Copyright 1996

READING PRACTICE TESTS 
There are 9 reading practice tests 
Time allowed for each test: 60 minutes 
Before you start 
Photocopy a reading test answer sheet on the next page. 
Write your answers on the answer sheet. 
When you have finished each test, check your answers with the 
answer key on pages 178-181.

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READING ANSWER SHEET 
Photocopy this page to write your answers to each Reading test you practise. 
Module taken: 
Test number: 
Enter the number
Academicin the boxes and shade the number
General Training
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Band Score Reading Total

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READING TEST 1 
QUESTIONS 1-14 
You art advised to spend about 15 minutes on Questions 1-14 which refer to 
Reading 
Passage 1 below 
READING PASSAGE 1 
1 The private car is assumed to have widened
local community. As fewer children and adults
our horizons and increased our mobility. When
use the streets as pedestrians, these streets
we consider our children's mobility, they can
become less sociable places. There is less
be driven to more places (and more distant
opportunity for children and adults to have the
places) than they could visit without access to a spontaneous exchanges that help to engender a
motor vehicle. However, allowing our cities to
feeling of community. This in itself may
be dominated by cars has progressively eroded
exacerbate fears associated with assault and
children's independent mobility. Children have
molestation of children, because there are
lost much of their freedom to explore their own fewer adults available who know their
neighbourhood or city without adult
neighbours' children, and who can look out for
supervision. In recent surveys, when parents in
their safety.
some cities were asked about their own
childhood experiences, the majority
5. The extra traffic involved in transporting
remembered having more, or far more,
children results in increased traffic congestion.
opportunities for going out on their own,
pollution and accident risk. As our roads
compared with their own children today. They
become more dangerous, more parents drive 
had more freedom to explore their own
their children to more places, thus contributing
environment.
to increased levels of danger for the remaining
pedestrians. Anyone who has experienced
2. Children's independent access to their local
either the reduced volume of traffic in peak
streets may be important for their own
hour during school holidays, or the traffic jams
personal, mental and psychological
near schools at the end of a school day, will not
development. Allowing them to get to know
need convincing about these points. Thus,
their own neighbourhood and community
there are also important environmental
gives them a 'sense of place'. This depends on
implications of children's loss of freedom.
'active exploration', which is not provided for
when children are passengers in cars. (Such
6. As individuals, parents strive to provide the
children may see more, but they learn less.)
best upbringing they can for their children.
Not only is it important that children be able to
However, in doing so, (e.g. by driving their
get to local play areas by themselves, but
children to sport, school or recreation) parents
walking and cycling journeys to school and to
may be contributing to a more dangerous
other destinations provide genuine play
environment for children generally. The idea
activities in themselves.
that 'streets are for cars and back yards and
playgrounds are for children' is a strongly held
3. There are very significant time and money
belief, and parents have little choice as
costs for parents associated with transporting
individuals but to keep their children off the
their children to school, sport and to other
streets if they want to protect their safety.
locations. Research in the United Kingdom
estimated that this cost, in 1990, was between
7. In many parts of Dutch cities, and some
10 billion and 20 billion pounds. 
traffic calmed precincts in Germany, residential
streets are now places where cars must give
4• The reduction in children's freedom may 
way to pedestrians. In these areas, residents are 
also contribute to a weakening of the sense of
accepting the view that the function of streets

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is not solely to provide mobility for cars. 
many German cities have significantly higher 
Streets may also be for social interaction, 
levels of freedom to travel to places in their 
walking, cycling and playing. One of the most 
own neighbourhood or city than children in 
important aspects of these European cities, in 
other cities in the world. 
terms of giving cities back to children, has been 8. Modifying cities in order to enhance 
a range of 'traffic calming' initiatives, aimed at 
children's freedom will not only benefit 
reducing the volume and speed of traffic. 
children. Such cities will become more 
These initiatives have had complex interactive 
environmentally sustainable, as well as more 
effects, leading to a sense that children have 
sociable and more livable for all city residents. 
been able to 'recapture' their local 
Perhaps it will be our concern for our 
neighbourhood, and more importantly, that 
children's welfare that convinces us that we 
they have been able to do this in safety. Recent
need to challenge the dominance of the car in 
research has demonstrated that children in
our cities.
Questions 1-5 
Read statements 1-5 which relate to Paragraphs 1,2, and 3 of the reading passage. 
Answer T if the statement is true, F if the statement is false, or NI if there is no 
information given in the passage. Write your answers in the spaces numbered 1-5 
on the answer sheet. One has been done for you as an example. 
Example: 
The private car has made people more mobile. 
Answer:
T
1 . The private car has helped children have more opportunities to learn. 
2. 
Children are more independent today than they used to be. 
3. 
Walking and cycling to school allows children to learn more. 
4. 
Children usually walk or cycle to school. 
5. 
Parents save time and money by driving children to school. 
Questions 6-9 
In Paragraphs 4 and 5, there are FOUR problems stated. These problems, 
numbered as questions 6-9, are listed below. Each of these problems has a cause, 
listed A-G. Find the correct cause for each of the problems and write the 
corresponding letter A-G, in the spaces numbered 6-9 on the answer sheet. One 
has been done for you as an example.