CAE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 1

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New, online version of this test :: Answer Keys :: Vocabulary

CAE Reading and Use of English 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).

Our obsession with recording every detail of our happiest moments could be
0__________ our ability to remember them, according to new research.

Dr Linda Henkel, from Fairfield University, Connecticut, described this as the ‘photo-taking
impairment effect’. She said, ‘People often whip out their cameras almost mindlessly to
1__________ a moment, to the point that they are missing what is happening
2__________ in front of them. When people rely on technology to remember for them —
3__________on the camera to record the event and thus not needing to 4__________ to
it fully themselves — it can have a negative 5__________ on how well they remember
their experiences.

In Dr Henkel’s experiment, a group of university students were 6__________ on a tour of

a museum and asked to either photograph or try to remember objects on display. The
next day each student’s memory was tested. The results showed that people were less
7__________ in recognising the objects they had photographed 8__________ with those
they had only looked at.

Example:

0 A interfering B upsetting C damaging D intruding

1 A seize В grasp C capture D snatch

2 A quite В right C merely D barely

3 A counting В settling C assuming D swearing

4 A engage В apply C attend D dedicate

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 5 A result В aspect C extent D impact

6 A steered В run C led D conveyed

7 A accurate В faithful C exact D factual

8 A measured В compared C matched D confronted

CAE Reading and Use of English Part 2

For questions 9-16, read the text below and think o f the word which best fits each gap.
Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet

Example: (0) TO

On the hunt for the best young female entrepreneurs

Founded in 1972, the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award is celebrated in 27

countries. Veuve Clicquot has now introduced a new award 0__________ complement its
Business Woman of the Year category. Called The New Generation Award, 9__________
recognises the best young female talent across business and corporate life.

The first winner of the award, Kathryn Parsons, 10__________ innovative start-up
company, Decoded, teaches people to code in a day, has joined the judging panel to help
find this year’s winner. The importance of these awards cannot 11__________
overestimated’ she says. ‘Women need role models that prove to 12__________ that
they can do it, too.’

The New Generation Award is open to entrepreneurial businesswomen 13__________

the ages of 25 and 35. They can run 14__________ own businesses or hail from
corporate life. This award isn’t about how much money you’ve made or how long you’ve
been in business, it’s about recognising young women 15__________ a mission and a
vision’ says Parsons. ‘We want to meet women who are working to 16__________ the
world a better place.

CAE Reading and Use of English Part 3

For questions 17-24, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of
some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example
at the beginning (0).

Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

Example: (0) RESIGNATION

EXIT INTERVIEW

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 If you are thinking of leaving your job, you may think that handing in your 0.
letter of 0 __________ is the end of the matter. But an increasing number RESIGN
of companies now conduct ‘exit interviews’ with staff. 17.
For the employee, an exit interview may feel like an ideal opportunity ANNOY
to rant and rave about every little 17__________ that has troubled them 18. BEAR
since they got the job. But, 18__________ in mind that you will probably 19.
still need a 19__________ from these people, it is best to avoid getting REFER
angry or 20__________ , and just answer the questions as calmly and 20.
with as much 21__________ as possible. EMOTION
21.
For employers, the exit interview is a rare opportunity to gather some HONEST
valuable information about the way staff perceive the company. Existing 22.
employees may not wish to cause 22__________ to the boss or damage OFFEND
their chances of promotion, so are unlikely to 23__________ their real 23.
feelings about the company. However, someone who has already resigned CLOSE
is more likely to be 24__________ when giving their opinions. 24. TRUE

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CAE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 1
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CAE Reading and Use of English Part 4

For questions 25-30, 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 three and six words, including the word given. Here is an example (0).

0 I didn’t know the way there, so I got lost.

GET

Not_____________________ there, I got lost.

Answer: KNOWING HOW TO GET

25 I’ve just noticed that the car has almost run out of petrol.
HARDLY

I’ve just noticed that_____________________ left in the car.

26 I didn’t know that cars were so expensive in this country.

IDEA

I _____________________ so much in this country.

27 Don’t get depressed because of such a small problem.

LET

It’s such a small problem that you shouldn’t _____________ down.

28 It is reported that he is now recovering in hospital.

RECOVERY

He is reported____________________ in hospital now.

29 Laura’s teacher says that she doesn’t have a serious enough attitude to her work.
SERIOUSLY

Laura doesn’t
_____________________ to her teacher.

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30 What’s confusing you so much?
LOT

What is it that’s _____________________ confusion?

CAE Reading and Use of English Part 5

You are going to read a book review. For questions 31-36 choose the answer (A, B, C or
D) which you think fits best according to the text.

The Great Indoors: At Home in the Modern British House

In 1910 the music hall comedian Billy Williams scored his biggest hit with the song When
Father Papered the Parlour, mocking the incompetence of the amateur home decorator.
Fifty years later, comedians Norman Wisdom and Bruce Forsyth were still entertaining
millions on the TV show Sunday Night at the London Palladium with a similar routine, but
the joke was starting to look dated. The success of magazines such as The Practical
Householder was already proving that, as the 1957 Ideal Home Exhibition proclaimed,
“Do-it-yourself is a home hobby that is here to stay.”

By this stage, Britain had mostly completed its transition from primitive housing
conditions, made bearable – for those who could afford it – by servants and handymen,
into a world where families looked after themselves in highly serviced environments.
Recognisably modern technology, in the form of telephones, televisions and electricity,
had become ubiquitous and was to transform domestic living still further in the coming
years. The makeover of British homes in the twentieth century is recounted in Ben
Highmore’s entertaining and informative new book. He takes us on a whirlwind tour of an
everyday house, from entrance hall to garden shed, illuminated by extensive reference to
oral histories, popular magazines and personal memoirs.

At its centre, though, is the way that our homes have reflected wider social changes.
There is the decline of formality, so that living rooms once full of heavy furniture and
Victorian knick-knacks are now dominated by television screens and littered with
children’s toys. There is a growing internationalism in taste. And there is the rise of
domestic democracy, with the household radiogram and telephone (located in the hall)
now replaced by iPads, laptops and mobiles in virtually every room. Key to that
decentralisation of the home – and the implied shift of power within it – is the advent of
central heating, which gets pride of place as the innovation that allowed the whole house
to become accessible at all times of day and night. Telling an unruly child to ‘go to your
room’ no longer seems much of a threat.

Highmore also documents, however, some less successful steps in the onward march of
domestic machinery. Whatever happened to the gas-powered fridges we were promised
in 1946? Or to the Dishmaster a decade later that promised to do “a whole day’s washing
up in just three minutes”? Rather more clear is the reason why a 1902 Teasmade failed to
catch on: “when the alarm clock triggered the switch, a match was struck, lighting a spirit
stove under the kettle”. You don’t have to be a health and safety fanatic to conclude that a

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bedroom isn’t the ideal place for such a gadget. Equally disturbing to the modern reader
is the prewar obsession with children getting fresh air. It was a belief so entrenched that
even a voice of dissent merely argued that in winter, “The healthy child only needs about
three hours a day in the open air, as long as the day and night nursery windows are
always open.” Nowadays, the fresh air obsession has been replaced by irrational fears of
horrors outside the home. It’s easier to laugh at the foibles of the past, and Highmore
doesn’t always resist a sense of modern superiority, though, for the most part, he’s an
engaging and quirky guide, dispensing sociological insights without jargon.

The message is that even the language of the home has changed irrevocably: airing
cupboards are going the same way as drawing rooms. As for that Billy Williams song, “By
the 1980s”, Highmore writes, “it would be impossible for anyone to imagine their front
room as a ‘parlour’ without seeming deeply old-fashioned.” He’s not entirely correct, for
there was at least one person who was still employing such terminology. Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher sold her message with the use of what she called ‘the parables of the
parlour’, which suggests she understood the truth that, despite the catalogue of changes,
there is a core that seems consistent. A 1946 edition of Housewife magazine spelt it out:
“men make houses, women make homes”. When you watch a male comedian today
doing a routine about his wife’s attachment to scatter cushions, it seems worth asking:
has the family dynamic really moved a great deal?

31 The reviewer’s main topic in the first paragraph is

A improvements in home decorating skills.

В how common it was for home decorating to be discussed.

C how unfair descriptions of home decorating used to be.

D a change in attitudes to home decorating.

32 In the second paragraph, the reviewer says that the book includes evidence illustrating

A that some British people’s homes were transformed more than others.
В the widespread nature of changes that took place in British homes.

C the perceived disadvantages of certain developments in British homes.

D that the roles of certain people in British homes changed enormously.

33 In the third paragraph, the reviewer points to a change in

A the extent to which different parts of the house are occupied.

В ideas of which parts of a house should be furnished in a formal
way.

C how much time children spend in their own rooms.

D beliefs about what the most pleasant aspect of home
life is.

34 The reviewer suggests in the fourth paragraph that

A most unsuccessful inventions failed because they were dangerous.

В various unsuccessful inventions failed because they did not work properly.

C some unsuccessful inventions were not advertised appropriately.

D there were unsuccessful inventions which might have been good ideas.

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35 In the fifth paragraph, the reviewer says that in his book, Highmore
A sometimes focuses on strange ideas that were not very common in the past.

В occasionally applies the standards of today to practices in the past.

C occasionally expresses regret about how some attitudes have changed.

D sometimes includes topics that are not directly relevant to the main topic.

36 In the final paragraph, the reviewer suggests that Highmore may be wrong about
A when certain modern attitudes to home life first developed.

В which changes in home life in Britain have been most widely welcomed.
C the extent to which home life in Britain has changed.

D how common terms such as ‘airing cupboards’ are in modern Britain.

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CAE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 1
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CAE Reading and Use of English Part 8

You are going to read an article about children. For questions 47-56, choose from the
sections of the article (A-E). The sections may be chosen more than once. When more
than one answer is required, these may be given in any order.

In which section of the article is the following mentioned?

47 an example of a sign that has become simpler.

48 the difference between how the deaf children communicate an image and how other
people communicate the same image.

49 the fact that the same signs can be used in the communication of a number of ideas.
50 the characteristics of languages in general at different stages of their development.

51 a belief that language is learnt by means of a specific part of the mind.

52 an aspect of language learning that children are particularly good at.

53 how regularly the children have been monitored.

54 older children passing their sign language on to younger children.

55 the reason why the children created a particular sign.

56 opposing views on how people acquire language.

Deaf Childern’s Ad Hoc Language Evolves and Instructs

A A deep insight into the way the brain learns language has emerged from the study of
Nicaraguan sign language, invented by deaf children in a Nicaraguan school as a means
of communicating among themselves. The Nicaraguan children are well-known to
linguists because they provide an apparently unique example of people inventing a
language from scratch. The phenomenon started at a school for special education
founded in 1977. Instructors noticed that the deaf children, while absorbing little from their
Spanish lessons, had developed a system of signs for talking to one another. As one
generation of children taught the system to the next, it evolved from a set of gestures into
a far more sophisticated form of communication, and today’s 800 users of the language
provide a living history of the stages of formation.

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B The children have been studied principally by Dr. Judy Kegi, a linguist at the University
of Southern Maine, and Dr. Ann Senghas, a cognitive scientist at Columbia University in
New York City. In the latest study, published in Science magazine, Dr. Senghas shows
that the younger children have now decomposed certain gestures into smaller component
signs. A hearing person asked to mime a standard story about a cat waddling down a
street will make a single gesture, a downward spiral motion of the hand. But the deaf
children have developed two different signs to use in its place. They sign a circle for the
rolling motion and then a straight line for the direction of movement. This requires more
signing, but the two signs can be used in combination with others to express different
concepts. The development is of interest to linguists because it captures a principal
quality of human language – discrete elements usable in different combinations – in
contrast to the one sound, one meaning of animal communication. ‘The regularity she
documents here – mapping discrete aspects of the world onto discrete word choices – is
one of the most distinctive properties of human language’ said Dr. Steven Pinker, a
cognitive scientist at Harvard University.

C When people with no common language are thrown into contact, they often develop an
ad hoc language known to linguists as a pidgin language, usually derived from one of the
parent languages. Pidgins are rudimentary systems with minimal grammar and
utterances. But in a generation or two, the pidgins acquire grammar and become
upgraded to what linguists call creoles. Though many new languages have been created
by the pidgin-creole route, the Nicaraguan situation is unique, Dr. Senghas said, because
its starting point was not a complex language but ordinary gestures. From this raw
material, the deaf children appear to be spontaneously fabricating the elements of
language.

D Linguists have been engaged in a longstanding argument as to whether there is an

innate, specialised neural machinery for learning language, as proposed by Noam
Chomsky of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or whether everything is learned
from scratch. Dr. Senghas says her finding supports the view that language learning is
innate, not purely cultural, since the Nicaraguan children’s dis-aggregation of gestures
appears to be spontaneous. Her result also upholds the idea that children play an
important part in converting a pidgin into a creole. Because children’s minds are primed to
learn the rules of grammar, it is thought, they spontaneously impose grammatical
structure on a pidgin that doesn’t have one.

E The Nicaraguan children are a living laboratory of language generation. Dr. Senghas,
who has been visiting their school every year since 1990, said she had noticed how the
signs for numbers have developed. Originally the children represented ’20’ by flicking the
fingers of both hands in the air twice. But this cumbersome sign has been replaced with a
form that can now be signed with one hand. The children don’t care that the new sign
doesn’t look like a 20, Dr. Senghas said; they just want a symbol that can be signed fast.

Answer Keys
PART 1

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1 C — capture. To capture the moment is a paraphrase of “to take a picture, to
photograph”. To seize the moment means “to enjoy yourself now rather that later”. Other
two variants do not collocate.
2 В — right. Right in front of
is the only existing collocation of the four given here.

3 A — counting. To count on something or somebody means “to rely on it, to put trust
into it”. To settle on something means “to decide or to choose something”, but the
previous sentence states that people do it “mindlessly”, so no actual choice is made. The
remaining two options do not fit.

4 C — attend. To attend to something means “to try and deal with something”. Pay
attention to the preposition “to”. Engage in is a common use for the first verb. Dedicate
somebody to something fits here, but “dedicate” and “somebody” can’t be separated.
Apply to isn’t used for the same reason.

5 D — impact. To have a negative impact on something is a widely used collocation. A

common mistake is to choose “result”. It is rarely used with “on” preposition, so impact is
a better choice here.

6 C — led. The students were led on a tour (past participle of lead) means that someone
was leading them and it is explained right after that they were asked to do something.
The other three variants do not convey this message.
7 A — accurate. All four variants collocate well with the
preposition, however only the
first adjective fits. Accurate here means “correct, precise” which are the words we need
judging by context.
8 В — compared.
The other verb that could seem as fitting here is matched. However it
is usually used as transitive (without preposition)

PART 2

9 it. It here refers to the New Generation Award.

10 whose. The context suggests that the mentioned start-up belongs to Kathryn Parsons.

11 be

12 them. To prove something to somebody is a set phrase that helps to understand this.
“Something” part is skipped here, so we go straight to “somebody”.

13 between. Perfect to show the range of any numbers (age range in this example).

14 their. Possessive pronoun relating to “they”.

15 with / having. The question here is “what kind of women they want to recognize?”.
Women with or women having a mission and a vision.

16 make. To make the world a better place is a widely used set phrase.

PART 3

17 annoyance. This is the only noun that can be formed from annoy.

18 bearing. Remember that you can’t use the same word form as the one given in the
task
19 reference. Indefinite article “a” suggests that we need to make it into a noun.

20 emotional. Angry or ____ means that the second word has to be an adjective too.

21 honesty. As much *noun* as possible.

22 offence. Again, a noun should be used. Don’t forget that offense is the AmE spelling
and therefore shouldn’t be used here.

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23 disclose. To disclose means “to reveal, to make known”.
24 truthful. An adjective is required here. Mind your spelling, only one letter l and the end
of the word.

PART 4

25 there’s (is/was) hardly any petrol. Almost no = hardly any.

26 had no idea (that) cars cost. Had no idea = didn’t know

27 let it get you. To be depressed = to be down. The second sentence is passive voice,
so to make someone depressed = to get someone down.

28 to be making a recovery. We still have to use a continuous tense here, so we use

“making” with recovery. Remember that the given word can’t be changed.

29 take her work seriously enough according. To have serious attitude to something =
to take something seriously.
30 causing you such a lot
of. Confuse so much – cause a lot of confusion.

PART 5
31 D. A, B and C can all be used as the answer, but it will be incomplete. Answer D
summarizes the idea of paragraph.

32 В. Second sentence of this paragraph holds the answer — how drastically the modern
British homes got transformed. Answer D is mentioned, however it is not the key topic of
this paragraph.

33 A. This paragraph is about “decentralization” of an average British home, how the

living room is no longer the main place in it, and therefore people no longer spend most of
their time there. Answers B and D are mentioned, but only as supporting ideas.
34 D. Answers B and C do not fit — there is no mentioning about advertising or

functionality of the inventions. Answer A can’t be used because of the way it states that
most inventions were dangerous, which isn’t true.

35 В. Quoting the exact excerpt: “it would be impossible for anyone to imagine their front
room as a “parlour” without seeming deeply old-fashioned”
36 C. The following sentence has a M. Thatcher example that
shows how little home life
in Britain have changed.

PART 6

37 C. Reviewer C believes that the companies chosen for the show are very unique and
therefore are not a good representation of the industry. All other reviewers hold it that the
companies in the show are well-chosen to give a good idea how the industry functions.
38 A. Both A and B talk about the probability of viewers losing interest as the content of

this show might be too difficult to understand at first.

39 C. Reviewer C is the only one who thinks that the people in charge are portrayed as
not having too many responsibilities, always able to delegate their tasks to subordinates.
All other reviewers state that higher-ups are shows as hard-working, decision-making
individuals.
40 A. Both
A and C believe that the interview questions were not comprehensive enough.

PART 7

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41 G. To understand this paragraph it is important to know that sailors refer to their ships
as if they were a woman, therefore the pronoun “she” used by the captain refers to the
freighter vessel. It is later confirmed in the next paragraph.

42 C. Beginning the paragraph, author talks about how he came to like the ship despite
its unappealing look. The second part of the paragraph is focused on uneasy situation
that made the author like the ship.

43 E. “Hoping so” is a clear reference to the last part of the previous paragraph.

44 F. The beginning of next paragraph uses pronoun “they” to refer to the waves,
mentioned at the end of this paragraph.

45 В. “That condition” is clearly described in the previous paragraph. The beginning of the
next paragraph states that “all was well in that regard”, referring to the food supply that
the electrician checked.

46 D. The paragraph names what were inside the container mentioned in the previous
paragraph. The beginning of the next paragraph refers to the sailors that make the sea
navigation possible.

PART 8

47 E. Sign representing “20” has become simpler, formerly needing two hands to show
and later only one hand.

48 В. Middle of the paragraph compares how hearing and deaf individuals mime a story
about a cat walking down the street.

49 В. Below the middle of the paragraph. Similar signs in combinations can have different
meanings.
50 С. The
process of language evolution with pidgin language taken as an example
51 D. First sentence of the paragraph talks about the specialized part of human brain.

52 D. Last sentence of the same paragraph. Children’s minds are “primed” to learn the
rules of grammar — meaning that it is much easier to learn them when young.

53 E. First sentence — the visits have been taking place every year since 1990.
54 A. The second part of the paragraph mentions how older generations of children

passed on their knowledge to the younger ones.

55 E. The last sentence of the paragraph states that the children want a sign for a
particular reason, in this case — one that can be shown quickly.

56 D. The first sentence of the paragraph has two opposing ideas on the language origin.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5

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CAE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 1
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CAE Reading and Use of English Part 6

You are going to read four reviews o f a documentary series on TV about large
companies. For questions 37-40, choose from the reviews A-D. The reviews may be
chosen more than once.

Inside Business

Four reviewers comment on the TV documentary series Inside Business, which

investigated the workings of a number of large companies.

The companies that were the focus of each programme in the series Inside Business
were very diverse in terms of the nature of their business and the way they operated, but
between them they demonstrated many of the key features that characterise big
organisations in the modern world. Each programme focused mostly on the people at the
top. The amount of jargon they used is likely to have been too much for many viewers to
contend with, and they may well have given up. If they did stick with the series, however,
they will have been left in no doubt as to how complex the business of running large
organisations is for those charged with doing so. This was clear from what the
interviewees said, but the questioning was not probing enough, and they were not asked
to explain or justify the sweeping statements they made.

В

overwhelming impression given to any viewer who watched all six episodes of Inside
The
Business was of the extraordinary pressure that those running modern companies are
obliged to operate under. Unless they themselves had experience of working in large
companies, however, they are likely to have found some of the interviews bewildering –
the questioning was very much of the ‘one insider to another’ variety and many viewers
will have struggled to follow what was being discussed. This aspect detracted somewhat
from what was an otherwise compelling insight into the workings of modern companies

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and may well have caused many viewers to change channels. That’s a shame because in
general the companies featured in the series illustrated very well the impact of modem
management theories on a range of large organisations.

You didn’t need to know anything about business to be fascinated by the series Inside
Business, which gave an intriguing picture from the inside of how various household
name companies actually operate. The companies chosen made for good television
because they all had very individual cultures and ways of operating, and as such could
not be said to typify the norm in the world of the modern company. Entertaining as this
was, the portrayal of the firms begged all sorts of questions which were not touched on in
the interviews. These gave the people in charge a very easy ride indeed, never
challenging them to back up their often vague and contentious pronouncements on their
approach to leadership. Indeed, the viewer will have been left with the surprising feeling
that many large and apparently successful organisations are run by people who enjoy
their roles enormously because they avoid the harder aspects of responsibility by
delegating them to others.

The series Inside Business took a serious look at day-to-day life in a modern large
company and it wasn’t for the casual viewer. The series required some effort to get to
grips with the issues covered, in particular in the interviews, which were not really
accessible to the lay person and were instead conducted as one expert to another.
Having said that, the viewer who did put the effort in was rewarded with an absorbing
insight into the workings of these well-known firms. They had each been carefully chosen
to be representative of how large companies are structured and function at present, and
they had much in common with each other. The main message put across was how adept
those in charge have to be in adapting to a constantly changing business world.

Which reviewer …

37 has a different opinion from the others on the choice of companies to focus on in the
series

38 shares reviewer B’s opinion of the likelihood of viewers losing interest in the series
after a while?

39 takes a different view from the others on the impression given in the series of what it is
like to be at the top of a large organisation?

40 has a similar view to reviewer C on the questions asked in the interviews in the series?

CAE Reading and Use of English Part 7

You are going to read a newspaper article about a ship carrying goods across the Atlantic
ocean. Six paragraphs have been removed from the article. Choose from the paragraphs
A – G the one which fits each gap (41-46). There is one extra paragraph which you do
not need to use.

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The wind-lashed workers who battle the Atlantic in winter

Even at this stormy time of year in Britain there are thousands of oil workers and
fishermen offshore, as well as a scattering of seafarers manning the container ships and
tankers that bring us almost everything we need. So it was that in the depths of bitter
winter, hoping to learn what modern sailors’ lives are like, I joined the Maersk Pembroke,
a container freighter, on her regular run from Europe to Montreal. She looked so dreadful
when I found her in Antwerp that I hoped I had the wrong ship.

41 …

Trade between Europe and North America is a footnote to the great west-east and north-
south runs: companies leave it to older vessels. Pembroke is battered and rusty, reeking
of diesel and fishy chemicals. She is noisy, her bridge and stairwells patrolled by whistling
drafts which rise to howls at sea. Her paintwork is wretched. The Atlantic has stripped her
bow back to a rusted steel snarl.

42 …

It felt like a desperate enterprise on a winter night, as the tide raced us down the Scheldt
estuary and spat us out into the North Sea. According to the weather satellites, the
Atlantic was storms from coast to coast, two systems meeting in the middle of our course.
On the far side, ice awaited. We were behind schedule, the captain desperate for speed.
“Six-metre waves are OK; any bigger you have to slow down or you kill your ship” he
said. “Maybe we’ll be lucky!”

43 …

Soon enough, we were in the midst of those feared storms. A nightmare in darkness, a
north Atlantic storm is like a wild dream by day, a region of racing elements and livid
colour, bursting turquoise foam, violent sunlight, and darkening magenta waves. There is
little you can do once committed except lash everything down and enjoy what sleep you
can before it becomes impossible. Pembroke is more than 200 m long and weighs more
than 38,000 tons, but the swells threw her about like a tin toy.

44 …

When they hit us squarely, the whole ship reared, groaning and staggering, shuddered by
shocking force. We plunged and tottered for three days before there was a lull. But even
then, an ordinary day involved unpleasant jobs in extreme conditions. I joined a welding
party that descended to the hold: a dripping, tilting cathedral composed of vast tanks of
toxins and organophosphates, where a rusted hatch cover defied a cheap grinder blade
in a fountain of sparks. As we continued west, the wind thickened with sleet, then snow
as the next storm arrived.

45 …

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All was well in that regard and, after the storms, we were relieved to enter the St
Lawrence River. The ice was not thick enough to hinder us; we passed Quebec City in a
glittering blue dawn and made Montreal after sunset, its downtown towers rising out of the
tundra night. Huge trucks came for our containers.

46 …

But without them and their combined defiance of the elements there could be nothing like
what we call ‘life’ at all. Seafarers are not sentimental, but some are quite romantic. They
would like to think we thought of them, particularly when the forecast says storms at sea.

A Others felt the same. We were ‘the only idiots out here’, as several men remarked. We
felt our isolation like vulnerability; proof that we had chosen obscure, quixotic lives.

В Going out on deck in such conditions tempted death. Nevertheless, the ship’s
electrician climbed a ladder out there every four hours to check that the milk, cheese and
well-travelled Argentine beef we carried were still frozen in refrigerated containers.

C But it does not take long to develop affection for a ship, even the Pembroke — the time
it takes her to carry you beyond swimming distance from land, in fact. When I learnt what
was waiting for us mid-ocean I became her ardent fan, despite all those deficiencies.

D There were Dutch bulbs, seaweed fertilizer from Tanzania, Iranian dates for Colombia,
Sri Lankan tea bags, Polish glue, Hungarian tyres, Indian seeds, and much besides. The
sailors are not told what they carry. They just keep the ships going.

E Hoping so, we slipped down the Channel in darkness, with the Dover coastguard
wishing us, “Good watch, and a safe passage to your destination.” The following evening
we left the light of Bishop Rock on the Scilly Isles behind. “When we see that again we
know we’re home” said the second mate.

F Huge black monsters marched at us out of the north west, striped with white streaks of
foam running out of the wind’s mouth. The ocean moved in all directions at once and the
waves became enormous, charging giants of liquid emerald, each demanding its own
reckoning.

G That feeling must have been obvious to the Captain. “She’s been all over the world”
proud Captain Koop, a grey-bristled Dutchman, as quick and confident as a Master
Mariner must be, told me. “She was designed for the South Pacific” he said, wistfully.

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CAE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 1
Printable
engexam.info/cae-reading-and-use-of-english-practice-tests-printfriendly/cae-reading-and-use-of-english-practice-
test-1/5/

Vocabulary
The vocabulary below is meant to help you with the more difficult words. If the word isn’t
on the list then you are either supposed to know it or it is too specific to be worth learning
and you don’t have to know it to answer the question. Symbols in brackets mean part of
speech (see bottom of the list). Sentences in italics give examples of usage for some
more complex words and phrases.

And remember — you are not given a vocabulary list (or a dictionary) at your real
exam.

Part 1
Obsession (n) — an idea that you can’t stop thinking about. His obsession with women is
going to end badly sooner or later.
Impairment (n) — weakening, loss
of ability.

Whip out (phr v) — to produce something quickly, to take something out. He whipped out
his phone and dialled emergency service number.

Rely on (phr v) — to be dependent on something, to trust something.

Thus (adv) — in this manner, therefore.

Snatch (v) — to seize, catch something suddenly. The burglar snatch the handbag out of
her hands.

— nothing more than, only. It was merely a friendly talk, nothing serious.
Merely (adv)

Steer (v) — to control (e.g. using a steering wheel).

Factual (adj) — relating to or based on facts. Do you
have any factual information on this
topic?

Confront (v) — to face someone or something, usually to fight, criticise or accuse.

Part 2
Complement (v) — to add to, to make complete. Your shoes really complement your
dress.

Overestimate (v) — to estimate or value too highly, to think too much of something or

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somebody. You overestimated him — he didn’t even pass the entrance exams.
Hail from (phr v) — to be from somewhere, to originate from. That artist hails from
Boston.

Part 3

Conduct (v) — to do, to carry out. The police conducted a search in his apartment.
Resign (v) — to give up, to quit. He resigned from police ten years ago.

Rant and rave (v) — to be in rage, furious. She ranted and raved about the way people
mistreat her.

Avoid (v) — to evade, to keep away from. You should avoid starting your sentence with a
conjunction.

Perceive (v) — to see as, to recognise or observe.

Part 5
Mock (v) — to ridicule or imitate someone.

Amateur (adj) — not professional. His amateur attempts at photography weren’t very
impressive.

Dated (adj) — short for outdated.Unfashionable, obsolete. Cars designed in late nineties
look rather dated now.

Transition (n) — change from one state to another. The country’s transition from
socialism to capitalism went smoother than many had expected.

Ubiquitous (adj) — being everywhere, omnipresent. Now that I have bought this
cellphone it seems like it’s ubiquitous — everyone has one!
Makeover (v) — to renovate, change or rebuild.

Reference (n) — the act of referring to something previous. This movie has many
references to the previous part.
Knick-knacks (n) — ornaments
or decorations.

Littered with (phr v) — full of something. After the celebration, the streets were littered
with empty cans and bottles.
Imply (v) — to say indirectly,
to suggest. She implied that she rather liked John.

Advent (n) — coming.

Unruly (adj) — disobedient, not behaving properly. Doctor told us to use force against
unruly patients.
Entrenched (adj)
— established after many years, culturally accepted.

Dissent (n) — disagreement, refusal to conform. Two leading political parties have been
in dissent for several years now.
Foible (n) — minor weakness. Maurice
is a great guy but even he has his own foibles.

Quirky (adj) — strange, queer.

Irrevocable (adj) — unable to be changed, unalterable. The damage caused by the flood
is irrevocable.

Parable (n) — a short story, esp. those told by J. Christ.

Scatter (v) — to throw in all directions, to spread unevenly. The largest malls are
scattered all over town.

Part 6

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Diverse (adj) — having variety. The community in Toronto is one of the most diverse in
Canada.

Contend with (phr v) — to have a rivalry, to argue. This lecturer really likes to contend
with unruly students during his classes.

Leave in doubt (phr v) — keep someone in uncertainty about something.

Probing (adj) — thorough. The search conducted was very probing and therefore
successful.

Justify (v) — to be valid, to have reasons. I can’t justify firing this employee — he has
done nothing wrong!

Sweeping statement (n) — generalised statement.

Overwhelming (adj) — overpowering, extremely strong. The effect of his speech was
overwhelming — the ovation went on for several minutes.

Bewildering (adj) — confusing or puzzling.

Portrayal (adj) — representation. The portrayal of his contribution to our society isn’t
accurate.

Vague (adj) — not clear or certain.

Contentious (adj) — subject to doubt or discussion. Their contentious claim shocked

everyone.
Delegate
(v) — give or transfer your duties to other person.

Get to grips with (phr v) — to deal with, to be done with.

Lay person (n) — person without any specialised knowledge in the subject, non-
professional. To a lay person, this formula doesn’t make any sense.

Part 7
Man (v) — to control (a boat, a vehicle). She manned the ship and set sail to the shore.

Freighter (n) — a big cargo ship.

Dreadful (adj) — horrible, scary, terrifying.

Footnote (n) — a note printed at the bottom of the page, referring to a word with a
number like this2.

Battered (adj) — worn out. The car that he was driving was old and battered.

Rusty (adj) — influenced by rust — oxidised metal that becomes red and crumbles.

Reek (v) — to give strong unpleasant smell. The place reeked of spoiled milk.

Estuary (n) — the wide part of a river that nears the sea.

Midst (n) — in the middle of.

Livid (adj) — Angry; pale, without colour.

Lash down (phr v) — to tie or fasten. The cargo had to be lashed down to prevent it from
moving around the ship.

Squarely (adv) — in a direct, straight way.

Lull (v) — soothe someone into sleep.

Weld (v) — unite or bring metal parts together by means of high temperatures.

Hinder (v) — to slow down. Our progress was hindered by poor weather conditions.
Defiance (v) — open and bold resistance to authority. His sudden defiance towards
the
dean of our university came as a surprise.

Vulnerability (n) — weakness.

to understand. Dim. We could never understand his
Obscure (adj) — strange, difficult

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obscure references.
Quixotic (adj) — unrealistically optimistic. Relating to Don Quixote.

Wistful (adj) — sad and deep in thought about something.

Part 8
Deaf (adj) — unable to hear.
Acquire (v) — to get or grain
something, usually permanently.

Ad hoc (adj, latin) — made for a particular purpose. We are going to have an ad hoc
meeting about company’s new policy in five minutes.
Insight (n) — ability to see and understand something clearly and quickly. Her political
insight is was helped her to climb the career ladder so swiftly.

From scratch (phr v) — from the ground up, from nothing.

Gesture (n) — a hand motion indicating something. The meaning of that gesture is
‘victory’.

Cognitive (adj) — relating to mind and thinking.

Decompose (v) — to break down into smaller parts.

Map onto (phr v) — to fit to or correspond with.

Derive from (v) — take from source or origin. These examples are derived from
Shakespeare’s Othello.
Rudimentary (adj) — basic
or fundamental.

Utterance (n) — a statement.

Raw (adj) — unfinished. (Relating to food) not cooked. Raw meat is the main source of
nutrients for most big carnivores.
Innate (adj) — existing in person
from birth. His innate talents are praised by all of his
teachers.

Uphold (v) — to defend or maintain.

Primed (adj) — prepared for.

Impose (v) to force something. They imposed big fines upon major companies.
Cumbersome (adj) — heavy and big in size, awkward.

n — noun; v — verb; phr v — phrasal verb; adj — adjective; adv — adverb

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