Cambridge Lower Secondary Progression Test
English question paper 1 insert
Stage 8
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Section A: Reading
Text A
Denis Law was born on 24 February 1940 in Aberdeen, Scotland. He was the son of a
fisherman and the youngest of seven children. Denis had to go barefoot until he was 12 years
old, even in the freezing Scottish winters. His first pair of football boots was second-hand, a gift
from a neighbour for his 16th birthday.
From a young age, he was obsessed with football, spending all his spare time watching
Aberdeen football club or smaller local teams play. He disappointed his parents by turning
down a place at a grammar school because he would have had to play rugby there instead of
his beloved sport. He played at school and showed excellent promise from a young age, soon
being chosen by the Scottish Schoolboys’ team.
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Denis was signed to Huddersfield Town in 1955 after a rather uninspiring trial where he played
in borrowed boots. He was mocked for his small build and poor eyesight: he had an eye
problem that caused him to keep one eye closed. He had an eye operation that allowed him
to play with both eyes open. This not only improved his skills on the ball, but also gave him
the self-confidence to shine as one of the team’s most inventive young players. At 15, he
was the youngest player to be signed for the team. He made his first appearance aged 16 on
Christmas Eve 1956, in a 2–0 win against Notts County.
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However, Denis Law is best known for the 11 years that he spent playing for Manchester
United, where he scored 237 goals in 404 appearances, and was named The Lawman and
The King by their supporters.
Denis is also famous for scoring countless goals, his agile technique and superb aerial plays.
His small frame led to his trademark habit of gripping his long sleeves in his fists when he
jumped for the ball.
Denis wanted to give other young people the chance to succeed in sport. He set up a trust,
which provides free professional sports coaching for young people. Looking back, Denis says,
‘Sport, and in my case, football, played a very important part of my childhood and I firmly
believe that the experience and enjoyment that kids get from sport will stay with them forever.’
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Text B
A triathlon is a sporting competition in which people compete in three events: running, cycling and
swimming.
I was only about 16 when my brother, Tom, started competing in triathlons. At the time I thought,
‘Cool. I’d love to be able to do that, but I’m not really sporty enough.’
Ten years later I was overweight, unfit and generally unhappy. I was tired of feeling low, so I
decided to make a change by eating healthily. I lost a lot of weight just by eating more fruit and
vegetables and less junk food. Then I reached a point where I hit a brick wall and couldn’t lose
any more.
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Watching my brother compete in his most recent triathlon, I remembered just how great I
thought doing a triathlon would be. However, unlike when I was 16, instead of thinking, ‘I can’t,’
I thought, ‘I will!’
I began by walking every day, and gradually built up my stamina until I could run five kilometres
without stopping. I was really pleased with myself! Over time I added cycling and swimming to
my weekly exercise schedule. I completed my first triathlon last June. Tom was a great help to
me – giving me loads of advice and support and answering all my questions.
Since joining my local triathlon club, I’ve been training with another athlete called Clare. She’s
been competing in triathlons for years and actually won her last competition. Although she
claims it’s all been down to hard work and perseverance, I know she’s talented. Her support’s
inspired me to dream big and believe that if I keep on going, I too can be a winner. I now can’t
get enough of the sport of triathlon and am healthier than I’ve ever been or ever imagined I
could be!
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Copyright Acknowledgements:
Text A
© Denis Law; TalkFootballwebsite; http://www.talkfootball.co.uk/guides/football_legends-Denis_law.html
Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every
reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the
publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.
Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of University of
Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is itself a department of the University of Cambridge.
© UCLES 2017
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