Test. Reading. Focus

Read the short texts and choose the correct answer, A, B or C.

DRIVERS

Please do not leave any money or jewellery in your car, and do not leave your car unlocked.

Drivers should...

2. Customers in this shop should not leave bags or valuables unattended at any time, for security reasons.

3. Think bike!

It’s important to know what’s going on around you at all times, so do NOT listen to music while you’re cycling along. And remember it’s illegal to cycle at night without lights. You could be fined if you’re caught. Why take the risk?

The main point of this text is to...

4.

                                           BIKE THEFTS

Last year, more than 3,000 bicycles were stolen across the city, even though their owners had locked them. However, a police campaign cut the number of thefts by a third. They fitted sat nav devices to bikes which were then left where thieves were operating. When the bikes were stolen, the thieves were easily found and caught.

As a result of a police campaign in the city...

5.

To:       Jess

From: Michael

You’ll never guess what happened to me yesterday! I was just cycling towards a crossing in town. All the cars had stopped and the traffic lights were red. Suddenly, a car came speeding past, the people had to jump out of the way and I nearly fell off my bike!

The car that Michael describes...

Read the text and choose the correct answer, A, B or C.

MAN AND MACHINE

by Mark Ravens

Science and technology have developed a lot since the fifteenth century, when the artist Leonardo da Vinci drew mechanical figures that looked like men – the first known robot designs. Now, of course, robots are everywhere, from factories to space stations, and they safely carry out all sorts of tasks, from cutting the grass to performing surgery. However, until recently most of them haven’t looked like humans at all, as Leonardo imagined, and they certainly haven’t had feelings. But now all that is beginning to change.

Imagine a world in which robots not only look like us but also know our moods, and have feelings themselves. It might even be possible for robots to become our friends! Science fiction writers have written about a world just like that for many years, and scientists are now predicting that intelligent robots like these will exist quite soon. In fact, they’ve already produced one that recognizes sound, movement and touch. Its bright red heart, which you can see through its plastic body, beats faster if you are rough with the robot or shout at it. But its heart slows down if you are gentle with it. Although it can’t talk, it’s easy to believe the robot actually has feelings!

It’s true that so far ‘human’ robots do not really move, talk or respond in the way we humans do, but they are becoming more advanced all the time. At some point in the future, a robot will definitely be created that may not look like us, but will be capable of doing anything that we can. And then we will truly be in the world of science fiction stories! 

1 What does Mark say about da Vinci’s robot drawings?

MAN AND MACHINE

by Mark Ravens

Science and technology have developed a lot since the fifteenth century, when the artist Leonardo da Vinci drew mechanical figures that looked like men – the first known robot designs. Now, of course, robots are everywhere, from factories to space stations, and they safely carry out all sorts of tasks, from cutting the grass to performing surgery. However, until recently most of them haven’t looked like humans at all, as Leonardo imagined, and they certainly haven’t had feelings. But now all that is beginning to change.

Imagine a world in which robots not only look like us but also know our moods, and have feelings themselves. It might even be possible for robots to become our friends! Science fiction writers have written about a world just like that for many years, and scientists are now predicting that intelligent robots like these will exist quite soon. In fact, they’ve already produced one that recognizes sound, movement and touch. Its bright red heart, which you can see through its plastic body, beats faster if you are rough with the robot or shout at it. But its heart slows down if you are gentle with it. Although it can’t talk, it’s easy to believe the robot actually has feelings!

It’s true that so far ‘human’ robots do not really move, talk or respond in the way we humans do, but they are becoming more advanced all the time. At some point in the future, a robot will definitely be created that may not look like us, but will be capable of doing anything that we can. And then we will truly be in the world of science fiction stories! 

2. In the first paragraph, Mark says that robots

MAN AND MACHINE

by Mark Ravens

Science and technology have developed a lot since the fifteenth century, when the artist Leonardo da Vinci drew mechanical figures that looked like men – the first known robot designs. Now, of course, robots are everywhere, from factories to space stations, and they safely carry out all sorts of tasks, from cutting the grass to performing surgery. However, until recently most of them haven’t looked like humans at all, as Leonardo imagined, and they certainly haven’t had feelings. But now all that is beginning to change.

Imagine a world in which robots not only look like us but also know our moods, and have feelings themselves. It might even be possible for robots to become our friends! Science fiction writers have written about a world just like that for many years, and scientists are now predicting that intelligent robots like these will exist quite soon. In fact, they’ve already produced one that recognizes sound, movement and touch. Its bright red heart, which you can see through its plastic body, beats faster if you are rough with the robot or shout at it. But its heart slows down if you are gentle with it. Although it can’t talk, it’s easy to believe the robot actually has feelings!

It’s true that so far ‘human’ robots do not really move, talk or respond in the way we humans do, but they are becoming more advanced all the time. At some point in the future, a robot will definitely be created that may not look like us, but will be capable of doing anything that we can. And then we will truly be in the world of science fiction stories! 

3. What does Mark say about science fiction writers?

MAN AND MACHINE

by Mark Ravens

Science and technology have developed a lot since the fifteenth century, when the artist Leonardo da Vinci drew mechanical figures that looked like men – the first known robot designs. Now, of course, robots are everywhere, from factories to space stations, and they safely carry out all sorts of tasks, from cutting the grass to performing surgery. However, until recently most of them haven’t looked like humans at all, as Leonardo imagined, and they certainly haven’t had feelings. But now all that is beginning to change.

Imagine a world in which robots not only look like us but also know our moods, and have feelings themselves. It might even be possible for robots to become our friends! Science fiction writers have written about a world just like that for many years, and scientists are now predicting that intelligent robots like these will exist quite soon. In fact, they’ve already produced one that recognizes sound, movement and touch. Its bright red heart, which you can see through its plastic body, beats faster if you are rough with the robot or shout at it. But its heart slows down if you are gentle with it. Although it can’t talk, it’s easy to believe the robot actually has feelings!

It’s true that so far ‘human’ robots do not really move, talk or respond in the way we humans do, but they are becoming more advanced all the time. At some point in the future, a robot will definitely be created that may not look like us, but will be capable of doing anything that we can. And then we will truly be in the world of science fiction stories! 

4. Mark says that the robot with a heart

MAN AND MACHINE

by Mark Ravens

Science and technology have developed a lot since the fifteenth century, when the artist Leonardo da Vinci drew mechanical figures that looked like men – the first known robot designs. Now, of course, robots are everywhere, from factories to space stations, and they safely carry out all sorts of tasks, from cutting the grass to performing surgery. However, until recently most of them haven’t looked like humans at all, as Leonardo imagined, and they certainly haven’t had feelings. But now all that is beginning to change.

Imagine a world in which robots not only look like us but also know our moods, and have feelings themselves. It might even be possible for robots to become our friends! Science fiction writers have written about a world just like that for many years, and scientists are now predicting that intelligent robots like these will exist quite soon. In fact, they’ve already produced one that recognizes sound, movement and touch. Its bright red heart, which you can see through its plastic body, beats faster if you are rough with the robot or shout at it. But its heart slows down if you are gentle with it. Although it can’t talk, it’s easy to believe the robot actually has feelings!

It’s true that so far ‘human’ robots do not really move, talk or respond in the way we humans do, but they are becoming more advanced all the time. At some point in the future, a robot will definitely be created that may not look like us, but will be capable of doing anything that we can. And then we will truly be in the world of science fiction stories! 

5. In the final paragraph, Mark says he

MAN AND MACHINE

by Mark Ravens

Science and technology have developed a lot since the fifteenth century, when the artist Leonardo da Vinci drew mechanical figures that looked like men – the first known robot designs. Now, of course, robots are everywhere, from factories to space stations, and they safely carry out all sorts of tasks, from cutting the grass to performing surgery. However, until recently most of them haven’t looked like humans at all, as Leonardo imagined, and they certainly haven’t had feelings. But now all that is beginning to change.

Imagine a world in which robots not only look like us but also know our moods, and have feelings themselves. It might even be possible for robots to become our friends! Science fiction writers have written about a world just like that for many years, and scientists are now predicting that intelligent robots like these will exist quite soon. In fact, they’ve already produced one that recognizes sound, movement and touch. Its bright red heart, which you can see through its plastic body, beats faster if you are rough with the robot or shout at it. But its heart slows down if you are gentle with it. Although it can’t talk, it’s easy to believe the robot actually has feelings!

It’s true that so far ‘human’ robots do not really move, talk or respond in the way we humans do, but they are becoming more advanced all the time. At some point in the future, a robot will definitely be created that may not look like us, but will be capable of doing anything that we can. And then we will truly be in the world of science fiction stories! 

6. Smart robots will live around us one day.

MAN AND MACHINE

by Mark Ravens

Science and technology have developed a lot since the fifteenth century, when the artist Leonardo da Vinci drew mechanical figures that looked like men – the first known robot designs. Now, of course, robots are everywhere, from factories to space stations, and they safely carry out all sorts of tasks, from cutting the grass to performing surgery. However, until recently most of them haven’t looked like humans at all, as Leonardo imagined, and they certainly haven’t had feelings. But now all that is beginning to change.

Imagine a world in which robots not only look like us but also know our moods, and have feelings themselves. It might even be possible for robots to become our friends! Science fiction writers have written about a world just like that for many years, and scientists are now predicting that intelligent robots like these will exist quite soon. In fact, they’ve already produced one that recognizes sound, movement and touch. Its bright red heart, which you can see through its plastic body, beats faster if you are rough with the robot or shout at it. But its heart slows down if you are gentle with it. Although it can’t talk, it’s easy to believe the robot actually has feelings!

It’s true that so far ‘human’ robots do not really move, talk or respond in the way we humans do, but they are becoming more advanced all the time. At some point in the future, a robot will definitely be created that may not look like us, but will be capable of doing anything that we can. And then we will truly be in the world of science fiction stories! 

7. Robots help us to perfom a surgery, do housework and carry out the most difficult tasks.