From Paper 1 (Reading) of the CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English) of the University of Cambridge, Part 1. In this part candidates are asked to read three extracts and to answer a total of 18 questions, six per extract.
Here are some directions and suggestions given in the CPE handbook for this task:
Students
should be aware of the different aspects of vocabulary tested in this
part of the paper. They should read through each text carefully, not
forgetting the title, to get a general idea of the text type and
meaning before looking at the options. They could also be encouraged to
think about the possible forms and meanings of the gapped words at this
stage. They should be aware that the missing word(s) may form part of
an idiom, fixed phrase or collocation, so they should always check the
words around the gap carefully. The missing word(s) must also fit the
whole context of the passage so they should also check that the
completed sentence makes sense in the passage as a whole. This is
particularly important in the case of linkers.
Are you ready to read the extract and decide which answer best fits each gap? ![]( "Smile")
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The history of packaging
The appearance of a product has always affected what people think of it. The Romans recognised wine and water from the shape of their earthenware . In the sixteenth century, goods in paper wrappers with their producer's signature on the outside became a way of authenticating the quality of the product. Then a nineteenth-century tea merchant did a trade when he began putting his tea into sealed bags rather than selling it . With technology and changing lifestyles, packaging has . First, it became more sophisticated -- canning in mid nineteenth century, the mass production of cardboard later in the century, and the cheap manufacture of plastics in the last century -- ensuring more widespread use. Then changing social conditions guaranteed its place in our culture. The rise of the self-service supermarket, for example, meant that goods needed to more for themselves, with no jolly Mr Cornershop to help the housewife make her choice.
From: Newbrook J. and Wilson J. (2001) New Proficiency Gold Coursebook. Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.