I

oI English: Part t

For questions 1 - 8, 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).

Example:

O @ outward B outside C outlying D outermost

0 A B
:c D

- -
Starfish
There exists a sea creature whose simple yet beautiful (0) - - - appearance is a cause of delight - the
starfrsh. Their name (1) - - -, starfish are not fish; they are a type of marine invertebrate, found in
both shallow and deep waters. Starlish come in all shapes, sizes and colours as there arc over 1800
species of them.

For protection, starfrsh have (2) - - - skin and sometimes long sharp spines. They also have radial
symmetry, meaning (3) - - - arrangement ofbody parts around a central axis. Although, most
commonly, starfrsh have five arms, there are species with up to forty, and each arm has at its (4) - - -
an eye spot which can detect light and dark. The starfish also has the ability to (5) - - - Iost arms,
though the process takes approfmately a year.

Another interesting, if somewhat (6) - - -, fact about the starfish is its method of feeding. It takes
(often clams, mussels or small fish), slides its stomach out of its mouth, (8) -
(7)
- - - of its prey - - its
prey outside the body, then slides its stomach back in.

1A opposing B in contrast C notwithstanding D nevertheless

2A soft B leathery C dense D sturdy

3A a constant B a regular C a habitual D an alternating

4A tip B edge C peak D summit

5A renovate B refresh C revive D regenerate

6A off-putting B impolite C daunting D adverse

7A hold B clasp C Srip D catch

8A diminishes B compresses C contracts D digests

13.2 Practice Test 5

 I I
oI English: Part 2
For questlons 9 - 16, read the text below and thlnk of the word whlch best flts each space. Use only one
word in each space, There la an example at the beglnnlng (0). Wrlte your anawsrs lN CAPITAL LETTERS.

Example: tr o N

Jusl Deserls?
(0) _____O_ru being informed that
the peasants had no bread to eat, Marie
Antoinette, the French queen, purportedly
responded, 'Then let them eat cake.'
The story (9) be
considered apocryphal at best. lndeed,
( 10) exists convincing
evidence that the exact same quote had
been attributecl (11)
several other French princesses long before
Marie Antoinette's time. Nevertheless,
the version of the story featuring Marie
Antoinette, and thus highlighting her
supposed fi21 of
sympathy for her subjects' plight, clearly
( 13) a chord in the
common imagination and continues to
stain the young queen's reputation to
( 14) day.

Marie Antoinette was certainly a lavish

spender who was fatally - some might
say criminally - ignorant of the realities of
her subjects' lives. However, it's difficult
not to feel at least a (15)
sympathy for the young woman who was
delivered to a foreign husband at the age of
fifteen, Iost her son when he was just seven
and had to flee her home on three separate
occasions, a murclerous mob Iiterally
(16) her heels, before
she was finally sent to the guillotine to be
executed in public.

Practice Test 5 r33

 I I I oI English: Part t

For questlons 17 - 24, read the text below Use the word glven ln capltals at the ond of somo ol tho llnes
to form a word that tlt3 ln the space in the same line. There ls an example at tho beglnnlng (0). Wdto your
ANAWETS IN CAPITAL LETTERS,

Example: tr s E c o N D A R Y IIIIIIIIII
How I Cope with Revision

Since exams are part and parcel of Iife at (0) school, SECOND

doing revision is one of those ( 17) chores that we all AVOID

have to put up with.

In my first two years at high school, revision meant ( 18) FRANTIC

trying to cram enough relevant information into my head on the night

before an exam. I soon came to the ( 19) ---- -, however, REALISE

that there is an easier, more (20) approach. FRUIT

My secret is (21) -: whenever we cover important new material REPEAT

in class, I (22) it in some brief notes that night. SUMMARY

I then go over those notes the following day and again at the weekend,
Finally, I test myself on the material a few weeks later, I'm often pleasantly
surprised by how much I can (23) and layrng the COLLECT

(24) in this way means that I'm much more relaxed GROUND

and better prepared when exam season comes around.

134 Practice Test 5

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 I I I
oI English: Part 5

You are going to read an extract from a novel. For questions 31 - 36, choose the answer
(A, B, G or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

Looking Back
I stirred the browning pieces of chicken and then sat product. No one even enjoys my efforts very much
down at the large wooden table while taking in the because preparing a meal seems like just another
sturdy maple cupboards and the old worn armchair routine chore to me. ln recent weeks, when I saw that
tucked away in the corner. Above my head hung rows Mum was becoming frail, I made small contributions
and rows of cooking utensils, and brightly polished when visiting. I bought the various groceries from the
pots and pans were carefully stacked on every market and weighed ingredients while she moved less
worktop. As always, everything had been cleaned steadily round the kitchen. Now that she's gone, I can
meticulously and put back in its designated place see clearly: kitchens tell stories of who we are and,
after use. Looking back, I remembered that Mum had sadly, I won't be able to step into my mother's shoes.
designed the room herself. Evefihing was exactly as Family members will not come together to sample
she thought it should be and it resembled something my cooking or linger round the table, unable to tear
from an English country house, not unlike the one she themselves away.
had worked in as a young woman. Until fairly recently,
I stirred the broth again, and took in the countless
it had been a cosy room the family would burst into,
cookery books lined up on the shelves. The only one I
clambering over each other to be first to reach the
own is somewhere hidden away in the attic. A couple
stove and lift the lid off the steaming pot.
more unwanted gifts had gone out with the rubbish
Mum had been famous for her cooking skills and for years ago, another clear indication of the differences
the mountains of food she fed to her relatives and between us. Yes, she had tried to teach me about
friends. ln all honesty, she really had no need to cook the joy of experimenting with various ingredients, but
such huge amounts day in, day out, but she insisted understandably she soon lost patience in the face of
everything tasted better when eaten with the family my indifference. No wonder she had been so pleased
and would sit patiently waiting for them to arrive. So, that Steffi felt so much more at home in the kitchen.
we would visit regularly and gather around this table to
Nevertheless, I did gain things of great value in the
be fed, creating a tradition that the old woman greatly
hours I spent with everyone in Mum's favourite room.
appreciated. She had always been generous, wanting
First of all, our gatherings round the table helped
everyone to enjoy a hearty meal, but at times, I saw in
me to overcome my natural diffidence. I always felt
this tradition a hint of selfishness. We did after all, have
comfortable in their company and was able to be much
our own families and dayto-day lives to attend to, and
more forthright about speaking my mind than I was
yet we had to drop evefihing and come running when
elsewhere. Also, I would listen to various issues being
she had a big family meal planned.
discussed, often impressed by how people with such
Lost in thought, I glanced over at the comfortable different personalities could come together to hammer
armchair; her favourite place for a nap. I pictured my out a solution to a problem facing the family. This
own daughter, Steffi, when she was young, standing wonderful warm kitchen was where I started exploring
on a three-legged stool watching her grandmother the minds of others. !'m convinced that this is what led
intently as she made extrathick bread pudding with me to my current work as an educational psychologist,
apples. Then, as the years went by, Steffi developed helping young people who are experiencing problems
an even deeper interest in learning her grandmother's in the classroom. I may not be the world's best
traditional recipes, writing them down in her best chef, but I can certainly cook up a great story to
handwriting. I smiled as I recalled them both busy help youngsters appreciate their surroundings and
in their old-fashioned aprons and covered in flour, overcome what's troubling them.
separated by more than fifty years in age, but united in
I turned off the soup knowing full well that it would
their infectious laughter.
likely be too salty or too oily, but I didn't really care. My
I absent-mindedly added water, salt and a cup full of husband was away on business and Steffi, long grown
rice to the pot. What a disappointment ! must have up, had moved to Canada. The only person who would
been: not particularly interested in cooking, and my be dining tonight was me and, actually, my food tastes
lack of enthusiasm clearly comes across in the finished a lot better when there's no one around to criticise it.

{36 Practice Test 5

31 In the first paragraph, the writer suggests that the room she is in
A is messy and crammed with outdated kitchen equipment.
B was a source of pride for her mother.
C had recently been redecorated.
D is located inside a large house in the country.

32 What does the writer imply about her family's get-togethers?

A She thought it was inconsiderate that no one else ever offered to do the cooking.
B They failed to make up for an underlyrng mean streak in her mother.
C It was sometimes inconvenient to attend them.
D They were something she avoided whenever possible.

33 The writer stresses that she

A doesn't find cooking to be an enjoyable pastime.
B was surprised by her daughter's attitude towards cooking.
G has always been more self-sufficient than her mother.
D worries about her ability to take care of her family.

34 \illhy didn't the writer's mother succeed in teaching her to cook?

A Her mother was a very impatient teacher.
B They didn't have any good cookery books.
C The writer had been too busy looking after her own daughter.
D The writer wasn't interested in learning.

35 By spending time in her mother's kitchen, the writer

A learned to be more cautious about expressing her views.
B had the opportunity to analyse people.
C was persuaded to change her career.
D realised her family members were more alike than she had thought.

36 Overall, the writer appears to

A regret not being more like her mother.
B resent what she considers to be her mother's impatience.
C have a lot of fond memories related to her mother's kitchen.
D be very jealous of her mother's skills as a cook.

Practice Test 5 r37

 I

you are golng to r€ad an extract trom a magazlne a icle. Seven paragraphs have been romoved from
the efira:c:t, C-hoose from the paragraphs A - H the one whlch lits each gap (37 - 43), Thero i3 one sxtra
paragraph whlch you do not need to use.

Road Trip To Yellowstone

The American term 'road trip' carries with it a reached the area with the geysers. As most of
wealth of excitement and suspense. Or at least it Yellowstone is on the site of an ancient caldera,
did for a British girl from a sleepy northern town another attraction, apart from the wildlife, is the
in England. So, when my expat brother, Brian, volcanic activity. Leaving the car for a welcome
announced during my visit to him and his American stretch of the legs, we wandered around the geysers
wife, Kelly, that we'd be travelling from Denver staying, as instructed by the signs, on the boardwalk
up to Yellowstone National Park, little butterflies so as to avoid the spectacular spurts of super-heated
began dancing in my stomach. water and steam spewing out of them.

37 41

As the green of Denver suburbs changed to the brown Another short drive brought us to Old Faithful,
of undulating pasture land, Kelly suddenly let out a Yellowstone's definite crowd-pleaser. Old Faithful
shout. "Pronghorn!" she cried, pointing at a group is a geyser that erupts regularly. It's not the biggest
of antelope-like animals grazing in the distance. geyser in the ptrk, nor is it the most regular.
"One, two, three...twelve altogether. Twelve points What it is, though, is the biggest regular geyser in
for me!" Shortly afterwards Brian roared, "BOP!" Yellowstone. Nobody leaves this area disappointed;
in reply, "Two of them! Ten points!" indicating a within a time period of two hours at the most, the
couple of eagles soaring above us in the cloudless geyser will have performed for the waiting crowds.
sky. The acronJfin, as I soon discovered, stood for We only had to wait twenty minutes before it shot
bird of prey. Their game of 'Spot the Wildlife' served steam and boiling water fifty or so metres into the
two functions: to pass the time and to train the eye air.
for spotting bigger and better game in the National
Park. 42

38
Brian stopped the truck and we clambered out,
taking cameras, camcorders and binoculars with us.
At last, after what was almost an entire day on Then we watched in awe as a mother grizzly and
the road, we approached Yellowstone. The scenery her cub proceeded to give us a performance worthy
became greener, more vibrant, with towering trees of any nature programme. First the bears geemed
and majestic mountains. Almost immediately we to play hide-and-seek in the long coarse grass, then
spotted a couple of elk striding through the edge they tumbled and romped together. The display
of the trees, their magnificent antlers standing out culminated with the mother bear tramping into a
against the background of the setting sun. nearby river to give her cub, and us onlookers, a
fishing lesson. Before our eyes, she snatched a large
39 fish out of the water with her paws, with such ease
that it was as if the fish had been planted there.
Who needs an alarm clock when you've got Brian?
He was up before the sun the next day making a
43
hearty breakfast of sausage, graW and biscuits. Then
gathering up hats, water, sunscreen and camera, we I struggled to keep my head above the surface,
set out on our sightseeing extravaganza. as I was pulled along past viciously sharp rocks.
Eventually I was able to drag myself over to the
40 bank. As I sat gasping for air, I wondered, "Is this
an American's idea of fun? What else have I let
Not long after passing a particularly large herd, a myself in for?"
peculiar stench filled my nostrils. I realised we'd

138 Practice Test 5 Ett

A Even more impressive were the hot springs. F As they shook themselves dry and disappeared
The micro-organisms which live in and around into the forest, we decided to copy one of their
them produce an amazing range of colours. activities. We loaded our stuff, got back into
Turquoise, emerald, gold, crimson; colours you the truck and Kelly directed us to a certain part
see in photographs and doubt their existence of the river. We changed into our swimming
in such surroundings, until you see them with costumes, kept our trainers on for a little
your own eyes. protection and plunged in. The icy water
took my breath away and, before I had time
to recover, the underwater curuent started
B It was he who saw the small herd of elk. They carrying me downstream.
were at the water's edge, some gently lapping
the clear water, others sniffrng the air warily,
ready to flee at the first sign of a bear or wolf. G On the day of our departure, I got up, b1eary-
What an incredible sight! eyed, at 6am, only to discover that Brian
was already up and raring to go. In fact, he'd
already been out and done some last minute
C My English eyes are used to seeing small fields shopping. Little did I know that dawn wake-up
of docile Friesian cows. There, we travelled calls would be the norm for the next week or so.
over vast plains where hundreds of wild bison After a hurried, but substantial breakfast made
roamed, sometimes standing in the middle of by Kelly, we hooked up the enormous trailer to
the road forcing drivers to queue patiently, Brian's huge, black truck and we were off.
other times graciously allowing them to pass.
The damage these beasts can inflict, even on
vehicles as large as Brian's is incredible. We H We sti[ weren't at our final destination,
drove respectfully past them, avoiding looking however. We would be driving for at least
them in the eye, as you would with a vicious another hour through the park before we
gpard dog. reached our campsite. There, we hooked up the
trailer to the electricity supply, took note of the
warnings "You are now in bear country," and
D The road stretched endlessly before us, cutting after lighting the fire in our barbecue pit sat
as straight as a ruler through the monotonous around roasting marshmallows and chatting as
Wyoming countryside. The animal count kept darkness fell.
on rising, but as the time passed my initial
excitement began to wear off. This one state
was the size of a whole European country! I
dgzed off, now and again, but whenever I awoke
it didn't Eeem like we had made any progress.

E Each day followed a similar routine - early to

bed and early to rise, ready for a never-ending
tour of unique sights. Our final day, however,
brought the climac we'd been waiting for.
As we drove sedately along, eyes peeled for
anything interesting, Kelly suddenly squealed
and pointed at something moving down the
hillside to our right.

ffi PractiEe Test 5 r3g

 f,eading and Use o, English: Pafi 7

You are going to read an article about advertising. For questions 44 - 53, choose from the people
(A - D). The people may be chosen more than once.

Which person gives each of these opinions about advertising?

Today, advertising is so ubiquitous that it is impossible to escape it. 44

Thanks to advertising, the quality of goods on the market improves over time. 45

It is possible that advertising can encourage people to adopt a healthier lifestyle. 46

It places small businesses at a disadvantage. 47

It is essential for the survival of many businesses. 48

It has a damaging impact on the natural world. 49

Most members of the public aren't fooled by the underhand techniques

that advertisers use. 50

The primary concern of advertisers is to sell more of their clients' products. 51

The abundance of information given may confuse people. 52

It aids potential consumers to make an informed decision. 53

140
 Advertising: something to spread the word about?

G James G Paul
I.
However much the public What bothers me most about
complains about advertising, what modern advertising is that there is
is abundantly clear is that it is an no getting away from it. Turn on your
economic necessity. Whether we like TV or computer and you are likely
I
it or not, we live in a consumer society, to be bombarded by advertisers trying
which depends on cash circulation. Advertising creates a to give you the hard sell. You have probably also recently
demand, and this has the effect of encouraging competition received unsolicited phone calls or text messages trying to
amongst companies, thereby leading to progress and persuade you to buy something you never knew you needed
product upgrades. The positive role advertising plays or wanted, And then, when you head out into the world,
is also evident where information is concerned, The practically everywhere you look posters, billboards and
consumer is conveniently supplied with any relevant facts neon displays are competing to attract your attention. Apart
and figures about a product they may wish to purchase from this mental pollution, there are very real environmental
without having to conduct personal market research. Having effects. Just think of the valuable resources such as paper
this information at their fingertips gives consumers the and electricity that advertising consumes. And that is before
resources to choose wisely between competing goods. we even consider the environmental impact of promoting
Not only is advertising beneficial to consumers, but it is rampant consumerism, where unnecessary objects become
advantageous, if not crucial, for the existence of a host of must-have status symbols and extravagant spending
companies who rely on advertising to boost sales of their becomes the norm.
wares.

G Atison
G sheila I consider the amount of criticism
Every company wants to promote levelled at modern advertising to be
their products to the public. somewhat unfair. Without a doubt,
However, advertising can be the sheer volume of information can
extremely costly, and this is where the baffle rather than enlighten consumers,
massive multinational companies can get and there are unscrupulous companies which try to exploit
one up on their more modestly-sized competitors. They can the weaknesses of their prospective customers. However,
afford the best marketing to draw attention to their products it's a business, iust like any other. The advertiser's iob is
and have no qualms about making this investment. This to persuade people to buy the product and they will try to
is what has resulted in advertising becoming such a big take advantage of emotion, not reason, or play on feelings
business and why, for the advertisers, the bottom line is of inadequacy, but no one is forced into unnecessary
everything. How else can you iudge the effectiveness of an spending. For the most part, savvy consumers are wise to
ad other than by observing the effect it has on sales? So the advertisers' tricks. They understand the nature of the
we should expect advertisers to use every trick in the book game and are happy to play along. Moreover, the 'ideal'
to encourage us to reach for our wallets. Nevertheless, lifestyle promoted in advertisements for a whole range
consumers shouldn't overlook what we are getting in return of products revolves around active, fit individuals, and in
for allowing the advertisers to make their pitch to us. After this regard, at least, it could be argued that adverts might
all, how many of the TV shows, magazines and websites encourage consumers to change their own habits for the
that you enjoy could exist at all if they weren't funded by better.
advertising? I say, let the advertisers promise you the world
You don't have to fall for the claims that their product will
make you happier, healthier and more productive. Just let
the ads wash over you and appreciate what you are getting
in return.

Practise Test 5 t4t