PRACTICE TEST 22

SECTION A. LEXICO-GRAMMAR (60 points)

Part 1. Choose one of the words marked A, B, C or D which best completes each of the
following sentences. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes. (20
points)
1. At the beginning of the second half, Liverpool scored their fifth goal, ……………. Leeds
gave up completely.
A. until when B. at which point C. at that point D. at what point
2. Victor ……………. all odds and ended up winning the championship title in boxing.
A. defied B. debated C. defended D. defeated
3. We interviewed a number of candidates but ……………. of them impressed us.
A. no B. none C. neither D. not
4. Visitors are asked to ……………. to the rules of the park to prevent damage to its fragile
ecosystem.
A. adhere B. bond C. affix D. cling
5. I got very nervous about the exam, but in the event, I …………….; it was easy.
A. didn’t need to worry B. needn’t have worried C. needn’t worry D. don’t need to
worry
6. His future in the job is balanced on a …………….
A. cutting-edge B. razor-edge C. cliff-edge D. knife-edge
7. The newfound source of water is ……………. 30 meters beneath the ground.
A. several B. many C. few D. some
8. He’s a very ……………. writer whom few people have ever heard of.
A. wrinkled B. congested C. pale D. obscure
9. The mechanic expects ……………. the brakes on the car before we pick it up.
A. fixing B. being fixed C. to have fixed D. to have been fixed
10. I find the prose style of many American writers virtually …………….
A. illegible B. impenetrable C. impermeable D. incorrigible
11. It is strongly recommended that an immunization programme ……………. to prevent
epidemics.
A. conducts B. conducted C. should conduct D. be conducted
12. In basketball, Sheffield ……………. defeated London 86-85.
A. tightly B. narrowly C. finely D. thinly
13. No body phoned while I was out, …………….?
A. did they B. was I C. wasn’t I D. didn’t they
14. The 5% wage increases they propose are …………….
A. all for once B. by and large C. top to bottom D. across the board
15. This is a ……………. table I have ever seen.
A. beautiful large round wooden B. large beautiful round wooden
C. round beautiful large wooden D. wooden beautiful large round
16. After a fall in profits, the company decided to ……………. the hotel business.
A. pull out of B. back off from
C. take out of D. keep away from
17. Mr. Green supposes, ……………., that he will retire at 60.
A. like most people did B. like most people do
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C. as most of people D. as do most people
18. I could hear ……………. of the conversation from across the room.
A. shreds B. pieces C. snatches D. patches
19. The topic ……………. at yesterday’s meeting was of great importance.
A. having been discussed B. to have been discussed
C. discussed D. to be discussed
20. The latest ……………. of meningitis has eclipsed any over the past few years.
A. breakout B. outbreak C. offset D. outburst
Part 2. Give the correct form of the words in brackets. Write your answers in the
impressionable
corresponding numbered boxes. (10 points)
1. He was a bad influence on the child, who was at a(n) ……………. age.
(IMPRESS)
2.A…………….
b s e n t e e i s mis an issue of growing concern among employers in the UK owing to
changing legislation, but there is virtually no robust data on its direct or indirect costs.
(ABSENT)
dispassionate
3. We should take a more ……………. view and consider the long-term effects of Briant’s
work. (PASSION)
4. Can you make up a(n) ……………. f o u r s o m e for tennis tomorrow? (FOUR)
5. These wonderful books e……………. n c a p s u l a t e moments in history in truly unforgettable ways.
(CAPSULE)
6. “Religious believers are not morally superior. Nonbelievers are by no means
amoral
…………….”. Dr T.P.Chia.
(MORAL)
7. Earlier this year a pig adopted a tiger cub and raised him along with her five ……………. piglets
because his mother couldn't feed him.
(PIG) sandpapered
8. When my limbs began to ache and my tonsils felt as if someone had ……………. them, I
knew that I was infected with the flu.
(PAPER)
9. Here, the outside world seems to vanish behind ……………. e n f o l d i n g mountains, quarantined
away by river, still water, and wetland.
(FOLD)
10. The peace talks have endedi ……………., n c o n c l u s i v ewith neither side prepared to give way on key
points. (CONCLUDE)
Part 3. Complete each of the following sentences with a suitable preposition or particle.
Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes. (10 points)
1. Doing rigorous exercise certainly works ……………. up an appetite.
t h r o u g h
2. Mr. John has pulled ……………. and is home from the hospital.
3. Plastic takes hundreds of years to break ……………. down in landfills.
o n
4. The prisoner was released ……………. bail after serving just over half of his sentence.
5. As hard as she tried, she always fell ……………. b e h i n d the other swimmers in the races.
6. I don’t hold ……………. with the theory that punishment alters behaviour for the better.
7. I wish you wouldn’t do that. It really ticks me ……………. off
8. Recent research bears ……………. out the idea that women are safer drivers than men.
9. They spend a week in the capital city and then made ……………. for the country.
10. I don't know how Nicole survives, living all away ……………. in the sticks.

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SECTION B. READING COMPREHENSION (60 points)
Part 1. Read the following passage and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits
each gap. Write your answers in corresponding numbered boxes. (15 points)
Many artefacts of (1) …………. cultural significance from the last century were made from
plastic. It was always confidently assumed that this rather (2) …………. material was
virtually indestructible. Now that some of these artefacts have become museum (3)
…………., we have discovered that this (4) …………. was sadly mistaken.
The degradation of plastics is worrying both scientists and historians, who are racing against
time to save our plastic heritage before it (5) …………. into dust. Our love affair with
plastics (6) …………. in large part from the fact they can be (7) …………. into just about
any shape imaginable. When it comes to longevity, however, they have a serious (8)
………….: their chemical structure breaks down when they are exposed to air and sunlight.
Many now argue that we must consider the cultural (9) …………. we will be leaving future
generations. Without urgent (10) …………. many artefacts will be lost forever. But
developing effective conservation strategies is difficult because what works to preserve one
type of plastic can have a catastrophic effect on the lifespan of another.

1. A. enduring B. lingering C. unceasing D. perennial

2. A. trivial B. routine C. customary D. mundane
3. A. items B. articles C. pieces D. objects
4. A. concept B. premise C. notion D. proposition
5. A. crumbles B. shatters C. erodes D. shrivels
6. A. starts B. sparks C. stems D. sprouts
7. A. cast B. moulded C. engraved D. dissected
8. A. fault B. snag C. stigma D. flaw
9. A. bequest B. legacy C. endowment D. heirloom
10. A. intervention B. interception C. interference D. intercession
Part 2. Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only
one word in each space. Write your answers in corresponding numbered boxes. (15
points)
Old England in the center of London (1) …………. an interesting evening out and reflects a
growing trend for themed restaurants. This one's set in medieval England.
Our first impression when we went in, was of a large, dimly-lit room with huge, long
wooden tables and (2) …………. hung with tapestries depicting medieval scenes. After we
had been seated at a table, waitresses in period costume came and brought us drinks in
metal goblets. A small group of musicians appeared up in the gallery, burning touches were
lit, more diners arrived and the banquet was (3) …………. way!
The first course, which were roast pigeon, was not particularly to (4) …………. of our
tastes as it was served in an extremely rich sauce. The wild boar that followed was quite
tasty although my girlfriend complained that (5) …………. was rather tough. The third
course, baked fish with a variety of vegetables, was rather bland. Finally, dessert was a
selection of traditional tarts and pies. They certainly looked the (6) …………. but we could
have done with a lighter sweet, like a fruit jelly or mousse. The drinks flowed freely enough
and the atmosphere was cheerful, though rather noisy!
All in all, the evening was a reasonable success and we (7) …………. felt that quite an
authentic medieval atmosphere had been created. Nonetheless, I would say that the standard
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of the food didn't (8) …………. up to our expectations and they could do with a lot more
choice on the menu. The entertainment wasn't quite what had been advertised, since, for
some reason, the comedians did not appear on the evening we were there, and the dancing
only got (9) …………. in the last half hour or so. If these things could be improved, then I
would definitely recommend it as something a bit different for an evening out; (10)
…………. I would classify it as an unforgettable experience, however, is questionable.
Part 3. Read the passage and do the following tasks. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes. (15 points)
WHY COMPANIES SHOULD WELCOME DISORDER
A. Organisation is big business. Whether it is of our lives - all those inboxes and calendars -
or how companies are structured, a multi-billion dollar industry helps to meet this need.
We have more strategies for time management, project management and self-organisation
than at any other time in human history. We are told that we ought to organise our company,
our home life, our week, our day and even our sleep, all as a means to becoming more
productive. Every week, countless seminars and workshops take place around the world to
tell a paying public that they ought to structure their lives in order to achieve this.
This rhetoric has also crept into the thinking of business leaders and entrepreneurs, much to
the delight of self-proclaimed perfectionists with the need to get everything right. The
number of business schools and graduates has massively increased over the past 50 years,
essentially teaching people how to organise well.
B. Ironically, however, the number of businesses that fail has also steadily increased. Work-
related stress has increased. A large proportion of workers from all demographics claim to be
dissatisfied with the way their work is structured and the way they are managed.
This begs the question: what has gone wrong? Why is it that on paper the drive for
organisation seems a sure shot for increasing productivity, but in reality falls well short of
what is expected?
C. This has been a problem for a while now. Frederick Taylor was one of the forefathers of
scientific management. Writing in the first half of the 20th century, he designed a number of
principles to improve the efficiency of the work process, which have since become
widespread in modern companies. So the approach has been around for a while.
D. New research suggests that this obsession with efficiency is misguided. The problem is
not necessarily the management theories or strategies we use to organise our work; it’s the
basic assumptions we hold in approaching how we work. Here it’s the assumption that order
is a necessary condition for productivity. This assumption has also fostered the idea that
disorder must be detrimental to organisational productivity. The result is that businesses and
people spend time and money organising themselves for the sake of organising, rather than
actually looking at the end goal and usefulness of such an effort.
E. What’s more, recent studies show that order actually has diminishing returns. Order does
increase productivity to a certain extent, but eventually the usefulness of the process of
organisation, and the benefit it yields, reduce until the point where any further increase in
order reduces productivity. Some argue that in a business, if the cost of formally structuring
something outweighs the benefit of doing it, then that thing ought not to be formally
structured. Instead, the resources involved can be better used elsewhere.
F. In fact, research shows that, when innovating, the best approach is to create an
environment devoid of structure and hierarchy and enable everyone involved to engage as
one organic group. These environments can lead to new solutions that, under conventionally

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structured environments (filled with bottlenecks in terms of information flow, power
structures, rules, and routines) would never be reached.
G. In recent times companies have slowly started to embrace this disorganization. Many of
them embrace it in terms of perception (embracing the idea of disorder, as opposed to fearing
it) and in terms of process (putting mechanisms in place to reduce structure).
For example, Oticon, a large Danish manufacturer of hearing aids, used what it called a
‘spaghetti’ structure in order to reduce the organization’s rigid hierarchies. This involved
scrapping formal job titles and giving staff huge amounts of ownership over their own time
and projects. This approach proved to be highly successful initially, with clear improvements
in worker productivity in all facets of the business.
In similar fashion, the former chairman of General Electric embraced disorganization,
putting forward the idea of the ‘boundaryless’ organization. Again, it involves breaking
down the barriers between different parts of a company and encouraging virtual
collaboration and flexible working. Google and a number of other tech companies have
embraced (at least in part) these kinds of flexible structures, facilitated by technology and
strong company values which glue people together.
H. A word of warning to others thinking of jumping on this bandwagon: the evidence so far
suggests disorder, much like order, also seems to have diminishing utility, and can also have
detrimental effects on performance if overused. Like order, disorder should be embraced
only so far as it is useful. But we should not fear it - nor venerate one over the other. This
research also shows that we should continually question whether or not our existing
assumptions work.
Questions 1-7
The Reading Passage has eight sections, A-H. Choose the correct heading for each section
from the list of headings below.
List of Headings
i Complaints about the impact of a certain approach
ii Fundamental beliefs that are in fact incorrect
iii Early recommendations concerning business activities
iv Organisations that put a new approach into practice
v Companies that have suffered from changing their approach
vi What people are increasingly expected to do
vii How to achieve outcomes that are currently impossible
viii Neither approach guarantees continuous improvement
ix Evidence that a certain approach can have more disadvantages than advantages

0. Section A ……vi…..
1. Section B i
………….
2. Section C iii
………….
3. Section D ii
………….
4. Section E ix
………….
5. Section F vii
………….
6. Section G iv
………….
7. Section H viii
………….
Questions 8-10
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
Write:
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 TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
8. Both businesses and people aim at order without really considering its value. T
9. Innovation is most successful if the people involved have distinct roles. F
10. Google was inspired to adopt flexibility by the success of General Electric. N G
Part 4. Read the passage and choose the best option A, B, C or D to answer the
questions. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes. (15 points)
ISLAND BIOGEOGRAPHY MODEL
Since the 1960s, scientists have been studying the composition and stability of island
communities. Specifically, they have been interested in what it takes to maintain life in
these isolated areas. As a result, they developed the island biogeography model, a model
that not only provides information on island populations, but also provides insights into
conservation.
The island biogeography model theorizes that the number of different species on an island
will maintain equilibrium, or a state of balance, amid the fluid: changes of immigration and
extinction. In other words, the number of species on an island remains constant. In an
experiment in the US state of Florida, islands of mangrove trees were found to house many
different species of arthropods. Scientists documented the numbers and types of species.
They then sprayed insect poison over the islands, destroying all of the arthropods there.
They observed the islands over the next year, as species of arthropods from the area
surrounding the mangrove islands moved onto the island and repopulated it. Within a year,
the number of species of arthropods was almost identical to what it had been before
spraying the poison. However, the scientists soon discovered that the individual species
were not identical to the ones that had been there before. So, while the number of species
was the same, the diversity of species was quite different. This study proves that although
the species number remains constant, the types of species do not.
The island biogeography model can also apply in places that are not technically islands. In
fact, the islands used in this research were man-made, isolated areas that had been created
to meet an ever-increasing demand for land and natural resources. These islands form when
humans clear out vast amounts of vegetation for arable land and living space. Their actions
cut off small areas of land and forest from larger communities, such as when loggers
separate a small parcel of forest area from the larger forest. Hence, these isolated pockets
become "islands," or areas separated from their larger communities.
By reducing areas of land into islands, humans have a significant impact on wildlife. The
island biogeography model states that the larger the island, the higher the rate of extinc tion. ■
A) This is due in part to a larger number of species coming to the island to colonize it. As
new species immigrate, there begins a competition for resources on the island. ■ B) Since
there is a fixed amount of resources on any given island, some species will not survive in
the struggle. ■ C) On a smaller island, the rate of extinction would be lower, and so would
the corresponding immigration of new species. ■ D) The more isolated these small islands
are, the fewer species they are able to sustain. Certain species of birds and animals may
only be found on these islands. If they lose the competition for resources, they will be gone
forever. For example, the Bogor Botanical Garden in Indonesia was created fifty years ago,
leaving an isolated woodland area where lush forest had once been. Twenty of the sixty-two
original species of exotic birds have disappeared completely, and four species are severely
endangered.
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The model scientists developed has provided beneficial information regarding the
conservation of these areas that are threatened by man's need for resources. While the
demand for land and natural resources will continue, many feel that with planning and
a concerted effort, life in these precious island ecosystems can be preserved to some
degree. One solution suggests that a natural corridor be sustained between the isolated
communities. For example, scientists in the Netherlands are looking at the possibility of
leaving paths of trees and shrubs between these islands. They feel it will aid in maintaining
the diversity of species there. The island biogeography model has inspired biologists to begin
researching conservation methods. Such methods include the establishment of nature
reserves and programs to help plan the use of land in a way that would protect the natural
habitat as much as possible.
It is a harsh reality that much of the life on these islands cannot be sustained. Some species
will inevitably become extinct. The island biogeography model first started as a way to
explain life in the
communities of these isolated ecosystems but has developed into a catalyst that has
sparked heavier conservation efforts on behalf of these endangered habitats. The model has
served as a tool that has opened the eyes of many who hope to conserve as much tropical
forest life as possible.

1. The word “fluid” in the passage is closest in meaning to ______.

A. unpredictable B. unstable C. changing D. graceful
2. The word “they” in paragraph 2 refers to ______.
A. species B. arthropods C. mangrove trees D. scientists
3. Why does the author discuss the mangrove tree islands in
Florida?
A. To demonstrate the equilibrium hypothesis.
B. To contrast man-made and natural islands.
C. To explain the origin of the island biogeography model.
D. To confirm the research regarding immigration.
4. According to paragraph 4, why is the extinction rate higher on larger
islands?
A. Larger islands house a larger number of predators.
B. The rate of immigration is higher on larger islands.
C. Newer species take over all the resources.
D. They house a number of older species.
5. Which of the following is NOT true about the repopulation of
islands?
A. Nature tends to keep the islands in equilibrium.
B. Immigration balances species extinction.
C. The number of species usually remains constant.
D. The diversity of the species stays the same.
6. The word “sustain” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______.
A. cultivate B. encounter C. feed D. support
7. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 4?
A. Man's destruction of nature must come to a halt to preserve island life.
B. Endangered species will be saved when humans stop creating isolated islands.
C. Species will maintain equilibrium if these islands are left untouched.
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 D. Most island extinctions are caused by human's need for resources.
8. Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted
sentence?
A. Life in isolated areas can be conserved despite the high demand for natural resources.
B. With planning, substitutes for natural resources can be found and island life preserved.
C. The number of islands can be reduced, so more species will survive the danger of
extinction.
D. The danger of extinction can be lessened if humans work to conserve natural energy and
resources.
9. The word “catalyst” in the passage is closest in meaning to ______________.
A. means B. process C. awareness D. legislation
10. Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be
added to the passage.
“However, while many of the island's older inhabitants may lose out to newer species,
the number of species on the island will stay the same.”
Where would the sentence best fit?
A. First square B. Second square C. Third square D. Fourth square

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