Vocabulary

A. Complete the chart with the words below.

circulation | disregard | evaluate | festivities | interpret | joints | mark | operating

system | posture | ritual | text-to-speech

B. Choose the correct answers.

1. A beltway is a circular / spiral road that runs along the outer edge of a city.

2. Having a light salad for lunch was a welcome / profound change for Joe, who
usually ate a full three-course meal.

3. Unquestionably / Comprehensively, health in cities will improve as transportation

systems embrace electric options.

4. The child, having played in the mud, was absolutely flaky / filthy when he came
home.

5. One of the side effects / task demands of using a computer a lot is eye strain.

6. On our farm there is a wide range of livestock / cattle including chickens, pigs, and
even a goose.
7. Tom chose a muted / vibrant blue sofa to stand out and contrast with the gray
walls.

C. Complete the conversation with the correct form of the words below.

consume | dramatic | emit | gradual | renew | short

Sarah: Shall we compare what we’ve done to help the environment this year?

Matt: OK. Well, I 1___________________ reduced my carbon footprint when I

stopped using planes and cars. That, by far, is the biggest thing I’ve
done.

Sarah: I didn’t go nearly so far, but I did change my car to a low-

2
___________________ vehicle. And it’s been difficult, but I’m
3
___________________, week by week, cutting down on my
4
___________________ of meat. I also voted for a party
that supports 5___________________ energy.

Matt: Last year, we had a dry summer, so there were water

6
___________________ in the fall. I decided to take shorter showers
and run the faucet less when I brush my teeth.

Sarah: I think we’ve done a lot!

D. Choose the correct words to complete the extract from a story.

Connor and Emma headed towards the 1lush / deserted old building, standing alone,
the only feature of the dry, 2barren / scenic landscape where nothing was growing.
Without 3batting an eye / turning a blind eye, Connor pushed the front door open.

"Wow. Look at this!" he exclaimed, noticeably 4thrilled / shaken. "There’s absolutely

no one here. This old building has been completely 5unspoiled / abandoned. Let’s
explore."
But before Emma could respond, a very loud banging sound came from the back of
the room, which 6stemmed from / resulted in Emma letting out a sharp scream.

The sound repeated and the couple were genuinely 7anxious / surprised to see a
black cat jump out from behind a dusty table.

E. Complete the sentences with some of the words below. You will not use all
of the words.

composed | green party | green thumb | near miss | overestimated | overrated |

shake-up | underrated

1. I think you ____________________ how many people would come to the party.
We are going to have a lot of food left over.

2. I think the local ____________________ will do well in the elections because

global warming is in the news a lot these days.

3. I have always admired how calm and ____________________ Rosa is, even in
really stressful situations.

4. My mother’s flowers always look healthy. She’s got a ____________________ for

sure.

5. I think the director Guy Ritchie is really ____________________ by the critics and
by people in general. He should be recognized more for his excellent work.

Grammar

F. Choose the correct answers to complete the conversation.

Matt: What are you doing, Eric?

Eric: Last week, I went to a seminar about personal change and it got me 1to think /
thinking. So, I’m making a list of ways that I have changed and ways that I would like
to change in the future. How would you say that I have changed since you’ve known
me?

Matt: When I met you, you 2would never / never use to go out. I think you are more
sociable now.

Eric: I think it was you who got me going out more. No way 3I would / would I have
gone to a club, and it was you who insisted I 4be / was more confident when talking to
women. In fact, if you hadn’t dared me to say hello to Amy, we 5wouldn’t be / aren’t
dating now.

Matt: I’m glad 6to have / having helped. So, what changes would you like to make?

Eric: Having given it a lot of thought, I’ve decided I’d like to get married and have a
family. I think a family 7are / is something that will make me the happiest.

Matt: That will certainly be a big change!

G. Complete the second sentence with two to five words so that it has a similar
meaning to the first sentence. Use the word in parentheses ( ).

1. I think having a robot pet would be better than having a robot cook. (rather)
Personally, _______________________ a robot pet than a robot cook.

2. I always start to move when I hear my trainer’s voice. (gets)

Hearing my trainer’s voice always _______________________.

3. Grace tried three dishes. Each dish used insects as the main ingredient. (which)
Grace tried three dishes, _______________________ used insects as the main
ingredient.

4. I suggest going to bed now if you want to get eight hours of sleep. (should)
You _______________________ to bed now if you want to get eight hours of
sleep.

5. This game is really popular. I’m sure you’ve seen people playing this game on their
smartphones. (will)
You _______________________ people playing this game on their smartphones.
It’s really popular.

6. Could you imagine our language dying out? What would we do? (what)
_______________________ out? What would we do?

7. If you hadn’t been secretly listening to my conversation with John, you wouldn’t
have heard about the surprise party. (should)
I’m sorry you heard about the surprise party, but you _______________________
secretly listening to my conversation with John.

H. Complete the article with the words below.

as | given | had | having | is | once | whatever | will | would

The Lows and Highs of Being Short

1
_______________ the choice, most people would prefer to be tall. Over a lifetime,
short people (I’m 5’3") 2_______________ undoubtedly face more challenges than
tall people. 3_______________ you can imagine, reaching high shelves in
supermarkets or libraries is impossible. The worst thing for me 4_______________
going to a concert. Not 5_______________ have I been able to see the artist on
stage for more than a few seconds. Are there any advantages? If you
6
_______________ asked me when I was a teenager, I 7_______________ have
said none, but 8_______________ been short all my life, I would say there are a few.
I can get through crowds faster and hide better when needed! When I fall, I rarely
hurt myself, and I have plenty of space on planes. For me, the biggest plus has been
that I have always worked extra hard, I suppose, to compensate in some way for my
lack of height. Fortunately, 9_______________ I have tried hard at, I have succeeded
in. I may be short, but I’ve never been short of money!
I. Choose the correct answers.

Groundhog Day

One of the strangest traditions in the US is Groundhog Day. A groundhog ( 1the / an

animal like a fat squirrel) comes out of 2the / a ground on February 2nd after sleeping
through the winter. If the groundhog, 3is named / named Phil, sees his shadow, he
predicts six more weeks of winter weather. It 4is said / says that Phil whispers his
prediction to the person holding him. 5I have / Having followed Phil’s predictions for
the last 30 years, I 6would / did say he has been right about 50% of the time. No one
7
take / takes the prediction too seriously, but every year his prediction goes all
around the world!

Reading

J. Read the article. Then choose the correct answers.

Maximizing Color in Branding

Color is a powerful tool that companies should not ignore when promoting their
brands and products. Consumers think about color every day, from choosing their
clothes in the morning to the kind of restaurant they might have lunch in to the
bedroom walls they see before they close their eyes at night. Colors express
personalities, moods, and emotions. Choosing colors that resonate with the public is
vital if brands want to succeed. So, how should they go about doing it?

The first step is to choose a color that fits the brand’s personality. Is the brand
modern or traditional? Feminine or masculine? Loud or subtle? By thinking of a brand
as a person, companies will make choices that are consistent with one singular
identity.

Secondly, consider what emotion the color evokes. Red gets our attention because it
signifies passion or danger, whereas purple is associated with royalty and luxury.
Many banks use dark blue because it transmits professionalism and security, but
modern online banks prefer orange which suggests vitality and friendliness. Most
companies will choose a base color that fits with their brand’s most important
personality trait. As well as a base color, companies choose an accent color. This is
a color that can offer variety in designs without affecting the overall look of the brand.
An accent color complements a base color, the best choice being the opposite color
on the color spectrum, since this creates a contrast that will grab the customers’
attention.

Finally, be consistent. We associate red with Coke. If Coke suddenly started using
orange in its marketing, this would weaken the brand’s identity. Colors are not only
used in marketing, but also in logos, websites, stores, and staff uniforms. Being
consistent across all these areas will strengthen brand awareness.

1. In the first paragraph, the writer says it is important that companies …

a) pay attention to consumers’ color choices when creating a

brand strategy.
b) select colors that connect emotionally with potential customers.
c) choose colors that reflect their brand identity.

2. According to the writer, the color scheme of a brand should …

a) convey similar qualities as other companies in the same

industry.
b) evoke the personality of the owner of the company.
c) reflect the strongest elements of the brand’s personality.

3. What does the writer say about accent colors and base colors?

a) Accent colors are unlikely to be similar to base colors.

b) Accent colors are more important than base colors.
c) Accent colors are likely to be brighter than base colors.

4. According to the writer, consistency in use of color is important …

a) so consumers can recognize a product clearly.

b) to reinforce consumers’ familiarity with a particular brand.
c) to help consumers understand the product identity better.
K. Read the article. Then choose the correct answers.

Saving Dying Languages

When a language dies, so does much of the cultural knowledge associated with it.
With one of the world’s 7,000 or so languages disappearing every two weeks, how
can we save those in danger?

Researchers are using the "EDGE" metric to rank languages according to their
likelihood of extinction. EDGE is a formula combining how evolutionarily distinct (ED)
a language is with how globally endangered (GE) it is. The ED metric has its origins
in biology where ecologists use evolutionary tree diagrams to record how species are
related. Species that have few close relatives are described as "evolutionarily
distinct." In the same way, language trees can be constructed to reveal the
uniqueness of a language. The languages with the highest EDGE score can be
singled out for focused preservation efforts.

Having identified the languages at risk, the next stage is to try to conserve the
language. The first step is to document the language. This involves members of
preservation teams visiting all the remaining speakers and recording them. Speakers
who live in cities often mix dialects, especially when they get married, so finding
speakers of "pure" dialects usually means locating elderly people, often in very small
villages.

The next stage is to locate all written forms of the language and create a library. This
is often challenging, as the more obscure the language, the more likely it has been
passed down by word of mouth through songs, stories, and poems. Preservation
teams must find bilingual speakers in order to translate these oral treasures to
preserve them.

The final stage is compiling all the language records and creating teaching material
so the language can be taught within the local communities themselves. If the local
children don’t learn the language, it will most likely die out, which would be a tragic
loss to humanity.

1. What is the writer’s main purpose in writing this article?

a) to describe how dying languages can be identified and

preserved
b) to outline methods of categorizing languages in danger of
extinction
c) to explain the different tasks of a preservation team member

2. According to the writer, the EDGE score …

a) tells researchers how many speakers of a dying language

there are.
b) can be calculated by multiplying two separate formulas.
c) helps focus preservation work on the languages most at risk.

3. According to the writer, one problem in conserving a language is that …

a) it is often difficult to find where the remaining speakers of a

language live.
b) there are often no written records to access.
c) older people often refuse to be recorded.

4. What is the writer’s attitude regarding endangered languages?

a) She is pessimistic that we can stop them from dying out.

b) She is saddened at the thought of one disappearing.
c) She is impressed by the efforts of preservation teams to save
them.