1 . Finish the story with the phrases in the box.

Both Jo and I            up to            in their names          as well            A couple of years            pulled out          pretty seriously            in need

    1    ago, my wife and I    2     a gift catalogue for people    3     and invited each of our kids to choose something that we could buy     4    . When we handed the list to our nine-year-old daughter, we expected her to choose a toilet or a sewing machine or something similar. But instead, she thought it through    5     and chose village development package, which was worth    6    $5,000.     7     were surprised and ashamed, as our daughter’s generosity really challenged our finances and pushed the limits of our generosity    8    .

2 . Complete the passage with the phrases below in their proper forms.

beautiful modern road             a chorus of             dusty track             straight towards a large amount of investment            with dangerous disease

China has offered     1    to many countries in its Belt and Road Initiative. In the Congo, many     2     have been transformed into     3     since then. Trains run     4     Europe from China, and to China from Europe, bringing new jobs and opportunities to both ends. Chinese healthcare workers have also been sent to provide aid to places     5    . Despite all the difficulties involved in this project, these efforts have been greeted with     6    support from the locals.

3 . Use the correct forms of the words to complete the passage about Californians’ love for sport.

golf          premier            temporary     dive             frequency            citizen

Sport is an important part of the culture in California. Because of the good climate, Californians can spend a lot of time outdoors, so many people play a sport of some kind. The larger towns and cities have many facilities for their     1    , such as football fields, swimming pools, and    2     courses. And for those who like walking, climbing, surfing, and    3    , there are the mountains and some of the world’s     4     beaches. Californians also enjoy watching sport, so lots of people go to live sporting events     5    . The excitement and party atmosphere of live sport can make people    6     forget all their problems and relax.

4 . Complete the announcements with the correct forms of the verbs in the box. Then read them aloud.

prohibit            expect            set to            make sure          fasten             make             stow        switch off

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome onboard Flight SP432 from Beijing to Hong Kong. We are currently third in line for take-off and     1    to be in the air in about ten minutes. At this time, your portable electronic devices must    2     “flight mode” or    3     until an announcement     4    upon arrival. Smoking     5     throughout the flight. Thank you for your cooperation. Enjoy your flight!

…

Ladies and gentlemen, as we start our descent, please    6     your seats and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belts are securely     7    and all carry-on luggage    8     underneath the seats in front of you or in the overhead bins. Thank you!

5 . Complete the passage using the correct forms of the words in the box. Do you believe Hawking’s predictions?

pros and cons             take over            on a scientific basis            have an urge to          superior conflict with          backwards

Time travel, alien invasions, and artificial intelligence have always been popular themes in science fiction. However, these were never the exclusive domains of sci-fi writers. Some scientists also    1     explore these themes    2    . Take time travel as an example. Many fascinating stories based on time travel go either    3     or forwards in time. However, the former is not really an option. World-famous scientist Stephen Hawking once explained that travelling into the past would     4    the basic rule that cause comes before effect. But it would be possible to travel into the future in a vastly     5    spaceship approaching the speed of light. In addition to the question of time travel, Hawking also expressed his opinions on alien invasions and Al development. When many scientists and scholars were still arguing about the     6    of alien existence and AI development, Hawking said he believed aliens would invade Earth, and that humans would eventually    7     by Aland robots.

6 . Read the introduction to a science fiction novel and complete the passage using the correct forms of the words in the box.

explore             translate             discover             regard             represent            set up             recruit write             get caught up             connect

Science fiction    1     by many people as a mirror through which our future can be freely imagined and    2    . The Three-Body Problem,     3    by Chinese writer Liu Cixin, is one of those astonishing predictions about the future. The work was first published in a Chinese sci-fi magazine in 2006 and printed as a three-volume book in 2008. When the first volume    4     into English by Chinese-American author Ken Liu, it attracted attention around the world, becoming the first Asian winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel. The book    5     many themes such as space exploration, alien contact, AI, and the future of humans.

The Three-Body Problem begins with the stories of two unrelated people, Ye Wenjie and Wang Miao. Ye     6    to join a secret project in a remote area of China, which    7     to contact alien life forms. In the other story, set 20 years later, Wang Miao     8    in a popular online game called “Three Body”, in which people live on an unknown planet with three suns. But Wang discovers it is more than a game—it uncovers a great danger threatening human existence. How are these two people’s stories     9    ? And how will their behaviour change Earth’s future and the civilisations of other planets? Answers to all these questions are waiting to     10    when you go on reading.

9 . Complete the passage with the proper forms of the words in the box.

candidate     commitment     cruel     damp     motive     resolution     wage

One hundred years ago, exploring the Antarctic was a dangerous business. Because of the     1     weather and very little knowledge of how to survive in the Antarctic, the chances of success were quite slim and many explorers died. The people who signed up for such voyages were paid low     2    and had to tolerate poor working conditions and rough seas, along with the cold and     3    weather. They also had to have a strong     4    to finish what they had started no matter how hard it was, great personal discipline, and a firm     5     to the other members of the team. Yet, many    6     still applied to join such explorations. Some might have wanted to become famous. Others were looking for rewards. However, the     7     for many was to experience a great adventure.