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

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:

Teenagers really do need more sleep

It has long been suspected that lack of sleep can actually 0 _____ to illness, particularly in young people. Research 1 enclosingcombiningassociatinginvolving students aged 14-19 over a three-week period now appears to 2 assureconfirmdefendjustify this.

The teenagers wore devices that recorded the movements they made, without being 3 awakeawarefamiliarsensitive of them, that indicated they were asleep. The results were then 4 comparedmeasuredbalancedqualified to the number of illnesses that they had 5 caughtaffectedsufferedexperienced from during the three weeks, in addition to the number of occasions on which they had been 6 outsideremotedistantabsent from school.

What the study showed was that students who slept fewer than seven hours a night caught colds, flu and other relatively 7 lightminorsmallerslight illnesses more often. The problem is that as children enter their teens their natural sleeping patterns change, 8 resultingproducingfinishingforcing in them going to sleep later and therefore wanting to wake up later – but they still have to get up in the morning to go to school.

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:

What is genealogy

Genealogy is a 0 _____ of history. It concerns family history, 1 insteadratherexceptsooner than the national or world history studied at school. It doesn’t merely involve drawing a family tree, however – tracing your family history can also 2 causemeanresultlead in learning about your roots and your identity. The internet enables millions of people worldwide to 3 accomplishaccessapproachadmit information about their family history, without great 4 feepricechargeexpense.

People who research their family history often 5 describedefineremarkregard that it’s a fascinating hobby which 6 revealsopensbeginsarises a lot about where they come from and whether they have famous ancestors. According to a survey involving 900 people who had researched their family history, the chances of discovering a celebrity in your past are one in ten. The survey also concluded that the 7 oldergreaterhigherfurther back you follow your family line, the more likely you are to find a relation who was much wealthier than you are. However, the vast majority of people who 8 attendedparticipatedincludedassociated in the survey discovered they were better off than their ancestors.

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:

Checking your mobile phone

How often do you check your phone? For many of us, our phone is an essential 0 _____of everyday life, but apparently we are spending an increasing amount of time checking it for information without being 1 sensitivecautioussensibleconscious of doing so.

Research in Helsinki shows that phone checking 2 virtuallytypicallywidelysuitably lasts less than 30 seconds on each occasion, and usually 3 consistscomposesinvolvesincludes of opening a single application such as social media. The study also found many users check their mobiles throughout the 4 completetotalnormalentire day, and that what they check is often 5 attachedassumedassociatedaccompanied with particular contexts. For instance, when travelling to work or college, people tend to check their email; if they are bored, they get a quick 6 updaterevisionreviewupgrade on the latest news.

Checking this frequently can easily become a habit, which some say can 7 disturbdistractdisruptdistribute us from more important things. Others, though, believe that being able to 8 captureimportobtainseize so much new information so quickly makes life far more interesting.

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:

Planes can make it rain

Living next to an airport has always meant having to 0 _____ the noise of planes landing and taking off. Now it seems that 1 neighbouringcloselocalsurrounded residents also have bad weather, according to a 2 latelyrecentlylastlyfreshly published study.

The scientists looked at satellite 3 imagesfiguresaspectsportraits of clouds above airports, and also studied computer models of the way clouds behave. What they found was that as a plane flies through a very cold cloud, the air behind it expands and then cools 4 totallyextremelyentirelyperfectly rapidly. This sudden drop in temperature, 5 joinedattachedcomposedcombined with the hole formed in the cloud where the plane has passed through, can increase the 6 forecastscenrtaintieschancesopportunites of rain or snow on the ground.

In the case of major airports, with hundreds of flights every day, this can have a significant 7 resultinfluenceconsequenceimpression on weather patterns up to 100 kilometres away. The researchers point out, however, that aircraft passing through clouds are 8 doubtfulunsureunlikelyimprobable to affect the global climate.

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:

Space junk

The Space Age began 0 _____ over half a century ago, and ever since then the area just 1 alongawayoutbeyond the Earth’s atmosphere has been filling up with all kinds of man-made objects that have become 2 referredknowncallednamed as ‘space junk’. The items up there 3 includeenclosecoverrange from old satellites and parts of rockets to hundreds of thousands of pieces smaller than one centimetre, all of them travelling at extremely 4 highrapidlightfast speed. Over the last five years, the number of such objects in space is 5 assessedsupposedestimatedregarded to have risen by 50 per cent, and this has 6 largelygreatlyimportantlyabsolutely increased the risk of damage to working satellites or space vehicles with crews on board.

International agreement has therefore now been 7 arrivedreachedfinishedclosed on limiting the amount of new space junk. Scientists have also 8 caught up withput up withcome up withkept up with some interesting suggestions for tidying up space. These include using laser beams, giant nets and even an enormous umbrella-like device to collect tiny bits of junk.

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 Eighth Wonder of the World

The Thames Barrier is a 0 _____ part of the flood defence scheme for protecting London 1 againstforbetweenwith rising water levels. The defenses 2 andalsostilltoo include raised river embankments and additional flood gates at strategic points, including the Barking Barrier. The unique structure that is the Barrier spans the 520-metre wide Woolwich Reach and 3 consistsincludesinvolvescontains of 10 separate movable gates, each pivoting and supported between concrete structures which house the operating machinery.

When raised, the four main gates 4 whicheveryeachnone stand as high as a five storey building and as wide as the opening of Tower Bridge. Each 5 measurescostscalculatesweighs 3700 tonnes. During the first twelve years of 6 operationsurgeryvacationprofession, the Barrier has been closed twenty nine times to protect London.

7 sightviewhearexplore the Barrier from the comfortable cafeteria. Picnic on the riverside embankment. Enjoy beautiful views from the riverside walk. Visit the shop which stocks a large selection of souvenirs, books and Barrier information.

There is a children’s play area suitable for 4- to 12-year olds, located adjacent to the riverside walk. A visit to the spectacular Thames Barrier is a 8 forgettablememorableforgetfulmemorised experience.

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:

New Cycling Schemes

The County Council has 0 _____ to give a higher 1 advantageincomebenefitpriority to cycling and agreed a new strategy to guide the way ahead in East Sussex.

Cycling is a 2 shortcuthigh-speeddangerouslow-cost, healthy and environmentally-friendly form of transport. It is intended to make it safer, more convenient and attractive, and to increase the 3 sizeproportionprovisionproposal of journeys made by bicycle.

Cycling is being encouraged both for utility purposes (such as journeys to work, school and the shops) and for 4 recreationaluselesssufficientpromotional trips for exercise and enjoyment, including longer trips by tourists.

Recent cycle schemes carried out in conjunction with District Councils and other bodies include the Brighton and Hove seafront route and the Cross Levels Way cycle route, in Eastbourne.

5 abnormalpropercountrylocal people will be consulted as the strategy is implemented. The County Council will work with local cycling and other groups, and a countywide Cycling Forum will be formed to 6 improveensureassertmaintain that all bodies concerned with cycling are in regular 7 contactbasistouchaccount.

The objectives of the Cycling Strategy are given in a leaflet, and a 8 copybookletternetwork of the full strategy document can be seen in County Council Public Libraries.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary