НМТ. Use of English B1+/B2 (21)

TASK 1

Read and complete the text below. For each of the empty spaces (1-5) choose the correct answer (A, B, C, or D).

A Sorry Record

Football matches can be absolutely unpredictable. How many penalties do you think can happen during the game? Three? Five? Eight? Twenty-one successful penalties on the 1        [pitch, track, court, course]!

That was in the 2009/10 season when both clubs 2        [drawn, pulled, took, pushed] themselves to their limits, but the score was equal. Having no intention to 3      [give, get, be, take] up, they headed to a penalty shootout to decide who would play in the next round of the competition.

The goalkeepers tried to pick themselves 4     [in, on, up, out] but didn't manage to save any of the 40 penalty attempts. The crowd 5      [was, went, did, got] wild. That night the new record was set, 21-20, the highest score in a penalty shootout.

TASK 2

Read and complete the text below. For each of the empty spaces (6-10) choose the correct answer (A, B, C, or D).

Zorbing: A Once-in-a-lifetime Fun

I've always been wondering 6                    [what is zorbing, what is it zorbing, what it zorbing, what zorbing is] and eager to gain this new adrenaline experience with a true fun factor! Rolling downhill in a large transparent inflatable sphere should be extremely exciting. Although you never know 7            [if, unless, as long as, provided] you try.

The rules are pretty simple: climb inside a big double-walled ball and roll down a hill, bouncing around while getting the thrill of speed. 8      [What, Why, When, Whom] nobody tells you is how often rides result in serious injuries. And I wish I 9          [know, knew, known, am known] how many deaths are caused by this form of entertainment, as very often it turns out to be an “all or nothing” experience where you either survive or don't.

So, next time when you are suggested, “Let's get a never-to-be-forgotten experience, 10          [are we, don't we, shall we, won't we] ?" think twice before taking up this highly dynamic extreme sport.

TASK 3

Read and complete the text below. For each of the empty spaces (11-15) choose the correct answer (A, B, C, or D).

Healthy Risk Taking

Risk taking is not 11      [only, as, like, one] an integral part of identity development but also exploring the boundaries that exist as well as finding out who you are and what you are worth. Risky behaviour, in 12              [partly, partially, particular, particularly]speeding or texting while driving, is often at its lifetime peak in adolescence and can lead to unpleasant or even tragic consequences such as loss of vehicle control, crashes and serious 13           [pain, illnesses, diseases, injuries].

If being 14           [admitted, accepted, acquired, abandoned] to hospital or spending months on 15             [crutches, stretchers, sticks, alpenstocks]are not in your plans, think of healthy risk taking activities that create excitement without the potential for unhealthy consequences. Learn new skills and experience new things while taking on more independence and responsibility for your life. It can be skydiving, canoeing or going on rides at an amusement park - less risky ways to get that adrenaline rush.