Reading Comprehension Test for 9th Form Students (34 tasks)
Text 1
Questions 1 through 10 (on your answer sheet put ‘T’ if the statement is true, ‘F’ if it is false).
Action Sports Camps
Action Sports Camps provide activity holidays for children aged over five and adults. We offer training in over twenty sports at ten different centres throughout the UK. All the centres are open from April until October, and some open during the winter for weekend courses. The sports offered differ from one centre to another, so if you want to do something in particular, you should check our colour brochure.
The camps are not just limited to outdoor sports - we cover a wide range of indoor activities as well. So if the rain comes, the camps continue, although you may have to take off your football boots and pick up a squash racket instead. With the experience we've gained over the years, we put together the right mix of sport and activities providing sport for all, not just for those who are brilliant at athletics. It is unnecessary to bring any equipment because it is all provided.
We work in small groups, children working with others of their own age, but we do all come together for social activities and meals. So, different members of a family can make their own individual choices, but they get a chance to exchange their experiences later on.
Our centres offer first-class accommodation, food and facilities - and the staff are first-class too. Qualified teachers or professionals receive training from us, and many work with us year after year. We always employ qualified staff for activities such as swimming, trampolining and gymnastics, but some of the assistants organising the children's games are students, many of whom came to the camp themselves when they were younger.
At most of our centres, accommodation is in a hostel or tents. It is not possible for us to arrange other accommodation, but we can send you a list of what is available in the area. Most of the places are recommended to us, but not all, so we are not responsible for the quality of the accommodation on this list. Luxury accommodation is not available near our camps.
To book a place at a sports camp, complete the form and send it with a cheque for the deposit to the address below. The rest of the fee can be paid at any time, but we must receive it at least one month before your camp. Please note, to keep costs down, you are charged 2.5% extra by us if you pay with your credit card. You will receive a letter of confirmation within ten days of sending your form. Cancellations made up to a month before the camp are refunded in full apart from a 5% administration fee. Fifty per cent of the fee is refunded if a cancellation is made up to two weeks before the date of the camp. After that, no refunds can be given.
1. Some centres are open all winter.
2. The activities available depend on the weather.
3. Action Sports Camps courses are unsuitable for people who are excellent at sport.
4. You need to have your own sports equipment.
5. Children and adults spend some time together each day.
6. Some of the staff are unqualified.
7. Action Sports Camps only recommend accommodation of a high quality.
8. You have to pay the total fee one month after you book.
9. Action Sports Camps charge you more if you pay with your credit card.
10. If you cancel three weeks before your camp, you will get half your money back.
Text 2
Read a newspaper article about Venice. Choose a sentence from the list A-H which best summarises each part (11-17) of the article. There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.
Glossary: dump - waste disposal site
Winter in Venice
11______February in Venice is carnival season, where things are far from what they seem, and it is impossible to distinguish between the performers and the spectators. Revellers flit through the alleys, and ghostly masks hang from the ceilings and walls of tiny shops. It is easy to get caught up in the crowds of people who have flocked to Venice for the carnival, to munch on fritelle, small doughnuts made only during carnival season, and to forget that there is more to Venice than just entertainment.
12______Venice is a working, modern city, not a museum and certainly not a theme park. Rubbish collectors moor their dust carts at jetties every morning as people emerge from their houses to buy groceries from floating shops. They go to work by boat and walk along the waterfront eating ice-cream on Sundays.
13______One place to find the real city is in the black mud of the Rio di San Luca, a canal which was drained over a year ago. An archaeological rubbish dump has been revealed, made up of the remains of centuries of ordinary Venetians' lives. Among other things, ancient chicken bones, shopping trolleys and coins from Byzantine, Ottoman and Napoleonic times have been uncovered. Regrettably the destruction of La Fenice, the city's glorious opera house, was partly caused by the fact that several nearby canals had been drained. Because they were dry, firefighters had no water to pump onto the blaze.
14______Of course, the real Venice is not just humdrum daily life or the remnants of history. Its churches house some of Europe's finest art, including Tintoretto's "Paradise" which is the largest oil painting in the world. For many visitors there is just too much to take in - too many works of art tucked away in too many churches. Crowds are thickest in Piazza San Marco, where children caught up in the excitement queue to have their faces painted, and tourists and revellers alike gather in the Cafe Florian, making it seem like a curiosity shop into which passers-by peer.
15______Should the crowds become too much for you, it is easy to escape to one of Venice's outlying islands, which are barely visible across the lagoon in the chilly winter mist. After the cemetery island of San Michele you come to Murano, where glass is still being made. It is blown, rolled and twisted in ways that have not changed since the 13th century. Fine Murano glass is found in museums everywhere, but the workshops where it is made are filling the surrounding water with arsenic, meaning that the lagoon is becoming severely polluted. But apart from the traditional July dip in the Adriatic after the fiesta del Rendetore fireworks, and the occasional hapless visitor who slips on slimy steps, no one swims in the lagoon.
16_______Beyond Murano lies Burano, where the houses are painted in powder blue, brick red and every colour in between. The slow tolling of the monastery bell on neighbouring Torcello across the water somehow emphasises the tranquility of the outlying islands, creating an atmosphere which is in stark contrast to the sometimes overwhelming noise and crowds of Venice itself.
17_______Nightlife in Venice is reputed to be dull, but after dark it is one of the most thrilling cities on earth. If you're lucky a thick fog will roll in. Stone walls begin to drip; you hear snatches of conversations, and footsteps and voices echo from shadowy alleys. It is certainly a fascinating experience, one that is unique to this beautiful, multi-faceted city.
A. You can escape from the crowds and witness the creation of beautiful objects - but beware of the water!
B. Everyday life takes place on and near the water.
C. Emptied canals have revealed layers of history - and caused a great tragedy.
D. This is not a city for the faint-hearted, as there are dangers around every corner.
E. Going further afield, you can find beautiful scenery and a peaceful atmosphere.
F. It may seem to be exclusively a place of magical excitement, but there is more to it than that.
G. Darkness creates an intriguing atmosphere which can only be experienced in Venice.
H. From viewing great masterpieces to catching glimpses of cafe life, there is no end of things to see and do.
Text 5
Read the text below. For questions (1-10) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).
Winter Olympics
In a break with Olympic tradition, the organizers decided to split the Summer and Winter Games. By bringing forward the Winter Games by two years, the difficulty of organizing the two events can now be spread more equally over a period of four years.
It was the small town of Lillehammer in Norway that was chosen to host the 1994 Winter Games. The Norwegians took their responsibilities very seriously, and created a magnificent setting for the games. The highlight was the building of an Ice Stadium actually built into the side of a mountain at a nearby town. In the event of a permanent home being found for the games, this will ensure that Lillehammer will be high on the list of possible sites.
There were some problems in the month leading up to the games, but the opening ceremony was so well-planned and so exciting that everyone felt optimistic about them. The Olympic Flame arrived in the arena carried by a skier coming down the ski-jump, and was then handed to the Crown Prince of Norway, who officially opened the games. The optimism felt was in many ways justified as the games produced many good sporting moments.
Several Olympic records were broken and there was generally a wonderful atmosphere, which was mostly due to the friendliness and warmth of the Norwegians. Unfortunately, these games may well be remembered for the wrong reasons, as disputes about the judges’ decisions in some of the main events would create bad feelings. It was believed that the British Ice Dance champions were victims of unfair judging when they only placed third. The sport of Ice Dancing had already been under attack; certain critics thought it should not be an Olympic sport, and this row over medals did not help its image.
In the speed skating competitions, the British again felt as though they were being unfairly judged. One skater was disqualified for touching another skater after it seemed he had won a silver medal in the 1,000 meters event. Another speed skater was forced to race with a broken skate and did very poorly as a result. In spite of these unfortunate events, the British still had their highest count of medals since 1948.
One story, though, dominated the entire games. This was the very ugly dispute between two American ice skaters. Their arguments became almost a soap opera, the result being that a record American television audience watched the competition.
1. What decision was made about the Summer and Winter Games?
a. To hold them every four years
b. To separate them
c. To spend more time organizing them
d. To stretch them over five years
2. What was it that the hosts took seriously?
a. Their town
b. The setting
c. Their country
d. Their responsibilities
3. What will ensure that Lillehammer may be a permanent site for the Olympic Games?
a. The Ice Stadium
b. The Norwegian Crown Prince
c. The mountains
d. The ski-jump
4. What do people think produced the wonderful atmosphere in Norway?
a. The opening ceremony
b. The sporting events
c. New Olympic records
d. The personalities of the Norwegians
5. What did some British competitors think?
a. They weren’t good enough to compete
b. They were being disqualified too often
c. They weren’t being judged fairly
d. They were under attack
6. What was the reason for more Americans watching the Games?
a. An unpleasant argument
b. The disqualification of a skater
c. The speed-skating
d. The Ice Dancing