FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 8 Printable

Part 1

For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer (А, В, C or D) best fits
each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Example:

A keep out of В put up with  C miss out on  D stand up for

Planes can make it rain

Living next to an airport has always meant having to 0 _____ the noise of planes landing
and taking off. Now it seems that 1 _____ residents also have bad weather, according to
a 2 _____ published study.
The scientists looked at satellite 3 _____ of clouds above airports, and also studied
computer models of the way clouds behave. What they found was that as a plane flies
through a very cold cloud, the air behind it expands and then cools 4 _____ rapidly. This
sudden drop in temperature, 5 _____ with the hole formed in the cloud where the plane
has passed through, can increase the 6 _____ of rain or snow on the ground.
In the case of major airports, with hundreds of flights every day, this can have a
significant 7 _____ on weather patterns up to 100 kilometres away. The researchers point
out, however, that aircraft passing through clouds are 8 _____ to affect the global climate.
1 A neighbouring B close C local D surrounded

2 A lately B recently C lastly D freshly

3 A images B figures C aspects D portraits

4 A totally B extremely C entirely D perfectly

5 A joined B attached C composed D combined

6 A forecasts B certainties C chances D opportunities

7 A result B influence C consequence D impression

8 A doubtful B unsure C unlikely D improbable

Part 2

For questions 9-16, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap.
Use only one word in each gap. IN CAPITAL LETTERS on tho separate answer sheet.
Example: OF

Cycling makes financial sense

These days, most people are aware 0 _____ the environmental impact of motor vehicles,
and they realise that cars are responsible 9 _____ many of the problems facing their cities.
Not 10 _____ people, however, ever stop 11 _____ think about how much money they
would save by switching from driving to cycling.
Cars cost a lot to buy, and 12 _____ other major investments such as houses, they quickly
lose their value. On 13 _____ of that, there are running costs such as repair bills, tax and
insurance, all of 14 _____ seem to go up every year.
Bicycles, by contrast, are far 15 _____ expensive to purchase and maintain, do not require
petrol and are easy to park. And if a lot more people took up cycling, the government could
spend less of the nation’s resources on roads, which at present their taxes help pay
for 16 _____ they drive on them or not.
Part 3

For questions 17-24, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of
some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example
at the beginning (0).
In the exam, write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.
Example: PREDICTIONS

Too many emails

Some years ago, there were 0 _____ that email would soon be replaced as the most 0.PREDICT
common means of online communication by social 17 _____ sites. Since then, 17.WORK
however, the number of emails sent has increased 18 _____, to the point that the 18.STEADY
volume received on a daily basis has become 19 _____ for many people. 19.STRESS
For some users, the situation has become so 20 _____ that they regularly delete all the 20.BEAR
emails they receive without even bothering to read them, which is rather 21 _____, to 21.RISK
say the least. A less extreme measure is to install software that sorts incoming mail 22.COMMERCE
into different categories. By doing this, promotions from 22 _____ organisations, for 23.ABLE
instance, go into a separate folder from messages arriving from friends or 24.DECIDE
employers, 23 _____ us to see which emails are more important than others. Not all of
us, though, may be so keen to let software make such 24 _____ for us.

Part 4

For questions 25-30, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the
first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must
use between two and five words, including the word given.

25. ‘I’ll take you to the station if you’re ready,’ my brother said.

LONG
My brother said he’d take me to the station _______________ ready.
26. My bike needs repairing again.
GET
I’ll have to _______________ again.
27. The firm said profits had fallen on account of the recession.
FALL
The firm blamed _______________ the recession.
28. Sigourney regretted spending so much in the shops.
WISHED
Sigourney _______________ less in the shops.
29. People believe that poem was written about these beautiful hills.
HAVE
That poem _______________ written about these beautiful hills.
30. Without your help, I wouldn’t have finished the job.
BEEN
I wouldn’t have finished the job if _______________ your help.
Part 5

You are going to read an article about studying abroad for a year. For questions 31-36,
choose the answer (А, В, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

A lot can happen in a year abroad

Like many students before her, studying abroad bad a profound affect on Sarah Morrison
As I sat staring out at California’s spectacular Big Sur coastline, I felt fortunate to have a
sister who had persuaded me to spend a year of my degree abroad. It seems that there
are not enough older siblings explaining just how easy it is to take part in an international
exchange.

While most universities offer worldwide exchanges, where students swap places with
others from all over the world for a semester or a year during their degree, the number and
quality on offer, together with the cost and time spent abroad, vary dramatically.

A deciding factor for me in choosing to study at the University of Edinburgh was the fact it
offered more than 230 exchange places at overseas universities in the US, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, India, China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore and South America.

Despite all this choice, I still found that deciding to spend a year abroad was something of
a novelty, with most of my friends giving more thought to embracing Edinburgh than
packing their bags to leave a city that had only just become their home. Yet, fortified by my
sister’s advice and a Californian friend who told me I would love the coast, I applied to
spend my third year at the University of California, Berkeley – never guessing that this
would affect almost every future decision I would make.

From the start of your exchange, you are aware that the time you have in your new country
is limited and not to be wasted. Your experience is shaped by a predetermined start and
end, which immediately increases the significance of the time in between.

From the first week I arrived, I started to work at The Daily Californian, Berkeley’s student
newspaper. I moved from an international house with more than 600 students from all over
the world into a co-operative house where 60 of us shared responsibility for management
of the building. I met people from Calcutta, Cairo and Chile, and learnt that holding on to
any stereotypes I might have about Americans would be about as useful as assuming that
all European people lived on farms.

The grades I earned at Berkeley didn’t actually count towards my degree classification at
Edinburgh. However, I studied under a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, signed up for student-
led seminars and took an African American literature class that shaped my dissertation in
Edinburgh. Whether I was learning about contemporary poets on a tour of San Francisco
or reporting on the President’s speech in San Francisco for the next day’s newspaper, my
stay there enabled me to return to Edinburgh with an increased sense of awareness about
what I wanted to gain from my English literature degree.

While the expense might seem like an initial barrier to international exchanges, in reality
they can actually save a student money. Visas, health insurance and flights to the chosen
country will have to be bought, but a student will usually only be charged 25 to 50 per cent
of their home university’s annual fees. A student travelling abroad is entitled to a larger
student loan, and grants are available at many institutions for students going on an
exchange.

Taking part in an exchange may not appeal to all students. You have to research the
options independently, apply almost a year before you go away and be aware of the
grades required in the first year to qualify for a place on one. Even so, Edinburgh’s
international exchange officer, Helen Leitch, says: ‘If I had a pound for every time that
students told me it was the best experience of their life, I would be a very wealthy woman
indeed.’

31.One reason Sarah became a student at Edinburgh University was that

A she could first study abroad and then move to Edinburgh.
В her sister had previously studied at Edinburgh.
C she could do part of her studies at a suitable university abroad.
D most of the students at Edinburgh spend a year at an overseas university

32. How did Sarah feel when she went to Berkeley?

A She was pleased to find the people were exactly as she had expected.
В She knew she wanted to make the most of her stay there.
C She wanted to get a job rather than begin studying immediately.
D She began to wish her stay there could be a little shorter.

33. What does Sarah feel she achieved at Berkeley?

A She formed a clearer idea of what her long-term aims were.
В She took the first steps towards becoming a teacher.
C She developed her poetry-writing skills significantly.
D She ensured that she would graduate with a first-class degree.

34. What does Sarah say about the cost of an international university exchange?
A As a student you can get reduced rates for health insurance.
В Your fees may be cut by half for every year of your course.
C It can be cheaper overall than studying in your own country.
D Taking cheap flights abroad can save you a lot of money.

35. What does ‘one’ refer to in the last paragraph (underlined)?

A an international exchange as part of a university course
В a research degree at a university in another country
C a university course that is paid for by the government
D the first year of a university course in your own country
36. What does Helen Leitch suggest in the final paragraph?
A Students who do international exchanges often go on to become extremely rich.
В Most students who’ve done an international exchange believe it was highly worthwhile.
C Only students from rich families can afford to do an international exchange.
D She should be paid a far higher salary for organising international exchanges.
Part 6

You are going to read an article in which a television news producer talks about his work.
Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-G the
one which fits each gap (37-42). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to
use. 

Working as a TV news producer

Rob Cole has produced TV news for decades now, working on anything from international
celebrities to global conflicts. He shares the benefit of his considerable experience in the
industry
Rob’s time behind the cameras has coincided with huge changes in the way news is
reported – from a time when everyone bought local newspapers, through the birth of 24-
hour rolling news, and now the Internet. But what is the work like on a day-to-day basis?

Rob’s always worked in foreign news, so his focus is obviously on news from around the
world. As you can imagine, there’s a lot of that. Rob comes in early, having checked his
phone, social media, and listened to as many news programmes as he could. 37 __.
Running the foreign section is like a never-ending contest – constantly trying to get his
journalists’ news presented ahead of the TV station’s other sections.
Once you have a story it’s then a matter of making sure that wherever the journalist is, the
report comes into the building – through satellite, Internet or other routes – and it is ready
to run on air on time. 38 __. There’s nothing like getting a note from the producer at
another network congratulating on a job well done. The low points, on the other hand, are
much less pleasant: ‘I’ve had colleagues badly injured.’
So how can you become a news producer? Says Rob: ‘We get loads of
applications. 39 __.Don’t be put off; people in this business admire people who don’t give
up.
You need to be keen to learn and, of course, take a real interest in current affairs. ‘You
have to be obsessed with news, constantly following it. Even if you’re a creative producer,
doing graphics, you still have to care about what’s going on in the world. Also, some
people think about going into the media just because it sounds exciting. That would be a
mistake; you have to really want to do the job. Luck’s involved too, of course. 40 __.
In some ways, Rob’s job should remain fairly constant for the next few years. ‘They will
always need someone to make decisions and take responsibility for newsgathering.
However, what will change is the way in which news is delivered. When I started in TV, the
crew used to consist of a reporter, producer, a camera operator, a sound person, and
sometimes even a separate lighting person. 41 __. Now there’s just the reporter and a
multitasking camera operator who also edits and supplies the written material – if you’re
lucky!’
‘Before long there will be a crew of just one, shooting all their own material on a
smartphone, then editing and voicing that material, before sending it to head office, where
it ends up going straight on air. 42 __. Actually, this has already started to happen. The
technology will just get quicker and quicker and smaller and smaller.’
A. You might write to just the right person at the right time.
В. Turning the device around and pressing the live app button also enables live
broadcasting into the same programme.
C. They would be loaded down with equipment and some of them would be linked by
cable.
D. With this information, before any stories actually come in, he then decides on the news
priorities of the day.
E. In those days it was possible to start a career in news without even going to university:
you went straight into training on a local paper.
F. Making sure it does so matters, especially given the friendly competition with other TV
networks: ‘beating the other networks’ is a real highlight.
G. I always endeavour to reply, but from my own experience too many people don’t get
back to you, so it’s best to keep trying.
Part 7

You are going to read a magazine article about adults who have met an old school friend
again through social media. For questions 43-52, choose from the people(A-E). The
people may be chosen more than once.
Which section…
43. is surprised at the job her friend now has?
44. is sure that this time their friendship will last?
45. thinks her life may have changed as a result of meeting her friend again?
46. feels that in one way she and her friend have similar personalities?
47. believes that even without the Internet they would have met again?
48. regrets losing contact with her friend years ago?
49. was initially unsure whether she wanted to talk to her friend again?
50. told her friend she was sad to hear what had happened to her?
51. was surprised at how little her friend’s appearance had changed?
52. admits she wrongly predicted her friend would never have a successful career?

Friends again
Five people talk about the school friends they have met up with again thanks to social
media websites.
A Nadia Hassan
Although we’ve been living in different countries for a long time, I know I should have made
more of an effort to stay in touch with Amina because we always got on well together, even
though we’re quite different people. For instance, I’m much more ambitious than her and
have no plans to start a family, whereas she already has two children. It’s quite a contrast
in lifestyle, and although it’s great that we’re both content with our own lives – and we’ve
enjoyed catching up with each other’s news – I don’t really know whether in the future we’ll
have enough in common to keep the relationship going.
В Julia Nowak
The first thing that struck me was that Natalia still looked much the same as she had ten
years earlier, unlike some other people in their late twenties – especially those who have
had serious personal issues to deal with during that time. She’s also still very keen on
sports, which I’m not, but she remains as sociable as she ever was and I suppose we’re
quite alike in that respect. In fact, she was one of the first people I thought of when the idea
of contacting my old classmates occurred to me, and it’s great you can do that online so
easily. Otherwise you could lose touch with them forever.
C Olivia Morgan
Back in our school days I always liked Megan, but she was never keen on studying so I
sort of took it for granted that she would end up doing a job that didn’t require
qualifications. Now it turns out she went on to do really well academically and for two years
was a Philosophy lecturer at a top university. The other mistake I made was being rather
cautious about responding when she first got in touch with me online last autumn, when in
fact as soon as we saw each other on the screen we started chatting again as if that ten-
year gap had never existed. I think we both quickly realised that we wouldn’t ever let
anything like that happen again.
D Maite Silva
I was delighted when Carla told me she has such a good job. Somehow I always knew
she’d do well, though I must confess that back then she was the last person I would have
imagined becoming an economist because she was pretty hopeless at maths. But when
she appeared on my laptop screen after all those years I was impressed by how mature
she sounded and looked, and in fact she might be having an influence on me. Ever since
we met up again. I’ve found myself taking a more serious attitude to my career, with
promotion now a real possibility.
E Уan Lin
When I realised my old classmate Ming was trying to contact me I didn’t hesitate for a
second in replying. Somehow I’d always known that one way or another we were bound to
run into each other at some point, because when we left school we’d both gone off to do
the same subject at different universities. What I hadn’t been prepared for, though, was the
news that she’d had to interrupt her studies owing to personal problems. I expressed my
sympathy, but she assured me she’d recovered and eventually graduated, and that since
then she’s been working in advertising. Which of course is exactly what I do, too.

Candidate A: The left picture shows some big city with a line of apartment blocks built
right next to the sea, while in the picture on the right we can see a peaceful village next to
a train station and a train passing by. While both photos have various residences in them,
the right one looks much more quiet than the other.
I believe that people who choose to live in a flat of a busy city do so because they have a
more active lifestyle – they commute to work, go to parties, restaurant, exhibitions and
other activities a city has to offer. In contrast, those who reside in a remote place like in
picture two prefer the more relaxed and slow pace of life.
Candidate B, which place would you prefer to live in, and why? (~20 seconds).
Candidate B: Personally, I’d go with the quiet place next to the train station. I could
commute to the city centre by train, take morning strolls in the woods and enjoy everything
nature has to offer. I don’t party that much and I’m not into eating out, so I won’t miss out
on most things a busy city has to offer.
Candidate B: The right photo shows a girl on a river bank doing what looks like
gymnastics, while in the left picture a lady is in the middle of a tennis match. Both do some
kind of sports activity, however one is performed outside, while the other is done indoors.
Moreover, tennis requires special equipment such as a racket, while the other exercise
doesn’t need anything at all. 
I believe that both people feel content with what they’re doing as exercising energises you
and if you spend enough time doing it you might feel pleasantly exhausted. It is also
beneficial for your brain, allowing your mind to wander.
Candidate A, which type of exercising would you prefer and why?
Candidate A: Even though I’m not very good at tennis, I would have to choose it over the
activity in the other picture – I’m hopeless when it comes to body balance! Tennis is a nice
combination of physical exercising and thinking – you don’t simply run after the ball – you
have to calculate your hits and plan ahead. I like this aspect of tennis very much.
Answer Keys
 

Part 1
1.
1. C- local. ‘Local residents’ makes the only strong collocation of the four.
2. B – recently. A study that has been published short time ago.
3. A- images. A satellite image is a picture taken from the orbit of our planet.
4. B- extremely. The only word having the meaning of ‘very rapidly’.
5. D- combined. The only word of the four that can be used with ‘of’. If
something is combined with something else, they are joined together.
6. C- chances. To increase chances of something is to make something more
likely to happen.
7. B – influence. This is the only noun that collocates with ‘on’ preposition.
8. C – unlikely. Unlikely to do something. ‘Doubtful’ is not used with ‘to’ infinitive;
‘Unsure’ doesn’t fit grammatically; ‘Improbable’ has the meaning ‘impossible’
here.

Part 2
9. for. ‘To be responsible for something’ means to be the reason that something
has happened, especially something bad.
10. many. The idea in these two sentences is that despite the obvious
advantages of cycling, few people actually use bicycles.
11. to/and. Both options can be used with slightly different meaning: ‘Stop to
think’ is to stop in order to spend some time thinking about it; ‘Stop and think’ are
two actions followed by one another.
12. unlike. A contrast is made between large investments – houses and cars.
13. top. ‘On top of that’ is a set expression meaning ‘in addition to something’.
14. which. A relative clause that requires the usage of which (and not that).
15. less. Making a comparison with the topic of the previous paragraph – cars –
we can deduce, that the word ‘less’ (and not ‘more) is required here.
16. whether. ‘Whether or not’ means ‘unimportant which of the two options is
true’.

Part 3
17. network/networking. Either is acceptable.
18. steadily. Adverb that means ‘at an even rate’.
19. stressful. An adjective that denotes stress is needed. Note the ending ‘-ful’
with only one ‘l’.
20. unbearable. An adjective with a negative meaning is required. Make sure
to spell the word right.
21. risky. An adjective with the meaning of risk.
22. commercial. Do not forget to spell it with double ‘m’, otherwise you won’t get
the point for this question.
23. enabling. A prefix ‘en-‘ is added as well as the ending ‘-ing’ to form a verb.
24. decisions. A plural form is needed as we are not talking about one email, but
many of them.

Part 4
25. as/so long as I was. Remember that in reported speech we take one step
back with all the tenses (as I was…).
26. get my old bike repaired. Passive voice is used here – as suggested by the
keyword ‘get’.
27. the fall in profits on. ‘To blame on something or someone’. The main
difficulty is using the right preposition.
28. wished (that) she had/she’d spent. Past Perfect is needed here to show
what happened first and what followed it. In this case first she spent money, then
she regretted.
29. is believed to have been. Another passive voice construction. Make sure to
spell ‘believed’ right.
30. it had not been for. Another Past Perfect tense example to show relation of
actions in time.

Part 5
31. C. Paragraph Three, first sentence: ‘A deciding factor for me in choosing to
study at the University of Edinburgh was the fact it offered more than 230
exchange places at overseas universities’. Answer A is not mentioned. Answer B
doesn’t fit – hew sister persuaded her to study abroad, not in Edinburgh
specifically. The opposite of Answer D is said in the text: ‘… deciding to spend a
year abroad was something of a novelty, with most of my friends giving more
thought to embracing Edinburgh…’
32. B. Paragraph Five contains the answer, even though it is mentioned before
Berkeley, it relates to it as Berkeley was the ultimate aim of going to California.
The opposite of Answer A is mentioned – people didn’t live up to popular
stereotypes (end of Paragraph Six). Answers C and D are not mentioned.
33. A. Last sentence of Paragraph Seven: ‘… my stay there enabled me to return
to Edinburgh with an increased sense of awareness about what I wanted to gain
from my English literature degree.’ Answer C is mentioned as a minor detail.
34. C. Paragraph Eight, second sentence says that you only pay a fraction of what
you would normally pay in your home university. Therefore, it can actually be
much cheaper. Other answers are either not mentioned or given partial attention.
35. A. To qualify for a place on the international exchange programme. The whole
paragraph talks about the possible difficulties of getting there.
36. B. The cases of satisfied students are very numerous – they believe that their
time abroad was well worth it.

Part 6
37. D. ‘This information’ in D refers to whatever he learns from his phone, social
media and so on, to prioritise his tasks.
38. F. ‘Making sure it does so’ is getting the report into the studio, ready to be
read live.
39. G. ‘it’s best to keep trying’ helps to connect it to the next sentence: ‘Don’t be
put off; people in this business admire people who don’t give up.’
40. A. Sentence A is the best way to illustrate how luck can be a huge factor in
this kind of business.
41. C. The idea of the paragraph is how equipment is getting smaller, better and
easier to use. Sentence C shows how in the past it took a number of people with
various hardware to shoot the news.
42. B. An additional argument is presented in favour of the future of reporting and
news in general.

Part 7
43. D. ‘… I must confess that back then she was the last person I would have
imagined becoming an economist because she was pretty hopeless at maths.’
44. C. ‘… in fact as soon as we saw each other on the screen we started chatting
again as if that ten-year gap had never existed.’
45. D. ‘… in fact she might be having an influence on me.’
46. B. ‘… she remains as sociable as she ever was and I suppose we’re quite
alike in that respect.’
47. E. ‘Somehow I’d always known that one way or another we were bound to run
into each other at some point…’
48. A. ‘… I know I should have made more of an effort to stay in touch with Amina
because we always got on well together…’
49. C. ‘The other mistake I made was being rather cautious about responding
when she first got in touch with me…’
50. E.‘I expressed my sympathy…’
51. B. ‘The first thing that struck me was that Natalia still looked much the same
as she had ten years earlier…’
52. C. ‘… she was never keen on studying so I sort of took it for granted that she
would end up doing a job that didn’t require qualifications. Now it turns out she
went on to do really well academically and for two years was a Philosophy
lecturer at a top university.’