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1. 
   Oxford University has been a centre of learning for over 900 years. Today, there are over 16,000 people studying at Oxford, but they are not all British. About 4,000 of them come from other countries. In fact, there are currently students from over 130 countries studying there. Every student at Oxford is a member of a ‘college’. There are 39 main colleges, and each college is in a different part of the town.
   
2. 
   What’s the best age for a child to learn how to read? Some people believed that children should learn at as young an age as possible. Because of this, some parents start teaching their children when they are about three years old. Other people believe it’s better for a teacher at school to teach a class of children how to read, so many children don’t learn to read until they are five or six years old.
   
3. 
   In most countries, you are only allowed to drive a car on a public road if you have a driving licence. You usually have to pass a driving test in order to get the licence. In European countries, this test is in two parts. The first part is a ‘theory’ test. You have to answer questions about road safety. The second part is a ‘practical’ test. You are in a ca with an examiner, who tell you where to drive and asks you to do various things, such as parking or reversing around a corner.
   
4. 
   When was Mozart born? What’s the capital of Nigeria? Before the Internet, if we wanted to find out the answers to these questions, we’d have to look them up in reference books, such as encyclopedias. If we couldn’t find the information in books at home, we’d have to go to a public library. This kind of research would often take a very long time. Now, however, as long as you have a computer connected to the Internet, you can find the answers to questions like these in seconds
   
5. 
   Although people sometimes confuse astronomy and astrology, they are completely different. Astronomy is the scientific study of the universe. Astronomers study stars, planets and other things in space, such as comets and records heir findings scientifically. Astrology, which is based on the belief that the position of the planets affects human behaviour, is not a science. It is astrologers who write horoscopes in magazines, telling us what they think is going to happen to us in the future.
   
6. 
   A guide book can be extremely helpful when you’re visiting a place for the first time. Guide books provide loads of practical information, such as the opening times and entrance fees of the main attractions, and often recommend sights to visit and places to stay. They can also provide interesting information about the history of the place and famous people who lived their.
   

No visit to London is complete without a trip to Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of the British monarch (currently Queen Elizabeth II)

No king or queen has lived in the Palace of Westminster, which is on the north bank of the River Thames in London, since the 1500s. Today, the Palace of Westminster is better known by its other name: the Houses of Parliament.

Oliver glanced at his watch. There were ten minutes left until the supermarket closed and he was rushing round, quickly dropping things he needed for the weekend into his trolley. He hadn’t been in his own flat long and now his mother ha invited herself for dinner the following day. He really wanted to impress her with his ability to cope on his own, but he knew that the usual critical comments would soon appear if everything wasn’t perfect. He hoped that the three days he’d spent cleaning the place from top to bottom wouldn’t be wasted, and he’d even gone so far as painting the front door. His mother wouldn’t notice that, though, of course. What she would notice was the dust on top of the pictures, or the old sofa, or one of a thousand other things that Oliver had forgotten about. Still, was determined to give her a good meal, and maybe that would put her in a slightly better mood than usual.

He checked his shopping list again and bent over to look through his trolley. He mentally ticked off the items and then realized that he still needed eggs. As he straightened up to set off towards the dairy section, there was an enormous collision, a clatter of tins and a loud shriek of pain. When Oliver had recovered his balance, he saw an attractive woman of about nineteen on her knees, putting tins and vegetables back into a handheld basket.

‘Why don’t you watch where you’re going?’ she snapped at him over her shoulder. ‘Some people just have no manners. Honestly…’

‘Er… sorry,’ stammered Oliver. ‘Let me help you.’ He began to pick tins up. ‘It really wasn’t my fault, though, you know. I was just… .’ The girl grabbed a tin of tuna from his hands.

‘Never mind,’ she said, her basket now full, and strode off down the aisle without looking back. Oliver watched her go and sighed. He never seemed to have much luck with girls. Maybe that was just what he needed to show his mother how grown up he was. He turned back to his own trolley and began to push it. Maybe if she came to dinner and he introduced her to an intelligent, charming young woman then she would stop calling him every day to check he was okay. As Oliver thought about this possibility, something caught his eye and he stopped his trolley. There was a red leather purse on top of his shopping. It must have come out of the girl’s basket and landed in his trolley. Oliver quickly glanced around, looking for the girl. She wouldn’t be able to pay for her shopping. He picked up the purse, left his trolley and sprinted towards the line of checkouts.

When he got there, he scanned the lines of customers waiting to pay. There were about a dozen queues, but Oliver couldn’t see the girl in any of them. Thinking that she must still be shopping somewhere in the supermarket, Oliver turned to go and find her when he suddenly heard a familiar voice at the front of the queue next to him.

‘I’m sure I had it here a minute ago. I want to speak to the manager. I think it’s been stolen. It musy be someone in this supermarket because I know…

She stopped as she realized that Oliver was standing next to her, holding her purse out towards her.

‘Lost something?’ Oliver asked.

The girl smiled, then recognized Oliver and frowned, before her expression softened again and she took the purse with a faint smile on her lips.

‘Thanks,’ she quietly

William Shakespeare is one of the best-known writers in the English

an education. In Latin at the local grammar school.

most famous plays yet.

The great love story Romeo and Juliet appeared four years

B7 ____________ and is still a favourite of many people. LATE

B8 The story of Romeo and Juliet _______________ in many different APPEAR

forms since then.

Leonardo DiCaprio.

and in many different languages.

years to come.

12 miles from London.

enjoy the ‘Trail of Kings’, where you can see gorillas, tigers and lions.

a fast, fun roller coaster.

Very young children will love ‘Toytown’, where you can go for an

B15 _____________ flight on the back of a Flying Jumbo, or drive one of the ENJOY

B16 Crazy Cars. More ______________ visitors might try ‘The Vampire. On ADVENTURE

‘The Vampire’, you ride with your legs handing down while it takes you

might not be for you. Riding fast high above the park can be a

A window box is a small of plants that literally sits outside your window. Here, the choice of plants is what counts. You want a splash of colour all year A23 _____________, so choose flowers that bloom at different times of the year. Daffodils, for example, are beautiful spring flowers and will soon have you looking forward to summer. Their bright colours will also attract butterflies, bringing touch of life.

If you’ve got a balcony, you’ve got a little more freedom. In this case, the key is to ………A24 ________ maximum use of the space you’ve got available. Put taller plants against the walls of the house, with shorter plants and flowers along the A25 ___________ of the balcony. You can also add a water feature; a small fountain creates interest and can have a cooling effect on a hot summer’s day. If your neighbours’ balcony is next to yours, why not use a fast-growing plant like wisteria to form a natural barrier, giving you more privacy?

Those of you who are lucky enough to have a small yard can really go to town. Think about how you’re going to us it. Do you want to be able to sit and enjoy the sun? Or do you want to be A26 ____________ to entertain friends and have a barbecue? Divide the yard into separate areas and plan each one carefully. Garden furniture is very important. A table that folds in half can give you a lot of flexibility, and chairs that fold away also allow you to change your garden ……… A27 ___________ your mood.

As A28 __________ as plants are concerned, choose varieties that don’t mind a bit of shade, unless your yard gets a lot of sun. Yards often have walls that keep the sun out for long periods and you don’t want your careful plans spoiled because a few of your plants start to die.