Facoltà di Lingue e Letterature Straniere
1st Year Lettorato Exam January 19th 2010
A – Grammar Choose the correct answer
1. Do you ______?
a) make easily friends b) easy make friends c) make easy friends d) make friends easily
2. The doctor’s practice ______in Harley Street.
a) is b) finds c) is being d) found
3. Ferdinand Magellan ______the first expedition around the world between 1519 and 1522.
a) lead b) leaded c) led d) was leading
4. I ______in hospital before
a) have never been b) was never been c) didn’t go d) didn’t be
5. “Look at those black clouds. It ______.”
a) will rain b) is raining c) is going to rain d) rains
6. If languages ______, the world ______less interesting.
a) will die out / will be b) die out / will be c) will die out / is d) die out / is
7. When I ______home this morning, the sun ______brightly.
a) left / shone b) left / had shone c) left / was shining d) have left / has shone
8. We ______be more innovative or else we will go out of business.
a) could b) can c) had to d) must
9. A university is an institution ______students study for degrees and academic research is done.
a) that b) where c) which d) –
10. Hadrian’s Wall ______the Romans in the 2nd century AD.
a) built by b) has built by c) was building by d) was built by
11. John, who is ______engineer, lives and works in ______United Arab Emirates for ______American company.
a) – / – / the b) an / – / an c) – / the / an d) an / the / an
12. We’ve got ______of time before the next meeting.
a) some b) plenty c) lot d) a couple
13. Sally ______going to the cinema.
a) suggested b) decided c) wanted d) hoped
14. In his introductory lecture, the professor ______us how the study of grammar had evolved over the years.
a) explained b) told c) said d) informed
15. The room was overcrowded: they ______fewer people to the party.
a) should invited b) shouldn’t invite c) should have invited d) shouldn’t have invited
16. Until he finds a new flat, Reginald ______with his parents.
a) stays b) stayed c) is staying d) has stayed
17. Jacques Cousteau ______interested in the sea at an early age.
a) became b) has become c) was becoming d) becomes
18. Marion and I ______Ghana many times. Last year alone we ______there twice.
a) have visited / have gone b) have been / went c) have visited / went d) have been / have gone
19. “It’s very cold in here. I think I ______the windows.”
a) will close b) am closing c) go to close d) will closing
20. Jeremiah started learning Turkish in September last year. He ______it for four months.
a) has studyed b) studied c) had studied d) has been studying
21. If we ______a choice, we ______on local radio.
a) had / would advertise b) have / would advertise c) had / will advertise d) will have / will advertise
22. Children’s teeth are much ______than they were ten years ago.
a) more bad b) badder c) worse d) worst
23. I ______my old boss while I ______to a conference in Helsinki.
a) meet / travelled b) met / was travelling c) was meeting / travelled d) have met / was travelling
24. It’s impossible! Kevin ______be the murderer.
a) wouldn’t b) mightn’t c) mustn’t d) can’t
25. A professor in a British university is someone ______has the highest rank of the teachers in a department.
a) which b) – c) whom d) who
26. Some people believe that ______world will come to ______end in ______2012.
a) – / the / the b) the / an / – c) the / – / the d) the / an / the
27. ______my friends are travelling around India at the moment.
a) Some b) A few c) A couple of d) Many
28. Sophie promised ______the children to the theatre.
a) taking b) take c) to taking d) to take
29. If Ronnie ______harder, he ______more successful in his career.
a) had worked / would have been b) worked / would been c) has worked / will have been d) works / is
30. Professor Smith’s new book, ______was published last month, is meeting with considerable criticism.
a) which b) that c) who d) whose
B - Vocabulary Choose the most appropriate word to go in the blank.
31. Sidney never shuts up. He is really ______.
a) talking b) talkable c) talkative d) talkful
32. We really ______that kind of music.
a) alike b) dislike c) unlike d) de-like
33. Many people travel in order to ______more independent.
a) experience b) become c) find d) broaden
34. We had a long journey to make, so we ______early in the morning.
a) set out b) set up c) set down d) set in
35. Social work can be very ______.
a) awarding b) awarded c) rewarded d) rewarding
36. The starting salary will depend ______level of experience.
a) from b) of c) by d) on
37. When I was a teenager, my parents would never ______me stay out after midnight.
a) leave b) allow c) let d) permit
38. Probably the oldest and most effective form of advertising is ______.
a) password b) word-of-mouth c) mouthing word d) passing word
39. The small retailer often has to charge higher ______to cover his/her costs.
a) wages b) prizes c) prices d) profits
40. Due to the recession many companies have ______bankrupt.
a) made b) run c) became d) gone
41. Behind every technological innovation there is a ______.
a) scientist b) sciencer c) scienced d) scientific
42. John ______some very good results in his recent exams.
a) has got b) has done c) has made d) has taken
43. ______learning provides adults with learning opportunities at all ages.
a) Longlife b) Lifelong c) Livelong d) Long-lived
44. Although the meeting was stormy, they ______a solution in the end.
a) solved b) made c) found d) met
45. The marketing manager is responsible ______advertising.
a) of b) to c) with d) for
46. Gone with the Wind is best known as a film, but it first appeared as a ______.
a) romance b) books c) novelty d) novel
47. Old Joe Muggins was one of the most notorious bank ______of the 1930s.
a) thieves b) robbers c) burglars d) stealers
48. The BBC has some very good ______programmes.
a) currency b) current affairs c) actuality d) actual affairs
49. Burger restaurants have never really caught ______in Trieste.
a) up b) off c) on d) –
50. The entrance test was very difficult and not many people managed to ______it.
a) overcome b) get over c) pass d) surpass
51. It is quite common for many businesses to make a ______in their first year of operation.
a) loss b) lost c) lose d) losing
52. Have you seen the new ad for Armani Jeans? It’s quite eye-______.
a) catchy b) grabbing c) grabber d) catching
53. For many people, it is difficult to ______up with developments in technology.
a) get b) keep c) pick d) watch
54. I’m not particularly well-paid, but at least my job is not a ______.
a) boring b) bored c) boredom d) bore
55. If there is one type of holiday I would never take, it is a ______holiday.
a) packing b) package c) packaged d) packet
56. Mrs Thatcher ______her husband so much, that many people thought she was not married.
a) out-shadowed b) undershadowed c) overshadowed d) shadowed
57. I think my boss, Mr Jones, is too ______. He lets everyone do as they please.
a) hard-working b) open-minded c) easy-going d) strong-willed
58. Will has just ______from university with a thesis on nuclear fission.
a) graduated b) finished c) laureate d) degree
59. Philip is working late tonight in order to meet the ______for the project.
a) deadline b) deathline c) expiry d) expiration
60. Since the accused was not yet eighteen, he had to be tried in a ______court.
a) minority b) young c) minor d) juvenile
C - Error Correction Indicate which part of each sentence (A, B, C or D) has an error in it.
61.
People often misunderstand what is charisma and think of it as a kind of fame, but it is not the same as fame.
A B C D
62.
John has never been to abroad so he is getting very excited about his trip to the US next month.
A B C D
63.
Helen travels all over the world on business but she rarely manages to see anything;
A B
for example, she didn’t even see the Eiffel Tower when she has been in Paris last week.
C D
64.
Ian and Sally have been knowing each other for about six months. They met on a package holiday
A B C
to the Canary Islands.
D
65.
Mr and Mrs Enfield have decided to buy a new house in the country
A B
that’s lot bigger than the one they’ve got now.
C D
66.
“You have a very bad cough,” said the doctor to Sara, “You don’t have to smoke any more,
A B C
it’s bad for your health.”
D
67.
American universities, that have attracted the world’s best students for over fifty years,
A B
are now facing a lot of competition from Europe and China.
C D
68.
Many people think that within twenty or thirty years robots will use to do
A B C
nearly all the jobs around the house.
D
69.
We had a party at the weekend and so many people came that we didn’t have enough of glasses for everybody.
A B C D
70.
Work on the new stadium was stopped when it was discovered that the total cost was going to exceed
A B C
twelve millions of pounds.
D
D – Reading Comprehension
1) The latest Internet sensation in Britain is a Web site that encourages girls as young as 9 to embrace plastic surgery and extreme dieting in the search for the perfect figure, fame and fortune.
2) The "Miss Bimbo" Internet game has attracted prepubescent girls who are told to
buy their virtual characters breast-enlargement surgery and to keep them "super
thin" with diet pills. In the month since it opened, the site, which is aimed at girls aged from 9 to 16, has attracted 200,000 members.
3) Players keep a constant watch on the weight, wardrobe, wealth and happiness of their character to create "the coolest, richest and most famous bimbo in the world." Competing against other children, they earn "bimbo dollars" to buy plastic surgery, diet pills, facelifts, lingerie and fashionable nightclub outfits. Registration on the Miss Bimbo site is free but it makes money by charging £1.50 per text message to buy "dollars" to spend on the characters
4) The Web site sparked controversy when it was introduced in France last year, where it attracted 1.2 million players. Susan Ringwood, the chief executive of Beat, a Norwich-based organization that supports those suffering from eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, said that the Web site could make girls believe that weight and body shape manipulation were acceptable.
5) The Miss Bimbo site was set up in Britain by Nicholas Jacquart, a French entrepreneur, with a 30-year-old businessman called Chris Evans. Evans admitted that the story in the script had been created by "male game designers" and no professional advice was sought about how girls may interpret issues surrounding weight loss and gain.
6) Its introduction came as new research results showed that British children as young as 6 were developing acute eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. On Monday it emerged that increasing numbers of British teenagers were undergoing breast enlargement surgery.
.
7) Jacquart claims the game teaches children about the real world and is simply harmless fun. "The game is structured in such a way that it simply mirrors real life in a tongue-in-cheek way," he said. "It is not a bad influence for young children. They learn to take care of their bimbos. The missions and goals for the bimbos are morally sound and teach children about the real world”.
8) Bill Hibberd, a spokesman for Parentkind, a parents' group based in Sheffield, England, said: "Children's innocence should be protected as far as possible. It depends on the mindset of the child but the danger is that after playing the game some will then aspire to have breast operations and take diet pills. "The danger is that a nine-year-old girl fails to appreciate the irony and sees the bimbo as a cool role model,"
bimbo: a young woman who gives much more importance to physical appearance than to intelligence
Choose the most appropriate answer
1. Figures for Miss Bimbo membership show that
a) the game is more successful in Britain than in France
b) the game appeals to young girls of different nations
c) in France the game was given official approval
d) the cost of the SMSs is too high for 9-16 year old girls
2. The purpose behind the creation of the web site is to
a) generate profits for the owners of Miss Bimbo
b) promote the benefits of plastic surgery and dieting
c) make pre-teens aware of real values and goals
d) teach girls to take responsibility for the constant care of another person
3. Which of these criticisms of the Miss Bimbo web site is NOT included in the article?
a) Young girls will be encouraged to take the bimbo lifestyle as a positive model
b) The inventors did not carry out research into possible damaging psychological effects on users
c) It will contribute to an already disturbing obsession with weight loss and cosmetic surgery among young people in Britain