PRACTICE TEST 25

Part 1. You will hear five short extracts in which people are talking about the benefits of learning another language.
For each question, choose which benefit (A-H) each speaker has experienced.
A. It has boosted my intellectual abilities.
B. It has improved my chances in education.
Speaker 1: …E…
C. It has made me sensitive to global issues.
Speaker 2: …H…
D. It has allowed me to gain faster promotion.
Speaker 3: …B…
E. It has made getting around in other countries easier.
Speaker 4: …G…
F. It has allowed me to help other people.
Speaker 5: …D…
G. It has advanced my awareness of the way language works.
H. It has helped me make friends.
FORM A CLOSE TIES WITH …
Part 2. Choose one of the words marked A, B, C, or D which best completes each of the following sentences.
1. It was a(n)_____location with an intoxicating sense of romance, something akin to what one might find described in a
fairytale.
A. chivalrous B. peculiar C. enchanting D. extravagant
CHIVALROUS (ADJ): HÀO HIỆP, LỊCH THIỆP
PECULIAR (ADJ): STRANGE & UNUSUAL
ENCHANTING (ADJ): VERY PLEASANT & ATTRACTIVE
EXTRAVAGANT (ADJ): HOANG PHÍ >< FRUGAL
AKIN TO STH = VERY SIMILAR TO STH
2. He is too _____ a gambler to resist placing a bet on the final game.
A. instant B. compulsive C. spontaneous D. continuous
COMPULSIVE (ADJ): HARD TO CONTROL/STOP
3. People were going to ________ despite accusations.
A. touch it with a barge pole. B. use their wherewithal
C. get their snouts in the trough. D. be at sixes and sevens.
NOT / REFUSE TO TOUCH SB/STH WITH A BARGE POLE = NOT WANT SB/STH / NOT WANT TO HAVE STH AT ALL
GET THEIR SNOUT/NOSE IN THE TROUGH: INVOLVE IN STH HOPING TO GET $, BENEFITS OR POWER
BE AT SIXES AND SEVENS: IN A CONFUSED STATE
4. _____he delivers the report, it will be sent to the headquarters.
A. On the point B. At once C. Immediately after D. Soon enough

5. My teacher’s encouraging words gave me _____ to undertake the demanding task once again.
A. a point B. an incentive C. a resolution D. a target
GIVE SB AN INCENTIVE TO DO STH: TẠO ĐỘNG LỰC, KHÍCH LỆ SB
6. Your instructions seem to carry little _____ with the pupils who ignore them all the time.
A. load B. weight C. force D. power
WEIGHT (N): IMPORTANCE, INFLUENCE, RESPECT…  CARRY LITTLE/NO WEIGHT WITH SB
7. Getting everything ready by tomorrow _____working at night. I’m afraid nobody will agree to stay after hours.
A. obliges B. implements C. entails ~ INVOLVE D. indicates
OBLIGE SB TO DO STH = FORCE SB TO DO STH
ENTAIL Ving = INVOLVE Ving

8. "I'm _____ to listen to your pathetic excuses," she said.

A. sick and tired B. in no mood C. having enough D. sick to death
BE SICK AND TIRED OF DOING STH
IN NO MOOD FOR STH / TO DO STH
HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF STH
9. Both the favorite and then the second favorite pulled out. Naturally, we thought we were _____ a chance.
A. in with B. up for C. in for D. up with
BE IN WITH A CHANCE

10. I’m _____ too keen on visiting the Parkers again so soon.
A. that B. none C. such D. very
NONE TOO ADJ = NOT ADJ AT ALL

Part 3. Read the following text which contains 10 mistakes. Identify the mistakes and correct them.
The “credit card school”
The dark side of renewable energy is that any  EVERY form of production carries its own environmental baggage. With
 WITHOUT an ecological review, wind farms can put birds at risk. Solar farms can interrupt ecosystems by fencing on
 OFF and shading swaths of desert acreage. And geothermal heat, which has some advantages than  OVER wind
and solar, can jeopardy  JEOPARDIZE freshwater resources.
In Hidalgo County, the deep geothermal water is dirty with naturally occurring contamination  CONTAMINANTS –
especially high levels of fluoride, a mineral that, when consuming  COMSUMED in excess, is dangerous to bone health.
“Geothermal isn’t terribly new; we just don’t have a regulation  REGULATORY framework for most of this stuff,” said
Ben Shelton, legislative director of Conservation Voters New Mexico, an environmental lobbying group based in Santa
Fe.
On the positive side, geothermal plants typically make  TAKE up far less acreage than solar or wind farms, leaving a
smaller environmental footprint on the surface. The energy, extracted from dry heat or hot water deep underground,
generates power around the clock and isn’t subjected  SUBJECT to changes in the weather.
BE SUBJECT TO STH
JEOPARDY = DANGER
JEOPARDIZE = ENDANGER

Part 4. Give the correct form of the words in brackets.

The Role of Education in the Developing World
Levels of illiteracy and 1. (number) __INNUMERACY___ remain startlingly high in the developing world and will continue
to be so until the West provides or sponsors new education initiatives. These for young people as well as lifelong
learning programs will also help to breach the gulf that separates the working classes from their ruling elite, a 2.
(privilege) __PRIVILEGED___ few who enjoy the trappings of Western wealth and the lifestyle that goes with it, while
those in their midst are completely 3. (occupy) __PREOCCUPIED___ with the daily struggle for survival. Furthermore, we
must promote a culture of 4. (tolerate) __INTOLERANCE___ of corruption and help to create a new generation for
whom education rather than a(n) 5. (scruple) __UNSCUPULOUS___ nature will reap the true rewards. Education will
also help to bridge the cultural gap separating the West from its brethren in the developing world. The impoverished
slums and shanty towns are a hotbed of religious and political 6. (extreme) ___EXTREMISM__, but hopefully education
will serve to create a better sense of understanding between all the peoples of the world, 7. (respect)
__IRRESPECTIVE___ of background. Cooperation between people from the different cultures of the West and the
developing world will also, hopefully, help to reduce levels of prejudice, bigotry xenophobia and racial 8. (tense)
__TENSIONS___. And, last but not by any means least, educating women will 9. (power) __EMPOWER___ them to claim
their rightful place in the social hierarchy in up-to-now male-dominated cultures. Their 10. (aspire) __ASPIRATIONS___
can shift realistically higher, and young female students can hope to go on to become tomorrow’s politicians, diplomats
and political leaders, or whatsoever they choose.
A PRIVILEGED FEW (n): NHÓM NHỎ, VÀI NGƯỜI ĐC HƯỞNG LỢI
PREOCCUPIED WITH STH = THINKING ABOUT STH TOO MUCH
SCUPULOUS (adj): HONEST
BREACH THE GULF ~ BRIDGE THE GAP
IRRESPECTIVE OF = REGARDLESS OF

Part 5. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only ONE word in each space.
INTERNET AND PARENTS’ CONCERN
While the internet opens 1. __UP___ a whole new world of knowledge and information for this and future generations
to explore, it also 2. ___CAUSES/POSES__ a number of serious concerns for parents with young, net-savvy children. For
starters, it is exceptionally difficult to 3. __CONTROL___ your children’s net activity and stay abreast (=NEXT TO SB/STH)
of whom they are interacting with online. Secondly, there is little if 4. ___ANY___ censorship of the internet, so parents
must be 5. ___WILLING/PREPARED__ to do the censoring themselves or count on software products to do it for them. 6.
__EVEN___ still, there are ways around the best-intentioned of such programmes, and, besides, the 7. ___ ALARMING__
level of growth in cyber-bullying is 8. ___INDICATIVE__ of a trend parents should, perhaps, be far more concerned
about. It used to be that children were protected from the bullies once they returned to the safe confines of their home,
having escaped their schoolyard tormentors, but not anymore. There is nowhere to 9. ___HIDE__ thanks to social
networks like Facebook, which, if anything, make the spreading 10. __FAR___ and wide (OVER A LARGE AREA) of
malicious rumours and the like easier than ever before given the virulent nature of the internet.

Part 6. Read the following passage and circle the best answer to each of the following questions.

- Adorn (v): trang trí, trang hoàng - Vessel (n): bình, lọ, thùng, vại
- Invariably (adj): always - Utmost (adj): greatest, most extreme
- Pound (v): nghiền, giã, đập - Shrinkage (n): sự co ngót  shrink
- Solution (n): dung dịch - Slip (n): men (gốm)
- Glaze (n): men (gốm) - Incise (v) = carve
- Plastic (adj): dẻo  plasticity (n): độ dẻo - Dissolve (v): hòa tan

Archaeological literature is rich in descriptions of pot making. Unlike modern industrial potters, prehistoric
artisans created each of their pieces individually, using the simplest technology but demonstrating remarkable skill in
making and adorning their vessels.
The clay used in prehistoric pot making was invariably selected with the utmost care; often it was traded over
considerable distances. The consistency of the clay was crucial; it was pounded meticulously and mixed with water to
make it entirely even in texture. By careful kneading, the potter removed the air bubbles and made the clay as plastic as
possible, allowing it to be molded into shape as the pot was built up. When a pot is fired, it loses its water and can crack,
so the potter added a temper to the clay, a substance that helped reduce shrinkage and cracking.
Since surface finishes provided a pleasing appearance and also improved the durability in day-to-day uses, the
potter smoothed the exterior surface of the pot with wet hands. Often a wet clay solution, known as a slip, was applied
to the smooth surface. Brightly colored slips were often used and formed painted decorations on the vessel. In later
times, glazes came into use in some areas. A glaze is a form of slip that turns to a glasslike finish during high-
temperature firing. When a slip was not applied, the vessel was allowed to dry slowly until the external surface was
almost like leather in texture. It was then rubbed with a round stone or similar object to give it a shiny, hard surface.
Some pots were adorned with incised or stamped decorations.
Most early pottery was then fired over open hearths. The vessels were covered with fast-burning wood; as it
burned, the ashes would fall around the pots and bake them evenly over a few hours . Far higher temperatures were
attained in special ovens, known as kilns, which would not only bake the clay and remove its plasticity, but also dissolve
carbons and iron compounds. Kilns were also used for glazing, when two firings were needed. Once fired, the pots were
allowed to cool slowly, and small cracks were repaired before they were ready for use.
1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. Why archaeologist study prehistoric pot making B. How early pottery was made and decorated
C. The development of kilns used by early potters D. The variety of decorations on prehistoric pottery
2. The word "meticulously" is closest in meaning to
A. heavily B. initially C. carefully [Link]
3. Which of the following was a process used by prehistoric potters to improve the texture of the clay?
A. adding temper B. removing the water
C. beating on the clay D. mixing the clay with plastic substances
4. Prehistoric potters applied slips and glazes to their vessels in order to do which of the following?
A. improve the appearance of the vessels B. prevent the vessels from leaking
C. help the vessels to dry more quickly D. give the vessels a leather like quality
5. Which of the following was a method used by some potters to give vessels a glossy finish? (GLOSSY = SMOOTH &
SHINY)
A. smoothing them with wet hands B. mixing the clay with colored solutions
C. baking them at a very high temperature D. rubbing them with a smooth hard object
6. The word "incised" is closest in meaning to
A. designed B. carved C. detailed D. painted
7. The word "they" in line 26 refers to
A. kilns B. firings C. pots D. cracks
8. According to the passage, the advantage of kilns over open fires was that the kilns
A. required less wood for burning B. reached higher temperatures
C. kept ashes away from the pots D. baked vessels without cracking them
9. Look at the terms "temper", "glazes”, "kilns", and "compounds". Which of these terms is NOT defined in the passage?
A. temper B. glazes C. kilns D. compounds
10. The passage mentions that then pottery is fired under burning wood, the ashes help
A. prevent the clay from cracking B. produce a more consistently baked pot
C. attain a very high temperature D. give the vessel a glasslike finish

Part 7. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means the same as the one printed before it.
1. Most of the students ignored what the teacher was saying.
Few STUDENTS PAID ATTENTION TO / TOOK NOTICE OF / LISTENED TO WHAT THE TEACHER WAS SAYING
2. She discovered 8 new comets in the course of her work. (= IN THE PERIOD OF)
Her work resulted IN THE DISCOVERY OF 8 NEW COMETS
3. I love her, but I can’t put up with her untidiness.
Much AS I LOVE HER, I CAN’T …
4. This scheme is too risky for my liking.
The risks OF THIS SCHEME ARE TOO GREAT/HIGH FOR MY LIKING
5. If you don’t believe in it, you’ll never be able to do it.
Believe IN IT, OTHERWISE/OR YOU’LL NEVER BE ABLE TO DO IT.

Part 8. Rewrite the sentences below in such a way that their meanings stay the same. You must use the words in
capital without changing their forms.
1. Although I don’t speak French very well, I understood the general meaning of what she said. DRIFT
ALTHOUGH I DON’T SPEAK FRENCH VERY WELL, I GOT/CAUGHT THE DRIFT OF WHAT SHE SAID
2. We don’t seem to have much sugar left! RUNNING
WE SEEM TO BE RUNNING OUT OF SUGAR / WE SEEM TO BE RUNNING SHORT OF SUGAR
3. He celebrated his birthday last Saturday. PLACE
HIS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION TOOK PLACE LAST SATURDAY
4. They lost not only their money but their passport as well. ADDITION
IN ADDITION TO THEIR MONEY, THEY LOST THEIR PASSPORT AS WELL.
5. Bad weather delayed the flight. DUE
THE FLIGHT WAS DELAYED DUE TO THE BAD WEATHER.