University of Economics English Language Division PRACTICE TEST (PT0709) PART 1: READING SECTION 1: Completion The following sentences are incomplete. Choose one word or phrase marked A, B, C and D that best completes the sentence. RECORD your choice by CIRLING A, B, C or D on the answer sheet. 1. A law _________ competition should be worked out to create a fair playing field for businesses. A. about B. above C. against D. of 2. _______________ a central bank can determine the minimum lending rate, it has no control over foreign currency. A. Although B. For C. Since D. When 3. He found his first few weeks at Ernst & Young very difficult because he ___________ accountancy before. A. hadn’t studied B. didn’t study C. wasn’t studying D. hasn’t studied 4. The meeting ________________ by the time we get there. A. finished B. will have finished C. had finished D. will being finish 5. When thinking about opening another restaurant, a fast-food company must consider _________ a lot of money and working hours if it wants success. A. to invest B. investment C. investing D. invested 6. They asked me _________________________ A. what discount we would give to our distributors B. what discount would we give our distributors C. if we would give what discount to our distributors D. if what discount we would give to our distributors 7. The computers and printers ______________________ A. have never been ordered B. never have ordered C. have been ordered never D. never have been ordered 8. By lowering trade barriers, the WTO’s system breaks _______________ other barriers between peoples and nations. A. out B. down C. into D. up 9. Agribank doesn’t have _________________ ATMs as Vietcombank has. A. as much B. less C. more D. as many 10. I am afraid there will be ______________ opportunities for growth next year. A. less B. much C. more D. fewer 11. The work was _______________ last week and has just been finished. A. undertaken B. lost C. took D. launched 12. The marketing manager was opposed to advertising on TV and ___________ marketing budget was not enough to pay for it. A. advised B. thought C. explained D. suggested 13. ___________ you have registered your company , you will receive a certificate. A. Before B. After C. While D. However 14. Our representative presented the ______B_______ plan to the public. A. approving B. approved C. having approved D. approve 15. Ms. Brown was very _________________ when she received the wrong letter. PT0709 1 A. confuse B. confusing C. confuses D. confused 16. The market economy remains _______________ in rural areas. A. developing B. undeveloped C. undervaluing D. developed 17. The committee voted to ratify the amendment _____________ the objections. A. although B. even though C. despite D. in spite 18. The president had his advisors __________ a press conference. A. arranged B. to arrange C. arrange D. arranging 19. Anna got her paper ______________ by her assistant. A. type B. to type C. typing D. typed 20. If Rex Co._____________ more available capital, they would have expanded their European operations. A. has B. had had C. were having D. has had 21. Sharon was supposed to be here at nine o’clock. She __________ about our meeting. A. must forget B. should have forgotten C. should forget D. must have forgotten 22. One ____________ endorse a check before one cashes it. A. should B. may C. can D. might 23. I ____________ to tell you that your account is overdrawn by $326. A. phone B. am phoning C. phoned D. was phoning 24. We think that the HP202, _____________ you can supply within two weeks, suits our needs best. A. this B. when C. which D. who 25. That was ____________ speech I have ever heard. A. more impressive B. less impressive C. the most impressive D. least impressive Decide which of the four underlined words/phrases marked A, B, C, or D would not be considered correct. RECORD your choice by CIRLING A, B, C or D on the answer sheet. 26. Of all the obstacles we have encountered, this is certainly the big one. A B C D 27. We have observed how are the customers treated by the clerks. A B C D 28. Our new sales manager found out that get the job done is not as easy as it first appears. A B C D 29. Traditionally, women in the South Pacific never have their hair cutting, even though it is hard to manage. A B C D 30. Most young people would rather to go to a four-year university instead of a junior college or technical school. A B C D 31. The museum director was neither friendly or professional in his approach to the A B interested students and their teacher. C D 32.He would lose his license if he doesn’t take a refresher course, according to my broker. A B C D 33. We spent the afternoon play with the children down at the beach. A B C D 34. Not only did the new cashier called in sick, but she also asked how much vacation time was due her. A B C D 35. As a sponsor of the Baywaer Symphony Orchestra, she was able to get discounted A balcony tickets to the more unusual and interested performances. PT0709 2 B C D 36. The new computer program was user-friendly that the employees were able to master it in a matter of days. A B C D 37. The contract looks fine to me, but my attorney would like to review it before it will be signed. A B C D 38. Solar technology is developing around the world to keep pace with the energy needs of developing countries. A B C D 39. The merger of Whitehurst and Brown are causing a stir in the business community and in the media. A B C D 40. He was able to buy the new car on a thirty-six months installment plan with no down payment. A B C D SECTION 2: Reading comprehension In this section you will find that each of the passages has a number of questions about the passage. You must choose one of the four suggested answers. RECORD your answers by CIRCLING A, B, C, or D on the answer sheet. Questions 41 – 50 refer to the following passage Many of the world’s famous cities are known by some special names. Paris is known as the ‘City of Light.’ Los Angeles is called the ‘film capital’ of the world. Hong Kong is the ‘Wall Street of Asia.’ One small city in Pennsylvania may be the sweetest place on Earth. That is the town of Hershey. Hershey is known as the ‘Chocolate Town.’ It is named after Milton Hershey. He was the founder of the largest chocolate factory in the world. Milton Hershey built his first candy factory in the early 1900s. At the time, Hershey was developing a recipe for milk chocolate. Eventually, he succeeded. Hershey was also the first to produce individually wrapped chocolate bars. Over time, his factory grew and produced more and more types of chocolate. To this date, Hershey’s chocolate factory is the largest in the world. Hershey used his success to give back to the community. He built a town around the factory for his employees. He gave streets fun names like Chocolate Avenue. He built schools, parks and shops. This generous man gave millions of dollars to charity. Hershey made sure that the schools provided quality education. He built an amusement park with rides, trains for the children, and a swimming pool. Over the years, the town grew. People from near and far came to visit this special town. Its fame and beauty continue to attract tourists to this day. Every year, close to three million tourists visit the Chocolate Town. Today, visitors to the city can enjoy a variety of attractions and activities. The Hershey chocolate factory offers tours. Visitors can learn all about chocolate and how it is made. A gift shop sells all kinds of chocolate and toys made to look like chocolate. Even if you don’t buy a souvenir, there is one thing that is impossible to forget: the wonderful aroma of fresh chocolate everywhere. In this special place even the streetlights are shaped like chocolates. Another attraction is the Hotel Hershey. It has a unique spa where guests can enjoy a variety of special treatments. The spa treatments all have one thing in common: chocolate. Guests can take a ‘whipped cocoa bath.’ Instead of an ordinary bubble bath, guests bathe in foaming chocolate milk. To relax tired muscles, guests can choose a ‘cocoa massage.’ This treatment uses massage oils made from chocolate. Guests can enjoy cocoa beauty treatments of every type imaginable. And, of course, the restaurant offers not only chocolate desserts but also other dishes with chocolate as an ingredient. Visitors have enjoyed the attractions of Chocolate Town for almost a century. One man’s dream in the early 1900s became reality. Milton Hershey created some of the most popular chocolate products in the United States. He was a giving and generous man, and he was able to help many people. The town of Hershey offers unique attractions for those who visit. Chocolate Town is surely one of the sweetest places on Earth. 41. What is the main topic of this passage? A. famous cities around the world B. Hershey chocolates C. the Chocolate Town D. Milton Hershey 42. What was Milton Hershey developing when he built his factory? A. a recipe for milk chocolate B. attractions for the community C. an amusement park D. public structures 43. What is true about the chocolate factory today? A. It offers tours. B. It is the largest in the world. PT0709 3 C. It has an aroma of chocolate. D. All of the above._ 44. What is unique about the spa? A. the chocolate employees B. the individual bars C. the souvenirs D. the chocolate treatments 45. Which of the following did Milton Hershey not do? A. develop a recipe for milk chocolate B. make the first individually wrapped chocolates C. write the first chocolate cookbook D. found the largest chocolate factory in the world 46. What types of souvenirs can you buy in Hershey? A. toys that look like chocolate B. swimming pools filled with chocolate C. whipped cocoa baths D. street signs from around the world 47. What is true about Milton Hershey? A. He liked to cook. B. He wanted to be famous. C. He cared about his employees. D. He did not pay his employees very well. 48. Why is Hershey a popular travel spot? A. It has the best amusement park in the world. B. It is a unique place. C. It is made of chocolate. D. It has a spa. 49. What does the underlined word in “ It is named after Milton Hershey ” refer to? (Paragraph 1) A. the chocolate factory B. Hershey Milton C. the chocolate town D. Hershey 50. Which of the following vocabulary items is closest in meaning to the word “aroma”? (Paragraph 4) A. a wonderful look B. a nice smell C. a funny taste D. a smooth texture Questions 51- 60 refer to the following notice. ESTATE SALE The public is hereby notified that the executor of the estate of the late Mrs. Eleanor van Straaten has arranged for a major auction to take place on the ground of Harbour Hill, the van Straaten summer mansion overlooking Cook Strait. There will be a preliminary auction held by invitation only for private collectors and dealers on Friday, August 2, 2009, between the hours of 10:00 a.m and 4:00 p.m The public auction is scheduled to take place on two days only, Saturday, August 3, and Sunday, August 4, 2009, between the hours of 9:00 a.m and 6:00 p.m Because of many categories of items, times have been set up for each category to be sold. A detailed catalogue of all items for sale and their schedules may be obtained by writing to the address given below or calling the telephone number listed. Items up for auction include furniture, oriental area rugs, garden statuary and fountains, sculptures, paintings, tapestries, draperies and other window treatments, fine china, silverware, silver service, linens, apparel and shoes, jewelry, and various collectibles (coins and stamp collections, antique dolls, etc.) Anyone interested in purchasing Harbour Hill should speak directly to the Executor, Mr. Scott-Jones, who will keep all inquiries in strictest confidence. For further information or to obtain a copy of the catalogue, write to Mr. Wilbert Scott-Jones, Esq., at Scott-Jones, Aubrey, Blaine, & Pfifer, P.A. 1298 Ellison St., Mt. Victoria Wellington, New Zealand, or call 04-739 8007, ext. 42 PT0709 4 51. What kind of event is this notice about? A. a funeral B. a house tour C. an estate sale D. an antiques fair 52. Where will the event be held? A. in downtown Wellington B. at the estate C. in Cook Strait D. at a gallery 53. What kind of items will not be sold? A. furniture B. Jewelry C. books D. linens 54. What is Harbour Hill? A. a park by the sea B. a small mountain C. a town on the water D. a house and grounds 55. When will the public auction be held? A. August 1 and 3 B. August 1 and 4 C. August 2 and 4 D. August 3 and 4 56. From its description, where do you suppose Harbour Hill is located? A. far from Wellington B. Far from the water C. on Hummingbird Lane D. near Wellington 57. What event caused this auction sale? A. Mrs. van Straaten has died. B. Mrs. van Straaten has moved. C. Mrs. van Straaten wants to buy new furnishings. D. Mrs. van Straaten owes a lot of money. 58. What will happen on August 2? A. The public is invited to Harbour Hill. B. Private collectors and dealers can look but not buy. C. Private collectors and dealers can attend an auction. D. People can pick up the auction schedule. 59. Why is there a schedule for when items will be sold? A. Items will be sold by category. B. The auctioneers must stop for lunch an breaks. C. Mr. Scott-Jones can be there only at certain times. D. Too many people may arrive at one time. 60. What item for sale is mentioned that comes from Asia? A. fine china B. silver service C. furniture D. area rugs SECTION 3: Cloze Fill in each blank with ONE suitable word. RECORD your answers on the answer sheet provided. The area near San Francisco, California is called Silicon Valley. It got this name because of the large number of computer companies there. At one time, most of the world’s (61) …………………… companies were in California. Today, it (62) ………………………… much cheaper to build computers overseas. Many computer companies now have offices in Bangalore, India. This area is called ‘the Silicon Valley of India’. It (63) ………………………over 1,000 computer companies. There are also many colleges in the (64) …………… ……………. The computer companies hire engineering graduates. About 6 million people live in Bangalore. It is (65) …………………………of the largest cities in India. This (66) …………………………is very old. It was founded in 1537. Bangalore is called the ‘Garden City.’ There are many trees and flowers in the city. Also, (67) ………………………are many public gardens and parks. People (68) ………go to……… walk around and see beautiful colors everywhere. PT0709 5 The city is growing, and college graduates can choose the job they want. Now some companies are looking (69) …………………………new locations. They want to open (70) …………………………in other places. Soon, a city in Pakistan or China may be ‘the New Silicon Valley.’ PART 2: WRITING SECTION 1: Controlled writing From the following suggested words and phrases in the given sequences, make all the changes and additions necessary to produce sentences, which together make a complete paragraph. Follow the example. RECORD your answers on the answer sheet provided. 1. VISSAN - a member company of Saigon Trading Group/ originally found/Nov 20, 1970 2. It/ go / into operation/ May 18, 1974 3. 2006/ the company/ become/ VISSAN Limited Company. 4. It /have/ many years of experience / producing canned and frozen foodstuff. 5. Now/ its main products / be / fresh and frozen meat/ processed food/ fruit/ vegetables 6 - 7. Since the number of food poisoning cases/ be/ on the rise, the VISSAN Import-Export Corporation / steadily regain / the control/ the domestic market/ good quality / reasonably-priced products. 8. Nowadays, VISSAN products/ accept / by the market/ thanks to / rational price / guaranteed food safety. 9. Vietnamese housewives / be/ now very familiar / fresh and canned food/ foodstuff labeled VISSAN, 10. VISSAN instant foodstuffs / be / also very good sellers. 11. Its success/ be / greatly due to the improvements/ product quality through heavy investment / complete, modern equipment. 12. At present, VISSAN/ supply / four tonnes of sausage / the Vietnamese market per day 13. This year's goal / be / earn a sales turnover / VND940 billion. 14. For several consecutive years, VISSAN food and foodstuffs /list / among Vietnam's top ten products. 15. 2010 / VISSAN / build / food processing zone / expand / more Food distribution net. SECTION2: Sentence transformation Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same as the sentence printed before it. RECORD your answers on the answer sheet provided. 16. “If I were you I wouldn’t invest in that risky project ,” she told John. PT0709 6 She advised 17. In the long run, it is crucial to improve bio-safety in poultry farming. In the long run, to improve 18. Many commercial banks have raised their interest rates on gold deposits. The interest rates on gold deposits has been raised 19. Although many domestic companies are given active support from the Trade Ministry, they do not know how to penetrate the rural market. In spite of giving 20. If companies do not improve poor quality products, they will not be able to gain a firm foothold in the rural market. Unless companies improve poor quality products, they 21. More than 30 per cent of Vietnamese students aged 6-18 years old are underdeveloped because they have not had enough energy, vitamins and minerals. Due to 22. They sold out a large number of products as soon as they implemented a promotion program. No sooner 23. The price of gold has never been as high as it is now. Never (before) 24. The project was too risky for us to invest in. The project 25. This contract was so complicated that they could not understand. This contract 26. I would prefer you not to invest in shares. I would rather 27. Borrowers have to deal with a lot of difficulties because the lending rates are not reduced. If 28. They are going to print 5,000 new catalogues for us. We 29. The managing director was not available yesterday afternoon. His assistant was not available, either. Neither the managing director nor his assistant available 30. I failed to get the job because I did not have any experience in sales and marketing. I wish I had any experience in sales and marketing to get the job The end. Good Luck! PT0709 7 ANSWER KEY to PRACTICE TEST (PT709) PART 1 Section 1: Completion 1. C 6. A 11. A 16. B 21. D 2. A 7. A 12. C 17. C 22. D 3. A 8. B 13. B 18. C 23. B 4. B 9. D 14. B 19.D 24. C 5. C 10. D 15. D 20. B 25. C Error identification 26. D 29. B 32. A 35. D 38. A 27. C 30. A 33. B 36. A 39. B 28. B 31. A 34. B 37. D 40. C Section 2: Comprehension 41. C 45. C 49. D 53. C 57. A 42. A 46. A 50. B 54. D 58. C 43. D 47. C 51. C 55. D 59. A 44. D 48. B 52. B 56. D 60. D Section 3: Cloze 61. computer 63. has 65. one 67. there 69. for 62. is 64. area 66. city 68. can 70. offices PART 2 Section 1: Controlled writing 1. VISSAN, a member company of Saigon Trading Group was originally founded on Nov 20, 1970 2. It went into operation on May 18, 1974 3. In 2006, the company became VISSAN Limited Company. 4. It has many years of experience in producing canned and frozen foodstuff. 5. Now its main products are fresh and frozen meat, processed food, fruit and vegetables 6 - 7. Since the number of food poisoning cases was on the rise, the VISSAN Import-Export Corporation has steadily regained the control of the domestic market through/ with its good quality and reasonably- priced products. 8. Nowadays, VISSAN products are accepted by the market thanks to its rational price and guaranteed food safety. 9. Vietnamese housewives are now very familiar with fresh and canned food and foodstuff labelled VISSAN, 10. VISSAN instant foodstuffs are also very good sellers. PT0709 8 11. Its success is greatly due to the improvements of product quality through heavy investment in complete, modern equipment. PT0709 9 12. At present, VISSAN supplies four tonnes of sausage to the Vietnamese market per day. 13. This year's goal is to earn a sales turnover of VND940 billion. 14. For several consecutive years, VISSAN food and foodstuffs have been listed among Vietnam's top ten products. 15. In 2010 VISSAN will build food processing zone and expand more Food distribution net. Section 2: Sentence transformation 16. She advised John not to invest in that risky project. 17. In the long run, to improve bio-safety in poultry farming is crutial 18. The interest rates on gold deposits have been raised 19. In spite of active support from the Trade Ministry, many domestic companies do not know how to penetrate the rural market. 20. Unless companies improve poor quality products, they will not be able to gain a firm foothold in the rural market. 21. Due to a lack of / not having enough energy, vitamins and minirals, more than 30 per cent of Vietnamese students aged 6-18 years are underdeveloped 22. No sooner had they implemented a promotion program than they sold a large number of products. 23. Never (before) has the price of gold been as high as it is now. 24. The project was so risky that we did not invest in it. 25.This contract was too complicated to understand. 26. I would rather you did not invest in shares. 27. If the lending rates were reduced, borrowers would not have to deal with a lot of difficulties. 28. We are going to have 5,000 new catalogues printed for us. 29. Neither the managing director nor his assistant was available yesterday afternoon. 30. I wish I had had some experience in sales and marketing. 10 . University of Economics English Language Division PRACTICE TEST (PT0709) PART 1: READING SECTION 1: Completion The following. of Light.’ Los Angeles is called the ‘film capital’ of the world. Hong Kong is the ‘Wall Street of Asia.’ One small city in Pennsylvania may be the sweetest place on Earth. That is the town of. Mr. Scott-Jones, who will keep all inquiries in strictest confidence. For further information or to obtain a copy of the catalogue, write to Mr. Wilbert Scott-Jones, Esq., at Scott-Jones, Aubrey,