QUICK ASSESSMENT – GENERAL READING

(30 minutes)
TRUE/ FALSE/ NOT GIVEN:

The Thames Tunnel

When it opened in 1843 the Thames Tunnel was described as the Eighth Wonder of the World. People
came from far and wide to see the first tunnel under a river. On the first day, fifty thousand people
descended the staircase and paid a penny to walk through the tunnel. By the end of the first three months
there were a million people, or half the population of London. This was the most successful visitor
attraction in the world. In the age of sail and horse-drawn coaches, people came long distances and
bought souvenirs and listened to the entertainment in the cross-tunnel arches. The idea, of course, was
not entertainment but to move cargo and turn a profit.

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text?
In the given boxes, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts with the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. People were drawn from all over to see the Thames Tunnel.
2. People were able to travel by sea or land in those days.
3. Statutes of the tunnel could be purchased as souvenirs.
4. The aim of building the tunnel was make money as a tourist attraction.

MCQs (Choose the right option. Write A, B, C or D):

At half past six on the morning of December 14th 1807, the folk of Weston, Connecticut, were woken up by
a loud bang caused by a falling meteorite. Cautiously they ventured in to the streets, but were soon fleeing
back to the safety of their homes as it started to rain rocks. In earlier times such hard rain might have been
seen as a sign of the gods’ displeasure. The folk of Weston, however, saw it as an opportunity. Strongly
impressed with the idea that those stones contained gold and silver, they employed a blacksmith’s anvil in
a vain attempt to extract riches which only existed in their imagination.

5. What was the reaction of the people of Weston to the meteorite?

A. They were too scared by the noise it made to go outside.

B. They were worried it had destroyed their property.
C. They thought they had done something wrong.
D. They hoped that it might change their fortunes.

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 QUICK ASSESSMENT – GENERAL READING

(30 minutes)

MATCHING FEATURES:

A. To apply for your rail card, simply complete the application form and take it to your nearest

staffed station ticket office or appointed travel agents. Station offices and agents accept cash,

cheques, debit and credit cards. Postal application is not available. Please retain the leaflet

receipt once it has been completed. Should you mislay your rail card and need to obtain a

replacement, you will be asked to show this at the station office.

B. To renew your rail card, you will need to complete the application form and take your existing

rail card with you to the station office. Remember you can renew your rail card up to one month

in advance of its expiry date, providing there is no break in continuity.

Which paragraph mentions the following? (Write A or B)

6. How early I can apply for a new rail card.
7. What to take to the station office if you lose your rail card.

A. The Takashi’s is without doubt one of the city’s best restaurants. The restaurant has only recently
been relocated to new and extremely stylish premises. Book well in advance and, if you can afford
it, try the 12-course special dinner.

B. Equally popular Trattoria Giovanni, 18 Argyle Street. Set in a former warehouse, it offers fine
Italian cuisine and a good wine list. Open Tues – Fri for lunch and daily for dinner.

C. The Museum of Modern Design Basement Restaurant is ideally located in the harbour area. It is
a bit expensive but worth it, and the seafood is excellent.

8. Which paragraph mentions the following? (Write A, B or C)

The building in which this restaurant is situated was originally used for another purpose.

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 QUICK ASSESSMENT – GENERAL READING

(30 minutes)

LIST OF HEADINGS:
9. Choose the correct heading from the list of headings below: (Write i, ii or iii)
i) A March Launch
ii) A New Approach To Space Exploration
iii) The Quest To Find More Planets

Trailing Earth is on its own path around the Sun, an unmanned observatory has just begun
looking for answers to a question guaranteed to have an astonishing answer: are we alone in
the universe? Launched in March, NASA’s Kepler probe is now settling down for three and a
half years of staring unblinkingly into space, hunting for other Earths. To find them, it is
scanning the light from 100,000 stars, looking for tiny dips in brightness caused by planets
passing in front of them.

MATCHING INFORMATION:
As working from home becomes an increasingly popular option for many workers, ‘garden
offices’ have become big business. There are a range of sheds available for people who can no
longer face the long journey to work. Some ‘garden offices’ retain the feel of a traditional shed-
like atmosphere, such as those from the Garden Room Company, while with others the trend is
towards eco-friendly constructions. One example of the latter is Vivid Green, whose main focus is
low energy products. The Z Model from Energy Space takes this one step further, the energy
generated through its solar roof panels can be diverted back to the main house when you are not
working in the garden office.

Q10. Match the following description with the correct company. (Write A, B or C)
This company has designed a shed which can reduce existing household fuel bills.

List of companies
A. Garden Room Company
B. Vivid Green
C. Energy Space

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 QUICK ASSESSMENT – GENERAL READING

(30 minutes)

TABLE COMPLETION:
Write your answers in NO MORE THAN ONE WORD
Betta Buys Training Programmes
Induction training is compulsory for all colleagues and takes place during your first 2 days. It is a basic
introduction to our company – it explains the way we work, how to deliver great service and includes all
the legal and compliance subjects such as health and safety and food safety.

Foundation training takes place during your first 12 weeks and introduces you to your role. It includes all
the basics you need to know to work productively and safely in your department.

Intermediate training takes place during your first 12 months. This helps you to grow in your role and
deliver to the required performance standards.

Types of Training Programme Timing Content of Training

Induction Training During first 2 days Health & Food Safety Working
methods ways of providing good
(11)______

Foundation Training During the first 12 weeks

(12) Training During the first 12 months

SENTENCE COMPLETION: Write your answer in NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS

Market Issues
You need to understand local cultural influences in order to sell your products effectively. For example,
your product may be viewed as a basic commodity at home, but not in your overseas market. Your sales
and marketing approach will need to reflect this. You will also need to consider the language spoken. Can
you market your product effectively in the local language? Will you have access to professional
translators and marketing agencies?

. Complete the sentence below.

1. If you want people in other countries to buy your products, it is necessary to have an
awareness of the (13) which are there in that area.

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 QUICK ASSESSMENT – GENERAL READING

(30 minutes)
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS: NO MORE THAN ONE WORD

If you want to take holiday

You must give your employer advance notice that you want to take holiday. This notice should be at least
twice as long as the amount of holiday you want to take (for example, you should give two weeks’ notice
for one week’s holiday).
If your employer wants you to take holiday
Your employer can decide when some or all of your holidays must be taken. For instance, they may
require you to take some of your holiday to cover national holidays, or may require the whole company to
take holiday during a Christmas shutdown. This may be in your contract, or it may be normal practice
built over time. An employer has to give the same amount of notice as you do.

Q. Answer the questions below.

Where you can find information about the days you have to take as holiday? (14)

SUMMARY COMPLETION: NO MORE THAN ONE WORD

High in the sky above Mars it is snowing. The snow does not settle on the rubble-strewn land below but
instead vaporizes into the thin atmosphere long before it reaches the ground. The news of falling snow is
just one piece of an extraordinary wealth of information that has recently been sent back to Earth by
orbiters, landers and rovers. Together they have mapped the surface in unprecedented detail, cracked
open the rocks and dug down into the soil.
Q. Complete the summary below.
Recently, thanks to orbiters, landers and rovers, we have learned many new facts about Mars. These
include the news that snow falls on Mars, although it (15) on its way down.

FLOWCHART COMPLETION: NO MORE THAN ONE WORD

Steps to Buying a Business

Research the area you are interested in, including the best time to buy, and shortlist two or three
businesses. When conducting the initial viewing and valuation of these, be discreet – the owner may not
want staff to know they are selling – but be thorough and record key findings.
The next step is to arrange finance. Lenders generally require:
• details of the business/sales particulars
• Accounts for the last three years
• Financial projections – if no accounts are available.
• Details of your personal assets and liabilities.
Complete the flowchart below.
Buying a Business
Find out about particular area of interest, and select possible businesses

Go and view them, making a note of most important (16)

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 QUICK ASSESSMENT – GENERAL READING

(30 minutes)

DIAGRAM LABELLING: NO MORE THAN ONE WORD

Leaves' structure
Plants play a very important role in our surroundings. Trees provide us with fresh air, shade in summers,
food, and other benefits without which we cannot even think of living.
One of the most principal organs of a tree is a leaf. The leaves are the organs for photosynthesis- a
process when carbon dioxide is turned into oxygen. The structures of leaves are adapted for efficient
photosynthesis. Most leaves are broad and so have a large surface area allowing them to absorb more
light. Also, they are thin, which means a short distance for carbon dioxide to diffuse in and oxygen to
diffuse out easily. The blade is the broad, flat part of the leaf. Photosynthesis occurs in the blade, which
has many green food-making cells.

If you look closer at leaves, you will notice networks of thin threads. Those networks are called veins:
they support the structure of the leaf and transport substances to and from the cells in the leaf. The main
vein of a leaf, running down the centre of the leaf, is called midrib.
The area of some plants that connects the plant's stem and leaf is called the petiole. The petiole is the
pipeline through which the products of photosynthesis are moved from individual leaves to the rest of a
plant and through which necessary chemicals and nutrients from other parts of the plant are brought to
individual leave.

Label the given diagram:

1. (17)

2. (18)

3. (19)

4. (20)

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