Reading Comprehension Test For 9th Form Students [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

Reading Comprehension Test for 9th Form Students TASK 1 Read the text and fill in the missing sentences (A-F). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use. DON'T REACH FOR THE BOTTLE! We are constantly being warned about climate change and how much we contribute to the environmental problems our planet is facing but one thing each and every one of us can do to help is literally at our fingertips. 1.----------According to the recent reports, our obsession with buying and drinking bottled water significantly increases our carbon footprint. Apparently in America, the largest market in the world for bottled water, over eight billion gallons are consumed annually and in the UK the market is worth more than two billion pounds. 2-.-------What is interesting is that according to most experts, bottled water is no better for us than ordinary tap water. So, we have an alternative in our own kitchens. 3.--------They insist that their water tastes better, has added minerals and comes in handy plastic bottles that encourage us all to drink more water wherever we are - something that many medical experts consider to be good for our health. But does this all really compensate for the 600 fold increase in greenhouse gas that is put into the atmosphere by producing and delivering the product? 4.------And what about the damage caused by the 75% of plastic bottles that are not recycled but disposed of in landfill sites? It has been calculated that drinking one bottle of water has the same environmental impact as driving for one kilometre in a car! Many people also question the morality of buying a product that is becoming so scarce in some parts of the world that many people (like a third of those in Fiji) do not have easy access to it. The moral issue aside, is it really worth buying something that costs 2,000 times more than an alternative we can already find in our homes? 5.-------------A The bottled water industry of course refutes these findings. В The popular Fiji water travels 10,000 miles from its source on the island of Fiji to the up market UK stores that sell it.

С And at what cost to the environment? D However, not all bottled water has this effect on health. E These figures may not be surprising if we compare them with other bottled drinks. F Turn on the tap when we're thirsty! TASK2 Read the text and decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F). ROBIN HOOD The story of Robin Hood, the most popular English folk hero of all times, has reached every corner of the Earth. There are many versions of this well-known tale which is about 600 years old. Everybody knows Robin's friends (Little John, Brother Tuck, Will Scarlet) and the famous Sherwood Forest - Robin Hood's home and the place where many of his adventures took place. In other countries there are similar stories such as William Tell in Switzerland, El Cid in Spain or Janosik in Poland, but only Robin Hood has become an 'international' hero. Unfortunately, there is almost no evidence that Robin Hood really existed. Thirteenth-century ballads, fourteenth-century chronicles, a sixteenth-century History of Great Britain, all talk about Robin Hood. However, none of them tells us about the sources they used. In the 1800s and 1900s, historians found two Robin Hoods who lived in the fourteenth century. One of them was even a King Edward IPs servant. Later on, other historians found several different Hoods living in different parts of England -Robin was a popular Christian name and Hood was a fairly common surname. It seems that by 1337, the story of Robin Hood was well-established. Most probably, he lived around the year 1200. Today, the legend of Robin Hood has turned Nottinghamshire into a large tourist attraction. In the centre of Nottingham there is Nottingham Castle. Parts of it still recall the time of Robin Hood. Sherwood Forest has an excellent visitors' centre with an attractive display and shop, and some very pleasant walks in the nearby forest. Edwinstowe church, in which, according to the tradition, Robin Hood and Lady Marion were married, is one of the visitors' favorite sites. _____1. The story of Robin Hood has been known for 600 years.

_____2. William Tell, El Cid and Janacek are international heroes. _____3. A sixteenth-century History of Great Britain includes a story about Robin Hood. _____ 4. Robin Hood was a King Edward IPs knight. _____5. It is probable that Robin Hood lived in the twelfth century. _____6. There is a castle in the middle of Sherwood Forest. _____7. In the visitors' centre you can't watch a video about Robin's adventures. TASK 3 Black Beauty I don't remember everything about the time I was very small. I remember a big field green grass. There were a few trees in it, and on hot days my mother stood under a tree and drank her milk. That was before I grew bigger and began to eat the grass. There were some other young horses in the field. As we grew bigger, we played and round and round the field. We jumped about, or we went down on our backs on the grass a kicked our legs happily in the air. We were glad to be alive. When I stopped taking her mil my mother went to work every day. She came back in the evening, and I told her all about my day. 'I'm glad you are happy,' she said. 'Play as much as you can. But you must remember that you are not like these other young horses. They are all going to be farm horses; the good horses, but not like us. Your father is well known in this part of the country, and grandfather— my father— was Lord Westland's best horse. When you're a little old you'll learn to take people on your back or to take them from place to place in their carriages. I asked, 'Is that what your work is, Mother? Is that what you do for Farmer Grey?' 'Yes, that's what I do. Fanner Grey sometimes rides me and sometimes drives me as I carriage horse. Here he is now.' Farmer Grey came into the field. He was a good, kind man, and he liked my mother much. 'Well, my dear Duchess,' he said to her, 'here's something for you.' He gave her somthing nice to eat. 'And how is your little son?' He patted me and gave me some bread, was very nice. We couldn't answer him, but my mother showed him that she loved him. He patted her and went away. 'He's very kind,' my mother said, 'and you must learn to please him. Always do your1 gladly, and never bite or kick. Then he'll always be nice to you.' Mark the correct variant 1. What did a young horse remember about the time when he was very small? a) a big field of green grass b) a big stable c) a big farm house d) a big meadow 2. What did his mother do on hot days?

a) She stood in a stable together with Black Beauty on hot days. b) She stood under a tree on hot days and Black Beauty drank her milk. c) She told Black Beauty fairy-tales. d) She played and ran round and round the field. 3. Whо else was in the field with Black Beauty and his mother? a) farmers b) donkeys с)other young horses d) cows 4. What did his mother do every day? a) His mother went to work every day. b) His mother went to the pasture every day. : c) His mother cooked meals every day. ; d) His mother sang songs every day. 5 . W h y wasn't Black Beauty like other young horses? . a) The other young horses are going to be racing horses. b) Black Beauty is going to be a carriage horse. : c) Black Beauty is going to be a farm horse. : d) Black Beauty is going to entertain children in the circus. 6.What would he do when he was a little older? a) He would learn to take people on his back or to take them from place to riace in their carriages. b) He would learn to take part in horse racing. c) He would learn to be a farm horse. d) He would learn to entertain children in the circus.

Task 4 Read the text and choose the best answer (A-C) to complete the sentences (1-5). HUSTLING In the last year the viewing public have learned a great deal about a certain type of criminal in the extremely successful TV series Hustle. The first Hustle DVD is released this week and it's set to be a best-seller! Hustle is all about the adventures of a group of con artists. Con artists are people who persuade rich people to give them lots of money to finance projects or plans that do not exist! The ideas are often very complicated. Sometimes the group create a real background for the trick by hiring actors, offices or houses to persuade the people they are conning that they are genuine. For them lying is an art! In reality con artists are criminals, but in this series the group take money from the rich for a reason. The rich person might have committed a crime or might just be a really nasty person! However, unlike the famous Robin Hood, who stole from the rich and gave to the poor, the Hustle group keeps the money for themselves!

This is an excellent series and this DVD is a must for those who like their stories complicated but very, very clever! 1.

This text is_______ A giving a review В a news article about con artists С educational

2.

The con artists in Hustle______ A are actors В are very creative С are genuine business people

3.

Con artists in the real world_____ A give money to the poor В steal money that isn't theirs С work in offices

4.

In Hustle the con artists______ A make a lot of money В can be quite nasty С help poor people

5.

The stories in Hustle______ A are easy to understand В are true С are not straightforward

6. These series are perfect for ____ A. smart readers B. those, who like exciting stories C. those people who are interested in reading complicated stories.

Task 5 BREAKFAST IN CORALIO

Breakfast in Coralio was at eleven. Therefore the people did not go to market early. The little wooden market-house stood under a breadfruit tree. A platform of terrace, six foot wide, encircled the building, which was sheltered from the sun by the projecting grass-covered roof. On this terrace the country people would spread out their wares; fruit, eggs, beef, fish and so on. But on this particular morning those who usually exposed their goods on the seaward side of the market found the terrace occupied by a man who lay in a drunken sleep just where they wished to carry on their trade. He did not present a pleasant picture. His clothes were old, dirty and torn. It was Blythe who, not having even the price of a night’s lodging, had taken refuge on the boards of the market-house. Being awakened by the movement around him, he sat up, his gold-rimmed glasses still firmly fixed on the bridge of his nose. He started to polish them with the remnant of an old silk handkerchief, but the merchants were impatient. Choose the correct answer: 1. The people in Coralio used to go to the market: A. early B. after breakfast; C. at 11 o’clock; D. not early. 2. The country people would spread out their goods: A. on the projecting-roof; B. on the terrace; C. under a bread-fruit tree; D. in the market-house. 3. This morning the terrace was occupied by… A. a drunkard; B. a trader; C. some men; D. some merchants 4. This picture was … A. pleasant to look at; B. not pleasant to look at; C. funny; D. dangerous 5. Blythe’s clothes were … A. clean; B. nice; C. new; D. worn 6. Blythe occupied this terrace because … A. he wanted to be the first to carry on his trade; B. he was homeless; C. he lost his gold-rimmed glasses there;

D. he wanted to buy a new silk handkerchief.