A.

USE OF ENGLISH
TEST 14
For questions 1-12, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D)
best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

The joy of picnics

Years ago, (0)…………. in the days when I was just a kid, my family used to have
Sunday picnics together in a (1)………………..part of the countryside. We would
find a suitably quiet and pleasant (2)………………., then spend several hours
chatting, eating and playing games in the (3)…………….air. Since then, though,
my parents’ life has become so much busier and they never seem to have the time
for (4) …………….family meals any more.
In my (5) …………….this is a great pity, so I’ve recently started to organise
picnics of my (6) …………….I get in touch with some of my closest friends and
first we (7) …………….on a suitable place to go. Then we talk about who’ll bring
which food. This (8) …………….that there will be a variety of tasty things to eat,
particularly (9) …………….everyone makes the meals they do best. It’s important,
though, to keep the food simple, as everything has to (10)…………….into a
backpack and then be carried across fields and up river valleys.
When we finally (11) …………….our destination, it’s time to sit down, relax and
enjoy each other’s company. And I’m (12) …………….certain that food tastes far
better on a picnic than anywhere else!

0 A far B then C back D past

1 A close B nearby C near D next
2 A spot B point C tip D dot
3 A free B empty C wide D open
4 A outer B outdoor C outward D outgoing
5 A view B regard C thought D belief
6 A self B part C behalf D own
7 A decide B determine C fix D arrange
8 A assures B insures C ensures D secures
9 A unless B so C if D though
10 A fit B match C suit D join
11 A arrive B get C achieve D reach
12 A remarkably B absolutely C extremely D highly

Part 2
For questions 13-24, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each
gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Safe camping
Camping in the countryside is usually great fun, but sometimes things can (0) go
wrong. Accidents can happen, (13) ………………..it is essential to think about
safety both before you go and while you are there. This will prevent your fun
camping trip turning (14) ………………..something less pleasant.
Firstly, you need to plan ahead. Check out the weather forecast a few days (15)
………………..advance and watch out for any reports of fires in the area you are
thinking (16) ………………..going to. Prepare an emergency kit in (17)
………………..you or anyone with you has an accident or illness while you are
there.
Choose your campsite carefully, avoiding any places (18) ………………..there is
a risk of flooding. Before you put up your tent, make (19) ………………..there are
no Sharp objects on the ground, or ants’ or wasps’ nests nearby.
In (20) ………………..to keep insects out of the tent, close it whenever you go in
or out. If you need a camp fire for cooking, be careful (21) ………………..to build
it anywhere near your tent, and before you go to bed, remember to put it (22)
………………..completely, preferably with lots of water.
After meals, pick up any bits of food that (23) ………………..be left on the
ground, as these can attract insects - or larger creatures. It also makes sense, for
(24) ………………..same reason, to keep unused food in closed containers well
away from the camp. You don’t want a hungry bear or other animal suddenly
appearing in your tent!

Part 3: For questions 25-34, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at
the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line.
There is an example at the beginning (0).
A brief history of surfing
Most (0. HISTORY) HISTORIANS agree that surfing began centuries ago in the
Hawaii Islands in the Pacific Ocean, where the (25 INHABIT)
……………………....regarded it as an important part of their culture, not as a
recreational (26 ACTIVE) ………………………. It was not until the early 20th
century that it achieved (27 RECOGNISE )………………………. as a sport,
and for many years it remained (28 USUAL)……………………… to see
surfers anywhere other than in three main (29 LOCATE)
…………………….Hawaii, California and Australia.
All that began to change in the 1960s, partly as a result of (30 IMPROVE)
………………….. in the design of surfboards, but also because of the success of
films and pop bands, (31 PARTICULAR)…………………….. The Beach Boys,
that were associated with surfing culture. Since then there has been rapid (32
GROW)…………………… in the popularity of surfing throughout the world,
and for many surfers it has become a highly (33 COMPETE)
………………………………. sport that requires skill and courage to deal with
the (34 CHALLENGE)…………………. conditions in some of the roughest
seas on Earth.

Part 4: For questions 35-42, 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. Here is an
example (0).
0. I first met Louis a year ago.
YEAR
It……………………………….I first met Louis.
35. This time I didn’t manage to win first prize.
SUCCEED
I didn’t…………………………………………..first prize this time.
36. Last night the theatre was almost empty.
ANYBODY
Last night…………………………………………..the theatre.
37. My elder sister likes to look after small children.
CARE
My elder sister enjoys…………………………………….small children.
38. I’ve never heard such a silly story!
SILLIEST
That story is……………………………………… ……………. heard!
39. Amy asked what my reaction to her decision was.
FELT
Amy asked………………………………………………. her decision.
40. The meeting probably won’t last more than a few minutes.
UNLIKELY
The meeting …………………………………on for more than a few minutes.
41. It’s possible that Linda didn’t take the early train.
MIGHT
Linda …………………………………………………..the early train.
42. It was raining heavily so I stayed at home.
IF
I would have gone out………………………………. raining heavily.

B. READING
Part 1: You are going to read a magazine article about learning Chinese. For the
questions 1 to 8 choose the answers (A, B, c or D) which you think fits best
according to the text.
A year in China
How a year in China’s ‘romantic City’ helped Hannes Ortner learn Chinese.
In China, Dalian is known as the ‘romantic city’, and during my year studying
Chinese at Dalian Foreign Language University, I certainly fell in love: the
language is the key to a fascinating way of life, while the city itself is surrounded
by green hills and the ocean, and overlooked by a marvellous castle that I always
meant to visit while I was there.
Dalian is generally quite a new city, without the long cultural history of Beijing,
and the skyscrapers that have appeared in recent years are evidence of China’s
position as the world’s fastest-growing economy. The boom has seen the number
of foreigners coming to the country to learn Chinese increase enormously, and I
was thankful that relatively few Westerners have discovered Dalian. I rarely had
the opportunity to use Chinese in everyday situations in China’s bigger cities,
where European tourists are everywhere and young people are keen to practise
their English.
I was the only Westerner in my class. After a four-hour oral exam and a written
test, I was placed in a post-intermediate group with 12 people - all Asians. I was
already three years into a four-year degree in Chinese culture and language, but it
was still difficult to keep up with the Japanese and Korean students, who were
much more familiar with Chinese characters (the symbols used in the written
language). One of the big disadvantages at the University of Vienna had been the
large classes, with 30-40 people trying to learn Chinese in just four hours a week.
In Dalian we were taught five days a week for three hours plus another four hours
one afternoon a week. Some of the older teachers still used traditional teaching
methods, concentrating on reading texts, listening to tapes and learning by oral
repetition, and although it initially took me a while to become accustomed to this,
it really helped us improve our skills.
We had three teachers but Mrs Lin soon became our favorite. I was fortunate
enough to have six weeks of additional classes with this wonderful lady after I was
chosen to take part in the Dalian Chinese speech competition. In preparation for
the event, we met for two hours a day to work on my pronunciation using a text
she had written called ‘I love Dalian’ I found the whole experience quite
demanding - from the intense training to speaking in front of a large audience
(including Chinese teachers) - but it was the best language training I have ever
received and I thank my patient teachers for the fact that I eventually won the
competition. It was this experience that made me determined to perfect my
command of the language.
Chinese is sometimes said to be one of the most difficult languages to learn,
mainly because of its complex grammar, writing system (which uses a vast number
of characters) and system of tones (every syllable in Standard Chinese can be
pronounced in four different ways depending on meaning). But Mrs Lin knew how
to explain things in a simple way and, with her as my teacher, I realised that
Chinese does not deserve its reputation for difficulty.
The second term had already started when I decided to move out of my Western-
style flat and into a more traditional Chinese one, and I had to fill out a number of
official documents. For Westerners in China, moving house involves re-registering
at the police station and a certain amount of form-filling. On several occasions I
(line 46) had to bite my lip and remember that young Asian people coming to the
West to study would probably have to go through a similar procedure, but in the
end I was able to move into my new place.
During that second term I got my head down and concentrated on improving my
language skills before returning to Austria to finish my degree. I adore China - its
magnificent landscapes, its people with their unique history and, above all, its
language, which introduced me to a new way of thinking and a rich cultural
history, and ultimately helped me broaden my horizons
1. Apart from the natural beauty of Dalian, why did the writer enjoy staying
there?
A It has always been an important centre of Chinese culture.
B Near the City there is an old building that he often visited.
C While he was there he was in love with another student.
D His studies enabled him to understand Chinese society.
2. Why did he prefer Dalian to other Chinese cities?
A He didn’t have to speak in Chinese all the time.
B There were not so many people from the West.
C He could help local people learn to speak English.
D He had always liked seeing modern buildings.
3. What does the writer say about his lessons at Dalian University?
A The number of students in the class was far too high.
B He should have been placed in a much lower-level class.
C Some of his classmates made faster progress than him.
D Students did not spend enough time in the classroom.
4. How did he feel about the way he was taught Chinese in Dalian?
A It was impossible for him to get used to it.
B It was a pity he only did reading and listening.
C It was different but it was highly effective.
D It was not as good as the teaching in Vienna.
5. What change occurred as a result of his involvement in the speech
competition?
A He felt he did not need to continue improving his Chinese.
B He had extra lessons with the teacher he admired most.
C He began to write his own texts in Chinese about Dalian.
D He no longer found it difficult to make speeches in Chinese.
6. What did he discover about the Chinese language?
A Some aspects of the grammar are very simple.
B It is easier to learn than some people claim.
C The pronunciation of short words is easy to learn.
D It is impossible for Westerners to learn it outside China.
7. What is meant by ‘bite my lip’ in line 46?
A stop myself saying something
B smile at what somebody said
C say something that wasn’t true
D get very angry with somebody
8. What conclusion does the writer draw about his stay in China?
A It was enjoyable being there but he was glad to return to Europe.
B The thing he loved most was seeing the beautiful scenery there.
C Learning Chinese made him interested in a wider range of things.
D He would never really understand the way people there think.
Part 2
You are going to read an article about blogs (the internet sites where individuals
regularly write their own thoughts and comments). Seven sentences have been
removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one which fits each
gap (9-15). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.
Get blogging!
Do you want others to read what you write Online? Try setting up a blog with
Susan Purcell’s guide to getting started.
Short for ‘weblogs\ blogs began as Online diaries, but these days many are useful
and entertaining sources of news and information. A blog is really a kind of mini-
website, but with one big difference: it costs nothing, or very little, to run. What
makes blogs different from most websites is that they are updated regularly and
they are interactive - readers can comment on what you write.
(9)……………………………….. You type your text as if it were any article and
the software of the blog company does the rest. Each time you add another piece of
text, known as a ‘post’, that gets published at the top of the page and everything
else moves down.
More than 130 million blogs have been started on the web and around a million
blog posts are written every day. Every blog is different: some have only one
author, some are the work of two or more people, some are streams of nonsense
about nothing in particular. (10)…………………………… These are often the
ones that attract most comments.
People blog for different reasons. Some blogs are platforms for the writers’ own
opinions, some bloggers write to promote themselves and show off their skills,
some even sell stuff on their blogs. Other bloggers write to get in touch with
people who have similar views, while some blog to share their knowledge. (11 )
…………………………… Blogs can be password-protected so that they can only
be read by those who are allowed to view them.
The best blogs are those that specialise. If you cover too wide a topic area, you’ll
find it difficult to attract a loyal audience. People go to their favourite blog
regularly, as they know they’ll always find something of interest there. (12)
……………. You’ll come across as knowledgeable and others with the same
interest will visit regularly.
It is very easy to set up a blog. You can be online within a few minutes of opening
an account. Start by looking at as many blogs as possible to get ideas. Most blogs
publish a ‘blogroll, or list of links to other blogs, so click on those to view more
examples. (13)…………………. The biggest and most user-friendly are free,
although they all offer slightly different features, so make sure you investigate and
choose the one that provides what you want.
You can write as much or as little as you like but you must add posts regularly. It
is best to write every few days, but it doesn’t matter if you do so only at weekends
or a couple of times a month, so long as your readers know when to expect posts. It
is frustrating to visit a favourite blog only to find that it hasn’t been updated as
expected. You won’t always have the time to write long blogs. (14)……………..
Blogging about items in the news will help increase your readership, as more
people will be searching for that topic. (15)………………..It is often more
satisfying to attract regular readers who interact with you, so write about what you
know, check your facts and don’t be afraid to say things people may disagree with
- it’s a good way of attracting comments. You’ll soon have a loyal audience who
will spread the word about your blog

A On those days, refer your visitors to another blog, something in the press or a
video clip on the Internet.
B Many, though, are clever, informative and well written.
C When you’ve done this, you’ll be asked to choose a name for your blog, so have
something ready.
D They don’t want a wasted visit, so stick to your own particular subject.
E No technical knowledge is required to blog.
F However, blogging is not necessarily about gaining a wide audience.
G Teachers, for instance, often blog to help students to catch up when they miss a
class.
H Next you need to select a blog company.