B1 Reading Mock Test

Part 1 - Signs
There are 7 questions in this quiz. Look at the signs and answer the questions.

1 You can ....

a. park behind the restaurant.

b. park in front of the restaurant.
c. park next to the restaurant.

2 This sign is meant to be read by ........

a. burglars
b. policemen
c. postmen

3 Who is this sign meant for?

a. children
b. teachers
c. drivers

4 What does the sign mean?

a. You must keep your dog under control.

b. You can let your dog run about.
c. You must tie your dog to a post.

5 Wilson & Sons will ....

a. estimate the size of your house.

b. price the work at no cost.
c. build your house for free.
6 Which sentence is true?

a. You must walk on the grass

b. You can't walk on the grass
c. You must keep walking on the grass.

7 What must you NOT do?

a. Open the door.

b. Put things in front of the door.
c. Lock the door.
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Part 2 - Matching
In this part, you have to match five people to eight texts.

The people below are all looking for a place to stay while they are on holiday in Torquay, a busy town
in the south of England. Read about 8 types of accommodation. Decide which accommodation would
be most suitable for each person.

A Peace Haven
Located right on the seafront, our hostel is popular with surfers. Plenty of parking and storage for
equipment. Drying room and laundry. Prepare your own meals in our large kitchen, or eat out at one
of the many seafood restaurants nearby. Accommodation is in shared male and female dormitories.

B Palm Court
Just a five minute walk from the beach, Palm Court Caravan Park is perfect for families. Kids will love
the adventure playground and heated pool with its slides and wave machine. Entertainers perform
twice a week. For parents, there’s a hot tub and bar. A babysitting service is also available in the
evenings.

C Diana and Arturo’s

Get creative in our quiet guest house in the hills. Enjoy sea views without the crowds. Diana teaches
courses in sculpture, and Arturo runs painting classes. Come for one night or stay for a month!
Guests who stay here say they love meeting new people and enjoying our huge evening meals on the
terrace. Over 16s only.

D Dolphin Hotel
Its central location makes Dolphin Hotel a great place to stay if you want to experience the best of
Torquay. The harbour, with its bars, nightclubs and restaurants, is on our doorstep. The shops and
train station are just around the corner. Our bar is open from 7pm and we serve breakfast until midday
– perfect if you’ve had a late night!

E Holly Tree Farm

Experience country living at Holly Tree farm. We have five cottages to rent, each with between 3 and
5 beds. Rent one or two cottages, or rent all five if you have a large party (of up to 21 people).
Children will enjoy feeding the lambs and chickens. Please note, this is a working farm, and entry to
some areas is not allowed.

F Surf World
At Surf World, we have everything you need for a fun-packed holiday for all the family. You won’t even
have to leave our gates to try amazing new sports, like canoeing, archery and windsurfing. On wet
days, come to the Fun Centre and enjoy indoor activities like art, music, drama and dance.
Accommodation in woodland cabins of 2-8 people.

G Green Cross
Green Cross is a 400-year old cottage in the hills. The beautiful cottage has a large garden with a
play area, barbecue and sea views. Accommodation includes one double bedroom and a twin room.
There is a village pub and shop less than a mile away. Perfect for families who want a bit of peace
and quiet.

H The Art House

The Art House is a bit different! All eight double rooms are furnished in different artistic styles. The Art
Deco room, for example, is decorated with theatrical glass furniture, mirrors and fur, while the 1960s
room is fun and colourful, and has pop art on the walls. The Art House offers bed and breakfast
accommodation on the edge of town, walking distance from the beach.

Question 1 ( )

Debbie is a teacher. She is married with three children. She would like to go somewhere
where her children have plenty to do. She’d also like to go out to a restaurant one evening alone with
her husband.

Question 2 ( )

Frances doesn’t have anyone to go on holiday with, so she’d like to meet people while
she’s on holiday. She likes art and dislikes crowds.

Question 3 ( )

Ben and his friends enjoy water sports. They want to find a place to stay near the beach.
They don’t have much money, so they’d prefer to cook for themselves to keep costs down.
Question 4 ( )

Dan is planning to spend his holiday with his wife, his parents and his sister’s family. They
would like peace and quiet, so they don’t want to be near lots of other noisy families.

Question 5 ( )
 Kerry is getting married soon, so she and her girlfriends want to spend a weekend by the
sea. They plan to stay out late and get up late. They want a convenient location as they don’t have
their own transport.
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Part 3 - Long Text

In this part of the exam you need to read a long text and answer 5 multiple choice questions.
Read the text and then answer questions 1-5.

Horton
At first glance, there is little in Horton to attract people. The other nearby towns have much more to
offer: Bradfield has its river and historic buildings, while Newtown has shops and entertainment. The
buildings of Horton look dirty and unloved. For shops, there is a small supermarket, a few bargain
shops, a bakery which, strangely, does not sell bread and a florist which has one stand of sad-looking
flowers. Even so, Horton has several advantages over its neighbouring towns.

Firstly, it has a country park. Four thousand years ago, this was an important fort. There are no
historic remains here now, but there are wonderful views over the countryside. On sunny weekends
you can often see kids out with their parents, kicking balls or flying kites.

There aren’t many job opportunities in Horton, and the roads to nearby cities aren’t really fast, but
there are excellent rail links. You can be in London in an hour and a half, and other cities are less than
an hour away. That means that parents can earn a good salary and still get home in time to spend the
evenings with their families. Houses in Horton aren’t pretty, but they’re functional and cheap. The
streets are quiet and safe, and there are plenty of parks and playgrounds. It has a library, three
primary schools and a secondary school, St. Mark’s. It’s not as academically brilliant as other schools
in the area, but it is friendly and offers a wide range of subjects and activities to children of all abilities
and backgrounds. The town also has a swimming and a sports centre, and the community halls hold
regular clubs and events for people of all ages.

1 What is the writer’s main purpose?

a. To explain what tourists can do in Horton

b. To explain why Horton is a good place to live
c. To explain why Horton is not as pleasant as other towns
d. To describe the history of Horton

2 What part of Horton does the writer find disappointing?

a. the shops
b. the country park
c. transport links
d. the schools

3 What type of people is Horton most suitable for?

a. wealthy professionals
b. low income families
c. elderly people
d. sport and history students
4 What advantages does Horton bring to workers?

a. There are plenty of jobs available in the town.

b. You can drive to nearby cities in a short time.
c. You can get to several cities quickly by train.
d. Working conditions are better here than in other towns.

5 Which of the following is the best description of Horton?

a. A quiet, country town which has a number of good leisure facilities.

b. A friendly, historic town which is a great place to live, work and take a holiday.
c. A busy, industrial town which has good links to neighbouring cities.
d. A dirty, unpopular town which has little to offer visitors or residents.

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Part 4 - Sentences
Five sentences have been removed from the text below. Choose from the sentences A-H the
one which fits each gap. There are three extra sentences which you do not need to use.

A However, life on board a ship isn’t always the dream she expected.

B But to take part, she had to stay on a very strict diet.

C One day, she was inspired by a female magician to study magic.

D She was too old to dance and could not act or play a musical instrument.

E Many people are inspired by the story of her life.

F She had never spoken about some of her issues before writing it.

G Although this was a successful time in Romany’s life, she was not happy.

H She went to college to do a course in story-telling.

International star Romany has just published a book about her life. Her story describes how she dealt
with personal problems and eventually realized her dream of becoming a magician. Her book is a very
honest account of her life. 1. ( )

As a child, Romany loved ballet. She was convinced that one day she would be discovered and have
a life on the stage. At the age of fifteen, she was given a role in a show. 2. ( ) She managed to stay
very slim but it was not good for her. She developed a serious eating problem.

After that, she decided that ballet was not for her. She got a degree and got a job in sales. But she
never stopped being attracted to performing. In her free time, she joined a circus club. Before long,
she was offered occasional jobs. 3. ( ) She was working all day, and spending all her free time
doing circus work. She became very stressed and tired and her eating problems returned.

She knew that her life could not continue in this way. So she took a long look at her life and thought
about what she really wanted. She realized she really wanted to work on stage. However, she wasn’t
sure what to do. 4. ( ) But then she had an idea. She quit her job and applied to the National Centre
of Circus Arts to study magic.

Now Romany travels the world performing magic tricks on cruise ships. She is also often asked to tell
the story of her life. 5. ( ) Romany teaches them that life is difficult for everybody. But if you have a
dream and work hard to achieve it, anything is possible.

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Part 5 - Text with gaps (multiple choice cloze)
In this part of the exam you need to fill 10 gaps in a short text.

Read the text below and choose the correct word for each space.

Mount Everest
Asa Sherpa has climbed Mount Everest more times than (everyone - anyone - someone - another)
else in the world. Last year, he (hit - made - broke - caught) the world record by climbing the world’s
highest mountain for the twenty-first time. (Also - Because - Afterwards - However), he says he
won’t be able to do it again, because the mountain is becoming (much - too - such - even)
dangerous to climb.
Asa first climbed the mountain (in - on - at - from) 1989 at the age of 12. He worked as a porter,
carrying supplies for trekkers. When he first climbed the mountain, there was (lot - several - plenty -
much) of snow and ice up there. Now there is much (less - little - fewer - more) snow, and more
bare rock.
Asa is (angry - disappointed - worried - afraid) about the lack of snow. (Because - Without -
Unless - Since) snow to hold the rocks in place, there are more rockfalls. Melting ice makes big
holes, and these make (trips - rides - tours - visit) up the mountain very dangerous. Also, climbers
slip more (easily - carelessly - badly - clearly)on rock than on snow.

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Part 6 - Text with gaps (open cloze)

Write one word on each gap.

My African Adventure

Last year I saw an advertisement on my social media page. It invited me to climb a mountain in Africa

and raise money for charity at the same time. I love travelling and I want to help people too, 1. ( )I

decided to have a go. I ordered a special pack from the charity 2. ( ) gave me some advice about

ways to raise money for my trip. I tried a few different methods. I found that the 3. ( ) effective way

was to sell cakes at work.

The trip took place in November. It 4. ( ) for one week. I was part of a group of about twenty people.

The charity organized everything for us. I soon found out that the other people in the group were a lot

fitter 5. ( ) me. But they were very kind and encouraged me all the way. I felt really pleased with

myself when I finally reached the top of the mountain.

I really enjoyed this trip. I'm going to do something similar next year. I'm thinking 6. ( ) hiking along

the Great Wall of China!