Part 1 · Multiple-choice cloze

Part 1 · Bees on the roof

For questions 1–8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.

Not so long ago, the idea of keeping bees on the roof of an office block would have (1) ____ more than a few eyebrows. Today, hives have become a familiar (2) ____ on the skylines of cities from London to Tokyo, and waiting lists for beekeeping courses grow longer every year.

It is not hard to see why the trend has (3) ____ on. Bee populations are under threat worldwide, and many city dwellers feel that by installing a hive they are (4) __ a blow for nature. Companies, too, have been quick to (5) ____ in on the idea, proudly featuring their rooftop colonies in annual reports and advertising campaigns.

Some ecologists, however, have begun to (6) ____ issue with the craze. They point out that the honeybee is just one of hundreds of bee species, and that where hives are densely packed, honeybees may (7) __ with wild bees for a limited supply of flowers. Their advice is that anyone wishing to help pollinators should plant flowers first and think about hives second. As one researcher put it, 'A hive without enough flowers nearby is like a restaurant with no kitchen: it may look impressive, but it (8) ____ little purpose.'

Part 1 · The quiet return of the letter

For questions 1–8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.

Most of us send dozens of messages a day without giving them a second (1) ____. It might therefore seem surprising that handwritten letters are enjoying something of a revival. Stationery shops report a (2) ____ increase in sales of good-quality writing paper, and letter-writing clubs are appearing in cafés and libraries across the country.

Enthusiasts (3) ____ the appeal down to the effort involved. A letter cannot be dashed off in seconds; it demands time, attention and a certain (4) __ of patience, since a reply may take weeks to arrive. For many, this slowness is not a drawback but a welcome (5) ____ to the relentless pace of digital life.

There is also the matter of permanence. Emails are easily deleted, whereas letters tend to be kept, sometimes for generations. Historians have (6) ____ concern that future researchers will find far fewer personal documents to work with. 'We are in (7) ____ of leaving behind a very thin record of ordinary lives,' one archivist warns.

Whether the revival will last remains to be (8) ______. For now, though, those who have rediscovered the pleasure of pen and paper insist they have no intention of giving it up.

Part 1 · Looking back

For questions 1–8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.

For much of its history, nostalgia was (1) ______ upon as a disease. The term was coined in the seventeenth century by a Swiss doctor to describe the homesickness that afflicted soldiers serving far from home, and for centuries afterwards it was associated with melancholy and even madness.

In recent decades, however, psychologists have (2) ____ a very different picture. Far from being a sign of weakness, it seems, looking back fondly on the past can (3) __ dividends. People who are asked to recall a cherished memory typically report feeling more connected to others and more optimistic about the future, and there is evidence that nostalgia helps us (4) ____ with loneliness by reminding us of the relationships that have given our lives meaning.

That is not to say it is without risks. Constantly dwelling on a golden age that may never have existed can (5) ____ discontent with the present, and advertisers are well (6) ____ of how easily a wistful glance backwards can be turned into a sale.

Moderation, it appears, is the (7) ____ of the game. Indulged occasionally, nostalgia seems to be less a retreat from reality than a resource we can (8) ____ on when times are hard.