READING PRACTICE TEST 6

PASSAGE 1 – Questions 1-10

Take me out to the Ballpark

Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie… you just can’t get more American than that! Frank Bell gives
us a look at baseball, no longer just America’s favourite sport!
Baseball is sometimes called a national pastime in America because it is a much loved
national sport. Of course, baseball is not limited to the USA. It has played for many years in
the countries of South America and is very popular in Japan. Europe is another matter, not
many baseball teams exist in Europe today. That, however, is slowly changing. Since baseball
is an Olympic sport, more and more countries are putting together teams and joining the
game! [A]
Going to baseball games is a way of life for many fans. They sit in the stands on hot and
sunny spring and summer days, eat hot dogs or popcorn, sip cola or lemonade and enjoy the
game. Adults and children alike attend games, and it's a sport that everyone seems to love.
Baseball is such a part of American life that nearly everyone's favourite childhood memory
includes a day at the ballpark.
When and where did the game of baseball start? Well, people have been playing games with a
stick and a ball for hundreds of years! Modern baseball, however, about 150 years ago in New
York, USA and has been a popular sport ever since. It has changed a little bit over the years
but the basic game remains the same. Baseball is played with a bat, which is a stick about 100
cm long is made of metal or wood, and a small hard ball. Each player also wears one heavy
leather glove to catch the ball. Baseball gear usually consists of a lightweight shirt and
trousers that come down just past the knees. [B]
Baseball is played on a special outdoor field which has two parts, the infield and the outfield.
In the infield is an area shaped like a diamond that indicates the boundaries of the playing
area. On the diamond, there are also the three bases that the players must run over to score.
The outfield is an open grassy area where players wait to catch balls that are hit by other
players.
The game of baseball is divided into nine parts, called innings. During an inning, each of the
two teams takes its turn to bat, which means trying to hit the ball that is thrown to them by the
pitcher of the other team. After the ball is hit, the player tries to run and touch three different
bases before running to home base. The team not batting tries to catch the balls that are hit
and stop the runners before they score. The team that scores the most runs by the end of the
ninth inning wins. It's a game that can go very slowly for a while then suddenly have a series
of fast and exciting moves! [C] Fans love baseball games! The stands are usually filled for the
games. People enjoy a day at the ballpark cheering on their favourite team and relaxing in the
summer sun. So what are you waiting for? Put on your baseball cap and give it a try! [D]
1. The writer says that baseball
A. is played only in America.
B. is not popular in countries like Japan.
C. started in South America.
D. is becoming more popular all over the world.
2. According to the text, baseball is played in more and more countries because
A. it is an exciting game.
B. it is included in the Olympic Games.
C. Many American people live there.
D. It is easy to play.
3. Which sentence isn't true about baseball?
A. It was first played during the 1850s.
B. It is an Olympic sport.
C. The rules have changed quite a lot over the years.
D. It started in New York.
4. Which piece of equipment is not mentioned in the text?
A. bat C. glove
B. ball D. mask
5. In which space (marked [A], [B], [C] and [D] in the passage) will the following sentence
fit?
Players wear shoes with spikes to help them run, just as football players do, and a
baseball cap, which is something everyone is familiar with!
A. [A]
B. [B]
C. [C]
D. [D]

6. What is the baseball field like?

A. It has an infield, an outfield and a middle field.
B. There are three diamonds on the ground.
C. There are three bases on the diamond.
D. It is usually in an indoor stadium.
7. The game is divided into
A. two halves.
B. nine innings.
C. three bases.
D. an infield and an outfield.
8. The object of the game is to
A. catch as many balls as you can.
B. hit the ball the farthest.
C. score the most runs.
 D. bat as often as you can.

9. What is true about a baseball match?

A. It’s slow.
B. It often takes place on hot summer days.
C. Spectators are not allowed to bring foods to the ballpark.
D. The speed of the match may change suddenly.
10. According to the text, most American people have
A. childhood memory at a ballpark.
B. a baseball gear.
C. experience of participating in at least a baseball inning.
D. all of them

PASSAGE 2 – Questions 11-20

Ten Events, One Champion:
THE DECATHLON
Fay Webster takes a look at the world of athletics and finds out what it takes to be a true
champion.

The Olympic Games have changed a lot since their origins in Ancient Greece. Today, athletes
from countries all over the world take part and the Olympics are big business, watched by
millions on television. Some things, though, have stayed the same. The athletes then could
make a lot of money from winning, just like today's competitors. In the ancient Games, a
great champion might have received as much as a year’s pay for winning a race.
Another thing that hasn't changed is the search for an all-round champion, somebody who can
defeat their opponents at a number of different sporting events. In the ancient Olympics,
athletes competed in the pentathlon. This consisted of the long jump, the discus, the javelin, a
running race and wrestling. The first winner, in 708 BC, was Lampis of Sparta, who must
have been a great athlete to beat so many others from all over the Hellenic world. The
pentathlon was an important part of the Olympics until Emperor Theodosius of Rome banned
the Games in 393 AD.
The Stockholm Olympics of 1912 brought back this tradition of the search for all-around
greatness. The modern pentathlon was included (shooting, swimming, fencing, riding and
running) and so was the modern decathlon (ten events), with the heptathlon (seven events) for
women being introduced later. So what drives someone to take on this running, throwing,
jumping challenge and push their body to its limits? I met American decathlete Bruce Thorpe
in New York and told him he must have been crazy to take up the decathlon. He laughed.
“Yes, I think I probably was. I could have done lots of different sports, but I chose the
decathlon. It’s very tough and it demands a lot of different skills. You have to train just as
hard as other athletes, only you have to do it in ten different events! I think we’re probably all
a little crazy, but it’s very satisfying in the end,” he said. I asked him to explain what happens
in the decathlon.
“The way it works is you complete each event and you get points, depending on how well you
do in that event. At the end of two days, the person with the most points is the champion and
takes the gold medal, the second person gets the silver and the third the bronze medal. We
start with the 100 metres, the long jump, the shot put, the high jump and the 400 metres. The
second day, it’s the 110 metre hurdles, the discus, the javelin, the pole vault and the one that
we all dread, the 1500 metres.” I asked him what made the 1500 metres such a struggle. 'All
the other events demand speed or strength. With the long race, it’s stamina. Really,
decathletes aren’t built for that event.'
So, what tips does Bruce have for those of you thinking of taking up the decathlon? “Start as
early as you can and join a good club,” he said. “It takes a long time to master ten different
events, or seven for the heptathlon, and you need expert help. And don’t expect to have much
free time!”
Ten events, one champion. Think you might be the one? If you’re interested in finding out
more about the decathlon, contact your local athletics club.

11. In the first paragraph, the writer says that athletes today
A. are more popular than in ancient times.
B. are much better than in ancient times.
C. treat the Olympics like a business.
D. can become wealthy through sport.
12. What does the word “This” in paragraph 1 refer to?
A. the champion
B. the running race
C. Greece
D. the pentathlon
13. The ancient pentathlon didn't test athletes' abilities to
A. throw things.
B. jump high.
C. run fast.
D. jump far.
14. Lampis of Sparta was
A. the organizer of the first ancient Olympics
B. Emperor Theodosius of Rome
C. the first winner of the ancient Olympics
D. the greatest athlete in history

15. According to the passage, the heptathlon for women

A. became an Olympic event after 1912.
B. similarto the ancient pentathlon.
 C. tests the ability to ride a horse.
D. is much easier than the decathlon.
16. How many sporting events were included in the modern decathlon of Stockholm Olympics
in 1912?
A. only one
B. five
C. seven
D. ten
17. What did Bruce Thorpe say about decathlon?
A. It is challenging and requires athletes to have various skills.
B. There’s no need for participants to train hard.
C. It has only seven events.
D. It takes one day to decide the winner.
18. What do you have to do to win a gold medal in the decathlon?
A. Score more points than all the other competitors.
B. Beat the other competitors in at least three events.
C. Finish each event in the top three.
D. Complete the events in the right order.
19. What does Bruce say about the events?
A. The 1500 metres should be on the first day.
B. The first day is tougher than the second.
C. The 1500 metres is different from the other events.
D. It looks easier than it actually is.
20. What is Bruce's advice for people thinking of becoming decathletes?
A. Get a trainer to guide you.
B. Get up early to start training
C. Take up the heptathlon instead.
D. Try to get a good time in all the events.

PASSAGE 3 – Questions 21-30

COAST TO COAST
A27-year-old graphic designer from Oxfordshire in England completed a record-
breaking journey across Australia yesterday. It was a 5,800 kilometre odyssey - and he
travelled the whole distance on a skateboard. David Cornthwaite, who started skateboarding
less than two years ago, decided on his epic journey after waking up one morning and
realising he hated his job. “I thought, the only thing keeping me going is the skate to and from
work. I was a bit disillusioned and I was looking for something new,” he said. “I saw a
Lonely Planet guide to Australia. There was a map on the back. Perth was on one side and
Brisbane on the other and I thought, that'll do.”
 He decided to prepare by skateboarding from John O'Groats to Lands End: the two
points furthest apart on the British mainland. That 1.442 kilometre trek, which he finished in
June, took just over a month, during which an infected blister swelled to the 'size of a tennis
ball'.
Crossing Australia on a skateboard brought unique challenges. The wind caused by
huge road trains, the articulated lorries that thunder across the Outback, was so powerful that
he was sometimes blown off his board. Multiple blisters and aching ankles, toes and feet,
have kept him in almost constant pain for the last six weeks. “I feel like an old man. I'm not
sure that anyone has ever had this many blisters,' he said. Temperatures of 40°C and above
mean that he has used more than a dozen tubes of factor 30 sunscreen. 'There have been
moments where I thought “this is ridiculous, I have to rest", but I never contemplated giving
up.' He has worn through 13 pair of shoes and has an over-developed right calf muscle which
he compares to ‘a giant chicken fillet’.
Skating an average of 50 kilometres a day and hitting speeds of up to 50kph on
downhill runs, he left Perth, Western Australia, and skated across the fearsome Nullarbor
Plain into South Australia. After reaching Adelaide he made his way to Melbourne and from
there to Sydney. A support team of seven people trailed him all the way in a four-wheel drive
vehicle, which included camping equipment for night stops. The journey has smashed the
previous record for a long-distance skateboard, set by an American, Jack Smith, who covered
4,800 kilometres across the US in 2003.
David Cornthwaite was less than three kilometres from the end of his epic journey when
he hit a hole and was so thrown off his skateboard, suffering cuts and bruises to his shoulders,
knees, hips and elbows. 'I was only going at 40km at the time, so although it wasn’t pretty, it
could have been a lot worse,' he said. In the short term, he hopes to spend the next few days
surfing on the Gold Coast, south of Brisbane, to build up some much-needed upper body
strength. I've got huge legs but a skinny body - it’s a bit ridiculous. I need to give my body a
chance to warm down and surfing sounds ideal. For the time being I’m hanging up my
skateboard. In the longer term, he plans to give motivational speeches and write a book.
Another long-distance journey is also on the cards. “I’m certainly not going back to the day
job,” he said.

21. Why did David Cornthwaite decide to skateboard across Australia?

A. He was an experienced skateboarder
B. He wanted to break a world record
C. He was bored with his life and wanted to try something different
D. Somebody gave him a guidebook about Australia
22. The word “disillusioned” in paragraph 1 can be best replaced by
A. disappointed C. fascinated
B. embarrassed D. delighted
23. His preparation in Britain was
A. successful, but painful
 B. successful, but more time-consuming than planned
C. successful, but more difficult than he had realised
D. unsuccessful because he got injured
24. What made David fall off his skateboard several times in Australia?
A. thunderstorms in the Outback
B. the trains that race across the Outback
C. the injuries on his feet
D. the wind created by huge lorries going past
25. At times, David felt as though he
A. needed to stop for a while.
B. wanted to give up completely.
C. wanted to get out of the sun.
D. needed a new pair of shoes.
26. During the journey, where did David sleep at night?
A. in a four-wheel drive vehicle
B. in a tent
C. outdoors on the Nullarbor Plain
D. in the homes of his supporters
27. David fell off his skateboard because
A. he was going too fast his journey
B. he was exhausted and in pain
C. he didn’t see a hole in the road
D. he was thinking about finishing his journey
28. Why does David think surfing is a good thing to do after his journey
A. He can stay close to Brisbane.
B. He’s always wanted to surf on the Gold Coast.
C. He wants to strengthen the top half of his body.
D. He needs to keep his legs strong.
29. What does David hope to do eventually?
A. encourage other people to feel more positive about themselves
B. put his skateboard away
C. return to work as a designer
D. persuade other people to make long-distance journeys
30. According to the text, in some days, David plans to skate on
A. Perth
B. Adelaide
C. Melbourne
D. Gold Coast

PASSAGE 4 – Questions 31-40

 On Tour with the London Symphony Orchestra
“Footballers and musicians are in the same business. They both do stressful jobs in
front of critical audiences. The only difference is that football crowds are noisier.” So says
Rod Franks. “And he should know.” Franks started his working life with Leeds United
Football Club, neatly changed direction, started playing the trumpet instead of football, and is
now principal trumpeter with the LSO (London Symphony Orchestra). Franks might have
made a further observation about the similarities between orchestras and football clubs: it is
playing away that presents the real challenges.
London’s oldest orchestra has been playing away since it was formed almost a century
ago. Nowadays, the orchestra’s trips abroad are kept to tours of a maximum of two and a half
weeks. But since touring is clearly expensive and presents major organisational and technical
problems, why bother to tour at all? Clive Gillinson, the managing director, says: “A great
international orchestra needs to work with the greatest conductors and soloists. No recording
company will record a conductor or soloist if he or she is only known in one territory - they
need an international reputation. So for the recording side to work, you have to visit the key
markets; you need to tour.”
By touring with projects or festivals, Gillinson is able to create an event, not just
provide a series of concerts. It is more expensive to do, but when you leave town you are not
so easily forgotten.
For Sue Mallet, the orchestra’s administrator, the difficulties of her job lie in getting a
symphony orchestra and its instruments on stage, on time and in one piece. However well she
plans each tour, and she does her planning with scientific accuracy, events sometimes take
an upper hand. On one occasion a concert had been advertised for the wrong night, and on
another the lorry carrying the instruments from the airport to the concert hall broke down and
got stuck in snow.
It is a tiring and stressful business flying around the world, and yet on balance it is one of
the rewards of the job. Certain moments are unforgettable. At the end of a concert in
Moscow an enthusiastic audience had brought the orchestra to its feet. As one of the
musicians was about to sit down, an elderly lady in the front row pressed a piece of paper into
his hand. It said, in words of simple English, what lovely music the orchestra had made.

31. What do footballers and musicians have in common?

A. Their work abroad earns a lot of praise.
B. They receive too much unfair criticism.
C. They enjoy extremely noisy audiences.
D. They experience tension in their work.
32. What are we told about Rod Franks?
A. He used to be the director of a football club.
B. He switched from one career to another.
C. He used to be a professional trumpeter.
D. He disliked his original choice of career.
33. Before joining London Symphony Orchestra, Rod Franks worked for
A. a football club
B. a travel agency
C. a consulting firm
D. an event organizing firm
34. The word “principal” in paragraph 1 can be best replaced by
A. original C. prime
B. main D. initial
35. The LSO began playing abroad
A. only fairly recently.
B. over a hundred years ago.
C. when it was first set up.
D. when it needed money.
36. Orchestras have to travel abroad
A. to play with foreign conductors.
B. to record with foreign companies.
C. to make themselves better known.
D.to record with new solo players.
37. What does “It” in paragraph 3 refer to?
A. organising a number of recordings
B. visiting the most important markets
C. the expense of touring in a country
D. providing more than just concerts
38. Sue Mallet’s arrangements for the LSO can be
A. affected by external circumstances.
B. made difficult by awkward players.
C. spoilt by overlooking tiny details.
D. spoilt by very careless planning.
39. What does the phrase “with scientific accuracy” (paragraph 3) suggest about Sue
Mallet’s planning?
A. It’s very neat and tidy.
B. Her figures are correct.
C. She used to be a scientist.
D. The details are excellent.
40. According to the writer, what made a certain moment “unforgettable” (paragraph 4)?
A. the fact that the orchestra stood up
B. an individual’s appreciation
C. the enthusiastic applause
D. the fact that a message was in English