EXERCISE 1:

The great Acharyas have said that having discovered a great goal, surrender yourself to
that goal and act towards it, drawing your (1)……………from that goal whereby you
will get a new column of energy. Do not allow this energy to be dissipated in the futile
(2)……………of past regrets of failure, not in the excitement of the present, and thus,
bring that entire energy focussed into activity. That is the highest creative action in the
world outside. (3)…………… the individual who is till now considered most
inefficient finds his way to the highest achievement and success. This is said very
easily in a second. But in order to train our mind to this (4)…………… needs
considerable training because we have already trained the mind wrongly to such an
extent that we have become (5)…………… in imperfections. Not knowing the art of
action, we have been master artists in doing the wrong thing. The totality of activity
will bring the country to a wrong (6)……………, indeed. If each one is given a car, to
achieve an ideal socialistic pattern, and nobody knows driving but everybody starts
driving, what would be the condition on the road? Everybody has equal right on the
public road. Then each car must necessarily dash against the other, and there is (7)
…………… to be a jumble. This seems to be the very apt pattern of life that we are (8)
…………… to. Everyone of us is a vehicle. We know how to go forward. The (9)
……………is, intellect is very powerful and everyone is driving but nobody seems to
know how to control the mental energy and direct it properly, or guide it to the proper
(10)…………….
KEY
1. inspiration
2. memories
3. Thereby
4. attitude
5. perfect
6. end
7. bound
8. heading
9. point
10. destination
EXERCISE 2:
Learning to play a musical instrument is an extremely worthwhile and enjoyable
activity. The choice of music teacher, however, is a (1) ….. which may determine the
difference between successfully completing one's studies or (2) ….. them, which latter
can be very disappointing, and greatly damage a pupil's self-esteem. Parents and
children (3) ….. often choose a young music teacher, thinking, perhaps, that someone
in-their twenties would have more in common with the pupil, be able to communicate
better, or be less strict than an older person. Very often, however, this view is (4) ……
Musicians who have recently graduated may still feel resentful (5) ….. the fact that,
despite having spent so many years perfecting their art, 'all' they end up doing is
teaching, instead of performing. In contrast, a mature teacher will be more (6) ….. to
the fact that teaching music is their profession. With an older teacher's experience (7)
…………… invaluable knowledge, and tricks of the trade that can help the pupil to
overcome difficulties encountered along the way. Learning a musical instrument is an
arduous process which requires hours of practice, and progress is not always (8)…...
Patience and encouragement on the …………….. of the music teacher are paramount.
Experienced teachers are, very often, more patient and tolerant than they were when
they were younger, and these are perhaps the most important qualities the older teacher
possesses. Expertise has a lot to offer but, as with all professions, effectiveness is also a
(10) ….. of an individual's personality, charisma and dedication, which may have
nothing to do with their age.
KEY
1. decision
2. abandoning
3. alike
4. mistaken
5. of
6. reconciled
7. comes
8. obvious
9. part
10. result
EXERCISE 3
The history of the modern world is a (1)…………… of highly varied activity, of
incessant change. and of astonishing achievement. The lives of men have, during the
last few centuries, become increasingly diversified, their powers have greatly
multiplied, their horizon has been enormously enlarged. New interests have arisen in
(2)…………… profusion to absorb attention and to provoke exertion. New
aspirations, new emotions have come to (3)…………… the soul of men. Amid all the
bewildering phenomena, interest in particular has stood out (4)…………… clear and
growing preeminence, has expressed (5)…………… in a multitude of ways and with
an emphasis more and more pronounced, namely, the determination of the race to gain
a larger measure of freedom than it has ever known before, freedom in the life of the
intellect and spirit, freedom in the realm of government and law, freedom in the (6)
…………… of economic and social relationships. A passion that has prevailed so (7)
……………, that has transformed the world so greatly, and is still transforming it, is
one that surely merits study and abundantly rewards it. Its operations constitute the
very pith and marrow of modern history. Not that this passion was (8)…………… to
the long ages that preceded the modern periods. The ancient Hebrews, the ancient
Greeks and Romans blazed the (9)…………… leaving behind them a precious heritage
of accomplishments and suggestions, and the men who made the Renaissance of the
fifteenth century and the Reformation of the sixteenth century contributed their
imperishable part to this slow and difficult emancipation of the human race. But it is in
modern times that the pace and vigour, the scope and sweep of this (10)……………
movement have so increased as unquestionably to dominate the age, particularly the
last three centuries have registered the great triumphs of spirit.
KEY
1. record
2. rich
3. move
4. in
5. itself
6. sphere
7. widely
8. unknown
9. way
10. liberal
EXERCISE 4:
Schools have been eager to jump on the educational technology (1) ….. despite the fact
that, up to now at least, research has not found a direct link between the use of
computer-based instructional software and student achievement. (2) ….. has been given
to the amount and quality of equipment, while ignoring the important (3) ….. of
whether the use of educational technology actually helps pupils to learn any better. An
essential (4)…… for the successful use of computers in classrooms is effective in-
service training, which includes technology skills training, for all staff. Teachers with
limited technology skills avoid exploring computer programs they have not been
taught, even when those programs could benefit their students. Curriculum-specific
software is user-friendly and flexible for students. However, the role of students
remains passive, as it doesn't allow for active (5) ….., where teachers and students
together become co-learners and creators of new knowledge. Another potential
drawback (6)……….. schools which have introduced computer technology is student
assessment, as it is impossible to give each student direct (7) …….. attention all the
time. Student performance data needs to be accessed by teachers and administrators in
real time from their desktops, allowing them to (8) ….. student progress towards CV-
riculum goals on a day-to-day basis. Without sufficient hi-tech staff training and a
revision of the (9)………… to the use of technology resources, any attempt to link
student achievement and the use of educational technology is (10) …........
KEY
1. bandwagon
2. Attention
3. question
4. element
5. participation
6. facing
7. individual
8. monitor
9. approach
10. futile
EXERCISE 5:
The problem with computers is that (1)………… of their mystique and dazzling
accessories, at present they are nothing more than glorified adding machines. While
they can be modified to become word processors, at their (2)………… they are still
adding machines. They can manipulate vast amounts of (3) …….. millions of times
faster than humans, but they do not understand what they are doing and have no (4)
….. thought. Nor can they program themselves. One of the principal problems in the
future will be to build intelligent systems with common sense. Like the huge concealed
portion of an iceberg (5)…………. beneath the waves, common sense is so embedded
in our brains at such an (6) …….. level that we don't even ponder how we use it in our
daily lives. Only the tiniest (7)………… of our thinking is devoted to conscious
thought. Ironically, our brains never evolved the remarkably simple neural circuits it
takes to do arithmetic. Being able to multiply five-digit numbers, which is effortlessly
(8) ….. by handheld calculators, was of no use in escaping a hungry sabre-toothed tiger
hundreds of thousands of years ago. Our brains did, however, evolve the sophisticated
mental apparatus that enables us to understand common sense without thinking about it
and survive in a hostile world. Computer systems are the (9) …..; they are marvellous
at abstract mathematical logic, but in general they do not grasp the simplest (10) ….. of
physics or biology.
KEY
1. stripped
2. core
3. data
4. independent
5. hidden
6. unconscious
7. fraction
8. performed
9. opposite
10. concepts
EXERCISE 6:
Hats were once necessary to human life. They provided 1………………..from both
enemies and the elements and were also ornaments, with ceremonial functions. The
head is the 2………………….. of intelligence, the source of speech, and the object of
our glances. By wearing a hat, you 3……………… a frame around your personality
and so cross the threshold from private to public, engaging with strangers on
conventional 4…………………... The wearing of hats was, therefore, an important
part of our ancestors' attempt to create a public realm in which people could be
correctly dressed and part of the social 5…………………. The hat was a form of good
manners, a way of recognising others by putting a lid on the 6…………………... In
many cultures, hats, and the conventions associated with them, are words in a complex
7…………………, and learning their grammar is a part of growing up. But in common
with most uniforms, such conventions are 8………………….and, therefore, also
divisive. The language of hats is, rather like the foreign tongue, something which
confirms the strangeness of the invading tribe. One 9………………. may be the
ubiquitous baseball cap. Although it often 10…………………. the logo of some
multinational firm, this globalised head 11……………… appears strictly meaningless,
a fashion item. But is it'? The baseball cap, along with fast food and modern
architecture, is now conquering the world. What's more, it forms part of the
12…………………. of youth, and increasingly these days only a courageous young
person would choose any other form of headgear, wouldn't they?
KEY
1.protection
2. seat
3. place/put
4. terms
5. fabric
6. self
7. language
8. exclusive
9. exception
10. bears
11. covering
12. uniform
EXERCISE 7:
If we are asked to envisage an archetypal human being, the 1…………. that comes into
our minds may be male or female. It may be black, white or yellow, but it will almost
certainly be an adult. We take it for (2) ….. that adulthood is the meaningful part of our
existence, and everything (3) ….. to it is merely preparation. The old adage quoted by
Samuel Butler is often (4) ….. but has not yet been fully assimilated: 'A hen is an egg's
way of making another egg.' It is very difficult for any of us to think of ourselves as a
baby's way of making another baby. So there is a tendency in discussions about human
evolution to (5) ….. the fact that at every step of the journey there were not only males
and females, but also babies, infants and children, and natural selection would never
have favoured one age group at too great a (6)………… to any of the others.
Regarding children as smaller, imperfect (7) ….. of ourselves, we explain much of their
behaviour in the way we explain the rough-and-tumble play of cubs and kittens, calling
it 'preparation for adult life' or 'developing the skills that they will (8)…………. need.'
That is strange, because it is one of the inviolable tenets of (9)…………… theory that
what an animal is or does is governed by events that have happened, not events that are
going to happen. Only in describing the young is it acceptable to believe that a
mammal's behaviour is governed by the future that awaits it, rather than the (10) …..
that lies behind it.
KEY
1. picture
2. granted
3. prior
4. cited
5. overlook
6. cost
7. copies
8. later
9. evolutionary
10. history
EXERCISE 8.
Although as yet (1) ….., there is strong theoretical support for the idea that after the
creation of our universe a number of 'black holes' were left. A ‘black hole' is an area in
(2) ….. space into which everything near it, including light itself is pulled. The theory
is that if a body is (3)……. to a black hole, it becomes extremely small and dense.
According to the British physicists AA Jackson and M.P. Ryan, the effect of a black
hole hitting Siberia would be indistinguishable from the Tunguska event. Another
scientist states that an atom-sized black hole (4) ….. the Earth's atmosphere at a typical
collision velocity for an interplanetary body would create an atmospheric shock wave
with (5) ….. force to level hundreds of square kilometres of Siberian forest, and (6)
………. flash burning and seismic effects. The black hole would then follow a rather
straight path through the body of the Earth with very little interaction and (7) ….. a few
minutes later on the opposite side of the Earth. Since the theory was propounded, the
objections have been made that there is no (8).….. of an unusual explosion on that day
in the North Atlantic where it would have emerged from Earth, and (9) ….. that a black
hole would cause very severe subterranean shock waves, (10) ….. the only recorded
seismic effects were surface waves.
KEY
1. unproved
2. outer
3. reduced
4. entering
5. enough
6. produce
7. emerge
8. record
9. further
10. whereas
EXERCISE 9.
A zoological garden can offer facilities that no other similar institution can emulate. At
its (1) ….., it should be a complex laboratory, educational establishment and
conservation unit. Our biological (2) ….. of even some of the commonest animals is
embarrassingly slight and it is here that zoos can be of inestimable value in amassing
information. That this can only help the ultimate conservation of an animal in the wild
state is obvious, (3) ….. you cannot begin to talk about conservation of a species unless
you have some knowledge of how it functions. A well-run zoological garden should
provide you with the facilities for just such work. While it is obviously more (4) …..
to study animals in the wild state, there are many aspects of animal biology which can
be more easily studied in zoos and, indeed there are certain aspects that can only be
studied conveniently when the animal is in a controlled (5) ….. such as a zoo.
Therefore zoological gardens —properly (6) ….. zoological gardens — are enormous
reservoirs of valuable data, if the animals in them are studied properly and the results
(7) ….. accurately. Educationally, too, zoos have a most important role to play. Now
that we have invented the megalopolis, we are spawning a new generation, reared (8)
….. benefit of dog, cat, goldfish or budgerigar, in the upright coffins of the high-rise
flats; a generation that will believe that milk comes from a bottle, without benefit of
grass or cow or the intricate process between the two. This generation or its future (9)
….. might have only the zoo to show them that creatures, other than their own kind, are
trying to inhabit the earth as well. Finally, zoos can be of immense importance in the
field of conservation. Firstly, they should endeavour to breed as many of the animals in
their care as possible, thus lessening the drain upon wild stocks. More important (10)
….., they can build up viable breeding groups of those species whose numbers in the
wild state have dropped to an alarmingly low level. Many zoos have done, and are
doing this successfully.
KEY
1. best
2. knowledge
3. for
4. desirable
5. environment
6. run
7. recorded
8. without
9. offspring
10. still
EXERCISE 10.
Obsession with pop stars may be innocent enough when you're 14 years old. Carry the
fixation (1) ….. your twenties, however, and your teen idol can become bad for your
health. Worshipping famous singers, supermodels or footballers into (2) ….. increases
your chance of psychological problems, eating disorders and difficulties forming (3)
…... Psychologist Dr Tony Cassidy Looked at 16 adults in a recent study. During
adolescence, three-quarters of men and women in the group - now (4) ….. between 20
and 28 - said they had hero-worshipped someone. Most people throw off their fixation
by their twenties, but half of those who had idols could not let their feelings (5) …...
'Another aspect of teen idols is that they (6) ….. as role models,' said Dr Cassidy.
'Many young girls develop distorted body images of themselves, and ultimately eating
disorders, as a result of the media portrayal of supermodels with (7) ….. bodies.' The
obsessive tended to be less satisfied with their relationships and were more likely to
have short-term (8) …... The most extreme fantasised about having a relationship with
their adored one or becoming jealous of their idol's partners. There were even (9) …..,
after one boy band split up, of attempted suicides among fans. But parents should not
rush to the bedroom to rip down their children's posters. There was one bright spot for
fans who did have a teen idol but who gave it up when they (10) ….. adulthood: they
were subsequently better at problem-solving.
KEY
1. into
2. adulthood
3. relationships
4. aged
5. go
6. serve
7. ideal
8. affairs
9. cases
10. reached
EXERCISE 11
During the second half of the twentieth century, the number of vehicles on the roads
and planes in the sky increased beyond all (1) …..; to the point where, today, roads in
many countries cannot handle the amount of daily traffic they are (2) ….. to and
congested air space presents us with grave cause for concern. In addition to these
problems, there is also the situation (3) ….. fuel: oil products are becoming
progressively more expensive, and the reliability of future supply is not something we
can take for granted. (4) ….. firstly, then, at the problem of congestion on our roads,
and the accompanying atmospheric pollution from exhaust fumes, it will obviously be
necessary, at some point, (5) ….. to construct flyovers over built-up areas or ring roads
around all towns and cities. The probletn with the latter solution is that there is a
danger of carving further and further into the surrounding countryside and transforming
what is (6) …. of our greenery into concrete and asphalt. Another possible measure -
however (7) ….. it may be - would be to restrict by law the number of cars allowed in
each family, or impose obligatory car-sharing. This would also (8) ….. to reduce
overall fuel consumption, as would the alternative of electric cars. Regarding
international air travel, here again it may be necessary to impose restrictions: in this
case on the number of aeroplanes that are given permission to be in the air at any one
time. The idea of curtailing the personal (9) ….. of people in this way may not seem to
be a very welcome one. However, for the sake of our future health and safety, the
recommendations outlined above must be given urgent consideration, and those
accepted should be (10) ….. upon in the shortest time possible.
KEY
1. expectations
2. subjected
3. regarding
4. Looking
5. either
6. left
7. unwelcome
8. serve
9. freedom
10. acted
EXERCISE 12.
An index to women in business reveals that almost half of the largest 100 companies
have no women on their boards and it is a dispiriting (1) ..... that they still feel the need
to get together at meetings to work out their strategies for breaking (2) ...... One such
meeting in London recently suggested that the obstacle (3) ..... British women back is
cultural. British women, unlike their American (4) ....., were seen as demure and
modest, the result of their upbringing. In consequence, they tended to communicate in
a roundabout (5) ....., asking for opinions instead of putting themselves forward. While
consultation is of (6) ....., it can be seen as a sign of weakness and insecurity. A survey
of high-flying women nevertheless indicated that they have different (7) ..... from men.
Nearly all of them, as compared with hardly any of the (8) ….. sample of men
interviewed, regarded personal fulfilment as the factor that most influenced their
choice of career, while men were more likely to take salary into account. The majority
of women sought a satisfying job in agreeable surroundings and empire building, the
necessary preliminary for reaching the top, did not (9) ….. to them. For this reason, and
in some cases because they are obliged to put the family first and the company second,
women are still few and far between in the corridors of (10) …...
KEY
1. sign
2. through
3. holding
4. counterparts
5. manner
6. value
7. targets
8. corresponding
9. appeal
10. power
EXERCISE 13.
At a time when the world seems suddenly to have become full of people apparently
jabbering away to themselves (once taken as a prime (1) ….. of lunacy) and shares in
the mobile phone industry have rocketed up and then down (2) ….. the stock exchange,
it was perhaps inevitable that mobile phones would be the (3) ….. of the health scare of
the year. Everyone knows that they emit radiation, and radiation kills, doesn't it? So all
those who seem to spend hours with them clamped to their (4) ….. — while driving,
riding bicycles or simply pacing up and down at airports — had better (5) ….. out,
hadn't they? The scientific (6) ….., which also applies to television masts, PCs,
microwave ovens and far more obviously lethal pieces of equipment comes in three
forms — 'yes', 'no' and 'well, maybe.' Well-qualified scientists conducting impressive
experiments not only disagree but when the (7) ….. becomes really heated, do so
violently. Those who try to calm things down are likely to be denounced as
Government agents who (8) ….. their jobs to keeping things quiet. Those who try to
stir things up are called mischief-makers or mad or are believed to be out for a large
research grant to keep themselves in (9) …... Responsible public bodies demonstrate
their impartiality by publishing the conflicting reports and resolutely sitting on the (10)
…...
KEY
1. indication
2. on
3. focus
4. ears
5. watch
6. answer
7. discussion
8. owe
9. business
10. fence
EXERCISE 14.
Although, according to a recent survey, 80% of adults in Britain are aware of such (1)
….. to the environment as global warming and the destruction of the ozone layer, 49%
said they were not concerned, and 26% claimed there was no problem to be faced. In
fact, it cannot be denied that the environment is affected by the way we live, and if we
are to have hot water, heat and light at the flick of a switch, there is a (2) ….. to be
paid. People were also asked if they could do more to save energy in their own homes.
The majority did not waste energy unnecessarily but were not as careful as the (3) …..
would have liked. Most of us do switch off the light when no one is in the room, switch
off the heating when no one is at home, and save water by having a shower instead of a
bath. Seventy per cent also claimed to take bottles, cans or paper to be recycled. But
half of those (4) ….. left clothes to dry on radiators, absorbing heat, and left doors
open, and quite a lot of people leave the television or their PC on (5) ….. when it is not
in use. After living in England for five years, I have (6) ….. to a warmer climate. In all
but one respect I am once more a (7) ….. consumer. But if I was not one when I lived
there, I feel that there was some (8) …... Though I worked with a PC every day, I
always turned it off at night. But how do you (9) ….. the recycling process if the local
council, unlike the one here, provide no containers? How do you get clothes dry in
winter if it rains most of the time and you have no indoor facilities? And surely a house
where the doors stay permanently (10) ….. is secretive, forbidding and unhealthy?
KEY
1. threats
2. price
3. organisers
4. interviewed
5. standby
6. returned
7. model
8. excuse
9. aid
10. shut
Exercise 15.
Both women and men, it seems, have always had a fascination for changing their
appearance with the aid of paints, powders, dyes and other 1……………devices. The
use of cosmetics, far from being a 2…………… of civilisation, originates from an
inherent human desire for self-decoration. As far back as 100,000 years ago, man is
believed to have painted his body, and at a later period the people of the Stone Age
probably decorated themselves in a similar 3……………. However, the original
motivation for prehistoric man's use of paint was different from 4…………… which
inspired civilised cultures to adopt cosmetics as a way of enhancing or creating
5……………. Prehistoric man must have been conscious that he was a weak animal
6…………… against a hostile environment. He had to develop his own tools for
hunting because Nature had not provided him with sharp teeth or claws or the
overwhelming physical strength of the wild beasts which 7……………the ancient
world. He decorated his skin with the markings of the most powerful animals because
he believed that by representing their physical characteristics on his own body he
acquired some of their 8……………. But his fear of wild beasts remained as a
9……………. disturbing and inexplicable phenomenon, and inspired in primitive man
the belief that mysterious 10…………… which he was able neither to understand nor
control were at work around him.
1. artificial
2. product
3. fashion
4. that
5. beauty
6. struggling
7. roamed
8. power
9. constantly
10. forces