OPEN CLOZE

JAMES BOND

James Bond is an English secret agent created by the British novelist Ian Fleming, (1)
__________________ started out as a journalist and later worked in the Foreign Office.
The character of Bond became (2) __________________ not only in Fleming’s books
but through many movies (3) __________________ well. "007" was first introduced in
the novel Casino Royale in 1953.
James Bond is probably one of the (4) __________________ famous and longest
running characters in film history. (5) __________________ his first appearance in Dr.
No (1962) the Queen’s number one spy has __________________ to more places,
romanced more women, escaped from more dangerous situations and saved the world
more times (6) _________________ any other secret agent in history.
After the war he entered the British Secret Intelligence Service, known as MI6, where
he became a “double-0” agent with a license to kill. His assignments have
(7)__________________ him to volcanic islands, India, Las Vegas and even a space
station in orbit. He has charm, loves beautiful women, and likes martinis - shaken, not
stirred-, fine suits and (8) __________________ cars. Most of Bond’s missions bring
him into contact with shadowy figures of the underworld.
Starting in 1962, Fleming’s novels have been (9) __________________ into successful
films. All 22 of them have made a net profit of over $4 billion. Sean Connery was the
first, and for many true followers of the series the best, Bond. He played the (10)
__________________ in six movies from 1962 to 1971. Daniel Craig is the present
Bond, starring in 4 movies since 2006.
Bond films always have the same ingredients: a (11) __________________ of action,
car chases, leaps from high mountains, gunfights, and narrow escapes. The selection of
a Bond girl is almost as important as the choice of the main character himself. She is
(12) __________________ only beautiful but also a woman that causes Bond great
trouble when he finds himself attracted (13) __________________ her.
James Bond always drives in extravagant cars that have included an Aston Martin, a
BMW Z3 and a Lotus Esprit. He also is the first to test Q's latest (14)
__________________ - deadly darts, watches that explode and special guns.
Bond reports to M, head of MI6, who finds the agent's habits frustrating but respects his
many talents and (15) __________________ him on missions where all other agents
have failed.

IVORY

Ivory is a smooth material that (1) ______________ be found in the tusks of mammals.
Elephants, walruses, hippos, and whales are the primary sources of ivory. Because it is
so valuable and expensive, ivory has been traded around the world (2)
_______________ centuries.
Egyptian sculptors carved ivory objects for their pharaoh. Ancient Greeks and Romans
used ivory to
(3) ________________ art, religious objects, and jewellery. Even large statues were
made of ivory. The ancient Chinese got ivory from traders (4) _________________
brought it from India and Southeast Asia. For many centuries it (5)
_________________ used as a currency.
(6) ___________________ first people used ivory from Asian elephants but then saw
that the ivory of African elephants was (7) ___________________ to carve. Traders
started moving in on Africa and the ivory trade started to boom. Before plastic was
invented ivory was used to make objects of everyday (8) ___________________ , like
knife handles, piano keys, combs and billiard balls.
The best-known form of ivory is in an elephant’s tusks. Such a tusk can grow to a
length of over 3 metres and (9) ___________________ up to a hundred kilograms. The
outside of a tusk is often dark, whereas the inside is white or cream-coloured. Ivory is a
hard material that can be easily carved (10) ___________________ different shapes. In
many countries’ handicrafts, souvenirs and jewellery are made from ivory.
Ivory is also preserved in the tundra of Siberia, northern Canada, and other polar
regions
(11) ___________________ prehistoric mammoths roamed the continents thousands of
years ago. Some of the tusks are larger (12) ___________________ the tusks of
mammals that exist today. However, such fossil ivory is harder to carve.
Today trading ivory from elephants and other endangered animals is illegal. During the
20th (13) ___________________ large parts of the elephant population were reduced
(14) _______________ of the ivory trade. The poached ivory is smuggled (15)
______________ of the country and sold at a very high price.
Since the end of the 20th century governments of African and Asian countries
(16) ___________________ focused on capturing poachers and clamping down on
illegal trading rings. Tons of ivory are seized by authorities (17) ___________________
year. In the last few years these actions have stabilized the elephant population. Some
countries have put elephants into reserves, where they can be closely monitored.

TEATIME

Tea is one of the world's (1) _________________ popular beverages. According to a

legend, it originated in China thousands of years (2) _________________, when leaves
from a tea bush fell (3) _________________ a hot water pot of the Chinese emperor.
At first, only wealthy British families (4) _________________ able to afford drinking
tea, which was brought from India by merchants and traders. Some people even locked
it up to prevent it from (5) _________________ stolen.
There are many ways to drink tea. (6) _________________ most people just drink their
tea pure; others add milk or a lemon. The most common forms are black and green tea.
Vanilla or fruit flavouring (7) _________________ often added to tea to give it a
special taste. Some people brew their tea in convenient tea bags, others pour boiling (8)
_________________ over crushed tea leaves.
Tea drinking has a long tradition in Britain. Every Briton (9) _________________
about 5 cups of tea per day, or about 1,700 cups a year – the largest per capita
consumption in the
(10) _________________. Traditional afternoon teatime goes (11) _________________
to the 19th century. Many families celebrate this custom in an exclusive way, with
expensive China and silver spoons.
Tea has a stimulating effect (12) _________________ your body, because it contains
(13) _________________ caffeine than coffee. It is great for those who are afraid of
putting on too much (14) _________________ as it has only 4 calories per cup.