Tài liệu ôn thi HSG môn Tiếng Anh 12

I.  VOCABULARY

I. Use the correct form of each of the words given in parentheses to fill in the blank in each sentence.

Exercise 1.   

1.  The unresponsive audience made the lecturer somewhat ............................. (heart).

What a same. 

2.  She’s quite an .................................. (eye)!

3.  His family suffered from his ......................................... (expend).

4.  The ..................................... (edit) staff consists of ten experienced journalists.

5.  This leads to more pressure being put on the ........................................ (adequate) public transport system.

6.  Switzerland is a .................................... (mountain) country.

7.  The nineteenth-century faith in the power of science is now very ........................... (question).

8.  A person with an ................................ (inferior) complex can be very disagreeable.

9.  There was loud ................................... (laugh) as the clown fell off the ladder.

10. Although he is now middle-aged, he still looks quite ................................. (youth).              

Exercise 2.                

1.  Alison’s ................................. (shy) made it hard for her to speak in public.

2.  He had the ............................. (annoy) habit of borrowing books and then fogetting to return them.

3.  Remind me of my appointment. I am ................................. (forget).

4.  For one who has spent his life in town, a trip into the mountains could prove an .................................... (forget) experience.

5.  He had been ............................... (expect) delayed at the office and was now in a hurry to keep his ............................. (appoint) with the dentist.

6.  Recently health foods have increased in ............................... (popular).

7.  The old lady hid all her ............................... (save) under the floor.

8.  The gas from the chemical factory was extremely ............................ (harm).

9.  Unless something is done about unemployment, the ............................ (look) for the future is not good.

10. The ................................. (conclude) is that the plan will fail.

Exercise 3.                

1.  Bill was given a medal in .................................. (recognise) of his services.

2.  All ................................... (apply) must be received before July 20th 2007.

3.  Karen and Catherine are ................................... (identity) twins.

4.  You look rather ............................... (occupy). Are you worried about something?

5.  I’m sure that the whole problem is a simple ................................. (understand).

6.  Going swimming everyday would have very ............................ (benefit) effects.

7.  It’s much more ............................... (economy) to buy large size packets.

8.  My ankle is really .............................. (swell) and I can’t walk easily. 

9.  The government’s ........................... (compromise) approach has brought criticism.

10. The meeting adopted a .............................. (resolve) calling for Smith to resign.

Exercise 4.                

1.  Please ................................. (know) our letter of the 14th. We have not had a reply.

2.  Keith’s exam results turned out to be ............................... (disaster).

3.  There will be no pay rises in the .................................. (see) future.

4.  Jim is one of the most ................................. (speak) members of the committee.

5.  What are the entry ................................ (require) at this university?

6.  Jackie suffered as a child from a very strict ................................ (bring).

7.  I think that your ................................. (assume) about the cost are wrong.

8.  This statue ............................. (memory) the soldiers who died in the war. 

9.  The idea that the sun ‘rises’ is a popular ................................ (conceive).

10. Ruth has gone back to college to get a teaching .............................. (qualify).

Exercise 5.                

1.  The villages in the mountains are quite .............................. (access) during winter.

2.  The inquiry decided that the police were not entirely .............................. (blame).

3.  Sam was accused of stealing some ................................ (confidence) documents from the safe.

4.  You do not have to go. Your decision must be entirely ........................ (volunteer).

5.  How do you like my latest .............................. (acquire) for my stamp collection?

6.  The minister gave .......................... (evade) answers to the interviewer’s questions.

7.  The two prisoners are to be ............................. (trial) next month.

8.  Most people agree that Cristmas has become too ............................ (commerce).

9.  The dancer’s movements were extremely ............................... (grace).

10. The cost of ................................ (admit) to the show is quite reasonable.

Exercise 6.                

1.  People used to suffer from their life-time physical ................................. (normal).

2.  Unless we do research on .......................... (sun) energy, wind power, ....................

     (tide) power ..., our fossil fuels will run out.

3.  In my opinion, this book is just .................................. (intellect) rubbish.

4.  The alpine .................................. (land) is very dramatic.

5.  The slight .............................. (form) in his left hand was corrected by surgery.

6.  It may be .................................... (produce) to force them into making a decision, and if you upset them they’re quite likely to overact.

7.  Like oil, gas is a fossil fuel and is thus a ........................ (renew) source of energy.

8.  Various ............................... (practise) by police officers were brought to light by the enquiry.

9.  Tourists forget their ................... (conceive) ideas as soon as they visit our country.

10. They won the case because of the .................... (appear) in court of the defendant. 

Exercise 7.                

ANTHROPOLOGY

One of the most (0) .......challenging................... (challenge) aspects of the science of anthropology comes from its fieldwork. Certainly, in its (1)............................. (infant) as a profession, anthropology was distinguished by its concentration on so-called “primitive societies” in which social (2)........................(institute) appeared to be fairly limited and social interaction to be conducted almost (3)................................(exclude) face-to-face. Such societies, it was felt, provided anthropologists with a valuable (4)..............................(see) into the workings of society that contrasted with the many complexities of more highly developed societies. There was also a sense that the ways of life represented by these smaller societies were rapidly (5)..............................

(appear) and that preserving a record of them was a matter of some urgency.

The (6)..........................(commit) of anthropologists to the first-hand collection of data led them to some of the most (7)............................(access) places on earth. Most often they worked alone. Such lack of contact with other people created feelings of intense (8)............................(lonely) in some anthropologists, especially in the early stages of fieldwork. Nevertheless, this process of (9)........................(immense) in a totally alien culture continues to attract men and women to anthropology, and is (10).....................

(deny) the most effective way of understanding in depth how other people see the world.

Exercise 8.                

EXTRACT FROM AN ARTICLE

Silicon Valley Millionaires

Although the Internet is still probably only in embryonic form in (1)............................

(compare) to what it will be like in the future, there is no doubt that many Internet businesses have been extremely (2)............................... (profit). San Francisco has the highest (3)................................ (concentrate) of self-made Internet millionaires. Some have made their money from clever (4).......................... (invest) in Internet businesses while others have used their skills to create (5)............................... (innovate) Internet products. Regardless of how they became (6)........................ (wealth), one thing these

People share is an almost (7)................................... (obsess) dedication to their work.

Many work at home in luxurious houses and flats. (8)......................... (fortunate), this influx of very rich young people has pushed property values beyond the means of many others.

EXTRACT FROM AN ENCYCLOPEDIA

How Sociable Are Cats?

The cat is often characterised as a solitary, (9)........................... (self) animal, walking alone and coming together with other cats only to fight or mate. Wild cats fit this picture (10)............................ (reason) well, but they are (11)........................... (able) of changing their ways in more crowded situations. Living in cities and towns, and in the homes of their human owners cats show a remarkable and (12).............................. (expect) degree of sociability. Anyone doubting this must remember that, to a pet cat, we ourselves are gaint cats. The fact that domestic cats will share a home with a human family is, in itself (13).............................. (prove) of their social flexibility. But this picture is (14)................................ (complete). There are many other ways in which cats demonstrate co-operation, mutual aid and (15)........................... (tolerate).

Exercise 9.                

THE SPIRAL AND THE HELIX

They are everywhere, graceful, curving shapes whose incredible (1)........................... (regular) contrasts so sharply with the random world around them. We call them spirals and helices but that hardly does (2)............................ (just) to their diversity or their significance. Over the centuries, (3)................................ (mathematics) have identified many different types, but the most intriguing are those that (4).................... (repeat) occur in the natural world.

The need to (5)................................. (ravel) the mysteries of the existence of spirals and helices has exercised some of the best scientific brains in the world and opened the way to a number of (6)................................ (break) in fields as widely varied as genetics and (7).................................. (meteor).

The most (8)................................... (spectacle) spirals on earth are also the most unwelcome hurricanes. Their (9)............................ (awe) power comes from the sun’s heat, but they owe their shape to the force caused by the rotation of the earth. After innumberable years of study, however, Nature’s spirals and helices have yet to (10)........................................ (close) all their secrets. For example, why, astronomers wonder, are so many galaxies spiral-shaped?  

Exercise 10.                

TRAINING FOR A MARATHON

A successful marathon training programme starts slowly, (1)......................... (intense) gradually and then tapers off before the big race to (2)....................... (sure) maximum energy. A typical schedule for a beginner lasts  six weeks, which is enough time to build up the endurance and (3)........................ (strong) needed to run twenty-six miles

while avoiding (4)................................ (injure). Before you begin training you should be capable of (5)................................ (comfort) running for 45 minutes. The most important element in the programme is long runs, as these allow you to develope the physical and mental (6).......................... (tough) that will enable you to run for several hours without (7)................................ (interrupt). To be fresh for the race, make your final run two or three weeks before the marathon.

BORN TO BICKER

It seems so petty and (8)...................... (child)! While we expect sibling (9).................

(rival) among our children we’re often embarrassed to find similar emotions ourselves. Yet we do sometimes have (10)............................ (pain) animosities that can cause some of the most (11).............................. (resolve) problems of adult life.

(12)............................. (compete) is inherent in all aspects of life. If nations compete, it shouldn’t be surprising that siblings do too – for their parents’ affection and then for the (13)................................ (admire) of bosses, peers and friends. As we grow older we usually find that there is enough love and (14)........................... (recognise) to go round. Some siblings may be more (15).............................. (assert) while others

have more urgent needs for love and attention and this can produce conflict.

Exercise 11.                

WEDDING OF STRANGERS

A wedding between two strangers who met for the first time when they exchanged marital vows during a peak time radio broadcast has come in for widespread (1)................................. (critic). Carla Germaine and Greg Cordell were married after winning each other in a ‘lonely heart’ competition organized by BRMB radio station. The service, perhaps (2)................................... (surprise), attracted the highest ratings figures of the year.

The model and salesman were (3)..................................... (dismiss) of their critics and say they have made a serious (4)................................ (commit) to make their marriage work. ‘Everyone seems to have the (5)................................. (expect) that we will split up, but we’re going to prove them wrong,’ Cordell said (6)............................ (defy).

The couple were selected from 200 (7)..................................... (hope) candidates by a panel including (8)............................... (relate) counsellors and an astrologer. As well as each other, they won a free honeymoon in the Bahamas, a sports car and a luxury two bedroom apartment.

ANIMALS

Most cat ansd dog owners would swear their pet was virtually human. It’s pleased to see you and shows its disapproval when they go. It may not be particularly (9).................................... (talk) or a genius mathematics but it sees grass as green and inhabits as rich world of smells (10).............................. (imagine) to us. Until recently such notions of a pet’s inner life, with (11)................................... (similar) to our own in some ways would have been met with a (12).................................... (know) sneer in many respected (13)................................. (science) circles. Nowdays in fact, claiming (14)................................ (conscious) for your pets is commonplace. The problem now is providing an adequate (15)............................... (define) of what this actually means. Is it about having sensations like hunger and pain, or is it more about the ability to be aware that you are experiencing something?

Exercise 12.                

HARD TO BELIEVE !

Albert and Betty Cheetham hit the headlines recently thanks to an astonishing lists of coincidences. On holiday in Tunisia, the (1)................................ (retire) couple found themselves dinning opposite another retired couple - Albert and Betty Rivers. And,

also (2)..................................... (coincidence), Mr Cheethan and Mr Rivers had both previously worked for a railway company, while Mrs Cheethan and Mrs Rivers had both worked for the post office. The two couples also made the (3)............................

(discover) that they both had two sons and five grandchildren and, to their (4)........................ (amazing), that the date and time of their (5)...................... (marry) was exactly the same i.e. 2p.m. August 15th, 1942.

A more sustained coincidence is that seven of the eight US presidents who died in office were elected at exactly 20 year intervals between 1840 and 1960. Its was eventually Ronald Reagan, beginning his (6)............................................ (president)

in 1980, 20 years after John. F. Kennedy, who broke the cycle after surviving an (7)...................... (assassinate) attempt and finishing his last term (8)................. (live). 

OUT FOR THE COUNT

‘You are what you think you are,’ says self-hypnotist Jonathan Atkinson. So there are 20 of us lying on our backs trying to communicate with our (9)...................................

(conscious) minds. We start by describing our problems. I’ve got the usual (10).......................... (complain): tiredness, insomnia, (11).......................... (anxious).

Six years ago, Jonathan was a typical 40 cigarettes-a-day executive under too much (12)............................... (stressful). Then he learnt self-hypnosis. What is particularly (13)........................... (impress) is that he can stop the bleeding when he cuts himself shaving, and have his teeth filled without needing an (14)............................... (inject).  

Gradually what started off as weird becomes (15)................................... (understand).

Why in hypnosis, Jonathan tells us that whenever we count to ten, with the (16).................................. (intend) of going into self-hypnosis, we’ll be able to do it. Amazingly, it seems to work.

Exercise 13.                

FOOD MILES

In Britain, what is described as ‘food miles’, the distance which food is transported from the place where it is grown to its point of sale, continues to rise. This has major economic, social and environmental consequences, given the traffic congestion and pollution which (1)............................ (variable) follow.

According to (2)......................... (press) groups, the same amount of food is travelling 50 percent further than twenty years ago. What’s more, the rise in the demand for road haulage over this period has mostly been due to the transport of food and drink. The groups assert that the increase in the number of lorry journeys is (3)...................... (exceed) and that many of these are far from (4)......................... (essence).

In the distribution systems employed by British food (5)............................. (retail), fleets of lorries bring all goods into more (6).................................. (centre) located warehouses for redistribution across the country. (7)............................... (logic) as this moght appear, the situation whereby some goods get sent back to the same areas from which they came is (8)................................... (avoid).

In response to scathing (9)........................ (critic) from environmentalists, some food distributors now aim to minimise the impact of food miles by routing vehicles, wherever possible, on motorways after dark. This encourages greater energy (10)................................ (efficient) whilst also reducing the impact on the residential areas through which they would otherwise pass.   

Exercise 14.                

More than half the world’s population consider (1).................................... (them) shy,

delegates to the first international (2).................................. (confer) on shyness, being held in Cardiff, will be told today. One in 10 cases is severe. Effects include mutism, speech problem, (3).................................. (lonely), blushing, shaking and trembling, lack of eye contact, (4)................................ (difficult) in forming relationships and social phobia – the most extreme form of shyness, defined by the American Psychiatric Association as a pronounced and (5).............................. (persist) fear of social or performance situations in which (6).................................. (embarrass) may occur. Shy people tend to blame themselves for social (7)............................ (fail) and attribute success to (8)................................ (out) factors. They expect their behaviour to be (9)................................. (adequate), remember only negative information about themselves and accept without challenge adverse comments from others.

The cause are complex and not fully understood. The latest theory is that it can be traced to genes as well as to social (10)................................ (condition). One estimate, based on research with twins, is that around 15 percent of the population are born with  a (11).............................. (dispose) to shyness. Some (12).................................... (psychology) believe there are two types: an early developing, fearful and shyness and a later developing, (13)............................ (conscious) shyness. The fearful version emerges often in the first year of life and is (14)............................... (think) to be (15)............................... (part) inherited.

Exercise 15.                

THE LIFE OF A FOOTBALL FAN

Being a fan is not a vicarious pleasure, all appearances to the contrary. Our fun is not a (1).................................. (water) – down version of the team’s fun, even though they are the ones that get to score the goals. The (2)..................................... (excite) we feel on occasions like this is not a (3)......................................... (celebrate) of others’ good fortune, but it is truly our own. And when there is a (4)................................. (disaster) defeat the sorrow that engulfs us is, in effect, self-pity. The players are merely our (5)................................... (represent). I am a part of the club, just as the club is part of me; and I say this with total (6)..................................................... (aware) that the club (7)......................... (regard) my views, and treats me (8)............................................... (appalling) on occasions.

THE ART OF FENCING

Fencing is popular sport that demands (9)............................ (agile) and quick reflexes. It is, (10)................................ (basic), the modern version of the (11)...........................

(equivalence) of the everyday swords of the past. The ‘foil’ is the weapon distinguished by its (13).............................. (light) and hits are made only on the trunk of the body, not the limbs or head. The ‘epée’ is most like the old duelling sword and is stiffer and more solid. It is (14).................................... (permit) with this to make hits anywhere on the body, head or limbs. The ‘sabre’ is like the old cavalry sword and has proved its (15)................................ (effective) in cutting as well as thrusting. Fencers wear masks and thick waistcoats for (16)............................... (protect) from injuries which can occur during matches.

II. Choose the best word from A, B, C or D that fits each blank.

1.  The hotel room was ...................... furnished with only a bed, a wardrobe, and an ancient armchair. 

A. thinly                     B. sparsely                C. lightly                    D. sketchily

2.  The main disadvantage to our house is that the only .................... to the garden is through a bedroom.

A. passage                B. doorway                C. access                   D. communication

3.  The demonstrations .................... in one hundred students being arrested.

A. culminated           B. erupted                 C. escalated              D. concluded

4.  Although he was a hardened criminal, his one ...... feature was his love of children.

A. saving                   B. redeeming C. recovering D. acquitting

5.  Following the accident, he was prosecuted for ........................... driving.

A. rash                       B. heedless               C. irresponsible        D. reckless

6.  In many places in Wales we found that place-names in English had been ............... with green paint – the work of ardent Welsh Nationalists.

A. suppressed          B. disguised              C. obliterated D. destroyed

7.  She took up so many hobbies when she retired that she had hardly any time ...........

A. on her hands       B. in hand                 C. at her hand          D. at hand

8.  He was hardened criminal without a scrap of ...................... for his crimes.

A. pity             B. reproach               C. remorse                 D. penance

9.  We might just as well have stayed at home ......................... the enjoyment we had.

A. on account of       B. as far as                C. for all                     D. concerning

10. Don’t stick your elbows out when you eat.  ....................... them in by your sides.

A. tuck                        B. bend                      C. place                     D. turn

11. Nothing was arranged – it was all very ......................................... .

A. take away B. worn out                C. slapdash               D. slap up

12. She gave me the same advice ............................ you did.

A. like             B. than                       C. as                           D. who

13. He was ............................ with an extraordinary musical ability.

A. ensured                B. entrusted              C. entreated              D. endowed

14. Not being able to find my phone number is a pretty .................... excuse for not contacting me.

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

15. Fearing for his life, he .............................. the muggers for mercy.

A. pleaded                 B. petitioned C. urged                     D. begged

16. 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

17. A special committee was set up to ........... on the problem of football hooliganism.

A. investigate            B. inform                    C. research               D. report

18. After the flash flood, all the drains were overflowing ........................ storm water.

A. from                       B. with                        C. by                           D. for

19. The factory is working below ......... because of the shortage of essential materials.

A. range                     B. scope                    C. capacity                D. density

20. If the work-force respected you, you wouldn’t need to ............................... your authority so often.

A. assert                    B. affirm                     C. maintain               D. inflict 

21. I’ve had my car examined three times now but no mechanic has been able to ........ the problem.

A. pinpoint                 B. focus                     C. specify                  D. highlight

22. Our hosts had prepared a ............ meal withseven courses to celebrate our arrival.

A. generous              B. profuse                 C. lavish                    D. spendthrift

23. I explained that I wanted to ........................... my legal right to consult a solicitor.

A. entertain               B. exercise                C. grant                      D. insist

24. We were all rather in awe ........................... the new computers when they arrived.

A. about                     B. before                    C. by                           D. of

25. The case was ................................... by the judge for lack of evidence.

A. disallowed B. dismissed             C. abandoned          D. discarded

26. Once she’s ............................... a few tears she’ll resign herself to the situation.

A. shed                      B. split                        C. sobbed                  D. released

27. .................... the regular written work, you will be required to submit a long essay.

A. Apart from B. Beside                   C. In addition D. Beyond

28. ........................... the difficulty of the task, I shall be lucky to complete it by May.

A. Regarding B. Given                     C. Presuming           D. Accepted

29. He was so .......... in answer to my questions that I knew he has something to hide.

A. effusive                 B. elusive                  C. allusive                 D. evasive

30. There is no ....................... for hard work and perseverance if you want to succeed.

A. alternative B. substitute              C. equivalent D. imitation

31. People in this village have got an ................................. appetite for now.

A. inexorable B. inevitable              C. insatiable              D. inedible

32. Hardly had he sat down ................................... he was sent for again.

A. when                     B.than                        C. after                       D. that

33. Many children who get into trouble in their early teens go on to become ............... offenders.

A. persistent              B. insistent                C. consistent D. resistent

34. Race regulations in this country are unlikely to improve until people overcome their ........................ feelings of hostility towards foreigners.

A. interior                   B. internal                  C. inverted                 D. innate

35. Here is an example of an accident ............................ Chinese vase.

A. beautiful               B. tiny             C. patterned              D. exotic

36. Even the other convicts considered it a ............................. crime.

A. guilty                     B. hard-bitten            C. heinous                D. hell-bent

37. Working with the mentally handicapped requires considerable ......................... of patience and understanding.

A. means                   B. resources             C. stocks                    D. provisions

38. The book took me the ............................... part of a year to write.

A. most                       B. greatest                 C. best                        D. largest

39. I utterly ..................... your argument. In my opinion, you have distorted the facts.

A. confound              B. dispute                  C. decline                  D. refute

40. I offer you my most ................................ apologies for offending you as I did.

A. repentant              B. servile                   C. candid                   D. abject

41. Having decided to rent a flat, we ........................ contacting all all accommodation agencies in the city. 

A. set to                      B. set off                    C. set out                   D. set about             

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

43. The school authorities ....................... the child’s unruly behaviour on his parents’ lack of discipline.

A. attribute                 B. accuse                  C. blame                    D. ascribe

44. After months of bitter arguing the couple had to accept that they were ................ .

            A. incongruous         B. incompatible        C. dissident               D. disaffected

45. 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

46. The peace of the public library was ..................... by the sound of a transitor radio.

            A. smashed               B. fractured               C. demolished          D. shattered

47. Anticipating renewed rioting, the authorities erected ...................... to block off

      certain streets.

            A. barrages               B. barricades C. ditches                  D. dykes

48. In the hands of a reckless driver a car becomes a ......................... weapon.

            A. lethal                     B. fatal                       C. mortal                    D. venal

49. What the company needs is a .................. actor who can take on a variety of roles.

            A. variable                 B. changeable          C. versatile                D. diverse

50. With their modern, lightweight boat, they soon ......... the older vessels in the race.

            A. outstripped           B. caught up             C. overran                 D. exceeded

51. The feuding families have been ........................... enemies for years.

            A. sworn                    B. promised               C. cursed                   D. blood

52. Not only was there no tea, .......................... there was no food either.

            A. and                        B. nor                         C. but                         D. so

53. He ..................... so much harm on the nation during his regime that it has never

      fully recovered.

            A. indicted                 B. inferred                 C. induced                D. inflicted

54. Please don’t ...................... it amiss if I make a few suggestions for improvement.

            A. think                      B. assume                 C. take                        D. judge

55. It’s a shame they didn’t pick you, but it doesn’t ........................ out the possibility

      You might get a job in a different department.

            A. rule            B. strike                      C. cancel                   D. draw

56. When facing problems, it is important to keep a sense of ................................. .

            A. proportion B. introspection        C. relativity                D. comparison

57. The hotel, though obviously grand in it days, appeared rather neglected and .........

      when we checked in.

            A. tumbled-down     B. downcast              C. run-down              D. down-and-out

58. In order to explore the city .......................... I left my luggage at the station.

            A. unladen                B. unencumbered    C. undeterred           D. unrestrained

59. The air-sea search operation is continuing although hopes of finding survivors

      are ............................... .

            A. dimming                B. fading                    C. dissolving D. reducing

60. If you ............................ in arriving late, I shall have to report you to the Manager.

            A. persist                   B. persevere             C. insist                      D. prevail

61. I meant to sound confident at the interview but I’m afraid I ............... as dogmatic.

            A. came out               B. came through      C. came off               D. came over

62. The switchboard at Television Centre was so ..................... by complaints about

      the programme that they had to take on extra staff.  

            A. overrun                 B. overcome              C. overwhelmed       D. overhauled 

63. She had ................. mind which kept her alert and well-informed even in old age.

            A. an examining       B. a demanding       C. an enquiring        D. a querying

64. The police decided to ...................... the department store after they had received a

      bomb warning.

            A. abandon               B. evacuate               C. evict                       D. expel

65. There were so many people ..................... me in the crowd that I couldn’t hold the

      camera steady.

            A. jostling                  B. jerking                   C. obstructing           D. agitating

66. “Frankly, I couldn’t care less!” he said with a ........................... of his shoulders.

            A. twitch                     B. flick            C. hunch                   D. shrug

67. I’m not by ............................. a particularly ambitious man.

            A. inclination B. habit                      C. character              D. tendency

68. After the robbery, the shop installed a sophisticated alarm system as an insurance

      ........................... further losses. 

            A. for                          B. from                       C. against                  D. towards

69. He still suffers from a rare tropical disease which he .................... while in Africa.

            A. infected                 B. complained          C. gained                   D. contracted

70. I was proud to be ........................ out for special praise for my performance.

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

71. When .......................... money into the slot, be sure to use undamaged coins.

            A. on inserting          B. having inserted   C. to insert                 D. inserting

72. The mother sat by her ............................. child’s bedside all night.

            A. asleep                   B. sleep                     C. sleeping                D. overslept

73. It’s much more expensive if you use the phone at ............................. rate.

            A. high                       B. busy                      C. peak                      D. heavy

74. The politician gave a press conference to deny the charges that had been ..............

       at him.  

            A. targeted                 B. levelled                 C. accused                D. blamed

75. People in financial difficulties sometimes fall ............................ to unscrupulous

      money lenders.

            A. prey                       B. fool            C. scapegoat             D. sacrifice

76. If you ....................... too much of your energy on the climb, you’ll have none left

      for the descent.

            A. spend                    B. lose                        C. expend                  D. invest

77. He was caught using forged bank notes to pay for goods and charged with .......... .

            A. deception             B. fraud                      C. embezzlement     D. theft

78. I can lend you five pounds to help you ....................... until you’ve had time to go

      to the bank.

            A. by                           B. up                          C. on                          D. out

79. The restaurant is popular with film stars and the ................................. . 

            A. like             B. same                     C. similar                   D. such

80. Although I explained the situation he didn’t seem to ........................ the degree  of

      danger he was in.

            A. seize                      B. grab                       C. catch                     D. grasp

81. The company was declared bankrupt when it had ...................... more debts than it

      could hope to repay.

            A. inflicted                 B. incurred                C. entailed                 D. evolved

82. Architectural pressure groups fought unsuccessfully to save a terrace of

      eighteenth century houses from ............................ . 

            A. disruption B. abolition                C. demolition             D. dismantling

83. Before I went to drama school, I had to .................... quiet a lot of family pressure

      for me to study medicine. 

            A. resist                      B. restrain                  C. refuse                    D. reconcile

84. Strong protests were made .................. with demands for an international enquiry.

            A. joined                    B. added                    C. coupled                 D. included

85. His English was roughly ......................... with my Greek, so communication was

      rather difficult !

            A. level                       B. on a par                 C. equal                     D. in tune

86. What her problems all seemed to ............................. to was lack of money.

            A. analyse                 B. condense             C. boil down  D. sum up 

87. The radio received was .............................. regular messages.

            A. giving over            B. giving off   C. giving out D. giving up

88. If the door had jammed, there’s no point in trying to force it open. You’ll

      probably .......................... the handle off !

            A. gouge                    B. wrench                  C. pluck                     D. drag

89. The job requires a(n) .............................. for hard work in difficult conditions.

            A. ability                     B. skill            C. faculty                   D. capacity

90. He left the meeting early on the unlikely ............ that he had a stick friend to visit.

            A. claim                      B. excuse                  C. pretext                   D. motive

91. That song ............................ me of my youth.

            A. recalls                   B. remembers           C. reminds                 D. recollects

92. Giving up smoking is just one of the ways to ............................ heart disease.

            A. push off                B. put off                    C. ward off                D. throw off

93. The girl felt ................................. with hunger.

            A. faintly                    B. fainting                  C. fainted                   D. faint

94. ............................. you are, the more you laugh.

            A. The happier         B. More happy          C. The happy            D. Happier

95. All equipment must be sterilized and germ ................................ .

            A. vacant                   B. free            C. vacuous                D. vacated

96. During the war, the black market in luxury goods .................................. .

            A. flourished B. flowered                C. bloomed                D. blossomed

97. He looks much older. His financial worries seem to have taken a terrible ..............

      on his health.

            A. burden                  B. toll                          C. strain                     D. tax

98. I haven’t got the time to do my own work ........................... help you with yours. 

            A. leaving aside       B. not counting         C. let alone               D. apart from

99. A statement will be made after the police have finished ................... the evidence.

            A. straining               B. sifting                    C. shredding             D. sieving

100. You should be grateful to have opportunities which were .......................... to me

        at your age.

            A. refused                 B. declined                C. denied                   D. restricted

101. In my view, the changes to the education system have been to good .................. .

            A. influence              B. outcome                C. upshot                   D. effect

102. As a full story ..............................., the public reacted with shock.

            A. uncovered B. unfolded               C. unwrapped           D. undid

103. This song is not ......................... as original as their previous ones.

            A. almost                   B. virtually                 C. nearly                    D. practically

104. In any transport system, the safety of passengers should be ............................ .

            A. paramount            B. eminent                C. chief                      D. prime

105. It is expectedly that all members will ....................... to the rules of the club.

            A. comply                  B. concede                C. conform                D. compromise

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

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

107. Karen was terribly nervous before the interview but she managed to pull herself

        ............................ and act confidently.

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

108. It just so ........................ that I was in their area that day, so I went to visit them. 

            A. occurred               B. happened             C. chanced               D. arose

109. We ...................... up a friendship the very first time we met.

            A. struck                    B. launched              C. cropped                 D. settled

110. I left the company by .........................., not because I was forced to.

            A. choice                   B. option                    C. selection               D. preference

111. Tessa was determined to become wealthy and to that ......................... she started

        her own company.

            A. view                       B. aim             C. end            D. object

112. I can’t understand why you have to make such a ...................... about something

        so unimportant.

            A. mess                      B. stir                          C. fuss                       D. bother

113. If you don’t want to that wardrobe, I’m sure I could put it to good ..................... .

            A. value                     B. use                        C. benefit                   D. worth

114. Even though it was clear that that he was wrong, he was unwilling to ..................

        and admit it. 

            A. take back              B. stand down          C. draw back             D. back down

115. The police are looking into new ways of ........................... major crime.

            A. contending           B. wrestling               C. combating D. striving

116. He made a number of ...................... remarks about my cooking, which upset me.

            A. slashing                B. stabbing                C. chopping              D. cutting

117. ......................... it or not, I’ve just been given a totally unexpected pay rise !

            A. Believe                  B. Accept                   C. Presume               D. Allow

118. Recent defeats have ........................... his confidence in himself as a player.

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

119. The plumber agreed that he had made a mistake and promised to put it ...............

        .......................... the next day.  

            A. correct                   B. proper                    C. sound                    D. right

120. Poor management brought the company to the ......................... of collapse.

            A. brink                      B. rim                          C. fringe                     D. brim

121. Why don’t the police take ........................... measures against crime?

            A. affective                B. ineffective C. effective                D. efficient

122. The strikers agreed to stick .......................... a substantial pay rise. 

            A. up for                     B. out for                    C. together                D. up to

123. As she is so heavily overworked, there is a ...................... possibility that she will

        have a nervous breakdown.   

            A. distinctive B. distinct                  C. little                        D. manifest

124. When Mr. Spendthrift ran out of money, he ........................ his mother for help.

            A. fell in with B. fell upon                C. fell behind            D. fell back on

125. You will have to give ............................ to the manager for your actions.

            A. report                     B.account                  C. narrative               D. explanation

126. The truant was ........................ from school for unbecoming behaviour.

            A. dispelled               B. repelled                 C. expelled                D. compelled

127. What he did was the height of bad ...................................... .

            A. manner                 B. conduct                 C. actions                  D. behaviour

128. The ................ of two houses prove such a financial burden that they were forced

        to sell one.

            A. upkeep                  B. upshot                   C. upsurge                D. uproar

129. Of course he can lift that! He’s as .......................... as a horse.

            A. tough                     B. big                          C. heavy                    D. strong

130. ...................... to the invention of the steam engine, most forms of transport were

        horse-drawn.

            A. Akin                       B. Prior                       C. In addition            D. With reference

131. There is no doubt about the outcome of the trial. The man is a .............. criminal.

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

132. My husband’s continual .......................... keeps me awake at night.

            A. sneering               B. snoozing              C. snarling                D. snoring

133. There was a ....................... of brakes as the car took the corner too quickly.

            A. squawk                 B. squelch                 C. screech                 D. scream

134. I’m afraid I’m rather ....................... about the existence of ghosts.

            A. sceptical               B. partial                    C. adaptable             D. incapable

135. You must pay import ....................... on certain goods brought into this country.

            A. fees                       B. surcharges           C. supplement          D. duties

136. Her hands were swollen and wrinkle, but she still had her nails ........... regularly.

            A. manufactured      B. manicured C. maintained           D. managed  

137. The girl’s large, heavy earrings had ......................... her earlobes permanently.

            A. displaced              B. dismayed              C. disfigured D. diseased

138. More and more people are having satellite dishes ......................... on their roofs.

            A. installed                B. introduced C. implanted D. inserted

139. Cut flowers may ........................... through lack of water.

            A. faint                       B. collapse                C. wilt             D. drop

140. The actor was so nervous that he could only remember small ........... of dialogue.

            A. shreds                   B. pieces                   C. patches                 D. snatches

141. Her business must be going rather well, ........................ by the car she drives.

            A. deducing              B. deciding                C. inferring                D. judging     

142. My cousin obviously didn’t ........................ much of an impression on you if you

        can’t rememeber meeting him.

            A. create                    B. do                           C. make                     D. build

143. I was kept awake for most of the night by the ................ of a mosquito in my ear. 

            A. whine                    B. moan                     C. groan                     D. screech

144. If you would like to wait for a moment, sir, I will just ...................... your file on

        the computer screen.

            A. call up                   B. pull down C. bring in                  D. pick up

145. He looks very aggressive and threatening, so his soft, gentle voice is rather ...... .

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

146. If I were you, I would regard their offer with considerable ...................., because

        It seems too good to be true.

            A. suspicion              B. doubt                     C. reservation           D. disbelief

147. My sister’s confidence in her ability to play the piano was badly .................... by

        her last music teacher.

            A. subsided               B. weakened C. undermined         D. loosened

148. Fearing for his life, he ......................... the mugger for mercy.

            A. pleaded                 B. petitioned C. urged                     D. begged

149. 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

150. I am not convinced that financial advisers always act in their clients’ best ......... .

            A. advantage B. interest                  C. intention               D. result        

151. Many children who get into trouble in their early teens go on to become ............. offenders.

            A. persistent              B. insistent                C. consistent D. resistant

152. Race relations in this country are unlikely to improve until people overcome their ...................... feelings of hostility towards foreigners.

            A. interior                   B. internal                 C. inverted                 D. innate

153. The real test of your relationship will come when you start to see your new boyfriend ............................ and all.

            A. faults                     B. spots                      C. moles                    D. warts

154. It’s a shame they didn’t pick you, but it doesn’t ...................... out the possibility that you might get a job in a different department.

            A. rule            B. strike                      C. cancel                   D. draw

155. The case against the bank robbers was ........................... for lack of evidence.

            A. discarded              B. dismissed             C. refused                 D. eliminated 

156. Please ........................ from smoking until the plane is airborne.

            A. refrain                   B. exclude                 C. resist                      D. restrain

157. We’re planning a holiday in Hong Kong when Peter retires but I don’t know whether it’ll really ever come .......................... .

            A. on                          B. out                         C. off                          D. round

158. No matter how angry he was, he would never ....................... to violence.

            A. resolve                  B. recourse               C. exert                      D. resort

159. The best soil was ........................ away by a torrential rainstorm.

            A. gushed                 B. flowed                   C. flooded                  D. washed 

160. Five readers ......................... the correct solution to our recent competition.

            A. communicated     B. qualified                C. submitted              D. subscribed

161. People who take on a second job inevitably ............. themselves to greater stress.

            A. offer                       B. subject                  C. field                       D. place

162. The building work must be finished by the end of the month ................. of cost.

            A. ignorant                B. thoughtless          C. uncaring               D. regardless

163. Sarah’s friends all had brothers and sisters but she was a(n) ....................... child.

            A. singular                 B. individual  C. single                    D. only          

164. ............................ from being embarrassed by his mistakes, the lecturer went on confidently with his talk.

            A. Distant                  B. Far                         C. A long way           D. Miles

165. The increased pay offer was accepted although it ...................... short of what the employees wanted.

            A. fell                          B. arrived                   C. came                     D. ended

166. The old lady’s savings were considerable as she had ..................... a little money

        each week.

            A. put by                    B. put in                     C. put apart               D. put down

167. His poor handling of the business ............................ on negligence.

            A. bordered               B. edged                    C. approached          D. neared

168. After the accident, there was considerable doubt ...... exactly what had happened.

            A. as to                       B. in the shape of     C. for                          D. in the question of

169. Price increases are now running at a(n) ........................ level of thirty per cent. 

            A. highest                  B. record                    C. uppermost            D. top

170. The police ...... a good deal of criticism over their handling of the demonstration.

            A. came in for           B. brought about      C. opened up            D. went down with

171. The stage designed was out of this ..................... but unfortunately the acting was not so impressive.

            A. moon                     B. planet                    C. world                     D. earth

172. To discuss this matter with anyone else would ......... our professional regulation.

            A. contradict  B. counteract C. contrast                 D. contravene

173. I ......................... on the grapevine that George is in line for promotion.

            A. heard                     B. collected               C. picked                   D. caught 

174. This monument is ................... to the memory of distinguished former students.

            A. erected                  B. dedicated              C. commissioned     D. associated

175. To begin studying chemistry at this level, you must already have proved your ability in a related .......................... .

            A. line            B. discipline              C. region                    D. rule

176. This sad song movingly conveys the ...................... of the lovers’ final parting. 

            A. ache                      B. argument              C. anxiety                  D. anguish

177. Do you expect there will be a lot of ..... to the project from the local community?

            A. rejections              B. disapproval          C. disagreement       D. objections

178. As a .................. parent, my main concern is balancing the needs of a small child with the need to earn a living.

            A. solo                        B. single                    C. sole                        D. solitary

179. By the time we got home, we were .......................... frozen and starving hungry.

            A. extremely  B. very                        C. absolutely D. exceedingly

180. She says that unfortunately, in the .................... circumstances, she cannot afford to help us.

            A. ongoing                B. contemporary       C. actual                    D. present

181. Mr. Average was just a run-of-the- ........................ worker.

            A. road                       B. mill             C. week                      D. wheel

182. The masterpiece ....................... of four parts.

            A. constitutes            B. composes             C. comprises D. consists

183. Mr. Lightfinger was charged with ..................... the funds of several charities.

            A. mislaying B. mistaking C. misplacing            D. misappropriating

184. He was ....................... with emotion at seeing his team win the championship.

            A. carried over          B. carried forward    C. carried out            D. carried away

185. Romeo’s family had been at ....................... with Juliet’s for generations.

            A. struggle                 B. contention C. variance                D. discord

186. Of course, the price of the flat was a big ................. in my decision as to whether

        to buy it or not.

            A. portion                   B. factor                     C. aspect                   D. element

187. It was confirmed that the accident was caused by human ............................ .

            A. error                       B. slip             C. fault                       D. blunder

188. It has been established ......................... dispute that this disease can be cured.

            A. past                        B. over                       C. beyond                  D. outside

189. All candidates will be treated equally, .................... of their age or background.

            A. discounting          B. irrelevant  C. irrespective          D. notwithstanding

190. Despite all the interruptions, he ........................... with his work.

            A. stuck at                  B. held on                  C. hung out               D. pressed on

191. In the .............. of security, personnel must wear their identity badges at all time.

            A. requirement          B. interests                C. demands              D. assistance

192. The strike was .............. owing to a last-minute agreement with the management.

            A. called off               B. broken up C. set back                D. put down

193. Lindsay’s excuses for being late are beginning to ........................ rather thin.

            A. get                          B. turn            C. wear                      D. go

194. ......................, the people who come to this club are in their twenties and thirties.

            A. Altogether B. To a degree          C. Virtually                D. By and large

195. My cousin was nervous about being interviewed on television, but she rose to

        the .......................... wonderfully.

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

196. The police carried out a .......................... search for the missing diplomat.

            A. thorough               B. through                 C. throughout           D. thoughtful

197. He was fined ........................... parking near a pedestrian crossing.

            A. at                            B. by                           C. with                        D. for

198. Don’t forget ......................... the bank first thing tomorrow morning.

            A. to phone            B. phoning                  C. having phoned    D. to have phoned 199. I’m ......................... having to pay yet another visit to the dentist.

            A. dreading               B. frightened C. terrified                  D. afraid

200. I wish I could give you the ........................... to your problems.

            A. reply                      B. conclusion C. answer                  D. end

201. The ....................... cheered when the final goal was scored in the match today.

            A. viewers                 B. onlookers             C. spectators D. audience

202. Most people ........................... family heirlooms and keep themselves safe.

            A. cosset                    B. cherish                  C. nourish                 D. nurture

203. The man’s laugh had a very cruel ............................. to it.

            A. ring            B. boom                     C. resonance D. noise

204. The job you’ve been offered is a(n) ......... opportunity to travel and meet people.

            A. sole                        B. only                       C. unique                  D. single

205. He ............................. a yawn as the actor began yet another long speech.

            A. squashed             B. suffocated C. submerged           D. stifled

206. The rock was so heavy that it was only with the greatest difficulty that the

        climbers could ........................... it out of their way.

            A. heave                    B. fling                       C. throw                     D. cast

207. The barriers suddenly collapsed and the crowd of supporters ................. forward

        on to the pitch.

            A. swirled                  B. gushed                 C. surged                   D. trickled

208. The crowed roared with excitement when Benson ........................ his partner off

        her feet and carried her above his head around the skating rink.

            A. skimmed               B. ripped                    C. hurtled                  D. swept  

209. After several ferocious punches both boxers were .......... unsteadily on their feet.

            A. bouncing              B. lunging                  C. swaying                D. swinging

210. A burst tyre caused the car to ........................... off the road and into the river.

            A. swerve                  B. fire                         C. curve                     D. skate

211. It is not yet known what made the aeroplane stall and then ............... into the sea.

            A. swoop                   B. dip                          C. hurl            D. plummer

212. She didn’t ............................ the idea of having to go to the party on her own.

            A. savour                   B. agree                     C. relish                     D. delight

 

213. Many athletes have reached their ........................... by the time they are twenty.

            A. summit                  B. top                          C. point                      D. peak

214. Many famous people resent their private lives being held up to public ............... . 

            A. observation          B. deliberation          C. scrutiny                 D. investigation

215. You could make a formal complaint to the committee, but I wouldn’t go down

        that .......................... if I were you.  

            A. lane                       B. street                     C. avenue                 D. road

216. Oliver Twist had already had his fair ............................... of food.

            A. ratio                       B. help                       C. ration                     D. division

217. Some great men have had an ............................. school record.

            A. indistinct        B. indistinguishable        C. extinguished        D. undistinguished

218. Buyers and sellers were ............................... over prices.

            A. hacking                 B. hugging                C. heckling                D. haggling

219. Within a few weeks all this present trouble will have blown ......................... .

            A. along                     B. over                       C. out                         D. away

220. The six (and last) volume in the series is ....................... with its predecessors.

            A. uniform                 B. similar                   C. like             D. identical

221. Politicians often promise to solve all a country’s problems ............................. .

            A. thick and fast        B. on the whole        C. of set purpose     D. at a stroke

222. When the detectives finally trapped him, he had ........................ to lying.

            A. resource               B. retort                      C. resort                     D. recourse

223. My late grandmother ........................... me this silver teapot.

            A. bequested B. willed                     C. bequeathed         D. inherited 

224. It was getting ............................. midnight when he left.

            A. on                          B. on to                      C. to                            D. past

225. In his student days he was as poor as a church ............................... .

            A. beggar                   B. miser                     C. mouse                   D. pauper

226. She may have been poor, but she was ............................... honest.

            A. finally                    B. in the end             C. at least                  D. at last

227. The manager was very ....................... with me about my prospects of promotion.

            A. sincere                  B. friendly                  C. just             D. frank

228. The unmarried ladies regard him as a very ............................ young man.  

            A. ineligible               B. illegible                 C. illicit                       D. eligible     

229. Mr Lazybones ............................. to work harder in future.

            A. excepted               B. agreed                   C. accorded               D. accepted

230. He believed that promotion should be awarded on ........, not on length of service.

            A. equality                 B. merit                      C. characteristics     D. purposes

231. It is a criminal offence to ................................... the facts.

            A. oppress                 B. suppress               C. repress                  D. express

232. He ....................... the cart before the horse by buying the ring before he had

        proposed to her.

            A. fastened               B. tied             C. put                         D. coupled

233. Every delicacy Miss Cook produces is done ................................... .

            A. there and then     B. at will                     C. sooner or later     D. to a turn

234. She tells her small boy everyday not to be rude, but it’s like water off a duck’s

        ........................... . 

            A. wings                    B. beak                      C. back                       D. feathers

235. Announcing that he was totally done ........................., Grandfather retired to bed. 

            A. out                         B. with                        C. in                            D. down

236. Several passengers received minor injuries when the train unexpectedly came

        to a ............................... . 

            A. delay                     B. stand                     C. brake                     D. halt

237. John refused to put his career in ......................... by opposing his boss.

            A. jeopardy                B. hazard                   C. risk             D. stake

238. Angela’s work was praised for its .......................... attention to detail.

            A. meticulous            B. significant C. subtle                    D. concentrated

239. Motorists should ........................... well in advance of changing lanes.

            A. sign                       B. signal                    C. flare                       D. flicker

240. The student 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

241. The climbers sought .............................. from the storm.

            A. escape                  B. refuge                   C. solace                   D. defence

242. The tour guide had a brightly-coloured company badge pinned to the ..................

        of her jacket.

            A. lapel                      B. border                    C. edge                      D. hem

243. It was her first conference as party leader, and she was determined to ..................

        her authority on the proceedings.

            A. press                     B. thrust                     C. stamp                    D. mark

244. It was .......................... of a surprise to Andrew that he got the job.

            A. rather                     B. something C. quite                      D. much

245. The last bus had gone so we were ....................... with the problem of how to get

        home that night.

            A. affronted               B. caught                   C. trapped                  D. faced

246. The transport minister .......................... recent statistics to support the case for a

        reduction in the speed limit.

            A. named                   B. quoted                   C. summoned           D. claimed

247. The amount Sarah earned was ......................... on how much she sold. 

            A. related                   B. connected C. dependent            D. secured

248. The plan received ........................ support although none of the committee spoke

        openly in its favour.

            A. tacit                        B. mute                      C. silent                     D. quiet

249. The junior staff were ........................ from all aspects of decision making.

            A. excluded               B. limited                   C. confined               D. restricted

250. When the funds finally ........................, they had to abandon the scheme.

            A. faded away           B. clamped down     C. petered out           D. fobbed off

251. The party leader travelled the length and .............................. of the country in an

        attempt to spread his message.

            A. width                     B. distance                C. diameter                D. breadth

252. During the riots, there were ..................... between local residents and the police.

            A. sieges                   B. demonstrations   C. rallies                    D. clashes

253.Shally has an ........................... command of the Chinese language.

            A. extreme                 B. utter                       C. outstanding          D. intensive

254. I am ........................... aware of the need to obey the rules of the competition.

            A. well            B. far                          C. much                     D. greatly

255. Richard started the race well but ran out of ........................ in the later stages.

            A. power                    B. steam                    C. force                      D. effort

 

256. I .......................... that you won’t be inviting that awful woman to the meeting.

            A. assume                 B. instruct                  C. entrust                   D. rely

257. He has put his car entirely at our ............................ for the holiday.

            A. usage                    B. disposal                C. pleasure               D. disposition

258. His bank had never been .......................... of his change of address. 

            A. contacted              B. notified                  C. acquainted           D. communicated

259. The police were very ......................... in their examination of the building.

            A. exhausting           B. intense                  C. thorough               D. concentrated

260. The roadworks made ...................... to the hotel from the main road difficult. 

            A. entrance               B. approach              C. access                   D. ways in

261. After he set fire to the library, the boy was ............................ from school.

            A. expelled                B. excluded               C. exiled                    D. extracted

262. The museum wishes to ...................... an assistant curator for its fossil collection.  

            A. appoint                  B. commission          C. authorise              D. assign

263. They can’t .............................. on the name for the baby.

            A. conclude              B. decided                 C. consent                 D. assent

264. They could find no ....................... of the missing car despite an extensive search.

            A. clue                       B. remnant                C. indication D. trace

265. I am never free on Tuesday evenings as I have a .............................. arrangement

        to go to the cinema with a friend.

            A. long-standing      B. long-lived C. long-range           D. long-lasting

266. After the accident, there was considerable doubt ........................... exactly what

        had happened.

            A. as to                       B. in the shape of     C. for                          D. in the question of

267. Price increases are now running at a(n) ....................... level of thirty percent.

            A. highest                  B. record                    C. uppermost            D. top

268. The police ............................. a good deal of criticism over their handling of

        the demonstration.

            A. came in for           B. brought about      C. opened up            D. went down with

269. Whenever we plan to go for a picnic, it ............................. rains.

            A. continuously        B. invariably  C. unavoidably         D. interminably

270. If you are ........................ of hearing, you will find our hearing aids invaluable.

            A. short                      B. hard                       C. poor                       D. weak

271. I know you didn’t want to upset me but I’d sooner you .................. me the whole

        truth yesterday.

            A. tell                          B. told             C. have told               D. had told

272. The prospective buyer had decided to look ........................... the property before

        committing himself.

            A. about                     B. out                         C. over                       D. up

273. I didn’t really want to see the film, but my wife was so ....................... to go that

        I finally agreed.

            A. willing                    B. sincere                  C. keen                      D. energetic

274. Send for our free brochure by ............................. the coupon below.

            A. answering B. responding           C. completing           D. filling

275. The judge imposed a light sentence in view of the .................... circumstances.

            A. unfair                     B. extensive              C. extenuating          D. qualifying

276. He bought that house, .......... that he would inherit money under his uncle’s will.

            A. considering          B. assuming             C. estimating D. accounting

277. The postal services were ................................ for several weeks by the strike.

            A. disrupted              B. perturbed              C. disarrayed D. deranged

278. I wished that I could cry but, because of my upbringing I was too ..................... .

            A. shy             B. inhibited                C. rigid                       D. prevented

279. Since the child had no proper excuse for missing school, her absence should be

        treated as ............................ .

            A. desertion              B. neglect                  C. abstention D. truancy

280. All visitors are requested to .............................. with the regulations.

            A. agree                     B. comply                  C. assent                   D. consent

281. This is a most peculiar letter. What do you .......................... of it?

            A. gather                    B. make                     C. get                          D. feel

282. Now that we’ve identified the problem, we must decide on an appropriate course

        of ............................. . 

            A. action                    B. progress                C. solution                 D. development

283. He was blinded by the ....................... of the approaching car’s headlights.

            A. glare                      B. gleam                    C. glow                       D. flare

284. Mary gives one account of the conversation, and Fred another; it’s difficult to

        .............................. the two versions.

            A. reconcile               B. identify                  C. adjust                    D. coincide

285. His reputation has been greatly ....................... by the success of his new book.

            A. expanded             B. enhanced             C. enlarged               D. heightened

286. If this animal had escaped from its cage it could ....................... have killed or

        maimed several people.

            A. equally                  B. both                       C. well                        D. severely

287. Time was running out, so the committee had to make a ..................... decision.

            A. brief                       B. snap                      C. sharp                     D. curt

288. Because of an unfortunate ........................ your order was not despatched by the

        date requested.

            A. hindrance B. oversight               C. negligence           D. transgression

289. Motorists ......................... of speeding may be banned from driving for a year.

            A. convicted              B. arrested                 C. charged                D. judged

290. If you walk along this lane you will see the signpost ...................... to the beach.

            A. pointing                B. showing                C. directing                D. indicating

291. She didn’t .................. doing the ironing, as she hadn’t wanted to go out anyway.

            A. object                     B. matter                    C. care for                 D. mind

292. The decision was ......................... to a later meeting.

            A. cancelled              B. arranged               C. deferred                D. delayed

293. Tempers began to ............................. as the lorries forced their way through the

         picket lines.

            A. break                     B. fray            C. grate                      D. fire

294. The old ship will be towed into harbour and ............................... .

            A. broken up B. broken down        C. broken in              D. broken off

295. Making private calls on the office phone is severely .......... on in our department.

            A. frowned                B. criticised               C. regarded               D. objected

296. Apart from the ........................... cough and cold. I’ve been remarkably healthy

        all my life.

            A. odd            B. opportune C. irregular                D. timely

297. I had to take out a bank loan when I started up in business and it took me two

        years to pay it ............................. .

            A. out              B. up                          C. over                       D. Off

298. Apart from the ........................... cough and cold. I’ve been remarkably healthy

        all my life.

            A. odd            B. opportune C. irregular                D. timely

299. I had to take out a bank loan when I started up in business and it took me two

        years to pay it ............................. .

            A. out              B. up                          C. over                       D. off

300. He’s applied for a(n)……………. lot of jobs but he’s only been short-listed one.

            A. dreadful                B. awful                     C. enormous             D. wide

301. I’ve been working …………………. quite a lot of pressure lately.

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

302. The smoke ……………….. from the burning tyres could be seen for miles.

            A. bulging                  B. radiating               C. billowing               D. sweeping

303. Several of the advertising hoardings had been …………. by anti-sexist slogans.

            A. deleted                  B. mutilated               C. erased                   D. defaced

304. The theft of my father’s camera cast rather a ……………… on the holiday.

            A. blight                     B. curse                     C. misfortune D. misery

305. I’m afraid I can’t tell you what he said. It would be a …………. of confidence.

            A. rupture                  B. break                     C. rift                           D. breach

306. There’s no point in telephoning him. He’s certain ………………. by now.

            A. to leave                 B. to have left           C. left                          D. having left

307. If you don’t stop smoking, you …….. the risk of developing chronic bronchitis.

            A. bear                       B. suffer                     C. make                     D. run

308. He’ll believe anything. He’s so ………………….. .

            A. garrulous              B. gullible                  C. credible                 D. believable

309. At …………………. time did I ever promise you pay a rise. 

            A. any            B. no                          C. all                           D. some

310. As his aunt’s only beneficiary, he came ……………….. a fortune on her death.

            A. upon                      B. across                   C. into            D. up against

311. As he walked along the landing, he ……………….. himself in the mirror at the

        top of the stairs.

            A. glimpsed               B. glanced                 C. gazed                    D. glared

312. I’ve got such a ……………….. headache that I can’t concentrate on the lecture.

            A. beating                  B. drumming C. hammering           D. throbbing

313. The rules are dearly stated and admit ………………… no confusion.

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

314. I was in no way prepared for the ……………… of criticism my play received.

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

315. The doctor prescribed tablets to help ………………… the pain.

            A. lighten                   B. calm                       C. relieve                   D. rid

316. There is a feature of dialect ……………….. to Bristol by which an ‘I’ is added

        to the ends of some words.

            A. original                  B. peculiar                 C. particular              D. proper

317. It is essential to be on the ……… for any signs of movement in thr undergrowth

        since there are poisonous snakes in the area. 

            A. guard                     B. care                       C. alarm                     D. alert

318. The railway line has been closed for ten years and the station buildings are now

        sadly ……………………. .

            A. decrepit                 B. derelict                  C. decomposed        D. discarded

319. We can’t eat this bread. It’s …………………….. .

A. mouldy                  B. rotten                     C. bad            D. rancid

320. She’s decided to ………………….. her German by attending an evening course.

            A. brush up               B. patch up                C. polish off               D. dust off

321. Will you …………………… the baby for a minute, while I make a phone call?

            A. control                   B. settle                      C. attend                    D. mind

322. Unfortunately, I’m rather …………..…….. to forgetfulness in my old age.

            A. apt                          B. prone                     C. open                      D. prey

323. You would be well advised to ……………….. clear of the casinos in the city.

            A. stray                       B. stick                       C. steer                      D. veer

324. If you reprimand him, he’ll probably ……….. by behaving even worse in future. 

            A. retort                      B. resist                      C. recompense         D. retaliate

325. After the church service, several people ……………….. outside the chat.

            A. loitered                  B. lagged                   C. lingered                D. lapsed

326. I think you’ll find that the inconvenience of the diet is ………. by the benefits.

            A. outranked B. overthrown           C. overbalanced       D. outweighed

327. We started off walking ……….. but had slowed to a snail’s pace after an hour.

            A. heartily                  B. briskly                    C. sharply                  D. crisply 

328. He’s got plenty of …………. experience as he’s worked in that field already.

            A. second-hand       B. first-hand              C. primary                  D. tertiary

329. She’s …………….. about her nursing exams, but I’m sure she’ll do well.

            A. alienated              B. keen                      C. stressed                D. apprehensive

330. In the days before the widespread use of …………….. having an operation must

        have been a grueling experience.

            A. aesthetes              B. aesthetics             C. anaesthetics        D. anaesthetists

331. Before their restoration, parts of the medieval building were in a state of ……. .

            A. debris                    B. dilapidation          C. devastation          D. destruction

332. New consumer protection legislation comes into ……………… next April.

            A. law             B. force                      C. statute                   D. act

333. It’s twenty years since I worked in Germany and my German is pretty … now.

            A. scratchy                B. scruffy                   C. rusty                      D. sloppy

334. Only after buying the cottage did we discover that it was ……….. with mice.

            A. inflicted                 B. infested                 C. invaded                 D. infected

335. She ………..… affection from her children but they neglected her shamefully.

            A. yearned                B. craved                   C. hungered             D. desired

336. Soldiers were warned that anyone caught ……………the shops in the deserted

        in the deserted town would be severely punished.

            A. stealing                 B. raiding                   C. embezzling          D. looting

337. The BBC has …………… a young composer to write a piece of music for the

         Corporation’s centenary.

            A. ordered                 B. consulted             C. commissioned     D. decided

338. Police have warned people to be ……………when strangers call at the door and

        to ask to see proof of identity.

            A. choosy                  B. cagey                    C. wary                       D. scarey

339. Every Christmas of my childhood was the same. My father …………… late for  

        lunch, weighed down with presents for the family.

            A. would arrive                                             B. had arrived          

C. was arriving                                             D. was used to arriving

340. It …………….. me as strange that my front door was open when I got home.

            A. seemed                 B. occurred               C. appeared              D. struck

 

341. As a result of careless washing, the jeans had .................... to a child’s size.

            A. shrunk                  B. faded                     C. reduced                D. dwindled

342. He told the court that it was his desperate poverty that had ............ him to crime.

            A. driven                    B. brought                 C. induced                 D. compelled

343. The villa has excellent ....................... for cooking and for washing clothes. 

            A. facilities                B. amenities              C. utilities                  D. conveniences

344. I’m afraid I had to have ........ to a dictionary in order to complete the translation.

            A. application           B. avail                       C. resort                     D. recourse

345. The windows don’t fit very well and it makes the room awfully .................... .

            A. airy             B. draughty               C. breezy                   D. ventilated

346. She gave up nursing training when she found she had no ................... for looking

        after the sick.

            A. vocation                B. mission                 C. service                  D. ambition

347. There’s no point in ................. about all day. Cheer up and try to find a new job!

            A. moping                  B. mourning              C. brooding               D. sulking

348. You’ll feel better after you’ve taken a ........................ of cough medicine.

            A. ration                     B. helping                  C. dose                      D. portion

349. There’s a small hard .................... on my wrist. I think I’d better see the doctor.

            A. swelling                B. lump                      C. bruise                    D. rash

350. All the way along the winding street .................................. .

            A. he came                B. came he                C. did he come         D. comes he

351. Don’t worry about making a noise. The children are wide ........................... .

            A. waking                  B. awake                   C. woken                   D. awoke

352. She’s always been one of your ........................... critics.

            A. fiercest                  B. most violent         C. wildest                   D. hardest

353. ...................... has such a stunning  achievement been recorded.

            A. Always                  B. Seldom                 C. Today                    D. Recently

354. The woman was ……... from hospital yesterday only a week after her operation.

            A. eject                       B. expelled                C. evicted                  D. discharged

355. ……………….. further rioting to occur, the government would be forced to use

        its emergency powers.

            A. Should                  B. Did             C. Were                      D. Had

356. Of all the paintings in the gallery, it was this one that really ................... my eye.

            A. grasped                 B. snatched              C. caught                   D. seized

357. She had made a firm decision and wasn’t ................ by anything I said against it.

            A. detracted               B. prevailed               C. induced                D. swayed

358. We might have to change our plans for the weekend and, ..............., we’ll let you

         know as soon as possible.

            A. in case                  B. if so                        C. providing   D. supposing

359. I was reluctant to .... the subject because I thought he woudn’t want to discuss it.

            A. raise                      B. originate               C. advance                D. provoke

360. My attempts to solve the problem only ...................... to make it worse.

            A. contributed           B. functioned C. served                   D. attained

361. Can you tell me the ....................... of these shoes?

            A. charge                   B. price                      C. amount                 D. expense

362. I don’t feel well-but I don’t know what’s the matter ....................... me.

            A. of                            B. for                          C. to                            D. with

363. It is too early in the ....................... to expect many visitors to the town.

            A. term                       B. season                  C. time                        D. calendar

364. .......................... is a complete mystery how they ever got there in that car.

            A. There                     B. That                       C. It                             D. This

365. I love this paiting of an old man. He has such a beautiful, .................. smile.

            A. childhood B. childish                 C. childless               D. childlike

366. Please leave this space .......................... on the enrolement form.

            A. absent                   B. blank                     C. missing                 D. undone

367. You shouldn’t have criticised him in front of his friends. It was extremely

         .......................... of you.

            A. unfortunate          B. insensitive C. insensible             D. unconscious

368. He will only pass the examination if there is a(n) .................... in his class work.

            A. progress                B. increase                C. rise             D. improvement

369. Come and see me when you ......................... your report.

            A. finish                     B. will finish  C. had finished         D. having finished

370. I often miss the bus because my watch is .................................... .

            A. overdue                B. late             C. slow                       D. behind

371. It .......................... during our conversation that Anita was extremely unhappy.

            A. emanated             B. revealed                C. divulged                D. emerged

372. I know this is a big disappointment but don’t take it to .............................. .

            A. soul                       B. mind                      C. spirit                      D. heart

373. I was told yesterday that the car had been fixed but it’s broken down ........ again!

            A. even                      B. still             C. yet                          D. right

374. Simon ..................... in me on the understanding that I wouldn’t tell anyone else.

            A. confided               B. intimated               C. confessed            D. disclosed

375. Eventually the list of candidates for the job was ..................... down to three.

            A. narrowed              B. lowered                 C. wound                   D. dropped

376. She has given a firm ........ not to reveal any of the company’s secret information.

            A. reassurance         B. stipulation C. confirmation         D. undertaking

377. They were ....................... in conversation and didn’t notice me leaving the room

            A. deep                      B. thoroughly C. solidly                    D. far

378. We weren’t close friends but she ...................... me well when I left the college.

            A. hoped                    B. aspired                  C. wished                  D. bade

379. This evidence should prove ........................ that he was telling the truth.

            A. once and for all                                        B. now and then

            C. over and above                                       D. from time to time

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

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

381. I was really looking forward to going to the game and I could hardly wait until

        the ........................ day came.

            A. grand                     B. big                          C. major                     D. huge

382. This disagreement is likely to ...................... relations between the two countries.

            A. disaffect                B. alienate                 C. sour                       D. estrange

383. Their flat is ........................... of a place I used to live in.

            A. mindful                  B. reminiscent          C. memorable           D. retrospective

384. As the evening ..................... on, I became more and more bored.

            A. passed                  B. drew                      C. stuck                      D. wore

385. He was ....................... of the press because they had written some terrible things

        about him in the past.

            A. alert                       B. wary                       C. guarded                D. tentative

386. If you wish to take photograghs you’ll have to have .................................. .

            A. an application      B. a permit                 C. an allowance       D. an admission

387. Come ....................., children! Get your coats on or you’ll be late for school.

            A. to                            B. across                   C. along                     D. over

388. She tried to prevent the dog ……………… running into the road.

            A. from                       B. to                            C. against                  D. for

389. My main ………………. to the new bypass is that it will spoil the countryside.

            A. object                     B. objection               C. objective               D. objecting

390. You’d better leave for the airport now …….. there’s a lot of traffic on the way.

            A. in fact                    B. in time                   C. in order                  D. in case

391. It was clear from the beginning of the meeting that Jack was ……………… on

        causing trouble.

            A. inclined                 B. predisposed         C. bent                       D. off

392. I should like to thank you, ………………. my colleagues, for the welcome you

        have give us.

            A. on account of       B. on behalf of          C. because of           D. instead of

393. It’s very dry today. Will you help me …………………. the plants?

            A. moisten                 B. wet             C. water                     D. sprinkle

394. It’s no use ……………… a language if you don’t try to speak it too.

            A. to learn                  B. learned                 C. learning                D. learn

395. All her hard work paid ……………… in the end and she’s now very successful.

            A. up                          B. out                         C. back                       D. off

 

III. Finding and correcting mistakes:

Exercise 1

Read the following text. In each numbered line where is a word or phrase used wrongly. Find them and correct them .

 

THE BOSS FROM HELL

Before I went for my interview for the job with Cramer and Blake Services,

I talked to a few people and found out some informations about the company. This strategy worked very effective as it gave the impression that I was keen and committal and I was offered the job by the personnel manager in the spot.  

I was very delighted at first, but soon I discovered that my new boss,

Tom, worked totally hard, spending all his time in the office and never

leaving before 8 p.m. He expected the same grade of commitment from

his employees – the workload he expected every and each one of us to

carry was deeply unreasonable. He accused anyone who didn’t work

overtime regularly of not making their fair share and letting then team

down. I decided to put up to the situation without complaining for a

while but lastly I fell I had to confront Tom. I told him I wasn’t prepared

to work so hard for such a low salary. Tom said that I had large potential

and could easily get to the top if I was prepared to have an effort.

However, he thoroughly refused to reduce my workload and so in the end

I decided to hand out my resignation.

Just a week later I got another job in Cramer and Blake’s main competitors.

Now I’m earning twice as high as my old boss, and my job’s twice as

interesting. I work exactly as long hours – but I’m glad I moved. I haven’t

got to the top yet – but I’m far on the way! 

 

 

 

 1.

 2.

 3.

 4.

 5.

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Exercise 2

The following paragragh has 12 mistakes. Identify the mistakes in the lines and correct them. Write your answer in the space provided.

 

Who were the people responsible for collection and sending plants from one country to another? And why did they do it? Initially they were travellers with another purpose: traders, colonists, pilgrims and missionaries have all been important in providing new plants for English gardens. They sent back indigenous wild plants,

or sometimes, as in the cases of visitors to China and Japan, plants which have been cultivated and improved for hundreds of years. This worked, of course, in both directions: English gardens were making in the most unlikely places.

Travellers did not always recognise an interesting plant on seen it – interesting, that is, to the collector at home. So in the 16th and 17th century, attempts were made to collect on a most professional basis, either by patrons sending collections into the field, or by subscriptions to finance local enthusiasts in the most promised areas.

By 1611 John Tradescant was travelling and collecting in France and other parts of Europe. Lately, Peter Collinson, a London merchant, who had seen the richness of

the plant material sending back by Tradescant, organised a syndicate to finance the amateur botanical John Bartram. Before long, special collectors were being dispatched to all parts of the world by institutions such as the Chelsea Physic Garden.

Exercise 3

The following paragragh has 10 mistakes. Identify the mistakes  and correct them. Write your answer in the space provided.

 

        Simply be bilingual does not qualify anyone to interpreting. Interpreting does not merely a mechanical process of converting one sentence in language A into a same sentence in language B. Rather, it is a complex art in that thoughts and idioms which have no obvious analogues from tongue to tongue – or words which have multiple meanings- must quickly be transformed in many a way that the message is clearly and accurately expressing to the listener.

        There was two kinds of interpreters, simultaneous and consecutive, each requires separate talents. The former, sitting in an isolated booth, usually at a large multilingual conference, speaks to listeners wearing headphones, interpreting that a foreign-language speaker says as he says it – actually a sentence afterwards. Consecutive interpreters are the one most international negotiators use. They are mainly employed for smaller meetings without sound booths, headphones, and another high-tech gear.

 

Answer keys:

Exercise 1

Read the following text. In each numbered line where is a word or phrase used wrongly. Find them and correct them .

  

THE BOSS FROM HELL

Before I went for my interview for the job with Cramer and Blake Services,

I talked to a few people and found out some informations about the company. This strategy worked very effective as it gave the impression that I was keen and committal and I was offered the job by the personnel manager in the spot.  

I was very delighted at first, but soon I discovered that my new boss, Tom, worked totally hard, spending all his time in the office and never leaving before 8 p.m. He expected the same grade of commitment from his employees – the workload he expected every and each one of us to carry was deeply unreasonable. He accused anyone who didn’t work overtime regularly of not making their fair share and letting then team down.

I decided to put up to the situation without complaining for a while but lastly I fell I had to confront Tom. I told him I wasn’t prepared to work so hard for such a low salary. Tom said that I had large potential and could easily get to the top if I was prepared to have an effort.

However, he thoroughly refused to reduce my workload and so in the end I decided to hand out my resignation.

Just a week later I got another job in Cramer and Blake’s main competitors. Now I’m earning twice as high as my old boss, and my job’s twice as interesting. I work exactly as long hours – but I’m glad I moved. I haven’t got to the top yet – but I’m far on the way! 

 

 

 

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Exercise 2

The following paragragh has 12 mistakes. Identify the mistakes in the lines and correct them. Write your answer in the space provided.

Who were the people responsible for collection and sending plants from one country to another? And why did they do it? Initially they were travellers with another purpose: traders, colonists, pilgrims and missionaries have all been important in providing new plants for English gardens. They sent back indigenous wild plants,

or sometimes, as in the cases of visitors to China and Japan, plants which have been cultivated and improved for hundreds of years. This worked, of course, in both directions: English gardens were making in the most unlikely places.

Travellers did not always recognise an interesting plant on seen it – interesting, that is, to the collector at home. So in the 16th and 17th century, attempts were made to collect on a most professional basis, either by patrons sending collections into the field, or by subscriptions to finance local enthusiasts in the most promised areas.

By 1611 John Tradescant was travelling and collecting in France and other parts of Europe. Lately, Peter Collinson, a London merchant, who had seen the richness of

the plant material sending back by Tradescant, organised a syndicate to finance the amateur botanical John Bartram. Before long, special collectors were being dispatched to all parts of the world by institutions such as the Chelsea Physic Garden.

Exercise 3

The following paragragh has 10 mistakes. Identify the mistakes  and correct them. Write your answer in the space provided.

        Simply be bilingual does not qualify anyone to interpreting. Interpreting does not merely a mechanical process of converting one sentence in language A into

a same sentence in language B. Rather, it is a complex art in that thoughts and idioms which have no obvious analogues from tongue to tongue – or words which have multiple meanings- must quickly be transformed in many a way that the message is clearly and accurately expressing to the listener.

        There was two kinds of interpreters, simultaneous and consecutive, each requires separate talents. The former, sitting in an isolated booth, usually at a large multilingual conference, speaks to listeners wearing headphones, interpreting that a foreign-language speaker says as he says it – actually a sentence afterwards. Consecutive interpreters are the one most international negotiators use. They are mainly employed for smaller meetings without sound booths, headphones, and another high-tech gear.

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