Mock Test 2.1 (General Reading)

READING PASSAGE 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-14, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.

Questions 1 - 8

Some places to visit

A. Beautiful Kingsley House was built in the 18th century, and all the rooms are decorated and furnished in the style of the time. They include the dining room, study and dressing room, which contains a display of 18th-century ladies’ clothing. Our volunteer guides in each room bring the house to life with stories of the past.

B. The Africa Museum was founded 50 years ago, and to commemorate the event, we have chosen 50 treasures from the permanent collection and put them together to tell the fascinating story of that continent. [Crack IELTS with Rob] This exhibition continues until the end of the year. The Folk Art Gallery opens to the public next month, exhibiting traditional paintings and other objects from all over Africa.

C. From the outside, 17 Mansfield Street may not look particularly exciting, but come inside, and you'll find yourself in a historic building that started life as a theatre, before becoming a bank and then a restaurant, which is still in operation. On Sundays and Mondays, when the restaurant is closed, a guide is available to show you round the building and its fascinating architectural features.

D. The Industrial Heritage Centre tells the fascinating story of a local family firm. Mr John Carroll started his engineering business in this building exactly 150 years ago. The firm closed in 1969, but the factory has been re-created, with machines like those that Mr Carroll was familiar with. [Crack IELTS with Rob] See what working life could be like in the 19th century, a life far removed from the elegance of the wealthy.

E. The Fashion Museum has only just opened. It is home to an outstanding collection of more than 30,000 objects worn by men, women and children, dating from the 17th century to the present day. You'll see how people used to dress! As well as the permanent exhibits, you can currently see Dressing the Stars, which displays original costumes worn by the stars of many popular films.

F. Having spent the best part of two years being refurbished, the Mason Museum has recently opened its doors again. It provides a magnificent setting for its art collection and for the beautiful 18th-century furniture for which the Mason is famous. [Crack IELTS with Rob] Open Mondays to Fridays 10-4, and weekends 10-6.

Questions 9 - 14

LearnEnglish courses

LearnEnglish courses are a great way to learn, because they’re so flexible. All our courses are taken online using a computer, so you can work through the course at your own speed, and go back to any session whenever you want to. For some courses there are workbooks, in addition to the computer course, to provide extra written practice.

We offer hundreds of courses in a whole range of subjects from reading, writing and maths to business and management. Many of these are specially designed for people whose first language isn’t English.

Step one: have a chat with a friendly member of staff in one of our 1,500 LearnEnglish centres around the country. [Crack IELTS with Rob] They can advise you on the most suitable course. They’ll also work out whether you qualify for funding, so that you won’t have to pay the full fee for the course.

You might want to try a taster lesson first. This is a single computer session in any subject of your choice, and it will show you what learning with LearnEnglish is like.

When you’ve made your final decision, step two is to register on your course. [Crack IELTS with Rob] Once you’ve done this, a staff member will show you how to get started, whether you’re using a computer at home, at work or at a LearnEnglish centre.

That’s all you need to do! When you start your course, you can contact your LearnEnglish centre by phone (we’re open during normal office hours) or email if you need help.

Questions 1 - 8

The Passage -Some places to visit- has six descriptions of places to visit in the same city, A-F.

Which description mentions the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any answer more than once.

1. clothes that well-known people have worn
E
2. a display that cannot be seen yet
B
3. people who talk in an entertaining way
A
4. the museum having just reopened
F
5. a building that has changed its function several times
C
6. furniture of the same kind that was used when the building was new
A
7. being open for tours on certain days of the week
C
8. a special event to mark an anniversary
B

Questions 9 - 14

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage -LearnEnglish courses?

In boxes 9-14 on your answer sheet write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

9. You can work through parts of a course more than once.
TRUE
10. The number of courses offered by LearnEnglish has increased enormously.
NOT GIVEN
11. Many staff members have worked through a LearnEnglish course themselves.
NOT GIVEN
12. You may have to pay to take a LearnEnglish course.
TRUE
13. Everybody takes the same taster lesson.
FALSE
14. LearnEnglish centres are open seven days a week.
FALSE