MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENCE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEST

LEVEL 1: READING

NAME: .......................................................................................................................

Task One. Read the text and decide if the sentences are true (T) or false (F).

Global warming

There are 66 oceans and seas on earth, and three quarters of the world is covered with water.

The problem is that we can drink very little of the world’s water because most of it is salt

water. A lot of the fresh water is frozen or underground. And although there is a lot of rain

every year, most of it becomes rain again, or goes back into the sea. In theory there is enough

water for the world’s needs but, unfortunately, it does not fall equally in different countries.

For example, Iceland gets a lot of rain each year, but in Kuwait it hardly ever rains.

About 30 of the world’s countries, including many of those in Africa and the Middle East, get

less water than they need. And over the next 30 years another 35 nations are going to join

them. The number of people without enough water is going to go up from the present 300

million to three billion – a third of the population of the planet. In many African countries

there is so little rain that many people and animals die every year.There are also parts of the

USA that don’t have enough water, but the government spends a lot of money getting water

for those states. But the USA’s water problem is going to get worse in the future. There is less

and less water every year in America.

People use much more water than they did 40 years ago. As we cut down forests, rain causes

floods, and there are more floods every year, so we all have to worry about water in the 21 st

century. Pollution is very bad for our water too. For example, a lot of Poland’s rivers are now

too dirty even for industrial use and things are going to get worse. As the earth warms up and

the climate changes, rainfall is going to change.

We can all help by using less water. Industry and agriculture don’t need to use so much water,

and in the West we can all help to save water by turning off the tap while we clean our teeth,

taking showers instead of baths and not using so many detergents.

1. There is not much water in the world.

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2. Not much of the world’s water is salt water.

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3. There is enough water in total for everyone.

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4. There will be more people without water in the future. ...............
5. Three billion people do not have enough water now.

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6. The USA does not have a water problem.

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7. Floods can be caused by removing trees.

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8. A lot of Poland’s rivers have been cleaned.

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9. Global warming will change rainfall.

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10. Having a bath uses less water than having a shower.

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Task Two. Read the text and answer the questions.

The story of Eigg

Eigg is a small Hebridean Island 10 miles south of the Isle of Skye in Scotland, with a

population of 64 people. Until a few years ago these islanders paid rent to a landlord, the

person who owned the island. The island has had many owners in the past. The best landlord

was Sir Walter Runciman who was very generous, and well-liked. But in 1976 the island was

bought by Keith Shellenberg, and at first he gave a lot of money to the island. But things went

wrong and he became very unpleasant. The islanders bacame very angry when he threw a

family out of their house.

In 1995 the island was bought by a German called Maruma. He created a lot of problems for

the island too, and sold the cows and sheep because he didn’t like seeing them on the beach.

He said he was rich, but they discovered that he wasn’t. They realized that he wanted to use

the island to make money and then sell it. In 1996 Maruma did decide to sell it, so the

islanders decided to try and buy Eigg.

An appeal was started in 1996, organized by Maggie Fyffe. She decided that she would use

the Internet to tell people about their problem. A Scottish Internet expert was asked to help

and they were surprised at how quickly the money started to arrive. 5,000 letters were

received making offers of money. One day a stranger rang and offered them a million pounds.

On 12th June 1997 the island became the property of the 64 people who lived there. On that

day they had a big party. Since then a new ferry serwice has been provided by the European

Union and it has also supplied a shop, bar and a tourist office. But more than anything the

islanders are looking forward to the return of the young people who left the island in the past.

Now their future is safe they can come back and build up the farms, hotels, and services

needed to look after visitors to their beautiful island.

1.

How many people live on Eigg?

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2.

Did the islanders like Sir Walter Runciman?

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3.

Why did the islanders get angry with Keith Sellenberg?

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4.

Why did Maruma sell all the cows and sheep?

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5.

What did the islanders discover about Maruma?

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6.

What did Maggie Fyffe decide to do to ask for money?

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7.

Did the islanders know the person who gave them a million pounds?

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8.

When did the islanders finally buy Eigg?

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9.

What did the island get from the European Union?

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10.

Why do the islanders want the young people to return to Eigg?

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