READING TEST

 Read the text, then try to answer the questions.

 Some questions are easier; some are more difficult. Don’t worry if you don’t know the answer!
 Try not to use a dictionary - the idea is to find your natural level.

Sarah is 36 years old, and she lives in Canada. She has two young daughters. She works two days
a week as a teacher. Her husband’s name is Nathan, and he’s a sales manager. Nathan’s job is very busy, so he
often comes home late. At weekends, they often go driving or walking in the countryside.
Nathan was born in Canada, but Sarah wasn’t. She was born in Argentina, and she moved to
Canada when she was 26. When she was growing up, she was really interested in English. At first, she thought
it was difficult, but when she finished school she could already speak quite fluently, and understand almost
everything she heard or read. She spent a lot of time listening to songs and watching TV shows and films in
English.
After she graduated from university, she decided to train as an English teacher. The certificate
she needed was quite expensive, and competition for places was intense, but she was determined to do it - she
simply couldn’t imagine doing anything else. She finished the course with a distinction, which was the highest
grade possible. Soon, she found work as a teaching assistant in a local primary school. She enjoyed the work,
although it was often challenging - the children were not always well-disciplined, and she didn’t think that the
classroom teacher had enough understanding of teaching methods.
When she first went to Canada, she never would have imagined that she would end up staying
there. It was supposed to be a short-term placement in a high school. She thought that she would be able to see
a different part of the world and gain some useful experience, which could help her to find a better teaching
position when she came back to Argentina. At first, she found living overseas much more difficult than she
had expected. She felt homesick, and she had problems getting used to everything which was different in
Canada—the interpersonal culture, the climate, the food… For the first three months she was there, she spent
most of her free time in her room, dreaming of going back to Argentina and seeing her family again.
Over time, she adjusted to life in Canada, and even started to enjoy herself a bit more. One day,
she met Nathan at a party. She liked his sense of humour, and how kind he was, but she was reluctant to get
involved, knowing that she was planning to leave in the near future. When her placement finished, he
convinced her to apply for a permanent job in another school. She told herself that she would give it one more
year and see how things went.
Now, Sarah is settled, although she still misses Argentina. She tries to make it back at least
yearly, and she is bringing up her daughters to be bilingual, so that they can talk to their Argentinian relatives
in Spanish. When she thinks back to her first few months in Canada, she can scarcely recognise herself. In
some ways, she wishes she weren’t so far away from her family, but at the same time, she feels that she’s
learned many things which she never would have experienced had she stayed in Argentina. She wants to give
her daughters the chance to travel and experience life in other countries as soon as she can, although of course
she hopes they don’t move too far away!
1. During her first few months in Canada, Sarah ____.
A. met Nathan B. made lots of new friends
C. didn’t socialise much D. had to work very hard
2. Sarah decided to train as an English teacher because ____.
A. she wanted to travel B. it was the only thing she was really interested in
C. she thought she could get a good job D. she didn’t know what else to do
3. Sarah thinks that she has ____ since coming to Canada.
A. learned to speak English better B. changed a lot
C. lost touch with her own country D. not changed very much
4. Nathan works ____.
A. in a school B. at home
C. in a factory D. long hours
5. At weekends, Sarah and Nathan often ____.
A. go to a village B. stay in the city
C. work long hours D. get out of the city
6. When she left school, her English was ____.

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A. perfect B. not very good
C. very good D. very bad
7. The children in Sarah’s first job ____.
A. didn’t always behave well in class B. didn’t learn anything
C. were often rude to her D. didn’t understand what she was saying
8. Nathan is ____.
A. Sarah’s manager B. Sarah’s father
C. Sarah’s boyfriend D. Sarah’s husband
9. When Sarah met Nathan for the first time ____.
A. she decided to stay another year B. she didn’t like him very much
C. she told him what she was planning to leave D. she liked him, but she didn’t want to have a
relationship with him
10. It took Sarah ____ to get used to living in Canada.
A. a few weeks B. about one month
C. several months D. several years
11. Nathan and Sarah ____.
A. was born in the same country B. were born in the same year
C. were born in different years D. were born in different countries
12. In her first job, she ____.
A. worked with another teacher to teach older B. worked with another teacher to teach young
children children
C. taught young children by herself D. taught older children by herself
13. Sarah and Nathan have ____.
A. two boys B. no children
C. one boy and one girl D. two girls
14. Sarah’s feelings about her first job were ____.
A. mixed B. positive
C. negative D. unclear
15. When Sarah went to Canada, she thought ____.
A. she would come back to Argentina again after a B. she would find a job as a high school teacher
short stay
C. she would enjoy living in Canada D. she would stay in Canada for a long time
16. Sarah thought that living in Canada ____.
A. would be easier than it was B. would make her feel homesick
C. would be more difficult that it was D. would be very different to living in Argentina

17. Which sentence best describes Sarah’s attitude now towards her decision to stay in Canada?
A. She regrets her decision, because she feels B. She isn’t sure. She thinks that it’s impossible to
homesick and misses her family all the time. say whether it was the right choice for her or not.
C. She wouldn’t change her decision, although she D. She wishes she had come to Canada earlier,
still finds it hard to be so far from her family. because she doesn’t feel that there was anything for
her in Argentina.
18. Because of Nathan, Sarah initially decided to stay in Canada ____.
A. for a few more months B. for ever
C. until Nathan asked her to marry him D. for another year
19. Sarah has lived in Canada ____.
A. since she was 36 B. for one year
C. since she was born D. for ten years
20. When Sarah was at school, she ____ learning English.
A. didn’t mind B. didn’t like
C. hated D. liked

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EXERCISE 1: In this section, you will read a passage which is followed by several questions about it.
Choose the best answer A, B, C, or D. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the questions
and write your answer with A, B, C, or D.
We know that every year less than one hundred people are attacked by sharks and about five
to ten these people die. But, let’s look at the other side of the story - How many sharks do people kill?
Well I think you already know this: People kill many more sharks. Every year, people hunt and kill
thousands of sharks. One reason people kill sharks is for sport; they hunt them just for fun. Some people
started to have contests to see who kill the most sharks or the biggest sharks. Another reason that
people kill sharks is for food. In some countries, such as the United States and Great Britain, shark meat
is a popular food. In other countries, such as China, people use shark fin to make soup. Because so many
people like to eat sharks, fishing boats catch a lot of sharks to sell for food.
So, for both of these reasons, people are killing many sharks. Some biologists are getting
worried that the number of sharks is getting too small. That’s why many biologists think we should stop
killing so many sharks, and instead of trying to protect them - or else someday they may all be gone.
Some countries have already passed laws to help protect sharks. The United States, for example, has
passed laws that limit the number of sharks that people can kill for food or for sport. So even though
some people like to hunt sharks, we do need to protect them.

1. How many sharks are hunted and killed every year?

A. One hundred
B. Many
C. Five to ten
D. Thousands
2. People want to kill sharks because ____.
A. they are afraid of shark.
B. sharks meat is a popular food.
C. they get their enjoyment from killing sharks.
D. B and C are correct.
3. The number of sharks in the world is ____.
A. getting worried by some biologists
B. being killed
C. getting bigger
D. getting smaller
4. Why do biologists want to protect sharks?
A. because they want to learn more about sharks.
B. because they are afraid someday sharks maybe extinct.
C. because of the number of sharks that were killed.
D. because sharks fins can be used in medicine.
5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. People like to hunt sharks.
B. Laws have been passed in the sharks defence.
C. The government prohibited people from killing sharks.
D. People are killing many sharks for some reasons.

EXERCISE 2: Read the email from Penny about her day in the city. Look out details in the email and
complete the sentences with the correct endings.
I always travel to the city on Fridays because I don’t have to work that day. It’s usually quicker
to go by bike. Last Friday it was raining so I went by bus. I arrived early at the bus station but the bus
wasn’t there. It was fifteen minutes late. I got a ticket but there wasn’t anywhere to sit.
I wanted to go to the shopping centre. It’s my husband’s birthday soon and I got him a present
from the sports store. He plays tennis a lot at the sports centre near his office. I sometimes go and meet
him there for lunch on Fridays, but he couldn’t play this week.
I ate at the library instead. It’s behind the shopping centre and there’s a café inside. I always
read a lot and my children wanted me to get some more animal stores for them, too. On Friday, they
have swimming lessons at the pool in the sports centre after school. My husband takes them there and
then brings them home.
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 The last place I wanted to go was the bank. It was closed for the afternoon, I don’t know why. It
wasn’t a problem. I can go there next time.
True False
1. Penny goes to the city every week.
2. The bus journey to the city took fifteen minutes.
3. Penny bought something for herself at the shopping centre.
4. Penny’s husband had lunch at the sports centre.
5. Penny’s children met her at the library to get some books.
6. Penny didn’t go to the swimming pool that day.
7. The bank wasn’t open in the morning.
8. Penny went home by bus.
9. Someone went to the supermarket but it wasn’t Penny.

EXERCISE 3: Read the descriptions of the eight books on travel. Then read the sentences describing
five different people. Decide which book would be the most suitable for each person or people.
Mark the correct letter (A - H) on your answer sheet.
1. Robert is planning to travel round the world by train. He would like a book with pictures and maps
to take with him on his long journeys.
2. Mrs. Jones used to love visiting France. A book with lots of photographs will help her to remember
everything she enjoyed.
3. The Harpers are planning to drive their car and go for walks round Europe, so they need a book
with maps and pictures to guide them.
4. Clive wants to buy a book as a present for his friend Tom. Tom enjoys fishing and driving round
England.
5. He wants to know about world explorers from the past and their travels to different parts of the
world.

A. Jowett’s railways centres: Volume 1 B. Photographs and notebooks

Packed with information about 20 British railway On all his travels, Bruce took thousands of
centre, this book is handwritten and illustrated photographs and kept daily notebooks. Published
throughout with clear hand-drawn maps - a true here for the first time, the photographs are
collector’s piece for people who are interested in excellent; the notebooks are both scholarly and
railways. funny. Will give great pleasure.
C. The English river D. Walks and tours in France
The author explores eighteen rivers, telling their Explore spectacular and pretty France with 61
interesting stories with his appreciation of them. expertly researched motor tours and 114 walks,
A saying from a past age introduces each chapter complete with route directions, super mapping,
as his exploration moves across the English and descriptions and pictures of places of
countryside. interest for the traveler.
E. The Oxford book of exploration F. The book of French life
This is a collection of the writing of explorers This beautiful volume contains 40 wonderful
through the centuries. It describes the feelings photographs that show the very nature of French
and experiences of these brave adventures who life - the perfect gift for anyone who finds this
changed the world through their search for new country wonderful.
lands.
G. Train journeys of the world H. Mind over matter
First-hand accounts of thirty of the world’s most The amazing story of his recent crossing of the
beautiful and dramatic railway journeys are Antarctic continent with another explorer, in
found together with specially drawn maps and which both showed great strength and courage.
wonderful photographs that show the people and
places on the route.

1____ 2 ____ 3 ____ 4 ____ 5 ____

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EXERCISE 4: In this section, you will read a passage which is followed by several questions about it.
Choose the best answer A, B, C, or D. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the questions
and write your answer with A, B, C, or D.
Cycling in the countryside
By Chris Jones, aged 14
Have you ever been cycling? This spring my older sister brother and I left the busy city and
spent a long weekend cycling in the countryside. Our average speed was only around 14 kph, but that
didn’t matter. We hadn’t come to break any speed records, or to get fit and healthy. All we wanted was
some fresh air and a break from school. My bike only once went more than 30 kph, and that was when I
raced my brother down the only hill on our route.
We really enjoyed cycling along flat, traffic-free country paths. There was plenty of spring
sunshine, but it was quite cold, especially in the mornings. We didn’t mind, though, and we soon
warmed up as we rode along. But I didn’t mind as it gave us an excuse to visit a café while a helpful bike
mechanic had a look at it.
That was one of the best things about our route: every few kilometres there was a village
where we could find everything we needed. All the local people were really friendly, too. However, most
places we stopped at served chips with all the meals, which soon got fairly boring.
One night we were woken at 4 a.m by a group of rugby fans singing loudly in the hotel
cornider. We were tired and bad-tempered when we set off the next morning and very nearly got lost
but soon felt more cheerful when the sun came out. That’s what I like about cycling - it’s simple and it’s
fun. If you’re looking for a short break that’s active and cheap, then cycling is a great choice.

1. What is Chris Jones doing in the text?

A. Describing the different places he saw while cycling.
B. Comparing cycling to other forms of exercise.
C. Recommending cycling as a good type of holiday.
D. Suggesting places to stay on a cycling holiday.
2. What do we find about Christ’s bike?
A. It wasn’t as good as his brother’s.
B. It needed attention at one point.
C. It was too old to go fast.
D. It had trouble going up hills.
3. Chris was pleased because ____.
A. he and his brother had chosen a good route
B. he felt much healthier than before he began his trip
C. he went away at the best time of year for cycling
D. he met other people who were keen on cycling
4. What did Chris dislike about the trip?
A. The food.
B. Breaking down.
C. Getting lost
D. The weather.
5. What might Chris say in a postcard to a friend?
A. I’m having a great holiday, spending lots of time in friendly cafés and enjoying being by myself for
once.
B. I’m having really fit cycling so fast up and down the hills in this part of the countryside.
C. I’m enjoying cycling with my brother this weekend and staying at a very quiet hotel in this
countryside.
D. I’m pleased to be away from cars and lorries for a change. Having a good time, despite some
problems.

EXERCISE 5: In this section, you will read a passage which is followed by several questions about it.
Choose the best answer A, B, or C. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the questions and
write your answer with A, B, or C.
A camping adventure
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 I met three young people, Jade, Seb, and Raphael, who completed an activity called the Duke of
Edinburgh’s Award. They had to walk, cycle or swim across the countryside and camp outside at night.
Jade: I went with awesome friends and we decided to go by bicycle. We took three days and two nights
to finish. One evening, I made soup for everyone. I’ve been camping with my family before but never
with people my own age. So much fun! Oh, but there was a thunderstorm on the last day! We didn’t stay
dry for long!
Seb: My team walked through the National Park. We had to cross a lake but some of us couldn’t swim.
So we sailed across. When we got to the other side, we camped in a forest for a night. It’s a place I know
because I’ve stayed there before. You mustn’t make fire there so we had sandwiches for dinner. It
rained in the night but we were dry in our tents.
Raphael: We swam two kilometres and then we camped on an island for night. Our clothes were wet but
we dried them by the fire. I live in a city and I’ve never slept outside before. The stars were amazing! In
the morning my friend cooked fried eggs. Lovely!

1. Who went swimming?

A. Jade B. Seb C. Raphael
2. Who got wet in the rain?
A. Jade B. Seb C. Raphael
3. Who went camping for the first time?
A. Jade B. Seb C. Raphael
4. Who didn’t have a fire at their camp?
A. Jade B. Seb C. Raphael
5. Who cooked some food?
A. Jade B. Seb C. Raphael
6. Who had the longest adventure?
A. Jade B. Seb C. Raphael
7. Who camped under trees?
A. Jade B. Seb C. Raphael
8. Who cycled?
A. Jade B. Seb C. Raphael
9. Who went in a boat?
A. Jade B. Seb C. Raphael

EXERCISE 6: In this section, you will read an email about a house. Choose the best answer A, B, or C.
Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the questions and write your answer with A, B, or C.
Hi dad
I hope you are well. Click on the picture below to see our new house. You know that the house is quite
old? Well, we’ve already started making changes so that it looks better. We’re so excited! Last week I
repaired the gate and Lucy cleaned the front door. It was green but I’ve painted it red now. The garage
is OK. We’re not going to change the horrible brown colour of the windows. Lucy is going to paint them
blue tomorrow. We are very busy! The next big job is the roof. Can you help us to repair it?
Give my love to mum.
Peter.

1. What has Peter painted?

A. The door B. The windows C. The garage D. The roof
2. What is Lucy going to paint?
A. The gate B. The windows C. The garage D. The roof
3. What has Peter repaired?
A. The gate B. The door C. The garage D. The roof
4. What is Peter not going to change?
A. The gate B. The windows C. The garage D. The roof
5. What does Peter want his dad to help him with?
A. The gate B. The windows C. The garage D. The roof
6. What was green?

6
A. The gate B. The windows C. The garage D. The door
7. What are brown?
A. The gate B. The windows C. The garage D. The roof

EXERCISE 7: In this section, you will read about Dan, a man learning to make clothes. Choose the
correct answer, true or false.
Hello. My name is Dan Singer and I am learning how to make clothes because I think that men’s
clothes in shops are so boring. The ones you can buy in my town are always grey or black and I prefer
bright colours. I started learning three years ago. The first thing I made for myself was a pair of pyjamas
because I was cold at night. After that I started to make more difficult things like jeans. At first, I made a
mistake and the legs were too long. I had to change them for a few minutes but now they are perfect!
Some people say it is cheaper to make your own clothes but actually I don’t think it is. Many
shops sell shirts which were made in factories in other countries and they don’t cost much. When you
make clothes, you have to buy things like a sewing machine and that can be expensive.
I can work faster now than when I started, but it still takes about a month to finish big things
like a coat or a jacket. My latest project is a dress for my wife. I’ve nearly completed it. It’s a surprise for
her birthday and I hope she doesn’t find out. I’m making the dress out of wool because I think she needs
a warm one for winter.
True False
1. Dan likes going shopping for clothes.
2. Dan likes wearing dark clothes.
3. Dan thinks pyjamas are easier to make than jeans.
4. Dan’s jeans are the right size.
5. Dan says that making clothes is cheap.
6. Dan needs several weeks to make a coat.
7. Dan has finished a dress for his wife.

EXERCISE 8: Read the article about Ben, who is an English teacher. Choose the best answer A, B, or
C. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the questions and write your answer with A, B, or
C.
At school I was good at maths but at university I studied languages. More difficult than maths
but also more interesting. I studied German and Italian but not French.
Now I’m a teacher. I teach English and sport and I work in different countries. Last year I
taught in Italy. I’m teaching in England right now but all my students come from China. I work six days a
week for five hours every day. I always give my students a lot of homework, about two hours a day. I
teach adults and children. I like working with adults more than with children.
I enjoy playing football best but my students like basketball better. I like tennis too but I don’t
play it very often.

1. Ben studied languages at university because they were ____.

A. interesting B. easy C. his best subject at school
2. He can speak ____.
A. German and French B. Italian and German C. French and Italian
3. He’s teaching in ____.
A.Italy B. England C. China
4. Every day, he teaches for ____.
A. five hours B. six hours C. two hours
5. He likes teaching ____.
A. both adults and children B. children the most C. adults better
6. His favourite sport is ____.
A. basketball B. tennis C. football

EXERCISE 9: When you meet someone for the first time, you ask questions. Find the correct reply to
the question in this section. Match each sentence on the left with the correct reply on the right.
Hi. I’m Josie. What’s your name? I’m a driver. How about you?
Where are you from Bill? Yes, we’ve got two sons.
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Great. And what do you do? Yes, I am. And you?
I’m a doctor. Are you married? Bill. Pleased to meet you Josie.
No, I’m. Have you got children? Iowa. That’s in the USA.

EXERCISE 10: Jack has emailed his friend Adam for some advice. Read the email and choose the
correct phrase for the gap.
Hi there Adam,
How are you? How’s college these days?
Can I ask you something? You always have good ideas and I know you’re good at languages. Well, I have
started learning Spanish. I am going to Spanish classes every Tuesday and Thursday evening. The
lessons are great but I really need to learn more quickly. I want to go to Spain in the summer and be
able to speak Spanish when we are out and about. What do you think I should do?
Thanks,
Jack.

Hi Jack,
Good to hear from you! I think the first thing you (1) ____ is getting a good dictionary – one with
examples as well as meanings. You (2) ____ look on the internet for some free Spanish language
activities. You need plenty of practice so (3) ____ ask your teacher if she can find you a Spanish e-friend?
Also, if I were you, (4) ____ write all the new words that you learn in a notebook. If you have time to
watch some Spanish movies, this (5) ____ your listening skills.

1. A. why don’t you B. I would C. should do

2. A. have you tried B. could also C. will help with
3. A. why don’t you B. have you tried C. should do
4. A. I would B. have you tried C. could also
5. A. have you tried B. could also C. will help with

EXERCISE 11. Article about Tomasz, who speaks seven languages.

Tomasz speaks seven languages fluently. Here he shares his experience of becoming multi-
lingual.
I’m Polish and was born and raised in Poland. My first language is Polish, but from a young age
I was fascinated by other languages. In primary school I had a good friend who was bilingual – his
family spoke Polish and Russian at home. I remember wanting to be like him and I’d pretend to speak
Russian, too. I’d just make the sounds and told everyone I spoke Russian. I think I almost convinced
myself that I could! As soon as I was able to study languages at secondary school I threw myself into it. I
took Russian, English and later German. My main strategy was to immerse myself in the language as
much as possible. I didn’t just learn the language, I also found out as much as I could about the culture
and the countries where the language was spoken. For English, that was particularly fun. I still love it
when I come across words that are particular to New Zealand or South Africa, for example. At university
I decided to study classics, so I did Latin and ancient Greek. Learning a ‘dead’ language is quite different
from learning modern languages – it’s much harder to find spoken examples and there is much more
dispute over how words should be pronounced. I mainly read in Latin and ancient Greek now, though
sometimes, just for fun, I’ll email in Latin to one of my old university friends. It can be hard to express
modern ideas with an ancient language. I think this type of challenge keeps my thinking fresh. Recently
I’ve taken up Spanish. I have a trip planned to Argentina and I want to be able to talk to people there.

True False
1. Tomasz spoke Polish and Russian at primary school.
2. Tomasz started learning languages at university.
3. Tomasz believes it is helpful to learn about the context of a
language as well as the language.
4. For Tomasz learning English is enjoyable because of its many
varieties.
5. A ‘dead’ language is a language that is no longer commonly
written down.
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EXERCISE 12. Match the people on the left with the website they would find most useful on the
right.

Websites for teens

Peter wants to get a Reviews by you

present for his brother’s This brilliant website for teens has got information on just about
birthday in July, but he everything you could wish for! Not sure whether to download
doesn’t have a lot of that band’s new song? Is that new café in town worth visiting?
money. Find out from someone who already knows by logging in and
looking at what’s been written.
Zandra’s thinking about Result!
trying a new clothes shop, Forget looking at newspapers for the football scores. It’s all here
but she wants to know if online at Result! with much more besides! There’s lots of
it’s any good before she information about players, plus news, interviews and photos. You
goes. can also buy T-shirts, posters and other exciting items at
inexpensive prices.
Sonia’s got a problem It’s a Wild Life
with a difficult maths Are you into adventure sports? Then It’s a Wild life is the website
question, and she wants for you. Packed with articles about exciting activities our writers
some help. have tried for themselves, you won’t believe what you’re reading!
You can also win tickets to Adventure City for two people next
autumn.
Mark’s into extreme Ask an expert
sports, and he likes to If you just can’t understand your homework, and no one else can
find out about new things help, try asking an expert. This useful website holds information
to do. on every topic you can think of, from chemistry experiments to
French grammar. Just type in your question and wait for an
expert to come online and help. This is a free service!

9
 READING TEST
• Read the text, then try to answer the questions.
• Some questions are easier; some are more difficult. Don’t worry if you don’t know the answer!
• Try not to use a dictionary – the idea is to find your natural level.

Sarah is 36 years old, and she lives in Canada. 13She has two young daughters. She works
two days a week as a teacher. 8Her husband’s name is Nathan, and he’s a sales manager. 4Nathan’s job is
very busy, so he often comes home late. 5At weekends, they often go driving or walking in the countryside.
11Nathan was born in Canada, but Sarah wasn’t. She was born in Argentina, and she moved
to Canada when she was 26. 20When she was growing up, she was really interested in English. At first,
she thought it was difficult, but 6when she finished school she could already speak quite fluently, and
understand almost everything she heard or read. 20She spent a lot of time listening to songs and
watching TV shows and films in English.
After she graduated from university, she decided to train as an English teacher. The
certificate she needed was quite expensive, and competition for places was intense, but 2she was
determined to do it - she simply couldn’t imagine doing anything else. She finished the course with a
distinction, which was the highest grade possible. Soon, 12she found work as a teaching assistant in a
local primary school. 14She enjoyed the work, although it was often challenging - 7the children were not
always well-disciplined, and she didn’t think that the classroom teacher had enough understanding of
teaching methods.
15When she first went to Canada, she never would have imagined that she would end up
staying there. It was supposed to be a short-term placement in a high school. She thought that she would
be able to see a different part of the world and gain some useful experience, which could help her to find
a better teaching position when she came back to Argentina. At first, 16she found living overseas much
more difficult than she had expected. She felt homesick, and she had problems getting used to everything
which was different in Canada—the interpersonal culture, the climate, the food… 1For the first three
months she was there, she spent most of her free time in her room, dreaming of going back to Argentina
and seeing her family again.
Over time, she adjusted to life in Canada, and even started to enjoy herself a bit more. One
day, she met Nathan at a party. 9She liked his sense of humour, and how kind he was, but she was
reluctant to get involved, knowing that she was planning to leave in the near future . When her placement
finished, he convinced her to apply for a permanent job in another school. 18She told herself that she
would give it one more year and see how things went.
Now, Sarah is settled, although she still misses Argentina. She tries to make it back at least
yearly, and she is bringing up her daughters to be bilingual, so that they can talk to their Argentinian
relatives in Spanish. 3/17When she thinks back to her first few months in Canada, she can scarcely
recognise herself. 17In some ways, she wishes she weren’t so far away from her family, but at the same
time, she feels that she’s learned many things which she never would have experienced had she stayed in
Argentina. She wants to give her daughters the chance to travel and experience life in other countries as
soon as she can, although of course she hopes they don’t move too far away!
1. During her first few months in Canada, Sarah ____.
A. met Nathan B. made lots of new friends
C.. didn’t socialise much D. had to work very hard
2. Sarah decided to train as an English teacher because ____.
A. she wanted to travel B.. it was the only thing she was really interested
in
C. she thought she could get a good job D. she didn’t know what else to do
3. Sarah thinks that she has ____ since coming to Canada.
A. learned to speak English better B. changed a lot
C. lost touch with her own country D. not changed very much
4. Nathan works ____.
A. in a school B. at home
C. in a factory D.. long hours

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5. At weekends, Sarah and Nathan often ____.
A. go to a village B. stay in the city
C. work long hours D.. get out of the city
6. When she left school, her English was ____.
A. perfect B. not very good
C.. very good D. very bad
7. The children in Sarah’s first job ____.
A.. didn’t always behave well in class B. didn’t learn anything
C. were often rude to her D. didn’t understand what she was saying
8. Nathan is ____.
A. Sarah’s manager B. Sarah’s father
C. Sarah’s boyfriend D.. Sarah’s husband
9. When Sarah met Nathan for the first time ____.
A. she decided to stay another year B. she didn’t like him very much
C. she told him what she was planning to leave D.. she liked him, but she didn’t want to have a
relationship with him
10. It took Sarah ____ to get used to living in Canada.
A. a few weeks B. about one month
C.. several months D. several years
We know that she was homesick for at least the first three months, because she spent most of her time in
her room, dreaming of going back to Argentina. We also know that when she met Nathan, before she
decided to stay, she was enjoying life in Canada. So while we can’t say exactly how long it took, “several
months” is right.
11. Nathan and Sarah ____.
A. was born in the same country B. were born in the same year
C. were born in different years D.. were born in different countries
12. In her first job, she ____.
A. worked with another teacher to teach older B.. worked with another teacher to teach young
children children
C. taught young children by herself D. taught older children by herself
13. Sarah and Nathan have ____.
A. two boys B. no children
C. one boy and one girl D.. two girls
14. Sarah’s feelings about her first job were ____.
A.. mixed B. positive
C. negative D. unclear
15. When Sarah went to Canada, she thought ____.
A.. she would come back to Argentina again after a B. she would find a job as a high school teacher
short stay
C. she would enjoy living in Canada D. she would stay in Canada for a long time
16. Sarah thought that living in Canada ____.
A.. would be easier than it was B. would make her feel homesick
C. would be more difficult that it was D. would be very different to living in Argentina

17. Which sentence best describes Sarah’s attitude now towards her decision to stay in Canada?
A. She regrets her decision, because she feels B. She isn’t sure. She thinks that it’s impossible to
homesick and misses her family all the time. say whether it was the right choice for her or not.
C.. She wouldn’t change her decision, although she D. She wishes she had come to Canada earlier,
still finds it hard to be so far from her family. because she doesn’t feel that there was anything
for her in Argentina.
18. Because of Nathan, Sarah initially decided to stay in Canada ____.
A. for a few more months B. for ever
C. until Nathan asked her to marry him D.. for another year
19. Sarah has lived in Canada ____.
A. since she was 36 B. for one year
C. since she was born D.. for ten years
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Sarah is 36 now, and she moved to Canada when she was 26.
20. When Sarah was at school, she ____ learning English.
A. didn’t mind B. didn’t like
C. hated D.. liked

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