Oxford Placement Test 1Grammar Test, part 1

February 2002

Please do not write on this sheet

1. Water A is to boil B is boiling C boils at a temperature of 100°C.

2. In some countries A there is B is C it is very hot all the time.

3. In cold countries people wear thick clothes A for keeping B to keep

C for to keep warm.

4. In England people are always talking about A a weather B the weather

C weather .

5. In some places A it rains B there rains C it raining almost every day.

6. In deserts there isn't A the B some C any grass.

7. Places near the Equator have A a warm B the warm C warm weather even in the

cold season.

8. In England A coldest B the coldest C colder time of year is usually from

December to February.

9. A The most B Most of C Most people don't know what it's like in other countries.

10. Very A less B little C few people can travel abroad.

11. Mohammed Ali A has won B won C is winning his first world title fight in 1960.

12. After he A had won B have won C was winning an Olympic gold medal he

became a professional boxer.

13. His religious beliefs A have made him B made him to C made him change his

name when he became champion.

14. If he A has B would have C had lost his first fight with Sonny Liston, no one

would have been surprised.

15. He has travelled a lot A both B and C or as a boxer and as a world-famous

personality.

16. He is very well known A all in B all over C in all the world.

17. Many people A is believing B are believing C believe he was the greatest boxer

of all time.

18. To be the best A from B in C of the world is not easy.

19. Like any top sportsman Ali A had to B must C should train very hard.

20. Even though he has now lost his title, people A would B will C did always

remember him as a champion.

The history of A aeroplane B the aeroplane C an aeroplane is 21

A quite a B a quite C quite short one. For many centuries men 22

A are trying B try C had tried to fly, but with 23

A little B few C a little success. In the 19th century a few people 24

succeeded A to fly B in flying C into flying in balloons. But it wasn't until 25

the beginning of A coming B last C next century that anybody 26

A were B is C was able to fly in a machine 27

A who B which C what was heavier than air, in other words, in 28

A who B which C what we now call a 'plane'. The first people to achieve 29

'powered flight' were the Wright brothers. A His B Their C Theirs 30

was the machine which was the forerunner of the Jumbo jets

and supersonic airliners that are A such B such a C so common 31

sight today. They , A could B should C couldn’t 32

hardly have imagined that in 1969,

A not much B not many C no much more than half a century later, 33

a man A will be B had been C would be landed on the moon. 34

Already A a man B man C the man is taking the first steps towards the stars 35

Although space satellites have existed A since B during C for less 36

than forty years, we are now dependent A from B of C on them for all 37

kinds of A informations B information C an information .Not only 38

A are they B they are C there are being used for scientific research in 39

space, but also to see what kind of weather A is coming B comes C coming . 40

By 2028 there A would B must C will have been satellites in space for seventy 41

years and the 'space superpowers' are planning to A have B make C let 42

massive space stations built. When these A will be B are C will have been 43

completed it will be the first time A when B where C that astronauts will be 44

able to work in space in large numbers. A Apart B For C Except all that, 45

in many ways the most remarkable flight A of B above C at all was 46

A it B that C that one of the flying bicycle, which the world saw on television, 47

A flying B to fly C fly across the Channel from England to France, with nothing 48

A apart B but C than a man to power it. As the bicycle-flyer said, 49

‘It's the first time A I realize B I’ve realized C I am realizing 50

what hard work it is to be a bird!’

51. Many teachers A say to B say C tell their students should learn a foreign

language.

52. Learning a second language is not the same A as B like C than learning a first

language.

53. It takes A long time B long C a long time to learn any language.

54. It is said that Chinese is perhaps the world's A harder B hardest C more hard

language to master.

55. English is quite difficult because of all the exceptions A who B which C what

have to be learnt.

56. You can learn the basic structures of a language quite quickly, but only if you

A are wanting B will to C are willing to make an effort.

57. A lot of people aren't used A to the study B to study C to studying grammar in

their own language.

58. Many adult students of English wish they A would start B would have started

C had started their language studies earlier.

59. In some countries students have to spend a lot of time working A on B by C in

their own.

60. There aren't A no B any C some easy ways of learning a foreign language in

your own country.

61. Some people try to improve their English by A hearing B listening

C listening to the BBC World Service.

62. A Live B Life C Living with a foreign family can be a good way to learn a

language.

63. It's no use A to try B trying C in trying to learn a language just by studying a

dictionary.

64. Many students of English A would rather not B would rather prefer not

C would rather not to take tests.

65. Some people think it's time we all A learn B should learn C learnt a single

international language.

Charles Walker is a teacher at a comprehensive school in Norwich. He A has joined

B joined C joins 66

the staff of the school in 1988 and A has been working B worked C works 67

there ever since.

Before A move B to move C moving 68

to Norwich, he taught in Italy and in Wales,

and before that he A has been B was C was being a student at Cambridge 69

University. So far he A isn’t B wasn’t C hasn’t been in Norwich for as long 70

as he was in Wales, but he likes the city a lot and A should B would C could 71

like to stay there for at least another two years, or, A how B which C as he 72

puts it, until his two children A have B will have C will be grown up a bit. 73

He met his wife, Kate, in 1982 while he

A was to live B was living C had been living 74

abroad for a while, and they got married in 1986.

Their two children, Mark and Susan, A are B were C have been 75

both born in Norwich.

The Walkers' boy, A who B which C he is four, has just started 76

at nursery school, but A his B their C her sister 77

A shall stay B stays C will be staying at home for another couple of years, 78

because she is nearly two years A younger B more young C the younger 79

than him. Charles and Kate Walker A are used B use C used to live in the 80

country, but now that they have children, they A have moved B move C moved 81

into the city. Charles wanted a house A next B near C close the 82

school A in order B for C to get to work easily. Unfortunately 83

A the B a C that one the two of them really wanted was too expensive, 84

so they A must B should C had to buy one a bit further away. By the time the 85

children A go B will go C will have gone to secondary school, 86

A that B which C what Charles and Kate hope will be in Norwich, the 87

Walkers A will have been B have been C will be 88

living there for at least fifteen years.

They can't be sure if they A stay B do stay C will stay , but if they 89

A don’t B didn’t C won’t , their friends won't be too surprised. 90

91.John's coming to see you, A hasn’t he B wasn’t he C isn’t he ?

92. It's been a long time since you've seen him, A hasn’t it B isn’t it C haven’t you ?

93.He's due to arrive tomorrow, A won’t he B isn’t he C will he ?

94.He won't be getting in till about 10.30, A isn’t he B is he C will he ?

95.You met him while you were on holiday, A didn’t you B weren’t you

C haven’t you ?

96. I think I'm expected to pick him up, A aren’t I B don’t I C are you ?

97.No doubt you'd rather he stayed in England now, A didn’t you B wouldn’t you

C shouldn’t you ?

98.Nobody else has been told he's coming, A is he B has he C have they ?

99.We'd better not stay up too late tonight, A didn’t we B have we C had we ?

100. I suppose it's time we called it a day, A didn’t we B isn’t it C don’t I ?