Variant 1 You could have come first and won the race if you … faster

17. Sally buys a newspaper every day to keep … the news.
A) away from B) up with C) behind D) off
18. – So, when did they tell you about the robbery? – I … by the police as soon as they found out.
A) was informed B) would be informed C) will be informed D) had been informed
19. You won`t have a good command of the language … you practise speaking it every day.
A) even though B) if C) unless D) in case
20. I … up with that sportsman yesterday, if he … so fast.
A) would have catch/were B) would not have caught/were not
C) would catch/were not D) would have caught/were not


Every year thousands of children go to the doctor because of back pain, and in fact, this kind of problem is rapidly becoming one of the most common childhood complaints. And what exactly causes this outbreak of back strain and muscle fatigue? It seems that even quite young children are taking more and more to school - not just books, but also clothes and games players - and their backpacks simply weigh too much. "Some kids carry more than 25% of their bodyweight in a bag that has a nice cartoon character on it, but which actually gives them backache," reported Dr Elaine Sachs, a GP in North London. "Most parents simply don’t realize what is happening to their children."
21. The word FATIGUE in the passage is closest in meaning to. . .
A) pressure B) disease C) strength D) exhaustion


22. What reason is given for children’s back pain?
A) They play games which are not suitable for their age.
B) They carry unnecessary books for their school.
C) The bags with the pictures of TV-cartoon heroes.
D) Their rucksacks are loaded with a lot of things.
23. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A) Parents’ inattentiveness to their children B) Widespread childhood complaints
C) The cause of backaches among youngsters D) Doctors’ concern over heavy schoolbags