ENGLISH PRACTICE 1

LEXICO-GRAMMAR
I. Choose the best option to complete each of the following sentences
1. Only after the atomic bomb ________ and development in the air travel _______, ______ science fiction
really become popular.
A. had created/ had taken off/ was B. had been created/ had been taken off/ has
C. had been created/ had taken off/ did D. had been created/ / had taken off/ had
2. We’ve bought some ________ chairs for the garden so that they are easy to store away.
A. adapting B. adjusting C. bending D. folding
3. I don’t think she can get her message _______ to the students. She seems too nervous.
A. across B. around C. out D. over
4. _______, it is obvious that the whole thing was a waste of time and effort.
A. None of us wanted to go in the first place
B. Staff meetings are often boring and have no apparent point to them
C. Since the results were far more satisfactory than anyone had expected
D. Seeing that we couldn’t solve anything in the end
5. There are ______ words in English having more than one meaning. Pay close attention to this fact.
A. a large many B. quite many C. a great many D. quite a lot
6. This car has many features including _________.
A. stereo, safety devices, air condition, and it saves gas
B. good music, safety devices, air conditioning, and gas
C. stereo, safety devices, air conditioned, and good gas
D. stereo, safety devices, air conditioning, and low gas mileage
7. Round and round ___________.
A. the wheels of the engine went B. did the wheels of the engine go
C. went the wheels of the engine D. going the wheels of the engine
8. The replacement of shops such as the groceries and chemists’ by the café _______ the housewives with
insufficient facilities for shopping.
A. leave B. have left C. has left D. to have left
9. Your argument _______ that Britain is still a great power, but this is no longer the case.
A. outlines B. presupposes C. concerns D. presents
10. They are happily married although, of course, they argue _______.
A. most times B. from day to day C. every now and then D. on the occasion
11. He promised to mend the broken wheel soon without ___________ .
A. fail B. failure C. trouble D. mistake
12. One of the first exercises in math class is ______ measure the radius of a circle.
A. to learn and B. to learn how to C. learning to D. learn to
13. We were shocked to hear the news of your ________.
A. having fired B. being fired C. having been fired D. to have been fired
14. I don’t know French, but I’ll ________.
A. get Tom to translate it B. have it translate
C. have Tom to translate it D. make it translate
15. _______ as taste is really a composite sense made up of both taste and smell.
A. That we refer to B. What we refer to
C. To which we refer D. What do we refer to
16. _______ have settled, one of their first concerns has been to locate an adequate water supply.
A. Wherever people B. There are people who
C. Where people D. People
17. Politicians should never lose ______ of the needs of the people they represent.
A. view B. sight C. regard D. prospect
18. _______ team sports require cooperation.
A. Of all B. They are all C. Why all are D. All
19. Studies indicate _________ collecting art today than ever before.
A. there are that more people B. more people that are
C. that there are more people D. people there are more
20. Doctors advise people who are deficient __________ vitamin C to eat more fruit and vegetables.
1
 A. from B. of C. in D. for
21. Dick put ____ ball in ____ net in _____ second half but ____ goal was disallowed.
A. a - a - a - a B. the - the - the - the
C. the - the - a - a D. a - a - the - the
22. There is a real possibility that these animals could be frightened _______ a sudden loud noise.
A. being there B. should there be C. there was D. there have been
23. The computer has dramatically affected ______ photographic lenses are constructed.
A. is the way B. that the way C. which way do D. the way
24. Six novels a year, you say? He’s certainly a __________ writer.
A. fruitful B. fertile C. virile D. prolific
25. The handwriting is completely ______ . This note must have been written a long time ago.
A. inedible B. indelible C. illegible D. unfeasible
II. Give the correct form or tense of the verbs in brackets.
a. The children were frightened because the lights suddenly (1.go) had gone out and they (2.sit) were
sitting in the dark.
b. What tune (3. play) was being played when we (4. come) came in?
c. She was badly hurt when her car hit another car. If she (5. wear) had been wearing her seat belt, she (6.
not hurt) would not have been hurt so badly.
d. It is vital that no one else (7. know) know about the secret government operation.
e. It seems strange to be standing here, (8. look) looking out at Sydney Harbor.
f. Tom had a lucky escape. He (9. kill) could have been killed when a car crashed into the front of his
house.
g. To be ranked (10. Rank) as a masterpiece, a work of art must transcend the ideals of the period in which
it was created.
III. There are ten mistakes in the following passage. Find and correct them. (1.5pt)
It seems that the mystery of why the Pyramids were built may have solved. Until quite recently people
got used to think that they were just tombs for pharaohs. Instead, the connection with astronomy seems
much more important. Egyptologists have often asked them how long it spent to build them and why people
built them in first place. Experts came up with a suggestion that the Egyptians may have believed in the
River Nile was the earthly equivalent of the Milky Way. Many agree that the sizes of the three Giza
Pyramids are in promotion to the three stars of Orion. Nothing, then, was by the chance. Rather, the souls of
dead pharaohs were deliberately being project through shafts to reach at their goal of the Orion constellation.
IV. Give the correct form of the word in each of the following brackets.(1.5 pt)
It was not so long ago that we dealt with colleagues through face-to-face (1. INTERACT) ______
and with counterparts and customers by phone or letter. But the world of communication has undergone a
dramatic transformation, not for all the good. Email, while (2. DOUBT) _____ a swift means of
communication providing your server is fully (3.FUNCTION) ______ and that the address you have
contains no (4. ACCURATE) _____ has had a (5. SIGNIFY) _____ effect on certain people’s behaviour,
both at home and business. For those people, the use of email has become irresistibly (6. ADDICT) _____
to the extent that it is (7. THREAT) _____ their mental and physical health. Addicts spend their day (8.
COMPULSION) _____ checking for email and have a (9. TEND) ______ to panic if their server goes
down. It is estimated that one in six people spend four hours a day sending and receiving messages, the
equivalent to more than two working days a week. The negative effect on (10. PRODUCE) ________ is
something employers are well aware of.
PART THREE: READING (6.0 POINTS)
I. Read the following passage and choose the option that indicates the correct answer to each of the
following questions.(2.0 pts)
In the United States in the early 1800's, individual state governments had more effect on the economy
than did the federal government. States chartered manufacturing, banking, mining, and transportation firms
and participated in the construction of various internal improvements such as canals, turnpikes, and
railroads. The states encouraged internal improvements in two distinct ways; first, by actually establishing
state companies to build such improvements; second, by providing part of the capital for mixed public-
private companies setting out to make a profit.
In the early nineteenth century, state governments also engaged in a surprisingly large amount of
direct regulatory activity, including extensive licensing and inspection programs. Licensing targets reflected
both similarities and differences between the economy of the nineteenth century and that of today: in the
nineteenth century, state regulation through licensing fell especially on peddlers, innkeepers, and retail
2
merchants of various kinds. The perishable commodities of trade generally came understate inspection, and
such important frontier staples as lumber and gunpowder were also subject to state control. Finally, state
governments experimented with direct labor and business regulation designed to help the individual laborer
or consumer, including setting maximum limits on hours of work and restrictions on price-fixing by
businesses.
Although the states dominated economic activity during this period, the federal government was not
inactive. Its goals were the facilitation of western settlement and the development of native industries.
Toward these ends, the federal government pursued several courses of action. It established a national bank
to stabilize banking activities in the country and, in part, to provide a supply of relatively easy money to the
frontier, where it was greatly needed for settlement. It permitted access to public western lands on
increasingly easy terms, culminating in the Homestead Act of 1862, by which title to land could be claimed
on the basis of residence alone. Finally, it set up a system of tariffs that was basically protectionist in effect,
although maneuvering for position by various regional interests produced frequent changes in tariff rates
throughout the nineteenth century.
1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. States's rights versus federal rights.
B. The participation of state governments in railroad, canal, and turnpike construction.
C. The roles of state and federal governments in the economy of the nineteenthcentury.
D. Regulatory activity by state governments.
2. The word “effect” in bold in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to __________.
A. value B. argument C. influence D. restraint
3. All of the following are mentioned in the passage as areas that involved statevernments in the nineteenth
century EXCEPT _________.
A. mining B. banking C. manufacturing D. higher education
4. The word “distinct” in bold in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to_________.
A. separate B. innovative C. alarming D. provocative
5. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that in the nineteenth century canals and railroads were
_________.
A. built with money that came from the federal government
B. much more expensive to build than they had been previously
C. built predominantly in the western part of the country
D. sometimes built in part by state companies
6. The regulatory activities of state governments included all of the following EXCEPT_______.
A. licensing of retail merchants B.inspecting materials used in turnpike maintenance
C. imposing limits on price-fixing D. control of lumber
7. The word “setting” in bold in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _________.
A.discussing B. analyzing C.establishing D.avoiding
8. The word “ends” in bold in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ________.
A.benefits B.decisions C.services D.goals
9. According to the passage, which of the following is true of the Homestead Act of 1862?
A. It made it increasingly possible for settlers to obtain land in the West.
B. It was a law first passed by state governments in the West.
C. It increased the money supply in the West.
D. It established tariffs in a number of regions.
10. Which of the following activities was the responsibility of the federal government in the nineteenth
century?
A.Control of the manufacture of gunpowder.
B. Determining the conditions under which individuals worked.
C. Regulation of the supply of money.
D. Inspection of new homes built on western lands.
II. Read the text below and fill in each blank with ONE suitable word. (2.0 pts)
The British are widely (1) _____ to be a very polite nation, and in (2)______ respects this is true. An
Italian journalist once commented of the British that they need (3) _____ fewer than four “thank you”
merely to buy a bus ticket. The first, from the bus conductor means, “I’m here.” The second accompanies
the handing over of the money. The third, again from the conductor, (4) ____ “Here is your ticket.”, and
then the passenger utters a final one as he accepts the tickets. Such transactions in most (5) ____ parts of the

3
world are usually conducted in total silence. In sharp contrast to this excessive politeness with strangers, the
British are strangely lacking (6) _____ ritual phrases for social interaction. The exhortation “Good appetite”,
uttered in so (7) ______ other languages to fellow-diners before a meal, does not exist in English. The
nearest equivalent – Enjoy your dinner! – is said only by people who will not be partaking of the meal in
question. What’s more, the British (8) ____ happiness to their friends or acquaintances only at the start of a
new year and at (9)_____ such as birthdays, (10) _____ the Greeks routinely wish all and sundry a “good
week” or a “good month”.
Your answers:
1 consider 2 some 3 no 4 means 5 other
6 in 7 many 8 wish 9 celebrations 10 while
III. Read the passage and choose the best option for each of the following blanks. (2.0 pts)
Media and advertising
After more than fifty years of television, it might seem only obvious to conclude that it is here to (1)
______. There have been many objections to it during this time, of course, and (2) ______ a variety of
grounds. Did it cause eye-strain? Was the (3) ______ bombarding us with radioactivity? Did the
advertisements contain subliminal messages, persuading us to buy more? Did children turn to violence
through watching it, either because so (4) ______ programmes taught them how to shoot, rob, and kill, or
because they had to do something to counteract the hours they had spent glued to the tiny screen? Or did it
simply create a vast passive (5) ______ drugged by glamorous serials and inane situation (6) ______ ? On
the other hand did it increase anxiety by sensationalizing the news [or the news which was (7) ______ by
suitable pictures] and filling our living rooms with war, famine and political unrest? (8) ______ in all,
television proved to be the all-purpose scapegoat for the second half of the century, blamed for everything,
but above all, eagerly watched. For no (9) ______ how much we despised it, feared it, were bored by it, or
felt that it took us away from the old paradise of family conversation and hobbies such as collecting stamps,
we never turned it off. We kept staring at the screen, aware that our own tiny (10) ______ was in if we
looked carefully.
1. A. be B. stay C. exist D. prolong
2. A. with B. over C. by D. on
3. A. screen B. danger C. machine D. reason
4. A. that B. far C. many D. what
5. A. programme B. personality C. audience D. tense
6. A. comedies B. programmes C. perhaps D. consequently
7. A. taken B. presented C. capable D. accompanied
8. A. Taken B. All C. Somewhat D. Thus
9. A. one B. matter C. difference D. reason
10. A. fault B. reflection C. situation D. consciousness
PART FOUR: WRITING (6.0 POINTS)
I. Finish the second sentence in such a way that it means exactly the same as the sentence printed before
it. (2.0 pts)
1. If the work is finished by lunchtime, you can go home.
Get the work finished by lunchtime and you can go home.
2. You haven’t done your work, have you?
It’s about time you did your work.
3. The fourth time he asked her to marry him, she accepted.
Only on his fourth proposal did she accept to marry him.
4. He said that he had won as a result of good luck.
He attributed his win to good luck.
5. That reminds me of the time I climbed to the top of Mount Fuji.
That takes me back to the time…
6. People rumour that he is rich but stingy.
What people rumor is that he…
7. Such a ridiculous proposal isn’t worth serious consideration.
There is no point in considering such a ridiculous proposal seriously.
8. Just thinking about his face at that moment makes me laugh.
The very thought of his face at that moment makes me laugh.
9.We cannot see animals in a vast area after the forest fire.
There is an absence of animals in …
4
10.The staff hated Frank’s new policies so intensely that they went on strike.
So intense was the hatred for F’s new policies that…
II. Write a new sentence similar in meaning to the given one, using the word given in the brackets. Do
not alter the word in any way. (2.0 pts)
1. I suddenly realized the meaning of a “freebie”.(dawned)
 It suddenly dawned on me what the meaning of a “freebie” was.
2. After the scandal, he was asked to resign. (HAND)
 …, he was asked to hand in his resignation.
3. Bruce said that the situation at work was like a family argument. (likened)
 Bruce likened the situation at work to a family argument.
4. My father is not feeling well these days. (weather)
 My father is feeling under the weather these days.
5. I don’t think this record will ever be popular. (catch)
 … will ever catch on.
6. His arrival was completely unexpected. (took)
 His arrival took us by surprise.
7. The success of our local theater has made our city famous. (map)
 The success of our local theater has put our city on the map.
8. He is certainly not a reliable witness. (means)
 He is by no means a reliable witness.
9. Our company is the only company allowed to import these chemicals. (monopoly)
 Our company has got the monopoly of/on/in importing these chemicals.
10. It’s uncertain whether the band’s tour will take place. (BALANCE)
 The band’s your is in the balance.
III. Essay writing (2.0 pts)
Some high schools require all students to wear school uniforms. Other high schools permit students to
decide what to wear to school. Which of these two school policies do you think is better?
In about 250 words, write an essay to expess your opinion,usingspecific reasons and examples to support
your opinion.
(You may continue your writing on the back page if you need more space.)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….