Thursday, December 9, 2010

Preliminary Test - 2010

[Preliminary Test - 2010]

ECPE - Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in English
Michigan ELI Testing

GRAMMAR, CLOZE, VOCABULARY, AND READING SECTION INSTRUCTIONS

There are 35 multiple-choice problems in this test: 10 grammar, 10 cloze, 10 vocabulary, and 5 questions about a reading passage. You will have 30 minutes to answer all 35 problems.

GCVR - GRAMMAR

1. "I've worked here for more than two years and never gotten a raise." "__________ thought of asking for one?"
a. Will you ever have
b. Did you ever have
c. Have you ever
d. Had you ever

2. Plastic __________ invented if there weren't any chemists.
a. would never have been
b. were never
c. haven't ever been
d. had never been

3. Museum exhibitions benefit the local economy __________ people into the city.
a. to bring
b. they bring
c. are bringing
d. by bringing

4. The way __________ I see it, he's better off in his new office.
a. what
b. how
c. that
d. which

5. It is commonly thought that people gain wisdom __________.
a. they get older
b. through age
c. as older
d. with age

6. "I don't think he's a strong candidate." "You're just not seeing him __________."
a. for who is he
b. who he is
c. for who he is
d. who is he

7. "Was John at home when you called him?" "No, he __________ for work."
a. was already leaving
b. had already been left
c. had already left
d. has already left

8. The decision __________ should be done is up to the director.
a. of to what
b. for what
c. about to what
d. as to what

9. He woke up four times __________.
a. during the night
b. while the night
c. through the night
d. the night

10. __________ the shipment to your house this weekend instead of to your office. That way you'll receive it sooner.
a. If I send
b. what I'll do is send
c. Whether I'll be sending
d. I do send

GCVR - CLOZE

Once thought to be signs form the heavens of future events, comets now are understood to be relatively simple astronomical phenomena. Comets are celestial bodies of small mass ___(11)___ mainly of gases. they consist of a nucleus of ice and other similar ___(12)___ materials, followed by an extensive tail. The tail is formed ___(13)___ the comet approaches the sun, as particles from the edges of the nucleus are ___(14)___ off.

Comets have traditionally been regarded as ___(15)___ of both good fortune and imminent ___(16)___.  People have often pondered the nature of the events that these celestial bodies have been ___(17)___ to bring. In 1066 AD, a comet appeared, which greatly concerned King Harold of England. He was  ___(18)___ towards an armed conflict with William of Normandy. His men wondered ___(19)___ this comet was a sign of victory or defeat. The Normans answered this question on Saturday, Obcober 14, 1066 AD. Late that afternoon, after a fierce battle at Hastings, King Harold ___(20)___ dead among many hundreds of his soldiers. William had all but conquered England and changed the course of world history.

11. a. contained b. composed c. amount d. creating
12. a. to b. like c. heated d. frozen
13. a. when b. by c. from d. where
14. a. frozen b. turned c. fallen d. forced
15. a. idols b. omens c. estimates d. images
16. a. disaster b. future c. end d. occurrence
17. a. thought b. made c. trying d. beginning
18. a. relying b. afraid c. retreating d. moving
19. a. either b. that c. whether d. about
20. a. almost b. became c. lay d. found

GCVR - VOCABULARY

21. I __________ my teacher telling my mother that I was getting an A in math.
a. deduced
b. overheard
c. acquainted
d. notified

22. Although moving to a new location may seem like the right decision now, __________ it's not a good idea.
a. ultimately
b. marginally
c. subsequently
d. terminally

23. There's been __________ amount of rainfall this year.
a. a prevailing
b. a dominant
c. an inclusive
d. an unprecedented

24. Today, a high __________ of teen agers have visited a foreign country.
a. proportion
b. total
c. selection
d. group

25. In order to compete in the global market, these two companies __________ to form an international corporation.
a. multiplied
b. adhered
c. merged
d. affiliated

26. The professor wrote comments in the paper's__________.
a. sidelines
b. outskirts
c. margins
d. surroundings

27. Please put the package in a  __________ place so that I will be sure to see it.
a. remarkable
b. conceivable
c. inaccessible
d. conspicuous

28. Mary is not a close friend, but she is an __________ of mine.
a. accomplice
b. acquaintance
c. adolescent
d. attendant

29. Mike complained that his neighbor's loud music __________ with his ability to study in his apartment.
a. interfered
b. restricted
c. prevented
d. coincided

30. In order to keep the colors separate in the paint box, it's useful to put them in individual __________.
a. compartments
b. parameters
c. portions
d. intervals

GCVR - READING
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) belongs to a certain group of viruses found in many different animals, from horses to humans. Among the viruses in this group, simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) are closest to HIV. By studying these viruses and the relationships between them, researchers hope to be able to explain their progression and gains information that may offer clues about the way viruses like HIV can be overcome.

Many biologists believe that SIV evolved in African monkeys and that some time ago there was what is called an adaptive episode. In other words, some of the monkeys were resistant to the virus for genetic reasons and survived the SIV epidemic, while all the others died off, or the virus became less virulent, or some combination of both things happened. either way, there now exists a sort of equilibrium between the host and the virus.

Researchers want to study SIV in wild monkeys, but collecting the needed blood samples is problematic, due in part to the endangered species status of the monkeys. They can't be shot with tranquilizer darts, which is necessary to get a blood sample, because that could injure the animals by casing them to fall from tall trees.

To solve this problems, the researchers have turned to the lions of the Serengeti plains. Lions infected with FIV offer an almost identical parallel to SIV, except that studying their infection in the wild is far easier than tracking SIV-positive African monkeys. All researchers have to do is sneak up on a lion napping on the ground and shoot it with a tranquilizer dart. the animal will just sleep a little deeper, without suffering any ill effects.

31. What does the passage suggest about SIV?
a. It used to be more deadly than FIV.
b. It was more deadly than it is now.
c. It caused African monkeys to become an endangered species.
d. It evolved into HIV.
32. What was the result of the adaptive episode mentioned in the second paragraph?
a. SIV disappeared.
b. Monkeys who were SIV resistant died off.
c. Both the SIV virus and the monkeys survived.
d. A cure for SIV was found.
33. According to the passage, which goals conflicted?
a. protecting monkeys and learning more about SIV
b. protecting lions and learning more about FIV
c. studying these viruses without becoming infected
d. protecting both monkeys and lions
34. What problem do researchers have in collecting SIV samples?
a. It's difficult to locate monkeys hiding in trees.
b. It is illegal to tranquilize the monkeys.
c. The animal will probably be hurt when the samples are collected.
d. Very few monkeys are SIV positive.
35. How did the researchers solve their collection problem?
a. They collected a different virus from a different species.
b. They collected the same virus from a different species.
c. they collected a different virus from the same species.
d. They used a different collection method on the same species.

***

1 comments:

  1. Answer Key:

    Grammar
    1.c 2.a 3.d 4.c 5.d
    6.c 7.c 8.d 9.a 10.b

    Cloze
    11.b 12.d 13.a 14.d 15.b
    16.a 17.a 18.d 19.c 20.c

    Vocabulary
    21.b 22.a 23.d 24.a 25.c
    26.c 27.d 28.b 29.a 30.a

    Reading
    31.b 32.c 33.a 34.c 35.a

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