PRACTICE TEST 13

I. LISTENING (40 points)

Part 1. You will hear part of a radio interview in which the comedian and writer Jane
Clarkson is talking about her work. For questions 1- 5, choose the answer (A, B, C or D)
which fits best according to what you hear.
1 What did Jane find difficult about writing a book?
A She couldn’t travel around the country.
B She didn’t get any instant reaction to her work.
C She had to spend time looking after her daughter.
D She found the process itself very challenging.
2 According to Jane, why did some critics dislike her novel?
A They didn’t think the book was funny.
B They were dismissive of her initial success.
C They thought her male colleagues were better writers.
D They thought she should stick to being a comedian.
3 According to Jane, how do many people react to female comedians?
A They’re convinced women can’t tell jokes.
B They’re afraid the women will break down.
C They find women’s humour too intense.
D They find women’s jokes embarrassing.
4 What was the disadvantage of the stage image which Jane developed?
A. It frightened the audience.
B It made the audience angry.
C People thought it reflected her real personality.
D People did not take her seriously any more.
5 Why does Jane prefer being a solo comedian to acting in a play?
A She can choose where she works.
B There is a greater range of roles.
C It’s more rewarding financially.
D It’s a more relaxing way of life.
Write your answers (A, B, C or D) here:
1. ________ 2. _________ 3. _______ 4. _________ 5.__________
Part 2. You will hear a marine wildlife photographer called Bruce Hind talking about his
work. For questions 1 - 5, decide whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F).
1. Taking photos is the most difficult part of marine photography.
2. Bruce is trying to rule out the creative side of photography.
3. People often need to get permission to take photos of whales and dolphins.
4. Bruce doesn’t feel at ease when he is at sea.
 5. Keeping cameras in a plastic food container can prevent water damage.
Part 3. You hear a radio interview in which the presenter, Terry Davis, is talking to Dr
Elizabeth Jones, an expert on climate. Listen to the interview and complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS and/or A NUMBER. CLIMATE CHANGE
1. Climate refers to a ............................................................ ; weather varies from day to
day.
2. Scientists can now ............................................................ , which helps future
projections.
3. A lot of ............................................ (e. coastal cities) are now more vulnerable to
climate changes.
4. In the late 70s: new equipment was developed to calculate
the .............................................. There have been very small variations over last 20
years.
5. Most warming in 20th century was caused by increased emissions of ..........................
produced by humans.
6. Small temperature changes may cause
...............................................................................
7. Evidence of change: melt ing glaciers, early springs, less snow on mountains, more frequent
.........................
8. Oceans and forests absorb some carbon dioxide but burning fossil fuels
produces .........................................
9. It can take up to ......................................................... for carbon dioxide to be removed
from atmosphere.
10. One study suggests emissions at a level of 450 parts per million will be necessary to
avoid ...........................
II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR (60 points)
Part 1: Choose the word or phrase (A, B, C or D) which best completes each sentence.
11. Companies are joining forces with governments in Africa to _____ regional
campaigns against malaria.
A fabricate B originate C mount D produce
12. The authorities have _____ their original decision to allow development of this rural
area.
A dispensed B detached C refrained D revoked
13. The integrity of a marine ecosystem could be _____ due to the impact of coastal
reclamation.
A compromised B conceded C conciliated D confronted
14. One of the organisation’s aims is to ___ information about the disease so that more
people know of is symptoms.
A disentangle B deride C dwindle D disseminate
15. This room has been _____ as a no-smoking area.
A designed B designated C described D destined
16. She _____ control of the family investments to her son.
A renounced B disowned C disclaimed D relinquished
17. Dealing with _____ refusal from an employee is easier than dealing with false
compliance.
A an offset B a remedial C an agile D an outright
18. Unemployment threat has been _____ for a while now.
A intimidating on the air B daunting on the lookout
C looming on the horizon D overwhelming on the wing
19. After _____ in obscurity for many years, her early novels have recently been
rediscovered.
A abolishing B flourishing C languishing D shattering
20. The best thing about living in the countryside is the _____ greenery.
A myriad B innumerable C untold D
abundant
21. There is large effort _____ to rebuild arts education in the New York City public
schools.
A under way B in the way C out of way D over the way
22. After living together for six years, Janet and Matt have finally decided to _____.
A feel the pinch B pull a few strings C tie the knot D be up and about
23. The party was already _____ by the time we arrived. Everyone was singing and
dancing.
A in full swing B up in the air C over the moon D under a cloud
24. His strange behaviour aroused the _____ of police.
A doubt B suspicion C disbelief D notice
25. Media reports on the outcome of military intervention often _____ the true facts.
A divert B detract C depose D distort
26. The day their first child was born, the new parents were _____ with joy.
A overthrown B overpowered C overtaken D
overcome
27. We may win, we may lose – it’s just the luck of the _____.
A chance B draw C odds D
fate
 28. They’re having serious problems. Their relationship is on the _____.
A cliffs B rocks C stones D
grass
29. The renewed interest in Elizabethan times is evident in the _____ of new Hollywood
films set during that period.
A spate B hypocrisy C transience D demise
1. ___________ 2. ___________ 3. ___________ 4. ___________ 5. ___________
6. ___________ 7. ___________ 8. ___________ 9. ___________ 10. ___________
Part 4. Complete the following sentences with the words given in the brackets. You have to
change the form of the word.
1. My friends started going out late to nightclubs so I decided to _______________
myself from the group. (SOCIAL)
2. New immigrants have been successfully _______________ into the community.
(SIMILAR)
3. He wanted Jill to give up her life of alcohol and _______________. (DESTROY)
4. The six long years in prison had _______________ him. (COARSE)
5. College _______________ have increased for the past years in. (DROP)
6. While all the desserts are pretty good, the clear _______________ is the lemon pie.
(STAND)
7. The sports association accepted the inevitability of a(n) _______________ by the elite
clubs. (BREAK)
8. She looked absolutely _______________ when I told her what had happened. She
could hardly say a word. (DUMB)
9. It was not wickedness that led him into crime but a cheerfully _______________
nature and a complete lack of reasoning power. (PULSE)
10. He does a little training, but first and _______________ he’s a writer. (MANY)
Write your answers (A, B, C or D) here:
11. ___________ 2. ___________ 3. ___________ 4. ___________ 5. ___________
12. ___________ 7. ___________ 8. ___________ 9. ___________ 10. ___________
Part 5. Complete the following passage with the word taken from the box. You have to
change the form of the word.
ACCESS ADAPT COMMUNE DEFINE GRATEFUL HUMBLE LOCATE PEACE
PECULIAR SIGNIFY
Of the myriad of Japanese ceremonies introduced to the West, the Japanese tea ceremony
would have to be the least (1) __________. Like many other aspects of Japanese culture, the
practice of drinking tea was brought down from China well over a thousand years ago. In
Japan, green tea developed its own character, and the Japanese tea ceremony has evolved into
a (2) __________ Japanese phenomenon. The modern tea ceremony can be traced back to the
17th century when it developed alongside another singular Japanese (3) __________ of
Chinese culture: the philosophy of Zen. The tea ceremony eventually became established as a
recognised form of high art, where it was practised in diverse (4) __________, from a Zen
temple to an ordinary home. Even today, the simplest and most secular tea ceremony still
embraces the Zen aesthetics of simplicity, austerity and devotion. During the ceremony
strictly prescribed words of invitation and (5) __________ are murmured quietly; tea maker
and guests play their roles with (6) __________ and respect. A brief moment of profound
tranquillity has been (7) __________ created and shared. It is simultaneously and aesthetic,
social and spiritual moment. (8) __________ it is a Japanese moment, fleeting and poignant
with its own (9) __________ where the noise and confusion of the everyday world is
temporarily suspended as a vague, (10) __________ sense of the eternal pervades.
Write your answers (A, B, C or D) here:
1. ___________ 2. ___________ 3. ___________ 4. ___________ 5. ___________
2. ___________ 7. ___________ 8. ___________ 9. ___________ 10. ___________
III. READING (60 points) Part 1. For questions 1-15, read the three texts below and decide
which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
In the north-west corner of the island paradise Isla Perlita, nestling in the shadow of Mount
Machu, lies the sleepy village of San Lorenzo. Off the beaten (1)_______ , there is nothing
out of the ordinary about this quaint little village -nothing, that is, apart from the magnificent
(2)_______ Bay Hotel. The Bay, as it is known locally, is a recent development catering for
(3)travellers who enjoy luxury holiday-making. Famous throughout the island for the
outstanding quality of its accommodation and the excellence of its cuisine, the Bay (4) 30
guest suites, each with a charm and character of its own. Each suite looks (5)_______ Falmer
Beach, commanding breathtaking views of the four miles of white sand, which gently shelves
into the (6)_______ clear waters of the Crepuscan Sea. At the heart of the Bay Hotel is
personal, efficient and unobtrusive service. (7)_______ staff anticipate your every need in an
atmosphere of quiet professionalism and genuine friendliness. (8)_______ , the Bay Hotel is
a place to get (9)_______ from the stresses of everyday life, and whether it is (10)_______
away the hours (11)_______ up the sun or taking advantage of the wide range of recreational
activities that the hotel has (12)_______ offer, you can be sure that a holiday at the Bay truly
is the holiday of a lifetime. Air Perlita flies direct to Isla Perlita once a fortnight from
Gatwick. It is advisable to book well in (13)_______ , especially during (14)_______ season
(January through March) as flights fill up quickly. For air (15)_______, hotel tariffs and
general terms and conditions, please see pages 67 and 68 of this brochure.
Question 1. A. path B. track C. road D.
way
Question 2. A. five-starred B. five-stars C. five-star D. five-starring
Question 3. A. disconcerting B. discerning C. distinctive D. discriminated
Question 4. A. announces B. claims C. asserts D. boasts
Question 5. A. back on B. onto C. into D. down
Question 6. A. crystal B. sky C. diamond D. pearl
Question 7. A. Preoccupied B. Attentive C. Concentrated D. Undivided
Question 8. A. All over B. For all C. Above all D. All along
Question 9. A. out B. over C. off D. away
Question 10. A. whiling B. wearing C. wending D. winding
Question 11. A. soaking B. drawing C. taking D. absorbing
Question 12. A. in B. for C. on D. at
Question 13. A. anticipation B. time C. hand D. advance
Question 14. A. high B. on C. full D. open
Question 15. A. fees B. rates C. fares D. tenders
Write your answers (A, B, C or D) here:
1. ___________ 2. ___________ 3. ___________ 4. ___________ 5. ___________
2. ___________ 7. ___________ 8. ___________ 9. ___________ 10. ___________
3. ___________ 12. __________ 13. __________ 14. __________ 15. __________
Part 2. Fill in each of the blanks with one suitable word
THE LAST RESORT
Today anyone who owns a credit card can travel almost everywhere – to the North Pole, for
instance, or for a holiday (1) __________ New Guineans who not so long ago might have (2)
__________ you of your head. And, (3) __________ the urge take you to stand on the
summit of the world’s highest mountain, there will be no shortage of tour companies willing
to take you. (4) __________ to say, the ends of the earth remain a powerful literary magnet.
We want to read about places ‘off the (5) __________ ’, if only to assure ourselves that they
still exist, that runaway globalization is (6) __________ to be completed. In his book Where
the Earth Ends, John Harrison journeys through Patagonia to Antarctica. ‘Voyages begin in
books,’ Harrison writes, and his is a bookish sort of voyage. Not for him the confessionals
(the ‘Carole and I (7) __________ up, therefore I decided to visit Bhutan’ genre) so much in
fashion with travel writers. (8) ________, he relates his story as if it were everyone else’s.
Thus we learn considerably more about his precursors – Magellan for (9) ________
2. According to the text, the images in Church Hole cave are
A. unique examples of ceiling art. B. particularly beautiful cave paintings.
C. superior in quality to other cave art in Britain. D. aesthetically exceptional.
3. What is the cultural significance of these images?
A. They indicate that people from central Europe had settled in Britain.
B. They prove that ancient Britons hunted over large areas.
C. They reveal the existence of a single ice-age culture in Europe.
D. They suggest that people in Europe were more sophisticated than Britons.
4. The word intimidating in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
A. frightening B. charming C. deploying D. adjusting
5. According to the text,
A. the discovery of the images should not have been made public.
B. the images in the cave are vulnerable to damage.
 C. many people visited the cave within hours of its discovery.
D. the measures taken to protect the images have proved ineffective.
6. Why were the images not discovered during the initial survey?
A. They were not viewed from the right angle.
B. People were not expecting to find any images.
C. Artificial light was used to explore the cave.
D. The torches used were too powerful.
7. What conclusions does Dr Samson draw from the lighting factor?
A. Rituals are common in animal worship.
B. The artists never intended to make the images visible.
C. The images were intended to be visible at a certain time of day.
D. Ice-age hunters worshipped animals in the cave.
8. According to Dr Caruthers,
A. we cannot make inferences from cave art.
B. the images in Church Hole do not serve any particular function.
C. experts know nothing about life 13000 years ago.
D. the function of such images is open to question.
9. The word tentatively in paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to
A. provisionally B. certainly C. concurrently D. permanently
10. It seems that the writer:
A. can now envisage the life of ice-age hunters more vividly.
B. was profoundly impressed by the images in the cave.
C. has now realized the true significance of cave art.
D. thinks the images should receive more publicity.
Write your answers (A, B, C or D) here:
1. ___________ 2. ___________ 3. ___________ 4. ___________ 5. ___________
6. ___________ 7. ___________ 8. ___________ 9. ___________ 10. ___________

Part 4. Read the passage below and do the tasks that follow.
PAINTERS OF TIME
‘The world’s fascination with the mystique of Australian Aboriginal art.’ Emmanuel de Roux
A The works of Aboriginal artists are now much in demand throughout the world, and not
just in Australia, where they are already fully recognised: the National Museum of Australia,
which opened in Canberra in 2001, designated 40% of its exhibition space to works by
Aborigines. In Europe their art is being exhibited at a museum in Lyon, France, while the
future Quai Branly museum in Paris – which will be devoted to arts and civilisations of
Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas – plans to commission frescoes by artists from
Australia.
B Their artistic movement began about 30 years ago, but its roots go back to time
immemorial. All the works refer to the founding myth of the Aboriginal culture, ‘the
Dreaming’. That internal geography, which is rendered with a brush and colours, is also the
expression of the Aborigines’ long quest to regain the land which was stolen from them when
Europeans arrived in the nineteenth century. ‘Painting is nothing without history,’ says one
such artist, Michael Nelson Tjakamarra.
C There are now fewer than 400,000 Aborigines living in Australia. They have been
swamped by the country’s 17 million immigrants. These original ‘natives’ have been living in
Australia for 50, years, but they were undoubtedly maltreated by the newcomers. Driven back
to the most barren lands or crammed into slums on the outskirts of cities, the Aborigines were
subjected to a policy of ‘assimilation’, which involved kidnapping children to make them
better ‘integrated’ into European society, and herding the nomadic Aborigines by force into
settled communities.
D It was in one such community, Papunya, near Alice Springs, in the central desert, that
Aboriginal painting first came into its own. In 1971, a white schoolteacher, Geoffrey Bardon,
suggested to a group of Aborigines that they should decorate the school walls with ritual
motifs, so as to pass on to the younger generation the myths that were starting to fade from
their collective memory. He gave them brushes, colours and surfaces to paint on – cardboard
and canvases. He was astounded by the result. But their art did not come like a bolt from the
blue: for thousands of years Aborigines had been ‘painting’ on the ground using sands of
different colours, and on rock faces. They had also been decorating their bodies for
ceremonial purposes. So there existed a formal vocabulary.
E This had already been noted by Europeans. In the early twentieth century, Aboriginal
communities brought together by missionaries in northern Australia had been encouraged to
reproduce on tree bark the motifs found on rock faces. Artists turned out a steady stream of
works, supported by the churches, which helped to sell them to the public, and between 1950
and 1960 Aboriginal paintings began to reach overseas museums. Painting on bark persisted
in the north, whereas the communities in the central desert increasingly used acrylic paint,
and elsewhere in Western Australia women explored the possibilities of wax painting and
dyeing processes, known as ‘batik’.
F What Aborigines depict are always elements of the Dreaming, the collective history that
each community is both part of and guardian of. The Dreaming is the story of their origins, of
their ‘Great Ancestors’, who passed on their knowledge, their art and their skills (hunting,
medicine, painting, music and dance) to man. ‘The Dreaming is not synonymous with the
moment when the world was created,’ says Stephane Jacob, one of the organisers of the Lyon
exhibition. ‘For Aborigines, that moment has never ceased to exist. It is perpetuated by the
cycle of the seasons and the religious ceremonies which the Aborigines organise. Indeed the
aim of those ceremonies is also to ensure the permanence of that golden age. The central
function of Aboriginal painting, even in its contemporary manifestations, is to guarantee the
survival of this world. The Dreaming is both past, present and future.’
G Each work is created individually, with a form peculiar to each artist, but it is created
within and on behalf of a community who must approve it. An artist cannot use a ‘dream’ that
does not belong to his or her community, since each community is the owner of its dreams,
just as it is anchored to a territory marked out by its ancestors, so each painting can be
interpreted as a kind of spiritual road map for that community.
H ‘By exporting their paintings as though they were surfaces of their territory, by
accompanying them to the temples of western art, the Aborigines have redrawn the map of
their country, into whose depths they were exiled,’ says Yves Le Fur, of the Quai Branly
museum. ‘Masterpieces have been created. Their undeniable power prompts a dialogue that
has proved all too rare in the history of contacts between the two cultures’.
Question 1-6: The passage has nine paragraphs, A-H. Choose the correct heading for
paragraphs A- F from the list of headings, i-viii, below. List of Headings
i Amazing results from a project
ii New religious ceremonies
iii Community art centres
Part 3. Write an essay of about 300 words on the following topic:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Classmates are a more important
influence than parents on a child’s success in school.
Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.