PART 2 READING https://englishpracticetest.
net/beaches-b1-
english-reading-test/
Beaches
A Holly Bay
The café here serves delicious meals and sandwiches! The water’s calm in
the bay, perfect for people wanting to swim across it – around 2 kms!
However, it’s very deep, so is only suitable for strong swimmers. There are
often sand artists here, and horses for hire to take you along the beach.
B Franscombe
This beach is popular with families with young children and people who
aren’t strong swimmers, as the water is warm and not deep. Bring your own
food to the picnic area or try the great snacks at the café. However, the
nearest car park is quite a walk away.
C Barmouth Beach
This beach often has displays of animals and birds – skillfully made from
sand, which you can also learn how to do. It’s also the perfect place for lying
in the sun – or why not explore the beach paths on foot for an hour or two?
The views are fantastic.
D Westley Beach
There are distance swimming, sailing and surfing sessions for people of all
levels, and the beach is also famous for sculptures made of sand, which
artists display every weekend! It’s easily reached from the car park through
a lovely wood, which you can explore on foot when it gets cooler.
E Minton Strand
The sea here offers safe swimming and sailing, even for beginners, but
there’s still plenty to do when you want a change from sunbathing. A
teenagers’ beach club offers sports like cycle rides, volleyball and beach
chess – great for everyone getting to know each other!
F South Beach
This beautiful beach offers safe swimming. And when you fancy a change
from sunbathing or watersports, there’s a funfair nearby, and beautiful
gardens to walk through, with tables and chairs where you can eat your own
food. Leave your car by the gardens, and you’ll be on the beach almost
immediately.
G Silver Sands
This beach has a sea temperature slightly higher than other coastal areas,
and with its gentle waves it’s perfect for children. There’s plenty to do, too,
with play leaders offering games to entertain younger ones, and surfing and
sailing available at all levels, including beginners. The snack bar is excellent,
too.
H Maple Sands
Adults keen on horses love this beach, with its daily riding sessions. At
certain times, the sea leaves warm-water pools on the beach, perfect for
children to play in, but the water further out is deeper, for more challenging
swimming. And the teenagers’ beach club offers group activities, like
making sand sculptures – great for making new friends!
1 Neil and his family want a beach that’s close to a car park and offers
several other activities apart from spending time in the sea. They’d also like
a picnic area near the beach.
2 Jack and Henry can swim well, so they’d like opportunities for distance
swimming with their dad. Their mum wants to go riding on the beach, and
also buy snacks for everyone there.
3 Salma and Katia want to go somewhere they can try watersports for the
first time. Their mum wants a beach with warm water, and organised
activities suitable for their small sister.
4 Anna and her family would like to do some sunbathing, but also have a
long walk along the coast. Anna also wants to try doing some sand
sculptures.
5 Sylvie’s family want a beach suitable for Sylvie’s small sister to go
swimming, as she’s only just learned. Sylvie wants somewhere with various
organised games and activities, where she can meet other people her age.
PART 3 READING https://englishpracticetest.net/whale-watching-
trip-b1-english-reading-test/
Whale-watching trip by Jack Madison, 15
A while ago, my friend Olivia was telling me about a whale-watching trip
she’d been on, in Canada. I wanted to tell her I was about to do the same
thing, off the north coast of the UK, where my grandparents live. Whales had
recently appeared there again, and my grandparents were convinced we’d
see some – so I was sure my trip would be as good as Olivia’s! But then I
saw some review of the trip my dad had booked for us, when no-one had
seen any whales at all. So, in the end, I decided not to tell Olivia anything
about my trip, in case it wasn’t successful!
Anyway, Dad and I set off on our trip – which was Dad’s idea – and it was
fantastic! Travelling out to sea on the tour boat with our guide, we soon
reached the spot where whales often appeared. Then we waited – and
nothing happened. I was sure this wouldn’t last, though. People kept calling
out they’d seen one, which was exciting – but then it turned out they were
wrong. Then finally I saw something move under the water – a minke whale!
So I felt like a hero for the rest of the trip!
The whale was a wonderful sight, with its huge back not far from the boat.
Our guide said it was around five tonnes in weight and around 10 metres
long. Yet, despite its size, it swam alongside us at speed, and with little
effort. We waited to see if more appeared, and some time later, we saw
three more some distance away, that kept diving under the water and
coming up again. Then just after I’d filmed them, they disappeared.
Although the water’s less deep around the coast, larger whale species
appear in the area with minke whales, feeding on fish. But minkes are
curious creatures, so they’re more likely to approach tourist boats – which
was why we were successful! Then later, up on the cliffs, we looked out to
sea, searching for signs of whales. Sometimes seabirds diving into the water
means whales are around, as they’re stealing the whales’ meal. We were
unlucky, sadly – but we’ll be back!
1 Jack wasn’t keen to mention his whale-watching trip to Olivia
because
A he thought her trip sounded a lot more exciting.
B he’d read some negative reports about where he was going.
C he wasn’t sure if his dad had definitely arranged it.
D he didn’t know whether she was very interested in whales.
2 On board the whale-watching boat, Jack
A was proud to be the first person to see a whale.
B began to worry that they might all be disappointed.
C tried not to get excited when anyone saw something.
D was glad he’d persuaded his dad to come with him.
3 When Jack saw the minke whale, he was
A surprised at how close it came to the boat.
B amazed that it was so much bigger than he’d imagined.
C impressed that it moved through the water so easily.
D delighted to see it had arrived with several others.
4 Jack suggests minke whales appeared in the same area as the
boat because
A they knew there were plenty of fish there.
B they were attracted by the arrival of the visitors.
C they didn’t have to compete for food with seabirds.
D they preferred how deep the water was there.
5 What would Jack text to his grandparents about the whales?
A I’ll send you my video of the group of whales – they only appeared
briefly, so they weren’t as interesting as the first one we saw.
B Dad said he’d really wanted to go to Canada to watch whales, like
my friend Olivia – but now we’re really happy we came here.
C I must take you up to the cliffs to look for whales – we’ve seen them
every time we’ve been there, so far.
D You were so sure our whale-watching trip would be a success, while I
still had doubts – but you were right.
PART 4 READING: https://englishpracticetest.net/an-amazing-
journey-b1-english-reading-test/
An Amazing Journey
I was walking my dog near my home in San Francisco last spring when I saw
a large black Labrador on its own. It was wearing a blue collar, but there was
no sign of an owner anywhere. (1)…………. I was only joking, but it came
running to me and stood by my side, ready to leave. I knew that this was
someone’s lost pet.
I fed and bathed the dog and checked its collar. There was a tag on it with a
phone number. It turned out that the dog’s name was Banjo, and sure
enough, he had an owner and a home. The trouble was that his home was in
Chicago – over 2,000 miles away! (2)…………. Banjo had been missing for
over a year, and they had no idea how he had got all the way across the
country. They also had no idea how to get him back again because they had
a newborn baby at home and couldn’t make the long journey to San
Francisco.
I used social media to ask for help. It wasn’t long before we had a long list of
volunteers who wanted to help Banjo to get home. (3)…………. It was
important that they knew how to take care of Banjo. Banjo set off on his
journey, and met new people in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas,
Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri before he reached his home state of
Illinois.
(4)…………. Banjo was delighted to meet the new baby and to be back
home. His owners were thrilled to have him back. (5)…………. Banjo’s story
just goes to show what people can achieve when they all work together!
A I made sure that all of them were pet owners.
B I decided to travel to Chicago with Banjo.
C It took 20 drivers four days to reunite Banjo with his family.
D I asked the dog if it wanted to come home with me.
E I hope he won’t go wandering again.
F His owners, Tina and Dan, were amazed to hear from me.
PART 5 READING https://englishpracticetest.net/b1-use-of-english-
test-10-multiple-choice-gaps/
Fear of Flying
A fear of flying, also known as aerophobia, is said to affect almost 10% of
the (1)…………….., although some experts (2)…………….. it is much higher
than this. Those suffering from this will often avoid flying completely, which
has a negative effect on their quality of life. Those who face their fears can
end (3)…………….. feeling seriously anxious before and during the flight.
There are generally two different causes. Some people worry about whether
they will (4)…………….. silly in front of other passengers. The thought of
being sick or losing control can be quite frightening. Some people fear the
flight itself. The most (5)…………….. things people worry about are bad
weather conditions, the possibility that the plane will develop a problem or
even that the pilot will become ill. The most worrying time of all is often
when (6)…………….. off and landing, points in the flight when most people
will experience a little fear.
1 A population B people C crowd D society
2 A choose B make C believe D decide
3 A at B in C of D up
4 A see B work C show D look
5 A high B common C normal D real
6 A taking B going C moving D lifting
PART 6 READING
The Natural History Museum
This is one of my favourite places to visit. I’ve learned a huge amount about
animals and plants (27) ………… time I’ve visited. I’ve even seen bits of rock
from the moon!
The building’s really beautiful and it’s easy to find your way around. There
are hundreds of interesting things on display, but (28) ………… you like
dinosaurs the best time (29) ………… see them is during term-time. I’ve
been twice in the school holidays and the queue was (30) ………… long that
I wasn’t able to visit that part (31) ………… the museum.
You’ll probably want something to eat while you’re there. You can take (32)
………… own picnic and eat in the museum garden, or try one of the two
museum cafés.
