FCE / USE OF ENGLISH / open Cloze
For questions 1-8, read the text below and think of the word which fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap.
APPLE AD, 1977
"APPLE II WILL CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK about computers," read a 1977 ad for a new "personal" computer – and (1) ... proved to be true. Personal computing wasn't just a matter of making computers small and cheap (2) ... for individuals to buy. That had (3) ... been achieved in 1975 by the Altair 8800, a build-your-own computer kit selling for $397 that launched a craze among hobbyists. But the Altair computer (4) ... a keyboard or monitor, required (5) ... programs to be entered laboriously through switches on the front panel.
It displayed the results with sequences of flashing lights. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Apple's founders, realised that computers could find a wider audience if they (6) ... presented in a self-contained unit, with a keyboard, monitor, and storage device. Their first computer, the Apple, had been a crude device that they assembled (7) ... hand in Jobs' parents' garage, and they sold only about 200 of them. But the Apple II, launched in 1977 (8) ... the help of a $250,000 bank loan, was the user-friendly package they had envisioned.
[start-answers-block type=1 columns=3 textTransform=none]
[answer="that"]
[answer="enough"] [answer="already"] ! [answer="without"][answer="all"][answer="were"][answer="by"]
[answer="with"]
[end-answers-block]
answer keys
GAP 1 (THAT) ... "personal" computer – and that proved to be true. Personal computing wasn't just ...
THAT => DETERMINER
THAT => used to refer to a person, thing, idea etc. that has already been mentioned.
Common Errors:
The reason for her absence is which she is ill. X
The reason for her absence is that she is ill. V
GAP 2 (ENOUGH) ... computers small and cheap enough for individuals to buy. That had (3) ... been achieved ...
ADJECTIVE + ENOUGH
ENOUGH => to the necessary degree.
Common Errors:
She didn't move enough quickly. X
She didn't move quickly enough. V ENOUGH goes after ADVERBS and ADJECTIVES!
GAP 3 (ALREADY) ... to buy. That had already been achieved in 1975 by the Altair 8800,a build-your-own computer kit ... ALREADY => ADVERB
ALREADY => before now or before a particular time in the past.
Common Errors:
The film already had started when we arrived. X
The film had already started when we arrived. V ALREADY goes after auxiliary verbs!
GAP 4 (WITHOUT) ... But the Altair computer without a keyboard or monitor, required (5) ... programs to be entered laboriously ...
WITHOUT => PREPOSITION
WITHOUT => not having, experiencing or showing something.
Common Errors:
Sarah left without say goodbye. X
Sarah left without saying goodbye. V WITHOUT + GERUND FORM!
GAP 5 (ALL) ... or monitor, required all programs to be entered laboriously through switches on the front panel ...
ALL + PLURAL NOUN => DETERMINER
ALL => the whole number of.
Common Errors:
He has lost his all money. X
He has lost all his money. V
GAP 6 (WERE) ... audience if they were presented in a self-contained unit, with a keyboard, monitor, and storage ...
WERE => AUXILIARY VERB
WERE => used in second conditional sentences about an imagined situation.
Common Errors:
If they would be at home, they would answer the phone. X
If they were at home, they would answer the phone. V IF + PAST SIMPLE + WOULD + INFINITIVE!
GAP 7 (BY) ... that they assembled by hand in Jobs' parents' garage, and they sold only about 200 of them ...
BY + HAND => FIXED PHRASE
BY HAND => done or made by a person rather than a machine.
Common Errors:
She had to wash her clothes with hand. X
She had to wash her clothes by hand. V BY + HAND!
GAP 8 (WITH) ... Apple II, launched in 1977 with the help of the help of a $250,000 bank loan, was the user-friendly ...
WITH + THE + HELP + OF => IDIOM
WITH THE HELP OF (sb/sth) => the act of helping somebody to do something.
Other Fixed Phrases and Idioms:
A HELP TO (sb) => a person or thing that helps somebody.
THERE IS NO HELP FOR IT => it is not possible to avoid doing something that may harm somebody in some way.
BEYOND HELP => nothing can be done to improve the situation.