PRACTICE TEST 9

SECTION A - LISTENING
Part 1: You will hear a guide speaking to visitors of a museum. Listen carefully and complete the notes
below with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER.
The (1) _______________ Museum was established in 1983 on a site (2)________________ for a theater.
It displays many (3)_______________ objects concerning the world of film, television and (4)________________.
There are not only (5)________________ but also two galleries for a changing program of exhibitions.
A significant item in the collection is the (6)______________ used to produce the first British movie.
The collection looks at the (7)_______________ behind different media as well as traces (8)______________ over
time.
The Wonderlab, an interactive exhibition about (9)________________ has just been opened.
It is certainly a superb experience when you can really engage in (10)_________________ featured by the gallery.
Any gamers can come to the Games Longue on level 5 and play the first versions of (11)________________ while
exploring the development of (12)_______________.
Admittance to the museum is free but there are additional charges for the cinema and the IMAX screen, the first
screen in the UK to show the (13)______________ version of Beauty and the Beast.
In addition to live performances, the film presents (14)__________________ to the audience.
Part 2. For questions 15-24, you will hear a short talk about a volunteer helpline. Decide whether the
following statements are true (T) or false (F).
15. The telephone helpline is not the only program of Parentline Plus group.
16. The helpline is available at no cost and accessible 12 hours a day.
17. The helpline aims to help care-givers such as grandparents and foster carers.
18. All people taking advantage of the service have never voiced their concerns before.
19. A hundred experienced people form the foundation for the helpline.
20. Parentline Plus is in need of male volunteers from non-English cultures.
21. It takes about 2 months to become an official volunteer at Parentline Plus.
22. Helpline operators must spend four hours or more each week giving advice over the phone.
23. There are more than ten call centres situated outside of England’s capital.
24. Parentline Plus publishes a leaflet containing information about their helpline.
Part 3. You will hear an interview with Jim Horton and Jenny Simmons, who both work as voice actors.
For questions 25-30, choose the answer A, B, C or D which fits best according to what you hear.
25. What does Jim say about working as a voice actor?
A He resents the time it takes from his private life. B He gets bored by some of the work.
C He finds the range of work too demanding. D He dislikes the commercial side of the work.
26. Jenny says that the hardest thing for her about becoming a voice actor was
A dealing with technology. B reading a script clearly.
C having a short rehearsal time. D working in the recording studio.
27. When he's working on a new project, Jim finds it
A helpful to work with the director. B stressful to find the right tone of voice.
C easy when he has performed a similar role before. D exciting when the role is something new for him.
28. What do both Jenny and Jim agree about portraying a character?
A It involves a different approach each time. B It should be as real as possible.
C It requires a team of people to help. D It can be upsetting sometimes.
29. What does Jim say about working on video games compared with films?
A The pay is higher. B They're harder because of the schedule.
C The scripts are more difficult to read. D They're more demanding on the actor's voice.
30. What advice would both Jenny and Jim give to would-be voice actors?
A Develop good acting techniques. B Go to as many auditions as possible.
C Employ a good agent. D Keep trying even when it's hard.
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 SECTION B – VOCABULARY & GRAMMAR
Part 1: Choose the best answer to complete each of the following sentences.
1 Despite the many _________ distractions she had to overcome, she achieved the success she deserved.
A extended B extracted C external D extravagant
2 The total ________ of nuclear weapons would hopefully give the world something to celebrate.
A extermination B elimination C ellipsis D exception
3 The _______ of hard work bringing positive results is perhaps out of favour now in the modern world.
A abstract B opinion C concept D belief
4 Overconfidence due to overnight success can take us quickly down that ________ road to failure
A sticky B slippery C oily D slithery
5 The preparations for the Olympic Games are on ________ according to the committee in charge.
A goal B target C progress D aim
6 Following years of intense training, the accomplished athlete the medal triumphantly.
A took off B went off C ran off D carried off
7 Having worked his fingers to the ____ for many years, he eventually saw the fruit of his hard work at the age of 50.
A end B edge C bone D nail
8 There was a wonderful ski _____ way up in the mountains, suitable for the whole family.
A lodge B hostel C pension D house
9 The lucky survivors of the freak storm related their tale to the eager journalists.
A challenging B harrowing C gruelling D saddening
10 The boss was with the new employee over his qualifications and ability to perform his job well.
A at a loose end B at a loss C at odds D at a standstill
Part 2. Read the passage below, which contains 10 mistakes. Identify the mistakes and write the
corrections.
The debate about genetically modified crops rages on. Those who excited about this new development claim that it’s
the only way to solve the problem of food demand to parts of the world where in present people are dying of
starvation. Special strains of plants can be created that are, for example, non-resistant to drought or to particularly
high temperatures or to certain pests, which allows themselves to flourish where other crops fail. At the same time,
they say, chemical pesticides are no longer needed, so it's better for the environment too. Opponents are first and
utmost worried about the unknown effects of GM foods on our health. While in the short term, eating GM food
appears doing no harm, it is not yet possible to predict how future generations may be affected. They also fear that as
if GM crops are grown in clearly defined and fenced-off areas, seeds from GM plantations will unavoidably pollinate the
surrounded vegetation, which may end up being genetically modified, too. Playing around with genes, they argue, is
not a game, and should result in untold damage to the human race and to the environment.

SECTION C – READING
Part 1: Read the passage and choose the best answer.
GIVEN THE THUMBS DOWN
When your manager tells you they are pleased with your (0) work, the least you can expect is a(n) (1)____ reference
when you leave. That, at any (2)___ is what Wayne Taft thought when he applied for a job as an occupational care
worker.
Imagine his surprise (3)____, when he opened a letter that said 'Sorry, we can't (4)___ you because of your job
reference.'
"It was very upsetting," he says. "I was shocked at how cruel people can be. My reference should have been
(5)_____. "Mr Taft, who is unemployed, is still (6)_____ the consequences of his (7)_____ employer, another home
care provider, (8)____ to supply a positive, or even neutral reference. "I was looking (9)___ to a new job and now I'm
on the (10)____.
After he received the (11)_____ letter, he resigned himself to pursuing jobs using another past employer as a
reference. He was never told why the reference was bad, and in the two months since it happened has felt (12)____.
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But this week he discovered that under the Data Protection Act, he has the right to request (13)_____ to the reference
from the organisation who received it.
Mr Taft says he intends to (14)____ the employer that turned him down and demand to see the reference. "I'm so
angry, I need to find out what happened and (15)_____ it right," he adds.
1 A beneficial B straight C decent D moral
2 A pace B way C step D rate
3 A namely B then C really D although
4 A consider B regard C judge D review
5 A shining B glowing C gleaming D glistening
6 A having B taking C getting D suffering
7 A present B so-called C would-be D former
8 A refusing B avoiding C protesting D disliking
9 A away B aside C forward D front
10 A leisure B dole C queue D home
11 A rejection B refusal C denial D dismissal
12 A accidental B powerless C unfavourable D unrelated
13 A access B admittance C entry D permission
14 A struggle B disagree C dare D confront
15 A get B put C place D fix
Part 2: Fill in the gap with ONE suitable word.
Do I look OK?
Dolls and plenty of toys were once the sole requirement for a happy childhood. Not any (16)________. These days,
style matters even in the playground, (17)_____ means that an image obsession can strike when children are barely
(18)______ of nappies. Eavesdrop on a conversation at a primary school and it is just (19)________ likely to revolve
around the latest fashions as favorite cartoon characters. But (20)________ is the darker side to this preoccupation
with appearance that is causing concern (21)_______ some experts. Research carried out over the past two years has
highlighted a dangerous body-image trend in children as (22)_______ as three and four. (23)_______ dissatisfied are
some with (24)_______ they look that they are prepared to diet and restrict (25)______ food intake in order to
change their appearance. A degree of weight awareness is evident (26)______ the age of two upwards, and by the
time they start school, many children (27)______ developed definite insecurities about how they (28)_______
perceived. Significantly, (29)______ children who are most concerned about weight are almost consistently those
whose parents are most controlling about what is (30)_____ at home.

Part 3: Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.
In seventeenth-century colonial North America, all day-to-day cooking was done in the fireplace. By and large,
fireplaces were planned for cooking as well as for warmth. Those in the Northeast were usually four or five feet high,
and in the South, they were often high enough for a person to walk into. A heavy timber called the mantel tree was
used as a lintel to support the stonework above the fireplace opening. This timber might be  scorched occasionally,
but it was far enough in front of the rising column of heat to be safe from catching fire. 

Two ledges were built across from each other on the inside of the chimney. On these rested the ends of a "lug pole"
from which pots were suspended when cooking. Wood from a freshly cut tree was used for the lug pole, so it would
resist heat, but it had to be replaced frequently because it dried out and charred, and was thus weakened. Sometimes
the pole broke and the dinner fell into the fire. When iron became easier to obtain, it was used instead of wood for
lug poles, and later fireplaces had pivoting metal rods to hang pots from. 

Beside the fireplace and built as part of it was the oven. It was made like a small, secondary fireplace with a flue
leading into the main chimney to draw out smoke. Sometimes the door of the oven faced the room, but most ovens
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were built with the opening facing into the fireplace. On baking days (usually once or twice a week) a roaring fire of
"oven wood," consisting of brown maple sticks, was maintained in the oven until its walls were extremely hot.

The embers were later removed, bread dough was put into the oven, and the oven was sealed shut until the bread
was fully baked. 

Not all baking was done in a big oven, however. Also used was an iron "bake kettle," which looked like a stewpot on
legs and which had an iron lid. This is said to have worked well when it was placed in the fireplace, surrounded by
glowing wood embers, with more embers piled on its lid.

31. Which of the following aspects of domestic life in colonial North America does the passage mainly discuss?
A.  the use of iron kettles in a typical kitchen     B. methods of baking bread
C. fireplace cooking  D. the types of wood used in preparing meals
32. The author mentions the fireplaces built in the South to illustrate ________.
A. how the materials used were similar to those used in northeastern fireplaces
B. that they served diverse functions
C. that they were usually larger than northeastern fireplaces
D. how they were safer than northeastern fireplaces
33. The word "scorched" in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.
A. cut     B. bent C. enlarged   D. burned
34. The word "it" in the first paragraph refers to ______.
A. the mantel tree  B. the fireplace opening C. the rising column of heat    D. the stonework
35. According to the passage, how was food usually cooked in a pot in the seventeenth century?
A. By filling the pot with hot water    B. By placing the pot directly into the fire
C. By putting the pot in the oven  D. By hanging the pot on a pole over the fire
36. The word "obtain" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _____.
A. manufacture    B. acquire      C. maintain D. reinforce
37. Which of the following is mentioned in paragraph 2 as a disadvantage of using a wooden lug pole?
A. It was made of wood not readily available.  B. It was difficult to move or rotate.
C. It occasionally broke.    D. It became too hot to touch.
38. It can be inferred from paragraph 3 that, compared to other firewood, "oven wood" produced _____.
A.  fewer embers     B. more heat C. lower flames   D. less smoke
39. According to paragraph 3, all of the following were true of a colonial oven EXCEPT ______.
A. it was used to heat the kitchen every day B. the smoke it generated went out through the main chimney
C. it was built as part of the main fireplace D.  it was heated with maple sticks
40. According to the passage, which of the following was an advantage of a “bake kettle”?
A. It did not take up a lot of space in the fireplace B. It did not need to be tightly closed
C. It could be used in addition to or instead of the oven D. It could be used to cook several foods at one time.
Part 4: Read the following article about an art exhibition focusing on the subject of whether paintings
are authentic or fake. For questions from 41 to 50, choose from the sections (A-F). The sections may be
chosen more than once.
In which section of the article are the following mentioned?
41. information that solved a mystery about a painting known to be authentic
42. an incorrect idea about the attitude of people responsible for exhibiting pictures
43. the fundamental issue surrounding research into a picture
44. similarities in an artist's style in more than one place
45. reasons why it is understandable that a certain mistake was made
46. investigative work that showed that a picture was an unusual example of an artist's work
47. the willingness of experts to accept that their beliefs are wrong
48. the different categories of people involved in examining pictures
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49. evidence from an expert outside the world of art
50. an accusation that upset the writer personally
SEEING THROUGH THE FAKES
A Close Examination at the National Gallery looks at 40 problematic works from the Gallery's collection — including
outright forgeries, misattributions, pastiches, copies, altered or over-restored paintings, and works whose authenticity
has wrongly been doubted. The curators have taken on a huge subject — the range of possibilities museum
professionals take into consideration when they investigate a picture's status and the variety of technical procedures
conservation scientists use to establish authorship and date. The case histories they discuss have a single common
denominator. In whatever direction and to whatever conclusion the combined disciplines of connoisseurship, science
and art history may lead, the study of any work of art begins with a question: is the work by the artist to whom it is
attributed?

B A good example is an Italian painting on panel that the National Gallery acquired in 1923, as the work of an artist in
the circle of the Italian fifteenth-century painter Melozzo da Forli. Today, we find it incredible that anyone was ever
fooled by a picture that looks like it was painted by a Surrealist follower of Salvador Dali. But this is to forget how little
was known about Melozzo 90 years ago, and how little could be done in the conservation lab to determine the date of
pigments or wood panel. Even so, from the moment the picture was acquired, sceptics called its status into question.
Nothing could be proved until 1960 when a costume historian pointed out the many anachronisms in the clothing.
When technological advances enabled the gallery to test the pigments, they were found to be from the nineteenth
century.

C Scientific evidence can be invaluable but it has to be used with caution and in tandem with historical research. For
example, Corot's ravishing sketch The Roman Campagna with the Claudian Aqueduct has always been dated to about
1826, soon after the artist's arrival in Rome. However, the green pigment called viridian that Corot used throughout
the picture only became available to artists in the 1830s. The landscape wasn't a fake and for stylistic reasons couldn't
have been painted later than the mid-1820s. All became clear when an historians did further research and discovered
that the firm that sold artists' supplies to Corot in Paris started making the newly developed colour available to
selected customers in the 1820s, long before it came into widespread use.

D The flip-side of a fake, but capable of doing equal violence to an artist's reputation, occurs when an authentic work
is mistakenly labelled a forgery. Back in 1996, I well remember how distressing it was to read an article in which the
former director of the Metropolitan Museum of An, Thomas Hoving, declared that Uccello's lovely little canvas of St
George and the Dragon was forged. The gallery therefore X-rayed the picture and tested paint samples, before
concluding that it was a rare survival of a work by Uccello dating from the early 1470s. Hoving was irresponsible not
because he questioned the attribution of a much-loved work, but because he went public without first asking the
gallery to carry out a thorough scientific analysis.

E Anyone can label a picture a fake or a copy, but their opinions are worthless unless they can support them with
tangible proof. One picture that's been smeared in this way is Raphael's Madonna of the Pinks. In this exhibition, we
are shown infrared photographs that reveal the presence both of major corrections which a copyist would not need to
make, and also of under drawing in a hand comparable to Raphael's when he sketched on paper. The pigments and
painting technique exactly match those that the artist used in other works of about the same date.

F For all its pleasures, the show also has an unspoken agenda. It is a riposte to the mistaken belief that museums
have anything to gain by hiding the true status of the art they own. As the downgrading in this show of Courbet's Self-
Portrait to the status of a posthumous copy of a picture in the Louvre shows, the opposite is the case: museums and

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galleries constantly question, revise, reattribute and re-date the works in their care. If they make a mistake, they
acknowledge it.

Part 5: Read the following passage and answer the questions from 51 to 60.
Mutual harm
A In forests and fields all over the world, plants are engaged in a deadly chemical war to suppress other plants and
create conditions for their own success. But what if we could learn the secrets of these plants and use them for our
own purposes? Would it be possible to use their strategies and weapons to help us improve agriculture by preventing
weeds from germinating and encouraging growth in crops? This possibility is leading agricultural researchers to
explore the effects plants have on other plants with the aim of applying their findings to farming.

B The phenomenon by which an organism produces one or more chemicals that influence the growth, survival and
reproduction of other organisms is called allelopathy. These chemicals are a subset of chemicals produced by
organisms called secondary metabolites. A plant's primary metabolites are associated with growth and development.
Allelochemicals, however, are part of a plant's defence system and have a secondary function in the life of the
organism. The term allelopathy comes from the Greek: allelo and pathy meaning 'mutual harm'. The term was first
used by the Austrian scientist Hans Molisch in 1937, but people have been noting the negative effects that one plant
can have on another for a long time. In 300 BC, the Greek philosopher Theophrastus noticed that pigweed had a
negative effect on alfalfa plants. In China, around the first century AD, the author of Shennong Ben Cao Jing described
267 plants that have the ability to kill pests.

C Allelopathy can be observed in many aspects of plant ecology. It can affect where certain species of plants grow,
the fertility of competitor plants, the natural change of plant communities over time, which plant species are able to
dominate a particular area, and the diversity of plants in an area. Plants can release allelopathic chemicals in several
ways: their roots can release chemicals directly into the soil, and their bark and leaves can release chemicals into the
soil as they rot. Initially, scientists were interested in the negative effects of allelopathic chemicals. Observations of the
phenomenon included poor growth of some forest trees, damage to crops, changes in vegetation patterns and,
interestingly, the occurrence of weed-free areas. It was also realised that some species could have beneficial effects
on agricultural crop plants and the possible application of allelopathy became the subject of research.

D Today research is focused on the effects of weeds on crops, the effects of crops on weeds, and how certain crops
affect other crops. Agricultural scientists are exploring the use of allelochemicals to regulate growth and to act as
natural herbicides, thereby promoting sustainable agriculture by using these natural chemicals as an alternative to
man-made chemicals. For example, a small fast-growing tree found in Central America, sometimes called the 'miracle
tree', contains a poison that slows the growth of other trees but does not affect its own seeds. Chemicals produced by
this tree have been shown to improve the production of rice. Similarly, box elder - another tree - stimulates the growth
of bluestem grass, which is a tall prairie grass found in the mid-western United States. Many weeds may use
allelopathy to become ecologically successful; a study in China found that 25 out of 33 highly poisonous weeds had
significant allelopathic properties.

E There may be at least three applications of allelopathy to agriculture. Firstly, the allelopathic properties of wild or
cultivated plants may be bred into crop plants through genetic modification or traditional breeding methods to improve
the release of desired allelochemicals and thus improve crop yield. Secondly, a plant with strong allelopathic properties
could be used to control weeds by planting it in rotation with an agricultural crop and then leaving it to rot and
become part of the soil in order to inhibit the growth of weeds. Finally, naturally occurring allelopathic chemicals could
be used in combination with man-made chemicals. Boosting the efficiency of man-made herbicides could lead to a
reduction in the amount of herbicides used in agriculture, which is better for the environment.
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F Despite the promising uses of allelopathic chemicals, agricultural scientists are still cautious. Firstly, allelopathic
chemicals may break down and disappear in the soil more easily than artificial chemicals. Secondly, allelopathic
chemicals may be harmful to plants other than weeds. Thirdly, allelopathic chemicals could persist in the soil for a long
time and may affect crops grown in the same field as the allelopathic plants at a later date. Because the effects of
allelopathic chemicals are not yet fully known, agricultural scientists will need to continue to study the biological war
between plants.

Questions 51-55: Choose the correct heading for paragraphs B-F from the list of headings below.
List of Headings
i What are metabolites?
ii The negative effects of allelopathy
iii Biological warfare in the plant world
iv Why we cannot use alleiopathic chemicals at present
v What is allelopathy?
vi The reasons why plants compete with other plants
vii The effects of allelopathy and realisation of its possible uses
viii How could we use alleiopathic chemicals in farming?
ix Specific examples of alleiopathic plants
Example Paragraph A iii
51. Paragraph B 52. Paragraph C 53. Paragraph D
54. Paragraph E 55. Paragraph F
Questions 56-60: Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage
for each answer.
Scientists can see three potential uses of allelopathic chemicals in farming. Firstly, the ability to produce allelopathic
chemicals could be (56) ________ into agricultural crops; secondly, allelopathic plants could be planted in rotation
with the (57) ________; finally, naturally produced chemicals could be combined with (58) ________ herbicides.
However, agriculturalists are still (59) ________ as allelopathic plants may have negative effects on plants which are
not the intended target and the chemicals could remain in the ground for a(n) (60) ________, even after the plants
themselves have died.
SECTION D – WRITING
Part 1: Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning as the first one. Use the words
given and the words mustn’t be altered in any way.
1. After the game, the children headed straight toward John, who was severing cold drinks. (BEELINE)
 ____________________________________________________________________________
2. He was finally able to adjust himself to the new working condition. (SWING)
 ____________________________________________________________________________
3. Our head teacher is well known for his reliability and dedication. (REPUTED)
 ____________________________________________________________________________
4. The designer is almost certain to get the contract. (EVERY)
 ____________________________________________________________________________
5. Mrs. Thomas seems to find the way her daughter behaves more a source of amusement than embarrassment. (FAR)
 ____________________________________________________________________________
Part 2: You are going on a short training course at a college in Sydney, Australia. You need somewhere
to live while you are there. Write a letter to the accommodation officer at the college.
In your letter, you should:
- Explain your situation
- Describe the accommodation you require
- Say when you will need it.
Part 3: Write an essay (about 350 words) to state your viewpoint on the following question:

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International tourism has brought enormous benefit to many places. At the same time, there is concern about its
impact on local inhabitants and the environment. Do the disadvantages of international tourism outweigh the
advantages?

_____ THE END _____

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