Reading test 2 (30 minutes)

Question 1
Dear Julia,
How are you? I’m fine.
I’m (0) having a wonderful time in Scotland. My course is great and I’m enjoying learning English.
Edinburgh is a very old and (1) __________ city. There are lots of beautiful old buildings to visit. I am
staying with a Scottish family. They are very (2) __________ and I feel very welcome in their house. I
usually have dinner with the family in the evening. They don’t speak Spanish so I can (3) ___________
my English. The other students in my (4) ________are friendly. They are from all around the world. At
the weekend we are (5) ____________to go out together to watch a play at the theatre.
See you soon,
Antonio.
0) a) having b) making c) doing
1) a) best b) interesting c) recent
2) a) nice b) trouble c) wrong
3) a) choose b) practice c) finish
4) a) history b) room c) class
5) a) planning b) eating c) laughing
Question 2 A
Order the sentences to complete the story.
1. When Sam was a young boy he went on a school trip to the seaside.
2. His friends laughed at him because it was just a piece of wood.
3. While they were swimming around, Sam felt something touching his leg.
4. In the afternoon it got so hot, they decided to go for a swim.
5. When they arrived, they visited the town and ate ice cream.
6. They went only for the day and he had all his friends with him.
7. He thought it was a big fish and ran out of the water shouting.
Answers: ________________________________________________________
Question 2 B

Order the sentences to complete the story.

1. Peter Collins was born in Manchester in 1993.

2. So he decided to do it for himself and printed his first book of short stories in 2011.
3. He sent them to lots of publishing companies but they refused to publish them.
4. While he was still a student, he wrote several stories on his own.
5. He sold more and more books and was rich before he was twenty.
6. People liked it a he sold 3000 copies in just over a week.
7. He loved reading all kinds of stories as a child at school.
Answers: ______________________________________________________
Question 3: Matching opinion

Read the opinions of four people about their economic situation and answer the questions:

A. Susan: Can I live on my salary? Well, I don’t have many problems really, because I’ m still living
with my parents. Don’t get me wrong, I give my mum some rent, but it’s definitely much cheaper than
living on your own. I’ve got quite a good salary actually – I´m an engineer. I don’t really spend much
because I am saving most of my money. I would like to buy an apartment.

B. Molly: I find it really hard to live on my income, because I’ ve only got a part – time job. Being
single mother means that my mum has to look after my daughter when I’m a work. At least I don’t
have to pay for a childcare! The flat we live in is rented, so that’s where most of the money goes. I
don’t think I’ll ever be able to afford our own place, because the bank won’t give me a mortgage. Apart
from the rent, my money goes on food and clothes for my daughter.
C. Peter: I think I’m quite lucky really. I’m fairly healthy for my age, I´ve got enough money to live
on, and I’ ve got my children and grandchildren! When I say I’ve got enough money, I don’t have any
fancy holidays or anything like that. But I’m comfortable. I´ve paid the mortgage, so that’s one less
expense, and I haven’t got any bank loans to pay either. My one little luxury is going out for lunch
once a week.

D. John: My wife is a teacher and I’ve got a full- time job at the local supermarket, so we don’t earn
that much. And that’s our biggest problem really, because we need someone to look after our son. Our
child-minder costs a fortune – we spend more on childcare than we do on our mortgage! Then there’s
food and clothes too. Honestly, it isn’t cheap having kids these days!.
Questions:
1. Who believes that having children is expensive? ______

2. Who is grandfather/grandmother? _______

3. Who has a good salary and can save? ________

4. Who needs the support of his family? ________

5. Who goes out to lunch frequently? _______

6. Who can’t get a mortgage to buy a home? _______

Question 4: Matching heading

TARTAN
0. __C___

Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours.
Tartan is usually associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts, or garments wrapped around men’s
waists, almost always have tartan patterns.

1. _____
Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. It is made
with alternating bands of coloured threads woven as both warp and weft at right angles to each
other. The patterns are simply different checked-cloth patterns, chosen by the wearer’s
preference It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that many patterns were created and
artificially associated with Scottish clans, families, or institutions who were (or wished to be
seen as) associated in some way with a Scottish heritage.

2. _____
In Scotland, the Dress Act of 1746 attempted to bring the warrior clans under government
control by banning the tartan and other aspects of Gaelic culture. When the law was taken
away in 1782, it was no longer ordinary Highland dress, but was instead used as the symbolic
national dress of Scotland.

3. _____
Until the middle of the nineteenth century, the highland tartans were only associated with either
regions or districts, rather than any specific Scottish clan. This was because tartan designs
were produced by local weavers and would usually only use the natural dyes available in that
area.

4. _____
It is generally stated that the most popular tartans today are the Black Watch (also known as
Old Campbell, Grant Hunting, Universal, Government), and the Royal Stewart.
5. _____
Today tartan is no longer limited to textiles, but is used on non-woven mediums, such as paper,
plastics, packaging, and wall coverings.

Type the correct letter next to the paragraph number.

A. Description of tartan

B. The popularity of tartan

C. What tartan is

D. Tartan history during the 1700s

E. Post 1700s tartan history

F. Present use of tartan

G. The importance of Tartan

 Reading test 2

Question 1
Dear Julia,
How are you? I’m fine.
I’m (0) having a wonderful time in Scotland. My course is great and I’m enjoying learning English.
Edinburgh is a very old and (1) _________ city. There are lots of beautiful old buildings to visit. I am
staying with a Scottish family. They are very (2) __________ and I feel very welcome in their house. I
usually have dinner with the family in the evening. They don’t speak Spanish so I can (3) ___________
my English. The other students in my (4) ________are friendly. They are from all around the world. At
the weekend we are (5) ____________to go out together to watch a play at the theatre.
See you soon,
Antonio.
0) a) having b) making c) doing
1) a) best b) interesting c) recent
2) a) nice b) trouble c) wrong
3) a) choose b) practice c) finish
4) a) history b) room c) class
5) a) planning b) eating c) laughing
Question 2 A
Order the sentences to complete the story.
1. When Sam was a young boy he went on a school trip to the seaside.
2. His friends laughed at him because it was just a piece of wood.
3. While they were swimming around, Sam felt something touching his leg.
4. In the afternoon it got so hot, they decided to go for a swim.
5. When they arrived, they visited the town and ate ice cream.
6. They went only for the day and he had all his friends with him.
7. He thought it was a big fish and ran out of the water shouting.
Answers: 6- 5–4- 3 - 7 - 2-
Question 2 B

Order the sentences to complete the story.

1. Peter Collins was born in Manchester in 1993.

2. So he decided to do it for himself and printed his first book of short stories in 2011.
3. He sent them to lots of publishing companies but they refused to publish them.
4. While he was still a student, he wrote several stories on his own.
5. He sold more and more books and was rich before he was twenty.
6. People liked it as he sold 3000 copies in just over a week.
7. He loved reading all kinds of stories as a child at school.
Answers: 7 -4 - 3 - 2 - 6 - 5 -
Question 3: Matching opinion

Read the opinions of four people about their economic situation and answer the questions:

A. Susan: Can I live on my salary? Well, I don’t have many problems really, because I’ m still living
with my parents. Don’t get me wrong, I give my mum some rent, but it’s definitely much cheaper than
living on your own. I’ve got quite a good salary actually – I´m an engineer. I don’t really spend much
because I am saving most of my money. I would like to buy an apartment.

B. Molly: I find it really hard to live on my income, because I’ ve only got a part – time job. Being
single mother means that my mum has to look after my daughter when I’m a work. At least I don’t
have to pay for a childcare! The flat we live in is rented, so that’s where most of the money goes. I
don’t think I’ll ever be able to afford our own place, because the bank won’t give me a mortgage. Apart
from the rent, my money goes on food and clothes for my daughter.
C. Peter: I think I’m quite lucky really. I’m fairly healthy for my age, I´ve got enough money to live
on, and I’ ve got my children and grandchil dren! When I say I’ve got enought money, I don’t have any
fancy holidays or anything like that. But I’m confortable. I´ve paid the mortgage, so that’s one less
expense, and I haven’t got any bank loans to pay either. My one little luxury is going out for lunch
once a week.

D. John: My wife is a teacher and I’ve got a full- time job at the local supermarket, so we don’t earn
that much. And that’s our biggest problem really, because we need someone to look after our son. Our
child-minder costs a fortune – we spend more on childcare than we do on our mortgage! Then there’s
food and clothes too. Honestly, it isn’t cheap having kids these days!.
Questions:
A. Who believes that having children is expensive? ___D___

B. Who is grandfather/grandmother? ____C___

C. Who has a good salary and can save? ____A____

D. Who needs the support of his family? ____B____

E. Who goes out to lunch frequently? ___C___

F. Who can’t get a mortgage to buy a home? ___B____

Question 4: Matching heading TARTAN

0. __C___

Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours.
Tartan is usually associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts, or garments wrapped around men’s
waists, almost always have tartan patterns.

1. __A___
Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. It is made
with alternating bands of coloured threads woven as both warp and weft at right angles to each
other. The patterns are simply different checked-cloth patterns, chosen by the wearer’s
preference It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that many patterns were created and
artificially associated with Scottish clans, families, or institutions who were (or wished to be
seen as) associated in some way with a Scottish heritage.

2. ___D__
In Scotland, the Dress Act of 1746 attempted to bring the warrior clans under government
control by banning the tartan and other aspects of Gaelic culture. When the law was taken
away in 1782, it was no longer ordinary Highland dress, but was instead used as the symbolic
national dress of Scotland.

3. __E___
Until the middle of the nineteenth century, the highland tartans were only associated with either
regions or districts, rather than any specific Scottish clan. This was because tartan designs
were produced by local weavers and would usually only use the natural dyes available in that
area.

4. __B___
It is generally stated that the most popular tartans today are the Black Watch (also known as
Old Campbell, Grant Hunting, Universal, Government), and the Royal Stewart.

5. __F___
Today tartan is no longer limited to textiles, but is used on non-woven mediums, such as paper,
plastics, packaging, and wall coverings.
Type the correct letter next to the paragraph number.

A. Description of tartan

B. The popularity of tartan

C. What tartan is

D. Tartan history during the 1700s

E. Post 1700s tartan history

F. Present use of tartan

G. The importance of Tartan

Answers: John – Peter – Susan – Molly – Peter – Molly