Practice English Vocabulary C1 Exercises – Movement and transport

A. Complete using the correct form of the words in the boxes.

1   I ………………….. my school bag from the table and rushed out of the house.

2   Grace ………………….. in her bag for her car keys and finally found them.

3   A man ran from the burning house, ………………….. a baby in his arms.

4   The old man ………………….. his finger straight at me and I felt a chill go down my spine.

5   As the train left the station, Charlie ………………….. goodbye.

6   Jamie came home from school with a black eye because someone had ………………….. him.

7   I asked Karen where the phone was and without taking her eyes off the TV she ………………….. lazily in the direction of the kitchen.

8   Lina ………………….. her fists tightly in anger but managed to control herself.

9   He ………………….. my hand firmly and I could see that he was trying to thank me.

10   The burglar ………………….. very quietly along the corridor, trying not to wake anybody.

11   How long do you think you could ………………….. on one leg?

12   I ………………….. in the park most mornings because I like to keep myself in shape.

13   Just ………………….. this way, sir, and the customer services manager will be with you in a moment.

14   When we heard the noise, we quickly ………………….. round the corner to see what had happened.

15   Before he learnt to walk, my younger brother used to ………………….. everywhere on all fours.

16   The army ………………….. for two days before they came to the outskirts of the city.

17   The speaker ………………….. onto the stage and smiled confidently at the audience.

18   When he saw me coming, our dog ………………….. over the gate and came to greet me.

19   Polly was so happy she ………………….. along the pavement to school, jumping from one foot to the other.

20   When the men were finally found, they had been ………………….. at sea in a tiny boat for days.

21   Wolves used to ………………….. this whole area, looking for food.

22   I was bored so I ………………….. into the centre of town and did a bit of window shopping.

23   I didn’t see the oil on the floor and I ………………….. on it.

24   This wardrobe is really heavy, but maybe we can ………………….. it along the ground.

25   I didn’t see the step and I ………………….. over it.

26   The road was wet, so when I pressed the brakes the car ………………….. .

B. Complete using the words in bold in the correct form.

1   I ………………….. over a rock and looked down into the valley below us. We had ………………….. to 6,000 metres above sea level and the air was getting thin. Nick was injured, and I knew we would have to ………………….. soon to get medical treatment. (ascend, clamber, descend)

2   The pilot held the controls. The engines were dead and the plane was ………………….. towards the airfield. She knew that if she didn’t have the ………………….. to reach the runway, there was no way she could ………………….. . She just hoped that the air would continue to ………………….. over the wings and stop her from ……………………………… too low. She ………………….. the runway with her heart in her throat. (accelerate, approach, flow, glide, sink, velocity)

3   The arctic tern is an incredible bird. It ………………….. thousands of miles each year, stopping occasionally to ……………………………… on the ocean to rest. How it remembers the ………………….. is still not fully understood. (float, migrate, route)

4   In basketball, you must ………………….. the ball when you are moving with it. When you take a shot, you should let the ball ………………….. off your fingers so that it ………………….. in the air. That makes it more accurate. (bounce, roll, rotate)

5   In the 1950s, many people ………………….. from the West Indies to England. Life was often hard for these ………………….., but they eventually became part of British life. Today, Britain also welcomes ………………….. from parts of the world that are affected by war. (emigrate, immigrant, refugee)

C. Complete using the correct form of the words in the box.

LET THE PLANE TAKE THE STRAIN

The railways changed the way we live and work. People started to (1) ………………….. to work, travelling home in a crowded train (2) ………………….. each day. Now a new (3) ………………….., Officeways, plans to extend the idea and hopes to get more of us taking the plane to work!

In the past, getting to work by air was only for the very wealthy, who could afford to (4) ………………….. a plane or helicopter even if they didn’t have their own private jet. Now, Officeways, which travels to (5) ………………….. throughout Europe, is offering special deals on short trips to business travellers. You might have less (6) ………………….. than on the train, but Officeways claims their (7) ………………….. are specially trained to help you relax on the way to work. And with such short journey times, there’s no risk of (8) …………………..! So what are you waiting for? Turn to page 37 for our Officeways competition!

D. Circle the correct word or phrase.

1   Running along the seafront, there was a short concrete pier / quay, where a dozen fishing boats bobbed in the afternoon sun.

2   Quite a few resorts in Britain have long piers / quays, which stick out into the sea, and which often have shows or other forms of entertainment on them.

3   This area is for passersby / pedestrians only and is closed to all traffic.

4   After the accident, passersby / pedestrians described the driver as a middle-aged man with a beard.

5   Keep both hands on the wheel and you’ll find it easier to pilot / steer the car.

6   I’m hoping to train so that I can pilot / steer commercial aircraft.

7   As I came out of the petrol station, I saw a hiker / hitchhiker with his thumb out, trying to get a lift.

8   Local hikers / hitchhikers insist that they have the right to walk across the field, although the farmer who owns the land disagrees.

9   It’s three and a half hours each way, so the return fare / round trip takes seven hours.

10   A single is €40, but the return fare / round trip is actually only €55.

11   A lorry lost its cargo / load on the motorway and there’s white paint everywhere.

12   The area where the cargo / load is stored on a plane can actually get extremely cold during a flight.

E. Write one word in each gap.

1   The police officer told the homeless man to move ………………….. and he walked slowly and painfully down the road.

2   Len has already left on foot, but if we take the car then maybe we can still head him ………………….. before he gets home.

3   Would you mind moving ………………….. so that I can sit here?

4   A young man was riding his motorbike on the pavement and everyone was forced to step ………………….. to let him go past.

5   The area has been cordoned ………………….. following a bomb threat.

6   As I leant on the table, it tipped ………………….. and I fell over.

7   My mum’s a bit upset because my sister’s moving ………………….. to go to university next week.

8   Daryl managed to keep up with the leader for most of the race, but eventually he started to fall ………………….. .

F. Complete using a phrasal verb with a word from box A in the right form and a word from box B.

1   Dimitri thought he heard a funny noise coming from the car engine, so he ………………….. to investigate.

2   The police ………………….. the crowd ………………….. so that the ambulances could get to the scene more quickly.

3   The show was so boring that we ………………….. after half an hour.

4   Remind me to ………………….. on the way to your grandma’s to get her a birthday card.

5   I wish you wouldn’t ………………….. on me like that! You frightened me to death!

6   Martha didn’t want to interrupt the party, so she just ………………….. quietly without anyone noticing.

7   Are you really thinking of ………………….. with Josie? What about your own flat?

8    It seems that the explorers ………………….. after losing their map and wandered in the jungle for days.

G. The phrasal verb cordon off means something like ‘prevent people entering’. Tick the words which could be used to complete this sentence to form phrasal verbs with a similar meaning.

The area has been ………………… off by police.

7   seal    ………………….

8   take    ………………….

H. Complete using the phrases in the box in the correct form. Change sb, sth or do into something appropriate.

1   Look at the time! We’d better ………………………… or we’re going to be late.

2   My parents say they ………………………… when they met on holiday in Turkey.

3   Your essay isn’t good enough. It’s obvious to me that you …………………………, rather than taking your time.

4   I’ve always wanted to fly and I would ………………………… to visit the pilot in the cockpit.

5   One of the things I love about this house is that it ………………………… the river.

6   I don’t want to …………………………, but there’s a chance we might be flying to America!

7   I can’t believe you ………………………… Ben what I said about him.

8   There’s no need to ………………………… me – I wasn’t the one who crashed the car!

9   I’ve got a lot of homework, so let me ………………………… first and then I’ll call you.

10   You travel so much! I can’t ………………………… all the countries you’ve been to.

11   Since you’re going that way, do you think you could ………………………… my house?

12   Those sunglasses were expensive – take them off in the pool or you’ll ………………………… .

I. Write one word in each gap.

1   In the distance, a steam train ………………………. slowly into view.

2   Don’t ………………………. your voice at me! I haven’t done anything wrong!

3   We need to book our ferry tickets ………………………. some point, so remind me later.

4   Suddenly, the door flew ………………………. and there stood Mrs Singh.

5   It’s the ………………………. hour, so there’ll be a lot of traffic on the roads.

6   My dad’s beginning to ………………………. grey, and he’s only 35.

7   Even when his flight was cancelled, Jake still managed to ………………………. a smile.

8   Do you know the ………………………. to Ed’s house from here?

9   Sam’s not coming, but Isabelle’s ………………………. the way, so she should be here soon.

10   I can’t believe that woman just tried to ………………………. the queue and get to the front first.

J. For each question, write one word which can be used in all three sentences.

1   I don’t understand what ………………………. Michael to leave his family like that.

      The kids almost ………………………. me crazy when we were on holiday.

      I thought the journalist ………………………. his point home well, and the politician didn’t know what to say.

2   We decided to ………………………. towards the small town we could see in the distance.

      Joshua Reed has been appointed to ………………………. the committee responsible for promoting local tourism.

      Which places would you say ………………………. the list of most popular tourist destinations in Britain?

3   I’m starting to ………………………. to the conclusion that you don’t want to go on holiday with me.

      How did you ………………………. to lose your passport?

      I know it’s going to ………………………. as a bit of a shock to you, but I’ve decided to walk round the world.

4   We need to keep up a ………………………. pace if we’re going to get there before it gets dark.

      Corey and Angela seem to have a very ………………………. relationship, and I can’t imagine them splitting up, can you?

      Kelly gave me a ………………………. look as if to say, ‘I know where you’ve been.’

5   We always make a ………………………. of inviting the old woman next door to join us for Christmas dinner.

      Don’t mention the fact that Chris failed his driving test – it’s a bit of a sore ………………………. with him.

      I know she’s your best friend, but that’s beside the ………………………. – you had no right to invite her on the trip without asking me.

6   It’s hard to believe that Sandra ………………………. 50 this year, isn’t it?

      The police officer ………………………. her gun on the man and told him to lie down on the floor.

      I ………………………. to say something to Connor, but he had already left.

7   Jacob ………………………. his doctor’s advice and went away for a few days.

      Hannah decided to start wearing earrings and her friends soon ………………………. suit.

      I ………………………. the speaker’s argument up to the final point, but I don’t understand where his conclusions came from.

8   My dad’s involved in ………………………. a campaign to stop them building the new motorway near here.

      These vehicles have the advantage of ………………………. on electricity, rather than petrol.

      You won’t be able to avoid ………………………. into problems, so just deal with them when they arise.

K. Write one word in each gap.

1   From our house to the centre of town is about four miles as the …………………… flies.

2   I know the brochure said the villa was ‘peaceful’, but it was actually in the …………………… of nowhere.

3   As soon as we got to the pool, the kids made a …………………… for the shop selling ice creams.

4   The soldier shouted ‘Halt!’ and I stopped dead in my …………………… .

5   Cambodia? That’s a bit off the beaten ……………………, isn’t it?

6   Take the next left, then first right, and just follow your …………………… until you see the stadium on your left.

7   Wandering the streets of Prague, I lost my ……………………, so I had to ask the way to the castle.

8   We were quite lucky because our hotel was only a …………………… throw away from the beach.

9   It’s about 20 minutes longer, but if we take the scenic …………………… you’ll be able to take some photos.

10   Turn right here and we’ll …………………… a short cut through the side roads.

L. Use the word given in capitals at the end of the line to form a word that fits in the space in the same line.

The stairlift

It’s ironic that the very things that are supposed to provide access to the (1) ………………… (UP) floors of buildings – stairs – often, in fact, make them (2) ………………… (ACCESS). For many elderly people and others with limited (3) ………………… (MOBILE), getting upstairs can be a daily problem to be (4) ………………… (COME). However, stairlifts have been helping people solve that problem since they first appeared in the US in the 1930s. Designs have (5) ………………… (GO) many changes over the years and stairlifts have become (6) ………………… (PROGRESS) safer and easier to use. Most consist of a seat which moves along rails that run along the wall.

The user controls how (7) ………………… (RAPID) the seat moves along the rails as it travels from the bottom of the stairs to the (8) ………………… (LAND) at the top. In today’s models, the (9) ………………… (MOVE) is controlled by computers to give a smooth ride and the components are designed to (10) ………………… (STAND) constant use. Many people have been given a new lease of life by the stairlift.

M. Each of the words in bold is in an incorrect form. Rewrite them correctly.

1   The situation has been getting unsteady worse for many years now. ………………..

2   The heavy snow meant that the mountain roads were passage for over a week. ………………..

3   People are being advised not to travel to the area because of the outgoing conflict. ………………..

4   Luckily, Tyrone made a very sped recovery after the car accident. ………………..

5   The service at the hotel was upstanding, and I’d definitely recommend it. ………………..

6   Every child needs security and unstable in their life. ………………..

7   It’s not always easy to make the transitional from primary school to secondary school. ………………..

8   I sat completely motion as the spider crawled along my arm. ………………..

N. The prefix de-, as in destabilise, can be added to some verbs, nouns and adjectives in order to give them a negative meaning. Tick the words which can be made negative by adding de-.

6   regulate        ……………………

7   satisfy           ……………………

8   sensitise       ……………………

9   understand  ……………………

10   value           ……………………

O. Complete the sentences using words formed in exercise N.

1   Drinking alcohol when it’s very hot can …………………….. you.

2   The government should …………………….. this industry.

3   I have to drink …………………….. coffee or I can’t sleep.

4   If you don’t tell staff how well they’re doing, it can …………………….. them.

5   Don’t you think violent films …………………….. people to violence in real life?

6   You’ll …………………….. your feet if you don’t get shoes that fit you properly.

7   They’ve decided to …………………….. the currency, so it’ll be worth a lot less.