A DISCONTENTED PARENT

For three years, on and (01).............................., the teachers in Britain had been on
strike or going slow. One parent, (02).............................. daughter received at the end
of the summer a computer print-out telling her she had failed her school-leaving
examinations (known in England (03).............................. O-level), expressed the anger
of many:
"... when someone I love, who has worked hard and intelligently, is reduced
(04).............................. tears by a computer print-out I start to look for reasons. I
start to reflect on her (05).............................. throughout the year to share textbooks
with a friend. I reflect on the number of classes she attended which the relevant teacher,
in pursuit of a dispute, (06).............................. not.... I reflect on the teacher who did
not and does not set homework (07).............................. he 'doesn't believe in it.'
Perhaps most of all, I reflect on (08).............................. might have been,
(09).............................. not my daughter spent a crucial year in her life
(10).............................. treated like an educational football by a profession so cosseted
that faced with the threat of being assessed it walked (11).............................. the job.
"My wife and I cannot be the (12).............................. parents in this country who do
not give a damn what teachers believe in. What we believe in is the right of our children
to an education uninterrupted by disputes and untrammeled by pseudo-philosophical
stances (13).............................. homework which are at best irrelevant and at worst
plain idle. It may be that the anger and resentment I feel now is no substitute
(14).............................. calm, rational thought followed by constructive action. But the
first member of the National Union of Teachers who thinks of throwing that one at me
had (15).............................. rehearse it first in front of a mirror."

01. off

02. Whose

06. did

07. Because

11. off

12. Only

03. As

04. To

08. What
13. Over

05. having

09. Had
14. For

10. being
15. Better

Stress
Stress (0) ... often called a 21st century illness but it has always been with us if
perhaps (1) ... different names. These days we regard stress (2) ... a necessary evil
of modern living. Yet stress is not negative and without (3) ... we would not enjoy
some of the highpoints in life (4) ... as the anticipation before a date or the tension
leading (5) ... to an important match. All these situations produce stress but (6) ... you
can control it and not the other way (7) ... you will feel stimulated, not worn (8) ...
Unlike these situations, which are generally positive and easier to deal with, sitting in

a train (9) ... is late, (10) ... stuck in a traffic jam, working to a tight deadline are
(11) ... harder to manage and control. Stress is now recognized as a medical problem
and as a significant factor (12) ... causing coronary heart disease, high blood
pressure and a high cholesterol count. Patients are often unwilling to admit to stress
problems (13) ... they feel they are a form of social failure and it is important that
symptoms (14) ... identified in order to avoid unnecessary suffering. So what should
we be looking out for as danger signals? Common signs of stress are increased
tiredness, irritability and (15) ... inability to cope with certain situations.

1- Under-using-with
2- As
3- It
4- Such
5- Up
6- Provided if
7- Round
8- Out down
9- That which
10- Being
11- Much
12- In
13- Because since as
14- Are
15- The