APTIS READING PRACTICE

PRACTICE TEST 3
(25 Questions – 30 minutes)

Task 1. Choose one word (A, B or C) for each space and write the letter on the answer paper. The first one (0)
is done for you.
1. A. usual B. well C. great
2. A. saved B. liked C. tried
3. A. take B. give C. go
4. A. while B. and C. that
5. A. hear B. think C. know
Dear Mum and Dad,
Hello from sunny Brighton! Peter and I are here on holiday for two weeks and (0) having a great time.
There’s a lot to do and eat here - the fish are (1) ____C_______.
We went to see a film and (2) ____C______ some of the local food. 
Pete hadn’t been feeling very well, so it’s been good for him to (3) ___A_____ a real break. 
He wants to get some exercise (4) ____A_____ we’re on holiday. 
As you (5) ___C______, he loves quiet places and I hope it’s not too hot! 
Love, 
Task 2.
Order the sentences (B-G) below to make a story. Write your answers on the answer paper. (Questions 6-11).
The first sentence of the story (A) is given for you on the answer paper as an example.
My First Day at Work
A. My first day at work didn’t go according to plan.
B. While walking up them I fell over and hurt my knee.
C. The office is on the 22nd floor but I decided to use the stairs.
D. By the time I got to the office I couldn’t walk anymore.
E. I arrived early to make a good impression, but when I got there the lift was out of order.
F. My new boss told me to go to the hospital to make sure the problem wasn’t serious.
G. I didn’t even get to see my new desk before I left.
Answers: (0) ___A___
(6) ___F____ (8) ___C____ (10) ___G____
(7) ___E____ (9) ___B____ (11) ___D____

Australian Language Center - Tel. 0256.3535566 –Mob. 0968.455.149 1

 APTIS READING PRACTICE
Task 3.
Read the text and match each space (12-18) with one word from the box below. Write the letters (A-K) on the
answer paper. The answer to question (00) is given on your answer paper as an example (K). You will not need
three of the words.
Galileo Galilei
Often (00) referred to as ‘the father of modern physics’, Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy, in 1564, the son of
a mathematician and musician. He attended university in Pisa but had to leave due to a (12) _________ of funds,
and later taught sciences at the University of Padua. It was (13) _______ his time there that Galileo did a large
number of (14) _____, the most famous involving dropping balls of different sizes from (15)______ heights to
determine the law of acceleration of falling bodies. Indeed, he is credited with several important scientific
(16)_________, and is still considered a great genius. Unfortunately, however, he died in prison in 1642,
whilst (17) _______ a life sentence for publishing works suggesting that the earth moved (18) _______ the sun –
something that went against accepted thinking at the time.
Your answers:
(00) referred
A various (12) ___D______
B discoveries (13) ____I_____
C taking (14) ____B_____
D lot (15) ____A_____
E around (16) ____J_____
F during (17) _____F____
G lack (18) ____E_____
H at
I serving
J experiments
K referred

Australian Language Center - Tel. 0256.3535566 –Mob. 0968.455.149 2

 APTIS READING PRACTICE
Task 4
Read the text below. Match the headings A-H to the paragraphs (19-25). Write your answers (A-H) on
the answer paper. There is one more heading than you need.
Your answers:
A Life on Mars
B Is space the future for mankind? (19) ___G____
C The difficulties of living in space (20) ___D____
D A successful outcome (21) ___F____
E A distant new world (22) ___A____
F Imitating life in space (23) ___C____
G A long journey in space (24) ___H____
H Only an experiment (25) ___B____
Mission To Mars
19. On 3rd June 2010 an international crew of six astronauts entered a space ship and prepared themselves for a
520 day voyage to the planet Mars and back. The module that was to be their home for the next year and a half
contained their sleeping quarters, a kitchen/dining room, a living room, a control room and a toilet. There was also
space for food storage, a small greenhouse, a bathroom, a sauna and even a gym. The Mars landing was scheduled
for 12th February 2011, following a 255-day flight, and would involve a full two days of exploration of the planet
surface. An equally long return journey would see the astronauts return to earth on 4th November 2011.
20. Emerging from the spaceship after an exhausting 520 days, Russian commander Alexei Sitev declared the
mission finally over. “The programme has been fully carried out,” he announced at a press conference. “All the
crew members are in good health. We are now ready for further tests.” Indeed, the general consensus in the
scientific community was that the Mars 500 project had achieved its aims, and, what is more, the crew had
managed to complete their mission without ever having to leave the Earth’s atmosphere.
21. Mars 500 was, in fact, a simulation exercise. The astronauts never even left the ground and their space ship
was a specially constructed working model situated in a warehouse in the suburbs of Moscow. The aims of the
mission were to see how well humans could cope with the confinement and stress involved in extended
interplanetary travel. The astronauts – three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian and a Chinese national – were
volunteers for the project, and, although all of them had the option of leaving their 550 cubic meter living space at
any time, none of them chose to do so.

Australian Language Center - Tel. 0256.3535566 –Mob. 0968.455.149 3

 APTIS READING PRACTICE
22. All communications between the crew and mission control were subject to a twenty minute delay to simulate
the time it would take signals to reach the earth from outer space. Although not all the elements of space flight -
such as the effects of zero gravity - could be reproduced, the conditions on board were made as realistic as
possible. The astronauts breathed recycled air, showered only once every ten days and lived mostly on a diet of
tinned food. Even the surface of Mars had been recreated to allow the crew the simulated experience of walking on
the red planet.
23. In addition to the discomforts of living in a confined space, the astronauts also had to endure the psychological
stresses brought about by isolation and boredom. Scientific studies have already shown that extended periods of
social isolation can disrupt the normal mechanisms of the body. This can lead to increased levels of stress and
higher blood pressure, which, in turn, can create feelings of anxiety and aggression. The astronauts were subject to
regular medical tests throughout the experiment and they were under constant observation via a twenty-four hour
closed-circuit television system. The tests continued even after the men had completed their mission as the
scientists were interested to see how the astronauts would cope with a return to normal life.
24. The data collected by the experiment is further evidence that human beings are capable of overcoming the
pressures of long space flight that will be necessary if future exploration of planets is to be feasible. Although
there is resistance in some quarters to investment in space exploration, some scientists believe that our future lies
in the stars. With the world's population exceeding seven billion and showing no sign of slowing down, future
generations may be forced to seek out new worlds beyond our own increasingly overcrowded planet.
25. Although the dry and dusty landscape of Mars may not be the most suitable spot for future habitation, there are
other planets that could sustain human life. To date about 700 planets with similarities to Earth have been
identified outside our own solar system, and about 15 of these are potentially habitable. The most recent to be
discovered – Kepler 22-b – has a surface temperature of about 22°C and orbits a star not unlike our own sun.
Scientists believe that it may even contain water. However, although it may seem like a good candidate for a
future space colony, it is 600 light years away, and so it is likely to remain beyond human reach for many
generations to come.
-----The end-----

Australian Language Center - Tel. 0256.3535566 –Mob. 0968.455.149 4