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President Sarkozy’s Son is Trouble over Tomato Incident.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy 15-year-old son has been in trouble for pelting a police officer with
tomatoes. The female officer was on duty at the Elysee Palace, guarding the president when she was hit
on the cheek. Louis Sarkozy is President Sarkozy’s son from his first marriage. He lives in America but
often comes to France to stay with his father. The president apologized to the officer.

1. What is said about President Sarkozy’s son?

a) He was hit by tomatoes
b) The police officer arrested him
c) He apologized to the police officer
d) He was throwing tomatoes

Hero Saves Man’s Life.

Jack Easton was driving home from work at 6.30 in the evening when he saw a yellow van, driven by
James Smith, crash into a tree. Without thinking of his own safety, he pulled the young man out of the
van and took him to hospital. James is making good progress.

2. Which statement is true?

a) Jack Easton crashed his car
b) James Smith will not recover
c) Jack Easton assisted James Smith
d) Jack Easton worried about his safety

Schoolboy Hero

Andrew Nelson, an 18-year-old schoolboy rescued four people from a helicopter crash. He was playing
football at school when he saw the helicopter crash in a nearby field. Immediately Andrew ran a mile to
get to the scene of the accident. Andrew, whose father is a flying instructor, knew the helicopter was in
danger of exploding but he ran inside and pulled out four adults while the head teacher of his school
phoned for an ambulance and the fire brigade.

3. Which statement is true?

a) Andrew Nelson is a flying instructor
b) The helicopter exploded
c) Andrew Nelson saved four people
d) Andrew Nelson called the fire brigade

Should Supermarket Carrier Bags be Banned?

New European rules are being brought in to reduce the number of plastic carrier bags we use. In 2011,
Italy became the first country in Europe to prohibit the bags but in 2010 the number of bags in the U.K.
went up after four years of going down. More than six billion bags were used and campaigners want to
reduce this number. Discarded bags in the sea cause some parts of the ocean to be like ‘plastic soup’,
say politicians. Some countries have banned thin plastic bags, including China and South Africa.

4. What is said about plastic carrier bags?

a) Their use is declining in England
b) Their use is widespread in China
c) They are no longer used in Italy
d) They can be dissolved by the sea
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Slovakian Castle Gets Badly Burned.

The 14th Century Krasna Horka castle has been badly burned, after two young boys set fire to grass while
trying to light cigarettes. The boys, aged 11 and 12, caused a blaze that destroyed the castle’s roof and
bell tower, as well as ten percent of the historical collections held there. The Krasna Horka has been a
National Cultural Monument of the Slovak Republic since 1961.

5. Which statement is true?

a) The castle was completely destroyed
b) The boys intentionally started the fire
c) The castle was partially destroyed
d) The castle used to be a National Monument

Seven Rescued After Cargo Ship Crashes in Wales.

A Royal Navy sea king helicopter and two lifeboats rescued seven crew members after a cargo ship ran
aground in Wales. The ship crashed into rocks during a storm which saw gale force winds and five-meter
tall waves battering it. Assistant Chief Constable Gareth Pritchard said: “This was a very difficult
operation involving many agencies in very bad weather. Everyone is delighted that the seven crewmen
were rescued without injury and they are safe and well. The Welsh Government is closely monitoring
the ship to make sure that fuel doesn’t leak into the sea.

6. Which statement is true?

a) The rescue operation failed
b) Bad weather affected the ship
c) Fuel has spilt from the ship
d) One agency attempted the rescue

Three Rescued After Balloon Gets Trapped in Power Lines.

Three people had to be rescued from a hot-air balloon after it got trapped in power cables in
Northamptonshire. The canopy of the balloon became tangled in power lines as the pilot was trying to
land in a playing field. Firefighters had to wait four hours for the electricity to be made safe before they
could begin the rescue. The passengers were stuck 15 meters in the air for almost five hours, but no-one
was badly hurt.

7. Which of the following is true?

a) The balloon landed in a playing field
b) The rescue could not begin immediately
c) Several people were injured
d) Firefighter took four hours to arrive
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Scientists Have Created Toxic Glow Fish.

Fish that glow green when put in polluted water have been created in a British lab. It is hoped the
luminous zebra fish will help improve the cleanliness of our rivers and help identify dangerous chemicals
that get in to our water supply. The fish are designed so that the parts of their bodies harmed by
pollutants light up. The advance was made at Exeter University. Chemicals from paints and many plastics
often find their way in to our rivers, causing many creatures to have problems breeding as well as
causing harm to humans. Professor Charles Tyler, who led the study, said: “This zebrafish gives us a
better view than ever before of the potential effects of these chemicals on the body. It is very exciting.”

8. What is said about the toxic glow fish?

a) They are not affected by pollutants in the water
b) They will indicate the presence of chemicals
c) They glow green when the water is safe
d) They usually have problems breeding

‘Yes Scotland’ Independence Campaign Kicks Off.

The official campaign to persuade people in Scotland to vote for independence is kicking off. A big vote,
expected in 2014, will ask Scots whether they want Scotland to separate from the U.K. and become its
own country. The ‘Yes Scotland’ campaign is being led by the Scottish National Party and the launch is
set to include Scots from many different backgrounds. An opposing campaign to keep Scotland a part of
the UK will also begin soon. Scotland has its own parliament at the moment and it has power over many
things such as education, police and transport. But some things such as national security and foreign
policy are decided by UK politicians in Westminster. Scotland has been united with England since 1707.

9. Which statement is true?

a) The campaign has little support
b) Scottish education is controlled by the UK
c) Some Scots want to remain part of the UK
d) The Scottish National Party opposes the campaign

‘Big Cat’ Predator Ruled Out by DNA Tests.

Lab tests on two deer found dead in Gloucestershire have ruled out them having been killed by a ‘big
cat’. After weeks of testing by scientists, it’s looking more likely they were killed by a fox. Local people
aren’t convinced though and believe that big cats are roaming around the Gloucestershire countryside.
Rumors of big cats have been around there for some time, with locals describing a ‘panther-like’ animal
living in the countryside.

10. According to the report;

a) The deer were killed by a panther.
b) Local residents disbelieve the test results.
c) Local residents trust the test results.
d) The rumors of big cats are true.
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Teenage Girl Breaks Sailing Record.

Dutch 16-year-old, Laura Dekker, has become the youngest solo sailor ever to sail around the world. But
Laura won’t be sailing into the record books. Dutch officials took legal action to try to stop Laura when
she announced she was going to try to break the record in a small boat. Guinness World Records
decided to stop recognizing records for youngest sailors because of the danger. But Laura won a 10-
month court battle to make the journey after saying she would buy a bigger boat and learn first aid.

11. What is said about Guinness World Records?

a) Laura received its support.
b) It is worried about risks to young sailors.
c) It stopped Laura from making the voyage.
d) Laura will appear in its next edition.

Rowing adventure

Six rowers who were crossing the Atlantic Ocean have been rescued after their boat tipped over. The
men, five from Britain and one from Ireland, were trying to break a record by rowing from Morocco to
Barbados in under 30 days. The crew was 27 days into their adventure when they got into trouble. They
were picked up by a ship and are expected to reach land by February 9.

12. What could be said about the rowers?

a) They were all English.
b) They broke a record.
c) Their boat turned over.
d) They had problems for 27 days.

Golden Cape and Scarf Made of a Million Spider’s Silk.

Spider-Man is known for spinning webs and swinging from building to building but maybe he should
have thought of becoming a fashion designer! Later this month, the only large textiles in the world
created from the silk of spiders goes on display. An embroidered cape and a 4-meter long scarf have
both been spun for the silk of more than a million spiders. The clothes have taken seven years to create
and they are a golden color. The cape and the scarf came from Golden Orb Weaver spiders collected in
the highlands of Madagascar.

13. What is said about the clothes?

a) They are part of a line made from spiders’ silk.
b) They were made in Madagascar.
c) A famous fashion designer made them from silk.
d) The material used to create them came from spiders.
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Great Barrier Reef Examined Over Fears of Mining Damage.

A United Nations team are in Australia to investigate possible damage to the Great Barrier Reef by
mining. Home to 400 types of coral and 1,500 species of fish, the Reef lies off the coast of Queensland,
Australia’s biggest coal producer. Environmentalists are worried that coal mining and gas exploration are
threatening the reef’s future. They say the plans to increase coal production will mean more big ships
carrying coal will damage the reef. John Hepburn from Greenpeace called it, “a reckless expansion that
will have direct impact.” The UN team will spend a week examining the reef for any signs of pollution or
damage.

14. What is said about Great Barrier Reef?

a) It is obstructing gas exploration
b) There is apprehension it will suffer damage
c) Coal mining is prohibited in its vicinity
d) The UN found it to be extensively damaged

Male Dolphins Live in ‘Gangs’ to Protect Females.

We already knew that dolphins are clever creatures but it turns out that they are even more like humans
than we thought. Scientists studying bottlenose dolphins in Australia have discovered that the males live
in gangs. By travelling in groups, the males have better chances of protecting their females and fighting
off rival gangs. Until now, only humans and elephants were known to live in complex social groups. The
study found that male dolphins can belong to around three separate groups, all of different sizes. When
a gang encounters a group of males, they then decide if the new dolphins will be friends or enemies.
Occasionally, the males even switch groups and join a different gang they meet on their travels.

15. What is said about male dolphins?

a) They live in gangs to protect themselves
b) The can sometimes change gangs
c) They gangs are always hostile to each other
d) A male dolphin always stays in the same gang
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1 D 6 B 11 B
2 C 7 B 12 C
3 C 8 B 13 D
4 C 9 C 14 B
5 C 10 B 15 B