READING PRACTICE - OPEN CLOZE

Part 1: Read the text below about baseball and think of the word which best fits each
space. Use only ONE word in each space.

Baseball is America's national sport. But, (1)________ it originated in the USA, baseball is
played in many other countries, especially in Central and South America and Japan. Baseball
(2)________ an Olympic sport at the 1992 Olympics.

Baseball is not only a sport but an American (3)________ of life. Many families spend summer
afternoons (4)________ their children at a baseball park, sitting in the stands with popcorn and
hot dogs. They cheer for their favourite team and wear their baseball caps.

The game (5)________ played with a long wooden bat and a small hard ball. The players have
large heavy gloves to (6)________ the ball. They usually (7)________ light shirts and
knee-long trousers. Shoes have spikes on them to help players run on the field.

A baseball field is divided (8)________ two parts. The infield has the shape of a diamond and is
bordered by the bases that runners run around. A few players stand in the grassy outfield and
wait to catch the ball (9)________ letting it drop on the ground.

A baseball game consists of nine parts, (10)________ innings. Teams take turns trying to score
runs and defend. A pitcher (11)________ the ball towards a batter tries to hit it so that the other
team can't catch it. The batter tries to run around the bases as (12)________ as possible. A ball
that is hit into the stands is called a home run. The team that scores the most runs after nine
innings (13)________ the game.

Part 2: Read the text below about Beethoven and think of the word which best fits each
space. Use only ONE word in each space.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) is widely considered to be one of the pre-eminent classical
music figures of the Western world. This German musical genius created numerous works that
are firmly entrenched (14)____________ the repertoire. Except for a weakness in
(15)__________ vocal and operatic music (to which he himself admitted, notwithstanding a few
vocal works like the opera "Fidelio" and the song "Adelaide,"), Beethoven (16)____________
complete mastery of the art form. He left his stamp in 9 symphonies, 5 piano concertos, 10 violin
sonatas, 32 piano sonatas, numerous string quartets and dozens of other key works.
It is difficult to (17)____________ up briefly what his musical works represent or symbolize,
since taken (18)____________ they encompass a vast system of thought. Generally, however,
those (19)____________ apprehend his music sense that (20)____________ reflects their own
personal yearnings and sufferings. It egotistically, and always intelligently, "discusses" with its
listener his or her feelings in the (21)____________ of personal failure and personal triumph,
from the (22)____________ depths of despair to the highest heights of happy or triumphant
fulfillment.

Part 3: Read the text below about English and think of the word which best fits each
space. Use only ONE word in each space.

Global English exists (0) as a political and cultural reality. Many misguided theories attempt to
explain why the English language should have succeeded internationally, whilst
(23)____________ have not. Is it because there is something inherently logical or beautiful
about the structure of English? Does its simple grammar make it easy to learn? Such ideas are
misconceived. Latin was once a major international language, (24)____________ having a
complicated grammatical structure, and English also presents learners with all manner of real
difficulties, (25)____________ least its spelling system. Ease of learning, (26)____________,
has little to do with it. (27)____________ all, children learn to speak their mother tongue in
approximately the same period of time, (28)____________ of their language. English has
spread not (29)____________ much for linguistic reasons, but rather because it has often found
(30)____________ in the right place, at the right time. Since the 1960s, two major
developments have contributed to strengthening this global status. Firstly, in a number of
countries, English is now used in (31)____________ to national or regional languages. As well
as this, an electronic revolution has taken (32)___________. It is estimated that 80% of
worldwide electronic communication is now in English.

Part 4: Read the text below about hackers and think of the word which best fits each
space. Use only ONE word in each space.

No one knows exactly when the term "hacker" (33) ____________ into the language, although it
was certainly being used in small elite circles of (34) ____________ would eventually become
the computer industry as far (36) ____________ as the mid-sixties. Even twenty years ago, few
people outside of that fledgling computer industry would have known what you were referring
(37) ____________ if you talked of "hackers," and that would have included most avid science
fiction fans, and even the majority of science fiction writers—even many of the so called "hard
science" SF writers who pride (38) ____________ on staying technologically au courant.
By the middle of the seventies, a few of us were vaguely familiar with the basic concept of
hacking (39) ____________ its most general sense, although mostly what we heard of in (40)
____________ days were "phone phreaks," a specialized form of hacker who pirates telephone
service; as long ago as 1967 or 1968, one of your editors can recall someone telling him about
a friend who had made a "black box" or "whistler" that enabled him to make long-distance calls
without (41) ____________ to pay for them.