10 Reading

Read the text and match the correct heading with each paragraph (1-4). There are two extra headings that you do not need to use.

1. _

The history of marine travel is rich in mystery. There are many stories about ships which did not reach their destinations or disappeared and have never been found. Some have even been discovered floating about with nobody on board. The mystery of the Mary Celeste is no exception here. She appeared in 1872 with no crew on board in perfect weather conditions and she has inspired many stories.

Read the text and match the correct heading with each paragraph (1-4). There are two extra headings that you do not need to use.

2. _

The Mary Celeste was a large American cargo ship. It left New York on 5th November 1872 with a cargo of industrial alcohol, and was sailing to the Italian port of Genoa. A month later, it was seen on the Atlantic Ocean by the sailors of another ship, the Dei Gratia. After careful observation of the ship’s strange movement, Captain David Moorhouse of the Dei Gratia sent a few men out in a boat to investigate. It appeared that the crew members had left the ship in a great hurry, leaving behind them all their possessions and many valuable items. Why?

Read the text and match the correct heading with each paragraph (1-4). There are two extra headings that you do not need to use.

3. _

There have been many theories that try to explain the mystery. One appeared in January 1884, when a story  entitled ‘The J. Habakuk Jephson Statement’ was published in a London magazine. Jephson claimed he’d been a crew member on the Mary Celeste. He talked about a rebellion of black sailors who threw all the white men out into the sea and left the ship in a lifeboat. However, it was simply a story written by the famous author Arthur Conan Doyle.

Read the text and match the correct heading with each paragraph (1-4). There are two extra headings that you do not need to use.

4. _

Another, much more probable explanation for the Mary Celeste mystery focuses on the dangerous cargo the ship was transporting. It was not unusual for this kind of cargo to cause fires or explosions on board the ships. It is believed that the crew might have smelt strong alcohol fumes, and left the ship in panic, because they were worried about an explosion. However, despite the large number of these theories, the case of the Mary Celeste still remains one of the greatest maritime mysteries.

Read the following three texts which are all about travelling. For each question choose the answer which you think fits best according to the text.

Text 1.

‘Beth, why don’t you sit on the balcony and look at the view. It’s spectacular’, Tony said as he went into the kitchen to find something simple to eat. We weren’t that hungry because we’d had a big breakfast at the café on the beach earlier. I went to sit on the balcony. Tony was right. It was a great view, all the way down the hill to the blue sea. It was my first visit to his rented holiday home and I imagined it had cost a fortune! My little ground floor flat looked directly over a restaurant car park, which was not ideal. In spite of that, it was in a friendly area, with lots of people around. Tony’s place was a bit isolated for me. But that was Tony. He enjoyed his own company.

Which sentence is true about Beth?

Read the following three texts which are all about travelling. For each question choose the answer which you think fits best according to the text.

Text 2.

In the past older people simply stopped going on holiday when they reached a certain age. There were many reasons for this. Many older people could no longer drive to holiday destinations or they found airports too crowded and difficult to deal with. Hotels weren’t convenient for people who couldn’t walk up three flights of stairs and holiday insurance was extremely high for anyone with a medical problem. However, our specialist website can help find the perfect holiday for the older traveller and it’s packed with tips about travel, accommodation and insurance. Being older doesn’t mean you have to stay at home. Get online now and find your dream location.

The text...

Read the following three texts which are all about travelling. For each question choose the answer which you think fits best according to the text.

Text 3.

Hi Ben,

A big thank you for looking after Bingo while we’re away! I’m not sure if I told you about a vet’s appointment he has on Thursday? It’s at 10.30 – just a routine check-up. Is that OK? Also, someone’s coming round on Friday to repair my computer – about 2 o’clock. It would be great if you could let him in. I’d ask you to do it because you know so much about computers but you’ve got a lot of work at the moment. We’ll be back late on Saturday so I’d be grateful if you could get some milk and bread for us. What would we do without you?

Thanks a lot,

Tricia

Tricia is writing the email to

Read the text. For each question choose the answer which you think fits best according to the text.

THE RESTAURANT

It was only a few minutes past nine when me and Mark left the cinema. ‘Fancy going to a restaurant for dinner, Sarah?’ he asked. ‘There’s one nearby that’s opened up recently. Frank told me it was really good and was really impressed by the opening event. I wanted to book a table, but I wasn’t sure you’d like to go’.

‘Thanks, but I’m not that hungry and I’m a bit tired’ I said. Not true. I was, and I wasn’t. Cooking is a big part of my life, and I’m really fussy about what I eat. Restaurants could hardly ever meet my expectations. On second thoughts, though, Frank was the only person I knew who was more demanding in this respect, so his good opinion of the place made me somewhat interested and I decided to visit the restaurant after all.

Mark led the way. We turned right, and a few hundred metres up the street, we saw a neon sign. The Cottage, it read. We went inside.

‘Are you sure it’s here?’ I asked. ‘This is a diner, not a restaurant’. I was looking at a long line of simple tables.

‘No, no, it’s OK. Frank told me they also run a diner. The restaurant’s in another part. Excuse me, how do we get through to the restaurant?’ he asked the woman at the bar. ‘Is there another entrance?’

She explained that the main entrance to the restaurant was at the other side of the building but that we could also get in there directly from the diner. Discouraged by the uninspiring design of the diner, I wasn’t expecting much of the restaurant, but, as we went through the door, I felt as if I’d travelled back in time into my grandma’s dining room in her country cottage. Someone had put a lot of effort into making the interior a cosy room, with a fireplace that created a real homely atmosphere.

A moment later, a waiter was beside us. He showed us to a nice table by the window and handed us the menu. I looked at it carefully, as I knew from experience that many restaurants make serious mistakes in their menu designs. They are often either too complicated, do not fit the general design of the restaurant or highlight the prices so there is no feeling of hospitality. Well, this one perfectly matched the cottage-like décor, with the meals being listed in an elegant way and the price given below in a discreet manner.

Meanwhile, the waiter was back. ‘Are you ready to order?’

Mark suggested having dinner in the new restaurant because

Read the text. For each question choose the answer which you think fits best according to the text.

THE RESTAURANT

It was only a few minutes past nine when me and Mark left the cinema. ‘Fancy going to a restaurant for dinner, Sarah?’ he asked. ‘There’s one nearby that’s opened up recently. Frank told me it was really good and was really impressed by the opening event. I wanted to book a table, but I wasn’t sure you’d like to go’.

‘Thanks, but I’m not that hungry and I’m a bit tired’ I said. Not true. I was, and I wasn’t. Cooking is a big part of my life, and I’m really fussy about what I eat. Restaurants could hardly ever meet my expectations. On second thoughts, though, Frank was the only person I knew who was more demanding in this respect, so his good opinion of the place made me somewhat interested and I decided to visit the restaurant after all.

Mark led the way. We turned right, and a few hundred metres up the street, we saw a neon sign. The Cottage, it read. We went inside.

‘Are you sure it’s here?’ I asked. ‘This is a diner, not a restaurant’. I was looking at a long line of simple tables.

‘No, no, it’s OK. Frank told me they also run a diner. The restaurant’s in another part. Excuse me, how do we get through to the restaurant?’ he asked the woman at the bar. ‘Is there another entrance?’

She explained that the main entrance to the restaurant was at the other side of the building but that we could also get in there directly from the diner. Discouraged by the uninspiring design of the diner, I wasn’t expecting much of the restaurant, but, as we went through the door, I felt as if I’d travelled back in time into my grandma’s dining room in her country cottage. Someone had put a lot of effort into making the interior a cosy room, with a fireplace that created a real homely atmosphere.

A moment later, a waiter was beside us. He showed us to a nice table by the window and handed us the menu. I looked at it carefully, as I knew from experience that many restaurants make serious mistakes in their menu designs. They are often either too complicated, do not fit the general design of the restaurant or highlight the prices so there is no feeling of hospitality. Well, this one perfectly matched the cottage-like décor, with the meals being listed in an elegant way and the price given below in a discreet manner.

Meanwhile, the waiter was back. ‘Are you ready to order?’

Sarah agreed to go to the restaurant

Read the text. For each question choose the answer which you think fits best according to the text.

THE RESTAURANT

It was only a few minutes past nine when me and Mark left the cinema. ‘Fancy going to a restaurant for dinner, Sarah?’ he asked. ‘There’s one nearby that’s opened up recently. Frank told me it was really good and was really impressed by the opening event. I wanted to book a table, but I wasn’t sure you’d like to go’.

‘Thanks, but I’m not that hungry and I’m a bit tired’ I said. Not true. I was, and I wasn’t. Cooking is a big part of my life, and I’m really fussy about what I eat. Restaurants could hardly ever meet my expectations. On second thoughts, though, Frank was the only person I knew who was more demanding in this respect, so his good opinion of the place made me somewhat interested and I decided to visit the restaurant after all.

Mark led the way. We turned right, and a few hundred metres up the street, we saw a neon sign. The Cottage, it read. We went inside.

‘Are you sure it’s here?’ I asked. ‘This is a diner, not a restaurant’. I was looking at a long line of simple tables.

‘No, no, it’s OK. Frank told me they also run a diner. The restaurant’s in another part. Excuse me, how do we get through to the restaurant?’ he asked the woman at the bar. ‘Is there another entrance?’

She explained that the main entrance to the restaurant was at the other side of the building but that we could also get in there directly from the diner. Discouraged by the uninspiring design of the diner, I wasn’t expecting much of the restaurant, but, as we went through the door, I felt as if I’d travelled back in time into my grandma’s dining room in her country cottage. Someone had put a lot of effort into making the interior a cosy room, with a fireplace that created a real homely atmosphere.

A moment later, a waiter was beside us. He showed us to a nice table by the window and handed us the menu. I looked at it carefully, as I knew from experience that many restaurants make serious mistakes in their menu designs. They are often either too complicated, do not fit the general design of the restaurant or highlight the prices so there is no feeling of hospitality. Well, this one perfectly matched the cottage-like décor, with the meals being listed in an elegant way and the price given below in a discreet manner.

Meanwhile, the waiter was back. ‘Are you ready to order?’

When they entered the diner,

Read the text. For each question choose the answer which you think fits best according to the text.

THE RESTAURANT

It was only a few minutes past nine when me and Mark left the cinema. ‘Fancy going to a restaurant for dinner, Sarah?’ he asked. ‘There’s one nearby that’s opened up recently. Frank told me it was really good and was really impressed by the opening event. I wanted to book a table, but I wasn’t sure you’d like to go’.

‘Thanks, but I’m not that hungry and I’m a bit tired’ I said. Not true. I was, and I wasn’t. Cooking is a big part of my life, and I’m really fussy about what I eat. Restaurants could hardly ever meet my expectations. On second thoughts, though, Frank was the only person I knew who was more demanding in this respect, so his good opinion of the place made me somewhat interested and I decided to visit the restaurant after all.

Mark led the way. We turned right, and a few hundred metres up the street, we saw a neon sign. The Cottage, it read. We went inside.

‘Are you sure it’s here?’ I asked. ‘This is a diner, not a restaurant’. I was looking at a long line of simple tables.

‘No, no, it’s OK. Frank told me they also run a diner. The restaurant’s in another part. Excuse me, how do we get through to the restaurant?’ he asked the woman at the bar. ‘Is there another entrance?’

She explained that the main entrance to the restaurant was at the other side of the building but that we could also get in there directly from the diner. Discouraged by the uninspiring design of the diner, I wasn’t expecting much of the restaurant, but, as we went through the door, I felt as if I’d travelled back in time into my grandma’s dining room in her country cottage. Someone had put a lot of effort into making the interior a cosy room, with a fireplace that created a real homely atmosphere.

A moment later, a waiter was beside us. He showed us to a nice table by the window and handed us the menu. I looked at it carefully, as I knew from experience that many restaurants make serious mistakes in their menu designs. They are often either too complicated, do not fit the general design of the restaurant or highlight the prices so there is no feeling of hospitality. Well, this one perfectly matched the cottage-like décor, with the meals being listed in an elegant way and the price given below in a discreet manner.

Meanwhile, the waiter was back. ‘Are you ready to order?’

In Sarah’s opinion, the menu

Read the text. For each question choose the answer which you think fits best according to the text.

THE RESTAURANT

It was only a few minutes past nine when me and Mark left the cinema. ‘Fancy going to a restaurant for dinner, Sarah?’ he asked. ‘There’s one nearby that’s opened up recently. Frank told me it was really good and was really impressed by the opening event. I wanted to book a table, but I wasn’t sure you’d like to go’.

‘Thanks, but I’m not that hungry and I’m a bit tired’ I said. Not true. I was, and I wasn’t. Cooking is a big part of my life, and I’m really fussy about what I eat. Restaurants could hardly ever meet my expectations. On second thoughts, though, Frank was the only person I knew who was more demanding in this respect, so his good opinion of the place made me somewhat interested and I decided to visit the restaurant after all.

Mark led the way. We turned right, and a few hundred metres up the street, we saw a neon sign. The Cottage, it read. We went inside.

‘Are you sure it’s here?’ I asked. ‘This is a diner, not a restaurant’. I was looking at a long line of simple tables.

‘No, no, it’s OK. Frank told me they also run a diner. The restaurant’s in another part. Excuse me, how do we get through to the restaurant?’ he asked the woman at the bar. ‘Is there another entrance?’

She explained that the main entrance to the restaurant was at the other side of the building but that we could also get in there directly from the diner. Discouraged by the uninspiring design of the diner, I wasn’t expecting much of the restaurant, but, as we went through the door, I felt as if I’d travelled back in time into my grandma’s dining room in her country cottage. Someone had put a lot of effort into making the interior a cosy room, with a fireplace that created a real homely atmosphere.

A moment later, a waiter was beside us. He showed us to a nice table by the window and handed us the menu. I looked at it carefully, as I knew from experience that many restaurants make serious mistakes in their menu designs. They are often either too complicated, do not fit the general design of the restaurant or highlight the prices so there is no feeling of hospitality. Well, this one perfectly matched the cottage-like décor, with the meals being listed in an elegant way and the price given below in a discreet manner.

Meanwhile, the waiter was back. ‘Are you ready to order?’

Which of the following statements is true about Sarah’s attitude to restaurants in general?

Read the following text. Three sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from the sentences the one which fits each gap (1-3) to obtain a logical and grammatically correct text. There are two extra sentences that you do not need to use.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

In the past, knowledge was only available to certain groups of people: either those in power or scholars. It sometimes took months or even years for news or ideas to spread around. 1. _ The global village, as some like to view today’s world, values information and knowledge more than ever before. The development of the Internet has made information even more important.

Read the following text. Three sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from the sentences the one which fits each gap (1-3) to obtain a logical and grammatically correct text. There are two extra sentences that you do not need to use.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Now, you can’t really say that you couldn’t find all the information you needed. The Internet allows instant access to any kind of data. Statistics show that although the use of online resources is still the domain of the young, more and more older people are beginning to enjoy the opportunities that the Internet offers. 2. _ Indeed, most people, when asked about where they look for any information they might need, point to the Internet as the most obvious source For good reason, some people have come to believe that if some information exists, you can find it online. 

Read the following text. Three sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from the sentences the one which fits each gap (1-3) to obtain a logical and grammatically correct text. There are two extra sentences that you do not need to use.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

For good reason, some people have come to believe that if some information exists, you can find it online. Or can you? 3. _ The huge amounts of information available online can easily make us frustrated because of the need to check numerous websites, some of which might give confusing or even wrong information.

Choose the correct answer.

Students who do not sign up before Friday lunchtime...

Look at the text in each question. What does it say? Choose the correct answer.

Look at the text in each question. What does it say? Choose the correct answer.

Look at the text in each question. What does it say? Choose the correct answer.

What should people at the restaurant do first?

Look at the text in each question. What does it say? Choose the correct answer.

Look at the text in each question. What does it say? Choose the correct answer.

Look at the text in each question. What does it say? Choose the correct answer.

Look at the text in each question.

Look at the text in each question.

Why is David apologising to Maria?

Look at the text in each question.