USE OF ENGLISH (CLOΖE TESTS)

A. Cats of all kinds are present in the legends, religion, mythology, and history of (1) .............
different cultures. Cave paintings created by early humans display different types of wild
cats (2) ............. are now extinct, or no longer around. Many of these great beasts saw humans as
food, but were hunted by humans in return. Cats similar (3) ............ the ones kept as pets today
started showing up in artwork thousands of years ago. For example, the ancient Egyptians
believed cats were the sacred, or special, animal of a goddess named Bast. They believed that
Bast often appeared as a cat, so many ancient Egyptians respected and honoured cats and
kittens. (4) ................., other cultures feared cats or thought that they brought illnesses and bad
luck. Today, with millions kept as pets in homes around the world, cats have become important
members of many families. No one knows for sure when or (5) ............... cats became very
popular household pets. It's possible that people noticed how cats hunted mice and
rats, (6) .................... they set food and milk out to keep the cats near their homes. This helped to
prevent (7) ................ many of these rodents (8) ................. coming into homes and eating
people's food or spreading sickness.

B. Before Gutenberg (1394 – 1468), all books had to be copied by hand. The so-called
‘manuscripts’ of medieval times were laboriously hand-written, usually by monks (1) ...............
devoted years (2) ................... the work. Earlier attempts had been made to produce printing
‘blocks’. The designs on playing cards (3) ......................... example were carved from wooden
blocks which were inked and then printed onto cards. There are even examples of whole pages in
books being hand carved and printed. Gutenberg however came up with the idea of printing using,
not whole page blocks, but letter blocks. (4) ............... he was a goldsmith (5) ................. trade, he
knew how to mould metal into whatever shape was needed. He made thousands of tiny blocks of
‘type’, (6)............ ... with a letter raised on it, which could be lined up and clamped into position in
a ‘forme’ (page block). The type could be linked, paper laid on top, and the whole thing
compressed by turning a handle. When released, the paper had the page printed on it. Years of
work went into this invention. Gutenberg (7) ................. to make the letters, develop an ink which
would cling to metal (most didn’t), build the forme, and above (8) .................. find the money to do
all this while not working as a goldsmith.

C. Whatever you do in tourism, you are likely to have a (1) ................... of

contact (2) ....................... other people. This can be both enjoyable (3) ................... difficult. You
will soon find (4) .................. how often people behave unlike their usual selves while on holiday,
or trying to arrange a holiday. (5) ................ they stay in their own country or go abroad, they want

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to get away from it all, they (6) .................... paying hard-earned money to relax from work, and
they want value (7) ................. money.
They will also be in unfamiliar surroundings and unsure of themselves. When things go well their
happiness is infectious - it is very rewarding helping (8)........... ... and contributing to the
enjoyment of their holiday. When things go badly, clients blame the hotel staff or tour operator's
representative, even if it isn't their fault. You've just got to keep calm and keep smiling when
people are shouting at you.
D. t's inevitable that as artists become accomplished in their craft the knowledge and depth of
understanding of the tools they use to create their art becomes accomplished as well. A painter
knows he has several types of brushes to choose (1) .................. . His
experience(2) ....................... taught him that certain brushes (3) ........................ produce specific
strokes, producing the desired result on the canvas, enabling the vision in his head to become
realized. In the world of guitar playing, (4) ................ is a wide array of tools (5) .................... a
player can choose to create his or her art.

Becoming knowledgeable and experienced (6) .................... matching the right tool to facilitate
your musical inspiration can be a long road that's sometimes filled with unexpected bumps and
lessons learnt the hard way. (7) .................., attaining that knowledge and experience can often
prove the difference (8) .................. satisfaction and disappointment; and in some cases,
employment and unemployment. But how do you learn and under what conditions? From my
observations, most players get information in one of two ways.

E. One of the greatest things about Alaska is (1) ................. it takes the term casual to new
heights. While the state has highly cultivated enclaves, (2) ............. as Anchorage, Alaska's largest
city, and Juneau, the state capital (population 31,000), for the most part Alaskans are down-to
-earth people. They're friendly bunch, more comfortable in Carhartts and cutoffs (3) ..............
cashmere and corduroy. The arts thrive, not only in the larger cities (4) ............... also in the small
towns. In their own strong spirited way.

Alaskans embrace their independence and refuse (5) ............ be stereotyped. They'll have a sold-
out opera, but only half will dress (6) ............... . There (7) ............. ultra-fancy restaurants, but
they'll entertain kids with smiles on their faces. For visitors, this translates into a vacation
completely devoid (8) .............. stress. Wear your evening gown if you like - it doesn't matter if it's
to the local ballgame or burger joint. Anything goes.