Ballet dancer by chance

After five years of karate lessons, Hans Jensen, 13,(0).......... his black belt for ballet shoes. Hans (1).......... his first public performance only a year ago when he danced in 'The Nutcracker' with the local dance school. Hans's mother said 'He was actually helping (2).......... his little sister. She was very shy on stage until her brother was given a small part as a soldier. Hans enjoyed it so much that he (3).......... himself in ballet classes.'

Hans has already(4) .......... attention in the ballet world and recently won a scholarship to join the Royal Ballet School. He loves it there and is working hard to increase his (5).......... of dance steps. 'I want to become stronger, (6) .......... experience and learn as much as I can,' he said.

His teacher, Yevgen Gregorevic, who has danced professionally in a variety of lead (7).........., said, 'Hans has natural ability and always works hard.' Hans has (8)........... himself the goal of one day
dancing for the Bolshoi Ballet.

Camels

The most distinctive feature of a camel is the hump, or humps, on (0).......... back. In these humps camels store fat (9)........... is used as energy when they don't have access to food. They can put (10)......... with very difficult conditions, drinking only a little (11)........... no water for up to seven days. When they reach a place where they can drink, they soak up water (12).......... a sponge - they can drink 135 litres in 13 minutes! And their mouths are (13)........... tough that they can eat most types of plant.

Camels (14).......... thought by many to have poor hearing. But although their ears are small, their hearing is actually very sharp. Camels can be almost any shade of brown, from pale cream to almost black and they have long necks to allow them to reach high branches. Despite the (15)............ that camels can be trained as useful working animals, they don't always do (16)........... is expected!

Playing chess

Have you ever played chess? Some say you need to be very (0)............ (SKILL) to play it well but it is quite easy to learn. I started learning when I was only six years old and it helped me develop my powers of (17)............. (CONCENTRATE).

If you want to achieve (18)...........(SUCCED) as a chess player, the main requirement is an ability to analyse a situation (19).................(EFFECTIVE) Chess even helped me find various (20).............. (SOLVE) to the mathematical problems I was given forhomework.

At first, one of my big problems was not having enough (21)............... (PATIENT) Learning chess at school taught me the importance of waiting to make the right move! My teacher was critical of my tendency not to think (22)............. (CARE) before making a move. I discovered that every single error in chess gets instant (23).............. (PUNISH) enabling your opponent to take control and putting you at a great (24)................ (ADVANTAGE) in the game.

Reading and use of English

Part 4

For question 25—30, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given.

Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given. Here is an example (O).

Example:

0. Prizes are given out when the school year finishes.

PLACE

Prize giving ......................... end of the school year.

The gap can be filled by the words 'takes place at the'.

25. It's been over six months since I last saw Dan.

SEEN

I  ........................... over six months. 

26. The match went ahead despite the wet weather.

EVEN

The match went ahead ..................................raining.

27. "You took the last piece of chocolate!" Hannah said to Paul.

ACCUSED

Hannah ............................. the last piece of chocolate.

28. Marian only arrived at the party at 9 o'clock, so her friends were a bit annoyed

TURN

Marian ................................... at the party until 9 o'clock, so her friends were a bit annoyed.

29. I only went to see that film because you told me how good it was.

HAVE

I ................................... to see that film if you hadn't told me how good it was.

30. Advance payment isn't necessary for attendance at school clubs.

IN

You don't need .................................. to attend school clubs.

'How did I ever manage to get myself into this?' Sandy wondered aloud and then groaned, although no one was there to hear her. She looked down again from the top of the slope and quickly shut her eyes to block out the sight. 'Help!' she said pleadingly in barely more than a whisper with her eyes still closed. Michael? Anyone? Please, oh please... somebody help me out of this mess!' She was louder the second time, but without anyone nearby to respond - not even Michael, her best friend - it did little to resolve her present dilemma.

At thirteen, short-haired Sandy was quite tall for her age, but thin, which only gave her an appearance of greater height. At the moment, she was dressed in a colorful, thick winter jacket that had a bold bright pink and white design sweeping across a purple background. Her smooth water-repellent pants were the same purple color as her jacket - it was obviously a fashionable, co-ordinated outfit. Warm dark purple gloves covered her hands, and her attire was topped off - literally - with a purple ski hat, scarf and stylish ski goggles. If anyone had been around to see her, dressed the way she was, she would have been clearly visible from a long distance away against the almost solid white backdrop of snow surrounding her.

Sandy opened her eyes and glanced again at the sign posted near her at the top of the slope: it was a triple diamond slope, an expert-level ski run. How had she ended up there?

(line 33) She reproached herself that Michael had at least shown enough sense to get off the ski lift at an earlier opportunity to go down a more moderate slope. Absorbed by the view from near the top of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range in the Lake Tahoe area - shared between California on the she west side of the range and Nevada on the east- she had foolishly decided to ride the lift up a little further and had found herself facing this ski slope, one that was well above her slightly more than beginner-level skier abilities.

Sandy sighed deeply, tightly gripped her ski poles in her gloved hands, pointed her skis straight, and pushed back on the poles in her hands enough to cause herself to inch forward as all other avenues seemed to be closed to her. Once more than half of the length of her skis was sticking out into the air- only their back ends were still making contact with the snow at the slope's top - her balance began shifting forward, her skis followed, and she found herself rapidly picking up speed as she headed straight down the excessively challenging slope.

'How am I supposed to slow down?' Sandy shouted, but with the wind whipping by and the trees rushing past on either side of her, she could hardly hear herself. Everything she had learned about skiing in the previous two days seemed to have faded from her mind. Concentrating only on maintaining her balance, she kept her skis pointed straight downhill, which unfortunately only made her pick up more speed on the steep, icy slope.

'Simone would know how to ski expertly down this slippery slope, Sandy thought as she tried to imagine herself as Simone, international spy and heroine of the Simone LeClerc adventure series that Sandy loved to read. Coming up ahead of her, Sandy saw the ski lift which Michael had gotten off earlier. She desperately hoped she would find her friend among the skiers and snowboarders waiting there and she would be able to stop.

Young Inventor

Schoolboy Tim Freeman has come up with a clever idea to improve the efficiency of school buses

Tim Freeman was just twelve years old when he came up with a revolutionary idea that would make school buses more energy efficient. This would not only save money, but also help the environment.
Five years later, the schoolboy finally saw his dream come true.

It all began when Tim did a short summer course on aerodynamics, the study of the movement of air around objects. (37)………….. He realised that the perfect candidate was his school bus. It had a very square front which meant it did not use petrol efficiently, only travelling 3km per litre, compared to a private car that can average about 8.5km per litre.
He decided it was high time the vehicle was improved.

After thinking about it for a while, Tim came up with the idea of attaching a large piece of strong transparent plastic to the front of the vehicle, covering the windscreen. It would help redirect the flow of air around the bus and thus make it move forwards more easily. (38)………...... At least, that was the theory.

While his science teachers loved the idea, Tim needed to find enough money to build a model and test it. (39)………….. Helped by his older sister Alice, he managed to obtain a grant from an organisation that helps young people develop new ideas.

Over the next year, Tim used the money to build a small-scale model of his invention. He did tests on it by attaching it to a mini toy school bus and seeing how it performed in a little wind tunnel he built in his garage. (40)…...……… Because of this he knew he now needed to step it up and create a life-sized version that could be put to the test on a real bus.

By the time Tim was fifteen, he had set up a team of young engineers like himself, and been helped by his sister and his local community to obtain another grant to develop his idea further. While Tim and his team were able to build the initial versions, they soon realised that they needed some expert help to really get going.(41)……..…….. The person who volunteered was the one who had inspired Tim to start thinking about the project in the first place. She had taught him on the summer course when he was twelve. Along with two of her engineering students she worked with Tim through the summer to finally help him realise his dream.

The final version of Tim's invention looks rather different from his original idea. Instead of a transparent piece of plastic that covers the windscreen of the bus, it is a smooth ramp-shaped 'hat' that gets fixed to the roof of the bus. (42)..………….. In tests done on virtual and real roads it has helped increase the efficiency of school bus fuel use by 10-20%. Maybe this ingenious device will eventually help other buses and even cars become more fuel-efficient!

Teenage Summer Camps

A. Adam - Nature Camp

We helped on a nature reserve for a week. We did different things every day, but I did get a bit fed up because we had cheese sandwiches every lunchtime. I kept quiet about it though because I didn't want to seem awkward. I was starving by twelve every day anyway, and it really was good fun, although we worked incredibly hard. One day, the schedule was changed at the last minute, and instead of our planned activity, we all helped the staff finish cutting the reeds by the lake. That was the toughest day - and also the best. They actually needed our help, we weren't just being kept occupied. Every day, we took it in turns to cook, in teams of five. When it was our team's turn, we made a simple dinner of pasta and salad for everyone. Judging by the fact that there was none left, we didn't do too badly!

B. Sarah - Culture Camp

Every morning we had the same breakfast, and then cleaned up the camp. Nobody could opt out and it was only when it was all completely tidy that we could head off for the day. The first time we went into the city, we were split into teams and given lists of things to spot, like statues, squares and other landmarks. With some help from the local residents, it wasn't too demanding - my team found almost all of the items on our list and came second. We also got to know our way around, so I thought it was a clever idea. I'd been worried I might miss my parents, but there was something going on nearly every minute and I hardly got time to think about them. We went to different museums and galleries in and around the city every day, and in the evenings we cooked or went out for pizzas. It was a great chance to learn about another country and its history.

C. Oliver - Language Camp

We stayed with families who had kids our own age, and because they were on a mid-term break they came with us on all the trips.
So apart from when we were actually in a language Class, we were spending time with our new friends. It was a great way to practise the language we had been working on in the classroom. We also had to do a quiz on the last day - we were put into teams and given clues to help us find places around the town.
Our team finished early, so we waited for everyone else in a café in the main square. While we were there, a film crew arrived and started filming! I can't wait to see it when it comes out - we were sitting outside, so we might even be in it!

D. Malika - Theatre Camp

We stayed in a youth centre in the suburbs, and went into the centre of town by bus every day. It was a good way to see a bit of the city, and it didn't take long to get to the theatre where we had our classes.
I loved the atmosphere in the old building, and we could wander around during our breaks and watch rehearsals.
The actors we saw were brilliant, and it was inspiring to watch them before we went back into our own classes. The emphasis was definitely on having fun, but we still learned a great deal and I'm looking forward to putting it all into practice at my school drama club next term! The food at the centre could have been better, but I don't think anyone minded much.

Which teenager....