TASK 1
Read the text and complete each blank with ONE suitable word from the list supplied. Write your answers in the
box provided. Each word can be used only ONCE. There are 5 words you will not need.
IT’S NO JOKE – WE LAUGH TO IMPRESS OUR BOSSES
Nice one, boss. The (1)_________ mystery of why we laugh has been solved: we giggle, snigger and chortle to ingratiate ourselves
with our superiors.
According to new research, laughter is 'an acoustic response to a situation' - the equivalent in humans of birdsong - (2)_________
is all to do with social signals and very little to do with humour. Even a baby will laugh into its parents' delighted faces because it is
preprogrammed to please its providers.
A team from the University of Maryland in Baltimore, (3)_________ by neurobiology and psychology professor Robert Provine, has
collected 1,200 'laugh episodes' by eavesdropping on people in public places around the world.
The results show that people in power rarely snigger, although everyone will laugh more with dominant individuals, (4)_________
tribal elders or employers, than with equals. In (5)_________, when the boss laughs, everyone laughs. The pattern holds true
around the world. In India, men of lower castes giggle when addressing men of higher castes, but never the other way
(6)_________.
'They are. controlling the emotional climate of the group,' said Provine, (7)_________ book Laughter: A Scientific Investigation is
published in the US next week. Provine goes as far as to say that giggling may be a feminist issue: women are more likely to laugh
at men - and ingratiate themselves with the opposite sex - than men at women. Listeners, especially women, laugh more often
when the speaker is male.
Earlier studies have shown that people are thirty times more likely to laugh in social settings than when they are on their
(8)_________. Even nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, loses its effect if someone takes it when they are alone, (9)_________ to
experiments done by German psychologist Willibald Ruch at the University of Dusseldorf.
'Laughter is only rarely a response to jokes,' Provine said. It is the quintessential human social signal. It solidifies relationships and
pulls people into the fold.’
The oft-heard cliché of the '(10)_________ laugh' is true. 'The two teenage Columbine High School killers who laughed as they
killed classmates were showing solidarity with each other and a dismissiveness (11)_________ their terrified targets,' said Provine.
'Laughter is a probe into (12)_________ fundamental questions as why humans can speak but other apes can't,' he said. A laugh is
usually one short exhalation of breath chopped into staccato segments (13)_________ a fifteenth of a second each and spaced
one fifth of a second apart. Laughter is also contagious. In 1962 an epidemic of laughter among African schoolgirls in Tanganyika
lasted for six months and forced officials to close down the schools. But (14)_________ you can catch it in others, you can't induce
it in yourself. (15)_________ tickling yourself is a non-starter.
Now experiments by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, of University College London, (16)_________ have finally revealed why that is. The
neuroscientist used brain scans to look at the responses of volunteers who (17)_________ tickled themselves or were tickled by a
robotic tickler. She found that when you move your hand to tickle yourself, your brain predicts your moves and blocks the sensory
response. If someone else tickles you it is a surprise and the brain cannot control the touch.
Laughing so hard that you have to (18)_________ on to something becomes 'a signal of trust in one's companions, a ritual
disarming in effect,' said Provine, who says laughter, like (19)_________ human behaviour, has evolved through communication.
In an embarrassing or threatening situation, laughing may deflect anger. If an aggressor joins in, the (20)_________ of
confrontation may become less.
according
led
what
1
2
3
4
5
either
long
whether
enduring
may
most
which
6
7
8
9
10
even
evil
own
risk
while
who
11
12
13
14
15
from
round
hold
in
short
whose
16
17
18
19
20
such
lasting
towards
TASK 2
MARK
A. You are going to read an article from a magazine. For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A,
B, or C) which you think fits best according to the text. Write your answer on the chart below.
The Cabinet-Maker
Charles Hurst makes a living from perfectly crafted furniture.
Joanna Watt meets him
Charles Hurst gives the impression of being a man in a hurry. I arrive at his workshop, tucked under a
railway arch in East London, and am greeted with a quick handshake and the words: 'Well, fire away
then!' Whether this brusqueness is real or a front hiding a shy streak is not immediately apparent. But a
glance around the workshop reveals that Hurst is obviously busy, with good reason not to waste a
minute of his time.
The arched space is full of half-made pieces of furniture and planks of wood in an amazing array of
natural colours. Hurst has been a cabinet-maker for ten years and has built up a very nice reputation for
himself. His order book is always full for several months in advance, despite the fact that he does not
really promote himself. Word has spread that if you want a decent cupboard or table, bookcase or
kitchen units, Hurst is your man.
Of course, finding a furniture-maker is not that taxing a task. Wherever you live in the countryside, the
craft is alive and well. But finding a cabinetmaker who prides himself on making beautifully crafted
furniture with clean, simple lines is less easy. 'There are few real cabinet-makers now. People call
themselves furniture-makers,' Hurst says wearily. As a craftsman who sets himself exacting standards,
he is continually disappointed by some contemporary furniture. 'I am amazed by what some furnituremakers get away with, and saddened by what people will put up with.' He rails against shoddy, massproduced furniture, and craftsmen who churn out second-rate pieces.
Such a quest for perfection is obviously a key to Hurst's success. That and his talent. This man is not
coy about his ability. Indeed, his blatant self-confidence is as surprising as his initial brusque manner. 'I
have a huge natural ability,' he says, with a deadpan expression. 'I have always been good at making
things.' If it were not for the self-deprecating mood into which he slipped towards the end of our
interview, I would have believed his conceit to be wholly genuine.
Hurst is self-taught. So how did he learn his craft? 'I asked the right questions and picked it all up,' he
says nonchalantly. Almost all of his commissions come from private individuals ('I used to do some
commercial work for companies but it was soul-destroying'). Some clients have returned time and again.
'You end up doing the whole of their house. That is very satisfying.' But he is honest enough to admit
that relationships with clients do not always run smoothly. 'The most infuriating clients are those who
don't know what they want, and then decide they do when it's too late ... my favourite clients are the
exacting ones.'
If Hurst has every reason to be pleased with himself, he is also gracious in his praise for others where it is due. With a sudden shot of modesty, he says: 'There are people far better than me. I can
admire other people. After all, I wasn't trained at Parnham' (the leading college of furniture design).
However, he is also unremittingly critical of those craftsmen who 'are trying to be artists and take a year
to make one piece.' He also has little time for degree shows, in which students exhibit their work but at
the same time are 'trying to make fashion statements. That can be pretentious. A piece of furniture is not
about making a statement. It has to be something that people really can use.'
Confident Hurst may be, even brusque, but you could never call him or his work pretentious. Indeed,
his parting shot displays a welcome down-to-earth approach to his craft and a streak of humility
strangely at odds with his earlier self-confidence. 'After all, I am only making furniture,' he says as I
make my exit.
1- When she arrived at the workshop, the writer
A was not sure if her first impression of Hurst was accurate.
B was offended by the way Hurst introduced himself.
C thought it was obvious that Hurst did not want to speak to her.
2- Hurst has few problems selling his furniture because he
A advertises locally.
B is known to be a skilled craftsman.
C uses only natural materials.
3- What does Hurst think has led to the decline in the craft of cabinet-making?
A It is a difficult skill to learn.
B It is only popular in rural areas.
C Consumers will accept poor quality furniture.
4- The writer says that when Hurst describes his 'talent', he
A appears more arrogant than he really is.
B reveals a natural sense of humour.
C becomes more animated than he usually is.
5- Hurst believes that it is essential for craftsmen to
A create original furniture.
B exhibit to a wide audience.
C produce functional designs.
6- The writer's final impression of Hurst is that he
A believes in the special nature of his work.
B has the ability to put his work into perspective.
C enjoys being interviewed about his work.
1
4
2
5
3
6
B. Find words or expressions in the text with the following meaning:
1.
2.
3.
4.
collection, display
obvious, overt
compliment, approval
realistic, matter-of-fact
(paragraph 2)
(paragraph 4)
(paragraph 6)
(paragraph 7)
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
KEY
TASK 1
1
2
3
4
5
ENDURING
WHICH
LED
WHETHER
SHORT
6
7
8
9
10
ROUND
WHOSE
OWN
ACCORDING
EVIL
11
12
13
14
15
TOWARDS
SUCH
LASTING
WHILE
EVEN
16
17
18
19
20
(Adapted from the Observer, October 8th , 2000 – Inside Out Level V)
(+5 distractors: from in who
long what)
TASK 2
A
1
4
A
A
2
5
B
C
3
6
C
B
B
Find words or expressions in the text with the following meaning:
1. collection, display
(paragraph 2)
2. obvious, overt
(paragraph 4)
3. compliment, approval (paragraph 6)
4. realistic, matter-of-fact (paragraph 7)
_______ARRAY_______
_____BLATANT_______
_____PRAISE________
__DOWN-TO-EARTH__
MAY
EITHER
HOLD
MOST
RISK