FC Practice Test 12                name:________________            score:_________%

Use of English

Part 1

For questions 1-12, read the text and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0). Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

Example: 0               A creation              B origin                            C design                            D production

Return to the British Seaside

The British began to take trips to the seaside after the (0) ….  of bank holidays in 1871. Coastal towns such as Bournemouth and Blackpool enjoyed great popularity with families (1) ….  the benefits of sea-water bathing and (2) ….  air. However, when the airline industry started to offer low (3) ….  flights to sunnier destinations in the 1970s, many British people started taking their holidays (4) ….  This resulted in a lack of investment into seaside resorts and before (5) ….  many of them were no longer the attractive, lively places they once were.

However, improved water quality, cleaner beaches and warmer British summers have all helped to (6) ….  people back to the British seaside. Also, many people are now preferring to take shorter (7) ….  and don't want to waste time queuing at airports. (8) ….  to say, facilities, attractions and the quality of hotels and guesthouses in many resorts have improved dramatically.

There are many reasons why a holiday at the seaside is appealing. You can slowly (9) ….  along the seafront with a bag of fish and chips, go windsurfing, look for crabs in rock pools or (10) ….  sit in a deckchair and watch the world go (11) ….  And if the British weather (12) ….  you down, you can always go shopping for souvenirs or visit a gallery or museum.

Part 2

For questions 13-24, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS in the answer boxes provided.

Example: 0 most

Stone circles

Ancient stone circles are (0) ….. often found in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The number of stones in (13) ….. circle can vary from four to sixty and despite the name, the stones are not always arranged (14) ….. a circle. Archaeologists have pointed (15) ….. that these stone circles have no equivalent anywhere (16) ….. in Europe.

(17) ….. the stone circles were often placed according to the position of the sun or moon at certain times of the year, it is apparent that the cycle of seasons was very important to the people who built (18) …..  . However, the size and shape of the stones indicate that they (19) ….. not have been used as astronomical calculators, (20) ….. their positioning was probably more symbolic than functional. Although most surviving stone circles are found in upland areas, the most famous stone circles of (21) ….. - at Stonehenge and Avebury - are located in lowlands.

The purpose of stone circles is thought to (22) ….. connected to people's beliefs. Nevertheless, exactly what they were used (23) ….. remains a mystery. It has been suggested that people may have come to the stones to take art in celebrations. Others have associated stone circles with the Druids, but there is no evidence that they (24) ….. used by them.

Part 3

For questions 25-34, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS in the answer boxes provided.

Example: seasonal

The White Nights of St. Petersburg