Diana had been hoping to get away by 5:00, so she could be at the farm in time for dinner. She tried not to show her true feelings when at 4:37 her deputy, Phil Haskings, presented her with a complex twelve-⁠page document that 30 ______ the signature of a director before it could be sent out to the client. Haskins didn't hesitate to 31 ______ her that they had lost two similar contracts that week.

To 32 ______ the truth, it was always the same on a Friday. The phones would go quiet in the middle of the afternoon and then, just as she thought she could leave, a new document would land on her desk. Diana looked at the document and knew there would be no chance of escaping before 6:00.

Diana adored her children. At first 33 ______ she looked happy. The demands of being a single parent as well as a director of a small but thriving City company meant there were 34 ______ moments left in any day to relax. When it came to the one weekend in four that James and Caroline spent with her ex-⁠husband, Diana would try to leave the office a little earlier than usual to avoid the weekend traffic.

She read through the first page slowly, aware that any mistake 35 ______ hastily on a Friday evening could be 36 ______ in the weeks to come. She glanced at the clock on her desk as the signed the final page of the document. It was just showing 5:51.

William and Philippa were rivals. They were considered the best students at New College. At the beginning of the third year they applied for the Charles Oldham Shakespeare prize for an essay. The chosen theme for the prize essay that year was "Satire in Shakespeare". Troilus and Cressida clearly called for the most attention, but both students 30 ______ to find satirical nuances in almost every play by Shakespeare. As the year was coming to an end, 31 ______ anyone doubted that either William or Philippa would win the prize while the other would come in second. 32 ______, no one was willing to express an opinion as to who the victor would be.

Before the prize essay submission date, they both had to take their final degree examinations. 33 ______ students studied as hard as William and Philippa. It came as no surprise to anyone that they both achieved first-⁠class degrees in the final honors school. Rumor spread around the university that the two rivals had been awarded As in every one of their nine papers.

"I would be willing to believe that is the case," Philippa 34 ______ William. "But I feel I must point out to you that there is a considerable difference between an A-⁠plus and an A-⁠minus."

"I couldn't agree with you more," said William. "But 35 ______, when you discover who has won the Charles Oldham, you will know who was awarded less."

It turned 36 ______ that the examiners felt unable on this occasion to award the prize to one person and had therefore decided that it should be shared by William and Philippa.

In 1978 I was chairman of Cooper's, a company which ran 127 vehicles of various weights and sizes. We 30 ______ in transporting goods by road.

My father had founded the firm in 1931, starting out with three vehicles  — two of them driven by horses. By the time we became Cooper & Son in 1967, the company had 31 ______ in obtaining seventeen big trucks and delivered goods all over the north of England.

My father insisted that I leave school the moment I passed my О levels. "I'll teach you more about the real world in a month than you'd learn from any of those university types in a lifetime," he 32 ______ to say. I followed his advice and never 33 ______ it. I left school a few weeks after my sixteenth birthday. The next morning I joined Cooper's as an apprentice, and spent my first three years at the depot under the watchful eye of Buster Jackson, the works manager. He taught me how to take the company's trucks 34 ______ and, more important, how to put them back together again.

After graduating from the workshop, I spent five years in different departments. When my father retired in 1977  — at the age of seventy  — I took over as chairman. Then I began to set in motion some ideas I'd been working on for the past decade, 35 ______ I knew my father didn't approve of them. I never 36 ______ him, but Europe was only the beginning of my plans for the company s expansion.

Sir Alexander Heathcote was an exact man. 30 ______ people were like him. He was exactly six feet three-⁠and-⁠a-quarter inches tall, rose at seven o'clock every morning, joined his wife at breakfast to eat one boiled egg cooked for precisely four minutes, two pieces of toast with one spoonful of Cooper's marmalade, and drink one cup of China tea. He used to take a carriage from his home in Cadogan Gardens at exactly 8:20 and 31 ______ at the Foreign Office at promptly 8:59, returning home again on the stroke of six o'clock.

Sir Alexander had been exact from an early age, as he was the only son of a general. But, unlike his father, he chose to serve his queen in the diplomatic service, another exacting calling. He 32 ______ in progressing from a shared desk at the Foreign Office in Whitehall to third secretary in Calcutta to minister in Peking. He was delighted when Mr. Gladstone 33 ______ the opportunity to represent the government in China. For some time he had been 34 ______ in the art of the Ming dynasty. This appointment would present him a perfect chance of 35 ______ in their natural habitat some of the great statues, paintings and drawings he had previously been able to admire only in books.

When he arrived in Beijing, Her Imperial Highness wished him a successful term of office in his appointment and then the audience 36 ______ to an end.

Victor Rosenheim, an American banker, was Consuela's third husband. At first 30 ______ they looked happy. The gossip columns, however, were suggesting that the former Colombian model was already searching for the next husband. The Rosenheims flew into London from their home in New York. The purpose of their trip was twofold. There was always the chance that Mr. Rosenheim would take over a small merchant bank, while Mrs. Rosenheim intended to occupy her time looking 31 ______ a suitable birthday present  — for herself. 32 ______ people have been able to discover exactly which birthday Consuela would officially be celebrating.

After a sleepless night, Victor Rosenheim 33 ______ to get up early for an important meeting in the City, while Consuela remained in bed toying with her breakfast. After breakfast Consuela 34 ______ a couple of phone calls and then she disappeared into the bathroom.

Fifty minutes later she emerged from her suite dressed in a pink Chanel suit. She stepped out of the hotel and into the morning sun to begin her search for the birthday present.

She spent some time in Asprey's considering the latest slimline watches, a gold statue of a tiger with jade eyes and a Faberge egg. She 35 ______ that her close friend, Tina, was not with her, she needed her advice badly. From there she walked to a 36 ______ shop, which despite a determined salesman who showed her almost everything the shop had to offer, she still left empty-⁠handed.

Daniel and Diana were good friends. They had majored in economics at Bristol University in the early 1980s. Then Daniel met Rachel, who had arrived a year after them, and fell in love with her at first 30 ______. In Rachel he found everything he was looking 31 ______ in a wife. They married the day he graduated, and after they returned from their honeymoon, David took over the management of his father's farm in Bedfordshire. Three children followed in quick succession, and Diana was proud when she was asked to be godmother to Sophie, the eldest. Daniel and Rachel had been married for twelve years; they 32 ______ ever quarrelled. 33 ______ married couples were so happy.

34 ______ Diane was regularly asked to spend the weekend with them in the country, she only accepted one invitation out of three. She would have liked to join them more often, but since her divorce she had no desire to take advantage of their hospitality.

Diane felt tired. She 35 ______ her work, but it had been an awful week. Two contracts had fallen through, her son had been dropped from the school soccer team, and her daughter had never stopped 36 ______ her that her father didn't mind her watching television when she ought to be doing her homework. "I will survive." Diana smiled and thought about Daniel's birthday. She had forgotten to get him a present.

Philip Masters was a millionaire now. 30 ______, everyone in the club was aware that he had built up his own business from scratch after he had left his first job as a kitchen salesman. "Ready-⁠Fit Kitchens" had started in a shed at the end of Philip's garden. Later, he 31 ______ in building a factory on the other side of town that employed more than three hundred people.

Ten years later, the financial press speculated that Philip's business was worth a couple of million. When five more years later the company was taken over by the John Lewis Partnership, Philip got seventeen million pounds. 32 ______ businessmen were as lucky as he was.

Philip was married for more than twenty years. He had fallen in love with Sally at first 33 ______. Now Sally was chairman of the regional branch of the Save the Children Fund. Their son had just won a place at St Anne's College, Oxford. Michael was the boy's godfather.

Michael Gilmour could 34 ______ be a greater contrast. On leaving school, where Philip had been his closest friend, he 35 ______ to find a permanent job. He started out as a trainee with Watneys, but lasted only a few months. Then he started to work as a reporter with a publishing company. He drifted from job to job. 36 ______ Philip, he married his childhood sweetheart, Carol West, the daughter of a local doctor. They had a daughter. Michael seemed to have settled down at last.

William and Philippa were students. Some people, it is said, fall in love at first 30 ________, but that was not what happened to them. They hated each other from the moment they met. This mutual hatred began at the first tutorial of their freshman term. Both had 31 ________ with major scholarships to read English language and literature. Each had been reliably assured by their schoolteachers that they would be the star pupil of their year. 32 ________ students had such prospects.

Their tutor, Simon Jakes of New College, was amused by the competition that so quickly developed between his two brightest pupils. He skillfully used their hatred to bring out the best in both of them. He never 33 ________ it. By the end of their first year, they were far ahead of other students.

In their second year, they became even more hostile. When they were both awarded A-⁠plus for their essays on Shakespeare, it didn't help. Simon Jakes told his colleagues that he had never had a brighter pair up in the same year. They taught each other most of the time and he 34 ________ acted as a referee. It 35 ________ as no surprise to anyone that, as the examiners felt unable on this occasion to award the prize to just one person, they 36 ________ decided that it should be shared by William and Philippa.

"Looking for Alaska", written by John Green, is a story that will leave the reader moved by the characters. The readers will 30 _______ things about themselves they may have never known.

The author graduated from Kenyon College and worked for the "Booklist" journal. He reviewed hundreds of books, particularly literary fiction. In 31 _______, he critiqued novels for "The New York Times" Book Review. His first novel "Looking for Alaska" was mostly 32 _______ by his experience at a boarding school. This book made the "Top 10 Best Book for Young Adults" and undoubtedly 33 _______ it.

The novel is flawlessly written, moving and stimulating. All the characters are real and can create connections with their audience. They no longer seem to behave like fictional characters, but rather real people that have similar problems and ideas as young adults nowadays. 34 _______ of this, readers are able to recognize their own search for self-⁠identity or labyrinths they must escape through the main characters.

Overall, I would recommend this novel to kids in high school. The characters in this story showed me the good and bad parts of life and still 35 _______ me want to live through them. This novel generated a spectrum of emotions with each page and I could 36 _______ put it down.

"Faithful" is the final novel in the trilogy by Jane Bush. This powerful book pushes limits, breaks hearts and 30 _______ you think. It is much more complex than most young adult novels in its challenges of what is logical versus what is right. The novel 31 _______ a breathtaking story about the adventures of Tobias and Tris.

Tobias reveals vulnerabilities I never would have guessed he had. I loved the half of the novel, which was told from his point of 32 _______; the darkness and desperation he fights against were so intense it hurt my heart.

Tris’ side is less complicated and she doesn’t change much. However, she gains a deeper understanding of things, which in turn gives the reader 33 _______ a deeper understanding of the characters and their motivations.

While I loved so many things in this book, the writing wasn’t as exciting as in the previous novels, at 34 _______ not for me and not in the beginning. Towards the middle it gained more intensity and the pace picked up, and by the end I was on the edge of my seat.

The end was perfect not just on the characters’ parts, but on the author’s as well. It was an ending that left me 35 _______ earlier scenes with revelation that it was all leading to this. Jane Bush has definitely 36 _______ in creating an unforgettable world to discover.

"The Polar Express" is a fantastic book by Chris Van Allsburg. The author has 30 ______ a terrific job at both writing and illustrating this book. He portrays the boy’s enthusiasm at going to the North Pole: this journey is 31 ______ a trip to an amusement park. Chris Van Allsburg’s writing is full of magic and wonder; the first person narration is realistic and heart-⁠warming 32 ______ the same time. The

boy 33 ______ the readers what a wonderful place the North Pole is, he describes in every detail the city’s lights and the factories that surround the city. The 34 ______ that the text is set up will make any child want to go to the North Pole. Van Allsburg’s illustrations are colourful and appealing, especially of the images of the North Pole with the beautiful picture of all the fairy tale characters gathering

at the centre of the city. Also, the different landscapes that the Polar Express passes through are extremely beautiful.

"The Polar Express" is truly one of the greatest masterpieces in children’s literature ever created. The readers will share the experience of 35 ______ at the North Pole from a child’s perspective. They will also 36 ______ the wonderful illustrations of the North Pole itself. I would recommend this book to boys and girls aged five and up since there is nothing really inappropriate for small children.

I have always been interested in various cultures especially those completely alien to us. Thus, imagine my delight when my father 30 ______ me that he was taking us on a holiday to Bangkok and from there to visit a remote tribe that lives about 200 kilometers north of the capital city. As my father explained, the tribe lives an isolated life and the members are cut 31 ______ from the rest of the world in terms of their unique and even weird cultural practices.

During our trip I have noticed that the Thai people are very friendly and their greetings are very 32 ______ to the Indians’. For example, when they meet you they bring their palms together in a prayer-⁠like position and bend their bodies a little as a way of welcoming and acknowledging you. It would definitely 33 ______ you feel as an honored guest. At first, I was rather 34 ______ by these greeting traditions which seemed so unusual and respectful to me. Surprisingly, soon I got used to doing that myself and 35 ______ this procedure during my entire trip to Thailand. We spent only two fantastic days in Bangkok before heading 36 ______ the remote village which was going to be the most exciting time of our lives, dad promised. We were excited and could not wait seeing everything with our own eyes!

Being a good leader takes work. It is not hard at all to 30 ______ the difference between a good and a bad boss. Exceptional leaders  — those who are respected and 31 ______ by their team  — have a lot of secret skills that they put to use every day.

Firstly, building relationships  — both with your team and your partners  — is crucial in leading a team. That means your success depends greatly 32 ______ interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage our emotions, as well as understand the emotions of others. It’s a part of how we navigate social situations and then make decisions to 33 ______ goals. Several studies have found that a strong emotional intelligence is a top factor for a leader’s success. 34 ______ to the research, managers with the strongest emotional intelligence were much more likely to succeed.

Exceptional leaders are ones who regularly 35 ______ employees of the main goal. A team needs to know what they’re marching toward. With a larger vision in mind, their day-⁠to-⁠day work has more purpose.

Great leaders 36 ______ sure their daily behavior is a model for their team. They’re reliable (meaning they always follow through on what they’ve promised), they respect people’s time (meaning they don’t make others wait unnecessarily), and they retain a thoughtful, objective approach to problems or issues.

Dotty came to meet the editor Jerry Green in his London office. He praised her work and 30 ______ to publish her stories in his magazine. After discussing the contract Jerry invited Dotty for lunch. It was her first visit to a big city, so the young lady was really excited.

A shiny black cab stopped next to the beautiful building and Jerry took Dotty into the restaurant. A smart waiter in a black suit took their coats and escorted them to a table by the window.

"Please order 31 ______ you like," Jerry told her as the waiter handed her a menu, and Dotty got lost. She had been 32 ______ up on very plain food and everything on the menu looked so fancy and expensive. Jerry saw her discomfort. 33 ______, he asked after a while if he could order for her. Dotty gratefully agreed. The meal was like nothing she had ever eaten before, and as one delicious

course followed another she began to relax a little as she found that Jerry was good company and very easy to talk to. He 34 ______ Dotty of her elder brother.

"Thank you so much for a lovely day and a lovely meal," Dotty said when the lunch was over. She was so full that she was sure she wouldn't be able to eat another thing for at least a month.

"It was my pleasure," he assured her. "I’ve really enjoyed today. And I hope this will be the start of a long working relationship. I’ll be 35 ______ touch soon." Then she 36 ______ goodbye and caught a cab to the railway station. It had been a truly unforgettable day.

Ted Sanford was born nine minutes later than his brother Harry. It was his twin brother, Harry, who was 30 ______ to become an earl, to inherit a castle in Scotland, 22,000 acres in Kent, twenty million pounds and one of the best banks in the City of London.

His parents adored Harry, especially his mother. He was her beloved son, she devoted all her spare time to Harry. Ted couldn’t understand why his parents loved him less than Harry. It was to be several years before young Ted worked 31 ______ the full significance of coming second in life’s first race. His twin brother in the years that followed 32 ______not only the usual childhood illnesses but managed to add scarlet fever, diphtheria and meningitis to them. His mother, Lady Sanford, feared for his survival. Ted, on the other 33 ______, was a survivor, and inherited enough ambition for both his brother and himself. He was always a winner. Only a few years passed before those who came 34 ______contact with the brothers for the first time mistakenly assumed Ted was the heir to the earldom.

As the years passed Ted’s father tried desperately to discover something at which Harry might triumph over his brother  — and 35 ______. When they were eight, the two boys were sent away to Summer Fields where many generations of Sanfords had been prepared for Eton. And there Ted beat Harry in every 36 ______.

It was Friday, the thirty-⁠first of May, and it was Shirley’s birthday, her twentieth birthday. Shirley could 30 ______ believe it, but it was true. And she suddenly, and wonderfully, felt quite grown up, very grown up, in fact. Last night her father had 31 ______ her a lovely young lady, and she had beamed at him, hugged him, and told him she was so happy to have him and Alice, have them as her parents. There was no one luckier than she was; Shirley believed that with all her 32 ______.

Last night, over dinner, Alice and Victor praised her and were talking much about how proud they were of her and what she had become, and she had experienced an enormous rush of love and gratitude toward them. Her father had added that she had a wonderful life ahead of her, and she believed him. He always 33 ______ her the truth.

Her dream of going to Cambridge had come true and for the past year she had been living her childhood dream, 34 ______ lectures. She 35 ______ every moment of living in that ancient city of shining spires, gracious quadrangles, and beautiful architecture. It was an extraordinary experience to be in that place of great learning, and she would 36 ______ it with love long after she had left. She was reading English and French history, her favourite subjects, and one day she hoped to be a historian and give lectures herself and write books.

It was a cold grey day when the man walked into the main Yukon trail. He climbed the snow-⁠covered river bank where a trail went through the pine forest. It was a high bank, and the man paused to breathe at the top and 30 _______ at the sky. It was nine o’clock in the morning. There was no sun or even the promise of sunshine, 31 _______ there was not a cloud in the sky. It was a clear day, but the sun was absent from the sky. This fact did not worry the man because he could hardly 32 _______ a day when he had seen the sun.

The man had come a long way alone, and he was really proud 33 _______ himself. The old man from the village warned him how cold it sometimes got in this country. He said that no man should travel alone in this season. Despite all the problems on the way, the man 34 _______ to save himself.

The Yukon River was hidden under three feet of ice with as many feet of snow on top. It was all pure white. North and south, as far as the eye could see, it was white. There was only a thin dark line that curved to the south. This dark line was the trail  — the main trail. It led south 500 miles to the Chilcoot Pass. It led north 75 miles to Dawson and still farther on to the north a thousand miles more. However, all this  — the distant trail, no sun in the sky, and the great cold  — had no 35 _______ on the man. It was not because he was long 36 _______ with it. On the contrary, he was a newcomer in the land, and this was his first winter.

Lincoln stood in the library of William’s house in Russell Square, staring at the Renoir painting of the two red-⁠headed young women. It hung above the fireplace, and Lincoln understood why it took pride of place in this room. It was a masterpiece, and he could see that it 30 ______ William of Lily and Emily.

Lincoln had told William he needed to speak to him privately, and they had 31 ______ to meet here. Lily was still in Brighton with the children. The house was empty and very quiet this afternoon. John came in and, clearing his throat, asked, "Would you like something, sir? Perhaps, a cup of tea?" "No, thank you, John," Lincoln answered. Lincoln continued to study the marvelous Renoir. Suddenly William entered the room and apologized for 32 ______ him waiting.

"What’s this all about, Lincoln? You 33 ______ rather serious, even sad," William said. Lincoln was silent. He went and sat on a chair near the fireplace. William took the other chair, staring at him attentively.

"Brad Winston telephoned me just as I was leaving for lunch. He had apparently attempted to get hold of you here, but the line was busy. In 34 ______, he tried several times with no success. That’s why he finally got 35 ______ touch with me. He said that there was a terrible car 36 ______ sometime last night. Your brother George is in hospital now," Lincoln said.

Becky met Professor Alan Dobson at the lecture. His lecture was devoted to the British role after the war. Becky had fallen in love with Alan even before he started to speak. It was love at first 30 ______. He was very handsome with a head of thick grey hair and large blue eyes. His athletic build belied his age, and 31 ______ that he must spend almost as many hours in the gym as in the library.

The second he began to 32 ______, Becky was captivated by Dobson’s energy, and within moments he had everyone in the auditorium sitting on the edge of their seats. Students began furiously writing 33 ______ his every word. Speaking without notes, the professor nimbly switched from subject to subject, the role of Downing Street after the war, the dollar as the new world currency, oil becoming the commodity that would dominate the second half of the century and the future role of the British monarchy.

When his lecture came to an end, Becky’s only regret was that he’d scarcely 34 ______ on transport, with just a passing mention of how the airplane would change the new world order, both for business and tourism. She wanted him to expand his views on the future of the British shipping industry. But like a seasoned pro, he 35 ______ his audience that he had written a book on the subject. Becky wouldn’t be waiting for Christmas to get hold of a copy. It made her think about Ben, and hope his book 36 ______ was going as well in France.

Victoria Green is a tennis player who holds the most combined major titles among active players. But how did she 30 ______ to get all of those cups? She dominates the court with her strength and agility. Her serve is 31 ______ one of the best serves in women's tennis history. She serves with power and places the ball with accuracy. At Wimbledon in 2010, Green not only won the tournament, but she also 32 ______ the tournament's record when she served 100 aces throughout her matches in the tournament!

Green uses her mental strength and resilience to win tennis matches. Victoria has made incredible comebacks in her career. In the 2013 US Open Final, she was losing to her opponent towards the end of the game. 33 ______ she was two points away from losing the whole match, Green did not give up. Finally, she made a comeback and won the championship! Her victories in high-⁠pressure tournaments illustrate her remarkable focus and 34 ______.

Victoria Green continues to play professional tennis and also runs her own businesses. She has been on the cover of many popular magazines. She has also created her own charitable organization that 35 ______ educational opportunities for underprivileged youth around the world. Victoria Green 36 ______ young people that they can accomplish their dreams through hard work and dedication.

Julia leaned back in her chair, thinking over the company changes that had been announced that morning. As the office manager, she was responsible for passing 30 ______ new information to her team. At 9:00, her phone rang sharply, 31 ______ her out of her thoughts. It was Alex, one of her oldest colleagues, who had worked with her through 32 ______ and thin.

“It’s strange, Julia,” Alex 33 ______, “I never imagined so many changes happening at once.” Julia agreed, knowing this was a time when many employees were worried about the future. Just yesterday, she had 34 ______ a conversation in the break room, where people were discussing rumors of budget cuts and restructuring.

In the past, employees had viewed the company as a stable workplace, a place where they could see themselves long-term. Now, 35 ______, those feelings were fading. Julia had spoken with a few department heads, who had expressed similar concerns, and some of them had started updating their résumés. The uncertainty had created a sense of unease that was difficult to ignore.

Julia planned a meeting later that day to address her team’s concerns, hoping to reassure them and make them feel more secure. As she prepared her notes, she thought of how much the company had evolved since she joined. While change could be challenging, Julia 36 ______ herself that it also brought new opportunities, which she would emphasize in her meeting.