Test and Train Practice Test 1

B2 First for Schools

Reading and Use of English

Important note: a computer-based version of this

paper is available in the ‘Tests’ area
on Cambridge One.
B2 First for Schools

Reading and Use of English

Test and Train Practice test 1

Time 1 hour 15 minutes

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
Do not open this question paper until you are told to do so.
Write your name, centre number and candidate number on your answer sheets if they
are not already there.
Read the instructions for each part of the paper carefully.
Answer all the questions.
Read the instructions on the answer sheets.
Write your answers on the answer sheets. Use a pencil.
You must complete the answer sheets within the time limit.
At the end of the test, hand in both this question paper and your answer sheets.

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

There are 52 questions in this paper.
Questions 1 – 24 and 43 – 52 carry one mark.
Questions 25 – 42 carry two marks.
B2 First for Schools Reading and Use of English Test and Train Practice test 1
Reading and Use of English

Part 1

For questions 1 – 8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an
example at the beginning (0).
Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.
Example:
0 A trend B habit C custom D taste

0 A B C D

Keeping bees in cities

Urban beekeeping is a growing (0) in the city of Paris, as it is in many cities across Europe and in the

Americas. This (1) interest in a hobby that had fallen out of fashion is probably due to an increase in

public awareness of (2) to the bee population, which has seen a serious (3) .......... in recent years.

Perhaps surprisingly, bees in cities are (4) .......... better than bees in rural areas.

In the (5) .......... of Paris, there are several reasons why this might be. The city (6) .......... plenty of green and

bee-friendly environments. Many residents fill their balconies with displays of flowers which change throughout

the year. And Parisian streets are also famously lined with Sophora trees, which blossom late into the summer

when other sources of pollen are scarce. (7) .......... , for the past 10 years the French capital has been officially a

pesticide-free zone, and the warmth of the city environment also (8) .......... early breeding.

© Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment 2021 2

 B2 First for Schools Reading and Use of English Test and Train Practice test 1
Reading and Use of English

1 A repaired B renewed C restarted D returned

2 A pressures B concerns C threats D stresses

3 A decline B failure C loss D descent

4 A going B staying C doing D working

5 A occasion B situation C circumstance D case

6 A suggests B gives C proposes D offers

7 A In addition B On balance C By contrast D For instance

8 A progresses B continues C promotes D develops

3 © Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment 2021

B2 First for Schools Reading and Use of English Test and Train Practice test 1
Reading and Use of English

Part 2

For questions 9 – 16, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in
each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

Example: 0 F O R

Amazing Fireworks

Fireworks have been around (0) centuries. They (9) believed to have been invented by the

Chinese. A Chinese document from about 1040 CE contained instructions for making a ‘fire pill’ from gunpowder

wrapped in paper, (10) , when dropped, produced a very loud bang. Fireworks made their way to

Europe some time during the 13th century and soon grew (11) popularity. By the early 1500s people

were lighting them for special events. They have been a colourful and noisy part of celebrations around the

world ever (12) .

(13) days, various metals and minerals are used to make fireworks, and different combinations

produce different heat levels. This is (14) determines the firework’s final colour. Red, yellow and

green are relatively easy to create, as they are produced at relatively low temperatures, but getting a bright

blue colour is very (15) harder to do. For this, the firework has to reach a higher temperature, but not

(16) high that the firework simply burns up and disappears.

© Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment 2021 4

 B2 First for Schools Reading and Use of English Test and Train Practice test 1
Reading and Use of English

Part 3

For questions 17 – 24, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to
form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Write your answers IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

Example: 0 T Y P I C A L L Y

Synaesthesia

People with a condition called synaesthesia (0) associate TYPICAL

days, letters or numbers with colours, tastes or shapes. There are some

(17) in the ways in which different people experience the SIMILAR

condition, but the precise way they do so will be personal to them. For

example, if two people associate colours with numbers, one may see green

for the number two, but the other may see purple.

There are many complicated (18) of this condition. But it DEFINE

(19) means that stimulating one sense produces a sensation in BASIC

another.

For people with synaesthesia, the condition is completely natural and has

been a part of their lives since (20) . They may therefore be CHILD

completely (21) that they have it until somebody tells them. The AWARE

condition is entirely (22) , and may even be beneficial, giving HARM

children slight learning advantages. It is often a characteristic of (23) CREATE

people: many successful artists and (24) are known to have MUSIC

synaesthesia.

5 © Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment 2021

B2 First for Schools Reading and Use of English Test and Train Practice test 1
Reading and Use of English

Part 4

For questions 25 – 30, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence,
using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including
the word given. Here is an example (0).
Example:
0 Prizes are given out when the school year finishes.
PLACE
Prize-giving …………………………………………………… end of the school year.

The gap can be filled by the words ‘takes place at the’, so you write:

Example: 0 TAKES PLACE AT THE

Write only the missing words IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.

25 ‘You should try not to use the internet for this homework,’ the teacher told us.

AVOID
The teacher said that we the internet for this homework.

26 It’s a pity you aren’t coming with us to the cinema this evening!

COULD
I with us to the cinema this evening!

27 Cycling on the pavement is illegal here.

AGAINST
It’s on the pavement here.

28 It’s David’s fault we handed in our project so late!

BLAME
David’s the one who should the delay in handing in our project!

© Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment 2021 6

 B2 First for Schools Reading and Use of English Test and Train Practice test 1
Reading and Use of English

29 I’m sure I don’t know that singer – is he really famous?

HEARD
I’m sure that singer – is he really famous?

30 For my birthday, my mum always asks a shop in town to make a cake.

HAS
For my birthday, my mum always a shop in town.

7 © Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment 2021

 B2 First for Schools Reading and Use of English Test and Train Practice test 1
Reading and Use of English

Part 5

You are going to read a newspaper article about a young woman who produces a popular blog. For questions
31 – 36, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

Tavi Gevinson
The fashion blogger who is becoming the voice of a generation

Tavi Gevinson started writing a fashion blog several
years ago. The blog, featuring photos of the 11-year­
old in distinctive outfits along with commentary
on the latest fashion trends, began drawing nearly
30,000 readers each day. Some high-profile fashion
editors started saying her writing was too good to
be true. They suggested that she, with her dyed
hair and self-styled fashion shoots in the garden
of her family’s home in suburban Chicago, was not
who she claimed to be. ‘When people started to say
that, my dad gave me a short story called Claudine’s
Book,’ she says. ‘It’s about a gifted 12-year-old girl
whose stepmother finds, then publishes, her diary.
When the diary starts to get attention, Claudine’s
stepmother takes credit for this. And instead of
denying it, Claudine is so sick of the attention that
she lets everyone believe her stepmom helped her,
and marches off, back to her own little world, where
she is happy.’ She now realises her dad was trying to
show her that you don’t have to prove anything to
anyone but yourself.
When she was invited to attend Fashion Week in
New York and Paris, it became clear that quite a few
people weren’t pleased by her rapid rise to fame. An
annoyed editor of one fashion magazine complained
that the huge bow on top of Tavi’s head had spoilt
her view of the models. Others dismissed her as
line 28 a fad, claiming the fashion industry had yet again
proven it’s obsessed with all things young. Tavi
chooses to ignore these comments – she says it’s
just some adults being resentful when young people
attain a certain level of success.
At the age of 15, Tavi shifted from novelty blogger to
legitimate, confident journalistic voice. She started
editing Rookie, an online magazine for girls, which
had more than one million page views in the first
week. It is published three times a day: after school,
after dinner and before bed, with regular columns
from different contributors. On the anniversary of
Rookie’s launch, a yearbook was published. It was
an attempt to do justice to the very best pieces that
people had appreciated from the previous school
year. ‘This is the stuff,’ Tavi writes, ‘that needed to be
on the pages of a book adorned with doodles and
glitter that is revisited in times of crisis. They were
things that couldn’t just be stared at on a screen.’
Most portrayals of ‘teenagedom’ are painted by
people looking back on it from a great distance,
so it’s particularly refreshing to read about it from
the inside in the yearbook. That’s what jumps out
above all else. Tavi explains that it’s not about
romanticising youth, but about being realistic about
what it’s like being a teenager, then recognising it’s
something literally everyone who has lived past the
age of 18 has gone through.
So what do 40-year-olds forget? ‘One thing adults
who read Rookie say is how shockingly relevant
some of it feels to their own lives. This isn’t because
Rookie is accidentally more relevant to adults; it’s
because you grow and change and learn all the time,
and it’s not like you spend childhood and teenhood
preparing for adulthood and then everything is just a
flat path from that point on,’ says Tavi.
So what does the future hold for Tavi? With
homework and gym class out of the equation –
taking up so much of her time – the sky’s the limit
really. She aspires to be a writer and an editor, but
has got a taste for acting after a recent venture and
hopes to do more of that. She admits thinking about
the future can be frightening, but she’s determined
to take things as they come. ‘Maybe I will move to
the woods and read books,’ she says.

© Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment 2021 8

 B2 First for Schools Reading and Use of English Test and Train Practice test 1
Reading and Use of English

31 Why did people in the fashion industry react negatively to Tavi’s blog?
A They felt she was less sophisticated than she claimed to be.
B They did not like the things she wrote about.
C They thought she should behave more like an 11-year-old.
D They did not believe she was the person she said she was.

32 What does ‘fad’ in line 28 mean?

A a poor imitation
B an extreme case
C a brief failure
D a short-lived interest

33 What does the writer of the article think is most important about the yearbook?
A the nature of the writing
B the perspective of the writers
C the advice it provides
D the subjects of the pieces

34 Why does Tavi think the yearbook appeals to older people?

A Many of the issues it deals with continue throughout life.
B They didn’t read anything like this when they were teenagers.
C It was designed to be of interest to a wide audience.
D It is easier for them to relate to the ideas now they have experienced more.

35 What does the writer of the article say about Tavi’s future?
A She will need to face different distractions as she gets older.
B Her past successes will be difficult for her to match.
C It is clear in which area her strengths will lie.
D She hasn’t yet reached her full potential.

36 What impression do we get of Tavi in the article?

A She is aware of how different she is from most other teenagers.
B She has not been put off by the criticism she has received.
C She is unwilling to take advice when it is offered.
D She wishes more people understood what she has tried to do.

9 © Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment 2021

B2 First for Schools Reading and Use of English Test and Train Practice test 1
Reading and Use of English
Part 6
You are going to read an article from a magazine about photographing an old oak tree. Six sentences have
been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A – G the one which fits each gap (37 – 42). There is
one extra sentence which you do not need to use.
Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.
The Oak Tree
As a photography student, I’m always on the lookout
for a great project. But when I came up with the
idea of a tree diary – photographing a tree over a
period of a year – my tutor looked sceptical. Anyway,
undaunted, I decided to approach a local farmer
and ask if he had any beautiful trees on his farm. He
thought for a moment and then mentioned one that
people often seemed to take an interest in. So that’s
where I started.
The tree in question stood alone in the middle of
a big field. It was a wonderful oak, believed to be
at least 200 years old. 37 For example,
local maps dating back to the 1840s showed the
tree in its position of isolation. In contrast, the
surrounding countryside was nothing special, but it
was conveniently close to my home.
There was one problem with the location though:
the tree had some ugly electricity power lines and a
row of poles stretching away behind it. That was a
setback. 38 Lining up the tree with one
of the poles to obscure it ensured the photos were
taken from exactly the same angle each time.
I started my tree diary at the beginning of the year
and decided to photograph it daily, visiting at
different times of day to capture variations in light
and weather conditions. But the winter was long,
with little variety to be seen through my viewfinder,
apart from the changing shadows cast by the oak
across the green field. 39 But then
as spring arrived, everything revived. The old oak
sprang into life, and buds on its branches suddenly
burst open.
© Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment 2021
The farmer was clearly proud of the tree. However,
some branches apparently used to hang almost onto
the ground and got in the way of his tractor, so he’d
evened it up on either side by cutting off the bottom
ones. 40 I was really grateful to him
for that.
I also learned a lot about the trials of farming in
a changing climate. The farmer told me that the
seasons were generally arriving later, with rises in
temperature bringing clouds and rain rather than
more sunshine. This meant that cutting the hay in
the field was taking place well into August, instead of
being complete by the end of June. 41
The wetter ground was also making it more
challenging to cut the grass around it with a tractor.
And no one could really say how these changes
would affect the tree in the future.
All the more reason, then, to capture the tree on
film before it was too late. In fact, at one stage,
having photographed it from the same position for
months, I suddenly had the idea of getting up close
and personal – and pointing the camera upwards.
42 Just looking into its green, spreading
canopy, with a rare bright-blue sky beyond, made
the whole project worthwhile for me – and made me
feel that being a photographer must be the best job
in the world!
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 B2 First for Schools Reading and Use of English Test and Train Practice test 1
Reading and Use of English

A The result was a pleasing, regular shape, E I began to feel as if all my photos were
perfect for my photos. constant repeats of the same thing.

B Nevertheless, I managed to turn it to my F As for the tree, its leaves were now clinging on
advantage. for much longer than in previous years.

C However, it wasn’t as interesting as I’d G There was plenty of evidence to prove it was a
initially hoped. distinctive landmark in the area.

D The tree rewarded me for my moment of

inspiration with some unique shots.

11 © Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment 2021

B2 First for Schools Reading and Use of English Test and Train Practice test 1
Reading and Use of English

Part 7

You are going to read an article from a magazine about some students who took part in a competition for
young scientists. For questions 43 – 52, choose from the people (A – D). The people may be chosen more
than once.
Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet.

Which person
says they had difficulty keeping to their schedule? 43

says that the experience has led to an important decision? 44

is pleased that they were able to work independently most of the time? 45

regrets not being more careful about something before starting the project? 46

says that initial difficulties with the work meant changes were necessary? 47

admits that they might have an unrealistic ambition? 48

mentions the need to keep an honest record of everything that happened? 49

says that they didn’t communicate their findings very well? 50

admits they got too involved in studying the existing research? 51

describes an incorrect assumption about what some people are like? 52

© Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment 2021 12

 B2 First for Schools Reading and Use of English Test and Train Practice test 1
Reading and Use of English
Young scientist of the year
A Maria Bell
I chose to do my project on the effectiveness
of different water purification systems. My
experiments didn’t go according to plan in the
early stages and I had to make adjustments to
my methods as I went along. I had to juggle the
demands of my research project with school
assignments, but I managed successfully. I had a
lot of encouragement from my chemistry teacher.
I was allowed to consult her and she supervised
me if I was attempting anything particularly
tricky in the laboratory, but she tried hard not
to get too involved, which I’m grateful for. It was
important for me to manage on my own as far as
possible. My friends are more into the arts than
the sciences and they always tease me, saying
that scientists aren’t creative or imaginative. I
tell them that actually in science it’s essential to
think outside the box and come up with all sorts
of ideas.
B David Lee
I’ve always loved science and I dream of being
responsible for some scientific breakthrough
that might change the world, though I know
it may be beyond me. Anyway, entering this
competition was a first step towards possibly
achieving that. My project was about the impact
of acid rain, which allowed me to combine
my interests in chemistry and protecting the
environment. I didn’t want my chosen area of
study to be too narrowly focused. However, I
wish I’d checked more thoroughly to see if the
details of my research project were sufficiently
original, because the judges pointed out that
a similar piece of work had been submitted by
another student a couple of years back. And I
didn’t feel confident about making sense of all
the data I’d collected because I hadn’t studied
the complexities of statistical analysis before. I’m
not sure I quite succeeded in mastering it.
13 © Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment 2021
C Rachel Simmons
I decided to do a project on different types of
soil and how they affect the growth of plants.
I did a huge amount of background reading on
the subject before I started my project, and I
was so absorbed in it that I nearly forgot that I
had to come up with a hypothesis to test and
get my experiments set up. Quite a few of my
experiments produced negative results, and I
was reluctant to write them down in detail, but
I was reminded that it is essential to report the
failures too. Disappointing results can still tell
you something valuable. Time management
was an issue for me – I spent ages collecting the
data and was still doing it when I should have
been starting to process the numbers. It was
tough doing everything on my own and I’d have
preferred to have been part of a team.
D Ben Hamblin
At first it was a struggle to come up with the
right idea for my project, partly because I was
tempted to stick to something related to what I
was doing at school, but I was persuaded to pick
something that was intriguing and new to me. I
took a bit of a risk by researching alternatives to
petrol as a fuel. I was worried that, unlike some
of the other schools involved, mine didn’t have
much advanced equipment, but in the end I got
permission to use the facilities at a local college.
Although I had some interesting results, I didn’t
present them in an effective way when I stood
in front of the judges, and that probably cost me
some marks. I know it’s a cliché, but I think taking
part in this competition was more important
than winning. It’s clarified for me that I should
aim to take a science degree at university.