Not many people think of the city _____(1) a particularly nice place to walk.

It is full of cars, the

air is polluted and many streets are really crowded. _____(2) fact, most people’s idea of a hike
consists _____(3) walking down winding countryside paths, climbing mountains or strolling
along a deserted beach.

This, however, is not _____(4) “city walkers”. They reckon cities are just _____(5) good as the
countryside, or maybe even more so. According to the English novelist Will Self, “if you walk in
the town or city where you live you don’t _____(6) the risk of getting stuck in a traffic jam,
which is what happened to me last time we set _____(7) for a nice country walk”. There is also
the great convenience of cafés and bars where you can _____(8) for a drink.

Walking in the city, of course, is not new. In the 19th century, French artists would talk about
the flâneur: a person who would wander around the city, not really going anywhere. They
would look around them and observe people around them. This idea soon _____(9) on and
was imitated by artists in other countries.

Nowadays, though, it seems you wouldn’t see much apart from people staring down _____(10)
their phones. Nevertheless, it is still very interesting to walk around and get to know your city
better – as well as getting some exercise!

Ejercicio 2

Reescribe las siguientes frases para que tengan el mismo sentido. No utilices más de cinco
palabras. Debes incluir la palabra en negrita sin alterarla – no valen plurales, gerundios, ni
nada de eso.

John is not at the office. He’s definitely gone home.

have

John is not at the office. He ____________(1) home.

Sally asked: “When will you be arriving, Jane?”

me

Sally asked _____________(2) arriving.

I only went to Paris because I met Julie.

not
Had I not met Julie, ___________(3) to Paris.

The bus took five hours to get here.

on

I _____________(4) the bus here.

I didn’t go to the cinema because there was a very long queue to buy tickets.

that

The queue to buy tickets ______________(5) I didn’t go to the cinema.

Perhaps he’s lost.

be

He ___________ (6) lost.

Ejercicio 3

En el siguiente texto faltan palabras. Transformando la palabra entre paréntesis después de

cada hueco, debes escribir la palabra que falta. Por ejemplo:

This book is __________ (interest).

La palabra que necesitas es un adjetivo. Se pueden formar dos adjetivos a partir de interest,
interesting y interested. En este caso, por el sentido de la frase, la respuesta correcta sería
interesting.

Carrots are ______ (wide – 1) believed to have _______ (origin – 2) in Persia, although they
were already being grown in South Germany as soon as 3000 BC. Back then, carrots were
mostly grown for their leaves or their seeds, not ______ (like – 3) some of their closest
relatives, cumin, parsley or coriander, whose leaves we still use nowadays. It is thought that
only around the first century did people start eating the root. This claim, however, is not
entirely _______ (rely – 4), since no ______ (distinct – 5) was made between carrots and
parsnips. What is known, though, is that carrots were a very ______ (differ – 6) colour. They
were purple or white, and it is not until the 17th century that Dutch ______ (farm – 7) created
the orange carrot which we are now ________ (family – 8) with.

Ejercicios para Nivel B2 de la parte de Reading (Comprensión Lectora)

Estos ejercicios son similares a los que encontrarás en IELTS, TOEFL y First. Para saber más
acerca del tipo de ejercicios de reading de estos exámenes, pincha aquí.

Ejercicio 1

Lee el siguiente texto del cómico inglés Stewart Lee, publicado por primera en theguardian.
Después, contesta a las preguntas.

1.-The author mentions Space oddity:

a) to illustrate his reluctance to adopt new technology

b) to show how new technology is related to science fiction films

c) because it corresponds to his idea of the future

2.- The author mentions Nokia:

a) because he wants to buy their new phone

b) as an example of his opposition to new technology

c) after hearing it was becoming fashionable among hipsters

3.- The main attitude of the ninth paragraph is:

a) pride

b) shame

c) sarcasm

4.- In the last paragraph, the author’s main complaint is:

a) the light switch doesn’t work

b) the movement sensors are not functioning

c) the light comes on and off at inconvenient times

5.-“Fault” in the last parragraph is closest in meaning to:

a) flaw
b) mistake

c) error

Ejercicio 2

Lee la siguiente reseña de Song to Song, publicada en theguardian. Después, contesta a las
preguntas.

1.-The author’s general feeling about the film is:

a) This is a return to form

b) This is a masterpiece

c) This isn’t as good as his last three films

2.- According to the author,

a) the plot is very original

b) the characters main traits are generally unsurprising

c) the film is totally different to anything the director had done before

3.- Parts of the film

a) are set in Russia

b) include images not strictly related to the film.

c) centres around Austin real estate.

4.- The reviewer feels

a) his knowledge of Austin affected his judgement

b) this is a realistic portrayal of Austin

c) it revealed a side of Austin he didn’t know

Ejercicios B2: Listening

Para este nivel has de poder entender conversaciones sobre temas cotidianos o de tu
especialidad. También se espera que puedas entender películas o programas cortitos de radio.
A continuación, te dejo dos ejercicios. Si te quedas con ganas, aquí puedes encontrar varios
más.

Si quieres saber más acerca de los ejercicios de listening de First, IELTS y TOEFL, pincha aquí.

Ejercicio 1

Contesta a las siguientes preguntas acerca de esta grabación. Te recomiendo que leas las
preguntas antes de empezar a escuchar.

1.- The test was carried out on:

a) a variety of old and new petrol cars

b) new diesel cars

c) new petrol, hybrid and diesel cars

2.- The test the manufacturers carry out:

a) shows higher pollution levels than reality

b) is not the one the man is talking about

c) accurately represents London driving conditions

3.- Smaller diesel cars pollute more because:

a) they don’t have enough space for all the components

b) they are very cheap and manufacturers don’t include antipollution components

c) both of the above

4.- On average, each diesel car pollutes:

a) 8 times as much as a petrol car

b) 100 times as much as a petrol car

c) 1000 times as much as a petrol car

Ejercicio 2

Completa las siguientes frases sobre esta grabación. Te recomiendo que leas las preguntas
antes de empezar.
It is mostly __________ (1) people who are taking time off for stress, anxiety and depression.

Supporting ________(2) and _________(3) is one of the factors which can explain this
tendency.

Most _________ (4) are not sure about what to do to fight this trend.

____(5) per cent of the cases where people take time off because of stress are work-related.

Because people are retiring later, more people are taking time off for ___________(6).

Employers have a duty towards long-term employees to ____________(7) their working lives.

Ejercicios B2: Writing

Esos ejercicios son similares a los que encontrarás en el First. Si quieres saber más acerca de
los ejercicios de writing B2, pincha aquí.

Ejercicio 1

Escribe acerca de tu deporte favorito. Debes incluir los siguientes aspectos:

Por qué te gusta

Qué material es necesario

Consejos para alguien que lo hace por primera vez.

Ejercicio 2

Escribe una reseña de una película. Debes incluir:

Las razones por las que te ha gustado.

Alguna cosa que te haya decepcionado.

El tipo de persona a la que se la recomiendas.

Ejercicios B2: Speaking

Este ejercicio es muy similar a los ejercicios de speaking del First. Para saber más acerca de los
exámenes de speaking, pincha aquí.

A continuación verás dos imágenes. Descríbelas y di por qué piensas que les puede gustar esta
actividad a esta gente.
Ejercicios B2: speakingEjercicios b2: speaking

Ahora, explica cuál de las dos te gusta más.

Respuestas

Vocabulario y gramática

Ejercicio 1:

1.- as 2.- In 3.- in 4.- for 5.- as 6.- run 7.- off 8.- stop 9.- caught 10.- at

Ejercicio 2:

1.- must have gone

2.- me when I would be

3.- would not have gone

4.- spent five hours on

5.- was so long that

6.- might be

Ejercicio 3:

1.- widely

2.- originated

3.- unlike

4.- reliable

5.- distinction

6.- difference

7.- farming

8.- familiar

Reading
Ejercicio 1

1.- a 2.- b 3.- c 4.- c 5.- a

Ejercicio 2

1.- a 2.- b 3.- b 4.- a

Listening

Ejercicio 1

1- c 2- b 3- c 4- b

Ejercicio 2

1.- Middle aged 2.- Children 3.- Parents 4.- employers 5.- 11,4 6.- injuries 7.-
extend

Writing

Ejemplo de respuesta para el ejercicio 1:

My favourite sport is sailing. Sailing consists in going on a boat through the sea. The incredible
thing of this is that you use the winds energy to move it. This is thanks to the sails that the
boat has on it.

I like sailing because it is a great sport to practice. You can watch the awesome sights that you
have from the boat. It’s good to do sailing, not only you do something out of your house you
can also compete in races and win medals and prizes.

If you go sailing on your first time, be careful. When you turn right or left, the sail changes side
and can hit you on your head. You need some special equipment for doing sailing. You need
clothes that can get wet, obviously, because it is a water sport.

Finally, the most important thing that you have to remember is that with sailing and all the
other sports, the important thing is to enjoy it.
Este texto aprobaría un B2, aunque bastante justo. Hay varios aspectos que se podrían
mejorar. En primer lugar, “sailing” se repite hasta la saciedad. Sería mejor cambiarlo por “this
sport”,”this activity” u omitirlo. Tampoco hay una gran cantidad de nexos: en el segundo y el
tercer párrafo son simplemente frases sencillas encadenadas. Incluir un “moreover” o un “in
addition” le daría calidad a la película. También hay un abuso del “you”. En un B2, es necesario
saber la pasiva y en este texto hubiera quedado muy bien.

Por otro lado, el texto responde a la tarea, dando una respuesta satisfactoria a todo lo que se
le preguntaba. Además, los párrafos están bien hechos y se nota una estructura adecuada. Hay
algún intento de utilizar lenguaje complejo (not only….) aunque no estén del todo logrados. El
léxico incluye palabras bastante avanzadas (awesome, sights) aunque también recurre a
palabras básicas como “good”.

Espero que estos ejercicios te hayan sido útiles. Para seguir buscando ejercicios podrías
echarle un vistazo a algunos de los libros que reseñamos en trucoslondres.