READING PASSAGE 1
Read the information below and answer questions 1-7.
Online Teachers: The Real Deal!
Let’s face it: all of us are busy with work, school, and trying to get some down time in between. This is just one reason why online teaching has provided great opportunities for people who want to study a language and fit it into their busy schedules. Check out our expert English language teachers below and let us know which one you would like to have your first free lesson with!
A - Pamela Harris
Born and raised in the United States, Pamela is one of our expert teachers in the English language. Her passions include teaching American slang, phrasal verbs, and film analysis. She currently lives in Italy and enjoys traveling around Europe.
B - Salvatore Mineo
Mr. Mineo has a CELTA Degree from the University of Cambridge and has been teaching English for 17 years. He enjoys teaching Business English and often travels to conferences that specialize in discussing new ways to teach executives languages. He can also teach group classes with a maximum of 5 people.
C - Angela Landry
Specializing in teaching young learners, Angela is an expert at captivating the attention of children and teenagers through exciting lessons and interactive games. She has studied a “learning-through-playing” approach and is our highest-rated teacher! There is currently a waitlist for her courses.
D - Michael Sattler
Mr. Sattler is an ex-journalist who has devoted the last 5 years of his life to language teaching. He specializes in writing and helping university students excel in their thesis preparation. As the newest member of our team, Mr. Sattler is the only teacher offering a discount on his courses this month.
E - Brittany Feigel
A recent graduate of a Teaching Masters program in London, Ms. Feigel brings her classroom experience into the online teaching world. She is our expert in materials creation and has developed all of our online tutorials, which are used company-wide.
Questions 1-7
Look at the following statements and a list of people below.
Write the correct options A-E
NB You may use any letter more than once.
list of people
1. This teacher has been with the company for the least amount of time.
2. This teacher can teach small groups.
3. This teacher is perfect for children.
4. This teacher had a different career prior to teaching.
5. This teacher contributed her work to the entire company.
6. This teacher will have the cheapest rate for a short time.
7. This teacher specializes in colloquial language.
Read the information below and answer questions 8-14.
BLUE FIN RESTAURANT
OPEN ALL DAY!
Our new restaurant, Blue Fin, is part of the McClelland Restaurant Group. It is located on Perryville Highway Business District, right behind the Ground Round Playground and Sports Center.
For our GRAND OPENING, we will be open all day for the next month (September 2019). We have internationally renowned chefs, affordable menus, and a variety of cuisine! While we specialize in fish, seafood, and New Orleans comfort food, we also offer a buffet service with global dishes.
We have separate areas for business lunches and we welcome all special occasions. Do you have a birthday, anniversary, or important get-together coming up? If so, call our manager, Beth Watkins, to book a special table at a discounted rate! We can accomodate parties no larger than 25 people at this time, however.
New Opening Pricing
(These low, special prices are valid only for one month, until October 2019. After this date, prices will increase to their normal rates.)
Prices include an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet and one entree
Adults: $25.00
Children (under 13 years old): $10.00
Senior Citizens (over 65 years old): $15.00
Questions 8-14
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.
8. Blue Fin is part of a larger restaurant group.
9. The restaurant includes breakfast items.
10. The restaurant currently does not have a manager as part of its staff.
11. Blue Fin can accommodate business lunches with over 30 people.
12. There are dessert options in the buffet.
13. Prices are generally higher than the special offers in October.
14. Senior Citizens will always pay $15.00 for the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet and one entree.
READING PASSAGE 2
Read the text below and answer questions 15-19.
Corrective Action Policy
The following document outlines Greenhouse Co.’s stance on difficult situations in the workplace, focusing on a clear method of communication and appropriate follow-up. Please read our outline to understand our procedures.
If a problem concerning an employee/employees occurs in Greenhouse Co., the proper procedures should be taken. It may become necessary for the Executive Director and an employee to address a problem by identifying unacceptable behavior and establishing a clear plan for correcting it. This occurs after informal attempts to resolve the situation have failed.
This corrective action process, called performance improvement, is a progressive process that includes the following steps:
A formal performance mentoring session with your manager
A written performance plan, focusing on improvements.
Completion of a performance improvement plan or termination of employment
This process is designed to facilitate clear, precise, and timely communication about problems and the development of solutions. Employees who are in the performance improvement process are not eligible for promotions or transfers until the process has been satisfactorily completed. Although performance improvement is usually a progressive process, the Executive Director may choose to move to any step in the process, including immediate termination of employment, based on the severity of the problem or misconduct and the circumstances.
Examples of conduct that may require beginning the formal performance improvement process include, but are not limited to:
Substandard job performance
Failure to carry out job responsibilities
Inability to work effectively with others
Excessive absenteeism or tardiness
Unauthorized overtime
Questions 15-19
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
After (15).............. have been exhausted without improvement, the three steps should be taken.
The corrective action process is also referred to as (16)..............
Before completion of the described process, employees will not be able to receive (17).............
Despite the outline steps, the Executive Director could opt for a swift (18)................ , if the problem is of a grave nature.
If the employee shows frequent (19)................. in addition to being late, the Executive Director could opt to begin the described process.
Read the text below and answer questions 20-27.
Teaching French in an American High School
A. As a French-Canadian national teaching French in an American high school for the last 10 years, I can safely say that finding a job as a French teacher is not as easy as it may seem! Many people have the misconception that as long as you can speak French, you can teach French. This cannot be further from the truth, and I would like to share some reasons why this is a popular misconception.
B. There are a lot of factors that need to be taken into consideration before trying to find a job in a high school. Most American high schools will require you to have some sort of certificate or diploma in the French language, which qualifies you to teach French as a second language. Most people assume that as long as someone is a mother-tongue in French, that they will definitely get the job. The truth is, though, that you need to invest time and money into getting a certification.
C. Getting a work visa can be an issue for foreigners in the United States. Strict and sometimes confusing laws don’t make it easy for one to get a work permit. Therefore, being in possession of an American passport has its advantages if you are looking for a career. If not, it can be quite difficult getting an American school to sponsor you for a work permit. American laws make it difficult for schools to permanently hire you as a teacher.
D. Some schools will require you to teach General French, whereas others will want you to teach Advanced Placement courses in French, which entails following a strict curriculum and preparing students for the national exam. Having some experience with both would be advantageous, and would be a great way for you to market your skills! Why not become familiar with the common exams in the United States? I guarantee it would be a marketable skill.
E. There are many ways to find open teaching jobs in French. There are plenty of websites that have job listings for schools in the United States, broken down by state. Additionally, you can simply just call the school and ask if there are open positions available. The best person and point of reference would be the school’s Principal, who is usually the hiring manager.
F. If all of this seems too difficult, or it is impossible to find a job offering a work permit, many teachers do private lessons at home to students who need some extra help with homework or with people who may need to prepare for a French exam. You may not want to bring any strangers home for lessons, so I would highly recommend that you do lessons with people you know or with friends of friends! Once you get into the swing of things, it is definitely a satisfying experience.
Questions 20-27
Look at the following statements.
Match each idea with the correct paragraph, A - F.
NB : You may use any letter more than once.
20. Information about legal matters
21. Information on the writer's credentials
22. A back-up plan
23. Advice on how to be a stronger teaching candidate
24. A specific example of a common misconception
25. Information on searching for jobs
26. Information on common setbacks for foreigners and non-citizens
27. Information regarding safety and best practices
READING PASSAGE 3
Questions 28-40
In the beginning of print media, local news was limited, in that news agencies were only able to publish their findings and stories through the popular printing press. However, this invention marked quite an achievement for the mid-1700s. When choosing the best place to utilize the printing press for the first “local newspaper”, Boston's extremely literate population and its interest in self-government made it the perfect location. In the initial stages, the first newspapers spread information about local events and activities in the area. However, the Stamp Tax of 1765 raised costs for publishers, leading several newspapers into bankruptcy due to the increasing cost of paper. The repeal of the Stamp Tax in 1766 diminished concerns for a short while, but editors and writers soon began questioning the power of the British government.
As a response to the actions of community members,newspapers united people behind a common cause during the Revolutionary War. Then, the publication of the Federalist Papers, as well as the Anti-Federalist Papers in the 1780s, moved the nation into the “party press era”. The Federalist Papers were composed of eighty-five articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton and other political minds, which sought to promote the ratification of the United States constitution. The Anti-Federalist Papers, while serving as a counterpart, were less influential but nonetheless published. In any case, this era demonstrated a time during which political party loyalty was evident in editorial content. Subscriptions and advertisements were not always able to comprehensively cover printing costs. As a solution, political parties settled the debts for the newspapers that aided specific parties and their policies. Therefore, it was common to see propaganda and messages scattered throughout the newspaper. This is one of the first examples of media bias.
Despite the antagonistic nature of the press, most founders of the country and politicians at the time believed that freedom of the press was important for creating an informed population. For this reason, freedom of the press was listed in the Bill of Rights in the First Amendment, and currently remains an important principle in the American government. However, readers still wanted to be entertained as they read the daily “news”, without having to rely on just one type of information. In other words, the demand called for a proper balance between informative and entertaining types of news. Joseph Pulitzer recognized this need and consequently became the father of “yellow journalism”. He started the tabloid-style paper that included editorial pages, cartoons, and pictures. In order to grab attention, the front-page news usually included something quite scandalous and sensational.
Due to his ability to understand audiences, Pulitzer was correct when analyzing what the public wanted, and for this reason, advertisements sold quickly thanks to the popularity of his publication. However, the popularity of Pulitzer's style created a staunch competition between various news sources in the area and beyond. As the demand for these papers was high, competition between various newspaper companies led to increasingly sensationalized covers and tabloid-style articles. For quite some time after Putlizer's first tabloid-style paper, the print media was succumbing to the demands of the public without printing to a high journalistic standard. In fact, many scholars would even argue that this style has remained active in present-day publications, which is seen in celebrity gossip columns and even entire magazines.
Although his innovative ideas had hailed Pulitzer as the most prominent figure in print media of the time, a business-oriented citizen with an eye for communication set his sights on acquiring another publication. In 1896, Adolph Ochs purchased the New York Times in order to create a sophisticated newspaper, as he felt that society was in a dire need for authentic news coverage. He wanted to change the current course of print media and provide readers with only “the most important news”, which did not entail sensationalized reporting tactics. He believed that news stories effectively depicting the true events regarding the economy, politics, and the global community were of utmost importance, or certainly more important than tidbits of gossip and photography. Thus, the New York Times was the first publication to return to the informational model, exhibiting impartiality in terms of politics and accuracy in its contents.
Although both the sensationalized and informational news models remained popular afterwards, the objectives surrounding published print media works experienced changes soon after the New York Times was purchased. As such, other types of news coverage developed when the Progressive Era came to fruition, and lasted until the 1920s. Perhaps the most notable “new” form of the time was “muckraking”, which involved writing news coverage to expose corruption. Making its first appearances during the late 1890s, journalists used muckraking to work on investigative pieces, which ultimately led to changes in the way factories treated industrial workers. As a result, laws were passed that would protect consumers and employees for a long time to come. While print media had served as a public forum for the founding founders in its earlier days, it exited the Progessive Era as a tool to command justice.
Questions 28-34
Complete each sentence with the correct ending A-J from the box below.
NB : You may use any letter more than once.
28. A high percentage of readers and the interest in self-governing
29. The introduction of the Stamp Tax
30. The nation's move into the “party press era”
31. Media bias in newspapers existed because politicians
32. Yellow journalism was created because Pulitzer
33. A strong demand for newspapers
34. In order to satisfy readers' desires, the journalistic standard
Questions 35-40
Complete the short answers below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
35. Who changed the path of The New York Times in 1896?
36. The New York Times was the first publication to go back to what?
37. When did the practice of muckraking start?
38. What did muckraking seek to reveal?
39. What type of writing pieces were part of the muckraking style?
40. Who was kept safe due to the new laws passed during the Progressive Era?
ANSWERS:
