Exam practice: Reading Unit 8

C1 Advanced Part 7
1
1 In gapped text exam tasks, what should you do?
There was an angry sky, a sure sign that a storm was
a Start with the most difficult gaps. approaching. They were on the point of returning to the
b Answer the gaps that you are sure about first. safety of the land but decided instead to stay put. The
large number of fish they were catching caused them to
c Do the answers in order so you don’t miss any.
gamble and take advantage of their good luck.

2 Correct the words in bold in sentences 1–6. 2

1 Jack was in the point of quitting when he heard the Now, without anything to motor the boat, they were
good news. defenceless against the elements. And this storm was
likely to last up to five days. Alvarenga made the soul-
2 I felt on top of the earth when I passed my driving destroying decision to throw overboard not only their
test. big catch, but also their ice and gasoline supplies, in
3 We both agree up to a stage, but the finer details an attempt to make the boat more stable. What could
are harder to sort out. possibly happen next?
4 Mum’s heart lowered when she realised we 3
wouldn’t be back for Christmas. But finally the rough seas gave way to calm waters and
5 It would be a good idea to get together to lift they were able to assess the situation properly. They
everyone’s feelings. had a stick, a shaving mirror and some matches. They
tried to signal to a big ship on the horizon by setting light
6 Please make into account that the flight will
to a T-shirt and using the mirror to reflect the sunlight.
probably be delayed.
Nothing.
Exam tip 4
In tasks where you complete a text with different That’s when nature offered them a second chance.
sentences or paragraphs, start with the ones that It started to rain and the men started to make use of
you find easiest and are sure about. the plastic bottles and a 55-gallon oil drum they had
managed to pick out of the water. Collecting water in
these containers was a game changer. They would never
go thirsty again.
3 You are going to read an extract from a magazine
article. Six paragraphs have been removed from 5
the extract. Choose from the paragraphs A–G the However, people need more than food and drink. The
one which fits each gap (1–6). There is one extra men differed in their ability to remain mentally strong.
paragraph which you do not need to use. While Alvarenga extended his hunting skills to being able
to catch birds, turtles and even sharks, Córdoba had
Salvador Alvarenga – A Story difficulty in eating the raw food. He got depressed some
of Survival months later, and refused eating at all.
6
Months later, as the boat approached an island, it
was easy at first for Alvarenga to think it was his mind
playing tricks on him. However, Tile Islet, in the Marshall
Islands, was real. Alvarenga found himself at one of the
most remote places on Earth. After coming ashore, he
stumbled up to the beach house of Emi Libokmeto and
her husband Russel Laikidrik. Initially shocked at his
appearance, the couple welcomed him into their home.
His story of being lost at sea for a mind-blowing 438 days,
proves the point that survival is as much mental as it is
physical.

It was a fishing trip that Salvador Alvarenga had done

countless times before. Having pulled out at the last
minute, his usual mate had to be replaced by 22-year-old
Ezequiel Córdoba, a day worker. Although he was fit and
strong, he had very limited experience of the sea.

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Exam practice: Reading Unit 8

C1 Advanced Part 7 (continued)

A Ten weeks into the journey, despite Alvarenga’s best efforts
to keep his young companion alive, Córdoba gave up the fight
and died. It was the experienced fisherman’s ability to adapt to
difficult situations like this that kept him going and helped keep
him in good spirits. He would imagine the meals he was eating,
the people he was with and long morning walks.
B Understandably, they were in low spirits after their cry for
help had failed to be seen. On top of that, they were about to
experience a full week without any drinking water. They were
both ready to lie down and give in, thinking the challenge was
too big for them.
C Just then, the heavens opened up and they realised that if
they hadn’t made such a big mistake, they’d still have equipment
to fish and even get home without too much trouble. Córdoba
wasn’t happy about the decision Alvarenga had made, but what
could he do? He could hardly run off.
D They would pay for taking this chance shortly afterwards.
Caught by giant waves that prevented them from getting back
to the shore, they quickly realised that their little boat was no
match for the awesome power of nature. And worse still, water
had flooded the engine.
E And thanks to their skill at fishing bare-handed, they didn’t
go hungry either. Alvarenga perfected the art of putting his
arms deep into the water up to his shoulders and grabbing fish,
digging in his nails and then throwing them onto the boat. In
shark-infested waters, this was not only skilful, but also brave.
Córdoba then cleaned them, sliced the meat and dried them in
the sun.
F The radio died, that’s what! It was now clear that if they were
to survive, it was completely up to these two men on their own.
They took it in turns to empty the boat which was fast filling up
with water. It was exhausting work, and there appeared to be no
light at the end of the tunnel.
G So, they set off in a basic 8-metre boat, for what they
expected to be a two-day trip off the western coast of Mexico
at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. After the trip, they hoped to
sell the fish they caught for 50 cents a pound, which would give
them enough money for a week. It was all going to plan until
they saw something in the distance.

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Exam practice: Reading Unit 8

C1 Advanced Part 2 3 For questions 1–8, read the text below and think
of the word which best fits each gap. Use only
1 Complete the sentences with the words in the box. one word in each gap. There is an example at the
beginning (0).
answers • gaps • sense • text • word
The ideal time to get away
In activities in which you have to write one
(a) , check your work when you have
completed all of the (b) . Read
the whole (c) carefully together
with your (d) . Do they fit the text
grammatically? Does the text make (e) ?

2 Choose the correct alternative.

When he came around the corner on his bike, he was
going at (a) heartwarming/breakneck speed. I had
(b) got/reached to the point where I was going to take
his bike away from him for his own safety and that of
others. I needn’t have worried. One day, he came off
his bike and injured his leg. It meant he was (c) down/
sad in the dumps for a full two weeks because he didn’t With record house prices, university fees at
have the freedom to cycle to school. He brightened an
(0) all-time high
(d) over/up as soon as he was on two wheels again. And and pressure to find a career all casting a shadow
I was over the (e) moon/earth that he finally started to
(1) young people enjoying life, it’s
ride sensibly from that moment on. easy to see why some might think travel should be the
Exam tip last thing on their mind. But I’m here to tell every young
person – that’s exactly (2) you should
When you finish a task where you have to complete be doing.
a text, read the complete text with your answers in
(3) reason is simple. When you have a
place and see if your answers make sense and also
job, family and more responsibilities, you may have more
fit grammatically with the words around them.
cash in your account but less freedom to jet off. And
there’s much more to travel (4) lifting
your spirits.
Not (5) do you have more energy when
you’re young, you also acquire the independence you
are going to need when you leave home. And the cultural
awareness you gain makes you more tolerant
(6) the different types of people you
meet in your life.
In 2020, 84% of people who took a gap year said the
break in study helped them to pick (7)
new skills, 96% believed they gained confidence and 66%
took their studies more seriously upon their return. When
you take all this (8) account, it’s hard
to see why more teenagers aren’t heading for the nearest
airport as soon as they finish their last exam!

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