English Placement Test 1

c. There are
Note: Choose your answer by changing the color to d. This is
RED
7. He ____ tennis with me yesterday.
GRAMMAR
a. doesn't played
1. Excuse me, how ____ your last name? R-I- b. didn't played
L-E-Y. c. not played
d. didn't play
a. spell
b. you spell 8. Sorry, I ____ you at the moment.
c. do you spell
d. spell you a. can't help
b. don't can help
2. I like ____ in my spare time. c. can't helping
d. can't helps
a. reading
b. read 9. We usually ____ the shopping in a
c. to read supermarket.
d. to Reading
a. make
3. I speak Hebrew and French but Ann ____ b. do
c. have
a. don't d. go
b. doesn't
c. speaks 10. They hardly ____ visit us.
d. doesn't speaks
a. ever
4. I can't find my glasses. Can you look for b. sometimes
____, please? c. never
d. usually
a. they
b. them 11. He ____ about football which drives me
c. it mad!
d. their a. forever talks
b. is forever talking
5. When do you play tennis? ____ Mondays. c. will forever be talking
d. has forever been talking
a. On
b. In 12. Lisa learns very fast ______ she is
c. At intelligent.
d. By a. because
b. or
6. ____ two airports in the city. c. and
d. but
a. It is
b. There is
 English Placement Test 2

13. He realized that he ____ his car keys in the

office. a. Even though
a. left b. However
b. has left c. In spite of
c. had left d. Despite
d. was leaving
20. The square was ____ crowded we couldn't
14. ___ plans you might have for the weekend, pass.
you'll have to change them. a. so
b. such
a. Wherever c. very
b. Whovever d. as
c. Whatever
d. However 21. Two climbers are reported to ____ during
the storm last night.
15. You won't pass the exam ____ you start
studying immediately. a. die
b. have died
a. as long as c. had died
b. provided d. died
c. unless
d. if 22. Mike is ______________.

16. What time is it? a. my sister’s friend

b. friend my sister
a. it’s six and half c. friend from my sister
b. it’s half six d. my sister friend’s
c. it’s six and a half
d. it’s a half six 23. The living room is ___________________
than the bedroom.
17. The police stopped us and said we ____ to
enter the building. a. more big
b. more bigger
a. can't c. biggest
b. couldn't d. bigger
c. didn't allow
d. weren't allowed 24. ________________ seen fireworks before?

18. The view wasn't just nice! It was ____ a. Did you ever
astonishing! b. Are you ever
a. extremely c. Have you ever
b. absolutely d. Do you ever
c. very
d. fairly 25. We’ve been friends
____________________ many years.
19. ____ the weather was horrible, we decided
to go out for a short walk. a. since
 English Placement Test 3

b. from a. looked
c. during b. had been looked
d. for c. had been looking
d. were looking
26. These are the photos ________________ I
took on holiday. 32. He doesn’t have ______ money.

a. which a. much
b. who b. a lot
c. what c. many
d. where d. plenty

27. I would like ______ butter on my toast, 33. If he ______ about it, I’m sure he’d help.
please.
a. had know
a. any b. knew
b. a c. has known
c. some d. knows
d. a bit
34. It's all right, we ______ hurry. We have
28. I wasn’t interested in the performance very plenty of time.
much. ______.
a. mustn't
a. I didn’t, too. b. shouldn't
b. Neither was I. c. can't
c. Nor I did. d. needn't
d. So I wasn’t.
35. The financial director ______ for almost an
29. Take a warm coat, __________ you might hour.
get very cold outside.
a. kept us to wait
a. otherwise b. kept us waiting
b. in case c. made us wait
c. so that d. made us waiting
d. in order to
36. Latin ____ compulsory in Irish schools.
30. What I like more than anything else
__________ at weekends. a. used to be
b. would be
a. playing golf c. has
b. to play golf d. has been
c. is playing golf
d. is play golf 37. I ____ to Peru on holiday next month.

31. She _________ for her cat for two days a. am flying
when she finally found it in the garage. b. flying
c. am go flying
 English Placement Test 4

d. will flying b. price

c. bargain
38. This book is ______. d. sale

a. my 44. The firework____ was really amazing.

b. mine
c. your a. exhibition
d. me b. display
c. collection
39. We wouldn't have missed the bus if you d. vision
____ to chat with Mary!
45. Paul is always lost in his thoughts. He is
a. didn't stop _____.
b. hadn't stopped
c. don't stop a. self-centered
d. wouldn't have stopped b. self-confident
c. self-conscious
40. The party was so boring I wish I ____ at all. d. self-absorbed

a. hadn't gone 46. She doesn't ____ of my decision.

b. wouldn't go
c. haven't gone a. agree
d. didn't go b. approve
c. accept
41. She __________ a lot of her free time d. support
reading.
a. does 47. During his stay in Indonesia he went ____
b. spends with malaria.
c. has
d. makes a. up
b. off
42. Hello, this is Simon. Could I ____________ c. down
to Jane, please? d. over

a. say 48. I can't move the sofa. Could you ____ me a

b. tell hand with it, please?
c. call
d. speak a. give
b. get
c. take
d. borrow
VOCABULARY
49. You may not like the cold weather here,
43. I only paid ₤20 for this jacket! It was a real but you’ll have to ________________, I’m afraid.
____.
a. tell it off
a. buy b. sort itself out
 English Placement Test 5

c. put up with it
d. put it off a. Would explain
b. Explained
50. She ______ at me and then turned away. c. To explain
d. Will explain
a. viewed
b. regarded 56. When I realized I had dropped my gloves, I
c. watched decided to ______ my steps.
d. glanced
a. Retrace
51. ______ tired Melissa is when she gets b. Regress
home from work, she always makes time to say c. Resume
goodnight to the children. d. Return

a. Whatever 57. A lot of ____ came to Ireland in the 1990s.

b. No matter how
c. However much a. immigrants
d. Although b. emigrants
c. invaders
52. It was only ten days ago ______ she started d. colonies
her new job.
58. She’s very successful. Her ___ has risen a
a. Then lot in the past few years.
b. Since
c. After a. work
d. That b. salary
c. job
53. Have you got time to discuss your work d. earnings
now, or are you ______ to leave?
59. He ___ his exam because he didn’t study.
a. Thinking
b. Round a. failed
c. Planned b. disapprove
d. About c. missed
d. fell behind
54. Once the plane is in the air, you can ______
your seat belts if you wish. 60. He ____ off his holiday until after the
winter.
a. Undress a. took
b. Unfasten b. put
c. Unlock c. called
d. Untie d. logged

55. I’d rather you ______ to her why we can’t

go.
READING
 English Placement Test 6

1. From: Joanna

Subject: Languages

Dear all,

In our class yesterday, someone asked which place in the world has the most languages. Here is some
information. At the end there is a question for you, which will give you an opportunity to think about the topic
in a more personal way.

Experts say there are probably more than 7,000 languages in the world today. 60% of all the world's languages
are in Asia and Africa. In Europe, you can only find 4% of the world's languages.

Some languages are international. For example, almost 300 million people in different countries can
understand Arabic. There are more than one billion speakers of Chinese. That’s over 15% of all the people in
the world.

There are fewer than 200 countries in the world. Many countries have more than one language. In India, for
example, there are 23 official languages. This is more than any other country. In addition to the official
languages, there are hundreds of local languages that people in India may speak. There are many cities where
you can hear different languages. There is only one official language in places like Beirut or Dubai. However,
you can hear lots of other languages, like English, French or Hindi. In London or New York, you can hear more
than 100 different languages every day.

The place with the most languages is Papua New Guinea. This country has a population of approximately 6.3
million. Here, there are over 840 languages. Many of these languages have a very small number of speakers.
For example, in 2011, the number of people who spoke the Abaga language was under 150. Here is a question
for you. Think about a place you know well, maybe your hometown, or the area where you live now. How
many different languages can you see or hear every day?

Best,

Joanna

1. Which country has the most languages?

Papua New Guinea

China
India
Africa

2. Which language has the most speakers?

 English Placement Test 7

Chinese
Arabic
English
Hindi

3. In 2011, _________ people could speak the Abaga language.

6.3 million
840
under 150
7,000

4. From this reading, it can be concluded that: _____________________________.

There are more languages spoken in Asia than in Africa.

There are more languages spoken in Asia than in Europe.
There are more languages spoken in London than in New York.
There are more languages spoken in India than in Papua New Guinea.

. PASSAGE 2

Camel Racing

One of my favorite sports is camel racing. I know that this is very big in places like Saudi Arabia, Egypt,
and so on, where it is hundreds of years old. However, it's also a popular sport here in Australia.

Many people don't even know that there are camels in Australia. However, there are around a million
wild camels living here. They arrived in the 19th century from Pakistan and India, and they were used when
people wanted to travel across this country's huge spaces. They were important for building the new country.
Then, the car arrived, and Australia's camels were left alone in the desert.

Australia's first camel race was in the early 1900s. After that, the sport became more and more
popular. Now, there are big camel-racing competitions every year across Australia (sometimes with big prize
money) with many tourists.

First, the camels and their owners travel for weeks across the Australian desert to get to a camel
festival. Wild camels walk more than 18 miles (30 kilometers) a day. They like to be active, and they love
running.

The camel riders – or jockeys – practice for a very long time before each race. Some jockeys spend time
in places like the U.A.E. to learn how to work with racing camels. It's important that the jockeys really know
 English Placement Test 8

and understand camels, because they are not like horses. Sometimes a camel will not move at the beginning
of a race, or will stop in the middle of the race and run the wrong way!

One of the most popular races is called the Camel Cup Race, and it takes place in Alice Springs every
year in July. Because camels can be difficult to ride, participants must be experienced jockeys. Nearly 5,000
tourists come to watch the entertainment and races that are held throughout the day.

Training a camel takes a long time because if it doesn't want to do something, then it won't. Camels are
large animals and they can be dangerous. Jockeys have to be very careful and repeat what they say many
times before a camel learns what to do.

Many jockeys believe that camels are smart animals, and that they can think. At the beginning of each
race, a good jockey will try to understand what their camel is thinking. The riders check where the camel is
looking and try to guess what the camel will do next.

The behavior of camels makes camel racing very entertaining. Tourists come not only to watch
challenging races, but also to share their fondness for these unique animals.

5. Camel racing first started _______________.

in Australia.
in Arab countries.
in England.
in South Africa.

6. Camels came to Australia _____________.

in the 16th century

in the 17th century
in the 18th century
in the 19th century

7. The Camel Cup Race takes place in ____________.

Pakistan
India
U.A.E.
Alice Springs

8. At competitions across Australia, tourists can __________________.

 English Placement Test 9

watch camels win races

ride a camel
win a camel
watch camels do tricks

9. Camels are ____________________.

easier to race than horses

more difficult to race than horses
the same as horses
none of the above

10. A camel ____________________.

will always finish a race

might not finish a race
will always run the right way
will always run the wrong way

11. PASSAGE 3

Reading for Questions

1 South Korea and the United States are very different countries – culturally, historically, linguistically, and in
many other ways. Yet both societies value education and have systems which can deliver an excellent
education to students. As in the U.S., education for South Korean children is mandatory and free for all unless
a family chooses a private school. Both educational systems are divided into elementary school, secondary
school (middle school and high school), and higher education (college and graduate study). Despite these basic
similarities, it will probably come as no surprise that there are also significant differences between the
educational systems of the two countries.

2 First, the curriculum for each country is designed differently. For Koreans in kindergarten through high
school, the curriculum is highly centralized and nationally determined. The U.S., in contrast, gives each state
the ability to determine the focus of the curriculum that will be taught in schools. For example, “moral
education” is one of the subjects taught in every Korean school; the U.S. has no similar requirement. Also,
Korean schools are more foreign-language-oriented, since learning English is regarded as a more vital skill for
Koreans than learning any foreign language is for Americans. Furthermore, Korean high schools are divided
into schools that focus on academic skills for those who plan to pursue higher education and vocational skills
for those who want to train for a career. At these specialized schools, students can focus on only one
academic subject for all of high school. This study focus differs greatly from the standard system for U.S. high
schools.
 English Placement Test 10

3 High school life is very different in the two countries as well. Korean students are very focused on studying,
and it is a core principle of Korean society that being a student is a young person’s primary identity. In South
Korea, after the school day ends, high school students continue studying in their school libraries, at private
schools, or in tutoring sessions until late at night – maybe as late as midnight. American students, in contrast,
consider being a student as only one part of their identities. Americans tend to spend after-school time on
extra-curricular activities such as athletics, performing arts, student government, and volunteering.
Furthermore, dropout rates are very different. A USA Today article quoted a Korean high school principal as
saying “no one just drops out … to drop out of school is a major disaster, a catastrophe. It wouldn't happen
unless it was unavoidable.” In fact, 93% of all Korean students graduate from high school on time, while
almost 25% of American high school students — more than 1.2 million every year — fail to graduate.

11. It is required that children attend school _________________.

in South Korea
in the US
in both South Korea and the US
none of the above

12. Moral Education is taught ________________.

in South Korea
in the US
in both South Korea and the US
none of the above

13. Students typically play sports and volunteer in addition to studying ___________.

in South Korea
in the US
in both South Korea and the US
none of the above

14. Almost a quarter of students drop out of high school _______________.

in South Korea
in the US
in both South Korea and the US
none of the above

15. PASSAGE 4
 English Placement Test 11

Hydraulic Fracturing: An Executive Summary

1 The process of hydraulic fracturing (also known as “fracking”) involves injecting large quantities of water into
subterranean rock to access gas for energy. This report was commissioned in order to evaluate the proposal
submitted by the Fosdrilla Corporation to establish a fracking installation in Pennsylvania. It considers the
health and environmental risks posed by the industrial process of fracking. It also evaluates the available
treatment and disposal methods for the resulting waste.

2 The report finds that the threat to the environment and to local residents’ health posed by fracking is
considerable and that the waste management options available are inadequate to protect against this threat.
It recommends that stronger safeguards are needed to protect against the risks associated with fracking
before Fosdrilla's proposal is reconsidered.

3 Fracking uses water pressure to break apart rocks, releasing stored gas that can be utilized to generate
electricity. Sand and chemical substances are added to the water to create fissures in the rocks. During the
fracking process, the water absorbs potentially harmful pollutants like salts, hydrocarbons, and radioactive
material. These contaminants can be dangerous to the environment or to people. If flowback (wastewater
from the fracking process) is released into the environment, it can be toxic, radioactive, or corrosive. It
threatens to diminish the amount of oxygen in ecosystems. Even more alarming, it can create cancer-causing
chemicals in drinking water.

4 The seriousness of these risks means that flowback must be carefully managed. Direct disposal of flowback
from fracking wells into bodies of clean water is illegal. Therefore, the majority of fracking companies store
flowback underground by injecting the wastewater into the rocks through disposal wells. This option lowers
the risk of contaminants being released into the environment. However, it increases the risk of earthquakes. If
the disposal well is not located close to the fracking well, this type of disposal also requires the temporary
storage and eventual transportation of wastewater, which is costly and risky.

5 Treatment of the wastewater is perhaps the most complex and costly option. Companies process
wastewater intended for reuse by fracking companies by removing organic contaminants. When flowback
needs to be clean enough for domestic and industrial reuse, additional, targeted removal of other materials is
necessary. Some fracking companies choose to send water to publicly owned water treatment sites for
cleaning. However, these sites are seldom designed to remove dissolved solids, such as salt, from the water.
The result is that salt water is released back into the freshwater system. Consequently, some countries ban
this practice. Waste treatment facilities can also process partially treated water. While these facilities can
remove more pollutants from wastewater than water treatment plants, the “brine” they produce may still
contain high levels of contaminants such as bromide. Governments can buy the brine and use the salt in it to
control levels of road dust and ice. However, applying the brine onto land surfaces increases the risk of the
pollutant being washed into nearby rivers.

6 The report finds that a dangerous concentration of wastewater is discharged to publicly owned water
treatment sites. It recommends that the government adopt stricter limits on this practice. It also suggests the
prohibition of environment-harming temporary storage and transportation of flowback over long distances.
Because of the high risk of surface run-off and freshwater contamination, the report recommends a ban on
reuse of wastewater brine on roads. Lastly, the report suggests conducting further research into the links
between underground wastewater injection and earthquakes.
 English Placement Test 12

1 fissures (n) deep cracks, especially in rock or ice or in the ground

2 corrosive (adj) causing damage by chemical action

15. Disposing of flowback underground __________________________.

is expensive
causes earthquakes
is a threat to water or the environment
allows water to be reused

16. Storage and transportation of waste water ______________.

is expensive
causes earthquakes
is a threat to water or the environment
allows water to be reused

17. Water treatment ____________________.

is expensive
causes earthquakes
is a threat to water or the environment
allows water to be reused

18. Creating brine to maintain roads ______________________.

is expensive
causes earthquakes
is a threat to water or the environment
allows water to be reused

WRITING

Imagine that the salesperson at a store was very rude to you. Write a letter to the manager of the store and
complain. Tell the manager what happened, why you are upset, and what he/she should do to make you
happy
again.
English Placement Test 13