For questions 1 – 8, read the text below and decide which word best fits each gap. Use only one word for each gap. In the separate answer sheet, write your answers in capital letters, using one box per letter.

Uncovering the Mysteries of the Tango

The tango is undeniably one of the world’s most recognisable dances, evoking romantic images of graceful dancers in city squares surrounded by classical architecture. Despite having (1) _____________ popularised in the elegant ballrooms of Paris in the early 1900s, (2) _____________ birthplace was in the downtown streets of the 18th-century port cities of Buenos Aires and Montevideo.

One common myth about the tango’s origins is that it evolved from flamenco, milonga or habanera, all of (3) _____________ have their roots in Hispanic countries. However, studying sociological changes has (4) _____________ historians to the conclusion that it is more likely to be due to the mixing of European and African cultures that went (5) _____________ in port cities at that time, which in turn created a distinct hybrid of music and dance.

As well as its historical origins, another controversial area that stimulates a lot of heated discussions about the tango is (6) _____________ of its symbolic meaning. Contrary to popular belief, although (7) _____________ first glance the dancers appear to represent a loving couple, the dance actually symbolises love that is not returned. The moves communicate ideas of nostalgia, despair and tales of loss, and (8) _____________ such the dancers perform the moves with slow, precise movements so as to transmit these feelings to the audience.

Part 2:

For questions 16 – 30, complete the following article by writing each missing word in the correct box on your answer sheet. Use only ONE word for each space. The exercise begins with an example (0).

Example: (0) been

BLUE WHALES

        Blue whales, the world’s largest animals, have (0) .......been....... sighted again in British waters for the first time in (16) ………………..…… least twenty years. Indications that a population of blue whales was inhabiting the waters west (17) ………………..…… Scotland came for the first time from the United States Navy, (18) …………..………… surveillance system picked up the songs of a lot of different whales. American zoologists subsequently identified the blue whale song among (19) ………………..…… .

        Now marine biologist, Carol Booker, (20) ……………..……… actually seen a blue whale there herself. She has no doubt about what she saw, because they have distinctive fins which are very small for (21) …..………………… size. She says, “Worldwide they were almost extinct and (22) ………..…………… seemed they had completely vanished from the North Atlantic, so you can imagine how I felt actually seeing (23) …………………..… ! However, it is certainly (24) ………..…………… soon to say if it is an indication of a population recovery.” She goes (25) ………………..…… to say, “What it does show (26) …………………..… the importance of this area of the ocean for whales, and (27) ………..…………… essential it is to control pollution of the seas.”

        Bigger than (28) …………………..… dinosaur known to man, blue whales are the largest animals ever to (29) ………………..…… lived on earth. A blue whale is more than six metres long at birth and, (30) ………………..…… fully grown, its heart is the same height as a tall man and weighs as much as a horse.

Perfect gerunds and infinitives

Tori: I finally broke up with Caleb. I would like ¹     to have done    (to do / to have done) it sooner, but I didn’t know how.

Anna: What!? I thought you really liked him. I saw you at Joe’s party a couple weeks ago, and you seemed ² ______________ (to have been / to be having) a great time.

Tori: I liked him at first, but I regret ³ ______________ (having introduced / having been introduced) him to my family so soon. He became clingy after that and started acting like he was part of my family. He even showed up to my parents’ house without me and invited them ⁴ ______________ (to have / to have had) lunch with him.

Anna: That’s really funny. I would love ⁵ ______________ (to see / to have seen) your dad’s face when Caleb showed up without you! So, what did your parents do?

Tori: Well, that’s the worst part. They actually went! They said they were honored ⁶ ______________ (to have invited / to have been invited) to lunch.

Anna: I suppose it was a nice gesture, but he should have asked you first.

Tori: Exactly. I only dated him for two months. I found it very strange when I learned that he was having lunch with my parents and not me! I feel relieved ⁷ ______________ (to end / to have ended) the relationship. But my parents will be sad!

II. Cloze Test

Questions 6 - 10

A prominent educator once warned that a popular new technology was becoming a(n)          (6)        , with a negative impact on his students’ memories. That educator was Socrates, and the new technology he disliked was writing — on wax tablets and papyrus scrolls, to be exact. The great orators of his time delivered memorized         (7)          without notes. Socrates saw writing as a threat to that tradition, and by extension, those mental faculties. Or so reported his student Plato in Phaedrus, anyway. True to his word, Socrates himself stubbornly         (8)          to write his thoughts down. It’s no great leap, therefore, to suppose Socrates would similarly          (9)         of the internet today. His attitude is echoed in growing concerns that the internet is changing our brains. Many of these concerns center on the so-called “Google effect,” which is believed by some researchers and a growing number of journalists to have an adverse effect on our         (10)        .

6.       a. flaw                                                              9.        a. disapprove

b. crutch                                                                      b. rely

c. stickler                                                                     c. conclude

d. implant                                                                   d. admit

7.       a. tools                                                            10.      a. information

b. speeches                                                                b. neuroscience

c. concerns                                                                 c. validity

d. attitudes                                                                d. memories

8.       a. refused

b. hypothesized

c. predetermined

d. brainwashed 

III. Reading Comprehension: Based on the reading in section II, indicate whether each statement is true (T) or false (F).

III. WORD FORMATION: (1.25 PTS)
PART 1: Complete each sentence, using the correct form of the word in parentheses.
1. During the pandemic, many people practised ______________ to protect themselves and others from COVID-19. (isolate)
2. It was an ______________ to comment on her weight in front of everyone. (delicate)
3. The ______________ of the rare bird made it a challenge for birdwatchers to spot. (elude)
4. Tropical rainforests have the most varied ______________ of plants in the world. (assemble)
5. The archaeologists are ______________ the ancient city from the fragments of pottery and stone they have found. (construct)