Reading Exercise Practice reading

Exercise 1. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your
answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the
numbered blanks.
While the average person aged 65 and (1)______ watches 33 minutes of TV news a
day, this falls to just two minutes among people aged 16-24, according to the media
regulator's annual - news consumption report. The (2)______ has been driven by
audiences moving away from traditional live broadcast channels, where they might
watch a popular drama and leave the channel on during the evening news bulletin,
towards watching (3)______ content from streaming services.
The shift could have major (4)______ for British politics, given services such as
Netflix do not provide any news. Political parties have traditionally considered the
BBC's 10pm news bulletin to be their most important outlet for getting their message
across to large swaths of the public, which, in turn can shape policies being proposed
and how they are presented.
TV news is still the main way that the British public learn about current (5)______,
however, in part because older viewers have remained loyal to traditional services.
(Source: />- news-almost-entirely-ofcom)
Question 1.
Question 2.
Question 3.
Question 4.
Question 5.

A. over
A. rise
A. make-up
A. implying
A. affairs

B. up
B. decline

B. runner-up
B. imply
B. deals

C. again.
C. uprising
C. catch-up
C. implicate
C. rumours

D. away
D. plunge
D. break-up
D. implications
D. gossips

Exercise 2. Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your
answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
'Young people and the elderly have become so estranged that a national network of clubs is
needed where teenagers and the older generation can mingle and get a better understanding
of each other’, leading charities say.
"They could meet at play sessions, prepare meals together and take part in local history
sessions in order to maintain and strengthen bonds", claim the children's charity 4Children
and Counsel and Care, which campaigns for older people. In a joint report this week they will
warn that a growing divide between younger people and senior citizens will undermine the
social fabric. Relations between them are increasingly marked by fear, ignorance,
misunderstanding and a lack of time spent together, according to the document, "For All
Ages”.

"The increasing distance between young and older people is set to spark a new wave of
social problems unless urgent action is taken to reduce intergenerational prejudice and
discrimination," it says. It blames time pressures, different forms of family set-ups and the
growing habit of people living far from where they were born for the situation.
Polling by the charities revealed that 30 per cent of 11-to 16-year-olds rarely spend any
time with older people and that the same proportion of senior citizens fear young people
because they associate them with antisocial behaviour and crime. Four in five children said
they did not feel that older people understood them.
"Those findings are of great concern. A divide between children and their grandparents
seems to be opening up in front of us at huge speed because our fast-changing lifestyles are
limiting traditional forms of social interaction between them," said Anne Longfield, chief
executive of 4Children. "We need to intervene to bridge this gap". She suggested that the
small but growing number of children's centres which already stage special sessions for
grandparents and toddlers, rather than just for parents and their offspring, could be copied
nationwide. Youth clubs and schools in their extended day sessions could also host
inter-generational activities, such as arts activities and special lunches, to encourage greater
contact.
The report also proposes that young people volunteer in old people's centres. More
controversially, Longfield said ministers should explore the viability of older people being
given financial incentives through the tax system for looking after their grandchildren.
Similarly, she said, youngsters could be rewarded for shouldering some of the responsibility
of looking after grandparents. There are now more people over 65 than under 16.
(Source: youngpeople)
Question 1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. An overview of the generation gap and possible solutions to it
B. Suggestions to deal with the generation gap
C. Actions to be taken to reduce the distance between the youth and the elderly
D. Why elderly people stay distant to younger generations
Question 2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a thing that the youth and the
elderly do to consolidate the bonds?

A. watching plays together
B. eating meals together
C. mutually preparing for meals
D. attending local history sessions
Question 3. Which of the following is closest in meaning to "mingle" as used in the
passage?
A. blend
B. compile
C. merge
D. circulate
Question 4. What is the proportion of senior citizens that are scared of the youth?


A. 4 per cent
B. 11 per cent
C. 30 per cent
D. 16 per cent
Question 5. Which of the following is closest in meaning to "spark a new wave" as used
in the passage?
A. cause an unexpected decrease
B. render a sudden increase
C. create an intended change
D. offer people wave surfing
Question 6. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Only 20% of the youth felt that they were understood by the elderly.
B. 80% of the elderly claim that they know the youth very well.
C. 30% of the youth would like to spend time with older people.
D. People under 16 outnumber those over 65.
Question 7. Which of the following is closest in meaning to "toddlers" as used in the
passage?

A. young people
B. children learning to walk
C. young adult
D. primary students
Question 8. What can be drawn from the passage about 'For All Ages'?
A. It is a combination of the youth and the elderly.
B. It is a mutual agreement between older and younger generations.
C. It is a joint report by 4Children and Counsel and Care.
D. It is written exclusively for the elderly.

Ex 1:
Ex 2:

1.A
1.A

2.B 3.C 4.D
2.B 3.D 4.C

5.A
5.B

6. A

7.B

8.C