They have carried…… four first prizes 

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

_____ stamps from discarded envelopes is my hobby.

The weather across much of the British Isles remained settled last week with a good deal of sunshine. On Saturday, the lunchtime temperature at Bridlington on the north-cast (i) _______  of England was 28.2 c, which compared favorably with Alicante in southern Spain at 229 C. the rest of the world, however, was coping with some (ii) _______ conditions. A tropical storm, given the name Helen, hit Hong Kong on Saturday morning, though her presence had been felt in advance. From noon on Friday, the showers and (iii)  _______ of rain became more and more frequent so that by midnight on Sunday, thirty – six hours later, there had been 333 mm of rainfall, not far off the average for the month of August, at 367 mm. Even on Sunday there was a sting in Helen’s tail. The town centre of Shanwci, near Hong Kong, was (iv) _______ when 468 mm of rain fell in the sixty hours leading up to midday on Sunday, nearly twice the normal August rainfall. On the other side of the globe, tropical storm Gabrielle moved across the Gulf of Mexico and overnight rain exceeded the usual rainfall for the whole month. Although most of Europe enjoyed sun, the high temperatures were sufficient to set off some (v) __showers. On Tuesday morning, a thunderstorm at Lyons in eastern France deposited 99 mm of rain in just six hours.

(i)_______

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.

(v)______

I do wish you wouldn’t ………….in, Charles. I’m trying to talk to your father 

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.”

(i)______

Today the police are able to make use of all kinds of scientific and technological achievements in their fight against crime. This was not always the (i) _______ , however. In the early days of the British police force, during the nineteenth century, the police office’s whistle was his main way of calling for help if he got into (ii) _______ . Gradually, in the twentieth century, things (iii) _______ _ to improve.

Those police officers who were lucky enough to be given a patrol car rather than a bicycle could also took (iv) _______ of radio communications. In 1903, a new system for identifying people by their fingerprints was discovered. (v) _______ it soon proved to be one of the most significant developments in crime investigation, a seareh of the national fingerprint collection could take days, if not weeks, until computers were introduced in the 1970s.

(i)_________

The doctor suggested that his patient ........

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

She likes her job but does not like wear uniforms

_______ the police had rescued from the fire.

Many adults in America and increasing numbers elsewhere take part in mentoring schemes. A mentor is an adult who provides support and friendship to a young person. There are (i) _____ different ways of mentoring: passing on skills, sharing experiences, offering guidance. Sometimes the most helpful thing is just to listen. Mentoring is open to anybody – no particular (ii) _____ experience is required, just a desire to make a difference to the life of a young person who needs help. This may seem a difficult thing at first, but many people find they have a real (iii) _____ for it.

The support of a mentor can play an important role in a child’s development and can often make up (iv) _____a lack of guidance in a young person’s life. It can also improve young people’s attitude towards society and build up their confidence in dealing with life’s challenges. For the mentor, it can be incredibly rewarding to know that they have had a significant (v) _____ on a child and helped to give them the best possible chance in life. Indeed, it is not only adults who are capable of taking on this role. There is now an increasing demand for teenagers to mentor younger children, for example by helping them with reading or other school work.

(v)______

Choose the correct answer to complete the sentence. "My grandmother promised to buy my younger sister a new bicycle _____ she stopped eating junk food."

In Britain, greetings cards are sold in chain stores and supermarkets, in newsagents’ shops, comer shops and, increasingly, in shops that specialize in the sale of cards and paper for wrapping presents in. The (i)  _______ cards are birthday and Christmas cards. Many Christmas cards are sold in aid of charity and special ‘charily card shops’ are often set up in temporary premises in the weeks before Christmas. A wide (ii) _______ of birthday cards is available to cater for different ages and tastes. Some, especially ones for young children or for people (iii) _________ a particular birthday, have the person’s age on the front. Many have comic, often risque, messages printed on them, and cartoon-style illustrations. Others are more sober, with reproductions of famous paintings or attractive original designs. The usual greeting on a birthday card is ‘Happy Birthday’, ‘Many Happy Returns’ or ‘Best Wishes for a Happy Birthday’. Some people also send special cards for Easter and New Year, Easter cards (iv) _______ portray images of spring, such as chicks, eggs, lambs, spring flowers, etc., or have a religious theme. Cards are produced for every ‘milestone’ in a person’s life. There are special cards for (v) _______ engagement, a marriage, a new home, a birth, success in an examination, retirement, a death in the family, etC. Some are ‘good luck’ or ‘congratulations’ cards. Others, for example ‘get weir cards for people who are ill, express sympathy.

(ii)_____-

The Thames Barrier is a major part of the flood defence scheme for protecting London (i) _______ rising water levels. The defenses also include raised river embankments and additional flood gates at strategic points, including the Barking Barrier. The unique structure that is the Barrier spans the 520- melre wide Woolwich reach and consists of 10 separate movable gates, each pivoting and supporting between concrete structures which house the operating machinery. When raising, the four main gates (ii) _______stand as high as a five-storey building and as wide as the opening of Tower Bridge. Each weighs 3700 tones. During the first twelve years of (iii) _______, the Barrier has been closed twenty nine times to protect London. You can (iv) _______ the Barrier from the comfortable Cafeteria, picnic on the riverside embankment. Enjoy beautiful views from the riverside walk. Visit the shop which stocks a large selection of souvenirs, books and Barrier information. There is a children’s play area suitable for 4- to 12- year olds, located adjacent to the riverside walk. A visit to the spectacular Thames Barrier is a (v) _______experience.

(iii)______

Keep children  ......  from the fire.

Do you still live in _____ Bristol? 

The use of animal fur in making clothes will always arouse strong feeling in people. Whilst some will gaze admiringly at a fur coat in a shop window, others will grow angry at the (i) _____ of the animals which have suffered so that it could be produced. In many countries, animal rights campaigners have (ii) _____ for a ban on the farming of animals for their fur, claiming that it is cruel to breed and kill animals purely for fashion. They have also (iii) _____ pressure on designers and managed to convince some not to use fur for their clothes. They argue that the fashion industry can do without fur, as artificial alternatives are equally warm and attractive. Supporters of fur say that it is a matter of personal choice and people should be allowed to make up their own minds about what they wear. In addition, they point out that many people earn their (iv) _____ from the fur trade and to ban it would cause thousands to become unemployed. Some people, then, are prepared to pay a fortune for the latest trend, but it is the animals (v) _____ are the real fashion victims. Even if some countries stop fur farming, international trade rules prevent governments from banning the importing of clothes made from fur. So as long as there is a demand for fur, animals will continue to be sacrificed.

(iii)_______

It has been proposed that we  ........  the topic.

It is difficult to imagine a world without tomatoes. High in the Andes mountain of modern-day Peru, the local inhabitants have ben cultivating and eating tomatoes since prehistoric times, but the food has only become (i) _____ in the rest of the world relatively recently. These days, the bright red fruit plays an important role in the cooking of many cultures and is key ingredient in many types of fast food, (ii) _____ both taste and colour to dishes that otherwise would be rather ordinary. The tomato belongs to the nightshade family of plants, many members of which are poisonous. When they were first imported into North America, therefore, tomatoes were viewed with (iii) _____ and people tended to use them as table decorations rather than as food. In Europe, the tomato was first grown in Italy in 1555, although it wasn’t combined with pasta until much later. The first recipe for tomato ketchup dated from 1727 and in the 1800s, tomatoes began to be used more (iv) _____ in sauces and soups. These days, as well as tasting good, tomatoes are known to contain substances which are good lor our heath. Nutritionists (v) _____ out, however, that many processed tomato products also contain additives such as salt and sugar which can reduce the beneficial effects of the fruit.

(iii)_______

In their latest attack, terrorists have attempted to blow _________ the bridge 

In Britain, greetings cards are sold in chain stores and supermarkets, in newsagents’ shops, comer shops and, increasingly, in shops that specialize in the sale of cards and paper for wrapping presents in. The (i)  _______ cards are birthday and Christmas cards. Many Christmas cards are sold in aid of charity and special ‘charily card shops’ are often set up in temporary premises in the weeks before Christmas. A wide (ii) _______ of birthday cards is available to cater for different ages and tastes. Some, especially ones for young children or for people (iii) _________ a particular birthday, have the person’s age on the front. Many have comic, often risque, messages printed on them, and cartoon-style illustrations. Others are more sober, with reproductions of famous paintings or attractive original designs. The usual greeting on a birthday card is ‘Happy Birthday’, ‘Many Happy Returns’ or ‘Best Wishes for a Happy Birthday’. Some people also send special cards for Easter and New Year, Easter cards (iv) _______ portray images of spring, such as chicks, eggs, lambs, spring flowers, etc., or have a religious theme. Cards are produced for every ‘milestone’ in a person’s life. There are special cards for (v) _______ engagement, a marriage, a new home, a birth, success in an examination, retirement, a death in the family, etC. Some are ‘good luck’ or ‘congratulations’ cards. Others, for example ‘get weir cards for people who are ill, express sympathy.

(iv)_____-