Instructions

You are going to read three extracts which are all concerned in some way with gardens. For
questions 1-6, choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to
the text.
GARDEN TRUST LAUNCHES A COMPETITION
to showcase Best Garden or Allotment sites.
All sites will initially be judged on:
- the general maintenance and cleanliness of the area
- evidence of individual and/or communal composting
- provision of waste disposal for non-compostable items
In the second round, the quality of the produce will be taken into consideration. Well maintained
communal buildings will also gain points, as will evidence that wildlife is catered for with the
provision of such things as small areas of nettles for butterflies, and log piles for small mammals, frogs
and toads. Sites which show a strong community spirit and co-operation between plot-holders will go
down favourably with the judges.
An additional category for this year is Best Community Project. Judges will be looking at sites which
serve the interests of the community. For example, some sites grow shared produce by groups of
gardeners in order to grow crops in a co-operative way. Other examples may be providing a place for
local school pupils, or those with special needs to learn about the joys of gardening or for growing
crops for the housebound elderly. Maybe your site has set aside an area for wildlife, and encourages the
local population to come along and enjoy the delights of your wildlife pond or sanctuary. It is essential
that any project is run in conjunction with the allotmenteers themselves, and not by a third party, the
local authority etc.
All shortlisted entries receive a visit from the judges and a certificate.

STORY EXTRACT
The Garden Party
"She's got to learn," said his daughter, wrestling unsuccessfully with the three-year-old bundle of fury.
"It's Charlie's day, not hers." The child slithered out of her mother's arms and onto the scorching patio.
"Come to Grandad, little one," said Bill, but the expression on her face said that she hated the entire
world and everyone in it.
He pretended not to notice while she scaled the side of his wheelchair. The August sun forced him to
squint but he could just discern the swaying yellow blob of the bouncy castle at the end of the garden.
Nearby the men stood in a circle, cans in hand and legs apart. A tortoiseshell butterfly settled on the
potted marigold.
Then with a thump she landed on his lap. She giggled, showing small white teeth, until she
remembered she was supposed to be sad.

The child kneeled up on Bill's lap - a tricky manoeuvre on the bony blanketed legs - and cupped his
face with determined little hands. "It's not fair. Why do I have to wait for my birthday and Charlie
doesn't?" Bill picked off the tomato pips and curls of hair soldered to her cheeks.
"Rotten when it's someone else's birthday, ain't it?" he said. She put her hand into his jacket pocket and
produced an apple. "I want it," she said.
Bill cut into the glossy peel with his penknife, and slowly rotated both apple and blade against each
other in perfect synchronicity. She stared at the demonstration, giving little exclamations of wonder as
the peel coiled downwards.
"I'll hold it for you, Grandad," she said solemnly, and put out both hands to catch the juicy, spiralling
snake. She wrapped it from wrist to elbow, and then held up her forearm to admire it.
"Im going to show Charlie my bracelet, she said.

HOMEOWNERS TURN TO GROW-YOUR-OWN

More homeowners are focusing on health by planting their own vegetable gardens this year, rejecting
the rising cost of food and fuel, and pesticide-laden produce most often found in supermarkets.
Just about every environmental group in the United States, Canada and Europe warns that store-bought
produce is loaded with petro-chemical pesticides that build up in the human body. These chemicals are
being blamed for many illnesses. Consider the following:
* Potatoes, lettuce and cucumbers have the highest concentration of pesticides, according to the United
States Department of Agriculturists annual crop report.
* A major study by the New York State Department of Health directly links pesticides to diabetes, now
one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in the United States.
* The environmental group Global Pesticide Campaign warns that glyphosate used in Roundup causes
auto-immune deficiencies in children and the elderly.
* Purdue University warns "weed and feed" type lawn chemicals have caused bladder cancer in dogs.
An Ohio K-9 corps reports several of their dogs developed cancer after coming into contact with
chemical fertilizers around their dog pens. Consequently, the federal government is urging vets to
report all cancer in animals as an early warning sign for man.
Growing your own pesticide-free food is easy and there's nothing healthier and as good tasting as
produce picked at maturity right in your back yard. Using organic methods, follow these few simple
steps.

Part 1: Multiple Choice

is still fed up with a relative.

wants to eat the apple.

1 In the first phase of the competition the judges are looking at

the amount of rubbish generated and how it is dealt with.

is hoping to find her mother.

has lost her sense of grievance.

the standard of food that is harvested.

how far the site provides a habitat for different species.
the competition between neighbouring sites.

5 According to the writer, the vets' role is important because

the authorities don't believe that cancer in dogs is on the increase.
the information vets provide can help assess the threat to humans.

2 According to the rules, which of the following would be excluded from entering
for the Best Community Project?
A project where members of the public are invited to view birds or animals.

cancers are caused by the animals' exposure to chemicals.

vets can diagnose cancers in animals at an early stage.

A project which sells its produce back to the community.

A project which serves vulnerable groups like children or the infirm.
A project that receives help from a government administration.

3 Bill ignores his granddaughter at first because

he is cross with her.

6 The writer's main purpose in the article is to

warn gardeners about the dangers lurking in their own back gardens.
explain why produce bought in the supermarket is more likely to contain
chemicals.
question whether the government is taking action against the use of
chemicals.
argue the case for growing food at home without the use of chemicals.

he's allowing time for her temper to subside.

he's busy talking to her mother.
he's paying more attention to his surroundings.

A Great Composer
4 By the end of the story the child

The classical composer Ernst Hoffsberger, who passed 0. away earlier this week,
truly 1.______________ the world of contemporary classical music and was a
great 2.______ of inspiration to a whole generation of 3._______ young artists in various
fields. In many ways his three symphonies completely 4.____________ the achievements of
all other composers of the late twentieth century and by5.______ the classical genre with
jazz, rock and latterly hip-hop, his work at times bore little 6.___________ to what is
commonly considered to be a classical sound.

Born in California just after the Second World War, Hoffsberger had a strict
religious 7.__________ during which he was taught classical piano by his father. He first
found work as a(n) 8._________ journalist, playing and composing music in his free time.
During the late sixties, he worked together in 9._____________ with a number of other
amateur musicians before finally 10._______professional with the first public performance of
his inspirational Tenor Sax Concerto in 1971.

From then on, throughout the seventies and eighties, each new work seemed
to 11._______ the limits of the orchestral medium and also helped to bring classical music to

1.

A Down

B up

C AWAY

D over

2.

A revolutionized

B restored

C renovated

D refurbished

3.

A form

B kind

C source

D outlet

4.

A branching

B budding

C blooming

D bursting

5.

A overcame

B overshadowed

C overturned

D overwhelmed

6.

A adjoining

B attaching

C co-joining

D fusing

7.

A similarity

B familiarity

C resemblance

D identification

8.

A family

B background

C childhood

D upbringing

9.

A non-contract

B off-the-books

C freelance

D odd-job

10. A collaboration

B combination

C coordination

D contribution

11. A taking

B getting

C making

D turning

12. A overpass

B bypass

C surpass

D encompass

13. A touch

B feeling

C contact

D aspect

a wider audience. What many people consider Hoffsberger's defining quality that kept his
music fresh and original was that he never lost the human 12._____ which gave him the
ability to sit down and jam with musicians and artists from all walks of life.

outside which only seemed to be moving forward 9.__ a snail's

pace. While waiting, I did overhear another voter behind me saying
that he 10.____ a very dim view of being made to wait so long and
how much better it would all be if polling stations were operated by
private rather than 11.______ sector workers.

A Floating Voter

For questions 1 - 15, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use
only one word in each gap. There is an examples at the beginning(0).

I have just voted in a UK election for the 0. first time in about twenty
years. An extended period living abroad had ruled 1.___ the
possibility of casting my 2.____ in previous elections. In truth, in
recent years they have 3.____ the voting process more accessible
to Britons living abroad and so I do feel some sense 4.__ shame at
not having done 5.__ bit for British democracy and registering my
postal vote. Instead I had lived 6.__ the hope that one day I would
return to my home country and be able to perform 7.____ important
social duty once again.
The polling station that I attended was housed in the main hall
of 8.___ local school and when I arrived, there was a large queue

When my turn finally came, I was given a piece of paper with a long
list of names on it, 12.____ of which I recognised apart from two.
Unfortunately, these were both politicians that I am not 13.__ favour
of. I had no intention of voting for 14.______ of these two
candidates so I had no choice but to randomly pick a name from the
remaining ones. I later discovered I had accidentally voted for a
party that wants the UK to withdraw 15.____ The European Union.
A Bad First Impression

For questions 1 - 10, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of
the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the
beginning (0)

There is a saying that first 0. impressions are generally correct and

IMPRESS
I would say that 1._______ , throughout my entire life, I have

ALL

his window and shouted a stream of swear words back at me.

found this to be true apart from one notable exception of

So the next morning, I was more than a little surprised to

a good friend and neighbour with whom my first 2.________ was

find an apology note from the same motorist in my mail box

CHANGE

explaining that in an attempt to 9._______ his career as an up and

decidedly unfriendly.

FAR

At the time of our first meeting I was living in a 3.________ area

coming IT 10.__________ he had been driving too fast the previous

DEPRIVE

CONSULT

of London, not far from the exit of a dual 4.___________ and this

evening and inviting me to have dinner with him and his

CARRIAGE

wife.

meant that although it was a residential street, even with

the 5.____ will in the world, drivers would often travel
GOOD
dangerously fast within inches of my front door. This used
to really annoy me and I have to admit I did often go a bit
6._________ in expressing my anger even though (or perhaps because)
BOARD
I knew I didn't stand a 7.__________ chance of being taken notice of
REASON
or even noticed at all. So when one day, I shouted my usual
string of swear words at a rapidly passing car and it
immediately screamed to a halt, my first reaction was an
enormous sense of 8.___________ But then the driver of the car opened
ACHIEVE

Garden

1.A 2. D 3. B 4. D 5. B 6. D
Composer

2.

1.
2. C source

5. D fusing 6. C. resemblance
collaboration
10. D turning

A revolutionised
3. B budding 4. B overshadowed

7. D upbringing

8. C freelance

9. A

11. C surpass 12. A touch

Floating voter
1.

2..
3. MADE
9.AT
10.
11.
12. NONE 13. IN
14.

4. OF

5.

6. IN

7.

8. THE

15. FROM

BAD FIRST IMPRESSION

1.

OVERALL 2. EXCHANGE 3. DEPRIVED 4. CARRIAGEWAY 5. BEST

6. OVERBOARD
7. REASONABLE 8.ACHIEVEMENT 9. FURTHER 10 CONSULTANT