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FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 17

FCE Reading and Use of English Test 17. Answer keys, explanations and helpful vocabulary


The old, print-friendly test

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 fulfilВ finishC completeD succeed

Coming second: pleasure or pain?

Every ambitious athlete hopes to 0 _____ their dream of winning a gold medal at the Olympics. However, not everyone can win, and often talented athletes must accept second place. A team of psychologists recently 1 some research on the emotional responses of those finishing second. For certain individuals, a silver medal may 2 their expectations and so naturally they will be delighted. They may also enjoy surprising experts and journalists who believed they had absolutely no 3 of achieving anything.

In 4 , the athlete who everyone assumed would win with ease, but then suffers a 5 defeat, may not celebrate their silver medal. This reaction differs sharply from the athlete who comes second but finished a long way behind the winner. There is a 6 in the research that shows such a person will feel significantly happier.

To a certain 7 , these findings are not surprising. Silver medallists who were close to victory will almost certainly 8 on what might have happened if they had trained harder, or done things differently.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 16

FCE Reading and Use of English Test 16 with answer keys, explanations and helpful vocabulary for each part.

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 referВ representC indicateD mention

Off the beaten track

The expression ‘getting off the beaten track’ is used to 0 _____ to the experience of avoiding famous tourist attractions and choosing instead to explore less well-known places when travelling. For many people the whole 1 of travel is to visit cities such as Paris or Venice that have a great 2 as places of beauty and historic importance. Furthermore, they are not particularly 3 by the crowds that are usually found in such locations. But for others who have more of a 4 of adventure, a good holiday must 5 unfamiliar experiences, even taking some risks.

Travelling off the beaten track may be done by some students who don’t 6 to a rigid plan, but make decisions about what to do depending on how they feel. Other travellers prefer to spend money on guided tours to unusual locations. Such tours are designed to 7 their particular needs, and all the arrangements are made for them. However people choose to get off the beaten track, the hope is always the same: to have a special, often unique 8 of a different culture.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 15

FCE Reading and Use of English Test 15 - Answer keys, explanations and useful vocabulary


The old, print-friendly test

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 appealВ tasteC interestD attraction

The joy of photography

Photography is a hobby with wide 0 _____. And I don’t mean taking photos on your mobile phone, though it cannot be 1 that such pictures can be surprisingly good these days. Serious photography means taking the 2 to do some research, exploring the technical 3 of the subject and investing in what might be quite expensive equipment. So why take up photography? Firstly, it allows you to 4 special moments that you want to remember forever. In addition, it 5 your imagination because you are always in search of ideas for original and out of the ordinary photos.

However, a lot of practice is required before you 6 to take really good pictures on a regular basis. When you finally do it, it will be a 7 of great satisfaction for you. Photography can also transform the way you look at the world. You start to see details that in the past you used to miss 8 . All in all, it’s a highly absorbing hobby.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 14

FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 14 - Vera Neumann, Tree Climbing, A Dying Language with answers keys, explanations and vocabulary

The old, print-friendly test

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 foundВ arrivedC fetchedD reached

Vera Neumann: fabric designer

Vera Neumann was a designer and businesswoman whose products 0 _____ their way into the homes of people across the USA.

Vera was born in Connecticut in 1907 and showed artistic 1 from an early. After attending art college in New York, she got a job as a textile designer, but didn’t like being 2 what to do. Determined to develop her own styles, Vera started to produce tablecloths, each item printed by hand in her kitchen.

But it was her scarves that 3 Vera’s name. Good fabric was in short 4 during the Second World War, but Vera was lucky enough to 5 across some silk left over from the manufacture of parachutes. Vera used it to design scarves with floral, abstract and geometric designs. These were an 6 success when they appeared in department stores and during the 1950s they were the 7 of fashion, being worn by celebrities such as the film star Marilyn Monroe. By 1960, the company which Vera had 8 was employing 200 staff and producing 130 patterns per season.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 13

FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 13

The old, print-friendly test

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 haveВ makeC getD put

Slacklining

Slacklining is an increasingly popular activity in London’s parks. All you need if you want to 0 _____ a go at slacklining is a two trees about fifteen metres apart, a five-centimetre-wide strap of around the same length and the equipment to 1 the strap to the trees.

The slackline is not a rope, but a flat piece of strong webbing material. The 2 is to try to walk along the line without 3 your balance. As the line is usually 4 about a metre or so above the ground, there is no 5 risk of injury if you don’t 6 to stay on the line. Other street sports, such as skateboarding and parkour are much more dangerous.

Basically, slacklining 7 quite a lot of practice, but it is something you can learn to do. At first, most people like to 8 on to a friend’s hand until get used to the feeling of the moving line under their feet.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 12

FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 12

The old, print-friendly test

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 beneathВ lowerC minusD less

Mars on Earth

The centre of Antarctica, where winter temperatures frequently fall to 0 _____ 80 degrees centigrade and for four months each year there is 1 darkness 24 hours a day, is one of the most extreme environments on Earth. It is also by 2 the most similar place to the surface of Mars, which is why a 3  of thirteen scientists from the European Space Agency have spent nine months at a base there.

They have been studying the physical and psychological 4 on humans of living in extreme conditions, in order to obtain a better understanding of the difficulties humans will 5 during the long flight to Mars and their stay there. Of course, space is 6 Antarctica in that astronauts have to adapt to weightlessness, but the base is 3,200 metres above sea 7 making it difficult to breathe there – as it can be on space flights. They have also, like space travellers, experienced strong feelings of being 8 off from civilisation.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 11

FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 11


The old, print-friendly test

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 causeВ bringC leadD make

Teenagers really do need more sleep

It has long been suspected that lack of sleep can actually 0 _____ to illness, particularly in young people. Research 1 students aged 14-19 over a three-week period now appears to 2 this.

The teenagers wore devices that recorded the movements they made, without being 3 of them, that indicated they were asleep. The results were then 4 to the number of illnesses that they had 5 from during the three weeks, in addition to the number of occasions on which they had been 6 from school.

What the study showed was that students who slept fewer than seven hours a night caught colds, flu and other relatively 7 illnesses more often. The problem is that as children enter their teens their natural sleeping patterns change, 8 in them going to sleep later and therefore wanting to wake up later – but they still have to get up in the morning to go to school.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 10


The old, print-friendly test

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 bandВ set C branchD series

What is genealogy

Genealogy is a 0 _____ of history. It concerns family history, 1 than the national or world history studied at school. It doesn’t merely involve drawing a family tree, however – tracing your family history can also 2 in learning about your roots and your identity. The internet enables millions of people worldwide to 3 information about their family history, without great 4 .

People who research their family history often 5 that it’s a fascinating hobby which 6 a lot about where they come from and whether they have famous ancestors. According to a survey involving 900 people who had researched their family history, the chances of discovering a celebrity in your past are one in ten. The survey also concluded that the 7 back you follow your family line, the more likely you are to find a relation who was much wealthier than you are. However, the vast majority of people who 8 in the survey discovered they were better off than their ancestors.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 9


The old, print-friendly test

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 branchВ item C piece D part

Checking your mobile phone

How often do you check your phone? For many of us, our phone is an essential 0 _____of everyday life, but apparently we are spending an increasing amount of time checking it for information without being 1 of doing so.

Research in Helsinki shows that phone checking 2 lasts less than 30 seconds on each occasion, and usually 3 of opening a single application such as social media. The study also found many users check their mobiles throughout the 4 day, and that what they check is often 5 with particular contexts. For instance, when travelling to work or college, people tend to check their email; if they are bored, they get a quick 6 on the latest news.

Checking this frequently can easily become a habit, which some say can 7 us from more important things. Others, though, believe that being able to 8 so much new information so quickly makes life far more interesting.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 8


The old, print-friendly test

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 ofВ 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.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary