Gateway A1+ - Exam Practice Reading

Exam practice: Reading Unit 1
True/False
1 In True/False reading activities, what should you
do first?
a read the True/False sentences slowly
b read the text slowly
c read the text quickly
2 Write the correct country or nationality words to

complete the table.
Country Nationality
Brazil Brazilian
China (1)
Sky Brown: skateboard star
(2) Egyptian
Sky Brown is very young, but she’s a very famous skateboarder.
Japan (3) She jumps and does very difficult things on her skateboard.
She’s very strong and fast.
(4) Turkish
Sky’s birthday is 12th July 2008. She’s British and Japanese.
Her father is British and her mother is Japanese. She’s got a
the UK (5)
little brother. His name is Ocean and he’s a skateboarder, too.
She lives in California in the US, so she’s got a lot of American
(6) American
friends. But she lives in Japan too! Usually, she’s in the US for
around six months and in Japan for around six months every
Exam tip year. Her mother’s parents, Sky’s grandparents, live in Japan.
In True/False reading activities, first read the whole Of course, Sky is very good at skateboarding, but she’s also
text quickly. Then read the True/False sentences. very good at surfing. It’s like skateboarding, but in the sea.
Read the parts of the text where you think the She lives near the sea so she can go surfing often. She gets
answers are. Now read slowly. Then answer all up very early in the morning, at 4 am, so she can go surfing
the questions. before school. Then she skateboards after school and goes
surfing again in the evening!
Sky is also good at singing. Her first song is called Girl. In the
song she says that girls can do anything. That’s not all! Sky
3 Read the text and decide if the statements are
is also an author. Her book is called Sky’s the Limit. And she
True (T) or False (F).
can dance, too! She’s on an American TV programme called
1 Sky’s mother is British. T/F Dancing with the Stars Juniors.
2 Sky lives in three countries. T/F A lot of people like Sky on Instagram®. She’s got more than
800,000 followers and many more people watch her videos
3 Sky is often in the sea. T/F on YouTubeTM. She can do anything!
4 Sky gets up late in the morning. T/F
5 Sky can sing and dance. T/F
4 Read the text again and find words that have
6 A lot of people see Sky on the internet. T/F these meanings.
a a sport that you do in the sea (paragraph 3)
b a person who writes books (paragraph 4)
c something you watch on television (paragraph 4)
d a person who likes you on the internet (paragraph 5)
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A2 Key Part 1 3
1 Read the short texts in exercise 3. Which text (1–6)

is about …? Hey Harvey
a a holiday I’m in Spain for two weeks! It’s really hot. I want
b a place where you can eat to go swimming, but our hotel isn’t near a
c something for students in different countries beach or a swimming pool. How are you?
d something students can do with their families Alice
e something you can buy
f something students must do at home A Alice tells Harvey what the weather is like.
2 Choose the correct alternative. B Alice is at the beach.
1 The son of your parents is your brother/uncle. C Alice lives in Spain.
2 Your uncle is the daughter/son of your grandparents. 4
3 The sister of your father is your niece/aunt.
4 The daughter of your parents is your Buy Mother’s Day flowers here!
grandmother/sister. Big yellow flowers: £10
5 The brother of your mother is your uncle/nephew. Small red flowers: £8
6 Your mother is the niece/daughter of your Small pink flowers £7
grandmother
7 The parents of your parents are your grandchildren/
grandparents. A The shop has got small yellow flowers.
B You can buy flowers for your mother here.
Exam tip C You can buy flowers in two different colours.
In Key Part 1, first read each short text carefully, and 5
decide what it is about. Think about where you might find
To: Class 9A
the information (e.g., is it an email from school, a notice From: Mr. Day
pinned on a noticeboard, a text from a friend, etc.?)
For today’s homework, talk to your parents,
grandparents, aunts or uncles about the Internet.
3 For each question, choose the correct answer. How often do they use it? What for? Write
1 200–300 words.
To: Parents Students in Class 9A

From: Head Teacher A must talk to adults in their family for homework.
Please come to our school Fun Day with your son B must write more than 300 words for homework.
or daughter. Students’ brothers or sisters can come
C haven’t got any homework today.
too. It’s on 12th May, 11 am to 3 pm
6
Are you learning English? Do you want to
A The Fun Day is on 11th May.
practise writing in English?
B Parents can go to the Fun Day with their children. You can write emails to a student in the UK, the
C The Fun Day is three hours. US or Australia. There’s more information here.
2
New restaurant! A You can only do this if you live in the UK, the US
or Australia.
Brazilian, Argentinian and Mexican food. B You can go to the UK, the US or Australia to
Open Wednesday to Sunday, 6 pm–10 pm. practise English.
C You can practise English with British, American or
Australian students.
A You can eat food from four different countries here.
B You can have dinner here on Tuesday evening.
C The restaurant is open five evenings every week.

A2 Key Part 2 c He’s/She’s got fair hair.

d He’s/She’s got curly hair.
1 Read the article in exercise 3 quickly. Find five
school subjects. e He’s/She’s got straight hair.
f He’s/She’s got dark hair.
2 Look at the photos. Match the photos (1–3) to the
sentences (a–f). Exam tip
1 2 3 For this part of the exam you should first read
the question carefully to know what information
to look for in the texts. Then read the three texts
quickly to find the information you need. When
you find information about a question, read the
text again carefully to make sure it answers that
question. Check that the other two texts do not have
information about the same question. When more
than one text has information about a question,
a He’s/She’s got short hair. decide which one matches it best.
b He’s/She’s got glasses.
3 For each question, choose the correct answer.
My favourite teacher
Ashton
Our history teacher is called Mrs. King and she’s great. She’s from
Australia. She’s quite old, but she hasn’t got grey hair. Sometimes she’s got
red hair, sometimes she’s got blonde hair, and sometimes she’s got blue
hair! She’s very funny, and history is really interesting when she teaches us.
Her husband, Mr. King, is also a teacher at our school. He teaches drama,
but he doesn’t teach my class.
Lexie
My favourite teacher is Miss Daniels. She’s a science teacher. She’s young
and she’s got dark curly hair, like me. She looks like my big sister! She’s
very clever and kind. Sometimes science is very difficult, but she helps
us understand. I like science now, and I’m good at it. I think that’s because
Miss Daniels is my teacher. I got 95% in my last science test!
Max
Our music teacher is very cool. He’s called Mr. Vieira and he’s Brazilian.
He’s quite young, but he’s got grey hair and he wears red glasses. He can
play the guitar really well. I don’t really like music lessons, but they’re much
better with him. He’s not only a music teacher. He also teaches computer
science. He’s my sister’s computer science teacher, and he’s her favourite
teacher too!
Ashton Lexie Max

1 Who talks about a subject they think is hard? A B C
2 Who talks about a teacher who often changes their hair? A B C
3 Who talks about a teacher who teaches two subjects? A B C
4 Who thinks they are good at a subject because of this A B C
teacher?
5 Who says someone in their family also likes this teacher? A B C
6 Who talks about two teachers at their school? A B C
7 Who likes the teacher, but not the subject they teach? A B C

A2 Key Part 4
1 When there are sentences with a gap in an exam,
what are the most important words to look at?
a The first and last words in the sentence.
b The words in the sentence that you don’t know.
c The words before and after the gap.
5 sucim 6 marad
2 Look at the photos then put the letters in order to
make school subjects.
1 tra 2 neciecs 7 phegorayg 8 mopuctre icensec
Exam tip
For this part of the exam you should read the text
quickly to get an idea of its topic and general
meaning. Then carefully read the whole sentence
with a gap and look at the words before and after
the gap. They can help you to decide which of the
three options is the correct word to complete it.
3 roysith 4 satmh
A school with a farm

Brymore Academy in England is not like most schools. The most
important (1) that’s different is that Brymore has got
a farm. It’s got a lot of (2) like cows, sheep and pigs.
The students (3) how to look after them, and they also
grow fruit and vegetables. People can (4) food from the
school’s farm in their shop. Of course, students have the same lessons
as other schools too. They study a lot of different (5)
like geography, drama and maths. Students spend a few weeks every
year working on the farm. They have to get up early and start working
at 6.30 every (6) . Then they work again after classes, at
4 pm. It’s not easy!
1 A kind B thing C question

2 A animals B birds C pets
3 A answer B learn C teach
4 A carry B give C buy
5 A subjects B tests C classrooms
6 A afternoon B morning C breakfast

A2 Key Part 3 1 What does Lily say about her new book?
A She uses messages to tell the story.
1 Read the article in exercise 3 quickly. What does B She’s writing it with her friend Ruby.
Lily do?
C The girl in the story gets a message.
a She writes a blog.
2 When does Lily usually write?
b She writes books.
A Before she goes to school.
c She writes music.
B After school and before she does her homework.
2 Choose the correct alternative. C After she does her homework.
1 I go/get up at 7.30 am. 3 What does Lily often do after dinner?
2 I have/go to school at 8.30 am. A She chats with friends.
3 I finish/get school at 3.30 pm. B She does homework.
4 I go/finish home at 4 pm. C She meets up with friends.
5 I do/have dinner with my family every evening. 4 What does Lily usually do on Saturdays?
6 I get/do homework after dinner. A She writes for four hours.
B She writes in the morning and does other things
Exam tip
in the afternoon.
In Key Part 3 tasks, you should first read the text
C She meets up with friends in the morning.
quickly, to get the general idea. Then read the
text really carefully, looking at each question and 5 What does Lily say about being a teenage author?
comparing each option with the text. A She’s very happy when people enjoy her books.
B She’d like to write for more than nine hours
every week.
3 For each question, choose the correct answer. C She thinks she works too hard.
A day in the life of a

teenage author
by Lily Valdez
I’m 15 years old and I’m an author –
I write books! My new book is
called The Message. It’s about a
girl called Ruby. One day she gets
an important message, but she
doesn’t know who it’s from, or why
she’s got it. You can read the book
if you want to know what happens!
I love writing, but it’s not easy being

an author when you’re a teenager.
Of course, I have to go to school
and do homework, so it’s difficult to
find time to write my books. I usually write for an hour after
school, between 4 and 5 pm. School finishes at 3.30 pm, so
I go home, make food (usually a sandwich) and start writing.
Then I do my homework and have dinner around 7 pm.
Sometimes I write more after dinner, but I do other things
too! In the evening before I go to bed, I usually chat with
friends online or listen to music.
At the weekend, I try to write for four hours – two hours on

Saturday and two hours on Sunday. I usually do it in the
morning so I can meet up with friends, play online games
or watch films in the afternoon. Sometimes my friends
think I work too hard because I write for around nine hours
every week, but I enjoy it! When somebody reads my book
and tells me they love it, it makes me really happy!

A2 Key Part 5 6
1 Read the email in exercise 3 quickly. What does

Noah write about?
a his favourite sports
b a sports centre near his house
c a video of Noah and his friends in the park
2 Match the photos (1–6) to the free-time activities.
1 a do sport 5
b watch films
c meet up with friends
d make videos
e play online games
f listen to music
Exam tip
2 In Key Part 5 tasks, first read the passage quickly to
get an idea of its topic and general meaning. Next,
read the sentences with gaps carefully, then think
of one word that makes sense in each gap – fill all
the gaps you’re sure of first, and then move on to
the others.
3 For each question, write the correct answer. Write

one word for each gap.
3
To: Alex
From: Noah
Thanks (1) your email. I like the photo

(2) you and your friends in the park.
There’s (3) park near my house too.
I meet up (4) friends there when the
weather is good. Sometimes we make videos in
(5) park. This (6) one
of our videos. We’re doing sports, but very badly! It’s
4 online and it’s got more than 1,000 ‘likes’. People think
it’s funny! (7) you like it?

True/False
1 Read the text in exercise 3 quickly. In which
paragraph (1–3) can you find the following
information?
a why people like Elijah’s videos
Paragraph 3 hkencic 4 hsipc
b how many people watch Elijah’s videos
Paragraph
c the name of Elijah’s YouTubeTM channel
Paragraph
make food and drink words.
5 oatmot 6 oheosmti
Exam tip
In this exercise, decide if the sentences are true or
false. First, read the whole text quickly. Then read
1 zizpa 2 ihuss the True/False sentences. Next read the parts where
you think the answers are. Read slowly and carefully.
Then answer all the questions.
3 Read the text and decide if the statements are True (T) or False (F).
Finding the best chicken and chips in London

Elijah Quashie is a YouTubeTM star from London. He’s very popular. Often more than 1,000,000 people
watch his videos in a month. What does he do in the videos? He eats chicken and chips! On his
YouTubeTM channel, he’s called the Chicken Connoisseur. A connoisseur is a person who knows a lot
about good food. He goes to small fast food restaurants in London and he usually orders the same food:
chicken, chips and a chicken burger. Then he eats the food and says if he thinks it’s good. He gives the
food a mark out of five. He doesn’t give 5/5 very often!
People like Elijah’s channel because he is funny and his videos are interesting. He doesn’t only talk about
food. At the beginning of each video, he talks about his trainers. He’s got different trainers in every
episode! People also like his videos because they are different from most videos, TV programmes and
articles about food. He doesn’t go to big, famous restaurants, and the food in his videos isn’t expensive. Of course, it isn’t healthy
either, so he doesn’t eat it too often. When he isn’t eating chicken and chips, he likes eating a dish with rice and vegetables.
The YouTubeTM channel, which is called The CNSR, is now more than five years old – that’s a lot of videos about chicken and chips!
Elijah has still got lots of ideas for new videos. He loves chicken and chips, but he wants to talk about other kinds of food, too.
1 Elijah is from London. T/F

2 Elijah eats fish and chips in his videos. T/F
3 Elijah gives the food a mark from one to ten. T/F
4 Elijah talks about his trainers in the videos. T/F
5 Elijah often goes to expensive restaurants in his videos. T/F
6 Elijah wants to make more videos about different kinds of food. T/F
4 Read the text again and find words that have these meanings.
a famous person (paragraph 1)

b a place on TV or the Internet where you can watch programmes or videos (paragraph 1)
c food that restaurants make very quickly and that is not usually healthy (paragraph 1)
d a meal (paragraph 2)

A2 Key Part 1 3
Today we’ve got a great new cake with banana

1 In Key Part 1, why is it important to read the three
and apple. There isn’t any sugar in it! Only £2.50.
answer options carefully?
a because there is sometimes more than one Sorry! We haven’t got any smoothies today.
correct answer
b because all the answers usually have words that are
A There are two new cakes.
the same as words in the text
B The smoothie hasn’t got any sugar in it.
2 Choose the correct alternative. C You can buy some cake, but not a smoothie.
1 You can put books on a shelf/radiator. 4
2 You stand under the shower/toilet to wash yourself.
3 You can sit on a cooker/sofa when you watch TV.
4 You wash your hands in the fridge/sink after you use
For sale
r chairs. The table
the toilet/wardrobe. Kitchen table and fou
s are white. The other
5 You put food in the fridge/sofa to make it cold. and two of the chair
e Ally 01632 960734
chairs are blue. Phon
6 You sit on a radiator/chair when you are having
dinner at the table/cupboard.
Exam tip
In Key Part 1, after deciding what each short text A The chairs are two different colours.
is about, read the three options carefully. Find the B Ally is selling four blue chairs.
option that exactly matches the main meaning in C The table is white and blue.
the text. 5
3 For each question, choose the correct answer. Hi Hannah,

1 I’m bored! I’m sitting in my bedroom and
doing nothing. I can’t go to the café or the
Toilets are outside. cinema because I haven’t got any money.
Go out of the door and turn left. Do you want to go to the park?
Don’t forget to ask for the key! Ella
A You need a key to use the toilet.

Hannah is asking Ella to …
B The key for the toilet is on the left.
A … buy her a cinema ticket.
C There isn’t a toilet here.
B … give her some money.
2
C … go to the park with her.
6
Hey Billy, To: Class 9C
I can’t find my glasses! Can you look in the From: Mrs. White
living room? They might be on the table Please bring butter, cheese and flour for the
next to the sofa. Tell me if you can see them. cooking class tomorrow. You can put the butter and
cheese in the big fridge in Room 107 before the
Thanks,
lesson, but the lesson is in Room 106.
Mum
A The cooking class is in Room 107.

B Students can put food in the fridge before the
A Billy’s glasses are in the living room.
cooking class.
B Billy’s mum hasn’t got her glasses.
C Students must bring two kinds of food tomorrow.
C The glasses are next to the table.

A2 Key Part 3
1 Read the text in exercise 3 quickly. Which
paragraph (1–5) is about …?
a speaking in English Paragraph
b reading and writing in English Paragraph
c listening in English Paragraph
2 Choose the correct alternative.
1 I write my blog/link once a week.
2 What websites can you see if you write your name in
a podcast/search engine?
3 I can’t read my emails because I can’t remember the
visitor/password!
How to improve your English online
4 I can’t do anything with my laptop today. I think it’s by Leo Murphy
got a virus/website.
Many English learners have online lessons, but there
5 Can you send me a search engine/link to your are also many ways to improve your English online
cousin’s website? when you’re not doing lessons.
6 I like listening to podcasts/passwords about history.
For many learners, listening in English is difficult.
Exam tip Podcasts are a great way to get better at listening.
In Key Part 3 tasks, check the possible answer There are many podcasts for English learners: write
carefully with the text before you choose it. After ‘podcast learn English’ in a search engine to find
you’ve chosen your answer, look at the other two them. You can listen to an English podcast while
options and think about why they are wrong. you are doing other things and it’s OK if you don’t
understand most of it. Listen again and see if you
understand a bit more.
1 What’s a good way to find podcasts for English There are also lots of ways to practise speaking English
learners, according to Leo? online. You can use the ‘speaking’ option when you use
A ask in your lessons a search engine in English – say the words instead of
writing them. If the search engine doesn’t understand
B use a search engine
you, say it again until it does. For conversation practice,
C ask other learners online you can find a ‘language exchange partner’ online – you
2 What’s one of Leo’s ideas for practising speaking? practise speaking English with them and they practise
A speaking, not writing, when you use a speaking your language.
search engine
B making videos in English A good way to practise reading and writing is to find
blogs you like. Most blogs have a ‘comments’ section
C making a podcast in English where you can write what you think about the blog.
3 What should you do after reading a blog post, After you read each blog post, write a comment. (Be
according to Leo? nice, of course!) If you make any spelling or grammar
A Look for spelling and grammar mistakes. mistakes, or if it is difficult to understand, other people
B Write words from the blog you don’t know. might write comments to tell you.
C Write a comment.
There are many other ways to use the Internet to
4 What does Leo say about other people who write in improve your English – tell us about your ideas in the
the comments on blogs? comments. And remember, be safe online!
A They are usually nice.
B It might be difficult to understand them.
C They might tell you about spelling or grammar
mistakes.
5 What does Leo want readers to do?
A Write more ideas in the comments.
B Listen to his podcast.
C Email him.

A2 Key Part 4 3 4
1 In Key Part 4 tasks, what’s a good way to check if

your answer is correct?
a Look at the other two choices and think about why
they are wrong.
b Count how many times you choose A, B and C.
2 Match these words to the photos. 5 6
keyboard • monitor • mouse • printer •

smartphone • speaker
1 2
Exam tip
In Key Part 4 tasks, first read the text quickly and
then look at the sentences with gaps again. Choose
the word that best completes the gap out of the
three choices and decide why the other two are
wrong. Fill all the gaps and then read the whole text
to check it makes sense.
A favourite 1980s computer

The ZX Spectrum is a computer from 1982. It’s very
(1) to the computers we use today. It’s
a small black box with a keyboard. It hasn’t got a mouse
so you use the keyboard to play (2) . It
hasn’t got a monitor so you have to use it with a TV. You
can’t use it to (3) an email or go on the
Internet. There are lots of fun games for the Spectrum.
For (4) , in Dizzy you are an egg that can
walk and jump! Many people who are more than 40
years old now can (5) playing games
on the Spectrum. Now you can (6) old
Spectrum games to play on your smartphone if you
want to imagine it’s the 1980s!
1 A same B different C unusual

2 A games B toys C fun
3 A give B send C put
4 A answer B thing C example
5 A think B know C remember
6 A download B save C delete

A2 Key Part 3 4 What does Emily do early in the morning?

A She replies to messages from customers.
1 Read the article in exercise 3 quickly. What is the B She goes to second-hand shops.
main idea?
C She takes photos of clothes.
a Teenagers are spending more money online than
5 In the last paragraph, what does Rita think is good?
in shops.
A Teenagers are spending less time shopping.
b Teenagers are buying and selling second-hand
clothes on social media. B People want to buy more second-hand clothes.
c Teenagers are spending less money on clothes. C Teenagers aren’t putting lots of holiday photos
on social media.
2 Complete the sentences with these words.
change • customer • price • receipt • sale • size The teenagers turning old
clothes into money
1 Don’t forget to get a , because you
by Rita Park
might want to take it back.
People say that Generation Z – people born between
2 Have you got this in my , please? 1995 and 2008 – don’t like spending money as much
I’m a 40. as older people. Generation Z are also good at thinking
3 That’s £8.50, so your from £10 is £1.50. of interesting business ideas, and they care about the
Here you are! environment. Maybe this is why so many teenagers
4 Look, there’s 30% off in the . Let’s are selling second-hand clothes to other teenagers on
buy it! social media.
5 It’s £15 – that’s a good ! It’s more Some teenagers are just selling their own clothes,
expensive online. but others have big online ‘shops’. They find cool
6 The shop assistant is helping a clothes in second-hand shops. Sometimes they alter
over there. the clothes to make them look better. Then they take
photos of the clothes and post them on social media.
Exam tip Customers can say what price they want to pay. For
In multiple-choice reading activities, read the example, one person might say ’£10‘ for a sweatshirt,
whole text first to understand the topic and general but if a second person says ’£11‘, the second person
meaning. Then look at the questions and find which gets the sweatshirt.
part of the text answers each question.
Two teenage friends, Emily Adams and Sophia Lopez,
have an online clothes ‘shop’ on social media, and
3 For each question, choose the correct answer. around 50,000 people like their page. They work
1 What does the article say about people born hard and they don’t have much free time. Emily
between 1995 and 2008? takes photos of clothes before school and replies to
messages from customers between lessons. After
A They spend a lot of money.
school, she goes to the post office to send clothes
B The environment is important to them. to customers or goes to second-hand shops to find
C They aren’t interested in business. more clothes to sell.
2 In paragraph 2, the word alter is closest in meaning
Social media is changing. Now it’s not just where you
to .
show photos of your friends or your holidays. For many
A change teenagers it’s where they go shopping, and for some
B make it’s their job. It’s also changing the way we think about
C show second-hand clothes, and that’s a really good thing.
3 In paragraph 2, why does Rita write about a
sweatshirt?
A to explain how clothes prices work on
social media
B to give an example of a very cheap price
C to say what clothes are most popular on
social media

A2 Key Part 5 Exam tip

In Key Part 5 tasks, after you write the answers in the
1 Decide if the sentences about Key Part 5 tasks are gaps, read the whole text to check it makes sense.
True (T) or False (F).
Remember that some questions can have more
a You can write one or two words in the gap. than one possible answer, but you must only write
b For some questions, more than one answer one word. Check that your spelling is correct. If your
is possible. spelling is not correct, you lose marks.
c You lose marks for spelling mistakes.
2 Choose the correct alternative. 3 For each question, write the correct answer. Write
1 A T-shirt To: Ava
B sweatshirt From: Holly
C shirt I (1) very excited! Our trip is this
weekend! I’m thinking (2) the clothes
we need to bring. We need a jacket (3) it
might be cold. You can bring your new red jacket! Also,
2 A jumper have you (4) any boots? We might need
B jeans them for walking. Don’t forget to bring warm socks too!
I’m also bringing sandals because it might
C jacket (5) hot. And a T-shirt and jeans, of
course. Oh, one thing that’s very important – we need
a lot (6) sweets and chocolate! Let’s go
(7) the supermarket tomorrow!
3 A socks
B sandals
C boots
4 A coat
B hoodie
C dress
5 A jacket
B jumper
C jeans
6 A boots
B trainers
C shorts

Open comprehension Unusual races

1 If you don’t know some of the words in a reading Most running races are simple: you start, you run, and
text, what should you do? you finish. But if that isn’t interesting enough for you,
a Use your dictionary the first time you read the text. there are some very unusual races you can try.
b Try to guess what the words mean the first time you
The Man v Horse Marathon happens every year in
read the text.
a small town called Llanwrtyd Wells in the UK. You
c Try to guess what the words mean (or use a can probably guess what happens in this race. Yes,
dictionary) the second time you read the text. men – and women – run against horses! They run
2 Choose the correct alternative. for 35 km and the winner is usually a horse. The race
started in 1980. For the first 25 years, a horse won
1 My team won the yesterday!
it every year. In 2004, a runner called Huw Lobb was
a spectator b cup c champion the first human winner!
2 Around 50,000 watched the match. If you think running against a horse is a bad idea,
a teams b winners c spectators what about running against cheese? At the Cooper’s
Hill Cheese Roll in the UK, someone throws a big,
3 Usain Bolt won eight gold at the round cheese down a hill, and 14 people run down
Olympic Games®. the hill after it. The race is very fast and dangerous,
a medals b scores c leagues so some runners get hurt. The winner doesn’t get a
normal prize like a medal or a cup – the prize is the
4 In gymnastics, the is the person who big cheese!
gets the best score.
a referee b winner c cup The Man v Horse Marathon and the Cooper’s Hill
Cheese Roll are hard, but Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra
5 The Tour de France™ is a famous cycling . is probably one of the hardest races you can do.
a score b match c race It happens at a farm in the US and runners have
to run 6.7 km every hour. For how long? Nobody
6 Katie Ledecky is an Olympic® swimming knows! The race finishes when only one person is
from the US. still running. This is usually after a few days! In 2020
a champion b medal c final the winner was Karel Sabbe, who ran an incredible
502 km in 75 hours!
Exam tip
In a Reading text, there are usually words you don’t
know. Remember that you don’t need to understand
every word to understand a text. The first time you
read, get a general idea of what the text is about.
Then read the text again and try to guess the
meaning of new words, or use your dictionary.
3 Answer the following questions in your own words

according to the information given in the text. Do
not copy from the text.
1 What usually happens at the end of the Man v Horse
Marathon?
2 What do runners do in the Cooper’s Hill 4 Find words that have these meanings.
Cheese Roll?
a a person, not an animal (paragraph 2)
3 What happened in Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra in 2020?
b feeling bad in part of your body (paragraph 3)
4 Which countries are the races in?
c something a winner gets (paragraph 3)
d very good; amazing (paragraph 4)

A2 Key Part 4 4
ynclcig
1 Read the text in exercise 3 quickly. Which of these
is NOT in the text?
a the name of the first race Sarah won
b the person Sarah cycled with when she was a child
c Sarah’s birthday 5
lelylbvaol
make sports.
nisigk 6
nasycsmtgi
ygbru
Exam tip
In multiple-choice vocabulary activities, read the
whole text first to understand the general meaning.
Then, look carefully at the sentence with a gap.
3 Check each word in the gap before you choose.
kabalsebtl
Sarah Gigante: a young cycling champion

Sarah Gigante was born in Australia on 6th
October 2000. She (1) cycling when
she was a young child. She went on a cycling
holiday with her mother every (2) .
They rode on a tandem, which is a bicycle for two
(3) . When Sarah was eight years
old, she (4) a cycling club. After that,
she started riding in (5) and she
was often the winner. Now she is one of the best
cyclists in Australia. She’s also very clever – she
got top marks in her (6) in 2018 and
went to a very good university. Cycling is her job
now, and she loves it!
1 A made B stayed C started

2 A tomorrow B summer C morning
3 A groups B people C players
4 A joined B went C got
5 A scores B matches C races
6 A classrooms B schools C exams

A2 Key Part 2 3 A nurse/builder works with people who are ill.

4 A businesswoman/waitress has her own company or
1 In Key Part 2 tasks with three short texts, what has an important job in a company.
should you do?
5 A dentist/mechanic fixes things like cars.
a Read one text, then look for all the questions you
6 A waiter/businessman is a man who brings food in a
think are about that text. Then read the next text.
restaurant or café.
b Read all three texts first, then read the questions.
Exam tip
2 Choose the correct alternative.
In activities where you match people and
1 A designer/dentist plans and draws something information, read all the texts first before you look at
before someone makes it. the questions. Check for answers in all the texts.
2 An engineer/astronaut goes into space.
An inspiring person I know

Amelia
My friend Freya is only 16, but she’s a businesswoman! She loves running and she does
a lot of 5 km and 10 km races. She didn’t know where to put all her medals, but then she
had an idea – she made a beautiful medal board to put them on. Now she makes lots of
medal boards and sells them online. Freya is very hard-working and organised so she still
has time to study for her exams!
Oscar
My cousin David is a nurse. He works in a big hospital with people who are very ill. It’s
a really difficult job, but he’s always kind and cheerful. He studied to be an engineer at
university, but then he decided he wanted to help people in his job. His parents weren’t
happy at first because they wanted him to be an engineer, but now they’re happy because
he loves his job.
Erin
My aunt Mel is a designer for a technology company. She designs smartphones and
tablets. She didn’t go to university after school, and she was a waitress for about ten
years. She was good at that because she’s friendly and patient, but she wanted to do
something different. She’s very intelligent and creative, and she wanted to be a designer.
She went to university when she was 30 and now she’s got a really cool job!
Who talks about …

Amelia Oscar Erin
1 … someone who does a lot of sport? A B C
2 … someone who changed their plans after university? A B C
3 … someone who served food in their job? A B C
4 … people who didn’t like an idea in the beginning? A B C
5 … someone who is working and studying now? A B C
6 … someone who went to university later than usual? A B C
7 …
someone who makes things for people to buy on A B C
the internet?

A2 Key Part 5 5
1 Read the text in exercise 3 quickly. Match the

people with the adjectives.
1 Grace’s brother a intelligent
2 Grace’s sister b responsible, organised, shy
3 Grace’s friend c cheerful, friendly, lazy
2 Look at the photos and choose the correct alternative.

a calm b shy c friendly
1
6
a organised b cheerful c shy

a shy b hard-working c organised
2
Exam tip
In activities where you have to complete gaps in
a text, read the whole text first to understand the
general meaning. Read the whole sentence with a
gap and think about what kind of word is missing.

a intelligent b lazy c responsible
From: Grace
3 To: Hugo
Thanks for your email. It was nice to find out

(1) where you live.
What about your family? I’ve (2)
a brother called Kian and a sister called Lola. Kian
is 16. He’s responsible and organised, and he’s
also quite shy. He’s really good (3)
running. Lola is 11. She’s cheerful (4)
friendly, but she’s sometimes lazy! She loves
a creative b friendly c organised animals and wants (5) be a vet.
My best friend is (6) Libby. She’s very
4 intelligent and she’s also a good football player. Tell
(7) about your friends!
a hard-working b lazy c patient

Open comprehension Nature girl

1 Look at the text in exercise 3. What kind of text Whale sharks Hi! I’m Maya.
is it? My favourite animal is the whale shark, and
a an email I’d like to tell you more about this amazing
animal. First of all, it’s not a whale. It’s a
b a blog post shark, but it’s bigger than many whales! It’s
c a newspaper article the biggest shark in the world. It’s also the
biggest fish in the world, because of course, sharks are
2 Match the animals in the box to the descriptions. fish. The biggest whale shark is 18 metres long. That’s
longer than a bus! (The smallest shark in the world, the
cheetah • kangaroo • monkey • penguin • dwarf lantern shark, is smaller than a person’s hand!)
shark • whale You might think that sharks are scary animals with big teeth,
but whale sharks are calm and friendly. Their teeth are very
1 It’s a big cat and it’s very fast. small, so they eat tiny plants and animals, and sometimes
small fish. They don’t have to hunt for their food – they just
2 It lives in the sea, but it isn’t a fish. It’s very big. open their big mouths!
Whale sharks can have a long life. Scientists have found a
3 It’s a black and white bird. It can’t fly. whale shark that was 50 years old. That’s the oldest whale
4 It lives in the sea and it’s got lots of teeth. It’s a kind shark that they know about, but they think that some whale
of fish. sharks are older.
Whale sharks swim slowly. Their usual speed is only around
5 It lives in trees. It’s got hands and a tail.
5 kilometres per hour. That’s slower than many people walk.
6 It’s got small arms and big legs. It jumps a lot. However, they can swim very far to find food. For example,
scientists found one whale shark that swam around 7,800
kilometres in one journey!
Exam tip One thing about whale sharks is a mystery. Scientists still
Before you read, look at the text. Is it an article? Is don’t know where their babies are born. They are trying
it an email? Different types of text have different to find out so that they can help to save them. Sadly, the
information. Think about the type of text before number of whale sharks in our oceans is decreasing quickly.
you read because it helps you to understand the We must save them!
information in it.
3 Answer the following questions in your own words

according to the information given in the text. Do
not copy from the text.
1 Why does Maya mention buses in the first paragraph?
2 Why aren’t whale sharks scary?
3 What does Maya say about whale sharks’ age?
4 What are scientists trying to find out about
whale sharks?
4 Find words that have these meanings.

a to find and kill an animal for food (paragraph 2)
b how fast something or someone goes (paragraph 4)
c something we don’t know or understand (paragraph 5)
d becoming smaller or less (paragraph 5)

A2 Key Part 5 5
1 Read the text in exercise 3 quickly. Which of these

geographical features does Adam mention? Tick
() the boxes.
beach  cave  cliff  desert 
forest  island  lake  mountain 
ocean  river  valley  waterfall 
2 Look at the photos and write a word from exercise 1. 6
Exam tip
2 In Key Part 5 tasks, first read the complete text.
Don’t stop to think about the gaps. This is to get a
general understanding of the text. Then look again
at the gaps and especially the words which come
just before and after the gap. Fill in the gap with
the best word. Read the sentence again with your
answer in the gap to check it.

3 From: Adam
To: Isla
(1) was your weekend?

I (2) to an island call Mull, in Scotland.
It’s beautiful! We saw (3) amazing
waterfall where a river goes over a cliff. (4)
are also some beautiful beaches, so we went swimming.
It was cold! We walked up a mountain called Ben More. I
(5) very tired after that! We also visited a
smaller island called Staffa. It’s got amazing cliffs and a
4
cave. You can swim into the cave, (6) we
didn’t do that because it looked scary!
Have you ever (7) to an island?
Write back soon!
Adam

A2 Key Part 2 E F
1 In Key Part 2 tasks, what should you do when

you find information in a text that matches
the question?
a Write your answer quickly and start the
next question. 1 It’s freezing and cloudy.
b Check if the information is in the other texts, too. 2 It’s sunny, but it isn’t hot. It’s cold.
c Read that text again slowly. 3 It’s stormy. It’s very windy and it’s raining.
4 It’s warm and it isn’t raining.
2 Match the photos (A–F) with the sentences (1–6).
5 It’s boiling!
A B 6 It’s raining, but it isn’t windy.
Exam tip
In Key Part 2 tasks, first read all the texts quickly
to get a general understanding. Then read the
C D questions. Look for important words that help you
to find the part(s) of the text(s) with the information.
When you find the information in one text, check if
the information appears in the other texts, too. Then
mark your answer.
My worst holiday ever!

Logan
We went to Spain on holiday last year. On the second day, we went to the beach. It was hot, but cloudy. I didn’t
put on any sunscreen because it wasn’t sunny, so I didn’t think I needed it. I was wrong! We were on the beach
for about seven hours and by the evening, I was very, very red. Everything hurt! I couldn’t sleep that night and
I couldn’t really move for a few days. In the future I’m going to wear sunscreen every time I go to the beach!
Maisie
Last year my dad couldn’t find his passport when we were at the airport. It was at home! We couldn’t get on
the plane so we had to get back into the car and go home. That took two hours! We got another flight the
next day, but it was expensive. We couldn’t spend much money when we were on holiday! Next time, my dad
is going to check he’s got his passport before we go to the airport.
Toby
My worst holiday was two years ago. When we got off the plane, we went to get our suitcases, but my suitcase
wasn’t there! It was lost. We were on a small island with no clothes shops, so I couldn’t buy more clothes. I had
to wear my dad’s clothes, which were too big, or my brother’s clothes, which were too small. I didn’t send any
selfies to my friends because I looked silly!
Logan Maisie Toby

1 Who couldn’t get on a plane? A B C
2 Who had a problem because they didn’t use something? A B C
3 Who lost something? A B C
4 Who says they are going to do something different next time? A B C
5 Who says their family had to pay a lot of money? A B C
6 Who had a problem at the airport after travelling by plane? A B C
7 Who travelled to the airport by car? A B C

A2 Key Part 1 3
1 Read the short texts in exercise 3 quickly. Which If you have got a large suitcase or backpack
texts mention the weather? (more than 23 kg), please go to Desk C.
2 Complete the sentences with these words. You can bring small suitcases or
backpacks on the plane with you if
backpack • gloves • guidebook • hat • suitcase • they are less than 15 kg.
sunglasses • sunscreen
A You don’t have to go to Desk C if your suitcase or
1 You wear on your face so you don’t get backpack is less than 23 kg.
too much sun in your eyes. B You must not bring backpacks on the plane.
2 You can read about interesting places to visit in a C You should go to Desk C if you’ve got a
. small suitcase.
3 You wear a on your head. 4
4 You put your clothes in a or a
when you go on holiday.
5 You should use when it’s sunny so you Hi Eva
don’t go red. Let’s go to the beach tomorrow! I know it’s
6 You wear on your hands when it’s cold. raining now, but it’s going to be hot and
sunny tomorrow. You can wear your new
Exam tip
sunglasses!
In short text reading activities, think about where
Millie
you can see each sign or text. Use this information to
help you understand the main message of the text.
Then read the three options and decide which one is
the main message. A The weather is good for the beach today.
B Eva has got new sunglasses.
C The weather is going to be the same tomorrow.
5
1
From: Mr. Black
To: Parents
Boats to Shark Island
It’s going to be stormy tomorrow so we can’t go There are two boats every day, 10 am and 3 pm. Buy
on our school trip to the forest. We are going to tickets on the boat. £5 for adults and children.
visit the museum instead. There is a café at the No boats if it’s stormy.
museum so students don’t have to bring lunch.
A The students are going to visit the forest tomorrow.

B The students mustn’t bring lunch tomorrow. A The boat doesn’t go when the weather is very bad.
C The students are going to go to the B Children pay less to go on the boat.
museum tomorrow.
C Two boats go to Shark Island in the afternoon.
2
6
You MUST NOT go inside this cave. It is dangerous!

Visitors can go to Monkey Cave instead. It’s 2 km
Desert adventure day
from here. Turn left after the waterfall.
• fly over the desert in a hot-air balloon
A Visitors should go to a different cave. • walk to see amazing cliffs

B This cave is 2 km long. It’s going to be hot, so you must bring a hat
C Monkey Cave is dangerous. and sunscreen!
A You can see the cliffs from the hot-air balloon.

B You are going to fly and walk on this trip.
C You don’t have to bring a hat, but it’s a good idea.

Exam practice: Reading A1+
Unit 1 3 A2 Key Part 5
1 for 2 of 3 a 4 with 5 the 6 is
1
True/False 7 Do
a F b T c T
1 2
c
Unit 4 1 A 2 C 3 B 4 B 5 C
6 A
2 3
True/False 1 am/’m 2 about/of 3 because/as
1 Chinese 2 Egypt 3 Japanese
4 Turkey 5 British 6 the US 1 4 got 5 be 6 of 7 to
3 a 2 b 1 c 3
1 F 2 F 3 T 4 F 5 T 6 T 2 Unit 7
4 1 pizza
2 sushi 3 chicken 4 chips
a surfing b author c programme 5 tomato 6 smoothie Open comprehension
d follower 3
1
1 T 2 F 3 F 4 T 5 F 6 T
c
A2 Key Part 1 4
2
a star b channel c fast food d dish
1 1 b 2 c 3 a 4 b 5 c 6 a
a 3 b 2 c 6 d 1
e 4 f 5 3
A2 Key Part 1
2 1 The winner is usually a horse.
1 brother 2 son 3 aunt 4 sister 1 2 They run down a hill after a cheese.
5 uncle 6 daughter 7 grandparents b 3 The winner ran 502 km in 75 hours.
3 2 4 They’re in the UK and the US.
1 B 2 C 3 A 4 B 5 A 6 C 1 shelf 2 shower 3 sofa 4 sink, toilet 4
5 fridge 6 chair, table a human
b hurt
c prize
d incredible
Unit 2 3
1 A 2 B 3 C 4 A 5 C 6 B
A2 Key Part 4
A2 Key Part 2
1
1
Unit 5
a
history, drama, science, music, computer 2
science
A2 Key Part 3
1 skiing 2 rugby 3 basketball
2 1 4 cycling 5 volleyball 6 gymnastics
a 1, 3 b 1 c 1 d 2 e 1, 3 f 2, 3 a 3 b 4 c 2 3
3 2 1 C 2 B 3 B 4 A 5 C
6 C
1 B 2 A 3 C 4 B 5 C 6 A 7 C 1 blog 2 search engine 3 password
4 virus 5 link 6 podcasts
Unit 8
A2 Key Part 4 3
1 B 2 A 3 C 4 C 5 A
1 A2 Key Part 2
c 1
A2 Key Part 4
2 b
1 art 2 science 3 history 4 maths 1 2
5 music 6 drama 7 geography a 1 designer 2 astronaut 3 nurse
8 computer science 2 4 businesswoman 5 mechanic
3 1 smartphone 2 keyboard 3 mouse 6 waiter
1 B 2 A 3 B 4 C 5 A 6 B 4 speaker 5 monitor 6 printer 3
3 1 A 2 B 3 C 4 B 5 A 6 C 7 A
Unit 3 1 B 2 A 3 B 4 C 5 C 6 A
A2 Key Part 5
A2 Key Part 3 Unit 6 1
1 1 b 2 c 3 a
b
A2 Key Part 3
2
2 1 1 b 2 a 3 c 4 b 5 c 6 a
1 get 2 go 3 finish 4 go 5 have b 3
6 do 2 1 about 2 got 3 at 4 and 5 to
3 1 receipt 2 size 3 change 4 sale 6 called 7 me
1 C 2 B 3 A 4 B 5 A 5 price 6 customer
3
A2 Key Part 5 1 B 2 A 3 A 4 C 5 B
1
c
2
b 3 c 6 d 1 e 2
f 4

Exam practice: Reading A1+
Unit 9
Open comprehension
1
b
2
1 cheetah 2 whale 3 penguin
4 shark 5 monkey 6 kangaroo
3
1 Because some whale sharks are bigger
than buses.
2 Because they’ve got very small teeth,
and they’re calm and friendly.
3 One whale shark was 50 years old, but
scientists think they can be older.
4 They’re trying to find out where whale
sharks’ babies are born.
4
a hunt b speed c mystery
d decreasing
A2 Key Part 5
1
beach, cave, cliff, island, mountain, river,
waterfall
2
1 mountain 2 river 3 forest 4 beach
5 waterfall 6 cliff
3
1 How 2 went 3 an 4 There 5 was/
felt 6 but 7 been
Unit 10
A2 Key Part 2
1
b
2
1 C 2 E 3 A 4 F
5 B 6 D
3
1 B 2 A 3 C 4 A 5 B 6 C 7 B
A2 Key Part 1
1
1, 4, 5, 6
2
1 sunglasses 2 guidebook 3 hat
4 suitcase, backpack / backpack, suitcase
5 sunscreen 6 gloves
3
1 C 2 A 3 A 4 B 5 A 6 B


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Exam practice: Reading Unit 1

2 Write the correct country or nationality words to

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1 Read the short texts in exercise 3. Which text (1–6)

To: Parents Students in Class 9A

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A2 Key Part 2 c He’s/She’s got fair hair.

3 For each question, choose the correct answer.

Ashton Lexie Max

This page has been downloaded from www.macmillaneducationeverywhere.com

1 tra 2 neciecs 7 phegorayg 8 mopuctre icensec

3 For each question, choose the correct answer.

A school with a farm

1 A kind B thing C question

This page has been downloaded from www.macmillaneducationeverywhere.com

A day in the life of a

I love writing, but it’s not easy being

At the weekend, I try to write for four hours – two hours on

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1 Read the email in exercise 3 quickly. What does

3 For each question, write the correct answer. Write

Thanks (1) your email. I like the photo

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Finding the best chicken and chips in London

1 Elijah is from London. T/F

a famous person (paragraph 1)

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Today we’ve got a great new cake with banana

3 For each question, choose the correct answer. Hi Hannah,

A You need a key to use the toilet.

A The cooking class is in Room 107.

This page has been downloaded from www.macmillaneducationeverywhere.com

This page has been downloaded from www.macmillaneducationeverywhere.com

1 In Key Part 4 tasks, what’s a good way to check if

keyboard • monitor • mouse • ​printer •

3 For each question, choose the correct answer.

A favourite 1980s computer

1 A same B different C unusual

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A2 Key Part 3 4 What does Emily do early in the morning?

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A2 Key Part 5 Exam tip

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Open comprehension Unusual races

3 Answer the following questions in your own words

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3 For each question, choose the correct answer.

Sarah Gigante: a young cycling champion

1 A made B stayed C started

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A2 Key Part 2 3 A nurse/builder works with people who are ill.

An inspiring person I know

Who talks about …

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1 Read the text in exercise 3 quickly. Match the

2 Look at the photos and choose the correct alternative.

a organised b cheerful c shy

3 For each question, write the correct answer. Write

Thanks for your email. It was nice to find out

a hard-working b lazy c patient

This page has been downloaded from www.macmillaneducationeverywhere.com

Open comprehension Nature girl

3 Answer the following questions in your own words

4 Find words that have these meanings.

1 Elijah is from London. T/F

keyboard • monitor • mouse • printer •