Part 5+7 · Original Practice: A Professional Certification Reimbursement Policy and Five Not-Until Inversion Questions

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. The revised guidelines are intended to eliminate any ______ regarding employees' reporting responsibilities.

2. The board was reluctant to approve the investment ______ reliable estimates of its long-term operating costs.

3. Not until representatives from both companies had signed the document ______ legally binding.

4. The consultant's recommendation was based ______ on interviews conducted with department supervisors.

5. The finance department has ______ additional funds to cover any unforeseen expenses during the renovation.

Part 7 · Professional Certification Reimbursement Policy Notice

Professional Certification Reimbursement

Questions 6-8 refer to the following policy announcement.

Professional Certification Reimbursement

A revised certification-reimbursement policy will take effect on November 1. Under the new policy, employees may claim the full cost of an approved professional examination after they have passed it. Reimbursement requests must be submitted within thirty days of the examination date and include both the payment receipt and official confirmation of the result.

The company may also cover up to fifty percent of the cost of an examination-preparation course. However, employees must obtain written approval from their department manager before registering for the course. Approval of a preparation course does not guarantee that the related examination fee will be reimbursed.

Fees for unsuccessful examination attempts are normally excluded. An exception may be made when the certification is mandatory for the employee's current position, provided that the department head confirms this requirement in writing. Examinations booked before November 1 will continue to be handled under the previous policy.

Part 7 Answer area

0 / 3 answered

6. When can employees claim the full cost of an approved examination under the new policy?

7. What requires approval before registration?

8. When might an unsuccessful examination attempt qualify for reimbursement?

03 Answers & explanations

Answers appear after you submit

No.	Correct answer	Point tested	Explanation
1	A · ambiguity	Noun collocation	"eliminate ambiguity" is a fixed collocation that fits the context of clarifying reporting responsibilities. "availability," "conformity," and "stability" cannot combine with "eliminate" to mean "ambiguity."
2	A · in the absence of	Prepositional-phrase collocation	"in the absence of" (without) fits the context that the board was reluctant to approve because reliable cost estimates were lacking. "for the purpose of," "in accordance with," and "on behalf of" do not fit the meaning.
3	B · did the agreement become	Negative inversion	When "Not until" opens a sentence for emphasis, the main clause needs partial inversion — "auxiliary + subject + base verb," i.e. "did the agreement become." The non-inverted option (A), and the past-perfect options (C) and (D), do not fit the fixed structure "Not until + clause (past perfect), did + subject + base verb."
4	C · primarily	Part-of-speech discrimination	Modifying the phrase "based...on" requires the adverb "primarily." "primary" (adjective), "primacy" (noun), and "primaries" (plural noun) cannot modify it this way.
5	A · set aside	Phrasal-verb discrimination	"set aside" (to reserve) commonly pairs with fund-related nouns and fits reserving extra funds for unforeseen expenses. "taken after" (to resemble), "brought about" (to cause), and "turned down" (to reject) do not fit.
6	B · After successfully completing it	Condition-location question	Corresponds to "employees may claim the full cost of an approved professional examination after they have passed it."
7	A · A preparation course	Approval-process identification question	Corresponds to "employees must obtain written approval from their department manager before registering for the course" ("the course" refers to the examination-preparation course mentioned in the previous sentence).
8	D · When the certification is required for the employee's position	Policy-exception judgment question	Corresponds to "An exception may be made when the certification is mandatory for the employee's current position, provided that the department head confirms this requirement in writing."

04 High-frequency vocabulary

Browse all vocabulary →

English	IPA	Part of speech	Chinese	Japanese	Example
ambiguity	/ˌæmbəˈɡjuːəti/	n.	歧义，模糊不清	曖昧さ	The revised guidelines eliminate any ambiguity about reporting duties.
primarily	/praɪˈmɛrəli/	adv.	主要地	主に	The recommendation was based primarily on staff interviews.
set aside	/sɛt əˈsaɪd/	v. phr.	预留，留出（资金等）	取っておく、確保する	The finance department has set aside funds for unforeseen expenses.
professional certification	/prəˈfɛʃnəl ˌsɜːrtəfəˈkeɪʃən/	n.	专业认证	専門資格	The company reimburses the full cost of a professional certification exam.
reimbursement request	/ˌriːəmˈbɜːrsmənt rɪˈkwɛst/	n.	报销申请	払い戻し申請	Reimbursement requests must be submitted within thirty days.
preparation course	/ˌprɛpəˈreɪʃən kɔːrs/	n.	备考课程，培训课程	受験対策講座	The company may cover half the cost of a preparation course.
written approval	/ˈrɪtən əˈpruːvəl/	n.	书面批准	書面による承認	Employees must obtain written approval before registering for the course.
unforeseen expenses	/ˌənfɔːrˈsiːn ɪkˈspɛnsəz/	n.	未预见的支出	予期せぬ出費	Additional funds were set aside to cover unforeseen expenses.
mandatory	/ˈmændəˌtɔːri/	adj.	强制性的，必须的	必須の、義務的な	The certification is mandatory for the employee's current position.
examination attempt	/ɪɡˌzæməˈneɪʃən əˈtɛmpt/	n.	考试尝试（一次应考）	受験	Fees for unsuccessful examination attempts are normally excluded.

05 Common phrases

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

in the absence of…在缺乏……的情况下〜がない場合、〜の不在時に

Not until… did + S + V直到……才……〜して初めて〜した（否定倒置）

based primarily on…主要基于……主に〜に基づいている

eliminate ambiguity regarding…消除关于……的歧义〜に関する曖昧さをなくす

obtain written approval from…获得……的书面批准〜から書面による承認を得る

provided that…条件是……，前提是……〜という条件で、〜であれば

06 Answer techniques

Part 5 + 7 · 6 tips

01
The noun collocation "ambiguity"
"eliminate ambiguity" is a fixed collocation. "availability," "conformity," and "stability" cannot combine with "eliminate" to mean "ambiguity."
02
The collocation "in the absence of"
Means "without" or "lacking," often used when a missing condition causes reluctance or inability to act. "for the purpose of," "in accordance with," and "on behalf of" do not fit the meaning.
03
Negative inversion triggered by "Not until"
When "Not until" opens a sentence for emphasis, the main clause requires the auxiliary to move before the subject — "did + subject + base verb." Non-inverted or past-perfect options do not fit this fixed structure.
04
"primarily" part of speech
Modifying the phrase "based...on" requires the adverb "primarily." "primary" (adjective), "primacy" (noun), and "primaries" (plural noun) cannot modify it this way.
05
The collocation "set aside"
Means "to reserve," commonly pairing with fund-related nouns. "taken after," "brought about," and "turned down" do not fit.
06
Reading: locating a condition, identifying an approval process, and judging a policy exception
Q6: catch "after they have passed it" — the full cost is only reimbursed after passing the exam. Q7: note "before registering for the course" — written approval for the preparation course must happen before registration. Q8: locate the exception clause "An exception may be made when..." — a failed attempt's fee may only be reimbursed when the certification is mandatory for the current position and the department head confirms this in writing.

07 Business English

Standard formal business-letter phrasing

The revised policy is intended to eliminate any ambiguity regarding reporting responsibilities.修订后的政策旨在消除有关报告职责的任何歧义。改定された方針は、報告義務に関する曖昧さをなくすことを目的としています。

Employees must obtain written approval from their manager before registering for the course.员工必须在注册课程前获得经理的书面批准。従業員は、講座に登録する前に上司から書面による承認を得なければなりません。

The department has set aside additional funds to cover unforeseen expenses.该部门已预留额外资金以应对未预见的支出。当部門は、予期せぬ出費に備えて追加の資金を確保しています。

An exception may be made when the certification is mandatory for the position.当该认证是该职位的强制要求时，可以给予例外处理。その資格が当該職位に必須である場合、例外が認められることがあります。

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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