Practice test №4

Task 1. Read the text below. For questions (1-5) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

Green living

When Jimmy Wellbeck sold his car in favour of commuting by train and cycling two years ago, all his friends promised to support him – not financially, but by taking similar environmentally friendly actions. He also cut down on eating meat, as a personal contribution to reducing the carbon footprint produced by intensive farming, as well as saving energy by doing things like washing clothes at lower temperatures, taking shorter showers and growing more of his own vegetables. In that first year, he calculates, he and his friends have saved over 700 kg of carbon dioxide, not to mention several thousand pounds in a fun and relatively painless way.

The first few months of being car-free were the hardest, Jimmy explains, especially as they were during the arrival of an extremely cold winter. Waiting for trains in the snow was when he most missed his warm car, but slowly his new habits became routine as he adjusted to his new existence. He also greatly appreciated not having to pay for car insurance and petrol.

Jimmy and his friends have now taken their ideas a step further and set up a not-for-profit company, ECO friends. com, which uses social media to help people to help each other in making their lives greener through sharing ideas and suggestions. There are now 2,500 eco friends who have, between them, cut more than 300 tons of CO2 through their activities.

Of course, there are many people who would say that this kind of activity doesn’t make enough of a difference to be worthwhile, but such attitudes never make the world a better place either, claims Jimmy. Some years ago, he went on a trip to Germany where, he says, ideas about green living are already gaining in popularity. On the visit, he learned that the kind of sustainable life he was interested in was perfectly possible, without having to give up all the comforts of life that many people are used to, and that it does make a difference.

A number of organisations with similar objectives to Jimmy’s are all involved in the Make a Start scheme. The aim of Make a Start is to demonstrate just how simple and enjoyable green living, energy saving and self-sufficiency can be. They intend, in the longer term, to put people living in the same streets, apartment blocks and local areas in touch with each other so that they can give each other a helping hand, organise or get involved in community events, as well as get to know their neighbours.

One member, Claire, who lives on a houseboat, is typical of members, saying that the organisation has really helped people like her who, in normal circumstances, would never meet, to get together, creating a strong community feeling. ‘People who live on boats are always keen on finding environmentally friendly solutions to problems, so if one of the members discovers a greener cleaning product, for example, they can just email it to the Make a Start bulletin board,’ she says.

Make a Start showed Claire how to put together a solar-powered electricity system for her boat. It provides enough energy to run her fridge and so saves her money. ‘I had no idea that it was so simple,’ she says. Even her children were able to help out – and so the next generation has already started to get involved.

1.   What do we understand about Jimmy in the first paragraph?

A He wanted to save some money.

B He was interested in changing lifestyles.

C He had decided on a change of career.

D He tried to set an example to his friends.

2.   Jimmy founded ECOfriends.com to

A create a support network for like-minded people.

B allow him to spread his environmental message.

C educate people in living eco-friendly lifestyles.

D help him meet other people with similar interests.

3.     Jimmy believes that attitudes to green living are

A likely to change in future.

B different from country to country.

C often based on incorrect information.

D determined by people’s self-interest.

4.   What is the aim of the Make a Start scheme?

A to create local green projects

B to make green living more fun

C to build political support for green ideas

D to make it easier for people to become green together

5.   In what way is Claire a typical member of Make a Start?

A She lives a typical lifestyle of members.

B She is a frequent participant in online activities.

C She has been able to meet new friends through it.

D She is active in the environmental movement.

Task 2. Choose the most suitable heading from the list A-H for each part (6-11) of the article. There are two extra headings which you do not need to use

1.     Biological warfare in the plant world
2.      Why we cannot use allelopathic chemicals at present
3.      What is allelopathy?
4.     The reasons why plants compete with other plants

5. The effects of allelopathy and realisation of its possible uses
6. Specific examples of allelopathic plants
7. What are metabolites?
8. How could we use allelopathic chemicals in farming?

In forests and fields all over the world, plants are engaged in a deadly chemical war to suppress other plants and create conditions for their own success. Would it be possible to use their strategies and weapons to help us improve agriculture by preventing weeds from germinating and encouraging growth in crops? This possibility is leading agricultural researchers to explore the effects plants have on other plants with the aim of applying their findings to farming.

The phenomenon by which an organism produces one or more chemicals that influence the growth, survival and reproduction of other organisms is called allelopathy. These chemicals are a subset of chemicals produced by organisms called secondary metabolites. A plant's primary metabolites are associated with growth and development. Allelochemicals, however, are part of a plant's defense system and have a secondary function in the life of the organism. The term allelopathy comes from the Greek: allelo and pathy meaning 'mutual harm'.

Allelopathy can be observed in many aspects of plant ecology. It can affect where certain species of plants grow, the fertility of competitor plants, the natural change of plant communities over time, which plant species are able to dominate a particular area, and the diversity of plants in an area. Plants can release allelopathic chemicals in several ways: their roots can release chemicals directly into the soil, and their bark and leaves can release chemicals into the soil as they rot. Initially, scientists were interested in the negative effects of allelopathic chemicals. Observations of the phenomenon included poor growth of some forest trees, damage to crops, changes in vegetation patterns and, interestingly, the occurrence of weed-free areas. It was also realised that some species could have beneficial effects on agricultural crop plants and the possible application of allelopathy became the subject of research.

Today research is focused on the effects of weeds on crops, the effects of crops on weeds, and how certain crops affect other crops. Agricultural scientists are exploring the use of allelochemicals to regulate growth and to act as natural herbicides, thereby promoting sustainable agriculture by using these natural chemicals as an alternative to man-made

chemicals. For example, a small fast-growing tree found in Central America, sometimes called the 'miracle tree', contains a poison that slows the growth of other trees but does not affect its own seeds. Chemicals produced by this tree have been shown to improve the production of rice.

There may be at least three applications of allelopathy to agriculture. Firstly, the allelopathic properties of wild or cultivated plants may be bred into crop plants through genetic modification or traditional breeding methods to improve the release of desired allelochemicals and thus improve crop yield. Secondly, a plant with strong allelopathic properties could be used to control weeds by planting it in rotation with an agricultural crop and then leaving it to rot and become part of the soil in order to inhibit the growth of weeds. Finally, naturally occurring allelopathic chemicals could be used in combination with man- made chemicals, which could be better for the environment.

Despite the promising uses of allelopathic chemicals, agricultural scientists are still cautious. Firstly, allelopathic chemicals may break down and disappear in the soil more easily than artificial chemicals. Secondly, allelopathic chemicals may be harmful to plants other than weeds. Thirdly, allelopathic chemicals could persist in the soil for a long time and may affect crops grown in the same field as the allelopathic plants at a later date. Because the effects of allelopathic chemicals are not yet fully known, agricultural scientists will need to continue to study the biological war between plants.

Task 3. You are going to read an article about an unusual species of fish. For questions 12- 16, choose from options (A-E).

Which section mentions

12.   an almost unique physical feature?
13.   a possible misinterpretation of a phrase?
14.   an unexpected discovery?
15.   a lack of knowledge?
16.   an idea that was disproved?

The coelacanth

A The coelacanth is a deep-water sea fish, sometimes known as the ‘living fossil’, which has remained unchanged in appearance since before dinosaurs ruled the world. It is known to live in sea caves deep beneath the Indian Ocean, but was previously only known in fossils, the youngest of which were over 70 million years old. It was something of a surprise to scientists when one was netted by a fisherman in 1938.

B It was the 19th-century British scientist Charles Darwin who first used the expression

‘living fossil’ to mean any animal that had been able to survive unchanged since prehistory. Modern scientists, however, say that this term is sometimes unhelpful as people may get the impression that it refers to a dead species that scientists have somehow brought back to life. The coelacanth is not a fossil, but a living creature, living in the same world as us.

C A fully grown coelacanth can reach 1.5 metres long. They have fins that often remind people of the legs of land animals. They have backbones like those of frogs and lizards. These factors, plus their extremely long existence on Earth, have previously led some to believe that they might be connected in some way to those first fish that made the great leap from sea creatures to land-based life. Until recently, scientists were unsure whether the coelacanth has remained so unchanged because it truly was evolving slowly, or whether in fact its DNA was actually developing in just the same way, and at the same rate, as other species.

D When finally studied scientifically, coelacanth DNA did show that it has changed no more quickly than the fish’s external appearance, say scientists in a new report. The coelacanth DNA has the slowest rate of what is known as ‘substitution’ compared to most animals with similar physical features, such as backbones. This may be a reflection of the fact that they had no real need to change because they live in an environment that has not itself altered a great deal, and where the coelacanth has no natural enemies.

E Scientists often discuss the way certain species have developed over the ages, but there still remain a number of locations where the wildlife is not forced to evolve and the

coelacanth’s caves is one of them. They are simply highly adapted to living in such an extreme situation. Why would it need to change anything about itself? Scientists carrying out the DNA examination also learned that coelacanths were, in fact, unlikely to be closely related to the first fish to move on to land. The lungfish is now thought to be the most likely contender for this particular prize. They are related to the coelacanth, but their DNA is far more complex, say scientists.

Task 4. Read the text below. Choose from (A-H) the one which best fits each space (17 - 22). There are two choices you do not need to use.

David and Ben had a long journey, over ten kilometres on foot every day, (17)        . In the end, though, this particular distance might be the basis for something unexpected. David looks set to become another of Kenya’s famous long-distance runners, coming second in the 10,000 metres at the recent Paris games, (18)              .

Now, another group of students from the same school has to make the same daily journey. They have, however, been encouraged by the success of David and Ben, (19)              . For at least one of them, achieving sporting success is only part of the picture. Like David and

Ben, 17-year-old Moses also faces a ten-kilometre journey to school, and his schedule would amaze (20)              .

His day starts with him preparing his own breakfast at five o’clock, before setting out on his journey, and he aims to arrive at school by seven o’clock in the morning. Moreover, he has to deal with hazards most children never experience. Part of the journey takes him through a forest, (21)              . The majority of the way is along muddy roads, with the further

danger of flooded rivers. Occasionally the bridges he needs to cross are under water or even swept away.

On such days, he stays at home. On a bad day, this might mean going several kilometres before he even realises he can’t go any further. He then has to go all the way back. He

doesn’t give up, though. He is driven on by his desire to get a good education and has ambitions to become a doctor one day. According to Moses, (22)              . The romantic idea of the Olympic stars developing their skills on their school journey is misleading.

A while his brother was third in the same race

B in their motherland

C when they were at school in northern Kenya

D many of those used to catching the bus or being driven to the school gates by parents

E where wild animals, some very dangerous, live

F who are always late for school

G there is nothing much good about his journey to work

H but with a difference

Use of English

Task 5. Read the texts below. For questions (23-32) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

As a writer, Monica’s large office desk is central to her life. It has been her constant companion wherever she has lived, and one of the (23)               when buying her current house was having enough space to fit it in; even so, it takes (24)                                          half of her office. At the moment, it is surrounded by old books either written or set in the 1920s. She is writing a historical novel, and this is how she finds her (25)                             for the period. The walls are covered in art and the rest of the room is full of plants. A big bowl of fruit

(26)          she doesn’t have to break off to eat something. The house is so old that the wind and rain sometimes come in, forcing her into hiding in the basement. This hasn’t been painted for nearly a century, so she feels quite at home there – at (27)               until her present book is finished.

……..

The christening over, the procession went back to the castle, past the waiting rows of bystanders, not one of whom (28)              his place or gone away, so superb had been the spectacle.

The christening banquet (29) in the great hall of the castle, and, thanks to the Court Astrologer, things went off beautifully. It was the only large banquet ever known in the history of the world where courses (30)                            all at one time, and while one person was finishing an ice, another was not beginning with the soup. Nor was the menu mixed, which

(31)          so frequently to-day that you are apt to have soup, ice, cake, roast, soup, and a roast again. No, from soup to ice the banquet was a huge success; but, (32)              , disaster came with the strawberry-tart.

……..

KEYS:

1.  B

2.  A

3.  C

4.  D

5.  C

6.  A

7.  C

8.  E

9.  D

10. H

11. B

12. D

13. B

14. A

15. C

16. E

17. C

18. A

19. H

20. D

21. E

22. G

23. A

24. D

25. C

26. B

27. A

28. D

29. A

30. B

31. C

32.A