Reading. Term 2 (7 Grade. High Note)

Task: Read the article and decide if the statements 1–5 are (T) True or (F) False.

Buckingham Palace

Most people know that Buckingham Palace is home to the British Queen, Queen Elizabeth, and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh, as well as other members of the family from time to time. But what do you know about the inside of the palace? How many rooms do you think there are? 200? 500? There are 775 rooms! But who else lives in all those rooms? There is also an indoor swimming pool and a big balcony where people can sometimes see the royal family at important events. Outside there are enormous gardens – you won’t find larger in London and most of the UK! Here the Queen has three parties a year with up to 8,000 people at each party. But at smaller barbecues and picnics, people say that the Duke of Edinburgh cooks and Queen does the washing-up! However, the palace is not just a home. The Queen and many other people work at the palace. Do you know, for example, that the people who live in the palace also do a job there? About 400 people work at the palace, including chefs, cleaners, gardeners, and two people who look after the 300 clocks! There are 188 bedrooms for those people as well as 52 bedrooms for the royal family. It must be a noisy house! The Queen doesn’t live at Buckingham Palace all the time. She is usually away in July and August. When she is not there, you can see areas of the palace and visit the large traditional dining rooms with beautiful ceilings where Queen and her special guests have dinner.

1 Only the Queen and her husband live at Buckingham Palace.       [True, False]

2 The Queen has small parties in the palace gardens.       [True, False]

3 Workers live outside the palace.       [True, False]

4 The Queen leaves the palace during the summer.       [True, False]

5 Visitors can have dinner at Buckingham Palace in July and August.       [True, False]

Task: Read texts 1–5 and choose the correct answer a, b or c.

1                                          [You can’t take your phone to the cinema., You must leave if you want to use your p, Otherpeople can’t enjoy film if you talk]

Polite notice

Please turn your phone off before you enter the cinema. Talking on your phone can stop other people in the audience from enjoying the film. We will ask you to leave if you use your phone during the film.

2                                    [Jump! isn’t long enough., Jump! cost a lot of money to make., Jump! is a worse film than Scared.]

Jump! is the latest big-budget drama by director James Salmon. Cinema goers say it’s better than Salmon’s last film Scared. That cheaply-made film was too short.

3

Do you want to earn money, go to a festival and go camping for free? We are looking for people to organise activities and then clean up at the end of the festival this year. And there is time to watch the sell-out shows and headliners! Is this you?

Workers                                   [can get a free tent., are volunteers., can also enjoy the entertainment.]

4                                          [You need to dance in this job., The job advertisement is for working wit, Part of the job is working in a team.]

We want you!

Are you the most talented choreographer in the world? Do you have experience in theatre or film? Do you work well with dancers and theatre directors and can put together original dances? We want to hear from you! Email helena@newtheatre.org.

5

Hi Rachel,

I have to stay at work for another hour, sorry. Mum can drive you to the festival and I can meet you there. Can you bring my bag?

Thanks, Bill

Bill wants Rachel to                         [drive him the festival., leave work now., get his bag.]

Task: The people below want to go on holiday. Read the texts and match people 1–5 with the most suitable holiday A–G. There are two extra holidays.

Holiday tips! Not sure where to go travelling? Need some ideas? Holiday tips! is a website that lets people post holiday recommendations.

A) Brazil

I’m travelling around north Brazil in a car with my friends. But Brazil is a big country so there is a lot of driving to do! There are some amazing beaches and most of the country is quiet – there are hardly any tourist resorts on the north coast. This also means that most of the food is local in the shops and in the restaurants.

B) Egypt

If you’re after an activity holiday in style, then Egypt is it! We’re learning lots of water sports in El Gouna, a beach resort on the Red Sea. The hotel is amazing and has a swimming pool next to the beach. All the meals are included in the price and there are lots of different foods to choose from, including vegetarian.

C) London

We’re here for a week to see the key tourist attractions in London. We’re staying in a youth hostel, which is like a hotel, but cheaper, and you can cook your own food! It’s great because you share a room with other travellers and find out what they recommend to see. And it’s one way to keep the cost down when the tourist places are so expensive.

D) Paris

We chose Euro Disney because it’s fantastic entertainment and there’s something for everyone. We stayed in a four-star hotel. Everything is included in the price – we don’t even have to think about cooking dinner. And it’s only 40 minutes on the train to the city if you want to see some tourist attractions.

E) Europe

We’re having an awesome time. We’re camping in Croatia at the moment! We’re making our own meals, so we’re not spending much and we’re also getting to try some of the local takeaway dishes. We bought an Interrail train ticket that covers the whole of Europe. It’s the cheapest way to travel if you want to visit lots of places.

F) Austria

We’re on a cycling tour in the Austrian Alps because we wanted an activity holiday. We got a flight to Vienna, then got a car and put the bikes on the back. We’re staying at a different hotel each night, so it’s a great trip for seeing the country and for food lovers as the food changes every day.

G) Wales

We wanted an active holiday that everyone can enjoy so this Welsh country cottage is perfect for us. The cottage is near a beach for swimming and there are the mountains for hiking. And because there are seven of us, cooking ourselves made things much cheaper.

1 Jonah  

Jonah wants a holiday where he can combine sightseeing with exercise, but he doesn’t want to stay in one place. He also loves trying new food.

2 Susie  

Susie wants to do lots of sightseeing, but doesn’t want to travel around too much. Spending money on seeing the sights is more important to her than a luxury hotel.

3 Harry  

Harry wants to go travelling in a country, but he isn’t keen on backpacking or sleeping in tents. He loves trying new food, but he hates exercise! He wants to see lots of new places, but he isn’t interested in tourist spots.

4 Joe  

Joe is going on an expensive beach holiday next year, so this year he wants to travel around without spending a lot. Therefore, he wants to take his tent away with him. Also, he doesn’t eat meat, so he wants to cook his own food.

5 Casey  

Casey is looking for a fun sun holiday with lots to do and is travelling alone. She doesn’t have to do any cooking, but she doesn’t eat meat. The cost of the holiday isn’t a problem.