A: Do you know Janet Wilson?
B: I remember the name, but I can't recall _____.
We stood by the door, hoping for a glimpse, and _____ everyone had been waiting for.
It is such an amazing exhibition that I could _____ at the artifacts for hours.
I shouldn't have ordered this steak - it's so salty that it's _____.
The schoolboy's excuse wasn't _____ at all. Nobody in the classroom believed in the far-fetched story he told.
This government would destroy all our civil liberties, ______ half a chance.
After a momentary ______ of concentration, Simon managed to regain his focus and completed the test.
If you don't get your full _____ of sleep, your work will begin to suffer.
Gathering around the crackling fire, we listened intently to Grandma's captivating retelling of _____, each tale infused with wisdom and cultural richness.
Since the car broke down on a lonely country road, we had to try to _____ a lift to the nearest telephone.
To complete our work, we need to _____ the computer problem preventing us from retrieving necessary data.
We have already discovered that there are many kinds of metals, _____ its special properties.
The board proposes that the majority of this year's profits _____ in new product development.
My elder brother found it impossible to _____ his anger and started shouting.
I could hear _____ of the conversation from across the room.
Considering the pressure in modern life, it is better to make _____ of other mistakes.
Aid agencies are still _____ the situation.
Relations between the two islands have ______ further recently.
_____ had booked in advance were allowed in.
He would prefer to keep his job _____ fired so he will try his best for the upcoming project.
The films run all night. We _____ movies for six hours by the time the feature comes on.
_____, do not hesitate to direct your inquiries to me.
If the railway system _____, the government should invest substantial amounts of money now.
The archivists went _____ through the vast collection of historical records, hoping to uncover the missing links in the city's past.
The initial proposal for the project faced strong criticism from various stakeholders. _____, it underwent significant revisions to address these concerns.
The European Union would do well to _____ diplomatic relations with countries that do not respect human rights.
Read the text and choose the best answer to fill in the blanks.
There’s extensive historical evidence that our ancestors may have witnessed a massive invasion of Unidentified Flying Objects on their territories. These extraterrestrials are to have come into touch with the ancient earthly populations and helped them erect numerous magnificent structures or even establish glamorous empires.
However, the present-day fascination with UFO was only instigated by the first widely American sighting in Idaho in 1947. Since that time, countless other close encounters have been reported both by highly credible witnesses such as top-class pilots and less credible ones such as ordinary civilians. Thousands of people around the world maintain having come close to the visitors from outer space or have been for a scientific study inside their flying saucers.
Although most of these accounts have been dismissed as fantasy or , there’s mounting criticism from the public and media for ignoring the subject for too long. To many people, rejecting even the most inexplicable sightings or UFO encounters as luminous artificial objects, natural phenomena like auroras, or even as meteorological balloons and satellites seems to be an irresponsible approach. Most of us would prefer to believe that these extraterrestrial guests are arriving from some remote galaxies to establish a peaceful relationship and possibly give us a fair against the consequences of our wasteful lifestyles. Yet, there’s another theory implying that the visitors’ attitude towards mankind isn’t so and that their sole aim might be the unscrupulous annihilation of the terrestrial populations. Doubtless, flying saucers still continue to be observed in many places of the world sparking the imagination of UFO-maniacs. But, a large percentage of such sightings will remain explanation until more convincing evidence is supplied by the true experts.
Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each blank.
More than a chore
Day after day, parents must handle all the responsibilities of work, family and home. While many face physical and psychological difficulties, they often lack an effective strangely and frequently feel guilty about asking their children for help. Now studies have shown that asking children to do a regular chore or two around the house is not only important for parents' stress but it also plays a vital role in responsibility and self-reliance in the children. by sorting the laundry, setting the table or preparing a meal, children from the age of four can become more involved in the smooth running of the household and thus develop their self-esteem. A schedule of chores can be difficult to at first. Parents are advised to lead by and to let the children choose the days and times they will deal with their chores. In the run, their children will be better to face real-world challenges.
Complete the text by changing the form of the words in capitals.
Researchers studying biofluorescent coral discovered that other marine wildlife including eels, rays and sharks exhibited biofluorescence. Indeed, it is not such a rare (OCCUR) as they had previously believed. While filming off the Solomon Islands, a place with some of the most abundant marine diversity on the planet, they came across catsharks, which are brilliantly fluorescent. This fluorescence is (VISION) all over their bodies, on their skin and even in their eyes, but it is not yet clear what the function of it is. To see the phenomenon of biofluorescence, the divers use filters to create a very pure blue, to (PRODUCT) the light in the animals' world. Another filter, a yellow one in front of the camera, allows the researchers to see the light emitted by the animals. The scientists wonder if other fish can see this and whether it plays a role in their behavior. Filming marine life in the reef at night creates a feeling of (SERENE) that the scientists love. The fluorescence gives the illusion of being on another planet, it's like a Martian (LAND).
Complete the text by changing the form of the words in capitals.
People are often put off meditation by what they see as its many mystical associations. Yet meditation is a (STRAIGHT) technique which merely involves sitting and resting the mind. In addition to its simplicity, meditation offers powerful help in the battle against stress. Hundreds of studies have shown that meditation, when (TAKE) in a principled way, can reduce hypertension which is related to stress in the body. Research has proved that certain types of meditation can (SUBSTANCE) decrease key stress symptoms such as anxiety and irritability. In fact, those who practice meditation with any regularity see their doctors less and spend, on average, seventy percent fewer days in hospital. They are said to have more stamina, a happier (DISPOSE) and even enjoy better relationships.
When you learn to meditate, your teacher will give you a personal "mantra' or word which you use every time you practice the technique and which is supposedly chosen according to your needs. (INITIATE) classes are taught individually but subsequent classes usually consist of a group of students and take place over a period of about four days. The aim is to learn how to slip into a deeper state of consciousness for twenty minutes a day. The rewards speak for themselves.
Read the following passage then choose the best answer to each question below.
Reality Or Virtual Reality
To know where information technology is taking us is impossible. The law of unintended consequences governs all technological revolutions. In 1438, Johanne Gutenberg wanted a cheaper way to produce hand-written Bibles. His movable type fostered spread literacy, an advance in scientific knowledge and the emergence of the industrial revolution.
Although no one can predict the full effect of the current information revolution, we can see changes in our daily lives. Look in any classroom. Today's teachers know they have to make lessons fast-moving and entertaining for children raised on television and computer games.
Often the changes that accompany new information technology are so subtle that we barely notice them. Before the written word, people relied on their memories. Before telephones, more people knew the pleasure of writing and receiving letters. Before television and computers, people had a stronger sense of community, a greater attachment to neighbourhoods and families. Television has glued us to our homes, isolating us from other human beings. Only one-quarter of all Americans know their next-door neighbours. Our communities will become less intimate and more isolated as we earn degrees, begin romances and gossip on the Internet, a worldwide system that allows computers to communicate with one another. The age of software will offer more games, home banking, electronic shopping, video on demand and a host of other services that unplug us from physical contact.
Is meeting face-to-face more valuable than corresponding electronically? Some neighbours still stop by when a family crisis occurs, but other people will offer condolences via e-mail. Whichever we prefer, the electronic seems to represent the future. Television teaches many of us to favour the image over the actual. The Internet pushes life beyond the old physical barriers of time and space. Here you can roam around the world without leaving home, make new friends, exchange the results of laboratory experiments with a colleague overseas, read stock prices, buy clothes, stay out of the office, conducting business via a computer that becomes your virtual office. Virtual community. Virtual travel. Virtual love. A new reality. William Gibson, whose 1984 novel, "Neuromancer", pioneered the notion of virtual living, now says that electronic communication provides a "sensory expansion for the species by allowing people to experience an extraordinary array of things while staying geographically in the same spot." Gibson warns, however, that the virtual can only augment our physical reality, never replace it. He applauds the countermove toward what has been called "skin" - shorthand for contact with other humans.
The desire for skin can be seen in shopping centres - people want human contact even when they could buy things via television or the telephone. Although computers and fax machines make it easier to work at home, business areas continue to grow. More people than ever are crowding into major cities, in large part because companies that provide goods and services benefit from being near one another. Employees also seek the relationships that come only from being together on a personal level with other people.
Need for skin does not negate the electronic screen's power to mesmerise. No brain scan or biochemical study has identified a physical basis for our seemingly insatiable hunger for electronic stimulation. Computers are often alluring than television, which already has a grip on us. Young people today spend about as much time in front of a television as in a classroom.
Technology promises more and more information for less and less effort. As we hear these promises, we must balance faith in technology with faith in ourselves. Wisdom and insight often come not from keeping up-to-date with technology or compiling facts but from quiet reflection. What we hold most valuable - things like morality and compassion - can be found only within us. While embracing the future, we can remain loyal to our unchanging humanity.
What was one of the unplanned benefits of Gutenberg's invention?
Read the following passage and complete the tasks.
DEPRESSION
A. It is often more difficult for outsiders and non-sufferers to understand mental rather than physical illness in others. While it may be easy for us to sympathise with individuals living with the burden of a physical illness or disability, there is often a stigma attached to being mentally ill, or a belief that such conditions only exist in individuals who lack the strength of character to cope with the real world. The pressures of modern life seem to have resulted in an increase in cases of emotional disharmony and government initiatives in many countries have, of late, focussed on increasing the general public’s awareness and sympathy towards sufferers of mental illness and related conditions.
B. Clinical depression, or ‘major depressive disorder’, a state of extreme sadness or despair, is said to affect up to almost 20% of the population at some point in their lives prior to the age of 40. Studies have shown that this disorder is the leading cause of disability in North America; in the UK almost 3 million people are said to be diagnosed with some form of depression at any one time, and experts believe that as many as a further 9 million other cases may go undiagnosed. World Health Organisation projections indicate that clinical depression may become the second most significant cause of disability’ on a global scale by 2020. However, such figures are not unanimously supported, as some experts believe that the diagnostic criteria used to identify՛ the condition are not precise enough, leading to other types of depression being wrongly classified as ‘clinical’.
C. Many of us may experience periods of low morale or mood and feelings of dejection, as a natural human response to negative events in our lives such as bereavement, redundancy or breakdown of a relationship. Some of us may even experience periods of depression and low levels of motivation which have no tangible reason or trigger. Clinical depression is classified as an on-going state of negativity, with no tangible cause, where sufferers enter a spiral of persistent negative thinking, often experiencing irritability, perpetual tiredness and listlessness. Sufferers of clinical depression are said to be at higher risk of resorting to drug abuse or even suicide attempts than the rest of the population.
D. Clinical depression is generally diagnosed when an individual is observed to exhibit an excessively depressed mood and/or ‘anhedonia’ – an inability to experience pleasure from positive experiences such as enjoying a meal or pleasurable social interaction – for a period of two weeks or more, in conjunction with five or more additional recognised symptoms. These additional symptoms may include overwhelming feelings of sadness; inability to sleep, or conversely, excessive sleeping; feelings of guilt, nervousness, abandonment or fear; inability to concentrate; interference with memory capabilities; fixation with death or extreme change in eating habits and associated weight gain or loss.
E. Clinical depression was originally solely attributed to chemical imbalance in the brain, and while anti-depressant drugs which work to optimise levels of ‘feel good’ chemicals – serotonin and norepinephrine – are still commonly prescribed today, experts now believe that onset of depression may be caused by a number, and often combination of, physiological and socio-psychological factors. Treatment approaches vary quite dramatically from place to place and are often tailored to an individual’s particular situation; however, some variation of a combination of medication and psychotherapy is most commonly used. The more controversial electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may also be used where initial approaches fail. In extreme cases, where an individual exhibits behaviour which Indicates that they may cause physical harm to themselves, psychiatric hospitalisation may be necessary as a form of intensive therapy.
F. Some recent studies, such as those published by the Archives of General Psychiatry, hold that around a quarter of diagnosed clinical depression cases should actually be considered as significant but none-the-less ordinary sadness and maladjustment to coping with trials in life, indicating that in such cases, psychotherapy rather than treatment through medication is required. Recovery as a result of psychotherapy tends, in most cases, to be a slower process than improvements related to medication; however, improvements as a result of psychological treatment, once achieved, have been observed in some individuals to be more long term and sustainable than those attained through prescription drugs. Various counselling approaches exist, though all focus on enhancing the subject’s ability to function on a personal and interpersonal level. Sessions involve encouragement of an individual to view themselves and their relationships in a more positive manner, with the intention of helping patients to replace negative thoughts with a more positive outlook.
G. It is apparent that susceptibility to depression can run in families. However, it remains unclear as to whether this is truly an inherited genetic trait or whether biological and environmental factors common to family members may be at the root of the problem. In some cases, sufferers of depression may need to unlearn certain behaviours and attitudes they have established in life and develop new coping strategies designed to help them deal with problems they may encounter, undoing patterns of destructive behaviour they may have observed in their role models and acquired for themselves.
The passage has seven sections A-G.
Which section contains the following information?
Details of treatment alternatives for worst case scenario depression.
Information regarding cases where drug treatment is inappropriate.
Details of how those diagnosed with depression may be more vulnerable than other members of society.
Information about society’s attitudes to depression and similar illnesses.
Information regarding why estimates of incidence of future growth in cases may be overly exaggerated.
Which THREE of the following statements are true of depression?
Choose the correct paragraphs A - F from the list of numbered paragraphs below. Write the correct letter next to each paragraph.
List of paragraphs
A. Dismantling the Allosaurus and removing the plaster and glue covering it can also reveal whether the animal suffered any injuries when alive.
B. The Smithsonian’s team should be able to take it apart in large chunks in a single day, but even once they’ve dismantled it they’ll still have hours of work ahead of them, breaking the skeleton down further into individual bones and cleaning them.
C. These endeavors will modernize a space which has never seen a major overhaul. It will also give researchers a chance to make detailed studies of the exhibits – some of which haven’t been touched in decades.
D. There are also plans to slim it down a little. When the museum first displayed the Allosaurus, preparators decided to use plaster casts of the ribs instead of the actual specimens, which resulted in a heavier-looking skeleton. Curators hope that the final, remounted skeleton will more closely resemble the dinosaur’s natural shape.
E. However, this dinosaur, previously classified as a separate species is now thought to be a type of Allosaurus. Both of the specimens come from the same quarry, and what’s more the Allosaurus is missing the exact same bone, so it’s entirely possible that it actually belongs to the Smithsonian Allosaurus.
F. In addition to correcting mistakes such as this, made when the specimens were first displayed, Carrano would also like to determine the age of the Allosaurus.
Taking Dinosaurs Apart
Pulling apart limbs, sawing through ribs and separating skull bones are activities usually associated with surgeons rather than museum staff. However, that is exactly what is going on at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC, USA. Renovations to the museum’s dinosaur hall, which started recently, have necessitated the dismantling and removal of its collection of dinosaur and extinct mammal skeletons, some of which weigh as much as five tons.
One particular specimen which curator Matthew Carrano can’t wait to get hold of is a meat-eating Jurassic dinosaur called Allosaurus, which has been on display for 30 years. ‘Scientifically, this particular Allosaurus is well-known,’ he explains, because ‘for a long time, it was one of the only Allosaurus specimens that represented a single individual animal’.
There are Allosaurus skeletons in museum collections across the world, but most consist of bones from a number of different examples of the species. This has made it difficult for scientists to work out how the entire skeleton fits together.
The Smithsonian’s five-meter-long Allosaurus, however, is definitely one unique individual. So once crystallized glue holding it together is removed, researchers and conservators can get a better sense of how the creature’s joints actually fitted together in life.
Another modification in the museum plans to make to its Allosaurus is removing a couple of centimeters from its tail, which is not original fossil but casts of vertebrae. ‘The tail on the Smithsonian’s specimen is too long’, says Peter May, owner and president of the company in charge of dismantling, conserving, and remounting the 58 specimens in the museum’s dinosaur hall. He explains that the skeleton on display has over 50 vertebrae, when it should have something closer to 45.
Slicing a thin cross-section out of a leg or rib bone can help with that. By placing a slice under a microscope, researchers will be able to count growth rings on the bone, the number of which would have increased throughout the creature’s life, very much like the rings on a cross-section of a tree trunk.
One example which Carrano wishes to investigate further is an apparent blow to the Allosaurus’s left side. ‘The shoulder blade looks like it has healed improperly,’ he explains. If the damaged shoulder blade can be fitted together with the ribs which are held in storage, paleontologists might be able to determine the severity and cause of the damage.
Finally, Carrano hopes to be able to compare the Allosaurus with another dinosaur in the collection called Labrosaurus. Labrosaurus is known only from a single bone – a lower jaw with a distortion which is believed to have been caused by disease or injury. ‘The two front teeth are missing and there’s an abscess there’, Carrano explains.
But in order to confirm their suspicion, Carrano and his colleagues will have to wait a while. ‘A lot of what we hope to learn won’t be accessible to us until the exhibits have been taken down and we can have a good look at them’, he says. So he won’t be able to get his hands on the Allosaurus quite yet.
Fill each of the following blanks with ONE suitable word.
NOTHING'S NEW IN MEDICINE
Throughout the ages, disease has stalked our species. Prehistoric humans must quickly have learnt could be eaten without danger, and how to avoid plants that could about illness. They found leaves, berries and the bark of different trees that could actually heal wounds and cure the sick, and soon became a special skill to understand natural medicine.
Ever the dawn of history, medicine men and wise women have always been expert in treating diseases and have dispensed medicine with ritual and magic. By trial and error they discovered treatments for almost affliction prevalent at the time. The precious recipes for preparations which could relieve pain, stop fits, sedate or stimulate were ( down from generation to generation, although there was exact understanding of the way in which the medicines worked. Nevertheless, the power of these primitive medicines, generations were still ravaged by disease.
Over the last 150 years, scientists and doctors, work has focused on these early medicines, have learnt that their power derived from certain chemicals which were found in herbal remedies or could be synthesised in the laboratory. In just a way, advances in modern medicine continue, aided by the discoveries made centuries ago by our ancestors.
Fill each of the following blanks with ONE suitable word.
IS HONEST THE BEST POLICY?
Radical honesty therapy as it is known in the US, is the latest thing to be held up as the key to happiness and success. It involves telling the truth all the time, no exceptions for hurt feelings. But this is not as easy as it may . Altruistic lies, rather than the conniving, self-aggrandizing variety are an essential of polite society.
We all lie mad. It wears us out. It is the major source of all human stress, says Brad Blanton, psychotherapist and founder of the Centre for Radical Honesty. He has become a name in the US, where he spreads his message via day-time television talk shows. He certainly has his work out for him. In a recent survey of Americans, 93 percent admitted to lying regularly, and habitually in the workplace. Dr. Blanton is typically blunt about the consequences of being deceitful. 'Lying people,' he says.
Dr. Blanton is adamant that minor inconveniences are at all compared with the huge benefits of truth-telling. 'Telling the truth, especially after hiding it for a long time, takes guts. It isn't easy. But it is better than the . 'This, he believes, is the stress of living in the prison of the mind,' which results in depression and ill health. 'Your body stays tied up in and is susceptible to illness," he says. 'Allergies, high blood pressure, and insomnia are all made worse by lying. Good relationship skills, parenting skills, and management skills are also dependent on telling the truth.
Complete the second sentence, using the word given so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Do NOT change the word given in brackets in any way and write no more than EIGHT words in total.
It isn't worth considering his suggestion for a moment. (GIVING)
=> Not for one moment consideration.
Complete the second sentence, using the word given so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Do NOT change the word given in brackets in any way and write no more than EIGHT words in total.
You’re asking for trouble by arguing with the boss so aggressively like that. (ICE)
=> You’re by arguing with the boss so aggressively like that.
Complete the second sentence, using the word given so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Do NOT change the word given in brackets in any way and write no more than EIGHT words in total.
I couldn't stop thinking about the exam despite playing backgammon with Paul. (MIND)
=> Playing backgammon with Paul the exam.
Complete the second sentence, using the word given so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Do NOT change the word given in brackets in any way and write no more than EIGHT words in total.
Elaine is very bright, so she won't have been taken in, whatever they said. (UPTAKE)
=> Elaine is very , so she won't have been taken in, whatever they said.
Complete the second sentence, using the word given so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Do NOT change the word given in brackets in any way and write no more than EIGHT words in total.
We would always take great care when flying at night. (WITS)
=> We always used when flying at night.
Complete the second sentence, using the word given so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Do NOT change the word given in brackets in any way and write no more than EIGHT words in total.
He was arrested when they caught him driving a stolen vehicle. (ACT)
=> Being a stolen vehicle, he was arrested.
Complete the second sentence, using the word given so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Do NOT change the word given in brackets in any way and write no more than EIGHT words in total.
Besides mapping the mountain ranges, there were many other reasons for the trip. (TO)
=> There simply mapping the mountain ranges.
Complete the second sentence, using the word given so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Do NOT change the word given in brackets in any way and write no more than EIGHT words in total.
I’m sure she discussed this with Bob first. (WORD)
=> She this first.
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not make any changes to the word given and write no more than EIGHT words in total.
It wasn't until her husband got sick that she understood the extent of her reliance on him. (HOME)
=> Her husband's sickness the extent of her reliance on him.
Complete the second sentence, using the word given so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence. Do NOT change the word given in brackets in any way and write no more than EIGHT words in total.
The police have put a barrier around the building to keep people out. (CORDONED)
=> The building police.