Name: Date: Mark:

FIRST-TERM PROGRESS TEST

PART I. LISTENING (2.0 PTS)

Part 1: Listen to a scientist talking about recent weather patterns. Complete the sentences. You will
listen twice.
Mark Pontin works at an organization in (1) ___________.
The USA has recently experienced a record number of (2)_______________.
It has been especially hot in (3)________________
In Sri Lanka, there has been unusually (4) _________________.
There are concerns about what effect this will have on the (5)______________ there.
There have been very (6)_______________ in England and Wales.
The last time Switzerland experienced such heat was in the (7) _______________.
Pontin draws some conclusions with regard to climate change in the (8)____________.
The trend towards hotter temperatures has been noticed for (9)____________ years.
In general the weather is becoming more (10)___________ and extreme than it used to be.

Part 2. You will hear five short extracts in which people are talking about the experience of winning a
competition. While you listen, you must complete both tasks.
Task 1. Choose from the list A-H each Task 2. Choose from the list A-H the activity in
speaker’s present occupation which each speaker won a competition.
A. pilot A. playing golf
11. Speaker 1 _____ 16. Speaker 1 ____
B. factory worker B. nature photography
C. lawyer 12. Speaker 2_____ C. short-story writing 17. Speaker 2_____
D. politician D. general knowledge
13. Speaker 3_____ 18. Speaker 3 ____
E. professional gardener E. growing vegetables
F. business manager 14. Speaker 4 ____ F. playing chess 19. Speaker 4 ____

G. artist G. cookery
15. Speaker 5_____ 20. Speaker 5_____
H. engineer H. designing jewellery

PART II. PHONETICS (0.5 PT)

I. Circle the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in
pronunciation in each of the following questions. (0.3 pt)
21. A. digest B. manage C. category D. legend
22. A. exist B. exhaustion C. explorer D. exhibit
23. A. transfer B. career C. variety D. afraid
II. Circle the letter A, B, C or D to indicate the word that differs from the other three in the position of primary
stress in each of the following questions. (0.2 pt)
24. A. certificate B. apartment C. individual D. biology
25. A. admirable B. advantageous C. conscientious D. analytic

PART III. VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR (2.5 PTS)

I. Circle the best option to complete each of the following sentences. (1.0 pt)
26. One of _______ days, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind.
A. our B. those C. these D. the
27. Many more students tend to _______ in vocational schools than in senior secondary schools.
A. endow B. ensure C. enlist D. enrol
28. I have helped my wife with the cleaning, though _______ not for some time.
A. in contrast B. especially C. alternatively D. admittedly
29. _____ to the unaided eye, ultraviolet light can be detected in a number of ways.
A. Although is invisible B. Even though it invisible
C. Despite invisible D. Although invisible
30. They are like two peas in a pod. It’s amazing how their parents can _______ them apart.
A. tell B. mean C. distinguish D. see
31. The incoming administration _______ to clean up corruption in the city.
A. pledged B. contemplated C. suggested D. resumed
32. Those _______ boys often play tricks on their friends.
A. mischievous B. obedient C. honest D. well-behaved
33. The students had to _______ before they became successful physicists.
A make a bundle B. work flexitime
C. burn the midnight oil D. burn the candles
34. In the future, teachers will be _______ rather than knowledge providers.
A. facilitators B. attendants C. candidates D. workers
35. He spoke a _______ of French that we found hard to understand.
A. slang B. jargon C. dialect D. language

II. Think of one word which can be used appropriately in all three sentences. (0.3 pt)
36. ________
- The pensioner owned a small vegetable ......... where he spent most of his days looking after his carrots and
tomatoes.
- As the ......... unfolds, the film gathers pace and the actors can show their full potential.
- You can ......... all these numbers on one diagram for comparison.
37. ________
- There’s nothing better than an early morning swim to ......... your spirits and set you up for the day.
- Pressure from local shop keepers has led the council to ......... the ban on parking in the High Street.
- Sam was told not to ......... the lid of the saucepan while the meat was cooking.
38. ________
- Her car skidded on a slippery road and was about to ......... into a roadside tree when she managed to regain
control.
- Nobody denies that he had a checkered ......... in business, but now he's shining as one of the stars in our
department.
- Being at a crossroads after leaving college, he sought some professional advice from a ......... counselor.

III. Form the collocations using the verbs and the prepositions from the boxes. Complete each sentence
using a collocation in the appropriate form. You must use each verb and each preposition ONCE only.
(0.7 pt)
go bring live abide set split get in back to up for off by over

39. I'd been looking forward to the course, but unfortunately it .............................. my expectations.
40. Last year, the bad weather ....................................... the building programme by several weeks.
41. Local residents were angry at not ...................................... on the housing proposal they were concerned
about.
42. We have to ......................... the decision of the committee; we have no choice.
43. Lots of fruit and vegetables will help you ....................................... your cold.
44. A branch ....................................... from the tree trunk by the previous storm.
45. They have a high level of unemployment - but the same ................................... many other countries.

IV. Give the correct form of the words to complete the passage. (0.5 pt)
It seems our personality is affected by many things, including the position we sleep in! This is because our
sleeping position partly determines how we feel when we wake up. To (46. clear) ...............................,
people who sleep on their backs with their arms stretched out typically awake feeling (47. vital)
...............................and eager for the day ahead. Conversely, those who sleep face down with arms
outstretched awake feeling fatigued, as this position seems to generate a sense of losing control. Apparently,
those who sleep lying straight tend to show signs of stubbornness, although whether this is simply because
they feel stiff in the morning is (48. debate) ............................... . Most people appear to sleep on their side
with their knees drawn up, often described as "the foetal position". Actually, this is unsurprising because
although the position is often said to denote stress, people who sleep like this awake feeling (49.
fresh) ..............................., having somehow worked through their problems. It's unclear what it means if
you are a (50. rest) ............................... sleeper and change your position frequently!

PART IV. READING (3.0 PTS)

I. Circle the best option A, B, C or D that best fits each of the blanks. (0.8 pt)
I suppose it's human (51) ...... to try to judge someone by their appearance. The downside is that it's then
hard to alter our original judgement which was based on that first impression they (52) ...... on us. At any
initial encounter, we take note of the person's clothes, how they talk and what their body (53) ...... indicates.
But can this information be trusted? Does it actually reveal the truth? A talkative person may appear friendly
and warm (54) ...... they are actually self-centred while an introvert may (55) ...... as arrogant when they are
the sweetest person in the world once you see beneath their quiet exterior. Why do we assume we
understand someone simply on what we suppose is absolute (56) ...... derived from a short acquaintance or
that their appearance accurately reflects their personality? If we (57) ...... on our initial judgements too
heavily or are too ready to (58) ...... to conclusions, we may be making a big mistake.
51. A. nature B. feeling C. disposition D. temperament
52. A. got B. put C. gave D. made
53. A. manner B. movements C. language D. signs
54. A. alternatively B. in spite of C. even if D. as well as
55. A. come through B. come down C. come out D. come across
56. A. data B. proof C. demonstration D. justification
57. A. lean B. trust C. hang D. ride
58. A. arrive B. spring C. reach D. jump

II. Fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable word. (0.7 pt)
You got your blue eyes from your mother, and your ears from your father. But where did you get your
adventurous personality or your talent (59) .............. singing? Did you learn these from your parents or were
they predetermined by your genes? While it's clear that physical characteristics are hereditary, things are a
little (60) ............. clear when it (61) .............. to an individual's behaviour, intelligence and personality.
Ultimately, the old argument of nature vs nurture has never really been won. We do not yet know exactly
how much of (62) .............. we are is determined by our DNA and how much by our life experience. But we
do know that both (63) .............. a part.
Some scientists think that people behave (64) .............. they do according to genetic predispositions or
even "animal instincts". This is known as the "nature" theory of human behaviour. Other scientists believe
that people think and act in certain ways because they are taught to do so. This is the "nurture" theory.
Our growing understanding of the human genome has recently made it clear that both sides are partly
right. Nature endows us (65).............. inborn abilities and traits; nurture takes these natural tendencies and
moulds them as we learn and mature.

III. Read the passage and choose the best answer to each of the questions (0.9 pt)
A smart irrigation sensor that gives plants only as much to drink as they need can increase tomato yields
by more than 40 per cent. The sensor has been developed by Yehoshua Sharon and Ben-Ami Bravdo at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem's faculty of agriculture in Rehovot, Israel. The researchers say that their
system not only increases the yield of crops, but it also dramatically reduces water usage - by up to 60 per
cent for some crops.
At the heart of the system is an electronic sensor that dips onto a plant leaf and measures its thickness to
an accuracy of 1 micrometer. "A leaf's thickness is dependent on the amount of water in a plant," says
Sharon. "A healthy leaf is 60 per cent water." A thin leaf is a sure sign that the plant is suffering stress
because it is thirsty, and stress is bad for yields.
The sensor consists of two plates, one fixed and the other spring-loaded, which together grip the leaf. The
moving plate is connected to a small computer that regulates the voltage in an electrical circuit. As the leaf's
thickness changes, the plate moves, causing a change in the voltage. This signal is fed to a processor that
adjusts the plant's water supply.
 Unlike conventional irrigation systems, which water crops periodically, the Israeli system waters the
plants continuously, but adjusts the flow to the plant's needs. "The idea is to give the plant the proper amount
of water at the correct time, according to what the plant requires," says Sharon.
Field studies show the system increases the yields of several crops while reducing consumption of water.
Yields of grapefruit increased by 15 per cent while needing 40 per cent less water. For peppers, the yield
rose by 5 per cent while water usage fell by 60 per cent. Tomato plants yielded 40 per cent more fruit while
consuming 35 per cent less water.
"It is an interesting idea," says John Sadler, a soil scientist at the US government's Agricultural Research
Service in Florence, South Carolina. "Other researchers have measured stress by measuring a plant's
temperature or stem thickness. But I haven't heard of anyone doing irrigation at such a refined level," he
says. But Sadler is a little surprised by the figures for water savings. "They would depend on the technique
you're comparing these results with," he says. Sharon says the savings are based on comparisons with the
Israeli government's recommendations for irrigating crops.
He admits that the system has to be very reliable if it is to be effective. "Because the plants are watered
continuously they are more susceptible to sudden changes in water supply," he says. "This means our system
has to operate very reliably."
The researchers have founded a company called Leafsen to sell the new irrigation system, and they hope
to start marketing it within the next few months.

66. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. The irrigation sensor can reduce the need for water in some plants.
B. A leaf's thickness is dependent on the amount of water in a plant.
C. The conventional irrigation systems water the plant continuously.
D. Leafsen is the company that sold the new irrigation system.

67. According to the passage, the sensor is operated by ________.

A. a computer B. a plate C. a spring D. a voltage

68. The phrase "the heart" in the second paragraph means ________.
A. the most complex B. the smallest part C. the most important part D. the most accurate part

69. The word "fixed" in paragraph 3 is similar in meaning to _______.

A. having a leaf B. stuck by glue C. not empty D. not moving

70. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A. The new system helps reduce the water amount plants require.
B. The new system is welcomed by a US scientist.
C. The new system needs more time to become usable.
D. In order for the system to be effective, it has to be very reliable.

71. The phrase "at the correct time" in paragraph 4 mostly means ________ .
A. at the time being B. when the plants require
C. when the time is accurate D. when the yields are increased

72. When a plant is thirsty, _______.

A. its yield is raised B. it is suffering stress C. it has healthy leaves D. it can reduce its water usage

73. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as benefited from the new system?
A. tomatoes B. peppers C. grapefruits D. eggplants

74. How is John Sadler's attitude to the new system?

A. critical B. doubtful C. ironical D. appreciative

IV. Read the article and choose your answers from the sections A-D. You may choose any of the sections
more than once. (0.6 pt)
In which section does the writer
 praise the quality of some more serious films? 75. _____
mention a film character who learns from his experiences? 76. _____
explain how a director uses a film as a vehicle for his own opinion? 77. _____
mention a special technique used to create a feel-good reaction? 78. _____
insist that lighter films can also be clever? 79. _____
refer to films where ordinary people triumph over authority? 80. _____

A
Films that make you feel good
Feel-good films stretch back right into the early days of cinema. The Brits were pioneers of the form.
Producer Cecil Hepworth's Rescued By Rover (1905), a winsome yarn about a dog retrieving a kidnapped
baby, was an early example of feel-good film-making. What distinguished it was the tempo. The film-
makers used cross-cutting to crank up the tension, which is only finally released when the baby is found.
The film "marks a key stage in the medium's development from an amusing novelty to the 'seventh art,' able
to hold its own alongside literature, theatre, painting, music and other more traditional forms," claims the
British Film Institute's Screenonline website. Film historians today continue to study Hepworth's storytelling
abilities but that wasn't what interested the 1905 audiences who flocked to see it. They went because it was a
feel-good film.
B
There has long been a tendency to sneer at feel-good films. Serious, self-conscious auteurs are often
too busy trying to express their innermost feelings about art and politics to worry about keeping audiences
happy. However, as Preston Sturges famously showed in his comedy Sullivan's Travels (1941), if you're
stuck on a prison chain gang, you don't necessarily want to watch Battleship Potemkin. Sullivan's Travels is
about John L Sullivan, a glib and successful young Hollywood director of comedies, who yearns to be taken
seriously. Sullivan dresses up as a hobo and sets off across America to learn more about the plight of the
common man. He ends up sentenced to six years in prison. One of the prisoners' few escapes from drudgery
is watching cartoons. As he sits among his fellow cons and sees their faces convulsed with laughter at a
piece of what he regards as throwaway Disney animation, he rapidly revises his own priorities. "After I saw
a couple of pictures put out by my fellow comedy directors, which seemed to have abandoned the fun in
favour of the message, I wrote Sullivan's Travels to satisfy an urge to tell them to leave the preaching to the
preachers," Sturges recalled.

C
A few years ago there were a lot of "deep-dish" movies. We had films about guilt (Atonement), about
the all-American dream coming apart at the seams (Revolutionary Road) and even a very long account of a
very long life lived backwards (the deeply morbid The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button). Deep-dish, feel-
bad films have plenty to recommend them. If you're not a teenager and you don't just want to see the next
summer tent-pole blockbuster, you'll welcome movies that pay attention to characterisation and dialogue and
don't just rely on computer-generated imagery or the posturing of comic book heroes. However, as film-
makers from Preston Sturges to Danny Boyle have discovered, there is no reason that a feel-good movie
needs to be dumb. You can touch on social deprivation and political injustice: the trick is to do so lithely
and, if possible, with a little leavening humour.

D
Historically, the best feel-good movies have often been made at the darkest times. The war years and
their immediate aftermath saw the British turning out some invigorating, entertaining fare alongside all the
propaganda. The Age of Austerity was also the age of the classic Ealing comedies, perfect examples of feel-
good film-making. In the best of these films like Passport To Pimlico or Whisky Galore, a community of
eccentric and mildly anarchic characters would invariably come together to thwart the big, bad, interfering
bureaucrats. Stories about hiding away a hoard of whisky or setting up a nation state in central London were
lapped up by audiences. To really work, feel-good movies must have energy and spontaneity - a reckless
quality that no amount of script tinkering from studio development executives can guarantee. The best take
you by surprise. What makes the perfect feel-good movie? That remains as hard to quantify as ever - you
only know one when you see one.

PART V. WRITING (2.0 PTS)

I. Rewrite each of the following sentences beginning with the word(s) given in such a way that it means
the same as the original one. (0.5 pt)
81. Although she seems to be courteous, she can also be very impolite.
 Courteous .................................................................................................................................................
82. When we came back home, we realized our house had been broken into.
 On .............................................................................................................................................................
83. It is known that Ha Long Bay was recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994.
 Ha Long Bay..............................................................................................................................................
84. The class watched a film yesterday. The film was about the Apollo 13 space mission.
 The film .....................................................................................................................................................
85. It was the goalkeeper that saved the match for us.
 Had ...........................................................................................................................................................

II. Rewrite each of the following sentences using the word given so that it has the same meaning as the
original one. (0.5 pt)
86. I remained neutral during their disagreement because I like both of them. (sides)
.................................................................................................................................................................
87. A great many people will congratulate her if she wins. (showered)
 .................................................................................................................................................................
88. I don’t think she was informed about the burglary. (can't)
 ................................................................................................................................................................
89. Barney was not the only person who felt disappointed with the food in the restaurant. (alone)
 .................................................................................................................................................................
90. One of the directors pointed out to the board a number of inconsistencies in the report. (attention)
 .................................................................................................................................................................