Main idea
Good times, bad times
In the UK, the third Friday in June is the happiest day of the year, says psychologist Dr. Cliff Arnall. It’s easy to see why—it’s summer, it’s warm outside, the evenings are light, and it’s the day before a weekend!
And the third Monday in January is the most depressing day of the year. Why? Because it’s winter, the weather is usually grey and cold, the days are dark, and Monday is the first day of the working week. People are also often short of money after Christmas, and some feel bad after breaking their New Year’s resolutions.
A) The time of year affects people’s moods due to weather, money, and life events.
B) Fridays are always the happiest days, and Mondays are always the saddest.
C) Scientists proved that people are only happy in summer.
D) January is the most depressing month for everyone worldwide.
A) The time of year affects people’s moods due to weather, money, and life events.
Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the heroes of modern America. King was the most important person in the American Civil Rights movement. He believed deeply in justice and equality, and in non-violence. He was born in Atlanta, the capital of Georgia, on January 15 1929. In those days, parts of the southern USA were segregated; for example, there were schools for white children, and different schools for black children. This meant that black children and white children could not go to the same school together. King was strongly influenced by his Christian parents, and later by the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi. He began to be seen as a leader in 1955. One day, a black lady was thrown off a bus in the city of Montgomery, because she sat in a seat for whites. In protest all the city's black people stopped using the buses. It was a major moment in the fight for civil rights in the USA. King became the leader of the "Bus Boycott". The bus boycott was successful, and the bus company stopped having segregated seats.According to the text, what was the outcome of the bus boycott in Montgomery?
According to the text, what was the outcome of the bus boycott in Montgomery?
A. The bus company continued segregated seating.
B. The bus company stopped having segregated seats.
C. The boycott led to increased segregation.
D. There was no significant change.
B. The bus company stopped having segregated seats.
Social media can be dangerous for teenagers. They might talk to strangers online and share personal information without realizing the risks.
Fill in the gap:
___, so parents should monitor their children’s online activity.
A) Social media helps teenagers make new friends.
B) Teenagers should spend more time online.
C) Social media can be unsafe for teenagers.
D) Parents should let their kids use social media freely.
C) Social media can be unsafe for teenagers.
“NO SMOKING!”
What does it say?
(A) You might not smoke here
(B) You must not smoke here
(C) You can smoke outside
(B) You must not smoke here
Sometimes, sending a message to a stranger can be very powerful. When Elleen Remedios had her bike stolen, she decided to leave a note where it had been. She begged the thief to return her bike, saying it was “old but loved.” The next day, her bike was returned with a message from the thief. He apologized for stealing the bike and signed himself “The Reformed Bike Thief.” Elleen was amazed and delighted. She left one final message in which she thanked the thief for returning her bike.
A similar thing happened to Julie Colwell after she was nearly hit by a car while jogging. She shouted at the driver and accused him of driving dangerously. The driver didn’t stop or reply, but the next day Julie found a note at the same place. It was from the driver. In it, he admitted to driving badly and apologized for frightening her. He even said that her angry words had persuaded him to change his ways, and he promised to drive more carefully in the future.
A) The Power of an Apology
B) Dangerous Drivers on the Road
C) How to Get Your Stolen Bike Back
D) Writing Messages to Strangers
A) The Power of an Apology
Female celebrities post selfies on social media; millions of teenage girls see them and try to copy them. They want to have the same artificial hairstyles and make-up. I really believe that this is becoming a big problem. Why? Because girls are worrying about their appearance all the time, and they’re becoming unhappy. And the problem is growing. For example, teenage girls today spend 90% more on make-up than ten years ago.
A) Celebrities encourage teenagers to avoid makeup and artificial beauty. Social
B) Social media helps girls feel more confident about their natural appearance.
C) Teenage girls now care less about beauty and focus on personality.
D) media influences how teenage girls see beauty, often creating unrealistic expectations.
D) media influences how teenage girls see beauty, often creating unrealistic expectations.
Greenland is a huge island in the far, far north of the world. The weather there is very harsh and cold. Even the 'hottest' summer day on Greenland is like a cool winter's day in England. In the summer months, the sun never sets; it is light all through the night. The warmest part of the island is on the south coast and that is where most Greenlanders live. However, it is still a very hard place to live because of the cold.
answers
Over the years, different groups of people have tried to live in Greenland, but most found it too difficult. One man who did live there, and one of the most famous Greenlanders, was 'Erik the Red'. Erik's name might have come from the colour of his hair and beard, or possibly because of his bad temper. About 1000 years ago, Erik was sent away from his home in Iceland. He sailed away from this small ice-covered island to a great big ice-covered island. This island had no name yet and no one lived there, so Erik made it his home.
According to the text, why did most groups of people struggle to live in Greenland?
A. The island was too crowded with wildlife.
B. The harsh, cold weather made life very difficult.
C. There was too much rain.
D. The island lacked any natural resources.
B. The harsh, cold weather made life very difficult.
Regular exercise is important for a healthy lifestyle. It helps people stay fit and reduces the risk of many diseases.
Fill in the gap:
___, doctors recommend at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day.
A) People should avoid exercise to stay healthy.
B) Watching TV is better than exercising.
C) Exercise is good for people’s health.
D) Eating fast food is the best way to stay fit.
C) Exercise is good for people’s health.
“KEEP THIS JACKET AWAY FROM THE FIRE🔥!”
Where can we find this sign?
(A) In a park
(B) On clothes
(C) In a gym
(D) In a department store
(B) On clothes
One of the most mysterious unsolved bank robberies took place at the First National Bank of Chicago, USA. One Friday in 1977, an employee at the bank placed $4 million in cash inside a bank vault. However, when another employee conducted the weekly check on the vault, she discovered that only $3 million remained. A million dollars had simply disappeared.
The robbery made headlines in national newspapers. Since there were no signs of forced entry into the vault, the police suspected it was an “inside job” and were initially hopeful that they would recover the money quickly. “It’s foolish to rob your own bank,” said one police officer. “You are almost certain to get caught unless you are very lucky!”
Most robbers act in a hurry, making careless mistakes and leaving clues, but in this case, the police found nothing that could identify the thief or thieves. The FBI grew suspicious of one bank employee, but they lacked sufficient evidence to arrest him.
Four years later, during a drug raid, police discovered $2,300 of the stolen money. However, the thief and the rest of the money were never found.
A) A Dangerous Drug Raid in Chicago
B) A Failed Attempt at Bank Robbery
C) The FBI’s Most Wanted Criminal
D) The Vanishing Million-Dollar Heist
D) The Vanishing Million-Dollar Heist
Message in a Bottle
In 1990, Zoe Lemon was on a ferry, sailing from Hull in England to Germany. She was going on holiday with her family. The journey was long and tiring, and ten-year-old Zoe soon got bored. To pass the time, she decided to write a message in a bottle and drop it into the sea. “It will be interesting if someone finds it,” she thought. Then she forgot about the bottle completely.
Twenty-three years later, she was amazed to get a reply from someone in the Netherlands. A man was walking on the beach and was surprised to find Zoe’s bottle in the sand. He wrote to the address on the message, where Zoe’s parents still live. Zoe was delighted, but it was also very moving for her to see her message again after twenty-three years, and she cried when she read it. “It’s astonishing that the bottle didn’t break,” said Zoe. Her five-year-old son thinks it is all very exciting and wants to put a message in a bottle himself!
A) Messages in bottles are a common way for people to communicate.
B) A message in a bottle can remain lost for years and bring unexpected surprises.
C) A girl sent multiple messages in bottles and got many replies.
D) Someone found the bottle and immediately returned it to Zoe.
B) A message in a bottle can remain lost for years and bring unexpected surprises.
Many people enjoy a cup of coffee at their local coffee shop, but few people know the story of coffee and how it is produced. Coffee growing is a global industry. Research shows that as many as a third of the world's population are coffee drinkers. Some people enjoy drinking coffee for its rich smell and taste. Others like the awakening effect of caffeine, a chemical in coffee.
Coffee trees are native to eastern Africa and areas of the Arabian Peninsula. Coffee was first grown and traded in the 15th century. Back then, most coffee came from the country we now know as Yemen. Before long, coffee was in high demand all over the Middle East.
By the seventeenth century coffee had been introduced to Europe. European traders started bringing coffee plants to other parts of the world. The Dutch brought coffee to the islands of Indonesia. By the 20th century, most of the world's production came from Central and South America. Today, Brazil is the largest producer of coffee in the world.
According to the text, by which century had coffee been introduced to Europe?
A. 15th century
B. 16th century
C. 17th century
D. 18th century
C. 17th century
Technology has made communication easier than ever.
Fill in the gap:
___, it has also led to a decrease in face-to-face interactions.
A) On the other hand
B) For example
C) Therefore
D) As a result
A) On the other hand
Lenny’s message:
“Hi, I got to the hotel really late, had car trouble. Everything is OK now. I’ll relax a bit today, then do some shopping tomorrow. See you on Sunday. Lots of love, Lenny.”
(A) Lenny has to go back tomorrow.
(B) Lenny is going on holiday on Sunday.
(C) Lenny is planning shopping today.
(D) Lenny had a difficult day.
(D) Lenny had a difficult day.
Eighteen-year-old Andrew Brackin has received $100,000 to live in San Francisco, California, for two years. But there is a catch. During that time, he can’t go to university or study. Instead, he must develop his own business—a website that helps charities raise money.
The money comes from Peter Thiel, a multi-millionaire and co-creator of PayPal. Every year, Thiel selects 20 students from thousands of applicants, choosing only those with the best business ideas. Andrew passed the semi-finals, which involved a Skype interview, and then flew to San Francisco for the final round. There, he had to present his ideas to an audience of important business leaders from Silicon Valley.
Thiel is a former student himself—he attended the BRIT School in London—and he has strong opinions on university education. He believes that many young people apply for degree and postgraduate courses without really thinking about what they want to do afterward. In his view, they overestimate the benefits of university education and underestimate the value of gaining real business experience.
Task: Choose the Best Title
A) How to Get a Scholarship to Study in San Francisco
B) The Importance of Higher Education
C) The Rise of Online Charities
D) Skipping University for Success
D) Skipping University for Success
A Spider Prank
When we went on holiday, I found a very realistic toy spider. It looked very real and had really long legs. I couldn’t wait to play a prank on my sister with it.
One morning, I put it in the shower just before my big sister went into the bathroom. I waited outside the door. I heard a really loud scream, and my sister ran out of the bathroom. I thought it was really funny, but for her, it was a terrifying experience!
When she found out that I put the spider there, she was really cross and chased me around the house. I didn’t realize how afraid of spiders my sister was. It took her ages to get over it because she was so shocked!
A) A real spider appeared in the bathroom, terrifying the family.
B) The sister planned to scare her brother with a spider but failed.
C) Playing pranks can sometimes cause real fear and unexpected reactions.
D) The brother was afraid of spiders and tried to overcome his fear.
C) Playing pranks can sometimes cause real fear and unexpected reactions.
London was a busy city in 1666. It was very crowded. The streets were narrow and dusty. The houses were made of wood and very close together. Inside their homes, people used candles for light and cooked on open fires. A fire could easily get out of control. In those days there were no fire engines or firefighters to stop a fire from spreading.
The fire began on early Sunday morning on the 2nd of September. It started in Pudding Lane in the shop of the king's baker, Thomas Farrinor. When Thomas went to bed, he did not put out the fire that heated his oven. Sparks from the oven fell onto some dry flour sacks and they caught fire. The flames spread through the house, down Pudding Lane and into the nearby streets.
Soon London was filled with smoke. The sky was red with huge flames from the fire. By Monday, 300 houses had burned down. Everybody was in a panic. People loaded their things onto carts and tried to leave town. Others tried to get away on boats on the river. Some people buried their things in the garden, hoping to save them from the fire.
The fire still spread, helped by a strong wind from the east. London Bridge and St Paul's Cathedral were both burnt. On Tuesday, King Charles Il ordered that houses and shops be pulled down to stop the fire from spreading. By Wednesday, they had the fire under control.
But by then, 100,000 people were homeless. Thomas Farrinor and his wife got out of their bakery in time, but a woman who worked for them was too frightened to jump from the roof.
She was the first to die. Surprisingly, only nine people died as a result of the fire.
According to the text, what was the overall impact of the fire on the population?
A. Only a few houses were affected.
B. Most people stayed in their homes and suffered minor losses.
C. 100,000 people were left homeless, but surprisingly only nine people died.
D. The majority of the city's population perished in the fire.
C. 100,000 people were left homeless, but surprisingly only nine people died.
The rocket is ready ___ into space tomorrow.
A) to knock out
B) to launch
C) to pack with
D) to happen
B) to launch
“BUY 3 WHEELS GET 1 FREE Installation and hardware additional”
(A) Buy three wheels and get one free with installation.
(B) Buy three wheels for the price of one.
(C) Buy three wheels and get one free without installation.
(D) Buy three wheels and get installation for free.
(C) Buy three wheels and get one free without installation.
The Tohoku earthquake in 2011 was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan and the fifth most powerful in the world. The earthquake occurred 70 km off the coast, but it triggered one of the largest tsunamis ever recorded. The wave was over 40 meters high and traveled up to 10 km inland in some areas. The worst damage was in coastal towns where the land was flat. Some people managed to reach higher ground and stay safe, but others weren’t so lucky and didn’t have enough time to escape. More than 18,000 people lost their lives. The tsunami also severely damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Some critics argue that the power station was built too close to the sea. The Prime Minister of Japan stated, “In the 65 years since the end of World War II, this is the toughest and most difficult crisis for Japan.”
A) The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster
B) The History of Earthquakes in Japan
C) Japan’s Worst Earthquake and Tsunami
D) The Most Powerful Earthquake in the World
C) Japan’s Worst Earthquake and Tsunami
Exploration
Yesterday, sixteen-year-old Hector Turner began his attempt to become the youngest Briton to complete a 242 km ‘ultra-marathon’ across the Sahara Desert. On the same day, Geordie Stewart, a twenty-year-old university student, set off for Everest. He wanted to be the youngest Briton to achieve the ‘Seven Summits’ challenge—climbing the highest mountain on each continent. Last year, Mike Perham circumnavigated the world alone by boat at the age of seventeen.
A) Young adventurers push their limits to break records and explore the world.
B) Climbing Everest is the hardest challenge a young explorer can face.
C) Most teenagers today prefer extreme sports over traditional activities.
D) Only British teenagers attempt extreme challenges around the world.
A) Young adventurers push their limits to break records and explore the world.
Historians believe the Maya people of Central America first learned to farm cacao plants around two thousand years ago. The Maya took the cacao trees from the rainforests and grew them in their gardens. They cooked the cacao seeds, then crushed them into a soft paste. They mixed the paste with water and spices to make an unsweetened chocolate drink. The Maya poured the chocolate drink back and forth between two containers so that the liquid had a layer of bubbles, or foam.
Cacao and chocolate were an important part of Maya culture. There are often images of cacao plants on Maya buildings and art objects. Ruling families drank chocolate at special ceremonies. And, even poorer members of society could enjoy the drink once in a while.
Historians believe that cacao seeds were also used in marriage ceremonies as a sign of the union between a husband and wife.
The cacao plant could not grow in the area where the Aztecs lived, so they traded to get cacao.
Only the very wealthy people in Aztec societies could afford to drink chocolate because cacao was so valuable. The Aztec ruler Montezuma was believed to drink fifty cups of chocolate every day.
Some experts believe the word for chocolate came from the Aztec word "xocolatl" which in the Nahuatl language means "bitter water." Others believe the word "chocolate" was created by combining Mayan and Nahuatl words.
According to the text, what are the two theories mentioned about the origin of the word "chocolate"?
A. It comes from the Spanish word for "sweet drink" or from a French term.
B. It originated from the Aztec word "xocolatl" meaning "bitter water" or was created by combining Mayan and Nahuatl words.
C. It was derived from an ancient Greek word or from a Latin word.
D. It was named after a famous chocolate merchant or explorer.
B. It originated from the Aztec word "xocolatl" meaning "bitter water" or was created by combining Mayan and Nahuatl words.
Many people prefer to work from home because it saves time and money.
Fill in the gap:
___, they do not have to spend hours commuting.
A) Therefore
B) However
C) For instance
D) In contrast
A) Therefore
Sign: “NO DOGS ALLOWED ON BEACH EXCEPT BLIND AND DEAF GUIDE DOGS”
(A) Only specially trained (assistance) dogs are allowed on the beach.
(B) People can’t bring their dogs to the beach at all.
(C) Deaf and blind dogs are not allowed here.
(D) No dogs allowed unless accompanied.
(A) Only specially trained (assistance) dogs are allowed on the beach.
The Mars One project is planning to send people to Mars to live there permanently. The idea of living on other planets clearly appeals to many people, as over 200,000 individuals have expressed interest in taking part in the mission. But how will the settlers adjust to the conditions on Mars? Here are some of the challenges they will face:
• The atmosphere consists of 95% carbon dioxide and almost no oxygen.
• The settlers will have to cope with extremely low temperatures (similar to Antarctica) and high levels of ultraviolet radiation.
• Gravity on Mars is only 38% of that on Earth, and scientists need to study its long-term effects on the human body.
• Mars Rovers have searched for water but have found none in liquid form.
The plan is to send another Rover to Mars in 2018. Its mission will be to prepare for the arrival of the first four settlers in 2025 by constructing ‘houses’ with a supply of fresh air, water, and solar power. After that, four more settlers will arrive every two years.
How long will the settlers stay? Nobody knows. The volunteer settlers will receive a ‘one-way ticket.’ It may be possible to bring them back to Earth at some point in the future, but there is no guarantee!
A) The Return of the Mars Rovers
B) Scientists Discover Water on Mars
C) Life on the Moon: The Next Step for Humanity
D) A One-Way Mission to Mars
C) Life on the Moon: The Next Step for Humanity