A2 LEVEL TEST

1. Read the article and answer the questions. (60p-10p each)

Somewhere different

Three of our fearless reporters checked out some very unusual hotels.

Dive into the lobby… Salt, salt, everywhere… A place to chill out

Most divers go underwater
to see fish and coral reefs.
But in Florida, in the U.S.,
you can also stay at the
world’s only underwater
hotel. It takes about an
hour to dive down to the
Jules Undersea Lodge.
Then you swim up into the
pool in the lobby to check
in. The rooms are small, so
you should only take a few
things. Fortunately, the
hotel packs them in a
waterproof container and
takes them there for you.
The Hotel de la Playa in
Bolivia is certainly
different. It’s almost
completely made of salt –
the walls, tables, chairs,
and even the beds.
Everything except the
toilets! While we were
there, we visited
Fisherman’s Island with
its fabulous 12-foot cacti.
It’s fun to rent mountain
bikes to go and see the
salt hills, lakes and hot
springs. Just be sure to
take sunglasses- the sun
gets extremely bright.
It’s a pretty long way to go to stay
at the Ishotellet (Ice Hotel)- 100
miles north of the Arctic Circle in
Sweden. But it’s definitely worth
the effort. It’s hard to imagine
sleeping on an ice bed, but with a
reindeer skin and a good sleeping
bag, I was warm. And my wake-up
call came with a hot drink. You can
always go to the sauna to get
warm, too. The hotel has an art
gallery, a chapel, a movie theater, a
disco, and a fabulous ice fireplace
in the lounge. Make sure you check
out of the hotel before it melts in
the spring! But don’t worry- they
rebuild it every winter.

1. Do they rebuild the Ice Hotel? Why and how often?

2. What does the Jules Undersea Lodge do not to get your stuff wet?
3. What do you have to do to check in the Jules Undersea Lodge?
4. Why is the Hotel de la Playa so different?
5. What’s something you can’t forget to take in the Hotel de la Playa? Why?
6. How can you get warm in the Ice Hotel?
LISTENING (100p)

1.Complete these sentences about travel (60p-10p each)(CD2 track 30)

1. “Everyone should travel to ________________________________ sometime”

2. “Everyone should learn____________________________________”
3. “World cultures should be a required _______________in _________________”
4. “It’s a good idea to travel _______________”
5. “You should _________________about a place before you go there”
6. “It’s nice to try ____________________________in a new country”

WRITING (100p)

Write a guide for a walking tour of your city or town. Write about four different places.
Remember to give directions and explain why they are worth a visit. Write 90-110 words using
suitable vocabulary, expressions for giving directions, grammatical structures and connectors.
SPEAKING (100p)

Option 1
Interview Do you like to travel? What do you do with your old magazines? How do you
stay in touch with friends? What do you usually do after dinner? Where were
you living ten years ago? Do you look like your mother/father?
Collaborative Imagine one of your classmates is going on a hiking trip in the Pyrenees. Make
task him/her suggestions and give him/her advice about what to do