Between the Stacks

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.

if

whether

unless

though

too

so

very

that

similar

alike

equal

same

collisions

contacts

encounters

crossings

holder

bearer

keeper

owner

margins

edges

borders

rims

paid

taken

made

given

much

so

all

far

Walk into a good second-hand bookshop and the first thing you notice is the sheer abundance. Shelves (0) ___ under the weight of volumes, piles rise from the floor, and the stock is arranged according to a system known only to the owner, (1) ___ there is a system at all. Yet this disorder is not a flaw (2) ___ much as the whole point. An online bookseller, however clever its algorithms, can only ever offer you more of the (3) ___ . A second-hand shop thrives on chance (4) ___ . You go in looking for a detective novel and leave as the proud (5) ___ of a Victorian guide to beekeeping. Then there are the traces of earlier readers: a name inscribed on the flyleaf, a dedication to a long-forgotten sweetheart, pencilled comments in the (6) ___ . Each book carries a history that no new copy can. Rising rents have (7) ___ their toll, and many such shops have closed in recent years. Those that remain are (8) ___ the more precious for it.

Between the Stacks

moan

sigh

groan

weep

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

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