Advanced English Material for the Gifted School year: 2019 – 2020

COUNTDOWN2020
FURTHER 05
[WORD CHOICE] – Choose the word which best completes each sentence below.
Question 1: It was the ______ warning from the seismologists that helped saved the lives of the island
inhabitants before the volcano erupted.
(A) preliminary (B) hasty (C) cursory (D) advance
Question 2: Being passed over for promotion was a great ______ to his pride.
(A) blow (B) shock (C) knock (D) punch
Question 3: Certain pessimists feel that a nuclear war in our time is ______.
(A) inevitable (B) illicit (C) disconcerting (D) impossible
Question 4: He was a smart kid and a talented pianist, but shy, overweight and socially ______.
(A) inept (B) inflexible (C) unkempt (D) disheartened
Question 5: We received the ______ news today that there would be no raises this year.
(A) disreputable (B) uncanny (C) incongruous (D) disconcerting
Question 6: He emerged ______ after his vehicle was involved in a traffic accident.
(A) unscathed (B) uncanny (C) irreparable (D) illiterate
Question 7: The room is washed in a darkness that is ______ with the rest of the film’s palette.
(A) unlikely (B) unwitting (C) incongruous (D) unkempt
Question 8: He is known for his ______ efforts to expose fellow police officers who accepted bribes.
(A) incalculable (B) inexorable (C) unwieldy (D) illicit
Question 9: Barbara’s parents received a report from her teacher that said, “Barbara is an excellent student, but
she talks to her friends ______ during class.”
(A) ineptly (B) incoherently (C) unerringly (D) incessantly
Question 10: A civil war pits brother against brother and causes ______ harm to a nation’s morale.
(A) uncompromising (B) incalculable (C) invariable (D) infallible
Question 11: His efforts to keep the peace were so ______ that he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
(A) lucrative (B) mercenary (C) commendable (D) heavy
Question 12: They worked from dawn to dusk with such ______ that they were exhausted.
(A) boredom (B) detraction (C) debility (D) zeal
Question 13: Before they sold their house, they spent two months ______ it.
(A) trying (B) embellishing (C) sifting (D) planting
Question 14: In the ______ between shows, the actress went to Paris.
(A) rush (B) closing (C) interim (D) practice
Question 15: He felt such a close ______ for animals that he became a veterinarian.
(A) distaste (B) affinity (C) approach (D) likeness
Question 16: A bite of chocolate cake only ______ my desire for more.
(A) spares (B) lets (C) changes (D) whets
Question 17: We’ll have to clean up this ______ yard before the guests arrive.
(A) tired (B) unlikely (C) undone (D) unkempt
Question 18: The expedition cost us a lot and still we didn’t succeed in ______ our eyes on Yeti.

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 Advanced English Material for the Gifted School year: 2019 – 2020

(A) fixing (B) laying (C) placing (D) staring

Question 19: You shouldn’t have ______ in so much ice cream first thing last evening.
(A) indulged (B) enjoyed (C) consumed (D) feasted
Question 20: Due to many years of ______, the Smiths had nothing to fall back on when it was time for
them to retire.
(A) illiteracy (B) impunity (C) inflexibility (D) imprudence
[LEXICO CLOZE TEST] – Choose the words that best complete the sentences below.
Stressful situations that (21) _______ almost every day in life seem to be unavoidable. However, we
can do little sometimes to (22) _______ a misfortune or unpleasant occurrence which may (23) _______ us
expectedly as only it can. At such a moment, one may hit the roof give in to the helplessness of the situation
or, ideally, put a brave (24) _______ on it trying to bear the burden.
Can you (25) _______ in your mind an hour spent in a traffic jam, say, this morning? Do you light
one cigarette after another? Do you sound the horn every few seconds like the other neurotics? Or do you
take a different stance and make good use of the time drawing up a schedule for the days to come?
To (26) _______ the stressful moment you can also do a crossword puzzle, listen to your favorite
music or even compose a menu for your Saturday dinner. In fact, whatever way you respond to the annoying
situation, you can exert no impact on it as the traffic jam will only reduce in due (27) _______. Nevertheless,
your reaction might considerably influence your mood for the rest of the day.
The inability to confront a stressful occurrence like that with a deal of composure and sensibility adds
much more strain to your life and in this way puts your well-being in (28) _______. Surprisingly, it's the
seemingly negligible hardships we (29) _______ on daily that run double the risk of developing serious
health disorders rather than our isolated tragedies however painful they may be
(30) _______ that so many of those wretched stress inducing troubles affect us in a day, we should, at
best, try to avoid them or possibly make radical alterations in the way we lead our daily lifestyles.
Question 21: A. devise B. create C. originate D. emerge
Question 22: A. ward off B. boil down C. stamp out D. dawn on
Question 23: A. arise B. happen C. befall D. occur
Question 24: A. face B. neck C. forehead D. fist
Question 25: A. envision B. observe C. picture D. conclude
Question 26: A. withhold B. withdraw C. wither D. withstand
Question 27: A. term B. course C. timing D. period
Question 28: A. risk B. weakness C. jeopardy D. insecurity
Question 29: A. stumble B. stagger C. stutter D. stump
Question 30: A. Providing B. Given C. Hence D. Albeit
ANSWER KEY:
1D 2A 3A 4A 5D 6A 7C 8B 9D 10B
11C 12D 13B 14C 15B 16D 17D 18B 19A 20D
21D 22A 23C 24A 25A 26D 27B 28C 29A 30B

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