MOCK TEST 4

I’m sure you can do it

SECTION I: LEXICO – GRAMMAR (40/200)

PART 1. Choose the best answer to each of the following questions.
Write your answer in the numbered boxes. (20 points)
1. The contemporary dialogue for me struck a slightly _______ note.
A. disembodied B. discordant C. dismissive
D. disconcerting
2. We decided to celebrate by going out and painting the town ________.
A. red B. purple C. gold D. brown
3. The series became so popular that it was moved to the ________ time
spot of 8 pm.
A. leading B. prime C. main D. major
4. The current economic _______ is very good for small businesses.
A. disposition B. whirlwind C. climate D.
daze
5. He hit the other boy reluctantly as his friends __________ him on.
A. happened B. egged C. ground D. played
6. The actors gave a very ________ performance, and the critics expressed
their disapproval in their reports the following day.
A. pie-in-the-sky B. run-of-the-mill
C. good-for-nothing D. behind-the-scene
7. He was _________ devastated by the news.
A. utterly B. extremely C. deeply D.
immensely
8. The Red Cross is ________ an international aid organization.
A. intriguingly B. intrusively C. intrinsically D.
intrepidly
9. I know it’s got his name on the cover, but he used a ________.
A. correspondent B. model C. ghost writer D. fellow
10. Our lecturer _________ the importance of taking clear notes.
A. responded B. reiterated C. retained D.
recruited
11. Suppose she _______ that outrageous story circulating around the
office, she’d be furious.
A. has heard B. would hear C. were heard D. had heard
12. People can make themselves walk on nails or through fire. It’s a
question of mind over ______.
A. body B. material C. matter D. facts
13. Our plan to start our own business seem ________to failure.
 A. doomed B. fated C. compelled D.
designed
14. ________ my buying tuna if you detest eating fish.
A. Is it any good B. As well as
C. It’s not much use D. There is nothing good
15. We welcome the new regulations, which become________ on the first
of next month.
A. effective B. efficient C. efficacious D. effete
16. The chemicals spilled over the road and left drivers ________ for
breath.
A. suffocating B. inhaling C. gasping D. wheezing
17. It is impossible to miss the ______ of the Generation X in America.
A. manifestation B. advancement
C. initiation D. acknowledgement
18. He has been trying to improve his grades but instead, they have
remained as ______ as possible.
A. static B. on coming C. parasitic D. virtual
19. They go to the seaside _____ they should be disturbed by the noise of
the city.
A. in order B. for C. so that D. lest
that
20. I haven’t got the time to do my own work, ______ help you with yours.
A.leaving B. let alone C. apart D. aback
aside
Part 1: Complete each sentence with a suitable particle or preposition
1. Ivan has an excellent memory-he can call________precise details of things
that happened when he was a small child
2. A “ Did Amanda ever complete the project?”
B” She ‘s almost finished. She just has a few minor problems left to iron__”
3. Tim distrusts his new friends and prefers to keep them____arm’s length
4. I would advise you to think very carefully before you embark___ a
completely new career
5. Unfortunately, most of the photos Terry took were___of focus
6. The dentist told me that when the effect of the anaesthetic wore___. I
might feel a little pain. But it was more than a little
7. Their predictions were not borne___ by subsequent events. In fact , the
very opposite occured
8.To prevent soldiers from rebelling, the commander splits them into
groups to play them off_________
9. Close your eyes and try to conjure_______a picture of a place where you
feel at peace
10 It’s going to be a financially difficult year for us, but we’ll just have to
tough it ____. Things are bound to get better soon

PART 2. Identify and correct 10 errors in the passage. Write your

answer in the numbered boxes (10 points)
The first self-service stores open in America in the 1920s but they didn’t
catch up in Europe until later, when the French forged ahead with their
massive hypermarkets. Britain lagged behind. For the first self-service shop
and the first supermarket were opened in the early 1940s, it was thought
that British housewives did not particularly want proficiency and speed.
Surveys showed that while American shoppers complained most about
delays in check-out queues. British ones rejected to being pushed and
shoved by other customers.
The essence of supermarket shopping is impersonality, with no
meditating salesman between seller and goods, only the ‘silent persuaders’
of packaging and display. Besides, there is a current trend towards
‘boutiques’, with personal service, within supermarkets – the butcher, the
baker, the fish seller – and small specialist shops and farmers’ markets are
doing a comeback in Britain. In France, where every self-respecting
provincial town, ringed by supermarkets, retains their specialist food shops
and weekly street market, the traditional co-exists with the ancient.
Your answer

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

SECTION III: READING COMPREHENSION (60/200)

PART 1: Read the passage below and decide which answer (A, B, C or
D) best fits each gap. Write your answer in the numbered boxes. (10
points)
In Europe, Midsummer Night's Eve, also known as St John's Eve,
occurs on June 23rd. It originates from the pagan celebrations of the
summer solstice which were held on June 21 st. On that night throughout
Europe bonfires were lit along hillsides to (1)_____ the shortest night of the
year. It must have looked as if some kind of violent insurrection was taking
place down the coast of Scotland and England, but these signal fires in fact
had a very important purpose. Bones of farm animals (2)_____ the previous
autumn were burned and, when the fires had (3)_____, the remaining ash
was put to good use: it was spread on the fields to enrich the land and
ensure a good harvest. The word 'bonfire' is (4)_____ from 'bone fire'.
In Brazil too St John's Eve means bonfires and fireworks. Another
quaint tradition involves the (5)_____ of small paper hot-air balloons,
although they are prohibited by law in the cities because of the fire (6)_____.
Bonfires mark the beginning of spring rather than the summer in Sweden
and are lit on the last night of April. In the Swedish Midsummer's Eve
(7)_____, held on June 24th, a large pole, decorated with flowers and leaves,
is placed in the ground.
Thistles also have a significant role in the celebration of
Midsummer's Night in Europe. In the past they were thought to (8)_____
witches. The pretty, prickly plant was nailed over barn doors and used in
wreaths, the circular shape being a symbol of the turning of the seasons.
Wheels laced with straw and soaked in pitch were lit from the bonfires and
then rolled down hills.
There is less risk of fire in a (9)_____ tradition to many Slavic
countries. Young women and girls float little baskets of flowers and lighted
candles down streams. Local boys swim out to (10)_____ a basket, find the
girl it belongs to and claim a dance at the town's Midsummer's Eve Party.

1. A. celebrate B. honour C. commemorate D. commiserate

2. A. revised B. assassinated C. slaughtered D. sacrificed
3. A. doused B. extinguished C. smothered D. gone out
4. A. derived B. developed C. evolved D. decayed
5. A. landing B. launching C. propelling D. ejecting
6. A. certainty B. peril C. jeopardy D. hazard
7. A. tradition B. custom C. ceremony D. practice
8. A. deflect B. ward off C. attract D. avert
9. A. unique B. common C. mutual D. prevalent
10. A. salvage B. rescue C. set free D. liberate
PART 2. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each
space. Use only ONE word in each space. (10 points)
Psychologists are interested in the reasons why some people like taking
part in risky sports. (1) ____ they studied people who were learning to jump
from a plane with a parachute, they found that parachutists’ bodies (2)
______ large amounts of two hormones, adrenaline and nor adrenaline, just
(3)_____they made their jump.
These hormones help to prepare us for any sudden activity. Adrenaline
increases the (4)______ rate and provides more sugar for the muscles, while
nor adrenaline does make us react more quickly. (5)_____, nor adrenaline
also stimulates a part of the brain which controls feelings of pleasure. Some
psychologists (6)_____ concluded that it is a feeling of pleasure caused by
this hormone which makes (7)_____ people want to participate in dangerous
sports.
Another possible reason is the level of arousal (8)_____ part of the brain.
According to some psychologists, the brain tries to maintain a certain level
of arousal. They believe that people who normally have a low level of
arousal (9)____ for excitement and new experiences in order to stimulate
themselves, whereas people who usually have a high level of arousal try to
avoid risks and unfamiliar (10)_____ in order not to become overexcited. If
the psychologists are right, people with a low arousal are the ones who
enjoy participating in dangerous sports and activities.

PART 3 GAP TEXT

HELP GUIDE US THROUGH THE UNIVERSE
Sir Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal, launches this year's Young Science
Writer competition .If you ask scientists what they're doing, the answer
won't be 'Finding the origin of the universe', 'Seeking the cure for cancer' or
suchlike. It will involve something very specialised, a small piece of the
jigsaw that
builds up the big picture.
(1)______________________________________________________________ So, unless they
are cranks or geniuses, scientists don't shoot directly for a grand goal - they
focus on bite-sized problems that seem timely and tractable. But this
strategy (though prudent) carries an occupational risk: they may forget
they're wearing blinkers and fail to see their own work in its proper
perspective________________
(2)______________________________________________________________
I would personally derive far less satisfaction from my research if it
interested only a few other academics. But presenting one's work to non-
specialists isn't easy. We scientists often do it badly, although the
experience helps us to see our work in a broader context. Journalists can do
it better, and their efforts can put a key discovery in perspective,
converting an arcane paper published in an obscure journal into a tale that
can inspire others.
(3)___________________________________________________________
On such occasions, people often raise general concerns about the way
science is going and the impact it may have; they wonder whether
taxpayers get value for money from the research they support. More
intellectual audiences wonder about the basic nature of science: how
objective can we be? And how creative? Is science genuinely a progressive
enterprise? What are its limits and are we anywhere near them? It is hard
to explain, in simple language, even a scientific concept that you
understand well. My own (not always effective) attempts have deepened
my respect for science reporters, who have to assimilate quickly, with a
looming deadline, a topic they may be quite unfamiliar with.
(4)____________________________________________________________
It's unusual for science to earn newspaper headlines. Coverage that has to
be restricted to crisp newsworthy breakthroughs in any case distorts the
way science develops. Scientific advances are usually gradual and
cumulative, and better suited to feature articles, or documentaries - or even
books, • for which the latent demand is surprisingly strong. For example,
millions bought A Brief History of Time, which caught the public
imagination.
(5)____________________________________________________________
Nevertheless, serious hooks do find a ready market. That's the good news
for anyone who wants to enter this competition. But books on
pyramidology, visitations by aliens, and suchlike do even better: a symptom
of a fascination with the paranormal and 'New Age' concepts. It is
depressing that these are often featured uncritically in the media,
distracting attention from more genuine advances
(6)_____________________________________________________________
Most scientists are quite ordinary, and their lives unremarkable. But
occasionally they exemplify the link between genius and madness; these
'eccentrics' are more enticing biographees.
(7)_____________________________________________________________
There seems, gratifyingly, to be no single 'formula' for science writing -
many themes are still under-exploited. Turning out even 700 words seems
a daunting task if you're faced with a clean sheet of paper or a blank screen,
but less so if you have done enough reading and interviewing on a subject
to become inspired. For research students who enter the competition,
science (and how you do it) is probably more interesting than personal
autobiography. But if, in later life, you become both brilliant and crazy, you
can hope that someone else writes a best-seller about you.
 A. However, over-sensational claims are a hazard for them. Some
researchers themselves 'hype up' new discoveries to attract press interest.
Maybe it matters little what people believe about Darwinism or cosmology.
But we should be more concerned that misleading or over-confident claims
on any topic of practical import don't gain wide currency. Hopes of miracle
cures can be raised; risks can be either exaggerated, or else glossed over for
commercial pressures. Science popularisers perhaps even those who enter
this competition - have to be as skeptical of some scientific claims as
journalists routinely are of politicians.
B. Despite this there's a tendency in recent science waiting to be chatty,
laced with gossip and biographical detail. But are scientists as interesting
as their science? The lives of Albert Einstein and Richard Feyman are of
interest, but is that true of the routine practitioner?
C. Two mathematicians have been treated as such in recent books: Paul
Erdos, the obsessive itinerant Hungarian (who described himself as 'a
machine for turning coffee into theorems') and John Nash, a pioneer of
game theory, who resurfaced in his sixties, after 30 years of insanity, to
receive a Nobel prize.
D. For example, the American physicist Robert Wilson spent months
carrying out meticulous measurements with a microwave antenna which
eventually revealed the 'afterglow of creation' - the 'echo' of the Big Bang
with which our universe began. Wilson was one of the rare scientists with
the luck and talent to make a really great discovery, but afterwards he
acknowledged that its importance didn't sink in until he read a 'popular'
description of it in the New York Times.
E. More surprising was the commercial success of Sir Roger Penrose's The
Emperor's New Mind. This is a fascinating romp through Penrose's eclectic
enthusiasms - enjoyable and enlightening. But it was a surprising best
seller, as much of it is heavy going. The sates pitch 'great scientist says
mind is more than a mere machine' was plainly alluring. Many who bought
it must have got a nasty surprise when they opened it.
F. But if they have judged right, it won't be a trivial problem - indeed it will
be the most difficult that they are likely to make progress on. The great
zoologist Sir Peter Medawar famously described scientific work as 'the art
of the soluble'. 'Scientists,' he wrote, 'get no credit for failing to solve a
problem beyond their capacities. They earn at best the kindly contempt
reserved for utopian politicians.'
G. This may be because, for non-specialists, it is tricky to demarcate well-
based ideas from flaky speculation. But its crucially important not to blur
this distinction when writing articles for a general readership. Otherwise
credulous readers may take too much on trust, whereas hardnosed skeptics
may reject all scientific claims, without appreciating that some have firm
empirical support.
H. Such a possibility is one reason why this competition to encourage
young people to take up science writing is so important and why I am
helping to launch it today. Another is that popular science writing can
address wider issues. When I give talks about astronomy and cosmology,
the questions that interest people most are the truly `fundamental' ones
that I can't answer: 'Is there life in space?', Is the universe infinite?' or 'Why
didn't the Big Bang happen sooner?'
SECTION IV: WRITING
PART 1. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it
means exactly the same as the sentence printed before it. (10 points)
1. If the weather is fine, we may go camping at the weekend.
-> Weather ________________________________________________.
2. Brenda doesn’t get on well with her next-door neighbor any more.
-> Brenda has ______________________________________________.
3. It would have been possible for Jane to take us in her car.
-> Jane ___________________________________________________.
4. Tim had no idea what he was letting himself in for.
-> Little __________________________________________________.
5. The plain clothes officer’s boots showed he was a policeman.
-> The plain clothes policeman’s real ____________________________.

PART 2. Rewrite the following sentences with the given word. The
given words can’t be changed. (10 points)
1. These rainy Monday mornings make me feel miserable. (GET)
_________________________________________________________.
2. You have said exactly the right thing. (NAIL)
_________________________________________________________.
3. He maintained his position against his adversary. (GROUND)
_________________________________________________________.
4. Since she met that boy, she’s been thinking only about him.
(WRAPPED)
_________________________________________________________.
5. My husband will be angry when I tell him. (ROOF)
_________________________________________________________.