Shade Before Shelter
B2 First · Open Cloze · Cambridge Ready original exercise
For questions 1–8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning.
Today, few of us would leave home on a cloudy day without (0) ___ umbrella. Yet for most (1) ___ their long history, umbrellas had nothing to do with rain. In many ancient societies, servants held them over important people (2) ___ order to provide shade, and only the very wealthy could afford (3) ___ own one. It was only much later that umbrellas came to be associated (4) ___ bad weather, and even then the idea was not popular (5) ___ first. In some European cities, men who carried them were made fun (6) ___ , as umbrellas were seen as fashion accessories for ladies. Many preferred to get wet rather than look foolish. Gradually, however, attitudes changed. As umbrellas became lighter and cheaper, they turned (7) ___ an everyday object found in almost every household. It is (8) ___ of those inventions we hardly think about, except when we realise we have left ours at home on a rainy morning.
Shade Before Shelter
Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.