Test 1
Part 1
Questions 1–5
For each question, choose the correct answer.
1 A Adults are not permitted in the
children’s play area.
B Children must always be
accompanied by an adult.
C Children must stay to the left in the
play area.
2 Angus is telling Tim to:
A collect something from the post office.
B call Isa.
C get some new ID.
3 A Do not try to buy so many things.
B The number of people permitted in the
shop is less than it was previously.
C Only enter after someone has left.
Cambridge B1 Preliminary Reading
4 A Buy ten hot drinks, get one free next
time.
B Buy nine hot drinks, get one free
today.
C Buy ten drinks and get a loyalty card.
5 A The coffee room is only for workers.
B The coffee shop is closed today only.
C The coffee shop is closed indefinitely.
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Test 1
Part 2
Questions 6–10
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The people below are all looking for a new place to live.
On the opposite page there are descriptions of eight potential homes. Choose
which home would be the most suitable for the people below.
6 Stuart has just finished university and is looking for a room
in a cheap, relaxed shared house. He doesn’t have a car so
he needs to be close to public transport links.
7 Mary Anne is an architect who is looking for something quiet
in a rural area with lots of space. She would like to work
from home sometimes. She is looking for a home which will
accommodate her two pet dogs.
8 Colin is a student and wants to share with one other person
who is tidy and responsible. He needs something with
parking for his car. He would like his girlfriend to come to
visit at the weekend sometimes.
9 Lin needs an apartment for the next three months. She
wants to live alone. She would like somewhere close to the
centre of town, and would like something which she doesn’t
have to decorate.
10 Trish needs a house for her husband and two young
children, and her dog Rover. She needs parking for two
cars, and would prefer to be close to a nursery school and
primary school. She needs somewhere for just after the
summer, as they will be on holiday in August.
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Cambridge B1 Preliminary Reading
Accommodation Available
A A four-bedroom, semi-detached E A detached four-bedroom home is
house with a garage and extra available near the old St Andrew’s
parking is available from school site, located on the edge of
September. Large garden. Pets town. Good access to all parts of
welcome. Easy access to the town using the motorway. A family
motorway and town centre. Close to preferred. No pets though.
several outstanding schools.
B A shared house with four students F A country cottage surrounded by
who like to party. The room is tranquil countryside. Two bedrooms
inexpensive and situated in and one studio for home-working or
Dobberton, just ten miles from study. Large garden. Pets welcome.
Cambridge. You’ll need a car, but we Pre-installed security system and a
have lots of space for parking. good internet connection.
C Fully furnished luxury flat available G Double room available in a small
for short-term lease. One bedroom, house with off-street parking. To
shower and bath, elevator and share with studious 3rd year uni
underground parking. All the modern student who is often away at the
conveniences. Owners prefer a weekend.
single person.
D Room available in a flat with one H Attic-type apartment available in the
other person. The room is city centre. Large, quiet, open-plan
spacious and airy, and inexpensive space. Located just beside
for its location, a two-minute walk Coldham’s park. Minimum 12-month
from a bus stop and five minutes contract.
from the train station.
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Test 1
Part 3
Questions 11–15
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Violinist Alaina Masters talks about her job
I have always worked hard at mastering my instrument. That goes without saying. But
ever since entering music college I was aware of how important it is to network with
people. Since then, I’ve never really looked back and I am very happy to say that I’ve
always managed to keep working.
When it comes to finding work, people who work for themselves, like me, must have
various ways of making an income. I always need to be looking for jobs, or gigs, as
musicians call temporary pieces of work. Those might come from orchestras or with
smaller groups, such as the string quartet and jazz trio I usually play with.
I used to teach from time to time, but because I need to be available when a job comes
up, I can’t commit to having students anymore. It’s a shame because I really enjoyed
it.
The work with orchestras is always in the metropolitan area, which is handy for me. When
I have one of those gigs, we will rehearse during the day in the weeks before the
show starts. Those sessions are hard work and very tiring, but there is a social
element to them and that helps get us through. Then we’ll do a performance every
night for the duration of the show, two on a weekend with some productions. That is
always exciting and it’s when I am in my element. The performances make all the
effort worthwhile.
With my string quartet we play at weddings or other events, and that sometimes
involves travelling. I don’t drive, but thankfully one of the others is usually able to give
me a ride, and we travel together for the concert. We try to always come back to our
own beds afterwards, as paying for accommodation would use almost all our profits
from the show.
Playing an instrument as a hobby and doing it to earn a living are quite different though.
Thankfully, I have always maintained the love of what I do, so really, I never feel like
I’m working.
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Cambridge B1 Preliminary Reading
11 Alaina says her experience at college taught her the importance of
A building up connections in the scene.
B being good at her instrument.
C continually working.
D managing her time.
12 How would you best describe Alaina’s work status?
A Self-employed, with one main job.
B Self-employed, with a variety of jobs.
C An employee of an orchestra.
D Unemployed.
13 What does Alaina say about teaching?
A She is accustomed to teaching now.
B She does not have time to teach any more.
C She would like to teach in the future.
D She hates teaching.
14 What does Alaina enjoy most about working with the orchestra?
A The fact that the rehearsals and performances are close to where she lives.
B The rehearsals.
C Performing.
D Seeing friends.
15 Which option best summarises why Alaina likes to get home after gigs?
A She can’t drive and her driver insists B She is unable to sleep in a different
on it. bed.
C It is impossible to find somewhere to D To save money.
stay.
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Test 1
Part 4
Questions 16–20
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Five sentences have been removed from the text below.
For each question, choose the correct answer.
There are three extra sentences which you do not have to use.
The Streaming Phenomenon
Watching the latest movies and series on demand is undoubtedly the biggest change in
entertainment in the 21st century. The emergence of services such as Netflix and Disney
Plus have revolutionised the way we watch TV, and how the TV and cinema industry
function forever. Music listening is following a similar model. Gideon McFluff
explains.
When people started making movies, they sold their product directly through the cinema
theatres. It formed a lucrative industry for everyone involved. Many became rich
and famous. Millions more around the world also earned a living, such as the camera
operators, the make-up artists or the ice cream sellers in the theatre. And so it continued
for many years.
Piracy – copying movies or music and then selling them illegally to individuals to watch at
home – became a problem in the 1980s and early 90s. Sites such as Napster
offered users the option to share movies and music for free. People no longer had to pay
for what they watched or listened to. Something had to be done.
As internet technology has become more powerful, the necessary means have arrived in
our homes. Broadband and fibre optic capability has enabled us to receive images and
audio in real time.
With such developments, companies now offer a convenient and legal way to watch your
favourite media productions. What distinguishes one from the other is the
available content. These companies need the most popular movies and series to attract
subscribers. We have seen the streaming companies become the financiers of movies
and series, enabling media companies to invest in top-quality productions.
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Cambridge B1 Preliminary Reading
A If you wanted to watch the latest release you went to the cinema theatre and
paid for your ticket.
B Nowadays 4G and Wi-Fi allow us to watch movies even when we are on the
move.
C But did this change occur by choice or necessity?
D This then becomes the content for the streamers’ libraries, which therefore
attracts subscribers.
E Police and legal services eliminated the problem.
F Clients pay a subscription fee every month for access.
G However, with the arrival of the internet and the digital format the issue changed
from problematic to catastrophic.
H Where can you get your favourite music or movies?
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Test 1
Part 5
Questions 21–26
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Potato
Solanum tuberosum, otherwise known (21) its common name, the
potato, is the world’s fourth largest food crop, (22) rice, wheat and
maize.
It was first cultivated by the Inca-native Americans in Peru somewhere around 8,000 BC
to 5,000 B.C. Spanish Conquistadors took over Peru in 1536 and discovered the
potato for themselves, and subsequently transported them (23)
Europe.
Introduced to Ireland in 1589 it (24) nearly 40 years for the potato
to spread to the rest of Europe. It then made its way back across the Atlantic, this
time to the North American continent, this time taken by European immigrants to the
New World.
Potatoes are easy to grow, contain most of the vitamins required, and provide a
(25) yield from the space they occupy than the other staple crops.
The potato became the first vegetable to be grown in space in 1995. The University of
Wisconsin and NASA invented the technology aimed at cultivating food
(26) astronauts on long space voyages, and, in the future, feeding
space colonies.
21 A for by
B C on
D
22 A after before
B over
C when
D
23 A over on
B C D
24 A took lasted
B played
C told
D
25 A best good
B worst
C higher
D
26 A from B for
C make
D
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Cambridge B1 Preliminary Reading
Part 6
Questions 27–32
For each question, write the correct answer.
Write one word for each gap.
Sleep
Few people doubt the importance of a good night’s sleep. But (27)
much do you need? Some people famously claim (28) need as
little as three hours’ sleep per night, while others need nine hours or more just to
function properly.
A good way (29) find out how much sleep you need is to find a
time such (30) an annual holiday when you can sleep as much as you
like. Take a note of the time when you go to sleep and wake up every day for seven
days. Write (31) down and finally work out the average you need
daily by dividing the total by 7.
To give (32) an idea, people commonly need between six and
eight hours’ sleep per night. However, everyone is different. Try it and see how
much time you need in bed.
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Test 1
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