!

=IRST ACADEMY
General Reading 1

-ECTION 1
First look at the home shopper advertisments (Questions 1 - 6)

HOME SHOPPER ADVERTISMENTS

1 EASEL 2 ~.ASSET-IE !!LAYER

Would suit desk or table top. Suitable for aspir- Sanyo with headset. In carton. Vintage 1972, but as
. ' ' ~ \- r--

ing artist or student. Adjustable angle and height. new asking $25. Phone 0406 543 287
Excellent condition. $22. Telephone jack on 0408
767 345 -

3 MIRROR 4 CHEST OF DRAWERS

Beautifully restored large oval mirror with oak 4 drawers. 800mm H*900mm L * 450mm W. solid
carving panels and velvet inset. Circa 1800. Only pine. Good ~ondifio:q. $65. Ring 765S4300 between
S550. Phone 3665 4772 9AM .and 5PM.

~ 5 COLONIAL AMERICAN OAK TABLE 6. SEWING TABLE

~'
Solid extension table with strong, shaped legs. Built
in late 1890s. Height 76cm. width l.32m. Very
. good condition. $2350 or nearest offer. Be quick-
will sell. Phone Charlotte on 3389 6541
This table has timber-molded sides with steel legs.
Storage space beneath. 2 fluorescent tubes to light
the top. l.9m*l.6m. Ideal for any kind of craft-
work. $150. Phone 0147 672 987 - evenings only.

QUESTIONS 1-6

Choose the correct heading for each ~dvertisement from the list of headings below. You may use any ·
headings more than once. '
Write the correct letter from A-D in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.

LIST OF HEADINGS
1 ......... . .. .. ... .. ........ .. .. .. ................... ..
A. antiques 2 .. ...... ... ... . ...... .. . .. . . .. ............ . .. .. .·.. .. . .
B. home furnishings~generaL 3 ................. ..... .. ............. ·.. . . .... . .. .... ..
C. home entertainment 4 .... .. ........... . ... . ......... ...................... .
D. art and 'Craft 5 ............................................... .... .. .
6 .. . .. . ............. ......... .. ..... .. .. . .............. .
,...-
•
NOW READ THE INFORMAT ION BELOW AND ANSW.ER QUESTIONS 7-12

P..L.S
For details access our
website:
http://parkers.com. uk
OR email:
... the future is yours agentquery@parkers.edu.com. uk
'

Parkers language S\:hool. ... We have campuses around the world!

-- -
Flexible worldwide pro ramme Study anywhere in the world.
. Weekly start dates , Start your programme any Monday
All language le vels From beginner to advanced.
Large choice of business and academic classes Choose aft.errioon class,es to suit 1.our individual
tastes.
Try before you bu Join a class to see if yqu like it.
Cosmopolitan atmosphere Stud with others from over 20 different countries.
Social calendar of events
Highly-satisfie d gradu~tes Visit our website and find comments from past
students.
Campuses:
Australia, UK, Canada:, USA, Hong Kon , Taiwan, Europe

- QUESTIONS 7-1 2

Answer the ques tions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORS OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Write your ans wers in boxes 7-12 in your answer sheet.

7. When can students begin their course?

8. Whatki nds of afternoon classes can students select?
9. Whatc an students do before they pay for a coarse?
10. Howm any nationalities are there in the school?
11. What kin ds of so_cial activities can the stµd ents ~ake part in?
1
I ~ '
12. Where can potential students find more information?

Pag e 58
L
 FIRST ACADEMY

QUESTIONS 13-18 ARE BASED ON THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

WEBSITE A
Have you ever had a disaster in the kitchen? Have
you ever made something that lacks a certain some-
thing? Do your cakes sink in the middle? Is your
pastry soft and sticky instead of crispy and light?
Contact Oliver's online advice website for all the
answers. He will answer all your queries quickly and
clearly.
. ...
WEBSITEC
Visit the annual Sydney Food Festival held on Friday
Friday 16th June. There is something for everyone ·
with cooking demonstrations, handy cooking ideas,
super sales on kitchen appliances and much more.
Come.and get your free sample bag and join in the
fun. Tickets cost $30.00 per person. Book your tick-
ets now online. .
WEBSITEB
Finding it hard to stay away room junk food? Is it
difficult to eat the right kinds of food? Are you a
sugar junky? You may need to subscribe and chat to
people with/similar needs and concerns. Motiv<:tte
each other to stay way from bad foods and get out
there and exercise.
WEBSITED
Wi11 two free tickets for you and a friend to go along
and see Malcolm Watson and hi~Q,Qkery demon-
stration at the RNA hall. Register your name for the
competition and at the 's.ame time talk to Malcolm
online before the sho~

WEBSITEE
Watch this instructional film online and learn the
finer points of making pastry. Instructors from the
fa~ous Palais du Chef School .of cooking take you
from beginner level to choux, filo, short and puff
.pastry at an adavanced level. .
WEBSITEF
Join award winning chef John Syms in an online
chat to celebrate the launch of his new book, Fresh is
Best. With subjects ranging. from easy pasta making
to a sea food barbeque on the beach, go online to
let John prove to you that creating sensational food
need not be hard! -

WEBSITE G WEBSITEH
Author Max Cannongate will be online to guide you in this fascinating online documentary film, produc-
in a series oflecture that help you to help yourself. ers Maurice Jurascovic and, Janelle Stephenson have
He spends his lime teaching and speaking about chartered the everchanging face of food throughout
the ever changing world of physical well-being and the last decade. With a special guest appearance
the challenge of fuelling your body with food that from celebrity chefJohn Syms, this documentary is
increase positive energy levels. well worth a look.

Look atthe website descriptions above (A-H) and the website (questions 13-18) below. Match each website
address with its most suitable description.

Example: http://www.moviepastry.com E

13. http://www.healthsupportgroup.com
14. http://www.cookingdemo.com
15. http://www.johnsymfoodtalk.com
16. http://www.helpwithfood.com
17. http://www.selfhelp.com
18 . .http://www.ASFF.com
 PART2
QUESTIONS 19-24

· Read the fact sheet below and answer questions 19-24

W.I.T.
THE WELLINGS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY .
FACT SHEET-
ABOUT THE INSTITUTE
. W.I.T. is a truly international institute with the students from 40 countries enrolled in a wide variety of
courses. Services now offered include training in Marketing, Management, Travel, Hospitality, IT, Business,
Secretarial and Intensive English Language Courses. The Institute is ranked by "Buisiness Now" magazine as
the Number One Private Training Institute in the southern hemisphere. It employs 90 staff and trains over
3000 students each year in full time and p!1ft time courses.

TEACHING STAFF
WI.T. staff are selected on the basis of their educational qualifications, experience and dedication to teach-
ing. In addition to the full time staff employed by the Institute, w,e also employ visiting lecturers from a
selection of specialist areas. This balance of staff ensures that students are always up to date with the latest
business trends. ·

INSTITUTE OPENING TIMES

WI.T. is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.! Monday to Friday, Evening classes are scheduled oi; Monday and
Wednesday evenings between 5.15 p.m. and 7.30 p.m.(8.30-lOp.m. for marketing and travel students) .
Students may use the Institute's facilities at these times for extra study. The institute is open on Monday and
Wednesday evenings, as well as Saturday mornings, for career counseling and course information.

CLASS SIZES
Small class sizes ensure individual· attention and opportunity for students to work closely with their teachers.
We maintain an average student/teacher ratio of 15:1. ·

INSTITUTE FACILITIES
At WI.T., all students are given hands on experience with modern and sophisticated equipment. The re-
source center is open Monday to Friday, fro~ 8 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. It stocks a wide range of materials and.has a
full time librarian who can help students with their assignments anq research work if they need it. Attached
to the resource center is a Multimedia Room which houses over 100 compu'ters. ·students have free unlimited
Internet and.email access.

COURSE ARTICULATION AND UNIVERSITY

Students completing courses may seek credit toward higher-level programs (for example, our certificate
course may articulate into an Advanced Certificate course, which in turn articulates into an Associate
Diploma). Succ.essful completion ofJhe Associate Diploma of Business course means students can begin
·business Degree courses at university level. 1 '

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 FIRST ACADEMY

STANDARDS OF CONDUCT
All students are expected to observe the Institute Regulations, to follow the directions given by staff, and
· to conduct
. themselves in a manner '
that is a credit to the institute and fellow students. The Institute retains
the right to ask any student who doe::i not comply with these regulations to leave at once.

QUESTIONS 19-24

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading comprehension

YES if the statement agrees with the information in the passage

NO if the statement contradicts the information in the passage
NOT GIVEN if there is no information about the statement in the passage

Example: W.I. T employs 90 full time staff.

Answer: false

19. The institute is .o pen on Wednesday evenings for classes; counseling and extra study.
20. At W.I.T you can have individual lessons.
21°. Marketing and travelling students can study in the resource centre for the hour before their class be-
gins. ... .,
22. The librarian's primary role is to help students with th eir wor~ .
23. You can access the internet at any time during institute op.e ning hours.
24. When yo ti finish the associate diploma of business, you are able to study at the university.

Read the information below and answer questions 25 - 30

STATE EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA

OVERVIEW
Over five million children attend schools in Australia at present and this figure is expected to at least
double by the year 2010.Children may begin their education with pre-school which provides a year of
non-compulsory education for four and five-year-olds . By law children must attend school between the
ages of 6 and 15. Therefore primary school is the first compulsory stage and covers Year,.s 1 to{.After that
most children attend secondary school from Years~ to 1,0. On compleFng Year 10, students have the ·
option of continuing to Years 11 an.cl 12 o leaving school. The school year usually runs from late.January
to mid-December. It is divided into two semesters, with two terms in each and vacation breaks for Easter,
\

winter, spring and summer. ·

FEES
State sch6ols do not charge tuitioi::i fees. The parents and citizens associations of most schools, however,
ask parents for a financial contribution. This may be used to provide extra resources, such as art materials
. or sporting equipment. The amount varies from school to school. In most schools, parents are responsible
for providing such items as stationery and uniforIT\s. Parents also bear the costs of send_ing their children
on school excursions and to camps and for pa~ticipating in extracurricular activities.
 ENROLLING A CHILD

PRE-SCHOOL
Children must be four years old by the last day of December to attend a state pre-school the following
January. In certain cases, younger children who have been enrolled in a school in another state or coun-
try may be exempted. A child's name can be placed on a waiting list t the local state pre-school during
the year the child turns three. Proof of the child's date of birth, such as a birth certificate, pas's port at the
enrolment interview. -

PRIMARY SCHOOL
To be enrolled in Year lin January, children must be five years old by the end of the previous year. Under
special circumstances, children may be enrolled at a younger age. Parents may enroll a child in their local
-primary school by contacting the school directly. For a child entering Year 1, schools require proof of the
· child's date of birth, such as a birth certificate, passport of visa.
. .
-SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Students are eligible to enter the first year of secondary school, Year 8, after completing seven years of
primary education.-Parents may enroll a child in their local secondary school by contacting the school
_directly. Secondary schools provide educational programs to students of compulsory age with the chance
to undertake an extra two years of on-compulsory senior education in years 11 and 12.

HOURS OF OPERATION

All schools hold classes from 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m., Monday to Friday, except for school holidays. In pre-
schools, five morning or afternoon sessions are offered each week. ·
Morning ·09:00 am - 11.30 am
Afternoon 12.30 pm - 03.00 pm
Alternatively, many pre-schools offer full day (school-length day) sessions for five days each fortnight.

QUESTIONS 25-30

Choose the correct letter from A - D.

25. How many children are expected to attend schools in 2010?

A. 5 million
B. Up to lOmillion
C. 10 million more than the present
D. More than 10 million •

26. Australian children must attend school

A. From year 1 to year 10
B. From year 1 to year 12
C. From pre-school to year 10
D. pre-school to year 12

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 FIRST ACADEMY

27. In the school year, they are·

A. Two semesters and two terms
B. Two semesters and four terms
C. Two terms with four vacations breaks
D. Two semesters, two terms and four vacation breaks
. \

28. Parents in Australia usually pay for

A. Extra resources
B. Stationery and uniforms
C. School excursions and extracurricular activities
D. All of the above.

29. To enroll in primary school

A. Children must be five years old
B. Children should be five years old but they can be younger
C. must have a vli8d passport
D. Children must turn 5 at the end of year 1

30. The number of compulsory school hours in Australia ar.e

A. The same for primary school and pre-school
B. The same for primary school and secondary school
C. The same for secondary school and pre-school
D. Different for pre- school, primary school and secondary school
Read the passage below an4· answer questions 31 - 40

-:he crown palace, or as we

more commonly know it,
the Taj Mahal, is probably
one of the most recogniza-
ble buildings in the world. It
has even been called the 8th
wonder of the world. Every-
one knows that it is. in India,
and most people probably
know that it was built as a
tomb for a dead empress,
but do they know the exact
history behind this amazing
building? L J
I

In 1612, the Muslim Mughal Empire, Shah Jahan, married for the second time. His bride was Arjunmand
Banu Begam, ;nnough she is better known by her other name, Mumtaz Mah~l.. Despite the traditions of
the time, this wedding was a real love match, the pair having fallen in love at fi~st sight five years earlies,
when they were 15.) Mumtaz became inseparable from her husband, accompanying him on all his journeys.
and military campaigns. She had 14 children by him, although bearing her 14th child, a girl, led to her
tragic death at the age of 39. ,

Jahan was so overcome with grief that his hair and beard tu~ned white in a matter of months after her
death. Before her death, she made Jahan make four promises to her: build a monument in her name;
remarry; love and cherish their children; and finally, visit the tomb once a year on the anniversary of her
death. Jahan only managed to fulfill two of these promises. However, luckily for the rest of the world, the
monument was one of them.

How could he afford to build such a magnificent monument? Well, luckily for Jahan, the Mughals were
extremely rich and very powerful. When he inherited the_throne from his father in 162/', he also inherited
great wealth. He used his wealth to ensure the Taj Mahal became the most incredible building of its time.
He chose a site alongside the river Jamuna at Agra, once the capital of the Mughal Empire on the 16th cen-
tury. The white marble used in its construction was transported by 1000 elephants, from 200 miles away,
and inset wifh turquoise, jade, sapphire and amethyst. There are inscriptions from the Koran all around
the Taj Mahal. Twenty thou~and workers and artisans were involved in the project which started the year
after her death, and took 22 years to fully complete, during which times Jahan did indeed find himself a
new bride.

Rumor has it that Jahan plan to build a mirror version of the Taj Mahal, on the other side of the river Ja-
muna, but this would be built from black marble. Foundations and outline for a garden have been discov-
ered in that vicinity, but the events which followed put a stop to any such buildings. Some years after the
completion of Taj Mahal, Jahan fell ill. His four sons by Mumtaz Mahal, who he had long since fallen out
with, then turned on each other. The ensuing conflict left all but one of them, Aurangzeb, dead. He then
overthrew his father in about 1658, and placed him under house arrest in Fort Agra for the rest of his life,
barring him from visiting the palace, However, it is believed that from his prison room, Jahan could look
out on his incredible creation. On his death some 8 years later, his body was rescued by his daughter and
taken across the river to be laid next to his beloved wife. ' '
Pnoe 5·4
 -·
FIRST ACADEMY

It is an interesting story but what is it about this _tomb that makes people all the corners of the world and
all religions want t o visit it-to risk the three hour stomach-in-mouth road trip from Delhi to Agra? Simply,
it is a breathtakingly beautiful sight. Walking through the main gate you suddenly see a white marble arch
whieh frames the Taj, acting like a veil covering a woman's face, slowly being lifted to reveal her true beau-
ty. You can almost see visitors become awestruck as they view it for the first time. It js a strange occurrence
in a time when we have seen most of the sites of the modern world in photographs and in television. It is
rare for people to get a feeli~g of sheer amazement anymore. However, this is exactly what you get when
you see the Taj Ma hal. May be it's just the summer heat, as some cynics would have you believe!

If you stay there fo r any length of time, you will see the different colors of Taj Mahal. For at different time§
of the day, the tom b seems to change color. From the pink of the morning, to the creamy white of evening
and the gold hue when the moon glows on it, the colors are a marvel to behold. Hindu traditions say that
. · these color change s depict the different modes of a woman. It is difficult to say if that is true, but pne thing
that is certain of a building can have a gender, then the Taj Mahal is certainly feminine.

Questions 31 - 34
Complete the tabl e below with words taken from the reading passage.
Use no more than three words or a number for each answer.

EVENT DATE
Agra was the .c apital of the Mughal empire Example; 16th Century
; MumtazMahal and Jahan were born (31)
Jahan becam e emperor (32)
(33) 1658
Jahan Died (34)

QUESTIONS 35 -

Answer the ques tions below using NO MORE THAN THREE words.
Which two of th e promises to Mumtaz did Jahan not keep?
35. ~~~~~~-36.~~~~~~~~~~~~

. ,.... '
-·
 Questions 37-40

Choose the correct answer option.

37. What things adorn the Taj Mahal?

A. Gemstones from 200 miles away
B. White marble elephants
C. Religious pictures
D: Precious stones ,

38. Jahan's prison room was

A. Next to the Taj Mahal
B. On the river bank
C. On the other side of the river from the Taj Mahal
D. an imperial palace
)

39. The journey from Delhi to Agr.a

A. Is usually made by rail
B. Is frightening
C. Has wonderful scenery
D. Tak~s half a day

40. The writer is surprised by people's reactions to first seeing the Taj Mahal because
A. They find the temperatures hot there in summer
B. They have seen images of it before
C: They have to walk through a veil
D.. They think it looks like a woman.

Page 66
 www.firstacademy.in
GENERAL READING TEST 1

1. D
2. C
3. A
4. B
5. A
6. D
7. any\ every Monday
8. business and academic
9. join a class\ try it first\ try a class
10. over 20
11. tours and excursions
12. at (the) website\ on (the) internet
13. B
14. D
15. F
16. A
17. G
18. C
19. T
20. F
21. F
22. NG
23. T
24. T
25. D
26. A
27. B
28. D
29. B
30. B
31. 1592
32. 1627
33. son\Aurangzeb overthrew father\Jahan
34. 1666
35. love\cherish sons OR visit the\her tomb
36. love\cherish sons OR visit the\her tomb
37. D
38. C
39. B
40. B