ZNO practice. Use of English. Gapped text. (Part 7)

FAMILY HISTORY

Tracing your ancestors can be a very interesting hobby. But if you don’t go about it in a methodical way, it can also become a very frustrating one because people get events mixed up or lose important documents. To begin with, write down all the names, dates of births and 1_________________ of all the family members you or your relatives can remember. After you have collected all the data, it might be worth 2_________________ inquiries in the parishes where your ancestors lived. The documents kept there might give you a 3_________________ picture of your family. And you may find something surprising. When I began exploring my family’s past, I found out that one of my relatives was a notorious pirate. I still remember feeling as if I 4_________________ when I read about it because, as far as I knew, everybody in my family had worked in the police forces or in court for generations. Obviously, not everybody!

NATIONAL VEGETARIAN WEEK

When I was challenged by my friend to become a vegetarian during National Vegetarian Week, I 1_________________ aback by the fact that such an event existed at all, as I had never heard about it before. At first, I thought that my friend had made a mistake because I was a devout meat eater, who wasn’t used 2_________________ much else on a plate apart from pork or beef. In fact, I couldn’t imagine life without a daily portion of meat. I was also afraid that I would be eating 3_________________ veggies all the time. When the time came, I received tempting daily recipes and some tips on how to get the most from a brilliant meat-free lifestyle. My diet included a wide variety of fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grain and dairy products quite 4_________________ what I had been used to before. It was a great experience and now I'm enjoying fruit and vegetables more

HAGGLING

Markets 1_________________ in ancient times wherever people needed to sell the goods they produced. For many centuries the main way of trading was by barter, which meant exchanging goods. Nowadays such practices are rather 2_________________ since people prefer to pay for their purchases with money. In many corners of the world people are still expected to haggle before completing a purchase. The customer and the seller will agree on a price, but only after what can often be a heated debate. I can remember 3_________________ a whole day negotiating the price for a single carpet in Istanbul, but it was worth it: the original price had been over £600, and I got it for a mere £200! Obviously, you should be aware that market traditions vary in different countries, and in some places haggling is an important part of the process of buying an item, while in others it would be 4_________________ not to even attempt it.