PÎRÎ REİS UNIVERSITY EXTRA

READING WORKSHEET WEEK 5

GAMMA REGULAR

READING EXAM PRACTICE

THE BEETLE: A LEGEND ON WHEELS1

1. One of Hitler’s dreams was to increase the number of car owners in Germany, so he employed Dr. Ferdinand
Porsche, the well-known constructor, to design an affordable and reliable car for the people. Hitler and
Porsche often had arguments, but Porsche was afraid of him, so he stayed in the project and continued his
work in the Wolfsburg car factory. In 1938, the factory produced the first cheap car “for the people”. It
included all the characteristics that Hitler ordered. The engine was at the back of the car and it had quite a
specific shape: it was very round and it looked like an insect. That was the reason why it was called “Beetle”.

2. During World War II, the Germans used the Wolfsburg car factory to make all-terrain cars – Kubelwagens
– and airplanes for the army. However, as soon as the war ended, Beetle production started again and the
Beetle immediately became even more popular than Ford’s Model ‘T’. The great success started with the
import of Beetles to Holland in 1947. By 1972, the total number of Beetle cars produced had increased to
over 15,000,000.

3. Then sales started to go down because the Beetle was still a 1940s design, although there were some small
changes in the engine. In the end, the Beetle lost the war against technology. In 1974, the new Golf model
replaced the Beetle in the Wolfsburg car factory. The car designers decided to make a car completely
different from their original Beetle model. In 1975, Volkswagen introduced this new Golf in the United
States where it was called the ‘Rabbit’.

4. Over the years, the Germans produced many models of Volkswagens, using the Beetle and Golf as a starting
point and including many other concepts and standards. These were produced in Emden, Osnabruck,
Wolfsburg and other German cities. Today many people say that Volkswagens are among the most
comfortable and powerful cars in Europe.

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5. The production of the Beetle in Germany ended in 1978. However, in the early 1980s, there were still
millions of Beetles on the road. People formed Beetle Clubs all around the world thinking that it would
never disappear. Around 1990, there were fewer Beetles on the road. Today, it is almost impossible to see
the Beetle in the streets, but the owners of the few remaining Beetle models still try to keep their small cars
in the best possible condition. They enjoy driving the Beetle because it has a history behind it. This makes
it very special for them.
_______________________________________
1
Text 19, More to Read 1, METU.

PART A: COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

• Answer the following questions.

1. Why was the production of the Beetle stopped during World War II?
_____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________.
2. Why did the Wolfsburg car factory start to produce the new Golf instead of the Beetle in 1974?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________.
3. Why is Volkswagen still popular in Europe today?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________.
4. What is so special about the Beetle?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________.
PART B: TRUE/FALSE

• Mark the following statements True (T) or False (F).

T F 1. Hitler wanted Porsche to locate the engine at the back of the car that he produced.

T F 2. The Beetle was more modern than Ford’s Model ‘T’.

T F 3. The Rabbit was quite similar to the Beetle.

T F 4. In the 1980s, there were Beetle clubs not only in Germany but also in many
other countries.

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PART C: WORD-DEFINITION

• In this section, you must read the FOUR bold words in the text above and choose the correct word
for the definition given.

1. The word ___________________means continuing to exist when everything or everyone else has gone or
been dealt with.

a) arguments
b) immediately
c) replaced
d) remaining
2. The word ___________________means a discussion in which people express different opinions about
something.

a) arguments
b) immediately
c) replaced
d) remaining
3. The word ___________________means to be used instead of something.

a) arguments
b) immediately
c) replaced
d) remaining
4. The word ___________________means as soon as , without any delay.

a) arguments
b) immediately
c) replaced
d) remaining

PART D: REFERENCE

• What do the following refer to?

1. him (paragraph 1): ____________________________________

2. It (paragraph 1): ____________________________________

3. their (paragraph 3): ____________________________________

4. These (paragraph 4): _________________________

5. it (paragraph 5): ____________________________________

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PART E: Fill in each gap using the information in the first paragraph of the text.

Hitler wanted to (1)_______________________________________ in Germany. He thought that German

people needed a/an (2a)______________________________ and
(2b)_________________________________________________ car, so he hired a/an
(3)________________________________________ called Dr. Ferdinand Porsche. Porsche did not have a
good relationship with Hitler, but he continued his work because (4)
______________________________________________________. In 1938, the
(5)__________________________________________ produced the Beetle.

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