PRACTICE TEST (A - 2015) - 6

I. LISTENING
TASK 1. You are doing some research into energy and the environment. You hear a radio talk in
which an environmentalist describes carrying out an “Energy Audit” to calculate his own energy use
and its effects on the environment. Listen to the talk and choose the word or phrase which best
completes the sentence.
1. Before doing the energy audit, he _____.
A. assumed that his activities did little harm
B. gave little thought to the consequences of his actions
C. knew his lifestyle was environmentally friendly
D. realised that he wasn’t doing enough
2. He was hesitant about doing the energy audit because he _____.
A. didn’t fully understand the technology
B. thought the results might not be accurate
C. was afraid of what he might discover
D. wasn’t sure how easy it would be
3. In terms of travelling he _____.
A. fears there may be one particular problem
B. has a car of his own but rarely uses it
C. occasionally commutes to work by train
D. often uses water-borne transport
4. His air travel over the previous year _____.
A. consisted of two return trips
B. was an unpleasant experience
C. was difficult to calculate
D. was necessary for his work
5. Energy use by industry and commerce _____.
A. is a category most people may not be aware of
B. is supported by ordinary people
C. makes up about half of his energy use
D. seems to be growing every day
6. His first reaction to the results of the audit is one of _____.
A. confusion B. disbelief C. disillusionment D. guilt
7. Without the air travel, his carbon total would be _____.
A. about average B. nearly halved C. quite acceptable D. slightly less disastrous
8. The main point made by the speaker is that _____.
A. energy audits would be too worrying for most people
B. environmentalists do not practise what they preach
C. his own lifestyle is less harmful than most people’s
D. nearly everyone faces making big changes in lifestyle

TASK 2. Later you hear a radio interview in which the presenter, Terry Davis, is talking to Dr
Elizabeth Jones, an expert on climate. Listen to the interview and complete the notes below. Write NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS and/or A NUMBER.
CLIMATE CHANGE
1. Climate refers to a _______________________________ ; weather varies from day to day.
2. Climate is _______________________________ than weather.
3. Scient ists can now _______________________________ , which helps future projections.
4. Climate has been quite _______________________________ for the past 10,000 years.

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5. A lot of _______________________________ (e.g. coastal cities) are now more vulnerable to climate
changes.
6. In the late 70s: new equipment was developed to calculate the _______________________________.
There have been very small variations over last 20 years.
7. Most warming in 20th century was caused by increased emissions of
_______________________________ produced by humans.
8. Small temperature changes may cause _______________________________ .
9. For example, there is only _______________________________ difference between the last Ice Age
and now.
10. Evidence of change: melt ing glaciers, early springs, less snow on mountains, more frequent
_______________________________
11. Oceans and forests absorb some carbon dioxide but burning fossil fuels produces
_______________________________ .
12. Carbon dioxide levels are now at their highest for _______________________________.
13. It can take up to _______________________________ for carbon dioxide to be removed from
atmosphere.
14. The word _______________________________ can be defined in various ways.
15. One study suggests emissions at a level of 450 parts per million will be necessary to avoid
_______________________________.

II. LEXICO-GRAMMAR
Part 1: Choose the word or phrase (A, B, C or D) which best completes each sentence.
1. Trade _____ were imposed against any country that refused to sign the agreement.
A. actions B. blocks C. sanctions D. treaties
2. We _____ and hawed for weeks before deciding to buy the house.
A. blared B. dined C. hummed D. thudded
3. Some action groups have become so powerful that quite frequent ly we have a situation in which the tail
is wagging the _____.
A. body B. cat C. dog D. legs
4. Most discounts have been dramatically _____ in the final days of our clearance sale from 15% to 5%.
A. declined B. diminished C. slashed D. taken down
5. This curtain material _____ easily.
A. bends B. creases C. hangs itself D. makes itself
6. When she puts her mind to it, she is always capable of _____ sarcasm.
A. biting B. sharpening C. slicing D. striking
7. The player ’s career is hanging by a _____ after his latest injury to his knee.
A. cord B. rope C. string D. thread
8. The lion silently _____ a zebra through the tangle of trees at the edge of the forest.
A. crept B. lurked C. prowled D. stalked
9. He was in the _____ of despair when he heard that his mother was leaving him.
A. abyss B. depths C. pits D. valley
10. I’m trying to explain things to Jackie but it’s like hitt ing your head against a _____ wall.

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 A. brick B. hard C. rock D. stone
11. He is proposing an appeal _____ the size of the fine.
A. against B. for C. out D. to
12. Police cars were constant ly shedding past with their lights flashing and sirens _____ out so loudly I
couldn’t get a wink of sleep.
A. blaring B. blazing C. pouring D. roaring
13. When he was at the auction house, he luckily _____ upon a small boat on the horizon.
A. dug B. found C. lit D. nudged
14. I’m definitely going on that field trip. A week on Lake Michigan is not to be _____ at!
A. frowned B. laughed C. shrugged D. sneezed
15. When I got stuck in the elevator, I was scared the shit _____ my wits.
A. in on B. out of C. over from D. up with
16. The politician was extremely lucky to get _____ a suspended sentence.
A. away from B. off with C. on to D. through to
17. Tom and I met at the kindergarten and we’ve been _____ our friendship ever since.
A. carrying over B. keeping to C. keeping up D. taking on
18. The government is running _____ considerable opposite ion to its tax reforms.
A. back over B. off with C. out on D. up against
19. The meeting was _____ in the media as an important event.
A. brushed up B. chipped in C. folded up D. hyped up
20. Suddenly it _____ me that they couldn’t possibly have met before.
A. dawned on B. flicked through C. handed down D. passed out

Part 2: Word Formation

Read the text and the sentences below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to
form a word that fits in the space in the same line.
Forget nuclear weapons and global warming; nemesis lurks around the corner and he is wearing a quite
different guise. The robots are coming and soon there will be nowhere to hide. Computers are developing
at such (1) NECK _______________________________ speed that they will shortly spawn a race of
intelligent androids, more fear that Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator, which will ultimately (2)
SLAVE _______________________________ the world. We, by then a subjugated people, will face
extinction – or if we play our cards right, a future as dumb but cute forms of pet.
Researchers in (3) ART _______________________________ intelligence at major centres of learning
inform us that within the next few decades they will have created robots that are head and shoulders above
humans. If computers are the next step in evolution, they will quite probably follow the law of survival of
the fittest. And when robots are the most intelligent beings on the planet, it doesn't take much brainwork
to work out that they will end up in the diving seat. Science fiction writers have also, for decades, fed their
readers a similar diet. Stories abound of robots running amok and (4) PERIL
_______________________________their human benefactors. It is certainly a fact that by the end of the
decade the Japanese will have developed a machine as intelligent as a cat. And no real barrier exists to
creating ever more sophisticated robots with the ability to improve on their own design. Already
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researchers have achieved a (5) BREAK _______________________________ by creating miniature
varieties that learn from each other and exhibit new behaviour.
6. The game was much _______________________________ when both teams scored with five minutes
of each other. (LIFE)
7. There has been a _______________________________ just outside Crewe, and many people are
feared dead. (RAIL)
8. The car rolled down a railway _______________________________ and hit a tree. (BANK)
9. One of the unexpected _______________________________ of the course was the forming of some
really close friendships. (SPIN)
10. Are you doing this on purpose just to _______________________________ me? (FURIOUS)

Chose the suitable word given the box and supply its correct form to complete the text below.
adult dose nominate paradox pass
sanity sign spoon tort wreck

The perception is growing that in the presentation of news on the radio and television to say nothing of
newspapers pure information comes second to a synthetic version of it, transmitted through a (11)
________________________ mist of emotion and pathos. The facts about a plane crash or an earthquake
give way to the sobbing reactions of the bereaved. ‘How do you feel?’ has taken the place of ‘What
happened?’ The reporter becomes not just an observer but a participant, holding back the tears as he
combs through the (12) ________________________. A politician’s announcement is screened out as
reactions are eagerly sought by an instant ‘vox pop’.
The trend, and it is undoubtedly there, arouses strong feelings among an older generation which sees it
as condescending and unnecessary, assuming the lowest common (13) ________________________ on
the part of the viewer; it is (14) ________________________ news for couch potatoes. It is, however,
defended equally strongly by anxious editors and producers who believe that a younger generation is
simply switching off news altogether; better that they should watch something informative, goes the
argument, than hop to the rival channel’s game show.
A series of debates under the label Culture Wars, at the Edinburgh Book Festival, posed the question
‘Dumbing down or wising up?’, the question mark at the end suggesting that we might in fact be
discovering a better means of communication in a technological age. It extended the issue from television
to newspapers and publishing where a burgeoning army of commentators seemed to have (15)
________________________ the old adage about facts being sacred and comment free to the journalistic
dustbin.
We cannot, surely, complain about a lack of accurate information when this generation has greater
access to (16) ________________________, up-to-date news than any previous age. It is poured out on
24-hour television channels, email and the Internet in such quantities that we are in danger of (17)
________________________ on it. Background data on almost every story you read or view is instant ly
available. Newspapers now have to offer an online service of high quality, otherwise they will simply be
(18) ________________________.
But news on the Internet has one central flaw; it is unedited and unrestricted. It offers no context no
means of assessing its value. (19) ________________________, the more raw data is available to readers
and viewers, the more they need clear, objective presentation, comment and evaluation.
If the media talks down to its audience or presents a blurred and (20) ________________________
version of events, it gives them nothing to go on, no room to reach their own judgement, no baseline from
which to form their own opinions. And that is the ultimate condescension.

Part 3. Fill in each blank with one suitable preposition or particle from the following box. Each word
can only be used once. Write your answers in the numbered box.
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 in out down about along for
off from aback with against on
1. If you draw _________________ income from your investment too quickly, it may not last long.
2. They agreed to the policy _________________ the understanding that it would be to their benefits.
3. Pack it _________________, will you? Your guitar playing is getting on my nerves.
4. Further _________________ the road, some more policies are sure to be introduced.
5. Clever people never bite _________________ more than they can chew.
6. I think it would be fun to swan _________________ Europe in the summer.
7. That old, crazy man once claimed he was descended _________________ William Shakespeare.
8. Without an y information to bank on, we landed ourselves _________________ the most boring job of
the lot.
9. She gets so nervous at the thought of examinations that her mind completely blanks
________________.
10. She gambled _________________ the house even though it was not hers.

III. READING COMPREHENSION

Part 1. Choose the word that best fits each of the blanks in the following passage. Write your answers
in the numbered box.
SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY
Sport as a spectacle and photography as a way of recording action have developed together. At the turn
of the 20 century, Edward Muybridge was experimenting with photographs of movement. His pictures of
a runner (1) ……… in every history of photograph. Another milestone was when the scientist and
photographer Harold Edgerton (2) ……… the limits of photographic technology with study of a (3)
……… of milk hitting the suffice of a dish. Another advance was the development of miniature cameras
in the late 1which made it possible for sports photographers to (4) ……… their cumbersome cameras
behind.
The arrival of television was a significant development in the transmission of sport. Paradoxically, it
was of benefit to still photograph. People who watched a sports event on TV, with all its movement and
action, (5) ……… the still image as a reminder of the game.
Looking back, we can see how (6) ……… sports photography has changed. Early sports photographers
were as interested in the scene behind the sport as in the sport itself. Contemporary sports photography (7)
……… the glamour of sport, the colour and the action. But best sports photographers today do more than
simply tell the story of the event, or make a (8) ……… of it. They (9) ……… in a dramatic moment the
real emotions of the participants, emotions with which people looking at the photographs can (10) ………
1. A. exhibit B. show C. feature D. demonstrate
2. A. enlarged B. extended C. prolonged D. spread
3. A. splash B. drop C. dash D. drip
4. A. put B. keep C. lay D. leave
5. A. chose B. valued C. pointed D. cheered
6. A. highly B. radically C. extremely D. severely
7. A. outlines B. signals C. emphasises D. forms
8. A. preservation B. store C. mark D. record
9. A. seize B. grasp C. capture D. secure
10. A. identify B. share C. unite D. join

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Part 2. Read the following passage and decide which answer (A, B, C, or D) best fits each gap.
PROTECTING THE FLORIDA MANATEE
With an average length of ten feet and a weight of 1,200 pounds, the large, slow-moving Florida manatee
is perhaps the most distinctive marine mammal of the southeastern United States. Found predominantly in
the oceans, rivers, and estuaries around southern Florida in the cooler months, manatees frequently travel
as far west as Texas and as far north as Virginia during the summer. They have been inhabitants of these
marine environments for 45 million years. In recent times, however, the manatee has become an
endangered species, and an intense debate has ensued over some of the measures implemented to protect
its survival.
The Florida manatee faces numerous threats from both natural and human-generated causes. The
most immediate survival needs for manatees are warm water and an adequate source of food. The animals
will suffer if either of these necessities cannot be found. For example, in water below 68 degrees
Fahrenheit, a manatee's large body cannot convert food into energy fast enough to keep the animal warm,
and it will most likely die. Sometimes, entire groups of manatees perish when they are caught too far north
at the time of a sudden cold spell. Two other potentially lethal hazards are blooms of poisonous marine
algae arid catastrophic weather events such as hurricanes.
Despite their sensitivity to these natural conditions, the biggest threats to the survival of the
manatee come from human activities. One major concern is the loss of habitat due to increases in land
development and the introduction of pollutants to the environment. Manatees' access to sea grass, their
main food source, and warm water during the winter is limited in this way, forcing them into more
northern areas where they are less likely to find the resources they need to survive. They can also be
severely harmed by discarded fishing lines and nets, and, more significantly, frequently die after being hit
by watercraft. In addition, general harassment by individual humans has led to many manatee deaths. The
state of Florida has been passing laws to safeguard manatees from such threats since 1893. The animal's
listing as an endangered species in 1967 led to the creation of several protected wildlife areas in Florida,
and conservationists are hoping to both expand the existing areas and establish new protection zones.
The primary activity which such zones seek to control is boating. Collisions with are the leading
cause of death for the Florida manatee, accounting for 25 percent of all recorded mortalities, and some
research has found that as many as 90 percent of observed Florida manatees bear scars from run-ins with
boat propellers. More disturbingly, these incidents are responsible for the most deaths of adult manatees of
reproductive age. This is detrimental to the overall population, because it affects the manatees best able
to multiply the species. Current and proposed protected areas either place speed limit s on boat travel or
ban the use of marine motor vehicles altogether.
These conservationist measures have angered the region’s boating and fishing communities, who
see no need for such restrictions. Members of these groups argue that existing regulations are more than
adequate, and that manatee populations are on the rise and are no longer in danger. Indeed, successive
surveys from the 1980s to the present have tallied larger and larger numbers of manatees living around
Florida. However, this increase may be due as much to advances in surveying techniques, which simply
enable counters to find more manatees, as it is to an actual rise in the population. Other allegations that
have become points of contention, such as the suggestions that expanded refuge zones will devalue
property, raise taxes, or hurt the regional economy, have so far proved to be unfounded.
As awareness about the plight of the Florida manatee spreads, the majority of the public chooses to
support efforts to protect the creatures. The manatee is now a recognized symbol of Florida’s wildlife and
has become well known throughout the world. Companies offering tourists the opportunity to view
manatees in the wild are growing in popularity. Though no one denies that the endangered Florida
manatee still faces many challenges; with the help of conservationists and other concerned members of the
public, it can hopefully continue to overcome them.

1. The word “ensued” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _____.

A. argued B. combined C. resolved D. resulted

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2. According to paragraph 2, what factor is responsible for the manatee’s inability to survive in cold
water?
A. Its behaviour B. Its diet C. Its habitat D. Its size
3. From the information in paragraph 3, what can be inferred about species recognized as endangered?
A. They are eligible for special treatment.
B. They have been the subject of laws for over 100 years.
C. They mostly inhabit the state of Florida.
D. They succeed in stabilizing their populations.
4. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in
paragraph 4?
A. More Florida manatees die as a result of boat collisions than die from any other single cause.
B. Researchers report that 90 percent of all known Florida manatee deaths have been the result of
boat collisions.
C. Watercraft collisions have led to more manatee deaths than any other cause, and most manatees
possess injuries from sure encounters.
D. While 90 percent of the Florida manatee population has been injured by watercraft, only 25
percent of these incidents resulted in the death of the animal.
5. The word “detrimental” in paragraph 4 is closet in meaning to _____.
A. specialized B. confusing C. harmful D. evident
6. The word “it” in paragraph 5 refers to _____.
A. Florida B. increase C. population D. rise
7. According to the passage, which of the following statements most accurately reflects the author’s
opinion about the Florida manatee?
A. It has become a burden on the taxpayers of southern Florida.
B. It has recovered remarkably when compared to the 1980s.
C. It should be more fully protected from dangerous algae blooms.
D. It should receive further guardianship from humans in the future.
8. According to paragraph 6, which of the following is true about manatees?
A. They can be found in many regions of the world.
B. They are expected to migrate farther south.
C. They receive limited support from the public,
D. They benefit from tourism industry in Florida.
9. All o f these are mentioned in the passage as threats to the Florida manatee EXCEPT _____.
A. submerged fishing equipment B. the loss of feeding grounds
C. the spread of diseases D. toxic water plants

Part 3. Read the text and then choose from the list A–I given below the best sentence to fit each gap
Question (0) has been done as an example.
IN HOT WATER
Rachel Mills is a scientist who spends as much time as she can at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
Rachel Mills teaches and does research into marine geochemistry, which means she studies the chemical
processes happening in the sea.
(0) …I…… When she is not teaching, she lowers herself into a steel vehicle, a vessel for underwater
exploration the size of a small car, and dives three kilometres down into the Atlantic Ocean to study
underwater volcanoes.
“Inside,” she says, “space is so limited that I can reach out and touch the two pilots.” ( 1) ……… A dive
can last for 16 hours – three hours to reach the ocean floor, ten hours gathering samples of rock and water
and then three hours to get back up to the surface again.
“If anything happens, and you have a problem and have to get to the top quickly, you can hit a panic
button.” The outside drops away leaving a small circular escape vessel that gets released, and it is like
letting go of a ping-pong ball in the bath – it goes rapidly to the surface. (12) ………
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 “I didn’t know how I was going to react the first time I climbed into the vehicle. It was on the deck of a
ship and I got in with an instructor. (3) ……… They were testing me to see how I would react to being in
such a small place.”
Now Rachel has made six dives. Last year she dived with a Russian crew. “We went to a site which was a
five-day sail west of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic. (4) ……… It is where the Atlantic Ocean comes
alive. The Russian team were dropping off some scientific equipment there to discover the effect of a
multi-national programme that would make a hole 150 metres through a volcano.”
When she is not at sea, Rachel is in her office at the Oceanography Centre, Southampton. “Two thirds of
my salary comes from teaching which I love, but I do it so I can get on with my research into the ‘black
smokers’. This is just another name for underwater volcanoes – water comes out of the rock and turns into
what looks like black smoke. (5) ………
The only time I have been frightened is when I first went down with the Americans. We were towing
equipment on a 50-metre rope when suddenly there was an explosion. There was this immense bang as the
shock waves hit our vehicle and I thought, ‘I am going to die.’ We stared at each other in silence, waiting.
(6) ……… The relief was incredible – we were still alive!”
“It is such an adventure diving down to the deepest part of the ocean. Every time I look out of the
porthole and see those chimneys, there is such a sense of wonder. (7) ……… I had studied the black
smokers for three years for my PhD. When I got down there and saw them
for real, it was such an amazing feeling.”

A. Here, on the ocean floor, is a huge area of underwater volcanoes, their chimneys all blowing out black
smoke.
B. Here I am on the bottom of the sea, and no one else on this planet has ever before seen them.
C. “No one has tested it yet, but I do not think it would be a ver y pleasant journey.”
D. He then talked me through the emergency procedures, including what to do if the pilot has a heart
attack!
E. They are used to these conditions, which mean they cannot stand up or move, and they must stay inside
until someone opens the door from the outside.
F. When it did not happen, we could not believe it.
G. This pours out at a rate of one metre per second and at a temperature of 350 degrees.
H. After that, as you get really deep, it is near freezing point so you need a sweater, thick socks, gloves
and a woolly hat.
I. She is a lecturer at the Oceanography Centre at Southampton University.

IV. WRITING:
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word
given. Do not change the word given. You must use between three and eight words, including the
word given.
1. Marcia was the only one who refused to come. APART
Everyone _______________________________________________ Marcia.

2. He really wants to see animals living in the wild. INTENT

He _______________________________________________ animals living in the wild.

3. Roger insisted he knew nothing about the recent scandal. KNOWLEDGE

Roger _______________________________________________ the recent scandal.

4. Her friends still hadn't arrived by 9 o'clock, so Helen went to the party alone. SIGN
There _______________________________________________ 9 o'clock, so Helen went to the party
alone.

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5. It doesn't look as though John wants to buy that house after all. DECIDED
John _______________________________________________ buying that house after all

6. More spices would make this dish taste much better. GREATLY
More spices _______________________________________________ this dish.

7. She's not very good at arranging flowers. FLAIR

She _______________________________________________ arranging flowers.

8. My salary never lasts beyond the end of the month. SHORT

I _______________________________________________ the end of the month.

9. I tried to explain to her what the problem was, but she wasn't interested. INDIFFERENT
She was ________________________________________________ the problem.

10. Whether open-air events at this time of year succeed or not, largely depends on the weather. ROLE
The weather ________________________________________________ of open-air events at this time of
year.

11. When neither side accepted the proposals to solve the crisis, negotiations collapsed. PROPOSED
The failure of ________________________________________________ to the crisis meant negotiations
collapsed.

12. My dog hurt itself when it tried to jump the fence. DUE
My dog's ________________________________________________ to jump the fence.

13. The new motorway will involve demolishing a lot of old houses. WAY
A lot of old houses ________________________________________________ for the new motorway.

14. If you remember, I was the one who started this project in 1995. CAST
If ________________________________________________, I was the one who started this project in
1995.

15. He protested that he had always kept his promises to me. BACK
He protested that ________________________________________________ to me.

16. A contract between the two parties was drawn up by a local solicitor. RESPONSIBLE
A local solicitor ________________________________________________ the two parties.

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