Gapped Text Practice With Answers (And Justifications)

Practice 1
You are going to read a newspaper article about teenagers learning the art of discussion and argument. Six
sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one which fits each
gap. There are two extra sentences which you do not need to use.
WHY THE UNITED NATIONS WENT TO SCHOOL
Teenagers can talk for hours on the phone to their friends, but if you try to get them to talk about politics or the
latest developments in agriculture, for example, they are likely to fall silent. This is not so much to do with
lack of knowledge or opinions about these matters. It is more to do with lack of confidence or experience in
putting forward clear arguments in front of strangers.
In order to demonstrate the value of good communication skills, a boarding school in Bath, in the
west of England, decided to organise an interesting and exerting way of teaching teenagers how to
argue and debate in public. 27. _____ The Model United Nations programme, which Is a role-play
exercise. was first developed in the US where it forms part of the curriculum in hundreds of schools.
As many as 600 student representatives, ranging in age from 13 to 18, attend from schools all over
England and Northern Ireland. 28. _____
The important roles within the UN, like the president of the general assembly, and the topics. are
chosen by the teachers, and they decide which subjects students will discuss. 29. _____
MUN starts on a Friday evening and lasts until Sunday evening. Before arriving all the students are
given a country to represent and are expected to prepare for the discussion in advance. 30. ______
It Is then up to the students to discuss their views with the other members of their committee to win
support for their argument, before they reach a decision by voting on a particular topic. 31. ______
For some of the students it will be the first time they have spoken in front of an audience and it can
be very nerve-wrecking. 32. _____ At the same time students become more aware of political affairs and
as well as gaining in self-confidence they learn about international issues.
Vocabulary
Demonstrate -> to show or make something clear
Development -> the process in which someone or something grows or changes and becomes more
advanced
Argument -> a reason or reasons why you support or oppose an idea or suggestion
Nerve-wracking -> something that is difficult to do and causes a lot of worry for the person involved
Aware of -> knowing that something exists or having knowledge of a particular thing
A The other roles are taken by the students who pretend to be diplomats and try to
represent the views and opinions of different member states.
B However, 11 gives them an opportunity to develop their skills at persuading other people
and interacting with other students.
C Who Is then chosen to speak in the full assembly is up to the student who Is the
chairperson of that committee.
D This programme is sponsored fully by the United Nations.
E They tried to destroy the other representative's argument.
F Once they are all together, they are divided into five committees.
G They hold an annual Model United Nations (called MUN for short by teachers and
students) based on the real United Nations General Assembly.
H In some years a few students from other countries such as Italy and Poland will also
attend.
Practice 2
You are going to read a newspaper article about a writer's experience of winter in Siberia. Six sentences
have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one that fits each gap. There are
two extra sentences which you do not need to use.
WINTER IN SIBERIA
A few years ago, I decided I needed some peace and quiet to write a book. On the grounds that nothing from
the real world could possibly disturb me out there, I arranged to swap my London flat for a little town in the middle
of Siberia. In fact, it was so far from anywhere else that most people didn’t even know whether it counted as being
in Europe or Asia. I had heard that 11 was cold enough to make your eyes water and freeze the teardrops on your
face.
I wasn't going to Siberia to get a tan. But writing a book in a cosy flat when it was cold outside was one thing.
27. _______ I had picked the town because it was so remote and it had the reputation of being one of the coldest
places on Earth. 28. _______
Anyway, off I drove to find my apartment in a block which I knew would be warm and well-heated by a
communal central heating system. I must confess that when I got there, I was not prepared for the fact that I had to
break the ice off the door before I could open it. 29. _______ I discovered later that these radiators continued to
push out heat for seven or eight months of the year.
Out in the streets, I found a certain pleasure in the extreme cold. Every passer-by wore a huge hat and went
about covered in a personal cloud of steam. Enormous sheets of ice hung from the trees, walls and balconies and
the pavements looked like marble, millions of years old. Siberian children, I was pleased to see, got their kicks from
sliding on ice and attacking each other with snowballs. 30. _______
A fortnight after my arrival, we were informed on the news that temperatures were going to drop even further.
31. ______ 'Are you ready for it?' Now when I went to market, I found women with their faces wrapped to the
eyeballs, standing behind piles of fish, frozen solid. Ice cream was sold in unpackaged, naked lumps and for a few
days we went around with hats and collars covered in frost.
In these bitterest days, heard no word in the tram stations or the bus stops, just the sound of crunching snow
and silence. We all knew that there was no shortage of energy and if our flats were warm and we could make
ourselves cups of tea there was nothing to worry about. 32. ______ In the local theatre, I heard that a group of
dancers had to practise their movements while wearing huge boots. Buses drove around in pairs in case one of
them broke down, and schools had to close.
Walking home through the town centre one night with the temperature at -38-C, I came across people who had
built fires from cardboard boxes, still trying to sell their goods and hoping people would stop to look at what was on
sale. That same evening, I wandered out to admire the glittering snow under brilliant stars. I eventually finished my
book as the temperatures reached zero, the pavement snow turned grey and another Siberian winter appeared to
be almost over.
Vocabulary
Reputation -> the opinion that people in general have about someone or something, or how much respect
or admiration someone or something receives, based on past behaviour or character
Communal -> belonging to or used by a group of people rather than one single person
Central heating -> a system of heating buildings by warming air or water at one place and then sending it to
different rooms in pipes
Radiator -> a device, usually a container filled with water, that sends out heat, often as part of a heating or
cooling system
Fortnight -> a period of 2 weeks
A. Some people did worry, however.

B. The ice on my windows has finally melted.
C. 'Have you heard?' people kept asking me, in excitement.
D. Moreover, on arriving and leaving the aeroplane, the immediate effect of the moisture freezing on
eyelashes was extremely unpleasant.
E. I almost wanted to fly back to London.
F. But once inside the flat, I found there were radiators heating every room twenty-four hours a day.
G. Writing a book when it was -45'C was quite another.
H. In the centre of the town was an ice-chute and the children would spend long hours sliding down the
chute with their feet in the air.
Practice 3
You are going to read an article about a woman pilot. Six sentences have been removed from the article.
Choose from the sentences A-H the one that fits each gap. There are two one extra sentences which you
do not need to use.
FLYING INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
Polly Vacher is no ordinary woman pilot. In 2001 she flew to the ends of the Earth and into the record books
by becoming the first woman to fly the smallest aircraft around the world via Australia and the Pacific.
27. _____ It ended only three days behind schedule when she landed her Piper Dakota at Birmingham in
central England in May, five months later. 28. ______ This included storms and a cyclone in Fiji, a country in the
South Pacific Ocean. Nor was the journey without incident for Polly, who only learned to fly at the age of forty-nine.
One of the trip's most frightening moments came, worryingly, on the same route where Amelia Earhart, the
American pilot, went missing when she was attempting to fly around the world in 1937. 29. ______ In fact, she
allowed herself to be photographed as she stood beside a Banyan tree, which Amelia Earhart had planted in 1935,
before setting off for the 16-hour section of her flight from Hawaii to California.
According to Polly all went well for the first part of her journey. 30. ______ Then suddenly it started to get very
bumpy. Checking the outside air temperature Polly discovered it was zero degrees. To her horror she found
streams of ice-cold rain running back along the wings and starting to freeze! This is the most dangerous kind of ice
as it is difficult to see it forming.
Though Polly immediately dropped her height to prevent the weight of ice pulling her plane into the ocean, there
was more drama when the cabin suddenly went quiet. 31. _______ As a result the main tank had run dry an hour
early, but fortunately the emergency tank went into action and she was able to land safely.
The lonely hours spent flying were a great contrast to the warm welcome she received wherever she landed.
32. ______ The publicity she attracted also raised money for a charity which provides flying scholarships for
disabled people.
Vocabulary
Bumpy -> not smooth
Cyclone -> a violent tropical storm
Stream -> water that flows naturally along a fixed route formed by a channel cut into rock or ground, usually
at ground level
A. Polly’s 46,000km record-breaking journey began in January.

B. Writing a book when it was -45'C was quite another.
C. Polly, however, was determined not to let what had happened in the past cause her anxiety.
D. Strong winds meant that she had used more fuel than expected.
E. Up there in the sky you are completely free.
F. The delay was the result of uncooperative weather.
G. There was tremendous media interest and on one occasion she gave up to seven interviews in a
single day.
H. The moon and the stars appeared and she even had time to do some sewing.
Practice 4
You are going to read an article about a university professor. Six sentences have been removed from the
article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one that fits each gap. There are two extra sentences which
you do not need to use.
SHE’S THE FIRST EVER PROFESSOR OF POP
Sheila Whiteley is Britain's first Professor of Popular Music at the Open University. Popular music is such a
new area for serious academic study that it has very few professors in the world, let alone Britain. Although she is
now in her sixties, Professor Whiteley, like many women of her generation, had a short career before getting
married and having children. 27. ______
She completed a degree as well as qualifying as a teacher. At that time, at the beginning of the 80s, a number
of university lecturers were developing the academic study of popular culture, including film, TV, radio and music.
28. ______ The course combined art, music and politics and Sheila Whiteley became a tutor on the OU course.
Today, Sheila Whiteley says that popular music is sexist. 'In the music industry, the number of women holding
top positions is few. 29. ______ The same is true of the lead guitar players in most pop and rock groups. In a
recent list of the 100 best guitarists of all time published by a music magazine, only three were women. Boys get
together and learn how to play at around 12 or 13. 30. _______ While boys grow up wanting to be famous
footballers or rock stars, girls want to marry footballers and rock stars.'
31. ______ Now, however, when she listens to the latest bands, she discusses hip-hop, rap, techno, ragga and
reggae with young would-be rock musicians who are studying on the Popular Music course. 32. _______ 'Because
the study of popular music is so new there is a freedom which other academic subjects don't have,’ she says.
Topics under research in her department include the politics of certain kinds of music, and the influence of
Norwegian folk music on Norwegian jazz.
Vocabulary
Sexist -> suggesting that the members of one sex are less able, intelligent, etc. than the members of the
other sex, or referring to that sex's bodies, behaviour, or feelings in a negative way
Techno -> fast electronic dance music with a regular beat
Ragga -> a type of music that combines elements of reggae, rap, and dance music, mostly played by Afro-
Caribbean people
Reggae -> a type of popular music from Jamaica, with a strong second and fourth beat
jj
A. Sheila feels that women should not pursue a career in music.

B. And some recent research suggests that things are not likely to change in the near future.
C. Her publications include three successful books and numerous articles.
D. The Open University led the way in developing a course which laid the foundations for the study of
popular culture in universities.
E. Professor Whiteley remains as enthusiastic about modern music as she was in her youth when the
Beatles were around.
F. If you go into a recording studio, It is a strongly male environment.
G. This course is a mixture of theory and practical musicianship.
H. Once her children had grown up. however, she turned to studying.
Practice 5
You are going to read an article about a team of gardeners from England who went to India.. Six sentences
A GARDEN FOR PALNA CHILDREN’S HOME
Palna Children's Home is in Delhi, in India. The word palna means 'cradle' in Hindi and the staff at the home
look after helpless and often very sick children. The children receive a high standard of medical care as they are
nursed back to health. Many children live at the home, whereas others come on a daily basis.
Every three years, The British Council, which is a charitable organisation, gives the Palna Children's Home about
£50,000. 27. ______ Groundforce, the team of people responsible for developing the garden, are best known for
their gardening programme on BBC television. 28. ______
In setting out to transform the grounds of the children's home in Delhi, Groundforce visited the Taj Mahal
palace. 29. ______ Not only the buildings, but also the gardens of the Taj Mahal were a source of inspiration to
Groundforce when it came to designing the children's garden in Delhi.
Before starting work, the team looked carefully at the existing grounds in order to design a garden which would
be culturally appropriate and at the same time provide fun and pleasure for the children. 30. ______ Natural
substances from this tree can be used for medicinal purposes. The garden at Palna was much larger than the
typical British gardens that the team were used to working on. However, Groundforce came up with a design that
made the most of the space, using the existing Neem tree at the centre. They created a central circle around the
Neem tree which was connected to other parts of the garden by long, formal avenues of palm trees, called bottle
palms. The pathways were made out of local stone and the overall effect of the pathways radiating out from a
central point resembled the rising sun. The walls were painted a deep rich red, and peaceful seating areas in the
shade for staff to relax were carved by a local stonemason using stone from Rajasthan.
Groundforce used huge concrete drainage pipes for the children to run through. 31. _____One of the tunnels
was designed with a water feature. This was made by creating a constant fountain-like spray of water at the tunnel
entrance using shower heads fixed into the ground. Shower heads normally spray water downwards but these
shower heads point upwards. The tunnel is known as The Terror Run; the slower the children run through it, the
wetter they get!
When the garden was finished there was a grand opening ceremony at which everyone who had been involved
m the project was present. 32. ______ The team of gardeners, who said it was the most complicated garden they
had ever created, were delighted by the looks on the children's faces when they saw their new garden for the first
time.
Vocabulary
Culturally appropriate -> Something that is appropriate is suitable or acceptable for a particular situation
Typical -> showing all the characteristics that you would usually expect from a particular group of things
Avenue -> a wide straight road with trees on both sides, especially one leading to a big house
Pathway -> a track that a person can walk along
Radiate out -> to produce heat and/or light, or (of heat or light) to be produced
Carved by -> to make something by cutting into especially wood or stone, or to cut into the surface of
stone, wood, etc
Stonemason -> a person whose job it is to cut, prepare, and use stone for building
Drainage pipe -> a pipe that carries waste water or sewage away from buildings
A. Before getting down to work the team decided to visit the local shops and markets.
B. Also present were lots of children, the bravest of whom thoroughly enjoyed testing The Terror Run.
C. In 2001 this money was used to create a garden for the children.
D. In the centre of the garden was a large Neem tree which1s common in many gardens in India.
E. Taj Mahal is a popular tourist destination for many.
F. This white marble monument was built in the seventeenth century and 1s regarded as one of the
most beautiful buildings in the world.
G. The pipes were dug into the ground and made secure by piling up earth and building simple dry
stone walls on either side of each tunnel.
H. So for gardeners used to working in a very different environment and climate this assignment was
unusual, to say the least.
Practice 6
You are going to read a newspaper article about a man who works in the kitchens of a fast food restaurant.
Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one that fits each
gap. There are two extra sentences which you do not need to use.
FAST WORK FOR FAST FOOD
When I graduated from cookery school, I could have applied for jobs in ski chalets or on board ships sailing
around the Caribbean. Instead. I applied to work in a fashionable fast-food restaurant and suddenly found myself
working very long hours in hot, sweaty kitchens full of completely crazy characters.
I thought that starting at the bottom of the food chain, as opposed to the high life of skiing and sailing, would
be good training. I couldn’t have been more wrong. At 7.45 each morning I stagger into the kitchen with all the other
cooks, exhausted from working a 10-hour shift the night before. 27. _____ Nothing is where it should be.
Vegetables have been left on the floor and raw fish has been left uncovered in the fridge. A couple of dustbins have
not been emptied and everything has to be cleaned before we can begin the day's work.
28. ______ I fill a sink with water, throw in several box loads of the stuff and wash each leaf separately. My
hands are so cold I can hardly feel them. Between 9 and 10, the line chefs start arriving 29. _______ They swan
around the kitchens shouting orders at the poor cooks like me whose job it is to prepare all the ingredients.
But if anything goes wrong once the customers' orders start coming in, you can guess who gets the blame. If
they run out of sauce, then it's the cook's fault for not preparing enough in the first place. 30 _____ The chefs are
only under pressure at particular points in the day. The cooks are under pressure all the time. Before we open at
midday, all the staff meet in the restaurant. This is when the waiters get told what the day's special menus are.
Then, no sooner are we back in the kitchen to start the lunch service than three deliveries of food and drink arrive
all at the same time. 31. _____ I am faced with carrying boxes of frozen chips or bottles of fruit juice from the lorries
down two flights of stairs to the store rooms.
By mid-afternoon, the lunchtime rush is dying down. 32 ______ Then I am allowed to have my free staff 'lunch',
by which time I'm too tired to eat.
Vocabulary
Stagger -> to walk or move with difficulty as if you are going to fall
Flight of stairs -> a set of steps between the two floors or the two landings
Exhausted -> extremely tired
A. This means I get sent to sort them out.

B. These are the people who get all the glory.
C. I am considering to quit this job.
D. I arrive home twelve hours after I left.
E. My first job of the day is shopping, and shredding leaves and lettuces for salads.
F. However, I don't get anything to eat until the end of my working day, at 6 that evening.
G. There’s been a break of just about four hours and the kitchen has not been tidied from last night.
H. If the chicken goes cold, then it's the cook's fault for not keeping it in the oven longer.
Practice 7
You are going to read a magazine article about the kinds of fear which people can experience. Six
sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one that fits each gap.
There are two extra sentences which you do not need to use.
FEARS AND PHOBIAS
It's not easy trying to cope with fear. Most people at some stage in their lives feel afraid of something; fear of
the dark as children, afraid of spiders or flying. For the most part, these fears are normal and do not interfere with
our ability to get on with our lives.
However, some people are afraid of something to such an extent that it prevents them from leading a normal
life. 27. ______ It means that you cannot open a fridge door in case you get an electric shock, you cannot go into a
brightly lit clothing store, you cannot go near any electrical equipment.
In fact, you can be afraid of anything and there is almost certainly a name for it. 28. _____ Apparently,the list of
phobias gets longer every day but for people who have a real terror of something, help is at hand. Researchers are
making enormous progress in understanding what a phobia is and what causes it. 29. _____ It is surprising how
many people think they suffer from a phobia when actually all they are really experiencing is a strong dislike or
distaste for something. 30. _____ But that's not the same as being really 'mechanophobic', suffering from a racing
heart and being short of breath at the mere sight of a computer.
31. _____ If you can't run away from whatever is causing the fear, you feel that death is inevitable. On the other
hand, it's natural for most people to feel afraid if they're aboard an aeroplane which is flying into a storm. Most
psychologists agree that phobias can be described in three main ways. 32. _____ Then there are panic disorders in
which the person is terrified temporarily for no apparent reason and thirdly, specific phobias - the fear of snakes,
mice, heights and suchlike.
Vocabulary
Cope with -> to deal with problems or difficulties, esp. with a degree of success
to such an extent -> so much
inevitable -> certain to happen
distaste -> a dislike of something that you find unpleasant or unacceptable
A. Progress in treating anxiety is providing help for many people.

B. Sometimes people make fun of our fear.
C. You may think you are computer phobic and want to throw your machine out of the nearest window.
D. For example, 'electrophobia' - being afraid of electricity - makes life in today's world extremely
difficult.
E. Experts say that you can't mis-take a true phobia as it affects the whole of your central nervous
system.
F. With this understanding has come a range of treatments which can completely cure a person's
phobia or gradually reduce a person's fear.
G. There are social phobias in which the sufferer is afraid of any kind of social or professional
occasion.
H. You can be afraid of clouds, certain colours, bicycles, rain, mushrooms and even sitting down.
Practice 8
You are going to read an article about a boxer. Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose
from the sentences A-H the one that fits each gap. There are two extra sentences which you do not need to
use.
IN DEFENCE OF WOMEN’S BOXING
Women's boxing is a new addition to the list of sports included at the Olympic Games. But according to Lucy
O'Connor, winner of various international competitions, it's still widely misunderstood - a situation that Lucy's hoping
to change. After graduating, Lucy took up boxing on the advice of a sports coach, who thought it would improve her
general fitness. But Lucy soon set her sights on competitions and it wasn't long before she was boxing at the
National Championships, which she eventually went on to win.
As a result of her success, Lucy was accepted on to what the navy calls its 'elite sportsman's programme'.
27.____ Every day now starts with a run at 7 a.m., followed by a skill and technique session or a strength and
conditioning circuit. Come the afternoon, there are more aerobic workouts, before Lucy gets into the ring and
practices with other elite boxers.
As with all competitors, diet is a huge part of Lucy's life. Since she first started boxing, she's had to shed
twenty eight kilos. Losing the last six, which took her into the flyweight category, required great determination.
28. ____ As she explains: 'I don't go out to party anymore. Thankfully, I'm married to my boxing coach, so at least
I've got some sort of social life!' Lucy's husband boxed as a heavyweight himself and he's in her corner for all her
domestic competitions. Lucy's mum works as a buyer at a big department store, and Lucy has been testing out
products for the store's sports division. Whilst preparing for a recent international championship, Lucy wore a new
titanium-based sports clothing range designed to improve circulation and aid recovery. 29. ____ But how does her
family react to her taking part in competitions? 'Mum tends to admire me boxing from afar, but Dad just loves it!'
Lucy has clearly answered questions about safety concerns before and cites all the protective gear boxers strap
on before a fight such as hand bandages, head guards, gum shields and much more. 'Amateur boxing is not
dangerous,' she says definitively. 'It's so safety-orientated and the rules are so stringent it's actually difficult to get
hurt. We approach it more as a skill and point-scoring exercise, rather than as a fight. 30. _____ Boxers win points
by landing the white knuckle part of their gloves on the opponent's scoring area - essentially the upper body and
head - cleanly and with sufficient force. In five years of competitive boxing, Lucy's suffered only a few bruises and a
broken thumb.
And in response to those who think it's 'inappropriate' to see women boxing at the Olympics, Lucy is quick to
point out that women have been competing in martial arts such as taekwondo and judo for years. 31. _____
Her biggest concern is that people confuse amateur boxing competitions with professional fights, where the
focus is more on aggression and hurting your opponents. 'Female amateur boxing is about showing skill, speed and
stamina,’ she says. 32. ____ 'I find it so satisfying to be changing people's opinion.'
Vocabulary:
Misunderstood -> to fail to understand something or someone
Various -> many different
Set one’s sights -> you decide that you want it and try hard to get it.
Stringent -> strict or extremely limiting
Amateur -> someone who does not have much skill in what they do
Bruise -> a place on a person’s skin that is darker from bleeding under the skin, usually from an injury
A. All that hard work certainly paid off and the competition itself brought out the best in Lucy.
B. That’s because in order to reach that target, she had to totally rethink her lifestyle.
C. Having access to this space-age training kit was certainly an advantage.
D. If the sport was more in the public eye, then fewer people would make that mistake.
E. Nobody complained about women taking part in those events when it was introduced.
F. That’s why I have always regarded it as a thinking girl’s sport really.
G. What this meant, in effect, was that she was able to train full-time.
H. The government should put in more effort to promote female boxing.
Practice 9
You are going to read an article about a man who takes photos of celebrities. Six sentences have been
removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one that fits each gap. There are two extra
sentences which you do not need to use.
THE AIRPORT PHOTOGRAPHER
I'm a photographer based at Heathrow Airport in London. Airlines often commission me to take photos of aircraft or
their staff. But mostly I concentrate on getting shots of celebrities as they come through the arrival hall. I sell some
photos direct to the daily newspapers and celebrity magazines, and the rest go to a picture agency.
On a typical day I look out for the flights arriving from Los Angeles on the major airlines. 27. _____ Most of them fly
either with British Airways because it's such an established company, or with Virgin Atlantic because the owner, Richard
Branson, moves in those celebrity circles.
You've got to cover all the incoming flights though - Victoria Beckham took to flying with Air New Zealand at one
time. I know the ground and security staff here very well. 28. _____ That can really make all the difference to being in
the right place at the right time.
I've been working here for many years now, so I've seen thousands of celebrities throughout the decades. In my
experience, the old stars are the best. Joan Collins is my favourite - she sends me a Christmas card every year. Mick
Jagger also knows me and always says hello. People like Paul McCartney and Rod Stewart are lots of fun, too. 29.
_______ I guess that's because they can see the value of it.
Today's big stars are generally okay and give you a polite smile. I won't mention names, but there are some who
wave me away rudely, whilst others even have their managers popping up from nowhere, saying: 'no pictures' to the
waiting photographers. 30. _____ You've probably seen photographers leaping around in this manner on TV footage of
celebrities arriving at airports and wondered why they do it - well often that's why.
31. ______ One time, Naomi Campbell refused to come out from behind a pillar. She called up for a buggy and
hopped on the back, so there I was chasing it, trying to get a shot of her. But the next time I saw her she'd just got
engaged and came up to me to show me the ring.
But if today's stars don't make my job as easy as it was, today's technology more than makes up for it. When I
started out it was much less sophisticated. I remember when the British queen's granddaughters, Princesses Beatrice
and Eugenie, were just babies. I heard that their mother, the Duchess of York, was coming through Heathrow with
them. She was carrying both babies in her arms. 32. ______ I realised I had a good chance of getting one of them onto
the front page of the newspaper, which is always the photographer's aim.
So I called my editor to warn him, took the shots, then rolled up the film, labelled it, put it in an envelope and
organised for a motorbike dispatch rider to pick it up, take it back to the newspaper offices and have it developed. It had
taken three hours. Today, using digital cameras and a laptop, the office gets images in three minutes.
Vocabulary:
Commission -> to formally choose someone to do a special piece of work, or to formally ask for a special
piece of work from someone
Established -> accepted or respected because of having existed for a long period of time
Sophisticated -> having a good understanding of the way people behave and/or a good knowledge of
culture and fashion
Dispatch rider -> someone who travels between companies riding a motorcycle or bicycle, taking
documents and parcels as quickly as possible
A. You get the impression that they enjoy the attention.

B. I was lucky enough to get some lovely shots of them.
C. Often it's one of them who tips me off that a big star has just come through passport control.
D. That’s where you generally find the celebrities.
E. They could be appearing in the arrivals hall at any time, night or day, of course.
F. When that happens, they have to do what we call ‘duck and dive’ to get a shot.
G. With some stars, however, you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get.
H. I know that in my line of work, I am sometimes hated.
Practice 10
You are going to read an article about an environmental campaigner. Six sentences have been removed
from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one that fits each gap. There are two extra sentences
which you do not need to use.
WOULD YOU TURN OFF YOUR ENGINE, PLEASE?
I was walking around my neighbourhood in New York one spring evening two years ago when I came across a
stretch limousine parked outside a restaurant. The driver's clients were inside having dinner, and he had his engine
running while he waited. It really bothered me. He was polluting the air we breathe as well as wasting huge amounts of
fuel, so I knocked on the driver's window.
I explained to him that he didn't need to waste his boss's money or pollute our air. I addressed the issues politely
and, after a ten-minute chat, he agreed to shut off the engine. I felt empowered - I could make a difference to our
environment. 27. ____ So whenever I see a driver sitting with the car engine running, I go over and talk to him or her.
Six months later, I talked to a guy who turned out to be an undercover police officer. He told me he wouldn't turn off
his engine because he was on a job, but asked me if I knew there was actually a law against engine idling, as it's called.
28. _____ Sure enough, under New York City's traffic laws, you could be fined up to $2,000 for engine idling for more
than three minutes.
I had small business cards printed up that referred to the relevant law on one side and the penalties on the other,
and started to hand them out to idlers. 29. _____ It's surprising how many people are unaware that they could get a
fine. That's why I start my encounters the same way every time. I say: 'Excuse me for bothering you, but are you aware
that it is against the law in New York City to idle your car for more than 3 minutes? 30. _____ They want to know who I
am, am I a cop? I tell them that I'm just a concerned citizen and want to make sure we improve our environment and
address our oil addiction.
We usually have a discussion and I always try to conclude the encounter on a positive and polite note, saying how
great it would be if they shut off their engine so we can all have a better environment. 31. _____ Most are convinced by
these arguments. Indeed, I'm successful seventy-eight percent of the time. Although, of course, there are people who
are aggressive or who won't do it. My success rate with cops is only five percent.
I keep an Excel spreadsheet so that I have a precise record of each of my encounters. If I get an aggressive
reaction, I list their comments and highlight them in red. 32. _____ I don't give up, however, and try to approach them
professionally. But my feelings do get hurt on occasion. Then I remind myself that because I make the first approach,
I'm actually the aggressor in this situation. My victims are just sitting there thinking: 'Who is this guy?'
To date, I have had 2,500 encounters and, overall, I have made a difference. I'm in touch with the Department of
Energy in Washington and my work is endorsed by the American Lung Association. And recently a New York traffic cop
wrote the city's very first ticket for idling.
Vocabulary
Came across -> to find something by chance
Empowered -> feeling confident
Encounter -> a meeting, especially one that happens by chance
Aggressive -> showing anger and a willingness to attack other people
Precise -> exact and accurate
Endorsed -> to make a public statement of your approval or support for something or someone
A. I also tell them that it saves money and avoids breaking the law.
B. I decided to have these conversations on a regular basis after that.
C. I find this fact always takes my victims by surprise.
D. I went home and checked this out.
E. It’s not the sort of mistake that you make twice.
F. I try not to get affected emotionally if drivers respond in this way.
G. I’ve been distributing them in this way ever since.
H. I was even slapped once for approaching someone about this.
Practice 11
You are going to read an article about a language. Six sentences have been removed from the article.
Choose from the sentences A-H the one that fits each gap. There are two extra sentences which you do
not need to use.
I’M THE LAST SPEAKER OF MY LANGUAGE
I come from Chile and I've always been interested in my country's history and culture. It all started when I was
about eight and I started to learn about the country's indigenous inhabitants. When I first found out about the native
people of Patagonia, in the far south, I had no idea that my mother's family was from there and that her grandfather had
been a Selk'nam. The last speaker of Selk'nam died in 1974. I really wanted to learn Selk'nam, so relatives on my
father's side who live in Punta Arenas, the southernmost town in mainland Chile, sent me dictionaries. 27. _____ But I
had no idea what these sounded like.
Then, when I was about eleven, I saw a television programme about the Yagan people who lived on the island of
Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost tip of South America. The programme interviewed two sisters, Cristina and Ursula
Calderon, and said they were the only two speakers of their language left. 28. _____ Only later did I discover that the
two languages are quite different; that the two people couldn't communicate with each other.
One day, my mother told me that although she was born in the capital, Santiago, her grandfather was a Selk'nam
from the north of Tierra del Fuego. Nobody had ever told me anything about this before. When I asked why, she said
that when she was young she had been teased for looking different, and so she had just kept quiet about it.
When I was thirteen, I went to the south for the first time on my own to meet Cristina Calderon. 29 _____ I
discovered that there used to be four thousand Selk'nam in Tierra de! Fuego. They were hunters of wild cats and foxes.
The Yagan lived further south and travelled by canoe all the way down to Cape Horn, but the Selk'nam moved on foot.
Settlers from the north arrived in the nineteenth century and introduced diseases like measles and typhoid, which
affected the local people very badly. Now, there's no way back. I got hold of some recordings of a Selk’nam shaman
from the 1960s and started to study them. 30. _____ Gradually, however, I began to understand how the words
sounded and began to reproduce them.
The Selk'nam express themselves using lots of prefixes and suffixes, and the sounds are guttural, nasal and tonal.
31. _____ For example, it has lots of different words for the weather. The hardest thing in Selk'nam, however, is the
verbs - they all sound a bit the same. There are some English loanwords, such as 'bread' and 'money'. Others are
descriptive: 'read' translates as 'playing with words' and 'drum' as 'vibrating leather'. Then there are words for modern
things - for 'telephone', you have to say 'speak from afar', and 'car' is 'go on four wheels'. I speak the language well now.
Cristina's husband spoke Selk'nam and apparently, I sound just like him.
Because music is something that reaches lots of people, I started composing traditional songs in Selk'nam and
formed a band with two friends. This meant that they had to learn some words too. 32. ____ I need to teach my
language to more people because if something happened to me, it would die out all over again.
Vocabulary
Indigenous -> used to refer to, or relating to, the people who originally lived in a place, rather than people
who moved there from somewhere else (Orang Asli)
Inhabitant -> a person or animal that lives in a particular place
Settler -> a person who arrives, especially from another country, in a new place in order to live there and
use the land
Guttural -> (of speech sounds) produced at the back of the throat and therefore deep
Apparently -> used to say you have read or been told something although you are not certain it is true
A. I felt a sudden desire to learn that one too.

B. It was slow because I had no one to talk to.
C. Yagan is quite different, however, because it has more vocabulary.
D. This meant that I was able to start learning words, verbs and expressions.
E. This was good because I didn’t want to be the only one.
F. These turned out to be rather hard for me to pronounce, however.
G. The trip seemed the best way to find out about my roots.
H. No one was interested to learn this language.
Practice 12
You are going to read an article about white-water kayaking. Six sentences have been removed from the
PADDLE POWER
'I guarantee you'll be getting wet today,' says my kayaking coach, Sarah Lind. I've come to the Bala Watersports
Centre in North Wales for a crash course in white water kayaking. If anyone knows what they're talking about, it's thirty-
five-year-old Sarah. Having started her kayaking career at the age of eleven, she went on to win a gold medal for Great
Britain. For years I've dreamed of paddling white water and this is my big opportunity.
The sleepy Welsh town of Bala is the white-water capital of Britain. Local residents include Matt Cook, who once
came fourth in the freestyle world championships, and former European freestyle champion Lynsey Evans. 27. _____
These create a natural playground for paddlers. One of the toughest sections of white water lies on the Tryweryn river,
which cuts straight through Bala. Graded four out of six (six being impassable), it is a swirling mass of furious white
water, interspersed by slippery rocks. Used for the world championships, it's where the world's best paddlers pit their
wits and strength against nature. And later on, today, it will be the venue for my first white-water voyage.
Before allowing us near any white water, Sarah insists that we head out onto the calm waters of Bala Lake to learn
a few basic skills. 28. _____ As I paddle my first few strokes, it causes my boat to bob about alarmingly. I'm having
trouble simply going in a straight line.
The most important thing you need to master before going out into white water is the 'low brace turn', which breaks
down into three main elements. The first is the ‘sweep stroke’. 29. _____ While doing this you need to 'edge' - or cause
the kayak to tip slightly towards the side that you wish to turn. This is achieved by straightening the leg that corresponds
to the direction in which you wish to turn, while bending your other leg and bracing it against the top of the boat.
Finally, you need to put your paddle into the 'brace' position: bar held against your stomach, arms parallel with your
shoulders. This idea is that if at this point you find yourself tipping over too far, you can use your paddle to prevent the
kayak turning over. 30. _____ I flounder around in the freezing cold lake like an ant stuck in a puddle, and my breath is
snatched away.
After we eventually master the basics, it's time to tackle some world championship level white water, on the
Tryweryn. 31. ____ I can hardly hear myself think. The first section of the course involves crossing a segment of high-
speed water punctuated by slippery stone slabs. This is where the 'edging' technique I learned earlier comes into play.
The next section involves traversing an even angrier patch of white water. All I remember is paddling frantically
through a narrow corridor of rocks, as the water splashes up in my face and my boat bounces its way through the
swirling torrent. 32. ____ Eventually, things slow down slightly and I'm able to take stock. This is it. I'm off and running:
racing down the river at ridiculous speed. Awesome!
Vocabulary
Paddle -> , a short pole with a wide, flat part at one end or both ends, used for moving a small
boat or canoe through the water
Freestyle -> a sports competition, especially a swimming race, in which each competitor can use any style
or method they choose
Interspersed -> having something in several places among something else
Corresponds to -> to match something, or be similar or equal to something
Punctuated -> to interrupt something repeatedly
A. A stiff breeze is blowing across this massive open space.

B. Basically, you use the paddle to turn the boat sharply in the opposite direction.
C. Despite my understandable trepidation, Sarah is confident that she can get me to complete it in one
piece.
D. Despite my best efforts, however, I end up in the water almost immediately.
E. Only a shout of 'Right paddle!' from Sar h me from going over again.
F. Standing on the bank, psyching myself up, the sound of the raging water crashing over rocks is
deafening.
G. They’re attracted here by the huge number of rivers that cascade down from the surrounding
mountains.
H. I am planning to train for interstate competition.
Practice 13
You are going to read an article about a mountain climber. Six sentences have been removed from the
I RUN UP MOUNTAINS
Mountain climbing hasn't developed much in the past fifty years or so, but I want to introduce a new style. I call it
'skyrunning'. It means climbing high mountains as fast as possible and using as little equipment as possible. Skyrunning
is the most honest kind of mountaineering.
Some years ago, I decided to climb Mount Aconcagua, in the Andes, which usually takes three days. I didn't have
that sort of time - so I thought about how it could be done more quickly. In the end, I managed it in four hours and
twenty-five minutes. Since then I've climbed several mountains this way, including the ‘seven summits’, the highest
mountains on each continent. 27. ____ When I climbed Mount Everest, the only nutrition I took with me was
carbohydrate gels, salted crackers and about three litres of rosehip tea. It took me sixteen hours and forty-two minutes
to go up - a new speed record on the northern route.
I have also set speed records on Antarctica's Mount Vinson, the Carstensz Pyramid in New Guinea and other
summits. Attempts such as these need months of training and preparation, as with any serious sport. To build up
strength, I sometimes haul an enormous tractor tyre behind me while running uphill. 28. _____ I call it 'the beast'
because of the aggressive energy I build up during these training sessions.
The psychological side of training is as important as the physical. I use foreign languages to affect my mental state
and enhance my performance. I shout things out in these, even though I know there's nobody to hear me. I'm Austrian
and speak only a few words of the Russian language. 29. _____ I couldn't tell you why that should be the case.
Whereas Russian is full of energy and strength, English is a language that calms me and helps me to focus. Two
years ago, I was climbing in Nepal and knew that I was in danger from avalanches. I noticed that I kept saying to
myself: ‘Hey man, take care!’ 30. _____ It was as if one part of me had stepped outside myself to make sure I made the
right decisions, and that phrase helped.
For other people, this might sound ridiculous, but I don't care. In high altitudes, any mistake can be lethal, and I
know how it feels to face death. Seventeen years ago, when I was twenty-four, I was climbing with a friend in the
Karakoram mountains in Pakistan at about 18, 000 feet. 31. _____ It was the sound of an avalanche, which hit us and
broke my right thighbone.
My friend pulled me out of the snow, but although we had survived, we realised he wouldn't be able to drag me
back to the base camp. I said: 'Go, just leave me here.' And he left me behind. I lay alone in the mountains for days.
Sometimes I hallucinated, other times I shouted. 32. _____ Finally, my friend came back with other climbers and saved
me. I thought extreme mountaineering was too risky at first, but slowly my perspective changed. There are so many
mountains to climb, but I know my records won't last forever. In ten or twenty years, skyrunning will be established as a
sport. I see myself as a pioneer.
Vocabulary
Attempt -> to try to do something, especially something difficult
Haul -> to pull something heavy slowly and with difficulty
Enhance -> to improve the quality, amount, or strength of something
Avalanche -> a large amount of ice, snow, and rock falling quickly down the side of a mountain
Hallucinate -> to seem to see, hear, feel, or smell something that does not exist, usually because you are ill
or have taken a drug
Pioneer -> a person who is one of the first people to do something
A. All kinds of songs I'd never thought twice about ran through my mind.
B. I can drag this for four hours at a time.
C. I couldn't stop repeating that.
D. I managed to get up all of those without any oxygen or tents.
E. It’s the one I use when I need to push forward through heavy snow, however.
F. Suddenly, there was an incredible rumble up above us.
G. These clearly came as quite a shock.
H. This incident was incredibly traumatizing.
Practice 14
You are going to read an article about gliding. Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose
from the sentences A-H the one that fits each gap. There are two extra sentences which you do not need to
use.
GOING UP IN A GLIDER
When I arrive at the London Gliding School, Adrian, a volunteer instructor who has been gliding for ten years,
warmly greets me. He immediately takes me off to what's clearly the centre of all operations - the cafeteria. After a quick
chat, we drive to the launch base where Dan, my instructor for the day, begins to prepare me on all I need to know.
Dan, who is twenty, did his first solo flight at eighteen after joining the club's cadet scheme.
Going through all the theory of how everything works and what to do once airborne seems pretty simple. I'm not so
keen, though, on the instructions about what to do in an emergency. 27. _____ At least I'm wearing a parachute!
The glider is connected by rope to a light aircraft as we're pulled up into the air. A bumpy start along the field and
we're off and up. 'I like it when people scream' were Dan's words on the ground. 28. _____ But I am fiercely gripping my
parachute straps and lots of noises are coming from my stomach, which is doing somersaults. Once we're up to around
1,500 feet, the rope is detached with a clunk from the underside of the glider and we're free.
It’s a strange feeling – there’s a sense of safety when the rope is attached to the aeroplane. 29. ____ ‘I am in
control,’ Dan tells me. He's not attempting to be heroic; this is glider talk. 'You are in control,' I respond. Thankfully I'm
not or I doubt we'd be swooping through the peaceful skies so smoothly and effortlessly. Something you notice
straightaway is the lack of an engine, which results in an eerie silence.
The weather conditions aren't ideal, as it's an all-toofamiliar grey English day. 30. _____ But I'm told that, with
perfect weather conditions of a clear windy day and lots of cumulus cloud, we'd be able to catch the thermals and rise,
staying up in the air for longer. It's possible to glide as far as Scotland and back again with the right conditions!
In a glider both pilot and passenger have a set of controls, so either person can take control. The passenger can
also 'follow through' with the controls, basically lightly touching all their own controls and feeling what the pilot is doing.
31. ____ So when Dan tells me 'You are in control' and I repeat 'I am in control,' I'm glad he can't see the terror in my
face. After some jumpy maneuvers to keep the glider at 'normal gliding attitude,' where the horizon remains at a
constant level, I'm just getting into the swing of it when Dan regains control to bring us in for landing.
Landing a glider is much calmer than other types of aircraft. 32. _____ You descend and approach the landing area,
deploying the spoilers (flaps on the wings) to weaken the air flow, and ease the glider lower until the wheels make
contact and you're gently bumping along the field. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to get back up in the air.
Vocabulary
Airborne -> in the air, or carried by air or wind or by an aircraft
Gripping -> to hold very tightly
Attached to -> to be fastened, joined or connected to something
Maneuver -> a movement or set of movements needing skill and care
Descend -> to go or come down
Deploy -> to put something into use
A. This doesn't make a lot of difference to the experience for me.

B. Release the safety belts and jump out seems to be the only response possible.
C. This has been the limit of my involvement so far.
D. Once it goes, I feel I want to hold onto something in case we start falling to the ground.
E. He tells me that it's too cloudy for those acrobatics, however, and relief washes over me.
F. I manage not to do this, however.
G. It’s much less sudden and you notice the absence of engine roar.
H. I was surprised to learn of the existence of such school at first.
Practice 15
You are going to read an article about computer games. Six sentences have been removed from the article.
not need to use.
FILMS AND COMPUTER GAMES
In just a few decades the gaming industry has become a lot bigger than the film business. In terms of turnover,
what is rather grandly called 'interactive entertainment' makes twice as much money as Hollywood cinema. Which of
course leaves people in the film business wondering if they can harvest any of this new income. Is there any way of
making films more appealing to people who regularly like to play computer games?
Making a film out of a best-selling computer game can certainly guarantee a large audience. 27. _____ New
games have stunning action sequences that rely on fantasy effects, and now films are being released with similar
scenes. Gravity is discarded as heroes leap across huge gaps, while slow-motion techniques show bullets moving
through the rippling air.
A major segment of the gaming market comprises science-fiction games, and film-makers have started to realise
that they could set films in similar sci-fi future worlds. 28. _____ Any attempt to borrow more than the setting from a
game is probably doomed.
There are many examples of successful film-game combinations. Rather than making a film using characters and
stories from a computer game, the trick seems to be to make a film that has a fast-moving action sequence and then
bring out a game based on that sequence. People who enjoyed the film will probably want to buy the game. This clearly
creates a new market opportunity for the gaming industry.
Why do gamers feel disappointed by films based on their favourite games? 29. ____ Computer games can show
the action from a number of perspectives easily, because everything is computer-generated. But filming a sequence
from 20 different cameras would cost a fortune, so it simply isn't done in the film version - leaving the gamers feeling
that the film didn't look as real as the computer game.
Cameras matter in another sense, too. In a film the director shows you the action from certain perspectives but
makes sure he doesn't show you some things to keep you in suspense. Think of your favourite thriller. 30. ______ In
films you are not supposed to have access to all the information. Suspense and mystery are essential elements of film-
making.
31. _____ When you play a game, you have to do certain tasks to proceed to the next level. Therefore, you must
be able to see everything in order to make your choices, to decide what to do next: which door to open, and so on. You
must have access to all the information. You, as the player, are always in control. In the cinema you never control the
action. You just sit and watch.
There can be some interaction between films and computer games on a number of different levels, but in the end,
they fulfil different needs. 32. _____ For all the similarities between technologies and special effects, we shouldn't forget
that a story and a game are fundamentally different.
Vocabulary
turnover -> the amount of annual business
grandly -> suggesting that something or someone has great importance
interactive -> describes a system or computer program designed to involve the user in the exchange of
information
harvest -> to collect or receive the benefits of something
stunning -> very beautiful, very surprising
sequence-> a part of a film that shows a particular event or a related series of events
gravity -> a natural force pulling objects to the ground
discard -> to throw away, to dispose of
A. We go to the cinema to let someone else tell us a story, knowing we can't influence what happens at all
B. You wouldn't be interested in watching the film if you knew the identity of the murderer, for instance.
C. This is not true for computer games.
D. Its success lies in the use of special effects.
E. This usually means that the film has a good chance of being as commercially successful as the game
on which it is based.
F. One reason is technical.
G. However, the difficulty for the producers of Hollywood appears to be knowing where and when to stop.
H. There is some concern that too many teenagers get addicted to games.
Practice 16
You are going to read an article about the evolution of hands. Six sentences have been removed from the
OUR AMAZING HANDS
The hand is where the mind meets the world. We use our hands to build fires, to steer airplanes, to write. The
human brain, with its open-ended creativity, may be the thing that makes our species unique. But without hands, all the
grand ideas we think up would come to nothing.
The reason we can use our hands for so many things is their extraordinary anatomy. 27. _____ Some are
connected to bones within the hand, while others snake their way to the arm. The wrist is a floating group of bones and
ligaments threaded with blood vessels and nerves. The nerves send branches into each fingertip. The hand can
generate fine forces or huge ones. A watchmaker can use his hands to set springs in place under a microscope. A
sportsman can use the same anatomy to throw a ball at over 100 kilometres an hour.
Other species have hands too. 28._____ In other cases we have to look closer. A bat's wings may look like sheets
of skin. But underneath, a bat has the same five fingers as a human, as well as a wrist connected to the same cluster of
wrist bones connected to the same long bones of the arm.
In exploring how hands have evolved, researchers over the past 150 years have dug up fossils on every
continent. They've compared the anatomy of hands in living animals. They've studied the genes that build hands. It
appears that our hands began to evolve at least 380 million years ago from fins - not the flat. ridged fins of a goldfish
but the muscular, stout fins of extinct relatives of today's lungfish. Inside these were a few chunky bones corresponding
to the bones in our arms.29. ____ The digits later emerged and became separate, allowing the animals to grip
underwater vegetation as they clambered through it.
30. _____ Some species had seven fingers. Others had eight. But by the time vertebrates were walking around
on dry land 340 million years ago, the hand had been scaled back to only five fingers. It has retained that number of
fingers ever since - for reasons scientists don't yet know.
Nevertheless, there are still many different types of hands in living species, from dolphin flippers to eagle wings
to the hanging hooks of sloths. 31. _____ They can also see that despite the outward differences, all hands start out in
much the same way. There is a network of many genes that builds a hand, and all hands are built by variations on that
same network. It takes only subtle changes in these genes to make fingers longer or to turn nails into claws.
The discovery of the molecular toolbox for hand building has given scientists a deeper understanding of
evolution. 32. ______ It may just be a little more of one protein here, a little less of another there. In the past, scientists
could recognise only the outward signs that hands had evolved from a common ancestor. Today scientists are
uncovering the inward signs as well.
Vocabulary
open-ended -> without limits
creativity -> the ability to produce new things and ideas
unique -> different from everyone and everything else
anatomy -> the structure of part of the body
snake -> to move like a snake
ligament -> what links the bones together
blood vessel -> a tube through which blood flows in the body
fossil -> the remains of a plant or animal that has been preserved in rock for a very long time
gene -> part of a cell that controls a person's
A. Over time, smaller ones developed that would eventually become wrists and fingers.
B. Although a vulture's wing and a lion's paw may appear to have nothing in common, the difference
between them may come down to tiny variations.
C. They also use them for a number of different purposes.
D. No one would doubt that the five fingers at the end of an orangutan's arm are part of anything else.
E. By studying these, scientists are beginning to understand the molecular changes that led to such
dramatic variations.
F. The thumb alone is controlled by nine separate muscles.
G. Early hands were more exotic than any hand today.
H. There are no actual muscles located in your fingers and thumbs
Practice 17
You are going to read a newspaper article about the benefits of playing computer games. Six sentences
COMPUTER GAMES: NOT JUST FOR KIDS!
Susie Bullen lines up, swings her arm back, and releases another perfect throw for yet another strike. When the
game is over, the 94-year-old has rolled a personal best of 220. But Bullen isn't hanging out in the local bowling alley -
she's playing on a popular interactive gaming system that has gained immense popularity with people of all ages.
Bullen, who once competed in leagues but hasn't bowled in nearly 70 years, said the interactive sports games give
her the opportunity to reconnect to many of the activities she enjoyed in her formative years. 'I try to play as much as I
can,' says Bullen, resident of a peaceful retirement community in Ontario, Canada. 27. _____ Bullen regularly competes
against her great-granddaughter, 16-year-old Melanie, on her gaming console.
Bullen is amongst a growing number of older people participating in this kind of pastime, which is helping to bring
generations together in a shared activity. 'It's great fun playing against my great-grandma’, says Melanie. 28. ______
According to recent research in the entertainment software sector, the percentage of people over 50 playing
computer games has more than doubled since the year 2000, and the number is expected to increase as the popularity
and visibility of current computer game platforms continue to grow. 29. _____ Interactive games have been linked to
providing increased mental and physical well-being across the age groups. In addition to boosting mood, playing an
'exer-game' for around half an hour, three times a week, improves balance and leaves players feeling refreshed and
energized.
30. ____ Just like traditional forms of exercise, interactive gaming promotes better mental sharpness and hand-eye
coordination. And one study has shown that there are some characteristics of gaming that promote visual learning, too -
that is, acquiring skills through associating ideas and concepts with images and techniques.
So, what is it that has attracted older people to join in the gaming world? 31. _____ Not only are the most
successful platforms those with user-friendly controls, but the best games for the whole family to get involved in
together are those which aren't overly-complicated, but still offer plenty in terms of stimulus.
32. ______ A ten-pin bowling game, for example, requires users to swing their arms in the same motion as a
bowler, while holding down a button on the controller. When the player is ready to release the ball, he or she simply
releases the button. And as he or she does so, the feel-good factor is released along with it!
Vocabulary
turn to -> to start doing something new or different
hang out -> to spend time somewhere
formative (adj) relating to a period of early development
visibility -> the capability of being easily observed platform (n) hardware or software that can be accessed
online
well-being -> when someone is happy, healthy and comfortable
boost -> to improve or increase something
energise -> to give energy to
mental sharpness -> the ability to notice and understand things
A In a market flooded with thousands and thousands of E This includes balance boards that record movements
games, finding the right fit can be challenging. and give feedback on performance. Activities include
yoga poses, push-ups, strength, balance and aerobic
exercises.
B And as computer game usage amongst older people F 'She's a real pro and it's hard for me to keep up! She's a
has risen, researchers have conducted studies that fantastic opponent and we have a lot of laughs.'
have concluded that computer games provide much
more than simple entertainment value.
C 'I've always been sports-minded and like watching G Active game-playing helps people of all ages recognise
sports. Playing computer games is a bit of fun and it's that exercise can be fun and socially enjoyable, and isn't
great to see how you can do, as well as providing some just about hitting the treadmill at the gym.
much-needed exercise.'
D H Computer games are more popular among teenagers.

Games which mimic the movements of the sports they
represent are particularly popular amongst gamers who
not only want to have fun, but want to incorporate a bit
of heart-pumping action into their free-time activities as
well.
Practice 18
You are going to read an article about an expedition to look at a mountain under the sea. Six sentences
MOUNTAINS IN THE SEA
Sealed in our special deep-sea sphere, we wait until we are untied, drifting, a tiny dot on the immense Pacific
Ocean. Then we sink into the water, surrounded by bubbles. A diver pokes through the bubbles to make a final
adjustment to the camera mounted on the outside of the submersible sphere (known as a 'sub'). Out there with the
camera are hydraulics, thrusters, and hundreds of other essential parts that will keep us safe.
Three of us are crammed inside a sphere 1.5 metres in diameter, surrounded by communication equipment,
controls, snacks, cameras. 27. _____ Its peaks, rarely seen up close before, rise from the bottom of the Pacific near
Cocos Island. The highest peak here is more than 2,200 metres tall.
Seamounts generally form when volcanic mountains rise up from the sea floor but fail to reach the surface (those
that break the surface become islands). Scientists estimate that there are some 100,000 seamounts at least one
kilometre high. But if you include others that range from small hills to rolling mountains, there may be as many as a
million of them. We've seen little of these oases of life in the deep. Of all earth's seamounts, marine biologists have
studied only a few hundred. 28. ______
Scientists don't often explore their slopes first hand - or even their shallower summits: living mazes of hard coral,
sponges and sea fans circled by schools of fish. 29. _____ Among this abundance of sea creatures, might there be new
species that could produce new chemical compounds that can cure diseases?
Unfortunately, more and more frequently deep-sea fishing trawlers drag nets weighted with heavy chains across
seamounts to catch schools of fish that congregate around them. 30. _____ Once these underwater communities are
disrupted, it can take hundreds, even thousands, of years for them to re-establish themselves.
We turn a ghostly greenish blue in the light, kept dim so we can see outside. Clear, pulsing jellies glide gently in the
dark, bouncing off the sub in every direction. A black-and-white manta ray flexes its wings and soars past for a look. We
are still in what is called the photic zone, where sunlight penetrates and provides energy for countless microscopic,
photosynthetic ocean plants that create much of the earth's oxygen, 31. ______
At about 200 metres the sub's dazzling lights bring the bottom into view. 32. ______ We joke that maybe we've
found a new wreck, but instead it is the remains of a volcano, perhaps millions of years old. Within minutes the sub is
hovering a few centimetres from the bottom, inside an ancient, circular vent of the now extinct volcano that forms Las
Gemelas. Its sculptured walls look like the facade of a deep-sea cathedral.
Our sub surfaces after five hours - all too soon. We begin the long journey back to our land-based lives, where we
will analyse our data and add one more piece to the puzzle of our global ocean.
Vocabulary
sphere -> a ball shape
drift -> to move slowly in water, pulled by the sea current
adjustment -> small change
submersible -> designed to go underwater
crammed -> pushed together in a small space
maze -> an area in which you can easily get lost
A. This process also destroys long-lived and slow-growing corals, sponges, and other invertebrates.
B. These under-sea mountains have therefore been well known for a number of years.
C. Then we descend further, and the ocean around us is completely black.
D. More finely detailed maps of the surface of Mars may exist than of the remotest parts of the ocean floor.
E. Suddenly, something just beyond them rises from the otherwise featureless sea floor.
F. We have everything we need for our journey to reach a seamount named Las Gemelas.
G. Some of these animals have even lived to be more than a hundred years old.
H. These mountains are said to date back to thousands of years ago.
Practice 19
You are going to read a newspaper article about orangutans. Six sentences have been removed from the
ALMOST HUMAN
Orangutans and chimpanzees are capable of performing intellectual feats we once thought to be uniquely human.
Using language, being self-aware, learning by imitation and problem-solving are high- level abilities that are not limited
to humans. Research has shown that orangutans and other great apes, like chimpanzees and gorillas, share these
abilities too.
There are several projects studying the use of language by these creatures. Understanding their mechanisms of
developing language will help us evaluate our own linguistic abilities. One of the orangutans involved in a project in
Virginia, USA, has learnt how to use over 100 words in sign language, the language used by the deaf to communicate
with each other. Another orangutan, Hannah, has learnt 13 symbols that represent different nouns and verbs. Hannah
can combine the symbols into simple commands like 'open bag’. 27. ______
Not really. One of the fundamental elements of human thought is the ability to recognise numbers and express
ideas with them within meaningful strings of words. Hannah can recognise numbers from one to three with reasonable
accuracy. 28. _____ A fundamental difference between humans and orangutans is their ability to comprehend abstract
ideas. Abstract concepts are basic to human thinking, while there's little evidence that orangutans can understand
abstract ideas at all.
One of the most interesting experiments in the Virginia project concerns memory.29. _____ Orangutans, on the
other hand, appear to do so according to where they saw them last. This seems a less efficient way of storing
information, so it may well be that orangutans have a limited capacity for memory in comparison to humans.
30. _____ They feel extremely frustrated when they make an error and they never rush into a task because they
don't want to be wrong. Orangutans have idiosyncrasies and differences in character. Some are slow learners, while
others are more impulsive.
Unfortunately, most of the research on great ape intelligence has been done with animals in captivity. 31. _____
Studies of orangutans, however, that suffered captivity but were then freed showed that they are capable of learning by
imitation. Imitating someone yawn or scratch his head is not a great intellectual accomplishment, but learning a new
behaviour just by watching is a very advanced ability. Orangutans could chop firewood or wash dishes without being
taught. The only way they could have done it was by watching humans.
Compared to orangutans, chimpanzees are genetically closer to human beings and they are thought to be more
intelligent. There are differences in the way the minds of chimps and orangutans work. 32. _____ The chimps seem to
work fast, almost intuitively, while orangutans are slower and more methodical. One feature of both chimps and
orangutans is the ability to recognise themselves in a mirror. This seems to suggest that they both have a concept of
'self' - they know who they are and think of themselves in a particular way. Chimpanzees are manipulative and capable
of deception. They are very good problem-solvers, clearly capable of complex cognitive performance, which makes
them
almost human.
Vocabulary
intellectual -> related to thinking
evaluate -> to estimate worth, to determine the value of something
accuracy -> something that is correct and true
fundamental -> basic, primary
comprehend -> to get the meaning of something, to understand
capacity -> the ability to do something
idiosyncrasy -> an odd habit or characteristic
impulsive -> doing things without considering the possible dangers or problems
A. Orangutans can become very emotional when they fail a test.

B. One obvious disadvantage is that we cannot study their behaviour in their natural environment.
C. Does this mean she is starting to think in a human way?
D. None of these tasks can be performed well by orangutans.
E. Humans generally remember things by putting them into groups or categories.
F. However, she hasn't yet learnt to use them in sentences.
G. This becomes apparent when they are each given the same task to do.
H. Orangutans are the heaviest tree-dwelling animals.
Practice 20
You are going to read a newspaper article about people who have difficulty counting. Six sentences have
been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one that fits each gap. There are two
extra sentences which you do not need to use.
PEOPLE WHO CAN’T COUNT

A recent study has discovered that dyscalculia, the mathematical equivalent of dyslexia, affects about 5% of
children in Britain. An expert on the subject, Professor Maria Singelton, claims that the government should recognise
dyscalculia, inform parents and teachers and provide support for those suffering from it. Unfortunately, there is no
simple way of diagnosing dyscalculia and kids with this learning disability are usually labelled unintelligent.
27. _____ Unlike most people, dyscalculics cannot recognise three or four objects unless they count them one by
one. The majority of us, if shown three or four similar things, can immediately recognise them. People with dyscalculia
have to go through the routine of counting even a small number of objects. For example, they need to count the three
books on the table before they can say how many there are.
Dyscalculics have huge problems using numbers at all. They cannot understand, for instance, why two and three
makes five. 28. _____ Laboratory experiments have shown that animals such as monkeys and rats have developed a
specific region of their brain to deal with numbers and related concepts. It's possible that dyscalculics, though intelligent,
have not developed the part of the brain responsible for processing numbers.
Dyscalculics have difficulty with the abstract concept of time. 29. _____ If your best friend is always late, he or she
might be suffering from dyscalculia. Dyscalculics cannot keep track of time, they never know how much time they have
spent getting ready and how long it will take them to get to work.
You cannot rely on a dyscalculic to give you directions about how to get to the nearest train station. Inability to read
maps and orientate themselves is common among dyscalculics. They may take a left turning instead of a right and end
up miles away from their intended destination. 30. _____
Research has shown that they behave oddly in social situations like going shopping or having dinner at a
restaurant. They never know how much they should tip the waiter or how much money they have got left after a
shopping trip. 31. ____ This poor ability in arithmetic can explain why they never know how much change they are due
or what kind of budget they need for their summer holiday. Dyscalculia can also affect areas like sports or music.
Dyscalculics cannot coordinate the movements of their body or remember the rules of games. They would find it
impossible to recall the complicated step sequences of a dance and would rarely choose to do aerobics or play an
instrument in their free time.
32. _____ People suffering from dyscalculia can become painters, sculptors or poets. Dyscalculia does not seem
to prevent or delay language acquisition. Dyscalculic children acquire language at the same time as, if not earlier than,
most children and have no problem learning to read or write. Dyscalculia is a learning disability like dyslexia, not a
general indication of intelligence.
Vocabulary
equivalent -> something that is the same
claim -> to state that something is true, especially when there is some doubt
region -> a part, a section
abstract -> unclear, vague
orientate -> to find your position with a map
budget -> an amount of money set aside for a purpose
A. Another problem is not being able to tell, just by looking at two groups of objects, which group contains
more objects than the other.
B. On top of getting lost, they often misplace things and may spend endless hours looking for their car
keys or passport.
C. These stories are extremely upsetting for parents and children alike.
D. What exactly is this learning disability in arithmetic?
E. Dealing with cash, taking money from a cashpoint or using travellers' cheques can cause anxiety and
fear.
F. This can account for their difficulty in reading schedules and remembering the order in which things
happened in the past.
G. On the other hand, dyscalculics are very good at creative arts.
H. People suffering from dyscalculia are often discriminated.
Practice 21
You are going to read a newspaper article about a pirate radio station. Six sentences have been removed
PIRATE RADIO STATIONS

In 1964, a radio station on a boat off the coast of Britain began broadcasting pop music. Radio Caroline's style was
young and fresh - and the station itself was outside British law.
The British government now grants licences for people to operate radio and TV stations, but in the 1960s the only
radio stations that existed legally in Britain were run by the BBC, the state-owned broadcasting company, and the
government would not allow anyone to operate a private radio station. 27. ____ The Irishman who founded Radio
Caroline simply put the radio equipment on a boat and anchored it just outside the three-mile limit.
Why would anyone go to so much trouble to start up a radio station? One reason was the BBC's policy on the kind
of music it broadcast. During a period when pop music was extremely popular, the BBC played very little of it on its
radio stations. It was felt that the BBC should cater for more conservative tastes in music. 28. ____ It was only a matter
of time before an enterprising businessman who managed some pop music bands realised that here was a huge
potential market.
There was, in fact, a radio station operating outside Britain at the time transmitting programmes that could be
received in the country: Radio Luxembourg. 29. ____ It was only after Radio Caroline went on the air that people were
able to listen to pop music broadcast in English all day.
As well as playing the sort of music that young people liked. Radio Caroline was popular with listeners for other
reasons. The disc jockeys didn't have the typical BBC pronunciation, which was considered by many to be formal and
old-fashioned. Instead they spoke with regional accents, they used colloquial English, they were cheeky and informal.
Audiences loved it and soon large numbers of listeners were tuning in.
Then other pirate radio stations began to spring up and the British government decided that some action had to be
taken. 30. ____ However, it soon became clear that the authorities were being forced to face the new situation created
by the pirate radio stations. These had shown that pop music was here to stay, and that young people desperately
wanted to listen to radio stations that played it.
Was there a lesson to be learnt from all this? Indeed there was! The BBC decided to start up its own pop music
radio station. Radio 1, and before long Radio Caroline disc jockeys were working there. 31. _____
In a further development, the British government decided to allow commercial radio stations to operate in the
country. This meant stations could now do legally what Radio Caroline had been doing illegally - and in far more
comfortable conditions. 32. ____ Its situation became even worse when the ship from which it was operating sank. The
crew and disc jockeys had to be rescued.
Today Radio Caroline still exists although it is no longer as popular as it was in the 1960s. But it made history by
forcing the BBC to change its policy on pop music and the nature of its relationship with its listeners.
Vocabulary
grant -> to allow someone to have something that they have asked for
found -> to start something such as an organisation or school
anchor -> to lower a piece of heavy metal to the bottom of the sea to prevent a ship from moving
policy -> a way of doing something that has been officially agreed by an organisation
cater for -> to provide a particular group of people with the things they need or want
conservative -> traditional
enterprising -> having the ability to think of new ideas and make them work
transmit -> to send out electronic signals, etc. using radio, television or other equipment
A. The radio station went on to become a legend, and its disc jockeys won fame and fortune.
B. Not surprisingly, Radio Caroline found itself in serious financial difficulties.
C. As a result, there were large numbers of young people who wanted to listen to a particular type of music, but
couldn't.
D. What is more, increasing numbers of listeners were switching from the pirate stations to the eminent
broadcaster.
E. But this station used to play only a short section of each song - and this was clearly not satisfactory.
F. However, the government's power only extended to the country itself and the seas around it up to around
five kilometres from the shore.
G. In 1967, a new law was passed making it illegal to advertise or supply an offshore radio station from the UK.
H. The last song played on Radio Caroline was Sergeant Pepper's “Lonely Hearts Club Band”.
Practice 22
You are going to read a newspaper article about robot shops. Six sentences have been removed from the
THE ROBOT SHOP

Like most ideas that seem absolutely revolutionary, the concept behind the robot shop is actually very simple. In
fact, it has already been around for many years in the form of vending machines selling bars of chocolate or drinks. This
idea has been further developed to create the first robot shop, which may eventually change the future of shopping.
The prototype robot shop in a suburb of London looks like a giant vending machine. 27. ____ The display on the
right is refrigerated and holds items such as milk, yoghurt and cheese, while the display on the left has an impressive
selection of biscuits, coffee, cakes and crisps. It does not have the variety of conventional shops, but it can cope with a
late-night request for bread or painkillers.
A central console is what allows you to actually do your shopping. You key in the code numbers of the goods you
want, which are displayed just underneath each item in the window, and a huge robot arm reaches out and picks up
each item, bringing it over to the console inside the shop.
An electronic display shows you the total you have to pay. 28. ____ Unlike supermarkets, in robot shops you can
only collect the goods after you've paid. When the robot arm finds the things you want, it drops them into a hatch and
you reach inside to take them out. If this happened before you paid, you could easily walk off with the goods without
having paid for them.
The system couldn't yet be described as entirely efficient. There's a lot of room for improvement. The robot arm
represents one of the biggest problems. 29. ____ The arm has to be very accurate in order to pick up the item it has
reached for, carry it to the hatch and safely drop it into it.
The difficulty of judging customer attitudes is another reason why the robot shop has to be tested. Customers are
still cautious about doing most of their shopping in a robot shop, but this is only to be expected; every new invention has
been regarded with some suspicion at first. 30. _____
The manufacturers of robot shops suggest that the small shopkeeper in inner-city areas represents their biggest
potential client. 31. ____ People in the area value the convenience of being able to pop out virtually all hours of the day
and night for some item they have forgotten or suddenly feel like buying. Small shopkeepers are likely to invest in robot
shop equipment, rather than employ part-time staff to work twenty-four hours a day.
The question is whether customers will prefer the impersonal service of a robot shop to the conventional type of
shopping where there's human contact. 32. ____ Machines do not take lunch breaks; they hardly ever make mistakes
and they are never rude to customers. Isn't this the sort of efficiency people want from a shop these days?
Vocabulary
revolutionary -> completely different from what was done before
concept -> an idea
prototype -> an early example
conventional -> traditional and ordinary
console -> central control panel
key in -> to enter (numbers or information)
hatch -> an opening
cautious -> taking care to avoid risks or danger
A. Not least of which are concerns about mechanical failure, especially when they occur in the middle of the
night.
B. The first thing you notice are the two large display windows which are absolutely packed with goods.
C. The real question is whether, over the threemonth testing period, enough people will overcome their doubts
and start shopping here in significant numbers.
D. For security reasons, you have to do this before the robot arm starts gathering your goods.
E. Many shops like these only survive because they stay open late, or even around the clock in some cases.
F. Experience with similar mechanised service equipment, such as cash dispensers, suggest that there are
considerable advantages for both customers and shop owners.
G. The challenge is to create a piece of machinery which will be delicate enough to pick up eggs but at the
same time strong enough to pick up bottles of mineral water and baked-bean cans.
H. Robotic shopping experience is gaining popularity.
Practice 23
You are going to read an article about how we can stop eating foods that are bad for us. Six sentences
CAN WE STOP FOOD CRAVINGS THROUGH IMAGINARY EATING?

Are you fighting an urge to reach for some chocolate right now? Then, let it melt in your mind, not in your mouth.
According to recent research, imagining eating a specific food reduces your interest in that food, so you eat less of it.
This reaction to repeated exposure to food — being less interested something because yo ve experienced it too
much — is called habituation and it’s well known to occur while eating. 27. ____
But the new research is the first to show that habituation can occur solely via the power of the mind.’28. ____ This
research suggests that may not be the best strategy,’ said study leader Carey Morewedge, psychologist at Carnegie
Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
‘If you just think about the food itself — how it tastes, smells, and looks — that will increase your appetite,’ he
continued. ‘This research suggests that it might be better, actually, to force yourself to repeatedly think about tasting,
swallowing and chewing the food you want in order to reduce your cravings. What’s more, the technique only works with
the specific food you’ve imagined,’ he added. 29. ____
Morewedge and his colleagues conducted five experiments, all of which revealed that people who repeatedly
imagined eating bread or cream would eat less of that food than people who pictured themselves eating the food fewer
times, eating a different food, or not eating at all. In one experiment, for instance, 51 subjects were divided into three
groups. One group was asked to imagine inserting 30 coins into a laundry washing machine and then eating three
chocolates. 30.____ Another group was asked to imagine inserting three coins into a laundry machine and then eating
30 chocolates. Lastly, a control group imagined just inserting 33 coins into the machine — with no chocolates.
All participants then ate freely from bowls containing the same amount of chocolate each. 31. ____ The results
showed that the group that had imagined eating 30 chocolates each ate fewer of the chocolates than both the control
group and the group that imagined eating three chocolates.
The study is part of a new area of research looking into the triggers that make us eat more than we actually need,
Morewedge noted.32. ____ Recent research suggests that psychological factors, such as habituation or the size of a
plate, also influence how much a person eats. The new study, Morewedge said, may lead to new behavioural
techniques for people looking to eat more healthily, or exert control over other habits.
Vocabulary
exposure -> being in a situation where you can experience something
solely -> just, simply
strategy -> a plan or method for achieving something
insert -> to put into (e.g. a coin into a machine)
A. A lot of people who want to stop eating certain food that they know are bad for them try to avoid thinking
about the food they really want.
B. When they said they had finished, these were taken away and weighed.
C. A tenth bite, for example, is desired less than the first bite, according to the study authors.
D. Indeed, this is what most of us think when faced with foods we really like, but think we shouldn’t eat.
E. For instance, visualizing yourself eating chocolate wouldn’t prevent you from eating lots of cheese.
F. Physical, digestive cues — that full stomach feeling — are only part of what tells us that we’ve finished a
meal.
G. This requires the same motor skills as eating small chocolates from a packet, the study says.
H. The study was deemed to be a failure.
Practice 24
You are going to read an article about prehistoric cave art in France. Six sentences have been removed
VISITING PREHISTORIC CAVE ART IN FRANCE

At some point in remote prehistory, roughly 12,000 years ago, a group of men and women — no more than half
a dozen, scientists believe — crawled into the narrow complex of tunnels of Rouffignac cavern in the Vézére valley, in
the Dordogne region of France. Once in its deepest recess, they lay on their backs and, in flickering candlelight, started
painting on the rock ceiling less than a metre above them. More than 60 images of mammoths, horses and ibex were
outlined, each animal depicted in simple, confident lines that reveal startling artistic talent.
This is now known as the Great Ceiling of Rouffignac, one of the world’s oldest and most beautiful art galleries. We
have few clues as to who created it, though it was probably the work of the Cro-Magnons, the first members of Homo
sapiens to settle in Europe 45,000 years ago and survivors of the Ice Age that later gripped the continent. 27. ____
Fortunately, though, it can be reached far more easily today. A tiny electric train runs from Rouffignac’s entrance to the
Great Ceiling, the floor of which has been lowered to allow visitors to gaze up at its wonders.
The cavern train carries you past pictures of woolly rhinos, superbly rendered in black, and engravings of
mammoths, carved into the soft walls by artists with their fingers. The cavern is also peppered with holes scratched by
hibernating bears. 28. ____ It is a stunning experience, one of many to be found in this remarkable area.
In the 25 km of the Vézére valley between the town of Montignac and the village of Les Eyzies there are 15
caves — including Rouffignac, Lascaux and others — which have been rated Unesco World Heritage sites because of
their prehistoric art. The original Lascaux cave, outside Les Eyzies, was discovered in September 1940 and contains
more than 600 prehistoric coloured paintings. 29. ____
Thousands flocked to see them, triggering changes to the cave’s atmosphere that boosted the growth of algae and
crystals on the artwork on its walls. In 1963 the cave was closed to the public and 20 years later an exact replica,
Lascaux II, was opened. 30. _____ Visitors can also see the hollowed stones they used as candle holders.
To judge from the bones they left there, our ancestors camped at cave entrances and enjoyed diets mainly made
up of reindeer meat. 31. ____ The artists concentrated instead on the more majestic animals — mammoths and woolly
rhinos — that then populated the Dordogne. These painters fully understood perspective and exploited rock bulges and
crevices to create works of art that would have shifted and shimmered in the flickering lamps they carried.
The reason why they were created is obscure, however. Some scientists believe they may have had a spiritual
significance for the people who created them and their communities. 32. _____ These works were created by full-time
artists who would have required food, clothing and shelter from other community members in order to carry out their
work. Visiting the end results, buried in these deep caverns, is an unforgettable experience — and a privilege.
Vocabulary
remote -> distant
roughly -> approximately
recess -> a hollowed out space in a wall
flickering -> (light or flame) not burning evenly, or going on and off
mammoth -> a large, extinct woolly elephant with tusks
ibex -> a mountain goat with long curved horns
depict -> to represent in a picture
startling -> very surprising
grip -> to have power or control over something
gaze -> to look at something or someone for a long time in amazement
render -> to represent, draw
woolly rhino -> an extinct type of rhinoceros with a long woolly coat
A. However, the trip’s highlight is the Great Ceiling.

B. This explains not only their artistic skills but their considerable knowledge of animal behaviour and
anatomy.
C. Whatever the case, it is clear that by this stage in our evolution art was now of critical importance to our
species.
D. Nor do we know why these artists picked such an inaccessible spot to display their genius.
E. In addition to its vivid modern reproductions, there are displays of the original artist’ tools.
F. Deep inside these caves, however, their minds moved to different matters.
G. Many of these are of horses, deer and mammoths.
H. The mysteries of cave art in the Dordogne region has however, begun to attract less attention.
Practice 25
You are going to read an article about chimpanzees and team work. Six sentences have been removed
CHIMPS CAN BE TEAM PLAYERS, TOO!

Providing help, without any benefit to yourself, is called altruism, and some scientists have proposed that it is a
uniquely human behaviour. But two recent studies suggest that chimps may also lend a hand in human-like ways.
In the first study, researchers looked at altruistic behaviour in both 18-month-old human infants and young
chimpanzees. Various scenes were acted out for the young in which an unknown adult had trouble achieving a goal. 27.
_____ Ten different situations were presented to 24 infants and three chimpanzees raised by humans.
The results showed that almost all of the children helped at least once and did so almost immediately. 28. ____
They helped in all five tasks involving reaching, but not in more complex situations, like those involving physical
obstacles.
The researchers believe both children and chimps are willing to help but that they differ in their abilities to interpret
when help is needed. It has been claimed chimpanzees act mainly for their own ends, but in the experiment, there was
no reward, and they still helped. Anne Pusey, director of a university research centre which studies primates, says that
helping depends on environment.’ 29. ____ As an example, she points to a study that showed chimpanzee mothers did
not assist their infants in learning how to catch insects called termites, which chimps like to eat. ‘You would think that
mothers watching their kids failing to get termites out of a mound might do this, but in fact they did not,’ she said.
Chimps raised by humans are considered by some to be behaviorally different from those which aren’t, Pusey said.
This might explain why the study’s chimps offered help.
In a second study, researchers found that chimpanzees recognised when collaboration was necessary and chose
effective partners. The researchers had never seen this level of understanding during cooperation in any other animal
except humans. In the experiment, which took place at a chimpanzee sanctuary in Africa, two chimps had to pull a rope
at the same time in order to drag a tray of food toward them. The researchers found that the chimpanzees only let a
partner into the room, by opening a door, when the rope ends were too far apart to pull on their own. 30. _____
Just like people, some chimps were better cooperators than others. For example, a dominant chimpanzee,
named Mawa, was impatient and missed opportunities to get the food. But another, named Bwambale, was a team
player and was almost always successful. 31. _____ But once they learned what a hopeless cooperator Mawa was,
most chimps chose Bwambale in the next trial. The researchers concluded that clearly chimps could remember who
was a good and who was a bad collaborator. Bad collaborators suffer by not being chosen next time.
The researchers also pointed out that there is no evidence that chimpanzees communicate with each other about
a common goal like children do. 32. ____ The studies just suggest that when chimpanzees cooperate, they understand
a bit more than was previously thought. Hopefully, future studies can show us what it is that makes human cooperation
so unique.
Vocabulary
lend a hand -> to help
obstacle -> something that makes it hard for you to do something, or an object that you must move or go
around in order to move forward
collaboration -> the process of working together with others to achieve something
sanctuary -> a special area where animals live in a natural environment where they are protected from
people or danger
A. Neither can they learn how good a partner is by watching him or her interact with others.
B. Not only did they know when they needed help, but they went out to get it.
C. The chimps demonstrated similar, though less strong, motivation.
D. This was a characteristic that wasn’t even displayed by the humans involved in the study.
E. At first the other chimps in the study chose them equally for help.
F. These included things like stretching to get an object or stacking books.
G. For example, in the wild, related chimps rarely help one another.
H. Oranges are said to be chimps’ favourite snack.
Practice 26
You are going to read an article about runners who also write blogs and post them on the internet. Six
DON’T JUST RUN….GET RUNNING AND BLOGGING!

I finished a marathon last month and set an 18-minute personal best. Before I’d written a text to my sister or
friends who had asked me to let them know how I’d got on, I sent a message to around 2,000 people that I’ve never
met.
Straightaway, the congratulatory replies came flooding in from all over the world; from people who understood
what my achievement meant in terms of hard work, early nights and even earlier morning runs — people who had
followed my progress through my blog and had offered encouragement and support. 27. ____ The reply from my
sister: ’Well done. That’s good, right?’
I’ve kept a running blog for as long as I’ve been a runner — around five years — and I’m not the only one. There
are thousands of running bloggers or blogging runners across the UK. Runners of all levels. Some people, like me,
write for a living. 28. ____ We’re all sending out regular updates on our training and racing.
Non-runners struggle to comprehend why anyone would willingly head out on a cold, wet Sunday morning to run
around for hours on end. 29. ____ Why would anyone be interested in what you have to say? You’re hardly a world-
famous runner. Who cares how far you ran yesterday? Stop all the bragging.
Of course, there’s money to be made from blogging; there’s free stuff too, that brands will dish out to popular
bloggers in the hope of a favourable review. 30. ____ What we want to do is to connect with people like ourselves,
get inspired by those who are a bit faster and share what we’re doing.
With a friend I met through blogging, I recently hosted a conference for running bloggers. Write This Run saw 50
running bloggers come together in London to talk about running and blogging. We had a panel of expert speakers
including an Olympic marathon runner and an ultramarathon multi-world record holder, as well as a bag full of free stuff
for them all. 31._____
Running and blogging can be solitary pursuits. 42. ____ As one of our guests put it: ‘It was a bit of a surreal
experience — as if some of your favourite storybook characters had suddenly come to life and were in the same room
as you! All these people whose faces I knew, whose running journeys I was familiar with, whose lives I caught glimpses
of on a daily basis, there, in the flesh, in “3D”.
I believe one of the greatest things the internet can do for us is bring us together. To connect us with other people
who like what we like, to share knowledge and experience. And though the connections and friendships we make online
are no less valid because they haven’t been made in person — when they are taken offline and into the real world it
takes them to another level.
Vocabulary
novice -> someone who is just beginning to learn a skill or subject
best -> highest achievement
blog -> regular comment article, written online
comprehend -> to understand
head out -> to set off
brag -> to boast, to proudly tell people what you have done
brand -> the official identity of a company
dish out -> give
host -> to organise (an event) and/or invite people (to an event)
A. But for all the bloggers I’ve met, the motivation for reading and writing blogs is simple.
B. Others barely do so at all except for their blog.
C. But what mattered most to everyone was the coming together.
D. That’s obvious, because new runners take comfort in the fact that other people have struggled too.
E. Not because I’m an elite runner, but because I’m just like them.
F. So we invited bloggers across the UK to come out from behind their keyboards and meet up in real life.
G. Similarly, it’s difficult for people who don’t read or write running blogs to see the appeal.
H. However, blogging requires time and effort.
Practice 27
You are going to read an article about a bird called the Great Snipe. Six sentences have been removed
THE WORLD’S FASTEST BIRD?

In a recent study, scientists discovered that the Great Snipe can complete a transcontinental flight across Europe,
from Sweden to sub-Saharan Africa, in as little as two days without resting. 27. _____ To track the birds, biologists
captured and tagged ten Great Snipes with geo-locators — a small device which would record the birds’ geographical
location — at their breeding grounds in western Sweden. Tracking data for three of the birds was retrieved after their
recapture in Sweden a year later.
At first glance, Great Snipes don’t look especially speedy or well equipped for such a difficult journey.28. _____ But
it’s these plentiful fat reserves that allow the birds to fly such long distances without stopping, said study leader and
biologist Raymond Klaassen. ’The birds almost double their body weight before the flight,’ Klaassen said. ‘But all this
will be burned during the flight, and they will arrive thin and exhausted in Africa.’
It’s a rare bird that can fly both far and fast. For example, the Arctic Tern clocks up as many as 80,000 kilometres
during its yearly migration from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back again. 29. _____ At the other end of the scale,
Peregrine Falcons can reach speeds of up to 322 kilometres an hour — but only in short bursts to catch prey. The only
other bird that comes close to matching the Great Snipe’s abilities is the Godwit, a wading bird (a bird that walks in
water to find food). Scientists have recorded these birds flying more than 11,500 kilometres, on their route from Alaska
to New Zealand, in nine days at an average speed of about 56 kilometres an hour.
’One difference between the Godwits and the Snipes is that the Godwits travel over the ocean, and thus have no
opportunity to stop,’ Klaassen said. 30. _____ By contrast, Snipes have several rest-stop options during their autumn
migration to Africa but choose not to take advantage of them. The reasons for this are unclear, especially since the
birds make several stops during their return flights to Sweden in the spring.
As with other migratory birds that fly long distances, it’s unclear how Great Snipes can apparently fly for such long
periods with little or no sleep. 31. ____ We now believe that half of their brain sleeps at a time,
alternating between the left and the right side. Or they do not sleep at all, but this seems impossible regarding the
importance of sleep in general,’ said Klaassen.
Klaassen said that so little is known about bird-migration strategies that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Great
Snipe’s record is broken soon. ’Generally, we know rather little about the performances of different species, as many
have not yet been tracked,’ he said. ’I foresee many surprises in the near future. 32. ____ The field of bird migration is
currently going through a revolution, and these are certainly very exciting times for us.’
Vocabulary
transcontinental -> across continents tag (v) to label
breeding ground -> the place where animals breed (reproduce, have young)
retrieve -> to collect
clock up -> to achieve, record or register
migration -> the process when an animal or bird moves to another place, usually seasonally
A. This is one of the unsolved mysteries of long-distance flights.

B. Indeed, the world’s longest migration is two times longer than this.
C. The birds travelled up to 6,760 kilometres at an average speed of 97 kilometres an hour.
D. However, the bird spreads the flight out over several months and stops to fish along the way.
E. That’s because their bodies are small and chubby, not aerodynamic, and in the autumn the birds become
rather well rounded.
F. For this reason, their amazing flights are not their choice.
G. Without doubt, these will be due to the recent development of tiny recording devices.
H. It is however, debatable that Great Snipes is the world’s fastest bird.
Practice 28
You are going to read an article about someone who made their own bicycle out of bamboo. Six sentences
MAKING MY OWN BICYCLE – OUT OF BAMBOO!

It was 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning and I was standing in a freezing cold warehouse in London. By the end of the
weekend, I was meant to have turned some bamboo into a bicycle frame. I was at the Bamboo Bicycle Club, founded
by friends James Marr and Ian McMillan, ready for my bamboo bike building course.
Preparations for the workshop had begun the week before, with a discussion about what style of bike I wanted to
build. 27. _____ That’s why I’d opted for a frame that contrasted with the stiff geometry of my existing one.
When I arrived at the workshop, the precise list of body measurements requested from me had already been
transferred onto a personalised diagram of my frame. 28. ____
The first step was setting up the jig - the structure used to hold the frame in place - then to select the bamboo.
Things I was told to watch out for were cracked pieces and pieces that were too thin. Of course, finding pieces that were
the colour I wanted was just as important. 29. ____ James and Ian are strong believers in making your bike look exactly
how you want. "But don't get too attached to your pieces,' James warned, as we raised our saws. The fibres on the
outer layer of bamboo have a tendency to flake off, weakening it so much it can't be used.
The rest of the afternoon was spent fixing each piece of the frame into the jig, slotting in the bottom bracket. seat
tube and handlebar tube. The particular qualities of bamboo as a construction material means unexpected adjustments
can suddenly become necessary. At one point a problem lining up my two chain stays (the narrow tubes running
alongside the back wheel) threatened to make my frame useless. 30. ____ There was just enough space to fit a wheel.
Besides, most things can be fixed by a spot of whittling with a special craft knife. 31. ____ Spare pieces are turned
into pen pots, bike racks and stands for MP3 players. It seems bikes are not the only thing you can make out of
bamboo.
On Sunday morning we returned to the workshop bright and early to complete the final process; binding. After a
shaky start, we began to tightly wrap each joint on the frame with natural fibres soaked in a special glue. After two
layers, the binding was wrapped tightly with electrical tape to keep it firm and ensure a smooth finish.32. ____ In a few
hours I would be an official member of the bamboo bicycle club.
While we waited, I took the opportunity to test ride Ian's bike to find out what it was really like to ride a bamboo bike.
It felt just as capable as any bike, but softer, more relaxed. I rode past a group of people who looked surprised, but in a
pleasant way. 'Every time I get on my bike I can't help smiling,’ said James. ‘It reminds me of when I built it.’
Vocabulary
bamboo -> a tall tropical plant that has hard, hollow stems that are used for making furniture, poles, etc
warehouse -> a large building used for storage
stiff -> rigid, unbending
saw -> a tool used for cutting wood or metal
flake off -> to break off gradually in thin pieces
slot in -> to fit something into a long narrow hole
bracket -> L-shaped strong structure used to hold things in place
line up -> to move objects to make them fit correctly
whittle -> to cut a piece of wood into a smaller size by gradually removing very small pieces
cruise around -> travel around for pleasure
speckled -> spotted
A. Luckily, however, after some careful checks, Ian confirmed that it was alright.
B. This was the plan that I would follow.
C. If all else fails you simply have to cut off another length.
D. I can proudly say I managed to do it even more effectively.
E. Personally, I felt that any bicycle made out of organic matter should be a relaxed one, something to cruise
around on rather than race.
F. Some people like the frame to be consistent, others like a mix of light, dark or speckled.
G. All that was left now was for it to dry.
H. Sadly, this experiment was a failure.
Practice 29
You are going to read an article about how body language can be the same all over the world. Six
BLIND OLYMPIC ATHLETES SHOW THE UNIVERSAL NATURE OF BODY

LANGUAGE
Tune into any sports coverage on TV and you will see many an athlete proudly raise their arms and head in
victory, while a much larger number hang their shoulders and necks in defeat. We’ve all shown the same body
language ourselves and studies have revealed why — they are innate and universal behaviours, performed by
humans all over the world in response to success and failure.
The discovery came from Jessica Tracy from the Universit y of British Columbia and David Matsumoto from San
Francisco State University, who wanted to see how people across different cultures expressed feelings of pride and
shame. 27. ____
But how to find out? We humans are very good at picking up behaviours from each other, which makes it very
hard for a researcher to tell if an action is learned or innate. 28. ____ And it was critically important that some of these
subjects had never seen other people reacting to success or failure before — if they had, it would be impossible to
confirm if the actions are inborn. Where could such a group of people be found?
The answer was Athens, during the 2004 Olympics Games. Its sister competition – the Paralympics – included
many athletes who were born blind. 29. _____ Working with a professional photographer (who wasn’t briefed on the
experiment’s goals), Tracy and Matsumoto compared the body language of 108 judo competitors, 41 of whom had lost
their sight, and 12 of whom were blind from birth. The Olympics being an international tournament, the fighters hailed
from 37 nations across the world, from North Korea to Algeria to the United States.
The photographer repeatedly snapped the athletes after their competitions, and the researchers painstakingly
recorded the positions of their head, arms and bodies. 30. ____ The winners tilted their heads up, smiled, lifted their
arms, clenched their fists and puffed out their chests, while slumped shoulders and carro›n‹ed chests were the
hallmarks of losers.
The results provide strong evidence that these actions are indeed inborn. 31. ____ And while it’s possible that
parents may have taught their blind children some of these behaviours (like raising their hands over their heads during
play), it’s very unlikely that they could have imparted the full set in this way, particularly the expansion or narrowing of
the chest.
The stances were also remarkably consistent between men and women, and between contestants from every part
of the world. 32. ____ These results showed that behaviours associated with shame and pride are universal, and Tracy
and Matsumoto argue that these emotions deserve a place alongside other primary emotions, such as happiness, fear,
anger, surprise, sadness and disgust. Like these other sentiments, pride and shame are innate behaviours that
transcend human cultures and are accompanied by their own distinct sets of actions.
Vocabulary
innate -> born within us
shame -> a feeling of embarrassment or guilt that you have when you have behaved badly
critically -> very
inborn -> born within us hail from (phr)
come from snap -> to take a photo
painstakingly -> slowly and with great care
tilt -> to lift upwards
clench -> to tighten the muscles in a part of the body
puff out -> to push up and outwards
hallmark -> a typical sign
expansion -> increase in size
primary -> main, most important
sentiment -> a feeling
instinctive -> natural feeling
determined -> decided by
A. Therefore, they could not possibly have witnessed how their peers reacted to winning and losing.
B. In particular, they wanted to know whether these expressions were instinctive, or whether they were
culturally determined and learned through observation.
C. After analysing this data, they found that the sighted and sightless athletes behaved in almost exactly the
same ways.
D. In fact, the athletes’ culture was found to have only a very small effect on their body language.
E. That strongly suggests that the sighted fighters were demonstrating their pride in accordance with their
national values.
F. Men and women who have never seen other people behave in these ways still make exactly the same
movements.
G. What Tracy and Matsumoto needed was a large group of people from all over the world, whom they could
watch as they experienced success and failure
H. But the question remains, do people demonstrate pride the same way in all parts of the world?
Practice 30
You are going to read an article about how the Dutch raise their children. Six sentences have been
IS IT TIME WE WENT DUTCH?

Two toddlers have just chased each other to the top of a climbing frame and are pushing to get down the slide first.
Their mothers are chatting on a nearby park bench. In the distance a little boy wobbles along on his bike, followed by
his grandfather who is pushing a buggy. A gang of older children comes racing along the bike path, laughing and joking.
They overtake a young mum who is cycling more slowly, balancing a baby in a seat on the front of her bike and a
toddler on the back. A group of girls is playing on the grass and not far away, some boys are perfecting their
skateboarding moves. And none of the school-age children is accompanied by an adult.
This happy scene isn't from a movie. It's just a normal Springtime afternoon in the Netherlands. Is it too perfect?
Realistic? Idealistic? 27. ____ Their teenagers are said to be among the happiest in the world and even newborn
babies are supposed to be far more contented and smiling than their counterparts in different countries. Of course, the
big question is why? And can Dutch parenting skills, the education system and their general priorities in life teach the
rest of us anything important?
One significant factor could be the Dutch parents' attitude towards achievement. For them achievement doesn't
necessarily lead to happiness, but happiness can lead to achievement. Success starts with happiness. They do not
push their kids to learn quickly; the children are allowed to develop in their own time. 28. _____ Primary school children
are not given homework, and reading and writing skills are not usually taught until the age of six. Learning to play
together is of first importance. Carefree childhood lasts just that bit longer.
Security is vital for a happy child, and the Dutch try to forge strong family bonds. For example, it's traditional for the
whole family to eat breakfast together every single day. Dutch dads also play a big part in bringing up the children,
taking an equal role in child-rearing and doing household chores. 29. ____ You're just as likely to see a dad pushing a
pram or wearing a baby-carrier as a mum!
Another interesting point is that independence in Dutch children is encouraged early on. 30. ____ They are taught
to be self-sufficient and accept responsibility at an appropriate age. Playing outside unsupervised (often considered
noisy and disruptive in other cultures) is seen as an important stage in the growing up process.
One common cause of dissatisfaction in many people today is an obsession with material things. 31. ____ For the
Dutch, practicality usually tops luxury and children often grow up wearing second-hand clothes and playing with used
toys. Check out King's Day celebrations in Amsterdam - a major attraction is the enormous second-hand market where
children become traders for the day, buying and selling old toys!
Of course, many countries claim to be 'the happiest places to live' or 'have the most contented people' for a variety
of reasons. 32. ____ However, in the end, most happyVocabulary
adults start off as happy children. And while there may be some
things about Dutch parenting or education that we do not completely agree with, they are undoubtedly doing something
right!
Toddler -> a young child, especially one who is learning or has recently learned to walk
Idealistic -> believing that very good things can be achieved, often when this does not seem likely to other
people
Content -> pleased with your situation and not hoping for change or improvement
Significant -> important or noticeable
Forge -> to make an illegal copy of something in order to deceive
Practicality -> quality of being suitable for a particular occasion or use
A. Unusually, Dutch children do not appear to be overly affected by this concern.

B. This is reinforced by the Dutch education system.
C. Instead of this, the Dutch believe in inspiring children to explore the world around them.
D. Mums don't do for their children things they are capable of doing themselves.
E. Perhaps the climate is good or maybe the standard of living is exceptional.
F. According to surveys it reflects the claim that the Netherlands is a very happy nation.
G. They look after their kids on their days off and help put the little ones to bed.
H. It has been said that the Dutch education system is superior to the Asian education system.
Practice 31
You are going to read an article about the history of the color black. Six sentences have been removed
BACK TO BLACK
'Why do you always wear black?' I've remembered this opening line from Chekhov's The Seagull since I first read it
at college. This is because the question could have been directed at me. My obsession with black cl6thes at that time
annoyed my parents enormously. However, I must say that, in spite of being rebellious and often a little melodramatic, I
never replied as Masha did in The Seagull: 'I am in mourning for my life', although at times I may have thought it!
These days I still often wear black but for many different reasons. 27. ___ Black can do all these things. But what
intrigues me is how this colour moved from representing grief or rebellion to becoming the must-have fashion colour in
today's world. At a time when trends and colours come and go, black is a constant, it is always 'in'. But why? I think the
answer lies in the unique power of the colour itself and its many associations. Black always tells others something
important about who wears it, far more than any other colour.
Many people, like Masha in The Seagull, associate black with mourning. Looking back in history we can see quite
clearly that since Greek and Roman times black clothing has been a symbol of grief and sorrow. 28. ___ In Victorian
England, widows were forced to dress in black for years. And the Romantic poets in the 19th century, including Byron,
Shelley and Keats, adopted the colour as a symbol of isolation, sadness and mystery.
But, through the centuries black has also had other associations. One of these is with protest, standing against
what people thought was wrong. Johnny Cash, the legendary country singer, famously wore black to remind people of
the injustices he saw in society. Linked to this is the association of black with rebellion. Groups who want to show their
distance from the rules and opinions of normal society often choose black as their go-to colour. My grandmother
remembers the beatniks in the 1950s who wore black jumpers, berets and thick black-rimmed glasses. 29. ___ And
who could imagine a biker riding a Harley Davidson wearing a yellow leather jacket?
But it's when we look at fashion trends that we can see black's biggest moment. In Victorian times black was the
uniform for servants and shop assistants, but in 1926 the influential fashion magazine, Vogue, had a dress by designer
Coco Chanel on its cover. Referred to as the 'Little Black Dress', it immediately changed the face of fashion. It was
simple, practical and elegant. 30. ___ In an instant the LBD (a term which gained a place in the Oxford English
Dictionary in 2010) moved black from the shadows to centre stage. where it has remained ever since.
And it continues to dominate. 31. ___ Retailers clearly want to use the flexibility and timelessness of black to reach
a wide market. In terms of fashion, black suits all age groups, all skin types and can be worn for nearly any occasion.
No surprise that clothing retailers are profiting from this.
So, whether black Is worn to look attractive or efficient, to show sadness or sophistication, to be rebellious or appear
important, it is a uniquely powerful colour. 32. __ It isVocabulary
there for those occasions when we either want to fit in or stand out
from the crowd. Black will always be 'the new black'.
Rebellious -> If someone is rebellious, they are difficult to control and do not behave in the way that is
expected
Intrigue -> to interest someone a lot, especially by being strange, unusual, or mysterious
Associate -> to connect someone or something in your mind with someone or something else
Grief -> very great sadness, especially at the death of someone
Influential -> having the power to have an effect on people or things
Dominate -> to have control over a place or person
Retailer -> a person, shop, or business that sells goods to the public
Sophistication -> having a good understanding of the way people behave and/or a good knowledge of
culture and fashion
A. In addition to this it was both flattering and affordable.

B. In many countries people wore, and still wear it to funerals.
C. This was because a new high-quality black dye became available.
D. For instance, at formal parties I might want to look elegant and sophisticated, or when meeting clients and in
work meetings to give an efficient, serious and business-like impression.
E. We may not all be 'in mourning for our lives,' like Masha in The Seagull, but there is a strong probability that
there is something black and timeless in all our wardrobes.
F. Recent reports of online clothes sales show that the purchasing of black items has gone up considerably in
the last decade.
G. Another example would be, of course, the Goths., whose obsession with black goes beyond clothes to eye
make-up, hair and lipstick.
H. Black is slowly losing popularity among millennials.
Practice 32
You are going to read an article about film-making. Six sentences have been removed from the article.
not need to use.
HOW DID THEY DO THAT?

It's impossible, isn't it? An actor fluently speaking nine languages in a new film? OK. Maybe 'unlikely' is the word.
And yes, surprise, surprise, he isn't actually speaking those languages, it's yet another clever technique developed for
video using Al. It makes us believe the impossible.
What is really impossible is trying to keep up with the latest technological advances that affect our viewing
experiences. Special effects have come a very long way since the 'stop trick' which was first used in 1895 when filming
Mary Queen of Scots. The director came up with the idea of stopping the cameras just before the execution and
substituting a dummy. (I'm sure the actor was relieved!) In those early days the effects were all created physically, with
make-up, different backgrounds, models and trick photography. 27. ____ 'How did they do that?' they asked. The
question the film companies want us to keep asking.
Then digital got involved. Performance capture (performance what?) dazzled cinemagoers with films like The Polar
Express (2004), where magically, it seemed Tom Hanks' expressions and movements were superimposed on an
animated character. 28. _____ Performance capture is the combination of acting with computer animation and gives us
remarkably human characters in an animated world. Think of the animals and birds in The Lion King. Some think that
the creations are now almost too realistic to be called animations any longer.
In addition to this, high-tech fakery can allow real characters to do any actions they want. 29. _____ What allows
this magic to happen is 'green screen'. This is where actors perform in front of a vividly-bright green background which
can later be replaced digitally by almost anything from battle scenes to the interiors of exploding planets! The only
limitation is the director's imagination.
And it is not only the technology that is changing and advancing. It is also the skills of the actors involved. Gone are
the days when film actors used costume, make-up and interaction with other actors to create a believable character. 30.
____ Or for performance capture, an actor could be dressed in a skin-tight lycra suit with strange tiny balls stuck all over
it to record individual muscle movements. He will again be depending on his imagination, this time perhaps to
remember, for example, to touch the brim of an imaginary hat.
31. ____ This uses 'face manipulation' technology to match lip movements with words so that we're convinced that
the person is speaking. It is awesome in the real sense of the word and its potential for dubbing foreign language films
is enormous. Remember that awkward mismatching of lips and sounds? Soon to be long gone.
But what next? I'm writing this in the present tense, but I know full well that what I record as revolutionary and new
will soon become outdated. 32. ____ Will we ever stop asking 'How did they do that?' Or maybe there will be an
unexpected plot twist and we'll turn our backs on technology and return to the early days of film. What do you think?
Vocabulary
Fluently - > If you speak a language or read fluently, you speak or read easily, well, and quickly
Execution -> the act of doing or performing something, especially in a planned way
Dummy -> a large model of a human, especially one used to show clothes in a shop
Awkward -> difficult to use, do, or deal with
Dazzled -> If you are dazzled by someone or something, you think they are extremely good and exciting
Superimposed -> to put especially a picture, words, etc. on top of something else, especially another
picture, words, etc., so that what is in the lower position can still be seen, heard
Dubbing -> to change the sounds and speech on a film or television programme, especially to a different
language
Outdated -> old-fashioned and therefore not as good or as fashionable as something modern
Brim -> the bottom part of a hat that sticks out
Revolutionary -> a revolutionary product, process, or idea is new and exciting and not like anything that has
existed or been done before
A. For example, they can fly, ride on performance captured monsters or interact with giants in any location
imaginable.
B. In other words, there will be newer and more incredible ways to make the impossible possible.
C. Gollum, in Lord of the Rings (2001) is another unforgettable creation - a faded, slimy creature that uses
Andy Serkis' gestures and stares with the actor's haunting eyes.
D. Frustratingly for many, today they may be alone in front of a green screen interacting with people or
creatures in a location that is all completely imaginary.
E. Audiences gasped as fires raged through office blocks or tsunamis towered over towns and people.
F. They are often badly produced and intelligent cinemagoers become bored very quickly.
G. So, we come back to the revolutionary technique that allows the actor to do the impossible and talk in nine
languages.
H. Using green screen to create special effects wasn’t common until 2006.
Practice 33
You are going to read an article about making jokes. Six sentences have been removed from the article.
not need to use.
HERE’S ONE THAT YOU HAVEN’T HEARD…

The search involved travel abroad, a website, 40,000 printable jokes, more than two million ratings from 70
countries, a year's exhaustive breakdown of humour by age, sex and nationality, 5 and a brain scan of someone
listening to jokes.
Laughlab, an experiment set up more than a year ago, established that the British, Irish, New Zealanders and
Australians prefer a play on words and that the French, Danes and Belgians have a taste for the surreal. 27. ___ The
Germans apparently have the broadest sense of humour - if only because they have no national preference, and
therefore find almost anything funny.
'It has been a fascinating year,' said Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire, and
founder of Laughlab; 'But if I hear one more joke I'm going to punch someone. It has been like being trapped in the back
of a taxi with a driver who constantly says, 'Here's one that you have never heard. 28. ____ The study reached a climax
yesterday when a PhD student, dressed as a giant chicken, unveiled the world's funniest joke before the cameras in
Covent Garden, London. The winning joke was the product of international selection including ratings by website
visitors. 29. ____ This joke, according to Dr Wiseman, appealed to all. It also contained the three elements that were
found central to humour: a sense of superiority, an unexpected response, and a sad feeling of mortality. The joke was
this:
A couple of New Jersey hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be breathing, his
eyes are rolled back in his head. The other guy calls the emergency services. He gasps to the operator: 'My friend is dead! What
can I do?' The operator says: 'Just take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead.' The guy's voice comes back on the
line. He says: 'OK, now what?
Dr Gosall had liked the joke for years. He said: 'It makes people feel better ... reminds you that there's always
someone out there doing something more stupid than you.' It was one of a series of jokes read to a volunteer who was
being given a brain scan. With each joke, a specific area at the front of the volunteer's brain lit up. 30. ____ 'It fits in with
other research, because if people have damage to that part of the brain, then they lose their sense of humour,' Dr
Wiseman said.
There were other discoveries. In a study of British regional variation, the Welsh were the keenest on jokes in general,
and the Scots were the least keen. One joke - 'What's brown and sticky? A stick' – was submitted 300 times, and
nobody ever found it funny. Dr Wiseman also read out Laughlab's candidate for worst joke: ‘Knock knock’. ‘Who’s
there?’ ‘Boo’. ‘Boo who?’ ‘Don’t cry’.
The Laugh Lab computers counted the number of words in every joke that people submitted. 31. _____ Interestingly,
the winning ‘hunters’ joke is 102 words long – almost the perfect length for a joke! Many of the jokes submitted
contained references to animals. The researchers foundVocabulary
that jokes mentioning ducks were seen as funnier than other
jokes. 32. ____ Regardless, the implication is clear - if you are going to tell a joke involving an animal, make it a duck.
The Laughlab computers also recorded the date and time that each person from the UK rated the jokes in Laughlab.
Careful analysis of the data revealed that people found the jokes funniest on the 7 th October at 6.03 in the evening.
Exhaustive -> complete and including everything
Breakdown -> a division of something into smaller parts
Sense of humour -> ability to understand funny things
Mortality -> the way that people do not live forever
References -> a mention of something
Implication -> the effect that an action or decision will have on something else in the future
A. According to the data, jokes containing 103 are the funniest.

B. There was also a reaction in an area linked to memory, showing recognition of an old joke.
C. Some people are annoyed by overused jokes.
D. But only the best jokes from each country were included in the survey.
E. Quite frankly, I've had enough.
F. It was posted by Gurpal Gosall, a 31- year-old psychiatrist from Manchester.
G. Perhaps it's because of their beaks. or webbed feet, or odd shape.
H. Americans and Canadians, on the other hand, chuckle at jokes showing one group's superiority over
another.
Practice 34
You are going to read an article about the process artists go through when they compose songs. Six
WHEN THE MUSIC TAKES YOU

NS: Can you describe the process you go through when you write songs?
Alex: There are 2 very different stages. There is an initial creative stage where it all comes out. It feels a bit like the first
time you ride a bicycle or drive a car. 27. ____ You end up with this big sprawling mess of an idea. And then you
have that other process which is a lot more controlled, where you get rid of all the parts that are irrelevant. During
the first process, you’re not really considering what you’re doing, you’re just doing it. The actual writing of a song
is
fairly easy. But the second process is very ruthless and quite cold because you have to cut away things that
you’re
attached to.
NS: Do you write better in certain environments?
Alex: I tend to write in all sorts of places. For our new record, I’ve written songs in hotel rooms, on the back of tour
buses,
in corridors, wherever I’ve had an opportunity to sit down and pick up a guitar. 28. ____ I usually just feel like
doing
it, and do it. It’s usually either when you feel there’s no pressure to be doing other things, or when you feel almost
selfishly unaware of other things.
NS: Are you a different person when you’re writing?
Alex: I find myself being rude to people when I’m trying to get past the distractions. I used to have big arguments with
my
Mother. It’s funny because I’m generally not rude at all, I’m generally very polite, probably too polite.
NS: What does it feel like when you’re writing?
Alex: If it’s good, it feels really exciting. It’s like listening to a story you’ve never heard before. 29. ____ All the everyday
stuff – conversation, where you left your keys – it all seems to belong to a different brain, almost like a brain in
somebody else’s head. That’s why the distractions are so infuriating, because it’s like being reminder that this
other
brain exists.
NS: How do you write your songs?
David: I begin with little ideas that aren’t fully formed and I have to either excavate further or enlarge a small idea and
turn it into a song – perhaps join it to some other ideas that I have hanging around. So a lot of the time it’s more
like being a mechanic. 30. ____ I pick up, my guitar and within half an hour I’ve written one. It’s an instinctive
process, you shut down conscious thought. 31. ____ It’s about dredging up things that surprise you: images that
you had stored and didn’t know you had remembered. One image will unlock a chain of images, and that
becomes
a song.
NS: How do you know if a song is any good?
Vocabulary
David: You shouldn’t always trust inspiration. Just because it came out of thin air doesn’t mean it’s any good. 32. ____
The whole feeling, the purity of the germ of the song – it’s all so vivid and wondrous. It feels so shockingly fresh.
But a song that comes from nowhere is usually much better than anything you consciously think up.
Sprawling -> covering over a large area
Irrelevant -> not related to what is being discussed or considered and therefore not important
Ruthless -> cruel or not thinking or worrying about any pain caused to others
Unaware -> not understanding or realizing something
Distraction -> something that prevents someone from giving their attention to something else
Infuriating -> extremely annoying
Dredge sth up -> to talk about something bad or unpleasant that happened in the past
Consciously -> in a way that involves noticing that a particular thing exists or is present
Intense -> extreme and forceful
A. As you follow it, you lose your sense of where you are.
B. I am tempted to give up at times.
C. You're trying to control something but you're not quite sure which direction it's going.
D. I never write songs when I'm in a bad mood.
E. But sometimes you can tell, because all your emotions are stirred.
F. Environment isn't particularly important.
G. But occasionally a song just seems to come out of nowhere.
H. At the same time, you open a door in your brain that is normally closed.
Practice 35
You are going to read an article about the sensation of taste. Six sentences have been removed from the
THE GREAT TASTE SENSATION

Why do we eat out in restaurants? Eating out is usually about more than just the taste of food. But for two restaurant
owners in the south of England, this lack of focus is unacceptable. 27. ____ Interestingly, they set about achieving this
in completely different ways.
Would you be happy to eat something if you couldn’t see it? Edouard de Broglie, the restaurateur behind the new
London restaurant. ‘Dans le Noir’, hopes so. 28. ____ ‘Dans le Noir’ is French for ‘in the dark’ and it is a blacked-out
restaurant, where blind waiters and waitresses serve your food. 29. ____ Others accept that the darkness brings an
added sense of intimacy. De Broglie, who set up the original, and very successful, ‘Dans le Noir’ restaurant in Paris,
said that his interest was in the sensory, not the social aspects of dining. ‘The preconception of what food tastes like
because of how it looks is gone,’ he said. ‘All your other senses are abruptly awoken and you taste the food like you
have never tasted it before’.
This is how the restaurant works. When you arrive you can choose from the menu in the brightly lit reception area.
30. ____ You will have to feel for your cutlery, try to find the food on your plate, and try not to spill your wine!
Fortunately, all glasses are made from unbreakable glass. According to Dr Charles Spence, an Oxford University
lecturer in experimental psychology, everybody should try it. He said, ‘We are visually dominant creatures driven by our
eyes and anything you can do to change that is a worthwhile venture.’
Heston Blumenthal, chef and owner of the famous restaurant ‘The Fat Duck’ near London, has long been
renowned for his adventurous menus and experimental cooking. But even his most extraordinary dishes will seem dull
and ordinary compared with his latest creation - seafood served with an iPod.
No, diners will not be expected to eat the music player, but instead to listen to the noise of crashing waves as they
eat. The dish, entitled 'Sound Of The Sea', will be part of the tasting menu at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant. 31.
____ It is presented on a glass-topped wooden box containing sand and seashells, and consists of what looks like
sand but is in fact a mixture of fried breadcrumbs, fried baby eels and oil, topped with different kinds of seafood, oysters
and three kinds of edible seaweed, all arranged beautifully. The final touch - resulting from Blumenthal's experiments
exploring the relationship between sound and the experience of eating - will be the iPod, so that diners can listen to the
sound of the sea while they eat.
Blumenthal strongly believes that the sound of the waves intensifies the taste experience of eating seafood. 'I did a
series of tests with Dr Charles Spence at Oxford University three years ago,' he said, 'which revealed that sound can
really enhance the sense of taste. We ate an oyster while listening to the sea and it tasted stronger and saltier, for
example.'
Both of these restaurants seek to intensify theVocabulary
sensation of taste while you are eating. The first does so by
excluding other sensory input altogether. The second does so by adding to it. So which eating experience would appeal
more to your senses?
Sense of intimacy -> a feeling of being close, and emotionally connected and supported
Sensory -> connected with the physical senses of touch, smell, taste, hearing, and sight
Reception area -> a place inside a hotel or office building where visitors go when they first arrive
Worthwhile -> useful, important, or helpful enough to be a suitable reward for the money or time spent or
the effort made
Venture -> a new activity, usually in business, that involves risk or uncertainty
Renowned -> famous for something
Experimental -> using new methods, ideas, substances, etc. that have not been tried before, usually in
order to find out what effect they have
Edible -> suitable or safe for eating
Intensify -> to become greater, more serious, or more extreme, or to make something do this
Appeal -> the quality in someone or something that makes him, her, or it attractive or interesting
A. He believes that your sense of taste is intensified if you are not distracted by what you can see.
B. He, after all, was the one who brought us snail porridge and bacon ice-cream.
C. They want their guests to concentrate solely on the food that is in front of them.
D. Sensation of taste is unnecessary for one to enjoy their meal.
E. On the other hand, it must be a very strange experience for diners.
F. The seafood dish looks like a picture of the seashore.
G. Then you are led to your table in the pitch-black dining room by a blind waiter.
H. Some critics claim that diners will lose out on the social side of dining.
Practice 36
You are going to read an article about cognitive abilities. Six sentences have been removed from the
SWITCH OFF YOUR MIND AND BECOME A GENIUS

Charlie: Ray, how much is 4343 times 1234?
Ray: 5359, 262
Charlie: He’s a genius!
These lines are from a film called Rain Man, starring Tom Cruise. and Dustin Hoffman. Charlie Babbitt's brother, Ray, lives in
a
home because he is unable to work or look after himself. 27. ____ For example, he can perform very complex mental arithmetic
with astonishing speed and accuracy. Ray is a 'savant': somebody who has specific, extraordinary abilities, but who is incapable of
most everyday tasks.
Ray Babbitt's character is based on a real savant called Kim Peek, who was born in 1951 with an unusually formed brain.
Doctors predicted that Kim would never be able to lead a normal life, and it is true that he still lives with his father, who looks after
him. As a child, he couldn't walk until he was four years old. However, he has always had extraordinary mental abilities. He could
use a dictionary when he was three years old. 28. _____ Since childhood, he has read, and can recall in detail, about 7,600 books.
He can read two pages simultaneously (one with each eye) in about 10 seconds and remember forever what he has read.
Savants are very rare: there are only about 25 alive in the world today. Their special abilities differ. The blind American
savant, Leslie Lemke, was able to play Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No 1 after hearing it once, even though he had never had a
piano lesson. 29. ____ Other talents have included being able to measure exact distances with the naked eye and knowing the
exact time without looking at a clock.
Daniel Tammet is a British savant and his special abilities are mathematical and linguistic. (He managed to learn Icelandic in a
few days, and could speak it fluently after one week.) Unlike most savants, Tammet is a good communicator. 30. _____ He
explains that his mathematical feats – like reciting pi to 22,514 decimal places - do not involve ‘thinking’. 31. ____ For Daniel,
numbers are not abstract, they are real and familiar, like friends.
Intriguingly, some scientists believe that we all have these kinds of amazing abilities hidden deep inside our brains, but that we
lose them as our brains develop. 32. _____ This theory is supported by the fact that, very occasionally, people acquire these
abilities in adult life as the result of brain+ damage. Allan Snyder, director of the Australian centre for the Mind, believes that we all
might be able to release special skills by somehow 'switching off' the normal, conscious functions of the mind. He conducts
experiments on himself, firing strong magnetic waves into his head to see whether he can temporarily become a savant. Although
finding volunteers for his experiments can be difficult, as Snyder admits, he believes that the possibilities are very exciting. 'We are
all potential geniuses,’ he claims.
Vocabulary
Astonishing -> very surprising
Incapable -> unable to do something
Recall -> to bring the memory of a past event into your mind, and often to give a description of what you
remember
Simultaneously -> happening at the same time
Linguistic -> connected with language or the study of language
Feat -> something difficult needing a lot of skill, strength, courage, etc. to achieve it
Acquire -> to gradually learn or gain something such as a language or skill
A. British savant Stephen Wiltshire managed to draw a highly accurate picture of the London skyline after a
single helicopter trip over the city.
B. The term ‘savant’ was first used in the 70s.
C. By the age of four and a half, he had memorised the first eight volumes of an encyclopaedia.
D. He can reflect on his own special abilities in a way that most savants cannot.
E. However, as Charlie discovers, Ray has a few incredible abilities.
F. They all have a similar ability to do amazing calculations in their head, like Ray Babbitt in the film Rain Man.
G. Instead, he visualises the number in his head, as if he's watching a film.
H. Savants are different: they don't develop normally and as a result they don't lose their special abilities.
Practice 37
You are going to read an article about unusual abilities. Six sentences have been removed from the article.
not need to use.
STRANGE BUT TRUE

Characters with superhuman abilities are common in comic books and films, but are usually confined to the world of
fantasy. Very occasionally, however, similar powers can be found in real people. Remember Magneto in X-Men? Well,
meet his real-life equivalent, Liew Thow Lin - or Mister Magnet as he likes to be known. Mr Lin is a retired builder from
Malaysia, who now has a new career as an entertainer. 27. ____ There were no hooks or other fasteners; it remained
stuck to his body purely by means of some strange force. Mr Lin discovered his bizarre ability after reading a magazine
article about a family in Taiwan with the same gift. 28. ____
Scientists have investigated Mr Lin and come to the conclusion that he does indeed have the ability he claims to
have - in other words, it is not a trick. Rather than magnetism, however, the effect is due to suction, and works like the
suckers on an octopus's tentacles. Three of his sons and two grandchildren possess the same ability, so they have
obviously inherited his unusual kind of skin. Gustav Graves, the villain in the James Bond film Die A nother Day, has
plenty of time for making evil plans, because, unlike normal people, he does not need to sleep.
Hai Ngoc, a sixty-four-year-old farmer from Vietnam, claims that he has not slept since he became ill with a fever in
1973. He doesn't use the additional waking hours for evil plans, though. 29. ____ In one threemonth period, he used
the night-times to dig two large ponds where he now keeps fish. Amazingly, thousands and thousands of consecutive
sleepless nights have not damaged his health, it seems. 30. ____ However, perhaps not surprisingly, he has admitted
to feeling a little grumpy.
Everybody knows that Superman uses X-rays to see through walls. While this would be physically impossible for a
real person to do, there have been very rare cases of humans developing alternative forms of sight. Ben Underwood,
for example, became completely blind at the age of three, but that didn't stop him from getting around. He didn't use a
guide dog or a stick. He didn't even use his hands to feel his way. So how did he navigate? 31. ____ In the same way
that bats use echoes to find their way around in the darkness, Ben developed his own form of sonar. He would make
short clicks with his tongue, similar to the noise that dolphins make, and by listening to the echoes, he could locate
objects around him. Sadly, Ben died at the age of sixteen, but during his short life he amazed scientists and doctors
with his ability to get around - by bicycle as well as on foot - in spite of his total blindness.
Monsters in comic books may grab aeroplanes out of the sky, but they rarely eat them. Unlike Michel Lotito, a
Frenchman who lived between 1950 and 2007. He was nicknamed Monsier Mangetout (Mister Eat-it-all) because he
had the ability to eat all kinds of materials that most people would find completely indigestible: metal, glass, rubber,
plastic, and so on. His bizarre eating habits began when he was a child.32. ____ The largest item he ever ate was an
aeroplane - a Cessna 150 - which he broke up and swallowed piece by piece. It took him two years. Apparently, the
walls of his intestines were twice as thick as most people's, and he had extra-powerful stomach acids to help him digest
some of the metal. He also used to drink plenty of water, plus some oil, to help it all go down. But surprisingly, bananas
Vocabulary
and hard-boiled eggs made him sick!
Confined to -> to exist only in a particular area or group of people
Equivalent -> having the same amount, value, purpose, qualities
Bizarre -> very strange and unusual
Inherit –> to be born with the same physical or mental characteristics as one of your parents or
grandparents
Villain -> a bad person who harms other people or breaks the law
Consecutive -> events that follow one after another without an interruption
Alternative -> an alternative plan or method is one that you can use if you do not want to use another one
Navigate -> to successfully find a way from one place to another
A. The answer is simple but remarkable: he learned to use sound.

B. In fact, he is physically strong and medical tests have discovered no serious problems.
C. However, people with unusual abilities are sometimes shunned.
D. That’s why he kept his amazing ability a secret, even from his family.
E. Curious, he took several heavy metal objects and placed them against his skin; they all stuck to him and
didn't fall to the floor.
F. On the contrary. he puts them to good use, doing extra work or guarding his property against thieves.
G. However, it wasn't until he reached the age of sixteen that he began performing publicly.
H. Recently, he attracted international attention by pulling a car which was chained to a metal plate on his skin.
Practice 38
You are going to read an article about the Australian airline Qantas. Six sentences have been removed
QANTAS
The Australian airline Qantas was founded in 1920. Queensland and Northern Territories Aerial Services, from
which the word Qantas derives, is the longest-serving airline in the English-speaking world and the second longest-
serving airline world-wide. Although it is now well-respected as an international carrier which flies people around the
world in style, the airline's origins were rather more humble.
The airline was formed by two former Australian Flying Corps officers, W.Hudson Fysh and P.J.McGuniness. They
were keen to enter a contest with a prize of £10,000 for the first Australian to fly from England to Australia in less than
28 days. Unfortunately, they were prevented from entering the race by the death of the man who had offered to provide
money to pay their expenses. 27. ____ It took Fysh and McGuiness fifty-one days to plan the populated territory on
poorly built roads that were often route, travelling by car through the thinly flooded in the wet season.
28. ____ After a chance meeting with Fergus McMaster, a wealthy cattle farmer who agreed to give the two financial
support, Fysh and McGuiness were on their way to making their dream of connecting far-distant parts of the continent
by air a reality. 29. ____
On November 2, 1922, a larger plane was bought by Qantas and the airline's first regular mail and passenger
flights began between Charleville and Cloncurry. Qantas' services grew throughout the 1920s. An important landmark
along the way came in March 1928 when Qantas was contracted to operate the first flying doctor service to sick people
in remote parts of the country. 30. ____ ln 1934 the airline changed its name to Qantas Empire Airways Ltd, reflecting
its desire to expand beyond the borders of Australia. Air mail services first to Singapore and soon after to Britain began
in 1935. 31.____
ln 1947 Qantas became a December of that year the introduced. 32. _____ lmportant changes in the airline
industry announced in 1992 meant that aviation reforms would result in Qantas and Australian, the airline which links
cities within Australia, becoming one. Qantas bought Australian and agreed to the new name: Qantas, The Australian
Airline.
Vocabulary
Founded -> establish or originate (an institution or organization)
Keen -> very interested, eager, or wanting (to do) something very much
Route -> a particular way or direction between places
Cattle -> a group of animals that includes cows, buffalo, and bison, that are often kept for their milk or meat
Landmark -> a building or place that is easily recognized, especially one that you can use to judge where
you are
Desire -> to want something, especially strongly
Contracted to -> to have formally agreed to work for a company or person on a stated job for a stated
period of time
Aviation -> the activity of flying aircraft, or of designing, producing, and keeping them in good condition
Reform -> to make an improvement, especially by changing a person's behaviour or the structure of
something
A. ln the following years more overseas passenger services were introduced linking Australia with countries all
over the world - Japan, Hong Kong, South Africa, the United States.
B. Australian were at first in favour of joining Qantas but eventually decided to remain independent.
C. However, they were asked by the government to plan a route and landing sites across the Northern Territory
and Western Australia that would be used for the race.
D. The service flew 255 patients more than 30,000 kilometres in its first year.
E. Although it is now well-respected as an international carrier which flies people around the world in style, the
airline's origins were rather more humble.
F. Their experience on the journey convinced them that air travel was a necessity in such a huge country with
often inhospitable terrain.
G. lt was in the same year that the airline carried its first overseas passenger on a flight from Brisbane to
Singapore.
H. ln 1920 they bought their first plane and then a second one soon after and for the first two years of Qantas'
life, the planes were used as an air taxi service and for pleasure flights.
Practice 39
You are going to read an article about the use of buses by UK police force. Six sentences have been
POLICE TO USE BUSES

Police officers in one part of England are exchanging their cars for the bus, to cut down on expense and to improve
efficiency. They are to be allowed to travel free on buses in Northampton upon production of their identity
card.
Most of the buses are double deckers and police officers will be encouraged to sit on the top deck. 27. _____
Officers have been issued with timetables so that they can avoid long waits at bus stops. A police inspector said he did
not want them waiting around thirty to forty minutes for a bus as this would clearly be a waste of police time. 28. ____
we will have
to stand or wait for another one," he said.
Officers in uniform, detectives and traffic wardens will all use buses during a six month trial of the scheme. 29. ____
However, buses would be used when officers are involved in non-urgent routine business such as going to take
statements or when returning from court appointments.
Senior police officers believe that the scheme will be effective in cutting down crime on public transport and will lead
to a reduction in spending by the police force. 30. ____ A policewoman said: "l am all in favour of the idea. 31. ____ If
it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us.’
The transport manager for the local bus company which is sponsoring the scheme said: “This scheme will help the
police and give peace of mind to the travelling public. 32. ____ We are hoping that the scheme will become permanent.”
Vocabulary
Efficiency -> the good use of time and energy in a way that does not waste any
Issued -> to produce or provide something official
Scheme -> an officially organized plan or system
Routine -> a usual or fixed way of doing things
A. lt is thought that if they sit here, this will help to discourage crime as they will be able to see and to be seen
clearly.
B. The scheme will make life safer not only for passengers but also for our bus drivers.
C. Obviously buses will not be used when officers are responding to emergency calls.
D. We have always found the scheme very successful in the past.
E. However, he did not expect the police to be treated differently from the rest of the public.
F. lt is good for the public, who will be able to see us and talk to us on the buses.
G. The scheme was ultimately not approved by the government.
H. Having police officers travel free on buses is cheaper than sending patrol cars to pick them up in order to
return them to the police station.
Practice 40
You are going to read an article about looking for a job. Six sentences have been removed from the article.
not need to use.
LOOKING FOR WORK

I was delighted when I finally left school at the end of October 1927. Now at last I felt I was a man. I was sure I
would soon find myself a job and have money to spend.
Every day there were long queues at the Labour Exchange of people looking for work. Those of us who had just left
school had to go to the Labour Exchange for an interview with a group of officials, employers and teachers. There we
were asked questions about our ambitlons, how suitable we were for certain types of work and how well we had done at
school. 27. ____
After this we were required to attend the Youth Employment Department every day to see if any suitable jobs had
been found. lf it happened that a firm was in need of a youth, then a number of us would be given a green card which
we were to take to the interview. 28. ____ I lost count of how many of these cards I received without finding a job. 29.
____ Twelve months passed and I still had found nothing.
On one occasion, my search had the surprising result of providing a very good job for one of my uncles. This uncle,
who had been out of work for almost a year, was in his early thirties.30. ____ My uncle kindly offered to take me to the
firm as I did not know where it was.
When we arrived at the firm, the manager told us that he had found someone for the job just ten minutes earlier.
However, looking at my uncle, he said: "We are looking for someone to operate a special machine, someone older than
this boy. Are you interested?" My uncle accepted immediately. 31. ____
Eventually I was lucky, and just because two people had the same name. ln town there was a tailor's called
Brownson's and almost opposite was a cleaner's called Smith and Sons. Somewhat confusingly, the manageress of
Smith and Sons was also called Brownson. 32. ____
The boy left and the clerk was filling in a card for me to go to the same place. The manager had heard what the clerk
had said and came and told her that it was not Mr Brownson who needed an assistant but Miss Brownson of Smith and
Sons. The clerk asked me to run after the other boy to correct the mistake and make sure he went to the right shop. I
am ashamed to say that I did not tell the boy any such thing - but I did get the job.
Vocabulary
Delighted -> very pleased
Green card -> a document giving someone who is not a US citizen permission to live and work in the US
Firm -> a company offering a professional service, for example a company of lawyers
A. One day he heard that there was a vacancy for a young boy at a machine builder in Ashtonunder-Lyne.
B. I decided to move to another town in search of a job.
C. ln fact he had worked for only six months immediately after leaving school.
D. To prove that we had attended, the employer would sign the card.
E. He worked there until he retired at the age of sixty-five.
F. We also looked through the newspapers, of course, hoping to find something in the job advertisements.
G. On the day in question, the clerk at the Youth Employment Department gave the boy in front of me in the
queue a green card and told him to go to Mr Brownson's as he needed an assistant.
H. Our answers to these questions were then compared with a list of vacancies existing in the district.
Practice 41
You are going to read an article about horse racing. Six sentences have been removed from the article.
not need to use.
HORSE RACING
One of the most popular spectator sports in England is horse racing. There are race courses in all parts of the
country and on most days of the year there will be two or three race meetings taking place. Although many people go to
race meetings to bet money on which horses will win, others go to see the horses or simply because they enjoy the
lively and exciting atmosphere.
There are basically two types of horse racing - jump racing and flat racing. As the names suggest, in jump racing the
horses have to jump over fences whilst in flat racing they simply have to run as fast as possible along a flat track. 27.
___
It might be thought that jump racing would be considered the more important type of racing as horses not only have to
run but also have to jump. In fact, the reverse is true, as flat racing is considered to be superior. 28. ____
Unfortunately, but inevitably, racing is a dangerous sport for the jockeys who ride the horses. Jockeys in jump races
risk injuries not only from hitting the ground if they fall off their horse but also from being hit by other horses if they fall at
a fence. 29. ____ Jockeys love to ride but, as most of them do not earn a great deal, they also need the money they
make from racing.
30. ____ Gee Armitage, one of the relatively few women jockeys, is one who had a very serious fall some time ago
and spent months in considerable pain. 31. ____ ln spite of all her suffering, she was absolutely determined to loved,
although her friends and family wished that she would return to the sport which she simply give it up. 32. ____
Vocabulary
Inevitably -> in a way that cannot be avoided
Relatively -> quite good, bad, etc. in comparison with other similar things or with what you expect
Spectator sports -> a sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators, or watchers, at its
competitions
A. As their passion for riding is so great, they do not worry greatly about how much money they make from the
sport..
B. “Jockeys are paid for every time they ride," said a race course doctor. "lf I tell an injured jockey that he
cannot ride in the following race, he loses money."
C. Flat races take place in the summer months and are generally run over shorter distances than jump races.
The emphasis is totally on speed
D. There were calls in the past to ban horse racing.
E. Even though jockeys are well aware of the dangers involved, they are usually keen to return to racing as
soon as possible, even when their injuries have been very painful and serious.
F. Gee says: "Racing is something you just can't give up. For a lot of us there are many more bad days than
good days, but the good days are so good that they make up for the rest."
G. In spite of this, the most famous horse race in Britain is a jump race called the Grand National. This takes
place at Aintree in Liverpool every spring and attracts people from all over the world.
H. She had been riding in a race at Huntingdon and her horse had been jumping perfectly but then fell badly at
the next-to-last fence. Gee managed to get up and walk to the ambulance but was taken straight to hospital
where she stayed for the next month.
ANSWER SCHEME WITH JUSTIFICATION
PRACTICE 1
27. G. It’s an explanation of ‘Model United Nations’. The following sentence after sentence G gives further
general information about the programme.
28. H. Link with reference to ‘other countries’, the previous sentence mentioned different parts of United
Kingdom (England and Northern Ireland). Sentence H implies this programme will go beyond national level
to international (Italy and Poland in Sentence H).
29. A. ‘The other roles’ in sentence a links with ‘the important roles’ (the sentence before the gap).
30. F. ‘before arriving’ in the sentence before the gap links with ‘once they are all together’ in sentence F.
31. C. Link with students deciding who will speak after the committee stage.
32. B. Sentence B links between students being nervous and the sentence after the gap ‘gaining in self-
confidence’.
PRACTICE 2
27. G. Link between 'But writing a book ... was one thing' and 'Writing a book when ... was quite another.'
28. D. Link between 'on arriving' and 'off I drove'.
29. F. Link between 'before I could open it' and'once inside'.
30. H. Link with 'children ... sliding on ice ... ' and 'children . sliding down the chute'.
31. C. Link with 'Have you heard?' and direct speech that follows.
32. A. Contrastive link between 'nothing to worry about' and 'Some people did worry, however.'
PRACTICE 3
27. A. Link between 'Polly's ... journey began' and 'it ended'.
28. F. Link between 'behind schedule' and 'the delay was the result of'.
29. C. Link between the past, Amelia Earhart and Polly's behaviour
30. H. Link between the journey going well and the fact that Polly even had some free time.
31. D. Link between 'she had used more fuel than expected' and 'As a result the main tank had run dry'
32. G. Link between 'warm welcome' and 'on one occasion'.
PRACTICE 4
27. H. Link between 'having children' and 'her children had grown up'.
28. D. Link between 'The Open University ... developing a course' and 'the course combined
29. F. Link between 'number of women ... is few' and 'it is a strongly male environment'.
30. B. Link between earlier sentences in this paragraph and concluding sentence in the same paragraph
31. E. Contrastive link between Whiteley's youth and 'Now, however,’
32. G. Link between 'Popular Music Course' and 'This course is a mixture ... '.
PRACTICE 5
27. C. Link between £50,000 and 'this money was used'.
28. H. Contrastive link between UK and India: 'different environment'.
29. F. Link between 'the Taj Mahal palace' and 'This white marble monument'.
30. D. Link between 'a large Neem tree' and 'substances from this tree'.
31. G. Link between 'concrete drainage pipes' and 'The pipes were dug into the ground'.
32. B. Link with reference in previous paragraph to The Terror Run.
PRACTICE 6
27. G. Link between 'the night before' and 'last night' and 'Nothing is where it should be.'
28. E. Link between 'before we could begin the day's work' and 'My first job' and 'I fill a sink with water'.
29. B. Link between 'The chefs' and 'These are the people' and 'They swan around'.
30. H. Continues list of complaints by repeating structure 'If ... ,then .. .'
31. A. Link with 'deliveries of food and drink' and the writer having to 'sort them out'.
32. F. Link between 'the lunchtime rush is dying down' and 'However, I don't get anything to eat until 6 that
evening' and 'I'm too tired to eat'.
PRACTICE 7
27. D. Link between being prevented 'from leading a normal life' and 'it means you cannot ...'.
28. H. Link between what you 'can be afraid of' and 'Apparently, the list of phobias gets longer every day'
29. F. Link between 'understanding what a phobia is' and 'With this understanding'.
30. C. Link between 'You may think that you are computer phobic' and 'But that's not the same as being
really 'mechanophobic'.
31. E. Introduces 'true phobia' compared with the previous paragraph.
32. G. Link between 'phobias can be described in three main ways', 'There are social phobias', 'Then there
are panic disorders' and 'thirdly, specific phobias'.
PRACTICE 8
27. G. 'What this meant' refers to being accepted on to the programme.
28. B. 'that target' refers to the flyweight category
29. C. 'this space-age training kit' refers to the titanium-based clothing range.
30. F. 'that's why' refers to 'We approach it more as a skill and point scoring exercise'.
31. E. 'those events' refers to 'martial arts such a taekwondo and judo'.
32. D. 'that mistake' refers to 'people confuse amateur boxing competitions with professional fights'.
PRACTICE 9
27. D. 'Most of them' refers back to the celebrities.
28. C. 'One of them' refers to the 'the ground and security staff'.
29. A. 'they' refers to all the stars named earlier in the paragraph
30. F. 'when that happens' refers to celebrities saying: 'no pictures'.
31. G. This sentence with 'however' tells us that we are going to hear about someone with a different
attitude from those described before.
32. B. 'them' refers to the Duchess and her babies.
PRACTICE 10
27. B. 'these conversations' refers to 'I addressed the issues politely' 'after a ten-minute chat'.
28. D. 'checked this out' refers to 'there was actually a law against engine idling'.
29. G. 'them' refers to 'small business cards'.
30. C. 'this fact' refers to the existence of the law about engine idling.
31. A. 'I also tell them' refers to the information he passes on during his 'discussions'.
32. F. 'respond in this way' refers to 'If I get an aggressive reaction'.
PRACTICE 11
27. D. 'this meant' refers to 'sent me dictionaries'.
28. A. 'that one too' refers to 'their language'.
29. G. 'the trip' refers to 'I went to the south'.
30. B. 'it was slow' refers to studying the recordings.
31. C. 'is quite different' is making the contrast with Selk'nam
32. E. 'the only one' refers to the fact that the other two band members are now speaking the language,
too.
PRACTICE 12
27. G. 'They're attracted here' refers to 'local residents'.
28. A. 'this massive open space' refers to 'Bala Lake'.
29. B. The sentence describes what the 'sweep stroke' is.
30. D. There is a link between 'tipping over' and 'ending up in the water'.
31. F. 'I can hardly hear myself think' refers back to 'deafening'.
32. E. 'going over again' refers to her earlier 'ending up in the water'.
PRACTICE 13
27. D. 'those' refers to 'the highest mountains on each continent'.
28. B. 'this' refers to 'an enormous tractor tyre'.
29. E. 'the one' refers to 'Russian language'.
30. C. 'that' refers to 'Hey man, take care'.
31. F. 'It was the sound of an avalanche' refers back to 'an incredible rumble up above us'.
32. A. The sentence provides a third example of what he did whilst waiting to be rescued.
PRACTICE 14
27. B. 'the only response possible' refers to 'what to do in an emergency'.
28. F. 'this' refers to 'I like it when people scream'.
29. D. 'it' refers to 'the rope'.
30. A. 'This' refers to the grey weather.
31. C. 'This' refers to "follow through' with the controls'
32. G. The sentence continues the comparison started before the gap.
PRACTICE 15
27. D. Link between 'best-selling computer game' in the previous sentence and 'Its success'. Also, link
between 'Its success lies in the use of special effects' and 'stunning action sequences that rely on fantasy
effects'.
28. G. Contrastive link between 'film makers have started to realise that they could set films in similar sci-fi
future worlds' and 'However, the difficulty for the producers of Hollywood appears to be ...'.
29. F. Link between the question 'Why do some players feel disappointed by films based on their favourite
games?' and the answer 'One reason is technical'.
30. B. Link between 'your favourite thriller', 'You wouldn't be interested in watching the film if you knew the
identity of the murderer' and 'In films you are not supposed to have access to all the information'.
31. C. Link between 'Suspense and mystery are essential elements of film-making' in the previous
paragraph and ‘This is not true for computer games'.
32. A. Link between 'films and computer games', 'We go to the cinema to let someone else tell us a story'
and 'a story and a game'.
PRACTICE 16
27. F. Link between 'extraordinary anatomy' and 'the thumb alone is controlled by nine separate muscles'.
Link between 'muscles' and 'Some are connected'.
28. D. Link between 'other species have hands too' and 'the five fingers at the end of an orangutan's arm'.
Link between 'No one would doubt' and 'we have to look closer'.
29. A. Link between 'bones' and 'smaller ones'
30. G. Link between the statement 'Early hands were more exotic' and the examples 'Some species had
seven fingers. Others had eight'.
31. E. Link between 'many different types of hands, from dolphin flippers ... hanging hooks of sloths ' and
'By studying these'. Link between ‘scientists are beginning to understand' and 'They can also see'.
32. B. Link between the fact that the differences between a vulture's wing and a lion's paw come down to
'tiny variations' and 'It may just be a little more of one protein here, a little less of another there'.
PRACTICE 17
27. C. Link between 'the interactive sports games ... she enjoyed in her formative years' and 'I've always
been sports-minded'.
28. F. Link between 'It's great fun playing against my greatgrandma' and 'She's a real pro'.
29. B. Link between 'computer game platforms continue to grow' and 'And as computer game usage
amongst older people has risen'; and between 'computer games provide much more than simple
entertainment value' and 'Interactive games have been linked to providing'.
30. G. Link between 'isn't just about hitting the treadmill at the gym' and 'Just like traditional forms of
exercise'.
31. A. Link between 'finding the right fit can be challenging' and 'Not only are the most successful platforms
those with user-friendly controls'.
32. D. Link between 'Games which mimic the movements of the sports they represent' and 'requires users
to swing their arms in the same motion as a bowler'.
PRACTICE 18
27. F. Link between 'communication equipment, controls, snacks, cameras' and 'We have everything we
need for our journey'.
28. D. Link between the idea that few seamounts have been studied: 'We've seen little of these', 'marine
biologists have studied only a few hundred' and 'More finely detailed maps of the surface of Mars may exist
than of the remotest parts of the ocean floor'.
29. G. 'Some of these' in the gapped sentence refers to 'hard coral, sponges, and sea fans circled by
schools of fish'
30. A. Link between 'deep-sea fishing trawlers drag nets weighted with heavy chains across seamounts'
and 'This process'.
31. C. Link between 'We are still in what is called the photic zone, where sunlight penetrates' and 'Then we
descend farther, and the ocean around us is completely black'.
32. E. Link between' 'something ... rises' and 'it is the remains of a volcano'.
PRACTICE 19
27. C. 'Not really' answers the question at the end of the previous paragraph.
28. F. 'them' refers to 'numbers from one to three' in the previous sentence.
29. E. Contrastive link between 'Humans rememberthings ... groups or categories' and 'Orangutans, on the
other hand, appear to do so according to where they saw them last'.
30. A. Link between 'Orangutans can become very emotional' and 'They feel extremely frustrated' in the
next sentence.
31. B. Link between 'animals in captivity' and 'we cannot study ... in their natural environment'.
32. G. Link between 'There are differences ... work' and 'This becomes apparent... the same task to do'.
PRACTICE 20
27. D. Link between the question 'What is this learning disability ...?' and 'dyscalculics cannot recognise ...
count them one by one'.
28. A. Link between 'huge problems' and 'Another problem'.
29. F. Link between 'concept of time' and 'difficulty in reading schedules and remembering the order in
which things happened'.
30. B. Link between 'end up miles away from their intended destination' and 'On top of getting lost'.
31. E. Link between 'how much money they have got left' and 'Dealing with cash ... fear'.
32. G. Contrastive link between the problems listed in the previous paragraphs and 'On the other hand,
dyscalculics are very good at creative arts'.
PRACTICE 21
27. F. Contrastive link between 'the government would not allow anyone to operate a private radio station'
and 'However, the government's power only extended to the country itself'.
28. C. Link between 'During a period when pop music was extremely popular, the BBC played very little of
it' and 'As a result, there were large numbers of young people who wanted to listen ... but couldn't'.
29. E. Link between 'a radio station operating outside Britain' and 'this station'.
30. G. Link between 'the British government decided that some action had to be taken' and 'a new law was
passed'.
31. D. Link between the developments at the BBC and 'increasing number of listeners were switching from
the pirate stations to the eminent broadcaster'.
32. B. Link between 'Radio Caroline found itself in serious financial difficulties' and 'Its situation became
even worse'
PRACTICE 22
27. B. Link between 'the two large display windows' and 'The display on the right'.
28. D. Link between 'the total you have to pay', 'For security reasons, you have to do this' and 'you can only
collect the goods after you've paid'.
29. G. Link between 'one of the biggest problems', 'The challenge is to create a piece of machinery which
will be delicate enough ... but at the same time strong enough to ...'.
30. C. Link between 'every new invention has been regarded with some suspicion at first' and 'The real
question is whether... enough people will overcome their doubts'.
31. E. Link between 'the small shopkeeper in inner-city areas' and 'Many shops like these'.
32. F. Link between 'considerable advantages' and 'Machines do not take lunch breaks ... Isn't this the sort
of efficiency people want from a shop these days?’
PRACTICE 23
27. C. Links between 'getting used to ...' and 'while eating' with 'A tenth bite ...'
28. A. Link between 'A lot of people ... try to avoid thinking about the foods they really want,' and '... may
not be the best strategy'
29. E. Link between '... the technique only works with the specific food you've imagined' and 'For instance,
visualising yourself eating chocolate wouldn't prevent you from eating tots of cheese.'
30. G. Link between '... inserting 30 coins into a laundry washing machine ...' and 'This requires the same
motor skills ...'
31. B. 'bowls containing the same amount of chocolate each' and '... these were taken away and weighed'
32. F. Link between '... Physical digestive clues ... are only part of what tells us ...' and '... psychological
factors ... also influence how much a person eats.'
PRACTICE 24
27. D. Link between 'We have few clues as to who created it' and 'Nor do we know ...'
28. A. The cavern train takes visitors past marvellous sights. 'However, the trip's highlight is the Great
Ceiling.' There is then a link with 'It is a stunning experience'.
29. G. Link between 'coloured paintings' and 'Many of these ...’
30. E. Link between 'an exact replica, Lascaux II' and 'its vivid modern reproductions'.
31. F. Link between 'our ancestors camped at cave entrances and enjoyed diets mainly made up of
reindeer meat' and 'Deep inside these caves, however, their minds moved to different matters'
32. C. Link between 'The reason why they were created is obscure, however. Some scientists believe they
may have had a spiritual significance' and 'Whatever the case, it is clear that...'
PRACTICE 25
27. F. Link between 'various scenes' and 'achieving a goal', with 'These included things like stretching to
get an object’
28. C. Link between the act of children helping and the chimps demonstrating similar motivation. The
chimps' motivation was 'less strong' which links with the fact that they didn't help in some of the situations.
29. G. Link between 'related chimps rarely help one another' and 'chimpanzee mothers did not assist their
infants'
30. B. Link between the chimps letting a partner into the room when they couldn't manage the task alone
and the chimps having to go out and get help.
31. E. Link between'chose them equally'and the fact that there are two chimps to approach for help. Also a
contrast between 'at first' and 'but once'.
32. A. Link between the negative structures 'no evidence' and 'neither can they'. Also a link between there
being no evidence for communication and the studies 'just' suggesting understanding.
PRACTICE 26
27. E. Link between 'people who understood what that meant... and had offered encouragement and
support' and 'Not because…’
28. B. Link between 'Some people ...' and 'Others…’
29. G. Link between 'Non-runners struggle to comprehend ...' and 'Similarly, it's difficult for people ...'
30. A. Link between 'Of course, there's money to be made from blogging' and 'But for all the bloggers I've
met, the motivation ...'
31. C. Link between 'We had a panel of expert speakers ... as well as a bag full of free stuff for them all'
and 'But what mattered most to everyone was ...'.
32. F. Link between 'Running and blogging can be solitary pursuits' and 'So we invited bloggers across the
UK to ... meet up in real life'
PRACTICE 27
27. C. Link between ‘fastest long-distance, nonstop fight... in as little as two days' and '6.760 kilometres at
an average speed of 97 kilometres an hour'.
28. E. Link between 'don't look especially speedy or well equipped' and 'That's because ...' and also
between 'the birds become rather well rounded' and 'it's these plentiful fat reserves that...'.
29. D. Link between 'the Artic Tern clocks up ...80,000 kilometres' and 'However, the bird spreads the flight
out... and stops ... along the way'.
30. F. Link between 'Godwits ... have no opportunity to stop' and 'For this reason, their amazing flights are
not their choice' and also between 'their amazing flights are not their choice' and 'By constrast. Snipes have
several rest-stop options ... but choose not to take advantage of them'.
31. A. Link between 'it's unclear how Great Snipes can apparently fly for such long periods with little or no
sleep' and 'This is one of the unsolved mysteries ...'
32. G. Link between 'many surprises in the near future' and 'these will be due to the recent development of
tiny recording devices'.
PRACTICE 28
27. E. Link between 'what style of bike I wanted to build' and 'Personally I felt...'. Also between 'a relaxed
one' and 'contrasted with the stiff geometry ...'
28. B. Link between 'the precise list of body measurements requested from me had already been
transferred onto a personalised diagram of my frame' and 'This was the plan that I would follow'.
29. F. Link between 'finding pieces that were the colour I wanted' and 'Some people like the frame to be
consistent, others like a mix of light, dark or speckled'.
30. A. Link between 'a problem ... threatened to make my frame useless' and 'Luckily ... Ian confirmed that
it was alright'.
31. C. Link between 'most things can be fixed' and 'If all else fails'.
32. G. Link between 'soaked in a special glue' and 'to dry' as well as between 'All that was left now' and 'In
a few hours I would be ...'.
PRACTICE 29
27. B. Link between 'who wanted to see ...' and In particular, they wanted ...' and also 'they wanted to
know ... or whether' and 'But how to find out?'
28. G. Link between 'very hard for a researcher ...' and 'What Tracy and Matsumoto needed was ...' and
also between 'a large group of people' and 'some of these subjects ... Where could such a group of people
be found?'
29. A. Link between 'athletes who were born blind' and 'Therefore, they could not possibly have
witnessed ...'
30. C. Link between 'the researchers painstakingly recorded the positions of their head, arms and bodies'
and 'After analysing this data' and also between 'sighed and sightless athletes behaved in exactly the same
ways' and 'The winners tilted their heads up ... while slumped shoulders ... were the hallmarks of losers'.
31. F. Link between 'Men and women who have never seen other people behave in these ways still make
exactly the same movements' and 'parents may have taught their blind children some of these behaviours'.
32. D. Link between'remarkably consistent between ... contestants from every part of the world' and
'athletes' culture was found to have only a very small effect...'.
PRACTICE 30
27. F. ‘the claim’ refers to ‘teenagers are said’ in the following sentence.
28. B. ‘this is reinforced’ refers to children developing ‘in their own time’; ‘education system’ links to
‘Primary school children are not given homework’.
29. G. ‘they look after the kids’ refers back to ‘Dutch dads ...bringing up the children’.
30. D. Sentence D exemplifies the ‘independence in Dutch children’
31. A. ‘this concern’ refers back to ‘obsession with material things’,and is followed by a sentence that
clarifies and extends the idea.
32. E. ‘climate is good’ and ‘standard of living is exceptional’ are examples of ‘a variety of reasons’ in the
previous sentence
PRACTICE 31
27. D. ‘For instance’ refers back to ‘different reasons’ and then gives examples. The next sentence ‘can do
all these things’ refers back to the examples in D.
28. B. ‘funerals’ refers back to ‘mourning’ and ‘grief and sorrow’.
29. G. ‘Another example would be ... Goths’ refers back to ‘... the association of black with rebellion.’
30. A. ‘In addition to this’, along with ‘flattering and affordable’, refers back to ‘practical and elegant’.
31. F. ‘has gone up considerably’ continues the idea of ‘dominate’ and links with ‘wide market’ in the
following sentence.
32. E. ‘all our wardrobes’ refers forward to ‘It is there for those occasions when ...’
PRACTICE 32
27. E. The sentence exemplifies the preceding statement about trick photography. ‘fires and tsunamis’ are
referred to in following sentence with ‘How did they do that’, and ‘they’ refers back to audiences.
28. C. ‘another’ refers to the additional example of Gollum, a character created using ‘performance
capture’.
29. A. ‘they’ refers to characters doing ‘any actions’, which are exemplified with ‘fly, ride ... or interact with
giants’.
30. D. they’ refers back to film actors, and the sentence serves as a contrast to the previous sentence
introduced by ‘Frustratingly’.
31. G. ‘revolutionary technique’ and ‘to do the impossible’ are referred back to in the following sentence
with ‘This uses’.
32. B. ‘In other words’ introduces a rephrasing of the previous sentence – ‘what I record as revolutionary
and new will soon become outdated’ links to ‘there will be newer and more incredible ways’.
PRACTICE 33
27. H. The sentences before and after gap mention specific nationalities, so it’s very likely that the missing
sentence will describe the behaviour of specific nationalities as well. Also, the use of “on the other hand” in
H suggests that Americans and Canadians are being contrasted with previously mentioned nationalities.
28. E. In the paragraph before gap, Richard Wiseman explains how he is now fed up with hearing jokes. E
also works as a concluding sentence for the paragraph.
29. F. The expression “It was posted…” suggests that there will be a reference to a website or the Internet
in the previous sentence, which will also state what “It” refers to (the winning joke)
30. B. The expression “an area linked to memory” suggests that the previous (and possibly the following)
sentence will refer to the brain.
31. A. A is ‘what number of words do the funniest jokes have’ so we can expect references to the number
of words in a joke in the preceding and following sentences. Also, the use of “the data” (with definite article)
suggests that data will have been referred to in the previous sentence.
32. G. The mention of “their beaks or webbed feet” suggests a previous references to a bird and the
sentences before and after gap refer to jokes about ducks.
PRACTICE 34
27. C. This develops the idea of ‘the first time you ride a bicycle or drive a car’ in the previous sentence
28. F. This links the sentences before and after, in which Alex explains how it doesn’t matter to him where
he writes his songs.
29. A. ‘it’ in sentence A refers to ‘a story you’ve heard before’. The idea of ‘lose (-ing) your sense of where
you are’ is developed in the following sentence.
30. G. ‘But’ at the beginning of sentence G suggests that the idea of when ‘a song just seems to come out
of nowhere’ is being contrasted with having to work on turning ideas into songs. The idea of a song coming
from nowhere is developed in the sentence immediately after the gap.
31. H. The metaphor of ‘open [ing] a door in your brain’ refers to the role of the unconscious mind. This
follows on from the sentence before (‘you shut down conscious thought’) and links with the following one.
32. E. This contrasts with the sentence before. Taken together, the sentences mean: ‘not all songs you’re
inspired to write are good, but you know when they are good, because they are so moving.’ The idea of
emotions is continued in the following sentence.
PRACTICE 35
27. C. Students should look for a sentence beginning with the pronoun ‘They……’ to follow on from ‘two
restaurant owners’ in the previous line.
28. A. Students should look for a sentence beginning with ‘He…’ to follow on from Edouard de Broglie, the
restaurateur. It is not sentence B due to mismatch in topic.
29. H. Students should look for a sentence beginning with ‘Some..’ to complete the contrast with ‘Others
accept….’ in the following sentence.
30. G. This makes a topic match with the surrounding sentences.
31. B. Students should look for a sentence beginning with ‘He, after all, was the …’ to follow on from
‘Heston Blumenthal’ and the link between ‘adventurous’ and ‘experimental’ and the food mentioned in
Sentence B.
32. F. Students should get this mainly through the topic match with the surrounding sentences.
PRACTICE 36
27. E. Charlie and Ray have already been referred to in the previous line. ‘For example’ in the sentence
after the gap suggests that the missing sentence will refer to Ray’s special abilities, and contrast them with
his lack of life skills.
28. C. The reference to Kim Peek’s age in the previous and following sentence suggests that the missing
sentence will also refer to his age.
29. A. The examples of savants’ special abilities in the sentences before and after the gap suggest that the
missing sentence will contain an example of a specific ability.
30. D. The reference to Tammet being a ‘good communicator’ and to his explaining his own abilities after
the gap are the main clues here.
31. G. The topic in the preceding and following sentences is numbers. The use of the negative in the
preceding sentence (…..do not involve) fits with the contrasting word “Instead” at the beginning of G.
32. H. ‘we all have these….abilities…but we lose them’ contrasts with the savants who don’t lose them.
PRACTICE 37
27. H. The sentence explains what Mr Lin does as an entertainer. The words ‘now’ and ‘recently’ also show
a connection. The sentence after the gap gives more information about what he did.
28. E. The word curious relates back to the magazine article which he read, and which made him try
sticking the metal objects to himself.
29. F. The phrase ‘on the contrary’ shows a contrast with the evil plans of Gustav Graves; Hai Ngoc uses
his time positively and an example of this is given after the gap.
30. B. The phrase ‘In fact’ shows a contrast between the idea that his health may be damaged and the fact
that he is physically strong. This also contrasts with ‘however’ after the gap.
31. A. ‘The answer’ refers to the question before the gap. The sentence after the gap explains how Ben
used sound to navigate.
32. G. ‘However’ and ‘sixteen’ show a contrast with ‘when he was a child’.
PRACTICE 38
27. C. This paragraph has been about the failure to enter the race which is mentioned in sentence C. The
word However acts as a key word linking this sentence to the failure mentioned in the paragraph.
28. F. The paragraph speaks of the difficulty of travelling by car in this part of the country. The key phrase
‘on the journey’ links this sentence about the difficulties of travelling with the paragraph.
29. H. The paragraph speaks of the two men being given money to start their project for air travel. The
sentence continues the theme by speaking of their first planes.
30. D. The key word here is ‘patients’ as the paragraph has been about setting up a flying doctor service to
help the sick in remote parts of the country.
31. G. This paragraph has been concerned with the expansion of the airline's services. Mention is made of
flights carrying mail and now sentence G brings in the idea of carrying passengers abroad for the first time.
32. A. An overseas passenger service (Sydney to London) has just been mentioned, so it is reasonable to
continue by speaking of more overseas passenger services.
PRACTICE 39
27. A. The key words are ‘sit here’, which refer to ‘sit on the top deck’.
28. E. The word ‘However’ links the sentence to the sentence before, but the main link here is with the
following sentence, where the police inspector shows how the police will be treated like the rest of the
public.
29. C. The key word is ‘However’ in the following sentence in the paragraph. The mention of buses not
being used for emergency calls is contrasted in the following sentence with the use of buses for non-urgent
calls.
30. H. The paragraph has just spoken about a reduction in spending; this sentence shows how the scheme
will lead to less expense.
31. F. The key word is ‘us’. A policewoman is speaking in this paragraph and saying that she thinks the
scheme is a good idea; the sentence continues the theme of this being a good idea.
32. B. The key words are ‘our bus drivers’, as the person speaking in this paragraph is the manager of the
local bus company.
PRACTICE 40
27. H. The key words are ‘these questions’, referring to the questions which were asked at the Labour
Exchange when a young person was looking for a job.
28. D. The key words are ‘attended’ and ‘the card’. The paragraph speaks of people being given a card to
take to a firm where a job was available.
29. F. The writer speaks of failing to find jobs with the help of the Labour Exchange and now mentions that
he also looked for work by looking at the job advertisements in the papers.
30. A. The ‘he’ refers to the boy's uncle. The uncle is mentioned in this paragraph in connection with the
boy's search for work.
31. E. Again, ‘he’ refers to the boy's uncle. The key word is ‘there’. We are told that the uncle accepted a
job he was offered and this leads on to our learning how long he remained in the job.
32. G. The link with the paragraph is ‘Mr Brownson’. We have been told about two shops and then in this
sentence there is the possibility of a job in Mr Brownson's shop.
PRACTICE 41
27. C. The key phrases are ‘jump racing’ and ‘flat racing’. The two types of racing have been mentioned in
the previous paragraph; this paragraph now tells us a little more about the two types of racing.
28. G. The key phrase here is ‘ln spite of this’. The previous paragraph has stated that flat racing is
considered to be superior but this paragraph informs us that the most famous race is a jump race.
29. E. The previous paragraph has spoken of the dangers in horse racing thus making the link with E
through the line ‘Even though jockeys are well aware of the dangers’.
30. B. The previous paragraph is about the fact that jockeys do not earn much money. This paragraph
continues with the theme of jockeys needing the money they earn from riding.
31. H. The key words linking this with the previous paragraph are ‘She’, ‘fell badly’, ‘Gee’, ‘hospital where
she stayed for the next month’. All these words link to the previous paragraph, which mentions this female
rider's fall and her having to stay in hospital.
32. F. The previous paragraph was about Gee's determination to ride again in spite of the lack of
enthusiasm from her friends and family; this paragraph gives us some information as to why she wants to
ride.

Gapped Text Practice With Answers (And Justifications)

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Gapped Text Practice With Answers (And Justifications)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Practice 1

WHY THE UNITED NATIONS WENT TO SCHOOL

A. Some people did worry, however.

FLYING INTO THE RECORD BOOKS

A. Polly’s 46,000km record-breaking journey began in January.

SHE’S THE FIRST EVER PROFESSOR OF POP

A. Sheila feels that women should not pursue a career in music.

A GARDEN FOR PALNA CHILDREN’S HOME

FAST WORK FOR FAST FOOD

A. This means I get sent to sort them out.

FEARS AND PHOBIAS

A. Progress in treating anxiety is providing help for many people.

IN DEFENCE OF WOMEN’S BOXING

THE AIRPORT PHOTOGRAPHER

A. You get the impression that they enjoy the attention.

WOULD YOU TURN OFF YOUR ENGINE, PLEASE?

I’M THE LAST SPEAKER OF MY LANGUAGE

A. I felt a sudden desire to learn that one too.

A. A stiff breeze is blowing across this massive open space.

A. This doesn't make a lot of difference to the experience for me.

FILMS AND COMPUTER GAMES

OUR AMAZING HANDS

COMPUTER GAMES: NOT JUST FOR KIDS!

D H Computer games are more popular among teenagers.

MOUNTAINS IN THE SEA

A. Orangutans can become very emotional when they fail a test.

PEOPLE WHO CAN’T COUNT

PIRATE RADIO STATIONS

THE ROBOT SHOP

CAN WE STOP FOOD CRAVINGS THROUGH IMAGINARY EATING?

VISITING PREHISTORIC CAVE ART IN FRANCE

A. However, the trip’s highlight is the Great Ceiling.

CHIMPS CAN BE TEAM PLAYERS, TOO!

DON’T JUST RUN….GET RUNNING AND BLOGGING!

THE WORLD’S FASTEST BIRD?

A. This is one of the unsolved mysteries of long-distance flights.

MAKING MY OWN BICYCLE – OUT OF BAMBOO!

BLIND OLYMPIC ATHLETES SHOW THE UNIVERSAL NATURE OF BODY

IS IT TIME WE WENT DUTCH?

A. Unusually, Dutch children do not appear to be overly affected by this concern.

A. In addition to this it was both flattering and affordable.

HOW DID THEY DO THAT?

HERE’S ONE THAT YOU HAVEN’T HEARD…

A. According to the data, jokes containing 103 are the funniest.

WHEN THE MUSIC TAKES YOU

THE GREAT TASTE SENSATION

SWITCH OFF YOUR MIND AND BECOME A GENIUS

STRANGE BUT TRUE

A. The answer is simple but remarkable: he learned to use sound.

POLICE TO USE BUSES

LOOKING FOR WORK

You might also like