READING ENTRANCE TEST – VICKEY ENGLISH CENTER

PART 1:
Whale-watching trip
by Jack Madison, 15

A while ago, my friend Olivia was telling me about a whale-watching trip she’d been on,
in Canada. I wanted to tell her I was about to do the same thing, off the north coast of
the UK, where my grandparents live. Whales had recently appeared there again, and
my grandparents were convinced we’d see some – so I was sure my trip would be as
good as Olivia’s! But then I saw some review of the trip my dad had booked for us,
when no-one had seen any whales at all. So, in the end, I decided not to tell Olivia
anything about my trip, in case it wasn’t successful!
Anyway, Dad and I set off on our trip – which was Dad’s idea – and it was fantastic!
Travelling out to sea on the tour boat with our guide, we soon reached the spot where
whales often appeared. Then we waited – and nothing happened. I was sure this
wouldn’t last, though. People kept calling out they’d seen one, which was exciting – but
then it turned out they were wrong. Then finally I saw something move under the water
– a minke whale! So I felt like a hero for the rest of the trip!
The whale was a wonderful sight, with its huge back not far from the boat. Our guide
said it was around five tonnes in weight and around 10 metres long. Yet, despite its
size, it swam alongside us at speed, and with little effort. We waited to see if more
appeared, and some time later, we saw three more some distance away, that kept
diving under the water and coming up again. Then just after I’d filmed them, they
disappeared.
Although the water’s less deep around the coast, larger whale species appear in the
area with minke whales, feeding on fish. But minkes are curious creatures, so they’re
more likely to approach tourist boats – which was why we were successful! Then later,
up on the cliffs, we looked out to sea, searching for signs of whales. Sometimes
seabirds diving into the water means whales are around, as they’re stealing the whales’
meal. We were unlucky, sadly – but we’ll be back!

1 Jack wasn’t keen to mention his whale-watching trip to Olivia because

A he thought her trip sounded a lot more exciting.
B he’d read some negative reports about where he was going.
C he wasn’t sure if his dad had definitely arranged it.
D he didn’t know whether she was very interested in whales.

2 On board the whale-watching boat, Jack

 A was proud to be the first person to see a whale.
B began to worry that they might all be disappointed.
C tried not to get excited when anyone saw something.
D was glad he’d persuaded his dad to come with him.

3 When Jack saw the minke whale, he was

A surprised at how close it came to the boat.
B amazed that it was so much bigger than he’d imagined.
C impressed that it moved through the water so easily.
D delighted to see it had arrived with several others.

4 Jack suggests minke whales appeared in the same area as the boat because
A they knew there were plenty of fish there.
B they were attracted by the arrival of the visitors.
C they didn’t have to compete for food with seabirds.
D they preferred how deep the water was there.

5 What would Jack text to his grandparents about the whales?

A I’ll send you my video of the group of whales – they only appeared briefly, so
they weren’t as interesting as the first one we saw.
B Dad said he’d really wanted to go to Canada to watch whales, like my friend
Olivia – but now we’re really happy we came here.
C I must take you up to the cliffs to look for whales – we’ve seen them every time
we’ve been there, so far.
D You were so sure our whale-watching trip would be a success, while I still had
doubts – but you were right.

PART 2:
You are going to read an article about country walking. For questions 1-10, choose from
the sections (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once.
In which section is the following mentioned?

1 a reason for the writer not going on a country walk

2 the need to achieve something on one particular walk
3 one reason why walkers spend a lot of time looking at paths
4 not enjoying a meal whilst out on a walk
5 walking routes that become hard to follow in places
6 how interesting it might be getting to know strangers on a walk
7 the fact that group walking activities are growing in popularity
8 the amount of work needed to maintain paths for walkers
9 walkers feeling a need to compete with each other
10 paths maybe having been originally made by animals

A good walk
When songwriter and singer Roddy Woomble isn’t playing with his band,
he loves nothing more than going on long country walks. He tells us about his hobby.

A
I’m sure I’m not the only one who occasionally stops to think about the footpaths that
carry us over the hills. Who made them? Who was the first to walk that way – the sheep
or the shepherd? The dictionary definition of a path is ‘a track laid down for walking or
made by continual treading’ and also ‘the direction in which a person or thing moves’.
Somewhere in between I think you’ll find the mountain path. I am particularly fond of
watercolours or photos with paths in them. I also like it when old paths suddenly vanish
only to reappear a bit further on, to the frustration of many other walkers. I appreciate
also all the effort that has gone into the upkeep of mountain paths, so that they are still
available for recreational use.

B
Walking in upland areas, you get to know the paths pretty well since a good proportion
of your time is likely to be spent head down, gazing at them as you walk. This is never
truer than when you’re walking into wind and driving rain. That’s when your boots have
to pick your way over the slippery rocks and muddy puddles that constitute many
mountain paths and trails in the winter. But I’m no great fan of walking on my own.
Occasionally I’ll do it – I’ll read a few lines of Rousseau’s Reveries of a Solitary
Walker to get myself mentally prepared, then head out for a day of solitude. The
problem is, halfway through I usually get the urge to share my thoughts about things I’ve
noticed along the way. Even if you do bump into other walkers, this is not always
something you want to do with strangers. Time on your own is worthwhile, of course,
but I think it’s better to mix it up with some company.

C
On previous solitary rambles I’ve often reached the summit only to enviously watch a
group having a mid-walk picnic, happily chattering away, snapping pictures of the view,
while I sat, just out of sight, alone, brooding over a sandwich. I’ve forgone many days
out on the hills in order to avoid this feeling. Sometimes I wonder what it’s like to join a
group and take to the hills with people you’ve only just met. It’s fascinating to imagine
the group dynamics on such initial outings. For example, would there be long awkward
pauses in the conversation? Would you feel the need to keep a conversation going from
leaving the car to returning to it, or would it become an ego thing about how many hills
you’ve each climbed and how steep the path was?

D
On the other hand, is an established walking group a collective of like-minded,
interesting, articulate individuals, all enthusiastic for the outdoors? A place where
conversation is free-flowing, with long gaps left for each other’s thoughts, followed by a
shared meal afterwards? I’m assuming it’s both since walking clubs seem to be
attracting more members than ever. I must think about joining one. Another ambition of
mine is to climb the hill in front of me as I write this. I’m sitting at a picnic table outside
the club where my band is giving a concert later and, as I eat my lunch, I have an
uninterrupted view of the highest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis in Scotland.
As I say, I’ve never been up it, but I have a brilliant photo which a friend took from the
summit. It’s said to be a vantage point like no other. There may be technically harder
mountains in the country, but there are none higher; which means lots of people feel an
urge to go to the top of it.

PART 3:
For questions 1-9, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits
each gap.

The world’s quietest railway station

Some of the world’s most heavily used railway stations are (1)…………… in Japan.
According to (2)……………, 45 out of the 51 busiest in the world are in the country.
Some 3.6 million passengers travel through the busiest railway station, Shinjuku Station
in Tokyo, every (3)…………… day.
But surprisingly, this small but (4)…………… populated country also has some stations
which are hardly used at all. Kyu-Shirataki Station, on the island of Hokkaido is in such
a (5)…………… place that it was only used by one person for a few years. High school
student Kana Harada was a (6)…………… passenger before it closed in 2016. The train
stopped every morning to take high school student Kana Harada to school, and every
afternoon to drop her back at Kyu-Shirataki.
But keeping the station open for just one passenger simply was not (7)…………… .
Therefore the operator of the line, Hokkaido Railway Company, planned to close the
station (8)…………… . But when they found out that this would leave Kana with no (9)
……………, they agreed to keep the line open until she graduated from school.
Although trains still use the line, the station itself is now completely abandoned.

1 A established B located C placed D positioned

2 A measurements B numbers C sizes D statistics
3 A individual B one C particular D single
4 A considerably B densely C largely D mainly
5 A far B homeless C remote D separated
6 A common B regular C usual D typical
7 A commercial B profitable C successful D valuable
8 A always B constantly C lastly D permanently
9 A transport B journey C travel D vehicle