TEST 1

A: GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY

I. Choose the word or phrase that best fits the space in each sentence.
1. If you have anything important to do, do it straight away. Don't put it ______.
A. on B. off C. over D. up
2. The plane from Dallas ______ two hours late, so I missed my connecting flight from Frankfurt to London.
A. took off B. took on C. left on D. left out
3. ______, Carol is very punctual, but she was late tonight.
A. For a rule B. Like a rule C. As a rule D. For a rule of thumb
4. 'What did Professor Spencer say when you asked him if the final exam could be postponed?'
“He said that it was out of ______ because there's no time to reschedule the test”.
A. the question B. order C. all proportion D. reach
5. Solar heat penetrates more deeply into water than _____.
A. it is penetrating into soil B. it does into soil C. does it into soil D. that it does into soil
6. ______ on barren slopes can help prevent erosion.
A. Trees to be planted B. Planting trees C. Trees being planted D. That trees are planted
7. He has been unable to find a job ______ with his ability as an accountant.
A. appropriate B. suitable C. requisite D. commensurate
8. As they watched the football match the huge crowd ______ in unison.
A. chanted B. intoned C. crowed D. bellowed
9. In this assignment, we will ______ your work and then give you detailed feedback on how to improve your
writing.
A. assess B. judge C. measure D. test
10. Although it is impossible to give a ______ age, we believe that the woman was between 25 and 30 when she
died.
A. clear B. certain C. absolute D. definite
II. Find out and correct the 10 mistakes in the following passage.
Although party invitations no longer frightened to me, I found myself making carefully preparations for
this particularly party. I got a haircut, laid out my best suit, selected a special shirt, a colourful tie, and cuff-
links. I had recently went on a diet, but because I didn't want I looked too thin, I discontinued it. What should I
bring to my hosts? Flowers? wine? What kind of the wine? Port? Sherry? Or possibly even champagne?
Meeting new people was still a major undertaking. It was schedule for this Saturday and I decided to take a cab
to the suburb where it was being hold. It was early autumn and the weather was mild, but that morning it turned
cold and rainy, and as I listened to the steam hissing in my radiator, it already fell like midwinter. From my
newspaper, I learned that a hurricane which had already struck another state was in its way to New York,
though it might veer out to sea.
E.g. frightened to me → frightened me
III. Use the correct forms of the given words
1. One day he would have to accept the _______ of one of his heroes in public life. resign
2. After having drunk a lot of wine, he came back home _______. steady
3. _______, he failed the final exam. luck
4. There is too much _______ in this world. greedy
5. Mr. Smith is a _______person. If he says he will do something, you know that he will do. depend
6. The sun and the moon are often _______ in poetry. person
7. Don’t you think it would be _______ to see a doctor? sense
8. I’ve known _______ all my life. There have been times when I couldn’t even afford a loaf hard
of bread.
9. She’s got very _______ parents. wealth
10. She is a highly _______ woman. education
B. Reading
I. Read the text and choose the best answer.

Bats are not the dirty, bloodthirsty monsters that they are portrayed to be in vampire films. These
animals groom themselves carefully like cats and only rarely carry rabies. Of the hundreds of species
of bats, only three rely on blood meals. In fact, the majority eat fruit, insects, spiders, or small
4 animals. They consume an enormous number of pests, pollinate many varieties of plant life, and help
reforest barren land by excreting millions of undigested seeds.
Almost all bats use echolocation to navigate, especially at night. As they fly, they emit a series of
high-pitched squeaks at the rate of about fifty per minute. As these signals bounce off objects in their
path, an echo is detected by the bats' sensitive ears which informs them of the direction and distance
10 of obstacles so that they can undertake corrective or evasive action. But bats are not blind as widely
assumed. In fact, all species of bats can see, probably about as well as human beings.
It is also a little-known fact that bats are highly social creatures. Thousands or even millions of
individual bats may belong to a colony, hanging upside down in caves or in trees. Within their social
13 systems, bats assume specialized roles. Some may guard the entrance to their caves, others may scout
for food, and still others may warn the colony of approaching danger. A nursery colony may be part of
a larger colony to provide mother bats with a safe, supportive environment in which to rear their
young.
1. What is the author's opinion of bats?
A. They are dirty and they carry rabies. B. They are like the monsters in vampire films.
C. They are clean, helpful members of the animal world. D. They are not very important in the animal world.
2. According to the passage, how are bats like cats?
A. They both carry rabies. B. Cats groom themselves, and so do bats.
C. Both cats and bats eat pests. D. Bats use echolocation, and cats do, too.
3. What do most bats eat?
A. Blood meals B. Fruit and insects C. Leaves and trees D. Large animals
4. The word “enormous” in line 4 could best be replaced by ______.
A. very heavy B. very regular C. very large D. very necessary
5. Which of the following are NOT characteristics of most bats?
A. They pollinate plants. B. They have specialized roles in their colony.
C. They use echolocation. D. They eat blood.
6. How do bats help reforest the land?
A. By eating pests. B. By hanging upside down in trees at night
C. By excreting seeds D. By taking evasive action
7. The word “emit” in line 6 is closest in meaning to _______.
A. send B. continue C. find D. stop
8. According to the passage, how do bats navigate?
A. By responding to the echoes of their signals bouncing off objects
B. By warning the colony of approaching danger with high squeaks
C. By beating their wings fifty times per minute
D. By using their sensitive ears to hear the noises in their environment
9. Where in the passage does the author refer to the visual range of bats?
A. Lines 4-5 B. Lines 6-7 C. Lines 7-9 D. Lines 10-11
10. The word “Some” in line 13 refers to ______.
A. social systems B. specialized roles C. bats D. colonies
II. Fill each blank in the following passage with ONE suitable word.
Tom Sponson, aged fifty three, was a thoroughly successful (1) _____. He had worked up a first-class
business, (2) _____ a charming wife, and built himself a good house (3) _____ the London suburb that was
neither so modern as to be pretentious nor so conventional to be dull. He (4) ______ good taste. His son was
doing well (5) _____ Oxford. His daughter, who was attending a good school, had no wish to (6) _____ make-
up, to wear low frocks, or to flirt. She still saw herself as too young (7) _____ these trifling amusements. Yet
she was gay, affectionate, and thoroughly happy with life. All (8) _____same, for same time, Tom had (9)
_____ aware that he was working very hard for very little. His wife gave him a little kiss in the morning when
he (10) _____ for the office and, if she were not at a party another little kiss in the evening when he came home.
III. Read the passage and choose the best option for each space.
Music is universal _ it is produced by all cultures. Some scientists believe that music came before
speech and (1) ______ as a development of making calls. In fact, there is (2) ______ theory that the earliest
languages were chanted or sung rather than spoken. Indeed, in some cultures, music is a form of (3) ______
history. The Aboriginal Australians, for example, use music as a means to (4) ______ on histories of the land
and spirits to the next generation.
New evidence suggested that music does not just satisfy the feel-good factor but it is also good for the
brain. A study of intellectually (5) ______ children showed that they could recall more (6) ______ after it was
given to them in a song than after it was read to them as story.
Researchers also report that people score better on a standard intelligence (7) ______ after listening to
Mozart. The so-called “Mozart effect” has also been (8) ______ by findings that rats (9) _______ up on Mozart
run faster through a complex network of paths or passages, known as a maze. Overall, it seems that in most
instances people who suffer from any form of mental (10) ______ benefit from listening to music.
1. A. was B. swelled C. reacted D. arose
2. A. one B. every C. such D. that
3. A. enjoying B. making C. recording D. stating
4. A. move B. pass C. hand D. happen
5. A. disabled B. inactive C. incapable D. disordered
6. A. facts B. knowledge C. memory D. information
7. A. form B. scheme C. examination D. test
8. A. supported B. given C. marked D. remembered
9. A. held B. brought C. stood D. set
10. A. badness B. hurt C. illness D. pain
C. 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.
1. I would love to learn different languages. keen
→ I ____________________________ different languages.
2. I'm sorry I was late for the meeting. apology
→ Please ____________________________ late for the meeting.
3. “You borrowed my watch, didn't you?” Tom's sister said. accused
→ Tom's sister ____________________________ her watch.
4. Most people hope they will have enough money to buy a house or a flat. afford
→ Most people hope they ____________________________ to buy a house or a flat.
5. I wish I had not lied to my parents. truth
→ If only ____________________________ to my parents.
II. Finish the second sentence so that it means the same as the first one.
1. My precious life was saved by the lifeguard.
→ I owe ________________________________________________.
2. To the best of my knowledge, the building was set on fire deliberately.
→ As __________________________________________________.
3. I wanted to make sure that all my good work wasn't wasted in that way.
→ I wanted to prevent _____________________________________.
4. I'm always inviting him for a weekend with us but he's always too busy.
→ No matter _____________________________________________.
5. The only reason the party was a success was that a famous film star attended.
→ Had it _________________________________________________.
XII. Paragraph writing:
Write a paragraph of around 200 words on how students can make progress in learning English.