PRACTICE TEST (A - 2015) - 3

A. VOCABULARY
I. Choose the best word from A, B, C or D that fits each blank.
1. Oliver Twist had already had his fair ___________of food.
A. ratio B. help C. ration D. division
2. Some great men have had an ___________school record.
A. indistinguishable B. indistinct C. extinguished D. undistinguished
3. Buyers and sellers were ___________over prices.
A. hacking B. hugging C. heckling D. haggling
4. Within a few weeks all this present trouble will have blown ___________ .
A. along B. over C. out D. away
5. The sixth (and last) volume in the series is ___________ with its predecessors.
A. uniform B. similar C. like D. identical
6. Politicians often promise to solve all a country's problems ___________ .
A. thick and fast B. on the whole C. of set purpose D. at a stroke
7. When the detectives finally trapped him, he had ___________to lying.
A. resource B. retort C. resort D. recourse
8. My late grandmother ___________me this silver teapot.
A. bequested B. willed C. bequeathed D. inherited
9. It was getting ___________midnight when he left.
A. on B. on to C. to D. past
10. In his student days, he was as poor as a church ___________ .
A. beggar B. miser C. mouse D. pauper
11. She may have been poor, but she was ___________honest.
A. finally B. in the end C. at least D. at last
12. The manager was very ___________with me about my prospects of promotion.
A. sincere B. friendly C. just D. frank
13. The unmarried ladies regard him as a very ___________young man.
A. ineligible B. illegible C. illicit D. eligible
14. Mr. Lazybones ___________to work harder in future.
A. excepted B. agreed C. accorded D. accepted
15. He believed that promotion should be awarded on ___________, not on length of service.
A. equality B. merit C. characteristics D. purposes
16. It is a criminal offence to ___________the facts.
A. oppress B. suppress C. repress D. express
17. He ___________the cart before the horse by buying the ring before he had proposed to her.
A. fastened B. tied C. put D. coupled
18. Every delicacy Miss Cook produces is done ___________ .
A.
19. She tells her small boy every day not to be rude, but it's like water off a duck's ___________ .
A. wings B. beak C. back D. feathers
20. Announcing that he was totally done ___________, Grandfather retired to bed.
A. out B. with C. in D. down

II. Use the correct form of each of the words given in parentheses to fill in the blank in each
sentence.
1. People used to suffer from their life-time physical (normal) __________________________ .
2. Unless we do research on (sun) __________________________energy, wind power, (tide)
__________________________ power, our fossil fuels will run out.
3. In my opinion, this book is just (intellect) __________________________rubbish.
4. The alpine (land) __________________________is very dramatic.
5. The slight (form) __________________________in his left hand was corrected by surgery.

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 6. It may be (produce) __________________________to force them into making a decision,
and if you upset them they're quite likely to overact.
7. Like oil, gas is a fossil fuel and is thus a (renew) __________________________source of
energy.
8. Various __________________________(practice) by police officers were brought to light by
the enquiry.
9. Tourists forget their (conceive) __________________________ideas as soon as they visit our
country.
10. They won the case because of the (appear) _____________________ in court of the
defendant.

III. Fill the gaps in the following text with the correct prepositions.
THE POWER OF THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND
Suddenly you find that you have lost all awareness (1) _________________ what you were
going to say next, though a moment ago the thought was, perfectly clear. Or perhaps you were (2)
_________________ the verge of introducing a friend, and his name escaped you, as you were about
to utter it. You may say you cannot remember; (3) _________________.all probability, though, the
thought has become unconscious, or (4) _________________least momentarily separated from
consciousness. We find the same phenomenon (5) _________________our senses. If we concentrate
hard (6) _________________a continuous note, which is (7) _________________ the edge of
audibility, the sound seems to stop (8) _________________regular intervals and then start again.
Such oscillations are the result of a periodic decrease and increase (9) _________________our
attention, not due to any variation (10) _________________ the note.
But when we are unconscious (11) _________________something it does not cease to exist, any
more than a car that has disappeared round a corner has vanished into thin air. It is simply (12)
_________________ of sight. Just as we may later see the car again, so we come across thoughts,
that were temporarily lost (13) _________________ us.
Thus, part of the unconscious consists of a multitude of temporarily obscured thoughts,
impressions, and images that, in spite of being lost, continue to have an influence (14)
_________________our conscious minds. A man who is distracted or 'absent-minded' will walk
across the room (15) _________________search of something. He stopped, in a quandary - he has
forgotten what he was (16) _________________ . His hands grope (17) _________________ the
objects on the table as if he were sleepwalking or (18) _________________ hypnosis; he is oblivious
(19) _________________ his original purpose, yet he is unconsciously guided by it.
(20) _________________.the end, he realizes what it is that he wants. His unconscious has
prompted him.

IV. Pick out the verbs and particles from the lists below to make phrasal verbs to fill in the blanks.
Do not forget to use the correct forms of the verbs
count, let, push, take, get, hold, turn, feel, hang, look, let,
fall, walk, crop, call, up, through, down, on, to, for, in
1. I've been trying to phone my sister in Australia for an hour, but I can't
_________________________.
2. I was talking to Jeff on the phone when suddenly he _________________________. I've no
idea why.
3. 'I'm going to the library.' 'If you _________________________ I'll get the car and drive you
there.
4. I promised Bill that I would lend him some money. He's _________________________me,
so I can't disappoint him.
5. Liz promised to help Tony with the report, but she _______________ him ____________ so
he had to write it without her.
6. What made Pete _________________________his family and his job? Where did he go and
why?
7. Sue's financial worries are beginning to _______________ her ___________ . She's very
depressed.
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 8. Kate has made great success of her life. We all _________________________ her.
9. You can't possibly say no to such a wonderful job offer. It's too good to
_________________________.
10. I'll _________________________you at seven this evening. Will you be ready by then?
11. I'm very tired. Joan invited me to dinner at her house, but I don't
_________________________ it. I'll go to bed early.
12. I applied for a part-time job at the supermarket. They're going to
_________________________.
13. I’m sorry I'm late. Something urgent _________________________at the office, so I couldn't
leave early.
14. It isn't that woman's turn. It's yours. Don't let her _________________________!
15. Simon _________________________an Irish girl that he met on holiday. Three months later
they were married.

C. READING
V. Read the passage and answer the questions which follow by choosing the best suggestion.
Does it matter that we British are so grudging towards the sciences compared with our almost
slavering eagerness to vaunt the winners in the arts? Is this a lingering example of our quiet
unspoken pride in one of our very greatest areas of achievement? Or is it media meagerness, or
madness or, worst of all, fashion?
Coverage of science has grown in newspapers and magazines lately; and science has its redoubts
in radio and television. But it cannot claim the public excitement so easily agitated by any slip of a
new arts winner who strolls onto the block. Perhaps this public recognition is unnecessary to science;
perhaps it is even harmful and scientists are wisely wary of the false inflation of reputation, the
bitching, and the feeding of the flames of envy which accompanies the glitz. Perhaps scientists are
too mature to bother with such baubles. I doubt it.
The blunt fact is that science has dropped out, or been dropped out, more correctly, of that race
for the wider public recognition and applause given so readily to the arts. There is also the odd and
persistent social canard about scientists: they are boring. I have met many artists and many scientists
over the years and here are my conclusions.
First, the scientists know much more about the arts than artists do about anyone of the sciences.
Secondly, when artists think they know about science, they almost always - according to scientists -
get it wrong. Thirdly, scientists are deeply interested in new ideas, theories, 'wild speculations, and
imaginative wizardry. For these reasons, I guess they'd rather talk to each other in preference to
talking to the rest of us because they find the rest of us rather boring.
The explanation for the bad press could simply be that those in charge of our great organs of
communication are molded by arts or news or business or sport or entertainment, and therefore
science has a struggle to join the game. But the effect of this could be unfortunate. Because which
young person wants to be left out of what is perceived by peers robe the current scene? If science is
in the amateur league of animated discourse, then who wants to play for an amateur club?
It would be a shame were this to become a drip-drip effect. Most British people are scarcely half
aware of what keeps ideas turning into inventions which save lives, drive societies, and open up the
heavens of imagination and possibility - as has happened in the last-couple of centuries in science
with its stout ally, technology. And does our comparative indifference to the subjects which make up
this great flow of knowledge dispirit many of those who in the future could have built on the proud
statistics of a few years ago?
1. What does the writer say in the first paragraph about the British attitude to the
sciences?
A. It is typical of the British -attitude towards many other things.
B. People who do well in the arts have had a big influence on it.
C. There may be a reason for it which is not too terrible.
D. Most British people are not aware that they have it.
2. In the second paragraph, the writer says that scientists in general
A. tend not to be capable of feeling envious.
B. are frustrated by the kind of coverage given to science.
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 C. do not pay much attention to each other's reputations.
D. would probably welcome a certain amount of fame.
3. The writer includes himself among people who
A. have tended to regard scientists as boring people.
B. have made a point of getting to know scientists.
C. have narrower interests than most scientists.
D. have wrong ideas about the work scientists do.
4. The writer says that there is a danger that young people will regard science as
A. elitist B. unfashionable C. predictable D. unintelligible
5. What does the writer conclude in the final paragraph?
A. British attitudes to science may result in fewer useful inventions.
B. British attitudes to science are likely to change in the future.
C. Scientists will become keener to educate the public about science.
D. Scientists will gain wider public recognition in the future.

VI. For this exercise, you must choose which of the paragraphs A-G fit into the numbered gaps in
the following newspaper article. There is one extra paragraph, which does not fit in any of the
gaps.
A. It was the finest friendship anyone could have, a brilliant pure friendship in which you would give
your life for your friend. .And life seemed marvelous, it seemed full of sunshine, full of incredible,
beautiful things to discover, and I looked forward so much to growing up with René.
B. There is not a single bitter note, there are no power games, there is nothing secret, there is
nothing which detracts from the purity of it.
C. Maybe because he was more mature he understood a bit better that this was part of life, that life
brings people together and separates them, and distance is not necessarily the end.
D. Well our parents realized it would be very traumatic, and they did not know how to break the
news, so they just announced it the day before. It was a beautiful summer's day, around five o'clock
in the evening, and both parents came and said: "We are moving away, and obviously René will
have to come with us."
E. Our neighbors had a son, and my wonderful childhood was shared with René; basically, we grew
up together, we spent every day together, went to school together; we did all the things that children
can do. It was a childhood spent in the woods, discovering the beautiful seasons, there was an
abundance of produce that grew in the wild, and we went mushrooming and frog hunting, and we
searched for toadstools under a full moon in winter, which we would sell because my parents didn't
have much money.
F. Hopefully, we will see each other more, but it is not essential. We now have a beautifully
matured, adult friendship where it is easy to talk about anything because we feel totally at ease.
G. And at that time my world stopped, it was the most incredible pain I have ever experienced, I
couldn't see life without my friend, my whole system, my life, was based on René, our friendship was
my life. And although he was only going away, he did not die, it was the worst loss I have ever had
in my life, still, now, and 30 years later I have not received another shock of that nature.

BEST OF TIMES, WORST OF TIMES

I thought the world was caving in, for the first time ever I lost somebody I loved; he didn't die, he
just went away, but I still measure all pain by the hurt René caused me. It was a very nice childhood,
an adolescence most people would wish to have, we lived in a tiny village and were a close family.
(1) ___________
The adventures that children go through are the making of a friendship, building a tree house and
spending a night in the forest - and losing our way back home, these things create a fantastic fabric to
the friendship. There was the loving element, too, he was very caring. René was a tall bloke and very
strong, and he would be my defender: if anyone ever teased me, he would be there.
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(2) ___________
And then at the age of 14, his family moved to the south of France, and we were in the east of
France, which is 750 kilometers away... the south of France sounded the end of the world.
(3) ___________
I went quiet for the news to sink in; at first it was sheer disbelief, numbness. I couldn't sleep, and
then in the night I understood the impact of the news, I understood that my life would be totally
separate from his, and I had to be by myself, alone.
(4) ___________
I had other friends, but never did I achieve I that kind of closeness. My world completely collapsed,
and nothing was the same, people, the classroom, nature, the country, butterflies.
(5) ___________
He accepted that life would separate us, he didn't see it as something final, it was my dramatic side to
see only the negative side, self-pity in a way. He is now living a happy life in Provence with a
beautiful wife and two lovely daughters, and he is coming here next year, so it is going to be quite
wonderful. It is the first time he has ever come to England, he's a good Frenchman, he does not speak
a word of English.
(6) ___________
It is a good, solid relationship that has been established over so many years, and has overcome all the
barriers which life and time can create. I don't think it really could have lasted the way it was.

D. USE OF ENGLISH
VII. Read the following text and decide which word best fits each blank.
HELP ALWAYS AT HAND: A MOBILE IS A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND
If it fits inside a pocket, keeps you safe as well as in touch with your office, your mother and
your children, it is (1) ______________worth having. This is the (2) ______________of the (3)
______________ranks of female mobile- phone users who are beginning to (4) ______________the
consumer market.
Although Britain has been (5) ______________to be one of the most expensive places in the
world to (6) ______________a mobile phone, both professional women and (7) ______________
mothers are undeterred. At first, the mobile phone was a rich man's plaything, or a businessman's (8)
______________symbol. Now women own almost as many telephones as men do - but for very
different reasons.
The main (9) ______________for most women customers is that it (10) ______________a form
of communications back-up, wherever they are, in case of (11) ______________ . James Tanner of
Tancroft Communications says: 'The (12) ______________of people buying phones from us this
year were women - often young women - or men who were buying for their mothers, wives and
girlfriends. And it always seems to be a question of (13) ______________of mind.
'Size is also (14) ______________for women. They want something that will fit in a handbag,'
said Mr. Tanner, 'The tiny phones coming in are having a very big (15) ______________. This year's
models are only half the size of your hand.'
1. A. totally B. certainly C. absolutely D. completely
2. A. vision B. vista C. view D. panorama
3. A. swelling B. increasing C. boosting D. maximizing
4. A. master B. dominate C. overbear D. command
5. A. demonstrated B. shown C. established D. seen
6. A. function B. drive C. work D. run
7. A. complete B. total C. full-time D. absolute
8. A. prestige B. fame C. power D. status
9. A. attraction B. enticement C. charm D. lure
10. A. supplies B. furnishes C. provides D. gives
11. A. urgency B. emergency C. predicament D. contingency
12. A. most B. preponderance C. majority D. bulk
13. A. tranquility B. calmness C. serenity D. peace
14. A. crucial B. necessary C. urgent D. essential
15. A. impact B. impression C. perception D. image
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VIII. There are 10 mistakes in the paragraph (either the word use, word lack or extra word).
Underline the incorrect word and correct it on the right column.

Line Content Correction

1 Piccadilly Circus is a famous traffic intersection and public space of 1.___________________
2 London’s West End in the City of Westminster. Building in 1819 to
2.___________________
3 connect Regent Street and the major shopping street of Piccadilly. The
4 Latin word circus (meaning circle) refers to a “circular open space at 3.___________________
5 a street junction”), it now links directly with to the theatres in
4.___________________
6 Shaftesbury Avenue as well as the Haymarket, Coventry Street
7 (onwards to Leicester Square) and Glasshouse Street. The Circus is 5.___________________
8 closed to major shopping and entertainment areas in a central location
6.___________________
9 at the heart of the West End. Its status as a major traffic intersection
10 has made Piccadilly Circus a busy meeting point and a tourist 7.___________________
11 attraction in its own right. The Circus is particularly known as its
8.___________________
12 video display and neon signs mounted on the corner of building on the
13 northern side, as well as the Shaftesbury memorial fountain and statue 9.___________________
14 known as ‘Eros’ (sometimes called ‘The Angel of Christian Charity’,
10.___________________
15 that would be better translated as ‘Agape’, but formally ‘Anteros’ –
16 see below). It is surrounded by several noted for buildings, including
17 the London Pavilion and Criterion Theatre. Directly underneath plaza
18 is the London Underground station Piccadilly Circus.

IX. Fill each of the numbered blanks in the passage with ONE suitable word.
DREAMS
Dreams have always fascinated human beings. The idea that dreams provide us with useful
information about our lives goes (1) ___________________________thousands of years. For the
greater (2) __________________________ of human history (3) ___________________________
was taken for granted that the sleeping mind was in touch with the supernatural world and dreams
were to be interpreted as messages with prophetic or healing functions. In the nineteenth century, (4)
___________________________was a widespread reaction (5)
___________________________this way of thinking and dreams were widely dismissed as being
very (6) ___________________________more than jumbles of fantasy (7)
___________________________about by memories of the previous day.
It was not (8) ___________________________the end of the nineteenth century (9)
___________________________an Austrian neurologist, Sigmund Freud, pointed out that people
who have similar experiences during the day, and who are then subjected (10)
___________________________the same stimuli when they are asleep, produce different dreams.
Freud (11) ___________________________on to develop a theory of the dream process which (12)
___________________________enable him to interpret dreams as clues to the conflicts taking place
within the personality. It is by no (13) ___________________________an exaggeration to say that
(14) ___________________________any other theories have had (15)
___________________________great an influence on subsequent thought.

X. Write a new sentences as similar as possible in meaning to the original sentence, using the
word given. You must use between THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given. Do not
change the word given.
1. You can rely on Frances to always say exactly what she thinks. COUNT
You can ____________________________________________ her mind.

2. She gets bored quickly at parties because there is so much trivial conversation. SMALL
Too much ___________________________________________ she gets bored quickly at
parties.

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3. We simply must pay them the whole amount before the end of the month. ALTERNATIVE
We ______________________________________ the whole amount before the end of the
month.

4. I’m sure you know the answer and I’ll remember it in just a moment. TIP
The answer’s ______________________________ and I’ll remember it in just a moment.

5. Carter joined the Conservatives after he left the Liberals in 1998. BROKE
Carter ______________________________________ favour of joining the Conservatives.

6. Though he may seem uninterested in the business, I know John will try to get part of the profit.
ACT
John will try ___________________________________ his apparent disinterest in the
business.

7. The firm did all they could in order to avoid getting into debt. BREAK
The firm _______________________________ way possible.

8. It might be possible to strike a fantastic deal but you must behave like a tough negotiator. PART
If you __________________________________ strike a fantastic deal.

9. Severe winds could completely destroy the tower. LIKELY

Severe winds _______________________________________ to tatters.

10. The giant panda can rarely be seen in farm areas. FEW
Sightings of the giant panda ____________________________________ between.

11. He played so well that he received a standing ovation from the audience. DID
So______________________________________ gave him a standing ovation.

12. Pat O’Brian rang to say that her son is unwell and won’t come to school today. FALLEN
Pat O’Brian’s _________________________________ she rang to say he won’t come to school
today.

13. Something tells me we should have turned right rather than left. FEELING
I _________________________________________ turned left, but right.

14. This property has been totally neglected and is in need of major renovation. DISREPAIR
Having _______________________________________ is in need of renovation.

15. Isobel’s tendency to interrupt every conversation makes me furious! BEND

It ________________________________________ Isobel interrupts every conversation!

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