Part 1

For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer (А, В, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example:

Preparing for the worst

We all depend on supermarkets for food and we 0 _____ it for granted that the shelves will always be full. But some people believe it’s best to be prepared 1 even ifin caseprovided thatwhereas there’s an emergency and normal life is disrupted for a while. They say there is a risk from extreme weather or an outbreak of flu, 2 althoughas well asin spite ofin contrast more serious natural disasters. People who prepare in this way are informally 3 knowncallednamedentitled as ‘preppers’, and more and more people are now listening to their 4 viewswishesrequestsdecisions. Alison Jones from Cambridge, UK, is a typical example. She keeps a month’s 5 donationnumbersupplydelivery of food in a cupboard, along with bottled water and medicines that her family needs. She is aware that some people would 6 decideacceptrealiseconsider her to be slightly odd, but says that, for her, it makes perfect 7 sensereasonideajudgement to be prepared. ‘We keep just enough to see us through a few weeks, so we can then 8 go through withput up withget on withget away with our normal lives. Why would anyone not do that?

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

The old, print-friendly test

Part 1

For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer (А, В, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example:

The migration of the monarch butterflies

The migration of millions of North American monarch butterflies is one of the most stunning 0 _____ phenomena on Earth. In 1 contrastdifferencevariationdisagreement to other members of the same species elsewhere, the North American species migrates far in winter, taking a journey that 2 involvesconsistsincludescounts of 3000 miles. They 3 startdepartlaunchleave off in Canada and the US, arrive in central Mexico in November, and return in March. The sight of them together in fir trees in Mexico is an incredible 4 stagecontextspotscene to witness.

However, none of the butterflies actually make the entire round trip. The females lay eggs in Mexico and it’s the new generation that heads north. They travel to Texas where the process is repeated. The butterflies have a 5 habittendencytrendcustom to stop twice on their way back to Canada, meaning that it takes four generations to complete the trip.

Monarch butterflies are important because they pollinate plants. In 6 additionextensioncomparisonconclusion, they form a key part of the food chain. They also 7 undergofacesuffertake danger from disease and a loss of habitat. However, at 8 bestminimumleastpart their forest in Mexico is protected.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

Part 1

For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer (А, В, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example:

Tips for making your own short film

These days it’s easy to make a film. You don’t need to 0 _____ expensive equipment, you can simply use your mobile phone. Start by 1 startingthinkinggoingcoming up with a good idea. You can 2 checkfigurelookmake out lists of ideas online to give you inspiration. A good script can make all the difference so before filming, your script should become the 3 attentionfocustargetattraction of your time. Keep it simple and 4 worktakebringtry on developing one character well in the short time you have.

Select appropriate venues for filming. Avoid places where you’ll be 5 containedgroupedclosedsurrounded by people who turn and stare at the camera.

Make sure there’s nothing unusual in the 6 windowconditionsbackgroundcontext to distract from what the main actor’s doing. And make sure the light is right. You want to give the 7 imageattitudeimpressiontheory of depth, not have strange shadows covering the actor’s face. Finally, when you’ve finished filming and edited your work, show it to friends and get some feedback. No film-maker can 8 accomplishwinovercomesucceed in the film industry without that.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

Part 1

For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer (А, В, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example:

What our homes say about us

A home is more than a building. It’s a 0 _____ which both influences our identity and represents it. As children, our environment makes us who we are, or at 1 littleleastminimumless contributes to it. For example, if we grow up in a crowded home, the thought of moving to a quiet home alone might never 2 appearinspireattractinterest to us. Instead, we may prefer to live in a house full of people for the 3 finaltotallastrest of our lives.

As adults, every object that 4 ownspossessesoccupiesbelongs to us tells a story about who we are and where we came from. In 5 furthermoreadditiontogetherextra, how we present those objects in our homes says something about how we want others to see us. If we identify ourselves with being creative, for example, we might put certain art work on 6 exhibitiongallerydisplaypublic for others to see. Or, if we believe that it’s more important for a home to be relaxing than fashionable, our home might 7 consistincludecontaininvolve of warm colours and comfortable furniture, in 8 oppositecontrastvarietydifference to stylish, modern but perhaps more uncomfortable pieces.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

The old, print-friendly test

Part 1

For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer (А, В, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example:

Coming second: pleasure or pain?

Every ambitious athlete hopes to 0 _____ their dream of winning a gold medal at the Olympics. However, not everyone can win, and often talented athletes must accept second place. A team of psychologists recently 1 controlledconducteddirectedguided some research on the emotional responses of those finishing second. For certain individuals, a silver medal may 2 exceedovertakepassovercome their expectations and so naturally they will be delighted. They may also enjoy surprising experts and journalists who believed they had absolutely no 3 outlookviewestimateprospect of achieving anything.

In 4 oppositioncontrastdistinctioncontradiction, the athlete who everyone assumed would win with ease, but then suffers a 5 thintightnarrowslight defeat, may not celebrate their silver medal. This reaction differs sharply from the athlete who comes second but finished a long way behind the winner. There is a 6 habittrendcustomtendency in the research that shows such a person will feel significantly happier.

To a certain 7 extentamountrangelevel, these findings are not surprising. Silver medallists who were close to victory will almost certainly 8 reviewwonderconsiderreflect on what might have happened if they had trained harder, or done things differently.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

Part 1

For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer (А, В, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example:

Off the beaten track

The expression ‘getting off the beaten track’ is used to 0 _____ to the experience of avoiding famous tourist attractions and choosing instead to explore less well-known places when travelling. For many people the whole 1 worthpointaimprofit of travel is to visit cities such as Paris or Venice that have a great 2 favourapprovalreputationopinion as places of beauty and historic importance. Furthermore, they are not particularly 3 botheredinterruptedoffendeddisturbed by the crowds that are usually found in such locations. But for others who have more of a 4 feelingimpressionmoodsense of adventure, a good holiday must 5 possessconsistinvolveconcern unfamiliar experiences, even taking some risks.

Travelling off the beaten track may be done by some students who don’t 6 fixstickfastenattach to a rigid plan, but make decisions about what to do depending on how they feel. Other travellers prefer to spend money on guided tours to unusual locations. Such tours are designed to 7 pleasefitagreemeet their particular needs, and all the arrangements are made for them. However people choose to get off the beaten track, the hope is always the same: to have a special, often unique 8 experienceunderstandingawarenessknowledge of a different culture.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

The old, print-friendly test

Part 1

For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer (А, В, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example:

The joy of photography

Photography is a hobby with wide 0 _____. And I don’t mean taking photos on your mobile phone, though it cannot be 1 rejectedcontradicteddeniedrefused that such pictures can be surprisingly good these days. Serious photography means taking the 2 troublecareeffortconcern to do some research, exploring the technical 3 characteristicsformsqualitiesaspects of the subject and investing in what might be quite expensive equipment. So why take up photography? Firstly, it allows you to 4 seizecapturegrabcatch special moments that you want to remember forever. In addition, it 5 motivatesrenewsstimulatesreacts your imagination because you are always in search of ideas for original and out of the ordinary photos.

However, a lot of practice is required before you 6 managesucceedachievereach to take really good pictures on a regular basis. When you finally do it, it will be a 7 reasoncausesourcemeans of great satisfaction for you. Photography can also transform the way you look at the world. You start to see details that in the past you used to miss 8 utterlycompletelyfullyabsolutely. All in all, it’s a highly absorbing hobby.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

The old, print-friendly test

Part 1

For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer (А, В, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example:

Vera Neumann: fabric designer

Vera Neumann was a designer and businesswoman whose products 0 _____ their way into the homes of people across the USA.

Vera was born in Connecticut in 1907 and showed artistic 1 trainingtalentexpertgift from an early. After attending art college in New York, she got a job as a textile designer, but didn’t like being 2 leddirectedtoldforced what to do. Determined to develop her own styles, Vera started to produce tablecloths, each item printed by hand in her kitchen.

But it was her scarves that 3 gotdidgainedmade Vera’s name. Good fabric was in short 4 supplyavailabilityquantitydelivery during the Second World War, but Vera was lucky enough to 5 fallcomehappenrun across some silk left over from the manufacture of parachutes. Vera used it to design scarves with floral, abstract and geometric designs. These were an 6 acuteurgentinstantextreme success when they appeared in department stores and during the 1950s they were the 7 heightpeaktopcrown of fashion, being worn by celebrities such as the film star Marilyn Monroe. By 1960, the company which Vera had 8 worked output oncarried offset up was employing 200 staff and producing 130 patterns per season.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

The old, print-friendly test

Part 1

For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer (А, В, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example:

Slacklining

Slacklining is an increasingly popular activity in London’s parks. All you need if you want to 0 _____ a go at slacklining is a two trees about fifteen metres apart, a five-centimetre-wide strap of around the same length and the equipment to 1 joinattachunitestick the strap to the trees.

The slackline is not a rope, but a flat piece of strong webbing material. The 2 aimtargetplanschedule is to try to walk along the line without 3 droppingmissinglosingslipping your balance. As the line is usually 4 positionedstoodsettledarranged about a metre or so above the ground, there is no 5 deepgreatwidetall risk of injury if you don’t 6 realiseachievemanagesucceed to stay on the line. Other street sports, such as skateboarding and parkour are much more dangerous.

Basically, slacklining 7 asksrequestscallsrequires quite a lot of practice, but it is something you can learn to do. At first, most people like to 8 keepholdtouchstay on to a friend’s hand until get used to the feeling of the moving line under their feet.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

The old, print-friendly test

Part 1

For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer (А, В, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example:

Mars on Earth

The centre of Antarctica, where winter temperatures frequently fall to 0 _____ 80 degrees centigrade and for four months each year there is 1 regularconstantrepeatedmaintained darkness 24 hours a day, is one of the most extreme environments on Earth. It is also by 2 farmuchlargelong the most similar place to the surface of Mars, which is why a 3 crewcastgangteam of thirteen scientists from the European Space Agency have spent nine months at a base there.

They have been studying the physical and psychological 4 resultseffectsissuesrisks on humans of living in extreme conditions, in order to obtain a better understanding of the difficulties humans will 5 opposedarechallengeface during the long flight to Mars and their stay there. Of course, space is 6 unlikecontraryunfamiliardifferent Antarctica in that astronauts have to adapt to weightlessness, but the base is 3,200 metres above sea 7 heightleveldepthscale making it difficult to breathe there – as it can be on space flights. They have also, like space travellers, experienced strong feelings of being 8 brokencutkepttaken off from civilisation.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary