On Screen B2/Term test in reading

The valuable fence.

The Greggs were coming back from their first trip to Europe. On board "The Queen Elizabeth" they got acquainted with a Frenchman. His English was good and soon they got quite friendly. The Frenchman told the Greggs that he was an artist and his name was Lautisse. He asked them to keep it in a secret. He did not like publicity. The Greggs didn't know any artist whose name was Lautisse. So they talked to the ship's librarian and found out that their new friend was the world's famous artist whose pictures were very valuable and expensive. The librarian found a book with a biographical sketch and a photograph. The sketch said that the artist had retired at fifty-three to a villa on the Rivera. He said he would never touch a brush again. Lautisse was going to spend a month in New York. Mrs. Greggs suggested that he would come to their place for the weekend. The artist accepted the invitation and made them promise not to invite any other people to their place and not to speak about art. At the appointed time Lautisse arrived at the Greggs and they were happy to see him. Mr. Greggs and his wife did their best to entertain the famous artist, but he did not want to go for a swim or walk in the wood. He wanted to sit and relax. The next morning Mr. Greggs got up very early as he wanted to paint the fence around the vegetable garden. He took a brush and was about to begin painting when Lautisse approached him, as soon as he saw the brush, he seized it from Mr. Greggs and began painting the fence. The same day Lautisse started for New York. Some correspondents found out about Lautisse's stay in New York. An article was published in one of newspapers saying: "Mr. Lautisse has spent all his time in New York except for the weekend at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Greggs. He met the Greggs on the ship coming from Europe". The day after the story appeared, two reporters came to the Greggs' place. They wanted to know everything about the stay of the famous artist at their place. They were shown the fence painted and signed by Lautisse. A long article, headlined "Lautisse paints again", was published the next day. The fence turned out to be a valuable thing. It was sold for a big sum of money. It was taken to a museum. The fence was not worth it. 

Where were the Greggs coming from?

 What was the Frenchman they got acquainted with?

 How did the Greggs learn the information about Lautisse?

Where did the Greggs invite their new friend to?

What did Mr. Greggs want to paint the next morning?

What did the Greggs do with the fence painted by the famous artist?

The Greggs get acquainted with a Frenchman ...

As soon as the artist saw a brush he ...

At the Greggs place two reporters were shown...

The famous artist wanted...

The Greggs learned from the sketch in the book that

Lautisse asked them to keep his name a secret because

Read the texts and answer the questions 1-8. Choose A, B, C or D.

 A. The Remote Control

After a long day at work or school, many of us come home, jump on the sofa and reach for the remote control. For today's generation it is normal not to have to stand up to change channels on the television or to turn on the music. This is, however, a relatively recent invention. It was not until 1950 that the first commercial television remote control was created. The Zenith Radio Corporation called it the 'Lazy Bone'. In those days, however, the Lazy Bone was not wireless: it was attached to the television by a long cable. This was seen as a danger, as people kept tripping and falling over it. Just five years later, in 1955, the first wireless TV remote control was created by Eugene Polley and this soon became very popular indeed. Opinions are divided as to whether this invention is necessarily a good thing; many believe we have created a generation of couch potatoes - people who are too lazy to move from the sofa.

According to the text, this invention:

Read the texts and answer the questions 1-8. Choose A, B, C or D.

 B. The Telephone

Alexander Graham Bell was born in Scotland in 1847. He was a very talented person; a great inventor, an expert in speech and also very musical. His most famous invention was, of course, the telephone in the 1870's. While experimenting with electrical signals, he discovered he could hear a sound coming over the wire. On 10th March 1876 he made the first telephone call to his assistant, Mr Watson, in the next room. The very first words ever spoken over the phone were 'Mr Watson. Come here. I want to see you.' The telephone has transformed the way the world communicates.

According to the text, this invention:

Read the texts and answer the questions 1-8. Choose A, B, C or D.

 C. The Microwave

Dr Percy L. Spencer invented the microwave oven by accident, in 1946. He was already known as an electronics expert and worked with machines called magnetrons which produced microwave radiation. One day, he stopped in front of one of these machines when it was on and he noticed that a chocolate bar in his pocket had melted. Being an experienced inventor, he decided to test his theory with popcorn and, sure enough, when he placed the popcorn near the machine it became so hot it popped! From this first experiment, it was clear that microwaves were able to heat food very quickly. This is how the microwave oven was born

According to the text, this invention:

Read the texts and answer the questions 1-8. Choose A, B, C or D.

 D. The Automobile

The very first self-propelled vehicle was actually invented in 1769 by a French army engineer, Nicolas Cugnot. It was powered by heating water and creating steam to drive the engine. It was a very heavy machine with only 3 wheels. Over 100 years later, the very first gas-powered motor engine was invented by Nicolaus Otto in 1876. However, the fathers of the modern automobile industry are considered to be Carl Benz, who invented the petrol engine in 1885, and Gottlieb Daimler, who built a car with an engine of his own design a year later. Daimler's engine was much lighter than any other before it, and it was soon being produced in large numbers. It was to change the transport habits of the world.

According to the text, this invention: