Use of English · Test 24

Vera Neumann: fabric designer

For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer ( A, B, C or D ) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning ( 0 ).

Example:

Vera Neumann was a designer and businesswoman whose products 0 _____ their way into the homes of people across the USA.

Vera was born in Connecticut in 1907 and showed artistic 1 (1) ____ from an early age. After attending art college in New York, she got a job as a textile designer, but didn’t like being 2 (2) ____ what to do. Determined to develop her own styles, Vera started to produce tablecloths, each item printed by hand in her kitchen.

But it was her scarves that 3 (3) ____ Vera’s name. Good fabric was in short 4 (4) ____ during the Second World War, but Vera was lucky enough to 5 (5) ____ across some silk left over from the manufacture of parachutes. Vera used it to design scarves with floral, abstract and geometric designs. These were an 6 (6) ____ success when they appeared in department stores and during the 1950s they were the 7 (7) ____ of fashion, being worn by celebrities such as the film star Marilyn Monroe. By 1960, the company which Vera had 8 (8) ____ was employing 200 staff and producing 130 patterns per season.

Tree-climbing

For questions 9-16, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning ( 0 ). In the exam, write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

Example: AS

Many people will look back on tree-climbing 0 _____ a simple childhood pleasure and a natural test of human strength, stamina and agility. But these days, it has turned 9 9 a more serious activity and is 10 10 of the fastest-growing adventure sports in the country.

11 11 the invention of expensive gyms with indoor climbing walls, tree-climbing was a cheap and simple way to get a similar type of exercise. These days, if you want to 12 12 part in an organised tree-climbing activity, you 13 13 to wear a helmet and attach yourself to ropes in 14 14 you should lose your footing. But otherwise, tree-climbing is a very eco-friendly sport, involving minimum damage to trees or the environment.

Getting off the ground is perhaps the most challenging part of a climb. 15 15 that, it’s about using your legs, 16 16 are much stronger than your arms, to drive yourself up the tree. Reaching the top and then abseiling down again is a source of great satisfaction.

For astronauts on long missions into space, 0 _____ can be a real problem. In order to help the astronauts, 17 17 and doctors need to find out what this feels like. As part of the 18 18 programme, six volunteers will be locked away for 520 days to see what effect this has on their mind and body. During their time in 19 19 the volunteers will be able to communicate with their controllers, but only in a way that replicates the astronauts’ experience. For example, the further away from ‘Earth’ they get, the longer the delay in the signal, so they will be 20 20 to have a conversation in real time. As part of the experiment, the volunteers will be allowed to play computer games. There will be a 21 21 of solo games and competitive games available. Afterwards, they will be asked to give 22 22 on how hard they found the games to play and what their 23 23 state was at the time. As a result of the 24 24 gathered, it may be possible to create special software for crews on future missions. 0. BORE