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OPEN CLOZE TEST

Complete each gap with one word.

The Antikythera mechanism was (1) ______ of bronze, and originally it would have been in a case about the size of a shoebox. The doors of the case and the faces of the mechanism are covered (2) ______  Greek inscriptions, enough of (3) ______ survive to indicate clearly the device’s purpose. On the front of the mechanism is a large dial with arrows that show the position of the Sun and the Moon in the zodiac and a silver-covered ball (4) ______ displaying lunar phases. The “engine” for the lunar position is extremely sophisticated.

Two large dials are on the back of the mechanism. The large upper dial has a five-turn spiral slot. A secondary four-year dial showed when the various sports competitions should take (5) ______, including the ancient Olympic Games. The large lower dial has a four-turn spiral with symbols to show months in which (6) ______ was a calculation of a solar or lunar eclipse, based on the 18.2-year eclipse cycle. These astronomical cycles would have (7) ______  known to the Greeks from Babylonian sources. The inscriptions imply that there may originally have been a display of planetary positions, most likely on the front face, but most of the relevant parts are (8) ______.

Alternatively, do it in interactive form here:

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PREPOSITIONS

To study the prepositions, click here:

Try out what you have learnt:

exercise 1

exercise 2

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