AJ

Počet
účastníků: 2066

Květen I / Máj I
2024

Počet úloh: 60
Max. možné skóre:
60,0
Max. dosažené skóre: 60,0
Min. možné skóre: -17,3
Min. dosažené skóre: -12,0
Směr. odchylka skóre: 16,6

Čistá úspěšnost: 43,4 %

Korig. úspěšnost: 43,8 %
Hrubá úspěšnost: 52,7 %
Průměrné skóre: 26,0
Medián skóre: 25,7
 1. Listening
Listening 1
You will hear a text which is followed by several tasks. You will be given time to look through the relevant tasks before you listen.
You will hear the recording twice. Solve the tasks based solely on the information in the recording.

QUESTIONS 1–6
What Conspiracy Theorists Say about The Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
1. (D) a dimension where everyone goes mad is about to be
discovered
The Large Hadron Collider was shut down ______ prior to
being turned on again.
(A) due to rusty components 4.
(B) to undergo upkeep
(C) due to a three-year warranty Has the LHC proven the existence of other dimensions so far?
(D) due to a change in management (A) Yes, there has been one case recorded.
2. (B) No, it has not, but theoretically it could.
(C) No, in fact, it has proven there are no other dimensions.
What is true about the Higgs boson, according to the (D) No, it cannot possibly prove or disprove the existence of
recording? other dimensions.
(A) It is another name for the dark matter.
(B) It has acquired its name after a person involved in particle 5.
research.
(C) It is an acronym of the names of five scientists. What would be a piece of evidence for the existence of other
(D) It is a particle that gains a lot of mass from its dimensions, according to the recording?
surroundings quickly. (A) the detection of dark matter
(B) a particle of an unknown element
3. (C) a recording containing a comprehensible message
(D) the presence of an altered form of known particles
This year the conspiracy theorists have claimed that ______.
(A) Doctor Strange is a real-life figure working in CERN 6.
(B) the centre of the Earth will be relocated
(C) a gate to a parallel dimension could be opened

© Scio 2024 2
 (D)
I

Should the LHC create black holes, they ______. t is a common misconception that it was the Wright
(A) would not be visible at all, not even with a microscope brothers who orchestrated the first flight of a hot-air
(B) could destroy the planet Earth balloon.
(C) could cause a collapse of the LHC
(D) would not be of a permanent nature 9.

1. Listening
Listening 2
You will hear a series of short unrelated extracts. There is one task for each extract. You will be given time to read the relevant task
before you listen. You will hear each extract twice. Solve the tasks based solely on the information in the recording.
7.
You hear about a strange criminal case that happened in Basel
You hear news about the Hangzhou zoo in China’s Zhejiang in 1474.
province. What happened?
The zoo ______. (A) A person was burned alive for performing witchcraft that
(A) saw the visitor numbers plummet after accusations of one involved a chicken.
of their animals being fake (B) A rooster was sentenced to death over a witchcraft
(B) tried to conceal the fact that one of their bears is a allegation.
disguised staff member named Angela (C) An immense crowd of townsmen and peasants protested
(C) refuted the rumours that their bear is actually a human against killing a rooster.
dressed up in a bear suit (D) A medieval lawyer refused to represent a chicken that was
(D) admitted that they made one of the staff members 10.
impersonate a bear subsequently executed.
8.

You hear information about the history of aviation. You hear someone talking about the “doiri” ritual, recently
completed by Kogen Kamahori.
Which of the following statements is true?
What does completing the ritual involve?
(A) Hot-air balloons were first launched into the sky in 1903.
(B) The first recorded manned flight of a hot-air balloon took (A) proving the ability to use a flaming sword
place in 1794. (B) forgoing food and drinks
(C) Soon after the first manned flight of a hot-air balloon, the (C) proving you can speak with the Buddhist deity Acala
balloons became commonplace. 11.

12.

© Scio 2024 3
 2. Reading (C)
t

(D) promising 100,000 times that you will protect the faithful he fish seemed to be a young shark (D) the story about the
fish was but a juvenile hoax happiness.
You hear about an interesting project in China.
13.
Chinese scientists are watching animals at zoos to ______.
(A) learn more about the group dynamics of birds
(B) verify if animals can detect the presence of groundwater
(C) predict that an earthquake may strike
(D) identify unusual chicken individuals for further
experiments
According to the first paragraph of the text, our culture
______.
You hear news about a fish spotted in the streets of Florida.
(A) shows disrespect for both young and old people alike
The former director of the Florida Museum of Natural History (B) admires old people for their wisdom while despising the
said that ______. young
(A) it is impossible to determine whether the fish was a shark (C) hardly differentiates between the young and the old
(B) the fish was most likely a full-grown shark (D) worships the young and scorns the old
14.

Reading 1
Read the following text and solve the tasks based solely on the information in it.

QUESTIONS 13–20
Life’s happiness curve
“I hope I die before I get old,” wrote the musician Pete Townshend in 1965, neatly encapsulating our culture’s veneration of youth –
and disdain for those benighted souls who no longer possess it. (A) The 20-year-old Townshend was to be disappointed: last month
he turned 70. But over the decades he may have revised his views on the grimness of growing old, because evidence suggests the
ageing process isn’t necessarily a steady descent into misery. (B)
This isn’t to say that the idea of the mid-life crisis has had its day. In general, people seem to begin their lives with a high degree of
contentment. From the age of around 18 we become gradually less happy, reaching a nadir in our 40s. A study has shown that over
the 30 years from teen to middle age, life happiness scores dip by an average of around 5-10%.
However, the happiness curve is U-shaped. As we enter our 50s, our levels of contentment take off again and keep rising. (C) So,
when we’re in our 60s, it’s likely that we have never have been happier. (The upward trend doesn’t continue indefinitely, though:
unsurprisingly, levels of happiness usually dip in the last couple of years of life.) We are, of course, talking averages here – broad
statistical trends. Nevertheless, it’s a pattern that’s been detected in many large-scale studies.
The U-shaped curve is seen in both sexes, though men tend to be happier than women (albeit women smile more). (D) And, would
you believe, researchers have even claimed to have detected it in great apes. A study of 500 chimpanzees and orangutans rated for
happiness by their zoo keepers indicated a primate mid-life crisis at around the age of 30 – a finding that led to speculation that some
(as yet unidentified) age-related biological influence is at work.
The U-shaped curve theory has its dissenters. Yet evidence for its existence keeps on coming. But what are the reasons? Two theories
are particularly popular in the scientific literature. The first is economic: essentially, it all boils down to the effect of work on our
wellbeing. The downward curve of contentment begins as we enter employment in early adulthood and accelerates as work takes up
more and more of our time in mid-life. But we reap the rewards as we enter our 50s – we now have time to enjoy the fruits of our
frenetic mid-life labour. The other dominant theory is psychological. We start off in life with high hopes, which we gradually realise
are unlikely to be fulfilled. Middle age brings a new sense of realism; a determination to enjoy life as it is; and thus an increase in

© Scio 2024 4
The second paragraph states: “This isn’t to say that the idea of
the mid-life crisis has had its day.” Which of the following
options best describes what this statement means?
(A) The idea of the mid-life crisis is outdated.
(B) The idea of the mid-life crisis was established a long time
ago.
(C) The idea of the mid-life crisis still has some merit.
(D) The idea of the mid-life crisis has its dissenters.

15.

Evidence suggests that on average, ______.

(A) people in their 50s are less happy than both people in their
40s and people in their 60s
(B) people in their 50s are more happy than both people in
their 40s and people in their 60s
(C) people in their 50s are less happy than people in their 40s,
but more happy than people in their 60s
(D) people in their 50s are more happy than people in their
40s, but less happy than people in their 60s
16.

In the final years of life, levels of happiness ______.

(A) remain fairly stable
(B) usually increase
(C) reach their peak
(D) tend to diminish

© Scio 2024 5
 2. Reading
17. 19.

The study described in the fourth paragraph of the text According to the text, which two of the following statements
showed ______. about the levels of happiness are true?
(A) evidence for a slump in happiness in middle-aged apes 1. The levels of happiness show a decline throughout our
(B) what age-related biological influence stands behind the 20s and 30s.
mid-life crisis 2. Humans are on average less happy than other primates.
(C) that some people experience the mid-life crisis as soon as 3. Despite smiling more, women tend to be less happy than
they reach their 30s men.
(D) that apes experience, on average, a weaker mid-life crisis 4. Several large-scale studies have disproved the existence
than humans of the U-shaped happiness curve.
(A) 1 and 2
18. (B) 1 and 3
The word “nadir” in the second paragraph of the text is (C) 2 and 3
closest in meaning to ______. (D) 3 and 4

(A) unhappiness
20.
(B) stability
(C) the best moment Look at the four letters (A) to (D) in the text. These indicate
(D) the worst moment where the following sentence could be added to the text.
On the contrary – it shows that happiness is likely to increase

as we head towards old age.

Where would the sentence best fit?
(A) (A)
(B) (B)
(C) (C)
(D) (D)

Reading 2
Answer the following questions using only the information given in or implied by the text.
21. (C) 1 and 3
With her project, the photographer, Stephanie Sinclair, not (D) 2 and 3
only wants to draw the attention of Western countries to the
phenomenon of child marriage, but also to show that in areas 22.
where women are forced to spend their lives taking care of
New lighting of the historical square was the final step in the
the household, it is the local communities that suffer the most.
renovation of Tabor’s urban conservation area, which started
“Child marriage is a cruel tradition that is thankfully slowly
in the early 1990s. Both street lighting and the architectural
disappearing. But we want to see it disappear faster,” Sinclair
lighting of historical buildings needed to be renovated. The
concluded.
renovation of the lighting had two phases. The first started in
Which of the following statements can be inferred from the
autumn 2004, the second in spring 2005. Both were
text with certainty?
completed in autumn 2005.
1. Child marriage is also typical in Western countries.
2. Sinclair was married off as a child. Which of the following statements can be inferred from the
3. The tradition of child marriage is gradually waning. text with certainty?

(A) only 2 (A) The historical square in Tabor got new lighting.
(B) It is cheaper to renovate lighting in several phases.
(B) only 3

© Scio 2024 6
 3. Use of English
(C) The renovation of Tabor’s urban conservation area is still 25.
underway.
In the 5th century BC, Greek artistic sculpture abandoned the
(D) All the historical centre of Tabor but the square has been archaic static scheme and for the first time, it depicted
renovated. movement. Unfortunately, most of the sculptures from this
period survived only in Roman copies from the 1st and 2nd
23. centuries AD, giving only an approximate idea of the lost
originals.
At the starting signal, all skiers leave the starting line and race
to the ski poles placed at a distance of 20 to 50 meters. The Which of the following statements can be inferred from the
poles are stuck in the ground in a line parallel to the starting text with certainty?
line and there is always one pole less than the number of (A) The Romans failed to accurately depict movement in
skiers. Whoever is left without a pole in the round leaves the sculptures.
game. The last skier left in the game wins. (B) The Romans usually copied those Greek sculptures that
used the static scheme.
Which of the following statements can be inferred from the
(C) The first to use a static scheme in sculpture were the
text with certainty?
Greeks in the 5th century BC.
(A) At the finish line, skiers stick the poles into the ground in (D) Before the 5th century BC, Greek artistic sculptures
a line parallel to the starting line.
did not yet depict movement.
(B) In each round, one skier leaves the game.
(C) There is always one skier less than the number of poles. 26.
(D) The poles are lying on the ground, 20 to 50 meters from The break-up of the landmass into smaller continents led to
each other. the creation of large shallow basins on the Earth, increasing
significantly the area that absorbed carbon dioxide thanks to
24. algae. Gradually, the concentration of carbon dioxide was
The digital flow of information may be a very powerful tool diminishing over 2.5 million years, weakening the greenhouse
to help achieve the level of cooperation needed for fast effect. As a result, global temperatures gradually decreased.
product improvement. It is efficient digital flow of Eruptions, namely in the Indian Ocean, then pumped
information that has helped the Nabisco company become greenhouse gases back into the atmosphere, making the
number one in virtually all sectors it does business in. climate slowly warm again.
Which of the following statements can be inferred from the Which of the following statements can be inferred from the
text with certainty? text with certainty?
(A) The digital flow of information is absolutely (A) The break-up of the landmass into smaller continents led
indispensable for product improvement. to a temporary climate cooling.
(B) The digital flow of information has made Nabisco (B) The weakening of the greenhouse effect gradually led to
number one in the improvement of virtual products. the decrease of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
(C) Nabisco does business in more than one sector. (C) The warming of the climate due to eruptions in the Indian
(D) The main business activity of Nabisco is improving the Ocean is the main cause of the greenhouse effect.
digital flow of information in other companies. (D) Eruptions in the Indian Ocean were caused by the
decrease in global temperatures.

Multiple choice cloze

Fill in the numbered gaps in the following short texts with the most suitable word or phrase from the options offered.

QUESTIONS 27–33
Sleepless nights make people more selfish and asocial
A study, __(27)__ by researchers in the US, found losing just one hour of rest could kill people’s desire to help others, even relatives
and close friends. The team noted that a bad night appeared to dampen activity in the part of the brain that encouraged social
behaviour.
“We discovered that sleep loss acts as a trigger of asocial behaviour, reducing the __(28)__ desire of humans to help one another,”
said Prof Matthew Walker, co-author of the study. “In a way, the less sleep you get, __(29)__ social and more selfish you become.”
The team suggests that a chronic sleep deficit could harm social bonds and compromise the altruistic instincts that shape society.
The team examined the willingness of 160 participants to help others with a “self-reported altruism questionnaire”, __(30)__ they
completed after a night’s sleep. Participants responded to different social scenarios __(31)__ a scale from “I would stop to help” to
“I would ignore them”.

© Scio 2024 7
 2. Reading
In one experiment involving 24 participants, the researchers compared answers from the same person after a restful night and after
24 hours without sleep. The results revealed a 78% decline in self-reported eagerness to help others when __(32)__.
The team then performed brain scans of those participants and found that insufficient rest was associated with reduced activity in the
social cognitive brain network, a region involved in social behaviour. A lack of sleep impaired the drive to help others __(33)__ of
whether they were asked to help strangers or close relatives.
27. 30. 33. 27. 30. 33
(A) was conducted. (A) what. (A) because
(B) conducting (B) so. (B) no matter
(C) conducted. (C) who (C) regardless
(D) was conducting. (D) which. (D) although

28. 31
(A) inserted (A) in
(B) insipid (B) for
(C) innate (C) as
(D) ingested. (D) on

29. . 32.
(A) More. (A) are tired
(B) the more. (B) tired
(C) less. (C) tiresome
(D) the less (D) have tired

© Scio 2024 8
 3. Use of English

QUESTIONS 34–40
Brochs: The mysterious circular symbols of Scotland
Hundreds of ancient stone towers, known as brochs, __(34)__ the Scottish Highlands in the North of Scotland. These mysterious
Iron Age monuments exist nowhere else but there. Yet, while these circular dry-walled structures are as symbolic a feature as any in
the Scottish Highlands, their purpose continues to __(35)__ experts.
What is known is that around 2,000 years ago, local tribes started harvesting local stone to build massive prehistoric buildings with
walls 5 m thick and stretching 13 m high. To date, anywhere from 100 to 500 broch sites have been identified, with the densest
concentration centred in Scotland’s northern Caithness and Sutherland counties, as well as the Northern Isles. While early
archaeologists thought that brochs (whose name __(36)__ from the Scottish word for “fort”) were the citadels of local chieftains,
more recent excavations suggest that the structures were more likely used __(37)__ residential rather than defensive purposes.
Now, in an effort to better understand the true purpose of these prehistoric towers, an ambitious initiative called the Caithness Broch
Project is aiming to reconstruct a full-scale broch from scratch using traditional methods. By relying on archaeological evidence
from broch sites and __(38)__ the same dry-stone masonry techniques Iron Age tribes would have used, builders are aiming to
understand whether the organisation of Iron Age Highland societies __(39)__ around brochs or whether brochs evolved to fit the
shifting needs of Highland societies.
What’s more, by creating a modern attraction modelled on a historical blueprint, architects are hoping that visitors will gain a
newfound __(40)__ for these iconic buildings that have long shaped the Scottish landscape.
34. . 37. 40.
(A) Point. (A) for. (A) pleasure
(B) Dot. (B) as (B) appreciation
(C) Square. (C) like. (C) evaluation
(D) Angle. (D) more. (D) contempt

35. 38.
(A) Seize. (A) incorporated
(B) Research. (B) incorporating
(C) Baffle. (C) incorporate
(D) handle. (D) being incorporated

36. 39.
(A) Describes. (A) revolved
(B) Departs. (B) resonated
(C) Derives. (C) revealed
(D) divides (D) resolved

© Scio 2024 9
 3. Use of English

41. (A) lawyer (D) unless

(B) promoter
According to the UK National Poisons (C) explorer 47.
Information Service, the number of (D) founder
people who have been bitten by snakes There is no point ______ to drive unless
has rocketed in recent years as more you already have a car.
44.
and more people keep snakes as pets.
(A) will learn
In the context of the sentence above, the He pored over the questions, studying
(B) learn
word “rocketed” is closest in meaning every little detail, until he couldn’t keep
(C) at learning
to ______. his eyes open anymore.
(D) in learning
(A) risen rapidly In the context of the sentence above, the
(B) plummeted expression “pored over” is closest in 48.
(C) stricken (D) stagnated meaning to ______.
Whenever somethinggoes wrong,
(A) asked
everyone blames it ______ me.
42. (B) spilled
(C) rushed through (A) for
The historian conducted meticulous (D) examined (B) on (C) to
research, examining countless primary (D) at
sources and cross-referencing multiple
45.
accounts to ensure accuracy. 49.
In the context of the sentence above, the It is imperative that we keep the content
word “meticulous” is closest in of this conversation secret, otherwise Hurry up! There are ______ tickets left!
meaning to ______. we risk serious consequences. (A) hardly no
(A) brief In the context of the sentence above, the (B) hardly some
(B) original word “imperative” is closest in meaning (C) hardly none
(C) negligent (D) thorough to ______. (D) hardly any
(A) conceivable
43. (B) critical 50.
(C) confidential ______ from school, I was forced to
Stephan Hawking, a staunch advocate (D) recommended
of space exploration, find a job because my parents refused to
claimed that colonizing space support me financially any more.
46. (A) Had been expelled
is the only way to ensure humanity’s
survival. We are going on a trip tomorrow (B) Having been expelled
______ it is raining in the morning. (C) To be expelled
In the context of the sentence above, the
(D) Have been expelling
word “advocate” is closest in meaning (A) whether
to ______. (B) but for
(C) in case of 51.

© Scio 2024 10
 3. Use of English

As a teenager, I didn’t have very good (D) would always say (A) around
people skills – I ______ something (B) down to
inappropriate. 52. (C) through
(A) should always say (D) back to
All our problems boil ______ one thing:
(B) have always said
lack of trust. Unless we start trusting
(C) had always been said
each other, it will never get better.
Word formation
Use the word in brackets at the end of each sentence to form a new word that fits the gap. Write only one word in each gap. Please
write neatly in capital letters. Illegible answers will be considered to be incorrect.
Please note that only words listed in either Cambridge Dictionary (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/) or Oxford English Dictionary
(https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/) or Webster’s Dictionary (https://www.merriam-webster.com/), which are not marked as archaic
or obsolete, will be accepted as correct answers.

Example: The Mona Lisa is one of the most ______ paintings in the world. (FAME) FAMOUS
53.

If you feel lonely, maybe you should _____ the neighbour’s

kids and play together. (FRIEND)

54. 57.
I do not want to eat sausages full of food _____. (ADD)
He took the remark about inviting children to the wedding into
_______. (CONSIDER)
58. In the long term, it is not sustainable to _____
55. exclusively on fossil fuels – we should look for other sources
of energy. (RELIANCE)
She doesn’t know what to do – she is terribly hesitant and finds
it hard to make a _____. (DECIDE)
59. The army began to _____ from the east of the country
56. and the entire force will have left by the end of the week.
(WITHDRAWAL)
The film about Queen Victoria was ____ inaccurate.
(HISTORY)
60. We were all shocked – the test was ______difficult, so
most people failed. (ORDINARY)

© Scio 2024 11
 3. Use of English

© Scio 2024 12