Task 1. Complete the report with the correct form of the word in brackets.
The IBM share price began 2001 with a (dramatically) ___________ rise, soaring from $85 to over $110. In February prices became (erratic) ___________, fluctuating between $110 and $120, before then dropping (sudden)___________to back below $90 by April. The share price soon rose (quick) _______ again to over $110 by May. Throughout May and June there were further (marked)___________fluctuations between $110 and $120. By July, however, the price had slid again (slight) __________ back to just over $ 100. Over the next three months the price remained (reasonable)___________(stable)___________around the $105 mark. However, the price then fell (sharp)___________once more back to the $90 level in October. There then followed a (strong) _________ recovery with shares climbing (steady)___________ until the end of the year, ending with a 52-week high of $125.
Task 2. There are many ways to describe change. This test looks at several alternatives. A Choose words from the box which are the opposite to each of the following words.
decline decrease escalate expand fall get worse
go down improve peak
rise / ___________________
increase / __________________
go up / ____________________
climb / __________________
shrink / ___________________
deteriorate / ________________
get better / _______________
collapse / __________________
hit bottom / ________________
B Match each word or phrase (1-9) to one of the graphs below (a-i). Look at the line between the two crosses.
1 decline to nothing 6 recover
2 collapse 7 increase steadily
3 stay the same 8 fluctuate
4 reach a peak 9 rise slightly
5 edge down
