GRAMMAR

Practice 1

Fill in each blank with a suitable noun from the box below.

machine homes pets

dogs people freedom
society life people
Japanese dogs family

With the increase in nuclear families and the aging of Japanese society, the status of dogs and cats
has moved up. As _____freedom________ becomes more fragmented and human ties are
weakened. ____pets___ become “conversation partners” for some ____Japanese______. Reflecting
this trend, a growing number of ___dogs________ are keeping big _____machine _______ inside
their ______homes______ and treating them not as “cute __dogs_______” but as
_______family_______ members or companions. Dogs are also useful in helping __people______
who are stressed out from life in our “information society” to relax and unwind. For people who feel
like cogs in a_life_ in an excessively mechanised and organised society, a dog’s life - with the
______society____ to act as it pleases – seems inviting.

Practice 2

Fill in the blanks with a suitable preposition each.

The Social impact of Mobile Technology

When it comes ___about____ the undesirable side-effects of an increasingly ‘unwired’ world, poor
mobile phone etiquette is without a doubt the world’s biggest collective gripe today. Many
companies and organisations are now taking active steps to cultivate more socially acceptable use
____in___ mobile phones, among them many __become____ the biggest cellular operators and
leading equipment vendors. Most, in fact, have now produced booklets _of_____ mobile etiquette,
and have a policy of asking their own staff to turn ___off__ their phones while __in____ meetings. A
Harrod’s, __at____ London, shoppers are asked politely to turn off their phones __before____ they
enter the store. And many entertainment venues now make announcements __in___ the beginning
___of___ each performance, asking members __to___ the audience to switch __off__ their phones
before the lights go __on__.

Practice 3

Fill in the blanks with a suitable verb each.

Despite the headline-grabbing and often and often alarming nature of dengue outbreaks, there
__are___ a few reasons why dengue ___is_____ still considered by the World Health Organisation
(WHO) as a “neglected disease”. It ___is___ currently the fastest growing mosquito-borne disease in
the world. Yet, limited national and international funding __use___ are hampered dengue control
activities, including efforts to __down____ the population of Aedes mosquitoes that __decrease___
the disease, and the development of an effective vaccine, treatment, or cure to help those already
infected. But unlike its other counterparts listed under the “neglected tropical disease” column like
leprosy or cholera – which _are___ “neglected” because it _is____ almost exclusively the poorest
and most marginalised countries, dengue ____is___ a problem experienced worldwide. However, it
__is__ often the victim of distraction and habitual fire-fighting our tendency to always ____to___
with a problem at hand and moving on quickly to the next without examining it long enough to
___a__ sustainable solutions.

Practice 4

Fill in each of the blanks with the correct form of the tenses in the box below.

suggests indicate compared

have been found shown appears
tend has increased born
affect has

Genes ___has__ a number of weight-related processes in the body, such as metabolic rate, blood
glucose metabolism, fat storage and hormones, to name a few. Also, some studies of adopted
children __have been found_____ that adopted children __indicate____ to develop weight
problems similar to their biological, rather than adoptive parents. In addition, infants _____born___
to overweight mothers ____tend__ to be less active and to gain more weight by the age of three
months when __compared____ with infants of normal weight mothers, suggesting a possible inborn
drive to conserve energy. Research __appears____ also _shown____ that normal-weight children of
obese parents may have a lower metabolic rate than normal-weight children of non-obese parents,
which can lead to weight problems in adulthood. All of this _affect___ that a predisposition to
obesity can be inherited. However, the fact that obesity ___has___ so much in the last few decades
____has increased_ to discount genetics as the main cause.

Practice 5

Fill in each of the blanks with the correct modal verb in the box below.

can will would might would may

will not can will would can’t can
will

Without a vaccine, a treatment or a cure, it is highly unlikely that the world ___may___ be able to rid
of itself of dengue at this point, says WHO regional communicable disease expert John Ehrenberg.
Reducing the impact of outbreaks and the number of deaths is the key to dengue control. In simple
words, Ehrenberg explains, “If I ______can___ prevent my wife from getting sick with dengue, the
next best action I ___can____ do is to take her to the hospital in time to prevent a dengue
haemorrhagic episode.” This starts with the awareness that dengue is a disease that has many facts.
In some, it __will___ cause a mild fever and flu-like symptoms that __will____ be easily confused
with a whole list of other fever-inducing diseases. In others, it __might___ be a textbook case of
dengue – complete with high fever, headaches, red spots and muscle and joint pains that gives it the
name “bone-breaking disease”.

There is also no way to tell whether someone ____ or _____ develop dengue haemorrhagic fever
and dengue shock syndrome. The new classification, which is being gradually adopted by countries
worldwide, _____ classify all dengue cases into other dengue or severe dengue, and is expected, and
is expected to be more flexible in dealing with the various manifestations of the disease. “Dengue
does not just affect the blood vessels. It affects the liver. It _____ go to the brain. You ____ also have
many other manifestations that are usually left out under traditional dengue classifications,” says
Ehrenberg. “The new classification system ____ give clinicians and caregivers much more elements
to consider so that they _____ be able to detect wider range of individuals that do have dengue.