Read the text and complete the gaps with one word only.

U1A Keeping your mind active

There is little doubt that aging gracefully affects our mental ability and agility. (41) , studies have shown
that people (42) engaged in actively ‘exercising’ their brain often do not suffer (43) the same
mental decline. There are numerous ways that you can do this in order to keep your mind active. Reading engages
your brain (44) words as you try to understand them and apply them to areas of existing knowledge or
experience.(45) affects brain function sat many different levels. Don’t get caught (46) in the
past. Try meditating for five to ten minutes every day and learn (47) to focus on the present. Meditation
has the power to strengthen the brain. Find a physical activity that you are interested in and enjoy, as your brain gets
encouraged (48) the exercise to work at its optimum capacity. Taking up a new hobby
(49) as learning a new language or playing a musical instrument stimulates the brain and
(50) the mind sharp. A strong brain can last you decades and make your later years fulfilling and
pleasurable.

U1B Solo travelling

If I told you I wanted to travel alone in Latin America for three months, what’s the first thing that pops into your head?
Now imagine what my mom thought when I, her only child who doesn’t speak Spanish, told her that.That was three
months ago. Now I’m in Mexico, (41) I’ve almost finished my trip and nothing bad has happened to me.
So here are a couple of tips for travelling solo: Always do your research; don’t just read travellers’ blogs, use reliable
sources and (42) to factual information so you can feel prepared. Bear in mind that there are always
some articles online that discuss extreme situations, are inaccurate or (43) stuff up to scare people. For
example, I was a little concerned (44) Cuba before I read up on the current state of affairs and found out
(45) it was changing. Remember to call your family and friends (46) time to time. Maybe
surprise them and go old-school (47) sending a postcard (it’s in the mail, Mum!).Maintaining a strong
connection with the people (48) know you best is important. Make friends and hang around with them. Be
with others at night (49) than being alone. Be wise and use common sense. Once you feel safe and
confident, you can focus (50) the magical experiences and wonder that come with travelling.

U2A Become a personal trainer

Congratulations! You have decided to click through to purchase this course which is only available online. We offer the
(31) comprehensive set of sports performance techniques, (32) packaged up to help you
become the best Performance Enhancement Coach in your area. The programme consists of eight courses which
build on one (33) .So how does it work? It is important to fill in an application form (34)
provide us with (35) information about your background and goals. We aim to get back to
you (36) 48 hours to get you started on your journey. You can use large public gyms or smaller private
ones, or a mixture of (37) ; the choice is yours.(38) you choose, the theoretical part of the
course will be covered online. Obviously, if you prefer to meet in person for the theory, we can arrange (39)
to do that. Please hurry! Places are strictly (40) to the first 100.

U2B Are you ready?

Are you looking to challenge (31) ? Then you are in the right place! (32) obstacle course
has been designed to test your strength, stamina and team work. If you think you’ve got (33) it takes,
now is the time to prove it by sending in your application. (34) applicant needs to answer a few questions
about their overall health. You don’t need to have any special skills, but it’s important to do enough practice. We will
support you (35) offering a set of free training guides available to download from our website. Don't wait
(36) longer, gather your friends, build your team and secure your spot (37) the starting line
now. You can choose to compete individually or as a (38) ,which can consist of as (39)
participants as you like. The price depends on (40) early you sign up. Choose your race
and secure your place in our next race now.
U4A Fashion influences

Have you ever thought about the unwritten rules of fashion? By that I mean the ideas you (16) up as a
child and which over time become just part of our (17) stylish. I think my mother expected me to learn
these things from her. She used to (18) on at me about the way I dressed and looked which invariably
meant something different from what she expected. I believed that each person should wear what made them feel
comfortable(19) embracing their own bold individual styles and I never (20) out of that idea.
Are you tired of wearing those (21) jeans you can barely squeeze into? If (22) , why don’t
you throw on (23) that doesn’t require much effort to put on if that’s what you really want.(24)
of the fashion rules matter if you feel (25) comfortable nor confident.

U4B Dare to be different

My sister works for Dare To Be Different a non-profit organisation which is committed (16) inspiring,
connecting and showcasing female talent in the motor industry. Their aim is to inspire the next generation to break
preconceptions (17) doing something different. In doing (18) , they can connect to other
people and spark change. They work with people from different (19) of life, those who have the (20)
stance as the founders. Their work is about increasing female participation not (21) on the
track but in all aspects of the sport. It is also about inspiring women of (22) ages and backgrounds to
break perceptions. It is an ambitious project connecting women (23) a shared passion as well as
providing them with access to (24) of the most successful female names in the sport. Alice Powell, one
of the ambassadors to the organisation, says that ‘you should aim high and try to better yourself. Sometimes to do
(25) , you need to be different’.

U5A Online shopping

Using the internet to purchase goods or services saves considerable time and effort – and also presents you with the
widest choices. There are, however, risks associated with online shopping. In my research I am investigating
attitudes(26) online shopping and the opportunities (27) offers to shoppers. I will
(28) feedback from shoppers at different stages of the purchase process. I will also look for the factors
that may have a positive (29) on online shoppers’ attitudes or a negative one(30) examining
evidence from a variety of sources. The participants will answer a number of questions about using the internet and
will share (31) views on issues such as imposing a limit (32) how much they may buy on
their credit cards. This research will offer an (33) for shoppers to share their concerns about online
shopping and (34) comments on what improvements they would like to see in the future. Retailers who
want to be (35) of the game will find its outcome useful too.

U5B The cooperative movement

My brother Tom set up a company after a disaster in Kenya with the aim of helping people with trade as well as aid.
He realised that options for small-scale coffee bean growers were incredibly limited so he started to look for a solution
(26) the issue. He decided to (27) them with the opportunity to sell their beans to retailers
directly helping them gain access to the European market. One of the most important things he does is helping them
(28) up a business and supporting them (29) they get the hang of it. His strong relationship
with one or two banks – that were prepared to (30) a chance on these local growers and support them
financially – has (31) a major part in the success of the project. So far, Tom and his small team have
paved the (32) for more than 100 traders. And by next month, they (33) have reached
traders in ten different countries. Next, they are going to focus (34) organic farming practices, helping the
traders sell their products (35) the company’s website.
U6A Illusion of truth

‘Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.’ In the field (26) psychology, this is known
(27) the ‘illusion of truth’ effect. If we look around, we may think that
everyone,(28) advertisers to politicians are taking advantage of this human weakness, but does this
actually work and (29) likely is it to make a lie sound true by mere repetition? An interesting scientific
experiment led by Lisa Fazio of Vanderbilt University which examined the effect of repetition (30) shown
that repetition is a powerful tool and can make things seem (31) true than what they actually are.
(32) , it doesn’t have the power to change and ‘over-ride’ the knowledge that already
exists.(33) is to say, repetition effect can’t mask the truth. If we really (34) make a lie sound
true by repetition, there would be (35) need for all the other techniques of persuasion, would there?

U6B Call my bluff

Call My Bluff is a British game show with two teams of three celebrity contestants. The point of the game is for the
teams to take it in (26) to provide three definitions of an obscure word, (27) meaning is not
known to many people, (28) one of which is correct. The other team (29) choose the correct
definition, the other two words (30) ‘bluffs’. The game requires reasoning and logic as
(31) as demanding creativity when writing the fictional definitions. Call My Bluff was originally aired on
British Television from 1965 to 1988. The show was resurrected (32) an eight-year rest. The revamped
version continued to air for a further ten years. Unfortunately, almost every (33) one of the first 263
episodes have been wiped from the television archives for which (34) specific explanation or reason has
been provided. Examples of words used in Call My Bluff can be found in a book which was published in connection
(35) the show.

U8A Little picky eaters

Picky eating is partly genetic. Parents, whose children like something one day but dislike it the next day,might be
surprised to find out that their child may have (26) born to be fussier than others. Studies have shown
that (27) sensitive we are to flavours (28) inherited. While parents can relate to the daily
challenge of finding foods that children (29) eat, they shouldn’t simply give in to certain food the child
wants or (30) food at all. Encouraging a variety of healthy food and getting the children exposed
(31) foods can help to counter this tendency. Research has shown that (32) babies are
given a wide range of healthy foods from six months (33) , they are likely to develop healthy eating
habits. Elena, a twenty-two-year-old from London who is an emotional eater believes that her childhood habits
(34) resulted in her having an awfully sweet tooth. Although it is crucial for children to have a balanced
diet, they shouldn’t (35) pushed too hard to try different things as this can have an adverse effect.

U8B Diets

Unhealthy eating habits are a growing problem for adults in most world regions. Poor eating habits include under or
over-eating, not having a balanced diet (26) has enough of the healthy foods we
need(27) day or consuming too much processed food.

Although consumption of healthy foods such as fruit and vegetables has improved during the (28) two
decades, the intake of unhealthy food such as processed meat and sweetened drinks has increased. A research study
that has (29) assessing the diet of adults in 187 countries has shown that (30) this trend was
observed in high-income countries between 1990 and 2010, there was no improvement in some middle-income
countries in the(31) period. The study revealed that diet patterns varied widely (32) a
nation’s income, and both gender and age played a role in the (33) of diet adults had. In addition it
emphasises that there is an urgent need to improve diet quality among poorer populations otherwise
obesity(34) overshadow under nutrition (35) is already being seen in some countries.
U9A My first job interview

It (1) said that a great CV gets you an interview and a successful interview gets you an offer. In my case
it was my friend Tom (2) got me the job. It was twenty years ago when I got made redundant and was in
search of a job. (3) sooner had I mentioned it to Tom (4) he contacted me to give me details
of a great job opportunity.

At first I didn’t take it seriously. (5) when I had seen the company website, (6) I realise
(7) a great position it was. It had been a while (8) I had a job interview so I did a lot of work
to prepare. Even so, I was still very nervous on the day and (9) did I know what would be waiting for me
when I got there.

My voice was shaking and my hands were sweaty throughout the interview, but it went well. I (10) get the
job and twenty years on I am a senior manager working with a team of fifty people thanks to Tom.
(11) always amazes me is the amount of effort he puts in to help others but yet he hardly realises how
important his support is to his friends.

U9A Task 2
Read the sentences and complete the gaps with one word only.

26 If we put our together, we’ll figure out a way to deal with this issue.
27 Let’s touch next week regarding the next phase of the project.
28 His natural ability to sell would give him an in recruiting and hiring new employees.
29 If you really want to excel in your business, you should go the mile.
30 In order to lead your team more effectively, you should step back and look at the big

U9B My first job

A few years ago I was recruited by an international company as a project manager. (1) when I had
started (2) I realise how tough the job was. Never (3) had I worked to such tight deadlines.
Hardly (4) I completed the first project (5) my manager delegated two more. I was trying
hard to juggle them both, but (6) did I know I would soon be struggling. Later, I (7) come
across several issues and having (8) way to tackle them, I decided to speak to the director. What I found
impressive (9) the way he handled everything. After listening to my concerns, he invited all the
employees who were involved in the projects to a meeting (10) we discussed the issues and decided how
to resolve them. Working collaboratively with the team in the early stages allowed me to have better insights into
(11) we could resolve the issues.

U9B Read the sentences and complete the gaps with one word only.

26 I couldn’t believe his arrogance so I put him in his .

27 She was happy to take a seat and give someone else the opportunity to manage the project.
28 The buck with him. He must acknowledge responsibility for that loss.
29 It’s going to take me a while to get my head these forms. They’re so complicated.
30 The officer stood while the bank manager removed the money from the safe.