Cloze passage

Fill in each blank with ONE most suitable word.

The honey bee is a very unusual kind of insect. __________ other insects which live alone, the honey bee
lives as a __________ of a community. These bees live __________ in what is known as a bee colony.
The head of the colony is called the queen bee. She is larger than the_____________ ___ of the bees. Her
main task __________ the colony is to lay eggs. Most of the __________ bees are the worker bees. These
bees __________ nectar and pollen from flowers. __________ nectar __________ is carried by the worker
bees is deposited on the hive and then converted __________ honey. The worker bees also help look
______________ __ the young bees. as soon as the eggs are __________, the worker bees feed the young
bees __________ pollen and nectar. The third type of bee found in the colony is the drone or
_____________ ___ bee. The main task of __________ a bee is to mate with a new queen.
The queen bee has a life __________ of about three years. __________ this period, she would have
__________ more than half a million eggs. __________ the queen bee is dying, a new queen would be
groomed. This new queen would eventually take __________ the 'duties' of the old queen when the
__________ dies.
Cloze passage
Fill in each blank with ONE most suitable word.
"Would you like to buy a box of matchsticks, mister ?" the little girl asked. The man __________ she
approached did not even __________ to answer her. He shuffled __________ in his great coat, eager to get
home __________ his cosy fireplace.
The girl was shivering __________ the cold. It had been __________ continuously for the past two days.
The girl's shoes, __________ were already thin were thoroughly soaked. Yet, her sweet, angelic __________
did not lose __________ innocent smile. It only made her __________ more pathetic when she knitted her
brows sometimes. Her feet __________ sore with painful chilblains.
Someone shouted, "Watch __________, girl !"
It was too __________ ! The coach ws going too fast and the __________ had not seen her earlier. There
was barely enough __________ for the little girl to take a step back. In her hurry to get to __________, the
basket of matchsticks fell __________ the snow.
She __________ them up, wet and dirty from a puddle of melted snow. The matchstick couldn't be used
now. as she began to make her way __________, she realised that she had lost __________ of her shoes in
the snow.
Reading comprehension
Some love it with burgers, others prefer it with fried noodles. In fact, tomato ketchup has become very much
part and parcel of our diet. Have you ever wondered how it is actually made?
The best tomatoes are chosen for manufacturing tomato ketchup. Out of the tons of tomatoes which are
brought into the factory, only those dark red in colour are selected. Beauty is not only skin deep; even the
flesh has to be rich red in colour. Workers must know how to choose tomatoes which are fleshy as seeds are
not used in the production of tomato ketchup.
After the selection of tomatoes, the next step is washing. Some tomato ketchup manufacturers who are very
hygiene-conscious require the fruits to be soaked for about five minutes. This is followed by spraying to
ensure that every part of the surface is clean and pesticide-free.

The washed tomatoes are then ready for peeling. If you have tried detaching the flimsy skin of the tomatoes
from the flesh, you will appreciate the intricacy of the process involved. Manufacturers have got round this
difficulty of peeling by subjecting the tomatoes to a quick heating.
Bigger factories make use of a sophisticated steam jacketed equipment known as the Thermobreak to give
the tomatoes a rapid heating. However, in smaller factories, the tomatoes are loaded into a wire basket which
is then dipped into boiling water for one minute. Workers have to be adept in doing this as delay would
result in the tomatoes being cooked. Then the fruit is quickly sprayed with cold water to detach the skin
from the flesh. The cold shower cools down the fruit and makes them ready for peeling. Peeling is done by
hand, from the bottom to the top of the fruit.
As soon as the tomatoes are peeled, they are immediately sent for pulping. In the pulper, seeds, coarse fibers
and the remaining fragments of skin are removed speedily. Every minute counts as peeled tomatoes may
lose their bright red colour if exposed to air for too long. Manufacturers go to great lengths to preserve the
dark colour of the tomatoes. Glass or stainless steel banks are used for storing the tomatoes to ensure that the
peeled tomatoes do not come into contact with iron. Otherwise, chemical reactions may occur affecting the
colour of the tomato pulp. After pulping, the tomatoes become cyclone juice.
One may mistake this juice for tomato ketchup, but it does not have the characteristic flavor of the tomato
ketchup that we are accustomed to. The final step is the flavoring of the tomato ketchup. Manufacturers have
their own recipes for producing their own brand of tomato ketchup, and they guard their secrets very
zealously. Basically, the essential ingredients are sugar, a little salt, cloves, onion, garlic and vinegar. These
ingredients are cooked with the cyclone juice, giving rise to a concentrated mixture which is in fact tomato
ketchup.
The final step in the production of tomato ketchup is packaging. Clear bottles are filled with tomato ketchup,
capped, sealed and labeled. The bottles of tomato ketchup are then packed into cardboard boxes, ready for
loading onto trucks for distribution to the wholesale and retail outlets.
A bottle of tomato ketchup costs less than two dollars. Don't you think that it should cost more, taking into
consideration the amount of work involved, and that almost one kilogram of raw tomatoes is needed to make
a bottle of tomato ketchup?
Answer the following questions using complete sentences.
1. What kind of tomatoes are selected for manufacturing tomato ketchup?
2. How do hygiene-conscious manufacturers wash tomatoes?
3. Why does the writer consider peeling tomato skin to be an intricate process?
4. Why is time a crucial factor from the moment tomatoes are heated to the time they are pulped?
5. State two ways how manufacturers try to preserve the dark colour of the tomatoes at the pulping stage?
6. Why do you think manufacturers wish to keep their recipes secret?
7. What are the writer's rationales for increasing the current price of a bottle of tomato ketchup?
Fill in the blanks with one correct word from the passage.
8. Rubber latex is one of the raw materials used in the ______ of tyres for vehicles.
9. ______ acid should be handled with care because carelessness may result in serious injuries.

10. We shall inform you if there is an unavoidable ______ in the shipment of goods to your customers.
1. ____________________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________________
4. ____________________________________________________________________________________
5. ____________________________________________________________________________________
6. ____________________________________________________________________________________
7. ____________________________________________________________________________________
8. ____________________________________________________________________________________
9. ____________________________________________________________________________________
10. ____________________________________________________________________________________

Answer Key
The honey bee is a very unusual kind of insect. Unlike other insects which live alone, the honey bee lives as
a member of a community. These bees livetogether in what is known as a bee colony.
The head of the colony is called the queen bee. She is larger than the rest of the bees. Her main task in the
colony is to lay eggs. Most of the other bees are the worker bees. These bees collect nectar and pollen from
flowers. The nectar thatis carried by the worker bees is deposited on the hive and then converted intohoney.
The worker bees also help look after the young bees. as soon as the eggs are hatched, the worker bees feed
the young bees with pollen and nectar. The third type of bee found in the colony is the drone or male bee.
The main task ofsuch a bee is to mate with a new queen.
The queen bee has a life span of about three years. During this period, she would have laid more than half a
million eggs. When the queen bee is dying, a new queen would be groomed. This new queen would
eventually take over the 'duties' of the old queen when the latter dies.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
"Would you like to buy a box of matchsticks, mister ?" the little girl asked. The man whom she approached
did not even stop/bother to answer her. He shuffledaway in his great coat, eager to get home to his cosy
fireplace.
The girl was shivering in the cold. It had been snowing continuously for the past two days. The girl's
shoes, which were already thin were thoroughly soaked. Yet, her sweet, angelic face did not
lose its innocent smile. It only made herlook more pathetic when she knitted her brows sometimes. Her
feet were sore with painful chilblains.
Someone shouted, "Watch out, girl !"
It was too late ! The coach was going too fast and the driver had not seen her earlier. There was barely
enough time for the little girl to take a step back. In her hurry to get to safety, the basket of matchsticks
fell onto the snow.
She picked them up, wet and dirty from a puddle of melted snow. The matchstick couldn't be used now. as
she began to make her way home, she realised that she had lost one of her shoes in the snow.