Reading 1

Yesterday was so busy! At the office, I worked hard with my team. We

developed a new advertising plan. Our meeting lasted about two hours. I
remembered an advertising plan that worked five years ago, and I suggested
we try that again. We needed to get the manager's approval. We called him
on the office phone. He admitted that the idea seemed good, but he
believed we should lower the budget. We reported our numbers to him and
talked about the budget for a long time. Finally, he decided to give us the
money we wanted.
On the way home, I stopped at the mall. I had promised my daughter a new
MP3 player for her birthday. At the electronics store, I played songs and
listened for quality sound. I decided to buy one at a medium price.
When I got home, the kitchen was a mess. At our house, we have agreed to
clean up after ourselves, so I asked around to find out who had cooked last.
That person turned out to be my son. While he washed the dishes, I sat at
the kitchen table and talked to him about his school work. Last year, he
tested into an advanced program, and I wanted to see how he was doing. He
seemed happy with it. He started telling me about his classes and what he
learned that day.

Reading 2
Last summer, Joel and Sara travelled to England for two weeks. They
travelled in August and stayed in a college with other students in Brighton,
the South of England. It was really fantastic because they talked to a lot of
students of different nationalities and learned a lot about other cultures
and customs. Of course, they learned a lot of English too because they
practiced it every day. In the morning they studied a little, they asked the
teacher to speak slowly when necessary and answered her questions. In
the afternoon they visited different places or played different sports at
the college. It was so much fun. They often walked down to the beach
with their new friends and played or chatted. In the evening they were
tired so they sometimes watched videos or played board games.
The best days were Saturday and Sunday because they travelled to
London. The city is very big and they visited all the monuments like Big
Ben, The London Eye and Buckingham Palace. They wanted to see the
Queen but they didn’t see her, only her guards!
They liked everything in the city but their favourite thing was the
museums, especially Madam Tussards. There were lots of realistic figures
of famous people there.
At the end of the two weeks, they were sad to return home. The holidays
were fun and different from usual. They cried a little when they waved
goodbye to their new friends and promised to write or send emails when
they arrived home.

Reading 3

Ben’s day.
When I woke up this morning, I found my dog, Fox, waiting for me. He
wanted me to take him for a walk. I was too hungry, so first I had breakfast. I
had a glass of milk and a piece of toast. Then I washed my teeth and put on a
track-suit and a heavy coat, because it was really cold outside. Fox was
already impatient. We both went out, and walked to the park near home. He
ran and jumped, and pursued some passers-by. He also destroyed some
pieces of furniture somebody left on the road. I sat on a bench all the time,
wishing I could be inside my warm bed. When my hands were frozen, I
decided it was time to go back home. Fox didn’t want to, but I pulled hard
and I managed to take him back. When we arrived at the front door, I
realized I didn’t have my keys with me, so we stayed out in the cold for more
than an hour! Fox was happy, but I was late for work!
Reading 4
The Vikings sailed the seas, attacked towns and stole treasures all over
Europe between the years 800 and 1100. They started from Scandinavia and
attacked many countries in Europe. They settled in Britain, Ireland and
France. They also crossed the Atlantic Ocean and arrived in Iceland and
Greenland. They discovered North America but they also travelled east to
Russia and south to Arabia.

They were good farmers and excellent shipbuilders. They used their ships for
wars. They also used them to carry people and goods to new lands. In winter,
when there was not much farm work to do, they stayed at home and did
other interesting jobs. Men made swords to use them in battles. The Vikings
liked swords so much they often decorated themselves with gold and gave
them names. Women cooked food and made clothes, shoes and jewelry for
them, their children and their husbands. The Vikings believed in many gods
and goddesses. Their favorite was Odin, the god of the dead!

In 866 the Vikings captured an Anglo-Saxon town. They called it Jorvik and it
was the capital of the Viking kingdom for 200 years. They made Jorvik rich and
one of the most famous cities in Britain. Some years ago, archeologists
discovered part of that Viking town in York, the modern city of Jorvik. They
found many things such as jewelry, coins and clothes. If you ever go to York
and you want to travel back in time and see how the Vikings lived, visit the
Jorvik Viking Centre!