AD3 - READING TASK

You are going to read a short story. Five sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from the
sentences A-F the one which fits each gap (1-5). There is an extra sentence you do not need to use.

There was a spring in Debbie’s step as she got out of the taxi, and her mood improved yet further when she got
to work and pushed open the office door, wondering if she’d given her colleagues enough hints. She needn’t have
worried. ‘Happy birthday!’ came the chorus. 1. ___________ ‘Thirty today!’ they said. ‘Great!’ Debbie thought.
She smiled widely. ‘This is a surprise!’ she gasped. Although she’d been expecting something, this was even
better than her last birthday.
Maureen hurried over, carrying a card and an expensively gift-wrapped present. ‘Here!’ She pushed them at
Debbie and then gave her a hug. ‘Happy birthday, Debbie!’ ‘You shouldn’t have got me anything,’ Debbie replied,
not actually meaning it. She’d been hoping for perfume, but chocolates were OK. ‘They’re my favourite!’ she
added. ‘How did you know?’ - although she knew she’d talked of nothing else for weeks.
‘Yeah,’ Peter said. Peter was the young man responsible for the computer systems. His ties usually showed more
common sense than he did. ‘Thirty years old.’ ‘Yes, thank you, Peter,’ Debbie said. ‘I know how old I am.’ ‘Thirty’,
Peter repeated to himself. ‘And you don’t look a day over… oh, 29 and half,’ he said laughing loudly. Debbie rolled
her eyes. 2. _________ It wasn’t a big secret how old she was, but she didn’t exactly want it commented upon by
younger colleagues.
‘Ignore him,’ Gina said to her. ‘It’s your birthday! Go on, open another present. This one’s from me.’
‘Birthdays are so exciting, aren’t they?’ Debbie said, as she looked down into the shiny silver bag and pulled out
a small box. 3. ____________ ‘How beautiful,’ Debbie said, her spirits lifting even higher as the necklace and the
earrings sparkled in her hands. They looked expensive. ‘I don’t deserve this,’ she said. ‘Nonsense!’ Gina cried.
‘The three months since you started here have been great. You’ve really made a difference to the office.’ Debbie
opened the card, there was a picture of an old lady on the front of it, stick in one hand, old-fashioned handbag in
the other. She just smiled politely and put it aside –it wasn’t her idea of humour at all.
For the rest of the morning they got on with their work. When lunchtime approached, Gina said ‘We’ve got you a
cake. Look!’ Maureen was walking over, carrying the birthday cake and Gina handed her a knife. 4. ____________
Don’t forget to make a wish,’ Gina said. Debbie took a Deep breath then blew out the candles.
‘Not many people look forward to their 30th birthday.’ Gina said. ‘But you’re revelling in it!’ Debbie munched on
her cake. She was indeed. This was, after all, her third party at three different jobs this year –the result of a tiny
untruth in her application forms. She couldn’t help herself, though. 5. ____________ It was too much to resist.
Now it was time to move on. One more 30th birthday, perhaps, somewhere else again. ‘What will my 40th birthday
be like?’ she wondered. ‘And how many of those could I have…?’

A. Debbie could not believe her eyes –it looked absolutely delicious.

B. It was supposed to be a celebration and she was starting to feel uncomfortable.

C. She would have to come up with a new strategy to remind them of her birthday.

D. She opened it and could see a necklace and a pair of earrings.

E. They had decorated the place with balloons and streamers that had been strung across the cabinets.

F. The attention, the wonderful gifts, the awesome surprise party.