Lingua Inglese 2 - Mock test A

A) Fill in the gaps with the verbs in brackets. ‘M’ indicates that a modal verb is needed. (15
marks)
Food waste and beef fat will be making airplanes soar
What 1._______________________________ (beef fat, have) in common with manure and pine
needles? It turns out that you 2._____________________________ (M, make) high-quality, low-
carbon transportation fuel with all of them. A growing number of biofuel producers
3.__________________________________ (currently, team up) with farms, meatpackers and
waste management companies to exploit gassy waste and meet new demands for renewable jet fuel
and diesel for vehicles.
Several types of agricultural feedstock – from sugarcane to sweet potatoes –
4.___________________________ (M, use) in renewable fuel. But there's a bonus if you use
organic waste. Methane, a super potent greenhouse gas, 5.________________________ (release)
into the atmosphere as manure and food decompose. And that gas and that waste are increasingly an
asset for farmers. According to Steve Kaffy, director of the California Biomass Collaborative,
anaerobic digesters, which 6.________________________ (convert) the waste into biogas and
power, is a good way for large farms to create a value-added product from waste.
Meanwhile, the transportation industry is starting to feel the pressure
7._____________________________ (fill up on) renewable fuels. Presently, airlines
8._____________________________ (require, not, yet) to reduce their carbon footprints, but the
Environmental Protection Agency is currently seeking public input on emissions standards that
9.____________________________ (M, apply), one day, to airlines operating in the U.S. The EPA
says that domestic aircraft account for 11% of the US transportation industry's greenhouse gas
emissions, and that these emissions contribute to air pollution in the atmosphere and endanger
public health.
Many airlines aren't waiting for regulations 10.___________________________ (enact).
United Airlines, for example, 11.________________________ (purchase) 15 million gallons of
renewable jet fuel made from beef fat, and plans to use it this year for Los Angeles-to-San
Francisco flights. Last month, UPS announced that it 12.________________________ (buy) 46
million gallons of renewable diesel made from used cooking oils and algae in the next three years
for its delivery trucks.
Secretary Tom Vilsack of the U.S. Department of Agriculture says his agency also sees food
waste and other animal products as a tremendous energy opportunity. "I have no hesitation in
13.________________________ (tell) you that we will have plenty of feedstock,"
he 14.________________________ (say) yesterday in a speech at Michigan State University. "The
challenge is now figuring out how 15.______________________ (do) it in the most efficient way."

B) Insert the missing prepositions and particles, one for each blank. (5 marks)
Do we want our buildings merely to shelter us, or do we also want them to speak to us? Can the
right sort of architecture even improve our character? Music mirrors the dynamics of our emotional
lives. Can’t architecture work the same way? Alain De Botton thinks so, and in The Architecture of
Happiness he makes the most 1.__________ this theme on his jolly trip 2.__________ the world of
architecture. De Botton certainly writes 3.___________ conviction and, while focusing on
happiness can be a lovely way to make sense of architectural beauty, it probably won’t help much
4.__________ resolving conflicts of taste. But this is completely 5.___________ the point, in the
author’s opinion.
C) Reword each sentence using the suggestions given. (8 marks)
1. I don’t really understand why you didn’t say anything!
What ___________________________________________________________________________
2. Right now, they are tuning Mike’s piano in time for the sound check.
Right now, Mike __________________________________________________________________
3. I have seldom tasted such a fine variety of food!
Seldom _________________________________________________________________________
4. “Have you started working on your weekly report?” inquired Sally’s boss.
Sally’s boss ______________________________________________________________________
5. I wish you didn’t live so far away from home!
If ______________________________________________________________________________
6. The apartment may be cheap but it’s really in terrible condition!
Cheap __________________________________________________________________________
7. People say Mr. Lessing has been awarded the “Teacher of the year” prize.
Mr. Lessing is ____________________________________________________________________
8. I didn’t realize the importance of a healthy diet until I got sick.
Not ____________________________________________________________________________

D) Multiple choice. Circle the correct alternative in each sentence. (5 marks)

1. Seeing the views / sights / scenes of a new country held far more interest for Sarah than meeting
new people and speaking the language.
2. The population has risen by 0.1% over the last two years. This slowly / slight / sudden increase
is due to births among the immigrant population.
3. What’s the meaning / point / utility in using a car when a train is cheaper and more relaxing?
4. He was always overshadowed / overcast / overdone by his famous father.
5. Probably the oldest and most effective form of advertising is word-of-mouth / mouthing word /
passing word.

E) Insert determiners (a, an, the, some, any, no, quantifiers, numbers, possessive adjectives,
NOT this, that, these, those) in the gaps. Where nothing is required put X. (5 marks)
1.______________ student of a foreign language needs to be told that grammar is complex.  By
changing 2.______________ word sequences and by adding 3.______________ range of auxiliary
verbs, we are able to communicate tiny variations in meaning.  For instance, we can turn a
statement into a question, state whether an action has taken place or is soon to take place, and
perform 4.______________ other word tricks to convey subtle, often complex differences.  This
complexity is not inherent to 5.______________English language.  6.______________ languages,
even those of so-called 'primitive' tribes, have clever grammatical components.  7.______________
Cherokee pronoun system, for example, can distinguish between 'you and I', 'several other people
and I' and 'you, another person and I'.  In English, 8.______________ these meanings are summed
up in 9.______________ crude pronoun 'we'. Grammar is universal and plays an important part in
10.______________ language, no matter how widespread it is.  So the question which has baffled
many linguists is: who created it?
F) Combine into single sentences. DO NOT use coordinating conjunctions or connectors (i.e.
and, but, or, so, therefore, yet, however, afterwards...). (7 marks)

1. The robbery took place in broad daylight. There seems to have been no eye-witnesses.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
2. The turkey was cooked. I took it out of the oven.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
3. You can play in the living room. The condition is that you stay away from the open fire.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
4. We were announced that the flight would be delayed. At that point, we decided to have a look at
the shops.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
5. They used gloves. They did it with the intention of not leaving any fingerprints.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
6. There was a lot of material to cover. Ian found it difficult to keep up with his studies (DO NOT
use As/Since/Because/For/In that).
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
7. Mother Teresa died in 1997. She dedicated her life to helping the poor and needy.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________

G) Complete the following sentences with a correct phrasal verb. (5 marks)

1. If United Petrols _______________________ the local oil company, there could be real
redundancy prospects for many workers. (take)
2. For many people, it’s difficult to _______________________ today’s rapid developments in
technology. (keep)
3. I’ll try and _______________________ writing some of my thesis this weekend, otherwise I’ll
never finish it. (get)
4. When the drugs begin to _______________________, you may feel some pain. (wear)
5. The contract is being _______________________ as we speak. (draw)
Key

A) Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of the verb in brackets. M means that a modal
is needed (15 points)
Food waste and beef fat will be making airplanes soar (from npr.org, August 20, 2015)
What 1.does beef fat have in common with manure and pine needles? It turns out you 2.can make
high-quality, low-carbon transportation fuel with all of them. A growing number of biofuel
producers 3.are currently teaming up with farms, meatpackers and waste management companies to
exploit gassy waste to meet new demand for renewable jet fuel and diesel for vehicles.
Several types of agricultural feedstock, from sugarcane to sweet potatoes, 4.can be used in
renewable fuel. But there's a bonus if you use organic waste. Methane, a super potent greenhouse
gas, 5.is released into the atmosphere as manure and food decompose. And that gas and that waste
are increasingly a liability for farmers. According to Steve Kaffy, director of the California Biomass
Collaborative, anaerobic digesters, which 6.convert the waste into biogas and power, can be a good
way for large farms to create a value-added product from waste.
Meanwhile, the transportation industry is starting to feel the pressure 7.to fill up on renewable
fuels. Presently airlines 8.aren't yet required/haven’t been required yet to reduce their carbon
footprints, but the Environmental Protection Agency is currently seeking public input on emissions
standards that 9.could/may/might apply/could be applied, one day, to airlines operating in the U.S.
The EPA says that domestic aircraft account for 11% of the US transportation industry's greenhouse
gas emissions, and that these emissions contribute to air pollution in the atmosphere and endanger
public health.
Many airlines aren't waiting for regulations 10.to be enacted. United Airlines 11.has purchased
15 million gallons of renewable jet fuel made from beef fat, and plans to use it this year for Los
Angeles-to-San Francisco flights. Last month, UPS announced it 12.would buy 46 million gallons
of renewable diesel made from used cooking oils and algae in the next three years for its delivery
trucks.
Secretary Tom Vilsack of the U.S. Department of Agriculture says his agency also sees food
waste and other animal products as a tremendous energy opportunity. "I have no hesitation in
13.telling you that we will have plenty of feedstock," he 14.said yesterday in a speech at Michigan
State University. "The challenge is figuring out how 15.to do it in the most efficient way."

B) Insert the missing prepositions and particles, one for each blank. (5 marks)
Do we want our buildings merely to shelter us, or do we also want them to speak to us? Can the
right sort of architecture even improve our character? Music mirrors the dynamics of our emotional
lives. Can’t architecture work the same way? Alain De Botton thinks so, and in The Architecture of
Happiness he makes the most 1.of this theme on his jolly trip 2.through/around/into/across (NOT
in) the world of architecture. De Botton certainly writes 3.with conviction and, while focusing on
happiness can be a lovely way to make sense of architectural beauty, it probably won’t help much
4.in resolving conflicts of taste. But this is totally 5.beside the point, in the author’s opinion.

C) Reword each sentence using the suggestions given. (8 marks)

1. I don’t really understand why you didn’t say anything.
What I really don’t understand is why you =
2. Right now, they are tuning Mike’s piano in time for the sound check.
Right now, Mike’s piano is being tuned in time for…/Mike is having is piano tuned in time…
3. I have seldom tasted such a fine variety of food!
Seldom have I tasted =
4. “Have you started working on your weekly report?” inquired Sally’s boss.
Sally’s boss inquired if/whether she had started working on her weekly report.
5. I wish you didn’t live so far away from home!
If only you didn’t live =
6. The apartment may be cheap but it’s really in terrible condition!
Cheap as/though it may be, (NO ‘but’ here) the apartment is really in terrible condition.
7. People say Mr. Lessing has been awarded the “Teacher of the year” prize.
Mr. Lessing is said to have been awarded =
8. I didn’t realize the importance of a healthy diet until I got sick.
Not until I got sick did I realize the importance of a healthy diet.
D) Multiple choice. Circle the correct alternative in each sentence. (5 marks)
1. Seeing the views / sights / scenes of a new country held far more interest for Sarah than meeting
new people and speaking the language.
2. The population has risen by 0.1% over the last two years. This slowly / slight / sudden increase is
due to births among the immigrant population.
3. What’s the meaning / point / utility in using a car when a train is cheaper and more relaxing?
4. He was always overshadowed / overcast / overdone by his famous father.
5. Probably the oldest and most effective form of advertising is word-of-mouth / mouthing word /
passing word.

E) Insert determiners (a, an, the, some, any, no, quantifiers, numbers, possessive adjectives,
NOT this, that, these, those) in the gaps. Where nothing is required put X. (5 marks)
1.No student of a foreign language needs to be told that grammar is complex.  By changing
2.X/some word sequences and by adding 3.a range of auxiliary verbs and suffixes, we are able to
communicate tiny variations in meaning.  For instance, we can turn a statement into a question,
state whether an action has taken place or is soon to take place, and perform 4.many/lots of/a lot
of/plenty of/several/(some) other word tricks to convey subtle differences.  This complexity is not
inherent to 5.the English language.  6.X/All/Other/Many/Plenty of/A lot of/Lots of languages,
even those of so-called 'primitive' tribes, have clever grammatical components.  7.The Cherokee
pronoun system, for example, can distinguish between 'you and I', 'several other people and I' and
'you, another person and I'.  In English, 8.x/all these meanings are summed up in 9.the crude
pronoun 'we'. Grammar is universal and plays a part in 10.a/any/every language, no matter how
widespread it is.  So the question which has baffled many linguists is: who created it?

F) Combine into single sentences. DO NOT use coordinating conjunctions (i.e. and, but, or, so,
therefore, yet, however, afterwards...). (7 marks)
1. Although/Even though/Though the robbery took place in broad daylight, there seem to have been
no eye-witnesses. contrast
2. Since/As/Once/As soon as/When the turkey was cooked, I took it out of the oven. Cause/time
3. You can play in the living room as long as/providing/provided/on condition that you stay away
from the open fire. Condition – accepted also if you stay away…, you can play…
4. After/As/As soon as/The moment we were announced that the flight would be delayed, we
decided to have a look at the shops. time
5. They used gloves so as not to/in order not to leave any fingerprints. Purpose – accepted also
Since they didn’t want to leave fingerprints, they…
6. There was such a lot of material to cover that Ian found it difficult to keep up with his studies.
(don’t use As/Since/For/In that) result – accepted also Having a lot of…, Ian found IT difficult…
OR Due to the fact that there was a lot of…, Ian found it…
7. Mother Teresa, who dedicated her life to helping the poor and needy, died in 1997 OR Mother
Teresa, who died in 1997, dedicated her life to helping the poor and needy. Relative – accepted also
M T died in… after dedicating her life to… OR Before M T died in…, she dedicated her life to…

G) Complete the following sentences with a correct phrasal verb. (5 marks)

1. If United Petrols take(s) over the oil company, there could be real redundancy prospects for
many workers. (take)
2. For many people, it’s difficult to keep up with today’s rapid developments in technology. (keep)
3. I’ll try and get round/down to/get on with writing some of my thesis this weekend, otherwise I’ll
never finish it. (get)
4. When the drugs begin to wear off, you may feel some pain. (wear)
5. The contract is being drawn up as we speak. (draw)