Name __________________________________________ Class ______________________________

Technical English Level 4

Progress Test 1 (Units 1-2)
Answer all the questions.
SECTION 1: VOCABULARY
1 Choose the correct option (a-j).
1 Archimedes principle states that a body immersed in a fluid experiences a
________________force equal to the weight of the liquid displaced.

a) buoyant b) floating c) rising d) equivalent

2 I think Ive ________________ the main points. Any questions?

a) kicked b) handed over c) covered d) turned

3 They use _______________packs which expand to isolate one zone from another in
snake well drilling.

a) adjustable b) swellable c) steerable d) convertible

4 I am now going to ________________ over to my colleague to finish the presentation.

a) kick b) turn c) cover d) hand

5 A single snake well can access multiple pockets of oil to achieve output
________________ to several individual wells.

a) attached b) separated c) adjacent d) equivalent

6 When you are drilling pockets of oil, you dont want fluid from one zone flowing into the
________________ zone.

a) adjacent b) steerable c) restricted d) coherent

7 Bar coding was ________________ invented to help space agencies keep track of
millions of spacecraft parts.

a) frequently b) primarily c) usually d) necessarily

8 The ________________ temperature in the room tends to be between 10-29C so the

equipment has to work within that.

a) ambient b) solar c) apparent d) sufficient

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9 The solar ________________ of the material lets about 45% of sunlight through it..

a) reflectancy b) acoustics c) translucency d) amplification

10 Furniture has to be made out of ________________material these days to prevent it from

catching fire too easily.

a) heat-reflective b) combustible c) lightweight d) non-flammable

11 The roof material must have good ________________ protection so that it does not
overheat.

a) thermal b) solar c) light d) melting

12 Im sorry, but what youre saying doesnt make any _______________

a) comment b) thoughts c) sense d) ideas

13 John ________________ off the meeting by asking everyone to introduce themselves.

a) opened b) kicked c) made d) worked

14 Its important that there are no ________________ on leg movement, as they need to be
able to move freely within the support.

a) constraints b) concerns c) increments d) inclines

15 The measurements need to be very________________. There is zero tolerance for error.

a) sufficient b) precise c) comparative d) concise

/ 15

SECTION 2: LANGUAGE
2 Complete the paragraphs by putting the verbs in brackets into the most appropriate
form and ONE word in the other gaps.
Spencer Silver (16) ________________ (work) in the 3M research laboratories trying to find a
new strong adhesive. Unfortunately, the adhesive he came up with was even weaker than 3Ms
current adhesive and no one was interested in his discovery. Then, one day, when Arthur Fry, a
colleague of Silvers, (17) ________________ (sing) in his church choir, the bookmarks in his
hymn book kept falling out so he (18) ________________ (use) some of Silvers adhesive to
keep them in place. The bookmarks (19) ________________ not fall out and when he found
that he was (20) ________________ to take them off without damaging the pages of the book,
the Post It was born!

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Another invention (21) ________________ is used very widely today is Velcro. Most of us (22)
________________ (use) this for years but probably do not know that the idea came from
nature. George de Mistral (23) ________________ (walk) his dog one day when he noticed
burrs stuck to his clothes. They were difficult to get off so he looked at the burrs under a
microscope and (24) ________________ (see) that their tiny hooks had attached themselves to
the loops in the material of his clothes. This started him thinking of how the substance could be
used to bind two surfaces together and, although he was ridiculed initially, he persevered and
finally Velcro (25) ________________ (create).

/10
3 Write the second sentence so that it is similar in meaning to the first sentence. Use the
word given without changing it. Use NO MORE THAN FIVE WORDS.

26 The machine has the capacity to process millions of pieces of information every second.

CAPABLE

The machine_____________________________________ millions of pieces of

information every second.

27 They first developed the product ten years ago.

WAS

_____________________________________ ten years ago.

28 The drill must be able to move horizontally.

CAPACITY

The drill must _____________________________________ horizontally.

29 He started work here in 2000.

SINCE

He_____________________________________ 2000.

30 The panel of PV cells generates electrical power from the suns rays

USED

The panel of PV cells _____________________________________ electrical power

from the suns rays.

/5

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SECTION 3: READING
4 In which paragraph (A-E) are the following mentioned?
31 improvement in work efficiency ________
32 government legislation ________
33 a joint venture ________
34 a dental procedure ________
35 material designed for comfort ________
A
When NASA was created back in 1958, the law decreed that any of its research and
advancements should be used for the benefit of everyone and not just those in the space
industry. As a result, there have been a vast number of spin-off products created, many of which
we use daily and take for granted having no idea of their space history.

B
One very successful product whose lineage comes from NASA, is the development of the
invisible brace to straighten teeth. Until NASA developed a product called translucent
polycrystalline alumina (PTA) to protect the infrared antennae of heat-seeking missile trackers,
hundreds and thousands of teenagers had to put up with wearing mouthfuls of shiny metal in
their mouths to position their teeth correctly. The materials strength and invisibility was found
to be perfect for this piece of orthodontic equipment and is now one of the most successful
products in that industry.
C
There is nothing better than a good nights sleep, but finding a good mattress has always been a
problem until the development of memory foam. This material was developed at NASA for use
in aircraft seats to reduce the impact during landing. The unique property of the material is that
weight and pressure are evenly distributed and when it is compressed it returns to its original
shape. No more sagging, lumpy mattresses that are either too hard or too soft.

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There have been many spin-off products in the health industry but one of the smallest and most
commonly used is the ear thermometer. It has revolutionised the way temperatures are taken
making it both easier, quicker and more accurate. For the health businesses this has meant
considerable time and cost-saving. It is based on a NASA infrared technology which was
developed to take the temperature of stars. In the thermometer, infrared sensors are used to
measure the amount of energy an eardrum gives off into the ear canal and, because this is inside
the body, the reading is far more accurate than conventional thermometer types.

And finally, next time you are using a cordless tool around the home, you may have a little more
respect for it if you know that the technology was as a result of the Apollo space missions.
When NASA was preparing for these in the 1960s, it needed to develop a drill which was
lightweight, compact and very powerful so it teamed up with Black and Decker and invented a
battery-powered magnet motor drill to collect samples from the surface of the moon. Black &
Decker then used the same principles to develop cordless power tools for the DIY enthusiast.

5 What do these bold, italicised words refer to:

36 (para A) those
a) advancements b) everyone c) NASA employees
37 (para A) their
a) everyone b) products in daily use c) all spin-off products
38 (para B) that
a) medical b) orthodontic c) space
39 (para C) it
a) weight b) pressure c) material
40 (para D) this
a) the way temperatures are taken b) the ear thermometer c) the health industry
/10
SECTION 4: WRITING
6 Use the notes to write a description about the SpaceRunner.
41/42 Space runner/enclosed treadmill/support body weight
43/44 capable/reduce/users weight/max 80%
45/46 able/provide/unrestricted motion/leg+upper body/variable speed (16kph max)
47/48 touch button screen/control/support/change settings
49/50 ability/function/10-29C + humidity 20-95%

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41/42 ________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
43/44 ________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
45/46 ________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
47/48_________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
49/50 ________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
/10
SECTION 5: LISTENING
Track 2

7 Listen to the recording twice and complete the notes with ONE or TWO words.
51 Will is Chief Engineer for ________________.
52 In Brunei oil is not located in one ________________.
53 The oil pockets cover ________________ of Km2.
54/55 Company cannot afford to have lots of ________________ due to costs and concerns
about the ________________ .
56 Jaap comes from ________________.
57 His inspiration came from watching his son drink a ________________.
58 He imagined he could make a drill similar to a ________________.
59 This would allow him to drill down first and then ________________ .
60 His new invention was a kind of ________________ drill.
/10

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