Practice Test

Sue Elliott

CompactPreliminaryfor Schools

Compact Preliminary for Schools: Practice Test Cambridge University Press 2013 PHOTOCOPIABLE1

PASSENGERS PLEASE NOTE:

THERE IS A DELAY OF 10 MINUTES

ON TRAINS TO EXETER

Reading Part 1

Questions 1 5

Look at the text in each question.What does it say?Mark the correct letter A, B or C on your answer sheet.

Example:

0

Answer: 0 A B C

A Trains to Exeter are all ten minutes late.

B The train journey to Exeter takes ten minutes.

C The next train to Exeter will arrive in ten minutes.

A Mum is reminding Jack to get a birthday present for his grandmother.

B Mum wants Jack to phone his grandmother on her birthday.

C Mum is asking Jack to tell his grandmother when theyre going to see her.

A The school cannot run the tennis club this term if students forget to pay.

B Students wishing to join the tennis club cannot pay until Friday.

C Only students who bring money before Saturday can become members.

1

2

Jack,Dont forget its Grandmas birthday! Well go tomorrow and deliver the present youve bought her, but give her a call today, wont you? See you later,Mum xx

School tennis clubStudents who forget to pay feesby Friday cannot join this term

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Mrs Jones is writing to

A encourage more students to help with the music show.

B congratulate students on their success with the music show.

C give students her opinion of the music show.

A Hollie is letting Sophie know she made a mistake about something.

B Hollie wants to check the arrangements she made with Sophie.

C Hollie needs to cancel her meeting with Sophie tomorrow.

A Sandwiches are on special offer at Marcos this week.

B All the drinks are cheaper at Marcos this week.

C Your lunch could cost you less at Marcos this week.

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4

5

To: All studentsFrom: Mrs Jones, Principal

I would like to thank all students who took part in the school music show, and worked so hard to organise it well done!

Hi Sophie,About the concert were going to tomorrow I got the time wrong! So can you meet me outside the entrance half an hour earlier than we agreed?Hollie

MARCOSBuy a lunchtime sandwich

and get a half-price soft drink

this week only!

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Reading Part 2

Questions 6 10

The people below all want to find a suitable beach to go to.On the opposite page there are reviews of eight beaches.Decide which beach would be the most suitable for the following people.For questions 610, mark the correct letter (AH) on your answer sheet.

6 Jade and her family want to find a beach thats suitable for

doing some surfing. They want a quiet beach, where Jade can also find some wild birds to take photos of.

7 Sophie and her little sister Ella like looking for sea creatures on

the beach, but want other things to do if they get bored. Their dad wants to buy lunch on the beach.

8 Jake wants to fly his new kite, so he needs a fairly quiet beach,

with changing facilities for his dad, who loves swimming. Theyd like to stay overnight nearby, but dont want to camp.

9 Maria and her family want to visit the beach, and also an old

building. Marias mum is a painter, and loves painting skies. They want somewhere to stay in their tent overnight.

10 Harry and Mark want a safe beach for going out in their small

boat, with people their age who like playing beach volleyball. Their parents want to eat lunch in a picnic area.

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A Horton Mile is a beautiful beach with unusually calm water, so its popular with families and young people, and is busy every day. There are cafs and shops nearby, and also a lovely area with tables and chairs where you can sit and eat your own food.

B South Sands, near the town, is popular with families with young children, and surfers. There are rock pools on the beach where you can find tiny fish. The caf on the sand serves great sandwiches, and if you get tired of the beach, theres a funfair, a hotel and an old castle.

C Sutton Seafront has huge waves, making it perfect for surfers, but less good for swimmers. There are some good rock pools further up the beach though. The wildlife is amazing, both in the sky and in the water, although the area is always crowded with visitors. However, apart from a hotel, there are no other attractions nearby.

D Deaconfield Bay is a quiet beach with great sunsets in the evening the colours are wonderful. However, it is not recommended for watersports as the sea is unsafe. Above the beach is the ancient castle of Deaconfield, which visitors can walk to, and the nearby campsite provides cheap family accommodation.

E Crambourne Beach is very wild and often empty, as its some distance from the town, so sea birds regularly fly in for food. Big waves crash onto the beach, making it the perfect spot for board sports in the water for the young and not so young!

F The campsite above Compton Bank is wonderful looking over the beach and the picnic area. The beach is far from the town and its shops and funfair, but theres a caf on the sand serving good food, where you can sit and watch the birds. The sea here is OK for swimming but unsuitable for watersports.

G The beach at Blue Waters is quite windy great for kite flying! There are usually plenty of sports happening on the golden beach, but the sea is deep and the waters arent particularly safe for visitors. However, there are cafs serving lunches, and the old Beach House Museum is worth visiting.

H Marlborough Strand is perfect for people who enjoy going in the water and there are beach huts for showering and getting dry after your swim. Further along the beach, the crowds disappear and the beach is empty and it can also be windy! The Strand Hotel provides rooms at reasonable prices. However, there are no other facilities nearby.

Beaches

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Reading Part 3

Questions 11 20

Look at the sentences below about sightseeing flights.Read the text on the opposite page to decide if each sentence is correct or incorrect.If it is correct, mark A on your answer sheet.If it is not correct, mark B on your answer sheet.

11 Flyover offers flights over European cities in either a helicopter or a plane.

12 Flyovers passengers often discover they prefer flying in a helicopter to being in a plane.

13 You should allow about an hour for the whole experience.

14 The helicopters are large enough for members of your family to travel with you.

15 You can celebrate the New Year on January 1st with one of the companys flights.

16 As soon as youre in the air, you choose which parts of the city to fly over.

17 Flyover will contact passengers on the day of their flight if it is cancelled.

18 You are advised to take extra clothes with you because of the temperature inside the helicopter.

19 Your eyes will need to be protected from strong sunshine during your flight.

20 Flyover pilots know a lot about the cities they fly over because they live there.

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Flyover sightseeing flights

Are you and your family looking for a way of celebrating a special occasion your birthday, say? Then why not climb on board one of our helicopters for a city sightseeing trip? We run flights over several European cities, and with our helicopters ability to move up and down at speed, or to simply hang in the air without moving, we think youll find you see much more than from a plane. And even people who usually dislike flying in a plane find our helicopter flights are so smooth that they feel they have never even left the ground!

Youll have a half-hour safety talk before your flight, which will last for up to 30 minutes from engines-on to engines-off. Although this might sound like a very short time in the air, youll see so much that were convinced youll decide it was worth it! And you dont need to go alone theres plenty of space for you to share your ride with up to three other passengers. Flights operate on selected weekend dates from the end of January to the middle of December. Details of exactly where youll go on your flight are provided for you when you make your booking.

Of course, flying always depends on the weather, so its essential to call the airport for a weather check before setting out on the day. If you find your flight is cancelled because of the weather, it can be re-booked. Although helicopters are sometimes able to fly even in poor weather, your trip will not be as enjoyable because of the limited view on a clear day youll see for miles and miles.

Family and friends are welcome to come and watch you take off and land. And dont forget that helicopters can get quite warm inside, so you should dress in something suitable. You should also bring some sun cream in the summer, and sunglasses are essential all year round. Bring your camera, too youll find therell be plenty of great photo opportunities!

Our pilots are excellent. Although they may not be flying over their home town, theyre trained to give you plenty of information about the city you fly over, and answer any questions you may have. Youll be able to talk to them, and the other passengers, during the flight. Youll find everything looks very different from the air and if you actually live in the centre of the city youre flying over, you may even find yourself flying right over your home! We think youll find the whole trip is an unforgettable experience so what are you waiting for? Book now!

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Reading Part 4

Questions 21 25

Read the text and questions below.For each question, mark the correct letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet.

Driving a fire engineby Sam Jenkins

I guess lots of young people dream of driving a fire engine although strangely I never did!

And not many people go from riding motorcycles around town, as I did, to driving a huge

fire engine. When I first joined the fire service, I didnt even have a driving licence, yet now

Im the one teaching other young fire fighters to drive engines safely. Still, young drivers are

often surprised that despite the engines size, theyre OK to drive much easier than they

used to be, even though theyre longer now, and they turn corners better than my small car!

But I still dont find it as scary to drive an engine myself as when Im showing learners how

to drive. For example, theyre permitted to drive through red lights, but they still have to

be careful and stop for traffic, not just drive through at speed. And it sounds obvious, but

they have to know their way around town. When they dont, thats when new drivers without

experience make mistakes. At one time, of course, horses used to pull the engines, and

they knew the streets really well. So now we check our new drivers know the streets as well

as those horses did!

One problem for fire engine drivers is when people park their cars in the wrong place and

we cant get past. Sometimes we actually have to move them. I remember once there was

a smart sports car parked in the road, and I hit it did quite a bit of damage. We contacted

the owner afterwards, and he wasnt pleased, but he accepted I was in a hurry!

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21 What is Sam Jenkins doing in the article?

A telling readers why he became a fire engine driver

B giving an account of his experiences on a fire engine

C describing a typical working day in his job as a fire fighter

D explaining why being a fire fighter is such a good job

22 What does Sam say about driving fire engines?

A He is glad to get into his small car again afterwards.

B Their increased length makes them difficult to turn.

C The vehicles have improved a lot in recent years.

D His motorcycling experience helped him become a good driver.

23 When teaching young drivers, Sam says he

A feels more nervous than when hes driving himself.

B has to spend a lot of time correcting their mistakes.

C shows them all the main routes around their city.

D finds they are more careful than he was as a learner.

24 How does Sam feel when he finds cars parked in his way?

A unwilling to move them

B amazed at the drivers attitude

C worried that he might damage them

D keen to do his job whatever happens

25 What advice might Sam give to a young person wanting to become a fire engine driver?

A Its not a problem if youre not good at map-reading you wont be the one responsible for finding which

way to go.

B Remember that you can drive through red traffic lights, and that

other vehicles just have to get out of your way.

C Dont worry if you cant drive yet the fire service will teach you, so if its your dream, you should go for it.

D Therell be times when other drivers parking makes things difficult for you, but just be patient. And dont

get cross like I do!

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Reading Part 5

Questions 26 35

Read the text below and choose the correct word for each space.For each question, mark the correct letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet.

Example:

0 A think B consider C tell D realise

Answer: 0 A B C D

Colour films

How old do you (0) moving films are? Well, moving films were first made

(26) a hundred years ago, but seemed to be (27) only in black and white.

Film experts believed this was (28) colour film didnt exist then. But now an old

colour movie that was recently (29) suggests that the experts may be wrong. The

film may be as (30) as 110 years old, making it one of the oldest pieces of colour

film ever found.

The film is full of amazing colour pictures. One short piece of the film shows a family

(31) three children are sitting at a table behind a big glass bowl (32) their

pet fish. The colours of the fish are still just as fresh as when they were (33) filmed.

The pictures are also (34) as they show what young children (35) to wear

more than a hundred years ago.

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26 A since B over C after D more

27 A delivered B played C produced D worked

28 A although B so C while D because

29 A discovered B explored C invented D recognised

30 A long B far C much D soon

31 A which B whose C what D who

32 A containing B keeping C having D including

33 A later B last C earlier D first

34 A expensive B serious C valuable D popular

35 A used B would C made D should

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Writing Part 1

Questions 1 5

Here are some sentences about the weather.For each question, complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first.Use no more than three words.Write only the missing words on your answer sheet.You may use this page for any rough work.

Example:

0 I became interested in the weather after I read a book about it.

I became interested in the weather after a book about it.

Answer: 0 reading

1 Predicting the weather isnt easy.

It isnt easy the weather.

2 My city is warmer in spring than in autumn.

My city isnt in autumn as in spring.

3 It almost never snows in my city.

It hardly snows in my city.

4 The weather was so nice yesterday that we went swimming in the sea.

It was a nice day yesterday that we went swimming in the sea.

5 Which kind of weather is your favourite?

Which kind of weather like the best?

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Writing Part 2

Question 6

You and your family spent a day in the mountains while you were on holiday.

Write an email to your friend, Sam. In your email, you should:

tell Sam how you and your family travelled to the mountains

describe the best thing you did in the mountains

say how you felt about the day.

Write 35 45 words on your answer sheet.

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Writing Part 3

Write an answer to one of the questions (7 or 8) in this part.Write your answer in about 100 words on your answer sheet.Mark the question number in the box at the top of your answer sheet.

Question 7

This is part of a letter you receive from your English friend, Jo.

Now write a letter, answering Jos questions.

Write your letter on your answer sheet.

Question 8

Your English teacher has asked you to write a story.

Your story must begin with this sentence:

John looked at his watch and saw that it was time to go.

Write your story on your answer sheet.

Help! My parents say I can paint the walls of my bedroom a different colour, and I want to paint them black. They are not happy about this colour, what do you think about black? What can I say to my parents to persuade them?