Reading Comprehension
Time: 45 minutes
You are going to read a nephew’s memories of his uncle. Seven sentences have been removed from the passage. Choose from the sentences A-H the one which fits each gap (1-7). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.
Memories of a man I won’t forget!
I wish you’d met my Uncle Bill. He was a tall man – so tall that he could change the bulbs in light sockets while hardly reaching above his head. He said that he wasn’t supposed to reach up – it was something to do with a heart condition – and that being tall made life much easier. 1_________ Those accessible bulbs were an easy target for that lofty, blundering head of his.
I realized from the start that his problem was not so much tallness as clumsiness. He blundered into anything and everything and often had injuries (though not in fact burns) to prove how accident-prone he was.
A miserly man, my uncle always stuck replacement soles on his shoes as the old ones wore through, no matter how shabby the uppers became – or how badly he injured himself in the process. 2_________ Well, strictly it wasn’t the sticking that did it but the razor blade adjustments that followed. In his clumsiness, he nearly always stuck the soles slightly out of position. Once firmly glued they couldn’t be moved but at least the protruding parts could be neatly trimmed away. 3________
I can see him now in my mind’s eye! There was the sole, slightly out of position, and there was my uncle, his fingers encrusted with firmly set glue. 4_________ Then he’d blunder round his house in search of lint and sticking plasters. Vases would topple, ornaments would get knocked off walls. He lived alone but his frequent visitors were used to the commotion my uncle made as he hurried round his untidy house. 5__________ Even going to answer the phone could cause calamities and a trail of damage.
6________ No, they were due to injured fingers, banged heads and falls down stairs. As a matter of fact he survived so many serious injuries that in the end I came to doubt that there was anything wrong with his heart at all. 7_________
A I think he preferred to claim a bad heart than admit to bad eyesight or total and utter clumsiness!
B He would set to work with his razor blade, and a minute later we’d hear his cry of pain and frustration.
C My uncle’s visits to hospital never resulted from that famous heart condition of his.
D But how could even a clumsy man suffer injuries sticking soles on his shoes?
E And that’s where the razor blades came in, and all the consequent injuries to fingers and thumbs.
F However, it also created problems for him.
G The slightest haste was enough to cause an accident.
H You should have seen him when he really got going!
Part 2
You are going to read an extract from a book. For questions 8-14, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
That night as Easton walked home through the rain he felt very depressed. It had been a very bad summer for most people and he had not fared better than the rest. A few weeks with one firm, a few days with another, then out of job, then on again for a month perhaps, and so on.
William Easton was a man of medium height, about 23 years old, with fair hair and moustache and blue eyes. His clothes, though shabby, were clean and neat but the holes in his shoes made it painful to walk.
He was married: his wife was a young woman whose acquaintance he had made when he happened to be employed with other painting the outside of the house where she was a general servant. Easton had been in no hurry to marry for he knew that, taking good times with bad, his wages did not average a pound a week. However, after going out for 18 months they were finally married.
That was a year ago.
As a single man he had never troubled much if he happened to be out of work. He always had enough to live on and pocket money besides, but now that he was married it was different; the fear of being ‘out’ haunted him all the time.
He had started for Rushton and Co. on the previous Monday after having been idle for three weeks and, as the house where he was working had to be done right through, he had congratulated himself on having secured a job that would last till Christmas; but he now began to fear that what had happened to Jack Linden – a master craftsman – might also happen to himself at any time. He would have to be very careful not to offend Bill Crass in any way. He was afraid that the latter did not like him very much as it was. He knew that Crass could get him the sack at any time and would not scruple to do so if he wanted to make room for some pal of his.
Crass, the foreman, was quite without special abilities; he was if anything inferior to the majority of the men he supervised. Even so, he pretended to know everything, and the vague references he was in the habit of making to ‘tones’ and ‘shades’ and ‘harmony’ had so impressed Frederick Hunter that the latter was completely taken in. it was by pushing himself forward in this way that Crass had managed to get himself put in charge of the work.
Although Crass did as little as possible himself, he took care to work the others hard. Any man who failed to satisfy him was reported to Hunter as being ‘no good’ or ‘too slow for a funeral’ and was then dispensed with at the end of the week. Knowing this, all the workers feared and hated the wily Crass.
Some, by giving him pipefuls of tobacco and pints of beer, managed to stay in Crass’s favour and often kept their jobs when better men were dismissed.
As he walked home through the rain thinking of these things, Easton realized that it was not possible to foresee what a day or even an hour might bring.
8 As he walked home, Easton felt depressed because
A it had been a bad summer for most people, including him.
B he was afraid of losing his job.
C he had recently got married, despite his low wages.
D his shoes were worn out and his feet were hurting.
9 The fifth paragraph mentions Easton’s fear of being ‘out’. Is there a fear of
A being unemployed?
B not having any money?
C having nowhere to live?
D falling out with his wife?
10 The most senior person mentioned in the passage is
A Jack Linden.
B Frederick Hunter.
C Bill Crass.
D William Easton.
11 Crass got his position because Hunter thought he was good at
A using language.
B managing other people.
C understanding colour schemes.
D repairing or decorating houses.
12 To keep his job, anyone working under Crass had to
A work hard.
B give him presents.
C take care not to offend him.
D make room for his ‘pals’ (friends).
13 Crass was
A a skilful worker but lazy.
B not very skilful but hard working.
C not very skilful but also lazy.
D a skilful man and a hard worker.
14 A good title for the passage would be
A Foreman Crass.
B An Uncertain Future.
C Too Slow for a Funeral.
D A Miserable Walk.
TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO YOUR ANSWER SHEET
Answer sheet
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Part 2
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Use of English
Time: 45 minutes
Task 1
For questions 1-15, read the text below and then decide which word on the following page best fits each space. The exercise begins with the example (0). You should put the letter for each question on a separate answer sheet.
| 0 | D |
Example
Smart Dog!
Dogs are probably much cleverer than most people think, scientists say. They are (0) convinced that dogs can count and that the animals try to (1)_____ different messages through the pitch and pace of their barks. Animal behaviourists used to think their bark was simply a way of (2)______ attention. Now a new study suggests that individual dogs have (3)_______ barks with the range of meanings. For example, dogs usually use high-pitched single barks when they are (4)______ from their owners and a lower, harsher superbark when strangers (5)_______ towards them or the doorbell rings.
Dogs also know when they are receiving fewer treats because they have a basic mathematical ability that (6)_______ them to tell when one pile of objects is bigger than another. But to count, an animal has to recognize that each object in a set (7)_______ to a single number and that the last number in a (8)________ represents the total number of objects.
The theory has been tested on eleven dogs. They were first (9)________ treats before a screen was lowered so that the treats were out of (10)________ . The treats were left as they were or some were added or taken away. If a treat was added or taken away, the dogs looked at them much longer than they did when the treats were not disturbed, (11)________ because they had done their sums and the numbers did not meet their (12)________ .
Dogs are (13)________ from wolves, which not only have a large neo-cortex – the brain’s centre of reasoning – but live in large social groups. This mathematical ability could have been used to (14)________ how many enemies and (15)_______ they had in a pack.
0 A converted B persuaded C determined D convinced
1 A transfer B convey C bear D suggest
2 A paying B attracting C causing D devoting
3 A specific B exact C detailed D specialized
4 A split B detached C separated D divided
5 A approach B appear C draw D move
6 A assists B facilitates C enables D informs
7 A corresponds B ties C fits D complements
8 A sequence B system C progression D succession
9 A tempted B demonstrated C shown D presented
10 A view B notice C perception D sight
11 A likely B presumably C surely D predictably
12 A estimates B calculations C suspicions D expectations
13 A descended B related C connected D evolved
14 A take in B work out C think over D look into
15 A helpers B defenders C allies D partners
Task 2
For questions 16-30, read the text below and look carefully at each line. Some of the lines are correct and some have a word that should not be there. If a line is correct, put a tick (٧). Of a line has a word which should not be there, write the word down.
Happy quoting!
_____ 16 Quotations and sayings are part of our language and our way of
_____ 17 life. As the poet Emerson said, we use of them by necessity; to
_____ 18 remind ourselves to look before we leap or to avoid crossing
_____ 19 our bridges before we come up to them. We use them by habit,
_____ 20 often not realizing we are doing so much, and we all love to
_____ 21 use an apt quotation to enliven conservation or score a point
_____ 22 in an argument. This booklet contains over above a thousand
_____ 23 quotations, proverbs and sayings. Together, they offer a great
_____ 24 deal of the information, advice, amusement and comfort.
_____ 25 Emerson wrote ‘I hate quotations’ so it is doubtful that he
_____ 26 would have been used this book – but we hope that you will.
_____ 27 Whether you use it to improve your knowledge more, as an aid to
_____ 28 solving crossword puzzles, to enrich your own speech or simply
_____ 29 for idle reading in your spare time, it will put you in to
_____ 30 touch with some of the cleverest minds of the past and at present.
Happy reading and happy quoting!
Task 3
Which items of furniture go with which words to make compounds?
table floor door cupboard wall stool
curtain window shelf bed
roof chair
31.__________ manners
32.__________ -pigeon
33.__________ -lift
34.__________ call
35. wall-to- __________
36.__________ show
37.__________ -rack
38.__________ love
39.__________ and breakfast
40.__________ -life
41.__________ -shopping
42.at death’s __________
TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO YOUR ANSWER SHEET
Answer sheet
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Task 2
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Task 3
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Writing
Write a letter explaining how you think your bus service could be improved. Begin with the words ‘Dear Transport Manager’. Do not include addresses.
You should write 120-180 words.
Time: 45 minutes
Speaking
(Monologue; Time: 1,5 - 2 minutes)
In a minute you will have to speak about studying foreign languages and the purposes you study English
(Dialogue; Time: 3 - 5 minutes)
Imagine that your friend from another country is coming to study in your town for six months. You have found a room for him/her to stay in but you want to arrange the furniture in the best way. Talk together and decide how to organize the room.
Your answers will be recorded.
(Monologue; Time: 1,5 - 2 minutes)
In a minute you will have to speak about how important it is to encourage young people to read.
(Dialogue; Time: 3 - 5 minutes)
Imagine that you are going to Russia to study in the city (where you Russian friend live) for six months. Your friend has found a room for you to stay in but he/she wants to arrange the furniture in the best way. Talk together and decide how to arrange the room.
Your answers will be recorded.
Listening
You are going to listen to a telephone conversation between Hannah and her father. As you can see there are four alternative answers (A, B, C and D) for each question (1-5). You have to decide which alternative is the most suitable answer and tick the appropriate letters. First you have some time to look at questions (1-5).
You can see there is an example in the test which has been completed. On this occasion only the relevant part of the conversation will be played for you.
Example
Hannah’s Dad
A can hear her very well.
B cannot hear her very well. √
C wants her to move.
D says the line is clear.
Hannah’s father is not able to hear her very well because she is on a mobile phone. So, B is the correct answer.
Now the test will begin. Remember you will hear the recording only once. So answer the questions as you listen.
Now listen to the first part of the conversation and answer questions 1-5.
- How long did Hannah think it would take her to find a place to live?
A three weeks
B less than three weeks
C more than three weeks
D more than four weeks
2. There is not enough accommodation to rent because
A it is the end of the academic year.
B Hannah is a new student.
C the area has lots of new technology companies.
D the town is small.
3. £400 a month for rent is
A higher than Hannah has paid before.
B lower than Hannah has paid before.
C not cheap for the area.
D cheap for the area.
4. At the moment Hannah is living
A in a hostel.
B in a suitcase.
C in a hotel.
D in a flat.
5. Hannah’s new flat
A is a bit noisy.
B is on the second floor.
C has two bedrooms.
D has a large roof terrace.
Task 2
Before the speakers continue their conversation, look at questions 6-10.
As you listen to the second part of the conversation, complete the numbered spaces 6-10.
Questions 8-10, write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Hannah’s address:
6. __________Whitehart Road
7. __________ 9RJ
Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS to complete each space.
8. Hannah plans to travel to her parents’ house on Friday _________________________ .
9. Hannah’s Dad will return the van on _________________________.
10. The journey time is about _____________________________.
TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO YOUR ANSWER SHEET
Answer sheet
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Task 2
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