Use of English PRO

Recovery and Relapse

It is (0) BEYOND dispute that addiction is rarely a simple matter of willpower. Yet public debate still tends to (1) .......... into slogans, as if a complex condition could be solved by a stern lecture or a single policy tweak. People who have never been close to dependency often assume that those who use drugs are merely (2) .........., but clinicians point out that compulsion is frequently bound up with trauma, poverty and untreated mental illness. Even so, it would be naïve to pretend that compassion alone is a (3) .......... cure. Effective support usually hinges on a patchwork of interventions: stable housing, access to therapy, and medical treatment that can (4) .......... cravings and reduce harm. When these pieces are missing, individuals may do well for a while and then (5) .........., not because they are insincere, but because their environment keeps pulling them back. The language we use matters too. If we (6) .......... people as “junkies”, we make it easier to write them off; if we speak of “people with substance-use disorders”, we keep the focus on health and recovery. None of this guarantees success, but it can (7) .......... the odds in favour of seeking help. Ultimately, progress depends on whether society is willing to (8) .......... the problem as shared rather than someone else’s shame.

About Use of English Multiple Choice — Cambridge English C2

This is a Cambridge English C2 Use of English Multiple Choice exercise. Read the text and decide which word — A, B, C or D — best fits each of the 8 gaps.

Multiple Choice questions test your vocabulary in context: collocations, phrasal verbs, linking words and words with similar but slightly different meanings. Practising C2 exercises like this builds the instinct to choose the right option quickly in the real exam.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions does this C2 Multiple Choice exercise have?

It has 8 gaps, and each gap gives you four options (A–D) to choose from.

What does Cambridge Use of English Multiple Choice test?

It focuses on vocabulary in context — collocations, phrasal verbs, fixed phrases and words that look similar but are not interchangeable.

How can I get better at Multiple Choice?

Read widely, learn words together with the words they combine with, and always read the whole sentence — including the words after the gap — before choosing your answer.

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What to do

In this part, you read a text with eight gaps and choose the best word from four options to fit each gap.

Nothing prepares you for this test better than reading.

Read a lot. Candidates who often read in English (for work, for fun) find this part of the test manageable, while those who never read tend to find it very hard.

If you are 100% sure that two of the 4 choices are completely identical, then neither can be the answer. There is always only one word that fits grammatically and has the right meaning.

Usually the correct option will be part of a fixed phrase or collocation, a phrasal verb, a connector or the only word that fits grammatically in the gap.

Strategy

  1. Read the title and the whole text quickly to understand its general meaning before you attempt the task.
  2. Check the words before and after the gap.
  3. Choose the best option.
  4. When you have finished, read the text again with the words inserted to check that it makes sense.