Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions. ⇱
Australians place a high value on independence and personal choice. This means that a teacher or course tutor will not tell students what to do, but will give them a number of options and suggest they work out which one is the best in their circumstances. It also means that they are expected to take action if something goes wrong and seek out resources and support for themselves.
Australians are also prepared to accept a range of opinions rather than believing there is one truth. This means that in an educational setting, students will be expected to form their own opinions and defend the reasons for that point of view and the evidence for it.
Australians are uncomfortable with differences in status and hence idealise the idea of treating everyone equally. An illustration of this is that most adult Australians call each other by their first names. This concern with equality means that Australians are uncomfortable taking anything too seriously and are even ready to joke about themselves.
Australians believe that life should have a balance between work and leisure time. As a consequence, some students may be critical of others who they perceive as doing nothing but study. Australian notions of privacy mean that areas such as financial matters, appearance and relationships are only discussed with close friends.
While people may volunteer such information, they may resent someone actually asking them unless the friendship is firmly established. Even then, it is considered very impolite to ask someone what they earn. With older people, it is also rude to ask how old they are, why they are not married or why they do not have children. It is also impolite to ask people how much they have paid for something, unless there is a very good reason for asking.
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best completes each of the following exchanges. ⇱
Peter: ‘Your shoes are terrific, Martin. The colour quite suits you.’ - Martin: ‘________’
- David: ‘________________’ - Laura: ‘I think swimming helps us exercise all our muscles.’
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions. ⇱
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions. ⇱
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence each of the following questions. ⇱
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions. ⇱
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to show the underlined part that needs correction.5 ⇱
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions. ⇱
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks. ⇱
The mobile phone
People have been dreaming of having a personal means of communication for a long time. In the late 1960s, the idea seemed so far in the future that it was included in the science fiction series, Star Trek. Since the 1980s, however, mobile have become a part of everyday life. (37) _________ they were initially seen as a status symbol for successful business people, mobile use has spread to include practically everyone in the developed world, old and young alike The (38) __________ on social life has been enormous. We have got used to the idea of having constantly changed social plans, (39) _______ a quick phone call is all takes to rearrange things. Before this was possible, there were (40) _________ occasions when friends who had arranged to meet completely missed each other because of a slight misunderstanding. People would often have to (41) _________ very careful arrangements to be sure of meeting up. As mobiles have become more popular, so they have become more powerful. The large, unreliable mobile phone of the 1980s has evolved into the small stylish phone of today.
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions. ⇱
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the answer to each of the question. ⇱
Do you ever speak with your mouth full of food? Do you forget to cover your mouth with your hand
when you sneeze? If you are guilty of these 'crimes', then perhaps you should enrol in an Etiquette and Social Skills course. This is not just an ordinary course. It's a course in manners. You will have lessons in good manners and how to behave in social situations.
The person who teachers these lessons is Maggie O'Farrill at the Petite Protocol School, and her students are aged between six and twelve years old. She thinks this is the best time to teach kids. "At this age they are very easy", O'Farrill says. "When they get older, it's harder for them to break bad habits. Children at this age want to be polite. You can see that they're trying. Maggie instructs the children to speak properly on the phone and walk correctly, as well as telling them about basic table manners. These classes have become popular because parents want well-behaved children but they are too busy to teach manners at home.
So, what do the children actually think of this course? The classes have proven to be popular with most of the children, and the teachers at school have noticed that the youngsters are treating each other with more respect. They also feel the skills they have learnt will be useful to them in the future.
Maggie O'Farrill herself believes that such skills can be life-changing. "We'll have children growing up who value manners. Maybe we'll see a change in direction for the better in society". That, however, remains to be seen. Only time will tell."