After the Last Day

C2 Proficiency · Multiple Choice Cloze · Cambridge Ready original exercise

For questions 1–8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning.

millstone

grindstone

whetstone

cornerstone

lives

holds

keeps

stays

free

slack

loose

open

loans

borrows

rents

lends

count

weigh

number

measure

run

turn

wear

fall

get

go

fare

come

farmed

ploughed

harvested

cultivated

Retirement is usually (0) ___ as a well-earned reward: an endless holiday after decades with one's nose to the (1) ___ . For many, it (2) ___ up to its promise. Others, however, find themselves at a (3) ___ end within weeks, wandering from room to room and wondering what to do with the hours. Work, for all its frustrations, (4) ___ shape to the day. It also provides a ready-made circle of companions and the reassuring sense that one's efforts (5) ___ for something. Without these, the novelty of long lie-ins and leisurely breakfasts can quickly (6) ___ thin. Those who (7) ___ best in retirement, studies suggest, are not necessarily the wealthiest or the healthiest. They tend to be people who have (8) ___ interests and friendships outside work long before their final day, and who therefore have something to retire to rather than merely something to retire from. A garden, a choir or a part-time job may matter far more than the size of the pension.

After the Last Day

charged

invoiced

billed

fined

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

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