1. Section 1: Grammar

Read the following questions and choose the correct answer.

1.What time _______________ your mother leave work on Thursdays?

2. Did Sayaka ______________ her vacation?

3. Have you _______gone skydiving?

4. Have you ____________ at the new Thai restaurant?

5. Section 2: Reading

Reading 1: The Ice Cream Taster. Read the passage below and answer the questions.

My name is Sara. For my job, I taste ice cream. It’s my dream job, but it’s also difficult. I work for a big ice cream company. Every day, I taste all of the different flavors. After I taste the flavors, I write a report about the ones I didn’t like. In the report I include the reason I didn’t like it. For example, it might be too sweet. Doing this helps the company know if the ice cream is good or not. If it is not good, the company will change the recipe. Usually the company has to change the recipe three or four times before the ice cream is ready to be sold. Being an ice cream taster is great, but it is easy to gain weight. That’s why every time I taste a flavor, I make sure to spit it out.

5. What is Sara’s job?

6. Every day Sara________.

7. Sara writes a report about ________.

8. What does Sara do to not gain weight?

9. Section 3: Listening

Conversation 1: Brandon and Chantal are talking about technology. Listen to their conversation and answer the questions below.

9. Brandon thinks the new ________________ looks really cool.

10. Brandon thinks the new _____________ is really great.

11. Conversation 2: Kelly and Mike are talking about his vacation. Listen to their conversation and answer the questions below.

11. Mike visited ______________ with his _____________.

12. They visited _____________ and ______________.

13. Section 4: Grammar

Read the following questions and choose the correct answer.

13. Please sit ____________ your seat and take your elbows ____________ the table.

14. In the early 1980s, few people _____computers in their home.

15. ______ you ______ a low-paying job, you won’t be able to save a lot of money.

16. If birth rates continue to rise, the world’s population ________ 9.7 billion by the year 2050.

17. Section 5: Reading

Reading 2: Tipping in America. Read the passage below and answer the questions.

In America, tipping can be confusing. Who should you tip? How much should you tip? Where should you tip? One of the most common places people tip is at restaurants. People generally tip between 15% - 20% of the bill. For example, if the check total is $40, people give the waiter or waitress around $6-8. The amount you should tip also changes depending on what city you are in. For example, if you are in a bigger city like New York you would tip more than if you were, say, in Omaha, Nebraska.

People don’t only tip at restaurants, they also tip at other places that are a part of the service industry. For example, it is very common for people tip at a car wash, hair salon, hotel, or massage parlor. Usually these tips are not as much as the ones you would give at a restaurant. For example, most people would tip around $3 - $5 dollars at a car wash or 10% of the cost of a hair-cut.

All of this tipping seems like a lot of money to people visiting from other countries where tipping isn’t normal, but in the United States it is a normal part of everyday life.

17. How much do people usually tip at a restaurant in the United States?

18. On average, people tip ­­­_________ at restaurants than they do at other places.

19. In general, a good rule to follow is: the bigger the city, the _________ you should tip.

20. It is normal to tip all of the following people except:

21. Section 6: Listening

Conversation 3: Natalia and Kenny are having a disagreement. Listen to their conversation and answer the questions below.

21. Kenny needs to ____________the TV.

22. Nate still can’t talk on the phone, so Kenny needs to __________.

23. Conversation 4: Mary and Bill are talking about their project. Listen to their conversation and answer the questions below.

23. Bill has ________ to work on.

24. Mary gives Bill an energy drink called, _____________ to drink.

25. Section 7: Grammar

Read the following questions and choose the correct answer.

25. She never showed up for her doctor’s appointment today. She ______________ about it.

26. My roommate is a slob, ___________ is why I want to get my own house.

27. I ________I ___________ gone to a better university.

28. ____________ actors worked with Brad Pitt, they were always impressed.

29. Tony is _____________ man I know.

30. Section 8: Reading

Reading 3: Life without Money

Successful business man, Roy, worried about the destruction people were doing to the environment. He worried about all the things people bought and thought that people acquire more than they needed. He felt that people become slaves to their possessions and that their greed blinded them from seeing the important things in life. Roy thought that a life without possessions was the key to achieve true happiness. Determined to test his theory, Roy quit his job, sold his house, and decided to live for a year without buying anything.

He moved into the forest and built a humble shelter out of branches and moss. He found a neighboring farm and made an agreement with the farm owner—Roy would farm the land and use a portion of the vegetables he harvested as payment for use. He spent his time gathering fire wood and hunting small animals using a bow and arrow he chiseled himself. He made his own toothpaste from tree roots and seeds. He used his knowledge of the vegetation around him to heal any ailments that afflicted him. He was entirely self-reliant.

After 12 months, he emerged from the forest a healthier and happier man. His theory proved true and from that point on, his perspective on life was never the same.

30. What was Roy trying to prove?

31. What was the agreement that Roy and the farmer had?

32. Roy would use different plants he found in the forest as ____________.

33. What does it mean that Roy was entirely self-reliant?

34. Section 9: Listening

Conversation 5: Erica and Charles are talking about his recent trip to New Orleans. Listen to their conversation and answer the questions below.

34. Charles went to New Orleans _________.

35. Charles was eating _________ when his wallet was stolen.

36. Conversation 6: Sam and Carly are discussing his need for a singing teacher. Listen to their conversation and answer the questions below.

36. Sam wants to find a singing teacher who can give the lessons for ______.

37. Sam can pay _______ for his singing lesson.