FC Practice Test 1 II name:_________________ Score:_______%
Reading comprehension
part 1
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.
line 1 Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets were filled with red mud; grass grew on the pavements, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer's day, bony mules hitched to carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the oaks on the square. Men's stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, took their three-o'clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum.
People ambled across the square then, shuffled in and out of the stores around it, took their time about everything. A day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County. But it was a time of vague optimism for some of the people: Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself.
We lived on the main residential street in town - Atticus, Jem and I, plus Calpurnia our cook. Jem and I found our father satisfactory: he played with us, read to us, and treated us with respectful detachment.
Calpurnia was something else again: She was always ordering me out of the kitchen, asking me why I couldn't behave as well as Jem when she knew he was older, calling me home when I wasn't ready to come. Our battles were epic and one-sided. Calpurnia always won, mainly because Atticus always took her side. She had been with us ever since Jem was born, and I had felt her tyrannical presence as long as I could remember.
When I was almost six, and Jem was nearly ten, our summertime boundaries (within calling distance of Calpurnia) were Mrs Henry Lafeyette Dubose's house two doors to
line 25 the north of us, and the Radley place three doors to the south. We were never tempted to break them.
That was the summer Dill came to us.
Dill, from Meridian, Mississippi, was spending the summer with his aunt, Miss Rachel, and would be spending every summer in Maycomb from now on. He was a curiosity. He wore blue linen shorts that buttoned to his shirt, his hair was snow white and stuck to his head like duck-fluff; he was a year older than me but I towered over him.
Dill had seen Dracula, a revelation that moved Jem to eye him with the beginning of respect. As he told us the old tale his blue eyes would lighten and darken; his laugh was sudden and happy. We came to know Dill as someone whose head was full of odd plans and strange longings.
Thereafter the summer passed in routine contentment. Routine contentment was: improving our treehouse that rested between giant chinaberry trees in the back yard, quarelling, running through our list of dramas based on the works of Oliver Optic,
line 40 Victor Appleton, and Edgar Rice Burroughs. In this matter we were lucky to have Dill. He played the character parts formerly thrust upon me. By the end of August our repertoire was worn out from countless productions.
1 What does the writer mean when he describes Maycomb as 'a tired old town' (line 1)?
A Its inhabitants were mostly old and retired.
B It lacked action and energy.
C It was extremely quiet.
D It was better looked after in former days.
2 In the second paragraph, we get the impression that the people of Maycomb
A were fearful about the future of their town.
B led dull, pointless lives.
C rarely left their homes.
D lived life at a very slow pace.
3 What impression does the writer give of her father?
A He thoroughly enjoyed spending time with his children.
B He didn't fully involve himself in his children's lives.
C He took his responsibilities as a father very seriously.
D He was attentive towards his children but very strict.
4 The writer felt that Calpurnia
A preferred her brother to her.
B never supported her in family arguments.
C treated her very unfairly.
D got too involved in the family's affairs.
5 The phrase `we were never tempted to break them' (line 25) refers to the writer and her brother's
A obedience of a rule.
B continuation of a habit.
C following of a tradition.
D carrying out of an activity.
6 When the writer talks about Dill, she mentions that
A he spent every summer in Maycomb.
B his shirt was always unbuttoned.
C his white hair made him look older than he was.
D he looked small for his age.
7 What did the writer and her brother realise as they got to know Dill better?
A He wasn't as strange as they had first thought.
B He had a desire to do unusual things.
C He had had many strange experiences.
D He was a very good storyteller.
8 What does 'this matter' (line 40) refer to?
A deciding who plays each character part in different plays
B the writer's dislike of playing certain characters in plays
C acting out different plays from a list
D finding plays suitable to act out
PART 2
You are going to read an article about a young woman who spent some time studying overseas. Seven sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the one which fits each gap (9-15). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.
Studying in Salzburg
Anne Cleveland tells us about her experience of fulfilling an ambition to study overseas.
I had often dreamt of the possibility of spending a year away from my hometown of Leeds in England, living in a foreign country. By the time I was old enough, however, I thought that my severe lack of talent for languages was going to hold me back.
When you don't speak another language, it can be quite difficult to follow a course of study abroad. 9…. I was studying at Leeds University which offers its students the chance to participate in this scheme, so I was able to apply.
ERASMUS did all the hard work, organising the whole transfer for me, and before I knew it I was boarding a plane bound for Salzburg, Austria. 10…. As it turned out, I soon realised that my year abroad was going to involve a lot more than just sitting in cafes sipping decent coffee. For one thing, there was a lot of bureaucracy and no central office to sort everything out.
As for the university, it is quite small but the classes are large. Also, on average Austrian students take five years to complete their courses and therefore the pace of studying is somewhat more relaxed than at home. The students tend to go home quite often for home-cooked schnitzels, too. 11…. As a consequence, the foreign students tended to socialise with each other quite a lot, which didn't help our language skills.
Salzburg itself is a picture-postcard Austrian city, full of Baroque architecture and surrounded by mountains and lakes. It is also famous for being the birthplace of Mozart and the setting for The Sound of Music. 12…. I also found that it doesn't have a lot going on for young people in comparison to Leeds.
There were, all the same, numerous advantages of living in Salzburg. For example, its central location in Europe makes it very convenient for travelling. 13…. Altogether, I had visited eight other countries, including places I had wanted to visit for a long time, such as Slovenia and Croatia, by the end of my year in Salzburg.
I also joined a theatre group where I finally made lots of Austrian friends. 14…. I started to appreciate the outdoor life, too; in Austria you can ski in the winter and cycle or hike around the lakes in the summer. I really fell in love with the beauty of the Austrian countryside.
Spending a year overseas meant that the people I had started university with had graduated by the time I returned. However, I went back to my course in Leeds much more focused on what I wanted to get out of my last year and more appreciative of the opportunities university provides. 15…. It showed me that you get a lot more out of a place when you live there compared to when you are just travelling through. I'd thoroughly recommend all students to spend a year studying abroad if they can.
A I wasn't entirely sure what to expect of the experience ahead of me but I was ready to embrace the challenge.
B It was almost the complete opposite of Leeds.
C The year in Salzburg really broadened my horizons.
D This helped my German to progress from almost non-existent to quite an acceptable level, and towards the end of the year I noticed that even the waiters stopped frowning when I ordered my coffee!
E Hop on a train and you can be in Prague, Krakow or Rome within a matter of hours.
F Therefore, although I lived in the halls of residence, it took a long time to meet many of the Austrian students
G However, luckily for me, an international student organisation called ERASMUS makes it possible for any student, even a monolinguist like myself.
H As a result of all this, it is usually very busy with tourists.
PART 3
You are going to read some information from a holiday brochure about African safaris. For questions 16-30, choose from the safaris (A-E). The safaris may be chosen more than once. When more than one answer is required, these may be given in any order.
On which safari(s)
are visitors warned to be cautious when doing something? 16…
do visitors stay in more than one place? 17… 18… 19…
is there a chance that you won't see a particular animal? 20… 21…
are visitors promised a particularly good view of the animals? 22… 23…
will visitors enjoy food prepared in the open air? 24…
can visitors enjoy a facility considered to be better than others like it? 25…
do visitors get the chance to see (an) impressive geographical feature(s)? 26… 27… 28…
are you particularly likely to see an endangered mammal? 29…
are visitors given the chance to get some handmade souvenirs? 30…
African Safaris
Camping Safari
This safari in the Masai Mara Game Reserve offers comfortable accommodation in tents which are fully equipped with beds, sheets, blankets and mosquito nets. Each day there is a drive through the reserve in a 4 x 4 vehicle with an open roof hatch allowing you to see the animals up close without the obstruction of windows. Back at the camp in the evening you will enjoy a meal cooked over a traditional wood fire. Optional activities include guided nature walks and a visit to Lake Bogoria, which is generally covered with huge flocks of flamingos. If they are not there, however, there are other attractions at the lake, such as the magnificent hotsprings.
Family Safari
This safari has been created with families particularly in mind. Guests will stay at the comfortable, family-friendly Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi, which boasts one of the best swimming pools in Tanzania. Don't miss a visit to the Giraffe Centre, a short self-guided forest hike followed by an up-close encounter with tame giraffes. But this is not just a city holiday. There are morning and evening game drives against the magnificent backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro, all suitable for small children as there are always plenty of big wild animals to see, including elephants, leopards and the now rare Serval cat. The hotel also offers an evening babysitting service.
Cultural Safari
On this safari, all visitors spend their first night at a small lodge situated in a lush wooded area close to the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya. Thereafter, you will stay in several locations, including in a tribal bush village where you will have the wonderful opportunity to learn about the Masai culture and traditions and purchase some of their unique handicrafts. A short drive from the village will also take you to meet nomadic hunters or 'bushmen' from the Hadzabe and Datoga tribes. This safari experience also includes several game drives through the reserve, where you may be lucky enough to have the chance to photograph the spectacular annual migration of one million wildebeest across the plains
Chimpanzee Safari
At the beginning of this tour, visitors are treated to an overnight stay in a cottage built in the colonial style of a hundred years ago and overlooking Lake Tanganyika, estimated to be the second largest freshwater lake in the world. Then, three days are spent tracking chimps in the forest, which is a truly unforgettable experience. Photography is permitted but care should be taken not to upset or frighten the animals. During this part of the tour, accommodation is in luxury tents. The safari ends with a climb to the majestic Kakombe Waterfalls, where you will be able to enjoy the breathtaking view.
Photographic Safari
So named because of its closeness to the much photographed Ngorongoro Crater, this safari enables visitors to view wild game in the spectacular setting of an extinct volcano. A day's drive away is Lake Manyara National Park, especially notable for its tree-climbing lions and hundreds of bird species. Whilst you will initially be based in modern hotel accommodation, you will also spend four nights on a luxury mobile camp in Serengeti, where each evening you will have the chance to share your impressions of the day with others around a campfire. Game drives are usually scheduled either for the early morning or evening, when the lighting conditions are most suitable for taking pictures.