huntrumpstanag 3 gap-fill (student) - october 2003 de listat

Gap-fill Reading Task 1


Fill in the gaps with any ONE suitable word from the box. Each word must be used only once. Note that there are more words in the box than you need. An example (0) has been done for you.minor

heritagesick

criticalreins

cluster massivewithinaspiringreservationprompteradopted

overcastbus

saddle

partiallydubiouslyleathers

Later that afternoon I called Prasad, only to find that he had been admitted to casualty and would be operated on. It wasnt immediately clear what was wrong His condition sounded serious, but not (0 critical. I decided that, come what may, I would leave Bombay the next day and return to Delhi. Leave, that was, if we could get seats on a train. It was necessary to make a (1)________________ as trains were often fully booked several days ahead. I also needed to exchange money, which meant going to a bank.

The next morning was (2) _________________, with low-lying cloud obscuring the fort. However, it looked as though it would probably clear later. We breakfasted early, then went to the station booking office to catch it as it opened. In India, away from the major tourist towns, it could easily take all day to secure both a rail ticket and change money at a bank. We were pleasantly surprised to be given tickets

(3) ______________________ the hour. They were for the afternoon train, at six oclock. We even had time for a cup of tea as we hurried to the State Bank of India the only bank that would cash travellers cheques to be there when it opened at ten.

We neednt have rushed, for none of the employees turned up until ten thirty, and it was after eleven before we were let in. The service itself was (4) __________________ than usual. We were all finished at twelve thirty, fortunately just before lunchtime, during which it would probably have been impossible to collect all the necessary counter-signatures needed for my (5) ____________________ transaction. We emerged from the bank to find that the cloud had (6) __________________ lifted. The seventeenth-century fort was dappled in sunshine.

It was huge. The British had reinforced the already (7) ________________________ stone ramparts with enormous gun replacements. Other nineteenth- and twentieth-century British additions filled the inside, nestling alongside the original palace and temple. I felt sorry for the British soldiers garrisoning the (8) _____________________ acquired fortress, who had been confined in that massive suntrap. I saw a

(9) _________________________ of tourists around a notice on top of one of the rampart, and went over to look. It was above a forty-foot drop on to steeply-sloped earth. It was written in Hindi and English: Rani Jhansi jumped from this place on the horse back with her (10) _____________________ son.

The Rani of Jhansi had been widowed in 1853. The British then always looking for ways to expand had enacted a law by which Jhansi lapsed to them because she had no natural son. This was despite her having, as had often been done by rulers before, adopted a son. She was pensioned off, but came back in the Mutiny to reclaim her (11) ______________________. Leading 500 warriors, she captured the fortress. Thousands of British soldiers were killed. Eventually the British managed to reclaim the fort. The rani escaped on horseback and dressed like a man holding her sword two-handed and holding the (12) ________________________ of her horse in her teeth died in battle at Gwailor.Gap-fill Reading Task 2

Fill in the gaps with any ONE suitable word from the box. Each word must be used only once. Note that there are more words in the box than you need. An example (0) has been done for you.

swallowedmandarinyuppiesdoomedroute

resumption

complexdenial

complicatesmugglingbetrayalsuit

suppositionslaughteredbannedgear

animallustre

The African elephant is the world's most awesome living wonder. It is the biggest (0) ___animal___ on earth -- adult males can weigh 6000 kg. It is powerful, able to uproot whole trees with ease. It is delicate, its remarkable trunk used for caressing babies and picking up titbits. It is highly social, with researchers increasingly amazed by discoveries about its (1) _______________ family patterns.

It is loved: by rich American and European men, who like to shoot it and put its head on the walls of their homes; by international crooks, who like to kill it for its magnificent ivory tusks, with their pearl-like (2) _____________________; and by animal lovers, who believe not a single elephant should die at the hands of man.

It is at the heart of the debate about what mankind is doing to the environment.

It may, following last week's United Nations decision to permit a limited trade in elephant products, be (3) _____________________.

'The UN's decision to allow legal sales will cause demand for ivory to rise and the deaths of thousands of elephants,' said Allan Thornton, Chief of the EIA (Environmental Investigation Authority). He claims growing demand for ivory in the Far East was already fuelling a new surge in illegal (4) _________________________ and elephant poaching before the Chile meeting. China, Singapore and Hong Kong have this year recorded their biggest seizures of illegal ivory since the trade was (5) __________________ in 1989. Ivory is so popular in China that there is a whole range of ivory accessories for the mobile telephones of Shanghai's (6) ________________________.

Thornton said that in July this year 6.2 tonnes of ivory -- the tusks of more than 600 elephants -- was found in a container ship in Singapore, en (7) ___________________ to China. The elephants had been illegally (8) ____________________ in Zambia and exported through a notorious wildlife products smuggling route to the South African port of Durban, where they were hidden in a container. 'So the facts are there,' he said, 'and the ivory trade community is in (9) _________________.'

The EIA's outrage at the reopening of the ivory trade is shared by countries like Kenya, Tanzania and India. They vigorously fought last week's Cites decision, losing by only a narrow margin as a result of the last-minute decision of the US to switch its vote from anti-trade to pro-trade and the EU's decision to abstain after publicly declaring against a (10) ________________________ of trade.

Kenya was particularly disturbed. In the mid-1970s some 170,000 elephants roamed its plains and forests, attracting droves of international tourists as well as the rich hunters who were easy to spot at Nairobi Airport as they arrived in sleek safari (11)________________________ designed in London or Houston. By 1989, the year Cites imposed the international ban on ivory trading, there were fewer than 16,000 elephants in Kenya as a result of a wholesale onslaught by poaching syndicates. Since the ban was imposed, the Kenyan herds have slowly recovered and now number almost 27,000.

'Now we're going to see more poaching throughout Africa,' said Omar Bashir, director of the Kenya Wildlife Service, after the decision. 'It's a very sad day .'

It is a highly emotive and at first reading apparently clear argument. But it ignores historical facts, arguments and subtleties. While elephants have been dying in huge numbers in eastern and central African countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan and the Congo, they have been slowly but (12) _______________________ increasing in southern African countries such as South Africa, Botswana and Namibia.



prison

hardly

understoodattend

truant

ways

designedalreadycrackdownbaby

strippedfew

condonedoffspringgenuinelymeasurerespectnumber

Parents could be (0) ___stripped___ of child benefit if their children repeatedly play (1) __________________ or commit crime, under controversial plans being considered by Tony Blair.

The draconian (2) ________________, which will infuriate many Labour MPs and is understood to have divided the Cabinet, follows increasing concerns over teenage offenders.

The plan to punish parents financially for their children's misdeeds is (3) _______________________________ to have been discussed at Cabinet level for three weeks.

'We are looking at other (4) __________________ of making sure parents face their responsibilities,' a Downing Street spokeswoman said last night. 'This is one of a (5) _________________________ of ideas.'

The Home Office is (6) ______________________ extending orders that compel parents of troublesome teenagers to (7) __________________ classes in managing them, while courts have long had power to (8) _______________________ adults for failing to ensure their children attend school. However, critics argue these measures penalise the poorest families, such as single mothers, whose (9) _____________ may be beyond their control.

The Education Secretary is expected to announce a separate (10) _______________________ on truancy this week. But the Prime Minister is said to have been shocked by figures showing that 80 per cent of truants caught in a sweep of shopping centres were accompanied by an adult, often a parent - suggesting that they (11) _____________________ the child's behaviour.

But he is keen for any new law to exempt parents who have (12) _______________________ tried to get their children to school.



buckle

heatwaveshotly intense

temperatures

sunnier

prolongedanticipatedsoarlucrative

install

await

approved lifestylesfrequently

cheers

revisitsheighten

The London of the future will see (0)___sunnier____ skies, more pavement cafes, street theatre, outdoor music, barbecues and picnics. But before anyone (1) __________________, the city is also expected to suffer serious regular flooding, worse air pollution and sweltering (2) ________________________.

The first big report into the impacts of (3) _____________________ climate change on the capital, commissioned by the Greater London Authority from leading academic researchers, suggests Londoners will change their (4) ____________________, but that if the authorities do not learn to adapt fast the city could be seriously disrupted more (5)______________________ and become less attractive to live in or visit.

Over the next 50 years, when summer temperatures are expected to rise by up to 6C, demand for water is expected to (6) ____________________, parks and gardens may wilt, and transport could become a nightmare with rails buckling in intense (7) _________________________, says the report.

Almost all offices and homes can expect to (8) _____________________ air conditioning as London summer temperatures match those of present day New York.

The personal benefits and problems associated with future climate change are reasonably matched, according to the report. People are expected to die because of (9) ______________________ heat rather than cold weather, more tourists will visit, but more Londoners will want to flee the city at weekends. And though commuter trains are less likely to be disrupted by freezing points, searing temperatures could (10) __________________________ rails and disrupt transport even more.

With winter rainfall expected to be far heavier and more (11) ____________________, and sea levels expected to rise, flooding is likely to become frequent and serious. The reports suggests that the city may have to invest 4bn in strengthening defences over the next 40 years.

The economic consequences of climate change over the next 40 years are also mixed. The London insurance industry, one of the world's three largest global centres, could be exposed to massive claims from wind storms and flood events.

But, says the report, a (12) __________________________ new market could emerge to manage the financial risk of climate change.

The report is consistent with international models of climate change, in suggesting that the poor of London will be the least able to adapt to the changing climate



thereafterinconsistentelbowscalculateddisguiseddisgusting

inclinedsignal

twist

generosityrecliningshivering

interestedsniff

preventbotheredbark

ankles

Police officers are trudging the streets of London (0) ___disguised___ as tramps, accompanied by scruffy mongrel dogs. They are our new frontline combatants in the war on terrorism. The dogs have been trained to (1) _______________ explosives from a distance of up to 30 yards. If one of them detects a suspicious smell, it doesn't bark or move from the spot, but gives a secret (2) _________________ to its handler, known only to the two of them. The "tramp" then tips off other covert police officers - doubtless also in disguise - who set off in pursuit of the putative bomber.

With the government warning that al-Qaida may be planning to bring terror to the streets of London, one can only welcome any initiative designed to (3) __________________ it. But it is bad news for beggars, because it will act as yet another deterrent to our generosity. Not many people like giving their money away as it is, but even fewer will be (4) __________________ to do so if there is a risk that the pathetic creature crouching in a doorway is not a genuine social outcast but a well-paid member of the Metropolitan police.

Like many people, I am (5) _______________________ in my response to beggars. Whether I give them anything or not depends on how honest or sympathetic they look to me, or the extent to which I'm feeling like a victim myself (for self-pity is the enemy of (6) _________________________). But sometimes I am moved to part with some money. I once spent a year in New York, where I was accosted outside my flat by a very scruffy, thin man of indeterminate age who looked like an impersonation of Fagin with a long overcoat almost down to his (7) __________________.

"Look at me," he said. "I am (8) ________________, I am dirty. I don't want to be like this. All I need is 20 bucks. Give me 20 bucks, and it will all be different. I will shave. I will clean up. I will get new clothes. I will get a job. When you next see me, I will be another man." So I gave him $20, and what happened? Nothing at all.

Almost every day (9) _________________, I would meet him in the street, and he would make the same pitch. Every day, I would point out that I had already given him $20 and was awaiting the promised transformation. He would seem bored and puzzled and move on. He could never even be (10) _____________________ to try to remember who I was.

The government, however, has been doing everything it can to discourage spontaneous generosity. Two years ago, it launched an advertising campaign advising people to give money not to beggars but to recognised charities instead. It was a (11) _________________________ attempt to repress the already weakening instinct of people to be of immediate assistance to their fellow human beings. It is both callous and patronising of the government to tell them not to.

And, if this winter I see a ragged person (12) _____________________ in a London doorway, I think I should do something to help as well - even at the risk of contributing to the corruption of the Metropolitan police.



itsomethingbutentertainmentplus

everything

warningssignletters

protectionspacecustomersspotted

licenceplacespontaneous

roseanythingamusement

The pub owners tried everything to stop it including putting up (0) __signs___, rearranging the furniture and even asking people to refrain. But it was all to no avail: council officials diagnosed outbreaks of (1) _________________ dancing, and the owners were fined 5,000.

Officials from Westminster city council initially (2) ___________________ four people dancing to piped music at the Pitcher and Piano pubs in Soho, central London. Later, as the rhythm took control, that figure (3) _______________ to five. On another visit as many as 11 people were dancing. (4) _________________ had to be done.

The council took action against Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries, which runs the two pubs, where (5) _____________________ had been spotted getting down to the piped music.

With their patrons caught red-footed, the company pleaded guilty to not having a proper (6) ___________________ which allows dancing.

It was fined 2,500 for each offence, (7) ___________________ costs of 1,600 at a London magistrates court on Wednesday.

Derek Andrews, Wolverhampton and Dudley's managed house chief, said the company had tried (8) ___________________ in its power to stop customers from breaking into dance, even going so far as to turn the music off, but people still continued to dance.

Council officials have also served two written (9) ____________________ on another pub in Wardour Street, Soho, about people found "swaying", according to the licensed trade's newspaper the Publican.

Under current law, dancing is only allowed if premises have been granted a public (10) _______________________ licence.

Bob Currie, director of the community (11) ____________________ department at Westminster council, said in a letter quoted in the Publican: "Dancing could be described as the rhythmic moving of the legs, arms and body usually changing positions within the floor (12) ______________________ available and whether or not accompanied by musical support."



away

status

potentialraw

towns

diplomas

that

premisesbitter

dormantracial

now

deprivedasleep

nightmarequalification

house

award

Life has never been easy in the Liverpool overspill (0) ___towns___ that make up much of Merseyside. Back in the early 1960s, it could be a living (1) _________________________ if you happened to be black - like Carol Evans's family.

Evans was only five when police first knocked on the door to escort her to school in Huyton, after her older brothers and sisters were victims of (2) _____________________________ attacks.

She could have become (3) _________________, but memories of those dark days spurred her on and, instead of turning her back on a community that had been so hostile, she became a key member of it, helping unlock untapped (4) ________________________________.

Today, Evans is the chief executive of the Huyton Community Partnership (HCP), a major player in the regeneration of one of England's most (5) ____________________________ districts.

It is a far cry from her council house kitchen where, in the early 1990s, like-minded parents met to try to stop the rot eating (6) _________________________ at their lives. Unemployment was three times the national average; three generations in one family were often out of work; and many in the community had given up.

"I was a mother with young children and all I saw were desperate people trying to cope with a (7) ______________________ deal," says Evans, now 43. "I realised that my family was in the same predicament. I felt very strongly that something had to be done.

One of the first moves was to invite the local council and agencies to send representatives for a meeting with the community. From (8) _______________________ came the HCP, a self-help group charged with giving local people the knowledge and experience to manage projects, gain confidence and develop their own entrepreneurial skills.

Seven years on, the HCP's purpose-built centre has Merseyside's largest take-up of the government's Learning Direct scheme, with more than 11,000 people having passed through. Hundreds of jobs have been created by projects initiated by the community, in (9) ______________________ built and paid for by the partnership. A 400,000-plus community centre has opened.

The local authority, Knowsley, has had an input - especially by providing an all-important 9,000 that helped kick-start the HCP in 1995. Becoming a limited company, and gaining charitable (10) ____________________, has enabled the partnership to access millions of pounds in grant aid from here and the EU.

"We are now the first point of call for local people who want to build their confidence and enter further education or employment," says Evans. She has also benefited by gaining a (11) _________________________ in strategic management.

She applauds the government's much-quoted intention to empower people, and believes her example can be followed by other communities. "The hardest part was breaking down the parochial attitude," she says. "We were (12) ______________ and now we are alert and reacting positively.



else

unidentified

slip

somehowcommoncamels

foreverreplacemagnetically

taste

round

edible

manhandle

biro

tend

precioushabit

fly

Shopping is an ingrained (0) _____habit_______, and when you're away on holiday it tends to focus on the souvenir. Hours of shopping time can be dedicated to finding something that will (1) ___________________ remind you of happy carefree times in a foreign supermarket. Of course, the thing about souvenirs is that they're different all over the world - you can get (2) _______________ from the Middle East, sombreros from Mexico, and elephants from Thailand. The one thing they have in (3) _________________________ is that they're all made in China.

When you take a holiday in the developed world, the souvenirs (4) ________________ to be things that we have at home but cheaper, for example CDs from the United States, cigarettes from France and Ford Focus cars from Belgium. In fact, with these kind of holidays we appear to have cut out everything (5) ________________ and just focused on the shopping.

In the less developed world, the one thing that's very developed is the craft market. You can't take a coach trip to any tourist site without finding yourself (6) ____________________________ drawn into a craft hypermarket with serried ranks of hand-carved elephants as far as the eye can see, and enough papyrus to wallpaper the Houses of Parliament.

Ideally, souvenirs need to be small and unbreakable, because airport baggage-handlers object to tourists taking out (7) ___________________ cultural artefacts, and so tend to give the bags a good pounding. But there is always one person who decides that they simply must have the 7ft, hand-carved giraffe. They then provide fellow travellers with hours of entertainment as they (8) ______________________ it through the airport. As a general rule, the cheaper the souvenir, the longer they survive. For example, a (9) _______________________ with "Souvenir of Tintagel" will write continuously for 50 years and do untold damage to the Cornish tourist industry. Similarly, a miniature model of the Eiffel Tower/Taj Mahal/Statue of Liberty will live in the back of a desk drawer for one full adult life.

The tricky thing with souvenirs these days is that everyone has seen them all; every house in the country now has at least one straw donkey, a doll in traditional French dress, plastic camel, gaily painted plate, tribal letter opener and bottle of (10) ___________________________ foreign alcohol. So, instead of buying your friends something, why not just film your holiday and then invite them (11) _________________________ for the evening to watch you enjoying yourself. There's a good chance that they'll enjoy themselves as much as you did, and you can also serve up some of that weird alcohol they bought you on their holiday. When they leave, you can always (12) _____________________ a plastic camel in to their pocket.



consistencystrategyprove

straightforwardmisleadingaches

extra

sip

hangoverreally

evidenceideas

beyondsupposedpiling

sourcesweighingaddition

Do a few pints after work (0) __really___ help you to relax? Does drinking in moderation actually make us any healthier? Well, the answers to both these questions might not be what you think. 'The pharmacological effects of alcohol (1) ______________________ about half a pint of beer isn't relaxation,' says Barry Jones, Professor of Psychology at Glasgow University who researches the effects of moderate doses of alcohol on behaviour. 'It winds up your systems rather than winds them down. There's a curious link between alcohol and relaxation, it's not (2) ________________________________.

'What's massively overlooked is that alcohol is regarded as a peace drug and a health drug. If you drink a couple of units a day, it's (3) ___________________ to help improve cardiovascular health and there's a good deal of evidence that shows that's the case, but the bottom line is a scary one.

'First of all, there's no good (4) _______________________ that these health benefits apply to women. They only apply to men over 55 years of age. Somehow this fact has been hi-jacked and applied to everybody. The second thing which has been overlooked is that if you have high blood pressure, even a (5) _____________________________ of alcohol is going to raise blood pressure. This might not matter much, but it's going to kill some people.'

So advising that alcohol can have health benefits for everyone is at best, (6) __________________________ and at worst, irresponsible. For otherwise healthy over-55-year-old males it is the case. It is thought that in healthy people of most ages drinking responsibly is beneficial because it wipes out the effects of some harmful fats.

There are two sorts of (7) _____________________ of good health from drinking. One is the molecule itself, ethyl alcohol (ethanol). The second thing is the presence of additives which could provide additional benefits. Red wine is a good source of anti-oxidants and flavanoids which help to maintain the (8) ______________________ of platelets (white blood cells involved in clotting). These flavanoids play a similar role to aspirin, which help in 'thinning the blood'.

'But what you shouldn't be doing is going out and eating fish suppers and junk food, driving to work every day or coming in on the bus and saying: 'Well, I'll be all right because I'm drinking my glass and a half of red wine a day, that's going to make me healthy.' You'd die early if you had that (9) ____________________' Jones explains. 'In some of the red wines and malt whiskies there are other things which might give you headaches. Congeners, which can give you a (10) ________________________, are by-products of the fermentation process, give the drink its colour and flavour. In whisky there are other chemicals which give it its taste that can be poisonous in high doses.'

Apart from the direct effects of alcohol, drinkers can also find themselves (11) ___________________________________ on the pounds, which is certainly unhealthy. 'I'm surprised people do it,' Jones says. 'Four pints contains 1000 calories -- you probably won't even eat 1000 calories of food in a day. For women who want to slim, the worst thing they can do is go out and booze -- if they really want to drink they should stick to spirits without any mixers. There are about 100 calories in two whiskies, which is less than half the amount in beer. But if you add one Red Bull that's an (12) ________________________ 500 calories.



includingsymptomspressurisethe

to

deteriorate

holdingsufferingone

debilitatingthese

as

link

togetherthis

whose

similarsickening

A powerful US investigation committee is (0) __holding___ a meeting in Westminster where evidence is being heard on links between service people's illnesses and the Gulf war. Campaigners hope it could (1) __________________ the government into holding a public inquiry.

Compelling evidence that thousands of British troops who served during the Gulf war are dying prematurely and suffering (2) ______________________ illnesses because of exposure to a lethal cocktail of chemicals is to be put before a powerful commission of inquiry where it will reportedly be claimed that there is now enough evidence to make a direct (3) ____________________ between serving in the Gulf and physical and mental disability.

Many of the men affected were involved in clean-up operations following Desert Storm in 1991. Illnesses among more than 5,000 British veterans will also be linked (4) _________________________ powerful immunisation tablets given to soldiers to protect them from chemical attack, (5) ____________________ anthrax, and the use of corrosive organophosphates to try to keep down disease.

The most common (6) ______________________ and illnesses cited as gulf war syndrome include severe fatigue, nausea, fevers, muscle and joint complaints, memory loss, mood swings including severe aggression, insomnia, swollen glands and headaches. The National Gulf Veterans and Families Association (NGVFA) claimed earlier this year that 70% of servicemen who have died since the 1991 conflict killed themselves. The organisation claims (7) ____________________ suicides account for 380 out of a total of 537 deaths.

A typical scenario, NGVFA says, is that the stress and illness leads many sufferers to lose their jobs, their relationships (8) _______________ and they lose their homes and then eventually take their own lives.

The MoD says official statistics record just 97 suicides among Gulf veterans, which is slightly higher than the suicide rate in a (9) ____________________ group of soldiers who did not fight in the war. The NGVFA says some deaths that were recorded as accidental were actually suicides.

Shaun Rusling, a veteran, won a landmark ruling recently when a War Pensions Agency tribunal officially recognised Gulf war syndrome (10) _________________ a disease. But many other veterans have been turned down for army pensions because the Ministry of Defence says there is no such disease.

Former US presidential candidate Ross Perot and three US Congressmen are hearing UK war veterans give evidence in parliament on Gulf war syndrome. The hearing is being hosted by the Royal British Legion and the UK Inter-Parliamentary Gulf War Group who want the British government to launch a public inquiry as a similar investigation into the syndrome to (11) ____________________ which is ongoing in the US.

The MoD will be present at the Congressional hearings but only as observers. Yesterday Mr Perot, a Texan oil billionaire who has funded research into the illness, told a Westminster press conference the UK was under an "enormous obligation" to investigate (12) _______________________ syndrome.



crisps

impactluggingoccasionshate

favourite

advisable servingchoke

single

sugaryabout

positionbrake

sweets

conditionsweet

lucky

You can tell how serious a person is (0) ___about____ chocolate by how much wrapping they're prepared to tolerate. Poncy continental chocolates nestling in a sea of plastic don't have the same therapeutic (1) __________________ as a 1kg slab in easy-rip wrapping. Remember, those lines on chocolate bars are (2) ________________________ suggestions only - you can actually eat the whole thing and no one will be any the wiser.

Some people are given a box of chocolates at Christmas and will eat one on special (3) ___________________ over the next year or so: they get as much pleasure from browsing through the tin as they do from eating their (4) _________________ hazelnut dervish. Normal people view a tin of chocolates more like a nosebag - once it has been opened, it has to be emptied and the fiddly wrappers are the only (5) ______________________ on consumption.

Everyone has a (6) ____________________ in a box of chocolates. You're either a nut person, a fudge person or a cream person. To have a long-term relationship, it's (7) _______________________ to make sure you're not the same. Starting on the bottom tray before the top layer has been finished is the devil's work. Even if the last one on the top layer is a Praline Prepuce, you've got to (8) _______________ it down before you can go for the Orange Cream downstairs.

If you're sitting down to a packet of (9) _____________________, it's often a good idea to empty them out and order them by flavour. If you've got more strawberries than lemons, you can then start with the strawberries until you have exactly the same number of each. Then it's simply a case of eating one of each in turn, starting with the ones you (10) ____________________ first.

When you have to share sweets, you can offer them first or eat one first, depending on the exact (11) __________________ of the black one. Be careful not to give your friend every yellow one in the pack, otherwise they'll think you're using them for waste disposal purposes.

Pick'n'mix works on the basis that what you're picking looks so tiny that what you end up with will be cheap. In reality, however, once you've taken a trowel-full of everything you fancy, you end up (12) ______________________ the weight equivalent of a bag of cement to the till.



off

smug

scoff

in

decide

up

determinedoption

had

budget

amountto

tube

by

supper

any

starvationfor

The first thing friends and colleagues said to me when I told them I would be living (0) ___off____ 36.27 was: 'What? A day?'

Most students of course would (1) ______________ at that reaction. According to the National Union of Students, after deducting average rents, 2002 students had exactly this (2) ____________________ a week inside London and 34.85 per week outside the capital left from their student loan to live on during 2001/02. Forty per cent of undergraduates work an average of 15-20 hours a week to get (3) ____________________, but I wanted to see what a week in London might be like without any extra income.

The experiment didn't get off to an easy start - it's never a good idea to begin a (4) _______________________ on a Friday night. A cheap night out in London seemed like a tall order, but one free photography exhibition and a 3.50 plate of pasta later and I felt quite (5) ___________________.

I got the bus home instead of the (6) ___________________, which took approximately 40 minutes longer but seemed worth it for the 90p saving.

The weekend loomed with the definite potential of boredom about it, but (7) ______________________ to prove you can still have a good time on a very small amount of money, I went to look at some free museums, bypassed the temptation of Oxford Street shopping and instead discovered a 2 pair of French Connection trousers in a charity shop, lived off baked potatoes and managed to get a hangover reminiscent of student days from a night (8) ________________ with friends.

By the end of the weekend, though, I was down to 20 and starting to fret about the next five days. It was time for drastic action or possible (9) __________________ so I ditched Delia for my student cookbook, the one that every undergraduate is given by well-meaning relatives and which tells you gems like how to cook baked beans without burning the pan. Forced to ignore advice such as 'save money by growing your own herbs', I followed a recipe (10) ________________ an enormous lentil shepherd's pie and then lived off it every torturous lunchtime for the rest of the week.

By mid-week I was struggling as I was down to my last 13 and I had agreed to go to the cinema with a friend, an outing which would usually cost 10 a ticket. The West End's only 3.50 a ticket cinema in London seemed like the best (11) _________________, until we discovered the film showing that night starred Richard Gere, so I walked for an hour from work to an alternative West End cinema and got in using a student card for 5.50.

By the time Friday came round I was 2 over budget, hungry, relieved it was over, and I hadn't even had to factor in the cost of books, stationery, bills, excessive socialising and credit card debt.

If you ever miss being a student, I would advise (12) ___________________ trying to remind yourself of what it's actually like.

Gap-fill Reading Task 13 (Military)


weaponsmeltedelementsarmourlethal

manifest

monitorsranges

drill

hatch

liaisonamicably

casualtiesammo

patrol

attachedinternallymovements

The tank in the hangar may have looked rusty, but it was still (0) __lethal___. Its armour was dilapidated, but the carefully-maintained machinery inside the (1) _______________ told another story.

The Soviet-era vehicle was one of a row in a hangar at Manjaca, home of the 116 Mechanised Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army (VRS). Every time the VRS move weapons or equipment they have to apply for permission, with precise details of (2)

_____________________. Everything is logged and inspected and (3) _____________________ facilities are examined to ensure everything is safely stored and detailed in the (4) _______________________.

There is no let-up on weapons inspections under the Dayton Agreement, so I accompanied the British (5) __________________ officer on a routine inspection of the Manjaca base. Some of the vehicles were in a shocking state, with flat tyres and corroded metal and many of the ageing Soviet tanks lined up in one hangar were missing (6) ___________________ which had been replaced by concrete. But their dilapidated exteriors were deceptive because inspections had revealed that (7) ______________________ they were maintained to a high standard.

Officers were friendly and the commander welcomed the inspection team. He explained that the (8) ____________________ were inherited from the old Yugoslav Army. We have soldiers who have attended international programmes. I went to one in Germany and one of my officers is (9) ___________________ to security forces in NATO.

Thanks to a deal with the local military, SFOR troops train on the bases extensive (10) _________________________. Now, we have joint activities and play sport together. We meet every week either here or at SFOR. I must say that we are happy with the British (11) ___________________ of SFOR. If there are any problems, we normally resolve them (12) _____________________ and our relationship is good.



medalstraumaticcordonedexplosionwounded

tour

significantpostponedpatrol

deployed

infantryexercisetransporteralongsideops

barracksmedicscapabilitydefenceinjuring

A large (0) __explosion__ shook the buildings just after breakfast in Camp Souter, Kabul. Twelve hours later, as the light faded, men and women of the International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) knew that terrorism in Afghanistan had taken a sinister turn.

A car carrying a 100-to-200kg bomb had driven (1)_________________ an Isaf bus taking German troops to the airport for their journey home. It exploded, killing four soldiers and (2) ___________________ twenty-nine.

Camp Souter, the British base, is not far from the Jalalabad road, where the attack took place. It is used by hundreds of Isaf troops every day and is in the area of responsibility of the (3) _________________ company provided by the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Anglican Regiment.

The (4) ______________________ immediately deployed to the scene, where medics helped the multinational emergency crews while troops (5) ____________________ off the area.

The attack came at the end of A Coys three-month (6) _________________ and the end of a year-and-a-half of overseas and operational work. The suicide bomb was a distressing and (7)__________________ experience for all involved.

Two British ambulances (8)____________________. The seriously injured were already being treated, so the medics took one injured patient to the German hospital and were tasked by a Dutch doctor to take walking (9) __________________ to the British Camp. The initial help involved more than three hours of non-stop work for the small team of (10) _________________ and drivers. They continued until early the following morning when the survivors were flown home. In the absence of the doctor on compassionate leave, RAF aero-med nurse Sqn Ldr Helen Stewart was in charge as the medical centre was tasked to look after five injured German soldiers.

A German signaller working in the (11) ________________ room and a British officer and corporal who spoke German interpreted and the medical centres Afghan interpreter, a student doctor in Kabul, was pressed into service. The multinational medical effort was key to saving lives and the British played a small but (12) _______________________ part.



augmented

salvagedre-instatelinked

terrain

dehydration

officersadvancevehicleframework

field-glasses

promptreveilletolerancebrigade

paratrooper

routed

tabbedtemporaryspanned

About 8km south-east of Basra lies the village of Hamdan. Until the Iraq conflict, two sturdy bridges (0) __linked__ the two parts of the village, carrying local daily traffic.

To delay the coalition (1) __________________, Iraqi militia destroyed both bridges with explosives, leaving villagers with either a precarious balancing act across the wreckage or a (2) __________________ journey of many kilometres.

Restoring Hamdans bridges was a task that needed (3) ______________ attention and soldiers from 2 Headquarters Squadron RE spent several weeks labouring in intense heat to (4) ___________________ the towns vital links.

A (5) ____________________ crossing was placed over the northern bridge while work began on removing the wreckage of the second. This was a Bailey-type girder bridge, much of which was (6) ______________________ for re-use.

With the approach of the Iraqi summer and daytime temperatures above 40C, there was a risk of (7) ________________________ so the sappers took regular breaks and drank several litres of water a day.

Troop commander 2nd Lt Rich Marsh said that although the gap could have been (8) ________________________ in five minutes using one of the squadrons armoured bridge layers, the structure at Hamdan needed to be permanent and the squadron would eventually want its bridge back.

Once the main (9) ____________________ of the bridge was complete it was launched across rollers and towed into place by a large winch on the opposite bank. Spr Dean Hudson, who was responsible for positioning and levelling the rollers to a (10) _____________________ of four millimetres, described his involvement with the project as brilliant what being an engineer is all about.

The troop was (11) ___________________ by Kaleed, a local man, who had been involved with the original bridge and had tried to dissuade the militia from destroying it. Kaleed, a former Iraqi (12) ____________________, acted as interpreter and fixer for the squadron.

Today, thanks to the sappers of 2 HQ Squadron RE, life for the villagers of Hamdan is getting back to normal.


Fill in the gaps with any ONE suitable word from the box. Each word must be used only once. Note that there are more words in the box than you need.An example (0) has been done for you.

explodingarmadainvasionenemy

setback

corps

ordnanceinaccessiblelandingbravery

froggingparadeamphibioussurrenderretreated

footholdoffensiveshackocavalrycampaign

Liberating Italy cost 330,000 Allied and (0) __enemy__ lives, 44,750 of them British and Commonwealth. The soldiers paid an enormous price for clearing the Germans out of Europes underbelly.

The decision to open the front was taken at the Allied summit in Casablanca in January 1943. It began with an (1) ___________________ operation to occupy Sicily, expanding into an advance on the Italian mainland designed to knock Italy out of the war and capture the Foggia airfields. From there, the Allies planned to attack previously (2)____________________ areas of eastern and southern Germany.

The (3) ___________________ began on July 9, 1943, with the 5th US Army and the British 8th Army landing in Sicily. After a hard-fought occupation, the (4) ____________________ of the mainland began on September 9. On the day Italys government fell the 5th Army launched Operation Avalanche, (5) __________________ at Salerno, south of Naples.

Countless acts of unrecorded (6) _________________ unfolded as British soldiers fought alongside their American comrades to keep a (7) __________________ on the enemy coastline. Soon, both armies had captured much of southern Italy, including the Foggia airfields and the important port of Naples.

The Germans (8) ___________________ to natural fortresses along the Liri valley, south of Rome. Up to 180,000 men were killed or wounded during this four-month period.

On the Cassino front, the Americans suffered a (9) _________________ while trying to cross the Rappido River. Making excellent use of the terrain, the Germans had chosen their positions well to delay the advance. To relieve the pressure, II (10) _____________________ landed farther to the north, behind enemy lines, at Anzio. After three attacks had been repulsed, both fronts bogged down into stalemate.

With fresh troops, the Allies launched a spring (11) _______________ on May 11, finally breaking through. By June 4, 1944, the Allies on the two fronts had linked up and advanced into Rome. Barely 48 hours later the greatest (12) ____________________ ever assembled sailed under cover of night from ports along Britains south coast.



sustainedcause

cavalryoverturnconsecutiverecruited

receivedmilitia

conscriptiondaggersmorale

casualties

guerrillaperishedtrenchesincapacitated

mechanised

followedrespitebombedattackedrevolt

weaponry

In his new book, Gordon Corrigan, through cold-blooded analysis, seeks to (0) __overturn__ a few misconceptions of the Great War.

A just war? Most certainly affirms the author. (1) _______________? Undoubtedly heavy, but proportionately, far fewer than those (2) ___________________ by the French and the Germans. He points out that the percentage of British deaths of the total population was low 1.53 per cent, hardly amounting to the so-called lost generation.

Because of the way the New Army was (3) ________________, numbers of deaths appeared to be much higher in some areas than others. Groups of men enlisted together, stayed together and often (4) __________________ together, whereas some parts of the country escaped almost entirely, unlike the situation in France where every tiny village has its war memorial. In France, (5) __________________ from the outset of the war meant that soldiers were drawn evenly from the whole population.

Again and again, the author produces evidence to counter the popular image of the Great War. Inadequate (6) ________________? By no means: some of it was still in use in 1960. Too many horses? While there was little scope to use (7) ______________________, the horse was essential to military operations in 1914. Only gradually were tanks and (8) _____________________ transport introduced as technological advances occurred.

The trenches? Not the water-up-to-the waist nightmare of popular imagination. Men were not permanently vermin-ridden and (9) _____________________ by trench foot hot baths and a change of clothes awaited them behind the lines and thanks to efficient staff organisation, they hardly ever remained entrenched for longer than four (10) ____________________ days. Besides, a good diet, nourishing and plentiful if monotonous, ensured that many men had never been fed so well in their lives.

The effects of gas and the barbarity of the Germans, claims the author, were exaggerated and it has not been widely-recognized that the (11) ______________ of the British Army never wavered, unlike that of the French forces which, because of their inconsiderate treatment at the hands of uncaring leadership (too little leave, dreadful food etc.) were in 1917 on the verge of open (12) ________________.

The author makes a plausible case for a less dismal view of the Great War and reminds us that the men who took part in it believed they were fighting for a great and worthy (13) _______________________. The book will provoke discussion, but may have come too late to change (14) ____________________ opinion of the Great War.


Fill in the gaps with any ONE suitable word from the box. Each word must be used only once. Note that there are more words in the box than you need.An example (0) has been done for you.

reservistsregroupdefensivebattalionrepulsedsoldiers

infantryrecce

bergensdivisionstrucemortars

surroundedremnantspassingtank

passed

surroundingshield

outnumbered

defendingPoWs

The single most famous action fought by British (0) __soldiers__ during the Korean War was the Battle of Imjin River in 1951.

Three (1) __________________ of the 63rd Chinese Army, numbering about 27,000 soldiers, mounted an attack on Seoul and found 29 Brigade in their way. (2) ______________________, ten-to-one, the British soldiers held their position on the first night, but were forced to withdraw over the next two days. Only 67 of them escaped the battlefield.

One of them who came through the battle was a young 2nd lieutenant called David Holdsworth. I was a regular soldier, (3) ______________ out from Sandhurst in 1950, he recalled.

I was sent to Korea as part of 29 Brigade and arrived at the (4) _____________________ just five weeks before the battle took place. The only officers I knew were the people in my company. My platoon, 12 Platoon, were mostly (5) __________________, aged 25 to 36 and many had fought in the Second World War. Here was I, totally new, who knew nothing about fighting yet had to command them.

When the attack came, the Chinese pushed us off our positions and, in the end, the (6) ____________________ of the battalion went to the top of what is now Gloster Hill. As night approached Chinese activity increased and we tried to scrape some sort of (7) ________________________ positions with mess tins and knives. We settled down for the night but were woken by our own machine guns blasting off below.

In the early hours of the morning, the Chinese attacked up the main ridge. It was (8) ___________________________, but after daybreak they came again. I saw a group of Chinese carrying (9) _____________________ and machine guns to the ridge we had vacated the night before and I remember thinking that our number was up and there was a good chance I would be killed.

We were cut off and (10) __________________ by hordes of Chinese soldiers; there wasnt much chance at all. The order came to move out and we trooped down the hill and into a little valley with a stream. I cant recall when the first bursts of machine-gun fire hit us. We dived into the river and eventually escaped when a line of American tanks appeared and formed a (11) _________________ to protect us from the Chinese gunfire.

Crucially, the British brigade delayed the Chinese advance on Seoul long enough for UN troops to (12) _________________ and repel the invaders.



integratedfoe

enginescream

shotgun

doubledincidentsoperationalanalysttheatre

enhancedkitsecure

anti-vibrationbattlefield

variantreinforceddismountedpositioncutting-edge

Helicopter (0) __engines__ throbbed as the aircraft made its way a few hundred feet above the hills of Central Bosnia. Inside, the faces of soldiers from the 1st Battalion, The Highlanders and the attached 1st Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles, were obscured by cam (1) ______________. Alongside them a sister helicopter occasionally bobbed into view, as did the two American Apaches riding (2) ___________________.

When the aircraft touched down the soldiers (3) ______________ down the rear ramp and took up defensive positions. This time an attack would not come. The landings at Manjaca training ranges south-west of Banja Luca were part of an exercise so troops could hone their skills in the latest helicopter in (4) __________________, the Merlin HC Mk 3.While the Bosnia tour is the first (5) _________________ one for the RAF Merlins, the Highlanders are no strangers to the aircraft, having trained on it for six months at Otterburn before their tour began.

Lt Duncan MacKinnon, B Coy, 1 Hldrs, said their work had been (6) ___________________ because of the large training estates at Manjaca. The Merlins are the perfect bit of (7) ______________ to get us into somewhere quickly should we be needed, he said. Theyve already been used operationally when our Sipovo-based reserve platoon was flown into a situation at short notice to (8) _________________________ an area. The Merlin proved ideal for that.

From the passengers perspective, the most noticeable thing is how quiet it is compared with other military helicopters ear defenders do not have to be worn. It also provides a smooth ride, with its active (9) ____________________ system ironing out most of the bumps.

People think that is a comfort thing, but it has a good military application, said Sqn Ldr Kendall. If you take troops two hours across a (10) ______________________ at low level, you dont want them feeling sick, but fit to fight at the end of it.

The first batch of Merlins was for the Royal Navy and the RAF is taking delivery of 22. The big difference between ours and the Navy (11) ___________________ is that we have a ramp at the back and a (12) _________________ floor which will take a Land Rover or similar small vehicle Kendall said. Our sensor suite and defensive aids are very advanced, and we have (13) __________________ for fitting two general-purpose machine guns.

The Merlin is fantastic. Its (14) ____________________ technology. Its quiet, smooth and goes a long way which is what you really need from a battlefield helicopter.



grid

recce

pitch

rusted

buttons

tacticalmarinesstarboardsurplusimplement

authoritybomberwreckageremainsremoved

intermittentgruellingholsterairmendata

British soldiers have helped to solve the mystery of a Royal Air Force (0) __bomber__ which went missing in Kenya during World War II.

The Blenheim, call sign Z-7763, and its young South African crew disappeared on July 23, 1942 during a training flight. The (1) _______________ was never found and the names of the four airmen on board were added to the 3,000 British and Commonwealth (2) _________________ listed as missing in action on the war memorial at El Alamein.

Last year, a logger came across what looked like the (3) ______________ of an aircraft deep in bamboo forest on the southern slopes of Mount Kenya. His report was passed to the British Army Training Liaison Staff in Kenya who, guided by the logger, climbed the mountain to carry out their own (4) ________________ of the crash site.

The party, led by WO2 Bobby Gillespie, 2 Royal Irish, was joined by John Romain, a world (5) ____________________ on old aircraft. What they found revealed why Z-7763s fate remained a mystery for more than half a century.

The climb to the site was (6) _____________________. It took nine hours to cut a narrow track through 4.7km of dense bamboo forest. Even with the help of GPS and (7) ____________________ references it was one of the most difficult navigational exercises the party had ever attempted. Landmarks disappeared in seconds in swirls of cloud. Thin air and (8) ____________________ freezing rain added to their problems.

The group finally reached the crash site an hour before darkness, just enough time to find a patch of level ground in between the elephant tracks and trees to (9) ____________________ tents, build a fire and cook up rations. The soldiers took turns throughout the night to stag on and guard against elephants.

At daybreak the team excavated the wreck. It was unremarkable, but no one forgot it was the grave of four airmen virtually forgotten for more than 60 years. Much of it was too (10) _________________ or damaged to be immediately recognisable, but the party was able to salvage a pair of Browning machine-guns, rounds of ammunition in belts, parachute clasps and the flare gun still in its (11) _____________________ evidence pointing to the fact that the crew had no time to save themselves.

The impact of the crash was enormous. The searchers found a rudder pedal moulded to the shape of the pilots foot and the (12) ________________ engine was buried in vegetation 30m from the main bulk of the wreckage. They also found shoes, (13) __________________, parachute silk and some bones which they bagged up for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The names of the dead can now be (14) _________________ from the El Alamein War Memorial for airmen listed as missing in action.



space

trainingcombatprotectionreassure

infantrysanitationhandedremovalsaying

reflect

huge

unmannedprocurementinfrastructure

presencesecurityhelicopterdeployedtransition

When 7 Armoured Brigade (0) __handed__ over command of the Basra province to 19 Mechanised Brigade last month, the Desert Rats finally had the chance to (1) __________________ on what they had achieved.The Rats made a rapid (2) _____________________ from war fighting to peace support operations, and battle-groups, some of which had played leading roles in the fight for the city, moved quickly into a dismounted (3) ____________________ role. Soldiers provided force (4) __________________ to British military personnel and bases, as well as guarding Basras (5) ____________________ and key installations. Regular foot patrols were conducted to (6) __________________ the local population, reduce crime, smuggling and tribal feuding and encourage the (7) _______________________ of weapons from the streets.Many of these static duties have now been handed over to locally-employed security guards and the Iraqi police.Maj Chris Parker, Chief of Staff, 7 Armd Bde, said: Its been a (8) _________________ effort and I dont think there has ever been a time in history when we have had a brigade move straight from war fighting into a peacekeeping operation within the (9) _______________________ of a few months. Soldiers have worked hard in temperatures of over 50C to raise the standard of living for the Iraqi people. Significant progress has been made in the areas of (10) _______________________, law and order, water and food supply. Improvements to (11) ________________________, health and education, and the electricity supply are ongoing, as well as the maintenance of ports, airports and roads.

There is still a lot to so said Maj Parker. And when the climate is right, the next priority will be to start the process leading to democratic elections and self-governance, but that will take time. As the (12) __________________ goes winning the peace is more complicated than winning the war.



sealed

briefingarmouredmissiledigging

attachmentcordonthe

submarineincriminating

gatheringrugged

forensicsuspectedelsewhere

racket

technologydrilled

implicatedsignalling

Troops from the 1st Battalion, (0) __the___ Highlanders, moved in before dawn to (1) ______________________ off a town near Banja Kuka after weeks of intelligence (2) ____________________ had identified the probability of large caches of illegal weapons in the area.

Well-armed mafia had been running a protection (3) ________________. For local tradesmen and shopkeepers it was a question of pay up or be put out of business. Police were either ineffective or (4) ___________________ so a covert team kept watch for more than two months on the (5) ______________________ criminals.

Using back roads and farm tracks, 300 SFOR soldiers of different nationalities, including American and German (6) __________________ experts, IT specialists, document and dog search teams moved on the town to prevent anyone leaving. While B Company searched an area of several miles, Gurkhas on (7) ____________________________ to 1 Hldrs, sealed off the town centre, taking a local crime ring by surprise.

The security paid off when the Gurkhas broke down a (8) _________________ door to expose box after box of hunting rifles, pistols, (9) ____________________ equipment and ammunition. There was also a quantity of explosives in dangerous condition.

With enough evidence of non-compliance with the Dayton Peace Accord to widen the search, the troops searched cellars and garages, in many cases (10) __________________ up the floors of suspect rooms. The Gurkhas collected a massive haul of weapons and ammunition with A Company accumulating nearly 15,000 rounds of ammunition, 30 guns, grenades and explosives by mid afternoon. (11) ______________________, an anti-aircraft missile system was found.

Lt Col Tim Lai, CO of the 1st Battalion, The Highlanders commented: Weve proven to the local community that where corruption rears its head, we will not let it stand. These weapon finds, with a quantity of (12) _______________________ documents, will take these guys into court and out of business for a long time.

Operations in the town are ongoing.

118

huntrumpstanag 3 gap-fill (student) - october 2003 de listat

Documents