CAE Reading and Use of English Part 5
You are going to read a magazine article by a man talking about a place from his past. For questions 31-36 choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
The Last Light of the Rex
I’ve always thought that cinemas are like secular churches. There’s the hush as you enter, the collective focus towards a single point of light, the shared emotional journey. The Rex was my childhood cathedral. It wasn’t a grand picture palace, mind you, but a slightly shabby 300-seater on a corner that time was beginning to forget. The red velvet on the seats was worn thin in patches, and the carpet smelled faintly of old popcorn and disinfectant. A person not from around the area simply wouldn’t find it amid pawn shops and laundromats that line the street. But when the lights went down, none of that mattered. The heavy gold curtains would sweep back with a satisfying swish, and for two hours, I was anywhere but in my small, predictable town.
I went back last week. It’s been a “vintage boutique entertainment venue” for a few years now, but I hadn’t had the courage to visit. The new owners were hosting a silent film festival, and something pulled me there, so I gave in to the impulse, mostly for the good time’s sake. Stepping inside was a jarring experience. The foyer, once a chaotic thrill of posters and queues, was now a minimalist bar serving artisan gin. The smell was gone, replaced by the scent of lemon-scented polish. It was clean—to the point of sterility—tasteful, and utterly alien.
I took my seat—not the lumpy one in the back row where I’d had my first kiss, but a sleek new chair with perfect lumbar support. The audience was different, too. We were all older, quieter, a congregation of nostalgics and has-beens rather than a riot of kids. When the film began—Chaplin’s The Kid—there was no rustling of sweet wrappers, no teenage whispers. Just a respectful, almost academic silence.
And that’s when I felt it, a sharp and surprising pang of loss. Not for the building, which was arguably in better shape than ever, but for the mess of it all. I missed the stickiness of the floor, the way you’d have to jiggle the seat to make it stay down. I missed the collective gasp during a scary scene, the unscripted laughter that would bubble up from the dark. This restored version was a museum piece, a beautiful shell preserving the architecture but taking away the life that once filled it.
The film ended. We applauded politely. As I filed out, I saw a young couple examining the original projector, now displayed as a sculpture in a glass case. They were admiring it, but they weren’t using it.
And I realised that’s what was wrong. The Rex was no longer a tool for dreaming; it was an exhibit dreaming of its own past. I walked out into the modern street, the film’s magic already fading, replaced by the kind of sadness that comes from finding a lost thing only to discover you can’t ever really have it back. The lights were on, but the show, my show, was long over.
31 In the first paragraph, the writer describes The Rex cinema in a way that emphasizes
A its superior technical facilities.
B its former magical quality despite its flaws.
C its importance to the local community’s economy.
D its intimidating and grand architectural style.
32 What does the writer suggest about the cinema’s transformation into a “vintage boutique entertainment venue”?
A It has made the cinema more popular with younger audiences.
B It has restored the building to its original historical condition.
C It has prioritised style and comfort over its original character.
D It has successfully expanded the types of films shown.
33 How did the writer feel during the screening of the film?
A He was deeply absorbed in the artistic quality of the silent movie.
B He was disappointed by the audience’s lack of engagement.
C He felt a sense of grief for the lost atmosphere of the past.
D He was impressed by the improvements made to the venue.
34 The writer uses the phrase “a museum piece” to convey that the cinema now feels
A educational and informative.
B static and devoid of its original spirit.
C valuable and worth preserving.
D outdated and in need of further renovation.
35 What significance does the projector in the glass case hold for the writer?
A It is a symbol of the superior quality of old-fashioned technology.
B It represents the final, successful completion of the restoration.
C It highlights the new owners’ lack of respect for cinema history.
D It serves as a metaphor for the cinema’s loss of practical function.
36 Which of the following best describes the writer’s overall conclusion?
A Modern restoration is vital for preserving cultural heritage.
B A place’s essence lies in its lived experience, not its physical state.
C Silent films require a quiet environment for full appreciation.
D Personal memories are often unreliable and sentimental.
For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary
