_____ extremely bad weather in the mountains, we're no longer considering our skiing trip.

Read the following passage and choose the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.

 COVID-19 has forced us into social distancing, isolation and quarantine. These conditions are likely fostering (1) _____ anxiety and loneliness in our cities. However, COVID-19 is an opportunity to build a new kind of contact on (2) _____ we know and learn from this situation. It's possible to promote social and emotional well-being. Integrating public and online spaces is one of the approaches for building better communities. Our new online communication skills can help us develop a better physical-digital interface for bringing people together. Video conferencing is flexible and can enable long-distance connection and “work from home” hubs. (3) _____, social media platforms, such as Facebook, Meetup, WhatsApp or art-based apps like Somebody, are (4) ______ for organising physical meetings too. These can help with community volunteering, socialising, or simply sharing guerrilla-garden herbs for local cooking. A better physical-digital interface could help new jobs flourish in "interactive" creative industries that virtually connect (5) ______ isolated individuals. New art spaces could be established, putting connective digital infrastructure, such as audio-visual platforms, within physical spaces to help face-to-face and virtual audiences interact.

(Adapted from https://theconversation.com/reconnecting-after-coronavirus)

Choose the word that differs from the rest in the position of the main stress in each of the following questions.

Choose the sentence that is closest in meaning to the sentence given in each of the following questions.

Choose the word that differs from the rest in the position of the main stress in each of the following questions.

Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.

 Do you feel like your teenager is spending most of the day glued to a phone screen? You're not too far off. A new survey from the Pew Research Center reveals the surprising ways that technology intersects with teen friendships – and the results show that 57 percent of teens have made at least one new friend online. Even more surprisingly, only 20 percent of those digital friends ever meet in person.

 While teens do connect with their friends face-to-face outside of school, they spend 55 percent of their day texting with friends, and only 25 percent of teens are spending actual time with their friends on a daily basis (outside of school hallways). These new forms of communication are key in maintaining friendships day-to-day – 27 percent of teens instant message their friends every day, 23 percent connect through social media every day, and 7 percent even video chat daily. Text messaging remains the main form of communication – almost half of survey respondents say it's their chosen method of communication with their closest friend.

 While girls are more likely to text with their close friends, boys are meeting new friends (and maintaining friendships) in the gaming world – 89 percent play with friends they know, and 54 percent play with online-only friends. Whether they're close with their teammates or not, online garners say that playing makes them feel "more connected" to friends they know, or garners they've never met.

 When making new friends, social media has also become a major part of the teenage identity – 62 percent of teens are quick to share their social media usernames when connecting with a new friend (although 80 percent still consider their phone number the best method of contact). Despite the negative consequences-21 percent of teenage users feel worse about their lives because of posts they see on social media – teens also have found support and connection through various platforms. In fact, 68 percent of teens received support during a challenging time in their lives via social media platforms.

 Just as technology has become a gateway for new friendships, or a channel to stay connected with current friends, it can also make a friendship breakup more public. The study reveals that girls are more likely to block or unfriend former allies, and 68 percent of all teenage users report experiencing "drama among their friends on social media."

 (Source: https://www.realsimple.com)