Four People Try a New Activity

B2 First Reading and Use of English — Part 7

Multiple matching

You are going to read about four people who took up a new activity. For questions 43–52, choose from the people A–D. You may choose each person more than once.

Four people try a new activity

A — Maya, amateur theatre

I applied to join the cast, but the director asked whether I’d help the crew instead. The group was short of volunteers, so I agreed to work with the lighting technician. I used to think the lighting was there simply to help the audience see the actors. Then I watched the technician switch from a warm glow to a single spotlight, and suddenly the main character seemed completely alone. I still hope to act one day, but next term I’d like to design the lighting for an entire production.

B — Joel, football

I’d always wanted to play as a defender, but I put off joining a team because I thought everyone would care too much about winning. At my first practice, the players cheered as loudly for a teammate who blocked a shot as they did for the goalscorer. That made me feel much more comfortable. I’d also assumed that shin guards were only needed in matches, so I turned up without them. The coach explained that we had to wear them whenever we trained on the pitch. Luckily, another player had a spare pair.

C — Lina, healthy eating

I joined a cooking club because I wanted to eat a more balanced diet. I expected to be given a shopping list full of things I’d never use again. Instead, the organiser asked us to bring ingredients we already had at home and showed us how to turn them into a balanced meal. She also suggested choosing fresh fruit instead of sugary snacks. I didn’t think that would make much difference to my routine, but I now pack an apple for work so I have something ready when I get hungry in the afternoon.

D — Theo, filmmaking

I’d made short videos on my phone, so I thought I knew how to keep viewers interested. In my first film for the club, I spent hours creating special effects for a chase. When the others watched it, they could tell me what happened in the scene, but they couldn’t explain why the main character was running away. I rewrote the script to make that clear. Later, another member showed me how changing the soundtrack could make the same scene feel tense or funny. Now I show people an early version while there’s still time to make changes.

Questions

Which person …

43. learnt to prepare a balanced meal with ingredients they already had?
44. found out that protective equipment was compulsory during practice?
45. hopes to take responsibility for the lighting of a whole production?
46. changed the script after viewers failed to understand a character’s motivation?
47. delayed joining because they expected too much emphasis on winning?
48. agreed to do technical work because the group needed more people?
49. replaced a sugary snack with fruit as part of their routine?
50. discovered that changing the soundtrack could alter the mood of a scene?
51. noticed that good defending received as much praise as scoring?
52. discovered that lighting could communicate a character’s feelings to the audience?

Changing what we eat at the club

B2 First Reading and Use of English — Part 6

Gapped text

You are going to read an article about a sports club that started serving lunch. Six sentences have been removed from the article. For questions 37–42, choose from sentences A–G the one that fits each gap. There is one extra sentence you do not need to use.

Changing what we eat at the club

At our Saturday sports club, players often stayed to watch the next match. However, they rarely stayed long enough to eat together. We thought an affordable lunch might encourage them to do so. (37) _____ The replies made it clear that speed mattered as much as price, especially to parents who had children playing at different times.

Our first idea was to offer sandwiches made to order. On the trial day, however, one volunteer had to take the orders and make the food. (38) _____ By the time the last few customers reached the counter, the next match had already started.

For the second trial, we set out a small selection of sandwiches and fruit in advance. Customers could see what was available as soon as they arrived. (39) _____ That left us free to talk to customers instead of spending the whole break making food.

We thought people would ask for more choice, but it was the portion size that caused the most discussion. Some younger players wanted only half a sandwich. (40) _____ Offering two sizes turned out to be simpler than expanding the menu, and we wasted less food.

A month later, one of the teams offered to take over the stall for a Saturday. We were pleased, but the volunteers from that team had never worked there before. (41) _____ The list told them what needed to be ready before the first match and what could wait until later.

We now have enough volunteers to run the stall every week. The best sign that the idea works is what happens after the food has been served. (42) _____ Some even bring folding chairs so they can watch the next match together.

Missing sentences

A. There was no need to explain the choices or prepare individual orders.

B. So we asked members what would make them more likely to buy lunch at the club.

C. We gave them a short checklist rather than expecting them to remember everything.

D. Others wanted a larger lunch because they were playing again later.

E. Instead of leaving straight away, people sit down and stay to chat.

F. A queue soon stretched from the counter to the door.

G. The organisers had already decided to cancel the remaining matches.

The Night the Scenery Stayed Put

B2 First Reading and Use of English — Part 5

Multiple-choice reading

Read the article about a volunteer at a community theatre. For questions 31–36, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) that best fits according to the text.

The Night the Scenery Stayed Put

When I volunteered at our community theatre, I pictured myself painting scenery in a quiet room. Instead, the stage manager asked me to help move it during a performance. I considered asking for a different job. It wasn’t the weight of the scenery that worried me. I had never worked in a theatre, and I couldn’t imagine finding my way around in the dark while an audience waited on the other side of the curtain. Nevertheless, I accepted, partly because everyone else seemed to have a job already.

At our first rehearsal I paid close attention to the written instructions. They told me which section of the set to move, where to put it and how to signal when I was done. I felt reassured until the actors arrived. One paused much longer than expected before delivering a line that was supposed to be my cue. I nearly started moving the set too early. After that, I stopped treating the instructions as a timetable and started listening to what was actually happening on stage.

By opening night I could recognise the cue without thinking. This turned out to be less useful than I had hoped. When my moment came, one of the wheels on a large painted wall refused to turn. For an instant I thought of pulling harder. Then I remembered a rehearsal in which a loose piece of scenery had nearly fallen. I signalled to the stage manager instead. She made a small movement with her hand, telling me to leave the wall where it was.

I expected the actors to stop when they found the wall still in place. One of them simply opened a door that was normally used in another scene and invited the other actor through it. From where I stood, it looked as if the action had been designed that way. Afterwards, a friend in the audience commented on how cleverly the door had been used. I almost explained what had happened, but decided I rather liked her version of events.

Until then, I had assumed that being good backstage meant completing every job exactly as planned. I still think careful preparation matters. Without it, the actors wouldn’t have known where the extra door led, and I wouldn’t have known whom to signal. What changed was my idea of what the planning was for. It gave each of us enough knowledge of the production to make sensible choices when something went wrong.

I now help train new volunteers. When we practise moving a set, I sometimes ask one person to leave a piece of scenery in the wrong place. Everyone has to work out how to respond. The first time I tried this, a volunteer asked how I could expect them to get it right without telling them what would happen. I told her that this was the bit of training I wished I’d had.

Questions:

31. What worried the writer about the first assignment?

A. The other volunteers might be unwilling to help.

B. The scenery would have to be painted in a hurry.

C. The pieces of scenery would be too heavy.

D. The unfamiliar conditions would make the job difficult.

32. What did the writer learn from the first rehearsal?

A. The timing of a cue depended on how the scene was performed.

B. The instructions failed to mention an important signal.

C. The actors needed clearer written instructions.

D. The scenery needed to be moved earlier in the scene.

33. Why did the writer signal to the stage manager instead of pulling harder?

A. The stage manager had asked for a signal before every move.

B. One of the actors had already opened another door.

C. Something that had happened in rehearsal made the writer aware of the risk.

D. The writer could see that the wheel had broken off.

34. What does the friend’s comment suggest?

A. The friend had noticed the problem with the scenery.

B. The change on stage looked as though it had been planned.

C. The audience was confused by the way the scene ended.

D. The actors had made the same change in rehearsal.

35. How has the writer’s view of planning changed?

A. The writer now believes a plan should anticipate every possible problem.

B. The writer now considers planning more useful for the crew than for actors.

C. The writer now thinks preparation mainly benefits new volunteers.

D. The writer now sees preparation as a way to help people adapt.

36. Why does the writer deliberately create a problem during practice?

A. To see how quickly volunteers can move the scenery.

B. To show volunteers where each piece of scenery belongs.

C. To give volunteers practice in dealing with an unexpected situation.

D. To find out which volunteers have paid attention to the instructions.

A New Menu for the Match Day

B2 First Reading and Use of English — Part 3

Word formation

For questions 17–24, use the word in capitals to form one word that fits the gap. Use one suffix per answer and make any necessary spelling changes. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example answer (0) — QUICKLY

A New Menu for the Match Day

At our football club, the sandwiches usually sold out so (0)_____(QUICK) that late arrivals had little choice.
Last season, a youth-team (17)_____(PLAY) suggested adding more options for people who wanted a light meal after a match.
Before we could change the menu, however, we needed written (18)_____(APPROVE) from the club committee.
The committee agreed to cover the (19)_____(ADDITION) cost of buying fresh fruit and vegetables from a local supplier.
A (20)_____(TRAIN) from a nearby catering college helped us test the new recipes.
We had a tight budget, so it took some (21)_____(CREATIVE) to come up with dishes that were both affordable and appealing.
The changes were introduced (22)_____(SLOW), with just one new dish appearing on the menu each week.
This approach required (23)_____(PATIENT), as it took several weeks to find out which dishes members would buy again.
One of the wraps became so popular that the club is now locally (24)_____(FAME) for it.

A Lunchtime Walking Group

B2 First Reading and Use of English — Part 2

Open cloze

For questions 9–16, read the text below and write one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example answer (0) — FIRST

A Lunchtime Walking Group

At (0) _____, our lunchtime walking group followed the same route every day. In addition (9) _____ being easy to follow, it took us past a café where we could refill our water bottles. When part of the path was closed on account (10) _____ repair work, we started walking around the park (11) _____ of going along the river.

The new route took longer, so we decided to leave ten minutes earlier in (12) _____ to get back to work on time. Our manager agreed that we could start lunch early, as (13) _____ as someone stayed in the office to answer calls. In (14) _____ of that restriction, we found a way for everyone to join at least twice a week by taking turns answering the phone.

As (15) _____ as getting more exercise, we started sharing ideas for healthy lunches. We swapped recipes for meals that were easy to bring to work, such (16) _____ vegetable wraps and lentil salads.

A Football Film Without a Stadium

B2 First Reading and Use of English — Part 1

Multiple-choice cloze

For questions 1–8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Example (0) A get B give C make D take

A Football Film Without a Stadium

When a local film club decided to (0) _____ a short film about women’s football, it couldn’t afford to hire a stadium. Instead, the director chose a school (1) _____ as the filming location. The players joined the cast, and a small (2) _____ from a nearby college took care of the cameras, sound and lighting.

The original (3) _____ included a scene in which the goalkeeper dived into the goalpost. To avoid the risk of (4) _____, the director replaced that moment with a close-up of the goalkeeper’s gloves as she caught the ball. The camera operator filmed the save from ground level so it would look convincing without any (5) _____.

For the (6) _____, a local musician mixed the sound of the crowd with a simple melody. At the first screening, some viewers said the match felt so real that they held their (7) _____ during the final penalty. The players, who had been nervous about appearing on camera, said the experience had given them the (8) _____ to take part in another film.

No.	A	B	C	D
1	court	stage	pitch	studio
2	audience	crew	orchestra	backing group
3	script	soundtrack	scenery	lighting
4	recovery	stretching	fitness	injury
5	live performances	special effects	reporting requirements	character roles
6	casting	plot	soundtrack	scenery
7	patience	breath	confidence	balance
8	confidence	likelihood	usage	performance

C1 Speaking Test Part 4 (individual MUN Interview)