Campaign 2

Name ........................................................... Date ..........................................

Mid course test: Reading

Time allowed: 35 minutes

Task 1 Read the texts and decide which sentence A, B or C best fits the gap. An example
(0) has been done for you.

0

The first 12 weeks of the course is Basic Training and in addition to the core skills,

recruits learn first aid, signal communications, map reading drill and nuclear

biological and chemical defence. _______________________. After week six of the

course, recruits are given weekend leave when they are not on duty.

A

Recruits do not have home leave during the first six weeks of the course.

B The tests include a ten-mile march carrying a 35lb pack.

C Many core skills are introduced to recruits during training.

1

Under heavy and accurate fire, A Coy were ordered to pull back from WING

FORWARD and move back through B Coy’s position. ________________ The

enemy started to withdraw as soon as FULL BACK was secured.

A B Coy gave fire support and A Coy advanced along the ridge and took FULL
BACK.

B A Coy 3 Para advanced towards WING FORWARD.

C With no possibility of moving forward, 3 Para started digging in on Mt Longdon.

2

On exercises and operations, soldiers carry their individual weapon, ammunition,

water, food and protective clothing. _______________________. Fighting order

weighs about 10 kilos and includes all the equipment a soldier needs to survive for

two to three days.

A Depending on the tactical situation, riflemen wear either fighting order or

marching

order.

B Marching order weighs another seven kilos and includes a bergen, sleeping, bag,

spare clothes and a towel.

C For protection, soldiers are issued with a Mark 6 combat helmet.

3

The SA80 is the standard individual weapon issued to British troops.

________________________. The magazine holds 30 rounds of ammunition.

A Infantry sections are also issued with the Light Support Weapon (LSW).

B It has a calibre of 5.56 mm and weighs about five kilos with a loaded magazine.

C The Light Support Weapon (LSW) is a version of the SA80 that has been

designed as a light machine gun.

Campaign 2 Mid course reading test

1

This page has been downloaded from

www.campaignmilitaryenglish.com

.

It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2006.

Campaign 2

4

To load the weapon, first of all put the safety catch at the S position. Secondly, set the

change lever to R for Repetition. Next insert a full magazine and listen for the click.

___________________________. When you release it, make sure it is not pushed
forward.

A After that, the magazine should be inserted.

B The weapon is now unloaded.

C Then pull the cocking handle to the rear and release it

5

Each rifle company is commanded by a major and consists of a Company HQ and

three rifle platoons. Platoons are numbered in sequence. _____________________.

Each section has a strength of eight men and is divided into two fire teams.

A Each platoon comprises a Platoon HQ and three sections.

B The Support Company is equipped with mortars, anti-tank weapons and

machine

guns.

C In the US, a section is a unit between a squad and a platoon.

6

The Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant Major runs the battalion stores. He is in

charge of the battalion equipment and supplies. In barracks, he controls the issue of

equipment from the battalion stores. Out of barracks, he’s responsible for providing

the battalion with ammunition, rations and clothing.________________________.

That’s a great deal of responsibility.

A The RQMS is assisted by a small team of specialists.

B Running the stores can be a massive logistics exercise.

C The battalion has equipment worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

7

The situation in Cape Gold has improved since the end of the war. During the war,

many people left their homes but now most refugees have returned.

__________________________________. With the help of the UN, they are building

new schools and hospitals.

A It is hoped that many of the refugees will choose to return to the country in

the months ahead.

B Neither side has broken the peace agreement and both are working hard to

repair the damage.

C However, it doesn’t look as though the situation will improve in the short-

term at least.

8

There are a number of hot spots in the team’s AOR. Firstly, there have been incidents

at the Blueford crossing point due to civilians crossing without permission. Blueford

is on the ceasefire line, so it is quite sensitive. _____________________________.

A There is a more serious problem with illegal crossings and smuggling.

B There have been no reports of movements across the ceasefire line.

C The team’s AOR is relatively free of hot spots or problematic incidents.

Campaign 2 Mid course reading test

2

This page has been downloaded from

www.campaignmilitaryenglish.com

.

It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2006.

Campaign 2

9

We have had some problems with inspections at 52 Bde depot because there are more

weapons than declared in the ceasefire agreement. ___________________________.

We have reported our findings to the head of the UN delegation.

A We believe that we may discover several undeclared weapons in the depot.

B As a result, the serial numbers do not match our original list.

C We informed the government that we would not submit our report to the UN

until it had been given a chance to respond.

10

Also, this week we have been unable to carry out our usual inspections in Bluetown.

Army HQ in Blue City have prohibited inspections until further notice.

__________________________.

A This will not interfere with our usual inspections in any way.

B We have delivered a letter of protest.

C We appreciate the Army’s assistance with our inspections.

Task 2 Read the text and answer the questions. They are either True, False or the
answer is Not Given in the text. An example (0) has been done for you.

Before WW2, the French Foreign Legion comprised about 45,000 men and accepted just

about anyone who walked through its gates; including criminals. Today’s Legion, comprising

8,000 Legionnaires from more than 100 different countries, is one of the best-trained fighting

forces in the world. The Legion selects the very best of the thousands of men who apply to

join every year. Many of these recruits have previous military experience. Criminals,

however, are prohibited from joining.

Until the 1960s, all new recruits were sent to Algeria for training, but in 1962 the Legion

returned to France and established its headquarters in Aubagne near Marseilles. Today,

recruits do their basic training in France and most Legionnaires serve in France although

some regiments such as the 2 REP, based in Corsica, are frequently away on detachment.

There are many reasons why recruits join the Legion. Some join for excitement and

adventure. For others the attraction is that they can change their names when they join or get

French citizenship after three years’ service. Whatever their reasons for joining, recruits soon

learn that life in the Legion is hard and there are many restrictions that do not exist in other

armies. When the recruit walks through the Legion gates, he is not allowed any contact with

the outside world, by phone or by mail for at least three months. Recruits are permitted to

leave during basic training, but after that they have to serve a five-year contract.

Campaign 2 Mid course reading test

3

This page has been downloaded from

www.campaignmilitaryenglish.com

.

It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2006.

Campaign 2

0 This text is about the French Foreign Legion. True

1 It is now more difficult to join the Legion than previously. _____

2 The full-strength of today’s Legion is considerably smaller than before. _____

3 The Legion is currently facing a recruitment crisis. _____

4 Many recruits have previous military experience. _____

5 No potential recruit is turned away by the Legion. _____

6 Today, all Legionnaires serve in France. _____

7 Recruits can apply for a French passport after successfully completing a five-year contract.

_____

8 Recruits to the Legion can change their names when they sign up. _____

9 Basic training in the Legion lasts 3 months. _____

10 Recruits are only permitted to leave after completing basic training. _____

Task 3 Put the sentences into the correct order. The first sentence has been done for
you.

A The

2

nd

Foreign Legion Parachute Regiment is stationed at Camp Raffalli in Corsica.

B

The Reconnaissance and Support Company includes a Parachute Commando Group

tasked with the reconnaissance of drop zones and trained in special parachute

techniques.

C

Each of the combat companies in 2 REP is trained and equipped to carry out a special

mission.

D

Its members are also trained to jump with SCUBA gear from helicopters.

E The

1

st

Company specialises in anti-tank operations and in military operations in

urban terrain.

F The

4

th

Company specialises in sniping and demolitions and is trained to put small

groups behind enemy lines.

G The

2

nd

Company specialises in arctic and mountain warfare.

H

These include parachute jumps over water and launching divers from submarines.

I The

3

rd

Company works in the area of amphibious operations and specialises in a

number of techniques.

J

Each new group of recruits completes four months of intensive training before being

assigned to one of 2 REP’s companies.

K

Its members are qualified as military climbers and skiers.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
A

Campaign 2 Mid course reading test

4

This page has been downloaded from

www.campaignmilitaryenglish.com

.

It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2006.

Campaign 2

Task 4 Read the text and fill in the gaps using a word from the box. Use each word
ONCE only. There are more words than you need. An example (0) has been done for
you.

during

here

from

where

ago

it

there

before

from

for

this

of

themselves

itself

over

and

that

out

3

RD

ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT

Formed nearly 160 years (0) ago, the 3

rd

Armored Cavalry Regiment (3d ACR) is the second

oldest in the United States Army and first saw action (1) _____________ the Mexican War of

1847.

In 1851, the Regiment was ordered (2) ____________ its home base of Missouri to Texas to

defend settlers (3) ____________ the Indians. In August 1861, after the outbreak of the

American Civil War, the Regiment was renamed the 3d United States Cavalry Regiment.

(4) ______________ was a difficult time as many officers and men found

(5) _________________ fighting their former comrades. At the end of the Civil War, the

Regiment returned to the Western frontier (6)________________ it was stationed for

30 years.

At the outbreak of World War 1, the 3d Cavalry was deployed to Europe, but the use

(7)_____________ trenches, barbed wire, gas and machine guns meant that the horse cavalry

fought in few engagements during (8) ___________ conflict. Although the Regiment was still

a horse cavalry unit at the outbreak of World War 2, (9) ____________ was soon converted to

mechanized cavalry and re-equipped with armored vehicles (10)_____________ deploying to

Europe.

Campaign 2 Mid course reading test

5

This page has been downloaded from

www.campaignmilitaryenglish.com

.

It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages.
Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2006.