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Top 26 exercises - Gap filling preparation - read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space
Top 26 exercises - Gap filling preparation - read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space giúp các bạn học sinh sắp tham gia các kì thi Tiếng Anh tham khảo, học tập và ôn tập kiến thức, bài tập và đạt kết quả cao trong kỳ thi sắp tới. Mời quý thầy cô cùng các bạn học sinh đón xem!
Môn: Chủ đề: Open cloze and Guided cloze 63 tài liệu
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Exercise 1
Choose the best options to complete the following sentences.
1. Larry never spoke to anyone, and kept himself _______ . A. outside B. withdrawn C. superior
D. aloofnot friendly or interested in other people
2. Sarah delivered a/an __________ appeal to the court and asked for mercy. A. sensational B. sentimental C. emotional D. affectionate
3. James never remembers anything; he’s got a memory like ___________. A. cotton wool B. a mouse C. a sieve D. a bucket
4. There seems to be a large ___________ between the number of people employed in service industries and
those employed in the primary sectors. A. discrepancy B. discretion C. discriminate D. distinguish
5. His new yacht is certainly an ostentatious display of his wealth. A. showy B. expensive C. large D. ossified
6. I know you have been working very hard today. Let's _______ and go home. A. pull my
B. call it a day to stop what you are doing because you do not want to do any more or think you have done enough
C. put your back up make someone annoyed or angry D. see pros and cons
7. The team threw on all their substitutes in the last five minutes, all to no _____ as they lost the game narrowly by three points. A. use B. avail C. gain D. benefit
8. The doctor gave the patient ______ examination to discover the cause of his collapse. A. a thorough B. an exact C. a universal D. a whole
9. He earns his living by ______ old paintings. A. reviving B. restoring C. reforming D. Replenishing
10. A scientific hypothesis is tested in a series of _______ experiments. A. controlled B. limited C. theoretical D. supervised GRAMMAR AND STRUCTURES:
Choose the best options to complete the following sentences
11. It is imperative that your facebook password ______ confidential. A. need keeping B. need to keep C. needs to be kept D. needed keeping
12. I would be very rich now ________ working long ago. A. if I gave up B. if I wouldn’t give up
C. were I to give up D. had I not given up
13. Thank you so much for your votes. I wouldn’t have a chance to stand here _______ A. however B. whatsoever C. notwithstanding D. otherwise
14. In four hours’ time we ______ on one of the world’s most luxurious yacht! A. are relaxing B. will be relaxing
C. are going to relax D. will relax
15. They are soaked to the skin. They _______ their umbrellas.
A. should have taken B. must have taken
C. could have taken D. ought to take
16. Remember not to cough or sneeze at the table. _______ , excuse yourself. A. For necessary B. As necessary C. If need be D. With all need
17. Hurry up! The night flight from Boston is expected ______ half an hour earlier. A. to have arrived B. to have been arriving C. to be arrived D. to be arriving
18. That’s the last time ________ here. A. I’ve ever come
B. I’m ever coming C. I ever came D. I’d ever come
19. I'm afraid I can’t justify ________ all that time off from my studies. A. take B. to take C. taking D. being taken
20. ______ that we were quite frightened.
A. So was his anger B. Such anger is he C. Such was the force of his anger D. So angry is he
PHRASAL VERBS AND PREPOSITIONS
21. What ever Jane ______ to do, she finishes. A. gets on B. sees on C. sets out D. looks for
22. Sales of the Chinese toys dropped _______ sharply when the TV news reported that high levels of toxic
lead had been found in painted toys. A. outrút lui B. down C. away D. off becomes less
23. I don’t think anyone understood what I was saying at the meeting, did they? I totally failed to get my point ______. A. about B. around C. acrossunderstand D. along
24. A lot of us mull ______ taking the right kind of insurance that really serves our needs.
doituyenquocgia 2 afternoon-160122
A. over to think carefully about sth for a long time B. up C. aside D. against
25. Make sure you swot __________ the company before the interview. A. into
B. up on to learn as much as you can about a subject, especially before an exam C. away D. around
26. Many people find it hard to do _______ items such as furniture, clothes or toys simple because hard- earned cast was spent. A. without B. away with C. along with D. out of
27. When a machine moves, stress on the moving components will deteriorate or wear ___ the machinery. A. off B. away
C. out no longer able to be used, usually because it has been used too much D. down
28. Lizzie said that she had completed the celebrations of the past couple of weeks and would knuckle _________ for tomorrow. A. in B. on C. up D. down
29. The police were trying to cordon ______ the attack area while families of the victims were screaming and crying for their loss. A. off B. up C. out D. at
30. Whatever the message you want to get _______ , you’ll do it better if you can get your audience engrossed in a story. A. along B. around C. across D. away GUIDED CLOZE
PASSAGE A: Read the text below and decide which answer best fits each space
MARY HEATH, FEMALE PILOT
Mary Heath was the (41) ____ Queen of the Skies, one of the best-known women in the world during the (42)
_____ age of aviation. She was the first woman in Britain to (43) _____ a commercial pilot’s licence, the first
to (44) ______ a parachute jump - and the first British women’s javelin champion. She scandalized 1920s’
British society by marrying three times (at the (45) ______ of her fame she wed politician Sir James Heath -
her second husband. 45 years her senior).
In 1928, aged 31, she became the first pilot to fly an open-cockpit plane, solo, from South Africa to
Egypt, (46) ______ 9,000 miles in three months. It was a triumph. Lady Heath was (47) ______ as the nation’s
sweetheart and called 'Lady Icarus' by the press.
However, her life was (48) ______ tragically short. Only a year later, she (49) _____ a horrific
accident at the National Air Show in Ohio in the USA, when her plane crashed through the roof of a building.
Her health was never the (50) ______ again, she died in May 1939. 41. A. original B. initial C. primary D. novel 42. A. golden B. sweet C. bright D. shiny 43. A. achieve B. gain C. observe D. apply 44. A. put B. hold C. take D. make 45. A. crest B. height C. fullness D. top 46. A. covering B. stretching C. crossing D. ranging 47. A. exclaimed B. declared C. hailed D. quoted 48. A. cut B. left C. stopped D. brought 49. A. undertook B. suffered C. received D. underwent 50. A. like B. equal C. better D. same
PASSAGE B: Read the text below and decide which answer best fits each space
There is still much sand left in the world to satisfy most holiday makers but in many parts of the world
beaches are literally being washed away and have to be regularly (51) _____. First, much of the sand for
beaches comes from cliffs which crumble away as they are pounded by the waves. To (52) _______ them, sea
walls are often erected. With cliffs no longer crumbling, the beaches are robbed off the material which would
(53) ______ feed them. Beaches are also (54) ______ with sand and gravel by rivers which bring it down from
the mountains and hills. In some places rivers are being dammed and (55) _______ built to retain water. They
trap more of the sediment so the rivers take less sand and gravel to the sea. This is happening in California, for
example, and in Scotland. In Egypt, the building of the Aswan Dam has (56) _____ the Nile silt, so much less
silt is being fed towards coastal (57) ___ . That has meant the delta is now eroding instead of (58) ____ as
before. Thirdly, to improve access to the beach many holiday resorts build a promenade along the sea front.
Like some of the fortifications of cliff (59) ___ this usually has a flat vertical surface off which the waves (60)
__ . This helps wash the sand away down the beach and most of it is lost.
doituyenquocgia 3 afternoon-160122 51. A. removed B. replaced C. rebuilt D. protected 52. A. surround B. prepare C. protect D. cover 53. A. normally B. often C. sometimes D. occasionally 54. A. presented B. given C. filled D. supplied 55. A. reservoirs B. canals C. wells D. locks 56. A. kept B. trapped C. sealed D. solidified 57. A. beaches B. resorts C. areas D. parts 58. A. growing B. shrinking C. swelling D. progressing 59. A. tops B. faces C. features D. hangings 60. A. bounce B. jump C. splash D. ripple READING COMPREHENSION:
READING PASSAGE 1: Read the text below and choose the best answer to each question AGRICULTURE AND URBANIZATION
In the modern world, many people take the procurement of food for granted, especially in so-called
industrialized states. Even in many states with marginalized economies, there is enough food for all. It is just
unevenly distribute, with a powerful elite living lives of luxury in a land rife with deprivation and starvation.
An abundance of food is not the norm of human history. For the first ten of thousands of years, humans lived a
literal hand-to-mouth existence as hunter-gatherers, waking each morning with one thought in mind: how to
find something to eat. The fruits and roots of the plants they gathered and the flesh of the fish they caught and
the animals they hunted were their sole sources of nourishment. This overwhelming need occupied most of
their time, leaving them with little to improve their lives in other ways. Permanent settlements were unheard
of, as each band or tribe moved from place to place seeking new sources of food. It was not until man learned
the mysteries of agriculture about 12,000 years ago that man had a renewable source of nourishment and
formed the first permanent settlements.
All of the main staple crops of the world had at one time grown in the wild, often in a different form than
man uses today. The cultivation of these plants in regularly planted fields constitutes the beginnings of
agriculture, and, coupled with the domestication of animals, it marked the first real civilizations on Earth.
Prior to this point, in approximately 10,000 B.C., there was nothing to unify humans in any large groupings.
In fact, large groupings would have been detrimental to the survival of the group as the food from their
natural surroundings could only support a limited number of people. How and why man first began the
process of planting crops, harvesting them, and storing them for future use is still not entirely understood.
Nevertheless, there are five undisputed original centers of agriculture: the Eastern United States, the area of
Southern Mexico and Guatemala, the Andes mountain region of modern Peru, the Fertile Crescent region in
the modern Middle East, and Eastern China.
All five independently developed agriculture from the plant species available in the region. With the
exception of the eastern United States, in ancient times, all became centers of urbanization, with the Fertile
Crescent area, the most likely site of man's first towns and cities. Agriculture is a labor-intensive activity,
requiring a large group of people to live in the same place for continuous periods. Once an area was cleared of
trees, stones, or other obstacles and planted, it made sense to stay there and settle permanently. The crops also
needed to be protected from animals and those still living a nomadic existence. Undoubtedly, agriculture gave
rise to urbanization and not the reverse since without agriculture there was no reason to form permanent settlements.
With a surplus of food available, people had time to take part in activities other than food procurement.
Artisans, merchants, scholars, engineers, priests, bureaucratic elites, permanent garrisons, and a myriad of
others were fed by the surplus labor of the masses. For the first time in human history, a distinction grew
between different groups of people: those who grew the food and those who did not. Perversely, those who
did not grow the food became the more powerful, using their free time to plan cities and temples, develop
weapons, gather armies, and wage war on their fellow humans. The masses of people became tied to the land,
laboring for the few elites at the top.
A distinction also grew between those who lived in the city and enjoyed its vice and those left back on the
farm. In the ancient world, the city became a place of danger, where crime was rife, illness spread, and the
worst sins of mankind were perpetrated, a situation that remains unchanged today. Much of humanity now
resides in cities despite modern urban ills. Most of mankind has been free of its daily search for sustenance,
allowing humans to progress in 12,000 years a tremendous deal farther than in all man's previous history. Yet
doituyenquocgia 4 afternoon-160122
this progress has been with much pain, with the rise of powerful elites and a world of haves and have-nots.
61. According to paragraph 1, in many states with marginalized economies
A. there is enough food only for a select elite.
B. food is not shared fairly by everyone.
C. everyone gets more than enough food.
D. select elites decide who gets the food.
62. The word "deprivation" in the passage is closest in meaning to A. privacy B. distress C. desire D. poverty
63. According to paragraph 2, all of the following are known about early agriculture EXCEPT:
A. where humans first began to grow crops.
B. how humans first managed to grow crops.
C. when humans developed the first crops.
D. the origins of the crops that are common today.
64. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the bold sentence in the passage?
Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
A. Large groups could not exist because there was not enough food in a given area for everyone to live on.
B. Large groups were needed to survive because they could gather more food from a given area.
C. The size of a group depended on the amount of food in a given area and its natural surroundings.
D. Survival was dependent on the size of the group and the amount of food its members could bring with them.
65. According to paragraph 3, each original area of agriculture
A. had the same plants from wild sources.
B. shared plants between different areas.
C. used the plants found in its own area.
D. had some plants that were in common.
66. The word "there" in the passage refers to A. centers of urbanization B. the Fertile Crescent C. the same place D. an area
67. The word "nomadic" in the passage is closest in meaning to A. meager B. wandering C. bountiful D. harsh
68. In paragraph 4, the author uses the term "perversely" to indicate that
A. the division of humans into various classes was unnecessary.
B. it was strange that those doing all the work were not the elites.
C. the elites should be those with the time to help humanity progress.
D. class distinctions were an inevitable result of agriculture.
69. It can be inferred from paragraph 4 that prior to the development of agriculture there _____
A. was greatly equality among people.
B. was a class of leaders in most groups.
C. were some types of craftsmen.
D. were no conflicts among humans.
70. According to paragraph 5, centers of urbanization in all ages ____
A. developed only in places of agricultural development. B. have attracted the best and brightest people.
C. were responsible for the spread of disease.
D. have problems that are similar to each other.
READING PASSAGE 2: Read the text below and choose the best answer to each question
Some animal behaviorists argue that certain animals can remember part events, anticipate future ones,
make plans and choices, and coordinate activities within a group. These scientists, however, are cautious about
the extent to which animals can be credited with conscious processing.
Explanations of animal behavior that leave out any sort of consciousness at all and ascribe actions entirely
to instinct leave many questions unanswered. One example of such unexplained behavior: Honeybees
communicate the sources of nectar to one another by doing a dance in a figure-eight pattern. The orientation of
the dance conveys the position of the food relative to the sun’s position in the sky, and the speed of the dance
tells how far the food source is from the hive. Most researchers assume that the ability to perform and encode
the dance is innate and shows no special intelligence. But in one study, when experimenters kept changing the
site of the food source, each time moving the food 25 percent father from the previous site, foraging
honeybees began to anticipate where the food source would appear next. When the researchers arrived at the
new location, they would find the bees circling the spot, waiting for their food. No one has yet explained how
bees, whose brains weigh four ten-thousandths of an ounce, could have inferred the location of the new site.
Other behaviors that may indicate some cognition include tool use. Many animals, like the otter who uses a
stone to crack mussel shells, are capable of using objects in the natural environment as rudimentary tools. One
researcher has found that mother chimpanzees occasionally show their young how to use tools to open hard
nuts. In one study, chimpanzees compared two pairs of food wells containing chocolate chips. One pair might
contain, say, five chips and three chips, the other four chips and three chips. Allowed to choose which pair
they wanted, the chimpanzees almost always chose the one with the higher total, showing some sort of
summing ability. Other chimpanzees have learned to use numerals to label quantities of items and do simple
doituyenquocgia 5 afternoon-160122 sums.
71. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. Observations that suggest consciousness in animal behavior.
B. The use of food in studies of animal behavior.
C. The role of instinct in animal behavior.
D. Differences between the behavior of animals in their natural environments and in laboratory experiments.
72. Which of the following is NOT discussed as an ability animals are thought to have? A. Communicating emotions
B. Remembering past experiences C. Selecting among choices D. Anticipating events to come
73. What is the purpose of the honeybee at a site?
A. To determine the quality of food at a site
B. To increase the speed of travel to food sources
C. To identify the type of nectar that is available
D. To communicate the location of food
74. The word “yet” is closest in meaning to . A. however B. generally C. since D. so far
75. What did researchers discover in the study of honeybees discussed in paragraph 2?
A. Bees are able to travel at greater speeds than scientists thought.
B. The bees were able to determine in advance where scientists would place their food.
C. Changing the location of food caused bees to decrease their dance activity.
D. The bees could travel 25% farther than scientists expected.
76. It can be inferred from the passage that brain size is assumed to .
A. be an indicator of cognitive ability
B. be related to food consumption
C. correspond to levels of activity
D. vary among individuals within a species
77. Why are otters and mussel shells included in the discussion in paragraph 3?
A. To provide that certain species demonstrate greater ability in tool use than other species.
B. To provide an example of tool use among animals.
C. To show that animals are very good at using objects in their habitat.
D. To provide an example of the use of weapons among animals. 78.
The word "rudimentary' in meaning to . A. technical B. basic C. superior D. original
79. The phrase "the one" refer to the . A. chimpanzee B. pair C. ability D. study
80. Scientists concluded from the experiment with chimpanzees and chocolate chips that chimpanzees .
A. prefer to work in pairs or groups
B. have difficulty selecting when given choices
C. lack abilities that other primates have
D. exhibit behavior that indicates certain mathematical abilities Exercise 2
CLOZE TEST: Read the text below and think of the word which best fits each space. Use only ONE
WORD for each space. OPEN CLOZE 1 I HATE HOLIDAYS
It’s years now since anyone told me I needed a holiday. That is because I long (1) ago ran out of companions
who were prepared to put (2) up with a two-week sulk. The only way I could cope with a holiday was by
taking my lap-top with me and working while they poked among some ruins in the morning. I was reasonable
company over lunch, but in the afternoon, when they (3) usually/generally dragged me off to the beach with
cries of, "You’re on holiday, for goodness sake!’, I was intolerable.
Eventually, I came to (4) terms with the fact that holidays and I don’t mix. Holidays, that is, of the suntan
lotion and beach towel variety. When, I reasoned, one reaches the end of a "relaxing' holiday longing to get
back to (5) his/her desk, what was the (6) point of setting off in the first place?
I do of course take breaks, but given my aversion (7) to both sand and grass, always in foreign cities. But there
are strict ground rules. The (8) first is that my journey has to have some purpose. Maybe I’m writing a travel
article, or catching (9) up with local theatres. The reason can be pretty tenuous, but it has to be there.
Secondly, there are my requirements. The hotel has to have a fax machine and I must be able to tune in the
television news in my room. And finally, I must be able to get the English newspapers, even if a few days late.
With all these factors in place, I am in (10) my element. But three days later, I’m ready to go home. OPEN CLOZE 2
doituyenquocgia 6 afternoon-160122 BASKETBALL
Although he created the game of basketball at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts, Dr. James A.
Naismith was a Canadian. Working as a physical education (11) instructor at the International YMCA, now
Springfield College, Dr. Naismith noticed a lack of interest in exercise among students during the wintertime.
The New England winters were fierce, and the students balked at (12) participating in outdoor activities.
Naismith determined that a fast-moving game that could be played indoors would fill a void after the baseball
and football (13) seasons had ended.
First he attempted to adapt outdoor games such as soccer and rugby to indoor play, but he soon found
them (14) unsuitable for confined areas. Finally, he determined that he would have to invent a game. In
December of 1891, Dr. Naismith hung two old peach baskets at each end of the gymnasium at the school, and,
using a soccer ball and nine players on each side, (15) organized the first basketball game. The early rules
allowed three points for each basket and made running with the ball a violation. Every time a goal was (16)
made, someone had to climb a ladder to retrieve the ball.
Nevertheless, the game became popular. In less than a year, basketball was being played in both the
US and Canada. Five years later, a championship (17) tournament was staged in New York City, which was
won by the Brooklyn Central YMCA.
The teams had already been (18) reduced to seven players and five became standard in the 1897
season. When basketball was introduced as a demonstration sport in the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, it
quickly spread (19) throughout the world. In 1906, a metal (20) hoop was used for the first time to replace
thee basket but the name basketball has remained. Exercise 3
PART 1: Complete each sentence, using the correct form of the word in parentheses.
1. Students from underprivileged families face huge, often insurmountable, financial hurdles to get a tertiary education. (MOUNT)
2. Using Times New Roman typeface is one of the requirements. (TYPE)
3. Some parts of your essay needs rewording so that readers can better understand your post. (WORD)
4. The region is not quite in a state of meltdown, but signs of destabilization are evident. (STABLE)
5. If only there were no wars and people all over the world could live in everlasting peace! (LAST)
6. In the eventuality of your passport being stolen, contact the embassy immediately. (EVENT)
7. There is pain in thinking what QuangTrung Nguyen Hue might yet be and do, had it not been for his untimely death. (TIME)
8. It took over a year to make the changeover from a manual to a computerized system in keeping records for the company. (CHANGE)
9. Cantankerous, opinionated and dyslexic Billy Childish, an all-round English artist, has been namechecked
by everyone from Kurt Cobain to Kylie Minogue. (OPINION)
10. After coming this far, to quit now would be inconceivable. (CONCEPT)
PART 2: Complete the passage with appropriate forms from the words given in the box. create foot progress observe appear sun nature hard line deficient
The principle of use and disuse states that those parts of organisms’ bodies that are used grow larger. Those
parts that are not tend to whither away. It is an (11) observed fact that when you exercise particular muscle,
they grow. Those that are never used diminish. By examining a man’s body we can tell which muscles he uses
and which he does not. We may even be able to guess his profession or his (12) recreation. Enthusiasts of
‘body-building’ cult make use of the principle of use and disuse to build their bodies, almost like a piece of
sculpture, into whatever (13) unnatural shape is demanded by fashion in this peculiar minority culture.
Muscles are not the only parts of the body that respond to use in this kind of way. Walk (14) barefoot and you
acquire harder skin on your soles. It is easy to tell a fanner from a bank teller by looking at their hands alone.
The farmer’s hands are homy, 15) hardened by long exposure to rough work. The teller’s hands are relatively soft.
The principle of use and disuse enables animals to become better at the job of surviving in their world (16)
progressively better during their lifetime as a result of living in that world. Humans, through direct exposure
to sunlight or lack of it, develop a skin color which equips them better to survive in the particular local
conditions. Too much sunlight is dangerous. Enthusiastic (17) sunbathers with very fair skins are susceptible
to skin cancer. Too little sunlight, on the other hand, leads to vitamin-D (18) deficiency and rickets. The
doituyenquocgia 7 afternoon-160122
brown pigmentsắc tố melanin which is synthesized under the influence of sunlight makes a screen to protect the
(19) underlying tissues from the harmful effects of further sunlight. If a suntanned person moves to a less
sunny climate, the melanin (20) disappears, and the body is able to benefit from what little sun there is. This
can be represented as an instance of the principle of use and disuse: skin goes brown when it is used, and faces to white when it is not.
Exercise 4: The following passage contains 10 errors. Identify and correct them
Chocolate is a very special kind of food. Although certainly not a vital part of the human diet, it is loved by-
for its delicious sweet taste and the way it melts in the mouth, and would be missed by many millions of
people if it suddenly ceased to exist. Indeed, the global population of ‘chocoholics’ (people who find
chocolate very difficult to resist) are-is very large. The most chocoholic countries in the world are in Europe;
Switzerland and Austria top the list with an annually-annual average consumption of around ten kilograms of
chocolate per person, closely followed by Britain and Ireland. Many people believe that eating chocolate has a
mood-enhancing affect-effect. There is disagreement, however, about whether this is due to the ingredients of
chocolate or the significance attached to eating it. Some scientists have suggested that chocolate releases-
release chemicals in the brain that create feelings of happiness, while others believe the happy feelings might
only occur because people see eating chocolate as a way of being nice to them-themselves. The vital
ingredient in chocolate is the seeds of the cacao tree, which only grows in tropical countries. Cacao was
firstly-first cultivated at least 2,500 years ago by the Maya and Aztec civilisations of Central America, who-
which used the seeds to make a chocolate-flavoured drink. In the early sixteenth century, Spanish explorers
who arrived on-in Central America recorded that the Aztec emperor. Montezuma, was particularly fond of this
chocolate drink, although it was not mixed with sugar and therefore had a bitter more-rather than a sweet
taste. The Spanish took cacao seeds back to Europe, where the chocolate drink quickly became popular with
very rich people, the only ones able to afford it. It wasn’t until the nineteenth century that chocolate began to
appear in the solid form that is so familiar today. The world’s biggest producers of cacao today are the Ivory
Coast and Ghana, both in western Africa.
Exercise 5: Rewrite the following sentences using the words given.
1. I wanted to tell her what I really felt, but in the end decided not to.
—> In the end, I stopped short of telling her my real feelings.
2. I was dismayed to discover that he even gave the secret away.
-> Much to my dismay, he went as/so far as to let the cat out of the bag.
3. She knew nothing of her husband’s impending promotion.
-> Little did she know (that) her husband was in line for promotion.
4. Despite her let-down at his decision, Karen did not think badly of him. (BORE)
->Disappointed as/though she was, Karen bore him no ill feelings over his decision.
5. Having three children to look after every day had taken its toll on Elke. (GRIND)
-> Elke was worn down by the daily grind of taking care of three children.
6. Under no circumstances are you to embark on the journey alone.
—> Come what may, you are not to set out on the journey alone.
7. Due to his mother’s permissiveness, it was little wonder to me that Jim was an exceedingly spoilt child.
—> It came as no surprise to me that Jim was an exceedingly spoilt child as his mother had always given way to his every whim.
8. Lives could be endangered if the safety procedures are not followed strictly. (JEOPARDY)
—> To ensure that no-one is (put) in jeopardy, you must adhere to the safety procedures.
9. If it hadn’t rained cats and dogs, the event would have happened as intended. (TORRENTIAL)
-> Were it not to have been for the torrential rain, the event would have gone according to plan.
10. People have rumored that you might get married soon. (GRAPEVINE)
-> I have heard on/through the grapevine that you might tie the knot soon. Exercise 6 Part 1
For questions 1-18, read the three texts below and decide which answer (A, B, c or D) best fits each gap.
Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet Fear of Flying
doituyenquocgia 8 afternoon-160122
Fear of flying is among the most understandable and prevalent of phobias. One person in four suffers (1) ____
anxiety at the idea of boarding a plane - as a pet (2) ______ it ranks alongside fear of snakes - and one in 10
refuses to fly under any circumstances.
The agony is not just being five miles high with no visible (3) ___ of support, but having absolutely no
control. Risks aren't the problem, but fear. The argument that we are in greater (4) ____ in a car, or boiling an
egg, is irrelevant. The phobia cuts sufferers off from friends and families, and can damage careers. Some
sufferers are ashamed, and many believe that they have to live with the fear.
For a few people, the cause can be so deep-seated that it requires therapy. But most will overcome their fear
(even if they will never leap aboard planes with a (5) ______ heart) by understanding more about how and
why an aircraft flies, and learning how to cope with anxiety. Every six weeks, two experienced British
Airways captains, Douglas Ord and Peter Hughes, persuade two planeloads of nervous and often terrified
passengers into the sky. About 95 per cent of them are then "cured" (6) ______ the extent that they can board a
plane without feeling overwhelming panic. 1. A. severe B. harsh C. austere D. stern
A. If a feeling, condition or situation is severe, it is very serious and very bad. The writer is saying that a quarter of people feel very anxious about getting on a plane and flying
B. If a criticism, judgement or view is harsh, it is cruel, very negative and perhaps unfair.
C. An austere person or life is one that is very serious and very strict morally, with little or no pleasure involved
D. A stern statement or expression on the face is a very serious one that expresses disapproval, lack of humour or the belief that others should obey 2. A. disgust B. distaste C. hate D. horror
C If you have a pet hate, there is something which you particularly hate more than other things and which you intensely dislike repeatedly, every time it happens or you experience it. The
writer is saying that flying is something that people especially dislike and that fear of it is equal to the fear people have of snakes
A.If you feel disgust (at something), your reaction to something is that you strongly dislike it and it gives you a very unpleasant feeling.
b. If you feel or have a distaste for something, you intensely dislike it and consider it very unpleasant or unacceptable.
D. If you have a horror of something, you fear it or the possibility of it greatly, or you find it extremely unpleasant. 3. A. grounds B. resource C. means D. resort
C If someone or something has no means of support, there is nothing physically supporting them to prevent them from falling. In this context, means = way, method. The phrase is also
used to express the idea that a person has no way of supporting themselves financially. The writer is saying that people who are afraid of flying can see nothing that prevents the plane from
falling to the ground when they are flying in one.
A. If there are grounds for something, there are reasons for it, or it is based on certain reasons.
B. A resource is something that can be used to help someone to achieve something or to survive.
D. A or someone’s last resort is something that they do or use because everything else has failed and there are no other possible courses of action. 4. A. hazard B. peril C. menace D. threat
B. If someone is in peril, they are in a very dangerous position or situation and there is a possibility of great harm being done. The writer is saying that there is a belief that flying is no more
dangerous than other, everyday activities.
A. A hazard is something dangerous that could cause great harm.
C: If something is a menace (to someone or something), it could be or is dangerous and could cause or causes harm.
D: If something is under threat, it is facing the possibility of harm or destruction 5. A. soft B. gentle C. bright D. light
D. If someone does something with a light heart or in a light-hearted way, they do it cheerfully and with a happy rather than serious feeling. The writer is saying that people can overcome
their fear of flying, although such people will never actually feel happy when they get on a plane.
A: If someone has a soft heart or is soft-hearted, they are sympathetic, kind and emotional.
B: A person who is gentle is pleasant and kind and never aggressive or rude.
C: If someone is feeling bright, they are feeling lively, energetic and cheerful 6. A. to B. with C. by D. in
A. The preposition to goes with extent to form phrases such as to such an extent that, to an extent, to a certain extent, etc., which link sentences in order to say how far or how much
something is the case. The writer is saying that 95 per cent of people who take a course for people who have a fear of flying can be cured of this fear and then explains what is meant by
‘cured’ in this context - that they will be able to get on a plane without feeling so nervous that they cannot control the feeling.
B: The phrase with the result that links parts of a sentence in order to describe the result of something.
C: The phrase by far is used after a comparative or before or after a superlative adjective, with the meaning ‘a great deal’ or ‘by a great amount’ (‘My idea is better by far than yours’. / ‘My idea is by far the best’).
D: The phrase in that is used to link parts of a sentence in order to explain the way in which something previously stated is the case, or with the meaning ‘for the reason that’ (‘I enjoyed the
experience in that it taught me a lot about life’). The Journey
The car had again failed to start, and Elizabeth was again compelled to take the train. She brought a cup of
coffee down the rocking carriage, (7) .... as the boiling fluid seeped out from under the lid and on to her hand.
The heating was turned up (8) .... and most of the people in the carriage seemed on the (9).... of
unconsciousness as they looked out of the window at the flatlands sliding past the window. Elizabeth had
telephoned the matron of the home, who told her that Brennan was barely worth visiting, but that he would see
her if she came. She felt excited by the (10) .... of actually meeting someone from that era. She would be like a
historian who, after working from other histories, finally (11) .... hands on original source material. She had an
unclear picture of Brennan in her mind, although she knew he would be old and, (12).... from what the matron had said, decrepit. 7. A. leering B. squinting C. wincing D. smirking
C. If someone winces, the muscles of their face twist sharply and briefly because they are experiencing pain, embarrassment or unhappiness. The writer is saying that Elizabeth did this
because hot coffee went onto the skin of her hand, causing her pain.
A: If someone leers at someone, they look at them with an expression on the face that makes it clear that they find them sexually attractive, and the other person or someone watching finds this unpleasant.
B: If someone squints, they look at something with great effort and with the eyes partly shut, because the light in front of them is very bright or because their eyesight is poor.
D: If someone smirks, they smile in a way that is considered unpleasant by someone who sees them do it, because it indicates that the person doing it finds something ridiculous or is in
some way pleased with themselves 8. A. top B. full C. maximum D. peak
B. If a machine or appliance is turned up full or on full, its controls have been turned to the highest setting (volume, speed, temperature, etc.) so that it is operating at its greatest capacity.
The writer is saying that the carriage was very hot because the train’s heating system had been set at the highest temperature it could produce
A. Up top is an informal expression meaning ‘in the head’ or ‘on the head’ and is used for talking about whether someone is intelligent or not or whether they have hair on their head or not.
doituyenquocgia 9 afternoon-160122
C. The maximum setting, speed, volume, temperature etc. of a machine or appliance is the highest level at which it can operate.
D. A peak is the point or time at which something is as high or intense as it can be or higher or more intense than it has ever been. 9. A. verge B. rim C. fringe D. border
A. If someone or something is on the verge of something/doing something, they are close to doing it or about to do it. The writer is saying that the carriage was so hot that most of the passengers were ne arly asleep.
B. The rim of something is the edge or border of something that is circular or round, such as a wheel or cup.
C. The fringe(s) of something is the outer edge of an area, or a status close to inclusion in but not included in a group of people or the activities of a group of people (‘people on the fringe(s) of the music business’).
D. A border is a strip on the edge of or around a photograph or piece of material that is intended to make it look pleasantly arranged. If something borders on something, it is close to being
it (‘a suggestion that borders on the ridiculous’). 10. A. prospect B. outlook C. foresight D. viewpoint
A. The prospect of something/doing something is the idea of something that will or might happen in the future or the chance that something will happen. The writer is saying that the idea
of meeting someone who had been alive during a certain period of history was exciting for Elizabeth.
B. Someone’s outlook on life, etc., is their general attitude towards it. The outlook for something is its probable future, what is likely to happen with regard to It.
C. Foresight is the ability to predict what might happen so that you are ready to deal with it if it happens, or careful planning for the future based on considering what the circumstances might be then.
D. A viewpoint is an opinion or attitude, or a point of view. 11. A. sets B. rests C. casts D. lays
D. If you lay hands on something, you get or obtain something that you have been looking for and want to find. The writer is saying that if she met Brennan, she would be like a historian
who had found a source of information that no other historian had found.
A. If you set foot in a place, you enter or arrive in the place.
B: If you rest part of the body on something, you place it on that thing so that it is supported by it.
C: If you cast an/your eye over something, you look at, inspect or read it briefly 12. A. reflecting B. accounting C. judging D. rating
C. The phrase judging from is used to introduce the reason or evidence on which a view or conclusion has been based. The writer is saying that Elizabeth thought that Brennan was going to
be in a very weak and bad condition because of old age, because that was the impression the matron had given her.
A: If you reflect on something, you think deeply about it for a period of time.
B: If something accounts for something, it explains it or provides the reason for it. If you take something into account, you consider it before making a decision.
D: How you rate something is the way you think of it in terms of the quality or value you think that it has A Private Man
Alec Guinness is a difficult subject for a biographer. He has, very deliberately, covered what he wants to hide
with a truth that partly satisfies him and (13) .... the curious. His reaction against revealing himself is deep,
instinctive and should be respected. But while respected, this can also be questioned and not followed in
(14) .... subservience. Guinness has frequently defended his privacy. He has also complained that some of his
contemporaries have become, in later life, ‘unexpectedly and brutally frank’. There is surely only one way to
(15).... one's private life, and that is not to become a public figure. Paul Schofield, another great actor, has
done just this, truly (16) .... himself the attention that should have been his (17).... Guinness, on the other hand,
has enjoyed the limelight while claiming not to; he has enjoyed fame very much on his own (18) ….. 13. A. swerves B. C. veers D. rebounds
B. If something deflects someone (from something), it causes them to turn their attention away from what they are doing or concentrating on. The writer is saying that what Guinness
allows people to know about him stops people who are interested in knowing a lot about him from continuing to try to find out about him.
A: If someone or something swerves, it is moving along and then suddenly changes direction, usually in order to avoid something that is in the way.
C: If something veers in a particular direction, it changes from the direction it is going in and starts to go in a different direction.
D: If an object rebounds from/off something, it moves back from something after hitting it while moving 14. A. void B. blind C. blank D. bare
B. If people do something in a blind way, they do it because they are told to do it and they simply accept this without thinking for themselves. ‘Blind subservience’ = automatic,
unquestioning obedience. The writer is saying that people should respect Guinness’ wish for privacy but that they should not do what he wants them to do completely, simply because that’s
what he wants - in other words, they should be able to try to find out about him, even though he dislikes this.
A: If something is void (of something), it is completely empty or totally lacking in something.
C: If someone has a blank face, expression, etc. or looks blank, their face shows no emotion because they are not feeling anything or because they have not understood something.
D: If a place is bare, there is nothing or very little in it. The bare minimum, necessities, essentials, etc. are the least number or amount of something that is sufficient and no more
15. A. safeguard B. immunize C. harbour D. cage
A. If you safeguard something, you protect it so that it cannot be badly affected or harmed by something external. The writer is saying that if you want to make sure that your private life is
totally private, you shouldn’t become well-known or famous.
B. If you are immunized against something, you have been given a substance which protects you against a certain disease.
C. If someone is harboured by someone, they are protected and given a place to stay by someone when the authorities, especially the police, are trying to find them because they have or are
thought to have done something wrong.
D: If you cage an animal, you put it or keep it in a cage. If you feel caged in, you feel that you have no freedom in your life or in the circumstances you are in. 16. A. denying B. vetoing C. rejecting D. forgoing
A. If you deny yourself/someone something, you do not allow yourself or someone else to have it or you prevent yourself or someone else from having it. The writer is saying that Paul
Schofield has made sure that he does not receive attention by not becoming a public figure.
B: If someone vetoes something, they prevent it from happening because they have the power to stop it.
C: If someone rejects something, they refuse to accept it or decide that it is something that they do not want.
D: If someone forgoes something, they give it up or live without it by choice, even though it is something they like doing or having. 17. A. merit B. justification C. due D. credit
C. If something is someone’s due, it is something that they deserve and something that they have a right to have. The writer is saying that Paul Schofield deserves to receive attention from
the public because he is a great actor.
A: If someone receives or is given something on merit, it happens to them because they deserve it and are worthy of it, not because they have been favoured in some way.
B: A justification for something/doing something is a good or acceptable reason for doing itđể bào chữa cho.
D: If someone is given credit for something, they receive the praise and recognition they deserve for something good that they have done. 18. A. particulars B. requirements C. rules D. terms
D. If someone does something on their own terms, they do it according to their own and nobody else’s wishes, they decide how it will be done. The writer is saying that Guinness has been
famous in the way that he chose to be and that he is in control of the nature of his fame, which involves him enjoying the attention he receives but saying that he doesn’t enjoy it.
A: Particulars are details or pieces of information. If someone is particular about something, they are difficult to please because they want something to be exactly as they want it to be in every detail.
B: Requirements are things that are needed or demanded in a particular situation.
C: If someone does something by the rules, they do it exactly according to the rules and obey all the rules concerning it. PART 2
doituyenquocgia 10 afternoon-160122
You are going to read four extracts which are all concerned in some way with childhood and families. For
questions 19-26, choose the answer (A, B, c or D) which you think fits best according to the text. Mark your
answers on the separate answer sheet. Kit and Clio
‘People often wonder why your father married your mother, though,’ Clio said.
Kit felt a bile of defence rise in her throat.‘No, they don’t wonder that. You might wonder it. People don’t wonder it at all.’
‘Keep your hair on. I’m only saying what I heard.’
‘Who said what? Where did you hear it?’ Kit’s face was hot and angry. Kit was almost alarmed at the strength of her feeling.
‘Oh, people say things ... ’ Clio was lofty. ‘Like what?’
‘Like your mother was a different sort of person, not a local person ... you know.’
‘No, I don’t know.Your mother isn’t from here either, she’s from Limerick.’
‘But she used to come here on holidays.That made her sort of from here.’
‘My mother came here when she met Dad, and that makes her from here too.’There were tears in Kit’s eyes.
‘I’m sorry,’ Clio said. She really did sound repentant.
‘What are you sorry about?’
‘For saying your mother wasn’t from here.’
Kit felt she was sorry for more, for hinting at a marriage that was less than satisfactory.‘Oh, don’t be stupid
Clio. No one cares about what you say about where my mother is from, you’re so boring. My mother’s from
Dublin and that’s twenty times more interesting than being from old Limerick.’ ‘Sure,’ said Clio.
The sunlight went out of the day. Kit didn’t enjoy that first summer outing on the lake. She felt Clio didn’t
either, and there was a sense of relief when they each went home.
19. Which of the following did Kit imply to Clio during their conversation?
A that similar things were said about Clio’s mother
B that she was unaware of comments from anyone except Clio about her mother
When Clio says that people often wonder why her father married her mother, Kit replies that people don’t wonder that, only Clio wonders it.
C that there were no problems between her mother and father
D that her mother was regarded as being more interesting than Clio’s mother
20. Which of the following did Clio want Kit to realize during their conversation?
A that she wanted to bring their outing to an end
B that people often made cruel comments about others
C that she would have been upset by similar comments about her mother
D that it was right for Kit to consider her mother to be a local person
When Clio realized that she had upset Kit because there were tears in Kit’s eyes, she seemed to feel genuinely repentant (sorry, regretful) and apologized for saying that Kit’s mother wasn’t
a local person. She therefore wanted Kit to feel that she was right to consider her mother as much a local person as Clio’s mother was. My Family
When I arrived in the family in 1962, there were already two natural daughters, Catherine and Elizabeth. I was
the second adopted member. It might all sound rather dramatic and upsetting. It wasn’t. The Moores did not
merely become a substitute Mum and Dad or a foster Mum and Dad. To me, they were, and always will be,
Mum and Dad. They never hid the fact of the adoption from me. As soon as I was old enough to grasp what
they were saying, they told me about it and the few details they had gleaned themselves about the
circumstances. I never felt the slightest stigma. As far as I know, my relationship with my mother and father
never felt the slightest bit different to that with any father and mother. I never sat down and felt cheated that I
was somehow different to all my school friends. We were as close a family as any. I regarded my brothers and
sisters in precisely the same way that everyone else regarded theirs. I cannot remember a single outbreak of
jealousy from Catherine and Elizabeth, nor any divisions which were not under the heading of normal childish
arguments. And yet it was never something that we all sat and wondered about, and celebrated, along the way.
It was simply the norm, the family.
21 What does the writer say about the fact that he was an adopted child?
A He was glad not to know much about what had led to it.
B It made him appreciate his parents more than he might otherwise have done.
C It was not as difficult a position to be in as others might think.
The writer says that being an adopted child (one whose legal parents are not their real parents and who has been brought up as a member of a family by people who have taken them into
their family) might sound dramatic and upsetting but that for him it wasn’t either of those things. He did not feel the slightest stigma, which implies that some adopted children might feel
that they are regarded as in some way inferior by others because their natural parents have given them away.
D He had expected it to cause problems for a while.
doituyenquocgia 11 afternoon-160122
22 What does the writer imply about relationships between the members of his family?
A They were something which they all took for granted.
The writer says that they were as close a family as any - the fact that he had been adopted did not prevent the relationships between all of them from being as close as in any family where
none of the children are adopted children. But, he says, they never sat and thought about their relationship or celebrated because it was very good, they saw it as simply the norm (what is
normal or typical for everyone). He is therefore saying that they didn’t think there was anything special or exceptional about their relationship, it was simply what they expected it to be.
B He may have a false recollection of some of them.
C They would not have been so good if they had analyzed them.
D He was aware that some people might not understand them. Breakfast Time
'I can't find my leotard, Daddy,' Bridget said, the moment he entered the kitchen. She and Ben were munching
their way through plates of Rice Crispies. Line 2
'I don't suppose it's far away.' He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down. 'When did you have it last?'
'Mummy was going to mend it for me. Daddy, I must have it for today. It's dance club and they're doing
auditions for the Christmas pantomime.' Bridget's grey eyes were beginning to glisten like pearls. Line 5
'Don't worry, Sprig.' He gave a reassuring smile, reached across to pat her hand. 'I'll just eat this piece of toast
and we'll go and look for it. Ben, how many times have I told you not to read your comic at the table! Anyone
know if Mummy's had any breakfast yet?'
That was another thing, he thought grimly as they shook their heads. More often than not, Joan was Line 9
going off to work without even a cup of coffee these days.
Fifteen minutes later his decision to have it out with her had become full-blown determination.
An exhaustive search had failed to turn up Bridget's leotard. Line 12
'Where can it be?' The tears were beginning to flow freely now.
He squatted to put his arms around her. 'Hush, sweetheart, don't cry. It's bound to be here somewhere.'
23 What do we learn about the father in the extract?
A He never got annoyed with either of his children.
B He wanted to confront his wife about something.
We are told that his decision to have it out with her (to argue with her in order to deal with a problem that had been annoying him for some time) had become fullblown (total, complete)
determination. Clearly, he feels that there is some problem connected with his wife going to work, and we are told that he has now firmly decided that he is going to confront her about the problem
C He normally paid little attention to his children’s plans. D He did not like his daughter getting angry with her mother.
24 Which of these words is used to describe a feeling of sadness?
A munching (line 2) B glisten (line 5) C grimly (line 9) D exhaustive (line 12)
We are told that Bridget’s eyes were beginning to glisten like pearls, which means that she was starting to cry, tears were starting to appear in her eyes. The verb glisten means ‘shine
brightly’ and is often used to describe something wet. In this case, it is being used to describe someone’s eyes, which are becoming wet because she is upset about not being able to find her leotard Harry and Connie
It was never the most secure of upbringings. Harry was earning barely enough to sustain the whole family,
and, although he handed over the majority of his salary at the end of each week to Connie, he still managed to
fritter away what little he had left. Connie did her best to keep things on an even keel. She had seven mouths
to feed on a basic income of a week, and as a consequence, she was noted for her thriftiness. ‘ “Save a little,
spend a little” was,’ said their son, ‘one of the constant refrains of my childhood’, leaving him with a lifelong
‘horror of debt and a steely determination to pay my own way’. In spite of such sobering moral lessons, Harry
still somehow managed to contrive on countless occasions to stun Connie with his capriciousness.
One reason why Connie was prepared to tolerate such behaviour was the fact that, deep she had always valued
his unforced charm and his ebullient sense of showmanship. Although she was never happier than when she
had the time to sit at the piano and sing her favourite songs, she was, their son recalled, ‘temperamentally
reluctant to perform in public’. The quixotic Harry, in contrast, was an instinctive performer and talented
enough to take his amateur song and dance routines on to the local club circuit. Connie, for all her well-
founded fears about their future, loved and admired - and perhaps even gently envied- that untamed and indomitable sense of fun.
25 What do we learn about Harry’s attitude to money?
A It frequently caused Connie to be surprised.
B His son had difficulty in not adopting it himself.
We are told that, even though Connie was well aware of the fact that Harry wasted what little money they had, he still somehow managed to contrive (succeeded in finding a way) on
countless (a very great many) occasions to stun (amaze, greatly surprise) Connie with his capriciousness (unpredictable behaviour). He therefore often did things connected with money that astonished her.
C He sometimes regretted it.
D It varied from time to time.
26 One thing that Connie liked about Harry was that
A he encouraged her to enjoy playing and singing herself.
B he made an effort to improve himself as a public performer
C it was in his nature to be happy whatever the circumstances.
doituyenquocgia 12 afternoon-160122
The writer says that Connie loved and admired and may even have envied Harry’s untamed (free, not controlled by anyone else) and indomitable (continuing, not defeated, whatever the
circumstances) sense of fun, which means that she may even have wished that he had the same attitude to life. She therefore liked the fact that he enjoyed life at all times.
D he made other people forget about their problems. PART 3
You are going to read an extract from a novel. Seven paragraphs have been removed from the extract. Choose
from the paragraphs A-H the one which fits each gap (27-33). There is one extra paragraph which you do not
need to use. Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet. AT THE ZOO
Inspector John Rebus was pretending to stare at the meerkats when he saw the man. For the best part of an
hour, Rebus had been trying to blink away a headache, which was about as much exercise as he could sustain.
He’d planted himself on benches and against walls, wiping his brow even though Edinburgh’s early spring
was a blood relative of midwinter. His shirt was damp against his back, uncomfortably tight every time he rose to his feet. 27. _________
E. In the opening paragraph, we learn that Rebus is staring at some creatures in the zoo when he sees the man. We learn that before that he had been feeling unwell and had been to various
parts of the zoo. In E, the account of what he had done at the zoo before this point continues and we learn about how he had reacted to seeing various creatures and how he was feeling.
In the paragraph after the gap, we learn that before this occasion he hadn’t been to the zoo for a long time, since he had taken his daughter there.
He hadn’t been to the zoo in years; thought probably the last time had been when he’d brought his daughter to
see Palango the gorilla. Sammy had been so young, he’d carried her on his shoulders without feeling the strain. 28. _________
H In the paragraph before the gap, we learn that Rebus had carried his daughter on his shoulders when he had taken her to the zoo and that he had not felt any strain (pressure caused by a
heavy object) because she was small and presumably light.
In H, his visit with his daughter is contrasted with this occasion and though in the first sentence means ‘unlike on that occasion’, referring back to the visit with his daughter in the paragraph
before the gap. On this occasion he has nothing with him apart from a radio and some handcuffs, whereas on the previous occasion he had his daughter with him. We are then told that he
wondered how conspicuous (noticeable and therefore attracting attention) he looked at the zoo, because he kept walking around in the same place rather than going to the attractions elsewhere in the zoo.
Immediately after the gap, Not very refers back to the word conspicuous in H, and the first sentence after the gap means that he hoped that he wasn’t very conspicuous.
Not very, he hoped. The penguin parade had come and gone while he was by the meerkats. Now, oddly, it was
when the visitors moved on, seeking excitement, that the first of the meerkats appeared, rising on its hind legs,
body narrow and wavering, scouting the territory. 29. _________
D In the paragraph before the gap, we return to the present moment and learn that the meerkats, previously mentioned in the opening paragraph, become visible after people have moved on
and are no longer there to see them.
At the start of D Two more refers back to the meerkats mentioned in the paragraph before the gap and means ‘two more meerkats’. We are then told that they didn’t pay much attention to
Rebus and that he was feeling unwell because of a double espresso (a strong cup of coffee) he had bought on his way to work that morning. We then learn that when he had arrived at work
that morning, he had learnt that his assignment (job, duty, task given) that day would be at the zoo.
In the sentence immediately after the gap, There were worse refers back to the assignment mentioned in D and means that Rebus reminded himself that there were worse assignments in his
job than zoo patrol (walking round the zoo looking out for someone or something).
There were worse, he had reminded himself, applying his thoughts to the day’s central question: who was
poisoning the zoo animals of Edinburgh? The fact of the matter was, some individual was to blame. Somebody
cruel and calculating and so far missed by surveillance cameras and keepers alike. 30. _________
F In the paragraph before the gap, we learn that he has been sent to the zoo because someone has been poisoning the animals there and that this person has not been caught yet.
In F, we learn more about the case he is working on at the zoo, including efforts that were being made to catch the person responsible and the fact that people wanted that person to be caught.
In the paragraph after the gap, Meantime refers to the period during which the crimes have been going on and people have wanted the person responsible to be caught, as described in F. We
learn that while all this has been happening, ironically there have been more visitors to the zoo and that Rebus feared that someone else might start committing identical crimes (copycat offences) there.
Meantime, as senior staff had indicated, the irony was that the poisoner had actually been good for business.
There’d been no copycat offences yet, but Rebus wondered how long that would last.
The next announcement concerned feeding the sea lions. Rebus had sauntered past their pool earlier,
thinking it not overly large for a family of three. The meerkat den was surrounded by children now, and the
meerkats themselves had disappeared, leaving Rebus strangely pleased to have been accorded their company. 31. _________
A In the paragraph before the gap, we learn that the meerkat den (home of an animal) was now surrounded by children and that the meerkats had disappeared.
In the first sentence of A, it refers back to the meerkat den, mentioned in the last sentence of the paragraph before the gap and we learn that Rebus moves a short distance away from it. We
then learn that he was not particularly interested in zoos and the like (and similar things).
The paragraph after the gap continues on the subject of Rebus’ attitude towards animals, which is mentioned at the end of A. We learn that when he was a child, he had had several pets that had died.
As a child, his roll-call of pets had seen more than its fair share of those listed ‘Missing in Action’ or ‘Killed
in the Line of Duty’. His tortoise had absconded, despite having its owner’s name painted on its shell; several
budgies had failed to reach maturity; and ill-health had plagued his only goldfish. Living as he did in a
tenement flat, he’d never been tempted in adulthood by the thought of a cat or dog. He’d tried horse-riding
once, rubbing his inside legs raw in the process and vowing afterwards that the closest he’d come in future to
the noble beast would be on a betting slip.
doituyenquocgia 13 afternoon-160122 32. _________
G In the paragraph before the gap, we learn that Rebus had never wanted a cat or dog and that he had not enjoyed his experience of riding a horse, as a result of which he had vowed
(promised solemnly) that his only involvement with a horse would be if he bet on one in a race.
In G, his attitude towards horses, cats and dogs is contrasted with his attitude towards the meerkats in the zoo. On the other hand links the two attitudes, and has the meaning ‘Although he
wasn’t interested in horses, cats or dogs . .’ We learn that he liked the meerkats for several reasons. He then begins to imagine a role reversal, with children in cages and animals watching
them, rather than the other way round. He thinks that children would love the attention as they capered (played in a lively way) and squealed (made high-pitched sounds).
In the sentence after the gap, we are told that if the role reversal described in G happened, it would not be an exact one. The word Except here has the meaning ‘But the difference would
bethat. .’ and we are told that the humans would behave like animals in a zoo do but that the animals wouldn’t behave like the humans at a zoo do, because they wouldn’t share a human’s
curiosity (interest in finding out about things). We are told that animals wouldn’t react to humans in a zoo in the way that humans react to animals in a zoo, that animals wouldn’t want zoos,
and that when Rebus thought about this, he began to feel that zoos were ridiculous. We then learn that his thoughts were interrupted when he saw a camera.
Except the animals wouldn’t share a human’s curiosity. They would be unmoved by any display of agility or
tenderness, would fail to comprehend that some game was being played. Animals would not build zoos, would
have no need of them. Rebus was wondering why humans needed them. The place suddenly became
ridiculous to him, a chunk of prime Edinburgh real estate given over to the unreal... And then he saw the camera.
Saw it because it replaced the face that should have been there. The man was standing on a grassy slope sixty
feet away, adjusting the focus on a telescopic lens. His hair was thinning and brown, forehead wrinkled.
Recognition came as soon as he lowered the camera. 33. _________
B In the paragraph before the gap, we learn that Rebus recognized the man with the camera when he took the camera away from in front of his face.
In the first sentence of B, its subjects refers back to the camera mentioned in the paragraph before the gap and means ‘the things the camera was being pointed at, the things that the camera
was taking photos of’. We learn that the man was taking pictures of the children.
In the final paragraph, we learn that Rebus knew who this man was but couldn’t remember his name, that the man saw Rebus looking at him, recognized Rebus and started to leave the area
briskly (quickly). Rebus then yanked out (took out of his pocket with a quick, sharp movement) his radio, presumably to get help in catching the man.
Rebus knew the man. Hadn’t seen him in probably four years but couldn’t forget eyes like that. Rebus sought
for a name, at the same time reaching into his pocket for his radio. The photographer caught the movement,
eyes turning to match Rebus’s gaze. Recognition worked both ways. And then the man was off, walking
brisklyquickly downhill. Rebus yanked out his radio. Missing paragraphs A
He moved away from it, but not too far, and proceeded to untie and tie a shoelace, which was his way
of marking the quarter-hours. Zoos and the like had never held any fascination for him. B
Rebus looked away, turning in the direction of its subjects: children. Children leaning into the meerkat
enclosure. All you could see were shoesoles and legs, and the backs of skirts and T- shirts and jerseys. C
Past a restaurant and cafeteria, past couples holding hands and children attacking icecreams. Peccaries,
otters, pelicans. It was all downhill, for which Rebus was thankful. The walkway narrowed just at the point
where the crowd thickened. Rebus wasn’t sure what was causing the bottleneck, then heard cheers and applause. D
Two more then followed it, appearing from their burrow, circling, noses to the ground. They paid little
attention to the silent figure seated on the low wall of their enclosure; passed him time and again as they
explored the same orbit of hard- packed earth, jumping back only when he lifted a handkerchief to his face. He
was feeling the effects of an early-morning double espresso from one of the kiosks near The Meadows. He’d
been on his way to work, on his way to learning that today’s assignment was zoo patrol. E
The capybara had looked at him almost with pity, and there had seemed a glint of recognition and
empathy behind the long-lashed eye of the hunched white rhino, standing so still it might have been a feature
in a shopping mall, yet somehow dignified in its very isolation. Rebus felt isolated, and about as dignified as a. F
Police had a vague description, and spot-checks were being made of visitors’ bags and coat pockets,
but what everyone really wanted - except perhaps the media - was to have someone in custody, preferably with
the tainted tidbits locked away as evidence. G
On the other hand, he’d liked the meerkats, for a mixture of reasons: the resonance of their name; the
low comedy of their rituals; their instinct for self-preservation. Kids were dangling over the wall now, legs
kicking in the air. Rebus imagined a role reversal - cages filled with children, peered at by passing animals as
they capered and squealed, loving the attention. H
Today, though, he had nothing with him but a concealed radio and set of handcuffs. He wondered how
conspicuous he looked, walking such a narrow ambit while shunning the attractions further up and down the
slope, stopping now and then at the kiosk to buy a can of Irn-Bru. PART 4
You are going to read an extract from a biography of two British comedians. For questions 34-40, choose the
answer (A, B, c or D) which you think fits best according to the text. Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.
THE MORECAMBE & WISE SHOW
doituyenquocgia 14 afternoon-160122
It happened one night. It happened, to be precise, at 8.55 p.m. on the night of 25 December 1977, when an
estimated 28,835,000 people - more than half of the total population of the United Kingdom - tuned their
television sets to BBC1 and spent the next hour and ten minutes in the company of a rather tall man called Eric
and a rather short man called Ernie. It was an extraordinary night for British television. It was - at least as far
as that catholic and capacious category known as ‘light entertainment’ was concerned - as close as British
television had ever come, in some forty-one years of trying, to being a genuine mass medium. None of the
usual rigid divisions and omissions were apparent in the broad audience of that remarkable night: no stark
class bias, no pronounced gender imbalance, no obvious age asymmetry, no generalized demographic slant.
It was also, of course, an extraordinary night for the two stars of the show: Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise -
by far the most illustrious, and the best-loved, double-act that Britain has ever produced. Exceptionally
professional yet endearingly personable, they were wonderful together as partners, as friends, as almost a
distinct entity: not ‘Morecambe and Wise’ but ‘Morecambewise’. There was Eric and there was Ernie: one of
them an idiot, the other a bigger idiot, each of them half a star, together a whole star, forever hopeful of that
‘brand new, bright tomorrow’ that they sang about at the end of each show. True, Eric would often slap Ernie
smartly on the cheeks, but they clearly thought the world of each other, and the world thought a great deal of them, too.
Their show succeeded in attracting such a massive following on that memorable night because it had, over the
course of the previous nine years or so, established, and then enhanced, an enviable reputation for consistency,
inventiveness, unparalleled professional polish and, last but by no means least, a strong and sincere respect for
its audience. The Morecambe &Wise Show stood for something greater, something far more precious, than
mere first-rate but evanescent entertainment; it had come to stand - just as persuasively and as proudly as any
earnest documentary or any epic drama - for excellence in broadcasting, the result not just of two gifted
performers (great talent, alas, does not of itself guarantee great television) but also of a richly proficient and
supremely committed production team.
The show, culminating in the record-breaking triumph of that 1977 special, represented an achievement in
high-quality popular programme-making that is now fast assuming the aura of a fairy tale - destined, one
fears, to be passed on with bemused fascination from one doubtful generation to its even more disbelieving
successor as the seemingly endless proliferation of new channels and novel forms of distraction continue to
divide and disperse the old mass audience in the name of that remorseless quest for ‘quality demographics’
and ‘niche audiences’. The Morecambe &Wise Show appeared at a time before home video, before satellite
dishes and cable technology, before the dawning of the digital revolution, a time when it was still considered
desirable to make a television programme that might - just might - excite most of the people most of the time.
Neither Morecambe nor Wise ever looked down on, or up at, anyone (except, of course, each other); both of
them looked straight back at their audience on level terms. No celebrated guest was ever allowed to challenge
this comic democracy: within the confines of the show, the rich and famous went unrecognised and frequently
unpaid (a running gag); venerable actors with grand theatrical reputations were mocked routinely by Eric’s
sotto voce comments; and two resolutely down-to-earth working-class comedians gleefully reaffirmed the
remarkably deep, warm and sure relationship that existed between themselves and the British public.
‘It was,’ reminisced Ernie Wise, ‘a sort of great big office party for the whole country, a bit of fun people
could understand.’ From the first few seconds of their opening comic routine to the final few notes and
motions of their closing song and dance, Morecambe and Wise did their very best to draw people together
rather than drive them apart. Instead of pandering submissively to the smug exclusivity of the cognoscenti
(they were flattered when a well-regarded critic praised the sly oeillade that accompanied Eric’s sarcastic
asides, but they still mocked him mercilessly for his use of the word), and instead of settling - as so many of
their supposed successors would do with unseemly haste - for the easy security of a ‘cult following’,
Morecambe and Wise always aimed to entertain the whole nation.
When viewers watched that show at the end of 1977, they witnessed a rare and rich compendium of the very
best in popular culture: the happy summation of a joint career that had traversed all of the key developments
associated with the rise of mass entertainment in Britain, encompassing the faint but still discernible traces of
doituyenquocgia 15 afternoon-160122
Victorian music-hall, the crowded animation of Edwardian Variety, the wordy populism of the wireless, the
spectacular imp act of the movies and, finally, the more intimate pervasiveness of television. When that career
was all over, it was sorely missed.They were simply irreplaceable.
34 The writer implies in the first paragraph that one reason why the show on 25 December 1977 was extraordinary was that
A light entertainment programmes had been the targets of criticism before then.
B no one had thought that a British television programme could appeal to all classes.
C its audience included people who might not have been expected to watch it.
The writer says that the audience for the programme was a broad (containing a wide range of people) one and that none of the usual rigid divisions and omissions (the fact that some kinds of
people didn’t watch certain programmes and were therefore ‘missing’ from the audience) were apparent in it. He says that audiences for programmes usually had stark (very clear) class bias
(the majority of an audience belonged to a particuar social class), gender imbalance (far more men than women in the audience or far more women than men), obvious age asymmetry (not an
equal number of people from all age groups but more people belonging to one age group than another) or generalized demographic slant (general tendency for an audience to consist of more
people fitting into certain categories than people fitting into other categories). This audience had none of these factors. His point is that different types of programme usually appealed to
different types of person but that this programme was watched by all types. The implication is that some types of people would not have been expected to watch a programme of this kind but
in fact they did, because all types of person watched it.
D people tuning into it knew that they were taking part in a phenomenal event.
35 In the second paragraph, the writer implies that Morecambe and Wise
A would probably not have been successful had they been solo performers.
The writer says that they were a double-act (a pair of entertainers who perform together), that each of them was half a star and that as a couple they were a whole star. He does not say that
they were both stars individually or that as a couple they were two stars, and so the implication is that they were highly successful as a couple but that they would not have been stars if they
had been individual performers.
B had a different relationship in real life from the one they had on television.
C were keen for audiences to realize how professional they were.
D probably did not know how popular they were.
36 The writer says in the third paragraph that one reason why The Morecambe & Wise Show remained so popular was that
A it adapted to changes in audience attitudes to what constituted good entertainment.
B it appealed to people who normally preferred other kinds of programme.
C the people who made it knew that its popularity was guaranteed.
D the contribution of people other than its stars was a key element in it.
The writer says that the programme came to stand for (be a symbol of, represent) excellence in broadcasting not only because of two gifted performers but also because of a richly proficient
(highly skilled) and supremely committed (caring enormously) production team (group of people responsible for making a programme). These people therefore made a very significant
contribution in his view to the programme becoming one that stood for something greater, something far more precious than mere (simply) first- rate (excellent) but evanescent (soon
disappearing from the memory) entertainment and they were an important factor in it having been popular for the previous nine years or so.
37 The writer suspects that The Morecambe & Wise Show will in the future be regarded as
A something which might only catch on with certain audiences.
B something which has acquired an exaggerated reputation.
The writer says that he fears that the programme is fast assuming the aura of a fairy tale (quickly beginning to have the quality of a story told to children about people and things that never
really existed) and that it is destined to be (it cannot be prevented from being) passed on with bemused (confused) fascination from one doubtful generation to its even more disbelieving
successor. His point is that in future people (in this case, he probably means programme-makers) will think that it wasn’t really as popular or as good as they are told it was.
C the kind of programme that programme-makers will aspire to.
D the kind of programme that illustrates the disadvantages of technological advances.
38 According to the writer, one feature of The Morecambe & Wise Show was
A the way in which it reflected developments in British society.
B its inclusion of jokes that only certain people would understand.
C the consistent way in which other stars were treated on it. D its careful choice of other stars to appear on it.
The writer-says that no celebrated (famous and respected) guest was ever allowed to challenge this comic democracy (treatment of people as equals), according to which Morecambe & Wise
never looked down on (considered themselves superior to), or up at (considered themselves inferior to), anyone. These guests were therefore never treated with special respect and in the
show, they went unrecognized and frequently unpaid - this was a running gag (a joke that continued and was repeated throughout the show). Guests who were venerable (old and highly
respected) actors were mocked (made fun of, made to look foolish) routinely by Eric’s sotto voce (in a low voice, quiet or whispered) comments. The writer is therefore saying that all guests
appearing on the show, however famous they were, were made fun of on the show.
39 In the sixth paragraph, the writer implies that
A other comedians have attempted to appeal to only a particular group of people.
The writer says that instead of settling- as so many of their supposed successors would do with unseeemly haste - for the easy security of a ‘cult following' (instead of accepting that the best
they could hope for was to be popular with a small group of enthusiasts, which is what comedians who came after and were considered to have filled the places of Morecambe and Wise did,
quickly and wrongly), Morecambe and Wise always wanted to entertain the whole nation. He is therefore saying that comedians who it has been claimed have been their successors have
preferred to gain a cult following quickly, because that is easier to do than to do what Morecambe and Wise did and try to appeal to the whole country.
B Morecambe and Wise usually disregarded what critics said about them.
C other comedians have not accorded Morecambe and Wise the respect they deserve.
D Morecambe and Wise realized that there were some people who would never like them.
40 In the last paragraph, the writer implies that one remarkable feature of the show was that
A it exceeded even the expectations of its audience.
B it contained elements that could have been regarded as old-fashioned.
The writer says that what people saw in the show was the happy summation (collection) of Morecambe and Wise’s career, a career that had traversed (moved through) all the most important
developments in mass entertainment in Britain. He says that their show included elements of such things as Victorian music- hall (entertainment involving singing, dancing and comedy,
doituyenquocgia 16 afternoon-160122
popular in Britain in the 19th century), Edwardian Variety (a similar kind of entertainment popular in Britain in the early part of the 20th century) and the wireless (an old-fashioned word for
‘radio’, used when radio was new), all of which he uses as examples of kinds of entertainment from the past. In the case of the former, he says that there were faint but still discernible
(noticeable with difficulty) traces (signs) of it in the show. Since these elements belonged to older times, the implication is that they could have been regarded as old-fashioned, but the writer
clearly sees the presence of them as one of the reasons why the show was so good.
C it showed the similarities between earlier forms of entertainment.
D it contained a hint of sadness despite being so entertaining
Exercise 7: Use only one word to fill in each of the numbered blanks.
The 1990s has been hailed (1) as the environmental decade; the world and the environment are now firmly (2)
on the political agenda. The citizens of planet Earth are waking (3) up to the knowledge that action is (4)
required/needed not only by governments but also by all mankind, to preserve the world as we know it.
The ozone layer, environmental pollution, global warming, the rainforests are topics discussed (5) world-wide
from the newsroom to the café. Environmental pollution is an area which is of direct (6) concern to all of us,
from the chemical waste (7) poured/put out by factories to the rubbish we throw (8) out/away every day.
Industrial pollution is being emitted continually (9) from/by the world’s cities, clogging up the atmosphere,
poisoning the rivers and destroying nature’s balance.
New environmental awareness is already evident: young children are (10) being educated about recycling
household waste, housewives are becoming green-shoppers, concerned (11) with/about the contents and
packaging in their shopping baskets, and governments are at (12) last beginning to take serious and effective
(13) action/measures. Although this environmental awareness is laudable, it could be (14) argued that
perhaps it has all come a bit too (15) late. Man has been polluting the environment in (16) various/many
damaging ways for the past 150 years. The methods and processes which cause so (17) much of the pollution
form the core of “civilised” living. In trying to cope(18) with the problems which the Earth faces, we must
also (19) look at the causes and re-evaluate our way of living, turning to natural, environmental ways of
producing energy, and living our (20) life/lives closer to nature.
Exercise 8: Fill in one of the prepositions or adverbs from the box below, then give a synonym for each phrasal verb. Phrasal Verbs 1
round, off, across, through, down to, to, into, out, up, up with, by, up to, forward, on, over, in, round to, out in
1. I’m not sure how the accident came about= happen but I suspect somebody was being careless.
2. He came across= find by chance a collection of valuable old coins in the attic.
3. How did you come by= obtain this painting? It’s a Picasso, you know.
4. This diamond came down to= be inherited me from my great-grandmother.
5. After she hit her head, it took her several minutes to come round/to= regain consciousness
6. How much did the food bill come to= amount to this week?
7. Did the new play come up to= equal your expectations?
8. Those seeds I planted haven’t come up= begin to grow yet.
9. He came into= inherit several thousands when his grandfather died.
10. The party came off= succeed rather well. Everyone enjoyed themselves.
11. The students are coming on= progress very well in Maths this term.
12. It came out= be made known that Sue’s husband had been arrested for theft.
13. I don’t know what’s come over= be wrong with him; he’s acting very oddly.
14. He came out in= develop (rash, spots) a rash an area of red spots on a person’s skin after eating a kilo of strawberries.
15. Her latest novel is coming out= be published soon.
16. Long hair for men is coming in= become fashionable again. More and more wear their hair long.
17. After the flood, hundreds of volunteers came forward= volunteer with offers of assistance.
18. We don’t know yet how we’ll solve the problem but I’m sure someone will come up with= find a solution a solution soon.
19. Most of the companies which came through= survive a period of difficulty the economic crisis are now operating very successfully.
20. They’ve come round to= be convinced completely sure about sth our way of thinking at last. Phrasal Verbs 2 deal in: trade in sth
Fill in the correct phrasal verb.
deal with: tackle a problem, cope with 1. Can you do up my dress please? do away with: abolish
2. The death penalty should have been done away with long before it was. do down: criticise
3. I can’t deal with his indifference any more.
be done for: be in serious trouble
4. What were you driving at when you said you might not see Mark for some time?
do out of: deprive of to take sth away from
5. He deals in antique furniture and paintings.
6. The old man was done out of his life’s savings by a confidence trickster.
doituyenquocgia 17 afternoon-160122
do up: fasten (a coat etc)
7. Surely you can do without sugar in your coffee for once?
do with: tolerate
8. How do you deal with an unrulydifficult to control or manage class when they are
do without: manage in spite of lack of disobedientfailing or refusing to obey? sth (Opp.: do with)
9. You shouldn’t do down your classmates just because they’re not as quick as you. drive at: imply
10. We’re done for now - here come the police!
What’s the difference between care about and care for
care about: be interested in
E.g. He really cares about his job care for: 1) like
E.g. I don’t care for that dress you’re wearing, but the shoes are nice. 2) take care of
E.g. Every mother cares for her children. Exercise 9 Idioms 1
Match the idioms with the definitions. 1. keep an eye on sth
A. have a feeling that sb is talking about one 1. F 2. take it easy B. within the rules 2 J 3. feel one’s ears burning
C. manage to look serious 3 A 4. (keep) a straight face D. be inexperienced 4 C 5. be flat out E. very quickly 5 H 6. one’s flesh and blood F. guard sth 6 I 7. fair and square G. insist 7 B 8. in a flash H. be very tired 8 E 9. put one’s foot down I. family member 9 G 10. be green J. calm down 10 D
Idioms 2. Explain the meaning of the idioms in bold italics
1. There were so many gate crashers uninvited people at parties, events etc at the party that I didn’t even recognise the people I invited.
2. Don’t take your mother for granted rely on sb to do things for you all the time without appreciating them; she does a lot of work for you.
3. She cooked my goose to end one’s plans abruptly in a sudden, unexpected way when she refused to provide an alibi evidence that
proves that a person was in another place at the time of a crime and so could not have committed it for me.
4. Most politicians have the gift of the gab the art of persuasion. / ability to talk well.
5. It’s all Greek to me," sth new or foreign / not easily understood she said as the professor was explaining the new maths problem.
6. In politics, there is always a little give and take compromise; exchanging sth for sth else.
7. I heard it through the grapevine find out information indirectly or via a third person that we are going to get a rise next month.
8. He met Jennifer and fell head over heels in love fall in love quickly.
9. He put his foot in it make an embarrassing / indiscreet not careful about what you say or do, especially when you reveal something secret or something that
could be embarrassing or offensive comment when he mentioned Sally’s ex-boyfriend to her new one.
10. I was asked to make a speech but I couldn’t because I had a frog in my throat inability to speak due to a sore throat etc.
11. After our break-up, I was comforted by the fact that there are plenty more fish in the sea there are many
opportunities in life for love, etc.
12. My teacher and I got off on the wrong foot have a bad first impression of sb / to argue or disagree at the beginning of a
relationship, but now we are good friends Exercise 10
Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition.
1. My cousin has a flair for a natural ability to do something well languages and can speak more than six.
2. All the animals in the forest fled from to run away (from danger) the fire.
3. If you have a grievance againsta cause or reason for complaint the company, please lodge to make (an objection,
an appeal etc) formally or officially a formal written complaint.
4. My car is guaranteed against to certify that something bad will not happen rust for eight years.
5. The teacher told me to stop fiddling around/aboutto spend your time doing things that are not important: chơi rong and to sit still and concentrate.
6. My brother is always gibing at me about my weight.
7. I was furious=very angry with my sister about her continual lies to our mother.
doituyenquocgia 18 afternoon-160122
8. His glee a feeling of happiness at the news of his success was a joy to see.
9. You musn’t grieve to feel very sad, especially because somebody has died over one trivial not worth considering mistake.
10. He has a fixation a very strong interest in sb/sth on becoming the best doctor in the world.
11. She does nothing but fret over/about/at to be worried or unhappy and not able to relax her lack of money.
12. His fidelity/fɪˈdeləti/ the quality of being loyal to sb/sth to the firm has won him great respect.
13. He is always gloating to show that you are happy about your own success or sb else’s failure, in an unpleasant way about/over his sudden success as an actor.
14. He is certainly good at maths, if not much else.
15. The factory owner is not in the habit of fraternising to behave in a friendly manner, especially towards sb that you are not supposed to be friendly with with his workers.
16. Her sales methods are at oddsto be different from sth, when the two things should be the same with company policy.
17. I found the ring purely by luckhaply, by chance.
18. I didn’t go to see him for fear of catching his cold.
19. That house has been for sale for two years.
20. Come to the party, by all means= yes, of course
21. You shouldn’t take such a valuable employee for granted.
22. In all with everything added together to make a total, I spent £500 on holiday.
23. You will receive the listed items on demand at any time that sb wants or needs sth in a week’s time.
24. He went to the meeting in disguise to change your appearance so that people cannot recognize you so as not to be recognised.
25. There were a lot of problems, but in the endafter considering everything everything was all right.
26. He was so surprised that he was at a loss not knowing what to say or do for words.
27. Our teacher was in a bad mood today; he shouted at everyone.
28. Try to get the photograph in focus this time.
29. They were on the trail of the Yeti when the blizzard started.
30 In answer to your question, the meeting will take place next Tuesday.
31. Torturing the act of causing sb severe pain in order to punish them or make them say or do sth people is an offence against humanity.
Exercise 11. For each of the sentences below, write a new sentence as similar as possible in meaning to the
original sentence but using the word given. The word must not be altered in any way
1. “That meal would have satisfied a king!" he exclaimed. FIT
- “That meal was fit for a king!” he exclaimed
2. You shouldn’t take delight in other people’s failures. GLOAT
- You shouldn’t gloat over / about other people’s failures
3. My grandmother can hardly hear at all. VIRTUALLY
- My grandmother is virtually deaf
4. Take care not to spill the milk. MIND
- Mind you don’t spill the milk
5. The war has caused emigration to increase. RESULTED
- The war has resulted in an increase in emigration
6. The board met secretly to discuss changes in company policy. DOORS
- The board met behind closed / locked doors to discuss changes in company policy.
7. I really want an ice-cream. DYING
- I’m dying for an ice-cream
8. Could someone answer my question? THERE
- Is there anyone who could answer my question?
9. She is likely to come before the end of next month. LIKELIHOOD
- In all likelihood/ There is every likelihood she’ll come before the end of next month.
10. It is usual for young children to ask a lot of questions. APT
- Young children are apt to likely or tending naturally to do something ask a lot of questions
Exercise 12. Find the mistake and correct it.
1. There are many underprivileged child in the world
………………children……….
having less money and fewer opportunities than most people in society
2. She did very good in the test.
…………well ………..
3. He enjoys listening to the works of classic composers.
…………classical ………..
4. Her eyes have the same colour as her mother’s.
…………are …………..
5. The shape of the earth can be compared with an egg.
…………to……………..
doituyenquocgia 19 afternoon-160122
6. As a conclusion, I’d like to say thank you for your help.
…………In……………..
7. The committee is consisting of twelve members.
…………consists ………..
8. There was a continual flow of traffic into the town centre.
…………continuous ……..
9. The cooker in this restaurant is renowned for his excellent cuisine.
…………chef/cook ………..
10. He purchased several items, which costed £200 all together.
…………cost ……………..
11. You may have to bear the price of any damage.
…………cost ………………..
12. All the passengers and crew were dead in the plane crash.
…………died / were ……..
13. The departure of the flight was postponed because of the rain.
…………delayed ………..
14. The employee was dismissed for denying to work overtime.
…………refusing …………..
15. He was rushed to hospital because he had it difficult to breathe.
…………found ……………..
16. They took a quiet, candlelit dinner together.
…………had……………..
17. The tormented woman sees horrific nightmares every night.
…………has……………..
18. No one of the accident victims pulled through.
…………None……………..
19. As a team we must work well together and help each others.
…………other……………..
20. Her parents’ attitude had a bad affect on her.
…………effect……………..
21. She did three mistakes in one sentence.
…………made…………..
22. She was considering to give up her career.
…………giving…………..
23. Her parents would not let her to stay out late.
…………allow……………..
24. Skiing is her best activity.
…………favourite …………..
25. Each one of my uncles is a solicitor.
…………Every …………..
26. He stopped tying his shoe-lace on the way up the steps.
…………to tie …………..
27. I have written three letters from this morning.
…………Since……………..
28. He refused that he had been there at the time of the robbery.
…………denied ……………..
Exercise 13 Fill each of the numbered blanks with a suitable word or phrase
e.g. Take some warm clothes in case it gets cold.
1. Never before have I seen such a boring film
2. She doesn’t like crowded cities and neither does her husband
3. I don’t remember being asked (told)/ having been asked (told) to do something like that before.
4. Even if I had studied more, I would not have been able to pass such a difficult exam.
5. John was (going) to pick up the children from school today but he completely forgot.
6. Would you be so kind as to pour me another cup of coffee?
7. The teacher warned Billy that unless he stopped/if he didn’t stop/if he went on talking he would be sent out of the classroom.
8. He finally succeeded in passing his driving test after six unsuccessful attempts.
9. It’s going to take him a long time to get over the death of his father.
10. A: “I really must be going. How about meeting me later?”
B: “Sure. That would be fine. What about 7.00?”
Exercise 14. Match the items from column A with those from column B and then fill In the blanks with the correct idiom Column A Column B Answers 1. as silent as A. a dog 1.G 2. as right as B. a rake 2. J 3. as sick as C. a sheet 3. A 4. as strong as D. old boots 4. I 5. as thin as E. a cucumber 5. B 6. as tough as F. a post 6. D 7. as white as G. the grave 7. C 8. as cool as H. chalk and cheese 8. E 9. as deaf as I. a horse 9. F 10. as different as J. rain 10. H
1. You couldn’t make her cry if you tried. She’s as tough as old boots very strong, and not easily made weaker.
2. She turned as white as a sheet when she realised there was a burglar in her house.
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3. Let him carry the trunk. He’s as strong as a horse
4. You may not feel well now, but you’ll be as right as rain to feel healthy or well again in a few days.
5. I promise to be as silent as the grave= completely silent about your secret.
6. Why is she dieting? She’s already as thin as a rake
7. After eating twelve chocolate bars he was as sick as a dog vomitingto bring food from the stomach back out through the mouth a lot
8. Although everyone else was shaking with nerves, Betsy was as cool as a cucumber very calm
9. John and his brother are not at all alike; they’re as different as chalk and cheese completely different
10. You’ll have to speak louder; he’s as deaf as a post completely deaf
Exercise 15. Choose from the sets of synonyms the word which is most appropriate in each case
1. I’m very sorry, but these goods are out of stock at the moment. (goods, wares, commodities, merchandise)
2. My father has decided to …a beard to cover a small scar he has on his chin. (rear, bring up, breed, grow)
3. The farmer makes money by ……. pedigree the parents, grandparents, etc. of an animal horses. (bringing up, rearing, breeding, growing)
4. For months I sat with my binoculars watching a bird …… its young. (rear to feed and care for (a family, animals etc while
they grow up), breed, bring up, grow)
5. “E … me rubber, miss!” shouted the boy. (pilfered to steal things of little value or in small quantities, especially from the place where you work,
ripped off to cheat sb by charging too much money, or to steal sth, pinched=steal sth, especially sth small and not very valuable, swiped)
6. As soon as I turned my back, somebody … my book. (ripped off, pilfered, swiped steal sth, pinched)
7. You were really … when you paid $100 for those shoes. They’re not even leather! (swiped, ripped off, pinched, pilfered)
8. Many forest - …… animals were killed in the fire. (dwelling, residing, inhabiting, settling)
9. This city has four million …… (residents, dwellers, inhabitants, settlers)
10. Each …… of the house must pay his own tax. (dweller, resident, settler, inhabitant) Notes goods = things for sale
wares = things for sale usu of a travelling salesman (old-fash.)
commodities = products exchanged in trade usu on an international basis, merchandise = thing for sale (slightly more formal than goods)
rear = to look after one’s young until fully-grown
bring up = to look after and educate until fully-grown
breed = to keep animals for the purpose of producing young
grow = to become or cause to become bigger
pinch = (infml) steal an object
pilfer = steal usu small amounts usu from your place of work
rip off = (infml) steal from a person
swipe = steal sth very quickly while sb is not looking
inhabitant = person who lives (permanently) in a region or town
dweller - person or animal who lives in an environment (archaic)
settler = person who has come to live in a (previously uninhabited or developing) country or area.
resident = person who lives in a house, block of flats, area or country
Exercise 16. Fill each of the numbered blanks in the following passage. Use only one word in each space.
Life (1) on a small island may look very (2) appealing/inviting/ attractive to the tourists who spend a few
weeks there in the summer, but the (3) realities of living on what is virtually a rock (4) surrounded by water
are quite different from what the casual visitor imagines. While in summer the island villages are (5) full of
people, life and activity, (6) once the tourist season is over many of the shop owners shut (7) up their business
and return to the mainland to spend the winter in (8) comfort/town. Those who remain on the island, (9)
whether by choice or necessity, face many (10) hardships/problems/difficulties. One of the worst of these is
isolation, with (11) its many attendant problems. When the weather is bad, which it often is in winter, the
island is (12) cut off entirely; this means not (13) only that people can not be (14) delivered/forwarded goods
but also that a medical emergency can be fatal to someone (15) confined to an island. At times (16) even/all
telephone communication is cut off, which (17) means that no word from the outside world can get (18)
through isolation and loneliness are the basic reasons (19) why so many people have left the islands for a
better and more (20) secure/ comfortable life in the mainland cities.
Exercise 17. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same as the
sentence printed before it. Example:
Her parents believe nothing she tells them. Answer:
Whatever she tells them, her parents don 't believe her.
a. He is proud of being such a good gardener.
- He prides himself on being such a good gardener
b. We only deliver after we have received the money.
- Only after the money has been received do we deliver
c. I’m sure he broke the vase by accident.
- I’m sure he didn’t mean to break the vase / break the vase on purpose
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d. He’ll get used to it. Then his work will improve.
- Once he’s got/gets used to it, his work will improve
e. Despite his huge muscles he is very gentle.
- Although he has huge muscles, he is very gentle f. My request was ignored.
- Nobody paid attention to my request
g. "Please don’t kill me!" the woman begged her attacker.
- The woman pleaded with her attacker not to kill her.
h. You pay £60 a month for a period of two years.
- You pay in 24 successive following immediately one after the other monthly instalmentsone of a number of payments that are made regularly over a
period of time until sth has been paid for of £60.
Exercise 18. Fill each of the blanks with a suitable word or phrase. Example:
It’s no use crying over spilt milk.
1. We met in 1980. By this time next year we’ll have known each other for ten years.
2. If I’d known it was so dull, I wouldn’t have bothered to read it.
3. We would sooner go to the theatre/restaurant etc than to the cinema.
4. Stop talking so loud! If you get into trouble, it will serve you right.
5. You only started studying twenty minutes ago; you can’t (possibly) finished so soon.
6. We have got a fair amount of money in the bank.
Exercise 19. For each of the sentences below write a new sentence as similar as possible in meaning to the
original sentence, but using the word given. This word must not be altered in any way. Example: Were they allowed to go? PERMISSION Answer:
Were they given permission to go ?
1. I find his books hard to understand. DIFFICULTY
- I have difficulty (in) understanding his books
2. Some people accept that life is full of problems. RESIGNED
- Some people are resigned being willing to calmly accept sth unpleasant or difficult that you cannot change to the fact that life is full of problems
3. He makes too many mistakes to suit me. FREQUENT
- His mistakes are too frequent to suit me
4. The jewel box was completely empty. LEFT
- There was nothing left in the jewel box
5. He will not be put off taking that trip. DETER
- Nothing will deter to make somebody decide not to do something or continue doing something him from taking that trip
6. Neil frequently breaks his promises. GOES
- Neil frequently goes back on his promises
7. Virtue is of little value in a corrupt willing to use their power to do dishonest or illegal things in return for money or to get an advantage: thối nát government. COUNTS
- Virtue counts for little in a corrupt government
8. Could you tell me where the lobby is? DIRECT
- Could you direct me to the lobby?
Exercise 20. Read the following passage, then answer the questions which follow it.
It doesn’t take us long to realise that everyday life involves risk, or more accurately speaking, that risk is part
and parcel of everyday life. From the moment we are found tottering on the table top trying to reach the cookie
jar and roughly bundled back into our playpens by our wide-eyed, white-faced mothers we understand.
Living becomes an even more dangerous business as we move into adulthood and out of the relative safety of
our own homes. Just getting to work this morning involved putting my life in the hands of two total strangers
(and for all I know, suicidal maniacs behaving in an extremely dangerous, wild or stupid way hell-bent determined to do something even though the results
may be bad on havoc) in the guise of London Transport employees. But this kind of risk is unavoidable; it is the
type that is rationalised by number-crunching insurance company personnel throughout the country, packaged
into neat statistics and proudly presented at board meetings. Those poor people with an “anti-social” fear of
buses, trains or the like are commonly regarded as freaksa person who is considered to be unusual because of the way they behave, look or think:
fringethe outer or less important part of an area, group, or activity elements of society. Their inability to take a risk interferes with their
normal social functioning and so we scorn or pity them according to our nature.
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There seems to be some kind of norm in operation. Look at the opposite extreme. Hang- gliders, racing drivers
and deep-sea divers (in action, as it were, above, on and below the level of everyday life) are often regarded
incredulously - especially if they risk their lives purely for recreational purposes - but there is always an air of
awesự kính sợ in the often repeated question, “Why on earth do you do it?” If the high-risk activity is the person’s
occupation, then forget the incredulity and you are left with out-and-out= in every way respect. But what of other
forms of risk-taking? Gamblers, for instance? Gambling is certainly frowned upon by that large and
“respectable” proportion of the British population despite its legalised status and huge popularity. Why should
this be so? The answer, I think, lies in the nature of the gambler’s risk in comparison to other types.
Firstly, the gambler’s risk is not the dare-devil, respect-commanding physical type of the racing-driver; “all”
that is at stake is money. Furthermore, there is an underlying feeling that the risk being taken is not strictly
personal. We wonder where the money has come from, what will happen when the gambler loses it all and
how friends and relatives feel about the habit. Even (or especially) if a large sweepstake is won, we know that
it was chiefly a matter of happening to have the right number at the right time, that was responsible for the
windfall and not the continuous practice and trained skill of the gliders, drivers and divers.
At the end of the day we are left with a multi-faceted concept, the nature of which cannot be defined in
isolation but only in terms of society and its norms. Look at those fear-filled individuals mentioned earlier.
Can you honestly assure them that getting into your car is perfectly safe and totally risk-free when clearly it is not ?
1. What is it that we “understand” (line 3)?
- That risk/danger is a part of everyday life
2. What do the words “wide-eyed” and “white-faced” (lines 3) suggest?
- That the mothers are afraid/terrified
3. In what sense do we put ourselves at risk using public transport?
- In the sense that we entrust our lives to people we’ve never met and who could be crazy, who could easily be “maniacs”.
4. Why are the statistics described as being “proudly presented” (line 8)?
- Because risk/danger have been reduced to something neat and manageable
5. Why are those people with certain fears described as “fringe elements of society” (lines 10)?
- Because they are outside the mainstream in that they hesitate to take normal risks while others do not
6. What does the phrase “above, on and below the level of everyday life” (lines 13) suggest?
- That hang-gliders, drivers and divers practise in the air, on land and under the sea - also that they are in some way on a different level from ordinary people
7. What word or phrase could be used instead of “an air of awe” (line 14-15)?
- An attitude/feeling of respect/being impressed
8. What is meant by the phrase “frowned upon” (line 17)?
- Disapproved of/looked down on
9. Why is the word “all” (line 20) in inverted commas?
- To show that the use is ironic, suggesting that money is not of little value or to be discounted as unimportant
10. In what sense is the gambler’s risk not strictly a personal one?
- Because the money put at risk may belong to family/friends, and its loss may affect others besides the person who gambles
11. According to the writer, what is the principal factor contributing to a gambler’s win? - Chance/luck/circumstance
12. In what sense can you not “honestly assure” (line 28) the people who get into your car that they are not at risk?
- No-one can be sure that their car will not be involved in an accident or mishap
13. In a paragraph of 70 - 90 words, summarise the various types of risk described and people’s attitudes towards them.
There is risk of accident etc in everyday life which is only feared by those who are considered “anti-social” or odd. The risk taken by those
involved in dangerous sports is looked on as something admirable, because the participant risks her/his own life; if a person’s job is risky, he gains
respect. On the contrary, activities such as gambling are looked down on as putting the security of family/friends at risk