YASAR UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - ENGLISH PREPARATORY CLASS

pieces of chewing gum produced every year were connected end to end, they would stretch to the moon
TRACK 3 / MIDTERM
and back six times! SAMPLE
ALPHA / INTERMEDIATE / READING

IMPORTANT NOTE: This document is just a sample for the question types and the format in
the exams. The difficulty of the questions and the length of the texts in the exams may vary.

TEXT 1. READ THE TEXT AND CHOOSE THE CORRECT OPTION FOR EACH QUESTION.

Sticky Business 1. The main purpose of the text is to __________.

1 Thousands of different brands of chewing gum are
available in the shops today. Their number is getting higher day by
day. They have different logos and packages, but the products
inside are very similar. Each company tries to find different ways of
selling their product, so they compete against each other.
a) explain the difficulties that the chewing gum companies have
b) show the effects of advertisement on chewing gum business
c) give information about the history and production of chewing gum
d) prove the challenges in chewing gum production

2 Some producers say that chewing gum helps you both 2. In paragraph 3, the word extracting means __________.
concentrate and relax. Recent TV advertisements also tell us that 20 minutes of chewing can prevent tooth
decay. Research has shown when people are told this, sales increase. Related with that or not, it is a big a) producing b) leaving c) cleaning d) collecting
business now. However, chewing gum is not a modern invention. For centuries, the ancient Greeks chewed
gum. The gum was obtained from mastic trees, which were found mainly in Greece and Turkey. It was in the
3. Which of the following is FALSE about the chewing gum business?
19th century, however, that the process of making modern chewing gum was developed with the discovery
of chicle. In the late 1860s, chicle was discovered in sapodilla trees in the Mexican rainforest. Gum made a) There are many new chewing gum brands for customers.
from chicle is much smoother and more elastic than gum made from mastic trees, therefore chicle increased b) People started to chew gum in the late nineteenth century.
the production and fame of chewing gums.
c) It is easy for chewing gum companies to find customers.
3 The process of extracting chicle from the rainforests is difficult. Chicle flows more easily before the sun d) Companies produce large amounts of chewing gum every year.
comes up, so people go to rainforests to get chicle from trees at night. Those people, called chicleros, go into
the hot, humid forests and climb up the sapodilla trees in the dark. When it comes out of the tree, chicle is
liquid and therefore difficult to transport, so it is made into large sticky blocks. These are then transported 4. Which of the following is TRUE about chicle?
to production centres. The price paid for a kilo of gum when it leaves the forest is $ 1.75. When it reaches a) Chewing gum made from chicle is an old invention of the ancient Greeks.
the shops, consumers pay about a hundred times that price. b) Chicle helped to produce better chewing gums and then they became popular.
4 However, it is getting more difficult for the chicleros to make a living. Most of them are suffering from c) It is easier for chicleros to get chicle from trees during daytime because it is liquid then.
serious financial problems. Many alternatives to chicle have been developed and the main part of chewing d) The shops add a small extra amount to the original price of a kilo of gum.
gum is now man-made. Because of this, only a few natural products are used to help improve the flavour
and the texture. As a result, the chicleros find it difficult to sell their products to the big companies. The
companies have no difficulty in selling to the consumer, however. Chewing gum is a big business. If all the 5. Today, chicleros have financial problems because __________.
 a) man-made materials are better than natural materials for chewing gum production But can we be sure that the next generation of robots will always obey human orders? Or will we be
b) there are fewer chewing gum companies now when it is compared with the able to create robots that have human emotions, such as kindness and compassion? Only the future will tell.
past
Have a good look at the person sitting next to you on the bus home. He or she might just be a robot!
c) it became very difficult for them to find the natural chicle material in rainforests
d) the companies use less amount of natural materials to produce chewing gums
The text is mainly about _________.
a) the future of robots in society b) the effects of modern technology on robots
c) people’s worries about robots d) the functions of robots in our daily lives
TEXT 2. READ THE TEXT AND CHOOSE THE CORRECT OPTION FOR EACH QUESTION.

1 Back in the 20th century, robots seemed to have a big 7. In paragraph

future, at 3, the word them refers to _________.
a) scientists b) robots c) guests d) assistants
least in the movies. There was the Terminator, sent back to the world of
the 1980s from the year 2029, and robot servants like C3PO in Star Wars
movies. It seemed that one day robots would do all the boring or
dangerous jobs while the humans would sit around doing something
more interesting. However, there was also a fear that robots might 8. In paragraph 4, the word lessen means_________.
become the bosses, not the assistants. ‘Unless mankind redesigns itself a) lose b) finish c) reduce d) change
by changing our DNA, computer-generated robots will take over our
world,’ wrote one famous scientist. 9. Which of the following is TRUE?
2 Has it happened? You are still unlikely to see a robot walking around your town, but that doesn’t mean a) There are already many robots around in various forms and shapes.
they don’t exist. Robots are used in car manufacturing, and in areas which are dangerous for humans, for b) It will soon be possible to communicate with robots like humans do.
example in bomb disposal and deep-sea exploration. There are even robots that carry drinks at fashionable c) It is unlikely that robots will lead to the unemployment of human workers.
parties! According to estimates, there are 750,000 working robots in the world today. d) Experts can easily predict the year when robots will work in place of humans.
3 These working robots definitely look like machines, but many scientists are now trying to make robots
10. Robots have already _________.
look more similar to humans. Hiroshi Ishiguro, a professor at Osaka University, has created a new generation
a) been present in movies since 1980 b) been working in fast-food service
of robots with his assistants, including an exact robot copy of himself. At Tokyo Science University, some of
c) killed thousands of people in wars d) been in use in the car industry
these work as receptionists that respond to the greetings of guests and even look upset if you talk to them
rudely! 11. According to the text, scientists _________.
4 So what will robots be able to do by the year 2050? There are already plans to use robots in hospitals a) are trying to change the human DNA to protect humans from robots
and retirement homes. Robot nurses will remind patients to take their medicine or tell a doctor if the patient b) are working on improving the physical appearance of robots as well
needs attention. On the other hand, many people are worried about the idea of robots looking after the old, c) have trust in the abilities of robots in all areas
the sick and the very young. It’s because robots might lessen their human contact, so they can’t have enough d) want to create more military robots by the year 2060
communication with others. It can also create unemployment. Up to the present, robots have replaced
workers in the car industry and there is a real possibility that robots will be used for many jobs in areas like 12. Robots haven’t started working _________ yet.
fast-food service and retail sales. a) in bomb disposals b) as nurses c) as waiters d) in several
5 An even bigger concern is the use of robots for military purposes. Robots have already been used wars
in
several war zones, and according to predictions, 30% of all frontline soldiers will be robots by the year 2060.
13. People are afraid of robots because there is a possibility that robots
Robot soldiers have several advantages over humans. ‘Robots don’t get hungry, they don’t get tired, and they
_________.
can kill thousands without feelings,’ says one military expert. ‘It’s not a question of whether robots will
a) might be more powerful than people in the future
replace humans, it’s rather a question of when.’ b) might cause very big wars around the world
c) will work in hospitals as doctors by the year 2050
d) will do more interesting tasks compared to humans
 about! You could also read the news. This is great as you can read the news in your
14. Which of the following is FALSE? own language first, then in English. 4 ___________ Magazines are also great. Find one
a) Ishiguro has already created a robot that looks like a human.
that covers a subject you are interested in: business, clothing, animals, houses,
b) Tokyo Science University employs some robots as receptionists.
housekeeping, stocks and shares, sports, computers, electronics, designing, cooking
c) People are uncertain about robots obeying human orders.
and so on. You name it, they will have it. If not, look for information on the Internet.
d) Recently, robots have become kinder and emotionally improved.
There are also websites for every topic. Why not join a forum? They are a great source
of English
15. Which of the following is NOT a reason why people prefer working with input as the language is often written in a simple, spoken style. Go to Google
robots? Groups, which has discussion groups based on common interests. Just type in the topic
a) They can do dangerous jobs instead of humans. that interests you and join the chat.
b) They are physically much stronger than humans.
c) They do many things better than humans do. Finally, how you read is also important. The best thing is to read without using a
d) They can work without showing emotions unlike humans. dictionary. Let the words flow over you by not trying to analyse each sentence one by
5 ___________ It is enough to grasp the main idea and the important points of
the text and therefore it is not necessary to look up every word in a dictionary all the
time while reading. If you apply all these suggestions to your reading experience, there
TEXT 3. READ AND COMPLETE THE TEXT WITH THE MOST SUITABLE SENTENCE FROM is no chance you might fail in learning a lot from it.
THE LIST I-VI. THERE IS ONE EXTRA SENTENCE.

How to Learn English by Reading

I. You will see that it will not be difficult as you will be familiar with the topics and stories.
Reading is a great way to improve your English. You will learn new
words, revise previously-taught structures and absorb thousands of useful
expressions and phrases without any effort. By reading, you are receiving II. Well, you could read a book that you have already read in your own language.
valuable language input and this is how you learn! Remember, language
learning is a combination of input and practice. As you are reading, you are III. It is not good to focus on every single detail in the text, otherwise you might get lost in it.
taking in language naturally, and you are seeing how it all fits together. This
is crucial to your learning. The great thing about reading is that learning
takes place subconsciously without any extra effort. 1 ___________ It is all IV. There are millions of books, magazines and websites out there.
natural. The language flows through your eyes, and gets registered in your
brain. What could be easier? V. It is always possible to learn these reading skills and techniques as they are not so difficult
The most important key to effective reading is to read things that you want to to understand.
read. 2 ___________ You could not possibly spare time for all of them. For this reason, VI. There are no exercises to do, no grammar rules to learn, no tasks to complete.
the important thing is to find things that you like reading about. Then you will be
motivated to read and reading won’t be difficult any more. It will be easy and you will
learn more this way.

Remember, you should read what you like reading about and what motivates
and inspires you. But where can you start? 3 ___________ Simply find a translated (or
original) version of the book that you have enjoyed. This will make processing the
content in the target language much easier as you will already know what the book is
16. Which sentence fits the first gap (1____) in the text?
a) II b) IV c) V d) VI

17. Which sentence fits the second gap (2____) in the text?
a) I b) II c) III d) IV

18. Which sentence fits the third gap (3____) in the text?
a) I b) II c) V d) VI

19. Which sentence fits the fourth gap (4____) in the text?
a) I b) II c) III d) VI

20. Which sentence fits the fifth gap (5____) in the text?
a) III b) IV c) V d) VI