Duong: Thanks for babysitting on such short notice. Was it a burden?
Mark: _____
Mark: Are you available in the next five minutes to review this project proposal?
Teacher: I’m sorry. _____ Can we talk later?
_____, 70 percent alcohol is more effective than 100 percent alcohol.
The audience, _____, enjoyed the performance.
Nearly 50,000 supporters attended the game to see who _____ the champions.
Country life differs from urban life in _____ a sense of community generally binds the inhabitants of small villages together.
I’d rather you _____ anything for tonight, but I suppose it’s too late to change things now.
Steve has done really well in life, _____ the poor start he had.
It's difficult to emerge from this scandal _____.
_____ money you are saving, you are completely justified in enjoying a lovely reward every so often.
The upper branches of the tallest trees produce more leaves _____ other branches.
In the middle of the blue river ______.
Becky runs the office and Sue is her apprentice, _____.
All that was left for breakfast were some _____ rolls and tea.
The earlier model is _____ for its unreliability and now we are almost unlikely to find it on the market.
The hotel staff were very _____ and respectful of their guests' privacy.
Discontent among the ship's crew finally led to the _____.
After his mother's death, he found _____ in the Buddhist rituals of mourning.
This insect is completely _____. I've never seen anything like that before.
Contrary to current trends, sometimes you do need to _____ your feelings, especially when planning your actions.
The new clerk was blamed for _____ the troubles in the sales team and disrupting the process.
The economic downturn since the onset of the Covid pandemic has caused millions of _____ with the bankruptcy of businesses.
Linh wanted to sound confident at the interview, but I'm afraid she came _____ as dogmatic.
When the funds finally _____ they had to abandon the scheme.
What makes me so sad about our divorce is that we used to be _____.
Even though he appeared small, he was a _____, capable of lifting heavy weights effortlessly.
In no way _____ that people will be prevented from organizing peaceful protests.
A small part of the Large Cloud of Magellan extends into Mensa, but otherwise there is _____ nothing here of interest.
_____ of the financial crisis, all they could do was hold on and hope that things would improve.
Read the text and choose the best answer to fill in the blanks.
United Parcel Service (UPS) believes that its employees should give the firm a fair day's work for a fair's day pay. The package delivery firm seems willing to give more than a fair's day pay. But in , UPS expects maximum output from its employees.
Since the 1920s, the firm's industrial engineers have been studying every detail by most UPS employees. From their studies have come of every task time and motion standards that how those tasks are performed and how long they should take. Drivers, for example, are expected to walk to a customer's door at a speed of exactly three feet per second. They are told to knock as soon as they get there, rather than time looking for a doorbell.
Work engineers are riding with drivers, timing everything from stops at traffic lights, to wait at customers' doorway, to stairway climbs, to a coffee break. And they are not to pointing out the occasional inefficiency. Additionally, supervisors ride with the least good drivers, noting how they work and constantly them until their work is up to standard.
The of all this work engineering is efficiency, and UPS has been called one of the most efficient companies anywhere. It's also a highly profitable company. Most drivers take the regimentation in stride: many show in meeting the UPS standards each day. Others, however, feel that they are constantly being pushed, that it is impossible for them to at work. UPS officials claim that the standards provide accountability. And, they say, employees who work according to UPS standards should feel less tired at the end of the day.
Fill each of the following blanks with ONE suitable word.
The first question we might ask is: What can you learn in college that will help you in being an employee? The schools teach a many things of value to the future: accountant, doctor or electrician. Do they also teach anything of value to the future employee? Yes, they teach the one thing that is perhaps most valuable for the future employee know. But very few students bother to learn it. This basic skill is the ability to organize and express ideas in writing and in speaking. This means that your success as an employee will depend on your ability to communicate with people and to your own thoughts and ideas to them so they will understand what you are driving at and be persuaded. Of course, skill in expression is not enough itself. You must have something to say in the first place. The effectiveness of your job depends much your ability to make other people understand your work as they do on the quality of the work itself. Expressing one’s thoughts is one skill that the school can . The foundations for skill in expression have to be early: an interest in and an ear language; experience in organizing ideas and data, in brushing aside the irrelevant, and above all the habit of verbal. If you do not gain these foundations your school years, you may never have an opportunity again.
Fill each of the following blanks with ONE suitable word.
Have you ever given any thought to the concept of the protection of our natural resources and the significance it on our sound existence? It may have been recognized by only a few of us what consequences our wasteful life may lead to unless we undertake some proper measures to conserve our natural habitats and their key - wildlife, vegetation, soil, and water supplies. This question requires still more publicity, sure. ever do we realize how much effluent gets discharged into water or how many tons of waste our populations can out daily. In our hectic life, we seldom think of the vast area of woodlands, including the rain forests, that get every minute. We aren't usually conscious of the fact that the ozone layer is being depleted due to the greenhouse effect. How much do we know about the animal species being on the of extinction? Lastly, who is to for our abysmal ignorance? One possible response is the incredible intensity of life that we are living almost all the time. Statistically, an average couple has more to acquire in the 20th century than their ancestors did several decades ago - education, the financial means for securing the family with a flat or a house, a car, a stereo, and other variety of rudimentary accessories that the civilized world has to offer and which our earthly existence seems unimaginable. Therefore, the answer is simple. It is ourselves that should face the charges of devastating the natural environment that we originate from, but for which we don't give much consideration principle.
Read the following passage and complete the tasks.
THE SEARCH FOR FRESH WATER
The assertion that water has always been the essence of life is nothing new. Water comes in many forms: spring water, sea and river water, rainwater, and fog and dew water. Yet water is becoming scarce and this scarcity is becoming a very real worry for governments all around the world. The reality is that one of the main obstacles to the economic development of a particular country is its lack of an adequate supply of fresh water. Current figures show that an inhabitant of a wealthy, modern town consumes 100-400 litres of water daily. In some developing countries the amount of water consumed does not exceed 20-30 litres per day. Rich or poor, annual water consumption has continued to grow, increasing fourfold over the last 50 years.
The world’s fresh water supplies are drawn from a number of sources. The largest cache of the estimated 35 million km3 fresh water reserve is located in glaciers and snow. The amount contained in these ‘storehouses’ has been estimated to be around 24 million km3. Ground water is also a big contributor to the world’s fresh water supplies amounting to an estimated 10.5 million km3. Considering that the total volume of water, salt and fresh, is estimated to be around 400 million km3 it can be clearly seen that the amount of fresh water available in the world is only the proverbial ‘drop in the bucket՝. Artesian wells, rivers and lakes only account for about 0.1 and 0.5 million km3 respectively, all of which include atmospheric precipitation such as rain and snow.
Since water is such an important commodity, various attempts to acquire stores of it have been tried with varying degrees of success. The question of what are the alternative water sources available to us today is not an easy one to answer but is certainly worthy of our best efforts to find one. One such area of interest has been desalination – the turning of salt water into drinkable water. As there is much more salt water on the earth than dry land, the idea of using desalinated seawater seems a logical one. However, some estimates put the annual quantity of desalinated water at only around ten cubic kilometres – a tiny amount given the amount of sea water available. In parts of Senegal, for example, the greenhouse effect has been one way to desalinate seawater whereby the salt in the water is separated from the water through a process of evaporation. As part of the process, water vapour forms on large panes of glass at outside air temperature and is transported via gravity into drums. This method yields only a few cubic meters per day of fresh water but is surprisingly energy efficient. In larger scale production however, the energy efficiency plummets. The best systems bum at least a tonne of fossil fuel to produce approximately one hundred cubic metres of fresh water. This amounts to almost $ 1 per cubic metre – a considerable cost.
Although there are several different areas from which water can be sourced, paradoxically the most extensive are the most difficult to tap. The atmosphere, for example, contains vast amounts of fresh water composed of 2% condensed water in the form of clouds and 98% water vapour. The vastness of this water source is comparable to the renewable liquid water resources of all inhabited lands. The amounts are easy to calculate, but being able and knowing how to economically obtain this water in liquid form is most challenging. One approach in drawing water from the atmosphere is fog nets. Places such as the coastal desens of West Africa and areas of Chile and Peru have favourable condensation conditions. In these areas, ocean humidity condenses in the form of fog on the mid-range mountains (over 500m). This fog composed of droplets of suspended water can be collected in nets. In the 1960s, a University in Northern Chile conducted the first major experiments with fog nets. Drawing on the knowledge gained from these experiments, further testing was done which culminated in one village using fog nets to yield a healthy daily average of 11,000 litres of water. On a smaller scale, fog-collecting nets have recently been used in the Canary Islands and Namibia.
Unfortunately, due to its need for a combination of several factors, fog is not readily available. Dew however appears far more frequently and is less subject to the constraints of climate and geography. In order for dew to form there needs to be some humidity in the air and a reasonably clear sky. Many hot areas of countries that suffer from a lack of water such as the Sahel region of Northern Africa for example, experience significant quantities of dew. When the temperature is lowered over a short space of time by ten degrees or so, the water-harvesting possibilities from the air yield an amazing ten grams of water from each cubic meter of air – significant drops in air temperature make for greater yields. Unlike fog, dew formation can occur even in a relatively dry atmosphere, such as a desert. All it takes is for the right mix of temperatures between the earth and the air to combine and dew formation occurs.
As a method of obtaining fresh water, fog _____
Small-scale ‘greenhouse effect’ desalination _____
One of the largest stores of fresh water in the world is _____
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading 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 |
The amount of water consumed by wealthier countries is just as much as poorer countries.
Glaciers, rivers, artesian wells and ground water are all sources of fresh water.
Large bodies of water, such as the sea, have yielded the most fresh water.
The collection of water through the use of fog nets is becoming increasingly more popular around the world.
If the sky is cloudy, dew will not form.
Dew and fog are major sources of water in smaller villages and isolated areas.
Read the following passage and complete the tasks.
Facial Expression 1
A A facial expression is one or more motions or positions of the muscles in the skin. These movements convey the emotional state of the individual to observers. Facial expressions are a form of nonverbal communication. They are a primary means of conveying social information among aliens, but also occur in most other mammals and some other animal species. Facial expressions and their significance in the perceiver can, to some extent, vary between cultures with evidence from descriptions in the works of Charles Darwin.
B Humans can adopt a facial expression to read as a voluntary action. However, because expressions are closely tied to emotion, they are more often involuntary. It can be nearly impossible to avoid expressions of certain emotions, even when it would be strongly desirable to do so; a person who is trying to avoid insulting an individual he or she finds highly unattractive might, nevertheless, show a brief expression of disgust before being able to reassume a neutral expression. Microexpressions are one example of this phenomenon. The close link between emotion and expression can also work in the order direction; it has been observed that voluntarily assuming an expression can actually cause the associated emotion.
C Some expressions can be accurately interpreted even between members of different species – anger and extreme contentment being the primary examples. Others, however, are difficult to interpret even in familiar individuals. For instance, disgust and fear can be tough to tell apart. Because faces have only a limited range of movement, expressions rely upon fairly minuscule differences in the proportion and relative position of facial features, and reading them requires considerable sensitivity to the same. Some faces are often falsely read as expressing some emotion, even when they are neutral because their proportions naturally resemble those another face would temporarily assume when emoting.
D Also, a person’s eyes reveal much about how they are feeling, or what they are thinking. Blink rate can reveal how nervous or at ease a person may be. Research by Boston College professor Joe Tecce suggests that stress levels are revealed by blink rates. He supports his data with statistics on the relation between the blink rates of presidential candidates and their success in their races. Tecce claims that the faster blinker in the presidential debates has lost every election since 1980. Though Tecce’s data is interesting, it is important to recognize that non-verbal communication is multi-channelled, and focusing on only one aspect is reckless. Nervousness can also be measured by examining each candidates’ perspiration, eye contact and stiffness.
E As Charles Darwin noted in his book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals: the young and the old of widely different races, both with man and animals, express the same state of mind by the same movements. Still, up to the mid-20th century, most anthropologists believed that facial expressions were entirely learned and could, therefore, differ among cultures. Studies conducted in the 1960s by Paul Ekman eventually supported Darwin’s belief to a large degree.
F Ekman’s work on facial expressions had its starting point in the work of psychologist Silvan Tomkins. Ekman showed that contrary to the belief of some anthropologists including Margaret Mead, facial expressions of emotion are not culturally determined, but universal across human cultures. The South Fore people of New Guinea were chosen as subjects for one such survey. The study consisted of 189 adults and 130 children from among a very isolated population, as well as twenty-three members of the culture who lived a less isolated lifestyle as a control group. Participants were told a story that described one particular emotion; they were then shown three pictures (two for children) of facial expressions and asked to match the picture which expressed the story’s emotion.
G While the isolated South Fore people could identify emotions with the same accuracy as the non-isolated control group, problems associated with the study include the fact that both fear and surprise were constantly misidentified. The study concluded that certain facial expressions correspond to particular emotions and can not be covered, regardless of cultural background, and regardless of whether or not the culture has been isolated or exposed to the mainstream.
H Expressions Ekman found to be universally included those indicating anger, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, and surprise (not that none of these emotions has a definitive social component, such as shame, pride, or schadenfreude). Findings on contempt (which is social) are less clear, though there is at least some preliminary evidence that this emotion and its expression are universally recognized. This may suggest that the facial expressions are largely related to the mind and each part on the face can express specific emotion.
The reading Passage has seven paragraphs A-H. Which paragraph contains the following information?
The difficulty identifying the actual meaning of facial expressions.
The importance of culture on facial expressions is initially described.
Collected data for the research on the relation between blink and the success in elections.
The features on the sociality of several facial expressions.
An indicator to reflect one’s extent of nervousness.
The relation between emotion and facial expressions.
Choose two letters.
Which TWO of the following statements are true according to Ekman’s theory?
You are going to read a newspaper article in which a zoology student talks about her experience of doing practical research in an area of rainforest. Six paragraphs have been removed from the article. Choose from the paragraphs A-G the one that fits each gap (1-6). Write the correct letter next to each paragraph. There is ONE extra paragraph which you do not need to use.
Missing paragraphs
A. Because of this and having experienced fieldwork, I’ve decided it’s definitely something I would like to do as a career. Once this year is over, I will ask my lecturers to advise me what to do next.
B. And the thing is to imagine being the person that has made a discovery – the person who first questions something, investigates and then contributes to the vast catalogue of information that is science. I find this concept inspirational.
C. They have their own traditions, too. One day, a local lady was bitten by a lethal snake, whilst I administered shots of anti-venom to her, the local traditional healer was applying plant remedies to the wound and attempting to suck the venom from it. At least one of the treatments must have worked because she recovered.
D. This morning, for example, a half metre square of mushrooms sprouted on the dirt floor of my kitchen. My favourite time here is in the early evenings. It’s finally cool enough to be comfortable, and the nocturnal creatures begin their nightly cacophony, while the setting sun paints the trees orange.
E. The reality is, however, that to make your way you need to build up a range of contacts and a portfolio of work. Many of the initial work opportunities that do exist are voluntary – in fact, you often have to pay to join a scheme. A student job where you are paid expenses, let alone a basic salary, is quite rare.
F. By and large, they work outdoors, and are interested in pretty much everything from discovering new species to the effect of obscure parasites on ecosystems. They explore and investigate, aiming to understand what they observe. Just two years into my undergraduate zoology degree, I don’t quite qualify as one yet, but hopefully I’m heading that way.
G. To do this, I walk slowly along several paths in the forest, accompanied by a local guide, and at night equipped with a torch. When I spot what I’m looking for, I feel an intense adrenaline rush. Will I manage to capture it? Have I collected this particular species yet?
Fieldwork in the rainforest of Ecuador - the experiences of a zoology student
When I was at school, I was a huge fan of TV wildlife programmes, and at a certain point I realised that somehow the natural world would have to be part of my life. So here I am a few years later, in the tropical rainforest of eastern Ecuador, a novice field scientist. The word scientist evokes various images typically perhaps ones of laboratories and white coats, test tubes and lab rats. But what does it mean to be a field scientist?
I am currently spending a year at a small scientific research station in a remote patch of the Ecuadorian rainforest belonging to the Kichwa community of San Jose de Payamino. It is glorious – everything you would expect a tropical rainforest location to be, and a world away from my university in the UK. The air is hot and thick, the trees are densely packed, and everywhere is teeming with life.
The local people own the land and govern themselves, but the Ecuadorian government also provides for them: a school complete with computer room and satellite internet, for instance. Each year, they vote for a new president and vice-president, who organise the democratic community meetings. Each family has a finca in the forest: a wooden home on stilts.
But my normal life here as a work experience student revolves mainly around my personal research, which is a biodiversity study of frogs. I am trying to establish exactly which species are here, where and when I can find them, and what condition they are in.
For most of the time, I am just crawling along looking at leaves. Much of field research is like this. It isn’t all finding new species and being transfixed by exotic wildlife behaviour. Have you ever seen the behind-the-scenes footage at the end of many nature documentaries, where it turns out a cameraman has been sitting in a tree for three days waiting for a bird to dance? Research is like this – laborious and monotonous – but it can be rewarding too.
Being a field scientist basically means being an academic, collecting data and publishing scientific papers. It’s interesting but it doesn’t pay well, and getting started can be tough. When I was looking for work experience, there were plenty of openings with pharmaceutical companies, but very few matching my desire to explore and investigate wildlife.
This is one reason I count myself lucky to be involved in this project. It’s largely funded by my university, so I can afford it. Then, by the end of this year, I will have acquired valuable skills, and I am hopeful that the experience will facilitate my progression into postgraduate study.
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
The pianist surprised everyone by performing an vocal solo. (COMPANY)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
I’m looking for a flatmate so I’m going to put an ad in the . (CLASS)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
I really believe that it would be a major mistake to any drugs that are currently illegal. (CRIME)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
After a successful career, he retired in 2004, but now he’s making a and he’s released a new CD. (COME)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
They were accused of in their treatment of the hostages. (HUMAN)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
Due to the ten-minute standing ovation of the audience, the violinist had to take his third . (CURTAIN)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
She is unable to be with us this afternoon because she is at the opening of a sporting event. (OFFICE)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
Students need to be educated about the dangers on the Internet, including child predators, identity theft, false and bullying. (PERSON)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
When I told my students that I believed in every of Don Quixote’s unrealistic ideas, my students looked at me . (SEARCH)
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
It may be to force them into making a decision, and if you upset them they're quite likely to overact. (PRODUCE)
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.
You've been working hard – I think you should stop and relax now. (CALL)
=> You've been working hard. It's time for you and relax.
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.
Although this staff seems to be clever, he fails to grasp the overall situation due to his excessive focus on trivial aspects. (WOOD)
=> Clever though this staff seems for the trees.
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.
The incident ruined my chances of promotion. (PAID)
=> The incident promotion.
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.
Don't ask for time off until things calm down. (DUST)
=> You should allow before asking for time off.
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 tried as hard as I could to make sure that this problem would not arise. (POWER)
=> I this problem from arising.
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 it was reasonable of you to complain so much about the service. (JUSTIFIED)
=> I don't think you fuss about the service.
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.
Larry sought to dissuade them from selling the ranch. (TALK)
=> Larry tried the ranch.
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.
Passengers are absolutely forbidden to cross the railway track. (ALLOWED)
=> On the railway track.
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.
This club admits people from all professions. (LIFE)
=> People from all to this club.
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.
My brother's advice was to stay calm during my driving test. (HEAD)
=> My brother during my driving test.