PRACTICE TEST 23

PART I: LISTENING
1. You will hear a man talking to a group of people about a new sports centre. For each of the questions,
fill in the missing information in the numbered space. Use ONLY ONE WORD FOR EACH ANSWER. (5 pts)
NEW SPORTS CENTRE
Facilities:
* swimming pool
* (1) .........................
* squash courts
* tennis courts (opening on (2) ...................................)
Prices:
* Monthly: £35
* (3) £ .............................. a year)
(special discounts for children)
* not included in price: equipment and swimming (4) ....................
How to become a member:
Fill in a membership form - remember to write your age and weight.
For more information phone Mrs. (5) ...................... on 467 9900.

2. You will hear an interview with a woman who works in a museum. As you listen, choose the best
answer to each question. (5 pts)
1. When she was at school, Clara wanted to become
A. an actress B. a teacher C. a lawyer
2. Why did Clara not apply for the museum job sooner?
A. Her mother advised her to wait.
B. It seemed a very difficult job.
C. She thought it might be boring.
3. What surprised Clara on her first day at work?
A. She had to carry some items.
B. She was asked to give a speech.
C. She had to meet a lot of people.
4. Clara was told to improve her knowledge of
A. computers B. languages C. mathematics
5. What part of her job does Clara enjoy the most?
A. planning large exhibitions
B. writing descriptions of objects
C. talking to visitors about the displays
PART 2: GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY
1. Choose the word or phrase that best fits the space in each sentence. (10 pts)
1. If you have anything important to do, do it straight away. Don't put it ....... .
A. on B. off C. over D. up
2. The plane from Dallas .......... two hours late, so I missed my connecting flight from Frankfurt to London.
A. took off B. took on C. left on D. left out
3. No one liked the new lecturer, so there was a gradual ........ in the attendance st his lectures.
A. fall-through B. fall-out C. fall-off D. fall-in
4. ......., Carol is very punctual, but she was late tonight.
A. For a rule B. Like a rule C. As a rule D. For a rule of thumb
5. 'What did Professor Spencer say when you asked him if the final exam could be postponed?'
' He said that it was out of .......... because there's no time to reschedule the test.'
A. the question B. order C. all proportion D. reach
6. I was talking to my aunt when suddenly my cousin Gorge .... in our conversation.
A, interrupted B. broke C. went D. intervened
7. Solar heat penetrates more deeply into water than ........
A. it is penetrating into soil B. it does into soil C. does it into soil D. that it does into soil
8. ..... on barren slopes can help prevent erosion.
A. Trees to be planted B. Planting trees C. Trees being planted D. That trees are planted
9. He has been unable to find a job ..... with his ability as an accountant.
A. appropriate B. suitable C. requisite D. commensurate
10. I ........ my eyes around the room but could not see her.
A. flung B. tossed C. threw D. cast
11. Income tax rates are usually ......... to one's annual income.
A. related B. dependent C. associated D. adapted
12. They came to inspect the house ......... buying it.
A. in the event of B. with reference to C. with a view to D. on account of
13. As they watched the football match the huge crowd ......... in unison.
A. chanted B. intoned C. crowed D. bellowed
14. Don't count on him. He's liable to ........ out if things get too difficult.
A. let B. be C. opt D. stop
15. The car needs a complete ......... .
A. haul-up B. mending C. check-up D. overhaul
16. They decided to ........ in a visit to their relations when they were on holiday.
A. fill B. fit C. put D. manage
17. In this assignment, we will ......... your work and then give you detailed feedback on how to improve your
writing.
A. assess B. judge C. measure D. test
18. In a seminar or tutorial, everyone should take part rather than allow one person to ........ the discussion.
A. overwhelm B. dominate C. oppress D. empower
19. Although it is impossible to give a ........ age, we believe that the woman was between 25 and 30 when she
died.
A. clear B. certain C. absolute D. definite
20. Many people were killed instantly at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but thousands more died from ....... radiation
sickness.
A. succeeding B. following C. subsequent D. afterwards
2.Underline and correct the 10 mistakes in the following passage. (5 pts)
Although party invitations no longer frightened to me, I still line 1
found making careful preparations for this particularly party. I got ....... 2
a haircut, laid out my best suit, selected a special shirt, tie, and ....... 3
cuff-links. I recently gone on a diet, but because I didn't want I ........ 4
looked too thin, I discontinued it. What should I bring my hosts? ........ 5
Flowers? wine? What kind of the wine? Port? Sherry? Or possibly ........ 6
even champagne? Meeting new persons was still a major ........ 7
undertaking. ........ 8
It was schedule for this Saturday and I decided to take a cab to ........ 9
the suburb where it was being held. It was early autumn and the ......... 10
weather was mild, but that morning it turned cold and rainy, and ......... 11
as I listened to the steam hissing in my radiator, it already fell like ......... 12
midwinter. From my newspaper, I learned that a hurricane which ......... 13
had already stricken another state was on its route to New York, ......... 14
though it might veer out to sea. ......... 15
e.g. frightened to me (line 1) → frightened me
3. Fill each blank in the following sentences with a correct preposition or particle.(5 pts)
1. Mike's interest in karate dropped ............ rather quickly and the boy started to look for a new hobby to take
up.
2. The exact cost of the whole venture is not known yet, but our best accountants have been trying to work
it .......... .
3. Danny wished his father could stay ........ good, but the man still had a few months of the military service to
do.
4. The knowledge and eloquence that people gain ............ travelling is usually perceived .......... the best fulfillment
in life.
5. Mr Simpson's illegal practices enabled him to get ........... without paying taxes for almost tow years.
6. We have decided to do ............ our sitting room in August.
7. I'm very sorry to say that I'm leaving your class for sometime. Mr Blackley will take ........... .
8. Alice is going to put ............ ........... the job of a sales assistant in Newcastle.
9. People are prone .......... clichés and unfounded prejudices about other nations.
4. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the word in brackets. (5 pts)
1. Patricia's skill in playing the piano is quite (compare) ........................... No other child in this group can play the
difficult pieces with similar mastery.
2. Have our arguments convinced you or do you need any more (assure).................?
3. I think Arnold is (use) ...................... his great musical talent by singing in a country band. He should have
become an opera soloist.
4. The central heating system can easily be (active) .................. by turning the green knob.
5. Let's replace Ann with a more resolute person. I can't stand her being so (hesitate) ....................... about her
every decision.
6. The (break) ..................... of an epidemic will be unavoidable unless measures are taken to prevent the rural
population from drinking the contaminated water.
7. We won't be able to buy anything if we don't have any (convert) ...................... currency on us.
8. The destructive criticism has (mine) ................. Paul's confidence. It's improbable that he'll ever put forward
his candidacy again.
9. Due to a huge pile-up, the motorway will remain (pass) ................ until tomorrow.
10. They seem to be quite (concern) .................... and calm even though they have neither a compass nor a map.
5. Choose the word that best fits each space in the following passage. (5 pts)
PLANNING AN ADVENTURE TRIP
Knowing what to expect form your destination will make all aspects of planning an adventure trip easier, as
well as helping you to get the most out of the experience. Research will help you pick the best places to go but
you'll also learn what you need to pack. what health and safety (1) ........ to take, and what cultural (and
sometimes political) issues you should be aware of.
Climate and seasonal pricing are important (2) ....... in your decision about when to go. (3) ...... for adventure
travel, bad weather or weather you're not (4) .... for can ruin the trip. While you can't predict the (5) ......
weather in advance, you can learn about climate (6) ..... ahead of time when doing your destination research.
Seasonal popularity and pricing should also be considered if you intend to (7) ...... peak-season crowd and
prices.
While some research is absolutely (8) ....., don't plan every moment of your trip in advance. Over-planning
tends to make us less (9) ..... to take part in the predictable and spontaneous (10) ...... that are part of any sort of
adventure travel. It's really important to keep a big reserve of excitement and energy ready for the unexpected.
1. A. insurance B. precautions C. warnings D. information
2. A. points B. reasons C. factors D. details
3. A. Especially B. Exceptionally C. Definitely D. Necessarily
4. A. anticipated B. prepared C. expected D. planned
5. A. accurate B. correct C. true D. exact
6. A. probabilities B. trends C. assessments D. estimations
7. A. keep away from B. keep out C. keep off D. keep up
8. A. needed B. essential C. ideal D. useful
9. A. curious B. interested C. appreciative D. willing
10. A. circumstances B. performances C. events D. chances
6. Fill each blank in the following passage with ONE suitable word.(10 pts)
Tom Sponson, (1) ............... fifty three, was a thoroughly successful (2) ............. .
He (3) ................ worked up a first-class business, (4) .......... a charming wife, and built himself a good house
(5) ................... the London suburb that was neither so modern as to be pretentious (6) .................... so conventional
to be dull. He (7) ....... good taste. His son was doing well (7) ........... Oxford. His daughter, who was (9) ............. a
good school, had no wish to (10) .............. make-up, to wear low frocks, (11) ........... to flirt. She still (12) ..............
herself as too young (13) ................ these trifling amusements. Yet she was gay, affectionate, and thoroughly (14)
......... with life. All (15) ............ same, for (16) ............ time, Tom had (17) .............. aware that he was working very
hard (18) ............... very little. His wife gave him a little kiss in the morning when he (19) .................. for the office
and, if she were not at a party another little kiss in the evening when he came (20) ................ .
PART III: READING
1. Read the passage then choose the best answer to each question. (10 pts)
Line In the folklore of the Navajo people, it was said that frogs and toads fell from the
sky when it rained. The phenomenon that gave rise to this belief involved the
spadefoot toad, which remains dormant beneath the Sonoran Desert of Arizona,
avoiding the heat and drought for as long as eight or nine months. With the onset
5 of summer thunderstorms, however, the roads to respond to the vibrations of
drumming raindrops and emerge, as if fallen from the sky with the rain, to begin
their brief and frantic mating season.
The male spadefoot sits in a muddy pool and fills the night with his calls,
attempting to attract a female of the same species. Once a female joins him, she
10 may lay as many as 1,000 eggs in the small pool of life-sustaining rainwater. From
that point it's a race against the elements for the young, who must hatch and
mature with remarkable speed before the pool evaporates beneath the searing
desert sun. As the pool grows smaller and smaller, it became thick with tadpoles
fighting for survival in the mud, threatened not only by the loss of their watery
15 nest but also by devouring insects and animals. In as few as nine days after
fertilization of the eggs, those lucky enough to survive develop through each
tadpole stage and finally emerge as fully formed toads. After gorging themselves
on insects, the young toads. like their parents, burrow underground, where they
will lie dormant awaiting the next summer's storms.
20
1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. Navajo folklore B. Weather in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona
C. The habits of the spadefoot toad D. The mating rituals of the male spadefoot
2. According to the passage, the spadefoot toad
A. is dormant for as long as nine months B. reproduces during winter rains
C. eats leaves and grasses D. develops very slowly
3. Which of the following is NOT true of the spadefoot?
A. They are active only three to four months a year.
B. The female lays their eggs in pools of water.
C. The searing desert sun is their only enemy.
D. Many tadpoles die before they reach maturity.
4. It can be concluded from the passage that
A. spadefoot toads could exist for years without rain.
B. the Navajo legends are based on acute observation.
C. spadefoot toads are well adapted to their environment.
D. the chances of a tadpole's becoming an adult are very great.
5. The author is most likely a
A. botanist B. biologist C. chemist D. geographer
6. This passage is most likely followed by a passage on
A. weather patterns in the Sonoran Desert
B. methods of reproduction among insects
C. dwellings of the Navajo people
D. other desert animals
7. The word 'frantic' in line 7 is closest in meaning to
A. lengthy B. excited C. froglike D. dangerous
8. The word 'elements' in line 12 could be best replaced by
A. weather B. time C. environment D. thunderstorms
9. The word 'gorging' in line 19 is closest in meaning to
A. mating B. digging C. enjoying D. devouring
10. Where in the passage is the geographic location that the spadefoot toads inhabit mentioned?
A. line 1 B. line 9 C. line 3 - 4 D. line 16 - 17
2. Choose the most suitable heading from the list A-H for each part 1-7 of the article. There is one extra
heading that you do not need to use. (7 pts)
A. Too hot for life E. A treat for the amateur
B. A place of contrast F. A distant wanderer
C. Red for danger G. An unseen influence
D. Gases in turmoil H. Fact and fiction

A Family of World
1. ..............
The solar system is a family of worlds. Nearest to the sun is Mercury, a place where the day is hot enough to
melt some metals and the night sufficiently cold to make a rubber ball as brittle as glass. The planet has no
atmosphere to scatter light so the sun glares down from a pitch black sky.
2. .............
Venus, on the contrary, has an atmosphere so thick that no one on its surface could ever see the sun. Though
the sun is concealed, its energy reaches the planet's surface, turning it into a baking desert where nothing can
live.
3. ...............
Beyond the earth and its moon we come to the planet Mars. Its famous redness is due to oxidization - a sort of
rusting process that has taken place over a million of years. According to a now discredited theory, intelligent
creatures on Mars have dug canals to harness the small amounts of water released when the planet's polar
icecaps melt in the Martian spring.
4. ..................
Jupiter is a giant ice-ball surrounded by an atmosphere of poisonous gases. It is an atmosphere full of storms
and turmoil. The biggest storm of all - visible in the form of the Great Red Spot - has lasted for over 200 years
and shows no sign of dying away.
5. .....................
Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are giant stepping stones leading us into the unseen coldness of outer space.
Saturn is the most distinctive planet of the three, since it has the famous rings which almost everyone has
heard about. They form a halo round its equator and no one knows quite how they were formed. A spectacular
sight when observed through a powerful telescope, they can also be seen and enjoyed with a simple pair of
binoculars.
6. ..................
Beyond Neptune orbits little Pluto. Too small and too far from the sun to receive much light, it reflects so little
that it tells us very little indeed about itself. Its orbit sometimes brings it nearer to the sun than Neptune; at
other times it swings out into the blackness of space as if it never means to return.
7. ................
Could there be another planet even further away than Pluto? There are clues that the answer to this may be
yes. A mysterious gravitational pull is disturbing the orbits of Neptune and Pluto, suggesting that an unseen
world awaits discovery.
3. You are going to read an article about the Sahara Desert. Eight sentences have been removed from the
article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one that fits each gap 1-8. There is one extra sentence that you
do not need to use. (8 pts)
A Water Crisis
The Sahara's meagre resources are being plundered right to the present day. (1) .............. . The rock is of a
type which hinders easy underground storage so the water supply depends on rainfall. (2) ................ . However,
the seriousness of the situation goes far beyond mere seasonal changes.
 There is one district where observations go back at least 125 years. (3) .............. . This way of drawing water is
intended for the irrigation of gardens and small plots and works only if there is water not more than about five
metres below the surface. (4) ......... . They have all been replaced by wells from which the water has to be raised
by draught animals, because it is now 25 metres down. (5) ............... .
In a classic example of a vicious circle, shortages of water has led to the digging of more wells to save the
flocks and birds. As these have been deepened the water supply has been further depleted. (6) ............ .
The Air region was once regarded as the Switzerland of Africa because of its temperate climate. (7) .............. .
Nowadays, though, there are only a third of the palms which existed there at the turn of the century. The
amount of wildlife has shown a proportional fall. (8) ........... . This is highly dangerous in a world where the
overall population is growing rapidly. We cannot afford to lose fertile land.
A. Here it is known that wells of the balance beam type were once used to cultivate areas.
B. So, too, has the number of human beings who can now survive in the area.
C. This being so, it is easy to understand why it varies.
D. Today, though, not one well of this type exists.
E. This has resulted in soil erosion which then dries out the land still further.
F. Here, then, the water level has evidently dropped by 20 metres in little over a century.
G. It was criss-crossed by valleys filled with palm trees and was thronged with wildlife.
H. Such are conditions in the Sahara Desert in recent times.
I. This is shown most clearly in the dramatic fall in the region's precious water reserves.
PART IV. WRITING
1. Finish the second sentence so that it means the same as the first one. (10 pts)
1. The direct aim of the statement is to make the public aware of the present situation.
→ The statement boils ............................................................................................
2. Sally distrust modern technology strongly.
→ Sally has ............................................................................................................
3. He will have to spend seven years in prison.
→ He has been .......................................................................................................
4. Mt precious life was saved by the lifeguard.
→ I owe ....................................................................................................................
5. As far as I know, the building was set on fire deliberately.
→ To the best .........................................................................................................
6. Has anybody been hurt in the road collision?
→ Has anybody come ........................................................................................... ?
7. The community spoke enthusiastically about the recently elected mayor.
→ The community sang ........................................................................................
8. I wanted to make sure that all my good work wasn't wasted in that way.
→ I wanted to prevent ...........................................................................................
9. I'm always inviting him for a weekend with us but he's always too busy.
→ No matter ..........................................................................................................
10. The only reason the party was a success was that a famous film star attended.
→ Had it .................................................................................................................
2. Paragraph writing:
Write a paragraph of around 200 words on how students can make progress in learning English.
 ANSWER KEY
PART I: LISTENING
1. Gap fill
1, gym 2. Saturday 3. 215 4. lessons 5. Reysall
2. Multiple choice
1. B 2. C 3. A 4. C 5. B
PART II: GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY
1. Multiple choice:
1. B 2. A 3. C 4. C 5. A 6. D 7. B 8. B 9. D 10. D
11. A 12. C 13. A 14. C 15. D 16. C 17. A 18. B 19. D 20. C
2. Mistake correcting
1. found -> found myself (line 2) 6. schedule -> scheduled (line 9)
2. recently -> had recently (line 4) 7. weather was -> weather had been (line
3. I looked -> to look (line 5) 11)
4. the wine -> wine (line 6) 8. fell -> felt (line 13)
5. persons -> people (line 7) 9. stricken -> struck (line 14)
10. route -> way (line 15)
3. Gap filling with phrasal verbs and prepositions
1. off 2. out 3. for 4. from as 5. away 6. up
7. over 8. in for 9. to
4. Word form
1. incomparable 2. reassurance 3. misusing 4. activated
5. hesitant 6. outbreak 7. convertible 8. undermined
9. impassible 10. unconcerned

5. Multiple choice passage.

1. B 2. C 3. A 4. B 5. D 6. B 7. A 8. B 9. D 10. C
6. Gap filling
1. aged 2. man 3. had 4. married 5. in 6. nor 7. had 8. at
9. attending 10. wear 11. or 12. saw 13. for 14. happy
15. the 16. same 17. been 18. for 19. left 20. back/home
PART III: READING
1. Multiple choice:
1. C 2. A 3. C 4. C 5. B 6. D 7. B 8. C 9. C 10. C
2. Headline matching
1. B 2. A 3. H 4. D 5. E 6. F 7. G
3. Sentence filling
1. I 2. C 3. A 4. D 5. F 6. E 7. G 8. B
PART IV: WRITING
1. Sentence transformation
1. ... down to making the public aware of the present situation.
2. .... a strong distrust of modern technology.
3. .... sentenced to seven years in prison/ imprisonment
4. .... my precious life to the lifeguard.
5. .... of my knowledge, the building was set on fire deliberately.
6. .... to any harm in the road collision?
7. ... the recently elected mayor praise.
8. ... all my good work from going wasted.
9. .... how often I invite him for a weekend, he's always busy.
10. ... not been for a famous film star's attendance, the party wouldn't have been a success.