LISTENING PRACTICE TEST  -VOLUME 1

Exercise 1: Listen to the following piece of news and complete each question with NO MORE THAN FIVE WORDS.

Between 2012 and 2013, they staged a number of major attacks on Iraqi prisons where 1.___________. Officials believe this contributed to the group’s 2.___________not only in Iraq, but also in Syria. Then, on June 29th, 2014.  Baghdadi declared the territory ISIS controlled his quote “3.___________”. Days later, he rose from 4.___________Mosul’s Great Mosque and asserted his control over the 5.___________. It even ran the “caliphate” as its own 6.___________. Another thing to keep 7.___________if the U.S. does withdraw from Syria,  are the Kurdish-run prisons that have been indefinitely detaining ISIS 8.___________. On top of that, a report that said ISIS could make a comeback  -- if there isn’t quote “9.___________” against the group. But as a 10.___________ group that could pose a serious threat to people in Iraq; Syria and around world?  No, not even close.

Your answers:

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxN8oEnIQ2w (3:53 – 6:31)

Exercise 2: Listen to the following piece of news and complete each question with NO MORE THAN FIVE WORDS.

In Yemen, what the NRC calls the worst 1.___________in the world, is still unfolding. Upwards of 22 million people are in need of assistance.That’s when a Saudi Arabian-led military coalition, started 2.___________Yemen, targeting a rebel group called the Houthis.  And 2018 brought a whole new 3.___________: the UN declared famine conditions, more than 100,000 migrants, refugees and asylum seekers have entered the country, putting an additional strain on 4.___________resources, deteriorated by which infects 10,000 people per week called 5.___________increased. Recently, U.S. lawmakers have been moving closer toward ending U.S. support in the Yemen conflict. But it still remains to be seen whether the legislative momentum will materialize, or whether President Trump will 6.___________in question. In Venezuela, the humanitarian situation has also deteriorated over the past year. There are now upwards of 2.5 million refugees forced to flee the country because of an economic crisis that 7.___________in 2014. That was largely started by a fall in oil prices. In November 2018, inflation hit 8.___________, with the prices of things like coffee and bread doubling every few weeks. Despite 9. 1.___________, President Nicolas Maduro’s government has not made an appeal for humanitarian aid, and has flatly rejected help from other countries. But even after escaping conditions in Venezuela  these refugees are reportedly often met with threats of 10.___________, sexual exploitation, or violence in the countries they’re fleeing to.

Your answers:

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4APJ_iTPGU&t=57s (2:12 – 5:06)

Exercise 3: Listen to the following piece of news and complete each question with NO MORE THAN FIVE WORDS.

We hear a lot about pollution from single use plastic items, that are 1._____________. “Modern fibers, alone or in blends with natural fibers, brought new innovations in cool, 2._____________comfortable clothes.”

Back in the 1940s, fabrics like 3. _____________ all made from plastic -- became really popular. These synthetic clothes were cheap to produce, comfortable to wear, companies have been making more clothes out of plastic.

By 2010, over half of all the fabric in our clothing was made from 4._____________. In the meantime, marine scientists noticed that habitats were being polluted with tiny pieces of plastic called “5. _____________”.These are objects are smaller than 5 millimeters, and can be anything from 6._____________broken off larger items to microbeads developed for use in cosmetic products.

Microplastics are found in marine habitats everywhere on Earth. Concentrations of microplastics have been found on coastal beaches, rivers, and at the bottom of an 7._____________near Russia.

Turns out, a large share of those microplastics are microfibers: tiny strands of plastic, and they’re coming from our laundry. Looking at this 8._____________up close, you can see that its 9._____________is actually a fabric made from tiny strands of plastic woven together.

Scientists actually tested three types of synthetic clothing to see which types shed the most using a washing machine fitted with a special filter. They determined that acrylic shed the most microfibers. In most dryers there’s a mesh screen to 10._____________, but washing machines typically don't have a filter.

Your answers:

Source: https://www.youtube/beUhzQAkanM (0:00 - 3:00)

Exercise 4: Listen to the following piece of news and complete each question with NO MORE THAN FIVE WORDS.

We've all heard stories of far-off primitive tribes 1.____________ into the mouth of a fiery volcano to 2.____________.

What is it like to die inside a 3.____________of lava and sulfur? Falling into a volcano is not going to be a pleasant fate for anyone, yet in 2007 a Maasai porter managed to survive. Fortunately for that porter, the reason he survived is that the volcano has as natrocarbonatite lava, which is rich in 4.____________carbonate minerals, and nyerereite, making the lava cool very quickly when coming in contact with air. But what happens to our sacrificed virgin as she's hurled into a 5.____________like an unwitting Gollum trying to save his Precious?

First it's likely that as she falls through the air she'll quickly suffocate from the 6.____________ produced by the volcano. She'll likely completely sear her lungs for inhaling the superheated gas. With lungs burnt to a crisp and noxious gas 7.____________, our sacrificed virgin will be near death already before even hitting the lava below.Just seconds after being hurled into the mouth of a volcano, our sacrificed virgin has turned into a fiery human comet.

 Most lava is incredibly dense- anywhere from two to three times as dense as water. That means that a human body is going to float on its surface, and because lava is also anywhere from thousands to millions of times more 8.____________than water, a human body impacting the surface is unlikely to deform it enough to sink beneath the surface.

 With temperatures reaching up to 9.____________ (1204 Celsius), she will immediately burst into flames hot enough to reduce her body to ash within second. Any metal fillings, jewelry, or medical implants will also 10.____________.

Your answers:

Source: https://www.youtube/9UlDFHOgbYI (0:00 - 3:04)

Exercise 5: Listen to the following piece of news and complete each question with NO MORE THAN FIVE WORDS.

The first scene opens up on a black man walking up to a guitar in an empty warehouse.. Gambino comes into view wearing pants and shoes linked to 1.___________ He's also wearing two small gold chains, a 2.___________ for obsession with consumerism and 3.___________.

The song's first bridge talks about how entertainment media is serving as a distraction. The girl here represents America, and the frame represents real life injustices. The movements and expressions seem to be modeled after Jim Crow. This 4.___________ was commonly used as a reference in 5.___________.

One specific dance they're doing is the Gwara Gwara, which could be a possible nod to similarities between racism in America and South Africa's 6.___________. Whether the dancing is used to numb the pain, gain social media followers, or simply survive, his movements are a 7.___________ distraction from the chaos in the background. The hooded man riding the white horse seen here, is a biblical symbol for the 8.___________.

The second verse is preluded with a happy 9.___________, who's gunned down by Gambino. While all this violence is taking place in the warehouse, which looks eerily similar to a prison, Gambino says, This could have a double meaning. One, how cell phones are being used as tools to document this brutality. Or two, celly could mean cell block, a commonly used tool to unjustly keep blacks in a 10.___________.

Your answers:

Source: https://www.youtube/9_LIP7qguYw (0:38 - 4:06)