1. Some people only read the ......... lines in a newspaper.

top

big

main

head

2. You should always check the sell ......... date of things you buy in the supermarket.

in

through

by

off

3. When the building was completed, all the workers were paid ..........

off

through

out

over

4. The boss was good enough to ......... my mistake.

oversee

overtake

overdo

overlook

5. It is always ......... when you misunderstand the customs of other countries.

embarrassing

peculiar

singular

attitude

6. Newspapers are ......... to people's doors every day.

taken

distributed

delivered

handed

7. In her speech she expressed her ......... for all the help she had been given.

thankfulness

gratitude

gratefulness

thanking

8. In ......... nothing much happened at the meeting.

quick

briefly

short

shortly

9. At the end of the speech the whole assembly gave the speakers a standing ..........

ovation

applause

cheering

support

10. Politicians pretend to ignore opinion ..........

votes

figures

numbers

polls

11. Start reading the story from page 4 and then go on until you ......... the end of the chapter.

arrive

reach

touch

achieve

12. Answer the questions at the back of the book and make ......... that you check your answers carefully.

obvious

definite

sure

clear

13. The whole purpose of all these exercises is to ......... your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary.

test

probe

investigate

interpret

14. A useful way to ......... your vocabulary is to read as much as possible.

amass

increase

collect

gather

15. You should read not only newspapers but also novels so that you can see examples of ......... language.

idiomatic

automatic

axiomatic

symptomatic

16. Another important activity is to ......... your spoken language.

train

practise

exercise

emphasise

17. If you can ......... the cost of travel, there is of course no substitute for visiting the country itself.

afford

spend

expend

calculate

18. Try to ......... a native speaker to talk to you so that you can record the conversation.

influence

persuade

encourage

impress

19. Play the tape back as many times as you like and ......... everything that the native speaker has said.

hold

take

hear

repeat

20. If you manage to do all these things, it won't be long before you find yourself speaking the language ..........

flowingly

fluently

knowingly

frequently