Take this fortnight reading and use of English quiz and boost your preparation for the Cambridge B2 First exam.
Roll up your sleeves and sharpen your wits!
Good luck!
Reading and Use of English, Part 1
Read the sentence. Decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits the gap.
I came across an interesting interview while I was _____ through a magazine at the beauty parlour.
A. clicking
B. flicking
C. picking
D. ticking
Reading and Use of English, Part 2
Read the sentence. Think of the word which best fits the gap. Use only one word.
If he had a different character, yesterday’s argument would have ___ different consequences.
Reading and Use of English, Part 3
Read the sentence below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of the line to form a word that fits in the gap.
Overall, I wouldn’t describe the film as a comedy, since only one or two scenes are ………….. . HUMOUR
Reading and Use of English, Part 4
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given.
You’ll be wasting your time if you try to get tickets for tomorrow’s concert.
POINT
There is ………………………………………………………… get tickets for tomorrow’s concert.
Reading and Use of English, Part 5
Read the extract. Choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
So does it matter if we see male and female clothes as different? For adults and older teenagers, each person can choose how they want to look, but it’s important to think about the messages young children receive. While the last thing we want is kids all dressed in identical clothes, a recent example reveals the difference in marketing across the genders. A T-shirt for boys went on sale with the slogan ‘Little man, big ideas’; the corresponding top for girls read ‘Little girl, big smiles’. In a world where little girls can grow up to be astronauts and boys hairdressers, that just seems rather behind the times.
What is the writer’s main purpose in this paragraph?
A. to encourage readers to choose how they want to look
B. to support the idea of identical clothes for boys and girls
C. to disapprove of stereotypical images of young children
D. to advise readers to see male and female clothes as different
Reading and Use of English, Part 6
Read the extract. One sentence has been removed from the text. Choose from the sentences (A-C) the one which fits the gap.
Can’t decide? Just flip a coin
Flipping a coin is a tried and tested method of coming to a decision over something fairly minor: such as what to watch on TV, who buys lunch, or whose turn it is to wash up. But what if you were to make major life choices in the same way? Heads I do it, tails I don’t.
This is exactly what a study by Steven Levitt of the University of Chicago got people to do. He says that very few studies have been done to find out whether people are good at making important choices.
♦ ?
Its aim was to assess whether change would play a role in making people happier.
A. In fact, other psychology studies suggest we have an inbuilt preference for the status quo.
B. As strange as it seems, nearly 4,000 people used the site for help with those problems.
C. So volunteers who were having difficulties with a potentially life-changing decision agreed to take part in an intriguing experiment.
Reading and Use of English, Part 7
You are going to read a magazine article about someone who has been influenced a lot by another person.
Fanfiction: fun for readers or unfair to original writers?
In fan fiction, also known as fanfic, writers borrow characters and concepts from books, films, and TV shows, and write alternative storylines. We asked Lin for his take on this growing form of storytelling.
Lin
People are often curious about how I got started, but it was really quite simple. I read the last chapter of a novel and I hated the ending! Not only was it a bad ending to the story, the characters seemed to have lost their original personality. So I set about writing my own ending, just for fun. It was when I found that other fans were as dissatisfied as me with the same book, that I decided to make my version available online. It was an instant hit, with some fans saying my work was more credible and enjoyable. Now I’m a regular fanfic writer with thousands of readers worldwide. Having their comments helps me shape what happens next and keeps me going. It’s that ongoing interaction that distinguishes fanfiction from other forms of writing.
For questions 1-10, choose the ones that are mentioned in the article above.
Is Lin the person who:
- wasn’t immediately popular with readers?
- says that fanfiction can’t be justified by the number of readers?
- uses fanfiction sites as a way of finding what readers like?
- involves their fans in the writing process?
- doesn’t agree that fan fiction writers are inferior?
- believes that a story belongs to a global audience?
- points out that many fanfiction writers don’t use their own name?
- had the same level of disappointment in a story as other readers?
- hasn’t lost out financially because of fan fiction?
- tried to remove access to fan fiction material based on their work?
Check out our previous B2 First Reading and Use of English quizzes here:
- B2 First Reading and Use of English Quiz
- B2 First Reading and Use of English Quiz 2
- B2 First Reading and Use of English Quiz 3
- B2 First Reading and Use of English Quiz 4
- B2 First Reading and Use of English Quiz 5
Stay tuned for more words of advice and handy material!
