ACERT PRACTICE TEST

NOVEMBER, 2023

LISTENING

You will hear the recording twice. Read sentences 1-10, listen to the recording,
and circle the correct letter (T) if they are true, (F) if they are false or (NI) if the
information is not given in the recording. (10 points).

1. Time Abroad is one of the largest volunteer abroad organizations in the world.
2. Time Abroad workers have great experience in fields like law and economy.
3. Some of the workers are university and college graduates.
4. Time Abroad gets some government founding.
5. One of the most important aspects when taking a teaching job is having the correct
intonation and pronunciation.
6. There are no major problems with the access to healthy food in the societies the
volunteers are helping.
7. Time Abroad’s agriculture & farming projects focus on organic farming practices.
8. People can also volunteer in the field of medicine.
9. You won’t be likely to see any exotic animals.
10. You will gain some experience in house building.
 You will hear the recordings twice. Read sentences 1-10, listen to the recordings
and complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each
answer. Transfer your answers to the column on the right. (10 points)

1. It ranks among the biggest railway networks globally, spanning 115,000 kilometers of
track along a route of ______________ kilometers and encompassing 7,500 stations.
2. The ___________ of the railways from 1857 onwards was credited to Robert Maitland
Brereton, a British engineer who played a key role in its development.
3. During the inauguration, Viceroy Lord Mayo expressed his belief that it was crucial to
establish a comprehensive and standardized railway _____________ across the entire country
as soon as feasibly achievable.
4. The _____________ to develop railways in India originated from London as its
central driving force.
5. Indian Railways is a ____________ enterprise in India, under the ownership and
operation of the Government of India through the Ministry of Railways.
6. By 1895, India initiated the construction of its own ______________, and in 1896
dispatched engineers and locomotives to assist in constructing the Uganda Railways.
7. The railway network expanded to encompass present-day Assam, Rajasthan, and
Andhra Pradesh, leading to the emergence of independent rail systems in various
___________ kingdoms.
8. With the onset of World War I, the railways were utilized to fulfill the transportation
requirements of the British beyond India. However, after the war, the railways faced
significant ___________ and collapse.
9. In 1920, as the network expanded to 61,220 km, the need for centralized
________________ was proposed by Sir William Acworth, a British railway economist.
10. Following the adverse impact of the Great Depression, the railways experienced
economic hardships for the following __________________, and the Second World War
dealt a severe blow to their operations.
 GENERAL READING

Driving in the Desert

My family are farmers in France, and by the age of ten, I could manoeuvre a tractor
into a field to pick up straw bales. For my driving test, I learned how to reverse into a parking
space by practising between two tractors.
I'm the extraterrestrial of the family: I've always needed to prove that I can adapt to
new situations. I'd never left France until 1998 - and then I went to Australia, the most distant
country possible. I worked on a sheep farm there, driving a 4x4 all the time, and spent four
months driving around the country on my own. That was when I first came into contact with
the desert, and I wanted to return to it.
But it was my competitive spirit that drew me to the all-female Gazelles Rally in the
Moroccan desert. I did it to see if I could survive in the desert and not be afraid. Taking part
in the rally involves spending eight days in the desert, including two sets of two-day
marathons when you're on your own overnight with your team-mate. The rally will push you
to the limits of your physical and mental capacity, so it's very important to choose the right
team-mate, to make sure you have the same goal and the same way of working. But the key
thing is for you both to keep your courage and remain confident.
Participants - known as the gazelles - drive 4x4s, quad bikes, motorbikes or trucks,
and use a compass and a map to navigate their way to marker flags that have been planted in
the desert - always in places that are really difficult to get at. You have to drive up and down
huge sand dunes, the highest of which are about twenty metres. Every morning at base camp
you have to prepare your maps, by marking the position of the day's flags. Then you have to
plan the best route to them. It takes time to learn how to do this, how to understand the
landscape, because you are all alone in the emptiness - there are no landmarks, it is all just
flat. On our first day, my team-mate and I felt quite frightened by it - we thought we'd get lost.
So we decided to drive in a straight line for half an hour in search of geographical features.
Then we found some mountains.
It rained a lot during the rally, and the thing that scared us most was the thought of not
being able to get out of the mud. Some women were stuck for about twelve hours overnight
before the mud dried. My team-mate and I managed to get through, though, because we set
off first, when the ground was less damaged. Each vehicle carries a satellite tracking system
with it, and every half-hour the rally organisers use this to check on you: if a car isn't moving,
they go to the rescue. Once, we were all alone in our tent in a storm, and feeling a bit scared.
An official rally vehicle came and reassured us that we wouldn't be washed away.
I had great difficulty finding a sponsor - it costs about €6,000 to hire a vehicle and
€14,000 to participate in the rally, plus you have to hire safety equipment. It's always the
people you least expect who help you most. The big dealers for four-wheel-drive vehicles
refused to finance what they called 'a girls' jaunt in the desert'. It was a small, independent
garage that provided us with an 11-year-old 4x4 for nothing - and we didn't have a single
breakdown.
Speed is not a factor in this competition. Men have a tendency to drive a bit faster than
women. They're so sure they've chosen the right route that they're less good at anticipating
problems. A man who was doing a television programme on the rally refused to believe that it
was difficult or that women could sometimes be better than him.
I want to do the rally again next year. Taking part in it puts life's problems into
perspective, and it's also a big thing on my CV: it shows people I can see a project through.
When I meet the top people in my company now, I feel far more self-assured.

A. For questions 1-5, circle the most appropriate option according to the text
below.

1. Why did the writer go to Australia?

a) A to further develop her driving skills
b) to get practice in driving in desert conditions
c) to experience living in
2. In the writer's opinion, the ideal rallying team-mate is someone who
a) will keep you from feeling afraid at night.
b) can make up for any weaknesses you have.
c) will share your general aims and attitudes.
3. What does the word 'this' in paragraph 4 refer to?
a) driving in difficult places
b) deciding which route to take
c) drawing flags on a map
 4. What does the writer say about the cost of the rally?
a) Safety equipment was provided by the organisers.
b) She was surprised that a small garage sponsored her.
c) A new vehicle would have reduced her maintenance bill.
5. According to the writer, men rally drivers
a) fail to realise when something is about to go wrong.
b) tend to feel overconfident when driving at speed.
c) seem to have fewer problems with navigation.

B. For statements 6-10, decide whether they are true (T), false (F) or the
information is not given in the text (NI).

6. The author's family are farmers in Australia.

7. The author wanted to go to Australia as a child
8. Rain was the biggest concern for the author and their team during the rally.
9. The author found it easy to secure a sponsor for the rally.
10. The author wants to participate in the rally again in the future.
 READING – ESP

Understanding the world of third party logistics can be complicated and intimidating.
1____. This blog post looks to simplify and explain third party logistics in a way that
everyone can understand, through the the 5 Ws and H..
Third party logistics providers are businesses professionals that take care of the
logistical parts of your business, by using personalized solutions for your products/services
and your customers. 2___. They aren't just for major enterprises either; in fact, smaller
companies often find it more sustainable to outsource activities such as warehousing and
distribution to 3PLs, as they may lack the resources to build and maintain in-house business
units dedicated to these functions.
Third-party logistics is a business model that offers services on a fee-for-service or
contractual basis, allowing you to outsource operational logistics activities, from
warehousing, all the way through to delivery. 3___. They can provide any number of
logistical services affecting a supply chain, which may differ from company to company, as
3PL clients typically outsource a customized set of services based on unique needs, including
(but not limited to): transportation, warehousing, pick and packing, inventory forecasting.
The logistics industry may have a lengthy history, but the third party logistics (3PL)
sector is less than 40 years old. 4___ . But the trend of outsourcing logistics services to third
parties gained momentum in the 1980s. This shift can be attributed to the Motor Carrier Act
of 1980, which deregulated the trucking industry and allowed warehousing companies to
easily move into freight management.
In the 1990s emerging global markets led to the popularity of global logistics as
companies expanded their product reach. With new worldwide trade zones presenting new
challenges for companies that were used to the domestic market, 3PLs closed the gap for
logistical services in the marketplace. 5___. Both domestically and internationally, 3PL
providers offer integrated logistics services to help shippers address those complexities, and
continue innovating today, and into the future as technology like warehouse management
systems (WMS) have taken the world of logistics and supply chain to new levels.
 A. Choose a sentence / clause (a - f) which best fits each gap (1-5). There is one
extra option which cannot be used. Place appropriate letters in the gaps in the text. (5
points)
a) Most importantly, they are members of your team with your goals in mind, seeking to
satisfy customers
b) Third party logistics providers exist all over the country and world, forming vast
networks, and spanning millions of miles.
c) Supply chains have only increased in complexity, creating more demand for efficient
transportation management
d) There are endless acronyms and lingo that can take years of experience to become
fluent in
e) Ultimately they enable you to focus on your business by taking away all of the
headaches associated with the moving parts of your business
f) The 3PL industry has evolved over the years to meet the change of customer's
preferences and increased involvement in the logistical process

B.For questions 6 - 10 find the words in the text that correspond to the
definitions. (5 points)

6. someone who provides something (par. 2) __________________

7. to get work done by making a contract with another company to do it, often in another
country, rather than in your own company (par. 2) __________________
8. the sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of a commodity
(par.3) __________________
9. existing or happening in all parts of the world (par. 5) __________________
10 a person or company whose job is to organize the sending of goods from one place to
another (par. 5) __________________
GRAMMAR

I. For questions 1-5, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar
meaning to the first sentence. Use the words written in bold. Write between
two and five words in each case. Use words from the original sentence
wherever possible. (5 points)

1. After his visit, we would all say good-bye to him at the airport. (SEE)
After his visit, we would all __________________________ at the airport.
2. I don't understand the maths homework the teacher gave us. (FIGURE)
I can't ___________________________ do the maths homework the teacher gave us.
3. The agency promised me the best holiday I had ever had but it was a total disaster.
(LIFETIME)
I was promised the _____________________________, but it was a total disaster.
4. The teacher has tolerated the student's behaviour for a long time. (PUT)
The teacher has _________________________ the student's behaviour for a long time.
5. Mary grew up in Cleveland with her aunt and uncle. (RAISED)
Mary ____________________________ her aunt and uncle in Cleveland.
II. For questions 1-5, circle the correct answer: a, b, c, or d. (5 points)
1. And then .................. is the horse chestnut, which cannot be eaten.
a. It
b. Here
c. That
d. There
2. He is then ready to challenge ................... small boy to play conkers.
a. Second
b. Another
c. Other
d. Every
3. She has asked that all chestnut trees in the city be ................... so that they cannot
bear conkers.
a. Treated
b. Drugged
c. Dealt
d. Medicated
4. There has been a lot of ................... to the scheme.
a. Criticism
b. Dislike
c. Protest
d. Opposition
5. Now it has been ................... that the only completely free birth-control service is
to be offered to trees.
a. Set
b. Legalized
c. Decided
d. Dictated
III. ESP – VOCABULARY – AUTOMATYKA I ROBOTYKA (10 points)
Match each term in column A with an appropriate definition from column B. There are
three options in column B that cannot be matched. Write your answers in the table
below.

A B
1. Carrier
a. company which supplier parts or services to another
2. Piggyback
company
3. Break-bulk
b. Including a wide range of services
4. Consolidation
c. company that transports or conveys goods
5. Dispatch
d. contracting functions out to third-party providers
6. Reverse logistics
e. carriage of goods by at least two different modes of
7. Outsourcing
transport
8. supplier
f. A number of shipments under one bill of lading
9. Label
g. goods are brought together for loading and transport
10. Single-wagon
h. packing goods in small, separate units
i. Selecting and assembling items from stock for shipments
j. the grouping of small shipments into one container
k. collecting and handling of used or damaged goods or of
reusable transit equipment
l. train is formed out of individual wagons or sets of
wagons which have different origins and different
destinations
m. provide specific information on the product itself or the
packaging

1___ 2____ 3____ 4____ 5____ 6____ 7____ 8____ 9____ 10_____
IV. GUIDED WRITING – GRAPH INTERPRETATION
Imagine you are participating in a research project which examines trends in the
number of people employed in U.S aged 16+ years. You have been asked to write an
analysis of these trends from 2010 and 2011.
In 150-200 words describe and interpret the graph shown below. Use appropriate
vocabulary and a variety of different expressions. Use tenses consistently. In your
composition:
 describe the trends shown below
 compare the trends
 give possible reasons for the changes in the trends, e.g. a widespread
implementation of the assembly line
ESP READING
1d // 2a // 3e // 4f // 5c

1. Provider // 7. Outsource // 8. Supply chain // 9. Worldwide // 10. shippers

Vocab 8a // 1 c // 7d // 2e // 5g // 3h // 4j // 6k // 10l // 9m