ENGLISH PRACTICE 1

PART ONE: PHONETICS (10 pts)

I. Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others
1. A. supposedly B. markedly C. allegedly D. determinedly
2. A. endure B. feature C. procedure D. measure
3. A. complete B. command C. common D. community
4. A. comb B. climb C. debt D. cable
5. A. neighbour B. height C. sleigh D. weight
II. Choose the word whose stress pattern is different from that of the others
1. A. possibility B. disappointed C. manufacture D. instrument
2. A. environment B. mystery C. contribute D. terrific
3. A. deficiency B. psychology C. ecological D. competitor
4. A. recommend B. difficulty C. admirable D. document
5. A. encouragement B. interviewer C. acknowledge D. miraculously
PART TWO: LEXICO-GRAMMAR
I. Choose the best option to complete each of the following sentences (25pts)
1. Only after the atomic bomb ________ and development in the air travel ___, __ science fiction really become popular.
A. had created/ had taken off/ was B. had been created/ had been taken off/ has
C. had been created/ had taken off/ did D. had been created/ / had taken off/ had
2. We’ve bought some ________ chairs for the garden so that they are easy to store away.
A. adapting B. adjusting C. bending D. folding
3. I don’t think she can get her message _______ to the students. She seems too nervous.
A. across B. around C. out D. over
4. _______, it is obvious that the whole thing was a waste of time and effort.
A. None of us wanted to go in the first place
B. Staff meetings are often boring and have no apparent point to them
C. Since the results were far more satisfactory than anyone had expected
D. Seeing that we couldn’t solve anything in the end
5. There are ______ words in English having more than one meaning. Pay close attention to this fact.
A. a large many B. quite many C. a great many D. quite a lot
6. This car has many features including _________.
A. stereo, safety devices, air condition, and it saves gas
B. good music, safety devices, air conditioning, and gas
C. stereo, safety devices, air conditioned, and good gas
D. stereo, safety devices, air conditioning, and low gas mileage
7. Round and round ___________. (In a garden stands a tree)
A. the wheels of the engine went B. did the wheels of the engine go
C. went the wheels of the engine D. going the wheels of the engine
8. The replacement of shops such as the groceries and chemists’ by the café __ the housewives with insufficient facilities for
shopping.
A. leave B. have left C. has left D. to have left
9. Your argument _______ that Britain is still a great power, but this is no longer the case.
A. outlines B. presupposes (cannot exist/happy) C. concerns D. presents
10. They are happily married although, of course, they argue _______.
A. most times B. from day to day C. every now and then D. on the occasion
11. He promised to mend the broken wheel soon without ___________ .
A. fail (for certain) B. failure C. trouble D. mistake
12. One of the first exercises in math class is ______ measure the radius of a circle.
A. to learn and B. to learn how to C. learning to D. learn to
13. We were shocked to hear the news of your ________.
A. having fired B. being fired C. having been fired D. to have been fired
14. I don’t know French, but I’ll ________.
A. get Tom to translate it B. have it translate
C. have Tom to translate it D. make it translate
15. _______ as taste is really a composite sense (which is) made up of both taste and smell.
A. That we refer to B. What we refer to
C. To which we refer D. What do we refer to
16. _______ have settled, one of their first concerns has been to locate an adequate water supply.
A. Wherever people B. There are people who C. Where people D. People
17. Politicians should never lose ______ of the needs of the people they represent.
A. view B. sight C. regard D. prospect
18. _______ team sports require cooperation.
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 A. Of all B. They are all C. Why all are D. All
19. Studies indicate _________ (who are) collecting art today than ever before.
A. there are that more people B. more people that are
C. that there are more people D. people there are more
20. Doctors advise people who are deficient __________ vitamin C to eat more fruit and vegetables.
A. from B. of C. in D. for
21. Dick put ____ ball in ____ net in _____ second half but ____ goal was disallowed.
A. a - a - a - a B. the - the - the - the
C. the - the - a - a D. a - a - the - the
22. There is a real possibility that these animals could be frightened _______ a sudden loud noise.
A. being there B. should there be C. there was D. there have been
(Inversion: Loai 1: Should…. Loai 2: Were.+ S… Loai 3: Had + S+ V3)
23. The computer has dramatically affected ______ photographic lenses are constructed.
A. is the way B. that the way C. which way do D. the way
24. Six novels a year, you say? He’s certainly a __________ writer.
A. fruitful B. fertile C. virile D. prolific
25. The handwriting is completely ______ . This note must have been written a long time ago.
A. inedible B. indelible C. illegible D. unfeasible
II. Give the correct form or tense of the verbs in brackets. (15 pts)
a. The children were frightened because the lights suddenly (1.go) _had gone_ out and they (2.sit)
__were sitting___ in the dark.
b. What tune (3. play) ___was being played_____ when we (4. come) __came______ in?
c. She was badly hurt when her car hit another car. (she wasn’t wearing seat belt…)
If she (5. wear) _had been wearing__ her seat belt, she (6. not hurt) __wouldn’t have been hurt__ so badly.
d. It is vital/important/necessary/essential/imperative that no one else (7. know) _know______ about the secret
government operation.
e. It seems strange to be standing here, (8. look) __looking_____ out at SydneyHarbor.
f. Tom had a lucky escape. He (9. kill) __could have been killed__ when a car crashed into the front of his house.
g. _To be ranked___ (10. Rank) as a masterpiece, a work of art must transcend the ideals of the period in which it
was created.
III. There are ten mistakes in the following passage. Find and correct them. (15 pts)
It seems that the mystery of why the Pyramids were built may have solved  have been
solved. Until quite recently people got used to think thinking that they were just tombs for
pharaohs. Instead, the connection with astronomy seem seems much more important.
Egyptologists have often asked them themselves how long it spent took to build them and
why people built them in first the first place. Experts came up with a suggestion that the
Egyptians may have believed in that the River Nile was the earthly equivalent of the Milky
Way. Many agree that the sizes of the three Giza Pyramids are in proportion to the three stars of
Orion. Nothing, then, was by the chance. Rather, the souls of dead pharaohs were deliberately
being project projected through shafts to reach at their goal of the Orion constellation.
IV. Give the correct form of the word in each of the following brackets. (15 pts)
It was not so long ago that we dealt with colleagues through face-to-face (1. INTERACT) __INTERACTION____
and with counterparts and customers by phone or letter. But the world of communication has undergone a dramatic
transformation, not for all the good. Email, while (2. DOUBT) ___UNDOUBTEDLY__ a swift means of communication
providing your server is fully (3.FUNCTION) ___FUNCTIONAL___ and that the address you have contains no (4.
ACCURATE) _INACCURACIES____ has had a (5. SIGNIFY) _SIGNIFICANT____ effect on certain people’s
behaviour, both at home and business. For those people, the use of email has become irresistibly (6. ADDICT)
__ADDICTIVE__ to the extent that it is (7. THREAT) __THREATENING___ their mental and physical health. Addicts
spend their day (8. COMPULSION) _COMPULSIVELY____ checking for email and have a (9. TEND)
__TENDENCY____ to panic if their server goes down. It is estimated that one in six people spend four hours a day sending
and receiving messages, the equivalent to more than two working days a week. The negative effect on (10. PRODUCE)
__PRODUCTION______ is something employers are well aware of.
PART THREE: READING (60 POINTS)
I. Read the following passage and choose the option that indicates the correct answer to each of the following questions.
(20 pts)
In the United States in the early 1800's, individual state governments had more effect on the economy than did the
federal government. States chartered manufacturing, banking, mining, and transportation firms and participated in the
construction of various internal improvements such as canals, turnpikes, and railroads. The states encouraged internal

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improvements in two distinct ways; first, by actually establishing state companies to build such improvements; second, by
providing part of the capital for mixed public-private companies setting out to make a profit.
In the early nineteenth century, state governments also engaged in a surprisingly large amount of direct regulatory
activity, including extensive licensing and inspection programs. Licensing targets reflected both similarities and differences
between the economy of the nineteenth century and that of today: in the nineteenth century, state regulation through licensing
fell especially on peddlers, innkeepers, and retail merchants of various kinds. The perishable commodities of trade generally
came understate inspection, and such important frontier staples as lumber and gunpowder were also subject to state control.
Finally, state governments experimented with direct labor and business regulation designed to help the individual laborer or
consumer, including setting maximum limits on hours of work and restrictions on price-fixing by businesses.
Although the states dominated economic activity during this period, the federal government was not inactive. Its
goals were the facilitation of western settlement and the development of native industries. Toward these ends, the federal
government pursued several courses of action. It established a national bank to stabilize banking activities in the country and,
in part, to provide a supply of relatively easy money to the frontier, where it was greatly needed for settlement. It permitted
access to public western lands on increasingly easy terms, culminating in the Homestead Act of 1862, by which title to land
could be claimed on the basis of residence alone. Finally, it set up a system of tariffs that was basically protectionist in effect,
although maneuvering for position by various regional interests produced frequent changes in tariff rates throughout the
nineteenth century.
1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. States's rights versus federal rights.
B. The participation of state governments in railroad, canal, and turnpike construction.
C. The roles of state and federal governments in the economy of the nineteenth century.
D. Regulatory activity by state governments.
2. The word “effect” in bold in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to __________.
A. value B. argument C. influence D. restraint
3. All of the following are mentioned in the passage as areas that involved statevernments in the nineteenth century EXCEPT
_______.
A. mining B. banking C. manufacturing D. higher education
4. The word “distinct” in bold in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to_________.
A. separate B. innovative C. alarming D. provocative
5. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that in the nineteenth century canals and railroads were _________.
A. built with money that came from the federal government
B. much more expensive to build than they had been previously
C. built predominantly in the western part of the country
D. sometimes built in part by state companies
6. The regulatory activities of state governments included all of the following EXCEPT_______.
A. licensing of retail merchants B. inspecting materials used in turnpike maintenance
C. imposing limits on price-fixing D. control of lumber
7. The word “setting” in bold in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. discussing B. analyzing C. establishing D. avoiding
8. The word “ends” in bold in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ________.
A. benefits B. decisions C. services D. goals
9. According to the passage, which of the following is true of the Homestead Act of 1862?
A. It made it increasingly possible for settlers to obtain land in the West.
B. It was a law first passed by state governments in the West.
C. It increased the money supply in the West.
D. It established tariffs in a number of regions.
10. Which of the following activities was the responsibility of the federal government in the nineteenth century?
A.Control of the manufacture of gunpowder. B. Determining the conditions under which individuals worked.
C. Regulation of the supply of money. D. Inspection of new homes built on western lands.
II. Read the text below and fill in each blank with ONE suitable word. (20 pts)
The British are widely (1) __considered___ to be a very polite nation, and in (2)__some____
respects this is true. An Italian journalist once commented of the British that they need (3) __no___ fewer
than four “thank you” merely to buy a bus ticket. The first, from the bus conductor means, “I’m here.”
The second accompanies the handing over of the money. The third, again from the conductor, (4)
_means___ “Here is your ticket.”, and then the passenger utters a final one as he accepts the tickets. Such
transactions in most (5) __other__ parts of the world are usually conducted in total silence. In sharp
contrast to this excessive politeness with strangers, the British are strangely lacking (6) _in____ ritual
phrases for social interaction. The exhortation “Good appetite”, uttered in so (7) ___many___ other
languages to fellow-diners before a meal, does not exist in English. The nearest equivalent – Enjoy your
dinner! – is said only by people who will not be partaking of the meal in question. What’s more, the
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British (8) _wish___ happiness to their friends or acquaintances only at the start of a new year and at
(9)__celebrations___ such as birthdays, (10) __while/whilst___ the Greeks routinely wish all and sundry
a “good week” or a “good month”.
III. Read the passage and choose the best option for each of the following blanks. (20 pts)
Media and advertising
After more than fifty years of television, it might seem only obvious to conclude that it is here to (1) ______. There
have been many objections to it during this time, of course, and (2) ______ a variety of grounds. Did it cause eye-strain?
Was the (3) ______ bombarding us with radioactivity? Did the advertisements contain subliminal messages, persuading us to
buy more? Did children turn to violence through watching it, either because so (4) ______ programmes taught them how to
shoot, rob, and kill, or because they had to do something to counteract the hours they had spent glued to the tiny screen? Or
did it simply create a vast passive (5) ______ drugged by glamorous serials and inane situation (6) ______ ? On the other
hand did it increase anxiety by sensationalizing the news [or the news which was (7) ______ by suitable pictures] and filling
our living rooms with war, famine and political unrest? (8) ______ in all, television proved to be the all-purpose scapegoat
for the second half of the century, blamed for everything, but above all, eagerly watched. For no ( 9) ______ how much we
despised it, feared it, were bored by it, or felt that it took us away from the old paradise of family conversation and hobbies
such as collecting stamps, we never turned it off. We kept staring at the screen, aware that our own tiny ( 10) ______ was in
if we looked carefully.
1. A. be B. stay C. exist D. prolong
2. A. with B. over C. by D. on
3. A. screen B. danger C. machine D. reason
4. A. that B. far C. many D. what
5. A. programme B. personality C. audience D. tense
6. A. comedies B. programmes C. perhaps D. consequently
7. A. taken B. presented C. capable D. accompanied
8. A. Taken B. All C. Somewhat D. Thus
9. A. one B. matter C. difference D. reason
10. A. fault B. reflection C. situation D. consciousness
PART FOUR: WRITING (60 POINTS)
I. Finish the second sentence in such a way that it means exactly the same as the sentence printed before it. (30 pts)
1. If the work is finished by lunchtime, you can go home.Get____the work finished by lunch and you can go home.
2. You haven’t done your work, have you? It’s about____time you did your work.
3. The fourth time he asked her to marry him, she accepted.
Only on his ___fourth proposal did she accept to marry him.
4. He said that he had won as a result of good luck.
He attributed___his win/victory/success to good luck.
5. That reminds me of the time I climbed to the top of Mount Fuji. That takes me__back to the time I climbed….
6. People rumour that he is rich but stingy.What___people rumour is that he is…
7. Such a ridiculous proposal isn’t worth serious consideration.
There is__no point in considering such a ridiculous proposal seriously
8. Just thinking about his face at that moment makes me laugh.The very__thought of his face at the moment ….
9.We cannot see animals in a vast area after the forest fire.There is an_absence of animals in as ………………
10. The staff hated Frank’s new policies so intensely that they went on strike.
So intense __was the hatred for Frank’s new policies that the staff went on strike.
II. Write a new sentence similar in meaning to the given one, using the word given in the brackets. Do not alter the word
in any way. (30 pts)
1. I suddenly realized the meaning of a “freebie”.(dawned)
 It suddenly dawned on me what the meaning of a “freebie” was
2. After the scandal, he was asked to resign. (HAND)
After the scandal, he was asked to hand in his resignation.
3. Bruce said that the situation at work was like a family argument. (likened)
 Bruce likened the situation at work to a family argument.
4. My father is not feeling well these days. (weather) My father is under the weather these days.
5. I don’t think this record will ever be popular. (catch) . I don’t think this record will ever catch on.
6. His arrival was completely unexpected. (took)  His arrival took us (completely) by surprise.
7. The success of our local theater has made our city famous. (map)
 The success of our local theater has put our city on the map.
8. He is certainly not a reliable witness. (means)  He is by no means a reliable witness.
9. Our company is the only company allowed to import these chemicals. (monopoly)
 Our company has got the monopoly of/in/on importing these chemicals.
10. It’s uncertain whether the band’s tour will take place. (BALANCE)
 The band’s tour is in the balance (it will be decided soon)