Word formation
Use the words given in brackets to form a word that fits in the blanks in these
passages.
I)
A pet parrot
From early (1) ___________ (CHILD) Jane had always wanted a pet
parrot. Her parents said that a parrot was an unsuitable pet, but Jane
insisted. She (2) ___________ (DESPERATE) wanted one. Her
father argued that a parrot would suffer from (3) ____________
(LONELY) if it lived in a house, and explained that pet parrots are caught by hunters, who need money
and don’t care about protecting species. ‘Parrots are very (4) ____________ (OBEDIENCE) and don’t
make good pets,’ he added. But Jane soon made a discovery. She found a pet shop which bred parrots
instead of (5) ____________ (IMPORT) them, so she bought a tiny Australian parrot, which she
called ‘Pixie’.
II)
Nightmare parties
Never again! That’s the phrase that should be (1) ____________
(WRITE) on the bathroom mirror of every parent who has ever
allowed teenagers to give a party at home. But every weekend,
thousands of parents (2) ____________ (HAPPY) agree to it and say, “Oh, well, if you want us to go
out ...” Amy Cohen’s 15 th birthday party was a nightmare. Only now, 10 years later, can she and
her father talk about it. (3) ___________ (LAUGH) about it may take another 10 years. The house
filled up with her friends and several uninvited guests. The glass front door was smashed and
some of her older friends took the key to her father’s very expensive car and drove round the city.
But the (4) ____________ (BAD) part was when her father came home and found that 30 computer
games were missing. So the advice to parents is –stay at home. Remember that teenagers can
sometimes be (5) ____________ (RELIABLE).