Academic Practice Test 1 PDF [PDF]

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ACADEMIC PRACTICE TEST 1

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Academic Practice Test 1 Listening

Listening Section 1 Questions 1-10 Questions 1-5

Questions 6–10

Choose the correct letter A, B or C

Fill in the gaps below.

Example: Where does the woman want to go? A. Brompton

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

B. Bromsgrove C. Billington

1. What is the reason for her journey? A. To have a day out B. To attend a wedding C. To go to a music concert 2. How often do the trains run on Saturdays? A. Once an hour B. Twice an hour C. Once every two hours 3. What time is the next train to Brompton? A. 10:33 B. 10:23 C. 10:15 4. Which platform will the train leave from? A. Platform 2 B. Platform 3 C. Platform 4 5. How long will the train be delayed by? A. 35 minutes B. 25 minutes C. 17 minutes

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STATION CAFE MENU Tasty Food! Chicken & 6.________ Sandwich £2.55 BLT Sandwich £2.80 Lamb and Potato 7. ______ £3.20 8. _________Wrap £2.60

Hot Drinks! Tea £1.40 Coffee £1.60 9._________ £1.60

**NEW!** 10.________DEAL: £3.50

Academic Practice Test 1 Listening

Section 2 - Questions 11-20

18. What’s the first thing to do if you see a crime happening?

Questions 11-20 Choose the correct letter A, B or C

A. Wait for the police B. Make sure you’re safe C. Write down what you’ve seen

11. In which century was the painting created?

19. Why shouldn’t you try to stop a crime yourself?

A. 16th B. 17th C. 20th

A. Criminals may have a weapon B. You may harm the criminals C. You may disturb evidence

12. Where was the museum that the painting was stolen from?

20. What police number should you call for nonemergencies?

A. On Broad Street B. On High Street C. On Government Road

A. 121 B. 101 C. 112

13. How did the thief get into the museum? A. Through the front entrance B. Through the window C. Through the emergency exit 14. Who saw the suspect on Tuesday night? A. The museum security worker B. The police C. Someone passing the museum 15. Where was the suspect arrested? A. At the museum B. In Essex C. In London 16. Where do police suspect the painting will be bought? A. Germany B. The U.K. C. The U.S.A 17. What has been the recent trend regarding art crime? A. It has been increasing B. It has been the same as before C. It has been going down

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Academic Practice Test 1 Listening

Section 3 - Questions 21-30

Questions 26-30 Complete the notes below.

Questions 21-25

Write ONLY ONE WORD for each answer.

Choose the correct letter A, B or C 21. The main purpose of the meeting is to

Dissertation* tips

A. introduce Lynn as the new essay supervisor. B. talk about the long essay project. C. discuss how to write good assignments.

* A long essay produced in the final year of university

22. When Sue started writing university essays her

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A. own opinions were expressed very directly. B. feedback was very positive. C. position was not always very distinct.

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23. James’ main issue at first was a tendency to A. write too much. B. be too emotional. C. be too partial. 24. Sue once had to be reminded to A. divide the sections of her essay more clearly. B. use capital letters for place names. C. include images in her essay like pictures and maps. 25. James once made the mistake of A. not making notes for his essay. B. starting his essay too late. C. being late for his lesson.

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•

• •

Write things down, even 26. ________ ideas. It’s not necessary to 27. _________ everything first. 28. _________ is important improving the essay quality.

for

Starting to 29. ________ earlier means more time for extra research later. Make sure you know the locations of 30. __________.

Academic Practice Test 1 Listening

Section 4 - Questions 31-40

Questions 36-40 Choose the correct letter A, B or C

Questions 31-35 Complete the table below.

36. Scientists are particularly focused on planets

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

A. where water exists. B. with a suitable temperature. C. which have signs of life. 37. 20% of stars similar to the sun have a planet

Exoplanets Basic information:

• • •

A. like the Earth. B. with water. C. with a cool surface environment. 38. The planet Kepler-452 b is ____________ than the Earth

Exoplanets: planets that revolve around distant stars.

A. larger, warmer and heavier B. larger, cooler and lighter C. smaller, warmer and lighter

Almost 4000 found so far in approximately 3000 31. _______________.

39. The study of distant planets is exciting because

So far, mostly discovered in the 32._______________.

A. it encourages the development of advanced new equipment. B. there is a large scope for new research. C. a space trip to those planets is being planned.

Finding and recording new planets:

• • • •

Large distances in space: the closest star is around 4 33.___________ away from us. Special technology sends 34._____________to the Earth.

40. The speaker believes that the search for new planets is important because it A. assists the development of new technology. B. excites children’s interest in science. C. may help us to find new forms of life.

New planets added to an archive. Debate about how to categorise planets. with a large 35._____________.

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Academic Practice Test 1 Reading

Reading Passage 1 Questions 1-13 Crowded - life inside NASA’s new spacecraft won’t be much fun A In 1959, when NASA’s original seven astronauts first saw their tiny single-man Mercury space capsule, they weren’t impressed. It appeared to have no windows and few controls – the elite test pilots complained that they would be little more than ‘spam in a can’. This conflict between the astronauts’ desire to fly a spaceship and the engineers’ wish to simply get a man into orbit (and back alive) are illustrated in the movie ‘The Right Stuff’. With our silver-suited hero John Glenn wanting to share his views with the waiting press, the engineers concede portholes and proper instrumentation. B Almost 60 years on, an almost identical scenario is playing out in Houston – albeit in slow motion. Right now, astronauts are negotiating with engineers over the final interior design and controls for NASA’s new four-person Orion spacecraft. First flown without a crew in 2014, it’s due for launch with astronauts on board within the next five years. Superficially, Orion looks much like the Apollo spacecraft that carried a crew of three astronauts to the Moon. Conical in shape, with a heat shield protecting the lower circular surface, the new spacecraft is a good deal larger but – because it still has to fit at the top of a rocket – not that much larger. And whereas Apollo missions only lasted a few days, with a stroll on the Moon to break up the journey, missions in Orion are planned for a minimum of three weeks and there’s no getting off.

C “I don’t know if all four people will be able to comfortably stretch out all their appendages at the same time,” says project commander Bowen, who has spent his career living and working in confined environments. “But it’s been done before, I don’t think it’s prohibitive – you’ve just got to make sure you’re used to tight spaces.” As well as the crew

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and controls, the engineers also need to cram in a galley, recreation area and toilet. “There are tweaks we can make, such as the seat configuration. Once we get that aspect done we’ll have a better understanding of the living quarters and how we’re going to operate inside it,” Bowen says. D Although for long duration missions to Mars there will almost certainly be an additional habitation module, for the early Orion flights an area totaling nine cubic metres (316 cubic feet) is all the astronauts will have for working, sleeping, exercising and relaxing. Imagine spending several weeks with three work colleagues locked in a small room with a toilet in space. “Somewhere down the road we’ll get to our final design and that’ll give us our settled chance to say how we are going to live in it for weeks on end,” Bowen says. “I don’t think anyone finds it too spacious, but I haven’t heard anyone really complain about living in those confines.” E As well as helping to figure out how everything fits inside the spacecraft, astronauts are also involved in testing procedures for launch. One of the big criticisms of the Space Shuttle (except on the early two-man flights), for instance, was the lack of any escape system if the rocket blew up during launch. This became horribly apparent when Challenger broke apart shortly after take-off in 1986.Orion will be launched on NASA’s new giant SLS rocket. Like Apollo, Orion will have a small escape rocket fitted above the capsule to drag it away from a malfunctioning launcher. F Bowen’s submariner experience has been particularly useful when it comes to working out the best way to recover the astronauts and spacecraft once they return to Earth – potentially one of the riskiest stages of any mission. Whereas the Shuttle landed on a runway, Orion will splash down in the ocean after entering the atmosphere at some 11km/s (6.8mps) and descending under parachutes. Bowen has recently overseen NASA’s

Academic Practice Test 1 Reading

latest Orion recovery test off the California coast. It’ll be an interesting ride even in a low sea state,” he says. “I’ve had enough experience at sea to see some of the crew members might get violently ill – getting seasick is a real possibility.”

Questions 7-13

G Orion was conceived more than 10 years ago but – with the newly defined NASA goal of returning to the Moon – the programme is finally starting to come together. With the SLS rocket also taking shape, and with testing well advanced on both the launcher and spacecraft, it’s a reasonable bet that astronauts will take their maiden flight by 2025.

In the spaces provided, write

Now read questions 7-13, and decide whether the following statements agree with the information given.

True (T) if the statement agrees with the information. False (F) if the statement contradicts the information. Not Given (NG) If there is no information on this.

7. John Glenn was captain of the original Apollo space flights.___ 8. Missions are planned for Orion for a maximum of three weeks. ___

Questions 1-6 Read the text above. Then read questions 1-6. Decide which of the following headings best describe each paragraph. Write your answers in the space provided.

9. Changes to the layout of the seating are of primary concern.___ 10. There is a lot of moaning regarding the limited space available.___ 11. Astronauts are working closely with engineers on plans to avoid launch accidents.___

There is ONE option that you do not need.

12. The spacecraft will land back on land like an ordinary plane.___

1. Similar design specifications (Orion – Apollo). ___

13. The first flight is penciled in for the middle of the next decade.___

2. Trials of new ways to survive when major incidents occur. ___ 3. Astronauts threatening to tell all to journalists. ___ 4. A recently declared mission aim for the programme. ___ 5. Getting the astronauts home again safe and sound. ___ 6. Lack of comfort & requirements for basic facilities. ___

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Academic Practice Test 1 Reading

Reading Passage 2 A village is Bournville Bournville is a model village on the south side of Birmingham, England, best known for its connections with the Cadbury family and chocolate; including a dark chocolate bar branded Bournville. Originally the area that was to become Bournville consisted of a few scattered farms and cottages, linked by winding country lanes. The bluebell glades at Stock Wood near Bournville were said to be a relic of the Forest of Arden and there are Roman remains nearby. Though Selly Manor and Minworth Greaves date back to the 14th century or earlier, they were each moved to Bournville in the 20th century. Having taken over their father’s expanding business in 1861, George and Richard Cadbury needed to move their cocoa and chocolate factory from Bridge Street in central Birmingham to a green field site to allow for expansion. Cadburys were reliant on the canals for milk delivery, and on the railways for cocoa deliveries from the ports of London and Southampton. They therefore needed a site which was undeveloped and had easy access to both canal and rail. The proposed development of the Birmingham West Suburban Railway, would extend from central Birmingham south along the path of the Worcester and Birmingham Canal into the then green fields of Southern Birmingham and the villages of northern Worcestershire. In 1879, they moved their business 4 miles (6.4 km) to the south of Birmingham. The location was chosen as it was regarded as cleaner, healthier and more amenable to longer-term expansion plans. Although rural, it was also already serviced by the new railway station, which was located right next to the canal. The Cadbury brothers named the area Bournville after a local river named The Bourn with ville being French for town; this set Bournville apart from the local area. Then they

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began to develop their factory in the village of Bournville. Loyal and hard-working workers were treated with great respect and relatively high wages and good working conditions. In 1893, George Cadbury bought 120 acres of land close to the works and planned, at his own expense, a model village. By 1900, the estate included 313 cottages and houses set on 330 acres of land. These houses were traditional in design, but with large gardens and modern interiors, and 215 houses were designed by the resident architect William Alexander Harvey. These designs became the standard for many other model village estates around Britain. The Cadbury brothers were particularly concerned with the health and fitness of their workforce, incorporating park and leisure areas into the Bournville village plans and encouraging swimming, walking and indeed all forms of outdoor sports. In the early 1920s, extensive open lands were purchased and laid as football and hockey pitches together with a grassed running.

Academic Practice Test 1 Reading

Questions 14-20 Read the text above on a Village is Bournville. Then read questions 14-20 and complete the sentences in the spaces below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. 14. Before it became a town, Bournville was scattered homes connected by ______________. 15. Bournville has a Blue Bell dale which is all that remains of ___________________. 16. For milk deliveries, Cadburys relied on _______________. 17. The river at Bournville is called _______________. 18. In Bournville, the meaning of ‘ville’ is _______________. 19. Cadbury workers were treated very well because they were loyal ___________________.

23. What did Cadburys purchase in 1920s? A. Extensive open lands B. Football and hockey pitches C. A club house and changing rooms D. A grassy running track

24. What is the source of the Lido’s healthy waters? A. The Pavilion itself B. A natural mineral spring C. Complaints about noise disturbance D. The recently built Oak Farm Estate 25. Why is the cricket pitch famous? A. It has junior and infants schools B. It has a School of Art C. It hosts events and dances D. It was the picture on chocolate boxes 26. Since 1900 who has controlled development of Bournville?

20. 1n 1893, George Cadbury planned _______________.

A. George Cadbury B. The Cadbury Company C. The Bournville Village Trust D. The Bournville conservation areas

Questions 21-27

27. Today, Cadburys is ….

Now read questions 21 to 27. Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.

A. a popular residential area in Birmingham. B. one of Birmingham’s main employers. C. still making dark chocolate at Bournville. D. an international influence on town planning.

21. How many cottages were in Bournville in 1900? A. 330 B. 120 C. 313 D. 215 22. What did designs by William Harvey become? A. Park and leisure areas B. The standard for model villages C. The Bournville village plans D. A club house and changing rooms

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Academic Practice Test 1 Reading

Reading Passage 3

hard to see it as a sharing economy.”

A The explosive rise of short-stay Airbnb holiday rentals may be shutting locals out of housing and changing neighbourhoods across Europe, but cities’ efforts to halt it are being stymied by EU policies to promote the “sharing economy”, campaigners say. “It’s pretty clear,” said Kenneth Haar, author of UnfairBnB, a study published this month by the Brussels-based campaign group Corporate Europe Observatory. “Airbnb is under a lot of pressure locally across Europe, and they’re trying to use the top-down power of the EU institutions to fight back.”

D Airbnb denies its activities have a significant impact on residential rents, and speculation and poor social housing provision certainly play a part. But cities are increasingly taking action: after a 50% increase in unregulated tourist lets was accompanied by a 40% hike in residential rents, Palma de Mallorca last month voted to ban almost all listings by Airbnb and similar platforms such as HomeAway. In Paris, registration for short -term lettings is now mandatory; Barcelona has suspended all new short-term rental permits; Amsterdam has cut its permitted short-term lettings limit from two months a year to one; and Berlin has brought back old laws and adapted them to new circumstances.

B While it might have started as a “community” of amateur hosts offering spare rooms or temporarily vacant homes to travellers, Airbnb had seen three -digit growth in several European cities since 2014 and was now a big, powerful corporation with the lobbying clout to match, Haar said. The platform lists around 20,500 addresses in in Berlin, 18,500 in Barcelona, 61,000 in Paris and nearly 19,000 in Amsterdam. Data scraped by the campaign group, InsideAirbnb, suggests that in these and other tourist hotspots, more than half – sometimes as many as 85% – of listings are whole apartments.

E But local attempts to protect residents’ access to affordable housing and preserve the face of citycentre neighbourhoods are being undermined, campaigners say, by the EU’s determination to see the “collaborative economy” as a key future driver of innovation and job creation across the bloc. “The commission seems almost hypnotised by the prospect of a strong sharing economy, and not really interested in its negative consequences,” said Haar. “Commissioners talk about ‘opportunities, not threats’. The parliament, too, recently condemned cities’ attempts to restrict lettings on online platforms.”

C Many of the properties are also rented out yearround, removing tens of thousands of homes from the residential rental market. Even in cities where short-term lets are now restricted, about 30% of Airbnb listings are available for three or more months a year, the data indicates. In those where they are not, such as Rome and Venice, the figure exceeds 90%. “You can still find the pensioner renting out her spare room for a bit of extra cash,” Haar said. “But a very substantial proportion are commercial operators, often with multiple listings, making big bucks. It’s clearly having an impact on locals’ access to affordable housing, and it’s pretty

F Since 50-odd platforms, led by Airbnb, urged the commission two years ago to ensure “local laws do not unnecessarily limit the development of the collaborative economy to the detriment of Europeans”, two key EU directives, on ecommerce and services, had been clarified – largely in the industry’s favour, Haar said. Airbnb has welcomed the guidance, saying the commission is trying to provide “clear, simple and consistent” rules that “remove barriers to regular people benefiting from innovations like Airbnb”.

AirBnB - an online service for short-term housing rentals

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Academic Practice Test 1 Reading

G Most worryingly for campaigners such as Haar, a formal complaint against Barcelona, Berlin, Paris and Brussels filed by the European Holiday Home Association, of which Airbnb and HomeAway are leading members, alleges “overzealous rules and restrictions/bans” in violation of EU laws. If not resolved by the commission and member states, the complaint could end up at the European court of justice.

Questions 33-40 Read the text above on Airbnb, an online service for short-term housing rentals. Then read questions 33-40 and complete the sentences in the spaces below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/ OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Questions 28-32 Read the text above on Airbnb, an online service for short-term housing rentals. Then read questions 28-32, and decide whether the following statements agree with the information given. In the spaces below, write True (T) if the statement agrees with the information. False (F) if the statement contradicts the information. Not Given (NG) If there is no information on this.

28. “Unfairbnb” is a group based in Brussels.___ 29. Airbnb may be aided by EU policies.___ 30. Airbnb has become an influential company.___ 31. Airbnb has over 60,000 listings in Barcelona.___ 32. Airbnb is a good retirement investment.___

33. Haar is concerned that Airbnb makes housing less ____________________for citizens. 34. In Palma Mallorca, locals saw the price to hire a flat rise by _________________ percent. 35. Of the cities mentioned, all have created new laws to restrict Airbnb except ________________. 36. Unfortunately for cities’ efforts to stop Airbnb, the EU sees it as promoting the ________________. 37. The number of companies that lobbied the commission two years ago is roughly ________________. 38. The EU guidelines issued after the lobbying effort were mostly in _____________________. 39. Airbnb and HomeAway claim that cities’ restrictions on their services break_______________. 40. It is possible that the dispute may need to be resolved by the European___________________.

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Academic Practice Test 1 Writing

Writing Task 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The graphs below show the highest level of educational achievement of citizens of a certain country in 2000 and 2017. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

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Academic Practice Test 1 Writing

Writing Task 2 You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic: Some people believe world poverty can be solved by the governments of rich countries giving large amounts of money to the governments of poor countries. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ 13

Academic Practice Test 1 Speaking

Speaking PART 1 Describe an activity you do to relax.

Initial questions about name, where you live, work or study and other personal topics.

You should say: − What the activity is − When and where you do it − Who you do this activity with

WORK: − − −

What job do you do? Do you enjoy your job? (Why/why not?) Do you think you will change careers in the future?

STUDY: − − −

What subject are you studying? Do you enjoy your studies (Why/why not?) How will studying this subject help you in the future?

And explain why this activity helps you feel relaxed.

Speaking PART 2 You will have to talk about the topic for 1 to 2 minutes. You have one minute to think about what you're going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.

LET’S TALK ABOUT CAKES − − − −

Do you enjoy eating cakes? (Why/why not?) Are birthday cakes popular in your country? (Why/why not?) Have you ever baked a cake? (Why/why not?) Is baking cakes a tradition in your country? (Why/why not?)

Speaking PART 3 We have been talking about an activity you do to relax. Let’s discuss the topic more generally. FREE-TIME ACTIVITIES −

LET’S TALK ABOUT WEARING HATS − − − −

When do people in your country wear hats? Do you like wearing hats? (Why/why not?) Is wearing hats more popular with older or younger people? (Why/why not?) Are the hats people wear today different to hats in the past? (Why/why not?)

− −

HOBBIES − − − −

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Which free-time activities are most popular in your country? How are free-time activities different among older and younger people? Did people have more free time in the past?

What is the difference between hobbies and leisure activities? What kinds of hobbies are enjoyed by men and women in your culture? Do you think technology has led to a decline in people pursuing hobbies? What is the importance of having a hobby for