Test Unit 8

1. Complete the text with the correct form of the verbs given. Construction workers on a major underground railway project in London have uncovered a burial site that (1) is expected (expect) to provide important information about the plague or ‘Black Death’. The discovery (2) was made (make) during excavation for the eastern entrance of the new railway. A headstone marked ‘1665’, the year when the epidemic was at its height, (3) was found (find) nearby. Archeologists say that the individuals appear to (4) have been buried (bury) on the same day. The remains will (5) be analysed (analyse) by experts at the Museum of London Archeology, who hope that their research will provide an opportunity to learn more about the disease. 2. Choose the best answer (A, B or C) to complete the text.1 A showed B is shown C was shown2 A send B be sent C sending3 A they were B it is C is4 A to be done B can be done C doing5 A developing B develop C to be developed An interesting science programme (1) C on Channel 3 last night. It was about the improvements that have been made in tsunami warnings since the devastating tsunami of 2004. It appears that precise predictions of the height and timing of a tsunami can now (2) B to areas in danger within minutes of an earthquake happening at sea. The money that has been put into developing the technology to enable scientists to do this has been considerable and (3) B estimated that thousands of lives have been saved in recent years because of this. Having said that, the scientists on the programme insist that there is still a lot of work (4) A in this field and that it is hoped further financial support will help them (5) B the necessary technology even further. 3. Complete the text with these words. There are two extra words.burst • collapse • damage • droughts hurricanes • spent • torrential While some parts of the world haven’t seen any rain for several months, causing prolonged (1) droughts in many countries, other places have been badly affected by the opposite problem – floods. Too much rain has caused rivers across Europe to (2) burst their banks, causing widespread (3) damage in many areas. Barriers set up to protect residents from the rising waters have proved inadequate, leaving many people to complain that not enough money has been (4) spent on flood defences, despite many warnings. And worse is yet to come, with weather forecasters predicting more (5) torrential rain over the next few days. 4. Choose the correct alternatives to complete the text. Some parts of the world are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. The so-called Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean is a string of volcanoes and an area of intense seismic activity where almost 90 percent of the world’s (1) earthquakes earthquakes occur. When this happens under the sea, one side of the ocean suddenly drops resulting in a (2) tsunami tsunami A rush of water away from the coastline may be a sign that the (3) wave wave is coming, but many of these natural disasters occur without warning. So why live in such places? Some countries, such as Iceland and New Zealand, use such geothermal activity to generate electricity. Volcanoes also attract millions of tourists and many people (4) depend on wait for on the jobs and income that tourism provides. And (5) lava lava contains valuable minerals which can be mined once it cools down. 5. Complete the text with the correct form of the words given. Following the unexpected (1) eruption (erupt) of the Pacific island volcano last Tuesday, more people living close by have been forced to move because of (2) lanslides (land) that are threatening to cut off several local towns and villages. Hundreds of (3) survivals (survive) of the original disaster are still living in temporary shelters and it is expected to be some time before experts will be able to properly assess the (4) destruction (destroy) in the area. Meanwhile, flights are being diverted because of a cloud of (5) volcanic (volcano) ash that is making it difficult for pilots to navigate in the region. 6. Read the article about flooding. Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A–G the one which fits each gap. There is one extra sentence.A They drown, trapped in cars or swept away by fast-moving rivers.B There are also many ways in which people can improve defences to their own homes.C Unscrupulous builders develop low-lying land that is in great danger of flooding.D Firstly, there are those (one in five people in Britain) who live in constant fear of heavy rainfall.E This is welcome and will no doubt mean that they will be able to evacuate and save more people in the event of a massive flood.F Most of us know someone who has been caught up in the devastation caused by these events.G Therefore, some people may not have sufficient insurance to carry out the repairs to their flood damaged houses; others may have none. Flooding: the new dangerAreas in certain parts of the world have recently been hit by disastrous floods and others by a sequence of earthquakes. (1) F Away from earthquake zones, one worrying problem these days is flooding and it is predicted that as a result of the changes in climate, this type of disaster will occur with greater frequency in the future, affecting millions of people.There are many victims of flooding. (2) D Every time it rains for longer than a day or two, they ask, ‘Will it be us this time? Will it be our house that is flooded?’ After the fear, comes the reality; tons of water spilling over the river banks, into roads, houses and over fields. People become trapped in their own homes when the road becomes a river and need to be rescued by ill-prepared rescue services. And people die in floods. (3) A Then we have the emotional and financial cost of flooding. Lifelong possessions are lost, security disappears and there is the worry over restoration. How will we pay for it? Some insurance companies refuse to cover properties in certain areas because of the high risk of flooding. (4) G Rescue services regularly carry out flood simulation emergency practice where they get vital, realistic practice of what to do if the real thing should happen. (5) E However, this is like a doctor treating the symptoms and not the cause of a problem. We need to prevent the flooding in the first place. It is accepted that we cannot reverse climate change, but we can certainly spend money on strengthening sea and river walls. (6) B The problem is that, as always, these things cost a lot of money. However, surely it is worth investing this money now, if it will prevent even greater monetary loss later. It is something that the government needs to take seriously because it’s a problem that is not going to go away.Indeed, if anything, the situation is likely to get worse. Many experts believe that those responsible will need to look at a range of measures, not just flood defences, but also land management schemes and even how we design our homes so that floods do less damage to property when they do occur and houses can be lived in again soon after the waters recede. It seems that our approach to flooding needs a complete rethink. 1 Incidences of flooding are A A likely to increase. B responsible for climate change. C unpredictable.2 Rescue services are usually B A ready for anything. B inadequate. C incompetent.3 The cost of flooding is C A purely financial. B covered by insurance. C also psychological.4 Practising for flood emergencies doesn’t B A provide realistic training. B deal with the root of the problem. C happen often enough.5 Investment in flood defences now is A A worth it in the long run. B too expensive. C not a serious proposition.6 Experts believe we need to C A build more flood defences. B redesign flooded houses. C consider a variety of solutions.