Pet Reading – Part 5: Gapped Text
Land Mines
Buried explosive devices, or land mines, are used by armies to make movement difficult 1) ______
enemy forces. Heavy mines are 2) ______ to destroy or damage vehicles, especially tanks, and
lighter anti-personnel mines to injur soldiers, 3) ______ they can also kill. Both types are normally
buried in or along roads or spread 4) ______ a wider area to form minefields. When a war has
ended, the land mines 5) ______ active and there are an estimated 110 million active mines in
over 70 countries. 2,000 people are involved in landmine accidents every month, 6) ______ is one
victim every 20 minutes. 7) ______ 800 of these will die and the rest 8) ______ be left with
permanent injuries. 9) ______ 2005, The United Nations declared April 4th 10) ______
International Day for Mine Awareness.
1. A) of b) from c) for d) to
2. A) Invented B) Designed C) Produced d)dressed
3. A) though b ) as well c) too d) because
4. A)on top b) into c) down d) over
5. A) begin b) remain c) remove d) carry on
6. A) that b) so c) which d) who
7. A) Around b) Near c) By d) More
8. A) have b) are c) would d) will
9. A) Since b) In c) For d) On
10. A) like b) how c) as d) named
Sleep tight
So why are we sleeping (0) ? The report blames our 24/7 society: the fact that people (well, some people)
can work, (1)_________________ shopping or have fun 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Supermarkets, bars, clubs and petrol stations stay open late, and there are TV and radio (2)
________________broadcasting around the clock. So bedtime is when the club closes or the TV
programme finishes, not (3)______________ you feel tired.
But the reality is, we need our sleep, and if we don’t get enough of it, our performance at work or at school
suffers, and so, eventually, does our (4)________________ .
One American company has seen (5) ________________business opportunity in this ‘tired-out society’.
Metronaps offers (6)________________ New Yorkers so-called ‘powernaps’ – that is, short periods of
sleep during the day which are supposed to refresh and re-energise them to (7)________________on
working.
After (8)_________________ $14 the customer goes into a darkened room and lies in a special bed called
a ‘sleeping pod’ for 20 minutes, which is fine as long as you are (9)_________________ to fall asleep. The
problem comes if you just lie (10) ______________for the whole 20 minutes, worrying about having wasted
$14!
0 Afew B not C less D none
1 A make B have C go D commit
2 A stations B Canals C media D emissions
3 A how B that C what D when
4 A illness B self C health D force
5 A one Ba C an D the
6 A busy B occupied C tiring D broken
7 A increase B continue C get D carry
8 A charging B costing C paying D pricing
9 A able B capable C possible D interested
10 A tired B asleep C awake D refreshed
Balmoral Castle
Balmoral Castle Scotland is a land famous for its old castles. One of the best known of (0) is
Balmoral, on the river Dee in the north-east of the country. It (1)_______ to the British Royal
family, who have spent their summer holidays here (2) __________over 150 years. The
(3)________Queen’s great-great-grandmother, Victoria, bought it in 1852. She and her husband,
Prince Albert, loved the (4) __________air, the wild countryside and the friendly local people. At
Balmoral she could forget the worries and responsibilities of (5) ____________both the Queen of
England and also the ruler of the largest empire the world had ever seen.
In 1861, at the (6)___________of only 42, Prince Albert died. The Queen was heartbroken. She
(7)__________ black clothes for the rest of her life and (8) ___________rarely seen to smile in
public. However, she continued to return to Balmoral Castle, (9)___________ she could walk or
ride in the beautiful landscape of the Scottish Highlands and remember the happy times she (10)
_________spent there with her husband.
Example answer: 0 A this B that C these D they
1 A owns B is C has D belongs
2 A for B since C during D from
3 A now B today’s C actual D present
4 A strong B high C fresh D picturesque
5 A doing B making C having D being
6 A years B period C age D time
7 A dressed B wore C put D invested
8 A was B were C had D made
9 A why B which C where D who
10 A has B had C did D was
REMEMBERING
I drove into my hometown, I felt very strange. I hadn't been back (1) ___________ more than
twenty years! Many things had changed (2)_________ I left, and I was wondering if our old house
still existed (3) ___________ I turned into my old road and saw that everything was exactly the
same. Suddenly, I remembered how we (4)____________ play hide-and-seek and football and
tag on this street. It seemed like our road was the centre of the world! None of my family lived here
any more; my last relative to leave was cousin Jake, and that was about five years (5)__________
. Poor Jake always (6)__________ our town and wanted to leave as soon as he could but, for
some strange reason, we all left (7) ____________ him. Life is very strange sometimes. I stopped
the car in front of our old house and looked at our front door (8)__________ a few moments. It (9)
__________to be the busiest and noisiest house in the street. The door (10)____________
always open and (11) ________ the end of each day, almost everyone on our street (12)
___________been in and out of our house at least once. Now, there was just silence.
0 A During B As C Until D Since
1 A before B by C for D while
2 A as B since C during D just
3 A until B during C afterwards D lately
4 A used B had C did D would
5 A before B since C ago D already
6 A hating B hates C hated D hate
7 A then B before C after D recently
8 A since B for C until D while
9 A had B would C use D used
10 A would B was C did D been
11 A until B by C for D since
12 A would B were C had D could
REWRITE
For each question, complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the
first using no more than three words.
1 I haven’t got an English dictionary.
I own an English dictionary.
2 People speak English all over the world.
English _________________all over the world.
3 I started learning English a year ago.
I_______________ learning English fora year.
4 I prefer science to languages.
I like science languages____________________.
5 I’m learning English in order to get a better job.
I’m learning English so that I___________________a better job.
6 I’m thinking of learning Japanese next.
I might_________________ Japanese next.
7 How do you pronounce this word?
How is _______________________?
8 What’s the English word for martello?
How martello in ________________English?
9 Would you mind repeating that, please?
Could __________________, please?
10 How many English books have you read?
She asked me how many English books ____________________
11 He sells old furniture and clocks.
He has a shop old furniture and clocks.
12 He’s had the shop for nearly 34 years.
He bought the shop nearly __________________
13 The shop is open from Monday to Saturday.
The shop ___________________on Sundays.
14 Some of the clocks in his shop are very valuable.
Some of the clocks in his shop are _________________a lot of money.
15 But making money doesn’t interest grandfather.
But grandfather’s not _______________money.
Answers
Land mines 1 c 2. B 3. A 4. D 5 b 6 c 7 a 8 d 9 b 10 c
Sleep tight 1 C 2 A 3 D 4 C 5 B 6 A 7 D 8 C 9 A 10 C
Balmoral castle 1 D 2 A 3 D 4 C 5 D 6 C 7 B 8 A 9 C 10 B
Remembering B 1 C 7 B 2 B 8 B 3 A 9 D 4 D 10 B 5 C 11 B 6 C 12 C
Answers
Land mines 1 c 2. B 3. A 4. D 5 b 6 c 7 a 8 d 9 b 10 c
Sleep tight 1 C 2 A 3 D 4 C 5 B 6 A 7 D 8 C 9 A 10 C
Balmoral castle 1 D 2 A 3 D 4 C 5 D 6 C 7 B 8 A 9 C 10 B
Remembering B 1 C 7 B 2 B 8 B 3 A 9 D 4 D 10 B 5 C 11 B 6 C 12 C
Answers
Land mines 1 c 2. B 3. A 4. D 5 b 6 c 7 a 8 d 9 b 10 c
Sleep tight 1 C 2 A 3 D 4 C 5 B 6 A 7 D 8 C 9 A 10 C
Balmoral castle 1 D 2 A 3 D 4 C 5 D 6 C 7 B 8 A 9 C 10 B
Remembering B 1 C 7 B 2 B 8 B 3 A 9 D 4 D 10 B 5 C 11 B 6 C 12 C
