Reading (grade 7)

Read the texts. Match the people Christopher, Anita and George to the questions.

Optimist, Pessimist or Realist?

Christopher

I’m definitely an optimist. Optimists always see the positive side of a situation, even when things go wrong. For example, last year I went on holiday with my friends. I was so excited and imagined all the fun we’d have. When we finally went, it rained every day, our hotel was very uncomfortable and my friend lost his wallet and mobile phone. While my friends were complaining, I was still cheerful. I was saying things like ‘at least we’ve got somewhere to sleep’, and ‘it’s lucky there wasn’t much money in your wallet’. They got quite annoyed with me. Most people want to be optimistic, but it’s not always best. Sometimes my teachers get angry with me because I don’t think about how to improve. When I get a bad mark, I don’t worry about it and just keep smiling. Perhaps if I thought more like a pessimist, I’d be more hard-working and get better results. But I’m happy with the way I am so I don’t think I’ll change just yet.

Anita

I think I’m a realist. Realists look at facts and are generally very sensible people. I don’t worry too much about the future because I don’t imagine that it will be amazing or terrible. I know that everything will be OK and that some days will be better than others, but overall things will be fine, and if not I’ll find a way to deal with them. I think I’m quite different to my friends. Last year, Claudia, Jessica and me organised a party. Claudia wanted to buy more and more food because she was expecting the whole school to come. Jessica, on the other hand, was very stressed because she thought nobody was going to come. They kept arguing about it and almost drove me mad! I just sent an email to all our friends asking who was coming, and did the shopping myself. It was a great party in the end. Some people couldn’t make it, but I think most of us had fun.

George

I’ve always been a bit of a pessimist. Pessimists think bad things are going to happen, but that doesn’t mean they are miserable all the time. I don’t know why people are so negative about pessimists. When you think the worst is going to happen, it’s a nice feeling when things don’t go wrong. I always think I will fail exams, but when I get results I usually do very well, and this makes me feel really happy. I think pessimists are usually very successful people. We focus on the things that go wrong, and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes in the future. I am trying to be more positive though. Sometimes people don’t want to work with me because they think I look for problems. They’d rather connect with someone more positive. I don’t want people to think I’m too serious.

Who…

1 took control of a situation? 

Read the texts. Match the people Christopher, Anita and George to the questions.

Optimist, Pessimist or Realist?

Christopher

I’m definitely an optimist. Optimists always see the positive side of a situation, even when things go wrong. For example, last year I went on holiday with my friends. I was so excited and imagined all the fun we’d have. When we finally went, it rained every day, our hotel was very uncomfortable and my friend lost his wallet and mobile phone. While my friends were complaining, I was still cheerful. I was saying things like ‘at least we’ve got somewhere to sleep’, and ‘it’s lucky there wasn’t much money in your wallet’. They got quite annoyed with me. Most people want to be optimistic, but it’s not always best. Sometimes my teachers get angry with me because I don’t think about how to improve. When I get a bad mark, I don’t worry about it and just keep smiling. Perhaps if I thought more like a pessimist, I’d be more hard-working and get better results. But I’m happy with the way I am so I don’t think I’ll change just yet.

Anita

I think I’m a realist. Realists look at facts and are generally very sensible people. I don’t worry too much about the future because I don’t imagine that it will be amazing or terrible. I know that everything will be OK and that some days will be better than others, but overall things will be fine, and if not I’ll find a way to deal with them. I think I’m quite different to my friends. Last year, Claudia, Jessica and me organised a party. Claudia wanted to buy more and more food because she was expecting the whole school to come. Jessica, on the other hand, was very stressed because she thought nobody was going to come. They kept arguing about it and almost drove me mad! I just sent an email to all our friends asking who was coming, and did the shopping myself. It was a great party in the end. Some people couldn’t make it, but I think most of us had fun.

George

I’ve always been a bit of a pessimist. Pessimists think bad things are going to happen, but that doesn’t mean they are miserable all the time. I don’t know why people are so negative about pessimists. When you think the worst is going to happen, it’s a nice feeling when things don’t go wrong. I always think I will fail exams, but when I get results I usually do very well, and this makes me feel really happy. I think pessimists are usually very successful people. We focus on the things that go wrong, and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes in the future. I am trying to be more positive though. Sometimes people don’t want to work with me because they think I look for problems. They’d rather connect with someone more positive. I don’t want people to think I’m too serious.

Who…

2 says things don’t always happen the way they expect? 

Read the texts. Match the people Christopher, Anita and George to the questions.

Optimist, Pessimist or Realist?

Christopher

I’m definitely an optimist. Optimists always see the positive side of a situation, even when things go wrong. For example, last year I went on holiday with my friends. I was so excited and imagined all the fun we’d have. When we finally went, it rained every day, our hotel was very uncomfortable and my friend lost his wallet and mobile phone. While my friends were complaining, I was still cheerful. I was saying things like ‘at least we’ve got somewhere to sleep’, and ‘it’s lucky there wasn’t much money in your wallet’. They got quite annoyed with me. Most people want to be optimistic, but it’s not always best. Sometimes my teachers get angry with me because I don’t think about how to improve. When I get a bad mark, I don’t worry about it and just keep smiling. Perhaps if I thought more like a pessimist, I’d be more hard-working and get better results. But I’m happy with the way I am so I don’t think I’ll change just yet.

Anita

I think I’m a realist. Realists look at facts and are generally very sensible people. I don’t worry too much about the future because I don’t imagine that it will be amazing or terrible. I know that everything will be OK and that some days will be better than others, but overall things will be fine, and if not I’ll find a way to deal with them. I think I’m quite different to my friends. Last year, Claudia, Jessica and me organised a party. Claudia wanted to buy more and more food because she was expecting the whole school to come. Jessica, on the other hand, was very stressed because she thought nobody was going to come. They kept arguing about it and almost drove me mad! I just sent an email to all our friends asking who was coming, and did the shopping myself. It was a great party in the end. Some people couldn’t make it, but I think most of us had fun.

George

I’ve always been a bit of a pessimist. Pessimists think bad things are going to happen, but that doesn’t mean they are miserable all the time. I don’t know why people are so negative about pessimists. When you think the worst is going to happen, it’s a nice feeling when things don’t go wrong. I always think I will fail exams, but when I get results I usually do very well, and this makes me feel really happy. I think pessimists are usually very successful people. We focus on the things that go wrong, and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes in the future. I am trying to be more positive though. Sometimes people don’t want to work with me because they think I look for problems. They’d rather connect with someone more positive. I don’t want people to think I’m too serious.

Who…

3 thinks their personality type is the most popular?

Read the texts. Match the people Christopher, Anita and George to the questions.

Optimist, Pessimist or Realist?

Christopher

I’m definitely an optimist. Optimists always see the positive side of a situation, even when things go wrong. For example, last year I went on holiday with my friends. I was so excited and imagined all the fun we’d have. When we finally went, it rained every day, our hotel was very uncomfortable and my friend lost his wallet and mobile phone. While my friends were complaining, I was still cheerful. I was saying things like ‘at least we’ve got somewhere to sleep’, and ‘it’s lucky there wasn’t much money in your wallet’. They got quite annoyed with me. Most people want to be optimistic, but it’s not always best. Sometimes my teachers get angry with me because I don’t think about how to improve. When I get a bad mark, I don’t worry about it and just keep smiling. Perhaps if I thought more like a pessimist, I’d be more hard-working and get better results. But I’m happy with the way I am so I don’t think I’ll change just yet.

Anita

I think I’m a realist. Realists look at facts and are generally very sensible people. I don’t worry too much about the future because I don’t imagine that it will be amazing or terrible. I know that everything will be OK and that some days will be better than others, but overall things will be fine, and if not I’ll find a way to deal with them. I think I’m quite different to my friends. Last year, Claudia, Jessica and me organised a party. Claudia wanted to buy more and more food because she was expecting the whole school to come. Jessica, on the other hand, was very stressed because she thought nobody was going to come. They kept arguing about it and almost drove me mad! I just sent an email to all our friends asking who was coming, and did the shopping myself. It was a great party in the end. Some people couldn’t make it, but I think most of us had fun.

George

I’ve always been a bit of a pessimist. Pessimists think bad things are going to happen, but that doesn’t mean they are miserable all the time. I don’t know why people are so negative about pessimists. When you think the worst is going to happen, it’s a nice feeling when things don’t go wrong. I always think I will fail exams, but when I get results I usually do very well, and this makes me feel really happy. I think pessimists are usually very successful people. We focus on the things that go wrong, and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes in the future. I am trying to be more positive though. Sometimes people don’t want to work with me because they think I look for problems. They’d rather connect with someone more positive. I don’t want people to think I’m too serious.

Who…

4 is trying to change their habits? 

Read the texts. Match the people Christopher, Anita and George to the questions.

Optimist, Pessimist or Realist?

Christopher

I’m definitely an optimist. Optimists always see the positive side of a situation, even when things go wrong. For example, last year I went on holiday with my friends. I was so excited and imagined all the fun we’d have. When we finally went, it rained every day, our hotel was very uncomfortable and my friend lost his wallet and mobile phone. While my friends were complaining, I was still cheerful. I was saying things like ‘at least we’ve got somewhere to sleep’, and ‘it’s lucky there wasn’t much money in your wallet’. They got quite annoyed with me. Most people want to be optimistic, but it’s not always best. Sometimes my teachers get angry with me because I don’t think about how to improve. When I get a bad mark, I don’t worry about it and just keep smiling. Perhaps if I thought more like a pessimist, I’d be more hard-working and get better results. But I’m happy with the way I am so I don’t think I’ll change just yet.

Anita

I think I’m a realist. Realists look at facts and are generally very sensible people. I don’t worry too much about the future because I don’t imagine that it will be amazing or terrible. I know that everything will be OK and that some days will be better than others, but overall things will be fine, and if not I’ll find a way to deal with them. I think I’m quite different to my friends. Last year, Claudia, Jessica and me organised a party. Claudia wanted to buy more and more food because she was expecting the whole school to come. Jessica, on the other hand, was very stressed because she thought nobody was going to come. They kept arguing about it and almost drove me mad! I just sent an email to all our friends asking who was coming, and did the shopping myself. It was a great party in the end. Some people couldn’t make it, but I think most of us had fun.

George

I’ve always been a bit of a pessimist. Pessimists think bad things are going to happen, but that doesn’t mean they are miserable all the time. I don’t know why people are so negative about pessimists. When you think the worst is going to happen, it’s a nice feeling when things don’t go wrong. I always think I will fail exams, but when I get results I usually do very well, and this makes me feel really happy. I think pessimists are usually very successful people. We focus on the things that go wrong, and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes in the future. I am trying to be more positive though. Sometimes people don’t want to work with me because they think I look for problems. They’d rather connect with someone more positive. I don’t want people to think I’m too serious.

Who…

5 doesn’t feel bad when things go wrong? 

Read the text.

GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL BY… TRAIN

There are many famous long distance train journeys. The Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul was the most elegant and perhaps the saddest as it slowly got shorter – Paris to Vienna from 1977, Strasbourg to Vienna from 2007 and, from 2009, nothing at all. However, my personal favourite is the Coast Starlight.

I took this train in 2013 when I was on holiday in the USA for two months, my first ever visit to the country. It travels a total of over 2,200 km in almost 35 hours from Los Angeles in southern California to Seattle in the far north-west of the USA, almost on the Canadian border. There are several reasons why I loved it.

Firstly, there is the usual high standard of American service. I’m sure all their night trains are as good, although I haven’t travelled on any others. The ticket includes meals and they are excellent too. Between meals, you can leave the dining car and go to the viewing car. This is higher than the rest of the train with bigger windows, so you get a great view of the beautiful landscapes of the western USA.

The train left Los Angeles at 10 a.m. and, for the first twelve hours, it followed the coast. I looked at the Pacific Ocean until night fell. I missed the fruit farms of northern California but, when I woke up, we were coming to Tacoma with the 4,392 metre high volcano, Mount Rainier towering over the city. I jumped out onto the platform to take some photos but jumped back on quickly. I didn’t want to be left behind by mistake.

Now, we were next to the Puget Sound, a 161 km long, 16 km wide area of water where several rivers meet the Pacific Ocean. There were forests, islands, boats, birds and, for a few minutes, a group of whales swimming in the icy water.

The train arrived exactly on time at 8.37 p.m. and, as I got off, I turned round to look at the train. I wanted to jump back on for the return journey to Los Angeles. One day I will.

Is the sentence true (T) or false (F)?

1. The Orient Express stopped running in 1977.

Read the text.

GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL BY… TRAIN

There are many famous long distance train journeys. The Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul was the most elegant and perhaps the saddest as it slowly got shorter – Paris to Vienna from 1977, Strasbourg to Vienna from 2007 and, from 2009, nothing at all. However, my personal favourite is the Coast Starlight.

I took this train in 2013 when I was on holiday in the USA for two months, my first ever visit to the country. It travels a total of over 2,200 km in almost 35 hours from Los Angeles in southern California to Seattle in the far north-west of the USA, almost on the Canadian border. There are several reasons why I loved it.

Firstly, there is the usual high standard of American service. I’m sure all their night trains are as good, although I haven’t travelled on any others. The ticket includes meals and they are excellent too. Between meals, you can leave the dining car and go to the viewing car. This is higher than the rest of the train with bigger windows, so you get a great view of the beautiful landscapes of the western USA.

The train left Los Angeles at 10 a.m. and, for the first twelve hours, it followed the coast. I looked at the Pacific Ocean until night fell. I missed the fruit farms of northern California but, when I woke up, we were coming to Tacoma with the 4,392 metre high volcano, Mount Rainier towering over the city. I jumped out onto the platform to take some photos but jumped back on quickly. I didn’t want to be left behind by mistake.

Now, we were next to the Puget Sound, a 161 km long, 16 km wide area of water where several rivers meet the Pacific Ocean. There were forests, islands, boats, birds and, for a few minutes, a group of whales swimming in the icy water.

The train arrived exactly on time at 8.37 p.m. and, as I got off, I turned round to look at the train. I wanted to jump back on for the return journey to Los Angeles. One day I will.

Is the sentence true (T) or false (F)?

2. The route of the Orient Express always ended in Vienna.

Read the text.

GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL BY… TRAIN

There are many famous long distance train journeys. The Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul was the most elegant and perhaps the saddest as it slowly got shorter – Paris to Vienna from 1977, Strasbourg to Vienna from 2007 and, from 2009, nothing at all. However, my personal favourite is the Coast Starlight.

I took this train in 2013 when I was on holiday in the USA for two months, my first ever visit to the country. It travels a total of over 2,200 km in almost 35 hours from Los Angeles in southern California to Seattle in the far north-west of the USA, almost on the Canadian border. There are several reasons why I loved it.

Firstly, there is the usual high standard of American service. I’m sure all their night trains are as good, although I haven’t travelled on any others. The ticket includes meals and they are excellent too. Between meals, you can leave the dining car and go to the viewing car. This is higher than the rest of the train with bigger windows, so you get a great view of the beautiful landscapes of the western USA.

The train left Los Angeles at 10 a.m. and, for the first twelve hours, it followed the coast. I looked at the Pacific Ocean until night fell. I missed the fruit farms of northern California but, when I woke up, we were coming to Tacoma with the 4,392 metre high volcano, Mount Rainier towering over the city. I jumped out onto the platform to take some photos but jumped back on quickly. I didn’t want to be left behind by mistake.

Now, we were next to the Puget Sound, a 161 km long, 16 km wide area of water where several rivers meet the Pacific Ocean. There were forests, islands, boats, birds and, for a few minutes, a group of whales swimming in the icy water.

The train arrived exactly on time at 8.37 p.m. and, as I got off, I turned round to look at the train. I wanted to jump back on for the return journey to Los Angeles. One day I will.

Is the sentence true (T) or false (F)?

3.The writer first went to the USA in 2013.

Read the text.

GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL BY… TRAIN

There are many famous long distance train journeys. The Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul was the most elegant and perhaps the saddest as it slowly got shorter – Paris to Vienna from 1977, Strasbourg to Vienna from 2007 and, from 2009, nothing at all. However, my personal favourite is the Coast Starlight.

I took this train in 2013 when I was on holiday in the USA for two months, my first ever visit to the country. It travels a total of over 2,200 km in almost 35 hours from Los Angeles in southern California to Seattle in the far north-west of the USA, almost on the Canadian border. There are several reasons why I loved it.

Firstly, there is the usual high standard of American service. I’m sure all their night trains are as good, although I haven’t travelled on any others. The ticket includes meals and they are excellent too. Between meals, you can leave the dining car and go to the viewing car. This is higher than the rest of the train with bigger windows, so you get a great view of the beautiful landscapes of the western USA.

The train left Los Angeles at 10 a.m. and, for the first twelve hours, it followed the coast. I looked at the Pacific Ocean until night fell. I missed the fruit farms of northern California but, when I woke up, we were coming to Tacoma with the 4,392 metre high volcano, Mount Rainier towering over the city. I jumped out onto the platform to take some photos but jumped back on quickly. I didn’t want to be left behind by mistake.

Now, we were next to the Puget Sound, a 161 km long, 16 km wide area of water where several rivers meet the Pacific Ocean. There were forests, islands, boats, birds and, for a few minutes, a group of whales swimming in the icy water.

The train arrived exactly on time at 8.37 p.m. and, as I got off, I turned round to look at the train. I wanted to jump back on for the return journey to Los Angeles. One day I will.

Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?

4 It takes more than a day to travel The Coast Starlight route.

Read the text.

GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL BY… TRAIN

There are many famous long distance train journeys. The Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul was the most elegant and perhaps the saddest as it slowly got shorter – Paris to Vienna from 1977, Strasbourg to Vienna from 2007 and, from 2009, nothing at all. However, my personal favourite is the Coast Starlight.

I took this train in 2013 when I was on holiday in the USA for two months, my first ever visit to the country. It travels a total of over 2,200 km in almost 35 hours from Los Angeles in southern California to Seattle in the far north-west of the USA, almost on the Canadian border. There are several reasons why I loved it.

Firstly, there is the usual high standard of American service. I’m sure all their night trains are as good, although I haven’t travelled on any others. The ticket includes meals and they are excellent too. Between meals, you can leave the dining car and go to the viewing car. This is higher than the rest of the train with bigger windows, so you get a great view of the beautiful landscapes of the western USA.

The train left Los Angeles at 10 a.m. and, for the first twelve hours, it followed the coast. I looked at the Pacific Ocean until night fell. I missed the fruit farms of northern California but, when I woke up, we were coming to Tacoma with the 4,392 metre high volcano, Mount Rainier towering over the city. I jumped out onto the platform to take some photos but jumped back on quickly. I didn’t want to be left behind by mistake.

Now, we were next to the Puget Sound, a 161 km long, 16 km wide area of water where several rivers meet the Pacific Ocean. There were forests, islands, boats, birds and, for a few minutes, a group of whales swimming in the icy water.

The train arrived exactly on time at 8.37 p.m. and, as I got off, I turned round to look at the train. I wanted to jump back on for the return journey to Los Angeles. One day I will.

Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?

5.The Coast Starlight goes to Canada.

Read the text.

GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL BY… TRAIN

There are many famous long distance train journeys. The Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul was the most elegant and perhaps the saddest as it slowly got shorter – Paris to Vienna from 1977, Strasbourg to Vienna from 2007 and, from 2009, nothing at all. However, my personal favourite is the Coast Starlight.

I took this train in 2013 when I was on holiday in the USA for two months, my first ever visit to the country. It travels a total of over 2,200 km in almost 35 hours from Los Angeles in southern California to Seattle in the far north-west of the USA, almost on the Canadian border. There are several reasons why I loved it.

Firstly, there is the usual high standard of American service. I’m sure all their night trains are as good, although I haven’t travelled on any others. The ticket includes meals and they are excellent too. Between meals, you can leave the dining car and go to the viewing car. This is higher than the rest of the train with bigger windows, so you get a great view of the beautiful landscapes of the western USA.

The train left Los Angeles at 10 a.m. and, for the first twelve hours, it followed the coast. I looked at the Pacific Ocean until night fell. I missed the fruit farms of northern California but, when I woke up, we were coming to Tacoma with the 4,392 metre high volcano, Mount Rainier towering over the city. I jumped out onto the platform to take some photos but jumped back on quickly. I didn’t want to be left behind by mistake.

Now, we were next to the Puget Sound, a 161 km long, 16 km wide area of water where several rivers meet the Pacific Ocean. There were forests, islands, boats, birds and, for a few minutes, a group of whales swimming in the icy water.

The train arrived exactly on time at 8.37 p.m. and, as I got off, I turned round to look at the train. I wanted to jump back on for the return journey to Los Angeles. One day I will.

Is the sentence true (T) or false (F)?

6.This was the writer’s first experience of an American night train.

Read the text.

GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL BY… TRAIN

There are many famous long distance train journeys. The Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul was the most elegant and perhaps the saddest as it slowly got shorter – Paris to Vienna from 1977, Strasbourg to Vienna from 2007 and, from 2009, nothing at all. However, my personal favourite is the Coast Starlight.

I took this train in 2013 when I was on holiday in the USA for two months, my first ever visit to the country. It travels a total of over 2,200 km in almost 35 hours from Los Angeles in southern California to Seattle in the far north-west of the USA, almost on the Canadian border. There are several reasons why I loved it.

Firstly, there is the usual high standard of American service. I’m sure all their night trains are as good, although I haven’t travelled on any others. The ticket includes meals and they are excellent too. Between meals, you can leave the dining car and go to the viewing car. This is higher than the rest of the train with bigger windows, so you get a great view of the beautiful landscapes of the western USA.

The train left Los Angeles at 10 a.m. and, for the first twelve hours, it followed the coast. I looked at the Pacific Ocean until night fell. I missed the fruit farms of northern California but, when I woke up, we were coming to Tacoma with the 4,392 metre high volcano, Mount Rainier towering over the city. I jumped out onto the platform to take some photos but jumped back on quickly. I didn’t want to be left behind by mistake.

Now, we were next to the Puget Sound, a 161 km long, 16 km wide area of water where several rivers meet the Pacific Ocean. There were forests, islands, boats, birds and, for a few minutes, a group of whales swimming in the icy water.

The train arrived exactly on time at 8.37 p.m. and, as I got off, I turned round to look at the train. I wanted to jump back on for the return journey to Los Angeles. One day I will.

Is the sentence true (T) or false (F)?

7.The dining car becomes a viewing car between meals.

Read the text.

GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL BY… TRAIN

There are many famous long distance train journeys. The Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul was the most elegant and perhaps the saddest as it slowly got shorter – Paris to Vienna from 1977, Strasbourg to Vienna from 2007 and, from 2009, nothing at all. However, my personal favourite is the Coast Starlight.

I took this train in 2013 when I was on holiday in the USA for two months, my first ever visit to the country. It travels a total of over 2,200 km in almost 35 hours from Los Angeles in southern California to Seattle in the far north-west of the USA, almost on the Canadian border. There are several reasons why I loved it.

Firstly, there is the usual high standard of American service. I’m sure all their night trains are as good, although I haven’t travelled on any others. The ticket includes meals and they are excellent too. Between meals, you can leave the dining car and go to the viewing car. This is higher than the rest of the train with bigger windows, so you get a great view of the beautiful landscapes of the western USA.

The train left Los Angeles at 10 a.m. and, for the first twelve hours, it followed the coast. I looked at the Pacific Ocean until night fell. I missed the fruit farms of northern California but, when I woke up, we were coming to Tacoma with the 4,392 metre high volcano, Mount Rainier towering over the city. I jumped out onto the platform to take some photos but jumped back on quickly. I didn’t want to be left behind by mistake.

Now, we were next to the Puget Sound, a 161 km long, 16 km wide area of water where several rivers meet the Pacific Ocean. There were forests, islands, boats, birds and, for a few minutes, a group of whales swimming in the icy water.

The train arrived exactly on time at 8.37 p.m. and, as I got off, I turned round to look at the train. I wanted to jump back on for the return journey to Los Angeles. One day I will.

Is the sentence true (T) or false (F)?

8.The writer got off the train in Tacoma by mistake.

Read the text.

GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL BY… TRAIN

There are many famous long distance train journeys. The Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul was the most elegant and perhaps the saddest as it slowly got shorter – Paris to Vienna from 1977, Strasbourg to Vienna from 2007 and, from 2009, nothing at all. However, my personal favourite is the Coast Starlight.

I took this train in 2013 when I was on holiday in the USA for two months, my first ever visit to the country. It travels a total of over 2,200 km in almost 35 hours from Los Angeles in southern California to Seattle in the far north-west of the USA, almost on the Canadian border. There are several reasons why I loved it.

Firstly, there is the usual high standard of American service. I’m sure all their night trains are as good, although I haven’t travelled on any others. The ticket includes meals and they are excellent too. Between meals, you can leave the dining car and go to the viewing car. This is higher than the rest of the train with bigger windows, so you get a great view of the beautiful landscapes of the western USA.

The train left Los Angeles at 10 a.m. and, for the first twelve hours, it followed the coast. I looked at the Pacific Ocean until night fell. I missed the fruit farms of northern California but, when I woke up, we were coming to Tacoma with the 4,392 metre high volcano, Mount Rainier towering over the city. I jumped out onto the platform to take some photos but jumped back on quickly. I didn’t want to be left behind by mistake.

Now, we were next to the Puget Sound, a 161 km long, 16 km wide area of water where several rivers meet the Pacific Ocean. There were forests, islands, boats, birds and, for a few minutes, a group of whales swimming in the icy water.

The train arrived exactly on time at 8.37 p.m. and, as I got off, I turned round to look at the train. I wanted to jump back on for the return journey to Los Angeles. One day I will.

Is the sentence true (T) or false (F)?

9.The Puget Sound is a river.

Read the text.

GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL BY… TRAIN

There are many famous long distance train journeys. The Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul was the most elegant and perhaps the saddest as it slowly got shorter – Paris to Vienna from 1977, Strasbourg to Vienna from 2007 and, from 2009, nothing at all. However, my personal favourite is the Coast Starlight.

I took this train in 2013 when I was on holiday in the USA for two months, my first ever visit to the country. It travels a total of over 2,200 km in almost 35 hours from Los Angeles in southern California to Seattle in the far north-west of the USA, almost on the Canadian border. There are several reasons why I loved it.

Firstly, there is the usual high standard of American service. I’m sure all their night trains are as good, although I haven’t travelled on any others. The ticket includes meals and they are excellent too. Between meals, you can leave the dining car and go to the viewing car. This is higher than the rest of the train with bigger windows, so you get a great view of the beautiful landscapes of the western USA.

The train left Los Angeles at 10 a.m. and, for the first twelve hours, it followed the coast. I looked at the Pacific Ocean until night fell. I missed the fruit farms of northern California but, when I woke up, we were coming to Tacoma with the 4,392 metre high volcano, Mount Rainier towering over the city. I jumped out onto the platform to take some photos but jumped back on quickly. I didn’t want to be left behind by mistake.

Now, we were next to the Puget Sound, a 161 km long, 16 km wide area of water where several rivers meet the Pacific Ocean. There were forests, islands, boats, birds and, for a few minutes, a group of whales swimming in the icy water.

The train arrived exactly on time at 8.37 p.m. and, as I got off, I turned round to look at the train. I wanted to jump back on for the return journey to Los Angeles. One day I will.

Is the sentence true (T) or false (F)?

10.The writer hasn’t travelled from Seattle to Los Angeles yet.

Read the extract from a novel. Choose the answer

1 In the morning, the writer

A went to the volunteer office with three people from his hostel.

B woke up before anyone else in his room.

C ate a small breakfast in the hostel.

D met some friends at the volunteer office.

A VOLUNTEER ABROAD

It was eight o’clock in the morning and I was wide awake. The other people in the hostel room were all asleep and I got dressed quietly because I didn’t want to wake them up. I don’t know why. I would never see them again. Half an hour later, after a quick coffee and roll in a baker’s near the

hostel, I was at the volunteer worker office with three other hopeful volunteers. We sat there, silently, looking at each other, knowing we were in competition for the same jobs.

My turn for an interview came and I answered a few questions. The three interviewers looked carefully at my clothes and hair to see what kind of worker I might be. Back outside, I waited while more backpackers arrived. Finally, three hours later, they called five of us back in to the room. They told us we could start work on a farm immediately. They gave us some maps and instructions for a bus, although not tickets, and we left. The other four were two couples, one from Australia and the other from New Zealand. They soon got to know each other and talked together like old friends while I stood alone. On the bus, there were four seats together for them and one for me six rows behind them. I sat next to a local returning from a day’s shopping.

I sat and watched the landscape through the window. There were green fields and fruit trees at first but, as we travelled south, the land grew drier. It wasn’t very pretty, with brown hills, no trees and rubbish by the side of the road, but I loved it. It was fascinating because it was nothing like the landscape back home.

It was dark when we arrived on the farm. A group of farmers welcomed us and decided who should work with whom. A man called Kostas took the Australian girl, Josie, and me. He spoke almost no English but we understood that we should follow him to our volunteer home. We entered a small, white house and Kostas opened the first door on the right. It was empty except for two small mattresses on the floor, each with a thin sheet and blanket. Josie went in and I waited outside ready to see if my room was any better. Impatiently, Kostas, indicated that this was also my room. Josie and I looked at each other in shock. A room together? I knew what she was thinking. Her partner, Gavin, was somewhere else in the village sharing a similar room with another, unknown volunteer.

With more sign language and broken English, Kostas told us that work would begin at 5 a.m. the next day. He told me to drive his tractor to the fields. He didn’t ask if we had driving licences. I was a man and, in his opinion, I could drive. Driving was the man’s job and, we guessed, there would be similar differences in duties to come.

Read the extract from a novel. Choose the answer

2 Which sentence is true?

A All of the people at the office found work.

B The Australians and New Zealanders knew each other before getting work.

C The writer couldn’t travel on the same bus as the other volunteers.

D The volunteers had to pay for their own transport to the farm.

A VOLUNTEER ABROAD

It was eight o’clock in the morning and I was wide awake. The other people in the hostel room were all asleep and I got dressed quietly because I didn’t want to wake them up. I don’t know why. I would never see them again. Half an hour later, after a quick coffee and roll in a baker’s near the

hostel, I was at the volunteer worker office with three other hopeful volunteers. We sat there, silently, looking at each other, knowing we were in competition for the same jobs.

My turn for an interview came and I answered a few questions. The three interviewers looked carefully at my clothes and hair to see what kind of worker I might be. Back outside, I waited while more backpackers arrived. Finally, three hours later, they called five of us back in to the room. They told us we could start work on a farm immediately. They gave us some maps and instructions for a bus, although not tickets, and we left. The other four were two couples, one from Australia and the other from New Zealand. They soon got to know each other and talked together like old friends while I stood alone. On the bus, there were four seats together for them and one for me six rows behind them. I sat next to a local returning from a day’s shopping.

I sat and watched the landscape through the window. There were green fields and fruit trees at first but, as we travelled south, the land grew drier. It wasn’t very pretty, with brown hills, no trees and rubbish by the side of the road, but I loved it. It was fascinating because it was nothing like the landscape back home.

It was dark when we arrived on the farm. A group of farmers welcomed us and decided who should work with whom. A man called Kostas took the Australian girl, Josie, and me. He spoke almost no English but we understood that we should follow him to our volunteer home. We entered a small, white house and Kostas opened the first door on the right. It was empty except for two small mattresses on the floor, each with a thin sheet and blanket. Josie went in and I waited outside ready to see if my room was any better. Impatiently, Kostas, indicated that this was also my room. Josie and I looked at each other in shock. A room together? I knew what she was thinking. Her partner, Gavin, was somewhere else in the village sharing a similar room with another, unknown volunteer.

With more sign language and broken English, Kostas told us that work would begin at 5 a.m. the next day. He told me to drive his tractor to the fields. He didn’t ask if we had driving licences. I was a man and, in his opinion, I could drive. Driving was the man’s job and, we guessed, there would be similar differences in duties to come.

Read the extract from a novel. Choose the answer

3 The writer says that the landscape was

A different.

B attractive.

C uninteresting.

D unchanging.

A VOLUNTEER ABROAD

It was eight o’clock in the morning and I was wide awake. The other people in the hostel room were all asleep and I got dressed quietly because I didn’t want to wake them up. I don’t know why. I would never see them again. Half an hour later, after a quick coffee and roll in a baker’s near the

hostel, I was at the volunteer worker office with three other hopeful volunteers. We sat there, silently, looking at each other, knowing we were in competition for the same jobs.

My turn for an interview came and I answered a few questions. The three interviewers looked carefully at my clothes and hair to see what kind of worker I might be. Back outside, I waited while more backpackers arrived. Finally, three hours later, they called five of us back in to the room. They told us we could start work on a farm immediately. They gave us some maps and instructions for a bus, although not tickets, and we left. The other four were two couples, one from Australia and the other from New Zealand. They soon got to know each other and talked together like old friends while I stood alone. On the bus, there were four seats together for them and one for me six rows behind them. I sat next to a local returning from a day’s shopping.

I sat and watched the landscape through the window. There were green fields and fruit trees at first but, as we travelled south, the land grew drier. It wasn’t very pretty, with brown hills, no trees and rubbish by the side of the road, but I loved it. It was fascinating because it was nothing like the landscape back home.

It was dark when we arrived on the farm. A group of farmers welcomed us and decided who should work with whom. A man called Kostas took the Australian girl, Josie, and me. He spoke almost no English but we understood that we should follow him to our volunteer home. We entered a small, white house and Kostas opened the first door on the right. It was empty except for two small mattresses on the floor, each with a thin sheet and blanket. Josie went in and I waited outside ready to see if my room was any better. Impatiently, Kostas, indicated that this was also my room. Josie and I looked at each other in shock. A room together? I knew what she was thinking. Her partner, Gavin, was somewhere else in the village sharing a similar room with another, unknown volunteer.

With more sign language and broken English, Kostas told us that work would begin at 5 a.m. the next day. He told me to drive his tractor to the fields. He didn’t ask if we had driving licences. I was a man and, in his opinion, I could drive. Driving was the man’s job and, we guessed, there would be similar differences in duties to come.

Read the extract from a novel. Choose the answer

4 The writer was surprised when he found out

A he was in the same house as everyone else.

B he and Josie had to share a room.

C how nice the room was.

D who Gavin was working with.

A VOLUNTEER ABROAD

It was eight o’clock in the morning and I was wide awake. The other people in the hostel room were all asleep and I got dressed quietly because I didn’t want to wake them up. I don’t know why. I would never see them again. Half an hour later, after a quick coffee and roll in a baker’s near the

hostel, I was at the volunteer worker office with three other hopeful volunteers. We sat there, silently, looking at each other, knowing we were in competition for the same jobs.

My turn for an interview came and I answered a few questions. The three interviewers looked carefully at my clothes and hair to see what kind of worker I might be. Back outside, I waited while more backpackers arrived. Finally, three hours later, they called five of us back in to the room. They told us we could start work on a farm immediately. They gave us some maps and instructions for a bus, although not tickets, and we left. The other four were two couples, one from Australia and the other from New Zealand. They soon got to know each other and talked together like old friends while I stood alone. On the bus, there were four seats together for them and one for me six rows behind them. I sat next to a local returning from a day’s shopping.

I sat and watched the landscape through the window. There were green fields and fruit trees at first but, as we travelled south, the land grew drier. It wasn’t very pretty, with brown hills, no trees and rubbish by the side of the road, but I loved it. It was fascinating because it was nothing like the landscape back home.

It was dark when we arrived on the farm. A group of farmers welcomed us and decided who should work with whom. A man called Kostas took the Australian girl, Josie, and me. He spoke almost no English but we understood that we should follow him to our volunteer home. We entered a small, white house and Kostas opened the first door on the right. It was empty except for two small mattresses on the floor, each with a thin sheet and blanket. Josie went in and I waited outside ready to see if my room was any better. Impatiently, Kostas, indicated that this was also my room. Josie and I looked at each other in shock. A room together? I knew what she was thinking. Her partner, Gavin, was somewhere else in the village sharing a similar room with another, unknown volunteer.

With more sign language and broken English, Kostas told us that work would begin at 5 a.m. the next day. He told me to drive his tractor to the fields. He didn’t ask if we had driving licences. I was a man and, in his opinion, I could drive. Driving was the man’s job and, we guessed, there would be similar differences in duties to come.

Read the extract from a novel. Choose the answer

5 In the last paragraph, the writer says that Kostas

A works very hard.

B finds it hard to make decisions.

C treats men and women differently.

D doesn’t want Josie to work for him.

A VOLUNTEER ABROAD

It was eight o’clock in the morning and I was wide awake. The other people in the hostel room were all asleep and I got dressed quietly because I didn’t want to wake them up. I don’t know why. I would never see them again. Half an hour later, after a quick coffee and roll in a baker’s near the

hostel, I was at the volunteer worker office with three other hopeful volunteers. We sat there, silently, looking at each other, knowing we were in competition for the same jobs.

My turn for an interview came and I answered a few questions. The three interviewers looked carefully at my clothes and hair to see what kind of worker I might be. Back outside, I waited while more backpackers arrived. Finally, three hours later, they called five of us back in to the room. They told us we could start work on a farm immediately. They gave us some maps and instructions for a bus, although not tickets, and we left. The other four were two couples, one from Australia and the other from New Zealand. They soon got to know each other and talked together like old friends while I stood alone. On the bus, there were four seats together for them and one for me six rows behind them. I sat next to a local returning from a day’s shopping.

I sat and watched the landscape through the window. There were green fields and fruit trees at first but, as we travelled south, the land grew drier. It wasn’t very pretty, with brown hills, no trees and rubbish by the side of the road, but I loved it. It was fascinating because it was nothing like the landscape back home.

It was dark when we arrived on the farm. A group of farmers welcomed us and decided who should work with whom. A man called Kostas took the Australian girl, Josie, and me. He spoke almost no English but we understood that we should follow him to our volunteer home. We entered a small, white house and Kostas opened the first door on the right. It was empty except for two small mattresses on the floor, each with a thin sheet and blanket. Josie went in and I waited outside ready to see if my room was any better. Impatiently, Kostas, indicated that this was also my room. Josie and I looked at each other in shock. A room together? I knew what she was thinking. Her partner, Gavin, was somewhere else in the village sharing a similar room with another, unknown volunteer.

With more sign language and broken English, Kostas told us that work would begin at 5 a.m. the next day. He told me to drive his tractor to the fields. He didn’t ask if we had driving licences. I was a man and, in his opinion, I could drive. Driving was the man’s job and, we guessed, there would be similar differences in duties to come.