READING TEST
Reading Test
0 / 50 answered
Part One
Choose the missing word
Choose the missing word from the options below. Write your answer on the answer sheet.
Peninsula Academy
Following the example (1) ______ other Peninsula hotels around the world. The Peninsula Bangkok (2) ______ just launched a series of activities for in-house guests to gain a unique insight (3) ______ the richness of Thai culture. The seven Peninsula Academy activities available (4) ______ 2013 include: Fine Wine Meets Adventure (B270,000/two people), (5) ______ sees you hop on a helicopter to explore a vineyard (6) ______ ride on an elephant in Hua Hin; Thai Martial Art (B5,000/person), which (7) ______ a 1-hour Muay Thai kickboxing class and an 80-min holistic body massage; Footprints from the Past (B2,500/3 hours; B4,500/5 hours/person), which lets you explore Bangkok’s old quarter (8) ______ foot and (9) ______ long tail boats; and The Joy of Thai Cooking (from B4,000/person), which has you learning (10) ______ to prepare traditional Thai dishes.
Following the example (1) ______ other Peninsula hotels around the world. The Peninsula Bangkok (2) ______ just launched a series of activities for in-house guests to gain a unique insight (3) ______ the richness of Thai culture. The seven Peninsula Academy activities available (4) ______ 2013 include: Fine Wine Meets Adventure (B270,000/two people), (5) ______ sees you hop on a helicopter to explore a vineyard (6) ______ ride on an elephant in Hua Hin; Thai Martial Art (B5,000/person), which (7) ______ a 1-hour Muay Thai kickboxing class and an 80-min holistic body massage; Footprints from the Past (B2,500/3 hours; B4,500/5 hours/person), which lets you explore Bangkok’s old quarter (8) ______ foot and (9) ______ long tail boats; and The Joy of Thai Cooking (from B4,000/person), which has you learning (10) ______ to prepare traditional Thai dishes.
1. Choose the best answer.
2. Choose the best answer.
3. Choose the best answer.
4. Choose the best answer.
5. Choose the best answer.
6. Choose the best answer.
7. Choose the best answer.
8. Choose the best answer.
9. Choose the best answer.
10. Choose the best answer.
Part Two
Choose the correct answer
Choose the correct answer in each sentence below and write the answer on the answer sheet.
11. Before ______ her career in banking she worked for the Ministry of Defense.
12. He would rather she ______ punctually every morning rather than coming late.
13. We ______ the office repainted several weeks ago.
14. She can’t afford ______ tickets for the Lady Ga Ga concert.
15. If the Yen hadn’t strengthened so much against the dollar, we ______ over 100,000 dollars on the project.
16. If you arrive before 8.00 am you won’t be able to get ______ the office.
17. I was unable to put the Financial Director ______ to your extension.
18. It’s high time she ______ using the firm’s phones for personal calls.
19. While he ______ the final power-point presentation, I completed the document for circulation at the meeting.
20. You shouldn’t have ______ the company secrets to our competitors.
Part Three
Reading passage
Read the following passage and write the answers to questions 1 to 10 on the answer sheet.
Abbey and Hogwarts boost British tourism
The global audiences attracted by Downton Abbey and the Harry Potter films are providing a shot in the arm for the British tourist industry. Almost 30 per cent of all visitors to Britain include a trip to an historic house or castle as part of their holiday, spending a total of about £6.5 billion during their stay, according to the tourism marketing agency “VisitBritain”.
Alnwick Castle, in Northumberland, which became Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films and featured in Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves and the first Blackadder series, has reported a 230 per cent increase in visitors since 2011, injecting an extra £9 million into the local economy.
Appreciation for Britain’s “built heritage” appears to have been boosted by the global coverage received by last year’s Olympic Games in London and the marketing campaign that was launched with government funding after the event.
In a poll of 15,000 overseas visitors, 47 per cent cited “interesting built heritage” as one of the main reasons for coming to these shores, which is 10 per cent higher than in a similar survey conducted before the Games.
Before the new series of Downton Abbey, businesses with links to Highclere Castle, the real Downton, near Newbury, have been gearing up to cash in on the estimated worldwide audience of 120 million.
At the end of this month, Ellenborough Park Hotel in Cheltenham is offering packages that include a tour offering “private access to Highclere Castle, entry to which is highly sought-after and difficult to obtain”. A one-night stay at the hotel, which also includes meals and use of its spa, costs £1,350 per person.
American tourists top the list of those seeking out Britain’s castles and country piles. More than one million of them embark on a tour of the nation’s historic buildings every year, spending more than £1 billion while they are here. Tourists from the expanding middle classes of the emerging Bric economies - Brazil, Russia, India and China - are also visiting Britain in growing numbers.
According to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, the Tower of London topped the league table last year, with a total of 2.44 million visitors, both domestic and overseas, followed by St Paul’s Cathedral, the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, Westminster Abbey and Edinburgh Castle.
The global audiences attracted by Downton Abbey and the Harry Potter films are providing a shot in the arm for the British tourist industry. Almost 30 per cent of all visitors to Britain include a trip to an historic house or castle as part of their holiday, spending a total of about £6.5 billion during their stay, according to the tourism marketing agency “VisitBritain”.
Alnwick Castle, in Northumberland, which became Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter films and featured in Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves and the first Blackadder series, has reported a 230 per cent increase in visitors since 2011, injecting an extra £9 million into the local economy.
Appreciation for Britain’s “built heritage” appears to have been boosted by the global coverage received by last year’s Olympic Games in London and the marketing campaign that was launched with government funding after the event.
In a poll of 15,000 overseas visitors, 47 per cent cited “interesting built heritage” as one of the main reasons for coming to these shores, which is 10 per cent higher than in a similar survey conducted before the Games.
Before the new series of Downton Abbey, businesses with links to Highclere Castle, the real Downton, near Newbury, have been gearing up to cash in on the estimated worldwide audience of 120 million.
At the end of this month, Ellenborough Park Hotel in Cheltenham is offering packages that include a tour offering “private access to Highclere Castle, entry to which is highly sought-after and difficult to obtain”. A one-night stay at the hotel, which also includes meals and use of its spa, costs £1,350 per person.
American tourists top the list of those seeking out Britain’s castles and country piles. More than one million of them embark on a tour of the nation’s historic buildings every year, spending more than £1 billion while they are here. Tourists from the expanding middle classes of the emerging Bric economies - Brazil, Russia, India and China - are also visiting Britain in growing numbers.
According to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, the Tower of London topped the league table last year, with a total of 2.44 million visitors, both domestic and overseas, followed by St Paul’s Cathedral, the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, Westminster Abbey and Edinburgh Castle.
21. More than half of all visitors to Britain include a visit to an old building during their trip.
22. Both media and global sporting events have resulted in an increase in tourists to Britain.
23. The Olympic Games have boosted visitors to historic buildings by 10%.
24. A hotel in Cheltenham is offering private tours to see Downton Abbey being filmed.
25. There are more American tourists to historic building than any other nationality.
26. There has been a 230% increase in visitor numbers at Alnwick Castle;
27. In a poll of 15,000 overseas visitors to Britain;
28. The television series “Downton Abbey” has;
29. The number of American tourists to Britain is;
30. The Tower of London;
Part Four
Diagram labeling
Read the passage below. Look at the diagram. Choose the correct answer from the list given and label the diagram in the correct places. Write your answers on the answer sheet.
The illustration demonstrates how sea water is transformed into clean energy. Initially the sun’s rays heat the surface of the sea causing the water to evaporate into clouds which then result in rain. A man-made dam stores this rainwater in a reservoir. With the aid of a valve, the reservoir water completes a cycle as it is channelled through a turbine and pump. In this way, water is recycled and the pressure from its circulation produces energy.
The turbine is connected to high voltage cables and once the water energizes the turbine this goes to a transformer station. The station is responsible for distributing the electric power to hospitals, schools, factories and houses via underground cables. This forms the final stage of the process.
To conclude, natural resources (water, sun, rain) in combination with man-made aids (turbine, cables, power station etc) supply us with clean energy using a relatively simple procedure.
The turbine is connected to high voltage cables and once the water energizes the turbine this goes to a transformer station. The station is responsible for distributing the electric power to hospitals, schools, factories and houses via underground cables. This forms the final stage of the process.
To conclude, natural resources (water, sun, rain) in combination with man-made aids (turbine, cables, power station etc) supply us with clean energy using a relatively simple procedure.
Diagram / Answer Area
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
Part Five
Match the headline
There are 15 headlines in the box below and 10 short news stories. Write the correct number of the headline which goes with each short text. There are 5 headlines you do not need.
Headline List
1. SMOKERS WIN OVER PRIME MINISTER
2. REUNIONS SELL MORE
3. BETTER IN THE SUN
4. WINNING TICKET FOR TRAVELLERS
5. POLICE FIND MISSING ARTIST
6. POSTER CAMPAIGN TO STOP CHILDREN SMOKING
7. BIRDLIKE VEGETARIAN
8. BACK FROM EXTINCTION
9. WINNERS GIVEN VIP TREATMENT
10. RECORD SALES FIGURES FOR LONDON
11. UNLUCKY WORKMATES
12. MASTERPIECE UNDER THEIR FEET
13. TEN YEARS LATER
14. NO REFORMING FOR ANNIVERSARY
15. ART SUSPECT HELD
A
An original sketch by Picasso not seen for over 70 years has been discovered in the basement of a café in Madrid. Its value has been estimated at between £15 – 35 million.
Headline
B
Scientists have unearthed the skeleton of a new species of dinosaur, the Falcarius Utahensis. The feathered dinosaur walked on two legs, had sharp four-inch claws but also a number of plant eating features. It has small sharp teeth much more suited to shredding leaves rather than tearing flesh. The find was made in the North of Spain.
Headline
C
Rumours that 80’s super group ABBA are planning a reunion to mark 30 years since their first number one in the UK have been dismissed by a spokesman. He stated that there are no plans for any such event.
Headline
D
Union officials representing air traffic controllers in Britain were claiming victory over their pay demands last night. They said that airport bosses have “climbed down” after union members voted unanimously for strike action over the bank holiday period. Bosses refused to comment.
Headline
E
Birdwatchers cried tears of joy last night as a woodpecker believed to have died out more than half a century ago was found in a swamp in America. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is considered by ornithologists around the world to be a “landmark discovery”.
Headline
F
Police have arrested a man believed to be the mastermind behind the robbery at the Tate Gallery. Many masterpieces have been stolen and are believed to now be in the hands of private collectors.
Headline
G
Winners of a national poster designing competition for schoolchildren aimed at highlighting the dangers of passive smoking met the Prime Minister at Downing Street today and later had tea with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
Headline
H
The South has come out on top in a survey carried out by the Tourist Board aimed at finding the most popular places to visit in Britain. The main reason stated in the survey appears to be the higher chance of warmer weather than in the North.
Headline
I
A lottery syndicate was in shock last night after discovering that its winning ticket was invalid because organisers hadn’t paid the monthly subscription. The 20 members were back at work today contemplating the missed £5 million jackpot.
Headline
J
Sales of CD’s of bands who performed at the free concert in London’s Hyde Park at the weekend in aid of Africa have increased by up to 25%. Bands such as Pink Floyd who played together for the first time in over a decade have seen an increase in sales of nearly 35%.
Headline
