Sample test section 1 listening comprehension

enia, according to the passage?
It is characterized by separate and distinct personalities.
It often causes withdrawal from reality.
Its symptoms include illogical thought patterns.
Its victims tend to hear voices in their
minds.
According to the passage, how do schizophrenics generally relate to their families?
They are quite friendly with their families.
They become remote from their families.
They have an enhanced ability to understand their families.
They communicate openly with their
families.
It can be inferred from the passage that it would be least common for schizophrenia to develop at the age of
fifteen
twenty
twenty-five
thirty
The word "onset” in line 11 is closest in meaning to
start
medication
effect
age
The word "abnormal” in line 11 is closest in meaning to
unstable
unregulated
uncharted
unusual
Questions 30-39
People are often surprised to learn just how long some varieties of trees can live. If asked to estimate the age of the oldest living trees on Earth, they often come up with guesses in the neighborhood of two or perhaps three hundred years. The real answer is considerably larger than that, more than five thousand years.
The tree that wins the prize for its considerable maturity is the bristlecone pine of California. This venerable pine predates wonders of the ancient world such as the pyramids of Egypt, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and the Colossus of Rhodes. It is not nearly as tall as the giant redwood that is also found in California, and, in fact, it is actually not very tall compared with many other trees, often little more than five meters in height. This relatively short height may be one of the factors that aid the bristlecone pine in living to a ripe old age— high winds and inclement weather cannot easily reach the shorter trees and cause damage. An additional factor that contributes to the long life of the bristlecone pine is that this type of tree has a high percentage of resin, which prevents rot from developing in the tree trunk and branches.
The best title for this passage would be
The Size of the Bristlecone Pine
Three-Hundred-Year-Old Forests
The Wonders of the Ancient World
An Amazingly Enduring Tree
The word "estimate" in line 2 is closest in meaning to
measure
approximate
evaluate
view
The expression “in the neighborhood of' in lines 2- 3 could best be replaced by
of approximately
on the same block as
with the friendliness of
located close to
It can be inferred from the passage that most people
are quite accurate in their estimates of the ages of trees
have two to three hundred trees in
their neighborhoods
do not really have any idea how old the oldest trees on Earth are
can name some three-hundred- year-
old trees
According to the passage, approximately how old are the oldest trees on Earth?
Two hundred years old
Three hundred years old
Five hundred years old
Five thousand years old
The word “venerable" in line 6 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
Ancient
Incredible
Towering
Unrecognizable
The author mentions the Egyptian pyramids as an example of something that is
far away
believed to be strong
extremely tall
known to be old
Which of the following is true about the bristlecone pine?
It is as tall as the great pyramids
It is never more than five meters in height.
It is short in comparison to many other trees.
It can be two or three hundred feet tall.
The word “inclement" in line 10 could best be replaced by
sunny
bad
unusual
strong
The passage states that resin
assists the tree trunks to develop
is found only in the bristlecone pine
flows from the branches to the tree trunk
helps stop rot from starting
Questions 40-50
The organization that today is known as the Bank of America did start out in America, but under quite a different name. Italian American A.P. Giannini established this bank on October 17, 1904, in a renovated saloon in San Francisco's Italian community of North Beach under the name Line Bank of Italy, with immigrants and first-time bank customers comprising the majority of his first customers. During its development, Giannini's bank survived major crises in the form of a natural disaster and a major economic upheaval that not all other banks were able to overcome.
One major test for Giannini's bank occurred on April 18, 1906, when a massive earthquake struck San Francisco, followed by a raging fire that destroyed much of the city. Giannini obtained two wagons and teams of horses, filled the wagons with the bank's reserves, mostly in the form of gold, covered the reserves with crates of oranges, and escaped from the chaos of the city with his clients’ funds protected. In the aftermath of the disaster, Giannini's bank was the first to resume operations. Unable to install the bank in a proper office setting, Giannini opened up shop on the Washington Street Wharf on a makeshift desk created from boards and barrels.
In the period following the 1906 fire, the Bank of Italy continued to prosper and expand. By 1918 there were twenty-four branches of the Bank of Italy, and by 1928 Giannini had acquired numerous other banks, including a Bank of America located in New York City. In 1930 he consolidated all the branches of the Bank of Italy, the Bank of America in New York City, and another Bank of America that he had formed in California into the Bank of America National Trust and Savings Association.
A second major crisis for the bank occurred during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Although Giannini had already retired prior to the darkest days of the Depression, he became incensed when his successor began selling off banks during the bad economic times. Giannini resumed leadership of the bank at the age of sixty-two. Under Giannini's leadership, the bank weathered the storm of the Depression and subsequently moved into a phase of overseas development.
According to the passage, Giannini
opened the Bank of America in 1904
worked in a bank in Italy
set up the Bank of America prior to setting up the Bank of Italy
later changed the name of the Bank of
Italy
Where did Giannini open his first bank?
In New York City
In what used to be a bar
On Washington Street Wharf
On a makeshift desk
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true about the San Francisco earthquake?
It happened in 1906.
It occurred in the aftermath of a fire.
It caused problems for Giannini's bank.
It was a tremendous earthquake.
The word “raging" in line 8 could best be replaced by
angered
localized
intense
feeble
It can be inferred from the passage that Giannini used crates of oranges after the earthquake
to hide the gold
to fill up the wagons
to provide nourishment for his customers
to protect the gold from the fire
The word “chaos" in line 10 is closest in meaning to
legal system
extreme heat
overdevelopment
total confusion
The word "consolidated" in line 17 is closest in meaning to
hardened
merged
moved
sold
The passage states that after his retirement, Giannini
began selling off banks
caused economic misfortune to occur
supported the banks new management
returned to work
The expression “weathered the storm of" in line 23 could best be replaced by
found a cure for
rained on the parade of
survived the ordeal of
blew its stack at
Where in the passage does the author describe Giannini s first banking clients?
Lines 2-5
Lines 7-8
Lines 12-13
Lines 14-16
The paragraph following the passage most likely discusses
bank failures during the Great Depression
a third major crisis of the Bank of America
the international development of the
Bank of America
how Giannini spent his retirement
This is the end of Section 3.
Part 1
SECTION 4 WRITING
Time - approximately 60 minutes (including the reading of the directions for each part)
You should spend about 20 minutes on this part
You have recently moved to a different house.
Write a letter to an English-speaking friend. In your letter
Explain why you have moved
Describe the new house
Invite your friend to come and visit
Write at least 150 words.
You do NOT need to write any addresses. Dear..,
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Part 2
You should spend about 40 minutes on this part. Write about the following topic:
Today more people are travelling than ever before. Why is this the case?
What are the benefits of travelling for the traveller?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.
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SECTION 5 SPEAKING
Instructions:
Part 1: The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies or other familiar topics.
Part 2: The examiner asks the candidate to talk about one topic for three or four minutes. The candidate has one minute to think about what to say and makes some notes if necessary.
Part 3: The examiner and the candidate discuss a few more questions related to the topic in Part 2.
PART I: INTERVIEW (2-3 minutes)
May I have your full name, please?
Where were you born?
Where do you live? Do you live in a house or an apartment?
How long have you lived there?
PART 2: LONG TURN (4-5 minutes)
Ask the candidate to talk about the topic he/she has chosen.
Describe a place which you think is beautiful. You should say:
What that place is like
How you can get there from here
What kind of people usually go there And say why you think it is beautiful.
PART 3: TWO-WAY DISCUSSION (3-4 minutes)
Is your country the best place for you to live?
Would you like to live where there is desert and hot weather?
Would you like to live where there is always snow?
Where would you like to go for your next holiday?