At the deep bottom of Atlantic _____.
The hiker's _____ spirit helped him overcome the treacherous terrain and reach the summit of the mountain.
I _____ a five-day trip to London to have a good rest, but I couldn't find time.
The devastation of Hurricane Harvey in 2017 was so terrible. In vain _____ avert the catastrophe.
He hasn't given up that false idea. Give him time and he's sure to ______ our way of thinking in the end.
The museum prefers original artifacts, but ______ those, high-quality replicas are acceptable.
______, he was poorly educated, which in large part accounted for his shyness.
Last weekend, _____ nothing to watch on TV, we played chess together.
All ______ is a continuous supply of the basic necessities of life.
I'd rather Ann _____ my laptop while I was gone.
These _____ ornaments should not be used to decorate the Christmas tree. Throw them away now!
The restaurant ran like a _____ machine, with the staff working efficiently to provide quick and friendly service to the customers.
The corporation organized a splendid year-end party last year, which indicated that their business was in the _____.
They went through the project _____ to find any mistakes that could have been overlooked during the initial review.
We didn't follow the recipe _____, but the cake still turned out very well.
It was the best holiday ever because for once everyone got along _____.
Of course you're exhausted in class - you stay up too late! You _____.
There's so much technical _____ in this manual that I can't really understand it.
The search has been in progress for six days, and hopes of locating the missing soldiers are now beginning to _____.
As an Asian woman with brown skin, she finds herself working in a field where women are still _____.
Was it always an _____ of yours to play for France?
Showing no genuine contrition and _____, the heretic was handed over to the civil power for imprisonment.
Fixed term employment, also known as contract work, is used for single projects or to replace workers on _____.
The director extended his gratitude to all the staff for their _____ support, without which the company couldn't have overcome its difficult time.
Jane's flat affords _____ views over the valley and mountains beyond.
When my children ______ their toys, I donated them to a charity.
They took her to the hospital immediately. That spider _____ poisonous.
The town people were always so well-behaved and _____ that the police had an idle life.
Nobody has any firm information, so we can only _____ on what caused the accident.
Without financial aid, the tuition fees and school expenses would be _____ to many students.
______ other respiratory illnesses, the COVID-19 virus can cause mild symptoms including, sore throat, cough, and fever.
These stiff trainers take weeks to _____.
How do you find a reasonable and _____ thread of explanation through this?
Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each blank.
Camp Towhee
The final bell may have rung, sounding the end to another year of education, but this does not necessarily mean that learning need end as well. Summer, and its attendant activities, should be fun, challenging and full of opportunities to learn new skills, while peers and pursuing personal development.
Camp Towhee, located in picturesque Haliburton, Ontario, has all of these things and more on . Open to 10-18-year-olds, Camp Towhee is a residential therapeutic programme for children and teens with learning which can be caused by anything from short attention to hyperactivity.
The camp has highly-trained motivated staff that have the necessary professional qualifications to address the unique needs of each and individual camper. The camp is known for its very high staff to camper ratio and campers on the attention that they receive from their camp counsellors. Campers stay in spacious cabins which can accommodate up to six people and all meals are served "family style" in a large communal dining hall.
Assessments and discussions with parents and campers take place until the end of January of any given year about whether the camp programme is suitable a particular girl or boy. By early February at the , decisions are made for most campers about offering them a place at the camp.
(Adapted from Reactivate)
Read the text and choose the best answer to fill in the blanks.
Working to through with my university did, in , prepare me for life after graduation. I've never been lazing and have already crammed as much into each day as I could. I guess I've always been someone who takes things in their stride and snapped up any opportunity that has come my way. Looking back, I feel a great of respect for finishing my studies without with any debts but I'll admit it wasn't always plain sailing. Not until I scraped through my first-year exams did I realize the of time management. I think personality has played a huge role in my success, . I’ve always taken pleasure in whatever I do, whether it’s for work or to play. Sometimes people are surprised at my ability to solve problems and wonder where my energy comes from. I think it must be . My parents’ work ethic and attitude towards life have had a great impact on me and me down the path I’ve taken.
Read the passage below and fill in each blank with ONE suitable word.
Britain has gone mad for bananas. Over the past 12 months, Britons have consumed an unprecedented 3.5 billion pieces of the tropical fruit, forcing the apple into second place. The nation's banana boom is one of the most remarkable nutritional trends of recent years, a guide not only to the growing consciousness of the British people but also to the country's economic health. is amazing is that bananas were virtually unheard of during the 19th century and even up until the end of the 1920s anyone in Britain had tasted or seen them. Early attempts to introduce them to northern countries had met with failure because by the time they had been shipped to Britain, they had rotted recognition. However, thanks to the development of refrigerated shipping, all this changed. Refrigerated shipping meant that then, as now, bunches of imported bananas could arrive in good condition at houses in dockyards where they were stored. The first commercial refrigerated shipment arrived 100 years ago, triggering an enthusiasm from Britons have never looked back. "The banana has everything going for it”, says Jeanette Scott of the Banana Group marketing organization. "It's easy to open, it is packed energy and vitamins and is low in calories. It is also a first-class cure for upset stomachs and it stabilizes blood , so its popularity should not be seen as that surprising."
Read the passage below and fill in each blank with ONE suitable word.
The history of the cinema
In Britain, the cinema was, without a doubt, the most important form of public commercial entertainment of the twentieth century. Until its popularity was eclipsed in the 1950s by television, cinema enjoyed a period of some fifty years during which its appeal far exceeded of sport or indeed any other commercial activity.
The popularity of the cinema at that time is difficult to explain: it was accessible, glamorous, and cheap. At height, between 1920 and 1950, a very small sum of money could guarantee a good seat in the cinema. In the 1920s, the usual venue was a small, neighborhood hall. The audience was drawn from the local area, and could on some occasions be rather noisy. By the end of the 1930s, , the venue was more likely to be in one of the larger cinemas known as 'picture palaces', which were springing everywhere in city centers to accommodate audiences of over two thousand people. At these establishments, the audiences were expected to be well-behaved; the performances were organized just like military operations, with uniformed staff on to control the queues and usherettes to direct seating .
These large cinemas attracted a very mixed audience, although older people were less likely to be cinema-goers than adolescents. As might be expected, people in rural areas were immersed in the cinema than were people in towns, simply of the greater provision of cinemas in urban areas.
Read the following passage and complete the tasks.
Climate Change: Instant Expert
A. Climate change is with us. A decade ago, it was conjecture. Now the future is unfolding before our eyes. Canada's Inuit see it in disappearing Arctic ice and permafrost. The shantytown dwellers of Latin America and Southern Asia see it in lethal storms and floods. Europeans see it in disappearing glaciers, forest fires and fatal heat waves. Scientists see it in tree rings, ancient coral and bubbles trapped in ice cores. These reveal that the world has not been as warm as it is now for a millennium or more. The three warmest years on record have all occurred since 1998; 19 of the warmest 20 since 1980. And Earth has probably never warmed as fast as in the past 30 years a period when natural influences on global temperatures, such as solar cycles and volcanoes should have cooled us down.
B. Climatologists reporting for the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) say we are seeing global warming caused by human activities. People are causing the change by burning nature's vast stores of coal, oil and natural gas. This releases billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year, although the changes may actually have started with the dawn of agriculture, say some scientists. The physics of the "greenhouse effect" has been a matter of scientific fact for a century. CO2 is a greenhouse gas that traps the Sun's radiation within the troposphere, the lower atmosphere. It has accumulated along with other manmade greenhouse gases, such as methane and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Some studies suggest that cosmic rays may also be involved in warming.
C. If current trends continue, we will raise atmospheric CO2 concentrations to double pre-industrial levels during this century. That will probably be enough to raise global temperatures by around 2℃ to 5℃. Some warming is certain, but the degree will be determined by cycles involving melting ice, the oceans, water vapour, clouds and changes to vegetation. Warming is bringing other unpredictable changes. Melting glaciers and precipitation are causing some rivers to overflow, while evaporation is emptying others. Diseases are spreading. Some crops grow faster while others see yields slashed by disease and drought. Clashes over dwindling water resources may cause conflicts in many regions.
D. As natural ecosystems - such as coral reefs - are disrupted, biodiversity is reduced. Most species cannot migrate fast enough to keep up, though others are already evolving in response to warming. Thermal expansion of the oceans, combined with melting ice on land, is also raising sea levels. In this century, human activity could trigger an irreversible melting of the Greenland ice sheet. This would condemn the world to a rise in sea level of six metres - enough to flood land occupied by billions of people.
E. The global warming would be more pronounced if it were not for sulphur particles and other pollutants that shade us, and because forests and oceans absorb around half of the CO2 we produce. But the accumulation rate of atmospheric CO2 has doubled since 2001, suggesting that nature's ability to absorb the gas could now be stretched to the limit. Recent research suggests that natural CO2 "sinks", like peat bogs and forests, are actually starting to release CO2.
F. At the Earth Summit in 1992, the world agreed to prevent "dangerous" climate change. The first step was the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which came into force during 2005. It will bring modest emission reductions from industrialised countries. Many observers say deeper cuts are needed and developing nations, which have large and growing populations, will one day have to join in. Some, including the US Bush administration, say the scientific uncertainty over the pace of climate change is grounds for delaying action. The US and Australia have reneged on Kyoto. Most scientists believe we are under-estimating the dangers.
G. In any case, according to the IPCC, the world needs to quickly improve the efficiency of its energy usage and develop renewable non-carbon fuels like: wind, solar, tidal, wave and perhaps nuclear power. It also means developing new methods of converting this clean energy into motive power, like hydrogen fuel cells for cars. Other less conventional solutions include ideas to stave off warming by "mega-engineering" the planet with giant mirrors to deflect the Sun's rays, seeding the oceans with iron to generate algal blooms, or burying greenhouse gases below the sea. The bottom line is that we will need to cut CO2 emissions by 70% to 80% simply to stabilise atmospheric CO2 concentrations and thus temperatures. The quicker we do that, the less unbearably hot our future world will be.
The text has 7 paragraphs (A-G). Which paragraph contains each of the following pieces of information?
The effects of global warming on animals.
The ways in which ordinary people can see the global climate is changing.
The science behind global warming.
Possible solutions to global warming.
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
| TRUE | if the statement agrees with the information |
| FALSE | if the statement contradicts the information |
| NOT GIVEN | if there is no information on this |
Volcanoes can influence the global climate.
Billions of people live near the sea.
Peat bogs never release CO2.
Improving energy efficiency can be done quickly.
Read the following passage and complete the tasks.
Robert Louis Stevenson
A Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer, Robert Louis Stevenson was born at 8 Howard Place, Edinburgh, Scotland, on 13 November 1850. It has been more than 100 years since his death. Stevenson was a writer who caused conflicting opinions about his works. On one hand, he was often highly praised for his expert prose and style by many English-language critics. On the other hand, others criticised the religious themes in his works, often misunderstanding Stevenson’s own religious beliefs. Since his death a century before, critics and biographers have disagreed on the legacy of Stevenson’s writing. Two biographers, KF and CP, wrote a biography about Stevenson with a clear focus. They chose not to criticise aspects of Stevenson’s personal life. Instead, they focused on his writing, and gave high praise to his writing style and skill.
The literary pendulum has swung these days. Different critics have different opinions towards Robert Louis Stevenson’s works. Though today, Stevenson is one of the most translated authors in the world, his works have sustained a wide variety of negative criticism throughout his life. It was like a complete reversal of polarity from highly positive to slightly less positive to clearly negative; after being highly praised as a great writer, he became an example of an author with corrupt ethics and lack of moral. Many literary critics passed his works off as children’s stories or horror stories, and thought to have little social value in an educational setting. Stevenson’s works were often excluded from literature curriculum because of its controversial nature. These debates remain, and many critics still assert that despite his skill, his literary works still lack moral value.
One of the main reasons why Stevenson’s literary works attracted so much criticism was due to the genre of his writing. Stevenson mainly wrote adventure stories, which was part of a popular and entertaining writing fad at the time. Many of us believe adventure stories are exciting, offers engaging characters, action, and mystery but ultimately can’t teach moral principles. The plot points are one-dimensional and rarely offer a deeper moral meaning, instead focusing on exciting and shocking plot twists and thrilling events. His works were even criticised by fellow authors. Though Stevenson’s works have deeply influenced Oscar Wilde, Wilde often joked that Stevenson would have written better works if he wasn’t born in Scotland. Other authors came to Stevenson’s defence, including Galsworthy who claimed that Stevenson is a greater writer than Thomas Hardy.
Despite Wilde’s criticism, Stevenson’s Scottish identity was an integral part of his written works. Although Stevenson’s works were not popular in Scotland when he was alive, many modern Scottish literary critics claim that Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson are the most influential writers in the history of Scotland. While many critics exalt Sir Walter Scott as a literary genius because of his technical ability, others argue that Stevenson deserves the same recognition for his natural ability to capture stories and characters in words. Many of Scott’s works were taken more seriously as literature for their depth due to their tragic themes, but fans of Stevenson praise his unique style of story-telling and capture of human nature. Stevenson’s works, unlike other British authors, captured the unique day-to-day life of average Scottish people. Many literary critics point to this as a flaw of his works. According to the critics, truly important literature should transcend local culture and stories. However, many critics praise the local taste of his literature. To this day, Stevenson’s works provide valuable insight to life in Scotland during the 19th century.
Despite much debate of Stevenson’s writing topics, his writing was not the only source of attention for critics. Stevenson’s personal life often attracted a lot of attention from his fans and critics alike. Some even argue that his personal life eventually outshone his writing. Stevenson had been plagued with health problems his whole life, and often had to live in much warmer climates than the cold, dreary weather of Scotland in order to recover. So he took his family to the south pacific island of Samoa, which was a controversial decision at that time. However, Stevenson did not regret the decision. The sea air and thrill of adventure complimented the themes of his writing, and for a time restored his health. From there, Stevenson gained a love of travelling, and for nearly three years he wandered the eastern and central Pacific. Much of his works reflected this love of travel and adventure that Stevenson experienced in the Pacific islands. It was as a result of this biographical attention that the feeling grew that interest in Stevenson’s life had taken the place of interest in his works. Whether critics focus on his writing subjects, his religious beliefs, or his eccentric lifestyle of travel and adventure, people from the past and present have different opinions about Stevenson as an author. Today, he remains a controversial yet widely popular figure in Western literature.
Stevenson’s biographers KF and CP _____.
The main point of the second paragraph is that _____.
According to the author, adventure stories _____.
What does the author say about Stevenson’s works?
The lifestyle of Stevenson _____.
Complete the notes using the list of words, A-I, below.
| A | natural ability |
| B | romance |
| C | colorful language |
| D | critical acclaim |
| E | humor |
| F | technical control |
| G | story-telling |
| H | depth |
| I | human nature |
Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson
A lot of people believe that Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson are the most influential writer in the history of Scotland, but Sir Walter Scott is more proficient in , while Stevenson has better . Scott’s books illustrate especially in terms of tragedy, but a lot of readers prefer Stevenson’s . What’s more, Stevenson’s understanding of made his works have the most unique expression of Scottish people.
Read the article which discusses whether machines could ever have human qualities.
Seven paragraphs have been removed from the article. Choose from the paragraphs A-H the one which fits each gap.
Missing paragraphs:
A. It could be different from the human variety. Take death, for example. A computer with a back-up tape might not see death as a big deal. Think about how different life would be if we had back-up tapes.
B. The story raised the issue of whether or not something manufactured would have a soul – that mysterious entity which is the very essence of humanness, the thing that links us irrevocably to God.
C. For Philip Clayton, a theologian and philosopher, such an idea goes against the grain of much religious thinking. But he agrees that, in the future, as machines become more like humans, the distinction between them could become blurred. ‘On what grounds would we withhold souls from computers when they inhabit humanoid robotic bodies, accept visual input, give output with human voices and function comfortably in many social contexts?’ he asks.
D. Stories such as Frankenstein suggest that the things we humans create are often much more than the sum of their parts. Many people imagine that if we built something, we would know all about it.
E. If it lives up to expectations, it will express emotions. Eventually, they argue, it’s surely going to be able to say, ‘I’m afraid,’ or ‘I’m bored,’ and mean it. And if it does say such things – and mean them – then is it so far-fetched to wonder if it would have a soul?
F. Constant rejection has finally led it to commit murder. Yet when it first became conscious it was not evil. ‘Believe me,’ it says in anguish, ‘I was benevolent; my soul glowed with love and humanity.’
G. It is interesting that we are happy to consider the Frankenstein creation in terms of what its thoughts are or the fact that it has self-will. But this is fiction. Whether or not a machine is conscious, and whether we can prove it, is a fascinating philosophical exercise, nothing more, nothing less.
H. Opinions tend to fall between two extremes. Many people want to draw an unbreachable divide between humans and machines, insisting that however smart a computer might become it could never have a soul. On the other hand, some artificial intelligence researchers insist that humans are just complex machines, so why wouldn’t a silicon-based machine also have a soul? For these scientists, a soul would be simply an emergent property of a very complex system.
Note: There is ONE extra paragraph that you do not need to use.
Complete the passage by changing the form of the word in capitals.
The natural uses of bioluminescence vary widely, and organisms have learned to be very creative with its use. Fireflies employ bioluminescence primarily for (PRODUCE) means – their flashing patterns advertise a firefly’s readiness to breed. Some fish use it as a handy spotlight to help them locate prey. Others use it as a lure; the anglerfish, for example, dangles a (LUMINAIRE) flare that draws in gullible, smaller fishes which get snapped up by the anglerfish in an automated reflex. Sometimes, bioluminescence is used to resist predators. Vampire squids eject a thick cloud of glowing liquid from the tip of their arms when threatened, which can be (ORIENT) . Other species use a single, bright flash to (TEMPORARY) blind their attacker, with an effect similar to that of an (COME) car which has not dipped its headlights.
Humans have captured and (UTILE) bioluminescence by developing, over the last decade, a technology known as Bioluminescence Imaging (BLI). BLI involves the extraction of a DNA protein from a bioluminescent organism, and then the integration of this protein into a laboratory animal through trans-geneticism. Researchers have been able to use luminized pathogens and cancer cell lines to track the (RESPECT) spread of infections and cancers. Through BLI, cancers and infections can be observed without intervening in a way that affects their independent development. In other words, while under an ultra-sensitive camera and bioluminescent proteins add a visual element, they do not disrupt or (MUTANT) the natural processes. As a result, when testing drugs and treatments, researchers are permitted a single perspective of a therapy’s progression.
Once scientists learn how to engineer bioluminescence and keep it stable in large quantities, a number of other human uses for it will become available. Glowing trees have been proposed as (REPLACE) for electric lighting along busy roads, for example, which would reduce our dependence on (NEW) energy sources.
The passage below contains 6 errors. The first error is corrected as an example numbered (0). Find the other 5 errors, write and correct them.
Write the mistakes in the order they appeared in the text.
| Line | What's in a label? |
| 1 | Walking into any supermarket and it's hard to miss the "gluten-free" labels on |
| 2 | everything from bottle water to broccoli. Of course, these and many other |
| 3 | products are either naturally gluten-free or have insignificant gluten content. |
| 4 | Gluten, after all, is a protein found primary in grains such as wheat. |
| 5 | A gluten-free diet is essential for people suffering from coeliac disease and |
| 6 | similar disorders. For them, the accurate labelling system is indispensable, |
| 7 | especially when it comes to snacks, breakfast, cereal and other highly processed |
| 8 | foods. Recently, however, manufacturers have also been using the label to attract |
| 9 | those who believe that the consumption of gluten-free food is healthier generally. |
| 10 | Is there a basis for this perception? |
| 11 | While some dieticians claim that reducing one's daily intake of gluten has |
| 12 | negligible benefits, others warn us not to overestimate its potential positive |
| 13 | impact. Still others explain that gluten-free options do have an overall benefit, but |
| 14 | only if one looks beyond the gluten-free label and checks their nutritious content |
| 15 | for sugars, fats and salt, which can be a lot more harmful than gluten if consumed |
| 16 | in large quantities. |
Example: 0. Line 1: walking → walk
Line : →
Line : →
Line : →
Line : →
Line : →
Complete the second sentence in each pair so that it has a similar meaning to the first one. You must use between THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given. DO NOT change this given word.
Jane was the unlucky one, so she had to tell Ed he was fired. (STRAW)
=> If Jane , she wouldn’t have had to tell Ed he was fired.
Complete the second sentence in each pair so that it has a similar meaning to the first one. You must use between THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given. DO NOT change this given word.
The police are investigating the cause of the violence. (LOOKED)
=> What by the police.
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first one, using the word in brackets. You must use between THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given. Do NOT change the word given.
I don't think you should give up as soon as things start to get difficult. (TOWEL)
=> I'm against sign of difficulty.
Complete the second sentence in each pair so that it has a similar meaning to the first one. You must use between THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given. DO NOT change this given word.
I prefer to hire someone to renovate my house rather than tackle the challenging task on my own. (HAVE)
=> I would sooner attempt the daunting task myself.
Complete the second sentence in each pair so that it has a similar meaning to the first one. You must use between THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given. DO NOT change this given word.
I've never really been able to follow all the details of the argument. (OUTS)
=> I've never been able to
Complete the second sentence in each pair so that it has a similar meaning to the first one. You must use between THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given. DO NOT change this given word.
Ben is far superior to Dylan in terms of technical knowledge. (MATCH)
=> When it for Ben.
Complete the second sentence in each pair so that it has a similar meaning to the first one. You must use between THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given. DO NOT change this given word.
I've shown George how to do this, but he still can't manage it. (HANG)
=> George the fact I've shown him.
Complete the second sentence in each pair so that it has a similar meaning to the first one. You must use between THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given. DO NOT change this given word.
The organizers planned everything as carefully as they could possibly have done. (UTMOST)
=> Everything the organizers.
Complete the second sentence in each pair so that it has a similar meaning to the first one. You must use between THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given. DO NOT change this given word.
If the need arises, she can prepare a delicious meal in about half an hour. (RUSTLE)
=> Should the a delicious meal in about half an hour.
Complete the second sentence in each pair so that it has a similar meaning to the first one. You must use between THREE and EIGHT words, including the word given. DO NOT change this given word.
Everybody knows that he always breaks his promises. (KNOWLEDGE)
=> It's on his promises.