CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH: ADVANCED (CAE) use of english part 1
multiple choice cloze
For questions 1 - 8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
Piracy
Piracy was not [invented/disclosed/discovered/devised] ... by men like Blackbeard and ‘Black Bart’ Roberts. It has been around since man first took to the sea, a maritime [scourge/scouter/scout/scooper] ... that appeared in historical records since before the building of the Egyptian pyramids. The Mediterranean, [otherwise/besides/likewise/moreover] ... known as the ‘[cradle/cot/crib/hamper] ... of civilization’, was also a pirate hot-spot, which we know because the Ancient Egyptians [took/passed/made/set] ... the time to describe the attacks and their perpetrators.
As in any period , piracy in the ancient world flourished when there was a lack of central control, and in areas beyond the [reach/limits/horizon/frontier] ... of major powers such as the Egyptians, the Assyrians or the Mycenaean Greeks. The first known pirate group was the Lukkans, a group of sea raiders based on the south-eastern coast of Asia Minor. They first appeared in the 14th century BC, when Egyptian [scribes/scripters/reporters/playwrights] ... recorded that they raided Cyprus, [although/or/because/despite] ... there are suggestions that their piratical activities started earlier.
[answer-table]
ANSWERS
INVENTED
VERB | INVENT |
To make, design, or think of a new type of thing: When was printing invented? |
SCOURGE
NOUN | SCOURGE |
Something that causes a lot of harm or suffering: Vaccination has freed us from the scourge of smallpox. |
OTHERWISE
PHRASE | OTHERWISE KNOWN AS |
In a different way to the way mentioned; differently: Bismarck, otherwise known as 'the Iron Chancellor'. |
CRADLE
IDIOM | THE CRADLE OF |
The place where something important began: Why is Mesopotamia called the cradle of civilization? |
TOOK
IDIOM | TAKE THE TIME TO |
To spend enough time to do something: If you take the time to read the directions carefully, you won't have any trouble installing the software. |
REACH
PHRASE | BEYOND THE REACH OF |
The limit of someone's power or ability to do something: She lives in Peru, well beyond the reach of the British authorities. |
SCRIBES
NOUN | SCRIBE |
A person who made copies of written documents before printing was invented: The scribes were the copyists of Scripture and teachers of the Law. |
ALTHOUGH
CONJUNCTION | ALTHOUGH |
Used to mean 'but' or 'however' when you are commenting on a statement: I felt he was wrong, although I didn't say so at the time. |