SWEUS 2018 Placement test
Name: _______________________________ Score: _____________________________
Masaryk University, Language Centre
Žerotínovo nám. 617/9, 601 77 Brno, Czech Republic, Location: Komenského nám. 220/2, 602 00 Brno
T: +420 549 49 6447, E: cjv@rect.muni.cz, www.cjv.muni.cz
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Choose the best word or phrase (a, b, c or d) to fill each blank.
(1) Harry can _____ English.
a) to speak
b) speaking
c) speak
d) speaks
(2) I’m not interested _____ sports.
a) for
b) about
c) in
d) to
(3) She likes _____ expensive clothes.
a) wearing
b) to wearing
c) wear
d) is wearing
(4) Harry _____ his father’s car when the accident happened.
a) was driving
b) drove
c) had driven
d) has been driving
(5) I was wondering _____ tell me when the next plane from Chicago arrives?
a) could you
b) can you
c) if you could
d) if could you
(6) If I _____ him, I would have spoken to him, wouldn’t I?
a) saw
b) had seen
c) have seen
d) would have seen
(7) I like your hair. Where _____?
a) do you have cut
b) have you cut it
c) do you have cut it
d) do you have it cut
(8) I think Joey must _____ late tonight. His office light is still on.
a) have worked
b) work
c) be working
d) to work
(9) John tells me Jack’s going out with Helen, _____ I find hard to believe.
a) which
b) who
c) whose
d) that
(10) What _____ this weekend, Lance?
a) will you do
b) are you doing
c) will you have done
d) do you do
(11) The weather has been awful. We’ve had very _____ sunshine this summer.
a) little
b) a little
c) few
d) a few
(12) Did you hear what happened to Kate? She _____.
a) is arrested
b) arrested
c) has been arrested
d) is being arrested
(13) I usually _____ up at about 7.30.
a) go
b) be
c) do
d) get
(14) I _____ football every week.
a) play
b) go
c) do
d) have
(15) My sister _____ the cooking in our house.
a) does
b) makes
c) cooks
d) takes
(16) Don’t forget to _____ the light when you leave the room.
a) turn up
b) turn in
c) turn off
d) turn over
(17) She was in _____ when she heard the tragic news.
a) crying
b) tears
c) cries
d) tearful
(18) He _____ that he hadn’t stolen the computer, but no one believed him.
a) reassured
b) informed
c) insisted
d) persuaded
(19) Could you _____ me that book for a couple of days, please?
a) lend
b) owe
c) borrow
d) rent
(20) Greg is _____ a lot of time at Yvonne’s house these days!
a) taking
b) spending
c) having
d) doing
(21) Who _____ in that house?
a) does live
b) lives
c) does he live
d) he lives
(22) I’ll call you when I _____ home.
a) get
b) ’ll get
c) ’ll have got
d) ’m getting
(23) If you _____ me, what would you do?
a) was
b) would be
c) were
d) have been
(24) I don’t know where _____ last night.
a) did he go
b) he did go
c) went he
d) he went
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(25) John and Betty are coming to visit us tomorrow but I wish _____.
a) they won’t
b) they hadn’t
c) they didn’t
d) they weren’t
(26) I’m so hungry! If only Bill _____ all the food in the fridge!
a) wasn’t eating
b) didn’t eat
c) hadn’t eaten
d) hasn’t eaten
(27) I regret _____ harder in school.
a) not studying
b) not to study
c) to not study
d) not have studied
(28) Surely Sue _____ you if she was unhappy with your work.
a) will tell
b) would have told
c) must have told
d) had told
(29) Our neighbours aren’t very polite, and _____ particularly quiet!
a) neither they aren’t
b) either they aren’t
c) nor are they
d) neither did they be
(30) We had expected that they _____ fluent English, but in fact they didn’t.
a) were speaking
b) would speak
c) had spoken
d) spoke
(31) I’d rather I _____ next weekend, but I do!
a) don’t have to work
b) didn’t have to work
c) wouldn’t work
d) wasn’t working
(32) Harriet is so knowledgeable. She can talk about _____ subject that comes
up.
a) whatever
b) whenever
c) wherever
d) whoever
(33) I always _____ milk in my coffee.
a) have
b) drink
c) mix
d) make
(34) I _____ TV every evening.
a) watch
b) look at
c) see
d) hear
(35) Can you give me a _____ with my bag.
a) leg
b) back
c) hand
d) head
(36) Before you enter the triathlon, please bear in _____ that you’re not as
young as you used to be!
a) thought
b) question
c) mind
d) opinion
(37) The breath test showed he had consumed more than three times the legal
limit of alcohol, so the police arrested him for _____.
a) trespassing
b) mugging
c) speeding
d) drunk driving
(38) The meeting was _____ and not very interesting.
a) time-wasting
b) time-consuming
c) time-using
d) out of time
(39) After the movie was released, the main _____ point was its excessive use
of violence.
a) discussion
b) speaking
c) conversation
d) talking
(40) There have been several big _____ against the use of GM foods recently.
a) campaigns
b) issues
c) boycotts
d) strikes
Writing: Write 120-180 words about what your studies involve, what you will
need English for in your future job, and which skill (reading, writing, listening,
speaking) you would like to practise the most.
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BEC Higher Listening 1:
You will hear 5 different people talking about a project they carried out at work,
and their experience while carrying it out. For each extract there are two tasks. For
Task One choose the purpose of the project from the list A-H. For Task Two
choose the person’s experience from the list A-H.
IMPORTANT: You are working on both tasks at the same time!
Task One: Purpose of the project
13…………… A to make changes to the Marketing Department
14……………. B to propose changes in managers’ responsibilities
15……………. C to implement a programme of redundancies
16…………… D to automate the production process
17…………… E to introduce a staff development system
F to improve the company’s distribution system
G to attract other domestic market segments
H to expand the company’s geographical coverage
Task Two – Experience of the project
18…………… A I felt that other employees didn’t cooperate with
me
19……………. B The documents I wanted did not exist
20……………. C My terms of reference were unclear
21…………… D The timescale was inadequate
22…………… E The project was not adequately funded
F Managers underestimated the difficulties of the
project
G My colleagues objected to me being given the
project
H I wanted to broaden the focus of the project
BBC Listening 2:
Listen to part of a BBC programme, in which a reporter and his guests discuss
selling businesses they had started and run. Complete the gaps with up to five
words.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08018qn
1. For young businesses, exit is (of) ______________________.
2. ___________________________ often think about how to sell the
company before they agree to invest in it.
3. Liz Earle established a company selling __________________.
4. Around 1995 a friend of Liz’s identified a(n) _______________.
5. Liz’s friend was skilled at ____________and_______________.
6. In about 15 years, the business became Britain’s
_____________________.
7. Apart from the two founders, there were some other
________________ and ________________.
8. It was the family who gave them the ___________________.
9. The business was not based on ______________________.
10. The business _____________________every year.