No.

40
Vocabulary & Structures
1/ The police are looking for a short, ______ man with a beard.
A/ average B/ stocky C/ petite D/ tallish
2/ He left the meeting early on the unlikely ______ that he had a sick friend to visit.
A/ claim B/ excuse C/ pretext D/ motive
3/ He sat in the corner, _____ with anger about the treatment he received from his boss.
A/ washing B/ boiling C/ simmering D/ peeling
4/ She may be _____ but she seems to end up annoying a lot of people.
A/ well-meaning B/ ill-advised C/ smooth-tongued D/ widely-known
5/ I supposed, as _____ well all, that the meeting would be cancelled.
A/ just B/ would C/ equally D/ did
6/ A study has been made of the microbiology of rock surfaces and ______ stones.
A/ weathered B/ rugged C/ jagged D/ rough
7/ You should be very glad that Bod didn’t recognize you that night. Can you imagine his fury if
he _____?
A/ had B/ did C/ did not D/ would have
8/ Such _____ that the firefighters could not get near it.
A/ hot was the fire B/ the fire was hot
C/ the heat was of the fire D/ was
the heat of the fire
9/ She spent twenty years studying the history of London. She knows it ______ out.
A/ through B/ inside C/ all D/ over
10/ He wants to pay the bill himself, but I won’t hear _____ it.
A/ from B/ about C/ of D/ for
11/ My wife checks ______ our elderly neighbor every few days to make sure that he’s alright.
A/ on B/ in C/ at D/ out
12/ When his parents are away, his eldest brother _____.
A/ knocks it off B/ calls the shots C/ draws the line D/ sit in the same boat
13/ Just because Laura makes a lot of money, everyone expects her to _____ the bill.
A/ foot B/ stand C/ run D/ carry
14/ My sister told me to pack some trousers and shirts for the trip, _____ to forget my
toothbrush.
A/ after all B/ but more or less C/ before long D/ but above all
15/ I didn’t want to make a decision _____ so I said I’d like to think about it.
A/ on and off B/ in one go C/ there and then D/ at a stroke
16/ She nearly lost her own life _____ attempting to save the child from drowning.
A/ with B/ for C/ at D/ in
17/ I felt a bit _____ and seemed to have more aches and pains than usual.
A/ out of sorts B/ over the worst C/ on the mend D/ under the fever
18/ Although she had never used a word-processor before, she soon got the ______ of it.
A/ feel B/ touch C/ move D/ hang

Guided Cloze Test

Lee Kuna Yew was appointed as the first prime minister of Singapore in 1959 when the
nation became a self-governing state. At that time, Singapore per (1) ______ income was only
about USD 400. When Lee (2) ______ down in 1990, the figure was USD 11,000 and in 2014 it
went up to over 56,000, even higher than that of its former (3) ______, Great Britain. In his
(4) ______ published in 2000, he wrote “They laughed at us, but I was confident that we
would have the last laugh.”

Born into a middle-class Chinese family in Singapore, Lee was (5) ______ by the
language and institutions of the British rules. He was (6) ______ to go to the UK to study law,
but the Second World War broke out and he had to go to the local Raffles College where he
learnt some economics. It was not until 1946 when he talked his way to Cambridge and
graduated three years later with a starred first. It was during this time that he nurtured
ambitions (7) _____ starting a legal career back home.

As a prime minister, he has always been described as an efficient and inventive person.
He was one of the greatest statesmen who proved to the whole world that human (8) ______,
not natural resources, is essential element of prosperity. Lee is also believed to be very (9)
_______. When Singapore gained independence in 1965, he decided to keep English as the
main language to increase economic benefits. Although many of his policies are still considered
(10) _____, they helped Singapore to overcome many obstacles and become one of the most
admired international business and financial centers around the world.
1/ A/ personal B/ capita C/ capital D/ national
2/ A/ sat B/ settled C/ stepped D/ passed
3/ A/ colonizer B/ colonial C/ colony D/ colonization
4/ A/ journals B/ agenda C/ autography D/ memoirs
5/ A/ rooted B/ affected C/ influenced D/ educated
6/ A/ scheduled B/ ordered C/ made D/ pushed
7/ A/ to B/ beyond C/ over D/ of
8/A/ ability B/ sources C/ intelligence D/ ingenuity
9/ A/ open-minded B/ innovative C/ forward-looking D/ imminent
10/ A/ skeptical B/ disbelieving C/ controversial D/
contradictory

Open Cloze Test

Grandparents: The New Generation
Always a sure (1) ________ of affection, my grandparents were hugely important
figures in my life. They would shower my sisters and me with sweets, indulgence and stories,
telling tales about my parents as naughty children. When the last of (2) ___________ died, we
all wondered who would hold the family together.
People have relied on grandparents in Britain since the Industrial Revolution, (3)
__________ whole families moved into cities from the country to get work in the new factories,
talking grandmother along to look after the children. Despite the fact that more grandmothers
are working now, grandparents are still the backbone of children care in Britain. They (4)
__________ 44% of full-time care for pre-school children, which makes you wonder how the
country would manage to without them.
The traditional image of a grandparent is a smiling old person surrounded by a cohort of
happy children, but (5) ____________ doesn’t match the facts. (6) ___________ we have now
is the so-called ‘beanpole family’, thinly stretched (7) __________ several generations, with
fewer family members in each and with growing numbers of single-parent families.
Grandparents are getting younger- more than 50% of grandparents have already had their first
grandchild by the age of 54.
For many of them, grandparenthood means juggling a job, involvement with
grandchildren and, sometimes, the care of (8) ___________ own parents. It’s up to us to
balance the demands we make on them if we don’t want to wear them ( 9) ___________.
Grandparents are (10) _________ a valuable part of the family that we just cannot do without
them.

Word form
appetite believe create deny fish
marvel mix origin resist resource

The English are famous for talking about the weather but listen to any Italian
conversation and it will normally be about cookery.
 One of the most famous Italian sauces is pesto. Made from a (1) ______________ of
garlic, basil, pine nuts, cheese and olive oil, it is (2) ________________ delicious. We all buy it
from the supermarket, but you have to try the (3) _____________ from its home, Genoa, to
really experience it. The word pesto means ‘to pound’ and it is the action of the pestle and
mortar which is all important for this (4) ____________ sauce. Along with the best basil and
local olive oil, the pesto makers of Genoa use their wrist action to make an (5)
______________ pale, luscious green sauce. Genoans really take their pesto seriously, and the
(6) _________ of the Knights of the Confraternity of authentic pesto makers shows this. If you
want to sample their cuisine, go to Genoa as I did. I visited a (7) ___________ village called
Vernazza. Sitting in a trattoria in the harbor, the (8) ___________ smell of fish frying wafted
over us as we tried, amongst other things, a kind of pesto called salsa di noce. It was a true
culinary delight, made with the (9) _____________ of past Italians who couldn’t afford meat. It
may sound (10) _____________ to those of you who want meat in a meal, but you would be
mad to forgo it.

Sentence Transformation
1/ After a long hard journey, I cheered up when I saw my home. SIGHT
After a long hard journey, my spirits …………………………………………………………… of my home.
2/ He didn’t want to get into a position where he might lose all his money.
POSSIBILITY
He didn’t want to ………………………………………………………………………………………. all his money.
3/ The company received an enormous number of calls responding to the advert.
DELUDED
The company ……………………………………………………………………………. Response to the advert.
4/ Children enjoying unwrapping their Christmas presents. A KICK
Children ………………………………………………………………… unwrapping their Christmas presents.
5/ He hid the truth about the matter because he didn’t want to lose his high position. CARPET
He …………………………………………………....…… because he didn’t want to lose his high position.
6/ You don’t have to come and see the new house if you don’t wish.
You are under ……………………………………………………………………………...……… if you don’t wish.
7/ He threatened the officers with violence.
He made ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
8/ The headmaster has a very good opinion of the physics teacher.
The headmaster holds …………………………………………………………………………………………………….
9/ He himself admits to a fear of spiders.
On his ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….
10/ Suzanne is far superior to me in terms of technical knowledge.
When it ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....

Reading Comprehension
Clinical Depression and Antidepressants
Clinical depression, or Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), is clinically defined as a period
of sadness or melancholia severe enough to interrupt the patterns of one’s everyday life and
lasting for a period of several weeks or longer. Although there has been an awareness of clinical
depression for thousands of years, an understanding of its causes, and effective means of
treatment, have only come in the last fifty years.
Clinical depression is an extremely widespread illness, with an estimated 16% of the
population suffering from an episode of MDD at least once in their lifetime. Currently, clinical
depression is the second leading cause of disability in the United States behind heart disease.
Traditionally, females have reported higher rates of clinical depression than males, but this is
thought to be due to the greater stigmas against expressing one’s feelings that are typical
among males in most cultures rather than to any true difference in the occurrence of MDD
among the two genders. Sufferers of clinical depression may exhibit any array of symptoms,
some of the most common being increased apathy, disruptions in sleep and eating patterns, a
withdrawal from pleasurable activities, and suicidal ideation.
Why not completely understood, clinical depression is known to have both
environmental and biological causes, and the most effective treatments involve a two-pronged
approach of medication and emotional therapy. The mean age for the onset of clinical
depression is in the mid to late twenties, and the pressure of transitioning to independent adult
life is often as the primary trigger mechanism. While specific bouts of clinical depression may
be attributable to a certain event or trauma in a people’s life, neurochemistry, which is largely
genetic, seems to predispose some people to MDD. Clinical depression has been linked in
numerous studies with imbalances in neurotransmitters, the chemicals that relay information
between cells in the brain.
Medication to treat clinical depression first became available in the 1950s, and today
there are two major classes of widely prescribed antidepressants: selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Both classes of
drugs operate by limiting the absorption (reuptake) of neurotransmitters, thereby increasing
their levels in the brain, but SSRIs operate exclusively on serotonin, while SNRIs effect
norepinephrine as well, making them slightly more effective. Both classes of drugs take several
weeks to build up to effective levels in the bloodstream, and their effectiveness may be
compromised by the use of alcohol or other medications. For this reason, they are carefully
controlled by psychiatrists. Used alone, these antidepressants have proven to be about as
effective as counseling, with reductions of depressive symptoms averaging about 55% and full
remission at about 22%, but when used in conjunction with counseling they often result in
reduction and remission rates closer to 85% and 45%l respectively. Furthermore, continued use
of antidepressants after the conclusion of the counseling has been proven to greatly decrease
the risk of relapse.
As effective as antidepressants have proven in treating clinical depression, they are not
without drawbacks and criticisms. Typically, the first few weeks of treatment are when a
depressive patient is at the greatest risk of suicide. There is some evidence that during this
period, antidepressants may actually contribute to this risk because they reduce mental
lethargy, and a more active mind may lead to increased suicidal ideation. Thus, it is critical that
a patient be closely watched during the first few weeks of an antidepressant regimen. A further
criticism of antidepressants is that they may have unpleasant sexual side-effects which may
make them unpalatable to patients, given the long duration of their intended use. A final
criticism concerns their role in the ever growing field of psycho-pharmacology. Antidepressants
are by far the most commonly prescribed of psychiatric drugs, and some mental health
professionals worry that their profusion is leading to an over-reliance on chemical solutions to
emotional issues.

1/ The passage discusses all of the following aspects of clinical depression EXCEPT _____.
A/ its characteristic symptoms B/ its official medical definition
C/ methods of counseling used to treat it D/ available medications for treatment
2/ The word ‘stigmas’ in the passage is closest in the meaning to _____.
A/ culture B/ taboos C/ preventions D/ inabilities
3/ According to paragraph 2, the actual rates of clinical depression are most likely _____.
A/ much higher than they were in the past
B/ quickly catching up with those of heart disease
C/ about the same between men and women
D/ impossible to accurately calculate
4/ According to paragraph 3, the pressures of becoming an independent adult often _____.
A/ are the root causes of clinical depression
B/ are irrelevant to clinical depression
C/ precede the onset of clinical depression
D/ only serve to increase the symptoms of depression
5/ The word ‘bouts’ in the passage is closest in meaning to _____.
A/ symptoms B/ episodes C/ types D/ diagnoses
6/ Based on the information in paragraph 3, it can be inferred that clinical depression is _____.
A/ largely an untreatable condition B/ often a hereditary condition
C/ entirely chemical in nature D/ often accompanied by other
mental problems
7/ The word ‘compromised’ in the passage is closest in meaning to _____.
A/ negotiated B/ questioned C/ altered D/ endangered
8/ In paragraph 4, why does the author discuss rates of reduction and remission in clinical
depression?
A/ To better demonstrate the efficacy of antidepressants when used with counselling.
B/ To suggest that medication is secondary in importance to counseling in treating depression.
C/ To discuss the chances for full recovery for people who suffer from clinical depression.
D/ To illustrate the vast superiority of SNRIs to SSRIs in the treatment of clinical depression.
9/ According to paragraph 5, antidepressants may lead to an increased risk of suicide in the
first weeks of treatment because ______.
A/ that is the time when their side-effects are strongest
B/ they may stimulate an overproduction of serotonin.
C/ they increase mental activity, leading to more thoughts of suicide
D/ they draw attention away from much needed counselling
10/ Why do some mental health workers oppose the overuse of antidepressants?
A/ They fear that their side effects are too poorly understood.
B/ They feel the benefits of antidepressants are overstated.
C/ They know that antidepressants do not prevent the risk of relapse.
D/ They fear that the reliance on antidepressants draws away from counseling.

Error Correction
Teens are masters at keeping themselves occupy in the hours after school until way past
bedtime. When they’re not doing their homework (and when they are) they’re online and on
their phones, texting, sharing, trolling, scrolling, you name it. Of course before everyone had an
Instagram account teens kept themselves busy, too, but they were more likely to join their
chatting on the phone, or in person when hanging out at the mall. It may have looked like a lot
of aimless hanging around, but what they were doing was experimenting, trying out skills, and
succeeding and failing in tons of tiny real-time interactions that kids today are missing up on.
For one thing, modern teens are learning to do almost of their communication while looking at
a screen, not another person.

Certainly speaking indirectly creates a barrier to clear communication, but that’s not all.
Learning how to make friends is a major part of growing up, and friendship requires a certain
number of risk-taking. This is true for making a new friend, but it’s also true for maintaining
friendships. When there are problems that need to be faced—big ones or small ones—it needs
courage to be honest about your feelings and then hear what the other person has to say.
Learning to effectively cross these bridges is part of what makes friendship fun and exciting,
and also scary. “Part of healthy self-esteem is knowing how to say what you think and feel even
if you’re in disagreement with other people or it feels emotionally risky,” notes Dr. Steiner-
Adair.

THE END