FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 4


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 or В and C in D nor

Royal Residences

Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle 0 _____ the Palace of Holyroodhouse are the 1 of the Sovereign and, as such, serve as both home and office for the Queen, whose personal flag flies 2 her Majesty is in residence.

These buildings are used extensively for State ceremonies and official entertaining and are opened to the 3 as much as these commitments allow. They are furnished with fine pictures and works of art from the Royal Collection, assembled over four centuries by successive sovereigns. Many of the State Apartments and rooms at the official residences have been in continuous use since their conception and many of the paintings are 4 in the rooms for which they were originally 5 .

The official residences are in regular use and the style and manner in which they are shown to visitors reflects their working status. Rooms are kept as close to their normal 6 as possible. Inevitably, opening times are subject to change at short notice depending on circumstances.

The Royal Collection, which is owned by the Queen as Sovereign in trust for her successors and the Nation, is administered by the Royal Collection Trust to which a proportion of the admission fee and other 7 from visitors is directed. The remainder of this money funds the majority of the cost of restoring Windsor Castle which was badly 8 by fire in November 1992.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 3


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 moment В present C current D minute

The Gesture Interface

At the 0 _____ if we want mobile 1 to the Web, we have to travel around with things like tablets and smartphones in our bags or pockets. But the inventor of something called the Gesture Interface has 2 up with a way of doing this using only something we’ve 3 around with us for millions of years – our hands.

The idea is 4 on simple technology that is already in existence. 5 carrying around the usual hardware, you have a small wearable device on your hands. This contains a projector, a camera and wireless technology to 6 you to the Web. It also has sensors which read and interpret simple hand gestures. For example, when you want to 7 a photograph, simply make a frame around the image with your hand and click your fingers. The device 8 out what you want and operates the camera.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 2


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 numberВ amountC quantityD drive

Where to go whale watching

When asked to list the things they would most like to experience in life, a surprising 0 _____ of people mention seeing whales in their natural habitat. It’s an ambition that can be 1 surprisingly easily. It is 2 that the seas around Iceland are home to over five thousand orca whales. But their behaviour, and therefore your chances of seeing them, varies 3 to the season.

In summer, the whales have a 4 to hang out near the coast and can be seen swimming up fjords and inlets. During the winter months, however, the animals are generally to be found 5 out at sea. 6 season you choose for your trip, whale-watching trips are very easy to organise, and there’s a chance you’ll get to see other whale species too.

Besides Iceland, another option is to 7 for northern Norway between October and January. Orcas arrive here at this time of year in 8 of large shoals of herring, which form an important part of their diet.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary

FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 1


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 brightВ fairC keenD sharp

Messages from the Stone Age

The incredible pre-historic Chauvet cave art in France is painted in 0 _____ colours and dates back to a period around thirty thousand years ago when early humans first started to create rock art. Although various 1 of this art have been found in caves in Western Europe, very few people have seen the art at Chauvet because it is located 2 inside an inaccessible underground cave system. Those who have seen it say that it is very impressive, showing animals 3 horses, rhinos and cows, and that the artwork is good enough to 4 modern compositions.

The first scientists to 5 the Chauvet paintings missed some other important 6 however. The walls of the cave are also marked with a series of lines and symbols, that were initially 7 as insignificant. But recent research has suggested that these marks may represent humankind’s first steps towards the development of writing, which is 8 people to rethink their ideas about when written communication first started.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary