Term Reading Test

Tasks 1-4

Read the text about cooperation with publishers. For each question (1-4) choose the correct answer (A-D) according to the text. 

Tom sat on the sofa in his living room. In front of him lay an open parcel containing several books. He reached for the copy on the top. Tales of Scorched Lands by Tom Grant, it read on the cover. He looked at it again and again as if he could not believe he’d really got his first book published. A surge of pride, however, quickly gave way to some doubts: how will it be received by the readers? Will they like it? Will it sell at all? He started browsing through the pages. Here and there, he noticed the changes that he had had to make to the original text based on the editor’s feedback, which at first he had found a bit hard to accept. As he was looking through the book, he recalled how it had all begun.

Back in secondary school, he started going to fantasy conventions, where fantasy fans gather to take part in storytelling games. His talent for getting people to listen to him and an intuitive knowledge of what makes a good story soon earned him the number one place among the storytellers at those events. It also meant a lot of work, though. Before each convention, he would spend hours making up the plot of a new game, writing and rewriting the details to create a credible story. It was during one of the storytelling sessions at a convention that he was spotted by a reporter from a popular fantasy magazine. The reporter suggested that Tom should consider compiling his stories into a book and promised to put him in touch with a publishing agent. From then on, Tom’s writing career took off rapidly.

Shortly afterwards, Tom was contacted by the agent who asked him to submit a sample of his work. A book proposal, Tom was told, would not be necessary in that case because of the reporter’s recommendations. The agent must have seen some potential in Tom’s story because it was passed on to a publisher and Tom was offered a contract.

Like many other authors, Tom had to introduce some changes to his work that the publisher required. Unlike many first-time authors, though, he didn’t have to send countless letters to agents and feel frustrated with getting rejected over and over again. He was not so arrogant as to think that there were no other aspiring writers with ideas at least as good as his own. But now by a piece of luck as well as thanks to his talent and hard work he had managed to get his book published.

1. When he was looking at the copy of his book, Tom mainly felt 

During one fantasy convention, Tom

How was Tom different from many other first-time writers?

From the text we learn that

Tasks 5-8

Read the following text, from which four sentences have been removed. Choose from the sentences (A-E) the one which fits each gap (1-4) to obtain a logical and coherent text. There is one extra sentence that you do not need to use. 

Returning to a holiday spot which one used to admire in the past can sometimes be a shocking experience. I discovered the truth of this last year when I decided to spend a few days in a small, historic town which I had visited many years before.

(1)__ I was hoping to find the small guesthouse where I had stayed previously. When I eventually came across its address, I found out that over the years it had been converted into a modern hotel with all the typical facilities. ‘They need to keep up with the times’, I thought and decided to ignore the sense of disappointment as I did my bookings online.

Immediately after my arrival, I couldn’t fail to notice some remarkable changes that had taken place in the town over the years. True, in some respects the town looked even more attractive than I remembered it. Some of the historic buildings had been renovated and the main square now boasted a nice fountain. While driving to the hotel, however, I also noticed that some of the small restaurants and cafés had disappeared. (2)__

A leisurely stroll around the town later in the afternoon revealed more changes that I found difficult to accept. The colourful street stalls where I used to shop for local crafts were now replaced by fashionable boutiques, attracting tourists with flashy neon lights.

A leisurely stroll around the town later in the afternoon revealed more changes that I found difficult to accept. The colourful street stalls where I used to shop for local crafts were now replaced by fashionable boutiques, attracting tourists with flashy neon lights. (3)__ So were the artists, whom I had watched at work. The place was becoming more and more touristy and was no longer the quiet retreat I had hoped to find.

The next morning I couldn’t decide whether I should stay or leave the place. While I was having breakfast at the hotel restaurant, I saw a group of new arrivals. (4)__ That was the final straw. I quickly checked out of the hotel and drove home, wishing I had not made up my mind to return.

Tasks 9-12

Read the following text. Fill in the gaps (1-4) with the correct answer (A-D) to obtain a logical and

grammatically correct text.

The right to trial by jury is considered to be one of the most fundamental civil (1)___ in a number of countries, including the UK and the USA. Unlike in Poland and some other European countries, whose law system is (2)___ on the roman code, these countries have legal systems that are derived from that of common law.

The idea of jury trial is thought to have originated in ancient Greece. However, historians are unsure how the concept came to England. Some believe that it (3)___ there of its own accord while others think it was brought with the Norman conquest in the 11th century.

The basic idea of trial by jury works according to some simple principles. A group of ordinary citizens are chosen to take part in a trial and hear the (4)___ . Next, they discuss the case and announce their verdict: ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’.

Fill the gap #1:

Read the following text. Fill in the gaps (1-4) with the correct answer (A-D) to obtain a logical and

grammatically correct text.

The right to trial by jury is considered to be one of the most fundamental civil (1)___ in a number of countries, including the UK and the USA. Unlike in Poland and some other European countries, whose law system is (2)___ on the roman code, these countries have legal systems that are derived from that of common law.

The idea of jury trial is thought to have originated in ancient Greece. However, historians are unsure how the concept came to England. Some believe that it (3)___ there of its own accord while others think it was brought with the Norman conquest in the 11th century.

The basic idea of trial by jury works according to some simple principles. A group of ordinary citizens are chosen to take part in a trial and hear the (4)___ . Next, they discuss the case and announce their verdict: ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’.

Fill the gap #2:

The right to trial by jury is considered to be one of the most fundamental civil (1)___ in a number of countries, including the UK and the USA. Unlike in Poland and some other European countries, whose law system is (2)___ on the roman code, these countries have legal systems that are derived from that of common law.

The idea of jury trial is thought to have originated in ancient Greece. However, historians are unsure how the concept came to England. Some believe that it (3)___ there of its own accord while others think it was brought with the Norman conquest in the 11th century.

The basic idea of trial by jury works according to some simple principles. A group of ordinary citizens are chosen to take part in a trial and hear the (4)___ . Next, they discuss the case and announce their verdict: ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’.

Fill the gap #3:

The right to trial by jury is considered to be one of the most fundamental civil (1)___ in a number of countries, including the UK and the USA. Unlike in Poland and some other European countries, whose law system is (2)___ on the roman code, these countries have legal systems that are derived from that of common law.

The idea of jury trial is thought to have originated in ancient Greece. However, historians are unsure how the concept came to England. Some believe that it (3)___ there of its own accord while others think it was brought with the Norman conquest in the 11th century.

The basic idea of trial by jury works according to some simple principles. A group of ordinary citizens are chosen to take part in a trial and hear the (4)___ . Next, they discuss the case and announce their verdict: ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’.

Fill the gap #4: