Ejercicios part 1 Reading Aptis

Bulgaria’s Population is Shrinking

Bulgaria, a southeastern country in the European Union, is one of
the 1.______ fastest shrinking countries. In the last forty years, the
population of Bulgaria has fallen from 9 to 7 million. Young people often
leave the country for postsecondary studies and do not return for
2.______years. Approximately 1 million Bulgarians currently live abroad.
Bulgarians are also having 3._____ children. Despite the shrinking
population, some Bulgarians do return after realizing that they miss some
aspects of home, including the 4._____ and relaxed pace of living.

1. A) spot B) place C) world’s

2. A) a lot B) many C) several
3. A) few B) fewer C) more few
4. A) culture B) tradition C) habit

The Amazons were more than a myth

Legends of formidable 1._____ warriors known as the Amazons
permeate ancient lore – and, with the Wonder Woman franchise, modern-
day movie screens. In particular, Ancient Greek writers loved spinning
2.______ of how the Amazon women matched men in their traditional
domain of war-making.
Mythographer Apollodorus, writing in the first or second century A.D.,
dubbed the Amazons “a people 3.______ in war,” who were so committed
to martial endeavors that they “pinched off the right breasts that they
might not be trammelled 4.______ them in throwing the javelin, but they
kept the left breasts, that might suckle.”

They were even said to 5.______ the likes of such mythological warriors
as Heracles, Theseus, and Achilles. But were the Amazons just a myth —
or were they real?

Historian Adrienne Mayor delves into their complicated history. She

noted in her seminal book, The Amazons, 6.______, they believed that
the Amazons were very much real historical figures. They may have very
well been real-life horse-riding women hailing from Western Asia —
places 7._____ Iran and the Caucasus — who fought valiantly against
their enemies.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, Homer’s Iliad was the first to
8._____ them in the eighth century B.C. He described them as
“antianeirai,” which many scholars have translated as “the opposite of
men,” “antagonistic to men,” and “the equal of men.”
Centuries later, the so-called “Father of History,” Herodotus, wrote that
the Amazons hailed from Scythia, a large steppe region in Central
Eurasia.

Dubbed “man-killers” in the Greek 9._____, the Amazons lived an idyllic,

isolated existence, only mingling with men from neighboring tribes once a
year in a ceremonious procreation ritual. The mothers would keep their
female 10.______ and train them as warriors, and send off their male
infants.

1. A) female B) women C) woman

2. A) fairytales B) tales C) stories
3. A) amazing B) wonderful C) great
4. A) for B) to C) by
5. A) fight B) challenge C) stay
6. A) apparently B) certainly C) surely
7. A) such as B) like C) as
8. A) mention B) say C) tell
9. A) say B) tongue C) language
A) kids B) offspring C) cubs
«Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that
counts.»
Star Wars
The plain, brown cloak that Sir Alec Guinness 1) __________ when he
played the character Obi-Wan Kenobi 2) __________ the Star Wars films
is part 3) __________ a collection of film and television costumes that will
be sold. Alec Guiness died 4) __________ 2000.
5) __________ cloak disappeared thirty years ago and was then used
in 6) __________ films. It was even used by people going 7)
__________ fancy dress parties. Experts think it will 8) __________ for
£40,000.
1. A) wear B) wore C) wearing
2. A) in B) on C) at
3. A) off B) for C) of
4. A) on B) in C) for
5. A) A B) The C) Those
6. A) other B) others C) other’s
7. A) to B) at C) from
8. A) sell B) sold C) sale

The fastest dinosaurs

According 1) __________ computer models that were used to estimate
the running speeds of dinosaurs, the Tyrannosaurus Rex would have
been able to outrun a footballer. The study shows that the dinosaur could
reach a top 2) __________ of 8 metres a second, which is 3)
__________ faster than the average professional footballer. There has
been a lot of controversy 4) __________ whether the Tyrannosaurus Rex
was a predator or a scavenger; some believe that its highly developed
sense of smell indicates that it was a scavenger, 5) __________ others
say that its keen eyesight shows that it was a hunter. The 6)
__________ group will appreciate the recent study, as a hunter is more 7)
__________ to require such speed
The University of Manchester study used a powerful supercomputer to
calculate the running speeds of five meat-eating dinosaurs and used data
taken 8) __________ from dinosaur fossils, 9) __________ than referring
to previous work on modern animals. The Tyrannosaurus Rex, 10)
__________, was not the fastest dinosaur. A small dinosaur 11)
__________ Compsognathus, which was about the 12) __________ of a
chicken, could run at 18 metres a second, 13) __________ is faster than
the ostrich, the fastest two-legged animal today. It could run 100 metres
in a little over six seconds, which would 14) __________ modern
Olympic 15) __________ more than a third of the track behind.

1. A) with B) as C) to D) —-
2. A) fast B) speed C) swift D) rate
3. A) fraction B) fractional C) fractionally D) fractionals
4. A) about B) as C) at D) to
5. A) since B) while C) however D) as
6. A) former B) later C) latter D) first
7. A) likely B) probable C) probably D) possible
8. A) directs B) direction C) directed D) directly
9. A) instead B) rather C) other D) better
10. A) therefore B) hence C) since D) however
11. A) called B) named as C) known D) name
12. A) shape B) size C) form D) same
13. A) who B) that C) when D) which
14. A) leave B) chase C) run D) beat
15. A) athlete B) athletic C) athletics D) athletes
Respuestas correctas: 1. to; 2. speed; 3. fractionally; 4. about; 5. while; 6.
former; 7. likely; 8. directly; 9. rather; 10. however; 11. called; 12. size; 13.
which; 14. run; 15. athlete
Fuente: usingenglish.com
«Believe you can and you’re halfway there.»
Wole Soyinka
Wole Soyinka, who was born in 1934, is a Nigerian writer, poet and
playwright. Many 1) __________ him as Africa’s most 2)
__________ playwright. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986,
the first African writer to win this honour.
Soyinka has played an active role in Nigeria’s 3) __________ history. In
1967, during the Civil War in Nigeria, he was arrested by the Federal
Government and put in solitary 4) __________ for attempting to broker a
peace between the warring parties. While in prison he wrote 5)
__________ which was published in a collection. He was released two
years later after international attention was drawn to his 6) __________.
His experiences in prison are recounted in a book. He is an outspoken 7)
__________ of many Nigerian administrations, and of political tyrannies
worldwide, including the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe. Much of his 8)
__________ has been concerned with «the 9) __________ boot and the
irrelevance of the colour of the foot that wears it».
1986 was his most glorious year and occurred during the reigns of
several violent and repressive African regimes. The Swedish
Academy 10) __________ him the Nobel Prize for Literature as a writer
“who in a wide 11) __________ perspective and with poetic overtones
fashions the drama of 12) __________”. The foremost Nigerian 13)
__________ became the first African Nobel laureate, enshrined forever in
the history of world literature. His Nobel Lecture was devoted to South
African freedom-fighter Nelson Mandela. Soyinka’s 14)
__________ speech criticised apartheid and the politics of racial
segregation imposed on the population by the Nationalist South African
government. That year brought him another 15) __________ award – the
Agip Prize for Literature – and he was awarded a Nigerian national
decoration: Commander of the Federal Republic.
Respuestas correctas: 1. consider; 2. distinguished; 3. political ; 4.
confinement; 5. poems; 6. jailer; 7. critic; 8. writings; 9. oppressive; 10.
awarded; 11. culture; 12. existence; 13. dramatist; 14. acceptance; 15.
literary
1. A) consider B) regard C) think D) believe
2. A) distinguish B) distinguishable C) distinguished D)
distinguishing
3. A) politic B) politician C) politically D) political
4. A) confinement B) confine C) confining D)
configuration
5. A) poet B) poem C) poems D) poetry
6. A) in prison B) imprisonment C) jailer D) prisoner
7. A) criticise B) critisism C) critic D)
criticising
8. A) writings B) writer C) wright D) writing
9. A) oppress B) oppressive C) oppression D)
oppresser
 10. A) granted B) awards C) awarded D)
grants
11. A) culture B) cultural C) cultured D)
cultures
12. A) exist B) existance C) existence D)
existential
13. A) dramatic B) drama C) dramatically D)
dramatist
14. A) acceptance B) accept C) accepted D)
accepting
15. A) literate B) literary C) literally D)
literal

«The expert in everything was once a beginner.»

Teaching
Attitudes towards the teaching profession have (1)
…………………….considerably and it’s sad that the number of students
considering a career in teaching has (2) ……………………..off a lot.
Consequently, the teacher training faculty has (3) …………………………
by 25%. However, in other departments, the options have (4)
………………………… greatly, though competition with other colleges
has, it must be admitted, (5) ……………………………… . Meanwhile,
departments have expanded into new areas such as media studies, and
computer studies in particular has (6) ……………… beyond all
expectations.

1. A turned B affected C modified D changed

2. A depressed B dropped C sunk D declined
3. A shrunk B curtailed C reduced D cut
4. A stretched B protracted C widened D lengthened
5. A boosted B enhanced C fuelled D intensified
6. A encouraged B grown C raised D promoted
Respuestas correctas: 1. D) 2. B), 3. A). 4. C), 5. D), 6. B)
«Push yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you.»
The ways we have changed
It is hard for almost everyone, but especially the young to imagine a world
(0) without television. We have (1) __________to expect that all the
important news of the day, worldwide, will be there (2)_________ the
touch of a button. In times (3)__________ by, only the literate knew what
was going on in the world, and (4)____________ only after a long delay.
But now, it is possible for any of us to watch world events as they occur.
(5)_________ has shortened the distance that divides our private lives
(6)__________ the outside world to (7)__________ an extent as
television.
Time and (8)__________, television transports us to the habitats of rare
animals, and we may identify (9)___________ them. Concern for damage
to the environment extends far and (10)__________.We worry about the
influence of technology not just in our cities but on us (11)__________
people. Increasingly we see (12)__________ as part of the planet
(13)_________ than in isolation.

1. A need B come C all D get

2. A in B with C at D on
3. A gone B ago C long D got
4. A just B that C then D would
5. A it B anything C all D nothing
6. A to B with C from D in
7. A that B such C so D more
8. A now B again C then D time
9. A with B to C as D on
10. A away B large C long D wide
11. A as B like C with D along
12. A us B their C ourselves D our
13. A rather B more C quite D most
«Respuestas correctas: 1. B), 2. C), 3. A), 4. C), 5. D), 6. C), 7. B), 8. B),
9. A), 10. D), 11. A), 12. C), 13. A)
«Life has two rules: 1) Never quit. 2) Always remember Rule #1.
Dyspraxia
Teaching a child with dyspraxia can be a 1) …………………. experience
due to the wide range of symptoms a student may present. 2)
……………….., while dyspraxia is a neurological condition that causes
movement and co-ordination 3)………………. , it has no impact on
intelligence. Children with dyspraxia are perfectly 4)………………… of
learning alongside their peers; they may just need some extra attention
and support from time to time. 5)………………….. is the first step and can
make all of the difference in helping a child to reach his or her full
potential at school.

While not as well known as other learning difficulties, dyspraxia in

children is relatively common, with 6-10% of the population affected, to
some 6) ………………. A child with dyspraxia may experience problems
at school, including difficulty in handwriting his or her work, 7)
…………………. other tasks that require fine motor skills and planning
and organisation aspects.

1. A) frustrating B) overwhelming C) frustrated

2. A) Meanwhile B) However C) Albeit
3. A) problems B) matters C) issues
4. A) capable B) able C) willing
5. A) Awareness B) Insight C) Conscious
6. A) scale B) degree C) term
7. A) doing B) performing C) acting
Respuestas correctas: 1.A, 2.B, 3.C, 4.A, 5. A, 6. B, 7. B
«Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. – Henry
Ford»
Salmon crisis
A new study that suggests sockeye salmon returns have 1.____ by three-
quarters in the Skeena River over the last century should 2. _____ as a
«wake-up call», the lead researcher says. His research indicates annual
salmon returns to the river Skeena have fallen from about 1.8 million to
469,000 in the last 100 years, an 3. _____ decline of about 74 per cent.
«We’ve been seeing these warning signs that salmon are diminishing and
4.___ … we continue to make decisions that are not in the 5.____
interests of salmon.»

6._____ following genetic markers in the DNA extracted from those

scales, the scientists were able to trace patterns of abundance in 7._____
of the 13 sockeye populations in the Skeena. The Skeena River, which
runs from B.C.’s northern Interior to the Pacific Ocean south of Prince
Rupert, is Canada’s second largest watershed for salmon.

Previous research had suggested declines in seven of those 13

populations over the last 50 years. New research found that when they
doubled that time 8._____, every population saw drops of between 56
and 99 per cent.

The researchers also developed a theory for why some populations have
declined more 9._____ than others.

«What we found was those populations with historically the largest body
size have declined the most, which suggests that fisheries selectivity is
the most probable driver,» the 10.____ researcher said.

The results suggest there’s an urgent need for recovery plans for sockeye
in the Skeena, as well as all salmon species across the province, he
argues. «I’m hopeful this historical perspective provides us the
information that can make more informed decisions in the future,» he
said.

1. A. fall B. rose C. dropped D. skyrocketed

2. A. serve B. call C. install D. remain
3. A. overall B. amount C. widespread D. universal
4. A. even B. yet C. so D. anyway
 5. A. good B. best C. appropriate D. suitable
6. A. By B. just C. when D. while
7. A. each B. one C. every D. single
8. A. scale B. frame C. space D. average
9. A. ghastly B. fastly C. sharply D. wastly
10. A. main B. chief C. principal D. lead
Respuestas correctas: 1.C, 2. A, 3. A, 4. B, 5. B, 6. A, 7. A, 8. B, 9. C, 10.
D
«It’s not the time to look for excuses. – Rafael Nadal»