.5 marks)

    Lately, some people have been concerned that the explosion in text messaging among young people is having a negative effect on their literacy skills. (Although / Moreover / However ), a recent study at the department of communication and science at City University in London compared the spelling and punctuation of 11 and 12-year-old texters and non-texters, finding          ( any / some / no ) significant differences between the two groups. When texting, it is important to be fast and      ( concise / discreet / judicious ). This is to save on time and space. A reader who is unfamiliar   ( to / with / of ) texting will feel ( loss / lost / losing ) when seeing abbreviations, acronyms and emoticons. For texters, this ‘language’ is easy to read and easy to write. The debate about the harmful effects of texting ( has started / started / was started ) a few years ago. Teachers began noticing examples of texting language in their ( students’ exam papers / students exam papers / student exam papers ). One case, a 13-year-old Scottish girl who wrote an entire description of her summer holidays in text language, became famous. Her teacher sent a sample of the essay to a national newspaper and readers sent in hundreds of letters giving their opinion.

2 Put the bracketed words in the right tense or form ( 4,5 marks)                     

         Friendship Day has come to be celebrated in a big way in India. The noble idea of honoring friends and friendship has really (catch)…………………. on with the youth in India and one can see the festival being enthusiastically celebrated by the youth (especial)…………………….., students. In tune with the spirit of the occasion, people dedicate Friendship Day festival to (they)……………………. best friends. Most choose to celebrate the entire day in the loving company of their dearest friends. Recollecting sweet memories of the time( spend)………. together and catching up with their (life)………………. over a cup of coffee is the idea of ideal Friendship Day (celebrate)…………………………….. for many. 
Friends separated by geographical distances, call up their friends to (expressing)………………….. love and warmth for each other and to wish a "Happy Friendship Day". With more and more people getting (hook)………………….. to the net, many people also choose to chat with their friends with the help of Internet. Sending messages and Friendship Day e-cards is another( popularity)………………….. way of greetings friends. 

3.Fill in the blanks with words from the box. Be careful there is an extra item ( 4 marks ).

When I met Dave I knew he had kids. The first time I met them was at a local village fete and we just spent the afternoon playing and eating ice cream. By the time we all moved into Dave’s house, the girls were really _______________ with me and we had got to know each other _______________ well. The change for me was much bigger _______________ it was for them. I left my single life _______________ and entered a world of routine, bedtimes and bath times, homework, Barbie dolls and later loud music and _______________! When I met Dave the girls were eight and now they are 16 and really grown up! I know that I will never _________________ their dead Mum, but I do know that we are a happy family and even ________________ I don’t have any children of my own, I think I have ________________ as a Stepmum! 

moreover, some, concise,  with, lost, was started, students� exam papers

caught, especially, spent, lives, celebrating, express, hooked, popular

comfortable, really, than, behind, boyfriends, replace, though,  succeeded