Test 1 / 30

Read the text and choose the correct answer. Click on a gap and a choice of words will appear.

The city of canals

Venice, the world’s only pedestrian city, is easily walkable, and the absence of cars makes this a particularly pleasant experience. However, walking and standing all day can also be exhausting, so it is best to pace yourself. The Rialtine islands – the ‘main’ part of Venice – are small enough to walk from one end to the other in about an hour, provided you don’t get lost (a common occurrence). If you want to get around a bit more quickly, there are numerous vaporetti (water buses) and water taxis. The vaporetti are generally the best way to get around, even if the service route map changes frequently.

If you are going to be in Venice for a few days visiting, it is a lot cheaper to use vaporetti than private water taxis. If you want to have a romantic ride along the canals, go for a gondola ride, although they tend to exist for more scenic purposes, rather than getting people from point A to point B.

Test 2 / 30

Read the text and choose the correct answer. Click on a gap and a choice of words will appear.

Social beverage

There are many reasons and rewards for the study of wine. The grape has been said to be the only fruit that naturally preserves itself and there is historical justification for the statement. At a time when our modern techniques of storing fresh food were undreamed of, and fresh vegetables and fruits were available only during the short local season, wine was indeed the gift of God. With only modest intervention by ancient man, the grape and its associated yeast produced wine.

There was a food with a flavour like the fresh fruit which could be stored and transported under the existing conditions. At least part of the time it survived in drinkable condition from season to season or even occasionally for many seasons. The fact that wine produced euphoria was not lost on ancient man, and it became not only a regular part of the diet but also a social beverage used for feasting, celebrating, and entertaining guests.