Initial Evaluation

PART ONE. OPEN CLOZE. Fill each of the blanks in the following passage with one suitable word.

Laughing is Good for You- Seriously

It is a sad fact (0) .............................. adults laugh far less than children, sometimes (1) .............................. as much as a couple of hundred times a day. Just take a (2) .............................. at people's faces on the way to work or in the office: you'll be lucky to see a smile, let (3) .............................. hear a laugh. This is a shame - especially in (4) .............................. of the fact that scientists have proved that laughing is good for you. 'When you laugh,' says psychologist David Cohen, 'it produces the feel-good hormones, endorphins. It counters the effects of stress (5).............................. enhances the immune system.' There are many (6) .............................. why we might laugh less in adult life: perhaps we are too work-obsessed, or too embarrassed to (7) .............................. our emotions show. Some psychologists simply believe that children have more naive responses, and as adults we naturally grow (8) .............................. of spontaneous reactions. Luckily, (9).............................. , it is possible to relearn the art of laughter. In India, 'laughter clinics' have been growing (10).............................. popularity over the last few years, (11).............................. to the efforts of Dr Madan Kataria, (12).............................. work has won him (13) .............................. devoted following. Dr Kataria believes that his laughing techniques can help to strengthen the immune system and lower stress levels, (14).............................. other things. He teaches his patients different laughs or giggles to relax specific parts of the body. In 1998, when Dr Kataria organized a World Laughter Day at Bombay racetrack, 10,000 people (15) .............................. up.

PART TWO. WORD BUILDING.  For each blank space you are given words in their basic form. Decide on the correct form of each word and write it in the corresponding space.  Make sure your spelling is clear and unambiguous. An example (0) has been done for you.

 Beauty: Contrast between Originality and Cliché.

Beauty, says the proverb, is in the eye of the 1__________ (BEHOLD). In the way of proverbs, that is a too-easy 2____________ (HALF). Two people in love may each see in the other a beauty not visible to the eyes of others. It could perhaps be called relative beauty and has only 3_________ (FAIR) remote 4____________ (KIN) to authentic beauty, which is not at all relative and is 5__________ (DEED) fundamental to the continuance of life on earth.
For beauty is a primary 6___________ (BIOLOGY) factor, even if its 7___________ (IMPORTANT) to every moment of life is 8____________ (GREAT) obscured by its being so 9____________ (SWADDLE) in cliché and every sort of sentimental 10______________ (UNDERSTAND). For example, 11_________________ (CHALLENGE), we accept that the rose is beautiful, though it must be said that roses in the wild can make some garden varieties look almost vulgar.
Some of nature's most 12____________ (POWER) and 13____________ (REMARK) images become clichés through 14_____________ (FAMILY), thanks to the 15_____________ (COMMERCE) world we live in. When transferred to a squat 16______________ (GREET) card or popular poster, the once 17____________ (EXCEPT) image of a many-hued rainbow against 18________________ (DRAMA) clouds or a florid sunset over tranquil sea is 19______________ (RENDER) banal and 20_______________ (PLACE). Roses fade and sunsets are transient, so let us appreciate them at the height of their beauty and in their natural 21_______________ (SET).

PART THREE. GAPPED SENTENCES. Think of ONE word only that can be used appropriately in all three sentences of each exercise. Write each word in the space provided on the ANSWER SHEET. An example (0) has been done for you.

1.
a. The employment crisis is __________ that it is affecting one in four people.
b. ___________torrential rain is rare in this part of the world.
c. I didn't have a problem with the new manager's ideas as _________, but I disliked some of his mannerisms.

2.
a. Tom is bound to get a real wake up ________ when he enters the world of work after being closeted in the university for the last seven years.
b. Many young men answered the __________ to arms and signed up as soon as war was declared.
c. That car nearly drove into us, it was a really close __________ .

3.
a. You’d be _______ off if you put some money aside every month.
b. The guidelines for the office’s policy on _________ practice are displayed in the folder.
c. Come on! You need to put your __________ foot forward if you want to make it to the summit!

4.
a. It isn’t ___________ why she changed her mind at the last minute.
b. The intravenous solution was a _________, blue liquid.
c. Sheila decided to _____________ out the drawers of her desk.

5.
a. The president promised to take no __________ measures in order to improve the company’s productivity.
b. The forest looked eerie in the ________ light.
c. The top __________ of the statue was knocked down, while the base remains.
 

6.
a. Today’s crossword puzzle will definitely exercise your ________ matter!
b. What the government intends to do to solve the problem is still a ____________ area.
c. Although aging populations are often associated with poor economic growth, the __________ economy provides business opportunities not only in care provision, but also in recreational activities catering for the elderly.

7.
a. The teacher would not ___________ for the pupils’ unruly behaviour.
b. The union leader promised to _____________ his ground with regards to the proposed job cuts.
c. The locals made a _________ against the plans for a new by-pass through the country park.
 

8.
a. When she checked her change, she found it was two Euros ___________.
b. Steve cut the discussion ___________ by clapping loudly.
c. These policies will only help us in the ____________ term - in ten years things will change.

9.
a. We'll certainly take your feelings into _____________ .
b. Linda wrote an interesting ____________ of her holiday in Australia.
c. How do you _____________ for the $100 that's missing?

10.
a. She had a bad start, but she's still in the _____________ for third place.
b. He looks after the day-to-day ____________ of the nursing home.
c. The Browns are in a ____________ battle with the neighbours about the fence between the yards.

PART FOUR. KEY WORD TRANSFORMATIONS. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given.

0. "I am sorry I didn't ring you to say I'd be late."

APOLOGISED

He __ apologised for not ringing (having rung) to say he'd __ be late.

1. She passed the word around that she was looking for a flat.

KNOWN

She ______________________________________ was looking for a flat.

2. Although he was tired, he agreed to play tennis.

THOUGH

Tired___________________________ play tennis.

3. I didn't realise how much he was influenced by his brother.

EXTENT

I didn't ________________________________ his brother.

4. "I never told anyone about your scheme," he said.

DENIED

He________________________ scheme.

5. It was wrong of you to scare your mother like that.

OUGHTN'T

You ______________________________ mother like that.

6. He's likely to leave before the letter arrives.

TIME

By__________________________________________________ left.

7. The window cleaners haven't called for at least six months.

TIME

The______________________________________ ago.

8. "Where on earth have you been all this time?"

DEMANDED

She ______________________________time.

9. The suitcase was extremely heavy but he managed to lift it easily.

OF

Despite _______________________________________ easily.

10. He is said to be  a very hard bargainer.

REPUTATION

He _________________________ hard bargainer.

11. He didn't think about leaving his family until they were ready to depart.

UNTIL

Not _______________________________________________ his family.

12. I then saw the danger that we were in.

DANGER

Only_____________________________________ in.

13. As soon as we left the tent, it collapsed.

TENT

No_____________________________________ collapsed.

14. If we had thought about it more, we would have taken extra fuel.

WOULD

Had____________________________________________ extra fuel.

15. They had never ridden motorbikes for such extended distances.

SUCH

Never_____________________________________ distances.

16. They did not consider giving up the expedition at any point.

THEY

At ________________________________________________ the expedition.

17. As I intended to expand my shop, I made an offer for the premises next door.

VIEW

I made an offer____________________________________ my shop.

18. The prisoner was recaptured as he rushed towards the gate.

DASH

The prisoner _____________________________________ gate.

19. Since the company's methods were exposed in a newspaper, people have lost their good opinion of it.

IT

Since the company's methods______________________________________ disrepute.

KEY

PART ONE. OPEN CLOZE. Fill each of the blanks in the following passage with one suitable word

Objective Proficiency p 145. Laughing is Good for You- Seriously. Extra Cloze

(0) that

(1) by

(2) look

(3) alone

(4) view

(5) and

(6) reasons

(7) let



(8) out

(9) however

(10) in

(11) thanks / owing/ due

(12) whose

(13) a

(14) among

(15) turned/ showed

PART TWO. WORD BUILDING.  For each blank space you are given words in their basic form. Decide on the correct form of each word and write it in the corresponding space.  Make sure your spelling is clear and unambiguous. An example (0) has been done for you.

Objective Proficiency p 62. Beauty: Contrast between Originality and Cliché. Extra Word Formation

1. beholder
beauty is in the eye of the beholder (saying) people all have different ideas about what is beautiful.
behold /bɪˈhəʊld/ beheld beheld: behold somebody/ something (old use or literary) to look at or see somebody/ something. E.g. Her face was a joy to behold. They beheld a bright star shining in the sky. Lo and behold (humorous) used for calling attention to a surprising or annoying thing. E.g. As soon as we went out, lo and behold, it began to rain.



2. half-truth  
Half-truth: a statement that gives only part of the truth, especially when it is intended to cheat somebody. E.g. The newspaper reports are a mixture of gossip, lies and half-truths.



3. fairly 
Fairly: to some extent but not very. Somewhat. Sp. bastante. E.g. I go jogging fairly regularly.


Remote: distant.



4. kinship
Kinship: affinity, relationship. Sp. We tend to feel kinship with those who share the same values. The ties of kinship.
Kin: your family or your relatives. E.g. Marriage between close kin is prohibited.



5. indeed
indeed used to emphasize a positive statement or answer. E.g. ‘Was he very angry?’ ‘Indeed he was.’ ‘Do you agree?’ ‘Indeed I do/Yes, indeed.’ ‘You said you'd help?’ ‘I did indeed—yes.’ It is indeed a remarkable achievement.



Continuance: /kənˈtɪnjuəns / the state of continuing to exist or function. E.g. We can no longer support the President's continuance in office.



6. biological



7. importance 



8. greatly 

obscure something /əbˈskjʊə(r)/ to make it difficult to see, hear or understand something. E.g. The view was obscured by fog. We mustn't let these minor details obscure the main issue. A shadow fell across her face, obscuring her expression.



9. swaddled

Swaddle:/ˈswɒdl/ swaddle somebody/something: to wrap somebody/something, especially a baby, tightly in clothes or a piece of cloth. Sp. Envolver. E.g. She swaddled the baby tightly. (Figurative) they have grown up swaddled in consumer technology.



10. misunderstanding



11. unchallengingly 

Unchallengingly:In an unchallenging way; without challenge or difficulty. Easily. E.g. The situation will not be unchallengingly simple. The program was comfortably and unchallengingly familiar: Schubert's Fifth Symphony.



12. powerful



13. remarkable
remarkable: unusual or surprising in a way that causes people to take notice. E.g. a remarkable achievement/ career/ talent.



14. familiarity



15. commercial  



16. greetings/ greeting (AmE)
greetings card: a card with a picture on the front and a message inside that you send to somebody on a particular occasion such as their birthday. 

Squat:  /skwɒt/  short, wide or fat and ugly. E.g. a squat tower. A squat muscular man with a shaven head.



17. exceptional

 

Hue: a colour; a particular shade of a colour. Hued: coloured. E.g. rainbow-hued.



18. dramatic

Florid: red. E.g. a florid complexion.



19. rendered

Render: render somebody/something + adjective (formal) to cause somebody/ something to be in a particular state or condition. Make. E.g. to render something harmless/ useless/ ineffective.

banal: very ordinary and containing nothing that is interesting or important. E.g. a banal conversation about the weather.

20. commonplace

Commonplace: having nothing original. Done very often, or existing in many places, and therefore not unusual. E.g. the usual commonplace remarks. Computers are now commonplace in primary classrooms. 

Transient: /ˈtrænziənt/ continuing for only a short time. Ephemeral.  Sp. Efímero, fugaz, pasajero, transitorio. E.g. the transient beauty of youth.

Height: the point when something is at its best or strongest. E.g. He is at the height of his career.



21. setting
setting: a set of surroundings; the place at which something happens. E.g. a rural/ an ideal/ a beautiful/ an idyllic, etc. setting. It was the perfect setting for a wonderful Christmas. People tend to behave differently in different social settings.

PART THREE. GAPPED SENTENCES. Think of ONE word only that can be used appropriately in all three sentences of each exercise. Write each word in the space provided on the ANSWER SHEET. An example (0) has been done for you.

1. such

such delicious toast
such bad weather
such tasty bread
such scrumptious spaghetti
such a heavenly toastie (toasted sandwich)

2. call

wake-up call an event that makes people realize that there is a problem that they need to do something about. E.g. These riots should be a wake-up call for the government.

a call to arms: a command to report for active military duty. A strong request to fight in the army.

a close call/shave (informal) a situation in which you only just manage to avoid an accident, etc. The car just missed the child but it was a very close call.

 

by the skin of your teeth (informal) if you do something by the skin of your teeth, you only just manage to do it. E.g. He escaped defeat by the skin of his teeth.

by a hair's breadth a very small amount or distance We won by a hair's breadth. They were within a hair's breadth of being killed.

3. best

put your best foot forward to make a great effort to do something, especially if it is difficult or you are feeling tired

4. clear

intravenous /ˌɪntrəˈviːnəs/

5. half

half measures: a policy or plan of action that is weak and does not do enough. E.g. There are no half measures with this company. Are half measures good enough to restore people's confidence in business? We need more than half measures to resolve the problems that recur here so often.

eerie: /ˈɪəri/ strange, mysterious and frightening. E.g. I found the silence underwater really eerie.

half light: a dull light in which it is difficult to see things

in the grey half-light of dawn

6. grey (gray AmE)

grey matter: 1. the grey-brown substance in your brain and spinal cord that consists mainly of the bodies of neurons (=cells that carry messages to and from your brain). 2. a person's intelligence. E.g. This should exercise the old grey matter. I wish I had a little of her grey matter.

white matter: the white substance in your brain and spinal cord that consists mainly of nerve fibres.

grey area: an area of a subject or situation that is not clear or does not fit into a particular group and is therefore difficult to define or deal with. E.g. Exactly what can be called an offensive weapon is still a grey area. The new rules for police procedure cleared up a lot of grey areas. That grey area between legitimate protest and illegal disruption. Grey areas in the legislation have still to be clarified. I used to be idealistic enough to think that all the world was clean and tidy, that rules were rules, that there were no gray areas anywhere.

grey: used for describing issues that affect old people. E.g. grey power. The grey vote.

7. stand

not stand for something to not let somebody do something or something happen. E.g. I'm not standing for it any longer. No one makes a fool of me. I won't stand for it!

hold/stand your ground 1 to continue with your opinions or intentions when somebody is opposing you and wants you to change. E.g. Don't let him persuade you—stand your ground. 2 to face a situation and refuse to run away. It is not easy to hold your ground in front of someone with a gun.

stand: a strong effort to defend yourself or your opinion about something. E.g. We must make a stand against further job losses. The rebels' desperate last stand.

by-pass: 1 (especially British English) a road that passes around a town or city rather than through the centre. E.g. the western bypass around the town. The Newbury bypass.

8. short

cut short to end abruptly; terminate. E.g. Her nap was cut short by a loud noise from outside.

9. account

account: a written or spoken description of something that has happened. E.g. She gave the police a full account of the incident. The diaries contained detailed accounts of the writer's experiences in China.

account for: to give an explanation of something. Explain. E.g. How do you account for the show's success? He was unable to account for the error.

10. running

in/out of the running (for something) (n) (informal) having some/no chance of succeeding or achieving something. E.g. he is in the running for an Oscar.

running: (n) the activity of managing or operating something. E.g. the day-to-day running of a business. The running costs of a car (= for example of fuel, repairs, insurance).

running: (adj) lasting a long time; continuous. E.g. For years he had fought a running battle with the authorities over the land. A running argument. His old raincoat became a running joke (= people kept laughing at it).

PART FOUR. KEY WORD TRANSFORMATIONS. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given.

0. "I am sorry I didn't ring you to say I'd be late."

APOLOGISED

He _apologised for not ringing (having rung) to say he'd___ be late.

1. She passed the word around that she was looking for a flat.

KNOWN

She _let it be known that she__ was looking for a flat.

2. Although he was tired, he agreed to play tennis.

THOUGH

Tired _though he was, he agreed to _ play tennis.

3. I didn't realise how much he was influenced by his brother.

EXTENT

I didn't _realise the extent to which he was influenced by__ his brother.

4. "I never told anyone about your scheme," he said.

DENIED

He_ denied telling (having told) anyone about my/our_ scheme.

5. It was wrong of you to scare your mother like that.

OUGHTN'T

You _oughtn't to have scared your_ mother like that.

6. He's likely to leave before the letter arrives.

TIME

By _the time the letter arrives, he's likely to have (or he'll probably have)___ left.

7. The window cleaners haven't called for at least six months.

TIME

The__ last time the window cleaners called was at least six months___ ago.

8. "Where on earth have you been all this time?"

DEMANDED

She __demanded to know where on earth I/we had been all that time __time

9. The suitcase was extremely heavy but he managed to lift it easily.

OF

Despite _the (heavy) weight of the suitcase, he managed to lift it___ easily

10. He is said to be  a very hard bargainer.

REPUTATION

He _has the reputation of (being)/ a reputation as a very _ hard bargainer /ˈbɑːɡənə/

11. He didn't think about leaving his family until they were ready to depart.

UNTIL

Not _until they were ready to depart did he think about leaving __ his family.

12. I then saw the danger that we were in.

DANGER

Only__  then did I see the danger that we were ___________ in.

13. As soon as we left the tent, it collapsed.

TENT

No___ sooner had we left the tent than it_______ collapsed.

14. If we had thought about it more, we would have taken extra fuel.

WOULD

Had__ we thought about it more, we would have taken_____ extra fuel.

15. They had never ridden motorbikes for such extended distances.

SUCH

Never_ before had they ridden motorbikes for such extended ___ distances.

16. They did not consider giving up the expedition at any point.

THEY

At _no point did they consider giving up__ the expedition.

17. As I intended to expand my shop, I made an offer for the premises next door.

VIEW

I made an offer__ for the premises next door with a view to expanding__ my shop

with a view to something/to doing something

(formal) with the intention or hope of doing something. E.g. He's painting the house with a view to selling it.

in view of something

(formal) considering something. E.g. In view of the weather, the event will now be held indoors.

18. The prisoner was recaptured as he rushed towards the gate.

DASH

The prisoner __ was recaptured as he made a dash for the ___ gate.

a dash (for something): an act of going somewhere suddenly and/or quickly. E.g. He jumped off the bus and made a dash for the nearest bar.

19. Since the company's methods were exposed in a newspaper, people have lost their good opinion of it.

IT

Since the company's methods__ were exposed in a newspaper, it has fallen into __ disrepute

disrepute: /ˌdɪsrɪˈpjuːt/ the fact that somebody/something loses the respect of other people. E.g. The old system had fallen into disrepute. The players' behaviour on the field is likely to bring the game into disrepute. The president brought his office into disrepute and betrayed the people's trust.