Exercise 1

Words are missing. In each gap, write the missing word. Do not write more than
one word per gap.

Not many people think of the city _____(1) a particularly nice place to
walk. It is full of cars, the air is polluted and many streets are really
crowded. _____(2) fact, most people’s idea of a hike consists _____(3)
walking down winding countryside paths, climbing mountains or
strolling along a deserted beach.

This, however, is not _____(4) “city walkers”. They reckon cities are just
_____(5) good as the countryside, or maybe even more so. According to
the English novelist Will Self, “if you walk in the town or city where you
live you don’t _____(6) the risk of getting stuck in a traffic jam, which is
what happened to me last time we set _____(7) for a nice country walk”.
There is also the great convenience of cafés and bars where you can
_____(8) for a drink.

Walking in the city, of course, is not new. In the 19th century, French
artists would talk about the flâneur: a person who would wander around
the city, not really going anywhere. They would look around them and
observe people around them. This idea soon _____(9) on and was
imitated by artists in other countries.

Nowadays, though, it seems you wouldn’t see much apart from people
staring down _____(10) their phones. Nevertheless, it is still very
interesting to walk around and get to know your city better – as well as
getting some exercise!

Exercise 2

Rewrite the following sentences so they have the same meaning. Do not use more
than five words. You must include the word in bold without altering it - no
plurals, gerunds, or anything like that.

 John is not at the office. He’s definitely gone home.

have
John is not at the office. He ____________(1) home.
  Sally asked: “When will you be arriving, Jane?”
me
Sally asked _____________(2) arriving.
 I only went to Paris because I met Julie.
not
Had I not met Julie, ___________(3) to Paris.
 The bus took five hours to get here.
on
I _____________(4) the bus here.
 I didn’t go to the cinema because there was a very long queue to buy
tickets.
that
The queue to buy tickets ______________(5) I didn’t go to the
cinema.
 Perhaps he’s lost.
be
He ___________ (6) lost.

Exercise 3

Words are missing in the following text. Transforming the word in parentheses
after each gap, you must write the missing word. For example:This book is
__________ (interest).

The word you need is an adjective. Two adjectives can be formed from interest,
interesting and interested. In this case, from the meaning of the phrase, the
correct answer would be interesting.

Carrots are ______ (wide – 1) believed to have _______ (origin – 2) in

Persia, although they were already being grown in South Germany as
soon as 3000 BC. Back then, carrots were mostly grown for their leaves or
their seeds, not ______ (like – 3) some of their closest relatives, cumin,
parsley or coriander, whose leaves we still use nowadays. It is thought
that only around the first century did people start eating the root. This
claim, however, is not entirely _______ (rely – 4), since no ______ (distinct
– 5) was made between carrots and parsnips. What is known, though, is
that carrots were a very ______ (differ – 6) colour. They were purple or
white, and it is not until the 17th century that Dutch ______ (farm – 7)
created the orange carrot which we are now ________ (family – 8) with.
Ex. 1:

1. as
2. In
3. in
4. for
5. as
6. run
7. off
8. stop
9. caught
10. at

Ex. 2:

1. must have gone

2. me when I would be
3. would not have gone
4. spent five hours on
5. was so long that
6. might be

Ex. 3:

1. widely
2. originated
3. unlike
4. reliable
5. distinction
6. difference
7. farming
8. familiar