FCE open cloze practice 1

Stormy waters
My elder sister, (0) ……… has done a lot of travelling, had
advised me not to go (1) ……… ship in February, but of course
I hadn’t paid (2) ……… attention to what she said. I hadn’t
taken any notice, (3)……… , of the warning from the
passengers coming off the ship, who said (4) ……… had been
the worst voyage they had (5) ……… experienced.
The water in the harbour looked calm enough, and the ship
was big and solid, so I decided not (6) ……… take any anti-
seasickness pills. As (7) ……… as I was on board I began (8)
……… a huge meal, which I finished just (9) ……… we came
out of the harbour and into the ocean. Immediately we were hit
by enormous waves, (10) ……… threw the ship around in the
water as if it were a toy boat in the bath.


Oil threat to Ice Age world
An area of the North Atlantic has not changed (0) .......... the last Ice Age,
according (1) .......... scientists. They have found that (2) .......... temperature of
deep water near the Shetland Islands always remains a little below zero degrees.
In (3) .......... of the intense cold, the water never freezes because it is extremely
salty, and it is inhabited (4) .......... giant sea spiders.
The discovery was made by a team of scientists studying the ocean floor at depths of (5) .......... a mile. They also found deep marks in the seabed at a depth of around 350 metres, which they say must (6) .......... been caused by icebergs that had broken away from Scotland during the Ice Age.

What worries environmentalists, however, is that (7) .......... area lies near a place of rich oil deposits. Organizations such as Greenpeace fear that it is only a (8) .......... of time before multinational oil companies start exploring this permanently sub-zero world. (9) .......... that happens, they warn, it will not be (10) .......... before oil slicks harm an environment that has lain untouched for thousands of years.

Lost and Found
My father considered 0 ……….. to be a lucky man. He wasn’t rich or
famous, but he was lucky 1 …………………. he lost anything, he was usually
2 ………… to find it again 3 …………… such example was a
fountain pen, a present from my mother on 4 …………. wedding
anniversary. We had had a family day out in the mountains. My brother,
5………………was about ten years old at the time, and I enjoyed going to
a lake where you could hire a boat and row out across the water.
6…………… had once been a village in the valley, but the valley had
been flooded in order 7……………. create a reservoir for a city many
miles away. When the water was clear, you could still make out the top of the
church spire and the walls of houses 8 ……………. we were returning
home that night, my father discovered that he had lost his treasured fountain
pen. About two weeks later, he announced that in spite 9 …………… the
gloomy weather, we were going back to the lake for the day. We were surprised,
but said nothing. We set 10…………… about nine in the morning, and
as 11…………… as we arrived at the lake, we headed
12 ………………..the spot where we had had our picnic on the previous
occasion. As we were deciding whether to hire a boat for the afternoon or
13…………… , my father gave a shout. There, lying on the ground, was
a pen. There was 14……………. doubt at all in my mind that
15……………. was the pen he had lost two weeks beforehand.

Sponsored walk
Have you ever 0 …………… on a sponsored walk? I went on
1……………when I was about eleven years old. Our teacher came up
2………………the idea. We would donate any money we raised to a local
charity and have a day out at the same time. I didn’t really understand what
3………………..involved in a sponsored walk, but that didn’t make
4………………. difference to me. It just seemed an exciting thing to do, and
we set 5………………… on our journey with enthusiasm. But the walk
turned out to be even 6……………….. exciting than I had expected.
7………………I didn’t realise was that it consisted of walking two miles to
a small island 8………………. only means of access was across a causeway.
The island, 9………………. is situated off the north-east coast of Britain, is a
place of outstanding natural beauty, but very remote. The first problem we
came up 10………………….. was the sand. We had to put
11…………… with it blowing in our faces and on our legs as we
struggled across the causeway. Added to that, we knew that
12…………. we did not return to the mainland in time, we would be
cut 13…………… by the incoming tide, and would have to spend the night there! Well, we made it, and even managed to have a picnic there before it was time to make our way back. You can imagine our relief when we arrived on the mainland exhausted, but home 14……………….. dry. I must admit that I haven’t done a sponsored walk 15……………… I went to the island. But who knows? One day I might do one again.

Holiday cancellation
There is nothing worse 0 …………… having a holiday cancelled.
Despite the fact that the government has brought 1 ………….. new
legislation to protect holiday-makers financially, it’s the disappointment which
is hard to bear. In most cases, some form of compensation
2………………..offered, but often the alternatives are nowhere near
3……………..exciting as the original destination. On second thoughts,
perhaps 4 …………….. is something which is 5 …………….. little
worse than a cancelled holiday, and 6 ……………. is being stranded at
your holiday destination when a company goes bankrupt. In circumstances
like these, many people wish they 7…………… never gone on holiday
at all, and may think twice about going again. ‘If we’d known that this was
going to happen, we 8……………….. never have considered spending so
much money on a holiday.’ ‘9 ……………….. only we’d booked with
someone else!’ they grumble to their friends when they get back home. Their
friends try to change 10 …………….. subject, but quickly realise that
the disappointed holiday makers are determined to have their say. It seems
useless to point out that the main reason 11 ……………… having a
holiday is to return home relaxed and stress-free. If the experience turns out
to be even more stressful than normal everyday life, putting pressure
12…………….. the holiday-maker, then surely it is
13…………………. something to be repeated. Perhaps the best advice for
those 14……………….. feel that they are not cut 15…………………. for
stressful holiday experiences is simply to stay at home!