PRACTICE 11

SECTION II. LEXICO - GRAMMAR

Question 1. Choose the best option to complete the following sentences.
1. It's true, I tell you! I got it from the ........................... My sister works at the Town Hall. She's the one who
made the decision!
A. nag's head B. cat's whiskers C. horse's mouth D. lion's den
2. She studies many magazines and books about fashion, entertaining and correct social behavior as she
wants to appear ...........................
A. sophisticated B. fashionable C. elegant D. polished
3. Snooker is a very popular ............................. sport in Britain. Most of the major tournaments are televised.
A. spectacle B. viewed C. audience D. spectator
4. When he had finished the apple, he threw ....................... into the bin.
A. heart B. pith C. core D. kernel
5. When he went to Egypt, he knew........... no Arabic, but within six months he had become extremely fluent.
A. entirely B. barely C. virtually D. scarcely
6. If the rain doesn't ........................... soon, we shall have to look for a taxi.
A. set about B. let up C. slow down D. go off
7. I must run. I'd rather .................... for time at the moment.
A. squeezed B. squashed C. cramped D. pressed
8. The .................. last thing I want now is to catch a cold.
A. most B. very C. utterly D. extremely
9. I don't like turning down work, but I'll have to, I'm afraid. I've got far too much ...................at the moment.
A. up my sleeve B. on my plate C. on my mind D. in effect
10. This film is really sad. I think .......................
A. I'm going to cry B. I'll cry C. I cry D. I'm crying
11. The viewers were up in .....................................when the television station announced that it was going to
change the time of the evening news broadcast from 9 o'clock to 9.30.
A. legs B. hands C. arms D. eyes
12. The boss wants you to ........................... these instructions carefully.
A. take up B. put out C. carry out D. go through
13. There were loud ..................................... from the audience when the competitor announced that the main
group were unable to perform because of illness.
A. outcry B. wolf whistles C. catcalls D. hoots
14. Would you mind ..........................these plates a wipe before putting them in the cupboard?
A. giving B. doing C. getting D. making
15. You'd better be careful with what you say to Samantha. You know how sensitive she is to criticism - she
takes everything to ................................................
A. heart B. head C. mind D. reflection
16. "But son," I told him, "You're my own ......................................"
A. flesh and blood B. body and soul C. heart to heart D. skin and bone
17. They invited ...................................................... to lunch.
A. my wife and me B. me and my wife C. my wife and I D. both she and me
18. Prices continued to rise while wages remained low ......................... the Government became increasingly
unpopular.
A. on condition that B. with the result that C. provided that D. in order that
19. Veronica broke the school rules so many times that the headmistress finally had no alternative but
to .........................her.
A. export B. deport C. eject D. expel
20. Don't be late for the interview, ................. people will think you are a disorganized person.
A. unless B. if not C. otherwise D. or so
Question 2 . Complete the sentences with the correct forms of the given words.
1. He was fined £40, with 28 days’ imprisonment if the money (WITH)
was not produced ......................................... 
2. We won't be allowed onto the ferry because it had been .................... (BOOK)
3. He has no.............................................of taking the documents out of (COLLECT)
the filing cabinet.
4. The building's name, El Centro, .......................................this identity, (SPEAK)
as do its exuberant shape and bright colors.
5. The...................... President is about to appoint a committee of five to (COME)
take care of a serious political problem.
6. Safety tests on old car should be ........................... throughout Europe. (STANDARD)
7. It's a hot day today, so take the ...................... of using sun cream and (CAUTION)
drinking plenty of water.
8. The strikers of our home team played .................................................. (STAND)
well during the last match. We scores four goals.
9. The.................................. of the Roman fortifications was one of their (VULNERABLE)
prides during the war.
10. I'm not against ......................................, but obviously we all want to (SECTION)
avoid animals suffering unnecessarily.
Question 3. Each of the following sentences has ONE mistake. Find it.
1. In summer, warm southern air carries moist north to the eastern and central United Stated.
A B C D
2. Billie Holiday became recognized as the most innovative jazz singer of her day and was admiration
A B C D
for her vocal range.
3. To raise livestock successfully, farmers must selecting cattle for breeding and apply a dietary regimen.
A B C D
4. In the 1960s, urban renewal projects cleared land for commerce and offices building.
A B C D
5. In 1868, Sioux leaders signed a treaty preventing whites from traveling through the Sioux territorial.
A B C D
6. A number multiplied by zero is zero, and a number multiplied by one is the same as number .
A B C D
7. Muscles aids in attaching portions of the skeleton to one another and ultimately shape the torso.
A B C D
8. Thomas More, who fell into disfavor with the king, was a great English author, statesman, and scholar .
A B C D
9. The first microprocessors were fabricated in 1971 for installation in handhold calculation.
A B C D
10. In the last 10 years, Mexican government has reduced the number of its state-owned companies to
A B C D
about half.
Question 4. Fill in each blank with a suitable PREPOSITION or PARTICLE.
1. I called the wrong number ........................................ accident.
2. He stuck ................................... his story which did not change after many repetitions.
3. It's all so sudden. I can't join the party, I'm not dressed .................................... the occasion.
4. The factory smoke looked white ........................................ the gray winter sky.
5. She told herself that she probably was making a fuss ........................................nothing.
6. The students are still ..................................the impression of the graduation ceremony they attended last
month.
7. Don't believe her when she says she's got stomachache. She's putting it ................................... . She just
wants to get out of going to school.
8. I've always found his attitude ..............................................me rather puzzling.
9. If you want to have an evening out, the child is sure to be quite safe ..................................... the care of a
baby sitter.
10. The younger worker can be trusted ................................................. the work, he won't spoil it.

SECTION III. READING

Question 1. Fill each of the blanks with ONE suitable word.
FLOOD IN DORCHESTER
(1) ..................................... six o'clock yesterday evening, the River Thames burst its banks and
flooded a wide area. By nine o'clock the floods had reached the town of Dorchester. The main street was soon
(2) ....................................... 3 feet of water. Fire engines arrived quickly to pump away the water, but heavy
rain made their job very (3) ..............................................
Mrs Rose Willow, a (4) ................................. nearly 80 years old, and living alone in her cottage,
was trapped upstairs (5) ......................................... three hours. Finally, firemen ware able to rescue her with
ladders and a small (6) ....................................... . "My cat, Tibbles, stayed with me all the time," said Mrs
Willow. "She (7) ............................... me a lot. She sat with me, so I didn't feel afraid."
The rain has finally stopped, the river level is falling and the weather forecast in good,
(8) ................................... the floods have done a great deal of damage. "Luckily, nobody was
(9) ....................................... or injured," Chief Fire Office Hawkins (10) ...................................... reporters,
"but it will take a long time to clear up the mess."
Question 2. Read the passage and choose the correct heading for paragraphs A - E from the list of
headings below. Write the correct number, i - v, in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.
A
Last week, the BART Board considered whether - given the huge spike in demand, and certain future
increases to come - to charge higher fares during rush hour. Yesterday’s SF Chronicle editorialized in favor -
deceptively calling it “congestion pricing” (which until now meant charging motorists a fee for driving
Downtown.) Never mind that more commuters on BART means less cars on the street. Now that the public is
finally taking public transit, why do we want to actively discourage the public from riding it? The financial
implication of such a fare hike for transit-dependent riders also ceases to make it a public system.

Now transit systems are overwhelmed with commuters. Our regional transportation plan, which is a
guide on how to invest transit dollars, does not include money for systems to increase their capacity. Rather
than take steps to increase supply (consistent with the “public” mission of public transportation), it’s more
expedient to decrease demand - by making it more expensive to ride during peak hours.

B
In fairness, the BART Board explored several good options at their September 11th meeting besides
discouraging people from riding BART. Short-term solutions included removing train seats to squeeze more
riders in the cars, and faster escalators to shuttle riders through the station more efficiently. Medium solutions
included getting 3-door trains that can more efficiently handle riders. Some long-term solutions included the
obvious: more trains, more drivers - and even a second Transbay Tube.

C
But even if hiking fares at rush hour to handle a sudden spike in demand is a stop-gap measure, it
contradicts everything that a public transportation system is about. Raising fares to deal with rising service
costs is consistent with the mission of a public transit system, because you need money to keep the trains
running on time. But raising fares to discourage riders is simply elitist; it tells some people they’re not
wanted on the system.

Public transportation - like public schools and public hospitals - are just that: public. It’s available as an
option for everyone to use, but people who cannot afford the private route rely on it for their sheer livelihood.
If you take it away from them, they have nothing. No doubt some commuters can afford a modest spike in
fares for the privilege of riding BART during regular peak hours. But for the others, you’re foreclosing the
opportunity.

D
BART’s frightening proposal to take the “public” out of public transportation cries out for the need to
have a regional discussion about transit access for low-income people. For example, how do we implement a
regional low-income pass system that incorporates multiple transit agencies? There’s a lack of coordination
between various regional transit operators, making the long commute that low-income people who’ve been
priced out of certain areas even more burdensome.

Muni has taken the lead with its low-income fast pass - and efforts are underway so that it works for
people who buy it. But much more needs to be done …

At its meeting last week, the BART Board okayed a pilot project for something that San Francisco’s
senior and disabled community have been clamoring for decades: access on BART throughout the City with
their respective discount Muni pass. But Muni’s Lifeline Pass, which gives low-income riders who don’t
qualify as senior or disabled a mere $10 discount, still has no BART access to speak of. And now BART
might end up making it more expensive for these same low-income riders.

E
With escalating gas prices driving everyone onto mass transit, we need leadership to make our public
transportation system more robust - and more able to serve the whole Bay Area. That means creatively
dealing with demand by accommodating a reality - not thinking up ways to discourage people from using the
system by making it more expensive because doing so simply takes the “public” out of public transportation.

List of Headings
i. The public call on the government to take actions.
ii. Fare increases contradict the "public" mission of public transportation.
iii. Some good solutions considered by BART to solve capacity problems.
iv. Low - income people need attention on their use of public transportation.
v. BART is questioned about its plan of increasing transit fares.

1. A ________________
2. B ________________
3. C ________________
4. D ________________
5. E ________________

Question 3. Read the passage and then complete the summary below by using NO MORE THAN
THREE WORDS taken from this reading passage.

WHAT GOES WRONG WITH OUR MATH EDUCATION?

 Nearly half of all Math lessons are not good enough, according to an Ofsted report out today which
suggests that even though more pupils are getting qualifications, uninspiring teaching means they often lack
understanding of math mathematical concepts.
Children are being drilled to pass the exams and enroll for booster and revision classes, but are not
equipped with the mathematical skills or knowledge needed for their future, it will say. The study by the
schools inspectorate, based on inspections of 192 primary and secondary schools, focuses on the most serious
problems in secondaries , where pupils were making inadequate progress in about 10 % of lessons. It will
claim that 45 % of Math classes were only satisfactory or worse - a judgment which Ofsted will say is not
good enough.
Primary schools are falling to identify gifted children at an early age, it will say. The schools minister,
Lord Adonis, will appeal to primaries to improve their work with gifted pupils. It comes after this summer's
tests showed a drop in the number of pupils obtaining top marks for literacy.
The report will say: "Evidence suggests that strategies to improve test and examination performance,
including 'booster' lessons, revision classes and extensive intervention, coupled with a heavy emphasis on
"teaching to the test", succeed in preparing pupils to gain the qualifications but are not equipping them well
enough for their future"
Ofsted will blame the government's testing regime for narrowing children's understanding, and say
that it leaves some pupils unable to explain mathematical theory because they are too used to answering
narrow questions in tests.
"Pupils rarely investigate open-ended problems which might offer them opportunities to choose
which approach to adopt or to reason and generalize. Most lessons do not emphasize mathematical talk
enough; as a result, pupils struggle to express and develop their thinking, "the report will say.
Christine Gilbert, Ofsted's chief inspector, said last night: "Too many schools are not teaching
mathematics well enough. The way mathematics is taught can make a huge difference to the level of
enthusiasm and interest for the subject."
Jim Knight, the school minister, said: "While Ofsted's recognizes there are positive trends, with
results in Math up at all ages, we know that more needs to be done to improve Math for a long term. That's
why we are introducing a range of measures, back by £140m, which will transform the standard of Math
teaching."
He said the measures were being introduced to attract the best graduates to teaching and ensure that
every primary school has a specialist Math teacher within 10 years.
THE SUMMARY
An Ofsted report reveals (1) ............................................. of Math lessons are not good enough. This is
an accordance with the findings of a study made by (2) ................................................... which focuses on the
problems in (3) ....................................... . Lord Adonis suggests that primary schools haven't done enough
work with (4) .................................. considering the result of (5) ........................................ . According to the
Ofsted report, a number of factors result in pupils' lack of understanding of mathematical concepts, even
though they can get (6) .............................................. . Children's narrow understanding of mathematics is due
to the (7) .......................................... . They often answer narrow questions in tests but seldom solve
(8) ........................................... . Christine Gilbert believed good teaching methods can improve student's
(9) .......................................... for Mathematics. Some measures have been introduced to
(10) ........................................ the standard of Math teaching.
Question 4. Choose the word that best fits each gap.
Greenhouse gases arise from a wide range of sources and their increasing concentration is largely
related to the compound effects of increased population, improved living standards and changes in lifestyle.
From a current base of 5 billion, the United Nations predicts that the global population may stabilize in the
twenty-first century between 8 and 14 billion, with more than 90 per cent of the (1) ....................... increase
taking place in the world’s developing nations. The (2) ............................. activities to support that growth,
particularly to produce the required energy and food, will cause further increases in greenhouse gas
emissions. The challenge is to attain a (3) ............................. balance between population, economic growth
and the environment.
 The major greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and
nitrous oxide. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are the only major (4) ............................ to the greenhouse effect
that does not occur naturally, coming from such sources as refrigeration, plastics and manufacture. Coal’s
contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is thought to be about 18 per cent, with about half of this coming
from (5) ................................ generation.
The world-wide coal industry allocates extensive resources to researching and developing new
technologies and ways of capturing greenhouse gases. (6) ............................. are likely to be improved
dramatically, and hence CO2 emissions reduced, through combustion and gasification techniques which are
now at (7) ............................. and demonstration stages.
Clean coal is another avenue for improving fuel conversion efficiency. Investigations are under
(8) ........................... into superclean coal (3-5 per cent ash) and ultraclean coal (less than 1 per cent ash).
Superclean coal has the potential to enhance the combustion efficiency of conventional pulverized fuel power
plants. Ultraclean coal will enable coal to be used in (9) ............................ power systems such as coal-fired
gas turbines which, when (10) ......................... in combined cycle, have the potential to achieve much greater
efficiencies.
1. A. intended B. projected C. wanted D. calculated
2. A. remarkable B. major C. associated D. mutual
3. A. reachable B. sustainable C. eligible D. visual
4. A. substance B. contributor C. chemical D. emission
5. A. electronic B. electric C. electrical D. electricity
6. A. Influences B. Results C. Efficiencies D. Consequences
7. A. pilot B. launch C. experiment D. beginning
8. A. experiment B. development C. way D. progress
9. A. electrified B. developed C. advanced D. controlled
10. A. involved B. operated C. managed D. made
Question 5. Read the passage and choose the best answer to each question.
The Creators of Grammar
No student of a foreign language needs to be told that grammar is complex. By changing word
sequences and by adding a range of auxiliary verbs and suffixes, we are able to communicate tiny variations
in meaning. We can turn a statement into a question, state whether an action has taken place or is soon to
take place, and perform many other word tricks to convey subtle differences in meaning. Nor is this
complexity inherent to the English language. All languages, even those of so-called 'primitive' tribes have
clever grammatical components. The Cherokee pronoun system, for example, can distinguish between 'you
and I', 'several other people and I' and 'you, another person and I'. In English, all these meanings are summed
up in the one, crude pronoun 'we'. Grammar is universal and plays a part in every language, no matter how
widespread it is. So the question which has baffled many linguists is - who created grammar?
At first, it would appear that this question is impossible to answer. To find out how grammar is created,
someone needs to be present at the time of a language's creation, documenting its emergence. Many
historical linguists are able to trace modern complex languages back to earlier languages, but in order to
answer the question of how complex languages are actually formed, the researcher needs to observe how
languages are started from scratch. Amazingly, however, this is possible.
Some of the most recent languages evolved due to the Atlantic slave trade. At that time, slaves from a
number of different ethnicities were forced to work together under colonizer's rule. Since they had no
opportunity to learn each other's languages, they developed a make-shift language called a pidgin. Pidgins
are strings of words copied from the language of the landowner. They have little in the way of grammar, and
in many cases it is difficult for a listener to deduce when an event happened, and who did what to whom. [A]
Speakers need to use circumlocution in order to make their meaning understood. [B] Interestingly, however,
all it takes for a pidgin to become a complex language is for a group of children to be exposed to it at the time
when they learn their mother tongue. [C] Slave children did not simply copy the strings of words uttered by
their elders, they adapted their words to create a new, expressive language. [D] Complex grammar systems
which emerge from pidgins are termed creoles, and they are invented by children.
 Further evidence of this can be seen in studying sign languages for the deaf. Sign languages are not
simply a series of gestures; they utilize the same grammatical machinery that is found in spoken languages.
Moreover, there are many different languages used worldwide. The creation of one such language was
documented quite recently in Nicaragua. Previously, all deaf people were isolated from each other, but in
1979 a new government introduced schools for the deaf. Although children were taught speech and lip
reading in the classroom, in the playgrounds they began to invent their own sign system, using the gestures
that they used at home. It was basically a pidgin. Each child used the signs differently, and there was no
consistent grammar. However, children who joined the school later, when this inventive sign system was
already around, developed a quite different sign language. Although it was based on the signs of the older
children, the younger children's language was more fluid and compact, and it utilized a large range of
grammatical devices to clarify meaning. What is more, all the children used the signs in the same way. A
new creole was born.
Some linguists believe that many of the world's most established languages were creoles at first. The
English past tense – ed ending may have evolved from the verb 'do'. 'It ended' may once have been 'It end-
did'. Therefore it would appear that even the most widespread languages were partly created by children.
Children appear to have innate grammatical machinery in their brains, which springs to life when they are
first trying to make sense of the world around them. Their minds can serve to create logical, complex
structures, even when there is no grammar present for them to copy.
1. In paragraph 1, why does the writer include information about the Cherokee language?
A. To show how simple, traditional cultures can have complicated grammar structures
B. To show how English grammar differs from Cherokee grammar
C. To prove that complex grammar structures were invented by the Cherokees.
D. To demonstrate how difficult it is to learn the Cherokee language
2. What can be inferred about the slaves' pidgin language?
A. It contained complex grammar.
B. It was based on many different languages.
C. It was difficult to understand, even among slaves.
D. It was created by the land-owners.
3. All the following sentences about Nicaraguan sign language are true EXCEPT :
A. The language has been created since 1979.
B. The language is based on speech and lip reading.
C. The language incorporates signs which children used at home.
D. The language was perfected by younger children.
4. In paragraph 3, where can the following sentence be placed?
It included standardized word orders and grammatical markers that existed in neither the pidgin language, nor
the language of the colonizers.
1. A 2. B 3. C 4. D
5. 'From scratch' in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to:
A. from the very beginning B. in simple cultures
C. by copying something else D. by using written information
6. 'Make-shift' in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to:
A. complicated and expressive B. simple and temporary
C. extensive and diverse D. private and personal
7. Which sentence is closest in meaning to the highlighted sentence?
Grammar is universal and plays a part in every language, no matter how widespread it is.
A. All languages, whether they are spoken by a few people or a lot of people, contain grammar.
B. Some languages include a lot of grammar, whereas other languages contain a little.
C. Languages which contain a lot of grammar are more common that languages that contain a little.
D. The grammar of all languages is the same, no matter where the languages evolved.
8. All of the following are features of the new Nicaraguan sign language EXCEPT:
A. All children used the same gestures to show meaning.
B. The meaning was clearer than the previous sign language.
 C. The hand movements were smoother and smaller.
D. New gestures were created for everyday objects and activities.
9. Which idea is presented in the final paragraph?
A. English was probably once a creole.
B. The English past tense system is inaccurate.
C. Linguists have proven that English was created by children.
D. Children say English past tenses differently from adults.
10. Look at the word 'consistent' in paragraph 4. This word could best be replaced by which of the
following?
A. natural B. predictable
C. imaginable D. uniform
SECTION IV: WRITING
Question 1. Rewrite the following sentences, keeping their meaning unchanged, beginning with the
words given.
1. It's all a matter of money, in the end.
It all comes ....................................................................................................................
2. The total came to just under £4,000.
The total worked ............................................................................................................
3. In the end we had to walk to the railway station.
We ended .......................................................................................................................
4. All that stood between John and the gold medal was Jim's greater speed.
But for ............................................................................................................................
5. In this deserted village not a single man they have found.
Not a single man ............................................................................................................
Question 2. Use the word(s) given in brackets and make any necessary additions to write a new
sentence in such a way that it is as similar as possible in meaning to the original sentence. Do NOT
change the form of the given word(s).
1. There is nothing strange about this. (OUT)
..................................................................................................................................................
2. I haven't realized yet what winning this race means. (SUNK)
..................................................................................................................................................
3. When he was a child, he loved dismantling things - to see how they worked. (PIECES)
..................................................................................................................................................
4. You made an embarrassing mistake when you asked him where his wife was. Didn't you realize that she
was dead? (FOOT)
..................................................................................................................................................
5. I happen to know the manager of the firm you've applied to for a job. I can recommend you if you like.
(WORD)
..................................................................................................................................................
____ The End____