19. A French man tried a new way to get a job. He _________ (PUT) his résumé on a billboard next to a busy road. It showed the man wearing a Santa Claus hat with a message: “Trilingual operations manager seeks position in tourism and leisure.” 

20. The man _________ (NOT HAVE) to pay. He saved 2,000 euros because the company that owns the billboard decided to give the space for free. 

21. About 70,000 people a day could see the CV-from their car. This idea worked. A holiday resort gave ____________ (HE) a job. He started it ten days after putting his résumé on the billboard.

No more public phones  

22. The end is coming for New York’s public payphones. New York City officials said workers __________ (REMOVE) all public payphones from the city’s streets soon. Payphones used to be everywhere in the city — on every street corner and in every park and public place. 

23. Many New Yorkers probably won’t even notice the phones are going. Most younger people __________ (NOT SEE) one since birth. They may even have to read the instructions to use a phone. 

24. Modern technology means the public phones aren’t needed. Additionally, they take up sidewalk space that could __________ (GOOD) serve people with disabilities and families with children in strollers.  

19. A French swimmer will try to become the ______________ (ONE) person to swim across the Pacific Ocean. Ben Lecomte, 51, set off from Japan on Tuesday on his superhuman task of crossing the ocean. He will have to swim for eight hours a day to reach his target on the west coast of the USA. 

20. He will also have to face many dangers. There will be sharks, jellyfish, storms, rough seas, and very low water|_temperatures. In 1998, Lecomte made the solo trans-Atlantic swim. It __________ (TAKE) him 73 days to cover the 6,400 km. 

21. When he reached dry land, he _________ (NOT WANT) to do such experiments again but obviously he-changed his mind. 

Jobs for robots 

22. Robots are taking over more and more aspects of our lives, and jobs. The __________ (LATE) occupation to feel threatened by the march of technology is carpentry. For thousands of years, skilled carpenters have made furniture from wood. 

23. However, the next generation of master craftsmen may be robots, not humans. Researchers _________ (INVENT) a robot recently that can create customized wooden furniture. 

24. They said the robots ____________ (NOT REPLACE) humans. The researchers said the goal of their project was to let robots do the more dangerous tasks, so carpenters could focus on design. 

Marriage   

19. A six-year-old boy walked up to his father one day and said, “Daddy, I'd like to get married. His father replied hesitantly,”Sure, son, do you have anyone in mind? Maybe it’s one of our neighbours’ ____________ (CHILD)?” 

20. 20. “No,” answered the boy. “I want to marry Grandma.” 

“Now, wait a minute,” said his father. “You _________ (THINK) I'd let you marry my mother, do you?”

“Why not?” the boy asked. “You married mine.”

Supermarket encounter    

21. A young man was walking through a supermarket. Suddenly he noticed that he ___________ (FOLLOW) by an old lady. 

22. When he went to the checkout line, she got in front of him. “Pardon me,” she said, “I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. It’s just that you look exactly like my son whom I ____________ (NOT SEE) for about 10 years.” 

23. “I’m very sorry,” replied the young man, “Is there anything I can do for you?” “Yes,” she said. “As I’m leaving, can you say ’Goodbye mother’? It would make me feel much __________ (GOOD).” “Sure,” answered the young man. 

24. As the old woman was leaving, he called out, “Goodbye mother!” As he stepped up to the checkout counter, he saw that his total was $127.50. “How can that be?” he asked, “I only bought a few things!” “Your mother said that you __________ (PAY) for her,” said the clerk. 

19. A famous scientist was on his way to a lecture when his chauffeur offered an idea. “Hey, boss, I ____________ (HEAR) your speech so many times already I bet I could deliver it and give you the night off.” 

20. “Sounds great,” the scientist said. When they ___________ (GET) to the auditorium, the chauffeur walked to the lectern and delivered the speech. 

21. Afterward he asked if there ____________ (BE) any questions. “Yes,” said one professor and asked a highly technical question. The chauffeur panicked for a moment but quickly recovered. “That’s an easy one,” he replied. “In fact, it’s so easy, I’m going to let my chauffeur answer it!” 

Memory technique 

22. It was a nice summer day. Two elderly couples were enjoying a friendly conversation in the garden when one of the ____________ (MAN) asked the other, “Fred, how was the memory clinic you went to a month ago?” 

23. “Outstanding,” Fred replied. “We were taught visualization, association. We learned all the ____________ (LATE) psychological techniques — it has made a big difference for me.” 

“That’s great! What was the name of that clinic?” 

24. Fred went blank. He thought and thought but ______________ (NOT CAN) remember. Then a smile broke across his face and he asked, “What do you call that flower with thorns?” “You mean a rose?” “Yes, that’s it!” Then he turned to his wife and asked, “Rose, what was the name of that clinic?”

News Stand  

19. A newsboy was standing on the corner, yelling, “Read all about it. Fifty people swindled!”

Curious, a man __________ (BUY) a paper, and checked the front page. What he saw was yesterday’s paper. 

20. The man said, “Hey, look here, this is an old paper, there ___________ (NOT BE) a story about the big swindle in it”. The newsboy ignored him and went on calling out, “Read all about it. Fifty-one people swindled!”. 

Camping  

21. Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal they _________ (LIE) down for the night, and went to sleep. 

22. Some hours later, Holmes _________ (WAKE) up. “Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.” Watson replied, “I see millions of stars.” “What does that tell you?” Holmes questioned.  

23. Watson pondered for a minute. “Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies. Astrologically, Saturn __________ (SEE) in Leo. What does it tell you?” 

24. Holmes was silent for a minute, then he spoke. “It tells me that somebody _________ (STEAL) our tent!” 

New Zealand: geography 

19. New Zealand consists of two main islands and a number of smaller islands so scattered that they range from the tropical to the Antarctic. New Zealand __________ (LOCATE) about 2,012 km southeast of Australia. 

20. The two main islands are the North Island and the South Island, _____________ (SEPARATE) by Cook Strait. The North Island is 829 km long and volcanic in its south-central part. South Island has the Southern Alps along its west coast, with Mount Cook being the highest point. Other inhabited islands include Stewart Island, the Chatham Islands, and Great Barrier Island.

Enough is enough 

21. A woman came to President Abraham Lincoln and told him with a commanding air: “Mr. President, you must make my son a general. Sir, I demand it not as a favor, but as a right. My grandfather ________________ (FIGHT) at Lexington. 

22. My father was the only man who _______________ (NOT RUN) away at Bladensburg. 

23. My husband __________________ (KILL) at Monterrey.” 

24. “I guess, madam,” said Lincoln, “your family _____________ (DO) enough for the country. It is time to give somebody else a chance.”