Section 1
Choose the best word or phrase to fill each blank.
2. ‘ _____ to Mexico, Ginny?’ ‘Yes, two years ago. ‘
3. I wish I _____ more money!
4. _____ be famous one day?
Section 2
Choose the best word or phrase to fill each blank.
5. It’s my birthday _____ Friday.
7. ‘What time is it?’ ‘I have no _____.’
8. The meal was very expensive. Look at the _____.
9. How many _____ of jeans have you got?
10. Joel came back from his holiday in Brazil looking really _____.
Section 3
Choose the best word or phrase to fill each blank.
11. Harry can _____ English.
12. I’m not interested _____ sports.
13. She likes _____ expensive clothes.
14. Harry _____ his father’s car when the accident happened.
15. I was wondering _____ tell me when the next plane from Vancouver arrives?
16. If I _____ him, I would have spoken to him, wouldn’t I?
17. I like your hair. Where _____?
18. I think Joey must _____ late tonight. His office light is still on.
19. John tells me Jack’s going out with Helen, _____ I find hard to believe.
20. What _____ this weekend, Lance?
21. The weather has been awful. We’ve had very _____ sunshine this summer.
22. Did you hear what happened to Kate? She _____.
Section 4
Choose the best word or phrase to fill each blank.
23. I usually _____ up at about 7.30.
24. I _____ football every week.
25. My sister _____ the cooking in our house.
26. Don’t forget to _____ the light when you leave the room.
27. She was in _____ when she heard the tragic news.
28. He _____ that he hadn’t stolen the computer, but no one believed him.
29. Could you _____ me that book for a couple of days, please?
30. Greg is _____ a lot of time at Yvonne’s house these days!
Section 5
Choose the best word or phrase to fill each blank.
31. Who _____ in that house?
32. I’ll call you when I _____ home.
33. If you _____ me, what would you do?
34. I don’t know where _____ last night.
35. John and Betty are coming to visit us tomorrow but I wish _____.
36. I’m so hungry! If only Bill __________ all the food in the fridge!
37. I regret __________ harder in school.
38. Surely Sue __________ you if she was unhappy with your work.
39. Our neighbours aren’t very polite, and __________ particularly quiet!
40. We had expected that they __________ fluent English, but in fact they didn’t.
41. I’d rather I _____ next weekend, but I do!
42. Susan is so knowledgeable. She can talk about _____ subject that comes up.
Section 6
Choose the best word or phrase to fill each blank.
43. I always _____ milk in my coffee.
44. I _____ TV every evening.
45. Can you give me a _____ with my bag.
46. Before you enter the triathlon, please bear in _____ that you’re not as young as you used to be!
47. The breath test showed he had consumed more than three times the legal limit of alcohol, so the police arrested him for _____.
48. The meeting was _____ and not very interesting.
49. After the movie was released, the main _____ point was its excessive use of violence.
50. There have been several big _____ against the use of GM foods recently.
Reading 1
Today’s grandparents are joining their grandchildren on social media, but the different generations’ online habits couldn’t be more different. The over-55s are joining Facebook in increasing numbers; meaning that they will soon be the site’s second biggest user group, with 3.5 million users aged 55 to 64 and 2.9 million over-65s.
Sheila, aged 59, says, “I joined to see what my grandchildren are doing, as my daughter post videos and photos of them. It’s a much better way to see what there’re doing than waiting for letters and photos in the mail. That’s how we did it when I was a child, but I think I’m lucky I get to see so much more of their lives than my grandparents did.”
Ironically, Sheila’s grandchildren are less likely to use Facebook themselves. Children under 17 are leaving the site – only 2.2 million users are under 17 – but they’re not going far from their smartphones. Chloe, aged 15, even sleeps with her phone. “It’s my alarm clock so I have to” she says. I look at it before I go to sleep and as soon as I wake up.”
Unlike her grandmother’s generation, Chloe’s age group is spending so much time on their phones at home that they are missing out on spending time with their friends in real life. Sheila, on the other hand, has made contact with old friends from school she hasn’t heard from in forty years. “We use Facebook to arrange to meet all over the country” she says. “It’s changed my social life completely.” Teenagers might have their teenagers to thank for their smartphone and social media addiction, as their parents were the early adopters of the smartphone. Peter, 38, and father of two teenagers, reports that he used to be on his phone or laptop constantly, “I was always connected and I felt like I was always working,” he says, “How could I tell my kids to get off their phones if I was always in front of a screen myself?” So, in the evenings and at weekends, he takes his SIM card out of his smartphone and puts it into an old-style mobile phone that can only make calls and send text messages. “I’m not completely cut off from the world in case of emergencies, but the important thing is I’m setting a better example to my kids and spending more quality time with them.”
Is it only a matter of time until the generation above and below Peter catches up with the new trend for a less digital life?
51. More people aged 55 or more use Facebook than people aged 65 or more.
52. Grandparents typically use Facebook less than their grandchildren.
53. Sheila feels grateful to social media.
54. Peter found his own smartphone use affected how he felt about how much his children used their phones.
Reading 2
Cultural Behavior In Business
Much of today’s business is conducted across international borders, and while the majority of the global business community might share the use of English as a common language, the nuances and expectations of business communication might differ greatly from culture to culture. A lack of understanding of the cultural norms and practices of our business acquaintances can result in unfair judgements, misunderstandings and breakdowns in communication. Here are three basic areas of differences in the business etiquette around the world that could help stand you in good stead when you next find yourself working with someone from a different culture.
Addressing Someone
When discussing this topic in a training course, a German trainee and a British trainee got into a hot debate about whether it was appropriate for someone with a doctorate to use the corresponding title on their business card. The British trainee maintained that anyone who wasn’t a medical doctor expecting to be addressed as ‘Dr.’ was disgustingly pompous and full of themselves. The German trainee, however, argued that the hard work and years of education put into earning that PhD should give them full rights to expect to be addressed as ‘Dr.’. This stark difference in opinion over something that could be conceived as minor and thus easily overlooked goes to show that we often attach meaning to even the most mundane practices. When things that we are used to are done differently, it could spark the strongest reactions in us. While many Continental Europeans and Latin Americans prefer to be addressed with a title, for example Mr or Ms and their surname when meeting someone in a business context for the first time, Americans, and increasingly the British, now tend to prefer using their first names. The best thing to do is to listen and observe how your conversation partner addresses you and, if you are still unsure, do not be afraid to ask them how they would like to be addressed.
Smiling
A famous Russian proverb states that ‘a smile without reason is a sign of idiocy’ and a so called ‘smile of respect’ is seen as insincere and often regarded with suspicion in Russia. Yet in countries like the United States, Australia and Britain, smiling is often interpreted as a sign of openness, friendship and respect, and is frequently used to break the ice. In a piece of research done on smiles across cultures, the researchers found that smiling individuals were considered more intelligent than non-smiling people in countries such as Germany, Switzerland, China and Malaysia. However, in countries like Russia, Japan, South Korea and Iran, pictures of smiling faces were rated as less intelligent than the non-smiling ones. Meanwhile, in countries like India, Argentina and the Maldives, smiling was associated with dishonesty.
Eye Contact
An American or British person might be looking their client in the eye to show that they are paying full attention to what is being said, but if that client is from Japan or Korea, they might find the direct eye contact awkward or even disrespectful. In parts of South America and Africa, prolonged eye contact could also be seen as challenging authority. In the Middle East, eye contact across genders is considered inappropriate, although eye contact within a gender could signify honesty and truthfulness. Having an increased awareness of the possible differences in expectations and behaviour can help us avoid cases of miscommunication, but it is vital that we also remember that cultural stereotypes can be detrimental to building good business relationships. Although national cultures could play a part in shaping the way we behave and think, we are also largely influenced by the region we come from: the communities we associate with, our age and gender, our corporate culture, and our individual experiences of the world. The knowledge of the potential differences should therefore be something we keep at the back of our minds, rather than something that we use to pigeonhole the individuals of an entire nation.
55. The British trainee felt that people who want to be addressed as ‘Dr.’ must be …
56. If you are not sure how to address someone, you should …
57. There might be a misunderstanding if an American smiles at a Russian business associate because the Russian might think that the American is …
58. The Japanese, South Koreans and Iranians might interpret a smiling face as being …
59. Americans and British people sometimes use eye contact to show that they …
60. The last paragraph warns the reader not to …
