The birth of the barcode - Practice Exam

C2 Proficiency · Word Formation · Expert Proficiency Resource Book, Pearson Education

For questions 1–8, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning.

IDENTIFY

APPEAR

ACCOMPANY

CHECK

DATE

TIME

PAINS

OFFEND

Alan Haberman will be remembered as the man responsible for the (0) ___ and standardising of the barcode: the black-and-white stripes and numbers symbol that forms the basis of modern product (1) ___ systems. (2) ___ , however, Haberman's motivation came not so much from a desire to make a profit for the supermarket chain which employed him, as from his own sense of frustration at standing in supermarket queues. Haberman, a retail executive, spearheaded the development of the first barcode and (3) ___ scanner device, which was first used in 1974. As well as speeding up the process of collecting payments at the store's (4) ___ , the new electronic system could also (5) ___ managers on the movement and current status of the shop's stock, thereby allowing (6) ___ reorders and deliveries, and saving hours of unnecessary and (7) ___ inventory work by staff. The barcode system also later helped protect stores against the scourge of shoplifting, when a tag was added that would bleep as (8) ___ made their way through the store exit.

The birth of the barcode

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