B1 PET Test #45 - Reading

10/6/2021 9:09:16 AM

Choose the correct answer that goes with this text.

  • Jake is interested in buying Matt's bike.
  • Jake borrowed Peter's bike and has lost it.
  • Jake has left his bike at Matt's and wants to collect it.

Choose the correct answer that goes with this text.

  • Students will be working outdoors during their next art class.
  • Students must produce their next picture using painting software.
  • Students should do some research before the next session.

Choose the correct answer that goes with this text.

  • Lost keys cost £1.00 to replace.
  • Students pay a total of £11.00 for keys.
  • Students have paid £10.00 in advance.

Why has Lisa contacted Carlos?

  • To tell him about her holiday
  • To remind him to do something
  • To give him some details

Choose the correct answer that goes with this text.

  • Some people can have a discount in this shop.
  • Staff are not allowed any discounts.
  • Staff will always ask you for your discount card.

Read the following descriptions of eight hotels for people wanting to join.

PARIS HOTELS

A. Hotel Inn
The Hotel Inn is a large and modern hotel in the center of Paris. The nearest Metro station is only 100 meters away, which makes it easy to reach the main train station and the airport. As well as TV, telephone and mini-bar, there is a choice of three restaurants, and facilities for conferences.

B. La Villette
La Villette is a large hotel close to the waters of the Canal St Martin. The science museum, with its displays of the latest in scientific technology, is also nearby. Breakfast only is included. 

C. The Trocadero
The Trocadero is a traditional hotel with a very friendly atmosphere in a popular part of Paris. It is perfect for art lovers, being close to many of Paris' most famous galleries. There is also a bar where guests can socialize in the evenings. 

D. Hotel Etoile
The hotel is within walking distance of the best stores in Paris. The hotel has a heated swimming pool, steam room, and gym. All meals are included. 

E. La Villa
La Villa is a reasonably priced hotel in a very fashionable and central part of Paris, amongst antique shops, cafés, and lively streets. It is the perfect place for those wishing to enjoy Paris nightlife. La Villa has an excellent restaurant, and all meals are included in the price. 

F. The Comfort Inn
The Comfort Inn is between the center of Paris and Disneyland Paris. All rooms have TV with free movies, and for the more active, there is a golf course a few minutes' walk away. Breakfast is provided daily, and lunch and dinner from Monday to Thursday. Free car parking is available. 

G. Hotel Bel Air
The hotel is in a peaceful part of Paris away from the main tourist attractions, although the hotel will arrange group sightseeing. There are pleasant gardens and an excellent restaurant. 

H. Hotel Petite
The hotel is a busy family-run hotel not far from the main train station. It provides buffet breakfast and is close to many excellent restaurants for other meals.

The people below are planning to stay in a hotel in Paris. Decide which hotel would be the most suitable for each person.


Maria is a student planning to meet some friends for the weekend. She'd like to stay in the center so that they can easily get to bars and clubs. She doesn't want to spend much on food. 


Stefan is going on a business trip and wants to stay in a hotel where he can hire a room for meetings. He'd like to eat at the hotel and be able to get to and from the airport easily.


Eleni has a stressful job and would like to spend a weekend shopping. She'd like to stay in a hotel which is close to the shops and which offers plenty of leisure facilities.


Kathryn and Klaus would like to stay in a quiet part of Paris. They are keen to explore the sights but would prefer the hotel to organize trips. 


Paolo would like to spend time studying French painting. He's traveling alone so would prefer to stay in a hotel where he'll have the chance to meet other people.

Read the following passage then choose the best answer to each question below.

VISTING LONDON

I'm Marcus, and I live in Australia with my family. However, recently I flew to London with my parents for a holiday - the first time I'd been on a plane! We visited all the sights, especially my mum's favorites, as she'd lived in London with my grandparents before they all moved to Australia.

For me, though, the most interesting was Tower Bridge, which I'd seen in photos of London. It had been my ambition to walk across it since I was young, so my parents were keen to take me, and Dad suddenly decided he wanted to see the new walkways between the two towers, 42 meters above the river. Some of the floors are made of thick glass so visitors can look down onto the bridge and the pavements for walkers either side and then the river below.

The website says that, just as on a similar bridge in China, the glass is impossible to break, but I still imagined the walkways to be scary and I started wondering about walking across. What would happen if I didn't manage it? Even a friend who loves heights admitted he'd found it slightly worrying! Despite that, I didn't pay attention to what he said and decided to go anyway.

Once we arrived, my parents decided to stay at ground level, so I went over the walkways by myself. It was amazing! I'd read that the planners had aimed to make these areas look like big holes in the floor, and they certainly achieved that. In fact, the effect was so convincing that many visitors seemed nervous and avoided stepping on the glass sections, which was very amusing. After I returned to the ground, we saw the exhibition about the bridge's engineers, and how they keep it all working.

The bridge opens over 800 times a year, to allow large boats to pass underneath. By pure luck, we were standing by the bridge when a cruise ship passed through - amazing! In fact, it was so enormous, I was much less interested in the bridge for a moment! Then I realized that for a great view of it, you probably need to be on board a ship. Somehow, I don't think our next holiday will be a cruise to London, though!

Marcus was keen to visit Tower Bridge in London because he _____.

  • had heard the changes made to it were amazing
  • wanted to take his own photos of it
  • had dreamed of going there for a long time
  • knew his parents had always wanted to see it
How did Marcus feel before he visited the walkways?
  • He was unsure whether he was brave enough to go on them.
  • He was confident after what he had read about them online.
  • He was frightened by what his friend had said about them.
  • He was curious to see something he wouldn't find anywhere.

How did Marcus feel the first time he crossed the glass sections of the walkways?

  • He was disappointed with the effect they created.
  • He was entertained by how other people reacted to them.
  • He was worried about walking on the glass.
  • He was annoyed that they were so crowded.

When the cruise ship passed below the bridge, Marcus was _____.

  • sure he would only see it properly from the bridge
  • pleased they had planned to stand by the bridge
  • grateful to see something that rarely happened at
  • even more impressed by the ship than the bridge

What would Marcus write on a postcard of Tower Bridge to his grandparents?

  • We all loved walking over the bridge - even Mum, who usually hates going to the top of tall buildings.
  • I hope this reminds you both of where you used to live. Did you use to come here a lot?
  • It's amazing that the old bridge can still operate in such an efficient way. I've no idea who looks after it.
  • I hadn't realized that pedestrians aren't allowed to cross the bridge - it's only for cars and lorries.

Five sentences have been removed from the text below.

For each question, choose the correct answers from A-H. There are three extra sentences that you do not need to use.

A. I never traveled with the same train company again.

B. When I arrived at the station, I couldn't believe my eyes!

C. All my memories of Rome were in that backpack.

D. I couldn't leave the station without my bag.

E. It was so wonderful to see them.

F. I knew I would never see my new phone again.

G. I searched and searched, but it was nowhere to be seen!

H. But, this time, there were no precious memories inside.

Lost Luggage

Two years ago, I went on holiday to Rome with my family. It was a four-hour train journey from our home, and we all helped to plan the trip. We were looking forward to seeing the famous sights! Everything went really well and we had a great time visiting the amazing tourist attractions. I was in charge of taking all the photos with my brand new phone, which had an excellent camera. We stayed in Rome for two weeks, and it was really incredible.

On the train journey back home, I decided to open my backpack, but I couldn't find it. I was very upset because I'd packed my phone in that backpack, along with my travel journal. Weeks passed, and then months. At first, I contacted the train company every week, but after some time, it was clear that my backpack was never going to be found. After a while, I forgot all about it.

Last month, I took the train to Florence on a school trip. Incredibly, my backpack went missing again! After Rome, I always kept my phone and other important items in my pockets.

Two weeks after the Florence trip, I received a phone call from the train company. They told me they had my backpack, and they would send it to my local station. I assumed it was my backpack from the school trip. Someone from the train company had found the backpack from Rome in a dusty old storeroom! Everything inside it was safe, and I finally got to share the photos with my family. I decided we should all go back to Rome for another holiday ... but this time, I would be much more careful with my things!

(Adapted from B1 Preliminary EXAM TRAINER)

Read the text and choose the best answer to fill in the blanks.

Whale songs

Did you know that a kind of whale, called a humpback whale, sings? In the 1960s it was that humpbacks communicate with each other by making beautiful noises. A record was in 1970 called Songs of the humpback whale, which sold millions of copies. People were absolutely amazed to learn that some whales in the deep oceans were so intelligent: in centuries people had thought that whales had simple brains, like fish.

The songs of the whales were so popular that they were in recordings of sounds from our planet which were into space in 1977. The recordings were chosen to show the wide of life on our planet. People hoped that, in the future, they might be found by intelligent creatures far out in space.

(Adapted from B1 Preliminary 1)

For each question, write the correct answer in the gap. Write ONE word or a number, a date, a time.

Bungee jumping

Have you ever tried bungee jumping? you haven't, then my advice is don't.

I almost tried it last year on holiday in Indonesia because my best friend, who I was traveling with, had done it and suggested that I should try it. I had to jump from a great height with an elastic rope attached to my ankle. I guess I was really curious about what feels like to jump off something so high, knowing that you will not hit the ground (or, in my case, water) below, as we were going do the jump over a lake.

However, I personally will never know as I was scared when I got up to the top of the rock that nobody could persuade me to jump. I'm not sure if you have to be crazy or brave to actually do the jump, but I've decided that bungee jumping is a sport for me. 

(Adapted from Succeed in Cambridge English B1)