PRACTICE TEST 6-7

A. LISTENING
Part 1: You will hear a radio discussion about children who invent imaginary friends. For questions 1-5,
choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear.
1. In the incident that Liz describes,
A. her daughter asked her to stop the car.
B. she had to interrupt the journey twice.
C. she got angry with her daughter.
D. her daughter wanted to get out of the car.
2. What does the presenter say about the latest research into imaginary friends?
A. It contradicts other research on the subject.
B. It shows that the number of children who have them is increasing.
C. It indicates that negative attitudes towards them are wrong.
D. It focuses on the effect they have on parents.
3. How did Liz feel when her daughter had an imaginary friend?
A. always confident that it was only a temporary situation.
B. occasionally worried about the friend’s importance to her daughter.
C. slightly confused as to how she should respond sometimes.
D. highly impressed by her daughter’s inventiveness.
4. Karen says that one reason why children have imaginary friends is that
A. they are having serious problems with their real friends.
B. they can tell imaginary friends what to do.
C. they want something that they cannot be given.
D. they want something that other children haven’t got.
5. According to Karen, how should parents react to imaginary friends?
A. They should pretend that they like the imaginary friend.
B. They shouldn’t get involved in the child’s relationship with the friend.
C. They should take action if the situation becomes annoying.
D. They shouldn’t discuss the imaginary friend with their child.

Part 2: Listen to a lecture about population growth and decide whether these statements are TRUE (T) or
FALSE (F).
1. Birth rate is the average number of children born in a year, per thousand people. T
2. Fertility rate in UK was first reported to have been so high in 2008. F
3. Fertility rate in the UK is higher than it was twenty years ago because a higher proportion of women are
having children. F
4. 10% of women in their mid-forties do not have children nowadays. F
5. Fertility rates are low partly because parents do not have time to have children. T
Part 3: You will hear a talk given by a woman called Shona Ferguson about changes in a town called
Barford. Listen and give short answers to the questions. Write NO MORE THAN FIVE WORDS AND/OR
A NUMBER taken from the recording.
1. In Shona’s opinion, why do fewer people use buses in Barford these days?
……………fewer bus routes…
2. What change in the road network is known to have benefited the town most?
………… The new cycle paths……………………………………………………………
3. What is the problem affecting shopping in the town centre?
………………few well-known chain stores…
4. What does Shona say about medical facilities in Barford?
…………………… no hospital…………………………………………………
5. Which field is the largest number of people employed in ?
………………… education……………………………………………………
Part 4: Listen to a piece of news about eating protein and complete the summary below. WRITE NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER in the corresponding numbered boxes.

People in poor countries might suffer from protein (1) ___malnutrition___________, but the rest of us, even
those who eat (2) _____vegan_________ food, are consuming more of it than the suggested daily
consumption of (3) ________46______ grams for women and (4) ____56__________ grams for men.
One (5) ______consumer research________ company, after researching for over (6) ____25________years,
claims that most (7) _____Americans_________ are simultaneously eating more protein and fewer
(8)__carbs_______, taking (9) _____beef jerky_________ to the gym and carrying protein snacks in their
cars, fearing they might (10) ______crash____.

B. LEXICO-GRAMMAR
I. Choose the best answer
1. Although she was fashionably dressed, the girl didn't notice the long thread trailing from the .......... of her
skirt.
A. cuff B. lapel C. hem D. border
Hem: the edge of a piece of cloth, such as the bottom edge of a skirt or dress, that is folded over and sewn so that it does
not develop loose threads
2. I know he's not a pleasant man, but in his ................... I have to say he has a very difficult job.
A. place B. position C. defence D. advocate
3. When the storm prevented the climbers from reaching the top of the mountain, they were .............
disappointed.
A. bitterly B. savagely C. stormily D. angrily
4. When will it ................... on you that I am right and you're wrong?
descend come dawn arise
5. The footballer never really recovered from the injury he ................... at the beginning of the season.
A. got B. struck C. endured D. sustained
6. The jury were ................... that the criminal was guilty.
A. unanimous B. agreeable C. unified D. harmonious
7. I suppose I have to ................... the fact that I am not as young as I used to be.
A. own up B. face C. agree D. observe
8. He was absolutely ................... with anger when he found that I had scratched his car.
A. burned B. carmine C. fickle D. livid
9. The senate set ................... motion the process of impeaching the president.
A. at B. on C. in D. by
10. I really don't like the shoes, and ................... they aren't my size, so I don't want to buy them.
A. further B. anyway C. however D. even if

II. Write the correct form of the bold-typed words in the following passage.
The Media Commentator
A live broadcast of any public event, such as a space flight or sporting occasion, is almost (1. VARIABLE)…
invariably………….. accompanied by the thoughts of a commentator. This may be on television, along with
the relevant pictures, or (2. ALTERNATE) ………alternatively……… on radio. The technique involved
differs between the two media, with radio (3. broadcast) ……broadcasters….. needing to be more explicit, and
(4. DESCRIBE) …descriptive……. because of the absence of visual information. TV commentators do not
need to paint a picture for their audience; instead their various observation should add to the images that are
already there. There will sometimes be silences and pauses in TV commentary, although these are becoming
increasingly rare. Both types of commentators should try to be informative, but should avoid sounding (5.
OPINION) …opinionated………
In sports commentary, fairness and (6. partial)…impartiality………….. to both sides is vital, but (7.
spontaneous)…spontaneity……… and enthusiasm are valued by those watching or listening. Sports
commentators usually broadcast live in an essentially (8. script)…unscripted……… way, although they may
refer to previously prepared materials such as sports statistics. Because of (9. PREDICT )…
unpredictable…………. the nature of live events, thorough preparation in advance is vital. The internet has
helped enormously with this aspect of the job. Anyone interested in becoming a commentator
should have excellent organizational skills, the willingness to work (10. REGULAR)……irregular……..
hours and a strong voice.

B. READING
I. Choose the word or phrase that best fills each of the blanks. Circle A, B, C, or D to indicate your answer.
GEORGE ORWELL
George Orwell did not expect to be a successful writer. In fact, he spent much of his life anticipating failure.
In an essay about his schooldays, he wrote that until he was about thirty he always planned his life with the (1)
...... that any major undertaking was bound to fail. He wanted success and worked hard to (2) ……..it but he
was never quite able to give up the (3)……. that his efforts would always come up short. At the age of 46, (4)
…... before he died, he confided in his private notebook that a deep (5)... …..of inadequacy had haunted him
throughout his career. He stated that there had been (6) ……. not one clay in which he did not feel that he was
being lazy, that he was (7)……. with his current job and that his rate of work was miserably small. Even, in
the first months after the tremendous success of Animal Farm, he was quick to (8) ….., his achievement,
declaring that his next book was bound to be a failure.
Of course, no conscientious author is ever completely (9) ….... with their work, but Orwell’s doubts were
so (10)…… that he often appeared more comfortable (11)…… defeat than acknowledging success. In 1940,
after the publication of his eighth book, he (12)…… to an admiring letter from another writer by(13)……out
of his way to show the man why he was not (14)…… of his praise. “It makes me laugh,” he wrote, to see you
referring to me as ‘famous’ and ‘successful’. I wonder if you (1.5) ... how little my books self”
1 A. forecast B. trust C. expectation D. reliance
2 A. reach B. achieve C. fulfill D. manage
3 A. impression B. notion C. judgment D. awareness
4 A. shortly B. presently C. recently D. virtually
5 A. belief B. appreciation C. sense D. thought
6 A totally B fully C constantly D literally
7 A. behind B. below C. backward D. beneath
8 A. decrease B. discount C. refuse D. lower
-discount: to decide that something or someone is not worth considering or giving attention
9 A. cheered B. assured C. glad D. satisfied
10 A. lengthy B. persistent C. attached D. convinced
11 A. admitting B. granting C. agreeing D. allowing
12 A. returned B. responded C. answered D. denied
13 A. going B. moving C. setting D. leaving
14 A. capable B. worthy C. just D. acceptable
15 A. appreciate B. assume C. regard D. acknowledge

II. Decide which words best fit the gaps in this text. Write them into the spaces provided, and click answers
when you have finished.

Living in Cities
Urbanization has been a constant 1…factor……. in human development for the past ten thousand years.
2……Although…….. there has always been the necessity for a minimum - sometimes a very substantial
minimum - of the 3…population………. to work the land, such surplus individuals as can be 4. …
sustained……….. have tended to gather in cities. Two thousand years ago, the cities of antiquity 5……
formed……. an administrative 6…center………. for the surrounding area, and a refuge from attack. In the
Middle Ages, it was the city folk 7……who …… were the first to break the stultifying grip of feudalism, and
it was in the cities of Northern Italy that the 8…phenomenon…….. of the Renaissance was 9…born……….
Today only a fraction of mankind lives in the country, and the 10……proportion……. which does so is
decreasing. Mega-cities with populations exceeding ten million are common, and they will become even
11……more…… so over the coming decades. While many 12……aspects……. of city life are unattractive -
pollution, stress, and separation from 13…nature……….. to name but a few - more and more of humanity
14…seems………. to be choosing an urban existence. 15……Adjusting………. to this fact is going to be
16…one……….. of the major challenges of the coming century. And 17………what…….. of the country?
The 18……chances……… are that its relative decline will be reversed as the information revolution 19……
spread……… it possible to enjoy the benefits of social contact 20……without………… needing to leave
one's rural residence.

III. Read the following passage and answer questions 61-70.

Weakness of the school system

A. By attempting to fit in as much as possible, the school day is continually being added to. In many ways,
this would appear to be a good idea, as our knowledge and understanding of the world is always growing and
it would seem logical to incorporate this into schools. The reality, however, has some decided drawbacks.
There is a growing feeling amongst many that the modern school curriculum, in an effort to teach as many
varied subjects as possible, is actually teaching students less. It seems that by constantly adding to what
should be taught in the classroom, the classes are less focused, not offering the deeper learning that
institutions perhaps should.

B. With classes sometimes only 30 minutes long, the overwhelming amount of information teachers are
required to present often only gives students time to learn facts, not to think in any great detail about what
they are being presented with. The problem is that students are not getting the opportunity to absorb what they
are being taught as the curriculum expands in order to keep what has already been taught and supplement it
with everything new that comes along. The weaknesses of such a system are clear – well informed though
such students may be, there is the risk of an increasing number of graduates who have no real creative or
intellectual ability. By denying students the opportunity to sit and think their way through problems, or even
consider their own opinion, some schools are not always providing a truly educational atmosphere. There are,
of course, certain aspects of education which need to be taught by simply inputting the information. Basic
mathematics, for example(47). But there are many other subjects which could be best learned by having an
opportunity to think and discuss what is being taught. Literature, writing and the social sciences are good
examples of subjects which cannot be considered as ‘covered’ by a mass of information without the
opportunity to discuss, debate or consider meaning or implications. There are also important social skills to be
learned during such periods of open discussion, skills which are not addressed by an endless flow of teacher-
centred information.

C. Teachers themselves have also voiced concerns about the amount of information they are required to
impress upon their students. There is a feeling in many educational establishments that students are no longer
being educated, but taught how to pass tests. In a world where academic success is too often measured by
examination results, this is a serious concern. If there is too much information to simply be memorized and not
enough time to truly assimilate it, what happens to students who fail to meet the grade? By current standards,
they are failures, yet they may have great potential in areas not covered by the test and there are many students
who, despite clear intellectual ability, simply do not perform well in tests (48). Again, the problem is one of
focus, as education authorities are looking at the outcome of schooling rather than the content presented in the
class.

D. It is here that many teachers feel the situation could be addressed at a local level. By giving more discretion
to teachers, school courses could be tailored to suit the students rather than tailoring students to meet ever-
expanding course requirements. In addition, by running a curriculum that gives options rather than defines an
entire course, considerably more freedom would be possible. As it is, progression through most primary and
secondary schools is regimented, and there is little room for students to identify and develop their own skills
and strengths. If material could be chosen on the basis of its merits rather than simply because it has been put
in the curriculum, then what is selected may be taught to a depth that would serve some purpose. There is, of
course, a counter-argument, which claims that such open guidelines could lead to vast differences in standards
between schools. What one teacher may see as essential for a student’s education, another may see as
irrelevant, and this will result in students with widely different educational strengths.

E. With such a high-pressure learning environment, there are also a number of social aspects to schooling
which need to be considered(49). The increased student workload cannot be covered in the classroom alone
for the simple reason that there is not enough time in the average school week, and much of this extra
workload has been pushed into the realm of homework. At its best, homework should be the opportunity to
look in greater detail at what has been studied. In other words, to actually think about it and its relevance. The
reality, however, is often very different. Concerned parents and overextended students are finding that
homework is taking an increasingly large part of a student’s evening, cutting into time many feel should be
spent as part of a child’s social education. Other social pressures have compounded the situation, as many of
the areas of educating a young child which should be the responsibility of the parents have ill-advisedly
become the school’s responsibility. Drug awareness and health issues, for example, are occupying an
increasingly large part of the school day.

F. Many people believe that we should be teaching less, but teaching it better, and it is here that they think a
solution can be found. Yet the process of rewriting a curriculum to incorporate only that which is essential but
can be well learned would take far longer than most educational authorities have, and would be considered by
many to be a ‘regressive’ step(50). Changes in the curriculum have largely been motivated by changes in the
nature of employment, as job mobility demands that people know something about considerably more areas
than were traditionally necessary. A little about a lot allows for the job mobility which has become so
common. No matter what the final verdict may be, one thing is for sure – change will be slow, and not always
for the best.

For questions 61-66, choose the most suitable headings for sections A–F from the list below. Use each
heading once only. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
i. A question of time
ii. Lack of teacher training
iii. Student success
iv. The argument for flexibility
v. Importance of teaching experience
vi. Extra-curricular pressures
vii. The benefits of a varied curriculum
[Link] focus
ix. Over-reliance on examinations
x. Quality of quantity?

41. Section A  x
42. Section B   <INPUT TYPE=\   viii
43. Section C   <INPUT TYPE=\   ix
44. Section D   <INPUT TYPE=\   iv
45. Section E   <INPUT TYPE=\   vi
46. Section F  i

For questions 67-70, do the following statements agree with the views of the writer?
Write YES if the statement agrees with the writer
NO if the statement does not agree with the writer
NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the passage<INPUT TYPE=\   

47. No subjects can be comprehensively learned without time to discuss and debate the facts. N  <INPUT
TYPE=\  
48. Tests are a fair measure of ability.   <INPUT TYPE=\   N
49. Schools are trying to be responsible for too many aspects of a child’s education.   <INPUT TYPE=\   Y
50. Future changes in the curriculum will improve the situation.   <INPUT TYPE=\   N

IV. For questions 71–80, identify which section A–F each of the following is mentioned. Write ONE letter A–
F in the corresponding numbered space provided. Each letter may be used more than once.

A HISTORY OF HUMAN RIGHTS

A. In 539 BC, the armies of Cyrus the Great, the first King of ancient Persia, conquered the city of Babylon.
But it was his next actions that marked a major advance for the human race. He freed the slaves, declared
that all people had a right to choose their own religion, and established racial equality. These and other
decrees were recorded on a baked-clay cylinder in the Akkadian language with cuneiform script. Known
today as the Cyrus Cylinder, this ancient record has now been recognised as the world’s first charter of
human rights. It is translated into all six official languages of the United Nations and its provisions parallel
the first four Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
B. The Magna Carta, or ‘Great Charter’, was arguably the most significant early influence on the extensive
historical process that led to the rule of constitutional law in the English-speaking world. In 1215, after
King John violated a number of ancient laws and customs by which England had been governed, his
subjects forced him to sign the Magna Carta, which enumerates what later came to be thought of as human
rights. Among them was the right of the church to be free from governmental interference, the rights of all
free citizens to own and inherit property and to be protected from excessive taxes. It established the rights
of widows who owned property to choose not to remarry, and established principles of due process and
equality before the law. It also contained provisions for forbidding bribery and official misconduct.
C. On 4 July 1776, the United States Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. Its primary author,
Thomas Jefferson, wrote the Declaration as a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on 2 July to
declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American
Revolutionary War, as a statement announcing that the thirteen American Colonies were no longer a part
of the British Empire. Congress issued the Declaration in several forms. It was initially published as a
printed broadsheet that was widely distributed and read to the public. Philosophically, it stressed two
themes: individual rights and the rights of revolution. These ideas spread internationally as well,
influencing in particular the French Revolution.
D. In 1789, the people of France brought about the abolition of the absolute monarchy and set the stage for
the establishment of the first French Republic. Just six weeks after the storming of the Bastille, and barely
three weeks after the abolition of feudalism, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was
adopted by the National Constituent Assembly as the first step towards writing a constitution for the
Republic of France. The Declaration proclaims that all citizens are to be guaranteed the rights of liberty
and equality. Liberty was defined as ‘being able to do anything that does not harm others’. Equality, on the
other hand, was defined as judicial equality, which ‘must be the same for all, whether it protects or
punishes. All citizens, being equal in its eyes, shall be equally eligible to all high offices, public positions
and employments, according to their ability, and without other distinction than that of their virtues and
talents.’
E. In 1864, sixteen European countries and several American states attended a conference in Geneva on the
initiative of the Geneva Committee. The diplomatic conference was held for the purpose of adopting a
convention for the treatment of wounded soldiers in combat. The main principles laid down and adopted
by the later Geneva Conventions provided for the obligation to extend care without discrimination to
wounded and sick military personnel and respect for the marking of medical personnel transports and
equipment with the distinctive sign of the red cross on a white background.
F. World War II had raged from 1939 to 1945, and as the end drew near, cities throughout Europe and Asia
lay in smouldering ruins. Millions of people were dead, millions more were homeless or starving. In April
1945, delegates from fifty countries met in San Francisco full of optimism and hope. The goal of the
United Nations Conference was to fashion an international body to promote peace and prevent future war.
 Its ideals were stated in the preamble to the proposed charter: ‘We the peoples of the United Nations are
determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has
brought untold sorrow to mankind.’ The Charter of the New United Nations organisation went into effect
on 24 October 1945, a date that is celebrated each year as United Nations Day.

Your answers
the view that a situation which had wreaked widespread havoc could not be repeated 71. __F_____
a recent consensus that an event had far-reaching global repercussions 72. __A_____
treating all sides equally during military conflicts 73. ___E____
the view that a protest against the flagrant injustice of a despotic monarch had far- 74. ___B____
reaching consequences
surprise that widespread change came about in a relatively short space of time 75. __D_____
the suggestion that the unusual actions of a monarch were far ahead of their time 76. __A_____
an acknowledgement that a leader was prepared to justify his actions 77. __C_____
an expression of regret for mistakes made in the past 78. __F_____
the importance of something which officially tried to prevent a certain type of gender 79. __B____
discrimination
the idea that everyone should have the same opportunities for advancement 80. __D____

38E
39G
40A
C
F
H
D
Part 2. The table shows working hours and income for four jobs.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where
relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Part 3. Advances in technology and automation have reduced the need for manual labour. Therefore
working hours should be reduced.
To what extent do you agree?
Write an essay of about 350 words to express your opinion. Give reasons for your answers and include any
relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience.