Reading Exam 4

Part 1 EOI Topic: Education and studying

See: English File 4th edition B2.1
Read the parenting advice about the importance of sleep. For Files 4B, 10B
questions 1–8, decide if the statements are true (T) or false
(F). 0 is the example.

0 Yulia had problems sleeping because her school grades weren’t good.
1 When Yulia didn’t sleep well she couldn’t function properly during the day.
2 The doctor who Yulia saw was sympathetic and gave her parents good advice.
3 More than half of high-school students surveyed thought their lack of sleep was having a
direct impact on their grades.
4 Parents worry about very young children getting enough sleep but forget about older ones.
5 Technology is more likely to be a cause of sleep problems than stress.
6 Older children find sleep more difficult because parents allow them to stay up late.
7 Children need extra sleep, because the way they sleep affects their ability to process facts.
8 The writer found some aspects of Yulia’s new routine problematic.

Question 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Option T

TOTAL

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 Parenting tips: sleep
My eldest daughter, Yulia, had always been a lively and well-adjusted child, but things
changed dramatically last year when she reached the age of 12. At school, Yulia became
irritable and would often cry for no apparent reason. On some occasions, she would even
fall asleep in class. To add to this, her school grades started to fall. Over time, Mark and I
became worried enough to take her to see a doctor. The doctor told us not to over-react to
the situation and that it was normal for children to get tired and emotional now and again.
But we remained unconvinced – and rightly so: Yulia was suffering from serious sleep
deprivation. When we added it up, we were shocked to realize just how little sleep she was
getting.
Our situation is not unusual. Research carried out by a number of health experts into child
and adolescent sleep patterns, has shown that around 90% of parents believe their children
are getting a sufficient amount of sleep. Their children, however, were telling quite a
different story. About 60% of the high-school students selected for the research complained
that they felt sleepy and tired during the day and believed that their school grades had
suffered as a result. Approximately half were getting less than seven hours sleep a night
during the week, and many confessed that their parents thought they got a lot more. It would
appear that children and adolescents get fewer hours sleep per night nowadays than they did
several decades ago. The studies also showed that, although modern parents are very
concerned about the amount of sleep their babies get, this becomes less of a priority once
their children get past infant school age.
The reasons for this lack of sleep in children and adolescents are varied. It is not uncommon
for children of Yulia’s age to experience anxiety (perhaps due to the change from infant
school to secondary school), and the teenage years are notoriously emotional. This can
affect sleeping patterns. Young people who have computers and televisions in their rooms
watch them late into the night, or find it impossible to ‘switch off’ both literally and
psychologically, when they should be sleeping. Often parents are simply under the
impression that the older children need much less sleep than they did before. They become
more relaxed about bed-times and evening routines, and children actually find it harder to
sleep as a result.
Scientists have warned that just one lost hour of sleep per night from a natural sleeping
pattern has a big impact on the development of a child’s brain. Young people’s brains keep
evolving until the age of 21, and a lot of processing and functioning is completed whilst
they are asleep. For example, unlike adults, children and adolescents spend about 40% of
their sleep time in what is described as the ‘slow-wave’ stage. Slow-wave sleep is known to
be particularly important for the formation of long-term memories, and for recovery from
our daily activities. A good night’s sleep is therefore crucial for a child to learn words, and
to process the events of the day. Some scientists have even claimed that sleep problems
during these important years can be linked to physical changes in the structure of the brain,
and may cause behavioural or physical problems.
Following advice from SleepClinic, we re-introduced some of Yulia’s childhood evening
routines – such as a bath before bed – and set a regular bedtime for her. Almost
immediately, her concentration improved, and so did her grades.

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Part 2 EOI Topic: History and culture
Read the text about an historical figure. For gaps 1–6 choose See: English File 4th edition B2.1
the correct option (a, b, or c). 0 is the example. Files 5A, 5B, 6A, 7B, 8B, 9B, 10A
English File 4th edition B2.2
File 1A, 3B, 6B, 7B, 8B, 10B
0 a The statue has been in its present location since 1902.
b In fact, the statue could be seen as slightly ironic because Boudicca’s army destroyed
London in AD61.
c Her daughters, who played an important part in her story, are shown riding in the chariot
behind her.

1 a However, children do have a tendency to exaggerate, particularly when they get excited.
b However, the Roman accounts that survive were written decades after the events they describe.
c However, historians can’t possibly know what she looked like in reality.

2 a This was a sensible move, designed to keep the Roman soldiers away.
b The Romans were not interested in such a small prize.
c Unfortunately, the Romans had little time for this arrangement.

3 a If Prasutagus had a son, he obviously didn’t trust him with the leadership.
b Roman weapons at this time included swords, spears and surprisingly complicated armour.
c Unsurprisingly, these tactics were unpopular and the people were determined to fight back.

4 a Together, the Iceni and the Trinovantes formed an army and marched towards London.
b The Trinovantes came from the neighbouring region, known today as Essex.
c The two tribes were usually enemies, so this shows that Boudicca was a respected leader.

5 a On the other hand, France didn’t exist at that time so they actually escaped to Gaul.
b Today, visitors can see examples of mutilated Roman statues in Colchester’s Museum.
c Understandably, the soldiers did not wish to stay in Britain.

6 a Crucially, London only became the capital of England in the twelfth century.
b Nevertheless, around 50,000 people lived in London during this period.
c Although he set off to defend London, he soon abandoned the town.

Question 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Option a

TOTAL

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 Boudicca
Visitors to London may notice a statue of a warrior queen, riding a great bronze chariot, next to
Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament in London. This is Boudicca. 0_b_ Nevertheless,
this minor queen from ancient history is a hero to the Brits. Ask any British child to describe
Boudicca and they’ll tell you about a warrior queen with flaming red hair battling the Roman
invaders. This physical description has some historical accuracy, too, with one Roman writer noting
she had ‘flaming red hair which fell to her hips’. 1___ We need to treat their words with caution.

Boudicca (also known as Boadicea) was a queen of the Iceni tribe and lived in an area now known
as East Anglia, in England. Although the Romans regarded them as uncivilized, the Iceni were a
powerful and complex society. For example, archaeologists have found that they produced their
own coins. Boudicca’s husband, Prasutagus, kept an uneasy peace with the Romans. In his will,
Prasutagus left his kingdom jointly to his daughters and the Roman emperor. 2___ After
Prasutagus’ death, his land and property were seized and his family badly mistreated. Other Iceni
families suffered similar injustices. 3___

Boudicca sprang into action. She made an alliance with another tribe, the Trinovates, who were
known as a notorious band of thieves. 4___ On their way they destroyed the town of Colchester,
which had once been their capital. Colchester had become a kind of holiday camp for Roman
soldiers who needed some rest and recreation after hard military campaigns against the unruly
Welsh and fearsome Scots. Boudicca’s army smashed Roman cemeteries and homes, and the
desperate soldiers escaped to France. 5___

At this time, the Roman general Suetonius had been appointed Governor of what is now the United
Kingdom. Suetonius wasn’t pleased about this as he had rather enjoyed life in Rome with his
servants and grand villa. 6___ Boudicca and her army burned it to the ground, while Suetonius
gathered his soldiers and prepared for a final battle.

Eventually, the two armies met. Boudicca and her daughters rode on a chariot to give
encouragement to all their warriors. She told them to be brave, like she was, and to choose freedom
over slavery. Boudicca lost the subsequent battle, and took poison to avoid an even nastier fate. But
her place in British history books was secured.

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