Use of English and Reading

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Use of English Reading Mock Part 1

Use of English Reading Mock Part 2

Use of English Reading Mock Part 3

Use of English Reading Mock Part 4

Use of English Reading Mock Part 5

Use of English Reading Mock Part 6

Use of English Reading Mock Part 7

Use of English Reading Mock Part 1

Part 1

Read the text and the test questions. Before you answer the test questions, go to the Further Practice and Guidance pages which follow. For questions 1-6, read the text belowand decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0). Maticyour answers on the separate answer sheet.

Polar bears

Polar bears are in (0) ... of dying out. Since 1979, the ice cap at the Arctic Circle where the polar bears live has 1 in size by about 30 per cent.

The temperature in the Arctic has slowly been rising and this is 2 the sea ice to melt, endangering the polar bears' home.

The polar bears' main 3 of food are the different types of seal found in the Arctic.

They catch them by waiting next to the air holes the seals have 4 in the ice.

5 the bears are very strong swimmers, they could never catch seals in the water. This means that the bears really do rely on the ice to hunt.

Polar bears also need sea ice to travel. They can 6 a huge territory and often swim from one part of the ice to another.

They have been 7 to swim up to 100km, but when there is less ice,

they may have to swim further and this can 8 fatal to the bears.

1 A cut

B reduced

C shortened

D lost

2 A resulting

B turning

C causing

D creating

3 A sources

B means

C origins

D materials

4 A placed

B set

C brought

D made

5 A Even

B Although

C As

D Despite

6 A pass

B extend

C cover

D spread

7 A learnt

B noticed

C known

D experienced

8 A prove

B happen

C come

D end

Use of English Reading Mock Part 2

Part 2

For questions 9-16 read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0). Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

Scientists explain excitement of children

The reason children become more excited than adults at receiving gifts has (0) ... identified by scientists. They found that the areas of the brain involved in processing rewards were far more active in younger people 9 they received a prize.

This explained why children found 10 almost impossible to

contain 11 excitement on birthdays.

A team from the US National Institute of Mental Health used scans to study 12 parts of the brain were

stimulated when rewards 13 presented to participants. Younger people showed more activity in key brain areas while they viewed a video game or received money.

Dopamine, a chemical that carries messages between brain cells, is believed 14 act as a 'currency' in the brain's reward processing areas.

However, the brain's dopamine system declines with age. The study suggested that this is 15 receiving presents feels less

thrilling as people 16 older.

Use of English Reading Mock Part 3

Part 3

For questions 17-29, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits In the gap In the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0). Write your answers IN CAPITAL

The ultimate challenge

Do you have the mental and physical strength to enter the ultimate (0) ... (GLOBE) race? If so, there is still time to apply for the free-to-enter Land Rover G4 Challenge -the adventure of a 17 (LIFE) that combines off-road driving with kayaking, mountain biking, abseiling, climbing and orienteering across some of the most remote and extreme terrain in the world.

The 18 (SELECT) process is currently underway to choose one man and one woman to represent the UK in the competition.

The 19 (SUCCEED) applicants will form a two-strong British team which will then battle against teams from 17

other countries in this extremely 20 (DEMAND) three-week event in one of the most

sparsely 21 (POPULATION) countries on the planet - Mongolia.

Race organizer John Edwards says: 'Mongolia is a 22 (SPECTACLE) country,

which will enable us to create a truly 23 (ORDINARY) event.

We have been working hard to find routes that will push the vehicles and the 24 (COMPETE) to their limits.'

Use of English Reading Mock Part 4

Part 4

For questions 25-30, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given. Here is an example (0). Write only the missing words IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

25 That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! SUCH
I've ridiculous thing!

26 I didn't think carefully enough about the situation. MORE
I should about the situation.

27 Gill hasn't contacted me for weeks. HEARD
I last weeks ago.

28 He didn't make a mistake when he played the song. WITHOUT
He played the song mistakes at all.

29 It's possible that Lana can take you in her car. ABLE
Jana might a lift in her car.

30 If we don't leave before 8, we won't get there on time. SET
We won't get there on time unless before 8.

Use of English Reading Mock Part 5

Part 5

Read the text and the test questions. Before you answer the test questions, go to the Further Practice and Guidance pages which follow. You are going to read an article about a method for finding your way called 'natural navigation'. For questions 31-36, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text. Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

Natural navigation

Max Davidson learns how to find his way using only stars, sun, trees and wind

At 9 am precisely, all seven of us are in our places at the Royal Geographical Society, like expectant schoolchildren. A man in a check suit, with a neatly trimmed beard, enters and introduces himself. Tristan Gooley. Welcome.' He flashes a shy smile. 'Just to put this all into context, I think I can safely say that you are the only people in the world studying this particular topic today.' It is quite an intro. There are a few oohs and ahs from the audience. Tristan Gooley, navigator extraordinary, has his audience in the palm of his hand. We are here because we are curious about how you get from A to B. And if you are curious about how to get from A to B, who better to ask than Tristan Gooley? He is the only man alive who has both flown and sailed solo across the Atlantic. You can't argue with that sort of CV.

'Natural navigation', his new baby, is exactly what that phrase suggests: route-finding that depends on interpreting natural signs -the sun, the stars, the direction of the wind, the alignment of the trees-rather than using maps, compasses or the ubiquitous satnay. 'Of course, 99.9 per cent of the time, you will have other ways of finding wherever it is you want to get to. But if you don't, ..' Gooley pauses theatrically, 'there is a lot to be said for understanding the science of navigation and direction-finding. If people become too dependent on technology, they can lose connection with nature, which is a pity.'

The natural navigator's best friend, inevitably, is the sun. We all know that it rises in the east, sets in the west and, at its zenith, is due south. But if it is, say, three in the afternoon and you are lost in the desert, how do you get your bearings? The answer, says Cooley, is to find a stick. By noting the different places where its shadow falls over a short period of time, you will quickly locate the east-west axis. 'The sun influences things even if you can't see it,' he explains. You might not be in the desert, but walking along a forest track in Britain. One side of the track is darker in colour than the other. 'Ah-ha!' thinks the natural navigator. 'It is darker because it is damper, which means it is getting less sun, because it is shaded by the trees, which means that south is that way.' You can now stride confidently southwards - or in whichever direction you wish to head - without fiddling with a map.

As the day wears on, the detective work forces us to look at the world in new and unexpected ways. Just when we think we are getting the hang of it, line 52 Gooley sets us a particularly difficult task. A photograph of a house comes up on the screen. An orange sun is peeping over the horizon behind the house. There is a tree in the foreground. 'lust study the picture for a few minutes,' Gooley says, 'and tell me in which direction the photographer is pointing the camera.' Tricky. Very tricky. 'South-east' I say firmly, having analysed the data in minute detail. 'Not quite."Am I close?"Not really. The answer is north-west.' Ah well. Only 180 degrees out.

Still, if t am bottom of the class, I have caught the natural navigation bug. What a fascinating science, both mysterious and universal. It is hardly what you would call a practical skill: there are too many man-made aids to navigation at our disposal. But it connects us, thrillingly, to the world around us-and to those long-dead ancestors who circled the globe with nothing but stars to guide them. It reminds us what it means to be human.

31 What does the writer say about Tristan Cooley in the first paragraph?

He was different from what he had expected.

He began In an impressive way.

He had always wanted to meet him.

He seldom gave talks to the public.

32 What does Tristan Gooley say about 'natural navigation'?

It can be more accurate than using technology.

It is quite a complicated skill to master.

It should only be used in emergency situations.

It is not required most of the time.

33 According to Gooley, the use of a stick which he explains

only works in the desert.

involves more than one piece of information.

works best at particular times of the day

may surprise some people.

34 The example of walking along a forest track illustrates

the fact that the sun may not be important to finding your way.

the difference between the desert and other locations.

the advantage of learning natural navigation.

the relationship between natural navigation and other skills.

35 What does 'it' in the phrase 'getting the hang of it' (line 52) refer to?

something unexpected

the day

a particular problem

natural navigation

36 The writer's attitude towards natural navigation is that

it would take a long time to be good at it.

it is a valuable skill In the modem world.

it is only likely to appeal to a certain kind of person.

it is exciting but not very useful

Use of English Reading Mock Part 6

Part 6

You are going to read a review of a book about ornithology- the study of birds. Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-G the one which fits each gap (37-92). There Is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

A These two interests come together in The Wisdom of Birds.

B The Wisdom ofBirds concludes with a striking image.

C Much the same could be said today.

D Some of them come in for particular criticism in the book.

E These, and the fine production of the book itself, add Immensely to the reader's satisfaction.

F The subject was neglected for decades.

G The names they come up with are strong contenders.

The Wisdom of Birds by Tim Birkhead Review byStephen Moss

You wait for one history of ornithology to come along and a whole flock appears over the horizon. 37 1However, in the past few years a clutch of scientists, journalists, taxonomists and birders (including myself) have turned their attentions to this fascinating and complex topic.

One of the most exciting things about the study of birds is that it is not yet complete. We may smile at the beliefs of our ancestors - such as the notion that swallows spent their winter hibernating underwater- yet there is still so much that we don't know. Writing almost a century ago, the German-American ornithologist Paul Bartsch drew attention to our ignorance about many aspects of bird behaviour: 'There are still many unsolved problems about bird life. Little, too, is known about the laws and routes of migration, and much less about the final disposition of the untold thousands which are annually produced.' 38 For, despite great progress, modern bird studies often give rise to new and even more complex inquiries.

Tim Birkhead is well qualified to examine the ways successive generations have tried to answer the fundamental questions about birds. A professor at the University of Sheffield, he specializes in two very different disciplines: the study of animal behaviour and the history of science. 39 In it, he ranges from Aristotle to modern scientists such as Peter Berthold, whose migration studies have revealed much about how birds migrate round the world.

He is clearly passionate, not just about the birds themselves, but also about the people who have studied them, and the works they have produced. So The Wisdom of Birds is lavishly illustrated with examples of bird art, including many from the early works of ornithology. 40

If the book has a hero, it is an unlikely but deserving one. Birkhead begins and ends with a challenge to his colleagues: who is the greatest ever ornithologist? 41 I But Birkhead's own choice is an often neglected seventeenth-century Englishman, John Ray. He launched the revolutionary concept of studying living birds in the field, rather than dead ones in a museum.

42 John Ray travels through time to be the guest of honour at an International Ornithological Congress. As Birkhead says: 'He would be amazed by how much we know and, of course, by how much more there is still to learn about birds.' This is a fitting ending to a book that is one of the most entertaining, informative and enthusiastic accounts of the history of ornithology, and of the many different ways in which we have observed, studied and wondered about birds.

Use of English Reading Mock Part 7

Part 7

You are going to read a magazine article in which four people talk about their careen in engineering. For questions 43-52, choose from the people (A-D). The people may be chosen more than once. Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

The world of engineering

A The Snowboard Designer—Liza Brooks I'm a keen snowboarder so it seemed like a good idea to specialize in building great snowboards. I set up True Snowboards in 2006 with two other colleagues, so now I'm an engineer and an entrepreneur. We now sell snowboards throughout Europe and, next season, we'll be launching in North America. Our speciality is designing boards that can cope with dry slopes. These surfaces are very abrasive, so they can cause a lot of friction and literally melt conventional boards. I used my engineering skills to come up with a workable solution to dissipate the heat so that the boards don't melt and so that they last longer. Right now, I am experimenting to find new shapes to make the boards perform even better. And I get to go outside and play with the prototypes.

B The Space Expert - Maggie Aderin My job is great fun. I head up a team that makes optical instruments for space satellites. We are currently worldng on an amazing instrument for the Aeolus Satellite which is going to measure wind speed through the Earth's atmosphere. It has to be tough and very accurate, so we need to design and build it with great care. It will need to withstand temperatures that range from between minus 50 and plus 50 degrees centigrade, and will help us to understand more about global warming. I knew I wanted to work in space technology when I made my first telescope at the age of 15. When I left school, I studied physics at Imperial College London and then did a PhD in mechanical engineering. I have been engineering instruments ever since. Now I use my engineering skills to solve problems and tam aware of how my job can help preserve the planet in the future.

C The Relief Worker - Andrew Lamb Did you know that 40 per cent of people who work for the international aid organization Medecins Sans Frontieres are engineers and not doctors? That's because engineers are absolutely essential In a crisis. They are the ones who can make the water run again and get the power on. They can construct roads and shelters. Aid agencies really value engineers for their management skills in stressful situations because we work as a team. We are also taught how to break down problems into smaller pieces. Workers who can contribute to disaster relief plans are increasingly sought after as earthquakes, floods and conflicts destroy communities. It is vital we get young people into this sector. They can help save lives. It's extremely rewarding when you help get people back on their feet.

D The Environmentalist-Vicki Stevenson
I love the fact that I am doing something practical which makes a difference. I research practical ways to reduce carbon emissions and use sustainable energy sources instead of fossil fuels. My latest project is working on a solar alr heater that captures the heat that strikes off the walls of buildings and uses it to heat offices and to provide ventilation. When I went to university, I was torn between studying astrophysics and laser physics. Lasers won because I attended an open day at an engineering company which showed how the use of lasers and fibre optics made equipment safer for people working in mines. The results of the work I do will have faneaching relevance, meaning we could all benefit in the long run. Knowing that what I do is useful really keeps me motivated.

Which person
was not sure which subject to choose at one point? 43

refers to having two roles at the same time? 44

made a decision as a result of going to a certain event? 45

gives reasons why engineers have a high reputation? 46

says that creating something led to a desire for a certain career? 47

is currently trying to produce different versions of something? 48

refers to always doing the same kind of work after completing his/her studies? 49

says that the demand for people who do what he/she does is growing? 50

enjoys using something that he/she produces? 51

says why he/she has not lost enthusiasm for his/her work? 52