PRACTICE TEST 3

A. MULTIPLE CHOICE (30 PTS)

I. LEXICO – GRAMMAR ( 20PTS): Choose the best options to complete the following sentences.
1. _______ getting a pet tarantula?
A. Does Claire really think of B. Is Claire really thinking of
C. Has Claire really thought that D. Has Claire really been thinking that
2. Mr. Parris said he’d like _______ by Monday, if that’s possible.
A. finished the report B. the report will be finished
C. the report finished D. have the report finished
3. Tamsin _______ to her graduation ceremony, but she decided not to in the end.
A. could go B. can go C. can have gone D. could have gone
4. Adam: “Everything I do fails; I’m a walking disaster.”
Betty: “I suggest you _______ complaining and count your blessings.”
A. stopping B. to have stopped C. stop D. to stop
5. It will likely take up to five years to manufacture enough vaccines _______ the entire population of the world.
A. cover B. covering C. to cover D. to be covered
6. We had a tomato salad drizzled in _______ oil.
A. extra virgin olive B. virgin extra olive C. extra olive virgin D. olive extra virgin
7. Father Christmas won’t bring you any presents _______ a good kiddie from now on.
A. if you will not be B. provided that you are not
C. unless you are D. if you not be
8. People assume that time _______ travelling on trains is being wasted, but this is no longer true with modern
technology.
A. which spent B. spent C. was spent D. of which spent
9. Why are these _______ so different from those you describe?
A. mothers-in-law B. mother-in-laws C. mother-in-law D. mothers-in-laws
10. I currently do _______ things listed in the job description.
A. plenty B. most of the C. a little D. most of
11. I wish my neighbor wouldn’t _______ up outside my window early in the morning.
A. blow B. change C. rev D. pick
12. Whenever Mohammed is abroad, he _______ the BBC World Service to listen to the news.
A. seizes up B. tunes into C. calls up D. wires up
13. The business was a little slow to _______ the ground, but it’s doing very well now.
A. get off B. get down C. get out D. get up
14. _______ the government’s own statistics, they have failed to stop the rise in drug addiction.
A. Going forward B. Going by C. Going around D. Going off
15. Joel was quite taken _______ to learn that his application had been unsuccessful.
A. away from B. away C. aback D. down
16. If you deprive the children _______ sleep, they won’t be able to concentrate at school.
A. off B. to C. of D. on
17. When answering an exam question, you will get better marks if you _______ the point.
A. keep to B. snow under C. come through D. let off
18. I’m not sure if I’m doing it right, but I’ll try to _______ ahead with it anyway.
A. press B. drive C. bang D. touch
19. I’m going to have to _______ up what all the road signs mean before my driving test.
A. learn B. swot C. look D. piece
20. They’re planning to _______ down their operation in Greece and concentrate on Eastern Europe.
A. wind B. tie C. roll D. stretch
21. Fred Astaire is one of my favourite dancers and I love the way he seems to _______ across the floor.
A. glide B. skid C. march D. dash
22. You’re ______________, Claire! Thank goodness you’re here – we desperately need your input.
A. clean as a whistle B. Achilles’ heel C. below par D. a sight for sore eyes
23. I think Philip has _______ his new babysitter.
A. given a shine to B. taken a shine to C. got a shine to D. made a shine to
24. Kate is really noisy, but her best friend is _______.
A. as quiet as a cat B. as quiet as a mouse C. as quiet as a hamster D. as quiet as a bee
25. I don’t want to go in the car with Lottie. She drives like _______!
A. the wind B. a storm C. a maniac D. a horse
26. The realization of our holiday plans has had to be _______ because of my mother’s sudden illness.
A. prevented B. expired C. shelved D. lingered
27. The new situation has _______ a lot of anger and dissatisfaction. Our duty now is to encounter it in the most
sensible way.
A. devised B. established C. originated D. provoked
28. It’s a chance of a lifetime for me to see Tokyo, so I’ll try to _______ the most of it.
A. catch B. do C. fulfil D. make
29. His English has improved _______ and his teachers are very pleased with him.
A. in leaps and bounds B. in jumps and bounds
C. on the spur of the moment D. as a last-resort
30. A career in education may not be a fast track to riches beyond your _______ dreams, but it can offer a good living,
stability, and great benefits.
A. wildest B. craziest C. biggest D. largest
31. The temperature had _______ towards 40oC and the car began to overheat.
A. slithered B. glided C. strutted D. crept
32. For his most recent project, he _______ a fifteen-minute opera called ‘The end of Days.’
A. auditioned B. composed C. portrayed D. animated
33. Your body is telling you something when you can not _______, and it can be a symptom of an underlying health
problem.
A. recharge your battery B. catch your breath C. feel on deaf ears D. swallow your pride
34. Loss of _______ happens when you lose the desire to eat at your typical mealtimes and the idea of eating food
becomes unappealing.
A. taste B. appetite C. digestion D. spirit
35. _______ is a hardy and most fragrant herb that complements a wide variety of dishes and ingredients.
A. A leek B. Rosemary C. A chickpea D. Liver
36. Choosing _______ means you have the freedom to do your own thing, including dining in and cooking some local
produce, or going out to a restaurant or pub.
A. en-suite B. in-flight C. self-catering D. all-inclusive
37. People are _______ asking me what I’ll do if it doesn’t work.
A. silently B. constantly C. completely D. thoroughly
38. These are really sensible rules and it really _______ me to see some students completely ignoring them.
A. resents B. corrupts C. irritates D. tires
39. It will be like turkeys _______ for Christmas if we are asked to work over the Christmas break.
A. eaten B. voting C. opting D. dedicated
40. Everyone, let’s start the new year 2024 with _______!
A. a smash hit B. a new leaf C. a clean sheet D. a mug of bubbly
II. GUIDED CLOZE (10PTS): Read the text below and decide which answer best fits each space.
CELEBRITY ROLE - MODELS
Research in the University of Leicester Department of Media and Communication examined interest in
celebrities and gossip about them. It was carried out by Dr Charlotte De Backer who sought in her study to
explain interest in celebrity culture.
According to Dr De Backer: 'Life is about learning and (41) _______ experience, and in that process
we have a tendency to observe and mimic the actions of others. Ideally we mimic what makes others
successful and (42) _______ unsuccessful actions others have trialled and paid for. In reality, humans seem to
have the tendency to mimic the overall behaviour pattern of the higher status of those more successful than
themselves. This explains why celebrities act as role models for broad (43) _______ of behaviour they display
– whether good or bad.’
Dr De Backer also examined another theory for interest in celebrity, known as the Parasocial
Hypothesis. In this (44) ________, the bonds are parasocial, or one-way, because the celebrity reveals private
information, often involuntarily. The audience members respond emotionally to this information, although
there is hardly ever any feedback on the private life of the audience going to the celebrity, nor do celebrities
(45) _______ emotions towards their audience.
Her study of 800 respondents and over 100 interviews (46) _______ that younger participants showed
greater interest in celebrity gossip, even if it was about celebrities who were much older than them and even
when they did not know who the celebrities were. They showed greatest interest in internationally-known
celebrities, because they considered those as more (47) _______.
Her study also found that older people were interested in celebrity gossip not because they wanted to
learn from the celebrities, but because it helped them to (48) _______ social networks with other people. 'We
found in the interviews that older people do not gossip about celebrities because they want to learn from them
or feel (49) _______ by them, but because they use celebrity gossip to (50) _______ with real-life friends and
acquaintances. As we live in scattered societies, celebrities can act as our mutual friends and acquaintances.'
41. A. winning B. gaining C. achieving D. capturing
42. A. escape B. avoid C. prevent D. evade
43. A. reaches B. domains C. ranges D. spheres
44. A. case B. instance C. state D. position
45. A. exhibit B. present C. display D. expose
46. A. reinforced B. assured C. validated D. confirmed
47. A. reputable B. honourable C. prestigious D. illustrious
48. A. form B. receive C. display D. conduct
49. A. befriended B. sustained C. patronized D. upheld
50. A. tie B. link C. cement D. bond
B. WRITTEN TEST (70 PTS)
I. READING COMPREHENSION (20 PTS)
Passage A: Read the text below and choose the best answer to each question.
Sometimes people worry about the germs that they come into contact with daily. In fact, most people would be
surprised to learn just how many microbes actually inhabit a human’s body at any given time, in addition to the larger
visitors that come around occasionally. Such natural species that regularly come into contact with our bodies include
mites, lice, yeast, and fungus, just to name a few. We are, in fact, an ecosystem much like a rain forest is to the natural
flora and fauna that call it home.
Lice, or nits, are particularly horrible to even think about. To learn that one’s child has been found in school
with head lice can cause trauma and shame. People think that having lice is a symptom of being unclean, although one
can be infected by contact with somebody else who has them. Although lice are not that common in general circles,
children can easily acquire them just because of their close contact with other children at school or play. Some large
cities host high-priced nit pickers who make a living removing head lice from children.
Mites on the human body are much more common, and cleanliness does not eliminate the chance of
having them. They are also microscopic, so they are invisible to the naked eye. There are a number of
different species of mites, two of which have the human face as their natural habitat, particularly the skin of
the forehead. Others are very content among human hair, living among the follicles of the eyelashes,
eyebrows, and scalp hair.
Not all such inhabitants are harmful. In fact, even the annoying mite living on dead skin cells actually does us a
favor by removing them. The dreaded dust mite, for example, blamed for causing allergies, removes dead skin from bed
coverings. And harmless bacteria often keep potentially harmful bacteria from being able to survive. So people should
not try to eliminate mites from their bodies, although some have tried. Some sufferers of obsessive/compulsive disorder
have scrubbed themselves raw trying to eliminate all scavengers from their bodies, only to damage their skin, and all to
no avail.
Certain types of yeast also regularly live on the human body, sometimes causing annoyances. One common type
lives on the oil produced in the skin of the face or scalp, causing a condition known as pityriasis versicolor, which is a
scaling and discoloration of the skin.
Ailments such as athlete’s foot are caused by a fungus that grows in warm, moist conditions. To avoid
them or avoid a recurrence, patients are encouraged to keep their feet dry and cool, which of course may not
be easy, depending on one’s work or personal habits. Ringworm is also a fungus acquired by contact with
keratin-rich soil in many parts of the world.
Besides the tiny inhabitants, we are also regularly harassed by insects that feed off of our bodies, like
mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas, which sometimes deposit harmful illnesses at the same time they probe the skin for the
blood on which they live. Mosquitoes have been known to cause malaria and yellow fever as well as encephalitis. Fleas
have transmitted bubonic plague, and ticks have caused lime disease.
Just like a river, an ocean, a rain forest, or any other ecological wonder in which numerous species survive,
feeding upon other inhabitants, our bodies are natural providers of nutrition and life for various small and microscopic
species.
1. The word inhabit in the second sentence is closest in meaning to _______.
A. escape B. live in C. feed on D. abuse
2. The author’s main point is _______.
A. to describe the dangerous ailments that can result from insects and microbes
B. to describe how the human body is host to a number of different harmful and harmless inhabitants and visitors
C. to warn people about the dangers of being attacked by small life forms
D. to describe how to rid oneself of bacteria and insects
3. The word shame in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to _______.
A. embarrassment B. anger C. disbelief D. contentment
4. The word their in the second paragraph refers to _______.
A. lice’s B. children’s C. circles’ D. schools’
5. Where, in the third paragraph, could the following sentence be inserted logically?
In fact, one mite is generally about one-fourth the size of a period on a page of text.
Mites on the human body are much more common, and cleanliness does not eliminate the chance of having
them. (A) They are also microscopic, so they are invisible to the naked eye. (B) There are a number of different species
of mites, two of which have the human face as their natural habitat, particularly the skin of the forehead. (C) Others are
very content among human hair, living among the follicles of the eyelashes, eyebrows, and scalp hair. (D)
A. (A) B. (B) C. (C) D. (D)
6. The author indicates that a nit picker is _______.
A. somebody who is afraid of mites B. somebody who removes lice professionally
C. a doctor who treats patients for infection D. somebody who has been bitten by a tick
7. The author infers that _______.
A. being host to insects and microbes is unwise B. being host to insects and microbes is inevitable
C. one can avoid infestation by microbes D. insects are the cause of microbial infestation
Passage B: Read the text below and choose the best answer to each question.
Otters are semi-aquatic mammals. They live on land, but they enjoy spending a great deal of time in the water.
There are thirteen species of otters. They are found mostly in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. An otter has
a long body, a short snout, and a long tail. Its four legs are fairly short, and it has webbed feet. Its webbed feet are what
enable an otter to swim so well. An otter's fur is either brown or gray in color, and the fur around its face is much lighter
than the fur around the rest of its body.
Otters reach maturity fairly quickly and begin to mate when they are two years of age. Female otters can give
birth to a litter of one to five babies every year. Otters build dens, which are typically holes in the ground and are
located near some source of water. These dens are where female otters give birth to their babies.
When they are first born, otters are dependent upon their mothers. But they grow rapidly and learn how to swim
when they are only two months old. This is about the same amount of time their fur coats need to grow completely.
Otters are natural swimmers, so it does not take much effort for them to learn to swim. Despite swimming well, the
babies stay with their mothers until they are about a year old. Then, once they become able to hunt for themselves, they
set off to live their own lives. Most otters can survive in the wild for between ten and fifteen years.
Otters are predatory carnivores that consume fish and crustaceans. They have also been known to eat reptiles,
amphibians, and birds even though those are not their first choices. But they are efficient hunters that rarely starve due
to their ability to catch a wide range of prey.
While otters are predators, they are also prey animals. Wolves, large snakes, alligators, and crocodiles hunt
them when they are on land or in shallow water. Further out at sea, killer whales frequently hunt them. Humans, who
desire otters for their pelts, hunt otters, too. In fact, human hunters have taken a toll on otter populations in places
around the world. While some people hunt otters, many more simply enjoy watching them. Otters are some of the most
playful animals on the planet. They seem to have a zest for life when they swim and play on land.
8. What is the best title for this passage?
A. All about Otters B. What Does an Otter Look Like?
C. Otters: Nature's Playful Animals D. Endangered Otters
9. According to the passage, all of the following are physical characteristics of otters EXCEPT _______.
A. their fur is colored either gray or brown B. they have four legs that are short
C. they have tails that are long D. only their front two feet are webbed
10. Which of the following statements does paragraph 2 support?
A. Female otters give birth to five babies every year. B. Otter couples stay together their entire lives.
C. Otters build their dens in holes underwater. D. Otters can give birth when they are two years
old.
11. What can be inferred from the article about baby otters?
A. They cannot eat meat in their first year of life. B. Hunting is harder for them than swimming.
C. Their fur coats keep them warm in cold water. D. Some of them are very poor swimmers.
12. The author uses killer whales as an example of _______.
A. animals that prey on otters B. large sea creatures
C. otters' fiercest enemies D. animals more dangerous than alligators
13. What does the author point out by writing that human hunters have taken a toll on otter populations in the final
paragraph?
A. Humans are trying to protect otters. B. Humans should stop hunting otters.
C. Humans have reduced the number of otters. D. Humans ought to help save more otters.
14. Which animal is NOT mentioned as a predator of otters?
A. Wolves B. Crocodiles C. Humans D. Crustaceans
Passage C:
Read the article. Six paragraphs have been removed from the article. Choose from the paragraphs
A-G the one which fits each gap. There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use.
Do fleeting changes of facial expression show whether someone is telling lies?
Psychologist Paul Ekman believes he has the answer, he tells Jon Henley.
Forty years ago, research psychologist Dr Paul Ekman was addressing a group of young psychiatrists in training when
he was asked a question whose answer has kept him busy pretty much ever since. Suppose you are working in a
psychiatric hospital like this one and a patient who has previously been aggressive comes to you. ‘I'm feeling much
better now,’ the patient says. ‘Can I have a pass out for the weekend?’

15. ……….
It set Ekman thinking. As part of his research, he had already recorded a series of twelve-minute interviews with
patients at the hospital. In a subsequent conversation, one of the patients told him that she had lied to him. So Ekman sat
and looked at the film. Nothing. He slowed it down and looked again. Slowed it further. And suddenly, there, across just
two frames, he saw it: a vivid, intense expression of extreme anguish.

16. ……….
Over the course of the next four decades, Ekman successfully demonstrated a proposition first suggested by Charles
Darwin: that the ways in which we express anger, disgust, contempt, fear, surprise, happiness and sadness are both
innate and universal.

17. ……….
However, particularly when we are lying, ‘microexpressions’ of powerfully-felt emotions will invariably flit across our
faces before we get a chance to stop them. Fortunately for liars, as many as ninety-nine percent of people will fail to
spot these fleeting signals of inner torment. But given a bit of training, Ekman says, almost anyone can develop the
skill.

18. ……….
The psychologist's techniques, he concedes, can only be a starting point for criminal investigators applying them. ‘All
they show is that someone's lying,’ he says. ‘You have to question very carefully because what you really want to know
is why they are lying. No expression of emotion, micro or macro, reveals exactly what is triggering it.’ He gives an
example.

19. ……….
Plus there are lies and lies. Ekman defines a lie as being a deliberate choice and intent to mislead, and with no
notification that this is what is occurring. ‘An actor or a poker player isn't a liar’, he says. ‘They're supposed to be
deceiving you - it's part of the game. I focus on serious lies: where the consequences for the liar are grave if they're
found out.’

20. ……….
Just read microexpressions and subtle expressions correctly, however, and Ekman reckons your accuracy in detecting an
attempt at deception will increase dramatically. However, when it comes to spotting really serious lies - those that
could, for example, affect national security - he says simply that he ‘does not believe we have solid evidence that
anything else works better than chance.’ Is he lying? I couldn't tell.
List of paragraphs:
A But once he had spotted the first one, he soon found three more examples in that same interview. 'And that,' says
Ekman, 'was the discovery of microexpressions: very fast, intense expressions of concealed emotion.'
B Ekman, incidentally, professes to be ‘a terrible liar’ and observes that although some people are plainly more
accomplished liars than others, he cannot teach anyone how to lie. 'The ability to detect a lie and the ability to lie
successfully are completely unrelated,' he says. But how can what he has learned help crime-solving?
C But how reliable are Ekman's methods?
'Microexpressions,' he says, 'are only part of a whole set of possible deception indicators. There are also what we call
subtle expressions. A very slight tightening of the lips, for example, is the most reliable sign of anger. You need to study
a person's whole demeanour: gesture, voice, posture, gaze and also, of course, the words themselves.'
D You also know, of course, that psychiatric patients routinely make such claims and that some, if they are granted
temporary leave, will cause harm to themselves or others. But this particular patient swears they are telling the truth.
They look, and sound, sincere. So here's the question: is there any way you can be sure they are telling the truth?
E Generally, though, the lies that interest Ekman are those in which 'the threat of loss or punishment to the liar is
severe: loss of job, loss of reputation, loss of spouse, loss of freedom'. Also those where the target would feel properly
aggrieved if they knew.
F 'Suppose,' Ekman posits, 'my wife has been found murdered in our hotel. How would I react when the police
questioned me? My demeanour might well be consistent with a concealed emotion. That could be because I was guilty
or because I was extremely angry at being a suspect, yet frightened of showing anger because I knew it might make the
police think I was guilty.'
G The facial muscles triggered by those seven basic emotions are, he has shown, essentially the same, regardless of
language and culture, from the US to Japan, Brazil to Papa New Guinea. What is more, expressions of emotion are
involuntary; they are almost impossible to suppress or conceal. We can try, of course.

II. OPEN CLOZE (10 PTS)

Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only ONE WORD for each space.
The Hindu Kush is an 800 km-long mountain (1) _______ of breathtaking beauty that stretches between central
Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. The (2) _______of the name Hindu Kush is a point
(3) _______ contention among scholars. Some believe that the name is likely a derivative of the ancient Greek term for
this vast mountain range: the 'Caucasus Indicus' (Indian Caucasus). Others consider the name
(4) _______ more probably a corruption of 'Hindu Koh', from the modern Persian word 'Kuh', meaning mountain. Yet
another theory is that Hindu Kush literally means 'Kills the Hindu', thus the name may be a memorial to the Indian
captives who, centuries ago, perished in the mountains (5) _______ being transported to Central Asian slave markets.
Support for this theory (6) _______ from the fact that in modern Persian the word ‘kush’ is derived from the verb
'kushtan', meaning to defeat, kill or subdue. Also, it should (7) _______ noted that the word 'Hindu' originally referred
to any inhabitant of the Indian subcontinent, or 'Hind', irrespective (8) _______ their religious affiliation. It was only
towards the end of the 18th century
that European merchants and colonists referred collectively to the followers of some Indian religions
(9) _______ 'Hindus'. Or, perhaps the name simply refers to the last great mountains people (10) _______ to cross
when moving between the Afghan plateau and the Indian subcontinent. Or it is from Hindi-Kash or Hindi-Kesh, the
boundary of Hind (i.e. the Indian subcontinent).

III. WORD FORMATION (20 PTS)

PART A: Supply the correct form of the words in the brackets.
1. Mark’s been terribly busy this week. It's (DOUBT) _______ whether he'll attend our performance tomorrow.
2. Unfortunately, none of us managed to convince the director of the benefits that our experiment might bring. His
(APPROVE) _______ grew even stronger when Jack mentioned the possible cost of the venture.
3. Sammy is going to be very (ILLUSION) _______ when you tell him he hasn't been accepted by the Police Academy.
4. Only when I completed reading the autobiographical novel did I get the true (SEE) _______ into the writer's
complex nature.
5. Nothing else interests him so much as his future promotion. He’s been (OCCUPY) _______ with it since he was told
he might take over the chairman’s seat.
6. The nuclear tests were carried out in this area for twelve years, but it will certainly remain (INHABIT) _______ for
dozens more because of the high radiation.
7. There are concerns that economic (STABLE) _______ in the country will lead to unrest.
8. She has demonstrated good (CONSISTENT) _______ in her exam results.
9. The study involves developing new (METHOD) _______ for analyzing the data.
10. The (CARE) _______ came every evening to check that the doors were locked.

PART B: Complete the following passage with correct forms from the words given in the box.

include • humour • sure • subtle • competent • understand • suitable • rule • expect • effect
WORD POWER
Using language (1) _______ involves more than simply stringing together a series of words. The power of
words lies in knowing how to use them to create (2) _______ of meaning and communicate a clear point of view. This
means thinking about the (3) _______ of the words themselves and the linguistic context in which they are used. What's
called communicative (4) _______ is the knack of saying what you mean succinctly, yet clearly enough to avoid your
being (5) _______.
What's more, word power is also a skill that can be used to your advantage. For example, if you want to make
your target audience sit up and think, one way of (6) _______ this is to force them to view reality from a slightly
different and possibly (7) _______ perspective. This can be done through the use of words that are relatively (8)
_______, and so make an impression.
The (9) _______ of more sophisticated vocabulary in your lexicon also provides the potential for creative
language use that is playful rather than simply (10) _______.
IV. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION (20 PTS)
Rewrite the sentences using the given forms so that they retain their original meaning.
1. You are all welcome to take any food you like.
-> Help ______________________________________________________________________.
2. One of the relatives has made a statement for the mourning parents on television. (behalf)
-> ______________________________________________________________________.
3. However unfavourable our position is, we mustn't surrender. (bold)
-> ______________________________________________________________________.
4. The young actor was very nervous before the audition. (butterflies)
-> The young actor ______________________________________________________________________.
5. Ian was not used to doing such strenuous training. (habit)
-> Ian was __________________________________________________________________ strenuously.
6. There is a bus to the station every half hour on Saturdays. (intervals)
-> There is a bus to the station_________________________________________________ on Saturdays.
7. She’s not very good at arranging flowers. (flair)
-> She doesn’t __________________________________________________________________.
8. If you remember, I was the one who started this project in 1995. (cast)
-> If ______________________________________________________________________.
9. The earthquake caused so much destruction that the town took years to rebuild.
-> So ______________________________________________________________________.
10. Adam’s been in a state of ecstasy since he got into art school. (nine)
-> ______________________________________________________________________.
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