FCE Use of English Part 2, Bake your own bread

Part 2

For questions 9-16, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0). In the exam, write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

Example: EVER

Bake your own bread

Have you 0 _____ considered making your own bread instead of buying one, like you would normally do? It appears that many people have, but very few went as 9 as to actually do it.

The recipe is almost 10 easy – you mix 3 cups of flour with a quarter teaspoon of yeast and a teaspoon of salt. Yeast helps to lift and aerate the dough … Then you add one and a half cups of hot water, mix everything and let it sit 11 three hours. After that, you add some dough to make it less sticky and shape it 12 a loaf. Finally, you put the loaf in a pot and into an oven that is around 230 °C for about half 13 hour. Needless to say, a good idea would be to wear gloves when doing that.

One would ask – 14 even bother making your own bread when you can buy one at a grocery store? Believe me – no shop-bought bread can ever compete 15 a freshly baked, home-made crispy loaf. Another reason is that you can be absolutely sure that there are 16 unwanted ingredients or additives in it. So just give it a go and see for yourself!

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FCE Use of English Part 2, Dolphins and sharks

Part 2

Example: AS

Dolphins and sharks

Sharks and dolphins for many years have been perceived 0 _____ the good and bad guys of the sea, respectively. The first species are the ruthless hunters, preying 9 smaller fish and unsuspecting surfers. The latter have a more noble reputation of cute, playful creatures, who come to the rescue whenever a human is in danger. 10 , it is not all that simple.

Dolphins are social creatures, living and travelling in groups, also referred to 11 pods. Sharks, on the other hand, are solitary and prefer to live and hunt on 12 own. The only exception is mating season, when they actively search for a partner. Biologically, dolphins are mammals – they feed their young with milk, 13 sharks are classified as fish because they have gills – special organs that allow them to breathe underwater. Dolphins, on the other hand, have lungs, just like we do, and rely on the air above the water surface to survive.

One question that seems to interest many people is whether sharks and dolphins get 14 with one another. Observations point 15 the fact that they do not coexist peacefully, as they often share habitats. Because of their solitary nature, sharks can be vulnerable 16 attacks by dolphin groups.

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FCE Use of English Part 2, Marabou

Part 2

Example: TALL

Marabou Stork

A grim-looking bird standing five feet 0 _____, Marabou is far 9 the image of a graceful bird we imagine when we think of storks in general. While regular storks are usually associated 10 bringing babies, this particular species does not look the part. It is, in fact, anything 11 pretty, with reddish skin, a featherless head, and a huge brownish bill. Another notable feature is a leather pouch hanging 12 their necks.

Found predominantly in Central and South Africa, marabou are scavengers – that is, they do not prey on or hunt other animals, but 13 feed on animals that have already died. They can often be seen following vultures, because the latter have sharper bills, which make it easier to tear meat off animal carcasses. Effectively, both species act 14 janitors of the animal world. Like pigs, marabou are not very picky when it 15 to food and will eat practically anything, including plastic and even pieces of metal.

The population of the bird is abundant, so there is no prohibition on hunting it. They can be hunted by locals for traditional medicine, while 16 feathers and down often find application in various ornaments and ceremonial clothing.

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FCE Use of English Part 2, Japazz

Part 2

Example: ELSE

Japazz

Did you know that Japan has more jazz fans than anywhere 0 _____ in the world? The genre first appeared in Japan 9 in 1910s, brought by Filipino musicians, 10 played jazz on cruise ships that sailed across the Altantic. As the Philippines was an American colony at the time, local music was heavily influenced 11 American culture. From there on, it went on to win over the hearts of music enthusiasts in Japan.

Jazz in Japan had its first crisis during World War 2. 12 the country’s attempts to ban jazz in these troubled times 13 the grounds that it was the music of the enemy, it still remained quite popular. It would get played secretly in underground cafes or at private sessions. The officials went as far as 14 mandate the destruction of jazz records in music shops to enforce the ban more effectively.

Overall, popularity of jazz in the country has led to a number of cultural phenomena. One of them is dedicated cafes where only jazz records are played. Some of these places even prohibit 15 a conversation, to help its visitors fully enjoy the music 16 any distraction. It also spawned a number of sub-genres, like fusion jazz, free jazz and bebop.

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FCE Use of English Part 2, Training a cat

Part 2

Example: AMONG

Training a cat

A commonly held idea 0 _____ people is that cats are difficult, or even impossible, to train a cat. They are believed to be too proud or independent, and they respond poorly to 9 attempts at teaching them something, so this indeed might be a bigger challenge 10 training a dog. Is there any particular technique worth knowing?

Training a cat is not much 11 from training any other animal, whether it is a dog or a bird. The most important aspect is so-called positive reinforcement – if your cat performs the action you want them 12 , you should give them a treat – a bite of their favourite food will do. Another tip is to keep your training sessions fairly brief, as cats have a rather short attention span and 13 they get easily distracted. Ultimately, no training will be successful 14 patience from you, so be ready to repeat the same thing over and over until your pet establishes a pattern.

One good example is litter training. Most cats are usually smart 15 to do their business in the litter box without having to be taught to do so. If they haven’t figured this 16 themselves, you can put them in the litter box after they have eaten and pet them lightly.

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FCE Use of English Part 2, Fishing in Florida Keys

Part 2

Example: TO

Fishing in Florida Keys

Florida Keys is a large group of islands conveniently located 0 _____ the north of the Florida Reef. The coral reef is home to all kinds 9 sea creatures, including many species of fish. The latter is what attracts fishing enthusiasts from all across the globe. Additionally, the subtropical climate means that fishing is possible almost all 10 round with no particularly bad months.

Another advantage of its warmer climate is the biological variety of the region. This particular site is quite well-known for fish 11 trout, red snapper, and the famous tarpon, also known as the Silver King. Visitors are advised to keep in 12 that certain species of fish should be set 13 if caught, as they are protected by local regulations. Failing to do 14 will get you fined.

You can 15 bring your own fishing gear or rent all the necessary equipment when you arrive. The accommodation options vary to fit all budgets, but be prepared to pay slightly more than you normally would. Finally, everybody 16 the age of 16 has to purchase a fishing license, while younger fishing enthusiasts do not require one.

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FCE Use of English Part 2, Surfing

Part 2

Example: WITHIN

Surfing

Did you know that almost half of Earth’s population lives 0 _____ kilometers from the sea? If you are one of those lucky 9 , then you are likely to have at some point in your life considered taking 10 surfing. But what exactly is surfing, anyway?

To put it simply, surfing involves riding on a special board along with a wave that carries you forward. The main idea is to stay on the board, which is pushed 11 the force of the wave, without losing balance and falling off. People usually do this as a fun activity rather than a competitive one; however, nowadays it is even recognized 12 an Olympic sport. There are many competitions 13 worldwide, both for amateurs and seasoned surfers. Interestingly, surfing is likely to be the 14 sport to ever exist, with scientific evidence suggesting that it dates back several thousand years.

The surfing community is very friendly and welcoming to newcomers. Moreover, all you need to get 15 surfing is the board itself, which can be bought second-hand for as little as $10. So if you haven’t tried it 16 yet, I’d definitely recommend doing so.

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FCE Use of English Part 2, Brewing our own beer

Part 2

Example: FOR

Brewing our own beer

My friend Matt and I run a small soft drink store in our town. We did a fair share of market research and it turned out that there was a huge demand 0 _____ home-made beer and other fermented drinks like cider. Moreover, since the target audience was willing to pay more, we could set 9 prices. As we had planned to expand our business, this seemed to be the most logical evolution.

The major part of our budget went 10 buying everything necessary to brew our own drinks. What we didn’t know 11 that marketing expenses can sometimes exceed all others. Finding the right place with enough 12 to fit all the equipment proved to be a challenge as well. 13 first, we were looking for a place in the city. Then we realised that we could move production out of town, and this task became much 14 .

Once we had the brewery going, the problem of distribution arose. At the time, Matt was the only person who could drive a delivery truck, so until we found a replacement for him, he had to work without days 15 for almost a month. Thankfully, eventually the right guy turned 16 , which meant that we could finally focus on the managerial aspect of our business.

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FCE Use of English Part 2, Birdwatching

Part 2

Example: NAME

Birdwatching

A hobby that is getting increasingly popular nowadays, birdwatching is the practice of, as its 0 _____ suggests, observing birds. It exists in many forms – 9 simply looking at birds, to identifying them, trying to find rare ones, recognizing them by the 10 they sing and so on. Many bird-watchers keep record 11 the avian species they have seen throughout their birdwatching “careers”.

Some people 12 this hobby more seriously than others. It is not rare for a seasoned bird-watcher to travel to a different city or even country to witness a particular bird in 13 , as seeing them in a picture is not considered to be a genuine experience. They are also keen to track down bird seasonal migration, observe their interactions with other species. There is also a division between having seen the bird and 14 it sing. There is a generally held idea that the former is more important than the latter.

All of this might sound very complex and, 15 , off-putting. However, the activity can be as simple as trying to spot a bird. You can start in your 16 backyard – there is no need to travel half across the globe to truly experience the joy of watching birds!

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FCE Use of English Part 2, Moving out of the city

Part 2

Example: HAD

Moving out of the city

When I was ten, my family decided that they have 0 _____ enough of living in the city, and moved to the countryside. The decision was almost spontaneous – we sold our flat and finished moving all during the summer school break. Four days and six roundtrips with a van full of our stuff was all it took to change our lives. But we needed much more time to get used 9 all the new things.

The biggest change was probably not having anyone living above or 10 you, like you normally would in a flat. This meant that we were free to make as 11 noise as we wanted without bothering anyone. For the first time ever, it felt nice not to be a nuisance to our neighbours. We also had a large piece of land all to 12 where we could play, not to mention that 13 noise and pollution were much lower here compared to the busy urban areas.

All these advantages, 14 , came with certain responsibilities. We had to cut grass, look 15 the house and generally keep the area well-maintained without depending on the city services. Still, our father believed that it was a small price to 16 for all the comforts of living an admittedly much more comfortable, fulfilling life in the country.

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