From next year, every student in their final year at our school will study for a compulsory Diploma of Practical Achievement.

This will be in addition to the (i) _____ examinations. Up to now, the course has been optional, but from now on every student must (ii) _____ it. The aim is to (iii) _____ students with “life skills”, which the Diploma divides into eight categories. These cover a range of things relevant to life beyond school, from sending an e-mail to giving presentations to an audience. Under the heading “survival”, (iv) _____, students can learn car maintenance, first aid and cooking. We have discovered that many students cannot do simple things such as mend a puncture or boil an egg. At the other extreme, the Diploma includes such things as how to design a webpage and how to (v) _____ if someone has a heart attack. It has been called a “Diploma in Common Sense”.

(iii)______

_______ dancing is _______ more interesting activity than _________ reading. 

There are a variety of causes that can contribute directly or indirectly to the extinction of a species or groups of species. Just as each species is unique, and so is each extinction. The causes (i) _______ each are varied – some subtle and complex, others obvious and simple. Most simply, any species that is unable to (ii) _______ or reproduce in its environment, and unable to move to a new environment where it can do so, will (iii) _______ out and become extinct. Extinction of a species may come suddenly when a healthy species is wiped out completely, as when toxic pollution makes its entire diversity unlivable; or may occur gradually over thousands or millions of years, such as when a species gradually loses out in (iv) _______ lor food to better adapted competitors. The question of whether more extinction in the fossil record has been caused by evolution or by catastrophe is a subject of discussion. When taking about species extinction that has been raised, most experts concern with the (v) _______ of climate change and technological disasters. Currently, environmental groups and some governments are concerned about the extinction of species caused by human beings and are attempting to combat further extinctions through various ways of conservation programs. Humans can cause extinction of a species through overharvesting, pollution, habitat destruction, introduction of new predators and food competitors, overhunting, and other influences.

(ii)_____

Choose the correct answer to each of the following questions. "The doctor said to Mr Brow that if he ate lots of fatty food, he ____ increase his chance of developing heart disease."

Around 1190, Tcmujjin and his close allies and advisers began to unite many (i) _____ Mongol clans. Using his strong will and charisma, he managed to persuade (ii) _____ of those fighting and warring clans to accept him as the one and only leader. It seems Tcmujjin had a gift, the unusual ability to act as a leader and (iii) _____ respect. Several tribes tried to oppose him. There were a lot of betrayals and killings, but eventually Tcmujjin managed to do what nobody had ever done before: unite all Mongols (iv) _____  one nation in 1206. In honor of his achievements, the Mongol clan chiefs (v) _____Tcmujjin the title Khan, or “leader”.

(ii)______

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined word(s) in each of the following questions. Little Mary had a disadvantaged childhood with little education and money.

I wish someone ....  to help me with that work tomorrow.

Earthquakes are amongst the most destructive natural disasters. They usually (i) _____ without any warning and result in a great (ii) _____ of life and an enormous demolition of buildings. Additionally, they may cause devastating landslides or create gigantic tidal waves which, in fact, are colossal walls of water smashing into seashores with such force that they are (iii) _____ of destroying coastal cities.

However, the vast majority of fatalities and serious injuries come about when buildings collapse. Most frequently, the earthquake lasts 30 to 60 seconds, so usually there is no time to avert the mortal (iv) _____ once the shaking starts. The savage forces of an earthquake trigger (v) _____ a complex chain reaction in the building structure when it is shaken, lifted, pushed or pulled. A building’s height, its shape and construction materials are the most significant factors deciding about the survival or collapse of the structure and, consequently, about the life or death of its inhabitants.

(v)_______

Choose the correct answer to each of the following questions. "My friends admitted forgetting to submit the assignments the day _____."

 _________ president of the United States will be visiting Australia next week. 

Today, there are libraries in almost every towns in the world. Even in areas where there are no libraries, there are often mobile libraries which take books from one village to (i) _______  . But in the days when books were copied by hand rather than printed, libraries were very rare. The reason is simple: books took a very long time to produce, and there were far fewer copies of any given work around. The greatest library (ii) _______ all, that in Alexandia had 54,000 books. In the ancient world, this number (iii) _______ considered huge. It was the first time that anyone had collected so many books from all around the world under one roof. There are many theories about why these books were lost. (iv) _______ is that the library accidentally burned down. Another is that one of the rulers of the city ordered the books to be burned. They were taken to various places and it took six months to bum them. (v) _______ happened, the collection there was priceless. Many of the library’s treasures were lost forever, some books were never recovered. We cannot even know exactly what the library contained.

(i)______

Smart shoes that adjust their size throughout the day could soon be available. A prototype of such a shoe has already been produced and a commercial (i) _____ may be in production within a few years. The shoe contains sensors that constantly check the amount of (ii) _____ left in it. If the fool has become too large, a tiny valve opens and the shoe expands slightly. The entire control system is about 5mm square and is located inside the shoe. This radical shoe (iii) _____ a need because the volume of the average foot can change by as much as 8% during the course of the day. The system is able to learn about the wearer’s feet and build up a picture of the size of his or her feet throughout the day. It will allow the shoes to change in size by up to 8% so that they always fit (iv) _____. They are obviously more comfortable and less likely to cause blisters. From an athlete’s point of view, they can help improve performance a little, and that is why the first use for the system will find a place in other household items, from beds that automatically change to fit the person sleeping in them, to power tools that (v) _____themselves to the user’s hand for better grip. There is no reason why the system couldn’t be adapted for use in hundreds of consumer possessions.

(iii)_____

What does an elephant eat on typical day? Layang – Layang, an elephant at London Zoo, has a good appetite. Her keeper describes what she ate yesterday. “Breakfast (i) _____ of a kilo of dog biscuits mixed with 750g of dried horse food with extra vitamins, hay, bread, bananas apples, oranges, potatoes, carrots and cabbage. Zoo food is always of a (ii) _____standard! “During the morning, the daily supply of branches is delivered. Layang -Layang is particularly fond of cherry and apple, so she was given four big (iii) _____. She chewed the twiggy bits and used the rest as toys. Lunch was another kilo of dog biscuits, more bread, vegetables and fruit. Most of this comes from local supermarkets who give us stock that otherwise they would (iv) _____. After lunch she ate more branches. We have to make sure she doesn’t run out of these. Some visitors to the zoo aren’t very sensible and feed laying- Layang unsuitable things. If she swallows paper and plastic, her stomach hurts. “Supper was another kilo of dog biscuits, 750g of dried horse food, 350g of linseed oil to (v) _____ healthy skin and hair and 500g of vitamin E. Layang-Layang cats a lot but she never puts onweight. “If she feels like a snack during the night, Layang-Layang has some hay and more branches.”

(v)______

Choose the correct answer to each of the following questions. "If you take this medicine, you will _____ quickly."

How did the robbers manage to ……….without anyone seeing them? 

Choose A, B,C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each of the following questions: 

Don't forget attending our meeting next month on time

Choose a, b, c or d that best completes each unfinished sentence:

We would be glad  ____ the chance to meet her.

Some years ago, when I was working as an astronomer at the Greenwich Observatory in London I received a letter from an elderly lady living nearby who said: “When I was a girl we could sec so I many stars, but they’re not there anymore. Have they faded?” Walking down the hill on which the observatory stands, I (i) _____ the truth of what she said. Beneath me were all the lights of London and above me was the orange glow they send up into the night sky. But I could (ii)  _____ see any stars. If light pollution – as this effect is known – continues to increase at its present rate, our grandchildren will only get the chance to see the stars if they visit an observatory like the one in Greenwich. Light pollution is almost (iii) _____ for granted in most cities, and it is fast spreading into rural areas too. (iv) _____ recent research, almost half of all Europeans and two-thirds of North Americans can no longer see the milky Way. And this type of pollution doesn’t only destroy our view of the night sky. It also wastes money and causes environmental pollution. For example, a single light bulb, (v) _____ all year, releases around a quarter of a tone of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, making global warming even worse.

(iii)_______

Parents whose children show a special interest in a particular sport have a difficult decision to  (i) _____  about their children’s career. Should they allow their children to train to become top sportsmen and women? For many children, it means starting very young and school work, going out with friends and other interests have to take second place. Il’s very difficult to explain to a young child why he or she has to train for five hours a day, even at the weekend, when (ii) _____of his or her friends are playing. Another problem is of course money. In many countries, money for training is available from the government for the very best young sportsmen and women. If this help cannot be given, it means that it is the parents (iii) _____ have to find the time and the money to support their child’s development- and sports clothes, transport to competitions, special equipment etC. can all be very expensive. Many parents are understandably worried that it is dangerous to start serious training in a sport at an early age. Some doctors agree that young (iv) _____ may be damaged by training before they are properly developed.Professional trainers, however, believe that it is only by starting young that you can reach the top as a successful sports person. What is clear is that very (v) _____  people reach the top and both parents and children should be prepared for failure even after many years of training.

(iii)______

I think the treasurer strongly approves ……………….our new system 

Researehers in the field of psychology have found that one of the best ways to make an important decision, such as choosing a university to attend or a business to invest in, involves the utilization of a decision worksheet. Psychologists (i) _______ optimization compare the actual decisions made by people to theoretical ideal decisions to see how similar they are. Proponents of the worksheet procedure believe that it will yield optimal, that is, the best decisions. (ii) _______ there are several variations on the exact format that worksheets can lake, they are all similar in their essential aspects. Worksheets require defining the problem (iii) _______ a clear and concise way and then listing all possible solutions to the problem. Next, the pertinent considerations that will be affected by each decision are listed, and the relative importance of each consideration or consequence (iv) _______ . Each consideration is assigned a numerical value to reflect its relative importance. A decision is mathematically calculated by adding these values together. The alternative with the highest number of points emerges as the best decision. Since most important problems are multifaceted, there are several alternatives to choose from, each with unique advantages and disadvantages. One of the benefits of a pencil and paper (v) _______ procedure is that it permits people to deal with more variables than their minds can generally comprehend and remember.

(iv)_______