Reading Comprehension
Time: 45 minutes Part 1
Questions 1-6 are based on Text 1
Just Me and the “Race of Truth”
Bill decided first to take part in the bike race, but then he refused. He was not sure he wanted to compete. I like having goals, and we had never raced on our bikes before. I wanted to see how we’d do.
It was not what we expected — in fact, that race was quite a shock. But it certainly taught us some lessons. Our experience turned out to be a perfect illustration of the power of mental strategy in racing and a perfect example to motivate some people to stay with a sport. The 22-mile race was a time trial: racers go off one by one at 30-second intervals and are ranked according to their speeds. I’m used to running races where everyone starts at once and you can be energized by the crowd.
Here you are all alone. No crowds. Just you and the lonely road. Then there were the other riders. Girls, it seems, do not do this race. There were only eight of us, compared with 73 boys. But every racer looked like a serious athlete. Almost everyone had special equipment and was a member of a cycling team or club.
We had none of this special equipment. We were not on a team. My heart sank — what had we done? We lined up one by one. I was so nervous I forgot to set my bike computer, so I had no idea how far I had gone or how far I had to go. It was like nothing I had ever done before, and I was not having fun.
Finally, the race was over. “I’m never doing that again,” I said to Bill. “I was the slowest.” Well, he told me, he felt sure he was the slowest. We drove home.
The next day the race organizers posted the results. What a surprise. I came in sixth out of the eight girls. And I beat two boys.
Then our moods changed. “We should do this again”, Bill said. “Only we should get special equipment in the spring”. “Yes”, I agreed. “I’d love to see what we could do”.
Decide which of the following statements (items 1-6) are True (А) or False (B).
1. T F At first I refused to take part in the cycling race
2. T F Bill and I have been professional racing cyclists for several years
3. T F I know what it is like to run together with a lot of people
4. T F No girls are allowed to take раrt in the race
5. T F My bike computer was out of work during the race
6. T F We are going to buy special equipment for the next race
Part 2
Questions 7-12 are based on Text 2. You are going to read an article about a History of the World of Printing. Six sentences have been removed from the story. Choose from the sentences A-G the one which fits in each gap 7-12. There is one extra sentence you do not need to use.
A History of the World of Printing
When the first writers began inscribing their thoughts or facts on stone tablets, they probably never envisioned the printing processes that we all have available to us today. 7________________________________, we can realize how desperately people wanted to have these words last.
Once writing became widespread, it also became fashionable to be able to read. For many years only scholars or the very rich and noble were extended this privilege. 8_______________________________. We have to be able to read in order to function well in our daily lives. 9______________________________. We get up in the morning and read the paper, we drive to work and read road signs, we get to work and usually have to read some more.
It would be almost impossible to get along without being able to read, although there are some people who can manage somehow to go all through school and still not be able to read adequately by the time they graduate. If you just stopped to think about all the times we are faced with having to read something, it can be quite astounding. 10__________________________,we are given a receipt to read about the purchases we made. When we go to a video store we get a pamphlet containing the upcoming movies.
When we check the mail everyday we are getting items that we have to be able to read. When we go to a restaurant we have to be able to read a menu. The reading situations we find ourselves in are never ending. We have come along way since the development of the simple paper we use for printing that we usually get from trees. 11_______________________. We print on fabrics, metals, plastics, ceramics, glass, and so much more.
Printing on many items such as plastic ink pens is used largely for advertising. Advertising is a vast area for printing. 12______________________________. Businesses advertise in newspapers, magazines, through mail pamphlets, on buildings, on road signs, everywhere.
It might be entertaining to just try and keep count one day the numbers of times you find you have to read something that has been printed somewhere. Printing is a large part of out life that we take for granted, but when you stop and really think about it, how would we function with one another if printing had never been invented?
A. In our society today it is almost unheard of to not know how to read
B. Every time we go to a store and buy something
C. When we look at the ancient tablets of stone, scrolls of sheepskin, and parchment paper
D. Today we can print on almost anything
E. Advertising is sometimes called “the mother of printing”
F. The things that we read are everywhere
G. The proper words printed in the proper places on the right article can make or break a business sometimes
Part 3
Questions 13-20 are based on Text 3. You are going to read text about DJ Equipment. For questions 13-20, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
DJ Equipment - What You Need to Know
If you are planning to be a DJ (a disk jockey) one the most difficult things is to buy your own equipment. It will be difficult because DJ equipment is expensive. In order to buy all the equipment you need you will have to spend thousands of pounds. To have what you need to be a DJ you won’t have to buy only one piece of equipment but many. A DJ can mix and match components of different qualities and price ranges to make the entire outfit suit a budget.
One of the most expensive pieces of equipment that you will need to buy is a mixer. Sound mixers vary from make to make and from model to model and their price depends on their features and their quality. You can buy a DJ mixer for a hundred pounds to a few thousand. If you are new to the DJ business, it is advised that you spend only a few hundred pounds. The cheaper mixers can work just as well as the more expensive ones and if you are new to DJing then you should not spend too much money because you don’t know how business will be. The good news is that manufacturers of quality mixers and audio equipment produce good quality economic DJ mixers.
After the mixer you will need a turntable as well. There are different kinds of turntables available. If you are in to vinyl then you should get a traditional DJ turntable, or if you are into CD’s and MP3s there is a wide selection of turntables for the new technologies that resemble the traditional ones. In general, turntables are more expensive than plain players. You can even choose to buy a direct drive turntable, but you will have to spend more money on one of these. Most DJs however prefer them as they play records faster. DJs who like to scratch and spin records prefer the turntables because players only provide sound output like any other CD or DVD player. A new DJ should not overspend on equipment.
And one item you can save money for is the speakers. Speakers are used for live events and as a DJ if you want to minimize your costs and not have to rent any equipment in the future. There are small speakers that a DJ can buy for less than ₤100.
If you are new to the field you might consider buying a DJ pack, a DJ in-a-box package and save money. These packages contain everything you will need. Using cheap DJ equipment is only recommended for new DJs. If you start getting gigs and start making money then you should consider buying more advanced equipment.
13. According to the text, an advanced DJ is to have
A. a lot of state-up money
B. a multi-unit set of equipment
C. a good resume
D. a wide scope of interests
14. It is advised to
A. stick to one trademark
B. buy the most expensive items
C. choose items of different characteristics
D. purchase only budget items
15. A DJ who has just started their career should
A. not try and save money on the equipment
B. not spend a lot of money on the equipment
C. ask a professional what items to buy
D. spend some money on a consulting service
16. Nowadays at the shops you
A. can find good and inexpensive audio equipment
B. can get a discount on audio equipment
C. can’t buy decent audio equipment at low prices
D. can’t rely on an item’s description
17. A direct drive turntable
A. is precise and fast concerning sound recording
B. is far too expensive
C. is rarely available
D. is quick and reliable concerning sound producing
18. The speakers is the thing
A. you have to have to be a good DJ
B. that always costs a lot
C. you don’t have to spend a lot of money on
D. DJs never switch on at live concerts
19. The speakers’ output is
A. the factor which is of little importance
B. is not important for an advanced DJ
C. the decisive factor for its price
D. rarely meets the requirements of a good DJ
20. A DJ in-a-box package
A. is an advised way not to spend much money at the beginning of a DJ’s career
B. is an impossible thing to have for an experienced DJ
C. is something you will never find at the shops
D. can be used by anybody
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