people to give up the
comfort of their cars, public transport must be felt to be reliable, convenient and comfortable, with fares (10)
__________ at an acceptable level.

1. A. of B. for C. about D. by
2. A. make B. arrange C. suggest D. persuade
3. A. approach B. manner C. custom D. style
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4. A. enlarging B. increasing C. growing D. developing
5. A. crosses B. refuses C. breaks D. cracks
6. A. named B. seen C. called D. known
7. A. fixed B. joined C. built D. placed
8. A. outskirts B. border C. outside D. limit
9. A. late B. end C. complete D. final
10. A. taken B. kept C. given D. stood

II. Read the passage and fill in each blank with ONE suitable word. Write your answers in the
box provided.
ACADEMIC OVERDRIVE
Student life is becoming increasingly difficult. Not only are students expected to perform and compete within the
class, but also to (1) ____________ time and energy to extra-curricular activities as well as struggle with an
increasing load of homework. The push to get into the top universities has caused many overachieving students
to (2) ____________ on heavier workloads and more challenging classes.

This push, however, doesn’t end once students reach (3) ____________. In fact, when they reach the top
places they have worked so hard to get into, many students are forced to work even harder than they did in
high school. Once in the top universities, the (4) ____________ is on to secure a place in the top graduate
school. But it doesn’t end there. Once students have graduated with the best results, they find that they must
continue to overextend themselves in order to secure the top (5) ____________ in their particular field. Such is
the emphasis on academic success.

There are many who claim that this entire system is wrong because it puts too much (6) ____________ on
measuring achievement and not enough on true learning. This in turn has inevitable (7) ____________ on the
students themselves. In such a high-pressure learning environment, those that find the pressure overwhelming
have nowhere to turn. In an academic world (8) ____________ only by academic success, many students begin
to feel a low sense of worth, yet they fear to turn to anyone for help as this would be perceived as a signal of
failure, an (9) ____________ to cope with that which other students appear to have no problem. This can be
particularly hard for foreign students as they find themselves isolated (10) ____________ familiar cultural
or family ties in their new environment and thus they concentrate solely on their work.

Perhaps the main thing to remember is that although it is important to study hard, school life should also be
fun.

III. Read the passage and do the exercises that follow. Write your answers (A, B, C or D) in the
box provided.
WOMEN MANAGE BETTER
The days when only men would hold management positions are over. More and more women are moving into
top jobs in the USA. Despite a slowing economy, the number of women in management has risen to 16% in
1995, when it used to be less than 9%. One result of this tendency is that women are now more accepted in
these roles, and it has also been found that women in management ease tension and gender conflict in the
workplace.

A comprehensive nation-wide study of executive performance accidentally found that women scored higher in
almost all areas of performance evaluation, while compiling a large-scale analysis of 425 high-level managers.
Areas where women are particularly effective are in supporting their staff, and sharing information. They tend to
work harder behind the scenes, while men prefer the glamorous, more aggressive side of management. The
masculine approach is more suited to the traditional style of business, where the boss would work alone and
simply dictate orders to his staff. Now, in the global information age, teamwork and partnering are increasingly
important, and these are exactly the areas where women excel.
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Although the number of women in middle management is on the increase, there are still few women running
large companies. It may be that the same qualities that make women more effective as managers are also
holding them back. Most women get stuck in jobs which involve human resources or public relations, as their
people skills make them highly suitable for this type of work. However, these posts rarely lead to the top.
Ambitious women are frustrated by this, and many left to start their own companies. Another reason why
women are overlooked for promotion is that men are seen as more dynamic and competitive. Women tend to
work for the good of the company as a whole, while men are looking out for themselves. Some bosses may
interpret the feminine approach as showing a lack of vision. A woman will often adopt the strategy of making
people think something is their idea, so that they will co-operate with her plan. Although this is an effective way
of achieving an objective, the result is that she will lose credit for her creativity and innovation.

It is also surprising to learn that the greatest prejudice against female bosses comes from women themselves.
In a recent Gallup poll, 70% of men said that they would be prepared to accept a female boss, compared to
66% of women. One possible for this is that of tradition. Since nearly all bosses used to be male, women feel
more comfortable being supervised by a man than by another woman. Some women also feel that a male boss
is less demanding, and feels more relaxed about being in a position of authority. Since women have to work
harder to get to the top, they expect more of their staff when they get there.

In conclusion, although more and more women are rising to higher positions, there are still many deep-rooted
prejudices and double standards that keep them from achieving the very top positions. Companies may say that
they value interpersonal skills, but they still look for a leader who is decisive and a risk taker. These qualities are
perceived as being mainly masculine. Although women have proved that they are capable of leading a company,
it seems that they will not get the chance to do so until they are prepared to start their own businesses.

Select the best option to complete the statements.

1. Women are becoming more accepted because ______.
A. they are more like men nowadays
B. there are more of them than there used to be
C. there exists gender conflict among the staff
D. they are starting their own businesses
2. The areas where women managers are more effective are ______.
A. giving directions to staffs
B. fighting their way to the top
C. dealing with their male bosses
D. talking to people and helping them
3. Women are often overlooked for the top jobs because ______.
A. they do not take credit for their own ideas
B. other women do not like working for them
C. they cannot make big decisions
D. they leave to start their own businesses.
4. Many women prefer a male boss because ______.
A. male bosses work harder
B. men are more competitive
C. female bosses are less demanding
D. it is more usual to work for a man

Write T if the statement is true according to the passage; F if the statement is not true, and NG if
the information is not given in the passage.
5. Women managers make the place of work less stressful.
6. Working with other people has become more important in modern business.
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7. Businesses owned by women are more successful than those owned by men.
8. Most women work for their own promotion, not for the good of the company.
9. More men than women work for female bosses.
10. Companies may not tell the truth about the qualities they look for in a mange

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WRITING
I. Finish each sentence in such a way that it means exactly the same as the one printed before it.
1. You can use it as long as you like, and it will not wear out.
No matter ______________________________________________________________________
2. John didn’t celebrate a party until he received the offer of promotion in writing.
It was _________________________________________________________________________
3. Please check for damage before signing the delivery note.
Do not ________________________________________________________________________
4. I write to Alice almost every day.
Hardly ________________________________________________________________________
5. All books have something to teach you.
Every ________________________________________________________________________

II. For each of the sentences, write a new sentence as similar as possible in meaning to the original
sentence, using the word given in CAPITALS. This word must not be altered in any way.
1. What astounds me is that he paid the money before having a look at the goods. IT
I find _______________________________________________________ before he paid for them.
2. As my roommate continues to give me a lift to work, I shan’t learn to drive. STOP
Were ________________________________________________________, I would learn to drive.
3. “I’m sorry, I know nothing about computer programming,” said the interviewee. HAVING
The interviewee admitted to _____________________________________ computer programming.
4. Please do not disturb the contestants under any circumstances. ACCOUNT
On _______________________________________________________________ to be disturbed.
5. I was just about to leave the office when the phone started ringing. POINT
I was _________________________________________________ when the phone started ringing.