FC Practice Test 7                name:_________________            score:______ __%

Reading comprehension

Part 1

You are going to read an article in which a student describes her first day at college. For questions 1-8, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

I had dressed quite nicely for my first day as a student. At 16,1 had been upgraded from lowly pupil to proud student upon enrolment at St. Anne's College of Further Education. I would be spending the next two years on a drama foundation course, which I hoped would pave the way for me to become one of the great actresses of British theatre. In celebration of this new beginning and higher status, I had swapped my usual ripped jeans and sloppy jumpers for a pair of clean dungarees with a neatly pressed white shirt and, much to my mother's shock, I had actually brushed my hair.

Like many young people my age, I was under the impression that the best way to show your individuality and creativity was by wearing the kind of clothing that my despairing mother claimed was not fit to be seen in public. But for my first day as a student I had made an effort to look what my mother called 'respectable'.

There were fifteen of us, sitting in a large circle on wobbly old chairs in the theatre hall, while the head of the drama department, Mr Wilson, gave us a warm welcoming speech and told us all about the course we were about to start. To my horror, he then invited us to say a little bit about ourselves and why we had decided to do a drama course. I had no idea what I would say in front of all these people, which was a bit embarrassing for a would-be actress. The truth was that despite a taste for unusual clothing, I was painfully shy.

My alarm grew as it came closer to my turn. My mind went blank and my mouth dry in dread of making a complete idiot of myself within the first hour of my new life. One by one, the new students

line 19                enthusiastically explained their reasons for their longing for the stage. Then it was the turn of a girl who I hadn't really noticed until that moment because I was too busy panicking about what I would say.

While all the other students, including me, looked fresh-faced and eager to please sitting bolt upright

line 22              on the rickety chairs, this girl stood out like a sore thumb. She was slumped down so low in her chair and her jacket collar was pulled up so high that you could hardly see her face at all. All that was visible was a mop of untidy short brown hair and extraordinarily large, furious blue eyes. She briefly poked her chin above her collar and grunted, "My name's Tracy and I'm from Blackburn". She then retreated like a turtle back into her shell leaving only her wild blue eyes on show and added no further information about herself.

Everyone smiled politely in stunned silence but I was both impressed and relieved: I was impressed at her bravery in saying almost nothing even under pressure, and relieved that you could get away

line 30               with saying so little about yourself. It gave me the confidence to say just a few words, without saying too much and sounding foolish.

After Mr. Wilson at long last let us out of the hall to go to lunch, I managed to find the courage to go up to Tracy. She was sitting alone at a table in the cafeteria still slumped in her chair, eating a bar of chocolate. She looked very unfriendly and unapproachable. Taking a deep breath, I introduced myself. To my surprise, she looked up at me with her huge eyes and gave me a very bright, sweet smile. That was twenty-seven years ago, and although we never did become famous stars of the stage or screen, we're still best friends.

1    Why did the writer change her appearance for her first day at college?

A  She was responding to pressure from her mother.

B  She wanted to look like a great actress.

C  She felt it was appropriate to look neat and tidy.

D She wanted to fit in with the other students.-

2              What do we learn about the writer in paragraph 3?

A  She was not as extroverted as she may have seemed.

B  She was unsure of her reasons for wanting to do the course.

C  Her clothing differed to the other students'.

D She was afraid that she would find the course too demanding.

3              The writer tells us that as she waited to speak,

A  she became more confident about what she would say.

B  she worried that she would embarrass herself in front of the others

C  she began to wonder if she had made the wrong choice of career

D she found it hard to concentrate on what the others were saying.

4              What does 'their longing for the stage' mean in line 19?

A  their decision to do the course

B  their determination to act

C  their enthusiasm about the course

D their strong desire for an acting career

5              When the writer tells us that the girl she had just noticed 'stood out like a sore thumb' (line 22), she means that she

A  seemed as if she was in pain.

B was noticeable as she was different to the others.

C  looked very uncomfortable.

D wasn't sitting with the others.

6              What does 'it' refer to in line 30?

A  the fact that all attention was currently on Tracy

B  the other students' reaction to Tracy

C  the fact that Tracy hadn't said very much

D the fact that Tracy seemed anxious, too

7   When the writer introduced herself to Tracy,

A  she responded more positively than expected.

B  she made it clear that she wanted to be by herself.

C  she totally ignored her and carried on eating.

D she seemed surprised that anyone had spoken to her.

8 What was the writer's main purpose in writing the article?

A  to tell us how she felt on her first day at college

B  to explain why she decided not to become an actress

C to show how her first day at college changed her character

D to show how overcoming a fear led to meeting her best friend

Part 2

You are going to read a newspaper article about a politician who made a film about climate change. 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.

The Accidental Movie Star

Former Vice President of the U.S.A. Al Gore has made a film he hopes will help to change the way we view climate change.

Al Gore has been concerned with climate change, or 'climate crisis' as he calls it, for the majority of his political career. As the years passed and he became more passionate about this issue, he started travelling the world in order to educate people about the effects of global warming using computer slideshows. Free of charge, he explained to his audiences that the world is facing a 'planetary emergency' and that it isn't too late to stop it if appropriate action is taken now.

It was during this time of touring and giving lectures that Gore was spotted by Hollywood producer Laurie David, who asked him to turn his slideshow into a documentary in which he would play the starring role. 9 ….  Eventually, though, David managed to persuade him. The result was a fascinating documentary combining references to Gore's own life story with horrifying predictions about the future of our planet.

Little did Gore know that just one year later he would be walking along the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival and later collecting an Oscar for 'Best Documentary'. 10 ….  j Advertised as 'the scariest movie you'll ever see,' it concentrates on the potentially terrifying consequences of climate change.

'An Inconvenient Truth' certainly gives us much to consider. For example, is there a link between the frequency of strong hurricanes and global warming? Why was 2005 the hottest year ever recorded? Could whole cities such as San Francisco one day be submerged in water due to rising sea levels? 11 …    .  As the title of the film suggests, however, it may be inconvenient for us to have to think about the future of the planet, but think we must.

Published at the same time as the release of the film, Gore's book of the same title contains additional
information and scientific analysis to further support his claims. 12 … Gore is delighted that some schools are even using the DVD to help them teach awareness of environmental issues to their students.

As pessimistic as the film may seem, it ends on a positive note.  13 …. If Gore was going to present a problem, he wanted to offer a potential solution, too. His main hope is that people accept the reality of the crisis and then turn that knowledge into action.

Gore leads by example. 14 ….  He realises, however, that most people need a little more help when it comes to changing their habits. For this reason, he has also been working hard to encourage large shops to sell more environmentally friendly products.

So can this one man's efforts really make a difference?  15 …. It may not seem as if the decisions of individuals can achieve very much, but put them all together and they may add up to something that will, literally, change the world.

A The movie owes its success to its ability to hold our attention.

B He insists on using biodiesel vehicles and has decided to become carbon neutral, which means that he reduces the amount of carbon dioxide he produces every day.

C Well, according to Gore, if we are clear about what the problem is, then we are more likely to introduce changes into our daily lives, such as choosing the 'greenest' light bulbs or cars.

D Whilst both the film and the book have largely been well received by critics, they have been criticised by some as being 'exaggerated' and 'over-the-top'.

E The aim of the film certainly seems to be to 'shock' people into action, which may or may not be the best way to tackle the issue of global warming.

F The profits from both the film and the book are now funding other campaigns to spread the message about global warming.

G As Gore himself says, "It's not too late to solve this crisis, and solving it means avoiding the worst of the consequences and reversing this trend towards catastrophe."

H At first, Gore was reluctant, as he has always been a very private person, despite being used to being in the public eye.

Part 3

You are going to read a magazine article about desert holidays. For questions 16-30, choose from the people (A-D). The people may be chosen more than once.

Which person:

has returned to a destination they have been to before?                             16…………..

took a long time choosing their holiday destination?                             17…………..

says they knew little about an activity they tried?                             18…………..

mentions an aspect of their trip being as they expected?                            19…………..

followed a path that has been used for centuries?                                          20…………..

isn't planning on going on holiday again any time soon?                             21…………..

chose their holiday on the recommendation of a relative?                             22…………..

found something at their destination surprising?                                           23…………..

cooked food in the desert?                                                                       24…………..

went to more than one destination?                                                        25…………..

mentions something that could have gone wrong?                             26…………..

missed out on a meal?                                                                       27…………..

learnt about their destination from the media?                                          28…………..

gives a warning to anyone tempted to go on the same trip?                            29…………..

found something they could use in their work on their trip?               30…………..

Desert Destinations

Flying off to the desert probably isn't the first idea that comes to mind when you're deciding where to go on holiday, but our reporter spoke to four people who did exactly that.

A

John went 'dune bashing' in the Dubai Desert.

John Harper spent his teenage years trying his hand at various extreme sports. "I've tried most things," he says, "bungee jumping, hang gliding, white water rafting, even skydiving!" But John's favourite experience of all was this year when he went on holiday to the Dubai Desert. My cousin had suggested 'dune bashing', something he had heard about previously but had never even seen, let alone had the opportunity to try. The desert was a short drive from Dubai City. "When we arrived, we were invited to take control of the jeeps and drive them up and down the sand dunes as fast as we could!" John admits it was a challenge, and it was just as well he enjoyed driving fast. "If we hadn't maintained high speeds up the dunes, the car might have rolled back down the slopes," he says. He loved the risk and the adrenaline rush but the experience was tiring. "We spent the night camping in the desert, but even before the guides could get the fire roaring for dinner, I was fast asleep!"

B

Harry has just been to Las Vegas, in the Mojave Desert, 'the entertainment capital of the world'

Harry Clarke had spent months trying to decide where to go for his 'dream holiday' and finally settled on Las Vegas after reading about it in a travel guide.

Harry's unique desert experience didn't come cheaply, of course, but he had been planning on spending quite a lot. "I figured why not just go for it and really do it in style!" he says. Harry finally opted to stay at one of the most expensive casino hotels in Las Vegas, the famous Bellagio. "My room was beautifully decorated and had a view over a huge lake with elaborate fountains," Harry enthuses. "There are so many amazing water features in Las Vegas, which is quite odd really considering you're in the middle of a desert!" Harry says it really was the holiday of a lifetime, but now it will be at least another five years until his next holiday!

C

Elena joined local traders on a camel trek into the vast Thar Desert.

Elena Stafford is a writer of cookery books who combined business with pleasure on a recent trip to one of the world's hidden beauty spots. "I first became interested in the Thar Desert as a possible travel destination when I came across an article about it in a newspaper travel supplement," Elena tells me. "Before I knew it, I was on a plane heading for the Indian city of Jaipur which borders this vast desert." After exploring the many interesting sights of the city, Elena then joined local traders on an unforgettable journey into the desert. "We rode camels over sand dunes until we reached a town of narrow twisting alleys where the traders had come to sell their desert spices," she recounts. "And they were what I had really come for. Even now I can smell those wonderful combinations of aromas. This was surely travelling at its very best!"

D

Jane Edmonds is a keen adventure-seeker who recently went trekking in the Sahara Desert.

...