For questions 1 – 12, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
There is an example at the beginning (0).

Fingernails growing faster

People’s fingernails and toenails, (0) …according… to a recent study, are nowadays growing more quickly. Research (1) ….. out at the University of North Carolina indicates that the speed at which human nails are growing has increased by (2) ….. to 25 per cent over the last 70 years.

The results of the study show that the (3) ….. human fingernail now grows about 3.5 mm a month, (4) ….. with just 3 mm seven decades ago. Toenail growth, (5) ….. only about 2 mm per month, was also up on the figure (6) ….. in a similar survey done 70 years ago.

Researchers (7) ….. the rapid increase down to changes in lifestyle, particularly the greater (8)……. of the importance of regular exercise and a healthy diet. This, they point out, is in (9) ….. with similar trends in the height and weight of present-day adults.

nterestingly, it appears that nails (10) ….. to grow fastest in warmer conditions, with the quickest growth (11) ….. among young people, and men. The fastest-growing nail is on the middle finger, while that on the little finger is (12) ….. far the slowest, at only a fraction o ver 3 mm each month.

 

For questions 1 – 12, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
There is an example at the beginning (0).

Holidays at home

Official figures show that the number of people (0) ..TAKING….. international flights is decreasing, and that this is (1) ……. in significant changes to holidaying habits. 

As the cost of air tickets increases, it appears that more and more familias are choosing to (2) ….. their summer holidays at home. People are also becoming more (3) ……. of the harm that flying does to the environment, and see it as a way of helping to (4) ……. the planet, too.

For many parents a summer with no airport queues or overcrowded resorts may seem attractive, but the idea might well be less (5) ……. with their teenage children, who are probably (6) ……. to flying off to the Mediterranean or Miami as soon as school breaks up. So, the question is, how can young people (7) ……. lots of fun when so much will be closed far the holidays, and so many of their friends are (8) ……. to be away?

The answer may lie at the local sports centre. Nowadays, many centres organise summer activities aimed at young people (9) ……. either on indoor or outdoor sports. These might range, far instance, from playing table tennis to (10) ……. mountain-biking. As well as being healthy and enjoyable, taking part in activities like these is also an excellent way to (11) …… new friends. Far the most popular activities, though, it is advisable to (12) ……. early far a place – perhaps two or three months in advance.

For questions 1 – 8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
There is an example at the beginning (0).

Coming second: pleasure or pain?

Every ambitious athlete hopes to (0) ………… their dream of winning a gold medal at the Olympics.

However, not everyone can win, and often talented athletes must accept  second place. A team of psychologists recently (1)………. some research on the emotional responses of those finishing second. For certain individuals, a silver medal may (2) ………….. their expectations and so naturally they will be delighted. They may also enjoy surprising experts and journalists who believed they had absolutely no (3) of achieving anything.

In (4)…………..  , the athlete who everyone assumed would win with ease, but then suffers a (5) ………….. defeat, may not celebrate their silver medal. This reaction differs sharply from the athlete who comes second but finished a long way behind the winner. There is a (6)…………….. in the research that shows such a person will feel significantly happier.

To a certain (7)………….. , these findings are not surprising. Silver medallists who were close to victory will almost certainly (8) ……………..on what might have happened if they had trained harder, or done things differently.

For questions 1 – 8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
There is an example at the beginning (0).

Off the beaten track

The expression ‘getting off the beaten track’ is used to (0) ….refer……… to the experience of avoiding famous tourist attractions and choosing instead to explore less well-known places when travelling.

For many people the whole (1) …………. of travel is to visit cities such as Paris or Venice that have a great (2) …………….. as places of beauty and historic importance. Furthermore, they are not particularly (3)………… by the crowds that are usually found in such locations. But for others who have more of a (4) ………. of adventure, a good holiday must (5) ……….. unfamiliar experiences, even taking some risks.

Travelling off the beaten track may be done by some students who don’t (6)……… to a rigid plan, but make decisions about what to do depending on how they feel. Other travellers prefer to spend money on guided tours to unusual locations. Such tours are designed to (7)…………… their particular needs, and all the arrangements are made for them. However people choose to get off the beaten track, the hope is always the same: to have a special, often unique (8) …………… of a different culture.

La disposición final trigésima segunda de la Ley 2/2011, de 4 de marzo, de Economía Sostenible, autoriza al Gobierno para elaborar, en el plazo de un año a partir de la entrada en vigor de esta ley, un texto refundido en el que se integren, debidamente regularizados, aclarados y armonizados, la Ley 30/2007, de 30 de octubre, de Contratos del Sector Público, y las disposiciones en materia de contratación del sector público contenidas en normas con rango de ley, incluidas las relativas a la captación financiación privada para la ejecución de contratos públicos. Dicha habilitación tiene su razón de ser en la seguridad jurídica, como puso de manifiesto el Consejo de Estado en su dictamen de 29 de abril de 2010, al recomendar la introducción, en el texto del anteproyecto de modificación de la Ley 30/2007, de 30 de octubre, sometido a dictamen de una disposición final que habilitará al gobierno para la realización de un texto refundido, con el alcance que se estimara por conveniente.

Efectivamente, la sucesión de leyes que han modificado por diversos motivos la Ley 30/2007 unido a la existencia de otras normas en materia de financiación privada para la ejecución de contratos públicos incluidas en otros textos legislativos, pero de indudable relación con los preceptos que regulan los contratos a los que se refieren, aconsejan la elaboración de un texto único en el que se incluyan debidamente aclaradas y armonizadas, todas las disposiciones aplicables a la contratación del sector público.

De acuerdo con la citada habilitación se ha procedido a elaborar el Real Decreto Legislativos 3/2011, por el que se aprueba el texto refundido de la Ley de Contratos del Sector Público.

Conteste a las siguientes preguntas:

Haciendo uso de la autorización contenida en el artículo 86 de la Constitución Española, a propuesta del Ministro de Educación ,Cultura y Deporte, y previa deliberación del Consejo de Ministros en su reunión del día 3 de julio de 2017, queda modificado el texto refundido de la Ley de Propiedad Intelectual, aprobado por el Real Decreto Legislativo 1/1996, de 12 de abril, por el Real Decreto-Ley, de 3 de julio, por el que se modifica el texto refundido de la Ley de Propiedad Intelectual.

Conteste a las siguientes preguntas:

Read the text below and choose the correct word for each space. For each question, choose the correct letter A, B, C or D. 

 

Travelling in the Glasgow area

The city of Glasgow has a modern underground rail network and (1) ………………. of buses and trains. It also has a (2) ………………. other forms of transport. The ferry across the river Clyde between Yoker (3) ………………. Renfrew is popular with tourists. There has been a ferry in service here (4) ………………. around 500 years. The (5) ………………. takes about half an hour, and it’s an interesting way to see this part of the city. For a (6) ………………. boat ride, you could try one of the cruises on the Clyde. The cruises (7) ………………. at the Riverside Museum and sail down the river past some interesting historical parts of the city. If you (8) ………………. trying something more adventurous, you could travel from Glasgow to the island of Mull on a seaplane. The (9) ………………. are quite expensive, but it’s an experience you won’t forget. Also in the air, why not try a helicopter flight? It’s not cheap, but you get an amazing (10) ………………. of the city.

Read the text below and choose the correct word for each space. For each question, choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.

 

The actress Emma Watson grew up near Oxford in the south of England and (1) …………………. as an actress at the Stagecoach School in Oxford.
(2) …………………. she had only acted in a few school plays, in 2001 she was lucky enough to get the role of Hermione in the Harry Potter film (3) …………………. . This was the role which first (4) …………………. her famous. She appeared in (5) …………………. eight of the Harry Potter films from 2001 to 2011. After the Harry Potter films, Emma (6) …………………. to work in films, but also (7) …………………. a few years studying English Literature at university. She acted while she studied, and (8) …………………. 2012 she has continued to develop her career and has appeared in (9) …………………. very successful films. She is (10) …………………. very interested in fashion, and has worked as a fashion model for a well-known fashion magazine.

Read the text and the questions below. For each question, choose the correct letter A, B, C or D

 

Athletics in Jamaica

Jamaica has produced some of the world’s best athletes, including stars such as Usain Bolt and Veronica Campbell-Brown. Is this success partly due to one event – the Annual Boys and Girls Championships?

The four-day Championships have taken place every year since 1910. Nearly 200 school students take part in front of an audience of over 30,000 people. The event is also shown
on live TV, and the whole country watches what is sometimes called Jamaica’s mini-Olympics. The competitors take it very seriously, and they all want to win. Classmates and former students also come to support and encourage their schools.

School coach Dwayne Simpson has trained many young stars. He believes the Championships have an important role in the development of young athletes. They are the biggest schools competition in the world, he says, and other countries are now looking to copy them. He also believes that the Championships give young athletes a reason to
practise. They want to do well for their school, so they work and train together as a team, so they produce better results.

Nathaniel Day, a young runner from Britain, has studied and trained in Jamaica for the last two years. ‘Young athletes here get experience of being on TV from the age of 12,’ he says, ‘so when they’re older, they aren’t scared of big occasions and they perform well. In the UK, athletes don’t perform in front of the cameras
until they’re adults, and sometimes they find it hard to deal with.’ According to Nathaniel, the Championships also give young athletes a goal. ‘Because it’s such a big event, it gives them an idea of how exciting it is to perform in an Olympic stadium. It helps them develop the ambition to become champions.’

Read the text and the questions below. For each question, choose the correct letter A, B, C or D

 

The price of a perfect holiday?

Cruises are becoming more and more popular, with around 20 million passengers per year now enjoying holidays on board luxury ships. Many people see a cruise as the perfect way to sit back and do nothing, and enjoy time off work. But what is the effect on the environment of this trend?

Although it usually takes less energy for a vehicle to move through water than over land, cruise ships are often huge, with the biggest ones carrying up to 6,000 passengers. Moving such large vehicles requires enormous engines which burn as much as 300,000 litres of fuel a day. One scientist has calculated that cruise ships create as much pollution as 5 million cars going over the same distance. Because they are out at sea, they also burn dirtier fuel that isn’t allowed on land. Unfortunately, no government has control over the amount of air pollution out at sea.

Cruises also produce huge amounts of rubbish, and cruise ships aren’t usually good at recycling. Waste water from showers and toilets is usually poured directly into the sea – as much per day as from a small town. Waste food from restaurants isn’t put into the sea, but still causes problems when brought back to the land.

Cruise ships also cause difficulties in the cities where they stop. Popular destinations can get five or six ships per day, with thousands of tourists at a time. Good for restaurants? No. Restaurant owners complain that the visitors look around for a few hours and then return to their ship to eat. What’s more, the crowds can put off other tourists, who complain that the streets are too busy. Some towns have banned cruise ships or put a limit on the number that can stop at the same time. People who care about the environment worry that as the cruise industry continues to grow, so too will the issues for our planet.