The origins of printing in the modern age - Unit 8

C1 Advanced · Word Formation · Complete Advanced Workbook, Cambridge University Press

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.

INNOVATE

ACCOMPLISH

CAPABLE

DISTRIBUTE

CONSUME

DENY

ACCURATE

INFLUENCE

The German ___ , Johannes Gutenberg, is widely credited with introducing the printing press to Europe. A basic press had been used in China from the 9th century but Gutenberg's (1) ___ adaptation of the press in around 1450 is said to have ushered in the modern age. Perhaps Gutenberg's greatest (2) ___ was his first print run: 300 copies of the Bible in Latin, which took him three years to complete. Despite having the (3) ___ to produce printed materials, the lack of people able to read meant (4) ___ of the books was a challenge. However, printing did change the (5) ___ of news as it became normal to get daily updates by listening to a paid reader. It is (6) ___ that the printing press helped spread scientific ideas. A barrier to progress before the printing press was that, by copying by hand, a lot of data was (7) ___ noted down. Printing solved this issue, as it allowed the exact replication of pages again and again. Although he died penniless, Gutenberg is considered one of the most (8) ___ people in history.

The origins of printing in the modern age

INVENT

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