C2 Proficiency (CPE) Practice Test

CPE Reading and Use of English Part 2: Open Cloze

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 (0).
Example (0) AS

Global English

Global English exists (0) ... a political and cultural reality. Many misguided theories attempt to explain why the English language should have succeeded internationally, whilst (1) ... have not. Is it because there is something inherently logical or beautiful about the structure of English? Does its simple grammar make it easy to learn? Such ideas are misconceived. Latin was once a major international language, (2) ... having a complicated grammatical structure, and English also presents learners with all manner of real difficulties, (3) ... least its spelling system. Ease of learning, therefore, has little to do with it. (4) ... all, children learn to speak their mother tongue in approximately the same period of time, (5) ... of their language. English has spread not (6) ... much for linguistic reasons, but rather because it has often found (7) ... in the right place, at the right time. Since the 1960s, two major developments have contributed to strengthening this global status. Firstly, in a number of countries, English is now used in addition to national or regional languages. As well as this, an electronic revolution has taken place. It is estimated that (8) ... the region of 80% of worldwide electronic communication is now in English.

 

(Source: Adapted from (Pre-2013 Revision) CPE Handbook)

Questions