Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.
Consumerism and Advertising
The creation of the consumer culture can be traced back to the role of early twentieth-century advertising. Turn-of-the-century capitalists and captains of industry saw mass advertising as a way of shaping the consciousness of the American population in a way that would give legitimacy and stability to the rapidly industrialising society. The key to this new consciousness was the creation of a new way of life based on the pleasures of consumption. Mass advertising emerged in the 1920s, when leaders of the business community began to see the need for a coordinated ideological effort to complement their control of the workplace. Advertising would become the centrepiece of a policy to sell not only products but also a new American way of life in which consumption erased differences, integrated immigrants into mainstream American life and made buying the equivalent of voting as a form of commitment to the democratic process.
From the beginning, then, advertising was more about creating consumers than selling individual products. If a mass production economy was to be profitable and if those who worked long hours under difficult conditions were to be pacified, new needs and habits had to be stimulated. This was the job of advertising. Its early practitioners built on people's insecurities to shape desires for new consumer products. Solutions to personal problems were to be found in the world of consumption, an early version of the currently prevalent attitude that views a day of shopping as a way to cheer oneself up. Ads suggested that new products such as mouthwash and deodorant would protect people from embarrassment and give them a ticket to the modern world. Old habits and traditions that recent immigrants brought to the United States were to be discarded in favour of the new 'American way', participation in a consumer society. Ads sold consumerism as a gateway to social integration in twentieth-century America that would serve as a form of social cement.
One way advertising tried to sell a cross-class ideology of consumerism was through its focus on the realm of consumption and its neglect of production. The industrial workplace might be degrading, but advertising offered a world that was far removed from the drudgery of work, emphasising the wonders of the consumer lifestyle. It was, after all, the dream of a specific lifestyle and associated world view that ads were selling, regardless of whether people had the means to really live it.
One modern medium that is particularly advertising-oriented and consistently promotes the ideology of consumerism is the 'women's magazine'. These magazines promote the consumer lifestyle by showing how beauty, desirability, career success, culinary skill and social status can be bought in the consumer marketplace. Social problems, from the standpoint of consumer ideology, are redefined as personal problems that can be solved by purchasing the appropriate product. Women's magazines, in addressing a specific social group, identify women as a consumption category with special product needs. The magazines link an identity as a woman with a set of specific consumer behaviours, making the latter a prerequisite for the former. To be a 'woman', then, is to know what to buy; the ad content in women's magazines both displays the specific products and celebrates the pleasures and needs of consumption. But there is more to women's magazines than just the ads. Even though a common reading strategy is to leaf through the pages, casually glancing at the ads and headlines, pausing to read non-advertising articles reveals that they are a form of 'covert advertising' that promotes the same kind of consumer-oriented ideology.
Even the 'editorial advice' provided by women's magazines is a form of covert advertisement, selling the consumer ideology. Beauty advice, for example, routinely suggests the consumption of various forms of makeup as a way to achieve beauty. Such advice often identifies brand names that are most effective - brands frequently promoted in ads in the same magazine. The ubiquitous 'makeover' feature, in which an 'average' woman is turned into a glamorous model look-alike is, in essence, an endorsement of the beauty products advertised elsewhere in the magazine. Advice, then, really concerns appropriate consumption habits. Just as early ads identified newfound needs, the women's magazine suggests what women need. In the end, women's magazines use both direct and covert advertising to sell magazines and promote an ideology that celebrates the consumption of gender-specific products as a means to identity formation and personal satisfaction - the dream of the 'good life'.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, capitalists regarded mass advertising as _____.
One of the earliest mass advertisers' main goals was to _____.
In twentieth-century America, advertising offered the less well-off members of society _____.
The word "drudgery" in paragraph 3 is CLOSEST in meaning to _____.
The content and advertising in women's magazines are designed around _____.
A part of women's magazines is devoted to _____.
The word "they" in the fourth paragraph refers to _____.
It might be concluded from the extract that advertising is a force for good because it can _____.
Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each blank.
Friendship
Friendship is based on a number of factors. These include similarity between people and interests. Close friends are also in with each other and can sense shifting moods. Loyalty too is important and is evident when we for a friend. That much is known.
In recent years a body of scientific research has more light on friendship. One study looked at opposite-sex friendships and concluded that such relationships are difficult to maintain over time. Another study found that when people fall in love, the new person displaces two others in your close circle. This is because love takes time away from seeing friends and so people apart. In fact, in a previous study, scientists that we have five close friends, but that people in a relationship have four, including their partner.
Scientists have also discovered that people with a wide circle of friends live longer and are happier. So it's a good idea to hold on to your friends.
He was a real highbrow; _____, he was a man who took an intelligent interest in everything around him.
At least we know that when it comes to the _____ she always supports us, even if everyone else hesitates or backs away.
Mark: "I find algebra a headache!"
Josh: "_____, you'd have no problem with it."
The "e-recycling" industry has developed rapidly in recent years as state laws push _____ old electronics.
The peach pie was so delicious that we _____ the whole thing in minutes, without leaving a single crumb.
Receiving an award for his first role was a(n) _____ start to his acting career.
Owen: "Have you heard about Bob's promotion?"
Kevin: "Yes. It was my recommendation that he _____ Sales Manager."
This theme park attracts more visitors than _____ any other in Europe, thanks to its thrilling rides, efficient service, and year-round events.
I couldn't come to your party as the date _____ with my holiday, and rearranging them at short notice would have been prohibitively inconvenient.
There is a great deal of pressure in the newspaper industry; editors might work a 12-hour day with no _____.
Choose the word that differs from the rest in the position of the main stress.
Choose the word that differs from the rest in the position of the main stress.
Choose the word which has the underlined part pronounced differently from the others.
Choose the word which has the underlined part pronounced differently from the others.
Choose the word which has the underlined part pronounced differently from the others.
You are going to read an article about sibling rivalry. Match the statements with the sections (A-D). Some of the choices may be required more than once.
SIBLING RIVALRY: WHEN BROTHERS FALL OUT
Nick Duerden and his brother stopped speaking 10 years ago. Heartbreaking? Or perfectly normal sibling rivalry?
A. In the full decade since I last saw my brother, he has had children, changed jobs and grown a sizeable beard - according to my grandmother. In the meantime, I have progressed throughout the course of my own adult life, though he, like me, wouldn't know this directly but rather second-hand, our respective lives separated by the Atlantic Ocean and the resentment that has built up between us. I think I can now confidently predict that there is zero chance of us ever resolving our differences. While this is an admittedly regrettable state of affairs, it isn't a particularly unusual one. Sibling rivalry is as old as the hills, and you need only glance at weekday morning talk shows to be reminded that fighting amongst brothers, sisters and the parents who they blame, if not quite compulsory, then is certainly expected of us all.
B. A recent story in Psychology Today suggests that more than a third of us have a very strained relationship with our brothers or sisters as adults, and that any hope of us declaring a long-term ceasefire tends to arrive only in our declining years, when all the fight has finally deserted us. But what sparks it all off? The overriding factor, it seems, is that the arrival of a younger sibling often brings with it a brand new sensation for the elder: hatred. This is, after all, the point at which we, the senior, our power over our parents suddenly stolen, learn that life isn't fair after all. And if we are then subsequently treated differently by our parents, however unwittingly, that hatred can be expected to run deep. Jonathan Self, the elder brother of the writer Will, knows the feeling well. "Will was actually incredibly loyal to me throughout childhood," he begins, "but yes, there was an awful lot of rivalry between us." He explains that his parents considered their younger son a genius by the age of three, and that they prized intellect above all else. If their rivalry continued into adulthood, it was largely because both had their hearts set on a writing career. But Will was by far the better writer, prompting Jonathan to eventually turn to the world of business.
C. Today they enjoy a mostly harmonious relationship, specifically Jonathan suggests, because of their children. "We know that it really surprises them if he and I fight, and so we don't, mostly. If they see us not getting on, it is effectively like saying it's OK to give up on your brother. And neither of us wants that," says Jonathan. My own experiences differ from the Selfs' not only because there were, sadly, no such flashes of brilliance within my family, but also because my brother and I were poles apart, so comprehensively different in character and temperament that we rarely found common ground. We both hoped that things would improve as we got older, but they didn't. I know now that all he really wanted from me was friendship, but as the older sibling, friendship was then the last thing I needed from him. Summer holidays were the worst. Because my working mother had to leave us children home alone as did all the parents of all my friends the days dragged on forever. She pleaded with me to keep an eye on him, and begged me to keep him out of mischief. He was a burden I fiercely resented.
D. I finally turned eighteen, meaning that with a newly acquired driving licence and a job, I was able to move out. This breathing space from one another brought the pair of us an overwhelming sense of relief. But then, over the years, our relationship completely fractured. Every so often we would, for my mother's sake, all meet up for a restaurant meal. At best, we had nothing to say to one another; at worst, there were all manner of disagreements to enter into, and so we did. The last time we saw one another, it almost came to physical blows. A decade on, I worry that I shall pass these miserably dysfunctional behavioural patterns down to my two daughters, something I desperately want to avoid. I would be distraught if they ever fell out, when it is clear to me at least that there is so much in both of them to like and to love.
a contrast in personality being one reason for two siblings' poor relationship:
the writer's concern about the future relationship between his own children:
a shared ambition causing intense feelings of competition between siblings:
family conflict being seen and presented as something normal in society:
the reasons why a pair of brothers are making the effort to avoid arguments:
the emotional benefit the writer gained by having physical distance from his brother:
how a sense of injustice among very young children can lead to feelings of dislike:
the writer's admission that he hated being responsible for his brother's well-being:
the certainty that the writer and his brother will never make peace with one another:
how some siblings may feel less capable of continuing their rivalry in old age:
Match the words in column A with column B, and then use the full phrases to fill the gaps in the sentences below. Make changes if necessary. The first one has been done as an example (0).
| A | B |
|---|---|
| burst | the gift of the gab |
| buy | a heavy heart |
| have | the show |
| strike | a pig in a poke |
| make | a blood vessel |
| steal | a balance |
Example. (0). She looked like she was about to burst a blood vessel during the argument.
It's important to between work and personal life to avoid getting burned out.
Money doesn't buy happiness, but it sure helps to solve a lot of life's little problems. In contrast, a light purse .
Last night, the young actor completely despite the presence of several experienced performers.
I'd never invest in a company without proper research - that would be like .
He's not the most knowledgeable candidate, but he so he makes a strong impression.
Complete the passage by changing the form of the word in capitals.
A day without plastic
Many people simply can't imagine a life without plastic and the fact is that this (MARK) material has really made its presence felt since its invention. In a relatively short period of time, plastic has gone from novelty to (DOMINATE) . Part of what makes the story of plastic so (COMPEL) is that it now surrounds us in all areas of our lives.
Some people, however, have had enough of plastic, and one historian has proposed that for one day every year we should all (TAKE) not to touch anything made of plastic. This means (VARY) countries would not be able to buy anything, except by means of coins, because their bank notes are printed on plastic, and another (SEQUENCE) would be that no one would be able to use their credit cards. People would have to write in pencil rather than pen, and nothing could be handled that was wrapped in plastic.
It is hoped that this (INITIATE) would be a major breakthrough in making people realise how much of a(n) (INTRUDE) plastic is on our lives.
The passage below contains 8 errors in spelling, grammar, word form. The first mistake is corrected as an example numbered (0). Find the other 7 mistakes, write and correct them.
0. Historicaly -> Historically
[content][/content]
Fill in each blank with ONE best word.
One of the hazards that electronic media like the television, radio or computers pose these days is the decline in book reading. The concern mainly to the younger generations who are strongly tempted by the glamour of the silver screen and, consequently, don't recognize the importance of acquiring first-hand information from books.
To encourage reading for pleasure and to propagate a wide array of publications like encyclopedias, reference books, manuals or fiction, radical solutions should be applied. Firstly, more ought to be put on the educational factor. Youngsters should be made to feel comfortable while reading for information or self-satisfaction in public places like airports, buses or on the beach. Secondly, libraries must be subsidized more accurately in order to provide the potential reader ample choice of publications and to become more publicly active so as to put books at people's disposal rather than keep them under lock and . Fund collecting actions organized by libraries might also raise the public awareness of the advantages of becoming engrossed in a good book.
Finally, the mass media might contribute substantially by recommending the purchase of valuable best-sellers and inspiring their viewers to enrich their knowledge and erudition, and thus help them to the habit of spontaneous everyday reading.
Some phrases/sentences have been removed from the text below. Choose the correct answer to complete the text.
A Our standard ideals about creation can take a bit of letting go of. For most people, if they had spent so much time and energy building a structure, they would want it to remain, to be enjoyed by others over and over again. To see something like this melt away into nothingness flies in the face of conventional wisdom.
B Even some smaller municipalities, such as Saranac Lake, New York, construct ice castles almost on an annual basis in a tradition that goes back decades. In the late 1800s, a poor mining town in Colorado constructed a giant ice castle to generate income from tourism. A dazzling sight, its walls were bluish-white and visitors could entertain themselves on an adjacent ice-skating rink and a toboggan slide.
C But for all the ice sculptors out there, that depressing thought does not discourage them from their craft. They teach us that no circumstance should inhibit us from creating, from achieving our dreams. Equipped with hammers, razor-sharp chisels, even chainsaws, they can create something as simple as a centrepiece for a cruise liner buffet or as grandiose as an entire village.
D This disaster could mirror the delicate conditions in which an ice sculpture can exist. It takes not only frigid temperatures and large quantities of frozen water, but determination and for large structures the financial prowess to recreate it repeatedly.
E And every year, to create these structures that visitors pay hundreds of euros a night to stay in, hundreds of thousands of tons of ice are carved and positioned. The blocks are fused together with 'snice' - a portmanteau of the words 'snow' and 'ice' - which has the consistency of soft, malleable ice that freezes after it is placed.
F In fact, in neighbouring China, some of the most impressive ice structures can be viewed annually in the city of Harbin. Located on the edge of Siberia, Harbin hosts a large ice and snow festival that features an entire village's worth of structures. Exquisitely detailed, these buildings and monuments provide an extravagant spectacle for millions of visitors each year.
G That, however, cannot be said about ice sculptures. Lasting as long as months or as little as minutes, one is never unaware of the transient nature of an ice sculpture. Why would someone spend hours carving what won't last much longer than it took to create?
H Designed by Russian architect Pyotr Yeropkin, its mammoth dimensions put it at around 20 metres tall and 50 metres wide. Interior features consisted of an ice 'garden', in which trees with ice birds perched on the branches filled the grounds. Although decorative, ice mattresses and ice pillows adorned rooms, and the outer walls were lined with delicate ice sculptures.
DETERMINATION IS ANYTHING BUT FROZEN
For millennia, mankind has used sculpture to represent many things: devotion to faith, the aggrandisement of humanity or for merely decorative purposes. One thing in almost all cases that remains true about sculpture is its permanence.
It is a testament to man's ability to create things for the sake of creating. Never mind how long it lasts or how much effort went into the creation of it. It was there, it existed for a short while and now it's gone, only to live on as a memory, as a catalogued experience. In a world so conditioned to aspire to durability, it is a challenging feat to create something that's quite the opposite.
For the ice hotels of Scandinavia, that's almost exactly what happens. They are a miraculous feat, these hotels: of course, the walls are made of blocks of ice, but so is much of the furniture, including the seating that makes up the bars and restaurants. Even the drinks are served in glasses made of ice.
The construction of large ice structures such as these is not a new concept. In the 18th century, Empress Anna Ivanovna commissioned an ice palace to be constructed in honour of Russia's defeat of Ottoman forces. This frozen palace marked the first such structure of its kind - the predecessor of the ice structures created today.
Such a massive structure was obviously built to demonstrate a sense of pride in man and country. Other such structures were later erected in a smattering of American and Canadian cities, which essentially served as a kind of symbol of the arrival of affluence to these newer nations. It has since become a tradition in cities such as Quebec City and St Paul to erect structures every so often.
Despite much fanfare, it was a commercial flop and city officials decided not to invest in such a venture again. It was simply too costly to build a structure that would only last for three months. The site was eventually razed and homes were built on it.
An even deeper connection could be drawn between the ephemeral nature of ice sculptures and our experience of life, which is also temporary. Mankind toils through blood, sweat and tears to strive for excellence, which, like an ice sculpture, does not last forever. In a sense, an ice sculpture represents a sliver of what we face in life.
The latter is certainly proof that mankind's determination knows no bounds, nor does it consider the longevity of a creation. Just like the sandcastles we create as children, which crumble away as the sea laps at their bases, so do the ice sculptures reaching several storeys in height become meaningless puddles under the warming sun.
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Write between THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given. Do not change the word given.
A cup of tea is the most refreshing drink of all. (MATCH)
=> There's as a refreshing drink.
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Write between THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given. Do not change the word given.
Twelve people lost their jobs in the company's reorganisation. (REDUNDANT)
=> Twelve people in the company's reorganisation.
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Write between THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given. Do not change the word given.
I hardly think she will agree to give you a pay rise. (LIKELIHOOD)
=> There's a pay rise.
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Write between THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given. Do not change the word given.
With constant practice, you'll be a much better pianist than the others. (SHOULDERS)
=> If you practice constantly, you'll be
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Write between THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given. Do not change the word given.
One day Tim is going to get into trouble with the law. (FOUL)
=> One day Tim is
Rewrite the sentence so that it means the same as the first one.
The surgeon didn't start until the anesthetic had taken effect.
=> Not until ...............
Rewrite the sentence so that it means the same as the first one.
We must do something about the problem even if it costs a lot.
=> Costly ...............
Rewrite the sentence so that it means the same as the first one.
Saying something is not the same as doing it.
=> There is a world ...............
Rewrite the sentence so that it means the same as the first one.
Could you have a quick look at my essay before I give it in?
=> Could you cast ...............
Rewrite the sentence so that it means the same as the first one.
It was Walter Raleigh who introduced potatoes and tobacco into England.
=> The English owe ...............
Write a paragraph of about 150 words to answer the following question.
With the rise of social media and digital communication, people now spend a significant part of their lives online. Some believe that individuals present a different version of themselves on the Internet compared to who they are in real life. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons and examples to support your answer.