CHAPTER 1: LEXCICO – IDIOMS – PHRASAL VERB

PRACTICE TEST 1

1. She ____ agreed to go with him to the football match although she had no interest in the game
at all.

A. apologetically B. grudgingly C. shamefacedly D. discreetly

2. On the way to Cambridge yesterday, the road was blocked by a fallen tree, so we had to make
a___

A. deviation B. digression C. detour D. departure

3. Tom’s normally very efficient but he’s been making a lot of mistakes ______

A. of late B. for now C. in a while D. shortly

4. I know it’s difficult but you’ll just have to ________ and bear it.

A. laugh B. smile C. grin D. chuckle

5. I didn’t want to make a decision ________, so I said I’d like to think about it.

A. in one go B. there and then C. at a stroke D. on and off

6. We are not in a ________ hurry so let’s have another coffee.

A. dashing B. racing C. rushing D. tearing

7. She’s a bit down in the________ at the moment – her husband has just lost his job.

A. world B. dumps C. heart D. bottom

8. “How did you know that he was lying?” – “It was just a ________ feeling.”

A. faint B. gut C. slight D. vain

9. The new company had been___ with one problem after another and looked as if it were about
to go under.

A. glorified B. tainted C. fraught D. bewildered

10. Mike decided that election to the local council would provide a ______ to a career in national
politics.

A. milestone B. springboard C. highway D. turning point

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11. As a poet, I think she ________ comparison with the greatest this century. .

A. stands B. makes C. leads D. matches

12. We all have to follow the rules, and none of us is ________ the law.

A. beyond B. over C. above D. onto

13. When disaster ______, organisations such as Oxfam quickly provide help.

A. comes B. approaches C. arrives D. strikes

14. The number of people traveling by air has been growing _______.

A. by leaps and bounds B. from time to time C. slow but sure D. by hook and crook

15. Drug-taking is a crime which society simply cannot _________.

A. approve B. acknowledge C. consent D. condone

16. I was scared ____________ when I looked down from the top of the cliff.

A. tight B. stiff C. hard D. solid

17. The whereabouts of the exiled president remains a _________guarded secret.

A. highly B. closely C. deeply D. entirely

18. We should all_________when advertisers attempt to use unfair practices.

A. make a stand B. make a comeback C. make amends D. make a deal

19. The company cannot accept____for injuries resulting from improper use of rental equipment

A. validity B. liability C. compensation D. privilege

20. Jack never cheats or tricks anybody when he plays. He always goes by the_________

A. book B. instructions C. principles D. method

21. Recent defeats have _________.his confidence in himself as a player

A. undermined B. disable C. impeded D. hampered

22. People turned out in_________to watch the parade on the Independence Day.

A. volume B. mass C. force D. bulk

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23. Not being able to find my phone number is a pretty_________excuse for not contacting me.

A. fragile B. frail C. faint D. feeble

24. We were under no _________ about how difficult it would be to achieve our aims.

A. fantasies B. daydreams C. illusions D. deceptions

25. The pollution problems in the town have been _____ by mass tourism in the summer months.

A. exacerbated B. developed C. augmented D. contributed

26. I'm in a bit of a _________ as to what to wear to the wedding.

A. loss B. quandary C. problem D. bewilderment

27. The problem _________because neither side was prepared to compromise.

A. amassed B. escalated C. proliferated D. enhanced

28. The Red Cross is ___________ an international aid organization.

A. intriguingly B. intrusively C. intrinsicallyD. intrepidly

29. I couldn't stop myself from _________ with boredom during the lecture.

A. sighing B. gasping C. panting D. blowing

30. My brother found it impossible to _________his anger and started shouting.

A. restrict B. inhibit C. reserve D. contain

31. Fitting together the thousands of fragments of the broken vase was a long and ________ task.

A. minute B. careful C. painstaking D. minuscule

32. You’ll just have to _________ yourself to the fact that you can’t always have what you want.

A. acknowledge B. reconcile C. concede D. allow

33. The students had no money left and took out a loan to ______ him over until the end of term.

A. last B. tend C. keep D. tide

34. Money was short and people survived by _________and saving.

A. scrimping B. scavenging C. scouring D. scrounging

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35. Jane was terribly nervous before the interview but she managed to pull herself _____ and act
confidently.

A. through B. over C. together D. off

36.This is the _________timetable for the conference. It may change later

A. conditional B. indefinite C. provisional D. indeterminate

37. She didn’t show even a _________of emotion when the court found her guilty.

A. gleam B. wink C. flicker D. flash

38. Few people can do creative work unless they are in the right _________ of mind.

A. trend B. frame C. attitude D. tendency

39. It was decided that the cost of the project would be _________.and so it was abandoned.

A. repressive B. prohibitive C. restrictive D. exclusive

40. I didn't really feel like memorizing all these definitions. It was only the risk of getting
another bad mark that made me _________myself.

A. exert B. absorb C. endeavour D. deploy

41. In times of _________ , unemployment figures usually rise dramatically.

A austerity B severity C sobriety D. gravity

42. The delight in treasure finding doesn’t always __acquiring tremendous amounts of valuables.

A. dwell on B. poke around C. lay about D. hinge upon

43. Let’s _________ the place, it looks so gloomy and unpleasant .

A. miss B. abandon C. depart D. disappear

44. She used the map to discover where she was in ________to her surroundings.

A. connection B. affinity C. relation D. reference

45. He let it __________ that the Prime Minister was a close friend of his.

A. announce B. talk C. drop D. infer

46. It was a fantastic film. I enjoyed it _________

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A. endlessly B. unendingly C. without endD. no end

47. When the children _________ their toys, I donated them to charity.

A. outlasted B. outdated C. outgrew D. outwore

48. I was in the ______ of despair before I heard the good news.

A. depths B. profundities C. bottoms D. holes

49. When are we going to get rid of all these empty cartons? They've been ______ up the office
for weeks now.

A. buttering B. clutching C. cluttering D. botching

50. The luxurious office accentuated the manager's position _________. It enhanced his power
and his sense of his own worth. And it made other people feel small.

A. on the pecking pole B. in the nibbling line C. at the nipping post D. in the pecking order

51. The architect has designed a building of immaculate _____ in everything. Every detail is
matched on each side.

A evenness B contrast C symmetry D contradiction

52. The vegetation on the island was _________

A. exuberant B. chivalrous C. overcast D. ingenious

53. We had been looking for the nest for hours before we _________ lucky.

A. hit B. made C. struck D. came

55. Despite ____________ appearances, he wasn't as crazy as people thought.

A. inward B. outward C. external D. strange

56. I really need some vacations now so that when I come back I can __ in the operating theatre.

A. thrive B. grow C. proliferate D. spread

57. The first _________ of the ladder is important in your career.

A. step B. grade C. push D. rung

58. After hours and hours trying to solve the problem, I was at my _________ end.

A. nerves' B. wits' C. humours' D. tethers'

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59. Her punky hairstyle showed she was not one for following the _________.

A. flock B. herd C. swarm D. group

60. There wasn't a _________ of truth in what he said.

A. ray B. lump C. grain D.pinch

61. Ask David to give you a hand moving the furniture. He’s strong as ______.

A. an elephant B. a mountain C. a gorilla D. a horse

62. He didn’t have a _________ of evidence to support his claims.

A. sign B. scrap C. sense D. state

63. It’s the __________ of stupidity to go walking in the mountains in this weather.

A. height B. depth C. source D. matter

64. I know you’re upset about breaking up with Tom, but there are plenty more ______.

A. horses in the stable B. cows in the shed C. tigers in the jungle D. fish in the sea.

65. It must be true. I hear it straight from the _________ mouth.

A. dog’s B. horse’s C. camel’s D. cat’s

66. It's normal for salaries to be paid monthly in__, meaning you'll need to work four weeks first.

A. advance B. full C. arrears D. debt

67. She is so ______ skinned that nothing offends her.

A. hard B. thick C. strong D. heavy

68. I’ve only met Stephen in a social context - he’s an unknown _____ where work’s concerned.

A. option B. type C. category D. quantity

69. The competition he set up for young musicians is another_of his life-long support for the arts.

A. exposition B. manifestation C. token D. exhibition

70. Windows go __________ towards defining the character of a house.

A. a long way B. far out C. all the way D. far away

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71. Even the most _________ drivers feel an urge to break the speed-limit occasionally.

A. lawful B. legitimate C. law-abidingD. judicial

72. I am not sure I can answer that. I have only thought about it in the _______ before.

A. general B. hypothetical C. indefinite D. abstract

73. The opposition protests against the government now threaten to get out of _______ and the
security forces are likely to make arrests around the country today.

A. reach B. kilter C. hand D. ordinary

74. I really don’t want to get involved in your problems. Why are you _______me into it?

A. pulling B. dragging C. wrenching D. towing

75. Everybody was busy with the spring cleaning, except Stanley, who always refused to pull his
___ .

A. shocks B. weight C. finger D. share

76. At the time, Mexico was in the _____of its worst economic recession on record.

A. grip B. tug C. hug D. grab

77. Harry was offered a scholarship to study in Japan and he___ the opportunity with both hands.

A. grasped B. grabbed C. held D. passed

78. A full scholarship to Harvard and you are worried about leaving your job? You’d be a fool to
__ up a chance like that.

A. turn B. brush C. pass D. cast

79. He admitted taking a bribe and he doesn’t think he’s _____ his chances of getting re-elected?

A. pulled B. wiped C. thrown D. blown

80. The matter has been left in _______ until the legal ramifications have been explored.

A. recess B. suspension C. abeyance D. waiting

81. It was an extremely hostile article which cast _______ on the conduct of the entire cabinet.

A. criticism B. aspersions C. disapproval D. abuse

82. Simon's business has been on the_for some time and I understand he's going into liquidation.
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A. fire B. rocks C. wave D. clouds

83. We've made some great improvements over the past three months, but we're still not out of
the _____ .

A. jungle B. bush C. dark D. woods

84. If you had never seen a telly ad, you would be all at ______ with popular culture.

A. crossroads B. distance C. sea D. length

85. I'd been living in this country for a few years, but it wasn't until I had kids that I felt like I
had really put down ______ here.

A. roots B. seeds C. nuts D. fruits

86. The party was already ______ by the time we arrived. Everyone was singing and dancing.

A. in full swing B. up in the air C. over the moon D. under a cloud

87. The entire staff was thrown off ______ when the news of the takeover was announced.

A. composure B. disarray C. stable D. balance

88. I know you have a good voice and have ambitions to be an opera singer but do not give up
your day ______ yet.

A. situation B. work C. job D. place

89. We at Buyrite throw down the ____ to competitors to match us for price, quality and service.

A. mitten B. gauntlet C. sword D. hat

90. Sometimes, we don't appreciate the ______ pleasures of life such as a beautiful sky, a cup of
coffee with a friend or seeing a good film at the cinema.

A. sheer B. simple C. normal D. plain

91. Various ecological issues have come to the ____ since the discovery of the hole in the earth's
ozone layer.

A. front B. back C. side D. fore

92. The full horror of the war only hit _____ when we started seeing the television pictures of it.

A. base B. down C. home D. back

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93. The most important parts of your job may seem difficult now but they will become second
____ to you within a couple of weeks.

A. instinct B. thought C. nature D. mind

94. I'm about to start my long-planned swimming regime. But I've got really terrible cellulite,
which makes me feel rather ______ .

A. self-assured B. self - centred C. self-conscious D. self-evident

95. The inconsiderate driver was ______ for parking his vehicle in the wrong place.

A. inflicted B. harassed C. condemned D. confined

96. From football to fashion, from TV to stage, we name the _____ stars whose careers are likely
to rocket in the future.

A. out and about B. up and coming C. down and out D. in and out

97. Obama expressed regret as a US drone strike has______ killed innocent hostages.

A. incongruously B. vehemently C. inadvertently D. graciously

98. How do you calculate the distance to the horizon? As a _____, it’s 7 miles + 1 mile per 100 ft
above sea level.

A. trick of the trade B. golden rule C. free hand D. rule of thumb

99. Just because we’ve had a good year, this does not mean that we cannot do better: we must
not _____

A. have our head in the clouds B. bury our heads in the sand

C. count our blessings D. rest on our laurels

100. The headmaster at my last school was was a stern disciplinarian and made sure we__ the
line.

A. drew B. faced C. touched D. toed

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 PRACTICE TEST 2

1. The designer was given free _____ to produce any design he wanted.

A rein B range C ride D rope

2. They were _____ over by his kindness and didn’t know what to say.

A turned B knocked C hooked D bowled

3. The office was closed for a week for refurbishment and now the staff have to deal with the
_____ that built up during their absence.

A backstage B backlash C backlog D backdrop

4. Even though there have been setbacks, because of their determination I’m sure they’ll achieve
their goals, _____ .

A suffice to say B be that as it may C so be it D come what may

5. John and Sarah lived in the back of __ and it always took us a whole day to drive there.

A the country B isolation C nowhere D beyond

6. My parents looked back with _____ on the days when all of us lived at home and which, they
said, were the best years of their lives.

A nostalgia B reminiscence C homesickness D recollection

7. I don’t trust him and it really goes against the ________to give him the money.
A. cloak B. grain C. rice D. grapevine

8. It’s time we had a ________talk with each other in an effort to clear the air.

A. heart to heart B. eye to eye C. face to face D. cheek to cheek

9. As she didn’t understand the teacher’s question, she merely gave him a _______ look.

A. clear B. dim C. blank D. hopeless

10. Sister Morrison might take _______ with me on that matter.

A. words B. discussion C. issue D. matter

11. I don't think that revealing your past to your boyfriend scared him _______.

A. back B. down C. off D. through

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12. There were probably moments when you wondered if anyone spoke the truth or was ______

A. spolit for choice B. below par C. off the beg D. on the level

13. Substantial members of the ______members ignored the union advice.

A. all and sundry B. flesh and blood C. head and shoulders. D. rank and file

14. Many victims of the earthquake pay ______ to the ones who took them out of rubble.

A. respects B. homage C. tributes D. deference

15. The movie takes considerable liberties ______the novel that it is based on.

A. to B. out of C. at D. with

16. Don’t believe Samuel. He just ____an act that he is the most miserable person in the world.

A. puts on B. puts into C. settles up D. settles in

17. Diagnosed with tumor in the brain, she refused to meet her ___but turned to religion for help.

A. paleontologist B. oncologist C. entomologist D. seismologist

18. Their father was a hero in World War II, whose account has awakened ______memories of
the old days.

A. down-in-the-dumps B. disconsolate C. poignant D. grief-stricken

19. I don't like intellectual novels, serious music or films; my tastes are quite ______

A. flat-topped B. lowbrow C. shamefaced D. slow-witted

20. The sixth time he called me at night was the _________.

A. lost cause B. last straw C. touch and go D. hot air

21. There’s no doubt about the outcome of the trial. The man is a ______ criminal.

A. self-conscious B. self-contained C. self-confessed D. self-centered

22. Rebecca ______on our conversation to tell us that James had just been rushed to hospital.

A. cut in B. faced up C. got ahead D. broke up

23______ her job, her sons and the housework, she doesn’t have a minute for herself.

A. What with B. If it weren’t for C. Barring D. Given

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24. It’s ______that he never mentioned our argument; I wonder why he didn’t.

A. special B. rare C. curious D. eccentric

25. He praised his wife for her dignity under the ______of the tabloid press.

A. onslaught B. assault C. onset D. offensive

26. Brain cancer requires ______ treatment such as surgery.

A. aggressive B. confrontational C. malignant D. rigorous

27. The government has been forced into a ________ after the revelation of a cover-up.

A. climbdown B. getaway C. outbreak D. breakout

28. I don’t know if Ash would be right for the job; he’s a bit of an unknown ________.

A. quality B. qualification C. quantity D. identity

29. Searching for one man in this city is like looking for a _________.

A. salt of the earth B. sand in the desert C. needle in a haystack D. drop in the ocean

30. The Conservatives declared their intention of____the whole Act once they came into power.

A. repulsing B. repelling C. impelling D. repealing

31. The growth of psychobiology owes ______to major conceptual advances in the way people
think about the brain.

A. much B. as much as C. much which D. there is so much

32. The class went to see the performance of Macbeth because it ______ in well with the project
they were doing on Scottish history.

A. crammed B. stood C. tied D. booked

33. I have tried every product on the market and still I can't rid these curtains of the ____of
cigarette smoke.

A. fumes B. fragrance C. stench D. aroma

34. Her condition seems to be ____. We’ll have to take her to intensive care.
A. ameliorating B. deteriorating C. amputating D. imitating

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35. Not only is little Jonny’s grammar incoherent and his spelling atrocious but also his
pronunciation______.
A. slothful B. sluggish C. hazard D. haphazard

36. I need to ______ your offer very carefully before I make a decision.

A. look over B. see out C. figure out D. mull over

37. There’s nothing to ______ as it’s a general knowledge quiz.

A. come round to B. face up to C. swot up on D. come up with

38. The account of their journey has been ______ together from personal letters and diaries.

A. pieced B. set C. pulled D. got

39. The noise from the unruly fans celebrating their team’s victory didn’t ____ until early in the
morning.

A. shut off B. give away C. let up D. fall over

40. Following years of intense training, the accomplished athlete ______ the medal triumphantly.

A. took off B. went off C. ran off D. carried off

41. We’d been working hard for a month and so decided to go out and ______.

A. paint the town red B. face the music C. read between the lines D. steal the show

42. The country is an economic ______ with chronic unemployment and rampant crime.

A. lost cause B. basket case C. false dawn D. dark horse

43. You’ve got to ______ to succeed in advertising.

A. go to your head B. have your wits about you

C. have your head in the clouds D. gather your wits

44. The Prime Minister will decide whether to release the prisoner or not; that’s his ______.
A. prerogative B. derogatory C. abdication D. humanity

45. The Secretary of State handled the matter ______ and prevented a war.
A. adroitly B. intensely C. abjectly D. slightly

46. The robbery was carried out in ______ daylight and with hundreds of witnesses present.

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A. open B. wide C. broad D. clear

47. Most of the examination is written but there is also a _ part which I am really worried about.

A. vocal B. verbal C. oral D. wordy

48. ______ with anger, Mr. Jensson stormed into the local tax office and demanded to see
someone about his case which had dragged on for nearly three years.

A. Brimming B. Pouring C. Stewing D. Seething

49. When I say I want you to be here at six o'clock, I mean six o'clock ____.You cannot be late
under any circumstances!

A. on the edge B. at the moment C. on the dot D. in detail

50. The opposition protests against the government now threaten to get out of ______ and the
security forces are likely to make arrests around the country today.

A. reach B. kilter C. hand D. the ordinary

51. Fingerprints are the most ______ types of evidence used in criminal cases because it’s one of
the most reliable forms of identification

A. culpable B. incriminating C. liable D.offending

52. The inconsiderate driver was ______ for parking his vehicle in the wrong place.

A. inflicted B. harassed C. condemned D. confined

53. Another, perhaps inspired by the nursery rhyme, is that a(n) ______ for sweet things during
pregnancy makes you more likely to be having a girl, while a boy will make you crave savoury,
salty foods, meat and cheese in particular.

A. inspiration B. affinity C. predilection D. propensity

54. Most of the old road has been ______ by the great interstate highways

A. overdone B. superseded C. excelled D. overwhelmed

55. She got very ______working such long hours

A. tumble-down B. downcast C. run-down D. down - and – out

56. Because we’ve had a good year, this does not mean that we cannot do better: we must not __

A. have our head in the clouds B. bury our heads in the sand

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C. count our blessings D. rest on our laurels

57. As soon as the problem at work blew up, he instantly thought about how he could come out
of it looking good. He is such a ______person.

A. self-evident B. self-conscious C. self-centred D. selfless

58. We carried on down the path, ______of the notice warning of avalanche risk.

A. careless B. carefree C. heedless D. blind

59. The judge declared a ______today due to unfair media coverage and the trial will be restarted
again early next year.

A. postponement B. annulment C. cancellation D. mistrial

60. His performance was so spectacular that he was ______out for praise by the team manager at
the end of the game.

A. singled B. filtered C. distinguished D. selected

61. He's just getting up my ______ so much at the moment.

A. feet B. chest C. nose D. mind

62. Something's wrong with this room, but I can't quite ______what it is.

A. put my finger on B. know off-hand C. give my right arm to D. lay eyes on

63. Group E is now wide open with all four teams ______ a chance of qualifying for the knock-
out phase going into the final group matches.

A. in with B. up for C. in for D. up with

64. There's so much good theatre and cinema in London, really one is ______for choice.

A. overcome B. ruined C. spoilt D. overwhelmed

65. The structure parameters of these chucks are _____ those of K11 3-jaw self-centring chucks.

A. much the same as B. nearly as C. nothing like as D. nowhere near as

66. There are ten prisoners on the ______.

A. loose B.run C. track D. go

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67. Sometimes, we don't appreciate the ______ pleasures of life such as a beautiful sky, a cup of
coffee with a friend or seeing a good film at the cinema.

A. sheer B. simple C. normal D. plain

68. They dismissed him as "disrespectful, very arrogant and ______ rude".

A. totally B. downright C. outright D. heavily

69. The statement from the ministers contrasts ______ with comments by European Commission
President Jean-Claude Juncke

A. sharply B. heavily C. utterly D. flatly

70. I know how to use computers, but I don't really understand the ______of how they work.

A. ins and outs B. odds and ends C. dribs and drabs D. waifs and strays

71. The doctor says that it's ______whether Mary will be okay.

A. prim and proper B. spick and span C. touch and go D. up and coming

72. Our staff take pride in providing ______ service.

A. mundane B. atrocious C. impeccable D. lousy

73. It was a ______move to buy your house just before property prices started to rise.

A. astute B. crafty C. shrewd D. wily

74. They adopted a sensible, ______ policy on defence spending.

A. state-of-the-art B. trick-of-the-trade C. run-of-the-mill D. middle-of-the-road

75. He'd be ______if he found out what you're doing

A. annoyed B. irritated C. livid D. cross

76. A lot of older people are ______ because they've been complaining all their lives

A. irate B. crotchety C. indignant D. infuriated

77. She had a ______ row with Eddie and stormed out of the house.

A. blazing B. heated C.firing D. smouldering

78. Intimate relationships were limited to a stack of old nudie magazines with_____ pages,
which he kept on the floor beneath his cot.
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A. head-on B. nail-biting C. narrow-minded D. well-thumbed

79. He awoke with a ______ heart, sweating with fear

A. plucking B. flexing C. gritting D. pounding

80. We reached ______in the meeting and failed to come to a solution

A. standstill B. gridlock C. standoff D. stalemate

81. He was ______aware of his lack of experience

A. widely B. painfully C. deeply D. heavily

82. As an average retail investor I consider myself ______ capable of understanding the
operation of crossing networks

A. perfectly B. bitterly C. widely D. highly

83. The littlest thing tends to anger my mother, so I feel like I have to walk on ______ whenever
I'm at her house.

A. eggshells B. nutshells C. bombshells D. seashells

84. Students can be expelled at the ______ of the principal

A. disposition B. dispersal C. discretion D. disposal

85. He became emotionally ______from his friends and family after the illness.

A. distant B. faint C. secluded D. far-away

86. The sound of his footsteps gradually ______ away.

A. died B. passed C. vanished D. dwindled

87. He is disliked because of his sly and ______ways of getting what he wants.

A. calculating B. callous C. inquisitive D. meticulous

88. She dismissed him with a ______nod of the head.

A. blunt B. curt C. reckless D. ruthless

89. His performance is described in the paper as "a ______ display of physical agility".

A. breathtaking B. gripping C. harrowing D. piercing

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90. The police are sometimes more ______with female offenders.

A. lax B. lenient C. easygoing D. withdrawn

91. Don’t be taken in by his lying, ______ words

A. slack B. scrupulous C. treacherous D. feeble

92. With the amount of traffic nowadays, even a trip across town is ______with dangers.

A. beset B. surrounded C. assaulted D. devoid

93. He was forced to ______ control of the company.

A. discard B. relinquish C. quit D. surrender

94. Getting up at 8 o’clock was early by her ______

A. reasons B. standards C. limits D. levels

95. The passion of Argentinian football fans ______no bounds

A. recognizes B. holds C. sees D. knows

96. My library books are a week ______

A. undue B. overdue C. unpunctual D. belated

97. Every shelf is ______with ornaments.

A. muddled B. bundled C. cluttered D. burdened

98. There was a danger of the country reverting to its ______ sin of complacency

A. redeeming B. overriding C. besetting D. overwhelming

99. Police are investigating a(n) ______ of burglaries in the Kingsland Road area.

A. rate B. influx C. tide D. spate

100. He kept telling us about his operation, in the most ______ detail.

A. elaborate B. knotty C. graphic D. burning

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 PRACTICE TEST 3

1. The war in Iraq is a ______ debated issue.

A. deeply B. hotly C. profoundly D. heavily

2. He will be remembered by the staff with great ______.

A. fondness B. fancy C. passion D. crush

3. He carefully ______ his sunflower plants.

A. tended B.attended C. grew D. maintained

4. She already has a couple of good wins ______.

A. under her collar B. under her belt C. up her sleeve D. in her shoes

5. Whenever she refused, he'd beat her ______.

A. black and blue B. black and white C. blue in the face D. out of the blue

6. Their qualifications ______them to a higher salary.

A. enable B. entitle C. entail D. envisage

7. Since he is not polite, he often makes ______ remarks.

A. immaterial B. impertinent C. impervious D. implausible

8. He had failed because of a lack of talent for ______ speaking

A. impeccable B. impressive C. imposing D. impromptu

9. I get ______ pains up my spine whenever I try to move.

A. splitting B. thumping C. shooting D. stinking

10. Dealing with the failed waste incinerator project is a ______ issue in west Norfolk

A. burning B. heating C.boiling D. firing

11. He had the ______ to blame me for his mistake!

A. valour B. chivalry C. gracefulness D. audacity

12. He had always been ______ by his elder sister.

19
A. overtaken B. overstated C. overshadowed D. overwhelmed

13. He remained loyal to me through ______

A. null and void B. life and soul C. thick and thin D. up and coming

14. The long-standing dispute about working conditions finally came ______when the workforce
voted for strike action

A. to a head B. to the point C. to a standstill D. out of its shell

15. If you're caught stealing you'll be ______.

A.in black books B. for the high jump C. in a quandary D.in the doghouse

16. Such a questionable assertion is sure to ______ criticism.

A. commence B. instigate C. launch D. provoke

17. Such people ______an indistinct anger and hatred.

A. exude B. exclude C. expunge D. extricate

18. In a culture where knockoffs are normal, from sportswear to DVDs, it will not be easy to
______deep-rooted academic habits

A. exude B. exclude C. expunge D. extricate

19. I tried to ______myself from the situation but it was impossible.

A. exude B. exclude C. expunge D. extricate

20. She is ______grateful to her family for their support

A. continually B. continuously C. perpetually D. eternally

21. The child's ______talking started to irritate her.

A. constant B. incessant C. steady D. ongoing

22. She had a(n) ______ parade of young men coming to visit her.

A. constant B. incessant C. steady D. ongoing

23. They were able to respond swiftly because they already have a secret ballot strike mandate
over a(n) ______pay dispute.

A. constant B. incessant C. steady D. ongoing

20
24. The police have expressed ______concern about the missing child's safety.

A. critical B. essential C. significant D. grave

25. Naylor was one of those men who ______ to the challenge of danger.

A. raise B. rise C. ride D. arise

26. Like more and more women, she believes marriage would ______her style.

A. restricts B. impedes C. obstructs D. cramps

27. He's not nearly such a good writer as he's ______up to be.

A. creased B. cracked C. lined D. valued

28. During the bad weather we experienced a few disasters and events, but they were of little
____.

A. consequence B. result C. care D. circumstance

29. The costs of gathering the initial data are relatively small in____to the costs of the research
itself.

A. reference B. affinity C. relation D. connection

30. The design is ______ from Japanese porcelains of the fourteenth century.

A.imitated B. copied C. emulated D. faked

31. ‘Will you stay for lunch?’ ‘No, but thanks ______’

A. all along B. all in all C. all the sameD. all told

32. I might be going on a training course next week, but it's still ______

A. in the air B. on the air C. off the air D. up in the air

33. I don't want to sound ______, but I thought my picture was the best.

A. big-headed B. blue-eyed C. narrow-minded D. thick-skinned

34. The whole team were ______ at winning the competition.

A. up in the arms B. on the up and up C. on the cards D. over the moon

35. If you use credit cards to pay off a debt, you're jumping out of the frying pan into the ______.

21
A. fire B. flame C. heat D. blaze

36. Some people let their under-fives ______ riot.

A. run B. go C. make D.take

37. He's of no fixed ______and we found him on the streets.

A. residence B. abode C. home D. domicile

38. The project is being held in ______until agreement is reached on funding it.

A. recess B. suspension C. abeyance D. waiting

39. I wouldn't want to cast ______ on your honesty.

A. criticism B. aspersions C. disapproval D. abuse

40. I need a new French dictionary. Can I pick your ______about the best one to buy?

A. brains B. mind C. head D. intellect

41. This is not to ______ questions of strategy and tactics, merely to place them in an appropriate
context.

A. evade B. shirk C. duck D. dodge

42. You can't ______, it's your duty. You are so lazy!

A. evade B. shirk C. duck D. dodge

43. The speed at which you eat strongly ______how much you want to eat.

A. sways B. affects C. influences D. impresses

44. Many tourists cannot tell the difference between __Indian craftwork and imported imitations.

A. real B. authentic C. valid D. natural

45. They put forward many ______ reasons for not exporting.

A. real B. authentic C. valid D. natural

46. She always showed ______concern for others

A. genuine B. authentic C. valid D. natural

47. We had all the usual problems ______upon starting a new business.
22
A. subsequent B. consequent C. attendant D. relevant

48. She did not tolerate press ______into her private life.

A. invasion B. intrusion C. infringement D. interference

49. They resent foreign ______in the internal affairs of their country

A. invasion B. intrusion C. infringement D. interference

50. These phone calls are a gross ______of privacy.

A. invasion B. intrusion C. infringement D. interference

51. They were sued for ______ of copyright.

A. invasion B. intrusion C. infringement D. interference

52. He was thorough and ______, rather than brilliant.

A. pedantic B. laborious C. particular D. conscientious

53. Don't be so ______ - does it really matter if I don't pronounce it right?

A. pedantic B. laborious C. particular D. conscientios

54. Collecting the raw materials proved a long and ______task

A. pedantic B. laborious C. particular D. conscientious

55. Don't expect to have me at your beck and ______.

A. cry B. ring C. need D. call

56. The ______from the sale will be used to repay the loan.

A. produce B. proceeds C. receipts D. returns

57. Sometimes even well-meaning interviewers will throw you a really ______question.

A. awkward B. risky C. unpleasant D. touchy

58. We must ______ this notion that you can rely on the state for everything.

A. peter out B. dispel C. disperse D. annihilate

59. Just one of these bombs could ______a city the size of New York.

23
A. peter out B. dispel C. disperse D. annihilate

60. Already there were indications that the contest had helped some of those ______writers
emerge from total obscurity.

A. hopeful B. aspiring C. striving D. wishful

61. Vlasov showed great energy and leadership ______, transforming his division into a
conspicuous example of efficiency.

A. attributes B. features C. values D. qualities

62. The difference is scarcely perceptible to the ______reader.

A.common B. medium C. average D. middle

63. Kids today are ______on a constant diet of pop music and television.

A. fostered B. raised C. nurtured D. grown

64. They feel strongly that their religion is ______with the political system.

A. incongruous B. inconsistent C. incidential D. incompatible

65. These findings are ______with those of previous studies.

A. incongruous B. inconsistent C. incidental D. incompatible

66.Such traditional methods seem ______in our technical age.

A. incongruous B. inconsistent C. incidental D. incompatible

67. Eye problems can indicate an unhealthy lifestyle with____suppression of the immune system

A. subsequent B. consequent C. attendant D. relevant

68. This is by no means an ______list but it gives an indication of the many projects taking place

A. exhaustive B. exorbitant C. execrable D. exalted

69. She was the only woman to rise to such an ______position

A. exhaustive B. exorbitant C. execrable D. exalted

70. Sharon became involved with music in the time-honoured ______-- through her family.

A. protocol B. way C. fashion D. procedure

24
71. My sisters don't see ______with me about the arrangements.

A. face to face B. at loggerheads C eye to eye D. on tenterhooks

72. The Chancellor is ______with the Prime Minister over public spending.

A. face to face B. at loggerheads C eye to eye D. on tenterhooks

73. He was still on pins and needles waiting for his directors' decision about the job.

A. face to face B. at loggerheads C eye to eye D. on tenterhooks

74. The principles of democracy are sometimes in ______with political reality.

A. conflict B. rivalry C. odds D. friction

75. She gave him a sweet smile, totally at ______with the look of dislike in her eyes.

A. conflict B. rivalry C. odds D. friction

76. Their conclusions run _____to any simple proletarianisation thesis about the effects of new
technology on skill.

A. counter B. against C. opposed D. opposite

77. She was ______ to tears by their criticisms.

A. brought down B. diminished C. reduced D.belittled

78. Don't ______her piano playing just because you're jealous.

A. bring down B. diminish C. reduce D.belittle

79. On his wanderings he's picked up Spanish, Italian, French and a(n) ______of Russian

A. command B. smattering C.knowing D. acquaintance

80. She's a ______vegetarian and refuses to eat any poultry or fish

A. firm B. devout C. staunch D. strict

81. He has been a ______supporter of the Liberal Party for over thirty years.

A. firm B. devout C. staunch D. strict

82. She was a ______Catholic and, so far as I am aware, morally unassailable.

A. firm B. devout C. staunch D. strict

25
83. I'm a ______believer in'where there's a will , there's a way.

A. firm B. devout C. staunch D. strict

84. She must know the play ______by now.

A. forwards B. backwards C. sideways D. upside down

85. You need to become fully ______with the company's procedures.

A. conversant B. mindful C. answerable D. attuned

86. The whole venture has been an ______disaster.

A. unmatched B. unmitigated C. undiluted D. unmindful

87. She dealt with the problem with ______skill.

A. consummate B. comprehensive C. confirmed D. compulsive

88. The aim of the repetitions of the same commercial on television is nothing but to brainwash
consumers into ______consumption.

A. consummate B. comprehensive C. confirmed D. compulsive

89. On the rampant black market prices were particularly ______.

A. exhaustive B. exorbitant C. execrable D. exalted

90. The durable goods orders report should help to ___ fears of a marked slowdown in factory
activity.

A. avert B. restore C. allay D.hit

91. UN troops intervened to ______ a threat of violent conflict.

A. avert B. restore C. allay D.hit

92. The recent proposals made by the Royal College of Psychiatrists are unjustified, unnecessary
and ______

A. incompatible B. unavoidable C. unworkable D. insurmountable

93. Lack of money has proved an almost ______obstacle.

A. incompatible B. unavoidable` C. unworkable D. insurmountable

94. This history book is completely ______to me.

26
A. illegible B. impenetrable C. impermeable D. incorrigible

95. Because he was an ______criminal, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

A. illegible B. impenetrable C. impermeable D. incorrigible

96. The current cuts in public expenditure will inevitably ______ this situation.

A. exacerbate B. deepen C. sharpen D. fulfill

97. The lecturer wanted to lay ______on the importance of education.

A.mention B. point C. highlight D. stress

98. The President is clearly in a ______about/over how to tackle the crisis.

A. dilemma B. puzzle C. loss D. problem

99. The government is at a ______to know how to tackle the violence.

A. dilemma B. puzzle C. loss D. problem

100. He's studied in the US and has a good ______ of English.

A. command B. smattering C.knowing D. acquaintance

27
 PRACTICE TEST 4

1. The money was taken out of the bank in small amounts so as not to ______suspicion.

A. awake B. arouse C. instigate D. incite

2. Hopes of a peaceful settlement have been ______

A. torn B. tarnished C. dashed D. smashed

3. The motor industry is ______at the cut in car tax.

A. cheering B. relishing C. rejoicing D. enjoying

4. He's very understanding: if I'm ______by the middle of the week he'll always let me have a
few groceries on tick till Friday.

A. hard up B. pricey C. indebted D. bankrupt

5. The sales assistants were so rude to me, I decided to take my ______elsewhere.

A. income B. custom C. capital D. fortune

6. The police are going to ______down on illegal stock exchange activities in the streets.

A. dragging B. kicking C. dumbing D. clamping

7. She had a strong desire to be a dancer but failed to make the ______.

A. grade B. term C. mark D. degree

8. The sexual scandal will ______from the president's fame.

A. ruin B. detract C. spoil D. impair

9. There isn't a ______of truth in those rumours.

A. pinch B. grain C. trace D. speck

10. Every ______of emotion seemed to have drained from his face.

A. pinch B. grain C. trace D. speck

11. Here I sit ______ - no food, no money, no anything

A. high and dry B. thick and thin C. huff and puff D. wear and tear

12. The media regarded Gorbachev as the ______favorite to dethrone the old champ
28
A. last-minute B. odds-on C. so-called D.well –earned

13. The research has ______implications for medicine as a whole.

A. far-fetched B. far-reaching C. long-winded D. nerve-wrecking

14. Jacques launched into a ______explanation that left us just as confused as before

A. far-fetched B. far-reaching C. long-winded D. nerve-wrecking

15. We ______ deny that we have ever cheated or tampered illegally with any match ball in any
game during our careers.

A. categorically B. fully C. distinctly D. highly

16. All personal details are treated as ______confidential and remain on computer file.

A. severely B. strictly C. sharply D. harshly

17. The people in that company always talk ______, even on the weekends.

A. dirty B. shop C. turkey D. money

18. It took me ages to ______up the courage to ask for a promotion

A. pick B. hurl C. yield D. pluck

19. They still ______enormous influence in politics.

A. possess B. utilize C. brandish D. wield

20. I don't know where he is but I could ______a guess.

A. hazard B. conjecture C. expose D. imperil

21. Don't ______a hard bargain over such a little thing .

A. make B. push C. drive D. bring

22. His patience began to wear ______ during the long wait.

A. thin B. rusty C. empty D. perished

23. And undoubtedly, their mysterious, indefinable quality is the source of their ______ power.

A. disconcerting B. disembodied C. dismissive D. discordant

24. The depths of this understanding - which I had not at all expected - put me in a ______.
29
A. doubt B. quandary C. hitch D. complexity

25. He walked out after a ______row with his wife.

A. blazing B. heated C. stormy D. smouldering

26. I am ______ to listen to your pathetic excuses.

A. sick and tired B. in no mood C. having enough D. sick to death

27. Anyone who breaks the law does so at their ______

A. peril B. interest C. stake D. doubt

28. Thousands of lives will be at ______if emergency aid does not arrive in the city soon.

A. peril B. interest C. stake D. doubt

29. Sandra will be at least 15 minutes late - that's a ______

A. must B, definite C.deal D. given

30. The researchers determined that concentration effects are applicable to overrepresented
minorities living in ______ impoverished ghettos.

A. severely B. strictly C. sharply D. harshly

31. She's been told that her husband is being______ treated in prison.

A. severely B. strictly C. sharply D. harshly

32. Alcohol is ______ forbidden on school premises.

A. severely B. strictly C. sharply D. harshly

33. These results contrast ______with other medical tests carried out in Australia.

A. severely B. strictly C. sharply D. harshly

34. I felt a bit _______ and seemed to have more aches and pains than usual.

A. out of sorts C. on the mend B. over the worst D. under the fever

35. A: ‘Oh, I’m exhausted! I’ve been doing homework all day.’

B: ‘Come and put your _______ up for 5 minutes and I’ll make you a cup of tea.’

A. hands B. hair C. heart D. feet

30
36. I overslept this morning and caught the last bus to school by the skin of my _______.

A. mouth B. leg C. neck D. teeth

37. If you want a flat in the centre of the city, you have to pay through the _______ for it.

A. teeth B. head C. nose D. arm

38. You will be putting your life on the _______ if you take up skydiving.

A. ground B. line C. way D. lane

39. As far as her future goes, Olivia is _______. She hasn't got a clue what career to follow.

A. on the level B. all at sea C. behind the scenes D. in the know

40. Your husband was a bit out of control at the party, to _______ mildly.

A. take it B. put it C. say D. tell

41. There is a large effort ______ to rebuild arts education in the New York city public schools.

A. under way B. a long way C. out of the way D. in the way

42. A woman who appears to be a __________person who lives under bridges, turns out to be
has a metamorphose into a princess and has a regal personage.

A. tumble-down B. downcast C. run-down D. down-and-cast

43. It included 105 job losses and a _____________ in shift work, with some of the large staff
numbers recruited in the past year expected to be let go first

A. breakdown B. layout C. cutback D. out-take

44. I was so tired that I just ______ in the armchair

A.flaked out B.broke up C.dropped out D.fell over

45. Our teacher tends to ______ certain subjects which she finds difficult to talk about

A.boil down B.string along C. skate over D.track down

46. It’s a good idea to ______ people before taking them into your confidence

A.tumble to B.root out C.bank on D.size up

47. Some people can just ______ a cold,but my colds seem to linger for weeks

31
A.shrug off B.cough up C.pull through D.stamp out

48. The man in the market was selling leather coats very cheaply: they were such bargains that
were soon ______ .

A.cleared off B.done for C.bought out D. snapped up

49. I couldn’t remember where I had left my car, when it suddenly ______ me that I didn’t have
a car any longer!

A.dawned on B.ran into C.went through D.tumbled to

50. After years of working together, the partners found themselves _______ linked.

A. permanently B. indelibly C. perpetually D. inextricably

51. The medicine takes one hour to _______.

A. bear with B. kick in C. make out D. get by

52. Jennifer _______ the invitation to join us for dinner.

A. called on B. come out C. got out of D. passed on

53. It takes a very determined person to achieve results as good as this; you really have to put
your______ to it.

A. mind B. head C. brain D. thoughts

54. There's a______ balance between success and failure.

A. small B. narrow C. fine D. light

55. The manager hesitated to assign the job to the newcomer as he was__________ .

A. wet behind the ears B. feeling your ears burning

C. ringing in your ears D. keeping your ears open

56..I’m afraid Jennifer’s very ______ . She believes everything she’s told.

A. gullible B. trustworthy C. credible D. honest

57. I slept badly last night and am feeling particularly ______ this morning.

A. slow-witted B. far-reaching C. off-hand D. top-heavy

58. Unanswered, the demands for nuclear deterrents have _______ fears of civil war.
32
A. flashed up B. prognosticated C. sidetracked D. stoked up

59. A new computer has been produced, which will ______ all previous models

A.overdo B.supersede C.excel D.overwhelm

60. My cousin was nervous about being interviewed on television, but she rose to the ___
wonderfully.

A. event B. performance C. incident D. occasion

61. My decision to drop out of university after a year is one I now _____ regret.

A. painfully B. harshly C. heavily D. keenly

62. Both the favourite and then the second favourite pulled out. Naturally, we thought we were
______ a chance.

A in with B up for C in for D up with

63. Don’t quote me. What I am about to say is ______ the record.

A. on B. off C. without D. above

64. I’m not sure if I’m doing it right, but I’ll try to ___________ahead with it anyway.

A. drive B. bang C. touch D. press

65. We all have to follow the rules, and none of us is ________ the law.

A. beyond B. over C. above D. onto

66. He wants to pay the bill himself, but I won’t hear _________ it.

A. from B. about C. of D. for

67. When his manager went on a business trip, Smith stepped into the _____ and chaired the
meeting.

A. hole B. pool C. breach D. crack

68. James didn’t take _____ to your suggestion that she was mean with money.

A. kindly B. pleasantly C. cheerfully D. agreeably

69. We need a more _______ assessment of the chances of ending this war.

A. moral B. sober C. plain D. vivid

33
70. Mark Stringly is rarely interviewed as he hates being in the ______.

A. flashlight B. limelight C. headlight D. floodlight

71. I tried to push my way through the standing passengers to get to the door and, failing to keep
my ____ about me.

A. head B. soul C. wits D. mind

72. Steve used to be easy to work with, but since his promotion he’s begun to______ .

A. throw his weight around B. throw in the towel

C. throw him off balance D. turn up trumps

73. The new regime determined to ________ compulsory military service.

A. stop of B. end up C. phase out D. break off

74. As their bookshop wasn’t doing well, they decided to branch ______and sell compact discs
and cassettes as well.

A. out B. over C. down on D. out for

75. I’d been cooped ____in my office all morning so I went out for a walk and a spot of fresh air.

A. over B. by C. down D. up

76. Why don’t you get your homework ______with so you can enjoy the rest of the evening?

A. around B. over C. by D. away

77. Morag is very good at ______off the teacher in her school.

A. sending B. calling C. taking D. putting

78. The class went to see the performance of Macbeth because it ______in well with the project
they were doing on Scottish history.

A. crammed B. stood C. tied D. booked

79. I was sitting in a train looking out of the window, when my mind suddenly ______back to
that amazing trip we made to India.

A. put B. flashed C. stirred D. associated

80. Roberto should try not to let his regrets for what he has done ______away at him.

34
A. come B. eat C. stick D. flood

81. I wish he wouldn’t make such unkind and ______remarks.

A. lapse B. disparaging C. inconsolable D. rough

82. Could you lend me some money to ______ me over to the end of the month?

A. hand B. tide C. get D. make

83. Lisa attempted to ______ herself with her new boss by volunteering to take on extra work.

A. ingratiate B. please C. gratify D. command

84. Before they open the new factory, a lot of the young people round here were _____the dole.

A. in B. under C. on D. at

85. The factory paid _____nearly a million pounds to their employees who were injured in the
explosion.

A. off B. out C. for D. into

86. Harry blew a ________ when his holiday was cancelled.

A. switch B. fuse C. plug D. socket

87. I know you have a good voice and have ambitions to be an opera singer but don’t give up
your day________ yet.

A. situation B. work C. job D. place

88. Not only is little Johnny's grammar incoherent and his spelling atrocious but alsohis
punctuation ______

A. slothful B. sluggish C. hazard D. haphazard

89. The media are always keen on reporting ______

A. mishaps B. calamities C. reverses D. hardships

90. They continued fighting despite all the ______they met with.

A. adversities B. amenities C. properties D. liabilities

91. I was informed by the police officer that he would be forced to take me into______

A. guardianship B. bail C. custody D. protection

35
92. By being rude to his superiors he is considered to have __________ the mark.

A. transcendedB. outrun C. surpassed D. overstepped

93. I have been back to the doctor three times and he still hasn't ____ the reason for all the pain I
have been suffering from recently.

A. indicated B. highlighted C. pinpointed D. looked up

94. As soon as the bomb was discovered by one of the cleaning staff, the police had the area
______ off and no-one was allowed within two blocks of the cafe.

A. fenced B. cordoned C. walled D. isolated

95. A couple of boys were _____________ in the pool.

A. impinging on B. larking about C. ploughing ahead D. floating out

96. We were ____________ the task of writing a report of the college´s games.

A. assigned to B. taken over C. run up D. saddled with

97. Anti-terrorist squad officers _________ the area to search for possible bombs.

A. sealed off B. set off C. come through D. split up

98. The secretary dashed ___________ the weekly report to his director

A. up B. off C. of D. for

99. I __________ an important deal yesterday and she was so thrilled!

A. came across B. mucked up C. shot down D. gunned for

100. There’s been a slight improvement in his heallth, but he’s not out of the _______ yet.

A. bush B. wood C. hand D. reach

PRACTICE TEST 5

1. Be realistic! You can’t go through life looking at the world through _______.

A. rosed-coloured spectacles B. bright sights

C. magnificent spectacles D. green fingers

36
2. I realized ______ that he was a thief.

A. sooner of later B. all along C. at the beginning D. eventually

3. The minister made no _______ of any further negotiations.

A mention B. comment C. indication D. remark

4. I don't think Jones and Marlowe should work together on this project. They have shown us
before that they are quite _________ as partners.

A. rebellious B. disinterested C. disagreeable D. incompatible

5. Let me ______ over the matter and give you my decision in a few days.

A. bite B. munch C. chew D. gnaw

6. Find someone who will let you talk things through, or _____ that, write down your thoughts.

A. except B. failing C. for all of D. given

7. They will need time to _________ the proposals we have submitted.

A. lash out B. scroll over C. shrivel up D. mull over

8. Karen was terribly nervous before the interview but she managed to pull herself _____ and act
confidently.

A. through B. over C. together D. off

9. I don't agree with his policies but I'm going to ______ them for now.

A. play along with B. play cat and mouse with C. play havoc with D. play down

10. His promise is as good as ______. We can rely on him.

A. gold B. gem C. diamond D. jewel

11. These days the castle is swamped with ________ of tourists.

A. hordes B. cliques C. mobs D. assemblies

12. His flat looks so ______ that it is difficult to believe he just had a party last night.

A. spick and span B. by and large C. safe and sound D. sick and tired

13. I am not able to go anywhere this weekend because I am up to my ______ in work.

37
A. neck B. nose C. waist D. ankle

14. Brain cancer requires ______ treatment such as surgery.

A. aggressive B. confrontational C. malignant D. rigorous

15. He praised his wife for her dignity under the ______ of the tabloid press.

A. onslaught B. assault C. onset D. offensive

16. The old man led a _______ existence after she left and refused even to see his children.

A. reclusive B. deserted C. remote D. vacant

17. I thought I had made it_____ that I didn’t wish to discuss this matter.

A. distinct B. plain C. frank D. straight

18. We work too much. Our teacher keeps our noses to the ________ .

A. stone B. mill stone C. stonemill D. grindstone

19. He is a simple fellow. He usually wears his heart on his _________ .

A. arm B. sleeve C. face D. brow

20. This is the straw that breaks the _________ back.

A. horse’s B. mule’s C. donkey’s D. camel

21. The juvenile delinquent was place on ___________ for a year.

A. trial B. charge C. probation D. surveillance

22. I soon got the ____________ of the new machine.

A. hang B. sway C. string D. drift

23. Harry was offered a scholarship to study in Japan and he __ the opportunity with both hands.

A. grasped B. grabbed C. held D. passed

24. A full scholarship to Harvard and you are worried about leaving your job? You’d be a fool to
____ up a chance like that.

A. turn B. brush C. pass D. cast

38
25. He admitted taking a bribe and he doesn’t think he’s _______ his chances of getting re-
elected?

A. pulled B. wiped C. thrown D. blown

26. Given the appalling weather conditions on top of the mountain, I’d say the chances of their
finding any survivors are very _______ indeed.

A. narrow B. lean C. remote D. shallow

27. I suppose there is a _______ chance that he could win, but I can’t see it happening, myself.

A. thin B. slim C. meagre D. short

28. If someone offered me a posting in South Africa, I’d _______ at the chance.

A. bound B. jump C. grab D. seize

29. During winter the shelters are full of people of no fixed _______

A. residence B. abode C. home D. domicile

30. Until your finances are in the _______, it is not a good idea to take out a loan.

A. credit B. funds C. profit D. black

31. The matter has been left in _______ until the legal ramifications have been explored.

A. recess B. suspension C. abeyance D. waiting

32. It was an extremely hostile article which cast _______ on the conduct of the entire cabinet.

A. criticism B. aspersions C. disapproval D. abuse

33 Could I pick your _______ on the subject before the meeting?

A. brains B. mind C. head D. intellect

34. Simon's business has been on the_ for some time and I understand he's going into liquidation.

A. fire B. rocks C. wave D. clouds

35. She wouldn’t have heard anything. She is _______ deaf.

A. stone B. rock C. post D. bat

36. We've made some great improvements over the past three months, but we're still not out of
the _____ .
39
A. jungle B. bush C. dark D. woods

37. We need a process that ______ corrupt police officers.

A. tides over B. beats about C. barks up D. weeds out

38. If you had never seen a telly ad, you would be all at ______ with popular culture.

A. crossroads B. distance C. sea D. length

39. Kristina felt on top of the ______ when she won the beauty pageant.

A. world B. earth C. sky D.universe

40. Mary is the black ______ of the family. She's always in trouble with the police.

A. dog B. cat C. sheep D. horse

41. His fee is a drop in the ______ compared with the real cost of broadcasting.

A. bucket B. ocean C. lake D. sea

42. I'd been living in this country for a few years, but it wasn't until I had kids that I felt like I
had really put down ______ here.

A. roots B. seeds C. nuts D. fruits

43. I'm absolutely ______ under with work at the moment.

A. snowed B. iced C. rained D. fogged

44. I have been ______ by ill health ever since I left university.

A. hounded B. wormed C. ducked D. dogged

45. It was a very wild winter. I think we had one ______ of snow and that was it.

A. gust B. flurry C. drop D. patch

46. I always clean the flat before my mom comes round, but she always find at least one ____ of
dust and says it’s filthy.

A. scrap B. gust C. speck D. blade

47. As winter ends, I always seem to feel a ______ of energy.

A. charge B. spring C. revival D. burst

40
48. The entire staff was thrown off ______ when the news of the takeover was announced.

A. composure B. disarray C. stable D. balance

49. Gavin will ______ to the challenge of his new promotion.

A. raise B. rise C. ride D. arise

50. I know you have a good voice and have ambitions to be an opera singer but do not give up
your day ______ yet.

A. situation B. work C. job D. place

51. I am in the ______ as to where Chris was last night.

A. shade B. dark C. pink D. black

52. Breaking his leg dealt a ______ to his chances of becoming a professional footballer.

A. thump B. strike C. hit D. blow

53. Let’s make a dash for the train now as the rain seems to be ______ off.

A. easing B. slowing C. reducing D. running

54. Our firm is so successful because it is at the cutting ______ of compoter technology.

A. limit B. fringe C. verge D. edge

55. Monsoon Wedding was described as a cinematic jewel when it hit the __________ screen.

A. golden B. silver C. bronze D. diamond

56. For busy people in today’s society, lifestyle management is gaining ______ .

A. points B. speed C. ground D. terrain

57. We at Buyrite throw down the ____ to competitors to match us for price, quality and service.

A. mitten B. gauntlet C. sword D. hat

58. This time she's leaving for ______. She will never return.

A. all B. always C. good D. once

59. The old house was ______furnished and we had to buy almost everything new.

A. thinly B. sparsely C. mildly D. rarely

41
60. Sometimes, we don't appreciate the ______ pleasures of life such as a beautiful sky, a cup of
coffee with a friend or seeing a good film at the cinema.

A. sheer B. simple C. normal D. plain

61. That old house hasn't been lived in for nearly thirty years, hence the fact that it looks so ____

A. decrepit B. trashed C. rotten D. derelict

62. Despite harsh criticism, she's sticking to her ______ on this issue.

A. weapons B. guns C. thumb D. neck

63. If traffic increases beyond a certain level, the city grinds to a ______

A. halt B. stop C. pause D. end

64. Various ecological issues have come to the _____ since the discovery of the hole in the
earth's ozone layer.

A. front B. back C. side D. fore

65. I've seen her perform on television, but never in the ______

A. meat B. flesh C. blood D. vein

66. The full horror of the war only hit _____ when we started seeing the television pictures of it.

A. base B. down C. home D. back

67. She's always ______ to me about how badly she's treated at work.

A. grumbling B. whining C. objecting D. complaining

68. I didn't mean to leave her name off the list; it was a(n) ______ .

A. neglect B. disregard C. insult D. oversight

69. The most important parts of your job may seem difficult now but they will become second
_____ to you within a couple of weeks.

A. instinct B. thought C. nature D. mind

70. The winning team were roundly criticised by the local media for the way in which they had
______ over the losing team. It was considered very unsporting.

A. gloated B. relished C. showed up D. dominated

42
71. Jack was disappointed not to be promoted as he was given to ____ that the job would be his.

A. know B. understand C. realize D. say

72. I retired three years ago and didn't know what to do with myself. Getting this dog has given
me a new ____of life.

A. burst B. loan C. lease D. extension

73. I found the last scene extremely ______ and particularly well - directed.

A. pathetic B. sympathetic C. pitiful D. moving

74. I'm about to start my long-planned swimming regime. But I've got really terrible cellulite,
which makes me feel rather ______

A. self-assured B. self - centred C. self-conscious D. self-evident

75. What can we do to persuade drivers that alcohol can turn a car into a ______weapon?

A. lethal B. fatal C. mortal D. venal

76. Large UK-owned companies are ______ their European rivals when it comes to creating
wealth, a study has concluded.

A. outstripping B. catching up C. overruning D. exceeding

77. Donald Trump’s pledge to rip up existing trade deals with Mexico would ______ substantial
damage on the US economy and kill the region’s competitiveness on the world stage, according
to the Mexican economist who led the country’s trade talks with the US.

A. induce B. inflict C. impose D. wreak

78. Another, perhaps inspired by the nursery rhyme, is that a(n) ______ for sweet things during
pregnancy makes you more likely to be having a girl, while a boy will make you crave savoury,
salty foods, meat and cheese in particular.

A. inspiration B. affinity C. predilection D. propensity

79. The inconsiderate driver was ______ for parking his vehicle in the wrong place.

A. inflicted B. harassed C. condemned D. confined

80. The proposal would ______ a storm of protest around the country

A. spark B. sparkle C. ignite D. trigger

43
81. She refused to answer questions that ______ her private affairs

A. infringed on B. imprinted in C. impinged on D. indulged in

82. The book is such a ______ that I can not put it down

A. page-turner B. best-seller C. duvet-cover D. mind-reader

83. The European Parliament has called for a humanitarian conference to be ______ to discuss
how to tackle the growing crisis.

A. gathered B. collected C. assembled D. convened

84. The rates of extreme poverty have halved in recent decades. But 1.2 billion people still live__

A. on the house B. on the tenterhooks C. on the breadine D. on the cards

85. From football to fashion, from TV to stage, we name the ______ stars whose careers are
likely to rocket in the future.

A. out and about B. up and coming C. down and out D. in and out

86. Obama expressed regret as a US drone strike has______ killed innocent hostages.

A. incongruously B. vehemently C. inadvertently D. graciously

87. You never know whether to take Vic seriously or whether his remarks are tongue in ______ .

A. cheek B. mouth C. tooth D. face

88. Applications for the course are coming in thick and ______.

A. thin B. quick C. fast D. skin

89. Mike_ the tone of the formal dinner by appearing in a pair of ripped jeans and an old T-shirt.

A. set B. lowered C. degraded D. put

90. The exercise routine works in ______ with the diet.

A. tandem B. league C. hand D. cooperation

91. The audience were in ______ as they watched the latest Aykebourne comedy.

A. stitches B. pleats C. tears D. shreds

92. Do not mention work to Ray, as it is a sore ______ with him at the moment.

44
A. finger B. point C. place D. thumb

93. It is hard to get back into the ______ of things after a long holiday.

A. pace B. way C. swing D. rhythm

94. The trouble with socializing with colleagues is that they usually end up talking ______

A. sense B. shop C. back D. safe

95. Take your mobile phone with you just to be on the ______ side.

A. sunny B. secure C. straight D. safe

96. Dealing with the failed waste incinerator project is a ______ issue in west Norfolk

A. burning B. heating C.boiling D. firing

97. With the amount of traffic nowadays, even a trip across town is ______ with dangers.

A. beset B. surrounded C. assaulted D. devoid

98. He was forced to ______ control of the company.

A. discard B. relinquish C. quit D. surrender

99. Getting up at 8 o’clock was early by her ______

A. reasons B. standards C. limits D. levels

100. He kept telling us about his operation, in the most ______ detail.

A. elaborate B. knotty C. graphic D. burning

PRACTICE TEST 6

1. I knew my mother would ________ a face the minute she saw my new hair cut.

A. drag B. lift C. pull D. race

2. When she started borrowing my clothes without asking, I had to put my ______ down.

A. stamp B. show C. fish D. foot

3. If you are going to town, keep your eyes ________ for that book I was telling you about.

A. peeled B. clean C. wide D. fresh

45
4. He was a tall, intimidating persson, with a firm tone of voice and a very short ______ .

A. fuse B. line C. patience D. temperament

5. Peter was ______ of revealing the company’s future plans to the reporter.

A. circumspect B. wary C. prudent D. cautious

6. I'd just met his parents for the first time so I was on my best ______ .

A. manners B. conduct C. behaviour D. demeanour

7. As his whole family were doctors, it was in his ______ to take up that profession

A. blood B. spirit C. soul D. heart

8. Though we'd all been close on the school trip, we parted ____ with one another once we were
back home.

A. views B. friendship C. company D. opinions

9. It pays to be above ______ in your dealings with the Inland Revenue.

A. board B. timber C. plank D. panel

10. Excuse me if I'm speaking out of ______, but what you are proposing is quite wrong.

A. mind B. line C. turn D. order

11. Dr Johnson managed to ensure that the scientists in his research team were the __ of the crop.

A. top B. catch C. cream D. blend

12. Larry displayed the courage of his ______ by saying no to his supervisor.

A. convictions B. certainties C. principles D. opinions

13. At 69 he is as firmly in the ______ seat of the company as ever.

A. front B. driving C. leading D. foremost

14. Now, 10 days since the hurricane made landfall, residents are struggling to pick up the ____.

A. bits B. parts C. pieces D. slices

15. I believe he really does want to work for us, but he’s playing hard to ___ so that we offer
more money.

46
A. catch B. get C. grab D. give

16. Some people try to ______ the myth that women are weak.

A. maintain B. preserve C. perpetuate D. disseminate

17. It’s a ______ for decent jobs these days, so you need every qualification you can get.

A. scramble B. jumble C. jostle D. flurry

18. It’s been a ______ winter this year, with temperatures as low as -15°

A. fervent B. sharp C. bitter D. fetid

19. Keith is a ______ of knowledge when it comes to computers.

A. stream B. fountain C. pool D. spring

20. It’s a modern city, full of ______ tower blocks

A. rising B. heaving C. ascending D. soaring

21. A narrow path winds its ______ down from the mountain.

A. course B. route C. way D. direction

22. Try to ______ count of how many calories you eat over a week.

A. have B. make C. keep D. hold

23. There's still a ______ bit of work to be done on the house.

A. decent B. fair C. big D. large

24. The extra payments are a ______for most single mothers.

A. lifeline B. lifequard C. lifeboat D. lifebelt

25. I arrived early for the meeting so I was twiddling my ______for half an hour.

A. fingers B. toes C. hands D. thumbs

26. The film's only ______ grace is the excellent cinematography.

A. winning B. rescuing C. saving D. giving

27. A full-sized tripod is far too__ to carry around. I find this pocket – sized one is much handier.

47
A. overweight B. inept C. unwieldy D. outsize

28. Many diseases that used to be considered__ of mankind are now easily treatable with
antibiotics

A. scourges B. tortures C. blights D. thorns

29. She knows ahe needs exercise, but finds going to the gym a ______.

A. job B. toil C. work D. chore

30. The special effects were quite good, but that’s more than could be ______ for the acting.

A. mentioned B. spoken C. said D. told

31. There are some safety __ in connection with the new building that still need to be addresssed.

A. worries B. cares C. troubles D. corners

32. After the earthquake, the entrance hall was turned into a ______ casualty ward.

A. mainstay B. makeshift C. piecework D. wayside

33. Tears ______ up out of the baby's eyes.

A. raised B. mounted C. welled D. filled

34. She went under ________as a waiter to write an article on tipping.

A. mask B. act C. pose D. cover

35. There is a new _____ to our family. My mother has just given birth to a baby.

A. growth B. admission C. topping D. addition

36. I don’t want to burden my daughter with my problems; she’s got too much _____

A. up her sleeve B. in her mind C. in effect D. on her plate

37. We live in a _____ society where shopping is all-important.

A. customer B. consumer C. consumption D. civil

38. That human rights are _____ is unacceptable in a civilized society.

A. infringed B. impeached C. abrogated D. quashed

48
39. He set one alarm-clock for five o’clock and the other for five past so as to __ that he did not
oversleep.

A. assure B. ensure C. insure D. reass

40. Improving the overall environmental quality is a long-term battle in which we do want the
participation of everyone in society in order to ________ results.

A. realize B. reap C. bear D. generate

41. While backpacking in a quiet, traditional region, I came across the seemingly __________
fast food ads typical of my hometown.

A. invasive B. infuriating C. irritating D. ubiquitous

42. I dislike him so much that I find it difficult even to be _______ to him.

A. civil B. tactful C. diplomatic D. well-mannered

43. Leili said she found learning languages as easy as __________. She had a gift for it.

A. sliding off a branch B. falling off a log C. diving off a climb D. branching off a bough

44. You are going to need her help. If I were you, I’d __ a bit. I’d try to get her on my side, you
know what I mean.

A. soap her down B. oil her over C. butter her up D. grease her out

45. That woman sees nothing _________ in letting her children run around as they wish.

A. awry B. amiss C. afraid D. alike

46. It looks like she’s really _________ with her successful new business.

A. closing a deal B. moving on up C. breaking it even D. raking it in

47. There is a great deal of pressure in the newspaper industry; editor might work a 12-hour day
with no _________.

A. come-down B. letdown C. crackdown D. let-up

48. It was Alice’s year: a new home, a better job - everything just clicked into _________.

A. spot B. position C. place D. spaceholes

49. The professor’s _________theory is that singing preceded speech.

49
A. fancied B. fond C. pet D. prefer

50. It took me several seconds to grasp the meaning of her statement but finally the __ dropped.

A. penny B. axe C. hammer D. stone

51. Somebody who is foolish or stupid is________ .

A. soft in the head B. riding high C. over the moon D. pushing up daisies

52. The government is doing all it can to _______ war on dangerous driving.

A. launch B. wage C. stage D. battle

53. Take care that your love for him doesn't _______ your judgment.

A. cloud B. darken C. shadow D. topple

54. Although the twins look identical, they have widely___opinions on almost every topic under
the sun.

A. distinct B. dissimilar C. divergent D. distinguished

55. The children's interest in playing the game soon _______.

A. flagged B. stumbled C. tottered D. thawed

56. The princess's nanny's autobiography really gives the _______ on life among the royals.

A. show-down B. know-how C. low-down D. look-out

57. A(n) ________ attempt by the army was quickly foiled.

A. coup B. overthrow C. overtake D. mutiny

58. Having gained a ________ victory in the general elections, they proceeded with their
ambitious programme.

A. galloping B. staunch C. landslide D. close-up

59. It was the most boring, long-________speech I have ever had the misfortune to hear.

A. lasting ` B. winded C. standing D. running

60. The journey would take ________ fifty minutes.

A. give or take B. about C. anywhere between D. in rough

50
61. There’s no need to get so ________ about being turned down. There are other advertising
agencies out there, you know.

A. destitute B. despondent C. descendant D. despicable

62. Many companies have had to _____ their plans for expansion due to the economic recession.

A. scrap B. harbour C. refrain D. oust

63. I ________ you that this new job is a step up the ladder, but it will mean moving to another
part of the country.

A. divulge B. quibble C. heckle D. grant

64. The only thing that ________ the race was Kaba’s accident.

A. dismantled B. scrapped C. marred D. frayed

65. The whole situation is getting out of ___. Let’s do something before it turns into a bitter row.

A. capacity B. charge C. hand D. discipline

66. The weekend is over, so tomorrow morning it’s back to the________ .

A. grind B. labour C. drudgery D. toil

67. It takes time to get a financial system up and ____ after the introduction of a new currency.

A. walking B. proceeding C. running D. going

68. Life is so full of both good fortune and misfortunes that you have to learn to take the rough
with the________.

A. smooth B. ready C. calm D. tough

69. Stephen really lost his________ when his dental appointment was cancelled yet again.

A. head B. voice C. calm D. rag

70. Don’t take it as__that you’ll be promoted in your job; other colleagues stand a good chance
too

A. fixed B. standard C. read D. word

71. I don’t believe for a moment that if you play that record backwards, you’ll hear a ________
message in the background.

51
A. subsiding B. sublingual C. subliminal D. telepathic
72. The festival audience were ______ each other in order to get as near to the stage as possible.
A. staggering B. jostling C. strolling D. fidgeting
73. -“They say that your wife tends to pry into other people private’s matters.”
- “ I don’t care. It’s no skin off my _______”
A. palm B. skull C. cheek D. nose
74. Take the doctor’s advice into consideration. He’s in ________ earnest about the epidemic.
A. mortally B. fatally C. gravely D. deadly
75. It’s important to keep your _____ about you when you are walking through the African bush.
A. wits B. heads C. brains D. minds
76. The science teacher asked the class to ______ the results of their experiment on a graph.

A. draw B. illustrate C. plot D. sketch

77. She's such a ______ of strength that everyone relies on her in a crisis.

A. tower B. pillar C. post D. support

78. Tom was able to ______ a pretty picture of the situation and impressed his manager.

A. paint B. draw C. present D. make

79. It is far too easy to lay the blame ______ on the shoulders of the management.

A. flatly B. willingly C. squarely D. perfectly

80. David has a(n) ______ to fainting at the sight of blood.

A. inclination B. predilection C. predisposition D. penchant

81. The school committee paid __ to their famous former pupil by naming the new gym after her.

A. esteem B. homage C. honour D. respect

82. After his long illness, the old man appeared so thin and ___ that a gust of wind might have
blown him away.

A. flimsy B. faint C. withered D. frail

83. You could tell that she wasn't happy about the news by the way she___ her face in
disapproval.

52
A. came on B. brought round C. settled for D. screwed up

84. Going to the unemployment office and having to wait there for hours is a ______ experience.

A. soul-destroying B. heart-stopping C. power-sharing D. thought-provoking

85. Mr. Newrich invited his guests to an expensive restaurant. However, he felt ______ at ease.

A. sick B. painful C. ill D. unwell

86. The gift, together with the flowers, was a ______of his gratitude and appreciation.

A. coupon B. memento C. remembrance D. token

87. If she doesn't get what she wants, she throws a ____, stamping her feet and screaming her
head off.

A. outburst B. tantrum C. steam D. rage

88. The ______workers were expecting thousands of refugees to turn up at the camps over the
next few weeks.

A. social B. concern C. relief D. agency

89. The police have been ______ the district for the murderer, leaving no stone unturned.

A. brainwashing B. penetrating C. ransacking D. scouring

90. Despite the fog, we were able to discern a ______of cottages in the distance.

A. cluster B. clutter C. congregation D. constellation

91. I'm afraid we got our ______crossed. I thought my husband would be picking up the children
and he thought I was doing it.

A. minds B. purposes C. fingers D. wires

92. Today many people find that the pressure they have at work makes their jobs ________ as
they have to put their families totally in the background.

A. untenable B. unforgivable C. unsustainable D. unreliable

93. The man’s choice to run away virtually ______ to an admission of guilt.

A. devoted B. came C. amounted D. added

94. I have to stress that the ______ is on you to bring up your own children.

53
A. duty B. charge C. onus D. liability

95. She was just an ordinary person before suddenly thrusting into the ______.

A. limelight B. floodlight C. headlight D. flashlight

96. Many people no longer trust their own _____ memories and commit every detail of their
lives to some digital device or other and are completely lost without it.

A. fallible B. susceptible C. vulnerable D. controllable

97. I associate public transport with one of the worst experiences of my life and the _____ of it
is that I will never catch a bus again.

A. hard and fast B. thick and thin C. long and short D. ups and downs

98. Getting that job did a lot to ______his ego after having been turned down many times.

A. boost B. promote C. develop D. accelerate

99. My boss is a typical person who has to deal with ___________ activities every day.

A. miscellaneous B. multifarious C. assorted D. manifold

100. Fortunately, her parents were ______ unaware of what was happening to her.

A. rapturously B. exultantly C. blissfully D. jubilantly

PRACTICE TEST 7

1. I was promised a good job from January this year, but it’s April now and I’m afraid that they
are just _______ me along.

A. cheating B. swindling C. stringing D. bringing

2. Although we now believe this to be impossible, early scientists tried to produce ______
motion machines, that is, machines which would never stop.

A. perpetual B. everlasting C. undying D. forever

4. Mr. Discontent wanted to complain to the waiter but was afraid of making a(n) ______.

A. act B. drama C. play D. scene

5. Is an inexperienced civil servant __________ to the task of running the company?

A. capable B. skilled C. eligible D. suited

54
6. After the concert, everyone had to ________ home through the snow.

A. trace B. tread C. trudge D. trickle

7. The students paid _________ attention to the distinguished professor.

A. respectable B. respected C. respectful D. respective

8. Jerry has been burning the midnight ________ over the last few days; his final exam is soon.

A. lamp B. light C. candle D. oil

9. Books taken from the short ________ section are due to be returned the next day.

A. borrowing B. credit C. loan D. return

10. You are bound to find information on the stock market crash of 1987 in the newspaper ____.

A. files B. archives C. records D. collections

11. I knew my mother would ________ a face the minute she saw my new haircut.

A. drag B. lift C. pull D. raise

12. There are a lot of computer programmes nowadays, but really good ones are few and far ___

A. between B. apart C. away D. amongst

13. He is such a kind and caring young boy - he wouldn’t hurt a ________ .

A. bird B. worm C. fly D. bug

14. In the last century, it was widely _____ that Indian fakirs were capable of superhuman feats.

A. held B. grasped C. kept D. shaken

15. You can buy goods on the Internet with a credit card, but there is a danger of ___ if someone
else obtains the number.

A. corruption B. fraud C. embezzlement D. disruption

16. As he accepted the award from the organization, his voice _____ with emotion.

A. quivered B. flinched C. cringed D. winced

17. You say that this small spare part cost you $100? I am sure you paid through the _____ for it.

A. eye B. nose C. ear D. lips

55
18. It was mindless of you to ____ Sam in the face. You should never have done it if you expect
him to love you.

A. slam B. clap C. slap D. clasp

19. The train service has been a _____ since they introduced the new schedules.

A. shambles B. rumpus C. chaos D. fracas

20. Fiona’s offered to help you. Don’t ask why – never look a gift _____ in the mouth.

A. horse B. cow C. deer D. dog

21. Sandra’s unpleasant _____ suggested that she knew about Amanda’s terrible secret.

A. grimace B. smirk C. wince D. snort

22. The altitude _______ his breathing, making him a bit spaced out and disorientated.

A. played downed B. played havoc with C. played himself in D. played up to

23. These men share a tendency toward balladeering that _______ me the wrong way.

A. bothers B. provokes C. riles D. rubs

24. I’m afraid the results of the X-ray examination are quite ________.

A. undecided B. indecisive C. inconclusive D. irresolute

25. A lot of people who have had a ___________ deal in life will show surprising cheerfulness.

A. bad B. rough C. raw D. clean

26 . The accused man was released on _________ pending the hearing of the case.

A. deposit B. bond C. deposition D. bail

27. The main cause of the strike was the management’s refusal to give further consideration to
the question of pay ________.

A. differences B. differentials C. subsides D. dissimilarities

28. The Chairman ruled the speaker’s question ______.

A. out of line B. out of tune C. out of order D. out of condition

29. When several companies showed interest in buying the film rights to his novel, he knew he
had _______.
56
A. upped the ante B. scooped the bag C. caught the fat one D. hit the jackpot

30. The tournament isn’t over yet, not by a long ___________.

A. talk B. chalk C. walk D. hawk

31. The rumour that his job was in jeopardy caused Pete to______ with concern.

A. frown B. beam C. grimace D. howl

32. Little did I imagine The Amazing Race would entail long-winded journey and ups and downs
___

A. aplenty B. inexhaustibly C. profusely D. superabundant

33. It stands to reason that a touch of humor and optimism can work ____.

A. on all cylinders B. spectacles C. wonders D. your fingers to the bone

34. Researchers have made a __plea for more sponsorship so that they can continue their project.

A. compassionate B. dispassionate C. encompassed D. impassioned

35. At first, she was ____ dumbfounded to hear that he wanted to break up, and then came the
stirring of autohypnotic perturbation.

A. exceedingly B. out-and-out C. somewhat D. utterly

36. In the hands of a reckless driver, a car becomes a ____ weapon.

A. lethal B. fatal C. mortal D. venal

37. It’s a shame they did not pick you, but it does not ____ out the possibility that you might get
a job in a different department.

A. rule B. strike C. cancel D. draw

38. There’s a small hard ____ on my wrist. I think I’d better see the doctor.

A. swelling B. lump C. bruise D. rash

39. At first Tom insisted he was right, but then began to ____.

A. back down B. follow up C. drop off D. break up

40. The decision was ____to a later meeting.

A. cancelled B. arranged C. deferred D. delayed

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41. Tempers began to ____ as the lorries forced their way through the picket lines.

A. break B. fray C. grate D. fire

42. The old ship will be towed into harbour and ____ .

A. broken up B. broken down C. broken in D. broken off

43. Making private calls on the office phone is severely____on in our department.

A. frowned B. criticised C. regarded D. objected

44. Apart from the ____ cough and cold. I’ve been remarkably healthy all my life.

A. odd B. opportune C. irregular D. timely

45. The company was declared bankrupt when it had ___ more debts than it could hope to repay.

A. inflicted B. incurred C. entailed D. evolved

46. Architectural pressure groups fought unsuccessfully to save a terrace of eighteenth century
houses from ____ .

A. disruption B. abolition C. demolition D. dismantling

47. Before I went to drama school, I had to___quite a lot of family pressure for me to study
medicine.

A. resist B. restrain C. refuse D. reconcile

48. Strong protests were made ____ with demands for an international enquiry.

A. joined B. added C. coupled D. included

49. What her problems all seemed to ____ to was lack of money.

A. analyse B. condense C. boil down D. sum up

50. The picture looked very impressive but in fact it had been____________from another.

A. imitated B. emulated C. copied D. faked

51. The archaeologist was amazed to sse that the body hadn’t____________at all.

A. mouldered B. rotted C. wasted D. decomposed

52. We put some____________of bread out everyday for the birds.

58
A. chips B. crumbs C. cubes D. slivers

53. I found the information for the project in the encyclopedia but I couldn’t give ____and verse
on it.

A. chapter B. unit C. poem D. extract

54. Speaking about his long battle with his illness struck a ____________with the audience.

A. wire B. string C. rope D. chord

55. He is not under arrest, nor have police placed any ____________on his movements.

A. obstacle B. restriction C. veto D. regulation

56. The entire staff was thrown off ____________when the news of the takeover was announced.

A. composure B. disarray C. stable D. balance

57. I’m not sure I can answer that. I’ve only thought about it in the ____________before.

A. general B. hypothetical C. indefinite D. abstract

58. The matter has been left in____________until the legal ramifications have been explored.

A. recess B. suspension C. abeyance D. waiting

59. Could I pick your ____________on the subject before the meeting?

A. brains B. mind C. head D. intellect

60. The modification has been the _______ on the cake for both of us, for a lot of hard work has
gone into the design and development of the course.

A. chilling B. cooling C. freezing D. icing

61. Annabel and Insidious 3 are not James Wan’s best movies by far and those would be
_______ between any of the other sequels on air, but they are pretty incredible.

A. kiss-offs B. summings-up C. tip-offs D. toss-ups

62. You shouldn’t have been _______ to your elders by raising those matters.

A. ill-mannered B. immaterial C. impertinent D. inapposite

63. Should you fail, the sacrifices made by your family would be meaningless and reside _____.

A. on your conscience B. at your wits’ end C. off your own boat D. under your thumb
59
64. Many Americans refused to fall in with the idea that religion is a_disreputable anachronism.

A. academically B. cerebrally C. cognitively D. intellectually

65. She expects the political experience gained in this election will stand her in good ____ in her
future career, which, she suggests, could include another campaign.

A. footing B. grounding C. precedent D. stead

66. I ran into an unknown in the gap-filling exercise, but I did try and _______ the gap.

A. held on B. hang out C. pressed on D. stuck at

67. I was out of __________ with you on this matter, but let’s not quarrel about it.

A. empathy B. harmony C. keeping D. sympathy

68. Poor management brought village shops to teeter _______ of collapse although community-
owned shops, Internet retailing and home delivery schemes were becoming more popular.

A. in the teeth B. on the brink C. on the razor’s edge D. on the threshold

69. Our lecturer _______ the importance of taking notes

A. reincarnated B. reiterated C. rehabilitated D. reciprocated

70. The contemporary dialogue for me struck a slightly _______ note.

A. disembodied B. discordant C. dismissive D. disconcerting

71. Both of the jobs I’ve been offered are fantastic opportunities – I’m in such _______!

A. a constituency B. a deviation C. an arrhythmia D. a quandary

72. Sharon is such a positive person – she _______ her problems, whatever they are.

A. goes light on B. throws light to C. makes light of D. sheds light upon

73.After hearing news of the attack, the general made plans for an immediate__against the
enemy.

A. compilation B. retaliation C. accumulation D. incantation

74. He didn’t mean to be offensive; it was quite an _______ remark.

A. innocuous B. indehiscent C. incendiary D. insidious

75. Serena is still _______ ignorant of the fact that she is about to be made redundant.
60
A. blissfully B. decorously C. jubilantly D. ecstatically

76. No decision has been taken about the building of the new airport. The authorities are still __.

A. beating about the bush B. comparing apples and oranges

C. sitting on the fence D. holding all the aces

77. Oil spills will _______ even the healthiest of marine ecosystem.

A. play havoc on B. break ground with C. pay the consequences for D. take their toll on

78. Congratulations on your success! How does it feel to be_______?

A. the man of the hour B. a word of honor C. an egg on the face D. the top of the morning

79. She was so ___ about my ambition to be an actress that I really wish I hadn’t confided in her.

A. ridiculous B. ironical C. droll D. sarcastic

80. The two men had a disagreement when they first met. That disagreement ____ the scene for
the lifelong hostility between them.

A laid B arranged C prepared D set

81. This will cause all sorts of problems. ~ I know. It’s a _______ for disaster.

A. recipe B. ingredient C. receipt D. reason

82. A: He thinks the exam will be easy.

B: Oh, _________.

A. if you like B. famous last words C. go ahead D. I wouldn't say no

83. We had to _______ in the back of the car for an hour to find the missing keys.

A. bed out B. ransack C. root around D. turn upside down

84. If the basket is removed with more citric acid added, it may be used to manufacture or _____
alcohol.

A. amend B. patch up C. rectify D. remedy

85. They spend so much time arguing that, when it comes to the __, decisions are often deferred.

A. crunch B. outcry C. panic stations D. uproar

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86. We were bitterly disappointed when our team were ___ to the second division from the first.

A. allocated B. designated C. relegated D. stipulated

87. Working night shifts at the weekend is _______ of any job in hospitality.

A. cut and thrust B. ebb and flow C. nuts and bolts D. part and parcel

88. Materialism traps us _______ in a world of possessions hag-ridden by irrational fears of

likely loss and lurking dangers.

A. impromptu B. off the cuff C. on a whim D. unawares

89. Although she had been told quite___ to pull herself together, she simply couldn’t stop crying.

A. rigidly B. sternly C. unrelentingly D. unsympathetically

90. He was highly knowledgeable on the areas. Many would say he was something of a _______.

A. novice B. probationer C. tenderfoot D. veteran

91. The ______________ in our building often falls asleep at the front desk.

A. caretaker B. stockbroker C. undertaker D. bookmaker

92. Police blamed a small hooligan______ in the crowd for the violence which occurred.

A. constituent B. element C. division D. portion

93. He was arrested for trying to pass______ notes at the bank.

A. camouflaged B. fake C. counterfeit D. fraudulent

94. It was such a shock to receive a letter like that________

A.in the red B. out of the blue C.in the pink D. over the moon

95. Mr Wellbred went to a school which______ good manners and self-discipline.

A. blossomed B. planted C. harvested D. cultivated.

96. The smell of the burnt cabbage was so __________ that it spread to every room.

A. pervasive B. effusive C. extensive D. diffuse

97. If the terrorists are not sent to prison, there will be a public ______

A. attack B. onslaught C. recrimination D. outcry

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98. She was in the office all of Wednesday and so has a ___________ alibi.

A. stale B. considerable C. broad D. cast-iron

99. Her dishonety served as a ____________ to the speedy termination of her employment.

A. catastrophe B. catharsis C. catalepsy D. catalyst

100. In his speech he made a flattering ______ to your work.

A. allusion B. appetite C. application D. applause

PRACTICE TEST 8

1. If we _________ over the details, we’ll never finish filming this episode by today.

A. niggle B. discuss C. huddle D. mob

2. The camel has adapted to survive in an__environment like the desert for many days without
water.

A. acidic B. alkaline C. arid D. avid

3. My manager is a typical working mother who has to deal with ________ activities every day.

A. miscellaneous B. multifarious C. many D. manifold

4. He'll have to buckle ________ to his work soon if he wants to pass his finals.

A. up B. in C. down D. for

5. He spoke well though it was his _________ speech.

A. first-hand B. maiden C. slurred D. prime

6. In his ___________days he was quite dandy.

A. salad B. green C. fruit D. vegetable

7. What ________ the smoke and the noise, the party made me feel quite ill.

A. if B. with C. through D. of

8. Speed limits on the road ________ to protect pedestrians as well as motorists.

A. serve B. prove C. succeed D. intend

9. Tax ________ deprives the state of several million pounds a year.

63
A. retention B. desertion C. escapism D. evasion

10. What are you going to do when all you money ________.

A. runs down B. runs deep C. runs dry D. runs short

11. Fred says that his present job does not provide him with enough___ for his organising ability.

A. scope B. space C. capacity D. range

12. A few political extremists ________the crowd to attack the police.

A. animated B. agitated C. incited D. stirred

13. Some people can_________out of their shyness as soon as they are 20.

A. move B. change C. grow D. turn

13. Please don’t talk about the day – I want to__________it all behind me.

A. block B. stir C. summon D. put

14. Advertisers often aim their campaigns at young people as they have considerable
spending___________?

A. power B. strength C. force D. ability

15. The weather is usually mild, although we sometimes get a cold__at he beginning of the year.

A. spell B. term C. interval D. wave

16. He had a ___________ escape since the bullet came within inches of his head.

A. slender B. close C. near D. narrow

17. I can’t tell you the exact amount, but I can give you a ______ estimate.

A. smooth B. tidy C. rough D. similar

18. ______benefits include a new car and free health insurance.

A.Well B. Fringe C. Edge D.Verge

19. You haven’t heard all the facts so don’t________to conclusion.

A. walk B. go C. fly D. jump

20. I really cannot believe that anyone would ______ to such underhand tactics.
64
A. dabble B. stoop C. reach D. conceive

21. Dominant individuals may use ______ gestures to underline their power.

A. submissive B. expansive C. flirtatious D. nervous

22. Andrew’s ______ was to only tell his mother bad news when she was busy so that she would
have less chance to react.

A. tactics B. intent C. ploy D. threat

23. A sharp frost ______ the beginning of winter.

A. advertised B. predicted C. heralded D. showed

24. The old man led a ______ existence after she left and refused even to see his children.

A. reclusive B. deserted C. remote D. vacant

25. They’re having serious problems. Their relationship is on the _______.

A. cliffs B. rocks C. stones D. grass

26. The renewed interest in Elizabethan times is evident in the ____ of new Hollywood films set
during that period.

A. spate B. hypocrisy C. transience D. demise

27. Religion and politics interest him almost ________.

A. equally B. the same C. similarly D. alike

28. Our salesmen normally _______ their travel expenses from the company.

A. settle B. reimburse C. cover D. claim

29. A property company was making a take-over ________ for the supermarket site.

A. proposition B. bid C. tender D. proposal

30. At first the children enjoyed the game but quite soon the novelty ________.

A. went off B. died out C. wore off D. died down

31. The train _______ the bay and then turned inland for twenty miles.

A. coasted B. skirted C. edged D. sided

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32. I’m not keen on _______ control of the project to a relative newcomer.

A. undertaking B. charging C. entrusting D. allotting

33. I’m _______to listen to your pathetic excuses,” She said.

A. sick and tired B. in no mood C. having enough D. sick to death

34. “There’s no need to stand on ceremony, ____in,” said a disembodied voice from the kitchen.

A. plough B. burrow C. fork D. dig

35. It was _______ by chance that we managed to find her.

A. sheerly B. purely C. plainly D. highly

36. I wish you would stop sitting on the_______and decide whose side you’re on.

A. fence B. crossroads C. wall D. middle

37. Within minutes the building was_______.in flames.

A. engulfed B. engrossed C. engaged D. entangled

38. The price of bread has just doubled, but with. _______ inflation what can you expect

A. rampant B. steadfast C. profuse D. staunch

39. He’s a nice guy, always already to do somebody a good _______.

A. present B. play C. turn D. pleasure

40. Young children often ask many questions because they are naturally _______.

A. intriguing B. inquisitive C. ingenious D. captivating

41. The rather humid climate in no way_______ from the beauty of place

A. subtracts B. protracts C. detracts D. attracts

42. Don’t thank me for helping in the garden. It was _____pleasure to be working out of doors.

A. plain B. mere C. simple D. sheer

42. My sunburnt nose made me feel rather _______for the first few days of the holiday.

A. self-effacing B. self-centred C. self- conscious D. self-evident

66
43. The peace of the public library was _______by the sound of transistor radio

A. smashed B. fractured C. demolished D. shattered

44. Anticipating renewed rioting, the authorities erected _______to block off certain streets.

A. barrages B. barricades C. ditches D. dykes

45. With their modern, lightweight boat, they soon _______ the older vessels in the race

A. outstripped B. caught up C. overran D. exceeded

46. The accused man was able to prove his innocence at the trial and was ___.

A. absolved B. forgiven C. acquitted D. abandoned

47. Luckily my wallet was handed in to the police with all its contents ___.

A. preserved B. unscathed C. contained D. intact

48. According to a Government spokesman, further ___ in the public sector are to be expected.

A. cutbacks B. breakdowns C. outtakes D. layouts

49. Don’t get yourself ___ up over such a trivial matter

A. done B. worried C. whipped D. worked

50. There was a lot of ___ as throngs of people tried to see the famous actor walking through the
mall.

A. stamina B. discipline C. counsel D. commotion

51. When the ship docked at Hamburg, they found a(n) ___ in the hold.

A. gate-crasher B. stowaway C. interloper D. trespasser

52. He wants to pay the bill himself, but I won’t hear ___ it.

A. from B. about C. of D. for

53. When his parents are away, his eldest brother ___.

A. kocks it off B. calls the shots C. draws the line D. is in the same boat

54. They lived in a thatched cottage in a ______ village in the heart of the English countryside.

A. dense B. conventional C. lush D. quaint

67
55. As they travelled across the______ landscape, each one of them wondered how it was
possible to grow anything there.

A. barren B. bustling C. grimy D. mundane

56. Elena is a________ talented singer and has already had three successful albums.

A. deeply B. perceptibly C. remarkably D. absolutely

57. John and Sarah lived in the back of_____ and it always took us a whole day to drive there.

A. the country B. isolation C. nowhere D. beyond

58. The new restaurant in town has a wonderfully relaxing ________.

A. ambience B. environment C. impression D. attitude

59. The manager was forced to make a______ decision while he was under pressure and it was
one he would live to regret.

A. fresh B. close C. snap D. bitter

60. The new company had been________ with one problem after another and looked as if it were
about to go under.

A. glorified B. tainted C. fraught D. bewildered

61. Don’t take your mobile phone with you to the exam, the examiners will _____ it if they find
it on you.

A. seize B. spurn C. confiscate D. toil

62. It’s best to meet your problems ________ and solve them before they get worse.

A. eye-on B. hair-on C. nose-on D. head-on

63. He will be sue for __________ of contract if he does not do what he promised

A. breach B. fracture C. crack D. rupture

64. When people live in such close ___ to each other, there are bound to be occasional problems

A. neighborhood B. vicinity C. position D. proximity

65. The __________ were stacked against them but they survived their ordeal.

A. fates B. hopes C. odds D. chances

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66. Tragedy __________ yesterday when a man was swept out to sea by a freak wave.

A. struck B. sparked C. hit D. came

67. I always take my lucky _________with me into an exam.

A. sign B. item C. charm D. spell

68. Why are all your clothes in a __________on the floor?

A. bulk B. heap C. batch D. sum

69. Sending out e-mails that people haven’t asked for to ______addresses is often known.

A. sufficient B. countless C. widespread D. multiple

70. We all have to follow the rules, and none of us is ________ the law.

A. beyond B. over C. above D. onto

71. I’m not sure if I’m doing it right, but I’ll try to ___________ahead with it anyway.

A. drive B. bang C. touch D. press

72.The extensive winds that have been_Florida will move away as the weekend draws to a close.

A. battering B. punching C. cracking D. thumping

73. Some great men have had an __________ school record.

A. undistinguished B. indistinguishable C. extinguished D. indistinct

74. She didn’t want me to go with her to the party in case I ________ her style.

A. restricted B. impeded C. obstructed D. cramped

75. ___ edge technology is a category of technologies so new that they could have a high risk of
being unreliable.

A. Cutting B. Bleeding C. Tearing D. Surging

76. You've got a whole week to yourself and you can read to your heart's ________.

A. happiness B. content C. contentment D. delight

77. We intend this to be a(n) ________ project, taking us into the next decade.

A. constant B. incessant C. steady D. ongoing

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78. I'd like to reserve ________ until I see the report.

A. condemnation B. thought C. criticism D. judgement

79. After a few years in one place, I get ________ feet

A. itchy B. scratchy C. sore D. light

80. It seems like ________ justice that he should lose his house as well as his wife.

A. poetic B. only C. small D. rough

81. At the moment the election seems balanced on a ________ edge.

A. razor B. knife C. cliff D. chair

82. A gun battle broke out which ________ in the death of two police officers.

A. culminated B. erupted C. escalated D. concluded

83. The only ________ feature of the job is the salary.

A. saving B. redeeming C. recovering D. acquitting

84. Let me take care of the invitations—you've enough ________ with the caterers.

A. on your hands B. in hand C. at her hand D. at hand

85. I am sorry to have bothered you. I was under the ________ that you wanted me to call you.

A. mistake B. miscalculation C. misconception D. misapprehension

86. If the work-force respected you, you wouldn’t need to ________ your authority so often

A. assert B. affirm C. maintain D. inflict

87. The economic situation makes many people unwilling to take the ___and open their own
businesses.

A. initiative B. bull C. plunge D. opportunity

88. Roy________the depths of despair when his wife left him

A. plumbs B. reaches C. fills D. achieves

89. I’ll keep you ________ on his progress.

A. noticed B. announced C. mailed D. posted

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90. She has a(n) ________ mind which kept her alert and well-informed even in old age.

A. examining B. demanding C. enquiring D. querying

91. Rather than be ________ by complaints from others, you can learn how to deal with them
with tact and grace.

A. overrun B. overcome C. overwhelmed D. overhauled

92. Several of the advertising hoardings had been ________ by anti-sexist slogans.

A. deleted B. mutilated C. erased D. defaced

93. Only after buying the cottage did we discover that it was ________ with mice.

A. inflicted B. infested C. invaded D. infected

94. The protesters were ordered to ________ and calm was restored to the area.

A. dissolve B. scatter C. disperse D. dislocate

95. Rescuers cast a ________ to the drowning man and hauled him out of the sea.

A. lifeguard B. lifeboat C. lifeline D. lifesaver

96. In terms of loss of human life, the cost of a third world war is ________.

A. absurd B. bizarre C. uncanny D. unthinkable

97. Disagreements among party members have led to a major political ________.

A. tussle B. wrangle C. scrap D. squabble

98. I was ________ when I heard that the MP for Burnham had been arrested for fraud.

A. leveled B. floored C. hurled D. heaved

99. Trent’s theory rested on such a dubious scientific ________ that most rejected it outright.

A. footing B. grip C. balance D. traction

100. Fewer supporters attended the political ________ than had been expected.

A. gathering B. assembly C. ally D. convention

PRACTICE TEST 9

1. Their decision on whether I get the job or not will be based mostly on my academic ________.
71
A. reputation B. credits C. credentials D. standing

2. Having sacked three employees, the boss was obliged to provide each with ________ pay.

A. retirement B. unemployment C. dismissal D. severance

3. James could no longer bear the ________ surroundings of the decrepit old house.

A. oppressive B. pressing C. domineering D. overbearing

4. Critics agree that Trevor Richmond gave a particularly ________ performance as King Lear.

A. holding B. arresting C. apprehensive D. detaining

5. She found the novel absolutely ________ and impossible to put down.

A. riveting B. pinning C. enfastening D. nailing

6. Every room in the hotel was characterized by shabby furmiture and ________ lighting.

A. morose B. negative C. sullen D. glum

7. Having beaten all six challengers, he is now the ________champion of the world.

A. undisputed B. unchallenged C. unquestioned D. unaccosted

8. Ben thought it pointless to swim against the ___ as the vast majority of guests clearly wanted
to go to the party.

A. tide B. flow C. wind D. drift

9. Turning on his ________ lights would have alerted other drivers to his presence at roadside.

A. danger B. risk C. hazard D. peril

10. She was very frustrated, but didn’s say anything because she didn’t want to ______ the boat.

A. shake B. rattle C. rock D. roll

11. I am sick of hearing the same old ________ in meetings.

A. plentitudes B. placidities C. pliabilities D. platitudes

12. She had a(n) ________ interest in holding a seperate bank account.

A. vested B. invested C. shadowed D. implied

13. The Prime Minister gave a(n) ________ response to the question.
72
A. evading B. invasive C. evasive D. invading

14. He didn’t mean to be offensive; it was quite a(n) ________ remark.

A. innocuous B. inaugural C. integral D. insidious

15. State pensions are currently at the centre of a(n) ________ debate.

A. scorching B. exploded C. fiery D. flamed

16. In the director’s opinion, it was high time the actress began to ________ her age.

A. be B. reach C. act D. perform

17. My hopes of becoming a lawyer ________ when I failed my A levels.

A. cracked B. crumbled C. crashed D. smashed

18. What ‘s done is done. It’s ________ wondering if you could have prevented it.

A. helpless B. valueless C. futile D. antiquated

19. He realized that his fondness for her was turning into a foolish ________.

A. fascination B. infection C. infatuation D. affliction

20. A special feature of the room is the huge picture window which ___ a splendid view of the
Quantock hills.

A. allows B. affords C. enables D. presents

21. Our plans to start our own business seem ________ to failure.

A. doomed B. fated C. compelled D. designed

22. He thought that if he admitted he was afraid of swimming, he would lose ___ with his friend.

A. weight B. nerve C. face D. regard

23. When I left the office, I was ________ with indignation at the treatment I had received.

A. seething B. overflowing C. stewing D. spinning

24. If he hadn’t shown such a(n) ________ disregard for company regulations by smoking while
on duty, he wouldn’t have been dismissed.

A. callous B. blatant C. dire D. abject

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25. The new round of negotiations is hoped to ________ the deadlock in the Middle East.

A. break B. remove C. dispense D. unite

26. This savage war had_ this beautiful country waste and left many of its inhabitants homeless.

A. cast B. grown C. laid D. set

27. Your leftist____ in the face of our party programme, so you d’ better drop them or find
another party for yourself.

A. fly B. run C. turn D. look

28. A lot of scorn has been ________ on the Canadian seal hunters for their merciless practices

A. blamed B. launched C. poured D. fixed

29. We ‘ve had to quit our coopertaion with this wholesaler as we could never ____ a bargain.
He asked for more than we could offer.

A. strike B. hit C. beat D. knock

30. The final decision has already been taken, so there’s no use in your ________ the toss.

A. arguing B. disapproving C. dismissing D. quarelling

31. One might think you were ________ liberties with me. I don't like it when you make free
with my lawn mower. You should at least ask when you want to borrow it.

A. placing B. making C. taking D. finding

32. What the secretary says doesn’t necessarily ________ much weight, but you should never
disobey your director’s instructions.

A. play B. carry C. hold D. mean

33. Environmentalists have no political ______ to grind - they just want to save the planet.

A. axe B. stone C. hammer D. tool

34. After spending weeks constructing my project, I was thrilled to ________ the day at the
science fair.

A. succeed B. run C. carry D. take

35. I had ________ my hopes on this promotion, so I was crushed when I didn't get it.

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A. clipped B. nailed C. stuck D. pinned

36. Thank you for paying me back—now we can ________ it quits.

A. name B. call C. consider D. state

37. She looked confused for a moment, then suddenly the ________ dropped.

A. pound B. coin C. quid D. penny

38. She said she was late because her flight was canceled, and we gave her the ___ of the doubt.

A. right B. point C. benefit D. value

39. Catherine ________ spots off the other kids in the spelling bee.

A. won B. knocked C. drew D. beat

40. I love these pants because they fit like a ________ and they're so comfortable.

A. suit B. sock C. glove D. shirt

41. You should know better than to wear a skirt like that to a formal dinner—it is simply not the
_____ thing!

A. made B. found C. done D. held

42. A: "I'm getting paid to stay in my neighbour's mansion while they're on holiday.

" B: "Wow, that'll be money for old ________!"

A. rope B. wire C. string D. line

43. He’s had his _____ into me for months, and every time I make a mistake, he tells my boss.

A. dagger B. knife C. hatchet D. axe

44. Just ________ put with the suitcases, while I go and find a cab.

A. be B. hold C. keep D. stay

45. A: Sometimes this job frustrates me so much I could just break down in tears.

B.: Keep a ________ upper lip. Things are bound to improve.

A. hard B. tight C. stiff D. loose

46.I can't believe you__the gaff and talked about the plans for her surprise party right to her face!
75
A. burst B. blew C. split D. banged

47. As computer technology improves, it's ironically getting harder and harder to find a piece of
equipment that can ________ the test of time.

A. stand B. live C. bear D. endure

48. I was worried when my boyfriend and uncle started arguing over their different political
views, but luckily they found common ________ when discussing their favorite TV shows.

A. base B. term C. ground D. field

49. I can't stand his behaviour. It is very easy for him to ________ off the handle.

A. rush B. jump C. move D. fly

50. I wish I could convey how much it means to me having you all here, but words __ me at the
moment.

A. miss B.abandon C. leave D. fail

51. I had to set Stephen____ after I realized that he'd been operating the machinery wrong this
whole time.

A. clear B. straight C. aware D. familiar

52. I didn't want to believe it, but in my ________ of hearts I knew that it was true.

A. depth B. bottom C. soul D. heart

53. Unions accept free accommodation and travel, yet they would scream ________ murder if
the same was received by politicians.

A. red B.blue C. yellow D. black

54. I grew up in California, so when I moved to Minnesota, I felt like I stuck out ________.

A. a kilometre B. an inch C. a yard D. a mile

55. I only caught a ________ glimpse of the driver of the getaway car, but I know I would
recognize her if I saw her again.

A. fleeting B. rushing C. rushing D. flying

56. Mary is completely hard and selfish—she doesn't have the ______ of human kindness in her.

A. cream B. oil C. milk D. water

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57. Sorry, I can’t seem to get my brain into ________ this morning.

A. wheel B. starter C. clutch D. gear

58. Your jokes are perfect for your speech tonight. You'll have them ________ in the aisles!

A. falling B. rolling C. jumping D. turning

59. I've had some good winnings at blackjack, but I don't think I should ___ my luck any further.

A. press B. bend C. tease D. push

60. I don't care if I have to drive through a blizzard—we are getting to this wedding come hell or
high ______!

A. wave B. iceberg C. water D. flood

61. I was all ready to tell him that the relationship was over when he greeted me with a big bunch
of flowers - that took the ________ out of my sails.

A. wind B. breeze C. air D. flow

62. I'm sure there's no real crisis—Janet is always crying ____ so that we'll do her work for her.

A. dog B. bear C. wolf D. donkey

63. My parents always taught me to reach for the ________ when I was growing up—that I
could be anything I set my mind to!

A. stars B. moon C. sun D. galaxies

64. Look at that fool, all dressed up like a___ dinner. Who told him that patterned suit was a
good idea?

A. tiger’s B. whale’s C. cow’s D. dog’s

65. You need to wear a life jacket because there's always a chance that the boat could turn ____.

A. beetle B. fish C. crab D. turtle

66. The fantastic performance by the Ugandan runner put his opponents in the ________.

A. shade B. bottom C. mud D. snow

67. The study has firmly put/set the cat among the ________by claiming that most of the
therapeutic effects of expensive antidepressant pills can be mimicked by dummy pills.

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A. mice B. dogs C. pigeons D. ants

68. The police knew with certainty he had drugs in his car, so he became trapped between the
devil and the deep blue _____: either lie to the police, or admit that the drugs belonged to him.

A. heaven B. sea C. ocean D. sky

69. The teacher suspected that there had been some ___ business going on while she was out of
the room.

A. horse B. fox C. moose D. monkey

70. It won't be easy, but I'm sure we can run that jewelry to ________.

A. ground B. land C. soil D. grass

71. I didn't pursue it in detail because I'm afraid I had other ________ to fry at the time.

A. chickens B. fish C. shrimps D. snails

72. Tickets are hard to come by but I'll do my ________ best to get you one.

A. utmost B. level C. regular D. extreme

73. What you have just said will foreve_____ heavy on your reputation. Nobody’s going to
justify an insult like this.

A. sit B. stand C. rest D. lie

74. The opening band totally ________ the show tonight—they were amazing.

A. stole B. grabbed C. robbed D. seized

75. At the end of her speech, she ____ a note of warning about the risks involved in the project.

A. hit B. punched C. struck D. beat

76. Our students are unprepared for the workforce, and we are__ a harvest of lowered standards.

A. earning B. growing C. reaping D. gathering

77. You can't take the children out sailing in this weather! Have you completely taken leave of
your____?

A. mind B. brains C. senses D. logic

78. The way to be successful in business is always to stay one _____ ahead of your competitors.

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A. jump B. thing C. act D. move

79. I feel just awful for Mary—she's been eating her _____ out ever since she found out she was
rejected by her top-choice school.

A. head B. tongue C. heart D. mouth

80. I was only five minutes late, but the boss ________ me packing nonetheless.

A. sent B. made C. let D. forced

81. If he has a great job but is always broke, it ______ the question of where the money is going?

A. pleases B. expects C. begs D. demands

82. I know voicing my opinion on this legislation may put my job in jeopardy, but it's time to
take a firm ________against these discriminatory hiring.

A. line B. measure C. penalty D. strike

83. That car accident seems to have scared Janet out of her ________ — she's still shaken by it.

A. powers B. senses C. wits D. moods

84. We've had to cut a few people ________ from the staff this year to reduce costs.

A apart B. free C. aside D. loose

85. Our ________ were in our mouths as we waited for them to announce the winner.

A. stomaches B. fingers C. hearts D. noses

86. These fanatics are in___ earnest when they say they want to destroy all forms of government.

A. mortally B. fatally C. deadly D. gravely

87. Being late to a job interview ________ ill for you getting hired.

A. bodes B. stands C. points D. hints

88. It’s true I am late for meeting, but by ________ of excuse let me tell you that my plane was
delayed in Hannover.

A. means B. aid C. way D. reason

89. We ________ on hard times after my wife's restaurant closed down, so I had to take on a
second job to make ends meet.

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A. moved B. landed C. dropped D. fell

90.As I said before, the report will be released in the__of time. I can't estimate when that will be.

A. rightness B. fullness C. greatness D. correctness

91. I may seem confident when I'm leading a training seminar, but I'm really shaking in my ____
most of the time.

A. trousers B. suits C shirts D. shoes

92. I have to be dressed to ____ at this event tonight—a lot of important people will be there.

A. murder B. kill C. execute D. die

93. Mary was not feeling well, and she didn't give a good ______ of herself in last night's game.

A. performance B. display C. achievement D. account

94. What a bad day: I left my phone in the grocery store, my car broke down on the way home,
and, to ____ it all off, my groceries broke through the bag as I was walking to the front door.

A. top B. sum C. total D. peak

95.It is difficult to get skips in this age group capable of keeping their_____up at this level of
competition.

A. end B. self C. frame D. edge

96. The return on your investment will come in __ at first, but you'll see a more steady flow of
income later.

A. bits and bobs B. dribs and drabs C. fingers and thumbs D. bibs and tuckers

97. I know my brother has fought_to be re-elected, so his victory tonight is certainly well earned.

A. doom and gloom B. life and death C. rack and ruin D. tooth and nail

98. The Government is trying to___when it says it will spend more on the health service without
raising taxes.

A. chew the fat B. wave the flag C. square the circle D. put the lid

99. I didn't have time to organize my thoughts, so I just spoke ________.

A. beyond the pale B. in deep water C. off the cuff D. on the hop

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100. There is a big investigation ________, but I don't know when.

A. in the offfing B. off the peg C. on the blink D. over the hill

PRACTICE TEST 10

1. You can try reformatting your computer, but once you open that ____, you'll probably be
working on it for days,

A. apple of discord B. can of worms C. load of cobblers D. spot of bother

2. The film still ________with younger audiences, even after all these years.

A. beats the drum B. rings a bell C. strikes a chord D. hits the right note

3. I had a ________this morning when a tractor trailer unexpectedly swerved into my lane.

A. deep end B. dead beat C. close shave D. tight corner

4. Blake may seem bossy, but it's Lisa that really ________ in that relationship.

A. fills their boots B. puts a sock C. gets their knickers D. wears the trousers

5. The government is using the taxes from the working class to bail out the banks that ruined the
economy? That really ________!

A. sows wild oats B. spills the beans C. takes the biscuit D. upsets the apple cart

6. I've searched ________ for that old photo album, but I can't find it anywhere.

A. high and low B. long and short C. straight and narrow D. thick and thin

7. Sheila swore that she would _____ after she figured out that I had started the rumor about her.

A. fight sight of me B. get even with me C. lay heavy on me D. run afoul of me

8. Jacob thinks he's a big ________ now that he's been promoted to assistant manager.

A. bread B. apple C. cheese D. meat

9. I hope this doesn't ________ your style, but could you please not hum while you work?

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A. restrict B. impede C. cramp D. obstruct

10. Fighting among rebel soldiers____ last night and a curfew has now been imposed on the city.

A. enhanced B. aggravated C. heightened D. intensified

11. The judge’s ruling ________ a wave of protest campaigns across the country.

A. provoked B. instigated C. launched D. commenced

12. Although she was able to walk with the aid of crutches, having a broken ankle _____ her
movements considerably.

A. barred B. hindered C. intervened D. blocked

13. Hopefully the boss ________ fit to give us some extra time off for the holidays.

A. sees B. looks C. shows D. appears

14. I'm flat ________ once again and don't know how I'm going to pay my rent.

A. shattered B. broke C. smashed D. torn

15. My grandmother was a lovely person who ________ pleasure from helping others.

A. gathered B. derived C. deduced D. collected

16. The designer refuses to gild the ________, preferring clean, simple lines for his creations.

A. lily B. flower C. rose D. daisy

17. During pioneer days a lot of land in the United States was up for ________.

A. gain B. promotion C. taking D. grabs

18. The prosecution is going to try to trip you up with your statement and your alibi, but so long
as you stick to your ________, there's nothing to worry about.

A. weapons B. guns C. thumb D. neck

19. After she found out about his latest relapse with drugs, she decided it was best to leave him
for _____.

A. all B. always C. once D. good

20. I can’t tell you ______ the population of Prague, but there’s an encyclopedia in the cupboard.

A. in hand B. off – hand C. at hand D. on hand

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21. Once at the skating rink, Ivan was allowed to skate to his heart’s ________.

A. happiness B. content C. contentment D. delight

22. Companies around the world are losing money hand over__as oil prices continue to plummet.

A. finger B. wrist C. thumber D. fist

23. Even though you did not win the race, take ________ from the fact that you did your best.

A. heart B. courage C. consolation D. meaning

24. He managed to ________ the flow of blood by tightly bandaging the wound.

A. restrain B. curb C. check D. inhibit

25. I’ll reserve ________ on Ben Shipley’s latest novel until I ‘ve read it.

A. condemnation B. thought C. criticism D. judgement

26. The pensioners complained that they had received ________ justice when their claim for an
increase in benefits was rejected without discussion.

A. poetic B. only C. small D. rough

27. No further incidents have been reported today, but this remains a town on the ___ of conflict.

A. razor B. verge C. cliff D. chair

28. Giant sea turtles have been coming to this spot to mate since time ________.

A. immemorable B. immortal C. immemorial D. inumerable

29. This shoe repairer is so quick that he can sole and heel your shoe in a(n) ________.

A. moment B. hurry C. jiffy D. instant

30. If you notice that something isn't working, please take the ________ to fix it.

A. initiative B. risk C. biscuit D. isssue

31. The windscreen ________ into a thousand pieces when the car hit a lamp – post.

A. smashed B. shattered C. snapped D. cracked

32. Well, like it or____it, this old,falling-down hotel is the only one with rooms available this
weekend.

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A. jump B. lump C. dislike D. loathe

33. She laid her job on the ________ when she told the boss that he was wrong.

A. ground B. way C. lane D. line

34. His friends and family left him in the ________ when he went bankrupt.

A. church B. lurch C. end D. street

35. Tara was really laying it on ________ about her accident at work.

A. fine B. broad C. thick D. thin

36. Jane ________ about the surprise party for Sheila and now the whole idea is ruined.

A. blabbed B. gossiped C. prattled D. chatted

37. We could hear the monkeys ________ long before we reached the cage.

A. chatting B. chattering C. prattling D. babbling

38. Your column must have ________ a nerve, because we are getting slammed with feedback
from readers—and they're not happy.

A. drilled B. had C. touched D. hit

39. I'm sure it's thrilling, but I'd rather not ________ my neck just for a bit of an adrenaline rush.

A. risk B. break C. twist D. endanger

40. A: "How's John doing?"

B: "He had a rough week of it with the flu, but he's on the ________ now, thank God."

A. run B. top C. go D. mend

41. Did I go _____ with the Christmas decorations? I'm worried I bought enough Christmas
lights to light up Times Square.

A. overboard B. overhead C. overload D. overskill

42. It was a tough act to follow, but the band rose to the __and played the best set of their career.

A. top B. occasion C. bait D. skill

43. You say you need new clothes but your wardrobe is full to ________ with dresses.

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A. overflowing B. overfilling C. overlaying D. overstepping

44.I went to great_____to get this party organized, so don't make some lame excuse about not
coming!

A. pains B. torment C. efforts D. difficulty

45. I'm really glad that pompous oaf lost his court case, maybe that will bring him down a ____
or two.

A. step B. notch C. peg D. rung

46. The economic situation makes many people unwilling to take the__ and open their own
businesses.

A. initiative B. bull C. plunge D. opportunity

47. The new soap opera on Channel 3 ________ new depths in terms of tastelessness.

A. plumbs B. reaches C. fills D. achieves

48. The Queen was present at the official ________ of the statue.

A. revealing B. unpacking C. unwrappingD. unveiling

49. The weekend is over, so tomorrow’s morning it’s back to the ________.

A. grind B. labour C. grudgery D. toil

50. Looking after a house, four children, a lazy husband and two dogs is real ________.

A. labour B. drudgery C. toil D. grind

51. Stephen really lost his ________ when his dental disappointment was cancelled yet again.

A. head B. voice C. calm D. rag

52. It only took me a few minutes to get the printer up and _____ after taking it out of the box.

A. walking B. proceeding C. running D. going

53. It was a hot summer day and ice cream salesmen were doing a ________ trade.

A. busy B. lucrative C. bustling D. roaring

54. Bob is so short-tempered; he should try to ________ his anger.

A. curb B. control C. temper D. stunt

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55. If you ________ your demands, they may be accepted by others.

A. control B. temper C. stunt D. curb

56. As far as I can ________, she wasn't there on that occasion.

A. memorise B. reminisce C. recollect D. remind

57. I'm sure it won't rain, but I'll take an umbrella (just) to be on the ________ side.

A. sunny B. straight C. safe D. secure

58. I was in ________ at that comedy show. I could barely breathe it was so funny.

A. stitches B. pleats C. shreds D. tears

59. She tried to ___ Tom’s importance to the company in order to gain a promotion for herself.

A. diminish B. swindle C. reduce D. shrink

60. I hate the way Tony ________ around looking so self – important.

A. struts B. scampers C. slithers D. slinks

61. Most frequently, the earthquake lasts 30 to 60 seconds, so usually there is no time to avert the
mortal _____ once the shaking starts.

A. upkeep B. upturn C. upshot D. upswing

62. They live under a constant pressure of being ________ and subsequently replaced by
someone who is younger, faster and more accomplished.

A. outcast B. outshone C. outstayed D. outgrown

63. My brother loves watching horror movies but I find them too ________ myself.

A. gruesome B. untimely C.ghostly D. sterile

64. There was a lot of _______ as throngs of people tried to see the famous actor walking
through the mall

A. stamina B. discipline C. counsel D. commotion

65. Luckily my wallet was handed in to the police with all its contents _______.

A. preserved B. unscathed C. contained D. intact

66. Serena is still _______ ignorant of the fact that she is about to be made redundant.
86
A. blissfully B. decorously C. jubilantly D. ecstatically

67. No decision has been taken about the building of the new airport. The authorities are still __.

A. beating about the bush B. comparing apples and oranges

C. sitting on the fence D. holding all the aces

68. Oil spills will _______ even the healthiest of marine ecosystem.

A. play havoc on B. break ground with C. pay the consequences for D. take their toll on

69. Don’t look so worried! You should take the boss’s remarks with a ________of salt.

A. teaspoon B. pinch C. grain D. dose

70. Rachel has an amazing ________ of jokes that she uses to good effect at parties.

A. body B. repertoire C. variation D. store

71. The old house was unable to withstand the____of severe winter weather and suffered
considerable structural damage.

A. extremity B. onslaught C. outrage D. fury

72. I’m not surprised people are arguing- they are at the _________of their tether.

A. end B. limit C. finish D. termination

73. To get his proposal accepted, the Finance Manager had to__ heavy pressure from colleagues.

A. fend off B. laugh off C. send off D. push off

74. At first the children enjoyed the game but quite soon the novelty ________.

A. went off B. died out C. wore off D. died down

75. My uncle pulled a few ________ and got me a job in the company where he works.

A. chords B. threads C. ropes D. strings

76.After congratulating his team, the coach left, allowing the players to__their hair down for a
while.

A. put B. get C. let D. take

77. The question of peace settlement is likely to figure ________ in the talks.

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A. prominently B. prolifically C. proportionately D. properly

78. I thought I had made it ________ that I didn’t want to discuss this matter any more.

A. frank B. distinct C. plain D. straight

79. I went to see the boss about a pay rise and he ___ with a weak excuse about a business dinner
and left me standing there.

A. brushed me aside B. brushed me up C. brushed me off D. brushed me down

80. She was very fortunate to ________ an excellent private tutor to help her with her study.

A. think through B. seek out C. pick up D. light upon

81. We had to _______ in the back of the car for an hour to find the missing keys.

A. bed out B. ransack C. root around D. turn upside down

82. They spend so much time arguing that, when it comes to the___, decisions are often deferred.

A. crunch B. outcry C. panic stations D. uproar

83. James never really broke the rules but he did _______ them a little bit when it suited him.

A. twist B. curve C. move D. bend

84. Take care that your love for him doesn't _______ your judgement.

A. cloud B. darken C. topple D. shadow

85. It was so hot in the restaurant that, after half an hour, we were all starting to _______.

A. wilt B. shrivel C. fade D. weed

86. Maria and Jean had a _______ romance — they met and married within two months.

A. hurricane B. cyclone C. whirlwind D. typhoon

87. After the football match the crowds _____ out of the stadium into the nearest bars and cafes.

A. leaked B. poured C. trickled D. dripped

88. I'm afraid we got our ____ crossed — I thought my husband would be picking up the
children and he thought I was doing it.

A. minds B. purposes C. wires D. fingers

88
89. All sides have to accept that the arbitrator's decision will be _______

A. fixing B. tying C. binding D. compelling

90. Ever year many small companies get _______ up by large multinationals.

A. swallowed B. digested C. drowned D. burnt

91. Marlene is quite _______ - I don't know she manages to fit everything in.

A. inexhaustible B. tiresome C. inexorable D. indefatigable

92. I'd like to___ my argument with an anecdote whose significance will soon become apparent.

A. predict B. announce C. herald D. preface

93. I felt an ___ with the writer from his descriptions of a world that seemed to have a great deal
in common with my own.

A. affection B. affinity C. adherence D. acknowledgement

94. The princess's nanny's autobiography really gives the _______ on life among the royals.

A. show-down B. know-how C. low-down D. look-out

95. It's always nice to see Bella — she's such a _______ of sunshine.

A. light B. ray C. glow D. beam

96. I don't think Paul will ever get married — he's the stereotypical _______ bachelor.

A. settled B. confirmed C. fixed D. determined

97. The children's interest in playing the game soon _______

A. flagged B. stumbled C. tottered D. thawed

98. Do you have any figures showing the _____ of left-handedness is in the general population?

A. occurrence B. incidence C. persistence D. accidence

99. It's as if that silly argument we had has driven a___ between us and we've lost all our old
closeness.

A. beam B. ledge C. plank D. wedge

100.Sources in France suggested that further_would be needed before they would agree to a deal.

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A. concessions B. consolations C. contractions D. contortions

101. It was a close _______ but we just made it to the airport on time for our flight.

A. run B. drive C. call D. go

102. The government is doing all it can to _______ war on dangerous driving.

A. launch B. wage C. stage D. battle

103. Not many people are good at assessing their own abilities and Mark must be ____ for
recognising that he would never become a great musician.

A. merited B. commended C. advocated D. talented

104. The country has few natural resources and its economy has been _____ for some time now.

A. ailing B. diseased C. unwell D. sickening

105. Anyone who lies under oath will be charged with _______ the course of justice.

A. perverting B. inverting C. converting D. diverting

106. My sister likes wearing tight tops and close-fitting dresses but I prefer_; sweaters and jeans.

A. floppy B. baggy C. flabby D. shabby

107. There is a very strong movement now against _______ sports like hunting or shooting.

A. death B. killing C. blood D. terminal

108. I'm sure I was invited to join the committee as the _______ woman.

A. token B. sample C. representative D. coupon

109. One of the most powerful pressure groups in the country is the road and car_____, which
opposes any legislation that will increase taxes specifically for them.

A. branch B. folder C. segment D. lobby

110. Unfortunately, his report doesn't _____ with what we've learnt from other sources.

A. pally B. rally C. tally D. ally

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 CHAPTER 2: WORDFORM

PRACTICE TEST 1

1. Democracy died after a period of __(cease) wars, imperial expansion abroad, and the rise of
demagoguery at home.

incessant/ceaseless: triền miên, không dứt

2. The consequences of ___ (compel) gambling are comparable to those of any other addictive
disease and are not simply those of financial loss.

compulsive: có tính ép buộc

3. The prison service has the twin goals of punishment and ____ (habit).

rehabilitation: sự phục hồi

4. The first ___ (conceive) is that legal study at university is exclusively for students who intend
becoming solicitors or advocates.

misconception: sự hiểu sai

5. Too late, she remembered the ___ (settle) effect such comments would have on Johnny.

unsettling: đáng lo

6. Some economists are now predicting the danger of ____ (run) inflation.

runaway: xảy ra rất nhanh

7. The ____ (narrate) in this book plays second fiddle to the excellent photographs.

narrative: câu chuyện

8. They were now faced with seemingly_____(mount) technical problems.

insurmountable: không thể vượt qua

9. When you come down on him too hard, you may only intensify his own _____ (critic)

self-criticism: tự phê bình

10. Your speech should not have been _____ (lace) with these facts beside the point.

interlaced: trộn lẫn

11. Their views lie outside the _____ (stream) of current medical opinion.
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mainstream: xu hướng

12. The teachers are fair and avoid ______ (favour) and scapegoating.

favouritism: sự thiên vị

13. She has become _____(mesh) in a tangle of drugs and petty crime.

enmeshed: vướng vào

14. Do not set your goals too high or else you will always be failing and there is nothing more
______ (moral).

demoralising: làm nản lòng

15. The demise of the industry has caused _____(tell) misery to thousands of hard-working
tradesmen.

untold: đáng kể

16. Attracting the banks are the _____ (surge) economy and reforms that have opened up
industries to foreign capital.

resurgent: hồi sinh

17. The ordinary reader is impressed by the tone and manner of publication, and the words
chosen to _____ (head) a story.

headline: đặt tiêu đề

18. At all events, it was this group of the _____ (possess) that gave the first successful impetus to
the Revolution.

dispossessed: nghèo

19. ____(prey) pricing by large supermarkets was threatening the livelihood of smaller
businesses.

predatory pricing: chính sách hạ giá để tiêu diệt đối thủ

20. He is a ______(voice) critic of the president's stance on abortion.

vociferous: mạnh mẽ

21. She made several ______ (par) remarks about the manager she dislikes.

disparaging: làm mất danh dự

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22. As women we tend to be ________ (face) and make light of what we have achieved.

self-effacing: khiêm tốn

23. GEW lamp dimming promise uptime at least 1500 hours, raised productivity and reduces
________ (time).

downtime: thời gian chết của máy móc

24. Would you mind if I took one of the pictures as a________(keep)?

keepsake: vật lưu niệm

25. Mania usually alternates with depression, to form a ________ (pole) disorder.

bipolar (disorder): bệnh trầm cảm

26. This was too we a ______ (hole) for the tax planners: no wonder inheritance tax is called a
voluntary tax.

loophole: kẽ hở

27. The teacher said that he found it difficult to cope with a class of _____ (affect) teenagers.

disaffected: bất bình

28. He is ______ (fail) polite and tries desperately to understand other people's views.

unfailingly: luôn luôn

29. The court _____ (turn) that decision on the grounds that the Prosecution had withheld crucial
evidence.

overturned: lật đổ

30. Some of these statements are misleading and some downright ______ (amend).

mendacious: sai sự thật

31. The state ______ (fast) refused to settle this matter at any time.

steadfastly: kiên quyết

32. What is illustrated by these photographs is as much the culture of shamelessness as the
reigning admiration for _____ (apology) brutality.

unapologetic: không biết hối lỗi

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33. The judge found that in her case there were________(mitigate) circumstances.

mitigating: làm dịu bớt

34. He impressed his audience by the _______ (profound) of his knowledge.

profundity: sự uyên thâm

35. The causes of social _______(stress) include inadequate housing.

distress: cảnh khốn cùng

36. He was in the ________ (envy) position of having to choose between imprisonment or exile.

unenviable: không mong muốn

37. He was ________ (capacity) by old age and sickness.

incapacitated: suy yếu

38. The bank is ________ (solve) and will be unable to live up to its obligations.

insolvent: vỡ nợ

39. Natalie considered herself very ________ (virtue) because she neither drank nor smoked.

virtuous: có đạo đức tốt

40.Their refusal to_(tail)spending plans and to increase the burden on poll tax payers is expected.

curtail: cắt giảm

41. Rather than a benevolent "socialist" super power China, whose population is made up over
90% Han Chinese, will __ (stride) the world as a racially homogeneous, and communalistic
"Middle Kingdom”.

bestride: bắc ngang qua

42. Broadly speaking, on-line shopping experiences can be categorized into two distinct
dimensions: ____ (use) and hedonic value.

utilitarian: thực dụng

43. It encouraged experimenters to propose ______ (beat) or novel approaches to problems.

offbeat: khác thường

44. It's a bustling ______ (eat) where the fishy fare is served in cones of butcher's paper.
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eatery: quán ăn

45. Several spoke out against the harshly ________ (right) tone of the original motion.

self-righteous: tự cho là đúng

46. Elections are essential for the _______ (sustain) of parliamentary democracy.

sustenance: sự tồn tại

47. _____ (similar) is consequently difficult, particularly as the minority groups experience
considerable hostility.

Assimilation: sự đồng hóa

48. Growth and ________ (mature) of vascular plants are often controlled by light, usually in
conjunction with temperature.

maturation: sự lớn lên

49. The practice of meditation and ________ (temple) is life-long, reflecting this daily process of
repentance and change at heart.

contemplation: sự suy ngẫm

50. The new policy only serves to _____ (accent) the inadequacy of provision for the homeless.

accentuate: nhấn mạnh

51. Pressure was applied with cool precision: women had discovered that to _____ (step) male
dominance was to avoid destructive rage.

sidestep: tránh

52. I found your book absolutely ________ (thrall)!

enthralling: làm say mê

53. Listen to both sides and you will be ____ (light), heed only one side and you will be______
(night).

enlighted – benighted: làm sáng tỏ-nông cạn

54. Bertha, exaggerating the seriousness of the affair, thought it _____ (charlatan) to undertake a
post without knowledge and without capacity.

charlatanry: lừa đảo, giả dối

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55. I write this down ________ (verb), for much the same reason I took notes in college.

verbatim: đúng nguyên văn

56. She came to the party wearing a(n) ________ (land) costume and blond wig.

outlandish: nổi bật

57. Opposition leaders said they would try to stage nationwide protests, but previous opposition
rallies have met only ________ (warm) support.

lukewarm: lãnh đạm, thờ ơ

58. She gave me some friendly advice without a trace of ________ (descend).

condescension: sự hạ mình

59. It's that ________ (patron) tone of hers that I can't bear.

patronizing: ra vẻ bề trên

60. And then, to the audience's ________ (mystic), the band suddenly stopped playing.

mystification: sự bối rối

61. The ________ (conspire) of the assissination of the president was brought to light in time.

conspiracy: âm mưu

62. The report is critical of attempts by_____(official) to deal with the problem of homelessness.

officialdom: giới viên chức

63. The system of counties was essential to Frankish government, and a count could wield
considerable power, particularly in _______ (far) regions.

far-flung: xa xôi

64. Jaubert had been a reasonable man to work for, had never asked her to do anything illegal or
___ (taste)

distasteful: không vừa ý

65. Darwin's theory of evolution was a(n) ______ (shed) dividing the old way of thinking from
the new.

watershed: bước ngoặt

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66. I can find just enough re-run of quality programmes to prevent myself from falling into utter
despair and pining for the good old days of ________ (year).

yesteryear: trước đây

67. If he resigned it would be _______ (amount) to admitting that he was guilty.

tantamount: tương đương với

68. For twenty-five years he _______ (pain) amassed evidence to support his hypothesis.

painstakingly: chịu khó

69. He felt out of place, a(n) ______ (conform) in a society where conformity was highly prized.

nonconformist: người không theo khuôn phép

70. She unveiled the picture with a(n) _______ (ceremony) gesture.

ceremonious: trịnh trọng

71. Travellers may be _____ (inquire) about the world, but they also travel to make discoveries
about themselves.

inquisitive: tò mò

72. Both Hathor and her potential victims became _____ (exceed) drunk and merry, so she failed
at her task.

exceedingly: dư

73. Operation Rescue was an organization notorious for its_______ (front) tactics and its
implacable opposition to abortion under all circumstances.

confrontational: đương đầu

74. A(n) _____ (face) approach to sustainable construction is required for use by policy -
makers, practitioners and civil society.

multi-faceted: nhiều phương diện

75. Wage control is the ____ (corner) of the government's economic policy.

cornerstone: cơ sở

76. She's ________ (fail) cheerful no matter what the circumstances.

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unfailingly: luôn luôn

77. Instead of just _______ (moan) your fate, why not do something to change it?

bemoaning: than phiền

78. For users, they are still expensive ____ (add) features and come with their own set of
integration problems.

add-on: thêm vào

79. Foreign observers also accused the authorities of widespread ________ (practice).

malpractice: hành vi bất chính

80. ______ (type) images of women are used to legitimise male dominance.

Stereotypical: rập khuôn

81. It will _____ (legal) sex - far from helping girls resist pressure, it will help boys bully girls
into sex.

legitimate: hợp pháp hóa

82. Mongolia, although poor, has considerable ______ (tap) resources of oil and minerals.

untapped: chưa khai thác

83. Towards the end of the _____ (infant) period the child is becoming more perspicacious.

infantile: còn trẻ con

84. It would be _____ (ingenuity) on our part to pretend ignorance of our book's impact, both in
sales and controversy.

disingenuous: gian xảo

85. I think I must have known ______(conscience) that something was going on between them.

subconsiously: tiềm thức

86. If evolution has_____ (wire) into us a belief that there are objective moral obligations, then
we will believe that there are.

hard-wired: ăn sâu vào

87. You want clothes that are stylish as well as practical, versatile,__(task) and low maintenance.

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multitasking: nhiều công việc

88. His failures ________ (line) the difference between theatre and film direction.

underline: nhấn mạnh

89. In other words, subcultural cleavage has attenuated and cultural _____ (homogeneous) has
extended from structural orientation into policy orientation.

homogeneity: tính đồng nhất

90. As the inspector and others came in, she regarded them ________ (disdain), seemingly
unconcerned about her capture.

disdainfully: miệt thị

91. The concert hall itself reminds one _____ (play) of reproduction art deco and is also
acoustically first-class and adaptable.

playfully: khôi hài

92. She didn't want to confront the ________ (escape) fact that she would have to sell the house.

inescapable: không thể tránh khỏi

93. He made a fortune buying ________ (run) houses and fixing them up to sell.

run-down: đổ nát

94. Business schools, who currently dominate entrepreneurship teaching and research, ________
(compartment) knowledge into functional boxes.

compartmentalise: phân chia

95. Idealism was deeply________ (credit) by the failure to prevent the outbreak of the Second
World War.

discredited: làm mất uy tín

96. We will reform principal local councils into a(n) ________ (unit) system based on natural
communities and the wishes of local people.

unitary: thống nhất

97. Since ________ (regulate), banks are permitted to set their own interest rates.

deregulation: sự bãi bỏ qui định

99
98. These years witnessed the ________(integrate) and destruction of the English peasantry.

disintegration: sự tan rã

99. This was really a(n) ________(whim) thought, and I reproved myself often for the simplicity
of it.

whimsical: kì dị

100. There seems to be a(n )________ (satisfy) demand for more powerful computers.

insatiable: không thỏa mãn được

PRACTICE TEST 2

1. A portion of the proceeds will be ________ for providing school fees for poor children for the
coming academic year. (mark)

earmarked: dành riêng

2. The administration ropes in all educational institutions, government offices, public sector
________ and universities for the purpose of mobilising funds. (take)

undertakings: việc kinh doanh

3. Contraception is less ________ or affordable in South America. (cure)

procurable: có thể đạt được

4. Both toxic and ________ potentials are properties of all drugs. (cure)

curative: chữa bệnh

5. While learning has changed for students in this new century, we are ________ by the
boundless opportunity presented in our lifetime. (bold)

emboldened: khuyến khích

6. It does not become an economic ________ but it does become a ‘newly industrialized
country’, like Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea. (power)

economic superpower: siêu cường kinh tế

7. We believe that the most effective enforcement tool is self-policing and ________ (strain).

self-restraint: tự kìm chế

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8. It is possible to humanely raise and slaughter a variety of food animals, including ________
poultry and beef cattle. (range)

free-range: nuôi tự nhiên

9. Most of this feature includes behind-the-scenes video ________ of the crew working and
goofing off. (foot)

footage: cảnh phim

10. Together they forged a(n) ________ intellectual climate that has profoundly shaped my
career. (vigor)

invigorating: tiếp thêm sinh lực

11. We will investigate the tradeoffs among data ________, data hiding capacity, and
probabilities of extraction errors in different applications. (perceive)

imperceptibility: không thể thấy

12. This is a(n) ________ thriller that promises to deliver. (page)

page – turning: thú vị

13. Death, from this perspective, seems unproblematically universal, a simple, irreducible fact of
our nature, ________ the same across all societies and throughout time (yield)

unyieldingly: không thay đổi

14. Of course there is a(n) ________ between such advantages of large cells and the
disadvantages of slower cell multiplication. (trade)

trade – off : sự kết hợp, đan xen

15. Today we look at claims that in Queensland, the regime that looks after the most vulnerable
people, the infirm elderly, and ________ adults, is failing. (capacity).

incapacitated: bị làm mất sức lao động

16. Scholars have tried to make a case for ________, competitiveness, and selfishness as innate
human trait. (acquire)

acquisitiveness: sự thu lợi

17. The judge ruled that Newman's comments were not a(n) ________offense. (act)

actionable: có thể kiện

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18. She was a very selfish, ________ bad-tempered little girl. (agree)

disagreeable: khó chịu

19. Before creating this sculpture, she studied all the masterpieces of classical ________
(antique).

antiquity: đồ cổ:

20. He claims that the laws are ________ and have no contemporary relevance. (antique)

antiquated: không hợp thời

21. I fretted and sweated as they stalked in and stared around with that ________, accusatory
look of all cops everywhere. (approve)

disapproving: tỏ ý không tán thành

22. A good teacher can encourage ________creativity. (art)

artistic: nghệ thuật

23. She's ________ and knows how to get round her parents. (art)

artful: xảo quyệt

24. Most ________ or totalitarian regimes are nonconstitutional. (authority)

authoritarian: độc đoán

25. One encouraging feature of period-instrument performances in recent decades has been a
growing concern with reliable and ________editions. (authority)

authoritative: hoàn chỉnh, đáng tin cậy (thông tin)

26. It is essential that there is a(n) ________ (author) use of the confidential information.

unauthorised: trái phép

27. He thought back to the ________ days of his childhood. (care)

carefree: vô tư, thảnh thơi

28. They gave him a(n) ________ assurance that he would not be hurt.(category)

categorical: dứt khoát

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29. They are taking ________measures to safeguard their forces from the effects of chemical
weapons. (caution)

precautionary: để phòng ngừa

30. Their ________ greetings did not seem heartfelt. (ceremony)

ceremonious: kiểu cách

31. The full costume is only worn on important ________ occasions. (ceremony)

ceremonial: trang trọng

32. Utilitarian notions in the social sciences are not enough for even providing a(n) ________
framework for grasping what actually happens. (concept)

conceptual: dựa trên khái niệm

33. It once seemed ________ to everyone that men should travel to the moon. (conceive)

inconceivable: khó tin

34. The procedure is in strict ________ with standard international practices.(conform)

in conformity with: tuân theo

35. The present economic policy is a(n) ________ of the earlier one. (continue)

continuation: sự kế tiếp

36. An historical awareness also imparts a sense of________(continue).

continuity: tính liên tục

37. Last month's elections saw a ________ in power of the country's socialist party. (continue)

continuance: sự kéo dài

38. It's very ________ to find out that your own team members have been lying to you. (courage)

discouraging: mất tinh thần

39. Do you believe in the ________ powers of the local mineral water? (cure)

curative: chữa bệnh

40. She has an artist's ________ eye. (discriminate)

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discriminating: sáng suốt

41. The government enacted laws to protect women from ________employment practices
(discriminate)

discriminatory: có sự phân biệt đối xử

42. Maria loved both the children. There was never a hint of ________ (favour)

favouritism: sự thiên vị

43. They often are involved in the hiring and dismissal of employees but generally have no role
in the ________ of personnel policy. (form)

formulation: sự soạn thảo

44. An agreement on the ________ of a new government was reached on June 6. (form)

formation: sự thành lập

45. There are people who want to ________ you and grind you down. (humble)

humiliate: làm bẽ mặt

46. The discussions reached a new level of ________ and by lunchtime the exchanges were
becoming very heated. (intense)

intensity: sự dữ dội, mãnh liệt

47. ________ and specialization in agriculture, especially in the vineyards, gave rise to
commercial exchange and opportunity for profit and saving. (intense)

Intensification: Sự đẩy mạnh

48. Areas near the frontier were rough and ________ in the old days. (law)

lawless: vô trật tự

49. It is ________ for a teacher to inflict corporal punishment on pupils. (law)

unlawful: trái pháp luật

50. The relation of politics and economy is a ________ of historical gradual progress. (master)

masterstroke: kì công

51. A builder from South London, McAvoy was the ________ of the robbery (master)

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mastermind: người vạch kế hoạch

52. Photographs and ________ that cover the walls and fill several display cases chronicle the
foods this area is famous for. (memory)

memorabilia: những việc đáng ghi nhớ, vật kỉ niệm

53. The three countries have signed a(n) ________ pledging to work together. (memory)

memorandum: bản ghi nhớ

54. Olympic gold medalist Ekaterina Gordeeva is writing a(n) ________ about her life with
Sergei Grinkov, her late husband and figure-skating partner.(memory)

memoir: nhật kí

55. Her first defeat was an early lesson in ________ (humble).

humility: sự khiêm tốn

56. They cannot forget the ________ they suffered at the hands of their oppressors. (humble).

humiliation: sự bẽ mặt

57. Sales have slowed down quite ________ (mark).

markedly: rõ rệt

58. To the untrained eye, the two flowers look ________ similar. (mark)

remarkably: đáng chú ý, nổi bật

59. Always check the ________ before you buy a secondhand car (mile)

mileage: đồng hồ đo quãng đường di chuyển

60. The invention of the wheel was a(n) ________ in the history of the world. (mile)

milestone: cột mốc quan trọng

61. One ________ lapse in concentration could prove fatal. (moment)

momentary: chốc lát, nhất thời

62. It was in Glasgow, however, that many ________ events were taking place. (moment)

momentous: quan trọng

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63. Guy was greedy, ________, obsessed with power and self-gratification. (moral)

amoral: không theo nguyên tắc

64. Capital punishment was regarded as inhuman and ________ (moral)

immoral: vô đạo đức

65. Since their interest in the past was primarily ________, precise knowledge of actual events
and when they happened was not required. (moral)

moralistic: khắc khe về mặt đạo đức

66. A couple of victories would improve the team's ________enormously. (moral)

morale: tinh thần

67. You become ________ when things are not going your way and you can't really see a way
out of it. (moral)

demoralised: bị suy thoái về đạo đức

68. To the audience's ________, the band suddenly stopped playing. (mystical)

mystification: sự bối rối

69. Electric-powered cars are still something of a(n) ________ (novel)

novelty: sự mới lạ

70. Comparisons are simpler to make when ________ data is presented in diagrammatic form
and conclusions are easier to draw from it. (number)

numerical: bằng số

71. ________ pictures have been deemed to contribute to a hostile environment (object)

Objectionable: có thể bị phản đối

72. Personal disinterest in a programme content will help your ________ in assessing its
potential for your public relations purposes. (object)

objectivity: tính khách quan

73. To say that the ________(observe) of this custom or law is sacrilegious or illicit must be
regarded as ________ (error).

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observance – erroneous: sự tuân thủ-sai lầm

74. Recent developments in biology have made it possible to acquire more and more precise
information concerning our genetic ________ . Scientists can even today identify a number of
genetic disorders that may cause illness and disease. (make)

genetic make-up: cấu tạo gen

75. Since 1990 the price of sugar has tended to fluctuate more wildly than any of the other four
commodity groups, and has almost ________ been the most expensive relative to 2002-2004
prices. (vary)

invariably: luôn luôn

76. A dozen international poverty and development organizations published a report last week on
the impact of building new coal power plants in countries where a large percentage of the
population lacks access to electricity. The report’s conclusions are strikingly ________: on the
whole, building coal power plants does little to help the poor, and often it can actually make
them poorer. (intuition)

counter-intuitive: khác thường

77. The scandal surely ________ the end of his political career. (sign)

signals/signalled: báo hiệu

78. He gained ________ for being difficult to work with as an actor. (notorious)

notoriety: tai tiếng

79. Tre Transformer is quite intriguing. It is ________ one of the best movies of the year. (doubt)

undoubtedly: chắc chắn

80. Her hip has been ________ for quite a while, and she'll probably need surgery on it. (trouble)

troublesome: phiền

81. Her latest novel is a(n) ________ thriller, set some time in the late 21st century. (future)

futuristic: hiện đại

82. The new policy only serves to ________ the inadequacy of help for the homeless. (accent)

accentuate: nhấn mạnh

83. Successful candidates will be required to ________ an induction programme. (take)

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undertake: đảm nhận

84. Radio 4 also announced a new ________ of Primo Levi’s short story collection The Periodic
Table, starring Henry Goodman and introduced by Janet Suzman, to be broadcast in 12 episodes
of varying lengths this spring. (drama)

dramatisation: sự chuyển thành kịch

85. In the UK, the ratio of people of working age to people over 65 could fall from 3.7 to 1 in
1999 to 2.1 to 1 in 2040. This suggests a very big increase in the ________ ratio and is
consequently a cause for concern because with current spending pension commitments, it will
place a higher burden on the shrinking working population. (depend)

dependency ratio: tỷ lệ phụ thuộc

86. The UK government has already made tentative steps to raise the retirement age and increase
the role of private sector pensions. These policies will make an ageing population more
________ (manage).

manageable: dễ quản lí

87. Ian Darkin of One Traveller, which specialises in offering holidays for mature single
travellers, says: “The new generation of ________ (retire) aren’t sitting at home knitting. Their
keenness to experience other countries and cultures is ________ (diminish) with age.”

retirees – undiminished: người nghỉ hưu-không giảm bớt

88. The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a(n) ________ calling for a halt to hostilities.
(solve)

resolution: sự kiên quyết

89. Environmental degradation is ________ (character) as any change or aggravation to nature’s

turf seen to be pernicious or ________ (desire).

characterized – undesirable: có đặc điểm-gây khó chịu, không mong muốn

90. The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction describes environmental
degradation as the ________ of the limit of the earth to meet social and environmental
destinations, and needs (less).

lessening: sự giảm đi

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91. Humans have destroyed a tenth of Earth’s remaining ________ in the last 25 years and there
may be none left within a century if trends continue, according to an authoritative new study.
(wild)

wilderness: vùng hoang dã

92. Technology has been lauded as a way to free up time for us, yet the reality of an all-
consuming medium often does the reverse. New innovations bring with them a host of ________
consequences, ranging from the troubling to the downright depressing. Social media makes us
lonely. Too much screen-time makes teenagers fall behind their peers. And at the more feeble
end of the spectrum, many of us have walked into an obstacle while texting. (intend)

unintended: không được dự tính trước

93. Zombies are archetypal monsters from the bottom of the uncanny valley, with their dead eyes
and ________ faces (express).

expressionless: không biểu cảm

94. The terrible scenes were indelibly ________ on his mind (print).

imprinted: in dấu ấn

95. Phyllis Schlafly, the ________ conservative activist who helped defeat the Equal Rights
Amendment in the 1970s, has died. (speak)

outspoken: thẳng thắn

96. The results ________ poor hygiene as one cause of the outbreak. (imply)

implicate: cho thấy

97. The country’s economic crisis had a(n) ________ effect on world markets. (settle)

unsettling: đáng lo

98. The piece, which had been affected by centuries of ________ and grime, was brought back
its former glory by seven conservators from the museum's Hamilton Kerr Institute. (colour)

discolouration: sự bạc màu

99. The company has established total ________ over its rivals. (supreme)

supremacy: ưu thế tối cao

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100 Despite fighting between the government and SPLA rebels, citizens will be allowed
________ (hinder) access to humanitarian aid via "tranquility corrid.

unhindered: không bị cản trở

PRACTICE TEST 3

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 1. With increasing numbers of people choosing to teach English as a foreign language, the need
to gain a(n) ________ (credit) qualification has never been more important.

accredited: được công nhận

2. A campaign is calling for the reversal of a decision to scrap A-level archaeology - saying it
would cause _______(revoke) harm to the development of future archaeologists.

irrevocable: không thể thay đổi

3. Sir Adrian was a true gentleman. He was ________ (fail) polite to everyone he met within the
business and was on first name terms with many of them, regardless of where they worked.

unfailingly: luôn luôn

4. An eight-month inquiry by the all party group on ________ (mind) found frontline public
servants could be less likely to fall ill with stress, or quit altogether, if they engage in the
increasingly popular meditation practice.

mindfulness: chánh niệm

5. ________ (absent) is an issue of growing concern among employers in the UK owing to

changing legislation, but there is virtually no robust data on its direct or indirect costs.

Absenteeism: sự vắng mặt không có lí do chính đáng

6. A decision to allow ________ (hear) evidence in disciplinary proceedings against a doctor

linked to child abuse claims was ________ (law).

hearsay – unlawful: tin đồn-bất hợp pháp

7. Slavoj Žižek was born in communist Yugoslavia in 1949, and received a thorough grounding
in Marxism and the principles of ________ (dialect) materialism.

dialectical: biện chứng

8. Can you make up a(n) ________ (four) for tennis tomorrow?

foursome: đấu cặp

9. These wonderful books ________ (capsule) moments in history in truly unforgettable ways .

encapsulate: tóm lược

10. Proposals to protect the right of mentally ________ (capacity) people to be involved in
important decisions about their life have been published by the government.

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incapacitated: bị làm mất sức lao động

11. Authorities in the US state of Michigan have charged a taxi driver with six counts of murder
after he went on a random shooting spree on Saturday. Jason Brian Dalton, 45, remained
________ (express) as the charges were read in court on Monday.

expressionless: không biểu cảm

12. Around 40% of jobseekers have been without work for more than one year, the report says,
running "significant risks of ________ (moral), loss of self-esteem and mental health problems"

demoralization: sự làm mất tinh thần

13. A former migrant has returned home to Senegal after becoming ________ (heart) with life as
an illegal migrant in Spain. After six years, Babacar Dialor Faye never got his legal documents
and had to live on ________ (hand) from the Red Cross.

disheartened – handouts: nản lòng-sự cứu trợ

14. Kids have become ________ (sense) to violence. Someone's been shot, and kids are playing
up and down the streets on their bikes, because they're used to seeing it and that's also what you
see in a war zone.

desensitized: bớt nhạy cảm

15. Parents often favour one child over another and, at its worst, parental________ (favour) can
be one of the most profound and damaging emotional dynamics a child ever encounters. It can
affect the rest of their lives.

favouritism: sự thiên vị

16. When Emma was widowed in 1879, she decided to leave her home in Koblenz, Germany, to
start ________ (new) in Glasgow, and settled in the city by 1881.

anew: từ đầu

17. Anti-terrorism police patrol units are to be introduced across London boroughs. This tactic
was endorsed by Lord Harris in his review of London's ________ (prepare) for a terror attack,
commissioned by the mayor.

preparedness: sự chuẩn bị sẵn sàng

18. Reports of memory loss with long-term cannabis use are nothing new, and an influential
paper published last year provided evidence that smoking marijuana has a(n) ________ (delete)
effect on intelligence.
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deleterious: có hại

19. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis and is what
causes the subjective "high". This includes changes in ________ (perceive) sensations, a feeling
of ________ (content) and increased appetite .

perceptual – contentment: thuộc giác quan-sự thỏa mãn

20. Cyanide ________ (toxic) is experienced by humans at doses of around 0.5–3.5 milligrams
per kilogram of body weight .

toxicity: tính độc

21. She has become increasingly ________ (opinion) and verbalises her opinions forcefully
without any insight into their effect on others.

opinionated: bảo thủ, ngoan cố

23. ________ who want to fund the restoration of a derelict arts centre in Cheltenham have
pleaded with other bidders to let it become community-run (benefit)

Benefactors: nhà hảo tâm

24. He was a bad influence on the child, who was at a(n) ________ (impress) age.

inpressionable: dễ bị ảnh hưởng

25. Membership talks were launched in 2005, but progress has been slow, as several EU states
have serious ________ about Turkish EU membership. (give)

misgivings: mối nghi ngại

26. He has such great power and yet talked with such ________(humble). There aren’t many
people in politics who are as charismatic as President Obama.

humility: sự khiêm nhường

27. For many people Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) is the most influential figure in the
history of western classical music. His extraordinary talent was already clearly evident as a
young man, ________ (mercy) surviving a somewhat unconventional upbringing during which
his eccentric father would often force him to take music lessons in the middle of the night.

mercifully: 1 cách nhân từ, một cách may mắn

28. How often have you seen rich people take to the stress, shouting that they are earning too
much? Protesters are typically blue-collar workers yelling that the minimum page has to go up,
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or that their jobs should not go overseas. Concern about ________ (fair) is always
________(symmetry), stronger in the poor than the rich. And the ________ (lie) emotions are
not as ________(loft) as the ideal itself. Children become thoroughly________ (indignation) as
the slightest discrepancy in, say, the size of their slice of pizza compared to their sibling’s.

fairness: sự công bằng, asymmetrical: không đều nhau, underlying: cơ sở, cơ bản, lofty: kiêu kỳ,
indignant: căm phẫn

29. Many teachers expressed serious ________ (give) about the new tests.

misgivings: mối lo ngại

30. The price of property in the city is ________ (prohibit)

prohibitive: đắt đỏ

31. ________ is an economic theory which states that a progressively greater level of
consumption is beneficial to the consumers. (consume)

consumerism: chủ nghĩa tiêu dùng

32. If your credit card debt is mounting and yet you can't stop spending, you could be a
________(shop).

shopaholic: nghiện mua sắm

33. The number of people suffering from shopping addiction has . ________ (TAKE) the number
of drug and drink addicts combined.

overtaken: vượt

34. Everyone has heard of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; few of his son Franz Xaver. A new CD
collection ________ (title) The Other Mozart celebrates Franz's music - in all its haunting,
________ (melancholy) innocence. The 27 songs are brief slivers of ideas, ________ (develop)
shadows of what might have been, reaching a beautiful fulfillment in the later works. But it is
clear that the music never reaches the heights of his genius father. Franz was the youngest of
Mozart's children, and his mother's hopes and ambitions focused on him following the ________
(mature) death of his father. The very best teachers were automatically available to Franz's, who
made his public debut as a singer, aged five. The songs bring to light Franz's ________. (piano)
accomplishments; the piano parts are extremely demanding. The songs hint at Franz's love for a
woman; they speak time and again of unattainable love and ________ (fulfil) longing.

________ (realist), however, the fact remains that this music, had it been written by a composure
of any other name, would probably have remained buried in the archives.

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entitled: cho quyền, melancholic: u buồn, underdeveloped: chưa phát triển hoàn toàn, premature:
sớm, pianistic: thuộc về piano, unfulfilled: không thành, realistically: thực tế là

35. The region has several medium-sized towns and cities, but no major ________ (urban)

conurbation: khu thành phố

36. When you're on a cross-country flight, it's tough to tolerate the ________ crying of a baby.
(cease)

incessant: không dứt

37. Our ________ mind registers things which our conscious mind is not aware of. (conscious)

subconscious: tiềm thức

38. They were now faced with seemingly ________ technical problems (mount).

insurmountable: không thể vượt qua

39. The report should distinguish clearly between ________ fact, firm opinion and mere
speculation (dispute)

indisputable: không thể chối cãi

40. They have become ________, with both sides refusing to compromise any further.
(reconcile)

irreconcilable: không thể giảng hòa

41. Finland’s metalworkers' union chief Riku Aalto has criticised government proposals to alter
nationwide labour conditions as ________and unprofessional (amateur).

amateurish: nghiệp dư

42. His interpretation of the figures is far too ________ (simple)

simplistic: đơn giản

43. The organization insists that it is ________ and does not identify with any one particular
party (politics)

apolitical: phi chính trị

44. The new regulations will be ________ for small businesses. (burden)

burdensome: phiền toái

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45 Solon replies that birds like peacocks are ________ in their beauty. (compare)

incomparable: vô song

46. It is ________ to generalize from the results of a single experiment. (advise)

inadvisable: không nên

47. Try not to ________ to criticism (react)

overreact: phản ứng quá mạnh mẽ

48. He was confused and ________ and I didn't get much sense out of him. (cohere)

incoherent: không mạch lạc

49. Gradually she began to notice one or two little ________ in his character. (perfect)

imperfections: sự không hoàn hảo

50. They’re concerned about the ________ of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. (build)

buildup: sự tích tụ

51. Karen has always felt ________ by her famous elder sister. (shadow)

overshadowed: bị làm lu mờ

52. An increasing number of tests are available for detecting foetal ________ (normal).

abnormalities: sự bất bình thường

53. He is currently standing trial for alleged ________ (practice)

malpractices: hành động phi pháp

54. All points on a circle are ________ (distant) from the centre.

equidistant: khoảng cách bằng nhau

55. The worsening situation forced the company to ________ (size) from 39 employees to 7.

downsize: cắt giảm

56. The new version of the program comes with a much better user ________(face).

interface: giao diện

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57. Who will be the main ________ of the cuts in income tax? (benefit)

beneficiary: người được hưởng lợi

58. The parents showed remarkable ________(bear) toward their defiant and unruly son.

forbearance: sự chịu đựng, rộng lượng

59. A(n) ________(mean/menace) has been committed but the offender has not been caught.

misdemeanour: tội nhẹ

60. I keep getting ________ (contrary) advice - some people tell me to keep it warm and some
tell me to put ice on it.

contradictory: mâu thuẫn

61. He gazed at her with ________ (smell) eyes, wishing she wasn't married.

smouldering/smoldering: âm ỉ

62. He had a(n) ________ (rival) knowledge of south Arabian society, religion, law and customs.

unrivalled: không gì sánh được

63. The ship is an exact ________ (reply) of the original Golden Hind.

replica: bản sao

64. ________(provide) and expression as well as musical accompaniment of the exercises plays
a central role in the training programme of the Medau-Schule.

Improvisation: sự ứng biến

65. Ariadne herself personifies the passively courageous, endlessly ________(resource), and
________ (love) restorative element in every psyche.

resourceful – lovingly: tháo vát-yêu thương, âu yếm

66. ________ (brain) on creative tasks has been a major activity in the advertising business
where it began in the 1930s.

Brainstorming: ý kiến bất chợt

67. Abuses of the investigative process may ________(perceive) lead to abridgment of protected
freedoms

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imperceptibly: không thể nhận thấy

68. Their contributions to science have earned them a(n) ________ (last) place in history.

everlasting: vĩnh viễn

69. She appeared on television to make a(n) ________ (passion) plea for help.

impassioned: mãnh liệt, dữ dội

70. No one will raise moral psychology of the question of obesity, for fear of sounding
________(passion) and ________(reaction).

uncompassionate – reactionary: tàn nhẫn-phản động

71. We should take a more ________ (passion) view and consider the long-term effects of
Briant's work.

dispassionate: không thiên vị

72. The solutions ________ (compass) a wide range of options to suit all tastes and pockets.

encompass: xoay quanh

73. He was known to be a loud-mouthed, ________ (opinion) bigot.

opinionated: ngoan cố, khăng khăng giữ ý kiến của mình

74. The aim of the report is to ________ (lucid) the main points of the new regulations.

elucidate: làm sáng tỏ

75. Some things are ________ (alien) true: Water is wet, gra is green (kind of), dogs bark and
houses prices rise

inalienably: không thể thay đổi

76. Jack tried to ________ (one) for his rudeness by sending her some flowers.

atone: chuộc lỗi

77. By 1980 the Republican Party platform had become antiabortion; and a president who
pledged to ________ (law) abortion altogether had been elected.

outlaw: cấm

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78. Tootle seems to be essentially a(n) ________ (caution) tale, warning the child to stay on the
narrow road of virtue.

cautionary: để cảnh báo

79. The country's great influence in the world is ________ (proportion) to its relatively small
size.

disproportionate: thiếu cân đối

80. In the US, a school ________ (intend) is in charge of the schools in a particular area.

superintendent: giám thị

81. The demonstrators ________ (brand) banners and shouted slogans.

brandished: nói một loạt

82. He has a(n) ________(can) knack of being able to see immediately where the problem lies.

uncanny: phi thường, kì lạ

83. Mick was stubborn and ________ (dominate) with a very bad temper.

domineering: độc đoán, hốc hách

84. My profession had an important influence in the formation of my character and ________
(temper).

temperament: tính khí

85. The final whistle was greeted with ________ (triumph) cheers from players and spectators.

triumphant:chiến thắng, vui mừng

86. She has never traced back her ________ (line), but believes her grandparents were from
Aberdeenshire.

lineage: dòng dõi

87. She was a devout Catholic and, so far as I am aware, ________ (assail/salient) morally.

unassailable: không thể đánh đổ

88. In the field of ________ (diet), standards of practice have been developed for practitioners in
the field.

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dietetics: dinh dưỡng

89. I am afraid I have quite a(n) ________ (incline) to retire on a pension.

disinclination: sự không thích

90. A(n) ________ (reach) and comprehensive strategy, carefully integrated with broader plans
for health care reform, is required.

far-reaching: có ảnh hưởng sâu rộng

91. They're making efforts to streamline their normally ________(cumber) bureaucracy.

cumbersome: phức tạp

92. Trading can be characterized as a pure, ________ (cumber) personal choice with an
immediate outcome.

unencumbered: không lúng túng

93. He's ________(centre), ________(manipulate), insensitive; classic signs of a personality

problem.

self-centred – manipulative: ích kỉ-áp đặt

94. Sometimes a sympathetic friend can be a constant source of discouragement, all ________
(know).

unknowingly: vô tình

95. Some say he was reborn as an undead god, others that he was simply a(n) ________ spirit.

disembodied: tách rời thể xác

96. This book is about people who claim to have ________ (normal) abilities such as ESP and
mind-reading.

paranormal: bất bình thường

97. The refugees slept in ________ (shift) tents at the side of the road.

makeshift: tạm thời

98. The inheritance of ________ (mode) company structures from the past, reinforced by further
concentration, produced very rigid company organisation.

outmoded: lỗi thời

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99. In the ________ (mingle) of news and commercials we have a struggle of sorts between two
different orientations.

intermingling: trộn lẫn

100. Two hijackers used fake explosives to _______ (command) the airliner.

commandeer: kiểm soát

PRACTICE TEST 4

A. There are a myriad of lifestyle issues affecting the youth of today. Such is the pressure heaped
on many school-goers to achieve academic excellence by their parents that these 1_______ (real)
expectations are causing children to become hopelessly depressed. Indeed, some, in their
2_______ (despair) to escape and their sense of guilt at being unable reach the levels of success
demanded of them by their 3_______ (push) parents, either rebel in what is 4_______ (amount)
to a cry for help, or, worse still, engage in 5_______ (harm). It is no coincidence that suicide
rates, expecially amongst young males, have been rising steadily for some time now. These are
tough times to be a teen.

Then there are those who get hooked on the internet; the 6 _______ (virtue) world becomes their
reality. For these teens, their social circle shrinks 7_______ (drama) until, at last, their friendship
sphere is limited solely to their online 8_______ (bud). Not alone do they commonly suffer from
sleep 9_______ (private) on account of their destructive addiction to game play and net-surfing,
their behaviour may become so 10 _______ (err) and peculiar over time as to be considered
11_______ (social) . And while they sit at their computer screens hidden away in splendid
isolation from the real world, such is the lack of exercise they get that their calorie intake far
exceeds what is necessary for them to maintain a stable weight. In essence, due to their sedentary
lifestyle, their weight 12_______ (rocket) until such time as they become morbidly obese.

1. unrealistic : phi thực tế 2. desperation: sự tuyệt vọng 3. pushy: thúc ép

4. tantamount: tương đương với 5. self-harm: tự làm hại bản thân 6. virtual: ảo

7. dramatically8. buddies: bạn 9. deprivation: sự tước đoạt

10. erractic: thất thường 11. antisocial : khó gần gũi 12. skyrockets: tăng mạnh

B. The standard of television programming produced in this country is in terminal decline. The
1_______ (shed) has become a meaningless term confined in its 2_______ (apply) to 3_______

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(go) days when adult content felt the full force of censorship and was not allowed to appear on
the box until after 9:00 p.m. Nowadays, however, it seems anything goes any time. And, truth
told, whatever anything is, it seldom 'goes' for much longer than a half hour or so at any rate
before it is interrupted by a commercial break. And don't even get me started on those appalling
4_______ (inform) most of the networks run right the way through the night, one after another,
for up to thirty minutes at a time. lt is truly painful. Terrestrial television is now, as far as I am
concerned, a laughing stock. All the quality has been bought up by the satellite networks, with
their big-money weight behind them, but even here 5_______ (pick) are slim. In protest at the
dire state of things, I have become a converted 6_______ (net). I look to the web now to find
good content. There, I can find just enough 7_______ (run) of quality programmes to prevent
myself from falling into utter despair and pining for the good old days of 8_______ (year).

1. watershed: bước ngoặt 2. applicability: tính có thể ứng dụng

3. bygone: đã qua 4. infomercials: quảng cáo 5. pickings: lợi lộc

6. netizen: dân mạng 7. re-run: sự phát lại 8. yesteryear: quá khứ, năm ngoái

C. In January 2001, the 1_______ (govern) Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its latest
report on climate change. Climate models worked out by giant super-computers had become far
more reliable since the previous report in 1995 and allowed them to 2_______ (praise) the earlier
projections for global warming. Their conclusions were that something very serious is happening
and that it cannot be a natural process. The 1990s was the hottest decade for 1,000 years and the
Earth is warming faster than at any time in the last 10,000 years. According to the report, human
activities are 3_______ (equivocate) to blame for the temperature rise. The burning of fossil
fuels releases carbon dioxide and, due to deforestation, there are fewer trees to absorb this gas
and recycle it back into oxygen. Methane 4_______ (concentrate) have also gone up dramatically
because of increases in rice culture and 5_______ (cattle), both of which generate methane from
6_______ (compose) vegetation. These greenhouses gases trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere
and cause the temperature to rise. In the worst case, the resulting melting of ice-caps and glaciers
would cause sea levels to rise by up to 88 cm, endangering the homes and 7_______ (lively) of
tens of millions of people who live in low-lying regions.

Unfortunately, there is far greater 8_______ (unanimous) among the world’s scientists over the
issue than among politicians. As long ago as 1990, the IPCC recommended a 60% reduction in
carbon dioxide 9_______ (emit), as the basic level required to return the planet’s climate to a
healthy level. Governments globally failed to 10_______ (act) these proposals. Now that the
dangers have been reaffirmed by the latest report, it is high time that governments took an active
interest in exploring alternative, renewable energy sources.

1. intergovernmental: nhiều chính phủ 2. reappraise: đánh giá lại 3.unequivocally: rõ

rệt, dứt khoát 4. concentrations: nồng độ
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5. cattle(-)raising/ breeding: chăn nuôi gia súc 6. decomposing: phân hủy 7. livelihood:
sinh kế 8. unanimity : sự nhất trí

9. emissions: sự tỏa ra, khí thải 10. enact: ban hành

D. People intuitively recognize the importance of self-esteem to their psychological health, so it

isn't particularly remarkable that most of us try to protect and enhance it in ourselves whenever
possible. What is remarkable is that attention to self-esteem has become a(n) 1_______
(commune) concern, at least for Americans, who see a favorable opinion of oneself as the central
psychological source from which all manner of positive outcomes spring. The corollary, that low
self-esteem lies at the root of individual and thus 2_______ (society) problems and 3_______
(function), has sustained an ambitious social agenda for decades. Indeed, campaigns to raise
people's sense of self-worth abound. Consider what transpired in California in the late 1980s.
Prodded by State Assemblyman John Vasconcellos, Governor George Deukmejian set up a task
force on self-esteem and personal and social responsibility. Vasconcellos argued that raising self-
esteem in young people would reduce crime, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, school 4_______
(achieve) and pollution. At one point, he even expressed the hope that these efforts would one
day help balance the state budget, a prospect predicated on the observation that people with high
5_______ (regard) earn more than others and thus pay more in taxes. Along with its other
activities, the task force assembled a team of scholars to survey the relevant literature. The
results appeared in a 1989 volume 6_______ (title) The Social Importance of Self-Esteem, which
stated that "many, if not most, of the major problems plaguing society have roots in the low self-
esteem of many of the people who make up society." In reality, the report contained little to
support that assertion.

1. communal : công cộng, chung 2. societal : thuộc xã hội 3. dysfunctions : sự

hoạt động khác thường 4. underachievement: sự làm kém, không tốt như mong đợi 5. self-
regard : tự trọng 6. entitled: được đặt tên

E. An emerging discipline called neuroaesthetics is seeking to bring scientific 1_______

(objective) to the study of art, and has already given us a better understanding of many 2_______
(master). The blurred 3_______ (image) of Impressionist paintings seems to stimulate the brain's
amygdala, for instance. Since the amygdala plays a crucial role in our feelings, that finding might
explain why many people find these pieces so 4_______ (move).

Could the same approach also shed light on abstract twentieth-century pieces, from Mondrian's
geometrical blocks of colour, to Pollock's 5_______(seem) haphazard arrangements of splashed
paint on canvas? 6_______ (sceptical) believe that people claim to like such works simply
because they are famous. We certainly do have an inclination to follow the crowd. When asked
to make simple 7_______ (perceive) decisions such as matching a shape to its rotated image, for
example, people often choose a definitively wrong answer if they see others doing the same. It is

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easy to imagine that this 8_______ (mental) would have even more impact on a fuzzy concept
like art appreciation, where there is no right or wrong answer.

1. objectivity: tính khách quan 2. masterpieces: kiệt tác 3.imagery : hình tượng
4.moving: cảm động

5. seemingly: có vẻ 6. skeptics: những người hoài nghi 7. perceptual : thuộc

tri giác, cảm giác 8. mentality: tâm lí

F. Pop art was a(n) 1_______ (convention) art style in which 2_______ (common) objects such
as comic strips, soup cans and road signs were used as subject matter, and were often
incorporated into the work. The pop art movement was largely a British and American cultural
phenomenon of the late 1950s and ‘60s. Art critic Lawrence Alloway, referring to the prosaic
3_______ (icon) of its painting and sculpture, named the movement pop art. It represented an
attempt to return to a more objective and 4_______ (universe) accepted form of art after the
dominance in both the United States and Europe of the highly personal abstract 5_______
(express). The art form was iconoclastic, rejecting the 6_______ (supreme) of the ‘high art’ of
the past and the 7_______ (pretend) of other contemporary avant-garde art. Pop art became a
cultural institution because of its close reflection of a particular social situation and because its
easily 8_______ (comprehend) images were immediately exploited by the mass media.
Although the critics of pop art describe it as sensational and non-aesthetic, its proponents saw it
as an art that was democratic and not 9_______ (discriminate), bringing together both
connoisseurs and untrained inexperienced viewers. Even though public reaction to pop art was
10_______ (favour), it found critical acceptance as a form of art suited to the highly
technological, mass media-oriented society of western countries.

1. unconventional: trái với thường lệ 2. commonplace : tầm thường, quen thuộc 3.

iconography: sự mô tả bằng hình tượng

4. universally: toàn cầu 5. expressionism : chủ nghĩa biểu hiện 6.

supremacy: uy quyền

7. pretentiousness: sự phô trương, khoe khoang 8. comprehensible: có thể hiểu được

9. discriminatory: phân biệt đối xử

10. unfavourable: không có ích

G. The comedy Bringing Up Baby, on the other hand, presents practically non-stop dialogue
delivered at 1_______ (neck) speed. This use of dialogue 2_______ (score) not only the dizzy
quality of the character played by Katherine Hepburn, but also the 3_______ (absurd) of the film
itself and thus its humor. The audience is bounced from gag to gag and conversation to
conversation; there is no time for audience reflection. The audience is caught up in a(n)

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4_______ (wind) of activity in simply managing to follow the plot. This film presents pure
5______ (escape) - largely due to its frenetic dialogue.

1. breakneck: nguy hiểm 2. underscores: nhấn mạnh 3. absurdity: điều vô lí 4.

whirlwind: cơn lốc 5. escapism: sự thoát li thực tế

PRACTICE TEST 4

1. This place is an ___________ zone, which is restricted to people who work in the
Parliamentary House only. (EXCLUDE)

exclusionary: cấm vào

2. He was ___________ by the darkness and got lost in the forest. (NIGHT)

benighted: dốt nát

3. He was ___________ with intelligence but he tried hard to make up for it. (ENDOW)

unendowed: không được trời phú

4. Any ___________ gimmicks are forbidden in this competition. (MALICE)

malicious: hiểm độc

5. Surely all women must have ___________ instinct or the human race would die out.
(MOTHER)

maternal: thuộc về mẹ

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6. Putting up with noise coming from the neighbor is probably the most ____________ thing.
(TO)

untoward: bất tiện

7. The leader was taken into custody, which brought an end to the _____________. (SURGE)

insurgency: sự nổi loạn

8. The spectacular view of Sa Pa has _____________ many visitors. (RAPTURE)

enraptured: làm thích thú

9. Andy has received such _____________ fame after he tried himself in the school’s play.
(WONT)

unwonted: hiếm thấy

10. The aridity in that area _____________ a poor crop. (TOKEN)

betokens: là biểu hiện của

11. Some people argue that money has _____________ football. (BASE)

debased: làm giảm giá trị

12. This remote village bore the _____________ of the storm. (PREDATOR)

depredation: sự đánh phá

113. “People” is a ____________ word. (SYLLABLE)

disyllabic: gồm 2 âm tiết

14. The young boy was _____________ by the two men who then asked the innocent for money.
(WAY)

waylaid: đón đường

15. Taking that old lady for a ride is _____________. (CONSCIENCE)

unconscionable: phi lý

16. To achieve the _____________ logic, you have to employ certain techniques of using
connectives like ‘and’, ‘or’ in the right place within the sentence. (SENTENCE)

sentential: cách ngôn

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17. This chair is almost too ____________, so replace it with a new one! (ANNUAL)

superannuated: quá cũ

18. Underground nuclear _____________ are believed to have been carried out. (NOTE)

denotations: dấu hiệu

19. The opponents of nuclear power may object to the scheme for some ______________
reasons. (MENTION)

undermentioned: được nên bên dưới

20. Every point in his speech is _____________, which allows the audience to follow easily.
(PERSPEX)

perspicuous: rõ ràng

21. The ______________ is used to measured the smallest things! (MICRO)

micrometer: vi kế

22. His ______________ talking annoys the teachers a lot. (TERMINAL)

interminable: liên miên

23. Many ______________ policies have come into force to boost the economic development.
(BUSINESS)

pro-business: tốt cho doanh nghiệp

24. A(n) _____________ schedule assists me in passing the day smoothly. (ARRANGE)

prearranged: đặt trước

25. Allowing yourself anything you like makes you a ____________ figure. (INDULGE)

self-indulgent: tự nuông chiều

26. Mary ______________ with her husband about his budget this month. (POSTULATE)

expostulated: phản đối

27. It is impossible to _______________ his excellence at work. (SAY)

gainsay: phủ nhận

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28. People in coastal area live mainy on the ______________, which allows them to earn a great
deal of money from the sea products (CULTURE)

aquaculture: sự trồng trên nước

29. People felt a great pity for the time spent to see such a(n) _____________ film. (ABYSS)

abysmal: cực kì xấu

30. Every book has a ______________ including what the authors say about their masterpiece.
(WORD)

foreword: lời nói đầu

31. I cannot imagine why there are such ______________ people in this world. Don’t they feel
any sympathy for the homeless? (HEART)

hard-hearted: nhẫn tâm

32. I will bring my unbrella along on the _____________ that it rains. (CHANCE)

offchance: ít khả năng

33. The dramatic decrease in the ________________ of this factory can be a direct result of
underpayment. (PUT)

throughput: lưu lượng

34. The contaminated drinking water in Flint, Michigan can cause ______________
consequences. (LIFE)

lifelong: cả đời

35. It is a _____________ fact that the vegeterian sausages were invented during World War I.
(KNOW)

little-known: ít được biết tới

36. His recent unpredictable mood ____________ him from his friends. (STRANGE)

estranges: li gián, làm xa cách

37. I was ______________ and fell in love with her immediately at first sight. (LOVE)

lovestruck: bị tiếng sét ái tình

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38. The camera must be clean with a soft ____________ cloth. Otherwise, the water will
permeate and cause damage. (WRING)

well-wrung: được vắt kĩ

39. His recent ups and downs made the criminal more ____________ than ever. (BITE)

hard-bitten: chai lì

40. John Cena used to be in his _____________ in WWE but since his dislocation, he had to
leave for operation and it would take him a long time to make a full recovery. (DAY)

heyday: thời hoàng kim

41. Bats use ______________ to navigate in the dark when hunting prey. (LOCATION)

echolocation: tiếng vang

42. He was lying, indicated by the _______________ sign that his hands were shivering. (TELL)

tell-tale: làm lộ

43. Thanks to the _____________ at the bottom of the page, the Chinese-VietNamese poem
becomes more accessible. (NOTE)

footnote/annotation: chú thích

44. The dog seems rather _______________; it must not have been fed for days. (SEE)

unsightly: không ưa nhìn

45. ________________ injection is the most common way to inject drugs. (VEIN)

intravenous: trong tĩnh mạch

46. _________________ medication brings about a quick relief but it is not recommended for
long-term treatment. (ACT)

short-acting: trong thời gian ngắn

47. Ivan’s camera now ________________ because he carelessly dropped it into the pool.
(FUNCTION)

malfunctions: không hoạt động được

48. Mary told the doctor about her stomach’s ________________. It didn’t seem to work
properly. (FUNCTION)
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dysfunction: sự hoạt động khác thường

49. A cock roach can continue to live for a few days even if it is ________________. (CAPITA)

decapitated: bị cắt phần ngọn, phần đầu

50. Their house is decorated in such a _________________ way so that it fit in with other
houses. (DESCRIBE)

nondescript: thông thường, bình dân

51. ________________ people are strong and healthy ones who can make a living on their own.
(BODY)

able-bodied: cơ thể khỏe mạnh

52. I spent the whole evening _______________ my messy house. (CLUTTER)

decluttering: dọn dẹp

53. Remember to read every _______________ in the contract because it can be a trap for the
unwary. (PRINT)

small-print: phần in chữ nhỏ

54. I did my project in my own way, not in a ________________ one. (TREAD)

well-trodden: nhiều người

55. From six o’clock _______________, I’m home! (ON)

onwards: kể từ

56. Some of the ________________ and __________________ regions in Somalia have adopted
distinctive symbols , including flags, while others continue to use the Somali flag.
(DEPEND/AUTONOMY)

quasi-independent/semi autonomous: gần như độc lập

57. A(n) _________________ disease is one that will gradually deteriorate the functioning of
any one part in your body. (GENERATE)

degenerative: suy thoái

58. It is widely known that judges have _________________ powers. (DISCRETION)

discretionary: tự do theo ý mình

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59. The little boy left his hand-made boat _______________ on the river. (DRIFT)

adrift: trôi giạt

60. The students are ________________ seperated into differnt classes. (QUALIFY)

qualitatively: định tính

61. He suffered from headaches as an _______________ of his accident. (AFFECT)

aftereffect: di chứng

62. The renown that Michael Jackson gained for himself is almost ________________.
(SUPERIOR)

insuperable: không thể vượt qua

63. Viet Nam used to be ________________ into two seperate areas, with the border being
Gianh river. (MASS)

demassified: chia ra

64. The walls were _________________ with colors, which make it so beautiful. (STRIPE)

striated: có sọc

65. A bottle of cooled water had __________________ effects on us after a long walk. (VIGOR)

invigorating: làm phấn khởi lên

66. Hand ________________ is accused of including BBA, which can cause many health
problems. (SANITARY)

sanitizer: phương tiện sát trùng

67. Their trouble is __________________. They themselves made the situation worse.
(INFLICT)

self-inflicting: tự gây ra

68. The _________________ inside our bodies is a complex system. (MUSCLE)

musculature: hệ thống cơ

69. I do not understand why Adriana was so ________________ at last night’s party. She is
usually clever and tactical when meeting people. (ADROIT)

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maladroit: vụng về

70. Viet Nam went through _________________ process and became an independent country.
(COLONY)

decolonisation: phi thực dân hóa

PRACTICE TEST 5

1. The act of _________ should be prohibited under any circumstances. Everyone all has equal
rights to vote. (FRANCHISE)

disenfranchisement: sự tước quyền công dân

2. The boss ordered his staff to be ________ with each other in dealing with the company's end-
of-year burden. (LABOR)

collaborative: cộng tác

3. It is such a _________ story that the mom lost her child when her family immigrated from
Africa into Europe. (LUCK)

hard-luck: cảm động

4. The mayor was determined that he would do everything in his power to _________ the murder
case. (MYSTERY)

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demystify: làm rõ

5. The government stressed it was not abandoning its tough __________ policies. (INFLATE)

anti-inflationary: chống lạm phát

6. The woman detected her ________ conditions soon after she felt ill in her body. (CANCER)

precancerous: báo trước bệnh ung thư

7. I cast my eyes ________ and saw the geese flying in V-line. (HEAVEN)

heavenwards: về phía chân trời

8. ________ programs are offered to those who want to do professional training while being paid
to work. (SERVICE)

In-service: đang thực hiện

9. It is inhumane to sell ________ limbs of the animals, such as rhinoceros or elephants, in the
market place. (MEMBER)

dismembered: chia thành từng phần, cắt thành từng phần

10. He was regarded as a _______ winner as he beat his opponents in three straight sets. (RUN)

runaway: nhanh, dễ dàng

11. Although some hold out hope for a sea wall and land reclamation programme, it is admittedly
nothing more than a mere ________ (STOP)

stopgap: sự thay thế tạm thời

12. A(n) ________ is implanted in the body to prop up the heart. (MAKE)

pacemaker: máy điều hòa nhịp tim

13. She is ________ gorgeous in that gown. (DIE)

drop-dead: bất thần

14. His behavior at the party was _________, which went beyond everyone's expectations.
(ERR)

aberrant: khác thường

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15. The advent of computers was one of the _________ milestones in the mankind's history.
(NOTE)

noteworthy: đáng chú ý

16. His condition was so serious _________ as he had to stay in hospital for a month. (MUCH)

inasmuch: bởi vì

17. Pending the _________ of KFC, the manager had to catch up on a huge number of backlogs.
(TAKE)

takeover: quyền tiếp quản

18. It is __________ to be waken up by the noisy music from the neighbor's house. (IRK)

irksome: annoying

19. Like many other __________ of my age, I dread to use hi-tech gears. (TECHNICAL)

technophobes: người sợ công nghệ

20. Bacteria derived from __________ disease can be contagious among people having
reciprocal contact. (MENINGES)

meningitic: viêm màng não

21. The woman is getting older. She is now in the __________ year of her age. (LIGHT)

twilight: tuổi xế chiều

22. Chemicals are easily __________ if they are laid open in the atmosphere for a long time.
(ACTION)

deactivated: không hoạt động

23. The spectators booed as the referee did not disallow the _______ goal. (SIDE)

offside: việt vị

24. The government must work at full tilt to promote the economy and reduce the ________.
(EFFICIENT)

deficits: số tiền thiếu hụt

25. The Earth is experiencing a major ________ in the climate. (HEAVE)

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upheaval: chuyển biến

26. My ________ is the unique thing that distinguishes me from others. (MARK)

birthmark: vết bớt

27. Children who grow up in peace tend to be more ________ than those who grow up in war.
(ADAPT)

maladapted: không thích nghi

28. My mother ________ me a great deal of encouragement after I got bad grades in my exam.
(VOUCH)

vouchsafed: dành, ban phát

29. He is a(n) ________ man. He does not gain any ground in his family. (WILL)

weak-willed: yếu đuối, thiếu ý chí

30. You can look at the ________ of this Chinese book to see the elucidation of these new
words. (ADD)

addendum: phụ lục

31. The reaction that occurs within the cell is called _________ reaction. (CELL)

intracellular: nội bào

32. He was ________ from the hustle and bustle of life since he moved to this rural area.
(TANGLE)

disentangled: thoát khỏi cảnh rối rắm

33. I ________ over whether to go abroad or not. (SHALL)

shilly-shally: do dự

34. Many people nowadays want to indulge themselves in ________ industries such as finance
and the like. (KNOW)

knowledge-based: dựa vào tri thức

35. Please accept this ________ as a reminder of your stay here. (REMEMBER)

memento: vật lưu niệm

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36. A(n) ________ is the one who turns into wolf during full moon. (WOLF)

werewolf: ma sói

37. Nitrogen oxide is a(n) ________ compound of oxygen and nitrogen. (ATOM)

biatomic: lưỡng nguyên tử

38. The story broadens the horizon of the children about their _______. (BEAR)

forebears: tổ tiên

39. I met my old friend at the supermarket this morning, which was quite ________.
(FORTUNE)

fortuitous: tình cờ

40. The mall has intrigued a great number of visitors since it was ________ last month.
(GRAND)

aggrandized: mở rộng

41. She cast her eyes ________ and saw a mysterious man looking at her. (STREET)

streetwards: về phía con đường

42. The girl excelled herself at the exam and came ________ to the two boys. (THREE)

tertiary: thứ ba

43. Scientists from Russia, America and Japan have recently filled the periodic table’s seventh
row with four _________ chemical elements. (HEAVE)

superheavy: siêu nặng

44. It is a misconception that _________ human blood is blue. (OXYGEN)

deoxygenated: mất hết oxy

45. The house is painted in such a(n) _________ style. (SAVOUR)

unsavoury: nhạt nhẽo, vô vị

46. In this modern day, you have to keep yourself _________ so as not to lag behind others.
(DATE)

uptodate: bắt kịp thời đại

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47. This book is _________. You can find information about the varieties of plants around the
world here. (EMBRACE)

all-embracing: bao gồm tất cả

48. The little rainfall ________ a poor crop for farmers in this village. (BODE)

foreboded: dự báo

49. That word is such a(n) ________. It is not easy to pronounce at all. (JAW)
jawbreaker: từ khó phát âm

50. _________ and disinfectants are widely used in hospital to kill the bacteria. (SEPTIC)

antiseptics: chất khử trùng

51. Due to the prolonged _________, the goods arrived later than we had expected. (CONTAIN)

containerization: sự cho hàng vào container

52. Found in ________ condition, the house is intended to be demolished. (DOWN)

run-down: xuống cấp, tồi tệ

53. ________ of violence has been possible by means of television. (DOCTRINE)

Indoctrination: sự truyền bá

54. He laid his desk _________. It is untidily filled with all kinds of stuff. (HEAP)

aheap: ngổn ngang

55. It is ________ that he will press ahead with his project. Nothing can prevent him. (ODD)

odds-on: chắc chắn

56. X-rays, known as a form of ________, are widely utilized nowadays to diagnose medical
conditions. (RADIAL)

irradiation: bức xạ

57. His misunderstanding of the situation resulted in his _________. Everyone could make out
the embarassing remarks on his face. (COMPOSE)

discomposure: sự mất bình tĩnh

58. The minister _________ the fight against hunger in his opening speech. (ACCENT)

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accentuated: nhấn mạnh

59. Even the most _________ equipment cannot replace the role of the teachers in the future.
(ART)

state-of-the-art: công nghệ hiện đại

60. America is considered one of the biggest _________ in the world. (POWER)

superpowers: cường quốc

61. The water ________ in the building is of great concern. It can damage the walls if not
managed properly and timely. (FILL)

infiltration: sự thấm qua

62. He took off his hat and a pigeon flew out. It was ________ a trick. (GUILE)

beguilingly: lí thú

63. In a _________ manner, he stepped into the room and shouted at the top of his voice.
(DOUBT)

redoubtable: đáng sợ

64. You should not assess a situation from such a(n) ________ side. (LATERAL)

unilateral: đơn phương

65. The homless woman pleaded for a shelter from the rain in a(n) _________ tone. (PASSION)

impassioned: say sưa, mãnh liệt

66. The man reported than he had seen a(n) _________ object, which might well be a UFO.
(EGG)

egg-shaped: có hình quả trứng

67. The coal cellar needs to be equipped with _________ system in order to prevent suffocation.
(VENT)

ventilation: hệ thống thông gió

68. The advent of Internet is an important __________ in human history. (MARK)

landmark: bước ngoặc

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69. His face showed the remark of _________ even when we were talking about seriously.
( FLIP)

flippancies: sự xấc xược

70. What you know is rather __________. And it is unfair to judge just through a cursory glance.
(FACIES)

superficial: nông cạn

71. Moving _________ is moving in a direction opposite to the direction the hands of the clock
moves. (CLOCK)

counterclockwise/anticlockwise: ngược chiều kim đồng hồ

72. Reta is studying animal __________ at the Oxford university. (GENE)

genomics: bộ gen

73. The crews fortuitously dicovered a __________ in the ship’s cool chamber. (STOW)

stowaway: người đi lậu vé

74. The man was _________ on a medal for bravely taking a child out of the burning house.
(STOW)

bestowed: ban tặng

75. The report has _________ the cause of global warming in the past decades. (POINT)

pinpointed: chỉ ra

76. It may take more than a month to deliver our car from Germany to VietNam as it is
_________. (SHIP)

shipborne: chở trên tàu

77. “Titanic” is an example of _________ romance. (SHIP)

shipboard: trên tàu

78. The machine cannot work properly as a direct result of _________. (ALIGN)

misalignment: sự sắp xếp sai

79. There used to be a __________ in Quang Tri, whose remains now become a historical site.
(HOLD)
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stronghold: pháo đài, đồn lũy

80. Andy was ___________ from the volunteer group due to his poor attitude.
(COMMUNICATE)

excommunicated: bị đẩy ra khỏi

81. I was so ____________ that even a spider scared me. (KNEE)

weak-kneed: yếu ớt

82. The government ____________ its responsibility in the leakage of confidential information.
(NEGATE)

abnegated: từ chối

83. Try not to be ___________ even if you are tremendously successful. (VAIN)

vainglorious: khoe khoang

84. Bob is a(n) ___________ of an intelligent student. (TYPE)

archetype: hình mẫu

85. The goverment’s policy to soothe the anger among people was ___________. It should have
happened earlier. (CHRONOLOGY)

anachronistic: sai thời điểm

86. Tom’s collection is such a(n) ___________. There is no connection between things. (MASH)

mish-mash: mớ hỗn độn

87. I was completely ___________ by the fact that he was going to get married. (MUSE)

bemused: làm sửng sốt

88. Sleeping during day and working when night comes sounds seemingly __________.
(SCIENCE)

antiscientific: phản khoa học

89. I question whether a spectacle so fantastic and impressive was ever dealtwith, even in the
pages of __________ fiction. (SCIENCE)

quasiscientific: có vẻ mang tính khoa học

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90. Adam’s gait is a(n) __________ for his strong personality. (WORD)

byword: điển hình

91. The apricot blossom __________ during spring. (GERM)

germinates: nảy mầm

92. In an _________ world, people have to change to get into the swing of the environment.
(EVOLVE)

ever-evolving: luôn thay đổi

93. I __________ the distance from my house to the Ann’s hospital and arrived there rather late.
(RECK)

misreckoned: tính sai

94. Harry Porter’s personality is successfully ___________ by J.K.Rowling throughout her

series. (LINE)

delineated: mô tả

95. Your __________ saying last night could hurt other people’s feelings although you might not
intend to say so. (SENSE)

insensate: vô cảm

96. What Thuy Minh said has provoked violent __________ from critics as well as celebrities.
(BLAST)

counterblast: sự phản đối

97. You are becoming a(n) ___________. Just go outside and see what happens. (LAY)

layabout: người vô công rỗi nghề

98. A ___________ is an instrument that separates light into a frequency spectrum and records
the signal using a camera. (SPECTRUM)

spectrograph: máy quang phổ

99. Cindy showed ___________ support at Josh’s project. She always believes him. (FALTER)

unfaltering: không nao núng

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100. This place is an ___________ zone, which is restricted to people who work in the
Parliamentary House only. (EXCLUDE)

exclusionary: không cho vào

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 CHAPTER 3: CLOZE TEST

Part 1. Cressida Cowell is the author of the widely-praised How to Train your Dragon series of
children’s books. She spent her own childhood holidays on a remote island, where she has left
very much to her own (1)________. As a result, she became an avid reader, entertaining
(2)________ with books and developing a fervent imagination. She even (3)________ up her
own secret languages.

Cowell believes that today’s children still have a real (4)________ for language, even though
their attention (5)________ may not be as great as in her day, (6)________ them less tolerant of
descriptive passages in stories. Her books are outlandish and exciting, with vivid imagery,
cliffhangers and eye-catching illustrations. Dragons seem to (7)________ to children of all
nationalities, who also seem to (8)________ with her protagonist, Hiccup, quite easily. Hiccup
is a boy who battles his way through’s life problems, often against the (9)________ .

Cowell is currently planning an illustrated book for teenagers. In her own words, she enjoys
breaking the (10)________ and finds that kids are open-minded enough to accept this.

devices – herself – dreamt – ear – span – making – appeal – identify – odds – mould

Part 2. Recent research carried out in Ireland amongst chefs and consumers found that 48% of
people (1)________ to regularly over-ordering in restaurants. A campaign has been launched as
a result calling for the food-service industry to join (2)________ with chefs and consumers to
address the issue of food waste.

To bring the research findings to (3)________, the owner of a restaurant in Dublin is creating a
"Great Irish Waste" menu, reconsidering food ingredients that have been thrown away, rejected
or (4)________ inedible and turning them into imaginative dishes that are both appetising and of
a suitable (5)________ to serve his customers. He says that while there will always be some
(6)________ of waste in the kitchen due to elements such as bones or fat trimmings, there's an
opportunity to minimize wastage in the restaurant (7)________ through better communication.
"Even though so much food comes back on customers' plates and goes in the bin, the majority of
diners aren't aware of the environmental or cost (8)________ of that waste." Without consumers
shifting their (9)________ restaurants will struggle to reduce food waste significantly.

Tackling this problem as a consumer is straightforward. Ultimately, it (10)________ down to

smart shopping, clever cooking and shrewd storage.

admitted – forces - life – deemed – standard – degree – itself – implications - mindset - comes

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Part 3. The relationship between the modern consumer and his or her rubbish is a complex one.
Getting rid of rubbish has come to mean a great deal more than simply consigning breakfast
leftovers (1)________ a plastic bag. With the (2)________ of recycling, rubbish has now
invaded many people’s personal lives to an unprecedented degree.

There was a time, in living (3)________, when rubbish collection was a simple matter – but
today’s household rubbish, (4)________ being discarded, has to be filed and sorted into colour-
coded containers according to its recycling category.

What is more, we are (5)________ out in a rash of irritation by the suggestion that, if rubbish
collections (6)________ to become more infrequent, people would then make the effort to cut
down on shopping and recycle more. We might be excused for wondering how this would be
(7)________. Can people realistically buy fewer eggs or tubes of toothpaste than their lives
(8)_______?

Recycling is (9)________ to be good for us. But for some, it’s just a (10)________ of rubbish.

to – advent – memory – before – brought – were – possible – require - supposed – load

Part 4. The environmental outlook for the future is mixed. Inspite of economic and political
changes, interest in and (1)________ about the environmental remains high. Problems such as
acid deposition, chlorofluorocarbons and ozone depletions still require (2)________and
concerted action is needed to deal with these. (3)________ acid deposition diminish, loss of
aquatic life in nothern lakes and streams will continue and forest growth may be affected. Water
pollution will (4)________ a growing problem as an increasing human population (5)________
untold stress on the environment. To reduce environmental degradation and for humanity to
(6)________ its habitat, societies must recognize that resources are finite. Environmentalists
believe that, as populations and their demands increase, the idea of continuous growth must give
(7)________ to a more rational use of the environment, but that this can only be brought about
by a dramatic (8)________ in the attitude of the human species.

concern – solutions – Until – remain – puts – save - way - change

Part 5. Just as a language may develop varieties in the (1)________ of dialects and argots,
languages as a whole may change (Latin, for example, evolved into the different Romance
languages). Sometimes rapid language change occurs as a result of (2)________ between people
who each speak a different language. In such circumstances a pidgin may arise. Pidgins are
grammatically based on one language but are also influenced, especially in vocabulary, by
(3)________; they have relatively small sound systems, reduced vocabularies, and simplified and
altered grammars, and they rely heavily on context in order to be (4)________. Pidgins are often
the result of contact by traders with island and coastal peoples. A pidgin has no native speakers;
when speakers of a pidgin have children who learn the pidgin as their first language, that
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language is then (5)________ a creole. Once the creole has enough native speakers to form a
speech community, the creole may (6)________ into a fuller language. Many creole speakers
think of their languages as dialects of some colonial languages. Linguists nearly always disagree
with this view - from our (7)________, creoles have independent grammars and all the
equipment of full, proper languages.

form – contact – others – understood – called – expand - perspective

Part 6. The issues for emerging economies are a little more straightforward. The desire to build
on undeveloped land is not (1)________ out of desperation or necessity, but is a result of the
relentless (2)________ of progress. Cheap labour and a relatively highly-skilled workforce make
these countries highly competitive and there is a flood of inward investment, particularly from
multinationals (3)________ to take advantage of the low wages before the cost and standard of
living begin to rise. It is (4)________ such as these that are making many Asian economies
extremely attractive when viewed as investment opportunities at the moment. Similarly, in
Africa, the relative (5)________ of precious metals and natural resources tends to attract a lot of
exploration companies and a whole sub-industry develops around and is completely dependent
on this foreign-direct investment. It is understandable that countries that are the focus of this sort
of attention can lose (6)________ of the environmental implications of large-scale industrial
development, and this can have devastating consequences for the natural world. And it is a
vicious (7)________ because the more industrially active a nation becomes, the greater the
demand for and harvesting of natural resources. For some, the environmental issues, though they
can (8)________ be ignored, are viewed as a peripheral concern. Indeed, having an
environmental conscience or taking environmental matters into consideration when it comes to
decisions on whether or not to build rubber-tree plantations or grow biofuel crops would be quite
prohibitive in. For those (9)________ in such schemes it is a pretty black-and-white issue. And,
for vast tracts of land in Latin America, for example, it is clear that the welfare of the rainforests
(10)________ little to local government when vast sums of money can be made from cultivating
the land.

born – march – looking – factors – abundance – sight – cycle – hardly – involved –matters

Part 7. It seems that a large percentage of today’s population is addicted to all forms of digital
media and no one seems (1)________ of the nagging phone that buzzes, rings or sings to its
owners incessantly. Many people no longer trust their own fallible memories and (2)________
every detail of their lives to some digital device or (3)________ and are completely lost without
it. Generally speaking, it is the younger generation who are so addicted, but more and more
people seem to be (4)________ their way of life eroded by the digital world. People ‘tweet’ the
most mundane of (5)________ as well as the most interesting – in their world, having a cup of
coffee is as exciting as climbing Mount Everest! There is a grave danger that people are allowing
technology to take (6)________ over everything else in their lives. And in educational circles,
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concern is (7)________ over the influence of social media, which seems to be adversely
affecting students’ progress in some cases.

free – commit – other – having – matters – precedence - growing

Part 8. Social networking is here to (1)________ and interaction between people all over the
world has never been (2)________. We can share our lives with our network friends who can
help us solve problems or offer advice. Although these sites can (3)________ as a kind of group
therapy session with people who seem to care and who will listen, there is little or no censorship,
so cyber-bullying is a growing problem. Perhaps there need to be more (4)________ on what
people are allowed to say. Nevertheless, social networking sites can be a great way to find people
with shared (5)________ and they can also be very informative if used wisely. For many people,
it offers them a feeling of (6)________ from the real world. Furthermore it gives them a chance
to chat about anything and (7)________, often quite meaningless, without fear of being
rejected by others. (8)________ the drivers, it has become a compelling activity for many, so it
is hardly surprising that some people feel a (9)________ of disconnectedness if they are unable
to get online for any period of time. And when they do get back online after a few hours of
downtime, there is an unmistakable feeling of relief at being a (10)________ of the world once
more.

stay – easier – act – constraints – interests – escapism – everything – Whatever – sense - part

Part 9. It is hardly surprising, in light of their desperation, that the peoples of the developing
world who are on the very bottom (1)________ of the ladder have little time for the
conservationists and environmentalists who (2)________ bloody murder at what they perceive to
be a total (3)________ for the environment in some parts of the “Third World”. And while they –
the nature campaigners, that is – have, on the (4)________ of it, a very valid point after all,
serious, and, in some cases, irrevocable (5)________ has been done to many precious habitats
and the rare creatures that inhabit same – we must understand that the rules of supply and
demand are in (6)________ here in the developing world just as much as anywhere else. For
example, on the African plains, where (7)________ is still rife, and in the mountain forests
where rogue hunters patrol, ask yourself this; would they bother if there wasn’t a market for their
kill? Believe me, for every bull elephant slaughtered for its ivory (8)________, there is a rich,
greedy, fat-cat collector ready to pay a premium to acquire this ‘find’ – in fact, there are
probably ten of them. Similarly, for every mountain gorilla murdered, whose dismembered limbs
appear in tourist outlets (9)________ so-called ‘ornaments’ – ashtrays and jewellery boxes, if
you don’t mind – there has to be a willing buyer; an admirer of these grotesque trinkets. And
there are plenty of them it (10)________ out. It’s the same principle with rare animal furs and
skins; who do you think buys the crocodilian handbag? I doubt the local tribespeople could
afford the price tag, don’t you? It is an absolute tragedy that endangered species of animals are
being (11)________ to the verge of extinction, of this there can be no doubt. But we must try to
146
understand the reasons why this is happening. The reality is that poaching will continue while it
is a lucrative occupation and while the (12)________ of finding other forms of employment are
very poor. Developing nations need our help, not our scorn. (13)________ that for the few
unscrupulous trophy hunters still out there; rich, spoilt, despicable Western brats who get a
(14)________ out of taking aim at some of the world’s most precious and endangered species; it
is a good thing for them that we live in a civilised world where the death penalty has, by and
large, been removed from the list of possible punishments our courts can (15)________ down.
That said, since they have made themselves judge, jury and executioner for the innocent
creatures they have slain, perhaps nothing (16)________ than a capital sentence would be good
enough for these trigger happy delinquents.

rung – scream – disregard – face – harm – play – poaching – tusks - as – turns – hunted –
prospects – Save – kick – hand - less

Part 10. While the internet opens up a whole new (1)________ of knowledge and information
for this and future generations to explore, it also (2)________ a number of serious concerns for
parents with young, net-savvy children. For (3)________, it is exceptionally difficult to
(4)________ your children's net activity and keep (5)________ of whom they are interacting
with online. Secondly, there is little (6)________ any censorship of the internet, so parents must
be willing to do the censoring themselves or rely on software products to do it for them. Even
still, there are ways around the best-intentioned of such programmes, and, besides, the alarming
level of growth in cyber-bullying is (7)________ of a trend parents should, perhaps, be far more
concerned about. lt used to be that children were (8)________ from the bullies one they returned
to the safe confines of their home, (9)________ escaped their schoolyard tormentors, but not
anymore. There is nowhere to (10)________ thanks to social networks like Facebook, which, if
anything, make the (11)________ far and wide of malicious rumours and the like easier than
ever before given the virulent (12)________ of the internet.

world – poses – starters – monitor - abreast – if – indicative – protected – having – hide –

spreading - nature

Part 11. Today many people find that the pressure they have at work makes their jobs untenable
as they have to put their families totally in the (1)________. So working from home, being more
at the (2)________ of your family rather than your current boss, has great appeal to many as they
start up their own businesses from bedrooms or garages. But don’t just think about it. Now is the
time to start, so (3)________ while the iron’s hot. Providing you are disciplined in what you do,
and (4)________ the idea of working mostly alone and without the team spirit (5)________ by
working alongside others, then what’s stopping you? You gain far more flexibility as you can
choose the working hours that suit you. You will still have to meet deadlines, but they are ones
that you or customers have (6)________. And if you are at a (7)________ end during quiet
times, you can go out and do things you couldn’t do before. But don’t get (8)________ away
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with the idea of making millions. You’ll need to be determined and work hard to succeed, but
it’ll pay off in the end.

background – disposal – strike - embarce – engendered – set – loose - carried

Part 12. It is said that we never stop learning until the day we die. Broadening our horizons has
never been easier, as the twenty-first century (1)________ ever more opportunities for learning
and developing our skills. And if you don’t want to (2)________ out in the job market and
(3)________ for a poorly-paid, boring job, there’s no (4)________ these days. Thousands of
online courses allow you to work at your own (5)________, while you are doing a full-time job.
Although be careful that you don’t (6)________ off more than you can chew! Modern-day
society puts a lot of pressure on people, many of whom have had to take out (7)________ and
run up enormous overdrafts, just to survive. The situation they find themselves in is often not of
their own (8)________ but rather that of the global economy. Facing up to difficult situations by
doing something about it rather than running away and coming up with new ways of solving
these problems is the (9)________ to survival, and ongoing education helps you do this. Don’t
(10)________ around complaining. Get out there and do something about it. Remember, actions
speak louder than words!

offers – lose – settle – excuse – pace – bite – loans – making – key - sit

Part 13. According to some psychologists, we should examine our deeper (1)________ when we
attempt to help others who appear to be in need of our support. Helping others is clearly a good
thing to do, and it can have a therapeutic effect on both giver and (2)________. If, however, we
begin to focus on what we might (3)________ out of helping someone, rather than how that
person might be helped, we could be in (4)________ of adopting a somewhat calculating
attitude. This would be to lend (5)________ to the ideas of those psychologists who believe that,
ultimately, we only do things for our own (6)________ that no actions are truly altruistic. And,
of course, we can all think of examples of problems that have been exacerbated by the well-
intentioned, but ill-considered intervention of third (7)________. We should also (8)________ in
mind that doing too much for people and protecting them from the consequences of their actions
can (9)________ their motivation and even rob them of the resources to (10)________ things out
for themselves.

motives – recipient – get – danger – weight – ends – parties - bear – reduce – sort

Part 14. We live in culture that values participation over ability: the karaoke culture. In
broadcasting, it seems we cannot (1)________ the vogue for “access TV”, “people shows” and
“video diaries”. (2)________ is our apparent obsession with documenting our own lives that, in
future, programmes will be replaced by cameras in every room, so that we can watch
(3)________ endlessly on TV. In the countless shows that (4)________ our daytime schedules,

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the audience has become the star. The public make programmes, the public participate in
programmes, the public become performers. Anybody can do it!

But there is a world of (5)________ between enjoying something and joining in. If we all join
in, what is the (6)________ of artists or experts? If everything (7)________, there can be no
mystery, no mystique. I love listening to a genius and learning from (or even just appreciating)
his or her skill. To assume then that I can “have a (8)________ at” their craft would be
monstrous impudence on my part.

escape – Such – ourselves – fill – difference – point – accessible - go

Part 15. Few inventions have had more scorn and praise (1)________ upon them at the same
time than television. And few have done so much to unite the world (2)________ one vast
audience for news, sport, information and entertainment. Television must be rated (3)________
printing as one of the most significant inventions of all time in the field of communications. In
just a few decades it has (4)________virtually every home in the developed world and an ever-
increasing proportion of homes in developing countries. It took over half a century from the first
suggestion that television might be (5)________ before the first flickering (6)_______were
produced in laboratories in Britain and America. In 1926 John Logie Baird’s genius for publicity
brought television to the (7)________ of a British audience. It has since reached such
(8)________ of success and (9)________ on such a pivotal function that it is difficult to imagine
a world (10)________ of this groundbreaking invention.

heaped – into - alongside – reached – possible – pictures – attention – heights – taken - bereft

Part 16. Concentration is good in exams, bad in orange juice. Concentration happens when you
manage to focus on one thing to the (1) ______ of all others, and concentrating on that one thing
(2) ______ you to stop worrying about a lot of other things. Sometimes, of course, your mind
concentrates when you don’t want it to. Maybe you can’t get something out of your head, such as
a problem you have to (3) ______ up to, or an embarrassing situation you’ve been in. That’s why
collecting things as a hobby is popular; it (4) ______ your mind off other things. Indeed, some
people seem to prefer looking after and cataloguing their collections to actually (5) ______
anything with them, because this is when the absorbing, single- minded concentration happens.

The natural span for concentration is 45 minutes. That’s why half an hour for a television
programme seems too short whilst an hour seems too long. But many people's lives are (6)
______ of concentration. Modern culture is served up in small, easily digestible chunks that
require only a short (7) ______ span although young people can concentrate on computer games
for days at a (8) ______.

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Sticking out the tongue can aid concentration. This is because you can’t (9) ______ yourself with
talking at the same time and other people won’t (10) ______ to interrupt your thoughts, because
you look like an idiot!

exclusion – allows – face – takes – doing – devoid – attention – time – distract - dare

Part 17. Television occupies a large portion of American children's time. Starting in preschool,
children spend more time watching television than participating in any other activity
(1)________ sleeping. Children also have extensive experience with television before being
exposed to many socializing (2)________, such as schools, peers, and religious institutions.
(3)________ the central role of this medium in most children's lives, it is important to understand
its potential positive and negative effects on a variety of cognitive, academic, social, behavioral,
and attitudinal outcomes.

The results of recent research suggest that there is considerable overlap between the
comprehension processes that take place during reading and those in prereading television
viewing. Thus, it may very well be the (4)________ that children who learn these comprehension
skills from television viewing before they are able to read are equipped with some very
important tools when they later start to read. If (5)________, this has important implications for
education, by opening the door for early childhood education of some of these essential literacy
skills.

Clearly, television viewing is not the sole (6)________ in which important cognitive precursors
to literacy may develop. For instance, children may be (7)_______ to narratives through parental
bedtime reading and storytelling, particularly given that most parents have positive beliefs about
the value of such activities. Television, however, may be an especially ideal medium in which to
cultivate some of the skills and knowledge needed for later reading acquisition. For example, this
medium involves minimal print, and the decision to view can be controlled entirely by the
preschooler. Television is also partially a visual medium, and thus (8)________ information
more concretely than do written and spoken text. This content difference across media seems to
(9)________ for the fact that preschoolers frequently are better at (10)________ televised stories
than audiotaped ones.

except/but - agents – Given – case – so – context – exposed - presents - account - recalling

Part 18. Television used to (1)______as a uniquely unifying national phenomenon. Never before
had so many people had so common (2)______ core of shared cultural experiences. People might
not know the names of their next-door neighbours, (3)_____ they probably watched many of the
same programmes.

Thses days, however, with the vast (4)_____ of television programming, everyone can watch
(5)_______ different, just as each Internet user can explore a different selection of websites.
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Even so, programmes (6)_______ at international markets generally (7)_______ to be less
popular (with the partial exception of those from America) and people still often choose to watch
their own national programmes. In (8)_______, if television develops along similar
(9)_______to the movie business, with a few blockbusters attracting vast international audiences,
people may even (10)______ up watching a narrower range of programmes.

But (11)______ patterns of viewing habits develop, television will almost certainly become a
personal (12)_______ of equipment, more (13)_______ a mobile phone than a communal source
of entertainment. Armed (14)_______ a credit card and a remote control, viewers will be able to
pick their programmes from wherever they choose. Television will then have become truly
global. (15)______, perhaps, will the cultural values it instils.

act – a – but – expansion - something – aimed – tend – fact – lines – end – whatever – piece –
like – with - So

Part 19. Language is thought to be a mechanism for transmitting the information (1)________
thoughts. One experiment used to demonstrate this idea (2)________ subjects to listen to a short
passage of several sentences. The subjects are then asked to repeat the passage. Most subjects
accurately convey the gist of the passage in the sentences they produce, but they do not come
(3)________ to repeating the sentences verbatim. It appears as if two transformations have
occurred. Upon hearing the passage, the subjects convert the language of the passage into a more
abstract representation of its meaning, which is more easily (4)________ within memory. In
order to recreate the passage, the subject (5)________ this representation and converts its
meaning back into language.

This (6)________ of thought and language is less intuitive than it might be because many people
find language to be a powerful (7)________ with which to manipulate their thoughts. It provides
a mechanism to internally rehearse, critique, and (8)________ thoughts. This internal
(9)________ of communication is essential for a social animal and could certainly be, in
(10)________, responsible for the strong selective pressures for improved language use.

within – requires – close – stored - recalls – separation – tool – modify –form - part

Part 20. There are solid reasons for supporting, preserving, and documenting endangered
languages. First, (1)________ and every language is a celebration of the rich cultural diversity of
our planet; second, each language is an (2)________ of a unique ethnic, social, regional or
cultural identity and world view; third, language is the repository (3)________ the history and
beliefs of a people; and finally, every language encodes. a particular subset of fragile human
knowledge about agriculture, botany, medicine, and ecology. Mother tongues are (4)________
of far more than grammar and words. For example, Thangmi (known in Nepali as Thami), a
Tibeto-Burman language spoken by an ethnic community of around 30,000 people in eastern
Nepal, is a mine of unique indigenous terms for local flora and fauna that have medical and ritual
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(5)________. Much of this local knowledge is falling into (6)________ as fluency in Nepali, the
national language, increases. When children (7)________ to speak their mother tongue, the oral
(8)________ of specific ethnobotanical and medical knowledge also comes to an end.

each – expression – of – comprised – value – disuse – cease - transmission

Part 21. Broadcasting has democratized the publication of language, often at its most informal,
even undressed. Now the ears of the educated cannot escape the language of the masses. It
(1)_______ them on the news, weather, sports, commercials, and the ever-proliferatinggame
shows. This wider dissemination of popular speech may easily give purists the (2)_______ that
language is suddenly going to hell in this generation, and may(3)_______ the new paranoia
about it. It might also be argued that more Americans hear more correct, even beautiful, English
on television than ever before. Through television more models of good usage (4)_______ more
American homes than was ever possible in other times. Television gives them lots of colloquial
English too, some awful, some creative, but that is not new.

Hidden in this is a (5)_______ fact: our language is not the special private property of the
language police, or grammarians, or teachers, or even great writers. The genius of English is that
it has always been the tongue of the common people, literate or not. English belongs to
everybody: the funny (6)_______ of phrase that pops into the mind of a farmer telling a story; or
the travelling salesman's dirty joke; or the teenager saying, 'Gag me with a spoon'; or the pop
lyric — all contribute, are all as valid as the tortured image of the academic, or the line the poet
sweats over for a week. Through our collective language (7)________ some may be thought
beautiful and some ugly, some may live and some may die: but it is all English and it
(8)________ to everyone — to those of us who wish to be careful with it and those who don't
care.

surrounds – idea – justify – reach – simple – turn – sense – belongs

Part 22. Little babies are not so innocent after all, it would seem. Infants as young as six months,
new research claims, are capable of lying to their doting parents, which they do (1)________
crying when they are not truly (2)_________ pain or distress. They do it simply to draw attention
to themselves, but once they start receiving the loving hugs and cuddles they (3)_________
badly crave, the babies then do (4)________ best to prolong this reward by offering fake smiles.

This has led to suggestions that human beings are 'born to lie' and that this is a unique quality of
our species. As someone who has devoted a lifetime to studying human and animal behaviour, I
have to report that this is actually (5)_________ from being the truth. Mankind may be the most
adept species at telling fibs, but we are far from alone.

A young chimpanzee in captivity, for example, is just as capable of 'lying', as I have witnessed
on many occasions, most commonly when human handlers, working with young chimps, have to
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leave them alone. (6)________ human babies, the apes really hate (7)___________ left alone,
and for this reason, their handlers, (8)_________ have become their 'family', should ideally never
be out of sight. Even (9)_________ the handlers always do their best to avoid going away for too
long, some absence is unavoidable. In (10)__________ a situation, and as soon as the young ape
knows it is going to be left alone, it will start protesting vocally, and these protests can be heard
as the handler leaves the building. The screaming stops when the door is slammed,
(11)__________ at this point the ape knows that the handler can (12)________ longer hear him.
It has total control (13)_________ its crying and can switch it on and off whenever it likes. The
crying is actually a deliberate signal, rather (14)________ an uncontrollable outburst. But
(15)________ this is a case of "real" lying rather depends on how you look at it.

by – in – so – their - far - Like – being – who - though - such - since - no - over - than - whether

Part 23. Once children had ambitions to be doctors, explorers, sportsmen, artists or scientists.
Now, taking their (1)________ from TV, they just “want to be famous”. Fame is no longer a
(2)________ for gallant service or great, perhaps even selfless endeavour. It is an end in
(3)________, and the sooner it can be achieved, the sooner the lonely bedroom mirror can be
replaced by the TV camera and flash gun, the (4)________ Celebrity is the profession of the
moment, a vain glorious vocation which, like some 18th-century royal court, seems to exist
largely so that the rest of us might watch and be amazed while its members live out their lives in
public, (5)________ self-regarding members of some glittering soap opera.

Today, almost anyone can be famous. (6)________ has fame been more democratic, more
ordinary, more achievable. No wonder it s a modern ambition. It’s easy to see why people crave
celebrity, why generations reared (7)________ the instant fame offered by television want to step
out of the limousine with the flashlights (8)________ around them. It doesn’t want to be the
(9)________ of attention at some time in their lives?

Modern celebrity, peopled by (10)________ largely vain and vacuous, fills a need in our lives. It
peoples talks shows, sells goods and newspapers and rewards the famous for — well, being
famous.

lead – reward – itself – better – like - Never – on – bouncing – centre - the

Part 24.

In 1942, only a few months after the United States had entered World War II, as Hitler plunged
deeper into Russia and Japan was advancing victoriously throughout the Pacific, President
Roosevelt, Secretary of State Cordell Hull, and his deputy, Sumner Welles, along with many
politicians, journalists, and academics, were already involved in a debate on postwar
arrangements. Many of the proposals were far-reaching, (1)________ revolutionary. In no other
country did the shock of war create such a (2)________ at a time when the Nazis and the
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Japanese were still clearly winning. Such activities (3)________ strikingly with the negativism
and lack of verve that now, in our peaceful time, characterize the discussion, when there is any,
of international organization for the future.

At the end of the war, (4)________ from the usual xenophobes and isolationists, relatively few
voices questioned the need for the new international system. On the (5)________, there was a
tendency to oversell it and to create unrealistic hopes for its effectiveness. Thus when the cold
war—along with the usual tendency of sovereign states to quarrel and (6)________ to violence
—shattered the dream of a more rational world, public disillusion and hostility to the UN
(7)________ all the fiercer. In fact, the UN has never quite (8)________ from its failure to live
up to its advance notices.

Already in 1942 there were warning (9)________. Professor Nicholas Spykman of Yale wrote
that “plans for far-reaching changes in the character of international society are an intellectual
by-product of all great wars,” but they have never altered “the fundamental power patterns.”
Spykman predicted that the new postwar order would remain “a world of power politics in which
the interest of the United States will continue to demand the preservation of a (10)________ of
power in Europe and Asia.”

even – response – contrast – apart – contrary – resort – grew – recovered – voices – balance

Part 25.

Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find that we cannot
(1)________ without the wilderness and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not
only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life. The national park
movement, is seeing to the worldwide protection of wild places, not only out of respect for their
intrinsic natural (2)________, but also for their capacity to (3)________ people’s lives with a
depth of spiritual and poetic inspiration, dicovery and adventure.

It is often in the (4)________ places, away from the dominating presence or evidence of human
activity, that thousands find spiritual and physical refreshment: on the downs, along the seashore
or by the mountain streams. It is a dislike of constraint and restriction which (5)________ us to
wild places. We aspire to wild landscapes because we aspire to freedom. In Britain our wild
landscapes are now small in (6)________ and ecologically (7)________ due to overgrazing,
acid rain and nitrogen pollution. What is (8)________ is doubly precious.

do – value – enrich – remote – draws – scale – degraded – left

Part 26.

A few countries, mainly in the south, have large herds of elephants that are growing in number
and are rapidly exceeding the (1)________ of game reserves to sustain them. In most other
154
countries, mainly in the centre of the continent, elephants are (2)________ but extinct. The lines
of conflict are (3)________ by this division. Countries with big and growing herds push for
culling and trade in elephant products. Those (4)________ favour a ban on trade in ivory.

For environmentalists, the answer is to (5)______ elephants from overpopulated to

underpopulated areas, can help to ease the pressures to cull and stops the bitter clashes
(6)________ what to do. However, this is often just too expensive.

The only real (7)________ lies in the opening up of large new elephant rangelands by dropping
the fences of game reserves and joining them up with other protected areas, including those in
adjacent countries. This would create new homelands for thousands of elephants at a
(8)________ of the cost. In fact, one such trans-frontier park was opened early this year. between
South Africa and Botswana in the Kalahari. The governments of South Africa, Zimbabwe,
Botswana and Mozambique have agreed to (9)________ up two more trans- frontier parks in
areas (10) ________ high elephant congestion.

capacity – all – drawn – without – redistribute – over – solution – fraction – set - of

Part 27.

The advertising industry is suffering from a brain drain because an increasing number of senior
executives find the strains of the job (1)_______ with family life, a survey shows. Stress
counsellors say more mature staff are voting with their (2)_______ because they are
disillusioned by poorer pay and less fun since the spendthrift heyday of the late Seventies. Rather
than pursue a place on the board, many choose alternative but less lucrative jobs as (3)_______
as furniture-making and alternative medicine, which enable them to spend more time with their
children.

Experts from the institute say their 2001 census of the 14,000 advertising employees in Britain
raises (4)_______ over a lack of experience in senior positions. There was a danger that unless
companies made greater efforts to retain experienced staff, they may lose (5)_______ with the
"grey market" as the population grew older.

Hamish Pringle, the institute's director general, says: "It bothers me that by definition this means
the industry has very few people with any significant business experience. There are people
advising clients on multimillion-pound decisions who are really very wet behind the (6)_______.
You've got to ask yourself whether that is really good for the business."

He says increasing numbers of men and women tired (7)_______ by the dual demands of desk
work and essential socialising in the London-dominated industry are leaving around the age of
40 to achieve a healthier balance between work and home life.

incompatible – feet – varied – concerns – touch – ears – out

155
Part 28.

Sports psychology is the science of behaviour (1)_______ to exercise and sport participation.
With levels of competition rising ever higher and differences between competing athletes being
measured in fractions of a second, increasing numbers of sportsmen and women are using sports
psychologists to help them gain a competitive (2)_______. During the past decade major national
organizations addressing the area of sports psychology have emerged. Parallel increases have
been apparent in the number of books on the topic, but there is a (3)_______ between the large
amount of publicity about the field and the relatively few trained professionals around. Until now
it has been a comparatively unknown area academically, however, in the (4)_______ of the next
few years, with a rising number of universities offering specialist training, this (5)_______ of
affairs will be resolved as more and more people take up the profession in earnest.

applied – edge – discrepancy – course – state

Part 29.

The research in the University of Leicester Department of Media and Communication examines
interest in celebrities and gossip about them. It was carried out by Dr Charlotte De Backer who
(1)_______ in her study to explain interest in celebrity culture.

She said: “Life is about learning, (2)_______ experience and in that process we have a tendency
to observe and mimic the actions of others. Ideally we mimic what makes others successful and
(3)_______ unsuccessful actions others have trialed (and paid for).

“In reality, humans seem to have the tendency to mimic the overall behavior pattern of higher
status or more successful others.

“This explains why celebrities act as role models for broad (4)_______ of behaviour they display
- good or bad.”

Dr De Backer also examined another theory for interest in celebrity, known as the Parasocial
Hypothesis. In this (5)_______, the bonds are parasocial, or one-way because the celebrity
reveals private information (often involuntary), and the audience members respond emotionally
to this, but there is no feedback of the private life of the audience going to the celebrity (or
hardly ever), and (6)_______ do celebrities display emotions towards their audience

Her study of 800 respondents and over 100 interviews confirmed that younger participants
showed greater interest in celebrity gossip, even if it was about celebrities who were a lot older
than them and even when they did not know the celebrities. They showed greatest interest in
internationally (7)_______ celebrities, because they considered those as more prestigious.

156
Her study also found that older people were interested in celebrity gossip not because they
wanted to learn about the celebrities, but because it helped them to (8)_______ social networks
with other people.

“We did find in the interviews that older people do not gossip about celebrities as (9)_______
because they want to learn from them or feel befriended with them, but they use celebrity gossip
to (10)_______ with real - life friends and acquaintances.

sought – gaining – avoid – ranges – case – nor – known – form – much – bond

Part 30.

How far should members of the public have to run the risk of personal harm where scientific or
technological innovation is (1)_______? In some legal systems, incuding European Union law,
the (2)_______ of the precautionary principle is a statuory requirement. The precautionary
principle advises society to be cautious about a technology or practice where there is scientific
uncertainty, ignorance, gaps in knowledge or the likelihood of (3)_______ outcomes.

This runs (4)_______ to the optimistic notion that any adverse effects that arise unintentionally
can be addressed. (5)_______, some claim these may provide an opportunity to develop new
solutions, and in this way contribute to economic growth. For this reason, the US Chamber of
Commerce dislikes the precautionary approach and prefers the use of sound science, cost –
benefit (6)_______, and risk assessment when assessing a particular regulatory issue. Its strategy
is therefore to : ‘Oppose the domestic and international adoption of the precautionary principle
(7)_______ a basis for regulatory decision making.’ Yet history (8)_______ us that asbestos,
halocarbons and PCBs seemed like miracle substances at first, but turned out to be highly
problematic for human and environmental health.

concerned – application/adoption – unforeseen – counter – Indeed – analysis – as – reminds

Part 31.

Our biological clocks govem almost every aspect of our lives. Our sensitivity to stimuli
(1)_______ over the course of the day, and our ability to perform certain functions is subjects to
fluctuations. Consequently, there is an (2)______ time for tasks such as making decision: around
the middle of the day. Anything that (3)_______ physical co-ordination, on the other hand, is
best attempted in the early evening. What is more , there is a dramatic drop in performance if
these activities are carried out at other times. The risk of accident in a factory, for example, is
20% higher during the night (4)________. Primitive humans lived their lives in (5)_______ with
the daily cycle of light and dark. Today we are firmly convinced that we can impose schedules
on our lives at (6)_______. Sooner or later, however, we pay a price for ignoring our natural
rhythms. A good example is jet lag, caused when we confuse our body's biological clocks by
(7)_______several time zones, people suffering from iet lag can take several days to (8)_______
157
to new time zones, and have a reduced ability to make decisions, which is a wonying thought, as
serious (9)_______ of judgment can be made, And this may be just the tip of the iceberg. An
increasing number of people suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a form of depression
that can be triggered by living in artificial conditions. SAD can be serious, and sufferers, may
(10)_______ need to take antidepressant drugs.

varies – optimum – demands – shift – tune – will – crossing – adjust – errors – even

Part 32.

In cities around the world a wide range of schemes is being instigated to promote environmental
awareness. ‘It’s just as easy to (1)_______ of litter properly as it is to drop it on streets’, says the
city councillor, who has called on the government to mount a concerted campaign to deal with
the problem of litter. It’s just a question of encouraging people to do so as a (2)_______ of
course. Once the habit is ingrained, they won’t even (3)______ they are doing it. After all, think
what we have achieved with recyclable waste in the home. People have become accustomed to
doing this, so it doesn’t (4) ______ to them that they are spending any additional time in the
process. Only if they have to carry this waste for some appreciable distance to find a suitable
container do they feel they are (5) ______. Most people know they should behave in a
responsible way and just need (8) (6)_______ to do so. So a quirky, light – hearted gimmick
might be enough to change behaviour. With this in (7) _____, the city of Berlin is introducing
rubbish bins that say ‘danke’, ‘thank you’ and ‘merci’. It might just (8)_______ the trick in this
city, too.

dispose – matter – notice – occur – inconvenienced – prompting – mind – do

Part 33.

One of the strongest influences on teenagers today is that of their peers. What their friends think,
how they dress and how they act in class and out of it (1)_______ the behaviour of nearly every
teenager. In their (2)_______ not to be different, some children go so (3)_______ as to hide
their intelligence and ability in case they are made fun of. Generally, teenagers do not want to
stand out from the (4)_______. They want to fit in, to be accepted. In psychological terms the
importance of peer pressure can not be overemphasized. There is a lot of evidence that it has
great (5)_______ on all aspects of their lives, from the clothes they wear, the music they listen
to and their (6)_______ to studies, to their ambitions in life, their relationships and their
(7)_______ of self-worth. However, as adolescents grow up into young adults, individuality
becomes more acceptable and in their (8)_______ for their personal style, the teenager and
young adult will begin to experiment and be more willing to (9)_______ the risk of rejection by
the group. Concern about intellectual ability and achieving good exam results can dominate as
the atmosphere of competition develops and worries about the future (10)_______ any fears of
appearing too brainy.
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affect – efforts – far – crowd – bearing – attitude - sense – search – run – override

Part 34.

As medical science progresses, we are becoming an increasingly elderly (1)_______ and,

although living to a ripe old age can only be a good thing, it brings with it a large number of
problems that we have yet to deal with properly. One (2)_______ problem is that the burden of
financing care for the elderly seems to be (3)_______ on a reduced percentage of the working
population. The gradual but steady trend (4)_______ smaller families is likely to result in a
smaller number of people to pay for the requirements of an increasingly elderly population. The
services needed by the elderly appear to have stretched to breaking (5)_______. Nursing homes,
homecare, meals on (6)_______ and so on all need more investment if we wish our elderly to
live as fulfilled and independent a life as possible. Young people today are encouraged to start
saving with personal pension (7)_______ as early as possible to ensure an adequately financed
retirement, since it is predicted that state pension levels in the future will not be enough to
guarantee a (8)_______ of the lifestyle they have become accustomed to. But we still have to
cope with an expanding older population who are discovering too late that the (9)_______ they
had taken to guarantee an income for their later years were not sufficient. Obviously, the
(10)_______ on public funds to subsidize this shortfall is enormous.

society – such – falling – towards – point – wheels - schemes – continuation – steps – pressure

Part 35.

Our ultimate escape from whatever life has thrown at us during our waking day is sleep. Nature’s
healer lowers our eyelids and (1)_______ us with the comforting blanket of unconsciousess.
Every night we are given a period in which our bodies and minds can recuperate and (2)_______
us for the trials and demands of the following day. As we all know, our subconscious controls
our quiet periods, taking our (3)_______ on journeys consisting of events and half-remembered
thoughts from our conscious hours. Our journeys are usually fragmented patterns of sensations
and pictures, sometimes pleasant, sometimes harrowing.

These periods of (4)_______ and dreams are essential for our health and well-being but an
increasing number of people today suffer from an inability to enjoy this necessary form of
escape. Insomnia affects a high proportion of us and this frustrating, debilitating malady can
have dire results. The insomniac wades (5)_______ his waking hours in a fog. Creative thought
can be deadened, reflexes slowed and sensations dimmed. If this ability to sleep lasts for more
than a week or two, what is known as chronic insomnia (6)_______ in, sometimes causing
severe depression and leaving the sufferer unable to cope with daily life.

covers – prepare – minds – consciousness – through – sets

Part 36.
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Throughout history people of all cultures have (1)_______ to their dreams as a means of finding
solutions to problems or answers to specific questions. Nowadays it may seem to be a forgotten
art, but controlled dreaming is increasingly being advocated as a means of tapping (2)_______
the causes of deep – rooted problems. The procedure, known as “incubating a dream”, is not
difficult and almost anyone can develop the habit of focusing on a specific question before
(3)_______ off, in the hope that the subconscious will provide enlightment. Answers may come
in the (4)_______ of symbols or events and may not be immediately obvious, but with guidance
and practice, almost anyone can do it.

Many dream enthusiasts have gone a step (5)_______ and perfected a technique known as ‘lucid
dreaming’. This (6)_______ training your mind to stay awake while dreaming in order to
coherently experience the dream and even control it. Most of us are familiar with the kind of
dream where we know we are dreaming, but being able to do it at (7)_______ and having the
capacity to influence events in the dream is a subtle art. This technique has been shown to be a
useful way of facing up to one’s fears, insecurities, doubts or negative (8)_______. Conversely,
lucid dreaming can be a kind of wish fulfilment, opening up unlimited (9)_______ within the
imagination, empowering the dreamer in a way that can be carried over into waking life as an
additional (10)_______ to one’s self-esteem or feelings of well-being.

turned – into – dropping – form – further – involves – will – emotions – avenues – boost

Part 37.

Some current evidence (1)_______ that dreams may serve no useful psychological or
physiological function, and perform no adaptive role in maintaining our psychological health. In
fact, some researchers believe that dreams are merely an evolutionary by-product of sleep
(2)_______ with a gradually awakening consciousness in human beings – a developmental
cognitive achievement assigned to the healthy functioning of a complex neural network located
in specific (3)_______ of the forebrain.

Nevertheless, the way dreams reflect our emotional preoccupations or run (4)_______ to our
awakened states of consciousness may explain why, throughout history, dreams have been
(5)_______ to various uses. For example, in many societies dreams would be used by shamans
or witch doctors as a means to diagnose or cure illnesses, or to (6)_______ off evil spirits.
Occasionally, dreams would be used to predict the weather or (7)_______ prophecies. In
modern times dreams have been used by psychotherapists as a means of understanding the
patient’s (8)_______ of mind, or simply to induce him or her to talk about repressed feelings.
Dreams may (9)_______ be used socially, as an ice-breaker, or as a way for some people to
express fantasies. But there are emergent functions, coming (10)_______ as a result of dreams
rather than causing them.

suggests – combined – areas - parallel – put – fend – make – state – even – about
160
Part 38.

A few generations ago, a university education could only be aspired (1)_______ by an elite
minority. In the last few decades, however, a change has slowly but (2)_______ been taking
place and prospective students who, a century ago, would have known that even a basic
education was beyond their (3)_______, can now look forward to gaining a degree in higher
education. Universities have been (4)_______ into places not only of learning, but also of
business and are (5)_______ out on a regular basis their finished product – the graduate.

However, degree – holders are still faced with a problem. What used to be a passport to
employment is no longer a (6)_______ of success. And (7)_______ so: there are so many
graduates on the job market these days that it would be impossible to employ them all. Were
employers able to do (8)_______, everyone would surely be a great deal happier. Consequenty,
a number of schemes have been set up in order to help and advise those (9)_______ who have
been unable to find work. The matter of further education is still (10)_______ that needs
attention.

to – surely – reach – transformed – churning – guarantee – understandably – so – graduates – one

Part 39.

There has been a significant (1)_______ in entertainment trends over the last twenty years or so.
Entertainment used to be public; now it is becoming more and more (2)_______. Formerly,
people wanting to amuse themselves did so in groups; these days, people (3)_______ entertain
themselves on their own.

Long, long ago, there were storytellers. They used to travel around the country and their
(4)_______ was awaited with eager anticipation. In the more (5)_______ past, people used to
have musical evenings, they used to play games together, or simply sit around the fire and chat.

Nowadays, instead of playing board games in a group, children play video games alone or with
one (6)_______ person. People of all ages spend their evenings alone watching televisions,
videos and DVDs. And large numbers of young (and not so young) enthusiasts spend their free
time surfing the net, which, by its very (7)_______, tends to be a solitary activity.

Forms of entertainment have always been changing of course, but it could be said that these
recent changes – all products of technological development – (8)_______ a more fundamental
shift. One could (9)_______argue that this shift is symbolised by the earphones that are in
evidence everywhere. Can this deliberate attempt to (10)_______ out the rest of the world really
be called entertainment?

shift – private – do - arrival – recent – other – nature – mark – further – shut

161
Part 40.

An Italian academic, Giorgio Stabile, has (1)_______ to light the fact that the ubiquitous symbol
of Internet era communication, the @ sign used in email addresses, is (2)_______ a 500-year-
old invention of Italian merchants. He claims to have stumbled on the earliest known example of
the symbol’s use, as an (3)_______ of a measure of weight or volume. He said the @ sign
(4)_______ an amphora, a measure of capacity based on the terracotta jars (5)_______ to
transport grain and liquid in the ancient Mediterranean world. The first known (6)_______ of its
use occurred in a letter written by a Florentine merchant on May 4, 1536. The ancient symbol
was uncovered in the (7)______ of research for a visual history of the 20 th century. Apparently,
the sign had made its (8)_______ along trade routes to northern Europe, where it took on its
contemporary accountancy (9)_______: “at the price of”. According to Professor Stabile, the
oldest example could be of great value as it could be used for publicity (10)_______ and to
enhance the prestige of the institution that has it in their possession.

brought – actually – indication – represented – used – instance – course – way - meaning –

purposes

Part 41.

These days, there is a growing band of 'shoestring renovators' who, in a (1)_______ where
finance is hard to come by, are scaling (2)_______ their refurbishment plans and coming up with
imaginative ways to transform their homes. Extra money is in short (3)_______ so things are
done (4)_______ the cheap - not in a nasty way but in a way that makes use of materials that
other people don't want. Sarah and her husband are an example of this way of a (5)_______
budget: the loan on an old cottage they bought was reduced by the bank so they had no choice
but to do most of the work themselves.

Sarah spent every spare minute for a year painting and decorating. She sourced materials and
furniture from eBay and recycled friends' unwanted possessions. Do-It-Yourself, however, is not
(6)_______ its hazards: Steve, Sarah's husband, (7)_______ himself out cold for two hours by
hitting his head on a low beam above the front door. Another time, they only just (8)_______ to
save their new kitchen furniture from being ruined after a mains water pipe burst. However, the
upside is that the project has opened up a new (9)_______ for Sarah - people have seen her work
and have suggested she start up her own home-styling business. And the cottage next door is for
sale so more creative furniture sourcing could lie just around the (10)_______ !

climate – back – supply – on – tight – without – knocked – managed – avenue – corner

Part 42.

Many students in the UK consider doing a gap year before going to university. Critics
(1)_______ whether it is a just a long glorified holiday or if it's really worth doing. Does it
162
actually help students in their careers? Some educational establishments (2)_______ encourage
students to take a gap year and recommend that students take advantage of the opportunities
(3)_______. However, most of them would prefer it if the students did some (4)_______ of
voluntary work instead of just having a holiday. There are numerous organisations which
organise these trips for students and it's a good idea to (5)_______ them out online. One of the
main advantages is that it's a great way to get to know more about different cultures and, for
many, it is also a painless way to learn another language by speaking to local people. Volunteers
who stay in local homes say that they get the chance to experience local culture and customs and,
in (6)_______, to try a variety of food which they wouldn't (7)_______ have tried. When I was
18 years old, I had set my (8)_______ on going to work in Africa for a year, but unfortunately
my parents wouldn’t let me go and (9)_______ that I went to university immediately. I'm 49
years old and still haven’t had my gap year! Maybe one day I'll get (10)_______ to doing it.

question – do – available – kind – check – particular – otherwise – heart – insisted - around

Part 43.

Violence is alive and well on television. Yet there appears to be a difference in the quality,
variety, and pervasiveness of today’s televised violence. Some observers believe that, as a result
of more than three decades of television, viewers have developed a kind of (1)_______ to the
horror of violence. By the age of 16, for example, the (2)_______ young person will have seen
some 18,000 murders on television. One extension of this phenomenon may be an appetite for
more varied kinds of violence. On the basis of the amount of exposure, certain things that
initially would have been beyond the (3)_______ have become more readily accepted.

Violence on TV has been more prevalent than in recent years, in (4)_______ measure because
there are fewer situation comedies and more action series. But also because some 25 million of
the nation’s 85 million homes with television now receive one of the pay cable (5)_______
which routinely show uncut feature films containing graphic violence as early as 8 in the
evening.

The evidence is (6)_______ so overwhelming that just as witnessing violence in the home may
contribute to children learning and acting out violent behavior, violence on TV and in the movies
may lead to the same result. Studies have shown that a steady diet of watching graphic violence
or sexually violent films such as those shown on cable TV has caused some men to be more
(7)_______ to accept violence against women. Not only actual violence, but the kind of violence
coming through the television screen is causing concern. One of the principal developments is
the increasing sophistication of the weaponry. The simple gunfight of the past has been
augmented by high-tech crimes like terrorist bombings. Programs in the past used the occasional
machine gun, but (8)_______ weapons as the M-60 machine gun and Uzi semi-automatic have
become commonplace today on network shows.

163
Many people are no longer concerned about televised violence because they feel it is the
(9)_______ of the world. It is high time that broadcasters provided public (10)_______ on TV
screens that would warn viewers about the potentially harmful effects of viewing violence.

community – average – pale – large – services – becoming – willing – such – way – messages

Part 44.

Over the last century the world has become increasingly smaller. Not geographically, of course,
but in the (1)_______ that media, technology and the opening of borders has enabled the world’s
citizens to view, share and gain access to a much wider range of cultures, societies and world
views. In this (2)______ pot that the world has become, today’s child is privy (3)_______ facets
of the human experience that his immediate predecessors had no inkling even existed. It
(4)_______ to reason that in order to absorb, configure and finally form opinions about this
information-laden planet, children must be supplied with certain tools. (5)______ in this list of
‘tools’ are: education, social skills, cultural awareness and the acquisition of languages, the most
important of these being the latter. Until recently, a child who had the ability to speak more than
one language would have been considered a very (6)______ entity. This one-language
phenomenon could be attributed to a combination of factors. One of them is that the monolingual
environment in which a child was raised played a strong role, (7)_______ did the limited, biased
education of the past. With regard to immigrants, the sad fact was that non-native parents tended
to withhold the teaching of the mother tongue so that the child would acquire the ‘more
prestigious’ language of the adopted country. Nowadays, the situation has (8)_______ an almost
complete reversal. In the majority of North American and European countries, most children are
given the opportunity to learn a second or even a third language. Children acquire these foreign
languages through various and diverse means. In many countries, learning a foreign language is a
compulsory subject in the state school (9)_______. Other children rely on language schools or
private tuition to achieve their goal. In other instances, children are (10)_______ to bilingual
parents, who, if they so desire, may teach the children two languages.

sense – melting – to – stands – Included – rare – as – undergone – curriculum – born

Part 45.

Our daily lives are largely made up of contacts with other people, during which we are
constantly making judgments of their personalities and accommodating our behavior to them in
(1)_______ with these judgments. A casual meeting of neighbors on the street, an employer
giving instructions to an employee, a mother telling her children how to behave, a journey in a
train where strangers eye one another without exchanging a word - all these involve (2)_______
interpretations of personal qualities. Success in many vocations largely depends on skill in
(3)_______ up people. It is important not only to such professionals as the clinical psychologist,
the psychiatrist or the social worker, but also to the doctor or lawyer in dealing with their clients,
164
the businessman trying to outwit his rivals, the salesman with potential customers, the teacher
with his pupils, (4)_______ to speak of the pupils judging their teacher. Social life, indeed,
would be (5)_______ if we did not, to some extent, understand, and react to the motives and
qualities of those we meet; and clearly we are sufficiently accurate for most practical purposes,
although we also recognize that misinterpretations easily (6)_______ - particularly on the part of
others who judge us! Errors can often be corrected as we go (7)_______. But whenever we are
(8)_______ down to a definite decision about a person, which cannot easily be revised through
his 'feed-back', the inadequacies of our judgments become apparent. The hostess who wrongly
thinks that the Smiths and the Joneses will get on well together can do (9)_______ to retrieve the
success of her party. A school or a business may be saddled for years with an undesirable
member of staff, because the selection committee which interviewed him for a quarter of an hour
(10)_______ his personality.

accordance – mutual – sizing – not – impossible – arise – along – pinned – little - misjudged

Part 46.

Can you feel your anxiety and stress levels increasing every time you get caught in a traffic jam?
Do you find it difficult to control your tongue when your boss points out your shortcomings yet
again? Do you (1)_______ for state-of-the-art technology in your home that you haven’t had to
pay for? If you are shouting an enthusiastic “Yes!” in answer to these questions, then it could be
(2)_______ to make a career and life change that may not even require you to quit your job.

Working from home is a relatively new phenomenon, but is becoming an increasingly popular
(3)_______ with both businesses and employees. The technology available to us means that we
no longer need to be in the same office building as our colleagues to communicate effectively
with each other. Companies may choose to employ a proportion of their staff as home-based
workers, as, of course, a workforce set up in such a way requires far less office (4)_______ and
fewer parking facilities. The fixed costs of a business can be dramatically reduced. Employees
can enjoy the added benefits of freedom to schedule the day as they choose and freedom to spend
more time at home with their families. We can even go so far as to say that the working-from-
home phenomenon could be one of the answers to the pollution problems which the modern
world has inflicted upon (5)_______. Fewer people travelling to work every day equals fewer
cars. Fewer cars, of course, (6)_______ to lower CO2 levels in the atmosphere.

But what are the drawbacks to working at home? For many of us, work is a means of (7)_______
our nearest and dearest and making our own mark on the world. The relationships we have with
our colleagues are a significant part of our life - after all, full-time workers spend a third of their
day in their workplace. Some people who work from home feel that they are actually much more
(8)_______ and can get tasks done in a much shorter time than in an office environment. Others,

165
however, may be demotivated by the isolation and find it difficult to get down to tasks which
have a more intangible deadline.

As with most aspects of life, a (9)_______ is probably the best solution for the majority of
workers – a job based at home which requires regular contact with colleagues at regular
meetings. Management surveys show that successful business is easier if we operate as a
(10)_______: brainstorming and sharing ideas and offering support and motivation to each other.
After all, we are only human and we need others to complain to if we have a bad day at work!

yearn – time – option – space – itself – equates – escaping – productive – balance – team

Part 47.

Beauty is the (1)_______ of a thing or person that gives you pleasure. Inner beauty refers to
psychological factors, such as intelligence, kindness, compassion, and honesty. Outer beauty, or
physical attractiveness, refers to factors such as looks, health, youthfulness, and symmetry.

Is the ability to define physical or psychological attractiveness innate or learned ? Is beauty

objective or subjective? There is some (2)_______ that the sense of beauty is subjective and
culturally relative. The popular saying “beauty is in the eye of the (3)_______” tells us that
different people have different opinions about what is beautiful. For example, most Westerners
consider a woman with a wide mouth attractive, while many Chinese regard a woman with a
small mouth as beautiful. During part of China’s history, women with big feet were considered
to be ugly. Traditional Chinese foot-binding was (4)_______ to keep a woman’s feet tiny and
thus “beautiful”. To people in the modern world, the foot-binding of women was painful,
horrible, and ugly. These two examples suggest that some ideas about beauty are learned and
(5)_______ to change.

On the other hand, research indicates that a preference for beautiful faces (6)_______ early in a
child’s development. A small child plays with facially attractive dolls longer than with facially
unattractive dolls. Children innately pay attention to the beauty of nature.

People from various cultures and periods of time may have slightly different ideas about beauty.
Nonetheless, they usually share many (7)_______ of beauty. A kind, honest, and intelligent
individual is attractive. So is a healthy, youthful person with a mathematically (8)_______ face
and a well – proportioned body. The appreciation of many aspects of both inner beauty and outer
beauty is innate.

Many aspects of beauty have been valued throughout human (9)_______. Our notion of beauty is
innate, though that innate sense may be (10)_______ by the environment.

quality – evidence – beholder – intended – subject – occurs – standards – average – history –

influenced
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Part 48.

Early civilisations, as (1)_______ to merely primitive early societies, seem to have a common
positive characteristic in that they change human (2)_______ of things. They bring together the
cooperative efforts of large number of people, usually bringing them together physically in large
agglomerations.

Civilisation is usually marked by urbanisation. It would be a bold individual was willing to draw
a precise (3)_______ at the moment when the balance tipped (4)_______ a dense pattern of
agricultural villages clustered (5)_______ a religious centre or a market to reveal the first true
city. However, it is perfectly resonable to say that more than any (6)_______ institution has
provided the critical mass which produces civilisation.

Inside the city, the surpluses of wealth produced by agriculture made possible other things
(7)_______ of civilised life. They provided for the upkeep of a priestly (8)_______ which
elaborated a complex religious structure, leading to the construction of great buidings
(9)_______ more than merely economic functions, and in due (10)_______ to the writing down
of literature.

opposed – scale – line – towards – around/round – other – characteristic – class - serving –

course

Part 49.

The average citizen is bombarded with TV commercials, posters and newspapers advertisements
(1)_______ he goes. Not only this, but promotional material is constantly on (2)_______, with
every available public space from shop to petrol station covered with advertising of some kind.
People who are foolish enough to drive with their windows open are likely to have leaflets
advertising everything and anything thrust in at them. The amount of advertising to which we are
(3)_______ is phenomenal, yet advertisers are being hurt by their industry’s worst recession in a
decade and a conviction that is in many respects more frightening than the (4)_______ and busts
of capitalism: the belief that advertising can go no further. Despite the ingenuity of the
advertisers, who, in their need to make advertisements as visually as attractive as possible, often
totally obscure the message, the consumer has become increasingly cynical and simply blanks
(5)_______ all but the subtlest messages. The advertising industry has therefore turned to a more
vulnerable (6)_______: the young.

The messages specifically aimed at children are for toys and games – whose promotional budgets
increased fivefold in the 1990s – and fast food, which dominate the children’s advertising
market. However the main thrust of advertising in this area is no longer (7)_______ traditional
children‘s products. Advertisers acknowledge that the commercial pressures of the 1990s had an
extraordinary effect on childhood: it is now generally believed that the cut-off (8)_______ for
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buying toys has been falling by one year every five years. Research suggests that while not so
many years ago children were happy with Lego or similar construction games at ten or eleven,
most of today’s children (9)_______ them at six or seven. In effect, the result is the premature
(10)_______ of children.

wherever – view – exposed – booms – out – target – towards – point – abandon – ageing/aging

Part 50.

The game of solving difficult puzzles has always filled people with the feeling of a profound
excitement. No (1)_______, then, that the fascination of treasure hunting has invariably been
associated with the possibility of (2)_______ the most improbable dreams. According to what
the psychologists claim, there is a little boy in every treasure hunter. Yet, the chase of hidden
valuables has recenlty become a serious venture with amateur and professional seekers equipped
with highly sophisticated (3)_______ like matal detectors, radars, sonars or underwater cameras.

What (4)_______ the adrenaline level in these treasure - obsessed fanatics are legends, myths,
old maps and other variety of clues promising immeasurable fortunes (5)_______ beneath the
earh's surface or drowned in the ancient galleys.

For many reasure hunters the struggle of hint searching is even more stimulating than digging
out a treasure (6)_______ composed of golden or silver objects, jewellery and other priceless
artefacts. The job is, however, extremely strenuous as even the most puzzling clues must be
thoroughly analysed. Failures and misinterpertations (7)_______ quite frequently, too.Yet,
(8)_______ the most unlikely clue or the smallest find is enough to reinforce the hunter's self -
confidence and passion.

Indeed, the delight in treasure finding doesn't always depend on acquiring tremendous amounts
of valuables. Whatever is detected, (9)_______ it a rusty sundial or a marble statue, brings joy
and (10)_______ after a long and exhausting search.

wonder – realizing – devices –raises – buried – trove – occur – even – be - reward

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