HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
FIRST CERTIFICATE IN ENGLISH PREPARATION
READING HANDOUTS
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Contents B2 READING EXAMINATION DESCRIPTION ............................................................. 3 PART 1 ........................................................................................................................ 7 Exercise 1 ................................................................................................................ 7 Exercise 2 ................................................................................................................ 9 Exercise 3 .............................................................................................................. 11 Exercise 4 .............................................................................................................. 13 Exercise 5 .............................................................................................................. 14 PART 2 ...................................................................................................................... 16 Exercise 1 .............................................................................................................. 16 Exercise 2 .............................................................................................................. 18 Exercise 3 .............................................................................................................. 20 Exercise 4 .............................................................................................................. 22 Exercise 4 .............................................................................................................. 24 Exercise 6 .............................................................................................................. 26 Exercise 7 .............................................................................................................. 28 Exercise 8 .............................................................................................................. 30 Exercise 9 .............................................................................................................. 33 Exercise 10 ............................................................................................................ 35 PART 3 ..................................................................................................................... 38 Exercise 1 .............................................................................................................. 38 Exercise 2 .............................................................................................................. 39 Exercise 3 .............................................................................................................. 40 Exercise 4 .............................................................................................................. 42 PART 4 ...................................................................................................................... 44 Exercise 1 .............................................................................................................. 44 Exercise 2 .............................................................................................................. 46 Exercise 3 .............................................................................................................. 49 References ................................................................................................................ 51 ANSWER KEY ........................................................................................................... 52
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B2 READING EXAMINATION DESCRIPTION Common European Framework
Which communication themes are the test takers expected to be able to handle?
personal identification; personal qualities; house and home; daily life; free time, entertainment; intellectual and artistic pursuits; arts and crafts; sports; travel; tourism; relations with other people; health and body care; education; work and careers; job interviews and meetings; money and shopping; food and drink; services; banking; places; language; weather; current events; environment and pollution; climate; crime and punishment; technology and tools; Internet-related language; politics; marketing
Which communicative tasks are the test takers expected to be able to handle?
recognition or recall of detail, main ideas and sequence; recognition or recall of cause-effect relationships; inferring consequence, cause and effect relationships, character traits; inferring meaning from the author’s use of figurative language; analysis and reconstruction; evaluation tasks
What kind of communicative activities and strategies are the test takers expected to be able to handle?
reading for gist and specific information; for general orientation; reading and following instructions; reading for pleasure
What text-types and what length of text are the test takers expected to be able to handle?
employment advertisements and advertisements in general; forms; safety and security regulations, correspondence; instructions; newspaper and magazine articles; short stories
What kind of tasks are the test takers expected to be able to handle?
‘pedagogic’ tasks reflecting real-life needs outside the classroom, in the personal and public domains.
CEF scale for Overall Reading Comprehension: Can read with a large degree of independence, adapting style and speed of reading to different texts and purposes, and using appropriate reference sources selectively. Has a broad
The learner’s reading comprehension abilities are consistent with CEF Overall Reading Comprehension parameters
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active reading vocabulary, but may experience some difficulty with low frequency idioms. (Adapted from British Institutes. (2006). General Exam Description. B2 Level. Common European Framework. http://www.britishinstitutes.co.uk/userfiles/File/B2%20Exam%20presentation.pdf)
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LINGUISTIC Edited from General Linguistic Range; Vocabulary Range
C2
C1
B2
Can understand a very wide range of language precisely, appreciating emphasis and, differentiation. No signs of comprehension problems. Has a good command of a very broad lexical repertoire including idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms; shows awareness of connotative levels of meaning. Has a good command of a broad lexical repertoire. Good command of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms.
Has a sufficient range of language to be able to understand descriptions, viewpoints and arguments on most topics pertinent to his everyday life such as family, hobbies and interests, work,
RELEVANT QUALITATIVE FACTORS FOR RECEPTION SOCIO-LINGUISTIC PRAGMATIC Edited from Socio-linguistic Edited from Thematic Appropriateness Development and Propositional Precision Has a good command of idiomatic Can understand precisely expressions and colloquialisms with finer shades of meaning awareness of connotative levels of conveyed by a wide range of meaning. qualifying devices (e.g. Appreciates fully the socio-linguistic and adverbs expressing degree, sociocultural implications of language used clauses expressing by native speakers and can react limitations). accordingly. Can understand emphasis and differentiation without ambiguity. Can recognise a wide range of idiomatic Can understand elaborate expressions and colloquialisms, descriptions and narratives, appreciating register shifts; may, however, recognising sub-themes, and need to confirm occasional details, points of emphasis. especially if the accent is unfamiliar. Can understand precisely the Can follow films employing a considerable qualifications in opinions and degree of slang and idiomatic usage. statements that relate to Can understand language effectively for degrees of, for example, social purposes, including emotional, certainty/uncertainty, allusive and joking usage. belief/doubt, likelihood etc. Can with some effort keep up with fast and Can understand description or colloquial discussions. narrative, identifying main points from relevant supporting detail and examples. Can understand detailed information reliably.
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STRATEGIC Identifying Cues and Inferring As C1.
Is skilled at using contextual, grammatical and lexical cues to infer attitude, mood and intentions and anticipate what will come next.
Can use a variety of strategies to achieve comprehension, including listening for main points; checking comprehension by using contextual clues.
B1
travel, and current events. Has enough language to get by, with sufficient vocabulary to understand most texts on topics such as family, hobbies and interests, work, travel, and current events.
A2
Has a sufficient vocabulary for coping with everyday situations with predictable content and simple survival needs.
Can respond to a wide range of language functions, using their most common exponents in a neutral register. Can recognise salient politeness conventions. Is aware of, and looks out for signs of, the most significant differences between the customs, usages, attitudes, values and beliefs prevalent in the community concerned and those of his or her own. Can handle very short social exchanges, using everyday polite forms of greeting and address. Can make and respond to invitations, apologies etc.
A1
Has a very basic range of simple expressions about personal details and needs of a concrete type.
Can understand the simplest everyday polite forms of: greetings and farewells; introductions; saying please, thank you, sorry etc.
Can reasonably accurately understand a straightforward narrative or description that is a linear sequence of points. Can understand the main points in an idea or problem with reasonable precision.
Can identify unfamiliar words from the context on topics related to his/her field and interests. Can extrapolate the meaning of occasional unknown words from the context and deduce sentence meaning provided the topic discussed is familiar.
Can understand a simple story or description that is a list of points. Can understand a simple and direct exchange of limited information on familiar and routine matters. No descriptor available.
Can use an idea of the overall meaning of short texts and utterances on everyday topics of a concrete type to derive the probable meaning of unknown words from the context. No descriptor available.
(Adapted from Relating Language Examinations to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR). URL: www.coe.int/lang)
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PART 1 Exercise 1 You are going to read an article about careers in tourism. Choose the most suitable heading from the list A-H for each part (1-6) of the article. There is one extra heading which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0). A
Surprise yourself
B
Changing patterns
C
How to get started
D
Meeting the challenge
E
Rewards for the right person
F
Spoilt for choice
G
A new approach
H
A growth industry
Why choose tourism? 0
H
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Tourism is one of the world's biggest and fastest growing industries. Increased leisure time, higher standards of living and better transport are just some of the reasons why the tourism industry is expanding in the UK and overseas. Interesting and exciting career opportunities are opening up as the industry continues to grow.
Whatever your interest you will need to have both the enthusiasm and the qualifications. More colleges and universities are now offering courses to equip you with the skills needed for a successful career in tourism. Many also provide the chance for work experience, giving you the opportunity to discover at first hand what the job may involve. It could also provide you with some vital contacts for your future career.
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Jobs in tourism have often been regarded as "seasonal" and "low paid' but things are changing fast. Summer is not the only time we like to take our holidays. Short breaks in spring, autumn and winter coupled with the vital business tourism market mean that operators are now busy
Newton Rigg College in Cumbria, not far from the Lake District, is now offering a Higher National Diploma in Sustainable Tourism. The two-year course involves studying the tourism industry and the use 7
throughout the year and therefore require staff on a permanent basis.
of the countryside and includes a six-week work placement opportunity. As Newton Rigg is also an associate college of the University of Central Lancashire, there are 2 opportunities for Students to progress from this course to degree level. An Working in tourism is not for everybody. increasing awareness of conservation and This is a "people" business where the greater emphasis now being placed on customer care and high standards of tourism projects and developments which service are essential. Some occupations are truly "sustainable" mean that may also require you to work long and often unsociable hours. The big plus factor employers will be seeking skills and qualifications in these areas. The course is is the pleasure of knowing you have already attracting applicants from this helped people to enjoy t heir holidays or country and from as far afield as Hong ensured that a conference has run Kong smoothly. 6
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Why not consider the possibilities of a career in tourism? There are opportunities for all kinds of people, from young school leavers to university graduates, and there are many chances for "side-ways' moves into any one of a large number of related areas. So if you think that working in tourism means just selling package holidays or a couple of months' work in a hotel, you may be pleasantly surprised.
The industry consists of a huge variety of organisations, including both the public and the private sector, and the career options are therefore many and varied. You could choose to work as a Tourism Officer in the UK, responsible for marketing and visitor services, or you might opt for the role of Tour Guide, travelling around the country with groups of holidaymakers from all over the world. The airline business could be of interest to you or you might like to try Event Management, which could involve helping to arrange anything from a local festival to a major international event such as the Tall Ships.
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Exercise 2 You are going to read an article about someone who can talk to animals. Choose the most suitable summary sentence from the list A-1 for each part (1-7) of the article. There is one extra summary sentence which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0).
A
There are two main working methods.
B
Another animal professional accepts the truth.
C
Getting permission to go ahead is important.
D
Selective use of psychic power is vital.
E
Solutions to problems are not just medical - or just for animals.
F
An animal explains and its owner confirms.
G
Problems need examining from different angles.
H
An apparent contradiction is explained.
I
Sometimes just one look is enough.
A day in the life of a pet psychic
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I started communicating with animals while on holiday in Greece nearly thirty years ago: now I run a surgery from my home in London. Communicating with animals takes place on many different levels. You communicate with your eyes, your hands, with silence. Once, a nice couple came into the surgery with a very small dog. The way he was lying against his mistress, looking round him with an amazing expression on his face, he just made me laugh out loud. He felt like a complete clown. 'Is he a bit of a clown?" I asked. 'Absolutely.' they said. 'That's why his name is Coco."
For the last two years I've worked with Laszlo, the chief vet at Budapest Zoo. He asked me to look at a sick emu which he called Bonzai. I investigated. I used my pendulum and when I came to its heart, got a very definite response. I tried to remember my anatomy lessons and came up with the right ventricle in the heart. Laszlo looked at me with a smile: 'I don't think you've got that quite right.' he said. Six months later he rang me. Little Bonzai had died. He had examined the body and found that the cause of the trouble was a blocked right ventricle. 'Now we listen.' Laszlo said.
1 My first appointment is at 10 a.m. I always ask the animal if it's okay to communicate, because it can be very intrusive. Sometimes they want to be left alone, just like people do. And I check if it's okay with my helpers upstairs - God. or my spirit helpers, whatever you call them. It's nearly always a yes, because this is the work I'm meant to be doing. It may sound strange but I'm really a very down-to-earth person. I just happen to have a gift.
5 Occasionally I am contacted by vets in England. Like once about Montsy the dog. He was four days from being destroyed. From his behaviour they thought he was either mad or bad. He just didn't know how to behave. 'What does behave mean?" he asked. And he didn't like his name. So I sent off some pills for him and his owners. And we gave him a different name. Now he's a lovely boy. An animal's problems can be related to what's going on with their owners. So the owners get remedies too.
2 6 I hold my pendulum in front of the animal to get answers to my questions. If it swings clockwise it's yes: anticlockwise is no. It's quick, it gives factual answers. Then I take time to tune into the animal and see if it has anything to say for itself. That can take time. I either hear words in my head or get the feeling that the animal is experiencing. Sometimes it's quite a laugh, particularly if the animal is communicating something funny about its owner, and sometimes it will reduce me to tears.
I tend to have just one main meal a day. in the evening with wine or whisky. I don't have fried foods. I don't enjoy them anyway. I love vegetables but I do eat meat. I went off beef a long time ago because I could smell the fear in the animal. I do feel guilty about not being a vegetarian, but then I think that God put animals on the earth for us to domesticate and eat, so why waste them'.' I can't bear waste. 1 recycle everything I can - from silver paper to clothes.
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I've had conclusive proof. A woman left her dog alone during the day and wanted to know if there was anything she could do to make him more comfortable. He said, No. I'm fine I spend the day on the sofa." She said. 'I know he spends most of the time on the sofa. Although he's in his chair when I walk through the door, there's always a hot place in the sofa cushions." The dog said one other thing. He said. 'It really irritates me the way she keeps talking when she does the washingup." His owner laughed. 'I do talk a lot." she said. 'Maybe he doesn't like it that I've got my back to him.'
If I kept my mind open to everything all the time. I would be dead in a day - I couldn't go in an underground train because I'd pick up all the negativity and tension. So I close myself down. Even so. by the evening I am tired. I have to look after a sick cat so I tend not to go out. I watch the programmes I've recorded during the day. I love that fast-forward button - you can watch four hours in two. I fall asleep in the chair and wake up much later with the cat on my lap.
Exercise 3 You are going to read an article about how to prepare for success. Choose the most suitable summary sentence from the list A-1 for each part (1-7) of the article. There is one extra summary sentence which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0). A B C D E F G H I
Worrying what others think is no recipe for success. Sympathy is no substitute for success. Reliability and attention to detail are important factors. Being unprepared is a poor excuse. Preparing for the worst will result in the best. No sacrifice is too great for the world's best. For one champion, preparation has been a way of life. Hard work is the key. Luck doesn't last - it's preparation that counts. The 110% solution
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There are those who achieve success as the result of a chance: being in the right place at the right time. But this kind of success is usually short-lived. If you want to stay on top you have to work at it, which usually means giving a lot of time and energy to preparation. I've never met a truly successful person who wasn't 110% prepared. Once you realise the
4 Many people are afraid to be prepared: if they are, they lose an excellent excuse when they fail. In sport, you meet athletes who let it be known they are not in top condition for a tournament or game. It relieves the pressure. If they lose, they were not at their best. If they win. they exceed everyone's expectations. This is a classic 50% solution: you win some, 11
advantage that exceptional preparation gives, it becomes a lifelong habit.
you lose some. 5
1 Ivan Lendl was a case in point. He thought about every side to his game, whether it was a playing strategy against an opponent, or his diet, or fitness regime or when he scheduled his sleep. That attitude touched every part of his life. The first time I met Ivan, I was impressed that he knew exactly where he was going to be in six months" time, even though this is not uncommon for a top performer. But what really astonished me was when he told me he also knew the airline and flight number he was taking to the city in question. That is how he goes about everything. 2 Jackie Stewart, too, is always very well prepared. If he says he will meet you eleven weeks from Monday at 10.30 at your Chicago office, you have no need to reconfirm the appointment. Jackie will be there. Much of this, I am sure, he picked up during his racing career, where checking the safety and performance details before he took the wheel was a matter of life or death. Jackie has never abandoned that discipline in his other pursuits. It is one ingredient that made him a champion. 3 One reason many of us aren't prepared is that we rarely get credit for it. Preparation is something we do outside the spotlight. And if anyone does find out we have prepared intensively to make certain we achieve our goal, we may well be teased. Successful people are also those who have learned to accept teasing as part of being what they are. After all. if you get to the top of your particular profession. you will have the last laugh.
Then there are the people who do their preparation in public. They constantly tell you how hard they are working. That way. if they fail, it is not because they did not try. This is the 75% solution: prepare well, give it your best, let things turn out as they will. You can be pretty sure that people will feel sorry for you if things go wrong: you may even get more attention and support than the person you were trying to beat. But being consoled as a worthy loser is not the same as glowing with success. 6 The very best performers spend hidden hours to make sure that they are No 1. They don't need or want the world to see them sweat. Ballet dancers train eight hours a day for years so their spins and leaps on stage look effortless. The actor Laurence Olivier would spend weeks memorising his lines until he could recite them without thinking. Only then would he start to rehearse a play. 7 When Christine Brinkley was top model in the world, being photographed for the cover of Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, she would schedule her wake-up call at 2 a.m. knowing that unless she put icepacks on her eyes, which always swelled with sleep, she would not look good enough when the sun broke over the horizon. That was when the light was soft, when the tones showed her off best and the photographer was ready to shoot. This is the 110% solution.
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Exercise 4 You are going to read an extract from a book about becoming an actor. Choose the most suitable summary sentence from the list A-1 for each part (1-7) of the article. There is one extra summary sentence which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0). A. B. C. D. E. actor. F. G. H. I.
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There is one main reason why every actor likes acting. It is important to have a realistic attitude to being an actor. There are certain qualities which anyone needs to succeed as an actor. Many actors realise after a while that the profession does not suite them. You should not pay much attention to comments about your decision to become an Successful actors don't claim to understand what it takes to be a successful actor. It is difficult but not impossible to succeed as an actor. Actors learn to deal with the unpleasant aspects of the profession. If you decide to become an actor, your chance of succeeding are not good
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If you tell someone that you want to make a career as an actor, you can be sure that within two minutes the word "risky" will come up. And, of course, acting is a very risky career let there be no mistake about that. The supply of actors is far greater than the demand for them.
4 Where does the desire to act come from? It is often very difficult to put into words your own reason for wanting to act. Certainly, in the theater the significant thing is that moment of contact between the actor on the stage and a particular audience. And making this brief contact is central to all acting, wherever it takes place - it is what drives all actors to act.
1 5 Once you choose to become an actor, many people who you thought were your closest friends will tell you you're crazy, though some may react quite differently. No two people will give you the same advice. But it is a very personal choice you are making, and only you can take responsibility for yourself and for realizing your ambition.
If you ask actors how they have done well in the profession, the response will most likely be a shrug. They will not know. They will know certain things about themselves and aspects of their own technique and the techniques of others. but they will take nothing for granted, because they know that they are only as good as their current job, and that their fame may not continue.
2 6 There are no easy way of getting there - no written examinations to pass, and no absolute guarantee that when you have successfully completed your training you will
Disappointment is the greatest enemy of the actor. Last month you may have been out of work, selling clothes or waitressing. Suddenly, you are asked to audition for a 13
automatically make your way in the profession. It's all a matter of luck and talent, and there is always the prospect of excitement, glamor and the occasional rich reward.
part, but however much you want the job, the truth is that it may deny you. So actor tend not to talk about their chances. They come up with ways of protecting themselves against the stress of competing for a part and the possibility of rejection.
3 7 I have frequently been asked to define this magical thing called talent, which everyone is looking out for. I believe it is best described as natural skill plus imagination the latter being the most difficult quality to assess. And it has a lot to do with the person's courage and their belief in what they are doing and the way they are putting it across.
Nobody likes being rejected. And remember that the possibility is there from the very first moment you start going in for parts professionally. You are saying that you are available, willing and, hopefully, talented enough for the job. And, in many ways, it's up to you, for if you don't care enough, noone will care for you.
Exercise 5 You are going to read an extract an article about a National Trust Warden. Choose the most suitable summary sentence from the list A-1 for each part (1-7) of the article. There is one extra summary sentence which you do not need to use. There is an example at the beginning (0). A. A minor annoyance B. What makes him good at the job? C. Towards agreement D. The problem of an outdoor life E. There to stay F. Getting things done G. Changes to the environment H. The most suitable candidate I. The right qualities for the job Looking after the countryside THE NATIONAL TRUST The National Trust is an organization whose aims is to conserve the British countryside. Gill Page visits the Lleyn Peninsual in North Wales and talks to one of the wardens employed by the Trust to look after the beautiful areas it owns
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Common sense. That's what a National Trust Warden needs, according to Gareth Roberts. "And you definitely need to be good at handling people, because you're continually dealing with farmers, visitors, conservationists and building firms."
Gareth says that, when he started his job, farmers and conservationists were set against each other. Both sides wanted things done their way. Now they are talking and can see each other's point of view. "We're at the crossroads and there's just a small step needed to join them together," says Gareth. 14
1 5 Gareth was born and bred on the Lleyn Peninsula and worked on his parents' farm until he married. About 80 people applied for the post as National Trust Warden for the Lleyn Peninsula. In the end, Gareth's local knowledge and farming experience won him the job, despite his lack of formal training.
Conservation is one the main aspects of Gareth's work, along with public entry to the Trust's land. tree planting and maintenance, and meeting the Trust's tenant farmers. "My role is to make sure job get finished, with as little fuss and as economically as possible. What I enjoy most is seeing projects completed, although about half of my time is spent on reports, signing bills and so on."
2 "I find it particularly helpful that I still farm with my parents and that I can deal with farmers on the same level and be aware of their problems. Also, they can't take me in about anything!" he says. His farming life also means he is well able to cope with the physical demands of the job - erecting fences, planting trees, building walls. 3 Since he has been with the Trust, Gareth says he has come to understand more about nature conservation. "When I was a youngster," he recalls, "I used to pick and press flowers, collect butterfly larvae and old birds' nests. And I thought to myself recently, where would I find all those flowers, the birds' nests, the grasshopper now? It's really become clear to me that farming has affected the countryside. It's not the farmers' fault they were just doing what the government told them."
6 Gareth is certainly keen on his job and despite never being off duty, he obviously enjoys every minute of his work, especially talking to the public. Most of them, anyway. "It's the attitude of some people I dislike," he admits. "They just walk into the area, demand everything, then walk out again as if it's their absolute right. Having to be nice to those people gets on my nerves!" 7 But as Gareth says, it's all down to common sense really. So if you've got plenty of that, and you like the idea of an outdoor job, you might think of applying to become a warden like Gareth - but don't expect a job to be available on the Lleyn Peninsula for a good many years!
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PART 2 Exercise 1 You are going to read a newspaper article about an adventure centre. For questions 1-8, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text. A family adventure centre I'm focused. Completely terrified, but focused. I've got a tiny area to stand on and beneath me is a 10-metre drop. To make things worse, the totem pole that I'm trying to climb onto is shaking. With one knee bent on the top of the pole and the other foot next to it, I slowly stand up with my arms outstretched for balance. Once upright, my legs are still wobbling but an enormous smile has spread across my face. I shuffle my toes over the edge. And then I jump. Back on the ground, my knees won't stop quaking. But for the boys at Head 4 Heights, an aerial adventure centre in Cirencester, it's all in a day's work. Head 4 Heights, one of the tallest climbing centres in Britain, opened two years ago. It's the only UK climbing centre open to the public year-round (the only days it closes are when winds exceed 70 mph, almost enough to blow you off a totem pole and into one of the lakes). The course was set up by Rod Baber, adventurer extraordinaire and holder of the world record for scaling the highest peak of every country in Europe in the shortest time. Rod's latest plan is to snag the record for North and South America as well, but in between he starts every day with a clamber round the Cirencester course. His favourite is the 'Trapeze' challenge: 'It still gets me every time. Eyes dilate, mouth goes dry and adrenalin goes everywhere.' Although the course is only roughly the size of a tennis court, it packs a lot into a small space. There are four totem poles (of varying degrees of difficulty according to the holds attached to them), a stairway to heaven (a giant ladder with an increasing distance between the rungs), two freefall platforms and a trapeze jump. Plans for a new 30-metre pole are presently under way. All can be made easier or harder, according to ability, and incorporated into different challenges, which is why the course has proved a success with families, corporate days out and the armed forces. More than half who visit return for more and the centre now averages about 1,500 visitors a month. All ages over five are welcome, but children are the most enthusiastic and 'far easier to teach than the bankers,' says Rod. Parents are usually more reluctant to join in. 'We hear all sorts of excuses,' says Rod. 'Everything from bad knees to "I haven't trimmed my toenails".' The oldest customer was a 78-year-old who arrived with his son and grandson. When the younger two decided to give it a miss, the grandfather set off to show them how it was done. For the most part, though, people start off nervous and only gain confidence as they progress. 'Everything is kept very positive. We always tell people to look up not down and to take their time,' says Rod. 'We want to push people outside their comfort zone and into the adventure zone, but we don't want people to be pushed into the panic zone, which can be mentally damaging.'
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Also reassuring is the 100 per cent safety record. The course was designed and built by Nick Moriarty, an expert in his field who has constructed 450 courses in 16 countries and trained 2,700 instructors. Key to the design is the safety-rope system, which ensures that if you do lose your balance or grip, your full-body harness will guarantee that you float, not fall, back to earth. What isn't guaranteed, though, is family harmony. 'The Leap of Love' is usually left as the final challenge and involves two (similarly sized) people squeezing themselves onto a 'bird table' at the top of a totem pole, before jumping in tandem to grab a trapeze. Not everything always goes according to plan. Aside from not arguing, both people need to be careful not to unbalance each other and must jump at exactly the same time. 'We do have some people who have refused to speak to each other afterwards,' says Rod, 'but if you can both make it together, it's such a buzz.' 1 One problem the writer describes in the first paragraph is that A she keeps falling off the totem pole. B she is trying to stand on top of a moving object. C she cannot get her arms into the right position. D she is too nervous to complete the climb. 2 A B C D
What do we learn about Head 4 Heights in the second paragraph? It remains open even in quite windy conditions. Rod Baber got the idea for it while climbing mountains. It did not initially stay open throughout the year. It is aimed at people who don't have the chance to climb mountains.
3 What does Rod Baber say about the 'Trapeze' challenge? A He does it more often than anything else on the course. B He always fails to complete it. C He continues to find it difficult. D He takes a long time to recover after doing it. 4. The writer says that the main reason for the course's popularity is that A the challenges it offers cannot be found anywhere else. B new challenges are constantly being added. C it can be completed in a fairly short time. D it can be adapted for different people. 5 The people who 'decided to give it a miss' are examples of people who A find it difficult to do the course. B are unwilling to do the course. C are easily taught how to do the course. D give up while they are doing course. 6 Rod says that the intention of the course is that people taking part A learn how to deal with extreme fear. B progress as quickly as possible. C take risks they might not initially want to take. D increase in confidence after repeated visits.
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7 The writer uses the phrase 'Also reassuring' to emphasize A that people benefit from doing the course. B how carefully the course has been constructed. C that people should not be afraid to do the course. D how enthusiastic Rod is about the course. 8 What is said about 'The Leap of Love'? A Most people fail to do it successfully. B It can cause people to fall out with each other. C It is the hardest challenge on the course. D Some people don't try hard enough to do it.
Exercise 2 You are going to read an newspaper article about careers advice. For questions 1-8, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text. Finding the career that fits your personality 'If you've finished your exams and have absolutely no idea what to do next, you're not alone,' says Sheridan Hughes, an occupational psychologist at Career Analysts, a career counselling service. 'At 18, it can be very difficult to know what you want to do because you don't really know what you're interested in.' Careers guidance, adds Alexis Hallam, one of her colleagues, is generally poor and 'people can end up in the wrong job and stay there for years because they're good at something without actually enjoying it.' To discover what people are good at, and more fundamentally, what they will enjoy doing, Career Analysts give their clients a battery of personality profile questionnaires and psychometric tests. An in-depth interview follows, in which the test results are discussed and different career paths and options are explored with the aid of an occupational psychologist. Career Analysts offers guidance to everyone, from teenagers to retirees looking for a new focus in life. The service sounded just what I needed. Dividing my time as I do between teaching and freelance journalism, I definitely need advice about consolidating my career. Being too ancient for Career Analysts' student career option guidance and not, unfortunately, at the executive level yet, I opted for the career management package. This is aimed at people who are established in their jobs and who either want a change or some advice about planning the next step in their careers. Having filled in a multitude of personality indicator questionnaires at home, I then spent a rather gruelling morning being aptitude-tested at Career Analysts' offices. The tests consisted of logical reasoning followed by verbal, mechanical and spatial aptitude papers. Logical reasoning required me to pick out the next shape in a sequence of triangles, squares and oblongs. I tried my best but knew that it was really a lost cause. I fared rather better when it came to verbal aptitude - finding the odd one out in a series of words couldn't be simpler. My complacency was short-lived, however, when I was confronted with images of levers and pulleys for the mechanical aptitude papers. My mind went blank. I had no idea what would happen to wheel X when string Y was pulled. At home, filling in questionnaires, I had been asked to give my instinctive reaction (not an over-considered one) to statements like: 'It bothers me if people think I'm being odd or unconventional', or 'I like to do my planning alone without interruptions from others.' I was asked to agree or disagree on a scale of one to five with 'I often take on impossible odds', or 'It is impossible for me to believe that chance or luck plays an important role in my life.' I 18
was told to indicate how important I consider status to be in a job, and how important money and material benefits. The questions attempt to construct a picture of the complete individual. Using aptitude tests alongside personality profiling, occupational psychologists will, the theory goes, be able to guide a client towards a rewarding, fulfilling career. Some questions are as straightforward as indicating whether or not you would enjoy a particular job. Designing aircraft runways? Preparing legal documents? Playing a musical instrument? Every career going makes an appearance and, as I was shown later, the responses tend to form a coherent pattern. Having completed my personality and aptitude tests, I sat down with Sheridan Hughes, who asked me fairly searching personal and professional questions. What do my parents and siblings do for a living? Why had I chosen to do an English degree? 'I need to get a picture of you as a person and how you've come to be who you are,' she explained. 'What we do works because it's a mixture of science and counselling. We use objective psychometric measures to discover our clients' natural strengths and abilities and then we talk to them about what they want from life.' There were no real surprises in my own test results, nor in the interview that followed it. 'We're interested in patterns,' Mrs Hughes explained, 'and the pattern for you is strongly verbal and communicative.' This was putting it rather kindly. I had come out as average on the verbal skills test and below average in logic, numerical, perceptual and mechanical reasoning. My spatial visualization was so bad it was almost off the scale. A career in cartography, navigation, tiling or architecture would not be playing to your strengths,' she said delicately. Mrs Hughes encouraged me to expand the writing side of my career and gave me straightforward, practical suggestions as to how I could go about it. 'Widen the scope of your articles,' she said. 'You could develop an interest in medical and psychological fields.' These latter, she said, would sit comfortably with an interest in human behaviour indicated on my personality-profiling questionnaires. She suggested that I consider writing e-learning content for on-line courses, an avenue that would never have occurred to me. 1 Which of the following is mentioned in the first paragraph? A people underestimating their own abilities B people accepting inappropriate advice C people being unwilling to take risks D people constantly changing their minds 2 What does the writer say about Career Analysts in the second paragraph? A It is about to offer a service for people at executive level. B The range of services it offers is unique. C She was initially doubtful that it could be useful to her. D Only one of its services was relevant to her. 3 What happened when the writer took the aptitude tests? A She found two of the papers extremely difficult. B She put in very little effort on any of them. C She didn't understand what she was required to do on one of them. D The papers were not what she had been expecting. 4 What does the writer say about the statements on the questionnaires? A She thought about them for longer than she was supposed to. 19
B She found some of them rather strange. C One of them focused on her attitude to risk. D One of them concerned her current situation only. 5 The writer says that the idea behind the questionnaires is that A people will find some of the questions quite hard to answer. B the answers to them and the aptitude tests will provide all the necessary information. C they will encourage people to have new ideas about possible careers. D they will give a more accurate picture of people than the aptitude tests. 6 Some of the questions Sheridan Hughes asked concerned the writer's A opinions of the tests and questionnaires. B relationships with family members. C main regrets. D progress through life. 7 The writer felt that during the interview, Mrs Hughes A was keen not to upset her concerning her test results. B seemed surprised at how badly she had done in the tests. C was being honest about her strengths and weaknesses. D preferred to avoid talking about her test results. 8 The advice Mrs Hughes gave to the writer included the suggestion that she should A think about taking a course on writing. B concentrate only on writing and not on any other kind of work. C increase the number of subjects she writes about. D do something she had previously considered unappealing.
Exercise 3 You are going to read an article about holidays. For questions 1-8, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text. Why I've taken a break from holidays It's a wonderful morning, as I write this: hot, but without being too hot. Outside my window, I can see the bluest, sunniest sky of the year reflected in a huge natural expanse of water. It's the kind of sun that makes you acutely aware of summer's temporary nature - a reminder that if I am ever going to get around to booking this year's holiday, time is running out. For a moment, the idea of sitting on a beach in a place where this kind of weather is nothing remarkable, catching up on my reading, sounds tempting, but then a tension begins to rise in my chest and the temptation passes. It is now close to four years since I last took a holiday. This is because I have come to the conclusion, over the course of my adult life, that I am not very good at it. You might think this sounds like saying you're not very good at drinking tea or listening to music. What could possibly be difficult about the natural act of putting your working life on hold for a couple of weeks and going somewhere warm to do nothing? 20
To be honest, I'm a little baffled myself. I was a model holidaymaker as a kid: every July, I would arrive at an Italian campsite with my parents and, within a couple of days, my skin would have turned an olive colour and I would blend into my surroundings so totally that I would often find myself being mistakenly told to join a party of local schoolchildren. The problems started during my early twenties: a stolen tent and wallet at the Glastonbury Festival in 1995; a lightning strike and sudden drop in altitude on a flight over the Channel in 1997; an ill-fated experiment in 'luxury inter-railing' in 1998 that lasted just four days and ended with the French police mistaking me for a drug smuggler. But even if I manage to go away without being mugged or getting food poisoning, I now find that I can't really commit to the experience. A fancy-free trip to the South of France five years ago to 'just kind of hang out on the coast' was ended after just two days, mainly because I had an urge to check my e-mails. Similarly, my honeymoon, a year or so later, was cut short by 48 hours - not because my wife and I weren't enjoying ourselves, but because we were missing our cats. So what is my problem? On the surface, I'm probably a bit of a homebody. And I just find the pressure of being on holiday too severe: it always feels like having a gun held to my head and being forced to have fun. Somehow, packing a carefully itemised list of possessions and meeting a scheduled flight has none of the excitement of suddenly deciding to take a day off and driving somewhere for the fun of it. Thankfully, I'm not alone. This summer, most of my friends have decided not to have a break. And a recent survey highlighted the downside of holidays, with the results showing that nearly two thirds of people found that the calming effects of a holiday wore off within 24 hours, as stress levels returned to normal. And this year The Idler magazine published its Book of Awful Holidays. Here you will find a list of the five most ecologically-damaging vacations it's possible to take, along with 50 horrific holiday experiences voted for on The Idler website. Over the last decade, The Idler has become well known for promoting the idea of an easy, lazy life. The leisure industry might seem an unlikely target of its criticism, but Dan Kiernan, the book's editor, says that he was flooded with entries from readers for his list of Awful Holidays. 'What interests me is what the concept of a "holiday" says about the rest of our lives,' he explains. 'We all seem content to slave away for 48 weeks a year and only get four off. For me, the point of living is to have a life you enjoy for 52 weeks a year.' He has a point. The more I like my life and the better I structure it, the less I want to go away. Maybe I'm weird for not liking holidays, but I just feel my leisure time is too valuable to waste on them. 1 The writer says in the first paragraph that while he is writing this article, A B C D
he feels envious of people who are on holiday. he realizes it is too late to book a holiday. he wishes that the weather would change. he experiences a brief desire to book a holiday.
2 What does the writer suggest about the fact that he has not taken a holiday for four years? A Some people may find the reason surprising. B He often has to explain the reason to other people. C There have been times when he has regretted it. D It is not something he has thought about before. 3 What is the writer describing in the third paragraph? 21
A events that explain why he has never really liked holidays B events that he regards as not typical of most people's experiences C events that illustrate his contrasting experiences of holidays D events that he did not consider particularly serious when they happened 4 The events the writer describes in the fourth paragraph illustrate A how hard he has tried to enjoy holidays. B how badly he behaves when he is on holiday. C his fear that something bad will happen when he is on holiday. D his lack of enthusiasm for being on holiday. 5 The writer says in the fifth paragraph that the main thing he dislikes about holidays is that A they are often organized in order to please other people. B they are far less enjoyable than breaks that have not been planned in advance. C he tends to be made responsible for too much of the organization of them. D he feels embarrassed when other people are having fun but he isn't. 6 The writer says that a recent survey shows that a lot of people A pretend to enjoy their holidays. B fail to relax while they are on holiday. C feel that the benefits of going on holiday are limited. D have made the same decision as the writer and most of his friends. 7 The writer says that the book published by The Idler magazine A illustrates a point that the magazine has often made. B proved more popular than he would have expected. C focuses entirely on bad personal experiences of holidays. D indicates that his dislike of holidays is widely shared. 8 When the writer says 'He has a point' in the final paragraph, he is agreeing that A people who like their normal lives don't need to go on holiday. B some people need to have holidays but others don't. C not liking holidays is generally considered strange. D a lot of people don't really want to go on holiday.
Exercise 4 You are going to read an article about a wrestler who becomes an author. For questions 1-8, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text. The Wrestler who became an author Pete Watson looks like the biggest sweetest teddy bear you ever saw. It is only when he opens his mouth that you notice the missing front teeth. Watson Watson looks like the biggest sweetest teddy bear you ever saw. It is only when he opens his mouth that you notice the missing front teeth. Watson is a three-time world champion wrestler turned author. He was adored by fans because he was different: while other wrestlers were supreme athletes, he was just a hulk who knew how to take a hit You could throw as many chairs as you liked at Pete Watson, you could smack him repeatedly, but he wouldn't go down. 22
After two autobiographies and a series of children's stories, he has just written a brilliant first novel: a work of immense power and subtlety, likely to gain a wide readership. At its simplest, it is about a boy and his dad getting together after a lifetime apart, though there is far more to it than that Was he inspired by anyone he knew! The father, he says, is based on guys he met on the road, wrestlers, friends of his, who appeared to be leading exciting lives, but deep down were pretty miserable. Watson does not come from traditional wrestling stock. He grew up in Long Island, New York. His father was an athletics director with a PhD, his mother a physical education teacher with two master's degrees - one in literature, the other in Russian history. He was a big boy, bullied for his size. One day his neighbour had a go at him, and for the first time Watson realised he could use his weight and size instead of feeling awkward about it It was a turning point At college, he did a degree in communication studies. Meanwhile, he was learning the ropes of professional wrestling. Did his parents try to dissuade him? 'No. They were just really insistent that I finished college. I am pretty sure they thought I'd get hurt and quit wrestling.' But he didn't He looks in remarkably good condition for someone who spent 20 years in the ring. His skin is smooth and firm; there are few visible scars. 'It's amazing what retirement can do for you. I looked really rough five years ago, and now I think I look a good deal younger,' he says. People are surprised by the softness of his handshake. 'Yeah, that's the wrestler's handshake,' he says. Do you have to be a good actor to be a good wrestler? I used to really resent the acting label, but it is acting. When it's really good, when you're feeling it and letting that real emotion fly, it comes closer to being real. 'What did his children think when they saw him getting hurt! 'Well, they used to think I never got hurt because that's what I told them. When they got old enough to realise I did, they stopped enjoying it. That was, in part what led so to my decision to got out.' Nowadays, his time is dedicated to family and books -his next novel is about boy wrestlers living on the same block, and he is also writing more children's stories. He does not think this life is so different from wrestling. 'Wrestling is all about characters,' he says. 'So when my fans hear I've written a novel, I don't get the sense that they feel I've abandoned them.' 1. What impression do we get of Pete Watson's skill as a wrestler? A. He frequently lost because he was not very aggressive. B. He was too gentle and friendly to be a good wrestler. C. He was injured a lot because he didn't fight back. D. His speciality was letting his opponent hit him. 2. It is suggested that Watson's first novel A. is based on his own autobiography B. will be popular with those who liked his autobiographies. C. will not only appeal to his fans. D. is not much more than a simple story. 3. What dose 'traditional wrestling stock' refer to? A. Watson's childhood B. Watson's family background C. Watson's educational background D. Watson's background in athletics 23
4. What did Watson's parents feel about his interest in wrestling? A. They were afraid he would get hurt. B. They insisted that he should have proper training at college. C. They wanted him to give up wrestling. D. They thought he would abandon the sport quite soon. 5. Watson seems to be in good condition now A. although he has retired. B. in spite of being a wrestler for so long. C. because he stopped wrestling for five years ago. D. and he finds this fact amazing. 6. How does Watson regard the idea that wrestling is like acting? A. He resents the suggestion. B. He thinks wrestlers aren't good actors. C. He has come to accept it. D. He doesn't think wrestling can compare to acting. 7. What does the underlined That refer to? A. the fact that Watson's children got older B. the fact that Watson often got hurt C. the fact that Watson's children no longer enjoyed watching him perform D. the fact that Watson could not tell his children the truth 8. Watson's present life is not different from his past profession because A. his work is still connected with characters. B. he is writing about wrestling, his previous profession. C. his family are still important than anything else. D. his fans still follow his career with interest.
Exercise 4 You are going to read an extract from a novel. For questions 1-8, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text. I had never been married before so there was nothing in my past experience to go by but it was beginning to dawn on me that I was very nicely fixed. I am talking, of course, of material things. It would have been enough for me or anybody else to be paired with a beautiful girl whom I love and who loved me. I hadn't reckoned on the other aspects. This business of studying my comfort, for instance. I thought such things had gone out of fashion, but not so with Helen. It was brought home to me again as I walked into breakfast this morning. We had at last acquired a table -1 had bought it at a farm sale and brought it home in triumph tied to the roof of my car - and now Helen had vacated the chair on which she used to sit at the bench and had taken over the high stool. She was perched away up there now, transporting her food from far below, while I was expected to sit comfortably in the chair. I don't think I'm a selfish swine but there was nothing I could do about it.
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And there were other little things. The neat pile of clothing laid out for me each morning; the clean, folded shirt and handkerchief and socks so different from the jumble of my bachelor days. And when I was late for meals, which was often, she served me with my food but instead of going off and doing something else she would down tools and sit watching me while I ate. It made me feel like a sultan. It was this last trait which gave me a clue to her behaviour. I suddenly remembered that I had seen her sitting by Mr Alderson while he had a late meal; sitting in the same pose, one arm on the table, quietly watching him. And I realised I was reaping the benefit of her lifetime attitude to her father. Mild little man though he was she had catered gladly to his every wish in the happy acceptance that line 20 the man of the house was number one; and the whole pattern was rubbing off on me now. In fact it set me thinking about the big question of how girls might be expected to behave after marriage. One old farmer giving advice about choosing a wife once said: 'Have a blooming good look at the mother first, lad', and I'm sure he had a point. But if I may throw in my own little word of counsel it would have to be to have a passing glance at how she acts towards her father. Watching her now as she got down and started to serve my breakfast the warm knowledge flowed through me as it did so often that my wife was the sort who just liked looking after a man and that I was so very lucky. And I was certainly blooming under the treatment. A bit too much, in fact, and I was aware I shouldn't be attacking this plateful of porridge and cream; especially with all that material sizzling in the frying pan. Helen had brought with her to Skelton House a delicious dowry of fish, and these hung from the beams of the barn in an impressive array of coldsmoked kippers; a constant temptation. Some samples were in the pan now, and though I had never been one for large breakfasts I did not object when she threw in a couple of large brown eggs for company.
1. After his marriage, the writer started to realise A how badly prepared he was for marriage B. that there were more benefits to it than he expected. C. that he had made a mistake. D. how deeply he loved his wife. 2. What was the writer reminded of at breakfast that morning? A. He could now afford new furniture. B. He no longer had to do anything for himself. C. He had no control over his wife's behaviour. D. His wife always considered his comfort before her own. 3. The writer suggests to us that, as an unmarried man, he A. often missed meals. B. had fewer clothes. C. was more untidy. D. usually ate at home. 4 What did the writer realise about Helen's relationship with her father? A She often worried about him. B She was very close to him. C She was afraid of him. 25
D She respected him deeply. 5 A B C D
What does the writer mean by 'and the whole pattern was rubbing off on me' in line 20? He was beginning to understand his wife's behaviour. Helen was now treating him as she had treated her father. He was becoming like his father-in-law. His wife's behaviour was beginning to annoy him.
6 A B C D
How did the writer feel about the old farmer's advice? He partly agreed with it. It was unappreciated. He thought it was incorrect. He thought it was outdated.
7 What was Helen cooking? A fish and eggs B porridge and cream C smoked meat D a full English breakfast 8 All in all, what is the writer's attitude towards Helen? A He is grateful for what she has brought into his life. B He believes that she is changing his character for the better. C He feels that he doesn't deserve her. D He wishes she was less like her father.
Exercise 6 You are going to read a magazine article about a Cuban baseball player. For questions 1-8, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
For the Love of the Game Talented baseball player Jose Navarro tells us all about his move from Cuba to Canada.
From the moment I open my mouth, the questions begin. It happens every single time without fail. "Where are you from?" people I meet ask me. "I'm from Cuba," I reply, a treat for the inquiring mind. For I think we humans are born with a natural curiosity. If we hear an accent that is different from our own, we want to put a place to the voice, we want to know where the person is from. Of course, this is not a bad thing, or at least I don't think it is. I believe our desire to learn more about others shows that, by and large, we are social creatures. The way I see it, it's like having a new neighbour that you often see from across the street but haven't had the chance to introduce yourself to yet. Well, it's perfectly natural to want to cross the road to say 'Hi!' 26
Before I continue, let me give you a brief history of how I came to be in Canada, a stranger in this new land. For as long as I can remember, I've been obsessed with baseball, the national sport of Cuba. I dedicated myself totally to both playing and watching it, sacrificing free time, friendships and sometimes school grades along the way. Eleven months ago, I finally made it onto a Cuban team. Wearing my team colours before fans in my home stadium for the first time was the proudest moment of my life. Then, six months ago, talent scouts from Canada saw me playing at the 'Estadio Latinoamericano' in Havana and were impressed enough to offer me a sports scholarship. I didn't think twice about accepting the offer. Within the month I was on a plane heading for Toronto. I realised my obsession had paid off. The scholarship offered me a place at the renowned York University. I was given the opportunity to choose from a list which degree I wanted to pursue. After one or two sleepless nights and five long and somewhat heated phone calls with my parents, I decided to do a law degree. I thought it was very important to pick something that I could fall back on if I didn't make it as a big league player. There was only one catch: when I wasn't studying, I had to play ball. My opinion on that: 'No objections, Your Honour!' When I first arrived, I wasn't afraid, even though I was all alone in a foreign country. On the contrary, I was eager to explore this new, unknown city. Toronto was a brand new world; mine to discover. Gone were the 1950s Cadillacs and cobbled streets and before my eyes were sleek, shiny visions of the future. And for reasons I've already explained, it hasn't been difficult to make friends with my fellow students. "What's it like living in Cuba?" they ask. "Did you like it?", "Have you come here to escape it?" You see, Cuba, Cubans and the Cuban way of life are something of an enigma to them. They see my home as a secretive island, shrouded in mystery. Sometimes we talk into the early hours of the morning, exchanging stories. I reminisce about walking barefoot along the Havana coastline in the tropical warmth. I talk about the many hours spent playing dominoes and eating shellfish with my family. I joke that it's not all politics and cigars! They say they realise this and joke back. But then we also chat about the many shared experiences that we have here in Canada. You know, we may start off thinking about our differences, but when all is said and done, we look for what we have in common. 1. What is the writer's attitude to being asked a lot of questions? A. He welcomes the attention. B. He wishes people weren't so curious. C. He believes it will help him make new friends. D. He believes it reflects human nature 2. What do we learn about the writer's love for baseball while growing up? A. It made him feel like a foreigner in his own country. B. It developed over time. C. It wasn't encouraged by others. D. It caused him to miss out certain things.
3. What does the writer mean by the phrase 'my obsession had paid off'? A His love for baseball was now bringing rewards. B His talent would at last bring financial benefits. C His dream had become a reality. D His passion had led to more than expected. 27
4 The writer decided to study law because A the course allowed him plenty of time to play baseball. B he realised he was unlikely to succeed as a baseball player. C he felt it would be useful if he failed in sport. D he was respecting his parents' wishes. 5. When the writer first arrived in Toronto, he felt A. homesick. B. lonely. C. excited. D. anxious. 6. According to the writer, why were the other students so interested in his life back home? A They wanted to understand why he had left his country. B They were curious about something they knew very little about. C They enjoyed the stories he told about it. D They were eager to get to know him better. 7. At the end of the passage, the writer concludes that A he would prefer to be living in his own country. B life in his own country is very different to life in Canada. C people from different cultures may be more similar than they realise. D he still has a lot to learn about the Canadian people. 8. What was the writer's main purpose in writing the text? A to describe his great love for baseball B to share his experience of becoming a foreigner C to show the value of learning more about others D to encourage others to follow their dreams
Exercise 7 You are going to read an extract from a book about a man who is travelling around Britain. For questions 1-8, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
To the west of Weymouth stands the 80 kms long Lyme Bay. Since the landscape just west of Weymouth is not particularly memorable, I took a taxi to Abbotsbury, and began my walk midway along Chesil Beach. I don't know what Chesil Beach is like towards the Weymouth end, but along this stretch it consisted of small pebbles worn to a uniform smoothness by years of wave action. They are nearly impossible to walk on since you sink to your ankle-tops with each step. Therefore, I took the coast path which is on firmer ground immediately behind the beach, but that left me unable to see over the stony dunes. Instead, you just hear the sea, crashing into the shore on the other side and sending endless successions of pebbles clattering along 28
the water's edge. It was the most boring walk I've ever had. By the time I reached West Bay, early in the afternoon, I was ready for a good sit-down and something to eat. West Bay is an odd little place, spread out in a higgledy-piggledy fashion across a duney landscape. It lacked any kind of logical arrangement and had something of the air of a gold-rush town, as if it had been built hurriedly, and it looked poor and grey and battered by the sea. I hunted around for some place to eat and happened on a surprising establishment called the Riverside Cafe. From the outside it looked nondescript, but I opened the door and found myself in the most extraordinary setting. The place was buzzing, the air thick with extremely loud chatter. As for the customers, they all looked as if they had just stepped out of a Ralph Lauren advertisement. They all had jumpers hanging casually around their shoulders and sunglasses perched on their heads. It was as if a little piece of London's Fulham or Chelsea had been magically transported to this little corner of the Dorset coast. Certainly I had never seen this kind of tempo outside a restaurant in London. Waiters and waitresses dashed everywhere trying to fulfil what appeared to be an inexhaustible demand to keep the customers fed. It was quite extraordinary. As I stood there, trying to remember where I was, Keith Floyd, the celebrity chef, dashed past. I was impressed. It all rather went to my head. I'm not usually much of one for lunch, but the food smelled so wonderful and the atmosphere was so extraordinary that I found myself ordering like a king. I had a starter of lobster terrine, an exquisite fillet of sea bass with green beans and a mountain of chips, and rounded it off with coffee and a generous piece of cheesecake. The proprietor, a jolly nice man named Arthur Watson, wandered among the tables and even called on me. He told me that until ten years before the place had been just a normal cafe doing roast lunches and burger and chips, and little by little they had begun introducing fresh fish and fancier foods and found that it was very popular. Now it was packed out every mealtime and had just been named the Good Food Guide's restaurant of the year for Dorset, but they still did burgers and they still did chips with everything, and I thought that was just wonderful. It was gone three when I emerged from the Riverside with a light head and heavy everything else. Taking a seat on a bench, I pulled out my map and realised with dismay that I was still 16 kms from Lyme Regis, with the 190 m of Golden Cap, the highest hill on the south coast, standing between me and it. My blisters throbbed, my legs ached, my stomach was grotesquely full and a light rain was beginning to fall. As I sat there, a bus pulled up. I got up and put my head in the open door. "Going west?" I said to the driver. He nodded. Impulsively, I jumped aboard. The trick of successful walking, I always say, is knowing when to stop. 1. Why was the writer disappointed with his walk at Lyme Bay? A. He was too tired and hungry to appreciate it. B. He hadn't expect it to be so noisy. C. He wasn't able to walk along the beach. D. He found the landscape of the area very dull. 2. What is meant by "higgledy-piggledy"? A. characters B. strange C. unattractive 29
D. disorganized
A B C D
3. What immediately surprises the writer about the Riverside Cafe? its extraordinary location the lively atmosphere inside its appealing name its ugly exterior
4 The writer tells us that the customers in the restaurant A made him feel unsuitably dressed. B reminded him of the type of diners found somewhere else. C seemed like they were enjoying themselves very much. D were extraordinarily demanding.
5 The waiters and waitresses in the restaurant seemed very A efficient. B tired. C busy. D professional. 6. The writer uses the phrase 'it all rather went to my head' to help explain how the atmosphere in the restaurant caused him to A do something unusual. B feel confused. C make a bad decision. D change his mind about something. 7. The owner told the writer that, despite the restaurant becoming more successful, A the style of the food it served had hardly changed. B it was little known outside of Dorset. C it was still very popular with the locals. D some of the food it served was the same as it had always been. 8 After the writer left the restaurant, he decided to A ask directions before continuing his journey. B complete the rest of his journey by public transport. C end his journey there. D rest a little longer before he continued his journey
Exercise 8
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You are going to read an article in which a student describes her first day at college. For questions 1-8, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text. I had dressed quite nicely for my first day as a student. At 16,1 had been upgraded from lowly pupil to proud student upon enrolment at St. Anne's College of Further Education. I would be spending the next two years on a drama foundation course, which I hoped would pave the way for me to become one of the great actresses of British theatre. In celebration of this new beginning and higher status, I had swapped my usual ripped jeans and sloppy jumpers for a pair of clean dungarees with a neatly pressed white shirt and, much to my mother's shock, I had actually brushed my hair. Like many young people my age, I was under the impression that the best way to show your individuality and creativity was by wearing the kind of clothing that my despairing mother claimed was not fit to be seen in public. But for my first day as a student I had made an effort to look what my mother called 'respectable'. There were fifteen of us, sitting in a large circle on wobbly old chairs in the theatre hall, while the head of the drama department, Mr Wilson, gave us a warm welcoming speech and told us all about the course we were about to start. To my horror, he then invited us to say a little bit about ourselves and why we had decided to do a drama course. I had no idea what I would say in front of all these people, which was a bit embarrassing for a would-be actress. The truth was that despite a taste for unusual clothing, I was painfully shy. My alarm grew as it came closer to my turn. My mind went blank and my mouth dry in dread of making a complete idiot of myself within the first hour of my new life. One by one, the new students enthusiastically explained their reasons for their longing for the stage. Then it was the turn of a girl who I hadn't really noticed until that moment because I was too busy panicking about what I would say. While all the other students, including me, looked fresh-faced and eager to please sitting bolt upright on the rickety chairs, this girl stood out like a sore thumb. She was slumped down so low in her chair and her jacket collar was pulled up so high that you could hardly see her face at all. All that was visible was a mop of untidy short brown hair and extraordinarily large, furious blue eyes. She briefly poked her chin above her collar and grunted, "My name's Tracy and I'm from Blackburn". She then retreated like a turtle back into her shell leaving only her wild blue eyes on show and added no further information about herself. Everyone smiled politely in stunned silence but I was both impressed and relieved: I was impressed at her bravery in saying almost nothing even under pressure, and relieved that you could get away line 30 with saying so little about yourself. It gave me the confidence to say just a few words, without saying too much and sounding foolish. After Mr. Wilson at long last let us out of the hall to go to lunch, I managed to find the courage to go up to Tracy. She was sitting alone at a table in the cafeteria still slumped in her chair, eating a bar of chocolate. She looked very unfriendly and unapproachable. Taking a deep breath, I introduced myself. To my surprise, she looked up at me with her huge eyes and gave me a very bright, sweet smile. That was twenty-seven years ago, and although we never did become famous stars of the stage or screen, we're still best friends.
1. Why did the writer change her appearance for her first day at college? A. She was responding to pressure from her mother. B. She wanted to look like a great actress. C. She felt it was appropriate to look neat and tidy. D. She wanted to fit in with the other students. 31
2. What do we learn about the writer in paragraph 3? A. She was not as extroverted as she may have seemed. B. She was unsure of her reason for wanting to do the course. C. Her clothing differed to other students'. D. She was afraid that she would find the course too demanding.
3. The writer tells us that as she waited to speak, A. she became more confident about what she would say. B. she worried that she would embarrass herself in front of the others. C. she began to wonder if she had made the wrong choice of career. D. she found it hard to concentrate on what the others were saying. 4. What does 'their longing for the stage' mean? A. their decision to do the course B. their determination to act C. their enthusiasm about the course D. their strong desire for an acting career 5. When the writer tells us that the girl she had just noticed 'stood out like a sore thumb' , she means that she A. seemed as if she was in pain. B. was noticeable as she was different to the others. C. looked very uncomfortable. D. wasn't sitting with the others.
6. What does the underlined 'it' refer to? A. the fact that all attention was currently on Tracy B. the other students' reaction to Tracy C. the fact that Tracy hadn't said very much D. the fact that Tracy seemed anxious, too 7. When the writer introduced herself to Tracy, A. she responded more positively than expected. B. she made it clear that she wanted to be by herself. C. she totally ignored her and carried on eating. D. she seemed surprised that anyone had spoken to her. 8. What was the writer's main purpose in writing the article? A. to tell us how she felt on her first day at college B. to explain why she decided not to become an actress C. to show how her first day at college changed her character D. to show how overcoming a fear led to meeting her best friend 32
Exercise 9 You are going to read an article about a puppeteer. For questions 1-8, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
The Master Puppeteer Peter Roberts describes what it is like to work in the world of puppet theatre and explains what is so special about this art form. Watching wooden dolls come to life may not be one of the most popular forms of entertainment today, but with over twenty years' experience, talented puppeteer Peter Roberts has earned himself the title 'master puppeteer' due to his extraordinary ability to transform puppets into believable, almost living characters. "People are quite often surprised to hear what I do for a living and have little appreciation of puppetry as a form of entertainment. But while the exact origins of puppet theatre are unknown, it has been popular in many cultures and may have been the very first kind of theatre," he explains. As Roberts writes his own scripts and musical scores, his shows are highly original. "A puppet show can involve anything from clowning to storytelling," he explains. Equally diverse is the audience he performs for. "Some come to be entranced with the puppets themselves, while others enjoy the catchy tunes and witty dialogue." Roberts believes that this form of entertainment crosses international boundaries and can be appreciated by people of all ages and cultures. Roberts' fascination for puppets started when he received some beautiful glove puppets one Christmas. He started putting on shows with these for family and friends and then moved on to handmade Chinese string puppets. Learning mostly from books and personal experience, he continued with his 'hobby' while studying for a degree in architecture. "By the time I left university," he explains, "I was already spending, most of my free time carving puppets and putting on shows in the community, so I hardly noticed the transition from student to full-time professional puppeteer. I realised I had long since abandoned all thoughts of pursuing any other career!" The puppets are designed specifically for each show, which is extremely time-consuming. Each one is carved out of English limewood and then painted. According to Roberts: "Sometimes what you anticipate and what you actually create in the end are two very different things, but I've made some of my best puppets 'accidentally', as it were." Some of his 'characters' then appear in exhibitions; others are used for puppeteering workshops. "They have to be strong enough to withstand a great deal," Roberts says, "as they are often thrown into boxes or dropped from a great height." Anyone interested in puppetry can be trained to assist, and not just with the actual puppet making. Puppet theatre companies in the U.K. are usually small, but each one still needs writers, performers, musicians and even sound and lighting engineers. In China they can be huge, with literally hundreds involved, including a full orchestra! An important sideline for Roberts is designing figures for the film industry, as there is relatively little money to be made in puppet making for theatre. This is a complicated and expensive business - it can take a whole day to perfect something, like a smile on a puppet's face, for example. Once captured on computer, however, it is there forever. Still, for Roberts it's traditional puppet shows that are his passion. "As the story is mainly communicated 33
visually, it draws people in. The puppets come alive and immediately the audience are in a magical fantasyland. It's just so different from any other kind of theatre." When most people hear the word 'puppetry', they more than likely think of The Muppet Show or the Punch and Judy show at the English seaside, or a way of keeping children entertained at birthday parties. Certainly the subject matter will be expected to be lighthearted rather than serious. However, Roberts is keen to point out that puppet theatre can often be used as an effective educational tool. "Through the mouths of puppets come serious messages sometimes," he says. 1. What do we learn about puppet theatre in the first paragraph? A. Its value as an art form is not fully recognised. B. It has always been highly valued as a form of entertainment. C. It is gaining popularity. D. It is highly skilled art form.
2. In the second paragraph, we learn that Roberts believes that his shows A. are most suitable for a particular kind of audience. B. offer something for everyone. C. usually appeal to people with a good sense of humour. D. are mainly appreciated for their originality. 3. Roberts started working as a professional puppeteer A. after doing a puppetry course. B. after leaving university. C. while he was still a student. D. when he realised he didn't want to be an architect. 4. The puppets that Roberts designs A. are made using a variety of techniques B. aren't made to last. C. sometimes turn out better than expected. D. usually appear in several different shows. 5. The writer informs those who might be interested in puppetry that A. they don't need any special skills to get involved. B. they would need to be able to work well in a team. C. there are more ways to get involved than you might think. D. theatres in the U.K. need more people to get involved. 6. What does the underlined 'this' refer to? A. capturing figures on computer B. Roberts' work for the film industry C. perfecting a detail of a puppet D. puppet making for theatre shows 7. Roberts says 'it draws people in' to explain how puppet shows 34
A. B. C. D.
are enjoyed by everyone. bring characters to life. make an audience feel personally involved. attract large audiences.
8. What would Roberts like people to understand about puppet theatre? A. It can be educational as well as entertaining. B. It's not just a thing of the past. C. It should be kept light-hearted. D. Its main purpose should be to educate.
Exercise 10 You are going to read an extract from a novel. For questions 1-8, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text. At the office that day, Martha was left to 'keep her eyes open' until after the lunch hour. Then Mr Max Cohen brought her a document to copy. She was so tense, she had to start afresh three times: and when he came to fetch it, all that had been achieved were the words 'Memorandum of an Agreement of Sale' typed raggedly across the top of the sheet. She shrank under his impatient assurance that it did not matter in the least, and she must take her time. Her fingers were heavy and trembling, and her head was thick. To type two pages of his small neat writing into something clear. and pleasant to look at seemed to her, just then, an impossibly difficult task. He went home without coming to her desk again; and she flung a dozen sheets of paper into the wastepaper basket, and decided she would come early next morning and do it before anyone else arrived. Mrs Buss, on her way out, asked, "Have you got any certificates?" Martha said no, she had learned to type at home. Mrs Buss said nothing consoling, but merely nodded absentmindedly, for her eyes were on the elegant Mrs Jasper Cohen. Martha could barely see where she was going as she left the office. She was filled with a violent revulsion against the law and everything connected with it. What she said to herself was, I won't spend the rest of my life typing this stupid jargon. She stood at the corner of the street and watched a crowd of carefree young people going into McGrath's Hotel, and felt sick with envy. Then she crossed the street and went into the offices of the Zambesi News. She was going to see if Mr Spur, an old journalist, whom she had known 'as a child' - that is to say, she had spent a month's holiday with him and his wife about four years before - could offer her any kind of position. She was in the building about half an hour, and when she came on: her face was hot with embarrassment. It had been so painful she could not bear to remember what had happened. What she must remember was that she had no qualifications whatsoever. She understood, finally, the extent of the favour Mr Cohen was doing her; and next morning she was at her desk in a very chastened frame of mind. Her eyes were certainly opened, but she had no: time to use them, for long before that first document was finished, several more arrived on her desk and it was lunch time before she knew it. She tried to persuade herself that the papers she sent in neatly clipped and tied with green tape in the form of the exquisite, faultless documents Mrs Buss turned out with such ease, were satisfactory. Mr Max Cohen received them with a noncommittal glance and a nod; and later Martha saw Mrs Buss doing
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them again. She was given no more. For a whole day she sat idle at her desk, feeling sick and useless, wishing that she could run away. wondering what would happen. The fair, plump girl, Maisie Gale, who sat next to her said consolingly, "Don't lose any sleep. Just do what you can get away with, that's my motto." Martha was offended, and replied with a stiff smile. 1. Why did Martha find her first day at the office difficult? A. She was not used to working under pressure. B. The task given to her was very difficult. C. She was too nervous to think. D. Mr Cohen was not easy to please. 2. By the end of the day, which of the following was true of Martha? A. She knew that Mr Cohen was disappointed in her. B. She still hadn't handed in any work. C. She had handed in her work unfinished. D. She had decided she would work better when the office was empty. 3 As Mrs Buss left the office, what impression do we get of her attitude towards Martha? A. She seemed disinterested in her. B. She seemed concerned about her lack of qualifications. C. She seemed to have taken a dislike to her. D. She seemed eager to help her. 4 The writer tells us that Martha left the office feeling A. determined to find another occupation. B. angry with Mrs Buss. C. frustrated at her failure that day. D. worried that she would lose her job. 5 Why did Martha go to see Mr Spur? A. to help him out B. to ask him for advice C. to pay him a social call D. to ask him for a job 6 How had Martha's attitude towards her job changed by the following day? A. She was starting to feel more enthusiastic about it. B. She now realised she was lucky to have a job at all. C. She had made her mind up to try harder. D. She was now feeling more confident of her abilities. 7. Martha was given no more documents to type because A. she seemed to have been forgotten about. B. she was taking too long to type them. C. the standard of her work was poor. D. Mrs Buss preferred to do them herself. 8. When Maisie Gale says 'just do what you can get away with', she is advising Martha to 36
A. B. C. D.
do whatever is necessary to make a good impression. do her best to find another job. just do the best she can. only do the least amount of work acceptable.
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PART 3 Exercise 1 You are going to read a review of a book about ornithology - the study of birds. Seven sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one which fits each gap (1-7). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. The Wisdom of Birds by Tim Birkhead Review by Stephen Moss You wait for one history of ornithology to come along and a whole flock appears over the horizon 1 ................. .However, in the past few years a clutch of scientists, journalists, taxonomists and birders (including myself) have turned their attentions to this fascinating and complex topic. One of the most exciting things about the study of birds is that it is not yet complete. We may smile at the beliefs of our ancestors - such as the notion that swallows spent their winter hibernating underwater - yet there is still so much that we don't know. Writing almost a century ago, the German-American ornithologist Paul Bartsch drew attention to our ignorance about many aspects of bird behaviour: There are still many unsolved problems about bird life. Little, too, is known about the laws and routes of migration, and much less about the final disposition of the untold thousands which are annually produced.' 2 ..................... For, despite great progress, modern bird studies often give rise to new and even more complex inquiries. Tim Birkhead is well qualified to examine the ways successive generations have tried to answer the fundamental questions about birds. A professor at the University of Sheffield, he specializes in two very different disciplines: the study of animal behaviour and the history of science. 3............................ In it, he ranges from Aristotle to modern scientists such as Peter Berthold, whose migration studies have revealed much about how birds migrate round the world. Unlike other histories of the subject, The Wisdom of Birds does not take a chronological approach. 4........................... In other hands this might have been confusing, but Birkhead steers his narrative through this complex structure to tell a compelling story. He is clearly passionate, not just about the birds themselves, but also about the people who have studied them, and the works they have produced. So The Wisdom of Birds is lavishly illustrated with examples of bird art, including many from the early works of ornithology. 5.............................. If the book has a hero, it is an unlikely but deserving one. Birkhead begins and ends with a challenge to his colleagues: who is the greatest ever ornithologist? 6....................... But Birkhead's own choice is an often neglected seventeenth-century Englishman, John Ray. He launched the revolutionary concept of studying living birds in the field, rather than dead ones in a museum. 7............................ John Ray travels through time to be the guest of honour at an International Ornithological Congress. As Birkhead says: 'He would be amazed by how much 38
we know and, of course, by how much more there is still to learn about birds.' This is a fitting ending to a book that is one of the most entertaining, informative and enthusiastic accounts of the history of ornithology, and of the many different ways in which we have observed, studied and wondered about birds. A. B. C. D. E.
These two interests come together in The Wisdom of Birds. The Wisdom of Birds concludes with a striking image. Much the same could be said today. Some of them come in for particular criticism in the book. These, and the fine production of the book itself, add immensely to the reader's satisfaction. F. The subject was neglected for decades. G. The names they come up with are strong contenders. H. Instead, Birkhead explores ornithological themes such as birdsong, the breeding cycle and migration, moving back and forth across the centuries.
Exercise 2 You are going to read a magazine article about the sport of climbing. Seven sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one which fits each gap (1-7). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. Aiming high Looking for a new sport that keeps you fit and gets the adrenaline flowing? How about climbing? You can climb indoors or out, from small walls or boulders to peaks anywhere in the world -once you get the hang of it! 'It's a sport that involves your mind, body and emotions,' John Gibbons of London's Westway sports centre says. 'It's one of the few sports where you compete against yourself. You may be part of a club and climbing with others but you are seeing how good you can be. 1............................. Indoor walls can be from 7 to 16 metres, although some centres have walls of 20 metres or more. Each wall has bolt-on holds (to place your feet and hands) of different shapes and sizes. These can be moved around and varied to make the climb more or less challenging - and routes can be changed every few months. 'Big holds, spaced comfortably apart so that you can easily move your feet and hands from one to the other without too much trouble, are the easiest,' John explains. '2 ............................................ That kind of climb is called a Slab.' Trickier climbs have smaller holds that are harder to grip, and they are spaced more awkwardly apart. 3 .......... The angle of the wall can also make the climb more difficult. Is the idea to find the fastest way to the top? 'It's to find the route to the top!' laughs Graeme Alderson of the British Mountaineering Council. 'Just as when you're skiing, the idea can be to find the best way to get to the bottom without falling over - not necessarily the fastest.' 4...................................... The challenge can be to climb the highest you can get without falling off!
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Falling is not a problem at climbing centres, though. When you climb, you are attached by a harness to a rope looped to a firm anchor at the top of the wall and held by your instructor or one of your team mates at the bottom. A device called a belay holds it taut, so while you are climbing, the rope is kept firm in case you slip. 5...................... Instead, you dangle safely in your harness away from the climbing wall. You can enjoy climbing on indoor walls as a sport. 6 ......................... . 'Many people have started off with climbing walls and then climbed all over the world. You can climb anything from a small boulder to Mount Everest, naming the new peaks you scale,' says Neil Wightwick of the Glasgow Climbing Centre. A group of us named five peaks in Chile.' he continues. 'One member nf the team named a peak after himself!' 7................................. Well, you can find out on our website. We've found an online Extreme Climbing game to test your skills and get you started. You will also find lots of great links to sites with videos of climbers in action, as well as links to nationwide climbing centres, both inside and out, to help you get climbing yourself.
A. Maybe you'd like a go at climbing but don't know where to start. B. If you do one of those, you have to think more about how to move. C. That's because some climbs look easier than they really are. D. And, unlike other sports, friends of all abilities can climb together and enjoy it. E. Or you can use it to work out what level of climb you would be able to do outside. F. If that happens, you don't plunge to the ground. G. With them, you can gently climb to the top without any difficulty. H. Not everyone gets to the top of their climbs.
Exercise 3 You are going to read an article about a series of events in Britain which aim to encourage people to draw. Seven sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one which fits each gap (1-7). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. The Big Draw Emily Baker rediscovers the simple joy of putting pencil to paper I don't draw. I'm intimidated by the idea of putting pencil to paper in the privacy of my own home, let alone in public. 1 ......... I've come with Zoe, my 14-year-old daughter, who is just as daunted but better at pretending she isn't, to a weekend of art workshops launching Britain's ninth annual Big Draw. This month, hundreds of venues across Britain, including 40
libraries, museums, historic sites and schools will be hosting free events designed to encourage people to draw. 'The Big Draw is not about perfecting your artistic technique. It's about recognizing that drawing is a way of engaging with the world,' says Sue Grayson Ford, who runs the Campaign for Drawing, the charity that sponsors the Big Draw and other events. '2 ................. It's our universal language.' Her words are echoed by our first workshop leader, who says. 'It's less about what you put on the paper than what you see.' Well, that's a relief. We are drawing pictures inspired by words listed on a card. As I move coloured pencils around the paper, I begin to feel relaxed. I look around the room. 3 ................... When we are finished, our works are hung on the wall among a weekend's worth of contributions to form a canvas. Later, professional artists show us how to draw cartoon characters. We then learn how to make them move under the guidance of an animator. 4 I find I am thinking less about my artistic output and more about how we see the world. This would delight the founders of the Campaign for Drawing. The charity is dedicated to the principles of the nineteenth-century critic John Ruskin. He believed that art was more about what you see than what is drawn. He felt that if we observed the world more closely, we would take better care of it. I'm not sure how many of those at the workshops are thinking about John Ruskin, but many, including me, are inspired. One elderly woman, there with her two granddaughters, pauses to note: 'I haven't drawn for years. 5 ...... In fact, I think I'm going to do that straight away.' Parents often notice that as children grow up, they become self-conscious about drawing and give up. '6 ............... .Drawing is such a natural form of expression,' says Grayson Ford. 'The Big Draw, hopefully, will encourage people to return to that uninhibited age.' Nine years ago the Campaign for Drawing launched the first Big Draw in the subway tunnel beneath the Science and Victoria and Albert Museums in London. Grayson Ford didn't imagine that it would expand to include 1000 British events this year, as well as programmes in America and Europe. 7............ I'm still pretty inhibited at the end of the day, but I can't forget the peace. On the way home Zoe asks me why I'm smiling. 'I was just thinking I might invest in a sketch pad,' I say. A. In another session, we design placards about how the media portrays body image. B. But here I am in a drawing workshop, surrounded by strangers and professional artists. C. However, some require advance registration. D. But this has made me feel like taking it up again. E. Workshop topics range from an Etch-a-Sketch competition in Newcastle to making pop-up buildings for a paper city in Manchester. F. Virtually every discipline from drama to science uses drawing as a basic form of communication. 41
G. It's a shame that that happens. H. Children and adults sit engrossed in what they are doing.
Exercise 4 You are going to read an article about a course for people whose jobs involve talking to customers on the telephone. Seven sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one which fits each gap (1-7). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. Taking tele-sales to a new level A telephone skills coarse offers employees a professional qualification, writes Andrew Cave The students wore gowns and mortar boards and received their qualifications at an official presentation. But the 10 graduates who picked up their certificates in Cheltenham were no usual students. 1 ........ The members of this class were all call centre and branch employees who had studied one day a month in formal, work-based training, reinforcing this with regular measurement and assessment in their daily jobs. They became Britain's first graduates in advanced telephone skills, courtesy of a level-five diploma in sales. The course is run by Simon Bell, who has 20 years of experience in sales and training, and says he has created a course that focuses on 'enjoyable, manageable and sustainable selling'. 2.......... The graduation ceremony marked the end of the first pilot scheme by Chelsea Building Society. Mark Higgins, the building society's head of people development, said the training had an 'astounding' and 'outstanding' effect on the company's best salespeople. The course combines 30 hours of tutorial with 350 hours of desk-based, practical learning. 3........ The remainder of the course takes place at work, monitored by a process that takes up to 15 minutes at the end of each day and requires people on the course to record their day's call experiences. Mr Higgins did not disclose the actual increase in sales performances achieved by the course s graduates but said they were encouraging enough for the company to want to roll out the scheme across its 300-strong workforce, call centre of 120 staff and 33 branches. 4 ........The rest did so and felt that they learnt a lot. These graduates from the pilot course said it had taught them a new approach. Chris Howell, a telephone sales agent, said, 'What the course has taught us is that what we've been doing just one way of doing things. It has shown us that we can do it a lot better, a lot more easily gain a lot more success from it.' One thing in particular that he said he had learned is how to compliment people over the phone. 'People appreciate it,' he said. '5 ........ ' Neil Gurney, a sales manager, added, 'I thought I was very successful on the telephone in presenting information and selling to our customers. 6 ...... I didn't know about this failing on my part until I took the course. I realized that what I hadn't been doing was asking our customers what their thoughts and feelings were in relation to the facts that I was
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presenting. Now I really engage with them, getting their feedback so that I can best meet the needs of the customer.' Gethin Evans, the company's training manager, said, 'This traning deals with something that on the surface is very straightforward - making telephone calls and engaging customers in conversation. What could be simpler? 7 ....... From my perspective, the depth of academic study that we've covered is unbelievable. I had no idea there would be so much information that enriches a telephone conversation. Our customers are responding and the impact that it's having on them is probably as profound as it is on the people taking the course.'
A The idea is that this results from developing a good relationship with customers. B But in fact there's an awful lot more to it than meets the eye. C It's easy and you get great results from it. D Only one of the original 11 people on the course failed to complete it. E Instead of carrying out a three-year degree course, they had toiled for just five months. F For this reason, there is a need for professional qualifications. G Each module includes a day of formal training. H However, there was something missing.
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PART 4 Exercise 1 You are going to read a magazine article about children performing in musical shows in theatres. For questions (1-15), choose from the people (A-D). The people may be chosen more than once. Which person mentions ... children getting upset if they are not chosen for a show?
the number of children performing in a show?
1 2 3
children providing assistance during a show? the need for a child performer to be noticeable during a show?
4
5
a desire to continue being involved in shows?
6
a common opinion of child performers? the maximum amount of time children spend performing in a show? an example of how a child being in a show can cause inconvenience? different feelings experienced during a performance?
the range of abilities children acquire from performing in a show? finding out what happens after a child is chosen for a show? a reason for not continuing to be involved in shows?
7
8
9
10
11 12 13
a belief that it is not a good idea for children to be performers?
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14
the fact that a child may suddenly be required for a performance? 15
An unfortunate result of being performer concerning school Kids on stage Children are performing in popular musicals in many London theatres. We talked to various people about the phenomenon of children on stage. A THE DIRECTOR Andrew Tyler chooses children to appear in stage musicals I'm not only looking for children who can sing, dance and act, they also have to have lively personalities and a lot of confidence - it's essential that they grab the audience's attention and if they can't do that, I don't choose them. When I'm working on a show, I start by contacting agents and telling them what I need, and then I hold auditions for as many children as I can. When the children have been chosen, I draw up the contracts for them and the schedule for performances - there are usually three teams of children for each show and they perform according to a rota system. No child is in a show for more than six months. Being in a show is tiring for the children because they have to combine it with going to school, but they have a great time and they learn an enormous amount about discipline, teamwork and concentration, as well as special skills such as choreography and singing. B THE YOUNG PERFORMER Emily Could is currently appearing in a popular London show I love musicals and I'm thrilled to be in this one. I've got quite a big part and have to sing a song all by myself in one scene. I'm always pretty nervous during each performance because I'm worried that I might make a mistake. But at the same time I'm excited about doing it and I feel quite proud of myself when I'm on the stage. I'm one of the youngest children in the show - the age range is five to thirteen. The older children are good to me - they remind me about what I have to do next and encourage me a lot. I don't have time to be in any of the sports teams at school, which is a shame because I'd like to do that too, but acting and singing are great. I want to keep on performing in musicals for the next few years at least, though I'm not sure I want it to be my career. C THE STAGE MOTHER Anita Benfield's son Tom is currently appearing in a popular musical in London Tom started going to a local drama school when he was five. Last year, the head of the school suggested that he was good enough to audition for this musical. I took him to a series of four auditions and he got the part. We'd had no experience of the audition process and although he got the part, I thought it was horrible. The vast majority of the children get rejected. At the end of each audition, dozens of children burst into tears when they were told that they hadn't been successful - they were absolutely devastated. When Tom got chosen, we were given the schedule for the ten weeks of rehearsals - I hadn't realized how much time would be taken up. It's all rather exhausting - for the parents as much as the children. When the performances start, you get a timetable of the performances the child will be appearing in. But he also has to be available at short notice to replace a child who is ill, and this makes it hard to plan anything. Because of that, we can't book a holiday and recently we weren't able to attend a family wedding. 45
D THE EX-CHILD STAR Ian Miller was a child star in the 1980s My parents were very keen for me to be on the stage and I showed a lot of talent for it when I was a child. By the time I was ten, I'd been in a number of stage musicals and also appeared in various TV series. When I went to secondary school, I stopped performing because I developed other interests and lost my enthusiasm for it - I didn't want to give up so much time to do it, I wanted to do what my friends were doing. I enjoyed my time as a child performer but I didn't miss it when I stopped. Lots of child performers don't go on to become successful adult performers even if they want to. People in the business tend to think that they aren't capable of developing into good adult performers and they aren't taken seriously when they're older. I don't want my own children to do it - I think performing can be very stressful for children and I think it's much better for children to concentrate on getting a good education and then train to be a performer when they're older, if they want to.
Exercise 2 You are going to read a magazine article about various authors. For questions (1-15), choose from the authors (A-D). The authors may be chosen more than once.
Which author ... feels that she is not completely in control when she is writing?
1
took action in response to someone's negative view of her chances of getting 2
her work accepted thinks that her current working arrangement may not be permanent?
3
decides when information given in her books does not have to be true?
4
did something dishonest while trying to get her work accepted?
5
is unwilling to do a great deal of background work for her books?
6
was offered her first contract as a result of an earlier success?
7
makes sure that her books contain strange elements?
8
got great pleasure from carrying out a certain process repeatedly?
9
draws attention to the likelihood of a new author getting their work
10
accepted?
46
|
^
^]
wants people to be cheered up by her books?
11
feels that it is an advantage that people give her their sincere views on her
12
work?
EZH
recommends analysing various aspects of other authors' books?
13
leaves sentences incomplete while she is writing?
14
felt that her job was taking up too much of her attention?
15
The bestsellers book club Fancy being an author? We asked some of Britain's favourite best-selling writers to share the secrets of their success. A JOANNE HARRIS Her novels have attracted millions of fans worldwide. MY BIG BREAK: I was a full-time teacher and made time to write my first novel before and after school. It took two years. Then I spent a fortune on posting manuscripts to agents. I found one, but he got discouraged when my manuscripts were rejected, so I sacked him and wrote my next novel, which my next agent loved. He got me a deal for both novels. HOW I WORK: I travel a lot, on promotional work, but when I'm at home I work in my library, looking out onto the garden. I don't want to do lots of research, so I stick to subjects I know about. MY BEST ADVICE: 100,000 titles are published in the UK every year. For each, 100 are rejected. If, knowing this, you still want to write and you love it, you're on the right track. THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS: I don't believe in a magic wand. You need ability, luck and hard work. B LAUREN CHILD She writes and illustrates children's books for two to 10-year-olds. MY BIG BREAK: After school, I did an art course. Then I did all sorts of jobs - making lampshades, working as an assistant to artist Damien Hirst (I painted a lot of the spots on his paintings). I wrote my first book in the hope it would become an animation. I found an agent, but didn't get a deal for five years. I didn't lose heart, as so many people were positive about it. Eventually I got a deal and was asked to do a second book. HOW I WORK: In the early days I used to work while I answered the phones at a graphic design agency. Some illustrations take hours, and I prefer having other people around. Now, I've just bought a new house and have a studio, but I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stand working by myself. 47
MY BEST ADVICE: Read as much as you can before you even think of writing. And you can't please everyone - above all, your work must interest you. THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS: I keep stories simple, but always add a quirky touch - children really like the more bizarre moments in life. I also have a very honest audience who tell me what they think. C FREYA NORTH She writes lively, fast-paced fiction. MY BIG BREAK: I was doing a PhD in Art History and bought a computer. The sheer joy of typing then deleting stuff was compulsive and I started to write fiction that I actually wanted to read. After four years of rejections, I presumed I was doing something wrong. Then I worked for a publishing company and realized I needed an agent. I sent my manuscript with fake reviews I'd made up myself to lots of agents. One took me on and got me a three-book deal. HOW I WORK: I used to work at our kitchen table, but now I go to the library. Touch-typing was the best thing I ever learnt. I never interrupt the flow and just throw in asterisks if I can't think of an adjective. It's as if the story and the characters have taken me over and I have to struggle to keep up! MY BEST ADVICE: Let your character dictate the story. It could be the most intricate plot in the world, but if the characters aren't 'real', no one will care. THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS: I write simply and keep chapters short so my readers can enjoy them on journeys home at the end of a bad day. I want them to giggle. D MANDA SCOTT She has written a cult series of historical novels. MY BIG BREAK: I was a veterinary anaesthetist. On my 30th birthday, I was climbing a mountain and I was happy, but all I could think about was work on Monday. I decided to follow my heart and make a living from writing. I was among the finalists in a writing competition and from that got a deal for my first book. HOW I WORK: I have a routine: in the morning, edit everything from the previous day, then I walk my dogs and write in the afternoon. MY BEST ADVICE: Read bad books and work out what makes them bad. Read the books you love and work out why you love them. Write what you will really, really want to read. Always. THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS: I'm good at judging what needs to be factual and what I can make up.
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Exercise 3 You are going to read a magazine article about the history of the bicycle. For questions (1-15) choose from the sections of the article (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once In which section of the article are the following mentioned? features that were not added because they were considered problematic 1
a design that is exactly the same as that of current products 2
a product that became popular despite its price in comparison with an existing product a dramatic reaction to a particular sight
3 !
4
a design feature that it was felt would not appeal to men
j 5
a warning that affected the appeal of a certain product
6
a design that required more than one person to operate the vehicle
j 7
an attempt to get publicity
j 8
the possibility of injury because of where the rider sat products that were introduced to compensate for a disadvantage of another product an aspect of design that limited the number of people who could use a certain product a design that some manufacturers felt would not become popular
9 ;
10 11 12
people riding a certain product in order to impress others
j J
13
the motivation of one set of people for changing bicycle design
| 14
an account of a remarkable achievement 15
Wheels that changed the world A The bicycle was an absolutely extraordinary creation. Inventors had first begun to wrestle with the challenge of coming up with a human-powered vehicle in the 17th century. In 1696, a French doctor used his manservant to power a pedal-driven carriage while the master sat up front and steered. The beginnings of the modern bicycle emerged in 1818 when Karl von Drais, an eccentric German baron, invented what we now know as the hobbyhorse. It was bicycle-shaped with wooden wheels but had no pedals: the rider had to push it forward with his feet. At £8 - equivalent today to £500 - the hobbyhorse could be afforded only by true gentlemen, and it soon became a much sought-after status symbol. But the craze died out after a year following a statement from the London College of Surgeons, which said darkly that the hobbyhorse could cause 'internal injuries'. B . Brilliant minds continued to wrestle with the mechanical horse but made slow progress. Even Britain's top engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunei, could come up with nothing better than a hobbyhorse that ran on 49
railway tracks. Finally, in 1887, a Parisian blacksmith called Pierre Michaux added a pair of pedals to a hobbyhorse, and the bicycle was born. The Michaux bicycle had pedals fixed directly to the front wheel, just like a child's tricycle today. Made largely of iron, it weighed as much as a fridge but was easy to ride and took a man up to five miles with the effort he would use to walk only one. Michaux's first newspaper advertisement in May 1867 offered 'pedal velocipedes' for 250 francs. At this price only the wealthy could afford one and a group of 20 young men spent their days showing off their 'steeds' before fascinated crowds in the Bois de Boulogne. Michaux was soon producing 20 bicycles a day, and decided to organize a women's race as a stunt to boost his sales further. A racecourse in Bordeaux was roped off, but when the four lady racers made their appearance in short skirts, the crowd of 3,000 burst through the barriers. Nevertheless, the ladies raced off. A contemporary report recorded that Miss Louise took an early lead, but Miss Julie made a 'superhuman effort', passing her on the home straight and winning by a nose. Within a year, there were 50,000 bicycles in France. C. Not to be outdone by their French counterparts, British engineers set about improving bicycle design with wire-spoked wheels and solid rubber tyres. The weight was reduced to a mere 441b, only twice the weight of a bike today. Gears and chains were still thought too heavy and complex to be fitted to a bicycle, so designers could increase top speed only by increasing the size of the front wheel. Eventually front wheels grew until they were 5ft and the penny farthing was born. Speeds of 20 mph were now possible, but the rider's seat was directly above the front wheel, which made riding in a skirt impossible, so women were effectively barred from bicycles. To make up for it, manufacturers developed tricycles with low seats. The penny farthing's biggest drawback was its danger: the high seat was difficult to climb into, and once up there the driver had a long way to fall. D. In 1885, John Starley launched the Rover Safety Bicycle, the first model to adopt what we now think of as the traditional design. The bicycle industry was unimpressed, as it had a chain-driven rear wheel, which added weight, and a low seat, which made male riders look a bit ridiculous. But it turned out to be faster than a penny farthing because it was more aerodynamic. More importantly, the Rover could be ridden in a skirt. At £22, it was more expensive than a penny farthing, but its practicality was just what the public wanted. Soon there were half a million bicycles in the UK. Between 1890 and 1900, the bicycle was refined until the basic design became very similar to the featherweights that modern champions ride in the Tour de France. Lightweight steel tubing, the diamond-shaped frame, gears and pneumatic tyres with separate inner tubes all became common. Top speeds of 25 mph could now be reached. At last the cyclist could outrun a galloping horse. The bicycle was found in every walk of life: policemen and postmen had them and several European armies issued them to their soldiers.
50
References Acklam, R., & Crace, A. (2008). Going for Gold. Pearson Longman. Cambridge First Certificate in English 5. (2005). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press . Evans, V. (2008). FCE Practice exam papers 1. Berkshire: Express Publishing. Evans, V. (2008). FCE Practice exam papers 2. Berkshire: Express Publishing. Harrison, M. (2008). FCE Practice Tests. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Harrison, M. (2010). FCE Testbuilder . Oxford: Macmillan . Mann, M., & Taylore-Knowles, S. (2005). Use of English. Oxford: Macmillan . Osbone, C. (2008). First Certificate Practice Tests. HEINLE CENGAGE Learning. Roberts, P. (2008). Cambridge First Certificate Reaading. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Simmons, A. (2008). Mastering the FCE Examination. Burlington Books.
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ANSWER KEY READING PART 1 Exercise 1 1. B 2. E Exercise 2 1. 2.
3. F 4. C
5. G 6. A
3. 4.
5. 6.
Exercise 3 1. G 2. C
3. A 4. D
5. B 6. H
7. H
Exercise 4 1. E 2. G
3. C 4. A
5. F 6. H
7.B
Exercise 5 1. H 2. B
3. G 4. C
5. F 6. A
7. E
PART 2 Exercise 1 1. B 2. A Exercise 2 1. B 2. D
3. C 4. D
5. B 6. C
7. C 8. B
3.A 4.C
5.B 6.D
7.A 8.C
Exercise 3 1. D 2. A
3.C 4.D
5.B 6.C
7.D 8.A
Exercise 4 1. D 2. C
3.B 4.D
5.B 6.C
7.C 8.A
Exercise 5 1. B 2. D
3.C 4.D
5.B 6.A
7.A 8.A
Exercise 6 1. D 2. D
3.C 4.C
5.C 6.B
7.C 8.C
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Exercise 7 1. D 2. D
3.B 4.B
5.C 6.A
7.D 8.B
Exercise 8 1. C 2. A
3.B 4.D
5.B 6.C
7.A 8.D
Exercise 9 1. A 2. B
3.C 4.C
5.C 6.B
7.C 8.A
3.A 4.A
5.D 6.B
7.C 8.D
Exercise 10 1. C 2. B Part 3 Exercise 1 1.F Exercise 2 1.D Exercise 3 1.B Exercise 4 1.E Part 4 Exercise 1 1.C 2.A 3.B Exercise 2 1.C 2.A 3.B Exercise 3 1.C 2.B 3.D
2.C
3.A
4.H
5.E
6. G
7. B
2.G
3.B
4.H
5.F
6.E
7.A
2.F
3.H
4.A
5.D
6.G
7.E
2.A
3.G
4.D
5.C
6.H
7.B
4.A 5.B 6.C
7.A 8.C 9.B
10.A 11.C 12.D
13.D 14.C 15.B
4.D 5.C 6.A
7.D 8.B 9.C
10.A 11.C 12.B
13.D 14.C 15.D
4.B 5.D 6.A
7.A 8.B 9.C
10.C 11.C 12.D
13.B 14.C 15.B
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