Exercises for CAE Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English, Paper Three, English in Use

Fill each of the spaces in the newspaper report with not more than two words, using the information given. Do not repeat any words from the informal letter. In the Advanced Certificate, the time for this exercise would be 15 minutes.

An Englishman's Castle

A. Neighbour's Letter

Dear Jim,
My neighbour, Chris Dove, is weird. A couple of years ago we had our house numbers changed by the local council. But old Dove turned them down, said he was damned if he was going to change from 58 to 82 just because the council told him to. Well, they tried all sorts of things, arrested him, threatened to throw him into prison, and fined him a hundred quid. But he is a stubborn blighter and still refused.
Yesterday, it all came to a head when they sent round two council officers, two coppers and a carpenter. They got him out of the house and the Bill stood over him while the council creeps shoved a bunch of papers into his face. After that, the workman unscrewed the numbers and stuck the new ones on. All this time the old man kept rambling on about his rights as a free-born Englishman. Of course, as soon as they'd all pushed off, he'd got a screwdriver and had the numbers changed before you could say Jack Robinson. It won't be long before he's dragged up in front of the beak again.

B. Newspaper Report

Mr Christopher Dove (01)...................................... to the local council's change of his house number from 58 to 82.


However, the district council has pointed out that the logic of house numbers (02)..................................... that if his neighbours are 81 and 83, then Mr Dove will have to be 82. When Mr Dove (03)..................................... to refuse, he was (04)..................................... court last November and fined £100. The magistrate (05)..................................... him that his continued refusal might mean his (06)..................................... to prison.


Mr Dove has (07)..................................... all warnings, and the number 58 remains on his front door.


Yesterday, two council officials, (08)..................................... two policeman and a council carpenter, went to Mr Dove's house. Notice was served on Mr Dove that he would have to (09)..................................... with Regulation 14 of the Town and Country Planning Act, and the humber 58 was removed from his front door and gate.


Two policemen watched as the carpenter removed the number 58, first from the wall, and taken from the gate. In their place, he screwed in the number, 82.


Soon after this delegation (10)....................................., Mr Dove came out of his house. He (11)..................................... changed the numbers. Then he posted the two sets of number 82 back to the council.


Now, he faces more court (12)....................................., and perhaps prison.