Unit test 1
Part I: Vocabulary and Structure
Section A: Complete each sentence using the correct word or expression from the box.
Impromptu attendance impressive acceptance ambitious resistance defy productive ingenious skip allot elapsed impose continuous adolescent obstacle permanently chronologically untimely uncertainty
1. Leave it to Carlos to think of a(n) —solution to our most difficult problem! 2. For me, the biggest —— to becoming an astronaut is my poor math skills. 3. I have no idea how much time —— since she left—I fell asleep.
4. After college, I traveled through Europe, and the most —— thing I saw was the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
5. —— , which of the following events happened first?
6. Steve is one of the most —— people I know; he wants to own his own business by the time he's 25.
7. Jack still acts like a(n) —— and thinks everything is a game.
8. A newspaper reader can select what he is interested in and —— what he thinks is boring. 9. After his plane landed, the prime minister gave a(n) —— speech about global warming. 10. I told my parents I wanted to take a year off before going to college, and my suggestion surprisingly met with little ——.
11. The world was shocked by the —— death of the young singer. 12. \—— a direct order? You're a soldier now!\
13. She was —— disfigured by the fire, but it soon came to represent her determination to succeed in life.
14. During the World Cup, —— in class was down because everyone stayed at home to watch television.
15. I had five exams last week—it was like one long, —— nightmare. 16. Normally, we —— one vote to each member, but this is a special case.
17. I can remember feeling very insecure when I was young; I was desperate for my classmates' ——.
18. Her final year of school was marked by considerable —— as she tried to figure out what to do next.
19. I've tried working in the morning, but I find that I'm most —— late at night.
20. Ernie is a really decent guy; he would never try to —— his beliefs on someone else. Section B: Complete each sentence with a suitable word.
21. We don't have the budget to do everything, so I'm afraid your plan will have to go —— the back burner.
22. All I need is some peace and quiet, and I'll be able to figure —— a solution. 23. Brace yourself —— some bad news, this doesn't look good. 24. It's all down —— you! Don't let us down!
25. The new evidence creates a lot of uncertainty —— who really reached America first. 26. I'm only a law school student—I'm hardly —— any position to help you with your legal problems.
27. In the back —— my mind, I have my doubts about whether he's right for the job. 28. He is having a shot —— cooking his own dinner.
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29. Jessica had her life mapped —— since she was a little girl: college, marriage, children, career.
30. Quick, cram the bag —— the bed!
Part II: Banked Cloze Questions 31 to 40 are based on the following passage.
Mortgage promotion brace lengthy dwellers sidelines budding rear finite biography transition feast coastal patent canyon
For ten years, I lived in the city and loved it. Everything was stable, and I didn't have many worries.Then,within one month, I got a (31) ——at work and my girlfriend and I decided to get married. Suddenly, my life was in (32) —— with big changes ahead!
The new position at work was wonderful. I was no longer relegated to the (33) ——. My boss was starting to notice all of my hard work! After a (34) ——speech about my new responsibilities, my boss took me to my new private office. Fantastic! I didn't have to sit in the (35) ——of the office anymore, behind the copy machine. I loved my job already.
My girlfriend also suggested that we move out of the city and buy a house in the suburbs. We had been city (36) ——for so long that it was a difficult decision for us to make. On top of that, I was worried about taking out a (37) ——for the house. My new job paid better, but our resources were still (38)——. Finding a down payment would be tough.
In the end, we decided to go for it. There's no time like the present, right? With the new job, I could honestly say that I had a (39) —— career, so it felt right to take the plunge and buy a house. After all these changes, we'd be ready to just relax and enjoy life. So, we took on a honeymoon to the (40) ——California.
Part III: Reading Comprehension Questions 41 to 45 are based on the following passage.
It would be a fairly accurate statement to say that, when I was in elementary school and high school, I was a painfully shy child. I usually kept to myself, had only a few friends, and rarely spoke in class. My parents were always very busy, so they never pushed me to become more involved in activities and meet more people. I was perfectly happy by myself. I spent much of my time with my nose buried in a book. The only times that I ventured away from the comforts of my bedroom were when I explored the seemingly endless aisles of stocked bookshelves at my favourite bookstore.
In retrospect, it was no surprise that I read with such an incredible appetite. Reading was my escape. My favourite books were adventure and travel stories—stories that brought the readers to exotic, unexplored, or dangerous places. These were places I longed to go, and they were adventures I yearned to experience, but I knew it was all just a fantasy. I had a hard time working up the nerve to talk to a fellow classmate, I knew there was no way I could travel around the world and live out one of these adventures. Therefore, I read. I read every book I could find that promised adventure, excitement, or escape. By the time I graduated from high school, I had probably read more books than our school had in its library. It was quite an achievement, but no one knew about it except for me. I told no one because I had no one to tell. My only friend was Justin, and that relationship only existed because we had been next-door neighbours for fifteen years.
Like most of my classmates, I applied to college and eventually worked up the courage to go. It wasn't easy. I had lived at home with my parents my whole life, and I rarely ever thought about leaving. However, it had finally become inevitable; I couldn't stay with them forever. I attended a local college and moved out to live in a dormitory with a roommate. It would be an
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understatement to say that I was nervous. I was terrified.
My roommate's name was Greg, and the first few weeks of school were very awkward. He kept trying to start conversations and be friendly. I was able to answer his questions, of course, but I found it difficult to keep the conversation going. I just wasn't used to it—I had no practice at this sort of thing. Then one day I returned from an afternoon class and found him reading a Jack London book. Suddenly, I found that I had a hundred questions to ask Greg. Did he like Jack London? Which was his favourite book? Did he read a lot? What other authors did he like? The list was endless.
To my surprise, Greg was also in love with adventure and travel books. One of his dreams was to travel around the world and follow in the footsteps of some of history's greatest explorers. There must have been magic at work that day. It was as if my shyness suddenly disappeared. Greg and I talked for hours about our favourite books and dreams of travel. I also found it easier to talk to other people at school and make friends since that day. I felt like the world opened up to me. So many things suddenly seemed possible. In fact, Greg and I are planning a great adventure for this summer! It may have taken me a while, but I finally found a way to break out of my shell and start enjoying life.
41. Which of the following is a rite of passage that helped the writer to become less shy? A. Attending high school. B. Reading many books. C. Attending college. D. Planning a great adventure.
42. In which paragraph does the author compare his desire to read to hunger? A. Paragraph 1. B. Paragraph 2. C. Paragraph 4. D. Paragraph 5. 43. Which of the following would make the best title for this passage? A. A Painfully Shy Child B. My College Life
C. Travels with Greg D. Breaking Out of My Shell
44. \I was nervous. I was terrified.\writer mean by this statement?
A. He wasn't nervous at all. B. He was mildly nervous.
C. He was as nervous as usual. D. He was extraordinarily nervous. 45. Which of the following statements can you infer from the passage? A. Jack London wrote exciting stories. B. Jack London wrote dull stories.
C. Jack London wasn't a famous writer. D. Jack London was the writer's favourite writer.
Unit test 2
Part I: Vocabulary and Structure Section A: Choose the best way to complete the sentences. 1. When was the last time you were in _______ with your childhood friends? A. context B. contact C. control D. content
2. Like a boat at sea, his mind started to _______ when he wasn't interested. A. float B. soar C. sink D. drift
3. Mrs Jones didn't trust Jack, so she was very _______ to let him cut her grass. A. reluctant B. reluctantly C. enthusiastic D. enthusiastically
4. My house seems to be in a _______ state of disrepair—something is always broken! A. perpetually B. perpetual C. perpetuity D. perpetuate
5. The problem needs to be looked at from a historical _______ . A. prospective B. directive C. perspective D. executive
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6. Dr. Carter has written _______ about the brain and its influence on our emotions. A. extensively B. intensively C. extensive D. intensive
7. The accident of last week _______ a review of school safety policy. A. prompted B. prompt C. prompting D. prompts
8. I am easily _______ by ice cream, so it's probably the best if I don't look at the dessert menu. A. tempt B. tempts C. tempting D. tempted
9. Wouldn't it be _______ if we didn't need to worry about money? A. predictable B. marvellous C. astonishing D. depressing
10. Researchers claim that there is a _______ link between caffeine and headaches. A. definite B. definitely C. definition D. defined
11. It's incredible to see how newborn babies are completely _______ on other people for everything.
A. depending B. dependence C. dependent D. dependents 12. The criminal devised an _______ plan to escape from prison. A. intrinsic B. intricate C. intrepid D. intrusive
13. The court brought a _______ against the escaped prisoner. A. persecution B. persecute C. prosecution D. prosecute
14. Thank you for the offer to stay for dinner, but we don't want to _______. A. pose B. compose C. propose D. impose
15. Pedro's friends organized a friendly _______ to help him deal with his alcohol abuse. A. contravention B. invention C. intervention D. prevention
16. It's impossible to not be impressed by the Taj Mahal and _______ at its beauty. A. respect B. flaunt C. marvel D. admire
17. We should hire an _______ reviewer who isn't biased one way or the other. A. internal B. outdoor C. indoor D. external
18. I'm so excited for the new movie that waiting all year for it has been like _______. A. tortures B. torturing C. tortuous D. torture
19. Dylan likes to write _______ during his free time on the weekend. A. poetry B. poet C. poetic D. poem
20. The waterfall provided a _______ source of soothing background noise. A. continual B. continue C. continuing D. continuity Section B: Complete each sentence with a suitable word. 21. Last weekend, I fell ---- and broke my toe.
22. Phil will come --- his own once his boss recognizes how valuable he is. 23. Kevin has been riding a motorcycle --- a very young age.
24. Among the group members, there was a strong desire --- an afternoon of shopping. 25. I usually drift --- to sleep while watching television. 26. The teacher told me --- for talking in class again today. 27. Do you believe --- free will?
28. Julie received an award in appreciation --- her service to the community. 29. Don't try to reason --- a child—you won't get very far. 30. Once again, Greg was left --- of the decision.
Part II: Banked Cloze Questions 31 to 40 are based on the following passage.
Blaze blink twilight tumble whirled barren giggled villain helpless resemblance largely
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competence harsh ethnic bizarre
When I was a child, my best friend Joseph and I would play a game called \Sometimes I would play the spy and Joseph would play the (31)---, and sometimes we would reverse the roles. Make-believe games like this were my favourite, and I remember that many summer days were (32)--- spent outside, playing Super Secret Spy.
Every time we played, the story had to be different. We played so much that, needless to say, some of the stories got quite (33)----. Eventually, Super Secret Spy was like a science fiction movie; the stories took place on other planets and one of us was an alien. Sometimes, we would wear old Halloween masks so the (34)--- to an alien was remarkable!
I remember one day in particular. Joseph was the alien and he captured me on a (35)---, empty planet (my backyard). He threw me in \prison\(behind a big tree) and (36)--- with mischievous delight. At first, I felt all alone and (37)---. Then I pulled myself together and remembered that I was the Super Secret Spy!
I thought of my escape plan. When Alien Joseph came to check on me in the alien prison, I (38)--- around quickly and grabbed his alien laser gun. In a (39)---of laser fire, I ran past my captor and escaped the alien prison! I was free! Super Secret Spy had won again!
Just then, Joseph and I both realized that it was late afternoon, the sun was setting, and (40)--- was upon us. We were both hungry, so we were incredibly happy when my mother called us inside for dinner. Even Super Secret Spies and aliens need to eat!
Part III: Reading Comprehension Questions 41 to 45 are based on the following passage.
When we're young, we can't wait to grow up and get on with life. When we're adults, we long for the carefree days of our youth when we could play all day without worry. This is one of the greatest ironies of life. Indeed, \that humans always want what they can't have. It's our nature.
That's why it's good practice to instill in our children a healthy respect for childhood. Too many adults seem to be in a hurry for children to grow up. We always ask them, \be when you grow up?\continually encourage them, \dreams come true.\older, and demand everything that we tell them is coming to them.
Children should be free to play the day away. We should encourage them to use their imagination, create entire worlds in a cardboard box, and explore their backyard as if they were exploring an undiscovered country. You cannot put a price on an active and fertile imagination, nor can you overestimate the value of an inquisitive mind, a respect for the environment, and an urge to question why everything is as it is. These traits are all developed and nurtured when we're children and, without them, we would not be able to function as adults in the modern world.
Research has shown that children are happiest and healthiest when they have the freedom to act like children. This may seem obvious, but it's often forgotten as parents push their children to study harder, practice longer, and essentially act like adults. It's important to remember that children are constantly learning. Therefore, they are also learning as they're playing. Exploring nature fosters a respect for the environment that may lead children to become biologists or naturalists. Creating with paint and crayons instills a love of art that might help develop young artists or musicians. Playing make-believe stimulates the imagination in a way that writers, filmmakers, and actors find most useful. Building with blocks helps the mind understand how
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