PRACTICE TEST 3

SECTION A: LISTENING
I. You will hear part of a radio interview in which the comedian and writer Jane
Clarkson is talking about her work. For questions 1- 5, choose the answer (A, B, C or D)
which fits best according to what you hear.
1. What did Jane find difficult about writing a book?
A.She didn’t get any instant reaction to her work .
B. She couldn’t travel around the country.
C.She had to spend time looking after her daughter.
D.She found the process itself very challenging.
2.According to Jane, why did some critics dislike her novel?
A.They didn’t think the book was funny.
B. They were dismissive of her initial success.
C. They thought her male colleagues were better writers.
D. They thought she should stick to being a comedian.
3.Which aspect of Jane’s work as a comedian helped her to write?
A.her patience B.her ability to listen
C. her habit of watching people D. her rational way of thinking
4.According to Jane, how do many people react to female comedians?
A.They’re convinced women can’t tell jokes.
B.They’re afraid the women will break down.
C. They find women’s humour too intense.
D. They find women’s jokes embarrassing.
5. What was the disadvantage of the stage image which Jane developed?
A.It frightened the audience.
B.It made the audience angry.
C. People thought it reflected her real personality.
D. People did not take her seriously any more.

II. You will hear a guide taking a group of visitors around a museum. Listen and give
short answers to the questions. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A
NUMBER taken from the recording.
1. When was the museum founded?
……………………………………in 1849…………………………………
2. What can visitors find in the cellar storerooms?
………………………………………butterflies and birds………………………………
3. What needs modernizing?
……………………………………………the central heating………………………
4. How long is the Rutland Dinosaur?
………………………………………………14 metres…………………
5. Which part of the Rutland Dinosaur was made of Polystyrene?
………………………………………………the tail…………………..

SECTION B: GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY

I. Choose the word or phrase which best completes each sentence.
1. It seems our application has been refused ………
A. point-blank B. bull’s-eye C. carte blanche D. about- face

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2. It was a long dispute with neither side giving ……… easily.
A. clearance B. ground C. inch D. hand
3. The new restaurant in town has a wonderfully relaxing ……….
A. impression B. environment C.ambience D. attitude
4. Van Gogh suffered from depression ……… by overwork and ill health.
A. brought on B. come about C. taken up D. put through
5. The new company had been ………….. with one problem after another and looked as if it
were about to go under.
A. glorified B. tainted C.fraught D. bewildered
6. Born into a rich family, he has ………. for nothing all his life.
A. needed B. required C. lacked D. wanted
7. The manager was forced to make a ………… decision while he was under pressure and it was
one he would live to regret.
A. fresh B.close C.snap D. bitter
8. The sudden ……….. in viewing figures encouraged more advertisers to turn to television.
A. upshot B. upturn C. upkeep D. uptake
9. That new painting looks a bit out of …….. in our living room, don’t you think?
A. room B. place C. space D. spot
10. The builders told us that that pile of cement was ……….. to their requirements.
A. excess B. extra C. spare D. surplus

II. Write one word which can be used in all three sentences.
1. a. I was so tired that I couldn’t even think …straight…….
b. I’ll come ……straight…. to the point - you’re fired!
c. It’s time to set the record …straight…. about what really happened that night.
2. a. She’s only eight, but she has the ……mental…. age of an 18- year- old.
b. Many ……mental…. illnesses can be cured these days.
c. I’m not very good at …mental…. arithmetic.
3. a. Carter was the …brains…. behind the whole criminal operation.
b. Could I just pick your ……brains…. about good places to eat around here?
c. We sat there racking our …brains………. trying to think of a place to take Paul and
Doug in the evening.
4. a. I was in the …process… of texting Debbie when my phone rang and it was her!
b. Recent developments mean that there is a good chance the Middle East peace …
process… could be restarted.
c. If the monster isn’t behind that door or that door, then it must be behind the third
one- it’s just a …process……. of elimination.
5. a. I began to realise in the ……course……. of the meeting that my proposal was not going
to
be accepted.
b. We are going to have to decide on a ……course……. action to take.
c. All they said was that they would contact me in due …course…….
III. Complete each of the following sentences using a verb from the box in the correct
form.

fizzle break run grow pour wash hold iron

1. Some of his greatest
inventions …grew…… out of earlier ideas he had but didn’t always finish.
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2. We had a few problems to start with but we managed to …iron…… them out.
3. The factory strike started in a united way, but then …fizzled… out after only two days.
4. We were getting along just fine but then suddenly he ……poured…… out a stream of abuse.
5. Philippa still …holds… out hope that one day she will be a rich person.
6. The New Year is a good time to try and …break…out of a rut.
7. The second day of the summer fair was completely ……broke… out by the torrential rain.
8. By next month, David’s visa will have …run… out and he’ll have to go back home.
IV.Write the correct form of each bracketed word.
HOW DO WE BEST HELP OTHERS?
According to some psychologists, we should examine our deeper (1) ……motives……. (MOVE)
when we attempt to help others who appear to be in need of our support. Helping others is
clearly a good thing to do, and it can have a(n) (2) ……restorative……. (RESTORE) power for
both the giver and recipient. If, however, we begin to focus on what we might get out of
helping someone, rather than how that person might be helped, we could be in danger of
adopting a somewhat calculating attitude. This would be to (3) ………impart……. (PART)
significance to the ideas of those psychologists who believe that, ultimately, we only do things
for our own aspirations that no actions are truly (4) ………altruistic………. (ALTRUISM). And, of
course, we can all think of examples of problems that have been exacerbated by the (5)…
intentioned…. (INTEND), but (6) …ill-considered…. (CONSIDER) intervention of third parties.
We should also bear in mind that doing too much for people and protecting them from the
consequences of their actions can reduce their motivation and even rob them of the resources
to sort things out for themselves.
V. The passage below contains 5 errors. IDENTIFY and CORRECT them.

1 What is the media? What constitutes the media? The media consists of all the
2 ways that news and information is disseminated to the mass audience. The
3 media cover everything from hard news, which is investigative reporting, to
4 stories that are purely entertained, such as whether your favourite movie star
5 was on the ‘Best Dressed/Worst Dressed’ list. Whether from print or (in)
6 broadcast on TV, the stories are the product of the reporting of many
7 journalists who write the stories, and editors who give out the assignments,
8 assess the quality of the writing and research, but make the decisions about(and)
9 where and when the stories run.
10 The news has an immediate impact. The Internet puts global news onto the
11 personal computer on your desk. Almost all browsers have links to up-to-the-
12 minute new stories from various news services. You can get constant news
13 updates from a variety of sources via your personal computer, provided you
14 with the most up-to-date and in-depth coverage. (providing)

SECTION C: READING COMPREHENSION

I. Fill in each of the numbered blanks in the passage with one suitable word.
How can you criticize somebody constructively to make sure that they will do as you
ask in (1)…future……? The (2)……odds/chances…… are that yelling at them is never going to
work while constant complaining, on the other hand, may very well (3)……look…… like a
victim- like, poor- me moan that gives no incentive for change. Of course, if you do feel (4)…
inclined……… to have a (5)……go… at someone, go ahead, but it is rarely productive. Not only is
it more or less certain to end in a row or a sulk, there’s also the (6)……real……… possibility it
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will be ignored. Constructive criticism really needs to be adult, rational and reasonable. No (7)
……wonder…… so many of us struggle with it: there’s no (8)……doubt…… it’s much easier
being unreasonable. But even if you can manage to give criticism like an adult, it doesn’t mean
the recipient will feel under any (9)…obligation…… to take it in the same way. In all (10)…
probability…, you will be met by hurt eyes, slumped shoulders and a sad face, and you may as
well get used to the fact. .

II. For each gap, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D which best fits the context.
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD
The issues for (1)………….. economies are a little more straightforward. The desire to build on
undeveloped land is not (2)………….. out of desperation or necessity, but is a result of the
relentless march of progress. Cheap labour and a relatively highly-skilled workforce make
these countries highly competitive and there is a flood of inward investment, particularly from
(3)………….. looking to take advantage of the low wages before the cost and standard of living
begin to rise. It is factors such as these that are making many Asian economies extremely
attractive when viewed as investment opportunities at the moment. Similarly, in Africa, the
relative (4)………….. of precious metals and natural resources tends to attract a lot of (5)
………….. companies and a whole sub-industry develops around and is completely dependent
on this foreign-direct investment. It is understandable that countries that are the focus of this
sort of attention can lose sight of the environmental implications of large-scale industrial
development, and this can have devastating consequences for the natural world. And it is a (6)
………….. cycle because the more industrially active a nation becomes, the greater the demand
for and harvesting of natural resources. For some, the environmental issues, though they can
hardly be ignored, are viewed as a (7)………….. concern. Indeed, having an environmental
conscience or taking environmental matters into consideration when it comes to decisions on
whether or not to build rubber-tree (8)………….. or grow biofuel crops would be quite (9)
………….. indeed. For those involved in such schemes it is a pretty black-and-white issue. And,
for vast (10)………….. of land in Latin America, for example, it is clear that the welfare of the
rainforests matters little to local government when vast sums of money can be made from
cultivating the land.

1. A. emerging B. decimating C. diverging D. surging

2. A. grown B. born C. bred D. arisen

3. A. multinationals B. nationals C. continentals D. intercontinentals

4. A. premonition B. abundance C. amplitude D. accumulation

5. A. exploitation B. exploration C. surveyance D. research

6. A. vacuous B. viscous C. vexatious D. vicious

7. A. parallel B. extrinsic C. peripheral D. exponential

8. A. plantations B. homesteads C. ranches D. holdings

9. A. proscriptive B. prohibitive C. prospective D. imperative

10. A. regions B. plots C. tracts D. sectors

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III. Read the passage and do the tasks that follow.
A
Japan has a significantly better record in terms of average mathematical attainment than
England and Wales. Large sample international comparisons of pupils' attainments since the
1960s have established that not only did Japanese pupils at age 13 have better scores of
average attainment, but there was also a larger proportion of 'low' attainers in England,
where, incidentally, the variation in attainment scores was much greater. The percentage of
Gross National Product spent on education is reasonably similar in the two countries, so how
is this higher and more consistent attainment in maths achieved?

B
Lower secondary schools in Japan cover three school years, from the seventh grade (age 13)
to the ninth grade (age. 15). Virtually all pupils at this stage attend state schools: only 3 per
cent are in the private sector. Schools are usually modern in design, set well back from the
road and spacious inside. Classrooms are large and pupils sit at single desks in rows. Lessons
last for a standardised 50 minutes and are always followed by a 10-minute break, which gives
the pupils a chance to let off steam. Teachers begin with a formal address and mutual bowing,
and thenconcentrate on whole-class teaching.
Classes are large - usually about 40 - and are unstreamed. Pupils stay in the same class for all
lessons throughout the school and develop considerable class identity and loyalty. Pupils
attend the school in their own neighbourhood, which in theory removes ranking by school. In
practice in Tokyo, because of the relative concentration of schools, there is some competition
to get into the 'better' school in a particular area.
C
Traditional ways of teaching form the basis of the lesson and the remarkably quiet classes
take their own notes of the points made and the examples demonstrated. Everyone has their
own copy of the textbook supplied by the central education authority, Monbusho, as part of
the concept of free compulsory education up to the age of 15. These textbooks are, on the
whole, small, presumably inexpensive to produce, but well set out and logically developed.
(One teacher was particularly keen to introduce colour and pictures into maths textbooks: he
felt this would make them more accessible to pupils brought up in a cartoon culture.) Besides
approving textbooks, Monbusho also decides the highly centralised national curriculum and
how it is to be delivered.
D
Lessons all follow the same pattern. At the beginning, the pupils put solutions to the
homework on the board, then the teachers comment, correct or elaborate as necessary. Pupils
mark their own homework: this is an important principle in Japanese schooling as it enables
pupils to see where and why they made a mistake, so that these can be avoided in future. No
one minds mistakes or ignorance as long as you are prepared to learn from them. After the
homework has been discussed, the teacher explains the topic of the lesson, slowly and with a
lot of repetition and elaboration. Examples are demonstrated on the board; questions from the
textbook are worked through first with the class, and then the class is set questions from the
textbook to do individually. Only rarely are supplementary worksheets distributed in a maths
class. The impression is that the logical nature of the textbooks and their comprehensive
coverage of different types of examples, combined with the relative homogeneity of the class,
renders work sheets unnecessary. At this point, the teacher would circulate and make sure
that all the pupils were coping well.
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E
It is remarkable that large, mixed-ability classes could be kept together for maths throughout
all their compulsory schooling from 6 to 15. Teachers say that they give individual help at the
end of a lesson or after school, setting extra work if necessary. In observed lessons, any
strugglers would be assisted by the teacher or quietly seek help from their neighbour.
Carefully fostered class identity makes pupils keen to help each other - anyway, it is in their
interests since the class progresses together.
This scarcely seems adequate help to enable slow learners to keep up. However, the Japanese
attitude towards education runs along the lines of 'if you work hard enough, you can do
almost anything'. Parents are kept closely informed of their children's progress and will play a
part in helping their children to keep up with class, sending them to 'Juku' (private evening
tuition) if extra help is needed and encouraging them to work harder. It seems to work, at
least for 95 per cent of the school population.
F
So what are the major contributing factors in the success of maths teaching? Clearly, attitudes
are important. Education is valued greatly in Japanese culture; maths is recognised as an
important compulsory subject throughout schooling; and the emphasis is on hard work
coupled with a focus on accuracy.
Other relevant points relate to the supportive attitude of a class towards slower pupils, the
lack of competition within a class, and the positive emphasis on learning for oneself and
improving one's own standard. And the view of repetitively boring lessons and learning the
facts by heart, which is sometimes quoted in relation to Japanese classes, may be unfair and
unjustified. No poor maths lessons were observed. They were mainly good and one or two
were inspirational.

For questions 1 – 5, choose the correct heading for sections B – F from the list of headings
below.
List of Headings
I The influence of Monbusho
II Helping less successful students
III The success of compulsory education
IV Research findings concerning achievements in maths
V The typical format of a maths lesson
VI Comparative expenditure on maths education
VI Background to middle-years education in Japan
I
VI The key to Japanese successes in maths education
I
IX The role of homework correction
Example Answer
Section A IV
1. Section B _____vii______ 2. Section C _____i______ 3. Section D _____v______
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4. Section E ______ii_____ 5. Section F ____viii_______

For quesions 6 – 9, write in the corresponding numbered boxes.

YES if the statement agrees with the information
NO if the statement contradicts the statement
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this in the passage
6. There is a wider range of achievement amongst English pupils studying maths than amongst
their Japanese counterparts. Y
7. The percentage of Gross National Product spent on education generally reflects the level of
attainment in mathematics. N
8. Private schools in Japan are more modern and spacious than state-run lower secondary
schools. NG
9. Teachers mark homework in Japanese schools. N

For questions 10 – 13, choose (A, B, C or D ) which you think fits best according to the text.
10. Maths textbooks in Japanese schools are ……………….
A. cheap for pupils to buy.
B. well organised and adapted to the needs of the pupils.
C. written to be used in conjunction with TV programmes.
D. not very popular with many Japanese teachers.

11.When a new maths topic is introduced, ……………….

A. students answer questions on the board.
B. students rely entirely on the textbook.
C. it is carefully and patiently explained to the students.
D. it is usual for students to use extra worksheets.
12. How do schools deal with students who experience difficulties?
A. They are given appropriate supplementary tuition.
B. They are encouraged to copy from other pupils.
C. They are forced to explain their slow progress.
D. They are placed in a mixed-ability class.
13. Why do Japanese students tend to achieve relatively high rates of success in maths?
A. It is a compulsory subject in Japan.
B. They are used to working without help from others.
C. Much effort is made and correct answers are emphasised.
D. There is a strong emphasis on repetitive learning.

SECTION D: WRITING
I. 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.
1.Could you tell me where you were last night, Mr. Johnson? (ACCOUNT)
→ Could you …give an account of……………… your whereabouts last night, Mr. Johnson?
2. The journalist pretended that she was a parent of one of the children. (FALSE)
→ The journalist …gave the false impression……… that she was a parent of one of the children.
3. You have to use logic and lateral thinking in equal measure in this job. (STRIKE)
→ You have to ………strike a balance between…….. logic and lateral thinking in this job.
4. I didn’t tell Angie because I didn’t want to hurt Eddie’s feelings. (CONSIDERATION)
→ I didn’t tell Angie ……out of consideration for hurting ………………….. Eddie.
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5. I think you think wrongly that this is all a conspiracy against you. (MISAPPREHENSION)
→ I think …you are under the misapprehension…………. that this is all a conspiracy against you.

II. Rewrite the following sentences in such a way that they mean almost the same as the
ones printed before them.
1. He doesn’t think very highly of politicians.
He’s got a …low opinion of politicians……………………………..
2. She’s successful and happy.
She has …………………………………………………………………………….
3. One advantage of living in the city is the range of clothes shops.
One point ……………………………………………………………………………
4. Your silly questions distracted me.
You drove ……………………………………………………………………………
5. I thought about what had happened all those years before.
I cast ………………………………………………………………………………….

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