Reading sample
November 2016
English III Humanities
UCA
READING
1. Match a word from column A with a word from column B. Write the eight
collocations.
A B
war stars ………………………………
public collecting ………………………………
rock impact ………………………………
train opera ………………………………
soap figures ………………………………
doll sites ………………………………
significant memorabilia ………………………………
auction tickets ………………………………
2. Read the text quickly, ignoring the gaps to check your answers.
3. Complete the text. Choose the correct option; a, b or c.
1 a) changing b) exchanging c) interchanging
2 a) Meeting b) Knowing c) Connecting
3 a) authentic b) true c) really
4 a) willing b) charming c) preparing
5 a) recording b) filming c) showing
6 a) Speaking b) Listening c) According
7 a) meaning b) relation c) impact
8 a) break out b) break into c) break up with
For lots of people ‘hobby’ is synonymous with ‘collecting’. There are enthusiastic collectors around the
world, (1) ……………….. coins, stamps, cards, war memorabilia and a million other things. Read about
two people’s collections.
Paul (London, UK):
Autograph collecting is, for me, a natural high. The thrill of getting close to greatness gets my adrenaline
flowing and gives me a rush. (2) ……………….. with a celebrity somehow brings me almost into the
spotlight. It feels good!
As with most endeavors, there is an easy way and a more difficult way to collect autographs. The easy
way is to buy them from another collector or dealer. I prefer the challenge of collecting autographs in
person. That way I can be sure that it is (3) ………………...
Hobbyists usually focus on autographs from a single category of public figure, such as sports heroes,
actors, authors or rock stars. I collect autographs from television celebrities. Part of the challenge is
finding famous people who are (4) ……………….. to give autographs. Some stars are just too busy and
others avoid crowds. Generally, the more famous the person, the more reluctant he or she will be.
At the moment I’ve got more than two thousand autographs. I got my first autograph fifteen years ago.
Most of them are in special albums but some are on serviettes, train tickets or pieces of paper. I’m not
interested in how much my autograph albums are worth. For me, that’s not important at all. My favourite
autographs are from the entire cast of a soap opera I used to watch when I was younger. I was lucky
enough to visit the TV studios where they were (5) ……………….. and met the cast afterwards. Another
special autograph is from a famous BBC news reader. I bumped into her on a train journey a couple of
years ago and she was kind enough to sign an autograph.
Susan (California, USA):
Doll collecting is a very popular hobby in America. There are so many types of dolls to collect – Antique
dolls, Barbie dolls, ethnic dolls, cloth dolls … (6) ……………….. to archaeologists, dolls have been around
for at least 4,000 years.
So, which dolls should you collect? This is a personal issue. I started collecting Barbie dolls when I was
about ten years ago. Today I’ve got more than a thousand dolls. The dollar value of my doll collection is
important to me so I steer my choices to certain types. In the last twenty years the internet has had a
significant (7) ……………….. on doll pricing. Many more dolls are now available and generally prices have
dropped from what they were in the late 80’s and early 90’s. The trading of dolls through eBay and other
auction sites has made the hobby easier to (8) ……………….. and reduced the cost of acquiring your
collection.
My favourite Barbie doll is a Barbie XXXX. I bought it for xxx in a garage sale and today it’s probably
worth around xxx
4. Find words or expressions in the text that are synonyms for these words
and phrases.
1 excitement
2 unwilling
3 met by accident
4 very old and valuable
5 guide (vb)
6 getting; obtaining