Part 5+7 · Original Practice: Verb-Phrase Discrimination, the "Hardly" Inversion, and an Eco-Packaging Replacement Order

01 Questions & answer area

Part 5 + 7 · 2 sections

Part 5 · Vocabulary & Grammar Fill-in

This section is standalone sentences with no shared passage — each question is listed directly in the answer area below.

Part 5 Answer area

0 / 5 answered

1. Online subscriptions now ______ nearly sixty percent of the publisher's annual revenue.

2. The factory has ______ several major renovations since it was acquired five years ago.

3. Employees may carry unused vacation days into the following year, ______ they obtain written approval from their department head.

4. Hardly had the revised schedule been distributed ______ the client requested another change.

5. Because the final construction costs are not yet known, the opening date remains ______.

Part 7 · Replacement Packaging Order E-mail

Rachel Chen, Operations ManagerReplacement Packaging Order

Questions 6-8 refer to the following e-mail.

To: Purchasing Department From: Rachel Chen, Operations Manager Subject: Replacement Packaging Order

Our regular supplier has informed us that the recyclable packaging ordered for the October product launch will arrive one week later than scheduled. The supplier can provide conventional packaging on the original date, but using it would conflict with the environmental claims in our new advertising campaign.

I have contacted GreenWrap Industries, which can manufacture the recyclable packaging by the required date if we confirm the order by noon tomorrow. Its price is approximately eight percent higher, although the company has offered free express delivery.

Please compare GreenWrap's specifications with those in our original order and send me your recommendation by 10:00 A.M. tomorrow. If the materials meet our requirements, I intend to transfer the order rather than revise the launch date.

Part 7 Answer area

0 / 3 answered

6. What problem has occurred?

7. Why does Ms. Chen hesitate to use conventional packaging?

8. What will Ms. Chen most likely do if GreenWrap's materials are suitable?

03 Answers & explanations

Answers appear after you submit

No.	Correct answer	Point tested	Explanation
1	A · account for	Verb-phrase discrimination	"account for" (to make up a proportion; to explain) here means "to make up a proportion," fitting "subscriptions make up nearly sixty percent of annual revenue." "bring about" (to cause), "dispose of" (to throw away), and "take after" (to resemble) all fail on meaning.
2	B · undergone	Verb meaning discrimination	"the factory has undergone renovations": "undergo" means "to experience (a change or process)," with the subject being the party that receives the action. "undertake" means "to take on / set about doing," and its subject is normally the person or organization initiating the action, so "the factory undertakes renovations" is illogical. "overcome" and "withdraw" also fail.
3	A · provided that	Conditional conjunction phrase discrimination	"provided that" (only if; on condition that) introduces a conditional adverbial clause, fitting "employees may carry days over as long as they get written approval." "regardless of" (takes a noun), "as though" (hypothetical), and "in addition to" (takes a noun) cannot introduce a full subject-verb clause expressing a condition.
4	C · when	The "Hardly...when..." inversion	"Hardly had + subject + past participle ... when + clause" is a fixed inverted structure meaning "no sooner ... than." "than" belongs to the "no sooner...than..." pattern and the two cannot be mixed; "while" and "during" fail on grammar or meaning.
5	A · tentative	Adjective meaning discrimination	Because the final construction costs are not yet known, the opening date is still "tentative" (provisional, not fixed). "excessive," "compatible," and "consecutive" all fail to fit the context.
6	B · The regular supplier cannot deliver on time.	Detail question	Corresponds to "Our regular supplier has informed us that... will arrive one week later than scheduled."
7	C · It is inconsistent with the advertising message.	Detail question	Corresponds to "...using it would conflict with the environmental claims in our new advertising campaign."
8	B · Place the order with GreenWrap	Inference question	Corresponds to "If the materials meet our requirements, I intend to transfer the order rather than revise the launch date." Don't be misled by the rejected option "revise the launch date."

04 High-frequency vocabulary

Browse all vocabulary →

English	IPA	Part of speech	Chinese	Japanese	Example
account for	/əˈkaʊnt fɔːr/	v. phr.	占（比例）；解释	（割合を）占める	account for nearly sixty percent of revenue
undergo	/ˌʌndərˈɡoʊ/	vt.	经历，经受	経験する、受ける	has undergone several major renovations
provided that	/prəˈvaɪdɪd ðæt/	conj. phr.	只要，前提是	〜という条件で	provided that they obtain written approval
Hardly...when...	/ˈhɑːrdli wɛn/	phr.	刚……就……	〜するとすぐに（倒置構文）	Hardly had the schedule been distributed when...
tentative	/ˈtɛntətɪv/	adj.	暂定的，不确定的	暫定的な	the opening date remains tentative
recyclable	/riːˈsaɪkləbəl/	adj.	可回收利用的	リサイクル可能な	the recyclable packaging
conventional	/kənˈvɛnʃənəl/	adj.	传统的，常规的	従来の	provide conventional packaging
environmental claims	/ɪnˌvaɪrənˈmɛntəl kleɪmz/	n.	环保宣传语，环保声明	環境に関する主張	conflict with the environmental claims
specifications	/ˌspɛsɪfɪˈkeɪʃənz/	n.	规格	仕様	compare GreenWrap's specifications
express delivery	/ɪkˈsprɛs dɪˈlɪvəri/	n.	快递，加急配送	エクスプレス配送	offered free express delivery
transfer the order	/trænsˈfɜːr ði ˈɔːrdər/	v. phr.	转移订单，改由他处下单	発注先を変更する	transfer the order rather than revise the launch date
product launch	/ˈprɑːdʌkt lɔːntʃ/	n.	产品发布	製品発売	the October product launch

05 Common phrases

Learn as a whole chunk — don’t break it apart

account for + 比例/数量占……（比例）〜を占める

undergo + 名词经历……〜を経験する

provided that…只要，前提是……〜という条件で

Hardly had...when...刚……就……〜するとすぐに

conflict with…与……相冲突〜と矛盾する、〜に反する

rather than…而不是……〜よりむしろ

06 Answer techniques

Part 5 + 7 · 6 tips

01
Memorize look-alike verb phrases as whole units
"account for" (make up a proportion / explain), "bring about" (cause), "dispose of" (throw away), and "take after" (resemble) look similar but mean entirely different things — memorize each as a whole phrase rather than guessing from the parts.
02
The subject direction of "undergo" vs. "undertake"
"undergo" takes as its subject the party experiencing a change (the factory undergoes renovations); "undertake" takes the party actively taking on a task (the company undertakes a project). Their subject roles are opposite — a common point of confusion.
03
Discriminating conditional conjunction phrases
"provided that" (takes a full clause), "regardless of" (takes a noun), "as though" (hypothetical), and "in addition to" (takes a noun) differ in both structure and meaning — first check whether a clause or a noun follows the blank.
04
Don't mix "Hardly...when..." with "No sooner...than..."
Both mean "no sooner ... than" and both require partial inversion at the start of the sentence, but "Hardly" pairs only with "when" and "No sooner" only with "than" — they cannot be crossed.
05
Judge adjective choices by the logical relationship
"tentative" (provisional because information is unsettled) echoes "final costs are not yet known" in a cause-effect link; "excessive," "compatible," and "consecutive" have no bearing on that logic — return to the sentence's logical cues when choosing.
06
Reading: locate the problem sentence and the conditional
A business email usually states the problem itself in the first paragraph ("will arrive one week later than scheduled" gives Q6 directly); words like "conflict with" spell out a reason (Q7); for inference, grasp the cause-effect logic of the conditional ("If the materials meet our requirements, I intend to transfer the order..." is the basis for Q8) — and don't be misled by the rejected "revise the launch date."

07 Business English

Standard formal business-letter phrasing

Online subscriptions now account for nearly sixty percent of our revenue.在线订阅目前占我们收入的近六成。オンライン購読は現在、当社収益の約60パーセントを占めています。

The factory has undergone several major renovations in recent years.该工厂近年来经历了几次大规模翻新。その工場は近年、いくつかの大規模な改装を経てきました。

Using conventional packaging would conflict with our environmental claims.使用传统包装将与我们的环保宣传相矛盾。従来の梱包を使用すると、当社の環境に関する主張と矛盾することになります。

We intend to transfer the order rather than revise the launch date.我们打算转移订单，而不是更改发布日期。発売日を変更するのではなく、発注先を変更するつもりです。

08 Today's reflection

Why you got it wrong matters more than the right answer

When you’re done, note why you got it wrong in one line.

Ten minutes a day — no rush, just no stopping.

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