On the top floor of a community centre in a busy city, volunteers have created a seed library. The project began when several residents realised that packets of seeds were often bought in quantities far larger than a single balcony gardener could use. They decided to get the idea (1) .......... the ground by inviting people to donate unused seeds and share simple growing advice. The shelves are organised by season rather than by plant type, so that newcomers can see immediately what can be started at home. A volunteer is available on Saturday mornings to explain how the borrowing system works. At first, visitors had little (2) .......... common: some were experienced gardeners, while others had never kept a plant alive for more than a week.
The organisers therefore kept membership costs to a (3) .......... and ran short sessions on choosing containers, saving water and recognising healthy soil. New members are encouraged to (4) .......... practical experience gradually, rather than attempting an ambitious project immediately. What surprised the volunteers was how quickly the scheme took (5) ........... Seeds are now passed (6) .......... from one season to the next, together with notes about the conditions in which they grew. Regular users say the library has changed the way they think about food: they no longer (7) .......... fresh herbs for granted, and the project has lent itself (8) .......... conversations about sharing space in crowded neighbourhoods.
On the top floor of a community centre in a busy city, volunteers have created a seed library. The project began when several residents realised that packets of seeds were often bought in quantities far larger than a single balcony gardener could use. They decided to get the idea (1) .......... the ground by inviting people to donate unused seeds and share simple growing advice. The shelves are organised by season rather than by plant type, so that newcomers can see immediately what can be started at home. A volunteer is available on Saturday mornings to explain how the borrowing system works. At first, visitors had little (2) .......... common: some were experienced gardeners, while others had never kept a plant alive for more than a week.
The organisers therefore kept membership costs to a (3) .......... and ran short sessions on choosing containers, saving water and recognising healthy soil. New members are encouraged to (4) .......... practical experience gradually, rather than attempting an ambitious project immediately. What surprised the volunteers was how quickly the scheme took (5) ........... Seeds are now passed (6) .......... from one season to the next, together with notes about the conditions in which they grew. Regular users say the library has changed the way they think about food: they no longer (7) .......... fresh herbs for granted, and the project has lent itself (8) .......... conversations about sharing space in crowded neighbourhoods.
Question 1
Exam guide & reading text▾
A seed library above the city — Part 1: Multiple Choice Cloze
"A seed library above the city" is a Cambridge C1 Proficiency Multiple Choice Cloze (Part 1) practice exam. This task tests your command of collocations, idiomatic expressions, phrasal verbs and fixed phrases in context. Read the full text carefully before choosing each option — the correct answer often depends on what naturally follows the surrounding words, not grammar alone. Eliminate distractors that are grammatically possible but semantically wrong, and watch for subtle register shifts between formal and informal usage.
On the top floor of a community centre in a busy city, volunteers have created a seed library. The project began when several residents realised that packets of seeds were often bought in quantities far larger than a single balcony gardener could use. They decided to get the idea (1) .......... the ground by inviting people to donate unused seeds and share simple growing advice. The shelves are organised by season rather than by plant type, so that newcomers can see immediately what can be started at home. A volunteer is available on Saturday mornings to explain how the borrowing system works. At first, visitors had little (2) .......... common: some were experienced gardeners, while others had never kept a plant alive for more than a week.
The organisers therefore kept membership costs to a (3) .......... and ran short sessions on choosing containers, saving water and recognising healthy soil. New members are encouraged to (4) .......... practical experience gradually, rather than attempting an ambitious project immediately. What surprised the volunteers was how quickly the scheme took (5) ........... Seeds are now passed (6) .......... from one season to the next, together with notes about the conditions in which they grew. Regular users say the library has changed the way they think about food: they no longer (7) .......... fresh herbs for granted, and the project has lent itself (8) .......... conversations about sharing space in crowded neighbourhoods.