Sample Proficiency Test 1   
 
SECTION I. USE of ENGLISH /
Choose the alternative that best fits in each blank to make the texts meaningful.
Text 1.
To Clone or Not!
Britain’s Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and the Human Genetics Advisory Commission (HGAC) have advised the government to let research on human cloning for therapeutic purposes 1_____ under specific circumstances. They recommended that the purposes 2_____ human embryos may be used for in research be extended. The government, 3_____, has decided to keep a complete ban on such research while other advisers reconsider the issue. In an editorial, New Scientist described this as a huge mistake and asked how 4_____. An expert advisory group has 5_____ advise on the recommendation by the HFEA and the HGAC. The report written by the HFEA and HGAC recognises that  extending the purposes is not a simple matter. It recommends that the government consider changing the law to allow further uses of human embryos in research. However, changing this law is a big step 6_____ further details on needs and risks and serious consideration of certain issues raised by using human embryos.
1. A) to proceed            B) which proceed C) proceed  D) and proceed
2. A) what                    B) which            C) whose    D) why
3. A) however               B) whereas         C) consequently             D) therefore
4. 
A) could holding up such vital research be justified
B) could they justify holding up such vital research
C) justified could holding up such vital research be
D) holding up such vital research could be justified
5. 
A) assigned to          C) been assigned for
B) been assigned to   D) been assigning for 
6.  A) where required         B) for requiring          C) requiring   D) to require

Text 2.
Ants and Traffic
Can ants provide answers to traffic problems? A German scientist says ants can teach humans how 7_____ traffic. 8_____ ant colonies for several years, Dirk Helbing, of Dresden University, was able to see how they 9_____with heavy insect traffic. In a scientific test, Helbing and colleagues from two other universities studied how ants crossed a bridge between their nest and a food source when they had a choice between two 10_____ paths. When there were few ants, or little traffic, they mainly used one path. This was because ants left traces of pheromones on paths 11_____ used and the more of these traces there were on a path, 12_____ to other ants. The ants only started to use the second path when the first one was becoming too crowded. Scientists say this is 13_____ to the way the growth of cities prevents main traffic routes from 14____. And they hope 15_____ the mathematical model of ‘ant algorithms’ to better regulate data traffic on the internet.
7.
A) can they regulate   C) can it be regulated 
B) them to regulate   D) to regulate
8.
A) Having studied   C) Being studied
B) For studying    D) To be studying
9. A) fell out   B) dealt              C) got along   D) took
10.
A) long equally                C) equally long
B) equal in length                          D) length equal
11. A) where  B) which C) that               D) they
12.
A) it was more attractive              C) the more attractive it was
B) it was more attractive than D) more attractive it was than
13. A) same   B) unlike C) different  D) similar
14.
A) getting blocked               C) to get blocked
B) to be blocked                           D) getting to block
15. A) that to use B) them to use  C) to use              D) they would use
Text 3.
Types of Diving
Of all the types of diving, free diving is the oldest and simplest.  In fact, people 16_____ into seas and oceans long before diving equipment was invented. 17_____ no equipment is necessary for free diving, most free divers use a face mask, foot fins, and a snorkel. Free divers must hold their breath under the surface. Most free divers can only descend 30 to 40 feet, 18 _____ some skilled divers can go as deep as 100 feet.  Scuba diving provides a greater 19_____ than free diving. The word scuba 20_____ self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. Scuba divers wear metal tanks with compressed air or other breathing gases. 21_____ using open-circuit equipment, a scuba diver simply breathes air from the tank  through a hose and 22_____ the exhaled air into the water. A closed-circuit breathing device, also called a re-breather, filters out carbon dioxide and other harmful gases and automatically adds oxygen, 23_____ the diver to breathe the same air over and over.
In surface supplied diving, divers wear helmets and water proof canvas suits. Today, sophisticated plastic helmets have replaced the heavy copper helmets which divers 24_____ in the past. A hose connected to compressors on a boat 25_____ air for the diver. Surface-supplied divers can go deeper than any other type of diver.
16.
A) would have dived    C) will have dived
B) had dived     D) have dived
17. A) However  B) Whether    C) Since  D) Although
18. A) while              B) instead of  C) in fact  D) contrary to
19. A) proportion B) range  C) composition  D) property
20. A) results from B) is derived from C) stands for  D) leads to
21. A) During  B) When  C) As long as  D) Providing that
22. A) releases  B) retreats  C) exploits  D) transports
23. A) to be enabled B) being enabled C) and enabling  D) enabling
24.
A)  would have worn    C) used to wear 
B)  would be wearing    D) used to wearing
25. A) provokes  B) provides  C) prevents  D) prohibits
Text 4.
Just Passing By
The planet Venus crosses directly in front of the sun only twice a century – and on June 8, 2004, this event happened for the first time since 1882. The transit always takes only about six hours. In 1627, the great German astronomer Johannes Kepler first 26_____ a transit of Venus, but he died 27_____ he could witness the 1631 event. In 1769, the explorer Captain James Cook – just a lieutenant at the time – made his first voyage to the South Pacific 28_____ to view that year’s transit from Tahiti. Moreover, more than 50 expeditions 29_____ from the U.S., Britain, Russia and other nations to every corner of the earth to see the 1874 transit. There was an important reason to make such efforts: 30_____ the moments a transit began and ended from different points on Earth, astronomers could use trigonometry to 31_____ calculate the distance from Earth to the sun. That was 32_____ in theory than in practice, though, and nowadays astronomers use other methods to measure the distance to the sun. Last June, the world was watching out of 33_____ and wondered at seeing a planet 34_____ across the face of the sun – first hand proof that the seemingly two-dimensional sky is anything but. A transit is coming June 6, 2012. The people who miss that one are out of luck because there 35_____ be another transit until 2117.
26. A) managed  B) positioned  C) established  D) predicted
27. A) before  B) unless  C) until   D) while
28. A) so that  B) in case  C) as well as  D) in order
29. A) are launched B) launched  C) were launched D) have launched
30.
A) having been recorded   C) that recorded
B) being recorded    D) by recording
31. A) frequently B) precisely  C) ultimately  D) absolutely
32. A) easier  B) easily  C) easiest  D) more easily
33. A) complexity B) determination C) curiosity  D) decision
34. A) move  B) to move  C) moved  D) being moved
35. A) needn’t  B) will               C) could  D) won’t

SECTION II. READING COMPREHENSION /
Text 1. Read the text and choose the alternative that best answers each question.

Want To Be Slim? Cut Your Blood Supply!

Scientists have found a new way to make the obese slim again – by cutting off the blood supply to the layers of fat that are a health hazard for hundreds of millions of people. The technique called “molecular liposuction” so far works only in mice. A team at the University of Houston, Texas, report in Nature Medicine Today that weeks of treatment by an experimental drug restored the normal weight of mice that had doubled their size on a high-fat “cafeteria” diet.
“If even a fraction of what we found in mice relates to human biology, then we are cautiously optimistic that there may be a new way to think about reversing obesity,” said Renata Pasqualini, of the University of Texas at Houston.
Obesity is now one of the biggest problems in world health. Almost one American in three is seriously overweight. One British person in four is clinically obese. Even in the developing world, obesity levels are rising rapidly. Obesity has been linked to adult-onset type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular hazards and increased risks of cancer. Health authorities have urged people to eat less, choose a diet richer in fruit and vegetables and exercise more.
Cosmetic surgeons have promoted liposuction – the drastic removal of fat – and stomach surgery. Geneticists have been trying to make a hereditary connection – because some groups of people seem to be at greater risk of obesity – and research groups have been studying the hormonal cycles linked with eating in the search for appetite-suppressing pills.
However, the Texas team tried an approach already being investigated as a cancer treatment. In theory, life-threatening tumours would first halt and then decline if you could cut off the blood supply to the cancerous tissue. The growth of fat tissue, too, depends on a steady supply of oxygen and nutrients delivered in the blood. These fat cells are abnormally greedy for oxygen, and half a kilo of fat contains a mile of blood vessels, according to one estimate. Blood vessels differ according to the “postal code addresses” they serve. So the Houston scientists, based at the university’s M.D. Anderson Cancer Centre, searched for unique protein markers that would identify only those blood cells that served fatty tissue.
They found one called prohibitin, already known to regulate cell survival and growth. They attached to it a synthetic drug already known from cancer trial to cause a cell to self-destruct. Then they injected it into mice that had become grossly overweight on a high-fat, sugary diet. Within four weeks, the mice had reached their normal weight again. The fat had been reabsorbed and metabolised. Other collaborators looked for evidence of toxic or unpleasant side effects – such as fat accumulation in the liver and blood – and found none. But further trials are needed.
 
36. Molecular liposuction is _____.
A) cutting out the fat layers that are a threat to the body
B) supplying blood to the layers of fat
C) stopping blood from getting to the fat layers
D) going on a high-fat “cafeteria” diet
37. Which of the following sentences is true according to the article?
A) Most Americans prefer molecular liposuction to liposuction.
B) Mice and human biology are totally different.
C) The drug hasn’t been experimented on humans yet.
D) Pasqualini doesn’t believe that reversing obesity is possible.
38. Obesity _____.
A) is more common in Britain than in America
B) has decreased sharply in the developing countries
C) is usually the result of cancer
D) may lead to cardiovascular problems
39. Cosmetic surgeons, geneticists and  research groups all _____.
A) promote liposuction as the remedy to obesity
B) have  different approaches in the treatment of obesity
C) seem to be at greater risk of obesity
D) study the hormonal cycles and search for appetite-suppressing pills
40. Fat cells _____.
A) need the nutrients in the blood
B) don’t need any oxygen
C) help treat tumours
D) supply blood to cancerous tissue
41. What does ‘it’ in line 28 refer to?
A) cell    B) survival                    C) growth                      D) prohibitin
42. The word ‘collaborators’ in line 31 could best be replaced by _____.
A) researchers             B) geneticists  C) surgeons    D) cosmetologists
43. The experimental drug _____.
A) seems to have toxic side effects
B) causes fat to accumulate in the liver
C) raises the amount of fat in the heart
D) causes a cell to destroy itself 
44. The article mainly deals with _____.               
A) how the biology of mice relates to the biology of humans
B) the connection found between cancer and obesity
C) how a high-fat “cafeteria” diet can be used for humans
D) new research connected with the treatment of obesity

Text 2. Read the text and choose the alternative that best answers each question.
New IDs

When defending his proposal for a national ID card scheme, United Kingdom Home Secretary David Blunkett said that it could be effective in fighting terrorism. Draft legislation outlining the plans for the scheme will be published on Monday and a pilot trial is due to begin soon. However, civil rights groups say it is a “myth” that the cards will prevent terror attacks, thus indicating their opposition to the proposal. As an answer to these groups, Mr. Blunkett told the BBC: “This is not a dream. This is real. This is about recognising the massive change that’s taken place in the world.” Speaking on a BBC programme called One’s Breakfast With Frost, he said the proposed programme would begin voluntarily before including the whole population. “Within three years we will be in a position to start everyone having a biometric passport issued and along with it a biometric card.” This would include specific identifiers like iris scans, finger prints or facial recognition. “Within seven years we’d start to move towards a position where people generally across the whole population have got an ID card,” he said. “At that point, we’ve agreed that we’ll present a report to parliament on how it’s working and whether it should be compulsory, and at that point we’ll have a vote.” Mr. Blunkett said the cards would stop terrorists from using multiple identities, which would help prevent attacks.
“The Spanish do have an ID card – but it isn’t a foolproof biometric card with a database, with the ability to test not only the card, but actually the person and the card they hold. That’s what will be potentially possible and this will ensure that they can’t have multiple identities.” Cards could also help fight so-called health tourism and benefit fraud, Mr. Blunkett suggested. “The exploitation of our services, particularly our health and welfare services, is something we’ll be able to control. In other words, it will stop fraud in such areas.” he said. “We’ll be able to ensure that through true identity we can avoid clandestine entry to the country and working illegally.” He also said that it would ensure that people who benefit from social welfare are only those who are entitled to it.  The scheme would not depend on people carrying their cards at all times. Mr. Blunkett said the technology would allow officials to double-check someone’s identity simply by scanning, for example, an iris or a fingerprint. He said: “This is about true identity: true identity will enable us to know who is who and who is in the country. Thus, we will be able to trace them. We will know what they’re entitled to, or what their intentions are.”
However, the proposal faces opposition among Labour’s own members, with Labour MP David Winnick saying the entire idea should be “dropped”. “I think this is a very costly exercise which will not do what is claimed by the home secretary and other enthusiasts,” he said. Civil rights group Liberty raised concerns that the government would be unable to keep personal data secure, raising privacy concerns. Executive director Shami Chakrabarti said, “David Blunkett is too quick to offer  various draconian measures as a magic bullet to erase fears and solve our current problems such as terrorism, illegal immigration and so on.” Campaigners say having several methods of identification, including passports, driving licences and benefit cards, is the safest option.
Ministers have said the £3.1 billion  cost of introducing a national ID card will be met by raising the cost of passports. Mr. Blunkett said it would cost approximately £31 per person to add biometric details to passports, and people would only pay around an extra £4 for the ID card element. But he said there would be concessions for people on low incomes, including the elderly and those applying for their first card at the age of 16, or poor people on welfare. Government sources say that under the new proposals, carrying false identity papers will become a specific offence for the first time, with offenders facing up to 10 years in jail.
 
45. The word ‘it’ in line 10 refers to _____.
A) biometric passport B) biometric card   C) every person           D) the proposal
46. The word ‘clandestine’ in line 23 is similar in meaning to _____.
A) restricted  B) permitted  C) secret  D) legal
47. The word ‘draconian’ in line 36 is similar in meaning to _____.
A) flexible      B) severe  C) loose             D) dangerous
48. The word ‘concessions’ in line 43 could best be replaced by _____.
A) reductions  B) classification  C) division  D) disadvantages
49. Which of the following is true about the national ID card?
A) Civil Rights groups are supportive of it.
B) It will be compulsory for everyone in the next three years.
C) There will be a vote in parliament in about seven years.
D) Mr. Blunkett does not think it is necessary to have a test period. 
50.  Which of the following does Mr. Blunkett claim?
A) Terrorist attacks cannot be prevented even if both the cards and the holders are tested.
B) Once the cards are in use, it will be possible to better control health and welfare services.
C) People across the country will have to carry their new ID cards with them all the time.
D) The Spanish are already using a biometric ID card just like the one he proposed.
51. Which is true according to the article?
A) The scheme is supported by most civilians in the country.
B) Illegal immigrants will probably be in favour of the scheme.
C) The implementation of the new card system has not raised any financial worries.
D) Members of Liberty think the new card may be a threat to people’s privacy.
52. Which of the following is not given by Blunkett as an advantage of the new ID card?
A) It will stop people from using multiple identities.
B) It will indirectly contribute to the economy of the country.
C) It will make it easy to trace the people who enter the country.
D) It will help fight terrorist attacks and illegal immigration.
53. Which of the following is not discussed in the article?
A) Why the government wants to stop paying welfare benefits to the unemployed
B) How people carrying false identification papers will be punished
C) Whether carrying false identification will be regarded as a specific offence
D) How much it will cost a person to have his/her new biometric ID card issued
54. The author’s purpose in writing this article is to _____.
A) introduce Home Secretary Blunkett’s proposal and the reactions it has received
B) explain how Blunkett’s proposal for a new ID card can help fight against terrorism
C) explain fraud such as illegal entry to the country and exploitation of social services
D) compare the newly proposed ID cards to the several other methods of identification

Text 3. Read the text and choose the alternative that best answers each question.
Eskimos vs. Wolves
 
It would be a mistake to assume that primitive societies are unable to realize the potential of their environment or to effectively cope with its demands. Given the general level of technology available, they do adapt to and manipulate their environment in a sophisticated and understanding manner for the sake of their own safety and comfort. It is possible to give countless examples to illustrate how primitive societies can effectively and somewhat shrewdly overcome the dangers of the environment. One such example is the way some Eskimo groups fight against wolves, which are a menace to their lives.
Wolves could perhaps be hunted down and killed. However, as this involves danger and causes a waste of time and energy, a simple yet ingenious device is employed. They have created a clever trap. A sharp sliver of bone is curled into a spring like shape, and seal blubber is moulded around it and left to freeze. This is then placed where it can be discovered by a hungry wolf, which, living up to its reputation, “wolfs it down”. Later, as the wolf digests “this time bomb” and as the blubber disappears, the bone uncurls and its sharp ends pierce the wolf’s stomach, causing internal bleeding and death. The job gets done! This is a fairly secure technique that utilizes the Eskimo appreciation of wolf psychology and its habits.
 
55. The word ‘they’ in line 3 refers to _____.
A) potentials of the environment  C) demands of the environment
B) assumed mistakes   D) primitive societies
56. The word ‘manipulate’ in line 3 is similar in meaning to _____.
A) control  B) check  C) fight     D) beat
57. The word ‘illustrate’ in line 5 could best be replaced by _____.
A) assert  B) argue  C) show  D) support
58. The word ‘their’ in line 7 refers to _____.
A) dangers  B) wolves  C) Eskimos  D) fights
59. The word ‘employed’ in line 9 could best be replaced by ______.
A) discovered  B) occupied  C) overcome  D) used 
60. The word ‘This’ in line 11 refers to _____.
A) a curled spring B) a sliver of bone C) seal blubber  D) the trap
 
61. The Eskimo’s method of killing wolves, as explained in the text, is _____.
A) one that requires placing ice in the wolf’s stomach
B) a more practical and clever solution than hunting
C) not very practical as it causes loss of time and energy
D) not a very secure technique since it causes death
62. The purpose of the text is to discuss _____.
A) how primitive societies can overcome environmental dangers through what little technology they have
B) why primitive societies, such as Eskimos, do not necessarily need gun
C) whether it would be possible for societies to survive without technology
D) how some Eskimo groups kill wolves without using advanced technology
 
Text 4. Gapped Text (Questions 63- 65)
Three sentences have been deleted from the text below. Choose  the  alternative (a -D)
that would best fit in each box (63 –65) and mark the answer on the answer sheet. There is one extra sentence which you do not need.
English in African Schools
Throughout Anglophone Africa, English is seen as the key to economic power and progress and it is the preferred language of education in African classrooms. Surveys carried out in a number of schools in Africa indicate that most students in schools and colleges there prefer to be instructed in English (or French) as this greatly increases their career prospects in a rapidly globalizing world. (63) _______________ UNESCO’s international literacy institute describes it as one of the most important challenges facing African countries this  millennium.
English is a colonial language, and it continued to be the official language after independence in virtually all African countries that were under British rule. In some cases, it was employed to avoid ethnic tensions; in all cases, it was retained because of its prestige and association with power. (64) ________________ Students were made to feel ashamed of their mother tongue and punished for speaking it at school. In Kenya, for example, speaking in the mother tongue was forbidden in schools and punished. One popular method was to embarrass pupils by making them carry around the skull of a dead animal all day.
Today, it is difficult to use the native languages because they have not been codified and standardised. There is also a shortage of teaching materials and trained teachers in the native languages. (65) __________________   Even the terms used to refer to these languages are controversial. They include such terms as ‘dialects’, ‘minority languages’ and ‘undeveloped languages’ – all of which suggest that these languages are not rich in expression and are unsuitable for modern needs. They are considered incapable of being part of a modern education which includes science and technology.
A) In contrast, the native languages were seen as backward and inferior.
B) This has often been used as an excuse for not adopting them in schools.
C) This preference has caused a debate as to whether education should be carried out in the 
     mother tongue or in the second language.
D) Teaching foreign languages has always been one of the most popular jobs in Africa.
SECTION III. WRITING
Write an essay of 250 – 300 words on ONE of the topics given below. Your essay must have an introduction / a clear thesis statement (with controlling idea/s), at least 2 body paragraphs with relevant supporting ideas and a conclusion. Your ideas should be organized properly.

With news readily available from electronic media, why are newspapers still popular? Discuss.
Plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons has become very popular, especially among women. Discuss the reasons for this.
How does reading influence a person’s life? Discuss.
How does the educational level of people’s parents affect their lives? Discuss.
 
WRITE YOUR ESSAY ON THE CODED SHEET PROVIDED.
Essays written on any other sheet will not be graded.
DO NOT WRITE HERE
Essays written on the pages of this booklet will NOT be graded.
KEY A VERSION
1. C
2. B
3. A
4. D
5. B
6. C
7. D
8. A
9. B
10. C
11. D
12. C
13. D
14. A
15. C
16. B
17. D
18. A
19. B
20. C
21. B
22. A
23. D
24. C
25. B
26. D
27. A
28. D
29. C
30. D
31. B
32. A
33. C
34. A
35. D
36. C
37. C
38. D
39. B
40. A
41. D
42. A
43. D
44. D
45. A
46. C
47. B
48. A
KEY A VERSION
49. C
50. B
51. D
52. B
53. A
54. A
55. D
56. A
57. C
58. C
59. D
60. B
61. B
62. A
63. C
64. A
65. B