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net University Life – Lower-Intermediate Level

University Life

All university students in England want great teaching and facilities. What else is important to them?
The Times newspaper asked students in England what makes for a happy university life. They
responded that relationships with teachers, a good library, and not too many classes were important.
They also think that a good social life is just as essential. The study showed that having things to do
outside of classes is a big part of a happy university life.

Students voted Loughborough University, located in the East Midlands of England, as the best
university for a good social life. There are many possible reasons. One reason might be that the
university has 56 different sports clubs for students. There are 61 different activity circles. Students can
try skydiving, hot air ballooning and ballroom dancing. The university also has 45 volunteer projects.
Students can raise funds for charities by participating in different events. Finally, Loughborough
University has a media center where students can make TV and radio shows. This shows that a good
university life is more than getting good grades.

Many universities seem to be working hard to improve student satisfaction. A 2014 survey showed
that students in the UK showed record levels of happiness with their university lives. From 2009 to
2014, student satisfaction has been increasing each year. One thing that has helped is that students
are taking the initiative. They have gotten together and formed unions to tell their universities what
they want. It seems that many universities have been willing to listen.

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 Dreamreader.net University Life – Lower-Intermediate Level

1. According to the article, what do all university students want?

a) very large classes
b) more tests
c) great teaching
d) smaller libraries

2. The word “responded” in paragraph 1 can be replaced with:

a) answered
b) knew
c) studied
d) understood

3. The word “essential” in paragraph 1 can be replaced with:

a) recent
b) clear
c) strange
d) important

4. According to the article, Loughborough University:

a) offers many things for students to do
b) has the best teachers in England
c) gives money to students and charities
d) gives good grades to all of its students

5. According to the article, student satisfaction in the UK:

a) has been going up lately
b) has been decreasing lately
c) has stayed the same lately
d) has gone up and down lately

6. The phrase “taking the initiative” in paragraph 3 can be replaced with:

a) getting very angry
b) taking many classes
c) getting good grades
d) doing things themselves

7. The word “unions” in paragraph 3 can be replaced with:

a) ideas
b) villages
c) groups
d) contests

8.) According to the article, universities in the UK seem to be:

a) getting worse at making students happy
b) getting better at making students happy
c) not trying at all to make students happy
d) encouraging students to take more classes
Answers: 1. (c) 2. (a) 3. (d) 4. (a) 5. (a) 6. (d) 7.(c) 8.(b)

This text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. You may copy and print this
material for classroom purposes. It may not be adapted or resold for commercial purposes.