EXTRA READING TEXTS
I. Read about the climate in Madagascar on a travel website. Then choose true or false.
Madagascar – When to go
Madagascar has two seasons, a warm, wet season from November to April, and a cooler dry
season between May and October. However, different parts of the country have very different
weather.
The east coast is hotter and wetter, with up to 4000mm of rainfall per year. In the rainy
season, there are strong winds, and these can cause a lot of damage. Avoid visiting eastern
Madagascar between January and March because the weather can make road travel very
difficult. The dry season is cooler and more pleasant.
The high, central part of the country is much drier and cooler. About 1,400 mm of rain falls in
the rainy season, with some thunderstorms, but the summer is usually sunny and dry, but it
can be cold, especially in the mornings, with freezing showers, and it may snow in mountain
areas above 2,400m, and even stay there for several days.
The west coast is the driest part of the island. Here, the winter months are pleasant with little rain, cooler temperatures
and blue skies. The summers can be extremely hot, especially in the southwest. This part of the country is semidesert, and only gets around 300mm of rain per year.
T
F
1. Madagascar has four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter.
T
F
2. There is more rain in January than in June.
T
F
3. The wet season is colder than the dry season.
T
F
4. It hardly ever rains in central Madagascar.
T
F
5. The wettest part of the island is the east.
T
F
6. January-March is a good time to visit eastern Madagascar.
T
F
7. The centre of Madagascar is the coldest part.
T
F
8. Snow sometimes falls in Madagascar.
T
F
9. The west coast has the best weather in December.
T
F
10. The north-east is hotter than the south-east.
II. The teenagers below are all looking for a website. Read the descriptions of eight websites. Decide which
website would be the most suitable for each person. For teenagers1-5, select the best course A-H.
1. Jamie is interested in becoming a mechanic, and wants to know whether he’ll need to take any exams to get
a job, or whether he can simply find work at a garage after leaving school.
2. Paul is tired of doing his homework and wants to read for fun. However, he doesn’t know what books to read
as there seem to be so many to choose from!
3. Annie is seventeen years old and has to write a geography report for school on where our power comes from.
She wants real life examples to make her report really good.
4. Cathy’s brother always used to check her homework before he gave it to his teacher, but now he has gone
to university, so she has nobody to help her.
5. Miriam has enjoyed finding out about different religions at school and would like to discuss the topic with
people from other schools, or even other countries.
1
A - Clever Boots
Clever Boots is an educational and entertaining website that aims to tell people how things work. From how your body
works to how the earth formed, you’ll find it here. There are helpful videos, diagrams and photos which help you
understand, and there are links to other websites, such as industries and environmental agencies, so you can study a
topic in as much detail as you like.
B - Reviewer
Kids aged between the ages of ten and fifteen choose and review their favourite works of fiction. There are reviews of
over 5000 books, from teen horror to romance. The ‘Like this?... Then try this…’ button makes it easy for kids to find
more books they would enjoy. Kids can post their own opinions about the books they have read and compare their
thoughts to others.
C - Babble
Babble is a social site where teens can catch up with friends and meet new people online. When you enter the site
you arrive at the Babble School. You can then click on different classrooms in the hotel and select your age group.
Join discussions on a range of hot topics, from business, industry, biological research or your opinions of classic
literature. You can also create private ‘classrooms’ where only your classmates are allowed. You can even change
furniture and colours in your classroom!
D - Know it All
All the available official past papers from different examination boards are here on one site, allowing you to get really
prepared. There are papers on all subjects and at a wide range of levels. Answers are provided although, for essay
questions, they can be difficult to follow. There is advice about how to read questions correctly and suggestions about
different ways to study.
E - Master It
Whatever your dream in life, Master It can help you achieve it. Master It tells you the qualifications you need and the
exams you have to pass in order to get different jobs. It tells you whether you need to a university degree or technical
college qualification, or whether you can walk into the job after leaving school. Read about people who did the course
and find out how challenging it is. The site can even tell you the closest locations of schools offering courses.
F - Teen Teach
If you want to know whether you’ve got your homework right before handing it in, Teen Teach can help. Other
teenagers will look at your work, point out mistakes and give you suggestions on how you can improve it. Be careful,
though. Anybody can give their opinion on your homework. It doesn’t mean that their ideas are good ones!
G - Book Fair
Book Fair is a great way for school and college students to find the best books for their courses at the best price.
Read about which books students found most helpful, and which ones weren’t. Write your own opinions too. There are
links to online bookshops where you can buy books at the cheapest prices, and you can also buy second hand from
other site users. If you’ve finished with a book, sell it on here.
H - Wilson
Wilson is a cartoon dog who is interested in a lot of things. Follow Wilson as he explores his cartoon world and finds
out about the things in it. There is information about wildlife, health, history, religion and countries of the world.
Although the site is fun and entertaining, the information is rather simple and lacks detail. The more intelligent users
may even find a few errors in the contents!
III. The people below all want to attend a course. Read the descriptions of eight courses. Decide which course
would be the most suitable for each person. For people 1-5, select the best course A-H.
1. Harriet is 71, and is interested in painting and drawing. She would like to go somewhere in the summer where
she can learn new tips and paint attractive scenery.
2. Belinda works for a large Art Company and she feels she needs to improve her computer skills. She already
has a basic understanding of some common computer programmes, but she wants to learn how to organise
her work and store information.
3. Jenny is interested in a career in design, and wants to learn how to create art and change photographs using
special computer programmes. She wants a course that will fit into her normal school day.
4. George is unable to travel because he has difficulty walking, but he wants to learn more about the wildlife and
scenery in different parts of the world.
5. Chris wants a change in career, so he’s looking for a full-time course in which he can learn everything there is
to know about photography and how to use computers to change and sell his work.
2
A - Form and Colour
This is year-long course is perfect for people who want to learn about how to use a camera and who want to take it up
as a profession. Students will learn how to use light and shade, colour and different shapes. The course will also
teach students to change their work using computer technology. Tips will be given on how best to get started in the
profession.
B - Practice makes Perfect
Learn about how to use computer software to make your work life easier. This course is designed for people who use
computers regularly as part of their career, but who feel they are unable to make the most of the technology. Learn
about new software for storing documents and photographs and keeping records. This evening class runs for ten
weeks from September to December.
C - Armchair Explorer
This is a series of daytime lectures by people who have lived and worked in wild places. Each of the six talks will
focus on a different continent. Lecturers will show photographs of the animals and plants, and explain why they are
only found in one area. Lecturers will include Leo Holland, a scientist from the Antarctic project, and Milly Oliphant,
who researches birds in the Amazon rainforest. Tea and Biscuits provided.
D - Art Starter
Are you interested in a career in art? If so, this full-time, eight-week course will be perfect for you. Learn about
different methods used by artists, including painting, drawing, photography and computer design. Artists will create
work for an exhibition which will be displayed in the Town Hall for one month in September. Top businessmen and
women from the design industry will be invited to attend the exhibition, so this could be a great start to your career!
E - Wild Design
Whether you want a career in art, or you just want to enjoy your hobby, this holiday course is for you. Wild Design is a
two-week summer course situated on the wild coast of South Wales. We teach all kinds of art, including photography
and painting, and the wild sea, beautiful flowers and great wildlife will definitely give you lots of creative ideas. Even if
you already have a good understanding of art, you are sure to learn something new from our team of professional
tutors.
F - Explore your Imagination
Do you want to show your friends a photograph of you beside the Egyptian pyramids or in the jungles of Borneo?
Well now you can tell your friends that you have travelled the world without actually leaving the country! Join this
evening class and learn how to use the latest technology and software to change photographs to a professional
standard. You will also learn how to make your own computer designs using the computer programmes used by
professionals.
G - Technology for You
Do you feel as if everyone is using a computer except you? Join in this five-day course and learn the basics. You’ll
learn how to store your personal files, send emails and use simple programmes to write and print letters. In the
afternoons you will have the choice of either learning how to make Birthday Cards and other designs on a computer,
or you can join our ‘Basic computers for Work’ class.
H - Wildlife Photographer
Travel to a different wild place every week and learn how to take photographs of animals, plants and scenery. Our
expert teachers will advise you how to take the best pictures. This course will run for six weeks on Saturdays.
Students should already have a good understanding of photography and their own equipment. The class is suitable
for everyone, as there is very little walking involved.
3
IV. Read the text below and then answer questions 1-5.
Different Colours can affect us in many different ways; that’s according to Verity Allen. In her new series ‘Colour me
Healthy’, Verity looks at the ways that colours can influence how hard we work and the choices we make. They can
even change our emotions and even influence how healthy we are.
‘Have you ever noticed how people always use the same colours for the same things?’ says Verity. ‘Our toothpaste is
always white or blue or maybe red. It’s never green. Why not? For some reason we think that blue and white is
clean, while we think of green products as being a bit disgusting. It’s the same for businesses. We respect a
company which writes its name in blue or black, but we don’t respect one that uses pink or orange. People who design
new products can use these ideas to influence what we buy.’
During this four-part series, Verity studies eight different colours, two colours in each programme. She meets people
who work in all aspects of the colour industry, from people who design food packets, to people who name the colours
of lipsticks. Some of the people she meets clearly have very little scientific knowledge to support their ideas, such as
the American ‘Colour Doctor’ who believes that serious diseases can be cured by the use of coloured lights. However,
she also interviews real scientists who are studying the effects of green and red lights on mice, with some surprising
results.
Overall, it’s an interesting show, and anyone who watches it will probably find out something new. But because Verity
is goes out of her way to be polite to everyone she meets on the series, it’s up to the viewers to make their own
decisions about how much they should believe.
1. What is the writer doing in this text?
a. giving information about how colours influence us
b. reporting what happens in a new television series
c. giving information about a television presenter
d. giving his opinion of a recent television show
2. Which of the following shows the probable content of the four shows?
a. Part 1 – Health; Part 2 – Products and Industry; Part 3 – Emotions; Part 4 – Decisions
b. Part 1 – Blue and Black; Part 2 – Red and Orange; Part 3 – White and Grey; Part 4 – Green and Yellow
c. Part 1 – Meeting Designers; Part 2 – Meeting People who Name Colours; Part 3 – Meeting Doctors;
Part 4 – Meeting Scientists
d. Part 1 – Cleaning Products; Part 2 – Make-up; Part 3 – Clothes; Part 4 – Food
3. According to Verity, why is a knowledge of colour important?
a. It can help you to choose the best products.
b. It can give you new ideas.
c. It can help you to change people’s minds.
d. It can help you to sell products.
4. Who does the writer respect least?
a. Verity Allen
b. The people who name lipsticks
c. The ‘Colour Doctor’
d. The scientists who work with mice
5. Which of the following would make a good title for the text?
a. Enjoy it, but don’t believe everything.
b. Another great show from Verity Allen! Five Stars!
c. Don’t miss this if you work in Business!
d. Watch this programme! It will make you healthy!
4