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FCE Reading & Use of English Test 3
Official test from Practice Tests Plus, Pearson, 2015

Part 1
For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Example
0 A MOMENT   B present   C current   D minute​

The Gesture Interface


At the 0                                             if we want mobile 1                                              to the Web, we have to travel around with things like tablets and smartphones in our bags or pockets. But the inventor of something called the Gesture Interface has 2                                             up with a way of doing this using only something we’ve 3                                             around with us for millions of years – our hands.

The idea is 4                                             on simple technology that is already in existence.

5                                             carrying around the usual hardware, you have a small wearable device on your hands. This contains a projector, a camera and wireless technology to 6                                                  you to the Web. It also has sensors which read and interpret simple hand gestures. For example, when you want to 7                                              a photograph, simply make a frame around the image with your hand and click your fingers. The device 8                                              out what you want and operates the camera.
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moment

Part 2
For questions 9-16, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).

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Choosing the best shades


Most of us buy a new pair 0                                                 fashionable sunglasses each year. To be honest, we probably 9                                                 more thought into looking cool than we do into ensuring that the glasses match our needs.

It seems an obvious thing to say, 10                                              the main role of sunglasses isn’t actually to enhance your image. It is rather to protect your eyes from the potentially harmful rays of the sun. What’s 11                                             , price isn’t necessarily the best guide 12                                             the effectiveness of sunglasses. Indeed, expensive designer glasses may not provide the best defence against sun damage. 13                                             you may still want to choose a pair of sunglasses that look good on you, it’s also crucial to check out just how effective they will be in protecting your eyes.

There are three types of light 14                                             can harm the human eye. They are known

15                                              ultra-violet light, visible light and infra-red light. If you
16                                              the choice of sunglasses seriously, then you will want to protect yourself against all three.
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of

Part 3
For questions 17-24, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the gap next to it. There is an example at the beginning (0).

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Rafting on the Zambezi river


Victoria Falls on the Zambezi river in Africa is one of the most 0                                             (SPECTACLE) sights in the world. It is also an 17                                            (CREDIBLE) place for water sports. The translation of the local Zambian name for the falls is ‘the smoke that thunders’ and it’s a pretty good

18                                             . (DESCRIBE) On arrival, it’s the noise that makes the greatest
19                                              (IMPRESS) on you as the water drops 108 metres in a waterfall that is nearly two kilometres wide. The 20                                             (SURROUND) landscape is also awesome, and well worth a visit.

You can’t go white-water rafting over the falls themselves, but the rapids

21                                              (FAR) down the Zambezi river provide a very exciting location. Although the rapids are given grades five and six on the sports 22                                              (DIFFICULT) scale, there are places where relative 23                                             (BEGIN) can have a go, as long as they are accompanied by experienced operators. These people guide you through the rapids and ensure that you don’t stray into the more 24                                             (DANGER) sections by mistake.
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spectacular

Part 4
For questions 25-30, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. DO NOT CHANGE THE WORD GIVEN. You must use between TWO and FIVE words, including the word given.

25
The band probably won’t do another tour this year.
UNLIKELY
The band                                                                                         another tour this year.

26 It’s very hard for Alex to get up in the morning.
TROUBLE
Alex                                                                                        up in the morning.

27 Lily is so good at swimming that she is going to train for the Olympics.
SUCH
Lily                                                                                        that she is going to train for the Olympics.

28 One of us ought to go and meet the visitor at the airport.
SHOULD
The visitor                                                                                         one of us at the airport.

29 I went to the dentist’s because I couldn’t stand the toothache any longer.
UP
I couldn’t                                                                                         the toothache any longer, so I went to the dentist’s.

30 I wasn’t invited to the party and feel sad about that.
WISH
I                                                                                        invited to the party.
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Part 5
You are going to read an extract from a novel. For questions 31-36 choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

Moving house


A few days later, Lyn’s mother told her to spend her evening sorting out and packing her belongings. ‘I’ll see to your clothes,’ she said. ‘I want you to do your books and paints and things. I’ve put some cardboard boxes in your room.’

‘You should’ve asked me,’ said Lyn, following her into the bedroom and seeing the assorted boxes. ‘I would’ve got some. There’s lots outside the supermarket near school.’

‘These came from the local shop. Oh it’s all right, I’ve shaken out all the dirt,’ she said as Lyn tipped up the nearest one, checking that it was empty.

‘OK. I’ll do it,’ said Lyn. ‘We’re ready to move then, are we?’

‘Yes, the day after tomorrow. You’re going to miss the end of school term, but you won’t mind that, will you?’

‘You mean Friday’s my last day at school?’ Lyn pushed the boxes aside with her foot to clear a path to her bed so that she could sit down. ‘You could’ve told me,’ she said. ‘I have got people to say goodbye to, you know.’

‘I am telling you,’ said her mother reasonably. ‘It doesn’t take two days to say goodbye, does it? You’ll only get upset.’

‘Why are we doing my things first?’ Lyn asked. ‘I haven’t got much. There’s all the other stuff in the house — shouldn’t we start on that first?’

‘Don’t worry about that. Mrs Wilson’s coming to help me tomorrow.’

Lyn remembered what Mandy Wilson had said all those days ago. ‘My mum’s coming round to help you pack.’ She felt angry with herself for not having said something straightaway — it was probably too late now. But worth a try. ‘I can help you,’ she said. ‘We can do it together.’

‘You’ll be at school – you want to say goodbye.’

‘I’ll go in at lunchtime for that. Mum, we can do it together. I don’t want that Mrs Wilson touching our things.’ Mandy Wilson’s mother – picking things over – telling Mandy what they’d found — Mandy at school announcing importantly, ‘My mother says they’ve got cheap plates and half of them are cracked and none of their towels match.’ The image was intolerable.

Lyn’s mother moved over to sit beside her on the bed. She was wearing her harassed expression. She was clearly feeling the pressure too, but managed to keep her patience. ‘Nothing’s ever straightforward with you, is it?’ she said. ‘It’s been agreed for a long time and it’s extremely kind of her to help. Everything’s got to be wrapped up carefully so it doesn’t get broken, then put in storage boxes in the right order – I don’t doubt you’d do your best, but there’s not room for anyone else – and she offered first.’

Lyn said no more and got on with the job she’d agreed to do. Her bedroom looked odd when she’d finished, but not as odd as the rest of the house when she got home from school next day. It was so sad. There were no curtains at the windows and no ornaments on the shelves, and in the middle of the room stood four large wooden boxes, full of objects wrapped in newspaper. But what really struck Lyn most were the rectangles of lighter-coloured paint on the wall where pictures had once hung. It was as if they had been atomised by a ray gun. Moving into the kitchen, she saw empty cupboards, their doors wide open. Somebody had done a thorough job.
                          ​

31 When Lyn is asked to pack her belongings, she
32 When Lyn says ‘I’ll do it’ in paragraph four, she is talking about
33 How does Lyn react to the news that the family is moving soon?
34 Why does Lyn offer to do more of the packing?
35 What reason does Lyn’s mother give for not accepting Lyn’s offer of help?
36 What made the greatest impression on Lyn when she came home the next day?

Part 6

You are going to read an article about a man who takes photos of celebrities. Six sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A–G the one which fits each gap (37-42). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.

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The airport photographer

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​I’m a photographer based at Heathrow Airport in London. Airlines often commission me to take photos of aircraft or their staff. But mostly I concentrate on getting shots of celebrities as they come through the arrivals hall. I sell some photos direct to the daily newspapers and celebrity magazines, and the rest go to a picture agency.

On a typical day I look out for the flights arriving from Los Angeles on the major airlines.

 

Most of them fly either with British Airways because it’s such an established company, or with Virgin Atlantic because the owner, Richard Branson, moves in those celebrity circles.

You’ve got to cover all the incoming flights though – Victoria Beckham took to flying with Air New Zealand at one time. I know the ground and security staff here very well.

 

That can really make all the difference to being in the right place at the right time. I’ve been working here for many years now, so I’ve seen thousands of celebrities throughout the decades. In my experience, the old stars are the best. Joan Collins is my favourite — she sends me a Christmas card every year. Mick Jagger also knows me and always says hello. People like Paul McCartney and Rod Stewart are lots of fun, too. 

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I guess that’s because they can see the value of it.

Today’s big stars are generally okay and give you a polite smile. I won’t mention names, but there are some who wave me away rudely, whilst others even have their managers popping up from nowhere, saying ‘no pictures’ to the waiting photographers.

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You’ve probably seen photographers leaping around in this manner on TV footage of celebrities arriving at airports and wondered why they do it – well often that’s why.

 

One time, Naomi Campbell refused to come out from behind a pillar. She called up for a buggy and hopped on the back, so there I was chasing it, trying to get a shot of her. But the next time I saw her she’d just got engaged and came up to me to show me the ring.

But if today’s stars don’t make my job as easy as it was, today’s technology more than makes up for it. When I started out it was much less sophisticated. I remember when the British queen’s granddaughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, were just babies. I heard that their mother, the Duchess of York, was coming through Heathrow with them. She was carrying both babies in her arms.

 

I realised I had a good chance of getting one of them onto the front page of the newspaper, which is always the photographer’s aim.

So I called my editor to warn him, took the shots, then rolled up the film, labelled it, put it in an envelope and organised for a motorbike dispatch rider to pick it up, take it back to the newspaper offices and have it developed. It had taken three hours. Today, using digital cameras and a laptop, the office gets images in three minutes.

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Part 7
You are going to read an article about cycling. For questions 43-52, choose from the cyclists (A-D). The cyclists may be chosen more than once.

I love my bike. Four young Dubliners talk about the joys of cycling in the city.


A Erin
This old second-hand bike gets me from A to Ð’ all right because you don’t need flashy sets of gears or anything like that in a city this size and it makes it less of a target for thieves. But having said that, mine’s a very bright colour – it cheers me up, especially when I have to cycle home in the pouring rain. I’ve always thought that the bike was a good reflection of the real me actually, and I usually wear jeans when I’m cycling. I might need to rethink that though because I’ve just started my own company, and my outlook on life has changed a little. There may be times when I need to turn up looking a bit more elegant! I’d say to anyone thinking of getting a bike, make sure the saddle’s right before you part with your money. If you’re going to use it a lot, you don’t want to get sore.

Ð’ Luke
I bought my bike from an Internet auction site and had to have it shipped from Germany in pieces. I then paid to have it assembled here in Dublin – but it was worth it. I use it every day and tend to wear everyday clothes and try and dodge the showers. I cycle all over the city because it’s much quicker than walking and you don’t get snarled up in the traffic, which can be a pain in a motor vehicle. At least on a bike you can keep moving. The only tip I’d give to novice cyclists round here is keep a lookout for drivers turning left, it’s easy for them to miss you because you can see what they’re doing but they can’t necessarily see you. I worked briefly as a cycle courier — delivering letters and stuff. It was fun, but I wouldn’t recommend making a career out of it!

C Claire
My parents picked this bike up for me in New York. It’s a red and black cruiser with a burger-shaped bell — some of my friends think that’s a bit uncool, but I don’t really go along with that idea. I’ve got two helmets, a summer and a winter version but I still get too hot on really sunny days. Still, you can’t really do without one, can you? I cycle down to college in no time at all, but the uphill trek home takes me around thirty-five minutes. I only take the bus if it’s wet. It’s quicker, but on the bike I can make my own mind up about when I travel. I cycle in high heels, which you might think would be tricky, but is actually easier than walking any distance in them. But I wouldn’t really recommend them to other cyclists.

D Kieran
My bike’s an early 1980s racer and I bought it off an old man who sells junk out of his garage. He reckoned it had once belonged to a professional cycling champion, but I think he was making it up. I was looking for old cameras, but when I saw it I couldn’t resist it. It did get stolen on one occasion, but then later that week I saw someone riding it up my street. I grabbed him and gave him his taxi fare home so that I could take it back. My advice to cyclists would be to wear fluorescent armbands, especially at night or in poor weather conditions. They’re less uncomfortable than the waistcoats or jackets in the same material. I’ve just invested in special raingear actually, but I don’t find it very comfortable, to be honest, because as soon as the sun comes out, you feel overdressed.

When talking about thir bike, which cyclist

 

43 accepts the need to wear uncomfortable safety equipment?
44 advises people to make sure a new bike is comfortable to ride?
45 believes that false information was given by the seller?
46 disagrees with other people’s opinion of one of the bike’s features?
47 hopes not to get caught in bad weather on the bike?
48 feels that cycling is less frustrating than driving?
49 finds some cycle journeys easier than others?
50 feels that the bike matches the owner’s character?
51 was once the victim of bike crime?
52 was a professional cyclist for a short time?

Part 1​

1. access

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2. come

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3. carried

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4. based

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5. Instead of

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6. connect

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7. take

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8. works

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Part 2

​9. put

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10. but

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11. more

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12. to

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13. Though/Although/While

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14. which/that

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15. as

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16. take​

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Part 3

17. incredible

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18. description

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19. impression

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20. surounding

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21. further/farther

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22. difficulty

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23. beginners

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24. dangerous

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Part 4

25. is unlikely to do

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26. has great trouble getting/has trouble getting

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27. is such a good swimmer

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28. should be met by

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29. put up with

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30. wish I had been

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Part 5 

​31. is worried whether the boxes are clean

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32. filling something

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33. she wishes she’d been told earlier

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34. she distrusts the person who is coming to help

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35. other people have already said they will do it

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36. the empty spaces where things had once been

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Part 6

37. That’s where you generally find the celebrities

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38. Often it’s one of them who tips me off that a big star has just come through passport control

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39. You get the impression that they enjoy the attention

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40. When that happens, they have to do what we call ‘duck and dive’ to get a shot

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41. With some stars, however, you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get

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42. If the sport was more in the public eye, then fewer people would make that mistake

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Part 7

43. C

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44. A

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45. D

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46. C

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47. B

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48. B

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49. C

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50. A

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51. D

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52. B

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