PRACTICE TEST USE OF ENGLISH I Choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D) that best completes each sentence They weren’t _ off by the terrible weather and continued with the race A made B stuck C put D got He’s _ a shy person and rarely speaks in public A fairly B rather C very D pretty It’s incredible that the plague wiped _ nearly half of London’s population A by B out C over D off The Petronas Towers in Malaysia are totally _ in structure A unique B strange C rare D unusual How important is it to _ in local community projects? A support B restore C protect D invest The tiger is one of many animals in _ of becoming extinct A terror B fright C danger D risk Some people were surprised by the lack _ running water and electricity A of B from C by D in The moment we left the hotel, a _ storm began A torrential B tropical C strong D hard Heavy _ of wind have been hitting the west coast A gales B gusts C hails D breezes 10 Markus took to skiing like a _ to water A fish B duck C boat D shark 11 Swimming is the best way to lose any weight you have _ on in the winter A added B gained C taken D put 12 Can you imagine putting yourself _ the pain of running a marathon? A through B into C in D over 13 I have never played tennis on a grass _ Have you? A pitch B court C field D ground 14 When they heard the football _ , they went wild A grades B marks C results D figures 15 They _ three–all the first time in their first match against each other A shared B equalled C drew D made 18 We decided to sign _ for the trip to Ecuador and added our names to the list A up B on C over D in 19 Snowboarding started to _ as a winter sport in the 1970s and 1980s but has become even more popular since then A get out B take off C come out D go off 20 What you think the most dangerous sport was in _ times? A old B aged C antique D ancient 21 When his father decided to retire, Jason took _ the role of director A after B over C off D by II Read the sentences and choose the correct answers in italics We had better leave / to leave / leaving now We don’t want to miss our train Any pupil caught talking during the exam was made stay / to stay / staying behind after class Only one person managed to get the answers very / fairly / completely correct We began to offer a daily special in the hope of / to / for attracting more customers I’d rather live/ to live/ lived in the countryside He couldn’t help notice / to notice / noticing the strange smell in the room I’ll never forget see / to see / seeing the look of surprise on her face when she opened her present I was amazed she had time to stop talk / to talk / talking to me with her busy schedule III Read the sentences and think of the word which best fits each gap Use only one word in each gap The film already started when we arrived at the cinema What you doing at p.m last Saturday? There’s space for a table in the kitchen – it’s too small There were very people at the event due to the bad weather We were really by the film We had expected it to be brilliant Before he moved to Bristol, he had living in France She’s turning up late, which is very annoying at the best of times Have you got idea of how to get to the university from here? They were driving to the airport they heard about the strike IV Read the sentences and use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the gap It’s the aspects such as tenses that I find the hardest GRAMMAR Many of the city’s are now moving into the new development INHABIT A new online help site has been created to help of anxiety and stress SUFFER Who you think is the most athlete in the world? IMPRESS When learning grammar, remember there are always to the rule EXCEPT His latest piece of art has been created from recycled everyday objects IMAGINE What are the main responsibilities of any ? GOVERN Remember to use a range of linking when writing an essay EXPRESS V Read the texts Use the words in the boxes to the right of the texts to form one word that fits in the same numbered space in the text POP MUSIC NO HANDICAP TO PUPILS' HOMEWORK Children who say pop music does not interfere with their homework receive support today, with the (1) that paying attention to (2) stimuli and sounds requires completely different brain pathways which can operate at the same time without your (3) of either being damaged (4) have found that listening to car stereos does not create much (5) when you are driving (6) , pop music should not interfere with children's homework The (7) of pop music on their performance at it is far (8) by other factors, such as how happy they are to be doing it These (9) could be applied to the design of places where people have to take in large amounts of information very quickly They could, for example, be relevant to the (10) of pilot cockpits on aircraft VI DISCOVER VISION APPRECIATE RESEARCH INTERFERE SIMILAR AFFECT WEIGH FIND 10 LAY In most lines in the following text, there is one unnecessary word It is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in the sense of the text For each numbered line 1-16, find this word and then write it in the numbered lines accordingly Some lines are correct Indicate these lines with a tick (✓ THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE English has for more than a century and a half been called a world language The number of people who speak it as for their mother tongue has been estimated being at between three hundred million and (our hundred million It is recognised as an official language in countries where 1.5 billion people live there In China, the importance which attached to learning English is such so that a televised teaching course drew audiences of up to 100million But this spread of English throughout the world is relatively recent although In the late sixteenth century English was spoken by just under five million people The after arrival of English in North America was the key step in its world-wide expansion The United States is a huge commercial market and this one has tended to promote the English language in many other nations About an eighty per cent of the data stored on the world's computers is believed as to be in English and nowadays the insufficient knowledge of English can be a problem in business Frequently it is that the language used at international conferences and when people are doing themselves business together _ 00 _ 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 WRITING I Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given Do not change the word given You must use between two and five words, including the word given After an hour of waiting, he finally turned up BEEN I _ an hour when he finally turned up Jo worked from 10 p.m to a.m STILL Jo midnight They arrived and then, a bit later on, I went to the station TIME They _ I got to the station He heard the news and phoned me immediately SOON He phoned me _ heard the news I think this book is rather interesting QUITE I think it’s _ book First she read the letter and then she replied to it HAD She _ she replied to it Someone paid five thousand pounds for the painting WENT The painting _ We have made neither a profit nor a loss this year EVEN We have I find Harold’s behavior quite incomprehensible LOSS I find _ 10 What you have been saying is quite irrelevant BESIDE What you have _ READING I Read the text below and then decide which word on page 18best fits each space Put the letter you choose for each question in the correct box on your answer sheet GEORGE ORWELL George Orwell did not expect to be a successful writer In fact, he (0) much of his life anticipating failure In an essay about his schooldays, he wrote that until he was about thirty he always planned his life with the (1) that any major undertaking was bound to fail He wanted success and worked hard to (2) it but he was never quite able to give up the (3) that his efforts would always come up short At the age of 46, (4) before he died, he confided in his private notebook that a deep (5) of inadequacy had haunted him throughout his career He stated that there had been (6) not one day in which he did not feel that he was being lazy, that he was (7) with his current job and that his rate of work was miserably small Even in the first months after the tremendous success of Animal Farm, he was quick to (8) his achievement, declaring that his next book was bound to be a failure Of course, no conscientious author is ever completely (9) with their work, but Orwell's doubts were so (10) that he often appeared more comfortable (11) defeat than acknowledging success In 1940, after the publication of his eighth book, he (12) to an admiring letter from another writer by (13) out of his way to show the man why he was not (14) of his praise "It makes me laugh," he wrote, "to see you referring to me as 'famous' and 'successful' I wonder if you (15) how little my books sell!" 10 11 12 13 14 15 A took A forecast A reach A impression A shortly A belief A totally A behind A decrease A cheered A lengthy A admitting A returned A going A capable A appreciate B spent B trust B achieve B notion B presently B appreciation B fully B below B discount B assured B persistent B granting B responded B moving B worthy B assume C had C expectation C fulfil C judgement C recently C sense C constantly C backward C refuse C glad C attached C agreeing C answered C setting C just C regard D followed D reliance D manage D awareness D virtually D thought D literally D beneath D lower D satisfied D convinced D allowing D denied D leaving D acceptable D acknowledge II Read an article about a wrestler who become an author Choose the answer (A, B, C or 0) which you think fits best according to the text THE WRESTLER WHO BECAME AN AUTHOR Pete Watson looks like the biggest sweetest teddy bear you ever saw It is only when he opens his mouth that you notice the missing front teeth Watson is a three-time world champion wrestler turned author He was adored by fans because he was different while other wrestlers were supreme athletes, he was just a hulk who knew how to take a hit You could throw as many chairs as you liked at Pete Watson, you could smack him repeatedly, but he wouldn't go down After two autobiographies and a series of children's stories, he has just written a brilliant first novel: a work of immense power and subtlety, likely to gain a wide readership At its simplest, it is about a boy and his dad getting together after a lifetime apart, though there is far more to it than that Was he inspired by anyone he knew? The father, he says, is based on guy she met on the road, wrestlers, friends of his, who appeared to be leading exciting lives, but deep down were pretty miserable Watson does not come from traditional wrestling stock He grew up in Long Island, New York His father was an athletics director with a PhD, his mother a physical education teacher with two master's degrees - one in literature, the other in Russian history He was a big boy, bullied for his size One day his neighbour had a go at him, and for the first time Watson realised he could use his weight and size instead of feeling awkward about it It was a turning point At college, he did a degree in communication studies Meanwhile, he was learning the ropes of professional wrestling Did his parents try to dissuade him? ‘No They were just really insistent that I finished college I am pretty sure they thought I'd get hurt and quit wrestling.’ But he didn't He looks in remarkably good condition for someone who spent 20 years in the ring His skin is smooth and firm; there are few visible scars 'It's amazing what retirement can for you I looked really rough five years ago, and now I think I look a good deal younger,' he says People are surprised by the softness of his handshake 'Yeah, that's the wrestler's handshake: he says Do you have to be a good actor to be a good wrestler? 'I used to really resent the acting label, but it is acting When it's really good, when you're feeling it and letting that real emotion fly, it comes closer to being real 'What did his children think when they saw him getting hurt? 'Well, they used to think I never got hurt because that's what I told them When they got old enough to realise I did, they stopped enjoying it That was, in part, what led to my decision to go out’ Nowadays, his time is dedicated to family and books - his next novel is about boy wrestlers living on the same block, and he is also writing more children's stories He does not think this life is so different from wrestling 'Wrestling is all about characters.’ he says So when my fans hear I've written a novel, I don't get the sense that they feel I've abandoned them What impression we get of Pete Watson's skills as a wrestler? A He frequently lost because he was not very aggressive B He was too gentle and friendly to be a good wrestler C He was injured a lot because he didn't fight back D His speciality was letting his opponent hit him It is suggested that Watson's first novel A is based on his own autobiography B will be popular with those who liked his autobiographies C will not only appeal to his fans D is not much more than a simple story What does 'traditional wrestling stock' in paragraph refer to? A Watson's childhood B Watson's family background C Watson's educational background D Watson's background in athletics What did Watson's parents feel about his interest in wrestling? A They were afraid he would get hurt B They insisted that he should have proper training at college C They wanted him to give up wrestling D They thought he would abandon the sport quite soon Watson seems to be in good condition now A although he has retired B in spite of being a wrestler for so long C because he stopped wrestling five years ago D and he finds this fact amazing How does Watson regard the idea that wrestling is like acting? A He resents the suggestion B He thinks wrestlers aren't good actors C He has come to accept it D He doesn't think wrestling can compare to acting What does 'That' in paragraph refer to? A the fact that Watson's children got older B the fact that Watson often got hurt C the fact that Watson's children no longer enjoyed watching him perform D the fact that Watson could not tell his children the truth Watson's present life is not so different from his past profession because A his work is still connected with characters B he is writing about wrestling, his previous profession C his family are still more important than anything else D his fans still follow his career with interest LISTENING You will hear part of a radio interview with a woman who is the director of the Museum Association Complete the sentences The Museum Association was started (9) _ ago Their task is to change the way people think about museums in the next (10) _ Ms Edwards worked for a big (11) _ before coming to work for the Association Museums must be more (12) _ in the way they attract visitors Museums were mainly for people with a high level of (13) _ Ms Edwards would like museums to have (14) _ with school in the area She wants museums to be friendly, like (15) _ A trip to the museum can be (16) _ for most people Investing in museums is a way of investing in (17 _ of the country The Museum Festival next year will be held in (18) _ WRITING I Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given Do not change the word given After an hour of waiting, he finally turned up BEEN I had been waiting for an hour when he finally turned up Jo worked from 10 p.m to a.m STILL Jo was still at work at/was still working at midnight They arrived and then, a bit later on, I went to the station TIME They had arrived by the time I got to the station He heard the news and phoned me immediately SOON He phoned me as soon as he (had) heard the news I think this book is rather interesting QUITE I think it’s quite an interesting book First she read the letter and then she replied to it HAD She had read the letter before she replied to it Someone paid five thousands pounds for the painting WENT The painting went for five thousands pounds We have made neither a profit nor a loss this year EVEN We have broken even this year I find Harold’s behavior quite incomprehensible LOSS I find myself at a loss to understand/ comprehend Harold’s behavior 10 What you have been saying is quite irrelevant BESIDE What you have been saying is beside the point ... immediately SOON He phoned me _ heard the news I think this book is rather interesting QUITE I think it’s _ book First she read the letter... this fact amazing How does Watson regard the idea that wrestling is like acting? A He resents the suggestion B He thinks wrestlers aren't good actors C He has come to accept it D He doesn't think... phoned me immediately SOON He phoned me as soon as he (had) heard the news I think this book is rather interesting QUITE I think it’s quite an interesting book First she read the letter and then she