Second exam - جمال شريتح
Criticising my brother’s driving is like a red rag to a bull. He’ll lose his temper and you’ll end up walking instead of getting a lift! The idiom ‘like a red rag to a bull’ is a useful way of describing something that is guaranteed to make another person angry, but where doesit come from? Well, it’s common knowledge that the colour of blood makes bulls angry – that’s why a matador’s cape is red, right? Wrong: bulls are actually colour-blind and it is the movement of the cape, and not its colour, that makes them charge at you.
The idiom ‘as blind as a bat’ is often used to describe someone who can’t find something that’sright in front of them. However, even a thorough search is unlikely to reveal a truly blind bat because in fact, all species in the bat family have eyes and are capable of sight. About 70% of the nocturnal animals use something called echolocation to navigate, but that doesn’t mean they can’t see. The remaining 30%, mainly the larger species, can see well at night. Another bat myth is that they love human hair. While they are known to occasionally dive towards people at high speed,scientific evidence shows that they are actually hunting insects and are not irresistibly attracted to your beautiful long hair!
The idiom ‘to bury your head in the sand’ means to ignore a problem in the hope that it will go away. The saying is based on the behaviour of ostriches, known for using their beaks to dig holes in which to hide their head from enemies. The only problem is that this is not actually normal ostrich behaviour. The myth that the world’s largest birds do this is probably based on the writings of Pliny the Elder. He was a famous Roman naturalist who suggested around two thousand years ago that ostriches ‘imagine, when they have thrust their head and neck into a bush, that the whole of their body is concealed.’ Considering ostriches are the fastest creatures on two legs and have a kick powerful enough to kill a lion, they are much more likely to run or fight than try to hide.
Moving from underground to underwater, there are several common myths about marine creatures. Firstly, the idea that fish, and especially goldfish, have a memory of just a few seconds is something people seem to remember, but ought to forget. Experiments suggest a fish’s memory is much better than that, and can be counted in months rather than seconds. Next, sharks and the disturbing idea that these incredible predators can detect a single drop of blood in the water from miles around. True, though these often solitary hunters have poor eyesight, they do have a highly developed sense of smell, with some species able to detect a single drop of blood in about 50 litres of water.
Question Number One
Choose the item that best completes each sentence:
1- The animal that is connected to a myth which suggests ancient origins is __________.
- the bull
- the ostrich
- the lion
- the bat
2- The animal that suffers from some vision deficiency but otherwise its eyesight is fine is ____.
- the shark
- the bat
- the bull
- the ostrich
3- Diving towards people at high speed shows ____________________.
- a feeding behaviour that is often misinterpreted as an attack on a human
- bats are irresistibly attracted to your beautiful long hair
- bats love human hair
- bats use something called echolocation to navigate
4- What the writer wants to say about his brother is that _________________.
- he gets very angry when you criticize him.
- he resembles the bull when seeing the red rag.
- ignoring a problem in the hope that it will go away
- he gets angry when you move the cape.
5- The myth about bats is that they __________________!
- use something called echolocation to navigate
- are not irresistibly attracted to your beautiful long hair
- are much more likely to run
- are unable to see
6- What is actually not ostrich behavior is _______________.
- using their beaks to dig holes in which to hide their head from enemies
- having a kick powerful enough to kill a lion
- being the fastest creatures on two legs
- ignoring a problem in the hope that it will go away
7- The percentage of the bats which can see well at night is ________________.
- % 100
- % 70
- % 30
- % 50
8- The myth containing good news for victims of a predator is centred around the ________.
- ostriches
- bulls
- sharks
- goldfish
9- The word in the text which means ''a commonly believed but false idea'' is _____________.
- solitary
- marine
- nocturnal
- myth
10- The underlined pronoun ''that'' in the last paragraph refers to _____________.
- memory of a few seconds
- memory of months
- what people remember
- what people can't forget
Question Number Two:
11- I don't like holding fish because they are cold and _____________________.
- invertebrate
- slimy
- furry
- nocturnal
12- I am writing to draw your attention to a __________ problem to which your stores are contributing significantly.
- pressing
- viable
- torrential
- ideal
13-Because of global warming, _______ conditions are more common with periods of drought followed by torrential rain.
- acid rain
- freak weather
- soil erosion
- water scarcity
14-Trying to grow vegetables on my little plot of land in the ____________ of summer or on a cold winter’s day sounds a bit depressing.
- torrential rain
- scorching heat
- sub-zero temperatures
- soil erosion
15-When you plan a talk, focus on getting across just one key ____________. Everything you say should clearly relate to this.
- enthusiastic
- personal
- connect
- message
16-A lot of pollution is ____________________ the number of cars on our roads.
- due to
- cause
- give rise to
- result in
17-A simple and effective way to reduce ___________________ is to drive at steady speed.
- global warming
- toxic waste
- vehicle emissions
- water scarcity
18-The whole aviation sector ______________ to five percent of global warming.
- makes
- produces
- causes
- contributes
19-Known deposits of _________________ may run out in the next 50-150 years.
- acid rain
- fossil fuels
- soil erosion
- vehicle emissions
20-The skeleton of the sabre-toothed tiger shows that it was one of prehistory’s largest ______.
- skeletons
- poachers
- endangered
- predators
Question Number Three:
1-In two weeks’ time, I _____________________ on a beach.
- will be lying
- will lie
- will have been lying
- am lying
2-By the end of this month, they _______________ over control of the company for two years.
- will be fought
- will fight
- will have been fought
- will have been fighting
3-Some people fear that robots ____________ control of society soon, but I think that’s unlikely
- would take
- are taken
- will take
- are going to take
4-My grandfather is 89 years old, but he’s in great shape, so I’m sure he ______________ to be 100.
- is going to live
- will live
- would live
- are living
5-I don’t think we _____________ passwords, as computers will be able to recognise our faces.
- will need
- will have needed
- will have been needed
- are going to need
6-In a few decades, everyone ___________________ their own food.
- will have been growing
- will be growing
- will have been grown
- grew
7-Driverless cars are already a reality and ______________ common place in the next years.
- are going to become
- will be become
- will be becoming
- would become
8-I’m _____________ doing my presentation on endangered species.
- going to
- hoping to
- planning to
- thinking of
9-The King _______________ open the new bridge in Zarqa.
- is to
- will be
- going to
- thinking of
10-In 100 years’ time, half the world’s languages ___________________.
- will disappear
- will be disappearing
- would disappear
- will have disappeared
Question Number Four:
1-We’re sure that we will find a cure for cancer in the future.
- We are bound to find a cure for cancer in the future.
- We are likely to find a cure for cancer in the future.
- We are unlikely to find a cure for cancer in the future.
- We are uncertain to find a cure for cancer in the future.
2-I don’t think he will stop eating meat.
- He is bound to stop eating meat.
- He is likely to stop eating meat.
- He is surely to stop eating meat.
- He is unlikely to stop eating meat.
3-Oil prices will definitely rise next year.
- Oil prices are uncertain to rise next year.
- Oil prices are unlikely to rise next year.
- Oil prices are certain to rise next year.
- Oil prices are likely to rise next year.
4-The human race probably won’t go and live on another planet.
- The human race is likely to go and live on another planet.
- The human race is bound to go and live on another planet.
- The human race is unlikely to go and live on another planet.
- The human race is certain to go and live on another planet.
5-The underlined vowels in the word ‘beaten’ are pronounced like the vowels ___________.
- field
- filled
- dead
- meant
6-So, to sum up, …The function of this part of the signpost is __________________.
- sequencing an argument
- indicating that the speaker is going to paraphrase what they just said
- introducing the topic
- concluding
7-The sentence which shows something that has already been decided is _________.
- I’m going to turn them into shorts
- Send me the details … I’ll take a look
- She’ll be explaining how to understand the labels on clothes.
- I’m meeting her next week to finalise the plans.
8-I’m thinking of quitting my summer job. The explanation that this sentence presents is __.
- for plans
- when something is happening very soon
- for timetabled events
- for formal or official arrangements, instructions or commands
9-The sentence which contains the more formal style in writing is ________.
- I heard that sea plastic is harming over 600 species.
- All the best, Ibrahim.
- You should look into other options.
- It is essential that we take immediate action.
10-In the introduction of the formal email, we usually ____________________.
- ask the recipient of the email / letter to take some action.
- state the problem(s) and offer solutions.
- mention that you expect a reply.
- state your reasons for writing.
Question Number FOUR:
1-OK, but another ________________ might be to wait a bit longer.
- decision
- track
- agreement
- option
2-So, let’s ________________ a decision on this, shall we?
- take
- make
- do
- agree
3-''That’s what I was going to say!''
The function that this sentence shows is: ________
- agreement
- disagreement
- relief
- expressing indecision
4-The way by which we can express ‘’indecision’’ is:
- It looks as if we agree that the first poster is more suitable.
- OK, so will we go with the first one?
- On the one hand, this is a fun idea, but on the other hand, not everybody can afford it.
- That’s a good point, but I don’t know if everybody will agree.
5-The function for which this sentence ‘’I think we’re on the wrong track’’ is used:
- Expressing Indecision
- Expressing Agreement
- Expressing Disagreement
- Reaching a Decision
6-The function for which this sentence ‘‘I’m having second thoughts. I can’t make up my mind’’ is used:
- Expressing Indecision
- reach a decision
- Expressing Disagreement
- Reaching a Decision
7-In this response ‘‘You're spot on!’’ the speaker wants to:
- Express agreement
- reach a decision
- Express disagreement
- Express disagreement
8-In this response ‘‘I’m on the fence aboutthe advertising campaign’’ the speaker wants to:
- Express agreement
- reach a decision
- Express disagreement
- express indecision
9-The response that represents ‘’expressing disagreement’’ is: __________
- I’m having second thoughts. I can’t make up my mind.
- So, let’s make a decision on this.
- You're spot on!
- It doesn’t grab me.
10-The response that shows ‘’expressing agreement’’ is:
- I’m torn between a new drinking fountain and a plastic recycling bin.
- Absolutely!
- It looks as if we agree that the first poster is more suitable
- I can’t put my finger on it, but something’s not right with it.