מבחן 4

8. Although Beethoven was deaf, he was able to ___________ his handicap and compose the magnificent Ninth Symphony.

(1) undertake

(2) overdo

(3) overcome

(4) undergo

9. Satellites that were ___________ employed to track the movements of the Soviet Army are now being used to monitor changes in the global environment.

(1) relatively

(2) obviously

(3) formerly

(4) instantly

10. Until he entered the University of Vienna, the Austrian physicist Erwin Schrodinger had been educated at home by a private _____________.

(1) tutor

(2) burglar

(3) peddler

(4) janitor

11. According to the United States military, nearly 15 percent of all Gulf War ___________ suffer from a puzzling medical condition called Gulf War Syndrome.

(1) veterans

(2) acquisitions

(3) guarantees

(4) frequencies

12. In their youth, the brothers Heinrich and Thomas Mann regarded themselves as brilliant writers who were _________ literary greatness.

(1) enrolled in

(2) liberated from

(3) reproduced by

(4) destined for

Restatements

This part consists of several sentences, each followed by four possible ways of restating the main idea of that sentence in different words. For each question, choose the one restatement which best expresses the meaning of the original sentence.

Restatements

13. Although Greenland is officially part of Denmark, Danish is not its predominant language.

(1) Because most people in Greenland speak Danish, it has become the country's official language.

(2) Danish is not the most widely spoken language in Greenland, even though Greenland belongs to Denmark.

(3) Danish is not the traditional language of Greenland, which only recently became part of Denmark.

(4) Although Greenland is part of Denmark, most of the people there refuse to speak Danish.

14. Thomas Aquinas wrote: "There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship."

(1) According to Thomas Aquinas, real friendship is the most valuable thing in the world.

(2) True friends, wrote Thomas Aquinas, should be rewarded for their loyalty.

(3) There was nothing in the world that Thomas Aquinas wished for more than a close friend.

(4) As Thomas Aquinas once wrote, true friends are very difficult to find.

15. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of adult blindness.

(1) Adult blindness is most commonly caused by macular degeneration.

(2) Adult blindness sometimes leads to macular degeneration.

(3) Macular degeneration is one form of adult blindness.

(4) Macular degeneration is thought to be a cause of adult blindness.

16. Crippled by a debt of 34 million dollars, the French railway company intends to eliminate some of the routes that are unprofitable.

(1) Despite the fact that the French railway company has suspended service on some of its unprofitable routes, its debt has reached 34 million dollars.

(2) The French railway company plans to cancel some of its unprofitable routes because of the 34-million-dollar debt it has incurred.

(3) Due to the fact that many of its routes are unprofitable, the French railway company is now crippled by a debt of 34 million dollars.

(4) Although it has some unprofitable routes and a 34-million-dollar debt, the French railway company will continue to provide service.

17. The Roman armies excelled not only at fighting, but also at building walls, forts, roads and aqueducts.

(1) Soldiers in the Roman armies were taught not only to fight, but also to build walls, forts, roads and aqueducts.

(2) Some of the best walls, forts, roads and aqueducts ever built were those constructed by the Roman armies.

(3) Roman soldiers were highly skilled builders of walls, forts, roads and aqueducts as well as outstanding fighters.

(4) When the Roman armies were not needed for fighting, they helped to build excellent walls, forts, roads and aqueducts.

18. In a public debate, a speaker who elects to disparage his opponent rather than refute his arguments may be attempting to disguise the vulnerability of his own position.

(1) If a candidate in an election refuses to meet with his opponent and debate him face to face, people may think that he is unsure of his own opinions.

(2) By insulting his opponent rather than disproving his arguments, a debater may be trying to hide the fact that his own arguments are weak.

(3) Unfortunately, it is common for debaters to ridicule their opponents' views rather than present reasonable and polite arguments.

(4) In a public debate, a speaker may try to show the weakness of his opponent's arguments by disparaging them rather than by refuting them.

19. Timber exports were the cornerstone of the Gabonese economy until the 1970s, when substantial offshore oil deposits were discovered; nonetheless, logging remains the country's second largest generator of revenue.

(1) Although oil generates a large amount of income for Gabon, timber accounts for most of the country's revenue, and has done so since the 1970s.

(2) Since the 1970s, Gabon has exported huge amounts of timber, making logging the country's second largest source of revenue after oil.

(3) Because Gabon's economy is now dependent on oil exports, the logging industry, which thrived until the 1970s, has declined dramatically in recent years.

(4) Today, logging is Gabon's second biggest industry, having been replaced by oil as the country's main source of income in the 1970s.

Reading comprehension

This part consists of two reading passages, each followed by several related questions. For each question, choose the most appropriate answer based on the text.

Reading comprehension

This part consists of two reading passages, each followed by several related questions. For each question, choose the most appropriate answer based on the text.