PRACTICE TEST 98

PART ONE. LISTENING

Part 1. In this part, you will hear a radio interview with a ghost hunter called Carlene Belfort. For questions 1-5,
choose the best answer. You should listen to the audio twice
1. How did Carlene become a ghost hunter?
A. she wanted to contact her dead grandmother
B. she grew up in a haunted house
C. her parents encouraged her
2. What, according to Carlene, do ghost hunters need most?
A. a special gift
B. equipment
C. an adventurous mind
3. Who does Carlene mostly work for?
A. people who want reassurance
B. people who want to contact loved ones
C. people who want to find a ghost
4. How does Carlene detect when ghosts are present?
A. She feels cold.
B. She gets evidence from her equipment.
C. She feels them touching her hair.
5. What does Carlene think about people who don’t believe her?
A. She doesn’t understand why they think that.
B. She thinks they don’t have enough evidence.
C. She wants them to experience it for themselves.
Part 2. You will listen to a piece of news about cycling. For questions 1-5, decide whether the statements are true or
false.
1. Mr Jones is travelling on his own. True / False
2. Mr Jones only stays in hotels. True / False
3. Edward Genochio completed a 41.000km trip to China and back. True / False
4. Cycling is becoming more popular in the UK. True / False
5. Boris Johnson cycles to show people that he cares about the environment
True / False

Part 3. You will hear the head teacher of a school talking to a group of parents about an international student
exchange programme. Complete the table below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORD for each answer.

INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMME

 The school's exchange programme is called 1. ________________________
 A return visit is then arranged 2. ________________________later
 Children first get to know their exchange partners by taking part in a 3. _______________
________ scheme.
 The programme is not only intended for students who enjoy using 4. _________________
________
 The two countries most often visited on the programme are 5. _______________________
 Some students suffer from problems such as homesickness and 6. ____________________
 To help students who have problems, a qualified 7. ________________________ is always
available.
 Local visits are described as being 8. ________________________ and also 9. _________
______________
 Students enjoy visiting 10. ________________________ parks most of all.
PART TWO: PHONOLOGY
I. Circle the one word whose bold part is pronounced differently from those of the other words in the same
line.
1. A. choose B. troop C. soot D. noodle
2. A. everything B. bathe C. thermometer D. youth
3. A. Congress B. anguish C. congregate D. singing
4. A. caged B. dogged C. cursed D. crooked
5. A. stomach B. ache C. approach D. echo
6. A. anxiety B. exhibition C. example D. exactly
7. A. laughter B. dough C. enough D. trough
8. A. advantage B. dosage C. percentage D. garage
9. A. whether B. whoever C. wholesale D. whose
10. A. parachute B. chalet C. pinch D. moustache

II. Underline the stressed syllable of each of the words below.

picturesquely emphatically inventories collaboration
pharmaceutical merchandise contribution
cinematographer advertisement consequently

PART THREE: VOCABULARY

Choose the correct answer.
1. When facing problems, it is important to keep a sense of _____________.
A. proportion B. introspection C. relativity D. comparison
2. The witness’s account was not _____________ with the facts.
A. matched B. reliable C. consistent D. confirmed
3. Hourly new bulletins keep the public _____________ of current affairs.
A. afloat B. abreast C. afresh D. afield
4. The pollution problems in the town have been _____________ by mass tourism in the summer months.
A. exacerbated B. developed C. augmented D. contributed
5. The quality papers are a different _____________ of fish from the gutter press.
A. pan B. basket C. box D. kettle
6. Their flat is _____________ of a place I used to live in.
A. mindful B. reminiscent C. memorable D. retrospective
7. A new computer has been produced, which will _____________ all previous models.
A. excel B. overdo C. overwhelm D. supersede
8. Despite being a very good student, she didn’t fulfill her _____________ later in life.
A. aptitude B. capacity C. potential D. makings
9. In any transport system, the safety of passengers should be _____________.
A. paramount B. eminent C. chief D. prime
10. All candidates will be treated equally, _____________ of their age or background.
A. notwithstanding B. discounting C. irrelevant D. irrespective

PART FOUR: VERB FORMS / TENSES

I. Read the story and put the verbs in brackets into the correct forms/ tenses.
Several cars were involved in the pile-up because no one (1. try) tried / had tried to phone the police for help. If
someone (2. call) _____________ the police immediately, they (3. be able) _____________ to send an ambulance
and also direct the traffic, thus (4. prevent) _____________ the other accidents. A passer-by (5. tell) _____________
police that he (6. decide) _____________ to free the trapped driver before (7. phone) _____________ the police. He
said that the trapped driver (8. beg) _____________ him not to leave him. If he (9. go off) _____________ to look
for a phone or to seek help, the driver (10. be) _____________ in the car when it (11. hit) _____________ by the
second car.
II. Supply the correct forms or tenses of the verbs in brackets.
1. Sally! I __________________ (not expect) to see you here! What__________________ (you do) in New York?
2. As soon as I __________________ (have) a good look at the designs. I __________________ (send) them back to
you.
3. By the time you get back Harry __________________ (leave).
4. What a shame that it __________________ (decide) to cancel the school play!
5. Unfortunately tomorrow’s match__________________(call off).
6. For the past few days, I__________________ (work) in Jack’s office, as my own office __________________
(redecorate).
7. That’s definitely the last time that I __________________ (lend) you any money!
III. Choose the underlined word or phrase in each sentence that needs correcting. Write your answers in the
space provided. (10 pts)
1. Going from air condition room to a natural environment can cause respiratory illness.
A B C D
2. A basic knowledge of social studies, such as history and geography, are considered a
A B C
basic part of the education of every child.
D
3. One or the other of the secretaries have to attend the meeting. But both of them are reluctant to do so
A B C D
4. Smoking has been made illegally in public places in some countries.
A B C D
5. Though tired, he continued to search for twenty minutes and realized that the notebook
A B
had been laying on the table the entire time
C D
6. That these students have improved their grades because of their participation in the test review class.
A B C D
7. Although both of them are trying to get the scholarship, she has the highest grades.
A B C D
8. Tea did not become popular in Europe until the mid-17th century when it has been first imported to England.
A B C D
9. The writer was so successful in making the readers feeling the way her main character did.
A B C D
10. Anybody who plans to attend the meeting ought to send a note for the chairperson.
A B C D

PART FIVE: PREPOSITIONS AND PARTICLES

I. Prepositions: Fill each blank space with the correct preposition.
1. I reckon Martin is _____________ the verge _____________ a nervous breakdown.
2. When some money went missing everyone in the bank was _____________ suspicion.
3. Ivan broke the record _____________ the third attempt.
4. That airline company has an excellent reputation _____________ safety.
5. I know you feel strongly on this topic, but please look at things _____________ my point of view.
6. Improvements in technology will result _____________ more leisure time for working people.
7. Please send the letter _____________ delay.
8. We are _____________ very good _____________ our next-door neighbours.
II. Complete the following sentences using the verbs given in the box. You have to use the correct tenses of the
verbs and the appropriate particles.
break bring come get give
let live just set take
1. When I _____________ after my operation, I couldn’t think where I was.
2. I didn’t think he’d win the race but he _____________ it _____________ magnificently.
3. He escaped by _____________ a rope ladder from the window.
4. The rain _____________ for the day, I’m afraid.
5. She _____________in tears when she heard the news.
6. What exactly are you _____________? Why don’t you say what’s on your mind?
7. He eats like a horse but never _____________ weight.
8. I don’t know how he manages _____________ the salary he gets.
9. She feels much fitter since she _____________ jogging.
10. The author refused _____________ any secrets about the ending of his book.
PART SIX: WORD FORMS
Supply the correct form of the words given.
1. The failure of this scheme would have serious _____________. (imply)
2. Thieves dressed as policemen _____________ guards at a Boston museum. (power)
3. Lack of fertilizer had _____________ the soil. (poor)
4. I thought his explanation was _____________ complex. (necessary)
5. Many of the children are _____________ and suffering from serious diseases. (nourish)
6. The company was hit by a _____________ of crises. (success)
7. The minister gave _____________ answers to the interviewer’s questions. (evade)
8. The inquiry decided that the police were not entirely _____________. (blame)
9. The government will be _____________ encouraged by three latest figures. (consider)
10. It seems to him a fairly _____________ sum of money to be arguing about. (signify)
PART SEVEN: CLOZE TEST
I. Fill each blank space with ONE appropriate word.
In 1973, when the tiger appeared to (0) be facing extinction, the World Wide Fund for Nature and (1) __________
Indian Government agreed to set (2) __________ “Operation Tiger”- a campaign (3) __________ save this
threatened creature. They started by creating nine special parks (4) __________ that tigers could live in safety. The
first was at Ranthambhore, a region (5) __________ was quickly turning into a desert (6) __________ too much of
the grass was being eaten by the local people’s cattle. At the time there (7) __________ just fourteen tigers left there.
The government had to clear twelve small villages, which meant moving nearly 1,000 people and 10,000 cattle so the
land (8) __________ be handed back to nature.
Today, Ranthambhore is a very different place, with grass tall (9) __________ for tigers to hide in, and there are now
at (10) __________ forty of them (11) __________ the park, wandering freely about. Other animals have also
benefited. For example, there are many (12) __________ deer and monkeys than before. The people (13)
__________ were moved are now living in better conditions. They live in new villages away (14) __________ the
tiger park, with schools, temples and fresh water supplies. There are now sixteen such tiger parks in India and the
animals’ future looks (15) __________ little safer.
II. You are going to read a newspaper article about sleep. Five paragraphs have been removed from the
article. Choose from the paragraphs A – F the one which fits each gap (1 – 5). There is one extra paragraph
which you do not need to use. (10 pts)
Tiredness, it is often claimed, has become the modern conditions. As the richer, busier countries have grown, so
sleeplessness and anxiety have also grown in the popular psyche. Research in the USA has found 40 million
Americans to be chronically affected, and some recent best-selling novels in Britain have featured insomniacs as
protagonists, or sleep-research laboratories as their settings.
1
Recently, a sleep researcher fried an experiment. He offered his subjects the opposite of the modern routine. “I
allowed them to sleep for up to 14 hours a night for a month. It took them three weeks to reach an equilibrium of
eight-and-a-quarter hours. That indicates a great rebound of sleep – sleep that they hadn’t been getting.
2
For guinea pigs, they advertise in the student newspapers. Subjects are picked up by taxi, paid $ 5 an hour, and asked
to adjust their sleeping patterns according to instructions. Dr. Louise Reyner provides reassurance: “Some people are
quite worried, because you’re putting electrodes on their heads, and they think you can see what they’re dreaming or
thinking.”
3
The young men all deny they are going to fall asleep. Dr. Reyner has a video recording of one trying not to. At first
the person at the wheel is very upright, wet and bleary eyes determinedly fixed on the windscreen. Then he begins to
blink briefly, every now and again; then for longer, and more often, with a slight drop of the head. Each nod grows
heavier than the last. The blinks become a 10-second blackout. Every time, he jerks awake as if nothing has
happened. But the car, by the second or third occasion, has shot off the carriageway.
 4
But apart from these findings, what else do we know about human sleep with any kind of certainty? It is known that
humans sleep, like other mammals, according to a daily cycle. Once asleep, they switch between four different stages
of unconsciousness, from stage one sleep, the shallowest, to the stage four, the deepest. When dreams occur, which is
usually during the lightest sleep, the brain paralyses the body except for the hands and eyelids, thus preventing
injuries.
5
However, there is a strong degree of certainty among scientists that women sleep for half an hour longer than men,
and that older people require less sleep, though they don’t know why. When asked what sleep is for, some sleep
researchers reply in cosmic terms: “Sleep is a tactic to travel through time without injury.”
_____________________________________________________________________
A. Beyond this, certainties blur into theories. It is often suggested, for example, that sleep repairs body tissue, or
restores muscles, or rests the frontal section of the brain that controls speech and creativity. But all of this may
happen more quickly during relaxed wakefulness, so no one is really sure.

B. Part of this interest is in sleep in general: in its rhythms, its uses and in problems with sleeping. But a central
preoccupation remains. “People need more sleep,” says one leading sleep researcher. “People cut back on sleep when
they’re busy. They get up too early to avoid rush hour.”

C. The sleep researchers seems interested in this theory. But the laboratory is not funded to investigate such matters.
Its sponsors what its research to lead to practical solutions such as deciding where Take a break signs should be
placed on motorways, and how different kinds of food and drink can affect driving and sleeplessness.

D. A coffee might have helped. Two cups, Dr. Reyner says, even after no sleep at all, can make you a safe driver for
half an hour or more. She recommends a whole basket of alertness products: tablets, energy drinks, caffeinated
chewing gum. Shift workers, she is quite sure, could probably use them.

E. In fact, the laboratory’s interest is more physical. In a darkened room stands a motorway simulator, the front
section of a car facing a wide projection screen. The subjects are always told to arrive at 2pm, in the body’s natural
mid-afternoon lull, after a short night’s sleep or no sleep at all. The projector is switched on and they are asked to
drive, while answering questions. An endless road rolls ahead, sunlight glares; and the air is warm.

F. In Europe, such propositions are perhaps most thoroughly tested in a small, unassuming building on a university
campus in the English midlands. The university sleep research laboratory has investigated, among many subjects, the
effects of fatigue on sailors, the effects of airport noise on sleepers, and the dangers of motorway driving for flagging
drivers.

PART EIGHT: SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION

I. Rewrite the following sentences in such a way that they mean almost the same as the ones printed before
them.
1. I think it’s the manufacturer’s fault.
I would put _______________________________________________________
2. “Why does the disease go undetected?”, the interviewer asked.
The interviewer wanted _____________________________________________
3. Bill hasn’t been to a football match for over twenty years.
It is _____________________________________________________________
4. You can’t translate this type of document easily.
This is ___________________________________________________________
5. People think the accident was caused by the weather.
The accident ______________________________________________________
6. David has said that he thinks we should cut down that old tree.
David has suggested ________________________________________________
7. The company presents an award to each of its long-serving employees.
Each ____________________________________________________________
8. I really didn’t expect to be offered such a large sum of money.
Little ____________________________________________________________
9. Graham regrets not going on holiday with his friends.
Graham wishes ___________________________________________________
10. Sharon agreed to send Mr. Tibbs another copy of the letter.
Sharon said she ___________________________________________________

II. Rewrite the following sentences in such a way that they mean almost the same as the ones printed before
them, using the words given. You must not change the words in anyway.
1. Gwenda has decided to take less sugar in her coffee. (cut)
_______________________________________________________________________
2. There is a surprising similarity between Gloria and Sylvie. (alike)
_______________________________________________________________________
3. Terry really enjoys listening to old jazz records best. (pleasure)
_______________________________________________________________________
4. This book should not leave the library for any reason whatsoever. (circumstances)
_______________________________________________________________________
5. Graham apologized for not attending the meeting. (absence)
_______________________________________________________________________
6. The variety of wildlife on the island was something I found amazing. (amazed)
_______________________________________________________________________
7. I wasn’t surprised to see Roy leaving the party early. (came)
_______________________________________________________________________
8. Jane was the only guest to go down with food poisoning after the meal. (apart)
_______________________________________________________________________
9. The local football club has been defeated for the tenth time this season. (suffered)
_______________________________________________________________________
10. The annual general meeting of the village bows club was well-attended. (turnout)
_______________________________________________________________________
PART NINE: READING COMPREHENSION
Rearrange the following sentences in the correct order to make a good passage. The paragraph begins with D.
0. D 1.______ 2.______ 3.______ 4.______ 5.______
A. Although David’s school, St Andrew’s, have given him special permission to be excused from some lessons,
David is not missing out on his education.
B. To most people, the idea of an 8-year-old boy beating a grand master is almost impossible to believe.
C. Next week, David will be playing in Greece and also in the world championship in Spain. With the right
encouragement, he could soon be the next world champion!
D. The defeat the respected chess master has just suffered has been unbelievable and just too painful to talk about –
but the 8-year-old boy who has just beaten him has been enjoying a family celebration.
E. David won after what seemed to be the easiest victory ever – in just 66 moves in a five-minute contest. His parents
are extremely proud of him so successful.
F. David Howell is one of the youngest players ever to beast a grand master. He has only been playing chess for three
years but he is very enthusiastic and has an amazing ability for the game.

PART TEN: MISTAKE CORRECTION

There are fifteen mistakes in the following passage. Find and correct them. Follow the example.
I thought I would let you know how much I enjoy our holiday together last week. The only trouble with enjoying
yourself as much as we do is that life can seem so dull afterwards. Things started to go wrong when I got to airport
and was told my flight would be delayed for at last three hours. There was really anything to do but wait. I felt very
hungry but I could not buy nothing to eat as I had run out of money. Time passed really slower. After about two and a
half hours there was an announcement say that there would be a further delay of up to two hours, and passengers
book on the flight can order a free meal in the café. I joined a long queue and had just been serving when I heard
another announcement to tell passengers that the flight was now ready for boarding. I had to leave my meal and
rushed to the gate. There was yet another wait on the gate for half an hour but we did eventually leave more than four
hours late. It is not a very good end to what until then had been a fantastic holiday.
Example: 0. enjoy  enjoyed
THE END
ANSWER KEYS
PART ONE :
Part 1. 1. B 2. B 3. A 4. B 5. C
Part 2. 1. True 2. False 3. False 4. True 5. True
Part 3.
1. open homes
2. six months
3. pen-friend/ pen-pal
4. foreign/ other/ their languages
5. France and Germany
6. Loneliness/ feeling lonely
7. Professional/ group leader
8. Fun/ entertaining/ entertaining
9. educationally valuable
10.Wildlife

PART TWO
I.
1. C 2. B 3. D 4. A 5. C
6. B 7. B 8. D 9. A 10. C
II.
picturesquely emphatically inventories collaboration
pharmaceutical merchandise contribution
cinematographer advertisement consequently
PART THREE
1. A 2. C 3. B 4. A 5. D
6. B 7. D 8. C 9. A 10. D
PART FOUR
I.
2. had called 3. would have been able
4. preventing 5. told
6. decided / had decided 7. phoning
8. had begged / begged 9. had gone off
10. would have been 11. was hit
II.
1. didn’t expect / wasn’t expecting – are you doing
2. have had – will send
3. will have left
4. has been decided
5. has been called off
6. have been working – is being redecorated
7. will lend / lend
III. Choose the underlined word or phrase in each sentence that needs correcting. Write your
answers in the space provided.
1. A 2. C 3. C 4. B 5. C 6. A 7. D 8. C 9. C 10. D
PART FIVE
I.
1. on – of 2. under 3. at 4. for 5. from
6. in 7. without 8. on – with
II.
1. came to 2. brought…off 3. letting down
4. has set in 5. broke down 6. getting at
7. puts on 8. to live on 9. has taken up
10. to give away

PART SIX
1. implications 2. overpowered 3. impoverished
4. unnecessarily 5. undernourished 6. succession
7. evasive 8. blameless 9. considerably
10. insignificant

PART SEVEN
I.
1. the 2. up 3. to
4. so 5. which/that 6. because / since/ for
7. were 8. could / might 9. enough
10. least 11. in / inside / within 12. more
13. who/ that 14. from 15. A
II. You are going to read a newspaper article about sleep. Five paragraphs have been removed from the
article. Choose from the paragraphs A – F the one which fits each gap (1 – 5). There is one extra paragraph
which you do not need to use.
1. B 2. F 3. E 4. D 5. A

PART EIGHT
I.
1. I would put the blame on (to) the manufacturer.
2. The interviewer wanted to know why the disease went / goes undetected.
3. It is twenty years since Bill went/ has been to a football match.
4. This is not an easy type of document to translate/ the type of document which can’t be translated easily.
5. The accident is being / has been blamed on the weather.
6. David has suggested cutting/ that we (should) cut down that old tree.
7. Each of the company’s long-serving employees is presented with an award.
8. Little did I expect to be offered such a large sum of money.
9. Graham wishes he had gone on holiday with his friends.
10. Sharon said she would send Mr. Tibbs another copy of the letter.
II.
1. Gwenda has decided to cut down on (the amount of) sugar (she takes) in her coffee.
2. Gloria and Sylvie are surprisingly alike.
3. Terry’s real / greatest pleasure is listening to old jazz records.
4. Under no circumstances should this book leave the library / This book shouldn’t leave the library under any
circumstances.
5. Graham apologized for his absence from the meeting.
6. I was amazed by the variety of wildlife on the island.
7. It came as no surprise to see Roy leaving the party early.
8. Apart from Jane, none of the guests went down with food poisoning after the meal.
9. The local football team has suffered its tenth defeat of the season.
10. There was a good turnout for the annual general meeting of the village bows club.

PART NINE
0. D 1. F 2. B 3. E 4. A 5. C
PART TEN
1. do  did, 2. to airport  to the airport,
3. last  least, 4. anything  nothing,
5. nothing  anything, 6. slower  slowly,
7. say  to say, 8. book  booked,
9. can  could, 10. serving  served,
11. to tell  telling, 12. rushed  rush,
13. on  at, 14. is  was