ASSORTED TEST 5

I. LISTENING:

1. You will hear a Japanese woman being interviewed about her experience of learning English. You will hear the recording

twice. In this task, you have to choose the correct answer, A, B, C or D.

1. Ayako started studying English in England because

A she was keen to improve her language skills.

B she had nothing else to do with her time.

C her husband encouraged her to do so.

D her employer sent her on a course.

2. At first, she found that the classes she attended

A were quite easy and rather boring.

B focused on grammar exercises.

C were a good way to meet people.

D were well taught and organised.

3. She Says, that football interviews on TV were difficult for her because

A they spoke very quickly.

B she didn’t understand the subject.

C they contained different accents.

D she wasn’t interested in football.

4. What method for building up vocabulary does she recommend?

A reading part of a dictionary every day

B keeping a written list of new expressions

C repeating new words until they are memorized

D focusing on expressions from newspapers

5. How does she measure her success?

A Her accent is better.

B Her writing skills have improved.

C She has a wider vocabulary.

D Her teacher gives her feedback.

6. What difficulty does she say Japanese causes her in relation to English?

A The writing system is very different and hard to translate.

B There are many English words that are confusingly similar.

C Japanese people speak more slowly than the English.

 D Japanese contains American words with different meanings.

7. She says that the best advice for people arriving in England is to

A have friends from your own country who understand you.

B follow your interests in reading newspapers and watching TV.

C go shopping in supermarkets so you don’t need to speak.

D try to make friends with English people who can teach you.

2. You will hear part of a radio programme in which journalist Arabella Gordon talks about the phenomenon of technophobia.

For questions 1-9, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.

1. People found the new machines to be threatening and ______________________when they first appeared in

their places of work.

2. The new weaving machines were operated by ________________ and ________________

3. The Frame Breaking Act was a law which brought in the death penalty for ______________________

4. William Wordsworth and William Blake believed that the Industrial Revolution was

spoiling______________________

5. A computer’s apparent ability ______________________is perceived as a threat by many people.

6. Arabella Gordon mentions science-fiction stories in which ______________________have human slaves.

7. In the UK, it is the low price of electronic typewriters that makes them attractive to______________________

8. Typewriters are more popular in developing countries where there is a shortage of______________________

9. Frederick Forsyth was a ______________________before he was a writer.

3. You will hear two university students, Matthew and Emily, talking about copyright. For questions 1-6, decide whether the

opinions are expressed by only one of the speakers, or whether the speakers agree.

Write M for Matthew, E for Emily, or B for both, where they agree.

1. DVDs sold by street vendors are often poor quality.

2. People who illegally download films from the Internet profit from it financially.

3. Film studios would be badly affected economically if films were not protected by copyright.

4. Unsuccessful artists would be unaffected economically if their work was not protected by copyright.

5. It is right that copyright should last for fifty years after an author’s death.
6. Breaches of copyright are going to increase in the future.

II. LEXICAL – GRAMMAR:

1. Choose the option (A, B, C or D) which best completes each sentence:

1. I'm going to ask my boss for a day off on Friday: I'm in her _______ books at the moment so I'm sure she'll say

yes.

A. high B. favorite C. good D. hot

2. I'd love to come out tonight, but I can't. I’m too tired. I've had a very ________week.

A. loaded B. heavy C. crowded D. sagging

3. Brian's losing his job was a ________blessing as it forced him to think about his future and set up what is now

a very successful business.

A. puzzled B. jumbled C. mixed D. crossed

4. As it says in the advertisement, the Omicron Zoom is the ________word in digital cameras.

A. last B. eventual C. final D. ultimate

5. It‘s very unlikely that he‘ll win. There's a ________chance , I suppose. But it would take a miracle.

A. isolated B. far C. remote D. excluded

6. You've travelled 200 miles to see him? But he moved last year. I'm sorry, it looks like you've had a wasted

________.

A. journey B. trip C. excursion D. trek

7. The pilot said that there was a lot of turbulence en route and that we should expect a bit of a ________flight.

A. reckless B. rugged C. rough D. bumpy

8. I think your getting to the train in time is a(n) ________chance. It is too late now.

A. inside B. side C. aside D. outside

9. She had a terrible childhood. Her father left home when she was five and. Like most kids from a________

home, she grew up feeling insecure about relationships.

A. divorced B. broken C. split D. separated

10. It was a vicious ________We were losing customers so our sales were down. As a result, we had to put up our

prices to cover costs. However, because we had put up our prices we lost more customers.

A. cycle B. circle C. round D. square

11. I hate the parties where there are just small ________and nothing important.

A. conversation B. saying C. speech D. talk

12. Rather than live in a conventional house. he chose to live in a________home .

A. movable B. mobile C. changeable D. flexible

13. He says that he hates being on the front page of all the tabloids every other day, which is rubbish because we

all know that he loves being in the ________eye.

A. public B. press C. life D. population

14. It was the first time she had told the truth but the jury did not believe her. That was ……….justice.

A. poetic B. beautiful C. convenient D. comfortable

15. At a ________guess, I'd say there were about 300 people there.

A. raw B. crude C. rough D. rude

16. Give me the ________data so that I can process that this afternoon.

A. raw B. crude C. rough D. rude

17. In ________terms, it can be divided into 3 sub-categories.

A. raw B. crude C. rough D. rude

18. It says here in the ________print that employees of the company cannot enter the competition.

A. miniature B. detailed C. tiny D. small

19. He's the ________image of his father.

A. spitting B. splitting C. splatting D. pleating

20. I took my eyes off my bag for a ________second and it was gone!

A. tiny B. small C. half D. spitting

2. Fill in the gaps the correct prepositions:

The chance to ‘get away from it all’ is often (1) ________ as a reason for choosing to live on an island. Many feel

(2) ________ there is something appealing about running up a metaphorical drawbridge against the world.

Experienced islanders (3) ________ uproariously at such idealism, reeling off a long list of reasons why it is

nonsense. People, (4) ________ is claimed, can feel more isolated in deep countryside than they would on an

island. One hill farmer in the north of Scotland, whose only company in winter was the odd passing helicopter (5)

________ to feeling suicidally lonely at times, (6) ________ his lifestyle to living on the moon. By contrast, isolation

tends to bind island communities together. One old woman who had spent her whole life on Easdale in the Inner

Hebrides (7) ________ out that there was no place to hide on an island which meant that you (8) ________ to face

your mistakes. (9) ________ she said, you can't avoid people when you have to sit next to them on a ferry the

following day. ‘You can't get away with anything,’ she laughed. On the other hand, many claims are (10)

________ that the social life is better than on the mainland, with people forever popping into each other's houses

for a chat. Off Scotland, though, the weather can be a problem in winter (11) ________ to a resident novelist who

advises (12) ________ to even think about moving to an island if you are addicted to comfort. ‘Mind you,’ she

said, ‘hundreds of people tried to discourage me from moving here and I'm very glad they failed.’
3. Complete the text with the correct forms of the words in capitals:

New research has revealed some controversial and surprising results. Apparently,

some teenagers have difficulty with their (1) ___________________, and their (2) CONCENTRATE

___________________ to do activities for a long time. However, this is not because of ABLE

(3) - it is in fact a natural biological process. The (4) ___________________ of this LAZY

research has found that teenagers’ brains continue developing far longer into (5) COME

___________________ than previously thought. Using MRI scans, the brain (6) ADULT

___________________ of adolescents was monitored as they tried to solve a problem ACTIVE

in their heads while ignoring (7) ___________________ distractions. The scans ENVIRONMENT

suggested that the brain was working less (8) ___________________ than that of an AFFECT

adult.

4. Read the text below and fill in each blank with a word to complete the text:

Planets beyond our solar system

Throughout history we have wondered about the possibility (0) OF life beyond the Earth. It is only in recent

years, however, that advances in technology (1) _________revealed the existence of extrasolar planets (or

'exoplanets'); (2) _________is to say, planets which orbit not our own Sun, but other stars in the universe. So (3)

_________, astronomers have identified a few thousand exoplanets, but believe that billions more exist.

Although many astronomers believe that a large number of planets in the universe are capable of supporting (4)

_________kinds of living organism, whether or not life has developed on any of them (5) _________ not yet

known. An essential requirement for life is liquid water. (6) _________a planet is to have liquid water on its

surface, its temperature must be (7) _________ too hot nor too cold. However, (8) _________ a planet, other than

the Earth, has yet to be discovered.

III. READING

1. For questions 1 —8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.

Since retail sales of our new product line have fallen (1) _____ in the last few weeks, we are going to ask our

customers to complete feedback forms to see why this is happening. I’d particularly like to know if our marketing

(2) _____ has been alienating our (3) _____ customers. In all (4) _____, it is the result of a general economic dip but

we need to make sure as several customers have (5) _____ objections about the (6) _____ campaign we’ve been

running. (7) _____ mind that the campaign has been successful in attracting new customers, I do not want to lose
long-term ones, some of whom I am (8) _____ certain are already looking for alternative products. In fact, social

media these days can (9) _____ a great risk to a company’s reputation as it is very easy for one person (10)

_____themself, to tell the world about a company’s failings.

1 A relatively B fairly C slightly D reasonably

2 A placement B technique C launch D strategy

3 A loyal B devoted C dependable D responsible

4 A possibility B likelihood C prospects D luck

5 A put B posed C raised D realised

6 A advertising B promoting C selling D publicising

7 A Don’t B Never C Forever D Doesn’t

8 A adequately B effectively C pretty D greatly

9 A give B pose C make D offer

10 A as B for C by D with

2. Seven paragraphs have been removed from the text below. Choose from the paragraphs A-H the one which fits each gap in

the text. There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.

Coral reefs in crisis

Rich in marine life and bursting with kaleidoscopic colour, coral reefs are one of the finest examples of nature’s

bounty. They’ve often been described as the ‘rainforests of the sea’, and with good reason: coral reefs are the key

components of some of the most complex and diverse ecosystems in nature. In fact, about 25 per cent of all

marine creatures, including fish, molluscs and sponges, either depend on coral reefs for food or use them as

spawning grounds.

1. G

Coral reefs are made up of colonies of tiny creatures called coral polyps. The polyps absorb calcium from the sea

and use it to produce a limestone exoskeleton that expands as the creatures grow. Polyps feed on the larvae of

shellfish, but they also need algae to thrive. Polyps enjoy a symbiotic relationship with algae – the algae live in the

polyps’ tissues and provide them with nutrients; they also produce chemicals that help the polyps secrete their

exoskeletons.

2. E

Ocean acidification is another reason why coral reefs are under threat. This occurs when excessive amounts of

atmospheric carbon dioxide (one of the causes of global warming), are absorbed by the ocean. The result is that
sea water becomes more acidic, thus compromising the polyps’ ability to secrete their exoskeletons. If global

warming continues unabated, it’s likely that all corals could become extinct within the next 100 years.

3. H

Destructive fishing practices are one of the main reasons why the reefs of Southeast Asia are the most threatened

in the world. Fishermen in countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines routinely use explosives or sticks of

dynamite to kill fish, often causing irreparable damage to coral reefs in the process.

4. C

Another problematic form of land-based pollution is agricultural runoff. This is water that flows from farms

through river systems and into the ocean, and it often contains high levels of nitrogen and phosphates. Increased

nitrogen levels in sea water cause an overgrowth of algae; as a result, the corals are deprived of sunlight and

eventually die. High levels of phosphates can also kill coral by impeding the growth of the coral polyps’

exoskeletons.

5. F

Many nations rely heavily on coral reefs for their livelihoods and food supply. The coral reef fisheries of

Southeast Asia, for example, enjoy profits of about 2.4 billion dollars a year. In developing countries, roughly 25

per cent of potential fish harvests come from coral reefs. Fisheries worldwide employ about 38 million people,

while another 162 million people are indirectly involved in the fishing industry. Should coral reefs continue to die

out, the economic impact would be devastating, and many people would have to turn to alternative food sources

to supplement their diets and their incomes.

6. D

And it’s not just the fishing and tourism industries that need coral reefs to thrive; coral reefs are also

indispensable to the pharmaceutical industry. Research has shown that some of the organisms that live on coral

reefs, such as sponges and seaweed, produce chemicals that have antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties.

These chemicals are the main ingredients of new medicines that are being formulated to treat a range of diseases

and viruses. Thus, the degradation of coral reefs could have serious implications for the future of medicine.

7. A

One way they are doing this is by applying low voltage electrical currents through seawater to crystallise

dissolved minerals onto steel structures. When this is done a white carbonate is produced which is the same

mineral that natural coral reefs consist of. These steel structures are then colonized by corals at a very quick pace.

We can only hope that these and other efforts are enough to preserve our coral reefs for generations to come.
A. Though the situation seems dire, steps have been taken to try to protect and sustain our remaining coral reefs.

Some of the reefs in the Philippines, for example, have been declared ‘no-go’ areas to protect them from

overfishing. Also, some attempts have been made by conservationists to restore coral reefs.

B. Coral mining is another issue that is of great concern to coral reef conservationists. Coral mining involves the

removal of large chunks of coral from reefs, usually for building purposes. The coral is then crushed and mixed

with other materials to make bricks or cement. In the Maldives, for example, building materials are quite scarce

and corals are the mainstay of the construction industry. The high demand for coral in the Maldives could

potentially wipe out many of the coral reefs in the country.

C. Aside from global warming and overfishing, one of the biggest contributing factors to the decline of coral reefs

is pollution. Because of rapid development in coastal areas, increased amounts of industrial waste, sewage, oil

and pesticides are now being disposed of in the ocean. These toxins are harmful to the reefs, and pesticides in

particular have been proven to interfere with coral reproduction and growth.

D. The decline of coral reefs will also impact the tourism industry. Half the gross national product of many

Caribbean countries is derived from tourists flocking to their beaches and reefs. The Maldives and the Seychelles

depend on coral reef tourism for a significant portion of their foreign income, and in Florida, USA, reef tourism is

a billion-dollar industry.

E. Coral reefs flourish in warm, tropical seas, but polyps are extremely sensitive to increases in water

temperature. Global warming has caused the surface water of the ocean to become warmer and the polyps react

to this rise in temperature by expelling the algae that they depend on for food. This process is called ‘blanching’:

once the polyps have released the algae, they turn white and starve to death.

F. Of course, it’s not just land-based pollution that has impacted coral reefs. Marine debris (including plastic,

glass and discarded fishing nets that are simply tossed into the ocean), has also caused significant damage to coral

reefs. Floating debris, from plastic packets to bottles, can smother coral reef organisms or break down the coral

structure entirely.

G. It would be difficult to imagine a world without coral reefs, but, according to a recent global study, this

alarming prospect could easily become a reality. The study found that a third of all coral reefs are facing

extinction, primarily as a result of global warming, overfishing and pollution. The loss of coral reefs could have a

potentially devastating impact on tourism and the fishing industry, and on the economies of countries that rely

on coral reefs for their livelihoods. But what are coral reefs and how do they develop?

H. According to estimates, 19 per cent of the world’s coral reefs have already died, including 50 per cent of the

reefs in the Caribbean. This is in no small part due to the scourge of overfishing and the adoption of destructive

fishing practices, such as dynamite fishing. In parts of the Caribbean, overfishing has wiped out virtually all the
herbivorous fish that feed on the algae and seaweed that live on coral reefs. In the absence of herbivorous fish,

algae and seaweed grow at a rapid rate and eventually kill the coral.

3. You are going to read a magazine article. For questions 1 —7, choose the answer (A, 13, C or D) which you think fits best

according to the text.

An interview with actor, John Malkovick

Journalist Lynn Barber reports on interviewing the actor John Malkovich for the second time in her career.

Amazingly, John Malkovich remembers that we met before, though it was 14 years ago, and greets me like an old

friend. This is flattering but also embarrassing because I remember that interview in Chicago as one of the worst

experiences of my journalistic life. I asked my first question; he stared at the ceiling for about 10 minutes and

finally delivered a four-word answer. This happened with my second question and with my third, and l was

calculating that at this rate I’d be stuck in Chicago until the icecap melted. He did speed up eventually but what I

remember most clearly is how infuriating I found him for the first half hour.

Anyway, here he is now, sunny and chattering away. There are no long silences and he maintains eye contact

throughout. We meet at the studios, where he is doing two days‘ work on a film called The Mutant Chronicles,

based on a video game (he tried to explain the plot but I lost it after the first five minutes). He will do another

day's filming before flying on to France, is it normal to work on a film for just two days? ‘I've done it a lot, yes.

Sometimes you wish it lasted longer and sometimes you're quite glad it didn't.’

You get the impression he has made so many films (more than 60) he forgets them all. Luckily, he forgets the one

he is meant to be promoting. Art School Confidential, which is a relief because it saves me trying to say anything

nice about it. The New York Times described it as dull and lull of self-pity. But there is another film, Colour Me

Kubrick, in the pipeline in which he gives a hilarious performance as the English conman who went round

pretending to be the film director Stanley Kubrick, which seems more hopeful.

He's made a few really good films but then some terrible turkeys. He nearly always gives a good performance,

but you often think: how could he have read that script and decided to make it? He says he doesn't regret any of

his films because he always learns something, even if only that he never wants to work with that director again.

Maybe the problem is the work he gets offered. He once said he got very few offers from the States - is that still

true? 'It's pretty true still, although I'm doing a couple of big American films at the moment. But that was never

meant as a complaint - it was more a factual statement. People have said it had a lot to do with the tact that I

spent the better part of 15 years living in Europe - they just don't think of you. That's the way the business is,

that's the way it always has been. When I went to grab my bag at the airport today - and it was very heavy
because after this I'm going back to our house in France for six weeks - l was thinking of how incredibly old and

weak I am. And I suddenly thought. "It's funny, now I'm one of those guys I used to watch on television

occasionally and you sort of know his face but you don't know from where.’ But I think that's the natural way of

the business, I don't really worry about it.’

He talks as if he is incredibly old, in fact he is 52, which many male actors regard as their prime. But obviously he

feels old. He tells me one of his knees is shot, which means he can no longer garden, which he used to love doing,

and he might have to have a knee replacement.

When he and his family moved back to the States from France recently, they chose Cambridge. Did he choose it

because he wanted to be among the academics at the University of Harvard? ‘No!' he laughs. ‘That would be lost

on me - I'm an actor!’ Oh come. Whatever Malkovich is, he is not thick. He reads a lot, he follows international

news, he speaks several languages. But you see the flash of his intelligence in throwaway remarks rather than

sustained arguments: he has a great fear of seeming too serious.

'At school they expected me to be an enormous failure who might be able to find a career as a sort of quarrelsome

academic somewhere but who would never amount to anything as a performer or a director.’

How awful, I tut-tuned, to be made to feel a failure at school. But he responds with unusual vehemence. 'I don‘t

care! I don't care what other people think. I don't think it matters.’ If true, this is an admission of extraordinary

arrogance. Nothing that anybody says, no amount of negative criticism, can touch him or shake his extreme cool.

I don‘t actually believe it is true, because he would be an insufferable person if it were, but it is interesting that he

likes to believe he is opinion-proof. He will need to be when Art School Confidential comes out. At all events, he is

by far the most interesting actor l have ever interviewed.

1. How did the writer feel about her first interview with John Malkovich?

A embarrassed because she handled it so badly

B angry because he made it so difficult for her

C impatient because she was anxious to leave Chicago

D disappointed because he was so unfriendly

2. What does the reader learn about the film, The Mutant Chronicles?

A It is a very short film.

B It is to be used for a video game.

C It has a complicated storyline.

 D John Malkovich has a small part in it.

3. The writer thinks that Art School Confidential is

A better than the New York Times said it was.

B more entertaining than Colour Me Kubrick.

C not a film she will probably go to see.

D a film that it is hard to find something good in.

4. The writer expresses surprise that Maikovich

A got involved with some very bad films.

B manages to make even had films seem good.

C has worked with some very poor directors.

D is sorry he made some of his films.

5. Malkovich says he is not concerned about the fact that

A he is getting older and less healthy.

B people know his face but not his name.

C he is better known in Europe than the USA.

D he may have to have an operation on his knee.

6. What impression does the writer give of Malkovich's intelligence?

A He would be out of place in a group of university academics.

B He likes talking about a range of interesting subjects.

C He is a good person to enjoy an argument with.

D He does not wish to appear too intellectual.

7. The writer is not convinced by Maikovich's claim that

A he was a failure at school.

B he is an arrogant person.

C he doesn't think his own work matters.

D he doesn’t care what others think of him.

IV. WRITING:

1. For questions 1 - 6, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word

given

1. Suzanne did better than usual at her final oral exam, although she has a sore throat. (excelled)

Despite Suzanne's sore throat, ______________________________________

2. Twenty singers are competing for the title "Singer of The Year" (contention) 

There are twenty singers______________________________________

3. Tom is far better than me in terms of language skills. (match) 

When it ______________________________________

4. I know you'll find it hard to believe, but I've never travel abroad. (seem)

Unlikely ______________________________________

5. You can attend as many classes as you want as long as you can manage your time. (restrictions) 

There are ______________________________________

6. I’m never going to forget to consider Darren's views when I make a decision again. account

That’s the last time I ______________________________________when I make a decision.

7. I don’t know how on earth she thinks of such brilliant plots for her novels. come

How on earth ______________________________________such brilliant plots for her novels?

8. I’m sure Nancy is still presuming that the party starts at nine. impression

I’m sure Nancy ______________________________________that the party starts at nine.

9. Sean, do you know yet what you're doing this evening? mind

Sean, ______________________________________yet what you're doing this evening?

10. I told Jeanne, thinking that she'd be supportive - how wrong I was! belief

I told Jeanne ______________________________________that she'd be supportive - how wrong I was!