Reading Comprehension Test

Name, surname _____________________________

Form ____________
I
Read the article and choose the correct option a, b, c, or d
Murder, mystery and more!
The University Arts Centre is putting on a weekend of fun activities for anyone interested in solving
mysteries. It will take place over the weekend of 10th and 11th December, from 10 am to 6 pm. Admission
for the weekend costs £20. This includes a voucher for one meal in the canteen. Those who want to play the
Murder Mystery game (see below) must pay an extra £10 for costume hire. Money raised from the weekend
will help pay for the redecoration of the Arts Centre. Read on for details of some of the main events, but
there'll be a lot more happening during the weekend!
Murder, we wrote
This is a workshop for fans of detective stories and series who would like to try writing their own stories of
mystery and suspense. A famous crime writer, whose identity will remain a secret until the weekend, will give
you tips and hints to make your writing more exciting. Writing in teams, you'll be asked to come up with an
original plot for a short story or TV programme. Anyone who is interested in creative writing and has a few
ideas to share is welcome to attend the workshop, which will be held from 10.30 am to 4 pm on Saturday. Don’t
forget to bring a pencil and paper, or your laptop! Phone the Arts Centre to reserve your place!
Be a detective
If you want to know how police carry out investigations, come to the workshop on Sunday at 10.30 am. Local
police inspectors will be demonstrating some of the techniques they use for catching criminals. You can learn to
take fingerprints and footprints, collect evidence from a “crime scene” which you can analyse for clues, and try
questioning a “suspect” who is really a member of the local police force! Can you tell if someone is lying? Give
your friends a lie detector test, or try it out for yourself! Learn about the reality of police work, which is often
quite different from what you see on TV! On a more serious note, you will get some good advice about how to
prevent crime and stay safe.
The Murder Mystery game
If you book early, you and up to twenty friends can take part in one of the murder mysteries that will take place
on Sunday. You can choose from several different murder cases which need to be solved. Each member of your
group will be assigned a role, requiring a particular costume which can be hired from the theatre department.
Each character will be given some details about his or her role, which might include an alibi. The person who
plays the detective will need everybody's help to find out who did it! Be careful, or you might be accused of
murder! To find out more, call the Arts Centre.
Hungry?
If you are hungry for more than evidence, the canteen in the Arts Centre will be open all weekend to detectives,
investigators, witnesses and everyone involved in the weekend activities. Meet here before events, during breaks
and after events. It's the place where activities will be announced and discussed, and who knows, maybe a few
crimes will be solved! Your voucher will get you one free mea1, but after that you'll find the prices are as low as
the local police station canteen, but the quality is better than the local prison! A great selection of hot and cold
refreshments will be on offer. (There is no law against bringing your own food to eat in the canteen if you
prefer!)
1. Why is the University Arts Centre organising the weekend activities?
a. to collect money for improvements to the Arts Centre b. to help solve crimes
c. to reduce crime at the university d. to encourage students to join the police
2. What does the £20 admission fee cover?
a. all meals b. the activities only c. most workshops and a meal d. costume hire
3. What do participants in the writing workshop have to do?
a. pay extra b. book in advance c. bring a computer d. write their own scripts
4. What can participants do at the talk on Sunday at 10.30 am?
a. give a policeman a lie detector test b. try out some crime detection techniques
c. question a criminal d. meet actors who play policemen on TV
5. What is true about participants in the Murder Mystery game?
a. They have to dress up and play a role. b. They have to think up an alibi.
c. They have to write their own mystery. d. They have to play all weekend.
6. Why should participants use the canteen?
a. It serves the only food they're allowed to eat. b. It serves prison food.
c. It's a good meeting place. d. All the meals are free.
 II
Read the article and decide if the statements are True or False
Are celebrities bad for you?
Celebrities are everywhere nowadays: on TV, in magazines, online. Is this preoccupation with
famous people harmless fun or is it bad for us? How many people are truly obsessed with modern
media idols? And on the other side of the coin, can fame be harmful to the celebrities?
Studies suggest that the vast majority of teenagers do not really worship celebrities. Researchers have
identified three kinds of fans. About 15% of young people have an ‘entertainment-social’ interest.
They love chatting about their favourite celebrities with friends and this does not appear to do any
harm.
Another 5% feel that they have an ‘intense-personal’ relationship with a celebrity. Sometimes
they see them as their soulmate and find that they are often thinking about them, even when they don’t
want to. These people are more at risk from depression and anxiety. If girls in this group idolise a
female star with a body they consider to be perfect, they are more likely to be unhappy with their own
bodies.
That leaves 2% of young people with a ‘borderline-pathological’ interest. They might say, for
example, they would spend several thousand pounds on a paper plate the celebrity had used, or that
they would do something illegal if the celebrity asked them to. These people are in most danger of
being seriously disturbed.
What about the celebrities themselves? A study in the USA tried to measure narcissism or
extreme self-centredness, when feelings of worthlessness and invisibility are compensated for by
turning into the opposite: excessive showing off. Researchers looked at 200 celebrities, 200 young
adults with Masters in Business Administration (a group known for being narcissistic) and a nationally
representative sample using the same questionnaire. As was expected, the celebrities were significantly
more narcissistic than the MBAs and both groups were a lot more narcissistic than the general
population.
Four kinds of celebrity were included in the sample. The most narcissistic were the ones who
had become famous through reality TV shows – they scored highest on vanity and willingness to
exploit other people. Next came comedians, who scored highest on exhibitionism and feelings of
superiority. Then came actors, and the least narcissistic were musicians. One interesting result was that
there was no connection between narcissism and the length of time the celebrity had been famous. This
means that becoming famous probably did not make the celebrities narcissistic – they already were
beforehand.
So, what can we learn from this? People who are very successful or famous tend to be
narcissists and are liable to be ruthless, self-seeking workaholics. As we can see from celebrity
magazines, they are also often desperate and lonely. They make disastrous role models.
1. The article is about whether celebrity culture is harmful, for either the public or the celebrities
themselves.
2. 15% of teenagers who have an interest in celebrities probably aren’t a cause for concern.
3. Young people who feel they have an 'intense-personal' relationship with a celebrity do not
experience any negative consequences related to it.
4. A study found that celebrities were more self-centred than business administration masters
students.
5. Celebrities from reality TV were found to be the most vain and exploitative.
6. Actors were the least self-obsessed group of celebrities.
7. The research concluded that the experience of being a celebrity made people more narcissistic
than they were previously.
8. The author says that celebrities tend to exhibit negative qualities and are therefore not good role
models.