MATURA EXAM PRACTICE

READING AND USE OF ENGLISH In the following text, five sentences have been removed. Choose from the sentences (A-F) the one which fits each gap (1-5) There is one extra sentence you do not need to use. That is when the Verrazano Narrows Bridge opened in New York City.It is also one of the most visited places in the world.People living in the area needed another way to get to the city besides the small ferry boats.It was named for the body of water that it crosses, the Golden Gate Strait.Only by doing this was the bridge able to be finished on time.Still, this was a new safety record for the time. B D C F A Read about the history of time, then answer the questions about the text, choosing either A, B, C or D as the best answer.If you can read a clock, you can know the time of day. But no one knows what time itself is. We cannot see it. We cannot touch it. We cannot hear it. We know it only by the way we mark its passing. For all our success in measuring the smallest parts of time, time remains one of the great mysteries of the universe. One way to think about time is to imagine a world without time. There could be no movement, because time and movement cannot be separated. A world without time could exist only as long as there were no changes. For time and change are linked. We know that time has passed when something changes.In the real world, the world with time, changes never stop. Some changes happen only once in a while, like an eclipse of the moon. Others happen repeatedly, like the rising and setting of the sun. Humans always have noted natural events that repeat themselves. When people began to count such events, they began to measure time. In early human history, the only changes that seemed to repeat themselves evenly were the movements of objects in the sky. The most easily seen result of these movements was the difference between light and darkness.The sun rises in the eastern sky, producing light. It moves across the sky and sinks in the west, causing darkness. The appearance and disappearance of the sun was even and unfailing. The periods of light and darkness it created were the first accepted periods of time. We have named each period of light and darkness: one day.People saw the sun rise higher in the sky during the summer than in winter. They counted the days that passed from the sun's highest position until it returned to that position. They counted three hundred and sixty-five days. We now know that is the time Earth takes to move once around the sun. We call this period of time a year.Early humans also noted changes in the moon. As it moved across the night sky, they must have wondered: Why did it look different every night? Why did it disappear? Where did it go? Even before they learned the answers to these questions, they developed a way to use the changing faces of the moon to tell time. The moon was "full" when its face was bright and round and "new" when it was almost entirely dark. The early humans counted the number of times the sun appeared between full moons. They learned that this number always remained the same, about twenty-nine suns. Twenty-nine suns equalled one moon. We now know this period of time as one month.Early humans hunted animals and gathered wild plants. They moved in groups or tribes from place to place in search of food. Then, people learned to plant seeds and grow crops. They learned to use animals to help them work, and for food. They found they no longer needed to move from one place to another to survive. As hunters, people did not need a way to measure time. As farmers, however, they had to plant crops in time to harvest them before winter. They had to know when the seasons would change. So, they were forced to developed calendars. No one knows when the first calendar was developed. But it seems possible that it was based on moons, or lunar months.When people started farming, the wise men of the tribes became very important. They studied the sky. They gathered enough information so they could know when the seasons would change. They announced when it was time to plant crops. 1. Why is time such a difficult concept to understand? it's always changing it's always moving it's been misunderstood since pre-history it's not tangible 2. How were early humans able to begin measuring time? by counting the objects in the sky by working both at night and during the day the movements of objects they saw every day by following the sun to the west 3. How did the concept of seasons become understood? by tracking the sun's movements through the months by noting the differences in temperature by measuring the length of the days with the introduction of early calendars 4. How would an early human have defined a 'month'? the number of days between a full moon and a new moon the number of days from one phase of the moon's cycle and then back to the same point again the number of days for the sun and moon to be seen together the number of days between eclipses of the moon 5. Why did the move towards farming require a better understanding of time? so that crops were grown at the right time of the year because looking after animals required it because they needed to have traditional celebrations at the same time every year because they wanted to know when animals would give birth 6. What is the meaning of the word 'forced' in the penultimate paragraph? the wise men were given no choice the crops wouldn't grow without the calendars time became a lot more important it was critical for survival For each question, fill the space in the sentence using the base word given in the capital letters. The required word may be a noun, adverb, adjective or verb and it may be either positive (e.g. helpful) or negative (e.g. unhelpful). 1. The Sultan spent over fifty million dollars making the capital city's main hotel the most luxurious (LUXURY) in the country.2. Police working on solving the bank robbery have by chance uncovered (COVER) a plan to murder a leading politician.3. We should go and eat at "Franco's" which is supposedly (SUPPOSE) a great little restaurant.4. I left the house at 8am and stared at the empty garage in disbelief (BELIEVE). My car was nowhere to be seen. Someone had stolen it!5. If you have any problems finding things, just ask Roger. He is very helpful (HELP) and will tell you where to find what you want.6. You paid $25 for a simple breakfast?! They have certainly overcharged (CHARGE) you! You should go back and complain.7. The gang robbed three banks in the same city and all at about the same time. Not surprisingly (SURPRISE), they were caught by the police during the fourth attempt.8. Sarina is only my half sister because we have different (DIFFER) mothers. For each space, choose ONE word which you think best completes the sentence. Look carefully at the words both before and after each space. 1. There were very few people at the party when we arrived but half an hour later, it was crowded.2. How was I to know that she would have an allergic reaction to the nuts in the cake? She should have said something!3. Arthritis is a very painful condition that affects not only the old but also many younger people making many everyday activities difficult.4. He said he couldn't come to the meeting because of a previous engagement but I think he is just making excuses.5. You were driving at over fifty miles per hour and the limit here is only forty.6. I have to go to school now, otherwise I will be late.7. I can eat almost any type of fish or seafood except for octopus which I can't stand.8. The city is pretty safe although you may have some problems if you go into certain neighborhoods at night. LISTENING COMPREHENSION You will hear five different people talking about cookery courses.For questions 19-23, choose from the list (A-F) what each speaker says about the course they took.Use the letters only once. There is one extra letter which you do not need to use. C F A E D You will hear an interview with Pamela Green, a young fashion designer.For questions 1- 6, choose the best answer (A, B or C). 1. What helped Pamela to decide to become a fashion designer? working as an assistant in a fashion shop doing research into the fashion industry attending a course on fashion design 2. What does Pamela say about having a degree in fashion? It's essential for promotion. It's evidence of your ability. It guarantees you a better income. 3. Pamela says that when starting your own fashion label, it's most important to enjoy the creative process. contact shops that might sell it. have a business plan. 4. Where does Pamela usually find inspiration for her fashion designs? in the work of other designers in the styles of other countries in the clothes her friends wear 5. What aspect of her work does Pamela find most difficult to deal with? the pressure to meet deadlines the failure of some of her designs the need to attend fashion shows 6. According to Pamela, successful designers need to be able to predict future fashions. recognise all past styles. get their designs published. 7. What advice does Pamela have for people who want a career in fashion? Be aware of the options available. Don't be afraid of sudden fame. Learn from your own errors.