READING PAPER (50 minutes, Points 25)
PART 1 (5 points, 1 point per item). You are going to read a text about the
formation of England’s first colony in North America and the challenges faced by
the colonists. For questions 1- 5, choose the best answer (A, B, C or D).
England’s first significant attempt to carve out a colony of its own in North America
nearly collapsed, as disease and starvation threatened the new settlement. However,
through the determination of its colonists and the development of a marketable crop,
England’s first permanent settlement in North America took shape.
The rulers of England-unlike the Spanish-decided not to fund the risky venture of
colonizing the Americas. Instead, King James I in1606 granted a charter, or official permit,
to two joint-stock companies, the Virginia companies of London and Plymouth. Numerous
investors had pooled their wealth in order to finance the trip to North America. The Virginia
Company of Plymouth soon disbanded, leaving only the Virginia Company of London, later
simply called the Virginia Company.
The Virginia Company had lured financial supporters with the chance of reaping
wealth in the form of gold or silver for a relatively small investment. England was to get
something from the expedition, too. The King’s charter guaranteed that the English
monarch would receive one-fifth of all gold and silver found by the colonists.
In April of 1607, nearly four months after the Virginia Company’s three ships- and
nearly 150 passengers and crew members-had pushed out of an English harbor, the North
American shore rose on the horizon. Reaching the coast of Virginia, the vessels slipped
into a broad coastal river and sailed inland until they reached a small peninsula. There the
colonists climbed off their ships and claimed the land as theirs. They named the settlement
Jamestown and the river the James in honor of their king.
John Smith sensed trouble from the beginning. Nearly all the settlers seemed to be
consumed by one thought-the discovery of gold. Because the investors in the colony
demanded a quick return on their investment, the colonists directed much of their energy
towards searching the land for riches. As Smith later put it, ‘There was no talk, no hope, no
work, but dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold.’ Smith warned of disaster, but few
listened to the arrogant captain, who had made few friends on the voyage over.
Disease from infected river water struck first. Hunger soon followed. The colonists,
many of whom were unaccustomed to a life of labor, had refused to clear fields, plant
crops or even gather shellfish from the river’s edge.
By the winter of 1607 only 38 colonists remained alive. Standing among them was
John Smith, who took control of the settlement. ‘You see that power now rests wholly with
me,’ he announced. ‘You must now obey this law, he that will not work shall not eat.’ Smith
held the colony together by forcing the colonists to farm. He also received food and
support from nearby Powhatan peoples, who had watched warily as the English
established their settlement. Smith, a seasoned soldier, knew the Powhatan easily could
wipe out the settlement. So he flattered and negotiated his way into winning an uneasy
friendship with the group’s leader, Chief Powhatan.
Just as Jamestown began to look like a real village, tragedy struck. A stray spark
ignited a gunpowder bag Smith was wearing and set him on fire. Badly burned, Smith
headed back to England, leaving Jamestown to fend for itself.
In the spring of 1609, the Virginia Company dispatched another 600 colonists,
including women and children, to Jamestown. The newcomers arrived to find the
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settlement of disorganized colonists who were being threatened by angry Powhatan.
Fearing the growing English presence, the Powhatan killed much of the colonists’ livestock
and harassed those settlers who attempted to hunt or farm. By the winter of 1609,
conditions in Jamestown deteriorated to the point of famine. In what became known as the
‘starving time’, colonists ate roots, rats, snakes and even boiled shoe leather. Of the
hundreds of settlers who began the winter, only about 60 survived to see the relief ship
that arrived in the spring.
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A.
B.
C.
D.
Which of the following statements is a theme of this text?
Courage and a sense of adventure can overcome the harshest adversities.
Soldiers make the best leaders.
Success comes to those who work hard, not to those who are lazy.
Greed is not a good motivation for action.
2
A.
B.
C.
D.
The settlers got into trouble because they
were too sick to work.
didn’t plant crops for food.
didn’t have enough supplies.
had poor leadership.
3
A.
B.
C.
D.
The tone of paragraphs 5-8 is mostly
personal.
angry.
judgmental.
objective.
4
A.
B.
C.
D.
What is the writer’s opinion of John Smith?
The writer admires Smith’s leadership ability.
The writer considers Smith to be overbearing.
All of the above
None of the above
5
A.
B.
C.
D.
The writer characterizes the Powhatan as
indifferent.
fearful.
greedy
lacking in resources.
The Letter
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2
3
4
5
Score
(max. 5 points)
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PART 2 (15 points, 1 point per item). You are going to read two stories about
dancing. For questions 6–20, complete both texts with the words from the box below. You
cannot use the same word twice. An example (0) has been done for you.
Image
enriched
frivolous
grieving
inhabitants
design
affluence
themes
settlers
rustic
prayer
prosperous
rhythm
exotic
descendant
conquest
THE FIRST STORY
A 3,400-year-old (0) image of a person dancing –
discovered in the Middle East – is proof that we, the
6…………. of Earth, have been dancing for a very
long time. From the first kick of a baby’s foot to a
wedding dance, dancing is a part of our lives. Just
the beat of our own heart can provide the
7 ............. for dancing, or we can dance to the
sounds of a full orchestra. So, what is this thing
called dance? According to Judith Jamison, an
artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance
Theatre, “It is as close to God as you are going to
get without words.”
When we dance, we express love, hate, joy, and
sorrow. We celebrate birth, death, and everything in
between . We dance not only for serious reasons,
but for 8 ............. ones, too.
We dance in 9............. times to celebrate good
fortune, but we do likewise in hard times: out of
sadness, to attain peace, and, sometimes, in an
attempt to heal.
“I remember a couple,” says Lester Hillier,
owner of a dance studio in Davenport, Iowa. “One
of their sons had been killed. The 10.............
parents had a dance lesson scheduled the day
after it happened. They insisted on coming
anyway.” They practised the steps they’d learnt. As
the hour passed, the couple asked for one last
dance. And when it ended, the wife rested her head
on her husband’s chest; he wrapped his arms
around her shoulders. “If we just sat at home, what
would we do?” he said quietly.
THE SECOND STORY
Cuco Murillo and his small family live in a (n)
11............. house in the Mexican countryside that
he and his father built on their own. Cuco is a
modern day 12 ............. of the Aztecs. The
Aztecs were the 13………. of central Mexico
before invaders from overseas arrived. Like his
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2 nd
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6..............................
............
.............
7..............................
...........
.............
8..............................
9..............................
............
............
.............
.............
10............................
............
.............
The word
0 image..................
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2nd
The word
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11…………………….
……….. ………..
12…………………….
13.............................
……….. ………..
............ ………..
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ancestors, Cuco now feels great respect for
Ometoetl, the God of the Aztecs. Cuco celebrates
Aztec beliefs, but he especially enjoys the Aztec
dance. He is thankful for this dance which has
greatly 14 …………his life.
In preparation for his dance, Cuco sings a
15............. as he beats a steady rhythm on a
traditional drum. Cuco then puts on a (n)
16..............and beautiful costume. It is the same
costume 17………as that used by the ancient
Aztec practitioner of this dance. His ankle jewelry
represents rain, a symbol of 18…………. in many
cultures. As Cuco says, “Without rain, there is no
life.”
Cuco describes four different 19 …………. of his
dance, which celebrate water, fire, air, and earth.
He says Aztec people did them to worship their
god. The Olmec and Maya people, another group
who lived in Mexico before the European
20…………, did likewise.
14.............................
............
.............
15..............................
............
.............
16..............................
17..............................
............
............
.............
.............
18..............................
............
............
19..............................
............
............
20…………………….
……….. ………..
Score (max. 15 points)
PART 3 (5 points, 1 point per item). The paragraphs of the text are given in a
jumbled order. Rearrange the paragraphs to make a complete text. Write the
letters of the paragraphs A-E in the correct order 21-25 in the table below.
A It follows Tadesse Meskela, the General Manager of the Oromia Coffee
Farmers Co-operative Union in Ethiopia, who spends most of his time traveling
the world to find coffee buyers who will pay his farmers a better price than that
set by the international commodities exchange.
B Yet according to Transfair, a fair trade group, over half of the world’s coffee is
produced by small family farmers whose problems were recently strikingly
demonstrated in the documentary film Black Gold.
C Coffee has been a focus of international commerce since Arab merchants first
brought it out of Ethiopia and began to trade it 1,000 years ago.
D He represents over 100 cooperatives made up of 74,000 Ethiopian coffee
farmers and close to one-half million members of their families and expresses his
hope that one day consumers will understand what they are drinking and bring a
change.
E Today, the global coffee market is worth more than $80 billion annually, and
coffee is second only to oil as the most traded commodity on the planet.
21
22
23
24
25
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Score (max 5 points)
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READING FINAL SCORE (MAX. 25 POINTS)
USE OF ENGLISH PAPER (Time 30 min, Points
30:2=15)
PART 1 (8 points, 1 point per item). For questions 1- 8, first read the text below.
Then fill each blank with a suitable form of the word from the word bank. You cannot use
the same word twice. There is an example at the beginning (0).
originate
chronic
respect
force
addict
relate
orphan
event
money
The 0 ....originator…. of the mystery story genre and a master of the short story,
Edgar Alan Poe was 1........... at an early age and taken in by John and Frances
Allan, a wealthy couple from Richmond, Virginia. A moody adolescent, Poe
quarreled with John Allan, left the University of Virginia without graduating and
was expelled from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
At twenty, Edgar Poe moved to Baltimore to live with his impoverished
aunt and her daughter, where he 2........... married his fourteen-year-old cousin,
Virginia. Poe was obviously devoted to his young wife; however, it is difficult to
suppose that they had a close 3 ............ since Virginia was many years younger
than he was and 4............ ill with tuberculosis. Although Poe wrote for various
newspapers and magazines during this time, making great strides in literary
criticism and developing his short-story style, he achieved no 5........... success.
His sensitive personality and a hereditary tendency to neurosis
contributed to a tragic mental decline and an early death at the age of 40. Many
critics speculate that Edgar Poe also suffered from alcoholism and opium
6.............
However, this only seems to have 7............ the brilliant imagery and
fascinating morbidity that the writer achieved in his tales. The fantastical quality
of his work earned him a devoted posthumous admiration and support in France,
but he was generally treated with 8............. by his American contemporaries.
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(0)__originator________
(1)____________________
(2)____________________
5
(3)____________________
(4)____________________
(5)____________________
(6)____________________
(7)____________________
(8)____________________
Score (max. 8 points)
PART 2 (3 points, 1 point per item). For questions 9-11, think of one word only which
can be used appropriately in all three sentences. Here is an example (0).
0 Finding and hiring the right person is a difficult and expensive task for
employers.
When is it ever the right time to start a business?
The 11-year-old fifth grader Marcelas Owens stood at President Obama’s right
hand as he signed health care reform legislation into law.
9 Before starting please read the instructions how to ………… a black-and-white
film.
You should ………… your leadership and communication skills if you desire to get
a promotion...
Children ………… at different rates, but at some time toward the end of their
second year an extraordinary change takes place in their play.
10 How much did you pay for the ………… trip to the Bahamas?
Would a hairstyle like this look good on someone with a ………… face like me?
Although the first contest is over, we're running the second ………… with the
same rules and prizes.
11 When sunglasses get greasy …………, you simply need to wipe them off with
the fiber cloth.
This exercise will show you some useful Excel techniques used in calculating final
…………for students.
First time experiences often leave reflective ………… in our minds for the rest of
our lives.
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2nd
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(0)___right______________
(9)____________________
6
(10)____________________
(11)____________________
Score (max. 3points)
PART 3 (10 points, 1 point per item). Read the text below. Each numbered line
12-21 has a missing word. Use a stroke (/) to show where a word has been left out and
write the missing word next to the number on the right. Use each word from the bank only
once. Here is an example (0).
Of
underwater
another
and
much
worldwide
stomachs
it
hard
has
oil
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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch stretches for hundreds/ (0) of_________
miles across the North Pacific Ocean, forming a floating junk
yard on the high seas. It's the poster for a problem:
12____________
plastic that begins in human hands, yet ends up in the
ocean, often inside animals' or around their necks.
About 80 percent of debris comes from land, of which
is plastic bags and bottles.
13____________
14____________
Free-floating fishing nets make up 10 percent of all
15____________
marine litter and the rest comes largely from
recreational boaters, offshore rigs and large cargo ships. 16____________
This mass of plastic in the Pacific Ocean is to measure. 17____________
Very few agree on how big is or how much plastic it
holds because it is like a galaxy of garbage, populated
by billions of smaller trash islands that may be hidden
or spread out over many miles.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch become a symbol of a
looming crisis over trash.
Thanks to growing media coverage as well as
scientists explorers, it has attracted the public spotlight
recently.
18____________
19____________
20____________
21____________
Score (max.10 points)
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PART 4 (9 points, 1 point per item). Read the text about the possible causes of giant
animal extinction. In questions 22-30, each sentence has four underlined words or
phrases. The four underlined parts of the sentence are marked A, B, C and D. Identify the
one underlined word or phrase that must be changed in order for the sentence to be
correct and circle it. Here is an example (0).
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(0) At the peak of the last Ice Age, about 20,000 years ago, herds
A
of animals lumbered through the forests and plains of
C
North America.
the
D
B
22 There were beavers the size of modern bears, hairy mammoth
A
B
with massive tusks and bison with horns measuring 6 feet
C
across.
D
23 These awesome animals were hunted by jaguars, tigers and
A
B
bears that weighed twice as more as today’s grizzlies.
C
D
24 By about 13,000 years ago, not long after the first humans
A
B
appeared on the scene, almost all of these huge beasts
C
have disappeared.
D
25 No one knows for sure which caused this mass extinction,
A
B
C
but there are several competing theories.
D
26 One possible cause might have been a change in climate
A
since increasing weather resulted in a retreat of the glaciers
B
C
D
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that had covered the land during the Ice Age.
27 According to another theory, the disappearance of the giant
A
animals was caused by an epidemic outbreak of disease
B
C
was brought by prehistoric humans.
D
28 The third theory points a finger straight at human hunters,
A
however, this does not mean that people killed all single animal
B
C
in the prehistoric world.
D
29 If hunters had killed only a few more animals than were born
A
each year, nearly all the species could have became extinct
B
C
within a thousand years or so.
D
30 Scientists hope to solve this mystery soon looking at fossils
A
and rocks for evidence, analyzing frozen tissues and bones from
B
mammoths, and use new ways of dating ancient remains.
C
D
Score (max. 9 points)
USE OF ENGLISH – SCORE (MAX. 30:2=15)
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WRITING PAPER (70 minutes, total 30 points)
You are a student at an international student summit where you have been
discussing a variety of issues. Write a 250-300-word composition expressing
your opinion on the following topic:
“We are each responsible for our own life - no other
person is or even can be.”
(OPRAH WINFREY, an American media proprietor, host of the award-winning The
Oprah Winfrey Show, actress, producer and philanthropist)
Please count the number of words in your composition and write it down at the bottom of
the page in the space provided.
NOTES AND DRAFT OF THE COMPOSITION
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FINAL COPY OF THE COMPOSITION
For
assessors’
use
12
Number of words
COMPOSITION ASSESSMENT SCALE
CRITERION
Max.
SCORE
1st -2nd 3rd-4th
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1
2
3
4
CONTENT
ORGANIZATION
RANGE AND APPROPRIACY
ACCURACY
COMPOSITION SCORE MAX
assessors
12
6
6
6
30
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