CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH examinations / PROFICIENCY EXAM / CPE / USE OF ENGLISH / Multiple Choice Cloze
For questions 1- 8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
Spices
The history of spices is entwined ... [with/for/on/at] exploration, adventure, religious missions, commerce, and conquest. Treasured like gold and ... [precious/paving/shining/pumice] stones, spices have had enormous commercial value in ancient and medieval times. Most spices and flavourings had origins in the tropics or subtropics. They were much ... [sought/named/took/lookee] after in the West, and the quest for spices tremendously changed the ... [course/way/lane/route] of history. The East is the birthplace of most popular spices and flavourings. India, Southeast Asia, and China have given us anise, basil, cinnamon, clove, garlic, ginger, and turmeric. Other spices, such as bay leaf, sage, sesame, and thyme came from the Middle East, North Africa, and other parts of the Mediterranean. The colder regions of Europe have provided us with juniper and horseradish, ... [while/although/despite/however] the Americas gave us chile peppers, chocolate, and sassafras. Ancient civilizations, such as Indians, Middle Easterners, Chinese, Aztecs, and Incas, have used spices since time ... [immemorial/memorable/immediate/immeasurable] . As with modern civilizations, these cultures spiced foods to enhance their palatability and to create different flavour profiles. In addition, spices were used to preserve meats or fish, to disguise ... [tainted/tangled/tenacious/tangible] foods and ... [counteract/countercharge/counterstrike/counterfeit] disagreeable odours, and even to create cosmetics and perfumes.
[answer-table]
ANSWER KEYS
| VERB + PREPOSITION | BE ENTWINED WITH |
| To be very closely involved or connected with something: Great memories are entwined with this recipe. |
| COLLOCATION | PRECIOUS STONE |
| A valuable stone such as a diamond or ruby, used for making jewellery: Global production of the precious stones is growing very slowly, if at all. |
| COMPOUND ADJECTIVE | SOUGHT AFTER |
| Wanted by many people and usually of high quality or rare: At the age of 17 she is already one of Hollywood's most sought after actresses. |
| PHRASE | THE COURSE OF HISTORY |
| The way things happened or will happen: Gorbachev changed the course of Soviet history. |
| CONJUNCTION | WHILE |
| Used when comparing things, situations, or people and showing how they are different: While I agree with you, I do not believe that your way is best. |
| PHRASE | SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL |
| For hundreds of years: Since time immemorial, boys have climbed the water tower. |
| ADJECTIVE | TAINTED |
| Dirty or no longer pure; no longer pleasant or safe to eat, drink or use: The human disease occurred after people ate tainted beef products. |
| VERB | COUNTERACT |
| To cause something to have less of an effect or to have no effect at all: My husband has to take several pills to counteract high blood pressure. |