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 ABCD

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.
 2
© 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

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:
F O R Amazing
0
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.

4
© 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 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:
T Y
0
P Synaesthesia
I
 somebody tells them. The condition is

People with a condition called synaesthesia entirely (22) , and may even be beneficial,

(0) associate days, letters or numbers with giving children slight learning advantages. It

colours, tastes or shapes. There are some is often a characteristic of (23)

(17) in the ways in which different people people: many successful artists and (24) are

experience the condition, but the precise known to have synaesthesia.

way they do so will be personal to them. For TYPICAL SIMILAR

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

DEFINE BASIC

condition. But it (19) means that stimulating

one sense produces a sensation in another.

For people with synaesthesia, the condition is

CHILD
completely natural and has been a part of
AWARE HARM
their lives since (20) . They may therefore be
CREATE MUSIC
completely (21) that they have it until

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 PL

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!

6
© 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

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
‘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 © Cambridge University Press and
Cambridge Assessment 2021
whose stepmother finds, then
after dinner and before bed, with
publishes, her diary. When the diary
regular columns from different
starts to get attention, Claudine’s
contributors. On the anniversary of
stepmother takes credit for this. And
Rookie’s launch, a yearbook was
instead of denying it, Claudine is so
published. It was an attempt to do
sick of the attention that she lets
justice to the very best pieces that
everyone believe her stepmom
people had appreciated from the
helped her, and marches off, back
previous school year. ‘This is the
to her own little world, where she is
stuff,’ Tavi writes, ‘that needed to be
happy.’ She now realises her dad
on the pages of a book adorned
was trying to show her that you
with doodles and glitter that is
don’t have to prove anything to
revisited in times of crisis. They
anyone but yourself.
were things that couldn’t just be
When she was invited to attend stared at on a screen.’
Fashion Week in New York and
Most portrayals of ‘teenagedom’ are
Paris, it became clear that quite a
painted by people looking back on
few people weren’t pleased by her
it from a great distance, so it’s
rapid rise to fame. An annoyed
particularly refreshing to read about
editor of one fashion magazine
it from the inside in the yearbook.
complained that the huge bow on
That’s what jumps out above all
top of Tavi’s head had spoilt her
else. Tavi explains that it’s not about
view of the models. Others
romanticising youth, but about being
dismissed her as a fad, claiming
realistic about what it’s like being a
the fashion industry had yet again
teenager, then recognising it’s
proven it’s obsessed with all things
line 28 something literally everyone who
Tavi Gevinson started writing a young. Tavi chooses to ignore
has lived past the age of 18 has
fashion blog several years ago. The these comments – she says it’s just gone through.
blog, featuring photos of the 11-year some adults being resentful when
young people attain a certain level So what do 40-year-olds forget?
of success. ‘One thing adults who read Rookie
­
say is how shockingly relevant
old in distinctive outfits along with At the age of 15, Tavi shifted from
commentary on the latest fashion novelty blogger to legitimate, some of it feels to their own lives.
trends, began drawing nearly This isn’t because Rookie is
confident journalistic voice. She
30,000 readers each day. Some accidentally more relevant to adults;
started editing Rookie, an online
high-profile fashion editors started magazine for girls, which had more it’s because you grow and change
saying her writing was too good to than one million page views in the and learn all the time, and it’s not
be true. They suggested that she, first week. It is published three like you spend childhood and
with her dyed hair and self-styled times a day: after school, teenhood preparing for adulthood
fashion shoots in the garden of her and then everything is just a flat
family’s home in suburban Chicago, path from that point on,’ says Tavi.
was not who she claimed to be. 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.

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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
37
at least 200 years old. 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
38
setback. Lining up the tree with one of the
poles to obscure it ensured the photos were
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
39
taken from exactly the same angle each time.
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
40
ones. 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
41
being complete by the end of June.
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.
Just looking into its
42
green, spreading
across the green field. 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
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, perfect for my photos.

B Nevertheless, I managed to turn it to my

advantage.

C However, it wasn’t as interesting as

I’d initially hoped.

D The tree rewarded me for my moment of

inspiration with some unique shots.

11
 E I began to feel as if all my photos Assessment 2021
were constant repeats of the same
thing.

F As for the tree, its leaves were now clinging

on for much longer than in previous years.

G There was plenty of evidence to prove it was

a distinctive landmark in the area.

© Cambridge University Press and Cambridge

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?

says that the experience has led to an important

decision? is pleased that they were able to work

independently most of the time? regrets not being

© Cambridge University Press and Cambridge

more careful about something before starting the Assessment 2021
4
3
project? says that initial difficulties with the work

meant changes were necessary? admits that they 4

4

might have an unrealistic ambition?

4
mentions the need to keep an honest record of 5

everything that happened? says that they didn’t

4
6
communicate their findings very well? admits they

got too involved in studying the existing research? 4

7

describes an incorrect assumption about what

4
some people are like? 8

4
9

5
0
5 didn’t want my chosen area of study to be
1 too narrowly focused. However, I wish I’d
5 a similar piece of work had been submitted
2 by another student a couple of years back.
12
A Maria Bell
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
C Rachel Simmons
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
checked more thoroughly to see if the details
of my research project were sufficiently
original, because the judges pointed out that
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.
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.
13
© Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment 2021