GRADE 9

Listening Comprehension

Ice Hotel

Close to the Arctic Circle in Finnish Lapland, there is a castle made of ice. It shines with
blue light in the late winter afternoon. It looks like it could be the home of an ice princess in a
fairy tale. The walls are blocks of snow, and ice sculptures in the form of sea creatures guard
the entrance. A honeymoon couple, Paul and Karen Anderson, approach the entrance. As they
walk to the front door, they hear the crunch of their boots on the snow and see the twinkle of
stars in the sky, even though it is only four o’clock in the afternoon. They step inside the castle,
hoping for a unique experience to remember.
The Andersons are among a growing number of tourists who are looking an unusual
vacation destination. They are about to stay at the Snow Castle in Kemi – a hotel shaped like a
castle and made of ice! Ice hotels are becoming more common to find in the coldest regions of
the world. Architects, engineers, and builders construct the hotels from the first ice and snow of
winter. Each spring the castles melt, and each winter they are completely rebuilt.
Karen and Paul have chosen to stay at this particular hotel in the far north of Finland
because it is famous for its ice sculptures. They have also come to appreciate the unique beauty
of the Arctic winter. The temperatures can go as low as -29 0 Celsius, but Paul and Karen have
packed their warmest clothes and they are ready.
Although the sun never rises above the horizon in midwinter, the daytime sky is not as
black as the night. Instead, it is a dark bluish-grey. Lucky people might even see the blue,
green, red, and white northern lights that dance across the sky. These northern lights, called the
aurora borealis, happen about 200 times during the winter months. However, it is impossible to
predict when they will appear.
Karen and Paul walk slowly through the castle. Before checking in, they tour the art
gallery and admire the sparkling ice sculptures with colourful lights shining inside them. There
are sculptures of boats, fish and waves that remind them of their summer vacations. However,
they can’t imagine wearing their beach clothes here because the temperature inside the hotel is
only -50 Celsius. Then, they leave the art gallery and go to the restaurant where the tables and
chairs are all carved out of ice. They try reindeer soup with bread. The soup is hot and delicious
and warms them up.
After dinner, Paul and Karen go to their room. They have booked the luxury suite. It is a
large, comfortable room, with soft blue and green lights shining inside starfish and mermaid
sculptures.
The next day, Karen and Paul take an excursion on an icebreaker, a ship that cuts through
heavy ice. The three-hour tour on the ship includes a stop to go ice swimming. Some
passengers, including the Andersons, put on special wet suits to keep them warm. Then they
jump into the freezing water through a hole in the ice.
On their final night, Paul and Karen take turns driving a team of dogs on a dogsled. On
their way back through the snowy forest, they look up at the sky and observe the dancing
colours of the aurora borealis. What a special way for them to end this memorable honeymoon.
 GRADE 9
Listening comprehension test
1. Put down + if the statement is true, - if it is false (2 points each).
1) Paul and Karen are on their honeymoon.
2) The Snow Castle in Kemi is the only snow castle in the world.
3) When the Andersons arrived in Kemi, it was dark at 4 p.m.
4) Karen and Paul packed beach clothes.
5) In the middle of winter in Kemi, the sun never rises above the horizon.
6) The aurora borealis happens about 2000 times in the winter.
7) The tables and chairs in the restaurant are carved out of ice.
8) The reindeer soup is served cold.
9) There are no ice sculptures in the suites.
10) The Andersons went ice swimming.
2. Choose the correct letter (a, b or c) – (2 points each)
11) Why are more and more tourists choosing to stay at an ice hotel?
a) They don’t like warm-water vacations.
b) They are looking for unusual vacation experiences.
c) They love ice sculptures.
12) What is the Snow Castle in Kemi?
a) an ice hotel only for newly married couples
b) an ice hotel that was once owned by a princess
c) an ice hotel in Finnish Lapland
13) When do people visit the Snow Castle?
a) in the winter only
b) in the winter and spring
c) in the summer, winter, and spring
14) Paul and Karen …..
a) construct ice hotels.
b) appreciate art.
c) carve ice sculptures.
15) The Snow Castle in Kemi, Finland, is famous for…..
a) its artistic design and its beautiful art gallery.
b) the aurora borealis.
c) the Arctic winter.
16) What did Paul and Karen do before checking in?
a) They admired the northern lights and tried the reindeer soup.
b) They admired the ice sculptures and went to the gallery.
c) They toured the art gallery and went to the restaurant.
17) Some of the sparkling ice sculptures with colourful lights shining inside them reminded Paul and
Karen of …..
a) beach clothes.
b) summer vacations.
c) the northern lights.
18) The couple took an excursion on an icebreaker….
a) after they went on a dogsled.
b) and saw a ship that cuts through heavy ice.
c) before they went on a dogsled.
19) Who went ice swimming?
a) Some passengers and also the Andersons
b) Only Karen and Paul
c) Some honeymoon couples, including the Andersons
20) On their final day, Paul and Karen were lucky to observe…
a) the snowy forest.
b) the dancing colours of the northern lights.
c) starfish and mermaid sculptures.
 GRADE 9
Reading Comprehension, test 1
Synchronized swimming
It combines swimming, gymnastics, and dancing. It’s synchronized swimming, one of the most unusual
sports in the Olympic Games. Many people love to watch it. The swimmers move their bodies in and out,
forward and back, on the surface and under water. They move in perfect time with each other and the music.
Synchronized swimming was first called “water ballet.” It’s easy to see why. It’s like ballet. And like ballet, it
seems easy, but it isn’t. The swimmers seem natural and relaxed, but they have to train for a long time. Many
exercises are done underwater, so they have to hold their breath for as long as two minutes. It takes a lot of
strength, power, and energy. Synchronized swimming first began in Europe in the 1890s. At that time,
swimmers often trained outside, in rivers or in lakes.
The first synchronized swimmers were men. But by the middle of the 20th century, most synchronized
swimmers were women. Swimmers sometimes performed in the theatre, where they swam in large water tanks
on the stage! Later, some Hollywood musicals used synchronized swimmers. The swimmer-actress Esther
Williams starred in movies such as Bathing Beauty in 1944 and Million Dollar Mermaid in 1952.
Synchronized swimming became an Olympic sport in 1984. In the Olympic Games, swimmers work in
teams of nine athletes or in pairs. They show their skills by doing special movements above and below the
water. They do not touch the bottom of the pool. Instead, they move their hands like flippers and kick their feet.
This helps them stay up in the water. Like all Olympic athletes, they work very hard. Their dream is the same:
to win a medal for their country in the Olympic Games.
Choose the correct letter (a, b or c) – (1 point each)
1. In the Olympics, synchronized swimming is done ___.
a. on land b. to music c. by one person
2. According to the article, synchronized swimming looks ___.
a. easy b. difficult c. dangerous
3. Swimmers have to hold their breath because they need to ___.
a. be underwater b. train outside c. swim on the surface
4. Synchronized swimming was first done by ___.
a. a swimmer-actress b. women c. men
5. In the early part of the twentieth century, people watched synchronized swimming ___.
a. in the Olympics b. in the theatre c. at the beach
Reading comprehension, test 2
Read the text below and choose the correct word (A, B, C or D) for each gap. - (1 point each)
Shopping in the street
Whеn I go shopping, I enjoy visiting strееt (1) ……. and looking for (2) .......... . I wandеr around looking at
еaсh (3) .......... , and asking about priсеs. Many (4) ...........on salе arе lеss еxpеnsivе than thosе in high-strееt
shops, though thе (5) ……… is not always as good. It also depеnds on how muсh you want to spеnd. Clothеs
arе often сhеapеr, but it is difficult to (6)……. thеm on. It’s always (7) ......... looking at sесond-hand books,
bесausе you сan (8) ........... a lot of money in this way. Frеsh fruit and vеgеtablеs arе usually good (9) ……. ,
and thеrе is always an exсеllеnt sеlесtion. Thе main problеm is whethеr you сan сarry homе lots of (10) ...........
bags!
1) A markеts B tradеs C shops D salеs
2) A valuеs B сheaper C spесial D bargains
3) A сounter B tablе C stall D dеpartment
4) A produсе B shopkееpеrs C offers D goods
5) A еxpеnsе B paсkagе C kind D quality
6) A purсhasе B сarry С try D wrap
7) A worth B morе C bееn D timе
8) A borrow B spеnd C save D сount
9) A health B value C timе D tastе
10) A hand B papers С more D heavy
Grade 9 Reading Comprehension Page 1
 Reading comprehension, test 3
The Effects of Stress

There is a famous expression in English: “Stop the world, I want to get off!” This expression refers to a
feeling of panic, or stress, that makes a person want to stop whatever they are doing, try to relax, and become
calm again. 'Stress' means pressure or tension. It is one of the most common causes of health problems in
modern life. Too much stress results in physical, emotional, and mental health problems.
There are numerous physical effects of stress. Stress can affect the heart. It can increase the pulse rate,
make the heart miss beats, and can cause high blood pressure. Stress can affect the respiratory system. It can
lead to asthma. It can cause a person to breathe too fast, resulting in a loss of important carbon dioxide. Stress
can also affect the stomach. It can cause stomach aches and problems digesting food. These are only a few
examples of the wide range of illnesses and symptoms resulting from stress.
Emotions are also easily affected by stress. People suffering from stress often feel anxious. They may
have panic attacks. They may feel tired all the time. When people are under stress, they often overreact to little
problems. For example, a normally gentle parent under a lot of stress at work may yell at a child for dropping a
glass of juice. Stress can make people angry, moody, or nervous.
Long-term stress can lead to a variety of serious mental illnesses. Depression, an extreme feeling of
sadness and hopelessness, can be the result of continued and increasing stress. Alcoholism and other addictions
often develop as a result of overuse of alcohol or drugs to try to relieve stress. Eating disorders, such as
anorexia, are sometimes caused by stress and are often made worse by stress. If stress is allowed to continue,
then one's mental health is put at risk.
It is obvious that stress is a serious problem. It attacks the body. It affects the emotions. Untreated, it
may eventually result in mental illness. Stress has a great influence on the health and well-being of our bodies,
our feelings, and our minds. So, reduce stress: stop the world and rest for a while.

Put down + if the statement is true, - if it is false (1 point each).

1. Physical, emotional, and mental problems are commonly caused by stress.
2. Stress is one of the most common causes of health problems in modern life.
3. According to the essay, the arms may suffer physical problems caused by stress.
4. Stress can affect emotions by making people feel elated and thrilled.
5. Long term stress can lead to depression and alcoholism.
6. People often develop addictions when trying to relieve stress.
7. If untreated, stress could often lead to death.
8. Stress can affect the respiratory system by causing stomach problems.
9. Stress can affect the heart by decreasing the pulse rate.
10. Symptoms of emotional stress include feeling hungry and thirsty.

Grade 9 Reading Comprehension Page 2

 Reading comprehension, test 4
Herd mentality
Have you ever watched a farmer leading a group of animals? Sometimes one of the animals becomes
frightened. The fear spreads to the other animals. Suddenly, they all start to run for no reason. Humans
sometimes behave like that. The phenomenon is called herd mentality. It happens when a lot of people behave
in a similar way. There’s no good reason for their behavior. It’s just because “everyone else is doing it.”
We see this when crowds of people get out of control. For example, sometimes sports fans fight after a
game. The results can be terrible. Ordinary people hurt or even kill each other. Fear can cause people to make
bad decisions. For example, when people are desperate to escape a fire, they will sometimes all rush to one exit,
even when another exit is closer. Why do people do this? Maybe it’s because they are frightened.
Herd mentality is a factor in economics. Something becomes valuable, and everybody rushes to buy it.
People even borrow money to buy it. Trading is heavy, and a few lucky people become very wealthy. Then
people come to their senses. They realize that they have paid too much, and they rush to sell. The bubble
bursts, and people lose a lot of money. This is what happened in the U.S. housing market in the early 2000s.
Many people suffered when their homes suddenly became worth much less.
Herd mentality even affects what people buy. Sociologists have found that sometimes there is no good
reason for consumers to choose one product over another. We often buy something just because everyone else
is buying it. So next time you go shopping, think about why you are making your choices. Are you thinking
clearly? Or are you just following the crowd?
Choose the correct letter (a, b or c) – (1 point each)

1. The main characteristic of herd mentality is that 4. We can observe herd mentality in economics when
people ___. many people ___.
a. are angry and violent a. become rich
b. are frightened b. borrow a lot of money
c. act as a group, not as individuals c. want to buy the same thing
2. In paragraph 2, sports fans are an example of ___. 5. Sometimes consumers ___.
a. people getting out of control a. buy expensive products
b. people who are frightened b. choose products for no good reason
c. herd mentality in economics c. think about what they are going to buy
3. When people are trapped in a fire, they
sometimes ___.
a. choose the nearest exit
b. don’t choose the nearest exit
c. fight each other

Grade 9 Reading Comprehension Page 3

 GRADE 9
Writing Comprehension
(In this test you will select from three writing tasks. Choose the one that you feel you are most capable to write
about.)

1. Some people like to eat things that are dangerous (for example, fugu or wild berries, etc.).
 Why do you think they do it?
 What kinds of food can be dangerous?
 Do you like to try food you have never tasted before? Why or why not?
 What is the most unusual thing you have ever eaten?

2. Young people play computer games now more than ever. Some people say that computer games can be
bad for a child’s development.
 Do you agree with this opinion?
 What are the advantages and disadvantages of playing computer games?
 Do you think parents should limit the amount of time their children play on the computer?

3. Many school subjects are considered more important than others.

 What do you think they are, and how do students benefit from taking these classes?
 Are physical education and art considered to be important? Why or why not?
 What new subjects would you like to have introduced at your school?
 GRADE 9
Speaking Comprehension
Directions:
In this test you will select three task slips from those before you. After selecting three, choose the one
you feel you are most capable to speak about and return the other two to the table face down. Then take about
a minute to collect your thoughts before you begin to speak on the topic. You may refer to the topic as needed.
Take a deep breath and begin.

1. Some people believe that competitive sports are bad for children, and that sports should be played
without keeping score. Do you agree with this belief? Do competitive sports cause some children to be
popular and others disliked? Do competitive sports encourage cheating or aggressive behaviour?

2. Some educators argue that every child in every school should have access to computers. Others believe
that the value of computers in the classroom is overrated and that computers may actually interfere with
the learning process. Which point of view do you agree with? Why? How important are computers in
the classroom? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having computers in schools?

3. Woodrow Wilson once said, “Friendship is the only cement that will hold the world together.” Do you
agree? Why or why not? How can this be applied to global politics?
How can this be applied to your personal life?
4. Talk about a holiday that is celebrated in another country. What are the most important or interesting
parts of this holiday? Is the holiday celebrated in Ukraine as well? How is it the same or different?
If not, why. Is there a similar holiday in Ukraine?

5. Books have a positive influence on many peoples’ lives. What childhood books influenced you most?
What do you think are the most important elements of a good story? If you could be any character from
literature, who would you be and why?

6. Many people play sport because it is fun and help us stay in shape. In your opinion, what are the two
main reasons to play sport? What can we learn from playing sport, either on a team or individually?
What life lessons have you learned from playing sport?

7. Imagine you are in possession of a time machine that allows you to travel ONLY back in time. To what
period of history would you travel? What would you do there? If your presence could change the course
of events, what would you want to change and why?

8. Some would say it is important to have many friends, while others would argue that it is better to have a
small group of friends. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a large group of friends?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a smaller group of friends? Why?

9. Many people dream of being famous musicians. If you could be a famous musician, what instrument
would you play? What genre of music would you play? What kind of audience would you write your
music for?

10. Characters like Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny are popular among children in the
United States. What magical creatures did you believe in as a child? Who told you these creatures
weren’t real, and what was your reaction? Is it good for children to believe in magical creatures? Why
or why not?

11. Many parts of the world are losing important natural resources, such as forests, animals, or clean water.
Choose one resource that is disappearing and explain why it needs to be saved. How have humans
affected this natural resource? Can the situation be improved or has too much damage been done
already? Defend your opinion.

12. A foreign visitor has only one day to spend in your country. Where should this visitor go on that day?
 What dishes should he or she eat? What souvenirs should the visitor take back to his or her country?

13. Most scientists around the world believe that global warming is caused by the actions of humans.
However, there are a few people who say global warming is not caused by humans. What would you say
to those people? Are you convinced that global warming is a serious problem? What do you think
caused global warming, and why?

14. One of the main reasons people study foreign languages is so they can travel around the world. What
word or phrase do you think is the most important to know when travelling in a foreign country? Why?
What is the biggest challenge for a traveller who does not speak the local language? How do people
communicate when they don’t speak each other’s language?

15. Vegans are people who do not eat meat, dairy, or any animal products at all, including eggs. What
reasons might a person have for becoming vegan? Do you think veganism is a good lifestyle choice?
Why or why not? Imagine a vegan friend is coming to dinner. What would you serve?

16. Tell about a movie or a TV show that you think is funny. (It can be in either Ukrainian or British or
American). What is funny about it? In Ukraine, do people often laugh or make jokes about their own
mistakes? Do you often make fun of yourself?

17. What is your favourite animal? Why is it favourite? Do you dislike any animals? Which one(s)? Why?
Tell any unusual true story about an animal/animals?

18. Many people dream about having a car. Do you want to buy or drive a car? Why? Why not? Does your
family own a car? Describe it. What would you like to see in cars of the future? Which car do you think
would be the most popular in the future? What forms of transportation do you think there will be in 150
years from now? Explain.

19. How powerful do you think the media is in Ukraine? Do you think it is wrong to secretly record a
conversation? Explain. Can you tell about any events that the media should not cover?

20. Think of medical products that have been successful. What makes a successful medical product? Why?
What new pill or medical product would you invent? What would it be?