CPE Reading Practice

Cambridge Test (CPE), C2 Proficiency

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Practice for the Cambridge English Proficiency

CPE Reading Test

What is CPE?

Sample Test

Introduction

Index

Certificate of Proficiency in English

A C2 Proficiency qualification shows the world that you have mastered English to an exceptional level. It proves you can communicate with the fluency and sophistication of a highly competent English speaker.

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Certificate of Proficiency in English B2 level

Explore a snippet of the challenging world of the Cambridge Proficiency English exam with this sample reading test.

Introduction

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The reading test checks your ability to understand the meaning of written English words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs and whole texts. This means sometimes you are tested on whether you have understood a few words in a text or the meaning of the whole of it. At the end you may have a question about how the writer feels about his subject, or whether you are meant to respond positively to the text. You may also be asked why the writer has used a certain expression.

Introduction

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Read the sentences below and think of a suitable word to put in each of the gaps. You can choose from the words below. You cannot choose more than one answer.

Part 1

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Part 2

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5. That all the gold thus brought in shall be smelted immediately, and stamped with some mark that shall distinguish each town; and that the portion which belongs to your Highnesses shall be weighed, and given and consigned to each mayor in his own town, and registered by one of the priests of that town, so that it shall not pass through the hands of only one person, and there shall he no opportunity to conceal the truth. 6. That one per cent of all the gold that may be found shall be set aside for building churches and adorning the same, and for the support of the priests or friars belonging to them.

A letter from Christopher Columbus to the King and Queen of Spain, written in the 1490s.

1. That on the said island there shall be founded three or four towns, situated in the most convenient places, and that the settlers who are there be assigned to the these places and towns. 2. That for the better and more speedy colonization of the said island, no one shall have liberty to collect gold except those who have taken out colonists' papers, and have built houses in the town in which they live, that they may live united and in greater safety. 3. That there shall he a church, and parish priests or friars to administer the sacraments, to perform divine worship, and that these shall also work for the conversion of the Indians. 4. That none of the colonists shall seek gold without a license from the governor or mayor of the town where he lives.

"In obedience to your Highnesses' commands, and with submission to superior judgement, I will say whatever occurs to me in connection with colonization and commerce on the Island of Espanola, and the other islands, both those already discovered and those that may be discovered hereafter. The number of colonists who desire to go to that place amounts to two thousand, owing to the land being safer and better for farming and trading, and because it will serve as a place to which they can return and from which they can carry on trade with the neighbouring islands. therefore I suggest that:

Columbus reports

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9. I will now give my opinion about ships going to the Island of Espanola, and the order that should be maintained. These ships should only be allowed to unload in one or two ports designated for the purpose, and they should register whatever cargo they bring or unload that nothing may be concealed. I beg your Highnesses to hold me in your protection; and I remain, praying our Lord God for your Highnesses' lives and the increase of much greater States."

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7. As regards the division of the gold, and the share that ought to be reserved for your Highnesses, this, in my opinion, must be left to the aforesaid governor and treasurer, because it will have to be greater or less according to the quantity of gold that may be found. Or, should it seem preferable, your Highnesses might, for the space of one year, take one half, and the collector the other. 8. As, in the eagerness to get gold, every one will wish, naturally, to engage in its search in preference to any other employment, it seems to me that the privilege of going to look for gold ought to be withheld during some portion of each year, that there may be opportunity to have the other business necessary for the functioning of the island to be performed.

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Part 3

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So the body has to develop more than passive defences to keep viruses, bacteria, and parasites out. This defence system is called the immune system. If the cells in a body are the community, then the cells of the immune system are the policemen. Their job is to hunt for invaders which have penetrated the first barriers to entry, and when these invaders are found, the immune system will try to kill them. The immune system does its job very well on the whole, which is why you are alive now to be reading this.

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However, the war between the body and invading cells has been going on for millions of years. Over that time the invaders have developed some clever tricks for getting past the body's frontier defences. Some, like the cold virus have developed the ability to travel through the air in little droplets of water. Other diseases, like malaria, travel through smaller animals and use these to gain entry to our systems. And of course, any injury that breaks the skin invites millions of bacteria through this gap in our defences.

From the point of view of an immunologist, the body can be considered as a large community of cells all working together to keep the system functioning. Some cells have jobs that keep them in the same place all the time; nerve cells, for instance. Other cells, such as blood cells, are constanly on the move, carrying nutrients, and taking away waste. Some cells, such as brain cells, are very long-lived, while other cells, such as skin cells, have a relatively short life. But, like many communities, the body is not very tolerant of strangers. But in the case of the body, this intolerance is well justified. Most cells which enter the body are malign in intention - that is to say, they have entered the body to do things which might damage or even destroy it. As a result, our bodies keep guard on their frontiers. Our skin is a secure envelope which prevents bacteria entering, and our noses and lungs are protected by small hairs and mucus which trap and later expel invaders.

The immune system

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Part 4

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That was another term that filled the programmers with horror. In Cameron's lexicon, "Take as long as you want" meant that you could work on your task not just in office hours, but that evening, and late into the wee hours of following morning if you so desired. But the project had to be in by its completion date, and yes, done exactly right. Or you did it again. There were those that refused to work under this regime. They told Cameron so, at length, and often with a selection of colourful adjectives. And Cameron would give them his saintly smile, call one of his colleagues, and the worker would find himself at another desk the next day, doing the same sort of work, for exactly the same pay. Then he could cut corners where he knew it didn't matter, use the occasional bodge if it worked, and be reasonably sure of getting home for matters like anniversary dinners.But he would always be regarded, and not least by himself, as someone who had failed to measure up, one of those who just couldn't cut it. You had to face it, if you were not working for Cameron, you were second best. So when word got out that Cameron had fouled up, big time, the news was greeted with a mixture of sympathy, and outright relief that this paragon too was human.

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Like many meticulous people, Cameron thought of himself as merely organized. He certainly did not consider that he took great pains over anything, he did just enough to get it right. Exactly right, of course, for as he was fond of telling his staff, "if it's not exactly right, it's wrong". Occasionally a worker might whimper faintly on hearing these words, because it meant another hour or so of going over the same bit of work, correcting the mistakes which Cameron had patiently pointed out. And doing the corrections exactly right of course. Oddly enough, his passion for precision did not make Cameron unpopular. His department had the reputation for performing the highest quality work in the company, and it was seen, and not only by those who worked in the department, as a sort of elite unit. Those programmes that had to work first time, straight out of the box, Cameron's men got those. "It's mission critical - give it to Cameron" was almost a catch-phrase with his team. It helped that Cameron was not merely fussy. He wanted things done just so, not because of a personal idiosyncrasy, but because he had discovered through patient experimentation that this was the best way for it to be done. What drove his team to distraction, and occasionally to contemplating murder, or suicide, or both, is that he insisted it be done that way under all circumstances. Daughter's wedding? Oh, dear, well you can go as soon as you have finished the project. Take as long as you want.

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