• You are going to read a magazine article about a painting created by a computer. Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A–G the one which fits each gap (1 – 6). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.

                                                                                     A computer-generated painting

   Born in Amsterdam in 1606, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn is one of the world’s most renowned artists. The prolific painter was famous for his portraits and was admired for his ability to capture real emotions. Unfortunately, like many artists of his time, Rembrandt’s talents were not recognized during his lifetime. The artist died penniless in 1669, after suffering many years of hardship. Interestingly, a painting unveiled in Holland in 2016 has made headlines around the world because it looks as if it was painted by a famous 17th-century Dutch artist.

1. ____________________________________________________________

   It is, in fact, a brand new painting that uses technology to mimic his technique so perfectly that it could easily be mistaken for one created by the great artist himself. The clever forgery, called the ‘Next Rembrandt’, took 18 months to complete and is the result of a collaboration between computer experts and art experts. The team collected data from the Dutch artist’s 346 known paintings to help them imitate as closely as possible his technique, choice of color, structure, texture, and topic. They used facial recognition software and a unique computer program to analyze the individual features of his style. 

2. ______________________________________________________________

   The computer needed as much data as possible to enable it to mimic the artist’s work accurately. Rembrandt painted a large number of portraits, many of which were of men with mustaches wearing black suits with white collars 3. ___________________ They decided that the ‘Next Rembrandt’ would be a portrait of a white male between 30 and 40 years old, wearing black clothes, a white-collar, and a hat.

4. ____________________________________________________________

   The special software system that the team had designed gathered information about Rembrandt’s style based on his use of geometry, the way he placed the objects and people concerning one another in his paintings, and his choice of paint colors. The data was used to generate the facial features for the ‘Next Rembrandt’. The individual elements were put together to form the face and the chest in the same proportions as the original paintings created by the Dutch artist.

5. ____________________________________________________________

   When this had been done, a 3D printer was used to bring the ‘Next Rembrandt’ to life. Comprising 148 million pixels and 13 layers of ultra-violet ink, the ‘painting’ is a clever forgery that looks exactly like an original Rembrandt, at least to the untrained eye. The goal of the project was to start a discussion about how data and technology could become an essential part of the art world. The project was not universally popular and did receive some criticism 6. _______________________________________ They aimed to ensure that the ‘Next Rembrandt’ would be a masterpiece, one that even the famous Dutch artist would be proud of, and they seem to have succeeded.

+ ANSWER:

A. However, many art historians, including Rembrandt experts, were incredibly supportive.

B. Once the subject had been determined, the next stage of the process could begin.

C. These included details like painting strokes, the artist’s preferred angle, and so on.

D. As a result, they actually considered giving up on it at this point.

E. The team then used technology to add depth and texture to their image.

F. The authentic-looking masterpiece is not the work of Rembrandt, though.

G. For this reason, the team settled on creating something similar.

• For each space, choose ONE word which you think best completes the sentence. Look carefully at the words both before and after each space.

     The red panda in the name is not (1) _______ related to the giant panda, but genuinely closer to the raccoon family. It adores (2) _______ bamboo but won't turn down the occasional bird, insect, or mammal for a snack. Native to the Eastern Himalayas and Southwestern China, red pandas (3) _______ in trees and are nimble, agile climbers. Their reddish-brown fur and bushy tails camouflage them in their (4) _______ from predators like snow leopards. Furthermore (5) _______ animals, humans pose a major threat, poaching and hunting them for their fur. The forest that they live in is shrinking fast and estimates say that their population has been (6) _______ in half in the last 20 years.

I. Put the correct form of words. (2.0 pts)

1, The temptation to regard the 30-year-old as an …………………. thoroughbred can establish irresistible to Rangers supporters and neutral connoisseurs. (DISPENSE)

2, He felt her firmness and obeyed the impulsion at once, just as the other two men had, a moment before, obeyed …………………. the wave of her hand. (QUESTION)

3, Cold and …………………. parents often lavish presents for children and they then come to associate that with pleasure. (EMOTION)

4, Our main problem has been our …………………. which can let us down, but that means sometimes we end up doing ourselves justice. (CONSIST)

5, But this is one issue on which I think …………………. and vacillation, combined with a liberal dose of pious platitudes, are accurately what most people want. (COHERE)

6, The sympathetic nervous system, not white blood cells, is critically essential in the regulation of energy …………………. and thermogenesis. (EXPEND)

7, By taking a hard look at individual project components, project managers can zero in on more …………………. alternatives. (EFFECT)

8, Participation in the Soweto Kinch Live Box Anniversary Tour, of which his Artsfest appearance is a part, continues a creative association with like-minded ………………….. . (EXPERIMENT)

9, Mr. Simon was removed from his teaching position because he refused to agree to an administrative directive not to seek …………………. of his book. (PUBLISH)

10, Repairing wrecked companies is a tricky task, whether they are in modern businesses like telecoms, or genuinely …………………. metal-bashing. (FASHION)

• Read the following passage and mark the letter (A, B, C, or D) on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word that best fits each of the numbered blanks.

                                                                                                   ^{REMOTE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT}

     With (1) .......................... transportation technologies, it is now possible to reach even the most distant regions in the world.    (2) .........................., I would contend that the merits of this development are outweighed by its drawbacks. 

    (3) ..................., the ability to travel anywhere in the world offers (4) ................... benefits. At the outset, the discovery of new areas allows everyone to gain a better perception of the earth and new species. This newfound knowledge can act as a precursor to clinical (5) ................... or provide scientists with valuable insights to more effectively combat environmental issues such as climate change. Access to previously unreachable scenic beauty also suggests tourism opportunities, as travel enthusiasts are always on the lookout for new exotic getaways.

     Nonetheless, I believe the (6) ................... perspectives of this trend are eclipsed by more immediate threats to life in this remote natural world. More often than not, as major corporations set foot on and (7) .................... tourism in these areas, the construction of tourism facilities drives out the indigenous people living there. Hotels and recreational facilities emerged at the expense of the locals' accommodation. These people are (8) .................... assimilation, which, as history has indicated, results in the loss of civilizations and cultures. The presence of foreign visitors in these places also poses certain threats to the natural environment, specifically water contamination, land degradation, and natural resource depletion.

     In conclusion, (9) ........................ the thought of traveling to remote natural areas may sound, I conclude that they are better off left untouched.

1, A. the aid of                   B. the help of                 C. support of                  D. assistance of

2, A. That's why                 B. Nevertheless              C. Even though              D. All the same

3, A. On the one hand        B. Other way                  C. Moreover                   D. On one side

4, A. appreciable                B. substantial                 C. considerable              D. extensive

5, A. breakthroughs           B. steps forward             C. improvements           D. tapers off

6, A. constructive               B. favorable                   C. peremptory                D. positive

7, A. tap into                      B. expand                       C. exploit                       D. utilize

8, A. forced to                    B. coerced into               C. influenced by             D. pushed out

9, A. look interesting         B. as attractive as           C. as fascinating as        D. as exciting as

I, Use the correct form of the word given in each sentence. (1.5 pts)

1/ Female genital _____________ or cutting is a form of violence against women and girls that is widely performed in about 30 countries in Africa. (MUTILATE)

2/ The construction of a new road to link my town with the capital city is _____________ underway and is due to be finished by 2023. (CURRENCY)

3/ Most efforts to promote the _____________ of FGM/C in Sudan have been initiated and led by civil society organizations. (ABANDONED)

4/ Finally, as noted in the methods section, other _____________ members were present during some of the interviews. (HOUSE)

5/ Nevertheless, the _____________ of the population suffering from the serious medical condition of shopping addiction is reaching a crisis point. (PERCENT)

6/ In 2013, Dixon-Woods and colleagues published a study appraising the use of _____________ checklists introduced in hospitals to reduce complications and deaths during surgery. (SURGERY)

• You are going to read the article below. Five sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from line sentences      A - F the one which fits each gap (1 - 5).

                                                                                       SOCIAL MEDIA AND FRIENDSHIP

   Having too many friends does not sound like the kind of thing anyone should really be too concerned about. After all, what can be wrong with having a wider group of people to hang out with? According to the latest figures, the average number of friends people have with social media is somewhere between 200 and 300. (1) __________ But is this a realistic amount? Is it feasible to maintain meaningful relationships with so many people, in particular those you may never actually meet in person? 

   Nowadays, we are just one click away from making new friends on social media. (2) __________ For instance, when I see that a friend has updated their profile with snaps from their latest holiday, I'd typically reply with a comment like “Wow, looks great!” even though in actual fact, it doesn’t. The unwritten agreement is that the next time I post, that friend will respond with a similarly appreciative comment, so I’ll feel better about myself. 

   Not long ago, I got chatting to someone at a concert, who told me that she loved going to gigs. We got along pretty well that evening, even though the music was so loud! We even swapped numbers and added each other on social media. Now, I see her pop up in my feed now and again and I ‘like’ her photos from various gigs she’s been to, but I’m pretty certain that we’ll never arrange to meet up in real life. 

   (3) __________ That being said, we’re living in a time where we expect things to happen instantly, so is it really all that surprising that the way we form friendships has adapted to this trend? Perhaps it shows how social media has made friendships less sincere, reducing them to a series of meaningless ‘adds’ and ‘likes’. 

   Real friendships, on the other hand, take time to build. My most important relationships haven’t grown out of a few trivial online exchanges. (4) __________ And these for me - and I believe for most other people too - are much more valuable and meaningful. It’s something that cannot be replicated on social media, no matter how many times you have ‘liked’ a person’s posts. 

   It has been suggested that technology is ruining our relationships with other people. (5) __________ However, it seems undeniable that it has now altered people’s priorities, and transformed the way that we manage our friendships in the most fundamental ways. Ultimately, though, it’s up to us to decide how real and meaningful those friendships truly are.

+ SENTENCES:

A. Personally I wouldn't go so far as to say that.

B. Research suggests that this figure is actually higher for teenagers. 

C. Social media has made this kind of problem increasingly more common.

D. It's taken years of shared experiences to develop strong and lasting bonds.

E. This has led some people to question just how sincere the friendship is.

F. It could be argued that this is just another example of how life has changed in recent years.

• For each question, choose the correct answer:

  My name’s Martin Cabello and I’m a young photographer. Taking photographs was always my favorite activity as a child. And when I was 15, I felt that if I wanted to take my hobby to the next level, I had to do something special. So I decided to start a personal project: I would take one photograph every day for a whole year of my life. I knew that many other young photographers before me had done the same thing, but it seemed like a really great idea, and so I started. 

  After a few weeks, I decided to put these photos onto a website for young photographers because I was keen to create a photo diary, and also to have the chance to show other people my photos. I was amazed to discover that others liked the way I saw and photographed things. I was also enjoying photographing a wide range of subjects. Then someone suggested that if my photographs all had a common topic or idea to connect them, my project would be even better – and I agreed. 

  So I began to concentrate more on taking photos of nature scenes, especially of birds and the sky. A lot of them were black and white photographs, which was very different from what many other young photographers were doing – they were all taking color photos. As a result, I sometimes had doubts about my project, and I almost gave up several times. In the end, however, I trusted my own feelings and became more confident about my photographic style and choices. 

  One day I showed my project to my art teacher at school. She told me about a national photography competition for people my age. So I entered some of my photos, just for fun. I’ll never forget the moment when the judges told me that I had won first prize; I was so happy, as my project meant so much to me. It was the first time I realized that maybe my photography really was good and that I might actually be able to work as a professional photographer. I now have my own photography studio and I’ve never regretted my career choice.

1, Martin started his project because he wanted to​ …………….
A. influence other photographers.
B. try an original idea of his own.
C. take a lot more photos than he had before.
D. develop his photography further.

2, What happened after Martin put his photos on the website?
A. He became more interested in other photographers’ pictures.
B. He was given some advice to improve his project
C. He decided that his photos weren’t good enough.
D. He discovered that the website wasn’t the best place for his photos.

3, How did Martin feel when he took his first nature photos?
A. He wasn’t sure that he was doing the right thing.
B. He was certain that the photos would be better in color.
C. He was anxious about what others would think.
D. He was worried that his photos might not be interesting.

4, How did winning the competition affect Martin?
A. He realized how enjoyable competitions can be.
B. It helped him to make a decision about his future.
C. It gave him the opportunity to meet more young photographers.
D. He started putting more effort into his photography.

5, What would be a good title for this text?
A. My favorite websites for sharing photographs.
B. The best way to become a successful young photographer.
C. How a photography project changed my life.
D. Why more photographers should take pictures of nature.