READING 2 “PALOMA”

1. Choose one word from the list for each gap. The first one is done for you.

Dear Elisabeth,

0. _B___ of all, thank you for your Christmas card. The kids loved it!

Now, they are enjoying their Christmas holidays as 1. ____ as they can. They can´t wait for New
Year´s Eve to 2. ____. We have even started to prepare the food by now.

3. ____ , we will be celebrating it all together.

In the 4. ____, wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season, full of joy and love.

5. ____ wishes,

Anna

0 A. end B. first C. one

1. A. much B. many C. good
2. A. arrived B. will arrive C. arrive
3. A. hopefully B. thoughtfully C. thankfuly
4. A. night B. meantime C. day
5. A. fabulous B. best C. lucky

2. Order the sentences below to make a story. The first one is done for you.

FACEBOOK

A. Facebook is an American online social media and social networking service famous all

around the world

B. However, it was later expanded to anyone who claims to be at least 13 years old 

C. At first, the platform membership was limited to Harvard students

D. Currently, there are 2.50 billion monthly active users, being the most downloaded mobile
app

E. Facebook can be accessed from any device which has Internet connectivity

F. It was produced and created in 2004, in USA, by Mark Zuckerberg and fellows

A FILM IN ORIGINAL VERSION

A. Last Friday I went to see a Spanish film in original version for the first time
B. Of course, there were words I couldn´t understand, but eventually I could guess the
meaning!

C. so I decided to take the bull by the horns and called my boyfriend so he could come with me

D. However, after 10 minutes I realised that reading the subtitles, even if they were in Spanish
too, was helping me a lot

E. At first, I was a bit nervous since I thought I wouldn’t understand a word

F. The truth is I had always wanted to see one but in the end I was always too lazy to do it

3. Match four people’s opinions to seven statements by selecting the correct person
from the drop-down list.

TEACHERS

David: I was inspired to become a teacher by Mrs Harris, my old History teacher. She had such
an incredible knowledge of the subject, and she used to tell very funny jokes. I don’t think my
students are laughing so much when they are doing algebra and calculus with me!
Emile: When I tell my students I used to be a police officer, they are initially a bit scared, but
that doesn’t last long. I try to create an open and friendly atmosphere in my classroom. We use
laptops and other IT devices a lot because it gives them access to many useful resources on the
net. They love it after all!
Roberta: There are a lot of behaviour problems in my school, so it’s not a piece of cake. The
kids are shouting, running around and not following instructions. They don’t even stay quiet
when we are praying in assembly. Some of the Sisters have to be very strict in order to make
them be calm and silent.
Paula: People imagine my job is like baby-sitting, because my students are so young, but it
really isn’t. What I do now will influence the rest of their lives. The important thing is to be
very clear with them. I’m the boss, I’m in control, and what I say is the law. That is how to help
children learn.

1. Who works at a religious school?

2. Who teaches maths?
3. Who teaches at primary level?
4. Who is a strict teacher?
5. Who uses new technology in their classes?
6. Who thinks it is a difficult job?
7. Who had a different job in the past?
 4. Match seven headings to the correct paragraphs in the text.

The Beatles

0. The four lads from Liverpool who comprise The Beatles are often considered the most
influential artists in popular music history. The band formed in 1960 and found fame two years
later with the release of “Love Me Do”. By 1964, The Beatles were international superstars,
breaking sales and touring records and representing and orchestrating many societal
developments. There was arguably some truth to John Lennon’s famous remark that The
Beatles were “more popular than Jesus” in March 1966.

19. Originating as a skiffle group, the Beatles then incorporated the rock and roll of the 1950s
(especially Elvis), and their arsenal eventually expanded to include a wide range of pop music.
1965’s “Yesterday” marked the group's first recorded use of classical music elements. Indeed,
this fusion of disparate genres is what many music historians believe made the band so special.
Influences as far-ranging as Celtic music, rhythm and blues, and country and western can be
detected in their music

20. The early Beatles sound has often been described as “Merseybeat”, a term coming from
the place of its inception (the Mersey is the river that runs through Liverpool). Merseyside was
perhaps uniquely situated within Britain to see the rise of the genre. A combination of
industrial decline, social deprivation, and a strong sense of local identity made Liverpool fertile
ground for musicians. It was also an important cargo port with links to America, which meant
access to American records, when these could not readily be imported elsewhere because of
trade restrictions.

21. The quality of the music can be seen in the lack of filler on their albums. LPs, (long-playing
records) had existed for 15 years already, but the real "era of the album" began when The
Beatles released Rubber Soul in 1965. Prior to this, LPs only served to sell a lot of songs at the
same time, and were a handy alternative to carrying 10 singles around. Most LPs would feature
just one or two hits, the rest being “filled” with filler material. Fillers were made up of
everything from instrumentals to covers of old classics to messages to fans. Rubber Soul,
however, contained only hits. From that point on, albums would be appreciated in their
entirety.

22. The Beatles have become synonymous with the decade in which they rose to fame. Before
they came along, it was the norm that artists wanting to make it big had to act professional
and look presentable. The Beatles did not match up to these criteria for the obvious reason
that they sported long hair and were playful and loud. They were figureheads for one of the
most powerful upheavals in Western history, when new ideas were surfacing and traditional
values were being challenged or rejected. The young generation, listening to the Beatles, was
rebelling against the authorities and seeking freedom and independence from social
constraints.

23. For some, the arrival of The Beatles was a watershed moment. In post-war Britain, culture
still came in leather elbow-patches; it meant classical music, Victorian literature, listening to
your elders. The Liverpool quartet showed those still in education that this didn’t have to be
the case. They made their own culture, instant classics that defined a generation while messing
around and acting like schoolboys. The Beatles became heroes to the young, especially,
because they were not deferential: no authority had bent their spirit; they were confident and
funny, they answered back.

24. It is no surprise, then, that they attracted devoted fans. To put it mildly. By 1963, the press
had coined the term "Beatlemania" for the scenes of wild adulation that greeted the band's
concert performances. From the start of 1964, their world tours were characterised by
unprecedented levels of hysteria and throngs of female fans screaming to the point of
exhaustion, both at performances and during the group's travels. The phenomenon also
resulted in displays of deity-like worship with the group members being seen as spiritual
healers.

25. Global Beatles Day began in 2009 as an international celebration of the music and message
of the Fab Four. The event takes place on 25 June each year in memory of a special
performance of "All You Need Is Love". The number of Google searches for "Beatles" rose by
49% in 2019, compared to the previous four years. That same year, their music was streamed
on Spotify almost 2 billion times; 30% of listeners were between the ages of 18 and 24, and
17% between 25 and 29; meaning almost 50% of listeners were aged under 30.

Headings

A Their Influence on Teenagers

B Blending Styles
C A Strong Reaction
D The Swinging Sixties
E A New Way of Consuming Music
F The Critical View
G Lasting Influence
H The Birthplace of a New Type of Music
J The Biggest of all Time (EXAMPLE)