Australia

Australia is an island continent located in the Southern Hemisphere. It lies

My Husband

(6)____Between_____ the Pacific and Indian oceans and has a land area of over seven million
square kilometres.

My husband, Jeff, is a lovely man and I'm proud (6) ____of_____him. He is kind to
everyone even if he doesn't (7) _____think______ much of them.

The (7)_____Climate_______in Australia ranges from tropical in the far north to temperate in
the south. Approximately one third of Australia is (8)_____Desert_______ because it is a

We often do the (8) ____Shopping______ together and he helps me a lot. He's

good at finding (9) _____Special_____ at the supermarket. Jeff does this even though
he isn't fond of shopping. I'm grateful (10) ___for______ his help.

geographically isolated country, Australia has many animals that are unique. Some of these are the
kangaroos, koalas, emus, dingoes and platypuses.
The first people to come to Australia were the Aborigines. It is (9)_____believel_____that they

Jeff is also (11) ____Keen______ on cooking and, and, as I don't like cooking, he

arrived here about 60,000 years ago. In 1770, Captain Cook was the first European to land on the east

is happy to do it for me. I do the washing up and other (12) _____House work_____

coast to claim Australia for Britain. In 1788, Governor Phillip arrived in Port Jackson (now Sydney)

such as dusting and vacuuming. Jeff is careful with money. He doesn't

to set up the first (10)______Colony_______ Originally it was a place for British prisoners. When

(13) ____gamble______ or buy unnecessary things. We are rarely (14)

the (11)_____Europeans_____came to stay, there were approximately 300,000 Aboriginal people

_____annoyed______ or angry with each other. We have a good (15)

living in Australia.
The (12)______population______of Australia reached 20 million in 2005. Sydney is the largest

____Marriage_______.

city with 4,305,500 people as at July 2004. Australia is a multiracial and multicultural

TEST 10
To (6) _____many_____ people, their friends are the most important in their life. Really good

(13)____Society______where people from over 200 countries have made Australia their home.
When (14)__________ visit Australia they can visit such places as the Great Barrier Reef off the
Queensland coast, Sydney with its (15)_____beaches_____, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge

friends
(7) ____always______ share joys and sorrows with you and never turn their (8) _____back_____
on you. Your best friends may be someone you have (9) ____known______ all your life or

and numerous other places - too many to mention here. Whether a visitor likes the country or city,
there is much to see here in Australia

someone you have grown up with. There are all sorts of things that can bring about this special
relationship. It may be the result of enjoying the (10) _____same_____ activities and sharing
experiences. Most of us have met someone that we have immediately felt (11) _____relaxed_____
with as if we have known them for ages. However, it really takes you (12) ____years______ to get
to know someone well enough to consider your best (13) ____friend______. To the majority of us,
this is someone we trust completely and who understands us better than anyone (14)
_____else_____. Its the person you and tell him or her your most intimate (15) ____secrets_____.

Tasmania

TEST 4

Tasmania is an island state located to the south of the Australian mainland. It is a natural
(6)_____Island______ with beautiful coastlines, mountains, tall forests and lakes. The

I've just come back from a short music: course called Singing for Beginners. It was at Brownstoke

(7)______Population_____ of Tasmania was 476,481 in March 2006 and the capital city, Hobart,

College, which is just to the north of London.

had a population of 200,525.

A woman called Lena Phipps runs these three-day (6) ___Courses_____ for people with no
previous experience of singing. Lena used to be an opera singer, but no longer appears on the stage.

The Tasmanian Aborigines first (8)_____Reached______ Tasmania over 40,000 years ago. In 1642,

Nowadays she occasionally sings in jazz clubs, but spends most of her time (7)

Abel Tasman, a Dutch explorer, was the (9)_____First______ European to sight Tasmania. He

______Teaching______. She was excellent!

named it Van Dieman's Land. Tasmania became a place for British convicts when Britain's gaols

There were only nine of us on the course I attended, five men and four women, and Lena never

became (10)_____Overcrowded______.

takes more than ten students on a course. This means that everyone has lots of (8)
_____Attention______ and plenty of opportunity to sing.

There are many places of great (11)_____interest______ for a tourist to visit in Tasmania. In
Richmond one can find the oldest (12)_____first______ still in use in Australia. Apart from this
bridge and Richmond (13)_____historical______ village, there are many other places a tourist
would enjoy. For walkers, Tasmania is a (14)_____paradise______. Freycinet National Park and
Cradle Mountain at Lake St Clair National Park are just two of the areas (15)_____famous______
for their beauty.

We were all very (9) _____nervous______ at the beginning, but every class begins with some
exercises to help students relax. These are followed by warm-up (10) _____Exercises______ to
improve the quality at the voice. During the three days, students learn around twenty songs in a
variety of different (11) _____Styles______, depending on the interests of the class members.
There are classical and modern songs including pop songs. By the last day, everyone was confident
(12) _____enough______ to perform their favourite song on their own!
I would really recommend this course. Brownstoke College is an old building surrounded by a
beautiful (13) _____garden______. Accommodation is very comfortable -the single and twin
rooms are clean and warm, and three meals a day are included in the (14) _____Cost______: a
cooked breakfast, lunch and an evening meal. The lunch is very good, and the salads can be
recommended.
Courses begin on the last Tuesday of the month, so the next one begins on the 24th of September
and (15) ______Continues_____ until Thursday the 26th of September. I would advise you to
reserve a place early, because it's certain to be very popular!

TEST 5

TEST 6

Hello, I'm Sarah Brown, and I'm here to tell you about my job as a weather forecaster.

Good morning! This morning on 'Holiday Time' I want to tell you about the cycling trip I took

I've been a weather forecaster for a television company for seven years, and two years ago I (6)

recently to Northumberland in the (6) _____nouth_______ of England. Before I went I read a book

____Became_____ the head of the weather department. Now, I divide my time equally between

by Peter Green whose title is Cycling around Northumberland, which I found really (7)

presenting weather forecasting on television and managing the weather department which has a (7)

______useful______when planning my route.

____staff_____ of eleven. At thirty years old I'm the youngest ever head of weather and the first
woman to do the job.

Northumberland is a beautiful area of England and perfect for cycling. There is very little (8)
______traffic______ on the roads and plenty to see and do. For example, why not visit a castle?

Since our news and weather service goes out all round the world, we all take turns to (8)
_____work____at night. I prefer that to doing the show when I have to get up at four in the
morning. I normally work an eight-hour day and in that time I do ten or twelve (9)

More of them are open to the public here than in any other part of the country. While I was there I
actually (9) _____stayed_______ in a flat in a castle, but there are many hotels, cottages or bed and
breakfast places to choose from. In the summer it is important to book in (10)

____forecasts_____.
Before doing a weather forecast, I study date on the computer. This is the information I use in my

______advance______, but I recommend going in the spring, as it is not so difficult to find

forecasts. There isn't much time to learn what I have to say, but (10) ____fortunately_____ I've

somewhere to stay at that time of the year. You will find that some places are closed in winter.

never forgotten my words so I don't get nervous.

Most of the small towns in the area have cycling (11) _____center_______ where you can hire a

My husband and I try to have the same free days, but neither of us has a regular pattern of work.

bicycle. A week's hire will cost thirty-five pounds, two weeks will be fifty-five pounds. There is

He's a (11) ____pilot_____ on long-distance flights, so although he works hard he has a lot more

also a (12) _____deposit_______of fifty pounds, which you get back when you return the bicycle.

time at home than I do. We moved to our present house about a year ago, and he's enjoying (12)
_____painting____ it.

Try to plan your holiday when there is a (13) ______local______ event or festival happening. I
went in June and was lucky enough to go to a festival of local food, Every August there's an (14)

I took up flying as a hobby five years ago. I hope to get my pilot's licence this year, but because of
the job, I haven't been to the flying school for ages. For exercise I swim and (13)
____Sky_____and I like running. I'm really proud of myself for running in the London Marathon it's a forty-kilometre race and I never thought I could manage it! My husband plays tennis, and we
sometimes play together, but he's (14) ____better_____ than me so I never win.

______international______ festival of music, but you'll find something going on in almost every
month of the year.
Ring the Northumberland National Park if you're (15) _____interested_______ in finding out
about their activities - they have a programme of guided walks, photography and bird watching.
Ring them on 880046

Because I'm on world news, people sometimes recognise me in really distant places. Once, in an
Indian village, an old man took me to have my photo taken with all his (15) ____family_____. I
get some lovely letters - one person wrote to say that my smile made her feel happy all day. People
occasionally even write and ask me to marry them!

TEST 7

TEST 8

Personal computers, or PC, are an important part of our everyday lives. Many people cannot

Ann Johnson has worked at this college for (6) _____three______ years. She is a responsible

imagine life (6) _____without_______ them. One of the most important people in making these

employee and gets on well with the other (7) _____member______ of the department. We have all

machines work is Bill Gates.

found her to be an (8) _____excellent______ colleague. She is always on time for work. She is an
(9) _____extremely______ reliable staff member who is able to work independently. I can always

Bill Gates was born in 1955 in Washington State. He (7) _____grew_______ up in a rich family.
His parents sent him to a (8) _____private_______school. There he met his business partner, sir.
Paul Allen. When they were in the eight grade, they were writing programs for business computers
and making money.

rely on her creative thinking. Her students often tell me how (10) _____kind______ she is. She is
always ready to (11) ______help_____ with a smile and she is cheerful to all of them. In private,
she is not very talkative and seems rather (12) _____shy______. Her work is excellent, and she is
determined to succeed. She is also quite (13) _____ambition______ and has applied for the

In 1973, Gates was (9) ______accepted______ at Harvard University. His parents were happy.

position of Director of Studies. I think that you can (14) _____count______on Ann to make your

They thought he would get over his obsession with computers and become a (10)

school a success and I recommend her for the post of (15) _____director______.

______lawyer______ like his father. Two years later, Gates dropped out of Harvard to work on a
computer with his friend sir Paul Allen. They worked eighteen hours a day in a dormitory room at

TEST 9

Harvard. They were (11) ______writing______ the program that would run one of the first
personal computers. In 1975, they (12) ______Created______ a company called Microsoft to sell
their product.

We are all slowly destroying the Earth. The (6) ______seas_______ and rivers are too dirty to
swim in. There is so much (7) ______smoke_______in the air that it is unhealthy to live in many
of the world's cities. Poisonous gases from cars pollute the air so much that traffic policemen have

Sir Paul Allen became ill with cancer and (13) ______left______Microsoft in 1983. He recovered
a few years later and started his own company. Meanwhile, Microsoft became a giant company. By
1990, at the age of thirty four, Gates was the (14) ______youngest______ billionaire in the history
of the United States. He was the "King of Software". He achieved his success with a lot of hard
work. For more than ten years, he worked sixteen- hour days, seven days a week. He had a dream
and the will to (15) ______succeed_____. By 1997, he was the richest man in the United States.

to

(8)

_____wear________oxygen

masks.

We

have

cut

down

so

many

(9)

______trees_______that there are now vast areas of wasteland all over the world. As a result,
farmers in parts of Africa cannot grow enough for (10) ______eating_______. In certain countries
in Asia there is too little (11) ______rice_______ Moreover, we do not take enough care of the
countryside. Wild animals are quickly disappearing. For instance, (12) ______tiger_______ are
rare in India now because we have killed too many of them. However, it isn't enough simply to talk
about the (13) ______problem_______. We must act now before it is too (14) ______late_______
to do something about it. Join us now. Save the (15) _____earth________!