Reading 2 – Practice Test 2

Chapter 1 – A vacation you’ll work for

For most people, traveling is relaxing, educational, and fun. For some, it is also an opportunity to give
something to others. Volunteer vacationing, or traveling as a worker-learner, is a mix of adventure
travel and cultural immersion. (a) The primary purpose is to use your skills to benefit others and the
world around you as you learn about other people and places.

This type of volunteering is open to almost anyone. There are usually no language requirements or
professional prerequisites, and training is provided on the job. Contributors are of all ages and
backgrounds. However, volunteers must be in good health, have a sense of adventure, and be willing
to try new things.

Many companies organize these types of vacations. Volunteers can choose projects close to home,
such as clearing nearby hiking trails, or projects in other countries, such as aiding in the protection of
coral reefs off the coast of Fiji or studying the environment near Hong Kong to learn how to preserve
nearby wetlands. (b) Many people choose to work on projects in locations they would not ordinarily
visit on their own.

An assignment can last from a week to several months. Projects range from teaching and providing
health care to building community structures, helping to plan businesses, and setting up libraries.
There are also ecological projects, such as the ones mentioned above, in which the environment is the
central focus. (c)

Volunteers help people even as they benefit from the trips themselves. They not only get the
satisfaction of helping others but also have the opportunity to learn. Some volunteers stay in
community centers and private homes, making interaction with local people inevitable.

Usually, volunteers pay a service fee for the privilege of participating in a program. Often, housing and
meals are included, but transportation to and from the project is not. (d)

Working while traveling is not for everyone. Lounging on a beach with a book or camping in the
mountains may be the kind of trip you need to get away from the stress of work or school. However, if
you have the inclination, a volunteer vacation may be the most rewarding experience of your life.
1. The word LOUNGING in paragraph 7 means
a. walking. b. relaxing. c. standing. d. writing.
2. The phrase NO LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS in paragraph 2 means
a. You don't need to speak the language of the country you will travel to.
b. You must be able to speak the language of the country you will travel to.
c. You will be taught the language of the country you will travel to.
d. There are no lessons given to teach the language of the country you will travel to.
3. According to the passage, people who volunteer must
a. be young and healthy.
b. have experience traveling to foreign countries.
c. be willing to try things that are different.
d. have a particular set of skills.
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4. According to the passage, which is NOT an example of a volunteer vacationing project?
a. teaching b. providing healthcare c. clearing trails
d. rock climbing
5. How can volunteers learn about the people and culture of the country they visit?
a. Stay in a community center or someone's home. b. Buy a guidebook.
c. Set up a library. d. Travel alone.
6. Which of these statements is NOT true?
a. Most assignments last no more than a few months.
b. Transportation to and from the project is always paid for by the tour operator.
c. Most people can do volunteer vacationing.
d. Volunteer vacationing can be very rewarding.
7. The word INCLINATION in paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to
a. money. b. ability. c. skills. d. desire.
8. The word INEVITABLE in paragraph 5 means
a. necessary.
b. impossible.
c. certain to happen.
d. difficult.
9. The kind of person who would NOT like this kind of traveling is
a. a university graduate.
b. someone looking to increase their knowledge.
c. someone who just wants to relax.
d. someone wanting to learn about other cultures.
10. Circle the letter (a,b, c, or d) in the passage which indicates the best place to add the following
sentence:
“Most of the fees go to support a program's efforts, which means that volunteers are helping not
only by giving their time and energy but also by giving financial assistance.” => d

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Chapter 2 – Travelling for a living
Interviewer: To most people, your life seems like a dream. You travel to fabulous places every year,
and when you get home, you write about your experiences. I'm sure it wasn't easy getting started,
though. (1)

Travel Writer: You're right. It wasn't easy in the beginning. At first, I was just curious about the world,
so I traveled whenever I could. I even worked abroad for three years. During that time, I decided to try
to earn a little extra money by writing magazine articles. I knew quite a lot by then about Jakarta,
where I was living, and I wanted to share that information with travelers who had never been there. I
found out pretty quickly that most travel magazines are going to reject your articles, and when they do
accept them, they don't pay you a lot, and they don't pay you quickly. So you really have to do it
because you love to travel and you want to teach other travelers what you know.

Interviewer: Well, that leads pretty directly to another question. (2)

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Travel Writer: There are so many reasons, but mostly I enjoy the amazing variety of people and places
you can find on planet Earth. I have met farmers who live in the mountains of Bolivia and doctors who
live in downtown Shanghai. And when you visit places as a travel writer, you always have your eyes
open for interesting things, and I always have my notebook and camera ready!

Interviewer: That all sounds great, but (3)

Travel Writer: You're right. There is a downside. The worst part of travel writing is that it's exhausting.
When I'm writing a guidebook, I have to become familiar with a whole country, so I don't travel like a
regular tourist. I run from one place to the next taking notes in my travel journal, and I'm sometimes
too busy to enjoy the fantastic places that I'm writing about.

Interviewer: (4) More guidebooks and magazine articles?

Travel Writer: Actually, I'm working on a book of photographs that will include some of the best
articles I've written in the past. It will give me a little time to stay home and rest!

11-13 Write YES/ NO/ NG

(11) The writer found it easy to get started as a travel writer.

No
(12) Travel writing pays well. Not given
(13) The writer used to live in Jakarta. Yes

14-16 answer the following questions with MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each response

(14) The writer started travel writing because he was just curious about the world.
(15) The writer earned a little extra money by writing magazine articles.
(16) Magazines don't pay a lot or quickly.

17-20 The interviewer's questions are labeled A-D. Match each number in the passage with the
correct question from the box below.

A. Why do you love to travel? 2

B. Did you find it difficult to get started? 1
C. So, what's next for you? 4

D. There must be a downside to life as a writer. 3

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