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 – 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 – 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) …fulfil… 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.

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).

The joy of photography

Photography is a hobby with wide (0)….appeal…….. . And I don’t mean taking photos on your mobile phone, though it cannot be (1)…………… that such pictures can be surprisingly good these days. Serious photography means taking the (2)…………… to do some research, exploring the technical (3)……………. of the subject and investing in what might be quite expensive equipment.

So why take up photography? Firstly, it allows you to (4)……………… special moments that you want to remember forever. In addition, it (5)…………..  your imagination because you are always in search of ideas for original and out of the ordinary photos.

However, a lot of practice is required before you (6)…………….. to take really good pictures on a regular basis. When you finally do it, it will be a (7) ………… of great satisfaction for you. Photography can also transform the way you look at the world. You start to see details that in the past you used to miss (8)…………….. . All in all, it’s a highly absorbing hobby.

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).

The oldest leather shoe in the world

Archaeologists (0) …report….. that a perfectly preserved 5,500-year-old shoe has been discovered in a cave in Armenia in south-west Asia. It is (1) …….. to be the oldest leather shoe ever found.

The shoe was made of a single piece of leather, stitched at the front and back, and was shaped to fit the wearer’s foot. It had been (2) …….. with grasses, either for warmth or to make sure it kept its shape. ‘The shoe is relatively small but we can’t say for (3) …….. whether it was worn by a man or a woman,’ says Dr Ron Pinhasi, an archaeologist on the research (4) ……… ‘We thought at first that it was about 600-700 years old because it was in such good shape.’

Shoes of this type from later periods have turned (5) …….. in archaeological excavations in various places in Europe, and shoes of a very similar design were still being used on the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland as (6) …….. as the 1950s. It’s (7) …….. a style which (8) …….. popular for thousands of years.

 

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 decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0). 

 

WATER

You’re thirsty and you (0) …GET… yourself a glass of water. Do you ever (1) ………… how old that water really is? The glass of water that you’re (2) ………… to drink may have fallen from the sky as rain only last week.

However, water itself has been around pretty much as (3) ………… as the earth has! In fact, (4) ………… oceans, seas and rivers cover 70% of the earth, there is a (5) ………… supply of water, which keeps on moving round the earth. This is (6) ………… of what’s known as the water cycle. The sun heats up water and it turns into clouds, which are (7) ………… from water vapour. When the clouds become (8) ………… , the water falls back onto the earth as rain.

Of course, clean water is absolutely essential for good health. The amount of safe drinking water has gone up around the world, but (9) ………… one billion people still lack easy (10) ………… to clean water.

Look at the sentences below about John Chapman, an Englishman who lived in the 15^th century.

Read the text to decide if each sentence is correct or incorrect.

If it is correct, mark A.

If it is incorrect, mark B.

 

John Chapman

 

The atmosphere in the market place in Norwich in 1440 was probably not very different from how it is today – noisy, crowded, colourful and exciting. It was here that John Chapman used to come each week from his home in Swaffham, 50 kilometres away, to try to sell his copper pots and pans.

 

After one particularly tiring day, he loaded his unsold pots and pans onto the back of his horse as usual and walked slowly home. He had a meal and went to bed, complaining bitterly to his wife about their lack of money. However, that night John had a dream that would change the rest of his life.

 

In this dream a man told John that if he stood on London Bridge he would hear something that would make him rich. The dream was so real that John couldn’t get it out of his mind, and finally he decided to make the journey, even though his wife was against the idea.

 

After a week’s preparation, John set off for London with just his dog for company. When he arrived at London Bridge he stopped and watched all the men and women who went past. Many of them talked to him, but he heard nothing that would make him rich.

 

On the third day, however, an old man asked him why he was standing there. John told him it was because of a dream. The old man replied, ‘I recently dreamed that I went to the home of John Chapman, in Swaffham, and dug under a tree at the back of his house, where I found a buried pot of gold! But I am not foolish enough to believe in dreams.’

 

Unable to believe his luck, John said goodbye and returned to Swaffham. As soon as he got home, he fetched a spade and started digging. His wife looked on in amazement, unable to understand what he was doing. But sure enough, he uncovered a box. Opening it with nervous hands he found that it was full of money. The couple were delighted, but also curious about some words on the lid, which were in a language they didn’t recognise. Keen to find out their meaning, John put the box in his window and soon two young men knocked on the door and translated them for him: Beneath me lies another one much richer. So John dug deeper and this time found a huge pot full of gold and jewels!

 

That is how John Chapman became rich. He spent the money wisely and paid for several public buildings to be built. And his memory lives on in Swaffham today, on the painted sign at the entrance to the town!

Look at the sentences below about two climbers called Gertrude Benham and Charles Fay.

Read the text to decide if each sentence is correct or incorrect.

If it is correct, mark A.

If it is incorrect, mark B.

 

Climbing mountains

 

Gertrude Benham was born in England in 1867. She had made 130 climbs in the European Alps before going to the Canadian Rocky Mountains in 1904, where she spent the summer climbing. In 1904, the paths of Gertrude Benham and Charles Fay briefly crosses. He had spent several successful summers climbing in the Rocky Mountains. In fact he was so successful that the Geographical Board of Canada asked him to select a mountain to take his name. He chose one known as Heejee and was determined to be the first to reach the top. But Gertrude Benham had the same idea.

 

On 19 July 1904, Gertrude and her guide, Christian Kaufmann, reached the top of a mountain which they thought was Heejee. Upon their return, however, they were told that that particular mountain was called something else. They decided to try again the next day but, unknown to Gertrude, Charles Fay and his guide Hans Kaufmann, Christian’s brother, were planning to climb Heejee that day as well.

 

Both groups set out on 20 July but Charles Fay and Hans Kaufmann found the snow conditions difficult and had to turn back. Gertrude and Christian were successful. Charles Fay was annoyed and later wrote a letter, ‘Hans Kaufmann led me, against my wishes, up Consolation Valley instead of taking my advice to go round Moraine Lake, while Christian led Miss Benham straight to the top of the mountain.’

 

Some people said that the Kaufmann brothers had wanted Gertrude to get to the top first and Hans had therefore taken Charles Fay on a route which took more time. Although this is a good story, no documents exist to prove this actually happened and it was never thought that Gertrude had any knowledge of it.

 

Disappointed, Charles Fay asked if he could choose a different mountain to take his name and chose Mount Shappee, but then found out that Gertrude and Christian had climbed that one as well. At this point Charles Fay agreed to have his name attached to Heejee, as he had originally wanted. He finally climbed to its top on 5 August 1904. Half a century later, his grandson climbed the north-eastern side of the mountain, by then known as Mount Fay. No other climber had ever managed to do this.

 

Gertrude Benham then travelled to New Zealand and Japan to do more climbing before going home to England, spending time in Australia and India on the way. Charles Fay made many more successful climbs. The first hut built in the Canadian Rockies to shelter climbers was called the Fay Hult. It was built in 1927 but unfortunately was destroyed in a forest fire in 2003.