Reading comprehension test- Level A2 I.

Read the text below and fill in blanks with missing words (48p; 12 x 4p)

Charles Dickens is one of English novelists of the nineteenth century. He was born at Portsmouth where his father was a clerk. When Charles .four years old, the family moved to Chatham and the years they spent there were among the in Dickens life. Charles Dickens was only twelve years old, was sent to work in a boot -blacking factory, he had to stick labels on bottles. In this way Dickens came into contact with ..classes of society and gained experience which he used later on his .. But after two years he was taken from and sent to work again, this time in an attorneys office. He continued his education alone, reading as much as he could and learning shorthand during this time. This helped him to become a newspaper reporter at the ..of 19. From that moment he began to write. and, little by little, these short articles changed into long novels that were immensely liked and brought fame to their author. In 1836 Dickens publishes his ..,,Sketches by Boz . The next years 1837, he published his first novel ,, The Pickwick Papers. After that a successful, though very hard life,.. happiest, the greatest, where, was, the poorest, who, novels, school, age, articles, first work, followed.

II. Papua New Guinea Reconciliation

(42p; 10 x 4.2p)

In Papua New Guinea, the descendants of cannibals who killed and ate four Fijian missionaries in 1878 have apologised for their ancestors' actions. They held a reconciliation ceremony, which was attended by thousands of people, in the East New Britain province where they were killed. The missionaries were part of a group of Methodist ministers and teachers who arrived in 1875 to spread Christianity. The murders three years later, by Tolai tribespeople on the Gazelle Peninsula, triggered angry reprisals. The English pastor who was head of the mission, George Brown, avenged the killings by taking part in an expedition that resulted in the deaths of a number of tribespeople and the burning of several villages. Candles were lit in memory of the four. Fiji's High Commissioner in Papua New Guinea, Ratu Isoa Tikoca, accepted the apologies on behalf of the descendants."We at this juncture are deeply touched and wish you the greatest joy of forgiveness as we finally end this record disagreement," he said. The Governor-General Sir Paulias Matane praised the early missionaries for making the country Christian and called for more people to follow the guiding principles of the religion. Q1 - The descendants of the cannibals are sorry about what happened. True False Q2 - Few people attended the ceremony.

True False Q3 - The ceremony was held in the UK. True False Q4 - The missionaries were killed very soon after they arrived. True False Q5 - No one was punished for the killings. True False Q6 - The Fijian representative attended. True False Q7 - Ratu Isoa Tikoca was not moved by the ceremony. True False Q8 - Candles were lit to remember the missionaries. True False Q9 - Sir Paulias Matane resents the work of the early missionaries. True False Q10 - Sir Paulias Matane wishes that more people had religious principles. True False

I. Answers 1. the greatest 2. was 3. happiest 4. who 5. where 6. the poorest 7. novels 8. school 9. age 10. articles 11. first work

(48p; 12 x 4p)

12. followed II. Answers Q1-True Q2-False Q3-False Q4- False Q5- False Q6- True Q7- False Q8- True Q9- False Q10- True (42p; 10 x 4.2p)