Choose the word which has the underlined part pronounced differently from the others.
obsolete
obstacle
occasion
obstinate
Choose the word which has the underlined part pronounced differently from the others.
ricochet
schwa
chagrin
chauffeur
Choose the word which has the underlined part pronounced differently from the others.
immediate
private
facilitate
accurate
Choose the word that differs from the rest in the position of the main stress.
Think of ONE word only which can be used appropriately in all three sentences.
1. He's always wanted to _____, but his father keeps telling him he's too young to join the theatre company.
2. The police operation proved successful. The security guard was caught in the _____ of stealing classified information.
3. Trying to raise your kids, satisfying your partner and pursuing a professional career seems to be a difficult juggling _____ for many burnt-out mothers.
=> Answer:
Think of ONE word only which can be used appropriately in all three sentences.
1. Paul Smith has always been totally ____ to helping others less fortunate than himself.
2. Anna's absolutely _____ to her career as a surgeon; nothing else is really important to her.
3. The singer George Andrew has _____ several of his most recent songs to his wife.
=> Answer:
Think of ONE word only which can be used appropriately in all three sentences.
1. Excuse me, is that seat _____ or is someone sitting there?
2. This country has been _____ of malaria and other tropical diseases for many years.
3. After three weeks of captivity, the animals were set _____ and returned to the jungle.
=> Answer:
There was _____ evidence to bring charges against the man.
The size of the pop-star's personal fortune was the subject of much ______ in the press.
Jeremy's friends were fond of him _____ because of his generosity.
Looking down at the coral reef, we saw _____ of tiny, multi-colored fish.
Of all the paintings in the gallery, it was this one that really _____ my eye.
If you want a good flat in London, you have to pay through the _____ for it.
_____ of the financial crisis, all they could do was hold on and hope that things would improve.
Sarah and I ____ reserved the rooms in the same hotel. She was really surprised to see me there.
All ______ is a continuous supply of the basic necessities of life.
Children usually _____ a flu much more quickly than adults.
Complete the sentence by changing the form of the word in capitals.
Perhaps the most vivid illustration of our gift for recognition is the magic of caricature - the fact that the sparest cartoon of a familiar face, even a single line dashed off in two seconds, can be identified by our brains in an instant. It's often said that a good caricature looks more Iike a person than the person himself. As it happens, this notion counterintuitive though it may sound is actually supported by research. In the field of vision science, there's even a term for this seeming paradox - the caricature effect - a phrase that hints at how our brains (PERCEPTION) faces much as perceive them.
Human faces are all built pretty much the same: two eyes above a nose that's above a mouth, the features varying from person to person generally by mere millimeters. So what our brains look for, according to vision sciences, are the (LIE) features - those characteristics that deviate most from the ideal face we carry around in our heads, the running average of every visage we've ever seen. We code each new face we encounter not in absolute terms but in the several ways it differs (MARK) from the mean. In other words, to beat what vision scientists call the homogeneity problem, we accentuate what's most important for recognition and largely ignore what isn't. Our perception fixates on the (TURN) nose, rendering it more porcine, the sunken eyes or the (FLESH) cheeks, making them loom larger. To better identify and remember people, we turn them into caricatures.
Read the following passage then choose the best answer to each question below.
History of the Chickenpox Vaccine
Chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the Varicella zoster virus; sufferers develop a fleeting itchy rash that can spread throughout the body. The disease can last for up to 14 days and can occur in both children and adults, though the young are particularly vulnerable. Individuals infected with chickenpox can expect to experience a high but tolerable level of discomfort and a fever as the disease works its way through the system. The ailment was once considered to be a “rite of passage” by parents in the U.S. and thought to provide children with greater and improved immunity to other forms of sickness later in life. This view, however, was altered after additional research by scientists demonstrated unexpected dangers associated with the virus. Over time, the fruits of this research have transformed attitudes toward the disease and the utility of seeking preemptive measures against it.
A vaccine against chickenpox was originally invented by Michiaki Takahashi, a Japanese doctor and research scientist, in the mid-1960s. Dr. Takahashi began his work to isolate and grow the virus in 1965 and in 1972 began clinical trials with a live but weakened form of the virus that caused the human body to create antibodies. Japan and several other countries began widespread chickenpox vaccination programs in 1974. However, it took over 20 years for the chickenpox vaccine to be approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), finally earning the U.S. government’s seal of approval for widespread use in 1995. Yet even though the chickenpox vaccine was available and recommended by the FDA, parents did not immediately choose to vaccinate their children against this disease. Mothers and fathers typically cited the notion that chickenpox did not constitute a serious enough disease against which a person needed to be vaccinated.
Strong belief in that view eroded when scientists discovered the link between Varicella zoster, the virus that causes chickenpox, and shingles, a far more serious, harmful, and longer-lasting disease in older adults that impacts the nervous system. They reached the conclusion that Varicella-zoster remains dormant inside the body, making it significantly more likely for someone to develop shingles. As a result, the medical community in the U.S. encouraged the development, adoption, and use of a vaccine against chickenpox to the public. Although the appearance of chickenpox and shingles within one person can be many years apart - generally many decades - the increased risk in developing shingles as a younger adult (30-40 years old rather than 60-70 years old) proved to be enough to convince the medical community that immunization should be preferred to the traditional alternative.
Another reason that the chickenpox vaccine was not immediately accepted and used by parents in the U.S. centered on observations made by scientists that the vaccine simply did not last long enough and did not confer a lifetime of immunity. In other words, scientists considered the benefits of the vaccine to be temporary when given to young children. They also feared that it increased the odds that a person could become infected with chickenpox later as a young adult when the rash is more painful and prevalent and can last up to three or four weeks. Hence, allowing young children to develop chickenpox rather than take a vaccine against it was believed to be the “lesser of two evils.” This idea changed over time as booster shots of the vaccine elongated immunity and countered the perceived limits on the strength of the vaccine itself.
The word "tolerable" in the passage is closest in meaning to:
According to paragraph 1, which of the following is true of the chickenpox virus?
Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2 about the clinical trials for the chickenpox vaccine?
The word "notion" in the passage is closest in meaning to:
According to paragraph 3, which of the following is true of Varicella Zoster?
According to paragraph 3, all of the following is true about the chickenpox virus EXCEPT:
The author uses "booster shots" as an example of _____.
According to paragraph 4, many parents did not choose the chickenpox vaccine because _____.
Read the text and choose the best answer to fill in the blanks.
A LACK OF COMMUNICATION
Recent research has that a third of people in Britain have not met their neighbors, and those who know each other speak. Neighbors gossiping over garden fences and in the street was a common in the 1950s, says Dr. Carl Chinn, an expert on local communities. Now, however, longer hours spent working at the office, together with the Internet and satellite television, are eroding neighborhood . 'Poor neighborhoods once had a strong kinship, but now prosperity buys privacy,' said Chinn.
Professor John Locke, a social scientist at Cambridge University, has analyzed a large of surveys. He found that in America and Britain the of time spent in social activity is decreasing. A third of people said they never spoke to their neighbors at . Andrew Mayer, 25, a strategy consultant, rents a large apartment in west London, with two flat-mates, who work in e-commerce. "We have a family of teachers in upstairs and lawyers below, but our only contact comes via letters to the communal facilities or complaints that we've not put out our bin bags properly," said Mayer.
The breakdown of communities can have serious effects. Concerned at the rise in burglaries and of vandalism, the police have re-launched crime prevention schemes such as Neighbourhood Watch, calling on people who live in the same area to keep an eye on each other's houses and report anything they see which is unusual.
Fill each of the following blanks with ONE suitable word.
ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF STRESS!
Are you looking forward to another busy week? You should be according to some experts. They argue that the stress encountered in our daily lives is not only good for us but essential to survival. They say that the response to which creates a chemical called adrenalin, helps the mind and body to act quickly emergencies. Animals and human beings use it to meet the hostile conditions which exist on the planet.
Whilst nobody denies the pressures of everyday life, what is surprising is that we are yet to develop successful ways of dealing with them. the experts consider the current strategies to be inadequate and often dangerous. They believe that of trying to manage our response to stress with drugs or relaxation techniques, we must exploit it. Apparently, research shows that people create conditions of stress for by doing exciting and risky sports or looking for challenges, cope much better with life's problems. Activities of this type have been shown to create a lot of emotion; people may actually cry or feel extremely uncomfortable. But there is a point which they realize they have succeeded and know that it was a positive experience. This is because we learn through challenges and difficulties. That's we get our wisdom. Few of us, unfortunately, understand this fact. For example, many people believe they from stress at work, and take time off as a result. Yet it has been found in some companies that by far healthiest people are those with the most responsibility. So next time you're in a stressful situation, just remember that it will be a positive learning experience and could also benefit your health!
Pick out the verbs and particles given to form phrasal verbs to fill the gaps in these sentences. Remember to use all the verbs given and don’t forget to use the correct forms of the verbs.
[ give | put | take | hinge | get | come | stand ]
[ around | out | into | up on | down to | upon | back to ]
1. I like to go to the supermarket on Saturday because they free samples.
2. My teacher said that my project wasn't very good and that it was obvious I hadn't much effort it.
3. Thanks for inviting me to go sailing with you. I just might you the offer someday.
4. The success of our action Mike's ability to break the code. If he doesn't manage to do it this time, we'll lose the last hope.
5. I called the restaurant manager to complain about the bad food we were served yesterday, and she said she would investigate and me.
6. We had a hard time deciding which of the two houses to buy. We liked both of them, but it which one was in a better school district.
7. I have all this work to do, and you guys just watching me like this?
Read the following passage and choose which of the headings from A - L match the blanks. There are two extra headings, which do not match any of the paragraphs.
Lists of headings
A. Failing relationships and negative feelings
B. Winning the lottery may not make you happier
C. What is Hedonic Adaptation?
D. Philanthropy benefits the giver
E. Wealth management issues
F. Spend your winnings wisely
G. What you do, not what you buy
H. Behavioral Changes
K. How to gain well-being
L. Emotions of having a big sum of money
WOULD WINNING THE LOTTERY MAKE YOU HAPPIER?
Imagine spending your last bit of cash on a lottery ticket as a whimsical solution to your penniless state and then finding out one morning that you had won, what would you feel? First off, you were truly lucky with odds of 1 in 13,983,816, you’ve got a higher chance of dying from animal attacks or diseases than winning the lottery.
Like any rational being would, a surge of happiness would instantly fill your body; you can finally afford your mortgage or even get a larger house, buy a nice car, get the latest gadgets, and everything you have ever wanted in life. However, would having large sums of money in your bank account elevate your level of happiness for the rest of your life?
A study in 1978 by three researchers from the University of Massachusetts and Northwestern University wanted answers. So, they asked recent Illinois State lottery winners about their levels of happiness and comparing them to paraplegic and quadriplegic survivors of catastrophic accidents. Each group was asked to rate how much pleasure they derive from normal everyday activities such as chatting with a friend, hearing a joke, or receiving a compliment. After analyzing their results, they found out that the victim group felt happier in their everyday life compared to those who won the lottery.
1.
This is partially due to a phenomenon called hedonic adaptation or the hedonic treadmill. This describes our tendency to become used to happiness after experiencing it for the first time. For example, landing the job that you have always wanted may give you happiness but the thrill wears off after a certain period of time. Though it may sound a little bit counterintuitive, hedonic adaptation helps us maintain a steady and emotional equilibrium which makes us less sensitive to any changes including negative events. This phenomenon allows us to revert back to our default emotional state after experiencing high levels of emotion whether good or bad.
2.
Piecing together this information, winning the lottery would make you happy but only for a short period of time. After getting used to the luxuries of having enough funds for grandiose homes, better food, and nicer clothes, we go back to how we used to feel before we won the prize. Therefore, winning the lottery doesn’t guarantee happiness, in fact, lottery winners even reported being unhappy after they have won the prize.
3.
One of the reasons why this is so is because large sums of money can be a lot to manage. Take for example the case of Lisa Arcand from Massachusetts. She won $1 million in 2004 and like all winners, she went on lavish vacations and bought a nice house. However, a million dollars isn’t much for taxes; she even opened a restaurant to keep the cash flowing but to no avail, losing everything in 2007. Another example is Michael Caroll who turned from lottery winner to factory worker, even after winning £9.7 million in 2002. Janice Lee, Willie Hurt, and Lou Eisenberg are just some of the many names that have won the lottery but went from rags to riches and back to rags because of poor financial decisions.
4.
Aside from difficulty in managing finances, winning the lottery can be an isolating experience. Unwanted attention and unwanted requests for money from peers can make us paranoid and anxious. Eventually, lottery winners wind up cutting themselves from others because of the fear of being used as just a source of money than a source of friendship.
5.
While the constant fear of losing everything can haunt lottery winners, some even become greedier than they were before winning. A study conducted by social-psychologist Paul Piff at the UC Berkeley Campus in California proves that gaining wealth can actually change our behavior drastically. Using a rigged game of Monopoly, Piff chose a player at random to play the game at a certain advantage such as more starting money, and better ability to move around the board. In just after 15 minutes, the advantaged players displayed a dramatic change in behavior including the forceful movement of boardgame pieces, speaking louder, and even minute things such as eating more snacks compared to other players.
6.
Winning the lottery will make you happy but thanks to hedonic adaptation, the thrill and excitement of spending all that cash won’t last long. While most of us would indulge in a fabulous lifestyle after winning, there are ways that winning the lottery can make us happier than having the latest supercar in your garage. It’s that old saying it’s not what you have, but what you do that counts. The key to happiness, it seems, is to invest in experiences. Think carefully before you start spending.
7.
Having a lot of money can open new opportunities for us to enjoy life more than just having expensive things. With hedonic adaptation embedded in our systems, finding what really guarantees happiness can be a hurdle on the way. However, findings show that people tend to adapt faster to extrinsic and material things than we do on experience. Travelling, exploring, and even learning a new skill, gives us more gratification than having the latest clothes from your favorite designer or luxury brand. Therefore, investing in experiences makes us happier than investing in things.
8.
Another thing that would help you convert your money into happiness is through charity. Believe it or not, giving others provides more happiness than spending it on yourself. A study by the University of British Columbia and Harvard Business School proved that spending more on others provides more happiness than spending it on yourself. Participants were asked to spend money however they wish, be it on themselves or unto others. Afterward, a survey was conducted to rate their level of happiness. The group who donated their money to charity feel happier than those who spent it on themselves.
While having money does make us happy today, it doesn’t guarantee our happiness in the long run. Thanks to hedonic adaptation, we get used to the emotions that we feel but we can get around it by making every penny count – not on materialistic things – but on experiences and by giving back to the community.
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
The inspector showed us four potential health hazards. (DREW)
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
A summary cannot bring out the high quality of this book. (JUSTICE)
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
As a champion swimmer, she will never be better than she is now. (PRIME)
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
He's a pleasant man socially, but he's a tough businessman. (BARGAIN)
=> He's a pleasant man ...........
Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.
Initially, losing one's job can seem awful; afterward, it can work out well, for some people. (BLESSING)
=> Losing one's job has proved ..........
Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning to the first.
He loses his temper at all things, even the slightest one.
=> He flies ............
Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning to the first.
Ruth never asks anyone for a loan as she doesn't like to admit she has financial problems.
=> Ruth is too ..........
Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning to the first.
He is a complete hypocrite; in public he condemns smokers, yet he smokes a packet a day himself.
=> So ...........
Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning to the first.
The two sides never looked likely to reach an agreement.
=> At no time was ...........
Complete the second sentence so that it has the same meaning to the first.
If you find it necessary, you can contact me on this number.
=> Should ............