Department stores – B1 English Reading Test

Reading Tests for B1

For each question, choose the correct answer.
The people below all want to find a department store to visit in their city.
There are descriptions of eight department stores.
Decide which department store would be the most suitable for the people below.
1 Jasmine would like to find a store where they can eat outside, and her dad wants
somewhere known for its good-quality suits. They also want to buy a necklace for
Jasmine’s mum.

2 Peter wants to buy some special sweets for his grandma’s birthday, and his older
sister, Nell, wants to see the latest women’s fashions. They also need to buy new tennis T-
shirts, without spending a lot.

3 Maria wants a store selling clothes that use materials produced without damaging the
environment. Her mum would like somewhere that has great customer service and is
beautiful inside.

4 John enjoys cooking, and wants to buy some unusual ingredients. His parents like
stores that have been in the same buildings since they were young, and that have great
toys for John’s young sister.

5 Samuel and Mark want to visit a store with a good selection of chess sets. They’d like
to have some delicious ice creams and buy something made in the store to eat later.
Department stores downstairs, you’ll find a huge selection of
amazing fresh food rarely found elsewhere.
A Hallwick’s

People often visit Hallwick’s just for the

displays of lights that make it so attractive to
shop here. And it was the first to sell clothes E Gardener and Bell’s
made of pure, natural cotton, grown in
conditions that avoid creating pollution. The This store has been here since 1950, and is
assistants are polite and will help with any the place for cool clothes and jewellery, as it
questions about goods. updates its items every few weeks – and
many are made from environmentally-
friendly materials. The sportswear section
B Crozier’s has clothes and equipment for almost any
sport, although prices can be high.
This store is in a beautiful new building. One
floor is full of toys and board games like F Davidson’s
chess, and downstairs there’s a huge variety This traditional-looking store opened in
of cakes, sweets and also fresh food that’s 1860, and still offers high-class, fashionable
perfect for making a meal! The roof garden goods at reasonable prices, with many made
is popular here in summer, and the friendly from natural materials. The men’s clothes
staff serve delicious lunches. are particularly recommended, and there’s
also an area selling nothing but beautiful
jewellery. And on fine days, try the rooftop
C Stafford’s restaurant – the food is fantastic.
This store is popular for its range of good- G Ford and Madecroft’s
quality sportswear at very reasonable prices,
which is hard to find elsewhere. And on the The café here serves fantastic meals, but
ground floor, you’ll find displays of their also has amazing chocolates and frozen
famous handmade candies – great for desserts of all kind, and the bakers produce
celebrations! And Stafford’s is always the fantastic biscuits and cakes to take away.
first to offer new designs in men’s and Upstairs, you’ll find a display of toys and also
women’s clothing, too! a huge range of board games, together with
instructions to help you play.
D Barton’s

Barton’s has been here since it opened in H Oldridge’s

1930, and still has its huge glass door and
The customer service here is the best
beautiful windows. The first floor is fantastic
anywhere in the city, and staff will help you
for children, as it’s packed with things to
find what you’re looking for, from jewellery
play with – at reasonable prices. And
to children’s toys. And the café here,
probably one of the most attractive you’ll
ever visit, serves the biggest ice creams
anywhere, too – and the best cakes!

For each question, choose the correct answer.

Karina Moore – teenage high diver!
Several times a week, teenager Karina Moore trains at her local pool to jump from the
high-diving board into the water – in an attempt to become a national diving champion.
Karina first learned about diving during a family break in Spain, where the resort’s pool
had a high-diving board. Young people were diving off it, and it looked fun, but Karina
didn’t join in, even though she was a strong swimmer. Then after returning home, she
discovered a long-distance runner she’d always admired had started diving for relaxation
– so she became more interested.
Karina joined a beginners’ diving class at her local pool. They had several sessions jumping
onto soft materials before trying the high board. ‘The water looked a long way down,’
says Karina, ‘but after our training, I felt I’d handle it – without injuring myself? They’d
warned me I’d land in the water fast – at around 60 kph – but I was prepared. I couldn’t
wait to get started – although the others weren’t so keen! Anyway, I wasn’t disappointed
by the experience.’
In Karina’s area, there’s now lots of interest in high diving, but it’s sometimes difficult for
swimmers to find suitable practice facilities. Although the pools are deep enough, they’re
in use so often by diving clubs that other people don’t get opportunities to practise.
Fortunately, though, Karina’s coach noticed her talent and helped her develop her
techniques. After also two years, she’s winning competitions in her area.
But what’s it like to concentrate so much on diving? ‘I train 20 hours a week’ says Karina,
‘and I won’t pretend it’s easy – you have to enjoy it to spend so much time doing it! It’s
not easy for my parents either, though – they drive me to training sessions early in the
morning, and that costs money. But they’re had financial help from sports organisations,
luckily. And my schoolwork and social life are good. I still meet my mates – and there’s
always the phone! The only thing I hadn’t realised was that the pool water would damage
my hair – I used to love my long hair, but I’ve had to cut it short because it looked awful!
But I’ll definitely keep on diving!’

1 What made Karina keen to take up diving?

A She wanted to repeat her holiday experience.

B She found out her athletics hero had taken it up.
C She’d visited a pool where some teenagers were doing it.
D She wanted a new challenge after her success at swimming.

2 How did Karina feel the first time she used the high board?

A worried about how fat it was above the pool

B pleased to experience it with other beginners
C confident that she wouldn’t get hurt
D shocked to hit the water at such speed

3 What does the writer suggest about diving facilities in Karina’s area?

A They’re not used as much as they could be.

B There aren’t enough coaches teaching people to use them.
C There aren’t as many boards as there used to be.
D They’re not available to the public for long enough each day.

4 How does Karina feel about spending so much time diving?

A surprised by one effect it has had on her

B sorry she no longer sees her friends so much
C anxious about the amount of money it costs
D grateful to be able to focus on something she loves

5 What would the writer say about Karina?

A She’s a young girl who’s achieved a lot by becoming a national diving champion –
and all
with very little support.
B She’s made enormous progress in a very short time – after only a couple of years,
she’s
already showing great signs of success.
 C She has a lot of natural talent, but she’s already thinking of having a break
from the high board for a while.
D She’s sad that she’s given up almost everything for her sport – and her lifestyle
really
sounds quite hard.

Five sentences have been removed from the text below. For each
question, choose the correct answer. There are three extra sentences
which you do not need to use.
Computer game exhibition
Have you ever tried playing the kind of video games that your parents played? The
Museum of Science in Manchester, in the UK, has held an exhibition for the last few
years, which invites visitors to do exactly that. It offers them the chance to play
games from the last 40 years, in various sessions throughout the day.

These video games sessions have now become one of the main attractions of the
museum. They are full of people every day, playing a wide range of games.
(1)…….. For parents, for example, these are usually the games they used to play in
their childhood.

There’s also an educational purpose to the games. For instance, some old types of
computer, dating back 40 years, are also available in the sessions. They were
originally used in classrooms to teach pupils to write their own computer programs.

(2)…….. Now, the museum is holding workshops that encourage children to learn
similar skills – and they’re still very popular.

The sessions are also seen as social events, as people discover how much fun it is to
play video games with other family members. And there’s also an area at Power Up!
where a number of visitors can sit down together. (3)…….. And nowadays, this is
often how fans of video games are more likely to experience playing.

The exhibition also shows how much progress technology has made over the last 40
years. Parents can often remember playing very simple games. But the games that
are played today are more complex. (4)…….. And the players also have to use much
more complicated techniques.
However, one serious side of the exhibition is that organisers also want to show that
video gaming is an important industry, employing many skilled people.

(5)…….. That way, people who enjoy gaming will also understand all the hard work,
talent and imagination that goes into creating these amazing games.

A Visitors each pay for 90-minute sessions.

B And at the time, it helped lots of young people to do that.
C So they hope the exhibition will share this message.
D But not everyone thinks it’s a lot of fun.
E However, visitors often choose the ones they’re similar with.
F They have better storylines and animation, too.
G They also create the music to go with the game.
H Then they can all enjoy playing the same game.

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