PART ONE: QUESTIONS 1-5

Read the following advertisements. Match the topics (B-J) with the numbers

(1-5) in the table below.

(0) has been done for you as an example.

(0) If youre trying to do your bit to live a greener lifestyle, this could be the solution youve been looking for. The Toyota Prius gives motorists a greener option with its lower emissions and great fuel efficiency, making it one of the greenest vehicles in its class.

(1) Multimedia player for music, photos and movies. Full calendar synchronization. Business grade email. Web browsing Crystal clear colour screen, GPS enabled (BlackBerry Curve 831 Smartphone). Find out what BlackBerry can do for you in 2008. Go in store today.

(2) The comfortless days of January make it a good month for settling down with some old-fashioned detective fiction. Vintage has just reissued two Margery Allingham novels, 1962s The China Governess, and 1958s Hide My Eyes (both 7.99).

(3) This week we have teamed up with Los Angeles Fitness to Kickstart you into 2008. We have got 50 memberships to give away making sure that you burn all of those extra calories and get toned, healthy, and ready for when the sun returns in the spring.

(4) We could help you get what you need, when you want it, with a loan rate of only 6.4%. So whether its a new motorbike or a new motorboat, we can give you your money the very same day you apply. To find out more, just call our local branch.

(5) Dont strain your neck trying to watch the TV. Create the best angle for viewing the screen with this Swivel TV Table. With a beautiful warm mahogany finish, this table will look stylish in any room. Watch your favourite programmes with the best view. Order yours today!

ACar

(0)A

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

BTV set

CPost

DPhone

ELaptop

FFruit

GBook

HGym

IBank

JTable

Now turn over the page for PART TWO.

PART TWO: QUESTIONS 6-10

Read the following extracts on ancient tribes and circle the BEST answer to the questions below.

(0) has been done for you as an example.

Nobody knows where the Avars came from. They lived in Eastern Europe between the 6th and the 9th century. Between 550 and 575 AD they moved to the area between the Danube and Tisza rivers. The Avars fought wars against Byzantium. They also were responsible for the migration of the Serbs and the Croats. The Avar state was destroyed in 805.

The Goths were a Germanic people. They came from south Scandinavia. The Goths sailed across the Baltic Sea in three ships. They landed on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea, and stayed in that area. In the 3rd century AD, they moved towards the Balkan Peninsula. They were famous for their round shields, short swords, and their obedience to their kings.

The Marcomanni were a Germanic nation, but nobody knows where they came from. They lived near the Main River around 100 BC. There they built a powerful confederation of German tribes. The Marcomanni were friends of Rome. For many years they received money from Rome. Many Roman traders lived in their country.

We know nothing about the origin of the Tauri. They lived on the south coast of the Crimean Sea. They were a nation of pirates. They attacked the ships that sailed on the Black Sea. They sacrificed strangers to their goddess. In the 2nd century BC they were allies of the Scythian king Scilurus. Nobody knows anything about their later history.

The Alani were a nomadic people. They lived northeast of the Black Sea. They specialized in horse breeding. About 370 AD the Alani were attacked by the Huns. Many escaped to the west, together with the Vandals and Suebi. Some of the Alani settled near Orlans in France and Valence in Spain. However, most moved to North Africa where they settled with the Vandals.

(0) Where did the Avars come from?

a) We dont know.

b) Eastern Europe.c) Danube valley.(6) The Avars were in war with

a) the Serbs.b) the Croats.c) Byzantium.(7) When did the Goths start moving to the Balkans?

a) Third century.b) Thirteenth century.c) Eighth century.(8) The Marcomanni lived near

a) a great city.b) a river.c) a big state.(9) The Tauri were attacked bya) nomads.b) pirates.c) Doesnt say.(10) The Alani lived with

a) the Huns.b) the Vandals.c) the Germans.(0)A

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

Now turn over the page for PART THREE.

PART THREE: QUESTIONS 11-16

Read the following extracts about training courses.

Match the questions (B-J) and extracts (16-20) in the table below.

There are four extra questions. Do not use them.

(0) has been done for you as an example.

(0) You want to advance in your career. Ask yourself in what way? Do you need a new skill set or do you need to certify the skills you already have? Did a similar training package enable others to gain what you seek?

(11)Vital to the effectiveness of training is how it is delivered. Is this appropriate for your needs? Can the sort of advanced training you seek be delivered by correspondence or does it need to be hands-on? Will a companys methods suit your needs? (12)Companies should be upfront about this. Advertisements of 100% pass rates are excellent if a thousand people took the course. Not so impressive if there were only two. Companies with a proven track record will not hide this.(13)If youre experienced in the industry then you should expect to be training with or on a course designed for professionals similar to yourself. It can be upsetting to pay fees only to find yourself sitting next to a person years behind you in career development. (14)There is a variety of material that could suit you. An experienced trainer should be allowed to tailor the course to suit your needs. Do the trainers have input in the material they deliver or do they use ready-made training materials? (15)Some companies allow this others dont. Visiting a working classroom can tell you a lot about a company. Will you have to share equipment? How many trainees are there per classroom? Can you talk to others who have completed the programme?

A.What am I looking for?

B.How do I take exams?

C.Can I have personal trainers?

D.What kind of people are let on?

E.Who passes the course?

F.Can I sample the training?

G.How many were successful?

H.How is the course carried out?

I.Who writes the programme?

J.Can I meet my trainer first?

(0)A

(11)

(12)

(13)

(14)

(15)

Now turn over the page for PART FOUR.

PART FOUR: QUESTIONS 16-20

Read the following text.Match the statements that are true for the text (B-J) and the numbers (16-20) in the table below.

There are four extra sentences. Do not use them.(0) has been done for you as an example.

The end of the Cold War caused many of the larger navies to rethink priorities. The US Navy, for example, having spent billions of dollars on developing the new Seawolf-class submarines stopped construction at three vessels in order to concentrate on a new class, the Virginia.

The UK, while striving to maintain a navy capable of meeting a wider range of operational roles, is having to cut back on its fleet strength. Under plans laid out in 2004, the RN's frigate/destroyer force was reduced from a level of 31 ships to 25, while the number of mine countermeasures vessels was cut from 22 to 16.

The Russians were in a rather better position than the Western powers, because the collapse of the Soviet order meant that all work on new designs and construction was stopped. Now that more money is available, the navy is starting to rebuild, with designs more suited to the new requirements. However, much Cold War thinking is still evident, even in the latest designs, as well as in the maritime strategy adopted by Russia. The latest evidence of this is the recent announcement by the Russian Defence Minister that he was dispatching a Joint Naval Task Force (JNTF) to the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. The aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, two large Udaloy-class anti-submarine warfare ships - Admiral Levchenko and Admiral Chabanenko - and an auxiliary ship left Severomorsk, Russia's main northern naval base, for the Mediterranean on 5 December 2007, where they were to be joined by a Black Sea Fleet missile cruiser, Moskva, and a tanker. A total of four major warships and seven other vessels of Russia's Northern, Black Sea and Baltic fleets, as well as 47 aircraft, including 14 strategic naval aircraft and 10 helicopters, were to take part in the mission. A. Todays navies need to change to meet modern requirements.

B. The US Navy is currently producing two classes of submarines.

C. The US Navy has a submarine production facility in Virginia, US.

D. The UK navy now has a total of twelve vessels less than before.

E. The UK navy planned cutting down its numbers four years ago.

F. When the Cold War ended, the Russian navy was in a bad shape.

G. Three Admirals of the Russian navy are taking part in the exercise.

H. One aircraft carrier and three warships are included in this exercise.

I. Eleven Russian ships are scheduled to meet in the Mediterranean.

J. Theres more than fifty aircraft in the Russian Joint Naval Task Force.

(0)A

(16)

(17)

(18)

(19)

(20)

Now turn over the page for PART FIVE.PART FIVE: QUESTIONS 21-25

Read the following text and circle T (true), F (false), NG (not given) for the questions below.

(0) has been done for you as an example.

Dinosaurs owe their fearsome reputation to the way they breathed, according to a UK study. They had one of the most efficient respiratory systems of all animals, similar to that of modern diving birds like penguins, fossil evidence shows. It fuelled their bodies with oxygen for the task of sprinting after prey, say researchers at Manchester University.

The two-legged meat-eaters had air sacs ventilated by tiny bones that moved the ribcage up and down. "Finding these structures in modern birds and their extinct dinosaur ancestors suggests that these running dinosaurs had an efficient respiratory system and supports the theory that they were highly active animals that could run quickly when pursuing their prey," said Dr Jonathan Codd, who led the research. "It provides a mechanism for facilitating avian-like breathing in non-avian dinosaurs and it was there long before the evolution of flight occurred," Mr Codd said.

Modern-day birds have a highly specialised respiratory system, made up of a small rigid lung and around nine air sacs. Bony projections on the ribcage known as uncinate processes play an important role in both respiration and locomotion. The small bones act as levers to move the ribs and sternum during breathing. They have become adapted in different types of birds to deal with different ways of getting around. The bones are shortest in runners like emus that don't need large breast muscles for flight, intermediate in flying birds and longest in divers such as the penguin.

The Manchester team studied a wealth of fossil remains of dinosaurs and compared these with skeletons of living birds. They found that uncinate processes are also found both in dinosaurs, and in modern species.

Dinosaurs are most like diving birds in their morphology. "The dinosaurs we studied had long uncinate processes similar in structure to those of diving birds," said Dr Codd. "This suggests both dinosaurs and diving birds need longer lever arms to help them breathe. The data may provide clues to how dinosaurs evolved and how they might have lived," he added. (0)A recent study suggests that dinosaurs could dive.

TFNG(21)The breathing system enabled dinosaurs to be fast.

TFNG(22)Dinosaurs breathed like birds before they could fly.

TFNG(23)Both dinosaurs and modern-day birds had flexible lungs.TFNG(24)Bone length in birds is determined by the way they feed.

TFNG(25)The study confirms that birds descend from dinosaurs.

TFNG

Now turn over the page for PART SIX.PART SIX: QUESTIONS 26-30

Read the following news items and circle the BEST answer to the questions below.

(0) has been done for you as an example.

(0)Chile has returned almost 4,000 books to Peru's national library, a century after they were taken by Chilean soldiers from the Peruvian capital, Lima. Chile's director of Libraries said it signaled a commitment to building of brotherhood between the two countries. While the two governments are friendlier than ever, there is still a dispute over maritime borders which Peru threatens to take to the International Court. Chile and Peru:

a) now have the best diplomatic relations in their history.

b) are involved in a lawsuit at the International Court.

c) have been arguing over the ownership of the books

d) will establish bilateral relations after years of hostility(26)A US congressional committee has criticized Yahoo for not giving full details about its role in the jailing of a reporter by Chinese authorities. The reporter was jailed after Yahoo helped the officials trace him. Yahoo's Michael Callahan told Congress he did not know at the time why China wanted the details. This was inexcusably negligent behavior at best, and deliberately deceptive behavior at worst, said Tom Lantos, chairman of the House committee.

Yahoo:

a) may have intentionally lied to the Congress

b) has been charged with human rights violation

c) was paid by the Chinese police to cooperate

d) got wrong information from the Chinese police (27)The former Governor of Illinois has begun a six-and-a-half year prison sentence. He was convicted in 2006 for steering state contracts to friends and associates in return for rewards. Mr Ryan has always said he is innocent. Mr Ryan has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his opposition to the death penalty. He commuted the death sentences of 167 inmates to life in prison before he left office in 2003.

Mr Ryan:

a) was wrongly nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize

b) is a wrongfully jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner

c) ended up in jail because he was found corrupt

d) is now in jail because he freed 167 prisoners

(28)A 23-year-old who called herself the "Lyrical Terrorist" has become the first woman in the UK to be convicted under the Terrorism Act. Samina Malik from west London, has been found guilty of owning terrorist manuals. The jury heard Malik had written extremist poems honouring Osama Bin Laden and martyrdom. Malik said the poems were "meaningless", but prosecutor Jonathan Sharp said: "These communications strongly indicate Samina Malik was deeply involved with terrorist related groups."

Samina was convicted because she:

a) wrote poems in praise of terrorism.

b) was a member of a terrorist group.

c) possessed terrorist handbooks.

d) openly supported Osama Bin Laden.

(29)Former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik is to be indicted on corruption charges, reports in the United States say. Mr Kerik, a close ally of Rudolph Giuliani, the Republican runner for presidency, is expected to hand himself in to the New York authorities. He is accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars from an allegedly mafia-related construction firm. Mr Kerik was once President Bush's choice for homeland security secretary.

Bernard Kerik is:

a) an associate of President Bush.

b) a member of a criminal group.

c) in prison because he is a fraud.

d) a presidential candidates friend.(30)Black holes are the most likely source of the mysterious ultra high-energy cosmic rays that bombard the planet, scientists have discovered. Observations at the world's largest cosmic ray detector suggest the particles are emitted by huge black holes in the middle of nearby galaxies. The findings, unveiled in Science, may solve a long-running puzzle. The origins of the highest energy forms of cosmic rays have been a mystery since their discovery in 1912.

What would be the best title for this short text?

a) Clue to cosmic rays discovered.

b) Black holes swallowing planets.

c) A new source of energy for us.

d) Scientists spot a far-away galaxy.

This is the end of the reading test.Make sure you wrote your answers on the Answer Sheet.11