PART 5
Directions: Listen to five people talking about their first day at work. How did
each speaker feel? Circle the correct feeling.
 A. Annoyed

B. Embarrassed

C. Nervous

D. Angry

 A. Nervous

B. Apologetic

C. Surprised

D. Excited

 A. Annoyed

B. Embarrassed

C. Surprised

D. Amused

 A. Amused

B. Apologetic


brought from Europe. People from other places, like Africa, also came to live in
Puerto Rico. Today Puerto Rico is an interesting mix of all these cultures. Visitors
will notice the influence of Spain in the food, music, festivals and (9) ______ of
the people. And, of course, the people in Puerto Rico speak Spanish – but they
(10) ______ speak English.












A. among
A. stretch
A. particularly
A. because of
A. settled
A. whom
A. Fortunately
A. by
A. custom
A. never

B. between
B. are


Choose the word or phrase (A, B, C, or D) that best fits the blank space in
the following passage.

The world's oceans have warmed 50 percent faster over the last 40 years
than previously thought (11) ______ climate change, Australian and US climate
researchers reported Wednesday. Higher ocean temperatures expand the volume of


water, (12) ______ a rise in sea levels that is submerging small island nations and
threatening to wreak havoc in low-lying, densely-populated delta regions around
the globe.
Rising sea levels are driven by two things: the thermal expansion of sea
water, and additional water (13) ______ melting sources of ice. Both processes are
caused (14) ______ global warming. The ice sheet (15) ______ sits atop
Greenland, for example, contains (16) ______ to raise world ocean levels by seven
meters (23 feet), which would bury sea-level cities from Dhaka to Shanghai.
Trying to (17) ______ how much each of these factors contributes to rising
sea levels is critically important to (18) ______ climate change, and forecasting
future temperature rises, scientists say. But (19) ______, there has been a
perplexing gap (20) ______ the projections of computer-based climate models,
and the observations of scientists gathering data from the oceans.
(©AFP 12/23/2008)








C. contributing
C. from
C. to
C. which
C. enough water
C. think of
C. dealing
C. also
C. to

D. of
D. leads to
D. in
D. by
D. that
D. enough
D. manage
D. deal
D. from now
D. between

Read the passage and choose the best answer.

Some scientists have predicted that healthy adults and children may one
day take drugs to improve their intelligence and intellectual performance. A
research group has suggested that such drugs might become as common as coffee
or tea within the next couple of decades.
To counter this, students taking exams might have to take drugs tests like
athletes. There are already drugs that are known to improve mental performance,
like Ritalin, which is given to children with problems concentrating. A drug given

B. the research group that develop the drugs
C. drugs with coffee or tea
D. pills that help improve mental performance
The word ―this‖ refers to _____
A. drug
B. performance
C. drug-taking to improve mental performance
D. the research
group
According to the passage, which statement is true?
 Only children would take pills to improve their intellectual performance.
 Intelligence pills are already as common as coffee or tea.
 A sleeping pill helps people remember numbers.
 Food supplements are unfair.
The word ―athletes‖ is the closest in meaning to _____
A. Sportspersons B. healthy adults
C. old people
D. drug addicts
According to the passage, which statement is NOT true?
 Students could have to take intelligence drugs tests.
 Vitamins help people remember things better.
 Ritalin improves children’s concentration.
 No drugs can improve people’s mental performance.
The word ―moral‖ is the closest in meaning to _____
A. valuable
B. controversial
C. ethical
D. illegal
The word ―supplement‖ is closest in meaning to _____
A. intelligence drug

gasoline sales. But that’s been buried as soaring prices forced the station to pay
about $500 a month in interchange fees. ―At these prices, people aren’t making
any money,‖ said Jeff Lenard, spokesman for the Alexandria, Va.-based National
Association of Convenience Stores. ―It’s brutal‖. Lenard's group reports
convenience stores paid roughly $7.6 billion in credit card fees last year, while
making $3.4 billion in profits.
(©AFP 11/02/2008)

 Why do some gas station owners decide not to accept credit cards?
A. They prefer the ―instant gratification‖ of getting cash. B. Credit fraud.
C. High credit card interchange fees.
D. Soaring prices
 The word ―woes‖ is closest in meaning to _____
A. joys
B. sufferings
C. actions
D. ban
 According to the passage, what is the average interchange fee paid by gas
station owners?
A. About $4
B. About 2%
C. 11 to 12 cents
D. 10 cents
 How much profit does the average gas station owner make on a gallon of gas?
A. About $4
B. About 2%
C. 11 to 12 cents
D. 10 cents
 The word ―so-called‖ is closest in meaning to _____
A. suggested

 Profits of other gasoline station managers
 Spokesman Jeff Lenard
 Roaring prices of goods and services
 Read the passage and choose the best answer.
Japan's 24-hour convenience stores, already struggling with lagging sales
and growth, may soon face yet another threat - moves to limit business hours and
close the stores late at night. The prefecture of Saitama, which borders Tokyo,
may follow in the footsteps of the western city of Kyoto and urge convenience
stores to close during late night hours in an effort to limit carbon dioxide
emissions, Japanese media reported.
Kyoto, a former capital, wants to persuade convenience and other 24-hour
stores to close late at night so as to improve evening views of the city and cut
down on energy use. The Nikkei business daily said closures could last from 11
p.m. to 7 a.m. The move is strongly opposed by the industry, which fears a
withering impact on an already troubled sector also grappling with the specter of a
higher tobacco tax, which could hit overall sales.
―Even if we only operate the stores for 16 hours, we can't stop the
refrigerators,‖ said Toshiro Yamaguchi, the president of Seven-Eleven Japan Co,
which is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co Ltd, at a news conference in Saitama
on Tuesday. He said such cuts in operating hours would reduce each store's profit
by 20 percent. ―If this happens, our current business model will lose its
foundation‖.
Analysts said that while it is difficult to estimate the potential impact of the
move without a concrete plan, their overall impression was that it was likely to be
negative. ―This could cut profits and lead to less efficient operations and the
increased loss of opportunities," said Masafumi Shoda, an analyst at Nomura
Securities. "But it depends on the store - urban stores do better than others. There
are some in the countryside that are inefficient‖.
Some have suggested that if governments were sincere about reducing
carbon emissions there were much more efficient methods, such as cutting back on

A. moving fast
B. straggling
C. efficient
D.
threatening
The word ―prefecture‖ is closest in meaning to _____
A. A district administered by a prefect
B. A land
C. A city
D. A commune
How’s the convenience store sector doing in Japan?
A. The article doesn't say.
B. It’s doing great. Business is booming.
C. Not very well.
D. It depends.
According to the article, which convenience stores are generally more
successful?
A. The ones in big cities.
B. The small ones in the countryside.
C. The ones that sell alcohol.
D. The big ones in the countryside.
According to the convenience store industry, what impact would closing for
the night have on the earnings of a typical store?
 It could cause a 10% increase in sales.
 It could cause a loss of opportunities.
 It could cause a 20% decrease in profits.
 Its effect would be minimal. People would simply shop earlier.
The word ―it‖ refers to _____
A. potential impact
B. overall impression

 Do you have many friends? What do you do together in your free time?

PART 2: LONG TURN
TOPIC CARD 1
Describe a close friend.

You should say:

how long you have known this person

how you met
what kind of person he/she is
and explain why you like him/her.


PART 3: TWO-WAY DISCUSSION
 What do you expect in a good friend?
 Which are more important to you – your families or your friends?
 Is it possible to make friends with people of the opposite sex?

FOR CANDIDATES
PART 2: LONG TURN
TOPIC CARD 1
Describe a close friend.

You should say:

how long you have known this person

how you met

A. had been
B. are being
C. will
D. had
 No one answered the door when I knocked, so they ______ already left.
A. must be
B. have
C. must have D. might be
 Peter is going to have a birthday party ______ next Tuesday.
A. on
B. at
C. the
D. Ø
 ―______ do you read books?‖ – ―Almost every day‖.
A. How long
B. How much
C. How
D. How often
 They believe that the police ______ the thief soon.
A. captures
B. captured
C. will capture
D.
have
captured
 Sometimes she goes out ______ night ______ Saturdays.
A. at/ in
B. at/ on
C. on/ at
D. on/ on

D. have
started
 Please return ______ two hours. I will be ready ______ then.
A. around/ until
B. on/ till
C. after/ by
D. in/ by
 I wish she’d tell me what I ______ in this tough situation.
A. ought
B. should
C. would
D. shall
 Helen, what is that terrible noise? Is there ______ on in the street?
A. something
B. anything
C. nothing
D. everything
 Most ______ students couldn’t finish the exam on time.
A. of
B. some
C. the
D. of the
 I remember ______ the package a couple of days before going on holiday.
A. receiving
B. to receive
C. to be received
D. to have
received
 It is no ______ in persuading him not to follow her.
A. point

A. on which
B. over which
C. of which D. from which
 I wasn’t in ______ of his idea about the renovation.
A. agreement
B. content
C. satisfied
D. favor


 My birthday is on ______ of March.
A. the tenth
B. tenth
C. ten
D. the ten
 ―Could you lend me some money?‖ – ―Sorry, I can’t. I’m ______ ‖.
A. broken
B. breaking
C. broke
D. break
 I had a mechanic ______ my car yesterday.
A. mend
B. mended
C. mending
D. mends
 Motel rooms must be ______ by noon, but luggage may be left in the lobby
lockers with certain fees.
A. vacated
B. abandoned
C. left

 He got down to writing the letter as soon as he returned from his walk.
 As soon as he walked, he got down to writing the letter.


 No sooner he returned from his walk then he got down to writing.
 No sooner had he returned from his walk then he got down to writing.
 No sooner had he got down to writing, he returned from his walk.
 I was very impressed by his performance.
 I found his performance very impressed.
 I found his performance was very impressed.
 I find his performance very impressing.
 I found his performance very impressing.

-----------------------------THE END
CFL ENGLISH TEST
WRITING
02 tasks - 60 minutes

WRITING TASK 1 (1)
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
You travelled last week from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh City and your
suitcase was lost. Although you have informed the Lost and Found
Office at the airport, you have heard nothing from the airline
company. Write to the airline company and provide detailed
information about the incident. Describe your suitcase and what was
in it and how you informed the Lost and Found Office. Also, try to
figure out what they are going to do about it.
In NO MORE THAN 150 words, write a letter to the airline company,
covering all the points raised.