Proficiency test- mock testREADING COMPREHENSION
Part 1
Reading comprehension exercise with 4 multiple choice questions and a true/false question.
TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS
Much of the blood on the street flows essentially from uncivil behavior of drivers who refuse to
respect the legal and moral rights of others. So the massacre on the road may be regarded as
a social problem. Safety standards for vehicle have been raised both at the point of
manufacture and through periodic road-worthiness inspections. In addition, speed limits have
been lowered. Due to these measures, the accident rate has decreased. But the accident
experts still worry because there has been little or no improvement in the way drivers behave.
1. According to the passage, traffic accidents may be regarded as a social problem since:
A) the motor vehicle is a very dangerous invention
B) the accidents have more to do with hazardous conditions than hazardous drivers
C) most of the accidents are caused by drivers who don't pay attention to the traffic rules
D) the irresponsibility that accounts for much of the problem is not confined to drivers
E) traffic accidents can cause serious economic damage
2. According to the passage, the number of accidents has fallen because:
A) significant advances have been made towards safer driving
B) many people now know that driving is a skilled task requiring constant care and
concentration
C) drivers are warned to take extra care on the roads
D) drivers have finally learned how to behave
E) there has been improvement in the way drivers behave
3. It is pointed out in the passage that those who violate traffic regulations:
A) are the most inexperienced drivers that we have on the roads
B) always blame the road conditions
C) don't have prior traffic violations or crashes on their records
D) are the biggest threat to those with whom they share the road
E) don't know most of the traffic rules and regulations
4. Answer True or False
Speed limits have been lowered. _______
Part 2
5 questions to determine if the information is correct, incorrect or the text does not give enough
information.
Answer right, wrong or doesn’t say according to the information in the text.
Letter of application
I would like to apply for the post of Personnel Officer with Anglia Bank, as advertised in the
Daily News on 10 October.
I have a BA in French from the University of London. I am following a part-time course in
Personnel Management at the Oxford College of Management, and I hope to pass the
Diploma in Personnel Management at the end of December.
When I left university, I worked for a year in a computer company near Cambridge. Then I
moved back to London to work as a French teacher in a large school, where I stayed for
two years. During this time, I did some part-time work as a language trainer with factory
managers, which I very much enjoyed.
Three years ago, I joined Carter’s Bank, where for the past year I have worked as Assistant
Personnel Officer, dealing mainly with complaints from members of staff. Having worked in
a similar organization to yours, I feel I am fully prepared for the challenges of this job.
Yours faithfully
Angela Varley
1. In her present job, she has responsibility for internal personnel problems.
____ Right
____ Wrong
____ Doesn’t say
2. Ms Varley thinks she would be suitable for the job because of her previous experience.
____ Right
____ Wrong
____ Doesn’t say
3. While Ms Varley was a school teacher, she also taught company executives.
____ Right
____ Wrong
____ Doesn’t say
4. Ms Varley is applying for the job with the Daily News.
____ Right
____ Wrong
____ Doesn’t say
Part 3
An incomplete paragraph with 5 missing words to be filled in with the options form the list
Read the following text and choose the best option
Mother Tongue
First language, also known as mother tongue, is generally the language a __________ learns
first. However, one can have two or more native languages thus being a native bilingual or
indeed multilingual. The order in which these __________ are learned is not necessarily the
order of proficiency. Incomplete first language skills often make learning other
languages_________. Often a child learns the basics of his or her first language or languages
from his or her family. The term mother tongue, however, should not be interpreted to mean
that it is the language of one's mother. For instance, in some paternal societies, the wife
moves in with the husband and thus may have a different first language or dialect than the
local language of the husband. Yet their children usually only speak their local language.
a. Old man
a. Books
a. Difficult
b. animal
b. languages
b. shorts
c. person
c. desks
c. blue
d. monkey
d. telephones
d. earphones
Language use
Part 1
Relating 5 pictures to a descriptive sentence from the options
Connect the picture to the appropriate
description.
1.
a. It is forbidden to read the sign
b. Speed limit is 80 mph
c. Right turn is forbidden
d. Restaurant 20 miles
2.
a. Women are better than men
b. Men are better than women
c. Dogs are better than human beings
d. Men and women are equal
Writing
Part 1
10 sentences to complete with the appropriate word from the options
Select the appropriate option to complete the sentence:
1. This umbrella isn’t yours. It’s ________.
a. She
b. her
c. hers
d. herself
c. living
d. is live
2. Jason ________ in Manhattan
a. Living
b. lives
3. _____ birthday is in September.
a. His
b. himself
c. his’
d. he
4. Monica and Andrea are __________ apples from the tree.
a. Picked
b. pick
c. picking
d. picks
5. ________ pies over there look delicious.
a. These
b. that
c. these
d. those
Part 2
Write a text 45-60 words long about the topic following the instruction
Write an e-mail to a friend telling him/her about your new house in the countryside.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Part 6
A listening exercise with ten words to put in the appropriate blank.
LISTENING
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
Monkeys are very similar to us in many ways. Most have ten fingers and ten toes, and brains
much like ours. We enjoy watching them ___________ they often act like us. In fact, Charles
Darwin's theory of evolution says that monkeys and humans share a common ancestor.
Songwriter William Gilbert, in the musical "Princess Ida", wrote:
"Darwinian man, though well-behaved, at best is only a monkey shaved."
His words -- sung to Sir Arthur Sullivan's music -- make listeners smile. Well, monkeys
______ us smile, too, because they are creatures full of playful tricks.
This is why many monkey expressions are about tricky people or playful acts. One of
_________ expressions is monkeyshines, meaning tricks or foolish acts.
The meaning is clear if you have ever __________ a group of monkeys playfully chasing
each other: pulling tails, stealing food, doing tricks. So, when a teacher says to a group of
students: "Stop those monkeyshines right now!" you know that the boys and girls are playing,
instead of studying.
You might hear that same teacher warn a student not to monkey around with a valuable piece
of equipment. You monkey around with ___________ when you do not know what you are
doing. You are touching or playing with something you should leave alone.
Also, you can monkey around when you feel like doing something, but have no firm idea of
what to do. For example, you tell your _________ you are going to spend the day monkeying
around with your car. You do not have any job or goal in mind. It is just a way to pass the
time.
Monkey business usually means secret, maybe illegal, activities. A news report may say there
is monkey business involved in _________ the new airport, with some officials getting secret
payments from builders.
You may make a monkey out of someone when you make that person look foolish. Some
people make a monkey out of themselves by acting foolish or silly.
If one monkey has fun, imagine how much fun a barrel of monkeys can have. If your friend
says he ______ more fun than a barrel of monkeys at your party, you know that he had a
really good time.
Monkey suits are common names for clothes or uniforms soldiers wear.
In earlier years in many American_________, you would find men __________ musical hand
organs on the street. Dancing to the music would be the man's small monkey dressed in a
tight-fitting, colorful jacket similar to a military uniform. So, people began to call a military
uniform a monkey suit.
This VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, was written by Marilyn
Rice Christiano. Maurice Joyce was the narrator. I'm Shirley Griffith.
Playing
because
Listening is attached
building
make
something
had
cities
friend
watched
these
Part 6
Speaking: a five-minute interview with a teacher to talk about personal information and describe a
photograph including people and different actions.