READING COMPREHENSION

It pays to be simple
The ___________ of advertising is changing. Previous generations liked clever
adverts ___________ made them laugh but would never allow adverts to ___________
influence them when shopping.
Todays 15-24 year olds, ___________, have been brought up in a fast-moving world
of ___________ information from MTV, the Internet, computer games and all-day
advertising. ___________ is accepted and expected by the young generation,
___________ they dont want to spend time working out what ___________ mean.
They want less complicated adverts than their parents ___________. So adverts are
now shorter with only one or ___________ scenes. Posters are bigger than they used
to be and ___________ messages are clearer. Teens and 20 somethings think that an
___________ product is better than other products because the company ___________
money to spend on advertising. Using famous people in ___________ is very popular
because a lot of young people ___________ relieve that the starts use the products
they advertise. Adverts change ___________ frequently as well. Nowadays, one
successful advert used for a year is not ___________ new ones are produced every
few months.
a) Underline all the comparisons in the text and rewrite the comparisons using these
phrases. You may need to change other words.
easier to understand
more often
long simplier

more successful than

not as
take up more space than

Example
1. They want simplier adverts than their parents did.
2. _____________________________________________________________________________
_________________.
3. _____________________________________________________________________________
_________________.
4. _____________________________________________________________________________
_________________.
5. _____________________________________________________________________________
_________________.
b) Which sentences 1-3 best describes what the text says?
1. Young people are not interested in adverts.
2. People over 30 prefer different adverts now than when they were young.
3. Advertisers are changing their adverts for todays young people.
c) Find words in the text which have a similar meaning to 1-5.

READING COMPREHENSION
1. have an effect on someone. ________________
2. instant. ________________
3. finding the answer to something. ________________
4. 20-29 year olds. ________________
5. are made. ________________

What is climate change?

The ___________ of the world is always changing. In the past this ___________ due to
natural causes. Nowadays, however, the changes over ___________ years are
thought to be a result of human ___________. What will happen to the weather in
the next 80 ___________?

Average temperatures will rise between 1.4C and 5.8C by 2100.

___________ will be longer periods of hot weather.

Ice ___________ the north and south poles may melt.
There will be fewer ___________ days and less frost.
There will be less rain ___________ the summer in some places.
More extreme weather conditions are ___________, for

example,

thunderstorms.

For sale: a small town

Have you ___________ considered buying a whole town? Jow and Elizabeth Lapple
___________ to own a small 19th century town ___________ Bridgeville in Northern
California. It has a post office, ___________two kilometres of a river, and over 12
houses, ___________ the owners didnt have the $200,000 needed for repairing
___________.
After trying to sell it for a ___________ of years, the Lapples did not want to delay
___________ to a new home any longer. So they decided to ___________ it for sale on
the Internet auction site eBay. This is a ___________ where you can buy and sell
things by saying ___________ much you will pay for something your bid.
The ___________opened at the end of November and people kept on ___________ bids
during the month the auction lasted. The final ___________ of $1,777,877 came in a
few seconds before it ___________.
Before the auction, Joe Lapple said he wanted to ___________ the town for at least
$775,000. He didnt imagined ___________ more than twice that sum. And it only
happened after ___________ it for sale on the Internet.

READING COMPREHENSION
An amazing achievement
South African swimmer, Natalie Du Toit ___________ the prize for the best athlete in
the Commonwealth Games ___________ 2002. This was a new prize open to all the
___________ who took part.
Natalie won the gold ___________ in the 50m and 100m Elite Athlete with a
Disability swimming events breaking two world ___________. She also made it into
the final of the 800m open swimming ___________ (for able-bodied athletes) where
she swam a personal ___________ of 9 minutes 13.57 seconds.
Natalie, 18 years old and ___________ Cape Town, had an operation to remove her
lower left leg ___________ a motorcycle accident in 2001, but bravely returned to
___________ later that year.
The Chairman of the Games said ___________ achievements in Manchester show
how hard she has worked to ___________ her difficulties and, at the same time,
influence others, ___________ her South African team mates.
All 72 competing nations suggested one ___________ for the best athlete award. The
winner was chosen ___________ people from each of the six Commonwealth regions.
They all ___________ that Natalie should win the prize.
When the South African ___________ suggested Natalie, they said that she had been
a wonderful ___________ of their team theme Passion, Power, Performance.

a) Read the text and decide if these sentences are correct or incorrect.
1. Natalie set new world records in two races.
2. Her time for the 800m final was the fastest she had ever swum.
3. After a serious accident, she stopped swimming for over a year.
4. Natalies team mates have helped her to recover from her problems.
5. Each country in the Commonwealth Games was able to vote for the winner of
the best athlete award.

READING COMPREHENSION
Extreme ironing
Extreme ironing is an outdoor activity ___________ mixes the danger and
excitement of an extreme ___________ and the pleasant feeling you have after
ironing a shirt ___________. It involves taking an iron and ironing board on a
___________ with you and ironing a few clothes. So you ___________iron on a
mountainside after a difficult climb, or take and ___________ skiing or diving.
Extreme ironing started in the UK but now ___________ place all over the world.
Beginners are advised to start ___________ in the safety of their garden at home
___________ progressing to mountainsides, woods or public places. The basic
___________ is an iron and an ironing board, but you ___________ also have any
necessary safety equipment.

Six ways to protect your relationship

Show a ___________ respect. The most important thing in any relationship is to
___________ the other person. Unless you do this, the relationship ___________ fail.
Dont wish they were different. Happy couples accept the ___________ their partners
are and dont try to change them at ___________.
Spend time together. Theres no rule about how much ___________ you should
spend together, but you need to recognise the ___________ of this shared quality
time.
Keep smiling. The ability to ___________ the funny side and laugh together is
essential and ___________ see you through any difficult moments or situations.
Be a good ___________. Arguments are unavoidable sometimes and can help to sort
things ___________, especially if you really listen to what your partner is ___________.
Lear to give in. Try to accommodate your partner ___________ you can. Its more
important to reach agreement ___________ to fight your corner.

a) Are sentences 1-6 correct or incorrect according to the text?

1. People in good relationships recognise that their partners are important.
2. If necessary, you should try to make your partner behave differently.
3. Its important for a couple to be with each other for most of the time.
4. If couples can joke together, they will find it easier to deal with times of stress.
5. Quarrelling with your partner can improve a relationship.

READING COMPREHENSION
6. If you disagree with your partner about something, it is better to hold onto
your own opinions.
An intelligent jacket
France Telecom R&D, the research and development centre for France Telecom,
has ___________ designed a communicating jacket, which can be used in the
___________ way as a hands-free mobile phone.
The jacket ___________ the normal features of a mobile phone without a ___________
or keypad. The pieces of the extra-flat telephone, ___________ 100g, are hidden
inside the jacket, the number keys ___________ inside the front edge, and the
microphone is in the collar. The ___________ presses the star button to get the dial
tone or to hang ___________, and the caller simply says the name of the ___________
to call, or else dials the number on the ___________ part of the jacket.
France Telecom R&D is ___________the jacket in real situations, to see what
possible ___________ think of it. These tests involve professional people ___________
outside the office (on outdoor projects, for example), non-professional athletes, as
___________ as teenager and young college students.
The results will ___________ France Telecom R&D to improve the jackets design.
The centre ___________ contacted clothing manufacturers interested in using the
new technology.
___________ possibilities include new ways to inform the user of an incoming
___________. One way heats the material of the jacket ___________ the skin to tell
the user there is a ___________ for use in very noisy environments. Developments
like these are ___________ to prove attractive in many situations.

a) Read the text and for each question choose the correct answer A, B, C or D.
1. Why has the writer written the text?
a. To persuade people to buy the new jacket
b. To find out what readers think about the new jacket
c. To tell readers about a new development
d. To inform readers that mobile phones are no longer necessary
2. What does the reader find out about the jacket from the text?
a. It has a special place to keep a mobile phone
b. It only weighs 100 grams
c. It contains different parts of a mobile phone
d. It can be folded up flat
3. To finish a call, you
a. Press a number on the keypad
b. Say out loud that you want to end the call
c. Hold the front edge of the jacket
d. Press a button on the jacket
4. According to the writer, the jacket

READING COMPREHENSION
a. Will offer benefits to some users
b. Could not be used in the real world
c. Has already attracted the fashion industry
d. Is suitable for very cold climates
5. Which of these people would be most likely to use the jacket?
a. A businessman in a meeting
b. A manager on a building site
c. An office worker based at home
d. A keep fit instructor in a gym