LEVEL 2 PRACTICE TEST MAY 2015

I. READING COMPREHENSION (NUMBERS 1 – 20)

A. VOCABULARY. Choose the best option – A, B, C or D – to complete each sentence.

(10 points)
Example: 0. We left the car in the ___ .
a) garage parking b) car parking c) park garage d) car park

1. After getting ___ the bus, I realized I should have stayed on until the next stop.

a) in b) out c) of d) of

2. I like climbing and skiing, so I have to be ___.

a) well b) sporty c) fit d) form

3. Some people are very afraid ___ spiders.

a) for b) of c) from d) --

4. Does the shirt ___ you?

a) set b) fit c) match d) go with

5. The chef at that restaurant is a specialist in French ___.

a) kitchen b) plates c) cooking d) cookers

6. The bank is ___ the corner, opposite the pharmacy.

a) on b) in c) next d) by

7. My husband always ___ asleep in the armchair after lunch.

a) goes b) falls c) gets d) has

8. One of my colleagues ___ into trouble for stealing money from the company.

a) went b) got c) came d) was

9. Could you lend me a pound? I'll ___ it back tomorrow.

a) get b) take c) pay d) keep

10. After our awful 12-hour journey, we were all ___ and went straight to bed.

a) relaxed b) exhausting c) tired d) tiring

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B. TEXTS. Read the following texts and clearly indicate the option – A, B, C or D – which best
completes the sentence or answers the question according to the text.

Text i
Sport and the Olympics

People play sport and games for fun, to keep fit, because they want to win, or as part of a festival.
There are hundreds of diferent sports, some more demanding than others. Many need fitness and
others require great skill. Some games and sports, like cycling, are done by just one person. Others,
such as cricket and soccer, are played in teams, where everyone has to work together to succeed.
Sports and games can be very good for you. Playing a sport helps to keep you fit and healthy. Team
sports can be great fun, too.

Today the Olympics are the world’s main sporting event. The Games take place every four years, in
diferent cities around the world. The first Olympics were held in the town of Olympia, in Greece.
They were started by King Iphitus in 776 BC. At that time the Games were a local religious festival
to celebrate the Greek gods. For the first 70 years, there was just one running race of about 180
metres. As time went on, the festival became larger and more important. Longer races and other
sports were added.

At their most popular, during the 4th century BC, the Olympics attracted people from places as far
away as Libya and Egypt. Poets and other writers came, as well as those who wanted to buy and
sell horses.

The Olympic victors received their first awards immediately after each competition. Following the
announcement of the winners’ names by the herald, a Hellanodikis (Greek judge) placed a palm
branch in their hands, while the spectators cheered and threw flowers to them. Red ribbons were
tied on their heads and hands as a mark of victory.

The official award ceremony, however, took place on the last day of the Games, at the elevated
vestibule of the temple of Zeus. In a loud voice, the herald announced the name of each Olympic
winner, their father's name, and their homeland. Then, the Hellanodikis placed the sacred olive
tree wreath, or kotinos, on the winners’ heads.

The Olympics continued in a new form under the Romans, who replaced the traditional games
with their own sports and competitions. Slaves replaced free-born Greeks as the competitors.
Before modern times, in AD 394, the last Olympics were held. But the Games had lasted more than
a thousand years and returned again in the 19th century, when the first modern Olympics were
held.

11. According to the text, people play sport

a) to go to the Olympics.
b) because they like cricket, soccer and cycling.
c) for exercise, for competition and to enjoy themselves.
d) to meet new people.

12. The first Olympics

a) were held to celebrate King Iphitus.
b) were started for religious reasons.
c) were held every year for seventy years.
d) were popular all over the world.
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13. In the early years
a) there were just a few sporting events.
b) there was only one sporting event.
c) the sporting events were more important than the religious celebrations.
d) people came from diferent countries to take part in the games.

14. At the official award ceremony

a) the winners’ names were announced by a Hellanodikis.
b) the winners were given flowers as a mark of victory.
c) the winners’ families also received an award.
d) the winners received their award at the end of the Games.

15. The Romans

a) changed the events and used slaves as competitors.
b) travelled to Greece every year for the Games.
c) started their own Games in AD 394.
d) started the modern Olympic Games.

Text ii
On the road in a foreign language
How often have you had the experience of a tourist in your country asking you a question in
their language and just expecting you to understand them? How do you feel when this happens?
Perhaps you don’t have any idea of what they are saying and you hurry away in confusion and
embarrassment. Maybe you know the language and you feel extremely proud that you are easily
able to respond to their question. If, on the other hand, you’re anything like me, you probably feel
irritated or you might even feel a little angry.
When this happens to me, I try to be polite and friendly, of course—even if I don’t
understand a single word—but it reminds me just how important it is to try and learn the language
of the places I visit. I know that I’m very unlikely to be able to learn much if I’m only going to be
there for a few days rather than a few weeks, but I can at least try to learn the things I will almost
certainly need to say. I mean greetings like “Hello” or “Goodbye”, the words for “Please and
“Thank you”, how to ask politely for goods and services, how to ask how much they cost and how
to ask for directions.
You might be thinking that there’s not much point in knowing how to ask a question like
that if you are not going to understand the reply. Even so, at least you have shown that you are
willing to make an efort, and that often makes the diference. Perhaps the person you ask will
then show you where to go or even take you there. If you just ask them in your language, they
might not even bother to take the time to answer and they might just walk away.

16. What is the writer trying to do in this text?

a) Complain about foreign tourists
b) Admit that he isn’t good at learning languages
c) Tell you what to study when you learn a foreign language
d) Persuade travellers that learning languages has benefits

17. How does the writer feel when foreign tourists speak to him in their language?
a) Pleased
b) Confused
c) Annoyed
d) Ashamed

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18. What does the writer do if he is only going to visit a country for a short time?
a) He doesn’t bother to learn the language.
b) He learns how to say the things that are absolutely necessary.
c) He tries to be polite to people even if he doesn’t understand them.
d) He studies the language for a few weeks before he leaves home.

19. Why can knowing only a few words and phrases be a problem?
a) You can’t have a proper conversation with anyone.
b) You might get an answer that is too difficult for you to understand.
c) You might look as if you have not tried hard enough to learn the language.
d) You might seem to know more of the language than you actually do.

20. What, according to the writer, might a local person think when a tourist tries to speak the
local language?
a) “I’ll try and help them because they’ve obviously tried to learn my language.”
b) “Even if I try and answer their question, I don’t think they’ll understand.”
c) “I’m in a hurry and I can’t waste time trying to speak to these people.”
d) “They should learn my language properly if they want to try and speak it.”

II. LISTENING COMPREHENSION (NUMBERS 21-30)

Listening A

Listen to the recording and choose the correct answer — A, B, or C. You will hear the recording
twice.
Example:
Emma and Adam are having a conversation about
a) holidays.
b) work.
c) sport.

21. Adam has booked a holiday which includes

a) the hotel.
b) the flight & hotel.
c) the flight, hotel & meals.

22. Both Adam and Emma

a) enjoy museums.
b) like going to the beach.
c) usually go to Portugal in summer.

23. Emma ___ on holiday.

a) is definitely going
b) may not go
c) is not going

24. Adam
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 a) went to Scotland recently.
b) has been to Scotland only once.
c) has been to Scotland several times.

25. Emma might

a) travel to India.
b) stay at home.
c) go to Portugal.

Listening B

Listen to the recording and choose the correct answer — A, B, or C. You will hear the recording
twice.
26. According to the recording, chewing gum was invented in
a) North America.
b) South America.
c) Europe.

27. A 9,000-year-old skeleton was discovered

a) in Swindon.
b) in the 1990s.
c) 93 years ago.

28. The first “packet” of chewing gum was made by

a) the Ancient Greeks.
b) the Mayan Indians.
c) the American Indians.

29. William Wrigley

a) employed girls to sell gum in Chicago and New York.
b) paid hundreds of pretty girls to give away free gum.
c) used to advertise chewing gum on trains.

30. Soldiers in the US army were given gum in order to

a) give to poor children in Europe.
b) help them give up smoking.
c) help them calm down.

III. WRITTEN EXPRESSION (Numbers 31-50)

Please do not write in this space.

Written Expression: UofE ( /20 ÷ 2)= /10 + Compositions /20 = 30 ÷ 3 = /10

A. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION
Rewrite the following sentences using the new beginning given. The meaning of the original
sentence must not change. (31- 40)
Example: They didn’t allow us to leave early.
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 Answer: They didn’t let us leave early.

31. That box isn’t big enough for all her books.
That box is…
32. Peter writes better than Jane.
Jane doesn’t…
33. I don’t have any money, so I can’t go away for the weekend.
If I had…
34. Mark: “André, please take the dog out.”
Mark asked…
35. They will phone the gardener on Monday.
The gardener…
36. The last time she spoke to her sister was two weeks ago.
She hasn’t…
37. That is a very expensive ring!
What…
38. The house she bought was eleven years old.
She bought an…
39. There weren’t many students in class today.
There were very…
40. That woman’s husband works for CNN.
That’s the woman…

B. CLOZE. Read the text and fill in each gap with ONE word only. (41-50)
(0) = Example

Driving (0) in Seville (41) ____________ me get extremely angry. I didn’t use to (42)
____________this way before. Twenty years (43) _________we didn’t travel (44)__________ fast
(45) ___________ we do nowadays. Today’s cars are (46) _________ faster and easier to drive, so
why does it (47) ___________ so long to get from one place to (48) ___________ and why am I so
stressed? It’s because there are more cars on the road and, of (49)___________ , there are quite
a (50) _________ of traffic jams along the way.

C. COMPOSITION

Please do not write in this space.

Part I Part II TOTAL

/10 /10 /20

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Part I. You must complete the following task. Write 125 words. Count the words and indicate the
required number of words (125) clearly with an asterisk (*).

You have just received this message from your friend:

I can’t carry on living like this. Mary and I have been together for 10 years, but we can’t live
together because we don’t have money for a flat. I’m thinking about asking her to move in with
my parents and me. What do you think?
Write a letter or an e-mail back to your friend. Explain what you think and give him some advice.

Part II. Choose ONE of the following options and write 125 words. Count the words and indicate
the required number of words (125) clearly with an asterisk (*).

1.Write a story that begins with the words: I will never forget the day I met John.

2. My childhood was the happiest time of my life. Do you agree with that statement?