Reading (45 minutes)

Part 2

Questions 6-10

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The young people below all want to visit an ice cream factory with their families.

Decide which book would be the most suitable for the people below.

Ice crem factories

A. Frida's farm isn't only famous for top- quality ice cream, but home-made cakes too — taste a range of them while you're here! Have a go at making ice cream yourself, adding whatever you fancy, from chocolate to vegetables! A perfect birthday activity —and there's an indoor playground for young children, too!

B. Henry's has used the same methods for 50 years to produce first-class ice cream and celebration cakes! Based in an old country farmhouse, the building was the site of several interesting historical events. Visit the cows that produce our milk, and hear our plans for remaining environmentally friendly.

C. Denton's has made ice cream since  1900, and is one of the country's favourites! The tour includes a talk about how Denton's was set up and how the business has developed over the years. The shop has great gifts and, in the café, try our strange but delicious ice cream varieties, including pea and blue cheese!

D. At Horley's, we still make ice cream and cakes the same way it's been done for a hundred years. Help bake cakes in the visitors' kitchen, and record a Horley's ad on a DVD you can keep! Visit the beautiful 18th-century farmhouse, and meet the cows that produce our milk!

E. At Carswell's, visitors will enjoy walking through the huge gardens and young children will love the animals at Pets' Corner. In the factory building, try our many flavours of ice cream, and get a souvenir from the fantastic shop — including some free ice cream!

F. Giulio's factory is famous for its beautiful gardens and fantastic children's activities! Come and watch how ice cream is made, starting with collecting the milk. See machines turn it into ice cream, and finally, eat some! And if it's an important celebration, we'll make an ice-cream cake just for you!

G. Vascombe's has made ice cream for 100 years — and it's always been delicious! See everything we do — from caring for our animals and the surrounding environment, to producing a variety of popular ice cream flavours! Try our delicious cakes and ice cream, and get a souvenir T-shirt to take home with you!

H. Jacobson's is based in what was once the largest cotton factory in the area, designed by a well-known 19th-century architect. The factory now operates completely on wind power, and has won prizes for its recycling methods. Visit the lab where food scientists develop delicious and unusual flavours, and try making your own ice cream!

Write the right LETTER in the empty spaces.

Part 3

Questions 11-15

For each question, choose the correct answer

Challenge yourself!

15-year-old Kyle Washington writes about what he does in his free time.

I joined the National Youth Challenge (NYC) last year because I knew they went camping and sailing and taught skills like public speaking, and these were things I'd never done before. In the NYC you can do different activities to challenge yourself and you're always learning something. There are different levels, from beginner to advanced, run by adult volunteers called ‘leaders’. When you complete each level you get a certificate.

When I first joined, my leader suggested that my first challenge should be helping to organise activities at a local children's club for two hours a week. I wasn't sure it was a good idea; I'd joined that same club when I was eight and I'd found it really difficult to make friends. I was quite shy then and all the other children already had their own friendship groups, so I'd stopped going after a couple of weeks. I decided to take up the challenge though, but only because I wanted my first NYC certificate.

Soon, however, I wanted to spend all my free time at the children's club. It meant a lot more to me than just getting the certificate. And when I finished the challenge, the NYC leader let me keep on volunteering at the club because I'd built up some great relationships with the children. Now I'm there for about four hours a week and I always really look forward to going.

Because of what I've learnt at the children's club, I've decided that when I finish school in three years time I want to go to college to become a qualified youth worker — someone who works with children. It wasn't something I'd ever considered before starting at the club. In fact, I'd never thought about my future job, and the idea of youth work had never entered my mind. This has been my favourite part of the NYC so far and I've improved my own communication skills while at the same time helping others. I've got several other NYC certificates now and yes, one of them is for camping!

Part 4

Questions 16-20

Five sentences have been removed from the text below. For each question, choose the correct answer.

There are three extra sentences which you do not need to use.

Is too much messaging bad for us?

I've just read some interesting research in a magazine article about the amount of messaging that teenagers do. It seems that we send an average of 100 messages a day — that's 3,400 every month! The researchers say that this is very likely to have some big effects on parts of our lives. (16)............... As we grow up, we start to rely less on them. But the research says that some teenagers message their parents up to 15 times a day.Some people might say that means that we depend on them too much. (17)................

One thing did worry me a bit about the research though. It seems that for many of us, messaging doesn't end when the lights go out for the night. (18)................. That's because if, like me, you keep the phone on after going to bed, the light shows when a new message comes in. This disturbs our sleep, and even though we're not completely awake, we'll often read the message and even reply. As a result, we might end up being rather bad-tempered in the morning. (19)............

Of course, despite the fact that some of what I read in the article was rather negative, it's not all bad news. (20)................ One advantage is that if you're feeling a bit shy, or just tired, and you don't want to communicate face-to-face, messaging is a great alternative. I think the main thing is that messaging can be a fantastic way to stay in touch as long as we don't do it too much. What do you think? Message me and let me know !

Part 5

Questions 21-26

For each question, choose the correct answer.

The world's largest school

We usually expect flowers to have an attractive smell. However, this isn't true of all of them.

The flowering plant called the Titan Arum only produces flowers every ten years or so - but when it does, the smell is so (21)................... that most people say they can't stand being near the flower, unless they hold their noses. They say that it's the worst smell they have ever (22)..................

The plant, which can grow to over 100 cm tall, is able to produce heat. As this happens, the bad smell is created. But the smell does have a purpose. It's intended to encourage all kinds of insects to travel  (23).................. distances to visit the flowers.

The flowers always (24)..................... a lot of interest because they are produced so  (25)................... Scientists wanting to study the plant need to (26)...................... out their research before the flowers disappear again for another ten years.

Part 6

Questions 27—32

For each question, write the correct answer.

Write one word for each gap.

A trip to the theatre

We had a class day out today. We went on a theatre trip (27).............. see Shakespeare's play Hamlet. A friend of mine (28)................ has always been really into Shakespeare, had already told me the story. Basically, Hamlet discovers a terrible secret about his family, but he can't decide (29)................ to do about it. I won't say any more about the story, in case you decide to go and see it as well. I'd hate to spoil it for you! The only thing I didn't like about the play was (30)................. fact that it lasted four hours. For me, that was far (31)................ long, and the seats were quite uncomfortable. Afterwards, my mum asked me  (32).................. I'd go and see another Shakespeare play. I said yes, I probably would, but I'd take a cushion next time!