Questions 1-3 refer to the following article.  

Skoropad Aircraft has (1) ……………….. 71.7% of the commercial airplane market in 1995 in a sharp reversal of fortunes after 1994, when it temporarily lost its position as industry leader.

Skoropad finished the year with 400 new orders, with a(n) (2) ……………….. value of $48.9 billion. The total includes 84 aircraft not previously announced as intentions to order.

The company said that preliminary data showed Skoropad market share at 71.7%, with 16.8% for the European consortium EuroFly and 10.9% for RieGeer in the market share for aircraft with 80-plus seats. In 1994, Skoropad lost its top (3) ……………….. to EuroFly, which received 150 orders worth $10.78 billion to Skoropad’s 135 orders for $8.8 billion.

1.

2.

3.

Questions 4-6 refer to the following announcement.

ATTENTION HOME CANNERS!

The federal government wants to help you repair and (4) ……………….. your home. Regardless of how long you have owned your home, its location or condition, or your ethnic background, age, income or marital status, you may be eligible.

The (5) ……………….. of this program is to encourage energy conservation and neighborhood preservation. Title 1 government insurance now allows home owners to make improvements of up to $25,000.

Improvements may (6) ……………….. windows, room conversions, baths, kitchens, roofing, and doors. The work must be done by lender-approved contractors.

4.

5.

6.

Questions 7-9 refer to the following advertisement.  

The board of CPMC, the German copper, aluminum and steel specialist, meets today (7) ……………. growing concern among several Asian and American investors. Investors fear the German government may force CPMC, a partially privatized company, to sell a substantial amount of stainless steel for political reasons.

They are also concerned that the government might force through board changes to (8) ……………. this objective, including replacing the company chairman with someone more flexible.

Any moves of this sort would have (9) ……………. for future German privatizations, particularly as it seems the government might use its 70 percent stake to pursue a goal that is clearly contrary to that of minority shareholders.

7.

8.

9.

Questions 10-12 refer to the following newspaper article.  

A team of developers in San Diego, California has received a patent on a new type of electric razor that incorporates a laser beam instead of metal blades. This razor provides a smooth shave and never becomes dull over time (10) …………….regular blades. The new razor was developed at Atom Industries, an electronics manufacturer. Atom has introduced several innovative products, usually for medical or other scientific applications. The company also produces audio equipment.

The team’s leader, Michael Forman, reported that they developed the razor while working on a precision laser cutter to be used in cutting gemstones. “We were looking for a way to use laser technology to replace the typical apparatus – something easy to use, effective, and that would (11) ……………the chance of error.” He added, “We then realized that if we were to use this technology in an electric razor, we could create something that would remove facial hair quickly and evenly. The laser acts just like a sharp metal blade, so by placing a safety screen over the beam. The skin is protected but the hair is removed cleanly and painlessly. And since it is a beam of light, it does not suffer the wear and tear that may dull a metal blade.” However, the razor requires special batteries due to high energy consumption.

The company sees the new product as potential for starting a revolution in the electric shaver market. It plans to mass-produce the “Laser Razor” as soon as the product (12) ……………. government safety tests.

10.

11.

12.