Form 8 Reading 1

READ THE TEXT AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.

1. Why did the Maths teacher write a note in Max's day book?  

2. Why was Max upset after the English lesson?  

3. Why didn't he worry about the History lesson?  

4. Why did he skip the last lesson?  

5. Why was Tuesday different from Monday for Max?  

6. What does Max think about school?  

Read the passage about a boy called Tom Brown. Decide if the sentences are A (True) or B (False). If there is not enough information to decide, choose C (Doesn’t say).

Hi there! My name’s Tom Brown. I'm here to tell you about an exciting competition at my school, in all the English classes – including mine! Everyone needs to send in an idea for a new app to the school’s website. And the prize for the best idea is a mini tablet, worth £200!

So I’m busy trying to get some ideas. One of my ideas is called Check it! It’s an app that checks you don’t forget anything in the mornings. It wakes you up and tells you everything you need to do before you go to school – you know, have a shower, get dressed, have your breakfast. Then it tells you when it’s time to leave for school. That way, you’re never late!

Another of my ideas is for an app called Music Mind that chooses just the right music for you to listen to. So, for example, when you feel sad, it plays sad music. And when you learn a new skateboard trick, it plays happy music! And what about the times when you just can’t sleep at night? Then the app finds some music to make you feel sleepy. My friends all think this app sounds awesome!

My last idea is for an app called Trix that works with your skateboard. When you do tricks, it can tell you how fast you’re going and things like that. And when the trick doesn’t work, or you fall, it can tell you
why!

We don’t actually have to build the app. Our teacher just wants us to write about one, and why we think it can be useful. Anyway, the truth is, I’d really like an app that can take our dog for a walk instead of me – especially when it’s raining!

1 There is a competition taking place in Tom’s English class.

            [True, False, Doesn’t say]

Tom’s Checkit! App tells you what to eat for breakfast.

            [True, False, Doesn’t say]

The winner of the competition can get some money.

            [True, False, Doesn’t say]

Tom got the idea for MusicMind because he sometimes can’t sleep.

            [True, False, Doesn’t say]

The Trix app can help you to improve your skateboarding skills.

            [True, False, Doesn’t say]

Tom is already thinking about how to make his app.

            [True, False, Doesn’t say]

7 Tom would really enjoy having an app to help him with his dog.

            [True, False, Doesn’t say]

For questions 1–6, read the article about a man’s personal adventure in a boat and choose the correct answer.

Lost at Sea

American sailor Louis Jordan went missing in the sea for more than two months in 2015. He was found alive and well by a German ship, which took him from his small boat to safety.

Jordan, 37, left Conway, South Carolina, on 23 January, telling his family he was going on a fishing trip for a few days to ‘catch some really big fish’. His father called the police to report him missing on 29 January, when he didn’t hear from his son. The Coast Guard (an organisation that helps people who are in trouble at sea) looked for Louis until 18 February, but then thought that he must be dead. The ship found him on 2 April.

The sailor said his boat turned upside down in the night during bad weather. The boat began filling with water, but it turned over again so it didn’t sink and no more water got in.

His father, Frank, didn’t think he would ever see his son again.

But 66 days later, the passing German ship found him 320 km from the coast of North Carolina.

Mr Jordan survived because he had quite a lot of food on his boat. It was also his home, so he had lots of clothes, tools and other equipment on board too. When there was no more food and water, he caught fish and collected as much rainwater as he could, but he didn’t have enough. Jordan only drank about half a litre of water a day, which is just above the daily minimum needed to stay alive (300 ml–500 ml).

Mr Jordan says that when he first saw the German ship, he waved his hands slowly to show them that he needed help.

During his time alone, he was more worried about his family and friends, who would think he was dead, than he was about himself. As soon as he could, Mr Jordan had a very long and emotional phone call with his father.

1 How old was Louis?             [23      , 29, 37]

2 When did the German sailors save Louis?                    [in January       , in February, in April]

3 What caused the problem with Louis’s boat?                     [bad weather      , a very large fish, a hole in the boat]

4 Where did the ship find Louis?

                               [320 km from the land, 320 km from where he started, 320 km from his father’s house]

5 Why did Louis have plenty of food at the beginning?                                   [He was going on a long journey., The boat was also where he lived., He caught some really big fish.]6 What did Louis worry about most?                             [his health, his family and friends, seeing other ships or boats]