D. READING COMPREHENSION PART 1. READ THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE AND U...

2.

D. READING COMPREHENSION

Part 1. Read the following passage and use ONE word to fill in each gap.

THE BLOOD MOON

A lunar eclipse occurs (1) ________the Earth’s shadow falls directly onto the moon.

(2) ________ happens as a result is that the moon stops being a silvery white colour and turns

coppery red instead; the sort of colour usually only seen in the sky at dawn or sunset. An

astronaut on the moon, looking towards Earth (3) ________ a lunar eclipse, would see a black

disc, surrounded (4) ________ a bright red ring. It’s the light from this red ring which is

reflected back to the dark Earth from the moon’s surface. In ancient times, long (5) ________

any of this was understood, the lunar eclipse was known (6) ________a blood moon and was

thought to be an omen of disaster.

Total eclipses can only occur when there is a full moon, and then only if it is lined up

with the Earth in a particular way. (7) ________easily obscured by cloud cover, blood moons

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are fairly common, and it is relatively easy to calculate where and when you might be (8)

________ to see one.

For example, in 1504 Christopher Columbus was stranded in Jamaica and in dire need of

provisions, but the local inhabitants were reluctant to help. However, Columbus knew that a

lunar eclipse would occur on 29 February. Therefore, the day before, he warned local leaders

that the moon would disappear (9) ________ they helped him. They remained skeptical. But

when the moon slowly started to change colour, they became (10)__________frightened that

they started to bring food.

Part 2. Read the passage and choose a suitable word to fill in each blank.

“Just imagine a day without paper,” reads one advertisement for a Finnish paper

company. It adds, “You almost (1)________ see our products every day.” And they’re right.

But in most industrial countries, people are so (2)________ to paper – whether it’s for holding

their groceries, for drying their hands or for (3)________ them with the daily news- that its

(4)________ in their daily lives passes largely unnoticed.

At one (5)________ paper was in short supply and was used mainly for important

documents, but more recently, growing economies and new technologies have (6)________ a

dramatic increase in the (7)________ of paper used. Today, there are more than 450 different

grades of paper, all designed for a different (8)________.

Decades ago, some people predicted a “paperless office”. (9)________, the widespread

use of new technologies has gone hand-in-hand with an increased use of paper. Research into

the relationship between paper use and the use of computers has shown that the general

(10)________ is likely to be one of growth and interdependence. However, the costs involved in

paper production, in terms of the world's land, water and air resources, are high. This raises some important

questions. How much paper do we really need and how much is wasted?