1A.

1_READING SKILL_REVISION 1

Part 1. You want to buy some Christmas presents for your friends. There are
descriptions of eight presents below. Decide which present (letters A to H) is most
suitable for each person and write your correct answers on the ANSWER SHEET.

1. Robert likes sport and travel. He would like

something that he can take with him on his
journeys, especially when he is camping or
hiking. But he says he has enough sports
clothing already.

2. Mr Jones doesn't have much time for

hobbies. But he likes improving his house, and
working in the garden during the summer. He
would like something that would help him to
do this.

3. Sally likes parties and discos and boys. She

likes to look smart, and she is very fond of
music. She says that she likes books, but she
never reads any. She wants to learn how to
play the guitar.

4. Mrs Murphy doesn't like to exercise, but she

is very fond of cooking, and she likes reading
books about foreign places. She enjoys going
to the theater, but she hasn't been able to go
much recently, because she has been too busy.

5. Paul has just got a new computer, but he

doesn't know how to use it properly yet. Also,
he doesn't have very many programs to put on
the computer.

A. The new Thompson power drill is now available. With variable rotation heads, and a
wide variety of bits. This is the latest in the Thompson tool catalogue and is perfect for the
DIY enthusiast.

B. Now selling! Tickets for the new smash hit comedy Not on your nelly. This play will be coming
to a theater near you soon, tickets are sure to be popular, so make sure you get yours now.

C. The new Stinger pocket MP3 player. This handy little device fits unobtrusively into
your pocket, it has a neat little ear plug that lets you listen to your favourite artist, even
when you are on a journey.

D. Learn how to play the guitar. This new book, written by guitarist Frank Jones helps even the
most basic beginner read his way to being a competent guitar player in just 200 easy pages.

E. Singapore, the story of a city. This travel guide takes you around the city almost as if
you were there. In this 300 page book you read all about the history, the culture, and the
favourite dishes of the people of this small independent state.
F. For sale. The new 500MHz WhizzBang computer. At a new special low price, this
computer is bound to be a favourite for everybody. Make sure you get one in your
Christmas stocking.

G. Now available. The classic explorer's compass. This precision instrument will help you
to navigate wherever you are. Each comes with its own waterproof leather case, and with a
free map pouch.

H. Guide to maintaining and repairing a home PC. This manual is full of handy hints and
tips for everyone, from the newest beginner to expert. Available at a special discount.

Part 2: Read the text carefully and then decide if the statements below are best described by
True (T), False (F) or Doesn't Say (DS). Write your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.

The Battle of Bannockburn

Robert the Bruce is one of the great heroes of Scottish history. When Robert the Bruce was
king of Scotland, the English king Edward II wanted to rule the whole country. However,
Robert the Bruce helped the Scots to resist and to form a large army which attacked Stirling
castle. King Edward’s army came to help the soldiers in the castle, and the two armies met at
the small town of Bannockburn on June 24, 1314.

At that time the strongest part of the English army was bowmen. These bowmen, with their
long bows had won many victories for the English in France. The Scots did not have many
bowmen, as most of their army were armed with long spears. So when the English archers
attacked they could not defend themselves or fight back. Most of the 4,000 Scots who died at
Bannockburn died in this part of the battle. However, Robert the Bruce was ready for this,
and he called for his cavalry, (his soldiers on horseback). The horses were too quick for the
bowmen, and the Scots knights chased them from the battlefield.

The English knights now advanced. But Robert the Bruce had ordered the Scots to put sharp
sticks in front of their soldiers, and to dig holes in the ground for the English cavalry to fall
into. The first line of English knights was defeated, and the second line of English knights
came into the battle. They were discouraged by what happened to the first line and they did not
fight very well.

At this time many people in the area knew that a great battle was being fought, and when
they heard that the Scots army was winning, they came to watch the battle. The English
soldiers saw them appear on the top of a nearby hill, and they thought that they were another
Scottish army arriving. The English were terrified that they would be caught between two
Scots armies and they ran away. Now the Scots cavalry returned to the battle and the
horsemen killed many English soldiers as they ran away.

After this defeat, the English army tried many more times to conquer Scotland, but they
never really succeeded. Each time they were defeated by the high Scottish mountains, the
bravery of the Scots soldiers, and because they had also to fight wars in other countries, such
as France and Holland. Finally in 1707 Scotland joined with England as an equal partner to
form the United Kingdom.
 Doesn’t
True False
say
1. The battle of Bannockburn was in the 14th Century.
2. At the time of the battle the English were in Stirling Castle.
3. Many Scots at Bannockburn were killed by arrows.
4. The Scots horsemen killed most of the English bowmen.
5. The English horsemen chased the Scots horsemen away.
6. It was very difficult for the English to attack the Scots army.
7. The Scottish army had time to prepare for the English attack.
8. The English were frightened when another Scottish army appeared.
9. The English soldiers ran to a nearby hill.
10. At the time of the battle England was also fighting with the French.

Part 3: Read the text carefully and then answer the questions below. Write your
answer on the ANSWER SHEET.

The western alphabet

The western alphabet, which is used in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Australia and New
Zealand as well as in other countries, originated in the middle east. The people who gave the
world this alphabet were the Phoneacians, a people who established colonies all over the
Mediterranean, including Carthage in Africa and Gades in Spain. In their alphabet, the letters
were represented by little pictures which represented sounds. The Phoneacian A was aelph,
which means "bull" and it was made from a little picture of a bull's head. The letter B was
beth which meant "house", and showed the round-roofed buildings which you can still see
today in Syria.

The Phoneacians had contact with another nation of sailors, the Greeks, with whom they
fought and traded. The Greeks also started to use the Phoneacian alphabet. They changed
the names so aelph and beth became alpha and beta. The shapes of the letters are the
same but they have been turned sideways. If you know any Greek, you can try turning the
letters around again, and see how they look. You will see that the curve on the right of the
Greek A becomes the horns of a little bull.
Of course, the first two letters of the alphabet give it its name. Over the years there have
been changes. Latin developed an alphabet with some different letters to the Greeks, and
other letters have been added since. But really westerners are using the same system of
writing which has served them so well for thousands of years.

1. What is the purpose of this text?

a. To tell something of Phoneacian history.
b. To tell the story of why we write as we do.
c. To compare the western alphabet with other alphabets.
d. To describe the history of the Greek alphabet.
2. Which change did the Greeks make to the Phoneacian alphabet?
a. They changed the pictures to sounds.
b. They turned the letters in a different direction.
c. They altered the shape of the letters.
d. They put a curve on the letter A.

3. Where did the Phoneacians come from originally?

a. Carthage.
b. Gades.
c. The middle east.
d. All over the Mediterranean.

4. The information in the text is meant to be

a. Interesting.
b. Useful.
c. Funny.
d. Historic.

5. Which picture, according to the text, represents beth.

 REVISION 2

Part 1: You are going to read a newspaper article about a young professional
footballer. Answer the questions bellow choosing one of the paragraphs.

Rising Star
Margaret Garelly goes to meet Duncan Williams, who plays for Chelsea Football Club.

A. It’s my first time driving to Chelsea’s training ground and I turn off slightly too
early at the London University playing fields. Had he accepted football’s rejections in
his early teenage years, it is exactly the sort of ground Duncan Williams would have
found himself running around on at weekends. At his current age of 18, he would
have been a bright first-year undergraduate mixing his academic studies with a bit of
football, rugby and cricket, given his early talent in all these sports. However, Duncan
undoubtedly took the right path. Instead of studying, he is sitting with his father Gavin
in one of the interview rooms at Chelsea’s training base reflecting on Saturday’s
match against Manchester City. Such has been his rise to fame that it is with some
disbelief that you listen to him describing how his career was nearly all over before it
began.

B. Gavin, himself a fine footballer – a member of the national team in his time – and
now a professional coach, sent Duncan to three professional clubs as a 14 year-old,
but all three turned him down. ‘I worked with him a lot when he was around 12, and it
was clear he had fantastic technique and skill. But then the other boys shot up in
height and he didn’t. But I was still upset and surprised that no team seemed to want
him, that they couldn’t see what he might develop into in time. When Chelsea
accepted him as a junior, it was made clear to him that this was more of a last chance
than a new beginning. They told him he had a lot of hard work to do and wasn’t part
of their plans. Fortunately, that summer he just grew and grew, and got much stronger
as well.’

C. Duncan takes up the story: ‘The first half of that season I played in the youth team.
I got lucky – the first-team manager came to watch us play QPR, and though we lost
3-1, I had a really good game. I moved up to the first team after that performance.’
Gavin points out that it can be beneficial to be smaller and weaker when you are
developing – it forces you to learn how to keep the ball better, how to use ‘quick feet’
to get out of tight spaces. ‘A couple of years ago, Duncan would run past an opponent
as if he wasn’t there but then the other guy would close in on him. I used to say to
him, “Look, if you can do that now, imagine what you’ll be like when you’re 17, 18
and you’re big and quick and they won’t be able to get near you.” If you’re a smaller
player, you have to use your brain a lot more.’

D. Not every kid gets advice from an ex-England player over dinner, nor their own
private training sessions. Now Duncan is following in Gavin’s footsteps. He has
joined a national scheme where people like him give advice to ambitious young
teenagers who are hoping to become professionals. He is an old head on young
shoulders. Yet he’s also like a young kid in his enthusiasm. And fame has clearly not
gone to his head; it would be hard to meet a more likeable, humble young man. So
will he get to play for the national team? ‘One day I’d love to, but when that is, is for
somebody else to decide.’ The way he is playing, that won’t be long.

Which paragraph...
1. states how surprised the writer was at Ducan's early difficulties?
2. says that Duncan sometimes seems much more mature than he really is?
3. describes the frustration felt by Duncan's father?
4. says that Duncan is one course to reach a high point in his profession?
 5. suggests that Duncan caught up with his team-mates in terms of physical
development?
6. explains how Duncan was a good all-round sportsperson?
7. gives an example of how Gavin reassured his son?
8. mentions Duncan's current club's low option of him at one time?
9. mentions a personal success despite a failure for the team?
10. explains how Duncan and his father are fulfilling a similar role?

Part 2:
You are going to read a newspaper article about the man who designed the
recycling symbol. Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose
from the sentences A - G the one which fits each gap (11-16). There is one extra
sentence which you do not need to use.

Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

 I studied engineering at the University of
Southern California at a time when there was a
lot of emphasis in the United States on training
young people to be engineers. That said, I
eventually switched to architecture. I just couldn't
get a grasp on electronics and architecture
seemed more concrete to me.
It was around that time that I saw a poster
advertising a design competition being run by the
Container Corporation of America. The idea was
to create a symbol to represent recycled paper.
One of my college requirements had been a
graphic design course so I thought I'd give it a go.
It didn't take me long to come up with my design:
only a day or two. 11 But I already had arrows
and angles in my mind because on my course I'd
done a presentation on recycling waste water. I'd
come up with a graphic that described this
process very simply.
The problem with the design I'd done
earlier was that it seemed flat, two-dimensional.
So when I sat down to enter the competition, I
thought back to a field trip in elementary school
to a newspaper office where we'd been shown
how paper was fed over rollers as it was printed.
12 I The three arrows in it look like strips
of folded-over paper. I drew them in pencil, and
then traced over everything in black ink. These
days, with computer graphics packages, it's rare
that designs are quite so plain.
I think I found out I'd won the
competition in a letter. Was I excited? Well, yes
of course - but not that excited. 13 I So it just
seemed like, of course I would win! There was a
monetary prize, though for the life of me I can't
remember how much it was... about $2,000?
When I finished my studies, I decided to
go into urban planning and I moved to Los
Angeles. It seems funny, but I really played down
the fact that I'd won this competition. I was afraid
it would make me look as though I was interested
in graphics, rather than urban planning. 14 I
remember seeing it once on a leaflet which had
been produced on recycled paper, but then it
disappeared.
A while after graduating, I flew to
Amsterdam for a holiday. I'll never forget: when I
walked off the plane, I saw my symbol. It was on
a big recycling bin. And it was bigger than a
beach ball! 15 I was really taken aback. That was
quite a long time ago though. Since then, I've got
more qualifications and worked for quite a few
different firms, some more environmentally
aware than others.
I feel much prouder of the recycling
symbol now than I used to, probably because it's
so widely seen. Maybe this design has been more
important to me than I'd thought. 16 There's more
to me than the recycling symbol.
Part 3:

You are going to read an article about a woman who trains actors in fighting
skills. For questions 17-22, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits
best according to the text.
Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.
 Kombat Kate
James Stanton meets ‘Kombat Kate' Waters, who trains theatre actors in how to
‘fight' on stage.

17. In the first paragraph, the writer is aware of

A a critical attitude from Kate.
B the concern of the other actors.
C the need to reassure his readers.
D having been in a similar situation before.
18. How does the writer feel when Kate mentions the tin can?
A worried about hurting Kate
B relieved that Kate is just pretending
C concerned that it may injure his head
D convinced that he won't take it seriously enough
19. When Kate and the writer repeat the fight scene from Noises Off, we learn that
A the writer isn't sure of his instructions.
B Kate has adapted it slightly for the writer to try.
C the writer is initially unwilling to do it.
D Kate has to react quickly to a mistake the writer makes.
20. What does the phrase ‘no small order' (line 22) tell us about stage combat?
A Kate knew she would love learning about it.
B It is something very few people ever perfect.
C Studying it required a lot of obedience and respect.
D Qualifying to teach it would be a long and difficult process.
21. What does the writer tell us about the sword fight in the play Richard III?
A Its details need to be made up.
B It's a particularly challenging scene to do.
C Its action is conveyed through spoken words.
D It is widely agreed to be the most exciting of its kind.
22. What does ‘it' refer to in line 30?
A information
B a fight
C a particular period
D a dramatic story