Practice test for High School Entrance Exam (gifted) 2017

PRACTICE TEST 4
I. LISTENING (2,0 pts)
TASK 1
a. Listen and complete the notes below. Write no more than TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for
each answer.
Transport from Bayswater
Example: Destination: Habour City
Express train leaves at (1) __________. Number (4) __________ bus goes to
Nearest station is (2) __________. station.
Number 706 bus goes to (3) __________. Earlier bus leaves at (5) __________.
b. Listen and complete the table below. Write no more than ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for
each answer.
Transport Cash fare Card fare
Bus (6) $ __________ $1.50
Train (peak) $10 $10
Train (off-peak) (before 5pm or
$10 (8) $__________
after (7) __________ pm)
(9) __________ ferry $4.50 $3.55
Tourist ferry ((10) __________) $35 -
Tourist ferry (whole day) $65 -
TASK 2
c. Which counselor should you see? Write the correct letter, A, B or C, next to questions 11-14.
A. Louise Bagshaw B. Tony Denby C. Naomi Flynn
11. if it is your first time seeing a counselor 13. if you do not have an appointment
12. if you are unable to see a counselor during 14. if your concerns are related to anxiety
normal office hours
d. Complete the table below. Write no more than TWO WORDs for each answer.
Workshop Content Target group
Adjusting what you need to succeed academically (15) __________ students
use time effectively, find (16)
Getting organized all students
__________ between study and leisure
talking with staff, communicating across
Communicating all students, especially (17) __________
cultures
(18) __________, breathing techniques,
Anxiety students about to sit exams
meditation, etc.
(19) __________ staying on track for long periods (20) __________ students only

II. LEXICOLOGY AND GRAMMAR (3.0 pts)

a. Circle the best options A, B, C, or D to complete the following sentences.
1. Tom never makes mistakes because he does his work so __________.
A. meticulously B. superficially C. tactfully D. essentially
2. Im sure your form teacher will lend you a __________ ear when you explain the situation to him.
A. merciful B. compassionate C. pitiful D. sympathetic
3. The whole building collapsed, but fortunately there were no __________.
A. wounded B. hurt C. casualties D. victims
4. The family is selling their large country home because they can no longer afford the __________.
A. extract B. domain C. upkeep D. disposal
5. Lets hope that the new year will __________ in a period of prosperity for everyone.
A. admit B. usher C. show D. introduce
6. In __________, it was obviously the wrong thing to do.
A. hindsight B. the wake C. retrospect D. the whole

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Practice test for High School Entrance Exam (gifted) 2017
7. Police have __________ off the town center and are searching for the bomb.
A. withdrawn B. surrounded C. sealed D. assembled
8. The burglar turned to __________ me and said, Dont you recognize me?
A. view B. regard C. face D. watch
9. You __________ assumed that wed be starting at 8.00.
A. right B. rightly C. fairly D. fair
10. The meat was beautifully cooked, I agree, but the vegetables were a bit too salty for my __________.
A. appetite B. desire C. liking D. favour
b. Supply the correct form the word in the bracket
The woman twists and contorts her body, wheeling and spinning spectacularly across the room. Her
voice rises in (1. ECSTASY) __________ whoops and yells, then drops to mournful moans and grunts
before she collapses in a heap on the floor. And then its my turn.
I came seeking a brief escape from the stresses of modern life. But right now my (2. INSTINCT)
__________ stress-flight response is in full throttle and urging me to sprint for the door, anything rather than
stand up and perform (3. SPONTANEITY) __________ singing and dancing in front of a rather forbidding
(4. SORT) __________ of complete strangers. But there is no (5. GRACE) __________ way out. And
something about the trance-like beat of the African drums, the soothing candle-lit glow of the room and the
serene (6. ASSURE) __________ of our teacher compels me to stay put.
This is natural voice therapy. The workshops are meant to release hidden emotions and (7.
ANXIOUS) __________ and promote relaxation and mental healing. Using a mixture of mantra, Sanskrit
chanting, Indian scales and pure (8. IMPROVISE) __________, the aim is to free the inner voice.
c. Complete the spaces by finding one word which fits in all three sentences.
1. It took us three hours of hard climbing to reach the __________.
Being promoted to manager is undoubtedly the __________ of my career to date.
A special __________ of the leading economic countries has been called.
2. Lets go down to the river. Its a really nice __________ for a picnic.
Im afraid Im going to be late. Im having a __________ of bother with my car.
The evening in Blackpool was the only bright __________ in an otherwise disappointing holiday.
3. Its very upsetting news, as she was a very __________ friends.
Its rather __________ for me havent you got anything cheaper?
As the boat lurched from side to side, we held on for __________ life.
4. The group have benefited from considerable media __________.
Maria didnt find John attractive, but was rather flattered by his __________.
Its been brought to my __________ that there have been a number of thefts from the office.
5. On his latest __________, Ford has collaborated with several other great pianists.
After his __________ from prison, Golding promised to go straight.
I experienced a great __________ of pain after the treatment.
6. Janes father __________ with rage when she told him she was pregnant.
Events in oil-producing countries __________ the confidence of investors.
The lion __________ its magnificent mane and gave an almighty roar.
d. Read the text and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best completes each collocation and fixed
phrases.
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why it is that we work? Is it the (1) __________ of a job well
done, or the sense of (2) __________ behind the (3) __________ of an important deal? Is it the human (4)
__________ with other people perhaps? Or is it that work is power and a sense of status? This is the view of
those who have either (5) __________ these elusive goals, or feel aggrieved that nobody has yet recognized
their leadership (6) __________.
1. A. satisfaction B. pride C. reward D. gratification
2. A. feat B. success C. achievement D. victory
3. A. fastening B. sealing C. verifying D. clinching
4. A. communication B. relation C. association D. interaction
5. A. attained B. completed C. gained D. won
6. A. attributes B. features C. values D. qualities

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Practice test for High School Entrance Exam (gifted)
III. READING (2,5 pts)
a. Read this passage carefully and do the following tasks.
Investigating Childrens Language
A) For over 200 years, there has been an interest
in the way children learn to speak and understand
their first language. Scholars carried out several
small-scale studies, especially towards the end of
the 19th century, using data they recorded in
parental diaries. But detailed, systematic
investigation did not begin until the middle
decades of the 20th century, when the tape
recorder came into routine use. This made it
possible to keep a permanent record of samples of
child speech, so that analysts could listen
repeatedly to obscure extracts, and thus produce a
detailed and accurate description. Since then, the
subject has attracted enormous multi-disciplinary
interest, notably from linguists and psychologists,
who have used a variety of observational and
experimental techniques to study the process of
language acquisition in depth.
B) Central to the success of this rapidly emerging
field lies the ability of researchers to devise
satisfactory methods for eliciting linguistic data
from children. The problems that have to be faced
are quite different from those encountered when
working with adults. Many of the linguists
routine techniques of enquiry cannot be used with
children. It is not possible to carry out certain
kinds of experiments, because aspects of
childrens cognitive development such as their
ability to pay attention, or to remember
instructions may not be sufficiently advanced.
Nor is it easy to get children to make systematic
judgments about language, a task that is virtually
impossible below the age of three. And anyone
who has tried to obtain even the most basic kind
of data a tape recording of a representative
sample of a childs speech knows how
frustrating this can be. Some children, it seems,
are innately programmed to switch off as soon as
they notice a tape recorder being switched on.
C) Since the 1960s, however, several
sophisticated recording techniques and
experimental designs have been devised. Children
can be observed and recorded through one-way-
vision windows or using radio microphones, so
that the effects of having an investigator in the
same room as the child can be eliminated. Large-
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scale sampling programmes have been carried out,
with children sometimes being recorded for
several years. Particular attention has been paid to
devising experimental techniques that fall well
within a childs intellectual level and social
experience. Even pre-linguistic infants have been
brought into the research: acoustic techniques are
used to analyse their vocalisations, and their
ability to perceive the world around them is
monitored using special recording equipment. The
result has been a growing body of reliable data on
the stages of language acquisition from birth until
puberty.
D) There is no single way of studying childrens
language. Linguistics and psychology have each
brought their own approach to the subject, and
many variations have been introduced to cope
with the variety of activities in which children
engage, and the great age range that they present.
Two main research paradigms are found.
E) One of these is known as naturalistic
sampling. A sample of a childs spontaneous use
of language is recorded in familiar and
comfortable surroundings. One of the best places
to make the recording is in the childs own home,
but it is not always easy to maintain good acoustic
quality, and the presence of the researcher or the
recording equipment can be a distraction
(especially if the proceedings are being filmed).
Alternatively, the recording can be made in a
research centre, where the child is allowed to play
freely with toys while talking to parents or other
children, and the observers and their equipment
are unobtrusive.
F) A good quality, representative, naturalistic
sample is generally considered an ideal datum for
child language study. However, the method has
several limitations. These samples are informative
about speech production, but they give little
guidance about childrens comprehension of what
they hear around them. Moreover, samples cannot
contain everything, and they can easily miss some
important features of a childs linguistic ability.
They may also not provide enough instances of a
developing feature to enable the analyst to make a
decision about the way the child is learning. For
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Practice test for High School Entrance Exam (gifted)
such reasons, the description of samples of child
speech has to be supplemented by other methods.
G) The other main approach is through
experimentation, and the methods of experimental
psychology have been widely applied to child
language research. The investigator formulates a
specific hypothesis about childrens ability to use
or understand an aspect of language, and devises a
relevant task for a group of subjects to undertake.
A statistical analysis is made of the subjects
behaviour, and the results provide evidence that
supports or falsifies the original hypothesis.
H) Using this approach, as well as other methods
of controlled observation, researchers have come
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up with many detailed findings about the
production and comprehension of groups of
children. However, it is not easy to generalise the
findings of these studies. What may obtain in a
carefully controlled setting may not apply in the
rush of daily interaction. Different kinds of
subjects, experimental situations, and statistical
procedures may produce different results or
interpretations. Experimental research is therefore
a slow, painstaking business; it may take years
before researchers are convinced that all variables
have been considered and a finding is genuine.
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Questions 1-5

Reading Passage 1 has eight paragraphs, A-H. Which paragraphs contains the following information?
NB You may use any letter more than once.
1. the possibility of carrying out research on children before they start talking
2. the difficulties in deducing theories from systematic experiment
3. the differences between analysing childrens and adults language
4. the ability to record children without them seeing the researcher
5. the drawbacks of recording children in an environment they know
Questions 6-9
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1.

TRUE if the statement is true according to the passage

FALSE if the statement is false according to the passage

NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage

6. In the 19th century, researchers studied their own childrens language.
7. Attempts to elicit very young childrens opinions about language are likely to fail.
8. Radio microphones are used because they enable researchers to communicate with a number of children in
different rooms.
9. Many children enjoy the interaction with the researcher.
Questions 10-15
Complete the summary below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Ways of investigating childrens language.
One method of carrying out research is to record childrens (10) __________ language use. This can be done in
their homes, where, however, it may be difficult to ensure that the recording is of acceptable (11) __________.
Another venue which is often used is a (12) __________, where the researcher can avoid distracting the child. A
drawback of this method is that it does not allow children to demonstrate their comprehension.
An alternative approach is to use methodology from the field of (13) __________. In this case, a number of
children are asked to carry out a (14) __________, and the results are subjected to a (15) __________.

b. Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions
Until recently, most American entrepreneurs were men. Discrimination against women in business, the
demands of caring for families, and lack of business training had kept the number of women entrepreneurs small.
Now, however, businesses owned by women account for more than $40 billion in annual revenues, and this figure
is likely to continue rising throughout the 1990s. As Carolyn Doppelt Gray, an official of the Small Business
Administration, has noted, "The 1970s was the decade of women entering management, and the 1980s turned out to
be the decade of the woman entrepreneur". What are some of the factors behind this trend? For one thing, as more
women earn advanced degrees in business and enter the corporate world, they are finding obstacles. Women are
still excluded from most executive suites. Charlotte Taylor, a management consultant, had noted, "In the 1970s
women believed if they got an MBA and worked hard they could become chairman of the board. Now they've
found out that isn't going to happen, so they go out on their own".
In the past, most women entrepreneurs worked in "women's" fields: cosmetics and clothing, for example.
But this is changing. Consider ASK Computer Systems, a $22-million-a-year computer software business. It was
founded in 1973 by Sandra Kurtzig, who was then a housewife with degrees in math and engineering. When
Kurtzig founded the business, her first product was software that let weekly newspapers keep tabs on their
newspaper carriers-and her office was a bedroom at home, with a shoebox under the bed to hold the company's
cash. After she succeeded with the newspaper software system, she hired several bright computer-science graduates
to develop additional programs. When these were marketed and sold, ASK began to grow. It now has 200
employees, and Sandra Kurtzig owns $66.9 million of stock.
Of course, many women who start their own businesses fail, just as men often do. They still face hurdles
in the business world, especially problems in raising money; the banking and finance world is still dominated by
men, and old attitudes die hard. Most businesses owned by women are still quite small. But the situation is
changing; there are likely to be many more Sandra Kurtzigs in the years ahead.

1. What is the main idea of this passage?

A.Women today are better educated than in the past, making them more attractive to the business world.
B.The computer is especially lucrative for women today.
C. Women are better at small business than men are.
D. Women today are opening more business of their own.

2. The word excluded is closest meaning to _________ .

A. not permitted in B. often invited to C. decorators of D. charged admission to

3. All of the following were mentioned in the passage as detriments to women in the business world EXCEPT
_________ .
A.Women were required to stay at home with their families.
B. Women lacked ability to work in business.
C.Women faced discrimination in business.
D.Women were not trained in business.

4. The word that refers to _________.

A. a woman becomes chairman of the board.
B. Women working hard
C. Women achieving advanced degrees
D. Women believing that business is a place for them.

5. According to the passage, Charlotte Taylor believes that women in 1970s _________ .
A. were unrealistic about their opportunities in business management.
B. were still more interested in education than business opportunities
C. had fewer obstacles in business than they do today.
D. were unable to work hard enough to success in business.

6. The author mentions the shoesbox under the bed in order to _________ .
A. Show the frugality of women in business
B. show the resourcefulness of Sandra Kurtzig
C. Point out that initially the financial resources of Sandra Kurtzigs business were limited
D. suggest that the company needed to expand

7. The expression keep tabs on is closest meaning to _________ .

A. recognize the appearance of B. keep records of
C. provide transportation for D. pay the salaries of

8. The word hurdles can be best replaced by __________ .

A. fences B .obstacles C. questions D. small groups

9. It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes that business operated by women are small because
________ .
A. Women prefer a small intimate setting.
B. Women cant deal with money.
C. Women are not able to borrow money easily.
D. many women fail at large businesses.
10. The authors attitude about the future of women in business is ________ .
A. skeptical B. optimistic C. frustrated D. negative

IV. WRITING (2,5 pts)

a. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means the same as the original one.
1. He said that he had won as a result of good luck.
He attributed _______________________________________________________________________.
2. That reminds me of the time I climbed to the top of Mount Fuji.
That takes me_______________________________________________________________________.
3. Such a ridiculous proposal isnt worth serious consideration.
There is____________________________________________________________________________.
4. Just thinking about his face at that moment makes me laugh.
The very___________________________________________________________________________
5. We cannot see animals in a vast area after the forest fire.
There is an _________________________________________________________________________.
b. Complete the second sentence, using the word given so that it has a similar meaning to the first one. Do
not change the word given in any way.
1. Its uncertain whether the bands tour will take pace. (balance)
__________________________________________________________________________________.
2. The success of our local theater has made our city famous. (map)
__________________________________________________________________________________.
3. That makes me think of something that happened to me. (bring)
That _____________________________________________________something that happened to me.
4. Digging in the garden gives me an outlet for my frustrations. (vent)
Digging __________________________________________________________________ frustrations.
5. We forgot to include the cost of accommodation in our holiday budget. (allow)
We ______________________________________________________________in our holiday budget.
b. Write an essay of at least 250 words on the following topic:

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should be required to help with household
tasks as soon as they are able to do so. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.