TOEIC Reading Test: Build Speed and Accuracy Today

"Extends over" is correct because "extend over" means to continue or stretch across a period of time, which fits the context of a program lasting eighteen months. "Passes over" means to skip or disregard something, which does not describe program duration. "Carries on" means to continue an activity but does not pair with a time duration in this structure. "Runs into" means to encounter a problem or person unexpectedly, which is unrelated to program length.

"Figure out" means to think carefully about something and succeed in understanding it, which fits the context of trying to understand a person's motivations. "Look into" means to investigate a matter formally, not to understand a person's character. "Work around" means to find an alternative solution to a problem. "Come across" means to encounter something by chance or to make a particular impression on others.

"Distract" means to divert someone's attention away from what they are focused on, which precisely fits the context of a phone disturbing participants during a presentation. "Discourage" means to cause someone to lose confidence or enthusiasm, which is unrelated to attention. "Overpower" means to overcome by superior force, which does not fit the professional context. "Interrupt" means to stop something momentarily, which is related but does not carry the same meaning of drawing attention away.

"Give it back" means to return a borrowed item to its owner, which is the most direct and natural expression in this context. "Hand it over" implies transferring something under pressure or authority rather than simply returning it. "Pass it along" means to forward something to another person, not return it to the original owner. "Drop it off" means to leave something at a location, which does not necessarily imply returning it to the rightful owner.

"Conduct" is the correct noun because it specifically refers to the way a person behaves in a professional or public setting, which aligns with the formal context of a client meeting and an ethics-related consequence. "Character" refers to a person's overall moral qualities rather than a specific instance of behavior. "Attitude" refers to a mental disposition or feeling toward something rather than observable behavior in a specific situation. "Manner" is close in meaning but more informal and does not carry the professional or evaluative weight that "conduct" does.

"Put on" is the correct phrasal verb meaning to gain weight, and it is the standard expression used in everyday English for this purpose. "Built up" refers to accumulating something gradually over time, typically muscle, resistance, or strength rather than body weight. "Stacked up" means to accumulate or compare favorably, but is not used to describe weight gain. "Added on" is not a standard phrasal verb for describing weight gain in natural English usage.

"Intensified" is correct because it means to increase in degree or strength, which precisely describes how the delays and uncertainty made the existing frustration stronger rather than simply adding to it. "Triggered" means to cause something to start, implying the frustration did not exist before, which contradicts the context. "Increased" is broadly correct but less precise, as it describes quantity rather than the deepening of an emotional state. "Expanded" refers to growing in size or scope rather than in emotional strength or degree.

"Throw up" is the correct phrasal verb meaning to vomit, which is the symptom being used to distinguish between two conditions in the sentence. "Break down" means to stop functioning or to lose emotional control, not to vomit. "Burn up" means to be consumed by fire or to have a high fever, which does not fit the digestive context. "Pass out" means to lose consciousness, which is a different symptom unrelated to the comparison being made.

"Erratic" is the most precise adjective because it specifically describes behavior that does not follow any regular pattern and occurs unpredictably, which directly matches the description of random disconnections and reconnections. "Unstable" means likely to change or fail but does not capture the randomness of the pattern. "Disruptive" describes something that causes interruption to others but does not describe the nature of the connection itself. "Inconsistent" means lacking uniformity but does not convey the same degree of unpredictability that "erratic" does.

"Feel up to" is the correct phrasal verb meaning to have sufficient energy or confidence to do something, which naturally fits the context of exhaustion after a long shift. "Feel prepared for" implies a lack of readiness due to insufficient preparation rather than physical exhaustion. "Feel comfortable with" suggests discomfort or unfamiliarity rather than fatigue. "Feel ready about" is not a standard English construction and does not pair naturally with the infinitive that follows.