Cambridge B1 Preliminary Reading practice test 2

Questions 1 to 5 For each question, choose the correct answer.

Text message

From: Sophie To: Daniel Hi! I know today's shift was a long one. If you're exhausted, I'll ring and cancel our table and we'll have a quiet night in. Only come if you're really in the mood, not because you think you must.

Notice

WESTBROOK LEISURE CENTRE ADULT SWIMMING LESSONS Places on our courses are limited. If you are absent for two lessons one after the other and have not let reception know, we may give your place to someone from our waiting list.

Label

Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce Before opening, store in a cool, dry place. Once opened, keep in the fridge and use within 3 days. Suitable for freezing on day of purchase only.

Email

From: Priya To: Customer Services Team Subject: Training update Hi all, the training on the new booking system has moved from Thursday to Friday morning. If you can't make Friday, let me know by Wednesday and I'll organise another session for you. Priya

Sign

STUDY ROOM 3 Books in this room may be borrowed overnight only. Please bring them to the desk so we can record the loan, and return them before 10 a.m. the following day.

1. What does the text say?

A) Sophie wants Daniel to cancel the restaurant booking himself

B) Sophie is too tired to go to the restaurant tonight

C) Sophie does not want Daniel to come only because he feels he has to

2. What does the text say?

A) Learners who miss two lessons in a row without telling reception may lose their place

B) Learners who miss any lesson will lose their place unless they contact reception

C) People on the waiting list can join a lesson whenever a learner is absent

3. What does the text say?

A) You can freeze this product at any time in the three days after you buy it

B) After you open this product, you should eat it within three days

C) You must keep this product in the fridge as soon as you buy it

4. What does the text say?

A) Priya wants everyone to tell her by Wednesday whether they can come on Friday

B) The training session will now take place on Thursday morning

C) Staff who are not free on Friday can have their training at another time

5. What does the text say?

A) Books from this room can be taken home but must come back the next morning

B) Books from this room can only be read inside the library

C) Books from this room can be borrowed for one week if you ask a member of staff

Questions 6 to 10 For each question, choose the correct answer. The people below all want to join a puzzle and games club. On the opposite page there are descriptions of eight clubs. Decide which club would be the most suitable for the people below.

Puzzle and Games Clubs

A Hilltop Games Café Right opposite the railway station, our café has over five hundred board games on its shelves and friendly staff who can explain the rules. Hot meals and drinks are served all day, and we're open seven days a week. Only members can play, so you'll need to buy a year's membership at the counter first. Sorry, but we can't offer private rooms. B The Locked Door Can your group escape in sixty minutes? At The Locked Door, you're shut inside a room full of clues, and you'll need to work together as a team to solve the puzzles and find the key. We're in the city centre, just two minutes' walk from the railway station, and groups of up to twelve can book a private room. C Wordsmith Circle If you love crosswords, word searches and other word games, come and join us. We meet on weekday mornings in the peaceful reading room of Northgate Library, so there's no noise to spoil your concentration. Many of our members are retired, and new faces are welcome. Once you've settled in, you can help too: members take turns to write puzzles for our monthly magazine. D Quarter Turn Club The Rubik's Cube was invented about fifty years ago, and it still keeps us busy every Tuesday from 7 p.m. This club isn't for complete beginners: if you can already solve the cube, our experienced members will show you how to cut seconds off your time. And when you're ready, we regularly hold competitions against other clubs in the region. E Black and White Society Serious chess players meet here every afternoon in a beautiful old hall. Our members range from beginners to experienced players, and there's a large collection of chess books you're welcome to borrow. Please note that we have a strict rule of silence during games, so that everyone can think clearly. Tea and coffee are available. F Saturday Cubers Want to get faster at the Rubik's Cube? Every Saturday morning, our coaches help people who already know the basics to improve their speed, using the same methods as the world's top solvers. Twice a year we enter national competitions, and members of all ages are welcome. We meet in the community centre on Park Road, which has free parking. G The Open Board Whether you're eight or eighty, there's a game here for you. We have family afternoons every Saturday and Sunday, with games chosen for children of different ages. If you get hungry, our kitchen serves sandwiches, pizza and cakes. And there's no need to become a member: just pay a small charge on the door and stay as long as you like. H Global Moves We're a friendly club for fans of chess and other strategy games, meeting on Wednesday evenings above Harlow's Bookshop. Our members from all over the world chat in English as they play, so it's an ideal place for anyone new to the UK. For a small yearly fee, you can borrow any game from our shelves and take it home for a week.

6. Daniel can already solve a Rubik's Cube, but he wants someone to help him do it much faster. He works during the day, so the club must meet in the evening. He'd also like the chance to take part in competitions.

A) A Hilltop Games Café

B) B The Locked Door

C) C Wordsmith Circle

D) D Quarter Turn Club

E) E Black and White Society

F) F Saturday Cubers

G) G The Open Board

H) H Global Moves

7. Priya wants to play board games with her two children, aged eight and eleven, at the weekend. She'd like to buy lunch or snacks there, and she doesn't want to pay for membership because they may only go occasionally.

A) A Hilltop Games Café

B) B The Locked Door

C) C Wordsmith Circle

D) D Quarter Turn Club

E) E Black and White Society

F) F Saturday Cubers

G) G The Open Board

H) H Global Moves

8. Tom has just retired and loves crosswords and other word puzzles. He wants to meet people in a quiet place during the day, and he's keen to try creating his own puzzles for other people to solve.

A) A Hilltop Games Café

B) B The Locked Door

C) C Wordsmith Circle

D) D Quarter Turn Club

E) E Black and White Society

F) F Saturday Cubers

G) G The Open Board

H) H Global Moves

9. Lucy is organising a team activity for ten colleagues and wants them to solve puzzles together. Most of them will come by train, so the place must be close to the station, and the group needs a room to themselves.

A) A Hilltop Games Café

B) B The Locked Door

C) C Wordsmith Circle

D) D Quarter Turn Club

E) E Black and White Society

F) F Saturday Cubers

G) G The Open Board

H) H Global Moves

10. Marek recently moved to the UK and enjoys chess and other strategy games. He wants to practise his English by chatting with other players, and he'd like to be able to take games home to play with his flatmate.

A) A Hilltop Games Café

B) B The Locked Door

C) C Wordsmith Circle

D) D Quarter Turn Club

E) E Black and White Society

F) F Saturday Cubers

G) G The Open Board

H) H Global Moves

Questions 11 to 15 For each question, choose the correct answer.

Our village nature plan: four years on

by Hannah Price Four years ago, almost a hundred people crowded into Ashcombe village hall. By the end of the meeting we had agreed a plan to protect the wildlife around us: the hedgehogs, the bees, the butterflies and the wildflowers in our fields. Everyone went home feeling excited. Then, for a long time, almost nothing happened. It wasn't that people stopped caring. Our monthly meetings were always full. A small grant arrived in the first year, and the local council wrote to say it supported the plan. But looking back, I can see where we went wrong. We all agreed on what needed doing, but no one was ever asked to do any particular piece of it. So the gardening club waited for the school, the school waited for the parish, and I waited for everybody. Three years later, most of the grant was still in the bank. Last spring we repeated the wildlife count we had first done four years earlier. More than sixty households took part. The figures showed fewer hedgehogs and butterflies than before, which was exactly what many of us had noticed in our own gardens. It was depressing to read. But sometimes bad news is what finally gets people moving, and I hoped that would happen here. It did. This time every task has one person's name next to it and a date when it should be done. We also decided not to try everything at once. For the first six months we picked just three jobs: cutting small holes in garden fences so hedgehogs can travel between gardens, leaving part of the church field uncut for wildflowers, and digging a pond at the primary school with the pupils, using some of the grant. Each one could be completed before summer, so people would see results quickly instead of waiting years for one big project. Recently I read that countries had agreed an international plan to protect nature faster. Some neighbours tell me that what a village does means nothing compared with decisions made by governments. I understand that. I used to think the same, and of course governments make important choices. But nature is made of thousands of small places like Ashcombe, and what each one does adds up. We should still do our part. Four years late, Ashcombe is starting again, and this time I think we'll get there.

11. According to Hannah, why did very little happen after the village agreed its first nature plan?

A) There wasn't enough money to pay for the projects

B) Most of the volunteers soon lost interest

C) Nobody had been made responsible for particular jobs

D) The local council refused to give permission for the work

12. How did Hannah feel when she saw the results of last spring's wildlife count?

A) She was surprised that so many households had taken part

B) She was worried, but hoped the figures would make people act

C) She thought the count had probably been done wrongly

D) She was pleased that the numbers were no worse than before

13. For the first six months of the new plan, the group decided to concentrate on

A) projects that would not cost the village any money

B) projects that children from the primary school could do

C) a few projects that could be finished before the summer

D) the biggest project, so that people would notice it

14. What does Hannah say about neighbours who think a village cannot make a difference to nature?

A) She accepts that the village should leave larger projects to the council

B) She understands their opinion, but believes many small places together are important

C) She thinks they would change their minds if they read the international agreement

D) She is disappointed by their attitude, but thinks they will join in once the work is finished

15. What is Hannah trying to do in the article?

A) report the results of the wildlife count to the village

B) explain what went wrong at first and what the group is doing differently now

C) encourage more neighbours to join the group's projects

D) compare the village plan with the international agreement

Questions 16 to 20 Five sentences have been removed from the text below. For each question, choose the correct answer. There are three extra sentences which you do not need to use.

Six weeks to learn the trombone

I play the saxophone in a small jazz band in Leeds. There are five of us, and our leader is my old friend Marcus, who plays the piano. Last spring we got some amazing news: we had been invited to play at a jazz festival in Copenhagen in July. We had never played abroad before, and we couldn't stop talking about it. Two weeks later, Marcus phoned me with bad news. Our trombonist, Leo, had fallen off his bike and broken his wrist, and the festival was only six weeks away. (16) ........ 'You've got a good ear,' Marcus said, 'and you can borrow Leo's trombone.' I had never even held one before. At first I laughed. I play the saxophone, and the trombone works in a completely different way: there are no keys, just a long slide that you move in and out. (17) ........ But playing at that festival was something I'd dreamed about for years, so I said yes. It was a hot summer, so I practised on Leo's trombone every evening with the windows open. The first week was terrible. I could hardly get a sound out of it, and my lips hurt after ten minutes. (18) ........ They were very patient, although I'm sure they were glad when I finally learned to close the window. Then a friend introduced me to Ruth, a retired trombone teacher who lived in my street. She gave me a lesson every morning before work. (19) ........ Instead, she made me play long, slow notes until they sounded clean. It was boring, but it worked. By the fourth week I could play the whole programme without stopping. On the night of the concert I was more nervous than I have ever been. The hall was full, and I could see Leo in the front row with his arm in plaster. (20) ........ When the last song finished, the audience stood up and cheered, and Leo gave me a big smile. Leo's wrist is fine now, and I'm back on the saxophone. But I still play the trombone every morning, and Ruth says I'm getting better. A She told me to begin with the fastest songs in our programme. B Seeing him there made me want to play my best for him. C Marcus asked if I could learn Leo's part myself. D My neighbours must have heard every wrong note. E Luckily, I had played the trombone a little at school. F She didn't let me play any of the band's songs at first. G That's why Marcus started looking for another trombonist. H I couldn't see how anyone could learn it in such a short time.

16. Gap 16

A) She told me to begin with the fastest songs in our programme

B) Seeing him there made me want to play my best for him

C) Marcus asked if I could learn Leo's part myself

D) My neighbours must have heard every wrong note

E) Luckily, I had played the trombone a little at school

F) She didn't let me play any of the band's songs at first

G) That's why Marcus started looking for another trombonist

H) I couldn't see how anyone could learn it in such a short time

17. Gap 17

A) She told me to begin with the fastest songs in our programme

B) Seeing him there made me want to play my best for him

C) Marcus asked if I could learn Leo's part myself

D) My neighbours must have heard every wrong note

E) Luckily, I had played the trombone a little at school

F) She didn't let me play any of the band's songs at first

G) That's why Marcus started looking for another trombonist

H) I couldn't see how anyone could learn it in such a short time

18. Gap 18

A) She told me to begin with the fastest songs in our programme

B) Seeing him there made me want to play my best for him

C) Marcus asked if I could learn Leo's part myself

D) My neighbours must have heard every wrong note

E) Luckily, I had played the trombone a little at school

F) She didn't let me play any of the band's songs at first

G) That's why Marcus started looking for another trombonist

H) I couldn't see how anyone could learn it in such a short time

19. Gap 19

A) She told me to begin with the fastest songs in our programme

B) Seeing him there made me want to play my best for him

C) Marcus asked if I could learn Leo's part myself

D) My neighbours must have heard every wrong note

E) Luckily, I had played the trombone a little at school

F) She didn't let me play any of the band's songs at first

G) That's why Marcus started looking for another trombonist

H) I couldn't see how anyone could learn it in such a short time

20. Gap 20

A) She told me to begin with the fastest songs in our programme

B) Seeing him there made me want to play my best for him

C) Marcus asked if I could learn Leo's part myself

D) My neighbours must have heard every wrong note

E) Luckily, I had played the trombone a little at school

F) She didn't let me play any of the band's songs at first

G) That's why Marcus started looking for another trombonist

H) I couldn't see how anyone could learn it in such a short time

Questions 21 to 26 For each question, choose the correct answer.

Is your home really protected?

Most people who own a home (21) ........ out insurance to protect it against fire, floods and other accidents. However, many owners never read their policy carefully until something goes (22) ........ . Imagine, for example, that a driver loses (23) ........ of a car and crashes into your living room wall. The windows are broken, the floor is damaged and part of the outside wall has to be rebuilt. The driver's insurance company or your own will usually pay for the repairs, but perhaps not all of them. Some policies only pay what your old windows and floors were (24) ........ on the day of the accident, not the full price of new ones. You might then have to find thousands of pounds yourself. So, before you sign, make (25) ........ that you understand exactly what you will receive. A 'new for old' policy may cost a little more each year, but it could (26) ........ you a lot of money later.

21. Most people who own a home (21) ........ out insurance to protect it against fire, floods and other accidents.

A) take

B) make

C) do

D) get

22. However, many owners never read their policy carefully until something goes (22) ........ .

A) false

B) wrong

C) incorrect

D) poor

23. Imagine, for example, that a driver loses (23) ........ of a car and crashes into your living room wall.

A) power

B) charge

C) control

D) command

24. Some policies only pay what your old windows and floors were (24) ........ on the day of the accident, not the full price of new ones.

A) cost

B) worth

C) value

D) priced

25. So, before you sign, make (25) ........ that you understand exactly what you will receive.

A) true

B) right

C) safe

D) sure

26. A 'new for old' policy may cost a little more each year, but it could (26) ........ you a lot of money later.

A) save

B) keep

C) spare

D) protect

Questions 27to32 For each question, write the correct answer. Write one word for each gap.

A Book Club With a Difference

Every month, our book club at Greenhill Library chooses a new novel to read. This autumn we decided to try books which have angry women as their main characters. At first, some members weren't sure about the idea, but now everyone is enjoying it. In the first book, a woman loses her job and decides to fight back against the company that treated her so badly. I didn't like her at the beginning, but by the end I completely understood her anger. Our discussions have become much livelier than usual, and we often keep talking long after the library has closed. If you are looking for a book that makes you think, I'd recommend any of the ones we've read. We meet on the first Tuesday of the month. Anyone is welcome, so come along and bring a friend with you!

27. Every month, our book club at Greenhill Library chooses a new novel to read. This autumn we decided to try books {{27}} have angry women as their main characters. At first, some members weren't sure about the idea, but now everyone is enjoying it.

28. In the first book, a woman loses her job and decides to fight back {{28}} the company that treated her so badly. I didn't like her at the beginning, {{29}} by the end I completely understood her anger.

29. In the first book, a woman loses her job and decides to fight back {{28}} the company that treated her so badly. I didn't like her at the beginning, {{29}} by the end I completely understood her anger.

30. Our discussions have become much livelier than usual, and we often keep talking long {{30}} the library has closed. If you are looking {{31}} a book that makes you think, I'd recommend any of the ones we've read.

31. Our discussions have become much livelier than usual, and we often keep talking long {{30}} the library has closed. If you are looking {{31}} a book that makes you think, I'd recommend any of the ones we've read.

32. We meet on the first Tuesday of the month. Anyone is welcome, so come along and bring a friend with {{32}}!