CPE PRACTICE TEST 3 & 4

SECTION 1
Part 1. Read and decide which answer best fits each gap.
In Praise of Face to Face Communication
Homo sapiens is a communicative creature and in our ordinary life, if we want something we tend to
communicate automatically and directly in order to obtain it. Aas a species, we have developed very
sophisticated methods by which we can communicate with (1) ever-increasing ease. Unfortunately, it
seems that sometimes we are so dazzled by the brilliance of the technology we have at our (2) that we
overlook the fact that the simplest, and often the most effective, means of communication is talking face
to face to our target audience. (3), very often the more sophisticated the means of communication, the
less effectively the message itself may be (4). After all, if we are face to face with a person, we can use
body language to emphasise our (5) and check that we have been interpreted correctly. This is a far more
effective way of communicating than using the underlining of words in a memo or (6) type in a report.
1.A efficiently B actually C apparently D eventually
2.A request B availability C convenience D disposal
3.A Indeed B Otherwise C Conversely D Nonetheless
4.A imparted B inscribed C intoned D imposed
5.A aspects B points C issues D positions
6.A dark B bold C strong D heavy
Home security
Home – it’s one of the most emotive words in any language. The place itself has (7) people with privacy
and security ever since individual dwellings first appeared nearly two million years ago. But nowadays,
that sense of security has a twist. (8) safe people feel at home when they are away, they worry their
home will be broken into. What’s more, the fear is far from (9). In spite of falling burglary rates in the
UK, a recent survey found that a house left unoccupied for a month a year is 43 per cent more likely to
be burgled than an identical one that is never empty at night. Having someone (10) during the day is no
(11) either about 55 per cent of domestic burglaries happen between 6pm and 6am. At the same time,
people are spending longer away, on business and on holiday. Many are, therefore, prepared to (12) a
little privacy, employing professional house-sitters to live in their homes in their absence.
7.A produced B offered C provided D donated
8.A Regardless B Nonetheless C However D Albeit
9.A groundless B aimless C faultless D clueless
10.A look over B check out C call on D pop in
11.A restraint B deterrent C hindrance D impediment
12.A withhold B sacrifice C deny D refrain
Ballet shoes
When they are new, ballet shoes are interchangeable until the dancer (13) them in and decides which
shoe goes best on which foot. In fact, ballet shoes are best when they are old and professional dancers
are (14) to breaking their shoes down by any means, even hitting them with a hammer, until they reach a
comfortable (15) of pliancy. There are soft ballet shoes and point shoes. Soft shoes are (16) worn by
male dancers. Made of leather and lined with canvas, the under sole is much smaller than the sole of the
foot. In this (17) the dancer’s toes and part of his heel stand on the soft upper leather. In point shoes, the
toe is (18) with an extra layer of canvas, hardened with paste, to provide a little flat area for the dancer
to balance on.
13.A smoothes B wears C bends D forms
14.A accustomed B familiar C known D adjusted
15.A grade B scale C degree D extent
16.A significantly B vitally C appreciably D essentially
17.A respect B means C fashion D way
18.A reinforced B augmented C replenished D aided

1
Happy landings
The technique honeybees use to land smoothly could, it seems, be an ideal way to control pilotless
planes as they (1) down. a team of Australia scientists monitored the flight (2) of six bees and found
that, as the bees descended, their flying speed was always proportional to their height – and this gave the
scientists the (3) to the simple trick they were using to land safely. As you travel along, the closer an
object is, the faster it seems to pass. It’s the same for bees if they flew at a constant speed (4)
descending, the ground would appear to hurtle by faster and faster. They ensure that the image of the
ground always crosses their field of (5) at the same rate, and so they automatically slow down as they
land, (6) their speed close to zero as they reach the ground.
1.A touch B bring C set D put
2.A road B line C path D route
3.A indicator B insight C clue D hint
4.A during B while C for D as
5.A view B scene C focus D vision
6.A having B bringing C causing D leading
The Death of Languages
The death of languages has been repeated many times in history. Localised disasters such as great floods
or warfare have (7) a part, but in the modern era the increased international movement of people has
greatly (8) the destruction. Local languages may be overpowered by a metropolitan language, thus
increasing the pressure to neglect ancestral tongues in (9) of the new one, which is seen as the key to
prospering in the (10) culture. Children may be forbidden to use their mother tongue in the classroom, as
has occurred to many groups, including the Welsh and Aboriginal Australians. The death of a language
is not only a tragedy for those directly affected, but also an (11) cultural loss for the world. Through
language, each culture expresses a unique worldview. Thus, any effort to (12) linguistic variety implies a
deep respect for the positive values of other cultures.
7.A done B made C adopted D played
8.A speeded B accelerated C urged D hurried
9.A favor B preference C support D choice
10.A foremost B major C leading D dominant
11.A invaluable B irretrievable C inimitable D irrepressible
12.A champion B hold C preserve D collaborate
Old friends
‘Dear Davina and Simon,’ began the letter from Debbie, ‘A visit from your family wouldn’t be complete
without a subsequent visit to the Post Office. I’m pleased to say that this time you’ve left only a minor
item that didn’t (13) me in fretting over who wasn’t going to be able to clean their teeth of explain to a
teacher about a missing homework book.’ (14) of how often I entreat the kids to pack up their own stuff,
or how (15) I search the bedrooms and bathroom, we always leave something behind. We’ve known
Debbie and Andrew since before any of our children were born. Debbie and I had our first babies at
around the same time, and lent each other lots of moral and practical support. What you (16) then, I
suggest, bonds you to those you (17) the experience with. When we lived round the corner from each
other, all this leaving behind of possessions never (18) but since they moved 70 kilometres away the
leavings have had to be posted back.
13.A entail B involve C imply D oblige
14.A Despite B Considering C Provided D Regardless
15.A diligently B disconcertingly C despicably D denpendably
16.A put up B get by C go through D stand for
17.A cope B share C deal D bear
18. A bothered B minded C fussed D mattered

2
Part 2: Read the following passage and choose the best answer. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes.
ISLAND BIOGEOGRAPHY MODEL
Since the 1960s, scientists have been studying the composition and stability of island communities.
Specifically, they have been interested in what it takes to maintain life in these isolated areas. As a
result, they developed the island biogeography model, a model that not only provides information on
island populations, but also provides insights into conservation.
The island biogeography model theorizes that the number of different species on an island will
maintain equilibrium, or a state of balance, amid the fluid: changes of immigration and extinction. In
other words, the number of species on an island remains constant. In an experiment in the US state of
Florida, islands of mangrove trees were found to house many different species of arthropods. Scientists
documented the numbers and types of species. They then sprayed insect poison over the islands,
destroying all of the arthropods there. They observed the islands over the next year, as species of
arthropods from the area surrounding the mangrove islands moved onto the island and repopulated it.
Within a year, the number of species of arthropods was almost identical to what it had been before
spraying the poison. However, the scientists soon discovered that the individual species were not
identical to the ones that had been there before. So, while the number of species was the same, the
diversity of species was quite different. This study proves that although the species number remains
constant, the types of species do not.
The island biogeography model can also apply in places that are not technically islands. In fact, the
islands used in this research were man-made, isolated areas that had been created to meet an ever-
increasing demand for land and natural resources. These islands form when humans clear out vast
amounts of vegetation for arable land and living space. Their actions cut off small areas of land and
forest from larger communities, such as when loggers separate a small parcel of forest area from the
larger forest. Hence, these isolated pockets become "islands," or areas separated from their larger
communities.
By reducing areas of land into islands, humans have a significant impact on wildlife. The island
biogeography model states that the larger the island, the higher the rate of extinction. ■ A) This is due in
part to a larger number of species coming to the island to colonize it. As new species immigrate, there
begins a competition for resources on the island. ■ B) Since there is a fixed amount of resources on any
given island, some species will not survive in the struggle. ■ C) On a smaller island, the rate of
extinction would be lower, and so would the corresponding immigration of new species. ■ D) The more
isolated these small islands are, the fewer species they are able to sustain. Certain species of birds and
animals may only be found on these islands. If they lose the competition for resources, they will be gone
forever. For example, the Bogor Botanical Garden in Indonesia was created fifty years ago, leaving an
isolated woodland area where lush forest had once been. Twenty of the sixty-two original species of
exotic birds have disappeared completely, and four species are severely endangered.
The model scientists developed has provided beneficial information regarding the conservation of
these areas that are threatened by man's need for resources. While the demand for land and natural
resources will continue, many feel that with planning and a concerted effort, life in these precious island
ecosystems can be preserved to some degree. One solution suggests that a natural corridor be sustained
between the isolated communities. For example, scientists in the Netherlands are looking at the
possibility of leaving paths of trees and shrubs between these islands. They feel it will aid in maintaining
the diversity of species there. The island biogeography model has inspired biologists to begin
researching conservation methods. Such methods include the establishment of nature reserves and
programs to help plan the use of land in a way that would protect the natural habitat as much as possible.
It is a harsh reality that much of the life on these islands cannot be sustained. Some species will
inevitably become extinct. The island biogeography model first started as a way to explain life in the
communities of these isolated ecosystems, but has developed into a catalyst that has sparked heavier
conservation efforts on behalf of these endangered habitats. The model has served as a tool that has

3
opened the eyes of many who hope to conserve as much tropical forest life as possible.
1. The word fluid in the passage is closest in meaning to _______.
A. unpredictable B. unstable C. changing D. graceful
2. Why does the author discuss the mangrove tree islands in Florida?
A. To demonstrate the equilibrium hypothesis
B. To contrast man-made and natural islands
C. To explain the origin of the island biogeography model
D. To confirm the research regarding immigration
3. According to paragraph 4, why is the extinction rate higher on larger islands?
A. Larger islands house a larger number of predators.
B. The rate of immigration is higher on larger islands.
C. Newer species take over all the resources.
D. They house a number of older species.
4. Which of the following is NOT true about the repopulation of islands?
A Nature tends to keep the islands in equilibrium.
B. Immigration balances species extinction.
C. The number of species usually remains constant.
D. The diversity of the species stays the same.
5. The word sustain in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _______.
A. cultivate B. encounter C. feed D. support
6. The word they in paragraph 4 refers to _______.
A. species B. resources C. birds D. island places
7. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 4?
A. Man's destruction of nature must come to a halt to preserve island life.
B. Endangered species will be saved when humans stop creating isolated islands.
C. Species will maintain equilibrium if these islands are left untouched.
D. Most island extinctions are caused by human's need for resources.
8. The word catalyst in the passage is closest in meaning to _______.
A. means B. process C. awareness D. legislation
9. Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
However, while many of the island's older inhabitants may lose out to newer species, the number of
species on the island will stay the same.
Where would the sentence best fit?
A. First square B. Second square C. Third square D. Fourth square
10. All of the following are correct about the island biogeography model EXCEPT _______
A. The model provided essential information regarding conservation.
B. The equilibrium hypothesis was proved true on an island of arthropods.
C. Scientists discovered ways to control the number of species becoming extinct.
D. The research mainly studied islands created by man's need for resources.
Part 3: Choose the correct headings for paragraphs A-F from the list of headings below. Write the
correct numbers, i-viii, next to questions 1-6.

4
List of headings:
i The advantages of offering a variety of products
ii Increasing profits by working with other industries
iii Regaining customer trust
iv Turning protection for the customer into profit for the company
v Initial good intentions that may eventually lose you customers
vi Industry that profits from a lack of commitment
vii The main reason companies choose to ignore a core business belief
viii Profiting from customers' wish to save money
1. Paragraph A: ________ 2.Paragraph B: ________ 3. Paragraph C: ________
4. Paragraph D: ________ 5.Paragraph E: ________ 6. Paragraph F: ________
COMPANIES AND THE CUSTOMERS WHO HATE THEM
Many companies encourage customers to make bad purchases
A. One of the most influential propositions in marketing is that customer satisfaction means loyalty and
loyalty means profits. Why, then, do so many companies infuriate their customers with contracts, fees
and fine print, penalising them for their business? Because, unfortunately, companies have found that
confused and ill-informed customers, who often end up making poor purchasing decisions, can be highly
profitable indeed.
B. Some companies consciously and cynically exploit their customers' confusion in this way. However,
in our conversations with dozens of executives in various industries we found that many firms have
unwittingly fallen into this trap. Think of the cell or mobile phone service, and banking and credit card
industries, each of which now profits from customers who fail to understand or follow the rules about
minute use, minimum balances, overdrafts, credit limits, or payment deadlines. Most of the companies
in these industries started out with product and pricing strategies designed to provide value to a variety
of customer segments, each with its own needs and price sensitivities. Yet today, many companies in
these industries find that their transparent, customer centred strategies for delivering value have evolved
into confusing company-centred strategies for extracting it. Although this approach may work for a
while (many notable practitioners are highly profitable), businesses that prey on customers are always
vulnerable to possible hostility. At any time, customers may retaliate with anger, lawsuits and defection.
C. Companies can profit from customers' confusion, ignorance and poor decision making using several
means. The first stems from a legitimate attempt to create value by giving customers a broad set of
options. A company creates a diverse product and pricing portfolio to meet the price range and needs of
different customer segments. All else being equal, a hotel that has three types of room at three different
prices can serve a wider customer base than a hotel with just one type of room at one price. However,
customers benefit from such diversity only when they are guided towards the option that best suits their
needs. A company is less likely to help customers make good choices if it knows that it can generate
more profits when they make poor ones. Of course, only the most fagrant companies would explicitly
persuade customers into making bad choices. Yet there are subtle ways in which even generally well-
intentioned firms use a complex range of choices to encourage poor decisions. A wide range of offers
can confuse customers with a lack of transparency (hotels, for example, often don't reveal information
about discounts and, along with car hire companies, fail to inform customers about possible upgrades);
they can make it harder for customers to distinguish between products, even when complete information
is available (as is often the case with banking services); and they can often take advantage of consumers'
difficulty in predicting their needs (for instance, how many cell phone minutes they'll use each month).
D. Companies can also profit from customers' bad decisions by over-relying on penalties and fees. Such
charges may have been conceived as a way to deter undesirable customer behavior and offset the costs
that businesses incur as a result of that behaviour. Penalties for problems such as bouncing a cheque, for
example, were originally designed to discourage banking customers from spending more money than
they had and to recoup administrative costs. The practice was thus fair to customer and company alike.
5
But many firms have discovered just how profitable penalties can be; as a result, they have an incentive
to encourage their customers to incur them - or at least not to discourage them from doing so. Many
credit card issuers, for example, choose not to deny a transaction that would put the cardholder over his
or her credit limit; it's more profitable to let the customer overspend and then impose penalties.
E. These strategies are common across industries from hotels to video stores and car rentals. Health club
companies also have a long history of luring customers with attractive short-term offers, assaulting them
with aggressive sales pitches, and then binding them with long-term contracts. That's because some of
their most profitable customers have been those who were enticed to sign up for a long-term
membership but then rarely visited the club. Indeed, many companies, knowing the typical health club
customer will underuse the facility, intentionally sell many more memberships than they have floor
space to accommodate.
F. Some companies are challenging the industry's bad behaviour. In fact, one company, Life Time
Fitness, has become one of the largest fitness chains in the US by eschewing contracts altogether.
Membership can be cancelled at any time with no penalty. Other smaller companies are experimenting
with less antagonistic ways to retain customers, such as reward points for customers who work out
regularly. As Brad Fogel, chief marketing officer at 24 Hour Fitness, explains, 'We learned that by
giving customers incentives to visit the club more frequently, they become more loyal and ultimately
remain with us longer.'
Complete the sentences below with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage.
7. Both hotels and car hire companies may choose not to tell their customers about __________.
8. Credit card companies would help customers avoid penalties by deciding to ___________.
9. Health clubs use tempting ________________________ to persuade new customers to join.
10. __________________________ is the name of a company that has decided not to make their
customers sign an agreement.
Part 4: Write ONE letter A–D in the corresponding numbered space provided. Each letter may be
used more than once.
LOCKED IN TIME
What are the issues surrounding the preservation of good architecture?
A. Emerging from the Lincoln tunnel into midtown Manhattan in New York, a yellow cab from JFK
Airport takes you past an architectural masterpiece, Number 510 Fifth Avenue was originally the
Manufacturers Hanover Trust Bank and was designed in 1954 as a new kind of banking house,
something other than a thick-walled fortress. It was a glass temple of finance, inviting passers-by to step
through its cool transparency and be converted to its gleaming vision of the future. Mid-twentieth-
century banks were usually mundane but at 510 Fifth Avenue, the vault was displayed behind the glazed
facade and the escalators became central to the composition, falling and rising diagonally across the
gridded lines like an updated game of snakes and ladders. The upper floor featured a gilded screen by
the artist Harry Bertoia.
B. But things are changing at 510 Fifth Avenue. As a very carefully-designed and much-admired
building, it now finds itself at the frontier between developers and preservationists and it's turning into
quite a fight. For if there's one thing in architecture that causes friction, it's that our needs change, and so
buildings must evolve and adapt in order to stay useful. Within reason, Vornado Realty Trust, the site's
owners and one of New York's largest developers, has made the not unreasonable assumption that this
commercial building on the world's primary shopping street should be adapted to suit its new tenant, a
retailer of lumberjack-style shirts. For this purpose, the gilded screen has been dismantled, the entrance
is to be moved, the escalator reversed and the vault moved. On the basis that the facades remain intact,
the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved these changes in April. But in July, a judge halted
work after a legal challenge by the Citizens' Emergency Committee to Preserve Preservation, which
argues that, given the transparency of the facade, Landmark status must extend to those interior features
that contribute to the streetscape. Too late. It is now gutted, the interior features broken from their
positions of more than half a century.

6
C. Architects are often feted for designing buildings whose form follows function. And that's reasonable
- intelligent design brings intellectual and physical beauty to the world. But architects are no better at
predicting the future than the rest of us. Hence, the flip side to architectural masterpieces: the closer a
building's form follows its function, the bigger the upheaval when the original purpose no longer needs
to be served. Preservation groups are aware that conservation is an expensive business. Arguments to
preserve for preservation's sake are weakened when loans are in short supply and the economic
buoyancy that might offer a long-term business case for the sensitive commercial usage of old buildings
starts to sink. The stronger argument is to update historic places so they can fund themselves. In any
repurposing of a historic building, something has to give. And it usually gives in the direction of
apartments, shops, restaurants or art galleries. It's a global picture.
D. The most exciting new place in New York is the High Line, built as an elevated railway through the
Meatpacking District and unused since the 1980s. It was scheduled to be torn down, but local residents
started a grass-roots movement in 1999. Three years on, they gained the authorities' support for a radical
redevelopment as a city garden, a string of improbable greenery threading through an overlooked quarter
that has since spread economic fertiliser in its wake with hotels, boutiques and bars abounding. Back in
Fifth Avenue, there's much hand-wringing over the stripped modern icon. Is it too late to hope the
perfect tenant will turn up and want to strike a deal? If it's not to change further, who will put it back
together, take care of it and run it as ... what - an icon?
In which section does the writer mention Your answers:
the idea that a preservation project can regenerate the surrounding area? 1.
why a particular structure stood out amongst its contemporaries? 2.
the inescapable need to make compromises when structures find a new use? 3.
a successful attempt to halt the total destruction of an obsolete structure? 4.
a paradox regarding the work of highly renowned architects? 5.
an approach to saving the architectural heritage that cannot always be financed? 6.
how an architect made a feature of something which is usually obscured? 7.
a disagreement about how a principle should be applied in practice? 8.
a structure that embodied the optimism of its time? 9.
a feeling that alterations to a structure were justifiable? 10.
SECTION 2
Part 1: Read the text and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only ONE word in each
space.
The Sensual Shopper
How can retail stores encourage customers to part with their money? Here’s how the good stores do
(1)....... . We were performing a study for RadioShack just (2)........ the chain had decided to try to
become America’s favorite phone store. We watched countless shoppers approach the wall of telephones
on display, look them all (3).........., check out the prices and then, almost (4).......... exception, pick up a
phone and hold it up to an ear. What were they hoping for? Nothing, probably – it’s just a reflex action, I
think. (5)........... else do you do with a phone? On what other basis do you compare phones but (6)........
how they feel in your hand and (7)......... your ear. Well, we reasoned, if the first principle (8)........ trial
is to make it as lifelike as possible, you can complete the experience by putting a voice in that phone.
We advised RadioShack to connect the phones to a recorded message that (9)......... be activated when a
receiver (10).........lifted. Once that happened, the stores were alive (11)......... shoppers picking up
display phones, listening (12)......... moment and then holding the receivers out for their companions to
hear - (13)......... was a bonus, because that would provide some basis (14).......... discussions the
purchase, which greatly increases the chances that something will (15)........... bought.
Part 2: Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the space in each line.
The Invisible Profession
16 ASSUME 17 KNOW 18 WEARY 19 INTELLECT 20 COMMERCE
21 ASSESS 22 SPECIAL 23 APPRAISE 24 PACK 25 RARE
7
For many people, the job of the chartered surveyor remains something of a mystery. The best definition
that we’ve found calls surveying ‘the discipline involved in extracting, adding and maximising value
from the most important commodity there is – land’. But if we have a mental image of surveyors at all, it
is of rather quiet, (16) .................. men in hard hats, carrying something called a theodolite, the purpose
of which is largely (17) .................. to us. Real life surveyors, an articulate, diverse body of men and
women, view this misperception with (18) .................. and amusement in equal measure. For surveying
is a vastly varied field, with several distinct and (19) .................. stimulating careers within it. A
chartered surveyor may be found setting up (20) .................. property deals; he or she may equally be
discovered in a wet suit, making an (21) .................. of the seabed for an oil company. Many are
managers and experts in the construction industry, whilst others (22) .................. in areas such as
environmental (23) .................. . The finacial wizard with the laptop, simultaneously phoning his
contacts with statistical information is a surveyor, too. For there’s another little secret about chartered
surveying, salary (24) .................. of $100,000 in your mid-thirties are by no means a (25) ..................,
plus there’s the chance to go into property development and make millions.
Ventriloquism
16 DERIVE 17 LEAD 18 UTILITY 19 APPLY 20 ABLE
21 REFER 22 ASSOCIATE 23 COMPARE 24 FOCUS 25 PRACTISE
Ventriloquism is a recognised art throughout the world. It is defined in most dictionaries as the practice
of making the voice appear to come from somewhere other than its sources. It is, in short, a vocal
illusion. The word ‘ventriloquist’ is a (16) ......................... of the Latin ventriloquus, meaning ‘belly
speaker’, however, the name is (17) ......................... because the ventriloquist does not speak from the
stomach, but (18) ......................... his stomach muscles in the same manner as a singer does, to assist the
diaphragm to give volume and tonal strength to the voice. In fact, contrary to popular belief,
ventriloquism can be acquired through the (19) ......................... of basic principles and practice.
Ventriloquism takes advantage of a common human failing the (20) ......................... to measure the
distance of sound. We can only judge the distance that sound has travelled, by making
(21) ......................... to previous experiences of similar sounds. The use of a speaking dill further
exploits the potential for such (22) ......................... between sound and distance. In (23) .........................
recent years, the ventriloquist’s dummy has become the (24) ......................... point of performances and
the art itself has produced some very accomplished (25) ..........................
Part 3: Think of ONE word only which can be used appropriately in all three sentences.
1. The children were surprised to hear the tree branch ..... as they sat down on it.
-Barry realised that he needed to ..... out of his despondent mood if he was going to have any chance of
getting a job.
-‘I think you’d better go back to bed if all you can do is ..... at me first thing in the morning!’ Amy’s
mother said.
2. Clarissa’s bad temper ..... something of a shadow over the whole meeting.
-One of the director’s main responsibilities is to ..... the show before rehearsals begin.
-The opposing sides in the dispute agreed to ..... aside their differences and work for the common good.
3. Although students on the course should be familiar with the basic theories of economics, they are not
expected to have any great ..... of understanding.
-In the company of such well-known figures as the town’s mayor and a presenter form the local audio
station, Paula felt out of her, and so remained quiet.
-When planting asparagus, it is necessary to dig a trench of sufficient .....to ensure that the roots will be
entirely covered.
4. I was on the ..... of my seat during the grand prix because it was such a close race.
-If you drink a glass of water before each meal, you’ll find that it takes the ..... off your appetite.
-Jean appeared to be rather on .....during the evening and the other guests wondered if she was worried
about something.

8
5. In their desperate struggle to get a conviction, the police succeeded in ..... the blame for the murder on
an innocent bystander.
-If the actress persists in marrying a wealthy man more than twice her age, she will be ..... herself open
to the obvious criticisms.
-At the end of the event, the organisers are ..... on a meal to thank all those who have helped.
6. The assisstant..... me to believe that the equipment would operate in any country, but that just wasn’t
the case.
-After the presentation, a panel of experts ..... a half-hour discussion, during which time the audience
was able to ask a number of questions.
-A series of police raids in the early hours of the last Friday morning ..... to several arrests being made.
7. Jenny realised that she had become so engrossed in what she was doing that she had lost all .... of time
passing.
-There is no .... in trying to persuade someone to give up smoking if they don’t really want to.
-Just sitting in this old building gives me a real .... of history and culture.
8. After six months’ hard work at a town center restaurant, Kevin eventually succeeded in .... together
enough money to go on a trip round the world.
-With so many labour-saving devices on the market Kate finds it irritating that her mother continues ....
the skin from potatoes with a blunt knife.
-The social worker asked Mrs Timmins how she was managing financially and the old woman had to
admit that she was barely .... by.
9. Quite a number of families in the area have decided to ....from electric to gas central heating.
-If you should detect a leak .... off the mains water supply and call a plumber.
-Tanya is bilingual in Welsh and English and can ....effortlessly from one language to the other.
10. The policeman was subjected to a ....of abuse when he asked what the young men were doing on the
roof of the building.
-Sensibly, Mick decided to postpone his purchase of a CD player until the recently advertised models
came on.
-When Jenny returned to school after the holidays, she was surprised to find that she had been in a
higher ....for maths.
11. Although they’ve tried dozens of local restaurants, Jenny and her husband still ....that Richard’s
Place is the best.
-After retirement, many old age pensioners find it difficult to .... their previous standard of living.
-Families in Britain are not as close as they used to be and very few people ....regular contact with
relatives outside their immediate family group.
12. Because of a lack of adequate regulation, the system whereby students supposedly have equal access
to the college computer network is ....open to abuse.
-The company’s estimates of how quickly demand for their products would rise have tended to be
rather ..... of the mark.
-Although she hadn’t slept very well, Hayley was feeling .... awake and ready for the day ahead.
Part 4: Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first one, using the
word given. You must use between three and eight words. Do not change the word given.
1.The newspaper article said that the runner wasn’t old enough for international competitions. too
The newspaper article described ............................................................................... internationally.
2. Owing to the company’s financial problems, several of their retail outlets were closed. resulted
Financial problems ........................................................................ several of the company’s retail outlets.
3. Rumour has it that the famous couple are about to announce their engagement. verge
The famous couple are said ............................................................................... their engagement.
4. You can borrow Dad’s car, but don’t blame me when it breaks down. hold
You can borrow Dad’s car but ............................................................................... breaking down.
5. It’s unfortunate that I came to see him when he wasn’t free. going

9
If I ...............................................................................here, I wouldn’t have come.
6. In order to discover how the disagreement had started, Mary talked to each child separately. one
Mary talked to the children ............................................................................... attempt to discover how
the disagreement had started.
7. Kim hasn’t had as much success with her project as she had hoped. liked
Kim ............................................................................... more successful.
8. Few ways of exploring the countryside are as rewarding as mountain biking. one
Mountain biking is ............................................................................. exploring the countryside.
9. David is color blind, which means that red and green look the same to him. tell
David is color blind, which means that he is not ........................................................... red and green.
10. I’m afraid that I get a terrible rash every time I eat seafood. brings
I’m afraid that eating ............................................................................... a terrible rash.
11. Most people are more aware of other people’s faults than they are of their own. identity
Most people are ............................................................................... they are those of others.
12. The building had been extensively repaired and looked as good as new. undergone
The building ............................................................................... and looked as good as new.
13. Nick said that the swimming lesson cost $11, but was well worth it. fact
Nick said that ........................................................ the swimming lesson was well worth it.
14. Jane said she was unlikely to be going to the reunion that evening. of
Jane said there ........................................................................... to the reunion that evening.
15. ‘If my brother doesn’t improve his appearance, he’ll never get a girlfriend,’ Miranda said. about
Miranda said that if her brother .............................................................. he’d never get a girlfriend.
Part 5. Read the following extract and use your own words to summarize it. Your summary
should be about 140 words long.
To detectives, the answers lie at the end of our fingers. Fingerprinting offers an accurate and infallible
means of personal identification. The ability to identify a person from a mere fingerprint is a powerful
tool in the fight against crime. It is the most commonly used forensic evidence, often outperforming
other methods of identification. These days, older methods of ink fingerprinting, which could take
weeks, have given way to newer, faster techniques like fingerprint laser scanning, but the principles stay
the same. No matter which way you collect fingerprint evidence, every single person’s print is unique.
So, what makes our fingerprints different from our neighbour’s?
A good place to start is to understand what fingerprints are and how they are created. A fingerprint is the
arrangement of skin ridges and furrows on the tips of the fingers. This ridged skin develops fully during
foetal development, as the skin cells grow in the mother’s womb. These ridges are arranged into patterns
and remain the same throughout the course of a person’s life. Other visible human characteristics, like
weight and height, change over time whereas fingerprints do not. The reason why every fingerprint is
unique is that when a baby’s genes combine with environmental influences, such as temperature, it
affects the way the ridges on the skin grow. It makes the ridges develop at different rates, buckling and
bending into patterns. As a result, no two people end up having the same fingerprints. Even identical
twins possess dissimilar fingerprints.
It is not easy to map the journey of how the unique quality of the fingerprint came to be discovered. The
moment in history it happened is not entirely dear. However, the use of fingerprinting can be traced back
to some ancient civilisations, such as Babylon and China, where thumbprints were pressed onto clay
tablets to confirm business transactions. Whether people at this time actually realised the full extent of
how fingerprints were important for identification purposes is another matter altogether. One cannot be
sure if the act was seen as a means to confirm identity or a symbolic gesture to bind a contract, where
giving your fingerprint was like giving your word.

10