A2 KET Test #29 - Reading & Writing

Hilltop Park

Hilltop Park has a beautiful lake, and visitors love feeding the ducks there. There isn't a café inside the park, so families usually bring their own sandwiches for lunch. There are four large tennis courts where people can get fit. The park closes late, often at 9 p.m., which means everybody can still go there in the evening. You don't need to drive, because there is a bus stop right outside. However, if you want to drive, there is a car park nearby.

Riverbend Park

Riverbend Park opens at six o'clock in the morning, which is perfect for early walkers! It has a wide river, and many people go there to catch fish. Teenagers often prefer the busy skate park when they visit. If you travel by car, you will be happy to know that parking costs nothing. During the summer, you can buy ice cream from a small café near the gate. On Sunday afternoons, bands often play live music, so it is quite noisy.

Greenbank Park

Greenbank Park is a short walk from the town centre, but it feels like a quiet forest. It doesn't have a lake, so visitors come to watch different birds in the tall trees. People also love riding mountain bikes on the hills here. There is a nice café that only serves meals on weekends, and sells drinks during the week. On weekdays, it only sells drinks and light snacks like chips and biscuits. The park closes at 5 p.m. every day.

Every year, my school has a big food festival. Every student must make a dessert at home, and there is a prize for the best one. I usually make something very simple, like fruit salad, but this year I decided to make a traditional lemon cake. It was a very difficult recipe, but I really wanted to win first prize.

I mixed the butter, sugar, eggs and flour together and put the cake in the oven. Then I sat down to watch a film on TV. It was so exciting that I forgot about the cake for a long time. Suddenly, I smelled something burning! I ran to the kitchen, but the cake was completely black and as hard as a rock! I started crying. I just wanted to throw it away and give up.

Then Mrs Jones, my lovely neighbour, knocked on the kitchen door. She had smelled the smoke from her garden and came to check if I was okay. She didn’t laugh at me. Instead, she helped me start again. She showed me a great trick for mixing the eggs. She also told me to turn the oven temperature down and to set a timer this time.

The second cake looked beautiful and tasted amazing. I took it to the school festival the next day and I actually won second prize! I was so proud. I learned that when something goes wrong, you shouldn’t give up immediately. You just need to try again!

Most people think treehouses are only small wooden toys for young children. However, today, treehouse hotels have 19.1becomearrivedturned popular with visitors who love nature. One of the most famous of these hotels is in a deep forest in Sweden.

The hotel has several strange rooms built high above the ground. One room looks like a giant bird's nest, while another is 19.2coveredclosedfilled in mirrors. Because the glass shows the trees and sky, the room is almost impossible to 19.3findlosemiss !

The hotel workers built these rooms carefully so the trees can stay 19.4comfortabledelicioushealthy. This special design allows the tall forest trees to 19.5standgrowstay bigger every year. Modern green technology is also used to 19.6holdkeepmake the glass rooms warm in winter.