Joining a ballroom dancing club

By Pippa Cartwright
When I started college, I wanted to find a club to join. One of the first ones I looked at was ballroom
dancing – a type of dance you do with a partner. The people there seemed to be having a great time,
and it didn’t cost much, so I decided to join.
The first week I went, I was really worried because the teacher told us that there were nineteen
different dances we had to learn. But it’s been fine. When there’s a new thing to learn, he shows it
to us lots of times and makes sure we’re all good at it before we do the next thing.
When I joined, I didn’t know any of the other people in the club because we all study different
subjects. But it’s been a great way to meet people, and I’ve made some of my best friends in the
club.
One of the reasons we learn the dances is to enter competitions. I couldn’t wait to do my first one.
Before we started, I was a bit worried. But during the competition, my partner and I remembered
everything about our dances. We were great. We didn’t win any prizes, but it didn’t matter – we
loved it!
Joining the ballroom dancing club has been fantastic. In the past, I always did the same sports and
activities, year after year, but ballroom dancing has taught me there’s nothing scary about doing
something you’ve never tried before. I still do lots of sports, but now I can add ballroom dancing to
my list of hobbies.
1 Why did Pippa join the dance club?
A She thought it looked fun.
B She didn’t have to pay for it.
C She didn’t like any of the other clubs.
2 What does Pippa say about the dance teacher?
A He teaches them a new dance every week.
B He often tells new members how good they are.
C He repeats new things until everyone can do them.
3 What does Pippa say about the other club members?
A She has become close to some of them.
B She is on the same course as some of them.
C She was friends with some of them before joining.
4 How did Pippa feel about her first dance competition?
A happy to win first prize
B upset that she forgot the dances
C excited to take part
5 In the final paragraph, Pippa says
A ballroom dancing is her favourite hobby.
B she’s learned not to be afraid to do new things.
 C she isn’t sure which activity to try next.
Callie Rice – ice dancer
Growing up, I was in an ice-skating club, and my friends and I did lots of competitions. When I was
18, I entered a big one in Italy, and I came first. The prize was a job as an ice dancer in a big show.
That’s how my career started.
One of the things I love about the shows is the beautiful clothes. The only trouble is that sometimes
they’re heavy and I get very hot. Also, I have to change lots of times in one show. The people who
make the clothes are very clever – it’s amazing how quickly they work!
Before the show starts, we get dressed, put our skates on, and wish each other good luck. Then,
while I’m waiting to go on, I like to sit quietly by myself and think about what I’m going to do. The
other skaters chat together or listen to music.
In the shows, we have to dance, sing, and also speak. For me, ice dancing is fine, but I’m not an
actor. I’m always a bit scared I won’t remember the words. I’m not bothered about falling – it
doesn’t usually happen. And I really enjoy joining in with all the songs.
People always ask me if I’m tired when each show finishes, but I love skating, so I never feel that
way. I love listening to the people who came to watch – so excited as they leave, talking about what
they’ve seen. That’s when I’m really happy I chose ice dancing as a career.
1 How did Callie’s career as an ice danger begin?
A She won a competition.
B She saw an advert for a job.
C A friend invited her to join an ice show.
2 What does Callie say about the clothes she wears?
A Some are prettier than others.
B It’s hard to skate in them.
C Making them takes a long time.
3 What does Callie do just before each show?
A She talks to the other skaters.
B She checks her skates are okay.
C She takes a moment to be alone.
4 What does Callie worry about?
A having an accident on the ice
B forgetting what she has to say
C dancing and singing at the same time
5 How does Callie usually feel after a show?
A ready for a rest
B glad that she’s finished
C pleased about making people happy
 Playing music
Playing music in a rock band is a great way to meet people who are interested in the same things as
you, and to have a lot of fun. The first thing you’ll need to do is decide what instruments you want
in your band. Most bands have one or two guitars, a singer, drums and keyboards, but you can
change this. However, every band must have drums – you will need someone who can play those.
The next thing is to find your bandmates. Begin by making a poster. Describe the kind of music you
want to make and the instruments you want in your band. Put the poster up in your school or college
and ask your friends if they know anyone who would like to join.
Once you have a band, you’ll need to quickly think of a name. The best way to do this is to spend
two hours with your bandmates, writing down hundreds of ideas. Most will be really bad, but there
will be a few good ones. Choose something surprising and interesting, that people won’t be able to
forget.
Next, you’ll need to practise as much as you can. You will need a place where you can make a lot of
noise without making your neighbours angry. Trying to play quietly will not help you get better.
Don’t spend time learning songs written by other people. Try writing your own. And don’t be afraid
of writing about your normal everyday experiences. All bands begin like this.
1 Which instrument does the writer think is most important in a band?

A drums B guitars C keyboards

2 What does the writer suggest in the second paragraph?

A listen to your classmates’ bands
B advertise in the place where you study
C ask your friends to join your band
3 What does the writer say about choosing a band name?
A Make sure it is easy to remember.
B Be ready to change it if it is not popular.
C Spend a few weeks thinking about it.
4 The writer thinks it is important for new bands to
A write songs about unusual things.
B begin by learning famous songs.
C play loudly when they practise.
5 What is the best title for this article?
A The world’s best rock band
B How to start a rock band
C My life in a rock band
Travel writer
Tim Greenwood lives in Oakland, USA. He has written about Cambodia, Thailand and India. At the
moment he is writing a book about Nepal.
Tim, how did you start travelling?
We never travelled as a family, but when I was a teenager I saw movies like Lawrence of
Arabia and they made me want to travel. I left college at the age of 21 and went to Europe alone.
That trip didn’t go well – I was too young and didn’t know how to look after myself.
How did you start writing?
I’ve loved writing since I was ten – I’ve never wanted any other career. At 21, I wrote for my
weekly college paper and then started writing travel articles. At first, none of the travel magazines I
sent them to wanted to buy them, but that slowly changed. It took two or three years, I guess.
What do you find difficult about writing?
It is easy to spend all my time travelling and then not have time to open up my laptop and work!
Also, it’s hard to earn enough money. I’ll never stop writing, but one day I may have to do a few
hours a week teaching just to pay the bills.
What’s the best thing about being a travel writer?
I get letters from young people who’ve read my books and articles and enjoy my work. I just love
that!
1 As a teenager, Tim
A went on trips with his parents.
B became interested in seeing the world.
C spent too much time watching TV.
2 What does Tim say about his trip to Europe?
A He didn’t have time to see everything.
B It was more fun than college.
C It was not a great success.
3 When Tim was 21, he couldn’t
A travel as much as he wanted to.
B decide what to write about.
C sell many of his articles.
4 In the future, Tim thinks he might
A do some extra work.
B earn more from writing.
C change his job.
5 What does Tim like about being a travel writer?
A hearing from his fans
B giving advice to people
C meeting other young writers
How I spend my free time
 Jay Portman describes his unusual hobby, hill running, and tells us why he enjoys it.
Hill running is the sport of running up and down hills and mountains, through open countryside. It’s
not popular among my friends, but I love it. My dad took me and my brothers out running when we
were little, and then when I was about fifteen, I joined a hill running club, called the York Merlins.
There are some excellent runners in the club. When we do our practice runs, I’m always a long way
behind them. But that doesn’t bother me. They’re all really nice and often give me advice. What I
love is being outdoors and finding all these beautiful places I never knew were there.
We race against other clubs at the weekends. In these races, runners are told where to finish, but not
how to get there. You need a good map and compass so you don’t get lost. Everyone starts together
at the beginning, but later in the race you often find yourself running alone.
Anyone can enter these races – you just get there in the morning, pay your £5, and run. There are no
T-shirts or medals for the winners. The most you get is a piece of cake! Often there are international
hill running champions taking part, but they are just as friendly as everyone else.
That doesn’t mean it’s an easy sport. Last weekend I did a race in heavy rain and high winds, and I
was asking myself what I was doing out there. But I got to the end, and that was an amazing feeling.
1 Jay’s first experience of hill running was with

A a club. B some friends. C his family.

2 How does Jay feel about the good runners in his club?
A He’d like to be as fast as them one day.
B He doesn’t mind that they are better than him.
C He thinks they should help slower runners improve.
3 What does Jay say is important in the races he enters?
A listening to the instructions
B staying close to other runners
C being able to find your way
4 What do we learn about the races from the fourth paragraph?
A They don’t have big prizes.
B They are only for local runners.
C They are free for some people to enter.
5 What does Jay say about the last race he did?
A The bad weather made it dangerous.
B He was very happy when he finished it.
C It wasn’t as difficult as some races he has done.
Juan Sala – underwater scientist and film-maker!
When Juan Sala was young, he lived with his family just five minutes from a quiet beach in the
south of Spain. He spent all day in his summer holidays swimming and snorkelling there. He loved
watching television programmes about underwater adventurers in the evenings. Even then, he
dreamed of filming and studying unusual fish and other interesting creatures under the sea. But he
didn’t actually begin to do that until he was in his twenties.
Juan describes a normal work day on his 45-metre boat: ‘I get up before everyone else. I have
breakfast and jump in the sea as soon as I can. I usually work underwater three or four times a day. I
collect and film anything that looks interesting.’
‘After that, I make notes about my work on my laptop and have a meal. After dinner, I’m usually so
tired I immediately go to bed. My friends sometimes invite me to go to a party, but I’m always
asleep by the time the fun starts.’
‘I work hard, but I don’t need holidays. I have such fun every day! My friends often say that they
would like to have a job like mine. They need to pay a lot of money to spend their holiday in
interesting places, but they don’t get the chance to see so many unusual creatures.’
Juan is planning to do some underwater filming in the Queensmen Islands soon. ‘I’ve never visited
those islands, but I know a lot about them,’ he says. ‘I’ve always wanted to go there. I’d like to
study the strange plants and creatures that live underwater in that part of the world. It’ll be a very
exciting project!’
1 How old was Juan when he made his first underwater film?
A He was a young boy.
B He was a young adult.
C He hasn’t made a film yet.
2 During his work day, Juan
A watches films about unusual fish.
B spends three or four hours underwater.
C looks for interesting things to film.
3 What does Juan do in the evening?
A He eats and then goes to sleep.
B He has fun at a party with his friends.
C He invites his friends for dinner and then goes to bed early.
4 How does Juan feel about holidays?
A He often takes holidays because he works so hard.
B He only goes on expensive holidays with his friends.
C He isn’t interested in holidays.
5 Juan is excited about his next job
A because he loves going to the Queensmen Islands.
B because it will be a new experience for him.
C because he doesn’t know anything about that part of the world.
My city
Pop singer Charlotte Bond talks about living in London.
I live in the centre of London. I love it because there’s always something happening and there are
people around whatever time it is. Famous people like it too – they often come here for the
restaurants and shops.
I’ve lived here all my life. When I was little, I had singing lessons at a place near where I live now. I
was afraid of the teacher at first, and some of the songs we did together were quite hard to learn. But
she was good at what she did and I learned a lot of things that have helped me in my career.
When friends visit me now, I enjoy taking them sightseeing. You can get a bus around the city, but
we prefer to walk. I’ve got a little car and I love driving, but there’s so much traffic here, and it’s
hard to find parking spaces.
One building I love is the Natural History Museum. They sometimes hold parties there, and last
December my band and I played at one. I’ll never forget it. When I go to exhibitions at the museum
with my friends, I tell them all about that night and how amazing it was.
Soon I’ll be leaving London to go on tour with my band. We’re playing in lots of new cities and I
can’t wait to explore them. We’ve sold lots of tickets, which is great. I’ll be away from my family
for six months, but they’re coming to see me sing, so it’s fine.
1 What does Charlotte love about the centre of London?
A It is always busy.
B Famous people often visit.
C The shops are very good.
2 How does Charlotte feel about the singing lessons she had?
A She’s surprised she can remember them.
B She’s sorry she didn’t try harder.
C She’s glad she did them.
3 What does Charlotte think is the best way to see the city?

A by car B on foot C by bus

4 Why does Charlotte love the Natural History Museum?

A She had a special experience there.
B She thinks the building is beautiful.
C She enjoys visiting the exhibitions.
5 What does Charlotte say about going on tour with her band?
A She hopes lots of people will buy tickets for her shows.
B She feels excited about seeing new places.
C She’s worried she’ll miss her family.
A round-the-world trip
Alice Woods and her brother Luke went on a special holiday.
When I was 16, my parents decided to take me and my brother Luke out of school for six months to
travel around the world. They wanted us to visit lots of different countries and have new
experiences. They said we were old enough to do that kind of trip and believed it was better for us
than spending six months in the classroom.
We both had to continue with our studies during the trip, so nearly every day we had online classes
in subjects like maths and science. Our parents also made sure we studied the history of the places
we visited, and when we had time, we went to museum exhibitions or read guidebooks.
We did some fantastic things on the trip, like sailing along the Mekong River in Vietnam and
visiting the Taj Mahal in India. Luke enjoyed travelling around the Amboseli National Park in
Kenya. He’s interested in wildlife and loved seeing the elephants. I enjoyed that too, but for me the
best part was visiting the Rocky Mountains in Canada. We camped there for a few days and the
views were amazing!
It was a great trip, but now we’re home again, I’m happy to be back at school and spending time
with my classmates. Everyone asks if I missed things while I was away – like my favourite food or
having my own room – but I tell them not really. It was an adventure and I enjoyed everything
about it.
1 Why did Alice’s parents decide to take the family on a round-the-world trip?
A They were a little bored with life at home.
B They believed it was a good way to learn new things.
C They wanted to visit other countries while the children were still young.
2 Alice says that most days she and Luke
A visited an exhibition.
B read a guidebook.
C did lessons on the internet.
3 What is Alice doing in the third paragraph?
A explaining how to plan a trip
B describing some activities they did
C giving advice to people who enjoy travelling
4 Which place did Alice enjoy visiting the most?
A the Taj Mahal in India
B the Rocky Mountains in Canada
C the Amboseli National Park in Kenya
5 How does Alice feel now that their trip has finished?
A glad to see her friends again
B happy to eat meals cooked at home
C pleased to be back in her own room
Peter Minor and his ideas factory!
By Sally Ward
Peter Minor, the well-known games developer, spoke to me recently about the success of his
company. River Run, his latest computer game, will be in the shops on Monday.
I was lucky enough to be able to try it last week, and I believe it’s even better than his last
game, Underground, which is great fun, too. River Run has fantastic sound effects and the players
get a lot of action.
At 28, he manages a team of more than 100 people, but Peter never dreamed of working with
computer games when he was younger. It’s unusual for him to work less than 12 hours a day, but he
doesn’t mind because he loves his job. Peter and his managers are always thinking of new projects.
Computer games developed by Peter’s company are played all over the world, including Asia. His
computer game Underground was very popular in Japan last year. I’m certain players everywhere
will love River Run just as much. I know I can’t wait to have it at home!
Peter comes up with ideas for new games all the time. But it takes about three years before the game
can be sold in the shops. Many of his ideas come from ‘testers’. These are young people in the town
who are invited to come and try the games. Then they say what they enjoy about the games or what
else they want to be able to do.
‘In the past, I didn’t have enough money to buy a new bike,’ he told me. ‘Now I’ve got my own
plane! Everything is possible if you work hard. You can achieve whatever you want.’
1 River Run, Peter Minor’s latest computer video game,

A is already on sale. B will be on sale soon. C is very successful.

2 Sally thinks
A Underground is easier to play than River Run.
B Underground isn’t as good as River Run.
C Underground is more fun than River Run.
3 When Peter was a child,
A he always hoped to work for a computer games business.
B he didn’t like playing computer games.
C he didn’t think he would have a job like he has now.
4 Last year, Underground
A was more popular in Asia than in the rest of the world.
B was the most successful game in Japan.
C was played by a lot of people in Japan.
5 The people who test Peter’s games
A are local people who know how to play computer games.
B help him make new games.
C are Peter and his managers.
Jack Calder
Violin player Jack Calder plays in the Australian band, Ocean Blue.
Jack Calder started playing the violin when he was ten. ‘My music teacher played and one day he
asked if anyone wanted to learn. Some girls put up their hands and so did I. I didn’t have a violin,
but my uncle said I could use his. The lessons were really hard at first, but playing the violin soon
became important to me.’
After leaving school, Jack moved to Melbourne. For a time, he preferred listening to music to
playing it. The rock music he listened to sounded very different from violin music, so he bought an
electric violin, and started putting the things he liked about rock music into the music he played on
his violin.
A year later, Jack met a small group of Melbourne musicians. ‘We all thought about music in the
same way and started Ocean Blue together. A year later, we were playing lots of concerts, and our
music was selling well. But we didn’t want this to make us different people. We didn’t want to stop
being friends.’
Jack meets many people who think playing the violin is an unusual career, but he doesn’t agree with
them. ‘I think it’s the best thing in the world. I guess I’m lucky that way. The internet has changed
music, but when I walk into a violin shop it’s like entering another world – one where time has
stopped. Someone has looked after these beautiful old instruments that are two or three hundred
years old. I think that’s amazing.’
1 What do we learn about Jack in the first paragraph?
A He was the only person at school to play the violin.
B He learned to play on an instrument that he borrowed.
C He enjoyed playing the violin as soon as he started learning.
2 What is the writer doing in the second paragraph?
A explaining why Jack thought some music was easy to play
B saying why only a few people liked the music Jack played
C describing how Jack changed the kind of music he played
3 What does Jack say about Ocean Blue?
A Nobody in the band liked travelling far to play in a concert.
B The band members were interested in different kinds of music.
C Everyone wanted to stay friends when the band became successful.
4 Why does Jack think he is lucky?
A He meets lots of people.
B He loves what he does.
C He has an unusual career.
5 Jack thinks it is a good idea
A to keep some things that people used in the past.
B to make more music available on the internet.
C to teach more people to play an instrument.
My Love for Photography
By Eliza Brinkman
How did I get interested in photography? People usually think it’s because of my uncle, the famous
photographer Oliver Brinkman. Maybe you’ve seen his TV show, Picture of the World. However, I
started taking photos on a school trip. I remember my grandma lent me her camera.
When I was 16, I studied photography at college. I remember feeling really worried about the
course. I loved taking photos but I wasn’t sure how good I was. And sometimes it’s difficult having
a famous uncle. People think you’ll be amazing too!
My first job was at the local newspaper. My neighbour heard that the newspaper was looking for a
photographer and suggested it to me. My mum said I should try and get the job and I got it! When I
arrived for my first day, I found out that an old school friend was also working there.
After five years at the newspaper, I moved to London and started a job at the fashion
magazine Dream. I loved this job. I worked in a great team; I’ll always remember how kind they
were to me. I went to very interesting places and worked with some famous models.
I now have my own company, ABC Photography. I have a team of photographers who take photos
for different magazines. My newest project is a photography course that I’ve started at my company.
I really want to use my experience in the photography business to help new photographers. It’s very
exciting!
1 Eliza first became interested in photography when
A she saw her uncle’s photographs.
B she borrowed her grandma’s camera.
C she watched a TV programme about photography.
2 When Eliza started college she felt …
A worried that she was not good enough.
B excited about studying photography.
C lucky that she knew a famous photographer.
3 Who told Eliza about the job at the newspaper?
A an old friend from school
B her mum
C someone who lived near her
4 What will Eliza never forget about Dream magazine?

A her colleagues B the places she visited C the famous models

5 Eliza is teaching photography at her company because

A she thinks her team needs more training.
B she hopes to make more money.
C she wants to share what she has learnt.
Buddy, the Red Panda
Buddy and his brother, Rusty, are red pandas. They were born on 15 June 2013 and have lived in
their own cage at London Nature Centre since 2015. Wild red pandas live in India, China and other
Asian countries, but experts think that there are only about 2,500 still living in the wild.
Luckily, a lot of zoos and wildlife parks around the world are trying to protect the red panda. They
have to eat special food called ‘bamboo’ which is difficult to buy, so there are over 50 bamboo
plants growing at the Nature Centre for the pandas.
Just a few months after the pandas arrived at the Nature Centre, a terrible thing happened – Buddy
got out of the Nature Centre. He was very clever though because he stayed close to home, and away
from the traffic on the city’s crowded roads. It took four days for the workers of the Nature Centre
to find him!
One of the people who worked at the Nature Centre and who went to look for Buddy was Trudy
Andrews. Trudy’s father, Mr Andrews, told her that birds don’t like being too close to animals like
red pandas and they’ll make a lot of noise to keep the panda away. He told her to look for Buddy up
in the trees. Trudy heard some birds and looked up and saw Buddy there, just like her father
explained.
Everyone was very happy when Buddy arrived back safely, especially Rusty! He happily shared
some bamboo with his brother, who looked tired and was very hungry.
1 Buddy and Rusty
A lived in China.
B were born on the same day.
C live together with other pandas.
2 The Nature Centre
A has to buy special food for the red pandas.
B gives the red pandas about 50 different types of food.
C grows bamboo for the red pandas.
3 Buddy was lost
A for less than a week.
B far away from the Nature Centre.
C with his brother, Rusty.
4 Mr Andrews
A found Buddy in a tree.
B worked at the Nature Centre.
C knew how to find Buddy.
5 When Buddy arrived back home.
A he gave his brother some food.
B his brother wasn’t very happy.
C he had a meal with Rusty.
 A wonderful year
Ben Jones talks about his year of travel before studying at university.
I always knew I wanted to spend a year travelling before university. I wanted to see the world,
improve my skiing, make new friends from other countries and, more than anything, try lots of
things I’ve never done before.
The first place I visited was France. I’ve always loved the French language and I wanted to study it.
Then, while I was there, I became interested in French food. I took some cooking lessons at a
farmhouse in the French countryside, and learned to make lots of lovely dishes.
Next, I visited Australia. My cousins live near the river in Sydney, so I had somewhere to stay. To
begin with, we spent a lot of time sailing in their boat. But then I got a job in a hotel. It was great –
the customers and staff were so friendly.
My last country was Japan, where I learned to become a skiing teacher. I planned to do a three-week
course. But when I got there, I saw that I wasn’t actually that good, so I changed to a seven-week
one. The course was amazing and afterwards I got a job with a skiing company.
The other teachers were very friendly and on our days off, we did activities like snowboarding. One
weekend we even did winter camping. That was quite interesting, but it was cold, so I can’t say I
slept well! Anyway, we’re all planning to meet up soon and I can’t wait.
1 What did Ben want to do during the year after he left school?
A try some different sports
B have some new experiences
C meet up with old friends
2 Why did Ben go to France?
A to do a French cooking course
B to see the French countryside
C to learn to speak French
3 Where did Ben live when he was in Australia?
A in the hotel where he worked
B with members of his family
C on a boat on the river
4 Why did Ben change his course in Japan?
A He heard about a better one.
B He knew he needed more practice.
C He wasn’t enjoying the first one.
5 What does Ben say about winter camping?
A It wasn’t pleasant at night.
B He would love to do it again soon.
C It was the most interesting thing he’s ever done.
 My fashion blog
17-year-old Jayden Spahn talks about her love of fashion.
I’ve loved clothes since I was about five. Each morning, I spend time thinking about what to wear.
My mum gets angry sometimes and tells me to hurry up, but I don’t think it’s something you can
decide quickly. It’s far too important.
Last year, after reading a fashion blog by Rachel, a 19-year-old student, I decided to start one
myself. Almost immediately, I posted my first blog. I was really pleased when friends said they
loved it – they especially liked the video I made called A world of fashion.
I post something new each day. I keep a fashion diary, where I describe what I’m wearing, and
every week I also post a photo of myself in my favourite clothes. Most people say they like the
photos. But, for me, the best part is getting messages from fans.
My parents think it’s good for me to have a hobby, and I still do all my homework, so they’re happy
for me to do the blog. The only thing they tell me is to be careful about what I read online. They tell
me not to worry if people post things that I don’t agree with.
I’m not really interested in becoming a fashion model – I think I might get bored with someone
taking my photograph every day! Maybe, when I’m older, I’ll start my own clothes company, but
before that I’m going to do a fashion course at college. I’m already trying to choose the best one!
1 What do we learn about Jayden in the first paragraph?
A She gets her love of fashion from her mother.
B She chooses carefully which clothes to put on.
C She has many clothes she likes wearing to school.
2 Jayden began her fashion blog after
A she watched a video of a fashion show.
B she talked to her friends about starting one.
C she read a blog written by another teenager.
3 What does Jayden enjoy most about her fashion blog?
A posting photos of herself
B writing things in her fashion diary
C receiving messages from her fans
4 How do Jayden’s parents feel about her doing a fashion blog?
A pleased she is doing something she enjoys
B worried she will spend less time doing college work
C glad she is sharing her ideas with other young people
5 What has Jayden decided to do in the future?
A start her own company
B work as a fashion model
C study fashion at college
 We want to be stars!
by Georgia Broom
I’m in a rock band called The Pink Stars with two other girls from school. We didn’t really know
each other before we started playing four months ago, but now we’re great friends. We’ve all been
in other bands before and love rock music. Finding a place to practise is a problem, but we’re lucky
because my parents don’t mind if we use a room in our house two or three times a week.
On Saturday afternoons, we usually do different things than our friends from school. Instead of
going to the cinema or a café, we give a concert in a large music shop in town. It’s great fun! We
really enjoy choosing what we’ll wear. Sometimes we go shopping for something special a day or
two before we play.
When we started giving concerts, only our families came to see us. But soon, our brothers and
sisters started inviting their friends. We felt a bit shy when some classmates came to see us, but we
were pleased when they loved our music. Now other people are beginning to come to the shop just
to listen to us! We’re becoming famous.
This summer we’re going to play at our first open air rock concert. It’ll be wonderful to be on a
stage in front of all those people. I can’t wait!
I sing and play the guitar. I can also play the keyboard, but I don’t like it very much. Rachel plays
the drums and Annie plays the guitar and keyboard. We’ve written seven of our own songs to
upload to our channel. We’ve also got our own website, so to learn more about The Pink Stars, visit
www.pinkstars.com. It has all the information about our concerts.
1 How long have the girls been friends?
A since they met at school
B since they joined the band
C since they started playing music
2 What do they do after lunch on Saturdays?
A They sing in a big shop in town.
B They go shopping for clothes to wear when they play.
C They go out with their friends from school.
3 Who comes to listen to the band when they play?
A only family and friends
B family, friends and some people they don’t know
C customers in the music shop
4 Why is Georgia excited about the summer?
A She is going to have a long holiday from school.
B She is going to play in a concert.
C She is going to go to her first rock concert.
5 Who can play two instruments?
 A only Annie B Rachel and Annie C Georgia and Annie

A path across Canada

Thirteen-year-old Kara Finch writes about The Great Trail – a footpath that goes across Canada.
The Great Trail goes from one side of Canada to the other. At 24,000 km, it is the longest trail in the
world. The Great Trail project began in 1992 and took 25 years to complete. It opened in 2017,
exactly 150 years after Canada became one country.
The Great Trail is actually lots of paths joined together. You can cycle, walk or horse-ride on most
of it, but there are parts where the only way you can travel is by boat. And there are others where
the trail is part of the highway, which doesn’t sound very safe to me.
My father and I spent a day walking along part of the Great Trail that was surprisingly busy. We
were told you don’t usually see bears when there are lots of people, but we did. It was moving
through the trees, quite close to us, and I felt a little afraid. ‘I don’t think it’s hurry!’ laughed my
dad.
At lunchtime, we talked to an old man on the trail. Dad asked him if he thought the path was going
to help Canadians learn more about their countryside. ‘Not really,’ he said. ‘We’ve always loved to
be outdoors. But it will bring us tourists from around the world, which is important.’
In the future, the path will probably change, and new parts may open. We saw nothing to tell us we
were on the Great Trail, which is a shame. I know there’s information on the website, but it’s good
to know when you’re walking on a special path. They need to add some signs, I think.
1 What is Kara doing in the first paragraph?
A telling tourists how long it takes to walk the Great Trail
B explaining the history of the Great Trail
C giving walkers advice about walking in Canada
2 What does Kara think is dangerous?
A Some parts of the path are on roads.
B You need a boat for parts of the path.
C Bikes and horses share the same path.
3 What does Kara say about the bear she saw?

A It looked hungry. B It was on the path. C It walked near her.

4 What did the old man say about the trail?

A People from other countries will come to see it.
B People will go into the countryside more because of it.
C People from Canada will use it to see other parts of their country.
5 What does Kara say should happen next?
A There should be a website about the trail.
B Some parts of the trail should close.
C There should be more signs along the trail.
 The Greek Waiter
Alexis is ten years old and lives in a small village on a beautiful Greek island. Like all children his
age, Alexis has just completed Year 4 in primary school. But Alexis is different from other children
his age. He doesn’t spend the summer on the beach or playing video games. In the busy summer
months Alexis spends his days in his family’s restaurant. In July and August, the restaurant is very
popular with tourists from all over the world. Because he is the only person in his family who can
speak English, it is his job to look after the tourists when they eat at the restaurant. He explains the
menu to tourists and takes their orders.
Where did he learn his English? There is no school in Alexis’s village, and during the school year
he travels 12 kilometres every day by bus to nearby village to go to school. Together with his
classmates, two evenings a week, he attends English classes at a language school in the same
village. There is no bus service when his classes end, so his mother picks him up and brings him
home. Alexis doesn’t mind, he enjoys learning English. He wants to be a journalist so he knows
languages will be useful. He is very pleased that he can help his family with their business and the
tourists are very happy that they can order their meal in English. He’s also learnt a lot about cooking
and loves the food at the restaurant!
1 In the summer, Alexis
A plays video games and goes to the beach.
B spends July and August on another island.
C doesn’t have a lot of free time.
2 Alexis helps his family in the restaurant because he

A is a good waiter. B likes meeting C can speak English.

tourists.

3 Where does Alexis go to school?

A in his village B in another village C in a nearby town

4 Where does he learn English?

A in a language school B in primary school C at home

5 What does Alexis want to do when he’s older?

A write news articles

B be a language teacher
C have his own business

Joe Brown: being a writer

I wrote my first stories when I was about 12, but I really didn’t know how good they were. My
friends weren’t interested, but my teacher sent some of them to a national magazine for children.
The magazine didn’t want them, but then my mum heard about a competition while she was
listening to the radio. So I sent in one of my stories and it won first prize! Then I thought, ‘I can do
this.’
During my years at school, I continued writing when I had time. Then when I left school, I went to
university. I didn’t study writing – I studied French and Spanish. After university, I worked in a
bookshop and in a library, but I wanted to write again. I decided to move to France.
At first, I worked as a waiter. I worked every day except Sunday. I wrote my novel on Sundays and
in the evenings!
I love writing and I’m never bored. You spend a lot of time alone, but this isn’t a problem for me.
I’ve finished my second novel now and I’ve got ideas for another, but I wanted a break first so I’ve
come home to England for a while.
My parents live in London, I have a brother in Liverpool and my sister lives in a village in the
countryside. I’m staying with my parents, but this weekend, we’re all going to go to my sister’s
house to have a family party.
1 How did Joe know that he was a good writer?
A He won a competition.
B His friends liked his stories.
C He wrote for a magazine.
2 What did he do when he left school?
A He wrote more stories.
B He studied languages.
C He travelled to France and Spain.
3 When he was a waiter, Joe worked

A most evenings. B six days a week. C every day.

4 What is Joe doing now?

A He’s writing his next novel.
B He’s having some time off.
C He’s travelling around England.
5 Joe is going to meet his family in

A a village. B Liverpool. C London.

Rebecca Miles – wildlife presenter

Rebecca Miles has always loved animals. When she was a child, she liked watching documentaries,
TV programmes about real people and events. She also enjoyed going to the local zoo with her
grandparents. Her father was an environmentalist, someone who works to protect the natural world,
and she and her mother often went on trips with him, travelling to Africa and other parts of the
world.
Rebecca studied zoology at university and began her career at a wildlife centre in Zambia. She
worked with chimpanzees and studied how they live. She was also interested in learning more about
big cats like mountain lions. She made her first TV programme when she was 27. It was a
documentary about tigers.
While she was in Asia, filming the documentary, she met her future husband, Ray. He was one of
the cameramen on the programme. They quickly realized that they shared the same interests and
cared about animals in danger. Now Rebecca and Ray work together on many different projects.
Apart from Zambia, Rebecca has travelled and worked all over Africa and Asia, and she and Ray
are now planning to take their very first trip to South America to study mountain lions in the Andes.
They would like to show where the mountain lions live and what they eat. They’re interested in
giving people information about the mountain lions and how to protect them.
Rebecca would like to write a book about her work and her life one day. She wants to make people
think about the world they live in and all the amazing animals that are in danger. She’d like to show
us that we can help even if we never travel to the places where those animals live.
1 As a child, Rebecca went to Africa

A with her grandparents.

B with her parents.
C only with her mother.

2 Rebecca met Ray

A when she was working in Africa.
B when they were working in Asia.
C when he was presenting a documentary.
3 Rebecca and Ray
A have not been to South America.
B have been to Africa and Asia together.
C have worked in Zambia.
4 In the Andes, Rebecca wants to teach people
A how to give food to the mountain lions.
B how to live next to the mountain lions.
C that the mountain lions need our help.
5 One of Rebecca’s aims is
A to think about dangerous animals.
B to become an author.
C to make people travel more.
A young cheesemaker
16-year-old Pat Tulloch has an unusual hobby. She makes cheese on the family farm in Australia.
She began by making yoghurt with her mother when she was little. Then she started watching her
father’s workers make cheese. When she was ten, she made some herself for the first time. ‘It
wasn’t great,’ she says, ‘but the workers told me what I was doing wrong and that helped me to
slowly get better.’
Pat always needs good milk for her cheese, but she doesn’t have to buy it. Her mother and father
keep 100 cows on their farm. Pat can just ask them when she needs more. Last year, Pat’s neighbour
gave her a young cow to keep and look after, but it doesn’t produce milk to make cheese yet.
Pat and her family make several types of cheese. Recently they won a prize for one of them. ‘It’s
been great for helping customers find out about us,’ says Pat. ‘Last month we started selling cheese
in New Zealand. People there read about our prize in a food magazine. Soon we’re going to do
some advertisements, too.’
Pat’s next idea is to post some online recipes for cooking with cheese. ‘One of my favourites is
cheese with eggs for breakfast. It’s great! Our cheese is also lovely with pasta – I hope a restaurant
might buy some one day.’ But right now Pat is still at school. ‘Making cheese is fun and winning a
prize for it is great, but doing well in my studies matters more for now.’
1 Pat learned to make good cheese
A by listening to the advice she got.
B by seeing how her mother did it.
C by practising at home on her own.
2 Where does Pat get the milk for her cheese?
A from her neighbour’s farm
B her father helps her to buy it
C her parents give it to her
3 Pat says winning the prize means
A more people know about her family’s cheese.
B she can be the star of the family’s new advertisements.
C she was invited to visit another country.
4 What’s the most important thing for Pat at the moment?
A writing a new cookbook
B being successful at school
C selling cheese to a restaurant
5 In this article, Pat is explaining
A why her family started making cheese.
B how to win a competition for making cheese.
C how she has become part of a cheese-making business.