ЗНО/НМТ. Reading. Use of English 10-11

The Eiffel Tower

It is hard to imagine Paris without its most famous landmark, the Eiffel Tower. But when it was going up, there were many who thought 1__ .The famous tower was built for the Paris Centennial Exhibition in 1889. It was scheduled to stand for only twenty years – but 2 __. Construction was barely under way when a committee of fifty writers and artists launched a public campaign against 3___ . Although the tower proved wildly popular among visitors, its opponents kept up a drumbeat of criticism, and the government was determined that 4__ the tower was coming down. Nothing, it seemed, could save it.

That is, until radio was invented, and proved to be the tower’s salvation. The thousand-foot structure turned out to be an excellent radio tower 5 __ . In 1907 the French government decided the tower could not come down – 6__. Function followed form this time around, and saved the Paris monument from certain destruction.

The Letter That Changed History

Have you ever written a letter and wished 1 ___ ? Albert Einstein wrote a letter like that in 1939. Concerned by reports 2 ___ , Einstein wrote to the United States President Franklin Roosevelt, suggesting that recent nuclear research might make it possible " to built extremely powerful bombs of a new type". Einstein advised speeding up research 3 ____ . He also recommended that the United States take action to secure an adequate supply of uranium. This letter set off a chain reaction of its own, eventually resulting in the Manhattan Project - the enormous effect to create the first atomic bomb.

By 1945, many scientists were alarmed by the power of this new weapon - especially 4___ that Germany wasn't building one of its own. Einstein wrote Roosevelt another letter, asking him to meet with scientists 5 __ . But the president died 6___. Einstein later said the first letter was " the single greatest mistake of my entire life".

Hide All Brooms!

Going to Norwaybfor Christmas? Then don't               [surprise, be surprising, be surprised, surprising] if you don't find a broom around the house. A Norwegian legend says that on Christmas Eve witches and evil spirits come out looking for brooms to ride on. Therefore, Norwegians are             [extreme, extremity, extremeness, extremely]cautious people, especially when it comes to all those things that might harm them. This is why, in Norway, on Christmas Eve,          [each, anybody, everyone, all]hides all the brooms in the house         [so that, because, unless, as if]the bad witches and evil spirits cannot steal them and use them      [by, as, like, how]"means of transport". Really ingenious and practical!